In the Home Stretch

This is it! The last week!
I can't believe how much running has become a real part of my life in these past 4 months.
I can't meet someone new without talking about it at least a little bit.

This weekend, my husband Bill and I met up with our friend Carrie and her boyfriend. Well, he is a runner so we ended up talking about running for awhile . He said I should do the London marathon, and I said I just might try to. He said they are addictive, which is pretty much what I have heard from everyone. Some people say that they would never do one again, but already I feel the experience has been so rewarding. Even if I had a horrible race (which I don't think I will, even finishing will be a great accomplishment) I think I would want to do it again.

Carrie just said she didn't know what would possess someone to WANT to run a marathon in the first place. I told her I felt the same way before, and then I ran a 10k and figured 'why not?' She said "and a 10k is how many miles?" Yes, well when you say 6.2 and then think, 'oh well, I can do 20 more, no big deal!' it DOES sound kind of silly. I have this theory that marathon runners are all a little bit the same kind of people. There is something in them that makes them say 'I can do anything I put my mind to'. I have more theories about marathon runners mindsets/personalities, but alas, that is for another posting.

All I know, is that we all must be just a little bit crazy :)

Inspirational Movies

So maybe this is something I took from high-school swimteam, but the night before a big race I like to sit down, eat pizza, and watch an inspirational movie. We did this in the form of "shave-down" parties in high school . (No, it is nothing nasty, it is about doing a final shave to make you feel faster in the water after going through a whole season of not shaving). Anyway, I am WAAAAY off track.

So we watched a ton of inspirational movies. Here are my favorites in no particular order:
Rocky (my all-time favorite)
Saint Ralph
Billy Elliot
Dead Poet's Society
Rudy

OK, but since high school I think a few more have come out, so I'm a little behind on my list.
Has anyone seen:
Prefontaine
Without Limits
The Long Run
Miracle

Are they any good?
Are there any more that I should be adding to my list?

Houseguest!

This weekend my husband Bill will be coming to visit me here. I am excited! But it also means that I definitely have to get my butt out of bed early to do my seven-miler tomorrow. I have tried to run here in the morning on several occasions and it just doesn't work. I am just doing a straight out and back run. It is not the most interesting but will guarantee that I don't get lost.


This taper thing is good stuff. My legs feel great and my knee seems to be fully restored to its full capability.
I feel like I have a fresh pair of legs! I was sort of worried that all of the walking I do on the weekends would screw everything up, but I feel really good. The taper thing is also good for my stomach. I do love to eat, and it seems like I am hungry enough to eat lots more than I usually do. It is like a free license to eat as much as I want. Just two nights ago I polished off an entire pizza by myself and then 15 minutes later 2 granola bars. Bill said that me running is expensive, not because of the gear, or the program costs, but because of my eating habits when I am working out. That made me laugh. I feel like a crazed woman every time I head into the kitchen. Yay taper!

Short Runs

So I was looking at my schedule for next week and my runs are insanely short. (Btw, everyone here laughs when I say that 6 miles is a short run.) My "long run" for this week is 7 miles! And then it drops drastically to 3-4 miles! Lately when I have been doing my 5-6 milers I feel like that is just enough to clear my head a little. It is like a nice casual jog and like I am not even training for a marathon.

After the marathon, I already have plans to train for the Hyde Park Blast. It is a 4.1 mile race, which makes me laugh right now, but I know that after the marathon, it will take almost nothing for me to slip back into low mileage. I know that by the Blast I will feel like 4 miles is a long run.

I am a little frustrated because I really haven't had a chance to train in the heat. I either run in the evening after work or in the early morning before it gets a chance to get hot. I want to be prepared for everything, but I know that is not possible. I just keep thinking about the Heart Mini Marathon and how hot it was...but you know what? I made it through that, and I'll make it through the marathon, no matter what the weather is like! And I guess that's the reason the marathon starts so early!

The Friday Before

So I guess since I have a lot of time here I have been obsessing about things. Like what I am going to do in the two days before the marathon. Of course I will be traipsing through the airport, schlepping around my bags (well, until I see my husband, who will take over that...he is such a gentleman :) And of course I will also be picking up my packet at the expo. But besides that, what?

