16.2 miles!

16 miles in one day.  I guess, if you want to be all technical, I did do the Walk for Hunger when I was in high school.  It was not a good day.  My dad dropped me off at a friend's house and I was wearing jeans, crappy  sneakers, and a t-shirt.  I was not an active kid, but I didn't really realize how much walking 20 miles would be.  Oh! I did bring an extra pair of socks because someone in our group recommended it.  He said at the half way point, we would all stop and change our socks.  (he wasn't wrong)  So, 20 miles is a long way.  It's even longer if you only walk from class to class and home from the bus stop and then one Sunday decide to join your friends for a 20 miles walk.  It was a long time ago, but I remember my hands swelled up to twice their size, changing socks halfway through was a wonderful idea, I got a ride home from a friend of a friend and could barely get out of their car, and then next day walking class to class was torture.  14 year old me would not believe that 32 year old me would run a marathon.

So, snow again last weekend.  I did end up running my long run on Thursday again.  I woke up with a bit of a stomach ache (totally not from ice cream the night before, why would you think that?) and slept in a little bit.  Plus, the dog seemed tired and I didn't want him to sleep in alone.  (he is currently asleep under my feet near the space heater)

Something I really need to keep in mind is just how long long runs take.  Getting up late and then running for 3 hours or so is really going to put a dent in your day.  Just FYI to future me. 

Because I felt better after some extra sleep and because I knew schedule and snow-wise that this was the only day I could really make this all work out, I packed up my GU, mixed up some Gatorade, and went for it.  I am always amazed by how quickly time can pass when a run is feeling really really great.  I really enjoy my running route and have come up with various modifications of it so that I can use the basic loop for almost any distance.  The sidewalks were still not amazing, so I stuck to the side of the road when I needed to.  The weather was beautiful and the wind wasn't too bad.  I made it maybe 6.5 miles and decided I should probably eat some GU.  Now, I hadn't really thought about the combination or flavors, but do yourself a favor and get peanut butter GU and grape Gatorade.  It works.  You're welcome. One more suggestion- make sure you buy regular Gatorade and not G2.   It's good, but I probably could have used the extra stuff in the regular kind.

Too low

Just don't look at it while you eat it.

Something else I've noticed about running later in the day- all of the pizza places are open for business and smell amazing.  And they are everywhere.  Winchester and Woburn are full of pizza places, funeral homes, and cemeteries.  I'm not kidding, check it out.

I made it through about 11 miles with only breaks to walk on the snow and ice and then a couple of stops for traffic lights.  Nothing too crazy. I decided to mix a little walking in now because of the "walk before you think you need to" advice.  It's a hard thing to gauge.  

I really felt great during this run for about 14.2 miles.  Then (as I said on DailyMile) I wondered if I could call a cab.  Is that allowed?  My toes were sore, knees have seen better days, and I had stepped in a big puddle around mile 12.  I was out of Gatorade and water and the wind picked up just enough to make things a little annoying.  I made it. It wasn't pretty, but I made it.  I got home and had to take the dog out.  If any neighbors were looking out the window at the idiot in running tights trying to clean up after her dog, they must have had quite a laugh.  It was an ordeal.  A long and painful ordeal.  

I got home to stretch and "foam" roll.  Oh! So, the roller I bought wasn't quite enough.  I got some advice from my boss at the YMCA and bought PVC pipe.  No kidding.  

Seriously. 

It works. It is 10x more effective (for me) than a foam roller.  I'm not a doctor or an expert, so please don't do anything I say without checking in with one!  I will say, it's a little weird to get used to because it's more slippery AND it's staticy, so there will a hair/fur situation.  Also, your dog will try to put all of his toys on your lap as you roll your hamstrings.  

Thursday afternoon and night was little tough.  Not as bad as I thought, but not super comfortable.  Plus I had to face these at rehearsal:

COME on!

This week is a little step back week, so my long run is only 12 miles.  That sounds wonderful.  This week, the snow is supposed to come tomorrow and Thursday, so I may even get to run on the weekend.  

Please don't forget- you can donate here!   

And March 9th is the long awaited return of Close Enough!  All of the cover charge goes towards marathon fundraising.

Oh the weather outside is weather...

Something I hadn't thought too much about when I signed on for the marathon was what the weather was going to be like during training.  I know I live in New England and it's winter, but it was just so mild last year that I didn't think about it too much.  I've run in the winter before, but I wasn't really training for anything, so if it was bad out, I'd go inside and run on the treadmill or use some other machine.  I took a lot of Spin classes instead of running.  There's really no way around running outside in the winter if you're planning on a marathon in April, though!

There's nothing wrong with treadmill running.  In fact, I've read that if you set your treadmill on a slight incline, you can duplicate a little bit of the effort of running outside.  My problem is, I can only run for about half an hour indoors before I want to scream.  I vary the speed, I listen to music, I even watch TV and I just can't mentally do it.  3 miles indoors is my mental limit, so long runs are out of the question.  I feel like a 10 mile run outdoors goes by way faster than 3 on a machine.  

