Houston - We have a problem!

Yesterday morning I ran my second Houston Marathon and my 39th marathon. I ran my first marathon in 2006 so this year kicks off the 20-year anniversary of me running marathons. I can hardly believe it.

Background
I ran the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon nine weeks ago and the race did not go well for me. Starting very early in the race (mile 9-10) both of my upper hamstrings seized up at the same time for no apparent reason. After much analysis, I chalked it up to being "stale" from taking two weeks off before the race due to a mild calf strain. My finish time was 3:32 and it didn't take too much out of me. Just four weeks later I ran within a minute of my 10K PR in 41:39. 

My approach between marathons was to maintain my fitness. No big workouts except for the 10K, and two long runs:17.5 and 18.0. The workouts I did were primarily for maintenance and on the shorter side, like 4 x 1000m cruise intervals. During the three weeks leading up to the race, my high hamstring and hip started to bug me so I backed off the mileage slightly, doing about 2/3 of what I originally had planned. But thankfully a few trips to my physical therapist cleared it up. I have so much endurance built up from my Indianapolis training cycle that running 17-18 miles doesn't take much out of me at my easy pace, even if I throw in some marathon pace work.

Abbie and me at Rice University

Race Weekend
We flew to Houston on Friday and our niece, Abbie picked us up. Abbie is Greg's sister's daughter and she's in her second year at Rice University. She got into running in high school (casually - not as part of an organized sport) and has stuck with it. For her birthday last summer, Greg and I gifted her a registration to the Houston Half marathon. This was one of the reasons I chose Houston: the race course goes through Rice and it was a great opportunity to visit her.

Abbie showed us around Rice University and then we went to dinner. I recognized it from the 2023 marathon because that is where Greg was cheering for me and taking pictures. He planned to go to the same spot this year.

The next morning I went for a 20 minute shakeout run with strides. I noticed that at the slower paces, I could feel my hamstring irritation, but once I got into a groove at a slightly faster pace, it was silent. I wasn't sure how it hold up for the race, but I've had issues like this in the past that have completely disappeared when it was time to race. I think part of it was in my head, constantly analyzing every little sensation. Then Greg and I met up with my friend Lindsey, who I knew from Instagram, for breakfast. I loaded up on pancakes.

My friend Lindsey!

I relaxed in the hotel for a bit and then went to meet up with another friend who works in marketing for Tracksmith near the expo. I've been following the brand since it launched in 2014 and have been intrigued by their unique marketing approach. It's an excellent case study in brand building, so as a marketer myself, I was fascinated.

Then Abbie came to meet us to get our race bibs. As this was her first half marathon, I had a lot of tips for her. One of the main ones was that she should have some form of fuel during the race. We bought her two packs of energy chews because I think chews are the best introduction to fuel. My main pieces of advice to her were that she needed to fuel during the race and she should use the porta potty right before the start. These things are super obvious to me, but not obvious to someone completely new to distance running.

After walking around the expo for a bit, we headed back to the hotel to meet Greg’s sister and her daughter, Emily, who had just arrived from Fort Worth, about four hours north of Houston. They made the drive to visit and watch Abbie run. While we were together, Greg, his sister, and Abbie sorted out spectating plans and how Abbie would get to the start line on race morning. Road closures made everything complicated, but they figured it out. 

Finally, it was time for dinner. I had my standard chicken parm with no cheese, and Abbie ordered the same, along with plenty of bread. We went to bed around 8:00. I slept solidly until about 2:30, was awake for a bit, then fell back asleep until my alarm went off at 4:30. 

Before the Race
Race morning went smoothly. I had my pre-race breakfast (banana, Maurten Solid, Almond butter filled pretzels), rolled around on a lacrosse ball to get my glutes ready to fire, put on my race outfit, and organized my fuel. My glove situation was somewhat of a puzzle because I planned to wear cheap convertible knit mittens from Amazon, but they did not arrive in time. I bought them again and had them delivered to the hotel, but the hotel never received the package, even though Amazon said they were delivered. Struck out twice on them! So I wore two pairs of thin gloves instead of my preferred convertible mittens which would have given me better access to bare fingers for getting the gels out of my pockets. 

Our hotel was literally steps away from the entrance to my coral, which prevented me from having to wait in the cold for too long. Greg's sister stayed near Abbie in the Rice University area, so she drove Abbie to our hotel and picked up Greg. (This was all part of the logistical puzzle they figured out on Saturday). She then drove Greg back to the Rice University area where they picked up our other niece Emily to spectate at mile 7. I left the hotel for the corral, and Abbie stayed in the hotel a bit longer because her start time was about 30 minutes after mine.

Once I got to the corral, I took my UCAN gel and kept my legs warm by running in place. I also chatted with a few other runners who recognized me from Instagram. I like taking UCAN about 20 minutes before the race starts because it's a slow release energy that doesn't spike your blood sugar immediately. I like to save that for during the race!

Mentally I was feeling REALLY positive about this race. I had plenty of energy, my stomach was cooperating, the weather would be great, and I had every reason to believe that I could achieve my "A" Goal.

A Goal: PR (sub 3:14:42)
B Goal: Under 3:20
C Goal: Course PR (beat 3:26:48 from 2023)
D Goal: Qualify for Boston (sub 3:45)
E Goal: Finish healthy

Of course my main purpose was to have fun and run the best possible race I had in me, which is something I was in complete control of. 

Weather
The weather was much better than it was in 2023. In 2023 it was warm and humid, and I ended up in the medical tent with dehydration. Yesterday it was 43 degrees at the start, 52 at the finish, clouds giving way to sun, and winds sustained at 8-10 mph. I give this a 9 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. Ideal conditions would be a little less windy and a few degrees cooler. But this weather was pretty close to the ideal which is amazing for Houston, which is always hit or miss. 

Race Plan
My plan was to start out at a pace of around 7:30 for the first 3-6 miles and then gradually speed up to 7:20 by the halfway point. If I was feeling good, I would have run sub 7:20 for the second half of the race. Based on my recent 10K time of 41:39 and the fact that I had a huge endurance base, this seemed realistic. 

Miles 1-6
The race started and I felt good. My goals were to establish a comfortable rhythm, to avoid weaving and to keep the pace conservative. Due to crowding, I ended up running the first mile slower than planned in 7:54, but I was totally okay with that. Better too slow than too fast.

The streets were much wider than Indianapolis, so it felt less crowded. There were a few times when I had to dramatically slow down because of bottlenecks from a narrowing road, but it was mostly fine. The annoying thing was getting caught up in a large pace group. I try to avoid pace groups when I race because they typically go out too fast, and I like to run my own race. 

Mile 6, photo by Mark Wright

I ran with the 3:20 pace group for the fist 6-7 miles, not because I wanted to, but because they were running the same pace as me. A 3:20 marathon is a 7:38 pace, and I was running around 7:25-7:30. The pacers were going about 10 seconds per mile too fast. My issue with pace groups is that you aren't establishing your own rhythm and you are subject to the slight slow downs and speed ups of the group. 

These miles felt very controlled and restrained. 7:25 felt "easy" so I knew it was going to be an amazing day. I chatted with a few other runners who recognized me from social media. 

Garmin splits:

Mile 1: 7:54
Mile 2: 7:30
Mile 3: 7:24
Mile 4: 7:25
Mile 5: 7:22
Mile 6: 7:23

Miles 7-13
I felt really strong and I knew I would see Greg, his sister, and our niece Emily at around the mile 7 mark. I saw them right when I expected to and I told Greg that I was feeling really strong. I was so excited because when I had seen him at mile 10 of Indianapolis I told him that I was not feeling good. I was also happy to see that their spectating plan worked, given they had to navigate multiple road closures with their car. This is when I surged to finally pass the 3:20 group. I ran ahead of them so Greg would be able to get unobstructed photos. At this point my average pace was around 7:28, and a 3:20 marathon is a pace of 7:38, so why was the pace group still with me? 

Mile 7

The marathon and half marathon split apart and it was nice to have more room to run. Houston is a large race, though, so it never got lonely. I saw my three cheerleaders again at mile 10. I still felt great! Unfortunately, I knew I wouldn't see them again until the finish so I didn't have any more check points to look forward to. 

The 11th mile was when things got weird. I looked down on my watch and noticed my pace had slowed for the same effort level, into the 7:40s. I still felt energized and I still felt like I was being controlled with my pacing. I could have sped up to maintain the pace, but I wasn't quite ready to surge. And I only let my watch dictate so much. 