I am a very fidgety person and I canNOT sit still. Especially if I am supposed to it still. I am also sure that if I am obsessing now, I will really be obsessing next week. So I am trying to think of things to do. Like rent movies. And I had some good ideas, like, Rocky (the first one) is always good, and maybe St. Ralph (which is a movie about a boy who runs the Boston Marathon). Probably not Chariots of Fire though. I know it is supposed to be one of the greatest movies of all time, but I just could not get into it and had to shut it off after about 20 minutes. I will also be eating pasta. And packing my running bag. I already started a list of all the things I need on my computer, so that when I think of something in the middle of the day, I just add it to the list.

Movies are NOT going to keep me still though. I will have to figure something else out.

Oh and a side note...everyone kept saying at the London Marathon "the pain is temporary, failure is forever". For a continual optimist like me I was kind of like "Oh!" It seemed a little morbid to me. I mean I had always heard "Pain is temporary, victory is forever." But the funny thing is, that every time I said that in my head, what I thinking was more along the lines of "if I don't finish this, I will be so mad at myself for failing." Maybe I am not an optimist. :)

My Tapeworm

Sorry. That is disgusting...and an exaggeration of course.
I AM eating like crazy though. I am hungry all the time. It started the day after I ran the 20 miler. I mean, that part makes sense...I depleted like, an entire day of calories. I guess my body is just trying to catch up now or something. That's all I can think of because I really have cut down my mileage drastically. I mean, my last run was only 5 miles but I am eating like I ran 20.

It's weird too. I have heard of people in marathon training who sit down to a 10 course meal, but mine is not like that. I can sit down to a regular meal and be full. But then 15 minutes later I am hungry again. And this goes on every 15 minutes or so until I go to bed. This makes it pretty difficult since I am travelling. At least I am staying in a flat instead of a hotel. That way I have all kinds of food stocked up.

I am trying to keep it healthy...granola bars, trail mix, dried fruit and cereal with only the occasional cookie. I know this is probably not a big deal to most people, but I am the fast food queen, so this is not normal for me. It is weird though, because healthier food is all that I want.

I am NOT trying to lose weight or anything, especially these last few weeks. (I read an article on tapering that said you should actually be eating a LOT of calories and a lot of carbs and fat with some sodium, and that you WILL gain weight in the last week but it is no big deal since it will come right off afterwards). However, I don't want to overeat. I have no idea when enough is enough. Argh.

Impossible is Nothing (Part 2)

Sunday: Marathon Day! (well, for London, not me). Because I was stupid and didn't pick up a course map or anything, I had to rely on a brewery map I got at the expo on Saturday. It had the course on it as well as local pubs along the route. It would have to do.

I took the tube to Tower Bridge which was the 11 mile point. I thought this was good because right across the way the runners would also loop around at 23 miles. The crowds were insane but I got there early enough to get a good spot...right by the BBC camera, in front of the bridge. (I figured he would have a prime spot, so that was good enough for me).

The poor runners! The elite women didn't start until 9, the wheelchair competitors at 920, elite men at 945 and from a second starting point everyone else at 945. And it was HOT !

The crowds went CRAZY. If the crowds at the Pig have a fraction of the enthusiasm that the London crowds had running the marathon will be a completely inspirational event. It was funny too, because you can tell that the runners really thrived on the crowd support. Some would even pump their arms while they were running (exhausting) to get the crowd riled up. A lot of runners actually wrote their names on their shirts or their skin so that you could cheer for them by name. I found this was really helpful because as a spectator I really wanted to cheer for every individual. I also found that when the crowds would smile at the runners the runners couldn't help but smile back. It was really fun.

After watching for awhile I caught the tube to get to the 25 mile mark. The crowds weren't actually as wild here (I guess since they had been out for like 3 hours or more, waiting). However, once again I witnessed the magical connection the crowd had with the runners. As anyone started walking there would be a collective "OH!" or "Oh no!" and then massive encouragement ("Just one more mile! Come on! You can do it!) almost pleading with the runners. They couldn't help but run again and the crowds went wild! It was also at this point that I saw Gordon Ramsay the celebrity chef, running (at quite a good time too).

I started walking to the finish. People were collapsing. The crowd tried to encourage them, attendants grabbed them by the shoulders and ran in with them. Each 200 meters was now marked off.

