"I Want To Go Fast"

This seems to be becoming my mantra for running. I think this is okay, because I am just starting out in the season, and it is a loooooooong season.

Last night we had an "enjoyable" five mile run. It was the last of our easy runs before we started speedwork and hills on Tuesdays. I ran next to Lauren, another mentor that I've been running with lately, because we go about the same pace. (Side note...Lauren drops time like I do. Actually, she about doubles my drops. She has run 2 marathons, and in her second she PRed by 40 minutes.)

We started in the middle of the SanFrancisco pack and took the first mile to find our place. This took about 10 minutes. After that, we started running with the fast girls. When I say fast, I mean fast. To get an idea of how fast we were going, I will tell you that in the 5.32 miles that we ran, with the first being a 10 minute mile, my average pace for the whole thing was an 8:35.

When Lauren and I looked behind us at mile three, none of our group was left. It was just us and the three fast girls. "I feel like we are going FAST," she said. And when I looked down at my Garmin it read 7:42, which was indeed, fast. I was honestly surprised that we were still holding on a conversation at that point (although it was getting more difficult). Lauren and I decided to step off. And then, when we got to mile four, she decided to stop her workout because she had a horrid side stitch.

I was now on my own, and dropped the pace significantly because my legs felt SO HEAVY.

At the end, the fast girls were cheering me on. I told them that they were wicked fast, and they admitted that they usually do not run that fast. The rest of the little group that was still with us before mile 3 was right behind me. They commented that all of us were way fast. I'm glad they felt that way, because now I know who to run with to get my real (faster) pace. The girl who works in the LLS office said that she was impressed that there were this many people who could hold this fast pace in one marathon group (there were 8 of us) and that this would be good for training. Good point.

When I went home and checked my Garmin, I found that my pace pretty much ranged from 7:01-10:00, but that I pretty much stayed in the 7:35-8:09 range for most of the run.

My legs were TIRED last night, and I had NO trouble falling asleep. :)

I'm a Pacer

This Saturday I was all excited to run my 8 miles. ESPECIALLY since I found out I was going to be in the 9:00 mile group.

So we got into our little sub-groups. Mine included both advanced runners and beginner runners because we were basically doing the same loop. (But the advanced people were doing it twice). Steve called for pacing mentors. He had one for ten minutes. He called for an 11:00 pacer. No one volunteers. He looks at all of the mentors. Silence.

Finally I was like "I'll do it."

I know I didn't sound very enthusiastic.

I didn't know if I was even going to be able to pace 11:00 miles. Luckily I had my Garmin. Well, I did end up pacing those four miles. We were right on track the whole time: 11:03, 11:08, 11:01 and 11:00.

What frustrated me though was that there were other mentors in my group that were running this pace because this was their pace. Why didn't THEY volunteer to pace? I know pacing makes people uncomfortable, but it makes me uncomfortable too. I'm no more qualified than they are. And then I was in a quandry over what to do because I felt like I didn't really work out as hard as I should. Should I run 4 more miles at my real pace? Or should I just chalk this up to an easy run for me and do my 8 miles tomorrow?

I decided to ask Coach Christine.

We ended up talking about my goals for the season. I told her almost everything about my running history and she asked what my goal pace was for the marathon since I was doing 9:00 miles for my long slow distance runs. I said "8:50." And she made a weird face. So then I confessed that I had no idea because I used to run a 12:00 mile and after this test we had on Tuesday I was in the 9:00 mile group.

She said I was underestimating myself and that if I was running 9:00 miles for my LSD that my goal pace would probably be an 8:30.

I was like "WHAT?! You're kidding, right?"

She said there are lots of factors to consider of course, but that shouldn't be too hard for me to do. I told her how I psyche myself out all the time. She said that we would work on that this season. The most important thing was to train with the advanced group on Tuesday nights (speed and hillwork night). I told her that I think that was what made me so fast this year. She said that I need to keep in touch with her all through the season and we'd work towards my goal, but that I should work towards an 8:30 pace.

I was floored. That seems insanely fast.

But, Christine knows what she is talking about, so who am I to doubt her?

