Yesterday's 14-miler was a rainy, foggy one. It was like running through pea soup, as the saying goes. I couldn't see more than 30 feet in any direction, which made crossing busy Hwy 11 interesting. I had to use my ears more than my eyes on this run.
The whole run started out kind of crappy. I ran at my mom and dad's house after church, so I had to bring my running stuff with me. I forgot my sports bra, Garmin and mp3 player. So I couldn't listen to my book, but that's happened before and wasn't that big a deal. My sports bra, well luckily there's not much there to support, but my underarmor is compression wear, and that helped, so it was only a minor inconvenience. The watch, though, I almost went home and got it but then decided that I knew my route, and having every second of my run electronically uploaded to Garmin Connect is nice, but not necessary. The important thing is logging the miles. So I did. And it was probably a good thing, because it allowed me to hear the traffic around me long before I was able to see it.
There were two spots on my run where there was standing water all the way accross the road. The first time, I tried to dicely run my way through it, but I got pretty wet. The second time, I walked through it and got less wet, but not much more less. It was only a half mile from home, so I just dealt with it. I really don't like running in the rain. The difference between this run and the 20-miler I did in the rain a few weeks ago was that it wasn't as windy, so it wasn't as cold. My first two or three miles were fine, it was just wet out, and I started thinking it wouldn't be too bad if it would just stay like that. But then it started raining and rained pretty much the whole rest of the way.
It was only 14 miles, but I like knowing where my pace is at and when I should be drinking and eating and rotating my right shoulder (I get a pinched nerve or something after long runs in my right shoulder-I find rotating it periodically througout the run helps). I wish I could have had my watch.
On another note, I am starting to get worried about the trail. I haven't been on a trail yet and this race is in two months. There's so much snow this winter. I'm getting a little worried about the trail conditions, but more worried that I won't get to train adequately on the trails. There are two training runs in April organized by the race director and I'm going to do them both. I'm going to pick every brain I can and get advice and nuggets of wisdom from experienced trail/ultra runners.
I've been thinking about my run/walk strategy and I'm starting to wonder if I really need to do a set 20/5 or whatever. I'm starting to think I should just run when I feel good and walk when I don't. But I can't help but think walking a little bit early on will pay dividends later in the race. I want to talk to some people!
I also started watching some Youtube videos of this race. Oh I'm getting so excited to do this! One guy had a camera on his person that he took video of while he was running. I looked into what kind of camera he might have been using and I believe it was a GoPro Hero 3. I want one! Really bad! But they are really expensive, even on eBay, so I'm going to look into if there are any cheaper ones out there that would do the same thing. GoPro is designed specifically for sports, it's water-proof and there was surprisingly little bouncing. I really want to document this race. I'm going to take a camera and I want to video along the way too. I'm even thinking of taking a voice recorder so I can record some of my thoughts along the way to put into my race report afterwards. So I don't forget things I want to say. Sigh. I suppose I could spring for it. I can afford it, I just don't want to pay that kind of money.
Okay, off to work, 10 miles today, should be slow after yesterday, but hopefully it doesn't rain on my again.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
22 Miler
Well I really couldn't ask for a better day for a long run. Yesterday I ran 22 miles. The weather was near perfect. It was sunny, low to mid-30's about 5-8mph winds. It was a really really nice day. The roads were dry, except for a section here and there where the snow has drifted and not melted.
I was hoping this 22-miler might be like my last 22-miler, last spring when I was three weeks out from the Lake Geneva Marathon. I felt so good that day I could have gone forever. That's how you like to feel after a long run. Yesterday, I felt pretty good, but felt a little slow. Of course, it's a long run and it's supposed to be slow, but I still felt obligated to maintain a certain pace. I did fall off about 30 seconds per mile the last two or three miles. My last mile was good, right up where it was at the beginning, but the 20th and 21st miles were a little slow. My groin/hip flexors were definitely hurting when I got done. But it's 22 miles. It's not supposed to be a walk in the park. I took my time stretching afterwards, and this morning I don't feel any acute pain, just general soreness. My 5-miler today should be slow and painful for the first mile or so, and then hopefully just slow after that. I did have some pain and extreme tightness in my ankles after I'd been sitting for awile, which is odd. I don't usually have any aches and pains in my ankles. They seem to be okay today.
I also started to feel a sharp pain in my right temple every so often starting about mile 16. It was distracting. I drank a little more water, thinking maybe it was a dehydration issue. It hurt for the rest of the run and then the rest of the night, so I need to find out why I got a headache in the middle of my run. I didn't like it and I don't want to do it again. It probably was dehydration. Of course, the exertion could be a part of it too, but I don't remember ever getting a headache during a run before. I have before and after, but not during. Strange.
So 22 miles are in the books and I'm none the worse for wear. Still wondering how I'm going to run a race more than double that distance in a few short months. I really feel the need to get on the trails and get to the right pace and start a run/walk strategy. I haven't practiced any of that yet.
I ate pop-tarts for my fuel. 2/3 of one at 7 miles, another 2/3 at 13 and the final 2/3 at 19. I didn't feel like I hit a wall or crashed or anything like that. During the race, I'll have to take a look at where the aid stations are. I'll be eating at each one, probably. Fuel early and fuel often. I sure don't want to bonk when it's preventable. I'm still treating this like marathon training. I can't wait to start getting on the trails. With all the snow here, it'll be a while yet, though.
Next snowstorm is tomorrow. Good thing Tuesdays are my rest day.
