Marine Corps Marathon 2015 - Mission Accomplished?

Well it's show time - let's get this 26.2 mile party on the road.

It's 7:55 - people are still streaming in from security, it's raining and I am crowded into the start area with 30,000+ of my closest friends?  The Howitzer sounds and we are off on a fast paced shuffle to the start line.  

Pre race selfie

The starting line a few minutes after the start once I was close enough to see it.

The race started off okay.  I knew the first few miles were uphill, but I think I expected a little bit more flat for the first 1/2 mile or so.  Starting off on a gradual uphill with so many people was challenging.  

I started with a 45/30 run/walk interval.  My goal was to take it easy for the first 5 miles to get through the hills and then reassess.  I really wanted to keep a 13:15 pace or so.  

We ran past the 26 mile marker and I turned to the left and saw the hill to the finish.  They weren't kidding about that hill.  I also kinda wanted to just go left right then.  

As a flatlander those hills at the start were rough.  It didn't help that I was slipping on the wet ground, trying to avoid potholes and being pushed frequently from super fast people who ended up starting late.  The first 2-1/2 miles were pretty much all uphill and that mile from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 was really steep.  I was adding extra walk breaks on those uphill sections in the first couple of miles.  

I was so happy when we hit the top of the hill around mile 2-1/2 and hit the first water stop.  I was even happier when I hit the downhill section.  It felt great going down hill and I think I took that down hill mile way too fast.  

I came across Key Bridge feeling pretty good.  I was a little slower than I'd hope at this point.  It was still very crowded and the hills had been harder than I expected but I was still around a 13:30 average and feeling pretty confident.  

I was all smiles on the bridge - that was before I found out there was another hill at the end of the bridge.  Where did that come from????

It was fun running through Georgetown.  I loved the Georgetown Band, the crowds were great and I could feel the energy.  We turned down to the creek and I texted my sister to see what side to look for her at.  It was still pretty crowded when we headed north along the creek.  

This was the first of several out and back sections of the course.  I really hate out and backs.  It's hard to see people running back at you and it makes you feel like you just go forever knowing how far you have to turn around and come back.  The nice part is that you can sometimes find people you know on the return second though.  Around the 6-1/2 to 7 mile mark I was able to see a crew of Team Shenanigans running back.  I yelled at them and we waved.  

My official 10k time was 1:24:22 or a 13:35 pace.  So I was feeling pretty good about the pace at the 10k mark.  I kept looking for my sister but with the out and back runners and the mass of people I missed her on the way out.  I made the turn to come back around 7-1/2 miles and first noticed my hip start to hurt a little.  It was an unusual place for pain for me.  I've had the outside of the hip with the IT band hurt before but this was from the inside of my leg, down to the top inside of my knee.  I accidentally called my husband at mile 8.  I was very confused because I thought he called me.  I also didn't completely know where I was but did know my hip was getting sore and I mentioned it to him.  About this time one of my Houston running friends passed me.  It was good to say hi, but I was definitely starting to struggle.  I'd already shifted to a 30/30.     

Just after the 15k mark I finally found my sister and Ella.  It was great to see a friendly face.  

As you can see it had started to spread out a little when we made the turn back along the creek.  I also saw the sweep busses for the first time on that return loop.  This freaked me out a little even though I was about 2 miles ahead of them.  It seemed way too close even if I was on track for the pace I should be running.  

One odd thing - I swear on the way out I'd seen a huge bank of port-a-poties near the water stop when I ran out but never found them on the way back?  I was getting a little frustrated as I needed to stop but couldn't seem to find one.

I was so very happy to find oranges at the Wegman's food stop at mile 10.  Thank you Wegmans.  They were the best tasting orange slices ever.

We ran past the Lincoln Memorial and the Marine Corps Band.  I will admit that I was very glad I didn't have to run up those stairs.  

Shortly after the Lincoln Memorial I finally found a port-a-potty.  I may have regretted stopping later though as my hip really started to hurt more after that couple minute stop.

Diane and Ella tried to catch me again at the Lincoln, but they got there after I ran past.

 You can almost see the port-a-potty I found.  I think it was generally behind the bus over there.

