Over Ambitious

After last week was deemed 'Celebration Week' I was determined to get back on track this week. I am running the San Antonio Marathon in like 2 weeks and was feeling the pressure (and maybe secretly hoping for another killer race) to get back at it strong.

Well, that didn't happen this week. I was over ambitious on several accounts. First, I was in charge of a large special event for work this week which would require long hours, lots of time on my feet and because I'm a worry wart, stress. So to think I was going to knock out a killer week plus host a successful work event was too ambitious. Second, and most importantly, my body just was not ready to 'get back at it'. Not at all.

I went into Baltimore less than 100%. I wasn't sand bagging when I said I was having serious leg/hip issues and have been dealing with them since January. I was serious when I said I was not confident going into the race. Some days were good, some days were bad and some days were really good and really bad, and I was lucky enough to have a great race day in Baltimore and come away with a PR. I can't be thankful enough for that. I feel like it was my body's way of saying 'Here you go. You've worked hard, overcome some obstacles, so here's your freaking PR. Now leave me the f*&k alone for awhile." I get the message now and clear now.

Long story short, I'm dealing with hip/leg issues again. I feel like someone is stabbing me in the butt with daggers at all times, now on both my left and right sides. I haven't run much this week, and I finally folded my cards yesterday and am not running (or cross training) at all this weekend (and beyond for how long?) including a DNS for a race I was supposed to run today (Sunday).

[I've also continued eating like I'm celebrating the Olympics, partly due to work stress, not giving a f, and frustration with my uncooperative legs. But hey that's what stretchy pants are for...]

#fatfluential

The weird thing is, is that I'm okay with it. Not to be uber cheesy but you know the Kenny Rogers' song the Gambler? He sings:

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away, know when to run"

Well, that's how I feel. I've been stubborn as shit for a long time and powered through when I've been too freaking stupid to call it a day. Always striving for some bigger, something better and something faster. I know ya'll know what I mean. After awhile it gets exhausting, and I've finally realized maybe this all is just a breath of fresh air.  And maybe it's what I need. Too often my ego gets in the way, so maybe this is all a sign that I need a change of perspective for awhile.

The past two mornings I slept til the glorious hour of 8 am. Yesterday, instead of getting up to lace up my running shoes, I stayed in my PJ's and watched my DVR'd episodes of Nashville and Jersey Shore [quality]. Once Dan got up, we leisurely had coffee, took the dogs to the park then had some greasy burgers and fries at Hardtails [also quality]. Then we hung out watching football. I imagine today will be more of the same. And I'm enjoying it.

Spending time with my favorite red head

I also got to hang out more with this guy.

Injuries happen, set backs happen. I'll take it as a sign of some much needed downtime. I may gain a few pounds. I may lose some fitness. I may run San Antonio slow or have to downgrade to the half. But, in the long run [pun intended], I am not defined by my running times. They are not my end all. I’ve learned over the years that when I let running define me, I invite a whole bunch of disappointment.

I'll be back. But for now you can find me on the couch with some good eats. :)

“One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged.” Lucille Ball

Celebration Week!

Usually after a big race I give myself a day or two and then I am all business again - looking ahead to my next big race and ready to charge ahead.

This time around was a little different. After a training cycle filled with ups and downs that took a lot out of me mentally and physically, I deemed last week Celebration Week! My husband was more than happy to oblige and we spent last week eating pure junk without giving it a second thought, not worrying about early bed times or early mornings, not planning workouts and having zero commitments for the weekend. Originally I was going to race this weekend, but decided against it - I wanted a weekend where I had nothing to do, no race to prep for and no alarm clock to set.

You would have thought I'd won the freaking Olympics last weekend the way I celebrated this week - we ate out 5 out of the 7 nights and the two nights in I ordered Papa John's one night and ate a family size serving box of Mac & Cheese in one sitting the other night. I also ate my weight in chips and queso, candy corn and swedish fish. While celebration week has come to an end (my bank account and pants are thanking me), I don't regret it at all. Sometimes you just need a break. And, while I'm typically no role model for super healthy eating, this week was over the top for even me. Celebration week was an excuse for me to just eat. And be lazy. And not worry about xyz miles that need to be run at xyz pace the next day. And maybe that's what it is - an excuse - but many athletes spend their lives regulating what they eat and always oh so focused so can you really blame them (me) when such an easy excuse presents itself?

Tomorrow it's pretty much back to business as usual. Alarm clock set for 4:45 am. Reintroducing fruits and veggies back into my life. Speed work. Early bed times. Core work.