By the 12th mile it was deja vu. Almost the exact same thing happened to me that happened to me during Indianapolis at around mile 9. Both legs started to feel tight and heavy at the exact same time, mostly in the upper hamstrings. In Indianapolis I thought this was because I was "stale", but I certainly was not stale yesterday. I told myself it would pass and my legs would work themselves out and I would get my pace down after the big hill at the halfway point. I allowed myself to relax until then, but after that hill I planned to pick it back up. 

Mile 7: 7:21
Mile 8: 7:23
Mile 9: 7:27
Mile 10: 7:28
Mile 11: 7:39
Mile 12: 7:39
Mile 13: 7:48

Miles 14-20
Unfortunately, my legs felt super heavy. They weren't as bad as they had been in Indy - no need to stop and stretch. It's just wild because this hasn't happened on any of my training runs - only my two goal marathons! I kept telling myself that things could turn around and I could get my legs back to normal. I tried to settle into the 7:40s but that didn't last very long. 

Everything else was going according to plan. My nutrition was on point with no digestive distress. By this point I had consumed a 24 ounce bottle of Skratch Labs hydration + energy mix, 3 honey stinger chews, 2 Maurten gels and a UCAN gel. My energy level was high and I felt like I had a lot to give. But my upper hamstrings were like bricks.

This was different from the hamstring issue I mentioned earlier - the one that was bugging me during the three weeks prior to the race. That had gone away completely, confirming the fact that I was hyper-focusing on it and it was more mental than anything. 

I knew that my chances of a PR were gone, and getting my "B" goal of sub 3:20 would be a stretch. 

I had 38 marathons under my belt, and many of them had been bonks where I had hit the wall. But this experience—and my race in Indianapolis—were not like hitting a wall. When I’ve hit the wall in the past, it usually starts around miles 18 to 20: my energy drops sharply, and it feels like I’m literally crashing into a wall. Both yesterday and in Indy, my energy level was high and I felt great overall. The only problem was leg speed.

At this point, I was fighting for a course PR. I knew my Garmin average pace had to be below 7:49 for that to happen. I couldn't believe that on a perfect weather day, I was so plagued by my legs, but when I ran it on a crappy weather day, my legs totally cooperated. I tried not to go there mentally and I had to keep pulling myself back to positivity. I knew I would be very disappointed if I didn't get a new course PR, so I focused on trying to stay around that magical 7:49 as much as I could.

Mile 14: 7:43
Mile 15: 7:51
Mile 16: 8:09
Mile 17: 7:54
Mile 18: 7:54
Mile 19: 7:57
Mile 20: 7:46

Miles 21- Finish
My 7:46 mile was very encouraging and I kept thinking my legs would snap out of it and I would be able to run really fast to the finish. I had so much energy and I felt so great otherwise! After all, I had run the last 10K of Indy faster than miles 13-20. I was so determined to get my "C" goal of a course PR and I dug really deep to get those legs moving faster. 

Photo by Mark Wright

Somewhere around this point, the 3:20 pacer caught back up to me. I was praying I wouldn't see 3:25! I figured the 3:20 pacer would blaze past me but instead he ran fairly close to me for the final miles of the race and finished really close to me. The course started to get hilly too. I didn't remember that from 2023 but there were quite a few underpasses around bridges and hills were not my friend at this point. It had also warmed up by about 10 degrees since the start line. The sun was out in full force, even though the forecast had been for mostly cloudy skies all day. Thankfully I wore sunglasses. I had them on top of my head for the first half of the race and then wore them for the second half. 

A lot of runners were passing me and I tried not to get discouraged. I wanted to get to the finish line so badly. Thankfully my stomach continued to tolerate all of the fuel. I'm fairly positive that my digestive distress in marathons is due to me running actual marathon pace (low zone 4) and trying to digest stuff at the same time. It's easier when you are running in a lower heart rate zone to digest everything. 

As I approached the end of the race, they had a "fake" finish line: two big arches that looked like they were the finish line from afar. So I rallied and sprinted to the best of my ability. As I approached, there was a sign that read "400m to go" and so I made myself continue to hold that fast pace. I guess this was a good thing because I started my final kick earlier than I otherwise would have and I maintained it. Once again, evidence that I was not bonking. When I ran CIM, I had absolutely nothing left for the final finish line kick because I was totally gassed.

I looked for Greg but I didn't see him. We talked about him being on the side of the course near the finish, but he was nowhere to be seen. In 2023, he had been on the half marathon side of the course so this year he was trying to get on the marathon side, but I later learned he couldn't get there from where he was coming from. 

Mile 21: 8:02
Mile 22: 7:56
Mile 23: 8:09
Mile 24: 8:17 (all the hills)
Mile 25: 8:10
Mile 26: 7:51
Last 0.45 according to my Garmin: 7:20 pace

The Finish and Beyond
My official finish time was 3:24:43, exactly 10 minutes slower than my PR of 3:14:42. To have been plagued by dead legs early in the race and run within 10 minutes of a PR is pretty decent, so I'm taking it
as a win, given the cards I was dealt. It was 8 minutes faster than Indianapolis, so a bit of redemption was had! 

I then embarked on my long journey through the finish line corral to get my medal, my water, my chocolate milk, my photo taken, my finisher's shirt, etc. The marathon and the half marathon have the same finish line so it was very crowded and it took a long time to walk all the way through the convention center to finally meet up with Greg. He was alone this time, as the rest of the cheering squad did not come downtown for the finish.

Abbie at mile 7 

My niece Abbie finished the half marathon in a time of 2:14:10, with a negative split! She placed 103 out of 240 in her age group (16-19). An amazing job on her first half marathon! She said she really enjoyed it and is excited to do more of them in the future, and possibly a full marathon at some point. The challenge will be finding a race that fits with her schedule, because she is in school full time. Her boyfriend wants to run a half marathon too.

I really loved seeing the race through her eyes. I hadn't forgotten what it was like to be a new runner, but watching her experience everything for the first time was exciting: the people cheering for you, getting a medal, crossing the finish line, running with a big group, etc. Greg and I don't have children of our own, so this is as close as we get to influencing younger family members. One of my sister's daughters recently took up piano, and I have helped her with that a little bit. Speaking of pianos, a woman approached me at the start line and told me that I inspired her to learn how to play the piano! How cool!

Post Race Reflections
Greg and I headed back to the hotel where I took a very long bath. We started to discuss why my legs seized up the way they did in my past two marathons. What was different about these two marathons for a whole new problem to emerge? This had never happened in the past! As I mentioned above, I’ve experienced “bonks” before, but never like this—leg tightness early in the race that forces me to slow down, yet still allows me to run somewhere between marathon pace and easy pace while maintaining high energy levels.

The most logical explanation was the shoes - the Nike Alphafly. I switched from the adidas Adios Pro 2 to these shoes because they stopped making the adios Pro 2 (newer versions don't fit properly) and my stash had run out. I had worn them for a 20-miler and an 18 miler in training and my legs were totally fine. I wasn't in love with the ride or the comfort, but the fit was decent and I felt like they made me run faster. Unfortunately, training runs at an easy effort with some marathon pace miles are not the same as 26.2 miles at marathon pace. 

Photo by Mark Wright

I posted on Instagram that I suspected the shoes, and the comments validated my theory! Several runners commented that they can only wear the Alphafly for 10-12 miles before their legs get trashed. Sounds familiar! Others commented that the Alphafly had ruined marathons for them. One of my friends told me that the Alphafly is not a good shoe for runners who "glide" (like me). I think it has to do with the shoe forcing certain muscles to activate that I don't normally use as much in training, so they get trashed early on. Or it changes where my body absorbs the shock. 

Mystery solved! At least I think. If you have been reading my blog for a while you know how analytical I am. This has only happened to me in the two marathons that I ran the Alphafly in, and the early onset of leg issues points to it not being a bonk, but something else. Add in all the comments of people saying that the Alphafly trashes their legs after 10 miles and has ruined marathons for them - I think it has to be the answer. The Houston marathon course is concrete as opposed to asphalt, so that wasn't helping matters either.

