Five Hours. One Minute. Ten Seconds.
I won.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Twas the Night Before Marathon...
In 11 hrs I will be starting my first marathon, and my god have I been a roller coaster of emotion all day!
I set my alarm for 6am this morning so when I wake up at 5am tomorrow it won't be SUCH shock (yeah, I don't think it's going to do anything either). It was difficult to get up at 6am when I don't really NEED to, but I was saved when "Animal House" was just starting on tv!
Animal House: the Zaniest movie ever with a splash of "Wacky"
I LOVE that movie. It is HILARIOUS, crude, old, entertaining, and just plain funny (which is starting to become hard to come by these days in modern cinema...but I digress). Point being, thank god it was on or else I most likely would have gone back to sleep. I waited until about 8am to actually be productive (although taking in some late 1970's comedy starring Wolfgang Amadeus himself ain't too bad), and left for the first Farmer's Market of the year. I got some mushrooms and spinach for tonight's pre-race pasta meal. There was a new specialty pie bakery there this year and I wanted EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE but I figured I could wait a week, until after I actually ran. It took willpower, my friends.
A little later in the morning I ran some errands for work which included a lot of driving on a perfect sunny day. I had my shades on, my music up, my windows rolled down, and I started thinking about the race (big surprise), and for the first time, I didn't feel immense panic, I felt pride and excitement. I've mentally divided up the course into 5 miles, 9 miles, 6 miles, and 6.2 miles, and picturing each separate route doesn't seem overwhelming! I was so immersed in thought that I actually teared up a little thinking about crossing the finish line. Then I realized I was about to pick up my friend (Lindsey) to help me with said errands, and I'd rather not be made fun of for my liquid eye-pride.
Later in the aternoon I headed down to the Radisson for the runner's expo to pick up my race packet (bib, chip, shirt, etc) and SNAP it was PACKED! It was kind of insane. It was tough finding a parking spot to begin with, but that was nothing compared to what was inside. This is the only marathon in the US to be happening tomorrow (for Mother's Day) so it did attract a lot of out-of-town die hard marathoners.
I stopped by Gazelle to pick up some Shot Bloks for the race last night around 4:30 since I knew they'd be busy all weekend, and I wanted to make sure they didn't run out of my flavor (orange!). To my dismay they had all the same running goodies at the expo...ON SALE! How dare they. They also had a sock sale going on (buy 3, get one free) but I couldn't bring myself to spend 3 socks worth of money. I also got a free copy of "Eat This, Not That" which is actually pre-tty cool. All in all I got some pretty nice SWAG (there was more to take, but as I get older I find myself being able to weed out the crap from the awesome swag).
On the bottom: Black mesh-ish Kalamazoo Marathon pull string backpack; Moisture-wick (awesome) white short sleeved Kalamazoo Marathon t-shirt; 410 bib number (for those of you who want to keep track of my splits and time); A bottle of sunscreen with handy carabiner A copy of "Eat This, Not That" 100% awesome
I'd say it's one of my most successful restraint-showing-in-front-of-free-things outing to date. I then spent time updating my SEVEN HOUR long playlist for the run (which I've been worried about alll week, but thanks to John, I have these new tasty licks to add to the collection:
Packet: check. Music: check. Outfit picked out: check. Now what is left: dinner.
So I've been thinking about my "last meal" so to speak all week, and especially all day. I've been so worried about my carb and water intake that everytime I had a pause in thoughts I'd immediately shoot a glass of water. And let me just say the trips to the bathroom have been plentiful and frequent. As a snack I also decided to eat toast with hummus since it's a nice protein/carb mix. But what for dinner...
I decided to make a nice mushroom/red onion/spinach/tomato/pasta/chicken dish, with a side of home-made sweet potato fries:
That plate of fries was for John and I. Hence the large portion.
A close up of the pasta, for those of you who were interested
And let me just say that it was....well, not that great actually. The sweet potato fries were good (although a little burned, but that's my 70 year old oven's fault). The pasta wasn't bad, it just didn't really have much flavor. But hey, I ate, I hydrated, I jammed to the 80s, and now I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the 5am wake up, breakfast, gear up, 6:30am pick up, and the 7:30am start time. (I think my stomach just flipped into my right lung)
My half marathon time from 2009 was 2 hours 12 min. If I keep that pace (which is 2 min over 10 min miles) I'll get in at 4hours 24min. I don't think that will be happening. My goal is within 5 hours, but really, anytime I get in will be achieving a goal. I just hope there is actual picture evidence this year! (no one brought a camera to my half marathon...not that anyone's counting...)
