Monthly Archives: March 2014

Running Boston Has Gone…. Beyond!!!

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

bostonpassport

Before the announcement, two things…..

1) I got my Boston Marathon Runner Passport in the mail the other day!!!!! This contains the paper that I am required to use to get my race bib at the expo.  So freaking excited and I even did a little dance when I got the mail that day! Then I almost threw up from excitement.

2) I was able to clear a lot of the clutter out of my head that I discussed in my last post.  I’ve calmed down, started making my lists for the trip, and I refuse to think anything but the best things about the race in Boston. I think about bad weather and the hills, but then I just let that go, and I focus on all the training I have done to make this my strongest marathon.  In doing this, I’ve pretty much become useless around the house besides taking care of the kids and our massive food supply, but my husband is so supportive and understanding, he doesn’t care (or if he does, then I missed it – sorry, honey!). Yea for me!

Saturday, my legs felt like lead for my easy 9 miler. I worried a little about how they would feel for the long run on Sunday, but I knew if anything, I just needed to get the miles in. Yesterday was the 18 miler with three other ladies in my running group who are Boston Bound as well. The miles flew by and we were able to finish in my sub-BQ pace.  It boosted my confidence, but I know I have another pretty full and difficult week ahead. One more LONG run before taper begins!!!  It’s still so hard to believe. And now…..

DRUM ROLL, PLEASE!!!!!!

no fear

Well, on Friday, I signed up for the Beach 2 Battleship 1/2 Iron Distance race in my home town of Wilmington!!!! Running Boston and Beyond has finally bit the bullet and gone beyond!  I HAVE been scared to sign up and take on this new challenge, primarily because of the swim that is held in a channel connected to the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway (which means there is a tide). I knew for this year, the tide won’t be pushing me as it has for this race in the past, so with that and the fact that I’m not a strong swimmer, I was hesitant.  Then I realized that I just need to train harder for the swim and in the conditions that we will find on race day.  Simple.  My goal is to finish the race alive and before the time cutoff and have a lot of fun in the meantime.  Once I signed up, I got excited.

So that’s it for my Monday.  I’d love to hear what everyone did over the weekend!

I'm so nervous and excited for this!

I’m so nervous and excited for this!

 

 

 

Categories: Boston Marathon, half iron distance, marathon, open water swimming, running, swimming, training for marathon, triathlon, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Suck It Up, Buttercup

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

“Marathons aren’t easy, so training for one shouldn’t be either.” ~Running Boston and Beyond

Yesterday, I had a very good reminder of sucking it up and getting my $hit together.  Hitting the re-set button, mind you.

I run five days a week, including strength, do yoga twice a week, and cross train one day a week, so I get one day off a week. So by my 6th day of workouts, which happens to be my Thursday morning track workout, I’m pretty beat. It’s all good, I truly love training, and it’s what I expect.

We had 400 repeats on our schedule yesterday, on the 2:05, and we were to go no slower than a 1:55. So that means that if you finish in 1:55, you have ten seconds of rest before you start back on the 2:05.  The faster you go, the more rest time you have.  I thought they were challenging, but a lot of fun at the same time. Coach Tom told me from the get-go that I was doing 12, so I strategically brought my times down and tried to bust out my last 400.  Then he told me to keep going. Do another one. So I did another one. It kind of frazzled me since I’m the Type A runner who, when am told to bring times down and end on the fastest, I try my hardest to do just that. I HATE not making my times and I don’t want any coach to think I can’t keep up.  I couldn’t quite keep it at the pace I did the prior one, and when I crossed the line, I crouched down to catch my breathe. Coach asked me if I was ok….. and I uttered the phrase I hate. I said, “Yeah, I’m ok, I’m just tired” to which Coach replied, “Well, you’re running the Boston Marathon”.

So after my extra 400, I was to do yet another one, and I was glad to.  Yes, I AM running the Boston Marathon. Hear me roar for God’s sake. After that workout, I needed two extra miles to get 7 total, and I gave myself an arsk whipping.

Stop being such a wuss.

GET COMFORTABLE WIHT BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. Get over your anxiety, your fear, your worrying. Stop it. It’s wasting your energy. And then one of my son’s favorite songs came on, Animals by Martin Garrix, the one I’m adding to my marathon playlist, and it became clear at that moment that I’m going about this thing all wrong. Stop being frazzled and crazy-eyed. Stop being a nut case.

