I think I officially have a problem. I'm still all gimpy from the marathon, and I'm already thinking about my next one. It all started when I looked at my splits. The splits are how long it takes you to get to different markers on the course, usually 5k, 10k, and so on. In a marathon, you want to have pretty consistent splits. Even better would be if you ran a negative split, meaning the second half is faster than the first half. Most people don't do that, by the way. So I was looking at mine and they were a little all over the place. I was slow then fast then too slow then way too fast. I'm already thinking about how I could make it better next time. UGH. I think I have a sickness.
One thing I would like to do next time is get myself to a physical therapist. I usually do pretty ok during training and then at the end, everything falls apart. I think that's because I'm not really doing ok during training. I'm just really good at ignoring things that are wrong. No more of this. If something is wrong, I need to get to someone who can fix it. Problem is my insurance sucks, and that's not really covered. I'll have to figure out a way around that one.
Next thing I would like to do is work more on my pacing during training. And while we're at it, I should probably take my speed workouts a little more seriously. I didn't really feel like I was pushing myself until we got to the last few weeks of training. By then it was too late. If I'm going to do this again, I need to try just a teensy bit harder. I think this season was a lot more mental for me than anything, which is great, but now that I got that out of the way, let's work on getting faster, shall we?
Now that I'm all done with my race, I want to thank everyone that supported me. To all who donated, you'll all be getting big, giant Thank You cards soon. I promise! And to everyone who offered me advice or pep talks, THANK YOU! Everyone's support and encouragement really means a lot to me, and I don't think I could have had faith in myself if others didn't have faith in me first.
So, what's next then? Next year I'll probably just stick to another half or two. Maybe I can work on getting speedier then. Since the distance isn't as challenging, maybe I can push it on the speed. Then after that I think it might have to be Big Sur in 2014 or 2015. It's a run I've always wanted to do, even though I'm terrified of the hills. The pictures are just so amazing, I think I have to do it.
And since I haven't written about a cat in a long time, here's your cat update. That little kitten I found is up for adoption on the Anjellicle Cats site. You can take a look at him here. It's nice to see him all cleaned up and looking like a normal kitten. If he's at a Petco event any time soon, I think I'd like to go and see him.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
CHICAGOOOOOO- Part 2
And now, race day. Other people in my room were getting up very early for the run, so I was up before my alarm. I chose this hostel because it was maybe a 5 minute walk from the start. Zero chance of getting lost of showing up late, although I did have a dream about getting there late. Did not want that to happen.
I suited up and headed out. It had been a little chilly and we were told it would be about 38 degrees at the start of the race. I think that was about right. Good thing I came prepared. I had a ton of really cheap clothes that I was going to dispose of throughout the race as I got hot, and a trashbag. Someone had recommended trashbags to keep the wind off you. I looked totally ridiculous (pictures exist, but luckily I don’t have them to share with you), but I was totally warm. Around 7:20 we heard the National Anthem and around 7:30 we slowly started moving as one giant mass of runners. Everyone was taking off their outer layers, myself included. And finally we were at the start. Oddly enough, it hadn’t really dawned on me that I was running a marathon, a full 26.2 miles, until I got to mile 2. Then I got a little emotional. I had to suck it up and keep moving. Crying makes it hard to breathe.
I started off well. The goal was to finish in under 5 hours. The coach had sent me a race plan that basically said, don’t go out too fast and don’t worry too much about your pace until mile 15. So that was the plan. I wasn’t going to fixate on my watch and I was going to have fun. Around mile 3, I felt like I was probably going a tiny bit too fast. Each of my last miles was getting faster and faster, but I still felt great. The cooler, dry air definitely made it easier to run, but I didn’t want to get too carried away. That’s when I found someone from the 4:55 pace group. Perfect! I said to myself. She didn’t know it, but I kept my eye on her. Sometimes I was in front and sometimes I was behind but I kept her in sights. I figured if I had my eye on her, I couldn’t be going out too fast. The plan was working perfectly until around mile 6 and she had to go to the bathroom. Now I was left on my own again. DARN.