(for some reason 26.2 miles seems a lot less intimidating compared to 5 hours of running)
Ok, heart, stop pounding. And stomach, get back to your location of residence. I'm planning on TRYING to get to sleep at 10-10:30ish, so...we'll see what happens.
It's time to sign out, because my nerves are starting to come out through my fingertips on the keyboard, so I bid you adieu, and I'll talk to you after I've completed a marathon. Wow.
I set my alarm for 6am this morning so when I wake up at 5am tomorrow it won't be SUCH shock (yeah, I don't think it's going to do anything either). It was difficult to get up at 6am when I don't really NEED to, but I was saved when "Animal House" was just starting on tv!
Animal House: the Zaniest movie ever with a splash of "Wacky" I LOVE that movie. It is HILARIOUS, crude, old, entertaining, and just plain funny (which is starting to become hard to come by these days in modern cinema...but I digress). Point being, thank god it was on or else I most likely would have gone back to sleep. I waited until about 8am to actually be productive (although taking in some late 1970's comedy starring Wolfgang Amadeus himself ain't too bad), and left for the first Farmer's Market of the year. I got some mushrooms and spinach for tonight's pre-race pasta meal. There was a new specialty pie bakery there this year and I wanted EVERYTHING ON THE TABLE but I figured I could wait a week, until after I actually ran. It took willpower, my friends.
A little later in the morning I ran some errands for work which included a lot of driving on a perfect sunny day. I had my shades on, my music up, my windows rolled down, and I started thinking about the race (big surprise), and for the first time, I didn't feel immense panic, I felt pride and excitement. I've mentally divided up the course into 5 miles, 9 miles, 6 miles, and 6.2 miles, and picturing each separate route doesn't seem overwhelming! I was so immersed in thought that I actually teared up a little thinking about crossing the finish line. Then I realized I was about to pick up my friend (Lindsey) to help me with said errands, and I'd rather not be made fun of for my liquid eye-pride.
Later in the aternoon I headed down to the Radisson for the runner's expo to pick up my race packet (bib, chip, shirt, etc) and SNAP it was PACKED! It was kind of insane. It was tough finding a parking spot to begin with, but that was nothing compared to what was inside. This is the only marathon in the US to be happening tomorrow (for Mother's Day) so it did attract a lot of out-of-town die hard marathoners.
I stopped by Gazelle to pick up some Shot Bloks for the race last night around 4:30 since I knew they'd be busy all weekend, and I wanted to make sure they didn't run out of my flavor (orange!). To my dismay they had all the same running goodies at the expo...ON SALE! How dare they. They also had a sock sale going on (buy 3, get one free) but I couldn't bring myself to spend 3 socks worth of money. I also got a free copy of "Eat This, Not That" which is actually pre-tty cool. All in all I got some pretty nice SWAG (there was more to take, but as I get older I find myself being able to weed out the crap from the awesome swag).
On the bottom: Black mesh-ish Kalamazoo Marathon pull string backpack; Moisture-wick (awesome) white short sleeved Kalamazoo Marathon t-shirt; 410 bib number (for those of you who want to keep track of my splits and time); A bottle of sunscreen with handy carabiner A copy of "Eat This, Not That" 100% awesome I'd say it's one of my most successful restraint-showing-in-front-of-free-things outing to date. I then spent time updating my SEVEN HOUR long playlist for the run (which I've been worried about alll week, but thanks to John, I have these new tasty licks to add to the collection:
- Dan Hartman-I Can Dream About You
- Sandstorm (do we really need artist identification?)
- Cheap Trick-Dream Police
- Steve Winwood-Higher Love
- Bruce Springsteen-Born to Run
- Billy Idol-Dancing with Myself
- ABBA-Gold (yes, the album. The whole album)
- George Harrison-Got my mind set on you
- Hall and Oates (need I say more?)
- Loverboy-Working for the weekend
- and more...much more...(like 5 more hours of music more...)
Packet: check. Music: check. Outfit picked out: check. Now what is left: dinner.
So I've been thinking about my "last meal" so to speak all week, and especially all day. I've been so worried about my carb and water intake that everytime I had a pause in thoughts I'd immediately shoot a glass of water. And let me just say the trips to the bathroom have been plentiful and frequent. As a snack I also decided to eat toast with hummus since it's a nice protein/carb mix. But what for dinner...
I decided to make a nice mushroom/red onion/spinach/tomato/pasta/chicken dish, with a side of home-made sweet potato fries:
That plate of fries was for John and I. Hence the large portion. 
