Back in the Hot Seat

I don’t know about you, but I cannot bare one more apology about my prolonged absence. Can I get an Amen? So, let’s not dwell on what’s been missing in your life (my amazing blog updates, of course) and instead focus on what great things I have been up to lately. Because really, it is all about me, right? I mean, this isn’t called Marathon You, is it?

Let’s get on with it then.

When I posted last time, I had recently finished Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. I was happy with my race, even though it was a little slower than I had hoped. I took about 10 days off and went right back to it – training with my coach Amy again and many of the great folks I met last summer during training. A bunch of us had decided to race Chicago together and have spent the hottest summer in history sweating out the hate all over Austin in preparation for the October race.

I know, I know, you’re going to say, “Anna, you complained all last year about the heat – don’t start that crap again.” Fair enough, but do you live in Austin? Do You?! If you do, then you know I am not making this up when I say this summer was hotter than Satan’s armpit! It’s not hyperbole – we’re on the record books with 80 days of above 100-degree days, including many over 105. Just last week it was 112. 112, people! Do you know what that kind of heat does to fragile Irish skin? It’s not pretty.

So yeah, it’s been hot, and I’ve not been dealing well with it in regards to training. The long runs have been mostly good. Even though they are long and humid and usually around 80-85 degrees at the start at 5:30 am, they’ve been all right. I ascribe most of that to my group.

One of the great things about this season compared to my winter season – and even last summer- is that I am now good friends with a lot folks in my group. We’re all fond of spending the long Saturday runs commiserating over how much pain we’re in and how bad the hills suck ass, then calming each other with tales of what alcoholic beverages we’ll  be drinking later or about the best place to get breakfast tacos. We’re a group of gluttonous drunks – oh yeah, and we run marathons for fun! They are all really good people who make me laugh, which is key on those difficult runs.

Tuesday night workouts, however, are a different story. We’re usually starting out at 6:30 pm – the hottest part of the day. For most of the summer that meant around 105. Because the heat alone isn’t enough to make grown men cry, Amy likes to make us run really fast or go up steep hills over and over again or a combination of both. Most of the folks in the group seem to handle this with grace and poise, which is really annoying. I, on the other hand, handle it with tears and curse words. I cannot overstate this – I DO NOT LIKE THE HEAT!

And it’s not just that I like to whine – my body just can’t seem to do it. I have had more than one melt down, vomit inducing workout. In fact, despite ridicule from some friends (ahem, GW), I joined a gym just to get in my weekly miles without the threat of Sudan-like conditions. But I was also this close to calling it quits with my Tuesday night group all together until the heat broke. Lucky for me, my desire to run with the herd was greater than my desire to drink margaritas in the AC and forget the whole stupid thing. Also lucky for me – my friends and coach were extremely supportive and didn’t laugh at my wimpiness at all…that I noticed anyway.

So, I have stuck with it and finally – Holy Sweet Moses, FINALLY – the heat has broken. This past Tuesday was only 90ish and felt like I was running in the Arctic. I had a killer speed workout where I surpassed my goal times. Definitely a confidence-building workout!

This Saturday I’ll be doing 20 miles, which includes 10 miles at MGP. It’s called the LAB and you’re supposed to practice your race pace, nutrition and hydration plan. I’m unusually excited about it mostly because I think it’ll only be 60 degrees! I might need arm warmers!

All in all, the summer training has been a series of ups and downs. Emotionally and physically. I’ll share more specifics in later posts (yes, there will be more…maybe). As for the future – I’ve decided to not run Chicago and run San Antonio in November instead. The main reason for this is because I have started my own company (insert shameless plug here: www.deadwoodwebworks.com) with my boyfriend and so money is a bit tight. But I will be there in spirit with all my running pals.

I’m still about 9 weeks away from my 3^rd marathon. Right now I’m feeling strong and confident that I’ll be in good shape to hit my goal of breaking 4 hours. And who knows – I might even hit my goal of posting on here more than once every 6 months. Then again, maybe I should stick to one goal at a time?

Grandma’s Marathon recap

It’s been 10 days since I finished my second marathon, Grandma’s 35^th Annual Marathon, but it feels like a lifetime! What an insane two weeks I’ve had! In summary, I flew to Minneapolis where I visited my boyfriend’s family for a few days, then went to Duluth/Two Harbors to run the marathon, then flew to Dallas for a week-long work convention, which was briefly interrupted by a round trip car ride to Austin and a back, then flew back to Austin and now am back to work/real life. That’s the short story. Below is a detail of the running portion of the trip – the other legs of the trip are equal parts horrible and awful, so I’ll leave those out of this post!

Pre-Race Days

I sent my boyfriend and his son off to Minneapolis on Friday, June 10^th and had a long weekend to myself at home where I may or may not have enjoyed myself immensely by lounging around, watching cheesy movies and enjoying some vino! That Wednesday, the 15^th, I jumped on a plane and met the boys in Minneapolis. When I arrived, it was a sunny 75 degrees – quite the contrast to the 100 degrees I left back in the Lone Star State! I was so happy to not burst into a puddle of sweat every time we went outside. Little did I realize that 75 would be toasty compared to where I was headed.

After a couple of lovely days in Minneapolis, we piled into the car and headed 3 hours north to Duluth. With each mile, it seemed the temperature dropped a degree! By the time we reached Duluth, the city was laying under a blanket of fog and 48 degrees of rain. ACK!

