Boston Marathon 2019: Week 2 of training (the week that did not happen)

In 2018 I managed to pull off the impossible dream: avoid illness during my entire training cycle.

This year, not so lucky. I ended up catching a really bad cold which pretty much killed week two of training (January 7-13) I felt really horrible and gross.

SICK

If I was eyeing Boston as my only Spring race, this off week really would be of no concern. However, the timing of the crappy week may end up terminating my tentative Hyannis plans. We shall see)

I managed one 4 mile run, which was really pretty dreadful! That was the day I decided to back out of the rest of the week of training. (better to just back off than to push it and stay sick forever.) There were a variety of weather related challenges during the week, which would have compromised my plans anyway.

So. Week 2, you were dumb!

Stats:
Mileage: 4
Long run: 4, hahahah ugh
Beer at pub: No pub run!
Colds caught: Dealing with the beast of the one I began to catch last week. 
Coldest day: Really cold. Like -3
Snow days: 2

Boston Recovery week 1: the one with the CRUNK

Overall, recovery from Boston has (mostly) been going very well. I had some very normal feeling soreness, tiredness and hungriness on Tuesday and Wednesday but nothing alarming what so ever.
I wasn't too excited about stairs for a couple days, but that is a pretty standard.

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Then.... Sometime late on Wednesday night (or maybe early Thursday, who can be sure!?) I awoke with a vile, vile plague. This crunk has been going around in these parts and consists of some level of fever, quite a bit of coughing, and a great deal of head congestion as well as a side order of complete exhaustion.
FANTASTIC.

This more or less laid me up for a few days. I had to work and such (and since I work outdoors, and can avoid coughing on people or touching their items I am quite sure I did not spread the germs.) But at the end of each day I would completely collapse, feverish, exhausted and quite useless. NO FUN.

By Sunday I was feeling a touch better and went for a casual 2.5 mile walk. (and then was worn out!)
And mileage wise, that was IT for the week.

After the Hyannis marathon I got back into my regular training routine pretty quickly. While I think that was a fine choice given how quickly I recovered, I have no plans to jump back into anything structured at all after Boston. (Especially since I ran quite well!) I suppose having the sickness kept me off my feet more than normal, but SERIOUSLY, I would have taken it easy regardless.

In the Boston aftermath, I'm contemplating what I did differently in the lead up that contributed to a positive outcome. There are always a lot of factors, and this year was certainly no exception.
In no particular order:
"I had a good marathon season (Hyannis/Boston) BECAUSE WHY:

-Well.... it was cold and rainy and awful at both races. My best possible conditions.

-I did not run a fall marathon but I built up a great base during the fall, and transitioned seamlessly into more serious race training.

-I had a few focused workouts weekly (or, with downhill repeats closer to every 10-14 days.) They were speedwork (and I met my goal to improve my speed work significantly) A long run at a faster pace than I have attempted in the past. And downhill reps (a 1.6 mile hill, ran at a challenging speed, 2 or 3x) This is somewhat different than past cycles.
My goal in completing my long run at a slightly faster pace, was to eliminate some miles from my weekly total. Complete experiment, and I feel really pleased with how it worked. I never ran a 50 mile or higher week during this training cycle (and still ran a 3:29 in Hyannis, so.... not a problem.) I think my highest mileage week was about 45 miles. something close to that anyway.
And the downhill work- totally clutch. I eliminated focused uphill training and replaced it with the downhill workout. For Boston- a serious game changer.
(personally, I have neither time, desire, or need to run a 60+ mile week to achieve my "3:30-ish" race pace. I might run a 60 mile week sometime in the future just for shits, but I can't envision a situation when I will add that kind of mileage to my training regimen.)

-Eric and I ran together a lot, which was really fun. Having company on almost all of my long runs was downright delightful.

-I basically trained without intending to, from mid November to last week, and never felt burned out or pissed. I took a couple days off when I needed to. I would run up the mountain in the snow if that was what I felt like. I wasn't married to any specific plan. And it worked well!

In conclusion, there are about 1.2 million different ways to get to a marathon start (and, hopefully, finish!) What I did this time worked great for me, and I feel satisfied with the whole experience. What worked for me, might not work for you. That is fine. I'm not here to tell anyone how to do anything running related.

People were curious about what I wore last Monday, in the amazing and ferocious conditions.

