Good Friday

It was wonderful this morning to wake up in my real bed.  And within half an hour of waking up, my brother came home from school as well.  The family is all together again!

My mom and I went to the gym today for part of the afternoon.  I did 4 miles on the elliptical, but was pleased when I looked over to the treadmill section.  My mom has been using the treadmill for months now, but this time, she was running!  Not fast walking, not gripping the handles because it was too fast, but real running.  I was very impressed!  She does about 2.75 miles in 30 minutes, so I want to get her to do a 5k in a few months.  She should definitely be able to do it, so hopefully I can help to make this happen for her.

We then went to the Good Friday service afterward.  At least in recent memory, regardless of how the weather has been during the day, I always leave the Good Friday service and it is sunny outside.  Luke 23:44 "Around noon darkness came over the entire land and lasted until 3 in the afternoon."

apparently I can run fast

Since the marathon, I have come to realize that I can run fast.  That may seem like an obvious statement, but because I beat my goal time by so much, it really changed my view on my speeding ability.  More than anything, it has given me confidence that I am able to run fast.

This moves me to my next subject: my run today.  It was so nice to be at home, to run without the pressure of having to return back to campus for a meeting or work.  I decided to go at a quick pace, and ran 7.6 miles around home.  Nice weather, about 50 and sunny in the afternoon.

My pace ended up being 8:23 per mile...which although I realized I was going fast, it didn't feel that difficult.  It was slightly beyond my comfort level, so hopefully I can get comfortable at that pace quickly, as it will be my race pace in October.

This really is a learning process: my body keeps changing as my training progresses.  I wouldn't have been able to do this 6 months ago; even 3 months ago.

So that's why I titled this one "apparently I can run fast."  It wasn't always apparent.

Cherry Blossom 10 miler

Since the 10 miler did not start until 7:45, I got to "sleep in" until 5 yesterday morning.  I just felt more prepared this time than I was for the marathon, for a few reasons.  1) I had already run a marathon - 10 miles would just fly by.  2) I had the experience of going to a race, so I knew how to pack, what to eat/drink before, etc.  

I took the metro in, and again, it was filled only with runners - such a cool thing.  The capitol looked beautiful as the sun was rising (c. 6:45).  I checked my bag very quickly, and was able to even hit the john twice before (I had gotten there a lot earlier than I needed to).  I stood in my corral (Orange) for about 40 minutes (they put us in there too early - and at that point, I did really feel like a horse at the starting gate).  I stood next to a nice woman named Meg from NJ - a frequent half-marathoner.  She was very pleasant, and a nice person to talk to while we waited around.  I hope she had a good experience - we ended up not running together for long.  

The gun went off, but it would be a few minutes before I would even cross the starting line.  We finally got off, and man alive, was it crowded!  I was wrong, it wasn't 12,000 people running, it was just under 15,000.  My first mile was around 8:47, too slow for my liking.  Things started to thin out a little bit.  The cherry blossoms were gorgeous - it was like running through a forest of blossoms - so beautiful.  The weather was great too: no winds, and about 48 outside.  After about 5 miles, I realized I would be fine (I had been worried about my ability to run 10 miles 15 days after the marathon), so I kept trucking.  At mile 7, I got shoved by an incompetent male runner who did not apologize.  I was so mad, but rather than doing nothing, I figured I would use my anger to my advantage.  I picked up the pace, and then threw the hammer down for the last mile.  Lots of people out and about watching, so I pretended they were all rooting for me, personally (slightly self-centered, I know).  

And the results are in: 

1066/8288 women

139/948 for my age division (F 20-24)

10 mile time: 1:23:16

8:20 per mile pace

  

I was very happy with how I did.  The scary thing is, that is the pace I'm going to need to do to qualify for Boston 2010, at the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  So, I just need to keep that pace for 16 more miles...but I still have 6+ months to do it.

On a side note, I was able to share my marathon experiences today.  I gave a talk at the CUA Fitness Center entitled "26.2 miles?!  How to sanely and successfully train for a marathon."  It went really well, and the students had lots of good questions.  I was glad to share my thoughts and advice with others, because while it might not get you to the Olympics, I think it's good stuff.  On a related note, I now have a handout that serves as an effective guide - if anyone wants it - please let me know.

Thanks to SpeT on runner's world for the beautiful pictures that I have featured here!

cherry blossom expo

Had you walked by the National Building Museum today you would've thought you saw a crowd of people waiting in line for concert tickets or the opening of Star Wars in the 70s. But no. This around the block, doubled-up line was to pick-up racing bibs for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler tomorrow. I could not believe it - it was so crowded! At least it was sunny and beautiful outside, so the line wasn't that bad. I picked up a nice new pair of running shorts on sale for 10 bucks (originally 30), which was sweet. I also got a "Hooah" pin from the Army station, also cool.
I'll be going to bed in the not-so-distant future, since the race is at 7:40AM downtown.
12,000 people, 10 miles - it's going to be great! More about it tomorrow.

onto the next...

Yes, I have signed up for my second marathon - the Marine Corps Marathon on October 25, 2009. It's called the "People's Marathon" because while it is one of the largest marathons, it offers no prize money. So, everyone does it just to do it.

