The Wall

It's been awhile since I've posted a photo of my wall. It has since grown a second tier.

Click here for blogs about the races! 

Top
Warrior Dash hat, Logan, Ohio 2011

First tier (Left to right):
Flower City Duathlon, Rochester, NY 2013
YMCA indoor Triathlon, Rochester, NY 2013
Flower City Half Marathon, Rochester, NY 2013
Quakerman Duathlon, Orchard Park, NY 2013

Second Tier
Hocking Hills Indian Run, Logan, Ohio 2010 and 2011 (my favorite medals, made of clay by school kids)
Holiday run at Sharon Woods, Columbus, Ohio, 2010
Buckeye Classic, Columbus, Ohio, 2011
Cinco de Julio, Columbus, Ohio, 2012
Flying Pig Marathon, Cincinnati, Ohio 2012
Cleveland Marathon, Cleveland, Ohio 2011
Warrior Dash, Logan, Ohio 2011
Columbus Marathon, Columbus, Ohio, 2011
First on the First, Westerville, Ohio 2011
First on the First, Westerville, Ohio 2012

Bottom:
Sticker from the Highlander Cycle Tour, Canandaigua, NY 2012
Rochester Autumn Clasic Duathlon, first in my age group, Rochester, NY 2012
Tough Mudder sweatband, Attica, Indiana 2011, atop a photo of my Columbus friends
Keuka Lake Triathlon race bib, Penn Ya, NY 2013
Reindeer run antler ears, Rochester, NY 2012
A Nu Race Trail Run, Perrysville, Ohio 2011, first overall female

Reflecting on Boston, my trip to Columbus becomes more significant

At the finish line of the 2010 Columbus Marathon, a finisher took a quick veer toward the crowd. He emerged with his daughter, maybe two or three, and carried her across the finish line.

The end of a marathon is the ultimate display of humanity. Whether they're trying to get faster or finish, whether they're trying to beat three hours or six, everyone who crosses that line had the courage to set an ambitious goal and see it through.

Just as important as the people crossing are those on the sidelines. They brave the traffic, and the crowds to cheer on friends and family. They bring warm clothes, congratulate those who make their goal, and are there to console those who missed it by two minutes.

I can only say what has been repeated at length about what happened Monday. The bombings were senseless and inhumane. Why anyone would target a marathon is as answer-less as why anyone would target a movie theater or a school. There are some bad people in this world.

But for every terrible act in this world, there are hundreds of good acts that often go unrecognized. In the running community you'll find some of the most competitive spirits, but also the kindest hearts.

Reflecting on this tragedy, which hit a little bit too close to home, my thought patterns shifted to all the wonderful people who I've met along the way, and how they've shaped my life. The funny thing is, I don't even know all their names.

Me, Evelyn and Beth at the Warrior Dash. 

My running journey began in 2010. I was watching the finish line of the marathon that morning to meet someone who at that point had just been an online friend, Bill A., and we'd head to a meet-up of others in our online forum. I'd also meet Karen B. that day, who is also a friend and has provided so much encouragement along the way.

I don't think Molly B. knows how much responsibility she holds in me becoming a marathoner. Also an online friend, she was there at the finish of my first 5K, told me she recognized the runner's high, and told me this wouldn't be my only race. Then of course there was my trainer at the time, Jason S. who helped prepare me for this life changing journey. Evelyn H. was alongside me also at the first 5K.

Molly's the one who told me about the Marathoner in Training Program, with fearless leader Jeff Henderson and Fleet Feet Columbus. At the first informational session, I met Randy O. I'd join his pace team, and he'd always be there to answer my pesky, panicky questions.

I met Beth O. in my pace group. We'd later embark upon two epic mud runs together. She was there for me when I became single for the first time in years.

My mom was there at Mile 15 of my first marathon, when I was starting to doubt myself. Michele H was the first familiar face I saw at the end. I had trained with Kim B., Sarah H. and Michelle W. all season, and looking forward to swapping stories got me through the toughest miles.

There was Jamie W., who met up with me at 3 a.m. to do my final long run before the Columbus Marathon. That morning she put it in my head that maybe I'd like to be a spin instructor, something I'm so happy I pursued.

At Columbus, there are too many names to tag, but I'll never forget approaching the finish line, every step feeling like agony, and Jeanne B. running a short ways alongside me with cowbells and a pom pom.

Me and Brandie before Cincy.

2012 brought injury. The first day I had to drop back during a long run, Bill B. wouldn't leave me alone on the trail. Brandie D. was my shoulder to cry on, and so much more. When I found out I should go Gluten Free, Kim B. met me at a workout one morning with a whole bag of goodies.

I persevered and dropped back to a slower pace group, where Michele H. led me on some of the most memorable runs. Richard B. was the ultimate inspiration, fighting through as much injury as he has had, it kept me going.

This led to my slowest and most fun marathon, the Flying Pig, with my dear friend Rebecca E. who has also always been there for me.

Richard B. encouraged me to start coaching, but I only lasted a few weeks before I got the job offer in Rochester. Leaving this group made the decision hard.