Please admire my fashion

(I packed a few outfits and basically cobbled some shit together when we finally realized that it was a hellacious mess outside!)
So, once I removed a huge quantity of throw away clothing at the start, I raced in:
(basically things that I bought on sale at one point or another...)

-Two hats, a "Crow Athletics" baseball cap, and a "First Run" winter hat that I got at a race like, 7 years ago...
-A Brooks Uprise Crossback bra (basically the most magical, non chafing bra that you will ever meet. which I got on a serious discount. #sothankful)
-A VERY old Oiselle Flyte shirt that I got on sale for about $17
-A vest that I bought for 50% off at Hyannis when the weather tanked.
-A 7 year old pair of Lululemon tights (my favorites. I got them on sale for like, $22)
-Darn tough socks (very good socks, no blisters. which my Dad bought for me, so FREE)
-Hoka Clifton 4's which I don't really love but I also don't hate (I liked the 1's and the 3's, so I am hopeful for the odd numbered 5's! Which I had a coupon code for 15% off for, nbd.)
-3 different pairs of gloves. Very old equestrian winter gloves. A pair of dollar store gloves (that my Dad dutifully brought home! I'm so happy, because I am cheap!) and a pair of "First Run" gloves that I literally got SEVEN YEARS AGO OR SOMETHING at the same race where I got the hat.
-And there are some absolutely prehistoric arm socks in there too, added on at mile 18. Those are smart wool, and I am quite certain that they were a Christmas gift about 5 years ago. (so, FREE)

Someday I will get a coordinated kit, provided that everything I want goes on sale at the right time. That would be sweet.

I will confess something.
The day after the race, I wandered to the Lululemon on Newbury St (or, Blueberry Street as Sarah's son called it) and bought a new pair of full priced tights.
Yeah, yeah, Lululemon doesn't exactly have a pristine reputation for labor practices (or for making non see through tights evidently- although I have never had an issue....) But SERIOUSLY, I have had the same pair for 7 years and they got me through that damn race with nary a blister or tiny spot of chafing. Show me another pair of tights that can do that and I will buy them today, and take them for a test run. (I have run in many others, pro compression, Oiselle, etc and the only ones that come close are the Under Armor ones I have and they have been discontinued...)
OH! And randomly, Lululemon had collaborated with some brewery and had a marathon beer that they were giving to finishers. So, win win!

Who doesn't love free beer?

So that's about it form the recovery front.
I have about another week or so before I will even be thinking about getting back to "it."

And what is "it" at this point?

As I was RUNNING from the marathon finish to the family meeting area I had these thoughts: "Wow I'm in really great shape! Maybe I should run an ultra! Maybe I should do another marathon! ACTUALLY..... all of these things are probably terrible ideas!!"

I'm pretty sure that all of those things were, indeed, awful ideas. While I never say "never" I expect that I am about to transition into full Spring and Summer mode.
I detect some trail running, cycling, and possibly a 5K race at some point (such a different kind of pain than marathon pain!)

It's always tempting to continue to capitalize on the distance specific fitness, but I know from experience that burnout is about one hot long run away at this point.

So, it's fun/adventure training time, and I'm really looking forward to it!

Five Weeks until Boston! Ohhhhhhh yikes!

Another Maine week has come and gone, and while we are that much closer to Spring the whole weekend was full of raw wind and wet snow. Yuck! GROSS.

I did my long run on Saturday in the midst of an on and off blizzard. It was just above freezing so while it was most unpleasant out it was not cold enough for the roads to get icy. There were a few fleeting moments around mile 16 when I thought that getting run off the road might be preferable to continuing but since that did not happen, I soldiered on, suffering in many obvious ways.

I am still in the midst of suffering the ill effects from my post vacation upper respiratory crapola. Running in the cold air seems to trigger some lengthy and intense bouts of coughing. To the extent where I genuinely feel that I may have coughed some of my internal organs out of place! (while I expect this is an exaggeration it's only a slight one, I certainly seem to be keeping my abdominal muscles strong with the remnants of this pesky bug. I need a breathing treatment.)

My brain is getting really excited that Boston is only five weeks out!
My legs and body (and the weather) however seem to be on a slightly different page at this point. GAH! Could it please be warmer than 12 degrees for more than 24 hours? Maybe no more snow? I really feel like we might run Boston in some kinda blizzaster.