I really started to struggle after the 10 mile mark.  Every step I ran I could feel pain radiating to my knee.  I was skipping more run breaks turning my 30-30 into 30-60 or 30-90.

The end of mile 11 to the end of mile 12 is the Blue Mile.  As you run along the blue mile there are pictures of fallen service members lining the route.  I stopped to flip a couple of them back up as the wind had knocked them over.  Running past these pictures was very emotional.  As you came to the end of the photos you came to a mass of volunteers wearing blue to remember all holding American Flags.  As I ran by the volunteers were all giving hi-fives and encouragement.  They were amazing.  The whole mile was emotional and draining and weirdly quiet.

After the Blue mile we came across the cliff shots food station.  They had some flavors but not all.  I was surprised it was not super sticky.  I didn't take any food here as I am not a fan and didn't want to mess up my stomach.  I had enough issues.  

I hit the 20k mark in 3:02:10 or at 14:40 pace.  I had really fallen off the pace in the last 10k.  

I came around the curve at the half way point in 3:13:43 or a 14:47 pace.  This was my worst half marathon ever (that I was actually running - not goofing off).  I found myself starting to calculate how many miles were left to the bridge and how much time and what pace I had to average to get to the bridge by 1:15.  My cushion was  gettting smaller and smaller

Shortly after the halfway point we came across the American University Band.  I took a picture for my sister, but they stopped playing when I ran by.  

As I came to the 15 mile marker we passed under the bridge.  I looked up and saw tons of runners going by.  I didn't realize at the time that that was the point I was concentrating all my effort on reaching.  

Around mile 15-16.  You can see my opinion of the race here.  

I was getting really nervous at this point that I wasn't going to beat the bridge.  There was another small out and back section here and I could see just how close the pace car and sweeper busses were.  

When I got to the marker at mile 17 I heard one of the marines tell someone that if they stay ahead of the pace car they were okay.  I made the turn after 17 to the National Mall.  I honestly didn't "see" the mall area.  I was in too much pain and way too concerned with being swept.  It wasn't too long after I turned the corner that I saw this.

Yes that was the pace car in front of me.  I broke down and started to cry.  I thought it was over.  I was certain I was going to be swept.  I almost stopped right then and there, but kept moving forward determined that I had to be forced off the course.  I was fully expecting to see a wall of marines at the 18 mile marker pulling me off the course.  They weren't there.   I wanted to cut across the mall, but I couldn't let myself do it.  I made the turn by the capitol and back down the other side of the mall.  I was passed by another car and was neck and neck with the police car.  (note - there was supposed to be a food station somewhere in here - if there was one I didn't see it.  I don't think there was anything left at this point but I could have just missed it)  I'd seen busses parked near mile 19 so again I expected a wall of marines by the 19 mile marker and they weren't there.  Instead the marine at 19 said it was 3/4 of a mile to the bridge.  I thought I had to get past mile 20 not 1/4 mile short of 20.  I had 9-10 minutes to get to the bridge.  It was just after 1pm.  Could I make it?  I wasn't going to quit yet.  I gave everything I had to the next 3/4 of a mile.  I don't know where the point was you had to beat but I made it.  As I was running past the street towards the bridge I looked at my watch and it said 1:16.  I started to cry.  I thought I missed it by a minute.  I saw a bus start to move and thought they were going to block the road.  I kept pushing.  I got to the bridge and no one stopped me.

I made it to the 20 mile marker.  I started to cry.  I'd made it.  I'd beat the bridge.  At this point I had 2 thoughts go through my head.  1 - Thank God I made it to the bridge now I don't have to run this **&# race again followed by 2 - Crap I made it to the bridge, now I have to do another 6.2 miles.  I was so certain that I wasn't going to get to this point and put so much energy into just making it to this point I mentally almost forgot there was more to the race.  It took me a minute to mentally regroup. 

I finally made it across the bridge and was so happy to be welcomed back to Virginia in Crystal City.  I sent my sister a message to let her know where I was.  I found her somewhere between mile 22 and 23.  This was another out and back section and I will say it was very tempting to just make a u-turn and skip a mile of the course.  I wanted to so badly but kept going forward.  My sister walked with me and kept me company for the remainder of the race.  It really helped having someone with me and pushing me.  I was only walking at this point but she helped me pick up the pace some.  She also had some biofreeze which was extremely helpful.  I was a little surprised earlier in the race when I stopped at the med tent and was told they didn't have any biofreeze.  

