Saturday Rest, Sunday Race

For the first time in I can't remember when, I had a lazy Saturday. I did not run. I slept past 8 am. I honestly can't remember the last time when either of those things happened. After JFK, I am going to make sure these two things happen more often. I realized how productive one can actually be in a Saturday when you don't run for 5 hours, which in turns leaves you (me) tired and worthless for the rest of the day. Anyway, I slept in. Went to a nice breakfast with Dan (Austin peeps, we went to Cafe Java in Round Rock - I highly reccomend it), cleaned my car, went to the grocery store, cleaned the house, took the dogs to the park...all before Noon. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and resting for Sunday's race.

Sunday's race was the Run for the Water 10 miler, which is race #2 in the Austin Distance Challenge and also served this year as the RRCA State 10 Mile Championships, making it a money race. This race is notoriously hilly, but it's actually one of my favorite courses, and this was the 4th year that I've run it. I was actually pretty "meh" about this race this year. One, it started at 7 am in downtown Austin, which meant a 4:30 am wake up call. Second, I was still so freaking tired from work last week that I thought about skipping the race, sleeping in and running on my own. My nutrition had also been absolutely horrible this week, and I was pretty sure that Friday nights dinner of fried mushrooms, nachos, wings and beer wasn't the best choice (especially since I had Freebirds for lunch). But, my registration fee was paid, and so I raced it. I wasn't sure what I was going to bring to the table yesterday. Last year, I had PR'd on this course with a 1:09:18, and I hoped I could come somewhat close to that time.

Somehow, I managed to knock out a good race. Probably 99% due to the fact that I rested on Saturday and only ran a few easy miles on Friday. And, because when you are used to running a zillion miles on the weekends, 10 miles sure does seem short. I ended up finishing in 11th place among women out of 765 (women), just 4 seconds shy of 10th place (of course). But, if Desiree Ficker is taking 5th at this race, then I'll gladly take 11th place and be proud of it. My Garmin stats: 10.08 miles/1:07:49/6:43 pace; Official results: 10 miles/1:07:49/6:46 pace.

Last week ended up being my lowest week of mileage in awhile, but it was also one of my highest intensity weeks in awhile with hard speed workouts Tues/Thurs and then a 10 mile race on Sunday. One mistake I've made with 50 mile training is too much speed work. I kept it in my training plan because 2 months after JFK, I'm running the Rock & Roll Phoenix Marathon, in which I was hoping to PR. But, I've realized I've been putting too much emphasis on the speed work. The volume of training I am doing coupled with the high intensity of some of my workouts just isn't leaving me much time at all to recover. So, this will be my last week of speed work until the 50 miler. I'll still go to the Tues/Thurs RunTex workouts, but take it down several notches (run group friends, please hold me to this).

Anyway, last week:
Monday - 7.11 mile recovery, 35 minutes core work
Tuesday - 9.78 miles - Run Group - Hills, Lunch Swim 2,000yds
Wednesday - 5 miles easy, Lunch Swim 2,000yds
Thursday - 10.11 miles - Run group - 800's, 200's, hills
Friday - 4 easy
Saturday - REST
Sunday - 3 mile warm up, 10 mile race
Total Running Miles - 49

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! If you live in the area and are trick or treating, swing on by. We'll be the ones sitting on our front porch with our two bassets dressed in costume (much to my husband's dismay) passing out candy. Also, Happy Birthday to my Mom (hi Mom!).

Tired Like Woah

There is nothing more I like than when Friday comes around, except when Friday comes around after a really long & busy week. This week was one of those weeks. As you may or may not know, I am a special events/marketing coordinator for the Parks & Recreation Department of the city I live in. And, if you are wondering if my job is anything like the television show 'Parks & Recreation', yes, it totally is. Sometimes I wonder if that show is based on our particular department/town.

Anyway, I am in charge of planning certain city Special Events and this week was one of them - the Annual Halloween Festival. This is probably the largest scale event I am in charge of as it brings in about 1500 people and requires me to deal with multiple vendors and manage a large group of volunteers. Both of which I hate doing, so I always go into this event stressed out and on little sleep. The event was last night, so after being up at 4:45 am and getting to bed after 11 pm yesterday, then getting up at 6 am to be back in the office today for massive clean-up (cleaning up after large amounts of children with large amounts of candy involved isn't fun. Add sweeping floors to my list of other duties as assigned) and 6 hours of on-line FEMA training this afternoon...well, I'm beat and ready to hightail it out of the office and head straight to bed (but that would be lame since the RANGERS play in game 7 of the World Series tonight).

My plan was for one last long run of the training cycle tomorrow morning. I'm going to be honest and say that it's not happening. I'm just too tired and my body needs a break.I started to freak/stress out that I must get this run done, but when I started to look at my workouts the past 2 weekends + big work event, I realized I SHOULD be tired. 31 miles, followed by 17 the weekend before, followed by a hard marathon last weekend and a trail run on Sunday, plus two hard speed workouts at run group this week and little sleep = a tired Erin. So, maybe I'll go run a few easy miles on the trails tomorrow, maybe I won't. Maybe I'll swim tomorrow, maybe I won't. Sunday I'm running a hilly 10 mile race in Austin, so maybe I'll save my energy for that. I think, for once, I'll play it by ear this weekend and let the cards fall as they may (which is hard to do for this type A chick).

