Sunday, July 07, 2013

Various and Sundry Things

Brace yourselves, this will be a long (but hopefully entertaining) connection of various and sundry things...

I've been in Michigan for a summer job for less than 24 hours and have already had enough happen that a bloop was in order.

Yesterday was a travel day.  I'd originally intended to squeeze a few miles in when I got to here, but it became an impossibility because of meetings, key shenanigans (ie I didn't have them for a few hours after I got there) and my realization around 9:30 pm when I finally got settled that despite my best intentions a 4 miler was just not going to happen.  I'd been up since 5 am and had traveled most of the day and was just beat.

It was not the way I wanted to start my time at my summer job.

Speaking of which a bit of a tangent to hold myself accountable here:

I intend to use the next 5 weeks in different surroundings to amplify, not destroy, my current training cycle.  I am committing myself to running 4 or 5 days a week, in the AM, before work plus 3 strength training days geared at finally kicking these injuries to the curb.  That will occasionally require 2 a days.  I'm doing it.  I am recommitting myself to clean eating during this time.  There is a full kitchen here and an excellent salad/pasta bar at the dining hall.  There are no excuses for me spending extra money on food that is worse for me that doesn't help my training.  If that means I am slightly less "fun" and not going out at nights I am okay with that, because it will translate to better running later.  Will it always be easy? No.  Am I capable of making these choices for the betterment of myself?  Absolutely.  I will periodically be assessing my ability to pull this off in future posts (I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat...) 

Now that that's out of the way and I have created some public accountability...

Today started off much better than yesterday.  I was up at 6:30 am and out the door at 7 for my long run.  I'd like to make that a tad earlier in the future, but the weather was cooler today so no harm no foul.  It's the first time I've had a chance to run in 70 degree weather in weeks and I planned on enjoying every minute of it.  The streets were pretty deserted except for a few other runners and I was excited to try out my new long run shoes: Glycerin 10s (they fit the same as the 11s on me and were on sale, score!).  I ran in them on the 3rd for a 5K that I decided couldn't possibly be raced in the heat we were experiencing (I was right) but this was my first chance to try them out for more miles.

They felt luxuriously soft after my Pure Connects.  Like downright sinful.  And slow. But, hey, it's a long run and I've been battling shin splints forever, so slower is probably good anyway.  I ran 7.9 miles in a very easy 1:19 and enjoyed 95% of it profusely. The other 5% consisted of what I can only describe as a knee "thing."

Three times the following weirdness occurred (I use the term weirdness, and not pain, deliberately.  I'll explain more below).  The run was hillier than I've done recently and when I tried to accelerate on the uphills my left knee would sort of spasm and almost lock.  I'd stop, walked a couple of steps.  No pain.  Tentatively resumed running and was fine...until it happened again about a mile later when I forgot about it and attempted to accelerate a bit again on a hill.  Wash, rinse, repeat - although this time it wasn't because I forgot, I was attempting to see if there was a pattern to this spasm.  I finished the run (but still no pain!) stretched thoroughly afterwards and foam rolled and was about to treat myself to a shower/cold bath for my legs when I realized a packing error:

I had not packed a bath towel. 

It is 8:30 AM.  On a Sunday.  I am near the University of Michigan campus.  I have no towel and very limited prospects for getting one.  I have just run almost 8 miles and am sweaty and icky and my knee is being weird and I need a cold bath and...

Shmer.

So I figured challenge accepted:  I would walk around the downtown area and surely somewhere must be a) open b) selling a towel.  Any towel.  A beach towel, even.  ANYTHING.

A venti cup of black coffee, 90 minutes and 4.89 miles later I returned to my apartment towel-less and determined to MacGyver a solution from the rest of my luggage.  After searching for about 20 minutes I found it - the solution to my problems: a spare pillow case (You laugh, but it worked.  Not ideal and I don't recommend it but it was better than the alternative which was a pair of sweatpants I might actually want to wear tonight if it gets colder...) 

It was a serious amount of ridiculous to occur before noon. *hmpf*

If anyone got this far (and if you didn't I don't blame you, b/c holy long batman...but if you did, I am thrilled - and have a question) does anyone have any ideas as to what this knee thing is?  My cursory googling/searching of the RW forums seems to signal ITBS.  Which would be consistent with glute weakness I've already identified, but I'm a little skeptical because I have had that before on the other side a few months into running and it manifested totally differently...

Anyway, Michigan is off to a crazy (although 95%) good start.  And I finally have a towel!

Monday, July 01, 2013

So Much More than a Race Report: The One Run For Boston

I tend to throw myself into things I get involved in - my job, running, the Loop, you know...so 6 weeks ago when I found out about the One Run for Boston (ORFB) and signed up to run a very modest 6.5 miles from Framingham to Wellesley on the Boston Marathon Route I characteristically became a little obsessed (in a good way) with the relay.  

Pretty much every entry I've posted here since late May has referenced the ORFB in some way - sometimes a plea for runners, sometimes as a reminder of something amazing that I was thrilled to be a part of.  Everyday since June 7th the first thing I've checked when I got home or woke up was the progress of the relay.  I love pretty much everything about it.  The stories of the individual runners, the energy of the Brits who dreamed this up, but most of all I loved the people who were involved in this great event.  Everyone was so positive and generous.  It was a beacon of pure hope in an answer to a truly hideous event.  We need more of those in this world. 

Two weeks ago, after the BAA 10K I got to meet some of the amazing runners for the first time in person.  We all grabbed brunch and talked about how excited we were to be a part of this amazing event.
  
 Brunch Two Weeks Before

And the night before Miles le Baton reached Massachusetts we gathered at Patriot's Place outside of Gillette Stadium for a pre-race carb loading feast and great company:

Dinner the night before

It was a very diverse and wonderful group of people.  Some people had run the Boston Marathon before.  Some had run multiple times.  Some were running their first Boston this April and got stopped between 24 and 25 miles.  Some were long time runners who were celebrating at or near the finish.  Some had never run Boston, and came from as far away as New Mexico and Missouri.  Some had run earlier and flown to Boston to be part of the finish as well. Some, like me, were new runners, who had never run Boston or any other marathon - but just needed to be part of this somehow.  

