A Long Overdue Update

Here is a much needed and long overdue quick update for any of you readers still left out there. It's been a month since Hartford and I'm feeling back to 100%.

The first week back was some light running just to stay loose and monitor any little body issues. I ended up having some nagging hip/hamstring issues in my left butt muscle area (that's a technical term) so I called it quits after 2.8 miles into the second week.

The hip/hamstring/butt muscle felt better for the third week and I got in just over 20-miles and started to do some lower body strength. The fourth week was much of the same.

This week I'm doing a little strength for the lower body, a hill workout (more strength for the lower body) and a long run of 10-miles. Longest since the marathon! When I saw that on my schedule, I got a kick out of it because right now I'm thinking of that as a long run, but when Sarah and I were in the marathon and we hit just past 16 I remember her saying that we had a 10-mile training run left - nice and short.

The first weekend in November I spent at my parents home with my family. My grandfather (my Dad's Dad) passed away so it was an emotional few days. On the bright side, I saw all of that side of my family - even met some that I didn't know previously - and I got in some good running - even one with my little sister. It was really hard running there. We were both out of significantly out of breath after one mile. Sad, isn't it? I swore we were at higher elevation than I'm used to and in fact we were. My parents house is about 1450 feet elevation while my place is only 14 feet. That combined with the much colder (and much denser air) probably combined for the crazy out of breath feelings at mile one.

So that's really all I have to catch you up on. Oh and I got my Boston Marathon card in the mail last week. How did I forget that?! It has my BQ on it and everything. I can't wait! I'm happy that I've started building strength for my marathon training.

And now that's really it.

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.)

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.

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.

Last 20 Before Hartford Taper

I completed my last 20 mile long run before the taper for the Hartford Marathon on October 11th. I had a choice this weekend for this run. I could go on Saturday in the rain or I could go on Sunday in the rain. So I decided to go on Sunday in the rain because I was hoping that my Sunday the rain would have stopped. I was wrong. I ran the entire thing in the rain. At times I ran in the pouring rain. Other times I ran in the drizzling rain.

When I checked the weather on Saturday night weather.com's hourly forecast predicted 50-60% rain between 6:00 am and 10:00 am and then increasing likelihood from then on raising up to 90-100% for the afternoon and evening hours. This was all thanks to Hurricane Kyle. So I figured I was good to go as long as I was up and out the door early. Nice dry run before the rain started.

When I checked the weather on Sunday morning, weather.com's hourly forecast predicted... exactly the opposite of what it did on Saturday night!! Grrr... New England weather!

I really didn't have any choice other than to get out there and run. So I did just that. I ran 2 miles easy and then my goal was to run the next 16 between 8:10 and 8:20 and then last 2 very easy. I ended up doing just about that and finishing with an 8:19 pace overall. My time was 2:46:something. I was really happy with that especially considering that I was soaking wet. I had bought new socks the day before and well, those are not very nice looking anymore. They are just totally stained with dirt and the red inside of my shoes.  Whatever. It shows some hard work. 

I'm writing this on Monday and the backs of both of my calves are pretty sore, but that's what this taper is for. Rest. Rest. Rest. And that's exactly what I plan on doing.

I do have to mention that I made the most awesomest contraption for keeping my Garmin dry. Usually I just wrap it in plastic wrap, but I didn't have any so I had to innovate. I took a ziploc bag and put a little slice on each side toward the bottom of the bag. I put my Garmin in the bag and stuck each wrist band end through the slit. Then I cut the bag so it just fit the Garmin and taped the open end closed with some packing tap (apparently the lovely sound of the packing tape woke up Dave. Sorry, babe!). This contraption worked really well and kept the Garmin dry for the entire run. I was a little considered because it looked like there was some condensation on the inside of the bag, but it didn't seem to bother it.

Taper begins...

Fall Update

Not autumn update. Fall update. That's fall as in my episode from last week's long run.

Monday and Tuesday coach left my plan up to me, but he gave me a couple of ideas if I felt up to them. If I felt up to it on Monday I could do 20-30 minutes easy and then on Tuesday if still feeling OK I could go out for 5-6 miles. 

