half marathon: second chance!

Two years ago I ran the America's Finest City Half Marathon in San Diego and ran a horrible race.  I saw the finish clock as I ran towards it hit 2:00 and keep going.  In 2009, I ran a 2:00:42.  My time -- as painful as it was when all my friends ran much faster times -- was okay for the race but it was the way that I ran the race that was so bad.

The race starts at historic Cabrillo National Monument in Point Loma.  The first mile or two are relatively flat and run through the cemetery and then through beautiful neighborhoods.  Then the course drops.  The next five or so miles are downhill and fast.  In 2009, I started the race with friends and when we hit the downhill we were flying.  I remember checking out my Garmin and seeing it read sub-7:00 pace which is way too fast for me.  And, of course, I died at the bottom.  The route flattens out at this point for a few miles along the harbor before ramping back up through downtown to Balboa Park.  I had zero energy left for even the flat portions.  The hill to Balboa Park was a nightmare. 

This year, I'm running my own race.  Imagine that!  AFC is this weekend and I plan to run a very smart race and walking away with at least a sub 1:50 finish.  The weather could be a factor.  The hill at the end will definitely be a factor.  But I'm prepared and I have a game plan.  I'm ready to kick this race's butt the way it kicked mine two years ago.

Do you have a race like that?  One where you ran horribly and have plans to run it again, only smarter?   

No ragged running

As a mom it's not always easy to fit in my runs, and last week I only managd to squeeze in three. Worriedly I wondered how detrimental this would be to my running form.

So imagine my surprise when I ran my 8 kilometers in 50 minutes instead of my usual 60 minutes. Not only that, instead of dragging myself along, wondering why in heaven's name I subjected myself to this, I had fun!

Then I read in my favorite running book, Jeff Galloway's 'You can do it', running three times a week is enough to complete a marathon. Two runs to maintain your running form and the third run to increase your distance.

So by training less, I run faster and have more fun!

It almost sounds too good to be true.

Then again: it makes sense. Running yourself ragged doesn't help anyone, neither as a mom, nor as a runner.

The genuine article

The first time I met them was in high school: fellow students who left the classroom after a test, moaning and groaning saying: 'I did terrible! I'm sure I'll get an F!' and blithely proceeded to get an A. While I sadly took in my F, because when I said I didn't do very well, I was telling the truth.

As a mom you meet them too. You go for a visit and your hostess opens the door, and while you're still blinded by the bright glare of her gleamingly clean floorboards she declares: 'Please, don't mind the mess! It's terrible in here.'

Indeed, even as a runner you cannot escape them! Sympathetically they lean towards me , whispering: 'I'm soo slow! Everyone is always faster than me!'

Pleasantly suprised at not being the only one I happily respond: 'Why don't we run together then?' but I can't hear her answer because she's already six miles down the road, leaving me to spit her dust out of my mouth.

They are the fakes among the authentics. The knock offs among the real article.

But oh, how I would like to be the fake sometimes, instead of the genuine article!

Running for the hills!

I've said it before: I used to hate running and thought runners had to be out of their minds to go out there and get all sweaty and everything.

But there's just something about being a mom, and spending lots of time with little people that makes you want to run. Run far, far away. Preferably screaming.

Leaving all the stresses, demands and the endless: 'Mommy, mommy, he hit me!'
'No I didn't!
'Yes you did!
'No I didn't!'
'Yes you did!'
'No I didn't!
'Yes you did!
'No I didn't!'
'Yes you did!'
etc.

The sport of running gives you the chance to do exactly that, and isn't it a nice bonus you usually run into yourself while doing it?!

I Can't Be the Only One Who Does This

Dear Friends,

I just wrote a really nice letter to my Marathon Mommies...and Blogger just ate it for dinner. Shame on me for not saving it elsewhere like I normally do.