On another (completely random) note, I am trying to convince my husband that we need to rescue another basset hound. This one in particular.

His name is Leroy and he's from the Austin Basset Rescue (where we got our other two). His descriptions reads (no joke): "He is housebroken, has very good house manners. But, he will tip your smaller trash cans over if you leave beer cans in them (he loves beer -- which he isn't allowed to have, but will seek out the cans). This is awesome. I love beer. Dan loves beer. It's a match made in heaven!


Happy weekend and good luck to those running MCM!!

Let's Talk Race Photos

I got an email saying the race photos from Saturday's marathon were posted on-line and ready to view. I never get excited when I get these emails because I never like my race photos. The photos from Saturday's marathon were no different. Is it too much to ask to take a decent race photo?

This is all the pretty you will get out of me apparently!

COMPLETE CHEESE.

Note to self: NEVER wear that race shirt again (Yes, I'm wearing shorts). It appears as if I am meditating in this shot.

Still wearing shorts, I promise. The lady in purple looks disgusted.  

Apparently I like to run with my eyes shut.

This might be decent if it didn't look like I had some  tobacco in my teeth.

I'M COMING FOR YOU!! (MY NEMESIS). Sorry, had to include this one,. Mature, I know.

Frankenthon Marathon Race Report

Thanks to everyone for the congratulatory wishes on yesterday's marathon! I've already cashed in on my running gift certificate I won yesterday, buying more running clothes I really didn't need (but they are cute!).

So, obviously yesterday's marathon turned into more of a race than a training run for me. I really had planned to run it conservatively, but sometimes even best laid plans don't go as planned. This was a local marathon, just North of Austin, and a fairly small one. They kept the list of currently registered participants updated on the web site, so I would  stalk check out the list occasionally to scope out my competition. Since it's a smaller race, the winning women's times in the past have been a little slower than they would be in one of the big marathons - roughly around 3:25. I felt like I had a chance to win if it the field was similar to year's past. But, here's the thing about race day: you never know who is going to show up. Closer to the race, I checked the participant list again and saw a name of a female I recognized who runs for one of the Austin elite teams. She's fast...out of my league fast. I've never met her in person, just know the name from the Austin racing scene and figured the races was hers to take. Which, I told myself, was good. I could follow my plan to just run it as a training run.

Fast forward to race day. I was battling achy joints all week, which I attributed to the sheer volume of training I was doing. I took a complete rest day on Friday, hoping that would help with the aches. The last thing I wanted was to make it half way through and have to drop out because of joint pain. I got to the race early and warmed up for an easy 3 miles; I've found with 50-miler training it takes me longer and longer to warm up - probably because my legs are still flushing out the previous day's workout for the first 20 minutes.

I had recognized the speedy girl at the start of the race, but she doesn't know me from Adam, so I didn't talk to her before the race. The starting gun sounded, and my plan was to go out and run by feel at a comfortable pace. I settled into a 7:30 pace and found myself running side by side her and another guy. The guy running with us started chatting and asking our goals. She wouldn't say but informed him she wasn't going to talk during the race (kind of rudely, but I get it. I don't usually like to carry on long conversations in a race either). I told him I didn't have a specific time goal in mind, and that I just wanted to run a steady race. At that point, the other girl spoke up with some unsolicited advice about maybe I should slow down because we were running pretty fast and she has a tendency to 'make people try to run faster to keep up.' This was followed up with 'And, this is your first marathon, right?'. I was slightly taken back and a little insulted that she automatically assumed I was going to crash and burn so I needed to slow down, but responded politely with "No, I've done several marathons. This is a comfortable marathon pace for me." Perhaps she was just trying to offer up some advice because she also informed me she is also a coach, so I didn't say anything else ands just continued to run along side her (which I am sure annoyed her). But, I will admit, she fueled the flame a little bit, and I was determined to keep my pace right where it was to prove her wrong (childish perhaps, but oh well...)

The course was a 3 loop course (each loop was 8.75 miles) with several outs and backs along the course so you could see the other participants. I am not a fan of loops, but I figured it would be mental toughness training for JFK. It was also nice to see the other participants several times along the course and provide encouragement, as well as knowing where you stood overall.

I ran most of the first loop with her and the other guy. About mile 7, they were gradually picking up the pace, and I knew it was time to let them go. I was running steady at 7:23 pace; still feeling good but not good enough to try and kill myself to keep up with her. I hadn't expected to be able keep up with her the entire race, so I dropped back and ran my own race.

A few miles into the second loop, she had a good lead on me that I felt she was extending more and more. I was still maintaining a steady 7:22-7:23 pace and feeling good, so kept it there focusing on my race. Ran into a few friends out on the course who told me to go get her; in which I responded 'she's long gone.' I wasn't disappointed; I wasn't expecting to win and was happy with the race I was having.