Monday I wasn't so sure that it would be a good idea to go out. My knee, hip and thigh were not bothering me at all, but I developed this terrible pain in my right oblique. I believe when I fell my fuel belt may have inadvertently punched me in the stomach. I didn't feel that pain until Saturday night when I was sleeping and trying to roll over. I never really realized that I absolutely needed that right oblique in order to roll myself over in the middle of the night.

So I wasn't sure that I should head out on Monday, but I did and just agreed with myself that I could always turn around if it didn't feel right, even if that meant turning around after running the 0.10 miles to the end of my street.

Once I got out there I was totally fine. The side did hurt, but only when I was checking for traffic or running uphill (apparently I pump my arms more then).

Tuesday night I also went out and did the 6 miles prescribed to me. I felt great again. Although I did have a little scare with my Garmin and thought I would have to make a blog entry for its obituary. I took it off the charger before I went out and it just wouldn't turn on. I pushed the on button as hard as I could and it just wouldn't turn on. I put it back on the charger and took it back off and nothing was happening. So I sent an emergency S.O.S. email to my co-worker running buddy and he told me how to reset it - this happened to him right before the Cape Ann 25K this year. To reset your Garmin when it won't turn on hit the button left button and the lap button at the same time and hold them down until the silly little thing turns on. Phew! Lifesaver!

All in all, a good Monday & Tuesday and I'm back to normal. Hm... normal... I'm not sure that I'm normal, but I'm back to running form at least.

New Men's Marathon Record

This is just unbelievable. Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia broke his own record today at the Berlin Marathon running 2:03:59. Whoa.

_________________________
Updated 9/29/08

I just wanted to add this blog entry from Runner's World. Mark Remy ran Geb's training through SmartCoach to see what Geb should be doing. Here is the blog entry.

Quote

It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit.
-- George Sheehan

The Faster I Run, The Harder I Fall

The Plan

Saturday 9/20/08 - Long Run: 6 minute warm up, drills, stretch, 14 miles at 8:20 min/mi, 6 min cool down and stretch.

The Reality

I was schedule for my weekly long run today and was ready to get in another goal marathon pace workout. Dave took me out for an awesome dinner on Friday night. I had penne pasta in white wine sauce with shrimp and he had the biggest piece of lasagna that I've ever seen. He wasn't doing a long run with me Saturday, but I think he enjoys carbo-loading with me. We woke up late Saturday morning and lounged around watching the rest of South Park Imaginationland (I don't even like South Park that much, but these three Imaginationland episodes are hilarious!) and then we watched the first part of Street Kings. Dave had to pull me away from Street Kings so that I could get my run in before we went to a memorial mass and dinner with his family in memory of his grandfather and grandmother. I had enough time to run, shower and get in the car to go to church. That's how much I had procrastinated.

So I headed out.  I did my 6-minute warm-up, stretch and drills as planned. After that I was moving right along very comfortably with the 14-mile workout. I had set my Garmin with a slow and fast pace so it would beep to warn me whether to slow down or speed up. I had hoped that it would help me keep the steady 8:20, but it only started to annoy me because every time I went in a shady area it dropped my pace and beeped at me. It drove me nuts so I just turned the warning beep off and went by feel. I felt great through mile 6 pacing myself at 7:47, 8:10, 7:59, 7:59, 8:21 (it took me awhile to find my 8:20 pace, but I did at mile 5), and 8:29. My watched beeped for the auto-lap at 6.00 miles. I looked up and then... 

I fell, belly flopping and skidding down the road! When I was getting ready to go out I remember tying my shoe and thinking, "wow my laces seem really long." I believe the fall occurred when my right foot got tripped up in my left shoe lace. I'm telling you, I've never really fallen, but now I have twice in this one training cycle. What the heck! And this time I fell as a car was driving by and not surprisingly, given my last experience, no one stopped to see if I was OK (well Janette, you're not in Upstate New York anymore).  I sat and cried for just a moment then stood up and used some of the water I had to clean up. As I was cleaning up, a man walked by pushing a stroller with another child walking beside him. He asked if I was OK, but just kept walking with no interest in stopping if I had said no. I assessed the situation. Bruised, dirty and bloody were my right thing, right elbow and left knee. My hip was also bruised and scraped. I was 7-miles from home. I had no cell phone. I was four miles from the fire department. What is a girl to do except keep running? 

