Marathon #3;
Madison Spring 2007;
Time 4:24
Training in the winter/spring was a different experience than during the summer/fall. Of course, with 18 weeks of training, the conditions you train in tend to be completely different than what you actually run in.
I decided all my long runs on Saturdays would be outside, regardless of the weather. I figured, you can bundle up and tough it out. So...Rachel and I would be out running in the single digits with strong winds (negative windchills) where you would barely be moving because it was pushing you back and I would just turn to her and say, "well, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"
To break up the cold weather, I decided to run a half marathon in February down in Tampa. It was the Bank of America Marathon and Half, so I was able contact the right people within the Bank, and get one of the "free registration tickets" So I made it a mini vacation and Michelle and Xavier drove up from Miami to cheer me on and then have some fun in Tampa. I ended up running it in 1:54, which was a P.R. so I decided that was enough of an indicator for me that I'm improving and I decided I could slow it down for the rest of training- after all, one marathon is just one battle; completing 50 in each state is the War and so I have to focus on longevity.
As runs got longer, I lucked out with having both Sara and Rachel to split the runs. Sara would run the first half with me, and Rachel would run the second half as neither were training for full marathons this spring. It made the runs that much more fun! Rachel also got me involved in more cross training. For a whole two months I would run at lunch on Wednesdays and go to Yoga at night. Unfortunately, the instructor of the class we were going to moved to NY, and I'm extremely picky on instructors, and I have yet to find a new class I want to keep in my schedule and stick with. I do think the little yoga I added into my cross training helped with my running. My 17, 18, and 20-mile runs were great. While I told myself I wasn't going to put any time goals on this marathon, the 20 mile run completed in 3:12 with 3 water stops and feeling like I could continue on made me decide I couldn't not aim for another P.R.
Aiming for a time adds that much more anxiety come race day, especially when you have already run a marathon before and know what you are up against. Like I told my mom, I don't run marathons because they are easy, each one is just as tough as the other. I don't see any other way to run a marathon than finishing, but there is always the chance something could go wrong- and it's the fear of that something going wrong that makes them so exhilarating- to push through everything and anything that you might encounter on your journey.
I knew my friends Steve and Melody would be at the marathon, but wasn't positive I'd see them there. Luckily they found me in the 'line up' So Melody and I decided to stick with one another. This meant I had to compromise my race method. Instead of slow and steady throughout, she thought we should just run our comfortable level of a faster pace and see if we could keep it up through the entire run. …I thought, why not give it a try and see what happens. So the marathon started and off we went. It was great catching up with her, as we hadn't run together since my first marathon training.
Steve actually works for Bank of America and we met at a work thing learning we had running in common. He got me involved with Fitness Formula which was the final push I needed to run my first marathon. So while this is off subject of marathon #3, it is a big deal to my life as a marathoner. As I continue on a tangent- Steve actually had some sort of "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" experience himself, in an Ironman. He had 4 miles to the finish line and he got sick to the point of an ambulance picking him up off the road. One of the great stories Melody and I talked about on our run was the 2006 Ironman. After a few more marathons and more training, Steve decided to go for the Ironman again….but this time he had extra motivation to finish. He had his friend holding the ring he was going to give to Melody to ask for her hand in marriage. And so he did…after completing an entire marathon, he got on his knee and proposed. …If I had to rate marriage proposals- this would be the most romantic way to go… this marathon was Melody's second marathon, and she used the training as a way to relax from all the wedding planning- they get married 2 weekends after the marathon.
But…back on track... So Melody and I were running at a decent pace. We both ditched our long sleeved shirts around mile 2 and the weather was perfect. Around Mile 5 I called Irisa to let her know I was running with Melody and I'm moving at a faster pace than expected, so to plan for that….BUT there is also a possibility I could crash and burn- yet I'm giving it a go. Around mile 8 we made a new friend, Colleen. She was making a comment that marathons never get easy (Madison was her 26th!) and we chimed in on that. We all stuck together for a few miles. I kept warning them about the one real bad hill I remembered from the half….though I didn't think we had any other bad hills after that. …the problem is, I have become what Melody calls a "Chicago Brat" …we are flat here, you have to search for the hills. In Madison, what I didn't remember, is there is always a hill or some sort of incline. There might have been 3 flat spots of the entire run. My quads were definitely feeling it. Colleen left us for a bathroom stop and around mile 12 I ended up letting Melody run ahead and I slowed down a bit- hoping I started a slow down soon enough without it going the opposite way of my goal speed. I finished the first half in 2 hours. Around mile 14 I finally decided to put on my music- this is the first marathon I brought my I-pod to, but I thought I was going to be running it all alone- and Music usually does good things for me. I think I slowed my pace down even more- as we kept on hitting hills. I took my first stop on University Ave, just a quick extended water stop to take another gel cube. I continued on...and at Mile 15 I was so happy to see Irisa and Company. I ended up walking again a little before mile 18. I stretched my legs some and walked up a hill…wishing there were no hills. I finally made it to the Arboretum, and well, I don't know what to say about it. I was so glad to have my I-pod- I love the city runs more than being on an open road surrounded