New Years Day started with a 5K at my local fitness club. The Commitment Day 5K. I have been training to improve my Half time. So I am in the middle of a training cycle or in other words my legs are not fresh. They didn't feel fresh, they felt stiff, sore and heavy.
The weather was cold, damp, breezy with some winter mix precipitation. Rain, sleet and snow. 30 degrees with a wind chill in the teens. Oh yay!
I ran into my run coach Nate and his fiancé Cecilia. We chatted for a minute, he asked me what my goal was. I told him I knew what I wanted but I didn't know if I could do it. He persisted in wanting to know, so I told him I wanted a sub 30 but I didn't have much faith in it. He told me he thought I would surprise myself and it would be close. We wished each other well and headed off for the start line.
We line up, listen to the National Anthem, cheer, and the BOOM! Go Time! I love toeing the start line. There is such a sense of anticipation, nervous energy, and the possibility of meeting your goal. Mile one is flat and even and I am on pace with a 9:55. Mile 2 is flat then down hill turn around and straight uphill and I'm on pace at 10:07. I meet Nate going down hill as he is going uphill, he waves and shouts out encouragement. Mile 3 is the same as mile one since it is an out and back and my pace is 9:27. I can see the finish now, damn it a 15 yo boy passes me, damn kids! I sprint to the finish and cross with a 29:53!!!!!!
I am so freaking stoked! I really didn't think I could do it! A freaking sub 30 5K! My first 5K had a time of 45 minutes. My second 5K this same race on New Years 2014 finish time of 39:48! This summer the breast cancer 5K of 34:49. A PR anyway you look at it. I'm just happy with a stupid grin on my face.
First person I see is my trainer Matt , so of course I have to tell him! We chat for a few then I leave to go cheer in the other runners. I see Nate and we celebrate! It is a damn fine day!
The next event is the Polar Bear Plunge at noon. Now when I signed up for this in September it sounded like a damn fine idea. Now today with sub 30 temps, sleet, rain & wind not so much. In fact it starting to sound down right insane.
We line up outside at the start line after a free shot of Rumple Minze. I don't know why they didn't give us the good stuff. I think for jumping in an outdoor pool in Winter should qualify for a shot of bourbon! Oh well! The gun goes off and away we go for a .5 mile run a jump and run through the shallow end of the pool! Holy Jesus that water is cold!
Around we go for another .5 mile run and a wait in line to go down the slide. So we get to stand outside in line, unmoving in the sleet, wind, wet clothes and look at ice forming in the railing. Freaking great! Down the slide, super fast in the dark. Splash! OMG that is COLD! Now Polar Bear guy is yelling at me keep moving, come on, come to the steps! Oh yeah big guy you just don't want to rescue my dumb cold ass!
Around we go for the last .5. Mile run and jump to the bottom of the pool to retrieve my medal. Which is the size of a dinner plate! I go inside to the indoor pool and get in. It is a balmy 70 degrees! Ahhhh! It causes burning tingles! Ohhhh! Feeling better!
Now some of my run club friends join me and we take lots of pics. We say how much fun it is and yes we will probably do it again next year! I think we are all crazy but that's ok. It is all just fun and games anyway!
Live Epic!
Michelle
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Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Sunday, December 21, 2014
135 or Bust!
Week one of the new training program started on Monday. The goal of this training plan is to shave some serious time off my Half marathon time. The strategies in the program are 1. To build a base of running at aerobic capacity, 2 to shed some extra pounds and get to a better racing weight, 3 to increase my endurance for running at faster paces.
Monday kicked off for 3 miles while trying to keep my heart rate below 135. This is proving to be way harder than I anticipated. I feel like I am barely moving but I check my heart rate and it maxed out at 149 with an average heart rate of 123.
Tuesday was another 3 miles and strength training with Matt. I did 120 pound squats! YAY ME! Now Tuesday runs are my free runs, meaning I an run at whatever pace I want and heart rate be damned. Since I am new to running with my heart rate as my gauge I decided to try and keep it under 135. I averaged a heart rate of 120 with a max of 139.
Wednesday brought more metabolic testing with Nate. This one was the resting metabolic test. Very easy to do and yields some great information. Mainly it gives you the calories the body needs just to exist. Mine is 1743 which is a 100 calories more than optimal for a woman my age and size. Fantastic news because it is always good news when the trainer says eat more. It also gives you the macro nutrient breakdown , i.e. How many grams of protein, fat, and carbs. Now I have no excuses on the nutrition front. I had two four mile runs on the schedule for Wednesday. After talking with. Nate about the schedule he agreed that I could do just 8 miles at once. So I headed out in the sleet and cold cold rain for 7 miles. Average heart rate of 131 & a max of 154, kind of failed at keeping the heart rate low. I stopped at 7 because it was time to strength train with Matt. Dead lifts dead lifts and dead lifts! I attempted to do one more mile on the treadmill to make 8. I made it a 1/4 of a mile before my glute's and stomach screamed UNCLE and went to find some food!
Thursday was a rest day so I worked all day.
Friday was another day of 2 a days. 4 miles before work which average heart rate of 129 & a max of 144. Work for 12. Then home to run 4 more with average of 124 and a max of 141.
