Thursday, October 28, 2004
Three Days And Counting
Hi. My name’s Dianna, and it’s been 3 days since my last run. Sigh.
My last run was Monday afternoon, 4 miles in 34:44.
I also managed to do a 10-mile run with Michelle and April-Anne this past Sunday. I continue to surprise myself with my post-marathon recovery…the ten miles felt great! Right towards the end, my knees were feeling a little cranky, but the muscles felt fueled and ready for more! I feel like I’m living a charmed-runner’s life and I just keep waiting for the other sneaker to drop.
My surgery was scheduled for 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, with no food or drink after 6:00 a.m. (and only toast and clear liquids at that time). I originally thought I would get in one last run, but the thought of NOT being able to eat or DRINK made me re-think that idea. Looking back, it was a good call, since the surgery started late and all I could think about was food and water!
The surgery I had done was basically cataract surgery, but I don’t have cataracts. My extreme myopia made me a better candidate for Clear Lens Extraction and Replacement than for LASIK. For those of you who wear contact lenses, I’m a –12.00. Yes. A minus twelve. I’ve been wearing contacts since the eighth grade and my eyes have become increasingly less hospitable to the contact lenses. Thus, the surgery.
The pre-op stuff took about an hour – lots of questions, eye drops, gels and dilating. The procedure itself took about 20 minutes and I was awake, but gently drugged, for the whole thing. It was kinda cool, kinda creepy.
As I was being wheeled out of the OR, I stopped my doctor and asked her if I could run on Sunday. She had originally told me “no running for a week” but I really want to run with Michelle and April-Anne this weekend. My doctor laughed at me and said Sunday was fine (she’s a runner, she understands).
Then off to post-op for recovery, which included coffee and peanut butter crackers! And a pirate hat. (My husband was hoping I’d be wearing a patch, so he bought me a pirate hat to go with it…tee hee).
So I survived the first round of eye surgery (still have to have the other eye done). I’m a bit queasy and it’s been a challenge to go from looking far away to looking close up. But it will get better with time. In 2-3 weeks, I should be all settled in to my new eye [crosses fingers, but not eyes]. Thanks to all the well-wishers!
Two more days of no running and then I’m back at it! Woo hoooo!
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My last run was Monday afternoon, 4 miles in 34:44.
I also managed to do a 10-mile run with Michelle and April-Anne this past Sunday. I continue to surprise myself with my post-marathon recovery…the ten miles felt great! Right towards the end, my knees were feeling a little cranky, but the muscles felt fueled and ready for more! I feel like I’m living a charmed-runner’s life and I just keep waiting for the other sneaker to drop.
My surgery was scheduled for 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, with no food or drink after 6:00 a.m. (and only toast and clear liquids at that time). I originally thought I would get in one last run, but the thought of NOT being able to eat or DRINK made me re-think that idea. Looking back, it was a good call, since the surgery started late and all I could think about was food and water!
The surgery I had done was basically cataract surgery, but I don’t have cataracts. My extreme myopia made me a better candidate for Clear Lens Extraction and Replacement than for LASIK. For those of you who wear contact lenses, I’m a –12.00. Yes. A minus twelve. I’ve been wearing contacts since the eighth grade and my eyes have become increasingly less hospitable to the contact lenses. Thus, the surgery.
The pre-op stuff took about an hour – lots of questions, eye drops, gels and dilating. The procedure itself took about 20 minutes and I was awake, but gently drugged, for the whole thing. It was kinda cool, kinda creepy.
As I was being wheeled out of the OR, I stopped my doctor and asked her if I could run on Sunday. She had originally told me “no running for a week” but I really want to run with Michelle and April-Anne this weekend. My doctor laughed at me and said Sunday was fine (she’s a runner, she understands).
Then off to post-op for recovery, which included coffee and peanut butter crackers! And a pirate hat. (My husband was hoping I’d be wearing a patch, so he bought me a pirate hat to go with it…tee hee).
So I survived the first round of eye surgery (still have to have the other eye done). I’m a bit queasy and it’s been a challenge to go from looking far away to looking close up. But it will get better with time. In 2-3 weeks, I should be all settled in to my new eye [crosses fingers, but not eyes]. Thanks to all the well-wishers!
Two more days of no running and then I’m back at it! Woo hoooo!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Chicks Run, Trip, Fall In The Woods
Daylight hours are slipping by us quickly. After 5:00 pm, the sun seems to be in a big hurry to get to the horizon...and with the impending Daylight Savings Time conspiracy only 9 days away, that sunlight is almost as precious as gold.
So every opportunity I'm given to run in the woods after work, I take with open arms and laced-up shoes.
Monday, I hit the trails by myself. It was lonely, but I found solace in the crunch of the leaves, the crispness of the air against my cheeks and the quietness of having the park almost to myself. I even found a smile, when I came across a woman with a very teeny, tiny, white-poof of a dog that she referred to as 'Mighty.' That really gave me the giggles!
It was a wonderful 3.6 miles in the woods.
Wednesday, I returned to the trails with Michelle. This time it was a little later in the day, and we were hoping to get in 4.5-5.0 miles. We could make it in time, right?
So off we go...chatting and running...dodging piles of horse poop...Michelle was regaling me with her stories from her recent trip to Vegas and her encounter with Jimmy Buffett...when all of a sudden I felt like I was running alone. And I quickly realized that I was!
I stopped and looked back, and there was Michelle, face down on the trail! OH NO! She looked up at me and told me that she was OK as she pulled herself up. She smiled. She wiped the dirt and leaves off her pants. She re-tied her sneakers. We joked about how the leaves must have reached up and grabbed onto her ankles, pulling her down.
And then off we went again! Hit the 2-mile turnaround and headed back. It was really starting to get gloomy in the woods...I thought of Deva's post about the Nazgul, which I shared with Michelle...and then had to explain exactly what the Nazgul were since Michelle isn't a Lord of the Rings fan.
It was getting harder to see but it wasn't really 'dark' yet...just less LIGHT available to make out shapes clearly. We were flying along the trail, kicking up leaves, chatting away when OOoofF! my toes get hung up on a big, huge root - which was also trying to grab me by the ankles and pull me down. Miraculously, I waved my arms about like a flailing chicken, and was able to stop myself from another face-plant (the dogs got me once already this week!).
We called it a day at 4.6 miles, realizing that if we were out there any longer, we'd be taking really risking our clumsy lives!
In other news...I discovered that someone posted a link to my blog in a Runner's World forum. Specifically, they referred to my post on the Last 6.2 Miles. That was so cool...I felt like a celebrity and had all these new visitors to my blog!
And in still more news...I'm having eye surgery next week (I'm fine) and have been told that I can't run for a WEEK. I haven't taken off that much time since last February. I feel selfish for being upset about a mere 7 days, when I know some of you have had to take off more time than that for injuries, etc. So this will be a humbling experience for me, I am sure. Just bear with me if I seem a little grumpy!
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So every opportunity I'm given to run in the woods after work, I take with open arms and laced-up shoes.
Monday, I hit the trails by myself. It was lonely, but I found solace in the crunch of the leaves, the crispness of the air against my cheeks and the quietness of having the park almost to myself. I even found a smile, when I came across a woman with a very teeny, tiny, white-poof of a dog that she referred to as 'Mighty.' That really gave me the giggles!
It was a wonderful 3.6 miles in the woods.
Wednesday, I returned to the trails with Michelle. This time it was a little later in the day, and we were hoping to get in 4.5-5.0 miles. We could make it in time, right?
So off we go...chatting and running...dodging piles of horse poop...Michelle was regaling me with her stories from her recent trip to Vegas and her encounter with Jimmy Buffett...when all of a sudden I felt like I was running alone. And I quickly realized that I was!