What NOT to be.

What NOT to be.

Focus. Think clearly about what you are doing. Go about it strategically, methodically, and you’ll find your goal.

Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Yes.  I AM living my dream.

boston-marathon-logo

 

 

 

Categories: Boston Marathon, marathon, running, training for marathon, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

I’m More Distracted Than…Hey, Look! There’s a Bird!

Posted on March 26, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

Yeah. It’s that time of training when my whole entire world centers on me and my training and The Race.  I’m kind of like a toddler – “mememyracemememyraceI’MHUNGRYAGAIN”.  I’ve been trying to write about something but I find myself staring off into space and then have to re-center and kind of start over. Then I’ll start a task at home, get distracted, and start another one, only to then start another one and then I find myself staring off into space. Three weeks from tomorrow, I will be heading north to Boston, or as the Dropkick Murphy’s say, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston”. The closer it gets, the more tired I am, the more hungry I am, the more I think about the entire thing, and the more distracted I get. The week before the race, I’m totally expecting 99% of my brain function to cease so I’ll probably be found in a chair going, “ba ba ba ba” like Goldie Hawn did in the movie Overboard. Click HERE to see that scene; it’s hilarious.  I just hope my husband doesn’t find a water barrel to put me in when it happens.

Ba Ba Ba

Ba Ba Ba

Oh, I totally forgot to add how FREAKING EXCITED I AM! I’m at the point where, if I think about it too much, I’ll just burst into tears. They’re good tears, but talk about being unstable.

See, already in the few minutes I’ve been writing, I’ve already added a few things to my mental list. Unfortunately the mental list is like having something written in chalk while your angry teenager holds the eraser. It ain’t gonna last long. So the other day, I actually made a list. This is what it said:

  • Pay life insurance
  • Order Roo Sport (try out with phone – see if it annoys the crap out of me – I did this and it works. Yea, I’ll have my phone to take tons of pictures before the race!)
  • Email my friend (yes, I actually had to write down to email someone)
  • Cook whole chicken  And it was gooooood.
  • Buy sheddable shell (waterproof coat for the marathon in case it’s rainy but wait it will probably be cold anyway so might as well have that and pants so I can stay dry AND warm before the thing starts)
  • Buy Garmin band (because I don’t have a spare and remember what happened before the Thanksgiving 5K? Yes, my band broke so my watch would have flopped all over if I hadn’t found duct tape)
  • Photo shop pictures
  • Email pictures of WOL
  • Kennel for Scarlett for July (found one but need to take her vaccination records in person)
  • Vet appt for angry black cat
  • Paint entertainment center

How ridiculous is this list? Email your friend? Cook the chicken? Paint a piece of furniture that’s in front of or beside you most of the time? Yes, it’s true, I must have these things on my list. The problem is, not all of them are done and then I have about twenty other things flying around in my head that just distract me from the things that are actually ON the list.

By the way, I would totally recommend the Sheddable Shell. I had one for the Houston Marathon where it was cold, windy, and rainy and it, coupled with a few other strategic layers, kept me the perfect temperature AND dry.

Shedable Shell

Sheddable Shell

Since I’ve written that much more, I have added two more things to my mental list, so it’s actually amazing that I can even type right now.  So another thing that is seriously messing with my concentration is my foot/ankle/shin. According to Dr. Google, it’s the “posterior tibial tendon” area.  I had my chiropractor do some active release therapy on it last week and it seemed fine after that and then for the 16 miler over the weekend. THEN it was sore to the touch Monday, and it was uncomfortable yesterday, just on the cusp of hurting. I talked to my chiro and since he’s not a runner, I just don’t know if he understands the actual position I’m in and how this ache could turn into an injury with the snap of my fingers and that I CANNOT HAVE AN INJURY RIGHT BEFORE THE BOSTON MARATHON. He didn’t feel anything “wrong” and I wasn’t happy with that considering how it felt yesterday. So I’m getting another opinion.  By the way, if you take fish oil capsules, don’t always believe that they’re “burpless”. Trust me.