It might be this or 95 degrees. And I'm used to blizzards, bacon and shame so BRING IT...

 I am trying (and only failing slightly) not to fall into the trap of comparing this years training to last years. Last year I was absolutely on track for a PR and made a lot of sacrifices to get in every ounce of training that I possibly could. I chose to make training a top priority, over almost everything else and while I am glad that I did (even though I did not meet my goal) I am not willing to prioritize my running over my business at this point in time.
Clearly, I need to focus on what I am good at now (walking, bathroom breaks, snacking, complaining and running 10 minute miles and drinking beer) VS what I was good at last year (running fast, ninja skills, being a rock star and... bathroom breaks. And beer. That goes without saying.)

Thank the sweet lord baby Geezes for beer.

So where does all of this leave me?
The great news is that my legs and body feel good (with the notable exception of the cough of doom) Currently no aches or pains, and while I do notice the lack of Yoga practice I simply can not get there right now. I am making the best of it and trying to do some quality stretching a few times a week.

Mileage wise I feel that I am meeting my goals. We all know that I'm not a super high mileage runner and, with the exception of my sick week in February, I have been happy with my mileage totals!

My speed goals though? Not even close. As in, so far off that I get a little riled up occasionally! Where did my speed go?
My logical thought is that first and foremost I'm transitioning directly from the treadmill to the road and into my peak training weeks. I am hoping that the gains I'm (trying) to make will become apparent soon..... PLEASE RUNNING GODS.
This is the first year in EVER that I have not tested my race legs mid winter in a half marathon situation to see if I'm on point- so I feel a little lost. And a little slow. Like a turtle kind of nonsense. No clue what to expect in 5 weeks.

My plan at this point is simply to stick to my training schedule and hope that my legs and lungs get on board. I have a few more long runs planned to work on the endurance before time runs out, and if the weather continues to be slightly less sucky road work should begin to feel more normal!

And I will WIN the marathon, just like I normally do!!

So hey you guys? Send me some good training vibes. Maybe some good weather vibes too? I'm ready to get my ninja rockstar mojo back and am happy to enlist the power of positive thoughts.

The *best* way to start the New Year....

There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING that gets the New Year off to a good start like a pustulating case of pink eye paired with a wracking, hacking cough.

Yep, The winter plague hit and hit hard! So very, very gross.

I suppose, once you peel away the layers of germs, one can try to make the best of a rather nasty situation.

Case in point:
-The weather has been chilly. Might as well be sick!

As it turned out my weather app was *totally* exaggerating. It was a balmy -15.

-It's really too early for me to "seriously" Boston train. I'm not an 18 week plan girl. I'm like a 4 week plan girl. Which is not exactly ideal and one of my sick day goals is to figure out a proper training strategy, one which involves more running and less slamming down bottles of cough syrup (gross.)

I love how much inspiration I add to my Believe Journal... #sobrave

 -As an equestrian I don't technically get sick days unless I have a fever of 103.9 or similar so I have continued to enjoy the delight of winter time stall mucking, dressage horse wrangling (sassy beasts) and teaching of the future generation. It's all been good, actually. Takes my mind off the residual gunk in my lungs.

Who can think about their Typhoid when you teach cute littles like this??

While I have not had a particularly inspired start to the year in running it is really no big deal. It's better to get all this absurdity out of the way while the temps are treacherous! I have managed to get a few miles in (on my treddy, more on some of my better treadmill workouts later!) And I scampered back to yoga today to contort my rigid body into unimaginable positions of self improvement. I love yoga. (I really do, that is not a lie.)

I plan to be fully recovered soon (as in tomorrow) and back to my normal shenanigans!

A three for one! All the races.

Since I haven't done a race report in quite some time I thought I'd really make this special by doing a THREE in one!

First off.
The Maine Mile. 
I had no clue how fast I might be. I hoped for sub 7. I was thinking that if I really got crazy, that sub 6:30 might be possible but that sounded like a lot of work. Regardless, I was actually quite excited for this event and the weather was spectacular, which was awesome. I had already done my normal workout that morning, and was pretty happy about the 7:30 PM start since running late is my jam.

(Writing about a one mile race takes longer than running it.)

