Under the warm sun you run. Passing by the trees, the signs, the people. Hundreds of people surround you and yet you are alone. Racing with yourself. Just you and your dreams, your thoughts, your goals. You struggle towards the finish line that you see in your mind. Knowing that in a few short hours you will look back at this time and smile. Remembering all those who believe in you, helped you, raised money with you, or have gone before you. You are here for them. You are here for yourself. You are weightless, aimless, boneless, flying……..
That is the marathon. It is about so much more than yourself and yet only about yourself. It is an internal and external journey that gives joy, pleasure, pain, and hope. To hundreds. To thousands. To millions. The people who watch, participate, work, volunteer, or even benefit from the charity money. A marathon touches millions. Every marathon. Small or large. That is what a marathon is, a journey of millions. Some people may even not realize they are making the journey.
Today, the marathon most people experience once in a lifetime was experienced by the world. Watching the videos, hearing the words, seeing the pictures. We were all right there. Standing in awe as someone took the most meaningful and joyous journey that can be experienced by the human body and turned it into a terrifying and scary ordeal. For those present and those at home waiting. For some words. For some facts. For anything that would make this tragedy seem in anyway less tragic.
I got the final word around 7pm this evening. The last of the friends I had checked in to let me know they are okay. They are not one of the few who lost their lives or limbs today. All of my friends who were running the race of their dreams managed to survive with only mental wounds.
The Boston Marathon is not my marathon. It has never been “my marathon”. As a goal, as a dream, or even as a bucket list item. So many of my friends judge their success on their BQ time (boston qualifier), but I have never entertained that I would be fast enough. I am not an “in it to win it” runner. My standard joke is that I will run it when I am 90 and you qualify by being still upright and running. Admiring this race and watching the elites compete is a standard ritual for me. It inspires me. It motivates me to run. I got outside and ran this morning because the race motivated me to. It gave me the extra push out the door this morning and the hope that even with an injury I, like Kara Goucher, can overcome.
After seeing the events of today and feeling the atmosphere sink into my heart I know it is different. Things have changed. Marathon running, one of the purest joys you can feel from taking your body to its limits, can change your life. This tragedy has changed everyone. Maybe not on levels they see yet, but in ways that they will feel for quite some time. The only thing we can do it band together and move on.
Run for yourself. Run for your friends. Run for the fallen comrades who will never run again. Run free my friends and embrace every moment you can do so.
Boston Marathon Finish Line.1910. Author: Unknown. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
…..makes you go weeee weee weeee all the way home.
Some months ago (I believe it was November) my training buddies and I decided we were going to run the marathon in Cincinnati. Why? Because we had fashioned ourselves to be “Team Bacon” because we always ended up talking about bacon during our training runs. So all of us signed up. I even had training shirts made up with our bacon names on the back. Crispy, Peameal, Squeezie, and of course Morningstar (I am a vegetarian, so I get to be vegetarian bacon). Over the next couple months life took some of us away from our training. Two baconators dropped to the half. Stubborn me stuck it out to the full. (Peameal also stuck it out). Now the kicker: Two weeks before the race I started getting pain in my left foot and ankle. Uncontrollable swelling and soreness sat me on my butt for a whole week with the marathon looming.
What’s a gal to do? RUN THE MARATHON OF COURSE! After all, I just thought it was tendonitis….[sarcastic laughter]
Off to Cincy I go. My boyfriend agreed to travel with me and run the half (there are many perks of having a runner boyfriend) so we arrived late Friday evening at the Millenium Hotel after battling awful traffic and rain all the way from Buffalo.
Up for the party the next morning, we headed off to the expo to meet the other bacon buddies and pick up the goodies. Of course we were greeted by adorable flying pigs.
Flying Piggies!
As for the expo itself, I was VERY impressed! I’ve done tons of races and been to many an expo, usually the only ones that impress me are the Rock and Roll series expos. For a local race, this expo was spectacular. P&G had a huge table were they were giving away TONS of free stuff. Full bottles of shampoo, as much dish soap as you can carry, personal care items, perfumes, toothbrushes, basically anything you could fit in your bag. There were plenty of other vendors as well, local shops and stores had big displays and free t-shirts. I made sure to visit the KT Tape booth and get my ankle taped by an expert. I thought my ankle pain was being caused by Peroneal Tendonitis (boy was I wrong!). I worked my way through the booths and got lots of goodies ending with the race premiums. A great shirt, duffle bag, and race poster! All very nice!
After the expo we got situated for tomorrow in our room and then headed over into Kentucky for a traditional pasta dinner. On the way back from dinner I managed to find the cutest flying pig! Queen Porktunia was definitely my favorite pig of all the ones we saw.
The Queen and I
After dinner, we watched some movies before crashing. I was starting to get really nervous about the race. I just kept reminding myself that if it hurt really bad I could just finish the half. The races start together, but split at about the 8.5 mile mark. I just figured I could take the half course if it was really bad.