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
On the one hand I don't want to blame the shoes and use them as an "excuse", but on the other hand, I don't have any other explanation. I have to admit I am pretty bummed about this. I had the opportunity to run a really fast race yesterday. My fitness was at or close to it's peak, the course was fast, and the weather was ideal. I showed up to the start line feeling relaxed, healthy and strong. If I had only worn another pair of shoes I feel like this would have gone totally different for me. In 2023, I ran the second half of this marathon faster when the temperature was in the upper 60s and I was dehydrated and my fitness wasn't as strong. 

There are far more positives than negatives here. Even if you just look at my time, it's a BQ by over 20 minutes, it's a course PR by over 2 minutes, and it's faster than I would have ever imagined 10 years ago. All at the age of 47! Zooming out even further, I am so grateful that my body allows to train at the level needed to run marathons. I was mentally very strong and I didn't give up even when my A and B goals were no longer in sight. I ran the best race I had in me given the circumstances, and that mental strength is a good muscle to exercise.

Every race teaches me something, and this race taught me that just because I think a shoe is "fast" doesn't mean it's the right shoe for me. I need to do more workouts in my race shoes and figure out what works for my stride. It's true that I wore the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris in Boston without training in them, and sometimes I can get away with it. But it's not always the case. 

Part of me also worries that I'll never have an opportunity like this again. Peak fitness. Fast course, Ideal weather. Healthy and uninjured. I might need major eye surgery at some point this year and recovery from that would take me out of running for 8 weeks if not longer. I'm 47 and I am starting to wonder how much longer I have to set lifetime PRs. Maybe it's irrational, but I feel like my PR days could end any minute and I really need to maximize every opportunity I can before they are gone. 

"Missed opportunity" is a common feeling you get when you are in your mid-40s. You want to do everything you can ASAP before the window closes. I'm fully prepared to accept that the day will come when I am getting slower instead of faster, but I'm not ready yet. This is what underlies my feelings about the mistake I made with the shoes and why it stings more than it probably should. 

Overall I feel grateful for my health and for the opportunity to run marathons at this speed at my age. So I can't complain. I'm mostly focused on the big picture, which is overwhelmingly positive. A loving family, the opportunity to share running with my niece, a supportive running community, hearing from other runners that my blog/book/social media has inspired them in some way. 

I'm already starting to get comments from naysayers that I'm too old to be running high mileage, I shouldn't expect to be running a PR at my age (even though I set one less than a year ago), and that I overtrained. Overtraining = burnout, lack of motivation, increased resting heart rate, sluggishness and many other things. I have none of these symptoms, thankfully!  I've spent the past 20 years of my life adapting to the stresses of training for endurance, and I am grateful that it's paid off. I know I am doing a lot of things right because I feel good, I'm healthy and I'm running strong. That's what matters most.

Marathon 39 wasn't easy, but I made the most of it, and I'm looking forward to #40: BOSTON!

Boston Marathon Packing List

I'm flying out tomorrow to run my 6th Boston Marathon!  Here's what I'm bringing:

A Cranky Hamstring
I ran the One City Marathon 7 weeks ago. That was my goal race for the spring and I ran a PR of 3:14:42.
I am running Boston for fun and because I love connecting with all of my runner friends from around the country. The original plan was to run an 18 miler and a 20 miler in the middle of this seven week period, but that never happened. 

Two weeks after the marathon, I ran the NYC Half Marathon. Even though I ran that race "easy" it set me back because I never recovered fully from One City. I was sore for days afterward so I took about three days off. When I resumed running, my right hamstring, which was nagging me in between the two races, started acting up. 

It turns out I have some mild tendonitis in my lower hamstring as well as my upper hamstring. I have been going to physical therapy weekly and doing all the recovery things, but the hamstring has been up and down. Sometimes I feel like it's 100% better. But other times, it really speaks to me. 

I have run two really encouraging track workouts since the NYC Half. Both of these workouts confirmed that I have not lost any speed and in fact, my speed is as fast as it's ever been! Both workouts were 100% free of any hamstring pain! But the long runs have really irritated the hamstring. I have run 13.1 miles twice, including the NYC Half. My third longest run was 11 miles. So I feel quite unprepared from an endurance perspective. It could be that my hamstring really loves the flat surface of the track but doesn't like anything remotely hilly. That would be problematic for Boston.

As much as I would love to leave this cranky hamstring at home - it's coming with me. For better or for worse!

adidas Adios Pro 2 Shoes
Last year I took a gamble and ran Boston in a brand new pair of shoes-- the ASICS Metaspeed Sky Paris. I had never run more than three miles in them prior to the race. They ended up working out well, but I decided against wearing them again because they only have a 5mm drop, which irritates my Achilles. 

Over the past several weeks I have tried numerous carbon fiber plated shoes. My favorite was the Nike Alphafly 3, but I didn't have the opportunity to run long enough in them to want to wear them on race day. I also liked the Brooks Hyperion Elite PB, but they started to feel firmer than I would have liked towards the end of a 13-miler. In order to want to wear them in a marathon, I would like to test them out for 18-20 miles.

As a contrast to last year's risky shoe choice, I am playing it safe this year with the Adios Pro 2. The only remaining pair I have boasts my half marathon PR and my full marathon PR from December-- before I ran One City. Ideally my marathon shoes would have fewer miles on them, but I think the Adios Pro 2 is a true workhorse that will still perform well with 50+ miles. I did try the Adios Pro 4 and that was a nightmare. My big toe was hitting the top of the shoe in my normal size, so I sized up and that was a mistake. The fit was sloppy, my feet were sliding all over the place, I got a blister, and my Achilles hurt from the 6mm drop. Adidas ruined their best shoe, in my honest opinion. 

One of the reasons I am playing it safe with my shoe choice is that there is so much uncertainty in other areas of my life-- I don't need shoe uncertainty on top of that.

Tifosi Sunglasses and Light Horse Track Club Gear
The weather is looking pretty good! It might rival the 2022 weather for my best Boston weather. The current forecast shows that it will start in the low 50s and rise to the upper 50s by the end, with sunny skies. Sunscreen and sunglasses will be a must!

I'll be racing in my Light Horse Track Club crop top and rabbit shorts - which have so many pockets for my gels. This will be my first time racing Boston in a "club" outfit, unless you consider my McMillan shirt from 2018 to be a club. 

What I'm NOT taking with me
Now we get to the heart of the blog. There's something I am trying very hard to NOT bring with me this weekend: the emotional state that I've been in for the past four weeks. The past four weeks have been plagued with frustration, anxiety, and anger. I am working very hard to shake these emotions, but I haven't done a good job of it.

We put our house on the market on February 28 because the builder of our new home told us that we were obligated to close on the new house on March 31. We were in no hurry to sell our home. No hurry to move. We timed the sale of our house to correspond with the purchase of the new one.

As expected, we had a contract on our house the first weekend we listed it, with a close date that coincided with the purchase of the new house.  The contract allowed for a short rent-back so we would have two weeks to move. Everything was going exactly as planned.

11 days before we were scheduled to close on our new home, our builder informed us that they didn't get the Certificate of Occupancy, which is a permit needed for us to occupy the house. The reason they provided was that they failed to get a VDOT permit for the work they did to construct our driveway, and they didn't give us a new settlement date. They estimated 4-8 weeks, but no guarantees. They told us that the house itself was built and inspected and fully approved, the only issue was a driveway permit.

Surely it couldn't take 4-8 weeks to get a driveway permit, and if so, surely that couldn't prevent us from moving in! Because the builder didn't give us any details, I contacted the government myself and they told me that the driveway permit was just one issue. The builder received a notice of violation a week earlier which included many more issues aside from the driveway. The notice stated that they violated the original site plan by disturbing land in the "tree protection" area. As a result, all five trees on our property (which are over 50 feet tall) would need to be removed and new trees planted. But none of this work could be done until they first provided a new site plan that complied with forest conservation standards.

We went back to our builder and asked them why they didn't mention the tree situation to us, and they said that they had no idea about the trees. It was unclear if they were lying to us to cover up the fact that they violated the site plan, or if they were just incompetent and didn't read the entire violation notice.

Since that date, the builder has sent us mixed messages about the process to get the certificate of occupancy (do the trees need to be planted or not?) and they revealed themselves to be completely incompetent, or inefficient at best. They received their violation over a month ago and as of today, we still haven't seen any tree work. 

The builder is being extremely vague with their communication. When we ask for an update we are told "we are working on a VDOT permit and we will update you when we have it." They don't even have a phone number where we can call them - they rely on WhatsApp messaging. Even more sketchy - they have forbidden us to contact VDOT or the county. They told us that we would be in breach of contract because it's considered "interference". 