Saturday was a rest day and I was off work. I would like to tell you I was incredible productive but the reality is I imitated a blanket draped over a chair really well.
Sunday was long slow day of 13 miles. 13 miles at a 14:30 pace with an average heart rate of 131 and a max of 147. I choose a relatively hilly route because if we can't push the pace at least I can push the difficulty.
Summary of my performance is a B overall. All the runs completed except for .75 for a total of 34+ miles. I kept my average heart rate under 135 but failed at keeping the max under 135. Nutrition is a lot better but still have room for improvement in quality and variety. Weight is down 4.2 lbs and down .6% body fat as of Wednesday.
Merry Christmas!
Live Epic
Michelle
Monday kicked off for 3 miles while trying to keep my heart rate below 135. This is proving to be way harder than I anticipated. I feel like I am barely moving but I check my heart rate and it maxed out at 149 with an average heart rate of 123.
Tuesday was another 3 miles and strength training with Matt. I did 120 pound squats! YAY ME! Now Tuesday runs are my free runs, meaning I an run at whatever pace I want and heart rate be damned. Since I am new to running with my heart rate as my gauge I decided to try and keep it under 135. I averaged a heart rate of 120 with a max of 139.
Wednesday brought more metabolic testing with Nate. This one was the resting metabolic test. Very easy to do and yields some great information. Mainly it gives you the calories the body needs just to exist. Mine is 1743 which is a 100 calories more than optimal for a woman my age and size. Fantastic news because it is always good news when the trainer says eat more. It also gives you the macro nutrient breakdown , i.e. How many grams of protein, fat, and carbs. Now I have no excuses on the nutrition front. I had two four mile runs on the schedule for Wednesday. After talking with. Nate about the schedule he agreed that I could do just 8 miles at once. So I headed out in the sleet and cold cold rain for 7 miles. Average heart rate of 131 & a max of 154, kind of failed at keeping the heart rate low. I stopped at 7 because it was time to strength train with Matt. Dead lifts dead lifts and dead lifts! I attempted to do one more mile on the treadmill to make 8. I made it a 1/4 of a mile before my glute's and stomach screamed UNCLE and went to find some food!
Thursday was a rest day so I worked all day.
Friday was another day of 2 a days. 4 miles before work which average heart rate of 129 & a max of 144. Work for 12. Then home to run 4 more with average of 124 and a max of 141.
Saturday was a rest day and I was off work. I would like to tell you I was incredible productive but the reality is I imitated a blanket draped over a chair really well.
Sunday was long slow day of 13 miles. 13 miles at a 14:30 pace with an average heart rate of 131 and a max of 147. I choose a relatively hilly route because if we can't push the pace at least I can push the difficulty.
Summary of my performance is a B overall. All the runs completed except for .75 for a total of 34+ miles. I kept my average heart rate under 135 but failed at keeping the max under 135. Nutrition is a lot better but still have room for improvement in quality and variety. Weight is down 4.2 lbs and down .6% body fat as of Wednesday.
Merry Christmas!
Live Epic
Michelle
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Route 66 Marathon
On Saturday afternoon I go to the race expo to get my packet. I go to the packet pickup and give them my ID. A few seconds later the young man with my bib in his hand says loudly we have a first time marathoner. Everyone behind the table start yelling and ringing cowbells. I turn bright red and silently pray the floor opens up and takes me away. No luck and now people in line are wishing me luck and saying how great it is. I smile and nod, say thank you and keep moving away. OMG people should warn you that they do that.
5 am Sunday the alarm goes off, first instinct is to hit snooze, second thought is Oh hell it is RACE DAY! I get up make coffee, let the dog out, bathroom, dog in, breakfast, brush the teeth, wash the face, comb the hair, bathroom, & get dressed. Get the race bib straight, earbuds, garmin, protein/Ucan shake, house key, & phone. All morning I focus on the small details because the minute my mind goes to the race, I am nauseous. Run to Quik Trip for a Cliff bar I forgot to buy on Saturday and head over to meet with the run group before the start.
Take some pics with run club, bathroom again and walk to the corrals. Find corral C and meet with some friends I met at the OKC half marathon. We take a few pics, chit chat and they talk about me doing the Full. I'm trying not to hurl. My trainer Nate comes by for a few words of advice, "Start slow, it should feel slow, it should feel easy!" Ok Nate! Is what I say out loud but what is running through my mind is: don't puke, don't puke, don't puke!
7:55 gun sounds & confetti cannon erupts for the wheelchair races. Gulp!
8:00 guns sound for Corral A! Ugh!
8:10 gun for Corral B. Shit!
8:15 gun for Corral C damn it here we go!
Slow down, breathe, slower, breathe, slower, breathe, ok,,, stay here this pace just keep it steady. This is just a 10 mile easy run, followed by a 10 mile pace run and ended with a 10K finish. Hahaha yeah right.
Mile 1-5 were mostly about me settling into a groove and focusing on the mile at hand and not the other 21 to go. The terrain is mostly level with some very small hills followed by a downhill. The weather is 55-60 degrees, humid, partly cloudy with wind gusts. The crowd is scattered along the course, cheering with signs and cowbells. At mile 5 a male runner passes me and I read the back of his shirt "They shall run and not be weary." Isaiah 40:31. I say a prayer of thanks.