Feeling great early on.
Well it started great.
I pumped up my playlist and stuck to my guns as far as a race plan went. I still had my pace-band on for my goal time, even though I knew it was a bit of a pipe-dream. I set my watches for 5-1 intervals. I hate talking such frequent walk breaks, especially that early, but figured walking early and often would save my ankle from swelling too much.
I felt pretty great through the first 10 miles. The hill that everyone kept talking about was not so bad. Honestly the view from the top was completely worth it. You could look down on the river and it was really cool looking. When the split came at the 8.5 mark, I felt like I could really finish this. I added another escape clause. Should I completely die, I could always stop at a relay exchange and bus back to the finish. But I doubted it would come to that. I was feeling fine.
But oh the day was heating up. The med tents changed the flags to yellow (meaning heat warnings) and the hills started coming fast and hard. The first “big hill” in the race was pretty gradual. These later hills were steep and tough on the legs and feet. Somewhere around 14-15 miles, my ankle started throbbing. The pain got really intense, really quickly. I had to stop and walk for a while. I was so caught up in my pain that I felt sick. I didn’t even really realize someone was talking to me. Somewhere between 16-18 a medical person had come up to me and started talking and lead me off the course to the med tent. Apparently because I wasn’t responding correctly and looked “a little green around the gills” they decided to remove me from the course. They sat me down, gave me water and took off my shoe when I spluttered out what was happening. My foot was about twice the size of the other one. About twenty minutes later, after I had started getting really agitated, they let me go back out on the course.
Within a mile my legs were cramping terribly from having sat down so long. My hands were starting to swell and I had stopped sweating. The extra bottle and a half of water I had drunk in the med tent had derailed my fueling. I had too much water and not enough salt. Panicked, I ate the rest of my e-load tablets and choked down my last endurolyte. It still wasn’t enough, but at least it got me sweating again. Somehow I made it up to the highway for the final stretch of 4 miles. Some angels were giving out cold towels. It was a miracle because it had gotten so hot. But I was still upright and moving. My run had turned into a long stroll pucntuated by a slow jog every now and again.
Run for the finish!
At times it felt like a death march. I was watching the time and quarter miles tick by on my trusty Garmin. All I kept thinking was “get me to the damn finish line”. Somewhere around 23-24 miles a medical person on a bike started riding next to me. He was asking me questions again. Was I okay? Did I need help? Did I need water? I said no more water and I would be okay in about 2 miles. At that point I had come to far to quit. I NEEDED that finish line. I needed to run across it no matter how much it hurt.
Coming down into the final stretch I started running. I just wanted to be done. Blowing past people watching and ending the race too I sprinted until I could see the banner. My boyfriend suddenly appeared at my side and ran in with me. The medal and some salt. That’s all I wanted. I crossed the mats about 8 minutes slower than my last marathon effort. My first reaction was angry thoughts at the medical people. If I could only have those 20 minutes back! But they were just doing their jobs and I should be glad for it.
We walked back to the hotel room (we couldn’t find the shuttle) after getting all the food I could handle. The following shower was amazing. There is no feeling in the world like a shower after a marathon. You just kinda sit on the floor under the water and think “did I really just do that?”. Honestly, there is no way to describe it. It is a tired elation in your body that is probably only equaled by childbirth.
The only thing that made it better was the Pizza Hut pizza we had for dinner. Never did pizza taste so good.
THE AFTERMATH:
After doing the smart thing and visiting a doctor, it has been discovered that I have two stress fractures in my left foot. One is a grade 2 in the first metatarsal, the second is a grade 3 in my ankle. I’m not allowed to even think about trying to run for 8-12 weeks. Any more running on it will cause severe damage to my ankle that is fixable only by surgery. I will find out early next week if I have to wear a boot or get a cast. In the meantime I am to stay off it and absolutely NOT RUN. Luckily the only race it appears I will be missing is the Toronto Women’s Half Marathon at the end of the month. But I think I am okay with that….. now I get to cheer on all my friends at the Buffalo Marathon from the comfort of a lawn chair with my boot up. Be on the lookout for me and my cow bell! Maybe I’ll even bring my flying pig with me…….
“For every mile you race, you should take off that many days for recovery. For example: If you race a half marathon, you should take off 13 days, marathons are 26”
Yeah right. I’d have loved that idea a year ago. I would have used that as my excuse to sleep and not work out for a month. Any excuse to be lazy was wonderful.