Last week, I ran longer than I ever have in the past- 15.5 miles!  I've run two half marathons and run one long 13 mile training run, and at the end of all of them I thought "Yeah, that's enough", so I wasn't sure how this would go.  In my last entry, I talked about the group 13 mile run in Boston.  There were ups and downs and at the end, I was pretty done.  The week after that was a 'step back' week in the long run miles, just 10 (just).  It was fairly uneventful.  I did it on Thursday instead of waiting for the weekend because we had some ("some") snow coming.  I practiced adding in some walking per the advice of my new running friend at the gym Bob.  He's run 16 marathons, so I feel like his advice is worth listening to.  He said that if you add in some walking as the mileage goes up, recovery after is a little easier.  Sold.  PS- there was quite a lot of snow, so it turns out that was a good plan.  

Winston is not a fan of the snow.

Ok- back to last week's 15+ miler.  I'm really really trying to not worry about my speed.  I'm not fast to begin with, and that's fine, but I need to remember that my goal is to finish this time around.  15 miles felt pretty good.  I did it on a Thursday again because, wouldn't you know it, we had more snow on the way.  It was beautiful out, but the sidewalks sucked. I tried to stay on them for the first few miles, but after slipping a few times, I just ran on the side of the road.  The streets on my route are pretty wide and I got back to the sidewalk when I could, but it was much much safer this way.  I walked a bit here and there (some of it was because of snow or ice, some was intentional).  I can't decide how I feel about the walking.  Cardio wise- the walk isn't needed (slow, remember?) but I wonder if it is helping my knees/legs/feet at all.  Sometimes the short walking break is welcome, but it's harder to start back up again at the miles get higher.  

Also- I faced my fear of geese.

They're plotting something.

I had one hiss and chase me last year, but it was with a bunch of little baby geese.  I kept my distance, but man they're mean!  These guys just moved out of the way all three times I passed them. (most of them moved to the left, but one of them just kept running forward in front of me for a while until it figure it all out). 

Overall, the run was great.  (I did sink into some snow trying to hit the "walk" button at an intersection.  I figured it out for the second and third pass)  I actually enjoy the long miles by myself.  I was worried I would go a little crazy just running for that long, but it's weirdly relaxing.  You can't really do anything else but run, enjoy some music (if that's your kind of thing), and take in the scenery.  Since it was a long run, it did require my super sexy Fuel Belt and some GU.  That stuff totally helps, but wow the last thing you want to do is down something that tastes like frosting while you're working out.  Some people seem to be into those jelly beans, but I feel like I would bite my tongue while I tried to chew and run.  

So this week, the long run is 16.  I'll probably do it tomorrow because I hear there's more snow coming. Awesome.  

There is still time to DONATE!  Think of me downing some peanut butter GU tomorrow morning running on the side of the road, trying to avoid geese. 

Saturday- February 23-  I am hosting a Zumba class at the rehearsal space at Stoneham Theatre!  12:00pm, $10 all proceeds go to marathon fundraising!  It's a great chance to try Zumba with a fun group of people :)  

Also - March 9th marks the return of Close Enough!  $5 cover at Dockside Restaurant in Malden and again, all proceeds go to marathon fundraising!  

Run to Remember Half Marathon

This past Sunday, I ran in my second half marathon (the first was the Wicked Half Marathon in Salem in 2007).   One thing I wish I were better at is taking picture while I run... though, maybe I'm amazing at it and have no idea, I didn't actually try.

I was worried on Thursday as I did my last pre-half run because it kind of sucked. It was hot and humid and I had been running in the cool rain so much that it was weird to get used to.  

Saturday, I think I may have over done it on the carbs.  No, no, I'm positive I over did it on the carbs.  I felt fine on Sunday, but I just had a one person carb party on Saturday (ok, and Sunday).  I mean, I only ran 13.1 miles... not 13.1 hours. (I did make sure I had those magic wheat berries, though)

Capris from Marshalls, tank from Old Navy,
sneakers, my number, my phone arm band,
heart rate monitor, bandanna, and NOT a
fanny pack... GU belt... shut up.

The night before, I set out my clothes because I was going to have to get up pretty early if I was going to eat a little something and then give myself some time to digest so it wouldn't bother my stomach as I ran.  I'm terrible at eating before I run.  (I will say, I felt great while I was running, so I should figure out how to do it without getting up at 4:30am to do it) 

So, I got out of bed at 4:45am and ate my breakfast while watching a really old episode of Law and Order.  that guest starred Julia Roberts.  

ugh

Breakfast of champions. I hope this sale at Target doesn't
mean the end of the Honey Pretzel variety of Luna Bars. 

I'm possibly still asleep here.

I got ready and drove out to Boston. I think I made it there at about 6:15am.  I parked in a lot close by (never again... we'll come back to this) and walked over to the Seaport World Trade Center.  