The contract we signed with them protects them in every way, and is silent about protecting us. This delay has financial implications for us, and we could end up with no home if we can't close before our rent-back ends. We are literally living on borrowed time! We are forever grateful to our buyers for allowing us to rent back the house, but the end date is fast approaching. 

Where we are right now: the builder is not communicating anything to us aside from "they are working on it," we are in breach of contract if we contact the government, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about the situation. On the plus side, we did have a walk-through and ordered an independent home inspection. The house itself is in excellent shape, and is move-in ready. We are satisfied with the overall quality of the build. But we cannot purchase it and move in until the builder gets a VDOT permit (timeline unknown) and they remove trees/plant new ones.

This has led me to experience:

Anxiety: I have very little visibility into the situation and there are so many unknowns. I honestly feel like I am going to have all of my belongings in a dark, dusty storage area somewhere, including my piano while I live in limbo for God knows how long. The lack of control is very difficult for me.

Frustration: I had to un-schedule everything I had planned for the move (utilities, movers, address change, furniture deliveries, blinds installation, etc) and put it on pause and will now have to re-do it all. We're incurring lender fees (the builder agreed to pay half of them) - and they are steep. 

Anger: The builder messed up and they are completely unapologetic about this and do not seem to care or acknowledge that this is more than an "inconvenience" for us. When they first communicated the delay to us it was over WhatsApp and the message said "sorry for the inconvenience". They aren't transparent, they have forbidden us to contact the government, they are moving very slowly, and they don't care. We hate them. 

So............ where do we go from here? Greg and I have agreed that we need to make a conscious effort to NOT let this impact our mental health and our Boston Marathon weekend. We don't want to carry it with us. I have now unloaded it onto this blog and hopefully that's where it will stay. 

This situation is testing me and I am learning a lot. I am learning that I hold onto anger and anxiety because if I "let it go," it would invalidate my feelings. Like if I can just go about my life and be happy and shove this to the side, maybe it's not such a big deal. And I have this need to prove to myself and the world that it IS a big deal. So I grasp onto it tightly. 

This mindset is similar to how I used to approach marathons in my early 30s. If I didn't get REALLY UPSET about missing a time goal, then it would be like I didn't care. I had to get very upset to prove to myself and to those around me that a BQ mattered. The "oh well, I'll try again next time" attitude, to me, meant that I wasn't serious about qualifying for Boston. I was very serious, and my way of showing it was to get depressed and upset when I missed my goal. 

I have no control over the housing situation. I have very limited visibility into what is really going on. There's no resolution date in sight. I have to accept these facts, and realize that no amount of worrying and marinating in it will change that. I need to trust and remember that:

• The builder is financially motivated to move quickly because they want their money.
• If we are displaced from our current house, we can handle it. It won't be pretty, but we can get through it. 
• The builder is legally obligated to sell us that house - so we will get it at some point.
• Even though this has financial implications for us, it's not financial hardship or ruin.
• The best thing for me is to enjoy Boston - I shouldn't let the builder take that away from me too.

Right now it feels like we are not getting that house, but we will. We definitely will get that house.

What's on my packing list? Confidence. Positivity. Mental strength. Self-awareness. Self-care.

Track me on Monday with bib number 13694.

Birthday Marathon: A celebration in Richmond

Yesterday I turned 45. And I ran a marathon. My 33rd marathon, but the only marathon (or race, for that matter) that I've ever done on the day of my birthday.

Background
I was supposed to run the Marine Corps Marathon two weeks ago, but 16 days out I developed hip pain which resulted in two weeks of almost no running. Just some 2-3 mile runs here and there to "test" it out. Two visits to the doctor and cortisone shots eventually cleared things up but it wasn't 100% in the days leading up to the race, so I decided it wasn't smart to run it. Plus, the weather ended up being quite warm (so much so that they shut down the race early) and I would have likely switched to Richmond anyway. So it was going to be Richmond regardless, but the hip pain meant two straight weeks of nearly no running.

I had only run the Richmond one time before, in 2007. It was my 5th marathon and my first sub-4:00 marathon. I remembered it well, though, thanks to my detailed blog post. As my first sub-4:00 marathon, it carried good memories. I had also set PRs at the half marathon there in 2008 and 2015.

During the hip saga, I was headed down a dark path and I turned things around by truly letting go of any time expectation for a fall marathon. My goal became to simply run a marathon healthy and without hip pain, fully accepting that it might be one of my slower races. Letting go and truly embracing the marathon as an experience instead of a goal was mentally refreshing and really lightened my mood.

When I'm training for a marathon, much of the motivation to crank out the hard workouts comes from the desire to run a fast race. Otherwise, why would be I out there running hard tempos or long track workouts? Switching my mindset from "I am highly motivated to run a fast marathon" to "I just want to have fun" was a big shift in attitude, but one that had to happen.

Getting back at it
One of the benefits of taking so much time off was that I was really fresh when it came to do my last long run. Once my hip started to feel better, I was able to crank out 17.4 miles with some marathon pace work and have it feel totally manageable. However, this resulted in some serious DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) for the next 3 days since it was a shock to my system. I was familiar with this after my Boston Marathon fiasco last year. I took 9 days off shortly before Boston for an SI Joint issue and when I finally did a hard long run, my legs were really sore. So I knew this was no cause for concern.

11 days out from the marathon, on Halloween, I decided to run some mile repeats at 10K effort. I coached myself for this marathon, and I know that faster-than-lactate-threshold workouts are a weakness of mine, but extremely effective when I do them. I had just included marathon pace miles in my long run, so I thought this would be a good sharpening workout. I was targeting 6:45 for the repeats but didn't look at my Garmin for pacing. Running by feel, I ran 6:41, 6:34, 6:30 and they all felt like 6:45. This meant that I was in better shape than I had believed myself to be in. Wow. And my legs were still sore from the long run too.

7 days out from the marathon I did my last long run: 11.11 miles. I ran it as a progression run starting at the slow end of my easy zone and ending at the fast end of my easy zone. The entire run felt effortless with the first mile clocking in at 9:05 and the last 4 miles at 7:52, 7:47, 7:44, 7:50. I honestly couldn't believe how easy those paces felt. I was peaking for sure.

Shoe switch!
On Monday, 5 days out from the marathon, I decided to wear my race shoes for my final speed work, which would be 5 x 3:00 at half marathon effort. My plan was to wear the same shoes I wore in Houston (the adidas Adios Pro 2) as they only had 38 miles on them and they worked well there. However, I turned around and came home after running a mile out because my feet were slipping and sliding all around in the shoe. They were too big! How was that possible?

So then I tested another pair of the Adios Pro 2, the ones I wore in Boston 2022, and those also felt too big. I had one pair that was a half size smaller, but those shoes had too many miles on them for me to want to race a marathon in them. I then pulled a brand new pair of the New Balance Fuel Cell Elite 2, which is last year's model of the shoe. I heard many people say that version 3 of this shoe had issues and everyone liked version 2 so much better. So I bought a pair of version 2 and stashed it in my closet so I wouldn't even need to try the 3.

I put them on my feet and they fit perfectly. I ran 3 sets of 3:00 at half marathon pace and I felt zippy. Compared to the Adios Pro, they have a much softer landing and the fit is more locked in. I generally prefer the Adios Pro because they are more responsive and seem to have more pickup. But then I remembered my reason for running: to have fun. So what if these shoes weren't quite as fast? They were still fast and definitely faster than the shoes I wore when I ran my 3:15 PR, which did not have a carbon fiber plate.

The fact that they matched my planned outfit perfectly was a sign that it was meant to be. And having comfortable shoes might trump having faster shoes during those later miles. Usually I like to break shoes in a bit more before using them in a marathon, but I didn't have time for that.

The weirdest expo ever
Greg and I drove down to Richmond the day before the race with my friend Laurena. Laurena and I worked together nearly 20 years ago and hadn't seen each other since. But we stayed in touch and she reached out when she saw I was running Richmond. The drive down 95 was traffic-laden but the time went by so quickly because Laurena and I had 20 years to catch up on.

Laurena and me after the expo

The expo location was new this year (or maybe new to me, I am not sure when they moved it) but it was several miles away from the downtown start/finish at a NASCAR race track. It was cold outside with light drizzle and the expo was partially outside and partially in a garage-like structure. We were freezing cold and the light drizzle was annoying. After getting our bibs and shirts from a concession-stand setup, we went into the garage and walked through the expo. It was one long hallway with vendors on both sides. It was extremely crowded, cold and generally unpleasant. We wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. 

