The Art of Second-Guessing & The Power of Overcoming

It’s crazy to think that my second marathon is just days away. All of my training runs are done – woohoo! – and I have officially logged 433 miles since the last week of December/first week of January.

Celebrating the fact that I reached 433 miles and that my training runs are done, as of this morning!

 

So I’m happy, right? I can’t wait for the race on Sunday, right?

Well, kind of.

But lately my mind has been running a million miles a minute (kind of like how fast I wish I could run on Sunday). It’s provided me with all sorts of not-so-lovely flashback to last year’s marathon, which, as you might remember, didn’t go nearly as well as I’d hoped. It’s also decided to question everything I decided to do and decided not to do over the past four months. Second-guessing myself, it seems, has become more than just something that happens. It has become an art.

You see, I can just be minding my own business – at work, shopping, at youth group, eating, anywhere and anytime – and all of a sudden my mind does this: “Hey. Hey. Are you really ready for this marathon? Do you think what happened last year is going to happen this year? What have you done differently this year to make sure what happened last year doesn’t happen again this year? Did you over-train? Did you under-train? Did you cut yourself too much slack? Were you as intentional as you could have been in all of your runs? Should you really have skipped your 7-mile long run on a Sunday afternoon during Week 6 when you got back from a weekend-long youth retreat and were exhausted and took a nap instead? Have you been fueling properly? Has your nutrition been as good as it was last year? Did you eat too much junk food? Did you have enough fruits and vegetables? Did you practice carb-loading enough? How about your cross-training? Did you vary your workouts enough? Did you really put forth the effort you should have in cross-training? Should you have done more? Or what about less? Should you have gotten new running sneakers? Did you log enough miles on the treadmill to get you used to running when it’s really warm? Do you think you’re going to do OK pacing yourself? How will you make sure you don’t go out too quickly? Too slowly? Did you pace your long runs correctly? What about your short and medium midweek runs? What’s this marathon going to be like? Do you have any idea? Are you mentally prepared to hit the wall? How are you going to overcome the wall? And another thing…”

And my answer to pretty much all of those questions: I don’t know. It’s true! I don’t know. I’ve only done one other marathon, and I don’t think my results were indicative of what I’m capable of. So really, I don’t know.

But here’s what I do know:

1. I want to run the whole thing, no matter how slowly I run. (Ideally, I’ll finish faster than I did last year.)
2. I’m going to sleep on the most comfortable mattress in the history of the world the night before the race. Yes, I love you, Cambria Hotel and Suites!
3. I’ve practiced fueling before, during, and after my long runs, so I should be able to avoid the whole feeling-like-I’m-going-to-puke-for-the-rest-of-the-day thing that plagued me last year.
4. God’s got me. It doesn’t matter if I run, jog, walk, or crawl…He’s there! And that’s all I need to know!
5. I have people – and a duck – cheering me on, both in person and from afar.
   

   Check out http://www.twitter.com/creeperduck if you want to see more of what this duck is up to.

6. I’m going to run my race and not compare myself to anyone else.
7. I’M GOING TO HAVE AN ENJOYABLE TIME. (Yes, that needed to be in all caps.) Even if/when I hit the wall, even when I wish I wasn’t running, even when it’s too hot – or too rainy, as the forecast is indicating – for my taste, I will be grateful that I have the ability to run and to accomplish something as crazy as a marathon!

Since I haven’t really given updates on my last few weeks of training and since I’ve just been blabbing on about what I know for sure about my upcoming marathon, here are some quick blurbs of wisdom and fun facts that I gleaned from Weeks 11 to 18.

Week 11: Long run: 16 miles
-Words of Wisdom: When your body tells you that you had better stop or else something bad is going to happen, just listen, OK? Don’t question it, don’t ignore it, don’t try to push through it. Just stop and make the necessary adjustments. ‘Nuff said. (But if you really want to know the story, just ask. Privately.)
-Fun Fact: I finished running my 16-miler and then went to the 16th birthday party of one of my basketball/youth group girls! It truly was a 16-themed day.

Fudge shaped like a 16 (obviously) that was part of the present I took to the party

Week 12: Long run: 12.1 miles
-Words of Wisdom: Never trust a decade-plus-old iPod. Despite charging for an eternity, it will last anywhere between 2.8 and 14 miles, and you have no way of predicting how it will behave. (Yep, my iPod died about 5 miles into my 12-mile run.)
-Fun fact: I did this run the morning of Palm Sunday. My church starts at 10 a.m., so I had plenty of time to get my run in and then get ready for church. What I hadn’t taken into consideration, though, was that my running route took me by a bunch of churches that were dismissing right as I was running by. So I was trying not to spray my sweat on everyone who was walking by in nice church clothes!

Not at all pleased with the behavior of the ancient iPod

Week 13: Long run: 18.1 miles
-Words of Wisdom: Always make sure you have snacks waiting for you when you’re done with a long run. I felt fine during the run, but then I finished. And I was HUNGRY. I was so glad that I had some sort of chocolate granola breakfast bar and some other treats waiting for me in my car.
-Fun Fact: I felt so good when I kicked it in at the end of this run that I decided I was going to do a barbaric Tarzan scream as I approached my stopping point. Well, I was halfway into the barbaric Tarzan scream when I decided that it was a very ridiculous thing to do (considering that I was in the middle of civilization and not on some deserted back road), and so I started laughing at myself uncontrollably. It sounded something like this: “RRRRAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Feelin’ like a poorly posed superhero after my 18-miler

SO HUNGRY.

Week 14: Long run: 14 miles
-Words of Wisdom: When you’re using Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Marathon Training Program, 14 miles may seem like “only” 14 miles because you run it between an 18-miler and a 20-miler, but it’s still 14 miles. And that’s still a long way. So don’t underestimate it! (I didn’t underestimate it, but I was tempted to!)
-Fun Fact: I sweat a lot. I had my sleeves pushed up, and I even left a salty sweat mark on part of my sleeve that wasn’t even touching my skin.

Salty sweat mark. And now your life will never be the same. You’re welcome.

Week 15: Long run: 20.2 miles

-Words of Wisdom: When planning a 20-mile route, make sure it ends where you want to end up, not 1.5 miles away from where you want to end up. Believe me, you will not really want to walk an extra 1.5 miles. (Thankfully for me, my mom called me and told me she was coming to pick me up, so I didn’t have to walk! YES.)
-Fun Fact: I ran this on April 9…and it snowed that day! For a huge chunk of this run, I kept obsessively thinking about how much I really wanted to juggle snowballs. Um, I don’t typically juggle anything, so this was a really weird recurring thought. So, naturally, when I finished running, I had to indulge and juggle some snowballs.

Mom and I before heading out for our 10- and 20-mile runs, respectively

Finally, after many hours of wanting to juggle snowballs, I was able to!

Week 16: Long run: 12.1 miles
-Words of Wisdom: Driving a route and running a route are two completely different experiences. The same route that seems moderately hilly while driving suddenly becomes MUCH hillier when you’re running.
-Fun Fact: I hit 400 miles of training during this run! Woohoo! And, for once, I was actually aware that I’d reached the milestone and remembered to celebrate at that moment!

The approximate spot where I hit 400 miles of marathon training

Celebrating Mom’s 11-miler and my 12-miler on a beautiful day

Week 17: Long run: 8 miles
-Words of Wisdom: Enjoy the process of tapering! You’re supposed to chill and go more slowly than usual, so do it. Don’t be stressed about it. Trust the process! And just relax.
-Fun Fact: This was my last long run! YEAH!

Long runs are done! Can you tell I’m excited?

Week 18: Long run: Well, the marathon (26.2 miles), but I obviously haven’t done that yet, so…
-Words of Wisdom: Don’t panic. (Hello, pot calling the kettle black.) You’ve done the hard part and you’ve put in the time and effort. Now relax. Don’t do a whole bunch of extra activities. Give your body a chance to really rest and recover and get ready for the marathon.
-Fun Fact: We’re doing a step challenge at work (you know, where you keep track of how many steps you take in a day). Well, I’d been doing really well until I started tapering. So this week, I took my break at work and started walking a mile at a brisk pace, just to get some extra steps in. I hadn’t gone very far when I suddenly was like, “What are you doing? You’re supposed to chill this week!” So I walked a shorter route. I can make up my steps in the following weeks! My focus right now needs to be on the marathon!

 

So there you have it. Training is done, the marathon will be here before I know it, and I’ll soon get to answer all of those questions my mind has been throwing at me. I’ll answer them by crossing the finish line on Sunday. See y’all on the flip side, when I’m a two-time marathoner!