Now, in Rochester, I'm realizing I need to come out of my shell. I have some great training partners, Megan D. and Victoria F., and I can't say enough about John H. and the folks at the Downtown Fitness Club. Matt S. helped me with my strength training which helped my speed and my swimming and encouraged me to go for a Century, but it's time to seek out a group.

Sara and I cheering at Capital City in 2012

There are so many I haven't mentioned here. Jess F., Deb V., Sara W., and others. But if you've joined me for even one run, I can promise you've shaped my life in some way.

I'm looking forward to returning to Columbus for the Capital City Half Marathon, where I can see everyone. I've been thinking about all of you since Monday, and realizing I need to build a similar support system here in Rochester.

To repeat a Facebook meme, if this bomber wanted to stop us, he targeted the wrong group of people.

Because running is a team sport.

Cleveland Marathon cheering and a college reunion

All I have to say to those that ran the Cleveland Marathon this weekend: Yowzas, you're brave. This heat was killer.

I was up in Cleveland anyway because I have a newborn niece and the reunion of Daily Kent Stater employees at Kent State University all happened to fall on the same weekend. So I was home but not really home -- I was up and running around the entire time.

I'll get to the reunion in a second, but to stay on topic, first: The marathon. Cleveland is a big one, so I wanted to make sure the runners I knew could see me. So I got a bright green posterboard, a bright green backpack and Mr. Fox in Socks.

The posterboard turned into this... 15 names in total on the sign, and turns out I forgot a few:

Note to self: Next time, don't skimp on the magic markers: My hands were covered in cheap ink by the time we left!

My fellow pace coach Richard B. was also in town to cheer so we met up and headed to Tremont, a really  cool town with lots of shade. We tried to catch our runners at Mile 9.5 but the crowds were so thick that we missed quite a few. We yelled after Deb M. but I don't know if she saw us. A very peppy Michele H. bounced over and gave us high fives. The 10:30 coaches Randy and Jill breezed by, I had no idea they were running! I saw a long lost friend from high school run past, my sister's sister-in-law looking strong in her first half, and college friend Kali, who blogs here.

Runners in Tremont.

This part of the race was fun. There was good crowd support and the temperature wasn't too bad. When we saw our last person, we headed over to Mile 22 on St. Clair and E. 55th street. Here, things were different.

2012: The official goals post

As this is auto-posting, I'm getting back into a familiar routine.

While most of the world is sleeping in on Saturday morning, once again I'm up early. Before dawn early. I'm putting on my cold weather gear, packing a bag of warm clothes to change into after, and warming up the Fit.

I'm driving 40 minutes to join the long procession of cars turning into Thomas Worthington High School for the Marathoner in Training program (MIT). Jeff's going to gather all 400 of us in the gym to kick the winter season off. He'll call out "10:30s!!!" then we hit the Olentangy Trail, sun, rain, sleet or snow. We'll yearn for the heat of summer, just as we yearned for the cold of winter in August.

I'm going to stop with the "I must be crazy for doing this" posts. It's a foregone conclusion. We're all crazy in our own little ways. I just choose to blog about it.

All 400 of us share one same personality trait: We're all goal oriented, some to the point of obsession. The magic number is called a PR, a personal record, and each one of us is there because we're determined to beat it.

The PR could be a goal distance, for many first timers it's simply to run as far as you can, to the marathon or half marathon point. That was my ambition my first season of MIT, training for Cleveland. 

But once you complete that distance, you now have a time to beat. Some simply want to beat their time, others set a new goal time. I ran a 4:32 in Cleveland, and sought to run Columbus in 4:20. That was the number that was burned into my head in my second season of MIT. I smashed through that goal, running Columbus in 4:13.

Nervous ramblings as race day approaches

*****GULP*****


The Columbus Marathon is SUNDAY!

To say I'm nervous would be a vast understatement. This is marathon #2, and what I'm going to write is complete deja vu from what I wrote before Cleveland:

"Here's what killed my confidence... I'm ashamed to say it but I dropped the ball on my training."

So, yea, totally dropped the ball on my training -- and I don't have a move to blame it on this time.

Everything went great through the final 12 (well, 13.1) mile run. Then I went out two days later. And my legs just wouldn't move! I ran with Karl in Granville, he tried to push me to no avail, I gave up after 1.5 miles.

Ok, I needed rest. I took 2 days off. I was visiting my parents and tried to go out for 3 miles that Friday. Part of it was maybe the big dinner, but this time 2.5 miles was too much. Now I'm getting nervous.

The next day was my Spinning certification class, which I'll blog about in a separate post (likely after the marathon). I let two really difficult spin classes take the place of the 8-mile run. I burned almost 800 calories between them, so I didn't feel guilty.

The marathon playlist

Who wants to contribute to my marathon playlist?

As I was driving down to Pike County for an assignment this morning I started thinking about what I'm going to put on the playlist for the Columbus Marathon, one month from today. I'm going to build it on my blog, starting with songs that jog amusing and/or happy thoughts, and songs that remind me of wonderful people. So if you consider yourself a wonderful person suggest a song and I'll add it to the list.