Yesterday I ran my very modest 6.5 miles from Framingham to Wellesley as part of the One Run for Boston relay.

We started later than we thought we would.  The relay was running about 4.5 hours behind when it reached us 3,000 miles from where it started.  That's a miraculously small amount of time to be delayed when you consider that the relay traveled through 110 degree weather in Death Valley and Arizona, lightening storms in Texas and torrential rain in Connecticut.  So we adjusted our outfits, adding headlamps and glow sticks and anxiously awaited our small part in this epic event.

 Ready to run!
One run!

While we waited to run, we added our signatures to the One Run Banner, which has been traveling with Miles le Baton and the runners all the way from California.  I was able to sign right over Price, Utah, which choked me up a little bit and felt, well, perfect.

The banner - Price

The group ahead of us arrived at around 9:15.  We cheered for them and got to take a few pictures before we got started.  This is us with the flag and the baton about 30 seconds before we take off!

The flag and the baton!!!!

We started our journey at 9:17 pm from Framingham - 20 miles from the Boston Marathon finish line.

And we're off!

And...we're off!!!  That's me with the flag at the start of leg 317.

We ran through the very modest hills that precede the famous hills of Newton.  We had some epic ultramarathoners, and some really strong runners with us.  I fell a little behind but kept chugging along with my 9:00-9:30 miles all the way to Wellesley with a new friend who runs at the exact same pace as me. 

It was my first time running with others, it was my first time running at night, it was my first time running without music, and it was my first time running without a clock going.  All of that feels strangely very appropriate.

And then...after what felt more like 15 minutes than a little under an hour, we were done.

Done - and Gatorade!!!

My wonderful friend S brought me some Gatorade, which I demolished and brought me back to my car, which I hopped in to drive to the finish so I could be part of the amazing end to this epic journey.  The baton was pushed over the finish line by one of the marathoners whose father was hurt in the bombings just after 12:30 am.

Miles comes over the finish
One Run Finish [and me!!!)

There are really no words for the emotion we had at the end, so I'll let those pictures speak for themselves.

It was about 12:30 am, and we had done it - almost 1,500 runners had run 3,000 miles.  Together.  It was the strength of the human spirit answering an event that had affected everyone in different ways.  It was time to celebrate, so we took over a little bar down the street.

Celebration!

The cameras literally couldn't capture all of the joy in one shot.  That's about 1/3 of the people who took over the Rattlesnake.  We didn't leave until they made us, right about 2:30 am.

I know I've written a lot above, but I really don't  feel like words are enough to convey the truly amazing events that made up the ORFB.  The pictures do a slightly better, although still incomplete, job.  I am humbled and in awe that I was able to be a part of something so amazing.  I am very thankful that running allowed me to participate.  The word "awesome" is overused in modern language.  I'm as guilty as anyone else of this.



Saturday, June 22, 2013

June Swoon

I feel like this month has been a bit of a let down in terms of running, even with the PR last week.  I suppose that was inevitable after the high points of running my first races and a successful first half marathon, but I really didn't expect to look back at June and feel sort of meh about the whole thing.

In May I ran 100 miles in a month for the first time ever.  One of the things I didn't really talk about all that much while doing that was that I was running them battling this constant nagging pain in my shins.  It came and went.  Was the worst right before my half, seemed to miraculously disappear for a few days right after my half, and then came back right towards the end of the month.


After a conversation with my new (and utterly fantastic, I might add) running coach we dialed my mileage back and focused on flat, easy, running in an effort to defeat this silly injury now.  It's the right move.  It's still the very early stages of my next training cycle and I really don't want this to get worse.  I don't know what I would do with a summer sidelined from running completely because I can't get a handle on this injury.

In fact, I was being perfectly rational about all of it, chugging along with short easy miles, doing hip/glute strength training diligently (because she's pretty sure that's the source of the problem), hanging out with my new best friend: the foam roller, swimming (more on that below) and going about my day.  I was a little antsy that my miles were lower, but I didn't worry about it too much.

Until I looked at my June mileage tally and realized it was already the 20th: 51 measly miles and 10 days left in the month.



Granted I still have two weekends left (read: two long runs) but suffice to say there is nothing impressive about following up a 100 mile month with what will likely be something like a 75-80 mile month.

I know I'm being a little hard on myself and I'm trying to remember that I am doing all of this now so I can run faster and pain free later.  I'm trying to remember that it's a process and it's better that I take a step back now than actually injure myself in a way that puts me out of commission for weeks or months later.  I keep reminding myself that the goal races are the Philly RnR Half and Rehoboth and I *need* to heal now to get my sub 2:00:00 there.  I'm trying to remind myself that I didn't *just* run 51 miles this month, I also worked up to 80 push ups a day (from 36) and swam again for the first time in ages, and spun and did strength training and got a new 5K PR...

...But man, 51 miles in 20 days seems low to me.  And I haven't missed a goal by this much in a while (wanted 110 in June at the start of the month).

Okay, enough whining.  New blog rule: I have to find some positive things to finish up these posts.  So here goes:

1) I replaced some of my miles with swimming/aqua jogging this month for the first time in years.  I am in total and complete awe of swimmers/triathletes.  Holy hell swimming is hard.  Last week for the first time I finally did some serious continuous swimming (1 lap swimming followed by 1 lap aquajogging for 30 minutes. Made it 30ish lengths of the pool (I think, I only started counting mid way).  That was ridiculous hard and definitely something I a) couldn't do before b) wouldn't have been able to do if I hadn't added swimming/aqua jogging at the behest of Coach S.  So thank you for that accomplishment, shin splints.

