It's Marathon Weekend!

Well here it is...marathon weekend.  I've been getting well wishes left and right, assuring me I'll get my time....I'm realistic in knowing that getting my BQ time is going to be really tough.  I need to cut 30 seconds off every mile so we'll see how it goes.  I'm hopeful that running with a pace group or having fans (including 1 of my students) will help me attain my goal

If I hit my goal I will be over the moon excited.  If I don't I will look at it like a job interview that didn't result in getting the job.  It will be a learning experience and I'll try again. 

I'm at the point of over thinking and superstition...take coffee for example.  I wanted a cup the other day and almost did it but then thought, "if I have this cup and don't get my BQ time I'll blame it on that cup of coffee and my not waiting until the marathon to experience caffeine in over a month.  If I don't have the cup of coffee and wait until marathon day and I don't hit my number I'll think, perhaps going without coffee for a month and re-introducing it on race day was what ruined me". 


I need to relax, trust my training, and do my best on Sunday.

"Ask yourself  'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: Yes. Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

I Can't Wait For My Boston Marathon Eve.....Soon, I Hope!

Tomorrow is the 118th running of the Boston Marathon.  Obviously there is a lot more attention being paid to this year's race and everyone is hoping it will go off without incident. 
I am so excited for all those running....ok, ok, I'm jealous!  I totally wish I was there.   I hope to be in their position next year.   
I found a "cool" video of the Boston Marathon course (cool depending on your version of cool ha ha)  Boston Marathon Course In 8 Minutes 

My entire focus right now is my race in 1 week....I'm still on the fence thinking I want it here and I don't want it here.  I'm not the only one focused....regulars at the restaurant I work at asked me about my running a lot this weekend...some because they know I'm a runner and there's a lot of attention placed on Boston and they wondered if I'd be running it and some because they know I've been in training for another marathon that's coming soon.    I like how these people I "know" (know in terms of they come into the restaurant often and we've developed a friendship of sorts) about my love for running and genuinely seem to care/be interested in it.  Some are in awe, some think I'm crazy, some are excited, some read my blog!  I relish the well wishes and hope the next time they come in I'll have good news to report back! 

Qualifying for the Boston Marathon is something all serious marathoners strive for....getting there must be an incredible feeling that I hope to experience soon!  I hope all those running tomorrow have an amazing race where the only big news will be PRs! 

To help get me there I'm going to remember this quote from Ryan Hall, "I don't think about the miles that are coming down the road, I don't think about the mile I'm on right now, I don't think about the miles I've already covered. I think about what I'm doing right now, just being lost in the moment."

I'm like a pregnant woman waiting to give birth....

I feel like a woman about to give birth...I know it's coming and I'm as prepared as I can be. I even have my "marathon bag" packed. I have all the necessities: backup ipod, warm sweats for after the race, a 2nd race outfit (including shoes) in case of some freak wardrobe malfunction with my current race outfit or shoes, water, towel, plastic bags to contain my nasty race clothes, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch...like I said, all the necessities! ha ha

Now, I wait....

The marathon is nine days away.  Part of me want it to be here NOW so I can be done with it and figure out my next move in running (be it train for another marathon to try to get my goal-possibly hire coaches or get pumped about Boston 2015..who knows).  I also want to to be here now because I really want to have a beer, junk food, and coffee..I've been without since March 22nd.  The other part of me would like some more time to continue strengthening my hamstrings and do more speed work.   One way or the other, it's coming and I need to get my head ready.  While I'm prepared to not make my BQ time I'm still hopefully.  Getting your BQ time is really tough, but it's a goal...you have to work to achieve your goals.  I need to trust my training and do my best.  


"A winner is someone who sets their goals, commits themselves to those goals and then pursues their goals with all the ability that is given to them. That requires someone who beleives in themselves, who will make self sacrifices, work hard, and maintain the determination to perform at the best of their ability." -C. Leeman Bennett:

It's Taper Time!

It's funny how my friends now say, "how's training?" instead of "how are you?" Part of me thinks, they are just asking like I ask, "how are you?" and expect to here, "fine" but I reply like they speak "running" and understand what I'm going through ha ha  This shows that I've been running a lot and it's taking over my life. ha ha

Well, here I am 2 weeks from my 2nd marathon.  I'm REALLY hoping I this marathon will give me the time I need to qualify for Boston, but I have to say I'm VERY nervous it won't happen.  I think that while it's a negative attitude to have it's also very realistic to think this way.  Training this time around was MUCH harder for me and while I saw better times/splits I don't know if I saw the numbers I needed to see to consistently cut 30 seconds off each mile for 26 miles.  I will continue to eat right, rest enough and train appropriately.  My mental will continue to get in my way, but I'm working on it...hopefully the taper will help that.