I can't even imagine how uncomfortable the vendors must have been in the cold and if other runners were like us, they didn't want to spend a ton of time there visiting the various booths. They had some featured speakers too and they were in an outdoor, uncovered space. 

I do not understand why the expo wasn't held at the convention center that was literally right next to the start line and race hotels. That would have made so much more sense. A more convenient location, climate controlled, more space for the vendors. But for some reason (I have to imagine there is a reason) they haven't held the expo there in all the years I've been running it (2007, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018).

Food and Fueling
I am making this its own section because I often get asked about my fueling strategy. So here it is, all in one place. (Feel free to skip if this stuff is boring to you!)

I have a history of not being able to get gels down during the later miles of a marathon so it has taken me years to figure out a fueling strategy that works for me.

In the 3 days leading up to the race I tracked my water intake to ensure at least 60 ounces of water each day. I would have aimed for even high if the race was forecast to be warmer. I have a smart water bottle that tracks my hydration on an app. I used two packs of Uppermost Hydration each day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I like the ways this hydration mix tastes and it has the added benefit of B and C vitamins. 

I did not carb load per-se, but I was mindful of what I ate and I made sure to eat carbohydrate-rich foods. Some examples are oatmeal, bagels, muffins, rice, pretzels. Pretty basic!

The day before the race I ate the following:

• 2 hardboiled eggs
• A medium-sized pumpkin muffin
• A turkey sandwich on a plain bagel with goat cheese
• A banana
• Lots of almond butter filled pretzels (Wegman's brand) - seriously a lot of these!
• Drank about 8 ounces of beet juice just before noon
• Had a beet salad with dinner
• Chicken parm (no cheese) with spaghetti and Pomodoro sauce at local restaurant
• Bread basket at dinner

2 hours before the race start:

• About 10 ounces of fluids (water + Skratch Labs Hydration)
• About 6-8 almond butter filled pretzels
• Half a banana

All the fuel I brought, actual intake outlined below.

This is not much food. I used to eat a bagel with peanut butter + a banana but I found that to be too much. I normally do not eat before I run in the mornings so my body isn't used to having a ton of food.

25 minutes before the race:

• Strawberry banana UCAN gel with 5-6 ounces of water. UCAN is a slow release energy so if you take it 25-30 minutes before start time it kicks in when the race starts and slowly releases energy. Maurten gels, on the other hand, deliver a burst of energy right when you take them.

Once I started racing:

I carried a 24 ounce bottle of water + Skratch Labs Hydration mix. This mix has electrolytes + carbs. I used 1.25 scoops which equates to 100 calories. After each mile marker: I took a small (1-2 ounce) sip from my bottle. I drank the entire bottle and was finished with it after 16 miles.

At mile 20, I took water from a water station and drank that while walking for 4-5 seconds. I probably got a good 4 ounces in. I had no other fluids after mile 20, which was fine for a cool day. I used this same strategy in Houston with warm temps and I ended up dehydrated.

I timed my gels as follows:

• 0:20- 2 Honey Stringer chews
• 0:40- Maurten gel
• 1:20- Maurten gel
• 2:00- Maurten CAF gel (my only caffiene)
• 2:40 - Maurten gel
• 3:00 - One honey stinger chew

Everything went down easily. I estimate that I consumed around 600 calories including the UCAN gel, Maurten gels, chews, and Skratch mix.

This could have been its own blog post but I like to write novel-length marathon race reports, so it's here. 

Weather
It was 38 degrees at the start and warmed up to around 52 by the finish. Winds were 2-5 mph and there were only a few times I noticed wind, mostly over the big bridge. The sky was mostly cloudy at the start and the sun started peaking though towards the end. It was quite humid in the beginning so 38 degrees felt more like 45 degrees - and Kathy and Greg agreed with this "real feel. On my personal weather scale it gets a 9 out of 10. It would have been a 10 if it stayed under 45 degrees and it was less humid. But 9 out of 10 is pretty darn good weather!

Time Goal:
Based on how great my training runs felt leading up to the race I knew my fitness was still intact. So I did not revise my goal from what I had originally planned for MCM: sub-3:20. This would be a men's BQ for age 45-49. The last time I ran sub 3:20 was in the fall of 2021 so I figured I should try to do that again before going for a PR (3:15:34). My marathon pace runs had averaged 7:25 for marathon pace, but I'm not bold enough to go for the marathon pace I run in training as it has never worked out for me. I thought 7:30-7:35 would be more realistic. I figured if I had a good day, I would run my second fastest marathon ever and it would be 3:17-3:18.

Additionally, I am registered for Boston in 2024. I used my 3:26 from Houston as my qualifying time. I thought that time might put me in wave three, which has a later start time. I wanted to submit a faster time to get back into wave 2 like I usually am. If you run a time faster than the time you registered with, Boston allows you to submit it for a faster wave/corral assignment.

Before the Race
I hadn't slept particularly well all week due to my body clock being "off" from daylight savings. I have a very rigid circadian rhythm and if it gets disrupted my sleep suffers. Thankfully I learned from CIM that you can have epically horrible sleep and still run well, so I was not concerned. The night before the race I got about six hours of mostly peaceful sleep. I went to bed at 8:20, woke up at 9:30 to go to the bathroom, slept from 9:45 to 2:00. And from 2:00-4:00 I was mostly awake but had some brief periods of sleep. I did not have any anxiety dreams about missing the race or any dreams about the race at all, which is rare.

I got out of bed at 5:00 and started eating (see above). I got dressed, which included putting body glide everywhere to avoid chafing. I also used a body marker to write on my arms which miles had the most uphill and which miles had the most downhill. That way I knew not to worry if I was going slower on the uphill portions or seemingly "too fast" when running downhill. I ultimately ran the race based on effort/feel, but it was nice to have a little guide of what to expect.

It was my 45th birthday. So the birthday text messages were already rolling in! I tried to minimize the time I spent on my phone so I could focus on getting ready and ensuring I had everything I needed. All of my fuel fit in my shorts pockets. For the honey stinger chews, I removed them from their package and wrapped them in tiny pieces of plastic wrap. The chews were mostly meant to be a backup plan in case I couldn't get the gels down. But they would also serve as supplemental energy as tolerated. 

I made sure my shoes were tied to a good comfort level, and tucked the loops of the laces under the firm laces to ensure they would not come undone. I learned the hard way in Houston when I had to stop to tie my shoe. I spent a few minutes using a massage ball on my glutes to help with glute activation. This was recommended by my physical therapist.

I left my hotel room at 6:30 and met my friend Kathy in the lobby. We chatted and that's when I had my UCAN gel. Shortly after we left the hotel and headed towards the start line. I tried to run there for a warmup but that was short lived because it became too crowded. Oh well, I would use the first mile as a warmup.

I lined up in the corral between the 3:10 pacers and the 3:25 pacers. There was no pace group for 3:20 or 3:15. I was happy about that because I don't run with pace groups and I find it annoying to be caught up in the big pack of runners. Since I was trying to run a time of around 3:18, I figured I should never see a pace group during this race if things went well.

Miles 1-6
The race seemed to start quite suddenly but I was ready. Mile 1 is always about finding a rhythm, especially since I hadn't warmed up. I go out at what feels like easy run pace and then adjust from there. I was expecting to see Greg at the first mile marker but I ended up seeing him a lot sooner. No worries, I was able to gracefully weave through the runners to greet him on the side of the course. 

Mile 1

I had studied the elevation profile of the course and I knew that these first six miles were slightly net uphill. I like to start conservatively so knowing these miles were net uphill meant I wanted to go even slower to avoid expending too much effort. 

A lot of people have conversations early in the race so eavesdropping is unavoidable. It was a nice distraction for me as I focused on their conversations instead of thinking about all the miles ahead of me. I stayed in the present. 

Somewhere around miles 4-5 the 3:25 pace group came up from behind me and I found myself caught up in them. I definitely did not want to be in the middle of the pack and even though I was confident in my own pacing, it was still somewhat demoralizing to have a pace group catch you. A 3:25 marathon is a pace of 7:48, and they were running notably faster. I dealt with it by speeding up to get out of the pack and once I felt like I was a good bit ahead of them I slowed back down. 