The quick version (because I'm sure I can't re-create it) is that I LOVE the network we have here. I just read over some comments from old posts that we had written and the advice and encouragement that we all have contributed. I needed a little shot in the arm of confidence and inspiration...so I came looking here.

What I was trying to say (no thanks to Blogger and my lack of thinking) is thank you all for this amazing place to go to when I need a little boost, especially when running has been a little hard.

Love,
Jill (JP)

p.s. yes, I'm saving this as we speak. The end.

1 more Marathon report :)

Hey everyone... I finaly found 10 minutes to post ... it is over on my blog The Crazy Life ! Check it out if you have a few minutes and want to. Other Erin... email me at info@theribbonspot.com so I can get your address to get the DVD in the mail. :)

Not Quite the Post I Had Hoped to Write

There’s a part of me that doesn’t even want to talk about the actual race. I could go on and on for days about meeting some of my favorite Marathon Mommies and how awesome they are. I could talk forever about how I wished I could take them home with me in my suitcase because they were so wonderful. But the race? The Half Marathon from Hell? Bleh.

Okay, it wasn’t from Hell…but it certainly wasn’t heavenly, by any stretch of the imagination.

In hindsight, I realize that as I prepared for the elevation difference by drinking lots and lots of water, my body was retaining all that water to prepare for…something else. I wish I could say that after mile 3, my breathing regulated, my muscles regulated and my stomach was fine…but I know better than to lie to all you awesome ladies. (Ya’ll run faster than I do…’nuff said.) I actually felt like I was going to throw-up the entire race. I walked WAY more than I ever wanted to. Nothing felt right. And that’s not even starting on the wind. (I know I’m a klutz, but holy cow…the wind nearly tripped me!!) I was bummed because while my first half (in October) was super hard – I enjoyed every minute of it. This time around, despite my grand ideas …it was just hard and I wanted to get it over with. I do believe this is what Miss Suzie P called: HUMBLE PIE…at a much higher elevation than I’m used to eating that humble pie. Bleh.

The silver lining of all of this includes many things: I finished. Even though it wasn’t all that great…I overcame. (And somehow (no idea how) improved my time by 4 minutes.) But mostly? The best part was that I met some of the most fantastic women in person…instead of just the internet. :-) I got to spend a ton of time talking and hanging out with Erin who helped me make it through this event. I could NOT have done this without her. (I'm so proud of her...she left me in the dust…don’t let her fool you!) I got to hang out with the person who inspired me to run…and others that help keep me running now. I wish I could express how wonderful it was to meet all of you Marathon Mommies and how much it meant to me. Even those that I didn’t “know” very well, I just was in awe of everyone around me. It was just so gosh darn exciting, I tell you!

The big ‘ol lesson I gained from this is that I’m going to get back on that proverbial horse and not give up. I’ve only been running for a little less than nine months. Not only that, I started big with a half marathon (for not doing any sort of running before in my life) and it’s probably time that I head on to train in smaller segments. I’ve got my first ever 5k coming up for the Race for the Cure in May. (Hurray!) And then I’ll probably do another in June to keep my interest and to give me a little bit more confidence. After that, I’ll start training for another half marathon a little closer to home in October. After that? Who knows…but I’m not going to stop.

Suzie Petunia's SLC Marathon Race Report

Its hard to believe it is over. And it is even more difficult to believe how it all turned out: not at all as I expected. Just to re-cap... my goal was to qualify for next year's Boston marathon. To qualify I needed to run this race in 3 hours and 40 minutes.

My actual time: 4:03:37 This was my 4th marathon, and I ran 2 of them faster than this, and with a lot less training. Perhaps some clever "editing" would make me feel better:

3:37:04. Doesn't that look better? Unfortunately it just isn't true!

