Now that I have time to breathe and think about something other than marathon training, I've been thinking a lot about the rest of my personal life. I have stepped back a bit from disclosing our struggles, as we navigate how we should be handling them.
But I feel like we got a really big win this week and I want to share it.
My daughter (she's nearly 15) has been in therapy continuously for almost 4 years. She was in therapy with a counselor at nine years old for a few months, but then there was a big gap before we found a psychotherapist. Since that time, she also came under the care of a psychiatrist and then started group DBT therapy in August of this year after a particularly difficult summer.
Recently, she had a huge relapse. It frightened us and confused us and made us take a step back on where we needed her therapy and medical interventions to go. It took a couple of months, and many many appointments between all three therapists. When I mentioned it was kind of a miracle I ever made it to my marathon start line in one piece, I wasn't kidding. I was worn down. But I used training as my own therapy and distraction from the emotionally exhausting things we were encountering as parents.
On Tuesday, she "graduated" from psychotherapy. After more appointments and money than I can even fathom, we left that appointment without making her next appointment. As of right now, we don't "need" to and can have this therapist on stand-by for any future needs, should they arise. I actually cried as we were leaving. Her therapist has become more than just a "doctor." She's been my daughter's savior, and ours, and I genuinely love her as a person. I will greatly miss her, although thankful that if I'm missing her it means it's because my daughter is doing well.
When you have a baby, never in your wildest imagination do you think you'll have to send your child to therapy for years on end. It's the most difficult thing I've ever had to do, and it has been continuous for YEARS. It wasn't just a fluke bad spell she went through. She has struggled for so long that I don't really remember what it's like to NOT struggle. I still hesitate to put this out there, but I know that by sharing our struggles, it can make another parent maybe not feel so alone if they are also struggling.
I am constantly hurting for my girl, and angry, and exhausted, and confused, and completely unsure if I'm ever doing the right thing for her. I have to employ a tremendous amount of strength to not fall apart myself, and there have been times this year when I honestly thought I simply couldn't do it anymore. I have broken down more times than I can count, have cried more than I ever thought possible.
I am still terrified that the other shoe will drop, however. Absolutely terrified. When she calls or texts me from school, my immediate thought before I've even read the text or answered the phone is that something has happened and she's having a panic attack and needs me. I can't shake this impulse of mine to assume the worst, because there have been so many times where she has contacted me in a complete panic and meltdown. I still have to walk on eggshells with her, even though I know it's not helpful, because I don't want any reaction of mine to send her into a tailspin. I don't want to say the wrong thing or to be too tough as a parent. Balancing discipline with her emotional needs is probably never going to be something I get perfectly accurate, but I keep trying.
I have a phenomenal daughter. She is more compassionate than anyone I know, she is so strong in her convictions, and she genuinely loves people and wants to be the best friend and person she can be. She's wildly talented artistically and musically and I'm constantly in awe of what she can create. She's beautiful inside and out. I'm so in love with her character and so proud when I look at her that she is an extension of me. Her face is angelic and her smile lights up every room she's in.
I just wish her mental struggles would dissipate completely, that everyday stresses that we all encounter wouldn't debilitate her. It's getting better, it will always get better, and I feel so relieved when she handles unexpected disruptions in stride rather than being immobilized by them. She has a beautiful future, I know she does.
So I'm taking some deep breaths as we head into our winter break. I'm showing her as much love and attention as I can and reminding her of all her successes and strengths.
This year wasn't what I envisioned it would be. I had some huge highs and personal successes, but they were so difficult to truly enjoy because there were these other struggles that took over my thoughts on a daily basis, there was a tremendous amount of stress that I carried throughout my entire body, and rarely could I let it go completely and relax. I am truly thankful for my partner in crime. His job is so demanding and he works insane hours and is on calls with the other side of the world (or is ON the other side of the world!) at all hours, and yet he does everything humanly possible to take care of his family, to support me in my crazy endeavours, and joins me as I travel around the country running too many miles and spending all his money. We get closer every year and appreciate the little things with each other. When I am with him, he somehow magically makes most of my stress disappear. Just this past weekend, he took me on an impromptu weekend trip to Hollywood, Florida, so we could stay in the new Hard Rock Guitar Hotel and enjoy a Bret Michaels concert and Criss Angel show and spend hours just laying at the pool without a care in the world. It was incredibly refreshing and I wouldn't want to spend a weekend like that with anyone else. My kids are so lucky they got him as a dad. His love is endless for all three of us.
It's crazy for me to think that we are in our twilight of parenting years. Our son will be graduating from high school and starting his adult life, and our daughter will be finding her own independence as she continues in high school and gains even more maturity. Next year will be a huge transition. There is so much to look forward to, and yet so much to tackle.
Hold your babies tight!
Thursday, December 19, 2019
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
California International Marathon Race Report
This was definitely not a training cycle that went smoothly. But I feel like I came to the start line fairly healthy, in great shape, and ready to run a good race. I didn't meet my ultimate goal, but after a few days of reflection, I have no regrets about my strategy and execution, and I am thrilled to say that I have another marathon finish in under 4 hours. We can't PR every single race, but we can take away from every race a new lesson we've learned and new accomplishments that we can take into the next one.
First, I have to say that California International Marathon absolutely deserves all of the kudos it gets from runners as being a premier marathon. The field is mid-sized at about 8000 runners, the course is a fast and scenic point to point with a net downhill, the finish festival is well thought out, and the organizers think of all the little details to help the runners have a successful race. It was a very fun weekend and I'm looking forward to going back and racing there again. December weather in Sacramento tends to be cool and dry - perfect conditions for a good race (but more on that later....).
Now, about my training cycle...
I was supposed to run CIM in 2018, but a hamstring injury in September forced me to be smart about recovery and defer my entry to 2019. Instead, I focused on getting stronger, ran a PR half marathon in January, and then ran the Boston Marathon in April. By July I was ready to ramp up my training and spent 19 weeks getting myself ready for CIM. If I were to compare this cycle to when I was training to BQ in 2017/2018, I would have to say that I felt slightly slower, yet felt my endurance was better. I had hoped that the two components would mesh well on race day, and with the right conditions, I could come pretty close to a 3:45. I trained the entire cycle for a 3:45, made some tweaks to how I had trained previously, in the hopes of getting me to the start line healthy.
I think my success was about 80%. My speed was REALLY close to being where I wanted it, but it didn't feel quite as effortless, I will admit. However, with the experience I gained from the past 2+ years, that didn't worry me too much. My body was kind of all over the map with how it was holding up. I had a psoas issue after Boston that needed to be worked through, my IT band was on and off tight throughout the cycle, my hamstring would make itself known here and there but wasn't a bit concern, and then during my peak week of training, I felt a strange pain at my left Achilles. That threw me for a loop because my issues are always on my right side. This pain felt like a touch of tendonitis and my assumption was that I was probably overcompensating for my right side issues and had aggravated the left side because of that. But, I managed to keep it in check and it didn't get any worse as I tapered. I knew that rest would come after the race and I could fix it.
I traveled to Sacramento Friday morning before the race and met up with my friend Dennette and her two daughters. A quick trip to the Expo was fun, then a great steak dinner capped off my first day there. Greg arrived that night and we got settled in for the weekend.
On Saturday, my friend Kalynn joined me for breakfast while Greg did his long run and scoped out the end of the course. Another trip to the Expo so Kalynn could pick up her bib and we could do a little more shopping, a drive on the course, a lot of rest, and a yummy Mediterranean dinner, made Saturday a very fun day as well.
Did you know that chickens are a thing in the Fair Oaks area of Sacramento? Yes, they're a thing and we couldn't resist the opportunity to hang out with the free roaming chickens while previewing the course.
Laying out my gear the night before always gets the nerves going. There's just so much crap that you need for a marathon. I totally thought I took a photo of it, but apparently not!
Sunday morning rolled around EARLY. Like 3:45am early. The shuttles were leaving at 5am and were about 2 blocks from the hotel. I wanted to get over there and settled in without a last minute rush. The morning moved fast, however, and we were on our way 26 miles away to Folsom.
I showed up at the start line determined to give it my all and take the chance that I would blow up. My attitude was that I had nothing to lose. I didn't NEED to BQ, although I definitely want to go back to Boston. My A goal was to PR (3:49:53) and therefore BQ (<3:50), and my B goal was to break 4 hours. On a perfect day, the stretch goal was 3:45.
Sacramento is usually pretty dry at this time of year. The temps are typically not an issue. However, they'd been getting a lot of rain the weeks leading up to the race and the forecast was holding strong as being very rainy during the race. As race day approached, the temp forecast moved from upper 30s to mid 50s, a big swing, and almost 30 degrees warmer at the start than when I ran in Baton Rouge and BQd. Still not bad temperatures, but with very wet air after a night of rain, it simply wasn't going to be as easy as dry air in the 30s or 40s. Even as we woke up on race morning, the rain forecast was holding strong at 50-70%.
As we drove to the start, the forecast changed to a 10% chance. So now we had mid-to-upper-50s and 97% humidity for the entirety of the race, with a small chance we'd get some relief with the rain. I wasn't too concerned about feeling hot during the race, although ideally we'd be about 10 degrees cooler, but the near-100% humidity was in the back of my head as being potentially problematic. I tried to push it out of my head, however, because I was not going to change my race strategy and was going to just go for it.
My strategy was to run the first half at 8:41 pace, and then hopefully drop to about 8:30 in the second half. My first 5K would be my slowest as I eased into the harder paces. The first half the of the race has rolling hills, but more downhill than uphill so that was not going to be an issue for me. I run in rollers all the time and am a strong uphill runner. I knew using different muscles in that first half would serve me well for the flat-to-downhill second half. The course is fast and I'm truly confused by those who say it's "hilly" (and many people who ran it that have described it like that, as being a bad thing). To me, a net downhill that gives you a drop in elevation every time it makes you climb is a fast course, and this race was no exception. It was FAST.
The temps were most definitely not cold and I started the race with just my throwaway gloves on, no arm sleeves or jacket or anything. I just simply didn't need any of that. It felt similar to how Boston started, but about 5 or so degrees cooler. I knew it wouldn't get nearly as warm as it did in Boston, however, so I held onto that positive as the gun went off.
Four minutes after the first runners started, Kalynn and I crossed the start line and the journey to the Capitol began.
That first mile was kind of stupid easy. It was a bit downhill and I felt like I was running effortlessly. When I saw I was running 8:50 pace it truly surprised me and it felt 30 seconds per mile slower than that. I held back a bit in those first two miles, knowing I had a very long way to go, but my splits were coming in very very strong. I went with it.
Now, I've gone back and forth in my mind on whether I should've held back in those first few miles. And I keep answering myself with NO. I went to that start line with a plan to run a 3:45 marathon and get a strong BQ and make my way to Hopkinton in 2021. The weather was not ideal, but it was not debilitating, either. If it started raining then I REALLY would be okay, because my body naturally craves that kind of cooldown and runs faster with less effort. I was definitely banking on a little rain, but I just had to try my best to run the paces I planned to and was capable of.
First 5K in 27:10 and 8:45 average pace....so awesome.
I was supposed to see Dennette and her family at around 5 miles as they live on the left side of the course. I kept my eyes on the spectators but never saw them. Found out later they were on the RIGHT side of the course, but they saw me and they were armed with the GREATEST signs on the course that day.
Second 5K in 26:53 and 8:39 average pace. I was at 54:03 overall in the first 5K. That used to be similar to the fastest I could run a standalone 10K. How far I've come! I felt really great and strong and in control and loved the fact that I was pushing myself and seeing what I could do. I saw Greg across the road with our friend Landon and it was a nice boost to see them.
Just as I suspected, the rollers were not bothering me. They were not difficult inclines and the downhills that followed felt great to run down. Using different muscles was a big positive in my book and I was enjoying the challenge of the course.
Now, don't get me wrong. I knew this pace wasn't easy. I was putting it all out there and mentally telling myself I could keep running this for 26 miles. But I was under no illusion that it was definitive that I would be successful. The air was just plain wet. The pics all look like it rained the whole time as the ground was wet, but it was just overnight rain and mist that just never evaporated.
Third 5K in 26:55 and 8:40 pace, holding strong. 1:20:58 for the first 15K.
Fourth 5K in 26:49 and 8:38 pace and 1:47:47 for the first 20K.