My Favorite 15-Mile Run Ever

Nope, I’m not being sarcastic.

I do, however, feel I need to make two little side notes about the claim made in the title of this post:
1) This is only the second time I’ve run exactly 15 miles.
2) I just went back and read my post about last year’s 15-miler, and it seems like I really enjoyed that one, too, so it’s possible that I only think I enjoyed this year’s more because it’s more recent and therefore more memorable. OK, ending the overthinking now.

I am now finished with Week 10 of marathon training and have eclipsed the 200-mile mark (201.8, to be exact)! Only eight weeks and an estimated 229 miles to go!

With maybe one exception, I’d done all of my long runs leading up to Week 10 on Sunday afternoons, mainly because I’d chosen to procrastinate and whine instead of just doing my run. This led to a vicious cycle because then I kept having to use Monday as a rest/cross-training day (a.k.a. a non-running day), which pushed my three midweek runs to later in the week, which then pushed my long run to Sunday…again. For Week 10, though, I was coming off of a scale-back week, so the mileage hadn’t been as intense, and I figured that I should use that opportunity to switch my long runs to Saturdays.

As established, Week 10’s long run was 15 miles. I couldn’t go Saturday morning because we had a super awesome youth group girls’ night on Friday night. So I made sure to fuel wisely and appropriately (thanks to Dani, Katlyn, and Michelle for the breakfast casserole, apple cinnamon muffins, and cake, respectively!) – and planned to run my 15 on Saturday afternoon/evening.

My Strategies:
–I want to load my long runs up with as many hills as possible to simulate the last 14 or so miles of the race course. So I chose to start with a very hilly 7-mile route (with some minor rolling hills and two long, gradual inclines) and finish with a monster 8-mile route (with a bunch of steep, grueling uphills and some additional gradual inclines). Bring it.
-Everything I’ve read – especially for marathon newbies – says to pace long runs 30 to 45 seconds per mile slower than your goal race pace so your body gets acclimated to running for longer periods of time. The problem is that I haven’t really set a goal race pace; because of how poorly things went last year, my plan is to pace myself so I can run the whole thing, whatever that looks like. So I estimated that a 10:30 average pace would be good: slower than I’d typically go but not so slow, given the distance, that I’d get super bored and hate the run. Plus, I knew that it would be tough for me stick with this pace in the early miles when I had a lot of energy.
-Kind of going along with the previous strategy, I wanted to prevent myself from getting burned out too early. I wanted to feel really good 11 miles into the run and not just be hanging on for dear life and praying that the run would be over.
–I wanted to have a good time. If that meant averaging 11-plus-minute miles and just plodding along with a smile on my face, so be it.

So, with my watch all set, my water bottle strapped to my hand, and my iPod queued, I started out. Plodding. I was definitely plodding, but that was OK. “Just keep it slow,” I coached myself out loud as I started out. I found that I gave myself hand signals throughout the run to remind myself to settle and to “keep it basic,” as I called it.

I reached Mile 1 and checked my watch, expecting to see an 11:00 or 11:30 staring up at me. But my watch actually read 8:45. Um, 1:45 faster than I’d wanted to go? “Whoa!” I said, flapping my arms gently in front of me to signal to myself that I needed to cool it. “You have 14 more of these,” I reminded myself, knowing that the last half of my run would feature some nasty hills. “Pace yourself. Stick with the plan.” I needed to play it safe.

It took a few miles, but I finally settled into a 10:00 average (the average doesn’t include that first mile) and felt really good. I was smiling a lot. I even found a dollar just before the 3-mile mark, and I scooped it up.

A dollar?! Cool!

 

And Mom just so happened to drive past me just after the 4.5-mile mark; she beeped and waved, and that gave me even more energy. Right after the 5-mile mark was a long (approximately 1.2-mile), gradual incline. In the past, I’ve lost a lot of speed and energy here, and my pace suffered. Not so this time. I kept my slow-and-steady-wins-the-training-run pace and made it to the top none the worse for wear.

Once at the top, I turned around and headed down part of that hill to complete the 7-mile leg, after which I was to embark on the 8-mile part, an out-and-back. I soon realized I hadn’t sipped any of my water, so I took a few swigs. Then, after another mile or so, I figured I should take a Shot Blok as a preventive measure.

The 4 miles out (of the 8-mile out-and-back) were fun. I even conquered the one big (long, gradual, deceptively steep) hill with relative ease while coaching myself to “keep it steady” the whole way up. I continued to see roadkill aplenty in various stages of, um, progression, and I began to classify these stages and rank them in order of how much I don’t enjoy running past them. Yeah, running 15 miles gives you a lot of time to think about things.

Despite the fact that I was still averaging a sub-10:00-minute pace at Mile 11 (with the too-fast first mile factored in), I still felt pretty good, but I could tell my legs were starting to feel a bit tired and my calf muscles were getting a little tight.

So I adopted a new pacing strategy: Instead of allowing myself to slow down (which would have been acceptable considering my plan of averaging 10:30), I decided that my new goal would be to keep my current pace. Why? Because I want to train my brain to believe that I can push through fatigue, discomfort, and pain without giving up my pace. I want to continue to improve at running effectively on tired legs.

My iPod died at Mile 13.2, just before a long, very gradual uphill that always tests my endurance. I smiled – no kidding, I smiled almost the entire way through this run – and gave myself a short pep talk and conquered that hill.

And about 1.2 miles after I crested that hill, I completed my 15-miler in 2:28:03, a 9:52 average pace – meaning that I was successful in preventing my increasingly tired legs from slowing down those last few miles. Woohoo!

Could I have gone faster overall? Yes. Should I have gone slower? Um, yeah. Could I have kept running? Yeah, but I’m glad I didn’t have to; it was getting dark.

My (blurry) time, which includes a 13-second stop at a busy intersection

This picture cracks me up because it reminds me of something you’d see in a low-budget horror film set in the wilderness somewhere.

Such a good run. But then the intense hunger hit! And the only thing separating me from a delicious homemade cheeseburger was parallel parking. Oh, the agony! I did eventually get it, though, and I happily inhaled that burger.

Self-Coaching Tidbits:
Since I verbally motivated myself for 15 miles, here are a few of my favorite quotes from the run:
-“Slowwwwwwwwwww dowwwwwwwwwwwn.” – while flapping my arms in front of me in a controlled way
-“Just let it carry you.” – when I felt I was expending energy holding myself back while running down a hill
-“COOL!” – when I found the dollar bill
-“Ugh. Don’t look. Just don’t look!” – when passing fresh roadkill
-Part of the fun of hilly runs is mentally preparing myself for the marathon course by equating the hills on training runs to hills on the marathon course. For example:
……….”This is your Mile 12. Get it!” – when running up a long, gradual, deceptively steep hill just before Mile 9.
……….”It’s just like Mile 19. Picture it. And go.” – when running up a long, very gradual hill just after Mile 13
-“Aw, man. There it goes.” – when my iPod died
-“Take a Shot Blok, dude.” – around Mile 8 before taking my first and only Shot Blok of the run
-“It’s gut check time! Let’s GO!” – barked in the style of a drill sergeant right after my iPod died and I was facing an intimidating incline while trying to keep my pace from suffering
-“You’re going to do this!” – as I headed up the final hill of my run to the 15-mile mark

My challenge to myself for next week’s 16-miler? RUN SLOWER.

I Can’t. Or Can I?

Well, ladies and gents, I’m through Week 8 of marathon training. I’ve logged nearly 150 miles (148.35, to be exact). And let me tell you: Most of it has been a complete struggle. Not the miles themselves; they’ve felt OK for the most part. It’s the mental preparation. The act of physically lacing up my sneakers and getting ready to run.

The midweek runs have been so-so, and I’ve sometimes gone to epic and boring lengths to get them done. (More on that in an upcoming post, I hope.) It’s mainly the weekend long runs that are doing me in mentally. The last two weeks, I’ve put my long runs off until Sunday afternoon. And the week before that, I skipped my long run completely. (Granted, it was a scale-back week, so it was only 7 miles. And I’d just come back from a weekend-long youth retreat and was super tired. So I took a two-hour nap instead. Considering that I nap VERY rarely, that was proof that skipping that run was the right call.)

The problem, I think, is that I’ve just been feeling blah. In addition to normal life stuff, I’ve been dealing with a rather depleting, horribly timed life transition (RDHTLT) along with the fact that NONE of my normal, once-readily-accessible running routes are easily accessible to me anymore. Talk about an adjustment. I have no idea where to run. And what scares me is that if I’m having trouble finding short running routes, I’m going to be in for a really rough time when my training runs get longer.