I was hoping this 22-miler might be like my last 22-miler, last spring when I was three weeks out from the Lake Geneva Marathon. I felt so good that day I could have gone forever. That's how you like to feel after a long run. Yesterday, I felt pretty good, but felt a little slow. Of course, it's a long run and it's supposed to be slow, but I still felt obligated to maintain a certain pace. I did fall off about 30 seconds per mile the last two or three miles. My last mile was good, right up where it was at the beginning, but the 20th and 21st miles were a little slow. My groin/hip flexors were definitely hurting when I got done. But it's 22 miles. It's not supposed to be a walk in the park. I took my time stretching afterwards, and this morning I don't feel any acute pain, just general soreness. My 5-miler today should be slow and painful for the first mile or so, and then hopefully just slow after that. I did have some pain and extreme tightness in my ankles after I'd been sitting for awile, which is odd. I don't usually have any aches and pains in my ankles. They seem to be okay today.
I also started to feel a sharp pain in my right temple every so often starting about mile 16. It was distracting. I drank a little more water, thinking maybe it was a dehydration issue. It hurt for the rest of the run and then the rest of the night, so I need to find out why I got a headache in the middle of my run. I didn't like it and I don't want to do it again. It probably was dehydration. Of course, the exertion could be a part of it too, but I don't remember ever getting a headache during a run before. I have before and after, but not during. Strange.
So 22 miles are in the books and I'm none the worse for wear. Still wondering how I'm going to run a race more than double that distance in a few short months. I really feel the need to get on the trails and get to the right pace and start a run/walk strategy. I haven't practiced any of that yet.
I ate pop-tarts for my fuel. 2/3 of one at 7 miles, another 2/3 at 13 and the final 2/3 at 19. I didn't feel like I hit a wall or crashed or anything like that. During the race, I'll have to take a look at where the aid stations are. I'll be eating at each one, probably. Fuel early and fuel often. I sure don't want to bonk when it's preventable. I'm still treating this like marathon training. I can't wait to start getting on the trails. With all the snow here, it'll be a while yet, though.
Next snowstorm is tomorrow. Good thing Tuesdays are my rest day.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Kindle Fire to the rescue!
So the windchill was below zero all day, winds were gusting up to 40 mph and there was snow blowing all over the place. So needless to say, I chose to run on the dreadmill tonight.
I've been dreading this workout all day, knowing from the time I looked at the weather report this morning that I wasn't going to be running outside. Nine miles on the mill. Ugh.
But on the way home, a thought occurred to me. I have this pretty new Kindle Fire and I can watch video on it! I thought, hey I can watch some TV shows or a movie while I run! And so I did, and let me tell you, 9 miles never went by quicker on the treadmill than they did tonight. What a revelation! Not boring at all! The only downside was that I couldn't hear that well over the sound of the treadmill running, but I got the gist of it, so all was well. I was very pleased and my run wasn't nearly as miserable as I had been anticipating.
Using the Kindle Fire to avoid the misery and boredom of the treadmill makes that purchase way worth it!
I've been dreading this workout all day, knowing from the time I looked at the weather report this morning that I wasn't going to be running outside. Nine miles on the mill. Ugh.
But on the way home, a thought occurred to me. I have this pretty new Kindle Fire and I can watch video on it! I thought, hey I can watch some TV shows or a movie while I run! And so I did, and let me tell you, 9 miles never went by quicker on the treadmill than they did tonight. What a revelation! Not boring at all! The only downside was that I couldn't hear that well over the sound of the treadmill running, but I got the gist of it, so all was well. I was very pleased and my run wasn't nearly as miserable as I had been anticipating.
Using the Kindle Fire to avoid the misery and boredom of the treadmill makes that purchase way worth it!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
20 Miles in the rain and wind
Well today's run was miserable, which I expected. It was cold, windy and rainy. And it was the longest run of the training program so far, which means it hurt. Oh, and my Mp3 player wouldn't turn on, so it was also boring because I couldn't listen to my book. Thank God it's over.
I expected, after my 18-miler two weeks ago, in which I death-marched it in the last three or four miles, that today's run was going to be similar: painful, especially in my hip flexor/groin, which is where I am always the most sore after long runs. Today, though, there was no death march. And I think I know why, which is even better! On my 18-miler, I think I started off with a pace that was just a little too fast, which led to slower second half averages and a decided decline in pace in the last couple miles. Today, my average first half time was slower, which bothered me a little bit at the beginning, but I was able to maintain that pace pretty consistently throughout the entirety of the run, finishing without hitting the wall or feeling any pain out of the ordinary long run pain. Yay! A little disappointing is the fact that in previous marathon training programs, I've run the 20-milers at faster paces, but I have to take into account that those 20-milers didn't come until three or four months into the training program, and I'm currently about a month and a half to two months in, without building much of a base prior to starting this program. So, I'm okay with it. I have plenty of long runs throughout the program. And as soon as I get on the trails, there won't be any comparison anyway. It'll be all learning from scratch, with nothing to judge against. And I haven't started practicing any run/walk strategies yet. So, that, too, will slow down my overall pace.
So today was in the mid-30's for most of my run, with 20mph winds, so the windchill was down in the 20's. and it was raining. It rained the entire run. It started raining hours before my run, and it's still raining now, hours after my run. At times, just a drizzle, at times, really coming down. I was soaked a few miles in. I tried to keep from running into any puddles to keep my feet as relatively dry as possible for as long as possible, but pretty soon I was hearing the squishing, and feeling it in between my toes, and I just hoped that the softening of the skin from the water wasn't going to lead to blisters. I think I might be okay. A few toes had some tender spots in between them, but no full blown blisters, yet, so I think I lucked out. It might not have been as bad if it hadn't been so windy. It was hard to run with the rain blowing into my face. And hard to breath, and eat and see. I was sniffling most of the run, my nose was running so bad. I should really learn to blow snot AND ockets. I spent most of the run hunched over, just looking about two feet in front of my feet, sometimes not even that far. I was not a defensive runner at all today. Usually I'm paying very careful attention to the cars, but today I just hugged the side of the road and gave no more than a cursory glance at the cars as they neared.