This is about where it definitely was fatiguing me, but not horribly worrying me. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I'd likely be hurting big time at the end. But nonetheless, I kept my balls out and continued swinging for the fences.
Greg saw me at the halfway point and he could tell I wasn't my usual "happy face" Steph and it gave him pause. He knew it was hurting me now.
My first half was in 1:53:31, which just happens to be the third fastest half marathon I have ever run, stand alone or in a marathon. Third fastest, holy crap. And I still had 13.1 miles to run, and hopefully at a faster pace. I had hit the halfway point running 8:40 average pace, just a little under my target. It was BQ pace by a lot, so even if I maintained my pace I would have a BQ time by a few minutes. I couldn't complain about that.
This is the point where I started negotiating with myself. I was starting to have a hard time speeding up like I had planned, so I kept maintaining my pace as best as I could.
My fifth 5K was in 27:08, and 8:45 pace so I had slowed down. Not by a lot, but if I wanted a comfortable BQ cushion, I couldn't slow down anymore. My 25K time was 2:14:55. Crazy to think that the winning male would've already crossed the finish and the women weren't far behind. And here I was with nearly 11 miles to go.
The balls that I started with in Folsom were definitely starting to shrivel. Things were getting a bit hard, and this was kind of early for them to be getting hard. My left Achilles was most definitely bugging me, but not getting worse as the race progressed. I'm sure it affected my pace slightly. I'm not sure exactly when, but I know we got a few minutes of rain. It felt so good, but it didn't last nearly long enough. I wasn't feeling hot, but I wasn't cold either and I was desperately wishing for some cold. The air wasn't bugging me too much, but it's entirely possible my lungs were starting to rebel. My heartrate was definitely higher than I expected it to be, but rather than intentionally slow down like I did in Boston (so I could actually enjoy the experience and not suffer and hate it), I just kept running hard. Greg always tells me to just shut up and run and that's what I continued to do.
When Mile 17 came in at 9:15 after I took a longer time to make my way through the water stop, I knew that this was the point where either I try to run through this pain, or I cut myself some slack and protect my sub-4. HOW BAD DID I WANT THIS??
Sixth 5K was in 28:59 and 9:20 pace....I was now over 2 minutes off the 5k split I wanted to be at. I was running dangerously close to having the 3:50 pacer pass me and losing my BQ. My 30K time was 2:43:54.
It was at this point that I decided that I, in fact, did NOT want the BQ bad enough to suffer more than I was for 7+ more miles. I would still need to run some semblance of an 8:45 pace to squeak under 3:50, but my brain was having trouble doing math. At this point, hanging onto 9:15 miles hurt. BUT I was still running well enough to break 4 hours by a few minutes, so that's where my focus shifted. NO WAY was I going to see a 4 in my finish time.
Now, if I had really been thinking clearly, I would've thought about breaking 9 minute average pace, but hindsight is 20/20.
I saw Greg at 20 miles, along with some dinosaurs, and that provided a boost to me and my morale. I did give him a little pout and a thumbs down, but unfortunately that only served to really worry him about how I was doing. I held up four fingers as I passed in the hopes that he knew I was going for the sub-4, but he didn't really understood that's what I meant.
So poor Greg spent the next 6.2 miles of my journey worried that I was incredibly upset.
HECK NO I WASN'T UPSET! I was running a freaking marathon into downtown Sacramento and it was going to be my 3rd fastest by a long shot. I was going to be under 4 hours and it wasn't going to be an epic implosion, nor was I going to run any miles over 10 minute pace. I wasn't even going to give into walking, except to grab fuel as quickly as I could at the water stops.
Seventh 5K was in 29:36 and 9:36 pace. 35K was in 3:13:30.
But seriously, I haven't felt this much pain at the end of a marathon in a long time. Where was my rain? The sun tried to peak out of the clouds a couple times but mercifully went away just as quick as it came out. I still wasn't feeling particularly hot THANK GOD. Since my pace was slower, my heartrate dropped about 10 beats so I was breathing easier. But my legs were struggling. I kept giving myself all sorts of pep talks to keep moving, I kept looking at my time and how much longer I needed to run and reminding myself I was well on my way to breaking 4 hours by a long shot.
As you get into Sacramento, you start running by all the numbered streets. I remember seeing numbers in the 50s and knew that we didn't make the turn towards the Capitol and the finish line until 8th Street. Good Lord, that's a lot of streets to count down, and they were going by SO SLOWLY. It seemed like it took forever for the numbers to get into the 30s, then the 20s, and then at that point, I was running on sheer will. My body HATED ME.
Eighth 5K was in 29:59. YIKES. I was still slowing, but it wasn't horrible. It was ugly, but not horrible. I was at 3:43:29, so basically with almost 1.4 miles to run I was almost at my original goal time of 3:45. OOPS.
Did I mention that the streets were going by so slowly? I started counting down the tenths of a mile at this point.
Making those last two turns, first onto 8th street and then towards the Capitol was the best feeling! Only I couldn't speed up in that last stretch and in the finish video that Greg took I look incredibly pathetic with all these people passing me. But that's what I was willing to give to finish this damn thing out.
I crossed the finish line in 3:56:50, with a 9:02 average pace. Oh, if only I had thought to speed up just enough to see 8:59 average pace. So, that's really the only regret I have.
I mustered up a BLAZING 9:48 pace for the last 2.2 km. Just BLAZING, I tell you. My slowest split of the day was the final split.
I had myself a quick little cry on Greg's shoulder when I found him at the side of the finish chute, and got that out of my system. I wasn't disappointed, but I was just plain exhausted at the mental and physical effort it took to salvage some semblance of a good race after my A goal went out the window.
My 16th marathon was complete. It was my 3rd fastest and my 3rd sub-4. I am nearly 46 years old and can still crank out a good marathon time and be proud of myself. With the exception of the last mile, I did manage to continually improve my placing in the field.
My last four marathons have been my four fastest....my fastest half splits have come in these four races. I am learning how to truly race a marathon distance and pushing myself to see what I can do, without fear of failure. I had a 9:48 positive split in this race....BUT....
I'm really proud of myself.
When I got back to Round Rock and was unpacking, I noticed that there was an energy gel still in my handheld. I shouldn't have had an extra gel, as I took four with me on the course and planned to take them every 5 miles. Apparently, I never took one after 15 miles. I was still hydrating with Nuun Endurance and getting calories that way, so it's hard to know if a lack of my final gel had any effect on how I felt. We will never know and I'm not going to dwell on what could've been. But I could still kick myself for forgetting to fuel at 20 miles. It's a rookie mistake to make.
Because my Achilles is still tender and needs a little rest, rather than running the Atlanta Marathon on March 1, I am downgrading to the half marathon. I need a bit of lower mileage right now and to give my brain a rest. Greg is going to run that half marathon with me and we are going to have a great time watching the Olympic Trials the day before, so I'm very much looking forward to the trip.
Greg had another surprise in store for me as well. Back in October I applied for guaranteed entry into the Chicago Marathon and was accepted, but Greg maintained that he was still retired from marathons. I joked that I might enter him into the lottery anyway, but I did not.
He posted this on Facebook on Thursday when they notified the lottery applicants of their status, sneaky man:
The man always keeps me on my toes.
Chicago training starts in June!
First, I have to say that California International Marathon absolutely deserves all of the kudos it gets from runners as being a premier marathon. The field is mid-sized at about 8000 runners, the course is a fast and scenic point to point with a net downhill, the finish festival is well thought out, and the organizers think of all the little details to help the runners have a successful race. It was a very fun weekend and I'm looking forward to going back and racing there again. December weather in Sacramento tends to be cool and dry - perfect conditions for a good race (but more on that later....).
Now, about my training cycle...
I was supposed to run CIM in 2018, but a hamstring injury in September forced me to be smart about recovery and defer my entry to 2019. Instead, I focused on getting stronger, ran a PR half marathon in January, and then ran the Boston Marathon in April. By July I was ready to ramp up my training and spent 19 weeks getting myself ready for CIM. If I were to compare this cycle to when I was training to BQ in 2017/2018, I would have to say that I felt slightly slower, yet felt my endurance was better. I had hoped that the two components would mesh well on race day, and with the right conditions, I could come pretty close to a 3:45. I trained the entire cycle for a 3:45, made some tweaks to how I had trained previously, in the hopes of getting me to the start line healthy.
I think my success was about 80%. My speed was REALLY close to being where I wanted it, but it didn't feel quite as effortless, I will admit. However, with the experience I gained from the past 2+ years, that didn't worry me too much. My body was kind of all over the map with how it was holding up. I had a psoas issue after Boston that needed to be worked through, my IT band was on and off tight throughout the cycle, my hamstring would make itself known here and there but wasn't a bit concern, and then during my peak week of training, I felt a strange pain at my left Achilles. That threw me for a loop because my issues are always on my right side. This pain felt like a touch of tendonitis and my assumption was that I was probably overcompensating for my right side issues and had aggravated the left side because of that. But, I managed to keep it in check and it didn't get any worse as I tapered. I knew that rest would come after the race and I could fix it.
I traveled to Sacramento Friday morning before the race and met up with my friend Dennette and her two daughters. A quick trip to the Expo was fun, then a great steak dinner capped off my first day there. Greg arrived that night and we got settled in for the weekend.
On Saturday, my friend Kalynn joined me for breakfast while Greg did his long run and scoped out the end of the course. Another trip to the Expo so Kalynn could pick up her bib and we could do a little more shopping, a drive on the course, a lot of rest, and a yummy Mediterranean dinner, made Saturday a very fun day as well.
Did you know that chickens are a thing in the Fair Oaks area of Sacramento? Yes, they're a thing and we couldn't resist the opportunity to hang out with the free roaming chickens while previewing the course.
 |
| No chickens were harmed |
Laying out my gear the night before always gets the nerves going. There's just so much crap that you need for a marathon. I totally thought I took a photo of it, but apparently not!
Sunday morning rolled around EARLY. Like 3:45am early. The shuttles were leaving at 5am and were about 2 blocks from the hotel. I wanted to get over there and settled in without a last minute rush. The morning moved fast, however, and we were on our way 26 miles away to Folsom.
I showed up at the start line determined to give it my all and take the chance that I would blow up. My attitude was that I had nothing to lose. I didn't NEED to BQ, although I definitely want to go back to Boston. My A goal was to PR (3:49:53) and therefore BQ (<3:50), and my B goal was to break 4 hours. On a perfect day, the stretch goal was 3:45.
Sacramento is usually pretty dry at this time of year. The temps are typically not an issue. However, they'd been getting a lot of rain the weeks leading up to the race and the forecast was holding strong as being very rainy during the race. As race day approached, the temp forecast moved from upper 30s to mid 50s, a big swing, and almost 30 degrees warmer at the start than when I ran in Baton Rouge and BQd. Still not bad temperatures, but with very wet air after a night of rain, it simply wasn't going to be as easy as dry air in the 30s or 40s. Even as we woke up on race morning, the rain forecast was holding strong at 50-70%.
As we drove to the start, the forecast changed to a 10% chance. So now we had mid-to-upper-50s and 97% humidity for the entirety of the race, with a small chance we'd get some relief with the rain. I wasn't too concerned about feeling hot during the race, although ideally we'd be about 10 degrees cooler, but the near-100% humidity was in the back of my head as being potentially problematic. I tried to push it out of my head, however, because I was not going to change my race strategy and was going to just go for it.
My strategy was to run the first half at 8:41 pace, and then hopefully drop to about 8:30 in the second half. My first 5K would be my slowest as I eased into the harder paces. The first half the of the race has rolling hills, but more downhill than uphill so that was not going to be an issue for me. I run in rollers all the time and am a strong uphill runner. I knew using different muscles in that first half would serve me well for the flat-to-downhill second half. The course is fast and I'm truly confused by those who say it's "hilly" (and many people who ran it that have described it like that, as being a bad thing). To me, a net downhill that gives you a drop in elevation every time it makes you climb is a fast course, and this race was no exception. It was FAST.
 |
| Putting on our brave faces |
The temps were most definitely not cold and I started the race with just my throwaway gloves on, no arm sleeves or jacket or anything. I just simply didn't need any of that. It felt similar to how Boston started, but about 5 or so degrees cooler. I knew it wouldn't get nearly as warm as it did in Boston, however, so I held onto that positive as the gun went off.
Four minutes after the first runners started, Kalynn and I crossed the start line and the journey to the Capitol began.
