Category: pacing

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #8

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornGuys…it has been a week.  A crazy, unpredictable week.  And here I am, trying to plan how to work training in while I am gone over my birthday weekend and it’s just a little overwhelming and stressful.

I went into this week with a little bit of trepidation.  Not over what I needed to do during the week.  Nope.  The weekend.  The weekend was what was truly weighing on my mind.  Why? Because it is the series of workouts that I have yet to actually execute perfectly or near perfectly.  The heat/humidity has killed me the past three…yes THREE…times I have attempted this.  And this weekend was shaping up to be…you guessed it…both hot and humid.

So…let the slog being!

Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

Covering my watch has definitely become my new normal.  So if you know of anywhere where I can buy cute/fun wristbands to go over my Garmin…clue me in.  I want to stock up.  Since this was an easy run, I decided to try out the Aftershokz Bone Conducting Headphones out.  What I do love about these is that they don’t go into the ears…so you can still be fully aware of the world around you.  That’s perfect for me.  I’m not going to make a habit out of running with music…but I might pull these out for my speed work on Sunday…just to see if it gets me out of my head.  My recovery miles were definitely a little faster than they needed to be, but I felt really relaxed and good the entire run.  Later that day I met with Corey for my personal training session.  And he kicked my butt with some dynamic exercises to activate the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and core.  I love/hate core exercises.  I love a good strong core…the exercises just aren’t always fun.  I went ahead today and did my bonus hip strengthener exercises with my usual stretches as well.  Busy day.

Tuesday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

I woke up early this morning.  I was having trouble sleeping.  It was speed work day…and I always have a little bit of anxiety going into speed work morning.  But, I put in my contacts, got dressed, and was in the kitchen, eating something to give me some energy, while I hydrated a little and filled up my hydration pack when my Weather Channel app pinged and said thunderstorms with strong winds were coming my way.  I gave it a quick moment of thought and decided that I could beat it.  I rushed out the door and quickly started my watch.  And only 0.15 miles into the planned 8 for that morning, the sky started to light up with lightning.  Frustrated, I ran back to the apartment and decided to see if it passed over while I did my stretches and additional hip strengtheners again.  It thundered while I was doing that, so I decided I was just going to have to switch my speed work day with my Thursday easy run.  I wasn’t happy about it…but it was how it had to go this time.  I thought about waiting and running on the track that night…but it was going to be in the mid-90s and there were more chances for storms.  Not going to take chances, I went to the gym…despite there being no rain, thunder, or lightning happening when I went to my car.  I hopped on a treadmill, once again using my Aftershokz to get the tunes going (I can’t do a treadmill without music.  EVER!  I can run outside (and prefer to) without music and go forever).  And I did easy miles on the treadmill for just over an hour.  Total of 7 miles, just like Monday.  The same workout, two days in a row.  One on pavement.  One on a treadmill.  I knew I would feel that treadmill on Wednesday…so I was thankful it was another easy day.  Was I stacking this week against me or what?

Wednesday: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF THE RUN = RECOVERY! GO AS FAR OR SHORT AS YOU NEED, AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU NEED, WALK OR RUN AS YOU NEED.

Same run as last week.  Same instructions.  Third week in a row.  Spin wasn’t given as an option, but I went anyway.  It really makes me so happy…helps me with endurance…and I get in a mentally tough place fighting for sprints and on climbs.  I like to think it carries over to running when it gets tough.  So, kept a VERY easy pace on my run, then hopped in the car to head to the gym again…this time for the Endurance Ride Spin Class.  One hour and a lot of sweat later, my legs felt really good.  Spin class always seems to take the heaviness out of my legs.  Another reason I love going so much.

Thursday: SPEED WORK – MONA FARTLEKS W/ 1 MILE HARD EFFORT

I woke up so many times the night leading into this rescheduled speed work.  I really, really was wishing this was done earlier in the week and I could just run easy today.  But…nope.  Speed work HAS to happen.  And I needed to give it my best.  I just didn’t WANT to.  Typical.  So…this week I did the usual Mona Fartlek workout.  The difference was, right after the 15 second round, I was to go immediately into a hard effort mile before my cool down.  I was toast in the mile.  It was tough.  I did my best to tough it out, but the humidity was weighing me down.  I hate when it’s humid enough to make it hard to breathe.  UGH.  But…I did it.  I got it done.  My workout was simple: 2 mile warm up, 2×90 sec, 4×60 sec, 4×30 sec, 4×15 sec (with equal recovery after each at a pace faster than base pace), 1 mile hard effort, 2 mile cool down.  They were hard this morning.  And this is really the only speed work I actually enjoy doing.  I didn’t hate this…but I was very happy to be done with it.

Friday: Per the usual…complete rest day.  Sleep in.  Shower.  Stretch.  Read.  Drink coffee.  Head into work.  The usual.  I was also having a checkup with my eye doctor just to see how the contacts were working.  Guess what…LOVE THEM!  I have a busy weekend planned, so tried to do as much prep work in advance as I could the night before.  So, insanity…but hopefully these legs will appreciate the extra TLC, foam rolling, stretches and rest because I really NEED the weekend runs to go well.

Saturday: INSTRUCTIONS: 9 – 12 MILES WITH 2 MILE FAST FINISH – EASY DOES IT UNTIL FAST FINISH AT THE END

Fast finishes are one of my least favorite things.  While I am usually very good about keeping my regular pace during the run easy, I still somehow struggle more than I should with fast finishes.  With one of my running buddies opting to sleep in, I met up with Ron on my side of the river where we ran the Greenway early to try to beat some of the summer morning heat.  Once that sun comes up…struggle bus.  But we actually kept a pretty steady, regular pace to our turnaround and then barely slowed down on the return.  Then, my fast finish was done running to the local coffee shop 2 miles away.  My roommate was meeting me there for iced coffee and Ron joined us for some rest and relaxation while we drank coffee and discussed races in states and why to do or not do certain ones.  After that, I headed home to shower and change because Cathy and I were meeting our friend Michelle and heading to Turtle Run Winery for a girls day out.  I was the designated driver due to my workout on Sunday morning, so I basically had half of a glass of wine total over the 3+ hours we were hanging there.  It was a really fun day.  After a stop off for dinner for Cathy & Michelle at a local favorite spot (nothing there I can really eat), we went to let Amanda & Richie’s pitt bull puppies out to play before taking Michelle home, calling in my order for magical sushi (it’s becoming a pre-long run favorite) for a VERY late dinner.  I ate at 8:30 pm.  REALLY late for me.  And then I went to get ready for bed…because I had an early wakeup the following morning.

SUNDAY: INSTRUCTIONS: 1 MILE WU; 3X4 MILES MP; 1 MILE CD – TAKE 2-4 MINUTES BASE PACE/RECOVERY BETWEEN SETS AT MARATHON PACE

Honestly, this is the workout I dread.  Anytime it pops up on my training plan it makes me die a little inside.  Why?  Because I have NEVER been able to actually do it properly.  AND…on top of that, one of my best friends was doing her first triathlon and wanted me to come spectate and cheer.  This meant an early morning so I could start with enough time to hopefully make it from Indiana to Kentucky and not miss her finish.  I knew I wouldn’t make her start…I probably could have seen her bike to run transition, but I didn’t know where she was when I got down there.  But my run…it was the best attempt I have had yet.  While it wasn’t perfect, especially in the last 2 miles, which were a HUGE struggle bus because it was hotter and the sun was up, and there was no shade to be had.  But…I executed this run better than I have in the past.  I even got a high five from a biker as I was on the greenway, heading from Indiana into Kentucky.  Amazing.  My marathon paces were pretty accurate, even with hills.  My biggest problem today was the extra fuel I carry to take at Mile 8…leaked.  And it was halfway gone by the time I hit Mile 5.  So, it became a use it or lose it decision so I took it 3 miles early.  I don’t think it made too much of a difference, but I was really ready to be done once that sun got higher.  It heated up really quickly today.  But, I did manage to hit the paces with few to little stops.  And, I was at the finish line to cheer in my friend, give her a hug, and hang out for a bit before heading out to do all the grocery shopping we still had left to do.  It worked out to 15.6 miles when all was said and done.

Let me tell you…I’m tired.  And my schedule for next week isn’t playing around.  So…rest is going to be key for me this coming week.  Wish me luck on that.  Also…my coach and his wife just welcomed their third child.  Exciting times.  He warned all of us he coaches that he might not get schedules posted by Sunday night, but he actually had them to me before 3 pm.  Amazing.  And also…trying not to panic over the speed work that he assigned this time around.

Killer.

For now, I keep hoping for this heat to let up…just a little.

OH…AND WE ARE 12 WEEKS OUT.

No wonder I’m tired…

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #7

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornWelcome back to the grind.  Sort of.  This week, my coach decided to still let me have some control over how or what I did on my runs, but he gave me (mostly) the mileage to log.  Most of these did tell me to cover my watch or not wear it.  So, while he gave me a distance range, this week, I kept it on the goal distance, rather than going one mile shorter or longer (which he always gives as an option).

I also got the chance to break in my new, gorgeous Newton Distance 8 shoes on my long run this weekend.  I LOVE this shoe!!  I probably should have broke them in a bit more before taking them for a long run, but I run so often in Newton’s that I figured it would be fine.  It was.  I could just tell they were new.

With under 90 days and counting to the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon…let’s dive into this week’s training.

Monday: INSTRUCTIONS: BASE RUN – 6-8 MILES – GOAL 7 MILES – EASY EFFORT – TRY NO WATCH AGAIN

I have just sort of made it a practice now to cover my watch and try to not cheat and look at the pace.  It takes a lot of pressure and stress of the run when I’m not checking every mile what my pace was and then judging myself for it.  Nope.  Done with that.  So…yes…the sweat band over the watch is the new norm.  He upped my usual Monday run by 1 mile, and I was up for the challenge.  I just ran easy, never pushing pace, save for one spot in the run where I apparently scared a man who was walking past a road I was coming down.  He jumped and held out his hand to keep his distance and said, “You scared the shit out of me.”  I was proud of how easy and good I felt on this run for the entire 7 miles.  I could have gone the extra mile…but I knew I wanted to fit in my additional hip strengthener exercises that morning, and I needed enough time to do that in.  I also met with Corey, who had this crazy full body-type workout for me.

