Marine Corps Marathon Groupie!

Yesterday I decided to head down to D.C. to watch the Marine Corps Marathon.  It’s the 8th biggest marathon in the World, and it’s a big race for a lot of local runners.  I have never been a spectator for a race before, if I’m not running in it, I’m usually running in another race or have a long training run scheduled.  So when I had nothing major going on this weekend, and over a dozen running buddies and acquaintances competing in the race, I jumped on the opportunity to cheer them on and show them some support.  I figured it’s about time for me to “pay it forward”, with the countless races my boyfriend and daughter have supported me at, and I was actually excited to see elite runners cross the finish line in person! (Since I’m usually over an hour behind them! Haha)

It was such an amazing experience and more inspirational/moving than I ever could have anticipated!  First, the atmosphere was incredible! The music, the liveliness, the cheering, the overwhelming patriotism, and talking to people who had traveled from all over the country (and the world) to cheer on their runners.  All of them had one thing in common, they were so proud of their runner…like really, genuinely sunny beaming proud of their runners.  I teared up thinking about all of the people who have supported me,and my crazy dreams, on my marathon journey, and was very humbled at the thought that they are probably just as proud of me when I run my races.

Then when I got to see the first place runner come around the corner to make his way up that final hill, I was absolutely star struck! US Army specialist Samuel Kosgei finished in an impressive 2:22:11 without another runner in sight!  The race for top 3 females was close up to the finish, with 1st time marathoner, US Army Captain Meghan Curran coming in 1st in 2:51:46! With my boyfriend being an Army veteran, it was exciting to see the Army kick ass yesterday! (Even if I am prior Air Force…but hey, I’m not a hater! 😉 )Army ended up taking 1st for the overall men’s competition and 2nd for the overall women’s competition! Go Army!!

I was no less impressed with the other 30,000 runners that I watched cross the finish line over the next few hours. I saw one of Danny’s good friends, a member of the Army team, finish her race with a solid 3:17 finishing time and a new friend that I met at the NFC marathon finish her first road marathon in an impressive 3:48! I also got to see old Ragnar teammates and the guys from my office “running club” (Even if they do tease me and try to kick me out of the club all the time! I forgive you guys, ok? 😉 Lol) including a first time marathoner finish strong! I saw runner’s throwing up at the top of “hear break hill”, runners helping each other across the finish line, runners collapsing the moment the crossed the finish line,runners pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion,  and I saw runners smiling through the pain with a look of accomplishment across their faces as they crossed the finish line! I’m proud of every one of them for doing something extraordinary; showing up, hanging tough, persevering, and running 26.2 freaking miles! Something only 1% of the people in the world will ever be crazy enough to do! 😉 Here’s a video that pretty much sums up the entire marathon experience! Hope you enjoy it! Especially my 1st timers for yesterday! You are now part of one masochistic club! 😉

I’m so glad I watched the MCM yesterday.  It made me realize that when I am running a race I am so focused on myself, staying in the zone, and running my best race that I am missing so much of what’s going on around me.  It gave me an entirely different perspective and made a marathon so much more significant to me.  I was energized, moved, inspired, elated, motivated, and so excited by all of the runners yesterday! I can’t wait to run my next marathon and I hope what I learned from my spectator experience allows me to be more present and in the moment when I do!

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Last week was not a good training week for me.  I was dealing with major septic/plumbing issues that had me mentally/physically drained, and not being able to take a shower kind of kills the motivation to run. (For me at least)  That fiasco was what inspired my “The Reality of Being an Independent Woman” post last week (In case you were wondering! Lol), but luckily I have that behind me now and this week is another week! I got 3 runs in, including a 10 mile run on the WB&A trail with a friend.  I rarely get the chance to run with other people, but it was fun and therapeutic! Exactly what I needed to get out of my “poor me” funk and back into motion!

So my super quick run-down for last week:

Total Miles: 19

Total Miles for 2014: 1133.55

Weekly Motivation

Have you ever watched a marathon before? What was the experience like for you? What did you gain from the spectator’s perspective of a race?

❤ Betty

Very Inspiring Bloggers and Week 3 of WG Marathon Training

First, I’d like to thank Rob from Weight2lose2013 for nominating me as a “Very Inspiring Blogger”!  For those of you who don’t know Rob, you should definitely go check out his page!  He has an off the wall, fun sense of  humor and shares some great throwback Thursday music videos.  Not to mention, he’s one of the most kind and supportive people I’ve met on WordPress!! 🙂

The rules for accepting this award are to share 7 random things about yourself, then pay it forward by nominating 15 fabulous bloggers as “Very Inspiring Bloggers”.  Easy enough, right!?

7 random facts/things you may not know about Running Betty:

1.  My middle name is Louise, the same middle name my mother has.  It’s a bit “old fashioned” so I got teased about it as a kid, but now I’m nothing but proud to share a middle name with my super awesome mom! 🙂
2. I am terrified of spiders! Seriously, to the point that I can’t even step on one (I’m afraid I’ll miss and it will run up my pant leg) or even pick up a dead one with a paper towel wearing rubber dish gloves (Even squished I’m convinced the sneaky bastard is only PLAYING dead)!  Yes, I realized this is irrational and NO, I am not eve close to joking!
3. I get VERY emotional when rocking the air guitar in my car.  I will sing at the top of my lungs and start tearing up; especially if it’s a Journey song!
4. I love spicy food! If I’m eating something that isn’t spicy by default (Indian/Thai/Mexican) I will douse it in hot sauce!
5. I grew up playing capture the flag and paint ball (all the time) with my 3 younger brothers.  I took it very seriously! I once hid in a tree for over an hour, waiting to drop a water balloon on my brothers head!
6. Speaking of climbing trees….I have always loved climbing on things!  As a kid, this meant getting stitches more times than I can even count….As an adult it developed into a love for rock climbing! While the tiniest spider will have me standing on couch crying, I am pretty fearless when it comes to heights!
7. Which is how I ended up being a diver my freshman year of high school! Dive meets equaled extra points for my schools swim meets.  Since we didn’t have a female diver at my school, and I was fearless/dumb,  the coach convinced me to dive.  I could land an 11 dive list, but let me tell you, it wasn’t pretty!  I was relieved to pass the torch to the new girl (a former gymnast) my sophomore year, and to be able to focus 100% on my swimming!

15 bloggers who I happen to find pretty dang inspiring!:

1. Runsaltrun
2. 1year2boston
3. Piratebobcat
4. RunCharlotte
5. Fitnessmeetsfrosting
6. Runrodrun
7. Stampedwithaheart
8. Heatherrunsfast
9. marathonandsprint
10. theblogrunner
11. thegirlwhoraneverywhere
12. flrunnerboy
13. girlrunswild
14. runningfromitall
15. bettylivin

I’m not one who takes it personally if you don’t choose to participate….I have met many great/awesome bloggers on wordpress (waayyy more than I included in this list) and love getting the opportunity from time to time to let y’all know I think you’re awesome! If you decide to take part in being an “Inspiring Blogger”, follow the rules listed above….share 7 random silly facts about yourself and nominate some of your favorite inspiring bloggers!