But now recovery is hard work. I’m dying to run. Fall is my favorite running season and I am spending more time inside than out. I reasoned with myself that I could at least take one whole week off from running. I couldn’t even manage that. Last week I got 8 miles. Including a hugely hilly run of 5 miles that nearly killed me. I finally got introduced to the trails at Chestnut Ridge and a demon hill named “Big Mother”. Steep and evil. I was screaming at my training partner that I was going to kill her when I caught her as I struggled up this beast. The elevation chart looked like this:
Of course I didn’t kill her, but boy were my calves upset with me after that. Luckily I still feel pretty strong. Most of my general soreness from the marathon is gone. My knees and ankles are still slightly sore when I run but I just can’t stop running. It’s throwing off my plan (I love to plan 🙂 My plan was to take a week off and reverse taper to prepare for the Surfin’ Santa 10 Miler. Everyone keeps telling me to cross train and not run. But the hard facts are:
Fact: I really don’t like biking. Fact: Swimming indoors isn’t nearly as fun as outdoors. Fact: Weight training is only fun for 20 minutes. Fact: Running is awesome. Fact: Few things make me feel as good as running.
So I guess that leaves me stuck. I signed up for a bunch of races in 2013 that I am completely excited for. Plus I have 3 to finish off the year with (possibly 4, since I’m considering a Turkey Trot when I travel to Michigan for the holidays). I guess I just keep it easy and try not to hurt myself right? How do you guys deal with not running?
Who knew the former lazy girl would find not being active so hard? Oh how the times have changed…..
I came, I ran, I walked, and I finished. I am officially a marathoner. I even have the medal to prove it:
Needless to say if you have been following my blog at all, I did not qualify for Boston. And no. It wasn’t even close. I’ve said it before, I am slow. Getting faster, but still slow. Last year I was super excited to maintain a 13 minute mile pace. This year I’ve improved but my average is still above 10mm. No Boston in my future. Just a fact. 🙂
I did however managed to stick with my race plan almost the entire way. Impressive since I have a tendency to abandon ship and go free for all about half way through. The race was in Hamilton Ontario so I made sure to get up at 5AM so I could get there in time. Hamilton is a bit over an hour from my house. I triple checked everything, said goodbye to my puppy and was on my way. I was there with time to spare and there were no lines for the portos (unheard of!) and plenty of parking (hello, isnt there a marathon today?). I found Deb soon after an she was a bit worse for wear. She knew Jerry Friesen from all the time she spent running in Canada and only found out the night before that he had passed. It was only then that I put together in my mind who he was. We spent quite a bit of time with him and his wife after the Twenty Valley Challenge talking about races and organizations. So on that sad note we loaded into the bus to the start.
At the school where the start line was, we found Mike our fellow Team Bacon buddy. I was shocked since I figured he’d only come up for the finish. 5 hours is a long time to wait for your friends to finish a marathon. Well he snapped a quick picture of us so we’d have a start picture. Then I ditched my toss off pants because I didn’t want to have to stop and get them off.
I also had him take a picture of this crazy dude in full hockey gear. I was beyond impressed because that stuff is heavy. Pads, helmet, the whole thing. If only it had been a Sabres jersey instead he would have been completely awesome. But thats okay….we beat the leafs the night before 🙂
So after waiting for ages at the start (not really) we were on our way. I set my virtual buddy for 12mm and set my ipod for go. I was as ready as I could possibly be. But anything can happen in 26 miles…..
What goes through your mind while running a Marathon:
Mile 1 – I’m running a marathon! Woohoo! Hey we found Mo & Jo how are you guys? Awesome! This is awesome! Man, I wish I had gloves….. (split: 11:14)
Mile 2 – Holy cow, I really am running a marathon. Why is Deb going so fast? She is up there running with Jo and I’m here. *checks watch, hmm, I’m still fine, in fact I’m a little too fast* (split: 11:53)
Mile 3 – Tossed off my hoodie to a volunteer. My hands are freezing! This wind is wicked. What is that in the road? Gloves? Hm, they look new…. *grabs them* Thank god for dollar store cheapies you can throw away. These are awesome. Jo then turned around and scooped up the headband that was lying next to them. Very nice. Toss offs on a race course are fair game after all. (split: 11:58)
Mile 4 – I’ll walk through this water stop and dream about hitting that kid. “You’re almost there” HAHA too funny….not. Where did Deb go? I think that is her up there running alone, funny since I have Jo with me now (split: 12:04) <right on pace 🙂
Mile 5 – Fuel is yummy, but I should have tried a new flavor while training. I’m really kinda sick of strawberry. However, eloads are still the most delicious thing ever. I could live off these things. And I love this song. Where is Jo? (split: 11:58)