2) I have gotten much more diligent about foam rolling/strength exercises for my lower body/core.  I am relatively certain this will pay huge dividends in the long term (hopefully in the form of staving off injuries far into the future, hint, hint).  I basically have a little corner of my apartment set up to be foam rolling, stretching, strengthening zone.  And I use it.  Daily.  *pats self on back*

3) I have learned how to use KT tape.  I'm not thrilled with the cost of said tape, but I'm pretty damn good at taping my shins now, and it really does help.

4) I saved the best for last.  The run I'm most excited about this month will also be the last run of this month and my limited miles have not hurt my ability to complete that one at all.  On June 30th I get to be part of the One Run For Boston.  6.5 easy miles (prob right around a 10 min pace) with a group of other people to bring to a close the first relay across the United States.  It ends on the marathon route and will raise money for the One Fund.  I posted more about my feelings on this event here.  There are currently more than 1,000 people, some of whom have already ran, some of whom (like me, are waiting to run).  People have run in 100+ degree heat across California and Arizona.  People have run 30 and 40 mile stretches across some of the most desolate areas you can imagine.  People have flown across the country to run stretches that were hard to fill.  But most importantly they keep going.  I'm thrilled and humbled to get to be a part of this awesome relay.  I think it will make up for any feelings of disappointment I'm struggling with today.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Women Running Wild

Earlier this year I sat down to make New Year's resolutions.  Some revolved around life, some revolved around general fitness and health, exactly one revolved around running: I wanted to run a 5K in under 27 minutes in 2013.  The whole half marathon thing wasn't even an idea at that point in time and I never thought I'd run this in an actual race or anything. I just wanted to get on a treadmill or out on a track at some point and run 3.1 miles in under 27 minutes.

I still need to do some work in order to make this happen, but I am much, much closer than I was.

Saturday I ran the Women Running Wild 5K in Osterville MA.  I ran it in 27:10 . So very, very close to accomplishing my goal of running a 5K in under 27 minutes, and it's only June.  Some take aways from this race and thoughts for future races are below.  This isn't all that orderly or anything, more a stream of consciousness.

There is a me who would have been absolutely devastated about coming so close to a goal in the past.  I've had moments, some recently, where SO CLOSE was almost worse than SO FAR.  That person came around the corner, saw that I was .1 miles away.  Saw that the clock said 26:xx.  Realized that the xx was 40 and knew that there was no way, no kick I had, no chance of crossing in under 27.  And she was annoyed, but really very quiet compared to the much more positive me that has grown and thrived in this new and wonderful running world.

Thoughts regarding the time and my goals (which honestly, I'd like to get out of the way because I have more important things to discuss below):

27:10 is a time I am really proud of.  It was 63/371 over all and 9/48 in my Age Group.  Every other race that I've been in I've hovered around the half way mark in terms of finishers.  This put me solidly in the top 20% of finishers both overall and in my Age Group.

My original goals was a New YEAR'S resolution.  I am 11 seconds away from my goal as of June.  I *know* I can knock 11 seconds off this distance in the next few months of training.

I used to  be amazed when I could run consecutive miles under 10 min a mile.  This race was solidly under 9 min miles.  27:10 is an average pace of 8:46 a mile.

I have now run 2 5Ks.  Ever.  You can read about the first one here.  But if we want to talk about times...I knocked 2:48 seconds off my 5K from my first race to my second one.  I can be a little annoyed about the 11 seconds that were left hanging between me and my New Year's resolution, but I'm unlikely to do that again in the near future and I should be proud of it.

I ran a smart, negative split race.  First mile was about 9:09 and I kept chipping away from there.  Last mile speed was down to 8:30 a mile.  In fact, when I looked at the Nike+ data (and yes I know, that should be taken with a grain of salt, but it's what I have right now until I can get a Garmin) my first .5 miles is where I lost a bunch of speed.  I remember being slower there, b/c I was passing a ton of people.  Note to self: start further up.

I was passed exactly 4 times this whole race.  From the start, on.  I passed 2 of those people later and never caught 2 of the other ones.  It was a great race for me.

I probably should have fueled better before this race.  I hadn't had many carbs earlier in the day (half an english muffin an a couple bites of bread.)  I think that contributed to my lackluster kick in the last .4

The best parts of this race had absolutely zero to do with the times above, they are below:

I got to run this race with two of my very close friends M & K.  It was absolutely awesome to run a race with such awesome women.  After I crossed the finish line I went back to cheer them on and ran back the last .2 with them.  It was so much incredible fun.  When we came around 2 of our friends were cheering everyone on.  It was amazing.

We had so much fun running together I'm going to pace K in her goal 10K in September.  I'm super psyched about it and really hope I can do a good job to help her get her goal! :)

The race was an all women's race.  It was so supportive I couldn't believe it.  When I passed people I gave them encouragement and saw others doing the same.  I let out an involuntary woot at the water stop b/c I was so close to my goal pace and some women around me cheered in response.  I saw a girl of about 8 who I passed running with her mom and gave her a thumbs up, she grinned a grin the size of Texas and I was so glad I got to see her cross the finish around 31/32 minutes.

The weather was gorgeous, albeit a bit warm because the start time was 6pm, and the course, while there were rolling hills throughout was really pretty and not terrible in terms of hills.  There was lots of joy and cheer.  It was a very fun environment.

So that's it, a great weekend on the Cape filled with clamming, friends, fun and laughter plus a crazy PR, even though it was JUST SHY of my goal.  Plus, I now have a t-shirt that says "Women Running Wild" on it.  Obvi a win.


Thursday, June 06, 2013

One Run for Boston

If you know me at all you know that I can get a little intense about my causes (there is laughter all over America at the idea that I just qualified intense with "little" but that's okay).  My cause of the day is simple and I'd really love it if people would take a minute and check it out over the next 24 days, because it's going to be epic.