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Wineglass Marathon Week 3 Training Recap:

• Monday- 6 miles easy
• Tuesday- Rest
• Wednesday- 6 miles easy
• Thursday- 1 mile, 8×600 meter repeats (2:33-2:36 pace) with 600 meter recovery(7 miles total)
• Friday- 1 mile warm-up, 6 mile tempo run (7:49-8:01 pace), 1 mile cool-down (8 miles total)
• Saturday- 5 miles easy, trail run
• Sunday- 10 mile long (8:33 pace)

• Total Weekly Miles- 42 miles 
• Total 2014 Miles- 816.35 miles

I was happy with this weeks training.  It’s definitely easier to get my miles in when I’m home! I can stick to my routine and can run all of my favorite routes/trails.  Being back at sea level was cool too, my breathing was more natural and I was able to hit my goal pace in (almost) every work-out, aside from my track/speed workout which was far from perfect. I started too late on Thursday (Around 8 am), and it heated up quick!  My first 6 repeats felt great and were on pace, but I felt like I hit a wall before starting the last two.  ALL of my muscles were cramping, including my arms.  I was worried about heat exhaustion so I drank lots of water then ran my last two repeats way slower than goal pace (About 8-8:30 min per mile).

Today’s long run felt great!! When initially looking at my training plan, I was wondering what the difference was between a 10 mile easy run and a 10 mile long run…..Well the difference is pace!  (For those of you who remember when I first started rambling on about Hanson’s training method, one of the key principles of his training plan is to run at a “prescribed pace” for each workout.)  My 10 mile easy run was at a 9:30 min per mile pace, while today’s 10 miler was ran at a 8:33 min per mile pace.  While I am not 100% sold yet, and a bit nervous that following Hanson’s method is going to make me slower, not faster…after a few weeks of following this program my pacing is definitely improving.  I am starting to feel the difference between a 6:30, 7:00, 8:30, and so on…minute per mile pace and am able to maintain a more consistent overall pace during my workouts.  It took me 2 miles to warm-up, but I ran my last 8 miles at a steady 8:15 pace, making today’s run my most even paced long run to date! 🙂

After my long run

I rewarded myself with one of my favorite post workout snacks; an almond butter and banana/berry protein shake….it was soo refreshing and a great way to cool down after today’s long run! 🙂 (Ingredients: 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk, 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/2 frozen banana, 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries, 3 coconut water ice-cubes, 1 tablespoon almond butter)

In my “booze cup” that never sees booze 😉

Feeling motivated and pumped for my upcoming week of  training!  WG training week 4….bring it on!  😉

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How are your workouts going in this heat?! What’s your favorite speed workout?  

 

 

My Drive to Run…Week 2 of Wineglass Marathon Training

O.K., I’m going to be honest with you…..there are some days I just don’t FEEL like running.  Work and life can get in the way, my legs feel sore, the weather is too hot/cold/windy…., or I may just feel plain worn down.  Despite all of that, I still LOVE running and go out for a run most days.  In fact, even when I’m not running, I spend a lot of my time reading about, talking about, blogging about, or just day dreaming about running.  Does this make me driven or obsessed with my sport?  I’ve met enough people who despise running to know my behavior is not quite normal….yet, there are a lot of other runners out there just like me! (Many of you here on WordPress! I ❤ all of you nuts!!)  So what is it about running that makes makes it so addictive?  What obsesses ummm, drives me to run?

1. My goals! When I ran my first race (The Baltimore Half Marathon in 2009) my goal was to dedicate 3 months to following a training plan and to simply finish the race.  Then I thought, I could do that twice, why not run a marathon? (FYI…In retrospect this logic was flawed, a marathon is NOT two half marathons!) Then after racing most distances, I wanted to start getting faster/stronger and was focused on achieving new PRs.  Last year I met my goal of breaking a 4 hour marathon.  Now my primary goal/obsession is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  I love how running allows me to constantly set new goals, compete with myself, and push myself to get better.

2. Running is cheaper than therapy.  This is one of my favorite quotes and it is soooo true for me!  I have a lot going on in my life, between taking care of my daughter, work, and commuting…and I have the tendency to get a BIT high strung at times and my daily runs “take the edge off”.  I don’t know how I would keep it all together without my running therapy!

3. Running makes me feel like a super hero! I love the feeling I get when I am running and competing in races.  It’s a great break from my normal daily grind.  The adrenaline from running a race and having complete strangers cheer me on is so cool! It’s like a Clark Kent to Superman transformation when this Mama/IT geek becomes Running Betty, “speeding” towards the finish line!

4. Running allows me to explore and to connect with nature.  I’m an adventurous person by nature, and have always liked to explore new places.  I discovered I can cover a lot more ground, which=more exploration, when running.  Most of my runs are “out and backs” , with no planned route, so every run is like a new adventure!  I love exploring new parks/trails and running is my favorite way to site see when visiting a new city.  (I got to enjoy lots of beautiful mountain views running around the Denver, CO area the last 2 weeks)  I also like running with no music so I can take in the nature around me with ALL of my senses.

 

5. I run because I can.  The ability to use my legs and run is a blessing that I never want to take for granted.  I want to have good memories to look back on if there is ever a point in my life that I can’t run anymore, and I want to be able to know I pushed myself and achieved everything I was capable of.  But until that day comes….as long as I am able to run, I will!

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Summary of Week 2 WG Marathon Training:

• Monday- Rest
• Tuesday- 6 miles easy
• Wednesday- 8 miles speed work (400 meter repeats on track)
• Thursday- Rest (Unplanned, unexpected 13 hour work day)
• Friday- 6 miles easy
• Saturday- Rest (Unplanned, traveling/home late)
• Sunday– 10 miles easy on C&O canal, +1 mile trail running near home -Exploring new trails! 🙂

 

• Total Weekly Miles: 31 miles (10 miles short of goal)
• Total 2014 Miles: 774.35

What about you?  How was your training week? What drives you to run?

My First Trail Marathon and A Solid Training Week!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! I had a blast! Yesterday I ran the North Face Challenge Trail Marathon at  Algonkian Regional Park, just outside of D.C. I can count the number of trail runs I’ve done in my entire life on one hand…..So how did I end up signed up for this race?  I work with an awesome group of runners, all guys so there is a lot of trash talking involved.  Last year they ran the NFC Half Marathon, and a few of them said they were going to take on the full this year.  Of course I wasn’t going to let a group of men outdo me, so I signed up for the marathon the day the registration opened, throwing down the gauntlet.  😉  I had no idea how I’d do, I was just hoping to be able to finish within the 7 hour time limit.  I was excited to try something different from my normal road races and wanted to take on a new challenge.  Long story short, a couple of my co-workers signed up for the half but a week before my race I knew I would be running the marathon solo.  I considered changing to the half but I had 1) Gotten myself way too hyped about running the full, 2) Have been running high enough mileage that I thought I had a decent chance of surviving this race, and 3) I am too damn stubborn once my mind is made up about something.  😉  Still, I was nervous enough about this race that I didn’t talk much about it before hand.  I didn’t want to come off as a drama queen talking about how scared I was that I might get lost in the woods, be bitten by a snake, fall into a ditch, break a leg….list of irrational pre-race fears goes on and on! Lol Obviously I survived, and am in good enough shape to be blogging about it the next day!

Early morning, leaving for the race.

