Closing in, in not-so-golden silence

It's getting close. Real close. 8 days away. I'm excited, not really nervous..... about the marathon, that is. What I am getting increasingly anxious about is the half-marathon I have in 2 days. A few weeks ago, when some fellow runners tried to scare me by telling me that this race is the hardest half in the area, I shrugged it off. Not being all that competitive, I just said, "Well, then I won't focus on setting a new PR." No big deal. Anxiety did not creep in until I started reading the race details online yesterday and noticed this heart-stopping message:

WHAT?!?

OK, OK, some of the races I have run so far have had similar messages, but I (like everyone else) ignored them and they were not enforced. This one is just worded with such strong, angry language, in red, and with a vivid graphic, no less!! (Insert a big long whine here.)

To be completely honest, I view my ipod as an appendage, delivering motivation via an umbilical cord with earbuds on the end. I need it. I have never run outdoors without it.

Until today. I bit the bullet and ran my prescribed 3 miles sans earbuds and it did not kill me. But, it wasn't what I would characterize as fun, either. I need fun. I need external motivation. And, while chirping birds and buzzing bees might get me outdoors, they do not make me want to run - or keep running for miles and miles and miles.

So, as I do with any moral dilemma, I turned to the blogosphere for answers. And, as usual, I found way too many conflicting opinions to actually be helpful, but I am more informed. I learned, for instance, that REAL runners NEVER run with music, but that many other so-called "runners" also admit to regularly breaking no-headphones bans in races.

What to do, what to do? I think I have come to a decision, but I don't want to jinx myself, so I will not share it until the race is done. I can disclose that I will be wearing my new magic compression socks (and yes they are magic), and my new Nathan running belt with my own supply of water and Shot Bloks. Along with my ball cap and sunglasses, I'm thinking the look will be aging softball player meets crazed tourist. Whether or not that crazed softball-playing tourist is enjoying some renegade tunes, yet to be seen.

By the way - the full marathon, that is 8 days away, has no policy on headphone use. And I fully plan to rock out the entire 26.2, thank you very much.

Catching up

Wow, has it really been over a month since my last post? April went by super fast, but I guess quite a bit has transpired in the gap. As far as running goes, I have continued with my training and I ran another 10K (new PR - 58:53!!). My only setback was last week, when I attempted my 20 mile run (to be the longest pre-marathon) without my IT band (stupid) and threw in the towel at mile 11 to keep the ensuing pain from becoming an injury.

So, the goal is to run my 20 tomorrow and then start tapering. I have to say I have been looking forward to the big taper since I started this whole program. So now that it is within reach, I am pretty darned excited.

On a somewhat unrelated note is the excitement that comes with getting new magazines in the mail. I know it's a bit frivolous and maybe more 'low-brow' than curling up with a book or a kindle, but I love to snuggle up to good magazine. And Runner's World fulfills that craving. On top of just being another glossy to casually peruse, I have so far actually found something useful in each issue.

For instance, in this months issue, which I enjoyed with my coffee this morning, I found that I am already doing most of the things they recommend in the "Run Faster (Without All the Work)" article. (They had me at their strategic use of parentheses in the title.) Most things, that is, except wearing knee-high compression socks. OK, easy enough. I decided I would surf the web a bit to find out some good brands and hit up a local sports store this afternoon - just in time to try them out for my 20. After all, acquiring new gear is one of the fun things about running, or any hobby/sport I would imagine.

Nope. Total fail. Nowhere in the area seems to carry compression socks, and one store even tried to make me think I had made them up! They tried to tell me I had to go to a medical supply store for "diabetic stockings". And when I mentioned reading about them in the latest issue of Runner's World, they pulled out last month's issue to try to prove me wrong!! I was so incensed that I didn't even purchase any Shot Bloks from them. Mean old behind-the-times-so-called- running-specialists!!

I know I have seen several people wearing them in my recent races, and there can't be that many runners who are diabetic! or at least that many that need "compression stockings"! Jeez.

So, no cool socks for tomorrow, but I am going to order some right now online. Even if they don't work, or I never even wear them, it will be worth it just to prove those sports' store $%#@ers were wrong. Maybe I'll put them on and run very slowly past their storefront.
$%#@ers.

Minutiae

The original goal - set way back on Thanksgiving of last year - of this whole training endeavor was to run a half-marathon on March 27. Much has gone on in the interim. Plans made, plans changed, plans remade. But yesterday, I accomplished that original goal. I ran in the Raleigh Rocks half-marathon and indeed ran the entire 13.1. Even at around mile 6 when I felt the need to shed my fleece and readjust my ipod armband, I did not break my pace. Even on the mega hills around the art museum, I may have run reeeally really slow, but I ran. In the end, I mustered the energy to sprint across the finish line at about 2 hours 12 minutes. The race website still hasn't posted the official results, so I don't yet know my chip time, or where I fell in my age group. But none of that really matters. I met my goal and I have to say I am quite proud of myself. And my husband, who dutifully got up at 6:15 with me on a Saturday and had to find things to occupy the >2 hours between start and finish, was there to capture the moment and give me a celebratory hug at the finish line.