We went to the convention center to pick up my race packet and check out the wares at the Expo. I had (stupidly) not packed any rain gear because Austin is in a drought and I had completely blocked the possibility of rain from my consciousness. I did pack my thicker, warmer capri running pants – JUST IN CASE – but no rain stuff! Luckily there were lots of sales and I nabbed an awesome Asics slicker for half price! I also got ear warmers and a hat. I had thought ahead enough to pack arm warmers and gloves, so I felt I was now well equipped for whatever bullshit mother nature had to throw at me!

We left the expo and grabbed some lunch before heading even further north (26.2 miles to be exact) to Two Harbors, which is where the starting line was, and where we had gotten a cabin for the weekend.

The view from our cabin - not too shabby, eh?

The cabin was awesome. It was right on beautiful Lake Superior (see picture) and had everything we needed. I was thrilled to see that we even had a fireplace to cozy up to!

That night we went into town for dinner. We went to this Italian place, which was very popular with the racing crowd. The town itself is TINY, but this weekend it was jam packed with runner and their friends and families. There was definitely a buzz in the restaurant as we all filled up on pasta and pizza! Both Duluth and Two Harbors were beyond gracious. (FYI: The race is point-to-point from Two Harbors to Duluth.) I felt so welcome and at home – everywhere you looked there were “Welcome Grandma’s Runners” signs. Pretty cool!

After dinner we headed back to the cabin for a low-key, early night. I was distraught to read the weather report saying rain was predicted along with 45-degree temps. UGH! Also, unfortunately that’s when I got some bad news about my dog, India. She had taken a turn for the worse. I briefly entertained the idea of calling the whole thing off and going home, but it was just not realistic financially, and the pet sitter assured me that she would take her to the vet first thing in the morning where she would be well cared for. (see UPDATE  at the bottom of the previous post for update) This news required a beer to settle my mind enough to entertain the idea of sleeping. Typically, beer is not recommended right before going to bed the night before the marathon, but I’m Irish and we consider it carbo-loading!

Race Day

Needless to say I did not sleep well the night before the race. I kept having bad dreams and waking up. Luckily I slept well the previous night, so when I wasn’t too concerned with the lack of sleep.

I got up on Saturday at 5am and could hear my neighbors also getting up and moving about, reading for the race. I made a cup of coffee and ate my bagel, all the while thinking how I wanted to be at home with my dog and not running this stupid race hundreds of miles away in the cold rain. “I should just quit!” I thought more than once. But I knew there were a lot of people checking on me throughout the race via the internet – and my ego is just big enough to not let them see me quit – so, off I went to catch the shuttle bus.

To my surprise, the rain was minimal and not too cold – about 55. For once the weathermen got it wrong in the right way! As I sat with the other runners on the bus, I tried to get my head in the game and off India. It helped being in the throng of pre-race excitement and knowing she was in good hands back home.

We arrived at the starting area a little before 7. I stood in line for the port-a-potty one last time (so I thought), but it took the entire 35 minutes before the race started for my turn. And in that time, I drank an entire bottle of water. This was stupid I know, but I was hydrating for Texas not Minnesota! After my turn in the loo, I made my way to teh start line, positioning myself right between the 4:15 and 4:30 pace groups since my goal was 4:20. Almost immediately the start gun shot and we were off!

My race strategy was to not go faster than a 10 min mile until half way then slowly pick it up from there. Well, I stayed true to this strategy until at mile 6 that bottle of water came back to haunt me. I waited in line for the bathroom for 5 minutes. This seriously set back my goal. I picked it up a little after that, but was afraid to go too hard too soon because I didn’t want to do the “death walk” to the end.  I did make up a few minutes over the next couple of miles though.

In the first 6 miles I also managed to strip off all the gear I bought at the Expo except for my jacket, as well as a few other articles. The hat went first, then the gloves, then the arm warmers, then the ear warmers, and I was THIS CLOSE to losing the jacket, but then a gust of wind assured me that I’d be happier if I kept it. Plus I didn’t have a slicker, so I knew I’d like to hold on to it after the race.

The next 10 miles were good and steady. The course was stunning – following the shore of Lake Superior the whole way. The fans were amazing. They set up along the route and cheered and cheered. It was even more remarkable because this was the main road along the lake between the two towns, and it was closed to traffic. So, unless you lived along the route, you had to take the highway and find a cut through road. You had to make a serious effort to show up on the sideline. And I’m sure I speak for everyone running when I say that it was so appreciated! My boyfriend and his son popped up at mile 15 and then again at 22, as well as at the finish. And each time I saw them, I got a little jolt of adrenaline! (thank you guys!)

I felt good and strong the whole way, but then at mile 16 I needed to pit stop again. This time I found a port-a-potty that had no line, so I was in and out in about a minute or two.

All in all, I was doing really well. I didn’t walk at all except through water stops when I needed water. By mile 22, I was still feeling good. Much better than I felt at mile 22 of the San Antonio race. I was little behind my goal time, but I new I’d beat my previous time by at least 10 minutes, so I was just going with it and not beating myself up.

By mile 22, you’re in the city of Duluth. The crowds were stronger and louder, not to mention drunker. Yes, there were lots of drunks offering us runners beer. At mile 24 I was ready to hurl if one more person offered me a beer. I mean, I’m Irish and all, but even I can’t stomach a beer at 11am after running for more than 4 hours. ugh!

