6 days to go...

I am in the final days of tapering before the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday. I think overall, I've been more calm during this tapering season than I was in March for my first marathon. Certainly, I've been more fortunate during this season as far as staying healthy. But, I do think that's more than just being fortunate; I've been smarter. I'm stretching a lot more then I did, I'm resting more, and really doing everything exactly by the book.
This week I am more nervous than I've been in the past two weeks, but I think at a reasonable and manageable level. I think it's perfectly natural to have some pre-race jitters, considering the four plus months of preparation, and the 26.2 miles ahead. However, I'm fortunate that I have schoolwork and work to do to keep me occupied. I have a paper due on Wednesday (a book review on monastic charters in France), so I'm plugging away at that.
I have made it into the pool a few times, which has been great. Yesterday the water was cold, and the walk back from the pool was colder, but I must admit, swimming is a nice form of exercise. Six months ago, I never would've said that - I used to hate swimming. But, it's turned into a great form of cross-training and a way for me to relax while working out.
On a serious note, I do want to comment about the 3 runners who died in the Detroit Marathon over the weekend. I was very saddened to learn about it, and my heart goes out to their families who are mourning on what should have been a joyous occasion. I had a few friends bring it up at lunch today when we were talking about my marathon on Sunday. They weren't trying to stop me from doing it, but they did want to make sure I was aware of it. It is scary to be a part of a sport in which people die, but it needs to be said that this happens in other sports, not just in the marathon. I have every intention of being careful on Sunday; my body's needs always come first when running and I act responsibly when I run. I know that those runners were as well; but this is just something that happens - people do die at young ages, even when in excellent shape.
On that note, I am going to go and take care of my own body. I had salmon with my lunch, which is good for me, I stretched this morning, I've drank a lot of water, I ran 3 easy miles, all for the greater good.

Making the transformation into a Hardy Runner

For years, the only time I ever ran in the rain was during my middle school cross country days, because we had to. When I was off and on with running, the rain was certainly an excuse for me not to run. Or just go to the gym and use the treadmill.
Now, I must admit, on Thursday and Friday I used the treadmill when it was cold and rainy. But, that was more because I don't want to risk being outside too much before the marathon.
But today was the last double digit run before the marathon, and it wouldn't have been fun to do that inside. So, even though it was 43 (35 with the windchill) and rainy, I bundled up (it's amazing what the pink jacket and running tights can do) and headed out. This was the first run of the fall season where I could see my breath, and the first run where gloves were also needed (which I kept taking off and on throughout the run). I actually don't mind the cold, and I'm sure growing up in Rochester, NY has something to do with it. The rain is a different subject, but since I had a repellent jacket on and a hat, I couldn't really feel the rain.
Normally, I see at least 60-75 runners around DC when I do my long run on the weekend. Today, I think I only saw 25, tops. And all of the other runners were dressed like me, with black tights and jackets, all bundled up. There was definitely a feeling of solidarity, because we were the ones actually out there running. I know we must've looked crazy to some people for being outside, because a year ago I thought those who ran in the rain were crazy. But, now it seems that I've made that transformation into a hardy runner!
The rain was a good thing, because it motivated me to go a little faster so I could go home and take a hot shower. I ran my 12 miles at about 8:45 per mile and felt really strong at that pace. It was a great last long run before the marathon, and definitely good for my confidence during the taper. Plus, there is something fun about splashing around in the rain, doing what others won't attempt to do, and burning off 1000+ calories in the meanwhile (that makes me look forward to my dinner party tonight all the more)!

Running into Fall, National Gallery

I think it is safe to say that fall has finally come to DC. I wasn't convinced on Friday when it hit 80 degrees, but today it was definitely fall weather.
I had 5 miles scheduled today, so I ran into the city and to the National Gallery (certainly my favorite museum here). The leaves have started to change and there was a noticeable drop in the temperature. Woo! What a relief. I hadn't been to the National Gallery since May, so it was time for me to check in and see the new exhibits. Two quality exhibits: "The Art of Power: Royal Armor and Portraits from Imperial Spain" and "Judith Leyster." The Spanish collection was well-put together - the armor was beautiful and they had some enormous tapestries as well. Judith Leyster was one of the first big female artists during the Baroque era (I've attached her self-portrait, and her work was a good collection as well. They also have on loan "The Beffi Triptych" from 14th century Italy (I'm attaching an image of that too), which was gorgeous. I was so happy to spend some quality time there, looking at the art, uninterrupted by phone or the call to do homework (I got all of my reading done last night). I really love art and art history, so it was my treat for the long weekend to spend some time at the gallery. So I got to combine two of my great loves today: running and art!

2 weeks to go...

