Holiday Hustle and 16.4 miles

Oh goodness, I am trying to keep my equilibrium with Christmas, guest preparations, work, and, of course, running. Blogging has been pushed down near the bottom of the list. So I just am popping in to say: I am still getting in most of my running.

I did a long run of 16.4 miles on Friday! Ran/walked 3.5 on Saturday. Monday I cut my planned 7.5 mile run to just 5 and I jogged/walked home, dejected.

Last week I went to the gym around 9ish to hit the treadmill and workout. MISTAKE! I was unmotivated and tired so late at night. I didn't bring music, mantras don't work the same on a treadmill. It sucked. I would rather have ran in the dark and cold rain! I sweat for about 40 minutes or so, did the ab routine, stretched, and yawned my way home.

I decided that I am going to run only 3 days a week while kids are in town. 4 days does not feel doable and I think that the feeling of failure for missed runs will impact my overall sense of how I am doing. If I can get to the gym on alternate days, you bet I will. 3-day plan not researched yet.

I need new shoes. On the 2nd half of my 16 mile run I felt like I was running barefoot. Especially in the left foot. It felt like by foot was falling very flat, no support, no cush. Yesterday's run felt the same.

That's all I have for now. I COULD blather on quite lengthily, but ... the to-do list is screaming at me!

Christmas blessings to each of you!
Nancy, the Marathoner

14.1 miles - new distance

It was a good run. Fabulously uneventful.

It was cold! The first 7 miles I was underdressed. So at about mile 5 two miles left before I reached the car at midpoint, I was miserable. I took to mentally rehearsing what I would do at my aid station... what spare clothing I would don. I think miles 6 and 7 might have been the hardest of all 14 of them.

Lesson: low 40s - dry or wet - is a threshold for me. Layer up. Have dry hats and headbands ready. Gloves are a must. Prefer tights over loose running pants. My bottom was cooold!

I did well at my aid station car. Not a thought to stop and not run the rest. I was there longer than I would have liked to been, but considering I rummaged thru the car and put on clothing, I did well! And I left better clothes for the remainder of the run.

I did something I would never have predicted I'd do. I ate the last 1/4 of my breakfast cookie! I don't know why. I just did it. It was there. You know what? I did fine with it. I can eat small portions of food I guess. I didn't think I could so I never tried.

Lesson: Experiment (carefully) with food.

Back running I tried something I read in a book. I concentrated on the ground 10 feet in front of me. I'd notice a leaf, watch it til I came close to passing it, find another, and track it, then another... little teeny mini goals just 10 feet or so apart, accomplishment after accomplishment.

Oddly, those leaves began to become symbolic for me. Okok, I am about to get all weird on you. But if you know me then it won't be tooo unfamiliar!

For my "perfect run tape", scattered (and ideally crisp) leaves are one of my favorite parts. The road ahead of me is not so covered as to be unsafe but leaves are plentiful. I enjoy the rustle of them and the crunchy sound under my footfalls. I enjoy the shapes - I love God's great design work - and the colors, and the brown smell they give off.

It was interesting to me that those leaves would help me traverse the miles, one doable leg at a time. I was completely digging the symbolism. Then, I rounded a corner and there in front of me was my "perfect run" tape! The leaves were perfect. Some were older, damp, fully stuck to the pavement. Some her newly fallen. Crispy brown!

The leafy area quickly became chock full of meaning and things to appreciate. It was like I was running thru a field of accomplishments! Each leaf representing some thing I had never done before, and did. Some accomplishments older than others some new and crisp in my mind ... The reminder of so many carried me further!

Now, on the last mile, mile 14, the last leg of distance, a distance I have never run before... there were no leaves. None at all. I mean the pavement was void of them! It was NEW territory, leafless. I was creating a new leaf by running that mile. And someday it will beckon me along for a 10 foot leg or be in a glorious field of goals met!

So if you have come to the conclusion that I am coocooforcoacoapuffs, well, just be nice to me anyway. I'm harmless. And if you get it, then thank you for being in the coocooclub with me.

Back to running.