Another issue is that I haven’t been sleeping well (I’m shamelessly pointing my finger at lousy neighbors and loud, obnoxious traffic) or eating well, mainly due to this RDHTLT.

But my breaking point came this past Sunday, when I was due for a 13-mile long run. I’d selected a fairly hilly route for myself because, well, Pittsburgh has hills and the vast majority of my awkwardly selected recent running routes have been primarily flat. So on the day of my 13-miler, it took me like an hour to get my running stuff ready and drag my feet toward the door; I think I was equal parts dreading the tough route, feeling angry with myself for waiting (yet again) until Sunday afternoon to do my long run, and just struggling with the RDHTLT. And then I opened the door…and it was raining.

“I can’t do this,” I muttered. “I don’t have it in me today.” Pause. “Maybe I can do 13 next weekend instead of running 10 then for my scale-back week. But not today. I can’t.”

Because, you see, last year’s marathon left me with feelings of “I can’t.” It was the first time athletically that I realized I couldn’t necessarily do everything I wanted to do, even if I trained properly for it. Those “I can’ts” have crept into this year’s training, with their way nicely paved by the RDHTLT.

So, while staring despondently at the rain, I spent 15 or 20 minutes silently arguing with myself as to whether or not I should do my long run or just sit on the couch and eat carrots, cookies, and whatever else floated my way. Think Smeagol vs. Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings” (probably even the facial expressions are accurate):

Of course, by this point my careful morning fueling had worn off, and I was hungry. “Just eat something and forget the run! You can’t run like this. You can’t,” Gollum Krista said. But, thanks to the rain letting up a bit and my mom more or less commanding, “Just go!” (she’s a great accountability partner), Smeagol Krista won out, and away I went on that hilly 13.3-mile run.

And you know what? I proved to myself that afternoon that I CAN. Even when I think I can’t, I CAN.

Because those “I can’ts” are usually a farce. They’re usually me convincing myself that I’m not capable of doing something that is actually doable. Sure, maybe I have to make adjustments. Maybe I have to alter my strategy. Maybe I have to change my perspective. But I CAN.

And exactly how did that 13.3-mile run turn out? Well, I went faster than I thought I would, and before I knew it, it was over. The rain let up, and I had a mostly enjoyable time putting one foot in front of the other for a half-marathon distance.

Take that, you “I can’t.” Because I CAN. I DID. And I WILL AGAIN.

I CAN – and I DID – log 13.3 miles! (And I CAN have the crazed look of an overcomer!)

 

 

 

There’s a First Time for Everything.

Hello. My name is Krista. I’m 28 years old, and today I ran on a treadmill for the first time.

Yes, you read that correctly. A few years ago (before I became a runner), I spent a few minutes walking on a treadmill, and it was so terrifying – I thought I was going to fall off – that I never got back on one. Last year during marathon training, I almost used one. But the gym was super crowded, and I chickened out.

But today I finally bit the bullet. And how many miles did I run to ease my way into treadmill running?

Nine.

Running 9 miles my first time on a treadmill? Am I insane? Perhaps.

Honestly, I hadn’t necessarily intended to run that many. It’s Week 4 of marathon training, which calls for a 9-mile long run. But I hadn’t been able to run it outside because we got slammed with a blizzard over the weekend, and there was a travel ban issued on Saturday (my normal long run day), blah blah blah, so I pretty much did nothing on Saturday except sit around indoors and eat soup.

So, today, I didn’t have high hopes for my run, mainly because I hadn’t fueled properly food-wise and hadn’t been drinking enough water. I’d considered trying to jog outside or even snowshoe 9 miles, but when Mom suggested we go to the gym and try the treadmill, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go. I decided that I’d probably end up going no more than 6 and that that would be OK.

The gym was all but empty when we arrived, so there were plenty of treadmills available. Once Mom and I figured how to get our side-by-side treadmills going, it honestly wasn’t that bad. Maybe that was because I was watching the Broncos beat the Patriots while I was running, which took away some of the treadmill boredom. 🙂 The only problem was that I couldn’t tell what pace I had set the treadmill for, so I probably ran more slowly than I normally would have. But given my issues fueling for this run, and given the fact that it was my first-ever treadmill run, I wasn’t dismayed.

For some reason, I had taken my Nalgene with me. It has a wide mouth, so I quickly realized that there was no way I’d be able to drink from it successfully while running.

After the first few miles, I ended up pausing my workout every mile or so to take a sip of water, which is about how frequently I drink water when I’m running outdoors.

One part about the treadmill that scares me is the possibility of losing my focus and toppling off the thing. Today, I knew that was a very real possibility since I was so invested in watching the game. There were a few times I almost ran off the side of the treadmill when something exciting happened, and there were a few times I thought I was going to fall off the back (but I wasn’t actually that close). But I never did. *breathes sigh of relief*

And so, thanks to God and my water breaks and the exciting football game and my mom’s encouragement, I somehow kept pounding away on that treadmill for 9 whole miles. YES. That brings my total training mileage to 66 over the course of the first four weeks.

Now that I know treadmills don’t have to be big, scary, intimidating things, I’ll probably run on them more frequently, especially if it’s exceptionally cold/snowy outside. That’s mainly because marathon day will most likely be a bit toasty (it was HOT last year) and since I prefer running in cooler weather, it will be beneficial to acclimate my body to running in warmer temperatures so I don’t repeat last year’s debacle. 🙂

Thanks for a great first running experience, treadmill. I’ll be seeing you again soon!

This is actually from my first marathon training run, which was very early in the morning, which explains why I look SO TIRED.

Almost a quarter of the way through training!

A Pre-Marathon Pep Talk to Myself From Myself

One of the biggest athletic events of my life is coming up this weekend. In approximately 34 hours, I will be starting to run my first marathon. Wow. I’m so excited to be returning to Pittsburgh (where I’ve run the half twice) to run my first full. (<–Believe me, I really am excited, but right now I’m in more of a reflective mood, so my enthusiasm isn’t as overwhelmingly gushy.)

Anybody else get random butterflies in their stomach during the week leading up to a marathon or other race/athletic event? I mean, seriously. This week, I’ve seen Pittsburgh everywhere. EV-ER-Y-WHERE. In materials at work. Online. On food products. ON THE MUDFLAPS OF A TRACTOR TRAILER I PASSED ON THE HIGHWAY. Everywhere. But I’m OK at this moment. No butterflies. But anyway.

To get ready for this marathon, I’ve been training for 18 weeks. For those of you who don’t want to do the math: I’ve been training since the last week of December/first week of January. (Side note: Hal Higdon, are you sure that only training up to 20 miles is enough? I guess I’ll find out pretty soon…)

Anyway, this week’s training program called for greatly scaled-back mileage, with the final run being a 2-miler. I wanted to do that one on Thursday after work, and my mom, my friend Ann, and I planned to run it together. It was a great run, and I loved the company: My mom has been such a huge support throughout this whole training experience, and Ann has been and continues to be such an inspiration – talk about a comeback kid!

A great way to conclude my 18 weeks of training: a 2-mile run with Ann and Mom!

I’ve been wanting to hit the 400-mile mark for my training. A few weeks ago, though, it looked like I wasn’t going to reach that milestone, but I tacked on a few extra tenths of a mile on several of my runs so that maybe I could get there. Oh, and by the way, that 2-mile with Mom and Ann? Yeah, it put me over that 400-mile mark. YEAH!

My nearly complete training log (well, the second page of it): one rest day and the marathon left!

Training Recap (by the numbers):
Total Miles: 400.55!!
Total Number of Runs: 60
Longest Run: 20.1 miles
Shortest Run: 0.25 miles (It was the day after the 20.1-miler, and I walked around a track and decided to jog a quarter-mile…very slowly.)
Total Collected in the I Said Marathon Punishment Jar: $21.50 (I was to put a quarter in this jar every time I said “marathon” or “training” without someone asking about it. So…according to the amount of money in the jar, I let those words slip 86 times during my training!)

Before I ran the 2014 Hershey Half Marathon, I wrote a letter to my body, basically giving it a pep talk. This time, aware that my brain might feel overwhelmed at times, I’m going to give myself (a marathoning novice) some tips from myself (also a marathoning novice). Read on!
**Note that these are things that work (or don’t work) for me personally, and not all of them are techniques that will (or won’t) work for everyone!