I stopped and looked back, and there was Michelle, face down on the trail! OH NO! She looked up at me and told me that she was OK as she pulled herself up. She smiled. She wiped the dirt and leaves off her pants. She re-tied her sneakers. We joked about how the leaves must have reached up and grabbed onto her ankles, pulling her down.
And then off we went again! Hit the 2-mile turnaround and headed back. It was really starting to get gloomy in the woods...I thought of Deva's post about the Nazgul, which I shared with Michelle...and then had to explain exactly what the Nazgul were since Michelle isn't a Lord of the Rings fan.
It was getting harder to see but it wasn't really 'dark' yet...just less LIGHT available to make out shapes clearly. We were flying along the trail, kicking up leaves, chatting away when OOoofF! my toes get hung up on a big, huge root - which was also trying to grab me by the ankles and pull me down. Miraculously, I waved my arms about like a flailing chicken, and was able to stop myself from another face-plant (the dogs got me once already this week!).
We called it a day at 4.6 miles, realizing that if we were out there any longer, we'd be taking really risking our clumsy lives!
In other news...I discovered that someone posted a link to my blog in a Runner's World forum. Specifically, they referred to my post on the Last 6.2 Miles. That was so cool...I felt like a celebrity and had all these new visitors to my blog!
And in still more news...I'm having eye surgery next week (I'm fine) and have been told that I can't run for a WEEK. I haven't taken off that much time since last February. I feel selfish for being upset about a mere 7 days, when I know some of you have had to take off more time than that for injuries, etc. So this will be a humbling experience for me, I am sure. Just bear with me if I seem a little grumpy!
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Running With The Big Dogs
My post-marathon return to running is going much, much better than I anticipated. I had been warned that the very first run would reveal still-sore muscles that I didn’t even know existed.
You can imagine how gingerly I took those first few steps five days after the marathon. To my immense relief and surprise, there was NO soreness. There was a little tightness in some places and my knee joints were a little cranky, but for the most part things felt good. I only did 2.25 miles or so, as I didn’t want to push too hard, too soon.
I ran again on Saturday, four miles this time, with similar results. Felt so good to be out there…autumn is perfect for running.
Sunday was a new experience for me. I was staying with my friend Kristen (one of the runner-helpers from the marathon) and she lives right ON the beach. She has sand for a backyard. No grass of any kind. Sand. And water. The salty kind.
She also has two male Labradors; brothers actually, who just turned one year(s) old. They are still FULL of energy and have much to learn in the way of social skills (“get your nose OUT of there!”). When I woke up Sunday morning, I asked if Moose and Rocco could “come out and play” with me. Even though I have two dogs of my own, I never take them running (for many reasons) so this was going to be so fun and such a treat for all of us!
It was low tide, so we went out onto the wet, packed sand and ran along. They could occasionally slow down to check something out, or to try to grab a shell. They are retrievers after all, and require some kind of ball or toy in their mouths at all times. And they like to eat the shells too.
I’d prod them along when they slowed down and soon, we got into a decent groove. They stopped trying to eat each other’s head and I started to relax. After about a quarter of a mile, I turned around to head back.
“Let’s SPRINT!” I told them…happily, waggily, we set off, increasing out speed and pushing the sand away from the bottoms of our feet. Cool, salty air hitting us in the face…it was glorious. We were flying!
Until.
They. Both. Just. Stopped.
Right in FRONT of me. At the same time. Just stopped. Maybe for a shell? Who knows…all I DO know is I went from vertical to horizontal very quickly. The hat came off, the body tumbled into the sand…and the dogs thought “HOORAY! She came down to play with us!” and proceeded to jump and lick and flail at me (and each other).
What could I do? I laughed. Brushed the sand off and headed back to the house, running a little more cautiously this time.
When I got back to the house, I told Kristen that she was lucky that I wasn’t out on the pavement or we’d probably be on our way to the ER to stitch me back up. Yet another reason to love the beach.
And that wasn’t ALL. We took them out for FOUR more miles, except this time there was one dog per human which made things a little easier. And, we were only on the beach for about half a mile.
The four miles wasn’t without incident though…but nothing nearly as funny as me going head over heals over two dogs (literally). Just some squirrels and a stupid cat. Let’s just say that my knees will never be the same and leave it at that.
I feel like I have truly arrived as a runner, as I now have a funny, slightly embarrassing story to tell.
How’s that for some canine miles?
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You can imagine how gingerly I took those first few steps five days after the marathon. To my immense relief and surprise, there was NO soreness. There was a little tightness in some places and my knee joints were a little cranky, but for the most part things felt good. I only did 2.25 miles or so, as I didn’t want to push too hard, too soon.
I ran again on Saturday, four miles this time, with similar results. Felt so good to be out there…autumn is perfect for running.
Sunday was a new experience for me. I was staying with my friend Kristen (one of the runner-helpers from the marathon) and she lives right ON the beach. She has sand for a backyard. No grass of any kind. Sand. And water. The salty kind.
She also has two male Labradors; brothers actually, who just turned one year(s) old. They are still FULL of energy and have much to learn in the way of social skills (“get your nose OUT of there!”). When I woke up Sunday morning, I asked if Moose and Rocco could “come out and play” with me. Even though I have two dogs of my own, I never take them running (for many reasons) so this was going to be so fun and such a treat for all of us!
It was low tide, so we went out onto the wet, packed sand and ran along. They could occasionally slow down to check something out, or to try to grab a shell. They are retrievers after all, and require some kind of ball or toy in their mouths at all times. And they like to eat the shells too.
I’d prod them along when they slowed down and soon, we got into a decent groove. They stopped trying to eat each other’s head and I started to relax. After about a quarter of a mile, I turned around to head back.
“Let’s SPRINT!” I told them…happily, waggily, we set off, increasing out speed and pushing the sand away from the bottoms of our feet. Cool, salty air hitting us in the face…it was glorious. We were flying!
Until.
They. Both. Just. Stopped.
Right in FRONT of me. At the same time. Just stopped. Maybe for a shell? Who knows…all I DO know is I went from vertical to horizontal very quickly. The hat came off, the body tumbled into the sand…and the dogs thought “HOORAY! She came down to play with us!” and proceeded to jump and lick and flail at me (and each other).
What could I do? I laughed. Brushed the sand off and headed back to the house, running a little more cautiously this time.
When I got back to the house, I told Kristen that she was lucky that I wasn’t out on the pavement or we’d probably be on our way to the ER to stitch me back up. Yet another reason to love the beach.
And that wasn’t ALL. We took them out for FOUR more miles, except this time there was one dog per human which made things a little easier. And, we were only on the beach for about half a mile.
The four miles wasn’t without incident though…but nothing nearly as funny as me going head over heals over two dogs (literally). Just some squirrels and a stupid cat. Let’s just say that my knees will never be the same and leave it at that.
I feel like I have truly arrived as a runner, as I now have a funny, slightly embarrassing story to tell.
How’s that for some canine miles?
Monday, October 18, 2004
The Last 6.2 Miles
Note: This post is not scary. But it is very long. Go use the bathroom and get a drink before you start to read this (and believe it or not, I left out some details!).
Running the last 6.2 miles of a marathon is something that cannot be fully described or understood until you have been there yourself. When other marathoners try to tell you that the real race begins at mile 20, it’s easy to brush that off as typical runner’s exaggeration – much like the “big hill” or the “fast pace” that always gets bigger and faster with each re-telling of the story. But don’t be fooled. Everything you have heard about the last part of the marathon is true.
Inside the mind of Running Chick during the last 6.2 miles of her first marathon:
Wow. I can’t believe our pace leader hasn’t caught back up to us from his potty-break…hope he’s OK….we’re getting close to the 20 mile mark.
Huh. My left hip muscle is feeling really tight…and the right quad is starting to tense up too. Hopefully it doesn’t get any worse than this. Still got about an hour to go.
