How I rock the Off Season

Ahhh, the off season.
While some might view these words as profanity, I have grown to appreciate this quality time.

Of course, the weather has turned messy and we are still a treadmill free family, so perhaps this makes limiting my pavement pounding more pleasant.

UGH. Winter.

So yes, it did snow today. And yes... Our treadmill has gone back to Jesus. This is a sad story but as upsetting as it is, it happened at a relatively good time. I would be quite upset to have this kind of calamity befall us in the midst of marathon training. At this juncture, we have had time to mourn the loss and make plans... RIP.

RIP Treadmill... 4 Boston Marathons later....

I had a pretty solid month long "break" in June, which I never expounded upon. Since I am essentially in the same place now, I decided that the internet deserved details.

My rest season got off to an odd start. Hartford left me pretty tired. Getting "rest" post marathon is tough because of my active job so I felt a bit slow to recover fully. A non-running related ankle issue sidelined me just enough to allow myself the time to properly heal.

A side note, since I don't always share every detail! After any marathon I spend the next day or two making sure my muscles get some VERY light work, an easy spin, a nice walk to get blood flowing. And THEN: I take a full 10-14 days OFF. Then, I *might* throw in a few little runs. I rarely get back to much of any structured work until 3-4 weeks post marathon. 

After a couple Disney races in early November, that were slightly outside of my fitness comfort zone (but were meant to be for fun, and were!) I got back to the business of rebuilding.

Step one. Invest a little cash money in myself. I get a few Chiro/ART treatments to deal with any imbalances or muscle issues that may have developed. Done and done.

Step two: evaluate how I am feeling, and get ready to do some general strength work! (and no, this is not a four letter word in my life!) 

I know I'm not the only distance runner who feels like this. You finish a marathon training cycle, and once the taper, race and recovery are done, you certain that you the most out of shape human on the face of the earth.
Maybe the legs are still good for something. Maybe not. But, if you are anything like me you feel that you have zero core strength, weak puny little arms, hips that are one bad step away from needing a replacement and the flexibility of a block of concrete.
GOOD LORD.

So, I embark upon The Great Rebuild.
Which I quite enjoy.

Since November 14th I have been plugging away, in an attempt to turn the abs of jelly into the abs of steel. (and the hips of near replacement into the hips of thunder. or something...?)

I imagine that if you follow me on Strava you are like "wow, Sara has totally quit running!" This isn't entirely true as I have been enjoying several pleasant runs per week. Just enough!

On my other days I have been riding away on my OWN bike trainer! I have had a bike for years but am a wimp about riding it on the road. There are many logging trucks around here and I have a major fear of getting flattened! Basement riding is a whole different story though. Safe. Cozy. And all kinds of fancy on Eric's trainer, until it became winter and he needed it again. Thank heavens for facebook bike groups where we can find inexpensive used trainers! I am so pleased at how this small addition to my collection of gear has improved my off season life.

My own bike on my own trainer

The moral of the story is, I am up on that thing a few days a week merrily sweating along.

I also do a lot (for me) of strength work. I make use of what I have here and try to do a balanced blend of core and legs. I don't do a ton of upper body work, I basically spend half my day shoveling and such. Anymore seems like overkill. (Well. I do lift plenty of 16 oz beers and 1/2 pound steaks to my face... but that's the only other lifting that I do.)

My kind of lifting ;-)

I think simple is key. I don't want to have to buy tons of equipment, or a gym membership. I tend to rely on tried and trusted exercises (squats, lunges, and the like) as well as the Oiselle Dozen. Basically, a combo of well known strength exercises put in order to kick your butt and buff up your running muscles. (or, any muscles..)
I also like this combo of exercises AKA the "standard core routine".

I have never been strong in the stretching and rolling department. During this time, even THAT gets to make an appearance! Again, just basic and functional crap. A little yoga, a few dynamic exercises, certainly nothing groundbreaking. Eric helped me with my hamstrings with some partner stretching which was glorious. ("oh "partner stretching"  is that what they call it these days...?... knock it off....)

When I am marathon training, I enjoy it. It is structured, and I thrive on that structure.
In the off season, I have FUN. If I wish to try something, I do. I toss all expectations, I never look at my watch, I am completely flexible (although, not flexible like a gymnast. at all.)
If working out starts to suck, what is the point? I like to enjoy the majority of my workouts, and after a long training cycle it's extra important to spend time having adventures.

I'm currently starting week 4 of rebuild, Winter Edition. And it is going well.
Boston training begins on January 1st (yay!!!) Hopefully by then I will be a bulletproof, terminator like mega athlete.
Or. More likely. A person who has a little more core strength and, possibly, flexibility.

Hello 2016! A recap and a preview.

Happy New Year internet!

2015 was a good year. I learned from my past mistakes and got my act together just a little bit more. (we are speaking on a strictly running front here, although I actually balanced my checkbook ALL year so there's that.)

What did I do?

Well, I ran 3 well executed non vomiting marathons. WIN.

My favorite, with my 2015 (so, new age group) PR was BOSTON. No doubt. In a rainy 3:33:07.
Boston kicked ass this year, I honestly loved it SO HARD!

Boston WHOOO!

I ran a couple of 13.1's as well. MDI for the Relay, Moose Pond for death hills and training and the Jingle Bell Half for fun.
My favorite? MDI all the way. Fan for life. My new AG PR was at Jingle Bell- 1:44:38 and while that was a really fun race MDI always wins for me.

MDI, WHOOOOO!!

I ran a couple of 5k's which I can hardly remember.... My fastest was 21:40 and that is plenty fast enough!