I blogged about my Cleveland Marathon playlist here and here.

• Creed, "Rain" -- The song I started the Cleveland Marathon to
• Beatles, "The Long and Winding Road" - The song I finished the Cleveland Marathon to
• Queen, "Somebody to Love" - During Cleveland somebody ran next to me and said "Thanks for sharing the queen". At that point I realized my iPod was too loud!
• ??? "Cleveland Rocks" - During Cleveland...
• Bruce Springsteen, "Rosalita" -- After completing the Cleveland Marathon I was so excited to go back to MIT but my iPod was dead so I made a mix CD for the ride to Worthington my first day back. This was the first track on the CD (which is still in my car).

• OAR, "Heaven" -- Song that got me through my 18-miler this season, and it reminds me of the day they used my iPod in spin
• Rilo Kiley, "With Arms Outstretched" - Got me through my first 14-miler of the season
• Aretha, "RESPECT" - Jess F and I got dragged on stage after the Cinco de Julio race. What a fun night!
• Melissa Etheridge, "I Run for Life" -- Reminds me of Gigi :(
• Lady Gaga, "The Edge of Glory" -- Got me through many workouts this year
• Wilco, "Summerteeth" -- Reminds me of my trip to Florida
• Dave Matthews Band, "Best of What's Around" -- Reminds me of college
• Girl Talk, "In Step" -- Don't know why, but reminds me of driving around Maine
• Better than Ezra, "Desperately Wanting" -- Reminds me of high school cross country
• Glee, "One" -- My favorite musical performance on Glee
• Bruce, "Blinded by the Light" -- The song Kelly referenced on The Office while making fun of Glee
• ???, "Midnight Train to Georgia" -- Reminds me of my favorite scene in 30 Rock when Kenneth tries to leave after realizing he is addicted to **gasp** caffeine!!
• Tom Petty, "American Girl" -- Song they played in Parks and Recreation when Leslie pulled off the harvest festival. I want to try to download "The Pit"!
• Beatles, "Strawberry Fields Forever" -- Charlie's tattoo on Lost! 
• ???, "Hang on Sloopy" -- Well, I'm running the Columbus Marathon
• New Pornographers, "Adventures in Solitude" -- Driving to Pike County today I got the "low battery" notice on my shuffle. I decided that the song that was playing when it died would make the list. This was it.
• Death Cab, "Movie Script Ending" -- Reminds me of my summer on the Cape
• Bruce Springsteen, "The Rising" -- Reminds me of covering politics in Maine in 2008
• Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling" -- Reminds me of my sisters wedding
• Black Eyed Peas, "One Tribe" -- Reminds me of endless hours on the elliptical trainer as I was getting back into fitness
• Kris Allen, "Live Like You're Dying" -- One of the few songs I liked of the god awful songs they always played at Aspen Fitness
  
• Offspring, "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" -- Crossfit at Ohio Krav Maga and Fitness

So here's where I need your help, suggest songs and I'll add you to the list!!

• Shakira, "Waka Waka" - Reminds me of Jess F!
• Florence and the Machine, "Dog Days are Over" -- Reminds me of Jamie K (who might join me in my next venture, which I have yet to announce = 0 )
• Brittany, "3" -- Reminds me of Becky E., we must run together soon!!
• Linkin Park, "Waiting for the End"; and Beyonce, "Single Ladies" -- Reminds me of that crazy night out with Beth O.! 
• That song that goes "Bow-chick-a-wow-wow whatcha gonna do" BETH WHAT IS IS??? -- Reminds me of my Warrior Ladies Beth O. and Evelyn H.

My fledgling wall of accomplishments

It's cleaning/organizing day in the new apartment, and I finally did something with the small collection of medals from various races, and of course my 1st place plaque from the Nu Race Trial Run! 

A closeup of the medals: 

From left to right: Holiday Run at Sharon Woods, First on the First, Cleveland Marathon, Hocking Hills Indian Run. 

Maybe I'll put a small shelf up and display the beer glasses I got from Salt Fork and the Beerathlon! 

Photos from Cleveland and the MIT celebration!

We are now five days past the marathon and I am mostly recovered. I still feel a little shakiness in the knees. I still feel a little stiffness getting up and sitting down. And most of all I have just been tired.

But more importantly, I have pictures! These are both the Brightroom proofs of the official race pics, and also photos of the wonderful 10:30 gathering on Wednesday at Champps in Columbus.

First the official race photos. Hands down my favorite, I know it was taken during the last .2 miles because I took my earbuds out at the 26th mile marker.

And a nice, blurry procession of me finishing:

 

 

MIT Team 10:30 met at Champps on Wednesday to celebrate all of our races! What an amazing group of people and set of accomplishments! I felt naked with only one medal!

This is Coach Randy, me and Kim. Randy ran the Gettysburg North-South Marathon and Kim ran Cap City.

Sarah, who ran the Pittsburgh full and Katie, who ran the Flying Pig and Cap City halves.

Me, Sarah and Kim.