The Do’s & Don’ts:
-DO take pictures during the race if you want, but…
-…DON’T feel obligated to take pictures (and DON’T get stressed about it).
-DO buy some cool 26.2 mementos! You’ve been saving up for this, so get some neat souvenirs.
-DON’T spend too much time at the expo. Get what you need to get and enjoy the atmosphere, sure, but don’t linger too long!
-DO hydrate the day before! Not by chugging a gallon of water at a time, of course, but by sipping H20 throughout the day.
-DON’T eat corned beef and sauerkraut the night before. Even if you’re really, really craving it. ‘Nuff said.
-DO get to bed nice and early the night before the race. It would be kind of anticlimactic if you fell asleep during the race because you went to sleep too late.
-DON’T forget important stuff on race day. Like, no leaving the hotel without your sneakers or anything ridiculous like that. Relax…you have a checklist; just use it and you’ll be fine!
-DO make sure your toenails are cut! We can’t have Toenail A slicing Toenail B up for 26.2 miles, can we?
-DON’T tie your shoes too tight. You’ll be a much happier runner if you don’t.
-DON’T start out too quickly! You’ve got a long way to go, so no sense rushing things. Pace yourself!
-DO go a bit out of your way sometimes to high-five little kids. That’s fun and encouraging for all involved. 🙂
-DON’T panic. Seriously, it’s only 26.2 miles. (HAHAHAHAHA)
-DO smile, even when the going gets tough. Remember, there are a whole bunch of spectators out there, and you’ve got to show them that running is fun all of the time! (Mild sarcasm there, but seriously…just enjoy the experience of running a marathon!)
-DON’T stress over your time/results, but…
-…DO aim to do your best!
-DO be ready for God to use you, even – and especially – while you’re running.
-DON’T be too dramatic. None of those “UGH! ANOTHER HILL?!” shenanigans.
-DO enjoy the whole experience, even the tough parts. (I see you, Hill at Mile 12!)

Remember:
-Hal Higdon knows what he’s doing! His training programs have helped countless first-time marathoners to cross finish lines, and he’s about to help at least one more (you)!
-You chose to do this! So make the most of it.
-Michael Jordan will be waiting for you at the finish line! (I LOVE MICHAEL JORDAN.) OK, so maybe he won’t be…but an Eat’n Park cookie will be! And you’ll see your family soon after. 🙂

“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,
but only one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may win.”
-I Corinthians 9:24

Victory pose after the 2012 Pittsburgh Half Marathon

Taper Time! (Recap of Weeks 16 and 17)

After the big week (Week 15), Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 marathon training program calls for three weeks of tapering before the race. Gotta say, even though I (usually) enjoyed the challenge of tackling more mileage each week, I was glad to start the tapering process.

(For anyone not familiar with tapering, it’s basically scaling back on/decreasing your mileage to let your body get rested so it’s not worn out for the race. The idea is that a runner has built up his/her endurance and fitness level throughout the training process, and tapering allows his/her body to be ready for the race.)

Week 16: April 13-19. Week 17: April 20-26.
Suggested Mileage: Week 16: 29; Week 17: 21
Actual Mileage: Week 16: 30.6; Week 17: 22.6
Long Run: Week 16: 12.8; Week 17: 8.8
Short Runs: Week 16: 4.5, 5.3, and 8 (which I did the day after the 12.8); Week 17: 6, 3.2, and 4.6
Cross-training:
Week 16: Walking, a volleyball tournament (I think this was the only time I’ve ever voluntarily played this sport, and it was right after the 12.8-mile run), and Warrior Dash training.
Week 17: 20 minutes on the exercise bike and Warrior Dash training.
Total Marathon Training Miles: As of Week 16: 368.75; as of Week 17: 391.35.

One word to describe the week:
–Week 16: Relaxed.
–Week 17: Typical.

What I liked about the week:
–Week 16: I relished the whole experience of beginning to taper and noticing how my perspective had changed over the course of my training. The training program called for a weekend long run of 12 miles (I went 12.8 for reasons I’ll explain later). Prior to training, a 12-mile run was A 12-MILE RUN – YIKES. But I went into this one thinking, “OK, it’s only 12 miles.” That doesn’t mean I underestimated it; it just means that I was grateful I’d only be spending two-ish hours of my Saturday morning running, as opposed to nearly three and a half hours. Niiiiiiiiice.
–Week 17: I’ve been trying to keep relaxed-yet-challenging-ish paces on my tapering runs. I don’t want to lose what I’ve gained the past 17 weeks, but I also don’t want to push myself too hard. When I find that balance – like I did so well during Week 17 – the result is a pleasant run. And I had a lot of pleasant runs this week.

What I didn’t like about the week:
–Week 16: Due to general life busyness, I wasn’t able to get out for my medium run of 8 miles during the week. So that left the weekend. The only problem was that I did my 12.8-miler on Saturday morning…so that left Sunday. I always say I’m going to stop scheduling runs the day after a long run, but I keep doing it because it keeps being necessary. Thankfully, we had a work-related wellness activity (a hike, bike, walk, etc.) at a rail trail on Sunday afternoon, so I decided to do my 8 there. I took my watch but decided to check it only as an FYI; I really wanted whatever would feel like a nice, leisurely pace for me (I’d estimated maybe an 11:00/mile). But my legs felt better than I thought they would, and I ended up averaging sub-10:00/mile. So that was cool. Oh, wait…I’m supposed to say what I didn’t like? Well, take a guess: I didn’t like that I had to run my 8 the day after the 12.8, but…I’m glad it worked out and wasn’t too tough!
–Week 17: Broken record time: I didn’t do one of my short runs during the week (a combination of time and weather), so – wait for it – I ran it on Sunday morning (this morning), the day after running 8.8 very hilly miles! My legs weren’t that tired from yesterday; my main issue with running this morning is that it means I should probably take a rest day tomorrow, when I’d rather not. After all, the marathon is in a week (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), and I don’t want to risk pushing my training runs too late in the week!

Favorite run or aspect of a specific run:
–Week 16: My 12.8-miler consisted of two loops of the same route; I did a little more than one loop with Michele, and I did the other loop with Candace. The course didn’t have a ton of insane hills (I was OK with that), and it really showcased farmland and other scenic stuff. I always like running as the sun is rising (I don’t, however, enjoy getting up before the sun rises, but I suppose that’s another issue).
–Week 17: This week’s 8.8-miler gave me an opportunity to really pay attention to my body as I ran. It was a very hilly out-and-back route (4.4 miles each way), and I had a goal of holding to a pace of 10:00/mile. Although I had brought a watch, I hadn’t taken note of any of the mile markers when I mapped the route. The only distances I knew were 4.4 (the turnaround point) and 8.8 (the finishing point), so I couldn’t check my pace every mile; I had to heed my body’s signals. When I calculated my pace at the end of the run, I was well under my goal pace. Just think: If I’d checked my pace at every mile, I would have shortchanged myself because I would have made myself go more slowly than I was capable of going!

Memorable running moment (good or bad):
–Week 16: Ah, yes. The story of how a 12.2-ish-mile run became 12.8 (perhaps I’ll title this one “Why Not to Try a Route for the First Time in the Dark”). I had wanted to plan a 12-mile route with two loops to accommodate Michele’s and Candace’s schedules. Candace sent me a route (two 6.1-ish-mile loops), and I decided to go for it. The only thing was that Candace was going to run the second loop with me, so I’d have to write down and follow the directions with Michele for the first loop. Michele and I started running well before dawn, equipped with headlamps, other equipment, and Michele’s dog, Em. The first turn was no big deal, but we totally missed the second turn. There wasn’t a street sign on our side of the road, so we just kept running…until we hit a dead end. Well, in my opinion, it’s better to have a run be too long than too short, so it was all good. We turned around, found the road we had missed, and completed our loop with no other problems. In all, we tacked on an extra 0.6 miles. Totally not as bad as it could have been!
–Week 17: I ran past a bunch of really nasty roadkill on the 8.8-mile run. I mean, I have a very strong stomach, but…some of this stuff made me shudder. On a more pleasant note, I enjoyed running with and talking to Candace on this morning’s 4.6-mile run. Oh, and I felt accomplished when I completed the 8.8-miler, which was my last “long” training run!

What I’ll do the same in the future: Well, there’s not much “future” left in this particular marathon training experience, but here we go. I want to continue to be solid in my tapering. After Week 15 (the big week), I at first thought, “Oh, good. That’s it. I’ve made it to the marathon.” And I was tempted to skip a bunch of the following week’s runs! But I didn’t, and I’m glad. Tapering is part of the game, and deciding to cut myself too much slack for the last three weeks would have been a mistake!