My name is Sara.  A year ago I was struggling to run a mile.  in 25 days I will run 6.5 of them, on the Boston  Marathon route as part of the One Run for Boston.  The One Run for Boston will raise funds for the One Fund, but more importantly (at least for me) it's a statement.  It is a cross country relay, organized by 3 wonderful individuals from the UK.  Starting tomorrow at 10 am Pacific Time a relay will begin that will end on the Boston Marathon route.  800+ runners have signed on, some taking marathon or ultra marathon distance in the most remote areas of Arizona or New Mexico.  Some runners, like me, are running much easier, urban routes that have some meaning for them (I'll be running past the house of a dear friend who watches the marathon every year).

I think this race is fantastic.  I have become a little obsessed with it, and I can't pinpoint why.  Raising money for the onefund is fantastic, but we haven't raised as much as others, so that isn't it, and running is a thing I've been doing and focusing on anyway.  I run in my Run*Now bracelet and look down at it when I consider slowing down.  It's not the motivation, at least for me, it's something else.

Being part of this relay has exposed me to the absolute best in humanity as a direct response to the absolute worst.  It has made me appreciate running in a way that is deeper than the accomplishment I felt completing a half marathon.  This is no light comparison, btw, running that half was among the most fantastic experiences of my life to date, that there is something in running intrinsically better than that is remarkably humbling.  Recently I've had a string of bad days at work and really, the best parts of my day have been my runs.  I mentioned this on the loop and had a response of: "how do non-runners cope with life?"  It's a profound question and one I do not have an answer to right now, which is odd when you consider I've only been a runner for a year.

I encourage you to follow the relay baton as it makes a profound journey of healing and strength.  I encourage you to run one of the very few remaining legs, or join a leg, if you can.  Most importantly, I encourage you to follow your joy.  Sometimes it seems like the world is set up to keep us from our joy, fight for your's, no matter what.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Making Peace with the Rain


I have spent the better portion of my life avoiding the rain at all cost.  I have a general aversion to things that make me wet and cold.  As a result rain (and to a much greater extent snow, but that is a post for a later day) and I have stayed far, far away from each other whenever possible.  Even over the last 15 months as I've been running a lot I have studiously avoided the rain.  If it rained I still ran, but on a treadmill.  Inside.  Away from the rain.

This led to a lot of anxiety as my first 10K approached and I thought I was going to have to finally run in the rain.  That led to a pretty funny incident mainly due to my inability to read simple instructions that I encourage you to read about here, but I digress.  The bottom line is, until this weekend I have had to brave rain for exactly 3 minutes at the end of one run during the last year.  

I knew the day would come when this would have to change.

Yesterday, after passing out T-Shirts to the 11,000 plus runners registered at the Run to Remember (more in a second) I knew that two things were true: 1) I needed to get in a small 3.5 miler to continue on my recovery from my first pikermi and 2) the rain was going to persist for at least 24 more hours.  So I grabbed my trusty hat, wrapped my ipod up in a ziploc bag before putting it in the little pocket of my  favorite chillier weather top, and started a loop around my favorite Lake Q.  

I was thoroughly prepared to despise every minute of this run.

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this run.

For starters the lake was quiet, the hundreds of people I usually swerve around had disappeared.  It was me, and 5 other people, nodding politely around the lake.  The weather beneath the rain was perfect.  It was 55 and cloudy, and the rain I was dealing with wasn't a miserable downpour, it was almost misty at times.  It was like the perfect cooldown while running.  It was as if someone had invented this particular type of weather just for runners (You may already know this, but I can't believe I've been missing this for so long).  It was really one of the most enjoyable 3.5 mile runs I've ever had.   Plus I felt as though I finally *got* it.  I used to see all these runners in non-sunny conditions and marvel that they were out there, I had no idea some of those conditions might actually be *nice* to run in, for reasons all their own.

I'm very glad I had this experience because it made today substantially better than it would have been otherwise.

This AM I volunteered to work at a water stop at Boston's Run to Remember.  I woke up at 3:30 am, on my day off, to give a little bit back to the community I have already gotten so much out of in my short time running.  I was at miles 3/9 right by the Longfellow Bridge handing out water to thousands of amazing, inspiring runners.  I was in awe of the front runners and their speed.  I loved the crowds upon crowds of runners of all shapes and sizes who ran in the middle.  I loved seeing the police academy cadets go by all together.  I loved watching the last few people push through, so strong and determined to finish.

I was also freezing.  It was high 40s, there was quite a bit of colder rain than my lovely run the day before, and there was wind.  And we were covered in water that had spilled at various moments.  Sometimes a spilled cup sometimes an accident, whatever.  But most importantly, despite the cold, wet, persistent chill, the precise conditions I have studiously avoided for my entire existence, I loved every minute of it.  I thought about how the rain must feel to the people running at mile 9, and how even though it was cold to me, it probably was a little better for them.  I knew I could go home and change and that the sun would be out in time for my long run later today. It, in fact, came out just as the last runners were making their way to the water stop on their way to a fantastic finish.  

I drove home in awe of how inspiring races can be, whether you are running in them, or just helping out.  I took a brief nap at 1pm, since I'd already been up 9 hours, and when I woke up the conditions were amazing for my own little 7.5 miler.  It was really a perfect run.  Super easy, splits were: 10:23, 9:45, 9:42, 9:19, 9:22, 9:21, 9:09.  The end was probably a bit faster than I should go in a long run, but I felt amazing and was running by feel (didn't see the splits until I looked at my app at the end).  The sun was out, but not too hot (57) there was a breeze off Lake Q.  I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this run.  Particularly the minute, long about mile 5, when I smiled realizing I would have enjoyed every minute of this run even if it were raining.

Monday, May 20, 2013

I'm an official half marathoner!