It was fun while it lasted.

Baltimore Marathon Race Report

I don't even know where to start with this one. I think I am still in a state of shock and denial that I actually ran a sub-3:10. I had some serious doubts going into this race about my ability to break 3:15, yet alone 3:10.   As I've said before, 2012 hasn't been my best year of running. I've run two marathons this year - one was a DNF in January and one was pretty much a personal worst steam bath/limp fest in Boston in April. So, headed into this race I wanted redemption but after two bad marathons in a row, this race scared me shitless. I know you should trust in your training, and it wasn't the endurance I was worried about...it was the speed (I did virtually zero pace runs in this training cycle) and my left leg (still battling the same leg issues from my January DNF).

I flew into Baltimore on Thursday, was greeted by my family, had a nice dinner dinner in Maryland with my brother and sister in law before heading back to Northern Virginia for the night. Friday, after a solid night's sleep, I went for an easy 4 mile shake out run in my parent's neighborhood. The run went well, albeit the same tightness in my hips that I can't seem to get rid of. It's not painful, just tight. I was a little worried how it would hold up the next day, but at this point there was no turning back. We (my parents and I) headed up to Baltimore early afternoon for packet pick-up, hotel check-in, and dinner in Little Italy. I ended up with probably 3 miles of walking around Baltimore in boots that day, but I did the same thing in Vegas and PR'd in that marathon so maybe there's something to it...after dinner I said good night to my parents and laid in my hotel bed eating Swedish Fish and watching Jersey shore until I turned out the lights at 8:45 pm.

Our hotel was about 1/2 mile from the start line (thanks to my awesome travel agent of a mom for booking this gem) so I got to sleep in until 5:45 am, still leaving myself plenty of time to get ready and down to the race start by 8 AM. At 7 AM, I bid adieu to my parents and jogged down to the start line. The weather was perfect for running - mid 40's, sunny and no wind. I did my standard 2 mile pre-race warm-up, hit the bathrooms and got lined up.

Go away camera man. I'm not interested in a pre-race photo.

Probably to the surprise of no one, I decided to line up with the 3:10 pace group. My plan was to hang on as long as possible. I didn't come this far to play it safe, so if I crashed and burned, then well, there would always be another marathon.

A 3:10 marathon requires an average pace of 7:15 per mile. I was doubtful my ability to hold this pace for 26.2 miles, and my doubt only increased as the 3:10 pacers unveiled their race plan for the day: they were going to bank some time early on to build a :30 second cushion for the hills that come later in the race - miles 15-23. So, now I would need to hold a little bit faster pace early on and then hang on for dear life when the hills hit. Color me dubious, but I was willing to give it a go.

The gun went off and off we went. There were about 15 people running with the 3:10 pace group, and two other ladies besides myself. I wish I could say I felt fabulous, but from the get go I had the tightness in my hip and left leg. That's the weirdest thing about this whole damn race - the tightness stayed with me the entire race. To be honest, I kept waiting for it to seize up and alter my stride, but it never did. It was just an annoying nag that I was aware of, but never did it become debilitating (thank you running gods).

My plan was to stay with the 3:10 pace group and try not to look at my watch. I was depending on them: whatever they run, I run and try to hang on. The first 5 miles we climb. It's early so the hills don't bother me. I put in a lot of hill training this training cycle, and I was confident in my ability to stay strong on the hills as long as my legs cooperated. The first 5 miles went by fairly quickly: 7:16, 7:06, 7:25, 7:10, 7:01.

Around Mile 6, we start to descend. Miles 6-9 were pretty much all downhill and the pacers tell us to take advantage of them. I don't look at my watch and just stay with them. 7:05, 7:01, 7:04, 7:01. Had I been looking at my watch, I probably would have freaked out and slowed down.

Entering mile 9, the course has woven its way back to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, where the crowd has swollen to incredible levels. The Baltimore Running Festival also features a Half Marathon, which starts at 9:45 AM at the halfway mark of the Marathon. The Marathon course runs past the start area, then loops back around to come back past the start area again, with the Half Marathon runners to the Marathon runner’s left. The half runners are all starting to line up. I think that race has about 9000 spots, so they create an instant crowd that whips itself into a frenzy as they are cheering the full runners as they go by. After passing by the first time, we head into the Federal Hill area of Baltimore where the residents have really embraced the race. There are people everywhere, signs along the road, chalk written encouragement on the road. It’s a fantastic atmosphere.We are heading into Locust Point, the headquarters of the marathon sponsor, Under Armour. This is where we will loop back around and head back toward the start line of the Half Marathon. The turn is at mile 11. This area is pretty flat, but I am feeling a little off and fall behind the pace group a bit. I feel like my gait is off a little and I almost trip at one point. I pray my legs get their shit together. Mile 10 and 11 were clocked at 7:17.