As I said earlier, the race course was loops with several out and backs where you could cheer on and encourage your other runners. It was a small race, everyone was encouraging everyone else. Twice when we crossed paths going in different directions, I told her 'good job' to which she completely ignored. Okay...I am sure she was focused, but from there on I just remained silent when we crossed paths. I guess I was just a bit perturbed by her aloofness. Maybe I should be more focused when I race, but it doesn't waste a lot of breathe to encourage your fellow runners or thank volunteers...it's not like this was a big money race or the Olympics. But again, to each their own.

I finished my second lap a little faster than my first, and headed into my third lap feeling good. The good part about training for a 50 miler is that you do long runs so often, that 26.2 no longer seems like such a monstrous distance - the miles flew by. About 1.5 miles into the third loop, I noticed that I was closing the gap on her. Despite spectators telling me I wasn't far behind, I still didn't feel like I was within reach to catch her. I was running steady but I didn't have anything else to give to pick up the pace. I stayed steady and slowly but surely I kept getting closer and closer. At mile 23, I caught her. We ran together until Mile 24 and then I passed her. We still had another mile to go out before heading back to the finish. After I passed her, I didn't hear her footsteps behind me, but figured I would be able to gauge at the turn around how far behind me she was. I never saw her again and realized she had dropped out. I was excited knowing that I was going to win, but also somewhat confused as to why she dropped out with two miles to go? Was she hurt? Or was she embarrassed to finish second to me when she thought she'd run away with it? Was her ego too big to finish second? Or could she legitimately not make it 2 more miles and should I alert someone? Should I be excited or offended? I decided I should not worry about anything but getting my butt to the finish line; I did not need to worry about anyone's race but my own.

I crossed in 3:15:08/26.42 miles/7:23 pace (my Garmin) and 3:15:10/26.250 miles/7:26 pace (official results). I measured the course long at 26.42, but  no fail I always measure it long, and this one had lots of curves and turns - I should probably learn not to weave so much in races. I was excited to see from the results that my slowest lap was actually my first lap.

Finish:  3:15:10.24 / 26.250 miles/ 7:26/M
Lap 1 1:05:11.39 /8.750 miles/ 7:27/M
Lap 2 1:04:54.39 /17.500 miles/ 7:25/M
Lap 3 1:05:04.46 /26.250 miles/ 7:26/M

So, there it is. I never saw her after the race. My husband said he saw her jog it in, veer off before the timing mat and then leave. While I would have like to battled it to the end, I was super excited to win (first female) my first marathon. As I told my husband, if you find a small enough race, anyone can win, even me - haha!

(disclaimer: this is simply my account of the race. I don't mean to offend or down play her marathon, as I highly respect her athletic accomplishments and know 9 times out of 10, she could kick butt. I also know everyone has different racing styles, so I should not take offense to comments or lack thereof made on the course. the end.)

Um...oops

Dear Self (Part 2),

You are an idiot. But, hey - nice job on that marathon. The $100 gift card, free massage coupon, and trophy sure are nice. Will you ever learn that you don't have to 'race' every race? Probably not. But, good job anyways...

Love,
Erin

(ended up coming from behind to finish 1st female (4th overall) in today's marathon in 3:15:08. I was battling it out with another girl - which is actually a really good story that I will go into later).

Dear Self:

Dear Self:

LISTEN UP. You are running a marathon tomorrow. This marathon is training for JFK 50 and should be treated like so. You should not treat this as a race. You definitely should not race it and go balls to the wall. That would be stupid. Let's not be stupid tomorrow, m'kay?

Love,
Erin

I'd rather be doing this...

(please excuse the ratty couch; it's the dog's couch. 

yes, they have their own couch.)

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

For some, my lifestyle is hard to understand. People think I'm crazy for running all the time, for spending my weekends training, or for getting up at the crack of dawn to run, swim or bike. I've gotten a lot of questions & quizzical looks over the past several months when I tell people I am training for a 50-mile running race. I decided to compile a list of the 'most frequently asked questions' that I've received.

You ask, I tell.

1. (Most Commonly Asked) Why? (insert strange look from non-runners here) I’ve always been intrigued by the ultra marathons, but especially JFK being that it's a large race with a long tradition. I also think endurance events really play to my strength as a runner. I am not that fast, I just don’t slow down as much as other people do, which has made me a decent marathon runner. I also think I am pretty strong mentally as a runner, which will also play to my advantage in the longer races. Once I started running more and more marathons and kept improving my times, I decided that I should give the 50-mile distance a shot.
   
   
2. What do you think about when you run for that long? Don’t you get bored? I do some of my best thinking when I run. I think about everything and nothing. Sometimes the range of thoughts is all over the map, and sometimes I zone out so much, I don't remember the miles. A lot of the time, especially with the really long runs, I am envisioning race day, and practicing motivating myself for that stage in the race. 

3. How do you recover from all those long runs? I’ve always been lucky to recover from runs quickly. (I’m also not very prone to injuries thankfully. And knock on wood). I am pretty non-traditional with my recovery. I don’t take ice baths. I don’t wear compression socks. I don’t get massages. I use Icy Hot. Does that count? I also swim a lot which I think helps work out soreness. I guess I should thank my parents for whatever genes they passed along that made me this way.