The Marine Corps Marathon is 2 weeks today, and other than schoolwork, it is the main thing on my mind. The excitement is building, especially as more info about the marathon (such as features about it in magazines, ads, etc) becomes available.
Yesterday, I ran 15 miles. It was a good, long run. I felt nice and strong and comfortable with the pace. My only challenge was the wind (around 20mph), which was especially evident going over the bridges. This was a time where being petite was not in my favor; I felt like I was just getting pushed around, and certainly had to fight and work harder. But, come marathon day there will be other people out there who can help take some of the wind and it won't just be me taking it all in. I was happy, overall with how it went, and it did raise my confidence a bit (I was a little dissatisfied with my 21 mile run). This next week of running marks another decrease in my mileage. This past week I ran 45 miles, and this coming week I will run 32 miles in total. I am also done with weight lifting for this training season. It's important at this point to just let those muscles rest and recover. I am going to take this week to get in the pool and swim the time I would've spent lifting/running. I know my body will appreciate the non-impact aspect of the pool, and my muscles always just feel relieved when I get in the water.
Today was the World Half-Marathon Championship and the Chicago Marathon. Because of universalsports.com I was able to watch them both, even though they took place in London and Chicago, respectively. It's incredible to think that the elite men can run 13.1 miles in under an hour. The women's race was cool too - the winner broke away about halfway into the race, and just ran on her own for the majority of the race. This was pretty interesting: the second place woman was drafting behind her, and the winner kept gesturing, as if to say "Stop drafting! Get in front, do the hard work I'm doing for a while" The second place woman would do it for 30 seconds, then tuck back behind the winner. The winner was clearly not pleased by this, but it was really fascinating to watch the two of them interact.
The Chicago Marathon was great to watch. Sammy Wanjiru was out to break the world record, and had a few pacers out there with him for the first half, and boy were they going at a fast clip. One of the pacers even fell back - he couldn't keep up. Wanjiru did not break the world record, but he broke the course record (by 1 second) and so in addition to the $75k prize for winning, he won an extra $100k for breaking the course record. Talk about a payday! And he is using all of the money to help his family and village in Africa, so good for him for earning so much money. While none of the American women made it to the podium, 3 women made it to the top 10, including Deena Kastor. I was so happy that she made it through the marathon and was able to push through everything (she broke her foot in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon). Watching 45,000 people go through the race was just awesome, and definitely helped to pump me up for my own marathon.
2 weeks to go! It's definitely a bizarre feeling at this point to look back at all of the training behind me. I remember early July looking at all of the training ahead of me and October seemed forever away. Now I'm standing on the other end of training and looking back. Maybe this is a stretch, but you really change over the course of marathon training. Your attitude and mentality changes, your lifestyle changes, and your body transforms as it learns how to go faster, push harder, and run longer. There are still 2 weeks to go in my preparation, but it does feel good to look back and observe the progress I've made. It's necessary too, because it reminds me why I keep going out there every day. 13 more days...

Made it to the taper!

I ran 21 hot and hard miles on Saturday, and finishing that was the mark of the end of the monster month of training. What a month - I ran almost 200 miles in that big month of preparation, including 2 races. That 21 mile run on Saturday was hard. There were about 9 miles of hills (which were much harder than the hills I will tackle in the marathon) and it was getting pretty hot (at least in comparison to the weather we've been having). I'll definitely be looking forward to the aid station in the marathon, when I can just grab a cup of water from someone to throw on my head (versus Saturday's run, when I went to grab water from a drinking fountain and it was empty! I threw my hands in the air in exasperation). The gatorade I had with me was fine, but I just needed a little more than usual. But, I got through the run. I did take it easy for the rest of the day on Saturday. I just stayed in bed and read some of my medieval books.
I really think that by staying off of my feet for almost the entirety of Saturday afternoon/evening, it made a major difference in how I felt on Sunday. Going up and down the stairs on Sunday, I couldn't even tell that I had run 21 miles the day before. I also did a lot of reading (2.5 medieval books - phew!), which meant taking it easy yesterday as well.
I felt very relieved to have made it to the taper. This point seemed so far away, especially when I was running 50 miles a week. I am very excited about resting and cutting back in mileage, even though I'll only be running 3 miles less this week. Still, I'll be taking it easy and only doing a long run of 15 miles on Saturday. Only?! A year ago I could only run 4 miles at a time, and now 15 miles doesn't seem so bad. What a difference a year makes...
Today, I could feel the 21 mile run when I set out to do 8 miles. Was sore, but pushed through it just fine.
I received my sports massage today. To say that I feel loose is an understatement. It felt wonderful to get such a forceful massage, and to have someone work for an hour on all of the kinks, knots, and trigger points that have built up in my legs, back and arms during the course of marathon training. I left the center feeling so physically loose...I cannot remember the last time my shoulders felt like this. It was worth every cent, and while I can only afford to do this once per marathon, the therapist did a magnificent job. I do think this has helped undo some of the effects of intense training.
It's time to relax, rest, and recover. Of course, this is opposite of my medieval training: I have lots of presentations this week. But, all will be well. Too bad there is no taper in grad school...