A close up of the pasta, for those of you who were interestedAnd let me just say that it was....well, not that great actually. The sweet potato fries were good (although a little burned, but that's my 70 year old oven's fault). The pasta wasn't bad, it just didn't really have much flavor. But hey, I ate, I hydrated, I jammed to the 80s, and now I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the 5am wake up, breakfast, gear up, 6:30am pick up, and the 7:30am start time. (I think my stomach just flipped into my right lung)
My half marathon time from 2009 was 2 hours 12 min. If I keep that pace (which is 2 min over 10 min miles) I'll get in at 4hours 24min. I don't think that will be happening. My goal is within 5 hours, but really, anytime I get in will be achieving a goal. I just hope there is actual picture evidence this year! (no one brought a camera to my half marathon...not that anyone's counting...)
(for some reason 26.2 miles seems a lot less intimidating compared to 5 hours of running)
Ok, heart, stop pounding. And stomach, get back to your location of residence. I'm planning on TRYING to get to sleep at 10-10:30ish, so...we'll see what happens.
It's time to sign out, because my nerves are starting to come out through my fingertips on the keyboard, so I bid you adieu, and I'll talk to you after I've completed a marathon. Wow.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Runner's Guilt!
I've been meaning to post this since the beginning of this blog, but now that the actual running aspect of the training is winding down, it is time!
Now I'm going to ask you to really stretch here, and remember back. Waay back, to the good old days of 2008. Obama was "Yes We Can"ing all over the country, Tina Fey was playing Sarah Palin, Hollywood ended their 100-day writers strike, Sex and the City premiered a movie (which I saw the first 30 min of the second one yesterday....yeesh. terrible. just terrible.), and Madona turned 50. It was a good year for most, and sandwiched in all these pop culture/political happenings was a new ad campaign. A NEW ad campaign from NEW Balance (clever?).
These came at a time when I was still in college, and my "workout" routine was going to the gym (that I was paying about $42/month) 3 times a month, on average. I had dabbled in running a little--which is to say I ran 2 miles every 5 or 6 days. The first time I saw this commercial, it shot me in my emotions like those SEALs shot Osama Bin Laden in the head (too much?). This overwhemling guilt came over me and then I realized: Runner's Guilt. Once you've been at a point in your life when you're in great shape (it doesn't have to be just running, any kind of athletic accomplishment really), any reminder of that lifestyle can shoot feelings if guilt through you and your sedentary lifestyle.
Without further ado, I give you: the most successful ad campaign to provoke emotion from me:
Snap.
Now I'm going to ask you to really stretch here, and remember back. Waay back, to the good old days of 2008. Obama was "Yes We Can"ing all over the country, Tina Fey was playing Sarah Palin, Hollywood ended their 100-day writers strike, Sex and the City premiered a movie (which I saw the first 30 min of the second one yesterday....yeesh. terrible. just terrible.), and Madona turned 50. It was a good year for most, and sandwiched in all these pop culture/political happenings was a new ad campaign. A NEW ad campaign from NEW Balance (clever?).
These came at a time when I was still in college, and my "workout" routine was going to the gym (that I was paying about $42/month) 3 times a month, on average. I had dabbled in running a little--which is to say I ran 2 miles every 5 or 6 days. The first time I saw this commercial, it shot me in my emotions like those SEALs shot Osama Bin Laden in the head (too much?). This overwhemling guilt came over me and then I realized: Runner's Guilt. Once you've been at a point in your life when you're in great shape (it doesn't have to be just running, any kind of athletic accomplishment really), any reminder of that lifestyle can shoot feelings if guilt through you and your sedentary lifestyle.
Without further ado, I give you: the most successful ad campaign to provoke emotion from me:
Snap.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
T Minus 1 Week
Well well well, 10 days and no call? I know, I'm ashamed. And especially so close to the race?! So last we talked I had embarked on my morning run and was feeling good. And I still do, I just need to stay out of my head!
Now you finally know, I'm actually a feline. With DYNAMITE green eyes!
So here are the things I have pledged to start doing with t-minus 2 weeks to go for the race, and then the way I have actually handled them.
Saturday, 3pm, 10.5 miles, sunny/hot
So this was going to be my last REAL long run until the race (tapering). I had conquered 17 miles, and I was ready to get to that unreachable 20 miles. If I could hit 20 miles, I knew I could mentally get to 26.2. So my friend Zach (who I ran into here) agreed to come with me for a portion of my run for his long run as well. I was doing 20, he was doing 15, I'd do 5 before we met up, and then quickly knocked out a 15 together (HA quickly knock out 15...). So I went out, feelin good, but snap it was really hot out that day. And when I stopped to think about it, it was really the hottest day I'd run in since last year (in SF the 2 times I ran it was later in the day, so it was warm, but not overpoweringly sunny or particularly hot). And that made it TOUGH. It was only 45 min of running, but I was a little afraid how the next 15 miles were going to go, but HEY I was going to be running with someone.