Hey…someone’s calling my name! It’s Kristen – wearing her new orange shirt! Oh thank goodness she’s jumping in with me!
Kristen: Hey Di! You look great! How are you feeling? How are your feet doing?
Di: I’m good! Legs are getting tired, but I’m OK…feet are FINE!
Kristen: Everyone is just up ahead, on the right.
Hooray! The 20 mile timing mat…and there they all are…a sea of orange shirts…Tamieka’s waving a big sign at me…hell, I can’t even read that…there are my parents with the Gatorade…lots of shouting…I have no idea what any of them are saying…gotta swap bottles…get rid of this stupid CLIF bar and hand them back the new one too – no more CLIF bars for me…David’s yelling “Go! Go!”…so off we go!
April-Anne jumps in too! And she’s wearing her new orange shirt too! How sweet!
Di: Hi April! (to self: I should introduce her to Kristen)
April: Hi Dianna! You’re doing great!
Di: Thanks! How was your half!?
April: It was good!
Di: Yes, well, but how WAS it? What was your time??
April: I don’t know, I forgot to look! But I think I did really well.
Kristen: Hi April, I’m Kristen.
Di: I was going to do that, I swear! Please don’t feel like you have to keep the t-shirts on! I know how hot they can get.
[Kristen and April start discussing how far each of them is going to run…April says she’s just staying for a little while and Kristen’s in for the long haul]
Ugh….here’s the BIG hill – is it really a mile long?…hey, the DJ is playing Beautiful Day by U2…I love this song! Woo hoo! Here we go! Up the hill…and up…and up…this f***ing hill really sucks…does it ever freakin’ end? And where the heck is the water stop?
Hey! The pace leader’s back! Excellent…just focus on the yellow shirt and he’ll lead you to the finish…just stick with him…I’m determined to stick with him (and I announce this to my running partners)….here’s the water stop…oh sweet jesus, we get to walk for a few seconds…what did he just say? I think he just said he can’t walk the stops anymore so he can bring the group in on time…ugghhh nooo…it’s ok…I can keep up….I can keep up….No I can’t….it hurts too much…it hurts a lot…I need to slow down…I need the reward of walking for 20 seconds through the water stops…sigh…
Kristen: Di, are you stopping for water?
Di: Yeah, I have to. It’s OK. I’m OK with it.
Kristen: No you’re not.
Di: Yeah, I really am. This sucks, this is really hard. I’ll still finish.
C’mon you can push a little bit…you can do it…keep him close…Wow. This. Really. Sucks. It’s ok not to push that hard. It’s OK to NOT finish in four hours. At this rate, 4:15 will be good. That’s still a great first marathon for a new runner. It’s OK…just get through the next 5 miles…this is all I have left and I have to work with it.
Dammit. Jeff Galloway’s book made it sounds like walking through the water stops would leave me with all sorts of energy for the end of the race. I’m still waiting. Where the hell is that energy I was promised!! He's a big, fat liar-head.
April: Dianna, you’re going so good!
Dianna: yeah…thanks
Kristen: I’m not slowing you down am I?
Dianna: Uh…no. Trust me, this pace is the pace I can handle right now.
There goes mile 22…holy freakin’ crap this is freakin’ hard….and who the hell put all these stupid f***ing hills at the END of the race…whose brilliant idea was this? Stupid ass should be beaten for something this cruel. This is insane. Why did I think this was a good idea? What was wrong with the 20K and half-marathon races? NOOOO…little Ms. Bigshot has to do a marathon. Nice job, dumb ass. Feels good huh? You won’t be doing THIS ever again, let me tell you. OK.
Onward. After. That which doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. Pain is your friend – it reminds you that you are still alive…pain is weakness leaving the body…Onward. After. Ooohhh how great will it be to eat chips, and not run.
Dianna: Who came up with this stupid race in the first place? Wasn’t it some guy who died at the end?(referring of course to the first “marathon” in Greece)
Puff, puff, puff. Run, run, run.
Dianna: THIS FRICKIN SUCKS!! THIS IS SO HARD!!
Jen (off to the side): Hey Di! You’re doing awesome! You look great! You can do it!!
Dianna: HI JEN!!
Awwwww….Jen’s here! On her bike! And she’s cheering me on…she’s so sweet…I can’t believe she came out here to do this…I think I might cry! Did she just hear me yelling about how hard this is?
Ow, ow, ow, ow, oowwwwiiie….Uuugghh….taking corners really, really hurts. Yikes. And another hill. Nice. Twisty turny roads with hills. Realll nice.
Dianna: April, are you still here? I thought you were only staying for a little while?
April: But you’re doing so good, I don’t want to leave!
Dianna: OK, but as soon as you’re ready to, stop running! You ran a half-marathon already today!
April: I will, I promise!
Mile 23 is here and gone…hey, there’s Jen again! She biked to another intersection! AAwwww…she really is so sweet…and here’s April and Kristen running with me…aw jeez…what the hell did I do to deserve such great friends? I think I am going to cry!
Water stop…ahhhh….walking is good…wait. No. It. Isn’t. WHAT THE HELL. Who put blisters on the ends of Every. Single. Toe. And what the hell is happening underneath my right foot. Agh! It hurts to walk now too! Never again. This was a dumb idea. I’m going to finish this stupid race and never look back. And I will finish. I might puke first, but I will finish. And I hope to never eat another gel or drink Gatorade ever again. Dammit why aren’t there any potato chips out here? I wish my stomach felt better.
[April and Kristen are talking to me from time to time, cheering me on and trying to distract me with stories, questions, etc. I have pretty much stopped talking, and can hardly keep my head up at time, looking down at my feet way, way more that I should…in the beginning of the race, I would clap and WOO HOO when people were cheering for me; now all I can muster is a half-hearted wave]
Crap. I am all turned around. I have no idea which way I just came from or where I’m going…good thing all these people and signs are out here…did someone just say “candy store?” What the heck is that all about? Ooohh…there’s candy and Vaseline just before the next water stop. That’s a cool idea…to bad they don’t have anything that isn’t sicky sweet. I still think I might puke.
Ugh…another hill…wow…this one’s a little steeper…what was that noise? The guy behind me stopped running…don’t look back at him, don’t look back…dammit I told you NOT to look back…his face is all red…hey wait…my face feels flush…really warm…wow this hill is kicking my butt…I feel like it’s harder than the enormous hill I ran last weekend at a 7-something min/mile pace…huh…I bet that’s a bad thing…maybe I should slow down a little bit…yeah, let’s walk that last little bit of the hill and try to get the heart-rate back down.
And wooo hooo a downhill…hope this doesn’t hurt…hey I hear footsteps pounding behind me…it’s a little old lady and she’s passing me like I’m standing still…oh wait, I practically AM standing still. Why? Because this is hard. It hurts. And it sucks.
So what’s the watch say? And the pace band…weird…I’m having hard time reading the numbers…contacts are all dried out…and holy cow, doing math is impossible right now…hey…that’s a cool looking building…Kristen wants to know what it is…huh, that cop car looks familiar sitting in front of the building…That’s the Wadsworth…wait, no….the Wadsworth is in Middletown, near where I work…that’s uumm, uhhh…OH! That’s UConn’s West Hartford Campus! Oh god. My brain is fried. That can’t be good.
Puff, puff, puff. Run, run, run. Puff, puff, puff. Run, run, run.
Hey there’s Jen again!
Wait…I just heard the sweetest words…someone just said Mile 25 is at the top of the hill…is it true? Only a mile or so left? Hell, I can suffer through anything for another 10 minutes.
April’s leaving…wow…she ran 18 miles today…holy cow…she’s so awesome…and here’s Kristen running along side of me even though she hasn’t been running as much as she would like to lately…if they can give that much effort to me, I can finish this race…if my friends can go to Iraq, I can finish this race…if my mom can survive cancer four times, quit drinking, quit smoking, replace a knee and other various body parts, I can finish this race. Onward. After.
