Heather's 2008 MCM Race Report

This is crazy long and even I haven't read it yet, but for those of you who are interested. Here's Heather's race report as e-mailed to me by her. It should be a good account of a first marathon experience.

As requested by Janette (and perhaps the rest of you are interested too) the following is my race report for the 2008 Marine Corps Marathon:

(First some background on my training):
I began training for the MCM for what now seems like forever ago. The race always loomed in the distance for me, as the elusive event that would actually never happen. For the most part, minus the very few questions I asked Janette and some guidance from training programs, I made up my own training schedule, until the last four weeks when I followed Hal Higdon's marathon training plan. I'm a compulsive gym rat, so the taper was a little difficult for me, but I did enjoy sleeping in and being able to come home after work and do a quick run instead of pounding the pavement for at least an hour. I think my body definitely thanked me for it and I kept telling myself just listen to Hal, just listen to Hal. I also extremely enjoyed increasing my carb intake throughout the week. I always tell everyone that is why I run races - there's no better reason to eat tons of pasta and bread.

On Thursday of the week of the marathon, I went to the Health and Fitness Expo at the DC Armory. I was going to wait until Janette arrived on Saturday, but I was getting anxious and feared standing in long lines and expending energy. I received my race packet and beautiful army green mock tee and sampled just about everything they had to offer, with the exception of the beer, which I thought was just cruel and unusual punishment to have at the Expo. Thursday night I couldn't sleep at all with dreams of the race and the fact I had started to hydrate too much so I was up about every two hours.

On Saturday morning I did my leisurely two miles. I wore long sleeves and long tights, which I was glad of, because I realized I would definitely be okay in a tank top come Sunday morning (the weather called for 68 as opposed to Saturday's 50s). Then I headed to the airport to pick up Janette. We had lunch and headed back to the Expo to buy the official race jacket (which I proudly sported all day Monday) and some other racing items. That night, we made a pasta recipe compliments of Deena Kastor (I figured who could provide a better recipe than her?) and ate dinner with my friends. While everyone made posters, I got ready for the race, laying out my gear and showering so I was fresh and clean come the next morning.

I didn't think I'd be able to sleep Saturday night, but luckily, all of the running around on Saturday and the ten pounds of pasta and bread in my stomach knocked me out for the night and I woke up as perky as one can be at 5:15am. While Janette got ready, I went through my usual Sunday morning routine of eating a bagel with peanut butter and reading the Three Wise Guys and the wedding section from the Washington Post. Then it was off to the races!

Janette and I made the mistake of getting off at the wrong metro stop (one stop was to drop off bags, which we didn't have and the other was closer to the race start), but it was okay because it killed time and helped me warm up a little (and by a little, I mean little - it was freezing out there!). After giving up on the quest to find the infamous Brooks port-a-potties, which I later discovered were way up at the start, I waited in line at the regular bathrooms, then did a little warm-up, and preceded to wait in line again. (I was very nervous I'd have to go during the race and for all you runners I think you know what I mean by go).

After that I headed over to the start line and holy crap was I overwhelmed by runners - I mean how many people can be as crazy as all of us to run 26.2 miles at 8 in the morning? - obviously about 30,000 as that was the number signed up for MCM. I had planned to run with the 4 hour pace group, but could not find them anywhere so I ended up starting near the 4:15 pacers. After the gun went off and I finally made it to the start around ten minutes later, I was off, albeit very slowly. I had shed off my warm clothes prior to the start and was just sporting my gloves (compliments of Janette). I had contemplated trying to catch up to the 4 hour group because I'm not too good with knowing my pace, but remembered Janette and Sarah's advice that if your first miles are slow its okay, you'll make it up and not to go faster. The first 4ish miles were difficult, just because it was so crowded and it was uphill. The hills weren't bad, but it made it all the harder to navigate the crowds and I think I wasted some energy weaving in and out of people. There was definitely a fair share of bumping and excuse mes and sorrys.

At three miles I was 3 minutes behind on my pace (I was wearing a pace band, strategically marked with when to eat and drink). I was nervous and afraid everyone who was receiving text messages about me would think I was doing poorly. I stayed focused though and believe I made up time on the downhills. Though I kept Steve's (I think it was Steve) advice to have the same exertion going up as going down the hill, in the back of my mind.

The first 8 miles went by pretty fast, part of those miles I had run before so I was familiar with the course which helped a lot, espcially as I was blinded by the sun. I had taken my gloves off around mile 2, but should have kept them on, because my first gel took about ten minutes to open because my fingers were so cold.