So I kept running. Nothing was hurting me to run, but I really just wanted to get home. With all of the falling, tears and trying to compose myself I messed up my watch and mile 7 came in at 10:29. I estimated I covered abut .3-.4 miles with it turned off and was standing for about 2-3 minutes with my watch running. Startin with mile 8 splits were 7:53, 8:07, 8:12, 8:04, 7:51 and 8:01. I really was trying to do 8:20, but I also was bleeding, uncomfortable and just wanted to get home and get cleaned up. I ran an additional half mile for 13.5. My knee was pretty swollen when I stopped at that point so I decided it was best to just call it quits.

When I got home I immediately called Dave and asked him to get me some peroxide to help clean out the scrapes. My elbow was ridiculously swollen and my knee looked like someone cut a racketball in half and stuck it on my knee. My upper right thigh was very swollen and had some road rash. My thigh had started to bother me toward the end of the run, but I thought it was just from the fast miles and not the fall. I was wrong about that.

Dave got me the peroxide and got me cleaned up and wrapped up. He left me to get to church on time. I skipped the church because I had to take extra time to get cleaned up and I met him later on to go with his family to dinner.

In hindsight, I wondered if I should have stopped when I fell, but honestly I felt fine running. I actually felt great. I was so focused and determined to get home. I don't believe that I caused any additional problems by continuing the run. 

I was disappointed that I didn't get in the full planned workout. I'm also disappointed that I couldn't keep it at 8:20. Then again, I'm sort of happy with the fact that I was comfortable with the run being faster than that. With the stopping/starting/falling issue I estimate the total distance of the workout at 13.5 miles in a total time of 1:49:29 averaging 8:07 min/mi.

I have pictures to put up not to gross all of you out, but just so that I can remember how crazy that fall was after the fact. I just have to get them on my computer to post so give me a day or so and I'll get them up. If you're like me and into all that crazy medical stuff then you'll love them.

____________________________

Updated 9/25/2008... Photos as promised.

The Knee w/Blood Trickle (Awesomeness)

The Hip

The Elbow Wrapped for Church/Dinner

The Elbow with Crazy Swelling

The Elbow With Blood

Fall 2008 Has Officially Arrived

Fall 2008 has officially arrived... at least according to me. My short three mile jaunt tonight was a very chilly 54 degrees. I wore shorts out with a light long sleeved shirt. I was warm mostly, but the backs of my legs were pretty chilly when I got home.

The air was just super chilly. You know the first few days when the weather starts to change and you can fill maybe a nice cool breeze, but the air is still generally warm? Well that was a week ago and now the chilly air is here with the even cooler breeze. 

I'm not complaining. I love racing in fall. I love the smell of the leaves (although those haven't really started to change much yet). I love an outfit of a sweater and jeans. I love where a fleece jacket. 

This year I mostly love that in just 22 days I will be running the Hartford Marathon!

Quote: Running & Yoga

From RunnersWorld.com's Daily Kick in the Butt:

Running is a thing worth doing not because of the future rewards it bestows, but because of how it feeds our bodies and minds and souls in the present. -- Kevin Nelson, The Runner's Book of Daily Inspiration

Now that pretty much sums up why I think yoga and running are absolutely perfect for each other.

Training Recap for Week of 9.8.2008

I hit my most weekly miles ever this week... 42 miles! Here is how it all worked out...