Kristen: Do you want to run the last mile alone?
Dianna: Uh. NO. Hell no! Don’t leave!
Wow. This is it. The last mile. Mostly downhill…sweet, sweet downhill…hey there’s the DJ again…he’s playing that “How far from heaven” song by the Los Lonely Boys…I love this song! I feel like flying…now I know why that guy in the Olympic marathon did the airplane-arms when he came into the finishing area...
Kristen: Heaven’s just around the corner Di!
And here it is…under the arch…smile at all the cameras – remember what Richard said about runners making faces! – smile because YOU DID IT. YOU MADE IT. Smile and run towards that Finish Line with your head held high. Breathe in, breathe out…huh. Not working. Chest is all choked up with emotion...trying not to cry (yet)…smile..try to breathe…smile…take it in.
HOLY CRAP. The clock says 4:03! WOOOOWW. That’s close enough to 4:00 for me! How the hell did that happen?
Cross the timing mats. Walk. Smile. Try to breathe. Drink some water. Have timing chip removed from sneaker. Keep walking. Ow. Ow. Ow. See family. Cry. See friends. Wow. That was really hard. Holy crap. I just ran 26.2 miles. Hot damn!
Smile. Beam. And then beam some more.
Now lets go eat some chips and drink some beer.
|
Running the last 6.2 miles of a marathon is something that cannot be fully described or understood until you have been there yourself. When other marathoners try to tell you that the real race begins at mile 20, it’s easy to brush that off as typical runner’s exaggeration – much like the “big hill” or the “fast pace” that always gets bigger and faster with each re-telling of the story. But don’t be fooled. Everything you have heard about the last part of the marathon is true.
Inside the mind of Running Chick during the last 6.2 miles of her first marathon:
Wow. I can’t believe our pace leader hasn’t caught back up to us from his potty-break…hope he’s OK….we’re getting close to the 20 mile mark.
Huh. My left hip muscle is feeling really tight…and the right quad is starting to tense up too. Hopefully it doesn’t get any worse than this. Still got about an hour to go.
Hey…someone’s calling my name! It’s Kristen – wearing her new orange shirt! Oh thank goodness she’s jumping in with me!
Kristen: Hey Di! You look great! How are you feeling? How are your feet doing?
Di: I’m good! Legs are getting tired, but I’m OK…feet are FINE!
Kristen: Everyone is just up ahead, on the right.
Hooray! The 20 mile timing mat…and there they all are…a sea of orange shirts…Tamieka’s waving a big sign at me…hell, I can’t even read that…there are my parents with the Gatorade…lots of shouting…I have no idea what any of them are saying…gotta swap bottles…get rid of this stupid CLIF bar and hand them back the new one too – no more CLIF bars for me…David’s yelling “Go! Go!”…so off we go!
April-Anne jumps in too! And she’s wearing her new orange shirt too! How sweet!
Di: Hi April! (to self: I should introduce her to Kristen)
April: Hi Dianna! You’re doing great!
Di: Thanks! How was your half!?
April: It was good!
Di: Yes, well, but how WAS it? What was your time??
April: I don’t know, I forgot to look! But I think I did really well.
Kristen: Hi April, I’m Kristen.
Di: I was going to do that, I swear! Please don’t feel like you have to keep the t-shirts on! I know how hot they can get.
[Kristen and April start discussing how far each of them is going to run…April says she’s just staying for a little while and Kristen’s in for the long haul]
Ugh….here’s the BIG hill – is it really a mile long?…hey, the DJ is playing Beautiful Day by U2…I love this song! Woo hoo! Here we go! Up the hill…and up…and up…this f***ing hill really sucks…does it ever freakin’ end? And where the heck is the water stop?
Hey! The pace leader’s back! Excellent…just focus on the yellow shirt and he’ll lead you to the finish…just stick with him…I’m determined to stick with him (and I announce this to my running partners)….here’s the water stop…oh sweet jesus, we get to walk for a few seconds…what did he just say? I think he just said he can’t walk the stops anymore so he can bring the group in on time…ugghhh nooo…it’s ok…I can keep up….I can keep up….No I can’t….it hurts too much…it hurts a lot…I need to slow down…I need the reward of walking for 20 seconds through the water stops…sigh…
Kristen: Di, are you stopping for water?
Di: Yeah, I have to. It’s OK. I’m OK with it.
Kristen: No you’re not.
Di: Yeah, I really am. This sucks, this is really hard. I’ll still finish.
C’mon you can push a little bit…you can do it…keep him close…Wow. This. Really. Sucks. It’s ok not to push that hard. It’s OK to NOT finish in four hours. At this rate, 4:15 will be good. That’s still a great first marathon for a new runner. It’s OK…just get through the next 5 miles…this is all I have left and I have to work with it.
Dammit. Jeff Galloway’s book made it sounds like walking through the water stops would leave me with all sorts of energy for the end of the race. I’m still waiting. Where the hell is that energy I was promised!! He's a big, fat liar-head.
April: Dianna, you’re going so good!
Dianna: yeah…thanks
Kristen: I’m not slowing you down am I?
Dianna: Uh…no. Trust me, this pace is the pace I can handle right now.
There goes mile 22…holy freakin’ crap this is freakin’ hard….and who the hell put all these stupid f***ing hills at the END of the race…whose brilliant idea was this? Stupid ass should be beaten for something this cruel. This is insane. Why did I think this was a good idea? What was wrong with the 20K and half-marathon races? NOOOO…little Ms. Bigshot has to do a marathon. Nice job, dumb ass. Feels good huh? You won’t be doing THIS ever again, let me tell you. OK.
Onward. After. That which doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. Pain is your friend – it reminds you that you are still alive…pain is weakness leaving the body…Onward. After. Ooohhh how great will it be to eat chips, and not run.
Dianna: Who came up with this stupid race in the first place? Wasn’t it some guy who died at the end?
Puff, puff, puff. Run, run, run.
Dianna: THIS FRICKIN SUCKS!! THIS IS SO HARD!!
Jen (off to the side): Hey Di! You’re doing awesome! You look great! You can do it!!
Dianna: HI JEN!!
Awwwww….Jen’s here! On her bike! And she’s cheering me on…she’s so sweet…I can’t believe she came out here to do this…I think I might cry! Did she just hear me yelling about how hard this is?
Ow, ow, ow, ow, oowwwwiiie….Uuugghh….taking corners really, really hurts. Yikes. And another hill. Nice. Twisty turny roads with hills. Realll nice.
Dianna: April, are you still here? I thought you were only staying for a little while?
April: But you’re doing so good, I don’t want to leave!
Dianna: OK, but as soon as you’re ready to, stop running! You ran a half-marathon already today!
April: I will, I promise!
Mile 23 is here and gone…hey, there’s Jen again! She biked to another intersection! AAwwww…she really is so sweet…and here’s April and Kristen running with me…aw jeez…what the hell did I do to deserve such great friends? I think I am going to cry!
Water stop…ahhhh….walking is good…wait. No. It. Isn’t. WHAT THE HELL. Who put blisters on the ends of Every. Single. Toe. And what the hell is happening underneath my right foot. Agh! It hurts to walk now too! Never again. This was a dumb idea. I’m going to finish this stupid race and never look back. And I will finish. I might puke first, but I will finish. And I hope to never eat another gel or drink Gatorade ever again. Dammit why aren’t there any potato chips out here? I wish my stomach felt better.