Mile 8 to mile 12 was pretty enjoyable because there were these crazy guys (I think brothers) from Oklahoma who kept yelling at the crowds and just making a ruckus. They were funny, but I'm sure they're running around and screaming didn't help them PR, but they were definitely having fun. At mile 10-11 I finally found my pace group, contemplated joining them for a split second, and then kept on at my own pace.

I stayed in familiar territory through to mile 12 when I reached West Potomac Park and Hains Point. This is tauted as one of the worst parts of the course, because though its flat, its about a 3-4 mile stretch with very few spectators so its very lonely. Luckily about that time, I met up with Brett (I didn't know his name was Brett until after about a mile of running) and chatting with him definitely got me through that section of the race. Unfortunately/fortunately I lost him at a water station. I missed the company but think it was good because I knew I could then stay with my own pace and not waste energy talking. At this point I was about 5-6 minutes under my pace. (Unfortunately I'm bad at math, so I didn't know how to calculate my pace per mile). Right after I lost Brett I saw my friends so that was a nice little boast of excitement.

I was feeling good running around the National Mall (another area I frequented on my training runs) and it went by pretty quickly as well. This was about miles 16-20 and I was getting faster because I was about 8 minutes under pace (well by my calculations at least). I was getting nervous though because I'd heard of the dreaded "wall" that hits at mile 20 (I've never run farther than 20 miles) and wasn't sure what to expect. I saw my sister at what mile it was I can't remember, but she reloaded me with a gel and said "I was falling." I was like oh crap, I'm slowing down, until I realized she had actually said I was "hauling." She ran with me for a few seconds and I became a little more energized, but I was still waiting for 20 miles to come up and my body to say okay I've had about enough of this. Thankfully it didn't.

The other bad part of the race is the 14th Street Bridge, again, its pretty flat, but just loooong. I'd never run the last 6.2 miles of the race, so I was in unfamiliar territory. This part was pretty bad. It wasn't hot, but I was in the direct sun and people were pulling out of the race all around me. At this point, my shoes were rubbing on my ankle, so that was hurting every now and then, but I tried to block it out. While still on the endless bridge, I suddenly felt the need to burst into tears. It was the weirdest feeling every and I can only relate it to PMS. There was no reason for me to cry, I wasn't in pain, I wasn't overjoyed, I just wanted to cry. After getting past that hurdle I was into Crystal City. This part was a little rough too because you had to run down a street (how far I didn't know) and loop back around. So while I was headed to the turnaround, I could see all of the runners coming back. This was horrible because I just kept thinking how much farther, how much farther.

Finally I turned around and headed back. I saw Brett again on his way toward the turnaround and we gave each other a little shout out. I don't remember much about this part of the race, just that I was ready for it to be over. At what I think was around mile 23 I looked at my watch and was like holy moly, maybe I can BQ, but then I realized I had only 10-15 minutes to get it and knew that wasn't happening.

I saw my friends again around mile 26. They kindly said I looked good, but they have no idea how I actually felt. This is about the point it got bad. I knew I didn't have much farther to go and I thought I could increase my speed a little bit. However, there is a hill (which on normal days wouldn't be bad) right at the end of the course. Right as I was about to begin my climb I had the urge to puke, but I couldn't stop, and I think I would have tried to run while puking had the urge actually turned into a reality. I made it up the hill and around the bend towards home. Ironically Janette and I had had a conversation about whether we would stop to help someone if they fell during I race - I said no, especially not at the finish line. So of course, what happens? I guy passed out, taking out the guy next to him, right next to me, but I kept going and crossed the line!

I'm not good at giving blood and always come out a little woozy and I'd equate this to what I was feeling after the race. I was given a water bottle and wrapped in one of those tin foil things, but I wasn't sure whether I was hot or cold. I was just dazed. I was ushered from one photo station to the next and given my medal. Then, looking like a possessed zombie, I ambled to the family link-up tent to find Janette. The nice race directors put it what felt like miles away. All I wanted to do was stop and sit, but I knew Janette would never find me, so I kept going. As soon as I saw her, I burst into tears (reason unknown) and she made me lay down and held my feet up (I don't know what this was for either, but at that point I would have done anything I was so out of it).

I was really happy with my time - 3:49:14, 11 minutes under goal time of 4 hours! I didn't feel too bad either and was able to walk around to do that after race events. I enjoyed a wonderful cheeseburger for lunch and headed home, where I proceeded to limp about until I passed out at 10pm.