Mile 6 – Where did everyone go? I’m suddenly all alone. Oh well. This is kinda funny but those cows smell like crap. Mooooo Mooooo Moooooo (yes, I literally started mooing at the cows). (split: 11:53)
Mile 7 – Why are their people driving on the course….. HOLY SHIT! That guy almost hit me! || this close! Haha he’s getting a ticket for blowing by the cop. *honk honk* WTF? Why is this guy driving behind me on the wrong side of the road inside the cones…..and honking at me to move? I’m running here idiot! Damn….I hope I survive this race. This is kinda scary. Maybe marathons aren’t my thing (split: 12:05)
Mile 8 – Okay, I’m going to slow down and walk a bit (then I hear super loud COCK-A-DOODLE-DOOOOO right by my right leg) Holy shit Turkey! Wait… I’m a moron, that’s definitely a rooster. Why is it walking next to me? And why the hell did I think Turkey? Wow, marathons really mess with your head. I don’t think I can take anymore scares today. (split: 12:03)
Mile 9 – It’s really starting to get warm out here, I’m so glad I dressed in short sleeves. I was cold before but now its hot. Better ditch these gloves on that mailbox. Won’t they be surprised when they get their mail. I bet all those other people are wishing they had less clothes. I wonder if people in Alaska wish they had less clothes when they run….wait what? Where did that come from? I think I need more eload tabs. (split: 11:39)
Mile 10 – The world is a beautiful place. Thanks to everyone up there watching over me. I am truly and completely blessed. My life is wonderful. I have a great job, great house, great dog, and wonderful passion that fills me with joy and the recent addition of a wonderful boyfriend. Honestly, how did I get so lucky. Everytime I think my life is perfect, something else pops up and makes it even better. I am overwhelmingly grateful. (yes I spent most of mile 10 praying as I was alone on an open country road and it seemed perfectly appropriate) (split: 12:08)
Mile 11 – Hey, people! What is that awesome smell? It smells like bread baking….like tim hortons! Man I could go for a Tim’s bagel right about now…eh…on second thought, that smells disgusting. Yuck. But hey, more than 1/3 done. Wish I had packed a Honey Stinger waffle….damn. I really want some real food. (split: 12:03)
Mile 12 – This really is a nice day. I think I’ll sing a little tune. *starts singing along with ipod out loud* I’m almost half done and I still feel great. (split: 11:52)
Mile 13 – Funny I thought there was aid at the 13 mile mark….oh never mind, there it is. My those people look so cheerful. What did that cop say to me? Oh, my socks match my shoes….funny I never noticed that but they do today. Hey! MY SHOES GLITTER! That’s awesome! Wait….I hope I’m not imaging that…that could be a bad sign. Better take an extra cup of water and some more eloads. (split 12:21)
Mile 14 – Everyone keeps telling me the downhill is ahead. Where is it? I swear I’ve been going uphill forever. I better fix my sock….it feels like I getting a blister. And it’s after the half mark, that means I can speed up if I want to. I really want to but I don’t think I should. (split: 12:41)
Mile 15 – When they say downhill they aren’t kidding. I think we are flying down a mountain. Bye bye nice lady, this is the fun part! Weeeeeeeee! (split: 10:31)
Mile 16 – Omg I feel AMAZING! Where is this supposed wall everyone keeps talking about? I really don’t want to hit it, but this relaxed pace feels great. If I keep this up I’ll finish with a huge negative split. I wonder if I’ll ever see Deb again before the finish. She is probably having a great race. (split: 10:49)
Mile 17 – I really should slow down again. I’m over 3 minutes ahead of my pacer and I really do have 9 miles left to go. Plus this hill can’t go on forever. Better pull back. Ew a dead rabbit. 😦 Better start singing again. Opps, didn’t realize that guy is behind me. Hope he likes Basshunter, but I guess it doesn’t matter….he probably doesn’t understand Swedish anyhow…. (split: 11:24)
Mile 18 – Hey all those cars are honking at us in support! Cool! Usually it’s just anger lol. Wait a minute…..THAT’S DEB AHEAD! I found her! She’s at that water stop! HEY DEB! I still feel great! (split 12:09)
Mile 19 – Well maybe not so great. I really should get back to 0 ahead on my pacer. They say the last 10K is the hardest. I’ve done so good this far I don’t want to blow it. Urgh. Who invited my cranky calf muscle to the party? I wonder if Jo is okay…. (split: 13:06)
Mile 20 – These Kilometer markers are getting me all confused. I think the yellow ones are marathon and the white are half but I’m not sure. My watch says 10K to go. I hope that’s true. I’m running out of juice but probably have just enough in me for 6 more. Plus got to save a little for a finish kick. It’s only a 10K…… (split: 13:34)
Mile 21 – Hey buddy this is a marathon. I bet he asked all the runners what they were running. I love his Canadian flag though….would it be weird to start singing “O’Canada” especially since Party in the USA just came on my ipod…..how funny. At least I am right on pace with my buddy now, I wonder what my actual pace is. I really have to run 5 more miles? I’m tired. (split: 13:01)
Mile 22 – No. No. NO!!! I hate you! I hate you! How DARE YOU! I still have miles left and you give out on me! YOU STUPID KNEE! I thought we were over this! I thought you were healed! NO!!!! (Needless to say, my left knee turned to jelly and was EXTREMELY painful). This is so unfair. I am right on pace for my 5:15 finish. I followed my race plan, I didn’t go out too fast. I stuck to my pace! I did everything right! WHY??!!? (split: 15:00)