4. What do you eat? Anything and everything. Well, not really, but I don’t place any dietary restrictions on myself – one of the reasons I run is to eat what I want! I try to eat pretty healthy – lots of salads, fruits and vegetables – but, I also eat my fair share of Mexican food, candy (Halloween candy is killing me right now) and other no-so-healthy foods. I also eat lot. Probably double what my husband eats. And, I eat often. My biggest pet peeve is when people (99.9% of the time non-runners and women) assume that just because I run a lot and am fit that 1) I don’t eat and 2) only eat super healthy foods. Not true.

5. What will you eat during the 50-miler? I am going to stick to liquid nutrition (gu, gels, etc) as long as possible. This has worked well in my training, and I used a very similar strategy during Ironman. I will add a few mini-Clif bars and/or a PBJ later in the race if necessary. I know many people will have different strategies than this, but I think I can get by on little solid food. Different things work for different people.

6. What’s the longest run you’ll do in training? The longest run I’ve done up to this point is 31 miles. I may go a mile or two further this weekend (I’m running a marathon Saturday, so will add on before/after) but that will be the extent of it. I don’t see a need to go any further than 35 miles in training.

7. How do you keep yourself motivated and going during long runs and/or long races when you are tired and want to stop? I tell myself: The faster you go, the sooner the suffering ends: Easy concept. Difficult to execute at times. After 2 1/2 years of pummeling my body with marathons, half ironmans and an ironman, I've learned that humans are resilient creatures, and it takes a LOT to kill a person. Case in point: I'm sitting here writing this. This is always a vital bit of knowledge when the going gets tough... I simply have to mentally remove myself from the current moment and current suffering and remind myself that this too, shall pass, that it won't kill me, and there is no reason to stop pushing.

8. Are you planning to train for a 100-miler next? No. I really don’t have a desire to do anything that will keep me on my feet for 24 hours. I like my sleep too much.

9. How does 50-mile training compare to Ironman training? Which is harder? The training is different. Which do I like more? 50-mile training. Mostly because I really do not like riding my bike for hours upon hours. Which is more time consuming? Ironman training.You’re on your bike for at least 5-6 hours at a time, then usually follow that with an hour or 2 run afterwards. There were weekends during Ironman training where I would start training before the sun was up and didn’t return home until almost dinner time. 50-mile training is time consuming, but much more manageable. Which is harder on my body? 50-mile training. Running for hours upon hour, usually on back to back days is hard on your body. Especially if you are doing most of that training on the road and still incorporating speed workouts into your training. With Ironman training, there is a variety and swimming (no impact) and biking (low impact) provide a nice change from the constant pounding on the road. Which will be a harder race for me to execute? We will see…
   
   
10.  Do you have a goal finish time for JFK? Or do you just want to finish? I will finish. I can say this now because I've been tested. My mentality: If someone held a gun to your head and made you run, you could run a lot farther than you think (though that would be a rather weird thing for a gunman to demand). So if you make quitting seem like getting shot in the head, you'll keep going. If it comes to that, I think I will. If this (finishing) is only thing I can accomplish out of my goals, then that's ok.
    
     But, yes, I do have a goal. Unfortunately, I am unable to do anything ‘just for fun’ without a goal in the back of my head. Endurance is definitely my strong point; I am hoping can do 50 miles without walking (or very limited walking) and finish right around the 8 hour mark. Like between 8:00 and 8:05. The challenging section of the race for me will be the 13 miles over the Appalachian Trial. But, I am hoping the more accommodating 26-mile section along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal will allow me to regain some of the time lost on the AT.
    
    
11. Do you have a coach? Or follow a training plan? I do not have a coach, and I follow somewhat of a training plan (although fairly loosely).I’ve never really been one to follow a training plan – I like to do my own thing, that’s just me.
    
    Most of the training plans I looked at are the same in that they emphasize “sandwich run”—essentially back-to-back long, slowish runs on successive days (building up to runs of 4-5 hours each) that help practice the feeling of running on tired legs. Undoubtedly, you will find yourself running on tired legs during the course of a 50-mile race. The more you can replicate that feeling during training, the better you’ll feel during the race. So, that’s what I’ve been doing. Because JFK has so much flat running, I trained for the race more like it was a road race rather than a trail ultra. I also did not cut my speed works out of my training, even though ultra training emphasizes longer slower miles as opposed to short and fast running. I really enjoy the speed work I do with my run group, and although I’m focused on JFK, I still want to be able to go out and run well at the shorter race distances.
    
    
12. What’s next? That’s TBD. I definitely want to shoot for a sub-3:10 marathon either at Phoenix in January or Boston in April (my PR is currently 3:10:25). I’ve toyed with training for another Ironman, but I am not sure I want to make the time commitment again (or right now anyways). We’ll see.

An 80 mile week: in more detail

As I said in my post on Daily Mile after yesterday's run, I felt like Forrest Gump this weekend. All I did was run. And, sit on the couch with the dogs (Dan's out of town) trying to recover in between runs (and eat Halloween Candy, of course). In a two day span, I ran 48.4 miles - more than I've ever run before (but still not what I will run in one day on Nov 19...yikes).