Tuesday: SPEED WORK: MONA FARTLEKS

If you recall my runs from last week, I used Mona Fartleks as my “FUN RUN,” where Daniel told me to choose a workout that I enjoyed doing and run that.  SO…when I saw it on tap this week, I was excited to put in the work for it.  Originally, I had intended to go to the track in the evening and run with a group, however, there was a high chance of thunderstorms and it was 95 degrees at 6:30 when it started…so I opted to do it early and alone.  I am going to get to that track one of these days!  So, if you’re new to the blog or skipped over the explanation, Mona Fartleks run like this: 2 mile warm up, 2×90 sec, 4×60 sec, 4×30 sec, 4×15 sec (with equal recovery after each at a pace faster than base pace), 2 mile cool down.  It works out to be about 21 minutes of hard running.  And while it is challenging, the shorter segments make it really fun.  Trust me.  They do.  Ever done these?  You should.  I finished off the morning with my 2nd round of additional hip strengtheners to the stretches and exercises I have been doing since physical therapy.

Wednesday: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! FOCUS ON THE GOAL OF THE RUN = RECOVERY! GO AS FAR OR SHORT AS YOU NEED, AS FAST OR SLOW AS YOU NEED, WALK OR RUN AS YOU NEED.

Same run as last week.  Same instructions.  Only difference was…this time I was told to go to spin class.  It was on the schedule.  Daniel said that if I enjoyed it so much and was missing it…do it again.  So I repeated my run from last week, keeping that pace REALLY easy.  Then…stretches and PT exercises before heading to my Wednesday morning spin class.  Endurance ride.  Over an hour on the bike, but Michelle always makes it fun, interesting, and gives us inspirational and good tunes.  And I got to hang with some of my friends on the bikes.  LOVE!  It made me so happy.

Thursday: TEMPO RUN – AFTER WARMUP, GET AROUND 8 MILES IN AT TEMPO EFFORT (NOT PACE SPECIFIC).  IF YOU NEED TO BREAK IT UP, FEEL FREE TO DO SO.

UGH.  Tempo runs in the summer suck.  THEY SUCK.  I hate them.  I don’t want to do them.  I never can properly mentally prepare for them.  I was determined this week not to let this one best me.  While I was given the option to break it up…I wanted to fight through it.  I stopped for traffic when I had to, and a couple of times due to humidity, but I mostly achieved the goal.  I did 1 Miles WU; 8 Miles @ Tempo; 2 Miles CD.  It was a total of 11 miles on a Thursday.  Double-digit weekday miles are HARD to fit in, but I managed it.  I did.  And I may not have killed it, but I was very happy with my effort.

FRIDAY: Always a rest day.  I usually sleep in…but I had a restless evening.  I woke up around 1 am and never could get back to sleep.  I got up before my 5 am alarm and showered.  Stretched.  And I was going to settle in to read a book (I am on a different one now), but time got away from me.  It was also a half day at the office.  I ate lunch at Core Life.  I went to an eye doctor appointment, and now own new glasses and…CONTACTS.  I love being able to see distance without glasses, but it took me FOREVER to get them out of my eyes.  I was about to have a little panic cry…but I calmed myself down and got it done.  After some mindless TV watching and Instagram scrolling…I went to bed.  And slept really well.  I was long running with friends the following morning, but not until much later than I usually run.  Worth it.  I love running with people so I will do whatever pace if it means I have company. Very glad for the good rest.

SATURDAY: 15-17 MILES WITH LAST 2-3 MILES FAST FINISH – GOAL 16 MILES

I met up with Christine and Ron at 7:30 am.  I had eaten a small bite at home.  Then used Maurten 160 (in hindsight, should have gone 320) before heading out.  We were going out to keep an easy pace in the 9 minute mile range, and did that for most of it.  Another good reason for me to long run with people…they are better and keeping an eye on pace than I am and tell me when to ease it back.  I love that about the people I run with.  Ron was going for 9 miles and Christine and I had 16.  We ran the first 10 with Ron, dropping him off at Seneca Park before we headed into Cherokee Park, making it almost all the way up Dog Hill before we had to turn around.  And while I did take off at Mile 13 for that “fast finish,” it wasn’t THAT fast when looking at my pace.  Take into account though that this direction lies some CRAZY uphill that goes on for a long ass time.  So, I put in the effort, even if the pace was affected by these climbs.  There are a few.  I finished up on the loop, which was slightly crowded and I was forced to stop as I was behind some ladies who were walking and had 2 double strollers coming the other way.  It was fine.  I grabbed some water and then started back up.  Pace overall was right where it should have been.  I was starving by the time I finished, so it was off to Wild Eggs for brunch.  And it was perfection.

SUNDAY: INSTRUCTIONS: NO WATCH ALLOWED! RECOVERY RUN!

I chased the sunrise again this week.  I head out just as the world was getting light around me and just enjoyed the miles, keeping pace easy and letting my legs just go with the flow.  I ran the same route, stopping over halfway through to snap a photo of the sunrise over a lake in a park…and then finished it all back up.  The weather felt amazing.  Low 60s and a low dewpoint.  Loved it.  Felt so good.  I covered my watch and never glanced at it.  I run better without the pressure, it seems.  My watch never stressed me out like this before, so not sure why I’m letting it have so much control over me and how I feel and react to each run.  This has been a good change for me.

With a glimpse at this coming week’s schedule…it’s going to require a lot of work.  Two long-ish runs coming up hot this weekend.  Both with some paces to hit.  Hopefully my body will let me put in the work and get it done.  Crossing fingers.  I’d really love to nail a workout at some point this training period.  We shall see.

Have a great week!

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #5

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornThis week.  *SIGH*  This week…was one big roller coaster.  It started…going downhill…fast.  Forget the climb.  There was no climb.  There was just this screaming, falling, helpless feeling that just sort of paralyzes you.  But by the end of the week, save for having no one to long run with to pass the time, things were starting to turn around.

The highlight of the week…the cooler temperatures and lower humidity.

It was amazing.

And I think that’s why when Monday went off the rails…I couldn’t figure out a good reason for it.  So, my coach and I are blazing a new path this coming week…so stay tuned for something completely different.

Until then…let’s take the plunge and then slowly climb out of the pit that was…this past week.

Monday: My Monday run is always a recovery run. Usually between 5-7 miles.  And I always run it really well.  Relaxed.  Easy.  Legs feeling good after a weekend of mileage demands.  This run started off feeling harder than the pace reflected.  I chalked it up to not being fully recovered from two long runs (both with a bit of a workout element to them…the harder one being the 3×4 miles in the middle of 15 miles on Sunday) that were done in Extreme Heat.  It was one of the worst and hardest runs I have had in a very long time.  Every mile got considerably slower.  And, when all was said and done, I cut the run short by a mile and called it a day.  I had a hard time accepting it.  And it ate at me the rest of that day.  I did my additional hip strengtheners with my stretches that morning and had personal training.  And still…I couldn’t let it go.  It wasn’t that my overall pace was slower than I prefer.  Not at all.  It was how hard the whole run felt when it was supposed to be easy.  I felt like I was pushing pace and the pace wasn’t coming, but instead slowing down…mile after mile.  It’s hard for me to let go of bad runs…and this was one of my worst.

Tuesday: Speed Work.  The fresh hell that hits every week.  I dread it.  But I know it’s beneficial and will make me faster in the end.  This week was the Flat Pyramid.  I was to do a 1 mile warm up, then 400m-800m-1600m-1600m-800m-400m with 400m-800m recovery in between each one.  This wasn’t too bad.  The temperature that morning was once again…perfect.  My left calf felt tight, but I figured it would loosen up.  I felt like I was rolling on this one.  But when my runs were done, my second 1600 was just CRAP. For real.  Everything was actually slower than I felt they should have been.  I wasn’t having it.  It made me feel even worse coming off of the crash-and-burn run from Monday.  I figured I should have been recovered by Tuesday.  It was 7.5 messy miles. And I wasn’t happy.  I let my coach know.

Wednesday: Easy, recovery miles.  3-4 of them.  With the week I was having, I wasn’t holding my breath that this would feel good at all.  But, something was different this morning.  I managed to have a decent run.  The entire thing felt easy.  Right at base pace.  Two of my miles were faster than I anticipated, but I wrapped up the run and I felt good.  I felt like I was turning a corner.  No personal training because my trainer had much more important things happening…but I did my additional hip strengtheners again with my daily stretches that morning.  My coach wrote me back and said it seemed like I had just come out of a mental block and was back into one.  He asked me some questions, and that resulted in a very long, very honest, very vulnerable response from me as to what I feel was going on.

Thursday: Speed Work day 2 and my coach was changing up the Tempo Run this week.  After struggling time after time to hit the ladder tempos, he had me running the same amount hard, but this time with just 2 miles in each one.  So 1 mile warm up, 3×2 miles with 0.5 miles recovery between, 1 mile cool down.  I ended up grabbing a wrist band and covering my watch face.  I didn’t set the pace intensity into the workout on my watch.  I decided that it would be what it was that day.  And I ran it well.  I had to stop for a lot of traffic that morning.  And I needed to stretch out my calf a couple of times ( that, btw, feels much better), but it was an impressive run.  One that I was happy with.  I hit the usual tempo pace he wants me to aim for and I didn’t obsess over it or consistently check my watch.  No pressure.  No expectations.  I just let this one ride.  And it worked.  9.5 miles with 6 of them at the proper tempo pace. YES!

Friday: Rest day.  Recovery.  Sleep in.  Except…I haven’t been sleeping well.  Which sucks.  I didn’t get to stretch and then chill and read like I would have liked.  But I did my best to relax.  I checked in with people about long runs, both of which weren’t going to be able to run with me this weekend.  It was also a half day at work.  The original plan was to grab an easy lunch…maybe get grocery shopping done…My roommate and I did grab lunch and headed home.  We ran some easy errands instead of going grocery shopping.  But we did turn on Designated Survivor before I was going to cook dinner.  Except, with 7 minutes left in the episode…the power randomly went out.  I was 7 minutes away from cooking dinner.  Power wasn’t back on by 5:30 (over an hour after it went out)…so we ended up having to go out to eat…again.  We ended up at Dragon King’s Daughter for sushi.  Sushi is one of my favorite pre-race, pre-long run meals.  This was fine with me.  It was just an unexpected expense that night.

