Marathon Week

Three weeks ago, on a long run, I proclaimed to the group... "we are all fucked." We haven't had one long training run this season where I've had to wear sleeveless. Not one training run where I felt like the sun was slowly peeling away layers of my skin or where keeping sweat out of my eyes was a problem.

So, now, it's Marathon Week for me and I say again...

We are all fucked.

Good times, y'all.

Well, there isn't much I can do about that, except drink 10 gallons of powerade zero on Friday and Saturday and hope that the extra 3 pounds of liquid on my body will help keep me hydrated...

I'm going to say, let's make that a 90% chance.

So, let's talk about my goals.

In perfect race conditions my A goal would be a 4:15. I would be thrilled with that and I do actually think I am capable of that. My B goal would be sub 4:30. Other than that, I will be happy to finish without my internal organs shutting down on me.

Seriously, though, I am going to go out and attempt to run 9:44 pace for as long as I can hang on. It's not going to be pretty and it probably won't happen for long, but I am going to do my best.

Spring Marathons are the fucking the worst.

State of my Running

When I decided to quit BQ training in favor of my sanity back in early March, I felt really guilty about giving up a perfectly perfect block of training time just because I didn't feel like training. And now, a couple of days before the Pig, I still feel pretty guilty about it. I feel guilty that I wasted a few months and I feel weak because I couldn't push through the malaise and just get my ass out the door to train.

Sadly, this spring was a snooze train for 1.

Just me.

Should I even be running The Pig this weekend? Uh. Probably not. But, I'm basically just using it as a training run for the Grand Canyon. I also desperately want to be inspired to start training again. So, it would be nice to have a good day that inspires me to get back on the training wagon.

Possible scenarios for The Pig:

1. I get in the corral and see a pacer holding a 3:40 sign and think.... HMMM... Maybe I'll just try. And then I try. And after about 7 miles I start to continually slip behind until I'm completely toast and then hating myself around mile 18.

Probable finish time: 4:09 (If I'm lucky).

2. I get in the corral and start out slow and continue to run slow all the while telling myself... ohhhh you aren't trained for this race. You are just getting a training run in for the Grand Canyon. WHO CARES?

Probable finish time: 4:15

3. I start conservative. VERY conservative and then at mile 14 I start trying to whittle my way down to practice a negative split.

Probable finish time: 3:59

Obviously, my hope is for #3. It would be quite nice to run under 4 hours with a negative split. But, if hopes and dreams were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas year round. Or something like that? The truth of the matter is, I have NO idea what kind of shape I'm in fitness wise. So... this is going to be a real crapshoot. (But hopefully not literally).

Pig Simulation Run

First of all CONGRATS to MEB!!!!! And to Rita Jeptoo... course record! Amazing! And congrats to everyone else running today. I've been glued to my computer all morning! So proud and happy to have one of the Bitches out there running Boston for the first time (which means, I'm the only bitch who hasn't made it to Boston).

On Friday, I decided to do a Pig Simulation run. A couple of months ago, I was looking at the course elevation map and trying to figure out what I could to do to try and mimic the epic hill in the beginning of the race.

Id

Fun times.

For shits and giggles I decided to try and compare that hill to a hill at Percy Warner Park. So, I looked at the Monkey Marathon.

Ridonkulous.

But, if you'll notice... the hill at mile 18ish at the Monkey is fairly similiar in elevation and distance. And, I know that hill. It's the backside of 9 mile hill in PWP. I decided that it would be about perfect to go to the Park... run the boulevard first (about 6 miles) and then start to chug up the hill. I figured it would be a good workout  and simulation for race day. I would practice my form and maybe more importantly... practice not checking out mentally as soon as I get to that monster.

Friday morning was the perfect day. I was skipping work that day (I worked on April 16th even though our office was closed, so I decided to take Friday off instead. Boom). But, when the morning came... I was trying to chicken out. Luckily, I was somehow motivated to drive myself to the park, so once I was there... I was like.. okay, let's get this shit done. 

I hadn't really thought too much about my strategy, except that I wanted to try and keep around an 8:30 pace. That was a mistake. I hopped out of the car, started my watch and I was off. OFF LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL.

 Or ya know... like a squirrel in a plane.

By the time I finished the boulevard and started up the hill.... it occurred to me... HEY DUMB ASS. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE EASED INTO THE PACE, so you'd still have some gas left in the tank.

It's amazing to me, that after years of running

and years of being coached I can still

be such a fucking idiot sometimes.

Needless to say the hill felt like DEATH. There is no telling what pace I slowed down to while chugging up the damn thing, but I tried to capitalize like hell on the downhill.

Reenactment.

At the end, I collapsed in a heap and of course.. I also forgot to bring water with me. Amateur. I ended up with about an 8:40 pace for the entire thing and I think it's a great exercise/workout for the Pig, but I think it would probably be better to run it around 9:00 pace the whole way, instead of trying to kill myself. 

This is how it mapped out.

I'm hoping to do this run one more time before the race at a much easier pace. I also think it would have been VERY beneficial to do this run as the first part of a long run. (For instance, do this and then run out to Radnor Lake and back, which is about 9 miles). If ever do the Pig again... I will definitely incorporate that route into my training.

S.P.U.N.K. Experimentation

Sports Performance Utility Nutrition Kick*

After experiencing some major mental lows during the Baton Rouge Marathon, I figure it is time to start trying to find a nutrition source that I can stomach during long races.

I've never taken a gel during a race or a training run and felt any discernible "boost" of energy. I know lots of people who SWEAR by them, but for me... it's always just been something that takes extra time and either upsets my stomach or makes me gag (or both!), which is why it has been easy to just completely stop using them. BUT, I do think mentally, I could use a charge of calories. So, that's why I'm trying to find something that I can get down easily during a race.