She also told me that I need to run the other 4 miles today. Obviously it wasn't ideal to pace the 11:00 group and that she understood if I was frustrated, but adding on 4 miles to a 4 mile easy run this early in the season would be fine. I should finish the run at my pace and enjoy my night (not having to worry about getting up in the morning to run).

She said that it is important to be a mentor and to do mentor things (like pacing with a slower group when it is needed) but that it is important to her that the mentors get to reach their running goals too.

She made me feel a lot better :)

So I finished my 4 miles in the blistering heat with an 8:45 average pace.

Garmin Gripe

OK. I want to open this up by saying that I am NOT a technology idiot. Really.

But I had a MILLION issues last night trying to install my Garmin software and getting the thing to connect to Bill's computer.

I know, I know, I've had this Garmin since Christmas and have basically be using it the same way as my Nike watch, which is a total waste of a Garmin. It is because I am lazy and the software for the Garmin doesn't work on a Mac, which is my choice of computer. So I had to use Bill's computer to do all this, which seemed like a hassle. (Plus, I LOATHE PCs...I didn't used to, but since I have been working on Macs for 12 years it frustrates me how counter-intuitive PCs are.)

I enlisted Bill's help (he is my local computer expert) and he wasn't having any luck either, which made me feel like less of an idiot.

It didn't help when my Garmin screen froze up right in the middle of connecting to the software.

"Press enter or cancel"?

What buttons are those? It doesn't tell you in the manual. "Try turning off your Garmin." How do you do that? Once again, it doesn't tell you in the manual. (I did finally find the "enter" button, which is incidently the start/stop button. How did I know? It was printed in tiny, white letters on the behind the button.)

Frustrating.

We did finally get everything up and running. After two hours.

And I will admit...it WAS cool to see all the stats and hills and graphs and courses from my runs. (Bill was looking at them and was like "How in the WORLD do you keep your heartrate at 140 through an entire run?")

So now, I will be using my Garmin like a Garmin is supposed to be used. But it was a lot of hassle to get there. And I'm still mad about the not having software for a Mac thing.

New Shoes!

So, last week after talking to a couple mentors at practice I decided to order my shoes online instead of at a store. I was debating about switching up because I've worn the same kind of shoes for three years. I was all ready to hop on a treadmill and have someone else analyze my gait and everything, not because there was anything wrong, but because I figured that my running has changed a bit (I mean, come on, my first marathon was a 5:12 and my Marine Corps was a 4:22 and I'm running even faster now...).

But the general consensus was that if it isn't broke, don't fix it. AND I had heard from someone that the store I was going to go to (which I won't mention) is actually quite terrible at shoe fittings. I trust this person, so her advice weighed in heavily on the decision. I was also told that I could save a ton of money online.

So, I went to search for my beloved Adidas Supernova 7 Cushions. Oh yeah, in a 9.5.

Did I mention that this was nearly impossible? I did find a few pair, but most of them were on eBay, which I really thought about, but then was like NO, I cannot count on eBay when it comes to something as important as shoes. I also found a pair for $100. Uh, the retail price of these shoes is $85.

After some more research I found out they were discontinued. Oh. The new model is now called a Supernova Glide. (I found this confusing because they have always been called Supernova Cushion with a new number behind it AND there is a Supernova Sequence, which is like the opposite of what I need. I just assumed the Supernova Glide was another one I didn't need...like for over-pronators or something.)

Anyway!

A quick search for the Glide left me with lots of options. With some Better Business Bureau research and the help of Froogle, I was able to secure a pair for $73 with free shipping from Sayville Running. (Retail for these shoes is $100.)

I ordered them on Monday and already got them YESTERDAY!!! Pretty awesome. Sayville Running gets props from me for that. (Although it might just be because they are so close. Apparently they are in Long Island.)

Now, I haven't run in them yet, which we all know is most important. But I do have to give kudos to the new designers. They finally realized that I don't want atrocious running shoes. I will finally have a pair of shoes that LOOK like I'm a hard core runner and not an aerobics instructor (there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, I love aerobics, but I would not want to be running in aerobic shoes.)

Anyway I put together this "informational graphic" to illustrate my point. :)

Of course, all of this means nothing if the update doesn't work for me biomechanically.