Saturday: LONG RUN!  I had a goal of 17-19 on the training plan.  With the awful start to my week, I mentioned to my roommate that I was going to head out early and aim for 19…but I’d be fine if I just did 17.  I used the Maurten 320 Drink Mix for the first time…and LOVED IT.  I never crashed on this run.  I felt strong the entire time.  And yes…I managed 19 solo miles…and my pace stayed pretty consistent and even throughout.  No stomach issues.  I didn’t want to quit.  I didn’t need to randomly stop just to breathe or berate myself for stopping.  It was smooth.  It was the run I needed to round out the week.  And I felt good the rest of the day…refueling, recovering, and…finally grocery shopping (and shopping for my vacation in September too).

Sunday: Recovery run.  4 miles.  Same run I did last week.  It felt good.  I ran a lot of hills on Saturday in my long run, and my legs were definitely feeling that, especially as I tackled one of my least favorite hills along the way.  But, this run was exactly what it was supposed to be…easy, slow, recovery.  And I got some great sunrise views (again…not sleeping well…so hopefully that changes this week).

So, yeah…this week started off rough, but it definitely ended on a high note.  That being said, my coach is taking a WAY different approach with me this week in hopes of giving me the compete reset I need to get back into a proper mindset as I head into my fall marathon.  Wish me luck.  And stay tuned. Because, honestly, I think this is going to be fun.

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #4

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornHow can I describe this week?  What word can I use that will basically sum everything up?  Oh…I know…

HOT!

From mornings in the 80s to real feel temps in the triple digits…this week did everything it could to destroy me.  I persevered, but I was wrecked at the end of it.  But, let’s hear it for getting it done.  Even if it wasn’t pretty.  And even if it wasn’t perfect.

(And we all know that I’m a perfectionist because…Virgo…so that’s not easy for me to deal with).

So…how about we dive into the week that wrapped up my first month of training with today (Sunday, July 21, 2019), marking 16 weeks out from the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.  So, let’s all settle into ice baths (HA…just kidding…I don’t do ice baths), stay cool, and review the events of this crazy week.

Monday: Every Monday, I pretty much have the same run.  5-7 miles (aiming for 6) and an easy recovery pace.  It was 80 degrees at 3:30 am, so I knew that this wasn’t going to be a day where pace was even pushed.  Once my legs warmed up and woke up, I fell into a natural stride and the easy pace started to finally feel good.  I extended it to the full 7 miles for that reason.  I went ahead and did my additional hip strengtheners during my stretches because I had just enough time to fit it in.  And later that afternoon, I had my personal training session with Corey.  And we had it outside.  Which was super fun because it wasn’t overly humid out.  Basically…a little bit of everything.

Tuesday: Hello, speed work.  One of these days I hope to get to the track and see how I do on a flat track.  But this week…it wasn’t going to work.  Nope.  Not one bit.  The speed work this week was my favorite of the workouts that Daniel assigns: Mona Fartleks.  These are fun and challenging and definitely keep it interesting.  Mona Fartleks work like this: 2 mile warm up; 2×90 seconds, 4×60 seconds, 4×30 seconds, 4×15 seconds (with equal recovery time in between each rep); 2 mile cool down.  I felt like I was moving faster than I apparently was.  I blame the humidity.

Wednesday: It was a recovery day.  A short, easy, deliberate pace for me.  I got up at usual time though because I always try to fit in two days of my additional hip strengtheners, and they take some times.  The shorter run did allow for this.  And I took it easy on the run (somehow did negative splits…I can never do this when I try), and then got in the stretches and additional exercises.  This morning, I also had my 6 year check-up with my dermatologist.  He cleared me for another year, but did say that he wanted me to start running with a hat or do rag covering the top of my head. MEH.  I hate how I look in hats, and my head gets really hot when I cover it with anything.  But, my skin is more important, so I got on Amazon and placed an order from Buff, for both a hat and buff to use on my head.  I had my second day of personal training with Corey this afternoon too.  He had some serious fresh hell exercises ready for me.

Thursday: Welcome to Day #1 of the Extreme Heat Warning that was going to span the entire rest of the week.  So, believe me when I say that I was looking forward to taking Friday off.  It was HOT that morning.  Around 80 degrees before the sun was up.  MEH.  I had 9 miles on tap.  Nothing fast.  Nothing hard.  Just a base pace run.  It wasn’t easy in air you can wear.  Not at all.  I was so soaked in sweat that morning that my running shorts wanted to fall off my hips.  This sort of heat is serious business and people who downplay it are not smart people.  Whether you react to it or not…it’s hot.  Be safe.  I survived, even though I looked like I had gone swimming.

Friday: Day off.  Rest.  Slept in.  Showered.  Stretched.  Read some more of “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered,” by the My Favorite Murder ladies – Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.  If you don’t listen to that podcast…YOU NEED TO!  If you haven’t read the book…YOU NEED TO!  Trust me.  Went to work that day.  Then went out for some sushi at Dragon King’s Daughter…because it was too hot too cook and…we made it through a busy week…why not treat yourself a little?  I love vegan sushi.  It made me happy.  Plus…it was not just good carb loading for my weekend ahead, but also had some additional sodium to prep for the heat.

Saturday: Long run day.  One of them.  Because we were back to some back-to-back workout runs that I did a couple of weeks ago.  I met up with my friend Ron, on an extremely hot morning.  It was real feel 90 degrees and we started at 6:30 am.  Cathy got up early on a weekend to actually drop me off at the starting point, because she had a cooler full of cold water bottles and she was going to meet us at the turn-around point so we could cool off with cold water to drink and pour over us as needed.  This was also my first time running in the ultra-light Buff hat.  I still think it makes my head hot.  I will fight you.  Ron and I kept the pace easy, but challenging.  And he’s really good about telling me to ease back on pace because sometimes I feel good and that helps me to keep out of the “now I feel like crap” zone that likely will come sooner rather than later.  We did 10 miles together.  His training ended there.  I still had 2 more “fast finish” miles to go.  MEH.  I took another cold water break before I left to go and get those done.  I knew in the heat that it would not be super fast, but the effort was there.  Both miles were in the low 8s which is in my marathon pace zone…but definitely not the fast finish I can usual produce.  Iced coffee, a shower, and some air conditioned shopping later…I started to feel recovered.  With heat indexes in the triple digits, and me needing to not be dehydrated going into Sunday, we skipped the Louisville City FC match (we would have baked).  I went to bed after watching Chernobyl on HBO (we started it on Wednesday night) and hoped to rest up because I was setting yet another early alarm.

Sunday: I had texted Daniel on Saturday afternoon regarding my Sunday workout.  I knew it was going to be impossible.  He told me to go off of effort and not pace.  But even with effort, this run was pretty much impossible to do without multiple, numerous, sometimes air-conditioned stops.  I loaded up a cooler when I headed out to put on the back of my car.  It had one bottle of water to drink and one bottle to use to pour over my head.  I had frozen two small (5 oz) bottles the night before to allow to melt while I was running so I could snag them from the pockets of my Nathan hydration vest and pour over my head if needed before I could get to a good point near my car.  I looped this entire run.  I wore the Buff as a do rag, despite being out before the sun was up.  I just wanted to see if it made my head overheat.  The jury is still out on that.  But I died.  I died so hard on this run.  No mile came without a stop or two.  My effort was not as hard as I would normally push.  It makes me feel like I just can’t string together hard pushes in runs, even when racing, and it’s bothering me so much.  I know that it was 90 degrees at 4 am this day…but it still bothers me on a fundamental level.  Want me to feel out of shape…let me fail at a workout.  And this one was the one that nearly killed me a couple of weeks ago.  1 mile warm up; 3×4 miles @ marathon pace (with 4 minutes recovery); 1 mile cool down.  It was bad.  It went completely off the rails for the second time.  And I just need to prove to MYSELF that I can do these more challenging workouts.  I’m tired of feeling like I failed or having people make me feel like I’m a failure for wilting in this heat.  I drank water, finished off Chernobyl, and have been meal prepping ever since.

It was a rough week, friends.  I just need things to start clicking.  I need to start feeling excited, confident, and prepared.  I’m not there right now.  I’m not even excited.  And that’s definitely not where I want to mentally be with 4 months to go.  So, we’ll see what happens in this coming week.

Fingers crossed that the heat never gets this hot again.  But it’s only July.  So I won’t hold my breath.

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #3

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornWhat a roller coaster of a week.  It had ups and downs and lots of emotional spirals that had nothing to do with the training itself…but life.  And people in my life.  Funny how outside stuff can affect you in different ways.  I will never learn that some people will always feel the need to try to tell me how to do things or what to feel…and some people will try to tear me down because they are unhappy with they are…and some people are just jackasses.

I’ve dealt with a lot of jackasses.  When I’m down, I don’t need to be kicked.  And when I’m up, I don’t need to be torn down.

With all that emotional baggage, let’s dive into this week.

Monday: Another Monday morning recovery run.  He wanted this to be SLOW so my legs would be fresh for the first of two speed sessions this week on Tuesday. He gives me a range and asks me to aim for the middle of the mileage.  My legs were a bit stiff from all the time on the treadmill at the hotel over the weekend, but once I found my stride, I felt good.  I kept the pace conversational.  This was a good run in and of itself and I ended up with the higher of the mileage range.  7 Miles total.  I also wasn’t meeting with my personal trainer this week, so I felt like it would all balance out in the end.  It can be a fine line between doing enough and overdoing it.  I wanted to be very cognizant of how I felt each day and adjust as needed.  I added my extra hip strengtheners into my morning PT exercises as well.

Tuesday: Speed work.  God…I hate speed work.  I value it and why it is part of a training plan (especially one where I need to be able to hit and maintain a certain pace)…but it doesn’t come easy for me.  Ever.  And this week, Daniel was hooking me up with some FRESH HELL.  My first ever 1600 Flat Pyramid workout.  This is what that looks like: 1 Mile WU; 400m-800m-1600m-1600m-800m-400m; 1 Mile CD.  I was instructed to do a 400m-800m recovery jog in between each rep.  And the effort on the reps should be “controlled hard” and likely faster than tempo pace, but not quite as fast as rep pace where I get a full recovery.  It wasn’t fun.  I wasn’t a fan.  But I got it done.  And I felt powerful at the end of it.  I squeezed in my second day of the additional hip strengtheners to the morning stretches and PT exercises.

