Oh Philly....

"that's all she wrote"

It's been a little over a week since Philly and all I can really come up with is...."Marathon #5 is in the books"

I really like the Philly course, the chicken broth they give you after the race, the fans, the city feel so close to home without it being NY....all of it!
I PR in Philly and think I will end up running it again next year because Philly and I have some unfinished business.

Philly was cold....really cold.  There was a real feel temperature of 26 as a high and there was a wind advisory that day.  I generally wear shorts and a tank top to race.  In fall marathons I also wear a throw away sweatshirt for the beginning of the race, gloves I can throw away, something that covers my ears that can go behind my ears if I get warm, and I wear sleeves that can be pushed down when I get warm. That wasn't exactly the case in this race.  My throw away sweatshirt wasn't thrown until mile 13.5 and even after I was freezing and wishing I still had it.  There were some crazy wind gusts that had you swearing and doing your best to tuck your chin and push forward.

Like Steamtown, I had a plan of doing 8:35 minute miles.  I felt like my watch was all over the place.  This happens in cities because of the buildings, but it's super annoying when you're trying to keep a certain pace.  I got into my rhythm and started keeping things fairly steady.  As I continued on I tried not to focus on trying for my BQ, but staying relaxed and comfortable.  I was was in the best shape of  my life and well trained....I couldn't control the elements, but I could/had to control my head.  I ran a decent race.

I remember the out and back on Kelly Drive.  On one side of the road it was mile 15 and the wind was in your face making you wish you were on the other side of the street, not just because the other side of the road was mile 25, but because the other side of the road meant the wind would be at your back and helping you along.    I like to think that when I was at mile 15 and the elites were on the other side, at mile 25, they looked effortless and comfortable because they had the wind pushing them forward.  As I continued on, with the wind in my face, I longed for the turn around point at mile 20.

My friend, Kelly, ran into me around mile 17 and I couldn't have been happier.  She is a VERY seasoned marathoner and wasn't putting the pressure on herself that I put on myself.  She was great to run with.  She made the marathon look easy and fun.  Around mile 18 I started to get tired, probably because I wasn't taking in enough calories.  My friend, Kelly, in my opinion, still had plenty of gas in the tank and could have pushed on ahead of me, but she stayed with me.  It was like she knew what to say to help me along.  As we continued on, she'd check in and and see how I was.  She was such a great motivator.  She knows my dream of a BQ and was super encouraging in helping me get my BQ.  I had accepted my BQ was out the window, but she kept pushing me.  I probably wouldn't have had a PR if it weren't for her.  I have to say, by the time I finished I was smiling and feeling great.  I knew I had a PR and that was a great feeling-even if it was only for a little while.....

Steamtown....

When we last met, I was talking about my coach and the positive impact he's had on my training....this continues to be true.  

I was told Steamtown Marathon was a great race to qualify for Boston.....I have no idea who started this vicious rumor, but allow me to set the record straight! Steamtown is not where you go for a BQ!   ha ha 
The Steamtown marathon was HARD-very hard!  It's a small race in terms of racers and spectators, but it was well organized and scenic.  You arrive in downtown Scranton (the finish) and board buses to the start.  It was 68 degrees in Scranton and by the time we arrived at the start it was 43 and windy. 43 degrees isn't bad and the wind wasn't bad-what was bad was first feeling the outside air at 68 then feeling the drop.  Marathoners about to start a race have a look about them and this race was missing that....I don't know-everyone seemed less like marathoners and more like people about to run a  5K.   

As I prepared for my race I talked with my coach about my race plan.  In my last marathon I did negative splits and it worked out (in my opinion) really well.   My coach wanted me to pick a pace and stick to it no matter what as this was a "training run" for my "real" race of the season-Philly.   

I picked 8:35 as my pace.  As he said, I was trained and able to run 8:10s, so this pace is doable.  I started my race and was excited to go.  The 1st hill came....downhill.  I thought ok, I knew there were some hills.  As I continued, I watched my watch going quicker and quicker as the down hills kept coming and coming.  I kept thinking, "you need to keep an 8:35" but my splits were 8:08s 7:55s.  As the race started to level out I was able to get my pace and stick to it, for the most part.  I felt comfortable and confident.  I had no idea what that ending held, but at the point I was at, I thought it could be a  BQ for me....especially because my 1st few miles were so quick I kind of banked a little time.  