Miles 6-10 are mostly level ground. The run is feeling good. I am constantly checking my pace, my breathing, heart rate and level of effort. My heart rate reads high but I feel good. The crowds are thicker here on Brookside. I come up on Emily a fellow run club member. We chat for a bit and then I move on. At this point I laugh out loud at a sign on the course that says "Smile if you have to Pee!" I laugh and point at the man's sign and say why yes I do, so thanks for reminding me. haha!
Miles 11-15 start a constant uphill. I do a quick check. Breathing good, heart rate good, legs good, now my feet are getting a little tender from the minimal shoes and hard ground but not bad. At about mile 12 we part ways from the half marathoners and head out for the other 14 miles. This is the point of no return now. Oh crap did I really sign up for the FULL? Why did I do this? Oh well here we go. At mile 13 we run right by my car. Really? I even have the key with me. No Keep going cupcake. Mile 14 we go by within a block of my apartment. Really? Oh well I don't have the house key with me. Mile 15 is port-a-potty time. Yuck! By the way running tights and sweat do not aide in a speedy pit stop.
Miles 16-20 is still a constant upward climb. The crowds says the top of the hill is right up there. Yeah right. You get to the top take a corner and go uphill some more. None of the hills are straight up or steep it is just a constant medium grade incline. Mile 16 my feet are really feeling the force of the ground but it is endurable. Mile 18 my right lateral thigh is aching but again it is not bad. I just attribute it to fatigue. Mile 20 I stop and stretch my right quad and hip flexor which seems to help. Now just before mile 21 starts I have another laugh out loud moment. Somebody has tacked a sign on a pole at a point where the course takes a left turn. There are no spectators here it is just the sign on the pole that says "SMILE IF YOU MASTURBATE!" So random, who puts a sign up like that. Dang it, laughing hurts too.
Miles 21-25 Unchartered territory which is going to take me right by my house and my car again. Mile 21 starts the downhill to the finish. Mile 21 introduces a new pain. A stitch in my right side of my abdomen that causes a spasm in my diaphragm. I am not out of breath but with this spasm in my diaphragm I can not draw a good breath. At first instinct you want to panic, but I force myself to calm down. Am I breathing? Yes. Am I getting enough air? Yes. What to do? I decide it is probably dehydration/electrolyte imbalance. At the next water station I walk through it and drink a Gatorade, a water and chew on some of the Cliff bar. It helps for a bit. At mile 23 it starts to spasm again, luckily a woman had set up her own refreshment table and had her carton of salt out and would pour it into your hand to lick off. It was awesome and probably is what kept me from having to walk to the finish. Bless her soul! Mile 24 brings my male runner back to pass me again. Yes it was the same man with the Isaiah 40:13 verse on the back of his shirt. I don't know how or when he got behind me because I promise I only seen him the 2 times and both times he passes me and got right in front of me long enough for me to read the shirt and say a Thank you Lord. Then he keeps going till out of sight. I am really tired at this point. Everything hurts. I keep running. I will not stop. I have to finish. Mile 25 Ronnie from my run club, runs out to me on the course pats me on the back and tells me "you have got this Michelle. Turn up here to do the Center of the Universe tour then a couple more turns and you will be at the finish. You look strong Michelle." This brings tears to my eyes because I really needed it. My side hurts. My diaphragm is still having spasms. I pretty sure my feet are going to be a bloody mess if I ever take my shoes off. I turn and do the universe detour and hear Gary from run club call out to me and say "looking great Michelle you got this!' I wave and say thanks!
Now I come back down from the detour and see Amanda from run club on the corner and she yells "Go Michelle!" As she says it I hear all of you saying it too. I can feel all of you with me on the last leg of this course. I make a turn and there is the lady from the running store. She has been everywhere on this course. This is the 5th time I have seen her along the course. Each time she has razzed me about my beauty queen wave, this time she jumps up and high 5's me and says the finish line is around the corner. I believe her because she is sitting by the 25.9 mile marker. I hear all of you yelling GO! GO! FINISH!
Mile 26 I can see the finish line and the crowds lined up on either side of the course. I pick up my pace. I lean forward and start kicking it to the finish. I see Nate my trainer on my left and hear him yelling. I hear other run club members yelling. I see Bart Yasso and he says he likes my kick! I high fived Bart Yasso as I cross the finish line at a chip time of 5:31:59. I collect water, Gatorade and my medal! I assure the medical people that I am OK!
I am a Marathoner! A year ago I did my first 5K in over 45 minutes. Six months ago it took well over 3 hours to do a half marathon. 6 months ago I smoked. 4 months ago I could finally run a mile nonstop outside. Today I am runner, an athlete, a marathoner and anything else I decide to take on.
Live Epic!
Michelle
5 am Sunday the alarm goes off, first instinct is to hit snooze, second thought is Oh hell it is RACE DAY! I get up make coffee, let the dog out, bathroom, dog in, breakfast, brush the teeth, wash the face, comb the hair, bathroom, & get dressed. Get the race bib straight, earbuds, garmin, protein/Ucan shake, house key, & phone. All morning I focus on the small details because the minute my mind goes to the race, I am nauseous. Run to Quik Trip for a Cliff bar I forgot to buy on Saturday and head over to meet with the run group before the start.
