Linda's marathon training

Guana River 50K

2010-03-27T19:16:00.002-04:00

This morning’s race was one of the most truly fun races I’ve ever done. It was out on the Guana River trails about 45 min out of town right next to the beach.

For me, there was no normal pre-race anxiety. It was very low-key with very few runners. The race (both the 50K and the 25K relays) had been capped at 125 runners. It didn’t look like there was that many there this morning. Also, no timing mats and no chips. Just a big clock at the Start/Finish line. It was a little cold pre-race ... 56 degrees with a light breeze and clear skies.

The loop through the trails is 8 miles long. Those of us running the relay would run 2 loops. Those running the 50K, 4 loops. Although Monica and I were a relay team, we were allowed to run it together. That was nice. Most relay teams did that - ran it concurrently. Some of the really fast runners ran it as a real relay - consecutively.

Map of the trails.

The man in charge of the race this morning had the appearance of an old grizzled mountain man. He explained the trails making up the loop we would take, and where he had placed flags to show which way to go as the trail branched in different directions. He pointed to painted trails on a wooden map as he said, “Now at this part the trail branches. If you take the left branch you will go straight into the ocean. You can see that from where the trail branches. I didn’t flag it because I figured that as primates this would be an instinctual thing for you NOT to run off into the water. Stay to the right.”

Getting pre-race directions from RD - Bill.

Dawn was just starting to break as we made our way to the starting line. The big start? Mountain man looked at us and said, “OK. Go on!”

And we were off!

Race start

I haven’t run on trails in well over a year. Immediately, I remembered what I don’t like about FL trails. They are very soft and sandy and laced with Cypress and Live Oak roots. I had to remember to run slower and look at the ground just a few inches beyond my feet. Anytime I would look farther ahead than that, I would trip or turn an ankle. This seemed to be a common problem among many runners this morning. We saw several as the day went on covered in dirt from having fallen.

Falling is one of the perils of trail running!

Needless to say, I tripped many many times out there on the first 8 mile loop around. I never did fall, though! As we finished up the first loop, people were there to cheer us in. We stopped there for a restroom break, and to re-fuel. One of the picnic tables was covered with candies, gels, electrolyte capsules, bread with peanut butter, pretzels, etc. And, there was plenty of water and gatorade. After a refreshing, we were back out on the trails for loop 2.

The Sun was fully up now, and visibility was much better. Because of that, or maybe because I had just gotten used to looking down while running, I had much less tripping and ankle turning on the second time around. And, the distance was OK. The breeze stayed with us and the temp stayed down. It was only 68 degrees when we came in.

More cheers as we finished our second loop, and a nice race shirt! Yes, we got the shirt on completion of the race. I really like that practice! ALL races should do that.

And, then there was food! Much food. BBQ, baked beans, cole slaw, bread, tea, soft drinks, water. A very large feast.

All in all, it was a very nice morning run. I will probably run this one again.

2010 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend

2010-03-08T17:18:00.010-05:00

On Friday, March 5, Tj and I met up at Panera’s in Jax at 6:45 AM to grab some coffee then head down to Disney. Our plan was to avoid as much Orlando traffic as possible and get to the Expo when it opened at 10. We made great time, and arrived at the Expo at about 9:40.

It was sunny in Orlando, but COLD and windy. And, there was a HUGE line already waiting to get into the Expo. After getting inside, we went to pick up our race packets and shirts. There were 5 Corrals (A - E). This year, I was put into Corral C based on my last year’s time. That was fine with me. I hadn’t run much since the Donna, and wasn’t sure if I could match my half PR from December to justify a move into Corral B. Tj was assigned to Corral B. Next, we went to shirt pick-up. The shirts were huge and blue!!! First of all, Princess shirts NEED to be pink! Secondly, last year the shirts were all too small; so, we had all ordered up a size this year. Then Disney went up a size from that. I didn’t want to go through the shirt exchange hassle since I wasn’t planning to race in the shirt anyway. So, I kept the gigantic shirt to use later as a top layering piece.

With the required stuff out of the way, we went shopping at the Expo! We got some wonderful Rider after-run sandals and a few other things. At the official Disney store we found a couple of really nice tech shirts (pink, of course) to wear for the race. And, a Disney Princess half Marathon wineglass to add to my collection.

Then it was time for me to go to the Orlando airport to pick up my friend, Renee. Renee is one of my best friends from HS; and, a runner. Last May, I had talked her into running this half marathon with me. Renee is fast; but, had never run anything longer than a 10K. So, she started training and building up mileage over the Summer. In November, she hired a Personal Trainer to plan out long runs for her. Even though she doubted her ability to finish the half, Renee was ready. On her longest training run, she had completed 12 miles in 1:45.

After picking up Renee, we returned to the Expo. Renee had been assigned to Corral E!!! That was the Walker’s Corral! She could not change her corral because she did not have an official race time to submit. So, she devised a plan to start as close to the front of her corral as possible, and just keep moving forward.

We left the Expo and checked into our Hotel - the Disney AllStar Movies - Love Bug area. We got to the room, and noted an immediate problem ... NO COFFEE MAKER!!! Renee was not having that! This is a woman who needs her pre-run coffee! Back to the Front Desk to request coffee before the race. We had to leave the hotel via shuttle before 4AM on race morning. That’s when shuttle service to the race would be stopped. How would we score any pre-race coffee? The Front Desk was clueless and no help in the coffee situation.

Disney's AllStar Movies Resort - Love Bug Area

Moving on, we met up with Tj and her friend, Rosemary, for dinner at Fulton’s Crab House. Excellent company, meal and wine!

Tj, Renee, Me, and Rosemary at Fulton's Crab House

We slept in on Saturday. Then, decided to go back to the Expo for a little while. The Expo was a zoo!!! It was incredibly crowded. I picked up a 13.1 magnet for Renee’s car. I didn’t tell her about it, of course. I didn’t want to jinx her!

We arrived at Downtown Disney around 2PM, and did some more shopping for friends and family. The only thing we needed to accomplish on Saturday was meeting up with several other running Princesses for dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s at 5PM. We had to eat this early due to the un-Godly hour we would have to get up on Sunday morning for the race.

We arrived at WP a little before 5, and met up with Jenna, Joanne, Brenda, Patti and her husband. Soon after, Tj and Rosemary arrived. Libby joined us for a little while once we were inside. We all had a nice dinner and conversation; then headed off to our hotels for bed.

Me, Jenna, Joanne, Libby, Patti, Brenda, Tj, and Rosemary at Wolfgang Puck's

After a sleepless night, the alarm went off at 2AM. Insane hour to be getting up! But, get up we did. At 2:30, Renee headed over to the Food Court of the hotel to heat up coffee from the night before. Amazingly, there was fresh coffee available in the Food Court! YAY! The only problem now was the temperature. It was 41 degrees out with a wind chill of 37. Too cold.

I had a throw-away zip-up hoodie that I put on over my regular running clothes. Renee devised running pants out of black garbage bags. Hilarious!

We got on the shuttle bus at 3:20 and headed over to the race. It was sooooo cold outside. We had to go through bag check by 5, then on to our corrals. We HAD to be lined up in corrals by 5:30. We all stood around freezing together until the start of the race. FINALLY, the National Anthem was sung. Corral A started at 6AM with fireworks exploding. Then, we were all held in place until 6:07 when Corral B was allowed to start. More fireworks, and Corral C (mine) moved to the Start Line. At 6:14, we were sent off with fireworks. Ditto for Corrals D (at 6:21) and E (at 6:28). Tj was not feeling well that morning and dropped back to run with Rosemary who had been assigned to Corral D.

Fireworks at the START!!!

What a difference 2 weeks makes!!! Two weeks ago, I had been running the 26.2 with Donna and had felt so bad that I was ready to quit running altogether. But, this morning, I felt good. Cold, but good. Before I even realized it, I was crossing the 5K timing mats. As I did, I noticed Renee crossing the 5K mats also. She was flying!!!

At mile 4, I felt warm enough to toss my hoodie. The sun was just coming up. The air temp had not really warmed up, and my feet were still cold and numb. Somewhere between miles 4 and 5, was Captain Jack Sparrow - a Johnny Depp look-alike! I HAD to stop and get my picture taken with him! :)

Then, into the Magic Kingdom! It was great running up Main Street towards Cinderella’s Castle! After that, we turned right and ran into Tomorrow Land - made a loop through there and headed back into Fantasy Land. We passed the Carousel, ran into the Castle, and out the front side. This is one of many places where things got tight and narrow running-wise.

We ran into Adventure Land, then past Splash Mountain, and out of the Park. After that, it was all highway back to Epcot. By now, the sun was up and strong. Fortunately, the air was still cool because there was no shade. By mile 8, several Princesses were wearing out. I was still feeling good and happy to be running!

Mile 10.5 brought us to the on ramp of an overpass. Many people were walking. A Toy Story soldier was yelling orders to all the walking Princesses to “Keep running, Soldier! There’s no walking here!!!”. Too funny. I ran up the on-ramp towards the Mile 11 Marker at the top of the bridge. At the top of the bridge, I looked at the road where I had just been. There were thousands of runners still coming behind me! What a sight that was!

From there, it was mostly downhill and on into Epcot and DONE!!!

I checked my Garmin at the end, and had a distance of 13.35 miles. I know I did some lateral running that morning. I just didn’t realize how much.

I met up with Renee afterwards; and, we waited for Tj and Rosemary to come in. Renee had totally rocked it with a time of 1:55:59!!! Me? I did OK with a time of 2:56:42. Not a PR; but, it was a course PR for me; and, a good run. And, a really really good weekend.

Me, Rosemary, Tj, and Renee after the race.

26.2 with Donna 2010

2010-02-21T23:47:00.001-05:00

After another sleepless night, the alarm got me on my feet at 3AM. It was surprisingly cold outside (40 degrees). But, I knew it was supposed to get up into the low 70’s once the sun came up so I dressed accordingly. My head still felt heavy and stuffed with this annoying head-cold. But, I knew I couldn’t take anything for it today. Just have to deal with it.