So I'll be testing them out tonight.

Slow Down, Sister!

Last night we had a "time trial".

The object was to find out how we should pace ourselves for our long, slow distance runs. We divided into event again (so I was running with the SF marathoners). Beginners did one loop of the Reservoir, Intermediates did 2 loops and Advanced did 3 loops. We were told that each loop was about 1.5 miles. (Turns out it is actually 1.58 miles, but who's counting :). The coaches were going to run the first loop with us and then call out times for any subsequent loops. The object was not to run fast, but to run at our comfortable long distance pace. We should be able to talk to our neighbor easily and without much effort (this was, in fact, encouraged).

Since the Reservoir loop gets pretty crowded, we also broke into approximate pace groups. I went with Coach Pete who was running with the 9:00 milers.

The first loop felt great. I was talking to the coach almost the entire time. He asked me if it felt like a 9:00 mile because he had already run this morning and felt like his pacing was off. I said it did, but the fact is, I think I am adjusting to this new pace as well. At the 1 mile marker we were at 8:40. Whoops.

When he stopped at the first loop I realized that the rest of our group had dropped back significantly. I was running by myself, which made me crazy, because I was afraid my pacing would fall off.

But I shouldn't have worried. Soon, this other girl from our group caught up with me and we ran the next loop together. I was chatting with her about all of her marathons (this is her 9th) including her 2x running Boston. (Yes, Boston.) And what do you know? I found myself speeding up. Like, a lot. But I didn't realize it until we got to the end of the loop and I couldn't talk as easily. (Yay for the talk test.)

Pete called out a 27:06, which I thought was for 3 miles flat, and I was like, "NO WAY." Because if I took out the first mile at 8:40, and felt like I sped up on the next two miles I didn't think that was possible. (Turns out if you figure it out for 3.16 miles it is more like a 8:34 pace, which was much closer to my head calculations.)

I let Speedy Speedster go ahead of me for the next lap and ran by myself again in a much more comfortable "me" pace.

I have no idea what I netted out at because Pete wasn't there when I got back (turns out that only me and Boston Girl did the three loops). Everyone else was stretching on the dirt.

It would have been nice to know what pace I had for that last lap, but I am pretty sure that it was somewhere in the neighborhood of an 8:50 mile.

We'll see what this means for my long slow runs. I just have to remember that "talk test".

Faster Than I Thought

This weekend was our first Saturday group training run. On Saturdays we practice LSD, known to marathoners as "long, slow, distance". Ramon reminded us that we should feel good and be able to talk to our neighbor.

Since I am still in my 2-week recovery plan from the last marathon I decided to run with the 10-minute pace group instead of the 9-minute pace group. Unfortunately within this group there were only two other people who planned on doing the longest distance (which was 6 miles). No big deal, just not as fun, because I now like talking while I do my long distance runs.

It was crowded in the park.

Not only was it a Saturday morning, but it was also the Saturday morning on the Healthy Kidney run which is one of the largest NYRR races. It had 10,000 runners. So navigating was sort of an issue.

Ramon told us we had to be two across and no more, but this was exceedingly difficult because my group had a very long explanation of our workout, which meant we left after the 11-minute mile group, which meant we were actually running slower than 11-minute miles. Throw in a bunch of Healthy Kidney runners, who were actually walkers at this point in the race and it becomes a navigating nightmare.

Ramon was yelling at us because we were all breaking the two across rule. When Coach Sandy explained to him why this was happening he told us we should pass. So I did. I tried to stay with the group but it still felt painfully slow. So at the 102nd street turnoff I asked the group if anyone was doing the whole 6 miles. People kind of scoffed at this, like "no way!". I looked around for the other two people that I knew were doing the full loop but didn't see them, so I figured I was free to pace at what felt best to me.

Curiosity got me and I started paying attention to the Healthy Kidney mile markers because I didn't have my GPS with me. I felt like I was doing a steady 10:00 pace.

Unfortunately when I hit the first one, I kind of forgot what my last clock marker read. I guess I was in "the zone". I was either doing a 10:20 or a 9:20, I figured that it was the former and decided to really remember my number for the next mile.

My next mile was a 9:00.