[April and Kristen are talking to me from time to time, cheering me on and trying to distract me with stories, questions, etc. I have pretty much stopped talking, and can hardly keep my head up at time, looking down at my feet way, way more that I should…in the beginning of the race, I would clap and WOO HOO when people were cheering for me; now all I can muster is a half-hearted wave]
Crap. I am all turned around. I have no idea which way I just came from or where I’m going…good thing all these people and signs are out here…did someone just say “candy store?” What the heck is that all about? Ooohh…there’s candy and Vaseline just before the next water stop. That’s a cool idea…to bad they don’t have anything that isn’t sicky sweet. I still think I might puke.
Ugh…another hill…wow…this one’s a little steeper…what was that noise? The guy behind me stopped running…don’t look back at him, don’t look back…dammit I told you NOT to look back…his face is all red…hey wait…my face feels flush…really warm…wow this hill is kicking my butt…I feel like it’s harder than the enormous hill I ran last weekend at a 7-something min/mile pace…huh…I bet that’s a bad thing…maybe I should slow down a little bit…yeah, let’s walk that last little bit of the hill and try to get the heart-rate back down.
And wooo hooo a downhill…hope this doesn’t hurt…hey I hear footsteps pounding behind me…it’s a little old lady and she’s passing me like I’m standing still…oh wait, I practically AM standing still. Why? Because this is hard. It hurts. And it sucks.
So what’s the watch say? And the pace band…weird…I’m having hard time reading the numbers…contacts are all dried out…and holy cow, doing math is impossible right now…hey…that’s a cool looking building…Kristen wants to know what it is…huh, that cop car looks familiar sitting in front of the building…That’s the Wadsworth…wait, no….the Wadsworth is in Middletown, near where I work…that’s uumm, uhhh…OH! That’s UConn’s West Hartford Campus! Oh god. My brain is fried. That can’t be good.
Puff, puff, puff. Run, run, run. Puff, puff, puff. Run, run, run.
Hey there’s Jen again!
Wait…I just heard the sweetest words…someone just said Mile 25 is at the top of the hill…is it true? Only a mile or so left? Hell, I can suffer through anything for another 10 minutes.
April’s leaving…wow…she ran 18 miles today…holy cow…she’s so awesome…and here’s Kristen running along side of me even though she hasn’t been running as much as she would like to lately…if they can give that much effort to me, I can finish this race…if my friends can go to Iraq, I can finish this race…if my mom can survive cancer four times, quit drinking, quit smoking, replace a knee and other various body parts, I can finish this race. Onward. After.
Kristen: Do you want to run the last mile alone?
Dianna: Uh. NO. Hell no! Don’t leave!
Wow. This is it. The last mile. Mostly downhill…sweet, sweet downhill…hey there’s the DJ again…he’s playing that “How far from heaven” song by the Los Lonely Boys…I love this song! I feel like flying…now I know why that guy in the Olympic marathon did the airplane-arms when he came into the finishing area...
Kristen: Heaven’s just around the corner Di!
And here it is…under the arch…smile at all the cameras – remember what Richard said about runners making faces! – smile because YOU DID IT. YOU MADE IT. Smile and run towards that Finish Line with your head held high. Breathe in, breathe out…huh. Not working. Chest is all choked up with emotion...trying not to cry (yet)…smile..try to breathe…smile…take it in.
HOLY CRAP. The clock says 4:03! WOOOOWW. That’s close enough to 4:00 for me! How the hell did that happen?
Cross the timing mats. Walk. Smile. Try to breathe. Drink some water. Have timing chip removed from sneaker. Keep walking. Ow. Ow. Ow. See family. Cry. See friends. Wow. That was really hard. Holy crap. I just ran 26.2 miles. Hot damn!
Smile. Beam. And then beam some more.
Now lets go eat some chips and drink some beer.
Friday, October 15, 2004
Marathon Minutiae
For those of you into the "numbers" of it all:
3 gels consumed (mile 7, mile 15, mile 20)
1/2 CLIF Bar (mile 11)
55 ounces of Gatorade
60 ounces of water
24 water stops walked through
6 hours without peeing
Splits
10K: 57:14/9:13 pace (first mile took 9:58)
10M: 1:30:40/9:04 pace
20M: 3:02:47/9:09 pace
26.2: 4:02:05/9:40 pace
126 pounds one day prior to race
129 pounds three hours POST race
124 pounds two days after race
4 days of rest before running again
2.25 miles run post-marathon, with ZERO sore muscles (although there were some creaks, groans and tightness).
4 pages of handwritten notes on the last 6.2 miles of the race...which will be transformed into a post by the end of the weekend. And then I promise I'll stop blathering on and on about this stupid marathon.
And to answer the most common question of "What's next?" - I will be working to improve my 5K time over the next two months and I will be supporting Michelle in her marathon training. I also have plans to work in some weight training and pilates. In January, I will set a new goal!
Thanks for all the great comments (including the comment left in Tuesdays post by my husband - a must read)...the RBF rocks! And if you haven't already, check out the pictures linked in the post below!
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3 gels consumed (mile 7, mile 15, mile 20)
1/2 CLIF Bar (mile 11)
55 ounces of Gatorade
60 ounces of water
24 water stops walked through
6 hours without peeing
Splits
10K: 57:14/9:13 pace (first mile took 9:58)
10M: 1:30:40/9:04 pace
20M: 3:02:47/9:09 pace
26.2: 4:02:05/9:40 pace
126 pounds one day prior to race
129 pounds three hours POST race
124 pounds two days after race
4 days of rest before running again
2.25 miles run post-marathon, with ZERO sore muscles (although there were some creaks, groans and tightness).
4 pages of handwritten notes on the last 6.2 miles of the race...which will be transformed into a post by the end of the weekend. And then I promise I'll stop blathering on and on about this stupid marathon.
And to answer the most common question of "What's next?" - I will be working to improve my 5K time over the next two months and I will be supporting Michelle in her marathon training. I also have plans to work in some weight training and pilates. In January, I will set a new goal!
Thanks for all the great comments (including the comment left in Tuesdays post by my husband - a must read)...the RBF rocks! And if you haven't already, check out the pictures linked in the post below!
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The Pictures!
I'm still alive!
I walked/hobbled around at a Scottish Festival on Sunday, stretching the legs and taking in the sounds and sights. The transition from sitting to standing and vice versa was brutal.
Yesterday, the toughest part was going up and down the three flights of stairs at work.
And today? Feeling 90% better. Just might go biking later.
I'm thinking about writing a post that talks about those last 6.2 miles in detail, but I don't want to scare anyone who might be considering a marathon.
Until then...check out the PICTURES!!
[Thanks to Annalisa, Steve and Michelle for their photography work!]
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I walked/hobbled around at a Scottish Festival on Sunday, stretching the legs and taking in the sounds and sights. The transition from sitting to standing and vice versa was brutal.
Yesterday, the toughest part was going up and down the three flights of stairs at work.
And today? Feeling 90% better. Just might go biking later.
I'm thinking about writing a post that talks about those last 6.2 miles in detail, but I don't want to scare anyone who might be considering a marathon.
Until then...check out the PICTURES!!
[Thanks to Annalisa, Steve and Michelle for their photography work!]
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Lessons Learned While RUNNING A MARATHON
Toes develop blisters in new, exciting places.
Chafing happens in new, exciting places.
Everything you've heard about the last six miles of the race is 100% true and NOT exaggerated. At. All.
The power of hearing someone call your name is amazing.
Pace groups ROCK.
Friends and family cheering you on is incredibly moving and inspiring.
Friends who jump in to run the last 5-6 miles: PRICELESS.
Official Race Report:
Short version: I did it. I finished. I'm a marathoner! Scroll to the end for my finishing time.
Long version: Pre-race preparations included a night out to dinner with the running trio of trail chicks - April-Anne, Michelle and me. Plus my friend Tamieka and a couple of cute spouses (Michelle's and mine). We loaded up on pasta, had a few laughs and enjoyed a relaxing evening together.