5K, MEH

I set a couple of automatic PR's in the Eastern States 20 and the Falmouth Road Race. Both of these events were a blast- I am already signed up for the ES20 again and while Falmouth isn't in the plans it was a GREAT race.

Falmouth, where you can SEE the humidity, WHOO...??

I qualified for Boston 2017 in Philly, which was awesome. I loved Philly and while I don't expect to do it again in 2016 (lots of other races/places to run!) I would recommend it. Great city, super easy race to navigate the logistics of and not break the bank expensive.

Philly! BQ! WHOO! Hahaha....

So what is in store for 2016?
I look forward to revisiting some favorites, Boston and MDI being on the top of the list. As mentioned I'm running the Dopey Challenge next week and while none of those are goal races for speed the total mileage is enough to make me sit up and pay attention!
I am not yet sure what my Fall Marathon might me. There are a few possibilities and I know I want to see a new place and run a good race. (hence: it needs to be mid November or later!) I'm open to suggestions!

My goal for 2016 is to shave a little time off both my 13.1 and 26.2 times. I felt great about my racing in 2015, I corrected many of my mistakes from 2014 which is smart. I took very few risks though and my hope for 2016 is to get a bit braver and push a little harder.

My other hopes for 2016 are to see a bit more of the world, try things I haven't done before, continue to balance my checkbook and to say NO to things I don't want to do and YES to things I do want to do, even if it doesn't feel like the "right" time to do them.

Happy New Year to all, kick some ass in 2016. Allons-y bitches :-)

Final Philly Thoughts

It has indeed taken me two weeks to complete my Philly Marathon musings!
I suppose since the most interesting part of the race report was part one, nobody minds.

Our trip to Philly was fast, too fast to be honest but with a big race week planned for January (plus work, plus a whole slew of other things!) we just didn't have the time or cash available for a more leisurely trip.

I had a few concerns leading up to race weekend. I have never flown to a race before and I didn't know how I would feel. (its a 45 minute flight as it turns out- totally worth it, saved us many hours in the car!) I also didn't have a ton of time to research anything about this race, and unlike Boston or NYCM there wasn't an overload of first hand info (meaning, personal accounts from bloggers and real people.)

As it turned out we had zero issues. We flew in to Philly (again let me say, totally worth it.) Flying from Portland was silly expensive, taking a flight from Logan was reasonable and still easy. We chose to drive to the South Shore the night before to see my family, and to shorten the drive for the following morning. The flights in both directions were on time, super short (as mentioned) and we both felt that it was a no brainer. 9 plus hour drive, or about 4 hours total travel time which includes the drive? Not a hard choice.

PLANES. I love PLANES. Flying, not so much. But planes, YESSSSS.

Upon arrival into Philly we figured out that taking the train into the city would be both cheap and easy ($8 per person, 30 minute trip.) To Uber it would have been about $45 one way and we didn't think that was a worthwhile way to spend our travel dollars.

My lucky Cheetah on the train. I am cool.

There are a ton (A TON) of lodging options in Philly, all decent, many in basically the same price point. As it turned out our hotel (The Hilton Garden Inn on Arch St at $195 a night) was conviniently located to both the train station AND the expo.
There are places to stay that are closer to the start line but at about 1.2 miles away we had decided that the walk would be something we could manage. (editors note: getting to the start was a piece of cake. Getting back to the hotel, with significant time restraints was tough. Doable, but tough. #sobrave)

We had about a half day to do some touristy things once we settled in. I have experienced the pain of doing TOO many touristy things the day before a big race (ahem, NYCM) so we had very, very few plans. With the number of interesting things to do in Philly (I would have loved to see more of the city, see a museum or two) it was a hard choice but a good one in the end.

We flew thru the expo (I've already mentioned that I was not blown away, it had the basics and not much else. HASHTAG spoiled by Boston, I admit it.) The plus of our swift exit was that we had time for a leisurely walk/shakeout run to scope out the start line.

Here's the basic expo, with all the basic stuff.

We enjoyed our wanderings to the start line and did a nice amount of looking around. The foot traffic was low and it was easy to get where we needed to go.

Whoot! Start line! And, more importantly, FINISH LINE.

Not shockingly, after we located where my corral was (black corral, very easy to find) we sprinted up the Art Museum steps and took the required fist pumping photos.

Obligatory shot!

It was a beautiful. beautiful day and while the weather was good enough to wait in line for a Rocky statue pic neither of us had the patience to do so.

So, we sat atop the steps and took in the view....

I hadn't made dinner reservations which I knew was a risky move. We (I) wanted something pretty generic and when we discovered a Maggiano's on our block we were sold. Remembering the crowds at the Boston location we showed up shockingly early to get on the wait list.
We spent our hour of waiting doing a few random things. Running to the CVS for some cough syrup for sick Eric. Checking out the Reading market which had everything you might ever want, EVER. It was quite the experience and hard to resist eating a huge variety of amazing looking foods.

When we ventured back to Maggiano's they had forgotten that we existed but fortunately rectified that within about 10 minutes or so. The good news was that we sat down at about 6:30 and we were out of there before 7:00. Pretty amazing, so amazing in fact that I can excuse the kind of sticky condition that my silverware was in and the rough shape that my meal looked to be in. It didn't kill me and damn, it was fast! (Boston location, you win!)
Going to Maggiano's is always fun pre Boston race because everyone there is a runner in a Boston jacket, pumped for the next day. It was exactly the same in Philly, right down to the Boston jacket fashion statement!

After dinner we went straight to bed. To not sleep. Hey- it makes getting up easier! Evidently Eric's cough was not going to be thwarted and he was a bit cough-y, and I can never sleep the night before a race anyway so we were awake for a while. Oh well! (and the cough waited to get me until post race- THANK HEAVENS!)