Mile 8 came, and that’s when things started to get a little rough. My hips really started to tighten. I told myself it was way too soon for this to be happening, and tried to will it away. No such luck. By mile 10 I had slowed down quite a bit and right hip was really hurting. Mile 11 brought more weirdness when my arm started to tingle and go numb in really strange ways. I decided it was time to slow down and walk a bit and try to shake it out. After some walking and another gel packet, it was feeling better and I resumed my running. My only real goal for this race was to have fun and stay positive, so I focused on the crowds. Chicago has notoriously awesome crowds, so I paid close attention. Somewhere in here, were some pretty awesome cheer stations. There was a HUGE group of teenagers singing and dancing to “Call Me Maybe.” I think that was my favorite. And at some point we got to the gay part of town and there were cross-dressing cheerleaders. I liked them too.
Some of the best signs of the day were:
Around mile 18, I felt the wall creeping up on me. I remember saying to myself “NO! There is no wall! This will not happen!” I took some more gel, sucked the salt off a pretzel and kept going. Luckily at mile 21, I got a bit of a second wind. That’s a great place to get a second wind. At this point, I was going to miss my goal time by maybe a minute. I stayed positive and set a new goal. At around 23 I said, “Screw the new goal. I don’t want to miss my goal by a minute.” So I sucked it up and RAN. I felt like I was going REALLY fast, but I know that I wasn’t, but with people screaming my name, high-fiving me, I felt pretty awesome. (Actually I just looked it up on the race website and for the last few miles I averaged a 9:51 mile. That's fast for me!) I stopped walking and the hip seemed to be ok with that at this point. By now I was determined to do this thing in under 5 hours. I remember the last 2 miles or so we were on this big street and there were big gusts of wind coming at us. I think I yelled out loud at the wind. Who knows. It’s all a bit of a blur now. But I was not going to let any wind hold me back. We got to a sign that said 1 mile to go. I looked at my watch and it looked like I was going to make it. But still I pushed harder. Right near the end we turned a corner and there was a hill. Chicago is a very flat course, except for this hill. It would have been nice if someone mentioned it, but at that point, it didn’t matter so much. I just thought, Oh look. A hill, and then told that hill to suck it. When we turned the corner, I literally shouted out, There’s the finish line! The guy next to me looked at me like I was totally crazy and maybe I was. I pushed for the finish line. I crossed that finish line with my fists in the air and happy tears in my eyes. I have NEVER worked so hard for anything. I fought for that the entire time and it hurt more than the first one did, but I pushed through and I finished in 4:58:25. Take that, Chicago!
We got out warm aluminum sheets, some pretzels and even a beer! I’ve never worked so hard for a luke warm beer, but it was still pretty worth it.
After showering and putting on some real clothes, I met up with my friends at Gino’s East sports bar for some pizza and misbehaving. We had all earned it.
I have to thank the entire DetermiNation group who was with me in Chicago. I don’t think this would have been as fun or as memorable if I didn’t have you to celebrate with.
Monday was filled with lots of eating, a little hobbling around town, and more friends. All in all, it was a pretty good trip to Chicago. I would definitely do it all again.
I suited up and headed out. It had been a little chilly and we were told it would be about 38 degrees at the start of the race. I think that was about right. Good thing I came prepared. I had a ton of really cheap clothes that I was going to dispose of throughout the race as I got hot, and a trashbag. Someone had recommended trashbags to keep the wind off you. I looked totally ridiculous (pictures exist, but luckily I don’t have them to share with you), but I was totally warm. Around 7:20 we heard the National Anthem and around 7:30 we slowly started moving as one giant mass of runners. Everyone was taking off their outer layers, myself included. And finally we were at the start. Oddly enough, it hadn’t really dawned on me that I was running a marathon, a full 26.2 miles, until I got to mile 2. Then I got a little emotional. I had to suck it up and keep moving. Crying makes it hard to breathe.
I started off well. The goal was to finish in under 5 hours. The coach had sent me a race plan that basically said, don’t go out too fast and don’t worry too much about your pace until mile 15. So that was the plan. I wasn’t going to fixate on my watch and I was going to have fun. Around mile 3, I felt like I was probably going a tiny bit too fast. Each of my last miles was getting faster and faster, but I still felt great. The cooler, dry air definitely made it easier to run, but I didn’t want to get too carried away. That’s when I found someone from the 4:55 pace group. Perfect! I said to myself. She didn’t know it, but I kept my eye on her. Sometimes I was in front and sometimes I was behind but I kept her in sights. I figured if I had my eye on her, I couldn’t be going out too fast. The plan was working perfectly until around mile 6 and she had to go to the bathroom. Now I was left on my own again. DARN.