That first mile was kind of stupid easy. It was a bit downhill and I felt like I was running effortlessly. When I saw I was running 8:50 pace it truly surprised me and it felt 30 seconds per mile slower than that. I held back a bit in those first two miles, knowing I had a very long way to go, but my splits were coming in very very strong. I went with it.
Now, I've gone back and forth in my mind on whether I should've held back in those first few miles. And I keep answering myself with NO. I went to that start line with a plan to run a 3:45 marathon and get a strong BQ and make my way to Hopkinton in 2021. The weather was not ideal, but it was not debilitating, either. If it started raining then I REALLY would be okay, because my body naturally craves that kind of cooldown and runs faster with less effort. I was definitely banking on a little rain, but I just had to try my best to run the paces I planned to and was capable of.
First 5K in 27:10 and 8:45 average pace....so awesome.
I was supposed to see Dennette and her family at around 5 miles as they live on the left side of the course. I kept my eyes on the spectators but never saw them. Found out later they were on the RIGHT side of the course, but they saw me and they were armed with the GREATEST signs on the course that day.
Second 5K in 26:53 and 8:39 average pace. I was at 54:03 overall in the first 5K. That used to be similar to the fastest I could run a standalone 10K. How far I've come! I felt really great and strong and in control and loved the fact that I was pushing myself and seeing what I could do. I saw Greg across the road with our friend Landon and it was a nice boost to see them.
 |
| I think this was somewhere around 10K into the race |
Just as I suspected, the rollers were not bothering me. They were not difficult inclines and the downhills that followed felt great to run down. Using different muscles was a big positive in my book and I was enjoying the challenge of the course.
Now, don't get me wrong. I knew this pace wasn't easy. I was putting it all out there and mentally telling myself I could keep running this for 26 miles. But I was under no illusion that it was definitive that I would be successful. The air was just plain wet. The pics all look like it rained the whole time as the ground was wet, but it was just overnight rain and mist that just never evaporated.
Third 5K in 26:55 and 8:40 pace, holding strong. 1:20:58 for the first 15K.
Fourth 5K in 26:49 and 8:38 pace and 1:47:47 for the first 20K.
This is about where it definitely was fatiguing me, but not horribly worrying me. I knew it wouldn't be easy and I'd likely be hurting big time at the end. But nonetheless, I kept my balls out and continued swinging for the fences.
Greg saw me at the halfway point and he could tell I wasn't my usual "happy face" Steph and it gave him pause. He knew it was hurting me now.
My first half was in 1:53:31, which just happens to be the third fastest half marathon I have ever run, stand alone or in a marathon. Third fastest, holy crap. And I still had 13.1 miles to run, and hopefully at a faster pace. I had hit the halfway point running 8:40 average pace, just a little under my target. It was BQ pace by a lot, so even if I maintained my pace I would have a BQ time by a few minutes. I couldn't complain about that.
This is the point where I started negotiating with myself. I was starting to have a hard time speeding up like I had planned, so I kept maintaining my pace as best as I could.
My fifth 5K was in 27:08, and 8:45 pace so I had slowed down. Not by a lot, but if I wanted a comfortable BQ cushion, I couldn't slow down anymore. My 25K time was 2:14:55. Crazy to think that the winning male would've already crossed the finish and the women weren't far behind. And here I was with nearly 11 miles to go.
The balls that I started with in Folsom were definitely starting to shrivel. Things were getting a bit hard, and this was kind of early for them to be getting hard. My left Achilles was most definitely bugging me, but not getting worse as the race progressed. I'm sure it affected my pace slightly. I'm not sure exactly when, but I know we got a few minutes of rain. It felt so good, but it didn't last nearly long enough. I wasn't feeling hot, but I wasn't cold either and I was desperately wishing for some cold. The air wasn't bugging me too much, but it's entirely possible my lungs were starting to rebel. My heartrate was definitely higher than I expected it to be, but rather than intentionally slow down like I did in Boston (so I could actually enjoy the experience and not suffer and hate it), I just kept running hard. Greg always tells me to just shut up and run and that's what I continued to do.
When Mile 17 came in at 9:15 after I took a longer time to make my way through the water stop, I knew that this was the point where either I try to run through this pain, or I cut myself some slack and protect my sub-4. HOW BAD DID I WANT THIS??
Sixth 5K was in 28:59 and 9:20 pace....I was now over 2 minutes off the 5k split I wanted to be at. I was running dangerously close to having the 3:50 pacer pass me and losing my BQ. My 30K time was 2:43:54.
It was at this point that I decided that I, in fact, did NOT want the BQ bad enough to suffer more than I was for 7+ more miles. I would still need to run some semblance of an 8:45 pace to squeak under 3:50, but my brain was having trouble doing math. At this point, hanging onto 9:15 miles hurt. BUT I was still running well enough to break 4 hours by a few minutes, so that's where my focus shifted. NO WAY was I going to see a 4 in my finish time.
Now, if I had really been thinking clearly, I would've thought about breaking 9 minute average pace, but hindsight is 20/20.
I saw Greg at 20 miles, along with some dinosaurs, and that provided a boost to me and my morale. I did give him a little pout and a thumbs down, but unfortunately that only served to really worry him about how I was doing. I held up four fingers as I passed in the hopes that he knew I was going for the sub-4, but he didn't really understood that's what I meant.
 |
| Thumbs down to losing my BQ |
So poor Greg spent the next 6.2 miles of my journey worried that I was incredibly upset.
HECK NO I WASN'T UPSET! I was running a freaking marathon into downtown Sacramento and it was going to be my 3rd fastest by a long shot. I was going to be under 4 hours and it wasn't going to be an epic implosion, nor was I going to run any miles over 10 minute pace. I wasn't even going to give into walking, except to grab fuel as quickly as I could at the water stops.
Seventh 5K was in 29:36 and 9:36 pace. 35K was in 3:13:30.
But seriously, I haven't felt this much pain at the end of a marathon in a long time. Where was my rain? The sun tried to peak out of the clouds a couple times but mercifully went away just as quick as it came out. I still wasn't feeling particularly hot THANK GOD. Since my pace was slower, my heartrate dropped about 10 beats so I was breathing easier. But my legs were struggling. I kept giving myself all sorts of pep talks to keep moving, I kept looking at my time and how much longer I needed to run and reminding myself I was well on my way to breaking 4 hours by a long shot.
 |
| Coming across the American River at mile 22 |
As you get into Sacramento, you start running by all the numbered streets. I remember seeing numbers in the 50s and knew that we didn't make the turn towards the Capitol and the finish line until 8th Street. Good Lord, that's a lot of streets to count down, and they were going by SO SLOWLY. It seemed like it took forever for the numbers to get into the 30s, then the 20s, and then at that point, I was running on sheer will. My body HATED ME.
Eighth 5K was in 29:59. YIKES. I was still slowing, but it wasn't horrible. It was ugly, but not horrible. I was at 3:43:29, so basically with almost 1.4 miles to run I was almost at my original goal time of 3:45. OOPS.
Did I mention that the streets were going by so slowly? I started counting down the tenths of a mile at this point.
Making those last two turns, first onto 8th street and then towards the Capitol was the best feeling! Only I couldn't speed up in that last stretch and in the finish video that Greg took I look incredibly pathetic with all these people passing me. But that's what I was willing to give to finish this damn thing out.
I crossed the finish line in 3:56:50, with a 9:02 average pace. Oh, if only I had thought to speed up just enough to see 8:59 average pace. So, that's really the only regret I have.
 |
| Gosh, what a big finish line smile. Ha. |
I mustered up a BLAZING 9:48 pace for the last 2.2 km. Just BLAZING, I tell you. My slowest split of the day was the final split.
I had myself a quick little cry on Greg's shoulder when I found him at the side of the finish chute, and got that out of my system. I wasn't disappointed, but I was just plain exhausted at the mental and physical effort it took to salvage some semblance of a good race after my A goal went out the window.
 |
| Recovery Coke, with rum hidden in it, of course |
My 16th marathon was complete. It was my 3rd fastest and my 3rd sub-4. I am nearly 46 years old and can still crank out a good marathon time and be proud of myself. With the exception of the last mile, I did manage to continually improve my placing in the field.
My last four marathons have been my four fastest....my fastest half splits have come in these four races. I am learning how to truly race a marathon distance and pushing myself to see what I can do, without fear of failure. I had a 9:48 positive split in this race....BUT....
I'm really proud of myself.
 |
| This is a FAST field, and to see my placing be respectable was a big positive |
 |
| I loved experiencing this weekend with this girl! |
When I got back to Round Rock and was unpacking, I noticed that there was an energy gel still in my handheld. I shouldn't have had an extra gel, as I took four with me on the course and planned to take them every 5 miles. Apparently, I never took one after 15 miles. I was still hydrating with Nuun Endurance and getting calories that way, so it's hard to know if a lack of my final gel had any effect on how I felt. We will never know and I'm not going to dwell on what could've been. But I could still kick myself for forgetting to fuel at 20 miles. It's a rookie mistake to make.
Because my Achilles is still tender and needs a little rest, rather than running the Atlanta Marathon on March 1, I am downgrading to the half marathon. I need a bit of lower mileage right now and to give my brain a rest. Greg is going to run that half marathon with me and we are going to have a great time watching the Olympic Trials the day before, so I'm very much looking forward to the trip.
Greg had another surprise in store for me as well. Back in October I applied for guaranteed entry into the Chicago Marathon and was accepted, but Greg maintained that he was still retired from marathons. I joked that I might enter him into the lottery anyway, but I did not.
He posted this on Facebook on Thursday when they notified the lottery applicants of their status, sneaky man:
The man always keeps me on my toes.
Chicago training starts in June!
Monday, December 2, 2019
It's Race Week!
After 18 weeks, I'm finally in the home stretch of my marathon training cycle. In six days, I'll toe the line in Folsom, California, and run my 16th marathon.
It never gets any less nerve wracking.
I go back and forth between thinking I'm prepared to run a PR race, and then I get massive nerves thinking that maybe I'm not quite there. It hasn't been a perfect training cycle (are they ever?), but I know that I put in great effort and I'm in very good shape right now. I had a biometric screening done for my health insurance this morning, and I'm at my ideal racing weight and my blood pressure was great, and I'm really pleased with that! I haven't weighed myself once during this cycle, so to see my efforts quantified with the number I was hoping for is a confidence boost.
Since my peak week of training, I've focused on less volume and intensity to repair my body and prepare it for the stress of 26.2 miles. Last Thursday was our Turkey Trot 5 miler, and my plan wasn't to race it but to get into a groove and just cruise at a difficult pace and finish feeling good. The start of the race was very congested and there were many people in front of me running over 10 minute per mile pace, while I had planned to run about 8:15-8:30. So that first mile was all over the place for me, dodging past people when I could and hoping for an opening in the crowd to settle in. It took about a half mile before the crowd opened up and I could finally relax a bit. First mile was an 8:16, which was quicker than I expected. Mile 2 was definitely faster than I had wanted to run, at 7:48, so I backed off for the next couple miles, running 8:05 and 8:06. I still felt pretty good, like I could continue to run that pace without overdoing it for the rest of race. Last mile came in at 7:50 so I averaged about 8:00 overall. I was very pleased that my average heartrate was 153 and I never hit zone 5. Two years ago I ran a faster race, but I was still over two weeks out from my marathon, so I felt like I could run all out then, while this time I knew that just wouldn't be necessary or really smart for me. Feeling good at 8:00 pace ten days before CIM seems pretty great to me! I didn't feel any weird pains or muscle tightness, so I know my taper is going well.
But then there's always that one run in the taper that screws with your head. That was my easy run this past Saturday morning. It was 73 degrees and extremely humid out. Not quite as bad as our summer, but way warmer than what we've typically been running in for the last couple months. To be honest, I felt like total crap on that run. My heartrate was too high (I didn't even look during the run, but analyzed after) and my breathing sucked. Fortunately, however, yesterday's easy 10 miler was a million times better. It was 30 degrees cooler and only about 40% humidity (exactly what I want for race day). I got stronger as the run progressed, and it was my last longish run of the cycle.
I do, however, feel like I might have a touch of tendinitis in my left heel. It's staying at bay, and I'm hoping the rest after the race will help it to settle down. I didn't feel it during the Turkey Trot, but I did feel it during my weekend runs. Funny enough, it's always my right side that bugs me, so to have a pain on my left side is different. My right side isn't giving me any trouble right now!