Mile 23 – I still have 3 more miles. It’s so far. That’s like another half hour. So far….so far…. Deb I’m glad I caught you, but it is sooo farr…..I can try but shuffling is all I can managed. Running hurts. Walking hurts. My options are walk fast or shuffle slow…and both still hurt. (split: 14:00)
Mile 24 – Omg it hurts so bad. I can feel it swelling. It looks like an orange. And now my ankles are hurting too. Probably from the weird shuffle/non running motion. Are we there yet? Seriously? Please just let me get there. Let it be over. (split: 13:57)
Mile 25 – My lower body just went numb. That is a really bad sign. And those bastard children have ice cream. I want ice cream so bad. I’m getting a freakin’ ice cream. Why am I even bothering to do this? There is no one at the finish line for me. My family is home watching football. My friends think I’m insane. No one even gives a shit if I finish. The only person waiting is Mike. I guess my running friends are more family than my family. No damn it. I won’t cry about this. This is my freakin’ day. I will make it there and it will be mine and mine alone. No one can take this from me. God my knee hurts. I won’t make 5:15 but I will still finish damn it. It’s my first so I get a PR anyway right? (split: 15:53)
Mile 26 – Deb please don’t leave me. I think I really need us to run this in together. You adopted me back in January and you’re my marathon momma. Remember the kids on the bike back in spring? “Are you guys mother/daughter marathoners?” I remember. Besides my own stubbornness you are the only reason I am here. I really should tell you this but I can’t talk….the pain…. soon….soon… we can run it in. You tell me not to kick to hard at the finish because you won’t be able to keep up. I don’t think I will be kicking at all…..just screaming. (split: 15:07)
Mile .2 – (split 11:40) We have a little left. Who the hell put this hill right before the finish….the horror….the evil….and that kid with the bell better get out of my way because I am pissed there is a hill. OMG! There is the finish. Hold my hand we are coming in for a landing……AHHHHHH MY KNEE!!!!
We made it in with a time of 5:30:52. Together. Mike and Bryan were waiting for us with wonderful water and bagels….Team Bacon made it. The four of us all completed our marathons. And at the finish line we all bemoaned the fact that we signed up for Flying Pig in May. Like it or not, we will be suffering the 26.2 all over again in 6 months. For all the pain, sweat, and struggle it was worth every minute and every mile. We train together, we race together, and we succeed together. I’m sore as hell today but I own it. I earned it. I will recover and live to run another day. I am unable to express how grateful I am to my team mates, because the words don’t exist.
Wherever our roads will take us it is a comfort to know that we will always have Bacon….. 🙂
Somewhere in the aftermath of Hurricane Shamrock (The Shamrock Run back in March) we all ended up at WJ Morrissey’s talking about the Niagara Falls
International Relay. Apparently the medals are just so awesome we had to talk about them. If you run the relay two years in a row you get two medals that fit together. They honestly were just too cool for a bunch of medal junkies to ignore. So we broke it up into two teams. Bryan and Deb were to be Team WTF (where’s the finish?) and Marc and I would be team “Running Our Masses Off” since we were both trying to do just that. (As a side note I ran this race 26 pounds lighter then when we decided on our team name, so I guess it worked!)
Expo day lead me patiently (or not) waiting in line for the bridge at Rainbow for over an hour and remembering they don’t take Ezpass. So anyway. Got there. Found Marc and cleared customs for the race. Got our lovely custom bibs followed by many fine comments about our awesome team name. Hung around the expo to meet up with Deb and her friend Cindy. Then I bounced home.
Got up late (who starts a marathon at 10AM?) and headed to the start. Wore cast off clothes for the first time. I’ve got plenty now that nothing fits me anymore. My team shirt didn’t even fit. I bought it when we signed up for the race and it looks HUGE on me. Wait til you see these pictures haha!
So we started at the Albirght-Knox Art Gallery on the US side. Deb and I cleared the chutes together and tried to catch up to our training and fellow Team Bacon member Mike. This was his first full and we wanted to stay with him. We found out much later we actually passed him and that’s why we couldnt’ find him. We spent most of our race wondering where he went. The race itself was kinda boring. Once you were over the Peace Bridge it was just running along the river. Pretty, but not much to report. Here are the highlights from our 13.1 miles.
– Running across the Peace Bridge: AWESOME! I stopped for a picture but it didn’t come out. However I got Deb in action.
It was really awesome to run into Canada.
– The signs on the Canadian side. We passed signs that read “Mashed Potatoes at the finish line” and “Beer ahead”. There were no mashed potatoes or beer. It was quite the let down.