Mile 8 came, and that’s when things started to get a little rough. My hips really started to tighten. I told myself it was way too soon for this to be happening, and tried to will it away. No such luck. By mile 10 I had slowed down quite a bit and right hip was really hurting. Mile 11 brought more weirdness when my arm started to tingle and go numb in really strange ways. I decided it was time to slow down and walk a bit and try to shake it out. After some walking and another gel packet, it was feeling better and I resumed my running. My only real goal for this race was to have fun and stay positive, so I focused on the crowds. Chicago has notoriously awesome crowds, so I paid close attention. Somewhere in here, were some pretty awesome cheer stations. There was a HUGE group of teenagers singing and dancing to “Call Me Maybe.” I think that was my favorite. And at some point we got to the gay part of town and there were cross-dressing cheerleaders. I liked them too.
Some of the best signs of the day were:
- I don’t do marathons. I do a marathoner.
- Do Epic Shit! ( I thought this was pretty epic)
- May the pace be with you (This sign was held by someone dressed as Darth Vader)
- At the end of the race, you get a free puppy! (Still waiting BTW)
- The replacement refs are at the finish line. You just might win this!
Around mile 18, I felt the wall creeping up on me. I remember saying to myself “NO! There is no wall! This will not happen!” I took some more gel, sucked the salt off a pretzel and kept going. Luckily at mile 21, I got a bit of a second wind. That’s a great place to get a second wind. At this point, I was going to miss my goal time by maybe a minute. I stayed positive and set a new goal. At around 23 I said, “Screw the new goal. I don’t want to miss my goal by a minute.” So I sucked it up and RAN. I felt like I was going REALLY fast, but I know that I wasn’t, but with people screaming my name, high-fiving me, I felt pretty awesome. (Actually I just looked it up on the race website and for the last few miles I averaged a 9:51 mile. That's fast for me!) I stopped walking and the hip seemed to be ok with that at this point. By now I was determined to do this thing in under 5 hours. I remember the last 2 miles or so we were on this big street and there were big gusts of wind coming at us. I think I yelled out loud at the wind. Who knows. It’s all a bit of a blur now. But I was not going to let any wind hold me back. We got to a sign that said 1 mile to go. I looked at my watch and it looked like I was going to make it. But still I pushed harder. Right near the end we turned a corner and there was a hill. Chicago is a very flat course, except for this hill. It would have been nice if someone mentioned it, but at that point, it didn’t matter so much. I just thought, Oh look. A hill, and then told that hill to suck it. When we turned the corner, I literally shouted out, There’s the finish line! The guy next to me looked at me like I was totally crazy and maybe I was. I pushed for the finish line. I crossed that finish line with my fists in the air and happy tears in my eyes. I have NEVER worked so hard for anything. I fought for that the entire time and it hurt more than the first one did, but I pushed through and I finished in 4:58:25. Take that, Chicago!
We got out warm aluminum sheets, some pretzels and even a beer! I’ve never worked so hard for a luke warm beer, but it was still pretty worth it.
After showering and putting on some real clothes, I met up with my friends at Gino’s East sports bar for some pizza and misbehaving. We had all earned it.
I have to thank the entire DetermiNation group who was with me in Chicago. I don’t think this would have been as fun or as memorable if I didn’t have you to celebrate with.
Monday was filled with lots of eating, a little hobbling around town, and more friends. All in all, it was a pretty good trip to Chicago. I would definitely do it all again.