The water stops in Crystal City seemed to be out of gatorade.  The did at least have plenty of water and were doing a great job of refilling water bottles too.  

The final turn around point was around 22-1/2 and right by the parking garage my car was parked in.  What a shame I couldn't just get in my car.  

Leaving Crystal City we came to the remnants of the last food station which was supposed to have Dunkin Donuts.  There were no donuts to be found unless you count the ones left on the ground.  A donut would have been nice about then.  

We came back around by the Pentagon and could see the remnants of the starting area.  

I think I finally realized I was really going to finish and that they sweepers were nowhere in sight. 

 I don't know why but I decided I had to stop at another port-a-potty with less than a mile to go.  

As I came up on Mile 26 again this time for real.  There was a group congregating at the base.  In that group was a double amputee and a man in a hand crank wheel chair.  From all appearances it looked like this group waiting for the double amputee to get there so they could all finish together.  It was a very special and touching moment.  

I handed my sister my fuel belt and turned to head up that hill.  It really is quite a hill after 26 miles of misery.  

At the end right before the finish line there was a group of marines to give you high fives and help you push to the finish line.  I made it through those marines and almost stumbled and had to remind myself to make that last 5 steps to the finish line.

The most welcome sight in the world - the Marines handing out medals.  My marine was the female lieutenant on the left.  

I got my picture with the Iwo Jima Statue

There were no food boxes left.  There were no finisher jackets left and I was freezing.  The only thing left was a bottle of water and a thing of watermelon.  It was the best tasting watermelon ever, but I really needed some real calories at that point.  

But Mission Accomplished!

It was a long walk to UPS trucks and to the shuttle bus.  I really needed food.  The shuttle bus was a much longer ride back to Crystal City than I expected and it was stuffy.  I don't do well on buses to begin with and after 26.2 miles with no food, I started feeling really bad on that ride.  It took a few minutes in Crystal City before I could drive back to the hotel.

Later in the week I learned that they left the bridge open an extra 15 minutes.  I will admit I question whether I really beat the bridge and if I really deserve that medal there.  I was so focused from mile 15 to 20 on beating that bridge and I was so close to 1:15 when I got there, but I really don't know if I made it or not now.

All in all it was a really rough day.  I went in with high hopes and expectations.  My training had been good, I'd kept faithfully to the training schedule and I'd worked my tail off.  I finished with my worst marathon finish by far.  My official finish time was 7:11.  I need to make some changes physically and mentally, but that is for another post.

Marine Corps Marathon 2015 - Time to Muster

This past weekend I ran the 40th Marine Corps Marathon.  It's been a couple days and I'm still not 100% certain how I feel about the race.  It simultaneously left me feeling inspired, broken, frustrated and proud.

I'm not sure where to begin, so I guess I will begin with the Expo on Saturday.

I have a love hate relationship with Marathon Expos.  On one hand there is the excitement of the expo, the kickoff of the event, there is a high likelihood of running into running friends around the expo and you have the opportunity to find discounts and try out new things.  On the other hand, they are crowded (very crowded), loud, involve a lot of time on your feet the day before a big race and did I mention crowded.


It seemed like an insanely long walk from the metro to the entrance to the expo.  It seemed like we were never going to get there and I felt a bit like a lemming as I was just following the crowd.  Package pickup was quick and easy and well organized.  It took no time at all to pick up my bib and shirt.

I love the color of the shirt.  It's a little heavy to wear when running in Houston most of the year but it's a nice shirt.  I'll be lucky if I get to wear it a handful of times however.

After I got the important stuff completed I went to the official Brooks Marathon Gear.  I splurged on a MCM jacket because I needed a new jacket and this was the perfect weight to wear in Houston.  I also picked up a short sleeved shirt so I'd have something I could actually wear and the required big race magnet.  I was all ready to check out when I saw the line.  Yikes.  I almost decided to put everything away but the line looked like it was moving relatively quickly.  It took about 25 minutes to get through to pay.  I know later it was much longer and over an hour of waiting.  
I spent the rest of my expo time, hanging out with old friends, picking up a few things I needed and checking out some future races.  Around lunch it started getting way too crowded for me and I had to leave to get some fresh air.