This route was fairly flat. Only a few slight inclines mark the entire distance. I would still change my chant to include "I carry my momentum over the top" and keep chanting it until my breathing returned to normal running rhythm.

I knew that on the last mile I would want to slow. The challenge of the last 3/4 mile of the 1/2 marathon flagged an important task for me: Learn to get thru to and past the finishline strong and not slow down. Push thru the "the end is close" hesitation.

I discovered that I already had the solution! I already had practice making it work for me too. Once I saw the connection, a small little chant containing all the important pieces of the others fell easily together:

I am a marathoner
I love to run
I carry my momentum thru pass the finishline!

This did indeed help me maintain a steady pace on the last mile and even quicken my steps once the 'finish' was in sight and ran right thru and pass! A strong finish. 14.1 miles!

I walked around, all proud, for a while. I stretched well enough. I felt pretty good!

There you go.

My knees ached for the first morning hours. I also had a new pain between my right inner calf and shin. It wasn't bad and I could only feel it for a fleeting bit during a specific part of my natural gait. I couldn't duplicate it otherwise. Noting it just in case I need it later.

DATE: 07-Dec-07
MILES: 14.1 miles
TIME: 2:46:29
PACE: 11:48
ROUTE: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1489003 followed by http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1489016
NUTRITION: 3/4 bfast cookie early. 1 Gu before, 1/4 bfast cookie 2 Gus during, only 12 oz of diluted sport drink.
WEATHER: Overcast, 40°F

COMMENTS: I didn't drink enough fluids. Needs work. I felt fine, but I know better, I am a sweater.

CONFESSION: I calculated my pace as soon as I got home. It's not like I am fast! Why could it matter? Sigh. This is a big thing to kick. This event is not the place for pace-caring. It's been a battle to let go of disappointment in my performance. WHAT? I ran 14 miles, that can't be good enough? I ran it and didn't keel over! THAT isn't enough? I ran it felt pretty good!!! That's. Simply. Awesome. I will kick this pace thing before long.

Thanks for your support and good thoughts,
Nancy, Marathoner.

Rest Day Ramblings

Yesterday's 4 mile run was untimed and uneventful. Didn't feel particularly strong or deficient. Can't complain, can't rave. My feet sounded really heavy at the start. That is unusual for me. My footfalls are usually light. They were better after a mile or 2. I did 20 min of core work and stretched well afterwards.

Tomorrow holds my longest run ever - 14 miles. That's just a little longer than a half marathon without all the hoopla. I'm looking forward to it. The weather is supposed to be a cool 39º and sunny. Great! I've planned a flat run. Parking in the center of an out and back route - 3.5 miles in one direction, turnaround, run 7 (past car) in the other, and 3.5 miles back. 3.5 mile chunks seem very doable.

I have been working on positive thoughts about my 'aid station' car. Would I stop at an event aid station and not run any more? Nope. I arrive, take what I need, and keep moving.

My car is ever-ready with gear, fuel, and supplies for a workout, run, or tan. I do need to put an extra headband in my car; a sweaty headband makes my ears cold. Tissues too. I am not skilled enough (nor want to be) at the snot-rocket. But the cold weather means I better be prepared or I'll be forced to take aim or use my clothing. More than you wanted to know?

Oh! I simply couldn't stand my shoes any longer. They were gross and stinky. I should never smell. So I washed them, let them air-dry. I know, I know, we are not supposed to but, c'mon! Ick! They came out soooo fresh and, sigh, clean. I was relieved to put my feet into the de-funkified shoes, but on my run they looked so bright and new! I washed easily 400 miles of dirt off them. I was sad that they looked so new and unused. But it did make me add up the miles and realize a new pair of shoes is in order. Soon.

Thanks for reading, listening, supporting, for being a friend...

Signing off,
Nancy, Marathoner

Raindays & Mondays

They aren't so bad! And neither was my run. 6.5 miles today.

I was blessed with a break in the torrential downpours that are flooding western Washington. A pleasent drizzle slowed to nothing. Nary a drop for 5 of the miles! Only in the last stretch did the heavens let loose. I was in my car before the worst of it came down.

