Grandma Made a Prediction on My Time

But I'm not going to tell you what she said until tomorrow after the race is done.  Feel free to start your own list of guesses.

 

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

Well, world, tomorrow's the big day!  Can't believe 18 weeks of training has brought me to what should take 3 hours and 40 minutes (or less) to complete!  Met a lot of nice people at today's expo, picked up my bib, and am almost ready for tomorrow!  What's left to do?  I want to lay out everything for the morning, set both of my phones so I'm 100% sure I wake up in time, have a nice, hot soak in the tub (complete with Epsom salt), and then get to bed plenty early (possibly with the help of a Tylenol PM).  I'd be thrilled to get in a full 8 hours of sleep tonight!

Thank you all so much for following along this journey!  I hope to make you all proud!!!!

One Week to Go!

Are you as excited as I am?!  Only one week to go until the big race!  Can't wait!  Got a Dr. Dan visit scheduled for tomorrow, and hope to get the thumbs up from him that I'm all set!

One Year Ago Today...

...I ran my first marathon, and it was the Southernmost Marathon in Key West!  Need a refresher?  Check this out!  Looking back, I can't believe that it was just a year ago I did that, and here I am just 2 weeks away from running my 4th marathon!

For a myriad of reasons, I think this (below) is completely appropriate.  Would you agree?

 

So How Did It Go in Miami?

The Key Biscayne Half Marathon was last Sunday, and I bet you've been wondering, "How did "Morgan" do in Miami?"  There's good news to share!  Out of 232 women who entered the race and 225 who completed it in the given time, "Morgan" was 10th out of them!  Not bad to be in the top 5% of the women who ran, huh?  Even better than that was winning the 30-34 age group and me (not Morgan) ending up with a new PR of 1:42:34.

Oh, if you're wondering how RCJ did, she ran an amazing race also and was the 2nd place overall female!  Woo hoo!  See, I told you she's a tremendously talented and hardworking runner!

I'm Headed to Miami!

Is it possible to time travel?  Could my 37 year old self spend at least a bit of time being 30 years old again?  No, this does not involve 1.21 gigawatts.  (Please, for the love of God, tell me you know that's a Back to the Future reference!)  However, it does involve an awesome friend, Morgan, and a race entry for Sunday's Key Biscayne Half Marathon.

Believe it or not, races are pretty strict about once you pay your money, you're locked in.  They don't want you selling or giving your entry away.  Hey, if you can't use it & can find someone who can & will use it, what's the harm (assuming you're not jacking up the price and being an asshole)?  Well, Morgan had signed up to do the Key Biscayne Half only to then find out that a friend was getting married that same weekend...in Wisconsin!  Morgan is many things, and one of them is an awesome friend.  So not only did she say "yes," to flying up to Wisconsin for the wedding, she also offered me her race entry!  Honestly, how cool is that?!

Here's where the time travel comes in.  Morgan can't "officially" transfer her entry to me.  No big deal.  I can pick up her race bib (because I'm such a helpful friend), and then on Sunday morning, I can just happen to pin it on myself & run.  Yes, according to the race results, I will be 30 year old Morgan from Miami!  How cool is that?

Did You Know?

Get a load of this shizz!  Apparently, I chose running over my marriage!  Huh!  Interesting, isn't it?  Especially when you consider that I run so early and am done most days before a certain someone rolls out of bed.  Yup, that's what I was told tonight.  I must be a real bastard to have a hobby that I enjoy, keeps me healthy, allows me to stay fit, and enables me to de-stress.  Yeah, that's totally it; what was I thinking?!  (May I humbly throw in a "GFY!"?  That's my version of "Can I get an "Amen" from the audience?!")

Maybe one of these days I'll take up a more sensible hobby.  Sky-diving or BASE jumping, anyone?

I'm Out of the Convertible Shoes!

This title might sound silly, but I was finally able (well, at least willing) to put on regular sneakers and stop wearing the convertibles (ie: sneakers with the tops over the big toes cut out).  I'm sure I didn't need to do that for quite so long, but a little too much time in the convertibles is probably better than a too little time in 'em where my toe starts hurting again.

