Winning my first 5K

I wanted to run a 5K because I had not run once since the Turkey Trot last November. 5Ks are torture because you are going extremely fast and pushing yourself really hard, but the pain is over quickly. It's basically 20+ minutes of torture, for a victory and a "high" that lasts for much longer.

This is my third 5K and none of them have been enjoyable. In fact, each one of them felt like pure torture and I have always wanted to stop after two miles, and I always question why I subject myself to this. But then my mindset does a 180 when I reach the finish line. Thus, the 5K is a unique challenge in enduring the torture and just pushing and pushing as hard and as fast as possible.

My Personal Record for this distance was 23:32, and based on my training, I was hoping to run this race in less than 23:00. But the course was more challenging than expected.I would consider this course to be the "Boston Marathon" of 5Ks. The first mile is a steep downhill, and the last two miles are a gradual uphill.

I had read an article in Runner's World where they did a study of 5K times, and the study found that a good strategy is to actually go out faster than your anticipated pace. The runners who did this actually held this pace throughout the race, even though they didn't expect to. So I went out fast, and the first mile was a steep downhill, resulting in a 6:48 mile. I could hardly believe it. The second mile was mainly uphill, resulting in a 7:58. I wasn't happy about this, but I figured it was okay because I had banked myself some time with the first mile.

By the third mile, I felt like I was about to die. I was sweating profusely, the humidity was really hitting me hard, and my lungs were killing me. I really wanted to slow down and I was so close to just chalking

the race up to a loss and walking. I knew I wasn't going to get under 23 minutes, and I probably wouldn't beat my time from November. But then I realized that I had not seen any women ahead of me the whole race. I started the race at the front of the pack, and gunned it with a bunch of men, but I was fairly certain that I was in the lead in terms of women. When I realized I could actually win the race, I was motivated to keep going.

As I approached mile marker 3, I realized I could get a new PR if I sprinted. I did my fastest sprint ever, and came in at 23:30-- beating my PR by 2 seconds!

I felt like death for about two minutes afterwards, as I was gasping for air. But eventually I caught my breath and was fine. About 20 minutes later, the results were posted on the wall in order of finish. I scanned down the list of names, and I didn't see any female names ahead of me. And there was a "1" next to my name. I could hardly believe it!

As I waited for the awards ceremony, they handed out some door prizes. I won one of those! I won these amazingly good Oatmeal Raisin cookies from the Great Harvest Bread Company. I sat down at a table with another girl who was by herself and seemed to be around my age. She was super nice and we started chatting.

Finally, they began the awards ceremony. I was surprised that I was actually not the first female finisher.

There was a 15-year-old by the name of Tomoka, who I had mistaken for a male in the results, who was actually the first female finisher. Time of 21:28. I was the 2nd female finisher, and 1st place for my division.

I finished 1st in my division

I finished 2 of 126 females

I finished 33 of 252 total runners (male and female)

My award is cool. It's this glass statue/plaque that says 1st place, Herndon 5K Festival. It was totally worth the pain and agony of mile 3!

My next race is a 10K on Saturday. I have minor shin splits at the moment because I wore lightweight racing shoes (non-supportive), but I hope they go away soon.

Capitol Hill 10K

After living in the Washington DC metro area for over 28 years, I finally know why it's called "Capitol Hill" or simply "The Hill" for short. Why? There's a huge hill. And running up that hill sucks. It might be a great spot for such an important building as the U.S. Capitol, but it's certainly not the ideal place for the last mile of a 10K. Unless you're a masochist.

I ran the Capitol Hill Classic 10K this morning. I have often said that the 10K is my least favorite distance, and I find it the most challenging. I can sprint a 5K pretty quickly, and I am good at sustaining a fast pace throughout a 10-miler. But damn that 10K! Also, during the 10Ks I have run in, I have always peed in my pants. (Sorry if that is TMI). Always. I don't do it in any other races, just the 10K. 

Today was no different. I peed during the race. I did go to the porta-potty beforehand, but I was leaking for most of mile 4. I don't know why this happens. It's completely involuntary, and it's like I'm just leaking with no control over it. It's so odd that I have never had this issue in other race distances, only the 10Ks.

My fastest 10K race was in June 2005 with a 53:09. But my "personal record" for the 10K distance was set during the Cherry Blossom 10-miler in early April, when I crossed the 10K mat at 50:59. My goal for this race was under 50:00, but I expected I would probably get under 49:00, based on my other races. Hell, if I can do a 8:08 pace during a 10-miler, I should be able to be well under an 8:00 pace for a 10K. 

My friend Brianna picked me up at my house and she drove us to the race. There were about 2,000 people running. I wore my zebra skirt and a black tank. No pictures, but there were professional photographers there taking photos. I will post them when they are available. . . if they aren't hideous.

Let's just hope the pee doesn't show.

I noticed that I was one of the few people wearing headphones. Usually, about half the people have headphones. In this race, it was only about 15%. I was starting to wonder if I would be disqualified because of it, but I didn't worry too much.

Miles 1 - 2
I felt strong the first mile. I ran into "Freaky McRunner" (Katharine) who was wearing this awesome yellow tank. (Katharine, if you are reading, that was a great color on you.) We chatted briefly and then we continued on.

The second mile was a slight up-hill for most of the way. But I didn't slow down for it, which means I over-exerted myself. Since it was just a slight up hill, it was enough to take a toll on me, but not enough to cause me to slow down.

Miles 3 - 4

As a result, mile 3 was much slower as I recovered from the hill over-exertion. I actually stopped at the water station during mile 3 and walked for about 20 seconds. I ran into my friend Brianna at this point and we stayed together for the rest of the race. Only I didn't know it because I ran slightly ahead of her, and when I looked back, she was gone. It turns out she was behind me, but there were a few people in between us, so I didn't see her.

Miles 5 - 6.2

All was good until the second half of mile 6. There was this huge hill that was like 0.5 mile. It was major. I had to walk a few times during it. KILLER. I was pissed off about it and everyone was going at a snail's pace up that hill. And then the last 0.2 was flat to the finish. I was so tired. I wanted to walkduring that 0.2, but I didn't. My pace actually slowed during the 0.2. That's how much the hill killed me.

I didn't really enjoy this race. I kept peeing in my pants a little (uncontrollably) and my lungs/chest hurt. My back hurt. My legs were actually 100% fine. But my back. Ouch. Maybe from the hill at mile 2? The course was not scenic and there wasn't much crowd support. It was very similar to the half marathon I ran at the end of March.

Mile 1: 7:44 (feeling strong)

Mile 2: 7:46 (I took that hill way too fast)

Mile 3: 8:19 (recovering from the hill, and walking during the water station)

Mile 4: 7:55 (back and lungs hurting, peeing)

Mile 5: 7:37 (I think they mis-measured this mile being too short)

Mile 6: 8:52 (Huge hill, and I think they mis-measured this mile being too long)

0.2: 1:38 (which is an 8:10 pace, but includes a sprint at the end, showing how much I slowed)

Average pace: 8:02 

Finish time: 49:55

33 of 270 women in my age group

108 of 876 women total

I am satisfied with that. But if it hadn't been for the hill, I would have gotten under 49, and my average pace would have been much faster than 8:02. I have another 10K on June 9, so let's hope I can shave a minute off my time. Maybe it's good I got the time I did, because now I have a good goal for the next race.

Brianna finished just a few seconds after me. Since I didn't realize she was behind me, I was pleasantly surprised to hear her name announced as she crossed the finish. Now I can say I have truly experienced "The Hill" and all it's glory.

Next race: The Herndon Festival 5K on June 3.

The New Jersey Marathon

I ran the New Jersey marathon on Sunday. This was my 4th marathon ever, and my 4th marathon within a one-year time period. Previous marathons were Delaware, Marine Corps, and Miami, with times of 4:46, 4:24, and 4:13, respectively. My goal for New Jersey was to finish at 4:08 or faster. My friend Randi (from Texas) ran the half marathon, and I picked her up from the airport on Friday night. We drove to Philadelphia on Saturday morning to pick up our friend Jenny. Jenny was supposed to run the marathon, but she has two stress fractures and is now on crutches. However, she wanted to come and spend the weekend with us and watch the race. I was really happy she came because Jenny and I have run all of our marathons together, and some other races as well.