Jesse got up at 4:15 and drove me to the shuttle pick-up point. I got on the bus at 5AM, and Tj was there. Just like last year, we ended up riding the same bus over to the marathon! Both times, completely unplanned.

We arrived at the Runner’s Village at about 5:30, and checked our bags. We had 2 hours until race time and were freezing!!! I still have no idea why the last shuttle for the runners leaves at 6AM. Anyway, we tried to stay warm as more and more of our friends arrived. We all got together for a few group pictures, then I told Tj and Monica that I planned to run with the 6 hour pacer. They had wanted to run with the 5:30 pacer. They both said fine, and decided to run with the 6 hour pacer as well.

Finally, we were all being herded into our corrals and we found our Pacers, Socks and Bethany. More standing around and waiting. The Donna Marathon theme song was sung. Then, the National Anthem. Then, the cannon at last! And, we were still standing, not moving. We finally got across the Start Line at 4 minutes after the gun. The sun had started to come up by now. I noted a completely cloudless sky.

It was very crowded this year with over 10,000 runners in all events (marathon, half-marathon, and marathon relay). The beginning turn onto the bridge is very tight, and it was tough to keep up with our pacers in the crowd. As we passed the 1 mile mark, we were exactly on pace! Cool.

Then the sun came up in full force. It was still cool temperature-wise, but the sun blaring down made us all warm very quickly. Miles 1 to 2 was the uphill side of the bridge. It was getting tough. By mile 2, I was feeling exhausted! Mile 2? Really. It felt more like mile 20! I had my 1st bad feeling about the marathon at that point. But, since that was a tough uphill, I decided to wait until we had gone a bit farther. Mile 2 to 3 was mostly downhill, and I felt a little better, but still far too worn out for so early in the race. I checked my Garmin; our pace was dead on. That wasn’t the problem.

Miles 3 - 5 brought more of the same jockeying around walkers and trying to get to some open road. We crossed the timing mats at mile 5 on pace then turned onto the beach. The beach was rough. No shade, full sun, and soft sand. My earlier feelings that I was done came back strong. I told Monica and Tj I was turning at mile 6.5 and doing the half. I was, at that point, so tired that I knew I could not make the full 26.2. I wondered whether I could make 13.1. Monica wondered that out loud. Apparently, my face was really really red. She’s used to running with me and seeing me with pink cheeks from heat and exertion. This, she said, was different. The half point came up. Monica hugged me, told me to stop running and get help; and we went our separate ways.

So, I turned off for the half. I had mixed feelings. I knew I just could not run the full today. No way. On the other hand, I was really disappointed in myself for not being tough enough to go on.

The next few miles were long, hot, and rough. I was not enjoying it. At mile 9, four Kenyan elite marathoners passed by. They were amazing. Mile 9.5 brought me back up the on ramp to the bridge. At that point I passed one of the Kenyan elites! What? He was walking.... either injured or ill. That was really the saddest thing to me.

On my way uphill to mile 11, I decided that I was never going to run again. Ever. I was DONE. Then, I had to stop and figure this out. I had had two 20 mile training runs that were fine. I had run 7 half-marathons that were all a blast. But here today I was struggling, really struggling. And, I felt ... bad. Something was wrong. Yes, the full sun was unrelenting. But, something more was wrong. I decided to walk for a while. The bad feeling didn’t stop. So, I resumed running on the downhill side of the bridge. It didn’t feel much worse than walking, so why not? Finally, I passed mile 12, then 12.8, then the turn at the bottom of the bridge towards the Finish line.

After crossing the Finish Line, I didn’t care about anything. I forgot to turn off my Garmin, and someone had to force a medal on me. I walked straight up to a man in a red shirt with “MEDIC” written on it and said, “I need help”.

I was taken quickly to the Med tent and checked out. My BP and HR were scary high. BP was 189/81, HR was 150. Being sick + the hot sun had increased my hydration needs more than I could supply. And, I was overheated. After they rehydrated me and cooled me down, I felt much better and ready to run again! Ha!

If only.

I stayed and watched Monica and Tj come in at ~6:15. They said it had been very tough, and were never running a marathon again! I’ve heard that before. I've SAID that before!

So, it was a rough day for me and not what I had planned. But, I am happy to have finished the half.

Thanksgiving Day Half Marathon

2009-11-26T23:00:00.000-05:00

This morning's half marathon:

Being that I am in training for bigger and better things - specifically the 26.2 with Donna, I was not inclined to blow it out on a half marathon this morning. Many of the peeps from my running group were there and were planning on running together. After a brief discussion with my co-pace group leader, Monica, we decided to go for 13 min/miles. That is a comfortable pace that we both run on our own; although, neither of us had ever done more than 6 miles at that pace. Two other friends, Andi and Alinka, decided to join us.

The start was cold. It was 51 degrees and 96% humidity. I had decided to wear my running gloves, but that was it for cold weather gear. Monica, who is from Wisconsin (and, who was wearing a singlet, BTW), declared me a wimp. The start was also VERY crowded. The 6K race started with us, and ran with us for the 1st mile before we ran our separate ways. So we were stuck behind strollers and walkers and race shirt (long sleeve heavy cotton crew neck shirt) wearers for the first mile. Even so, we managed the 1st mile in 12:53.

It stayed cold and I could not feel my feet. I was finding it tough to run and my legs felt heavy. I just wanted to warm up, already. We saw other people we knew, chatted a bit, then went on. Miles 2 and 3 - 13:11 and 12:59.

Between miles 3 and 4, Alinka was having trouble with her left shoe and stopped to re-tie. While we stopped, I got rid of the gloves. 13:26

By this point, we were playing leap-frog with some guy who looked like he was missing his skate-board. He would get in front of us, then we would pass him, repeat, repeat, repeat. And, the times he would fall behind us, we could hear him loudly hacking up a loogie. Gross! Later, between miles 11 and 12, we would pass him and not see him again. Mile 5 - 13:15.

At mile 5.5, we all took a port-a-potty stop. 2 potties. 4 runners. 2.5 minutes. Uuugghh. Mile 6 - 15:48.

Feeling much better, we all picked up the pace a little. Miles 7 and 8 - 13:04 and 12:27.

The sun was fully up by now, clear blue sky, light breeze. The course got sunny ... and warm.
Mile 9 - 13:19.

Between miles 9 and 10, my right quads started cramping, and I was feeling fatigued. I was still a bit under the weather from an upper respiratory infection. If I had been running on my own, I might have said "screw it", and slowed way down. But, with everyone else around, I kept going forward. Mile 10 - 13:06.

At this point, all of us noticed that the race mile markers and our Garmins were no longer in sync. It seemed that the race markers were about 1/10 of a mile off - against us. The course turned onto streets with rolling hills in direct sunlight. Great. Mile 11 - 12:59.

Alinka's hip started hurting, and she dropped back, telling us all to go on. Andi requested to slow down a little. Miles 12 and 13 - 13:09 and 13:01.

What was left was 0.25 miles. It should have been 0.1, but it was off. Annoying. Monica and I went for it. Finishing the last 0.25 in 2:22 (9:28 pace).

Final time - 2:55:21 for a pace of 13:14 (for 13.25 miles) or 13:22 (for 13.1 miles).

Even with the potty stop, it was a PR by 2:30 for me!!! Just imagine if we hadn't stopped. HA!

Anyway, the whole run was a blast; and here is the best thing of all:

This race is the first race (of ANY distance) that I did not slow down at the end. In fact, I sped up!!! I am really pleased with that!

Training so far ...

2009-09-27T20:25:00.005-04:00

This past Saturday was our longest run this season - 9 miles.

It was a hot and humid morning. Our group had 37 runners, and the run was fine. In fact, all of the runs have been fine.

So far during training, we have run across an extremely busy highway in the dark, and all survived. We have seen humidity so high that the trees were dripping. We have seen dolphin playing in the river as we crossed a bridge above them. And, we have ended up in the middle of a 5K race as our training route collided with a race course. We met them head-on with each group accusing the other of running the wrong way.

And, we have shared stories of our past runs and future goals.

So far ... the running has been good.

And, so it begins again ...

2009-08-18T13:55:00.003-04:00

A new year of Marathon training has begun.

I look at this photo from the morning of February 15, 2009 and remember.

It was early.

It was dark.

It was raining.

It was cold.

And, I was injured. I had been having IT Band trouble and had a lateral meniscus tear on my left knee. I had stopped running 4 weeks prior to the marathon in an effort to heal. I had worn a lidocaine patch on my knee the night before the marathon, and was wearing a brace that morning.

I had every reason in the World not to get on that bus that morning. But, I did it anyway.

Remembering that bus ride gives me chills. I had no idea how far I would be able to go before my knee gave out completely. I knew that if I crossed the Start line, I had to cross the Finish line. Under my own power. I would NOT take a ride in.

It turns out that 15 miles was my limit of pain tolerance. After that, it was excruciating. But, I finished on my own. I watched others go past me as they took a ride in over the bridge. They jumped out of the golf cart, ran in the last few feet, finishing before me. They received a time and a medal. But, they know they didn't run a marathon.

I did.

And, this year I am starting training again as a Pace Group leader. And, this year I am taking the time to enjoy the journey.

Running/Injury/Recovery/Running again

2009-05-26T14:01:00.005-04:00

Repeat repeat repeat ...

I am hoping to break this cycle somehow. The most recent injury I am recovering from is not really a running injury, per se. OK, I got injured while running but not FROM running. Simply, I fell down while attempting to outrun a sudden thunderstorm.

This resulted in a fractured wrist, a busted knee, and some minor abrasions. Which all resulted in 2 more weeks of not running or cross-training. *Insert big dramatic sigh*

But, I am back running again. Slower (if that is possible) and more carefully than before. I need to have all of these injuries become a thing of the past. I just don't have the patience for it anymore.

Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run

2009-04-07T10:57:00.001-04:00

This past weekend I was in DC for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.

This is the first 10 mile race I have ever run. And, I was going to race this one coming off of an injury. In the days leading up to the race, I was very nervous. It has a strict cutoff time and I really considering backing out and running the 5K instead.