The temp was downright balmy compared to yesterday's run - 58 was the predicted high today.
I enjoyed the run. Felt good and strong. There is a sore little spot in my left ankle that dissapates at about mile two as do most other aches and issues.

I left my watch in the car. Good Marathoner! But I rushed home to calculate pace. It's work to let go of it. I should take comfort in the consistency of my pace. 11:45ish seems to be a very comfortable and natural pace for me.

DATE: 03-Dec-07
MILES: 6.2 miles
TIME: 73 minutes
PACE: 11:47, very comfortable
ROUTE: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1483753

Happy running and blessings to you,
~ Nan, Marathoner

Bring on the wind and rain!

DATE: 02-Dec-07
MILES: 3.5 miles
TIME: Dunno!
PACE: Don't know that either
ROUTE: Residential from home
NUTRITION: little food today. Lots of water tho.
WEATHER: Slushy, big fat rain, 43°F and gusty.

This will be a short entry. I know, I know, doubtful I can pull that off, but I'll give it a whirl...

It was HARD to leave a toasty house. It wasn't hard to leave my watch. I wore a rain coat thinking I would probably walk. I wore dollar store gloves. Leggings under loose running pants. Surprised at how comfortable I was. Not too cold. Wet, but not miserable. I didn't walk it, of course. I wanted to run longer, but it was getting dark. I felt great the whole way. I didn't really think about the hills. They are beginning to feel not hard. If I did think about them, I would catch myself later lost in other thoughts, realizing that the hill was long behind me.

New mantra:
I am a runner
Running is effortless
I am a marathoner
I can run forever.

Identifiying myself as a runner is becoming important to me.

Ok, that's it. OH! Except I loved running pass houses all decked out for Christmas! That was fun!

Nancy the Wet Marathoner.

MasterMind

Anyone else play MasterMind as a kid? This particular game was not my favorite, despite my fondness for colors and patterns, but I want to be a MasterMind. A master of mind. A master of mine. Today's run highlighted a few weak spots in my Mind game.

I struggle to keep from saying that today's run was a failure. Instead I choose to say that there are lessons to learn and the timing of the lessons is perfect. Had these things come to light later in my training, I might not be able to work them out in time for the event.

So what's my problem?

I planned to run 10 miles today but only ran 6.5.

Someone smack me! I just said that I ONLY ran 6.5 miles?

It was an out and back run I planned. I parked towards the middle instead of the end. I didn't really know where the mile marks were. As I approach my car I assumed that I still had a 4+ miles left in the other direction.

I should pause here and tell you that the route I planned was hilly, containing 400 more feet of climbs (crammed into 3 less miles) than the Seattle 1/2, which I ran just 5 days and another 8.5 miles ago.

Throughout 80% of my run I felt stellar, solid, almost like a real runner. I hit the hills like they were mine! I owned 'em. "I run hills strong!" Until...

... on the last decline headed towards my car I made the mistake of looking at my watch and attempted to do the pace math. By my mileage guestimate and time calcuations I was running slower than 12min miles. Oh! Not happy. My soaring spirit plummeted.

I kept up a half-vigilent front against negative thought onslought, but lost ground quickly. By the time I passed my car, I had convinced myself that I had run too much this week, that my performance was poor, I was too tired to run the rest, i didn't wanna, the hill in front of me was too big, that I might be late to pick up Hannah, and so on. AfraidNancy gobbled up every negative morsel. Arg!

It took only two minutes of walking to decide to quit. BraveNancy offered up lots of options to keep going ... just walk it .... walk up the next hill and run back down... run for just a little while... do the distance and let Hannah wait. I studied the HUGE hill in front of me and chose a bowl of Pho noodle soup (sans noodles) instead. Double ARG!

HERE is the kicker... when I got home and mapped my route and calculated my pace I was actually doing well considering all factors. (Triple ARG!) There were construction stops, traffic lights, and mondo hills, and, as it turns out I still averaged 11:46 min miles! Not sure why 11:46 is acceptable, but 14 more seconds per mile is not, but I like the 11 in front instead of the 12.

My week total is 29.5.