Randi, Jenny and I stayed at a bed and breakfast on the Jersey shore-- just seven miles from the race. The Jersey shore is beautiful, and the area where we stayed was midway up the state-- north of Atlantic City, but not in Northern NJ.

Listening to Katherine Switzer speak

Our friend Kimberly, who lives on the Jersey shore, came to meet us at our Bed & Breakfast. She was running the half marathon as well. We went to the Expo and heard Katherine Switzer speak. She was the first woman to ever run the Boston marathon. Her speech was amazing and she was such a motivation to the four of us.

We then went to get our bib numbers and timing chips, and then out to dinner for a nice carb load. We went to an Italian restaurant and it was delicious.

The next morning, we prepared for the race. I had a bagel and half a Zone bar, as usual and we were off. Jenny was on crutches, but she found a spot right near the start/finish line to take photos. She took a photo of me crossing the start line, just before I threw my jacket to her. (I decided I did not need it while I was in the corral).

The New Jersey marathon is a two-loop course. Each loop is 13.1 miles. The half marathon runners do the loop one time, and the full marathoners run it twice. The weather was cloudy and 55-60 degrees.


Miles 1-5
I started out at a pace of about 9:45. My goal was to cross the halfway point at around 2:05, and then do a negative split. Randi's goal was 2:06 for the half marathon, so she used me as a pacer in the beginning of the race. At around mile 4 however, I looked back and noticed she was gone. She later told me that I had sped up and it was hard to stay with me because it was so crowded and she kept having to weave in and out of people.
I decided to pick up my pace at around mile 4. That's when I passed the 4:15 pace group. I knew I would have to pass them during the first half, but I wasn't sure exactly when I would pass them.  During miles 1-5, I was taking 40-second walk breaks through each of the water stations, and running at a pace of about 9:30.

Miles 6-13

Halfway Point

These miles went by extremely quickly. They are sort of a blur and I don't remember much. I remember that at mile 9 there was a river, and as soon as the river came into view, my iPod started to play "This River is Wild" by the Killers. I smiled. After the river, the song "Policeman's Xmas Party" came on, just as I was running by some policemen!  I recognized a man who must have been in his 70's running without a shirt and in red shorts. He had run Delaware. I took my headphones off and told him I recognized him from Delaware. He said he was running it again this year-- just three weeks later! Wow.  I hit the 10-mile marker at 1:34.

Miles 13-20
I crossed the halfway point at 2:03:38. I was feeling really good at around mile 8, so I had decided that I could probably get to the halfway point a little sooner, and maybe beat my goal. I reset my watch, so that I could time the second loop the same way I did the first. After crossing the halfway point, I noticed that the outside of my left ankle was really bugging me. It was my timing chip! This raced use the ankle chip, and I had velcroed it on too tight. Also, my ankles had probably swelled during the first half. I bent down to make my chip looser, but then it was too loose. So, after a few tries with it, I just moved the actual chip portion to the back of my ankle and it was fine. After the race, I had a huge bruise and a lot of pain where the chip had initially been. So my advice to anyone who runs a marathon with a Linmark ankle chip is to not velcro it too tightly.

At mile 15, I needed to have my second pack of Sports Beans. I do not like eating sports beans during races because they make me feel nauseous. However, they are better than gu or gels or gatorade, so I force feed myself them. Ew--- it was like torture having to eat them. They were the orange kind, so I told myself I was eating Ben & Jerry's peach cobbler ice cream. I told myself that this was the best thing I had ever tasted. And it worked! I ate the whole pack of beans over the course of a mile.
I was still feeling really good miles 14-20, so I picked up the pace to about 9:05, and shortened my walks to 25 seconds. Miles 14-20 were my fastest.  I hit the 20 mile marker at 3:07.

Miles 21-26.2

At mile 21, that river came up again, and my iPod played "Pain Lies on the Riverside". Purely by coincidence! It totally motivated me. I started to feel a lot of quad pain at around mile 21 and I really, really wanted the race to be over. Those last five miles were extremely hard, but I only slowed my pace slightly. I used every positive self-talk trick I new to keep myself from walking. Miles 23 and 24 seemed to last forever!

There was a relay going on and there were people running at mile 21 who just started the relay. They looked strong and fast, and I was in pain! But I tried to let those runners motivate me. I was passing a lot of people during the last five miles. Many people were walking. Many people were hitting a wall.  But the crowd support was amazing for such a small race, and my bib number had my name on it, so people were cheering: "Go Elizabeth!"


I really was tempted to walk during the last mile. It took everything I had to keep going. But I did!  The last mile of the loop was on the boardwalk with the ocean, so I just focused on looking at the ocean and tried to ignore the pain I was in. And I even sprinted to the finish line.

First half: 2:03:37 
Second half: 2:02:08

Time: 4:05:44, which is a Personal Record of 8 minutes, and 3 minutes faster than my goal time.

39 of 134 in my age group.
179 of 593 women.
682 of 1612 total finishers

After crossing, I was given a medal and a finisher's hat. I was so focused, that all I could think about was adjusting that hat so that it fit properly on my head. I would not drink my bottle of water or meet my friends until I had that hat secured on my head. It was wierd. I guess I was just so used to being extremely focused on one thing that I became really obsessed with getting my hat on!


Randi met her goal of a 2:06. Kimberly met her goal of finishing, because this was her first half marathon. Three goals met!!!  Our other friend Jenna drove to the race from Philadelphia and had made us all signs. It was so great to see her. She is on the far right.

The post-race food was cornbread and chili. Yuck. They ran out of bagels from the half marathoners, so I didn't eat anything until we went out for a celebratory lunch. I wasn't hungry at that point anyway.


The pizza was amazing. And then we went on the boardwalk for candy and ice cream! Yum!
I was very pleased with my performance and the race was awesome. Having my friends there and a huge cheering section for me (4 of my good friends) was really motivating. The entire weekend was so much fun. The race itself was well organized, except for I did not like the post-race food.

My next marathon is the Chicago marathon in October. I think it's good that I am taking 5 months off from marathons so I can train really well and break the 4-hour mark in Chicago. I have a few 10Ks scheduled for this summer, and I entered the lottery for the NYC half marathon.  I didn't really learn anything new this race, only that what I have been doing for my past few marathons continues to work. I continue to run negative splits, be conservative with my pacing and goals.  I continue to be motivated by my music and positive mentality.  I continue to NOT follow a strict training program, but to listen to my body and train based on what I feel I need each day.

The Perfect Race

I've always said that the 10-miler is my favorite race distance, even though I have only ever run one of them in my life. I feel like a half marathon is just a little too long to go my fastest and a 10K is too short to get the benefit of my endurance.  I ran the GW Parkway Classic 10 miler last April in 1:26, pace of 8:44.

Before the Race

I woke up on Sunday morning, pleasantly surprised that there was no rain for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. The forecast had called for rain all throughout the race, but it hadn't started yet. I dressed in my new zebra skirt, which I have never raced in, ate some pretzels and half a zone bar, and was ready to go.

My good friend Jenny (who I run most of my races with) had taken the train in from Philadelphia the night before and my good friend Lauren (who I ran the half marathon with last weekend) came over in the morning and we all took the metro it. It was nice not to have to worry about driving, or being stuck in a horrendous three-hour-long traffic jam like at the half marathon last weekend.


We arrived downtown where shuttle buses would take us to the start line. I was not happy to learn that they were school buses, because I have a hang-up with those from a bad childhood experience. Riding that school bus brought back some bad memories, so I tried not to think about it.

When we got off the bus, we walked about half a mile to the start line. I've lived in the Washington DC area my whole life, but I have never seen the cherry blossoms. As we were walking through the park area, I kept asking my friends "Are those the cherry blossoms?" Even my out-of-town friend knew which pink bulbs were cherry blossoms and which ones were not.

The race was very well organized. We were corralled by our bib numbers, and bib numbers were based on previous race times that we had to submit during registration. I think I had submitted my 5K time of 23:32, so I was at the very front of the second wave, bib 2039. I felt like I was surrounded by really fast runners and I didn't deserve to be so close to the front. But I also didn't want to be stuck at the back like in the half marathon from the previous weekend, having to pass a bunch of people in the beginning.


I was freezing at the start line, and I was upset that I had forgotten my running gloves. My fingers were numb and white, and I had to put them in my mouth (98 degrees!) to get feeling back into them. The temperature was announced at 51 degrees. It felt more like 45. It was overcast and there was no sun.