I removed my arm warmers at around mile 5 which was sooner than expected and I ditched my hand warmers not longer after. With temps ranging from 38 to 52, that was my layering strategy.

Mile 1: 7:43
Mile 2: 7:37
Mile 3: 7:32
Mile 4: 7:35
Mile 5: 7:36
Mile 6: 7:36

Miles 7-13
By this point the crowd had thinned out and I knew that my favorite part of the course was coming up. This portion runs down by the James River and it's quite scenic with all the fall colors. It's peaceful and mostly flat. There were a lot of curves during this section and a small part of torn up pavement. I had to watch my footing and pay attention to the tangents. But thankfully the pavement got better after about half a mile. The shoes were still feeling really comfortable and soft. 

As I was running mile 11, I said to the person next to me: it's mile 11 on 11-11 which is also my birthday! Let's make it a good mile! We chatted briefly and he asked me what my time goal was. I said 3:18 and he said 3:20. I lost track of him somewhere around mile 16 an I don't know if that's because I passed him or if he passed me. I wanted to savor every moment of this race. This was my birthday marathon and I almost didn't get to run a marathon due to my hip. I was grateful. I ran the entire race with gratitude. 

My splits below reflect the profile of the course. "Gently rolling hills" is an accurate description. None of the hills here were too crazy, but it made of uneven pacing. 

Mile 7: 7:17
Mile 8: 7:26
Mile 9: 7:30
Mile 10: 7:43
Mile 11: 7:18
Mile 12: 7:37
Mile 13: 7:18

Miles 14-20
My half marathon split was 1:38:58, which is an average pace of 7:33. I knew Greg was tracking me and I had told him to expect me in the high 1:38s or the low 1:39s, so I was executing exactly as planned. He later told me that he got no text message or email alerts. The tracking did not work. Oh well, at least I believed it was working and that helped me mentally!

At this point, I was on track to squeak under 3:18. Perfect. I felt really good but I had no idea how I would feel by mile 20 so it was too early to predict if I would be able to get under 3:18 or not. I stayed present and thankful of the fact that I was feeling good now, so I continued on. 

I did not turn up the gas intentionally but I got faster anyway. There were a few downhill miles which got me into a faster groove so I ran surprisingly fast during the toughest part of the course which are miles 16, 17 and 18. Those three miles are net uphill and include a bridge that is always windy even on non-windy days. I can easily see how those miles could be the beginning of the end for many runners!

In fact, once we were running over the bridge I didn't even realize we were on the bridge until I looked on either side of the course and noted it was mile 16. By this point I had finished all the water in my handheld bottle. Fueling was going according to plan and so far everything was sitting well. 

Mile 18

Once we were over the bridge I knew there would be two more uphill miles. At mile 16 I still I had no noticeable leg fatigue. I still felt fresh. Again, surreal!

I knew that Greg would be somewhere in the 18th mile and I found him at 17.5. I was so excited to see him. Before the race he asked me if I could give him some indication of how it was going at that point. I told him I would give him a thumbs up if it was going well. And he got a huge thumbs up from me! I was absolutely beaming. I had never felt so happy during the 18th mile of a marathon. 

Mile 14: 7:16 
Mile 15: 7:15
Mile 16: 7:39
Mile 17: 7:31
Mile 18: 7:26
Mile 19: 7:20
Mile 20: 7:30

Miles 20-26
I honestly could not believe how fast I was running. Similar to my mile repeat workout from 10 days earlier, I felt like I was running 7:45s when in reality I was running under 7:30. I think I must have been peaking at exactly the right time. And apparently all that time off from my hip did me some good and left me feeling fresh. I coached myself this training cycle so I gave myself a nice pat on the back for a job well done!

My official mile 20 split was 2:30:16, which is an average pace of 7:31. The tracking system was not working but I didn't know that. It perked me up to know that Greg could see how well it was going. 

I hadn't had anything to drink since mile marker 16 so I decided to walk through the next water station. I didn't want to stop again after that so I made sure to drink the entire cup which was probably 4-5 ounces. If it were warmer I would have needed more stops, but thankfully it was a cool day. The sun was starting to come out but it didn't seem to bother me.

I still had no idea what to expect from the rest of the race. Supposedly the last six miles were mostly downhill. But I remembered running the half marathon back in 2018 and it felt like there was still plenty of uphill in the last three miles, which are the same last three miles of the full marathon. 

My energy level was high and my spirits were high. I couldn't believe I was still going strong. Every time I glanced down at my watch my speed would blow my mind. Even though I wasn't on track to PR, I was not running this fast at the end of my PR marathon, which had been a positive split.

Mile 26

I didn't feel like I had faster gear, but the gear I was in was already plenty fast so I told myself to relax and hold it. I knew I had less than an hour to go and I could be mentally strong for less than an hour.

Miles 21-24 were magical. These are always the hardest miles of a marathon and they didn't feel nearly as hard as they usually do. Splits were 7:27, 7:13, 7:17, 7:19. UNREAL. I could not believe it.

The thought of getting a PR did cross my mind but I felt like I was very fragile at this point. Like I was so lucky to be doing what I was doing that any change in effort and it would all come crashing down. I was on a good path. No need to drastically shake things up. 

Mile 25 and 26 were the only truly hard miles of the race. My legs got achy and I was on autopilot. I didn't have much control over my speed, I just went with whatever I was given! I knew I was on track to crush my goal so I focused on taking it all in and remembering that marathons are what I love to do! I spend so much time and effort every day out of the year to prepare for this one day, this one moment. Mile 25 clocked in at 7:37 and mile 26 at 7:20.

I saw Greg just before mile marker 26. He snapped some photos and I knew the end was close!

The Finish
Richmond is known for its screaming downhill finish. Once you get to mile marker 26, the run to the finish line is a very steep downhill. I increased my cadence and let gravity do its thing. According to my Garmin, the last 0.31 miles was a pace of 6:11!

My official time was 3:16:04. This earned my 4th place in my new age group 45-49. 

It wasn't long before I vomited. For the past four years I have thrown up after every long distance race. It's inevitable. It doesn't mater how well the race goes, my digestive system shuts down. There was A LOT of vomit, but it was all liquid. It was a yellow-green liquid and I am not sure where that color came from. Once I got it all out I proceeded to find Greg. 

Before I did, someone stopped me and asked me to sign his copy of Boston Bound. Yes, it was another surreal moment. This person just happened to have his book with him at the finish line. I guess he brought it in hopes of seeing me. He ran a time of 3:10 so I guess he got his checked bag and then saw me. I signed the book for him and it made me so happy that someone brought my book to the finish line!

Greg and I were supposed to meet in the family meeting area, but I did not see that anywhere. I used someone's phone to call him and we eventually found each other. It was there that he told me he had no idea how I did because the tracking wasn't working. But he was able to zoom in on the photos he took of my watch to know it was going well.

We looked on his phone and found my official result. I was so happy with it! I was simply beaming and runner's high was in full swing.  Since tracking wasn't working I wasn't able to tell how Kathy or Laurena were doing. But I later learned that they both crushed their goals; they both qualified for Boston!

It was nearly a mile for us to walk back to the hotel. I was on Cloud 9 the whole time. My legs felt pretty good and nothing was hurting. Truly a rarity post-marathon. Back at the hotel I created my Instagram post and then took a shower. I read my splits to Greg and I was giddy with excitement.  45 was off to a great start. 

Stats:
Here are some fun stats:

• This was my 33rd marathon
• This was my 14th BQ
• I qualified by 33 minutes and 56 seconds
• I qualified "like a man" by 3 minutes and 56 seconds
• This is my biggest BQ cushion ever
• I was 30 seconds slower than my PR of 3:15:34
• This is my second fastest marathon ever
• This is my fastest marathon on a hilly course
• I placed 4 out of 164 women in my age group (45-49)
• First half was 1:38:58, Second half was 1:37:08
• This is a negative split by 1:40 
• Miles 22, 23, and 24 were all sub-7:20 and they were relatively flat
• I set a course PR by 40 minutes and 45 seconds; my time from 2007 was 3:56:41
• I beat my Houston time from January by over 10 minutes
• I will now be in wave 2 for Boston instead of wave 3

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
Everything worked out the way it was meant to. My hip injury was a blessing in disguise because the weather for MCM ended up being warm. And being injured on the cruise allowed me more time to enjoy the cruise instead of running on the treadmill. Once I flipped my mindset from a time goal to simply being grateful for the opportunity to run, then I was able to relax.