When I can't sleep I make Flat Sara's.

We got to the start pretty early, certainly before 6:00. While I didn't have any traffic issues getting through security the line promptly got a bit out of hand. From what I understand it took the later arriving runners almost an hour to get through. From my perspective, it was because they were letting "everyone" in and they did not have the staffing to support that. Yeah, it's awesome to have your cheering squad hang out with you pre race but it did clog things up a bit from what I could tell (safely, on the correct side of the fence....)

We all know the story from here. I run a race, book it (limpingly) back to the hotel, jump on a train, into a plane, into a car and make it home before dark!

I think the moral of the story is this: if you are a Mainer and want to do Philly weekend in the shortest amount of time possible this is a good way to do it. While we didn't get the tourist experience that would have been enjoyable I did what I went there to do with zero stress and that counts for a lot! We stayed under budget and I really enjoyed the tinnnnny bit of the city that we got to see. I would certainly enjoy exploring Philly in much more detail at some point. There are quite a few things there that interest me and I didn't even get to have a damn cheesesteak!!

If I manage to ever blog again I will discuss in depth my recovery (pretty easy) my re-entry into the world of running (not that I really left...) my strained calf muscle (wtf ouch) and the upcoming Dopey Challenge which might be more Dopey that Challenging for a variety of reasons to be discussed at a later time.

Philadelphia Marathon: Basically Running.

And just like that, I blinked and it was over. Whew, what a whirlwind weekend.

And a GREAT one. Seriously you guys, there were a ton of great moments this weekend and I am absolutely going to give you a blow by blow of ALL the details.
*in two parts. even my most devoted fans can not be expected to sit through 48 hours worth of my musings*

(I will save details on our tiny bit of touristing, and non race day related shenanigans for the next installment.)

I will, however give you this bit of info. It is tradition in the Bradlowski home to take bets on my marathon finishing time a week prior to race day. Both of us bet on a 3:33xx finish. Never before have we agreed on my finishing time and this made me a bit uneasy....

We began our trip with a drive to Mass, just outside Boston where a lot of my extended family lives. We enjoyed a super fun dinner, a quality beer and (as always) excellent company and conversation with my Uncles Bill and Dave, and Aunts Ann and Karen. We only wish that we could have stayed longer to see more people and enjoy more family time- which there is never enough of! However, this short visit got us off on the right foot for the rest of the trip.

Eric and I were up at a decent hour to catch our flight from Boston to Philly. This was by far our smartest move of the weekend, as the flight was only 45 minutes long and eliminated not only hours of driving, but at least an extra day (and an extra day of lost work) for the trip.

We arrived late morning and took a very inexpensive train ride to Jefferson station, conveniently located right across from our hotel.

You know what was on the OTHER side of the hotel? The expo. Yes, we are possibly the smartest people alive! So the afternoon went down like this, we took a 5 minute flight to Philly, walked 1 foot to our hotel and one more foot to the expo. DONE, like a BOSS.

So how was this expo that I speak of? It was meh.
I'm pretty spoiled by the perfection that is the Boston expo and the splendor that is the NYCM expo. In comparison this one was pretty low key. I suppose I am not too upset about this because I did not bring a big enough bag to pack up tons of new things and I saved lots of money!
I did pick up a cute visor and a nice, and inexpensive fleece.

(we then did a few other fun things which will be included in part two)

Fun things like this

We ate dinner early (at the ever reliable Maggiano's- a stone's throw from our door.)
Following the carb loading, I brought a glass of wine and some chocolate to bed, watched several episodes of "Axe Men" which is both horrible and fascinating, and then proceeded to sleep quite poorly which is not at all unusual.

I awoke at 4:50 feeling fine.
I had packed food to eat, not trusting a reliable on site food source (smart). So I showered, ate food, dressed like some kind of hobo and we were on the road to the start, hotel coffee in hand at 5:30.
This got us (on foot) to the security line just before 6:00, and just before the big crowds arrived. Security was pretty relaxed compared to some of the other marathons I have done but I know that sometimes it is what I don't/can't see that is actually keeping us secure...

Time pretty much flew by- I stood in some porta potty lines, I snacked a bit and before I knew it we were inn the corrals ready to go.
And then, there was a delay because somewhere on the course a car was being towed away after a fender bender. *seriously people!!! get off the damn roads!!!* (kidding) During all the pre race rigmarole I felt completely fine, no nerves, no problems.

Pre Race time

I was in the black corral and being one of the slower people in it (it is based on a projected 3:15-3:35 finishing time I believe) I tried hard to place myself towards the back. Despite this precaution it was a bit of a WWE start for me and I was badly jostled and jabbed upside the head and whacked all around violently which certainly was exciting. Fortunately, the delay of the start had allowed me to freeze sufficiently so as to be too numb to notice the vigorous beating that I was given.

Anyway. After all the thrashing about I just got down to the business of basically running per the plan.
The first half was possibly the most normal 13.1 miles that I had ever run. I felt fine. I was not too excited nor was I bored. I saw Eric at mile 1.5 or so which was nice! For the first couple miles there were all sorts of excited spectators AND THEN.....!!!!
......NOBODY.........
OK then. *spoiled by Boston, what can I say*

All of a sudden sometime around mile 3 I could hear a veritable dance party coming up behind me. I was getting into the groove of a little blurred lines when ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS LESLIE AND SHE WAS THE DANCE PARTY!!!! This was exciting. She took a pic because she is good like that.
We had a very important moment of deep conversation.  Apparently we both felt good at mile 3, which we agreed was good news. I could not figure out why she was anywhere near me, and I bossily commanded her to run faster and win the race. So away she ran never to be seen again (or so I thought, sadly.)