Today's run had me doing 17 miles, but half of them were at marathon pace.  Since my last long run was a disaster (to me), I opted to do this one on my own for a bit of redemption.  The plan was to do the first 8 miles at a regular, slow-ish pace, then do the marathon pace for the next 8.5 miles, and finally to wind-down the last half mile.  This pretty much is how it shook out, and I'm happy about that.  Of course, the Nervous Nelly in me says, "but that was less than a third of the real distance that you'll want to cover at that pace."  Perhaps I need to tell Nervous Nelly to STFU!

If you're sitting there, reading this, and wanting proof that this was a pretty decent run, I've got your proof right here via a screen shot of my Garmin Connect info.  I'm not quite sure how/where that final full mile ended up with a 7:33 pace!  LOL!  The last one highlighted below is a combination of the half mile at marathon pace (MP) and then a slower, cool-down half mile.  I wish I could break it up to see if that 0.5 at MP was as fast as the previous mile was.

 

Today's Run: 10 Miles at Marathon Pace (MP)

After taking yesterday off and deciding to move those miles to today in order to give my toe an additional day to heal, it was time to hit the road in my "convertible" shoes.  Last year, Dr. Taub suggested that I cut a hole in the top of one sneaker that still had some life left in it.  This way, there would be no pressure on my nail.  Because the universe works in mysterious ways, this year, it's my other foot that's having a toe issue which meant cutting the other sneaker of that pair.  I did this handy-work on Friday since I knew I'd be needing the convertible at some point over the weekend.

Here's how today's run went.  The goal was to do 10 miles at marathon pace.  Of course, "marathon pace" means different things to different people, but Joan wants me shooting for times near the 8 minute per mile pace.  The humidity this morning made it tough, but I got it done!

 

Thanks, Stephanie, for this thought!

Love it!  So appropriate!  I shall make it my new motto!

 

2 Doctor's Visits in 1 Day...I Feel Old!

I certainly shouldn't have waited to see either doctor, but you know how it goes: you have pain, you think "I should see the doctor," it sort of goes away (or seems manageable), you think "I don't need to see the doctor," and then it comes back, so you (again) think, "I need to see the doctor."  Yeah, this has been me for about 2 weeks for the back of my leg and about a week for my toe.

Today, I finally had enough and decided I just needed to go; it was either go now or go later.  As Dr. John would say, "pay me now, or pay me later" in terms of addressing an injury.  (Hmmmmm, my philosophy is always that later sounds like a better idea!)  Anyway, I took a picture of my progressively-more-purple toenail & texted it to Dr. Joe Taub.  (Don't remember Dr. Taub and the work he had to do on my other foot from about a year ago?  Refresh here.)  Since Joe's a runner, I feel much better going to him because he won't be one of those doctors who say "just don't run for a few days."  I'll spare you the details on what he did, but suffice it to say that I left and felt like I could only drag my leg.

Interesting side note, when I walked into Dr. Taub's office, I was probably the youngest person in the waiting room by a good 30+ years.  I'm not sure if that made me feel really young or really old.

Later in the day, I was able to get in to see Dr. Dan, who I had not seen in a long time.  He was able to work some ART on me and get me feeling good.  So, after two different doctors, I think I'm back on track.

Today's Horoscope

From NYPost.com

I love that last part: "do it and do it brilliantly."  Well, that's what I intend to do!

Today's Run Was Not Such a Good One

If you simply saw the numbers, you'd either tell me that (a) I'm lying about the run not being a good one, (b) I'm being a bit too dramatic, or (c) I need to get my head checked.  But, as the saying goes, the devil's in the details.  Let's start with the numbers.

The original plan by RCJ had me doing 20 miles, but the route should include 4 bridges.  I mapped out this little gem ahead of time, so I knew it would end up being more like 22 miles, so I texted her to ask how terrible it would be if I did 22 miles as opposed to 20.  Her response was "not terrible!"  Ok, so my route was set, and as usual, I'd have my hydration vest, my gels, and my Nuun tabs with me.  I had breakfast & coffee before I ran, and I started nice & early to maximize whatever cool (relatively speaking) weather there would be.