So, the criteria for me on gels is just a couple of things:
1. I can actually eat the thing without gagging.
2. It doesn't make me vomit and/or shit.
3. It's easy to carry. (Stupid ShotBlox).


So far, I've tried the following gels:

Cherry Lime Roctane Gu

This gel is advertised as an "Ultra Endurance" energy gel. What makes it ULTRA, you ask?

From Gu's website:

Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel contains more of the ingredients that matter during long or intense activity while still being based on the proven ratio of simple and complex carbohydrates found in GU Energy Gel.

• 3 times more Branched Chain Amino Acids
• 10 times more Histidine
• 2-3 times more electrolytes

Ok, now if you're anything like me... you read that and you're like.. WTF? I still don't know what any of this means.

• More key electrolytes - Sodium and potassium help to properly maintain hydration
• More Branch Chain Amino Acids (Leucine, Valine, Isoleucine) - Shown to serve as a fuel source (when taken with carbohydrates), reduce muscle damage, enhance recovery and delay fatigue – all critical during intense or long efforts
• More Histidine (Amino Acid) - Can promote muscle buffers to prevent accumulation of lactic acid in muscles during exercise

You lost me at Amino...

Amy's Scoring:

1. It was thick and the amount was fairly easy to get down. No gagging.

2. It did not make me barf or shit.

I tried the Cherry Lime Flavor. It was okay. 

Overall Grade: B

Hammer Gel

From their website:

The staples of any energy drink, bar, or gel are carbohydrates. In this regard, Hammer Gel stands alone in today's glutted market of energy products. A look at the ingredient list on the label will tell you why: we use long-chain complex carbohydrates for smooth, consistent energy release. There's only a trace of sugar, so Hammer Gel doesn't set off wild insulin spikes causing "sugar high" and "sugar crash." You won't find our products saturated with cheap, ineffective, commercial-grade sugars, which can ruin health and performance.

Hammer Gel is an easily digested, concentrated source of complex carbohydrates with four amino acids added to enhance performance and prolong energy levels during intense training and competition. Hammer Gel has a syrup-like consistency that mixes easily with water if so desired. You can drink it straight, dilute it, or use it to flavor other Hammer Nutrition fuels. Use it before, during, and after exercise.

Okay, so, now my mind is BLOWN. I can mix hammer gel with WATER???? WTF?? That changes everything! Now, I have to try that.


Amy's Scoring:
1. It doesn't make me gag. But it is thin and I find that there's a LOT of gel in the packet.
2. Stomach happy.

Apple Cinnamon flavor is my favorite. It doesn't taste chemically or overly sweet.

Overall Grade: B-

The killer for me is the volume of gel. But the taste keeps it in the mix.

Power Gel

So, their website is acting wonky, and it's not letting me cut and paste their blurb about why their product is the best on the market. But, basically, it looks like Power Gel's offer the most sodium of all gels. Honestly, that might be a big plus for me. (The white ring around the edges of my face after a run would agree).

Amy's Scoring:

1. Goopy and thin, but no gagging.

2. No stomach problems.

I actually really liked the flavor of the Strawberry Banana. But, it did have globs of something in there, which made me worry that maybe it was expired??? And then I was afraid I was going to die from eating expired gel. But, who knows... maybe it just has little "bursts" or something in the gel.

Overall Score: B.

Conclusion: I'm going to try the Hammer Gel in water thing, I guess. And maybe give the Power Gel another go?

What are your favorite gels?

*You win at life if you know where S.P.U.N.K. comes from. And I mean, what television show... not where it literally comes from, you Perv!

When your entire body begins to burn, when the challenge has taken you to the max, fuel up with PowerGel® Energy Gels. Each Gel is designed with 27-28 grams of PowerBar’s C2MAX dual source energy blend, which can help deliver 20 to 50 percent* more energy to your muscles. Not only that, PowerGel® Energy Gels have the most sodium** of any leading gel on the market.
So if you’re the type of athlete that continues to push yourself on to new heights and achievements each day, PowerGel® Energy Gels can help boost your performance.
[SOURCES]
**200mg sodium - compared to other leading gels that offer less than 75mg per pouch .
 ** - See more at: http://www.powerbar.com/Products/powergel-strawberry-banana#sthash.lasNo7qm.dpuf

When your entire body begins to burn, when the challenge has taken you to the max, fuel up with PowerGel® Energy Gels. Each Gel is designed with 27-28 grams of PowerBar’s C2MAX dual source energy blend, which can help deliver 20 to 50 percent* more energy to your muscles. Not only that, PowerGel® Energy Gels have the most sodium** of any leading gel on the market.
So if you’re the type of athlete that continues to push yourself on to new heights and achievements each day, PowerGel® Energy Gels can help boost your performance.
[SOURCES]
**200mg sodium - compared to other leading gels that offer less than 75mg per pouch .
 ** - See more at: http://www.powerbar.com/Products/powergel-strawberry-banana#sthash.lasNo7qm.dpuf

When your entire body begins to burn, when the challenge has taken you to the max, fuel up with PowerGel® Energy Gels. Each Gel is designed with 27-28 grams of PowerBar’s C2MAX dual source energy blend, which can help deliver 20 to 50 percent* more energy to your muscles. Not only that, PowerGel® Energy Gels have the most sodium** of any leading gel on the market.
So if you’re the type of athlete that continues to push yourself on to new heights and achievements each day, PowerGel® Energy Gels can help boost your performance.
[SOURCES]
**200mg sodium - compared to other leading gels that offer less than 75mg per pouch .
 ** - See more at: http://www.powerbar.com/Products/powergel-strawberry-banana#sthash.lasNo7qm.dpuf

Winter-Spring Races

I have spent the last 20 minutes at work looking at race calendars for August. WTF is wrong with me? I am longingly daydreaming about those sweaty runs when The KoB wrings his shirt out and I gag out of grossness. This cold weather is BREAKING ME. There is not enough holy basil in the world to combat this hellacious winter we are having. My spirit is dead.