People were running from their cars to the start line....
cool it, guys, there'll be plenty of that later.

I wandered around the expo for a little while, avoiding the pushy sales people, picking up some free GU to add to my stash, and then walked over to my pacing area so I would have a space.

I was hoping to run around this time.

I hung out for a while and ate one chocolate GU packet 15 minutes before the start.  PS- they mean it when they say wash it down with water.  It just kind of hangs out and threatens acid reflux until you do.

So many people!

I decided not to use my GPS app because it's a total battery killer.  I just listened to my playlist.  Oh! I decided (a little late) to ask some friends for one song suggestion so that when it came up during the race, I would think of them and (hopefully) be happy.

Here are some highlights from my list- it was pretty great:

"Don't Stop Me Now"- Queen

"Sir Duke"- Stevie Wonder

"TV Eye"- Wylde Rattz (Stooges cover)

"Good Day Sunshine"- The Beatles

"Put It In a Love Song"- Alicia Keys featuring Beyonce

"Pump it Up"- Elvis Costello

"My Freeze Ray"- Dr. Horrible

"The Pretender"- Foo Fighters

"Pulling the Rug"- Imelda May

"Super Bass"- Nicki Minaj

"You're So Damn Hot"- OK Go

"All Fired Up"- Pat Benatar

"Live and Let Die"- Live version from Paul is Live

I started the playlist and my heart rate monitor a minute or so before we started... and we were off! And then we stopped... and then we ran!... and stopped... this happened a couple of times until everyone was off for a while and could actually run without bumping into each other.  

I was a little concerned because nerves and excitement raised my heart rate a bit at the start.  Also, there was the acid reflux no water GU feeling.  I just took a few deep breaths and tried to relax and enjoy the run.  The first water stop totally relieved the acid feeling, my heart rate came down to normal, and I just ran and enjoyed.

I got into a good rhythm at the water stations... I was nervous about getting in the way, about drinking too much, not drinking enough... I eventually decided that I would drink a cup of water, drink a cup of Gatorade, and then dump a cup of water on myself.  It was a good system.

The first friend suggestion song that came up was Pantera "Five Minutes Alone", suggested by Brian M.  Good suggestion!  It came up around mile 3.

Around the 4.5 mark, we saw some police motorcycles driving towards us.  The cops were telling us to move to the right and slowly our group realized at once that that meant there were people that already had looped around in Harvard Square and were coming back.  The way back was a little longer, so they probably had... 5.5 miles left to go?  And we were on 4.5. Yep.  We cheered the two front runners on as they flew past us and then the next few groups.  After a while there was a more steady stream of people (a lot closer to the loop around.

I think Sarah J's song was the next friend suggestion- and perfect timing! I was losing some steam and Beyonce "Girls Rule the World" got me through mile 9 to the next water stop :)  That song was quickly followed by "I'm So Tired" by The Beatles and I became the idiot laughing alone during the half marathon.

Around mile 11 or so, I was treated to some Candide. Oddly enough, "Bon Voyage" and "Auto de Fey" are fun to run to. 

We got to mile 12 and I tried to pick up the pace... the final friend suggestion came on, Corey J's, "Call Me Maybe". Yes. He did.  (I totally did the dance from the video for one line while it played).  

The final song was a really awesome streak of luck (it was just on shuffle), "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison. That song always comes on when I'm having a bad day either on my iPod, phone, or even Pandora.  It cheers me up.  (Also, the only song I've ever 'played' on the guitar in front of people)  It was a really lovely way to cross the finish line.

Woohoo!

I found Kevin waiting there! It really meant a lot to have him there at the finish line. :) (I think I mentioned before that at the other half, I finished alone, ate a bagel, and then left...)  I went inside, got my medal and a banana and some peanut butter and then found him in the crowd.  We walked around a little, but decided we should get going to my faaaaavorite brunch place, Red Lentil (they do more than brunch, they're a Vegetarian place in Watertown, they just have amazing brunch). 

As I said, I parked in a nearby lot.  Kevin had parked in a garage a little bit down the road since he met me there.  I waited LITERALLY an hour in line to get out of the lot... Next time, I park in the garage.  A little walk is so much better than sitting in the car for an hour after running 13.1 miles, no matter how much you stretch.  

I'm smiling because I don't know how long it will take to get out of there.

My official time was 2:16:05!  It's 14 minutes faster than the other half I did!  

I think my next half will be The Wicked Half in Salem in September.  It was a pretty race (though it was super hilly) and I think being more prepared will greatly improve the experience for me.  I have 17 weeks until the race and already put the training in my calendar.  This time, I'm doing some work on speed!  So far, I've only ever just run at a comfortable pace and worked on mileage.  I followed the Novice Program on Hal Higdon's site.  This time, I'm following the Intermediate.  

Thanks for reading and for all the kind words of support from my friends!  I really had a wonderful time running this race and I really am looking forward to the next one!

Next day post half marathon pedicure :)