I know that no matter what you eat before a race you can't have enough food in you to fuel you for an entire marathon.  While I never feel hungry during a race I can tell when I need fuel.  I LOATHE gels....I can do 1 or 2 but that's not exactly enough to keep you going for an entire marathon (tho I try to make it work on that)  By the time I'm done with a marathon my teeth actually hurt from all the sugar in the gels.  People often ask me what I think about when I run a marathon and 1 of the biggest things is fried chicken....I don't know why...Perhaps it's because it's crunchy and salty and the gels are so sweet and so thick you have to chew them.  While I'm mid-race and thinking about fried chicken it's not helping me get another gel in me which is something I really need to work on.    

I continued to race well and then mile 19 happened!  It wasn't anything big, but it was like I ran out of gas and couldn't go....my splits dropped a good 45 seconds at mile 19 and I remember thinking, "all that time you banked in the beginning is slipping away and you need to get back to the 8:35".  Getting back to 8:35s was wishful thinking...my miles just kept getting slower and slower and I got into negative thoughts.  Thinking things like "well you're on 19 you still have 7.2 miles to go"  and "ugh you're still in the teens" "you still have more than a 10K to go" "you're looking at a good hour of running left".  None of these things were helpful and I knew it, but it's hard to be in that situation and stop these thoughts.  I did my best.  I released my BQ hope and reminded myself to just learn from this and remember it's just a training run for Philly.  

When you're running a marathon mile 23 is a nice place to be...you're basically "there".  You think things like, "you have a 5K left...worse case scenario you have to run for 30 more minutes".   I swear I was doing that....until I saw the hill I had to climb.  In races there are hills, sure, but this was unlike any hill I expected.  It was winding and never let up.  It was 3 miles of hills....and this monstrosity was at the end of the race.  My tank was BEYOND empty.   I remember thinking how cruel this hill was and wondering, "am I actually moving up this hill?"  There were times I was going so slowly I thought I would roll down the hill backward.  I won't lie, it was the longest 3 miles of my life.  When I thought we couldn't climb any higher we did ha ha.  I remember some spectator seeing my name on my bib and cheering for me saying, "you look great, Kelly, keep it up" and I turned, looked, and replied, "LIAR!"  ha ha 
At the very top of Everest..I mean some random street in Scranton, I saw runners turning right and I thought, "it's got to be there....the finish is once I turn that corner" so I pushed, but it wasn't there.  It was visible, but not quite there yet.  The finish was down this main street that had this rolling hills that were sucking the life out of me.  I finally saw that blue and red strip on the road that was clocking me in and I proudly hit the stop button on my watch. I had finally finished...exhausted and thankful.  Not even 3 seconds after crossing the finish I was pulled off to the side by a medic.  I didn't think I was hurt, but I must have had a look about me and when he asked me if I was ok I realized I couldn't catch my breath.  They wrapped me in a blanket, gave me water and sat with me.  I was able to catch my breath and left to collect my medal and get my photo taken.  Another marathon in the books....certainly not a BQ and not even a PR, but I was feeling strong and well trained.  

Coaches.....the good, the bad, the ugly

I've mentioned hiring coaches to help me achieve my goal....Through this process I've learned a lot about myself...who I work well with, the style and approach to coaching I need, and the type of people I need in my life.   This running journey has helped me weed people out and let others in.

While training for Philly (both times) I was with a coach I found originally really liked, but as time went on I saw the coach's true colors.  Over time I found this coach to be negative and inflexible. (Tho there was little I could do as I paid this coach a great deal of money).  This coach is highly regarded, but just had different coaching methods than methods that work for me, I guess.   I do not need a coach to coddle me, but I do need a coach who will support me and listen to me when I need him/her.  During my 1st attempt at Philly in 2014, when I initially fractured my pelvis and hip, my coach was great....until the injury.  When I got injured it became more of a business-an injured runner was a runner who could be looked over as he/she didn't need coaching....tho that's exactly what I needed.