Eric and I lined up with our friends (Danielle, Carrie, Ward and Wade who are basically the same person) Per the norm Danielle and I contemplated bailing, but knowing that the pain would be brief we soldiered on. #sobrave
Eric and I were not quite as late to the party as it appeared, we arrived unusually early and had strolled around and actually managed a several mile warm up. We are clearly on the cusp of being serious race contenders. 

The gun went off an I took off quite briskly, only to find myself DEAD fucking LAST.
You think I kid? Well I do not. There was not one person behind me for the initial surge.
I looked around somewhat dumbfounded by the way that things had uncontrollably escalated. I actually felt like time had slowed and that I was in my own bizarre personal space bubble of extreme slowness, where all my limbs moved at a speed of exaggerated sluggishness.  

I was like "shit". However, I knew that it isn't in my personal best interest to go out habanaro only to die 3 point 2 feet later, so I basically maintained the same pace throughout, finishing in 6:13.
Once I overcame the feeling of extreme leisure I understood that I was seriously running so fast. SO FAST!!!! How does anyone run faster than a 6:13??? Jeesh. 

So fast that the camera can't even keep up. Pshhhhhhh.

Good enough. I don't make a habit of running that fast EVER, for ANY reason so I'm pleased. Just off the damn podium but I couldn't have run any faster! (the thing is, I was instantly fine and recovered which made me wonder if I could have run faster- but I really do not believe I could have!)
I want to do this again. I really had a great time and I felt spectacularly fast, similar to an Olympic sprinter. (shut up. let me have my dream!)

Prizes! I love PRIZES!!

Moving on to 5 days later.
My first 5 mile race EVER!
Eric and I decided to run the Kick out mesothelioma 5 miler in Portland. I was wishing for a speedy number of miles greater than 1 and since kicking mesothelioma in the face seems commendable we decided to participate.

The good part about this race was that it was for a good cause on a not too hard course.
The bad part is that nobody knew where it started, once we started nobody knew where to go, and Erica Jesseman showed up to win which is never good because she is basically the best female runner in Maine. (and I'm kidding- she's great. an it's great that the awesome local runners go out to support good causes. Oh, and I'm NOT kidding that she is one of the best female runners in Maine...)

So, yeah. We all started and we watched Erica Jesseman and a few others fade into the distance while the rest of us got knocked down by gale force winds, sweated to death in the humidity and (if you are me) literally had to grind to a halt several times, unsure as to where to go. Totally lost, FML.
I decided to look at those moments as nice breaks....

I ran a brisk pace none the less (35:51 for a 7:07 pace) and basically hit the puke zone hard.
I am the most disgusting person who ever lived.
I don't think I would have run so damn quickly but I knew I was in 3rd and the 4th place woman was absolutely breathing down my neck. So run hard I did, and puke hard I did. Yuck.

Before the projectile vomiting began.

My goal in life for my next racing adventure was to run slowly enough to avoid projectile vomiting everywhere. I can't take it, so repulsive!

So anyways...
THE FREEPORT HALFFFFFF with HILLLLLSSSSSSS
All along thru this sprint zone madness I knew that I had the Freeport Half on September 7th. I chose this race because it looked pretty damn hilly- a decent lead up to MDI in October and a nice opportunity to see if my no plan training plan is working out or failing completely.

After a few days of high temps and high humidity I was not disappointed when the temps were in the mid 60's and the humidity had dropped.

Believe it or not, I had a pretty clear plan of how I wanted to run this race. I was aiming to finish on legs that did not feel tired- I wanted gas left in the tank. At no point did I wish to feel like I had hit the wall, and at no point did I want to feel like I was pushing a 5k pace like a dumbass. My goal was a 1:42-1:48 finish, and to avoid vomiting. I really, REALLY did not feel like puking up my toes ANY more.

Eric and I arrived at a decent hour (and Eric went on to place 4th in the 5K!!!! He's fast and attractive and funny. I'm basically the luckiest girl ever! *gush* *swoon*)
OK. Anyway. We had to run to LL Bean to buy some body glide because omg guess what, I do NOT have #thighgap so I chafe, and since that is not enjoyable to anyone, bodyglide is the answer to my chapped ass prayers.
On the way back to the start area I noticed that YET AGAIN there was Erica Jesseman and her band of blue singlet-ed Dirigo RC speedsters. JESUS!!! It's like they are tracking my every MOVE!!!!!
(I'm kidding. When you are the best runner in the state, probably prepping to win Hartford, or Chicago, or NYCM you haul ass out to win tough little races like Freeport. Which she did. Mad props.) Anyway, there was actually a start line, signage and people giving directions at this race so in very little time we had lined up and were ready to GO!