Take some pics with run club, bathroom again and walk to the corrals. Find corral C and meet with some friends I met at the OKC half marathon. We take a few pics, chit chat and they talk about me doing the Full. I'm trying not to hurl. My trainer Nate comes by for a few words of advice, "Start slow, it should feel slow, it should feel easy!" Ok Nate! Is what I say out loud but what is running through my mind is: don't puke, don't puke, don't puke!
7:55 gun sounds & confetti cannon erupts for the wheelchair races. Gulp!
8:00 guns sound for Corral A! Ugh!
8:10 gun for Corral B. Shit!
8:15 gun for Corral C damn it here we go!
Slow down, breathe, slower, breathe, slower, breathe, ok,,, stay here this pace just keep it steady. This is just a 10 mile easy run, followed by a 10 mile pace run and ended with a 10K finish. Hahaha yeah right.
Mile 1-5 were mostly about me settling into a groove and focusing on the mile at hand and not the other 21 to go. The terrain is mostly level with some very small hills followed by a downhill. The weather is 55-60 degrees, humid, partly cloudy with wind gusts. The crowd is scattered along the course, cheering with signs and cowbells. At mile 5 a male runner passes me and I read the back of his shirt "They shall run and not be weary." Isaiah 40:31. I say a prayer of thanks.
Miles 6-10 are mostly level ground. The run is feeling good. I am constantly checking my pace, my breathing, heart rate and level of effort. My heart rate reads high but I feel good. The crowds are thicker here on Brookside. I come up on Emily a fellow run club member. We chat for a bit and then I move on. At this point I laugh out loud at a sign on the course that says "Smile if you have to Pee!" I laugh and point at the man's sign and say why yes I do, so thanks for reminding me. haha!
Miles 11-15 start a constant uphill. I do a quick check. Breathing good, heart rate good, legs good, now my feet are getting a little tender from the minimal shoes and hard ground but not bad. At about mile 12 we part ways from the half marathoners and head out for the other 14 miles. This is the point of no return now. Oh crap did I really sign up for the FULL? Why did I do this? Oh well here we go. At mile 13 we run right by my car. Really? I even have the key with me. No Keep going cupcake. Mile 14 we go by within a block of my apartment. Really? Oh well I don't have the house key with me. Mile 15 is port-a-potty time. Yuck! By the way running tights and sweat do not aide in a speedy pit stop.
Miles 16-20 is still a constant upward climb. The crowds says the top of the hill is right up there. Yeah right. You get to the top take a corner and go uphill some more. None of the hills are straight up or steep it is just a constant medium grade incline. Mile 16 my feet are really feeling the force of the ground but it is endurable. Mile 18 my right lateral thigh is aching but again it is not bad. I just attribute it to fatigue. Mile 20 I stop and stretch my right quad and hip flexor which seems to help. Now just before mile 21 starts I have another laugh out loud moment. Somebody has tacked a sign on a pole at a point where the course takes a left turn. There are no spectators here it is just the sign on the pole that says "SMILE IF YOU MASTURBATE!" So random, who puts a sign up like that. Dang it, laughing hurts too.
Miles 21-25 Unchartered territory which is going to take me right by my house and my car again. Mile 21 starts the downhill to the finish. Mile 21 introduces a new pain. A stitch in my right side of my abdomen that causes a spasm in my diaphragm. I am not out of breath but with this spasm in my diaphragm I can not draw a good breath. At first instinct you want to panic, but I force myself to calm down. Am I breathing? Yes. Am I getting enough air? Yes. What to do? I decide it is probably dehydration/electrolyte imbalance. At the next water station I walk through it and drink a Gatorade, a water and chew on some of the Cliff bar. It helps for a bit. At mile 23 it starts to spasm again, luckily a woman had set up her own refreshment table and had her carton of salt out and would pour it into your hand to lick off. It was awesome and probably is what kept me from having to walk to the finish. Bless her soul! Mile 24 brings my male runner back to pass me again. Yes it was the same man with the Isaiah 40:13 verse on the back of his shirt. I don't know how or when he got behind me because I promise I only seen him the 2 times and both times he passes me and got right in front of me long enough for me to read the shirt and say a Thank you Lord. Then he keeps going till out of sight. I am really tired at this point. Everything hurts. I keep running. I will not stop. I have to finish. Mile 25 Ronnie from my run club, runs out to me on the course pats me on the back and tells me "you have got this Michelle. Turn up here to do the Center of the Universe tour then a couple more turns and you will be at the finish. You look strong Michelle." This brings tears to my eyes because I really needed it. My side hurts. My diaphragm is still having spasms. I pretty sure my feet are going to be a bloody mess if I ever take my shoes off. I turn and do the universe detour and hear Gary from run club call out to me and say "looking great Michelle you got this!' I wave and say thanks!
Now I come back down from the detour and see Amanda from run club on the corner and she yells "Go Michelle!" As she says it I hear all of you saying it too. I can feel all of you with me on the last leg of this course. I make a turn and there is the lady from the running store. She has been everywhere on this course. This is the 5th time I have seen her along the course. Each time she has razzed me about my beauty queen wave, this time she jumps up and high 5's me and says the finish line is around the corner. I believe her because she is sitting by the 25.9 mile marker. I hear all of you yelling GO! GO! FINISH!