(Post-race):
I cannot thank Janette enough. Without her, I think my roommates would have killed me in my sleep because I would have had to put all my anxieties on them and they don't know anything about running. She was always there for support, well except when she ignored my calls. Thank you and I love you!

So what next? I feel like there is this huge void in my life right now. I did the elliptical this morning and all I wanted to do was go outside and run. There's no way I'll be able to do the elliptical all winter (I did it all winter last year). Another marathon? Perhaps. I love the training and having a goal to train for, but its also very time consuming. There were many a night where I had to take it easy or skip a happy hour because of my long runs. Theres also the fear of not performing as well. DC hosts the National Marathon in March, so I think I might sign up for the half marathon and try my hand at that, but I won't sign up right away in case I decide to give it my all and go with another marathon. If I do that though, I'll have to heavily invest in winter running gear.

As for there being a difference between 20 and 26.2? Well I'd say the different comes at 23 because you're so close yet so far away.

Quote: Battles

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us - that's where it's at.

-- Jesse Owens

She Out-Did It

My little sister ran her first marathon yesterday. Her time goal was 4:00. 

She finished in 3:49:14.

I can't say much else. I can't describe how proud I am of her. She ran an incredible negative split. The first half was in 2:06:22 and the second half in about 1:43 (I'm not good at calculating seconds so give me a break and let me round.). I had such a great time watching her. It was worth all he questions and the insane state that she put me in for her taper. If she decides to keep it up there is definitely a BQ in her future. And I'm sure much more than that.

Thanks for a great time in DC, Heather. Congratulations!

Oh... and I'm sure my readers would like a race report so you should probably e-mail me one so I can post it. And... now do you think there is a difference between 20 and 26.2? Do those extra 6.2 really make a big difference? (Prior to the race Heather couldn't grasp that 20 and 26.2 were really that different.)

Little Sis

My little sister is running the Marine Corps Marathon in DC on Sunday. This will be her first marathon. I'll be there to watch and hopefully jump in with her for a few miles. She has been absolutely annoying hilarious these past couple weeks. I've almost killed her died laughing a million times. Here is a synopses of the effects of Heather's taper on my sanity.

I've received about 567,834 e-mails from Heather over the past two weeks. She's asked me kazillions of questions probably close to the national debt. Oh and half of those questions were the same, "what should I eat the night before?" Yes, she's been driving me insane. In fact, I may have even ignored a couple phone calls. Sorry, Heather.

As crazy as she was making me, it was worth it last night. She has so much excitement in her voice. I can tell she is really looking forward to this. She was even telling me about some of her race strategy for the hills and parts when it gets tough.

Heather plans to tackle the hills by singing to herself, "I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas... I like to ate ate ate apples and bananas... I like to ote ote ote opples and bononos...." I never said Heather was sane. 

She also plans to attack the difficult parts my singing to herself. Except for these sections she'll switch it up between "My humps" and "Baby Got Back." 

I told her she should start blogging. I mean people have to know this crazy stuff!

Hopefully I won't hear Heather singing "My Humps" or any other song she calls on when it's tough. She has a 4:00 goal and I know she can reach it. The thing with Heather is she will do anything to prove to someone she can do it. She has more mental focus than a lot of people I know.

Good luck, Heather!

Milers at SU

I was just excited to Syracuse University in the Runner's World news today. Here is the link to the article on the SU Athletics website. Good luck guys!

First Run Back, Losing It, and Not Too Late

First Run Back

Last night I did a short 20 minute run and I have to say I felt great! The blister on the back of my ankle was a little tender, but that was it.

Losing It

After Hartford I had a blood blister the top of my toe next to my pinky toe on the left food. I popped the blister using a sterile needle on Monday and I thought I had saved my toe nail from falling off. On Tuesday, I noticed the skin from the blister peeling a little so I started picking at it (I always pick at stuff like this). Next think you know all the blister is peeled off and that's when I noticed that my toe nail was dead. It was all floppy and pulling away from my toe so I just clipped it right off. It definitely looks like it hurt, but it didn't at all because the nail was already dead. Gross, I know. But I lost one when I did Boston (or did I lose two?) too so I'm not grossed out.

Not Too Late

I was reading some articles about the women who came in second and third at Hartford, Sheri Piers and Shannon McHale, and I found this article about McHale really interesting. She didn't even start running until she was 25 years old and look how fast she is! Also of interesting note is that Sheri Piers stayed in the same Hotel that myself and my running crew did. I saw her before we left to go to the start. I didn't know who she was until I saw her coming back through as the second place woman.