The Metro on the way to the Expo on Saturday, April 4, was unbelievably crowded. I was concerned with getting to the race start on Sunday.

I arrived at the race site very early and before dawn. it was 48 degrees and I was freezing! I only had on a short sleeve top and a race skirt. As I waited, I became increasingly colder. When we finally lined up in our designated corrals, I was shaking from cold. Then, I started to wonder just how much energy I had already expended through shivering. That concerned me greatly; so, I ate a Swedish fish to replenish.

FINALLY, the race started just as the sun came up. I was so nervous about not being able to finish that I ran the 1st mile a minute and a half faster than I had intended to. I reasoned that I had just bought some extra time if I needed it, and made myself slow down a little.

The crowd was huge, and the course was tight. Fortunately, there were no strollers in this race; and, I did not come across any walkers until mile 3. Every time the course looped back on itself I saw thousands of runners both ahead of and behind me. As I passed the mile 5 timing mats and checkpoint, I noted that my time was fine for finishing under the limit.

I had one moment of panic when I came up to the mile 7 marker. My time had really slowed down! A quick check of my Garmin showed that the mile 7 marker was really at mile 7.2. I was afraid mile 8 might land at mile 8.2, so I sped up a little. But, mile 8 was where it should be. As I passed that, I realized I was going to finish with time to spare, and I calmed down and slowed down a little.

Crossing that finish line was great!!! I really believed that I would not do it. But, I did. And, I even ran the entire race at a pace of 1:10 min/mile faster than I ran a 15K this time last year.

AND, I had no pain at all the entire race.

My friend Ken ran this, too. He was up in the first (fast) corral and had an excellent time.

This race was a good one all around.

Running Again!!!

2009-03-18T11:29:00.002-04:00

Finally! After sitting it out for soooo long due to injury, I am back running again.

Last night I ran 3 miles without pain. My intention was to run them easy, but, it ended up being pretty much at my race pace. It felt so good to be out there again!

I did notice that fatigue came on quicker than it used to. I do need to build up my endurance again. And, I am happy to do just that.

Disney's Princess 1/2 Marathon Weekend

2009-03-08T20:51:00.042-04:00

This weekend at Disney was the most fun ever! It was the inaugural Princess 1/2 marathon weekend. Proceeds from the race itself benefited the "Make a Wish" Foundation.

This was also a "first" event for me in many ways. I was traveling to this race alone. My family would not be going with me. Also, I was supposed to walk, not run the race as I am still recovering from an injury I had BEFORE the marathon 3 weeks ago. There were other firsts, too that happened along the way.

The Fit for a Princess Expo began on Friday, March 6. This was for packet pick-up and shopping as there were vendors from all over. It was a blast! I ended up buying a tiara to run in and a few new shirts. I also picked up my Snow White running skirt which I had pre-ordered from RunningSkirts.com. Wearing brand new clothes at a race is something I never do; but, for this race, I did. Both the tech top and the skirt were new.

Walkway to the Fit for a Princess Expo

I was staying on Disney property at the Caribbean Beach Resort. This resort had bus service to the Expo and to the race on Sunday. I wanted things as low stress as possible. I did not want to fight traffic into Epcot on race day. On the bus rides to the Expo, and at the Expo itself, I met many women from all over. We discussed running - mostly talking about group running and how much we enjoyed it. And, about how nervous we had been when we first joined a running club. This feeling seemed to be universal. Some women with very fast times didn't feel they were "good enough" to join a running club! It was comforting to discover that we all, as women runners, had many of the same concerns.

The Caribbean Beach Resort

The 1/2 Marathon - Sunday Morning

Time change this morning! Uggh. That meant getting up early, REALLY early. The buses to the race were running from 4 - 5 AM. I set every alarm I could to get up at 2AM (which was really 1AM by my body). So after a restless night, I was up, dressed, and on the 1st bus at 4AM.

My friend, TJ and I had signed up for the "Race Retreat" package which promised us a temperature controlled tent to wait in, a breakfast buffet, private bathrooms, and a changing area. The Race Retreat lived up to its promises and more! We were greeted by Snow White and Prince Charming, and had photos taken with them. Then Goofy showed up dressed as a royal jester, of course.

TJ and I before the run in the Race Retreat

The buffet was nice, and since it was soooo early, I opted for a cup of coffee. I never drink coffee before a race - another first.

At 4:30AM, Prince Charles (no, not THE prince Charles) started a stretching/light aerobic session. TJ and I skipped it, and had a bagel instead.

Inside the Race Retreat - before the run

At 6AM, Prince Charles told us we all had to leave the Race Retreat and head to the start line. Another big first for me, I did not bring my iPod. I have always worn it while running. But, lately I have not even been turning it on.

We made our way over to the Start line and to our assigned corrals. It was cold out at 55 degrees with 87% humidity. But, I know Orlando, and I knew that once the sun got up, it would warm up very quickly. A few women from Northern states were saying how glad they were they were wearing their running tights. I was thinking they would not be so happy about that in about an hour.

The race started and we slowly moved towards the Start Line. There were 8000 women running the half marathon this morning. I was in the middle corral, and it took me a full 5 min after the start to reach the timing mats. I had already decided to run for as long as I could. I am a slow runner; but, I am a really slow walker and I was afraid I would not make the 16 min/mile minimum speed if I walked the whole thing.

So, the running today was good. Really good. Disney had many diversions planned to entertain us all along the way. There were quiz questions on the route, and many characters to be photographed with. We ran from Epcot into the Magic Kingdom and through Cinderella's Castle. It was soooo much fun!!!

Once the sun came up, the temperature soared up into the 80s. I stayed well hydrated. I was on pace between 13:30 -13:45 for the first 9 miles, and was looking at a finish in under 3 hours. I was not in any pain, and could have kept going ... if it weren't for being so well hydrated and having to make a Port-a-potty stop. There were huge lines at all the potties, so it took awhile.

After that, when I started running again I had a cramp in my right quad (the inner most one). This was really strange. I have NEVER had quad trouble even when I take the downside of bridges too fast. I slowed down to walk it out; but, my quad was not having it. So I had to fully stop and stretch and massage it. It loosened up a bit, and I could walk on it. So mile 9-10 was around 20 min (yikes!). I did some run/walking for the next mile.

Mile 11 started up a hill - an interstate overpass, actually. I came up on a young woman (early 20s) who was crying and talking to herself saying, "Come on. You have to keep going". I stopped and walked next to her and asked if she was OK. All she could say was, "the hill .. I can't". So I told her she could, and I would walk it with her. So I stayed with her up the hill and down the other side until mile 12. By then, I didn't care about time anymore. I knew I would finish, so no big deal.

At mile 12, the course flattened out again, and we were back in Epcot! Before I knew it, I was crossing the finish line. As soon as I did, I was ushered to a recovery area where a Disney medical person removed my knee brace, and wrapped an ice pack around my knee. That was very nice.

After I exited the area and received my medal, I went back to the Race Retreat for an after race brunch. There was plenty to eat and drink, and a nice place to rest for a bit.

What about all the "firsts" on a race day? For the most part, they worked out fine. No iPod was great. I was able to hear and talk to many runners on the way. I think my iPod running days are over.

New clothes on race day? Running in a tiara was no problem. It will be a standard for me for all races from now on. The shirt was also fine. The skirt was a little loose, and slipped down as I ran. So, no, I won't wear new clothing for a race again. Being at a race without my family? I missed them. I hope they will come next year.

MY thoughts on the run, itself --- I am not a fast runner. I probably never will be. Sure, I'd like to improve my time. Possibly I could have done that today.

But, I realized something else today. For me, it's really not about the finish line. It's about the road there. And, this weekend the road was excellent!
:-)

Consulting the I Ching

2009-03-05T16:23:00.003-05:00

Yes, I did. I have become so torn over the half marathon this weekend.

I am not recovered from the marathon 3 weeks ago.

I have been advised to skip this half marathon, or walk it.

So, I consulted the I Ching. The answer, I must say, surprised me.

The Question:

Should I run the half marathon this weekend?

The Answer:

Hexagram: 46 - Shêng
Upward Mobility

Beneath the Soil, the Seedling pushes upward toward the light:

To preserve his integrity, the Superior Person contents himself with

small gains that eventually lead to great accomplishment.

Supreme Success.

Have no doubts.

Seek guidance from someone you respect.

A constant move toward greater clarity will bring reward.

SITUATION ANALYSIS:

You are progressing, rising inch-by-inch toward certain success.

What makes this assured is your refusal to tilt headlong toward your goal, slamming into obstacles and going mad with frustration.

You have a clear map before you of the steps necessary to reach your objective.

With faithful patience and a careful conservation of personal energy and resources, you will run this long, slow distance.

Why I felt Great Here

2009-02-19T08:57:00.001-05:00

Jason is doing a contest on his blog site My Angle. The instructions are to find a picture of yourself where you felt amazing and then explain why. I believe this is an excellent idea; and really doesn't need to be a contest! But, here is my submission.

This is a photo of my family taken on Thanksgiving Day 2007.

This photo is important because at this time, we were all together and had finally made big strides towards healing and feeling like a complete family once again.

To explain, in August of 2001, my oldest son died. The unexpected tragedy and trauma scarred all of us in the family.

For me, I lost myself in work and gained weight for the first time in my life. My husband and I felt guilt over the uncontrollable and were at odds for some time. Our daughter, who was 2 years younger than her brother, lost herself in schoolwork, overachieving and losing weight.

Our middle son was 8 at the time and had idolized his older brother. He began to experience severe panic attacks whenever any of us were out of his sight. Our youngest was a only 4 at the time, and had the least immediate reaction.

It took us years to take our lives back one step at a time. I finally decided to make big strides in that regard in June of 2006. I left a job that was killing me and returned to my old lower-paying job, which I loved. I joined WW and lost 40 pounds. And, I began a running program. In this photo, I am about 2 weeks away from running my first 5K.

My daughter was home from college for a break and had learned to ease up on herself a bit. Our now oldest son, had worked very hard to overcome separation anxiety, and had made it to a point of not needing medication anymore. Our youngest son was a normal kid again. My husband and I had forgiven ourselves for things we could not begin to foresee or control, and were more solid than ever in our marriage.