DANCE PARTY! WE LOVE RUNNING!!!

After all that excitement I kept on running (as one is expected to do during such events), saw Eric again around mile 5 which was both confusing because I LITERALLY had no idea where this course went and awesome because I love him and his hot face.
I ran through the 10k in 50:28 and change, at an 8:08 pace.

Then there were a couple hills, and I ran by the 3:35 pace group. They were well adorned with the typical signs and red balloons, and I hoped to keep them just behind me (and assumed that I'd see them if they caught me...)

I really don't have anything too exciting to say about the first half. I ate stuff, drank water, ran like a normal person and did not think about anything much at all. I just ran. It was good. There were historical landmarks. And many runners.

I did have some time to contemplate the weather conditions. While I would say that the temps (48, start to finish) and the precip (none) and the cloud cover (no sunburns!) were absolutely ideal there was a wind brewing. This wind got much worse during the second half (15-18 MPH) and made for some extra challenges, as you will soon see.

I ran through the half in 1:46:10 and change, an 8:08 pace, saw Eric which was good, ran AWAY from the finish (which is at the mile 13 mark. which is also the start)  and PROMPTLY DIED AN AWFUL DEATH.

OK, not exactly. I really thought that I had my head on straight for running away from the finish at the half way point- it is NOT the first time I have done that! But pair that with running directly into the stupid wind and I was like BLEHHH to the MEHHHH. I turned into a real complainer.

For a few miles I tried to figure out how to get grievously injured in a MINOR way so that I could sit down for a bit. I wasn't actually tired at all but I was at that horrible mile 14-16 time when things get disgusting.
I developed a strong dislike for the Schuylkill River. And the Geese.
I got really grumpy at the WIND.
I plotted, half halfheartedly, various silly ways to calmly walk back to the finish and get out of there! In those few moments I was not a big fan.
I was just not that into it and completely lost the motivation to continue on.

UNTIL. I talked myself back into it.
Just after mile 17 we banged a hard left onto a STUPID bridge (yes, I was crabby) so for a moment the wind shifted to my right side. "LISTEN, SLACKER" I told myself "YOU WANT THIS DAMN BQ SO GET YOUR HEAD TOGETHER!"
There was a little out and back (so that we had to run over the bridge again and yeah- you guessed it- back into the wind.) But as I came towards the turn around there was Leslie! I was so excited! "FUCK YES!!! YOU RUNNNNNN!!!" I shouted, helpfully AND coherently which is always good. Then I grabbed my rarely used ipod turned on some skrillex (yep) told myself that I was a little badass, got pumped decided to win, AND CRIED because (per the marathon norm) I'm a wreck. Good grief.

Bolstered by friends, dance music, my own badasserry and by pulling my head out of my ass I ran on. Completely fine now, which is the weird thing about distance running.
Many ups and downs.
Many feelings, usually stupid ones.  

I ran thru the 30K in 2:31:28 an 8:08 pace. Evidently, my mental breakdown had zero effects on my running skills.

I tried to find the 3:35 pace group during this time since there were so many little out and back sections. I never saw them which made me feel nervous, I hoped VERY much that they had not passed me at some point like a sneaky bunch of sneaks. At this time in the race I decided that I would be genuinely irritated if somehow I had not noticed them passing me and then gotten with it and chased them down. With only a few miles to go I had developed a significant disinterest in missing my BQ opportunity.
(proving that a marathoner can go very quickly from giving zero fucks about finishing to deciding that it the most important thing they have EVER and will EVER accomplish. Yes, I am confused too and this is my life.) 

The final miles of the race were both alarmingly clear because I had kept myself well fed and hydrated and all kinds of horribly painful. This made me wish that I wasn't so alert, it's easier to deal with the physical side of things when you are a bit out of it
Shit. The last two miles hurt. Like the kind of hurt where afterwards you really wonder how on earth you can be so fragile one minute and so tough the next.
Who knows. You just put it out of your head. And you basically run.

Wonderfully, in the last couple miles there was a guy with a sign. It had a big Tardis on it and in bold letters said "BASICALLY, RUN." No, I could not believe this either but it happened.
I looked a him and said "this sign is EVERYTHING!!!:"
He looked back at me and said "Don't BLINK."
DAY. MADE.
And what are the odds?? Seriously!!

THIS AGAIN!!!! But also, yes.

I felt like I could see the finish line for approximately 2,896,987 days before I got there and since my legs were actually broken and ready to fall off my body it seemed rude to have to run so far.
I saw Eric again just before the finish and I acknowledged him lovingly with a grunt or two and some kind of flapping arm motion that indicated how badly my legs were behaving. It was really romantic. 

And I finished in 3:33:55, an 8:09 pace. Consistent like a fucking boss. Holy crap.

However! I had no idea of my finishing time when I actually finished (no watch, and the race clock started when the Elites started, some two corrals ahead of me.) So no clue. And I was SO SORE SO SORE like, no walking skills at all kind of ruined. I staggered and gimped thru medals, heat sheets, and food service and then I saw Eric just outside of the staging.
"What was my finish time???" I asked- while at the same time proclaiming that I was broken for good.
"3:33:55" he said.

We both smiled.

And away I limped....

Boston 2017 here I come!!

When the Marathon punches you in the FACE....

Sometimes the shit hits the fan! Maine Coast Marathon edition.

My poor friend Leslie had a wonderful marathon up until mile 21 when she overheated, fell into a ditch and had to get whisked away by ambulance to have many IV's and to spend a few hours recovering. NO FUN! Luckily, she is fine now and will certainly live to see another day, and another chance to get that amazing race that she has worked so hard for.

CRASH 'N BURN! We all do it!!!