In an effort to not bitch and moan about the weather anymore (see my training log if you like that sort of thing), I've decided to focus on races that I'm running/racing this winter/spring. I already kind of did this in my New Year post, but it's either a race schedule update or me droning on about how many goddamn layers of clothing I had to put on to run this morning.

I thought so.

*The FOR SURE races are noted in Orange. Coach has full voting/veto powers in all the other races. 

Feb 8- Frostbite Half Marathon
YUP. This weekend. This is going to be a training run. No PR attempt or even a chance of a PR, but it will be a good chance for some honest marathon pace miles. Also, I am going to give the Hammer Gel another go this weekend.

Feb 22- Judicata 10K or 5K. 
I am currently on the fence about this race. In general, I think racing in Percy Warner Park is just about the dumbest thing anyone can do, but I know The KoB is running it and there are probably some other dumb bitches that I know running it, so, maybe I will. Or maybe I will just stand on the sidelines and the heckle the shit out of all the dumb asses who PAID to run those races. (Hopefully the 10k will be the proper distance this year).

Mar 8- Tom King Half Marathon
Another maybe race. I mean, I likely won't be "racing" it. If I run it. It would probably be a training run. .

March 22- Mid-Tenn Shootout 5K.
This will likely be my only legit 5K race for the spring. It's supposed to be a fast course, with lots of fast people. Which means I will likely go out too hard and die. But, it's worth a shot.

I guarantee a PR won't be this easy.

(or this adorbs).

April 6- St. Louis Go Half Marathon
The St. Louis Full Marathon was my PR for like 4 years. I'm hoping to add Half Marathon PR to it's stats. I don't remember a lot of the course, but I think at that point in training, it will be a good time to test my fitness. It is also right in the HEART of tax season. So, even if my legs can't get me that PR, I am hoping that the cortisol pulsing through my veins will propel me.

Me from April 1- April 15th.

April 12- Purity Dairy Dash 10K
Yeah, less than 7 days after the half marathon, I'm probably not going to be able to race. SADZ. But, maybe I can use it as a sort of Tempo Run or something.

May 4- Flying Pig Marathon
Duh.

Have a good weekend everyone!

In Preparation

So, let's get real for a minute you guys. I told you a few weeks ago that I'm just going to go for it in December. I'm going to train to hopefully get my ass in shape to BQ in December. I'm sure many of you are like... WTF, bitch. That's a 20 minute PR... are you crazy? And my answer to that is, YES I AM A CRAZY ASS BITCH, ARE YOU NEW HERE OR SOMETHING?

While I am crazy, I am also realistic. I know that it's going to be really hard and I'm going to be really cranky for 16 weeks, but I think that there is a chance that I can make this goal a reality. If not, there are plenty of races in the winter/spring and I'll just pick myself up and continue on. That is essentially the story of my running life, thus far, anyway. 

A 20 minute PR is no joke, y'all. And I am not taking this lightly. I've already fired off an email to my coach about how I'm willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to get me in 3:34:59 shape by December and she probably responded with a big groan about how annoying I'm going to be for 16 weeks, but politely emailed me back with a LETS DO IT (paraphrased).

Unfortunately, DO WHATEVER IT TAKES means that I'm going to have actually DO things other than just run my ass off. Ohhhh... if running were that simple. I've targeted two main things to focus on aside from running:

1. Weight loss. This will likely be the last you hear about this, because I really hate it when running blogs turn into diet/weight loss blogs. But, I plan on weighing quite a bit less on race day and I have already started this process. Annnnnd... I'm already dying to stick my entire head into a vat of chocolate pudding and wash it all down with a keg full of beer. It's going to be a fabulous 16 weeks, bitches!

2. Cross Training/Strength Training (whatever the fuck you wanna call it). So, my goal is to spend the next 4 weeks gradually increasing the number of times I do strength training, so that in 4 weeks hopefully I'm up to doing:
Core Exercises specific for runners- 3 Times a week (15 minutes or so, no big)
Yoga- Twice a week (50 minute DVD)
Bonus- P90X Chest and Back DVD- Once a week.
Bonus- Ab Ripper X DVD- Once a week.

Of course, my initial reaction is to just start out doing all that TODAY, but that is a recipe for burnout disaster. So, I think spending 4 weeks and gradually incorporating those things will hopefully set me up for success. I also realize that this probably seems like nothing to some of you, but for me... IT'S A LOT and I'm exhausted just thinking about all the push-ups in that P90X DVD.Blarg.

The interesting thing and the thing that I think will keep me on track with both my diet and exercise, is that I'm not doing it for vanity purposes. My sole purpose of getting fit and toning up is to improve my running. And in response to that, I have posted the following inspirational photos on my fridge:

Lauren Fleshman

Amy Hastings

Kara Goucher

I used to post pictures of Victoria's Secret models on my fridge to keep me from just eating all the things... but, I think it's more fitting to be inspired by pictures of kick ass runners now. It's inspiring to know that these athletes work HARD at being fit and a good reminder that running isn't *just* about your legs (it's also about genetics, goddammit).

It's going to be a long, hard road. It's an ambitious goal and even though I'll have more chances at my 3:34, I REALLY want to be able to go for it in December. So, here we go.

Race Report: Goodlettsville Classic 4 Mile

When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was to go to the park. There was a park about 10-15 minutes away from our house that had a kick ass playground and possibly more importantly: a long, paved loop to ride our bikes. (I grew up in the sticks. There were no roads to ride bikes on, so I just circled our little parking area/driveway over and over again).

It had your typical slides...

Also had a wagon with horses on springs that you could ride.

Giddy-up, bitches.

And of course, your typical aluminum benches for photo ops.

Thankfully, there was no instagram or twitter back then.

(Those Nike's look just like my orthopedic Vomeros!)