This photo is so important to me because it shows an entire family that worked hard to become a family again.

The Marathon

2009-02-15T18:06:00.004-05:00

One phrase I never want to hear again as long as I live is this – “Keep going!!! You’re almost there!!!” I’ll admit I am challenged in many ways, but not when it comes to math. I know, for example, that when I pass the 16-mile mark, I have 10.2 miles left to go. And, that is in no way “almost there”.

But, to the marathon….

I was up at 3AM after not sleeping well at all. This turned out to give me plenty of time to eat a light breakfast, get ready, and get out of the house by 4:45. I was able to drive to the designated shuttle stop and catch a 5AM shuttle over to the starting area of the marathon.

The Runner’s Village was very nice. There were plenty of Port-a-potties and even port-a-sinks! There were tents with fruit, bagels, and water as well. And many bag check areas and First Aid areas. I could have just stayed there all day!

Anyway, at 6:45 they lined us up by color group and escorted us out to line up at the start. Jesse (who had decided yesterday to run the marathon) and I went back to the last group. The 6 and 7 hour pacers were there, along with many of my friends.

Weather this morning was overcast with misting rain. 62 degrees and 96% humidity. Waiting for the start

After a nice vocal rendition of our National Anthem, the cannon shot, and we were off. Well, sort of. It actually took us 4 min to get up to the Start Line. Even before we got that far, Pam already had led the Moonrunners out in front of the 6 hour pacers! She was up with the 5:30 pacer. I mentioned to her that the 6 hour pacer was far behind us. She said, “Oh, they’ll catch up”.

I turned to Jesse and said, “I can see where this is going; slow down.” Jayne was also there with us. TJ decided to stay with Pam. The 1st three miles were up and over the Intercostal bridge. This is a non-pedestrian bridge. So, I had never attempted to run it before. It is not a drawbridge, so it is quite high and steep. And, long. I ran these three miles at my ½ marathon pace of 13:30. By mile 3, I was tired. 4 weeks of not running had left me with a big loss of stamina. This was my first moment of the day wondering if I would be able to make the whole distance.

By mile 4, the rain stopped and the wind picked up. I could start to see blue sky through the breaks in the clouds. Ordinarily, I welcome any and all sunshine. Today, not so much.

At mile 5, we turned onto the beach and headed North for the next 3 miles. By then the wind had really picked up and was coming directly out of the North. So, we were running into the wind. It was a strong wind that was ferociously attacking us with sand. This felt like needles hitting us on all exposed skin. At mile 6, the half-marathoners turned off the Beach and headed back. Jayne had fallen behind us and decided to just do the half. Many others did the same. For those of us who pressed on, those three beach miles were tough.

At mile 8, we were back up on dry land, thankfully, and made the 1st port-a-potty stop of the day. I had at this point stopped caring about time. My only goal was to finish. By now all clouds were gone, and we were running in brilliant sunlight. And, it was getting warm.

At mile 11, the outside of my left knee began to hurt. ITB? Meniscus tear? Who knows? It was hurting. The knee brace helped some, as did slowing down even more. By the time I crossed the half-marathon timing pads, I was really wishing I had opted to run the half. My knee was yelling at me by this time.

At mile 15, my knee gave out. Really. It locked up as I ran, and almost took me down. But, I was not going to give up. I tightened the brace to numb my whole knee, and did a combination of running/walking/limping for the next 11.2 miles.

I had a meltdown from miles 18 to 21 where I wanted to quit with every fiber of my being. Also, by mile 21, my hands had swollen twice their normal size and my lower back was really hurting. I was afraid of possible kidney failure, so made another Port-a-potty stop. Everything was OK, but it took a while. More time lost.

At mile 22, I was heading for the bridge. Jesse had fallen back a bit; but, I had to keep going. They were already picking up people who were behind us and driving them over the bridge. I refused to become one of those people.

I started up the bridge and was on it for the next three miles. It was rough. I ran it anyway, and passed everyone who was still on the bridge at that time.
:-)

FINALLY, I rounded the corner and made it in. A little over 7 hours. And, honestly, considering injury, time off running, and illness, I am perfectly fine with that time.

Now, I have a cool medal and bragging rights. And, a really bad sunburn. Oh, and everything hurts. Overall, I am happy I did it. The jury’s out on whether I will ever do it again.

Proust Questionnaire

2009-02-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

This is a version of a famous questionnaire once asked of Marcel Proust, and is posted on La Moretta's blog.

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I can't answer this. Many things make me happy.

2. What is your greatest fear?
Alzheimer's.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Grudge holding.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Dishonesty.

5. Which living person do you most admire?
Donna Deegan (the 26.2 with Donna, Donna)

6. What is your greatest extravagance?
New running shoes, tech shirts, running skirts, Garmin...
I'll just call it "Running Paraphernalia".

7. What is your current state of mind?
OK ... just OK.

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I don't think any of the Virtues (and there are many lists of Virtues) are overrated. Most are underrated.

9. On what occasion do you lie?
In bed? Like lying down? Seriously, I make every attempt not to. I do not want to have to keep track of everything I've said.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I don't know.

11. Which living person do you most despise?
That's a tough one. I don't think I really despise anyone. I do, however, dislike the actions of a few people I know.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Fidelity.

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Fidelity.

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Seriously.

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Family.

16. When and where were you happiest?
I can't say. Not that I won't; I can't. There have been many happy occasions in my life.

17. Which talent would you most like to have?
To play the violin.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Run faster.

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Getting through another day. Just kidding. I really don't know.

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A sea creature.

21. Where would you most like to live?
At the beach ... so close to the Ocean to be misted with sea spray.

22. What is your most treasured possession?
My wedding ring. It's just a very simple gold band, but it means so much.

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Hopelessness.

24. What is your favorite occupation?
Does this mean "pastime"? If so, I have many: reading, running, playing with my children, laughing with my friends, etc.

25. What is your most marked characteristic?
Sarcasm laced with humor.

26. What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty.

27. Who are your favorite writers?
Sylvia Plath, William Faulkner, Jane Austen, Bronte sisters, Pat Conroy, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Philip K Dick, etc.

28. Who is your hero of fiction?
How about Science Fiction? Then it would be Spock.

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
This is something I have never thought about.

30. Who are your heroes in real life?
There are many. They give without thought of reciprocity.
I am continually humbled by them.

31. What are your favorite names?
Julia and Michael

32. What is it that you most dislike?
Cheating and lying.

33. What is your greatest regret?
That I said, "OK" to one trip to Atlanta.

34. How would you like to die?
In my sleep.

35. What is your motto?
I'm glad I got out before the roof fell in!

Almost there ...

2009-02-13T12:01:00.014-05:00

Finally, in spite of myself, I am starting to look forward to the marathon this Sunday.

Everything has been lining up against my looking forward to it:

Injury (ITB, lateral meniscus tear, Achilles tendon strain)

Illness (community acquired pneumonia)

Weather (warm with rain all day)

But, today is the first day of the Expo. That is exciting in itself.

As to the rest? I have a brace for my knee and antibiotics for the pneumonia.

The weather? I can't do anything about that. At least the rain will keep it cooler on the run.

And, I have friends who will be running as well. That will help keep me sane.

Countdown to the Marathon

2009-02-08T10:41:00.005-05:00

That is how I was originally feeling heading towards the marathon. I had anxiety over EVERYTHING concerning it.

I am a little better now. I am feeling more like this:

I still have anxiety, but it's melting. There are still 2 things causing me stress:

1. Can I really make it 26.2 miles?

2. Will my IT band take me down or let me finish?

Only time will tell on these two.

Finding Balance

2009-02-02T09:10:00.017-05:00

Not running for these past couple of weeks has made me painfully aware of something.

Running has taken over my life. At least the part of my life spent not working. It happened slowly and insidiously as the miles increased. And, as I transitioned from running alone into group running, it took over my social time as well.

"Not running" has made me really look at this, and evaluate just how big a part of my life I want running to be from this point forward.

I enjoy the friendships made through running and plan to keep them. But, there are other friendships (of the non-running kind) that I have put on hold for a while. I am re-establishing those now. I am meeting up with a group this week for dinner and a movie. We used to get together once a month. This past Fall, we only met once. Why? I was too busy.... running.

My family too has not had the best of me these past few months. The ever increasing long runs on Saturdays have left me too tired to do much of anything with them the rest of the weekend. And, the injuries have left me out of sorts.

I plan on continuing running for a long time to come. But, the focus is shifting. Running is not my life, just a part of it.

The Art of Not Running

2009-01-24T10:59:00.004-05:00

Or ... "Now What do I do on Saturday morning?"

I am not enjoying recovery at all.

I have learned this about myself - I have absolutely no patience with my own physical limitations.

I am counting the days until I can run again.

*big sigh*

Working out the pain

2009-01-19T22:21:00.006-05:00

Today I bit the bullet and went for an hour of bodywork (a.k.a. deep tissue massage).

It was both painful and a relief at the same time. Or as Sherri, my massage therapist, said it is a "good hurt".

Afterwards, I was amazed at how easily and painlessly I could walk.

So much tension was gone from my body that I went home and slept for a few hours. She warned me I would be sore later. I am.

But, the achiness is of the good healing kind.

The Last Long Run

2009-01-17T14:31:00.020-05:00

This morning's run was our last long run before the Marathon. It was 24 degrees when we got started on the Rail Trails. The Rail Trails are paved over railroad tracks which are in extreme NW Jacksonville. The whole trail runs from Jacksonville to Baldwin. It is really very rural. There are woods surrounding the trails in some places, and farmhouses also along the way. And a gun club.

We started before dawn in the extreme cold. There were very few runners present. Some had run the Disney Marathon last weekend and were not there due to that. Others? I guess the cold and distance (26 miles today) kept them in bed.

Coach Chris usually talks for a good 10 min before we start. This morning was so cold that he spoke very briefly. He only reminded us that a group of runners in Chicago training for our Marathon were taking off this morning in -7 degrees. Someone yelled, "they're idiots", and we were off.