 

The race was well organized, with race day packet pick-up available.  I  was SO thankful that I didn’t have to drive into D.C. during the work week, in rush hour traffic, to pick up my number.  I parked, shuttled to the park, and checked in with plenty of time to spare (45 minutes) before the 9 am marathon start time.  I wandered around talking to strangers, one of my all time favorite things to do! 😉  The other runners at this race were so friendly and super supportive when I told them this was my first trail race.  I had zero expectations so this was the first race I’ve ran in a while that I didn’t put pressure on myself.  My primary goal was to have fun and finish uninjured.  While it wasn’t really a goal, I told myself if I could run this race under 5 hours I’d be ecstatic!

I learned very quickly that Garmins are very inaccurate when calculating distance and pace on a trail.  I didn’t even pay attention to my watch, and I just ran by feel.  The trails included a lot of single track paths, rocks, stream crossings, mud, tree roots, and steep hills.  I felt like a gazelle hurdling over a few fallen trees within the first 5 miles of the race (I was NOT hurdling them on the way back though! Lol).  There were a couple of points during the race that were too steep for me to run; I walked while grabbing onto trees to keep my balance.  The race support was amazing, with some of the best aid stations I’ve ever seen on any race.  Each aid station had big bowls of food including; fruit, pretzels, shot blocks, gels, candy, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chicken broth….And plenty of fluids.  They even had volunteers offering water refills, which was useful since there is an 8 mile stretch during this race that is totally unsupported.  I had to run with a camel pack, which I should have tried out before hand, because OH. MY. GOD. THE. CHAFFING!!!! It seriously looks like I had a zombie chewing on my collar bone, shoulders, and back! I’ll live though, and know better for next time!  (However my boyfriend did ask me to wear my hair down this week! Lol)  Oh, and when I said I took my time….I REALLY took my time, stopping to take pictures of the beautiful park scenery and to take mid-race selfies!

Race Photos from on the trail.

After getting past the half way turn around, I was so glad I did take my time because let me tell you something….trail running is tough!! As my legs started to fatigue, keeping my balance and footing on the varying terrain became REALLY difficult.  No more leaping through the air like a ballerina, flying over logs…I was just focused on keeping myself upright and moving forward.  About a mile after the turn around, I made a new friend! We kept each other motivated and chatted about life for the next 10+ miles.  It was her first marathon and she was a beast! At the last aid station, about 1.6 miles from the finish she had more left in her legs than I did, so I told her not to wait on me, that I was going to stop at that last aid station to regroup, and I’d meet her at the finish line.  She ended up coming in second in her age division!!  She totally rocks and is one of my new running BFFs!! I ended up finishing the race in 4:47:45! Yay, I finished the race, feeling strong, in under 5 hours! *Happy Dance*

Muddy, happy, and relaxing at the finish line!

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After the NFC, I am totally hooked on trail running! Why?  Here are the few things NFC taught me about trail running;

• Trail running forces/allows me to be moment.  I was literally focused on every step I took and what was right in front of me!
• Being in nature is inspiring! I stopped a few times to take in the sites, smells, and sounds of everything around me!
• Variation!  The constantly changing terrain kept things interesting, and kept me challenged and focused.  I completely lost track of time during this race!
• My competitive side got to take a break….I’ve heard trail runners say, “Don’t bring your ego on the trail!” Now I know first hand what they mean! The trail was unpredictable and keeping my balance required me to run much slower than I would normally run.  Also, since Garmins don’t work well on the trail any way, I had no idea how fast I was running and was not focused or worried about my pace.
• Hydration and Fuel is Key! I learned a lot about fueling and hydrating during a race.  I was drinking water throughout the entire race and fueling up on peanut butter (in reusable camping tube), cliff shot blocks, and orange slices (from fueling stations).  My energy levels were high and I felt great!
• Trail running is easier on my legs.  Usually for a day or two after a marathon my legs feel destroyed and I’m walking with my “marathon limp”.  I do feel tired today, but my legs don’t hurt AT ALL!
• The other runners! Trail runners are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met! This race wasn’t overly competitive and everyone was running at a conversational pace.  We ran in packs for miles; joking, laughing, and motivating each other.  And as I mentioned before, I made a new running BFF! 🙂

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Not only did I have a great race, I had a great week of training.  I didn’t even slack on my cross training this week, like I normally do! 😉

Recap of this weeks training:

-Monday: Ab Ripper X, 10 x burpees, 10 minute AM yoga routine.

-Tuesday: 6 mile tempo run (7:59 AP), TRX workout (3×15 each Chest press, Low-Row, Skull crushers, One arm bicep Curl) 11 x burpees.

-Wednesday: 8 mile track work out (Including 12×400 Repeats), Ab ripper X, 12 x burpees.

-Thursday: 6 miles easy, TRX workout (Same as Tuesday), 13 x burpees.

-Friday: Rest Day.  14 x burpees.

-Saturday: NFC Trail Marathon (26.2 miles)

-Sunday: 2 mile easy recovery run, Ab ripper X, 16 x burpees.

 

• Total Weekly Miles: 48.2
• Total 2014 Miles: 716.35

Another training cycle starts soon!! I’ll be starting Hanson’s 18 week Advanced Marathon Training Program in One Week!!!

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Have you ever tried trail running? What do you love about trail running?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garden Spot Village Marathon Race Recap + Review

I meant to post this sooner (for the sake of doing this race justice), but I’ve been floating on cloud nine since the weekend.  I’m finally coming back to reality enough to at least attempt to put together some coherent sentences that adequately describe what a wonderful weekend I had in Lancaster (Pennsylvania Dutch) county with Danny.  It was serendipity that I came across, and decided to register for the Garden Spot Village Marathon (Organized by Garden Spot Village and Race Director, Scott Miller).  I choose this race by searching for marathons in April, within reasonable travel distance, cross referenced race dates with my calendar, came across this small (relative to more local Baltimore and DC races) marathon that promised chocolate shakes at the finish line, and I was sold.  (Yep, I that is about how much thought I put into most things in life! Haha)  As the race got closer, I read race reviews (All great reviews) and looked at pictures of the local area, I got more and more excited.  I also began to get nervous; that a small marathon field would mean many miles alone, without other runners to chat with and cheering crowds to distract me if things began to get rough.  Well this race ended up surprising me; it far exceeded my expectations and ended up being my favorite race to date! (No exaggeration!)

Pre-race/Packet Pickup: 

After registering for Garden Spot, I began to receive occasional e-mails from the race director (For Clarification: Not to me specifically, but to all registered runners!) with training tips, updates on local road conditions, and cheerful chronicles of his training runs.  To be honest, at first this struck me as rather odd (Remember, I typically run B-More and DC races…) but it kept me excited/motivated through a harsh winter of training and it made me feel like I personally knew Scott!  I couldn’t wait to meet him and all the other runners on race day!

Danny and I drove up to Lancaster Friday evening.  We went straight to Garden Spot Village Community Center for packet pickup.  We arrived just as the “Kid’s Marathon” (1.2 mile race, too cute! I’ll have to keep it in mind for Ilana next year!) The volunteers were extremely friendly and helpful, and we had no problems finding the registration tent.  For those runners motivated by swag, all runners got a cool tech t-shirt and running hat.  I opted to do the pasta dinner, a great deal for $15.00 a person, and I am always worried about eating at restaurants before a race (too much butter and sodium!)….Aaaannnnd it was all you can eat!!!! (You know this greedy gal was happy! Lol)  There was pasta, bread, salad, sweet potatoes (yes please!), coffee, and desserts.  I’ll admit, I was eyeballing some cheesecake that looked to die for….and almost worth risking mid-race trots….almost….I opted for the chocolate cake (It was am-az-ing!!).  I enjoyed chatting with some of the other runners, many local, and all incredibly friendly.  Several of them mentioned how difficult the course was, and how this definitely was “not a PR course”….I thought, “Uh Oh, maybe I need to look at that map again…”  (Ummmm…yeah, I’ll get back to that!).