When I got back Zach was there waiting for me, so I quickly ran inside, grabbed my running belt, and a swig of Gatorade, and we hit the road. He listened to his headphones while I opted to not use mine (which I've been doing more lately. I'm actually surprised at how much I've been enjoying the sans-music...maybe this will influence how I run the race...we shall see). Well right off the bat my face was RED
I was about 10,000 times less glamorous than this and 100 times more red.
I felt ok though. And what's funny is that by mile 3 (with Zach, so mile 8 overall) I started to get my stride and was feeling in the "groove." Quick swig of water here, pop a Shot Blok of energy there, boom, I was ready to dominate this 20. Then we hit the 5.5 mile mark and the heat was getting to Zach. It's ok, I've run 10.5 miles, it's ok if I take a little walk with him, right?! We walked for a bit and when we tried to start back up again his knee had tightened up in a painful way. We were at the furthest part of our loop (we had 4 miles back to my place) and the truth started setting in: we were going to walk the rest of the way home. He kept apologizing for the interruption in the run and told me I could keep going, but the thing was it didn't really bother me at the time (and plus, I wasn't going to leave him. I'd want someone to stay with me if the roles were reversed). We walked the 4 miles back, with the whole thing taking almost 3 hours. I was going to try to run another 6 miles or so when we got back, but I was so tired of being outside, I just came home and slept. I had even purchased new Shot Bloks and 2 Gu packs for the run. I didn't get to try my new running treats (I actually tried a Gu for the first time today for my 8 mile run...AND I DON'T LIKE THEM! It is gross and unsettling, and I won't have another one...unless it's free, then I'll eat it by the free-truck load!).
Paid for: ehhh. Free: Delicious!
As the day went on, I started getting really worried about this missed mileage. This was my last long run to train myself mentally to go through the pain. I know physically I'll be able to do the run, but it's a question of mental preparation at this point. I'm still worried about it to tell you the truth.
(Sidenote that has nothing to do with running: the day after this my sister and I cooked Easter dinner for my parents and John, and we actually did a great job! Homemade Gnocchi, Marsala chicken, roasted Asparagus, brussel sprout/red onion salad, matzo ball soup, and almond coated matzo for dessert. Yes, our jewish roots were coming out in Eater, but technically the Pope did pardon us from the actual crucifixion of Christ, so hey, we're in the clear).
I've had 4, 3 (the morning run!), 6, and 8 mile runs this week and feel good about those distances, but am still worried about the 26.2! I have 2 short runs this week with a 2 mile walk, and then it's racetime! I can't believe I haven't lost any toenails! Although I did have bloody snot after my run today...I literally have no idea where that came from (and it was a shock! It was shockingly gross).
I know I still have a week, but I've been doing a lot of reflecting as the big day gets closer. I'm so proud of myself that I've gotten this far, I actually trained and stuck with it during those AWFUL months of Michigan winter, ran (albeit only twice) during my vacation, forced myself to hit the mileage I needed (for the mostpart), and actually kept up this blog. Although I'm sure I'm my biggest fan, this outlet has really proved to be a great tracking devise for staying accountable. "I can't skip this run, what will I tell the blog!?" I'll try to stay posted more frequently this week, since I won't be spending my night running long distances or going out drinking.
I have 7 days. I can do this.
Now you finally know, I'm actually a feline. With DYNAMITE green eyes!So here are the things I have pledged to start doing with t-minus 2 weeks to go for the race, and then the way I have actually handled them.
- I will start doing all my runs in the morning either before work, or when I get up on the weekend to get used to running early. I happened to get up early once this week before work and thought "what the hell" and went for a run. It was only 3 miles. And that was 3 non-morning runs ago.
- NO MORE DRINKING until after the race. I want pure liquids! I was 4 days strong (saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday) and John and I decided to go to one of my beer-specializing restaurants or dinner on Wednesday. They had Short's Bloody Beer on tap (which is SUPER limited release) that I LOVE so what choice did I have?! And since I had one I might as well have another...right!? And then I had an event to go to the next night at our Wine Bar (mmm Cabernet)...and then Friday called for a mixed 6-pack of "fancy beers" followed by the Red Wings game at my friendly neighborhood watering hole (read: cheap food/drink specials during wings games...$5.50 pitchers...I was defenseless). And my last "long run" today (8 miles) called for a celebratory beer, plus it was sunny and warm. But hey, I have a week to "purify" my system! RIGHT?!