At the start line, I meet a woman who was 49 years old and had just run her first marathon in October-- The Marine Corps Marathon. She qualified for the Boston Marathon during her first marathon, and then shaved 16 minutes off of that time at the Shamrock Marathon two weekends ago. The weekend after the Shamrock Marathon, she ran the National Half Marathon, and now she was doing the 10-miler. . . followed by Boston in mid-April! I was amazed. 49 years old, she had just started running, and she was extremely fast. Her time for this race was 1:15:50.

She was also wearing a running skirt, by the same company who made mine. Hers was all black and she said she always raced in it because it made her feel confident and powerful.  I felt the same way in my zebra skirt and matching top.


Miles 1-3
I recently read a blog from my friend Christopher, who, like me, is usually very strategic about pacing himself. But in his most recent race, he really pushed the pace beyond what he thought was capable of, but he felt good and did it anyway. He told himself "don't think-- just run!"  While I believe that a race in mainly mental, I probably analyze my pace far too much during a race and I don't listen to my body as much as I could. So, I decided that I would try for an average pace of 8:20-8:25, starting at around 8:40 and decreasing to 8:00 by the end. My goal was to finish in 1:23.

My first mile was much faster than I expected. 8:10. After all, I was running with all the fast runners at the start of the second wave. But it felt good, so I just went with it. I planned to walk through the water stations later in the race anyway, so I figured maybe it was good that I started faster than planned.  As I got to the water stations, no one was really walking through them. Once again, this was because I was with the fast runners. I probably walked for about 3-4 seconds with my water, but that was all I felt I could do with everyone running so fast around me.  Mile 3 was my slowest mile (8:30 pace) because of a slight uphill and a water station.

The course was so beautiful. It was the POLAR opposite from the run-down neighborhoods in southeast DC from last weekend. We ran over bridges, near the water, and everything was in bloom. We passed monuments and I was so proud to call this place my home.

Mile 1: 8:10
Mile 2: 8:19
Mile 3: 8:30

Miles 4-6 
After a slow mile 3, I sped up for miles 4 and 5. I wanted to run negative splits, so I knew I needed to pick up the pace a bit, even though I was on track for meeting my goal.

My Personal Record for a 10K (6.2 miles) is a pace of 8:36. I set in it 2005 in the heat. When I came to the 10K marker of this race, I looked at my watch and I noticed that I was setting a 10K PR during a 10-mile race! There was even a timing matt, and I actually sprinted to the timing mat because I thought that the results would include it as a split. I think I hit the mat at excatly 51:00.

At this point, I could see the Elite women and super-fast men on the other side of the course. I was just amazed to look at their legs and see how fast they were going.  I was surprised by the lack of crowd support. There were 15,000 runners, so I expected the crowd support to be almost like that of the Marine Corps Marathon, but it was very minimal. There were no real crowds until the last half mile.

Mile 4: 8:02
Mile 5: 8:07
Mile 6: 8:06


Miles 7-10
These were the hardest miles. We were running the reverse route of the Marine Corps Marathon miles 6-8 on Rock Creek Parkway. During the MCM, we started on one side of the road, and turned around to be on the other side of the road. This was weird because it was reversed. There was a nice downhill at the end of mile 7 that I was thankful for.

I was getting tired and I was worried that I couldn't keep my pace up. I hit somewhat of a wall at mile 8 and I just had to tell myself that I needed to keep going. Slowing down would only prolong the race. I got into this weird zone where I just blocked everything out except for my music and just focused on keeping the pace steady.

At mile marker 9, I started to feel this indigestion pain in my chest and a slight cramp in my side. But I knew I had only one mile to go, so I tried really hard to ignore the pain and just push through. As I approached the finish line, there were tons of people cheering, and I sprinted the last tenth of a mile.

Mile 7: 8:16
Mile 8: 7:57
Mile 9: 8:04
Mile 10: 7:48

My splits were somewhat negative, but not as negative as they usually are. I was happy to pull of a 7:48 at the last mile, despite the pain in my stomach.

Results
I was truly, truly amazed at my time: 1:21:23 and a pace of 8:08. I set a new personal record by over 5 minutes- and this pace is much faster than my 10K pace, ironically!!!  I think it was the zebra skirt. I felt so awesome in that thing.

I placed 190 out of 1621 in my age group.
I placed 650 out of 5520 female runners.

Both of these put me in the 89th percentile, where I usually fall around the 85th percentile. This was one of my best races ever, if not the best. Especially considering I had run a hilly half marathon (+0.24) the weekend before.


What I Learned
I know that having a strategy is important. But if you don't push yourself outside of your comfort zone, then you won't know what you are truly capable of. If I had really tried for a 1:23 exactly, then that's what I would have gotten. But I surprised myself with a 1:21:23, and I couldn't be more pleased.

After the Race
I easily found Lauren and Jenny after the race. I was even more cold after the race than before it, and my lips were turning blue. The only bad thing about this race was the post-race food. I have never run a race where they didn't have bagels at the end. And fresh ones. All they had here at the end in terms of food were bananas (which I hate) and packaged muffins. The muffins were gross, but I had one anyway.  Even that Half Marathon last weekend had like 5 different kinds of fresh bagels.  Whatever. . . I guess I can't be too picky!  It's free! (Well, sort of).

We walked back to school-bus shuttles and stopped for some photos in front of the beautiful trees.

What a wonderful day. I was so happy that it didn't rain and that I got to spend time with my two good friends.

The day I ran faster than I drove

I ran the Wirefly National Half Marathon in Washington DC this morning. In its second year, this marathon is rapidly gaining in popularity. It drew people from 48 states!

Unfortunately, those people didn't get a very scenic or historical view of Washington. The only notable landmark that the course passes through is the Capitol, at the beginning of the race. Otherwise, the course goes through run-down neighborhoods of the city. No nice view of the Potomac river like in the Marine Corps marathon. No view of the monuments or the White House. Just dirty, run-down neighborhoods.

I ran this race with my good friend Lauren, who I referenced in a previous blog. Lauren and I headed out to the race just before 6:00 a.m. in my car. It took us approximately 25 minutes to drive to the parking area near the start line. It was dark and raining, with a temperature of about 48F. I had debated over what to wear, but finally settled on shorts and a heavy long-sleeved top with a quarter zipper. 

Before the race started, we had some time to stretch and use the porta-potties. The rain tapered off a bit and I suddenly became very warm in my heavy top. I was worried that I would get too hot, and at certain points during the race, I wished I had chosen something lighter weight.

The race was relatively uneventful. There was very little crowd support, and I was surprised becausethere were about 5,000 runners (both full and half). It was nothing like the Marine Corps Marathon where tens of thousands of people swarm the streets and crowd the sidewalks to catch a glimpse of the runners. The lack of crowd support and dreary weather took a slight toll on my mood, so I didn't have the excited spirit as I typically do when I race.

My strategy was to begin at a 9:00 pace and then gradually decrease to an 8:20. My goal was to break my record of 2:00:25 set in 2005, when I ran my first half marathon. But I really wanted to come in under 1:55, because my training indicated that I was capable of doing so.

My first mile was 9:18, and I followed this strategy (somewhat) until mile marker 11, at which point the hills began to take a toll on me. I typically don't track splits on my watch-- I just let the timer go and remember my splits in my head, and I do the math. This was the first race where I actually used the split feature. The first ten miles were paced as followed, according to my watch:

Mile 1: 9:18

Mile 2: 8:41

Mile 3: 8:51

Mile 4: 9:03

Mile 5: 8:46

Mile 6: 8:50

Mile 7: 8:32

Mile 8: 8:44

Mile 9: 9:07

Mile 10: 8:12

I was not expecting the last 5 miles to be so hilly: It was hill after hill after hill. And it really seemed that there were more uphills than down hills. Once I hit mile marker 11, I started to slow down. I usually increase my speed dramatically at the end of a race, but I simply could not do it today. I don't think I went out too fast-- if the course were less hilly I probably could have sped up.

Mile 11: 8:41

Mile 12: 9:22

Mile 13: 9:20

I ran to the finish line at a steady pace-- I didn't get my "finish line adrenaline". I think more crowd support would have helped. I didn't see any spectators during the last mile. My time for this race was 1:56:27, an average pace of 8:52. I think I ran a good race and I am satisfied with my time. Although part of me wishes that I didn't slow down as much at the end, and I could have come in under 1:55.

