Finally!!!!

Background
If you've been following my blog then you know that I have been really packing on the miles. Beginning last July, I started to run 50+ miles a week, and just recently had my highest mileage week ever at 61.

I've remained injury free throughout all of this training, but I've also wondered if maybe I wasn't training fast enough. Everything that I have been reading has been telling me to do most of my runs slowly, with speed work just once a week. The only PRs I have seen from this are an 8-second PR for the 5K (November) and a 2:00 PR for the half marathon (November). I was very thankful for these, but considering all of the other races I have run since June, I was disappointed overall.

Everything changed today.

Race Mindset
My original goal for this race was a 1:46:43, because I wanted to PR by exactly 2:00. My previous two PRs had both been by 2:00 exactly, so I wanted to continue the tradition. I thought this was a stretch though, and told myself that I would be happy with anything in the 1:47's. (Previous PR was 1:48:43)

I have a new running partner who I met at the gym a few months ago. We've been doing all of our long runs together and running next to each other on the treadmills. She ran the National half marathon yesterday, and said she was going for a 1:52, which would have been a 6-minute PR. She called me after the race and told me that she ran a 1:46:29! I was thrilled for her! And at the same time, it opened my mind to the possibilities for me. She was only going for a 1:52, and she ended up with something much faster. She totally surprised herself. I really wanted to have the same thing happen to me so I told myself I would just believe in my training and run based on "feel" and not based on a particular goal pace.

I had dinner with a group of "Big Cats" the night before the race. I told them that my goal was a 1:45. I wanted to get myself in the mindset that I was even faster than I thought I was.

Race Morning
The weather for this race was 39-42 degrees and sunny with no wind. PERFECT! I was wearing a skirt and a tank top, with gloves and arm warmers. I threw the arm warmers off about a minute before the race started, and ran the race in just a tank, a skirt and the gloves. I overheat very easily and I definitely made the right choice by not wearing a long-sleeved top.

My iPod was 80% Fall Out Boy and 20% Anberlin. Every 5th song was Anberlin and the rest were Fall Out Boy. I have just been so obsessed with them lately and I really thought that they could keep me pumped for the entire race.
I was extremely jittery at the start line. I had two friends with me and we were all in the first corral. The 1:45 pacer positioned himself about 5-10 feet behind us, and I began to worry that maybe I was starting too close to the front of the pack.

Miles 1-3
The first mile is always tough because there is no prior pace "feedback" to go off of. I did not wear my Garmin for the race because I know I am good at pacing longer distances. I decided to just go with what the pack was doing, and I ran the first mile in 8:04. This was a little to fast for my 1:46:43 goal, but perfect for the agressive 1:45 goal.

Mile 1: 8:04
Mile 2: 7:56
Mile 3: 8:07 (slowest mile of the race)

I was actually quite surprised at these paces. After the first mile, I decided I would run based on "feel" and run based on what I thought half marathon pace should feel like. I didn't want to back off of my 8:04 pace, I just wanted to use instinct to pace it.

Miles 4-7
I took my first pack of sports beans after passing mile marker 4. They were hardened from the cold and not easy to chew. I told myself to "relax" while chewing them so that I wouldn't choke, but to not slow down. Eating these beans was one of the biggest challenges of the race because I am a mouth breather and my mouth is wide open when I am running at a fast pace. I ate about 2/3 the pack and tossed the rest.

I didn't take much water during this race. I knew I didn't need as much as I would on a hotter day, or during a marathon. Plus, I had pre-hydrated for the past two days. The water stations were always near mile markers, so it was annoying to be drinking water AND hitting the lap button on my watch.

The 1:45 pace group had caught up to me at about mile 3. I kept the pacer in my sight for about two miles. I knew that the pacer would probably get them in just under 1:45, and that if I ended up with a 1:45, it would be a 1:45:59. So I told myself to not get discourged if I couldn't keep up with the pacer. I never want to "use" the pacers to pace my race, but I like to have an idea of where they are.

I crossed the 5-mile timing mat at 39:59. Just under 8:00! I was thrilled.

Mile 4: 7:53
Mile 5: 7:57
Mile 6: 8:02
Mile 7: 7:57

Miles 8-10
This half marathon course is the second half of the Shamrock full marathon course that I ran last year. So for most of the race, I was "re-living" that marathon experience. I came up to marahton mile 21, and I remembered that this was where I found Brent walking on the side of the road. And then I remembered watching the 3:50 pace group slowly fade away in the distance.

I kept wondering when I would "bonk" or when the 1:45 pace group would catch up to me. I knew that running these sub-8:00 miles was unrealistic for me. My fastest 10K was a pace of 7:57, so doing that in a half marathon just seemed unrealistic. But I pressed on. It was "comfortably hard" but I didn't get to a point where I started to hate the race. I told myself that I had so much time "in the bank" that if my last few miles were rough, I would still make my 1:46 goal.

Mile 8: 7:58
Mile 9: 7:56
Mile 10: 7:49

Miles 11-finish
I crossed the 10-miler mark in 1:19:45. This was a new 10-mile PR for me (previous was 1:21:23). And it

was at this point that I realized I was averaging sub-8:00 miles. And that if I wanted to average 8:00 for the race, I had a 15 second "cushion".

I honestly just kept thinking I was going to bonk. I really didn't think I could keep up with these paces. It wasn't that the paces felt to difficult physically, but mentally I just didn't think it was possible for me to be doing this. I decided to keep pushing and not slow down, telling myself that if I did bonk at this point, I would still get a good PR.

The last two miles of a half marathon are typically very painful, but this was not the case with me. My legs didn't hurt and I didn't feel like I was dying. I guess this was a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because it means I could have run even faster. And a bad thing meaning. . . why didn't I run faster!!! :-) I just wanted to press on at that sub-8:00 pace which felt perfectly do-able.

Hitting the "lap" button at my watch at mile 13.