- My diet will be immaculate. I will cook more out of my "Athlete's Palate Cookbook" and eat "superfoods" that will help with endurance, oxygen delivery to cells, protein, iron, and the like. Ehhhhhhh. My diet isn't all that bad, I cook well and make good meals, but when I'm out I eat fried everything with a big ol'slab of aioli (read: flavored mayo). I'm not TOO worried about this aspect, but I still have room for improvement.
- I will mentally prepare myself. Work in progress.
Saturday, 3pm, 10.5 miles, sunny/hot
So this was going to be my last REAL long run until the race (tapering). I had conquered 17 miles, and I was ready to get to that unreachable 20 miles. If I could hit 20 miles, I knew I could mentally get to 26.2. So my friend Zach (who I ran into here) agreed to come with me for a portion of my run for his long run as well. I was doing 20, he was doing 15, I'd do 5 before we met up, and then quickly knocked out a 15 together (HA quickly knock out 15...). So I went out, feelin good, but snap it was really hot out that day. And when I stopped to think about it, it was really the hottest day I'd run in since last year (in SF the 2 times I ran it was later in the day, so it was warm, but not overpoweringly sunny or particularly hot). And that made it TOUGH. It was only 45 min of running, but I was a little afraid how the next 15 miles were going to go, but HEY I was going to be running with someone.
When I got back Zach was there waiting for me, so I quickly ran inside, grabbed my running belt, and a swig of Gatorade, and we hit the road. He listened to his headphones while I opted to not use mine (which I've been doing more lately. I'm actually surprised at how much I've been enjoying the sans-music...maybe this will influence how I run the race...we shall see). Well right off the bat my face was RED
I was about 10,000 times less glamorous than this and 100 times more red.I felt ok though. And what's funny is that by mile 3 (with Zach, so mile 8 overall) I started to get my stride and was feeling in the "groove." Quick swig of water here, pop a Shot Blok of energy there, boom, I was ready to dominate this 20. Then we hit the 5.5 mile mark and the heat was getting to Zach. It's ok, I've run 10.5 miles, it's ok if I take a little walk with him, right?! We walked for a bit and when we tried to start back up again his knee had tightened up in a painful way. We were at the furthest part of our loop (we had 4 miles back to my place) and the truth started setting in: we were going to walk the rest of the way home. He kept apologizing for the interruption in the run and told me I could keep going, but the thing was it didn't really bother me at the time (and plus, I wasn't going to leave him. I'd want someone to stay with me if the roles were reversed). We walked the 4 miles back, with the whole thing taking almost 3 hours. I was going to try to run another 6 miles or so when we got back, but I was so tired of being outside, I just came home and slept. I had even purchased new Shot Bloks and 2 Gu packs for the run. I didn't get to try my new running treats (I actually tried a Gu for the first time today for my 8 mile run...AND I DON'T LIKE THEM! It is gross and unsettling, and I won't have another one...unless it's free, then I'll eat it by the free-truck load!).
Paid for: ehhh. Free: Delicious!As the day went on, I started getting really worried about this missed mileage. This was my last long run to train myself mentally to go through the pain. I know physically I'll be able to do the run, but it's a question of mental preparation at this point. I'm still worried about it to tell you the truth.
(Sidenote that has nothing to do with running: the day after this my sister and I cooked Easter dinner for my parents and John, and we actually did a great job! Homemade Gnocchi, Marsala chicken, roasted Asparagus, brussel sprout/red onion salad, matzo ball soup, and almond coated matzo for dessert. Yes, our jewish roots were coming out in Eater, but technically the Pope did pardon us from the actual crucifixion of Christ, so hey, we're in the clear).
I've had 4, 3 (the morning run!), 6, and 8 mile runs this week and feel good about those distances, but am still worried about the 26.2! I have 2 short runs this week with a 2 mile walk, and then it's racetime! I can't believe I haven't lost any toenails! Although I did have bloody snot after my run today...I literally have no idea where that came from (and it was a shock! It was shockingly gross).
I know I still have a week, but I've been doing a lot of reflecting as the big day gets closer. I'm so proud of myself that I've gotten this far, I actually trained and stuck with it during those AWFUL months of Michigan winter, ran (albeit only twice) during my vacation, forced myself to hit the mileage I needed (for the mostpart), and actually kept up this blog. Although I'm sure I'm my biggest fan, this outlet has really proved to be a great tracking devise for staying accountable. "I can't skip this run, what will I tell the blog!?" I'll try to stay posted more frequently this week, since I won't be spending my night running long distances or going out drinking.
I have 7 days. I can do this.
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