And then I got to the finish...Green Park with lots of fanfare. I stood up by the palace and looked down on the finishers. There were British flags lining the path and a huge band. It was all very inspirational.

I can't wait for the Pig! (Yes, I know it won't be as big, but I get to run this one!)

Oh yes, and I will post pictures later. I was an idiot and forgot my camera cord, so I have pictures but cannot upload them. :)

Impossible is Nothing (Part 1)

So this weekend, after an early Saturday run, I went to the London Marathon Expo. Then on Sunday I went over to watch the marathon. It was amazing!!!

The expo was a lot of fun and there were great deals on running gear (or as they call it here, your "kit"). As I got off of the train, there were all these ads with marathon tips sponsored by Nikeplus. The whole marathon was sponsored by adidas and the theme was "impossible is nothing"...when you walked in there was a wall that said "impossible is nothing" and you could sign your name, or a message. It was kind of neat to see how many people had signed it. (Check out the link there are some cool downloads there). The enormity of the whole expo made me realize how huge this event really was.

One thing that I thought was funny (maybe they do this at all marathon expos...I wouldn't know since this was my first one) was that they gave you a bag with all of the samples from sponsors at the END so that you didn't have to walk around with a bag collecting samples. There was even a can of beer included, which made me laugh!

They had like 15 different designs of T-shirts they were selling and I really couldn't help buying one, even though I felt kind of lame because I wasn't really running the marathon. But I figured I was kind of lame by going to the expo too, so I might as well.

Anyway, the whole thing was very exciting and is pumping me up to run the pig!

Technology Rocks!

I was really really hoping that mapmyrun worked in the UK, but doubting that it would. My plan to run tomorrow included running in as straight a line as long as I could for 60 minutes and turning around to go back and getting lost. But mapmyrun actually works ANYWHERE in the WORLD!!!

Yeah! I've mapped a 12 mile route and could actually view all of the little veers instead of turns, when the street names change, and what tube stations I will be passing. Now we'll see whether or not I get lost.

I am a Nerd

I think I just realized how obsessed with running I am now because I was on the London Marathon website and was reading about the expo where people are going to pick up their packets. I was thinking, I should go to that. I mean, it wouldn't hurt. Those expos have all kinds of booths about running and sometimes good deals on gear. And it really isn't that far away anyway. So I am going tomorrow morning just to check it out. That's when I realized what a nerd I have become when it comes to running. I think also that I just really miss my group. So I am trying to do anything I can to stay in touch with running (yes, this includes actually running).

Our coach has been sending us daily emails with tips in them. He keeps emphasizing that we MUST taper, even though the temptation is great to get some more speedwork or hillwork done. I don't know about everyone else, but I am ENJOYING the taper. My body is TIRED. I am going to need every ounce of energy I have to do another long run like we did last Saturday. But also, I think that this may be because I am familiar with the concept of tapering. I used to be a swimmer and we would taper for the last two weeks before our final meets. I guess I can understand how people would think this concept is strange. I mean, I remember being freaked out in the beginning of my training that I was going to lose everything I had worked for when I had to slow down because of injury. Anyway, I am taking it easy and loving it.

Tomorrow my long run will be 12 miles...nothing!
I am looking forward to it.
And I bought a pocket map last night, so now I know where I am going.

Londoners are the Nicest People

Why? Because I tend to get incredibly lost here.It actually took me 4x to figure out how to get from home to work and vice versa before I finally got it right.

So last night on my run I decided to head into Islington, which is a burrough right next to mine. I headed left on the main road and hit it in no time. I made a little circle around the block and headed back the way I came. I suddenly noticed a park and thought, 'oh that's nice...I don't remember seeing that on the way up'. Not a big deal, I mean it was on the other side of the street. Then, I hit residential area. Hmmm? I turned right and headed up to another main thoroughway. LOST.

I ran (well, I was walking at this point) into a man who says "you're not going to WALK the marathon, are you?" I talked to him for a bit and it turned out his co-worker was training for the marathon that is this weekend. He told me how to get back to Camden, and I figured I knew how to get back from there (I had been there the other day) .I started running again and got to Camden. Nothing looked familiar. I was totally lost. I decided to take the tube back to Kings Cross station...the station by my flat.