I went into the weekend really not too excited about running. The usually never happens with me, so I actually thought about skipping my runs all together. I just wasn't feeling it. But, I knew the guilt I would feel if I skipped my runs would drive me insane, so run I did...

Saturday my plan was to run between 30-32 miles. That would be my longest run ever. I got up at 4:15 am and was on the road a little before 5 am, to get in some miles before meeting the RunTex group at 6:30 am. I didn't run on Friday, so my legs felt good. After 8 miles in, I ran into a friend who was also running early and ran a little over 2 miles with him before heading back to RunTex. I ended up with just under 10.5 miles before joining the RunTex group. Sarah was gracious enough to agree to run the 20 mile route that RunTex was offering with me, and the miles flew by. It ended up being a great day, and never once did I think about how many miles I was running or not enjoy being out there running. The miles literally flew by and I finished out the morning with 31.3 miles at an 8:24 pace. I had to go to work for a few hours after that, but then headed home and tried to recover with ice and icy hot (seriously, I love that stuff).

Sunday was a little bit of a different story. My plan was to join the Georgetown Trail runners for their trail run. Mick and I planned to meet at Cedar Breaks at 6:30 am to get in a few miles on the road before the trail run began at 8 am. He texted me saying he was running late, so I decided to warm up a mile or two on my own. The warm up did not go well. At all. My body ached, my joints ached, I ached all over. I made it about 2 miles struggling to maintain 9:30 pace and went back to wait for Mick. I was worried that I wasn't going to make it more than a few miles. I told Mick there was no way I could keep up with him and urged him to go ahead and I would follow behind. He said he wasn't in a hurry, and we could go slow. I really didn't want to hold him back, but I really appreciated him offering to run slow with me. Off we went and the next thing we knew we were running just over 8 min miles...and I felt just fine. I don't know what it is - maybe I just needed to warm up - or, maybe I just needed the push of running with someone else, but I ended up with 8 solid miles before heading into the trail run.

My goal for the trail run was simply not to fall. I actually fell on the road (tripped in the dark) on Tuesday and got pretty beat up, and I did not care to add to my wounds. The trail groups alternates locations for their Sunday runs, and yesterday we were running a trail I had never run before. The group leader said it would be a perfect place to work on technical trail skills, which is precisely what I am lacking. I made it through the run unscathed, but also realized that I need to work on my trail running skills. I feel confident heading into JFK in all aspects except for the technical trail portion. Technical trail is just such a different beast, one which I think I approach with too much trepidation, therefore losing too much speed in the process. I still have time to work on my trail skills, I just need to make it a priority.

I wrapped up the trail run with one more mile on the road, and called it a week.

Last week's workouts:
Monday: (AM) - 5.4 miles easy; (Lunch) 35 min strength/core
Tuesday: (AM) - 10.47 miles run group - fartlek; (Lunch) 2,000 yd swim
Wednesday: (AM) - 9 miles easy; (Lunch) 35 min strength/core
Thursday: (AM) - 9.14 miles run group - 5k time trail + hills; (Lunch) 2,100 yd swim
Friday: 1,900 yd swim
Saturday: Long run (road), 31.3 miles
Sunday: Long Run (trail + road), 17.1 miles
Total running miles: 82.4; 3 swims, 2 x core workouts 


How am I feeling today? Okay. A little tired. A little achy. There will be no running today :)

Longest (Mileage) Week Ever

This is the short version:
Finished the week with 82.4 miles
I ran 31.3 miles on Saturday
I ran 17.1 miles on Sunday
I miss my husband (only one more weekend of traveling this season!). 
I am thankful for my dogs (who spent the weekend napping on the couch with me when I wasn't running).

(more to follow)

Strength

This has been a rough week for me – no other way to say it. I have a severe case of the “I don’t wanna’s.” I don’t want to run. I don’t want to go to work. I don’t want to be planning for a major work event I have coming up. I don’t want to do anything but sit at home and hang out with my dogs on the couch watching TV or reading a book. For some reason, I’m pissed off about everything this week. I’m pissed off that I can’t seem to sleep through the night without waking up 10 zillion times worrying about this or that. I’m pissed off I can’t get co-workers to volunteer to help with a major department event coming up. I’m pissed off that I’ve been tired on all my runs this week. I’m pissed off that I have to work tomorrow, on a Saturday. I’m pissed off that I really need to run 30 miles tomorrow for JFK training, and I’ll have to get up at 4 am to get it in. I'm pissed off that my house is a mess, and I haven't found time to clean it. I’m pissed off that it took Texas A&M two weeks to get Flash’s test results back. I’m pissed off that the test results came back negative and so we are back to the drawing board again. I’m pissed off that no one can tell me what’s wrong with my dog, and I’m pissed off I can’t do anything to help him. I know, in the big picture, these things are all really not a big deal and it’s silly to get upset over them. I’m fortunate to have so many great things in my life, that I shouldn’t let the small things get to me. But for some reason this week they have, and I feel completely flattened.