I get excited knowing I will see my family at the half-way point and pull a little but ahead of the 3:10 pace group. Turning back, we head back to the Inner Harbor. I can hear the announcer giving instructions to the Half Marathon participants. The fields are separated for the first 3 miles on the Half Marathon, so that we don’t get all tangled up with them. We’ll merge together later and end at the same finish line. At mile 13.5, I see my family and give them a High Five as I go by. At this point, I feel a little more tightness in the top of my left calf, but I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about. I trudge on. We head out of the Inner Harbor as we finish up mile 14. Bolstered by the crowd and seeing my loved ones, those miles pass by in 7:00, 7:08 and 7:06.

As we approach the 15 mile mark we're still a large 3:10 pace group holding strong. No casualties yet. But we were about to approach the hills. I'm feeling fine cardio vascularly but to be honest was waiting for the ball to drop.

Around Mile 15 we hit our first hill and they just keep coming. Long rollers. Miles 15-17 were 7:12, 7:12, 7:08. I'm keeping up with the pace group for the most part, but at this point we're losing people from our group. I'm still feeling good, despite the hills, but am a little worried that I will hit the wall at Mile 20. The pacers warn us we're approaching the lake, where we will do a flat 1 mile loop, but to beware of the wind coming off the water. Mile 18 and 19 are 7:00 and 7:12. We hit the lake at mile 20 in 7:14. By now, it just me, my two pacers friends, and two other guys. At this point in the day, I've been fairly quiet but I need something to distract me from the task at hand, so I start a conversation with the pacers. They are super nice, and I learn their marathon PR's are in the 2:40's. Damn. We hit Mile 21 in 7:13, and we are still ahead of schedule to cross that finish line in 3:10. At this point, I become confident. We're passing people, including 2 women. I pick them off and will myself to remain strong.

Mile 20

After we leave the Lake at Mile 21, we've got another 2 miles of hills. By now, it's literally just me and the two pacers, and I am starting to fall a few steps behind. They coach me up the hills, encouraging me and willing me to keep running strong. Mile 22 is 7:16. I'm promised we've have only one significant hill left, and that gives me a burst of energy. Mile 23 is 7:04.

The pacers tell me at this point they have to slow down (they get scolded if they come in too far under 3:10) but that I can break 3:10 and should go ahead. They tell me the last 3 miles are pretty much all downhill, and that I should go for it. That's all I need to hear. I thank them profusely, at this point confident there is no wall in sight and that I CAN PR. Mile 24 is 6:52.

2 miles left. I just need to make it to Eutaw Street. Mile 25. That's where the crowds will be, that's where my family will be and it will be a downhill stretch into Camden Yards and to the finish line.

I'm running completely alone now. Mile 25 is has a little uphill section as we cross a bridge constructed over the Jones Falls Expressway. Slowed a bit by the rise, my mile pace rise to 7:01, but is no cause for alarm. I know we’ll soon be heading downhill and be protected by the larger structures of the downtown area. The crowd support is really starting to pick up now as both sides of the street are lined with vocal spectators, shouting encouragement as the runners go by.

At this point, I know I am going to be able to finish strong. I am feeling fantastic. I see my family at the bottom of Eutaw Street just before Mile 26 and while grinning from ear to ear, give them a fist pump. We enter Camden Yards and I hit Mile 26 in 6:40. I had no idea until I looked at my watch afterwards that I had picked up the pace that much.

Digging Deep

Only .2 left. I had resisted looking at my watch for the most part until now. I glanced down and saw that I could now only break 3:10, but break 3:09 as well. 

I am hammering at this point, feeling like a million bucks. I am dropping other runners. The crowds along the finish line are fantastic, stacked 10 deep along the barriers that funnel the runners, cheering widely. I’m buoyed by the presence of all the friends, family and fans that have come out in support of the event. I cross the line feeling like I could keep going.

I’ve done it. I ran the last .2 (.4 according to my Garmin) at 6:38 pace to finish with a chip time of 3:08:05, PR of over 2 minutes. I’m ecstatic, knowing that all the hard work over the last few months has paid huge dividends for me. I tear up, and after a quick finisher's photo, literally dash off to find my family. 