Good idea, but there was a fire in an apartment building on Camden Road and the street (and therefore tube station) was closed.

To make a long long story short, I asked a million people for directions and all were very very helpful and nice. I am just an idiot. I get confused here because the street names change like every 2 blocks and there are so many little arteries of streets, it's not set up in a grid. Like, right by my work there is Clerkenwell Green, intersected by Clerkenwell Court AND Clerkenwell Road. Confusing!

I did end up only running the 6 miles I intended, so that was good. I have to get myself a pocket map!

Periodization

So, I first heard of this concept last Tuesday night at the running clinic we had about being mentally prepared for the race. Basically, it is the concept of breaking down the race in your mind into attainable pieces. I think it makes sense to do this and I have been doing this subconsciously since I have started running (even in high school cross country to some degree). I have no idea how you would get through a race otherwise. It is a little motivational thing for me ("if I can get past this hill...").
This REALLY helped me out when we did the 20. I broke it into
1. the part around downtown
2. the part in Newport (which I felt was already ingrained in me from the Thanksgiving Day Run...which always helps).
3. Downtown to Sawyer Point
4. Sawyer Point to the overlook at Eden Park
5. Eden Park to the Running Spot
6. The Running Spot to Delta UDF
7. Delta UDF to the purple people bridge
8. Done!

So, as I said before...Eastern was LOOOOOOOONG. I am familiar with it from driving to work sometimes, but not in a running way. So mentally, to get through it, I also had to break up Eastern, once I got there and my legs were screaming at me. So I did Delta to Schmidt Fields, Schmidt Fields to the overpass, the overpass to Montgomery Inn, and Montgomery Inn to the Bridge. I don't know why this is such a huge mental block for me. As I understand it is at the end of the race too, so I will really have to get over that.

Also I have been getting those day-by-day emails from the marathon.Every day breaks down one of the miles. I can't handle that. If I broke it down that much I would never finish the race! Nice idea though.

The Hills are Alive

OK, so I was a little bummed that I was going to have to train in London. In my mind, London was very flat. I guess that is because when I was acting as a non-runner tourist I didn't pay attention to hills. Well, London DOES have hills. Especially where I am staying, in Islington. There are so many hills on the way to work that I feel like my walk there is a workout. That being said, my calves and knees has finally started to act up again (I knew there was no way I was in the clear after that 20 mile run). So tonight is a long walk, some icing and an Aleve. Tomorrow will be a run. Coach said at this point, the most important thing is to make sure I get the cardio in. I have worked so hard, I am not going to botch it by injuring myself. On the other hand I don't want my muscles to atrophy either...so I am exercising the principle of I know what's best for my body. Which I think I do now...I couldn't say that at the beginning of the marathon training, but I think I have learned a lot now! This weekend is the London Marathon, and I am going to the park to watch at least some of it. Exciting!

Hurrah for Me!

I did it! I ran the entire 20 miles!
I felt like I wanted to wear a sticker the whole day that said "be nice to me, I ran 20 miles today"...you know, sort of like the ones they give you when you give blood.
The thing that was bad is that it was raining the ENTIRE time. I don't usually mind, but when my running clothes were soaked it started to make me cold. But not until mile 11, so I guess that is good.
I pretty much felt great the whole time. The first 11 was cake! We saw the runners from the Fleet Feet group, who I also think were doing their twenty (although I have heard that they have already done a few 20s). I smiled at all of them and said good job to some of them because I heard through the grapevine that they think the Roncker group is too serious and not nice. :) It is kind of like the Sharks and Jets of running. I am just joking of course. :)
Anyway, I stopped at the restrooms at the 11 mile, forgetting that pulling soaking wet running tights back on is kind of hard to do. That is when I started to get freezing. It probably didn't help that my soaking wet shirt that was under my jacket kept rolling up as well. I put my gloves back on, which I hardly ever use.
By mile 14 I was DEAD. I just kept thinking "all I have left is Eastern, and I am done".
I HATE Eastern. It is the longest, flattest street ever. I just kept thinking I would be faster if I walked. My legs were KILLING me. I did it though. I finished. Now I KNOW that I can do the 26.2. Hurrah!