Wednesday: Wednesday turned into a replay of Monday’s run.  So, I ran it exactly as I had done on Monday.  7 Miles.  Slow.  Easy.  This one ended up being a bit faster than the run I did on Monday…and I was pretty certain that would come back to bite me the following morning.  That being said, I was hoping that my time stretching and foam rolling would help counterbalance that.  I wasn’t checking my watch constantly, because that’s a bad habit that I don’t want to have…so I ran by feel.  I ran too fast.  No personal training this week…so that was it for Wednesday.

Thursday: Speed Work Session #2.  And it was a damn Ladder Tempo that I have yet to master.  This is the third time that Daniel has given me this particular workout, and it always seems to fall on the warmest morning of the week.  This was the same.  It was almost 90 degrees before the sun came up that day.  The Ladder Tempo works like this: 1 Mile WU; 3 Miles @ Tempo; 0.5 Miles Recovery; 2 Miles @ Tempo; 0.5 Miles Recovery; 1 Mile @ Tempo; 1 Mile CD.  The tempo part he wanted me to aim for a pace between 7:20-7:50, but to adjust as needed to run by feel in the heat/humidity.  I’m not good at altering things when paces are assigned.  And after the 2nd Mile of the first tempo…I paused and went inside to grab 2 bottles ice cold water…one to drink in addition to the water with Nuun in my hydration pack, and one to pour over my head.  I made plenty of stops to pull these out of the cooler and attempt to keep cool when I was dying.  I don’t mean to complain about the heat…and normally I wouldn’t…but the heat is KILLING me this year.  And it’s mentally draining when I’m struggling to hit paces that never used to be this hard.

Friday: Rest Day.  I stretched.  I hydrated.  I had my friend Michelle over for dinner, wine (I didn’t drink much because of a long run the next morning).  I stayed up late.  I laughed a lot.  I needed every moment of that.  Even if it meant I went into my long run a bit sleep deprived.

Saturday: Long Run.  I had 16-17 on tap this week.  My friend Christine had 14…so we arranged it so that we could do some of the run together.  The humidity lifted that morning, so it didn’t feel as dreadful out.  It was also the Bra Top Squad meet-up at Seneca Park.  So, Christine and I were going to run about 11 miles and then finish up at Seneca with the rest of the ladies that showed up.  The sun came out.  It did warm up, but it wasn’t the killer heat that had been mentally and physically tearing me down.  Christine and I tackled some hills together (which should make our basically flat marathon seem easy) and worked through our run to the meetup.  After the picture, we parted and I went on to run 6 more miles and ended with 17 for the day.  It was the lift I needed, to be honest.  I needed to feel good.  I was happy with it, even with the laps around the park for the final solo miles.  Cathy was on hand blaring inspirational music from her phone each time I passed.

Sunday: Recovery run day.  I had 4 miles to do, and I headed out early to fit them in.  I made sure to include one big hill…but I also had a nice downhill in the last mile.  I felt pretty good the entire time.  And I paused to take a couple pictures in the early morning light.  Then, I made breakfast and headed out to see Spider-Man: Far From Home at the theater.  After that…I had to finish up some grocery shopping, run some errands, meal prep, and finish up the second season of Westworld.  All of which I accomplished.

As of 8:15 pm tonight, my new schedule hasn’t posted.  But Monday usually is 6 easy miles…so I’m going with the theory that it will remain that way this week.  The rest…well, we’ll see.  But I need to get some rest.  So…stay tuned for (hopefully) some additional blogs this week.  And I’ll catch you all up on what happens this coming week after I work through it.

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Bluegrass 10,000 – Lexington, KY (July 4, 2019)

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Me heading toward the finish line of the Bluegrass 10,000

Race: Bluegrass 10,000

Place: Lexington, Kentucky

Date: July 4, 2019

Time: 47:40

Fourth of July means one thing.  The annual 4th of July race.  And for the third year in a row, I decided to make the trip down to Lexington, Kentucky for the Bluegrass 10,000.  This year it was a bit different.  We didn’t ride down with Melissa and Paul this year.  Melissa had a baby back in February, so I knew they would have a bit more of a stressful ride down (especially if they were bringing the baby…which they did…and her mom to watch the baby…so full car as it was) trying to juggle everything with a newborn around.

I got in touch with Linda, my former coach and one of my favorite people (she’s an amazing friend) in this world, to see if she could pick up my packet if I registered, and since she’s in charge of the pacers…she said she already was picking up all of those so she would add to mine.  I greatly appreciated that.  There was no way that I could get to Lexington during a workweek for a Thursday race so I am thankful for people who can help me out.

The night before the race I made tacos.  Not weird.  I love tacos.  And I ended up going to bed relatively early that night, knowing that a very early alarm had to be set for me to get up, hydrate, drink coffee, stretch, change, put on sunscreen, and get on the road by 5 am.  The race in Lexington starts at 7:30 am.  We managed to have breakfast, get ready, and get on the road right on time.  So, that was a definite win.

It was a warm morning, and I dressed appropriately this time.  As Wonder Woman.  With a bra top instead of a tank top.  I’m over the fact that my stomach isn’t flat.  Whatever.  Comfort is way more important and I wasn’t going to overheat this year.

This year, I was opting to give a go at racing this thing again.  I wasn’t sure how I would do.  My body isn’t reacting well to the heat/humidity this summer.  I’ve never crashed so hard on hot runs (yep…even before the sun comes up) as much as I have this year.  Its frustrating.  And it does mentally wear you down, but I decided I would just see what I had this particular day.  My training was relatively easy leading into a Thursday race.  I admit, I might have hit some miles a bit harder than intended…but I felt pretty good on the drive into Lexington.

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Race ready at the Bluegrass 10,000

As we were arriving to our designated spot to park, I got a text from Linda saying where she was parked so we could meet up.  We pulled in moments later, and I got out to get a hug and get my race shirt and bib.  Cathy pinned me up and Linda and I talked for a bit.  Her 8 minute pacer hadn’t shown up yet so she said I might have to hop in and pace.  I was willing to do that if necessary.  We both took the opportunity to use the bathroom before heading toward the start line.  Her 8 minute pacer did show up at this point, so I was reprieved of that duty.  Melissa and Paul weren’t here yet…but did arrive after the pacer photo and with about 5 minutes to the start.  I wanted to hug Melissa before the start, but she was feeding her baby and Paul was grabbing her stuff.  I had to head to the start…and that was that this year.

I lined up near the 8 minute pacer, just as I did last year.  But then I saw people who were, once again, talking about how they wouldn’t be able to do that pace…or were definitely not dressed to hold that pace (is that judgey?)…so I moved up.  And then moved up some more.  The National Anthem was sung.  The wheelchair racers were sent off.  And we all moved up to wait for our prompt 7:30 am start.  We were sent off by a rifle.  It was pretty frickin amazing!

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Start line selfies with Cathy

Here is where I am changing my plan of action for this race next time I run it.  Despite having moved up, I was still blocked by a lot of walkers who were up near the front of the race.  I wish this could be monitored a bit more, but it seems that next year, I am just lining up MUCH closer to the start line.  I was slowed down considerably here, but the start line is pretty chaotic as it is.

The street is really crowded in that first mile, so I bobbed and weaved as much as I could.  We made a turn right before the finish line and headed out to make a loop around some streets.  We make a turn around Mile 2 and start up a big hill.  It’s not a steep hill, but one of those ongoing hills. It wears you down.  I was also making a point to hydrate early and often.  So, if there was a water stop…you best believe I was taking a cup and drinking some of it before pouring the rest over my head.  Keeping that core temperature down this year.  YES!  Oh…and they had some cooling stations on some of the miles…so I used those too.

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The fight for some running space at the start of the Bluegrass 10,000

I hit the turn around point and got a bit of  a downhill.  And this is where I got a lot of Wonder Woman shout outs from people spectating.  And I got a lot of call-outs by Linda and her pacers as they came up the other side of the road.  Man, that was a booster, even when I started to walk the water stops.  No shame in that on a hot day.  I enjoyed the downhill portions and really appreciated the guy at Mile 5 with a hose who just sprayed me down as I ran past.  It steamed up my sunglasses, but damn…I needed that refreshing hit of cold water.

As I ran past the start line of the race, I could hear the race announcer up the way and was getting pretty excited to finish.  I wasn’t looking for a PR today…and I didn’t get one.  But I gave it all I could at that finish line.  I could hear Cathy screaming at me from the bleachers nearby as I ran past and just got myself across the line.  I stopped my Garmin and took a moment to catch my breath.

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Me with Linda after the Bluegrass 10,000

I made my way over to a table with water and snagged a bottle before heading to the sideline to talk with Cathy, who was heading my way.  Shortly after, Linda came across and I went to chat with her for a little bit.  I stuck around for a few of the pacers to make their way in, but I knew that we had an important date with lunch and then Season 3 of Stranger Things (which had dropped at midnight).  So, I gave Linda a hug and we headed out to get back to our car.

On the way back, we did get to see Melissa and Paul.  Melissa switched with the 15 minute pacer and was getting her group to the finish line in good form.  Cathy tried to take pictures, but they weren’t prepared.  I was happy to have caught them before we left.

We went to Target to kill off some time.  Cathy got us some more coffee and a bit of a

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Finisher of the Bluegrass 10,000

snack before we walked around, killing off time before Bella Notte opened for lunch.  There was SO much Stranger Things stuff.  How I didn’t buy it all…I will never know.  We polished off the coffee and headed over to the mall to walk a little more.  Ducked into a few stores, then finally went to Bella Notte to grab lunch.  I had my usual.  Cathy went with something new and different.  And as our entrees were arriving, Melissa, Paul, Deb and baby arrived.  Melissa came over to chat with us before they ordered, and we stopped by as we were about to head out.  We finished eating.  We stopped in at Half Price Books.  And we mad the drive back home to get through as much of the new season of Stranger Things as we could…because we were working a half day on Friday and gone all weekend.

And we got 6/8 episodes in before we had to call it.  Not bad.

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Gluten Free Pasta Arrabiata from Bella Notte in Lexington, KY

I’m not sure if I am more proud of that or how I did in the race this year.  I beat last year’s time by 1 minute, but no distance or course PR this year.  It eludes me again.