I missed two whole weeks of training and it didn't impact my fitness one bit! I expected it would, but I think it helped my body recover from all the hard work it did in August-early October.

I'm in excellent shape! This shows that I can coach myself successfully and I will continue to do so. I enjoy the freedom of switching things around to fit my schedule and I think I know what is best for my body at this point. Plus, I am a certified coach so I know how to build a plan. This will also save me money.

I coached myself with a few basic principles that I suspected would work best for me, given my history:

• A short training cycle. No runs longer than 16 miles until 12 weeks out.
• Focus more on high volume and less on long runs; no runs longer than 20 miles
• High mileage doesn't wear me out - long runs do.
• I get the biggest training benefit from running slightly faster than LT pace 
• Easy runs should be no faster than 9:00 in the summer

In other words, pack very high volume over 6-8 weeks with 18 milers instead of 20 milers. That will have me peaking at just the right time. I do not think my training contributed to this injury because it was mostly nerve-based. I think running on the tapered brick boardwalk in Miami was the culprit because my hip started hurting about 5 hours later. 

There have been many marathons when I was in physically better shape than I am now, but other obstacles prevented me from running fast. I think I could have PR'ed any of these marathons:

• Houston: 3:26 - Too hot and humid
• Two Rivers: 3:19 - Injured during race, slightly overtrained
• Harrisburg - 3:23- Digestive Issues
• CIM - 3:22 - To hot and humid
• Boston: 3:26: Torrential Downpour and 25 mph winds 

So much of it comes down to having a good day. Good weather, good fueling, good mindset, low stress other areas of life. It's admittedly been frustrating having had SO MANY cycles when I felt like I was in shape to PR but then the stars didn't align. Even though I technically didn't PR yesterday, I wasn't trying to do that. I still enjoyed that same magical feeling of exceeding expectations and having that race day magic. A PR is really just a technicality. It's my fastest race on hills and I am 45 years old, not 40. 

I'm encouraged by this race. I've shown that I can run really fast with self-coaching and through having a positive, relaxed mindset. I enjoyed every moment of this and I am glad I savored it.

11 Days To Boston: SI Joint Injury Update

I'm back again with an update, with a little more clarity than I had in my previous update.  I'll first provide a brief overview of the situation, then a detailed timeline (more for my own sake to remember how this progressed) and then I will do a little rant about of navigating the healthcare system. Feel free to skim, as this is admittedly a boring post. 

What I've learned since my last blog post:

• MRI showed healthy discs. I have minor bulging, but nothing that would cause this type of pain
  
• The root of the problem is very likely my SI joint 
• That said, I do have some tendinitis around the left hip and a tight Piriformis, which are likely compensatory issues from bracing the SI Joint pain. It's one big chain reaction.

Progress since last blog post:

• Walking is now pain-free 75% of the time, and during the other 25% it's slightly noticeable
• I was prescribed a 6-day course of MethylPREDNISolone, and I have no idea if the improvement is from that or from my time off running. I finished it today.
• I took 9 complete rest days from running, but I did do PT exercises and foam rolling
• I didn't try to cross train because certain movements aggravate the area that aren't running, like leaning forward. Healing was my top priority; not maintaining fitness.
• I received a cortisone injection into the SI joint today

Timeline
After seeing my doctor on Tuesday, March 29, I scheduled an MRI for the following Tuesday (which then I was able to bump up a day to Monday April 4). I wanted to rule out a bulging disc. 

March 30-April 3
I had zero change, zero pain relief Wednesday-Saturday, which was discouraging as I had stopped running entirely. My doctor prescribed a prescription for 1000mg a day of Naproxen, but that didn't help at all.

On Friday, I decided to get a second opinion from another doctor who ideally would be able to give me a cortisone shot, as I wasn't getting any relief with rest or with Naproxen or with PT/dry needling. This doctor was not at all helpful, but he did tell me to stop taking the Naproxen and instead start a 6-day round of MethylPREDNISolone. Those are steroids, which I started on Saturday, April 3 and finished today.

During this time I refrained from running and did minimal walking. But I did some light PT exercises for the hips and glutes, along with stretching and foam rolling. I also used my RapidReboot hip attachment for compression therapy. I didn't want to go too crazy with the PT exercises because I hadn't been prescribed any by my PT and I wasn't sure it was an SI Joint issue. I just did some common sense stretching and strengthening that didn't cause pain.

April 4-6
Monday was the first day I noticed some relief. Finally it wasn't painful with each step, so I figured the rest + steroids were working. Monday was also the day of my MRI. I actually somewhat enjoy having MRIs. It requires you to be alone with your thoughts; no distractions. A great mental toughness practice.

On Tuesday, April 5, after taking nine consecutive rest days, I decided to go for a test run. Pain with walking was almost entirely gone by this point. I ran with an SI Joint belt, which had been recommended to me by a few people on Instagram as well as a doctor friend. I don't think the SI Joint Belt helped, but I do like the support it provides while doing my daily activities. On Tuesday's run, I did a run/walk series, with the run portions getting progressively longer (2 mins, 3 mins, 5 mins, 7 mins) to see how things were feeling. Pain around the SI Joint kicked in about 15 minutes into the run. And then it quickly spread to the glute and hip and I ended up stopping at 22 minutes. This was extremely discouraging.

After the run/walk I foam rolled, stretched, used a massage gun, and took an epsom salt bath and things calmed down and were back to normal. 

I got the MRI report which I didn't quite understand, but my doctor friend told me it was all clear and that the pain was not disc-related. I have some slightly bulging discs, but they aren't causing me problems. 

My run the following day, April 6. was SO MUCH better! I ran for 4.4 miles, including a few short walk breaks. No SI Joint pain, but my hip did tighten up on me a few times, and I had to stop and stretch. This could be because I did not wear the SI Joint belt, and my PT told me later that day that I probably didn't need one because my pelvis didn't need additional stability. During our session he did an adjustment to help the hip, and he also performed dry needling on my back, glute, and hip. It was painful.

Later that evening, I had a virtual visit with my favorite medical provider, a sports chiropractor who recently moved across the country. He was my go-to for ten years and I trust his opinion entirely. I probably should have done this virtual visit two weeks ago, but I was skeptical that virtual would help much. In hindsight, I think he would have provided the clarity I needed sooner rather than a lot of the ambiguous answers I had been getting from other providers. 

This sports chiropractor has helped me overcome everything that has popped up over the years. Talking to him was very reassuring. I was on the fence about getting a cortisone injection and he was in favor of it. He told me what to expect, gave me some exercises and advised on how to proceed. 

Today, April 7, I ran 6.6 miles 100% pain free thanks to the PT session the day before. No hip tightening, no SI Joint pain. I ran it as a progression run because I had a ton of energy and threw in some strides. It felt amazing to be back out there again. I still decided to get the cortisone injection because I didn't want the pain to return, and today would be my last chance before my doctor left town. I learned that there are very few risks with cortisone in the SI joint, and the potential reward was high. 

I've had two cortisone injections in the past, but they were both somewhere in the 2007-2008 timeframe and not for my SI Joint. One was the ankle and I think the other was the knee, but it might have been the hip.

My plan is to take a rest day tomorrow to recover from the injection, do a short/easy run on Saturday and then attempt a longish run on Sunday. I'll have to play it by ear and see how everything feels, but that's the plan for right now. My doctor actually cleared me to run tomorrow but in general I feel like she allows me to run when I really shouldn't! 

Venting Frustrations
I think I would be much better off if I had a cortisone shot last week; but my doctor didn't have any availability on the schedule until today. I tried to get one at my initial appointment on March 29, but she said that she didn't have time during that appointment. I wish I would have pushed harder to get the shot right then and there instead of waiting 9 more days. Then I wouldn't have had to mess with the medications or the MRI. SI Joint injections are used for diagnostic purposes because if the pain goes away, then it was definitely SI Joint.

Instead, it was a roller coaster of trying different medications, scheduling an MRI and trying to get insurance to approve it (they did not), and not really knowing what the issue was or if I was going to be able to finish Boston. And it took a full week since my initial appointment to get real pain relief. 

I've spent so much time on the phone trying to schedule PT sessions, trying to get an earlier cortisone shot (without success), working through the MRI scheduling and insurance, trying two different prescription drugs. Basically feeling helpless, frustrated and uncertain!