My husband surprised me with custom made t-shirts - ORANGE of course - that said "team dianna - greater hartford marathon 2004." He's so sweet. And crazy. He gave one to everyone who came to the race to support me! Could he be any cuter?
Race day: We all met at a local bakery at 6:30 a.m. to caravan out to the marathon/half-marathon/5K site. In the car, I took care of all the last minute details: wrote 'onward' and 'after' on my hand, strapped on my pace band, pinned on my bib (autographed by BILL RODGERS) and pinned a gel to my shorts.
We arrived in Hartford at about 7:15 a.m. and all zipped off in various directions for port-o-lets and registration. Since I raised money for charity, I had access to the "Charity Village" which had it's own port-o-lets. After waiting in line for 15 minutes and still not being CLOSE to either of the TWO bathrooms, my husband came and got me and brought me over to a police "command unit" that has it's own bathroom. He has some "connections" and was able to get me in there, believe it or not. Just in time too. I had just enough time to find the 4:00 pace group, tie and re-tie my shoes and then we were off!
The pace leader started his watch at the sound of the starting horn; I started mine when we hit the mat at the start line. There seemed to be about 1 minute (or more) difference. As expected, it took a few miles to even out the pace and we were cruising along, chit-chatting with everyone around us and loving the race. Michelle found me and was able to do about 2 miles with me before our courses split off into different directions.
The pace group was working perfectly and the roads were mostly flat, with a few gentle inclines/declines. We were walking through the water stops and still staying on pace. Weather was near-perfect with cloudy skies and temps in the low 60's (F). I ate my first gel about an hour into the run, washing it down with my trusty bottle of Gatorade that I was carrying in my hand. I passed by hubbie (who was on his bike!) around mile 8.5 and asked him to meet me on the other side of road after we turned around. At around mile 11 or so he handed me a new Gatorade bottle, a CLIF bar and a gel. I promptly shared the gel with my pace group leader and started to work on the CLIF bar. It was NOT going down easy, but I choked down about half of it before I just gave up on it.
At mile 15, Annalisa was there with Rob...and she was hooting and hollering (in her new orange t-shirt) while waving a sign that said "I [heart] marathoners! Go Dianna!" with a dancing banana to liven things up. She jumped in for about a quarter of a mile, fed me a gel and held my Gatorade bottle for me. Totally pumped me up and had me smiling for at least another mile!
Hubbie pedaled by sometime after that and had us laughing about something or other.
The muscles started to tighten up around mile 18 but it wasn't too bad - tight left hip and tight right quad. Then our pace leader dashed off the course at mile 19 to use a port-o-let and left me and Dash (some guy in the group) in charge of keeping the pace. ACK!
Right before mile 20, my friend Kristen jumped in with me and I was so grateful to have her there. The EVERYONE was at mile 20, yelling and cheering like crazy. Tamieka made a sign for me that said "Go Sis! wwww.runningchick.blogspot.com"; my parents were there, and handed me my next Gatorade bottle and gel (I handed the CLIF bar back to them); Michelle was there with her family; Hubbie; and April-Anne who ALSO jumped in with me, even after having just run her first HALF-MARATHON. Crazy that girl! She has no idea what an amazing runner she is!!
Kristen and April-Anne got me through those last six miles. The pace leader still hadn't made it back up to us since his potty break, and I was feeling the strain of the miles. He finally showed back up around mile 20.5 or so - at the TOP of the BIG HILL. And even as I struggled to keep pace with him, I knew I was going to have to slow it down...especially when he said he wasn't going to walk the water stops anymore. It was tough to watch his yellow shirt get further and further away. But the last portion of this course are where ALL the hills are and I knew it was going to be rough sailing.
Kristen and April-Anne were the best cheerleaders, telling me how awesome I was and that I was doing so great. They took turns holding my Gatorade bottle for me, which was such a relief after having carried it for so long. They didn't make fun of me for burping. I was feeling pretty sick to my stomach and wasn't sure if I was going to puke or not. I was too tired to talk, but having them next to me was like having them carry me. I'm not sure I could have made it without them there!
I thought about the RBF while I was struggling - knowing that so many of you were cyber-cheering for me...knowing that some of you are racing this weekend too!
It became so clear to me that EVERYTHING I'd heard about the last six miles was 100% true. It was HARD and it did SUCK. The mental struggle was stereotypical - "I'll never do this again! I must have been crazy to think that I could do this! I just want it to be over!" And physically, I was sore and tired and my feet were beginning to be very, very unhappy - "I WANT MY FLIP FLOPS!"
As a matter of fact, at one point, I yelled out "This frickin' sucks! This is so hard!" - and then I heard someone yell out to me and it was my friend Jen on her bicycle! (She proceeded to bike around to as many points as possible in those last few miles, also being a great cheerleader!).
April-Anne bowed out around mile 25 (giving her a total of 18.1 miles for the day - and all time high for her!!). And Kristen ran with me to 26.1 miles.
As I rounded the corner to head into the finishing area, I could feel my chest well up with emotions...so much so that I was having trouble breathing! I smiled at all the cameras and tried to give whatever I had left for a final, pathetic "kick" over the finish line - and heard the announcer call out my name (hooray!). As I slowed to a walk, I was so emotional, I started to hyper-ventilate (first time ever for me). One volunteer was worried enough to ask me if I was OK! It seemed ridiculous...I could breath fine for 26.2 miles, but now, all of a sudden, breathing seemed foreign to me!
I took my water, received my shiny finishers medal - was told that I was a 'hero' - and walked to the end of the finish area to be greeting by EVERYONE with hugs and hearty congratulations (even more friends had showed up since I'd run by mile 20). I started to cry a bit, overwhelmed by what I had done, but more overwhelmed by being surrounded by all my favorite people and sharing that moment with them.
I hobbled back to the "party van" with my entourage and we sat, had beers, ate chips and relaxed in the sun until we all slowly drifted our separate ways.
It was a great way to end a great day. And I don't think I would change a thing about it.
Oh! My time? According to my watch (chip time), I hit the finish in 4:02:10. Bliss.
[A big, huge, mountain sized THANK YOU to Annalisa, Rob, Michelle, John, Maggie, April-Anne, Steve, Andrea, Tamieka, Kristen, Jen, Mom, David, and Jason. I'm the luckiest person in the world to have such wonderful, supportive friends as you! And...I heart the RBF too!]
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Chafing happens in new, exciting places.
Everything you've heard about the last six miles of the race is 100% true and NOT exaggerated. At. All.
The power of hearing someone call your name is amazing.
Pace groups ROCK.
Friends and family cheering you on is incredibly moving and inspiring.
Friends who jump in to run the last 5-6 miles: PRICELESS.
Official Race Report:
Short version: I did it. I finished. I'm a marathoner! Scroll to the end for my finishing time.
Long version: Pre-race preparations included a night out to dinner with the running trio of trail chicks - April-Anne, Michelle and me. Plus my friend Tamieka and a couple of cute spouses (Michelle's and mine). We loaded up on pasta, had a few laughs and enjoyed a relaxing evening together.
My husband surprised me with custom made t-shirts - ORANGE of course - that said "team dianna - greater hartford marathon 2004." He's so sweet. And crazy. He gave one to everyone who came to the race to support me! Could he be any cuter?
Race day: We all met at a local bakery at 6:30 a.m. to caravan out to the marathon/half-marathon/5K site. In the car, I took care of all the last minute details: wrote 'onward' and 'after' on my hand, strapped on my pace band, pinned on my bib (autographed by BILL RODGERS) and pinned a gel to my shorts.