Morning of Race Day: I didn’t sleep well because I kept having that “I slept through my alarm and missed my race” nightmare and woke up every hour throughout the night. (I swear, does EVERY runner have that nightmare?!) I finally got “permission” to get out of bed at 0430 (I was driving Danny crazy hopping in and out of bed all night, and he vetoed me trying to put on my running clothes at 0300!) and went through my pre-race rituals.  I won’t get into all of the boring specifics, but I will mention one odd racing quirk/superstition/lucky totem I have adopted.  I have to wear my nose ring, not my normal stud, when I race.  I swear it makes me run faster because it makes me feel “more bad a$$”! And since running is 99% mental, it has to work, right?  Like the circular logic on that one? As silly as this quirk sounds, it is 100% true, and I’m not one to ever make apologies for being a weirdo! Lol (What is one of your odd racing quirks?)  After a good breakfast Danny and I (and another runner we picked up at the Bed and Breakfast) drove to the race.  Parking was easy, there was zero stress, and the weather was perfect…it was all adding up to a great race day!  I decided I wanted another coffee and was surprised when the woman at the concession stand told me no charge for runners (for anything).  All though I had read that online before hand, it was one of those things that seemed too good to be true, and I totally forgot.  I finished my coffee, took care of business (Yessss!), and made my way to the starting line.  Everyone was in great spirits, and I even saw “Marathon Man” entertaining the crowd.  It was Go Time!!!

At the starting line!

The Race:

This race experience was surreal…it was like traveling back in time.  I was being passed by horse and buggies along the course, and there were many Amish families along the sides of the roads.  Some doing their own thing, and others actively cheering on all of the runners. (There were also some competing in the race in traditional clothing + running shoes) Not to mention, the scenery was absolutely gorgeous!  Miles and miles (literally) of rolling hills and farms.  Of course, having perfect weather and bright blue skies didn’t hurt either!  To think I was worried about not having enough “distractions” along the course!  I had so many things to look at that time just flew by!  There were enough runners that I occasionally passed or was passed by somebody, but it was actually nice having the space and freedom to just run, not having to zig-zag in and out of crowds.  I had a fanny pack full of my pre-made concoction of honey stinger chews, mini marshmallows, pretzels, craisins, and gummy bears.  I ate a hand full every two miles starting at mile 8, and in addition to drinking water (no Gatorade) at every water station.  I found my sweet spot for fueling/maintaining energy/and not getting tummy cramps during this race! (Big success for me, since fueling during a run has always been one of my biggest challenges).  The water stations were well organized and all the volunteers along the course did a great job at not letting me get lost!  😉

Views on the course.

Since every race is a learning experience, here are a few things I learned during this race:

• Planning is so not my thing….the whole “race strategy thing” I did was a great meditation exercise during my taper, to mellow out some of my pre-race jitters, but I did not remember a dang thing!  I’m definitely more of a winging it kind of girl!!
• Even if I were able to remember ANY of my race strategy, it wouldn’t do me any good, because attention to detail (and reading elevation maps) is also so not my thing.  Remember how I was talking about this nice flat course, with a couple of hills at mile something and something else….well, please see exhibit A……

Yeah, this is NOT flat!!

Mmmm hmmm! Oh well, I made the best of it, and earned some bragging rights by surviving that last BIG (Not only) hill at mile 21-23!

• This one is a two part lesson; stay humble and never judge a book by it’s cover!  It doesn’t matter how fast/strong you are (even with your “bad ass runner chick nose ring” in!) there will always be someone faster and stronger.  And that person may be a man in a pink tutu, passing you at mile 10 of a marathon!

There he is! And there he goes…..

• But it’s all good, because I don’t take myself that seriously and I got a big laugh! (The British accent was a nice touch sir!)  NEVER forget to have fun!
• The people who love you will support you and love you, no matter how insane your goals and endeavors may be!  Thank you to my mom and my boyfriend Danny, for being there for me and always being proud of me for even my smallest accomplishments.
• Taking Danny to races with me rocks because I actually end up with cool race pictures afterwards to put on my blog! 😉

I ended up finishing this race in 3:48:15 (8:39 overall pace), while 10 minutes slower than my goal (based on a “flat” course) I was (am) still elated because I beat my previous PR (In Richmond last November) by just over 2 minutes and LOVED the course so much!  PLUS I still had the rest of the weekend with Danny to look forward to! 🙂

Runners love bling! *Fact*

Post-Race/Finish Line Festivities: A homemade chocolate milk shake after a marathon is EVERY bit as good as it sounds! I enjoyed two (before you judge, they were small! 😉 ) along with a banana and some trail mix.  I was actually overwhelmed by the amount of food in the runner’s recovery tent, which included omelets being made on the spot!  There was also a pool and hot tubs available for swimmers to take a dip/relax in (If ONLY I would have remembered to bring my bikini from the B&B!).  It was over 70 at this point and still sunny/clear skies, so I lounged around on the grass and chatted with some other runners.  I even introduced myself to Megan, a girl that I had been “leap frogging” throughout the entire race, and congratulated her for pulling away on that final stretch.  I also thanked her for keeping me going in a couple of tough spots.  She said I had done the same, we both were enjoying the game! 🙂 It turns out we both won our age division! Her F25-29, and me F30-34.  One of the advantages of running a race with fewer runners and a generous race director! I’m looking forward to receiving my personally engraved coin with my finishing time in the mail!

That’s Megan next to me in middle left!

The Rest of the Weekend: Involved a visiting a couple of local markets/shops and settling in on the patio at the B&B with a pizza and nice bottle of red wine.  The bed and breakfast we stayed at was amazing too, The Artist’s Inn & Gallery, so I’d just like to give it a quick plug too!  The inn and location were perfect; The owners, Jan and Bruce were very friendly and especially accommodating of the runners staying at the Inn.  The Gallery portion included Bruce’s colored pencil drawings with quirky/funny captions, I ended up coming home with his “Phona Lisa” (A congratulatory gift from Danny! 🙂 ) I will definitely be booking a room when I’m in town again for another race; maybe “Bird in hand half”?  I reeaaallly want that “Road Apple” award!

Relaxing at the B&B

I always do “the run-down” for myself…..At the end of the week, between two 4 mile taper runs and the marathon:

Total Weekly Miles: 34.2 
Total 2014 Miles: 464.9

Next up….The American Odyssey Race with (hopefully) 11 other runners!

Links:

http://gardenspotvillagemarathon.org/

Home

What is your favorite race to run?  What makes or breaks a race for you?