Monday: 5-mile easy run

Tuesday: 8x800m Intervals with warm up and cool down for 6.25 miles total

Wednesday: Relaxing

Thursday: 7-mile easy run

Friday: 25 minutes easy

Saturday: 20-mile long run

Sunday: Sleeping

The easy runs this week went really well. The intervals were a blast. I love 800 meter intervals. I did these at 3:40-ish trying to go a little slower than I did about a month ago when I was hitting 3:30-3:35 so that I was fully recovered and ready for Saturday's 20-miler. I woke up Saturday morning ready to go into town with the crew for the long run, but my stomach was just not agreeing with that idea. I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary the night before and I got plenty of sleep, but when I woke up my stomach was... well... let's just say it was a little overactive if you know what I mean. I had to call the crew and let them know I wouldn't make it out. I decided it was best to just run some loops near my place in case of bathroom emergency (is this too much detail?! - sorry!). Everything ended up working out well and I got in the 20-miles. I averaged 9:05 for the run too so I was happy with that.  This is the farthest run I've had since I ran the Boston Marathon in 2007 so needless to say it felt good having crossed this one off the training list.

Saturday night I got to go out to dinner with my parents who were in town visiting from upstate New York. I like when the come to town. They like to come out here to go fishing on the ocean. We had a great time at dinner and they had good luck on the boat so everyone made out well.

Humidity is Not My Friend

Ever since I was little I can remember the weatherman talking about the 3 H's: Hazy, Hot and Humid. Ever since I was little I can remember how I would get super cranky whenever the 3 H's were around. One in particular was not my friend - Humidity.

I hate humidity. I hate sweating while standing still. I hate sweating when I just get out of the shower and then feeling like I need to take another one. I hate feeling like everything is sticking to me. I hate humidity.

So Mother Nature blessed me with meeting up with my biggest enemy. Saturday's "long" run of a scheduled 10-12 miles called for 85% humidity. What this translated into was completed soaked clothing - don't get me wrong I like to sweat while I'm working out, but I have to draw the line - so that when I got home from the run my shorts were actually dripping onto my floor. I had to change my clothes just to stretch comfortably. During the run I was miserable. My quads were burning so I was thinking that I wasn't recovered from my Cape Ann 25K experience. I stopped to stretch and hydrate often. Even though I had my tool belt I knew there was no way I was taking in enough liquid. I think for everything I took in 5 times that came out. (Wow, this sounds sexy doesn't it? Ew!)

I was doing an out and back course. By mile 2 I was already really hot and it just got worse from there. I had to mentally run this by the half mile thinking OK just get to 3.5 then reasses the situation... OK reassess again at 4... . It was terrible. At mile 5, I said alright to hell with this today. I turned around and went home.

I was so happy to be done with that run. The whole time I was running, I was thinking how I'm not in shape and how I should be able to run 10 miles with no problems. But then when I got home I realized I did the right thing. There is no reason to push like that - whether it's 2 miles or 10 miles - and risk getting hurt. I've been there and I really don't want to go back again.

Man Runs 192-Miles to Support Cancer Research

This is truly amazing. Please read.

Race Report: 75th Annual Cape Ann 25K

The 75th running of the Around Cape Ann 25K took place on September 1, 2008 and I was lucky to be a part of it. This was probably the hardest race I've done, but I can definitely see myself participating in it for years to come.

I arrived in Gloucester, Massachusetts at 7:45am well ahead of the 9:00am race start. The middle school, where the race starts, was very easy to find and there was plenty of parking right at the school. I went into the middle school to pay my $30 registration free, pick up my free t-shirt and my favorite free item of the race - a sticker (picture those 26.2 stickers or stickers with the 3 letters on them that symbolize your town name) that said 15.56 Cape Ann North Shore YMCA 15.56 miles, 16 major hills. Yes, that's how they advertise their race and yet for some reason - some very sick reason - I decided to find out what their definition of "major" was.

That picture up there is the elevation chart. Keep this in mind as I will point out something crazy later on. As you can see, this course has a lot of big hills. I am bad at reading elevation so all I knew for sure was that I'd be doing a lot of up and down and up and down and so on. The race started on a narrow little road, which worked out OK because their weren't too many of us. I felt like I was going really slow to start and I was getting passed by I was trying to keep an easy pace for the first two miles. The runners split apart pretty quickly and there was plenty of running room. In my head I just tried to keep it my own race.