The other major bummer about today's run was that my mp3 player wouldn't turn on for some reason. I think somehow it unformatted and the content got deleted. Happily, I only have one book on it right now and I just downloaded it from the library this week, so I was still able to transfer it to my mp3 player. After a week it goes back to the library. Most of the books I listen to I have to get on a weeks-long waiting list and so it could have been quite inconvenient. So I re-transfered my book over to it and it's working fine now. I don't know what happened. But it's too bad that it did, because my run seemed long. I like listening to books because they keep my mind occupied and make the miles go by a little quicker. Not today. Today I had nothing but my thoughts. And they were boring, lol!
So, overall, it was one of the most miserable long runs I've had. I can think of one or two ways in which it could have been worse, but not any more than one or two ways. At least there was traction today. Last weekend we'd just gotten all that snow, and there were parts of the roads that led to treacherous footing. I didn't have that problem today, so there, it could have been worse. But it's over and now I'm warm and dry and showered and cooking food because I'm famished and can't wait to eat. Next weekend I have a 5K race on Sunday, so my long run will be on Saturday, but it's only 14 miles, and hopefully we'll have some better weather.
I expected, after my 18-miler two weeks ago, in which I death-marched it in the last three or four miles, that today's run was going to be similar: painful, especially in my hip flexor/groin, which is where I am always the most sore after long runs. Today, though, there was no death march. And I think I know why, which is even better! On my 18-miler, I think I started off with a pace that was just a little too fast, which led to slower second half averages and a decided decline in pace in the last couple miles. Today, my average first half time was slower, which bothered me a little bit at the beginning, but I was able to maintain that pace pretty consistently throughout the entirety of the run, finishing without hitting the wall or feeling any pain out of the ordinary long run pain. Yay! A little disappointing is the fact that in previous marathon training programs, I've run the 20-milers at faster paces, but I have to take into account that those 20-milers didn't come until three or four months into the training program, and I'm currently about a month and a half to two months in, without building much of a base prior to starting this program. So, I'm okay with it. I have plenty of long runs throughout the program. And as soon as I get on the trails, there won't be any comparison anyway. It'll be all learning from scratch, with nothing to judge against. And I haven't started practicing any run/walk strategies yet. So, that, too, will slow down my overall pace.
So today was in the mid-30's for most of my run, with 20mph winds, so the windchill was down in the 20's. and it was raining. It rained the entire run. It started raining hours before my run, and it's still raining now, hours after my run. At times, just a drizzle, at times, really coming down. I was soaked a few miles in. I tried to keep from running into any puddles to keep my feet as relatively dry as possible for as long as possible, but pretty soon I was hearing the squishing, and feeling it in between my toes, and I just hoped that the softening of the skin from the water wasn't going to lead to blisters. I think I might be okay. A few toes had some tender spots in between them, but no full blown blisters, yet, so I think I lucked out. It might not have been as bad if it hadn't been so windy. It was hard to run with the rain blowing into my face. And hard to breath, and eat and see. I was sniffling most of the run, my nose was running so bad. I should really learn to blow snot AND ockets. I spent most of the run hunched over, just looking about two feet in front of my feet, sometimes not even that far. I was not a defensive runner at all today. Usually I'm paying very careful attention to the cars, but today I just hugged the side of the road and gave no more than a cursory glance at the cars as they neared.
The other major bummer about today's run was that my mp3 player wouldn't turn on for some reason. I think somehow it unformatted and the content got deleted. Happily, I only have one book on it right now and I just downloaded it from the library this week, so I was still able to transfer it to my mp3 player. After a week it goes back to the library. Most of the books I listen to I have to get on a weeks-long waiting list and so it could have been quite inconvenient. So I re-transfered my book over to it and it's working fine now. I don't know what happened. But it's too bad that it did, because my run seemed long. I like listening to books because they keep my mind occupied and make the miles go by a little quicker. Not today. Today I had nothing but my thoughts. And they were boring, lol!
So, overall, it was one of the most miserable long runs I've had. I can think of one or two ways in which it could have been worse, but not any more than one or two ways. At least there was traction today. Last weekend we'd just gotten all that snow, and there were parts of the roads that led to treacherous footing. I didn't have that problem today, so there, it could have been worse. But it's over and now I'm warm and dry and showered and cooking food because I'm famished and can't wait to eat. Next weekend I have a 5K race on Sunday, so my long run will be on Saturday, but it's only 14 miles, and hopefully we'll have some better weather.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Treadmills suck
I hate running on the treadmill. I think I've said this before if previous posts. Or else whined about it on Facebook. Regardless, if you know me, you know how much I hate running on the treadmill. There are several reasons for this, but the biggest reason is because it is so BORING! I just run in place, every step exactly like the last one, staring at the wall of my garage. The wood grain in one spot looks just like a little alien head. And there's another spot where there's a sliver of wood sticking out and between that and the shadow it makes, it looks like a barbell with two triangles underneath it. And I know where every nail is and the shadows they make. Needless to say, if it weren't for my books on my mp3 player, I don't think I would ever run on the treadmill. I suppose if I had a TV to watch it would be a little more entertaining, but like I said, the treadmill is in my garage.