And speaking of medals, Michelle K. from our pace team pointed out a typo on the medal! The Rite Aid logo says 2010 marathon! It's ok, it still says 2011 in large, funky, psychedelic type!

And, for no reason whatsoever, this is the cat that has taken up residence outside my apartment window. I think it gets great pleasure from torturing my dogs.

Marathon coverage from the Plain Dealer

Plain Dealer photo of everyone running down the Shoreway.

This morning, stairs are the enemy. Yesterday was phenomenal, though. See my race report here, my music report here, my expo loot here, and my race plan here.

And here's some coverage from the Plain Dealer:

An excellent piece about the growth of the marathon, and racing in general:

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Running so hot, race is running out of spots

"From his vantage point on the West Coast, Lamppa said Cleveland's recent creation and promotion of an "Experience" also are not to be underestimated. Just as the "Flying Pig" image pays off at the Cincinnati Marathon, so is Cleveland's hippie theme working wonders.

"There's something about that funky, psychedelic look that I personally am drawn towards," he said. Cleveland's found a way to brand its event, and that matters."

Coverage of the event itself

Rain, wind and cold fails to dampen enthusiasm at 34th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon


"What looked like an opaque wall of early morning mist stood between 19,000 runners Sunday morning and a successful 34th running of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.

The mist didn't stand a chance..."

I love reading the stories about why people participate: 

A cool morning on the lakefront brings plenty of great stories

"The 34th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon brought nearly 19,000 runners and walkers downtown. Thousands more lined the streets to cheer for them. It's a big event, but one comprised of so many little stories..."

Their photo gallery is here. I can't wait to see the official race photos!!

They also have this video of the race starting. It's about 1 minute long. It took me 7 minutes to reach the start line. I was in the middle of the pack. 

I requested today off, so I'm being lazy. My quads hurt the most. Going to use the foam roller and walk the dogs later to work out the lactic acid, and head back to Newark tonight.

Cleveland Marathon 2011 race report

I AM A MARATHONER!

I ran the Cleveland Marathon today in 4:32:50. I was 1,790th of 3,160 full participants, 554th among women and 116th in my division.

My splits were: 10:20, 10:21, 10:19, 10:24, 10:09, 11:31, 10:36, 10:27, 10:53, 10:31, 10:41, 11:26, 10:27, 11:07, 10:49, 10:32, 10:43, 10:47, 10:27, 10:37, 9:31, 9:48, 9:12, 9:10, 9:07, 9:00, 3:46 (.49 per Garmin).

Full Daily Mile data here. 

So I'll just start at the beginning of one crazy day! I'm still reeling, so some edits will likely be necessary tomorrow.

I was up at 5 and downtown by 5:45. The exits were already blocked off so my mom managed to drop me off a few blocks away. The Plain Dealer reported that there were almost 20,000 runners in the various events, it was a madhouse! Check out the photo on the link that has everyone running down the shoreway.

We were in Browns' stadium so I was happy for lots of bathrooms and places to spread out. I warmed up just enough to get the heart rate up, then stretched for a long time. The starting corral was really chaotic and disorganized, I ended up having to walk across the mud to get in the very vicinity of where I needed to be. They got us worked up with "Cleveland Rocks"

Once it starts it takes me 7 minutes to reach the start, so the clocks on the course were worthless, but I had my Garmin. I try my best to stick with the 4:45 pace group but it was difficult. I ended up back with the 5 hour group at the beginning and did some zigzagging to catch up (probably why my Garmin said 26.49 at the end)

I caught up to the 4:45s but lost them quickly. They stopped at every water station (every two miles) so it often took some time to get in step with them after. I only really stopped at 6, 12, 18 and 22. 

Still, the first two miles along the shoreway were a lot of fun, the energy was unreal, I liked being by the lake, and passing Edgewater Park where my high school cross country team used to train. Some complained about the hill as we ran up the on-ramp. I've done much, much worse.  

The first 10K was a breeze. It was really hard restraining myself, I wanted to speed up. 

The second 6 and change took us through Tremont and Carnegie Ave. which was a really phenomenal part of the course. The crowd support was unreal. I ran a lot of this without my iPod because there were bands and people playing music everywhere! 

Just before the halfs turned off, I hit a marathoner's jackpot -- a port-a-john with no line. (The port-a-john lines were another chief complaint I've heard of the event). With the Indians' stadium in sight there were lots of cheers as we bid farewell to the half marathoners. 

Then things started to get real. 

I was back with the pace group at this point, and as we headed down Euclid Ave. toward the east side I was really glad for it. As we got through the CSU campus and left downtown things got really quiet. I started to get tired. The pace group started to get chatty. That helped. 

Miles 13-19 were definitely the hardest. At one point I got ahead of the group and ended up stopping to stretch my knees and ankles while they caught up. I see my mom around Mile 15, which gave me a boost. Miles 16-19 I went for all the peppy, make me smile songs on my iPod. Usually these make me speed up, but in between my exhaustion and the pace team I stuck to 10-11 min miles. 