I came across the following post about strength, and it was just what I needed to read today:

Strength

We don't always have to be strong. Sometimes, our strength is expressed in being vulnerable. Sometimes, we need to fall apart to regroup and stay on track.

We all have days when we cannot push any harder, cannot hold back self-doubt, cannot stop focusing on fear, cannot be strong.

There are days when we cannot focus on being responsible. Occasionally we don't want to get out of our pajamas. Sometimes, we cry in front of people. We expose our tiredness, irritability, or anger.

Those days are okay. They are just okay.

Part of taking care of ourselves means we give ourselves permission to "fall apart" when we need to. We do not have to be perpetual towers of strength. We are strong. We have proven that. Our strength will continue if we allow ourselves the courage to feel scared, weak, and vulnerable when we need to experience those feelings.

Today, help me to know that it is okay to allow myself to be human. Help me not to feel guilty or punish myself when I need to "fall apart."

Wordless Wednesday

Since I have nothing interesting to say am too lazy to write much today, I thought I'd share some pictures from my brother's wedding a few weekends ago. Proof that I do actually own clothes other than running attire.

(click on photos to enlarge...if you dare)

Yes, that is my husband trying to put a dog collar on me. Lovely isn't it?

Week in Review

Last week was going of a 'meh' week in general. Hoping this week will be better!

My workouts were:
Monday - 1800 yd recovery swim (lunch)

Tuesday - (AM) Run Group - 9.3 miles - speed work; (Lunch) 30 min strength/core

Wednesday - (AM) 10 mile recovery run; (Lunch) 1800 yd swim (cut short, wasn't feeling well)

Thursday - (AM) Run Group - 9.93 miles - tempo; (Lunch) 35 min strength/core

Friday - (Lunch) 2600 yd swim

Saturday - 5.6 mile shakeout run with some strides; 3,000 yd swim

Sunday - Race canceled; 16.24 mile run @moderate pace on my own

Total Running Miles: 51.07
Swimming - 9,200 yds
Strength/Core - Twice

For the Love of the Shoes

Well, I didn't win a pair of free shoes thing morning. No one did.

Irony: We have not had any rain in Texas in MONTHS (literally months), yet it rained so hard this morning that they canceled the half-marathon I was supposed to run.

This is how my morning went: wake up at 4:30 to drive to Austin for the half-marathon. A torrential downpour started on my way to the race, making me scared for my life driving on I-35 because I literally could not see anything. I finally made it to the race, only to find mass chaos. The police were directing us all over the place, so I literally drove in circles for 20 minutes trying to figure out what the hell was going on and where we were supposed to park. Luckily, I then got a text from a friend that the race had been canceled. I'm annoyed. But, nothing I can do but head back home.

I'm back home around 7 am and I am hopped up on coffee, so there was no going back to sleep. We get an email saying the race has been canceled due to lightning, heavy rain and some flooding on the course. At this point, I am more annoyed that I got up so early and drove 45 minutes for a race that was canceled AND that I gave up what could have been a long training day yesterday to rest for today's race that did not happen. I was also annoyed by the lack of communication about the race cancellation once I got to the race site. The police kept directing us to turn right once we got to the race start which threw us onto Airport Blvd wondering what the hell was going on - so we all followed each other, driving down the road trying to figure out where we were being directed. Some sort of notification would have been nice as opposed to wasting my gas and freaking out that I was lost.

I'm a race director so I get it: sometimes you have to make a hard call to cancel a race (or sometimes a decision is made for you). Was it unsafe to run the race at 7 am when the race was scheduled to run? Yes. Was it unsafe to run at 8 am once the rain let up and lightning had cleared? No. Why not wait an hour and delay the start of the race? Especially since everyone was already down there and had woken up at the crack of dawn and made the effort to make it to the race start. 3M Half has done that before. Why not make every effort to try and make the race happen at that point. Had they made the call earlier to cancel the race, I would not have been so annoyed, but to make it so late in the game...that bothered me.

I race all the time, so whatever, I'm annoyed but I have more races coming up. I know this race had a TON of first time half-marathoners. Those are the ones I feel bad for. All of that hard work for nothing...no refund, no reschedule of the race? C'mon....I just hope it doesn't turn people off from these type of events. I think the race director will take a lot of flack for not offering some sort of compensation for making such a last minute decision.

I ended up going out for 16 miles on my own at 7:45 am once the lightning cleared. I wasn't going to let a canceled race rain (literally) on my parade. But, I am admittedly stubborn and semi-crazy. Sorry to everyone else that didn't get to race or run today. My suggestion: San Antonio 1/2 Marathon. I guarantee you'll enjoy it a lot more than See Jane Run.