I have a week and a day to recover for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler. As far as rankings go, the resultson the Web site ranked the finishers according to gun time (as opposed to chip time), so it's not an accurate reflection of how I did. The competitive side of me hates that!

Lauren and I walked back to my car. As we left the parking lot, we were put onto this road the sent us off in the wrong direction. After getting a sense for where we were, we realized that the road closings from the race were causing major traffic backups. We left the parking lot at 9:20, and did not get out of the city until after 12:00. For about an hour of this time, we were just stuck on one road-- going so slow that I kept putting my car in park and stretching my legs. Just the fact that I could be taking photos while in the driver's seat says something about our immobility.

Once in awhile, we would actually get to move the car forward!!! Essentially, it took us nearly three hours to drive about 7-8 miles. We could have run faster! We could have driven to Philadelphia in that amount of time. And it's not like we could really get mad at the street closings because we actually ran in that race. Lauren and I had some good quality time to catch up, so the car ride wasn't too bad.

iPod Playlist highlights (in order):

30 Seconds To Mars, "From Yesterday"

Sheryl Crow, "Steve McQueen"

Dishwalla, "Counting Blue Bars"

Chris Daughtry, "It's Not Over"

David Gray, "Nos De Cariad"

Jason Mraz, "Can't Go For That"

The Fray, "How to Save a Life"

Eddie Money, "Take Me Home Tonight"

Nickleback, "Rockstar"

Incubus, "Dig"

Plus 44, "When Your Heart Stops Beating"

AFI, "Love Like Winter"

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, "Save The Population"

Anberlin, "Godspeed"

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Face Down"

Five For Fighting, "Policeman's Xmas Party"

The Killers, "Bones"

Jason Mraz, "The Remedy"

Anberlin, "There is No Mathematics To Love And Loss"

Red Hot Chilli Peppers, "Especially In Michigan"

Rise Against, "Ready To Fall"

Better Than Ezra, "Hollow"

Anberlin, "Readyfuels"

Incubus, "Anna Molly"

Fall Out Boy, "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race"

Update: I just learned that the course may have been 0.5 miles too long. This could explain why I slowed down so much at the end. What is up with me and these races that are too long???? This was a USATF certified course, so it shouldn't have been long. If this is the case, then my time for the half marathon dips down to about 1:51. I'll keep you guys updated on what I find out.

Added a few days later:

Today, I received this e-mail message from the Wirefly National Half Marathon race director: 

We wanted to make you aware that due to a cone placement error this course was inadvertently .24 miles longer than the 13.1 official distance which race officials had mapped and USATF had certified. While your Official Time remains the same for the event, we are providing an amended section to the posted results.

A cone placement error? Geeze! I suspected that the course might have been too long, but since I didn't see the 12 mile marker, I had no way of measuring my exact splits for the last two miles. Plus, there were hills so I figured I must have just slowed down because of the hills.

As it turns out, I didn't slow down at all. It was nice that they adjusted the results to reflect this extra 0.24 on their Web site. My actual time was 1:54:18, with a pace of 8:43. This means I met my "OMG I am so happy" goal! If you recall my "This race was a success" goal was just to get under 2:00. But my goal that I really wanted was under 1:55, and I did it!

Interestingly PR pace for a half marathon is now faster than my PR pace for a 10-miler! but only by one second (8:44 vs. 8:43).

18 Miles on a Treadmill

I set a record today for my longest treadmill run ever. Prior to today, my longest had been 16 miles, when training for the Marine Corps Marathon.

The original plan was to run outdoors. I was going to park my car, run 9 miles to a location where I would meet up with my friend, and then we were going to run 9 miles back to my car. She is running a half marathon next weekend, so it would have served as her last long training run. Unfortunately, the wind combined with temperatures in the 40's made the idea of running such a distance extremely undesirable. Had it not been for the wind, I wouldn't have minded running in 45-degree weather.

I took a pack of Jelly Belly sports bean with me (I always feel so weird eating on the treadmill) and a bottle of water and started my run. I always wonder if other people notice how long I am on the treadmill and if they think I am just obsessed with running, or actually training for something. I had to reset the treadmill three times, because the maximum is 60 minutes. I decided to reset the treadmill every six miles-- here are my splits:  

First six: 58:35 (9:46 average pace) including a walk break at the end of each mile.
Middle six: 57:35 (9:36 average pace) including a shorter walk break at the end of each mile.
Last six: 55:20 (9:13 average pace) just one short walk break at the end of mile 13.

I ran the last two miles at a much faster pace, and I felt like I could have gone even further. I got sort of bored and not wanting to run anymore at around mile 12, but once I hit 15, I got a second wind. My overall time for this run was 2:51:30, yielding an average pace of 9:31. Spread across a marathon, I would get a time of 4:09:48, which is what I am hoping for in New Jersey at the end of April.

My feet have shrunk. I have run all my marathons in Brooks Adrenaline size 6. My size 6's feel way too big now, and I am more comfortable in the 5.5's. I ran this run in my size 6's and I stopped several times to tie them tighter for more support. I am now debating which shoe size to wear during the marathon. Do I wear the size 6 like usual? Or the size 5.5? This could make a huge difference in how my feet and legs feel.

I wore a new sports bra. For me, the biggest running "gear" challenge is finding a supportive, dry-wicking sports bra that doesn't chafe (even with body glide). The sports bras designed for bustier women don't support me whatsoever and the extra wires that those bras have are painful. I've decided that the best approach is buy an Extra Small sports bra (despite my cup size) and just cram these things in there so they can't move. I tried it today with a new sports bra and it worked!

My schedule for the next few weeks is as follows:

March 24: 9 miles (if anyone thinks I could do more and not have my 10-miler suffer, chime in!)

April 1: Cherry Blossom 10-mile race

April 6: 20-mile training run

April 14: Running the last 10 miles of a 50-mile race with Michael Hayden

April 21: 8 miles

April 29: New Jersey Marathon

All you runners who are reading this, please feel free to offer advice on this plan. I haven't done much trail running, so I need to be very careful doing the last ten miles of that Ultra with Michael. If I feel like the hills and the terrain are too much, I will stop and just do a longish run on Sunday.

Hills, Spit and a Mis-measured Mile

Today I ran the Van Metre 5 Mile run in Ashburn, VA. The average temperature was about 39 degrees, partly sunny.

Before the Race

You might have thought that this race was some life-altering event based on my anxiety dreams the night before. I dreamt that I was late to the race, that I couldn't find the race, that I got into a car accident on the way to the race, that I forgot about the race. Any anxiety dream you can think of, I had it. I tossed and turned all night and ended up with very little sleep.

I went to the Starbucks near my house for my usual pre-race coffee (just half a cup) and bagel. I was upset to learn that the bagel shop near the Starbucks had gone out of business, so I had to settle for a reduced-fat piece of coffee cake from Starbucks.

I drove 25 miles out to Ashburn where I parked my car, got my bib number and warmed up. There were about 600 people running this race. My goal for the race was under 40:00, (under 8:00/mile).

Mile 1: 8:00 (8:00 pace)

I had no idea what the elevation for this course would be like. Mile one featured a large hill, and I felt like I was going maybe 8:20-8:25, so I was happy when I passed mile marker 1 at exactly 8:00, according to my watch. This was the coldest race I've ever run, probably just a few degrees colder than last year's Turkey Trot 5K. It hurt to breathe the cold air. I could see my breath. I kept spitting ever few minutes. I don't know why I spit in races when it's colder.

Mile 2: 15:20 (7:20 pace)

Mile 2 had a nice downhill, so I ran it very quickly. This was my quickest mile of the race, thanks to the downhill. I was still hurting and cold, but by the end of this mile, I told myself I was almost halfway there. We ran through neighborhoods with nice, relatively new houses. I tried to distract myself from the pain in my lungs and discomfort by looking at the houses.

Mile 3: 23:00 (7:40 pace)

I was feeling really confident about the race at this point and I figured I was a shoe-in to beat my goal, and beat it by a lot! This mile was mainly uphill. It wasn't very steep but the hill seemed endless. By this point, I had stopped spitting, and was bored by the scenery. There weren't many houses around, just kind of a boring street with some construction going on nearby.