Mile 26 I can see the finish line and the crowds lined up on either side of the course. I pick up my pace. I lean forward and start kicking it to the finish. I see Nate my trainer on my left and hear him yelling. I hear other run club members yelling. I see Bart Yasso and he says he likes my kick! I high fived Bart Yasso as I cross the finish line at a chip time of 5:31:59. I collect water, Gatorade and my medal! I assure the medical people that I am OK!
I am a Marathoner! A year ago I did my first 5K in over 45 minutes. Six months ago it took well over 3 hours to do a half marathon. 6 months ago I smoked. 4 months ago I could finally run a mile nonstop outside. Today I am runner, an athlete, a marathoner and anything else I decide to take on.
Live Epic!
Michelle
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Tapers, Nerves & Countdowns!
In training for a marathon, you learn all sorts of terms. Things such as time on feet, quality runs, long runs, pace runs, tempo runs, yasso's, cumulative fatigue, cross training, rest days, foam rolling, hill repeats, cadence, heart rate zones.and last but not least the Taper. Some of these I have a good understanding of, some of them I will get a better understanding of in my next training cycle, right now I am getting an understanding of the Taper.
Runners will tell you a good taper is vital for optimum race day performance and I agree with them. They will tell you it is to recover from cumulative fatigue and overuse injuries. It is time to perfect your nutrition, sleep and hydration. To visualize your race and plan your stategdy.
Now during marathon training you have a schedule that is about 12-16 weeks long. The schedule tells you what days to run, how long to run, how fast or how hard to run. It tells you what days to rest and what days to cross train. A schedule is revered and followed to the last mile. Every week the mileage or time running increases unless it is a drop down week. The schedule consists of your first double digit run the 10 miler. The week you do a half or 13 miles and you secretly wonder are you able to run double that number. The 16 miler that you complete easily and know you could have went further. The 18 miler that strips away your belief that you can and forces you to face the question, Can you really? Then the 20 miler that is so much easier than the 18 but makes you ask could I really do another 6.2 miles more? I don't know?
Everybody says if you can do 20 then you can do 26.2 on race day. That nerves, momentum, crowds and fear of a DNF will carry you through the last 6.2 miles. Everyone tells you when nerves arise to trust your training because you put in the miles. Then they tell you to taper for 3 weeks!
The Taper is the 2-3 weeks before your race. Each week your mileage or time running decreases up till Race Day. That is 21 days spent with less time running. 21 days to analyze every run. 21 days to remember every missed training mile. 21 days to remember every run you might not have given all your focus. 21 days to remember each poor meal choices. 21 days to remember the extra Cape Cod drink. 21 days to remember the nights of poor sleep. 21 days to remember all the days you didn't drink water, stretch, or foam roll. 21 days or 504 hours for your nerves to build and nightmares of DNF to occur.
As you taper and have more time on your hands you might catch up on social media, nonrunning friends and family. Bad idea. Every friend you have is suddenly an expert on running and have nothing else to talk about except your upcoming race. Family members all have that one person who blew out their knee in a race and were in a full body cast for a year. Every time you get on a social web site you will be confronted with an image of a countdown to your race. Such as the link below.
http://route66marathon.com/expopacket-group/health-and-fitness-expo/
Now a well executed taper does help resolve cumulative fatigue. Overuse injuries will heal during this time. You will focus on the things you can control, your nutrition, hydration and rest. You will focus on what you didn't do. You will question your ability to finish. Your nerves will get out of control. You wil resolve your mind to the fact that you will finish, even if you have to crawl.
Race Day will dawn. You will be rested. You will be hydrated. You will be fueled. You will be a jumble of nervous energy, excitement and scared witless! But really if you are calm and not scared then you are not dreaming big enough! OMG 4 Days to Race Day!
Live Epic!
Michelle
Runners will tell you a good taper is vital for optimum race day performance and I agree with them. They will tell you it is to recover from cumulative fatigue and overuse injuries. It is time to perfect your nutrition, sleep and hydration. To visualize your race and plan your stategdy.
Now during marathon training you have a schedule that is about 12-16 weeks long. The schedule tells you what days to run, how long to run, how fast or how hard to run. It tells you what days to rest and what days to cross train. A schedule is revered and followed to the last mile. Every week the mileage or time running increases unless it is a drop down week. The schedule consists of your first double digit run the 10 miler. The week you do a half or 13 miles and you secretly wonder are you able to run double that number. The 16 miler that you complete easily and know you could have went further. The 18 miler that strips away your belief that you can and forces you to face the question, Can you really? Then the 20 miler that is so much easier than the 18 but makes you ask could I really do another 6.2 miles more? I don't know?
Everybody says if you can do 20 then you can do 26.2 on race day. That nerves, momentum, crowds and fear of a DNF will carry you through the last 6.2 miles. Everyone tells you when nerves arise to trust your training because you put in the miles. Then they tell you to taper for 3 weeks!
The Taper is the 2-3 weeks before your race. Each week your mileage or time running decreases up till Race Day. That is 21 days spent with less time running. 21 days to analyze every run. 21 days to remember every missed training mile. 21 days to remember every run you might not have given all your focus. 21 days to remember each poor meal choices. 21 days to remember the extra Cape Cod drink. 21 days to remember the nights of poor sleep. 21 days to remember all the days you didn't drink water, stretch, or foam roll. 21 days or 504 hours for your nerves to build and nightmares of DNF to occur.