The first bridge was at about mile 5-point-something, and the second one wasn't until mile 13 or so.  The next two bridges would happen between then and mile 20.  By the time I reached the third bridge, I was feeling pretty wiped, and I knew my water supply was diminishing.  I tried to keep my water intake and Gu/Nuun tab consumption at regular intervals, and I think I did, but sweet Christ, this run just was not a good one.  By mile 16 or so, I knew it was getting rough, and I bargained with myself that if I could just run to the base of the final bridge, I'd stop at a gas station, get water, and then walk.  But you know I like my nice, round numbers, and because that wasn't 20 miles, I figured I could keep going to where I was pretty sure 20 miles would fall and, as I reasoned with myself, another gas station would be.  I must've been pretty motivated to get that final mile (up to mile 20) done.  Check out how my pace changes from the previous miles!  How did I pull off a pace of 8:09 if I felt as shitty as I did?!  LOL!

The rest of the trip home was a mix of slow running (as the 8:56 and 8:51 paces show), some walking, and then a bit more shuffling (less than a mile at a 9:22 pace).

When I got back, I did something I pretty much never do: took my shoes, vest, and watch off and went right in the pool!  Yup - in all my running gear: socks, compression sleeves, and more!

I still don't know what went wrong, but days like this always make me wonder how I'm going to pull off 26.2 miles!

Today's Run Was a Good One!

If you're reading this blog, you likely know that this week sucked.  I won't be broken, and a certain someone is not going to be allowed to derail my training or stop me from reaching this next goal of mine.  (May I humbly throw in a stress-relieving "Go f*ck yourself!" right now?  Ahhhh, that feels good!)  I'd be lying if I said this week's runs were easy, but after a rest day yesterday, I'm happy that today's run was a really good one!  It has left me re-energized and looking forward to next week!  Let me fill you in.

Today's long run had me doing 16 miles with at least 6 at tempo pace.  RCJ said she'd join me, and I was looking forward to the company.  We chat most of the time, and it makes the miles fly by.  I had a pretty good route planned out.  We started out in Tradition, ran into St. Lucie West, and then swung back into Tradition to wrap things up.  I really like this route; it's got one bridge that you end up running twice, but the rest of it is pretty flat and semi-interesting.

RCJ is such an amazing runner that I'm always inspired to run with her and want to do my best.  We agreed to do 5 of the 6 tempo miles in the middle and then to make the last mile a good, fast final kick.  Check out what's below; the highlighted parts are the tempo miles.

Yeah, I was quite surprised to see a 7:20 final mile!  I knew it was fast, but if I had to guess, I don't think I would've thought it was that fast.  Cool stuff for sure that left me thinking maybe this Boston goal is do-able!

What might've been even cooler than that was the text that I got from another running friend, Stephanie.  She sent me this: "Joan posted about your fantastic run this morning on FB. Well done chica. Boston here you come!!!"  Thanks, Stephanie!  Your text means a lot to me.

Go Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams

 

Just like Forest Gump, that's all I have to say about that.

"Running Has Taken Over Your Life"

To the above quote, I issue the following thoughts:

That's all for now.  I feel better.

"No, I didn't fall!"

I'm talking to Grandma this morning, and she asks about my run.  I said, "Oh, let me tell you about my run today."  Her immediate reply was, "You didn't fall, did you?"  Seriously, does she think I'm that uncoordinated?  (Between you & me, I know she still is of the belief that I ended up in the hospital after all those falls at DTR in April.)

No, today's run had no falls; it was pretty good (if I do say so myself).  The goal was to do 11 miles at a pace of 8:00-8:15 per mile.  Before starting the run, I figured that 8:15 was pretty do-able for this, but 8:00 probably wasn't.  I wasn't really aiming for anything in particular other than to keep it at or below 8:15.  Here's how it shook out.

When I had 7:49.8 show up after finishing mile 5, I literally let out a "whoa!"  I did try to slow myself down a bit (which is what you see from miles 5-7), but that sort of didn't last.  LOL!  It'll be interesting to see if RCJ says "great job" or if it's more along the lines of "slow the F down, woman!"

Today Is a Rest Day. No, I'm Not Kidding!