This map makes the course look friendly

The porta potty fitting rooms made me laugh.

It's always great to run into friends.

I left the expo in search of lunch.  I always have a hard time finding food I want to eat when I'm traveling before a race.  I finally decided on a sandwich from Potbelly's.  My sister and niece met me at the hotel.  We plotted out some places they could try to find me the next day and rode the big ferris wheel in National Harbor before they had to leave for my nieces performance and I had to leave for dinner.

I had a great dinner with friends in Crystal City and got back to the room to get to bed early.  Well that was the plan at least.  Georgia Tech was playing FSU in football.  I was honestly expecting a blowout and an early exit to bed.  It turned out to be a thrilling game with Georgia Tech coming out on top with a blocked field goal returned for the go ahead touchdown as time was expiring.  I was so glad they won and even more glad that meant it didn't go to Overtime as I really needed to get to sleep.

While watching the game I got all my gear laid out for the next morning.

I set my alarm for 4am and went to sleep.  At about 11:30 I woke up to a loud emergency alarm coming from my phone warning me of flash floods in Houston.  Once I got my heart to stop racing, I quickly figured out how to turn off all warnings so I would not hear them go off all night long and went back to sleep.

This brings me to the race on Sunday.

After much debate, I decided to drive to Crystal City and park in the free lot and take the shuttle to the expo.  I took the Metro to the Expo the day before and did not want to deal with those stairs after the race.  I definitely think I made the right choice.  The alarm went off at 4am and I got dressed  and headed out to the car.

I drove to Crystal City, found the parking garage and parked without difficulty.  I took several pictures to make sure I could find my car later if I was not completely with it after the race was over.  I was in line when the first of the shuttle busses pulled up and we were off in no time.  We got to the Pentagon in no time at all and were right at the security entrance.  I somehow missed the memo where there would be metal detectors and that I would have to remove everything to go through.  There weren't many people in front of me, but it seemed to take a longer time than I expected to get through security.  My experience was nothing compared to people that arrived shortly after me though.

Fortunately some other members of TeamShenanigans saw me and caught up to me as I was leaving the security area.  I really appreciated having people to hang out with in the misty rain before the race.  It was much better on my nerves than sitting there by myself would have been.

One benefit from my standpoint to the security backup was that there never seemed to be a line at the porta potties in the runners village.  I don't think I've ever been able to just walk up to a porta potty 3 times before the race and never wait in line once.  Of course this is likely due to the fact that everyone was stuck outside the secured area.  I did wonder why the area never seemed to be crowded.
About 7am we took one last stop at the portapotties before heading over to try to meet all the Mickey Milers for a pre race picture.

A lot of people were stuck in the never ending security lines to get in so we didn't have as many people turn up for the picture as were planning on it.

Then the Pre Race Festivities began with a moment of silence (always awkward when you don't hear the announcement of the moment of silence), the national anthem, the paratroopers, and the fly by.  

More and more people were still flooding in from the security area.  I got a message from one friend that they had just opened up security.  

In true Team Shenanigan's fashion - Caryn decided to share a poncho with Chris.

We finally moved up to the corrals where part 2 of my adventure will begin.  

We're All Mad Here! AKA It's Taper Time

T- Minus 12 days (and a couple hours depending on when I post this) until the start of the 40th Marine Corps Marathon and that mean's one things.  Taper Madness is taking over my brain.  It doesn't help that the Astros choked in the 8th today and the Texans and Yellow Jackets seem to have forgotten that it is football season.  So if my sports teams can't keep my focused in the fall, I need something else to obsess about.

I don't remember feeling this way before my first 2 marathons, but I also hadn't put as much effort into my training for those, nor had I experienced that haunting sensation of a bad race that can fester and rock your confidence for years to come.