But most importantly, it had THE BIG SLIDE:

Obviously, I never rode down it by myself because it was high and fast as shit

 and also because it got your backside all dirty.

But, my dad could pretty much convince me to do anything.

I have a lot of good memories of that park. And so when the 4 mile race that they host comes around every year, I always try to sign up. It's always hot as balls and I'm always in terrible shape,but it's a fun distance to race in a park that I have very fond memories of.

This Saturday, I met Melissa Bitch at the park for the race. We ran a little warm-up and my goal was to run a race that had my average pace start with a 7 (I was going to be happy with anything as long as it was a 7:xx). I knew this was going to hurt. I hadn't really raced in awhile and I haven't been doing anything fast lately except for drinking lots of beer. LOTS. 

I had no idea what was going to happen. Nothing like lining up to a race and not know whether you're going to run 8:00 splits or 10:00 splits! The first mile felt pretty decent and I came in a little fast at 7:33. I thought to myself, okay: a little fast, but as long as you keep your next 3 splits under 8, you'll be fine. Mile 2 clicked by (7:41) and I was kind of surprised at how I felt. I mean, it felt hard. Really hard. But, I didn't feel like I was going to collapse and die at any moment. I was thinking, well maybe I can even pick it up a little in the last mile. By the time I hit the 3 mile mark (7:56), I was starting to feel like I wasn't going to collapse and die, but that I was going to puke all over myself and pass out. I was slowing, but still pushing. I ran the last mile in 7:58 and finished with a shiny new 4 mile PR (31:11) and an average pace that makes me feel pretty damn good about starting marathon training.

Sure the race looks like a shit-show on paper, but my take-aways are:

1. Eating lots of marshmallows and drinking lots of beer on the weekends has resulted in weight gain, but thankfully hasn't affected my speed TOO much. 

2. I schooled all the bitches in my age group. 1st place, bitches!

3. I accomplished my goal of never having a mile go over 8:00, even though I came REALLY close on that last mile. Eek.

4. I ran on feel, I didn't wear my garmin and I just pushed my way through based on what was available to me at the time.

5. I successfully turned a race day into my long run! I always have intentions for that, but usually end up bailing early on the cool down. Thanks to Melissa, I got my full 10 miles for the week.

6. I've got a little bit of confidence now to start my marathon training. 

Sadly, I didn't go down the big slide (it's still a little high for me, truth be told) but I still got that warm and fuzzy feeling running around the park that morning. (Mainly because the humidity was about a zillion percent).

Operation Gluten Free*

*err... technically... not entirely gluten FREE, but we'll get to that.

True.

But, you're going to hear about it anyway.

So, this past weekend I flew up to Michigan to run the Ann Arbor Marathon in order to cross Michigan off the list (full race report to come). After Eugene, I decided that Ann Arbor would be the perfect opportunity to experiment with eating gluten free before the race. 

Here's a quick run-down of the food I ate on Saturday:

At the airport: Slice of Lemon Glazed Poundcake (the only thing Starbucks has going for it).

Lunch: Mexican food that included rice and beans, a helluva lot of corn chips and salsa and a chimichanga (which, yes, I realize is a deep fried flour tortilla).

 And beer. I had a 24 oz Pacifico at lunch.

It was only $2.10!!!

I also drank zero of that water. FAIL.

Snack: Cookie.

Dinner: French Fries and a Salad.

Dessert: Snickers Bar.  

I realize beer has gluten, the cookie had gluten, etc. But, I'm not a celiac, so I didn't really GO ALL OUT on this gluten free thing. Technically, my dinner salad had gluten because it had crispy fried onions on it. And I dont even know if a Snickers Bar is gluten free... but, to my knowledge it doesn't have flour... so, I considered it fine. (It sounds like I had a major case of PMS ... but this is just the way I eat when I travel, yo). 

I felt good with the dinner. Who doesn't want an excuse to eat french fries?? And I had no problem saying no to the bread basket that was passed around. All-in-all, I felt good about my food choices during the day. The important thing to me was that I wasn't shoveling breadstuffs after breadstuffs after breadstuffs down my piehole 12 hours before the race.

My breakfast before a race is normally a poptart. I love this ritual so much that I actually label my early morning run alarms... "Mmmm... Poptarts." It's like my reward for getting my ass up and running. I knew that I definitely wanted to stay away from the gluten pre-race so I had one of these instead of a poptart:

Where there's a Whole Foods... there's a gluten free freezer section.

One muffin had 400 calories and 62 carbs. Whoa...

All this to say that the operation appears to have been a success!!! I didn't even get a stomach grumble during the race!!! OH MY GOD. You have no idea how awesome that is. The race sucked, but I was thrilled to finish the race without having to stop and poop along the way. It's a gluten-free miracle!!!!

I cannot wait to train and get into shape again and run MY race this time. Nothing's stopping me now...

Announcement...

Sometime in March, I was on a morning run and I realized... holy shit... I'm 33! My age is just not something that I'm aware of on a day-to-day basis. And for the most part, that's fine. Who cares... age is just a number. But, I also kind of consider the age of 35 to be a benchmark age and back when I was 30 or so, I made some goals of myself to have accomplished by the time I was 35.

Goals like.... climb Mt. Kilimanjaro by the time I'm 35. (Which... uhhh... guess I need to get on that, too). But the goal that really caught me off guard on that morning run was my goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon in every age group. Which means... ummm... I have to qualify sometime next year. YOWZA!

So, I ran home and immediately emailed my Coach and was like... "heh.... I know this is crazy and I know I'm in the middle of training for Eugene and I know that knocking 20 minutes off my marathon time is going to take some serious effort... but, uhhh... I kinda need to BQ next year, m'kay? Thanks."

After my first marathon, BQing was my #1 goal. And then I ran a few other marathons and realized how humbling marathons really are and how soul crushing not meeting your goal can be, so I shelved that goal for.... sometime before I'm 35. Well.. my sometime is running out.