The gun went off and the crowd tore away, ready to win the 400 meter race. 
It's like my new thing.
The race starts and immediately I am: DEAD. FUCKING. LAST.
At least in a half marathon situation I have my act together and know that all is not lost.

Alone. All alone.

I started at a reasonable pace, I maintained a reasonable pace, I passed many, I was not passed at all and I succeeded in my race plan.
1:43:54 finish on a pretty damn tough course makes me happy.
It got warm, but a pretty nice day overall. The hills were relentless (which is what wanted) I did not do a great job snacking- I completely forgot to cram a handful of eatables in my pocket. Apparently, this was my first race ever....
I can run a half on no food but I felt like garbage after. Hello again GI issues. No vomiting but good grief, the past two races have been a nasty tough of reality in the "I feel like shit" department.My legs felt decent- maybe more tired than I would have liked but not totally cashed by any means, my mindset was good but my belly was complete junk. UGH!!!
First world problems. "I have an expensive time consuming hobby that makes me crap my pants and ruins my pedicure, noooooooooooooo!!!!!"
But really. Gross. This time, I do blame my silly lack of snack preparation.
Or maybe I am just destined to barf and shat my way to success. We shall see. 

Running to the porta potty. I mean finish. 

So that wraps up a few fun weeks of racing with a few not so fun GI issues. While I feel that I am indeed on track, I know I have some things to ponder for the next few weeks and some good stuff to work on.

How to work out when you are deathly ill. (Don't. Just don't.)

Last week was quite a good week in the workout department despite the fact that long days and arctic temps kept me inside. I ran some good miles, had quality bike time and even managed an outdoor 7 miler on Saturday in some pretty adventurous conditions while on vacation. (note to self: next years vacation must not involve a location that can have snow. we had a wonderful time but seriously, sun and sand people.....)

Really really pretty. REALLY REALLY COLD!!!

Sunday morning came and I awoke not really feeling myself. Blaming several late nights while making the pilgrimage from Maine, to Boston to NYC and then NJ (and all the shenanigans we got up to at those various locations) I basically tried to write it off and get moving.

Around noon I realized that there was no denying it. I was getting sick and getting sick fast.
Mother effer came in like a wrecking ball....

On Monday, with a fever, terrible cough, horrible aches and chills I made a trip to urgent care to have a scrub brush shoved up my nose to see if I was ridden with Influenza and needed to hole up in my house, all quarantined.
The good news? No flu.
The bad news? It was (is) one nasty virus and it was having fun making me feel terrible.

Paging McDreamy... Where are you??

Needless to say, when I am prone on the couch and am voluntarily staying there I don't work out. Especially with a fever and a cough. Working out in that ill condition would just be idiotic. I really felt horrible. I actually continue to feel quite nasty although I am somewhat better. I have had to take "breathing breaks" on a regular basis which is retard-o to the maximum. I mean really, who needs breathing breaks?! (me, for realz.)

I see a lot of chatter on the interwebs this time of year about when you shouldn't work out when you are sick. My bottom line is you just know, if you feel too damn shitty to do it then don't. Nobody gets any prizes for being a fool and pushing thru a 101 fever just to get in 4 miles, or whatever...
Especially when it is cold as shit out. WTF?

Well isn't that nice....

Have I run when I wasn't at 100%? Heck yes.
I ran a relay last November post bronchitis. (read: POST bronchitis.) While I was still coughing a lot this did nothing to set me back. I was back to being a picture of good health within days after this.
I ran Boston while about 50% sick. It was my A race and I wasn't running a fever, or even coughing. Just snotting. I will say that I got quite sick after the race with more of a respiratory bug but that had more to do with the fact that I was directly exposed to said virus than the run. Which didn't help because huge efforts like that tend to make your immunity all wacky.
If I had a race to run over the past few days I would not, and could not have done it. Which is how I knew to be smart and take a few damn days off! It won't make any difference in the big fitness picture.
So kids, the moral of the story is to be smart not dumb. If you have a tiny sniffle or a hangnail get off your ass and run. If you have the bubonic plague you have my permission to sit tight until it has passed. And Dr. Sara signs off.....