CHICAGOOOOO!- Part 1
Ok. Now that I’m back from Chicago, I’m going to give you the whole run down. I will chronicle not only the awesome things I did, but also the awesome things I ate, so this might need to be two posts :)
I got there SUPER early on Friday morning. For some reason I thought getting up for a 6am flight was a good idea, until it came time to get up. Luckily because I was so tired, I mostly slept and I was in Chicago in no time. After walking in a giant circle for 40 min, I dropped my stuff off at the hostel (yes, I was staying at a hostel, just like the good ol’ college and days). Then the first order of business was to get some FOOD. I had meticulously researched things that were in walking so I knew exactly where I wanted to go. There was a diner called Yolk near the shuttle bus that would take me to the marathon expo. Sounded perfect! I wasn’t expecting much because, hey, it’s just a diner, but this was seriously one of the best meals I had when I was in Chicago. Maybe it was because I was tired and cold and starving, but I think it was also just delicious. I ordered crepes filled with scrambled eggs, mushroom, avocado and cheese. Something about the savory of the eggs with the sweet of the crepe crust made for the tastiest combo ever. The best part? The sides. I could get a side of potatoes OR a side of fruit, plus toast, English muffins, or PANCAKES. I thought that pancakes plus crepes would be a little overkill, but I did it anyway. And seriously, those were some really good pancakes. Gotta say, some of the best I ever had. And the even better part, it all cost me only $10!!!
Next up was the marathon expo. You have to go to the expo to pick up your bib number, the timer tag for your shoe, and your shirt. Plus they sell a bunch of stuff if you need some last minute gear. I try to avoid spending money there or I might get carried away, so I grabbed my stuff, went around to claim the free samples, talked with a few people I knew and headed out. The best thing about the expo is it was the first time that I really started getting excited. It was making me nervous that I wasn’t super excited yet. But a marathon expo suddenly makes everything more real.
So with that done and some time to kill I headed off to the art institute. It was the one thing that I really wanted to see while I was there. I started getting tired and didn’t want to wear myself out the weekend of the big run, so I just had my Ferris Bueller moment and went to the impressionist wing. It made me happy.
By now, I was tired. Thank goodness the people at the hostel were super nice. It was still not time to check in but they let me hang out in their lounge. They have awesome wifi, so I streamed some shows on my phone and totally vegged out. It was awesome.
Around 5pm, I grabbed a quick Chicago dog (pretty tasty) and headed over to the DetermiNation event. Man, this dinner was swanky. It was a super fancy hotel and people were wearing cocktail attire. I always love these events. It’s a good way to reconnect with the mission and start to get pumped. I gotta say though, it was a little long winded and by 9pm I was fading fast. Thank goodness it didn’t last too much longer. I headed back to the room, and pretty much crashed.
Almost 10 hours later, I woke up. Some of the other DetermiNation members from New York had planned on meeting at the Bean for a quick 20 minute run at 10am. The bean is pretty cool, and I took some awesome pictures.
Then we headed out for a run by the lake. It was really nice. So blue. And very relaxing before our run.
Next up, LUNCH. I had to try some Chicago pizza so I headed to Lou Malnati’s. It was super tasty with tons of cheese and a buttery and crunchy crust. YUMMMMM. The rest of the day was devoted to resting, prepping for the race, and stretching. I had a nice relaxing day and went to bed early for the big race.
TO BE CONTINUED…
I got there SUPER early on Friday morning. For some reason I thought getting up for a 6am flight was a good idea, until it came time to get up. Luckily because I was so tired, I mostly slept and I was in Chicago in no time. After walking in a giant circle for 40 min, I dropped my stuff off at the hostel (yes, I was staying at a hostel, just like the good ol’ college and days). Then the first order of business was to get some FOOD. I had meticulously researched things that were in walking so I knew exactly where I wanted to go. There was a diner called Yolk near the shuttle bus that would take me to the marathon expo. Sounded perfect! I wasn’t expecting much because, hey, it’s just a diner, but this was seriously one of the best meals I had when I was in Chicago. Maybe it was because I was tired and cold and starving, but I think it was also just delicious. I ordered crepes filled with scrambled eggs, mushroom, avocado and cheese. Something about the savory of the eggs with the sweet of the crepe crust made for the tastiest combo ever. The best part? The sides. I could get a side of potatoes OR a side of fruit, plus toast, English muffins, or PANCAKES. I thought that pancakes plus crepes would be a little overkill, but I did it anyway. And seriously, those were some really good pancakes. Gotta say, some of the best I ever had. And the even better part, it all cost me only $10!!!