Yesterday morning I ran the first ever Newburyport River Run Half Marathon and completed my first ever half marathon!  Race report and some photos below.  There are definitely lessons to be learned all around, but it was overall a fantastic experience and I plan on running it again next year (although I'll hopefully have quite a few more halves under my belt by then).  Brace yourself, this is going to be long.  I only get to do a race report on my first half marathon once and, well, I don't want to miss anything. :p

Two weeks prior to the race I was sort of freaking out.  My running was going well, but my calves/shins  were in a sporadic, naggy, achy pain.  I kept hopping around to make sure that it wasn't a stress fracture (it wasn't).  When my shins weren't hurting my IT band kept reminding me it was there.  Not pain really, but just a little tension to let me know that it could be in pain, potentially.  In retrospect I was so hyper aware of my body and so nervous about the race that while there was definitely pain at least part of it was magnified by my fears that *something* was going to go terribly wrong to mess up all of my training.  Now that the race is over all of these pains have disappeared and been replaced by perfectly normal muscle soreness.  But I didn't know that would happen two weeks ago, so I iced, elevated and compressed religiously after every training run, pleading with my body to hold it together long enough to get me through this race without a real injury.

All of this laying around with my legs up gave me tons of time to read.  So I read, and re-read, everything I could find on race nutrition, pre-race nutrition, race planning, race gear, tapering, garmins, pacing, running with music, running without music, etc.  You name it, I read it.  Maybe twice. About a week ago I realized I was driving myself crazy with way too much information when I thankfully re-read the following line from the Runners World Big Book of Marathon and Half Marathon Training: "Remember that...half-marathon training runs you more than 200 miles.  The race day-covering just...13.1 miles-is a victory lap."  I closed the books and browsers (well, for the most part), looked back over my training logs and started focusing on things like where I was running and enjoying my last few miles before the race.

This helped immensely.  Even though I still thought about the race a lot (and I definitely spent too much time refreshing weather.com and accuweather.com, often at the same time, often wondering why they didn't agree, but I digress) I got substantially more level headed and clear about how I was approaching the race.  This was super helpful because it meant I went into race day with 6 days of the previous week having ideal fuel, hydration and sleep.  I don't think I do that, well, ever.  So doing it the week before this race was fantastic.  I even managed to find an hour on Saturday to get a manicure that matched my racing singlet.  This is clearly going to become a tradition.

Saturday night J and I went to packet pick-up and got our bibs.  We decided to drive the course because I'd mapped it and knew there were some hills.  I'm really glad we did because while the first 1.5 miles were flat the next 4 were a series of rolling hills culminating in a pretty big hill.  We both adjusted our race strategy a bit to slow down those first few miles so we didn't burn out early.  When we'd finished driving the course we wandered around Newburyport, which as you can see is a super quaint New England town:

We found an awesome farm to table Italian place.  We had an early dinner.  Finished at about 7:30, splurged on a little gelato and parted ways.  J was staying the next town over, about 10 minutes away, but I had to drive about 40 minutes back to my house (I decided I'd rather get up earlier and sleep in my own bed than worry about not being able to sleep in a hotel room).  About 20 minutes into my drive home, I got a text from J telling me I'd left my bib in his car.


I was not amused with what this was going to do to my plans in terms of sleeping and nothing going wrong but I *knew* I wanted to have everything I needed for the AM ready to go before I went to sleep.  So I turned around, drove back, got my bib from J and just dealt with the idea that I'd just lost 40 minutes on the one night I really didn't want to lose 40 minutes.  By the time I got home I had mostly shaken it off aside from the fact that I was now 10 minutes from my bedtime instead of 50 minutes from my bedtime.  I accepted the fact that I was just going to go to bed later and moved on.  I laid down at 10:15 pm and started tossing and turning a bit, but it wasn't long until I was totally out.

Sunday the 19th I woke up with my alarm at exactly 5:15 am.  I hadn't woken up during the night at all, which is unusual for me.  I got ready, had my coffee, an egg white and cheese sandwich on wheat bread, grabbed my water and started the drive up to Newburyport.  I got to the parking lot at exactly 6:58 am.  Two minutes earlier than I'd planned.  And then I waited.  I would much rather sit in my car, listen to music and wait patiently knowing I have a parking spot than get up later and stress about logistics.  It's sort of calming for me to sit there.  So that's what I did.  At 7:30 am I decided to take a walk and see if the Starbucks had any bananas (they did) and an available restroom (they also did - this will become super clutch later).  I decided to take a few pictures of early AM Newburyport and walk around for a bit.

Enjoying the port before the race

J got there around 7:45 and meandered around with me.  We found a bunch of cool little things around Newburyport, but as a Social Studies teacher, the Civil War Reenactors were my favorite:

A Civil War camp in Newburyport

By this point it was about 8:15.  I had to go to the bathroom again, and then we needed to walk down to the start.  So we made another trip to the Starbucks and then walked the .5 miles to the start of the race.  About .25 miles into our walk to the start (so you know, 7 minutes after my previous bathroom trip) I felt like I had to go to the bathroom again, and the second I mentioned it J felt the same way.  Clearly this was some sort of mental trick, but no worries.  There are always port-a-potties at races.

And this is when we realize that the race, in its first year, has severely underestimated the need for port-a-potties.  There were 5.  For 500+ runners and all of their family, friends, etc.  The line was OMG long and there were 30 minutes to the start of the race.  Luckily, J and I were of the mentally anxious needing to pee variety, but there were a whole slew of people who were of the really needing to pee variety, at least 50, standing in line when they told us it was time to line up.  Yikes!

(Seriously, I warned you this was long.  We are about to start the race.  If you need a pee break before the rest of the post, now is the time.  Good?  Good.  Continue.)

I went out a little slower than I would have liked.  I wasn't as warm as I'd wanted b/c I had spent so much time in line for the port-a-potty I wouldn't get to use and to be frank I was a little distracted by the cute little downtown we were running through followed by a gorgeous 9 am seascape

The view from mile 2
I finally got my head around the idea that this was a RACE, not a long run, around mile two and kicked it up a bit, but it was hard to tell how fast I was going b/c I purposefully didn't start a timer on my watch and my ipod app definitely went crazy and was inaccurate (it thought I ran 12.04 miles at the end of the race, we drove the course the day before, it was absolutely 13.1.  C'est la vie.  I know how I felt and my watch was close enough in terms of monitoring my times).  I managed to pass a few people through the hills but kept it fairly conservative in those early miles because I knew the hill at mile 5 was going to be brutal and I needed to not only get up that, but be able to run 8 miles faster after it.  So I kept it in check.  I ate 6 jelly beans with caffeine at mile 3 (first water stop) I would guess I was averaging right around 10 minutes a mile, maybe a bit faster, through those hills.