In Need of Improvement

I've been thinking about Hartford and all the ways I can improve my performance. The list below is what I think I need to work on to do so and as a double benefit some even improve my lifestyle as well.

• Hill Strength. I definitely need to improve my hill strength for Boston. I'm not weak on hills (for proof please see the Cape Ann race report), but I will need to be extra strong on them given the challenge of the Boston course on the Newton Hills. My coach and I will be working on this during my training plan.
• Endurance at Race Pace. I'd like to see my endurance at race pace improve because I really felt like I was loosing it in the later miles of Hartford. With improved endurance at race pace I really think I will have more confidence in the last 10K of the marathon. My coach and I will also be working on this during my training plan.
• Decrease Body Fat. I don't think I'm fat. I don't think I'm overweight. I do think that I'm carrying extra body fat though. I will not post any of those numbers here because well, you don't ask women those questions so I won't say those answers. With less body fat, I will be stronger and may be lighter on my feet and thus might be able to move faster. The main thing here is that I won't have to spend so much extra energy carrying around unnecessary extra weight. I believe I can decrease my body fat by improving my nutrition and adding strength training to my routine.
• More Efficient Water Stops. I had a hydration plan and I did stick to it for Hartford, but I would like to see myself move better through the water stops. I'm not sure how I should try to improve this exactly, but it is something I'd like to do better.
• Mental Focus. I really think I lost my mental focus in the last miles, which I suppose is bound to happen in a marathon, but as a yoga teacher and practitioner I was disappointed that I was able to lose that mental focus. I would like to better mentally prepare for my next race. I think I can do this by adding more meditation into the last phase of training.
• Strength Training. I know I'm supposed to strength train and I do. However, I only do legs and only when my coach says to. I don't do my upper body stuff and I rarely do my core. I am really lazy in this sense. I would like to see myself improve here by doing core work 4 times per week and upper body 2 times per week.

I'm sure there are other aspects of my running I would like to improve, but this is my list for now.

Race Report: 2008 Hartford Marathon - Part 2 - The Full Report

Warning: This is ridiculously long because I want to be able to look back at it and remember what I did in detail. Feel free to skim away!

I took Friday off from work to pack and travel to Connecticut for the 2008 ING Hartford Marathon. We left Massachusetts around 1:00pm, but got stuck in some toll traffic and didn't make it to Hartford until 3:30pm. Once we got checked in we walked over to the Expo to pick up my bib number and do a little shopping. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in the expo because it was so small, but the only marathon expo I had to compare it to was Boston and well I don't know if any expo will beat the Boston expo. So we did a little looking around, but didn't buy anything (hey, we are in an economic crisis I'm not spending $30 on arm sleeves or $45 on a sweatshirt). We went back to the hotel and waited to meet the rest of the running group for dinner. While we waited I nervously paced around the room unpacking and getting everything organized for the morning. Dave finally yelled at me and told me to sit down and relax so I laid on the bed and got comfy for about half an hour and then it was time for dinner.

Dave and I met up with the rest of the running crew - John, Paul, Sarah and their families - and headed to Vito's By The Park for dinner. Sarah gave a great toast and then we settled in for a night of water, bread and pasta. We had a few issues with the restaurant in that all the runners had to order the meal of pasta and an extra side because the portion was so small (so I had two orders of penne with marinara). Then we had some issues with over charging on the bill and our waiter was just a little distant, which I didn't really find a reason for because they really didn't seem that busy - there were tons of open tables. The company was great though and that made the dinner excellent. We took a few group photos when we got back to the hotel and then called it a night.

Dave and I headed upstairs and I got in my PJ's with my book, Triumph, and sat in bed reading. I fell asleep at about 10:00pm. Dave stayed awake with his three beers that he got from the bar downstairs and brought back up with him and watched the Red Sox game. I slept really well from about 10:00pm - 12:00am, but then tossed and turned a bit until about 3:30am when I fell sound asleep until 5:50am. I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm was set to go off so I just got up and started getting ready.

I made my oatmeal using the hot water from the coffee pot, got dressed and then headed down to meet Sarah. We then walked over to Bushnell Park where the race starts to meet John and Paul. We got in line to pee, looked over to the line next to us and there was Bill Rodgers. Bill Rodgers! I said to Sarah, "don't they have special lines for people like him? Why is he in the normal people line?" We couldn't quite figure it out, but gained a little extra inspiration from seeing him. After the bathroom, we took about a 5 minute jog around the block to warm up and then headed over to the start line.