I can't really speak from her point of view since it was her turn to have a tough day on the marathon course but I know how it feels- it sucks. End of story. I was basically in the same place a year ago and can really sympathize.

I think that if one chooses to be a competitive athlete on any level the chance of failure is always there. Failure is a scary thing, and a scary word- but when you train for a specific goal and it does not happen it can be hard to see your effort as anything but a failure. (even if you have run like a badass for 21 miles, or even if you win your AG but were 30 minutes off your goal time...)

Sometimes the wheels just come right off the bus....

There are options.
You can stop putting yourself out there, you can live the safe life and not take the chances and risks that might lead to failure. It is really hard to feel like you have "let people down" when things don't go your way and it is tempting to isolate oneself from the people who support you the most. It can be really jarring to end up in a ditch but it happens! Literally or figuratively.

This is a drunk guy in a ditch. Basically, after mile 20 we all act like drunk guys.

Option two! Own that shit. Take a couple days to pout, a little time to evaluate your goals and then get the hell after it. Shout it from the rooftops because what do you have to lose? I doubt that I am ever going to be an amazing Olympic runner but my goals are still big to me, and it is risky to own and name what you are trying to achieve- but do it. Get after it.

And at the end of the day, win or lose, PR of DNF your friends, family and running community are going to stick with you, support you and celebrate or sympathize with you 100% depending on how your day goes. I have been on both sides- celebrating an amazing day and having people pick me back up after an awful one. If there is ONE thing you can count on it is the unwavering support of your team of support people (including random internet friends. Obvs.)

Personally, I had a lousy year of running in 2014. I would not have appreciated the goals I have met so far in 2015 if I had not fallen on my face several times. It hurts to fall, but the feeling of earning success the next time is completely worth it.

ME: in 2014.Crap!

I know a few people who had a tough day on Sunday. After being able to control your training, nutrition, recovery and preparedness- having the weather throw you a curve ball is tough. I also know how much I respect the athletes that had the tough race. They are amazing, dedicated runners- and really great people, and I really can't wait to see them drop the hammer at some point in the (near) future.

Onward and upward friends, chins up, get out there and run like nobody is watching (or like I am chasing you- that would be scary!) And know that we are all wishing you the BEST of luck for next time!

Shake it off: Or, Boston Marathon 2015: where things get awesome.

Everyone knows about last years Boston experience. I was PR hunting in a big way and was very singularly focused on that- to the point where I ignored overly warm weather conditions and was not willing to change my plan. Mile 18, DIE. Then I spent the next few months questioning everything including if marathoning was worth it. (it isn't all rainbows and unicorns.)

Fast forward one year to yesterday and there I was, in Hopkinton with thousands of other people, in a tent, in the cold and rain and grinning my stupid face off. Yeah, that was me.
I was so happy to be there. I was the happiest person in the damn world! I was totally ready for a crap day of weather and so pumped to shake off the demons from last year and run whatever race was in store for me. Clearly, I had decided that it WAS worth it.

Two hats, two fleeces and a sweatshirt and three pairs of pants. YEP.

I'm still running garmin-less since I'm just too cheap to buy another. My plan was to "feel" like I was running 8:30's since that seemed like a reasonable pace given my training. I figured I could use the clocks at each mile for a rough estimate of how I was doing. "Calm and Reasonable" was my game plan- I wished to make it to the final 8 miles with gas left in the tank.

I snuck into my coral with only seconds to go. I'm sick and tired of having to take a pee break at mile 5 so I made a start line pit stop. Super smart, and I made it to coral 6 in time for the all important selfie. 

Down to one sweatshirt. One pair of pants. Two hats.  Happy not to be sweating!

From the start I felt good. I have always had some issue in Boston, either I take 10 miles to get into it or I'm a dumbass and run like I'm an elite and then fall over. Needless to say I was happy that my body got right into the action and even happier that I was consciously limiting my desire to sprint away with the win.
"Just be smart and easy" I kept telling myself  "run your own race, don't get sucked into chasing people." "Don't think about last year, just shake it off!"

There were a few rain showers in the first miles and it was cool but the wind was non existent (or, so little that I did not notice it.) (I had my last long run in a 40 mph headwind so there's that too.) The crowds were still out in droves despite the weather creating all kinds of mayhem which was great fun.

Thru the 5k and 10k I was running perfectly even splits according to my mental math. I thought I was somewhere in the 8:15 range and that was fine because I was feeling great. Happy legs, easy breathing, no issues. Somewhere around the 10K I had one of those "OMFG I'm running BOSTON AGAIN and it is SO AMAZING" moments which, of course, turned me into a crying mess. I pulled myself together because, seriously, and turned on my ipod for distraction from my own excitement.

Everyone talks about the Newton Hills but I have my own issues with Natick. It is 400 miles long and uphill in every direction. WHY? I really hated that stretch of road last year but this year I was up, over and through it before I even knew it. Which promptly had me celebrating and sobbing some more about how incredible everything, especially running Boston is.
I was just SO. DAMN. HAPPY.

From Wellsley to Newton it rained pretty hard and I was glad to have the distraction of more big crowds and a good (above pace- I'm bad at math) half marathon split. 1:44 might be the slowest first half I have ever run in Boston but it certainly was the smartest.

I feel like there are a few miles, maybe between 14-17 that are a little tricky. Maybe it is simply because one has been running for a while and there still is a ways to go, or maybe the adrenaline has worn off- who knows, but every year I lag slightly in this zone.  If I ever hit a small low point during the race it was then and I snapped out of it quickly. "SHAKE IT OFF" I shouted at myself "you are running smart and strong and there will be no whining!" And so it was, I had some snacks and got back to work.  Upsettingly, I also saw a clown during this period of time which is most certainly something I never wish for. (really, there was a clown creepily standing on the roadside. OMG. Who does this?) It was a good reason to try to run faster, so I fled.