As you taper and have more time on your hands you might catch up on social media, nonrunning friends and family. Bad idea. Every friend you have is suddenly an expert on running and have nothing else to talk about except your upcoming race. Family members all have that one person who blew out their knee in a race and were in a full body cast for a year. Every time you get on a social web site you will be confronted with an image of a countdown to your race. Such as the link below.
http://route66marathon.com/expopacket-group/health-and-fitness-expo/
Now a well executed taper does help resolve cumulative fatigue. Overuse injuries will heal during this time. You will focus on the things you can control, your nutrition, hydration and rest. You will focus on what you didn't do. You will question your ability to finish. Your nerves will get out of control. You wil resolve your mind to the fact that you will finish, even if you have to crawl.
Race Day will dawn. You will be rested. You will be hydrated. You will be fueled. You will be a jumble of nervous energy, excitement and scared witless! But really if you are calm and not scared then you are not dreaming big enough! OMG 4 Days to Race Day!
Live Epic!
Michelle
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Jenk's Half Marathon
This last week was all about prepping for my half marathon on Saturday and it was the first official week of the marathon taper. The taper is a discussion for another post all by itself. This is all about my second half marathon.
Now my first half marathon was in April at the Oklahoma City Memorial marathon. It started after a 2 hour severe weather delay. In ended with temperatures in the 90's and high humidity. Back then I was walk/run method, I finished with a chip time of 3:12:59 and a gun time of 3:27:39. Now my trainer did the full marathon in 2:52 something. Did you see that he did twice the mileage 20 minutes faster than I did half of it. That pissed me off. Probably why I kept running and trying to improve. The bitch of it was I couldn't even cuss about it because he stayed and cheered me in and told me how great I did. Don't you just hate it when you want to have a melt down cussing fit and you can't because people are being nice. Geesh!
The Jenk's Half Marathon dawned on a windy crisp 55 degrees and started right on time at 8 am. There was 500 and something entrants. It started just down the street from the Jenk's track and ended on the track. The gun goes off and here we go.
Miles 1-2 seemed to drag by mainly I think because I kept looking at my watch for my pace and trying to slow myself down. I did not want to repeat the Tulsa Run experience of just hanging on the last 2 miles.
Mile 3-4 were easy pace wise. I was running by a group called Running the Streets which is mentoring program for teens in Bartlesville OK. One of the girls started asking me about how long I had been running and what all distances I had ran. I told her I was a newbie and training for my first full. She allowed this was her fifth half marathon. She wants to do a full but her dad won't let her until she turns 16! OMG! Nice kid, I passed her eventually but just because she had to stay with the group. I may have to look into one of the mentoring running groups.
Miles 5-7 were rolling hills but manageable. Mile 8 was a hill a mile long straight into the wind. I did not think it was ever going to be over. Mile 9 was downhill always my favorite. I may have picked off a few people here. Since most people use the downhill to recover instead of attacking.
Mile 10 I realized it was almost over with just a 5K left. I looked at my watch and knew if I picked up my pace a bit and maintained I could be under 2:30. So I did. I picked off people and no they did not come back for me like at the Tulsa run.
The Splits were as follows:
Mile 1 - 11:21
Mile 2 - 11:30
Mile 3 - 11:39
Mile 4 - 11:39
Mile 5 - 11:20
Mile 6 - 11:38
Mile 7 - 11:28
Mile 8 - 11:11
Mile 9 - 11:02
Mile 10 - 11:21
Mile 11 - 10:41
Mile 12 - 10:51
Mile 13 - 10:19
Mile .2 - 9:22
Chip Time was 2:27:52 Gun Time 2:28:26
Now if you do the math that is a Chip time PR of 46 minutes. Which is great and I am damn proud of it, but when you go from walk/run to a constant run big PR's should happen. Now beating my own best goal of 2:30 with a 2:27:52 is great. My last mile being my fastest mile is fantastic. The last 6.5 miles faster & stronger than the first 6.5 miles is priceless.
I can build on this. I have something to work with. I have a new goal to work towards with this data. I want a sub 2:15 half. I am sure I will want a better marathon time than what I finish with in two weeks.
So I will savor my success for a few days and then get back to work and try to taper effectively and patiently. I mean because really there is some work to do. A man in my Run Club who is 58 years ran a sub 2 hour Half at Jenk's. Well hell that pisses me off. A 58 year old beat me by 30 minutes and of course I have to be nice since he is so encouraging. Damn it here we go!
Live Epic!
Michelle
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Successful Failures
This past week has been a little different. Tuesday I met with my run club for a 5 mile slow run. The run felt great although it was probably faster than the run coach wanted. Wednesday I got 10 miles in, an interview done and a strength session with the trainer.
Now my 10 miler that morning was not pretty my calf hurt the whole time. I never got to the zen state the entire thing was, oh my is this ever going to be over. Since I was having some left calf pain and tightness, Matt did some great soft tissue work on my leg. I did his designed strength session and he bent my ear on fueling, hydrating and resting.