I find myself going over my training log wondering did I do enough, am I ready?  What pace should I start with during the race?  What intervals have worked best for me?  How should I handle the hills?  Which shoes should I wear?  How much water should I carry?  What does the bridge look like?  Can I beat the bridge?  Can I keep the pace?  How much should I run this week?  Next week?  What is the best way to get from the hotel to the start line?  What parking garage should I use?  Do I need to reserve a spot?  What mistakes did I make before NYC?  What can I do differently to not make those mistakes again?  What will the weather be like?  What can I eat the day before?    What are my goals for this race?  What do I want on my play list?

I need to replace all the negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
I need to visualize myself with the bridge in my rear view mirror.
I need to trust my training.  I've put in a lot of miles.  I should be ready to do this.  No I am ready to do this.
I need to stay healthy.
I need to relax and try to enjoy the moment
I need to get out of my own head.
I need to sit down and figure out the logistics.
I need to get more sleep
I need to hydrate


Maybe I should spend a little time in Wonderland with the Cheshire Cat.  Maybe I just need a different kind of madness to get through taper.  If I'm this crazy now, it's a good thing I have a cruise and Christmas to distract me during Dopey Taper.

What do you do to survive the weeks leading up to a marathon?  How do you keep sane?

MCM in T-minus 30 days

Yikes - how did that happen?  It's been a crazy 6-7 weeks since my last check-in and I figured I'd update my Marine Corps Marathon Training and the start of incorporating Dopey Training into the mix.

When I last checked in I had just finished my 18 mile training run and had entered the serious marathon training mode.  I was hitting all my training runs and slogging through the summer heat.  I knew the next few weeks were going to be crazy and that proved to be true.

In early August I took the girls on a road trip from Houston to Virginia, hopped on a plane to Wisconsin for work and the back to Virginia to drive home to Houston via North Carolina and Georgia.  One of the fun things about travel is getting to run in new places.  In a little over one week time frame I ran in Houston, TX, Winchester, VA, Madison, WI and Fayetteville, NC.  Look at some of these views.

Bonus of running in places other than Houston - lots of hills.

The downside of the trip was it was a lot of traveling and a lot of time in the car.  All of that got me off schedule a little but I came home and officially kicked of my Dopey training with my first back to back weekend.  I woke up early on Friday and ran 4 miles before work and then got up Saturday at 1:00 am to start my 21 miler at 2:00 am to attempt to beat the heat.  21 miles on August 22nd and I finished it feeling great.  No pain, no soreness, no dizziness, no upset stomach.  I was confident and feeling like I was going to rock Marine Corps.

It was hot and muggy but I pushed through

 I even found time to read a little Huck Finn with Mark Twain outside the library

But it was a 2 shoe - super squishy hot - muggy day.  I ended that 21 miles with a nasty blood blister on my toe and some even worse skin chafing.  I'll save you those pictures.

But even with those minor complaints I felt great after the 21 miler.  I was confident, I finished at a training pace in a pace that would definitely be fast enough to beat the bridge in DC.  I was on top of the world.

Until I went out for a simple midweek run on Tuesday and suddenly I felt like I had dead legs.    My legs were tight, my ankles were hurting and I got nervous and anxious.

That weekend I had more travel.  This time I went to Tennessee for my cousin's wedding.  I managed some more destination running in Tennessee before the wedding and Don Quixote met me at the finish line to let me know just how crazy I am.

I had to really slow that run down because my calf was really getting tight.  I think it might have been one too many hilly runs in the month of August.

Unfortunately I woke up the next morning with a sinus headache and the resulting sinus infection had me unable to run for about a week.

As I was trying to ease myself back into a workout the next week I went to my weekly BodyJam class at the YMCA.  About halfway through the class I felt something pop in my right calf.  I don't normally curse, but the words that came out of my mouth would have made Coach O'Brien of the Texans proud.  I was glad the music was very loud.  I was not glad my calf went pop.

I immediately shut it down.  I hobbled out of the class and down the hall to the exercise room where I found the trusty foam roller.  I rolled out my calf and then stopped at Walgreen's and picked up an ice pack on my way to the dance studio to get Megan.

The next morning I immediately contacted my coach (Jeff Galloway) to see what he suggested.  I was supposed to run 24 miles that coming weekend.  He advised me to continue with the foam roller or the stick and to walk my 4 miler on Saturday and walk my 24 miler on Sunday.  Yes you read that correctly I said walk the 24 miler on Sunday.