Mile 11: 7:46 (fastest mile of the race)
Mile 12: 7:51
Mile 13: 7:54
Last 192 yards: 0:48 (pace of 7:20)


Finishing
I did a sprint to the finish line and got my medal. I felt awesome! I went to get my bag and my runner's high was quickly shot down because they couldn't find my bag. But they eventually did (after I almost panicked) and I got my cell phone out to start calling and texting people. My fingers were numb (even with the gloves) so that was tough. I made my way back to the car and was just in shock over the whole thing. I still am!
Official Finish Time: 1:44:04
Pace: 7:56

31 of 614 in my age group, beating 95% of them

165 of 3662 females, beating 96% of them
679 of 6285 total runners, beating 90% of them.
This is a PR by 4:39.The McMillan Running Calculator Predicts a 3:39:29 marathon, giving me 1:30 "wiggle room" to qualify for Boston.

This is one of the most significant milestones in my running career. I think the only one that rivals it was my 3:56 marathon, which was a 9-minute PR and my first sub-4:00.

Peak Week! (Part III)

In the past, I have written about my "peak week" while training for the Hartford marathon, and then for the Rock 'N Roll Arizona marathon. I was following a similar training program for each, but this time I have really mixed it up.

For the past few weeks, here is my weekly mileage, starting with the Monday of each week:

Feb. 9: 42.8 miles
Feb. 16: 52 miles
Feb. 23: 57 miles
March 2: 58.5 miles
March 9: 61 miles

For Hartford, I peaked at 55 and for Arizona, I peaked at 56. This time, I pushed it to 61, and gave myself more weeks in the 55+ range.

Monday: 6 miles, "recovery" pace of 10:05.
Tuesday: 12 miles, average pace of 9:17
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 11 miles, including 5x1 mile at 7:42 pace, with 1:00 recovery jogs between
Friday: 6 miles, "recovery" pace of 10:05
Saturday: 20.5 miles, average pace of 9:31
Sunday: 5.5  miles, "recovery" pace of 10:05

The 1-mile repeats on Thursday replaced a tempo run. I am trying to increase my tempo pace, so instead of running 5 miles at my former tempo pace of 8:00, I ran them at a 7:42 pace, but jogged for one minute in between each mile. This workout was challenging but manageable, and there was no soreness the next day.

Next week will be a "cutback" week to about 48-49 miles. I am running the Shamrock half marathon on Sunday and I want to give myself a bit of a taper at the end of the week. My goal for Shamrock will be a pace of 8:09, which is a 1:46:43. If I don't hit this goal, I will have to reconsider my BQ attempt in New Jersey.

As for the Garmin, the best part about it is the automatic upload to the computer and the charts and graphs. I especially like the heart rate data. Yeah, the watch is big, but I am used to it. I ran 8 miles "free form" last Sunday and it gave me the freedom to go wherever I wanted without needing mile markers.

I've noticed a significant drop in heart rate for equivalent paces over the past six months. I haven't noticed significant improvements in my race times, so I am hoping that will change soon!

Got Garmin?

When it comes to running and pacing, I've always been "anti-Garmin". There were three main reasons why I never had any interest in this device:

1. It was way too huge for my wrist
2. I enjoy the challenge of pacing myself with mile markers, and I get a great deal of satisfaction out of being able to pace a perfect marathon.
3. I become numbers-obsessed very easily and I could envision the Garmin controlling my run. I could see myself becoming a slave to my Garmin and if it didn't work one day for some reason, getting all bent out of shape about it.

Recently, I have been looking into heart rate monitors. I use the sensors on the treadmill to view my heart rate, but I am positive that my heart rate is lower outside, where I am not as affected by the heat and humidity of the gym. I also wanted to collect heart rate data for long runs and speedwork to see where everything fell.

Someone suggested to me that I get the Garmin with the Heart Rate monitor, but I immediately refused. In fact, many fellow runners have been trying to convince me to "Go Garmin". Finally, they won this battle and I lost. I broke down and bought a Garmin.

I know that they are a lot smaller now than they used to be. So I was optimistic that this 405 might fit my wrist (even though most watches don't even fit my wrist). And the Garmin would allow me the freedom to run wherever I wanted and automatically know my distance. I wouldn't be restricted to the trail (that has mile markers). I am running the Toronto marathon in September, which is measured in kilometers, and my watch can only take up to 30 splits, which isn't enough for 42K. So I needed a watch upgrade anyway. I also wanted to be able to track my splits and take heart rate data at the same time, and I think that most HR monitors don't have a "split" button.

The Garmin came today, and I am specifically blogging about it before even reading the directions or running with it. These are my pre-Garmin thoughts and concerns and I wanted to document them before I actually went out and used the thing.

I did, however, try it on for size. It's absolutely massive on my tiny wrists:

The non-flexible part of it is longer than the width of my wrist!


This is as tight as it gets.

It's so bulky and heavy on me-- I can't imagine ever racing in it. Or even doing speedwork with it. But I am going to give this thing a chance, since it comes so highly recommended. But no matter what, I still think that I will race with my watch. . . . with the exception of the Toronto Marathon.

The heart rate monitor strap also doesn't fit. Even on its tightest setting, it is too big and slides down. I had expected this, though, after trying on other HR monitor straps. I will try to safety pin it and if that doesn't work, the Garmin web site sells a smaller version of the strap.

14 out of 114 on February 14

As you may have guessed from my previous blog, I ultimately decided against running the "Last Chance for Boston" Marathon. I wasn't confident that I could PR (although there was a decent chance that I could have), and it took three weeks for my hip to fully recover from the marathon. Here is what my training has looked like since the marathon:

Week of January 19: 20 miles (all slower than 9:45)
Week of January 26: 25 miles (all slower than 9:30)
Week of February 2: 35 miles (all slower than 9:20)

I didn't do any speedwork for those three weeks, and my first speed workout was on Tuesday of this week, which was 10 miles, with 3 at tempo pace. I did this on a treadmill at a resort in the Bahamas!

Before I even ran the marathon, I had registered for a the George Washington Birthday 10K on February 14. I figured that four weeks post-marathon would be a good time to gauge my fitness before jumping full force into marathon training again. Seeing as how I wasn't going to run "Last Chance for Boston" and that I felt fully recovered from the marathon, I figured I would go ahead and do the 10K.

The weather was perfect. Upper 30's and sunny. I actually got hot in my long-sleeved lightweight shirt. I thought to myself that it was perfect marathon weather! I got to the race, warmed up for just over a mile, and then lined up at the start line. I didn't expect to PR (49:23) considering that I hadn't been doing any speedwork in over a month, but I was hoping for a sub-50:00 just to prove to myself that I wasn't completely out of shape.