So yesterday I chose not to run, even though it wasn't a scheduled rest day. It was blizzardy out, really windy and sleety-snowy and cold. I didn't want to run in it. And I also talked myself out of it because I was feeling a little under the weather. I'm on the verge of a cold. And I knew that I didn't feel that bad, and I should have run because a couple days down the line I might be sick enough that I am justified in not running, but yesterday wasn't it. So I didn't run and I regretted it all day today.
Today is even colder, windchill is 7 below zero and it is again really windy. Tomorrow is supposed to be even COLDER, with windchills around 20 below and 20mph winds again. At those temperatures, a run outside is just silly. I did it last year and the year before that and I'm not sure I really gained anything from it. It's dangerous to be out when it's that cold, especially if you have any exposed skin. And it's just absolutely miserable. You can hardly see, or breath, when the wind is that strong and there's snow blowing around. Plus the footing is treacherous and cars don't see you because they aren't looking. So on those days I choose the "dreadmill."
Today I ran 7 miles, tomorrow I will run another 7 miles. I hate how long runs take on the treadmill. Runs of the same distance always seem longer on a treadmill than when they are out on the roads. But, nevertheless, I got my run in. So I feel better now. It should warm up into the 20's by Sunday's long run.
So yesterday I chose not to run, even though it wasn't a scheduled rest day. It was blizzardy out, really windy and sleety-snowy and cold. I didn't want to run in it. And I also talked myself out of it because I was feeling a little under the weather. I'm on the verge of a cold. And I knew that I didn't feel that bad, and I should have run because a couple days down the line I might be sick enough that I am justified in not running, but yesterday wasn't it. So I didn't run and I regretted it all day today.
Today is even colder, windchill is 7 below zero and it is again really windy. Tomorrow is supposed to be even COLDER, with windchills around 20 below and 20mph winds again. At those temperatures, a run outside is just silly. I did it last year and the year before that and I'm not sure I really gained anything from it. It's dangerous to be out when it's that cold, especially if you have any exposed skin. And it's just absolutely miserable. You can hardly see, or breath, when the wind is that strong and there's snow blowing around. Plus the footing is treacherous and cars don't see you because they aren't looking. So on those days I choose the "dreadmill."
Today I ran 7 miles, tomorrow I will run another 7 miles. I hate how long runs take on the treadmill. Runs of the same distance always seem longer on a treadmill than when they are out on the roads. But, nevertheless, I got my run in. So I feel better now. It should warm up into the 20's by Sunday's long run.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Beginning Ice Age 50 Training
So it's been about a month now, and I'm well into my training program for the Ice Age 50 on May 11, 2013. Yesterday was an 18-miler and after death-marching it home the last two miles, I wonder how I can possibly do 50 miles? I'm feeling quite aprehensive at this point. Then I remind myself that I'll be running a much slower pace (even though my pace slowed down about a minute from the beginning of my run to the end of it yesterday). But it'll also be on trails, and I haven't had the opportunity to get on the trails since last year sometime. And I haven't run anything long on trails, either.
My previous experiences with trail running were discourarging, to say the least. I felt sore afterwards, and I thought it was hard on my feet to be sliding around, unbalanced, negotiating dips, roots, and rocks. Hard on my knees, too, the sudden ups and downs of the trail. I'm hoping that if I can get more consistent running in on the trails, I will be able to adapt to it and it won't be an issue during the race. I'm most definitely not a trail runner. Not that I'm unwilling, just haven't had much opportunity. I expect that going from roads to trails will be similar to going from the treadmill to the roads. That one winter that I ran on the treadmill and then went out and raced a 5K on the roads taught me a lesson. Treadmills don't allow some of your stabilizing muscles and tendons to get a workout because the treadmill does the stabilizing for you. I vowed never to seriously train on a treadmill again after hurting my knees that spring training for my first half marathon.
I expect going from roads to trails is similar. There are some stabilizing muscles and tendons that probably are not strong enough because they aren't used on the roads. I hope that I can strengthen them as I get more into the trail runs and I won't experience the discomfort that I did when I ran on trails sporadically.
I also need to start practicing my run/walk technique. I know I will need to decide upon some kind of ratio to run/walk. Running a whole 50 miles on trails is not practical, for me anyway. I'm thinking that I will walk all the uphills (I keep reading that in every book or article I read about Ultras), and then I'll use a 25/5 or 20/5 run-to-walk ratio. So I have to start practicing that. I've never utilized a run/walk technique so this will be new to me. I will probably start utilizing it during my first 20-miler. I don't know at what point to start the run/walk in the race, though. I've read articles where some people start running and then after several miles they start their run/walk. I also know there are people who start their run/walk right away. So how will I do it? I don't know yet. I need to do some trail training and get some practicing in. Unfortunately, the trail is snow-covered for a while, so it'll be several weeks before I can get on it.
Also dealing with some shoulder pain after my long runs. Not sure if it's a muscle thing or a pinched nerve or what. It's the right shoulder, and the pain will decrease after a few days, but immediately after a long run I can barely find a position to sleep in that doesn't cause absolute agony in my shoulder. Last night it hurt, but not as bad as my last long run. I tried working it a little bit during my run, rotating it and trying to keep it loose. I wonder if that helped? I also tried stretching it afterwards. Maybe I should try doing some stretching before my next long run and see if that helps. It's hard to move and especially hard to sleep with it hurting as bad as it does.
I'm entering into hard/easy/hard/easy weeks now, so next week will be a 12-miler. The week after that is the first 20-miler. More on the training as it happens!