March Recap, LATE and ONE WEEK until Boston!

So I'm late on the recap, per the norm.

Hmmmm March. What the hell happened?

 

Miles run: 165. I'm surprised it isn't higher. Well, I was kinda recovering from Hyannis the 1st week so I think that explains it.

 

Hours of cross training done: I can't figure out how to find that in my dailymile. I can take an educated guess though.... Between yoga, core and a tiny bit of Spin probably close to 20 hours. It keeps me busy, no time to do normal people things, or clean obviously....

 

 

Which is why I have this guy, duh...

Number of times I puked on my shoes- ZERO! Miracle...

 

Number of times I quit running- Once but it was after I fell in the damn snowcovered stream. Legit.

 

Number or races run- ZERO Anyone who has followed my blog knows that this is extremely rare and unusual. In the name of not overtraining/over racing I put all competitive running on hold until after Boston. It wasn't as hard as you would think, all I had to do was remember my months of shitty shin splint pain last year and that was enough to rein me in.

 

Number of treadmill runs- NONE! TAKE THAT!!!!

 

Longest training run- 19

 

Number of nightmares I've had about Heartbreak Hill- One million billion

This shit is in my damn head!

 

Number of colds I have caught 7 days out from a big race- 1. Yeah, I'm coming down with some sniffly bug. Hope it goes away pronto!

FACT

With one week to go I'm feeling fine. A little sick but fine. Legs have been decent (which is amazing for taper time) and despite my random Heartbreak Hill nightmares I feel well adjusted.

Sure, I wish I had about 6,000 more years to get my hill work in but I've really gone above and beyond- hitting every hill in town. Making sure that every single long run had a monster climb in the last couple miles. Even my easy runs have a seriously punishing hill at the end. My endurance still isn't where I'd like it to be, but in reality Id also like to be a 3:08 marathoner and THAT isn't gonna happen either! So it's all good. The forecast looks acceptable and with only a few more workouts to put in I'm feeling as ready as I can be. Bring it on, Boston!

Marathon Relay Preview (or, how NOT to prep for a race..)

This weekend is sneaking up on me in a big way. I had planned to be back to 100% excellent health by now and feeling really good about kicking this Marathon relay in the teeth. Truth be told, when we signed up for this madness a few weeks ago I was thinking that we were on the right track to really rock this shit out.

 

Pretty excited to get this kid onto the team even thought it means we have to compete in the youngest age group. That's just weird....!

There's Evan, flying by in the yellow shirt.
He's FAST and has been running like crazy this Fall.
I figured that he's have no problem running crazy fast, like 7:30 kinda fast...

Here I am.
We all know I'm so fast that it is stunning (ahem, ahem)
My thought was that even if I ran a 13 mile leg that I could manage a 7:40ish pace no problem...

And here is Eric.
Not only is he a frigging Ironman but he suddenly has some serious speed as well!!
I thought he's nail some 7:40ish miles without breaking a sweat!
And he probably will...

We seem to be having some issues. I still have a very miserable chest cold going on and have only managed 2 miles this week. The good news is that my legs feel better than they have in months but sadly, that does not distract me from the lack of good breathing... I fear that I am not going to be able to pull off more than maybe 9 miles, at perhaps an 8:45 pace if we are lucky (I'm a hurting lady!!) Evan seems to be in the same boat. His allergies and asthma have been off the hook lately so he's not feeling 100%. Since he is a kid, and basically insane he might slow down a little (and we'll let him, that's legit...) I'm anticipating that his need for oxygen might slow his pace a bit as well.

Eric seems to have recovered well from his plague, and I think he's going to be carrying the team. He went out for an "easy" run yesterday and pretty much killed it with some numbers that did NOT look easy... So he's the anchor for sure! (No pressure, no pressure.)

 

We're heading to Mass tomorrow and if nothing else there is going to be an epic celebration of family fabulocity and that is worth the trip. It will make up for the fact that we won't be done with the damn race until 3PM on Sunday (with an 8AM start... DOOM!!!!)

 

Wish us luck. Actually, wish Eric luck. Evan and I are going to let him do all the running while we sit in the warm car coughing!

 

In which I have a nasty plague...

After the Half Last weekend I had plans to do about 40 miles this week, which would bring me back to some almost "normal" mileage post MDI. 