At this point Nate the run coach comes hobbling in like an 80 yo man. Matt asks Nate if he thinks I am over-training! Nate replies that it is cumulative fatigue which is part and parcel of marathon training. But also to use my judgement if it hurts to the point it is affecting my run form/gait then ditch the run and recover the injury. Nate is in full recovery mode and will heal but I bet he won't run for any significant time in new shoes.
So I decide to actively rest my leg for Saturdays race and ditch Thursday 5 miles for a hour session with my nemesis the foam roller and a walk. Friday was a scheduled rest day. Thanks Trena, for letting me bend your ear about my fears of fatigue, failure and going from 20 to 26.2.
Saturday I have 14 long slow miles on schedule but it is a 15K race day. What to do? Do I run at training pace then do 5 more after the race to make 14 or do I run at race pace and trade intensity for volume? Well Hell it is Race Day and Intensity wins! I did slow run the mile to the race and I walked the mile back home after the race to make 11.
I line up way behind the last pace group. A friend ask what's my goal pace? I looked at her blankly and said uh anything under 2. Mainly because I hadn't thought about it since my mind has been focused on all things marathon not these training races.
The gun fires and I keep telling myself start slow and build to the finish. Great concept harder to do especially when the legs feel good.
The splits were as follows:
1 - 11:34 slow down
2 - 11:49 maintain
3 - 10:46 having fun attacking downhills
4 - 10:57 more fun high 5 members of run club
5 - 10:53 picking off people
6 - 11:01 steady
7 - 11:02 steady
8 - 12:03 the sun, hot, feet tired, legs tired
9 - 13:04 the ones I passed are coming back for me
.3 - sprint to finish
Official time was 1:46:40. Was it a PR? Yes. Was an average pace of 11:45 good for me hell yes! Did I finish strong, upright with a smile on? Yes. So why do I feel blah, it was okay, not particularly great about it?
Races involve more than the physical endurance to maintain a run for a long time, they involve more than the aerobic capacity to run fast, they should have a strategy to do your best on that day with those circumstances, and under those conditions. That was my problem. I didn't execute my strategy appropriately. I should have held myself to a slower pace for 2 more miles and then picked up the pace with each mile getting faster than the last. It is more than just wanting negative splits, had I executed better, my overall time would have been better more than likely under 1:45! The people I passed would not have come back to pass me which would have made my overall place better. The last 2 miles would have felt strong and not like I was just hanging on to the finish.
Some of you will say you finished that is good enough. Some will say you placed 2,988 out of 9,000 people overall, what you might have placed 2,985. What is the difference? Some will say 1:44-1:46 it is a minute what's the big deal, you got your medal!
The difference is I know that I could have done better! I could have finished faster! I could have placed higher! I could have passed people to be waiting at the finish line to cheer them on! So I classify this as a successful failure. Meaning that I tried my best physically, but I failed at the mental game but I damn well learned from it!
Live Epic!
Michelle
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Off Kilter
Last week was like an episode in the Twilight Zone or a Study on everything that might go wrong did. The work environment went to hell. My emotional levels were out of control. My stress level went through the roof. My runs were hard and unsatisfying. Everything was off kilter, out of balance just like an overloaded washing machine.
I love my job working in the ICU. I love the challenge, the adrenaline rush, the emotional highs/lows, my coworkers, my patients, their families, support staff and just helping my patient to get back to their life or accepting their death with peace.
Not so much the last 2 weeks. For some reason a person in management position has decided that unless you "Yes Ma'am that is a great idea" you are a negative Nancy. Now I am neither negative or positive it is not about half full or half empty. To me it is a glass with liquid which may or may not be wine or piss. I am more into keeping it real. I mean if nobody is acknowledging the large elephant in the room then nobody is working to get said elephant out of the room and back to where it belongs. An environment of back biting and mealy mouth BS is being fostered and encouraged. I am not the only one to be upset about this change 2 experienced nurses have turned in their notice of resignation and I have put in a transfer request to a different department and submitted my resume to different facilities. So a job I loved has morphed into an environment of distrust and hostility, which makes me really sad.
Now the month of October is always hard for me to stay on this side of the abyss of grief. October was me and my late husbands favorite time of year. The air has that crisp bite to it, Sooner football is in full swing, deer season opens October 1st, and his birthday was on the 28th. Other times of the year can be difficult but for different reasons. The anniversary of his passing is hard, our wedding anniversary is hard, holidays are hard but the month of October was special. In October I just miss him. I miss everything about him the good and the bad. I miss his smell, his voice, the feel of him next to me, his laugh, and I even miss picking his damn clothes up off the floor. So even when things are coming up roses October is hard and right now there are no roses.
My running has felt off, runs feel harder than it should. Paces that I maintained easily 3 weeks ago take more effort and fatigue me more. I ran 5 miles after work Thursday and it felt like 10. I ran my 18 on Saturday which was a new distance for me and by mile 16 I was praying for death. By the time it was over I was completely depleted and I mean I had nothing left. Everything hurt glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, hip flexors even my arms were tired. I slept 9 hours that night and Sunday with the trainer for strength work he had to dial it back because I was still over fatigued. Thank you Matt for adjusting on the fly. Which has me worried of how going from 20 to 26.2 is doable. I have two long runs until the marathon. I have a 14, 20 and then it is taper time until the 23rd which is marathon day.