I know, you're sitting there reading this thinking... wow... 20 minutes in one year... are you NUTS? And yeah, I am and I'm also scared shitless about it. Scared about the training, scared about attempting the marathons, scared about failing. I mean, I think it's pretty safe to say at this point, that the marathon has not really proven to be my "racing distance." But, on the flipside, I'm also excited. I'm excited to figure out how to do it, I'm excited to train and push my body, excited to send Coach and The KoB a dozen emails a day freaking about workouts, etc. But mostly just excited to do it.

I'm running a race this weekend and then after that I will start to train for an early September marathon. That will probably not be a huge goal race, but serve mainly as motivation for training during the summer and keeping in shape. A PR would be nice there and I will likely shoot for that, though.

My projected path is to run that race and then another race in December... with the hopes of shaving time off my PR and getting a little closer to 3:34:59. And then run a couple of races next year (before the September BAA deadline) and hopefully get my BQ. That would mean that I would qualify as a 34 year old and run it as a 35 year old. Perfect!

It's going to be really hard and take me out of my comfort zone, physically and mentally (an 8:12 pace for a marathon? W.T.F?). but I'm looking forward to the challenge.

I'm sorry. I'm clearly addicted to gifs.

I expect an intervention any day now.

The Common Denominator

Look, I know you are all sick and tired of hearing about my gastrointestinal problems and trust me I am sick and tired of talking about them. I try not to complain too much, because honestly... I have it pretty damn good. Sure, my colon seems to fucking hate marathons, but for the rest of my day-to-day life, my stomach mostly behaves and I am grateful for that. I have friends who have problems with IBS and the fact that for them just eating food (cause... uhhh.. that's what you're supposed to do to LIVE) can cause spectacularly awful GI problems.. makes me whining about getting the shits while running seem a little douchey.

On the other hand, I am pretty self-absorbed and while my GI issues aren't the end of the world, they are (literally) a pain in my ass and I'd love, LOVE to find a solution. I've spent a great deal of time thinking about it, talking about it, listening to other people talk about it... and it's like... it's not one of those things where I can just stretch something or roll it with a stick or tape it up. I try to be mindful of my diet and have made adjustments when I thought something could be the culprit. I've completely eliminated certain things from my diet (sayonara flax and chia seeds!) and I've tried giving up certain things the day before the race (dairy and fruit).

If my food diary were a cat gif.

When I was in Eugene, I stayed with my best friend, Steph, who for medical reasons is staying away from gluten for the time being. I felt really bad for her while I scarfed down biscuits and veggie gravy on Saturday morning and then about 15 doughnuts from Voodoo Doughnuts on Monday morning. 

VooDoo Donuts from my trip in 2011. 

The top one is my fave: Butterfinger.

But as we traveled home, I thought to myself.. ya know... I guess that's the last thing to try to eliminate: gluten. When I got home, Cheryl and Tanya mentioned an article they had read that cited gluten as a potential shit-causer late in a race. So... I decided... that's it! No more gluten the night before a race!

And then this weekend, I had an epiphany.... what has been the common denominator in all my GI distress ruined/effected races? Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

2007: St. Jude Marathon- Pizza

2009: St. Louis Marathon- Pizza

2010: Big Sur- Pizza

2012: Flying Pig Marathon DNF- Pasta

2013: Birmingham Marathon- Baked Potato*

2013: Eugene Marathon- Pasta

*Birmingham, I believe was more nerves than actual GI distress, since I was puking more than shitting, so we will take that out of the equation.

All this time, I assumed it was the cheese on the pizza. But, what is the one thing that ALL those pre-race dinners have? G-L-U-T-E-N.

DUH. So, now, I'm really excited to test out this new theory. Pre-race from now on, I'm going to try rice, quinoa, or potato as my pre-race carb. And keep my hands out of the bread basket. When I think back to races where I didn't have issues, they were always races without pizza or pasta. Before I became a vegetarian, my favorite pre-race ultra meal (granted, I've only done 3) was grilled salmon, rice and a sweet potato and I've never had GI issues during an ultra (which, I always assumed was because I was practically walking the damn things instead of racing). 

I look forward to the day when I can just complain about my legs getting tired after X amount miles of a race and not about spending 2 miles looking for a porta potty. Hopefully that day will come soon.

By the Numbers

In some ways it feels like September 10, 2012 was just yesterday. And in other ways, it feels like a lifetime ago. But no matter how it feels... it was 23 weeks ago.

23 Weeks of Training.

1208.6 miles. (That's an average of 52.5 miles a week and 7.5 miles a day).

14 Tempo Runs
9 Interval Workouts
5 Races (including a PR in the 10 mile and a PR in the Half and one particularly awful non PR 5K)
3 Hill Workouts
1 post workout crying session
3 19 mile runs:
1  in 60 degrees and rain
1  in 32 degrees and snow
1  in 25 degrees and bone chilling wind

This has been a great training cycle. In the past I've always enjoyed the training the most and always dreaded the actual race. This time around... in a strange way, I'm kinda looking forward to the race.

 And ya know, if it gets too hard, I'll just latch onto The KoB. 
It's okay. He works out.

Anything can happen on race day. ANYTHING. There are all kinds of things that I can't control, but I do know one thing... no matter what happens, I'm going to work my ass off. And we'll see what the day has in store for me.

Birmingham... watch out. The bitches are coming to town.

See you guys next week!

ETA: okay, I wrote this post last night when I was still feeling all confident and awesome and now all the sudden, I'M FREAKING OUT. I HAVE TO RACE A MARATHON ON SUNDAY. RACE A MARATHON!!!! I've never raced a marathon before. Holy hell. Pray for me. (and probably pray for The KoB: he has to ride in a car with me tomorrow for 3 hours).

Fuuuuuuuucccccckkkkity Fuck Fuck Fuck!