Because of the cool temps and precip I was getting pretty chilled but knew that at mile 18 my Dad was waiting with a bag of dry clothing.*heaven* I was having a debate with myself about if stopping was worth it, but since my arms were completely numb and my hands were like little lobster claws I knew I had to! I started looking forward to warm arm sleeves and dry gloves at mile 15....

Needless to say at 18 I came to a full halt, my Dad and I wrestled the sleeves onto my soggy arms, I snagged some extra food, grabbed my gloves and I was off- about 2 minutes later. (my poor Dad drives 600 hours to see me for 2 minutes! Best Dad ever.) Dad and his brother had been standing there with gigantic umbrellas for who knows how long just to see me for a tiny moment, but it is a great couple minutes of the race for me!
At any rate, it was the smartest 2 minute stop that I have EVER made. I was immediately so much more comfortable that I dropped the hammer and started running like someone was chasing me!
....and then my shoe came untied.... Triple knots. UNTIED. So I stopped and my lobster claw hands managed to get the damn shoe tied- I was laughing and wishing someone would help me! I felt like it took 10 minutes but it probably took 1.

Anywhoo. I jumped back up and ran as fast as I could to the finish.
No seriously, that is what I did. Like an effing boss. Sure, it was a positive split finish but there was all that mile 18 stopping- and the hills- and shit shoelaces- but no lie, I ran like a superhero for those last 8 miles. High fiving all the people, smiling like an idiot, telling my screaming quads to shut up.

All I could remember was the death march of last year and how now I was running through the rain like a lunatic, having the best time ever and leaving 2014 in my dust. Honestly you guys, it was incredible. I have never had such a good time running a marathon. And yes, it was cold and rainy and not exactly a stylish running day but I didn't care- I trained in horrible weather all winter for a horrible weather day and here is was. No complaints.

Turning onto Boylston I ran by my Uncle Bill who was cheering his head off and, keeping in the mood of the day I started crying and cried all the way through the finish line. I'm an emotional mess of a woman. While a 3:33:07 might not be the fastest time of my running career I honestly believe it was one of the best runs of my life. Complete redemption. Happiest marathon that I have ever had.

Upon finishing I immediately froze a horrible death. I don't know if the wind just picked up then or if I simply ignored it while running (I believe that is the case) but either way, it was 45 degrees and wet and windy and I got stupid cold. Luckily my perfect husband met me quickly and put all 3 of his jackets onto my shivering body. If THAT is not love I don't know what is! I told him that giving me all of his clothing on this particular day made me almost as happy as the day he proposed a few years ago. That says something about how cold I was! (and how thoughtful Eric is!)

Back to THREE jackets and a heat sheet of magic.

I spent today being pretty damn sore but it certainly didn't take away from the sense of pride that I have in my race yesterday. Getting to run Boston is a really big deal and I felt so lucky to be there again. While I was focused enough to run my own race I really picked up on the positive energy of the crowds this year more than ever and tremendously enjoyed what a special experience it was.

So there it is, Boston Marathon 2015. A day of rain and cold, happy crying, the best feeling marathon I have ever run, my great family supporting me, terrifying clowns, screaming crowds and redemption.

The HAPPIEST of running!

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.

11 days and counting!

It seems we are really in the final countdown phase around here!
The really REALLY nice thing is that the weather is improving exponentially, every day seems to be a bit nicer and the snowbanks have melted to a much less ominous 10 foot or so level.  Yikes!
Honestly... I can't ever remember a Spring when I was more excited to see the temps hitting the low 50's, it feels amazing and I am so excited for better weather!

I typically am not a huge fan of taper time but thus far, I feel fine. Kelsey and I have figured out that I operate best with a 2 week taper, and that as long as she keeps me pretty occupied with amusing workouts up to the (almost) end that I don't freak the hell out. So while half my brain thought it might be time to get fat and lazy the other half is just as happy to still have mile repeats and such on the docket.

I had my final long run on Sunday. Not only did this mark the longest run of 2014 but it also marked the first time in several training cycles that I have run over a 20 miler. I managed 21, over hill and dale, in gorgeous weather, with no problems at all.
I don't trust good long runs- I typically hate a significant part of each one so I'm not sure what to think. (other than I deserved it!)

Wheeeeeeeee!!!!! Long run OVER!!!

Upon arriving back home Eric, my family and I had a tiny taper party, where we drank beer, ate all of my Mom's brie, olives and almonds and I sported some spiffy compression gear and sat on an ice pack.

Beer and compression for the win!!

I'm a little nervous that we are going to have an 80 degree marathon day and considering the conditions here, I'm not sure how well I would handle that.
The other side of my brain is scared that it is going to be 40 and pouring down rain.
Apparently, my biggest concerns are weather related. I can handle THAT- so much better than being worried about a broken ass!

I was quite delighted to be a featured runner on Oiselle's blog yesterday. You can read all about it here! My super fun Q & A....
They are a bit confused about my equine profession but it is sweet that they pay attention to the fact that I am, indeed, an equestrian.
I liken this to speaking to my riding friends about running. "You are running a marathon?" they say. "That is like, 5 miles right?"
Close enough. :-)

So with 11 days to go I'm feeling physically and mentally well, quite hungry, thankful to be uninjured, and really looking forward to the big event.
Speaking of hungry... I don't know what is happening but I have been having rude cravings for BEEF!!! I typically enjoy an occasional steak and what not, but ALL thru the past few weeks I have been having a real need for cheeseburgers. It's serious.
This is what happens when you send your vegetarian fiancee to the store for beef and cheap wine:

Hahahah! Wow close call!