See Jane Run Half-Marathon

I’m running the See Jane Run Half-Marathon this weekend in Austin. Originally, I did not intend to sign up for this race, but I got a super-cheap-to-hard-to-resist deal on Facebook Deals for the race entry, so being the sucker I am for deals, I signed up. This is an all-women’s race. I’m not a big fan of all-women’s races. I guess I should be honest and state I’ve only done one – the Danskin Triathlon. I hated it. I totally get and respect their purpose, though. I would highly encourage them for new runners and they are generally very encouraging, uplifting, and provide a less intense atmosphere. I guess my issue is that they are a little too ‘fufu’ for me – particularly races like the Princess Half and Tinkerbell Half put on by Disney. The See Jane Half has chocolate and champagne at the end – to be honest, I’d rather have pizza and beer. And, I like to race against men. I thrive on the intensity. But, I think that’s the tomboy in me.

Anyway, I hadn’t planned on ‘racing’ this race, but instead had planned to use it as a training run (after a long run on Saturday, of course).

But then two things happened.

One, I am super tired this week. Dan would probably like to add ‘grumpy’ to that description. I think the combination of last week/weekend’s volume, tough speed work sessions this week post-race, 50 miler training in general, work being busy, doggy drama (and the list goes on…whine) has taken it out of me. I had been toying with resting completely Saturday before the race on Sunday, and after a tough workout this morning which left me spent, it was confirmed. I will not do a long run this Saturday. Instead I will sleep in for the first time in forever (which, let’s be honest, this will probably mean I sleep until 7 am tops) and just go for an easy swim and maybe (?) a short shake out run. I was already planning to cross train tomorrow, so that will mean two days (gasp!) without any running miles. My legs won’t know what to do with themselves. But, it was time to take a break this week.

The second factor influencing my decision to cool it the next two days is because I found out that the race was giving away shoes to the top three overall women AND the age group winners. I’m a big fan of winning free stuff. Especially when it’s free running shoes. I’m not saying I am going to win anything, but I think I have a decent chance of doing so. To be honest, I’d also like to see what I could run a half-marathon in right now.

So, that’s the plan. Now I just need to stick to it.

Flash's eyes say it all: She's tired - stay far, far away!!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy October!

5:52:05

I did it. I think this was my biggest training week probably ever? I survived. And, I’m pretty proud of myself. Although, I did not come away unscathed. I am hobbling around today like a 90 year old woman and I am chafed in every place imaginable and more. But it was worth it.

When planning my training for last week, I knew if I could get through the week’s volume, that I could finish a 50 miler and finish strong. In fact, the last three miles of yesterday’s half ironman felt exactly what I imagine that last 3 of a 50-miler to feel like. Simply put: painful.

This is what last week looked like.

Monday: Run (AM) – 10.02 miles, recovery; Swim (Lunch): 2150 yards

Tuesday: Run (AM) – 10.93 miles, speed work; Swim (Lunch): 1800 yards

Wednesday: Run (AM) – 5.13 miles, recovery; Swim (Lunch): 2100 yards

Thursday: Run (AM) – 9.67 miles, fartlek

Friday: Swim (Lunch): 2000 yds; Bike (PM): 8 miles

Saturday: Long Run – 17.88 miles @8:23 pace

Sunday: Kerrville Half-Ironman: Swim 1.2 miles, Bike 56 miles, Run 13.1 miles

Total Miles: 137 (56.76 of those were running miles)

As I’ve been reflecting on this race, a poem by Shel Silverstein comes to mind. It goes like this: “Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”

To be honest with you, if you told me ten years ago that I would be training for a 50-mile run, competing in multiple half-ironmans, have run 15 marathons and doing it all for fun, I would have laughed in your face and told you that you were crazy. In fact, I would have been willing to bet a lot of money that I wouldn’t be doing any of this. As the poem says – anything can happen, anything can be. I find it amazing what the body is capable of doing once you put your mind to something. There is nothing amazing about me or my athletic capabilities; I don’t come from a family of athletes or genetic talent. It’s simply hard work and determination that got me to this point. I am an accidental athlete. And, as I told my husband on the drive home last night – if I can do it, anyone can.

Back to the race. We left for Kerrville around 10:30 am on Saturday. My legs didn’t appreciate a long run in the morning followed by a 3 hour car drive. I got out of the car once we got to the hotel in Kerrville and my legs were pretty tight. I felt a twinge of worry as to how things would play out tomorrow.

Pre-Race:
Pre-race activities were pretty mellow. I checked in and picked up my race packet. This was a point-to-point race, so there were two separate transitions so we had to rack our bike at T1 then check in our run gear into T2 the night before. Took care of everything then read for a few hours before we headed to dinner to meet a friend who was racing the Olympic distance on Sunday. I didn’t sleep very peacefully Saturday night – I never do the night before a race, especially when I am in a hotel – but popped out of bed at 5:30 am when the alarm went off. One of the nice things about our hotel was that it was only a few steps to the start line and transition 1. Ate breakfast and covered my legs in Icy Hot (works wonders).

Got to T-1 with about 30 minutes to spare until it closed. Quickly realized I did not have any socks. I know I packed socks, so I head back to the hotel room thinking they are in my suit case. We tear the room apart, but I cannot find the socks anywhere (we later realize upon arrival home that Flash had taken the socks out of my suitcase to chew on…we found them drool covered in the living room). I am panicking because I’ve got to have socks. Dan has one pair of socks, but they are thick cotton ones that 4 sizes too big for me. So Race Sherpa Dan hightails it to Wal-mart to buy be socks at the crack of dawn, and in a CLUTCH move throws them to me when I exit the water from my swim. I am grateful for the love and support of my husband, he saved the day!