Would you believe me if I told you that the schedule for today said that it could be a rest day or an easy 5 miles, and I chose a rest day?  No, I don't believe it either, but it's true!  Why?  Well, last week had me running every day from Tuesday up through & including Sunday.  This week's schedule has me running on Monday & Tuesday, and had I not taken a rest day today, I would have kept going until Saturday.  As it was, last week's running days and the first two days of this week meant I had run 8 days in a row.  I do love running (probably as much as I don't like boring rest days), but I know my bones & muscles need the rest which is why I opted to take the rest day.  In the big picture, not doing an optional easy 5 miler won't make or break my training...

2 Months to Go!

Just 2 months to go!  That may sound like a lot of time, but it'll go by pretty quickly.  I'm getting super excited!!!

I Am the World's Worst (or Laziest) Blogger

Feel free to call "BS" on this one, but I really have had "update blog" on my to-do list for the last month.  Things like running, working, sleeping, eating, and being a lazy SOB have been higher on the priority list for me.  What can I say other than now's a great time to catch up, right?  The significance of tomorrow, exactly 2 months to race day, is not lost on me.  Let's hop to it!

Running Coach Joan, RCJ, has been awesome, and always keeps my running moving forward with weekly plans that work around my sometimes crazy schedule (like me telling her that I was headed to the Bahamas & couldn't run on a Friday or Saturday).

Week 5 was where I left you; that had me doing 56 miles.  Leading up to my official training with RCJ, many of my weeks were in the mid-50s for mileage, so this felt like home.  

Week 6 was July 27th to August 2nd, and it had me hitting 60 miles which is something I might've done only once or twice (probably just once) while running un-coached.  It felt good to hit the 60 mile mark!  (I'm still in awe of some people on the Runners' World online forum who routinely have 70, 80, 90, and even 100+ miles each week; how do they have time for that?!  I'm seriously impressed by anyone who can do that & whose job is not to run.) 

Week 7 was August 3rd to the 9th, and it was a doozy; this was the week where Dave and I would be taking the boat to West End.  Knowing that I would not be able to get in any runs there, I asked Joan to set up the schedule whereby I'd run all days leading up to & including the day we left (Thursday), have no running on Friday and Saturday, and then run on the day we returned (Sunday).  This was not an ideal setup namely because you can imagine how tiring it is to run 10 miles before leaving on a 2+ hour boat ride to the Bahamas and then, on the day we return (after a 4+ hour ride back due to stopping to fish along the way and having 2 hours of clean-up at the marina in the blazing afternoon sun) to have to do 10 miles on a treadmill (where each mile gets progressively faster than the previous one).  I was beat even though this week was "only" 55 miles!

Week 8 was August 10th to the 16th and had a rest day on Monday (thank sweet baby Jesus).  It's also a week that would have me back up into the 60s with 63-64 miles on the schedule (yeah!).  It was also the first time that I'd have a 20 mile long run in more than 8 weeks.  My last 20+ mile run was actually before I started working with RCJ.  Tuesday through Sunday would be running days, and with Joan back in town from her adventures out west, I got to run with her on Wednesday and Saturday.  I'd be fibbing if I said I wasn't nervous about the 20 miler.  The plan called for 20 miles (anything from an 8-9 minute per mile pace) but at least 5 miles of "tempo" running (meaning a pace of 8 or less).  Joan & I ran about 12 miles together, and then I was on my own for the last 8.  I picked up the pace around mile 12.5, but since my watch gives me per mile breakdowns on the pace, I decided to officially start the tempo run at mile 13.  Figuring I'd go from mile 13 to 18 at this faster pace, I just sort of dealt with it being semi uncomfortable.  The funny thing is that when I got to 18 miles, I figured, "what the hell?  I'll just do one more mile at tempo."  Then, I get to 19 miles and think "why would I slow down for the last mile?"  LOL!  Then, I get to mile 20, but I'm still about a half mile from my car, so I "slow down" to (what I later find out was) an 8:12 pace and wrap up the run.