Day 3- Taper Update

So far, so good. Granted, it's only day 3 and this week doesn't really feel like TOO much of a taper, since I'm still allowed to run 45ish miles.

I've been doing a lot of reflection on this training cycle though and there are a few things that I'm going to take away from it (besides a wicked PR next week):

1. POTENTIAL. Ummm. This probably sounds kinda douche-y, but, I feel like I still have so much more that I can do. This training cycle was great because it pushed me to the limits, but I don't feel like I ever really got all that close to breaking. Which means I trained smart and also means that I have the potential to train to be much, much faster. Next time. And the time after that. And... well... you know.

2. SUPPORT. I have the best support system. My friends and family have always been great (obvi), but Coach Tanya and Cheryl have become a couple of my best friends and I am so psyched that the 3 of us are going to be taking Birmingham by storm next weekend. And of course, The KoB has been amazing. He's done a bunch of my workouts with me, has listened to me talk incessantly about this OMG race, has pushed me to do the extra mile instead of bailing early (cough, last night, cough cough) and has always had faith in me. Fun fact: Our first date was about a week and a half before the Tom King Half Marathon last year (which, if you remember correctly, I KILLED and, so did the KoB) and we sat across from each other at a table making small talk (ABOUT RUNNING, of course) and all I could think about was how much faster he was than me and how much more of a badass he was than me and how he probably thought I was just some lameass hobbyjogger. But, I'll never forget we were talking about the upcoming half marathon and I made some comment about how "we'd just have to wait and see" if I was going to be able to PR or not. And he looked at me and said, "oh you will." with such conviction and without even a hint of a smile. It wasn't that he was just saying it, because that's what you do when someone talks about their goal... He was saying it because he knew it*. He barely knew me or about any of my training, but he had total faith in me. And, strangely enough, that gave me a huge confidence boost. It was like... yeah... maybe I hadn't done much with my running in my past. But that didn't mean I couldn't now or in the future.

3. TEMPO RUNS. I feel like tempo runs give me the biggest boost mentally. This latter part of training, I haven't done as many tempo runs and that's really the only thing that makes me nervous. I've been doing more interval work and I think physically, that might be more beneficial for me. But, as dumb as it sounds... I really get no mental boost from an interval workout. Still being a newbie to this "real training" thing, interval work is just too abstract for me to wrap my head around. I'll finish a track workout and will have hit all my splits, but... that doesn't mean anything to me. It just means I did what I was supposed to. When I do a tempo run... it's like.. DAMN. I just ran X miles at my marathon pace/faster than my marathon pace, etc. Tempo runs feel more satisfying to me. Maybe this is because I'm an adult-onset runner and have no background or experience on a track.

4. NIGHT RUNNING. So, I'm no longer attached to the morning running. Sure, I still like to get up early and get a run over with. But, I have to say it's so NICE to have the option to run in the afternoon.

5. CONFIDENCE. Nothing like a 22 week training plan to give you confidence. Sure, I'll be nervous for the race. But, I don't have any regrets or any nagging doubts about my training. I never missed a workout and I think I always hit my paces/splits. My fitness is in a great place, but most importantly, my marathon pace doesn't scare the shit out of me when I think about it. 

More to come... I'm sure these next 11 days are going to be filled with nervous chatter from me on the blog. 

*Or ya know... he was saying it for other reasons. Dudes.

Dry Run 1 Results

So, I actually did everything I said I was going to do leading up to my long run on Sunday.

Saturday I ate a lunch of cheese pizza around noon and then for dinner I had pasta with marinara sauce and a salad (I know, it's fiber, but it's not like I'm eating THAT much of it).

Sunday morning I woke up at 4:30 and felt like I had been smashed in the head with a hammer. I wasn't sure if the run was going to happen or not, but, I still got up and ate my english muffin, poptart and started on some coffee.

By about 5:30am, I was starting to feel better and was glad that I went ahead and started the routine when I got up. I was pounding the coffee like crazy and as such... I ended up taking down all my upper kitchen cabinet doors...

3 cups of coffee and 2 hours to kill before your long run?

HOME IMPROVEMENT TIME.

(Also, nothing like a picture to make you realize how cluttered your shit looks).

(I am painting the upper cabinets white because I'm so fucking tired of living in a beige/sand colored box).

Around 6:30, I started getting dressed and ready.

The things I carried:

A handheld water bottle

Chapstick

2 packages of Shot Blox

A 5 Hour Energy

17 Ricola's.

Half a roll of toilet paper (for my nose, surprisingly)

5 pounds of mucus in my head (see above).

At 7:04, I embarked on my run. At 7:14 I was stopped on the side of the road spitting my lungs out and blowing my head off. This would continue every 1.5 miles or so. GOOD TIMES. 

I took my shot blox about every 4 miles. At mile 11, I downed the 5 Hour Energy. 

Besides the fact that I had to stop every 1.5ish miles to blow my nose, the run was fantastic. No stomach problems, legs felt great, head was in the game and my splits were right on target (I'm sure the stops helped that, though). In the end, I ended up with 17 miles and about 4 pounds less mucus.

Take-aways:

1. No pizza. (No dairy in general). I didn't have any stomach issues, but I'm still nixing the pizza at lunch the day before. I just don't want to take any chances.

2. Stop drinking coffee 1:15 before the start of the race. I stopped with about an hour before the run and everytime I stopped to blow my nose, I felt like I had to pee.

3. Coffee=GOOD. 

 Even though I want to drink like 12 cups,

I think 3 cups is probably the max.

4. 5 Hour Energy: Hard to say if it really helped or not... but it certainly didn't hurt, will continue testing this weekend.

5. Shotblox: Starting them early and eating them often is key.

6. Handheld. Yeah, it's so nice to be able to sip whenever I'm thirsty and be able to eat a shot blox without choking whenever I want.

Dry Run #2 is Saturday morning. I'm not going to change much... although, fingers crossed I won't have to carry so much on me.