Crossing the finish line

The inscription on the medal said: "What hills don't kill you will make you stronger." How appropriate.

A big thank you to my 3:10 pacers Dan & Brian. You guys were awesome, and I feel like I owe you my first born or something to repay you for getting me in under 3:10. Looking back at my splits now, we ran a pretty tenacious race, and I am not sure I would have ran this fearlessly this on my own.

Thank you again Baltimore for a magical day of running. This is my third go-around at this race, and it never disappoints.

Congratulations to my cousins - Kelly, who also ran the full, and Lexi & Mark who smoked the 5k. And, to my uncle who PR'd in the half!

How awesome is my mom for getting a cake for us afterwards. Orange is for the O's, even though they lost :(

Thanks again to my family for spending their weekend catering to my needs and watching me run. Thank you to my husband for putting up with my moods during this up and down training cycle. Thank you to my running friends who log countless miles with me and inspire me to push harder and be the best runner I can be. Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout and believed in me.

I've got a month before Marathon #20 - San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon. This was my back-up marathon, should I need another shot at breaking 3:10. Now, I can sit back, relax and enjoy this one (I know some of you are thinking yeah right, I know you'll race it...:)

But first a week of being lazy, eating Halloween candy and catching up on all of the Mexican food I have been missing this training cycle...

I DID it.

Somehow, this happened.... (official results)

ERIN RUYLE #1721

GEORGETOWN, TX, USA

Age: 34 Gender: F

Distance	MAR
Clock Time	3:08:07
Chip Time	3:08:05
Overall Place	87 / 3020
Gender Place	11 / 1105
Division Place	5 / 218
Age Grade	72.7%
5 7M	0:41:22
12 2M	1:31:59
13 1M	1:34:27
18 9M	2:16:30
20M	2:24:23
Divt	218
Sext	1105

My Garmin: 26.43 miles/3:08:05/7:07 avg pace 
Mile 24 - 6:52
Mile 25 - 7:01
Mile 26 - 6:40
Last .43 - 6:38 pace
NEVER have I finished a marathon this strong.

Thank you to everyone for your kind texts, tweets, emails and Facebook messages. I've read and re-read every single one of them and they continue to make me smile. I can't even express in words how much a simple congratulations meant to me yesterday. And a big special thank you to my family - having them there made this race even more special, and I am 100% certain I would not have done it without them there.

Race report to follow....

Welcome to Race Week!

As was the title of the email I received from the Baltimore Marathon yesterday. Like I could forget, but I still was overcome with both a feeling of excitement and an ohshit! feeling.

This will be my last pre-race blog post as I am outta here on Thursday sans lap top but will be doing some tweeting should anyone care to follow my mis-adventures across the coast (twitter feed is to the right of my blog).

I am still unsure as to how I am going to approach this race, and to be honest it will probably be a last minute decision made after my pre-race warm-up. I can usually get a good feel of how my body is going to cooperate by the way the warm-up goes. Not always, but most of the time.

I really have two options.

1 - I can start out with the 3:10 pace group and try to hang on. In all honesty, I've been under a bit of grand delusion that 7:15 pace is my marathon race pace. To be honest, it will be a pace that is slightly uncomfortable for me. On one hand, I may be able to hang on. I am a strong endurance runner and a lot of times the further I run, the better I feel. On the other hand, starting out too fast in a marathon can spell disaster i.e. major blow up.

2 - There is no 3:15 pace group. The next group is 3:20. So I can try to run between both groups. Keeping the 3:10 group in sight while making sure the 3:20 group isn't too close. I feel like I can comfortably run a 3:15 marathon pace (7:26 min/miles). So, I can try to run the first half at 3:15 pace then try to drop pace the second half. Although there would be a very small chance I would be able to drop pace that much to still hit 3:10. And there's also the chance 7:26 pace is actually more realistic to my current marathon abilities and I might not be able to pick it up at all.

And, maybe I do have a third option -

3- Just run and not over think everything.

I just don't want to leave anything out there and play it too safe, but I also don't want to blow up half way through the race because I've over estimated my abilities.

Anyway, I've signed up for runner tracking so that it auto-feeds my marathon splits (every 10K) to my Twitter account. You can follow me @erinruyle on Twitter to see my progress, or just stop by my blog if you wish and Twitter feeds are to the right. I was a little bit apprehensive about doing this, as I wasn't sure if I really wanted the entire Internet World to see my splits...however, maybe it will light more of a fire under my ass.