Next up was the marathon expo. You have to go to the expo to pick up your bib number, the timer tag for your shoe, and your shirt. Plus they sell a bunch of stuff if you need some last minute gear. I try to avoid spending money there or I might get carried away, so I grabbed my stuff, went around to claim the free samples, talked with a few people I knew and headed out. The best thing about the expo is it was the first time that I really started getting excited. It was making me nervous that I wasn’t super excited yet. But a marathon expo suddenly makes everything more real.
So with that done and some time to kill I headed off to the art institute. It was the one thing that I really wanted to see while I was there. I started getting tired and didn’t want to wear myself out the weekend of the big run, so I just had my Ferris Bueller moment and went to the impressionist wing. It made me happy.
By now, I was tired. Thank goodness the people at the hostel were super nice. It was still not time to check in but they let me hang out in their lounge. They have awesome wifi, so I streamed some shows on my phone and totally vegged out. It was awesome.
Around 5pm, I grabbed a quick Chicago dog (pretty tasty) and headed over to the DetermiNation event. Man, this dinner was swanky. It was a super fancy hotel and people were wearing cocktail attire. I always love these events. It’s a good way to reconnect with the mission and start to get pumped. I gotta say though, it was a little long winded and by 9pm I was fading fast. Thank goodness it didn’t last too much longer. I headed back to the room, and pretty much crashed.
Almost 10 hours later, I woke up. Some of the other DetermiNation members from New York had planned on meeting at the Bean for a quick 20 minute run at 10am. The bean is pretty cool, and I took some awesome pictures.
Then we headed out for a run by the lake. It was really nice. So blue. And very relaxing before our run.
Next up, LUNCH. I had to try some Chicago pizza so I headed to Lou Malnati’s. It was super tasty with tons of cheese and a buttery and crunchy crust. YUMMMMM. The rest of the day was devoted to resting, prepping for the race, and stretching. I had a nice relaxing day and went to bed early for the big race.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
I Heart DNation
I seriously love all my teammates. I went to practice on Tuesday night and got a couple really nice pep talks from teammates and coaches. Picture myself crossing the finish line with my arms in the air and a smile on my face and I will do it. Today I went to a committee meeting and was greeted by my own personal cheer squad and lots of loud cow bells. They even gave me a card, signed by everyone, wishing me luck. Seriously I don't know what I would do without my team. I love these guys. I had been reluctant to get excited or set any goals because I hadn't been feeling my best. But I'm actually starting to get excited. I can see myself having fun and crossing that finish line. It's time to do this!
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
One good thing about finding that kitten, it totally distracted me from the impending marathon! Only 5 days left?!? WHAT?!? I tried packing and I have no idea what to bring. There's a weather forecast, but how accurate is it? What if I bring the wrong stuff and I'm too cold or too hot? TOO MANY WHAT IF'S?!?!
Monday, October 1, 2012
Oops I did it again...again...
Well this weekend sure was something. I had my last run with the group before I leave for Chicago. EEK! I even felt sort of ok. One thing I have to remember is it takes a REALLY long time for me to warm. A good 4 miles or so. Not fun, especially when you go for a 5 mile fun. To make it all better I treated myself to another post run pastry. I know I didn’t run 10 miles, but I’m tapering and tapering requires carbs. I also decided to go all out and get a hot chocolate from Bouchon bakery. OH. MY. GOD. I wish I would have know how amazing it was. I would give up every post run pastry for more hot chocolate. I’ll keep that in mind.
Sunday I was planning on having a nice relaxing day at home. I was going to stretch and do my roller and all that good stuff. That didn’t really happen. Instead, on my way to yoga I found this guy crying his head off all by himself.
You can't tell from the picture but he had bright blue eyes. SO CUTE. It took me hours to catch him but eventually I got him, stuffed him in my sweatshirt, and carried him home. Josh was not amused, but he was a good sport about it. We didn’t know if the kitten was sick, or how Oliver would react, so we put him in the bathroom. He was pretty scared and spent most of his time hiding.