We arrived in Hartford at about 7:15 a.m. and all zipped off in various directions for port-o-lets and registration. Since I raised money for charity, I had access to the "Charity Village" which had it's own port-o-lets. After waiting in line for 15 minutes and still not being CLOSE to either of the TWO bathrooms, my husband came and got me and brought me over to a police "command unit" that has it's own bathroom. He has some "connections" and was able to get me in there, believe it or not. Just in time too. I had just enough time to find the 4:00 pace group, tie and re-tie my shoes and then we were off!
The pace leader started his watch at the sound of the starting horn; I started mine when we hit the mat at the start line. There seemed to be about 1 minute (or more) difference. As expected, it took a few miles to even out the pace and we were cruising along, chit-chatting with everyone around us and loving the race. Michelle found me and was able to do about 2 miles with me before our courses split off into different directions.
The pace group was working perfectly and the roads were mostly flat, with a few gentle inclines/declines. We were walking through the water stops and still staying on pace. Weather was near-perfect with cloudy skies and temps in the low 60's (F). I ate my first gel about an hour into the run, washing it down with my trusty bottle of Gatorade that I was carrying in my hand. I passed by hubbie (who was on his bike!) around mile 8.5 and asked him to meet me on the other side of road after we turned around. At around mile 11 or so he handed me a new Gatorade bottle, a CLIF bar and a gel. I promptly shared the gel with my pace group leader and started to work on the CLIF bar. It was NOT going down easy, but I choked down about half of it before I just gave up on it.
At mile 15, Annalisa was there with Rob...and she was hooting and hollering (in her new orange t-shirt) while waving a sign that said "I [heart] marathoners! Go Dianna!" with a dancing banana to liven things up. She jumped in for about a quarter of a mile, fed me a gel and held my Gatorade bottle for me. Totally pumped me up and had me smiling for at least another mile!
Hubbie pedaled by sometime after that and had us laughing about something or other.
The muscles started to tighten up around mile 18 but it wasn't too bad - tight left hip and tight right quad. Then our pace leader dashed off the course at mile 19 to use a port-o-let and left me and Dash (some guy in the group) in charge of keeping the pace. ACK!
Right before mile 20, my friend Kristen jumped in with me and I was so grateful to have her there. The EVERYONE was at mile 20, yelling and cheering like crazy. Tamieka made a sign for me that said "Go Sis! wwww.runningchick.blogspot.com"; my parents were there, and handed me my next Gatorade bottle and gel (I handed the CLIF bar back to them); Michelle was there with her family; Hubbie; and April-Anne who ALSO jumped in with me, even after having just run her first HALF-MARATHON. Crazy that girl! She has no idea what an amazing runner she is!!
Kristen and April-Anne got me through those last six miles. The pace leader still hadn't made it back up to us since his potty break, and I was feeling the strain of the miles. He finally showed back up around mile 20.5 or so - at the TOP of the BIG HILL. And even as I struggled to keep pace with him, I knew I was going to have to slow it down...especially when he said he wasn't going to walk the water stops anymore. It was tough to watch his yellow shirt get further and further away. But the last portion of this course are where ALL the hills are and I knew it was going to be rough sailing.
Kristen and April-Anne were the best cheerleaders, telling me how awesome I was and that I was doing so great. They took turns holding my Gatorade bottle for me, which was such a relief after having carried it for so long. They didn't make fun of me for burping. I was feeling pretty sick to my stomach and wasn't sure if I was going to puke or not. I was too tired to talk, but having them next to me was like having them carry me. I'm not sure I could have made it without them there!
I thought about the RBF while I was struggling - knowing that so many of you were cyber-cheering for me...knowing that some of you are racing this weekend too!
It became so clear to me that EVERYTHING I'd heard about the last six miles was 100% true. It was HARD and it did SUCK. The mental struggle was stereotypical - "I'll never do this again! I must have been crazy to think that I could do this! I just want it to be over!" And physically, I was sore and tired and my feet were beginning to be very, very unhappy - "I WANT MY FLIP FLOPS!"
As a matter of fact, at one point, I yelled out "This frickin' sucks! This is so hard!" - and then I heard someone yell out to me and it was my friend Jen on her bicycle! (She proceeded to bike around to as many points as possible in those last few miles, also being a great cheerleader!).
April-Anne bowed out around mile 25 (giving her a total of 18.1 miles for the day - and all time high for her!!). And Kristen ran with me to 26.1 miles.
As I rounded the corner to head into the finishing area, I could feel my chest well up with emotions...so much so that I was having trouble breathing! I smiled at all the cameras and tried to give whatever I had left for a final, pathetic "kick" over the finish line - and heard the announcer call out my name (hooray!). As I slowed to a walk, I was so emotional, I started to hyper-ventilate (first time ever for me). One volunteer was worried enough to ask me if I was OK! It seemed ridiculous...I could breath fine for 26.2 miles, but now, all of a sudden, breathing seemed foreign to me!
I took my water, received my shiny finishers medal - was told that I was a 'hero' - and walked to the end of the finish area to be greeting by EVERYONE with hugs and hearty congratulations (even more friends had showed up since I'd run by mile 20). I started to cry a bit, overwhelmed by what I had done, but more overwhelmed by being surrounded by all my favorite people and sharing that moment with them.
I hobbled back to the "party van" with my entourage and we sat, had beers, ate chips and relaxed in the sun until we all slowly drifted our separate ways.
It was a great way to end a great day. And I don't think I would change a thing about it.
Oh! My time? According to my watch (chip time), I hit the finish in 4:02:10. Bliss.
[A big, huge, mountain sized THANK YOU to Annalisa, Rob, Michelle, John, Maggie, April-Anne, Steve, Andrea, Tamieka, Kristen, Jen, Mom, David, and Jason. I'm the luckiest person in the world to have such wonderful, supportive friends as you! And...I heart the RBF too!]
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Lessons Learned While Marathon Training
Toenails will come and toenails will go. Some will even turn purple.
Partners make all the difference in the world.
Knowing the location of every bathroom within a 50 mile radius of work and home is essential to bladder-happiness.
So is overcoming any fear of peeing in the woods.
Chafing will happen in the oddest places. Like around the bellybutton.
BodyGlide is your friend. Especially when your spouse buys THREE sticks of it.
Cyber-friends and running blogs offer incredible inspiration and support.
Inches will be lost and pounds will be gained. Some lumps will become firm, other lumps will shrink or disappear.
Counting roadkill really can help pass the time.
Gatorade is liquid gold.
Heartburn issues from your stressful past will return, and your medication will still work. Especially the week leading up to The Big Day.
People will surprise you with their generosity. Say THANK YOU as often as possible.
What HAVE YOU LEARNED from training (marathon or otherwise)?
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Partners make all the difference in the world.
Knowing the location of every bathroom within a 50 mile radius of work and home is essential to bladder-happiness.
So is overcoming any fear of peeing in the woods.
Chafing will happen in the oddest places. Like around the bellybutton.
BodyGlide is your friend. Especially when your spouse buys THREE sticks of it.
Cyber-friends and running blogs offer incredible inspiration and support.
Inches will be lost and pounds will be gained. Some lumps will become firm, other lumps will shrink or disappear.
Counting roadkill really can help pass the time.
Gatorade is liquid gold.
Heartburn issues from your stressful past will return, and your medication will still work. Especially the week leading up to The Big Day.
People will surprise you with their generosity. Say THANK YOU as often as possible.
What HAVE YOU LEARNED from training (marathon or otherwise)?
Monday, October 04, 2004
Robbed, Again
A beautiful autumn day.
A 5K course that I ran last year. One BIG HILL.
An arch-nemesis at a different race.
Another PR for the log book.
And yet, I'm feeling a little bitter. I've grown to hate this stupid race point series I managed to get myself into! I want to go back to the carefree days of not worrying about the other racers and running the race for the sheer fun of it!
Here's what happened:
This was the first race in a while that did not include April-Anne or Michelle. I felt a little lost without them at the start line. I started looking for this other woman I know, hoping to use her as a pacer, but she didn't seem to be there either.
