Eighteen Days Left Until the Colfax Marathon 2014

Less than three weeks left until the Colfax Marathon and I feel incredibly excited and nervous.  I've come a really long way.  I started amping up my mileage at the end of October last year and officially started training for this race in November, 23 weeks ago.  Since then, I've run 852.23 miles, and lost over a minute in my marathon pace.  I get up at 5:00 am consistently, and burn over 1,500 calories before I make my boys breakfast.  Six months ago, I dreamed of running 6 days a week, but worried the constant impact on my joints would kill my endurance.  It's had the opposite effect.  I am stronger, faster, and more determined than ever.

Last week was my peak training week.  I ran 67 miles total.  I remember looking at this week months ago thinking, "How on Earth am I ever going to get there?  I am tired running 35 miles a week, is it possible for me to double that number?"  I remember my friends and family thought I was crazy.  They would look at my schedule and say, "Wait, are you serious?"

To get over that self doubt, I devised a genius plan: Don't Look Ahead.  I followed the Hanson's Method to a T.  If they said run slow, I ran slow, knowing tomorrow would suck if I didn't.  On the days where I needed to run fast, I ran fast.  I didn't cheat myself and I pushed really hard.  Speed work days taught me I'm stronger and faster than I thought.  I checked off the workout every day and marked it in green, yellow, or red marker, allowing for daily reflection and growth.  Green days signified I ran well and wanted to continue.  Yellow was okay.  I was glad to be done, minor aches and pains were small annoyances but I pushed through.  Red days were agonizing.  I never bailed on a workout but I desperately hated myself on those days.  Thankfully, I only self-loathed occasionally.

By not looking ahead, I managed what was in front of me.  Somehow, I ran myself to this point.  I am excited to see how this race goes.  I am also terrified.  Five freaking months of training need to pay off.  I took it very seriously.  I didn't bail, cheat, or skip on workouts.  I started taking 3-4 ice baths a week (after every hard effort), 1-2 epsom salt baths a week (recovery days before bed), and I rolled out twice a day (once in the morning after I ran, and once before bed.)  I've never focused on my diet so much before.  Yes, cupcakes and brownies love me, but I ate fruit and vegetables at least 10 servings a day.  I made my own energy bars each week and focus on whole grains and lean protein.  This training period has been life changing.

Because I get up so early, my husband gets up with the boys every day and gets their day started until I get home.  He has been patient and understanding and somehow willing to deal with my exhaustion and obsessive behavior.  

All this hard work will pay off.  When I began this journey 5 months ago, I wanted to get a 4:00-4:05 marathon time on this difficult course but my tempo, strength, and speed sessions were significantly faster.  I adjusted my time to be sub 4:00, hoping to push myself a little more.  In the last month, I've noticed my kick is stronger and I am learning how to work with my body when it hurts.  I use more of my body now to run, not just my legs.  I'm becoming more efficient and finding new muscles and tone in my legs, arms, stomach, back, and shoulders telling me it is working.  Eighteen days to go, I'm ready.


~Roadburner

Spooked

5:00 am.  The neighborhood is pitch black.  Every once in a while I see houses and shadows illuminated by a stray street lamp.  To my right is a long stretch of open space that reaches for at least 10 miles.  I run back there, but not when it is dark.  My dog, Tucker, loves these runs.  He runs by his nose, flaunting that he doesn't need his eyes to see.

Now three miles in, I'm getting used to this 8:00 pace.  I feel good and my arrogant dog doesn't even seem to be trying.  Up ahead the road dead ends.  I can follow the loop around to the right or take an entirely different direction to the left.  Of course I will go right.  I always go right.  It takes me further.

At least 25 feet from the intersection I see a flash of black.  It ran straight into the open space along the road that I am headed towards.  "Shit, Tucker.  What was that?"  He turns back at me and sniffs.  Clearly, he is unscathed.  I haven't been afraid of running the dark for a long time...okay, a year.  I haven't had a choice all winter so I've gotten used to it.  But that black thing was huge and fast and scary.  I go through the options of what it could be: a coyote, a bunny, a bird, a stray dog, a cougar, a werewolf...  I still have the option to go left.  I can gain those extra two miles somewhere else.  Somewhere there aren't terrifying black beasts lurking on the other sides of corners.

No, I'm freaking 30 years old.  I run marathons.  I have my dog that I've nicknamed "Mace."  I'm not scared.  I'm fearless.  Go right.