I think the double caffeine Gu kicked in at Mile 19 because at this point I found some new energy. Around 19.5 I realized the pace group was behind me. I told myself I'd stick with them for the first 20 -- close enough. I kick it up to 9-9:30. I turned off the fast pace alert set to 10:00. My iPod, set to shuffle on the 12-hour playlist was all about the classic rock, which was perfect. 

At this point every single muscle was screaming. My legs feel so numb. I'm soaking wet and hardly notice. But I'm passing people. This part of the course was really pretty. We turned onto a bike path as we went through several parks and along Lake Erie. I watched waves of the lovely brown waters splash against the breakers. I watched a bird eat a dead fish. I saw these people, I think they're from DetermiNation (photo from the Cap City race... the CLE signs were similar). Any distraction was a welcome distraction. I'm keeping a sub 10 pace. 

Every mile marker gave me new energy. I was going for it and was going to finish. I didn't care what my watch said. I ran the way my legs wanted to carry me. Kali, who ran the half and blogs about her running ventures, was there around Mile 24. Another boost. I passed Mile 25. I'm exhausted, dying, but I'm going to make it. 

I can't touch my iPod at this point -- the battery is dying, and my hands were so slimy, so I just took what the shuffle function gave me. First I hear Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop. Then, the Beatles' The Long and Winding Road. Then I see Mile 26 and hear cheering and music. I tuck my headphones in my FuelBelt and start sprinting. 

I cross and the first person I see is my good friend Theresa Edwards, who was volunteering and handed me my medal. I'm exhausted. Once I stop running I can barely walk but I stumble through the chute, catch up with an MIT friend. 

I remember high-fiving the guy at Mile 8 with a sign that said "18 miles til beer". I had a free drink ticket and beer was the last thing I wanted. I'm delirious. I am soaking wet. My mom brought me dry clothes. Changing was painful. 

So, after you run 26.2 miles, you eat what you please. I had yet to try Five Guys before, delicious! Then for dinner we went out for Mexican. 

At that point, I was happy for this:

And, of course, this:

I'm all signed up for the next session of MIT. I'm going to train for the Columbus full!

I know I haven't held a lot of affection for my hometown (and I know this is in my last post too), but it is only fitting that I end this post on this note:

My favorite songs from my Cleveland Marathon playlist

Race recap coming! But one of the best things I did was ask my Facebook friends for suggestions for my race playlist. I posted my full playlist (12 hours, more than I needed) yesterday. Here are some of my favorites:

Beatles -- The Long and Winding Road: This will forever be attached to the Cleveland Marathon. As the song was ending, I saw the finish line.

Queen -- Somebody to Love: This, hands down, has become my favorite song to run with. Funny thing -- I had adjusted the volume on all my old music but not the stuff I downloaded yesterday. So, while I was running, some were really loud and some were really quiet. And after the first half it was impossible to control my iPod because my hands were wet and sweaty. So, around mile 16 this song comes on, this guy starts running right next to me, and says "thanks for the Queen, it helps", yea, that was one of the loud ones.

Cleveland Rocks: How could I leave this off initially? This is what they started us off with, though it took me 7 minutes to even get to the starting line!! AND!!! Drew Carey ran his first half marathon today! How awesome is that???

Beatles -- Hey Jude: What I always play when I need to slow down!

Creed -- Rain: This has been the song of the week given the lovely weather, and was only fitting to start out with! I think it rained the entire time. I hardly noticed. 

Shakira -- Waka Waka: Suggested by Jessica F, addicting, great beat! And it's still in my head.

My Chemical Romance -- Welcome to the Black Parade, and Sing: The former was suggested by Malia R., the latter is played in spin all the time and I just love it!

P!nk -- So What: Another Malia R. suggestion! And Raise Your Glass, also a great pick-me-up!

Me First and the Gimme Gimmies -- I believe I can fly: Original version suggested by Rohit J., punk rock cover by Kyle W. Sorry, Rohit, I went the punk rock route!

Florence and the Machine -- The Dog Days are Over: Jamie K. reminded me of this one days before my race, I love it!

Fleetwood Mac -- Don't Stop: Suggested by Kerensa P. Classic! Came on toward the end, it helped push me through.

Arcade Fire -- We Used to Wait: I was running a marathon in a big city. It just fit.

Dave Matthews Band -- Grey Street: Always loved it. 

Journey -- Don't Stop Believin': Do I need to explain why? Suggested by many.

Expo time!

I'll do my "I'm in Cleveland and it's the day before race day" post in a sec, but first I have some cool stuff to show off from the expo in Cleveland today! 

As an added bonus I met up at the expo with Carl and Deb, two online friends from the Daily Mile, always weird meeting people you know online in person for the first time, but that's just the new world order of things!

Here's my race number and shirt, I love how they have both mens and womens' shirts: 

If you didn't look closely enough, they know exactly what runners will want after the race: 

I probably didn't need to buy 4 Bondi Bands, but I did: (see my Facebook question if you would like to help me select which one to wear!)

They forgot to mail it to me, but I finally got my race belt for registering early.