My official results of the Bluegrass 10,000 are that I finished in 47:40…in the best weather (still humid and hot) that I have had in the 3 years I have run it.  And that’s with walk/water stops.  I was 294/2969 finishers overall.  I was 41/1491 female finishers.  And I was 6/244 in my age division.  I actually was better placed this year (with more finishers in each category)…except for my age group.  I need to get out of my head a bit more and just learn to be a bit more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

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Stranger Things Binge Watching Marathon ready!

S

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #2

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornWell friends…much to everyone’s dismay as a new Team Challenge kicked in for the MRTT/SRTT group…I had a down week this week.  And it might have been just what I needed considering I raced on Thursday and was out of town over the weekend.  Training when a race is on a weird day works for me…but going out of town never makes training easy.  Especially when you are somewhere that isn’t easy to run without venturing out for a ways to a place with sidewalks and safe paths or trails.  It was what it had to be this week.  And, honestly, I never know where I stand on those challenges because I just do what my coach tells me to do.  I never want to overtrain and/or bring about injury because of these fun challenges.  So…I just stay my course and do my thing. As training hadn’t officially started, my coach let me split the total accumulated mileage between Saturday and Sunday into two mid-distance runs as opposed to a short run followed by a long run…as I was limited only to a treadmill.  You tweak things as you need and just do the best you can with what life is offering at the time.

Let’s dive into this week, shall we?

Monday: This was my typical Monday morning run.  6 miles.  Easy pace.  SLOW!!  He assigns me Mondays as a recovery run from any weekend runs that he puts me through.  And with the past week’s Sunday run being rough…it was a good morning to just take it easy, move the legs, and not put much effort into anything.  I survived another humid morning.  I drank a lot of water, trying to stay ahead on hydration this week.  I also met with my personal trainer.  And then…I returned to my Monday evening spin class with Deana.  It was her sing-along class and it was a lot of fun.  Since it was a down week, I did throw in a few extra things as I figured it wouldn’t mess with my training.  Today I also did one of the two days a week I throw in my hip strengthening exercises to my morning PT stretching routine.

Tuesday: No speed work this week.  My Tuesday run kept it simple.  6 more miles, this time at base pace.  Another humid morning, and this time I had to deal with some stomach issues.  UGH.  It happens sometimes when you have Celiac.  But, I got through it and managed to keep a slightly faster pace than Monday.  I followed that up with a round of 10 strides, which I actually managed to do quickly while focusing on form.

Wednesday: Short and easy run this morning.  3 recovery miles.  He told me to run them SLOW…and I did…for the first one.  And somehow that turned into negative splits without me focusing on it.  So…yeah…this one was probably too fast and should have been done slower.  I wasn’t looking at my watch for each mile…I just ran by feel and it DID feel easy.  No personal training because I was racing the following day, but I did do my second day of additional hip strengthening exercises to my morning PT stretching routine.

Thursday: Early morning.  I needed to stretch, drink some coffee, lather up in my sunscreen, get dressed, and head down to Lexington, Kentucky, for my July 4th race.  I have made it a tradition to go to the Bluegrass 10,000 race there.  My former coach is in charge of the pacers.  Just a bonus fact.  She was kind enough to pick up my packet for me on Wednesday because there was NO way I could make it down there to get it…and there is no race day packet pickup.  Let’s hear it for amazing friends in our lives.  The race starts at 7:30.  It was warm, clammy, and humid.  BUT…honestly, it is the best weather this race has had for the 3 years I have run it.  I dressed appropriately for the weather, wearing my very patriotic Wonder Woman outfit.  Because…I am Wonder Woman.  I raced as hard as I could that day.  I did take short walk breaks through three of the water stops.  And I had a guy at Mile 5 spray me with his hose.  It was a good way to keep my body from overdoing it on a hot day.  No shame in that.  I felt strong at the end thanks to that and put in a time that beat out last year’s time.  Even without a course PR or a distance PR…I was proud of my effort that day.  July 4th 10K in the books…and then a pasta lunch and a 6 hour Stranger Things marathon for Season 3.  I had wanted to finish it…but I had to work the following morning, so I needed sleep more than to get an entire season into one day.

Friday: REST DAY! That being said, because this was a down week and my long runs weren’t really going to be out in the heat, or far for that matter…I decided to drop into my old Friday spin class.  It was a class of 2, but Brittney (the instructor), had taken a training class on the bikes our gym has and gave us a new, challenging, and fun way to use the screens on the bike and really get into a good training mode on it.  I was impressed with how my numbers improved.

Saturday: Welcome to the wonderful world of traveling.  I was up in Indianapolis for a convention.  This hotel isn’t near the Monon Trail.  It’s not even in a good area with plenty of sidewalks and areas to go for a run outside.  I knew going into this weekend that I would be on a treadmill and told my coach.  He had me down for 18-20 miles over the entire weekend, with Sunday being a 15 miler.  He was a bit concerned that would be a bit far to run on a treadmill and we discussed, since training wasn’t really starting yet with my change of venue for my fall marathon…we decided that I could break up the distance over the 2 days I was out of town.  I split the difference…starting with 10 miles on Saturday at an easy pace.  I stopped the treadmill at 6 and restarted it because they only would run for an hour at a time.  The fitness center was crowded (very unusual), and I re-fueled and hit go again…this time messing with some speeds, though still keeping the run easy.  Afterwards…a shower, breakfast, and off to some panels at the convention.  Gluten-free pizza that night for supper.  YUM!  I also stayed up WAY too late on Saturday night, so I knew Sunday might be rough.

Sunday: I had an alarm set for 6 am…but I woke up at 5:30 am so I got up and got dressed and hauled down to the fitness center to fit in the second half of my distance for the weekend.  Same run as yesterday, another 10 miles…which this time I started doing varying, but easy, speeds on the treadmill just so I didn’t sleepwalk through the first 6 miles, which felt like what I did on Saturday.  I was very conscious of the extra fatigue due to the late night and not getting my ideal amount of rest, foam rolling, or stretching while out of town.  I try to make time for it, but I literally just didn’t have the time this trip.  I feel like I normally would, but there was a lot going on.  Got it done before anyone else came into the fitness center.  After my shower and a protein bar for breakfast, I came down and saw the fitness center packed.  Just packed.  So I was good to get it done when I did.  Left the convention just after 11:30 and went up to Carmel, Indiana for lunch at Woody’s Library Restaurant.  And then, the long drive home.  My roommate when to buy all the groceries while I meal prepped, unpacked.  I was supposed to stretch and do my PT exercises…but just didn’t have the time with  trying to multitask everything else.  I did fit it in ahead of finishing up the final two episodes of Stranger Things Season 3.  I foam rolled for the first 20 minutes and then it was on the couch and not moving until it was done.

So, this week was lower on mileage and definitely a much needed reprieve from the endless (it seems) marathon training I have been pushing through for almost 2 years now.  My roommate and I calculated it, and I have been training for and running marathons mostly exclusively, for 20 months now.  Thankfully, they have been continuous and have also had PROPER recovery (okay…maybe not the Chicago to Monumental 2018 stretch…but I felt like I was still in good shape and really wanted some form of redemption from the hot mess that was my Chicago Marathon).  So, I am really ready to get the job done this time, and I’m working very hard in my training to do what I need to to reach those goals, while also listening to any cues my body gives me and helps.  If I need extra recovery…I take it.  And it’s fine.  It’s okay to reset.  Never forget that.  Marathon training, or any sort of training, really asks a lot of you.  So nourish your body, get enough sleep, recover like a champ…and you might be amazed with how far you can go and what you can accomplish.

Back to the norm starting this coming week…and now I feel ready for it.

One more thing…running on a treadmill is NOT my favorite thing in the world.  Treadmills hurt my hips and my body so if I can avoid them, I will.  I’m hurting after 2 days of it…but it had to be done.  But, trust me, I will keep that in mind on my recovery run.  Don’t ever get uncomfortable to the point where it can cause you to sustain an injury.  It’s not worth it, friends.

It was nice to not have to die in the humidity for a weekend though.  Bright side!

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Project BQ – Marathon Training Week #1

dreams-hopes-poster-rhino-treadmill-unicornEver since the Erie Marathon sold out before I was able to sign up for it, my training has felt sort of…meaningless.  I still put in the work, but I had no purpose behind it.  And that, friends, is not where I like to be.  It’s not good for me, mentally, to not have a plan to execute.  I wasn’t just going through the motions, but my heart wasn’t in it.  Where there is no passion, there is no joy.

But this week, I made a decision.

I am giving up my hope of a BQ for 2020.

This was not an easy decision to come to by any means.  I searched every marathon within driving distance between now and the fall cut-off for Boston.  The best courses were all multiple loops…and they just didn’t excite me.  I dreaded having to loop the same path 4-8 times (depending on the race of choice).  After a lot of thinking on it, pondering it, and just…looking at the races I could do and not feeling excited about training for them…I opted to give myself more time.

The hard part was choosing a fall race.  Again, I was limited on distance I could travel due to a birthday cruise I am all signed up for (back when I thought Erie would be a thing and I wouldn’t be training).  I narrowed it down to Mill Race, Columbus, and Indianapolis Monumental.

And after weighing the pros and cons…I settled on a race I ran for the first time last year…Indy Monumental.

GOAL: Boston Qualify for 2021

All that being said, let me point out that training has had it’s own ups and downs these days.  I used to be someone who could handle the heat…but it ahs been a struggle this year.  A big…huge…struggle.  It makes me feel out of shape and underprepared.  And I haven’t mastered what I need to do to make it easier…if anything.  I have hydrated myself, fueled myself, and yet…the struggle, at times, has been beyond real.  Especially if I am pushing pace at any point.  This is not helping me at all with my confidence.  I try not to let bad training runs get to me, but I’m human.  And while I can shrug it off after a few hours, it’s just hard when I know I am capable of doing so much better than I am.

So, let’s recap now that I have chosen a race…

Monday: My coach had me down for 6 miles with the instructions to go SLOW.  Why?  Because Tuesday is usually speed work day and he wants me to have fresh legs for those.  I went out easy and kept it easy.  In fact, my legs felt really good that morning, so I had to remind myself to ease it back on the pace.  Couldn’t ask for a better start to the week.