As I run towards the open space I see nothing there.  "Stupid.  Why are you so afraid of nothing?  Whatever it was just ran into the fields and it is long gone."  About 30 feet after the turn there are no more houses to my right.  The change is marked with one final fence.  Tucker slows as we approach.  He hesitates.  Fearless Mace, reduces his speed to a walk.  He stalks a shadow on the other side of the fence.

"Hmmmmmm.  Okay.  I'm okay.  I'm okay.  Tucker's got my back."  Still running, I peer around the corner and BOOM a reckless crow hurdles out, striking Tucker perfectly in the nose with it's spread wing and flies to the rooftop of a neighboring house across the street.  Yes, I screamed.  I shrieked so loudly I'm sure I woke up an entire neighborhood. 

Humiliated, but laughing, I didn't stop to see lights flicker on, I sprinted away as the satisfied crow watched from above.  Lesson learned, at 30 I am still slightly afraid of the dark, and crows.


~Roadburner

16 Miles in Pictures

I ran 16 miles alone on Saturday.  Usually Monica and I like to run together for these longer miles, but our schedules were so busy that we just couldn't find a way to make it work.  I created a really neat loop that covered a lot of ground over 16.75 miles and thought it would be fun to show how much things can change mile-to-mile over that distance.  I love watching how the light changes in the morning.  It is the number one reason why I never mind getting up before the birds.

(Monica, I missed you the whole way, and I didn't want you to miss out on the beautiful views, so here you go:))

Mile 0.  5:15 am.

Mile 0.  Looking North East.  The light is not from the sunrise but from the community center.

Mile 1.5

Mile 1.5

Mile 2

Mile 3

Mile 3.75.  The tiny red dot in the top left corner is Monica.  She had a friend visiting from Ohio and they got a quick run in before her friend had to leave.  I saw them from a distance and waited for a while to see if it was them or not.  Monica, your red hat always gives you away!  ;)

Mile 5 

Mile 5.5.  I've never run on a golf course before.  It was beautiful running along the golf path for a mile.

Mile 6.  That's a mall and major highway in front of me.

Mile 6.25.  Headed under the highway.

Mile 6.5

Mile 7.5

Mile 8.5.  This park leaves out water and cups for park enthusiasts on the weekends.  While I didn't use any, I thought that was really cool.

Mile 10.  This is the cutest neighborhood.  I had no idea it existed. 

Mile 11

Mile 13.  At the top of a 2 mile climb.  I wanted to take a picture of the hill I just climbed, but I didn't because I passed a girl halfway up the hill and she was still back there when I turned around.  It felt rude to photograph her.

Mile 13.  Looking over the highway I crossed earlier.

Mile 14.5.  My calves cramped up suddenly at this point.  I took a Salt Stick and they were refreshed in less than 30 seconds.  That stuff works!  I highly suggest it.

Mile 16.5.  I saw my husband and kids pass by in the car.  They were headed to get me a special breakfast!

When I got home, my husband asked me if I had energy left in the tank for a hike and picnic.  Two hours later, we were at the top of Mt. Falcon, 3 miles total.  The sign above us means, "The well at the gate."  Inspiring, I know!

Looking out over Mt. Rosalie.

Before I started training for marathons, I had no idea how much ground I could cover in one run.  I have a hard time mapping out my runs now because I want something new and different.  It needs to have beautiful views and loop back to the beginning.  I don't like out and back routes, but creating something that covers so much ground is ironically difficult.  

When I got home on Saturday, my boys asked me where I ran.  I told them I ran behind Monica's house, to our library, down to the mall, past Daddy's work, and back up through our favorite playgrounds.  My youngest son said, "Mommy, that's not possible without a car!" 


~Roadburner

Birthday Bliss

I turned 30 last week.  I honestly never thought about living this long.  Not that I did anything stupid or risky to make me doubt such an achievement, but it always seemed a long way away.  Ten years old.  Now that is tangible.  I remember thinking, "Holy cow!  I am old.  BOOM!  I made it to the double digits!"  Sixteen had a ton of fanfare and served me well.  Twenty-one was okay, and again I knew I'd get there.  But each year since has slipped by unnoticed, existing only as an afterthought.

So where am I now?  I have a husband, two sons, my parents, amazing friends, a beautiful home, and I am happy.  I can honestly say I am happy.  I know where I come from.  I know where I am headed.  Things don't seem uncertain like they did in my 20s.  At 21, I had no idea how many kids I would have, where I would work, or live, or how I would stay healthy and sane as I aged.