I passed the first mile marker in 7:48. Perfect! I really wanted to just hold that pace and continue on for a PR. But things got tough as the race was a lot hillier than I expected. And very curvy with lots of sharp turns. I passed the next mile marker at 8:07, which I couldn't understand. It didn't feel like I had slowed down, so I told myself to speed up but not too much.

The race thinned out and I focused on keeping up with two runners just in front of me. We kept passing each other back and forth. I passed the 4th mile in 9:07, which I knew had to be a mistake. Unlike in past races where I really let this mess me up, I just kept going and told myself that the mile marker was off-- I wasn't that slow.

Just before the finish line, we had to run over a bridge. A long uphill followed by a long downhill. I got passed by a few runners on this uphill, but I maintained my pace. I glanced at my watch and realized that I wouldn't PR, and that my time would probably be 50:xx. Knowing this, I didn't give the final kick that I could have, and just coasted down the hill and maintained my pace up until the finish. I just didn't see a need to push the pace at the end when I knew I wasn't going to PR.

I crossed the finish line with a watch time of 50:48. I was kind of bummed about this, but I didn't beat up on myself too much. I then heard people talking about the course being too long. That actually made sense to me because mile 4 was 9:07, and mile 5 was 7:58, so it's not like mile 5 was shorter than it should have been. Within minutes, the announcer came on and said that the course was too long. He said it was 6.4 miles. I was relieved because that meant that I definitely met my goal of sub-50:00. But then I got sort of mad because I realized I might have been able to PR. If I hadn't been so far off the PR, I would have given it the final kick and probably PRed by just a few seconds.

Now the race results are posted online and it says "Today's event was measured at 6.4 miles. Pace has been calculated at 6.4 miles." All that's listed is my gun time of 50:57 and then my pace of 7:58.

Now my only question is. . . is the adjusted 7:58 pace based off of my gun time or my chip time? This matters to me because if it's gun time, then it would not have been a PR. It would have been a 49:30. If it's chip time, then it would have been a PR by a few seconds. The 10K is my weakest distance, so even a PR by one second is a huge deal!

Based on my 5K and half marathon times from the fall, I should be able to easily break 49:00 in a 10K, but for some reason, I just can't seem to do it!

I placed 14 out of 114 in my age group
I placed 201 out of 659 total runners

According to Mike (Crazy Legs), I was the first finisher with headphones! It was a nice surprise to see Mike and Katharine (Freaky McRunner) after the race. I didn't know ahead of time that they would be there.

I guess the main takeaway from this race is that I did get a good tempo run in, and I have confirmed that I haven't lost much speed in the past four weeks of light training. I ran an extra 5 miles after the race for a total of 12.7 miles for the day.

New Perspective on Training and Racing

After having such a miserable experience at the Rock 'N Roll Arizona marathon, I kept saying to others and myself that I learned nothing. Usually a bad experience can be chalked up to "a learning experience" but I didn't think that was the case with this one. I didn't do anything wrong. I hydrated properly and took in plenty of electrolytes. I tapered properly and I set a goal for myself that was a bit of a stretch, although not unrealistic based on my training. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have gone out slower. But I had no idea the heat would affect me so much so it's not like I made a bad decision.

As the days went by I started to think more about it. And I thought to myself that at least now I could sympathize with people who had bad marathons. People who hit a wall or bonked. Not because they didn't train properly, but because of the weather or cramping or stomach problems, or whatever. I had had really awful half marathons, but never a bad marathon until just now.

The more marathons you run, the more likely you are to have bad ones. This is because there is an element of luck involved and there are things that the runner cannot control. When I first started running marathons, my first six were each PRs. And then my 7th was a "fun run" which I still finished faster than anticipated. It just seemed natural that the more of them you did, and the more you trained, the better and better the marathons would get. This is probably true if you look at marathons over several years, but for any one individual race, it's not necessarily true. And maybe the "good ones" that you get are much better than the "good ones" that you had when you first started doing it. But the more you put yourself out there, the more chance you have of things NOT coming together on race day.

I've been really depressed for the last week. Not about the marathon in particular, just in general. I think the marathon is definitely playing a role, though. I was talking to my friend Christopher about the topic of investment vs. payoff. I've never made such a huge investment in terms of time and energy to have it not payoff at all. Not even with a PR. That's why I wanted to run the next marathon just four weeks later. So that I could still make use of that huge investment. So I could get some form of return on it, in the shape of a PR, no matter how small.

But ultimately, it's not the smartest way to go about getting a PR. With marathons, you can't just say "that was awful, let me have a do-over tomorrow". It takes time to recover from the marathon, and by the time you do, you are not at the same fitness level you were at on race day. So it takes more time to build up again. And if you want to improve your fitness level, even more time to go beyond where you had been. I experienced a bit of this when I got sick and had to bail out of the Hartford marathon. I couldn't just jump back into training after having been really sick for four weeks.

I've never been so frustrated with marathoning and training in my whole running career. But that's how it is, and I need to accept this reality if I want to keep at it, and I do. Most people who have run 8 marathons can probably cite at least one "bad" race where they were really well prepared but things blew up. Where they had trained hard for months and months, and it just ended in a bad experience for them. I'm not any more "cursed" than the next runner.

Part of my love of running comes from the fact that if I work hard, I see gains. I love being able to accomplish things all on my own and have an objective measure of my improvement. I like to achieve my goals, and I like to be in control of achieving them. Maybe this is really an opportunity to grow not in terms of my "fitness level" but in terms of learning how to better tolerate not being in control. In the years before I started racing, I was anorexic. It was my way of maintaining control over my life by closely monitoring every calorie I consumed. And I recovered when I discovered how wonderful running was. But in a sense, it was a replacement for that feeling of control and structure that I had while I was anorexic.

I've always known about the lack of control that comes with race day weather and other factors. But I guess the real lesson for me here is that I am not exempt from bad marathons because I train well-- and I need to value my investment in training just as much with or without the PR to show for it. There are some people who get outstanding marathon times and don't train properly. There is a lot of grey area here. And even though running is very numbers-based, there are so many factors that contribute that cannot be quantified or represented in a spreadsheet.