A MasterMind's Plan:

On my long runs when my car is my aid station, I will learn to be happy to arrive at my car and motivated to leave it again. I will work on some dandy happy thought that makes this a reality.

I will remember my goal: FINISH a full marathon the same day I started.

I will LET GO of any and all finish time and pace expectations for the marathon.

I will leave my watch at home, at least for my long runs. This is a tuffy, I can do it.

I will remember that that God is in my corner on this goal as much as anything else! Today's proof: On a day when I feel I have failed, my pics from the Seattle Half come in. Perfect! Look at that! Here I am approaching the finishline - look how strong I am after 13.1 miles! I can do this!

DATE: 30-Nov-07
MILES: 6.55 miles
TIME: 1:16
PACE: 11:46
ROUTE: 228th in Bothell (check out the elevations!)
NUTRITION: 1/2 bfast cookie before, bottle of water.

Blessings!

Nan, the MasterMind Marathoner

200 miles!

Today's run put my running mileage (since the start of September) over 200! How cool is that?

I will have logged well over 500 MILES when I cross the finish line in February! wow.

DATE: 25-Nov-07
MILES: 5.55 miles
TIME: 1:01
PACE: 10:59
ROUTE: Interruban from 24Hr Fitness
NUTRITION: Since today was a low cal day I decided to have 1 Gu during at start, bottle of watter.

COMMENTS: I felt good for the whole run. After warming up (HA!) I settled into a nice pace. Easy breathing. A little bored, but I think that was when I got cold.

I finsihed the last .5 of my planned 6 mile run in the gym. Then did a lot of core work and stretching. I love stretching.

I need better cold-rain running clothes. Legs/arms/hands cold at mile 4. Shirt soaked early on. BUT IT's OK! ;) and it really was.

~~ Nancy, (the wet) Marathoner

Seattle 1/2 Marathon

DATE: 25-Nov-07
MILES: 13.1 miles
TIME: 2:28:23
PACE: 11:19
ROUTE: Seattle Half Marathon
NUTRITION: My usual high protein bfast, ½ bfast cookie 1 hour before, 1 Carb Boom at start, 1 Gu during, some gatorade, and water every 2-3 miles.

COMMENTS: I am so pleased with my pace and time! I had what I thought were too-high hopes of finishing at 2:30. I felt great for the entire event. Many hills seemed effortless compared to training runs! Only the last ¾ mile was hard and I think that was because the finish was sooo close. I almost cried at the finishline. I was just sooo happy with the accomplishment. I am somewhat achy dayafter – quads and back. But that's OK ;)

GOOD CHOICES:
Tapering. It paid off. I will be confident, even if I am itchy to run, that tapering is good for Marathon day performance.

One mile into the race I lost my water bottle. I decided to take water at each aid station. This worked out great since this event is so well supported. I think I ended up consuming more water than I would have with my own water!

No Heart Rate Monitor. I prayed about this one. Felt good about not wearing it. I liked listening to my body.

No music. Would you believe I am beginning to like it? I liked hearing how my breathing is steady and rhythmic. Whodda thunk?

Positive talk. Works wonders. Makes me feel good and accomplished!

Hill-top momentum. This has not only made a difference in my performance, but also in my attitude about hills.

Starting line clothing. I wore a fleece hoodie I didn't mind tossing along the way. I would unload the extra garment at an aid station on a less popluated event.

THINGS I LEARNED:
Important. Really important. Plan for REST for 2 nights before an event. Pre-race nerves interrupted sleep the night before. That is to be expected. However, I lost sight of that on Friday and I went out dancing (fun!fun!) instead of getting the solid night’s sleep I planned. Had I rested well on Friday night, I would have better handled the lack of sleep on Saturday.

Tell my support people what I am wearing! I was really sad to miss them at the finish.

Skip the recovery area for this event. Would rather have b-lined out of there after pictures. But the broth was DIVINE!

Plan to arrive at the start line with enough time to use the toilet! ‘nuff said.

Stretch. In the excitement of the finish I didn’t. I kept moving – walking slowly -- but I wish I had stretched.