What I’d like to change in the future: Again, not much future left for 2015 Pittsburgh Marathon training, but: I’ve been pretty good about what I’ve been eating, but I want to tighten things up over this next week. I can cut out some of the less-healthy stuff and eat more of the stuff that’s going to bolster my body for the race.

What I learned: Marathon training doesn’t end when the longest training week ends. I’m going to keep it going! I’ve made it this far, I can enjoy myself as I train for one more week, and I CAN CROSS THAT FINISH LINE NEXT SUNDAY!

One-sentence summary: Tapering is fun!

What the final week holds: According to my training program, here’s each day’s activity for Week 18: Rest, 3 miles, 4 miles, 2 miles, Rest, Rest, and – last but certainly not least – 26.2 miles!

Week 16 in pictures:

Michele tried to run away so I couldn’t get a group shot of Candace, her, and me during the 12.8-mile run. Well, I got a picture anyway…even though it’s blurry and isn’t a group shot! Mwahahaha.

Even though farmland doesn’t always smell the best, it is pretty. (Beauty is appreciated during 12.8-mile runs.)

More scenery from the 12.8-mile run

I was glad to have Candace (and Michele, even though she’s not in this picture) keep me company on the 12.8-miler! (The sun totally affected this picture.)

Our volleyball team (or “anti-team,” since it was primarily made up of people who lack an appreciation for volleyball) represented China at the tournament. Our team name/motto was #thelastshallbefirst because we were pretty sure we were going to lose.

Team China (a.k.a. #thelastshallbefirst) rocks!

My 8-mile run (the “slow, leisurely” one) was done on a rail trail by the river. So cool!

It was a gray day, but the river was captivating, as always.

Enjoying my 8-miler by the river!

Week 17 in pictures:

I went for a 3.2-mile run in the morning before work. When I came back, the cat was sitting on the windowsill, watching for me and yawning like, “What TOOK you so long?!”

Pretty thrilled to be done with my last “long” training run, 8.8 miles

Time Travel, Blog-Style: Weeks 13 and 14

Eight days from now, I’ll be in a car on my way back from Pittsburgh. And, Lord willing, I’ll be a marathoner! (My heart rate increased just as I typed that. Yeah, I’m nervous and excited.)

But now for a quick look back at two of the weeks that helped me to get to where I am right now: Weeks 13 and 14.

Week 13: March 23 to 29. Week 14: March 30 to April 5
Suggested Mileage: Week 13: 36; Week 14: 33
Actual Mileage: Week 13: 36.1; Week 14: 28.1
Long Run: Week 13: 18.1; Week 14: 14 (14 miles during Week 14? It’s like Hal Higdon tried that or something.)
Short Runs: Week 13: 9, 4, and 5; Week 14: 5.1 and 9 (I skipped another 5-miler)
Cross-training: Week 13: Basketball games immediately after my 18-mile run; walking around New York City the day after the 18-miler. Week 14: Training for the Warrior Dash with my sister (push-ups, jumping jacks, crunches, body weight squats, etc.).
Total Marathon Training Miles: Week 13: 269.6; Week 14: 297.7

One word to describe the week:
Week 13: Comeback.
Week 14: Unwise (?? – you’ll see).

What I liked about the week:
–Week 13: Having fought through the worst of a nasty head cold the week before, I still had some lingering effects. However, I was able to get back on track, completing all of my runs. That really felt nice. Also, the day after the 18-miler, Mom and I went to New York City to see “Les Mis” on Broadway; it was phenomenal! Of course, we were dressed pretty nicely, but we wore comfortable shoes so we’d be able to walk around the city before and after the show (hello, cross-training!). It was such a perfect day.
–Week 14: I love scale-back weeks! I did the 14-mile long run with Jocelyn, who is super fast (in my opinion). She had run a half marathon a few weeks before and was in perfect shape for knocking out the 14 miles. I’d picked a very hilly out-and-back route (it always tests me), and she kept me going at a very good pace, considering how tough the route was. In fact, I think our average pace was my fastest out of all of my double-digit marathon training runs.

What I didn’t like about the week:
–Week 13: Well, I didn’t have a great chance to recuperate from my long run. I had the 18-miler on Saturday, immediately followed by a few hours of playing basketball (I seem to like to play basketball after my long runs lately). On Sunday, of course, we had a full, perfect, wonderful day in NYC (which involved a lot of walking). So, in order to make sure my legs could rest up, I ended up using both of Week 14’s rest days early on in Week 14 (on Monday and Tuesday). That made the rest of Week 14 a little tough. That being said, though, I wouldn’t change a thing about Week 13: not the 18-miler, not the basketball, and definitely not the NYC trip!
–Week 14: OK, the 14-miler was rough, and there are multiple reasons for that. One, we ran a faster pace (which was great!). Two, the route was/is insane; it’s basically rolling hills one way for about 7 miles followed by the same rolling hills in reverse on the way back (and let me tell you, the way back is worse than the way out). Three, it was incredibly windy…and there was even HAIL for a few minutes! And four, I had run 9 miles not even two days before. That’s right. I ran 9 miles on Thursday evening after work and then planned the 14-mile run for Saturday morning. So my legs were definitely not in prime condition. Oh, well. I was still able to do my long run! Thanks to God, Jocelyn, and Hal Higdon!

Favorite run or aspect of a specific run:
–Week 13: I hit a wall around the 15-mile mark of my 18-mile run. (Side note: I went outside early in the morning to check the temperature, and I saw snow! On the ground! And in the air! I mean, seriously? What in the world?!) Candace had run the first 5 miles with me and had helped me get off to a great start. It was crazy to think, after I dropped her off at the 5-mile mark, that I “only” had a half marathon distance to run. Later on, Mom ran 2 or so miles with me (miles 10 to 12-ish) and planned to hang around a bit while I completed part of an out-and-back; she’d then meet up with me at mile 15.5 to run the rest. It snowed most of the way (it finally stopped with 1 mile to go…thanks), and it was cold! I had been doing well, but at mile 15 I just felt like I couldn’t go on. Having your eyeballs continuously pelted with snowflakes for mile after mile really takes its toll. Plus, I was starting to get cold, and I just wanted to be done. I knew, though, that if I could just make it back to where Mom was waiting, I’d be OK and I’d make it the whole way. FINALLY, I saw her. She didn’t make me talk much, which was perfect. One conversation snip-it: Mom said, “Well, at least the weather won’t be like this in Pittsburgh for your race!” And I replied grouchily, “Yeah, it had BETTER not be!” Those last few miles felt slow, but I did it. And with a half mile to go, I started to taste the end of the run, and I just went for it. I love finishing a run strong. 🙂
–Week 14: I had a revelation during that ill-advised 9-mile run (you know, the one I did about 36 hours before the 14-miler). I was running a 4.5-mile trail twice; I’d completed one time and was maybe a half mile into the second time when three people – a mom, a teenager, and a young girl (maybe 9 or 10 years old) – came speeding past me. As in, I ate their dust. I almost had a moment of feeling sorry for myself because I was going so much slower than they were. But then came the revelation (which I’ve had many times as a runner but somehow doesn’t stick with me as much as I’d like): I should not compare myself to any other runner! Maybe they were doing 3 miles…or 4.5…and I was doing 9. But who cares? Who cares if they were running 9, just like I was? Or if they were aiming for 13 or 26 or 50? It doesn’t matter that their pace was faster than mine, just like it doesn’t matter that I had passed a bunch of people earlier in my run. Elites can worry about that stuff. But my focus shouldn’t be on comparing myself to other runners. My focus should be on doing the best I can and giving it 110 percent, no matter if I’m first or last.

Memorable running moment (good or bad):
–Week 13: Well, let’s just say that my nose seemed to be inspired by my running; it wanted to run, too (thanks to the head cold that had bombarded my body the week before). My 9-mile midweek run was the absolute worst as far as the whole nose thing was concerned; as in, I felt bad for anyone who saw me and hoped that they’d think my face was just sweating a lot (and not that my nose was running so uncontrollably that I gave up trying to stop it). And then there were the two monstrously catastrophic snot rocket attempts during my 18-miler. I’m not even going to go into detail. I was glad it was still very dark when I made my valiant attempt. It was bad.
–Week 14: The day of the 14-mile run was overcast and very windy. At one point, with probably about 5 miles left (we had just passed an Amish produce stand/shed, Jocelyn and I noticed that the clouds were getting increasingly dark.
“Well,” she said. “At least it’s not raining.”
“That’s true,” I replied.
No kidding, like 30 seconds later: Precipitation! But it wasn’t rain. Oh, no. It was hail! Ridiculous.
“At least it’s not golf ball size!” Jocelyn said. “But what would we do if it was?”
I glanced over my shoulder at the produce stand. “We’d go back to that Amish stand and pretend to be interested in buying pickled beets until the hail stopped!” I exclaimed.
Thankfully, the hail stopped after a minute or so, and there was no more precipitation the rest of the way.