My bones are shifting in my skin...

While that may be a line from Ingrid Michaelson's "The Chain," I think that's an appropriate way to describe how I feel right now. I am in my peak week of marathon training. I ran 50 miles last week and I'll run 50 again this week, including 22 on Saturday. My body is quite tired from the training. It's been going well, but it certainly takes a toll after awhile. I still do not know how Deena Kastor can run 140 miles per week. The only thing I know about her ability to do that is that she gets 10-12 hours of sleep a night, and a mid day nap. I'm jealous!
I am constantly amazed how the human body can endure so much, and still thrive even when facing many miles to go. Even though I felt sore yesterday from my 5k race on Saturday, I still made it through 12 miles through DC, and tackled 6 hilly miles this morning. I am a little stiff from my big week last week, but I know that I will still be able to do my 8 x 800 yasso workout tomorrow morning with no problems.
I wish that I could move around a bit more in grad school. It's a very sedentary lifestyle; sitting in class, sitting in the library, sitting at the computer, etc. No wonder I'm tired - I don't get to move around enough and shake out my stiffness! At Beloved Summer Job, I could at least move boxes to and from a storage unit, push speakers around campus for talents shows and dances, and chase after kids trying to go out of bounds! Alas, I don't see the academic field changing enough to allow for more physical activity.
But I have at least one way to keep my bones from shifting and my muscles happy. I've scheduled an appointment for a sports massage on Sunday, the day after my 22 miler. I had a short sports massage after the marathon, and even that 10 minute massage felt great. This is really going to work out the kinks and knots that have been building up over the last few months. I'm really looking forward to it - I definitely need it!

Third Place and a New 5k PR

This morning I ran in the CUA Law School's first Race Judicata, a 5k to benefit an infant home in DC. Last night before bed, I was all set to go - laid out my clothes and everything. But still needed...something, a pep talk perhaps. So, I called my dad, whom I hadn't spoken to in a few days. He told me to show them my indomitable Yankee spirit. At first I laughed, because I never really think of DC being in the South. But then, I thought, maybe I just need to have that mentality during the race.

I got to the race with more than enough time to spare, and they delayed the start of the race because of some delays on the metro. That gave me some time to size up the crowd and see where I fit in. It's hard to tell who is fast and knows what they're doing until the gun goes off. At that point, a few women shot out really fast, and I felt a little disheartened, thinking that there was no way I could keep up with that pace. Evidently, they did not know what they were doing, because they slowed down quite quickly. Women 1 and 2 were out ahead, and I was with Women 3 and 4 as we went up the big hill. I decided to draft behind them for a bit, and then when we reached the top, I picked it up and left them behind. Woman 2 was just far ahead of me that I knew I could not pass her, but she served as a good pace for me. No mile markers, but I knew the water stop marked the halfway point. Despite the hills, I ran fairly even splits. I looked behind me a couple of times and I was firmly in 3rd place. With less than 1/2 a mile to go, one of the officials yelled "Third Woman" and so I knew I was all set with my place. I stopped looking at my watch in the final push and just threw down the hammer. There's never any mercy at the end! I finished in 22:24, which is a 10 second PR for me (and on a hilly course!). I was really excited to place in this race - there were a lot of good runners out there today. Following my finish, I was congratulated and handed a gift certificate to a nearby running store - woo! There was an award ceremony afterward, and it was great to talk to the other placers. A friend of mine, Suzy, won the women's race, so it was great that the two of us placed. This is a picture of us after.
It was a challenging course, and I think that made my time and place even more rewarding. The race was a great start to my day. Racing has really built up my confidence a bit. I never would've imagined that I could place in races, but I'm getting there! Making great strides, quite literally, it seems. And my father was right, I showed that Yankee spirit!

On leading people on a run

After I finished my first marathon in March, my friends and family took that finish as proof that I know what I'm doing as a runner. Now, I would not consider myself an expert at all, but I do have a few tricks up my sleeve and know some things that work, etc.

The first time I was ever asked to go with people on a run was in Rochester. My dad had a few friends from the gym, whom I had met, and they wanted me to pace them on some runs around town. I was so nervous - I did not think I would be able to meet the expectations that they had about me. But then we made it through our first run together. And before I knew it, we ran together twice a week, and even tackled a few half marathon courses together. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and I look forward to running with my triathlete buds again.