Mile 4: 31:00 (8:00 pace)

I slowed down a little bit on this mile. I was getting tired and my legs were sore from so many hills. I had been training primarily on a treadmill due to the cold weather, so I wasn't prepared for the hills. My San Diego runs had some significant bridges, and I did a somewhat hilly 14-miler the weekend before, but that was the only hill training I had done. By this point, I was averaging a pace of 7:45.

Had I continued with this average pace, I would have finished in 38:45. This was my expected finish time. I told myself that all I had to do was knock out a 9-minute mile and I would make my goal. It seemed like I was guaranteed to make my goal, especially considering I like to sprint the last few minutes.

"Mile" 5: 40:17 (9:17 pace)

Um. . . . NO. No way was this last "mile" a true mile. I was running as fast as I could. My legs were killing me, but I was sprinting up hills, and when my watch said 38:00, I was wondering why the finish line was no where in sight. I wanted to make my goal so badly so I sped up even more. I was probably going at a pace of 7:00 at this point, possibly even faster. Where the hell is the finish line!!!!!

Finally, I crossed it at 40:17, yielding a 9:17 pace for that mile. I was so disappointed. I thought to myself that there is no way that last mile was a true mile. I just about killed myself to get to the finish line. I walked around and started listening to other runners complaining about the last mile.

"My last mile was 2 minutes slower than all my others," one man said. I went over to talk to him and told him that I had a similar experience. I then heard another group of runners talking about the same thing. They were all on track to meet their goals, but the last mile took them much longer than expected. Apparently, due to the construction, they had to change the end of the course from what it's been the past 14 years. And they must have measured incorrectly. All of the runners I spoke with said the same thing. One person estimated that the last mile was actually 1.25 miles.I might e-mail the race director to find out what happened.

In any event, my official time for this race was 40:17. However, I know I ran the 5 miles in less than 38:45, according to where I was at mile 4, and the fact that I definitely sped up at the end. This just irks me to no end!

I ranked 32 out of 222 women finishers.

I ranked 7 of 41 in my age group.

Notable iPod songs:

• From Yesterday (30 Seconds to Mars)
• Counting Blue Cars (Dishwalla)
• Love Like Winter (AFI)
• Anna Molly (Incubus)
• This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race (Fall out Boy)
• Reclusion (Anberlin)
• Common Pleasure (Jason Mraz)

I am extremely sore from all those hills. The original plan was to run another 5 miles on the treadmill, but I am far too sore for that. If I injured myself by overdoing it during those last few minutes when the finish line was nowhere in sight, I will be really mad! Time to go relax.

Added two days later:

I just read an article on RunWashington about yesterday's 5-mile race:

When the course was run last, the runners finished the race by coming out of the woods (on a bike path) and crossed Clariborne Parkway immediately. This left a straight, slightly downhill quarter mile to the finish. This year the runners stayed on the left side of the road before circling on a cloverleaf path to run below the road, adding about 150 meters to the distance. Although the race appeared to be run on a similar course, the fifth mile splits made it clear that the race was somewhat longer than advertised.

At least now I know I am not going crazy, and I have confirmation that I met my goal. 150 meters adds approximately 0.1 mile onto the course. For a 5.1 mile race, my time was 40:17, yielding an average pace of 7:54, which means I met my goal! Spreading the 7:54 across 5 miles would have yielded a finish time of 39:32. I am really jealous of the people who ran it in the past who had the "slightly downhill quarter mile finish". That must have been nice!!!!

How to run a marathon: tips for race day

If you're reading this article, you already know that training for a marathon is not easy. You've probably spent nearly every day for the past six months hitting the road or the treadmill with your favorite running shoes (likely having gone through multiple pairs), not to mention the "long runs" which have consumed your Saturdays or Sundays. You've probably sacrificed time with your friends and/or family as well as social engagements.

Hopefully, you've modified your diet to reduce fat and sweets in exchange for nutrient-dense carbohydrates. Maybe you've spent your non-running hours reading Runner's World, books about marathons or perusing training programs on the Internet. Perhaps you've read blogs of other marathon runners and even connected with them via online networking. 

Turning Anxiety into Energy

You've put a great deal of effort into months of training, and finally the big day is here. Whether it's your first marathon or your 21st, you're both anxious and excited about how you will run these 26.2 miles. If it is your first marathon, you may have never run this distance before.

Many training programs recommend that your longest run is 20 miles, so you may fear that you won't be able to tack on another 10K. Learning to channel your anxiety into a positive, energized mindset is key, and that's where most of the day's focus should be: on your mind.

Today, there is no more training that you can do to build endurance and strength. You've already spent months preparing yourself physically. Today, the most important thing you need to concern yourself with is your mind. You have to remember that you've trained well for this race and that your body is capable of running the full 26.2 miles. Even if you are worried that you might not finish or that your time might be slower than your goal, you cannot let those thoughts enter your mind on race day.

There are many numbers out there about the percentage of the marathon that's a mental challenge. Some people claim it's half mental, half physical. Some people claim it's as much as 90% mental. On race day, it's 100% mental. There is nothing more you can do from a training or physical standpoint to succeed. Yes, you do need to put one leg in front of the other and run the darn thing, but for someone who's been training, this motion is second-nature.

You must constantly remind yourself throughout the race that this challenge is 100% mental and you will do well if you "run it with your mind". You have more control over your mind than your body, so focus on what you can control. During my last marathon, here are some thoughts that helped me set a new Personal Record:

• Run this race with your mind because you are a smart runner
• There is nothing else you'd rather be doing right now than running this marathon
• You're so good at this!
• Here you are at mile 21. You love this mile. You paid $5 just to run this mile
• This is really fun!
• (When my legs started to hurt) That's not pain—that feels good! It actually feels like a massage. I'm going to pretend that someone is massaging my legs
• There is no such thing as a wall. The wall does not exist for you.
• If you stop now, it's only going to make this race last longer, so stopping won't do you any good. 

Talking to yourself as a "you" is helpful because it gives the feeling of you being your own running companion and having your own personal coach.

Each Mile is its Own Challenge

Marathon runners love the feeling of accomplishing their goals. For many people, marathon running is less about the athletics and more about personal fulfillment through achieving a difficult goal.

There is no need to wait for the finish line to feel a sense of personal achievement. Each mile is its own special accomplishment. The general population cannot even run short distances of three, four, or five miles. Every time you come to a mile marker, it's important to realize that you have achieved something. Furthermore, it's important to not keep thinking about all the remaining miles you still have to run—just focus on the current mile you are trying to complete at that moment.

If you are at mile 20 and feeling extremely tired and sore, the thought of running an additional 6.2 miles could definitely get your spirits down. Even if the soreness comes earlier, like at mile 15, it may feel as if you will never make it to the finish line. These thoughts are precisely why the finish line should not be your goal while running a marathon.

Your goal is to reach the next mile marker. Once you reach that, you can feel good about your achievement of getting through that mile. Then, of course, you will have another mile in front of you, but you remember that you got through the last mile so you can certainly do one more. My mental dialogue: "Just get to the next mile marker and everything will be fine!" By thinking this way, I become very excited and energized once the mile marker is in sight. And it pushes me through the first part of the next mile.

The Power of Negative Splits

I run most of my races (marathons and shorter races) by running the first half of the race slower than the second half. Known as "negative splits" most marathon experts recommend that runners adapt this approach during the race. The basic concept is finish much faster than you started.

Most marathons have "pace groups" led by an experienced runner who will arrive at the finish line at a specified time. The purpose of these pace leaders is to help runners meet their time goal by "pacing" them, and preventing them from going to slow or too fast. Some pacers adopt this negative split strategy, but in my experience, they pretty much run a constant pace throughout the race. Where is the excitement in that? I personally become energized and excited at the notion of starting out slow and having runners pass me, and then progressively running faster so that I pass the same runners toward the end.

Many runners don't like the idea of starting out slow because they are nervous that they will not be able to run faster at the end and makeup for this time. They see this strategy as risky and would prefer to keep a steady pace. However, it's much easier to run faster than expected toward the end of the race to leverage your full power than to continue a pace that might have been too fast for you. You really never know how you will feel during those last few miles, and they can make or break your time goal. Better to be sprinting those miles because you have so much energy saved up than to be walking them because you were too ambitious about the pace.