Fortunately I got a nice attitude pick me up because Jeff was actually in town that weekend to kick off the fall half marathon training season.

Spending time with Jeff is always motivational.

So the next morning I went out on my 24 mile walk.  The good news was it was cooler and dryer than it had been for the previous couple of months.  

My favorite running partner Shadow joined me for the first 9 miles and then again with James and the girls for the last 3 miles.  

I survived 24 miles.  Walking 24 miles was much harder than running 21 miles 3 weeks earlier.  Not physically but mentally.  It was a long long long time on my feet by myself.  Fortunately I had some great podcasts to listen to.  I definitely wasn't going to beat the bridge at that pace.  I finished up around a 19:45 min/mile average pace.  It was slow.  But my calf  didn't hurt and I was able to stay on schedule and on track.

Later that week I started easing back into running with some short run intervals.  It was slow but at least it was running. 

Sunday September 27th I officially kicked off the fall racing season with the Houston Texans Running of the Bulls 5k.  I'm going to attempt a full race review later in a separate post but from a marathon training perspective I learned a few things.

1) do not attempt to run a 5k at 5k race pace when you have done all your speed work and training sessions for the past 6 months at marathon race pace

2) do not attempt to run a 5k at 5k race pace when the temperature is in the upper 70's/low 80's and the humidity is high

3) do not attempt to run a 5k at 5k race pace when you are 11 days out from an injury and not fully recovered.  

In case you couldn't tell I did not finish the race at a 5k race pace.  I started it that way for about the first 1.25 miles.  My ankle was tight, my legs were like lead and it was hot and humid.  I slowed down for the last part of the race and finished up with a 11:59 min/mile pace which is slower than my 10 mile race pace or 1/2 marathon race pace which leads me to my next decision.

The Huntsville 10 miler on 9/27.  I was thinking about running this to try to improve my corral placement for Dopey.  The deadline to submit an updated time is 10/6.  The time I have submitted predicts my marathon time at 5:32.  I figure if I want to move up a corral I would have to get that predicted time under 5:30 and to do that it would require a 10 miler in 1:55.  That would be a PR for me and 11:30 min/mile pace for 10 miles.  Theoretically it should be doable based for me to run 11:30 pace for 10 miles, but at this stage I know I would need things to align perfectly for that to happen.  Perfectly would mean a 60°F or cooler race day, no injury and probably a true taper for that race (which I can't afford to do right now with the marathon in 30 days).  Well the 60°F isn't going to happen in Huntsville in September.  The current forecast is a low of 68° and a high of 90°.  The calf tightness is still lingering and I have a flight later Sunday afternoon for work.  So for all of these reasons I am glad I held off on registering and I feel no obligation to race this weekend.

So where am I with MCM in T-minus 30 days.  I'm not sure.  Mentally I'm struggling.  The last month has taken me out of my game some.  I'm working on the mental training and mantras I need to get through the last push to the marathon and to get through the race.

Next week I'll be in Branson so I'll have one more opportunity for some real hill training during the week.  Then I have my last long run scheduled on 10/3.  The training schedule calls for 6 miles on 10/2 and 27 miles on 10/3.  No that was not a typo I will be running 27 miles in just over a week. 

After that we will see how I finished, how I feel and where I'm at and at that point I will set a few goals for Marine Corps.  The ultimate goal is to beat the bridge and finish the race.

And when my last long run is finished it will be taper time - the time where I try not to go completely crazy and get healthy in preparation for the race.  

Welcome to fall and the start of fall racing season.  Good luck to all those fall marathoners getting started in the next few weeks.  Good luck to anyone running a race of any distance this fall.  Enjoy the nicer weather and get out and run.  I hope your training has been well and your races are successful.

Marathon Training is in full swing

Technically Marathon Training for the Marine Corps Marathon started in May but Marathon training didn't really get real to me until this week.


I've been running a lot of half marathons over the past 2 years and the half marathon distance while not easy is manageable now.  I pretty much have kept myself in half marathon shape for the past year so even though I've been on a Marine Corps Marathon training schedule it didn't really get real until today.  Today I had 18 miles on the books.  18 miles is not typically a normal distance for a half marathon training plan so it felt like today was really the start of my Marine Corps Marathon training plan.