For this week, I'll only be running easy pace, with maybe a few strides thrown into tomorrow's run. Now is the time for me to continue to baby my body - sleeping well, eating well, hydrating, foam rolling, icing, and relaxing. I got a deep tissue massage last Tuesday and it was absolutely wonderful. I've scheduled my next massage for 3 days after the race, and I have a feeling I might start getting addicted to these massages. Sorry, Greg!
I travel to Sacramento on Friday morning, and Greg will follow that night. I am staying right near the finish line and I know being in that area will get me excited for the race. Seeing the finish line set up is always a boost, plus there's the Capitol 5k on Saturday morning (I'm not running, but will probably go cheer). I've got dinner reservations for Saturday night, and my girlfriend from the Austin area who is running is joining us. I'll be laying low most of Saturday trying to shake my nerves and getting my game face on. I have a really big goal for this race and I definitely need to dial in my focus.
Sunday morning will start super early. The bus to the start line leaves at 5am! That's going to be a little rough, but it was similar in Mississippi two years ago, so I know what to expect. I'm glad that they allow us to hang out on the bus until we have to get to the corrals, because it will be pretty chilly and the rain forecast keeps going back and forth every time I check the weather. I think I might actually prefer a little rain as I tend to naturally speed up. I don't think we are going to have any issue with the temperature during the race as it should stay in the 40s to low 50s the entire time. That's a huge weight off my shoulders. When the Boston forecast shifted from cold rain to warm, sunny, and humid, it totally sucked. One of the reasons that I picked CIM is that the weather is almost always ideal for the race. It appears that this year will be no different.
In other words, I don't have any reason to hold back. Balls to the wall with a BQ as the goal!
If anyone is interested in tracking, they do have runner tracking with the details on the race home page. There's even an app, and I think the app shows 5K splits. I'm working on my pacing plan right now, and if I keep my 5K splits between 26 and 27 minutes I'll hit my goal. That's a lot of 27 minute 5Ks to string together!
About a month ago, I stopped getting sucked into social media. The negativity was just not good for my mental health and I needed to focus on taking better care of myself while heading into the most intense week of training. It's still been quite a stressful month, unfortunately. My daughter has regressed with her struggles and we've put a lot of time, effort, and money into figuring out how to turn the ship back around. Being on edge wondering when things are going to go downhill again is extremely exhausting. On top of that, she sprained her ankle and damaged her ligaments right before Thanksgiving break, which means a boot for six weeks. And then ON TOP OF THAT, she found out the next day that her favorite teacher was having sex with a 17 year old student in her classroom and has been fired and arrested. My poor kid doesn't need anymore bullshit to deal with, and we don't need anymore hysterical episodes to navigate. AND THEN, I found out the version of a medication I'm taking is no longer being covered by my insurance, and now I need to fight for that.
Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't completely lost my shit, because there are times I wonder how much longer I can deal with this. So while I have checked into some Facebook pages (the race, my kids' schools, etc), I'm not participating in any dialogue and avoiding checking Messenger. Texting is my go-to communication right now, and it's working for me.
Six more days!!
It never gets any less nerve wracking.
I go back and forth between thinking I'm prepared to run a PR race, and then I get massive nerves thinking that maybe I'm not quite there. It hasn't been a perfect training cycle (are they ever?), but I know that I put in great effort and I'm in very good shape right now. I had a biometric screening done for my health insurance this morning, and I'm at my ideal racing weight and my blood pressure was great, and I'm really pleased with that! I haven't weighed myself once during this cycle, so to see my efforts quantified with the number I was hoping for is a confidence boost.
Since my peak week of training, I've focused on less volume and intensity to repair my body and prepare it for the stress of 26.2 miles. Last Thursday was our Turkey Trot 5 miler, and my plan wasn't to race it but to get into a groove and just cruise at a difficult pace and finish feeling good. The start of the race was very congested and there were many people in front of me running over 10 minute per mile pace, while I had planned to run about 8:15-8:30. So that first mile was all over the place for me, dodging past people when I could and hoping for an opening in the crowd to settle in. It took about a half mile before the crowd opened up and I could finally relax a bit. First mile was an 8:16, which was quicker than I expected. Mile 2 was definitely faster than I had wanted to run, at 7:48, so I backed off for the next couple miles, running 8:05 and 8:06. I still felt pretty good, like I could continue to run that pace without overdoing it for the rest of race. Last mile came in at 7:50 so I averaged about 8:00 overall. I was very pleased that my average heartrate was 153 and I never hit zone 5. Two years ago I ran a faster race, but I was still over two weeks out from my marathon, so I felt like I could run all out then, while this time I knew that just wouldn't be necessary or really smart for me. Feeling good at 8:00 pace ten days before CIM seems pretty great to me! I didn't feel any weird pains or muscle tightness, so I know my taper is going well.
But then there's always that one run in the taper that screws with your head. That was my easy run this past Saturday morning. It was 73 degrees and extremely humid out. Not quite as bad as our summer, but way warmer than what we've typically been running in for the last couple months. To be honest, I felt like total crap on that run. My heartrate was too high (I didn't even look during the run, but analyzed after) and my breathing sucked. Fortunately, however, yesterday's easy 10 miler was a million times better. It was 30 degrees cooler and only about 40% humidity (exactly what I want for race day). I got stronger as the run progressed, and it was my last longish run of the cycle.
I do, however, feel like I might have a touch of tendinitis in my left heel. It's staying at bay, and I'm hoping the rest after the race will help it to settle down. I didn't feel it during the Turkey Trot, but I did feel it during my weekend runs. Funny enough, it's always my right side that bugs me, so to have a pain on my left side is different. My right side isn't giving me any trouble right now!
For this week, I'll only be running easy pace, with maybe a few strides thrown into tomorrow's run. Now is the time for me to continue to baby my body - sleeping well, eating well, hydrating, foam rolling, icing, and relaxing. I got a deep tissue massage last Tuesday and it was absolutely wonderful. I've scheduled my next massage for 3 days after the race, and I have a feeling I might start getting addicted to these massages. Sorry, Greg!
I travel to Sacramento on Friday morning, and Greg will follow that night. I am staying right near the finish line and I know being in that area will get me excited for the race. Seeing the finish line set up is always a boost, plus there's the Capitol 5k on Saturday morning (I'm not running, but will probably go cheer). I've got dinner reservations for Saturday night, and my girlfriend from the Austin area who is running is joining us. I'll be laying low most of Saturday trying to shake my nerves and getting my game face on. I have a really big goal for this race and I definitely need to dial in my focus.
Sunday morning will start super early. The bus to the start line leaves at 5am! That's going to be a little rough, but it was similar in Mississippi two years ago, so I know what to expect. I'm glad that they allow us to hang out on the bus until we have to get to the corrals, because it will be pretty chilly and the rain forecast keeps going back and forth every time I check the weather. I think I might actually prefer a little rain as I tend to naturally speed up. I don't think we are going to have any issue with the temperature during the race as it should stay in the 40s to low 50s the entire time. That's a huge weight off my shoulders. When the Boston forecast shifted from cold rain to warm, sunny, and humid, it totally sucked. One of the reasons that I picked CIM is that the weather is almost always ideal for the race. It appears that this year will be no different.
In other words, I don't have any reason to hold back. Balls to the wall with a BQ as the goal!
If anyone is interested in tracking, they do have runner tracking with the details on the race home page. There's even an app, and I think the app shows 5K splits. I'm working on my pacing plan right now, and if I keep my 5K splits between 26 and 27 minutes I'll hit my goal. That's a lot of 27 minute 5Ks to string together!
About a month ago, I stopped getting sucked into social media. The negativity was just not good for my mental health and I needed to focus on taking better care of myself while heading into the most intense week of training. It's still been quite a stressful month, unfortunately. My daughter has regressed with her struggles and we've put a lot of time, effort, and money into figuring out how to turn the ship back around. Being on edge wondering when things are going to go downhill again is extremely exhausting. On top of that, she sprained her ankle and damaged her ligaments right before Thanksgiving break, which means a boot for six weeks. And then ON TOP OF THAT, she found out the next day that her favorite teacher was having sex with a 17 year old student in her classroom and has been fired and arrested. My poor kid doesn't need anymore bullshit to deal with, and we don't need anymore hysterical episodes to navigate. AND THEN, I found out the version of a medication I'm taking is no longer being covered by my insurance, and now I need to fight for that.
Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't completely lost my shit, because there are times I wonder how much longer I can deal with this. So while I have checked into some Facebook pages (the race, my kids' schools, etc), I'm not participating in any dialogue and avoiding checking Messenger. Texting is my go-to communication right now, and it's working for me.
Six more days!!
Monday, November 11, 2019
Almost Done
I could probably sleep for days. I probably should.
I'm really tired. My legs are really fatigued. And I'm REALLY ready for this week to be over...and it's only Monday.
I'm at the point in training, during a cycle that is testing my physical endurance and my sanity, where I just can't get enough to eat, I can't get enough sleep, and my legs just want to rest.
Miraculously, I'm still hitting my pace targets. I'm battling through the fatigue and still executing.
But oh my gosh, it's not very easy.
As I was running my last long run "workout" (a long run with a marathon pace portion incorporated into it) yesterday, as I was struggling during that first marathon mile to hit my target, I kept reminding myself that this accumulated fatigue will make me stronger for race day, that after my taper, my legs will be fresh and totally willing to run my goal pace. But right then? They were telling me to shut the hell up and go back to bed.
My workout was 16 miles total, with a 4 mile warm up, 8 miles straight of marathon pace, and a 4 mile cooldown. This was at the conclusion of a 59 mile week, with my three previous days totaling 31.8 miles.
TIRED.
But I knew that despite my body's protest, that I could nail the workout and that the more marathon pace miles I strung together, the better I would start feeling. I would get into a zone and before I knew it, I'd be ready for my four cooldown miles.
And that's what happened! Overall, it was a great workout. My four warm up miles averaged 10:25, so they were nice and easy in the cold weather. My eight mile workout averaged 8:35 on the dot (goal pace!!), and my cooldown miles, while feeling very sluggish and slow, actually averaged a decent 10:02. My heartrate data was good, I didn't overdo it, and I'd call the workout a success.
I think the best part was that all the dumb aches and pains that have cropped up here and there over the weeks, were nowhere in sight during the run. Fatigue and muscle soreness, yes. But my IT band behaved, my hamstring didn't feel tight, and the strange ache in my left (left? It's never on my left!) achilles wasn't there. Even after my run, my only problem was being tired, but not particularly sore.
Regardless, I did NOT want to wake up this morning and get out for a recovery run. I actually knocked a mile off what I was supposed to run. I'll still hit a 62 mile week for my peak week, so I don't think that pesky mile really matters in the long run. We gotta do what we gotta do. Considering I wanted to throw in the towel yesterday when my first race pace mile came in at 8:52, I'd say knocking a mile off a recovery run today wasn't too big of a deal.
These next 27 days I am going to do my best to take care of my body. I've removed some distractions from my life temporarily (social media and rum and coke), I'm going to do my best to get some more sleep, I'm eating more, I'm stretching and foam rolling and icing everyday, I'm snuggling with puppies, and I'm reading some awesome books. My travel plans are set, I'm already checking out the weather patterns (so lame), and I'm making sure I have everything I need.
Peak week looks like this:
Monday: 5 recovery miles
Tuesday: 7 mile tempo run
Wednesday: 10 easy miles
Thursday: 10 mile interval run (I'm debating on if it'll be 10x800m or 6x1 mile)
Friday: REST HALLELUJAH
Saturday: 10 easy miles
Sunday: 20 mile long run
After that, it's taper time, with a reduction in volume, then a reduction in intensity, and all the nerves that are expected as you approach race day.
So somebody tell my kids to be nice to me, ok?
I'm really tired. My legs are really fatigued. And I'm REALLY ready for this week to be over...and it's only Monday.
I'm at the point in training, during a cycle that is testing my physical endurance and my sanity, where I just can't get enough to eat, I can't get enough sleep, and my legs just want to rest.
Miraculously, I'm still hitting my pace targets. I'm battling through the fatigue and still executing.
But oh my gosh, it's not very easy.
As I was running my last long run "workout" (a long run with a marathon pace portion incorporated into it) yesterday, as I was struggling during that first marathon mile to hit my target, I kept reminding myself that this accumulated fatigue will make me stronger for race day, that after my taper, my legs will be fresh and totally willing to run my goal pace. But right then? They were telling me to shut the hell up and go back to bed.