During my most recent marathon, I ran the second half a full seven minutes faster than the first half. I set a very specific goal for the halfway point. I told myself that meeting this halfway goal was more important than the finish line goal because I could control it better. I chose my goal and did not want to arrive at the halfway point any faster or slower. If I arrived there faster, it would mean that I started out too fast. If I arrived there slower, it meant that I wasn't running as fast as I could be. I chose this halfway goal wisely based on a previous marathon, and came to mile marker 13.1 exactly on target. After meeting that goal, I told myself that I could run a bit faster, and even faster than that during the last few miles. Doing this, I shaved seven minutes off the second half of the race because I had saved up my energy.

Even though that marathon yielded a Personal Record, I am more proud of my negative splits and careful strategy than my actual time at the finish line.

Enjoy the Race

Marathons are fun! If you didn't love running, then you wouldn't have undertaken the task of training for a marathon. Furthermore, the actual race has crowd support and scenery that you likely haven't seen before.

You're a superstar today. No matter how fast you run the race, you're the one that's out there doing it and it's your time to enjoy this challenge.

Never let your competitive mind overpower your enjoyment. When you're happy and relaxed, you're a better runner and you'll find that you won't need competitive thoughts to motivate you. Competitive thoughts lead to stress and sometimes feelings of self-doubt and judgment. Check those feelings at the start line and just enjoy the run.

The Miami Marathon

It's 9:15 a.m. as the plane takes off for Miami, FL where I am excited to run my third marathon. I am anxiously chewing on a sesame seed bagel that I had purchased from my local bagel bakery. It's my second one of the day. The woman next to me glances down at my shoes and asks me if I am running. When I tell her that I was, she tells me that she is running the half marathon as her first. She has been training for months with the AIDS Marathon training group and has raised over $1,000 for AIDS research, in exchange for them helping her train and paying her race expenses. She is in her mid 40's, with five children (all boys) at home. She is more excited about the vacation alone with her husband than the race, itself. Her goal is simply to finish, and afterwards I checked and confirmed that she did finish!

I give her a few tips when she told me about her chafing (get Body Glide at the Expo!) and how her training team wanted her to take "walk breaks". She is against walking, but I tell her how it is a wise strategy, at least for the first half of the race. She wishes me luck as we step off the plane, and I am thrilled to be in sunny 75-degree weather.

I arrive at the hotel where I meet up with Jenny, who flew in from Philadelphia earlier that morning. As the "official race hotel", all of the Doubletree Surfcomber employees don bright orange shirts with the ING Miami Marathon/Half Marathon logo. The hotel is as close to the beach as you can get, right next door to the famous Delano hotel, which I recall from my previous trip to Miami in 1998. We check in to the hotel room, chat for awhile and then walk a few block to the race expo.

At the expo, we receive our bib numbers (and they have our names on them) as well as some other goods like a "tech-tee" race shirt and running cap. I was thankful for the running cap because I thought I might need it to keep the early morning sun from my eyes. As I retreive the shirt, the expo volunteer asks me my size. "Small" I say. He gives me a weird look and says "A small? Are you sure?" I am flabergasted! Of course I gained some weight for this race, but not enough to change my shirt size! "You probably need an Extra Small". Ah. I am relieved. I gladly accept the extra-small and continue with Jenny throughout the expo. I purchase a pair of running sunglasses and a pair of normal sunglasses, for a grand total of $37!
After the Expo, Jenny and I walk to an area full of restaurants and shops. We settle on a pizza/Italian place that I had seen on the Internet prior to traveling there. Instead of pizza, I order this really interesting grilled veggie sandwich on freshly made bread. Yum! Afterwards, we go to CVS and stock up on cereal, fruit, crackers, cookies, candy. It is overwhelming to actually feel like I can buy whatever food I want without feeling guilty.


Back a the hotel room, I begin the lengthy process of affixing my timing chip to my shoelace. I am very obsessive about this because I don't want the chip to fall off or interfere with the lacing. I am paranoid that if I don't put the chip on correctly, I won't be scored properly. As it turns out, I did an excellent job of attaching the chip to my shoe, but the initial results were way off for most runners. Jenny told the folks at the expo that it often takes me several tries to get my chip "just right" so they gave me extra plastic fasteners:

I debate over wearing my new hat, or my new sunglasses. Both would be overkill. I settle on the hat because I didn't want to wear the sunglasses on my head for the first hour of the race in the dark. Since I had never run with a hat before, I get acquainted with it by wearing it the evening before the race:

Go Zippity Zebra!

I lay out all of my race "gear" the night before so that I don't forget anything when rushing around on Sunday morning. I got the idea to take this photo from Jenna, who took a similar one before her Marathon a few weeks ago:

Jenny and I set two alarms and ask for a wakeup call. Because the race starts so early and we are taking the race shuttle, we need to be awake by 3:30 a.m. We are both wide awake well before that time, anyway. We excitedly dress in our race attire, and I obsess over my bib number being straight.

We head out for the race. I triple check to make sure I have everything I need. On our way, we see two young women, dressed for going "out". They are on their way home after a long night of partying. All of the bars are closing, and I think some of them are even still open. They ask us if we are running the race and we say yes. They say that they trained for the half marathon, but decided not to run it.

When we arrive at the start line, it starts pouring. Torrential downpour. Jenny and I find refuge and toilets in the Arena, along with most other runners. Half marathoners were easily distinguised from full marathoners by their bibs. Many more people are running the half marathon. I feel excited to be running the full and I am so happy I chose it instead of the half. Meanwhile, the wind picks up and it rains harder and harder. We have no choice but to get in the corrals for the start of the race. I feel like I am taking a shower with thousands of other people. I think to myself, "Oh well, there goes my PR. My feet will probably blister from being so soaked. But I am still happy to be here."

We sing the National Anthem in the pouring rain and finally we begin to move. It's pitch dark and pouring rain, but Jenny and I are still very excited. We hug eachother as we approach the start line and then separate, as we run at different paces. Here is a map of the course:

My goal: start with 10:45-minute miles, and then speed up so that I get to the halfway point at 2:10. No faster, no slower. We run over a bridge in the dark and I see all the cruise ships lit up. I was once on a Royal Carribean cruise and I flashback to that moment.

The first few miles are crowded and uneventful. I am happy when the sun rises because I like to see where I am going. The song "Million Miles of Water" plays on my iPod as I try to avoid all the huge puddles on the course. How fitting. I remind myself that a marathon in 90% mental. I tell myself to run the race with my mind, not my body. I don't consider myself particularly athletic, but I do consider myself strategic and smart. So if I do well in this race, it's because of my thinking and attitude. I am near the 4:45 pace group at around mile 3.

I have to go to the bathroom really bad starting at mile 5. Everytime I see a porta potty, there is a line, and I don't want to sacrifice time by waiting in line. I am on the lookout for bushes or places I can pee discretely, but there are none.

As I approach mile 13, the half marathoners are directed one way, and the marathoners the other. I am so excited to continue running. I check my watch as I approach the halfway matt, and I am at 2:10. Perfect! Shortly after, I come upon a porta potty with no line, because most of the runners stopped at the halfway point. I quickly duck in and go to the bathroom and start running again feeling renewed. I see the 4:30 pace group at mile 14, run close to them for about 3-4 minutes and then pass them.

I continue on and begin to notice quad pain at mile 15. I tell myself that it doesn't hurt. It actually feels really good. I tell myself that I am getting a quad massage that feels amazing. It works! I later distract myself by pretening I am playing the piano to the songs on my iPod. I really think about the notes and where they would go on a piano, and I keep my running pace all the while. This distracts me for a few miles.
There are few runners around me. Maybe 3-4 at any given time. I am reminded of the Marine Corps marathon, miles 16-20 where we run around Hanes point and there is no crowd support and everyone is spread out. I remind myself how I got through that part really easily and tell myself I can do the same thing here. I start to feel nauseous and I really don't want to eat my Sports Beans, even though it's time. I force-feed myself the beans and they taste nasty, even though I typically enjoy them. I think the humidity is contributing to my nauseousness. Otherwise, the weather is perfect. It is in the 70's and cloudy, but I feel cool. I don't feel like I need to drink any water, but I have sips at the water stations, because I know I probably should.

I humor myself when I see signs throughout Coconut Grove that say "The Grove says NO to the Home Depot!" Hehehe. They say no to the Home Depot coming to their area. My neighborhood says NO to the homeless center. I guess we aren't the only NIMBYs.