I had already decided to run with Group 8 today. Due to ITB issues, I wanted to take it easy and run as far as I could. But, where were they? It turns out that just 4 of us showed up - Lauren, Nicki, Richanda, and me. No pace group leaders. But between the 4 of us, we had a Garmin and a watch so we set off.

It was cold, really, really cold. But, once we got moving it was just ... cold, really cold.

Around the 1 mile mark, a rooster crowed to signal the approach of Dawn. He was a bit early. We really didn't see much light until mile 4. When the sun finally came up (just light, no warmth really), we noticed that the ground off the trail was all white! Searching my memory banks to time spent in NC, I realized that the ground was covered with frost. Some in our group had never seen frost before. I'd like to never see it again.

I started having ITB friction pain at mile 2. I ignored it. At mile 10 we spotted a deer running through the woods. Also, by this point, my ITB was screaming at me. So, I changed things around and tried some ChiRunning. ChiRunning felt much better on my ITB. I guess the positional shift helped some. Soon we were at mile 13, our turn around point.

I continued the ChiRunning; but, the pain was increasing. At mile 15, we spotted a hunter in the woods. The pain was becoming unbearable, and I fleetingly thought of stopping; but put that thought away. After all, my walk minutes were still only a little painful.

But, after a few more miles, I could not walk on it anymore. I was done. TJ had quit at mile 17. She was having side stitch problems that wouldn't stop. Carol wasn't there. Her ITB started bothering her at the 23 mile run and she is in PT and out of the marathon.

So ... after Phil picked up TJ at 17, he picked me up. I could not stand on my left leg anymore. In addition to the ITB pain, I am also having Achilles tendon pain (also left leg). After sitting and recovering for an hour in ice wraps, I was ready to go home. I am disappointed that the longest distance I have run to date is 20 miles. I am also disappointed that I need to stop running completely for a minimum of 2 weeks.

Here is the really frustrating part ... mentally, cardio-vascularly, and everything else ... I felt good on that run. I could have made the whole 26 miles IF my stupid ITB hadn't derailed me. This just sucks.

I have been advised to consider not running at all until the marathon.

I have 2 weeks to think about it.

Speedwork

2009-01-10T17:42:00.002-05:00

Rocks!!!

I was supposed to run 6 miles this morning with my group. The run site is about 40 min from my house. I got up this morning with every intention of going until I turned on the Weather Channel and heard that the temp was 37° with windchill in the low 30's. So ... I rationalized that I could run 6 miles on my own in the afternoon.

Of course, left to my own devices, I decided to change it up a bit and opted for some speedwork instead.

I ran 1 mile repeats at my 5K pace with .25 mile walks in between. I was able to get in 3 sets of this before the sun went down.

It felt great! And, the best part is that my IT band did not hurt at all.

Cross-training revisited

2009-01-06T21:30:00.014-05:00

Cross-training is something I have done consistently since I started running 19 months ago.

Always 3 days a week. Always. Until my ill-fated 18 mile run back in November. After that I went into "recovery mode". All I could think about was running and how I couldn't do as much of it as I'd like. AND, I stopped doing everything else.

I completely forgot about cross-training.

Well, last night I started back with it again. I pulled out one of my old DVDs, Sexy Arms with Dave Sinclair. Admittedly, Sinclair is kind of a big doofus; routinely interjecting phrases such as "Right On!" into the workout. But, the workout is sound and easy to follow. After I completed it, I felt pretty good.

And, I slept well. Better than I have in a long time.

Cross-training is now back as a part of my regular routine.

Maybe tomorrow I'll pull out one of my Neena & Veena DVDs.

1st Run of the New Year!!!

2009-01-03T10:42:00.005-05:00

This morning's group run was 8 miles at the Beach. We ran at one of my favorite places to run - Atlantic Beach. At the start of the run it was 53°, 97% humidity, dewpoint of 53. So, yes, there was fog.

Fog at the Beach is heavy and beautiful. It quiets and calms. Well, that's the effect it has on me anyway.

Today was an unusual run. It was the annual "scavenger hunt" run. We collected assigned items (e.g., best lawn ornaments) with a camera. It was a bit goofy, but fun.

Group 8 - Marathoners and Half-Marathoners

Personally, the run was good. I did have some ITB friction pain, but not enough to stop me. It started at about mile 3 - nagging and annoying. I ran through it.
At around mile 6, I raced ahead of the Group so I could turn and take a photo of them running towards me through the fog.

OK, that hurt and probably wasn't very smart. But, the photo was good!!!

I made it the full 8 miles. I am very happy about that. I hope that means this is healing, because I want many more runs like this.

A few Scavenger Hunt photos with the clues beneath:

"Our Gracious Host"

"Runners' favorite Pit Stop" - Thanks, Miles!

"A Symbol of what we are running for"

The woods are lovely ...

2008-12-27T22:39:00.005-05:00

... dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep. ~ Robert Frost

We started out this morning at 6AM on the Rail Trails into the woods. It was dark with a heavy wet fog. The fog was so dense that we were all damp before running the first step. Visibility was no more than a couple of feet. So we ran into a deep dark foggy morning unable to see where we were going or where we had been.

As the sun rose, the fog lingered leaving water droplets clinging to spider webs in the trees.

Two things I learned from this morning's run:

1). I am not a long distance runner. If I make it to and through this marathon, I will not run another. The half marathon will be my longest distance from then on.

2). The ITB compression wrap does not work. I need serious rest and recovery ... starting now.

Jacksonville Bank Half Marathon

2008-12-21T17:29:00.004-05:00

This is a training run. This is a training run. This is a training run.

I kept repeating that to myself before the race. I still started out too fast. The 1st 3 miles were too fast. It was humid and warm. I knew when the sun came up it would be humid and hot. I wanted to be done before that happened.

I realized that wasn't going to happen, and I slowed down.

The run went OK until about mile 8. Jesse's knee was bothering him some. We slowed down some more.

By mile 11, my ITB started to ache; and, the heat was getting hard to deal with. I wanted to be done. Forever.

At about 12.6 miles the course took off across an open field and then off into the woods. It became a true Cross Country course - deep sand, rocks, branches, all things cross country. All I could think I that point was, "I can't run this - I don't have my trail runners on."

We came out of the woods to finish on the track.

This half marathon was not that much fun.

I'm glad it's over.

A short, cold run

2008-12-13T16:34:00.006-05:00

This morning's run was only 7 miles. The half-marathoners in our group ran farther (9 miles) than we did. It was a COLD run! It was 32° this morning with a windchill of 30. I couldn't even feel my feet for most of the run.

Our head coach, Chris, and his 10 year-old son ran with us today. The run was by the River and across 2 bridges. Chris kept our usually fast Group 7 on pace.

After resting, stretching, icing, and rolling my IT band this week, I did not expect any problems with it. I was wrong. At about mile 4, it started to hurt. When we finished the 7 miles, it was really hurting. I am hoping that part of the problem is the cold weather.

We'll see.

Yes, that is the moon. It was up when we started running. The rest of the city was still asleep.

ITBS

2008-12-12T14:42:00.004-05:00

ITBS (or iliotibial band syndrome) is bringing me down. This is one pain that I just can't run on. Well, that's not true. I have run with it. But, not for too long or too many miles. It kicked in at about mile 8 of my 20 mile run. I made to mile 15 before I felt like screaming. I did make it the full 20 miles ... slowly and painfully.

I went in search of a cure. A miracle drug or brace to take the pain away. I thought I had found it - something called an ITB compression wrap. I was advised against it. Something about how it really doesn't work.

So I bought an innocent looking white foam roller.

Rolling an ITB hurts. A lot. It better be working.

Sometimes races don't go so well ...

2008-12-08T20:54:00.000-05:00

Festival of Lights 5K – 12/07/08

Tonight was an annual 5K and 1 mile fun run that is usually a very fun family event. It was the 1st 5K I ran in last year. I ran it then with my older son. My husband ran the 1 mile with our younger son. The races are run after dark. Luminaries line the race course, Christmas music plays throughout, and the runners all have jingle bells tied to their shoes. It is really a fun night.

Not this year.

This year the boys decided not to run. Jesse and I signed up to run the 5K together. But, due to the 20 miler yesterday, I opted not to run and just rest my ITB for a few days. I went with Jesse to the race to cheer him and the other runners on.Things seemed more chaotic before the race this year than last year.

1st of all, I think the number of runners had easily doubled from last year with many trying to register at the race site. They were just not prepared for that many people.

Secondly, they started the first race (1 mile fun run) at 5:30 BEFORE any paramedics had arrived. True, it's a 1 mile run and usually nothing happens at those... especially when the temp is in the low 40's. Then there was tonight.

Jesse and I stood at the finish line area to cheer in the kids running the one miler. The 1st runner came in right at 6:30 min. He looked to be about 7 or 8 years old. WTG!!! Then a few more kids. Then at around 8 min a Dad (early to mid 40's) came in running with his 2 kids.

More kids coming in. The Dad and kids walked out of the finish area where the Dad collapsed. Apparent heart attack. No paramedics! The ambulance showed up a FULL 5 min later then couldn't get through the crowd. Just too many people. They had to leave the ambulance on the other side of the finish line, take the stretcher out of it, run through the finish line past runners still coming in, then through the crowds of people who wouldn't move for anything (because they are trying to take pictures of THEIR kids, you know) to get to the poor guy. I have no idea whether he made it or not. I hope so.

It was such a nightmare, I thought they might call the race. Nope. The 5K started at about 6:15. I stayed at the finish line to cheer Jesse in. The 1st runners came in a little over 15 min. Then, a weird thing started happening. Runners would cross the finish line then stop. Just stop. Some would bend over and mess with their timing chips; some just turned around to look for their friends. As more and more runners came in, the crowd started backing up before the finish line! By the 28 min time, runners were having trouble running across the finish line. It was ridiculous!

FINALLY, the race coordinator got on a microphone and started yelling at everyone to keep moving and clear the finish line area. By then it was too late. It was backed up way before the finish line. Jesse said someone shoved him from behind trying to get past him to the finish. What was the point of that? He couldn't move either. His gun time was 38:32. But, that means nothing. He was standing still watching the time go up and not moving.