This race came with a lot of variables that were beyond my control. But at least I know that I did everything I could have to be prepared. The only thing I didn't do was appreciate just how many uphills there were going to be during the first half. I was able to stick to my goal pace for 12 miles, but my heart rate just kept creeping higher and higher with each uphill. And soon my legs were beat. The hill at mile 10 - 11 was brutal, and after it my pace really fell off. After mile 12 I realized that my body wasn't going to recover enough to be able to get back up to the pace I needed to be at to make my goal time of 3:40. It was a very strange realization and feeling knowing that my goal was unattainable, and yet I still had to put one foot in front of another for another 13 miles! The fire inside had been all but extinguished. And it felt like I had very little fuel left.

Speaking of fuel... I broke one of the cardinal rules of distance racing this time around: a mistake I will not repeat. I switched which brand of energy gel I was using. About a week before the race I realized that the kind I liked and had been using during training contained caffeine. Because I was determined to run this race based on my heart rate as well as my pace, I was worried about using a gel that could potentially raise my heart rate (because of the caffeine). I hadn't even tasted the new brand before the race, and much to my dismay I found it to be totally disgusting. It tasted salty and made me very thirsty. Thirst turned out to be one factor that I battled the entire race. After mile 12 I stopped taking my race "gu" and just drank the Gatorade and water at the water stations.

I felt absolutely parched the entire race. The climate is very dry in Utah - something my body is not accustomed to since I train in Oregon. My lips were very dry, and my wonderful husband hurried to a convenience store between 2 of the places where he watched me run and found some Carmex which did wonders. But the thirst was persistent. I also wonder about the medication I had taken to curb "runners' diarrhea". Not to get too personal (too late), but this is a real problem for many distance runners that just doesn't have an easy solution. I took some Immodium the night before and the morning of the race and it helped tremendously. But I wonder if it contributed to the problem I was having with thirst during the race.

I haven't even mentioned the wind yet! It was blowing steadily into my face during the first half of the race.

I had plenty of time during those last 13 miles to think about all of my excuses for not qualifying for Boston. Every time my mind wandered to this negative area, I repeated my mantra outloud: "Steady". I hadn't planned it ahead of time, but soon after the race started I began saying this word out loud to myself whenever my mind wandered into a non-productive arena. In the beginning it was to remind myself to stay "steady" on my pace. When I began to wonder if I would be able to keep up my pace it took on a different meaning: "Don't think negative thoughts!" And during the second half this word took on yet a different meaning: "Don't walk!" I am a little sad to admit that I walked at about 4 different times during the second half. It was only for a hundred yards or so - enough to get my heart rate to come down a bit and let my legs have a break. I've never walked before in a race. I hope I never have to do that again.

My cheerleaders were amazing throughout the race. As I mentioned, Taylor raced around himself all morning trying to catch me at different places in the course. It has grown a little fuzzy, but I think I saw him 4 different times. And my parents caught me at two different places. They had Alice in a stroller - she looked so cozy and relaxed in her snug little seat. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. :) My parents held signs that said "Go Sarah!" and cheered their hearts out. I think I must have the most supportive family in the world. I really am so grateful to my sweet husband for making the trip just to help me during the race. And to my family for being there and being proud regardless of the results.

Just over 3 miles from the finish, Kelly caught up with me. I had been wondering the entire time how she was doing. I knew that since she hadn't passed me it wasn't likely that she was going to qualify for Boston either. It was a sad little reunion there at Liberty park where we acknowledged our goal was out of our reach. We both were not feeling well and were struggling to keep putting one foot in front of the other. There were several race photographers during the last few miles, so at least we got our picture taken together! We made every attempt to pick up our feet and smile, but we have yet to see how they turned out. What does a smile look like when you are in tremendous pain? I guess we'll find out!

I have to say that I am really very grateful that we shared the last 3 miles together. It had been a very lonely race up to that point - especially the miles after mile 12. I hadn't talked to anyone and my music wasn't inspiring me the way it usually does. Sharing a pace with another person is a magical kind of thing. For some reason it seems a lot easier when you're running right along with someone else - especially an amazing friend like Kelly. We both felt terrible, but at least we felt terrible together! For the first time since we started running together, we crossed the finish line together. Finishing a little late with her was a lot better than having finished late and all alone.