Also, FYI, last year apparently the tracking didn't work so (Mom) if you don't see anything come through don't automatically assume I am in a ditch somewhere in Baltimore.

I signed my mom and husband up to receive text message alerts  - no need to bombard everyone's else phones with my marathon splits. Sadly my race sherpa will not be traveling with me this time since he's in season with golf, but knowing he's still following me and cheering for virtually will help me out a lot (cheesy, I know).

Thankful for his confidence in me!

See ya on the flip side. Off to run Marathon #19 on Saturday. Race starts at 8 AM EST.

"You Can't Always Get What You Want"

Anyone else familiar with that Rolling Stones song? ^^ I found those lyrics running through my head this morning as I crossed the finish line of today's IBM 10k in 41:23.

I didn't have a horrible race, but I didn't have the race that I wanted. To be honest I signed up for this race - known for it's fast course - in hopes that it would serve as a final confidence booster for me going into Baltimore next week. With a major cold front coming through bringing temps to the 50's this morning and the only variable being the wind, I was hoping I could roll in with a sub-41 race. My PR is 40:52 on a much more difficult course, so it seemed reasonable to me that a sub-41 race was well within my reach.

In fact, my left leg had been playing nice, and I had great workouts all week. The one caveat was that I finally bit the bullet and went to an ART appointment on Friday (basically a very painful massage). I noticed yesterday on my shakeout run that I was sore again - so I'm assuming it was from the appt and that's normal (anyone have experience with this?). But this morning I was still sore (at times I felt like I was being stabbed in the butt) and I could just never get my legs going as fast as I wanted them too this morning. I am hoping that it will just take my body a few days to adjust to the work he did on my legs, and that I was feeling the after affects this morning and they will soon be on their way (if anyone has experience with ART and it's after affects, please share. Actually, please just tell me this is normal, and I will be just fine :)

The gun went off this morning, and I told myself I would ease into it with a 6:30 mile. Usually at 10k's, I go out way too fast and end up running close to a 6:15 mile. This happens 9 times out of 10, then I crash and burn on Mile 2. Well, unfortunately, when I took off at an effort that was comfortably hard, my watch was telling me it was a 6:44 pace. Shit! I told myself to pick it up, but I couldn't much. My first two miles were clocked at 6:41, and I would be lying if I said they felt super easy. By Mile 3, I got my act together and ran a 6:33 mile. Mile 4 was 6:34, Mile 5 6:38, Mile 6 6:35 and the last .27 (according to my Garmin) was at a 6:11 pace.

I ended up 4th in my age group out of 137 and 17th overall female out of 826. I guess it's not too shabby, but it's hard not to be disappointed when you fall short of your goals. 2012 has not been my best year for running, and I seem to keep falling in the pattern of comparing myself now to myself pre-injury. I spent 2010 and 2011 in the best physical and mental shape of my life with highs from the Ironman and 50 Miler. Unfortunately, what's been very hard for me to realize (and accept) is that you can't be in the best physical shape of your life all of the time. You just can't.

Anyway, it's time to get my head on straight and get focused for next weekend. Some days I feel confident, other days far from it. But I'm ready to get out there and see what I've got.

A big congratulations to all of my super speedy friends - Meredith, Mick, Ron - who had great races this morning. Please send some of your speedy ju ju over to me. :)

(Somewhat) Wordless Wednesday

What taper looks like in my house.

Luckily I found two friends willing to be lazy with me. Imagine that.

With the Baltimore Marathon less than two weeks ago, it's time for taper. While it means reduced mileage for me, I also found increased stress started to make it's way inside my life. It's work related as I have a large scale special event to prepare for on the 25th, but as it started to creep up on me Monday, I squashed it. Taper means taper in all aspects.

So, I made a few rules this week. Turn off work at 5 pm. No checking emails in the evening, responding to requests or worrying about things that can wait until the next day. Leave it all in the office.

Catch up on sleep. This is the most important thing to me right now. I've set an 8 pm bed time for myself this week (I know, don't laugh) and am happy to say the past two nights I've turned out the lights at 7:59 pm. Going to bed at 8 pm sure does make it easier to get up at 4:45 am. :)

Watch my nutrition. I've been pretty atrocious with this lately (stress eating!!), so I went to the store on Monday and filled up the cart with fruits, veggies and other good for you stuff. Now I just have to eat it and not be tempted to dial my favorite number lately 1-800-PAPA. :)

Anyone have any good taper strategies? How do you approach taper for a big race?