I was a little nervous heading into today.  I ran a 19 miler in March but it was 50 degrees in March.  That was not today's weather forecast.

That is not 50 deg weather.

I was a little anxious about the long run today.  Okay I was a lot anxious about this run.  My summer runs have left me a little defeated lately.  Running at night in 90°F Temps is no joke.  It's left me feeling slow and sluggish.  Speed work I was able to complete with ease in the spring I can't come close to completing now.  I struggled through the last 3 miles of my 15.5 mile run 3 weeks ago and started questioning my ability to train for the Marine Corps Marathon and Dopey.

Marathon training is probably 75% mental and 25% physical and the mental part was struggling right now.  Last year I let the mental part win and made the smart choice to drop my marathon.  I wasn't ready yet, but getting this 18 mile run in was crucial to my mental running state.

I know the temps are crazy and I know they drop over the nighttime hours, what you don't see is how quickly they go back up as the sun comes up.  And once that Houston sun gets above the horizon the same temps suddenly seem unbearable.  

Knowing that I calculated how long it should take to run 18 miles at a 14 min/mile pace and determined a 2:30am start time was needed.  No that is not a typo, I said 2:30 in the morning.  

My Galloway Training group is training for January Marathons so the long miles right now for Marine Corps are on me.  Fortunately I have some great running friends to help me and keep me company.  

I laid out my routes in multiple different loops.  It's dark - so scenery really doesn't make a difference.  My goal with the route was to run by the car multiple times to refill my water, well lit and safe streets with even sidewalks.  I can rralistically only carry enough water ib the summer for 7-8 miles.  Running at 2:30 in the morning requires some logistics beyond do I have enough water, to make sure things are safe and that you run by places that are open if the need for a pit stop arrises.  

My friend Amy had volunteered to run the first 10 miles with me.  Unfortunately she was nursing an injury and couldn't run, but because she is awesome she volunteered to ride her bike behind me to keep me company, provide sag support and a little extra safety in numbers.  We were both decked out in our headlamps and flashing lights.

It was definitely hot this morning but it never felt as bad as I feared it would be.  There was a nice little breeze, it was hot but not as muggy and it was cooler than the 97 it was earlier in the week when I decided to forego my speed work for a casual 3.5 mile run.

The first 10 miles went great.  A nice easy pace.  We looped back by the car at mile 6.75.  I refilled all my water balls.  We headed out for the next 3.25 miles and finished up right at 10 miles right on time to meet Kami for the next 5.

The next 5 miles went well at all.  It actually felt almost cool.  (Ok not really cool - but not as hot as it could have been).  The only problem on this five miles was that my feet were super wet and squishy and my arms were starting to chaff from my soaking wet shirt.  I realized about half way through this loop that I should have changed my shirt and socks before starting this loop.

The pace stayed constant and easy for the 5 miles.  My arms were really getting sore.  I wished there was a med tent to grab some vasoline.  Lesson learned - more body glide needed - dry shirt needed.  Don't wait to change it.  I know I can't change shirts mid race, but I'm hoping it won't be quite as humid in DC in October as it is in Houston in August.

I took a quick break before the last loop and changed shirts, socks, shoes and visor.  Yep all new dry clothes.  (well except for my skirt which was soaking wet but it's harder to change).

The group was there for the last 3 miles.  Having people to run that last 3 miles with was a huge bonus and really helped me to finish strong.  I slowed down a little on the last 3 miles.  It was closer to 14:20 for most of those miles.  I realized during those miles that I really hadn't fueled enough during the run.  The first 15 miles I had a small pack of fruit gummies and a couple of pretzels.  The pretzels were good to get a little something salty, but they are also dry and hard to eat.  Do not try to eat without a water stop straight ahead.

We finished 18.15 miles - total time 4:14:38.  Admittedly there were 3 stops to refill my water bottles, change running partners, and find dry clothes which would have added 15 minutes to my total.

I finished upright with a smile on my face at the distance and pace I intended.  I actually felt like I could have run further when I was done.  I needed more fuel.  I needed more body glide and dry clothes were a must but I will work on those for my 21 miler in a few weeks.