Tuesday: Speed work.  MEH!  At least it is my favorite workout: Mona Fartleks.  If you haven’t done these…try them.  It keeps things interesting and challenging all at once.  I didn’t stop as much as I have had to this time around…just for traffic when needed and some hydration when it was hard to do it while moving.  My workout was: 2 mile WU; 2×90 sec; 4×60 sec; 4×30 sec; 4×15 seconds (all of which with EQUAL recovery a bit faster than base pace); 2 mile CD.  Any stops I made, I tried to make the turnaround time quick.

Wednesday: Short and easy run this morning.  3 recovery miles.  And then I went to spin class, because I really jus needed to do something other than running.  I’ve missed doing my cross-training and getting my gym time in.  I don’t know how I was fitting it in before.

Thursday: Heading toward a full rest day, my Thursday run was 8 miles on paper at base pace.  I didn’t check my watch at any point, but it turned out I did 7 of them at or below my Marathon Pace.  Whoops. So, I did a cool down mile to make up for that at a much easier pace.  I hate having to look at my watch, but I need to be more mindful of my pace on my easy and base pace days.

Friday: REST DAY! (Thank God!)

Saturday: I flip-flopped my long run days this week because I could have company if I did that.  Being able to run with someone makes me happy.  So, my 10 miler was moved to Saturday.  I met up with Ron at 7 am to try to beat some of the morning heat.  This was supposed to be at an easy pace and then 2 miles for a fast finish.  The 10 miles I ran with Ron were delightful.  We lost some shade after we turned around to head back, and it definitely was warming up…but at least we could get each other through it.  I ran him to 10 and then I turned around to do my final 2 a bit faster.  That part sucked.  But at least I got to see some MRTT ladies out there.  That always helps when the struggle sets in.  I drove home with my air conditioning blaring.

Sunday: I wanted to start early.  The humidity has been INSANE here, and it was no joke today.  And this was going to be a challenging workout…especially in the heat. It was 75 degrees when I headed out the door at 6:25 am.  The humidity and dewpoint made it feel like I was swimming.  Immediately.  My workout: 1 mile WU; 3×4 miles @ MP w/ 4 minute recovery; 1 mile CD.  The warmup felt like a slog and I knew today was going to be hard.  I told myself I wasn’t going to let it bother me, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to instructions.  I did pretty good on the top half of the run.  I stopped a few times to hydrate, but immediately continued on.  It was when I turned around at Mile 9, that the struggle became more than real.  LOTS of stops.  LOTS.  And there wasn’t much shade where I was running at that point either, which made it feel 100x harder.  But I got a bit of a reprieve when a train was going on the tracks.  I sat on some stairs in the shade to wait it out.  And when it was safe to cross, I got up and set back out again.  But now my body didn’t want to push.  I had 2 more miles of marathon pace, and I was stopping more than I was running.  I started to play a bit of a game, where I told myself I just had to run to the next street.  It got me through, and I listened to my body and stopped at each corner.  But I was fading…so I stopped at a shady stoop of a business and sat down for a moment to cool off.  I was almost done with marathon pace, but it just didn’t feel like I could go on.  I let my heart rate go down and allowed my body to cool down again before I stood up to at least finish off that mile.  I managed it and had never been so thankful to run easy again in my life.  But the heat and humidity were beating me down even at an easy pace.  I ended up in a shaded parking lot, recovering once again.  I texted my coach and my roommate to let them know I had a mile to go, but was currently sitting in the shade trying to talk myself into doing the cool down mile.  I know better than to push too hard in heat, so I wasn’t mad at the performance, just aggravated that I was struggling so much.  I did finally get up, shake it off, and jog myself home.  It was one of the hardest runs I have had to get through yet this training session, and I feel like I barely survived it.  My coach gave me a pep talk, telling me what I already know…in the summer you have to go based off of effort and not pace.  That’s never been easy for me…but it was a good reminder.  I made it home.  I took a cool shower.  And I started to recover as best as I could in that moment.

So…here it is, friends.  Another attempt for me to get back to a race that I still feel like, to this day, I never had a fair shake at.  I know I am capable of getting there.  I just need to get comfortable being a bit uncomfortable this summer.  Trust me…this goal is worth all the effort I am putting into it.  I am just trying to train smart and keep it real.

And to keep smiling.  Because if you can’t smile at the end of the day…it’s not worth doing.

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Geist Half Marathon – Fishers, IN (May 18, 2019)

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Me after finishing the Geist Half Marathon – Fishers, IN

Race: Geist Half Marathon

Place: Fishers, Indiana

Date: May 19, 2018

Time: 1:49:06

Time got away from me on this race recap as we are almost one month removed from it.  My apologies.  Marathon training is back in full swing (again)…and I’ve just been busy.  Even on weeks that haven’t had a stacked training plan.  Hey…I do have an actual job (if I could make a living is a blogger…that would be amazing, but it’s not my destiny) and some obligations that happened between then and now.  But…here I am…finally getting this written up.

I will preface it with this…going into this race, being only weeks off of a full-on marathon where I attempted (and almost hit) a BQ race, my coach and I agreed to use this one as a training run.  No pushing the pace.  Keep it easy.  And with the humidity and weather trending the way it was for Saturday morning, I was relieved that this was our decision.  But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself…

Let’s start on Friday evening, after leaving work around 2-ish to head up to Fishers, Indiana to get to the expo and pick up race bibs.  I say bibs, because once again, Cathy was taking a spin at the 5K.  We did hit some traffic jams, of course, but we finally arrived and I was ready to get my race stuff and do a quick walk through of the expo (it’s tiny…honestly) before checking into the hotel just up the way.geist01

The expo was simple to explore. You can do the first part of it as you enter St. Vincent’s Fishers Hospital.  There are a few vendors, but nothing that I, someone from out of town, really needed to stop and check out.  So, Cathy and I maneuvered ourselves to the back of the room to the table set up for packet pickup.  I went to get my bib for the half, and Cathy went to get her special VIP bib for the 5K.  We don’t remember her signing up for VIP…but she had VIP.  So…who knows.  After that, we checked out the second half of the expo, simply walking past the booths, heading to the room near where we entered to pick up our race shirts.  The 5K was short sleeve.  The 10K was short sleeve.  The half marathon…long sleeve.  It’s an April race…if it’s not the really cool hoodie thing that I got last year…I want short sleeves.  But, the shirt was very nice…so I won’t complain.

That was it for the expo.  We were in and out in about 5 minutes and heading up the street to the hotel we stayed in last year.  Check-in took a bit longer than usual, because someone was checking in bunch of different people in different rooms (not sure for what, but it wasn’t for the race).  But eventually I got up to the front desk and got our room, up on the 2nd floor.  We hauled our luggage up to the room and now were waiting on our friend, Greg, to meet up with us so we could grab dinner at Woody’s Library Restaurant (my new favorite place to grab food when in Indy).  It was taking a bit longer than expected because…traffic…so Cathy and I split a Clara Cookie that I had picked up at the Glass City Marathon expo in Toledo.  It was the Peanut Butter one.  And it was delicious.  And it was perfect to keep the tummy rumbles at bay while we waited for Greg.

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Pre-race Dinner at Woody’s Library Restaurant in Carmel, IN: Spinach Mushroom Tacos with Sweet Potato Fries

He did finally make it and we headed down to see him, somehow missing him when we walked through the lobby.  We ended up doubling back and finding him.  Hugs all around before making the drive from Fishers to Carmel, Indiana to eat dinner.  We ended up finding a really good parking spot and were seated immediately at a corner table.

I had looked at menus online, so I was prepared and ready to go with my order.  Greg got the Triple Grilled Cheese and a beer.  Cathy got the Friday special of Fish & Chips (her favorite), and I got Spinach Mushroom Tacos.  I didn’t ask for extras or for hot sauce, because with the race the following morning, I was hoping to keep things mild.  With it, I got a side of the sweet potato fries (which are gluten free!).  We spent the time waiting on the food (it did actually take awhile, but they were PACKED that night) chatting and catching up on things that we had been up to.  And when food arrived, we dove in.  Tacos, however, are one of those foods that once you pick it up to eat…you’re committed and you just have to keep going on it.  So the tacos disappeared first…then I hit up the fries.  We all seemed pretty satisfied with our meals.  Afterwards, we went back to the hotel to hang out.  I did some foam rolling.  Greg left after a bit more talking and we got ready to get some rest with a 7 am start time staring us down.

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Cathy feeling good on race morning for the Geist 5K

I always set two alarms for race morning.  I got up with the first one to take a pill…use the bathroom, then crawled back into bed for another hour.  The second alarm went off, which is also Cathy’s alarm.  We’re actually really good about staying out of each other’s way…letting each one have a turn in the bathroom, and getting ready pretty quickly.  We have this race morning thing down.  So even early start times aren’t too stressful.

With the way the morning was heating up already, I went with the new Boston crop top that my friend Natalie got me as a gift for finishing Glass City in Toledo (even without the BQ). I love this crop.  It’s motivation in and of itself.  And…shorts.  My compression sleeves were pink to honor my mom’s continuing battle against breast cancer.  I made sure I had two Nuun tablets in my hydration pack’s bladder to help balance out electrolytes, because it was definitely going to be a sweaty race.

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Loving my new crop top that Natalie gave me…my outfit for the Geist Half Marathon

We left the hotel room early, but I forgot to grab something and had to go back in.  Cathy went down to the lobby without me, where she met a runner celebrating her birthday.  Her name was Katie, and not only was she a Disney runner, but she was Bib 34, celebrating her 34th birthday.  AMAZING!!  She was super nice and I actually ended up running into her again as she and her family were headed to the hotel pool as I was heading up for a shower and to pack up to head out for lunch and then get home.

Cathy loves parking at the school which used to host the expo for this race.  We never have trouble finding a spot.  And while it is a bit of a hike down to the start line, it is never hard to get to and from the parking area so we can get back to the hotel without any stress.  So…worth it.  We parked and made the walk toward the start area.  I got a text from my friend Jay, and I went and met him at the Fishers Running Club tent.  But, like I said…start time was 7 am….so while their club was getting their photo taken, I meandered down to check out the start line.  It was about this time that I realized that I had left my fuel (save for the Generation UCan I had for 20 minutes before the start) back in the hotel room.  I had enough UCan to get me through a half marathon…but with the heat, I wasn’t sure if I would need backup or not.  So, I was bummed.  Big time!  Whoops!

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Why am I so happy? No pressure pace race!