I finally made it to yoga and when I got back, I gave the kitten a once over. He was SO SKINNY and covered in fleas. So off I went to Petco! And it was just my luck. At this particular Petco they were having a cat adoption event and a rescue group was there. They told me how to properly wash him, and said I could bring him in, and they would take a look.
So I went back home to wash the kitty. Since he was so little, I couldn’t use flea bath, but they told me to use Dawn or Joy, like they do with oil spill birds. He did not like his bath, but he was a good sport and didn’t scratch or anything. We should have taken pictures because he looked so funny, and tiny. His favorite part was the toweling off, and he fell asleep. The rescue group said to blow dry him so he wouldn’t be cold. He wasn’t a fan of that either.
We packed him in the carrier and headed back to Petco. We let Oliver say hello to the kitten before he left. He was pretty ambivalent and gave a little hiss. That was the only time I’ve ever heard Oliver hiss. So the little kitten and I headed back to Petco. I cannot say how nice the ladies at Anjellicle Cats Rescue are. As soon as I brought him in, they looked him over and started giving him pills and shots to make him feel better. He was cold and shivering, so we wrapped him up in a towel like a burrito and carried him like a baby. He must have been a little in shock. He was terrified of people, and now he’s being passed around and held like a baby doll. They said he was so anemic from the fleas that he couldn’t keep himself warm. He probably wouldn’t have lasted more than another night or two. They offered to foster him until he was ready to be adopted to a good home. I gotta say when I left I bawled like a baby. I was so happy for the little kitten, but I was sad he was in such rough shape, and sad I didn’t get to see the whole thing through myself. But I think it all worked out for the best. I came home and had to get myself a glass of wine after all that.
I think that a special shoutout should also go to Josh. He did not want me to bring home another kitten, but he was a good sport and even helped out when I did. So maybe he won’t mind it so much if I go find this little kitten’s brothers and sisters :)
Sunday I was planning on having a nice relaxing day at home. I was going to stretch and do my roller and all that good stuff. That didn’t really happen. Instead, on my way to yoga I found this guy crying his head off all by himself.
You can't tell from the picture but he had bright blue eyes. SO CUTE. It took me hours to catch him but eventually I got him, stuffed him in my sweatshirt, and carried him home. Josh was not amused, but he was a good sport about it. We didn’t know if the kitten was sick, or how Oliver would react, so we put him in the bathroom. He was pretty scared and spent most of his time hiding.
I finally made it to yoga and when I got back, I gave the kitten a once over. He was SO SKINNY and covered in fleas. So off I went to Petco! And it was just my luck. At this particular Petco they were having a cat adoption event and a rescue group was there. They told me how to properly wash him, and said I could bring him in, and they would take a look.
So I went back home to wash the kitty. Since he was so little, I couldn’t use flea bath, but they told me to use Dawn or Joy, like they do with oil spill birds. He did not like his bath, but he was a good sport and didn’t scratch or anything. We should have taken pictures because he looked so funny, and tiny. His favorite part was the toweling off, and he fell asleep. The rescue group said to blow dry him so he wouldn’t be cold. He wasn’t a fan of that either.
We packed him in the carrier and headed back to Petco. We let Oliver say hello to the kitten before he left. He was pretty ambivalent and gave a little hiss. That was the only time I’ve ever heard Oliver hiss. So the little kitten and I headed back to Petco. I cannot say how nice the ladies at Anjellicle Cats Rescue are. As soon as I brought him in, they looked him over and started giving him pills and shots to make him feel better. He was cold and shivering, so we wrapped him up in a towel like a burrito and carried him like a baby. He must have been a little in shock. He was terrified of people, and now he’s being passed around and held like a baby doll. They said he was so anemic from the fleas that he couldn’t keep himself warm. He probably wouldn’t have lasted more than another night or two. They offered to foster him until he was ready to be adopted to a good home. I gotta say when I left I bawled like a baby. I was so happy for the little kitten, but I was sad he was in such rough shape, and sad I didn’t get to see the whole thing through myself. But I think it all worked out for the best. I came home and had to get myself a glass of wine after all that.
I think that a special shoutout should also go to Josh. He did not want me to bring home another kitten, but he was a good sport and even helped out when I did. So maybe he won’t mind it so much if I go find this little kitten’s brothers and sisters :)
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