Amazingly other than being tired from the early morning wake up, the only negative from the run yesterday was the blood blister on my toe from my wet socks and the chaffing on my arms from my soaking wet shirt.  Both are healing up nicely already.  My legs felt good.

Finishing my 18 mile run left me feeling much more confident moving forward on my Marine Corp Marathon Training Schedule and my Dopey training plan.  

Next up 2 fun weeks of runs in maybe 5 different states and during those 2 weeks I will cross the 500 mile mark in running miles for 2015.  

Then it's Dopey training start time.  I'm sure as I get close to my first back-back with a 21 miler as the 2nd run on 8/22 I'll start getting anxious again.  Until then it's time to embrace a few weeks of travel running,  hopefully cooler temperatures and some real hills.  Of course it's always a good time to remind myself that these summer miles will make for a stronger faster fall marathon. 

Summer Running

It's that time of year again when the heat index rises to ridiculous values and you physically can't start a long run early enough to beat the heat.  It's the time of year when you start to question why you run and the fact that "Running is Stupid" creeps into the forefront of your brain more often then not.

It's funny what a run some runs can do to you mentally.

Back in March I was on a runners high.  I finished the Triple Crown during the Disney World Princess Half Marathon weekend (5k, 10k and half marathon back to back to back), I had a great 16 mile training run at an average pace of 13:50 (goal was 14:00), I ran a 19 mile training run with negative splits and finished with an average pace of 14:00 and feeling like I could concur the world.  My speed work was right on target, my injuries weren't bothering me, I was hitting all my training runs and life couldn't get any better so yes I can run the Marine Corps Marathon, I can run the Dopey Challenge, let's do this thing.

That was March.  That was when the temperature for my long runs was in the upper 40's and low 50's.  That was that brief period of perfect running conditions.

Now it's July.  The only way to get temps in the 40's in Houston might be to run inside a refrigerator.  The last I checked they don't put treadmills inside refrigerators (if they did you might actually persuade me to run on one and I hate the treadmill)

Now I am slogging through my long runs at 3:30 in the morning with feels like temps in the upper 80' and low 90's even at 3:30 in the morning.  The humidity is so high I can change my shirt 3 times and still be soaked, that water is flying off my running skirt when I move and you can ring puddles out of my socks.  The last 2 weeks have been really rough mentally.  My brain starts to question everything. My speed work sessions become impossibly slow and I can't even complete them - so I start to look at your training plan to see what is wrong.  My last 2 long runs have been really hard to finish so I start to question my ability to run this marathon.  I mean if I can barely make it through 15.5 miles now, how on earth am I going to get to 26.2.  And my brain starts to say "Running is Stupid", why are you doing this?

Well "Suck it up Buttercup."  Now is the time to remember that every drop of sweat in the miserable muggy summer weather will be worth it come October.  Now is the time to remember that it's okay to slow down the pace and just get through it.  That every slow mile will make me stronger and faster come October.

I decided to pull some old training data to look through for answers.  I'm an engineer, numbers are my life.  I realized I've spent a lot of time focusing on distance and pace and forgot to look at a couple other numbers.  Heat and Humidity.  Those numbers really do matter.  I went back and looked at my runs from last summer and guess what - they sucked too.  But last summer I let the fear and that heat and the voice in my head that says "Running is Stupid" win.  I let that voice convince me that I needed to drop from the full marathon to the half marathon.

But those slow miserable soggy miles I ran last summer and the "fast" fun miles I ran this past winter have made me a stronger person and so to that voice I say "Suck it up Buttercup".

I went back even further in my training data and found my old Garmin from 2007.  I wanted to see how my training for NYC compared since that is the race haunts me.  What I found was inconsistent training, skipped runs and not enough long miles before the NYC Marathon.  And what I found was hope.  If I can do what I did in NYC on less than ideal training with a really bad day of race conditions, maybe I can do anything.

So it's time to stop whining and lace up my shoes and go hit the streets because I have a marathon to train for and the summer miles won't run themselves.

Now is the time to squash that voice saying "Running is Stupid" and replace it with the voice that says "Suck it up Buttercup" because that really is all you can do right now.