The 10K and Half Marathon start on the right of the line.  The 5K starts to the left.  So, after snapping a couple of photos, Cathy and I parted ways: she went to line up in the 5K corrals and I went to find a spot at the start for someone who wasn’t racing.  I was hoping for at least a 1:50 half…so I stood near that pacer.  The National Anthem was sung…and the lyrics were flubbed, but we were close now to the start.  I took in some water and readied myself for a training run with a medal at the end.

I made a point to stay just in front of the 1:50 pacer in the first mile.  There were a lot of people going all-out, full throttle from the start, and I really think this worked against them that morning.  The emcee announced that it was the hottest Geist Half Marathon to date!!  So, holding back I think helped me not have burnout, like I did last year when I just gunned it at the start and then ended up having walk breaks at water stops.  I don’t think walk stops are a bad thing, but when you’re gunning for a PR…it’s not exactly something you usually incorporate.

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Cathy and I pre-race…she’s about to head to the 5K side and I’m about to line up for the Geist Half Marathon

This year…I was supposed to keep the pace easy…and treat this as a training run.  Mostly because I was fresh off a marathon.  In the end, this tactic seemed to work for me.  I never really felt awful at all.  And I was able to run the entire time.  Was it my slowest Geist Half Marathon to date?  You better believe it!  Am I okay with that?  You better believe it.

I continue to come back to Geist, despite the heat and hills (dear, God, are there ever hills!), because of the atmosphere.  It’s stunning.  The race runs you through gorgeous neighborhoods, starting at the corner you turn soon after hitting Mile 1.  The people who live there come out with speakers and with treats and with sprinklers and with sidewalk chalk and cheer and encourage.  And it just makes you feel good.  You belong there.  The 10K and Half Marathon stick together for about the first 3 miles. Just before that Mile 3 marker, 10K runners are instructed to go left, while Half Marathoners are told to keep going straight.  This year, I was running near a young man who had his headphones in, wearing a 10K shirt and bib…and didn’t hear the instructions.  So, it seemed he was getting himself into more than he was ready for.  He was yelled at by volunteers at least 5 times.  THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NOT WEAR HEADPHONES IN A RACE.  Or, if you must, keep that volume at a reasonable level, okay?

This is the point where we cross the reservoir again (we do it the first time as we head out from the start).  I love this part because it’s gorgeous, but also because there is usually a nice breeze coming off the water.  Love it.

The halfway point came and went.  I would normally fuel at this point…but I was just relying on that superstartch to get me through the heat.  I still felt good, mostly because I wasn’t really pushing any sort of pace…wanting to just keep my momentum moving forward without stressing over a goal time.  There were plenty of water stops along the way, and some cooling stations as well.  If there was water being sprayed at any point, you better believe I was running through it.  I used the water stops to grab the cups of water and pour them over my head.  Every stop.  Without fail.  Trying to keep that core temperature down.  This worked.  Honestly.

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Me running to the finish of the Geist Half Marathon

From everything to remember on this course, I always remember that Mile 9 is a giant hill that we have to run up.  I passed a few people on this, who had shuffled to the side to walk up it.  I gave a couple of people a “nice job” as I jogged my way up.  Hills are a MAJOR struggle for me.  So why do I do this race?  It’s my PR race.  On a harder course.  So…one day, maybe it will all click again.  It wasn’t that day though.  Nope.  Not that day.  Not in that heat.  At the bottom of the hill, we make a turn to head back toward the bridge to go back over the reservoir and then back into the neighborhoods and then back to the finish line.  It was at this point, a man behind me said, “Are there any more hills?”  The volunteer stationed there said, “I don’t know…maybe little ones?”  I laughed.  Out loud.  The last 3 miles are basically retracing the start of the race.  People were still out cheering, offering orange slices, water, whatever runners might need.  More importantly were those who would shout out that you were getting close…that the finish line wasn’t far…that we looked strong.  Some people who were struggling, they would ask if they needed anything.  Honestly.  THE BEST.

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Me crossing the finish line at the Geist Half Marathon

As I was making the turn at Mile 12, I passed my friend Jay.  He told me I “looked strong” and I decided to give picking up the pace a shot.  The road to the finish line always seems long, but as you get close, you get the crowd and you get the announcer.  I passed a few people.  Got passed by some people.  But, ultimately, entered that chute and ran towards the finish line.  I saw Cathy on the sideline and she started screaming at me to cheer me in.  With hands held up…I finished the race.  Another Geist Half Marathon in the books.

Cathy made her way over to the finishers area, and had me stand under the spray of a cooling station there.  It was nice and felt really good.  Jay found me as we were leaving to head up to the VIP area for Cathy to grab free beer and some snacks.  He invited me to stop in at the Fishers Running Club tent for any sort of refreshment.  I took him up on that before we went to get official results and let Cathy have one more go at the VIP area.  I have videos on my cell phone of her first go-round in the VIP section. HA!

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Cooling off at the cooling station

I went to get my results printed and after the paper was handed to me, I glanced at it and went, “Holy crap.  Third in my age group!”  For the first time…without trying or even racing…I once again placed in my age group.  This was becoming a fun trend.  I went to the awards table next door and was handed a little cinch bag with the words “Age Group Winner” on it.  I always have use for bags…but this one would have to be on display.  We then went back to the VIP section…Cathy went in for beer and fruit and I hung out on the curb near the gated off area.  We chilled for a few minutes before deciding to head back to the hotel room so we could cycle through showers and head back to Carmel to grab lunch at…yep…Woody’s Library Restaurant again.

So, my official results of the Geist Half Marathon is that I finished in 1:49:06.  It was my slowest Geist Half Marathon yet…but I felt good throughout it, never really fading.  That’s a testament to Generation UCan if you ask me.  So, I was 104/942 finishers overall!  I was the 18/450 women to cross the finish line. And I was 3/87 people in the my age division! How ironic is it that I finally snagged an age group award on my slowest finish time for this race?  In 2014 (my PR year), I was 4th. In 2016, I was 6th.  In 2018, I was 5th.  Nailed it.  Somehow.  Without trying.

And yes…I can’t wait to have another spin around the reservoir next year!

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Unexpected Age Group Award at the Geist Half Marathon
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Mercy Health Glass City Marathon – Toledo, OH (April 28, 2019)

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Me after finishing the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon – Toledo, Ohio

Race: Mercy Health Glass City Marathon

Place: Toledo, OH

Date: April 28, 2019

Time: 3:38:46

After a really good shakeout run using Glass City’s Savage 5K as just that (and somehow placing in my age group), I spent the rest of Saturday in my hotel room.  Sitting on my bed.  Feet up.  Eating.  Blogging.  Watching television.  Not out walking around Toledo.  Not hanging out at the expo.  Off my feet.  Foam rolling.  Stretching.  All of it.

I was really taking this prep seriously!  I didn’t actually leave the room until about 4 pm…when Cathy and I headed into Toledo to hit up Organic Bliss Deli & Bakery for dinner.  We had looked at a few places in Toledo, but it is so hard to gauge  how safe some places are, and some reviews on places I had been looking at weren’t so good on my Find Me Gluten Free app.  We were going to do my new favorite thing before a major race – sushi…but Toledo’s only safe sushi place only had the a vegetable roll, cucumber roll, or avocado roll for vegan options.  BOOOO!  I am lucky to have Dragon King’s Daughter for my vegan sushi needs in Louisville/New Albany.  As we were driving up to Toledo, my fellow Celiac blogger and Instagram friend, Margaret, was on her way down to Columbus for the Gluten Free Allergy Free Fest and posted about Organic Bliss.  They closed at 5 pm, so we went early and got there to figure out what we wanted for dinner.  And, of course, we would get a box of goodies to go back to the hotel with us.

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My Gluten Free Caribbean Avocado Sandwich with a Chickpea Salad from Organic Bliss Deli & Bakery in Toledo, Ohio

The people there were very kind and gave us some time to look over the menu, and we finally came to our conclusions…Cathy went ahead and got the BLT with Chips.  And I went with the Gluten Free Caribbean Avocado Sandwich (avocado, romaine, spinach, tomato, cucumber, black beans, papaya poppyseed dressing).  I got that with a side of the Chickpea Salad.  And then we boxed up some treats: A Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcake, an Almond Scone, a Cranberry Orange Scone, a Cinnamon Roll, and the Peanut Butter Quinoa Bar.  We paid and went and took a seat in the corner while meals were prepared and brought out to us.

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All my baked goodies I took back to the hotel with me from Toledo, Ohio

Sandwiches before a race are a good back-up it seems.  And this sandwich was AMAZING.  I loved it.  And the Chickpea Salad was the perfect side.  Got some carbs, protein, healthy fats…perfection.  They were trying to get ready to close, so the floors were being swept and people were coming in for last minute purchases.  We finished up and headed out to go back to the hotel for the night. And you better believe Cathy and I split that Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcake for dessert back at the hotel.

I went ahead and posted on my Instagram feed the motivation, the drive, and the reason I was running the following day: my mom.  My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer back in January, just after the New Year.  It was a shock to my family and one that none of us were prepared for.  Right now, she is going through chemo, keeping her spirits high and her thoughts positive.  What a warrior.  This race, save for a couple of miles, was to honor her.  Mile 1, my roommate claimed.  Mile 26, my friend Natalie claimed,  And Mile 10 was in memory of my friend Tina’s daughter, Kinsley, who died in her sleep at the age of 10 a couple of days before I left for Toledo.  I would carry these honors with me respectively on the race course.

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My mom – she’s a warrior!

I did one last round of stretching and foam rolling while watching Guy’s Grocery Games on Food Network…and got an onslaught of uplifiting and motivational gifs from my coach.  I do love my coach.  He has been amazing, even when training went slightly off the rails when I busted up my knees.  The gifs made me laugh.  And he threw in a Game of Thrones reference, so that was winning.  But, soon it was time to turn in for the night.  I set two different alarms.  One for me to get up and take my medicine and use the bathroom…and then go back to bed.  And then one for Cathy…which would be when I would get up and get dressed.  No surprise…I couldn’t sleep well.  And I shut off my first alarm before it even went off.  Tried to climb back into bed and wait for the other alarm, but then my mind wouldn’t shut off.  So, I got up and did my PT stretches for my hips…and then went ahead and started to get ready.  By the time the second alarm went off, I was pretty much dressed and ready to head out the door.  So, while Cathy got ready, I started prepping my hydration vest bladder with 1 liter of water, grabbed my Maurten gels to use as additional fuel on the run, and put on my clothes I would shed prior to the race.