I have more focus the older I get.  It's making me a better runner.  Ten years ago, I wouldn't have dreamed of running 60+ miles a week, taking infinite ice baths, rolling my legs out twice daily, and getting up hours before most the city rises.  This morning I ran a half marathon for the second time this week and while my body asked politely to stop a few times, I told her to, "Shut up and annihilate this thing," and she obliged.  That little insecure voice in my head doesn't speak loudly anymore.  During this round of training, I have pushed myself harder than ever before and each time I push, I get a little stronger.

In the last 7 days, I've run 64 miles.  Tuesday left my legs battered with lactic acid as I pushed that threshold as hard as I could.  For the first time ever, I ran a 7:11 mile after running 6 miles each under an 8:45 pace.  My calves didn't burn too badly while I ran at speed.  They waited to erupt into acidic flare while I cooled down on a giant hill near my home.  A man walking his dog stopped to watch me stretch out momentarily.  He snickered as I clutched my legs.  "Good run?" he asked. 

"Best yet!" I answered.

I run for health and longevity.  

I run to push my body to its absolute limits.  

I run to know what I am capable of.  

I run to teach my kids how to set goals high and then achieve their dreams.  

I run to see things that others can't or won't.

I run to watch the sunrise and interact with nature.

I run to belong to a special group of people that understand the same struggle no matter their differences in pace, distance, or finish.

I run to be alone.

I run to make my problems feel small.

I run for a beautiful body and strong mind.  

I run to compete.

I run for discipline.

I run to feed my fire.

 Why do you run?  

~Roadburner

 

Wabash Trail, Iowa

I'm a mountain girl to the core.  I grew up in the foothills of Colorado and have remained here all my life.  I've seen a lot of different places, so I wouldn't say I don't know anything else.  But I feel most at home here.  My parents moved to Omaha, Nebraska 12 years ago and I've never gotten used to the open plains and farmlands.  Ironically, I feel claustrophobic when I don't have snowy peaks to orientate myself.  The humidity chokes my lungs and the heat is an entirely different matter.

I needed to get 16 miles in last Saturday.  Mom and Dad love riding their bikes on the Wabash Trail in Iowa, so I figured this was a good opportunity to spend some time together and finally see the trail I've heard so much about.

We started in Malvern, Iowa, ran 8 miles to Silver City, and returned to the start.  Because my mom and dad rode their bikes, it was really hard to keep riding at a relatively slow 8:40 pace.  After no time at all they made sure I had what I needed and rode off.

Picture this.  The trail is a 64-mile-long stretch of fairly flat lands, partly enclosed by large deciduous trees.  Giant walnuts and acorns the size of my fist covered the ground so deep in areas, that I had to tip toe around the mounds.  As I ran by a mile-long wetland outside of Malvern, the frogs erupted in an incredible chorus of croaks.  I actually thought a diesel train must be passing until I realized no train tracks existed, it was the frogs.  The canopy of trees overhead were just starting to bud and when I looked at the trail ahead of me, it was an endless tunnel of green and brown.

Throughout the run I passed broken down cars, models dating from the early 30s, a plane chassis, and old railroad cars stacked along a river bank to protect the lands from flooding.  Somehow, this old junk didn't detract from the landscape.  It looked as if it belonged and added to the eccentric appeal.  Every half mile, I crossed a small wooden bridge, each one slightly different, but very much like I'd pictured from old movies.  Miles passed and I didn't see a single soul.  No cars drove by, farm houses peeked wearily out of the holes in the forest every so often, and even though I could see them clearly, many were a mile or more away.

It was a peaceful run.  I didn't wear ear buds.  Instead, I listened to the squirrels fight over the plethora of nuts on the ground.  Cardinals mocked my hunger the entire trek, "Birdy, Birdy, Birdy!"  "Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger!"  "Birdy, Birdy, Cheeeeeeeseburrrrrrger!"

Even though the trail didn't run up and down steep mountainsides, it was beautiful.  Each small town along the trail have maintained their farm routes and I appreciated that.  I liked running where I could feel totally alone, unhampered by technology or schedules.

My parents met me at the finish and took me out for lunch where all the locals stopped and stared at me as I walked into the restaurant dripping sweat and completely out of breath from running in the heat.  The owner stopped by our table and said, "So you must be the runner!"  News travels quickly I guess.  "Wow!  We get a lot of bikers through here.  Not runners.  Good for you young lady."  Give it some time, this trail will definitely gain popularity. 