Really, it wasn't like this last year. I am glad I didn't run it.

20 miles!!!

2008-12-06T18:31:00.004-05:00

This morning's run was a 20 mile run out on the "Rail Trails". After the 18 mile run where I basically fell apart, I was NOT looking forward to it.
At. All.

The Rail Trails are a good 45 min from my house. That meant leaving by 5AM for a 6AM run. Which meant getting up around 3:30 to eat and get ready to go.

This morning it was 52 degrees, 93% humidity in fog and light rain. The temp and humidity remained constant throughout the run. The rain slowed to an intermittent misting under an overcast sky. At 6:00 for the start of the run, it was dark, really dark.

Both Group 7 pace leaders were there today along with 24 others of us in Group 7. My friend, TJ, and I had decided that we were not going to repeat the 18 mile fiasco. TJ had completed the 18 mile run with the group, but had felt so bad after that she was ready to quit the marathon training altogether. Last week's 7 mile run at the correct pace convinced her to stay with it. So, we told one of the pace leaders that we would be sticking to the correct pace regardless of what they did.

And we did.

Running the correct pace kept me from dehydrating and getting overly tired. The only difficulty I had today was ITB related. The outside of my left knee started hurting around mile 8. I ignored it and kept going. At mile 15, it was pretty intense pain. So, I walked about a quarter of a mile. While walking, my knee felt fine. Once I started running again, the pain came back immediately. I knew then it was ITB. But, I decided to keep going, pain or not.

I finished the 20 miles. Yes, it hurt physically. But, mentally, it felt great!

Just 7 miles ...

2008-11-29T15:25:00.004-05:00

This morning's training run:

The 7 mile run was supposed to start at 7AM. Due to the Holiday, only about half the Group was there this morning. And, neither of the Group 7 pace leaders showed up. Chris had planned on running with Group 7 this week anyway, and now became the default pace leader.

We had gone about 1 mile when one of the women in the group said, "this pace seems really slow." Then Chris explained that no, the pace was NOT slow. It was the correct LD training pace for Group 7. Peeps were truly amazed. Everyone was saying things like, "Are you sure? We always run faster than this!" Chris then stated that the reason he was running with Group 7 was that he had been hearing over and over that this group was not running at the correct pace. He wanted to put a stop to the racing, and get the group back on track.

When we stopped for a water break, he told everyone to stop their watches. One VERY argumentative woman said, "No. We have to include all our breaks in our total time." Chris told us all that the breaks should NOT be included in the pace in a training run. She argued about it for awhile. She finally ended up saying that she was not going to do it this way. The other way was better and how was she going to get faster if she didn't run faster? He then explained about doing speed-work during the week; NOT during the weekend long runs. He even detailed a really nice speed workout which I will try on Monday. She was still visibly annoyed.

As we ran on, everyone was talking and enjoying the run more than this group ever has. At mile 4.5, I noticed that argumentative woman had disappeared. I told Chris she was missing. No one had seen her leave, and she hadn't said anything to anyone. So Chris told us to keep going at the correct pace, and he ran off to find her. After he left, all of us there were talking about how much better the run felt today. No one was tired at all. No one was pushing. Peeps were really surprised that running could feel this good.

Chris caught back up with us at about mile 5.5. He had not found her. We could only assume that she had taken off to catch up and run with Group 6. Or had just gone home mad. So, we ran on. It was a really really good 7 miles. The whole group really enjoyed it. The pity is that nether pace group leader was there. Also, other than that one woman, none of the really bad pace pushers was there either. So, I do not anticipate that anything in that Group will change. I won't be running with them for the 20 miler. No way.

And, I did ask Chris what he thought about my running the Half marathon on 12/21 and then 23 mile training run on 12/27. He said it should be fine as long as I run the half marathon at my training pace. He told me that I should not, under any circumstances, try to race it. I had a real deja vu moment when he said that. I had just asked Coach Ken the same question the day before, and had received the same answer.

I was hoping for a different one.

A Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-27T19:21:00.020-05:00

Today was the Outback Distance Classic 1/2 Marathon. There were 3 races this morning. The half-marathon and a 6K which were to start together at 8:00, then split apart at mile one. And a one-mile "Joey" fun run at 8:05. Starting weather - 41 degrees, 71% humidity. Ending weather - 62 degrees, 42% humidity. Clear blue skies and brilliant sun throughout the race.

Jesse and me before the run.

Several people from my marathon training group arranged to meet up at 7:20 near the Port-a-Potties. Jesse was running with me; and we arrived at 7:16 and got in the Port-a-Potty line. It was a seriously bad situation. There were far too few potties for the thousands of people there this morning. We were in line for over 20 min; and the line stretched out forever behind us. Really bad planning.

Anyway, we met up with my friends and made our way over to the starting line. Jayne was nowhere to be seen. Just before the gun went off, we spotted Jayne through the crowd. She made her way over to join the rest of us. Patricia, pace group 8 leader, said that this run should be for fun, not time. I told her that I only had one time goal - to finish in under 3 hours. My official time at the Marine Corps half-marathon was 3:02:47.

Lauren: "I believe we could do this in 2:45."
Me: "You think so?"
Jayne: "Lauren, you are giving alcohol to an alcoholic here. Stop it before Linda pulls out her shot glass."

The Gun. We can't move. There are so many people crowded together, that forward motion is impossible. But, this race is chip timed, so we don't really care. Finally we cross the starting mats; and I start my Garmin. I notice we are almost 2 min behind the gun time.

The beginning of the race is the usual crowded mess of walkers and strollers who started out too far up front. We try to maneuver around them. And then, suddenly there is yelling coming from behind us. People are shouting, "get out of the way!" What? There is a group of bicycle riders out on a morning training run who made, let's assume, a logistical error and were riding right through the start of the race. They rode over the starting mats and were attempting to blast through over 2000 runners! Ridiculous.

Finally, we get to the mile one marker where the 6K runners turn right; and, we turn left. A collective sigh of relief as the crowd thins out. The 1st water table comes in view at 1.5 miles. During the Marine Corps half marathon, I became dehydrated. So, for this race, I was determined to grab a cup of water every water station on the route. And, I did here. There were also a few Port-a-potties here. Several in our group who did not stand in the long lines earlier, stopped. Jesse and I ran on.

Nearing mile 2, Jesse's knee started bothering him and he had to stop and stretch a little. I was worried that we may have to stop the race right there; but, he said he was fine and wanted to continue. Our group had fallen behind us a bit. I chose a pace of 13:30 for us; and we went on without them.

Somewhere between Miles 3 and 4

Nearing mile 4, we spotted a sign at the corner of a yard which read, "Run Linda! Go Jesse!" Then, I remembered we were passing by my work partner's house. He and his wife were out in their driveway. We stopped to say hello; and they gave us Gatorade and wished us well. Very nice!!!

Miles 5 through 9 were uneventful. Just 4 miles of cool running on a beautiful morning. At mile 10, I heard Jesse talking to himself. He was saying, "Stay loose, Jesse, stay loose." I asked if he was OK and if he needed to stop. He said he wanted to keep going. At mile 11, he said that his calves were cramping. We slowed down a bit for the next mile so he could loosen up a little. Mile 10

Then, all of a sudden we were passing the 13 mile marker and headed for the finish line! The clock had just turned to 2:59 as we got up close to the line. We kicked it a little just so that both our gun and chip times would be under 3 hours!!! WE DID IT!!!

After we got our finisher medals and some water, we went back to the finish line to cheer on the rest of our friends as they came in. Everyone fininshed smiling and uninjured! It was a great run, and a great start to the day!

Our stats this morning:

Mile ..................... Time
1 ......................... 13:55
2 ......................... 13:58
3 ......................... 12:59
4 ......................... 13:33
5 ......................... 13:12
6 ......................... 13:26
7 ......................... 13:12
8 ......................... 13:41
9 ......................... 13:29
10 ....................... 13:48
11 ....................... 13:36
12 ....................... 13:49
13 ....................... 13:31
0.13 ..................... 1:22

Total time(Garmin) . 2:57:38
Average pace ........ 13:28 min/mile

Official Time .......... 2:57:36

Thoughts on a short run

2008-11-22T19:42:00.006-05:00

This morning's run was really my 1st experience with cold-weather running. The temperature was 31 degrees (that's F, not C) when we started, with a wind chill of 24!!!! For me, it was cold; really cold. And, it was windy too. OK, enough of that.

In spite of the cold, the run itself was good!!! It was 6.26 miles - starting at our usual place on the North Riverwalk. I ran with pace Group 8. The pace was well controlled. That was good, because at the beginning I could not even feel my feet. Too cold. When we went over the 1st bridge and the wind hit - YIKES!!!

By about mile 4, I felt warm even though the temp was only ~36 at this point. I was comfortable in just a short sleeve shirt + gloves. The gloves were a life-saver this morning. Learning how to dress for running in this weather will take some work.

Back to the run ...
6 miles is really a short distance and it seemed that in no time we were running back over the river (across my nemesis bridge - the Acosta), and back to where we started. Our average pace for 6.26 miles was 14:48min/mile. It was a very comfortable run. I enjoyed it. This is how running is supposed to feel, in my humble opinion.

After the run, I started thinking about that pace. There were about 8 of us running with pace Group 8 who should really be running in pace Group 7. We stopped running with Group 7 because they have not been running at the correct pace (14.5 - 15 min/mile). This morning we ran at that pace, and kept it there. But, in doing that we pushed the pace of Group 8. They should be running at 15.5 - 16 min/mile.

One man in our group suggested that we should start our own pace group (Group 7.5?) because he felt that no matter what, Group 7 would not slow down. I think this may be the best idea. Not just because Group 7 won't slow down, but also because we may be hurting other runners in Group 8 by running too fast for them.

It is really obvious to me now that we need to get this pace issue under control; and quickly.

Almost 18 miles (11/15/08)

2008-11-16T16:01:00.006-05:00

In retrospect, I have to say this was a day of mistakes that ended badly.

To begin ....