Christopher said he didn't think I would PR at Last Chance for Boston in two weeks. Simply because it was too soon to be recovered and ready to perform at my peak level. And another friend of mine, Steve, cautioned me that I could end up with an injury, and then really be in a worse place than I am now. I clung to that race, even paid the $75 registration fee, because I needed some hope that my investment wasn't completely a waste. But on the other hand, I don't want to do something stupid that could worsen my situation, just because I was stubborn. Additionally, my right hip is still achey from the marathon, and I haven't been able to run quickly since the marathon because of it. Just really slow short runs. So, I'll need to think about it more. If I can't run at least 10 miles today, then I don't see how a marathon PR is possible in two weeks.

I'll keep you posted.

Regrouping

After many sleepless nights and after giving it much thought, I finally have a "Plan B".

I figured that at the very least, I would set a PR in Arizona, because my training had been so much more intense than it was for my 3:51. So even if I didn't BQ, my PR would "tide me over" until the next marathon attempt. But now I feel like I am in the best shape of my life, with no marathon PR to confirm it.

My first thought was to run the Shamrock Marathon on March 22, where I set the PR last year. But then I realized that it was too soon to fit in a solid training cycle, but too far to simply rely on what I've built up over the past seven months.

So, after much research, I discovered a marathon just outside of Columbus Ohio on February 15: The "Last Chance For Boston" Marathon. Ironically, the Boston marathon is now full and registration is closed. But the original intent of this marathon was to give runners one "last chance" to qualify, if their fall marathon didn't go as they had planned.

Even if I had BQed in Arizona, I still would not have been able to run Boston 2009. I have a whole year to BQ, so I am not necessarily trying to do that on February 15. Really, all I want is to shave some time off of my PR and salvage some of the intense training I've been doing for the seven months leading up to Arizona.

The "Last Chance For Boston" Marathon will likely be very cold. February 15 in Ohio with an 8:00am start time should be in the upper 20's or lower 30's. But it could be much colder, and there is always the possibility of a snow storm or freezing rain. I've decided to drive to the race (actually, Brent is going to drive!) so if the weather is really unfavorable, I won't lose money on air fare. After that cold, windy 4-mile race on New Year's Eve, I am confident about running in the teen's, but single digits would probably be a deal-breaker for me. As would any kind of winter precipitation.

One more thing to note about the course. It's only one-mile long. I'll run this loop 26.2 times for a full marathon. The race is chip-timed, and every time you cross the timing mat, someone tells you how many miles you have completed. There are many advantages to this. First, the course has a 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 mile marker. This should make pacing a lot easier, considering I don't use a Garmin. Secondly, it's flat, so there are no hills to contend with. Finally, it makes it easy to layer up and throw away clothing, because you come to the same point each mile. I know that this will be "boring" and very mentally challenging, but since I am used to doing lon runs on the treadmill, I think I can easily handle to monotony of a 1-mile loop.

Thankfully, the marathon is run counter-clockwise, so faster runners can pass on the inside of the loop and run the tangent. During the the 4-mile race, which was run clockwise, I had to pass runners on the outer edge of the loop, lengthening my course.

February 15: Last Chance for Boston Marathon
March 22: Shamrock Half Marathon
April 5: Cherry Blossom 10-Miler
May 3: New Jersey Marathon

It's more races than is really ideal to train optimally for a marathon, but I really enjoy the Shamrock and the Cherry Blossom, so I am sacrificing an ideal training schedule to do some races that I really want to participate. And if I miss my BQ in New Jersey because of this, I can always try for it in the fall.

Melting in the Arizona Sun

To train for my 3:51 marathon:
- Seven weeks of consistent training
- Average 40 miles per week
- Peak mileage was 48

To train for yesterday's marathon:
- Six months of consistent training
- Average 50 miles per week
- Peak mileage was 56

I ran the P.F. Chang's Rock 'N Roll marathon yesterday. I awoke at 2:00am the morning of the race. That's 4:00am EST, when my body always wakes up naturally. I could not get back to sleep, so I just played around on the internet and watched TV until it was time to get dressed.

I started to realize how thankful I was that I would be running this race with a perfect training regime behind me, without any injuries, and without having gotten sick in the past few months. I had been plagued by injuries and illness a lot during 2008, and finally I felt awesome, and ready for my BQ. I got dressed in my running skirt,sports bra, visor and sunglasses. I headed out the door and walked to the area where the shuttle would take me to the race start.

I got on the shuttle bus and arrived at the race nearly two hours before it started. Better to be safe than sorry! It was dark and in the lower50's. My feet went numb because I wasn't wearing my "warmer" socks. The weather prediction was for a much hotter race than I had originally anticipated so I wore my lightest pair of socks.

Miles 1-5
I lined up in the start corral and one of my friends from the Runner's World forums found me. We had eaten dinner together the night before along with Yulyia. We chatted for a bit and then the race started. We didn't plan on running together, so I let her pull ahead while I stayed back. The 3:40 pace group was in the corral behind mine, so I let them pass me in the first mile.

I've always walked through the water stations because I am a believer in Galloway's theory that just a 10-second walk is enough to help preserve your legs. On the plane, I sat next to a woman who consistently ran about 3:20, and she told me she did the water station walk breaks always.

My goal was to go out at a pace of 8:30 and then speed up to goal pace (8:24) by about mile 4. I missed the first mile marker, so I had no idea what pace I was at. During the third mile, the 3:45 pace group passed me. I knew that there was no way they were going at a 3:45 pace. They had to have been going much faster. This is the reason I don't run with pace groups. But it annoyed me that they were now in front of me and I felt like I was on target for a 3:42 at that point.

I passed the mile 4 marker, and my split was a 7:48. I was sort of pissed because I only sped up due to the fact that the 3:45 group passed me so quickly. And even after the 7:48 mile, I was still behind them. I knew that a 7:48 was way too fast, so I slowed down substantially.

I didn't really feel good during these first miles. My stomach felt kind of heavy (I drank a ton of water) and I felt BLAH. But I reminded myself that I typically don't feel "right" about a run until mile 5 or 6.

