Confused

OK. Now I'm all confused.

Why?

Well, because I have no idea how to run my marathon.

I say this because I ran my 20 miler this weekend. I was going to do 2-4 miles at a 10 minute pace, then gradually wind myself down to a 9 minute mile pace and do maybe the last 2 miles at sub 9s. This sounded reasonable to me because I had done my half marathon last week at an 8:40 pace which felt really very doable.

Of course it was raining. I say "of course" because I think it has rained during all of my 20 milers except one. So let's just say, I am very used to running 20s in the rain. :) I actually don't mind either, because it beats the heat any day.

I got up at 6:15, ran to Central Park, down to 86th Street, turned around and went up to the 102nd Street Transverse. It was here that I dropped off my bag, and lined up with the other NYRR for the "Tune-Up" 18-miler training run. It was funny because they set it up like a race (we all had numbers, got t-shirts, had shoe tags, there was Gatorade and water and pace clocks) but it was really just a big training run. The big perk was that it counted as a qualifier for my 9+1 requirement for NYC 2010. Yes, that's right! I ran 2 qualifiers this weekend which means I have my 9 in the bag. All I need now is my volunteer day, which I have already signed up for.

My first 2 miles averaged 9:45. Perfect!

When I started the run, I saw my friend from TNT Molly right ahead of me. I was so glad, because I figured we would be able to keep a good pace together. This was especially good for me because I tend to do backwards negative splits, and I really needed to hold back on that first half of my run.

It was great though, because running with Molly took my mind off of the run, since we were talking the whole time. I wasn't obsessing over the mile markers, or really my splits for that matter. I guess it was a good thing, because with all of the rain it was pretty impossible to decipher what my splits were anyway.

I felt REALLY good, the whole time.

In fact, when I lost Molly at about mile 11 (she told me to go ahead, she had hit a wall and needed to slow down) I did my next mile at 9:04 (we had been averaging about 9:40s the whole time). But then I took it right back down. I guess I was just all about running comfortably. And it was comfortable.

I mean, of course, my legs were screaming at me towards the end, but that's just what happens in a 20 mile run. I actually felt pretty great.

I ended up with a 3:12.30 for those 20 miles, which averages to a 9:37 pace.

Not helpful.

Here's why...

Originally, at the beginning of the season I was killing practices. Coach Christine said she thought I could do a 3:40 marathon. I talked to the other coaches and they said if Coach Christine said it, then it was totally doable, because she tends to be conservative with her estimates. THEN I started racing, and realized a more attainable goal for me was probably to break the 4 hour mark. To do this, I would have to run a 9:09 pace. I considered this totally and completely doable.

Now, I'm not so sure.

If history (of my 20 milers before a marathon) is any indication, this run means that I will do about a 4:11-4:13 marathon.

On one hand, it's nice to know that this is a realistic goal going into the marathon. But on the other hand I am kind of bummed. I mean, I went from thinking I could do a 3:40 to coming to the realization that it will probably be more like a 4:11?

That was my "hopeful" goal for last year!!! And I am so much faster now!

But I am always one who is like "Yeah, it was a PR, but I was REALLY hoping for..." I mean, the only race I can think of that I was super happy with was the Bronx half marathon this February.

ARGH! All of this thinking is making me crazy! I know the game plan should be to calm down and not worry about it, because that is what always makes me run "off" but seriously? That is like telling a super stressed person not to stress out...all that does is make them stress out more! :)

The GOOD thing out of all of this was that I maintained a very consistent pace through the whole thing.
(9:45, 9:45, 10:03, 9:58, 9:24, 9:25, 9:31, 9:41, 9:38, 9:34, 9:22, 9:38, 9:49, 9:04, 9:35, 9:24, 9:29, 9:46, 9:39, 9:07). At least I am learning SOMEthing!

(BTW, today is the last day for donations to my run and I'm still short! If anyone wants to donate, they can, at runemily.com!)

Fastest Mile Ever

OK. I mean, it's not like I've ever raced a mile before this weekend, so there was no way this couldn't have been my fastest mile ever, BUT I have done miles for time at practice, and I did beat those times. :)

Saturday was the 5th Avenue Mile, which was a straight mile down 5th Avenue (duh). They ran us in heats according to our age (I was in the Women's 30-39 group) with 15 minutes between each race.

Now, I am NOT a sprinter. And I had no desire to run a fast mile in a race except for to see how fast I could go. But I signed up for the race because for some reason, it counts as a NYC marathon qualifier, and I still needed 2 races for this. (If you are a NYRR member who runs 9 qualifying races and volunteers once, you automatically qualify for the next years NYC marathon.) I was desperately trying to get my 9+1 requirement in before marathon season was over, so this was an easy way to do it.