I tried to keep an even pace running up each of the hills. I tend to power up them to get them over, but I knew there would be a lot of hills so I didn't want to power up them in the beginning and have to walk up them in the end. I was able to do a pretty good job of keeping pace up the hills. The great part was that once I got to the top I knew I was coming right back down again. I kept the woman ahead of me in sight and just tried to pass them one at a time. It wasn't my intention at first, but it kind of just started happening. This race was so friendly that when I passed a few people they actually said "great job" or "you look strong" or "keep it up girl" and those comments were so encouraging. It just goes to show that runners want the best for each other and that races aren't necessarily about beating other people, but about beating yourself.

I started to get pretty tired around the 6-7 mile mark. We had left Gloucester and moved into Rockport at this time. At this point I was trying to get around a girl, but we were just running to even of a pace so I ended up sticking with her for probably 3/4 of a mile before I was finally able to pass her prior to going up the hill at mile 7. This hill was nothing to laugh at. It was a freakin' mountain. It went straight up and then up some more. About 2/3 of the way up ladies were handing out Gatorade and telling us we all looked good. Then I heard a man say, "you're at the top" and I was thinking "oh yes, thank God!" However, when I looked up there was still more hills to go. I don't care if you lie to me and tell me I look good when I definitely don't feel that way, but let's not go lying about how much hill I have left to climb. 

So eventually I made it up that mile 7 hill, but what I didn't realize was that the worst was yet to come. Looking at the elevation chart you can see that after mile 8, the rest of the course is relatively flat except for at mile 13 and 14. Now here comes my crazy statement. The first half of this course is definitely easier than the second half. It sounds crazy since the first half has all the hills, but my legs were getting beat up for the second half, I was feeling dehydrated and needed some Gatorade so this second half was a mental battle. 

There were a couple of guys ahead of me, but no girls. So I stuck with the guys and we kept playing tag for awhile. Then I came upon another woman. A lady on the sideline said that we were probably in or close to the top 30 females. So I told myself to pass this girl ahead of me and get in the top 30. I did. This top 30 thing kept me going for awhile. I saw another girl around 11/12 and was also able to pass her. Then I hit the hill at mile 13 - phew! a tough one, but got it over with. 

Then I saw another girl ahead of me. I knew I had to get her too. She went up the hill and around the curve at mile 14. Not too much time to get her. I was able to push up that last hill, but as I was going up the turn, a couple guys ahead of me started walking so my brain said "oh, we're done! Look everyone is walking. This must be the finish." and my legs seriously stopped. I caught myself taking a few walking steps so then I said "self, what the F, get up and go!" I listened and pushed up the rest of the hill. I was able to catch the girl (by the way she had passed me up a hill at mile 4 talking and laughing with her friend so this felt really good) on the flat right before mile 15. 

Now I just had to make sure that no one passed me. I don't like to let people pass me that I've passed. I saw the camera at mile 15 and smiled. That is the only time I've seen the camera and smiled. It was great and the picture didn't turn out so bad either (I'll post it later if I remember). 

Now for the last hill. I turned right just after the 15 mile mark and the photo-op. There is a short, ridiculously steep hill to get up at this turn. There was a girl who had already finished standing on this hill and she was basically in my face yelling, "come on girl, pump those arms, push up this hill, the finish is so close." I swear she gave me a fresh set of legs because I dusted that hill and then gave it all I had to get into the finish. I couldn't let anyone catch me. I didn't look back. I just ran as fast as my tired legs would take me.

I could see the clock 2:09:35, 2:09:36... ticking away and knew I just had to break 2:10. I talked myself in big time and finished in 2:09:57.

I originally thought I'd finish in 2:05, but this course was really tough. I am happy with the result and pretty excited that this is my last race before my goal race, the Hartford Marathon.

Official Results

coolrunning.com

Time: 2:09:57

Pace: 8:22 min/mi

Place Overall: 162/508

Place Female 20-29: 15/56

(Not sure I did or didn't make that top 30 women.)