~Roadburner

Running in Secret

I get up early in the morning and running gets to be my little secret. No one is awake yet as I trot along completely darkened neighborhoods. Dew still bubbles from the blades of grass leaving freshness in the air that won't last after sunrise.  Only the birds know I am there and it is my little piece of heaven.  After a difficult effort, I celebrate silently.  I didn't push myself for a medal or prize.  I wanted to see if it could be done.  I glance at my Garmin and smile at a new success.  It is mine. 

Throughout my day, no one knows my calves pinch slightly as I step.  Moms at the park don't realize I burned an entire day's worth of calories before most of the city awoke.  When I take the steps one at a time as I follow my boys up the stairs of a slide, people glance, thinking I'm lazy.  Nope, just sore. 

Each snack and meal throughout my day gets to be a well planned treat, healing my muscles from today's efforts and preparing it for tomorrow.  I indulge the flavors of my food privately as others don't understand how good it tastes at that very moment. 

Yesterday, I didn't know I could go this far or fast.  I didn't know I could feel so energized after working so hard.  Tomorrow, I'll push a little more.  And again, those simple triumphs will remain my secret.

 ~Roadburner

Enjoying the Run Again

I'm 21 weeks into training for the Colfax Marathon and the last two weeks or so have been draining.  I'm logging more miles than I ever have before and there are definitely mornings where my alarm goes off between 5:15-5:30 and instead of skittering out of bed, I fumble, loudly.  It has been an insanely long road.  Today, I got the boost I needed to pull me back on track.

My alarm buzzed at 5:15 am, but I awoke 2 minutes before, naturally.  I quietly got out of bed, politely not waking my husband.  I dressed quickly, ate a banana and a Gu, downed some orange juice, and headed out the door.  I purposely hid my Garmin from view.  I'm visiting my parents in Omaha this weekend.  The weather is supposed to be rainy all day Sunday, so instead of going long 3 days after my tempo, I only get 2 days for recovery.  I didn't want to push my luck and feel pressured to go out too fast.

I started out warming up nice and slow and after a mile, slowly accelerated to what felt like a sustainable, moderate pace.  Usually, I try and keep the same pace no matter how the terrain changes.  If it is a mile long 7% incline, I try to run up it at the same speed as I would a straight shot.  Today, I wanted to maintain only by effort.  I thought of it as keeping money in the bank.  "Keep your effort moderate.  Hills hurt.  Save some for later so you can finish strong." Dog walkers think I am crazy, but self talk works.

On the straightaways and downhills I opened up my stride and sped up, keeping the moderate effort.  On hills, I backed way off, listening to my breath and paying very close attention to my legs.  As I rounded the 12th mile and saw my house, I felt great.  I truly wasn't tired.  I could have kept running for another 10-15 miles or more.  The fresh feelings in my lungs and legs were exhilarating.  I haven't felt that good after a run in months!

While I cooled down I looked at my watch to finally check my splits.  My goal was to maintain right at a 9:00 pace.

Mile 1 - 10:06
Mile 2 - 9:18
Mile 3 - 9:03
Mile 4 - 8:38
Mile 5 - 8:56
Mile 6 - 8:20
Mile 7 - 8:31
Mile 8 - 9:10
Mile 9 - 8:35
Mile 10 - 8:48
Mile 11 - 9:08
Mile 12 - 9:10

I read all the time that negative splits are key.  I agree this is very true as you don't want to start too fast.  A warm-up energizes muscles and saves a lot of energy for later.  However, I didn't run true negative splits today and I felt great.  It was a hilly course that climbed over 1,400 feet; some of those hills were 2-3 miles long.  There is definitely something to be said for running based on effort and not the clock.

When I got home, I felt energized and ready to run again.  I miss that feeling.  It made me think, what have I been doing wrong?

• I push too hard sometimes.  I want so badly to improve and grow, but I am not allowing my body to relax and let go. I need to start listening to how I feel, and run based on that. 

• Somehow I was really focused today.  I was able to stare straight ahead and not worry about anything but how I felt at that very moment.  I wore a lower brimmed hat without sunglasses and I think that tunnel vision kept me only looking a few steps ahead.  Also, the reduced pressure of not looking at my watch kept my stride relaxed and simple.