It's much easier when you know what your injury is, how long it will take to recover, and clear instructions on how to proceed. (Like a stress fracture, for example). It's also easier when it doesn't pop up three weeks before the Boston Marathon. So while I handled Covid pretty well, and while I handled my groin injury pretty well, I really struggled with the uncertainty on this one. It was difficult to stay positive.

BUT, I think I am finally coming through to the other side and I'm done with the worst of it. I have the cortisone shot, I have two PT sessions set up for next week, I know I'm not dealing with a disc issue, I have guidance on how much to run and what PT exercises to do, I'm no longer taking medications, and I had a 6-mile pain-free run this morning! I had none of this on Monday of this week.

My primary goal is to get to the start line feeling good so I will prioritize that over trying to salvage my fitness. At Boston, my main goal is to finish the race and ideally be able to walk when I am done (or at the very least, to be able to walk later that day!)  I've already been to the Boston medical tent once and I have no desire to return. I also want a good finish line photo. I haven't been happy with my finish line photos from my previous Bostons!

If you read all of this. . . you're a real trooper! 

Marathon recovery and chess tournament preparation

I spent last week recovering from the Two Rivers marathon. I experienced a sleep nirvana like no other. For four nights in a row, I slept straight through the night, with loads of deep sleep (according to my FitBit), and for 1-2 hours longer than usual. I would have expected that with no running, I wouldn't need so much sleep, but it was like my body knew it was recovering from a major event and the sleep was phenomenal. FitBit even gives you a sleep score, and one night I got a 90, which is the highest I have ever seen, followed by a 91! This tells me that I really did leave it all out there on the course and that perhaps I didn't have enough rest going into the race. 

Mentally, I feel much better about the race. I wrote my blog when I was still processing all of my emotions. Of course, that is the main reason I keep a running blog - for reflection and closure on my race experiences so I can move on in a productive manner. My main takeaway is that I ran a solid race on a tough course without having as much of a taper as I needed, given the extended training cycle. I'm proud of my execution and my BQ cushion of over 20 minutes. 

Also, running is just one aspect of my life; not my whole life. When I was training at 75+ miles per week it felt like my whole life because I didn't have the time of energy for much else. But getting 10+ hours back last week with no running made me realize just how much of a commitment I made to that training cycle. Unlike with past marathons, I didn't jump to sign up for future races. I only have one race on the calendar (a half marathon in May) and I give it a 50/50 chance of getting canceled. So everything is up in the air with my future race plans, which is a first for me!

Additionally, I have a mild injury, which I am fairly certain stems from the bike accident I had in 2019. While vacationing in Norway, my tire got caught in a rail track, stopped the bike, and I fell onto the bike with my pelvis hitting the bar with a massive amount of force. The area never completely recovered. It was about 95% there and then I ran CIM 4 months after the accident and that aggravated it again. When I started strength training in May 2020, I started feeling it again with lower abdominal exercises. And I noticed that engaging my lower abdomen in any way made the area feel a little sore.

It was extremely mild so I didn't do anything about it. I trained for Harrisburg with no issues. But as I ramped up for Two Rivers in February, I noticed that the pelvic area would get tender from running. During the marathon, it was a little achy, but nothing major enough to even mention in my race report. When I finished the marathon, I did experience some nasty pain throughout the groin and pelvic region, which continued for the rest of the day.

Ever since the marathon, it's been a little achy when I have to use my lower abdominal muscles or when I move my legs in a certain way. I had an X-ray done today and was diagnosed with mild inflammation of the pubic synthesis, which means I need to cut back on running for four weeks, and I am totally fine with that.

Now onto the exciting stuff: I competed in a chess tournament last weekend!

Background
I started playing chess when I was six. I loved it so much that I asked for an electronic chess set for my 7th birthday and I played that thing all the time. It wasn't long before I could beat my dad. Then came the teenage and college years, followed by my 20s when I rarely played. I beat my boss at a job I had in my early 20s and he was just as competitive as me, and he didn't like that I beat him. And so as a general rule of thumb, I learned never to play my boss in chess. It's more important for your boss to like you and respect you for the work you do on the job, not because you can outdo him or her in some other game.

Chess on vacation in 2018

Fast forward to around 2011, the year after Greg and I got married. We took a trip to visit his parents who lived in Albuquerque, NM at the time. His father had a chess set and the three of us played many games because there really wasn't much else to do! This chess binge got Greg, his father, and me all "into" chess again. We set up accounts on chess.com and continued playing each other long after the visit to New Mexico. And then my father also joined chess.com and the four of us would play each other frequently. And then I started playing random people on chess.com.

But back then, I didn't have the mental toughness that I learned through running and through working with a sports psychologist. I would be extremely hard on myself for making a mistake. On chess.com you have a rating and when you lose, your rating goes down. And at some point in 2012 I think, I lost a few games in a row, became super frustrated, and stopped playing on chess.com. Greg and I also stopped playing on the board. We would only play on vacation when the place we were staying had a board. Greg got his rating so high that he stopped playing because he didn't want it to get any lower. 

A New Beginning
Fast forward to January 2020, when I saw a Facebook post from Michael Wardian, a professional ultra runner who lives in the DC area. He posted that he was getting into chess and that he was playing games on chess.com. I thought it would be super cool to play him, so I re-installed the app on my phone, logged into an account I hadn't been in for eight years, and challenged him. There are different types of games you can play on Chess.com with regards to how much time you get to make a move, and we played where you have an entire day to make a move. That way you don't have to be on the app at the same time. 

My favorite checkmate ever: two equines!

Whenever one game ended, we would start another one so that we always had a game going. I started to explore all the features of the chess.com app and I loved doing the puzzles. I even started playing "blitz"games that only gave each players 5 minutes total to finish the game. You win by either checkmating your opponent or having their clock run out faster than yours. I was absolutely horrible at this because it requires you to think fast under pressure.

Before I knew it, I had caught the chess bug again and upgraded my Chess.com subscription so I could play more puzzles, analyze more games, and take more lessons. And Greg got more into it as well. He started doing the puzzles and we started playing more games against each other. He also started watching chess videos on YouTube, which he used to watch years ago, but of course now there are like 100 times more of them available and they are of much higher quality. 

Upping My Game
A few months ago, I started talking more with Michael Wardian about chess, and I asked him how he was able to get his blitz rating so high. Of course, he is a naturally "fast" person so he is gifted when it comes to competing at speed. I asked him to share some of his games with me and he did. 

I started providing feedback on his games and his desire to improve fueled my desire to improve even more! He totally inspired me to become a better player and also to bring my game to a live, in-person tournament. 

Of course all of this did coincide with the release of The Queen's Gambit on Netflix, and even though I loved that series, it is not what heightened my interest in chess. And it's not what made me want to sign up for a live tournament. All credit goes to Mike Wardian. He had competed in several tournaments and had an official US Chess rating. He was also a member of a chess club.

So I found a tournament just 15 minutes away from my house, which occurred last weekend (one week post marathon). Greg, Mike, and I all signed up for it. Back in 2011, I wanted Greg to sign up for a live tournament because he was getting really good at online chess. But he never did, and then our interest in the game waned.

Greg and I purchased an online chess course and it reinforced concepts we already knew, but also taught us new concepts. Chess is like any game or sport; it's a mixture of natural talent and the hard work of training or studying. While the lessons we purchased were a good start, they barely scratched the surface of the complexities of the game. We also purchased a chess clock and annotation books per Mike's recommendation.

Mike Wardian vs. Greg Clor

The day before the tournament (Friday) Mike came over to my house to play Greg and me live on the chessboard. Playing a live game on the board with an actual chess clock is completely different than playing online. When you can see the person in front of you the dynamic changes entirely, and when you have to manually tap a clock and record the moves on paper, it adds another dimension.

In a live tournament, you make your move, tap your chess clock, and then record your move on a piece of paper. You also record your opponents move. This enables you to go back and analyze your game afterwards. At higher levels of competition, it's mandatory and you need an accurate score sheet to claim a win. To record your move on paper you need to know how to annotate all the pieces and all the squares. This was actually something I picked up quickly, and the more you do it, the more automatic it becomes. 

A huge thanks goes out to Mike for coming over and showing Greg and me the ropes of a live tournament. The score book, the chess clock, the rules, and everything would have been totally foreign to us otherwise.

How did it go? Stay tuned for the next blog in which I discuss how I applied the mental skills I acquired for running to the game of chess!