Miles 6-10
These were probably the best miles of the race. I averaged about 8:25 during this time and felt relatively strong, despite the stomach tightness I was having.

At about mile 7, I passed the 3:45 pace group and I told myself I would not let them get ahead of me again.

I debated how much water I should drink. It was starting to heat up and the sun was beating down on me. And yet my stomach cramp seemed to begetting worse and worse, and I was beginning to have some upper back pain.

Miles 11-15
This is really where the race fell apart for me. I wanted to cross the halfway point at 1:50 or 1:51 because I knew that a lot of people were tracking me and I wanted to give the impression that I was right on target. But as soon as I crossed over the halfway point (1:51:5x), I dramatically slowed down. Little did I know that my stupid D-Tag wasn't even registering my splits. So it didn't even matter.

Igot to the mile 14 marker and I hunched over in pain from my stomach cramp. My back was also really hurting. Additionally, I had major foot pain. I had felt this same foot pain before in a hot half marathon, so I wasn't terribly worried. I think it was from my foot swelling so much in the heat and then pushing against the top of my shoe. But it only hurt when I ran on it, so it almost felt like a stress fracture. I just reminded myself that I had felt this before and it turned out to just be pain from the shoe.

The 3:45 pace group paced me at about mile 14, and I realized that there would be no way I could BQ. The bestI could hope for would be a PR.

Miles 16-20
I've never hit "a wall" during a marathon, but starting at mile 16, the whole race felt like one big brick wall. And I knew it wasn't my fault.I know I had trained better than I had for any other marathon. And I didn't go out too fast with the exception of the one mile that was7:48. I was even giving myself walk breaks.

The foot pain started to get really bad. I sat down on a curb and removed my shoe.The top of my foot was red and swollen, and my big toe felt weird and numb-like. I eventually put the sock and shoe back on and continued. At this point, I could still feasibly PR if I miraculously got my speed back.

Miles 20-25
After crossing the 20-mile mat about 10 minutes off of my target pace. I realized that a PR was not going to happen for me. At about mile 21 I sat down on a park bench for about a minute and watched the 3:50 pace group speed by me. I remembered how easy it felt to run at a 3:50 pace for most of the Shamrock marathon. I remembered how awesome that felt. And now, despite the fact that I had trained 500% longer and with much greater weekly mileage, I couldn't get my butt off that bench. The heat was just zapping me.

I guess I am just really sensitive to the sun. I do fine if it's upper 60's and overcast (Miami Marathon, Richmond half marathon) but if it's at all sunny, I feel it. My face always gets bright red after speed work and stays that way for over an hour. 

The red face even happened to me as a child and teenager after 4minutes of doing a dance routine all-out. At this point, it was about 62 degrees and very sunny. My body didn't feel hot in the traditional sense because it's a dry heat that I am not used to. But it was reacting the same way it did when I ran the really hot VA Beach half in 2006, and also some 10Ks as well. I totally bonk in the heat, always.

I got up from the bench and I realized that I simply couldn't run. But then I reminded myself that this was all mental, so I just told myself"yes, you can run". So I did.

I had a friend waiting for me at mile 25. I didn't want him to leave or think that he missed me, so that was really all that was motivating me. I kept making bargains with myself: "Just run to that water station up ahead, then you can walk."It was a run/walk from there out. My running pace was actually about9:00/mile, but there was so much walking that my splits were about 10:30's.

I started to hear the songs on my iPod that I was hoping to finish to, so I just turned the damn thing off and took my headphones off of my head. It was too depressing to be at mile 22 and hear my finish line songs.

Finally, I came to mile 25 and stopped to chat with my friend Steve. I told him that I was having the worst marathon of my life and how much pain I was in. He said "you're almost done. . . just go run to the finish now!" And I said that I wanted to just stop and chat with him for longer. So that lasted for about two minutes and then I finally made my way to the finish. If it weren't for him being there, I would have had no motivation to run at all during that last portion.

He took this photo of me:

26 and the Finish
I did a run/walk to the finish, but did run that last 0.2 very strong and smiled for the camera as I crossed the finish line in about 4:10.My gun time and net time are identical on the web site, but I was a 4:10 according to my watch. A few years ago, I would have been elated with this time. But now, I realized I was 30 minutes off of my goal.

My friend, Eric, found me and I started bawling my eyes out the moment I saw him. My foot was killing me, I was so exhausted. And I just felt like such crap. They were handing out popsicles and mine tasted amazing at that point.

Final Thoughts
I just find it highly ironic that I have never had a bad marathon until now. And I had run 7 previous marathons. Each marathon had been better than I expected, and I had always exceeded my goal by 2-5 minutes. And yet, I never had a training program that was so strong. I did everything "right" this time around. I trained for a full 18 weeks (actually more if you consider everything I was doing in July and August before I got sick). And I averaged about 50 MPW. I did multiple 20 milers and in the past, the most I had ever done was just one.

I definitely don't think I was over trained. I think I was optimally prepared to BQ, or at least set a significant PR. But I don't deal with heat well. The foot pain and the stomach cramping also really played a factor before the heat started to kick in. Last summer, I ran a 4-mile race at a pace of 8:56 because it was so hot and sunny. Slower than my marathon PR pace!

If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have changed anything. However, if I knew that the heat was going to be this bad, I would have changed to the half marathon at the expo and not even run the marathon to begin with, I was really lucky to have gotten through this training without any injuries, but extremely unlucky when it came to race-day weather.

Now I am trying to think about my next marathon I want to redeem myself ASAP because I know I am in such great shape! But I also don't want to rush recovery. Today my legs feel better than they typically do after a marathon, probably because I did so much walking. And yet, I ran the London marathon in about the same time, and recovery only took me a few days. (It was a fun run, and I didn't exert myself the way I did yesterday). I will either do the Shamrock Marathon on March 22, which might be too soon, or the NJ Marathon in early May, which seems like too far away!

I just have to say that the best thing to come out of this was all the support from all of my friends. The RWOL BQ girls especially! Not to mention all the support I have from my three friends who live here in Phoenix. They were so amazing to help me with everything. What's most important is that I have an incredible support network.