My workout was 16 miles total, with a 4 mile warm up, 8 miles straight of marathon pace, and a 4 mile cooldown. This was at the conclusion of a 59 mile week, with my three previous days totaling 31.8 miles.
TIRED.
But I knew that despite my body's protest, that I could nail the workout and that the more marathon pace miles I strung together, the better I would start feeling. I would get into a zone and before I knew it, I'd be ready for my four cooldown miles.
And that's what happened! Overall, it was a great workout. My four warm up miles averaged 10:25, so they were nice and easy in the cold weather. My eight mile workout averaged 8:35 on the dot (goal pace!!), and my cooldown miles, while feeling very sluggish and slow, actually averaged a decent 10:02. My heartrate data was good, I didn't overdo it, and I'd call the workout a success.
I think the best part was that all the dumb aches and pains that have cropped up here and there over the weeks, were nowhere in sight during the run. Fatigue and muscle soreness, yes. But my IT band behaved, my hamstring didn't feel tight, and the strange ache in my left (left? It's never on my left!) achilles wasn't there. Even after my run, my only problem was being tired, but not particularly sore.
Regardless, I did NOT want to wake up this morning and get out for a recovery run. I actually knocked a mile off what I was supposed to run. I'll still hit a 62 mile week for my peak week, so I don't think that pesky mile really matters in the long run. We gotta do what we gotta do. Considering I wanted to throw in the towel yesterday when my first race pace mile came in at 8:52, I'd say knocking a mile off a recovery run today wasn't too big of a deal.
These next 27 days I am going to do my best to take care of my body. I've removed some distractions from my life temporarily (social media and rum and coke), I'm going to do my best to get some more sleep, I'm eating more, I'm stretching and foam rolling and icing everyday, I'm snuggling with puppies, and I'm reading some awesome books. My travel plans are set, I'm already checking out the weather patterns (so lame), and I'm making sure I have everything I need.
Peak week looks like this:
Monday: 5 recovery miles
Tuesday: 7 mile tempo run
Wednesday: 10 easy miles
Thursday: 10 mile interval run (I'm debating on if it'll be 10x800m or 6x1 mile)
Friday: REST HALLELUJAH
Saturday: 10 easy miles
Sunday: 20 mile long run
After that, it's taper time, with a reduction in volume, then a reduction in intensity, and all the nerves that are expected as you approach race day.
So somebody tell my kids to be nice to me, ok?
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Never underestimate 26.2 miles
I love following elite athletes on social media. They fascinate me. I am in awe of their natural talent and work ethic and simply blown away by their speed. They inspire me.
One of these athletes, Peter Bromka, recently wrote a piece titled "The marathon doesn't owe you anything." I encourage you to check it out here. Peter is quite simply, a phenomenal writer.
Ain't that the truth. The marathon doesn't owe you anything.
He completely hit the nail on the head in every aspect in describing the beast that is the marathon and why it's SO DAMN DIFFICULT to master, and even when you do think you've mastered it, it'll knock you down again JUST LIKE THAT, why the journey is just so much more than what we can describe adequately with words. At least, that's what I got out of this fantastic piece.
His words inspired me to further dissect some of the points he made. I'm now 31 days out from my 16th marathon, and honestly, despite my experience, it's sort of freaking me out.
When I read this paragraph, my first thought was "You can't just dial in a marathon and execute it well just because it's what you want right now. The marathon doesn't work like that. It requires so much more of you, for weeks on end, than you even thought you could give.
I did myself a huge disservice for years by simply showing up for a marathon and running it. I didn't put serious effort into racing until two years ago. I don't know what I was so afraid of. By testing myself to my limits, I finally found out what I can really do. I can handle a whole lot of pain for 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 53 seconds. There is quite simply, at least to me, no comparison between running and racing. I WANT TO RACE.
There are things in my life that have stripped me down to my bones, that have laid bare all of my weaknesses and insecurities, and have sent me to the abyss. I have HURT multiple times in my life, but I've survived each and every time. Committing myself to showing up at the start line of a marathon totally prepared to race has given me strength beyond what I thought possible, and it has given me control when all other things are out of control. The race is merely the culmination of months of a transformation journey.
This journey will never be smooth. There are always bumps and setbacks. Some are bigger than others, but no training cycle is perfect.
My finish time in Boston sucked. It really did, when you compare it to my qualifier. Just because I earned a spot there doesn't mean that I was going to magically produce an epic performance, even after a really great training cycle. I don't like humidity+sun+heat and after a really cold winter, that's what Boston gave me. I could've pushed through and suffered and hated life and myself and knocked 15 minutes off my time, sure, but I chose not to. I chose to extend my experience, to feel better, to have a slow middle with a strong finish, and smile a whole lot instead. Boston didn't owe me SHIT. And it exposed all my weaknesses for everyone to see. And I'm totally fine with that, because race day isn't always magical.
We all have different reasons for wanting to run a marathon. Chances are there's something in your life that is sub-par, and you're looking for an outlet, or maybe you want better health, and this forces you to take care of yourself (at least, if you want to have a good race day, it does), or maybe you want to prove something to people around you who don't think you're capable. I suppose my desire stems from a multitude of reasons.
I was never athletic. I was never really fit. I was almost kind of invisible, and I've always hated those feelings. I have issues with depression and anxiety and desire an endorphin rush, without having to go to therapy (although I should). I need to remove myself from the constant uncertainty of parenthood and the unique challenges of my own parenting situation, and replace it with something about which I am certain. I am an introvert and can be painfully isolated, and this forces me to participate in something with a community, to be a part of something huge and exhilarating with thousands of other people (funny enough, I'm running the second largest marathon in the United States next year).
Thank you, Mr. Bromka, for writing such a thought-provoking, and accurate, piece on all the intricacies of the marathon, and all of the things we think we know, but we really don't, and exposing all the raw emotions that this distance can invoke.
One of these athletes, Peter Bromka, recently wrote a piece titled "The marathon doesn't owe you anything." I encourage you to check it out here. Peter is quite simply, a phenomenal writer.
Ain't that the truth. The marathon doesn't owe you anything.
He completely hit the nail on the head in every aspect in describing the beast that is the marathon and why it's SO DAMN DIFFICULT to master, and even when you do think you've mastered it, it'll knock you down again JUST LIKE THAT, why the journey is just so much more than what we can describe adequately with words. At least, that's what I got out of this fantastic piece.
His words inspired me to further dissect some of the points he made. I'm now 31 days out from my 16th marathon, and honestly, despite my experience, it's sort of freaking me out.
Our age of convenience: On Demand everything, an app for it all. More, more at every touch and scroll. Marathoning is notable for its capacity to strip away this surplus, reveal our ability to prepare and celebrate our capacity to execute.
When I read this paragraph, my first thought was "You can't just dial in a marathon and execute it well just because it's what you want right now. The marathon doesn't work like that. It requires so much more of you, for weeks on end, than you even thought you could give.
26.2 - far enough to test, short enough to tempt. But simply running is not racing. Racing is testing - it's submitting yourself to a task, unsure of the outcome, for the thrill of discovering the answer to the question, 'Can I handle this much for that long?'
I did myself a huge disservice for years by simply showing up for a marathon and running it. I didn't put serious effort into racing until two years ago. I don't know what I was so afraid of. By testing myself to my limits, I finally found out what I can really do. I can handle a whole lot of pain for 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 53 seconds. There is quite simply, at least to me, no comparison between running and racing. I WANT TO RACE.
The point is the work, the commitment to transform.
There are things in my life that have stripped me down to my bones, that have laid bare all of my weaknesses and insecurities, and have sent me to the abyss. I have HURT multiple times in my life, but I've survived each and every time. Committing myself to showing up at the start line of a marathon totally prepared to race has given me strength beyond what I thought possible, and it has given me control when all other things are out of control. The race is merely the culmination of months of a transformation journey.
This journey will never be smooth. There are always bumps and setbacks. Some are bigger than others, but no training cycle is perfect.
Embrace this descent into dizziness. Gain comfort in the uneasy territory beyond your control. These are the moments you'll need for later, when you try to race beyond what seems possible.During the last few miles of the Louisiana Marathon, when I as running at the brink of securing my Boston Qualifying time with an extra 5 minutes, I had to continually remind myself to trust my training, to remember that I can do hard things, to lose myself in every footfall until I could make that final turn and head to the finish. Without the really REALLY hard workouts and long runs, I never would have gained the strength I needed to push through the wall that was getting dangerously close to me. With this current training cycle, some runs have just been AWFUL, and some runs have been pure magic, but I honestly never know what I'm going to get, but I show up day in and day out regardless, knowing that every single mile goes into the bank and further prepares me to push away all my limitations.
Race day doesn't owe you anything.
My finish time in Boston sucked. It really did, when you compare it to my qualifier. Just because I earned a spot there doesn't mean that I was going to magically produce an epic performance, even after a really great training cycle. I don't like humidity+sun+heat and after a really cold winter, that's what Boston gave me. I could've pushed through and suffered and hated life and myself and knocked 15 minutes off my time, sure, but I chose not to. I chose to extend my experience, to feel better, to have a slow middle with a strong finish, and smile a whole lot instead. Boston didn't owe me SHIT. And it exposed all my weaknesses for everyone to see. And I'm totally fine with that, because race day isn't always magical.
Turns out it wasn't the distance, or the time. The two were simply tools you used to find something in yourself.
We all have different reasons for wanting to run a marathon. Chances are there's something in your life that is sub-par, and you're looking for an outlet, or maybe you want better health, and this forces you to take care of yourself (at least, if you want to have a good race day, it does), or maybe you want to prove something to people around you who don't think you're capable. I suppose my desire stems from a multitude of reasons.
I was never athletic. I was never really fit. I was almost kind of invisible, and I've always hated those feelings. I have issues with depression and anxiety and desire an endorphin rush, without having to go to therapy (although I should). I need to remove myself from the constant uncertainty of parenthood and the unique challenges of my own parenting situation, and replace it with something about which I am certain. I am an introvert and can be painfully isolated, and this forces me to participate in something with a community, to be a part of something huge and exhilarating with thousands of other people (funny enough, I'm running the second largest marathon in the United States next year).
Thank you, Mr. Bromka, for writing such a thought-provoking, and accurate, piece on all the intricacies of the marathon, and all of the things we think we know, but we really don't, and exposing all the raw emotions that this distance can invoke.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
History of Boston Qualifying Times
Yesterday, the Boston Athletic Association announced the cut off for qualifiers to be accepted into the 2020 Boston Marathon. You needed to be 1:39 or more under your gender and age-based qualifying time to be accepted. At first glance it sounds like it's so much better than last year's 4:52 cutoff...except that they tightened the standards by 5 minutes for 2020. So in reality, it's equivalent to 6:39 under 2019 standards.
That's really fast.
I didn't have a qualifier for 2020, so it didn't make a difference to me what the cut off was for 2020. I'm putting my hope into getting into the 2021 race, or whenever I may have the opportunity to apply again.
It got me thinking about how difficult it has become to get into the race in the last decade.
Let's take a look:
In 2011, the B.A.A. announced tightened standards beginning with the 2013 race, and a rolling registration process beginning in 2012 (no longer first come, first served until sell out). Back in 2011 and 2012, you could still run a 4:00 marathon as a 45-49 year old woman (my current age group), plus be 59 seconds over that mark and qualify and be able to register. Starting in 2013, that time tightened to 3:55:00, then tightened again in 2020 to 3:50:00. The cut off time has been all over the map.
So how hard has it gotten for qualifiers to get accepted into the race? I'll use the times of a 45-49 year old woman as an example. The following are the times that these woman had to run in order to get accepted:
2011 4:00:59 9:11 pace
2012 3:58:46 9:06 pace
2013 3:55:00 8:58 pace
2014 3:53:22 8:54 pace
2015 3:53:58 8:55 pace
2016 3:52:32 8:52 pace
2017 3:52:51 8:53 pace
2018 3:51:37 8:50 pace
2019 3:50:08 8:47 pace
2020 3:48:21 8:42 pace
In just one decade, qualifiers have had to get 29 seconds per mile faster in order to run the Boston Marathon. A qualifier is JUST a qualifier. It merely means you've met a pretty tough standard and that you get the opportunity to register for the race. But it's anyone's guess if it's good enough to actually get acceptance. That isn't known until that greatly anticipated announcement is made.