By mile 25, the crowds were crazy! I felt like a rock star running down the middle of the street with people all around just screaming and yelling and cheering – and I was 2 hours behind the winners! I knew I had 1.2 miles to go, so I went balls to the wall and gunned it. It was a hard 1.2 miles, but I did it!

I ended up finishing in 4:26:15, which was 6 minutes slower than I’d like. But considering the bathroom breaks, I feel pretty good about it. Plus it’s 11 minutes faster than my previous time. At this rate I might qualify for Boston by the time I’m 60! No, seriously, I’m happy with the time because it was close to my goal, I felt good and strong the whole way, and wasn’t racing it to begin with. I was there to just run and enjoy it, which I did! Despite my dread going in to it that morning, I did it and did it well. I didn’t quit or slow down or give in. I’m proud of that.

So, tonight I will run with my group, which will be my first run since the race. Seeing as it’s going to be 100 degrees, I think it will be quite a challenge. But I can get it done. I just ran a mother f-in marathon less than 2 weeks ago; what’s a few miles dancing along the edge of the sun?

That’s 2 marathons down and 1 to go. Next stop – Chicago on October 8^th. Holy cat shit, that’s only 4 months away!

My Girl India

WARNING – this post might be a little less acerbic and sarcastic than usual. It may actually be sentimental. Proceed with caution – you have been warned!

One of the best things about running for me is that you can let the things that are painful or stressful go for an hour (or three). One of the best things about running regularly with a friend or a group, other than the chitchatting and friendly ribbing, is that you are held accountable. They notice if you’re not there and call you on it. Tuesday night’s group run did both these things for me.

I have a houseful of animals: 2 dogs, a cat and a rabbit- oh, and a teenage boy and his father! One of those dogs is India, who is almost 16-years-old and has been my best friend since she was 3-months-old. I got her when I was 22 and barely out of college. At the time I was living in Baltimore city working as a bartender and waitress and had very little direction (other than the nightly bar tab that was increasing exponentially). My roommate had a dog, who was pretty cool but was alone a lot. So I thought it would be neat to get her a playmate.

I answered an ad for lab-mix puppies at a nearby farm. When I first saw that butterball of a dog come running right for me – I was a goner! Those first few months were tough in the training department. I lost a lot of shoes and other crap, but we went on long walks through Federal Hill and played together every day, she slept in my bed with me every night and she even accompanied me to my neighborhood bar. Let’s just say we were pretty attached to each other!

EDITORS NOTE: If you’re not an animal person, then this will sound sappy and odd. But if you’re not an animal person, I think you’re a weirdo and probably not someone I want to know, so there!

Anyway, over the past 16 years, it was always me and India. I went through some really rough times and some really great times, and she was always there. Through a marriage and divorce, through bad jobs and questionable life choices, she was there. She has moved with me a total of 9 times, including a 1,500 mile car-trip from Maryland to Texas! She is sweet and funny and beautiful and loyal and nicer to me than I deserve. As you can tell, I love her lots and lots! And as you can probably surmise – because that’s how astute I know you are – she was the cause of my worry on Tuesday night.

She is old and suffering from a variety of ailments. I’m going out of town next week – to run a little ol marathon, thank you very much – and booked a pet sitter to watch over the whole furry brood. Well, over the last few days India has been having more and more issues, which made me worry about leaving her with someone for a week. I spoke with the vet right before heading out for my running group and was startled when she suggested it’s time I think about putting her down. We discussed this for a while, and we left it with me agreeing to think about it.

And did I think about it. All the way to Rogue I thought about how eventually she would be having more bad days than good, how leaving her alone for a week might make things worse, what if something happened and I wasn’t there? But each time I let my brain wander into the realm of “putting her down” I’d lose it. As the tears started, I’d push it down and try to think of something else. If there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I fucking hate to cry! Also, I’m frighteningly good at avoiding things and thoughts that make me cry. Sadly, those damn tears still end up seeping out!

Now, I could have used all of this as an excuse to not run, go get a pint of Bluebell and a box of wine (I’m classy like that) and curl up with my old dog for the rest of the night. And trust me – the thought occurred to me. But I knew that there were people expecting to see me, and I also knew that for than hour I could talk with people about anything other than India.

I went and ran. It was blisteringly hot and the run was a challenge. But for that brief time, I let my thoughts of India be good ones, not so much of how she’s struggling now, but of times I’d brought her to Town Lake or when she used to chase deer in my back yard or how she is irrationally and hilariously afraid of water. It was a mental oasis in the middle of a hot-as-hell body beat down!

When the run was over and I was headed home, the good thoughts were still lingering and I wasn’t focused on the tough decisions I have to make in the immediate future. Then, when I walked in the front door, all sweaty and disgusting, there was my old girl smiling at me, tail wagging and just as happy as could be that I was home. So sweet!

Running helps me process emotions that I typically like to squash like a bug, deep into my gut. Instead of that, or stuffing my face with a Cookie Dough and Pinot Grigio sundae, I can work through them and try to flip them around. For now, India is doing well on her meds (good god, it’s like a doggie pharmacy in my kitchen!) and seems happy. She’ll stay put while I’m in Minnesota, and I believe she will be fine. When the dreaded day does come, whenever that is, I’ll be a basket case for a while. I expect that lacing up my shoes and hitting the trail with my friends will help. I’ll try to remember all the great years and not dwell as much on the loss. But damn, I wish I could have another 16 years with that old bitty!