In a way, I feel like I let you all down because I know you were all rooting for me. And then I just ended up with this epic failure. But ultimately, I know I did the best I could in those circumstances, and I'll just have to pull myself back together and crank out the next one.

Patience is a Virtue!

Calm, patient, relaxed, centered. . . these are words that really need to describe me at the moment but totally do not. I am totally on edge about this marathon on Sunday, which is natural during the final stages of the "taper". I am not questioning my training or my athletic ability, but just hoping that all the logistics go well-- I arrive on time, I don't forget anything, I don't get sick between now and then, etc.

Aside from those elements, the only thing that could possibly stand in the way of my 3:40 Boston Qualifying time is the weather. The first half of the race should be in the 50's and sunny. It's not ideal for me (I prefer overcast) but it's manageable. The temperature will probably hit 60 degrees by the time I get to the 20 mile marker, but with "brilliant" sunshine and no clouds, that will be a real-feel 68, which ends up feeling like 88 when you are running. Ouch.

I ran London and Houston in similar conditions. The temperature never got above 60, but I was still a bit too hot for ideal performance.

As of now, I am anticipating that the heat could slow me down by as much as 3-4 minutes, which are critical when I am trying to reach a lofty goal of 3:40 to begin with. I might have to bank some time in the first half in antipication of the second, although not too much as I need to avoid "bonking". I'll be wearing sunglasses, drinking plenty of water, and possibly running in just a sports bra (no tank).

Looking back on my training, I have all the confidence in the world in my ability to perform well:



You can see the Shamrock Marathon as the first long red vertical bar. Not nearly as much training behind it as what I have now.

My average weekly mileage was 51, excluding the month of September when I was sick. Peak mileage was 56. In my speed sessions, I have been hitting all the proper paces that correspond with a 3:40 marathon, and typically on a treadmill, where it's much more humid than it will be on race day. And a few degrees warmer, too!

If you would like to follow my progress, go to www.rnraz.com on Sunday morning. There will be a link for live tracking. My bib number is 2465. The race starts at 7:40am local time, which is 9:40am Eastern. Splits are given at the 10K, half, 20-mile and finish. I expect my splits to be 52:xx, 1:50, 2:47, 3:40.

2008 Recap

2008 was a good year for me running-wise, with the exception of a knee injury in the Spring and a 5-week long illness in the fall. Since I started racing in 2005, I know that my "gains" will be less significant as time goes by, so having another year like 2008, with significant PRs at several distances, will be unlikely. While there are still many good things to come in my running career (or so I hope) I'd like to take a moment to reflect back on 2008.

Races & Places
The furthest I traveled for a race this year was the London Marathon in April. Other interesting locations were the Houston Half Marathon, Richmond and Virginia Beach (for the Shamrock marathon and the Rock 'N Roll Half). The other races were all in the Washington DC Metro area.

Marathons
Shamrock Sportsfest Marathon, March 16, 3:51
Flora London Marathon, April 13, 4:11:57

Training Miles
I ran 1746 miles in 2008. This is exactly 150 miles more than my total from 2007, which was 1596. I had injuries in both years, but the injuries in 2008 sidelined me more than in 2007. The total is less than what I had hoped for (I was going for 2000), but after my injury healed, I ran 1130 miles for the second half of the year. Had I been able to do this for the first part of the year, I would have exceeded my goal.

Highest Mileage Month: 225.5 (December)
Lowest Mileage Month: 39.9 (May)
Highest Weekly Mileage: 56 (December 1-7)
Lowest Weekly Mileage: 0 (A few times due to injury and illness)
Average Training pace: 9:25/mile

In 2007, my highest monthly mileage was 168, and highest weekly mileage was 48.

Injuries
For the first half of the year, it was one injury after another. But once I got smarter about training, my injuries vanished. Injuries included:
- Pinched Peroneal Nerve in early January
- Strained Tibialis anterior (outer shin muscle) in March, April, and May
- Outer Knee pain, from using the wrong shoe in March and April
- Patellar Tendonitis from April to July
- Virus throughout the entire month of September

Bad Racing Experiences
The worst race of the year (and perhaps my life) was the Rock 'N Roll VA Beach half marathon. I had been coming down with some sort of viral infection, and didn't realize it at the time. It was also 93% humidity and the upper 70's. I would have DNFed if I thought I could get a way back to the finish line. I have never felt so wasted during a race and immediately after. Following this race, I was sick for nearly five weeks.

I also attempted to run a 10K just as I was recovering from being sick, and I ended up really messing it up. It was so bad I didn't even post a blog about it. I felt like shit throughout the entire run, with a time that I was completely ashamed of. Not to mention that the 10K is already the most challenging distance for me.

PRs
I set a PR at every distance this year, except for the 10K. And I did not race a 10-miler, so there was no PR to be had. I also ran my first 20K, but I used it as a "marathon pace" training run.

5K: 23:22 (7:31 pace)
4-mile: 30:16 (7:34 pace*)
20K: 1:44:26 (8:25 pace)
1/2 Marathon: 1:48:43 (8:17 pace)
Marathon: 3:51:49 (8:51 pace)

*Course may have been 3.9 miles, but damn, it was hilly!

Running Buddies
Brent and I ran the Shamrock Marathon together (well, not together, but we drove together, etc) and a 10K. It was great to take a trip to Houston to visit one of my best running friends (and best overall friends!) Randi. She ran the full while I did the half. My friends in London, Zoe, Rosa and Charlotte were amazing when I went over there. They totally took care of me. Also a shout out to Lauren who ran the VA Beach half and the Leesburg 20K with me. And then there are the "usual suspects" who I often see at local races.

Also extremely important is my running support network. The Big Cat Race Team (especially George/La Lynx), the "Think Fast" ladies and the "RWOL BQ" girls have been incredible in supporting me.

Randi and me before the Houston Marathon

At a London restaurant after running the marathon with my British friends.