Dry Run

A dry run is a testing process where the effects of a possible failure are intentionally mitigated. For example, an aerospace company may conduct a "dry run" test of a jet's new pilot ejection seat while the jet is parked on the ground, rather than while it is in flight.

Listen, you all know that my training is going pretty well (knock on wood) and I'm feeling confident and ready for my goal race... but, I'd be lying if I didn't let you in on a little secret: I'm pretty fucking scared of getting the shits during the race. 

I've gone through phases where I've had GI issues and I've gone through phases where I haven't. Just when I think I've got things completely under control... BOOM, I DNF thanks to a severe case of the shits. Over the summer I eliminated some things in my diet that I thought might be causing the problems (flax seeds and chia seeds mainly), I researched whether maybe I'd become more sensitive to lactose or gluten. In general... I don't really have a problem. EXCEPT WHEN I DO. That's the frustrating part.

Add to that fact, that when I get nervous, my stomach goes into an atomic rage (as a kid, I could never play hide and go seek, because when I would hide, I would get so nervous from the anticipation of being found and I'd have to go to the bathroom. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?).

I can only do what I can do... but, I'm going to at least try to come up with a plan that will hopefully help keep my bowels from trying to explode on race morning. (Nice visual, eh?). And I am going to use these last two long runs as "dry runs."

Dry Run #1:

• I am running 17-18 miles on Sunday morning. I am going to start at precisely 7am (the race starts at 7 on a Sunday morning).
• Lunch the day before: I am going to test out having pizza as an EARLY lunch. Pizza is a bit of a nostalgic good luck thing for me. Although, I think it's too heavy and dairy-laden to have for dinner anymore. I think having it around Noon the day before should be fine. I will also probably have a package of Peanut M&Ms as a snack in the middle of the afternoon.
• Dinner the night before: Regular pasta with spaghetti sauce and some bread. Not too much. Just a smallish portion of pasta and sauce. And I'd like to be done with my dinner BEFORE 7pm. (I'm banking on the fact that there has to be like an Olive Garden or somewhere else that will have simple spaghetti and sauce in Birmingham).
• Wake up on Sunday morning at 4:30 am. Immediately eat half of an english muffin and a pop tart. I am also going to experiment with coffee. I've never had coffee before a morning run, BUT, I hear it can umm... clean you out?
• Fueling on the run. I am going to try to figure out a good schedule for taking shotblox. Every half hour? And, The KoB suggested that I give a 5 Hour Energy Shot a try on one of these practice runs. I've tried it once before a run and felt nothing, but, I'm going to give it a try during the run this time. 
• I think I've decided that I'm going to carry a handheld for the race. Being able to take tiny sips as much as I want works out better for my stomach than stopping at a water stop and wanting to down a whole cup of water/gatorade. Also, this way I can pop a shotblox whenever I want and not just when I'm coming up on a water station.

I realize that I sound like a complete newbie or an OCDed freak, but, a lot of this is for peace of mind more than anything.

Here's hoping that it goes well this weekend!

Week 9

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.

Joseph Campbell

Week 9 was a cutback week and I wasn't even all that pissed about it. I mean obviously, I grumbled and kicked the ground a few times when I found out, but I didn't mind it. TOO MUCH.

To be completely honest, I'm trying really hard not to pay too much attention to my training on a daily basis. Nine weeks of training so far has put me into a pretty good place, fitness-wise and I'm trying not to get too excited when I have a good tempo run or whatever. I'm just trying to think of them as crossed off the to-do list. Not crossed off with hearts and daisies next to them.

It's a little early to get excited. But, I am gaining confidence. Which is more important than excitement, anyway.

Week 9 workouts:
Fast: 5 miles at 8:35ish
Fastish: 5x400s at 2:00
Race: 10 miles.
Total: 40ish

I did my tempo run on my own and nailed it. Scary thought, but I think tempo runs are becoming my favorite run of the week. WHAT THE FUCK? Mentally, they are the most challenging and I always have a mini freak out session right before I start a tempo run. They can either be:

1. A huge confidence booster that has you spending 4 hours a day with the McMillan Calculator.

or 

2. A soul crusher that makes you feel like a slow-ass, lazy shit that just wants to go home and bury your face in a gallon of ice cream.

For now, I'm getting intimate with McMillan, but I'm sure the ice cream days are coming.

My track workout of the week was just to get my legs ready for race pace on Saturday. I had these explicit instructions from coach: Don't run these any faster than this or I'll kill you. Thanks. 

Done! My legs felt like shit the morning that I did them, but it helped loosen them up a bit, I think.

Overall, another successful training week down, another boring recap. I swear to god, there will be tears and blood and ice cream at some point. But, I'm glad it wasn't this week.

 

Race Report: Team Nashville 10 Miler

AKA the race where I used every possible crutch I could (well, except for a pacer):

1. I wore my GPS, with current pace, last mile pace, mileage, and overall time on the screen.
2. I wore sunglasses (I never wear sunglasses to run).
3. I ran with my ipod.
4. I ran wearing gloves. (Not really a crutch, but I have to say it was nice to have something to wipe my face with as I ran).

As much as I want to be a hardcore runner who doesn't need music or my GPS watch... they both came in REALLY handy on Saturday morning. So, yeah, softcore Amy all the way.

My goal was to not just PR (My 10 mile PR was 1:31:51 set back in 2008). But, I wanted to break 1:25.

I woke up and did a few things differently than I normally do before a race. First, I took a B-complex vitamin and an Iron pill. Then I putzed around a bit and ate a bowl of cereal around 2 hours before the race. On the way to the race, I stopped and bought a diet coke (for the caffeine) and then once at the race before my warm up and about 30 minutes before the race, I ate a Luna bar.

NONE of that stuff is stuff I EVER do before a race. Did I know that all this new stuff had the potential to royally fuck up my race morning? Yeah, I did. But, it was a risk I was willing to take.