I felt great at the big hill at 5.  I passed a few people on it and came to the top feeling strong.  I also knew it was mostly flat after that and cautiously picked up my speed.  Miles 6-11 were by far my best miles of this race.  I was totally in control of my pace and knew I still had the ability to accelerate later in the race.  I was passing people throughout this time.  I basically would find a new group, reel them in, pass them, and start again.  At the mile 8 water stop I ate my last 6 beans and moved on at a faster pace.  I'm not entirely sure how fast I was going during this time, but if my math is right based on the finish time I had to be in the 9:30 or lower range.  Again, this was by far my best stretch of the race.

In fact, if we were just going by pace, then mile 12 would have to be included in that, as it was my fastest mile of the race and I felt amazing when I hit it...the problem was that I overestimated what I had left in the tank.  I had enough left for one mile, maybe a little more at around 9 min a mile.  I thought I had enough left for 2.  I was incorrect.  I hit the sign indicating we were in the last mile and a side stitch on my right side hit with a vengeance.  Prior to that point in the race I hadn't been passed since the first mile.  Granted, I started way too slow and was working my way back, but up to that point I had done all of the passing.  In the next half mile as my side ached more and more 4 people passed me and I could just sort of feel my dream of a strong finish fading away.

Two things happened simultaneously at this moment which were both super clutch.  First, I saw the turn off point about a half a mile ahead.  The finish was down this little driveway, maybe 50 feet off the road, and I could finally SEE where that was.  Second, these two girls I had passed about half a mile before came up on my right shoulder, and some little voice in my head said "Oh, hell no.  No more passing me.  Not today."  The stitch in my side continued but I ignored it and pulled energy from some reserve I didn't know existed and kicked it into high gear for that last half mile.  When I hit the turn off I was so excited to see that the clock said 2:08 still!  I was even more excited to see J (he'd finished about 10 minutes earlier) on the sideline with his phone out, cheering me on.  Thanks to him I have some awesome photos of me finishing my first half, including this one of me waving and grinning like a fool.

Waving right before the finish
I finished in 2:08:16.  Which pretty much blew away the goals I had set for myself at the beginning of this process (which included "run the whole thing" and "maybe I can finish in under 2:30), and even exceeded the "on a perfect day I bet I can go under 2:10:00" goal I set for myself a couple of weeks ago.  It's a pace of 9:47 a mile, although my splits (if they existed) were definitely all over the place from that.  In the future I need to make sure I have time to BOTH warm up and pee so I can avoid that slow mile at the start, and I need to contain my urge to speed up in the last 5K.  I opened up just a tiny bit too early.  If I had finished with the kick I had in mile 12, I would have been 15 or 20 seconds faster.  At the end of the day, those 20 seconds are irrelevant.  I'll get them back someday.  5/19 was all about this:

Two successful first time half marathoners!!!
After the race J and I wandered around the after party where they had good pizza and beer.  Well, I assume the beer was good.  I really just couldn't get my head around the idea of having a beer at that moment in time.  All I really wanted was water, gatorade and carbs.  We decided to wander back towards town and see what we could find.  We meandered into the most wonderful smelling bakery in the entire world (really, it's in Newburyport) where they list all of the ingredients for their products AND the farm/dairy they bought them from (how cool is that?)  It's called Buttermilk Baking Company and is really one of the most fantastic places I've ever eaten in my life: 

Post-race carbs at Buttermilk Baking Company

J had the bacon, cheddar and chive scone and I had the maple sausage honey bun.  Both of which were exactly as fantastic as they sound.

As yummy as the carbs were (and omg, they were fantastic) The best part of all of this has been the process of training which has allowed me to discover that I really love distance running.  I spent years, my whole life, really, telling myself I wasn't a runner.  I told myself I wasn't good at it and I didn't like it.  I had never run a race because I was sure races were for fast people, runners.  Even when I added running to my workouts last year I was convinced that running RACES wasn't for people like me running their 10 (now 9!) minute miles.  I have learned that nothing could be further from the truth and I LOVE running.  I like my long runs on the weekends (or weekdays, when I need to do them then) and my speed work here and there.  I like running hills and flats and watching the miles accumulate over time.  I like racing and getting faster on each mile and finishing feeling stronger than I started.  The running community is a fantastic group of wonderfully diverse people and I can't wait to spend more time in it.

In fact I'm definitely signing up for my 2nd half in September. I get to train all summer.  I wonder if I can break 2 hours..I'm sure you'll hear all about it, all summer. I can't wait.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

One Week to Half Marathon Eve: The places I run

Okay, so the title is reflective of how much I'm thinking about this race, but obviously "One Week to Half Marathon Eve" is only really a thing to me...well, me and any other people running their first HM.  I bet it's a thing to them too. :P

This post was originally a lot of rambling nonsense about the workouts I have left to do this week.  I'm not really sure what I hoped to get out of that, and I'm certain it would mean little/nothing to anyone else who happened to stumble upon this.  Luckily for me (and you) as I was going over my taper workouts for the 9 millionth time I stumbled upon something actually interesting to share.

I've wound up with a lot of time to think about running these past few days.  Today, I find myself thinking about the distances I have left to run, and more importantly the places I am lucky enough to get to run.  As soon as I post publish on this blog post I'm going to head outside to walk around my favorite running route at Lake Quannapowitt:



When I moved to Massachusetts I was not a runner.  In fact, as my earlier blog posts attest, I was about the furthest thing from a runner you could find.  And yet, as I was looking for an apartment in a sea of suburbs I could barely tell apart, Lake Quannapowitt was the tie breaker.  It's less than a mile from my house and is 3.25 miles around.  I envisioned myself joining the sea of runners, walkers, and bikers who diligently walk around the lake all year round.