Stress Stress Stress

Grrrr. So nothing is ever easy right? Still waiting for my flight info to be confirmed. It is hard to mentally prepare for my 20 mile run with that still on my mind. But it DOES still look like I will be able to catch the late afternoon flight, which means I can definitely get my run in. Yay! I am treating myself to a pedicure afterwards. And I am NOT making apologies for my feet. I know they are gross. I am just happy that I have all of my toenails! AND it looks like I will be getting back in time for dinner the Friday before the Pig, which will definitely give me time to recoup. My legs are still a little sore, but I am icing them like crazy. I even brought my huge wrap-around icepack into work. I look silly and everyone keeps asking what is wrong with me. I am hoping to drive the course tomorrow so I don't mess up the whole Mariemont thing again. I figure if I can do this...I can do 26.2!

Last Night's Run

Last night was my last Tuesday with the group. It made me sad. I am so glad that there is another group starting right up after the marathon. Otherwise I would not know what to do. It is for the Hyde Park Blast which is a really fun 4.1 mile (i have no idea how they came up with the distance) race. My company, Landor is a huge sponsor and we design the shirts, so it is a lot of fun for me personally too.

ANYWAY, back to marathoning. I was not only sad because it was my last Tuesday run with the group, but also because of an email that Coach Joe sent out. He said that every year about 20% of the group do not make it to the marathon because of injury. He listed some of the injureds options and then left us with a quote from the Penguin:"The miracle was not that I finished. The miracle was that I had the courage to start." I just thought how sad I will be if I am one of those injured. It scared me into taking special care of myself.

Like, last night I went ahead and grabbed the 9-mile route before we left. (We had the option of 9 or 7.2). BUT after a few words about taking it easy and staying on the non-injured list, against my will, I did the 7.2.

I am looking forward to the 20 this weekend. We have the option of 18 or 20. I picked the 7.2 last night, so that I will be able to do the 20 Saturday. I am already psyching myself up!

Packing my Running Bag

Since I am leaving Saturday and not returning until the Friday before the marathon, I thought I'd better pack my running bag for the race.
This is what I'm bringing:
Running clothes and shoes (of course)
Ipod
Body Glide
On-board nutrition (probably my cran-razz shot bloks)
Knee band
Gatorade
Timing Chip (well, I have to pick this up later)
Sunscreen (I got so burnt in the mini-marathon)
Camera (for Bill to take pics)
Facial Wipes (I always feel soooooo gross after a race)
Advil (for after, not before)
A Strechy Headband
Bobby pins
Chapstick
Brush (for afterwards...when my head gets sweaty my hair gets gross and tangly)

I know I am forgetting other things...
Can anyone think of anything else?

Running Across the Pond

No, I do not have magical powers that allow me to run on top of water. However, my company will be sending me to work in their London office for a few weeks. I was really nervous about this because we have our longest run ever scheduled for Saturday and there was talk that I was going to leave early this week. I could not imagine getting off a plane and trying to figure out a 20 mile route in a city that I am fairly unfamiliar with. Not to mention that I would be jetlagged and unmotivated. It turns out I am leaving on Saturday, which will really help me out! I can run in the morning and THEN hop on the plane. This basically will force me to rest my legs anyway, which I am very bad at doing after long runs. (I am someone who has to be constantly moving, so although I tell myself I am going to rest on Saturdays I usually end up running around doing laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc.) While I am there I am going to follow my training schedule, which should not be so bad because we are tapering, and our mileage goes WAY down. Way down like, I think our last run before the marathon is 3-4 miles. Crazy. These are the running things I will miss though:

1. My husband(of course) who motivates me daily
2. The clinics - I am missing a tapering clinic, AND a "last minute" clinic
3. the team cookout - I am so mad I am missing this!!! I bet it will be a lot of fun!
4. Running with a group - it will take a lot for me to make sure I keep up with my training.

However, I will get to run in London! Fun!
And I am going to try and watch some of the London Marathon , which is April 22nd!

Go AA!

But not the AA you think. Well, maybe the first A, but not the second. This is the term that my friend Anne coined for me.

The first A actually is for alcoholic. No, I am not an alcoholic, but there is a story.