A whole lot of people got their dreams crushed yesterday. I actually thought that with them tightening the standards at the last moment, AFTER the 2020 qualification window had opened, not giving anyone any warning that they would now need to run 5 minutes faster to qualify, that there quite possibly would not even be a cut off this year. And if there was, that it would be less than a minute. I was way off!
When Greg and I qualified by 4:43 and 5:07, respectively, for 2019, neither of us thought we had anything to worry about, that those buffers would be more than enough. Greg ended up missing it by 9 seconds, and I barely made it in by a mere 15 seconds (so thankful that Greg ended up running on the Dell team). It's just so hard to know where to aim! It also makes me wonder if Boston is going to have to make a decision in the coming years to go back to the incredibly difficult 1980's-like standards to seriously cull the field of qualifiers so that every qualifier actually gets into the race. I'd hate for this to happen, but I also hate for qualifiers to be shut out after that hard work.
At the end of the day, I continue to be just so grateful that I can call myself a Boston Marathon finisher. It might be a one-time occurrence if this fast trend continues, so I'll continue to appreciate my experience while still continuing to strive for improvement in my running. It certainly gives me something to aim towards, a standard that I hope I'm able to continue to hit in the coming years, but satisfaction in knowing that on one glorious day in Baton Rouge in January of 2018, I was able to achieve a dream.
That's really fast.
I didn't have a qualifier for 2020, so it didn't make a difference to me what the cut off was for 2020. I'm putting my hope into getting into the 2021 race, or whenever I may have the opportunity to apply again.
It got me thinking about how difficult it has become to get into the race in the last decade.
Let's take a look:
In 2011, the B.A.A. announced tightened standards beginning with the 2013 race, and a rolling registration process beginning in 2012 (no longer first come, first served until sell out). Back in 2011 and 2012, you could still run a 4:00 marathon as a 45-49 year old woman (my current age group), plus be 59 seconds over that mark and qualify and be able to register. Starting in 2013, that time tightened to 3:55:00, then tightened again in 2020 to 3:50:00. The cut off time has been all over the map.
So how hard has it gotten for qualifiers to get accepted into the race? I'll use the times of a 45-49 year old woman as an example. The following are the times that these woman had to run in order to get accepted:
2011 4:00:59 9:11 pace
2012 3:58:46 9:06 pace
2013 3:55:00 8:58 pace
2014 3:53:22 8:54 pace
2015 3:53:58 8:55 pace
2016 3:52:32 8:52 pace
2017 3:52:51 8:53 pace
2018 3:51:37 8:50 pace
2019 3:50:08 8:47 pace
2020 3:48:21 8:42 pace
In just one decade, qualifiers have had to get 29 seconds per mile faster in order to run the Boston Marathon. A qualifier is JUST a qualifier. It merely means you've met a pretty tough standard and that you get the opportunity to register for the race. But it's anyone's guess if it's good enough to actually get acceptance. That isn't known until that greatly anticipated announcement is made.
A whole lot of people got their dreams crushed yesterday. I actually thought that with them tightening the standards at the last moment, AFTER the 2020 qualification window had opened, not giving anyone any warning that they would now need to run 5 minutes faster to qualify, that there quite possibly would not even be a cut off this year. And if there was, that it would be less than a minute. I was way off!
When Greg and I qualified by 4:43 and 5:07, respectively, for 2019, neither of us thought we had anything to worry about, that those buffers would be more than enough. Greg ended up missing it by 9 seconds, and I barely made it in by a mere 15 seconds (so thankful that Greg ended up running on the Dell team). It's just so hard to know where to aim! It also makes me wonder if Boston is going to have to make a decision in the coming years to go back to the incredibly difficult 1980's-like standards to seriously cull the field of qualifiers so that every qualifier actually gets into the race. I'd hate for this to happen, but I also hate for qualifiers to be shut out after that hard work.
At the end of the day, I continue to be just so grateful that I can call myself a Boston Marathon finisher. It might be a one-time occurrence if this fast trend continues, so I'll continue to appreciate my experience while still continuing to strive for improvement in my running. It certainly gives me something to aim towards, a standard that I hope I'm able to continue to hit in the coming years, but satisfaction in knowing that on one glorious day in Baton Rouge in January of 2018, I was able to achieve a dream.
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Biggest Marathon Mistakes
After 15 marathons, I think I've got a handle on what NOT to do in training and in racing. Oh, I'll still blow it occasionally, in EVERY CYCLE I'm sure, but still, every time I do a training cycle, I learn something new and change something in order to be better. It got me thinking about all the things that athletes do leading up to a marathon that they could improve upon. There are lots of articles out there highlighting the biggest marathon mistakes, and here is my list.
What are the biggest marathon training mistakes (in my opinion):
1. The wrong training paces.
This encompasses so many different things. Running the wrong pace for each workout, incorporating a "race pace" that is still beyond your capability at that point in training, and having the wrong ratio of training paces. I honestly think this is the biggest mistake that people make and the biggest thing that people misunderstand (or flat out refuse to believe). I ran the wrong pace for YEARS and was too stubborn to change my ways. In the beginning of my marathon journey, I thought that if I expected to run a marathon in a certain pace, I needed to always be able to run that pace. Surefire recipe for running yourself into the ground. I've blogged about this many times. On that same note, easy pace should be 80% of your training. Yes, that much of your training (more on this in #6 below). MOST OF YOUR MILES SHOULD BE EASY...truly easy, not what you "think" should be easy.
2. The wrong time goal
This can go either way. There are plenty of athletes who are too overconfident and overshoot their time goal, especially if they've been running too hard during most of their training. On the other hand, many athletes are afraid of their actual potential and get paralyzed by a pace that seems too lofty to them. I've been there both times. I spent years sabotaging my true marathon ability out of fear, and then after qualifying for Boston, set my sights on NYC qualifying way too soon. I've got plenty of time to try to improve that much (it would be an 11+ minute improvement from my PR). Better to focus on Boston's tougher standards and running there again. New York will always be there and it's a future goal that is exciting and difficult that I look forward to chipping away at.
3. No periodization
This training cycle, I'm going to be better about looking at my training in 4-5 week blocks, with a step back week for recovery before the next big block. Build build build, step back, build build build. Each phase has a purpose as well, leading me to my peak on race day. I spent weeks base building, then a period of adding speed. As I get closer to race day, my builds involve higher volume, longer tempos, and race pace simulation. It all comes together on race day...hopefully! I think right before Boston this year, I peaked too early in my training. I don't want to repeat that, so taking a more serious approach to periodization of my training should help with that.
4. The wrong fueling
Proper hydration and fueling is vital to finding your potential in training and in racing. I think the majority of people undershoot on how much hydration and calories they really need. The summer months here in Central Texas are brutal. I have not seen a temperature below 70 in months and only a handful of times has the dew point been below 70. I'm forgetting what it feels like to run in the cold. All of this means that water AND electrolytes are of utmost importance to my body to be able to continue to build mileage in my training. I've started hyper hydrating (two or three Nuun tabs) before long runs, and recovering with more electrolytes after most of my runs. I'm always with a bottle of water when I'm out of the house.
On that same token....CALORIES! We NEED calories when we are running beyond an hour, and we need them at regular intervals. What works for me is to have a Honey Stinger gel every 45 minutes during my runs, and if about 90-120 minutes into my long run I feel like it's not enough, I'll double up. This past weekend during the first 16 miler I'd run since Boston, I forgot to take my last gel. During that final 15 minutes of my run I felt incredibly sluggish and it was more than just the heat and sun. When I finished I realized I didn't fuel enough...oops. Hopefully I won't make that mistake again. It's especially important on race day to stick to the fueling strategy that you've been practicing. It's not the time to test out something different.
Lastly, fueling isn't just about what you do during your runs. It's about what you are doing day in and day out to keep your body energized and ready for the miles. I eat A LOT. I also eat a lot of the right kinds of food and very little of the kinds of foods that will make me crash, like refined sugar and breads. I am finding that natural sugars like honey, plus whole grains vs. white flour, and a whole lot of fruit (especially when I get a sugar craving) are what my body needs and craves. I don't skip meals, I snack throughout the day, and I try to have healthy snack options in my house that I can easily grab. The constant attention to my fueling and hydrating has certainly helped improve my running the last 2+ years.
5. Letting your mind overrule your fitness
When I was training for my first BQ, I spent so much time "training" my mind. I was taking on a big challenge and getting my mind prepared was just as important as getting my body ready. I read lots of articles and books on the subject (my favorite is Matt Fitzgerald's How Bad Do You Want It?). No matter how good our physical training, if we don't force our minds to believe our goals are really possible, then we run the risk of sabotaging those goals on race day. The first 16 miles of the marathon are no big deal. It's when we embark on the "I have less than 10 miles to go" portion of the race that our mental game kicks in. It's imperative to start thinking "I only have 9 miles to go so I'm almost there!" vs. "I can't believe I still have to run this pace for 9 more miles." On a similar note, we must teach ourselves that maintaining the level of physical discomfort we are encountering is entirely possible, regardless of how our minds are telling us otherwise. Your training brought you to this place, and your body is perfectly capable of this feat, as long as your mind is also strong enough to carry you to the finish line.
6. The wrong volume vs. quality mindset
Don't underestimate the power of recovery runs. Or easy runs. Or warm ups. Or rest intervals. Repeat after me - "80% of my miles are EASY"
If you are running 4 days per week, only one of those workouts should be hard. If you're running 5-6 days per week, two of the workouts should be hard, and maybe a bit of your long run when you incorporate race pace miles. The rest are easy miles. Sometimes, you might need to drop a hard workout and replace it with an easy one. You will be doing your body a favor by allowing it extra rest going into the following week of training. Easy miles are QUALITY miles, too, just in a different way. You are improving your cardiovascular fitness with faster paces, but without the proper warm up, cool down, recovery intervals, etc, you could be squandering those gains, or reducing their impact on your overall fitness. Let your body be prepared for the hard work....give it lots of TLC with easy miles. You are not wasting your time, you are not missing out on an opportunity to improve your VO2 max, but rather are keeping your body in tip top shape, allowing it to recover from a hard workout in order to maximize the gains from the next hard workout. Working on endurance and speed separately and then combining them on race day leads to success.
7. Believing the wall is inevitable
You don't have to hit the wall in the marathon. I haven't always hit it. I have negative split several of my marathons, although I admit that's a difficult thing to do and more often than not in the past, I slowed down. As I gain more experience, I am finding that I no longer go into a race anticipating the wall. I figure if it's favorable weather, I've stayed healthy during my training, I start the race conservative for those first couple miles, and ease into my marathon pace, then I will get through it without a lot of difficulty ("difficulty" is pretty subjective; marathons are NOT easy, but they don't have to be exceptionally hard either). Believe in your training, develop and stick to a solid race plan, and believe the wall is fictitious.
8. Letting others guide your training
When I say this, I'm not referring to coaches. LISTEN TO YOUR COACH! I'm talking about your running partners. Running friends are priceless. They keep you company, they make the miles go by faster, they might push you during hard workouts, but they can also derail your training run if you let them. This is particularly true if you are running with someone faster than you. The instinct is to keep up with them instead of running the effort you are supposed to be running. During long runs that are meant to be easy, this problem is especially harmful. I've fallen into this trap countless times and it's my own fault. I know the effort I should be sustaining and yet I can get caught up in what my faster friends are running without even realizing it, and without fail, during those last few miles, my heartrate has climbed and I'm struggling too much. I'm beaten up the next day and it forces me to adjust the next week's training so I don't continue to overdo it. We all do this at some point. Run your own run, run your own pace, fall back if you need to, but don't get caught up in what others are doing if it's not what YOU should be doing.
9. Focusing too much on pace and not effort
In the last few weeks, when our higher temps and humidity are still relentless, I've gotten better about adjusting my pace. I get too caught up in the pace I "think" I should be running, without taking into consideration that 80 humid degrees if just plain awful. A friend of mine pointed out that Hansons has a pace adjuster based on the weather, and I started inputing each morning's data into it to see what my training paces would look like at the same effort if the weather was ideal (their version of ideal is about 55 degrees and moderate/low humidity). Low and behold, what I thought I should be running for half marathon or marathon pace was actually 25 seconds per mile SLOWER. In other words, pace doesn't matter....YOUR EFFORT matters. By slowing down, I quickly found that those quality miles were more easily attainable during the workouts, I wasn't killing myself trying to hit harder paces, and I was feeling much better after the runs. It seems strange to train at slower paces and yet be expected to run faster than that during the race, but provided you have tapered and the weather is more ideal, that's exactly what should happen. My last few tempo runs have felt substantially better now that I'm focusing more on my effort in these difficult weather conditions, versus forcing my body to hit paces that I hit in ideal weather. GO FIGURE, right?