My previous experiences with trail running were discourarging, to say the least. I felt sore afterwards, and I thought it was hard on my feet to be sliding around, unbalanced, negotiating dips, roots, and rocks. Hard on my knees, too, the sudden ups and downs of the trail. I'm hoping that if I can get more consistent running in on the trails, I will be able to adapt to it and it won't be an issue during the race. I'm most definitely not a trail runner. Not that I'm unwilling, just haven't had much opportunity. I expect that going from roads to trails will be similar to going from the treadmill to the roads. That one winter that I ran on the treadmill and then went out and raced a 5K on the roads taught me a lesson. Treadmills don't allow some of your stabilizing muscles and tendons to get a workout because the treadmill does the stabilizing for you. I vowed never to seriously train on a treadmill again after hurting my knees that spring training for my first half marathon.
I expect going from roads to trails is similar. There are some stabilizing muscles and tendons that probably are not strong enough because they aren't used on the roads. I hope that I can strengthen them as I get more into the trail runs and I won't experience the discomfort that I did when I ran on trails sporadically.
I also need to start practicing my run/walk technique. I know I will need to decide upon some kind of ratio to run/walk. Running a whole 50 miles on trails is not practical, for me anyway. I'm thinking that I will walk all the uphills (I keep reading that in every book or article I read about Ultras), and then I'll use a 25/5 or 20/5 run-to-walk ratio. So I have to start practicing that. I've never utilized a run/walk technique so this will be new to me. I will probably start utilizing it during my first 20-miler. I don't know at what point to start the run/walk in the race, though. I've read articles where some people start running and then after several miles they start their run/walk. I also know there are people who start their run/walk right away. So how will I do it? I don't know yet. I need to do some trail training and get some practicing in. Unfortunately, the trail is snow-covered for a while, so it'll be several weeks before I can get on it.
Also dealing with some shoulder pain after my long runs. Not sure if it's a muscle thing or a pinched nerve or what. It's the right shoulder, and the pain will decrease after a few days, but immediately after a long run I can barely find a position to sleep in that doesn't cause absolute agony in my shoulder. Last night it hurt, but not as bad as my last long run. I tried working it a little bit during my run, rotating it and trying to keep it loose. I wonder if that helped? I also tried stretching it afterwards. Maybe I should try doing some stretching before my next long run and see if that helps. It's hard to move and especially hard to sleep with it hurting as bad as it does.
I'm entering into hard/easy/hard/easy weeks now, so next week will be a 12-miler. The week after that is the first 20-miler. More on the training as it happens!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Lake Geneva Marathon-May 12, 2012
I neglected to blog about my two marathons in 2011, lets just briefly say that I ran a PR 4:11:13 in Green Bay in extremely windy conditions and loved the course. Finishing by running around the stadium at Lambeau Field was incredible. In the fall I ran Fox Valley Marathon in St. Charles, IL. I did not train well for it and went into just wanting to have a fun race with no time goal. It was kind of cold and drizzly all morning and I finished in 4:35 something. Not a race to really dwell on, lol.
So, on to this weekend's Lake Geneva Marathon. Beautiful day, upper 50's to 60 degrees, cloudy. No sun to burn me, no rain to soak me. It was a little humid, but really I can't complain at all. The conditions were nearly perfect.
I decided Friday night that I would in fact set a goal for myself. I hadn't been able to find much about this race online. I knew it was relatively small, 2011 had only 83 marathoners. I knew that it went around the lake, but I couldn't even find a course map. There was no info about aid stations and what was at them except that they were every 3 miles. I didn't know how hilly it was, except for a couple reports I read from people who said it was hilly. Well, okay, but how hilly? And what about the different terrains on the lakefront trail, which I thought we were going to be running on?
But anyway, I set a goal of 9:30 pace, which would bring me in just under 4:10. I knew my training up to this point had been really good, I'd nailed my workouts and my tempo runs, and I had successfully completed a 19, 20, 21 and 22-miler. My 22-miler was hugely confidence building, as I ran it in about 10:06 pace, kind of fast for a long run that long, but I felt so good! I decided that on a flat course, a 4:10 would be no probem, I felt confident I could do it. I decided that having run my long runs on hilly courses and doing hill repeat workouts, I could tackle a hilly course. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the terrain, running on different surfaces can really slow you down.
So I set a goal. I was going to run 9:30 pace. My first mile was 9:06 or something. Okay, I expected a fast first mile. No matter how much I try, my first mile is always faster than it should be. But not too much faster, so I was okay with it. Mile 1: 24 seconds to the negative banked. This is what I do when I run a marathon. It keeps my mind occupied. I add and subtract time away from my goal pace to know how close I am, on average, to my goal time. I like being to the negative, but I get a little nervous sometimes if I get too negative, as that usually means I'm going to pay for it later. Mile 2 came before I knew it. 8:56. Oops. Too fast, time to consciously make an effort to slow down a little. Mile 2: 56 seconds banked.
There were some minor, gradual hills the first half of the race, nothing I couldn't handle. I took them on conservatively, shortening and quickening my stride to expend as little energy as possible on them. It was going really well. I saw Mike and Mackezie around Mile 5 or 6, which meant that they were almost late to Mackenzie's karate class because they waited for me. But it was good to see them. I'd banked 1:53 at that point, and I was nervous about it. But that pace was comfortable and so I just went with it. I didn't expect to see Mike and Mackenzie until the finish now, because she had her class in Elkhorn, and I didn't think they'd make it back to Lake Geneva until around 11, which would only give them about an hour until I finished and I suspected they wouldn't be able to find me. But I did give them, and my mom and Gavin, a map of the course which I got at packet pickup, but which didn't have any mile markers on it, and a printout of what my times should be at each mile doing a 9:30 pace. I figured they could figure out what times I'd be where that way. It did seem to work, mostly. The map wasn't very good, so I think they both spent a lot of time driving around.