– The negatives kinda outweighed the positives for this one. There was no aid (food/water/blankets) at the relay exchange point. We didn’t get anything until we made it to the finish 45 minutes later. They ran out of water again for the marathoners (found out from Mike and the woman begging me for my Powerade). There was also only one waterstop for the 5.5 miles we spent on the American side. Overall, just a total water fail. The finishline was pretty good despite weird food in the food bags. They were announcing well into the 6th hour.
Most of the fun came after our portion was finished. I had the most amazing pizza and frozen yogurt from one of the restaurants when we were done. Took some pictures by the falls. Then we ran back out on the course for our relay partners to run it in with them. Then we ran back out again for Mike and his friend Amy. We came across the finish all together. Mike with his daughter Oliva. We posed for holy pictures and suddenly it was time to go home. I managed to finally feel those 18 or so miles (extra 5 from running back out so many times) creep back up on me. I passed out in the car back to my car and then crashed out at 7:30 after my shower. What a long day, but like most race days~Completely Worth It~! And just think, I get to do it again next year for the other half of my medal!
Enjoy all the pictures 🙂
Marc ~ My Relay PartnerMarc and I crossing the Finish Line TogetherTeam WTFTeam "Running Our Masses Off"Best finisher's photo ever. Mike and his daughter.Mike's Superhero PoseTeam Bacon: Squeeze, (mini squeeze), Morningstar, Peameal, and CrispyAnd of course...the glamor shot of the falls.
Wow, never thought I would get to this side of marathon training. At least not without injury (knock on an entire forest). This past Saturday I completed my final 20 miler. Upright and grumpy, but done all the same. Of course I was soaked to my skin and frozen. But hey, I managed to complete two 18+ milers and two 20 milers and not die. That’s a first for me. Better yet, I didn’t hurt myself. During my heroic downfall towards the end of spring training, I told myself daily that I was tapering and still planning on doing the marathon. After coming to the realization that I couldn’t walk without my knee popping and screaming in pain, the marathon was not a good idea. Angry? You bet. But the truth of the matter was, I never got more than one 18 miler in and I really wasn’t ready. I had done the training, but half heartedly. I still was expecting to lose tons of weight and just coast my way to a marathon. Kinda like I did with my first half marathon last year.
Now as I enter my tapering for real, I know I am really ready. I know this because I am actually annoyed that I can’t run as much. My last few runs have been some of the best, no matter the weather. I find my comfortable pace and gait and can gallop away for hours. I am getting faster without trying and better at responding to my body’s needs on the run. My times are drastically improving as well as my running form. I am lighter, but mostly I am stronger. I feel strong and confident that I can finish this marathon as a whole person and not as an injured one.
My problem now is easing up. I love running all over again and want to do more. I live for the long distances. My peak miles are between 12-16 miles. That is when I feel my best. As I start decreasing I know my irritability will be increasing. I already dread for my family and close friends. Sometimes I hide much of my grumpiness in silence and feel bad that everyone has to put up with me. Even though I have two more half marathons on my plate before the full, I know I will still feel restless. My only hope is to mix up my weekday trainings to distract me from the lesser milage on the weekends. My Saturday adventures may be shorter, but I can still enjoy them. I’ll try to hit the park and trails more during the week so that I don’t feel so confined at my normal cemetery running grounds. As the countdown to the marathon begins (33 days) I can only hope to make it there in one piece and ready to finish. I’v trained for 10 months now and really would like to finally finish a marathon. Getting to the start line would be great, but getting to the finish line would be even better.
Want to know where you can find me? This breathless runner will be running a slew of races (and volunteering for a few) over the next few years. Check out which ones I will be running on my Upcoming Races page. Look forward to seeing friendly faces out there!
Also, if you know of any really cool races I should run please send me a link in the comments or on twitter @sprintingsalina I am always looking for something fun and new. And yes I am currently booking races for 2012 so if you know of a fun/unique one please send it my way now!
Here I sit again. On the edge looking over into several hard months of marathon training. It is not easy. It is not always fun. It is NOT for the faint of heart. I guess that leaves me out huh?
Back in January I started the journey to my first full with the same attitude as I did half training, “I’ll just do the miles and that will be fine”. Well, it worked for the half….but it sure didn’t work on the full. I struggled and sweated through tons of miles. 302.4 in 4 months to be exact, before my knee decided I was being far too cruel and wasn’t going to take it anymore. It left me with a shattered marathon dream and some hard muscle therapy. But honestly, the saddest part about my marathon training as a whole….was not that I didn’t finish it. It was that the thing I looked forward to the most was not the training runs….. It was the donuts.