by nothing but trees. It had warmed up, and there were many parts of the run at this point that were shade free, so I was getting some sort of tan. A little after mile 20, I saw Irisa and Company again. They had parked their car in the direction I was running, so for a few minutes, I got them to run with me which was nice as I had some people to chat with. They told me they'd see me next at the finish line so it was me all alone the rest of the run. As I got out of the arboretum a cramp was brewing so I decided to once again stop and stretch. I then continued on. As we turned left out of the arboretum, I really wished I had paid better attention to the course, as I feared we were about to hit another real bad hill. While there were a few more hills, it wasn't the real bad one I was thinking of, so that was a little relief. Once we got around the bay, I started trying to piece together the end of my half marathon two years ago- when I was sick and didn't remember the few miles. I surprisingly had a lot of energy and would still high five all the little kids on the side of the road and smile for the cameras. Though I had the energy, the cramps sometimes were taking control of my legs. I had a little under 2 miles left, thinking I'm so close to being done, trying to pretend like I was just starting a short run, I turned a corner, and the crappy bumpy road worked against me. I twisted my ankle SLIGHTLY but it sent yet another cramp shooting up the leg – of course that didn't help. Another turn, and another big hill- the last one though so I had to keep aiming for the finish line. Another turn and it was downhill, I was so close when all of a sudden- a new cramp on the inside of my knee formed and I couldn't stretch it out and my walk was a hobble. I was so close to the finish line and decided- okay just push it- if it doesn't kill me, it will only make me stronger…so I started running on it and luckily it worked better running on it than walking. I had to take small strides because I feared I'd fall on a larger stride. I saw Irisa and Company- smiled and headed to the finish line. While it was just as tough as the others, I didn't get emotional at the end. I was just happy to (barely) beat my Chicago Time at 4:24:18. I am now hoping recovery time will be pretty quick as I'm starting to get weird thoughts in my head – I'm already signed up for Marine Corps and I'm in the lottery for the NY Marathon. The plan with the NY marathon is to defer my registration until 2008 IF I get in. But then I started thinking it might be a new challenge to do back to back marathons. There is 6 days in between the two, so if I can be feeling like new by this Friday- I might consider it. The lottery for NY is drawn next week…
So far, recovery has been interesting. I drove back to Chicago a few hours after and was perfectly fine all night long. I woke up Monday a little sore but still not bad, and then by the afternoon I was having difficulty with stairs. Tuesday I wore heels to work- big mistake. As I walked slowly to the elevator with Tyler he was laughing at me for my choice in shoes- and as many times before- I just turned to him and said "eh, what doesn't kill me will just make me stronger ;)"
Training in the winter/spring was a different experience than during the summer/fall. Of course, with 18 weeks of training, the conditions you train in tend to be completely different than what you actually run in.
I decided all my long runs on Saturdays would be outside, regardless of the weather. I figured, you can bundle up and tough it out. So...Rachel and I would be out running in the single digits with strong winds (negative windchills) where you would barely be moving because it was pushing you back and I would just turn to her and say, "well, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger!"
To break up the cold weather, I decided to run a half marathon in February down in Tampa. It was the Bank of America Marathon and Half, so I was able contact the right people within the Bank, and get one of the "free registration tickets" So I made it a mini vacation and Michelle and Xavier drove up from Miami to cheer me on and then have some fun in Tampa. I ended up running it in 1:54, which was a P.R. so I decided that was enough of an indicator for me that I'm improving and I decided I could slow it down for the rest of training- after all, one marathon is just one battle; completing 50 in each state is the War and so I have to focus on longevity.
As runs got longer, I lucked out with having both Sara and Rachel to split the runs. Sara would run the first half with me, and Rachel would run the second half as neither were training for full marathons this spring. It made the runs that much more fun! Rachel also got me involved in more cross training. For a whole two months I would run at lunch on Wednesdays and go to Yoga at night. Unfortunately, the instructor of the class we were going to moved to NY, and I'm extremely picky on instructors, and I have yet to find a new class I want to keep in my schedule and stick with. I do think the little yoga I added into my cross training helped with my running. My 17, 18, and 20-mile runs were great. While I told myself I wasn't going to put any time goals on this marathon, the 20 mile run completed in 3:12 with 3 water stops and feeling like I could continue on made me decide I couldn't not aim for another P.R.
Aiming for a time adds that much more anxiety come race day, especially when you have already run a marathon before and know what you are up against. Like I told my mom, I don't run marathons because they are easy, each one is just as tough as the other. I don't see any other way to run a marathon than finishing, but there is always the chance something could go wrong- and it's the fear of that something going wrong that makes them so exhilarating- to push through everything and anything that you might encounter on your journey.
I knew my friends Steve and Melody would be at the marathon, but wasn't positive I'd see them there. Luckily they found me in the 'line up' So Melody and I decided to stick with one another. This meant I had to compromise my race method. Instead of slow and steady throughout, she thought we should just run our comfortable level of a faster pace and see if we could keep it up through the entire run. …I thought, why not give it a try and see what happens. So the marathon started and off we went. It was great catching up with her, as we hadn't run together since my first marathon training.