As I've blogged, my injury was extremely hard for me to handle.  My non-athlete friends couldn't understand my frustration, depression, etc. and my coach was unsympathetic..again, this may be the type of coaching style this coach chose, more of a tough love approach, but that isn't how I work.
I found when I tried to approach my coach about my injury and my frustration of being on the DL my coach simply one upped me and regaled me with stories of injuries that were far worse than mine.   I think it was at that point I realized my coach would not be of assistance unless I was a healthy athlete who was "actually" training for something.

Being that I had already paid my coach a great deal of money I continued.  When I finally got healthy enough to run Philly in 2015 my coach wasn't much better.  The coach was not receptive to emails or texts about training questions, plans for how the race would be executed, or to answer questions to help calm my nerves about my healing injury.  My coach simply didn't have time for me....even tho that was exactly part of the reason I hired a coach.

Part of  my coach's job was to provide me with a weekly training plan that could be altered based on health, life events (i.e. a wedding on a day when a 20 mile run scheduled, etc), etc., but being that my coach was not responding to emails about my progress of my recovery the training plan didn't always meet my physical capabilities.  When I was persistent my coach would respond and the responses were short in both length and manner.  The negativity from my coach had me completely discouraged, dreading every training run, and just hating running.  I finally took my training into my own hands.  I allowed my coach to send me the weekly plans and I made alterations because I knew my body best and because my coach didn't have my best interests at hand.  I consulted my sports medicine/chiro/pt hero and together we took on the final leg of my training together.  I will NEVER be able to thank him for the invaluable support he gave me when my coach had me broken.    I ran my race using the negativity from my coach as power to do the best race I could.  Turning my coaches negativity into strength, thinking with each step "my coach said I'd never finish this race" and there I was getting a PR and being 6 min and 15 seconds from my goal.  Even tho I didn't get my goal, I couldn't have been happier.  I also believe that once that race was done I knew I was 100% free and clear of the toxic attitude my coach.
My coach was out, but my goal was not yet met.....

I took some time off of running to heal and finally came back and started training on my own.  I knew it wasn't doing well and I knew I needed someone to keep me on track and focused so I had to find a new coach.  I was training at the track and got to talking to a couple about marathons and my needing a coach it just so happened she knew a guy...(everyone "knows a guy" ha ha)  I took his name and did some googling.  His name led to his Facebook page which showed he and I had mutual friends so I asked my friends and both said this was a fabulous, kind, funny coach who was an incredible runner and was coached by incredible coaches, himself.  I called him up, told him my goal and my history.  He told me about his coaching style and said I should come to one of his coaching sessions to see what I thought.

I showed up for a 6am track workout and was instantly met with warm welcomes from the coach and everyone in the group.  The workout was hard and I was in last place in every run, but I was energized and LOVED it.
As the weeks went by I found myself looking forward to the Tuesday and Friday 6am workouts.  I even started doing the Wednesday 5:30am workouts!  I was consistently the last person finishing, but I didn't care.  I truly realized (like they say in yoga) this is a journey and we are all on a journey and are in different places.  Some people have been doing these workouts for years....I was a month or so in.  Each week I felt stronger and faster.  I used to dread speed and tempo workouts, but the positive coaching and great group of runners made these runs enjoyable.  When my old coach sent me a training week that had 2X800, 2X600, 2X400, 2X300, 2X200 I'd want to quit after the 1st 800...sometimes because I'd go too hard and kill myself on the 1st 800 and think it was impossible to finish the rest and part because it's awful running sprints on your own.  As I was in school and as I am at work, I find I'm the same in running-I work better in groups.  Having the others in the group running with me helps pace me as well as motivate me.  I can't bail on a workout  when everyone else is sticking with it.  I also love that my coach runs with us; he's not just standing there barking splits at us.  On those hot July days when we could cut the humidity with a knife he understood the struggle because was right there with us.  