FOOT(get it?)NOTE: Today I went to the gym to run a gentle 3 miles on the treadmill. The goal was to warm and work out the unstretched kinks from yesterday. I can not believe how good I felt, how good running felt. I walked a .25 mile warmup, ran 3 miles at a 10min mile average, and cooled down for another .25. After some light core work and LOTS of stretching I headed home, feeling good and energetic with just a few lingering kinks. I was weepy on the ride home.

I can't believe that I am able to do this.

Blessings!
Nancy, Marathoner

Race Pace?

DATE: 20-Nov-07
MILES: 4.13
TIME: 48:49
PACE: 11:50
AHR (average heart rate): 158 (very happy with this)
ROUTE: From Leota middle school in Woodinville
NUTRITION: na
COMMENTS: Miles went by fairly fast. It was a different feeling than when I project a finish time of a mapped out distance. I tend to watch the minutes slowly tick by. I do not know if this is actually a good pace for the 1/2 on Sunday. It might be fast. I dunno. I felt really good.

I worked on my motivational paragrah this run. My own mantra. I repeated this as a chant and kept pace with it:

I am a marathoner
I love to run
35 miles a week
My mind is strong
It keeps getting stronger
My body is strong
It keeps getting stronger
I never stop

I struggle with the negative spin of the last line. I suspect that it will change.

I played with the middle lines... swapped out words. My form is strong, it keeps getting stronger. My legs, my core, my thighs or calves... my focus, determination, memory, concentration.

I also worked the hills saying the following:

I love hills
I run them strong
I carry my momentum over the top
Hills make me faster
I love hills

I did manage to run up every hill AND carry the momentum over the top!

The momentum idea was something I read in "Running for Dummies". Truthfully, when I read it I didn't get it. What momentum? Momentum is the downhill speed you gain on a bike! Not what you have as you crest a hill on foot!

My typical approach to hills: I am, admittedly, driven to the top of a hill. I will often sprint uphill. One of two things typically happens, tho, as I approach the crest. I promise myself the reward of walking at the top. And I do just that, walk. Sometimes, I don't always make it to the top before I slow way down or walk. There's a defeated feeling to both of those scenarios. It's almost like I am afraid to finish strong, or try to. Finishlines sometimes feel the same way to me. Like it's the enemy and not my friend. A nagging "what if I can't" thought pulls me backwards.

This run I chanted about carrying the momentum up and over the hill to the downhill. What happened surprised me. I made it to the top, I didn't stop, I didn't slow, I kept my momentum going over the crest, and I recovered nicely on the downhill without slowing to a walk! I will build on that good experience!

This is a long entry for 4 miles. But these are learning miles. I have never really worked at the psycological side of training. My gut knew a few years ago that I must stop saying, "I hate running!" I never went as far, tho, as to say, "I love running". I figured I would start saying that when I loved to run. Ha! Been in limbo for a while.

I am a marathoner
I love to run
35 miles a week
My mind is strong
It keeps getting stronger
My body is strong
It keeps getting stronger
I never stop

~ Nancy the Marathoner.

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Tapering

DATE: 19-Nov-07
MILES: 3 (plus quarter mile on either side.)
TIME: 28:08
PACE: 9:22
ROUTE: Treadmill
NUTRITION: na
COMMENTS: That pace was fast for me. I credit it to a weekend of rest and the hilly runs of the last few weeks. It wasn't tooo hard to maintain, HR wise. Couldn't do it for 13 miles, but it was a good pace and accomplishment for 3. I did 40 minutes on the recumbent bike and then 30 of core work and stretching afterwards.

Tomorrow I plan to run 4 miles at race pace. I am not sure if it's even good to entertain the idea that I can run the 1/2 at 11:40. I have run a moderately rolling hill run of 10 miles at this pace, but the Seattle course is much hillier. It's my hope. Anything near 12 will satisfy me. I would, at minimum, like to beat my prev 1/2M time of 2:43:29 -- that's a 12:29 pace. I am pretty confident that I should be at least able to do that.

For the marathon, tho, I will work diligently to harbor NO time expectations. I will finish. I will be incredibly proud of that accomplishment, too.