• Yesterday, I ate really clean.  For breakfast I ate papaya, yogurt, and Kashi cereal.  I had mixed grain bread and organic turkey for lunch with a huge kale salad.  For snack, I ate a homemade energy bar with walnuts, banana, cranberries, and whole wheat flour.  Dinner consisted of salmon, long grain rice pilaf, and another giant kale salad.  I didn't have any alcohol and instead enjoyed a huge glass of milk with my dinner.  What I eat the day before a run has more impact than anything else.
• I've never eaten a banana and a Gu pre-run.  It is usually one or the other.  I will do that again! 
• Sleep hasn't been enough of a priority lately.  Last night, I was alseep before 9:30, allowing me to wake naturally before 5:15. 

At first I thought I was insane to run the same marathon two years back-to-back.  There are thousands of courses out there, why do the same one again?  But how much I've grown in the last year is substantial.  I can't think of a better way to prove how far I've come than running it again, and steadily improving from one year to the next.  I am not the same person I was a year ago.  I am much more driven with set goals and tangible plans to achieve my dreams.  For the first race ever, I feel prepared to run.

Fat Withdrawal

I reluctantly went to the dentist this morning.  It is the only place on earth where they make a habit of chipping away your bones.  Worse yet, my dentist is obsessed with Disney.  There is definitely something disconcerting about a 35-year-old tooth extractor who is infatuated with simple-minded, half naked, buck toothed animals.  I have a hard time taking him seriously.

Anyway, he's been telling me for sometime now to get my wisdom teeth pulled.  I disagree.  They aren't infected, hurting, or dirty.  They are mine.  I grew them and I say my teeth should stay.  I was discussing this with my husband last weekend.  I told him I am proud of every part of my body, as I was the one to grow it.  That's when he dug his grave, "Or shrunk it." 

I pondered that for a moment, wondering how I could possibly shrink my wisdom teeth.  If I could, that would be a great option!  "Sorry, doc, you can't pull 'em!  I shrunk them last Wednesday.  Boo Yah!"

Then I thought maybe he was referring to the baby fat I added when I had our two boys.  I gained 40 pounds with my second one and yes, I showed it in my face.  But it is gone now and it has been for 2.5 years.  Okay, maybe I am proud those extra rolls are gone.  Thanks for the reminder, dear!

36 Weeks Pregnant with my second child.

2.5 years later. 

Wait.  He was referring to my boobs!  Yes, running has dissolved most of my body fat over time.  Now that I've turned up the miles, my body eats the fat where ever it can find it.  Over the last 5 months of marathon training I've lost about 5 pounds.  I don't doubt that I can put it back on, brownies love me.  But it is gone nevertheless, and the first place my body decided to rob me, was the one place I couldn't afford a withdrawal.

Fine Randall, I will rephrase.  "I am proud of my body.  Anything I grew, shrunk, or aged, is mine.  If it isn't diseased, hurting, rotten, or falling off, doctor, you need to leave it alone." 

I have to go back in 2 weeks to fill a cavity.


~Roadburner

Doggy Pains

Tucker has tendonitis in his left paw.  He's never shown the smallest amount of soreness over the years, no matter how far he's gone.  And even with a sore paw, he refuses to stop running.  He just limps around looking at everyone like, "What the heck is your problem, I could easily have run further!"

He thinks I hate him all of the sudden.  Dogs are that self serving.  He watches me leave the house, while glaring at me through the windows.  "I could have gone," his pathetic little eyes plead.  "Bitchy human's been planning this betrayal all along."  When I return home from an hour plus run, he smells where I have been, tosses his nose up in the air and refuses to sit in the same room with a traitor.  I join him in the kitchen but he leaves and watches from afar, nosing my steamy perfumes from a distance.

There is nothing you can do for a tendonitis ridden dog, but let him rest.  Obviously this is cruel.  When I have pains in my legs, I roll the crap out of them, I ice them, take a ton of Motrin, use compression socks, and purposely limp in front of my husband to milk his compassion.  Within 24-48 hours I am back running again, but Tucker remains sore after a week of no exercise.

Tendonitis or not, Tucker is 8 years old and sprightly.  According to a doggy year conversion calculator, he is only 45.  Within a few more days he will be pulling me along the trails as always.  He isn't old yet, not like me.  I am a 133 year old dog!  I'm the one with reasons to complain. 