I don't remember what mile I first saw Gavin and Mom. Gavin was ringing the cowbell, and would you believe it was the only cowbell that whole marathon? I yelled at mom where I was at pace wise, and she posted it on facebook using her fancy new i-Pad. Sure came in handy. She could even take pictures and video with it. She found out she could take video after she accidentally got most of me during a 6 second video around Mile 18ish.
At Mile 10 I had my first Clif Shot gel with caffeine. I waited a little longer than I usually would have because I didn't know if any of the aid stations would have gels. I'd rather not use up my own supply if I can get some for free. I'm cheap that way. :) But finally I decided that it would be smart to take it. I was feeling good, but fueling is important.
The half marathoners had split off from us at some point and their course met up with our around Mile 12.5. Except everyone else without a GPS watch thought it was Mile 13. The Mile 13 marker was a half mile early. And so was every mile marker for the rest of the race. I actually started to panic because I thought that the course was going to be a half mile short and I was on pace to set a PR and I was going to be super pissed if it turned out to be short. That's what I dwelled on for the second half of the race. So they were only around mile 11 at that point, and I felt really good seeing the two women I'd been behind before they split off. I was ahead of them now. And I was at Mile 12.5 while they were only at their Mile 11. It's the little things give you that boost of confidence when you know you're two hours into a race and know you're only halfway done. :)
So I thought it was funny when the guy giving me water at that aid station told me I was halfway done and I knew I wasn't. And I thought it was funny when I passed a volunteer about a half mile away from the Half Marathon finish line who told me I was almost done, and I knew I had about 11 miles to go. Well, maybe it wasn't funny at the time. It was ironic. At first I thought I'd missed a turn, actually, because the Half Marathoners were finishing in a park in Fontana, and they were herding all the runners around the corner, and I could see their finish line, and I started to panic a bit thinking I was on the wrong course. It turns out that as soon as you turned the corner, the Half Marathoners finished to the right and the Marathoners kept going to the left. Whew! So I kept going. Up a nice big hill.
First really noticeable hill. I ran it the way I know how to run hills, and it wasn't bad. And then I got to the top and realized I had to go right back down again. And here is the part of the race where we start the steep hills. Going up wasn't so bad. It was going downhill that really trashed my legs. My thighs were burning from the pounding they were taking on the way down. Now, I know there is a technique to running downhill. I've read oodles of running books and Ultra books and articles in magazines that talk all about it. I've just never practiced it. I never bothered to remember that good information and apply it. I never really needed to. Well, let me tell you something. If I EVER do this marathon again, I will practice running downhill. I will get good at it. I will not come back to this race until I know how to run downhill. After a few miles of this up and down and up and down, I started to worry about my PR. My legs were really feeling the strain of the downhills, especially my outer quads. No acute pain, yet, just fatigue and soreness. But I decided that I'd worked too damn hard for this and I wasn't throwing it away just yet. I'm at about Mile 18 now. This was my first little wall. I started to feel the pain and had to tell myself that it was time to start playing the mental game. I consciously forced myself to maintain my pace and push through my little rough spot.
At about Mile 20 I hit a little bigger wall. My legs got real heavy all of a sudden and I decided I should probably take a gel. I probably should have taken it sooner. So this time it was Hammer Gel. I took it and a little while later, not even a half mile probably, I saw Mike and Mackenzie and told Mike was 2:53 ahead of my pace, but I was dying. I was starting to fade. A mile later, I got a second wind, the carbs kicked in and I felt much better and much stronger. I actually felt really good at Mile 23ish and had to tell myself to watch my pace because I still had 3 miles to go and the good feeling could go away just as quickly as it came.
Mile 24ish was a nice long gradual uphill climb along Hwy 50. It was probably almot a mile and it felt so good. Yup, an uphill felt good. I can't explain it. My downhill muscles hurt and my uphill muscles were still fine so it was like getting a break to go uphill. And it was so easy and such a shallow slope. It was just enjoyable.
At Mile 25ish I was directed to turn onto a dead end road in a residential neighborhood. I thought it was weird that we were turning onto a dead end road. But if my rational part of the brain had been functioning properly, which it wasn't at this point (you would have laughed if you had heard me trying to subtract 19 seconds from 2:58), I would have remembered that we had to get on the trail about a mile from the end. And here it was. I ran through some people's backyard, on grass and got onto the lakefront path. The grass was awkward, especially because there was a hard turn around some cones and my legs were tired and the grass was hard to run on. Now, to explain, the lakefront path goes through people's backyards. The path is the responsibility of each homeowner. They are allowed to do whatever they want to the path, as long as the path is there. They can make it whatever surface they want. The first surface was stepping stones. Then there was crushed gravel, then packed dirt, and cement and cobblestone and paving bricks and more crushed gravel, and you name it, I ran on it. Very awkward and very hard to run on, especially becuase it wa the last mile and I was trying to pick up the pace little bit.
I actually had to make hard corners, going around fences and gardens and sheds and the path was so narrow and I actually had to get off the path completely to let some other sightseers go past because only one person could be on it at a time. At one point the path split to the left and right and I didn't know which way to go. There were two steps going down to the right and that was closest to the lake, so that's the way I went. The other path must have gone to a garage or a back door or something. It was confusing and I actually stopped and said out loud, "I don't know which way to go." Well, naturally there wasn't anyone around me and so I picked the path to the right and just prayed I was correct. I'd hate to be lost a half mile from the finish with a PR in sight. And so I kept going and I was panicking the whole time, thinking for sure this can't be right, and a couple minutes later I came out of a yard and saw a dude in a green shirt up ahead. It was a runner! Yay, I was on the right path! So now I'm running on packed dirt, I think. I don't remember. I can't see the finish yet, but I know I'm only about a quarter of a mile away. By the way, this is the point where I stop worrying about the course being a half mile short, too. I come out onto a paved walk, into the park. I can see the finish now, but more importantly, I see my friends Michelle and Melissa cheering for me, and I see my kids and my mom and Mike. They are all there at the finish, in a prime spot, and it was just great. I have to get off the nice paved sidewalk and run up the grass for a few feet to cross the finish line. Mackenie ran across, too.