 

UPDATE:

On Tuesday, June 21, 2011, I said goodbye to my sweet girl, India. I’m grateful for all the kind words and sympathy from my friends and family. I was lucky enough to have lived with the best dog on the planet for almost 16 years and happy I was with her as she passed. She will be forever loved and missed!

Me and my smiling girl!

On Season 2 of Marathon Anna….

Well, hello there! Long time no see… or hear? or read? Oh whatever – the point is I’m back!

Where have I been, you ask? Here. Same place as before, I just lost my blogging MoJo for a while there. But last night I once again joined the Rogue Fall Marathon training group, including coach Amy and a bunch of people I met last summer who I now consider friends. We had a very warm, but fun 5-mile run. There were lots of smiles and laughing despite the conditions. I was happy to be back. It was like going home and all those old feelings came rushing back (good and bad), and my desire to share them soon followed, not unlike the outpouring of sweat due to the 98-degree heat!

So, here I am again, on the brink of another training season and am going to try very hard to write about it again. This time it’s obviously different: I already have a marathon under my belt, have no new distance milestones to reach and have exhausted all the whining and complaining about the heat (but that won’t stop me from continuing to do it, mind you!)

Me with my coach Amy after finishing the San Antonio Marathon. That's Mark, another coach, holding the Rogue sign. I'm not sure who the guy in the blue jacket behind us is, but he doesn't look like he approves of any of this!

But I do have new goals for myself. At the beginning of last year I just wanted to finish the San Antonio marathon, then I revised it to finishing under 5 hours. I did both! I completed my first marathon in 4:35:15, which I was extremely proud of. I realize I promised a race report afterwards, but as soon as I crossed the finish line the last thing I wanted to do was write about it for some reason. It was a powerful experience though – It’s been so long now that I’m not sure I could accurately describe all the highs and lows of the race, but one day I promise to do that. Yeah, whatever my promises here mean, right?

Anyhooo, for those who are curious what I have been doing running-wise since last season, let me tell ya. I took off about 6 weeks of training after the San Antonio marathon, but got in around 10 miles a week. Then in mid-January, I started with a new Rogue group to train for Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN on June 18. Yep – that’s just 2 and a half weeks away! I’m not “racing” it per se, but just running it. I do want to improve on my San Antonio run, but am not setting a definitive time goal. I’m shooting for around 4:20 though. Basically, I’m going into it as an enjoyable long run. Ok, a REALLY long run!

Once I finish Grandma’s, I’ll take about 10 days off and then continue on with the summer training, culminating at the Chicago Marathon on October 8^th. If I manage to finish both of those races, then I will have done 3 marathons in less than year! I also plan to “race” Chicago, but I’m not sure what my goal is yet. It will depend on how training goes this summer. Right now I’m thinking that I want to break 4 hours, but that may change as it gets closer.

Last summer’s training group was extremely rewarding – I finished my first marathon, got the bug to do more races around the country, met some great people who I know I will count as friends for a long time to come, and learned a lot about myself along the way. Hopefully for this upcoming season I’ll get faster and stronger, learn even more about myself (do I really want to learn MORE?), meet some new folks and have a few good stories to tell from the trail.

I also hope that I can stick with this here blog, because I believe it was instrumental in my being able to analyze my running and get some perspective on my epiphanies (yes, I had one or two!), not to mention it is a valuable outlet for me to bitch and complain, and hopefully make some of you laugh. At me or with me…I don’t care much, as long as there was a chuckle or two.

Let’s see what this season has to offer – other than lots of heat, sweat and bellyaching about it! I hope you’ll join me for another summer of running in Austin, Texas…bring your sunscreen!

Done and Done!

I’ve made an honest woman of myself – I can now officially call myself Marathon Anna! Although, that might be weird when meeting folks for the first time…
I finished my first marathon in 4 hours and 37 minutes, which I’m pretty happy about. It was an amazing experience and I’ll tell y’all all about it next week when I get back from yet another business trip. I just thought I’d stop by real quick to let you know that I did in fact finish the race and didn’t break a hip or anything!
Thanks again for all the virtual support – it helped push me when I was having a rough go of it.
Oh, and in case you were worried that this would be the end of Marathon Anna, fret not! I am already planning for my next two races in March and June!
Check back next week for a full report.

The Final Countdown

Cue the Europe: “Da na na na…da na na na na… It’s the final countdown.”  I’m sorry in advance if that horrible song gets stuck in your head all day.

In just about 48 hours (hopefully) I will be crossing the finish line of my first marathon! Can you believe it? Yeah, me either!

The last few months of training have been going well. I’m feeling strong and ready, but also nervous and anxious. All which is good, I suspect. In getting ready for Sunday, I’ve been teetering on the verge of sanity. I’m definitely having bouts of “Marathon Madness” and am trying really hard to keep it together. I think I’m doing a relatively decent job of it – except for the moment I accidentally looked at the weather for San Antonio, Mexico instead of San Antonio, Texas. When it said it would be almost 90 degrees with 85% humidity, my mind went reeling and I almost called the whole thing off. I started wandering around the house like a zombie, chewing on my hair and talking to myself. It was pretty scary for my boyfriend who was just trying to stay out of my way for fear of being attacked. The dogs hid under the bed and the cat hissed at me. Luckily, in a brief moment of clarity, I went back and rechecked to discover that in Texas it will actually be 60 degrees, cloudy and possible rain. PERFECT! Meltdown averted…but unfortunately there is still time, so I’ll wait before I declare victory.