Not only are the group runs great, but my weekly plans are manageable.  My coach is realistic.  He realizes we are not professional runners and we have lives.  He absolutely expects we will do the workouts, but he's flexible and lets us move things around a bit to suit our lives.  Also, when he sends the weekly plan he (like I do with parent teacher conferences) starts with telling me what I did well the previous week, adds in a focus for the current week, and finishes with something positive.  This is so helpful for me (and I'm sure others would agree) as marathon training is HARD and time consuming and, at times, seems endless so tiny words of praise give you that extra boost in confidence.  These comments are also easy to do when he see me running 2 or 3 times a week...I saw my old coach MAYBE 3 times in 28 weeks (unless I wanted to pay an extra $100 or $150 for a private track workout).

I tell anyone who runs how great my coach is and try to convince them they should be coached by him.  Apparently not everyone has a goal of a BQ! :)  

                                                   

People Actually Read My Blog....

So I've gotten a few emails from people inquiring about my blog....uhh what?!?!?

Here's an update on where I am as a runner....

After finishing Philly 6 min and 15 seconds from my BQ  and then learning I had fractured my pelvis, AGAIN I gave myself a break from running. I focused a great deal on trying to figure out why I had recurring fractures (no reason beyond they think I overtrain) and hot yoga.  I love my yoga studio as they don't just do traditional flow classes, but infuse classes like "sports yoga" working on flexibility and stability strengthening for athletes (anyone who works out is an athlete).  I swear my recovery was expedited due to my yoga practice.

As the months went by I noticed a significant difference in my body and was feeling that my recovery was going well.  In the 1st week of April I registered for the Steamtown Marathon on October 9th.   I had a plan to start training at the end of April and I did...sort of.  My training was all over the place and I needed structure.  Life, as it often can be, was crazy and finally at the end of June I realized I needed a coach.  I had my training program from my previous coach, but I needed a change.

I was at the track doing a sprint workout when I got to talking to a couple running at the track.  I said I was training for a marathon, but needed guidance from a coach and she said she knew of one.  After a little research, I was signed up with a new coach, and I couldn't be happier!

In this time, some friends mentioned an interest in running the Philly Marathon in late November.  There was no way I was going to not run Philly if my friends were doing it, so I signed up for it.  So here I am, running 2 marathons in 6 weeks...given my history of fractures, many (including some doctors I've seen) would say I shouldn't really be running marathons at all-oh well!

Sooo....

After seeing a terrible endocrinologist I saw a fabulous one, the other day, who admitted he has no idea why I continue to fracture my pelvis ha ha
While I left without any REAL answers I feel confident that I'm in good hands and things will be okay! 
After reviewing all my blood work, MRIs, going over my history, family history, etc. he said there's really no reason this should be happening.  Apparently I'm doing everything right...He thinks the fractures could be as simple as over training tho it doesn't REALLY explain WHY it's happening.  Prior to this appointment, with the help of a nutritionist I know, I had done my own research and came across The Female Athlete Triad as what I 'have".  After discussing this with my doctor he agrees I could have this tho, again, "FAT" is not the reason my pelvis continues to fracture. (Check back soon as I've started a post about Female Athlete Triad) 

In 2014, when I 1st fractured my pelvis and hip, I was told to get a bone density scan which came up totally fine.  At the ripe old age of 36 I will be getting a 2nd bone density scan this week to see if anything has changed....that's all my doctor could think to do beyond what's already been done...especially since everything is coming up perfect.  The doctor said (a few times) that I was really stumping him and he was going to consult some of his colleagues to discuss my case and get their thoughts.  He thought that as a very far reaching stretch, he could put me on bone density medication for osteopenia tho he thought that was a bit much as the medication has a lot of side effects, I'm so young, and my 2014 bone density scan showed no issues in my bone density.  After the scan I will see him again and reassess the situation.  

Wondering what Osteopinia is?  
Check out this WebMD article for a quick synopsis:  Osteopenia

I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. No matter what the injury - unless it's completely debilitating - I'm going to be the same player I've always been. I'll figure it out. I'll make some tweaks, some changes, but I'm still coming. -Kobe Bryant

You Got A Tattoo Of What?!?!

Tattoos are very personal and are forever-choose wisely!  

I think a lot about my running-Each day I'm growing both physically and mentally as a runner.  One thing I've truly learned to embrace is pride.  I am not the fastest runner, I'll never be an elite runner, or have sponsors, but I'm doing it and I'm proud of what I've accomplished.   