I see people hitting "the wall". I have 6 more miles to go and my legs are hurting. I tell myself that the wall does not exist for me. I tell myself that stopping is not an option. I tell myself that walking will only prolong the race and make my time worse. I tell myself what I did in Delaware: just get to the next mile marker! Each mile is an acheivement.

I start calculating how much money I spent to run each mile based on the race entry fee. I tell myself that there is nothing else I would rather be doing at this moment than running a marathon. I tell myself that this marathon has been the most positive thing in my life for the past few months.

People cheer me on "Go Elizabeth!" It is so cool that our Bib numbers have our names on them. I pass the 4:15 pace group. I think to myself that I could never run with a pace group. I don't like running the same pace for the whole race. I need to speed up to make things exciting!

Just before approaching the mile 26 marker, there is a steep hill-- or bridge rather. I have no prior knowledge of this bridge and I am unpleasantly surprised. "You have got to be kidding me!" I think. It takes all the positive self-talk I have, but I run up the entire thing, and then back down the other side. I sprint 0.2 to the finish line.

I keep looking at my watch, amazed that I could finish in 4:13. I really did not expect that. I was honestly anticipating a 4:19-- 4:18 at the very fastest. In fact, when I registered for this race I had been considering only running the half marathon because I didn't think I could possibly beat my Marine Corps time of 4:24.
I cross the finish line, got a really cool spinning medal and went to retrieve my bag.


I still feel extremely nauseous, so I don't eat anything for about half an hour, at which point I have the mini Oreos that I stashed in my gear check bag. I talk to other runners while I wait for Jenny to cross the finish line. I text my friends and talk to my mother and I am very excited.

Jenny crosses the finish line and pretty much passes out just after the medal is placed around her neck. I take her to the medical tent where they help get her electrolytes back in balance. I am very scared for her, but the medical tent is equipped with the fluids needed to handle this type of thing. After awhile, Jenny is released and we walk back to the race shuttle. We have the entire bus to ourselves!


Back at the hotel, Jenny falls asleep and I check the results on the Internet, I freak out because they are wrong, but I try and calm myself because I am pretty certain that I can submit a correction.
What did I learn in this race? A marathon truly is a mental challenge. In other areas of my life, I have been trying to apply Cognitive therapy to change my thought patterns from negative to positive. Using messages that I believe are true, but that will not depress me or make me anxious. If I can use this strategy to keep positive during a 26.2-mile run, despite the pain in my legs, then I can do it in other areas of my life. I just need to remember as I go through my daily life the mental strength that I exhibited during this marathon and how it really got me through. 

I exceeded my goal and had a great time doing it. I didn't let the rain stop me. Or the nausea. Or having to go to the bathroom really bad. I just told myself to run with my mind, and it worked.

The Luck of the Race

Only four more days until I leave for Miami to run marathon number three. I can't believe I will have run three marathons in less than a year, and last year at this time, the furthest distance I had run was a half marathon.

As many runners can attest, the week preceding a marathon is a time of both nervousness and excitement. I am paranoid that I will slip and fall on the ice. Every little ache and pain that I experience, I automatically worry if it will still be bugging me during the race. I worry if I am over-doing the training during this week. Or if I am not running enough.

Many people have wished me "good luck" on this race and in others in the past. My initial thought is that running isn't a matter of luck. It's a matter of physical fitness and mental power. While running is not a matter of luck, racing actually is—to some extent. There are many aspects of a race that have to do with luck, or that are beyond the runner's control.

Here are my thoughts on what can and cannot be controlled in a race (particularly a marathon) and what the "unknown" factors are.

Within the runner's control:

• Adherence to a training program, just "training" in general
• How the runner paces him/herself during the race
• What the runner eats and drinks before, during and after the race
• The clothing/layers/running gear the runner wears
• The runner's mindset and attitude during the race

Outside the runner's control:

• The weather - An injury, soreness or illness(unless the runner brought it on him/herself by over-training)
• Potential accidents during the race
• The availability of Porta-potties at the start of the race and on the course
• The water and fuel stations—this can be known, but not controlled
• Travel delays or lost luggage if flying
• The number of people running the race, potentially causing bottlenecks
• Technology failures, such as the chip not working, the iPod malfunctioning or the watch stopping 

Provided that the weather isn't too rainy or hot, I don't get sick or injured, I can access a port-potty when I need to, I arrive to the race on time with my gear, and that my iPod or watch doesn't fail me, I anticipate a time of 4:20. However, I would be content with anything under a 4:22, and "beating my bib" which is 4220. Heck, just finishing the damn thing is an achievement, so I guess I would be happy with just crossing the finish line in one piece. I have a nagging soreness in my right inner thigh, but I wonder how much of that is "all in my head."

I have decided to take a vacation from my lap top, so the post-race blog will have to wait until Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday will be spent relaxing on South Beach. I will, however, use the lobby computer to post a brief bulletin upon finishing. So. . . wish me "luck" on Sunday!

I Trot, therefore I Am.

The alternate title of this blog was "23 Minutes and 32 Seconds of Torture" but I decided to keep it positive.

Today's verdict is that apparently I trot faster than I run. And even though I complain about cold, wet weather, it does wonders for my speed. More motivation for the race to be over, I guess.

I ran the Virginia Run Turkey Trot 5K this morning. There were approximately 2,100 runners, although over 3,000 had registered. The weather, at a brisk 40 degrees, was damp, drizzling and breezy. I wore three layers of clothing on top, a hat, two pairs of gloves, pants and my thickest running socks. Two years ago, you couldn't have paid me enough money to run in this sort of weather.

Before the race began, I told myself that my goal would be to come in under 24:00. I've only run one other 5K and my time was 24:14. At the start line, someone asked me if I was "home from college" for Thanksgiving. That made me smile. "Actually, I'm 28," I replied.

The race started and my internal dialogue went something like this: "This sucks. It's so cold. Ouch, the cold hurts! You can just stop right now. Just walk back to your car and you don't have to finish. Or you can just walk the rest of the way. This hurts. You're running so slow anyway."

After about a mile and a half, I experienced this weird mix of hot and cold. I was really hot on the inside, and yet my skin felt cold. I unzipped my jacket because I was feeling warm in the chest area, and yet I still felt extremely chilly at the same time. It was such an odd sensation to be running in the cold, wind, and rain and have that hot/cold feeling-- all the while trying to be athletic and reach a goal.

There were no mile markers so I had no idea how I was doing. I kept looking at my watch telling myself that I only had to run for about 24 minutes, and the faster I ran, the sooner it would be over. It was just torture, but in a good way. I was exerting myself to the limit and yet it seemed as if I was running extremely slow. I would have estimated a pace of 8:30, when in actuality my pace was 7:35.

I definitely didn't think I would even come close to beating my previous time. But the finish line came about two minutes earlier than expected and I couldn't be happier.

• I blew my previous time of 24:14 out of the water with a 23:32.
• I placed 19 out of 299 runners in my division.
• I placed 68 out of 1021 total women.
• My pace was 7:35.
• I shaved 42 seconds off of my personal record from September of this year.

After the race, I went to the gym (which was only a mile away) and had the adrenaline rush to keep running. I ran 7.5 extra miles at an average pace of 8:25. I knew that I would be massively sore tomorrow, like I was from my previous 5K, so I figured I'd better run as much as possible before I would be hindered by my sore muscles.

At the gym, one of the trainers was talking about the race and I joined in the conversation. It turns out that she is running the Miami Half marathon along with some other people from the gym. So that was exciting.

And it won't be a complete race blog without the short but strategic playlist

Nickelback- Rockstar

Incubus- Anna Molly

Jason Mraz- Common Pleasure

Anberlin- Readyfuels

Disturbed- Land of Confusion

Anberlin- Undeveloped Story

I've done my trotting for the day. I'm gonna go have a turkey.

26.2 Miles of Fun

I thoroughly enjoyed running the Marine Corps Marathon yesterday. The weather was perfect, the crowd support was unmatched by anything I'd ever seen at a race, and I felt strong throughout the entire run.

Everything went well. We got there on time, I wasn't too hot or too cold, my iPod didn't break, I had my lucky timing chip. I saw my friends and family where I expected them.

Before the Race
My friend Jenny, who ran the Delaware marathon and lives in Philadelphia, came down to run this race and stayed with me. The day before we carb loaded at the Pasta Mess tent and then had calzones and an "Apple Pie Pizza". If you add the Halloween candy and other snacks on top of that, I probably consumed more food on Saturday than I consumed in an entire week when I had been previously restricting calories. It felt amazing to eat whatever I wanted and not feel guilty about it.