 

 

 

 

Garden Spot Race Day Strategy

It’s the witching hour, 3 days to go before the Garden Spot Village Marathon; three gloriously gluttonous carb loading days before embarking on the 26.2 mile road to “hell and back”!  So I am being a bit dramatic for affect, because to be honest I have fallen in love with running this distance.  It does get uncomfortable somewhere after mile 18-20.  Possibly even painful, but I think running a marathon is similar to giving birth….you remember it hurt but the memory of the pain becomes fuzzy with time, and after enough time passes, and you begin to think…Huh…that wasn’t so bad, I could totally do that again! There is something about overcoming that pain, and the realization of how far you can really push your body that makes it so addictive.  And it’s all mental; I’m not an incredible athlete by any means, I’m not the fastest runner, I’m just a 33 year old mommy and IT nerd with a running problem.  I think that is the most amazing thing about running a marathon, with the right mental attitude and training, ANYONE can run a marathon.   You see people of all ages and body sizes, elite runners, women in tutus, people running for loved ones and fallen heroes, for various causes, with different goals…all toeing the starting line of a race together.  Then the collective power and energy that you experience (and are part of) during a race is indescribable.  You become part of something bigger than yourself; you become part of the loving and supportive community of runners!

I apologize for the sappiness! It comes along with the self-reflection before a one of my big (goal) races.  On a less serious note, I decided to actually look at the course map and runner’s guide for the first time ever.  My motto in the past has always been to just wing it, let the course surprise me…after all, it feels more like an adventure that way, right?  Well yes, but this time I decided I’d try something different and actually come up with some kind of plan/race strategy.  I guess I’ll see how that goes! 😉

This non-planners marathon plan:

• Packet pick-up and pasta dinner at 5 pm Friday at Garden Spot Village Visitor Center
• 5 am wake-up, Breakfast: Bagel with peanut butter, banana + Coffee

I’ll look something like this before my coffee….

• Get to start by 7 am, Snack: Cliff bar and apple sauce
• 8 am race start time
• Maintain an average pace of 8:18 per mile (For projected 3:37:37 finish time)

o   Cool running web-site has a nifty pace calculator that can be used to calculate splits: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/4/4_1/96.shtml

Splits Times

o   1             Mile       00:08:18

o   2             Mile       00:16:36

o   3             Mile       00:24:54

o   4             Mile       00:33:12

o   5             Mile       00:41:30

o   6             Mile       00:49:48

o   7             Mile       00:58:06

o   8             Mile       01:06:24

o   9             Mile       01:14:42

o   10           Mile       01:23:00

o   11           Mile       01:31:18

o   12           Mile       01:39:36

o   13           Mile       01:47:54

o   14           Mile       01:56:12

o   15           Mile       02:04:30

o   16           Mile       02:12:48

o   17           Mile       02:21:06

o   18           Mile       02:29:24

o   19           Mile       02:37:42

o   20           Mile       02:46:00

o   21           Mile       02:54:18

o   22           Mile       03:02:36

o   23           Mile       03:10:54

o   24           Mile       03:19:12

o   25           Mile       03:27:30

o   26           Mile       03:35:48

o   26.21875             Mile       03:37:36.93

• This is an out and back course with slight/short hills between miles 2-3, 4-5, and 21-23.  There is a lot of downhill to make up for any time lost climbing hills.  The last hill between miles 21-23 which will be mentally brutal, but knowing it is followed by a downhill finish will make it easier to hang in there.

• There are water stations at mile 2, 4, 7, 9.5, 12, 15.5, 18, 20.5, 23.5

o   Had to double check…9 water stations (1 less than what I am used to) so it is important not to skip any, since I don’t like racing with my water belt (It weighs me down and moves around too much).

• Gels are provided at every water station but there is no other food on course!  Yikes!

o   I am one hungry girl to begin with and have a high maintenance tummy does not tolerate gels well.  This means I will have to carry a fanny pack…ummm….I mean “fuel belt” (Because REAL athletes use fuel belts not fanny packs!….Riiight…Haha) stashed with some of my favorite greedy runner snacks;  honey packets, gummy bears, marshmallows, dried cherries, pretzels, and frozen grapes.  So yes, this is all food a toddler would eat, but that’s how I roll! I take Flintstone Chewable Multivitamins too! (Like I said, VERY touchy tummy, so rather than fake the funk, I go with what works for me).

• Get to the finish line and party like its Rumspringa!!

o   The finish line festivities include homemade chocolate shakes (Yummmmmy!!! I’m not going to lie, this was the only thing I read before, and was the deciding factor for me signing up for this race!), massages, and hot tubs!  Also, runners get to eat/drink anything from the concessions for free! Totally unheard of!

From: http://thedailyomnivore.net/2011/07/12/rumspringa/

• Blog about it! So I can share with all of you how much fun my race was! 😉

Do you plan a race day strategy or do you prefer to wing it?  

Marathon Countdown and Coping with “Taper Tantrums”

My marathon is just 13 days away!  To quote another blogger, “this sh1t got real!”, because honestly I can’t think of a better way to describe what those final weeks before the marathon feel like.  During the months of intense training and mileage buildup, I was very well aware that I was in fact training for a marathon, yet all of my focus was on my training, and it somehow just seems like this beautiful and very abstract concept.  This is my fourth time going through this, and it’s been the same every time; It’s not until I begin my taper that it REALLY hits me!  In some ways it gets easier preparing for each successive marathon, because I know what to expect and how to make tweaks in my training/diet.  In other ways it gets harder, because I know what to expect (Oh god, that wall! Why oh why do I keep doing this?!?!) and the tweaking is beginning to more closely resemble obsessive compulsive disorder and hoodoo superstitions.  When the taper begins, and my training requires less focused energy, my focus has the tendency to turn towards self doubt.  That self doubt and anxiety make it tempting to blow off the tapering plan, and continue to run high volumes to make sure I am as prepared as possible for this race.  After all, do I really want to blow 5 months of hard training by “taking it easy” for 3 weeks, the 3 weeks of training when “sh1t gets real”?!  Abs0-efing-loutely!  This is where experience, and understanding the importance of “the taper” as part of an overall training plan, comes in.

What I am experiencing is not unique, it’s something that many runners, triathletes, and other endurance athletes go through when training for a major event.  I’ve found a lot of articles that discuss this “distress” we all go through during the tapering process.  I’ve seen it called the “taper blues”, “taper tantrums”, “taper traps”,….the list goes on.  I personally like taper tantrums, because it is most adequately descriptive of my personal symptoms!  Are you experiencing any of the below symptoms?  If you are, you may have a case of “taper tantrums”!:

1. Impulse to Cram: After completing that last 20 mile run, you felt like “I got this!”  It’s more difficult to feel confident about your potential performance when “kicking back” a bit.  You’ll begin to question yourself; did you train enough, get in enough miles, enough speed work…that’s when the college kid mentality kicks in…You know what I mean….when test anxiety had you pulling all nighters to “go over that list of anatomy terms just ONE more time!?!”  And that strategy almost always backfired,right?!  Because you ended up showing up for the test exhausted, stressed, and unable to focus.  The same applies when preparing for a race! You did everything you can to prepare in the months leading up to your race; now give your body a physical and mental break so you can show up refreshed, focused, and ready to put your best foot forward!!
2. Phantom Pains: You were running 40-50+ miles a week like an invincible beast!  Now that you’re cutting back  to more” human” mileage, everything is starting to hurt!  “Ouch! My back, my knee, my foot…my knee and my foot!!”  It’s not all in your head.  You put your body through a lot during training, and now it is starting to repair itself, which causes minor aches and pains to flare up, perhaps some related to past injuries that never 100% healed.  (For me I become more acutely aware of stiffness in my left knee and the mild pain caused by a small heel spur)  Don’t panic, this is just your body going through the process of repairing itself.  Do a little extra stretching (maybe even some yoga! :-)) and try rolling out those little aches and pains.  If you held up through all the high mileage, odds are you’ll be just fine for your race!
3. Fatigue/lack of energy: All of a sudden you are SO feel so tired and feel like you just want to nap all the time!  It seems so bizarre to be more tired when running less, but again this is part of the restoration process.  Get a little extra sleep in the weeks/days leading up to your race and spend as much time relaxing as possible.
4. Carb Cravings: When you aren’t napping, all you want to do is stuff your face with as many high carbohydrate foods as possible!  Pasta, bread, french fries, cake? Yes please!!  These cravings are caused by your body wanting to replenish the carbohydrate stores you depleted during training, and AGAIN your body’s way of trying to recover.  You do want gradually increase the carbohydrates in your diet, and want to effectively carb-load for a few days before the race.  However, resist the temptation to overdo it!  Too many carbohydrates will leave you feeling bloated and lethargic.
5. Moodiness: All of a sudden everything in your life seems to be stressing you out more, and you feel cranky and irritable.  If you’re like me, you may even have a few meltdowns.  It’s no secret that running releases tons of endorphines, and you may actually be experiencing some endorphin withdrawal symptoms.  (Yep, proof that running can actually be addictive! But at least it’s a healthy addiction! Lol)  Also, anxiety about your upcoming race can be contributing to some of your “crabby pants” moods.  Just try to relax!  Avoid situations that cause unnecessary stress and do (non-running) activities that you find relaxing.  Meditation, knitting, watching movies, get a massage…?
6. “Itchy legs”/Ready to race: After that last long training run, you feel confident and on top of cloud 9; you are ready to race and you are ready to race now!  Having to wait 3 weeks to compete in a race that’s required months of training can feel like down right torture!  Your legs may even literally feel “twitchy” and “itchy”, ready to go!  Don’t let your itchy legs get away from you, leading you to run hard/fast/long miles or convincing you to compete in an earlier race.  Remember what your goal race is, and spend the last few weeks mentally preparing.
7. Anxiety/Panic Attacks: Self doubt, fear, anxiety has you playing out every possible worst-case race day scenario in your head.  You even have nightmares about oversleeping and missing the race (a common one for a lot of runners!), getting the trots, not being able to make it up that big hill at mile 9, hitting the wall, blowing out a knee, or having a “DNF”!  You let those thoughts get you spun up, leading to serious anxiety, or even full blown panic attacks.  Again, chill out and start doing things to feel centered and mentally prepared for your race.  Make a checklist of items you need to pack for race day, study the course map, plan your carb-loading menu, and come up with a few realistic race day goals for yourself.  Focusing on your race day plan/strategy will help you feel more in control, and minimize anxiety.

 

Here are some great articles on tapering strategies and tips to keep the “taper tantrums” in check:

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/taper-traps?page=single

http://www.marathontraining.com/marathon/m_taper.html

http://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/overcoming-the-taper-blues

http://running.about.com/od/distancerunningtips/a/howtotaper.htm

http://www.examiner.com/article/marathon-taper-got-you-feeling-down-a-poem-to-commiserate-the-taper-time-blues

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My first week of tapering, Week 16 of training for Garden Spot Village Marathon:

• Monday-Rest
• Tuesday-Rest
• Wednesday-5 miles on treadmill (8:30 pace)
• Thursday-Rest
• Friday-Run 7.7 Davidsonville Park (8:18 pace)
• Saturday-Run 6.4 Russet Loop (9:24 overallpace, 8:50 moving pace, lots of waiting time at intersections!)
• Sunday-12 miles on the treadmill (8:30 pace, This required me playing a lot of mind tricks on myself!)

Total Weekly Miles-31.1 (75% training volume)

Total 2014 Miles-407.2

After 12 mile Run

My “I just tricked myself into running 12 miles on a treadmill face!” There are not many thing in life that trump that in terms of boringness!  Luckily that is my last long(ish) run before the marathon, so hopefully that will be the last time I have to do that for a while.  *Fingers crossed* for warmer weather by the time I start training for the Northface Challenge!

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Here are some fun, non-running things I did this week to keep my “taper tantrums” at bay:

•  Helped my daughter prepare for her class video biography performance as Ellen Ochoa (1st Hispanic Female Astronaut):

 

• Had a “happy hour” with the girls at Union Jack’s in Columbia, MD:
  

  Old school phone booth replica!

• Oh, and we shared this “elephant ear” desert, Chocolaty Delicious Heaven!!:

Have you ever experienced taper tantrums?  What tips/strategies do you have for coping?

Training for Garden Spot Village Marathon

I’m getting ready for the Garden Spot Village Marathon in Lancaster, PA and it’s just 9 weeks away now!  I’ve been reading the reviews for this race and it sounds amazing.  The course takes you through Amish Farming land at the foothills of the Welsh Mountains.  This will be my 4th marathon, with my first 3 all being in Virginia.  I’ve recently decided to take on the 50 state challenge, since so far I’ve only ran in ONE state, I have a lot of exploring left to do!  Haha  So this race will get me a little closer to my goal, with TWO whole states under my belt and 48 more to go! Woo hoo! Who knows if I’ll make all 50, but it sure will be fun to try! 🙂

 Oh, I hope I at least one horse and buggy during this race!!! *Fingers Crossed*

Training isn’t always pretty, I’ve made A LOT of training mistakes.  Here are just a FEW examples:

• “Oh, I guess beer isn’t the best for carb loading!”
• “Wearing mascara on my long run was such a bad idea!! My eyes burn!!”
• “Ouch the chaffing!”
• “Maybe I actually should have brought water on this run….”
• “Did my toe-nail just fall off? Ummm…yeah…damn it!”

That is one of the great things about training, when done properly you will find your limits and be able to adapt to overcome those limits.  Training is a great time to make as many mistakes as possible!  Then by the time you get to the race it’s all just about the execution of what you have done over and over again.  If you are training for a race of any distance, start with finding a good training plan.  There are a lot of great training plans online for free (I like free!), my favorites are Cool Running and Hal Hidgon training plans.  Here is the training plan I am currently following (1/2 way there!!!) and some tips based on my not so professional training experiences….

WEEK	MON	TUE	WED	THU	FRI	SAT	SUN
1	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m pace	8
2	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m run	9
3	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	5 m pace	6
4	Cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m pace	11
5	Cross	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m run	12
6	Cross	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	Rest	6 m pace	9
7	Cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	7 m pace	14
8	Cross	4 m run	7 m run	4 m run	Rest	7 m run	15
9	Cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	Rest	Rest	Half Marathon
10	Cross	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	Rest	8 m pace	17
11	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m run	18
12	Cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m pace	13
13	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	5 m pace	20
14	Cross	5 m run	5 m run	5 m run	Rest	8 m run	12
15	Cross	5 m run	8 m run	5 m run	Rest	5 m pace	20
16	Cross	5 m run	6 m run	5 m run	Rest	4 m pace	12
17	Cross	4 m run	5 m run	4 m run	Rest	3 m run	8
18	Cross	3 m run	4 m run	Rest	Rest	2 m run	Marathon

Hal Hidgon’s Marathon Training Schedule: Intermediate 1

Tips (aka my 2 cents!):

1. Establish base mileage before starting a marathon training plan.

If you have never ran before, please don’t wake up one day and decide you are going to run a marathon!  Build up your running base and start out with some shorter races first.  Once you are running 20-25 miles a week consistently for two or three months and can do a 8 mile run without suffering (too much), you will be ready to start training for a marathon.