I didn't even know how to approach this thing. I mean, I didn't want to sprint it because it was still a mile...but then I didn't want to hold back too much either, because I would be mad at myself.

This was the first race I've had in a long time where I felt totally keyed up (and was aware of it). In fact, it reminded me a little of my cross-country meets in high school where our coach told us to sprint from the starting line.

I decided to go ahead and sprint it.

Yeah. I am NOT used to running FAST.

My legs sort of buckled underneath me a little bit because the feel of running that fast was so foreign to me. I was flying though. Tears were in my eyes, my nose was a little runny, and I felt like I looked like those astronauts when they do those tests and the skin sort of flies back from their face. I also pretty much felt like I had to puke the whole time.

When I ran past the 1/4 mile marker I saw 1:something on the clock. Whoa. Fast.

Apparently too fast. Now I was like a car slowly running out of gas.

The women I was running with started to get further away from me, and the women behind me started to catch up.

Ugh. I just wanted it to be over. I was counting the blocks as I ran by them (each block is .05 miles).

Dying. Dying. I saw the clock overhead. 6:48. Whoo-hoo! (When I checked the official results though, I saw I actually did a 6:54).

I was coughing and sputtering and breathing heavy all the way to the subway station. I felt AWFUL. It all came back to me...why I hated cross-country so much in high school (yeah, I have no idea why I kept joining the team every year when I hated it so much). I am so NOT a short distance runner.

That being said, I was pretty darn happy to see a "6" at the beginning of my time :)

What Happens When You Work Hard

I generally really hate those stupid photos they always take of you when you are running. I mean, WHO looks good when they are running? NOT ME!!! And I kind of purposefully don't ham it up when I see the photographers, like I know a lot of people do because usually I am too focused on my run and think it is silly to have photos taken of me at that time.

In the hundreds of "official" photos I've had taken of me during races, I've only ever liked one. (My one runner friend says if this ever happens to anyone, they should BUY that photo because good looking running photos are such a rare occurance.)

These are the things I hate about running photos:

• I usually look like I am about to get sick, or someone punched me in the gut
• I ALWAYS look like I am walking, not running (Bill said that this is because I do look like I'm walking when I'm running. Then I got all mad. But then I realized that this is probably because if you run 26.2 miles you have to do them efficiently. That doesn't really = big strides.)
• I usually look like I have some sort of double chin
• These photos usually make me reevaluate my hair style of the time
• I get to see how truly devoid of color my skin really is :)
• I think it's stupid that they always show the clock time in marathons because unless you are Kara Goucher or Paula Radcliffe, it is always always always about 5-10 minutes off.

But, I looked at the photos from this past weekend's half marathon and noticed some cool things (even though I still do not like the pictures).

1. I am getting some serious muscle tone in my arms! (Check out my forearm!)

2. I am getting KILLER muscles in my legs!

...even compared to my first marathon!

And guess what else?
3. Since I'm running faster, sometimes I even look like I'm RUNNING (not walking).

So yay for me!
(I have also learned that there is no way ever that bangs can look good while you are running.)

Oh, and just in case you were wondering, this:

is the photo I was happy with. (And no, I didn't buy it, although I keep thinking maybe I should.)

Where ARE We?

This weekend I ran the Queens Half Marathon. The Queens Half is a very unique event. First of all, it is very very hard to get to (since almost no one in NYC has cars). You have the option of spending a bazillion dollars on a cab, paying $15 to take the shuttle from the NYRR HQ, or trying your luck at public transportation. For the last option, you take the subway to about 2 miles from the start and wait for a free shuttle from NYRR. The problem with all of this is that 5,000 people run this event, so the free shuttles are very crowded. Oh yeah, and the roads close at 6 am so, you have to make sure you get on the shuttle before then. Both years I have run this, and a lot of the people who take that option end up showing up about a half hour after the start. That is just too much stress for me, so, for the second year in a row, Bill and I opted for the $15 bus tickets. The last bus leaves at 5am. Soooooooo...we both got up at 3:45am (bless Bill!) to grab a cab across the park and catch the bus.

When we got to the park in Queens, some girl said to her friend "Where ARE we? The end of the subway line was back there, and that was like 20 minutes ago!" Everyone in the bus laughed.

After that? You scramble to find a park bench to sleep on until the race starts at 7am. And it was COLD this year, so there was more shivering than sleeping!

Despite this, I kind of sort of like running this event. EVEN THOUGH it has 66 turns within 13.1 miles (those turns keep me from being bored) and the whole thing is hills. Up and down, up and down, there is no flat part that is more than about 20 feet. And that's only three times in the whole race.

Ramon said not to count on PRing, because you could not PR this event. I realize why now. I do not remember it being THAT hilly last year, but maybe that is because last year it was like, 90 degrees!