Steve actually works for Bank of America and we met at a work thing learning we had running in common. He got me involved with Fitness Formula which was the final push I needed to run my first marathon. So while this is off subject of marathon #3, it is a big deal to my life as a marathoner. As I continue on a tangent- Steve actually had some sort of "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" experience himself, in an Ironman. He had 4 miles to the finish line and he got sick to the point of an ambulance picking him up off the road. One of the great stories Melody and I talked about on our run was the 2006 Ironman. After a few more marathons and more training, Steve decided to go for the Ironman again….but this time he had extra motivation to finish. He had his friend holding the ring he was going to give to Melody to ask for her hand in marriage. And so he did…after completing an entire marathon, he got on his knee and proposed. …If I had to rate marriage proposals- this would be the most romantic way to go… this marathon was Melody's second marathon, and she used the training as a way to relax from all the wedding planning- they get married 2 weekends after the marathon.
But…back on track... So Melody and I were running at a decent pace. We both ditched our long sleeved shirts around mile 2 and the weather was perfect. Around Mile 5 I called Irisa to let her know I was running with Melody and I'm moving at a faster pace than expected, so to plan for that….BUT there is also a possibility I could crash and burn- yet I'm giving it a go. Around mile 8 we made a new friend, Colleen. She was making a comment that marathons never get easy (Madison was her 26th!) and we chimed in on that. We all stuck together for a few miles. I kept warning them about the one real bad hill I remembered from the half….though I didn't think we had any other bad hills after that. …the problem is, I have become what Melody calls a "Chicago Brat" …we are flat here, you have to search for the hills. In Madison, what I didn't remember, is there is always a hill or some sort of incline. There might have been 3 flat spots of the entire run. My quads were definitely feeling it. Colleen left us for a bathroom stop and around mile 12 I ended up letting Melody run ahead and I slowed down a bit- hoping I started a slow down soon enough without it going the opposite way of my goal speed. I finished the first half in 2 hours. Around mile 14 I finally decided to put on my music- this is the first marathon I brought my I-pod to, but I thought I was going to be running it all alone- and Music usually does good things for me. I think I slowed my pace down even more- as we kept on hitting hills. I took my first stop on University Ave, just a quick extended water stop to take another gel cube. I continued on...and at Mile 15 I was so happy to see Irisa and Company. I ended up walking again a little before mile 18. I stretched my legs some and walked up a hill…wishing there were no hills. I finally made it to the Arboretum, and well, I don't know what to say about it. I was so glad to have my I-pod- I love the city runs more than being on an open road surrounded by nothing but trees. It had warmed up, and there were many parts of the run at this point that were shade free, so I was getting some sort of tan. A little after mile 20, I saw Irisa and Company again. They had parked their car in the direction I was running, so for a few minutes, I got them to run with me which was nice as I had some people to chat with. They told me they'd see me next at the finish line so it was me all alone the rest of the run. As I got out of the arboretum a cramp was brewing so I decided to once again stop and stretch. I then continued on. As we turned left out of the arboretum, I really wished I had paid better attention to the course, as I feared we were about to hit another real bad hill. While there were a few more hills, it wasn't the real bad one I was thinking of, so that was a little relief. Once we got around the bay, I started trying to piece together the end of my half marathon two years ago- when I was sick and didn't remember the few miles. I surprisingly had a lot of energy and would still high five all the little kids on the side of the road and smile for the cameras. Though I had the energy, the cramps sometimes were taking control of my legs. I had a little under 2 miles left, thinking I'm so close to being done, trying to pretend like I was just starting a short run, I turned a corner, and the crappy bumpy road worked against me. I twisted my ankle SLIGHTLY but it sent yet another cramp shooting up the leg – of course that didn't help. Another turn, and another big hill- the last one though so I had to keep aiming for the finish line. Another turn and it was downhill, I was so close when all of a sudden- a new cramp on the inside of my knee formed and I couldn't stretch it out and my walk was a hobble. I was so close to the finish line and decided- okay just push it- if it doesn't kill me, it will only make me stronger…so I started running on it and luckily it worked better running on it than walking. I had to take small strides because I feared I'd fall on a larger stride. I saw Irisa and Company- smiled and headed to the finish line. While it was just as tough as the others, I didn't get emotional at the end. I was just happy to (barely) beat my Chicago Time at 4:24:18. I am now hoping recovery time will be pretty quick as I'm starting to get weird thoughts in my head – I'm already signed up for Marine Corps and I'm in the lottery for the NY Marathon. The plan with the NY marathon is to defer my registration until 2008 IF I get in. But then I started thinking it might be a new challenge to do back to back marathons. There is 6 days in between the two, so if I can be feeling like new by this Friday- I might consider it. The lottery for NY is drawn next week…
So far, recovery has been interesting. I drove back to Chicago a few hours after and was perfectly fine all night long. I woke up Monday a little sore but still not bad, and then by the afternoon I was having difficulty with stairs. Tuesday I wore heels to work- big mistake. As I walked slowly to the elevator with Tyler he was laughing at me for my choice in shoes- and as many times before- I just turned to him and said "eh, what doesn't kill me will just make me stronger ;)"
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