And so was my next mile.

My last mile was a 9:10 but that is because I basically had to walk through the finishing area on the west side of the park because it was so crowded.

The thing is, I felt great the entire time and I felt like I was running easy.

So I guess that clinches it for me. I need to run with the 9:00 pace group. Because even if I am the last one in the group it is better to be in the back of the group than struggling to hold back.

I Love Carbs!

...apparently a lot more than I thought I did.

I have now been tracking my nutrition for almost a week and I just can't seem to get that ratio of 50% carbs 25% protein and 25% fat. My intake looks more like 60-65% carbs, 18-23% protein and 16-24% fat. What is crazy is that I have really been laying off of the candy, cupcakes and other assorted sweets that I usually consume daily. I don't even want to think about what my totals used to look like.

I haven't really noticed a change in energy or anything, but that could be because I am still consuming massive amounts of carbs :)

My group run tomorrow coincides with the Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park (which is a HUGE race) so that should be interesting. On the schedule it says it's a "Get to Know the Park" Run. I'm hoping that means trails and waterfalls like last year. That was fun. I'm not holding out any hope though because last week was a "Get to Know the Park" Run too, and we just ran the lower loop.

Sweeper!

Last night we had our first Tuesday group session, and I got to play sweeper.

What does this mean?

Basically I had to make sure everyone in the group was accounted for and didn't get lost. I'm actually really glad we have sweepers because I know last year I was one of the ones lagging behind in the advanced group and I was always worried that everyone would leave and my bag wouldn't be watched, or I would be running alone in the dark in Central Park. So I am happy to have sweeper duty if it means that everyone is looked after.

Last night was kind of tricky though, because we were grouped by event instead of level. This meant that I was sweeping for beginners, intermediates and advanced runners. We were also doing all different workouts (that all started on the same course, it's just that the beginners dropped out earliest, the intermediates did an extra loop and the advanced did an extra two loops).

I basically ran at the back of the pack, until one girl just couldn't run anymore. She was really discouraged and frustrated. I talked to her as we ran and just tried to reassure her that it takes a lot of time to learn how to run a marathon, and that we have a whole 6 months to train. So then I walked with her until her turn around, walked halfway back to the beginning with her (so that she knew where she was going) and the turned around and ran back to the Reservoir. There, I ran an entire loop because the coaches told me that all the advanced runners had already started their second loop.

When I got to the beginning though they said "Just kidding!" Apparently a few runners had been lapped and weren't accounted for, so we waited for them (the coach said she expected them in about 7 minutes, so I couldn't really start a new loop...they are 1.7 miles each).

Coach Sandy and I waited for the last girl and jogged in with her.

So, I didn't exactly get my 5 mile workout in (I would estimate that I got about 3 miles running and 1 mile walking) but that's ok.

I liked meeting some of the new runners and it was fun to remember training for my first marathon and everything that I went through.

Tonight (as long as I get out of work on time,) I am going to get in an easy 5 miles.

Right Back Into It

Ok, I know this sounds weird, but I think that jumping right back into running is making my knee better.

I did my first run since the marathon on Sunday. It was a 5 miler, and I knew that if my knee was hurting I had a day to recover before my next practice (which is tonight). I, of course, took it easy, and I didn't run on the road, but the bridal path in Central Park instead. I fully expected my knee to hurt afterwards and then to really hurt on Monday. But that didn't happen.

So, I went on with Ramon's schedule for the advanced group, and instead of taking a night off (like the beginners and intermediates did), I did my cross-training.

My knee is still fine.

Not even a tweak.

I'm wondering if it was just too much distance, too fast. I mean, I did have to ramp up my mileage quite a bit to run the marathon since my schedule was all over the place this winter and I didn't really train properly. So I am just going to take it easy with the speed, stick to the schedule, STRETCH and stay extra vigilant about my knee pain.

My mileage for this week is pretty even, so I'm hoping my body can get used to it fairly easily. If not, I'll take a rest night or knock back the mileage.

Tonight I have a 5-miler with the TNT group. I signed up to be a sweeper for the intermediate/advanced group so that it would force me to take it easy (the sweepers hang at the back of the group and make sure no one is left behind). Tomorrow and Thursday are both 5-milers. Friday is off and Saturday is 6-7 miles. So, a 25-26 mile week already. That seems like a lot to me.