The start line was a lot crowded and it took a few minutes to find our pace guy, but we did. We jumped in line and immediately shed our long sleeves (it was about 50 degrees at the start) because it was so warm with all the bodies. The gun sounded and we were off. I couldn't believe it. I was running my second marathon and my first attempt at a BQ. I was nervous.

Sarah and I ran together and were trying to keep our 3:40 pace guy ahead of us, but we were also trying to dodge people who were walking ahead of us (learn how to line up at the start people!). We managed to keep up with him through mile 2, but then noticed that he was running about 7:40 for mile 2 and 3 so we dropped back knowing that we had each other to get us to the finish. My Garmin was messed up from the get go so we relied on Sarah's for the duration of the race. 

I felt really relaxed in the beginning of the race. I was talking water/Gatorade at just about every 2 miles. I am slow out of the water stops and definitely need to work on that. Sarah and I met a first time marathoner around mile 6-8 (forgive me, all the miles blend together after awhile). She was breathing pretty heavy, but was very nice and I'm sure she hung in there to make it to the finish. Just before we crossed the timing mat at 10-miles and were seeing the first place runners coming back through on the other side. I always find this inspiring because I can see the absolute focus and determination in their eyes and I love to watch their strides. I also love seeing the people ahead of me because it makes me realize just how great of a sport running is. People of all ages, heights, weights, and shapes were running by and it just gives me that extra boost that anything is possible with some hard work and determination. 

We crossed the half marathon and were still pretty close to on pace and were still feeling good.  Starting at about miles 18-19 I started feeling... something. I wasn't really feeling bad at these miles, I was just starting to think "am I there yet? Can I really do this?" It's that mental doubt that started to creep in and I did my best to quiet that inner negative voice. Another girl joined us around these miles as well. This was her first marathon too and she said she hadn't planned to go for a BQ, but she was sort of on pace for it so she thought she'd give it a shot. I don't know what happened to this girl - where she finished - but I know she came in after us so I'm hoping she got the BQ and had a great time. 

Just before mile 20 there was steep downhill onto a bike path and a super motivational band that gave me this huge boost. I then hit the 20 mile mark and just kept thinking 10K left. However, my body wanted about 1K to be left, if anything, so my huge mental battle began here. Luckily I saw Dave at mile 21 and he gave me a little boost of confidence. Family and friends as support are really so important in giving that extra boost and it's great to have them there.

The last six miles included, if I remember correctly, four short steep hills left and I didn't like them. There were a lot of people walking up them and it's just not fun to see that because it makes my mind give up even more. Starting at mile 22 I was mentally telling myself to walk and that it didn't matter I could BQ some other day. However, Sarah was right next to me running and looking strong. I could not stop. I could not leave her and let her finish this on her own. I told her in the earlier miles that if we made it to mile 24 together then I wasn't going to let us lose each other. This wasn't mile 24, but since we really only had each other because we lost our pace group, we had to stay together.

For the last 2 miles, I kept checking in with Sarah, "just two miles?"... "so about 1/2 mile now right?" And she would answer me each time. When she told me just half mile I knew I had to hold on. I had to let my legs carry me to the finish. We turned the corner and saw the arches that we cross under. I tried to make my legs turn over as fast as they could. 

I saw the finish and I just went for it. I threw my arms up in the air and crossed the finish. Sarah and I looked at each other and hugged in complete excitement! We had both BQ'd!

I set my foot up on the bench for the volunteer to remove my chip. I had to apologize because I didn't use the velcro to put it on (they wanted us to use velcro to make it easier to take them off, but I didn't trust it). She said she didn't mind and congratulated me on finishing.

We then found our families, met up with John, Paul and their families and grabbed the free food and had a little picnic on the grass of Bushnell Park. All four of us met our goals and we couldn't have been happier.

Dave put together an ice bath for me when we got back to the hotel and I soaked in that for 10 minutes. It was not fun because it was wicked cold (he really enjoyed the fact that the ice machine was just two doors down and also took advantage of that by filling the tub with pretty much all of the ice from the machine). Then I took a hot shower and we headed back to Boston.

Fortunately, I didn't come out with too many injuries. I went in with a blister on the back of my left heel and needless to say I ripped that up really bad. I tried to tape it up, but ended up getting another blister just below the front of my left ankle from the tape. I also have two blood blisters (a small one on the left pinky toe and a big one on the right toe next to the pinky toe).

I was so happy with this race. I would recommend it to anyone. It's really well organized and a beautiful course. There are a few bands along the way and it's good for spectators as well. 