After tomorrow, I will have earned the right to put the oval on my car. And I just like the keychain. 

I plan on following the 4:45 pacer for the first half. This is my wristband:

The swag was somewhat disappointing (and yes, that sample does in fact say "anti-monkey butt").

I sampled these energy bars and they were very yummy, so I bought a box.

13 hours...

2011 Cleveland Marathon plan

Now, I'm just excited for race day.

I volunteered at the Capital City Half Marathon Saturday and really got caught up in the atmosphere. I was working a water station at Mile 12 and it was really exciting to see a lot of the people I've been training with this spring come through.

My goal for Cleveland is to finish in 4:45, that's a 10:53 pace. Here's a video of the course from the Plain Dealer:




I'll post screenshots of my playlists when I get them done. I'm feeling more confident now, I ran 8 Saturday after the race and it felt really easy. This is in stark contrast to earlier in the week where every step felt like a struggle. This week the mileage is really light, 3 tomorrow, 5 Tuesday, 3 Wednesday and 2 Friday. I'm going to do as much of it as I can on the treadmill to save the legs. I'll probably still spin Tuesday but take it easy. I'll do all the runs in the older Mizunos (which still have plenty of life left) and the Zoots to keep the new ones plenty of rest.

I spent some time tonight on the Cleveland Marathon website. There's a 4:45 pacer, so I'm going to follow them for the first half, then I hope to speed up. I'm going to try to be at the 5 mile mark at 49:15, 10 miles at 1:42:40, and the half at 2:16:42. I'll bring my iPod, but won't wear it at the start. I'll wear my FuelBelt, and also run with it a few times this week to get used to it. In addition to the two 8 oz bottles the FuelBelt pockets will hold: my cell phone, 3 Gus (plus there will be two on the course), Pepto in a small baggie, and Clif shotbloks, cash and my ID (for alcohol at the finish). I really wish I didn't have to carry my cell phone but I'll need it, if anything for some serious texting once I'm at the finish line, and a call for a ride home.

And I'll have my Garmin, of course, and maybe write some of the times, splits, landmarks on my arm (or on a small piece of paper in the fuelbelt.)

I'm kind of bummed, it looks like there is not runner tracking.

I've decided to wear my white MIT shirt and compression pants. I can't decide where I'm going to pin my race bib. I want it to be visible for the photos, and I'll probably go through a throwaway layer since the race starts at 8 am.

The race starts at 7. I'm going to get there an hour to an hour and a half early so I'll have plenty of time to warm up, stretch and get acclimated.

There are water stops every 2 miles, so my plan is to stop every six. Just a quick pause, take a drink and Gu, then kick it back up. I'm really glad there will be Gu and Powerade on the course since that's what I've been training with.

I'm going to try and leave work as early as I can Friday, hopefully by 2 or 3. If I leave right from work I can get to Cleveland by six and pick up my race packet that night. If not I'll hit the expo in the morning. I have to be downtown at 8 am Saturday to watch a friend run a 5K, but then I hope to relax for the rest of the day.

This week I'm going to stick to brown rice and chicken for dinner, and chicken pasta salad for lunch. Anything high-fiber is going to stay in the cabinets.

The metals are really awesome, can't wait to hang one on my wall! And get one of those cool 26.2 stickers for the Fit!

Ramblings as race day approaches

10 days until my first marathon, and to say I'm terrified would be a vast understatement. All the crazy what-ifs are running through my head.

I have race bib # 1724.

(Warning: Whiny, rambling, most likely incoherent post ahead)

Here's what killed my confidence... I'm ashamed to say it but I dropped the ball on my training. Last week I finally got into my new apartment (which is wonderful) but it also meant that I didn't run for five days. The whole moving process was just so taxing and exhausting. Wednesday and Thursday were spent packing up the old place, Friday doing the physical move, Saturday asleep (literally, I could not move), Sunday cleaning the old place, Monday unpacking the new place. I'm messy and cluttered by nature, but on the same token I can't stand not knowing where things are (like my Garmin cable... arg!) So that has added a whole new layer of stress to my day to day routine. My rule is to spend one hour each day -- no more, no less -- working on the new place. It's a bit discouraging because while I'm making slow progress, and the essentials are done, there is still so much more to do.

My diet really suffered during the move too, I think I spent a total of five days without cooking a single meal. I lived off Lucky Bamboo, Wendy's salads and Chipotle.

I didn't have much choice but to move when I did. I actually lucked out -- for awhile it was looking like it would happen this coming weekend. Still, I wish I had eeked out a mile or two during the move. I'm sure there was some athletic value to basically being on my feet for 4 days, but still it killed the momentum I had from the 22-miler.

In general 2011 thus far has been a whirlwind of major changes (I think I like peanut butter now, for one, thank you Trader Joe's). My dogs, Gigi and Lizzie, are staying with my parents for another week -- they couldn't handle the stress of the move, so running has become my constant. Thus, a lot hinges on it, and when it goes, my sanity quickly follows.