So, I have my grass fed beef beef in hand, an extended forecast to fret over (it doesn't extend quiiiiite far enough!) and I'm excited,
Bring it on!!

I return! And my thoughts on getting back into the swing of things.

Well hello internet, I am back.

I just took a couple weeks off from most things online. I completely avoided blogs! (I am a jerk but I really just couldn't take another sponsored "holiday gifts!!!" post) So instead of sticking around and getting grouchy about things that have nothing to do with me, I took a break from the whole thing. With only about 2 weeks to go until Christmas, and with the holiday frenzy in full swing this might seem like an odd time to reemerge.... However,  my break should enable me to be able to stomach 2,000 more reviews of various protein powders, and Mizuno Wave 17's (which everyone seems to have given a pretty cookie cutter review to. y'all wait, when I get a pair I'll let you know if they are REALLY that good!)
I also declined to look at Dailymile. (or even logging miles into it!) I just DID.NOT.CARE. Sometimes I find it quite inspiring to see what others are up to but for the past few weeks I have decided that it's more important to focus on what I need to do, with no regard to the training schedules of other people who have completely different goals than I! (novel, I know)
I enjoyed my break because I kinda hated the internet and that's not nice.

 

HAH!!!! That was ME!!!! But I'm better now...

Not wanting to cast the interwebs completely to the curb, I productively spent internet time on Instagram, winning all the Holiday prizes. Duh. With Grinchy gems like this how can you lose?

I was unimpressed by this lame Christmas parade.

I found my mojo early last week which was nice. Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments relating to my malaise. I sometimes need to remind myself that it ok to take a rest and that I should not get so damn emotional about it. The amount that I work out in no way, shape or form establishes my worth as a human being. And I really enjoy my routine so when I do not, it is ok to step back and take a breather. I did, and now I feel quite refreshed!

Mulling over things that contributed to my mini burnout.
I am not the kind of athlete who can race every weekend. **gasp call the blogger cops!!**
During the past year I did fewer races than in 2012 but I put 100% of myself into each one that was important to me. In the end, on top of being physically exhausted I was quite emotionally drained. I am very good at getting into a competitive mental mindset- but it takes a lot out of me! (especially in October- when I had 2 races that were very important to me and took a HUGE amount of mental fortitude, and a horse show where I threw down maximum effort in a challenging situation. tough stuff.)
I actually enjoy challenges like that where I can prove my mental (and physical) toughness to myself but need to cut myself a little slack about wanting to sit on the couch and watch terrible TV for 6 weeks straight after it is all over!
Physically I was pretty much done after NYCM and only in the past week have I felt remotely good and normal. I have no idea how people can do 6 marathons in 6 weeks... Good for them- but it certainly is not for me! I would have a broken leg constantly... Perhaps those runners simply use the races more as social outings and training runs? Or perhaps they have a bigger ability to stay at the top of their game for longer than I do? Either way, I know it is not for me!

Right now I am having a really good time with my training and working hard, without killing myself with a ton of mileage. I'm getting in some great cross training and focusing on getting much stronger to avoid any more weeks of butt discomfort. (which was a drag) I know that my improved training in 2013 thanks to Kelsey played a huge part in keeping me uninjured but I was close enough during the months of September and October. A good reminder to continue to get stronger!

I do not have a marathon planned until Boston and I feel quite fantastic about that. I clearly am trying to get arrested by the blogger cops today because I don't think that any marathoning blog author ever admits to that- or rarely, very rarely. I am quite excited for Boston and plan to train well this winter and to have a PR there, all things being equal. But am I bummed not to have to gear up for a February 26.2? NO!

I have a 10K on January 1st to ring in the New Year. I haven't "really" run a 10K in a very long time. My best guess is that I will not PR since my current (2012) PR is a 43:43 and I just can't see myself running 6, 7:02 miles- yuck!! My course PR for this particular race is 47:42 and I absolutely believe I can do better than that. Mo goal is 45:00 barring 30 MPH headwinds which are the bane of my existence. I'm excited by the prospect of only racing for 45 minutes but also a bit horrified thinking of basically redlining the whole damn thing! Hahaha oh well, it is bound to be an adventure!

So that's about it from the snowy and cold arctic tundra of Maine. Now that I am gracing the internet with my presence again I'll have a belated November recap up soon.

Around The Lake Marathon: Am I Boston Bound?

YESTERDAY WAS FINALLY THE DAY!!!!

Hard to believe that it was only 24 hours ago that we (Danielle and I) embarked on our Marathon adventure.

For me, things got off to an inauspicious start, as I locked my keys, phone and purse in my car at a gas station. This required a bit of futtering around as I trolled around for a phone to borrow and a lock-out service to come to my rescue. I was, in due time, able to get on my way and hoped that this was a sign that the drama was out of the way. It also confirmed that I'm a bit of an idiot...

All of us arrived at a very decent hour and proceeded to become very bored and jittery (oh, that was just me?) Luckily Eric was there to capture our bored moments.  

We are very intimidating runners in HUGE shirts.
I wish for shirts that fit.

Stylish. No foolin'.
I have pants on for REALZ.

Pre Race. We were still able to smile and laugh and function at this point.

So many fans, so little time...
This is what you do when you have 3 hours to kill.
Update Facebook 300 times...

We had a legit tailgate party!
Well. Our support team did, as we struggled and suffered for our insane sport...

My cousins came to watch and brought me a FANTASTIC sign.
ER. MA! GERD!!!! Is all I have to say.