On that same note, for a few runs, don't even look at your watch. Go completely by effort and see what the data shows afterwards.
10. Panicking
This kind of goes along with #5. I read a quote while training two years ago that really stuck with me. "Be mindful of the deceptive paralysis that can take hold when you become intimidated by your increasingly faster paces."
Time and time again, we do a workout that involves "race pace" and time and time again, we freak out over the thought of running that pace for 26.2 miles. If your data is indicating that you can run that for a marathon, THEN YOU CAN. Don't let your fear hold you back on race. Don't let those paces be so daunting that you panic. JUST RUN. And keep running until you see that finish line.
11. Not respecting recovery
Recovery comes in different forms.
There is a reason why recovery runs are on a marathon training schedule. After an especially tough workout or high volume week, our bodies need a little TLC, but they still need to get in mileage. Keeping our bodies moving will speed up the recovery process and prime us for our next hard workout. But this only happens properly if you run RECOVERY pace. While training this time around, my goal marathon pace is 8:35 (not panicking, not panicking, not panicking....). Sometimes my recovery pace is upwards of 11 minutes per mile. My heartrate stays in Zone 1 or very low Zone 2 and my legs feel heavy at first, but loosen up as I continue to slowly jog. It's a SLOW JOG (which is all relative depending on your typical paces).
Recovery might also mean a complete rest day, which I highly recommend if you are more injury prone and/or not a typical high mileage runner. I prefer one day per week of complete rest in the second half of my training cycle. Or it might mean a nice walk or swim or spin on the bike. The key is that it's very easy on your body.
Lastly, we use the term "recovery" intervals during speed workouts. Take them easy! In the summer, many of my recoveries are done at a walk or very light jog. I might speed up a bit in the winter, but if it's a particularly long or tough interval workout, I take extra care to get the right recovery in between intervals.
We grow stronger when we recover. Now, repeat that again. WE GROW STRONGER WHEN WE RECOVER. Respect recovery!
12. Only running
Now obviously the most important sport to partake in during marathon training is RUNNING. It's your main focus and priority when allotting time for training. However, neglecting strength training and/or crosstraining doesn't work for most runners (shush if you're one of those who never gets injured even though you don't strength train). Stronger core means better form means fewer injuries and less fatigue late in the race. Have you seen photos of athletes hunched over as they are coming down the finish chute? Weak core is destroying their form and slowing them down and probably causing unnecessary injuries. On the contrary, a lot of successful runners don't lose form no matter how fatigued because they have spent time working on core strength during the training cycle. In my opinion, after running, core work is the second most important exercise during marathon training. Add in full body functional strength training, and you're well on your way to success.
13. Ignoring injuries
Speaking of injuries....don't ignore them! It's normal to be sore and fatigued during training. But some pains are NOT normal and need to be addressed. Common injuries are plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, and runner's knee. Ignoring the signs of impending injury is a surefire recipe for derailing your training. The good news is that there are many sports chiropractors and physical therapists out there who can help you diagnose the problem, identify the origin, and detail a physical therapy plan to get you back to running at your best. I've contacted Airrosti for a few different annoying injuries I've sustained over the years and each and every time, they've accurately diagnosed the problem, the weakness that caused it, and have prescribed a successful physical therapy routine that has improved the injury dramatically. Each time I've ignored a problem, I have had to stop running for a time and often drop out of a planned race. That is never fun. Don't be that guy. Don't ever ignore weird and abnormal pain.
14. Lack of commitment
I probably piss a lot of my friends off when I continually mention this one. But it's one of the most detrimental mistakes I see marathoners make. They don't commit to the training. I am the first to admit that as a stay-at-home mom and wife, I have the luxury of time. I don't have to always worry about trying to "fit it all in" because I have more flexibility. I get that thrown back in my face too many times. Never mind that I still get my runs done BEFORE my kids wake up at 7am (that gets to be a little more flexible when it starts getting cooler out). Yes, I will get a 10 miler in before 7am.
However, let me give you an example of someone who had it far worse than me when it came to time crunches. After I qualified for Boston, my husband, who had never run a marathon or more than 13 miles in his life, decided he wanted to qualify as well so he could run it with me. This is a man that works probably 70 hours per week and is often on conference calls late at night with his Asian counterparts and has to travel overseas several times per year. He's also a very active dad and husband and makes us a priority. He's really busy! But he was determined to give it his all and train his ass off and qualify. He didn't want a first time marathoner's training schedule. He basically used the same schedule I had written for myself, running up to 55 miles per week, and most often 6 days per week. There were mid-week 8-10 milers and he often had to be done before 7am so he could start work. When he traveled, he either ran on the treadmill at the hotel or found running routes nearby. He rarely skipped a run.
Simply put, he made a commitment to himself to do his very best so we could run Boston, and he threw all the possible excuses out the window, buckled down, and EXECUTED THE PLAN. He was so tired sometimes, but he kept his eye on the prize and worked as much of his life around training as he could. His efforts paid off, because he qualified for Boston in that marathon.
When you sign up for a race at this caliber, commitment is of utmost importance. When there are activities that I want to do that might make me stay out late on the weekend, I might have to move my long run to a different day. If my kids have an activity that will interfere with a scheduled run, then I will again shift the training around so I don't sacrifice the quality of the training, but I'm still putting my kids first. Will it be perfect? Not likely. But it doesn't have to be compromised, either.
***
I'm sure there are so many other mistakes out there that I could list here, but I think I've exhausted some of the more common ones. It always helps me when I take the time to write things like this out during a training cycle, especially when I'm starting to feel some doubts and the weather or fatigue has started getting to me. And besides, I always love to put together all the important bits of training advice that I've accumulated from multiple training cycles.
I've got 10 more weeks until RACE WEEK.
What are the biggest marathon training mistakes (in my opinion):
1. The wrong training paces.
This encompasses so many different things. Running the wrong pace for each workout, incorporating a "race pace" that is still beyond your capability at that point in training, and having the wrong ratio of training paces. I honestly think this is the biggest mistake that people make and the biggest thing that people misunderstand (or flat out refuse to believe). I ran the wrong pace for YEARS and was too stubborn to change my ways. In the beginning of my marathon journey, I thought that if I expected to run a marathon in a certain pace, I needed to always be able to run that pace. Surefire recipe for running yourself into the ground. I've blogged about this many times. On that same note, easy pace should be 80% of your training. Yes, that much of your training (more on this in #6 below). MOST OF YOUR MILES SHOULD BE EASY...truly easy, not what you "think" should be easy.
2. The wrong time goal
This can go either way. There are plenty of athletes who are too overconfident and overshoot their time goal, especially if they've been running too hard during most of their training. On the other hand, many athletes are afraid of their actual potential and get paralyzed by a pace that seems too lofty to them. I've been there both times. I spent years sabotaging my true marathon ability out of fear, and then after qualifying for Boston, set my sights on NYC qualifying way too soon. I've got plenty of time to try to improve that much (it would be an 11+ minute improvement from my PR). Better to focus on Boston's tougher standards and running there again. New York will always be there and it's a future goal that is exciting and difficult that I look forward to chipping away at.
3. No periodization
This training cycle, I'm going to be better about looking at my training in 4-5 week blocks, with a step back week for recovery before the next big block. Build build build, step back, build build build. Each phase has a purpose as well, leading me to my peak on race day. I spent weeks base building, then a period of adding speed. As I get closer to race day, my builds involve higher volume, longer tempos, and race pace simulation. It all comes together on race day...hopefully! I think right before Boston this year, I peaked too early in my training. I don't want to repeat that, so taking a more serious approach to periodization of my training should help with that.
4. The wrong fueling
Proper hydration and fueling is vital to finding your potential in training and in racing. I think the majority of people undershoot on how much hydration and calories they really need. The summer months here in Central Texas are brutal. I have not seen a temperature below 70 in months and only a handful of times has the dew point been below 70. I'm forgetting what it feels like to run in the cold. All of this means that water AND electrolytes are of utmost importance to my body to be able to continue to build mileage in my training. I've started hyper hydrating (two or three Nuun tabs) before long runs, and recovering with more electrolytes after most of my runs. I'm always with a bottle of water when I'm out of the house.
On that same token....CALORIES! We NEED calories when we are running beyond an hour, and we need them at regular intervals. What works for me is to have a Honey Stinger gel every 45 minutes during my runs, and if about 90-120 minutes into my long run I feel like it's not enough, I'll double up. This past weekend during the first 16 miler I'd run since Boston, I forgot to take my last gel. During that final 15 minutes of my run I felt incredibly sluggish and it was more than just the heat and sun. When I finished I realized I didn't fuel enough...oops. Hopefully I won't make that mistake again. It's especially important on race day to stick to the fueling strategy that you've been practicing. It's not the time to test out something different.
Lastly, fueling isn't just about what you do during your runs. It's about what you are doing day in and day out to keep your body energized and ready for the miles. I eat A LOT. I also eat a lot of the right kinds of food and very little of the kinds of foods that will make me crash, like refined sugar and breads. I am finding that natural sugars like honey, plus whole grains vs. white flour, and a whole lot of fruit (especially when I get a sugar craving) are what my body needs and craves. I don't skip meals, I snack throughout the day, and I try to have healthy snack options in my house that I can easily grab. The constant attention to my fueling and hydrating has certainly helped improve my running the last 2+ years.
5. Letting your mind overrule your fitness
When I was training for my first BQ, I spent so much time "training" my mind. I was taking on a big challenge and getting my mind prepared was just as important as getting my body ready. I read lots of articles and books on the subject (my favorite is Matt Fitzgerald's How Bad Do You Want It?). No matter how good our physical training, if we don't force our minds to believe our goals are really possible, then we run the risk of sabotaging those goals on race day. The first 16 miles of the marathon are no big deal. It's when we embark on the "I have less than 10 miles to go" portion of the race that our mental game kicks in. It's imperative to start thinking "I only have 9 miles to go so I'm almost there!" vs. "I can't believe I still have to run this pace for 9 more miles." On a similar note, we must teach ourselves that maintaining the level of physical discomfort we are encountering is entirely possible, regardless of how our minds are telling us otherwise. Your training brought you to this place, and your body is perfectly capable of this feat, as long as your mind is also strong enough to carry you to the finish line.
6. The wrong volume vs. quality mindset
Don't underestimate the power of recovery runs. Or easy runs. Or warm ups. Or rest intervals. Repeat after me - "80% of my miles are EASY"
If you are running 4 days per week, only one of those workouts should be hard. If you're running 5-6 days per week, two of the workouts should be hard, and maybe a bit of your long run when you incorporate race pace miles. The rest are easy miles. Sometimes, you might need to drop a hard workout and replace it with an easy one. You will be doing your body a favor by allowing it extra rest going into the following week of training. Easy miles are QUALITY miles, too, just in a different way. You are improving your cardiovascular fitness with faster paces, but without the proper warm up, cool down, recovery intervals, etc, you could be squandering those gains, or reducing their impact on your overall fitness. Let your body be prepared for the hard work....give it lots of TLC with easy miles. You are not wasting your time, you are not missing out on an opportunity to improve your VO2 max, but rather are keeping your body in tip top shape, allowing it to recover from a hard workout in order to maximize the gains from the next hard workout. Working on endurance and speed separately and then combining them on race day leads to success.
7. Believing the wall is inevitable
You don't have to hit the wall in the marathon. I haven't always hit it. I have negative split several of my marathons, although I admit that's a difficult thing to do and more often than not in the past, I slowed down. As I gain more experience, I am finding that I no longer go into a race anticipating the wall. I figure if it's favorable weather, I've stayed healthy during my training, I start the race conservative for those first couple miles, and ease into my marathon pace, then I will get through it without a lot of difficulty ("difficulty" is pretty subjective; marathons are NOT easy, but they don't have to be exceptionally hard either). Believe in your training, develop and stick to a solid race plan, and believe the wall is fictitious.