So, I’m ready. I may not win the race, MAY not, but I KNOW I’ll finish it. When I started training, I had a goal of doing it in 4 hours. I soon realized that was as likely as Dallas winning a game (Oh, sorry to my big D fans; I had to). I revised my goal to 4:30. I think this is realistic, but it’ll be a tough one. In all honestly, if I finish with anything under 5 hours, I’ll be happy.

This is the point where you (and I) say 5 HOURS?!?! Holy crap bomb! I’m going to go run for 5 hours, what the hell is wrong with me? There isn’t enough time to answer that loaded question, but yeah, that’s what I intend to do.

Luckily for me I have a huge fan club that will be cheering me on. Not only will my coach and all my running friends from Rogue be there, but my parents are flying in from Maryland; my sister is coming in from Virginia; two of my bestest Austin friends are driving down for the day; and my boyfriend and his son are coming in on Sunday for the whole day. I can not begin to tell you what it means to me that they will be there to watch me run the race, and I will be fighting the tears when I see them at the finish line ready to give me a big sweaty hug. They are my biggest cheerleaders – each reminding me of how proud they are of me.

It overwhelms me that I have such an amazing support base. And that includes all of you out there who have been so encouraging of this undertaking, cheering me on from across the country. Your support has helped push me on those long hard runs. In a way, I’ve been doing this so I won’t let you all down. You have no idea how much you’ve helped me keep going and I’ll call on all of you again during the race. With all that love, motivation and encouragement, how can I not have an awesome race?

You know, sometimes you think life is a big ‘ol bowl of shit-covered lemons. It’s easy to think you’ve got it bad and that life isnt’ fair, blah blah blah…  But I can see, with the help of this whole process, that I have one pretty good life. Running the marathon doesn’t make me special or better than anyone or anything. And when I finish it, it won’t make the shitty lemons suddenly become chocolate covered strawberries. But, going through this has shown me that my life has way more sweetness than sour and that I can handle a lot more than I thought. I have a plethora of people that care that I’m doing this, that are proud of me and that believe in me. What more can a girl ask for in this life?  Ok, a bigger paycheck and less gray hair WOULD be nice!

Oh, did I forget to mention that this “Marathon Madness” sometimes masks itself as sentimental slobbering?

Yeah, well deal with it. I’m a girl. Who is about to run her first marathon. And I’m fucking damn proud of that, so please excuse my sap… I’ll be back to my crusty self soon enough.

Wish me luck and thanks for the continued support. I’ll let you know how it went on Monday (providing I can think clearly enough to type out a couple sentences) and will be writing a nice long race update sometime later in the month.

Marathon Anna signing off for now.

Cue the music…IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!!!

Road Rash, Road Rage and Road Running

So, here’s another 5 Random Things. First off, I don’t have the time to preface this list with a long apology and explanation of my absence. Besides, you don’t care anymore, do you? My “I’m so sorry; please forgive me” pleas have worn out their welcome. So why bother. I’m a cad. Ok, let’s all just accept this and get to the list already.

1. I’m a bit cranky. Had you noticed from the above intro? But this isn’t my fault. Turns out that 8 out of ten marathoners suffer from a meltdown of some sort during the final phase of training. It’s part a mental thing  (questioning yourself – have I done enough? will I hit my goal time? will those extra happy hours with friends come back to haunt me on mile 22?), and part a physical thing (your body has gotten used to lots and lots of running. When you cut back, you start to go through a kind of withdrawal and feel antsy). So, it’s not my fault if I happen to tell a cashier at the HEB to bite me when they ask if I want paper or plastic. And it’s not my fault when I cry like a baby while watching football (if you’re a Redskins fan, you feel me!) And it really isn’t my fault when I throw a water bottle out my window at a douchebag driver who looked at me funny when they pulled up next to me at the red light. Nope, not my fault. It’s the marathon’s fault!

2. I had a couple of firsts this weekend! First of the firsts- I ran my longest distance to date and the longest I’ll run before the race – 22 miles! Yeah baby! And then my second first – I wiped out at the halfway mark of said run, earning my first battle wound!

It was a glorious morning for a run: perfect weather, good friends to chat with, well hydrated and rested…just perfect! We were going along having a great run and about to hit the turnaround at mile 11 when I didn’t see a huge bump in the road. I hit it square on, and it was like a slow motion stunt fall. I skimmed the asphalt like superman flying across the sky! Folks around me watched in horror as I slid along the pavement kicking up gravel! I got road rash on my elbow, hand, knee and hip. It was pretty ugly but I didn’t feel any pain despite blood gushing from my elbow. I guess adrenaline kicked in. I was just happy I didn’t roll my ankle or break a knee cap. Luckily, it happened right next to a kid’s baseball field where folks were getting ready for a game. A lovely lady in the concession stand helped clean me up, gave me antibiotic ointment and sent me on my way.

So, yeah I finished the final 11 miles. Not only did I finish it – I killed that bitch! I decided early on that if I still had fire in my gut when I reached the Capital, about a mile and a half out, I’d gun it all the way home. Sure enough, as I approached that majestic building I was ready to finish and hauled ass. I think I finished doing an 8-minute mile, which ain’t bad considering it was 21.5 miles and a major wipeout into it. Yeah, I was a bit sore at the end but felt great and more confident than ever that I’ll finish the marathon. I just hope to keep the bleeding and bruising to a minimum that day!