All the training runs start and end at Fleet Feet Sports. Convienantly across the parking lot is a lovely, wonderful, warm, inviting Tim Hortons. In the cold months of January, February, and even March it was the best looking thing at the end of the run. If you are not from the north and don’t know of it, don’t ever go. Their coffee is like crack (I’ve witnessed grown men trudge many miles in the snow, due to a driving ban, for a cup during one of the worst storms my area has ever seen). And their donuts? Forget about it. Perfect blend of sweet and cake. Not overly glazed like Krispy Creme, nor dry and hard and cakey like Dunkin Donuts. They are perfect. Not to mention the fall/winter apple cider ones….simply heaven. I honestly ran so I could eat them in bulk. Every run ended with coffee and donuts. Like a horrible addiction I ran so I could eat. Run/eat became the norm. And that run to eat attitude lapped over into other areas. Saturdays after the long run became pizza feasts, donut indulgences, and Oreo orgies. I justified that burning 1,500 to 2,000+ calories per workout gave me food forgiveness. I could eat whatever! And boy did I…..
Imagine my shock when I didn’t lose weight. 25-35 miles per week for 4 months and I didn’t loose a pound. Well. Then I was in denial mode. Then I was in blame mode. Bouncing back in forth between my scale being wrong and “at least I look smaller” was how I spent the months mourning the loss of my good knee and my first marathon. Several hard looks in the mirror later I sit here again. I’m starting training again today (officially). This time I’ll be doing the marathon in full because I am going to train better.
Training isn’t just about “putting in the miles”. It is about training your body for an endurance event. Your whole body. That means running to learn the motions. Cross-training to target the muscles that help you run (running is a FULL BODY activity after all). And eating to fuel your workouts and recovery no matter how busy you are. I’m not saying I won’t fall off the wagon and eat a donut. I’m not saying a stray piece of pizza won’t graze my lips. What I’m saying is that if I want the results I desire from my body, I have to give it what it needs – not just what I want.
Not running for donuts may be the new hardest part about marathon training.
In true Buffalo fashion, you could not predict the weather. What was suppose to be thunderstorms and rain turned into blistering sun and 75+ degree weather. And did we mention humidity? Okay just checking.
Last Sunday was the Buffalo Marathon. Yes I still did it. Bum knee and all I completed the half in under 3 hours which is a new injury PR. Not a real PR, but an injury PR all the same. Let me just say I was there for a good time. After screaming, crying, and throwing a few fits I knew I couldn’t stick it out for a full with a bad knee. I am so glad I didn’t because the day was sweltering. My recap of the race is better than most though. I didn’t get dehydrated or throw up (my poor friend did). Here is how it went.
I started in the back of the pack with someone from my training group. It was his first half and I have to admit I was more excited for him than myself. I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Mike through his whole training experience. I knew he was pumped for this. Me-I just wanted to survive and have a decent fun time on the course. If nothing else, I enjoy the race experience. We stuck together for the first two miles and then I took my first walk break. My plan was to run 2 miles, walk a bit and repeat until mile 7 and then go by feel for walk/run intervals. I did not want to ruin myself even more. I knew I was pushing my knee by asking for it to race. So we broke off and I just focused on my run. I broke a clip on my water bottle and ended up carrying it for the rest of the race. Turned out to be a good thing, because it was handy enough that I could refill it at waterstops to stay hydrated. So travelling through downtown the crowd support was lovely. We headed out to the waterfront and I was really enjoying myself. The knee wasn’t too much trouble and I was keeping a moderate 11’30 pace. Comfortable and safe. I passed the Fleet Feet cheering section. Of course I waved at my coworkers and smiled big. Took some fuel in and kept on going. Stopped for a bit at about mile 6 to pet an adorable baby Great Pyrenees. I had to stop! My little baby was 8 weeks when I got her and this little girl (named Savannah) was a tiny 6 week old. They are so cute at that age. Anyway, travelling on. We headed into first ward area. No crowds. Waterstops were far apart and it was a lonely and dirty back stretch for about 5 miles. No shade from the heat either. I just kept trucking. My knee was giving me a bit of trouble and I considered stopping to pull on my cleverly packed brace (i was quite prepared for the worse). Then about mile 9 it stopped hurting. It felt wonderful. I took off at a jog and was shocked to see Mike walking up ahead. I caught up to him and realized he needed a little bit of support. For the last few miles we chatted and did a walk/run combo. Approaching the finish it was time for the kick. I’m a big fan of finishing kicks because they really give you that triumphant feeling and make you feel fast. It doesn’t matter what happens on the course, as long as you finish strong! We starting kicking it about .2 out and really pounded it out, crossing the finish line at the same time. Just under 3 hours. I was really happy for both of us. Especially because I finally got the chance to help someone else meet their finish line. My training partner Deb has pushed me through more times than not. Her dragging me across finish lines and long runs has made me the best runner I can be right now. It’s nice to pass it on.
BTW did I mention I have KT Tape tan lines? URGH! At least the medal is pretty…. (and yes I have a pic of Kara Goucher next to my mirror!)