This morning's run was scheduled to begin at 7:00. When I arrived at the starting site at 6:40, it was 72 degrees, 91% humidity, with light rain. Peeps were gathering and talking about an email our head coach had sent to all the pace group leaders this week. I had not seen it; but, apparently, the head coach came down VERY hard on all the group leaders about following the correct pace. He had heard some complaints during the week about paces being pushed too fast last Saturday.

Anyway, I went over to my assigned pace group to sign in (I am on their roster). The pace group leader was there talking about how today's run would be run at exactly 15 min/mile; no faster. Then the head coach spoke to all of us before we got started and said that he had emailed all the pace group leaders during the week and told each group what their pace needed to be. He went on to say that everyone should feel comfortable running in their correct group.

Mistake #1 - After the assurances, I decided to run with my assigned group. Yes, this is the group that pushed the pace too hard last Saturday.

This morning's route was a bridges run (3 bridges) early on bringing us back to our starting point at mile 5. There we would drop off the half-marathoners, then continue on for another 13. I rationalized that IF my group could not stick to the pace for the 1st 5 miles, I could ditch them at mile 5 and drop back to a slower group. Oh, and as we started, the light rain became a pouring rain.

First 5 miles:
1 ..........14:21 (not bad!)
2 ..........12:37 (here we go again)
3 ..........14:28 (this INCLUDES a 2 min water stop because the leaders of this group believe all stops are figured into the TOTAL pace. So, actual pace was 12:28)
4 ..........14:44 (yay!)
5 ..........13:46 (whatever)

At this point we were back at the parking lot to drop off the half marathoners. I looked for the slower pace group; but, they were nowhere to be seen.

Mistake #2 - I stayed with my assigned group.

6 ........15:03 (2 min in parking lot to drop off peeps and get water - actual pace 13:03)
7 ........14:13
8 ........16:57 (potty stop for many in the group - didn't stop the time; and, I don't know the actual pace here)
9 ........15:29 (I made a port-a-potty stop; kept watch running)

Mistake #3 - I ran hard to catch up with the group after the potty stop. Too hard. I am not discussing the pace.

By now the rain had ended, the sun was out strong, and the temp had soared into the 80's.

10 .......15:01 (water stop of 1 min - actual pace 14:01)
11 .......14:30
12 .......14:19 (at this point I was feeling light-headed, dizzy, and DONE)
13 .......14:39 ( a really weird thing happened - I started getting chills and actual goosebumps when I was in direct sun)

Mistake #4 - I KNEW that this was an early sign of heat exhaustion. I KNEW I should stop. But, I talked myself out of it and kept running.

14 .......16:18 (2 min water stop; actual pace 14:18)
15 .......15:29 (I was really done at this point - chills were worse, and my hands were swelling)

Mistake #5 - I kept running

16 .......15:00
17 ....... complete crash.

And that was it. One of my pace group leaders called for someone to come get me. I even let peeps pour ice water on me. I was feeling that bad.

I was feeling worse that I couldn't make it the last mile. Phil (former Marine Sargent, now a police officer and pace group leader of group 1) picked me up in his police car which was cool. And he told me about last year when he had the same thing happen to him on the 23 mile run. He said he made it 17 miles and that was it. That made me feel a little better.

This was my first experience with heat exhaustion. And, hopefully my last. The rest of the day was boring - hydration, ice packs, etc. Oh yeah ... the hand swelling thing? My kidneys had shut down.

BUT, now everything is back to normal (body temp, kidney function, etc). And, I still feel really bad about not making it that last mile.

Pushing the Pace ...

2008-11-08T11:23:00.002-05:00

...hurts!!!!

It really does. This morning's run was proof of that. We were running just 8 miles this morning. I was running with the pace group I am supposed to be in. Our long distance pace should be between 14 - 15 min/mile. This is a training pace designed to keep us injury and exhaustion free.

This morning's numbers were like this:
Mile .................... Time
1 ........................13:03
2 ........................13:07
3 ........................12:55
4 ........................13:37
5 ........................13:29
6 ........................13:19
7 ........................13:22
8 ........................13:11

All those miles were run too fast! And now, I am hurting - right ITB, right hamstrings, right piriformis muscle.

But, what is worse than the injuries is that I am feeling tired and annoyed. Usually after a run, any run, I feel emotionally satisfied. Not today. Today I feel drained.

Next Saturday is 18 miles. I am not looking forward to it with this group.

16 mile run - October 25

2008-10-30T13:24:00.002-04:00

After the Marine Corps half marathon, I was hurting. Big time. It left me questioning my sanity in pursuing a marathon. My running for the 2 weeks after that was something like this – complete rest for the week immediately following the half marathon. On Saturday, Oct 11, my group ran 14 miles. Those of us who had run the MC half, only ran 7. I was glad of that. I could handle 7; that’s all. Then, I ran an easy 2 miles on Sunday, the 12th. Well, it “should” have been easy; it wasn’t. My legs were still tired and everything hurt. I ran an easy 3 at my half-marathon race pace on Wednesday, the 15th. That one felt OK. Then a 5K walk/run in DC on October 18 with friends. That 5K was really all about being with friends. It had very little to do with actual running.

By the time Tuesday, the 21st came around, I was in a mild panic thinking about running 16 miles on the 25th. I did not at all feel ready for it in any way. I knew how I felt after the half, and how long the recovery had been. No way would I be able to handle 16 miles. Coach Ken stepped in to say, “you can do this, no problem”. I really did not believe it. I did run a good 6 miles that evening, which helped with the anxiety. I still wasn't sure about adding 10 more to that.

Then a car accident on Wednesday, the 22nd, seemed to seal it for me. I had some minor injuries. There is no way I should run 16 miles. But, interestingly, the car accident had the opposite affect. As soon as those around me, including Ken, started saying, “don’t run”, I became more determined TO run 16 miles.

Saturday morning, it was (pre-dawn) 73 degrees and 100% humidity. You read that right, 100% humidity! It was heavily overcast with occasional misting rain. I decided to run with the slower of my 2 groups. ALL of my marathon training friends were there this morning, too. Before we got started, Chris (head coach) said a few words, “Today you’ll be running 16 miles which will be more than many of you have ever run. When you get back here at the end of that, just think to yourselves, ‘Only 10 more to go’!”

Jayne was not feeling up to par, and started getting worn out around mile 7. Also, about that time a disturbing thing happened. One of the women in our group saw a political sign is someone’s yard which she disagreed with. She ran right over, yanked it out of the yard and threw it in a dumpster to the cheers of a few others in the group. Personally, I didn’t agree with what the sign said either. But, I disagreed more with her throwing it away. That sign represented the home owner’s freedom of speech.

Other than that, the run went very well for me. I kept waiting to hit a wall; but, never did! I felt tired at mile 14 when starting up the Main Street Bridge. But, I was up and over it fairly quickly. It wasn’t a problem at all. Anyway ... It was a good run!!! No ... it was a GREAT run!!! I stayed hydrated and fueled. It was a huge psychological barrier to break through. And, it was actually fun!

Marine Corps Half Marathon - 10/04/08

2008-10-05T10:11:00.005-04:00

Starting a good week or so before this race, I began to panic every time I thought about it. I was still having ITB issues (i.e. pain) and was really beginning to doubt if I could do this at all. My friend, Jayne, was going to be running with me and that calmed me down considerably. She had run a marathon last year, and is excellent at keeping a steady pace.

I told her my goals for this race:
1. Finish
2. Finish running without further injury
3. Finish in under 3 hours, if possible

As the race day got closer, both #2 and #3 looked out of reach. So, going in, I was looking at #1 only.

It was a great morning! The humidity was high (95%), but the temperature was low (60º). We arrived at the race site before dawn to pick up our timing chips. We ran into quite a few people we knew from our Saturday morning training group. There was a Navy band playing, and Marines and ROTC everywhere. We all lined up behind the starting line as dawn broke over the city. Then the Marine Color Guard came forward and the Navy Band played our National Anthem.

When the cannon went off, I attempted my normal scared rabbit bolt to the start. Jayne had me WALK with her to the start line, then run. She had figured out paces for each mile to achieve all 3 of my goals. Her goal was only to finish uninjured. She truly does not care about time.

Early on, we ran past the Maxwell House plant here in town. They were roasting the beans this morning, and the delicious aroma of fresh brewed coffee filled the downtown area. This is one of the things I have always loved about Jacksonville, and one of my earliest childhood memories – the smell of roasting coffee early in the morning. I still love that.

This morning’s run was 2 races: a 5K and a ½ marathon. Both groups started out together. Then at about 1.5 miles, the half-marathoners turned to run over a bridge, while the 5K’ers ran straight ahead. Running the 5K was a group of Marines in full fatigues who were singing the whole way. Jayne and I ran with them to our turn off point. That was fun!

Jayne, Me, and TJ near the turn-off point

I have to admit here that it was annoying watching peeps bolt past us early on. But, I let it go. I wanted to finish this race, not burn out. We went up and over 2 bridges (Main Street and the dreaded Acosta) - no problem at all! Then down through neighborhoods along the River. The sun was now up and the temperature was rapidly increasing towards the 80’s. At about mile 5.5, we started passing peeps who were now walking. That was cool. At mile 9, we passed a few more who had taken off fast earlier that morning. I never saw them again. I don't know if they finished or not. I hope so.

Then came mile 9.66 - I felt my first wave of fatigue. And, more surprisingly, dizziness and nausea. That was really strange. And, my right leg went from an annoying mild pain to a nagging moderate pain. And, I started feeling compensation pain in my lower back. Crud.

But, I kept on going until mile 11, where I just wanted to quit with every fiber of my being. Soon after that point, our course took us up and over a pedestrian bridge. Uggh! By mile 12.5, I was close to having a complete meltdown. Seriously. I was dizzy, light-headed, nauseated, and my heart was racing (new symptom). And, my right leg was now at an excruciating pain level. I. Was. Done.

I do not know how I actually finished (and ran through the finish line, no less). Looking back, I do know now that a big part of my problem was simple dehydration. After the race, I inhaled a liter of water and started feeling much better. I have to learn how to manage water intake better. I realize now that I only took a cup of water at one of the stations (mile 10) - and most of that ended up on my shirt.