I've made reference to one of my running mentors (a former professor who is also a great professional mentor to me) who has said, on several occasions when I've lamented about not getting my BQ or a run not going exactly as planned, "be proud that you are doing it.  Running a marathon is a huge accomplishment no matter how it goes."  For tons of reasons people can't/don't run marathons and no matter how fast/slow, fun/miserable, or pretty/ugly it's a big deal to finish it.  
I took what my mentor said and made my pride official-with a tattoo of my times!  I consider this tattoo a work in progress.  Each time I run another marathon I will get the finishing time added.  Not everyone gets my love of running or tattoos and that's fine so when I see people give me "crazy face" when I show them my tattoo I don't get offended.  I love my tattoo!  

"Tattoos are like stories-they're symbolic of the important moments in your life." -Pamela Anderson

And Then There Was November 23rd...

So I made a deal with my orthopedist....
About 3 weeks before the marathon I went to see my doctor to talk about the pelvic pain I was experiencing and gave him all the reasons I felt it wasn't fractured and to see if he had any words of wisdom.  He thought my reasoning was legit and agreed that it was unlikely that I fractured my pelvis again.  Knowing that I was not willing to sit this marathon out again he asked me to agree to two things 1) to take the final few weeks of training a little easier and only run on tracks or treadmills as they both absorb a fair amount of impact and 2) to get an MRI the day after the marathon to be sure there wasn't a fracture..EASY!

I ran the final few weeks of my training, mostly, on treadmills...One run called for a split run where I run at two different times of the day.  I ran 16 miles on a treadmill in the morning then 3 miles on a track later in the day. 16 MILES ON A TREADMILL!  Who does that?!?!?!  (I think I should win an award ha ha)  I endured the torture on tracks and treadmills knowing that this small consolation was keeping me in the race.  I felt awesome both mentally and physically.  Nothing was getting in my way of getting to Philly.  As I mentioned, I ran the race without any issues.  My knee was sore/swollen the day after the race and I was tired but everyone who ran the marathon was tired with some aches the following day ha ha.

I showed up for my MRI and the tech said, "WOW!  Look at that knee, let's get that MRIed" So I said, "Oh no, that's fine, we're here for my hip/pelvis". To which he replied, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you again for that knee" ha ha  After and hour and a half I was done and it was time to wait until the doctor got the results.

The orthopedist's office called me a week or so later and said I needed to come in to review the results of the MRI.  I said, "no thanks...last year when I fractured my hip and my pelvis he told me right over the phone so if I need to come in that means it isn't fractured and it will be a waste of my time.  If the doctor needs to speak to me, he'll call me."  Later that day I had a detailed message from my doctor....My doctor used words like, "I'm shocked, not normal, not okay, and further testing".....you guessed it, I fractured my pelvis AGAIN!  I was told I needed to see and endocrinologist to get some answers as to why this happened again.  I'd like to say I have answers, but I don't.  I saw a terrible, terrible endocrinologist who left me angry and my head spinning so I'm in the process of finding a new endocrinologist....we shall see.  

People who know about my fractured pelvis ask me how I feel and the answer is, "AWESOME!"  I'm not in pain and I haven't been in pain since October when the pain first came back (and compared the pain of last year, this was NOTHING).  I haven't run in about 6 weeks, but I have worked out just about every day since the marathon.  Hot yoga was an amazing help in training and I feel it's part of the reason I'm not in pain in my recovery.   I have a 1/2 marathon in mid-March so I'm going to start my training up this week.  I will be doing all my training on tracks and treadmills (unfortunately).  My orthopedist said 8-10 weeks off from running if I'm in pain, but since I've been pain free for so long I think I'm good to go.  Famous last words ha ha  

"The more injuries you get, the smarter you get" 
-Mikhail Baryshnikov

Philly....better late than never

So it's been a while and, as I posted before the marathon, I usually get the post race blues and find myself with lots of time (previously spent running) to do things like blog..ha ha Not this time.  