Swim:
Being the second to the last swim start stinks. That is all I am going to say about it. Last to go, last ones out on the bike course, and last out on the run. Swimming is always my nemesis. I am always so frustrated that I swim and swim and get slower, not faster. I had figured I would swim right around 46 minutes, a pretty average swim time for me. The swim was beautiful and I swam *mostly* straight, and I did not swim fast, but I swam good for me. The swim seemed to go on forever, so I was ecstatic to finally make the final turn towards the shore. My split was 45:08, which turned out to be one of my better 70.3 swims. Out of the water we had to run a monster hill back up to transition, then it was off to the bike we go.

Bike:

Embrace the suck. This was my motto going into the 56 mile bike ride. I haven’t ridden my bike in a good seven weeks (or ridden over 46 miles in about a year), and while I knew I had good leg/core strength, I knew I needed more time in the saddle. I knew it would be painful and that by mile 20 my butt would be aching, but I wasn’t trying to set any records here – I just wanted to get through it without any mechanical issues (say what you want about my trusty road bike – it’s nothing fancy – but I’ve never ever had any flats or issues during a race, knock on wood!).

The beauty of this was, I enjoyed every minute. From the get go, my legs felt good and surprisingly fresh. The scenery was beautiful in the hill country and all the competitors were pleasant. The bike course was 2 loops, which I preferred because I knew what I had ahead of me in the second loop. The only downside of the ride was some of the rugged pavement that we rode on.

I started to get a little uncomfortable on the bike around Mile 40, but knew I could hang in there for 16 more miles. I ended up passing some people on the second loop which made my spirits soar. I had expected by bike split to be around 3:25-3:30, so I was elated when I found out I had ridden a 3:12:19 bike split (17.5 mph).

Dismounted by bike, struggled to find my run gear bag in transition, but after a somewhat slow transition, I was on my way for a 13.1 mile run through Kerrville.

Run:

I really have no complaints about this race except for one thing: the run course. It was 4 loops (each loop was about 3.2 miles). Loops are mentally tough. Especially after you’ve already swam 1.2 miles and biked 56, and have to pass the finish line 3 times before you can actually cross it. I felt like they could have come up with a better course. It was a mix of pavement and trail (rocks and thick grass) and sadly no shade on the course at all. Luckily for us, it was a cooler day in Texas, but it was still pushing 87 by the time I started my run. And the hills…those would have sucked once, but we had the pleasure of running each hill 4 times.

I had a great first two loops. I was averaging 7:35 minute miles and feeling great! However, that was the highlight of my run. About mile 8 into the run I started to really feel the effects of the week and struggled my way to the finish. I was able to somewhat hold it together on the third loop, still averaging under 8 min miles, but the fourth loop was rough. Really rough. At mile 10, I was fading fast. I was both light headed and nauseous and felt like I didn’t have any control over my legs. Just past mile 11, I had to stop to walk through a water stop. I was mentally starting to lose it. I remember thinking to myself: so this is what Mile 48 of the JFK 50 miler will feel like. Pure and utter exhaustion. I got myself together and started running again. I told myself to just keep moving forward. No more walking. The last mile was an eternity (isn’t that always the case?). One thing I will say though, is that the spectators and volunteers were awesome, especially on the run. Something I’ve noticed is that if you smile at people, they cheer louder for you. I LOVE spectators – people, no matter who they are, cheering for me really gives me a boost and helps me maintain a good pace, and a good attitude, in any race. I am thankful to them for keeping me moving. My run split was 1:48:47 (8:18 pace). While I would have liked to be a little faster, I did not get passed by a single person on the run. I guess that counts for something.

I ended up crossing the line in 5:52:05 and was the most exhausted I have been. Dan tried to convince me to go to the medical tent because I was pretty spacey and had goose bumps, despite the warm weather. I sat down for awhile and started taking in food and fluids and then was good to go.

Overall Thoughts:

I later found out that I had placed third in my age group! I was absolutely elated to have placed so well, and perhaps even more excited about my personal performance today.  To earn a “Podium Finish” (top 3) is more than I would have imagined for myself today. This ended up being my second best half-ironman time out of the six I’ve done.

I came into this race tired, not terribly well-rested or excited, and generally over tris. I leave feeling positive about the future, remembering why I love to race, and believing the best is yet to come.

On another note, watching an Ironman or half iron race is not a lot of fun. Unlike a marathon where you can go from place to place to watch along the course, spectators are pretty much stuck at the transition area. It takes a special person to come for 7 plus hours cheer for a half iron, so I really appreciate Dan for another great and selfless job as my race sherpa. This was his one weekend off from traveling for work, and he chose to spend it watching me swim, bike and run.

I am thankful for each and every person in my life- and you know who you are – who gives me support and encouragement, and helps enable me to travel to a race and give it my all, ending up with a great pay-off like yesterday.  THANK YOU!