When I first joined my training group, our coaches gathered all of the first time marathoners together to give us some training tips...what to eat, what to wear, etc. Then they asked for questions. I said "I heard that you aren't allowed to drink alcohol when you are training for marathons, is that true?" Everyone thought that was funny.

And for all the non-first-time-marathoners (who missed my question), Coach Joe pointed me out and told them my question at the next practice. Everyone then knew who I was. My friends at work thought this was hilarious. Probably especially since we all go out to happy hour together after work sometimes.

They also thought it was hilarious when I was bemoaning the fact that I had to sign up in the Athena Division. It is a weight class. And despite the fact that I have been running a gajillion miles I am STILL in the high weight class.

So Anne said they were going to get me a shirt that said "AA" on it, for "Alcoholic Athena". And instead of standing on the sidelines with water for me, they would hand me a beer when I was running by.

I was thinking about this when I was running and it made me laugh. So once again, I probably looked silly while I was running, to any passers-by...but this time not because I was shadow boxing.

Oh yes...and if you want to know what Coach Joe said? He said you have to reward yourself for putting your body through that. So yes, drinking is fine. But probably not before a run.

Self-praise and Shadowboxing

OK, OK, I finked out. We had the option of doing 11 or 13 miles today, and even though I was feeling pretty good, I did the 11-miler. However, I FELT GREAT! And I kept thinking about how cool it was that 11 miles makes me feel great, not exhausted, not in immense pain. I was laughing with one of the girls from the group because we were reminiscing about how just a few weeks ago 9 miles was the longest we had run. 9 miles is nothing now!

So, Shadowboxing...

I first noticed that I shadowbox when I was running the Heart Mini-Marathon. It is every time that the Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It" comes on my shuffle. I know I go on and on about this song like it is my job, but it really really gets me going. So yes, I shadowbox to this song. And mouth the words. But only the refrain...the "PUMP IT" part. I might even grunt a little bit. Anyway, I'm sure it looks really funny. I have even tried to stop, but I can't help it. I am probably the only weirdo runner that does stuff like that. I think it's because I always wanted to be in musical theatre. I am overly dramatic.

AND...one more thing. I am sitting here and Bill (my husband) is watching me and asked if I felt like Doogie Howser. NO, I do NOT feel like Doogie Howser, Bill.

An EASY Saturday Run

Saturday we are scheduled for 12-13 miles. I jokingly say to my friends "oh we have an easy day on Saturday...13 miles." I say that, because I think it sounds funny. But then I was actually thinking about it and I was like, you know, 13 miles IS easy now. I usually spend all Friday stressing (oh, did I say stressing, I meant mentally preparing) for my Saturday run... you know, wondering if my body can make it to the end, figuring out how to pace, etc. I am so not stressed about tomorrow! I have been letting my knee rest all week, so I am ready to go. I am so very sick of NOT running. I think running has become an addiction for me, so when I don't run, I kind of go crazy. I also found my strap for my patellar (sp?) tracking problem. It was mixed in with the laundry. Of course.

Rained Out!

Well, more like lightning out. Yesterday was super warm, 74 degrees as I was getting out of my car to head into Game Day Sports Cafe for our group run. As soon as I got in it started POURING down rain and the temperature felt like it dropped 10-20 degrees immediately. People were looking outside skeptically. There was also that crazy lightning that you can see fork down to touch the ground. We were all just anxious to get out and get it over with. We waited for like 10 minutes and then Coach Joe announced that we weren't going. He said it was one thing to be out running and then lightning happens, but quite another to send us out in a lightning storm. That's great! Because I remember when I was on the rowing team at UC we would practice in the middle of lightning storms IN THE RIVER. I was completely nervous the whole time. And it seems like it would take a massive lightning storm for them to call off any swim meet I ever participated in. And no, I'm not getting old and scared and over-cautious, I was always nervous about that kind of stuff.

Anyway, I got into the car, called Bill, and told him we could hit the gym together. Back to the elliptical (which is sooooooooo boring). My knee still hurts, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise that I couldn't hit the road, even if it was only 4 miles. (I was going to run with the walking [well, running] wounded.

Running group meets again tonight as a make-up, but I have to take my dog to her first dog training class. She is very much the pack-leader of our family, so controlling her will probably be enough of a work-out for me!