Another conversation from the 14-miler:
Jocelyn: “Ugh, I can’t wait to drink some coffee after this!”
Me: “Coffee? Ewww! I am craving chocolate milk, though.”
Jocelyn: “What? Ewww!”
To each her own, I suppose!

What I’ll do the same in the future: As strange as it sounds, I like having some sort of cross-training to do after a long run. It seems like it helps with recovery because it keeps me from sitting around and getting stiff/sore.

What I’d like to change in the future: I want to avoid doing my medium-distance run so late in the week, like I did during Week 14; that affected my weekend long run. If I have to do it late in the week, then I have to, but…I’d rather not if I can help it!

What I learned: No matter how slowly you feel you’re going, at least you’re moving forward! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you’ll make it!

One-sentence summary: 
–Week 13: I returned to form following an off-week (due to sickness) and persevered through less-than-ideal weather conditions and a run-in with the wall.
–Week 14: Hal Higdon prepares runners to do crazy things, like run 9 miles one day, 14 miles a day and a half later, and 10 miles two days after that (the 10-miler was part of Week 15’s training).

Now for Week 13 in pictures:

After the awful 9-mile run where my nose ran as much – if not more – than I did

Blurry, pre-sunrise pic on the 18-miler

Should be beautiful in Pennsylvania this time of year (spring)…all that snow.

This, my friends, is what it feels like to hit the wall on a run. I couldn’t even muster a fake smile!

I was smiling after the 18-miler, though! Woohoo!

I was so glad Mom was there to keep me going those last few miles!

Ready to see “Les Mis” on Broadway the day after the 18-mile run 🙂

And Week 14:

A scene from my 9-mile run (the one where the three people passed me). It’s good to stop and enjoy the scenery every now and then.

After the 14-miler, I enjoyed the chocolate milk I’d been craving!

The Big Week: A 20-Mile Run and Lots of Other Miles

(I’ll go back and review Weeks 13 and 14, but I’m still on somewhat of a high from having recently completed Week 15 and I just had to do a recap now.)

Week 15 is the big one in Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 Marathon Training Program. I mean, there are quite a few big ones as the weeks progress, but Week 15 is the culmination of it all – including the longest long run – before tapering begins. To be honest, when I looked at this training program late last summer when I was considering signing up for a marathon, Week 15 kinda freaked me out. It calls for a total of 40 miles (as of last summer, my max in a week was 23.5); short midweek runs of 5, 10, and 5 miles; and a long run of 20. While the though of attempting to log such miles had made me nervous/uncertain at the time, it also made me excited to think that I could achieve such a thing.

In the weeks leading up to Week 15, my training schedule had been just a bit wonky, what with going mountaineering, being sick, and juggling a pretty full schedule. Although all of those situations had led to my skipping some of my runs, I went into Week 15 knowing that I was going to make each training run happen no matter what (well, barring injury, anyway). Why? Because I really wanted to hit that coveted 40-mile mark for the week.

Week 15: April 6-12
Suggested Week 15 Mileage: 40
Actual Week 15 Mileage: 40.45
Long Run: 20.1! Woohoo!
Short Runs: 10, 5, and 5.1
Cross-training: Two hours of basketball (immediately following my 20-mile run…because I’m insane), as well as a 2-mile walk and a quarter-mile jog the day after
Total Marathon Training Miles:  338.15 (Remember how I said a few weeks ago that I had missed celebrating the 200-mile mark during training but planned to celebrate extra when I hit 300? Yeah, about that…I totally missed 300 too! I actually completely forgot about it until I was adding up my mileage for this post…at which point I’d already passed the milestone.)

One word to describe the week: Intense but satisfying. (Yeah, I can count; that’s three words, not one.)

What I liked about the week:  I liked that I was able to complete all four of my runs! I also liked that I had the foresight to do my 10 early in the week (Monday) since I knew I wouldn’t have time on Tuesday or Wednesday and I definitely didn’t want to push it to Thursday since my 20 was going to be on Saturday.

What I didn’t like about the week:  I guess the thing I liked least was how full the day of my 20-mile run was. I ran 20 miles and then headed straight out to play two hours of basketball as part of a work-related tournament from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (I shouldn’t have done it, but I just can’t pass up an opportunity to play basketball!) Then I made myself look presentable and headed to my friends’ wedding at 2:30 p.m. I left the reception earlier than I normally would have – around 8 p.m. or so – but I was just exhausted!

Of course, I’m so glad I was involved in each component of the day, and I wouldn’t change a thing that I did…I just wish everything hadn’t been on the same day! Oh, well. One bonus is that I think being up and around – with playing basketball and being at the wedding/reception – was that my legs didn’t have a chance to get stiff; I think the busyness of the day and the fact that I kept moving really helped with my recovery.

Favorite run or aspect of a specific run:
-Short Runs: This has to be something that happened along my 10-mile run. When I set out on this run, I wasn’t entirely sure if I’d do 5 or 10 (since I’d just run 14 two days before). With that in mind, I’d given myself an “out” – I decided to do a 5-mile partial loop, and if I felt good at the end, I’d do the loop basically in reverse. When I had gone maybe 2.6 miles and was running through the parking lot of a local community college, I bumped into a friend who was walking from class to class. We stopped and chatted for a few minutes, and he encouraged me, “Don’t stop at 5. Just do 10!” That made me think, “Hey, it’s in me to do that!” And so I didn’t stop at 5; I went to 10 and felt really good the whole way.

Another thing I’ve appreciated in recent weeks is my Mom’s willingness to get up early in the morning to do part of a 5-mile run with me before it gets light outside. Thank you, Mom! 🙂

-Long Run: The entire 20-mile run was incredible (well, other than one or two moments that involved a nifty combination of hills and strong winds). At no point did I doubt that I could make it (not even at the very beginning when I hit the 1-mile mark and told myself, “Hey, 1 mile down, 19 to go!”). I went into the run hoping to average 10:30/mile because the route I’d picked had a lot of hills and was pretty intense. But I felt really good and ended up averaging 10:16/mile!

Memorable running moment (good or bad):
-Short Runs:  When I started on the run that was to be 5 or 10 miles, I knew that if I decided to do 10, I’d probably end up running the last mile or so in the dark. I should have brought a headlamp with me, but I really didn’t want to carry it or wear it the whole way, so I just figured I’d be fine without. It turned out that I did end up running probably a little more than a mile in the dark. While part of the way was lit with streetlights, most of it wasn’t. I felt safe in that I was confident that cars wouldn’t hit me (I was running against traffic and keeping a watchful eye), but the problem was that I couldn’t see where I was going unless there was a car shining its headlights on my path. I did make it home safe and sound, thankfully. Moral of the story: If you don’t know if you’ll need a headlamp, bring it anyway.

-Long Run:  I can’t narrow it down, so I’m going to give a quick recap.

Since 20 is the longest distance my training plan calls for, I wanted to try to have as many running buddies as possible to keep me going. Unfortunately, most of my running buddies weren’t available, so I resigned myself to the fact that I’d be logging most of the 20 miles alone. Thankfully, though, Mom decided to go the first few with me and then meet up with me later to complete the run. She’s the best!

I decided to do three hilly routes near the house: I’d start with an 8.1, complete a 7, and then finish with a 5. I hoped to average 10:30/mile, but I figured I’d be a bit slower than that due to the route.

Mom and I set out at 6 a.m. with headlamps and other gear that would increase our visibility. The weather was beautiful, and I could tell that the next few hours were going to be great for running. I couldn’t tell how fast we were going, but it felt too slow. Mom, on the other hand, kept telling me that we were going too fast for the pace I’d wanted to keep. Turns out she was right: We hit the approximate 1-mile mark at 9:30. That would be great (or even too slow) for most other distances, but no way did I want to peter out early on this lengthy run. With 1 down and 19 to go, I slowed it up.

Mom ran 2.4 miles with me before she turned around to go home. I gave her my headlamp to take back with her; it was light out at that point, and I knew I’d be fine without it. Since Mom planned to meet back up with me for the last few miles, the plan was for me to call her when I hit the 15-mile mark so she could go to a certain point and wait for me. After saying quick goodbyes while running, I headed on alone.