Tapering is a wonderful thing.  I've made it to the highest part of my training and I'm coming down enjoying much shorter runs and getting my head ready for the race ahead.  I'm in a place where a 12 mile run is like a stroll in the park.  Once you get your 20 miler done every run is a pleasure. ha ha

Speaking on my 20...
Week 15 in the training program I follow is the toughest with the most mileage.  (40 miles total)  When I trained for Chicago I feared week 15.  Training for this marathon I feared it again, but for different reasons....hindsight-I knew what I was in for during week 15 and I just wanted it done. 

I mapped my run and tried to get my sister in law to run it with me....she wasn't having it!  She did accompany me on the 1st five miles which was incredible.  She talked, I listened-I've never been a good simultaneous runner/talker.  I ran my pace and she acclimated her pace to me.  I'm sure I was slowing her down but I had 15 miles after she left so I needed to go on my speed.  Having someone to run with is a HUGE help and makes the run "easier" but it can also be tricky.  When I run with someone I perseverate on my speed....am I going to fast?  too slow? etc.  Since my sister in law wasn't training I was okay with going my pace. 

My 20 miler was on a much chillier day than I expected it to be with very strong winds.  Sure, you can call strong winds "resistance training" I call it hell on earth!  Add that to all the debris on the sides of the roads from a winter full of snow.  The sides of the road are like sand traps...again you can call it resistance training I call it rocks in my shoes, but when a car is coming you don't have much choice.  I felt like I was on a beach going up hill for most of my run.  There were points the wind blew sideways and it literally moved me!  Regardless of the winds, debris, and cooler than expected temperatures I did great on my 20 miler.  My head was in it and I stayed positive the entire time.  I was sore and tired after , but I was expecting it to be much worse.  With the mileage increasing lately on my Saturday runs I stopped going to my Sunday yoga class, but the week of my 20 (the week I'd expect to be the most sore and tired the next day) I went to yoga and felt great....granted I was noisy and made some grunting painful noises going into certain poses, but I did it.  (Sorry to everyone who had to listen to me in class that day ha ha)

During your training you are putting your body through a lot of physical demands and your body responds with eating...it has to.  I can honestly say I'm hungry ALL THE TIME!  The night of my 20 miler I woke up around 3:30am.  What woke me?  My stomach growling!  NOTHING wakes me up...including my 10 alarms that go off each morning (no lie, 10) so to have my growling stomach wake me was a big thing.  I will often times tell my chiropractor some things I've eaten in a single sitting or day and I think he's either impressed by my abilities or grossed out ha ha. 
Here's a for instance....Wednesday I had some friends for dinner.  I went to buy tilapia for dinner and saw Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Kix were on sale so I bought both.  The Kix I planned to eat now and the CTC to eat after the marathon as I consider it junk food and I'm off junk food (among other things like anything fried-even tho I stay away from it usually, alcohol, and caffeine) until after the marathon.  I made tilapia, grilled asparagus, artichokes sauteed in garlic and olive oil, and jasmin rice.  I was done with my entire plate and my friends had about 1/2 a plate to go.  I informed them I was still hungry so while they finished dinner I ate four...yes FOUR bowls of Kix....the only reason I stopped eating was fear of being judged by my friends ha ha.  (they wouldn't judge me tho) 
As you increase your mileage your body needs the food, but I'm trying to be careful as this is my taper and during your taper you are cutting back on the work load and even though my body has gotten used to more food and burning it off quickly less running = less/slower burn.  While weight gain happens during this time I don't want to gain too much as it will slow me down and keep me further from my goal of 3:40:00.

Here's a list of ways to know you are tapering...I think I can relate to 90% of these....

You Know You're Tapering When....

• you're constantly hungry.  
• you're having dreams that you show up to the race start in your underwear or without your running shoes.
• you're cranky from not running.
• you find yourself frequently saying, "after the marathon..."
• you're reading a lot of motivational quotes about marathons.
• your friends/significant other/co-workers run in the opposite direction when you mention the word "marathon."
• you keep flip-flopping between wishing the race was tomorrow and thinking it would be great to have a few more weeks of training.
• you keep asking people for recommendations for your marathon song playlist 
• you visit the starting line area to visualize race day.
• you've completely lost focus at work.
• you're convinced you've gained 10 pounds since you started tapering.
• you feel sluggish and like you could run forever...all during the same run.
• you've planned out three possible outfits for the race and keep asking running friends for opinions on which one to go with.
• you have random bursts of energy when you want to reorganize your closets or kitchen pantry.
• you've studied the course map enough that you've memorized where all the porta-potties will be on the course.
• you research celebrity marathon times to see what famous people you could beat.
• you've tried every race time prediction calculator on the Internet.
• you've vowed to not eat pasta for at least a month after the marathon.
• you obsessively check the weather forecast for race day.

I'm now done with week 16 and I still feel pretty good. I'm excited for race day...2 weeks! It's crazy to think I signed up for this in December when I realized I needed a focus and a goal to get my through winter.

"The answer to the big questions in running is the same as the answer to the big questions in life: Do the best with what you've got." -Dr. George Sheehan