We'll see how it goes.

Say Goodbye to Your Drinking Friends!

Today we got our May schedule for Team in Training and that is what it says for today. I actually think it is a bit of an exaggeration...well, for now. I mean, Saturday practices are at 9am. That isn't too bad. But we do ramp up again pretty quickly. I mean, by the end of the month I am already running 8 miles again.

Anyway, one of my goals this year is to get FAST.

So one of the steps I am taking to do this is eating like a runner should. To do this, I figured I should actually figure out what I am eating now, and what I should be eating. So I tracked my nutrition yesterday.

According to Runner's World, I should be consuming 1820 calories a day to maintain my weight of 140 lbs. 50% of my diet should be carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat.

The results from yesterdays totals were surprising to me...

Calories: 1797

Wow. Not enough calories...even with a chocolate egg I scarfed down because I got hungry while the oven was pre-heating for dinner.

Carbs: 62%

Really? Whoops! I had no idea I ate so many carbs. I mean I didn't even have anything that I would consider "full of carbs". I considered myself to have eaten pretty healthily yesterday (minus that chocolate egg).

Protein: 18%

Definitely need more protein, but I already knew that. Having peanut butter midday helped me out there.

Fat: 20%

The surprise there was that it wasn't more. I think if you would have done these totals 2 years ago that number would be much higher, but luckily Bill has steered me along the right path when it comes to consuming less fat.

I am really going to try to be vigilant about keeping track of all of this as well as paying attention to my energy levels. I think this whole nutrition this is a big miss for me and could make me go faster if I am smarter about it.

This probably includes saying goodbye to my drinking friends as well :)

When Pigs Fly

Instead of making a million little posts like I usually do for these marathons, I am just going to make one humongous post. Sorry :)

Here. I'll make it easier by making sub-categories.

The Expo
I know. I know. No one wants to know about the expo. But, I think it is worth mentioning, because last year, Bill and I were in and out of it in 15 minutes. I wasn't all that impressed.

This year it is like an honest-to-goodness real expo!

I swear, the expo was about 8x bigger than it was last year! I take this to mean that the Flying Pig is becoming more popular, which makes me happy!

And of course, I got some cute stuff. Being someone who works in branding, I can truly appreciate how consistently the FP is branded. I picked out a black hoodie with a pink pig on the front. My NYC friends went crazy too, buying all kinds of cute stuff (Gina's baseball cap has a pig's tail on the back), which we all wore to the airport :)

They also had messenger bags this year, which I didn't like at first, but now I actually love.

The Start
It was quite rainy this year, but I think this worked to my advantage.
1. I didn't have to worry about horrible sunburn.
2. It stayed nice and cool out.
3. People seemed to be waiting longer to get to the start.

This last one was awesome, because when Bill and I got to Paul Brown Stadium I was able to walk right into the bathrooms. In fact, I was able to use the indoor bathrooms twice before running, which is great. It allowed me to run the entire race without stopping, which is a first for me, and HUGE because I get so antsy about the time I am wasting at Port-o-lets.

Bill and I followed Coach Ramon's trick and lined up a minute ahead of where we should be. This put us with the 9:00 mile runners. In a way, this makes me feel guilty. Obviously people are corralled in certain areas for a reason. And I hate when people slow me down, so I don't want to be the person slowing them down either.

However, I also remember the two previous Pig starts where I lined up appropriately and ended up plowing over walkers (who were NOT 10 minute milers).

Luckily, I think we were in the right spot. Everyone around us was doing about a 10 minute pace.

Into Kentucky
I actually felt good at the beginning of the race. Much better than usual. My goal was to keep a little more than a 10:00 pace for the first 10 miles and to stay consistent.

(Side note: After the expo on Saturday, we met the NYC friends at Fountain Square for some Graeter's. Gina asked Bill "Uh, are you confident that she's going to be able to pace you?" I was like "HEY! What do you mean? I am an excellent pacer!" Gina laughed and was like "I don't think so!" I backpedalled. "I totally am, just not at marathons. Oh. Right." I guess someone knows me too well. Hee hee.)