Signing off for now,
Nancy the Marathoner

Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
...those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I am a Marathoner

There. It typed it.

I am a Marathoner.

Seeing it in print makes it that much more real to me. Real-scary? or Real-ity? Yes. Both.

26.2 miles. 26.2.

You've been invited here because I consider you part of my support system. I like the idea of you being in my corner. I suspect that I might very well *need* your support in a leg or two of the journey.

I start this blog as an outlet and journal of my training for the Marathon. It is my hope to track my progress and thoughts along the way to the finish line as well as spare you in-person, drawn-out recounts of every new run experience or ahah moment!

If you've spent any time with me at all in the last few months you've likely heard me drop the M word. Marathon. I've been chewing on it, tasting it, nibbling, gnawing, rolling it around in my mouth, spitting it out even, only to pop it right back in again. Well, I finally swallowed. I am training to run in the Valentine Marathon in Olympia, Feb 10th, 2008. Exactly 12 weeks from today.

I believe that I have been led to run it. God has such a nice way of doing that, leading us. A little nudge here, a big push there, spotlight beams or laser pinpoint. Perhaps it's not altogether miraculous how I got here; regardless, I am confident that I am running in the right direction!

I am reading the Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer (NRMT). The book is not only a training guide in how to physically prepare for a marathon but it is also a psychological training manual.

I started reading it while I was deeply patterned in negativity about all of my fitness activities. I was increasingly critical of every effort. None of my runs or workouts was long, hard, or fast enough. I was in a bad place. The book came at a perfect time.

Early on we are told to add the phrase "... but it doesn't matter" to the end of any negative thought or statement. We are encouraged to speak and think positively, but should we slip, this phrase helps us recover. It's cold and rainy outside. But it doesn't matter. Hah! It's true. As the authors say, I can and will run anyway. And I will be really glad I did when I am finished. I have lots of rainy run experiences to back this up as truth. In fact those rainy runs are often the most fulfilling and bragged about.

This phrase made a difference immediately. I ran slower than I wanted, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't! I ran. Good on me.

The book also encourages us to say “I am a marathoner.” What a crazy mantra. It's quickly growing on me, tho. I relate to it more and more as I say it, think it, write it. I am a marathoner. We are told to invite others to give us the opportunity to reiterate this. If you've read this far, thanks. If you think of it someday, ask me if I am a marathoner.

When I run I practice saying it. I am a marathoner, I am one who marathons, I am an Er with a Marathon in front of it. I marathon, I'm a marathoner!

NRMT instructs us to follow all of the training guidelines not just those that appeal to us. We're instructed to leave the music at home. Eek. I just got into running with music. My MP3 player is filled with music selected for pace and motivation. Sigh.

Friday was my last long-ish run in prep for the Seattle 1/2 Marathon (just a week from today.) A hilly 7+ miles.

1.5 hours without music or noise? Just me and my breathing? and my thoughts? Unappealing and kinda scary... but it doesn’t matter. And it didn’t! It was great!

While I ran, I worked on visualization and developing mental 'video tapes' as taught in NRMT. These "tapes" are to be played in place of negative thoughts and tapes. Tape 1 is of a perfect run... sights, sounds, smells, feelings, details. Tape 2 is of crossing the finish line in the marathon.

The work was fun. I learned a lot about myself. It was a good run. I didn't beat myself up for a single part of it. I ran big hills. I ran safe. I ran 7.3 miles. I ran productively. My pace was good. I didn't notice my breathing even tho I didn't have music to cover it up. I worked on form and experimented with different things I recently read in articles and books. And I told myself, I am a Marathoner.

I consider Friday's run my first Marathon training run, as it was the first after making the decision to go for it.

Here’re the stats:

DATE: 16-Nov-07
MILES: 7.33
TIME: 1:27:40
PACE: 11:57
ROUTE: 7.33 miles on 228th in Bothell, out and back
NUTRITION: 1 CarbBoom before, bottle water during
COMMENTS: Good Run! Hilly. Took it easy on the down hills. Lots of grit on the road.

Thanks for reading and for being my friend!

Love,
Nancy the Marathoner.