3. I am out of town this weekend for my work’s conference, which is why I have been extra busy lately. I’m scheduled to run 10 miles on Saturday, so I have to find a route to run it on my own. I’ll be in Houston and have literally an hour and a half free time the entire four days, so that’ll be a challenge. But I’m determined to figure it out and get a run in. I’m open to suggestions if anyone out there is familar with the Galleria area? I’ll definitely need it because I’m expecting to be annoyed, frustrated and pissed off the entire time (I know, a big change from usual), so a long run will help keep me from throwing a water bottle at some conference go-er who says the wrong thing to me, like, “Where’s the bathroom?”

4. Last night we had a group workout at the track. I used to hate track workouts because I thought they were boring and hot. To my credit, they were hot when it was 105 out and the sun was hours from setting. There’s no shade at the track, so it was like running on the coils of an oven burner – round and round. But now that it’s cooler and the sun is setting earlier, it’s actually quite nice. Also, track workouts involve doing random intervals. You have to think about what lap you’re on and what pace you should be going, so you don’t have time to think about what’s next, only what set you’re in right now. For example, last night after a 2-mile warm up, we had to do 1600 meters at 10K pace and then recover for 400meters, then do two 800 meters at 10k pace and 400 recovery, then finish with four 400 at 10k and 200 recovery. I know that makes no sense to most of you (I don’t like math either) but basically it’s breaking up a little more than 4 miles into varying distances of 10k and recovery paces. It’s a nice way to stop thinking about what’s ahead and focus on what’s going on right now. There is no opportunity for boredom or time to dwell on how hard it is, which is cool.

My Rogue Crew! I'm the second from the right on the bottom - you know, the one with the alarmingly white legs! Hey, at least I don't need reflectors when running at night!

 

5. My group has been training together since May. We’ve gotten to know each other pretty well and all seem to enjoy running together. I have made some good friends in this group, which has been a pleasant surprise side effect to this whole thing.

Not everyone is training for the same race – so as each person’s race happens, we lose more people. Last night’s workout was the smallest yet and will continue to dwindle. It made me think about what happens after this race. Will I see any of them again? Will we stay in touch afterwards? Will I join another training program? Will it be as good as this one? Will I even do another marathon? (But that’s’ the subject of an entire post of its own). I started to get a little sad at the thought of the training coming to an end. Because the truth is that I love the training.

Sure, I’m excited to run the marathon and will be proud when I finish, but it’s the past 6 months of training that has brought a sense of stability and balance into my running, and into the rest of my life. My Saturday runs are the anchor to my week, even though I bitch about how early they are. Thanks to my coach Amy and the rest of the group, my Tuesday nights enlightened, inspired and educated me, keeping me injury free (sans the road rash) and motivated. And that’s despite how much I whine that it’s hard. The thought of losing these two days, and not seeing the people I laugh with, commiserate with, and run with, really makes me sad. As much as I have complained here about everything – I wouldn’t give it up for anything!  I just hope as I continue on with my running, in whatever capacity that may be, I continue to have as good of an experience as I’ve had with this training.

Ok, that’s all I’m writing because I feel the tears a-coming. But I’ll blame it on the marathon meltdown.. and I was just thinking about the Redskins. Yeah, that’s’ it!

20 Miles, Tattoos and 3 other random things

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Does this mean you all are super fond of me now since it’s been almost a month since I last posted anything?  I’m sure you are!

Well, I’m back and going to give you another version of 5 Random Things like I did the last time I popped in and then back out of your lives. First I’ll explain why you haven’t heard form me in a while and why the next couple months will probably not be much better.

First off, at the end of October my work is putting on a huge conference in Houston. Therefore, it is a bit crazy and doesn’t give me as much down time to devote to you all. Second, I’m not sure if you heard, but I’m in marathon training! And right now we’re in the peak phase, which means a lot of miles most days. So, by the end of the day, I’m laying on my couch zoning out to Mad Men or something. And thirdly (I may have made that word up), football season has begun. That means weekends are full of football when I’m not doing a 20-mile long run. Writing has sadly taken a backseat to work, running and God’s sport. Luckily, I think I can manage to get out 5 Random Things periodically between now and the marathon, which is in only 6 weeks. Yes, I am THAT amazing!

So, here goes.