So, since I will be repeating this effort in a couple of months, and doubling it a week later, I figured it might be good to reflect on the little things and lessons learned from this event:

• Carb-loading with pasta the night before was well-intended, but I should consider choosing a less greasy, less cheesy option in future.
• Breakfast of an english muffin w/ almond butter, banana and green tea (about an hour and a half before the race) was perfect.
• Decision to use the restroom one last time at the convention center (where registration was held) was not the best idea, but worth the wait in the insanely long line.
  
• Clif margarita flavored shot bloks were great! The forethought of putting them in a sandwich bag so I didn't have to fight with packaging as I ran, made them even better.
• I now know that I will spill most of the water/sports drinks from the hydration stations ON me, so I need to avoid those stations serving RED anything!
• The knee band I wore worked better on my ITB issues than the conventional brace I had been wearing.
• My $10 orthotics proved they were worth every penny and not a cent more.
  
• Must invest in sunglasses that don't slip down my nose as I run - but not those ugly sporty wrap around kind. Ugh.
  
• Sunscreen - brilliant! (I still can't believe I remembered to put any on.)
• When layering, don't safety pin the number to any under layers. This makes it far more difficult than necessary to shed that outer layer. (I didn't break pace, but it took me at least five whole minutes to get it off and get everything readjusted.)
• Playlist was spot on, but barely long enough to last the whole race with a few skipped songs and no repeats. (And, I'll have to double it for the full marathon - argh!)
  
• Identify a few runners to pace with during the first 2/3 of the race, and then focus the last 1/3 on passing them. ;-)

My next races on the calendar: 10K on April 18, half-marathon 5/16, full marathon 5/22.

Not going that extra mile

Every Friday feels like winning a battle - a triumph over the various and random forces that feel like weights on my ankles as I fight through the rest of the week . Traffic jams, long lines, coffee stains, shedding pets, even PMS, they all disappear at 5 o'clock Friday. It really is magic. And yesterday was even more magic-er (sic) because it's SPRING! Yesterday's run was only 3 miles, but it was 70 degrees, sunny, and the air was filled with the scents of early flowers and fresh cut grass. It was lovely, it was indeed a little bit magical, and it made me want to run a few extra laps around my little adopted running neighborhood.

But, I didn't. Nope. As tempting as it was, I remembered a tidbit of expert running advice I read early in my training: Don't go the extra mile.

3 miles is the shortest distance I run these days, but from my prior reading, I knew that going that extra mile wouldn't really pay off. In my head, it may have seemed like an opportunity to breathe in the fresh air and feel the sunshine for another mile. But, in reality, it would also shave off the remainder of my Dunkin Donuts large latte high and render me too exhausted to enjoy my weekly Friday celebration. And, with a 16 mile run looming for this Sunday, overdoing it always poses the risk of derailing my training schedule.

So, I didn't go the extra mile, not even part of it. Being the overachiever that I am (though I like to picture myself as a rebellious slacker, I must admit my true tendencies), that little gem of advice has an extra sweet ring for me. It's like a pass to dial it back a notch or two - something I am rarely willing to do. Like that other advice to actually rest and not run a couple of days a week, not going the extra mile is something that imposes sanity on my otherwise insanely busy life.

Today happens to be one of those 'rest' days, so it's time to go work on the kitchen, write a paper, take my advanced stats quiz, switch over the winter/summer wardrobe, walk the dogs, do the dishes, and.......


p.s. One week from today is my first half-marathon - on the same date of the original race my Mom and I were supposed to run together. I'll be running this one solo, and I'm thinking it should take me about 2 hours and 40 minutes. We'll see.

Birthdays, Shot Bloks and Breast Exams

Damn, this is a busy time of year. Forget work and school, it's all the freaking birthdays!! Between Jan. 28 and Mar. 4, my mom, dad, brother, husband, sister-in-law, father-in-law and 3 close friends ALL have birthdays! Don't get me wrong, I love them all and I don't need to be convinced to celebrate, but it just gets exhausting. So, for me, spending gobs of money and eating a ton of rich food does not end after the holidays. I just get about a month off before the REAL most wonderful time of the year. Fitting in our never-ending kitchen renovation AND sticking to my running schedule has been a real challenge these past few weeks, but I'm almost out of the woods. After this Thursday, I will have three glorious birthday-free months..... with only two baby showers.... so far.