And, oh, my apartment is going to be so awesome when it's complete! It's going to be a long process. I can't wait to get some cool curtains, have a dining room table I can actually eat at, a real TV hooked up to a Roku box, to actually hang my various wall hangings on my walls, maybe I'll even paint my walls something other than white, maybe I'll even get a new living room set. I'm going to love it, but the process is a slow one. I even have a little room off my living room that I can keep the few pieces of workout equipment I have. I'm thinking about getting the Insanity series -- I hear that's awesome for agility which would be great for fall trail races. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.

So, to summarize: Last week I was a mess, but it was a means to a positive end. I'm doing much, much better this week. Monday I ran 4 and went to spin class. I felt like hell. Tuesday I did 5 on the treadmill and also did spin class. I felt great. They say to drop the cross training as race day approaches, but I find the spinning really helps my knees. I took today off, tomorrow is 6 and Friday is 4. I think I'm going to do my 8 on Sunday, then I'll look at the final week.

If there's one thing Jeff Henderson and Randy Olson have drilled into our brains this year in MIT it's to have a plan for race day and race weekend. So here it is (oh dear gawd it starts a week from tomorrow):

Thursday: Pack everything I can possibly think I might even need. Be ready to grab my stuff and go after work Friday.
Friday: Get off work, drive to Cleveland.
Saturday: Take it easy. Maybe get a massage. Hang out with the family. Watch Theresa Edwards run her first 5K, pick up my packet and race bib 1724, enjoy the expo.
Ok, that was the easy part.
Sunday: How early should I arrive? Ack, I don't know, the race starts at 7!!! At any rate, wake up at hotel Mom and Dad and awake one of the loving cab drivers for a ride downtown.
What I'm going to wear: My orange Mizunos, non-cotton socks, Under Armour compression tights, one of my good sports bras, pink tank top. One or two throwaway layers depending on the weather. I need to go to Fleet Feet to get something that says MIT on it that's not a shirt. If it's a hat, then I'll wear that, if not then I'll wear my Pearl Izumi visor. Headband. My Garmin and HRM.
What I'll bring: My Fuel Belt for the pockets, and my Amphipod water bottle. I'm going to bring 4 Gus, though I don't know if I'll need all of them. I'm going to Gu every hour, with maybe an extra if it's warm out. I'll keep my cell phone in the FuelBelt pocket -- normally I prefer not to run with it but I'll have some texting to do immediately after.
The strategy: It's a flat course, and I have hill trained, so I'm not worried about inclines. I want to finish in 4:45 or less. That's a 10:53 pace. I have trained at 10:30, but I need to consider that breaks are considered in the final time. I'm going to do the first six at an 11:00 pace, then speed up from there.
Breaks: I'll break every 4 miles for water, Gu and whatever else I need. Water stops are every 2 miles.
After: Find Gatorade. Find beer and an apocalyptic supply of any food I might be craving. Call cab Mom or Dad for a ride home. Sleep lots.

After the marathon: Do nothing for a week. I mean nothing. No activity beyond walking the animals. Recover completely. Eat liberally. The week after I'll start back lightly.

If I gain five pounds those weeks, I gain five pounds, plenty of time to work it off when MIT starts up again May 28 and I start training for Columbus :)

It's amazing how an hour's worth of blogging, Facebook chatting, 2 glasses of White Zin and oven fries can really change your outlook! I've got this! I'll sing my ode to MIT and all the other wonderful people racing May 15 in another post.

22 miles done, and time to taper

Today, I realized that the marathon is totally in the bag.

I had my 22-mile run with MIT. Toward the end, I was hurting, really hurting,  but ultimately I could have kept going for 4.2 more miles. And, coming off nearly 3 weeks of maintenance, I know I'll get it done.

In a backwards way I'm glad it was humid out. This was our first really humid run, so now I'll know I survived it come race day. Heck, we've had every other type of weather.

The run was fun, the coaches took shifts so the 3 of us running 22 had company the whole way. I remember getting a pit in my stomach at mile 8, realizing I was only halfway done. Mile 14-15 took us up and around OSU stadium so we had the fun distraction of watching the pre-game shenanigans. I started to feel really tired around Mile 18, Mile 19 felt like an eternity. After the last water stop we had 1.5 left, and somehow I found the energy to really push it in -- I think my brain and body wanted it to be done with.

22 miles in 3:49, average pace of 10:26. Splits were: 10:52, 10:27, 10:47, 10:37, 10:32, 10:34, 9:03, 10:02, 10:29, 10:19, 10:34, 10:28, 10:32, 11:17, 10:44, 10:29, 10:53, 10:26, 10:42, 10:26, 10:08, 9:15.

That gives me 44 miles for the week, my highest yet.

Maybe I'll update later with some more stats... I'm curious to see what my April total will be.

Hitting the big 2-0... Now, I feel better

Today, I got up at 4:30 a.m. and ran 20 miles. Mentally I'm feeling great, race day is approaching very quickly and getting past 20 was a huge confidence-boost for the 26.2. Physically, my legs feel pretty much like you'd expect them to feel after running 20 miles.

This week was also my first 40-mile week.

The Cleveland Marathon is now 35 days away. May 15. Just over a month from now.