Overall, I felt really nice on the race course. I didn’t even mind the heat because I was properly hydrated and I’ve run in worse. I felt that if my knee had been healed I would have had a banner day. I felt strong, had good nutrition and hydration and a great attitude. It would have been a PR for sure. But I am happy none the less. I had a good time by myself and with my friends. That being said, I probably won’t run Buffalo again. Maybe if they change the course, but there are too many other better races that I could be doing. This one left something to be desired. 20K water stop was out of water, no food left at the finish line and some really poor organization. I do appreciate the race, but it definitely could use some improvement. I’m not going to whine. I heard enough of that today at work from fellow racers. I’m just stating that it isn’t as amazing as others. The only thing that made it awesome for me was the familiarity and friends I had with me.
Looking toward the future, my next big race is the Komen 5K on the 11th of June. I plan on PRing in that race and will probably start up training again on Saturday. Now I’m just doing some active recovery. Walking and weight training. Marathon training starts up again towards the end of June when I get back from Hawaii. I’m aiming for the Hamilton marathon in November. All downhill and a fast course. I’ll be in Hawaii from the 18th-26th for my cousins wedding, so look forward to hearing about the runs I go on down there! I’ll be packing the garmin! Then I really have to get down to business. I have two(technically 3) HUGE races in July. Tuscarora 10K is July 9th and I plan to PR and place in my age group (its a small field). Then the next weekend I’m doing the 1st Annual Twenty Valley Run, Wine & Dine Weekend Challenge. 10K on Saturday followed by Half marathon on Sunday. It’s going to be a crazy challenge. And don’t even get me started on August……
You’re gliding along, it’s the perfect day. Puffy white clouds fill the endless blue sky, a light breeze ruffles your hair as it guides you forward. Your shoes fly over the gravel path as your arms pump at your side. There are no other runners, and your legs feel like they could go on forever. Suddenly about six miles down the road your bliss vanishes. You start limping, favoring one side. Next thing you know, you crumple to the ground. When you finally regain your strength you find yourself walking (i.e. hobbling) to a place to call for help or back to your house.
Some of the scariest moments in a runner’s life are the ones that involve injury. I am here facing it. In January I took up marathon training. My first full shebang of running. The event that separates the men from the boys. [Okay, well maybe not all that, but still a pretty crazy thing for an asthmatic in less than perfect shape to do]. I wanted that 26.2 embedded in my memory for ever. Even if I never did another one. I wanted to do it once. And I wanted it to be my hometown marathon, no matter how much people said this one is unkind to newbies.
I trudged and suffered through the worst Buffalo winter in a while. Long runs, every Saturday without fail. My sweat was freezing to my face in icicles I couldn’t even get off my hat. I blasted my way through many a hip flexor complaint and through several pairs of shoes. My knees took a beating, as did my lungs, and I entered race month (May) with an unparalleled optimism. I was finally going to do it. Unfortunately waiting on the heels of the Grand Island Half (a simple training run), was a knee injury that brought me down. For almost two weeks now I have been working with a massage therapist and really trying to bring myself up to form. I feel stiff and clumsy. Like the last 5 months never happened. All my training appears gone.
So I sit with the decision. I emailed the race director and it is possible for me to drop to the half marathon. But here are some hard truths:
-I would miss my goal race.
-I would have to train for another 5 months for a fall marathon (probably toronto waterfront in october).
-My training would interfere with other races I planned for this year (including a 30K in August I have been looking forward to).
-I will probably never run the Buffalo marathon.
-I could injury myself all over again if I decided to do it.
I ran the Stella B Foundation 5K today with excellent form and very little pain. My time only a little slower than regular training time. It even felt good. I have 2 more sessions with my therapist before I race. I could very well be fully recovered by race day. The hard decision is if I should stick it out for the full or drop to a half and repeat the process all over again. The only thing that really concerns me is the course time limit. If I get out there and end up having to walk the last bunch of miles because of knee trouble, I’m screwed. There is a 6 hour course limit. Coming across under that was no concern until now. My real fear is coming up on that finish line and it is gone. Poof! No official time. No medal. No remembering that I suffered 26.2 to be a hometown champ.
Faced with injury and all the troubles I admit I am at a loss of what to do. The thought of starting all over again makes me angry and depressed. As well as this injury. What would you do if you had to choose?
International Relay. Apparently the medals are just so awesome we had to talk about them. If you run the relay two years in a row you get two medals that fit together. They honestly were just too cool for a bunch of medal junkies to ignore. So we broke it up into two teams. Bryan and Deb were to be Team WTF (where’s the finish?) and Marc and I would be team “Running Our Masses Off” since we were both trying to do just that. (As a side note I ran this race 26 pounds lighter then when we decided on our team name, so I guess it worked!)
gravel path as your arms pump at your side. There are no other runners, and your legs feel like they could go on forever. Suddenly about six miles down the road your bliss vanishes. You start limping, favoring one side. Next thing you know, you crumple to the ground. When you finally regain your strength you find yourself walking (i.e. hobbling) to a place to call for help or back to your house.
breathlessrunner 