I am really excited that I'll be a part of this huge event. I'm hoping to qualify for Boston 2010 at this race, so I listed my expected finish time to be 3:40. I need to slash 12 minutes from my 1st marathon, which I've been told by many that that is completely doable. It's going to be great training for it, and even better doing racing in it. I won't begin formal training for a few months, which works out well since schoolwork is picking up rapdily. That's all for now.

And I completely missed out on doing a good April Fool's joke too. There's always next year!

easing back into running

Friday was my first day back running, and I would've been an absolute fool not to.  It was 60, our Latin class only ran 2 hours instead of 3, it was Friday, and it was just too nice to study.  So, I ran for 3 miles around Brookland, and then walked one mile.  I was going slower than normal, but my legs weren't screaming in pain, which I was happy about.  It was fairly relaxing, because it didn't matter how far I went, just that I did it.

Then on Saturday, I ran to Seth's house in Takoma Park.  I wrote out the directions on my arm (very classy), and the 5 mile run took about 50 minutes.  I enjoyed running through a more residential area, and there were a couple of hills to tackle (I feel as if I'm going to include Maryland a lot more when I begin formal training again.  Once, I got to Seth's house, we just hung out for a while, and then went out to lunch at Trinity.  And of course, a proper Trinity Deli lunch should not be complete without a black and white cookie (so good).

It is nice to just be able to run without a real structure, especially since schoolwork will be picking up very soon.  For the next few months (probably until June), I'll just run when I can, as far as I can.  I don't think I'll be doing 15 mile runs for a while, that's for sure.  I just need to do maintenance work.  I am running in the DC Cherry Blossom 10 miler a week from today.  Originally, I was very hesitant about my ability to run a race so soon after the marathon.  However, since I was able to comfortably do 5 miles yesterday, I think I'll be in okay shape.  I'm not planning on a very fast race, but I do want the experience of doing it.  There are 12,000 runners scheduled to participate, so it will be my largest race so far.  I'm very excited to see the Cherry Blossoms; they've just started to bloom.

Just about ready to head out for another short run.

rehabilitating my body

While it might seem like a week's worth of bedrest is the suitable response post-marathon, that's not actually how it's supposed to be done.  I took off 48 hours, as told, with the exception of some light stretching.  But, you are supposed to do some light work, in order to rehabilitate your muscles and to prevent stiffening up.  So, for the past few days, I've been doing some light walking on the treadmill.  On Monday night, even walking a mile at a 20:00 pace felt hard.  But, I've been getting better.  I no longer waddle like a pregnant woman, nor do I groan turning over in bed.

I'm going to try to run a little (like a mile or 2) tomorrow - it's supposed to be in the 60s.  I very much miss running, and am anxious to get back.  But, however much I do decide to do, it won't be a lot, and I'll go at a slow pace.

Yesterday, I bumped into a friend of mine from Latin last semester, Annie, in the library.  She said I looked tan (I must've gotten some color on Saturday), and I told her that I had just run a marathon.  Apparently, she's run a few marathons as well (including NYC and Boston, which means she's very good at it).  She got so excited, and was just like "Isn't it the greatest feeling?  I just wanted to grab all of the spectators and say 'Come on, you gotta try this!'"  

That was how I felt on Saturday, and it was so nice to hear someone vocalize what I had been thinking, and knew how I felt.  

On a side note, Brightroom photography posted their professional photos of the race.  While they took a few of me around mile 22 that are just awful (that's when I felt my worst), they snapped this one at mile 17 that I do happen to like, just because I really did feel as happy/triumphant as I look in it (it's very a la Rocky).

 And sadly, I must return to my latin, because it is back to normal as far as school is concerned.

Pictures from the Race

These are the pictures from my parents' camera...more to come soon from Wes's camera. You'll want to click on each image if you want a better close-up.

This one is a nice shoutout to my blog: my parents made it.

And that is the starting line at 7AM.

This is me waving to my parents after crossing the starting line (I have the blue shirt).

Running toward the Capitol.

And here I am at mile 15.

Here I am sprinting toward the finish line with someone named Eric Gros-Dubois

Me with my parents

And me with my dearest friends from grad school (Seth, Mary, and Wes)

The Great Adventure

Here is the full story of my experience at the National SunTrust Marathon, which turned out to be one of the best days ever:

So, on Friday night, I managed to fall asleep by 10:15, which was good because I needed to get up at 4 on Saturday. I got up, did some yoga, drank tea and some other fluids (I actually don't eat solid food before I run because it just sits in my stomach). I took the metro in to RFK stadium, where the race started and ended. The metro ride was somewhat bizarre, because the only people on the train at 6AM were runners - it was like we were in another world.
I arrived at the site, and it was still pitch-black outside, with the exception of the spotlights set up. I checked my bag, took off my warm ups, and headed to the starting line. Although months ago, I registered at the 9:16-10:00 per mile pace, I positioned myself in the 8:30-9:15 per mile corral, in the hopes that I would run with other people trying to run the marathon in 4 hours.
It was about 30 out when the gun went off at 7AM, but I warmed up within a few miles. I was able to see my parents at the starting line, which was great. The first few miles went by quickly, although when I ran my first mile in 9:30 (21 seconds off my pace), I picked things up, nervous that I wouldn't meet my goal. My ideal goal was to break 4 hours (and I had secondary goals of 4:10 and 4:15). For the first 6-7 miles, I ran alongside of a nice guy named Rich, who was also trying to break 4 hours. However, at mile 7, my right sock rolled under my ankle, and I had to pull over to fix it. I was so concerned about the time I lost fixing my sock, that I picked up the pace again. The majority of the hills were between miles 3 and 9, and it felt great to knock them out. The crowds were great; everyone was cheering, playing music (including the Rocky theme), and just being very supportive. I saw my parents at mile 11, and I was so happy to see them. Around that point, I think I misread my pace band, and thought I was 4 minutes off of my pace. However, when I got to the halfway point (13.1) in under 2 hours, I then realized, not only had I made a mistake in reading my pace band, but that I could truly break 4 hours with some room to spare. Also, I know I was halfway done, which was good. Then I was also able to see my mom and dad again at mile 15, which was great. The next few miles flew by, especially mile 17, which went downhill (weee). At mile 18, I realized I only had 8 miles to go, which did not seem that bad. I knew that my friends from grad school (Wes, Seth, and Mary - the 3 I talk about the most) were going to be standing at mile 20. I told them to come around 10AM, but thankfully they got there early, since I was running at a pace faster than I imagined. I saw them first, and yelled out, and they were so surprised to see me, it was hilarious. I was so happy to see them. Then at mile 21, things started to seem a bit ugly. 5 miles left, but I just started to feel icky. It's not even that my legs were hurting, it was that I had been drinking powerade and eating GU (it's an energy gel that gives quick calories and a carb/sugar boost), and just had a sickening sweet taste in my mouth. Mile 22 was an "out and back" mile, which meant I ran half a mile, then turned and ran back on the other side of the road. It felt like I was going nowhere. Then I had 4, then 3. At 3 (23), I told myself there was only a 5k left, and that I would be done with it soon. Then 2 miles left, but 2 hills to climb. Those 2 hills wouldn't have been so bad had they been earlier, but they seemed terrible then. Then the mile sign said 25, so just 1.2 to go. That felt long. Finally, I passed the sign that said 26, so all I had was a 200 yard dash. I dug in, found the last bit of energy I had stored, and sprinted to the finish. They announced my name as I went through the finish line, which was pretty cool, and I saw my friends and parents as I was finishing. The time that showed up as I crossed the finish line was 3:55:47, but I knew it was actually less than that, since it took me a few minutes to even cross the starting line. I then got my medal, and was immediately surrounded by Mom, Dad, Mary, Seth, and Wes. It was amazing, lots of hugging, etc.. I was insanely happy (I'm sure the adrenaline played a role in that). Once I slowed down, I started to feel sore, so I walked around, stretched, and even got a free massage on location, which was great. Later in the day (following a good shower and nap), I went out for a steak dinner with my parents and friends - so good. It was just great for my parents to meet my new friends, and everyone just had a great time.

When I got back from my celebration dinner, they finally posted the official results of the race.
743 overall (out of 2094)
29/120 in my age division (F 18-24)
10k split 55:00
1st 10k pace 8:51
Half marathon: 1:52:16
Half marathon pace: 8:34
20 miles: 2:54:25
Pace: 8:44
Overall Pace: 8:52
Finish: 3:52:18

I did not expect to finish in that time - I was shocked. In the weeks leading up to the race, I was filled with a lot of doubt about my goal, and in the end, I beat myself (or in the words of Wes, I bangaranged myself).
Urban dictionary interruption:
bangarang: The ultimate in excellence. Better than cool, rad or awesome. Saved for very special occasions. Word first used in the movie "Hook". Anyways...

It was an absolutely wonderful day, and one of the best days of my life, actually. I am in a fair amount of pain from my hips down, but it is completely worth it. I am so glad I did it, and I don't think I could've done it without the support from my family and friends. It was an incredible adventure, and something I'm sure I'll do again in the future. Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon.

final pre-marathon post

I'm going to bed soon. I've packed my bag for tomorrow morning, drank my Sleepytime Tea, carbo loaded, and done everything I was supposed to. Charlie and I went to the Expo to pick up our bibs, shirts, and the like. They had lots of cool stuff, but I just wanted to get home. My parents got in safe this afternoon, and we had dinner and ice cream (cold stone...and no guilt about the birthday cake remix).
I don't think I'll be able to get a full night's sleep - I'm just so excited. I woke up early this morning too - I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas!
I've received a lot of kind words this week from my friends and family; in the form of letters, cards, e-mails, and phone calls. I'm so grateful - it's all made a great difference. Evan told me today that I'm going to do a lot better than I think, and that did a lot for me. Just knowing I have that support from everyone will carry me a long way (hopefully the full 26.2 miles).
I'm going to bed tonight a runner, and when I go to bed tomorrow night, I'll be a (very exhausted) marathon runner. I cannot wait for tomorrow.
As Pam said in her card to me "This is a great adventure."
It really is...I cannot wait.