So from the starting gun, I was on my own. I went out thinking about my form and breathing. Reminding myself to save some energy for the hill. I hit the first mile marker in 6:58. Yup, I was stunned too. I believe I uttered something like "Holy s***" when I realized how fast I was going. I was following a woman in front of me who appeared to have a nice strong pace. Another woman came up along side of me and we ran stride for stride for a minute or so before she broke away from me. I kept my eye on both of them as we started up the BIG HILL. Little did they know, I was using them to stay focused. About 1/4 of the way up the hill was mile marker two, which I hit in 7:10. I passed one of the women and said "C'mon, we can do this!" as I went by (the hill is really, really long and steep). She smiled at me but didn't match my pace.
As I climbed the hill, I could feel my face getting redder and redder. I could also feel my head getting lighter and lighter so I was working hard at getting in enough oxygen to avoid passing out. Heartburn started to rip through my chest and stomach. I finally crested the hill, and enjoyed the sweetness of the downhill sweep around the corner before starting the last gradual slope to the flat finish. The third mile maker showed that the hill had taken it's toll, as my pace was 8:03. I saw the stride-for-stride woman just in front of me, and took her out with my "kick" right before the finish line. The clock said 22:53. Woo hoo!
I figured that since last year's first female sub-master came in at 23:12, I must have placed in second or third for this year, right?
Nope. Wrong. Incorrect.
This year's first female sub-master came in at 20:54 and was also the first female to cross the finish line. So she got TWO awards. One for being the first female and one for winning her age division. Double dipped.
Me? I came in FOURTH for the division. Robbed, I tell you...I was robbed!
Oh...and my arch-nemesis? She came in second in the race she ran. But technically, I ran faster than her. So now EIGHT points separate us and there's no way I can make it up. Which is probably a blessing in disguise, so I can run the next race for fun and not worry about beating her. I hate all this competitive stuff.
Sigh.
BUT...I did PR and finally ran a sub-7 mile in a race, so that's gotta count for something.
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A 5K course that I ran last year. One BIG HILL.
An arch-nemesis at a different race.
Another PR for the log book.
And yet, I'm feeling a little bitter. I've grown to hate this stupid race point series I managed to get myself into! I want to go back to the carefree days of not worrying about the other racers and running the race for the sheer fun of it!
Here's what happened:
This was the first race in a while that did not include April-Anne or Michelle. I felt a little lost without them at the start line. I started looking for this other woman I know, hoping to use her as a pacer, but she didn't seem to be there either.
So from the starting gun, I was on my own. I went out thinking about my form and breathing. Reminding myself to save some energy for the hill. I hit the first mile marker in 6:58. Yup, I was stunned too. I believe I uttered something like "Holy s***" when I realized how fast I was going. I was following a woman in front of me who appeared to have a nice strong pace. Another woman came up along side of me and we ran stride for stride for a minute or so before she broke away from me. I kept my eye on both of them as we started up the BIG HILL. Little did they know, I was using them to stay focused. About 1/4 of the way up the hill was mile marker two, which I hit in 7:10. I passed one of the women and said "C'mon, we can do this!" as I went by (the hill is really, really long and steep). She smiled at me but didn't match my pace.
As I climbed the hill, I could feel my face getting redder and redder. I could also feel my head getting lighter and lighter so I was working hard at getting in enough oxygen to avoid passing out. Heartburn started to rip through my chest and stomach. I finally crested the hill, and enjoyed the sweetness of the downhill sweep around the corner before starting the last gradual slope to the flat finish. The third mile maker showed that the hill had taken it's toll, as my pace was 8:03. I saw the stride-for-stride woman just in front of me, and took her out with my "kick" right before the finish line. The clock said 22:53. Woo hoo!
I figured that since last year's first female sub-master came in at 23:12, I must have placed in second or third for this year, right?
Nope. Wrong. Incorrect.
This year's first female sub-master came in at 20:54 and was also the first female to cross the finish line. So she got TWO awards. One for being the first female and one for winning her age division. Double dipped.
Me? I came in FOURTH for the division. Robbed, I tell you...I was robbed!
Oh...and my arch-nemesis? She came in second in the race she ran. But technically, I ran faster than her. So now EIGHT points separate us and there's no way I can make it up. Which is probably a blessing in disguise, so I can run the next race for fun and not worry about beating her. I hate all this competitive stuff.
Sigh.
BUT...I did PR and finally ran a sub-7 mile in a race, so that's gotta count for something.
Saturday, October 02, 2004
And The Taper Is Sooo Swweeetttt
I am really loving this tapering stuff...all three runs so far this week were GREAT. I felt full of energy, had a nice quick pace and really enjoyed every single minute of the pavement pounding.
I met up with Michelle, who hopped in for 4 of my 8 miles on Wednesday night. And my hubby was alongside us on his bike. The weather was perfect - dry and cool. Finally feels like autumn may be here....I love it! And I was totally flabbergasted and amazed when I got home and realized that I had done the 8 miles in 69 minutes (and some-odd seconds). Wasn't winded, didn't feel hard, just felt like a normal training run. All this high-mileage stuff really pays off!
Met up with Michelle again on Thursday night...just in time for the rain, AGAIN, although this time it was a slow, steady sprinkle. Not a sopping, drippy rain like Tuesday. Michelle's husband was also along for 4 of my 6 miles and the time went by very quickly. When I got close to home, I did an extra .40 mile loop because I just couldn't believe that I had done 6 miles in 45 minutes. So I wrapped up the run in 51ish minutes.
Been resting up yesterday and today, as I have a small, local 5K tomorrow afternoon. I know, I know...the Blogfather has already admonished me for running a race so close to the marathon...but I just HAD to do this one! It's part of that point series I'm involved in, and my arch-nemesis is running a different race tomorrow so I have a chance to place in a better position than her. I've run the course before so I know what to expect...and she's doing a 4-mile race in a hilly area....so I think I have a good chance! I'm usually not into the competitive aspect of all of this, but I'm sooo close and it's been something fun to focus on. In all honesty though, to me tomorrow is just a 3 mile speed workout.
And then I promise to run easy, eat lots of carbs, drink lots of water and rest, rest, rest for next Saturday.
Ack! It's less than a week away!
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I met up with Michelle, who hopped in for 4 of my 8 miles on Wednesday night. And my hubby was alongside us on his bike. The weather was perfect - dry and cool. Finally feels like autumn may be here....I love it! And I was totally flabbergasted and amazed when I got home and realized that I had done the 8 miles in 69 minutes (and some-odd seconds). Wasn't winded, didn't feel hard, just felt like a normal training run. All this high-mileage stuff really pays off!
Met up with Michelle again on Thursday night...just in time for the rain, AGAIN, although this time it was a slow, steady sprinkle. Not a sopping, drippy rain like Tuesday. Michelle's husband was also along for 4 of my 6 miles and the time went by very quickly. When I got close to home, I did an extra .40 mile loop because I just couldn't believe that I had done 6 miles in 45 minutes. So I wrapped up the run in 51ish minutes.
Been resting up yesterday and today, as I have a small, local 5K tomorrow afternoon. I know, I know...the Blogfather has already admonished me for running a race so close to the marathon...but I just HAD to do this one! It's part of that point series I'm involved in, and my arch-nemesis is running a different race tomorrow so I have a chance to place in a better position than her. I've run the course before so I know what to expect...and she's doing a 4-mile race in a hilly area....so I think I have a good chance! I'm usually not into the competitive aspect of all of this, but I'm sooo close and it's been something fun to focus on. In all honesty though, to me tomorrow is just a 3 mile speed workout.
And then I promise to run easy, eat lots of carbs, drink lots of water and rest, rest, rest for next Saturday.
Ack! It's less than a week away!