Brent and me before a 10K

Power Songs
5. Fall Out Boy- Beat It
4. Paramore- Misery Business
3. Good Charlotte- I Don't Wanna Be In Love
2. Jason Mraz- The Dynamo of Volition
1. Counting Crows- Cowboys

2008 Races
January- Houston Half Marathon: 1:50:43
March- Shamrock Marathon: 3:51:49
March- Scope It Out 5K: Dropped out, Injured
April- Flora London Marathon: 4:11:57
April- GW Parkway Classic 5K: 23:55
May- Cascades Firechase 10K: 58:30 (injured, training run)
June- Lawyers Have Heart 10K: Too slow to mention!
June- PRR Twilight Festival 4-miler: 35:33 (100-degree heat)
August- Leesburg 20K: 1:44:26
August- VA Beach 1/2 Marathon: 2:03:xx
September- Hartford Marathon: Dropped out, Sick
November- Richmond 1/2 Marathon: 1:48:43
November- Turkey Trot 5K: 23:22
December- Christmas Caper 10K: 49:36
December- Fairfax 4-Miler: 30:16

Weather
Nearly all of my races this year have been in extreme weather. I have had horrible luck with weather. The Shamrock marathon was very windy. The London marathon had torrential downpours. The PRR Twilight 4-miler had a 100-degree heat index, and I actually had to walk part of the last mile. The VA Beach half marathon had 93% humidity, and we all know how that turned out. My 10K in December was extremely chilly with a headwind. My 4-miler last night was held during a wind advisory with 20-25 MPH winds, gusting up to about 40 MPH. The best weather was probably during the GW Parkway Classic 5K. But I was injured during that one!

2009 Goals
Basically, my main goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. The 1130 miles that I ran from July-December will hopefully get me there when I make my attempt in a few weeks. If not, I may try again in early May, or just wait until the fall.

I'd also like to run 1978 miles, because that was the year I was born.

And most importantly, my goal is to remain injury free.

New Year's Eve 4-Miler

I ran the inaugural Fairfax Four Miler last night (New Year's Eve) in the midst of a high wind advisory.

When I got the flyer in my mailbox for this race, I was extremely excited. I didn't have plans for New Year's Eve yet, and I was scheduled for a speed workout of 4 x 1600m that day. (That's four 1-mile repeats for those of you who are not runners). Doing a 4-mile race in place of this workout would be a welcome change.

Because I am now tapering for my marathon on January 18, I didn't want to push it too hard. I decided that I wouldn't "race" it at full effort, but rather use it as a fast tempo run, aiming for a pace of 7:50/mile.

Race day arrived and there was a wind advisory. Winds were blowing at 20-25 MPH with gusts up to 50 MPH. In fact, there was so much wind, that a powerline went down on the certified race course, so they had to scramble at the last minute to design a new course. The new course was 4 laps there were just shy of one mile each. They mentioned that it was no longer certified, and I heard some people saying that it was only 3.9 miles instead of 4. However, being that this is a 4-loop course, I had to be on the ouside of the loop for the last two laps, because I was passing walkers and slower runners.

Perhaps the worst thing about this new course was that it was much hiller than the original. Each lap had about three hills, and at no point during the race was there a flat surface:


One lap of the 4-mile course.

Note the 6% grade! And we had to run up that thing 4 times. The toughest hill, in actuality was the last hill of the lap. It just seemed to go on and on. And during the last two laps, the course was crowded with walkers and slower runners, so I had to weave through them.

To add insult to injury, this was obviously an evening race (7:00), and we all know that I am very much of a morning person, and I am often in bed by 7:30!

I arrived at the race, got out of my car, and immediately started to warm up. I wanted to do a one-mile warmup, but it was so hilly around the race and I didn't want to wear myself out, so I only did a half mile warmup. The wind was making things extremely difficult and the windchill factor was in the teens. The coldest race I have ever run.

I decided to stick to my plan of 7:50's. This was going by feel, of course, as I don't have a Garmin. I ended up averaging 7:34/mile. I think because of all the hills, I knew I had to exert more effort to get up to 7:50. I have been doing A LOT of hill training over the past two months, so the hills didn't take as much out of me as expected.

My time was 30:16, average 7:34 pace. If the course was actually 3.9 miles, my pace would be 7:45. Given that I ran on the outer edge of the loop, I'd say my true pace probably feel somewhere between 7:34-7:45. I guess I will have to live with the ambiguity!

I placed 10th out of 163 in my age group, putting me in the top 6%, and beating out 94%.
I placed 142 of 1007 total runners, putting me in the top 14%, and beating out 86%.

Considering I did not race this at full effort, I am thrilled!!!! I feel very well prepared for my marathon in less than three weeks. I will continue to do shorter, faster runs to keep my legs fresh without the burden of high mileage.

After the race, all the finishers got Nike hooded sweatshirts. And they were gender-specific so mine fits quite nicely. I met up with my friend Brianna very briefly. And then I met up with Katharine and Mike. When we picked up our bib numbers, we got coupons for free food at the surronding restaurants. So the three of us made the rounds to get free hot chocolate and pizza. I had already redeemed my ice cream coupon before I met up with them. Yeah, I ate ice cream even though the temperature was in the teens!

The Curse of the 10K

I don't know what it is about the 10K. I have never run one that I was satisfied with. Except for maybe my first 10K, and I was happy just to be in the top 25% of the women.

Today I ran the Christmas Caper 10K as a tune-up race for the Marathon. It will be followed by a 17-miler tomorrow to prepare my legs to run when fatigued. This race was tiny. The official results aren't posted yet, but I would guess that maybe only 150 people ran the 10K, and probably 200 people ran the accompanying 5K. It was a true 'no-frills' race with no t-shirt, and it only cost $5.00. So, even though the field was small, there were a lot of really good runners out there.

The race was not chip timed, and there were no mile markers. It was 40 degrees and overcast, but it felt more like the upper 20's with the wind. Headphones were not permitted, so I had to go without. The race was a two-loop course know as Hains Point in Washington DC. I had run this course as part of the Marine Corps Marathon.

Going into this race, I told myself that my main goals were to stay relaxed, not go out too fast, and not put too much pressure on myself to perform. I figured I would go out at a 8:00 pace for the first mile, and then try and run 7:40s for the rest of the race, in the hopes of breaking 48 minutes. All of my recent races and training runs indicate that this is possible. I ran a 7-mile tempo run at a pace of 8:00, and felt like I had plenty of 'gas in the tank' afterward, so running a 10K with race adrenaline should have been at a noticeably faster pace.