The morning of the race, we took the metro, checked our bags, and walked to the start line. We run at different paces, so we didn't even try to stay together. But knowing that she was running the race along with some other friends made me feel more supported. I also met a really cool girl at the start line who was running her first marathon.

Miles 1-7

I started off wearing two pairs of gloves and a hooded warm-up jacket over my top. I quickly shed the gloves and jacket at mile 1. I ran the first mile in about 11 minutes, but I didn't worry because I knew I could make up the time later. Unlike a 5K or a 10K, if you go really slow at the beginning, you have plenty of miles at the end to compensate. The 2-mile hill at the beginning was not as steep or as bad as I

expected, and the downhill was a nice reward. I saw a shirt that said "I have been Carb loading for 25 years".

By Mile 5, the crowd thinned out and I was able to go at my own pace without having to worry so much about the crowd. I ran the first 5 miles in 52 minutes, and then decided to step up the speed a notch. 

Miles 8-15

These were very strong miles and they went by very quickly. I passed my friend Mehan at mile 11, and she surprised me with a HUGE sign that said "GO ELIZABETH" in big bold colors. It reminded me of when we were in high school and she hand-made me cards for things. Like when I made the dance team or got into UVA. Mehan has always been very supportive of me-- and we actually met when running "the mile" in 9th grade gym class.

I had been predicting a pace of 4:28, so I was really excited to pass the halfway mark at exactly 2:14. I knew that I was running strong, and I told myself "Okay, just repeat exactly what you just did, and you will be fine!"

Miles 16-23

Someone who had run the Marine Corps Marathon before said "running around Hains Point at miles 17-20 is where most people hit the wall. If you can make it through there, you'll be fine." So, I kept telling myself that I would NOT hit a wall running around Hains point, and that I would enjoy being close to the water with the cool breeze. I actually zoned out and even forgot which mile I was on. I asked someone else and she said we were coming up on mile 19. Funny that I hadn't even recalled passing

mile 18.

I became re-energized at mile 20 when there was a timing mat and I realized I was going faster than a 10-minute mile. Every time I passed a mile marker, I looked at my watch, and I held a pace of approximately 10:00 for most of the race. The crowd at this point was extreme and everyone was handing out food and candy. I crossed over the 14th street bridge and into Crystal City, where I knew my mother was standing at mile 23. She later told me that I looked like I was at mile 1 because I was so strong and energized, whereas almost everyone else looked like they were actually at mile 23. I was happy to hear that. She said I made her proud, and that made me so happy. When I passed her, she handed me a bag of skittles, which tasted extremely good.

Miles 24-26.2

My legs really started to hurt at mile 24 and suddenly, I really wanted the race to end. For the first time, I felt like running 2.2 more miles would be impossible. But I told myself that I had come this far, and if I kept running at my pace, I only had to survive 22 more minutes. But if I stopped, the wait would be much longer and I wouldn't be happy with my time. So, I pushed my way through these last few miles. 

Mile 25 was probably the hardest mile of the whole race because the wind was going about 5-10 mph right in my face. I felt like it was making me run in slow motion. I was really, really tempted to stop, but I refused to let myself stop. I reminded myself of the Philly Distance run where those last two miles were so painful, but I just focused on the music, zoned out and went for it. When I saw the finish line, Igot so extremely excited and I made a sprint for it. I looked at my watched and realized that if I sprinted, I could get in under 4:25. So I powered past everyone, all the way to the right hand side of the course, and came in at 4:24:39. It felt awesome to have such a strong finish. 

Interestingly, the VA Beach half marathon took much more out of me than this full marathon. I felt like I was in pure hell for the last 3 miles of the VA Beach half. But then again, the heat was very oppressive and my attitude during the VA Beach half marathon was pessimistic, and I also didn't have my iPod.

After the Race

I thought that the race had been well-organized until the end. Immediately after a marathon, you're supposed to keep walking. But this was impossible because everyone was crowded into such a small space and you couldn't even move. I made it through the food line, and then made my way toward the baggage check to get my things. I found myself on a bridge, packed in like a sardine. People weren't even moving, I was just stuck there.

I met a really nice woman and we started chatting. I didn't like the crowd at all. I felt like I was suffocating and I didn't have my own space to breathe. I don't consider myself to be claustrophobic, and I tolerated this crowd for about 10 minutes. But the longer we stood there without moving, the worse and worse my anxiety got. I calmly told the woman I just met that I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I asked her to please calm me down and re-assure me that there was no reason to panic. But I did anyway. Before I knew it, I was hyperventilating, crying hysterically and having a full-fledged panic attack. My heart was pounding and I couldn't even speak.

Two EMTs came and got me and pushed me through the crowd to an open area. I was still hyperventilating and breathing heavily. It was weird. I just felt like I really, really, needed some of my

own space-- especially after just having run 26.2 miles. The EMT took my pulse. "You have a runner's pulse". He said. "Well, yeah," I replied. I calmed down and the EMTs walked me to the baggage claim area. That was much less crowded and I was fine.

Soon, Jenny came to get her bag, and we headed for the metro station. Eventually, we made it home, and got massages at a spa near me. We treated ourselves to Carvel ice cream, too. What an incredible high and an amazing day.

Mental Challenge

I strongly believe that a marathon is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. All throughout the race, I kept thinking of all the people that were tracking me remotely (Roderick, Sable, Bob, Ekrem, Tara, My Mom, Jenna, Crayton, Michael H. and others) I knew that you all were rooting for me, and that helped push me through.

During the run, I refused to let negative thinking get me down. I simply did not allow myself to feel weak, tired, or un-supported by friends. If I could do that all the time and not let negative thinking get the better of me, I would be a much happier person. I now realize that I do have the power to control my thoughts (and therefore my feelings) so I can prevent myself from having thoughts that are only going to make me feel bad.

Running never ceases to teach me things about myself and my life. That's why I do it.

Motivated by Music

My iPod, more than anything else, was what pushed me forward in this race. I am extremely passionate about music, and I lip synced a lot of the songs, and occasionally even "danced" to them with my arms. I made sure to put the slower songs at the beginning, the upbeat, rhythmic songs in the middle, and the inspirational ones at the end. I created the play list about three weeks before the race so I would be "surprised" by it. There were four songs that I wanted to finish to, but since I came in earlier than I expected, I had to fast forward through a few songs to get to a "finishing song" at mile marker 26. Here is a sampling from my list, in order:

- Whatever I Fear (Toad the Wet Sprocket)

- Start Again (Duncan Sheik)

- Omaha (Counting Crows)

- Not So Usual (Jason Mraz)

- Bad Day (Daniel Powter)

- One Man Army (Our Lady Peace)

- The River (Live)

- Did I Fool Ya? (Jason Mraz)

- Wisemen (James Blunt)

- Steady as She Goes (Raconteurs)

- She Looks To Me (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- Concertina (Tori Amos)

- California Justice (Five For Fighting)

- Get Out of this House (Shawn Colvin)

- Perfect Time of Day (Howie Day)

- Million Miles of Water (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- Something's Always Wrong (Toad the Wet Sprocket)

- World (Five For Fighting)

- Dream Life of Rand McNally (Jason Mraz)

- Hazy Shade of Winter (The Bangels)

- Especially in Michigan (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- Get Another Boyfriend (Backstreet Boys)

- Can't Go For That (Jason Mraz)

- White Shadows (Coldplay)

- Hump De Bump (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- Rockstar (Nickleback)

- So Long Jimmy (James Blunt)

- Nos De Cariad (David Gray)

- Common Pleasure (Jason Mraz) Played this one TWICE

- Sofia (Live)

- Did You Get My Message (Jason Mraz)

- Paralyzed (Rock Kills Kid)

- NYC Weather Report (Five for Fighting)

- The Zephyr Song (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- Square One (Coldplay)

- Wordplay (Jason Mraz)

- Stall (Better Than Ezra)

- Had Enough (Breaking Benjamin)

- Turn it Again (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- Headstrong (Trapt)

- Policeman's Xmas Party (Five For Fighting)

- The Distance (Live)

- Geek in the Pink (Jason Mraz)

- By The Way (Red Hot Chilli Peppers)

- In The Blood (Better Than Ezra)

- On a High (Duncan Sheik)

- Through Glass (Stone Sour)