1. I ran my second 20-miler this past Saturday! I ran my first one two weeks ago. The two experiences could not have been more different. The first one was on a hot and humid morning and I was suffering through leg cramping most of the way. By mile 17 I discovered what the infamous “Hitting the Wall” meant. As you can imagine, it is not a fun experience. I spent most of the final 3 miles vacillating between a slow-ass shuffle and a sad pathetic limp. When I finally finished, I had to sit for 30mintues just to get my head clear enough to drive home. It was not pretty. But cut to the second 20-miler and it was a completely different story. Fall has finally arrived, so the morning was cool and crisp – not a hint of humidity. It was perfect! I not only ran the entire 20 miles without getting anywhere near the wall, but I jumped that son of a bitch and finished 30 minutes faster!  What a difference weather and proper hydration can make!
2. Ice baths really work. I hate them, you hate them, we all hate them – but they work like magic. When I got home from the first 20-miler I could barely walk. Seriously! I took an ice bath then a 4-hour nap. When I got up, I was a wee bit stiff but otherwise felt good. I even went to a birthday party that night and wasn’t in any pain. Of course, there were several glasses of wine that might have been additional pain relievers!
3. Running in the rain is one of my favorite things! There is nothing like slopping in puddles, soaking wet and feeling like a kid. The trail is usually far less crowded and everyone has a silly grin on their face. But it’s not so great to go straight from work still wearing your day’s mascara. I did this a couple weeks ago, and when I finished my 5 miles, I got to my car and discovered that I looked like Tammy Faye Baker (R.I.P). Pretty scary stuff, but it does explain all the odd looks I was getting!
4. I have a new addiction – Nuuns! They are these hydration pellets that you put in water. They basically turn water into a sports drink. They add electrolytes and other good crap to your body; I also think they had a hand in improving my 20-mile run. But aside from all the good-for-you benefits, they are also very tasty!
5. I had a new experience the other day on the trail. For the first time ever, a complete stranger ran up from behind me and slowed to keep pace with me. He then proceeded to run with me for about half a mile asking me all kinds of questions about my tattoos (I have a ¾ sleeve and several others). I’ve had this happen on occasion in stores, out at bars/restaurants or at parties, but never on the trail while I was running. After a while he said, “Well, they’re really cool. Have a good run” and took off. That was new to me!

Well, there you have it – another 5 Random Things. I am scheduled for a 10-miler this weekend then 22 next weekend. That will be the furthest I go until the marathon on November 14. Damn, it’s getting close – start the count down. I’m feeling strong, ready and prepared. Fingers crossed I stay healthy!

5 Random Running Tales

One of the reasons these posts have become more and more infrequent is because it is getting harder and harder to find something new and interesting to write about my training. At this point, I’m essentially doing the same thing over and over: running a lot in the heat. How much more can I say about it?

So, I have decided today I will give you 5 random stories from recent runs. Cool with you? I’m glad to hear it. Now, let’s get started.

1. This past Sunday I ran my 10-mile long run. OK, I actually missed the group run on Saturday so did it on my own on Sunday and only did 6 miles instead of 10. Hey- don’t judge! But anyway, I ran by the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue at Auditorium Shores to see it COVERED with flowers and trinkets and lots of people taking pictures. It was the 20^th anniversary of his death, so all of Austin paid its respects. I have to admit, I did stop for a quick nod of remembrance and to tap his foot. It just seemed fitting.

2. On that same run, and not too far away, I saw a runner laid out on her back receiving medical attention from medics. I have no idea what happened to her, but she looked like she was in good hands and not seriously hurt. Maybe she was just overcome with grief over Stevie’s passing that she had to lay down?

3. On last night’s run I heard one of Austin’s resident crazy people screaming for all to hear: “Fuck you, Jane!” over and over again. They were up on the street and I was down on the trail. As I got closer, they got louder. As I ran past them and beyond, their angry tirade diminished. It was like a “FUCK YOU” siren headed down the highway. I don’t know who Jane is, but some nut bag is not happy with her.

4. A couple weeks ago, I was running along minding my own business and thinking about how to get rich quick, when this guy on a bike rides up and skids to a stop in front of me. A dog is right behind him running off his leash. The next thing I know, I’m between the two as the guy tries to catch the dog who is clearly freaked out and over heated. The guy says to me, “Hey. Grab that dog.” I’ve stopped running at this point but am completely thrown off. “What, huh?” But like the trusting sweetheart that I am, I go to grab the dog’s collar, and the dog snaps at me! I jump back. Having been on the receiving end of a pretty severe dog bite in the past, I’m a little gun shy. I look at the guy on the bike and he says, “Whoa! Watch it. He’s not my dog. Sorry. Some lady back there is freaking out over losing her dog.” I’m stunned for a second and then he says, “Well, just step on his leash then.” I do. I get tangled in the leash. The dog is losing his shit. The biker is tied up with me and the dog now. Finally, I’m like “Dude, you’re on your own.” And I take off. As I finish my run I’m thinking “Why didn’t I tell the guy to get the dog himself after it tried to bite me? And who they hell tells some random woman to grab a dog that is freaking out that isn’t even his?” People!

5. During long runs on the weekend, I usually start in the way back. This is in part so I don’t get passed by a bunch of people and feel like a slug and in part to prolong the inevitable long run. So, I see the same people every week who are either my pace or a little slower. It’s interesting to see the different strides and styles of each runner. After a few hours of running, you have to do something to entertain yourself, so I make up names for the runners I see all the time who I don’t know. Here are a few of my favorites:

Little Miss Tippy Toes because she runs on her toes. I do not know how she does this for 18 miles but she does.

Skinny Muffin because she is very thin and always wears just a bra and shorts, but the shorts are way too small, even for her 100-pound frame, thus causing a muffin roll. It’s unfortunate.

Mr. Sweaty Panter. You can probably guess how I came up with that one. Not pretty.

And the complete opposite, Speedy McDreamboat. I don’t often see him as he’s way, way, way in front of the pack. But if it’s an out and back route, I get to see him on his way back. He’s fast, lean, young and always shirtless. Not a bad thing to witness when you’re only 11 miles into an 18 miler – quite the motivator actually. And not because of what you’re thinking – his speed is inspiring. Ok, and the shirtless, lean part doesn’t hurt either!

I can only imagine what other folks would nickname me – Shorty Von Slow Poke? The Tattooed Trotter? or Sticky Sweat Hands (I tend to get gels all over me, which is a mess!) Maybe one day it’ll be Old Lady Speedster?