It took me 4 years to get around to actually joining them.

But now it's my favorite place in my favorite time of day, the time when I come home, change into my running/walking clothes and join all of the people enjoying the lake.  It's mostly flat and either 5 miles or 6.25 miles round trip from my door to do one lap around the lake.  It's the perfect distance around to add miles to a long run, or to take a break from running and just do a long walk for the day.  I feel very blessed to have such a perfect default running route.

About once a week I crave a change of scenery and a little more solitude. Luckily for me there are ponds, rivers and trails all over the place.  Some are fast and flat, like my favorite LQ.  Others are hilly and challenging (but still gorgeous!) like my second favorite Spot Pond:


And then there are the places I still need to run, the places I have wanted to run since I saw them, since before I was even a runner.  I have reserved one of those for my last run prior to the half on Thursday.
Thursday is going to kind of be a running treat day for myself.  I remember when I moved to Boston being absolutely stunned by the beautiful, curvy, perfectly runnable Memorial Drive in Cambridge:


I have never run down Memorial Drive.  Depending on where I turn around it could be anywhere from a 3-5 mile run.  I think it's a perfect and iconic training run for my last easy run before my half.  After my run I've decided to treat myself to a mini running shopping spree.  I'm going to get a new pair of my favorite socks & a new lulu headband to color coordinate with my race day outfit (which will be decided as soon as I am more sure what the weather will be, but rest assured, there are 3 contenders ready to go).

Afther that it's all about good fuel, rest and keeping myself in the right headspace for the race.  I can't wait to see the nuance and beauty of that course. :)

Friday, May 03, 2013

Many thoughts

I am a little over 2 weeks out from my first half marathon.  I cannot believe the number of thoughts I have going through my head.  Pacing, injuries, my broken ipod (*tear*) what to wear, what to eat, will I sleep (not likely if the fact that I can't sleep TWO WEEKS OUT is any indication), can I do the distance, will I bonk (I haven't yet in any training/exercise anything - this is freaking me out), will I go faster? Slower? the exact predicted time? Should I run the course in advance or keep it a surprise?  Are my shoes right? (Irrelevant, can't change them 2 weeks out that would be absurd) am I cross training too much? Not enough? Should I run more? Less?  Are those shin splints?  Or just a phantom pain...

The list goes on and on.

I have 15 more days of this nonsense.

I have never been more excited or happy about something.

This race is all about a little more than 2 hours where I celebrate that I did something I didn't know I could do.  It's icing on the cake of 16 weeks of work.  Every time I ran at a tournament or on a treadmill while it was sleeting outside, this race is the reason.  Every blister and pain and cramp - this race is the reason.

I may go slower than I'd like, I may go faster than I'd like, but I'm going to do it.  And I'm sure I'll sleep eventually.




Wednesday, May 01, 2013

10K Race Report

I did a lot of planning for my first 10K.  I looked at the weather obsessively.  I saw it was going to rain.  Tangent - I am a wuss who doesn't like being wet and/or cold.  I avoid running in the rain b/c I worry about being wet and/or cold.  But I wasn't going to miss my first 10K.  So I emailed friends who run and went to my local running store two days before the race.  I got a dri-fit hat and some socks that would wick moisture better than the ones I have.  I got a long sleeve shirt for racing in the low 40s and rain.  I was ready.

Two days before the race I laid everything out.  The night before the race I checked on all of the things I had laid out (you never know, something could have been moved by elves or something).

Saturday morning the 20th of April dawned with light showers and low 40s, just as promised.  I woke up at 5:30 in the morning so I could have my early breakfast.  I got ready, had enough time to drive through starbucks and get coffee and a bagel and still get to the race site 2 hours early, which should have gotten me there 30 minutes before packet pick up with time to chill in my car with my playlist and wait for my inaugural 10K.  I pulled into the parking lot and looked around.  

No one else there.  Not a soul.  No sign of things being set up for packet pick up.  Nothing.

"That's very strange, I'm early but not THAT early" I thought to myself as I pulled out my phone to see if perhaps there was a different lot, a different centralized meeting place I had missed.

There was indeed something I missed.  In the email I had read a dozen times so as to memorize things like the place to park (which I got right) I managed to skim over the DATE of the race (which I got wrong).  

First line, in big bold letters: RACE START: 10 am SUNDAY APRIL 21st.

*D'oh*

I looked around, slightly embarrassed as if the woman who had just entered the park to walk her dog knew I was 24 hours early for my race (she didn't). And then drove sheepishly to my gym to take a spin class, since I needed a workout that day.

The next day I managed to pull off my 10K without a hitch.  It wasn't even raining - but it was cold.  I ran exactly the race I wanted to and came in 5 minutes faster than I thought I would (although I think I went a little too slow, I didn't feel like I left it all on the course).   

All of the race predictors said I should run a 1:04 10K.  The first 2 miles I went slower than I needed to.  Ignored the people passing me and stayed in my own head.  I knew I'd pass some of them soon enough.  I also knew my time would be in the slower times on this day, based on last year's results.  I was racing the clock, myself, not other people.  At the 5K mark I could tell I was a little ahead of my suggested pace, and I still had plenty of energy so I started to kick it up a notch.  I cautiously increased my pace and began passing a couple of people.  With 2 miles left I definitely had a lot left in me and kicked it up about 20 seconds a mile.  With a mile left I felt like I was flying and kicked it up more.  I passed 10 people in that last 2 miles and came in view of the finishing clock with a remarkably pleasant surprise it still said 59.  I was going to make it in under an hour.

I kicked it into high gear and finished in 59:41.  A pace of 9:38 a mile.  Exactly the same pace as my first 5K (which means I'm definitely holding something back in these races...b/c the former should be faster than the latter).  I was so thrilled.  Even with botching the start time by almost 24 hours. ;)

Next race: The Newburyport River Run Half Marathon - 5/19.  