The Philly Marathon was timed perfectly (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) so that I finished the race and had a few days before Thanksgiving.  "Luckily" for me my school district had parent/teacher conferences the week of Thanksgiving so I didn't have a second to be sad about missing running with the late nights and exhaustion of conferences. Before I knew it, it was Thanksgiving and we all now that once Thanksgiving happens the holidays are basically here and free time doesn't exist!  Long story short, I didn't experience the post race blues this time around.  

Back to the race....
Leading up to the race was not the superstitious set of routines it usually is.  I approached this race more relaxed and didn't deprive myself alcohol or caffeine the last month like I usually do and I think it helped me.  As I mentioned in previous posts, around October 14th (again) I felt similar (tho not as intense) pain in my pelvis.  I was smart about my injury..whatever it was.  I did some PT, 15 hours in the hyperbaric chamber (Yes, I still swear by the benefits of the hyperbaric chamber), and saw doctors.  It was decided that it was HIGHLY unlikely that I fractured my pelvis again, but there was pain so a little PT and scaled back training with lots of rest was encouraged.  Usually the idea of rest makes me twitch, but I followed the recommendations of my doctors and it seemed to help.  I felt calm, cool, and collected race weekend.  I was ready for this race mentally and physically.  (Additionally, it was agreed upon that I would get an MRI the day after the race...just in case).

Leading Up To The Race:
The day before the race my friend and I went to the expo to get our numbers and check out gear/vendors.  After the expo we just relaxed in our hotel room until our dinner reservation at 5:00-yup, 5:00!  ha ha The night before the race I couldn't sleep...part because of nerves and part because I went to bed with the sun still up ha ha. By the time I fell asleep the alarm was going off.  We watched the weather before we left and knew it would be great!  Walking outside we were surprised at just how great.   The weather on race day was AMAZING-slightly overcast and cool, but not cold.  We did have some wind that was intense at times.  

Plan Of Attack:
My plan of attack was negative splits.  The idea of negative splits is that your 1st 1/2 of the race is slower than the 2nd 1/2.  The purpose of a negative splits is to conserve energy.  Often runners start out too quickly and burn out.  Burning out early on has you getting slower and slower as the race progresses and when, like me, you're hoping to get a qualifying time doing an 8:23 mile (like I needed to do to qualify), for 26 miles is unlikely.  Negative splits are tricky mentally.  When you think about racing and needing a specific time running slower than the necessary time seems counterproductive.  When you are racing and are "forced" to run your first few miles at a 9:00 pace when you know you are capable of so much more you really need to be focused in sticking to that slower pace...the end justifies the means!  I was comfortable the entire race thanks to negative splits.  There wasn't even a thought about a "wall" or walking.  I can't imagine running another marathon without negative splits.  In addition to negative splits keeping me happy my cheer team was awesome!  I saw my family/friends all over Philly and in every photo they took I was smiling and looked very comfortable-Thanks Negative Splits!  

Post Race:
As I ended the race (still smiling) they handed out hot chicken broth.  After running for 3:46:15 (that's right, 6:15 off from my BQ) and drinking only water and Gatorade (tho @ mile 20 some people were handing out beers and I took one...best decision to change up all the sugar I was taking in) and eating sports beans and gels the chicken broth was AMAZING and probably the greatest thing I had ever consumed ha ha.  In addition to the salt tasting great the warmth of the broth was needed.  Once I stopped running I got very cold, very quickly.  Within minutes of finishing, my lips were blue and my teeth were chattering.  I met up with my cheer team, got warm/dry clothes on and headed out of Philly!  

CELEBRATE:
After the race I threw myself a little party with friends and family.  I decided, months earlier, to listen to one of my running mentors and celebrate the fact that I completed another marathon-regardless of whether or not I got my Boston Qualifier time.  Still smiling, it was great to have everyone out to help me ease into the off season ha ha

It's safe to say that November 22nd, 2015 was one of the greatest days of my life.  I am immensely proud of myself.  Nope, I didn't qualify but I came damn close!  I cut 8:18 off my best marathon time and I gained a renewed belief in myself and what I'm capable of!  Then came November 23rd....


"I've learned that finishing a marathon isn't just an athletic achievement.  It's a state of mind that says anything is possible."