The start was crowded, and once again, I was in the corral behind my friends I usually run with. It was SO crowded that my first mile clocked a 9:16. I didn't freak though, because I knew Ramon said no PRs (even though I was secretly still hoping for one). My next mile was 8:25, so I knew I needed to slow down desperately. Luckily, I found Molly (a girl I usually run with). She runs pretty consistent 8:40s in the beginning of races, so I decided to covertly follow her :) And guess what? My next lap was 8:44! Perfect!

In fact, I was pretty consistent the whole race, ranging between 8:16 and 8:51. The miles were flying by, and I didn't really feel tired until mile 11. Which, Ramon says, is an indication that I ran the race smart. Yay! A smart race! I don't usually get those.

In that last mile? There were two of the largest hills on the course. There was actually a collective groan as all the runners around me made one of those last turns to see that huge hill. One guy was like "Now that is just RUDE!" which made me laugh. I had to really dig on that hill. It pretty much sucked.

I was all pumped when I looked at my watch, which said I averaged an 8:33 pace. Whoo-hoo! Too bad my ACTUAL pace was 8:42. Why the discrepancy? Well, Coach Christine said all the turns added mileage on, and that UNLESS you ran on the course line exactly you probably ran an actual 13.33 miles (everyone who had a Garmin had that the course was 13.33 miles).

So my official time was 1:54.04. A PR by 34 seconds. Don't get me wrong...I am happy with a PR, but I am bummed because I felt like I was running a lot faster than my PR in the Bronx Half. :)

Adventure Girl!

So, despite the fact that I am in the middle of my long mileage days, I decided NOT to run over vacation. I mean, I needed a vacation from training too, right? Running 6 marathons (and 6 half marathons) in three years is a bit draining, no matter how much fun it is.

But that doesn't mean that I sat on my butt all of my vacation (just most of it).

Bill and I got a bit of a workout by doing an all day excursion through Alltournative Off-Track Adventures. And it was pretty cool!

We met in the lobby of our hotel early in the morning to meet our guide and the other people who would be in our group that day (there were 7 of us...they keep the groups small, so you aren't waiting around all day for people to do stuff). We hopped in the van and headed out into the Mayan Rainforest.

Here, we hiked through some VERY rocky (and hilly) terrain. At one point, we had to walk along a skinny rock wall, and I was pretty sure I was going to fall into the pit. In fact, the whole tour I kept thinking "Watch your footing. You can't get injured this late in the season." I sort of felt like the whole day was a pretty good balancing act (good for those core muscles)!

When we got to our first destination, we geared up in harnesses for our first activity...ziplining!

Me, All Geared-Up

We then hiked up this cliff to get ready for launch. No one volunteered to go first, so I did! (I had done ziplining before on an entire ziplining tour, so I was not afraid). However, I looked out over the cliff and it looked MUCH higher. I also realized that when I did this last time there were wooden platforms, and brakes (we had to brake this time by putting a stick on the top line and pulling down to create tension), and I'm pretty sure they launched you backwards so you couldn't see anything. They were also very safety conscious...like "Make sure you hold onto the connecting line!" This guy told us to let our arms go, and not be a wimp. The big expanse and height over the water was a little scary. He was like "OK...Jump!" And I said "Like, now?" And before I had a chance to think, he said "What, you need a push?" And pushed me out! I let go and it was AWESOME. I did have issues braking, and about knocked over two guys as I came in, but that made it more fun :)

Next, we hiked through the jungle again to a cenote (which is basically an underground sinkhole). As we were walking our guide thanked me for going first (from this point on, he only referred to me as "Lara Croft"). He then said "And you're going first for the rappelling, right?" Uh-uh, no way. I could handle ziplining, because I had done it before. Rappelling? Forget it! I needed to see someone else do it first.

Before we went into the cenote, we were blessed by a Mayan Priest in an incense ceremony which was kind of cool.

Then, I had to listen really hard about what to do for the rappelling, because our guide was making me go first. At least this time, Bill and I could go at the same time. It was actually really, very fun! I had a lot more control over the whole thing than I thought I would (like, I could control how fast/slow I descended). At the end of the 65 feet, we dropped into inner tubes where we could explore the cenote. The water was freezing, but very refreshing (did I mention how much I was sweating at this point?). The coolest thing was all of the bats that were flying around.

At the end of our time in the cenote we could either get pulled back up the 65 feet, or climb up a rope ladder. I chose the latter, of course. But here's the thing. You didn't actually use the rungs of the ladder that much because your weight was distributed all wrong. Instead, you went up sideways. It took a whole heck of a lot of arm and ab strength, so I was glad that I was in shape. I was slipping off the ladder at times, bats were flying around my head, and my arms were shaking like crazy. I think I scared Bill to death. And 65 feet is a LONG way. (As I was telling Lauren this story, she pointed to a building and said "That's like 7 stories! That's like THAT building right there." It is weird to put it in that perspective.) But I did it! I was proud of myself.