I was actually quite good at keeping pace. I don't have my watch right now, but from memory: our first mile was about 10:20, our second 10:23, our third 10:03, our fourth 10:06.

I remembered how awful the hills were, and I think because Bill and I were chatting they actually didn't seem that bad. The bridge from Covington into Cincy was the best surprise of all, because the hill was over much sooner than I remembered it.

Oh yes. And a band was playing Van Halen's "Jump". One of my all time favorite running songs.

Downtown into Eden Park

(That's Bill in the blue, and me next to him on the right)

Downtown was exciting because I got to run by where I used to work and that made me happy. In fact, I have lots of happy memories of downtown (some of them from running) so those endorphins were completely helping me forget about what was to come.

I think we logged some kind of 9:00 pace here. Whoops. But we pulled back into our 10:00 pace for the next mile. I couldn't believe I was already on my first GU.

I tried a new strategy with my fuel...since there were a million water stops, I decided to take my GUs on the 5, 10, 15 and 20 exactly. That way I didn't have to mess with GU and drink at the same time, saving time. There was always a water stop close by, so I never had to worry. It actually worked perfectly!

I also saw my Cincy friends here cheering! Yay! More endorphins!

Then I saw my parents and sister! Even more endorphins!

As I was running onto the Gilbert ramp I was trying really hard not to think about Eden Park. Btw, did they change the course? I swear we used to be in that limbo between Downtown and Eden Park for much longer.

I warned Bill that our next mile was going to be slower, but that was ok.

Eden Park
I was looking for the half marathon elites, but couldn't clap this year because I felt I needed to save energy for the hills that we don't have in NYC. (Sorry, elites.) I was in total concentration mode.

More Cincy friends!

The hill before Mirror Lake? Cake! I just kept thinking "tiki tiki tiki" (short, even, efficient strides) and powered through it. Amazingly? We logged a 10:12!

Then on the hill I was dreading most (by Krohn Conservatory) I see pink at my elbow and here "Emily and Bill! I hate you!" It was Gina. She hated the hills. Bill reminded her that we had told her that they suck. She said that was true, and fair enough. I told her that once she was past the eagle statue the worst of the hills were over. We climbed that hill. It was nothing! I told Gina about my stellar pacing and she was happy.

At the circle we had to break up because she was going to speed away for her half marathon PR :) I told her I wasn't going to lie to her, there were more hills to come, but that the worst were over.

I was so glad we got to see her.

I couldn't believe we were already in Walnut Hills! Bill and I were pacing great and felt pretty good!

O'Bryonville into Hyde Park
I was a little nervous about the hills to come. I knew the worst was over, but in my head I was remembering all of the rest of the hills in the course.

I passed by Bob's which made me happy. Yay! The Cincinnati mecca of running!

Bill stopped for a bio break and we broke apart for awhile. I was hoping he could catch up soon without working too hard and getting too far off pace.

I saw my family again at Hyde Park Square. Hurrah!

I also saw the Scooby Snax girl which made me happy even though I didn't take any of her Jolly Ranchers. I kept feeling like I had to pee when I saw Port-o-lets, but then I was fine after passing them. Funny what the brain does to you...

Still on pace.

Mariemont
(Smiling and happy in Mariemont)

Ok. I only remembered one hill in Mariemont.

This was a lie.

There were lots of hills in Mariemont. So it was a good thing that Bill and I still felt good.

We passed the guys giving out beer. We saw my family again (twice). We saw Bill's grade school teacher. We saw a little girl holding a sign that said "Your feet hurt because you are kicking ass." Bill thought it said "butt" but it didn't. Which made us laugh.

The miles were flying by, and when we passed 16 I couldn't believe it. I told Bill "10 miles to go! That's nothing!" And for the first time that I've said that, I actually felt it.

After the water stop by the bike trail (I stopped, Bill didn't) I lost Bill for awhile. And I felt like I was going fast. And then I kept seeing the distance between us widen. I got panicky.

We HAD to SLOW DOWN.

I couldn't help it anymore and yelled "BILL!"

That mile was a 9:28.