Somewhere in the chaos of life I seem to have forgotten that November was supposed to be my lazy recovery month. I planned to do weeks that maxed out at 20, maybe cross train (probably not) and basically just let the old bod heal and concentrate on getting fat and out of shape,

Per the norm, and despite the fact that I had felt a little run down for weeks I forgot that that was the master plan. I am straight up challenged sometimes...

And then I got sick. Like, nasty sick with a pretty awful cold. I spent the first day of this virus of doom in full on misery. Aches and chills, the worst sore throat I have had in years and a gross runny nose. The next day I felt better and totally overdid it because that's how I roll. And today I awoke about 100% sicker, with a dry hacking cough and laryngitis. So Awesome...

So I'm getting my lazy week in after all!

My Birthday is next weekend! Send me gifts! I love my birthday and am especially glad to see this one as I'm going to be 33 which is a palindromic number. I was having a bit of trouble deciding what to do until, prompted by some ominous threats to take me out club hopping I made a wise choice!

Yeah, a race... Big Shock I know!

I'm NOT RUNNING THE MARATHON!!!!!!

Eric, my super big pimpin cousin Evan and I are going to turn it into the coolest most badass relay ever. I'm seriously so excited and absolutely can't wait! (sometimes I wonder what is wrong with me and then I remember nothing! I'm just so super cool....!) I'll be excited to go out club hopping, dancing and taking shots off hot boys bodies some other time. (rolls eyes, slightly...) For my own national Holiday, this is clearly the way to go!Gonna try to recover from this bubonic plague the best I can in hopes to sneak a few miles in by Sunday. If nothing else I hope to feel refreshed? I suspect I should have taken some lazy time that did not involve germs/hacking up lungs for optimal effects but this will just have to do!

Maine Half Marathon: The official slow race report!

After my epic beer race report of yesterday I thought it would be prudent and adult of me to type up something a bit more legit for today. Don't ask me why, as my post yesterday pretty much summed it up!

Let's backtrack for some second.
- I did not train for this shiz AT ALL. My last run over 7-8 miles was in APRIL. I did NOT follow a training plan, I did NOT PLAN at all!
-This meant that I did not have time to suffer any over training injuries (well, duh. I have been on a "taper" since May!)


Let's now take a look at Sunday morning.
I woke up with a fresh shiny new cold. REALLY??? Really. Oh well.
The weather was amazingly bad and it is hard to amaze me with bad weather. OH WELL.

Off I went in the dark, rain and cold. I was feeling pretty good about things because why the hell not? Nothing says "here I come" like an old, untrained sick person, right?

I snuck to the start in the nick of time (parking took a bit) but what luck... It was pouring buckets so I managed to stay fairly dry until the gun went off. Being that I got there last I was way back in the pack at the start- I think it took over 3 minutes to actually cross the start line!
(good think I put my number on sideways so that it could be read properly. Other MM participants will know what I mean.)

Before mile 1 arrived my feet were already more wet than they have ever been before. As the race progresses I was seeing some horrific blisters on other runners- I have never been so happy to have good socks!

It rained so damn hard! I had on a "waterproof" windbreaker and I ran with the hood pulled up over my head the whole time. It didn't do a bit of good as I was still completely and totally drenched at the end. It was also freezing cold and around mile 4 I began to have serious doubts about the wisdom of walking at all. I was quite nervous that I would get so chilled that I would not be able to get warm again...

I ran at SUCH an easy pace that running the whole thing began to seem like a viable option at the 1/2 turnaround point. I took a moment to evaluate and honestly declared that I felt quite well. VERY wet, but good. At this point I had had to pause once to re-tie my soggy shoes and I had walked thru one water station (thanks to the amazing volunteers who stood around for hours in the awful weather!)

Remembering back to my last half I knew that the second half might sneak up and get me. I still have vivid and unpleasant memories of having to talk myself into taking every step of the final 5 miles last time... I did not enjoy that. As it turned out this time I had plenty of gas left in the tank- remarkable considering my lack of long runs. During the second half I ran each mile faster than the previous one, passing people along the way.

I knew that making it in under 2:10 was going to be almost impossible given my 10K split but I ran along in a comfortable pace, checking out the scenery, laughing at the beer drinking boys at mile 11 who (from their porch) screamed "whooooo-hooooo" whenever a group of ladies ran by, and in general really enjoying my run.