Ok, new topic, no more whining. My best latest running discovery has to be Clif Shot Bloks. Particularly the 'margarita with sodium' flavor. One of my Facebook friends recommended them to me and I am absolutely certain they were the only thing that allowed me to complete the 14 mile run last Saturday. I ate one cube about every 20-30 minutes (as I watched TWO complete movies) and by golly, I made it through. I was more than a little sore for the next two days, but that's beside the point. Margarita Shot Bloks rule!

So, I guess that leaves the breast exam. Yeah. Two days after my last race, I had my 'annual', during which my doctor found a small, hard reason to refer me for a mammogram and ultrasound. As you can guess, I freaked out for the following week and a half, right up to my appointment with the radiologist last Thursday. My poor husband, the only person I really told, was also extremely worried and incredibly sweet, buying me flowers and offering to go with me. In the end, they found absolutely nothing. Hallelujah. Turns out it was dense tissue (insert 'dense' jokes here). Four days later, I can already laugh about it - though I was absolutely, completely terrified - particularly the fact that, in addition to envisioning wigs and a prosthesis, I was trying to figure out if I could delay surgery or chemo or whatever until AFTER the marathon. Is that not insane? Well, whatever. I'm healthy. I may be dense, but I can run really, really far.

Oh, and for any 'mature' ladies that may be reading this - mammograms? Jeeezus, painful!! I totally get it now. The tech said to me on my way out, "we'll see you next year!" Uh, doubtful. Think I'll be waiting until the 35 mark on that one. But, thanks.

Wow. Just wow.

Today was great for so many reasons. In the name of organization, let me see if I can count them:

1. The overnight snow pushed the race back to 1:00, so I got to sleep in and enjoy the morning.
2. My hubby did end up running with me, even though he had a sucky week and had been doubtful up to the final hours beforehand.
3. Both of my parents ended up running/walking even though my mom had a sucky week and hadn't even been able to squeeze in a single run or walk to train.
4. The mixture of cops, Mormons and cub scouts (sponsors and race organizers) provided fodder for exactly the type of snarky banter that makes my heart swell with love for my family.
5. Even though I walked for a few seconds on the hills, the clock at the finish read 27:40something. I haven't seen my chip time yet (couldn't get past the mob to actually read the posted results), but I saw that I finished first in my age group and I suppose I shaved about 2 minutes off my last race time.
6. My husband finished around 39 minutes, even though he had ill-fitting running attire and had not done any training outdoors.
7. My parents finished at around 47 minutes and, as the last racers, jokingly ran across the finish line to the entire crowd cheering. For added effect, my Dad crossed the line running backwards.
8. Hot chocolate and bananas after the race.
9. My Dad and I both won door prizes - gift certificates to local restaurants we wouldn't be caught dead in, but that my Grandmother loves.
10. Back at my folks' house, my Dad revealed that he had worn his very newly purchased jogging suit OVER his regular dress pants and button-down shirt. (Not as much a strategic move as a response to us rushing him out the door.) I haven't laughed so hard in days.


So, in summary, I now feel I have adequately conquered the 5k. On to the 10ks in March and April, and of course with an eye on that half-marathon in May. Oh, and, the FULL marathon the following week. Did I mention I that I bit the bullet on that one? 5/22/10, Boone NC, my first marathon. Yessirree. Bring..... it..... on.

Here we go again

Saturday forecast for Sanford, NC - partly cloudy with a high of 47, low of 23. So, at 10 am when my next 5k starts? Probably not much warmer than the last race. BUT, at least I know what to expect, what to wear, etc. More importantly, this will not be my FIRST race. It's my second, and my husband is joining me this time! My mom and dad are running again as well, and my mom has promised to actually run the entire distance - woo hoo! So, the forecast may be frigid, but the outlook is sunny.

And I do need some sunshine to keep me motivated. All of the snow we've had recently, and the postponement of the much anticipated mother/daughter half-marathon have not been the most energizing of forces. I'm up to 10 miles on my weekly long runs, but lately it's been more of a trudge than a joy.

I am pretty bummed that my much-labored-over training schedule now has me ready for the 13.1 way way way ahead of the new race. I am still thinking that I may just count the half in May as a part of training for a real marathon in the Summer. Problem is, where in the southeast will it not be hot as hell? I searched online and there literally are no marathons in NC or any surrounding states between June and September.

Except for one in Boone, in July, which I find pretty tempting. Yes, Boone is in the mountains (not even hills, but freaking mountains), but the race is called the Flatlanders Marathon, so it at least sounds doable. However, as my husband so helpfully pointed out, the elevation difference (thinner air) may not be a good thing for a first-timer. I need to do some research on that. To be continued......

Oh, and by the way, I learned my lesson from the Tobacco Road 'race full' experience. I have now pre-registered and paid for two 10ks (one in March, one in April) and the new half-marathon in May. Done and done.