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Race day ready!!

Because up in Toledo…it was 41 degrees on race morning, but with the windchill, it was in the real feel was in the low 30s.  They had been predicting snow…but thankfully that didn’t happen.  I had, thankfully, packed some clothes that I could wear over my race gear (and a back up short sleeve shirt since a tank top was the original plan for this race), so I felt like I was good in the wardrobe department.  I was glad I had the clothing to give to Cathy before I got into the corral, because I was cold in that wind.

We left the hotel early.  Like 5:45-ish early.  And we made the 20 minute drive to the University of Toledo, where we found a lot to park in.  And then…then was the walk to the start.  It was slightly drizzly, but Cathy had purchased some trash bags at Kroger so, we both donned them and set out down the sidewalk to get to the start.  It was a pretty big walk, but it was a good way to warm up for sure.  If you know Cathy’s history with directions, you will understand that I kept checking with her to make sure that she was on track to getting us to the start line, especially when random runners who were walking near us would veer off and we’d continue on…into the land of empty sidewalks and roads.  But, we turned at an intersection and I could hear the tunes of the start line, and they just so happened to be playing my theme song for this year, Panic! at the Disco’s “High Hopes.”  It was a good sign.

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This was not the start line that I expected for a spring marathon. Wet, cold and windy!

We went to find a spot for Cathy to stand for the start of the race and just sort of made that base camp.  I stood behind her to break her from the wind.  We took a few photos.  I looked miserable.  I was miserable.  Spring marathons were not meant to be spent freezing.  At least, not in my opinion.  I drank my bottle of UCAN with 30 minutes to go and eventually, with about 10, shed my extra layers, save the trash bag, got a hug from Cathy, and headed to Corral B.

It was here in Corral B that I set out on my mission to find the 3;35 pacers.  The Web site had two of them listed, but as I hunted for the tiny yellow signs the marathon pacers held, I just couldn’t find any in my corral.  So, I went up to one of the half marathon pacers and asked him where the marathon pacers were.  He said that they should be in here…and asked which group I was looking for.  I said, “The 3:35.”  And he told me that there was no 3:35, only 3:30 and 3:40 and to find and line up with the 3:40 so that I start slow.  I was determined not to melt down or let this mentally get to me.  The National Anthem was about to be sung, and after that, I gave one last look around my corral for pacers….shed my trash bag, and decided I was going to have to pace myself this time.

That’s a scary thought  right?  But that was how it was going to be.  Corral took off and I saw the bobbing of the yellow pacer signs up there.  So…one more chance to check for them in my corral.  No luck.  None.  Deep breath. We were moved up toward the start line.  Waited two minutes.  And then…we were off.

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Just before Mile 4 in the Glass City Marathon

I reeled it in immediately.  Normally that race start is intense and the adrenaline is rushing and you just GO.  You bolt it out and find some space, but it uses up valuable energy, and I had been given a plan to follow, and while I couldn’t see the first 5 miles through with the pacer as the plan said, I wasn’t going to blow it up by going out too fast too soon.  I could hold it together and hold back.  Five miles.  I had this.  My coach wanted me to be around an 8:12-8:10 pace for these miles.  I did the best I could, and while a few of them were slightly fast, the last two were just slightly slower (not by much) than that pace.  Just before Mile 4, Cathy had found a spot on the side of the road to cheer. It was amazing.  Cowbell and all with a crowd.  I will say this, for being a smaller race, I never felt like I wasn’t supported out there.  Going into Mile 4 was a huge example of this.  Lots of people, even in the damp cold, just there to cheer on the runners.  It was great.

From Mile 6-15, I was supposed to maintain a slightly faster pace, not sprinting, not going too fast, but hitting those high 8’s.  And I managed this.  Holy crap, I was doing it.  And I felt good.  I didn’t feel like I needed anything, and technically with UCAN, I didn’t…but I didn’t want to run out of steam, and I have always been told to fuel early and often.  So, I took my first Maurten gel at Mile 6. Here we were guided through some neighborhoods, and people were down at the end of their driveways cheering.  Our bibs had names on them, so they would shout out your name and some encouragement as you went by.  Loved that.  While big races are all fine and good, this was the feel of a big race without all that big race stuff.

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Me heading into the finish line of the Glass City Marathon

It was actually just before Mile 10 that the half and the full marathons split.  This was clearly marked with big gates for the runners to go through.  The half marathon runners turned left, while we continued on.  This did bring the number of people around down some.  But, again, I never, ever felt like I was running alone.  At Mile 10, I fueled again (remember, early and often) and then I did give a point up to the sky and said Kinsley’s name.  She gave me some wings on that mile.

It is just before Mile 11 that the marathon course enters Wildwood Preserve Metropark.  We would actually run through this park twice on the course, but, trust me, it didn’t really feel repetitive.  The open streets we had been running on narrowed to a running/biking path, but it was paved and beautiful.  There were race volunteers out there, handing out water at the two water stops that were inside the park.  There was a band playing as well at some point.  On the first pass through the park, somewhere after Mile 12, we are sent to the right to run out onto the streets again.  I fueled again at Mile 14, and pressed on, still feeling strong and confident.  It was somewhere in Mile 16 that I caught up with the 3:40 pacers.

WHAT?!

Yep…the 3:40 pacer.  I shook this off, figuring that it was fine.  The problem was, I joined up with them as we were sent to run on the shoulder of a road, and in a pace group, that made for some tight, tight quarters.  This made my split at this mile much slower than I would have liked, but I was afraid of clipping runners ahead of me, or being clipped by runners near me.  This happened twice, if you recall, when I started with a pace group at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon back in November.  When I had an opening, I did pass and get ahead, able to stretch my legs back out and pick it back up.  I didn’t panic.  Not at all.  I just found my own pace again and was happy to not be in that pack anymore.  I had some breathing room and it took that anxiety away.  I fueled again at Mile 18 and just kept on going.

Just before Mile 20, we re-enter the park again, from a different entrance and make our way back through that path.  It was here that we have to navigate a small bit of an incline.  And it was here, that my legs slowed down and just wouldn’t pick it back up.  The final 10K…where I wanted to just maintain and keep going strong.  A tiny little bump in the elevation took the speed away from me.  I felt like I was picking it back up, but I wasn’t.  I truly wasn’t.  This time as we go to exit, if it’s your second loop, you turn left, and now you’re heading back out toward the university.  I still felt good, I just couldn’t find any sort of speed at this point.  We are still on this paved trail, and runners were scattered, but we were strong.  The 3:40 pacer passed me again.  And I didn’t fret or sweat it.  I did shed my gloves around Mile 22.  My hands were getting really hot finally.  And I was close.  I also took my last gel at this point.  Fuel for the final four miles.

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Me crossing the finish line of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon – Toledo, Ohio

There were some really perky and happy ladies running a friend in for his last few miles, who were fresh and really uplifting.  It was nice that they came by me because they definitely helpful in that stretch.  Around Mile 25, you can pretty much see the school.  You know that finish line is on the field of the football stadium, and you know…you really are almost there.  People are cheering.  Shouting your name.  Encouraging you.  Telling you how good you look.  How fast you look.  That you’re doing amazing.  I still felt good.  I still felt confident and strong.  I knew I wasn’t getting the BQ I had been training for, but I hadn’t glanced at clocks or my watch for time…just my pace.  I never peeked at it if it wasn’t buzzing at me for a mile lap.  I hit the turns to take the chute into the 26th mile…and then it was on to the stadium.  The crowd was amazing.  Loud.  Screaming.  I saw Cathy as my name was announced and I kicked as much as I could toward that finish line.  Crossing it…with my hands up.  I paused my Garmin and took a look at the time.

3:38.

I was just off of my BQ time by 3 minutes and off my goal time by 5 minutes.  I was so close.  I didn’t get my goal, but I was incredibly happy and proud.  I hadn’t hit the 3:30’s in a marathon since 2013, where I did it twice.  Both BQ times.  I was elated.  I cried.  Cathy came over after I got my Mylar and my medal and gave me a hug.  I told her I needed to put my feet up so we went over to the field and I laid down in the sunlight and propped my legs up on her.

Eventually, I decided that I did, in fact, need to move.  So, we headed out of the stadium to the runner finish area.  Here we collected my commemorative glass mug (you get it upon finishing), and went to the food tent.  I couldn’t eat anything, but poor Cathy was starving so she had my beer and pizza tickets, so I let her claim those.  I was feeling lightheaded, so I went to sit down and shiver in my Mylar.

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My Spicy Ginger Tofu & Ancient Grains bowl from Corelife Eatery

Cathy and just shown up when my Instagram friend, Scooby (who had a fantastic day as the 3:15 pacer) wandered by.  I called him over and we chatted for a minute, but he had just snagged some pizza and I didn’t want it to get cold…so we congratulated each other and I let him go.  Cathy had two beers to try.  The first one she hated, the other one she sipped on until I decided I was ready to go get warm with a hot shower at the hotel while she went to get me some coffee from Bigbee Coffee.  The walk to the car felt longer than it probably was, mostly because my body was tired and a little sore from the effort that day.  I eventually foam rolled, stretched, and went to get dinner at Corelife Eatery before seeing Avengers: Endgame that night (the theater was advertised as having reclining seats – it didn’t…and by the end, I knew I had made a big mistake).  It was a good day, and I am still basking in my accomplishment.  I think, next time, I’ll get it.

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Nothing is impossible.  Keep on dreaming!  Glass City Marathon Finisher!!

So, the official results of the Mercy Health Glass City Marathon are that I finished in 3:38:46, making it officially my third fastest marathon and the first one back in the 3:30s since 2013.  HOLLA!  Stoked.  I was 408/1278 finishers overall.  I was 108/527 female finishes.  And I was 30/96 in my age group!  How amazing is that.  I felt good and strong the entire time, never letting any self-doubt or negative talk enter my head.  I was focused on the race at hand and the people I was running it to honor.  Marathon #15…done.  Now to find the perfect fall marathon to make the next attempt on that Boston Qualifying dream.

Remember…training rarely is linear…race day can throw so many factors at you…trust the process and remain focused on your own race that day.  You never know what you are capable of until you try.