The next few miles were pretty smooth. I saw a beautiful sunrise and also became aware that I was still pacing faster than I had aimed to. I had slowed after my first mile and was averaging just over 10:00/mile, so I gave myself permission to keep that up as long as I could. At one point, I looked at my watch, and it read one hour and a few odd seconds. “Nice,” I thought. “I only have two and a half more hours to go!” Talk about putting things in perspective!

Hey, sunrise! (This one was cooler in person, but I’m still glad I got a picture of it!)

The thing about this route was that it took me past my house three times. That was good for mental toughness. Do you know how hard it is to know that comfort, food, your own bed, etc., are SO CLOSE but also know that you can’t stop? It’s tough!

By the time I hit the 10-mile mark, I was still feeling good and keeping below my desired pace. While that was encouraging, I didn’t want to be too distracted by my speed. Instead, I tried to keep my speed consistent; I knew there was a long, gradual 1.2-mile hill coming up at the 13.1-mile mark that would probably cause me to slow down.

That monster hill came and went. Yes, I did slow down on it a bit, but the nice thing was that the route called for me to turn around at the top of it, so I then got to coast down a portion of it. Yessss.

I called Mom just before I passed the house (which was approximately the 15-mile mark) to let her know that she could start heading to the point where we said we’d meet up so she could run the last few miles with me. Just after I hung up, Mom came running out of the house to cheer me on! That was such a huge pick-me-up. I grinned and waved and headed on, knowing that I’d see her along my route in a few miles.

The wind had started to pick up at this point. Even though I was 75 percent done with the run, I knew that the remaining 25 percent would be difficult. My legs were getting tired, and I struggled to conquer a small hill just after the 15-mile point. Still, there was no doubt in my mind that I could – and would – finish the run.

Seeing Mom again around the 17-mile mark and knowing that she would be running with me the rest of the way gave me a boost. We didn’t talk much, other than a few bits and pieces here and there:
Me: “Know what?”
Mom: “What?”
Me: “I think…I’d like a…cup of ice…from Burger King…after I’m done. My water is…lukewarm, and…something cold…would be nice.” (The run was to end a half-mile from the house, and there was a Burger King along the way.)

Me (hitting the 18-mile mark and looking at my watch, which read 3:05:00, all while thinking about my goal pace of 10:30/mile and trying to do the math): “Hey, Mom, can you do some mental math for me?”
Mom: “Sure. What is it?”
Me: “Can you do 18 miles at 10:30 per mile?”
Mom: “Um, yes, just give me a second.” (Doing math while running isn’t as easy as anyone might think it is! Anyway, Mom’s result and mine were the same and confirmed that I was still under a 10:30 pace.)

Mom (when I had 1.3 miles to go): “If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.”
Me: “I can’t think of anything, but thanks.” (thinking) “Well, unless you can make this next 15 minutes or so go by more quickly…”

Shortly after the above conversation, I really started to taste the end of the run. At probably the 19.7-mile mark, I could see my finish line way ahead, and I actually started to get a little misty! C’mon, emotions. The final few tenths of this particular route are deceptive; it’s a flat portion, but the end of it always looks closer than it is. So I kept a steady pace and chugged ahead, reaching my finish line – 20.1 miles – in 3:26:16, which is a 10:16/mile average. I definitely felt emotional afterward. I had just completed my biggest run and my biggest training week, and 26.2 was in sight! Absolutely insane!

And yes, I got my cup of ice from Burger King on the way home. Mmmm.

ICE!

You know what happened the rest of the day: I got home, ate a delicious sticky bun from Mr. Sticky’s, played basketball for two hours, and enjoyed a fantastic wedding! What a great day!

Mr. Sticky’s is just the greatest.

Mom and I digging in
(Excuse how messy the table is…)

Our two basketball squads. (I just love basketball.)

What I’ll do the same in the future: I’ll keep being dedicated to training. I’m sure I’ll feel like it’s OK to slack off a bit now that The Big Week is over, but I want to keep sticking to my program for the next few weeks. It’ll make a difference!

What I’d like to change in the future: Well, I don’t want to run indoors if I can help it. “Indoors” in this case means doing loops around the living room/dining room/kitchen/hallway area because running outside isn’t an option. See, here’s the story: After work one day, I changed and headed over to a trail to log 5 miles. By the time I got to the trail, though, it was pouring, and I hadn’t brought anything waterproof (all I had was a T-shirt and capris). No way was I taking a chance on getting sick during The Big Week, so I went home. Since I didn’t have a way to track my mileage (because I’ve never calculated the distance of one lap around the main floor of the house), I just went based on time. I’m glad I had the experience, but I don’t think I want to make running around the house a regular part of my training activities. Ugh. It was pretty boring, and the cats were kinda freaked out.

What I learned: I have to – HAVE TO – develop a running playlist for my iPod Touch. I usually use my iPod Nano (and take the iPod Touch along to take pictures or whatever), but the Nano had been dying after 3 to 5 miles on most of my runs, so I’d been wasting time/energy switching over to the Touch as I was running. On the 20-mile run, however, I went only with the Touch. It worked well, but since it has a touchscreen and is tucked away in my SPIbelt, it’s not super convenient to skip songs. If I had a running playlist, though, there would be fewer songs I’d want to skip. For example, I ended up listening to “White Christmas” twice during the 20 miles. Nothing against that song, but I was running in a tank top and it was mid-April, and “White Christmas” just wasn’t seasonally appropriate.

One-sentence summary: I’m almost there, and I can do this marathon thing!

The day of the cold, pouring rain (a.k.a. the day I ran 5 miles inside my house)

At the conclusion of my 10-mile run (the last mile or so of which was in the pitch dark)

Celebrating the 20.1-mile run!

Krista vs. Week 12

Ever get really excited to be on track with something only to have progress derailed by some unforeseen circumstance? Yeah, there’s Week 12 for ya. I came down with a severely nasty cold that was accompanied by a horrendous-sounding cough. I became BFFs with NyQuil and my beloved box of tissues (although I should have splurged on those aloe-infused ones. Next time!), and I think I actually morphed from a human into an actual walking germ at one point.

Anyway, I started feeling a little off on Tuesday but went for a short run on a very windy day anyway. Mistake. The run itself was horribly slow and most likely didn’t do my fitness level any good, but it might have set my health back a bit. Then everything went awry on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I somehow made it through work and meetings (as well as through an impressive amount of hand sanitizer and more tissues than I’d care to count) but had nothing left to give my training.

Oh, Week 12. I’d love to have you back so I could give things another go as a healthy person.

Week 12: March 16-22
Suggested Week 12 Mileage: 29
Actual Week 12 Mileage: 13.4 (Ugh.)
Long Run: 8.1 (was supposed to be 12. Ugh.)
Short Runs: 4.1 and approximately 1.2 (I skipped an 8 and severely shortened a 5. Ugh.)
Cross-training: Approximately 30 minutes on the exercise bike (my watch kept randomly stopping, so I just guessed based on the estimated length of the songs I’d listened to. Ugh.) and a 2-mile walk with my basketball team during an end-of-season party
Total Marathon Training Miles: 233.5

One word to describe the week: Sick. (Not like, “Dude, that was SICK!” but more like, *cough, cough, cough, sneeze, cough cough* *blows nose endlessly*)

What I liked about the week: I liked that I could finally breathe enough on Sunday that I was able to attempt a longer run. My long run was supposed to be 12, but since it was really windy and I was still coughing and stuff, I planned an 8.1-mile route that ended at my house and had an optional additional 4-mile loop in case I finished the 8.1 and felt well enough to do more. After debating with myself for the first 7 miles, I decided to call it quits after 8.1 instead of doing the full 12. My legs would have been good for it, but I’d been coughing and unable to breathe as well as I would have liked; I didn’t want to jeopardize the following week by overdoing it on a windy day. And I convinced myself to be OK with that.

What I didn’t like about the week: Um, I didn’t like that I was sick and logged 15.6 fewer miles than I should have. Mileage aside, though, I just didn’t like being sick. I felt gross and blah, and I’d rather feel energized by exercising. When I can’t exercise for a few days, it really starts to drive me crazy!

Favorite run or aspect of a specific run: There weren’t many great running moments to choose from (mainly due to the fact that there weren’t many running miles this week), but…I think I most enjoyed miles 2 through 5 of my 8.1-mile run. The wind wasn’t too intense for the most part, and I was actually able to breathe pretty well! Plus, I didn’t really cough too much (if at all). Nice. It’s the little things, you know?