~Roadburner

Running date

For the second time in 6 years, my husband and I finally had the house all to ourselves.  What did we do?  Like any other exhausted parents, we went to bed before 9:30!  Instead of sleeping in, we jumped out of bed at 6:30 and quickly headed out for a run.

I prefer running dates over going to the movies.  Movies suck.  First of all, I finally get rid of my kids just to feel another lady's brat kick my chair repeatedly for 90 minutes or scream out inappropriately.  Why is that 5 year old in an adult movie anyway?  Furthermore, I've never understood why people bring their newborn babies to shows.  "Yes, thank you ma'am, I wanted to hear your baby cry for the entire movie because I desperately missed the cry of my two boys, whom I appropriately left at home." 

Running allows Randall and I to have quality time together.  We talk, grunt, laugh, compete, defend the lead...  It's fun.  He used to be remarkably faster than me.  Of course he enjoyed the lead, he is a man.  What hunter man doesn't enjoy being able to demonstrate his ability to chase down prey, or a car, to his slower nut gathering wife?  But in the last year, I've taken the lead as Randall has suffered with injury.  He could probably still beat me in the mile, hands down.  But I have endurance, and in my world, that means everything.  I just need to tire him out.

"How far we going?"

"Only 7-8 miles.  The schedule says 8, so..."  I looked at the path ahead and smirked.

"There is no way we are going 8 miles, Jen.  We are already 5 miles from home and I know we are running on your 11 mile course.  I helped you map the damn thing a few nights ago.  Oh, and didn't you say we were going to take it slow?  This isn't slow.  This is one minute per mile faster than you promised."

I love spending time with him.

~Roadburner

Colfax Marathon Round 2 Game Plan

With six and a half weeks left until the Colfax Marathon, it's time to start creating a game plan.  How do I improve on last year's performance?  (Here is last year's race report.)

First of all, I am stronger this time around.  I've doubled my training, both in miles and intensity.  Before this round of training, I never ran tempo, strength, or speed runs.  I just ran to cover the distance.  Last year it was about the time on my feet, while this season is all about posting quality miles.  April 2013 drained me.  We moved, my whole family got pneumonia, and somehow I ended up with pleurisy.  My lungs burned walking from the kitchen to the couch but stubbornly I refused to drop out of the race.

Considering my goals to simply finish last year, I started too fast.  I wasn't ready to hold a 9:00 pace.  I hadn't trained for that and my lungs were still too weak.  I let the excitement of the day get the best of me.  Miles 5-15 are all uphill and instead of pacing myself, my splits were all over the place.  I wanted to run how I felt and I think this was detrimental.  I felt good in the beginning so I ran faster.  By the end, I had no energy left and I crashed.

At mile 15, I stopped to collect myself.  I was ready to drop out of the race altogether.  I realized that running marathons wasn't very fun.  It is work.  And focus.  Standing completely still in the middle of the race course while everyone else ran by me was surreal.  I let what seemed like a hundred people pass as I just stood motionless before deciding I needed to finish.    

At mile 17, I saw my husband on the side of the street.  He ran up next to me and joined me for about a quarter mile.  My sudden change in pace from an 11:00 mile to a 9:46 shows how much I needed to see him.  Randall told me he would see me at the finish line and I promised I'd make it.  It sounds really stupid but in my oxygen depleted state, I didn't want to let him down.  I said I would be there, I didn't want him to worry so I had no choice anymore but to finish.

Miles 23-34 suck.  Whoever designed this course is a sadist.  The hill is huge and completely out of no where.  I've worried about this damn hill ever since and quite honestly, I have no idea how I am going to get up that thing again.  I've spent a lot of time training on hills and finishing long runs on hills, so I hope that counts for something.  If not, wave to me from the sidelines, I'll be the one walking, cursing, and grunting.

So what have I learned in the last year?  Starting slow is key.  While I want to average right at 9:00 miles, I need to start the first few slower than that by a good 20 seconds per mile.  I need to reserve energy to pull me up that dreaded mountain at the end.  Second, I didn't take enough Gu last year.  I need to make a concerted effort to down carbs every 5 miles.  That may be a lot for some people, but when I practice this during training runs, I consistently perform better.

Next, I need my husband to be at the 20th mile.  The boost of energy he gave me at mile 17 was heaven sent.  I will never be able to describe what seeing him did for me.  I was covered in salt, sweat, and tears.  I was starving, my lungs were on fire, and emotionally I was falling apart.  The second I saw him standing there, I pulled myself together.  I wanted to look strong for him and I needed him to be proud of me.  Appearing solid for him made me feel more energetic for the next few miles.  This time I want to see him again closer to the finish.  I hope that surge carries me beyond mile 20.