Last week, week 9, was August 17th to the 23rd.  Again, Monday was a rest day which worked out well because I had to be down in Broward for school meetings.  It was another 60+ mile week, and I ran with Joan on Friday and Saturday.  Here's one of the many reasons Joan cracks me up.  She really is so humble about her running.  Saturday's long run had 15 miles to do with at least 5 at tempo pace.  She said, before we started, that she didn't know if she had 5 miles of tempo pace in her, but she'd see how she felt, and if she didn't think she could do it, I'd just run ahead.  (The "if she didn't think she could do it" is the hysterical part; my tempo pace is a totally do-able not-so-tempo-pace for Joan!)  So we get to mile 9, and she says let's pick up the pace and see how it goes.  Well, I was aiming for something not too far under a pace of 8, but I know we're running faster than that.  First tempo mile pace?  7:46!  Second mile pace?  7:38!  Christ!  This is fast!  (Can you imagine me saying "I think I can, I think I can..."????)  After that, it was 7:39, 7:37, and 7:32!  Holy moly!  When we finally slowed down, the remaining paces were 7:49 and 7:51.  Crazy how that feels slow after putting down some miles in the 7:30-range!

Today begins week 10.  Had 9 easy miles today.  Tomorrow will be 9 tougher miles or, as RCJ puts it, 9 miles of an "effort run."  Oh my!

 

Exactly 3 Months Until Race Day!

Are you getting excited?!

In Case You're Wondering...

I know you probably know better than this, but I also know that there are some people out there who may be thinking, "ok, once she gets her BQ and is able to run Boston, she'll be done."  If this is you, or if you think you know who this might be, the answer is "definitely not."  I find it quite ironic that a certain someone who is generally annoyed by my running decides to inquire if any of my upcoming races will qualify me for Boston.  My prediction is that this person assumes (completely incorrectly, by the way) that if the Marine Corps Marathon goes well, I'll be done once I run Boston (which, by the way, probably won't be until 2017).  Perhaps by then, I'll be on to some new hobby.  (BASE jumping, anyone?)  What said person also doesn't know is that Hans has already mentioned me, Morgan, and him running the Two Oceans 56k in South Africa that year.  So many races...so little time!

A New Record - 8 Days & 75 Miles

If you consider just this week (Monday through tomorrow), there is no record mileage; I'm at 54 miles which is pretty status-quo for many weeks I've had over the last few months.  However, if you factor in that my week 3 and week 4 training schedules went back to back and that I've been running every day since last Friday, that's when you get the record: 8 days & 75 miles!  I don't think I've ever had a span of 8 days in a row where every single one of those days involved running, and I'm pretty damn sure that I've never reached 75 miles in that time period either.  Yeah, I'm tired, and I was tired going into this week just knowing what the final tally would be.  It's done, I feel great, and I am totally looking forward to a true 100% rest day tomorrow.

Something made me go back to my other blog when I was training a year ago for SoMo, my first marathon.  Man, there's a lot of good stuff in there; some of it's funny, some of it's serious, some of it's just random as all get-out (in the words of Gram).  I hope this blog is living up to the usual standards of past ones.

Exhibit B - I don't suck as a runner

Just more validation that I don't suck as a runner.  I emailed Addie to tell her how excited I was to be crewing for her in May, and she wrote this back to me: "I was planning on asking you girl, but I knew you had committed to helping someone else out."  For someone who is as strong of a runner as Addie is to say she planned on asking me, that's a virtual thumbs up that I don't suck because, let's face it, who wants a sucky runner to be a potential pacer?!

For 8 Days Straight...

...I will be running!  That's right!  Last week's schedule had a rest day on Friday and then runs scheduled on both Saturday & Sunday.  (Even Dave said, "I thought you don't run on Sundays!")  This week's schedule has me running each day up through and including Saturday.  It might be just mental, but my legs already feel tired!  LOL!  I'm not sure if I've ever had 8 days in a row of scheduled running, so this little 'experiment' will be interesting.  I do love running, but will I love it after 8 days and 70+ miles?  Time will tell...

Exhibit A - I don't suck as a runner!

Morgan had originally said she wanted to run one of the individual races at next year's Keys100.  Cool!  I told her I'd crew for her since I was sort of over the whole relay thing.  Turns out, though, that Morgan's too good to let go, and her team asked her back for next year.  She said 'yes' to them.  It really is nice to be asked back, so I get it.  Add in the fact that she's being asked back to a winning team, and how do you say 'no' to that?!


Addie & I met for lunch today, and I figured I'd throw my hat into the ring to crew for her since she'd be running the 50 mile race again.  My offer was very enthusiastically accepted, and I was "hired!"