Now this reads like a long cry of woe is me but that is not my intention. This week sucked and my mental/emotional game was off, but something happens on those long slow days of running. When you are out on the rode by yourself with just your thoughts for company for 4 hours a barrier is broken. Your mind will take you places that generally you will shy away from because it is too painful, to raw or to intense. Decisions are made, plans are formed, the limits of what you will tolerate are found and echoes of beloved voices whisper in your ear.
As I grieved the loss of my joy in my job a decision to put my resume out in the universe formed and to let go and see what comes to me. So Thank you LeAnn and Trena for being an example of fearless.
As I wondered what happened to the fun I had in running, I realized that it is easy to show up when it is fun or easy. Nate taught me that training for a marathon is hard, it is not fun, it is a job by itself. Showing up when it hurts, or it is hard, or it is no longer fun is when the real wins occur. Nate & Brenda thank you for teaching me about showing up when it is hard you can not know how much it helped me get to the end of 18.
Now Michael, my late husband, used to always tell me not to sell myself short. I was worth more and deserved more credit than I gave myself. As I was out on the road his voice whispered in my ear "demand more Michelle and tolerate less." I take this to mean not to tolerate people causing chaos and taking the joy from my job, life, etc. Demand more of myself and not to sell myself short, to show up, push harder and play bigger. As for missing him, well that just doesn't go away it is a part of me now, but sometimes if I let my mind get still enough I can feel him around me, encouraging me, and loving me. So Thank you to Michael and the Lord above for that.
Live Epic!
Michelle
I love my job working in the ICU. I love the challenge, the adrenaline rush, the emotional highs/lows, my coworkers, my patients, their families, support staff and just helping my patient to get back to their life or accepting their death with peace.
Not so much the last 2 weeks. For some reason a person in management position has decided that unless you "Yes Ma'am that is a great idea" you are a negative Nancy. Now I am neither negative or positive it is not about half full or half empty. To me it is a glass with liquid which may or may not be wine or piss. I am more into keeping it real. I mean if nobody is acknowledging the large elephant in the room then nobody is working to get said elephant out of the room and back to where it belongs. An environment of back biting and mealy mouth BS is being fostered and encouraged. I am not the only one to be upset about this change 2 experienced nurses have turned in their notice of resignation and I have put in a transfer request to a different department and submitted my resume to different facilities. So a job I loved has morphed into an environment of distrust and hostility, which makes me really sad.
Now the month of October is always hard for me to stay on this side of the abyss of grief. October was me and my late husbands favorite time of year. The air has that crisp bite to it, Sooner football is in full swing, deer season opens October 1st, and his birthday was on the 28th. Other times of the year can be difficult but for different reasons. The anniversary of his passing is hard, our wedding anniversary is hard, holidays are hard but the month of October was special. In October I just miss him. I miss everything about him the good and the bad. I miss his smell, his voice, the feel of him next to me, his laugh, and I even miss picking his damn clothes up off the floor. So even when things are coming up roses October is hard and right now there are no roses.
My running has felt off, runs feel harder than it should. Paces that I maintained easily 3 weeks ago take more effort and fatigue me more. I ran 5 miles after work Thursday and it felt like 10. I ran my 18 on Saturday which was a new distance for me and by mile 16 I was praying for death. By the time it was over I was completely depleted and I mean I had nothing left. Everything hurt glutes, hamstrings, quads, calves, hip flexors even my arms were tired. I slept 9 hours that night and Sunday with the trainer for strength work he had to dial it back because I was still over fatigued. Thank you Matt for adjusting on the fly. Which has me worried of how going from 20 to 26.2 is doable. I have two long runs until the marathon. I have a 14, 20 and then it is taper time until the 23rd which is marathon day.
Now this reads like a long cry of woe is me but that is not my intention. This week sucked and my mental/emotional game was off, but something happens on those long slow days of running. When you are out on the rode by yourself with just your thoughts for company for 4 hours a barrier is broken. Your mind will take you places that generally you will shy away from because it is too painful, to raw or to intense. Decisions are made, plans are formed, the limits of what you will tolerate are found and echoes of beloved voices whisper in your ear.
As I grieved the loss of my joy in my job a decision to put my resume out in the universe formed and to let go and see what comes to me. So Thank you LeAnn and Trena for being an example of fearless.
As I wondered what happened to the fun I had in running, I realized that it is easy to show up when it is fun or easy. Nate taught me that training for a marathon is hard, it is not fun, it is a job by itself. Showing up when it hurts, or it is hard, or it is no longer fun is when the real wins occur. Nate & Brenda thank you for teaching me about showing up when it is hard you can not know how much it helped me get to the end of 18.
Now Michael, my late husband, used to always tell me not to sell myself short. I was worth more and deserved more credit than I gave myself. As I was out on the road his voice whispered in my ear "demand more Michelle and tolerate less." I take this to mean not to tolerate people causing chaos and taking the joy from my job, life, etc. Demand more of myself and not to sell myself short, to show up, push harder and play bigger. As for missing him, well that just doesn't go away it is a part of me now, but sometimes if I let my mind get still enough I can feel him around me, encouraging me, and loving me. So Thank you to Michael and the Lord above for that.
Live Epic!
Michelle
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