My lesson learned?  After almost a year of sporadic 3-5 mile runs every now and then, I decided to jump into a marathon training plan with a friend.  First, it made me hate running; most of my runs sucked and my legs hurt constantly!  Even worse, I ended up injured, plantar fasciitis that had me “walking like a cowboy” and not running AT ALL for several months.  😦

2. Follow a training plan appropriate to your running experience level. 

There is no shame in following a beginners training program if you are new to running.  If you train, you will make it to the finish line, which is something to be proud of!

My lesson learned? See #1?  Like it wasn’t stupid enough that I jumped into a marathon training program after a year of non-running?  Oh, did I mention, it was an advanced training program?!  I am sure that also contributed to the misery of that experience!

3. Ditch the all or nothing attitude!  Stop stressing and be flexible!

Most of us are not professional athletes; this is supposed to be fun! Lighten up, breathe…it is O.K. to be flexible on your training plan!  Despite our best intentions life happens.  You may have to work late, finish a paper for school, go to your kids dance recital…Make your training a priority, but if you have to miss a mid-week run, shuffle some miles, or do your planned track work-out on a treadmill, your training will not suffer for it.  The key is consistency!  Make sure you run at least 3-4 days a week and get that long run in, the rest of the plan you can put an *ish* on.

My lesson learned?  I used to get so OCD about following my training plan that I gave up my social life and would let one set-back totally derail me.  I was the kind of jerk who would blow off my best friend’s birthday party to go for a run.  Or I would get sick and miss 2 or 3 days of training, decide I blew it, and quit completely.  End result was I was constantly frustrated, burned out, and running stopped being fun for me.  Life has been better and my running has improved since I started to chill out about training.

That being said, there is one exception to rule #3…..

4. NEVER miss a long run! 

The long run is the most important element of marathon training.  It gets your body ready to run for the 2+ (if you can run a sub-3 hour marathon, wow!), 3+, 4+, 5+….hours it will take you to run your marathon.  And there is a gradual build up to the grand finale of your training, your 18-20 milers.  If you miss your 12 and 14 mile runs, jumping to 16 miles is going to be more than a little uncomfortable.  If absolutely necessary, you can break up the total miles of your long run into two shorter runs on the same day.

My lesson learned?  I missed my final long runs (thanks to Maryland’s “Snowmagedon” that year and my lack of motivation to do a long run on the “Dreadmill”) when training for my 1^st marathon.  I ended up running the race with my longest run being 16 miles, 2 months before my actual race.  I have never hit the wall harder and hated a race more in my life!

5. Invest in proper the proper gear.

One of the nice things about running is it does not require a lot of gear, but make sure you don’t neglect the few things you do need.  You can get away with running 3 miles in sweats and a pair of chucks, but when you’re logging longer miles the wrong clothes/shoes will=lots of painful chaffing, overheating or frozen fingers, aching feet/joints, and some busted toe nails!  Main rule of thumb is no cotton anything (not even socks), dry fit materials (I like Underamour), and good running shoes.  Get fitted for proper running shoes at a local running store and get new shoes every 500 miles, or when you are starting to notice an increase in foot and knee pain (which ever happens first).  Once you find a shoe that works for you, you don’t HAVE to buy them at a running store.  You can usually find the same shoe (or last seasons model) for much cheaper online.  If you’re training outside during the winter, get good cold gear.  Think layers! With moisture wicking base, wind/water resistant outer layer, hat or ear warmer, and a pair of gloves.  An optional item is a fuel belt; it’s nice to not have to carry a water bottle and they have nice little pockets to store energy gels and car keys.

My lesson learned?  This was an easy one…a few runs in my every day work-out clothes was enough for me to learn chaffed arm-pits/thighs/lady parts (yeah, I went there! Lol) and blistered feet suck!  I went to a running store and got some real running clothes and shoes!

6. Eat right and hydrate!

You are expending a lot of calories during training and forcing your body to tap into different energy stores.  It is so important that you are eating enough and eating the right things to fuel your work-outs. The key is to find what works for you, and to eat well at least 70-80% of the time, EVERYDAY not just the day before or day of an important run.  The same is true for hydration.  It takes time and consistency to really start to feel the benefits of healthy eating and proper hydration.

In addition to your everyday nutrition, there is the carb loading (what to eat 2-3 days before a long run and your pre-run meal), and you will have to fuel yourself DURING your longer runs.  After running for over an hour, you have burned through most of your glycogen stores and if you don’t replenish them you will start to crash.  Getting used to running and eating at the same time is not easy, there is a fine line between hitting the wall and getting sick from running with a sloshy stomach….And if you’re like me, chewing and running at the same time is a nearly impossible challenge! Lol  So training is the time to figure out what that balance is and what works best for you.  Never try anything new during a race!

My lesson learned?  This one was (is) not so easy.  I’ve made the mistake of eating too much crap, thinking that running gave me a free pass to drink all the beer and eat all the chili cheese fries I wanted…and then suffering from varying degrees of volcanic bubble guts during a run! On the other end of the spectrum, I was trying to follow a super restricted diet and was not getting enough calories, then I was running out of energy during a majority of my runs.  I finally learned the importance of balance, but I am still fine tuning my diet to overcome dips in energy levels during some of my longer runs.

7. Rest!

You know those rest days in your training schedule?? Don’t be an over trainer! Take them!  Rest days are just as much a part of your training program as the run days; your body needs time for proper recovery for you to perform at your best.  And get plenty of Zzzzzs!  You need them!  There is nothing more glorious than a late morning, post-long run, Sunday nap! ❤

My lesson learned? I used to get frustrated if I had a bad run and I thought the answer to getting better was to run more.  So I added mileage to my training program, refused to take rest days, and sometimes even did twice a day work-outs.  And you know what happened?  I started having MORE bad runs, until I over-trained to the point that I had ALL bad runs.  Not every run is going to be a good run (Fact), but once I started taking my prescribed rest days and making sure I got plenty of sleep, my overall running improved significantly.

8. Add Variety to your training

If you are running the same distance, same pace, same terrain every day; not only are you not going to see much improvement in your running…you’re going to get bored!  *Yawn* Add some speed-work at a local track, find some big hills to tackle, join a local running club….anything to mix things up, push yourself a little harder, and to keep running fun.  🙂

My lesson learned? For years I ran the same distances every day, on the treadmill at 6.0 with no incline, and I could not understand why I was unable run faster than a 10 minute mile or why even the slightest hill in a race kicked my butt….duh!  Running became a lot more fun when I started exploring new running trails, running with groups, and incorporating speed and hills into my training.  And I got better at running without even feeling like I was trying to get better at running!

Whew! That was a lot longer than I was expecting!  If you actually made it this far; 1) You are such a nice person, 2) You are probably my mom! Haha (Hi Mom! I love you!), 3) Seriously, thank you! And I hope you found some of these tips useful!  What is the next race you are training for?  Do you have some training/running advice to share?