My family was all there at the finish - and it was the strangest post-race celebration I've ever had. Everyone knew that I hadn't reached my goal, but they were all quick to tell me how proud they were anyway. Failure is an unwelcome feeling. But it was only a failure in my own eyes. Usually a failure is recognized as a universally identifiable event, but for a goal like the one I had, only I could recognize it for what it was. "Failure" seems like a strong term considering the circumstances, but I'm not sure what else to call it. Is it a failure if you only fall short because you unwittingly set the bar too high? The thing about running and racing is that when you are not an elite athlete there is no universally-recognized bar. Except for qualifying for Boston, of course.

After the race I started thinking about what it said on the back of my Marathon Mommies racing shirt: "The woman who starts the race is not the same woman who finishes the race." I began to wonder just how this race had changed me. I had definitely been handed a slice of humble pie. And maybe that is the biggest change. But I wonder about what it says about the goals I set for myself. To be honest, I don't set goals very often because I am afraid of failing - in any area of my life. I wish I could say that by setting the goal to qualify for Boston, at least my PR (personal record) for the marathon was broken, even if I didn't qualify. But unfortunately that isn't the case. My PR remains at 3:44 from St. George of '07. God bless the beautiful down-hill course of the St. George marathon! I guess I have learned that hills can make or break my marathon. And if nothing else, I learned that if you set a goal and fail, it isn't really the end of the world. There is always next time. But running a marathon is a lot like childbirth: One just can't make the decision to go into it again any time soon after the event. But if I were to do it again... St. George might be a' callin' my name.

Even though the race didn't turn out how I had hoped, I had the time of my life - because I met so many of the Marathon Mommies that weekend! What an amazing group of women you all are! You are each beautiful, smart and confident. I admire each of you and feel blessed to be able to associate with you here on our blog. What a huge bonus-blessing it was to meet so many of you on Friday evening before the race! I hope this is the first of many races for us! St. George?... Anyone?

What's a taper?

For those of you who are running in Salt Lake on April 19, here is your friendly reminder: IT IS TIME TO TAPER! This means NO pushing it as hard as you can while out running. Today Kelly was chastised by her mentor about running too hard during the taper. We've decided that the only way to help her remember to not run too hard over the next 12 days is to make her wear this sign around her neck.

And just to be sure... I will wear it on my back while we are running and make her run right behind me so she doesn't forget: SLOW DOWN! Take it easy! Relax! It is time to let your body recover from all of the hard runs. You are in the best possible shape you can be in for this race. It is time to give your body a rest so it can give you 110% on race day. That goes for all of you crazy runners out there!

Ahhhh, I love to taper. This is the only time that we are told we HAVE to take it easy as runners. Enjoy your leisurely runs, ladies!

Lessons learned in a 15K

Yesterday I ran in a 15k race in Southern Arizona. I have always been a runner but a short distance runner. I am new to the long distance running thing. So I thought I would run the 15K yesterday in preparation for the half-marathon I am doing in February. It's intersting how many things I learned during this race.

1. The underwear I have does not work for long distance running (any suggestions?)
2. Going to bed at midnight and being up throughout the night with the baby without your husband there is not a good idea!
3. Getting up 45 minutes before you are supposed to register is not a good idea. I had to rush to get ready, rush to get the baby ready, rush to get there to get registered, and then the race started. I was mentally not ready nor was I warmed up.
4. Don't eat unhealthy food the day before the race.

I was definitely regretting these choices during the first 3 miles of the race. I was dead and really felt like I wanted to stop. But I pushed through it and after the 3rd mile I felt a lot better and ended up finishing under my goal time. But no doubt, I would have done much better during those frist 3 miles had I made some better choices the day before.

It was exciting though to finish my first "long distance" race!