As much as I enjoyed the whole epic 13.1 I was still glad to see the finish and VERY pleased to run under the clock in 2:06:50 (final net time was 2:04:09) As you all know this is MUCH slower than my PR but MUCH better than I had ever hoped for!

I had a lot to think about on my drive home.
-Clearly I made the right choice to run within my "comfort zone" as the odds of an injury with my lack of training were higher than I would have liked.
-I enjoyed this run tremendously, head cold and weather and all...

And this makes me wonder, should I just be cool with running slower than I feel I should in the name of "enjoying" it? Usually I would scream a resounding "NO" as I feel mediocrity in the name of comfort is one of the seven deadly sins!

But let's face it people: I am no elite runner nor will I ever be. Why push myself to the point of vomiting and burnout? Perhaps I can find a balance- I would prefer to be finishing in under 2 hours (seems do-able) but perhaps kick aside the goal of consistent 1:45 finishes? (insert some serious doubt *here*)

This was a whole new 13.1 experience for me and one that I honestly thought was terrific. I enjoyed listening to the conversations around me, I liked the fact that I had given myself permission to stop whenever I needed to, and I liked the fact that there was no high pressure and challenging to obtain goal hanging over my head (I have enough of that in the equine show arena, thanks!)

Anyway. I finished, got a tinfoil blanket, ate several bagels, drank a Gatorade and two chocolate milks, went home, ate half a bag of caramel creams and a slice of salmon, goat cheese and asparagus pizza, took a pile of cold meds and sat down.

THE END.

I'm BACK!! For real...

FINALLY.
I have been able to get my lardo butt off the couch and get back to the sensible business of running rampant about my town. (sadly, despite my lack of running the couch and I have actually had very little quality bonding time. bummah)
I'm being smart about my re-introduction into the world of pavement pounding. I have restricted myself to runs that log in at just over 3 miles, despite the fact that the weather is perfect, the foliage is freaking gorgeous and the effing road is literally calling my name... (people, I might sound crazy but if you run you totally get it. You look down the road and it screams "run on me fool!!" yeahhhh....)
I still have a little left over lung garbage from The Sick but other than that I FEEL GREAT.
Somehow I missed the transitional period that we have in this neck of the woods that takes us from: HOT, HUMID, TOURIST TRAFFIC EXTRORDINAIRE!!!! To: cold, cold, no traffic what-so-ev. Need I even bother to take note of the fact that I love this time of year times a million? Gone are the days of having to pre game with ten thousand gatorades! I have bid farewell to the constant need to run in the puckerbrush at the edge of the road to avoid getting hit by a reckless speeding out of town driver. And with great sorrow I have said goodbye to all my good friends (ahem) who drive by me and catcall, or holler "fun fatty, RUN!!" So sad...
I have noticed the undeniable need for new shoes. Already?? Already..
I also noticed that since the temps are now 50 degrees cooler I can't scoot out the door in zero clothing. WTF? So I got a kickass and attractive pair of CW-X tights. Attractive? I jest! But functional they most certainly are. I really love those little buggers- they are just warm enough and the totally contain the butt jiggle. It is eliminated fo' sho!!
So. That's where I'm at for right now. A middleaged runner back on the road to recovery and world domination. Yay!

One step forward.....

Oh Maaaaaaaannnnnn. You think you're getting ahead again after a million years and THEN....

I headed out for my first "run" on Monday after being freed from the DL. (finally!) I was extremely pleased with how I did (although per DR's orders I took several walk breaks and did NOT run down the huge hill at mach 10.) I felt really good, and ran like a gazelle or similar bandy legged creature (haha. at 5'1" that is unlikely.)

I awoke the next day with one of those disgusting, pustulating, all consuming head/chest colds that make it near impossible to live, let alone run. Can't breathe thru my nose because apparently it is filled with concrete. Can't breathe thru my mouth because that triggers a fit of coughing up lung chunks.

Well, isn't THIS annoying!!

After staying up allll night last night trying to find some place in my body that would allow oxygen to enter I'm not feeling that I have recovered quite yet. This is ridonkulous, and I am suspicious that some running God has it out for me and wants to keep me off the streets.

Not gonna happen running God. I'm getting back out there the second that vile Floridian Cold leaves my system!