But oh no, our adventure was only half over. After that, we headed to a lake where we canoed for awhile. Then it was time for our traditional Mayan lunch and back into the van to visit Coba (the tallest Mayan Pyramid).

We went on a little tour with a Mayan guide, who told us about the pyramids and ballcourts on the grounds. It was cool. But to get to the pyramids, he suggested taking a bike or a "Mayan Limo" which was basically a rickshaw. Bill and I opted for the bikes (I haven't ridden a bike in 12 years...and the last time resulted in permanent scarring.) It was AWESOME. I loved riding a bike. (Uh oh, triathlons next?)

The pyramid was so HUGE. And we were allowed to climb all the way to the top, which we did, but then I looked out along the rainforest and kind of sort of freaked out. (Let me mention, there are NO railings or anything...just a rope, if you want. I don't think you would ever be allowed to do this sort of thing in the states because of the liability.) So, I came back down on my butt. Just when it started to pour down rain.

Coming down from the pyramid

Back to the bikes, then back to the van, then back for two well-deserved shots of tequilla. Pretty fun for a day's workout. Plus it sounds impressive, because we did:
• hiking
• ziplining
• rappelling
• climbing
• canoeing
• biking
• more climbing

Awesome. Oh yes, and my arm/back/ab muscles were totally sore the next day from that climb.

Back in the Swing of Things

Last night was my first run since vacation. Luckily, Ramon had mercy on us and we all did the same workout – a five mile loop of the park. We were supposed to "race" it, but I decided to run it comfortably since I had taken the previous week off.

I honestly felt great for the first 2 miles. Then, I was just tired.

It was a struggle to finish.

Everyone I usually run with was passing me, but I didn't really care because I just felt tired. I estimated that I was doing about a 9:45 mile, but I was okay with that too, because I feel like the first run back after time off you just have to get out of the way. I just kept thinking "too many margaritas!"

I actually ended up finishing with an 8:29 overall pace. So that made me happy.

This weekend I have the Queens half marathon which should be interesting. I am definitely not expecting a PR. BUT the weather is supposed to be perfect, with the high of the day being only 74 degrees! Whoo-hoo!

Yay! Fartleks!

I usually dread speedwork. But as my friend Lauren says, I usually do well when we have speed workouts. I think it's all a mental thing for me. I don't like competing against myself, especially when I feel (like I have lately) that my workouts are less than ideal.

Last night we did Fartleks around the 6-mile loop of the park. My stomach was giving me problems, so I was not looking forward to the speedy parts of the workout. BUT, it was one of the first genuinely nice nights to run too, so I guess it all evens out.

Our warmup was an "easy" mile. (I use quotations for easy because it included Cat Hill.) For this, I averaged a 9:07 pace. As Lauren and I were approaching 90th street for the first interval I was getting a feeling of dread in my stomach. I told her it was kind of like how you feel when you are going up the hill on a roller coaster. Dread, dread, dread.

But I actually ended up feeling pretty fast. I guess I was, because my average pace for that .75 mile was 7:15/mi. But that one was flat. The next one was going to include Harlem Hill though. I was NOT going to keep that pace for sure.

For the next .5 miles I slowed it down to a 9:36. It actually felt like a nice comfortable pace.

On Harlem Hill I said goodbye to Lauren (she is a super speedster up the hills, and I am probably on of the slowest Advanced runners when it comes to hills). I was glad to catch her by our next slow place at West 90th Street though, because I like to chat on easy runs. For the Harlem Hill section, which was 1.25 miles I averaged an 8:15. Wow! Impressive! I felt like I was doing about a 10 minute mile.

We slowed the next portion (.7 miles) down to a 9:27 pace. But both of us felt like it was still pretty fast. We both stopped at the drinking fountain on the Bridal Path. It might have been nice and cool out, but I was still sweating like crazy.

The last portion (1.32 miles) was supposed to be our hardest. It was definitely the longest of the intervals and included the dreaded lower loop. According to Coach Steve, if we ran the rest of the workout correctly, we would have to dig deep for this last interval and would have a significant amount of lactic acid buildup. I started out hard and strong, but not what I would consider "fast". I felt that this was the only way that I could make it through that last part. I ended up averaging a 7:55 mi, which made me very happy!

I slowed my pace waaaaay down and finished the last .45 miles at a nice comfortable 9:43 pace.

All in all, it felt like a great workout. Now I feel like I can go on my vacation in peace :)