Anyway, it's done and I am happy with it. Below is an email from Jayne who kept all our stats. It is easy to tell by the times where I lost it.

"Hi Linda,

I hope you are feeling well. I enjoyed running with you today!

Mile Proposed Pace Actual Pace
1 ….. 15 ........ .13:44
2 ….. 15 …….......13:33
3 …… 14.5 ……....13:52
4 ….. 14 …….......13:18
5 ….. 13.5 ……....13:46
6 ….. 13 …….......13:53
7 ….. 13 …….......13:16
8 ….. 13 …….......13:46
9 ….. 13 …….......14:03
10 …. 13 …….......13:46
11 …. 13 …….......14:22
12 …. 13.5 ……....15:19
13 …. 14 …….......14:43
0.1 …. 1.4 …….....1.11
--- ---- -------
13.1...178.9 min. 182:40 min.

Our standard training pace for this distance would be 13.1 x 15:30 = 203:03 minutes, so we ran a good race...well done!

See you soon,

Jayne"

This is a place I didn’t think I would ever get to. A year ago, I was worried about being able to complete a 5K. Many, many people along the way have helped me get here. They must be mentioned. There is my family who has always supported me (even when questioning my sanity). And friends. Many friends. In particular, there is Michele, who ran a marathon a little over a year ago, and inspired me to even attempt this. There is Ken, an excellent marathon runner and coach, who took the time to design an 18-week training schedule for me and has always patiently answered all of my questions and concerns. There is my Saturday morning marathon training group. We all have shared our mistakes and successes each Saturday morning as we have increased our mileage together. And there is Jayne, my friend for many many years. We had lost touch a few years ago and then literally ran back into each other while crossing the Main Street bridge during the River Run last March. We’ve been running together ever since.

On the way back to the car after the race, Jayne said, “In a few months, you will be running double of what you did today. Can you imagine that?”

Honestly? No, I cannot begin to imagine that.

12 miles!

2008-09-27T20:19:00.001-04:00

This morning's run was on Amelia Island (Fernandina Beach) which is about an hour's drive north of Jacksonville. That meant getting up at 3:00 this morning to meet up with my carpool group at 4:30.

It was COLD* this morning!!! The first part of the run was into Fort Clinch State Park. It is heavily forested and, at that time of the morning (pre-dawn), it was darker than dark. Really, it was completely dark. Fortunately, 2 runners in our group had flashlights so we could see a little of the road before us. I was feeling good; really good. And, I was pushing the pace a bit. I got the hook though, and was threatened with being kicked back up to my assigned pace group if I didn't settle down. So, I settled down.

By mile 5, it was light enough to see everything. We ran down a boardwalk to the beach and took a group photo. Then we started back out of the park. On our way out, one of the women in our group screamed and stopped running completely. She was staring up at the trees and pointing. I was expecting to see someone hanging there, by her reaction. What we saw instead were hundreds of HUGE spider webs extending down to just above our heads. Each web had a very large banana spider in the center (think: Harry Potter "Chamber of Secrets" on spider size). We had been running under them for the past 5 miles, so no big deal to MOST of us. A few needed major convincing to continue the run, however. It actually took one of us saying, "Well, we're going. You can stay here with the spiders or run on out of here with us," to get everyone moving again. In all, we covered a little over 7 miles in the park.

After Fort Clinch, we turned and ran towards town. The sun was well up, and it was a beautiful morning! I did not start feeling any fatigue until 9.7 miles. Then, I just felt somewhat tired. I was still OK until mile 11. That is where I hit the wall today. From there on, it was tough, no lie. Just as I hit the wall, my friend, Jayne asked,"Hey Linda, what's 16 squared?"
"What?"
"You know, 16 x 16?"
"256"
"OK, thanks. Wait, I meant 16 x 12"
"Sorry, only 1 math problem per morning."
"Dang it." With that she pulled out a calculator and a course map, and started some sort of odd calculations - all while running! This kept me entertained until mile 12. The run should have ended there, but didn't.

And the run was actually 12.3 miles. I do believe that very last 0.3 mile was the toughest of all. The psychological part can be every bit as tough as the physical sometimes.

Now, I am tired and a bit achy. But, overall, I feel really good. And, I feel like I CAN run the half-marathon next Saturday. After all, it will be only 0.8 of a mile farther than I ran today. And, I have convinced Jayne to run it with me.

It's all good. Really good.

Group photo at Mile 6
*Relatively speaking, about 65 degrees - cold for all of us

Milestones

2008-09-26T11:30:00.000-04:00

Saturday, September 13, was my longest run ever at 10 miles. We met before dawn down by the River. It was already 85 degrees and 95% humidity BEFORE sunrise. And, my left brain was telling me, "you should have stayed in bed".

Soon after we started, our course took us up and over the 1st of 2 bridges on that day’s run. This bridge is a tough one. It is quite steep, resulting in a hard uphill run and a tendency to run the downhill too fast. This bridge and I have met before. I have burned out by running the downhill side too fast on more than one occasion. So this time I stayed back in the middle of the group so I would have others between me and a reckless run. That strategy worked.

After the bridge, our run took us through one of the nicer, older neighborhoods by the river. As we started through the neighborhood, at about 1.8 miles, I had my first, "I can't do this" moment. I realized we had over 8 miles left to go, and it just felt impossible. I talked myself out of that by remembering I had just run 8 miles the previous Saturday. And, I kept going.

Miles 2 - 6 were fine. The good thing about running in a group is that people talk. The talking is a welcome distraction from ... well ... running. That morning the talk was mostly about home improvement. There is an unspoken rule that any political discussion is forbidden. For that, I am extremely grateful. But, despite the friendly banter, at about mile 7, I started to feel tired. And I got my 2nd, "stop running" message from the annoying part of my brain. I fought through it to mile 8.

Then, at mile 8 I hit a wall and the base of the 2nd bridge all at the same time. I still don't know how I made it over that bridge. My calf muscles were screaming all the way up; my quads were yelling on the way down. From that point on, I was running on will-power alone. But, I did it. The whole 10 miles.

And, coming up this Saturday, September 27, will be a 12–mile run. A new milestone.

What keeps me going ...

2008-09-07T08:35:00.000-04:00

There are days when the running is wonderful in spite of everything. Last Thursday evening was one of those runs. It was hot and humid and my IT Band was still hurting. But, I had a great run. It was one of those stress-releasing, good for the soul runs that left me smiling into the next day.

And yesterday's run was good as well. We met at the beach before dawn and saw the sun rise over the ocean as we put in our 8 miles. It was beautiful. The camaraderie was excellent also.

So, those good runs along with support of friends and family keep me going through the tough times.

But, what really keeps me going is why I am training for this marathon in the 1st place.

It is for those who have fought cancer and survived. Donna Deegan is there with us every Saturday morning. Her spirit and courage inspire me to keep going.

And, it is for those who have fought cancer and died. John TenBroeck was there with us every Saturday morning until the end. That end came Friday, September 5, 2008. It was the physical end of his life, and many of us will miss him deeply. But, the things he set in motion such as founding the Jacksonville Track Club (now JTC Running) years ago, will keep area runners running for years to come.

Things that slow me down ...

2008-09-01T16:41:00.000-04:00

One of the things I really don't need in my training is something beyond my control slowing me down.

In the middle of August, it was an upper respiratory infection. I had NO energy at all. I still attempted to get my mileage in with varying degrees of success.

Just as I was recovering, Tropical Storm Fay hit town and flooded everything. Trees and power lines were down. Streets were flooded. There were even reports of alligators and snakes in the flooded streets. My group run was cancelled, as was a race I had signed up for. I did make it out for a run on Saturday, August 23. It was pouring down rain and gusty winds. I made it 7.33 miles before giving up.

And now, I am having and ITB flare-up. I ran through it (7 miles) with my group on Saturday; and 5 miles this morning. It was excruciating.

I have learned that running is cyclical. Some days (weeks?) are just hard; others are wonderfully easy. I know that right now I am in a tough cycle. I just have to wait it out and keep running.

Getting Started

2008-08-27T15:29:00.001-04:00

I used to run in Middle school and High school as a sprinter. The longest distance I ever ran was 400m; and, that was under duress! So how did I end up training for a marathon?

In the Summer of 2007, I decided to start running again. I really had not run at all since High school, which was a few years ago. I started back using the Couch to 5K program (C25K). I enjoyed the program; completed it, and ran my 1st 5K in December 2007. That was the LONGEST distance I had ever run in my entire life. It was exhausting and fun. And, I knew I wanted to run more.

I ran the Gate River Run (15K) in March 2008. I walked much of it. My only true training in running had been back in HS as a sprinter. That training amounted to: “run fast”. So, that’s all I knew. I could not run more than 3 miles without walking and I could not figure out why. So, I turned to a good friend and marathon runner (and now a RRCA certified coach) for help. His first advice, “slow down, way down”. That, to me, made no sense at all. I wanted to improve my terribly slow time on my 1st 5K, after all. And, I now wanted to run a ½ marathon in October 2008. Would I even be able to finish it if I slowed down?

“Run slower to run faster,” he said. That was the nuttiest thing I had ever heard. I ignored it and ran all my training runs at my race pace. The result? I was exhausted after every run. I could not run more than 3 miles without stopping and walking, and I was beginning to get injured. I finally decided to listen, and try it his way.

The first time I really slowed down to a calculated long-distance pace for me (which was so slow that I knew walking would be faster), I was able to run 6 miles without stopping! I was in shock. I wasn’t overly tired, and the run was enjoyable. This same friend put together a training schedule for me to follow to be able to run the ½ marathon. I had a million non-stop questions such as: what is a stride? what is a tempo run? what is training pace?

At this point, he kindly suggested I join a running club or group. I resisted at first, feeling I was in NO WAY good enough for that. Those running groups were all elite runners, right? Wrong. They were all people like me who wanted to improve their running times or endurance, and wanted the social connection of running with like-minded friends.

Before I knew it, I had become part of a marathon training program.

Coach Chris gets us started on those early Saturday mornings.