Lately, I've felt like when I start a race, my legs feel like shit. Heavy, slow, etc. But, Saturday, they felt light and fresh. I knew from the warm-up that it was going to be a good day to try for my 1:25.

Less than a mile into the race. School started early on Saturday.

I knew I needed to run 8:30s, and after sending freak-out emails to both Coach and The KoB on Friday about OMG, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO AT A RACE (yes, this happens before EVERY race), I kinda had the strategy of, start off conservatively (8:45ish) and whittle my way down. Did that happen? Um. Not exactly.

Mile 1:  8:27
I knew going into the race to keep an eye on the race mile markers and the total time, instead of just relying on my Garmin. And when I got to the first mile marker, my Garmin already said 1.1. WTF? This made for a crazy day of lots of my math-doing in my head.

Or, ya know, I'll become an accountant and work with numbers 

ALL FUCKING DAY LONG.

That first mile felt good. Not labored or hard (like the half marathon a month ago felt). The second mile had a bit of a hill in it, but I powered up it no problem.

Mile 2: 8:22.
I was looking at my watch oh... about every 7 seconds and instead of it annoying the crap out of me, it was actually a welcome distraction. It was almost soothing to know that I was keeping my pace in check.

Mile 3: 8:17
Mile 4: 8:20
Mile 5: 8:26

It was at this point that I started thinking about the hill after mile 5. It's a pretty big hill and I was hoping that it would only slow me down to around 8:35-8:45.

Mile 6: 9:17
Doh! I was so pissed about this time. Sure it was a tough hill, but it wasn't THAT tough. I soldiered on and started thinking about the hill in the last mile. I knew that I was going to need to bank some time while I could for that hill. I also started doing the math in my head, trying to figure out what I had to run for the last few miles to make my goal. Basically, I told myself that I couldn't run slower than 8:15s.

Mile 7: 8:00

Mile 8: 7:55

Mile 9: 8:09

And then the hill. UGH. It was a bitch. It's a long grind (which I usually don't mind) and then a steep section near the top (my least favorite types of hills). It was terrible. My legs and chest both felt like they were going to explode. Once it was over (by the way, thanks to the dude that passed me on the hill and tried to give me words of encouragement. Sorry I gave you the death stare and grunt), I started to really pick it up, as I knew that every second was going to count (particularly after the hill). I passed by Elly, the photographer and she said to me.... "That bad, huh?"

 Yeah, it felt pretty fucking terrible.

 At least with sunglasses you can't tell that my eyes are closed.

I had about a quarter of a mile to go and I just ran as fast as I possibly could. I started dry heaving and thought that I was going to throw up all over myself (luckily there was nothing left in my stomach). I dry heaved about 5 times before crossing the finish line and dry heaving again. EVERYONE in the finish line area was quiet, they thought that I was going to start spewing like a volcano at any moment. Luckily, I didn't.

But I did come in with a PR and I met my goal... 1:24:37! BOOM BITCHES! Schooled!

Mile 10: 8:38 (stupid fucking hill).

This race was a huge boost for me. Aside from the hills and the last minute sprint, I felt REALLY good during this entire race. Which is very rare for me. I think my experimentation was right on the money and I'm going to continue to tweak a few things with that routine. This day was a HUGE difference from the Half marathon I ran a month ago. That's progress, bitches!

What I want.

Obviously, all I can think about is starting my training for the Marathon. It's actually kinda freaking me out a little. But, I'm ready for a weekly training plan, I'm ready for tempo runs and intervals, I'm ready for tune-up races and PRs. A year ago, I didn't give a shit about how I performed in races and now it's like I'm a total junkie for training plans and improvement. It doesn't hurt that I have people in my life that really believe in me and WANT me to do well.

When I was training for my half marathon PR, I often talked about my TEAM (because we all know how lazy of a fuck I can be). And without my team, there is no way I could have gotten the results that I did. This time around, I'll be relying on my team even more.

My coach. Who not only puts together training plans for me,

but also runs with me, and offers impromptu therapy sessions

for me when I'm FREAKING OUT.  

 Steve, my running partner that pushes me and keeps

me honest during training. He never balks when

I tell him about the bazillion miles of speedwork 

we have to do that day. Although, he's probably

cussing out Coach with every step.

 The KoB patiently listens to me bitch and moan, answers

all my running related questions thoughtfully and honestly

and inspires me with his badass-ery.
He also scares rental car agents. 

Sorry y'all, it's going to be a long ass 22ish weeks. (I mean good grief, it hasn't even started yet and I'm already talking about it! And have been for the past 2 months!).

Speaking of which... last week, I sent an email to Coach (OMFG she is going to be soooo sick of me by December. Lots of booze your way, Tanya, I swear!) about the types of things I want to do while training. Because, as a control freak, I can't just go with the flow... no, I have to interject my piss poor suggestions to my coach. Yes, I'm ashamed that this is how self-obsessed I can be.

BUT, this is kinda what I want (in 2 months I'll probably be deleting this post from the archives):

• Two-a-Days once a week. I really don't have a good reason for this, except that it makes me feel a little bad ass-ish. And vanity is always important in running. I'm sure it has some advantages: running on tired legs, etc and I'm sure it has some disadvantages: running on tired legs, etc.

• Getting High. As in high mileage. As long as my body can handle it, I prefer to run high mileage weeks. I get a lot of confidence from looking at my running log and seeing lots of miles in there.

 Don't worry, Mom. Not this kind of "high mileage."

• PRing the shit out of some races. Actually, I just want to race more. I can be a total bitch ass pansy in the middle of a race and I think running a race once a month or so will teach me to toughen up a bit. (It probably won't).

 After I fired off this email to Coach, she pretty much responded with a CHILL THE FUCK OUT, BITCH. I GOT THIS.

Let's go, Team!