So what does a crew member do?  In short, a little of everything!  From being there to hand the runner a fresh, cold drink to saying "it's time for you to eat something" to pacing/running with the person to being a cheerleader or, sometimes, an ass-kicking drill sergeant who needs to say "get your shit together," you don't quite know what's going to be needed, so you've got to be ready to do it all.  Here's a good (and short) article on crewing for someone: http://www.enduranceplanet.com/ultrarunning-how-to-crew-for-your-runner/. 

What I'm more excited about is the opportunity to pace (ie: run with) Addie during the race.  Seriously, did you expect me to be a part of this 50 mile race and not run?!  What does a pacer do?  Well, as the name implies, sometimes it's about helping the other person maintain a certain pace, but most times it's about companionship, a little bit of cheerleading, and just being there even if it's completely in silence.  During Morgan's 100k back in February, I had the chance to pace her for the final 8-ish miles in what was probably the hardest part of the entire race; it was the last little bit to do (you can say "little bit" when you're talking about a 62 mile race!), it was cold, it was getting dark, it got extremely dark, and she was beyond tired (as you could imagine).  Joining Morgan for this part of the race allowed me the opportunity, in a very small way, to help get her to the finish line in good spirits.  After the race, I came across this article/interview on what it takes to be a good pacer: http://www.irunfar.com/2015/01/how-to-choose-your-sidekick-aka-pacer.html. 

In case you don't remember, Addie was the 2nd place overall female winner of the Keys50 race.  How cool would it be to help her to a 1st place finish next year?

Yet Another Reason Why I Love RCJ!

There are so many benefits to having a coach, and as I've said to a bunch of people, my coach is worth every penny!  Here's just another example of what I mean.  Even though RCJ is away with her family in Montana, she's still staying connected and sent me this tonight: "I contacted Chenae to find out about the MCM corrals, for lining up. She said one could easily be able to get near the front, and avoid being slowed down by a crowd. That is exactly what we will plan on."  So not only is she working with me on running and getting faster so I can get my BQ, she's also working with me on race-day strategy!  Love it!

My New Gadget

Look what arrived in today's mail!  For those of you who say, "Yeah, big deal?  It's just a watch," let me tell you that it's so much more than "just a watch."  Oh, and also let me tell you what a good deal I scored on it.  I had been stalking Garmin watches on Ebay for a while, had bid on a ton of 'em, and had not won any auctions.  This particular watch, the Garmin Forerunner 920XT, was really what I wanted because of the 20 hours of battery life and tons of other features it has (like wi-fi capabilities to automatically upload run stats).  Finally, an auction went in my favor, and I picked this puppy up for over $40 less than the cheapest place I could find it online (outside of Ebay).  It's pricey, and it'll take some getting used to wearing something "expensive" when I run, but from everything I've read about it, it'll be awesome!

A Run-Down of Week #2

Here's how week 2 shook out as per my "report" back to Running Coach Joan (who shall, henceforth, be referred to as RCJ).

Monday

Target: 8 miles (8:15 pace)

Actual: 8 miles (8:08 pace)

Tuesday

Target: 8 miles - hills (8:30 pace)

Actual: 9 miles - hills (8:17 pace)

** I apparently don't know that area well enough because when 8 miles rolled around, I was at the base of the big hill leading up to the church; I ran up the hill and then did a slow jog back to the car which is why it was longer than what was in the plan.

Wednesday

Target: 8 miles (8:15 - 8:30 pace)

Actual: 8 miles (8:15 pace)

Thursday

Target: 8 miles - strides (8:15 pace with strides in the 7:30 - 7:45 pace)

Actual: 8 miles (7:55 pace)

*** I think my strides might been faster than 7:30.  Like last week, I loved them!!!!

Saturday

Target: 13 miles (8:30 - 8:50 pace with middle 4 miles at an 8 pace)

Actual: 13 miles (8:50 pace), did my middle 4 miles from 6.35 miles to 10.35 miles and all were at or below 8.  Felt good to do this.

That meant I ended the week with 46 miles.  Not bad, but considering that most of my weeks for a while had been in the 50-55 range, 46 seems easy.  Not this next week, but the week after will be 6 days of running instead of 5.  Woo hoo!