Randall and me just before the race.

If I feel good between miles 17-23, that would be a good time to speed up by 10-20 seconds per mile to bank a little time for the hill.  I don't plan on it looking pretty as I trot up that thing, so if I can slow back down to a 10:00 pace without loosing overall time, I will curse less. 

I still have no idea how I want to carry my hydration.  Last year I carried a backpack but I've only worn it once in the last year and it was really heavy and hot.  I don't do well with hydration belts because they make me cramp.  I usually just carry a water bottle, but not for 20+ miles.

3:58.  That's my primary goal for this race.  I'm trying to cut off over 26 minutes from last year's time.  I need to run an overall 9:00 pace, while allowing for a slow warm up and an ugly finishing hill climb.  During my longer training runs, I consistently push that pace to 8:40 miles, but I don't want to get overconfident.  Last year I learned to respect the distance. 


How have you changed your strategy on the same course from one year to the next?
What do you use to carry your hydration?
Who or what do you need at your tougher races to pull you through?
How often do you take carbs during the race?

~Roadburner

Recovering through Sports Massage

Do you take your underwear off when you get a sports massage?

I contemplated this for a few hours before my appointment finally arrived last Wednesday.  Of course it makes sense that you need to be naked, or at least close to it for a regular massage, but if they are focusing on your legs, and the muscles surrounding those tender spots, I don't want to be left fully defenseless.

I took a completely opposite approach and decided to wear jeans to my first sports massage.  Dumb.  Don't do that.  As it turns out, the massage therapist, Scott, took 20 of the 60 minutes to stretch my legs out fully and jeans are cumbersome and slightly embarrassing.  I couldn't move appropriately and instead I looked like the rusted Tin Man.  

It finally came time to disrobe.  I asked Scott to spend the entire session on my legs so I felt this was a rather crucial decision.  After a lot of silent debate, I kept my underwear.  There are muscles and ligaments in my leg that feel like they attach half way up my spine. 

It is crazy how many muscles are in our legs!

He kept laughing really hard saying, "Wow your muscles are PISSED!"  Well, thank you Scott.  Any self doubt that I once had has definitely multiplied.  "What are you doing to yourself to make them this angry?"  Another gem was, "You aren't very fast are you?  You are way too flexible to be a sprint distance runner."  But my favorite compliment of the session was, "Even though you can't be that fast, you are built for endurance.  See these muscles, they are your distance muscles.  They are the really pissed ones."

Apparently you are supposed to take 1-2 days off after a sports massage before returning to your normal training routine.  I didn't know how important this was until a few days later.  I knew I would be sore.  He kept telling me that over and over again as he massaged out the anger from my legs, "Oh, you will feel this one again tomorrow!"  Scott has a way with words.

I only ran 5 miles the next day, but I also hiked 3.5 miles and stayed on my feet constantly.  Two days after the massage I ran 10 tempo miles.  My calves kept aching for a few days still and I questioned whether the massage did more harm than good.  But five days later, I felt really good and my calves felt remarkably less rigid.  Regrettably, I ruined that progress in one 16 mile trail run and now I am sore as ever and my muscles remain pissed.

It was a good experiment in recovery.  I am always looking for new ways to improve the process and I did learn a few good things along the way.

• Don't run after a massage.
• Epsom Salt baths 2-3 times a week can relieve muscle soreness.  I thought this had to be a load of Scott's crock but I tried it and did some research and it really works.  
• Epsom Salt kills fruit flies in your plants, aids constipation, and provides a safe and healthy facial scrub.  Who knew? 
• Ice baths truly do help.  I do them 3 times a week, Scott said do them 5 times a week.  Honestly, I hate him a little more now.
• Stretching is worth it, I also learned a few new stretches to relieve calf pain.
• Foam rollers are the nicer version of a massage therapist.  They don't speak. 

Because I don't do it often enough, I let a lot of acid build up in my muscles.  It was really painful and I think for it to be truly beneficial and not set back my training at all due to the soreness, I would need to do it much more often.  I 100% believe in the healing powers of massage, but I won't be getting another one until I finish the Colfax Marathon in May.  That said, I plan to get one that day if possible.

~Roadburner