Memorable running moment (good or bad):
-Short Runs: There was a point on my (extremely windy) 4.1-mile run that I thought, “This is really not a good idea.” I already felt like my body was fighting something, but it was too late: I was out running, and I was going to finish the suggested mileage.
-On Thursday (which was one of the days I was at my absolute sickest), I really wanted to exercise. However, ain’t no way was I going outside. So I decided to run around the house when I got home because I’d be the only one there (so nobody else would have to be disturbed by my clunking around and my Darth Vader-esque breathing patterns). After work, though, I had a meeting that went a little longer than I’d planned. So by the time I got home, I was only able to trot around the house for 12 minutes before someone else came home. I have no clue how far I went, but I guessed I was doing about a 10-minute mile (hard to go faster than that with all the tight turns in the house), so…1.2 miles.
-“Long” Run: The moment I decided it was OK to quit at 8.1 instead of pushing through 12 was memorable. I’m totally a “don’t quit; keep going even when you’re suffering” type of person when it comes to exercise, but this moment is evidence that I’m beginning to learn that there are times that it’s OK – and even beneficial – not to push myself.

What I’ll do the same in the future: Well, there wasn’t much that went ideally during Week 12, but I’d like to continue listening to my body like I did during what was supposed to be my long run. If my body is OK, I’ll keep going; if it’s struggling in an unnatural way (like being sick or being overly exhausted from running), it’s OK to adapt.

What I’d like to change in the future: Um, maybe, like, NOT get sick. Plain and simple.

What I learned: Being sick doesn’t have to derail my training, but I do have to be smart in how I handle the sickness. Rest and recovery are crucial! I shouldn’t try to fight through something like an intense cold when my body is screaming at me to let it rest and get strong.

One-sentence summary: Being sick is lame!

“I can’t breathe, I feel horrible, and I’m jogging around inside the house because I’m desperate to exercise. Oh, and I’ve gone through at least half of a large box of tissues today. Have I mentioned that I feel horrible?”

Flashback to Week 11!

Before I start writing about running-related stuff, I just have to say, on this Good Friday, how grateful I am for Jesus’ sacrifice and how humbled I am by it. And He rose again! He’s alive! How awesome is that?! So cool. It makes me want to honor Him even more in everything I do, whether I’m working, just hanging out, or – of course – running.

Today is April 3, meaning that my marathon is exactly one month away! One month from this exact moment, I’ll be quite a few miles in…with quite a few more to go. That’s insane to think about.

I’m completing Week 14 of my training this week, but for right now I’m going to whisk you back to Week 11 since I never did my recap of that. Week 11 brought with it a whole bunch of new first-time experiences: another new long distance, another PR for weekly mileage, the longest amount of time spent running, etc. Read on!

Week 11: March 9-15
Suggested Week 11 Mileage: 32
Actual Week 11 Mileage: 30.3
Long Run: 16
Short Runs: 4, 8.1, and 2.2 (The 2.2 was supposed to be a 4, but I didn’t want to overdo it and I could feel that my legs were tired, so I cut it short.)
Cross-training: Well, I don’t recall doing anything specific. I just know that I walked around a lot throughout the week, so I’m going to count that. (Lame, I know!)
Total Marathon Training Miles: 220.1 (I should have celebrated the 200-mile mark, which I hit during my 8.1-mile run, but I didn’t! Shame on me. I guess I’ll have to celebrate extra when I reach 300!)

One word to describe the week: Fulfilling.

What I liked about the week: I liked that I was able to get back into the swing of things and complete almost all of the suggested mileage. Since I didn’t run at all during Week 9 (because I was mountaineering in the Adirondacks) and since Week 10 was limited due to snow (I completed 19.2 miles of the suggested 29 and had to skip two short runs), I was glad that I had the ability to reach the 30-mile mark that week and that my legs were able to handle it after so much inconsistency during the previous two weeks.

What I didn’t like about the week: Again, I pushed my 16-miler off to Sunday instead of Saturday. Argh! It had to be that way, though, because I had run my 15 on Sunday afternoon the week before, meaning that I had to rest to start Week 11. And that, in turn, pushed most of my training runs back. Also, the weather wasn’t supposed to be good on Saturday morning, so…when I factored everything in, it seemed like Sunday morning was the way to go.

Favorite run or aspect of a specific run: I feel like I should break this up into categories of Long Run and Short Run. So…
–Short Run: I saw a robin! That was my first robin of spring, and even though it wasn’t officially spring yet at that moment, it made me happy to think that the days of running in shorts and a tank top were on their way!
-Long Run: I really enjoyed my 16-mile run, pretty much from beginning to end. I did a hilly 8-mile out-and-back route twice starting at 6 a.m.-ish. Candace did the first 8 with me, which was an incredible help. There’s something nice about not beginning to tackle a new distance in the dark on a windy morning by yourself. She and I each wore those blinky things to help drivers see us, and I had my headlamp ready to go in case it was needed. Of course, I was hoping it wouldn’t be needed because I knew I’d feel like a dork wearing it while running. When Candace arrived at my house, I asked her if she thought it would be necessary to wear it, and she said yes. Sigh. So I put it on. (As my friend Alyssa told me later, “Don’t think of yourself as dorky. Think of yourself as dedicated!”) It was very dark, so I did end up being glad I had it on.

The first 8 went well, and Candace and I chatted away for some good portions of it (and we completed an impressive Shot Blok relay over a pile of manure near the 6-mile mark). Before I knew it, though, we were back where we started; Candace got to go home, while I was left with another challenging 8 looming between me and comfort. But I had my music (even though my freshly charged iPod died after a few miles and I had to rig up my iPod Touch), beautiful scenery, and various obstacles (like Amish buggies, manure, and roadkill) to keep me occupied. I had originally been dreading running the final 8 all alone, but it really wasn’t bad. Initially, I had planned to remove my headlamp once it got light enough out, but since I didn’t know what I’d do with it that wouldn’t be annoying, I just left it on. Not a dork. Dedicated!

The last portion of the route was an uphill, so I tackled it with everything I had left and finished my 16! (And then I couldn’t walk straight for a few minutes, but that’s a minor detail.) I went home, drank chocolate milk, and used the foam roller before showering and heading to church. Such a great way to start the day. 🙂

Memorable running moment (good or bad): Again, I’m going to start needing Short Run and Long Run categories here.
-Short Run: I was not even 1 mile into my 8.1-mile run when bird poop splattered on the sidewalk about 3 feet in front of me. Man, good thing I wasn’t running a little faster…
-Long Run: The only thing about the 8-mile route that I ran twice for my 16-mile run is that I’m not entirely sure where the splits are. I know approximately – within a quarter mile – where 1 and 2 are, and I know exactly where 4 is (because it’s my turnaround spot), but I have no concept of where 3 is. Thankfully, Candace has a Garmin. We were trekking up a hill a few miles into the run, and there was some roadkill (a skunk, to be specific) just ahead. Right as we were passing it, Candace announced, “We hit 3 miles at the skunk!” Good to know! So now I’m aware of where the 3-mile mark is on that route. During my second 8-mile loop, I announced my progress to myself out loud when I passed the skunk: “Yay, 11 at the skunk!” on the way out and “Woohoo, 13 at the skunk!” on the way back.

What I’ll do the same in the future: I decided that it can be very helpful to have a running buddy with me for long runs, at least for part of the time. I don’t necessarily always need someone with me every step of the way, but I’m going to continue to try to get running buddies involved. It just makes the running experience nicer overall, especially when the going gets tough.

Also, I’m going to continue to use the foam roller immediately after a long run! I felt very good (all things considered) the rest of the day and the next day, and I think a lot of that had to do with using the foam roller. I. Love. It.

What I’d like to change in the future: Stop doing long runs on Sundays! Do them on Saturdays, if at all possible! (I’m starting to sound like a broken record, eh?)

What I learned: Headlamps aren’t all that bad for running. 🙂

One-sentence summary: Having an off-week or two won’t completely derail my training! Yay!

Looking dedicated with my headlamp. (This was just after my iPod died and I was rigging up my iPod Touch. I feel like I usually only take pictures on my long runs when this happens.)

Headlamp, smiling runner, Amish buggy across the street, and a skunk mile marker somewhere in the background

My family is a great support system! (I remember when they made me a sign when I turned 16 years old; now I get a sign for running 16 MILES! Crazy!)

Chocolate milk hits the spot after a long run.

Blurry. No clue if I’m using the foam roller to its full potential, but I know that I love it and it feels amazing.