Ok, that wraps this edition of 5 random running tales. Tomorrow is another 18-miler; I hope I see someone new that I can nickname, and that I don’t get caught in a dog’s leash or become the target of a FUCK YOU rant. But you never know!

Hitting the LAB

Saturday was our LAB workout. This is the one where we run a 2-mile warm up then 12 miles at race pace, then 2-mile cool down for a total of 16 miles. You might recall that I was not looking forward to it. When the alarm went off in the still darkness of night, all I wanted to do was stay cocooned in my bed with my cat and dogs snoring away. Ok the cat doesn’t snore, but those dogs can really go at it. Man!

But that’s not the point. The point is that I really, really did NOT want to get out of bed, much less run 12 miles at MGP (marathon goal pace). But I managed to push the furry noisemakers aside to crawl out of my comfy nest.

After eating breakfast and getting dressed, I sleepily drove to Rogue. I met up with some of my friends, all of us still half asleep, and started out. It was pretty warm – even at 5:30am – but it was even more humid.

I’m going to take a break from my regular bitching about the heat now and shift to something I am officially calling worse than the heat – stinking humidity! It’s true what they say, “it’s not the heat but the humidity!” but I wish they would come up with some fricking solutions to the humidity problem. And of course the first marathon I decide to train for coincides with Austin’s most humid summer. I am no stranger to humidity being from Maryland, but that’s one of the things I have always liked about Austin. It might get hotter than Satan’s oven, but it never seemed too bad if you were in the shade or after the sun went down because it was a drier heat. Well, not this summer! Am I bitter about this unfortunate turn of events? What do you think?

So yeah, the 2-mile warm up was like running in a swimming pool. I needed lungs like Aquaman to deal with that crap. Damn! I’m serious – it was so miserably humid. Have I beat that dead horse enough yet? Get it – it was HUMID! Because I could not catch my breath the entire 2 miles, I was sure once we started our 12-mile MPG, I would hit the wall immediately and walk the entire thing.

To my surprise that wasn’t the case. I guess that warm up really does serve a practical, albeit painful, purpose. Who’d a thunk?

I had three goals for this LAB:

1. Dream Goal – 2:00:00 hours
2. Realistic Goal – 2:05:00
3. Drop Dead Goal – just finish it in one piece

My plan was to start out around 10:30 min/mile and work my way up faster if I could so that I didn’t poop out too early. I missed the first mile marker, but when I got to mile 2 I saw that I was just a bit faster than 10:30 and still felt strong. Cool. At the first water stop –  mile 3 – I was still on target. I picked it up a hair then for the next 3 miles, making it to the halfway point in just under an hour.

At this pace, I thought, I was set to finish in 2 hours, which was my Dream goal. I was felling pretty high!

I was halfway through and still felt strong, but very, very wet. I was drenched with sweat at this point. I mean I looked like I had just emerged from the ocean, all wet and salty. But everyone did, so I didn’t care too much. However, I did have another wardrobe malfunction. Remember way back when I started this crazy thing I made the mistake of wearing shorts that were too big and baggy? They kept falling down and I felt like a moron. I have learned a thing or two since then and have upgraded my wardrobe to address that issue. Or so I thought.

On Saturday I chose a pair of red shorts that I’ve worn many times. They are proper running shorts with the inner lining and supposed “sweat wicking” technology. They do not have a tie string or elastic waistband though, and herein laid the problem. It turns out that when you sweat the amount of the Gulf of Mexico, your shorts really should have a tie string or elastic waistband. No technology exists to wick away that much sweat, so if it’s a million degrees out and 200% humidity, you’ll spend the entire run pulling your shorts up. Yep, there was more than one occasion when some poor sap behind me almost got mooned!

Considering that I was holding my shorts up the entire time, my increasing speed each mile was pretty remarkable. At mile 8 I took my second Gel and got my head in the right space. I won’t lie, there were a few times when fatigue or boredom or pain starting seeping in, but I somehow managed to stay focused. I knew it was all down hill from there – literally – so gravity would be my friend.

By mile 11 I was getting heavy legs and my feet felt like socks filled with broken bones, but I cranked it up and finished that bitch 1:57:30. That’s more than 2 minutes under my dream goal! I know that may not sound like a big deal, but it really is – for me at least. And had I run one more mile at that rate I would have PRed for a half marathon. Not too shabby, huh? Especially if you consider it was easily 20 degrees hotter and at least 60% higher humidity than my previous half marathon PR.

Yeah, I admit it, I’m pretty proud of myself. I do believe I even said “Anna, you go on with your bad self” out loud. Kind of embarrassing when I realized there were other people around me, but whatever.

After regrouping at the water stop, there were still 2 miles back to the shop – the cool down. It took me less than 2 hours to do 12 miles and nearly 10 hours to do the 2-mile cool down, it seemed. It blew! But I wasn’t alone. The whole way back I passed people walking, limping and crawling back to Rogue. We all left everything on the LAB. The 2-mile cool down didn’t matter, so I lollygagged my way home.

Amy said if you have a bad LAB, don’t let that discourage you into thinking you’re going to have a bad race. It’s designed to inform you, teach you how to do things better come race day. Before I even started the run, I was telling myself not to get discouraged when I had a craptastic LAB – I was prepared to suck. But, it turns out that I had a really good LAB, so I’m starting to believe that I just might have a good race too. Dare I say, I might be optimistic here?

I know, I’m scared too!