There was no taper for this race. I ran 10 miles with hills on Thursday and then an easy 5 miles on Friday. Additionally, I went to my company's Holiday party last night and was up past midnight. I woke up at 4:00am, which means less than 4 hours of sleep. I'm not trying to make excuses, just trying to factor in all the variables.

I warmed up for about half a mile and then waited for the race to start. I was shivering in my skirt (no tights). The race started and I tried to hold back a bit. There was a 10 mph headwind since we were right next to the water, and so I figured I wouldn't push hard at the start. I didn't know if there would be mile markers, but I wasn't really expecting them given the size of the race. There was a marker at mile 1, but then nothing after that. I ran the first mile in 8:01, which I was pleased with, considering the headwind.

I picked up the pace a bit, but I wasn't sure by how much. There was a woman about 10 feet in front of me wearing a Chicago Marathon jacket from 2007. The year it was really hot. She seemed to be holding a nice steady pace, so I decided to let her pace me. There were no more mile markers, and I didn't have my music to focus on, so I just kept my eyes on that woman and focused on running at her pace. After the first loop, I was neck-and-neck with her. I don't know if she slowed down or if I sped up. We ran together for about a mile and then she got ahead of me again. At about mile 5, she passed this one girl who seemed to be slowing down. And then I passed her as well. Since I couldn't focus on my pacing strategy, I was really focused on what these other women were doing. Shortly after the Chicago woman and I passed that girl, she gunned ahead at a fast speed and flew by both of us. Neither of us could catch her.

I just assumed that a PR would be 'in the bag' because I am in such better shape now than I was last year when I set my PR. So, I kept looking at my watch and assuming I would get to the finish line at 47 or 48 something. But I started to get discouraged when the finish line was not coming, and I crossed in a disappointing 49:36. 13 seconds slower from the PR I set last December. Although this race was a lot more controlled than that one. (I had gone out t 7:30 back then and blew up during the last mile). I really think that if there had been mile markers and I had realized that I wasn't going at my target pace, I could have sped up. But I was so fearful of bonking, that I guess I held back a little too much.

Both of the women beat me by seconds, but the Chicago woman was 40, and the other woman was in her 20's. Which means we weren't competing against each other for an age group award.

The woman in the Chicago jacket said she thought it was a tough course with the wind, which reassured me. Additionally, she had just run a marathon in 3:45 a few weeks ago. That was comforting to hear!

I was definitely not pleased with my time, considering that all of my other races predict something faster, and I am in much better shape than I was last December when I PRed. But I am not discouraged about the marathon because I have had some amazing training runs over the past month.

I did win third place in my age group (30-39), but that's not saying much, given the size of the race. I took home some Balsam & Cedar Oil Diffusers as my award.

If I can get through the 17 miles tomorrow after having done this 10K, I will be pleased.

17 w/ 14 @ MP

Lately, I have been second-guessing my BQ attempt. Training is going flawlessly, but I am not seeing the gains in speed that I had hoped for. I did just set two PRs in the half marathon and the 5K, but they weren't significant enough for me to really think that a BQ was in the cards for me.

Now, my confidence has been restored.

This morning, I ran 17 miles. The first three were slow warm-up miles and then the remaining 14 were at marathon goal pace. I was aiming for 8:23-8:24 as my target. I did just run 13.1 miles at an average 8:17 pace in Richmond, so it seems like this training run shouldn't be an issue. However, that was in the context of a race, with race-day adrenaline and a mini taper. This run comes after having run 90 miles in the first 12 days of December, including two 12-milers just this week.

It was cold and sunny, with the occasional 15 MPH wind gust. It was about 31 degrees at the start and probably around 36 at the end. I wore the shoes that I am planning to wear in the marathon, my beloved Brooks Adrenaline GTS 6, which have been discontinued for two years, but I have a few remaining pairs, which I reserve for occasions like this. I won't wear the shoes again until race day.

As I began the run, I realized that I was wearing an extra 3-4 pounds of clothing, not to mention the water bottle I was carrying. I felt weighted down and I was wondering if I could actually hit target pace with this extra clothing. After the three warmup miles, it was time to start running at marathon pace. I sped up to something that felt noticeably harder, but still comfortable. I clocked the first mile at 8:32. I typically start all my runs slower and end faster, so I was fine with this pace for the beginning.

1- 8:33
2- 8:32
3- 8:31
4- 8:22

I picked it up during the 4th mile, because I knew I had to, and I was finally warmed up to my new faster pace. It didn't feel easy and I was seriously doubting that I would be able to do the full 14 at this kind of pace. But, I reminded myself that usually my runs don't feel good until I am 5 or 6 miles into the run (which is why I am horrible at 10Ks)! Sure enough, I did start to feel good during mile 5.

5- 8:26
6- 8:24
7- 8:15
8- 8:12

I ate sports beans at mile 5 and mile 10. I typically do not use any sort of fuel on my long runs because I want my body to learn how to burn fat for fuel. But today was an exception and almost like a rehearsal for the race. It was also good practice in eating the beans while maintain the target pace.

9- 8:14
10- 8:19
11- 8:19

Interestingly, I did not have to stop for traffic at all during this run. There were three spots where I had to cross busy intersections and I was extremely lucky that I had the right of way each time. I was looking forward to my forced stop at mile 12, but it didn't happen. Which is for the best, anyway. I threw away my empty water bottle and cranked out the last three miles.

12- 8:22
13- 8:11
14- 7:55

The 8:11 was a surprise. I felt myself slowing down, but I think I must have mentally told myself that I really couldn't afford to slow down, so I overcompensated. And then I knew I could nail the last mile at a sub-8:00. 

The average pace for this run was 8:20, which is the pace of a 3:38 marathon. The total time was 1:56:40. Yay!

The great thing about this run was that my legs didn't hurt or get tired. After having running so many miles in the past two weeks, my legs felt awesome. I think I might have some minor soreness tomorrow, but I will definitely be ready for another 50+ week next week.

Only two weeks of hard training remain, and then I begin my taper. I am so very thankful that I have managed to complete all of these training runs without getting injured. I just need to make it to Phoenix in one piece and the weather has to cooperate! I would actually prefer to race in weather like today (35 degrees) then something in the low 60's, which is what Arizona is typically like.