8. Letting others guide your training
When I say this, I'm not referring to coaches. LISTEN TO YOUR COACH! I'm talking about your running partners. Running friends are priceless. They keep you company, they make the miles go by faster, they might push you during hard workouts, but they can also derail your training run if you let them. This is particularly true if you are running with someone faster than you. The instinct is to keep up with them instead of running the effort you are supposed to be running. During long runs that are meant to be easy, this problem is especially harmful. I've fallen into this trap countless times and it's my own fault. I know the effort I should be sustaining and yet I can get caught up in what my faster friends are running without even realizing it, and without fail, during those last few miles, my heartrate has climbed and I'm struggling too much. I'm beaten up the next day and it forces me to adjust the next week's training so I don't continue to overdo it. We all do this at some point. Run your own run, run your own pace, fall back if you need to, but don't get caught up in what others are doing if it's not what YOU should be doing.
9. Focusing too much on pace and not effort
In the last few weeks, when our higher temps and humidity are still relentless, I've gotten better about adjusting my pace. I get too caught up in the pace I "think" I should be running, without taking into consideration that 80 humid degrees if just plain awful. A friend of mine pointed out that Hansons has a pace adjuster based on the weather, and I started inputing each morning's data into it to see what my training paces would look like at the same effort if the weather was ideal (their version of ideal is about 55 degrees and moderate/low humidity). Low and behold, what I thought I should be running for half marathon or marathon pace was actually 25 seconds per mile SLOWER. In other words, pace doesn't matter....YOUR EFFORT matters. By slowing down, I quickly found that those quality miles were more easily attainable during the workouts, I wasn't killing myself trying to hit harder paces, and I was feeling much better after the runs. It seems strange to train at slower paces and yet be expected to run faster than that during the race, but provided you have tapered and the weather is more ideal, that's exactly what should happen. My last few tempo runs have felt substantially better now that I'm focusing more on my effort in these difficult weather conditions, versus forcing my body to hit paces that I hit in ideal weather. GO FIGURE, right?
On that same note, for a few runs, don't even look at your watch. Go completely by effort and see what the data shows afterwards.
10. Panicking
This kind of goes along with #5. I read a quote while training two years ago that really stuck with me. "Be mindful of the deceptive paralysis that can take hold when you become intimidated by your increasingly faster paces."
Time and time again, we do a workout that involves "race pace" and time and time again, we freak out over the thought of running that pace for 26.2 miles. If your data is indicating that you can run that for a marathon, THEN YOU CAN. Don't let your fear hold you back on race. Don't let those paces be so daunting that you panic. JUST RUN. And keep running until you see that finish line.
11. Not respecting recovery
Recovery comes in different forms.
There is a reason why recovery runs are on a marathon training schedule. After an especially tough workout or high volume week, our bodies need a little TLC, but they still need to get in mileage. Keeping our bodies moving will speed up the recovery process and prime us for our next hard workout. But this only happens properly if you run RECOVERY pace. While training this time around, my goal marathon pace is 8:35 (not panicking, not panicking, not panicking....). Sometimes my recovery pace is upwards of 11 minutes per mile. My heartrate stays in Zone 1 or very low Zone 2 and my legs feel heavy at first, but loosen up as I continue to slowly jog. It's a SLOW JOG (which is all relative depending on your typical paces).
Recovery might also mean a complete rest day, which I highly recommend if you are more injury prone and/or not a typical high mileage runner. I prefer one day per week of complete rest in the second half of my training cycle. Or it might mean a nice walk or swim or spin on the bike. The key is that it's very easy on your body.
Lastly, we use the term "recovery" intervals during speed workouts. Take them easy! In the summer, many of my recoveries are done at a walk or very light jog. I might speed up a bit in the winter, but if it's a particularly long or tough interval workout, I take extra care to get the right recovery in between intervals.
We grow stronger when we recover. Now, repeat that again. WE GROW STRONGER WHEN WE RECOVER. Respect recovery!
12. Only running
Now obviously the most important sport to partake in during marathon training is RUNNING. It's your main focus and priority when allotting time for training. However, neglecting strength training and/or crosstraining doesn't work for most runners (shush if you're one of those who never gets injured even though you don't strength train). Stronger core means better form means fewer injuries and less fatigue late in the race. Have you seen photos of athletes hunched over as they are coming down the finish chute? Weak core is destroying their form and slowing them down and probably causing unnecessary injuries. On the contrary, a lot of successful runners don't lose form no matter how fatigued because they have spent time working on core strength during the training cycle. In my opinion, after running, core work is the second most important exercise during marathon training. Add in full body functional strength training, and you're well on your way to success.
13. Ignoring injuries
Speaking of injuries....don't ignore them! It's normal to be sore and fatigued during training. But some pains are NOT normal and need to be addressed. Common injuries are plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, and runner's knee. Ignoring the signs of impending injury is a surefire recipe for derailing your training. The good news is that there are many sports chiropractors and physical therapists out there who can help you diagnose the problem, identify the origin, and detail a physical therapy plan to get you back to running at your best. I've contacted Airrosti for a few different annoying injuries I've sustained over the years and each and every time, they've accurately diagnosed the problem, the weakness that caused it, and have prescribed a successful physical therapy routine that has improved the injury dramatically. Each time I've ignored a problem, I have had to stop running for a time and often drop out of a planned race. That is never fun. Don't be that guy. Don't ever ignore weird and abnormal pain.
14. Lack of commitment
I probably piss a lot of my friends off when I continually mention this one. But it's one of the most detrimental mistakes I see marathoners make. They don't commit to the training. I am the first to admit that as a stay-at-home mom and wife, I have the luxury of time. I don't have to always worry about trying to "fit it all in" because I have more flexibility. I get that thrown back in my face too many times. Never mind that I still get my runs done BEFORE my kids wake up at 7am (that gets to be a little more flexible when it starts getting cooler out). Yes, I will get a 10 miler in before 7am.
However, let me give you an example of someone who had it far worse than me when it came to time crunches. After I qualified for Boston, my husband, who had never run a marathon or more than 13 miles in his life, decided he wanted to qualify as well so he could run it with me. This is a man that works probably 70 hours per week and is often on conference calls late at night with his Asian counterparts and has to travel overseas several times per year. He's also a very active dad and husband and makes us a priority. He's really busy! But he was determined to give it his all and train his ass off and qualify. He didn't want a first time marathoner's training schedule. He basically used the same schedule I had written for myself, running up to 55 miles per week, and most often 6 days per week. There were mid-week 8-10 milers and he often had to be done before 7am so he could start work. When he traveled, he either ran on the treadmill at the hotel or found running routes nearby. He rarely skipped a run.
Simply put, he made a commitment to himself to do his very best so we could run Boston, and he threw all the possible excuses out the window, buckled down, and EXECUTED THE PLAN. He was so tired sometimes, but he kept his eye on the prize and worked as much of his life around training as he could. His efforts paid off, because he qualified for Boston in that marathon.
When you sign up for a race at this caliber, commitment is of utmost importance. When there are activities that I want to do that might make me stay out late on the weekend, I might have to move my long run to a different day. If my kids have an activity that will interfere with a scheduled run, then I will again shift the training around so I don't sacrifice the quality of the training, but I'm still putting my kids first. Will it be perfect? Not likely. But it doesn't have to be compromised, either.
***
I'm sure there are so many other mistakes out there that I could list here, but I think I've exhausted some of the more common ones. It always helps me when I take the time to write things like this out during a training cycle, especially when I'm starting to feel some doubts and the weather or fatigue has started getting to me. And besides, I always love to put together all the important bits of training advice that I've accumulated from multiple training cycles.
I've got 10 more weeks until RACE WEEK.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
12 more weeks
Marathon #16 (California International) in 12 more weeks. My shot to get a Boston Qualifying time so I can run it again in 2021.
I need a 3:50 to qualify with the tightened standards, and I'll be shooting for a 3:45. It's so hard to know how fast you really need to run. Boston 2020 registration is currently happening and they did announce they will not be able to accept everyone who has applied, so it's anyone's guess what the cut off will be (to be announced next week). The competition is just crazy with people getting so much faster and the interest to run Boston being so high. That dang cut off number will make a difference in where my mind is going into CIM. Not that I want to be lax about pushing my finish time to well under 3:50...I really do want that 3:45.
So here's where I'm at.
It's time to throw the gauntlet down and focus as well as I possibly can on these last 526 training miles. My nutrition, hydration, sleep, recovery, stress level, strength....all of it needs to be a priority. Stress level is actually probably my biggest issue right now. I especially need to remember that the colder temps are coming and I'm going to feel like a whole new person when they arrive.
But all of this seemingly negative thinking still takes a backseat to how excited I am to travel to Sacramento and do this race. Another state capital to race in (my 5th!), a highly regarded race, a net downhill (albeit only slightly) point-to-point (my favorite), and I get to see friends. We are trying to figure out a way to get Greg there, too, but my flights are astronomically priced now. I should've just booked two tickets while I booked mine!
I do need to get a little excited about one thing. This morning was a sprint interval workout. The last time I did it was July 9 when it was a bit warmer out. The workout is a 15 minute warmup, then 10x 20 sec all out, 5 minute easy jog, then 10x 20 sec all out again. The rest after each interval is a 1 min walk. I jogged most of the first intervals when we did it in July, but was much better this morning about walking and then only jogging in the last 10-15 seconds to get ready for the sprint.
I had a GREAT workout. In July I averaged 6:54 in the first 10 and then 6:42 in the second 10. My recovery intervals were under 12 minute pace on average. This morning I averaged 6:27 in the first 10 and 6:07 in the second 10. I had several intervals under 6:00 min pace, something I don't even remember ever happening. My recovery intervals were about 12:50 average, so I took them easier, but it allowed me to push harder during the sprints. My average heartrate was 6 beats lower. I was also wearing a new pair of shoes (neutral shoes for the first time) and I joked that it was the shoes! I felt really good when I was done with the workout and thought I had more intervals in me. The data that I'm starting to see from my workouts is giving me more confidence.
I need a 3:50 to qualify with the tightened standards, and I'll be shooting for a 3:45. It's so hard to know how fast you really need to run. Boston 2020 registration is currently happening and they did announce they will not be able to accept everyone who has applied, so it's anyone's guess what the cut off will be (to be announced next week). The competition is just crazy with people getting so much faster and the interest to run Boston being so high. That dang cut off number will make a difference in where my mind is going into CIM. Not that I want to be lax about pushing my finish time to well under 3:50...I really do want that 3:45.
So here's where I'm at.
- I'm over 40 miles per week now and my first 18 miler is this coming weekend. It seems surreal.
- My heartrate data continues to improve, and my VO2 max is climbing again...finally.
- My intervals are getting faster....finally.
- Still dealing with awful summer temps, though. My lowest temp for a training run in months has been 71 I believe.
- My legs are fatigued and it annoys me. Pretty stupid thing to be annoyed about....IN MARATHON TRAINING. Of course I'm fatigued.
- My mind is NOT where I want it to be. It's not where it was 2 years ago at this same point in training....so I have work to do there.
- I feel like I want more time, even though I don't NEED more time.
But all of this seemingly negative thinking still takes a backseat to how excited I am to travel to Sacramento and do this race. Another state capital to race in (my 5th!), a highly regarded race, a net downhill (albeit only slightly) point-to-point (my favorite), and I get to see friends. We are trying to figure out a way to get Greg there, too, but my flights are astronomically priced now. I should've just booked two tickets while I booked mine!
I do need to get a little excited about one thing. This morning was a sprint interval workout. The last time I did it was July 9 when it was a bit warmer out. The workout is a 15 minute warmup, then 10x 20 sec all out, 5 minute easy jog, then 10x 20 sec all out again. The rest after each interval is a 1 min walk. I jogged most of the first intervals when we did it in July, but was much better this morning about walking and then only jogging in the last 10-15 seconds to get ready for the sprint.
I had a GREAT workout. In July I averaged 6:54 in the first 10 and then 6:42 in the second 10. My recovery intervals were under 12 minute pace on average. This morning I averaged 6:27 in the first 10 and 6:07 in the second 10. I had several intervals under 6:00 min pace, something I don't even remember ever happening. My recovery intervals were about 12:50 average, so I took them easier, but it allowed me to push harder during the sprints. My average heartrate was 6 beats lower. I was also wearing a new pair of shoes (neutral shoes for the first time) and I joked that it was the shoes! I felt really good when I was done with the workout and thought I had more intervals in me. The data that I'm starting to see from my workouts is giving me more confidence.
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