As time wore on we tried to snack, hydrate and use the porta potties a million times. I was nervous but feeling like my non-plan-plan was going to serve me well. My "plan" was to run at what felt like an steady pace, not pushing it too hard 10K style but to try to keep it moving along with that 8:12 pace in mind. I knew that given the 90% humidity this might be tough but I felt like it was a reasonable way to head out. Per the norm, my nutrition plan left something to be desired but I knew that at certain laps I could expect to snag certain food items at certain times from my epic support squad.

And we were finally OFF!!

Lap one felt good. Really good. I was a little tight in my shins but otherwise felt really comfortable and like I was keeping a steady and reasonable pace. And yes, reasonable pace is subject to opinion...

You can tell that this is early on because I'm busting out the Jazz hands and showboating like a geek. These behaviors ceased around the 13.1 mile mark or so...

Danielle after a couple laps with her SUPER TALL hubs.
Her faces always are excellent.
And her hair always looks perfect, GAHD!!!

For me, the race was a pretty steady and normal feeling workout for the first 9 miles or so. At that point darkness took over and that presented a minor challenge. My legs continued to feel good, my silly stomach was behaving for the most part (15 second port a pottie break at the 1/2 way mark) and I was feeling very happy to make it to the 13.1 in 1:44. I was getting progressively more tired though, and was VERY glad when Eric confirmed that I was indeed halfway there.

I knew that the final 4 laps were going to be tough. It was dark, humid and there were creepy clouds of tiny bugs that were getting stuck to my sweaty face. Yuck.

Just before darkness took over.
Helloooo leg muscles.
After this picture taking got a bit tricky...

Despite the minor factors of buggy darkness, and the ever growing feeling that a blister was forming on the bottom of my right foot all still felt ok as I ran in for mile 17-ish. I had more or less lost my ability to form a coherent sentence at this point so was communicating with ridiculous grunts or monosyllabic un-helpful words. Excellent.... My ipod had shit the bed. I was wondering how Danielle was doing but had asked for a status update around the 10 mile mark and was told that she was doing well!

Then.... With two laps to go.... I got EFFING EXHAUSTED. My poor little brain checked out. I wanted nothing more than to stop, sit down, sob, and go to bed. This was not a good way to be feeling with a 10k still left to go and I expressed my feelings to Eric with a slightly teary "I JUST... WANT... TO... BE... DONE!!!!" as I ran by, like a little cry baby. Luckily he responded with a "you've got this! you're flying! you're just having a rough patch and you'll work through it!" Which I thought was completely logical and well reasoned so I manned up and got on with things. Jeesh, me and my fussing and whining!

This is the best tweet ever.
And so factual!!

I continued to slog along, slapping my feet down laboriously but knowing that I had a tiny bit of time to play with. ....tiny being the key word.... Coming in under the clock for my last lap I saw that I had 30 minutes to finish in order to snag a BQ and I thought that was totally manageable.

What I did not account for was the epic, projectile vomiting that I would have to stop to do at mile 25.5. NO SHIT. With the finish line almost in viewable distance I was flat on my face, hurling up a ton of water and energy drink onto a poor unsuspecting tree. As soon as the retching passed I jumped up to run again and after 3 steps was struck with the voms AGAIN. BADLY. It took me a minute to get back up this time... I lost a couple, if not a few minutes in this disgusting episode of "what did I eat/drink today..."

When I got back out on the road I gave myself a huge mental shake. I decided that I felt alright, I still cared enough to go for it and that I was going to run like hell. Which I tried my best to do..

And I ran under the clock in 3:34:10 (still unofficial. but whatever!)

I expected to feel thrilled, emotional, and like all my efforts and hard work had paid off.

Honestly? All I could do was stand there, with poor Eric basically holding me and my vomity self up as I went on repeat with "I. Am. So. Tired." while sniffling a little, feeling completely overwhelmed and exhausted beyond all effing reason.

I was led/guided/possibly carried back to the tailgating area, sat down, un shod (and my feet cramped up in the most painful way possible causing the salt pills to be passed around...) I drank some water. Took off ALL my sweaty clothing in a stunning display of parking lot nakedness. I threw up AGAIN  all over my feet and some shrubs... I might have visited the medical tent really quick...

Danielle ran in right before I hurled all over the world looking like she wanted to do the same. Instead of being a good friend and asking how she had done I just sat there and kinda waved at her a little, while she lay on the pavement and wished for death to come.

It was a bit of a messy way to spend the evening.

Fast forward to the next morning.
Or 4 hours later since this was a 7PM marathon 2 hours away from home...
Ice bath!

I woke up this morning and was much more excited about my successful finish and feeling an awfully lot better. I ate pancakes. Tried to walk around. Took an ice bath (hate.) The good news is that I was coherent enough to be pretty damn happy about my results.

Danielle and I might have texted a few times about out imminent retirement from all things running none the less, but the wheels were more or less back on my bus.

So, to sum it up: BQ BABY! If my BQ time gets me in, I'll be there ready to roll in April.

I felt like it was a solid first Marathon effort, definitely some things that I need to work on but I have time.

I'm going to take a little running break for the next few days to heal and rest the old legs then I'll be moving on to the next big thing.

So... Thank you all! Thanks to my friends, family, ringers of cowbells, makers of signs, passers of water bottles, and ALL of you who gave me encouraging words, texts, and tweets yesterday. Every little bit of support helped me to keep moving when things got tough (and tough they got, it was NOT all unicorns and sunshine!) I don't have the words to thank all of you as meaningfully as I wish to but know that I thought of all of you out there on that long, dark course during the highs and the lows. Thank you for the well timed pep talks, the sherpa skills, for pushing me when I wanted to stop and for being there...

This has been a long road. I'm so happy that I met my goal and it took all of you to get me here!