At Beloved Summer Job, we had a student who was a cross country super star and needed to train while she was at camp. I was asked if I could accompany her on runs. This made me a lot more nervous than my first time running with the triathletes - she goes to State Championships and I...went to choir competitions in high school. I imagined that on our first run she would take off, and I would be left in the dust, feeling stupid about my ability to run. But we turned out to be a good match for one another, since her distance is more the 5k length, we sort of met in the middle for long runs, and paced each other quite well. At one point, I took her out for a 9 mile run, which is a little longer than she is used to (she normally goes to 8). She definitely started to tire toward the end, but still finished fine. We had such an interesting exchange after the run was over. She had trouble understanding how I was not tired from 9 miles, so I explained that I just had to train myself to not get fatigued at that point, because in a marathon, there is still a lot of the race to go. Then she said, "You're turning into my running idol." Me? I've never run competitively, and here I have a student telling me she looks up to me. I was so incredibly flattered; it was such a sweet thing to say. She is a remarkable person, and a reminder of why I come back to that job year after year.

At CUA, I work with a variety of departments in Student Affairs. I've had the opportunity to work with the Fitness Center, and have made a good connection with their director. We decided at the end of last year to found a running club for the undergrads called Cardinal Striders (our mascot is the Cardinal). I took a few of them on a run yesterday afternoon. We did a 2 mile loop around the perimeter of campus, and it was just really enjoyable to take them out and show them a good route. They had a lot of fun, and I did too. I am not sure that I'll be able to take these girls out a lot, but I think we're going to shoot for once a week.

Again, I do not consider myself an expert, but I'm flattered to know that people trust me enough to have me lead them on runs. It's really a great experience, and I enjoy sharing my thoughts and tricks of the trade with others. I'm sure if coaching is necessarily in my future, but I do like what I'm doing now!

It's not a fail, it's an opportunity

At Beloved Summer Job, my boss's, boss's, boss would not allow us to say "fail" - he said it was an opportunity, you just had to look for it. While at first it seemed like just a silly phrase of encouragement, he did have a good point. Almost (and yes, we had a couple of true "fails") every "fail" has an opportunity masked somewhere in it. You just have to think about it, and in some cases, think about it for a while. Here are two recent running-related "opportunities"
*My 18 miler a few weeks ago was really hard - one of the hardest runs I've done excluding the marathon. I had to go really slow, and was filled with a lot of doubt along the way. While I made it through the whole thing (I had to go through the anonymous "Don't Quit" poem a few times in my head), I still thought it was a failure. However, once I sat down 2 weeks after and re-evaluated the run, I realized the problems that occurred with the layout of the course. I switched things around when I mapped out my 20 miler. That run was successful because I thought things through my "fail".
*After my 7 miler this morning, I did not have time for breakfast, and lunch just seemed to far away. I knew I needed something, so I thought I would try "Muscle Milk," which is supposed to help aid with recovery. Gross! Definitely not what I thought it was going to taste like. At first, I thought big fail - four bucks I'll never see and grossness. But it was my opportunity to learn that recovery drinks are not for me, even if other people recommend them.

So, Andrew, here's to you. Thank you for teaching me to look for the opportunity beyond every fail. I'll keep looking...

The sensations of a long run

Over the course of a long run, I've come to learn that my body and mind go through a lot of sensations. During my longer runs (like today's 20 miler), I wonder if my body knows what it is about to go through. Do my legs know at 8AM that they are going to run 20 miles? Do my muscles know at 5 miles that there are still fifteen left to crank out? I know my muscles now understand that they ran 20.4 miles today. I'm not doing the pregnant waddle, but climbing stairs is a slower process than normal. But as much as I prep mentally and physically, I know that my body does not always know what is coming - but it does know how to react once the miles start to add up!

The first few miles are always a warm-up of sorts - my legs and mind awaken and I find my stride. The middle are mental - I'm just coasting along at that point and taking everything in. The last chunk is where things happen. Sometimes that's when the pain and doubt set in. Other times, I break through a wall (not The Wall of the marathon) when I feel as if I can go on for a long time.

That's what happened to me today. At mile 17, I turned onto North Capitol, where I had just a straightaway, one turn, then a dash to the end. I was so happy to be at that point in the run, and to still feel good. The feeling morphed into something else - exhilaration. It's very cool to experience that - my endorphins must've been firing away like crazy.

The picture in the blog was snapped by the professional photographer at the Half marathon last week. I think it was around mile 11 that the picture was taken, and I think it captures how I feel about running - pure joy. It just serves as a release, and really makes me happy, even if there's pain involved in running. I felt the same way on marathon day, and I hope to again in 5 weeks. Pretty cool.