I was like "We have GOT to slow down. We can speed up when we get to 20 if we feel like it."

We slowed down. 9:56. Perfect. We were right on track for these past few miles (minus that one), logging 9:50s.

Tumbleweeds a.k.a. Columbia Parkway to River Road
I hate this part of the marathon.

Really. Really. Really. Hate. It.

For one, no one is there cheering (except for a small stretch by Delta). Secondly, this is where everyone's body breaks down. Because of this, it is hard to stay focused....you can't help but feel awful when people are wheezing, walking, passing out (for real), crying all around you. Also, there is no scenery (you are running on a freaking highway).

I was getting panicky at mile 18, but I didn't know why. I wasn't really feeling badly yet physically, but it was just this awful forboding thing. They were handing out GU here, and I took a vanilla one and then had this huge mental debate in my head about what I should do with it. Should I waste energy and put it in my pocket? Should I eat it now? Where was the next water stop? My stomach was growling, was that for real or a mind game? If I held it in my hand would my arm get tired? Should I just eat it? No. I should wait until 20. But what if I needed it now?

ARGH.

I now see this as where I lost it in the race because my mental facilities were obviously compromised.

I also noticed Bill breathing really hard.

We saw my family again. Bill was like "Smile and wave and pretend this doesn't suck!" We did. My parents think this is funny now because they were thinking "Wow. They look so good! Not tired at all!"

(We are good liars)

Now my toes were hurting. My knee was hurting. My back/abs/quads/hamstrings hurt, but not as much as my knees and my toes. The miles were no longer flying by.

Bill was struggling, so I decided not to shut up. I kept trying to help him by telling him things like "Really, mile 20-22 is the worst. After that, it's not as big of a deal." (True.) And "Just one more loop around Central Park by cutting off at 102nd...AND cutting off at 72nd!" "You are doing awesome. I am so proud of you." I meant for this to be encouraging, but I could tell it was annoying. He told me very nicely to stop talking to him. That made me laugh a little inwardly because I was thinking "I guess the shoe is on the other foot. Now he knows why I get so mad when he doesn't shut up :)" I think this was also because I was a little delirious.

I wanted to stop so badly.

We logged an 11:03 and I didn't even tell Bill because I knew he would freak out.

I tried to speed up a little. I knew that if I just resigned myself to a comfortable speed that I would never finish. And I knew that we could do it. Our next mile was a 9:56. I felt so much better. I felt like I could finish this thing on pace!

Bill felt like hell. He panicked and asked me what to do because he hurt so bad. I told him to keep running because walking would make it worse and we were almost there (mile 23?). He did for a minute or so and then said it hurt way too much, he was walking. I walked with him. He asked me what to do. I told him we were going to walk to the next mile marker and start running again. We were going to take water at the next stop and take it slowly.

We did this.

But.

When we started up again my knee was AWFUL. It was the most pain I have ever been in, running. Bill was a little in front of me and I didn't want him to know. I couldn't help it. It was so painful. I started sobbing, LOUDLY. I think I freaked him out.

We decided I was not walking anymore.

Which is how Bill and I ended up not finishing together. :(

When he had to walk again he told me to go on. If it wasn't for my knee I wouldn't have listening to him. He said he'd catch up to me in 10 seconds. So, when I saw our NYC friends (who came back to cheer after their half marathons) at the end I told them to get Bill and gestured behind me. Gina walked with him a little, I found out later, which he found very helpful.

I knew I was on my own, and all I could see was hills. (Yes they were small, but this was the end.) There was really hardly anyone around me as I was finishing, which is crazy. I heard "And Emily Mason from New York City!" Cool. I tried to smile for the picture :)
I WAS happy. That was a really really tough race.

(At the Finish Swine)

I waited for Bill, who finished 2 minutes behind me and gave him a big hug.

My dad asked if I PR'ed and I was like "Nope. But I PCR'ed!"

I don't know if that is a real thing or not, but I am making it a real thing. That's right. I had a personal course record of 22 minutes! Whoo hoo!!!!

And HURRAH for Bill, Donna, Gina, Jen, Pam and Susie!

(Yes, I am in pain here, but I am also trying to smile for the picture...I also like the bag of potato chips at my head)