I have to say, when I got done, I couldn't hold back the tears. I remember my first marathon, and I couldn't hold back the tears then, either, but they were tears of embarassment and frustration and disappointment. These were tears of joy. They were. All the emotions of the last four hours, which didn't have an outlet, were released then. It was a hard fought battle, a well-earned PR and I was so proud of myself. I'd worked so hard this spring, and it all paid off. On the hardest course I've run yet (and honestly, it's probably one of the hardest I will ever run), I set a PR by 6 minutes. I finished in an official time of 4:05:21. It was better than I hoped for. I wonder what I could have done on an easier course.
I won my age group, was the 5th woman overall. There were 115 marathoners this year (I think probably a quarter of them were walkers). So not a big race, and not much competition, and I'll probably never place in my age group again, but it was worth it. Will I run LG again? Probably not, lol. At least, not without learning how to run downhill first. :)
So, on to this weekend's Lake Geneva Marathon. Beautiful day, upper 50's to 60 degrees, cloudy. No sun to burn me, no rain to soak me. It was a little humid, but really I can't complain at all. The conditions were nearly perfect.
I decided Friday night that I would in fact set a goal for myself. I hadn't been able to find much about this race online. I knew it was relatively small, 2011 had only 83 marathoners. I knew that it went around the lake, but I couldn't even find a course map. There was no info about aid stations and what was at them except that they were every 3 miles. I didn't know how hilly it was, except for a couple reports I read from people who said it was hilly. Well, okay, but how hilly? And what about the different terrains on the lakefront trail, which I thought we were going to be running on?
But anyway, I set a goal of 9:30 pace, which would bring me in just under 4:10. I knew my training up to this point had been really good, I'd nailed my workouts and my tempo runs, and I had successfully completed a 19, 20, 21 and 22-miler. My 22-miler was hugely confidence building, as I ran it in about 10:06 pace, kind of fast for a long run that long, but I felt so good! I decided that on a flat course, a 4:10 would be no probem, I felt confident I could do it. I decided that having run my long runs on hilly courses and doing hill repeat workouts, I could tackle a hilly course. The only thing I wasn't sure about was the terrain, running on different surfaces can really slow you down.
So I set a goal. I was going to run 9:30 pace. My first mile was 9:06 or something. Okay, I expected a fast first mile. No matter how much I try, my first mile is always faster than it should be. But not too much faster, so I was okay with it. Mile 1: 24 seconds to the negative banked. This is what I do when I run a marathon. It keeps my mind occupied. I add and subtract time away from my goal pace to know how close I am, on average, to my goal time. I like being to the negative, but I get a little nervous sometimes if I get too negative, as that usually means I'm going to pay for it later. Mile 2 came before I knew it. 8:56. Oops. Too fast, time to consciously make an effort to slow down a little. Mile 2: 56 seconds banked.
There were some minor, gradual hills the first half of the race, nothing I couldn't handle. I took them on conservatively, shortening and quickening my stride to expend as little energy as possible on them. It was going really well. I saw Mike and Mackezie around Mile 5 or 6, which meant that they were almost late to Mackenzie's karate class because they waited for me. But it was good to see them. I'd banked 1:53 at that point, and I was nervous about it. But that pace was comfortable and so I just went with it. I didn't expect to see Mike and Mackenzie until the finish now, because she had her class in Elkhorn, and I didn't think they'd make it back to Lake Geneva until around 11, which would only give them about an hour until I finished and I suspected they wouldn't be able to find me. But I did give them, and my mom and Gavin, a map of the course which I got at packet pickup, but which didn't have any mile markers on it, and a printout of what my times should be at each mile doing a 9:30 pace. I figured they could figure out what times I'd be where that way. It did seem to work, mostly. The map wasn't very good, so I think they both spent a lot of time driving around.
I don't remember what mile I first saw Gavin and Mom. Gavin was ringing the cowbell, and would you believe it was the only cowbell that whole marathon? I yelled at mom where I was at pace wise, and she posted it on facebook using her fancy new i-Pad. Sure came in handy. She could even take pictures and video with it. She found out she could take video after she accidentally got most of me during a 6 second video around Mile 18ish.
At Mile 10 I had my first Clif Shot gel with caffeine. I waited a little longer than I usually would have because I didn't know if any of the aid stations would have gels. I'd rather not use up my own supply if I can get some for free. I'm cheap that way. :) But finally I decided that it would be smart to take it. I was feeling good, but fueling is important.
The half marathoners had split off from us at some point and their course met up with our around Mile 12.5. Except everyone else without a GPS watch thought it was Mile 13. The Mile 13 marker was a half mile early. And so was every mile marker for the rest of the race. I actually started to panic because I thought that the course was going to be a half mile short and I was on pace to set a PR and I was going to be super pissed if it turned out to be short. That's what I dwelled on for the second half of the race. So they were only around mile 11 at that point, and I felt really good seeing the two women I'd been behind before they split off. I was ahead of them now. And I was at Mile 12.5 while they were only at their Mile 11. It's the little things give you that boost of confidence when you know you're two hours into a race and know you're only halfway done. :)
So I thought it was funny when the guy giving me water at that aid station told me I was halfway done and I knew I wasn't. And I thought it was funny when I passed a volunteer about a half mile away from the Half Marathon finish line who told me I was almost done, and I knew I had about 11 miles to go. Well, maybe it wasn't funny at the time. It was ironic. At first I thought I'd missed a turn, actually, because the Half Marathoners were finishing in a park in Fontana, and they were herding all the runners around the corner, and I could see their finish line, and I started to panic a bit thinking I was on the wrong course. It turns out that as soon as you turned the corner, the Half Marathoners finished to the right and the Marathoners kept going to the left. Whew! So I kept going. Up a nice big hill.