I spent Saturday trying to move around so I didn't stiffen up. Dave got me a big roast beef sandwich for my post race lunch and then we went to a bar later on and I got buffalo chicken nachos and two Blue Moon's. The Blue Moon put me right to sleep so I went home around 10:30pm and he stayed out with the group we went with to watch the rest of the Red Sox game.

Sunday I spent watching football so got some more needed rest. I am feeling much better today. My blisters don't really look any better, but I am hoping they miraculously heal so I can start running again. I don't have much muscle soreness. The fronts of my kneecaps and my hips were sore on Saturday and Sunday, but they feel better today. I have a little discomfort, but nothing very much at all today. I'm happy to see that my legs feel better already.

When I started looking at the official splits, I realized that Sarah and I actually negative split the course, which is a nice little added bonus.

I will head out of an easy 20 minutes tomorrow to see how everything feels and see where I stand.

Official Results

Gun Time:  3:40:52

Net Time:  3:39:02

Pace Overall:  8:22 min./mi.

10-Mile Split:  1:23:56 (8:24)

13-Mile Split:  1:49:40 (8:23)

20-Mile Split:  2:47:15 (8:22)

Place Division (F25-29): 19/128

Place Overall: 461/1942

Race Report: 2008 Hartford Marathon - Part 1 - The BQ Attempt

I did it. I BQ'd. My time was 3:39:02. I can register for the 113th running of the Boston Marathon. I can run on Patriots Day in Boston. I can run with a qualifying bib number. I can be seeded with all the other qualifying runners.

I cannot even illustrate how excited I am. I will write a full report, but I just need to put all my thoughts together before I do that otherwise my post will be a big jumbled mess of "oh and then... oh yeah but before that... oh and i forgot to to mention..." and I don't really want to do that. So this is just part one to let everyone know that I got the BQ.

I also just want to thank Sarah. She was outstanding today and I could not have gotten a BQ without her. The last 4.2 miles were a big mental effort for me and without her there pushing me I wouldn't have been able to push myself for the BQ time. Thank you, Sarah. And now let's go show the 2009 Boston Marathon what we're made of!

Also congratulations to John and Paul for achieving their goals and running an excellent race today! It's great to know that the four of us worked so hard together and we all achieved our goals. Great job!

Full race report to come later this weekend.

The Express

I'm a Syracuse University alumni and as a result of that I am totally psyched about The Express starting this Friday. The Boston Alumni Club is going to a preview of the movie, but I won't be here because I'll be in Hartford so I can't go, but I definitely want to see it when I get back. 

Yes, I know the football team is horrifically bad, but I still love them just the same. I bleed orange - although it certainly looks red from this experience - no matter how good or bad the 'cuse teams are doing.

Go 'Cuse!!

Checking In from Taper

Hi there. Just checking in to give a little update on the taper. I am feeling more relaxed now. I am focusing on nutrition and doing my best to bed good until the big day on Saturday. I have my goals in mind and my race strategy planned out. I've started a little packing list so I prevent myself from forgetting anything - or at least as little as possible. I went for a short run tonight and feel good so far. I have the sniffles and a running nose, but I'm not feeling anything in my chest really so that's good. I have one run tomorrow that includes a few little speed bursts - just 3 minutes each to stay open - and then one other light run on Friday. Only 4 more days...

Taper = Grrrr

I started my taper and I'm already annoyed, anxious and frustrated. I cannot wait to run the marathon next weekend... whoa shit... next weekend! Wow... um... I mean I cannot wait for the taper to be over. I guess that's pretty much saying the same thing, but without verbalizing the fact that the marathon is next weekend (although I've managed to verbalize that twice so far). 

I just want to run it. I don't want to to taper and wait to run it. I eat more. I sleep more. I move less. I work more. This is all a bad combination. 

I'm already debating what my goal should be. I don't even know. I want a BQ. I want better than a BQ. What if I don't even come close?

I'm off for my run now - 3 x 1200m intervals with warm up/cool down, strides and drills.

Migraines

I hate migraines. I get one every month (the ladies will get that gentle hint). I wish I could just crawl in a dark hole and stay there for an entire day. My migraines always last for 24 hours give or take an hour. They always hurt wicked bad and almost always make me feel nauseous and almost always make me lose any appetite I would normally have (which is usually a lot of appetite).

Tonight I took my migraine for a 5 mile run. It was miserable to say the least. I ran 9:25 min/mi. The slowest I've run in quite a long time. 

Now I'm going to bed so I hopefully feel better in the morning.