Most of the full marathoners were going early so I sucked it up, woke up at 4:30, and was at Thomas Worthington at 6. The first 9 miles were very peaceful, we ran on the Olentangy Trail to the gazebo, up through Worthington Hills and back to the school. Worthington Hill wasn't that bad the first time. The fatigue started to hit as we went up the hill to the school.

We met up with the full 10:30 MIT crew at 8 back at the school and headed out again. Things were starting to get sore, but I was distracted for the next three miles because the whole group was with us and they, just starting out, had a lot of energy.  (continued)

I'm still alive, sorta

I'm still alive, I'm still around, I've just had to take a hiatus from blogging for awhile. Life has been pretty nuts, I'm in the process of moving so I've been doing a lot of packing and cleaning. Work has just been pretty nuts with the Kasich budget, and marathon training is just kicking my butt.

After the second 18-miler I just got into a real rut. I was exhausted all the time, everything hurt while running, it wasn't enjoyable at all. Then a nasty cold forced me to take a few days off. Now I'm back, and today was one of those run-past-the-turnaround-point-without-even-noticing runs. And tomorrow: 20 miles. I'm ready, I'm confident.

Cleveland marathon in 36 days. I'm ready!

Yasso, Death Valley, 18 miles, and a very tired me

I won a book and got it autographed.

I've been neglecting my blog all week. I'm not dead. Actually, I'm in pretty good shape and quite healthy. Just been tired. And busy. In a nutshell, if I haven't been passed out exhausted, I've been packing up in hopes of finally leaving my crappy apartment. And, as much as I love MIT, I'm looking forward to finally getting off road at Alum Creek tomorrow.

First things first -- Bart Yasso spoke to MIT last week and he was amazing. He was so remarkable, had so many stories (Bare Buns run, Beth?)

And yea, I thought the Warrior Dash was crazy?  Bush league. He had some hilarious stories from the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135-mile race through Death Valley.

After we got to run with Bart for a bit, which was just fantastic, though I really didn't get to talk to him, there is photographic evidence of the experience!

I'm the one in the blue jacket waving my arms.

Saturday's run was wonderful, but insane. It was our first 18-mile day. Me and another in our group, Bill, started out behind so we ran sub-9:00 miles to catch up with the rest of the 10:30s. We slowed to regular pace for awhile. Our group shrunk considerably after the halfs turned off, and we were down to 4 by the turnaround. Then someone took a spill, so I ran ahead with Bill from the group. We were definitely headed back fast -- we ended at a sub-10:00 pace. I also tried Gu, it wasn't bad.

Here are the splits: (There are a lot of splits)
8:23, 8:58, 9:32, 10:16, 11:06, 10:08, 10:24, 10:10, 10:12, 10:11, 10:12, 10:12, 9:59, 10:08, 9:43, 9:22, 9:12, 9:56.

That gave me 36 miles for the week, a new record.

I felt great during and after the run. I was feeling good through lunch, through my dentists appointment, through shopping at Easton. Took the dogs for a walk, relaxed and watched a movie, didn't even need my usual nap.

And Sunday morning... crash. Seriously, I woke up way late in immense pain. Everything hurt. And I was so tired. I remember lying on my couch, and the alarm went off to switch laundry, and it took a good half hour to get my lazy butt up to do it. Monday wasn't any better, getting out of bed to go to work was rough. I eeked out 3 miles on the treadmill at a 12:00 pace. I woke up Tuesday with random cramps in my legs. I took the day off. Wednesday I went 6 on the bike trail, felt good during and immediately after but the soreness came back. I felt good doing three with Lizzie the dog yesterday, but my knees were hurting after. Today I'm feeling better. I haven't done any lifting or spinning this week, and I only did one yoga class.

I'm giving up on New Rules of Lifting for Women until after my marathon, it's a good program but it's just too cumbersome right now. A friend in my pace group recomended a body weight routine I'm going to try (thanks Kim).

Thankfully, it's a taper week, so I just have 10 tomorrow, and I'll end at 22 for the week (as opposed to last week's 36).

Instead of going to MIT, I'm doing the Conquer the Creek Trail Run at Alum Creek tomorrow morning. I'm really excited, though I've been neglecting my hill training (another thing that's probably going to take a backseat until marathon day). I think it will be good for my legs to get off the pavement too. Tonight I'm headed over to the Banyan Leaf Spa at Cherry Valley Lodge for a massage, a Groupon deal. That will help too.

The race is 6.5 miles, so I'm meeting up with a friend I met at the Granville Winter Run for a 3.5 mile warm up. I've never been to Alum Creek before, should be fun.

Next week the long run is 18 again, then the week after is 10. I'm finally transitioning onto the proper training program!

I'm hoping to move very soon, my apartment is way too much for me. I've been sorting through everything I own and getting rid of a lot of stuff, trying to simplify. I want to stay with my landlord, plus I'm still under a lease, so I'm hanging tight until he has something else open up. I feel so unsettled right now, hopefully that will change soon! 

Cleveland Marathon... 57 days!