First really noticeable hill. I ran it the way I know how to run hills, and it wasn't bad. And then I got to the top and realized I had to go right back down again. And here is the part of the race where we start the steep hills. Going up wasn't so bad. It was going downhill that really trashed my legs. My thighs were burning from the pounding they were taking on the way down. Now, I know there is a technique to running downhill. I've read oodles of running books and Ultra books and articles in magazines that talk all about it. I've just never practiced it. I never bothered to remember that good information and apply it. I never really needed to. Well, let me tell you something. If I EVER do this marathon again, I will practice running downhill. I will get good at it. I will not come back to this race until I know how to run downhill. After a few miles of this up and down and up and down, I started to worry about my PR. My legs were really feeling the strain of the downhills, especially my outer quads. No acute pain, yet, just fatigue and soreness. But I decided that I'd worked too damn hard for this and I wasn't throwing it away just yet. I'm at about Mile 18 now. This was my first little wall. I started to feel the pain and had to tell myself that it was time to start playing the mental game. I consciously forced myself to maintain my pace and push through my little rough spot.
At about Mile 20 I hit a little bigger wall. My legs got real heavy all of a sudden and I decided I should probably take a gel. I probably should have taken it sooner. So this time it was Hammer Gel. I took it and a little while later, not even a half mile probably, I saw Mike and Mackenzie and told Mike was 2:53 ahead of my pace, but I was dying. I was starting to fade. A mile later, I got a second wind, the carbs kicked in and I felt much better and much stronger. I actually felt really good at Mile 23ish and had to tell myself to watch my pace because I still had 3 miles to go and the good feeling could go away just as quickly as it came.
Mile 24ish was a nice long gradual uphill climb along Hwy 50. It was probably almot a mile and it felt so good. Yup, an uphill felt good. I can't explain it. My downhill muscles hurt and my uphill muscles were still fine so it was like getting a break to go uphill. And it was so easy and such a shallow slope. It was just enjoyable.
At Mile 25ish I was directed to turn onto a dead end road in a residential neighborhood. I thought it was weird that we were turning onto a dead end road. But if my rational part of the brain had been functioning properly, which it wasn't at this point (you would have laughed if you had heard me trying to subtract 19 seconds from 2:58), I would have remembered that we had to get on the trail about a mile from the end. And here it was. I ran through some people's backyard, on grass and got onto the lakefront path. The grass was awkward, especially because there was a hard turn around some cones and my legs were tired and the grass was hard to run on. Now, to explain, the lakefront path goes through people's backyards. The path is the responsibility of each homeowner. They are allowed to do whatever they want to the path, as long as the path is there. They can make it whatever surface they want. The first surface was stepping stones. Then there was crushed gravel, then packed dirt, and cement and cobblestone and paving bricks and more crushed gravel, and you name it, I ran on it. Very awkward and very hard to run on, especially becuase it wa the last mile and I was trying to pick up the pace little bit.
I actually had to make hard corners, going around fences and gardens and sheds and the path was so narrow and I actually had to get off the path completely to let some other sightseers go past because only one person could be on it at a time. At one point the path split to the left and right and I didn't know which way to go. There were two steps going down to the right and that was closest to the lake, so that's the way I went. The other path must have gone to a garage or a back door or something. It was confusing and I actually stopped and said out loud, "I don't know which way to go." Well, naturally there wasn't anyone around me and so I picked the path to the right and just prayed I was correct. I'd hate to be lost a half mile from the finish with a PR in sight. And so I kept going and I was panicking the whole time, thinking for sure this can't be right, and a couple minutes later I came out of a yard and saw a dude in a green shirt up ahead. It was a runner! Yay, I was on the right path! So now I'm running on packed dirt, I think. I don't remember. I can't see the finish yet, but I know I'm only about a quarter of a mile away. By the way, this is the point where I stop worrying about the course being a half mile short, too. I come out onto a paved walk, into the park. I can see the finish now, but more importantly, I see my friends Michelle and Melissa cheering for me, and I see my kids and my mom and Mike. They are all there at the finish, in a prime spot, and it was just great. I have to get off the nice paved sidewalk and run up the grass for a few feet to cross the finish line. Mackenie ran across, too.
I have to say, when I got done, I couldn't hold back the tears. I remember my first marathon, and I couldn't hold back the tears then, either, but they were tears of embarassment and frustration and disappointment. These were tears of joy. They were. All the emotions of the last four hours, which didn't have an outlet, were released then. It was a hard fought battle, a well-earned PR and I was so proud of myself. I'd worked so hard this spring, and it all paid off. On the hardest course I've run yet (and honestly, it's probably one of the hardest I will ever run), I set a PR by 6 minutes. I finished in an official time of 4:05:21. It was better than I hoped for. I wonder what I could have done on an easier course.
I won my age group, was the 5th woman overall. There were 115 marathoners this year (I think probably a quarter of them were walkers). So not a big race, and not much competition, and I'll probably never place in my age group again, but it was worth it. Will I run LG again? Probably not, lol. At least, not without learning how to run downhill first. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)