 

“America’s Friendliest Marathon”, Anthem Richmond Marathon 2013

This weekend I ran the Anthem Marathon in Richmond, Virginia.  It was my last race of the year, and one I signed up for on a whim when a American Odyssey Race (AOR) teammate told me, “It’s what all the cool kids were doing this year.”  I am so weak when it comes to “runner peer pressure”! Ha!  I had told myself I wasn’t going to run a marathon this year, since I spent all of 2012 painfully recovering from a torn plantar fascia and the marathon distance had always intimidated me to begin with.  I had only ran two marathons, was not nearly consistent enough with my training either time, hit the wall hard during both races (Between mile 16-18). Then agonizingly limped the rest of the way to the finish line, with disappointing finishing times of 4:51:59 (2011 Shamrock Marathon) and 4:55:53 (2011 Marine Corps Marathon).  Not that a five hour marathon isn’t respectable; crossing the finish line of a 26.2 mile race is an accomplishment in itself!  I just knew I had cheated myself in my training, suffered unnecessarily through both races; which had let “the marathon” get into my head like a big, school yard bully.

Soooo, am I a gluten for punishment?  Actually yes, that is a very real possibility! However, by the time I ran the AOR in April, I had six solid months of 30-35 mile weekly base mileage under my belt and was feeling stronger than ever.  I looked up the Anthem Richmond Marathon, which boasts of being “America’s Friendliest Marathon”.   According to reviews it’s a small race, with a relatively flat course, beautiful scenery, and great support.  That AND all of the cool kids were running it this year….so I was sold!  I started ramping up my weekend miles, and six weeks later I started a 20 week intermediate training program I found online at “Cool Running”:

(http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/128.shtml)

To be 100% honest, I was not perfect during training.  I still missed a few scheduled training runs, and my nutrition fell short more often than not, but I was CONSISTENT.  On my worst weeks, I still ran four days, and I NEVER missed a long run or a speed-work day.  I decided to peak at 20 miles, which I kept repeating as the long run until it was time to taper.  I ran my last 20 miler on the C&O canal in 2:59:59.  I was stoked and felt confident that I could meet my goal this year of beating the 4 hour clock in Richmond!

(After my last 20 mile training run, beat but feeling strong and confident).

Danny, Ilana, and I drove down to Richmond the night before the marathon.  I felt nervous, but focused on pushing out all of the negative thoughts and doubts that tried to creep into my head.  Like questioning whether I trained enough, wondering if I would just hit a wall again in spite of the training, thinking I MAYBE I over-did the whole carb loading thing…(Actually there was no maybe about the last one.   I managed to eat enough pasta and bread over the three days prior to the race to gain an impressive, and glutenous 6 lbs! Moderation is not my strong suite! Lol)  I enjoyed a nice dinner with Danny and Lana in the hotel, worked out last minute logistics, and spent the rest of the night relaxing and mediating on the next days race.

I didn’t get much sleep, but I sprung out of bed at 4 am and began my pre-race routine.  Slathering myself with body glide, getting dressed, eating a light breakfast, drinking coffee, and praying to have a good poop before the race.  I know that is probably TMI, and women aren’t supposed to poop and all, but seriously, that is my #1 pre-race anxiety!  I’ve had some horrible experiences with the trots, and it is a the #1 guaranteed way to totally ruin my day!  Oh sorry….moving on! Lol  Danny was up with me at 4, we had everything packed, and woke up Lana at 5 am to check out of the hotel and drive to down-town Richmond to find parking within reasonable walking distance of the starting line.  Ilana was not a happy camper, asking, “Who in the world gets up at 5 in the morning! On a Saturday!”  (The answer to that incredibly valid question….runners do!)  She was a good sport about it though!

Early morning in downtown Richmond with my awesome daughter Ilana.

We finally found parking around 6:30, and spent some time relaxing in the car.  At this point it was pouring down rain and I started to get butterflies in my stomach again.  I got a text message from Theresa, the AOR teammate who had started all of this back in April (cool kids, huh?), letting me know she was meeting up with some of her other running buddies in the lobby of The Omni hotel.  We headed that way so I could wish Theresa good luck in her first marathon (she’s amazing!) and so I could hopefully find an unofficial pace group.  I lucked out, and found three people to run with.  Danny and Lana hugged me, and wished me luck, as I rushed with my new running friends to strategically place ourselves in the starting coral.  It had stopped raining at this point, but my shoes were all ready a little damp.

The whole experience of being lined up for another marathon was so surreal (really, what was I thinking?!) I didn’t hear the “gun go off”, but I saw other runners moving forward, so I did the same.  I talked with my new running friends and was completely oblivious to the fact that I was running, as we passed a blur of impressive buildings, statues, water, and bridges.  The next thing I knew, we had ran 8 miles and were turning into a park.  The next 7 miles we ran along side the James River, which was absolutely stunning.  I was 15 miles in, and still feeling strong.  There were plenty of spectators cheering us on, live music, and water stops every two miles.  It was so much fun it was easy to forget you were even running a marathon.

This is when I realized, we were on pace for a 3:38 marathon finish.  It had started raining again and I was starting to feel pain creeping into my thighs, so I decided I had to slow down.  My goal was to beat 4 hours, and I did not want to crash and burn.  I watched my friends disappear into the distance.  I entertained myself by taking in the scenery and absorbing the energy of the crowd, and by chatting with other runners along the course.  I was soaked from the rain, with my shoes squishing and starting to rub my feet.  Also, my running pants, which were too big to beging with, were feeling incredibly heavy.  I was starting to feel annoyed, wishing I could just take off my pants and run free in the wind.  I forced myself not to think about the wet, squishy, heaving clothes and focused on other things.  When I passed the 20 mile marker with a split of  2:49:15, I had the biggest grin across my face, because at this point I knew I was going to make my goal!  😀

I felt myself getting more sluggish, wanting to slow down, between miles 20-22.  It wasn’t “the wall”, I had just reached a point in the race where it didn’t feel “easy” any more.  At mile 22 the agony began, and the fight I had with myself for the last 4.2 miles was apparent in my final splits.  While the first 20 miles were ran at a steady pace of around 8:30 per mile; I ran my final miles alternating 9:30 and 10:30 splits.  I dug deep and just focused on keeping my arms moving to propel myself forward, determined not to “blow it” when I only had a couple miles left to go.  The final mile felt just as long as the 25.2 that I ran before it.  I was conjuring up everything I had (and more than I thought I had) to keep myself moving forward.  On a side note (and maybe an interesting topic for a future blog) It’s very strange the places your mind goes when you are in that much pain!  It’s actually a pretty spiritual experience!  I turned the corner to run the final half mile, down hill, with spectators cheering on their friends and loved ones from either side of the street.  Half way to the finish line I hear voices call out on my right, “Kristine!”….”Mommy!”  I look over and see Danny and Lana smiling and waving at me.  I realized they both looked genuinely excited and proud of me.  (Talk about a humbling experience)  Ilana is jumping up and down, laughing.  At that moment, I forget about all the pain, I grin and wave back at both of them, then “sprint” to the finish line.  (Well, it felt like a sprint, looking at the pictures after the fact, not quite sure what I was doing.  I looked quite possibly possessed!  Lol) I look at the clock as I pass over the finish line, 3:50:24!  I beat my previous PR by over an hour and achieved my goal of running a sub 4 hour marathon!  And I got to share it with two of the most important people in my life! It doesn’t get any better than that!

Happy to see Danny and Ilana cheering me on.  Their support was amazing and meant the world to me!