I can't wait.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

First 5K Recap

This is late (the race was the 6th) but life got in the way and I had hard time sitting down to put all of my thoughts on paper.  In any other time I probably would have just decided it was too late now, but as with many people, the last few days have caused me to reflect a lot on life, running and what it means to me so I decided better late than never.

The day was COLD.  Low 40s but felt like 30s because of the windchill.  I wore long thicker leggings, a running tank and a jacket and I'm very glad that I had all of that.  I had a whole wheat egg white sandwich & 24 oz of water 90 minutes before the start and that seemed to be the perfect amount of food before the race.  it was timed perfectly (no upset stomach issues, lots of energy.  I will definitely be doing this again.)  I got to the parking lot 50 minutes before start time and sat in my car for 30 of those minutes listening to music, getting my bib taped on correctly and just trying to keep myself centered.  I knew as soon as I got in the bigger group I'd feel more nervous and I wanted to protect my calm as long as possible.  With 20 minutes to go I went to the restroom (obvi will need more time for this for a larger race with larger lines) and ran for about 5 minutes to warm up (that was excellent advice on the part of one of my much more experienced friends).

I then found a patch of sun, which was slightly warmer and waited.  I'm glad I didn't have longer to wait, the thoughts at this point were a little overwhelming.

When the race started I found myself more than a little overwhelmed with emotion.  I was mainly so excited to be doing this.  I knew I could finish, it wasn't even a question.  A year ago I couldn't have run a 5K.  I couldn't have run a mile.  4 years ago I was overweight, a smoker and had TERRIBLE fitness habits.  The idea that I could now not only do this, but potentially do it well was awe inspiring.  I found myself tearing up a little behind my glasses during the first quarter mile.  And then things started to clear out.  My playlist kicked in and it was all about running the race I wanted to run (slow and steady to start, gradually speeding up each kilometer until the end).  I started passing people, and pretty much kept passing people through the end.  I wound up trading places a few times with a girl who seemed to be running the exact race I was running, which I thought was interesting and served for a lot of motivation.  A pretty sizable hill at 1.5 miles seemed like a cruel joke in the cold weather but I pushed up it and kept going and the last 1.5 miles I felt like I was flying.  I kept picking up speed a little here and there, when I got to the last .1 mile I was full on sprinting across the finish line and had more to give.

I finished in 29:58 with 2 hills and a headwind.  That is about a minute slower than I really wanted to run, but given the conditions I can't really complain.  It was a 9:38 pace and I know I can go faster (I prob started a little slower than I needed to and a little further back than I needed to...I'll know better next time).

Things I learned:
Don't forget the gloves at home!  My hands were FREEZING and I own a spectacular pair of Columbia running gloves.
I prefer running on the road to the sidewalk.
People cheering on the sideline are the most amazing thing ever.
Having a friend there would have been nice for the end.  I should share what I'm up to with people more.
Playlists are really important to my pacing right now and I should spend the requisite amount of time on them.
I really like racing.

I have a 10K on Saturday.  It's going to rain.  A month ago I might have used that as a reason not to run the race and just to 6.2 miles on the treadmill instead.  Not this week.  Not anymore.  I'll just find some gear to run in when its wet and be thankful I can do this miraculous thing.  I'll be better about posting that recap.

Friday, April 05, 2013

Race Day Eve

It's a little funny that I'm nervous enough to need a place to put my thoughts out there, you see, I didn't sign up for this race until yesterday when I realized my half marathon program suggests a 5K this weekend.

A year ago I couldn't run a mile.  A year ago I was in tears over trying to run.  I was embarrassed on the treadmill.  I'd walk more than I ran and slink away with my shins and calves on fire after .25 miles.  I'd fight for mileage on an incline, walking, so I could say I didn't give up.  A year ago, if you had told me I'd be training for a half marathon I would have laughed or cried, depending on the day.

I am not that person anymore: tomorrow I'm running my first official 5K, and I'm shockingly nervous about it.

I have run 3.1 miles many times in the last year.  Last Saturday I was traveling for business and I still ran 9 miles straight because that's what the program said came next.  I did it despite high altitude and a schedule that was pretty unforgiving.  I ran 9 miles, without stopping to walk once, because that's what came next.  I figure it's the only way to the 13.1 miles I'm supposed to run on 5/19.

This week that same schedule says I'm supposed to do a real 5K.  Not the 5Ks I do on the treadmill, or the times I monitor during my longer runs - a 5K.  A race.  A race that has a number, chip times, a course, and other people.

This whole race thing is freaking me out.

I am nervous about what to eat for dinner (Should I eat more carbs? Fewer? The same as always?).  Don't even get me started on breakfast.  I am nervous about what to wear (does it matter if it is 48 degrees v. 55 degrees?  What if it hits 60 and I'm in a jacket? Should my socks be cushioned or flat?).  I am nervous about my playlist (Is it too short?  Too long? Do I REALLY know how long this race will take me, after all I've only ever done this on my own, can 3.1 miles change with other people?  Are the Springsteen songs in the right place?  Should they be back to back?  What if I go really fast and don't get to the Springsteen songs?  What if I go really slow and run out of music?).  I am nervous about when to arrive (Will I have time to park?  Do I want to eat in that neighborhood and walk around to warm up? What if there is an abnormal amount of traffic for a Saturday?).

I am a bundle of nerves.

I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow around 2:30 when this whole thing is behind me, but until then there are some comforting thoughts I need to focus on:

Everyone has had a first race.  They survived it and everything.  This just happens to be mine.
I've done the distance more times than I can count, that isn't a question.
The clothing, parking, food, playlist, and whatever thing I start worrying about when I hit publish will be fine. I'm unlikely to mess up things I have been thinking about so much.
If I mess up something I haven't thought of yet I'll adapt.

Most importantly:
A year ago, I couldn't run a mile.  Today I'm worried about the intricacies of a 5K race and how to prepare for it, knowing full well I can run the whole thing and it's only a question of how long it will take me.

I've already won.