I think I learned my lesson last fall when I was having symptoms of shin splints. One run would be bad, another good, so I blew it off and pretended they didn’t exist. A month later, I couldn’t run without cringing in severe pain, and finally, I called it quits and deferred the marathon I was hoping to run. This time, I refuse to wait and see, I refuse to take one person’s word for it. I talked to my coach, who is the stable one in the relationship, and she told me to get a second opinion if I wanted. Really, what does it hurt besides my pocketbook?  BUT if I let an ache turn into an injury at this point, then basically, all the money I’ve spent on training and then the trip was for me to have a terrible race at the best race in the world. It didn’t make sense NOT to see someone else for a second opinion. Then I worried that it won’t hurt on my appointment day and then he’ll look at me like, “Hey, thanks for that office visit fee” and I’ll be like “but it will be sore tomorrow….”  I did make that appointment, which probably took me a few hours because I was arguing with myself on whether I should or shouldn’t and then got sidetracked by hunger then took the dog for a long walk, then decided to see if my husband though it was a good idea, which he did of course, so FINALLY, I made the appointment and I go in Friday.  Now I won’t have to question whether or not, to do or not, I am and I will, and it WILL be ok.

So here’s a few things I’ve added to my list:

  • Go through a billion different scenarios of what will happen with my foot if I do/don’t go see someone else and it does/doesn’t work and then it hurts/doesn’t hurt for the last few weeks of training and the race.
  • Make race day playlist
  • Figure out a race strategy and go through yet another billion scenarios of everything ever during any race.
  • Find a marathon so if it’s hot/rainy/windy/snowing in Boston I can race again for a BQ before September registration
  • Get allergy shot
  • Figure out something for dinner because all the food that was meant for leftovers tonight is almost gone. Oops.
  • Find a net to catch about a hundred more things that are bouncing around my head.
  • Train. Train. Train. And eat.

This weekend, I have a 9 miler on Saturday and then an 18 miler Sunday. I’m going with a group and we’re running from the beach to the “hills” of downtown and then to a spot to where I hope we will be picked up by someone.  That we know. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also hoping that I can get through this run feeling good. I know I need to focus more on pre-run fueling and I will have to carry water and gu with me, since it’s point to point.  Tempo and speed work is going to be quite the challenge next week, but I’m up for what is thrown at me. During all of this, the paranoia of getting sick/injured, the planning, the distraction from all the planning, the running, sleeping, eating, drinking, shopping, through all of it, I know I’m lucky to be able to take part in the Boston Marathon. I’m honored, I’m thrilled, I’m beyond excited. I think most of all though, I’m grateful.  Now, off to get that allergy shot that I was going to go get about three hours ago.

The Newly Painted Boston Marathon Finish Line

The Newly Painted Boston Marathon Finish Line

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories: Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Wrightsville Beach Marathon Relay Recap

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

The recap… finally…. after four days. Sheesh.  The weekend was a good kind of nuts. It started with working the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon (otherwise known as “Marathon Madness” since it’s a marathon, half marathon, marathon relay, 5k and 1 mile run AND it’s in March) expo on Friday evening for a few hours. I was giving the full marathon runners their bibs, and since we were the first table, many of the half marathon runners came to our table first. I really tried to get them to switch from the half to the full, but I was met with several comments like “NO ONE DOES IT THAT WAY”, “Hell NO”, “HAHAHAHAHA!”, and “Yeah right!”.  It was fun to give some first time marathoners their bibs and wish everyone a good race.

I had a short shake out run on Saturday. My leg was feeling better and I was hopeful I wouldn’t have any issues with it on race day. When I got all cleaned up, my family and I headed back to the expo so my 11 year old son, Tyler, could get his 5k race packet. He was pretty cool and calm about his FIRST 5k, which made me very happy. The expo was amazing! They even had free beer and huge TVs set up so the men could watch the basketball tourney.  Cool points for sure. It was nice to see so many people from my running group, Without Limits. I talked and talked and talked and the kids played with the equipment Play It Again Sports had there. The weather was windy but warm, and we were all concerned about when the rain would come on Sunday.

We headed back home for a bit and then got back for the 5k that started at 5 pm. My husband decided to run it too and sort of “shadow” Tyler, so he was ready to run. They were off! I knew Tyler wanted to run the 5k in about 30 minutes, so at about 25, I started watching for him. I saw so many people I knew, including Gary, my running friend who was running in a boot because he broke his metatarsal during a trail race. Gary, you are a hard core runner!!!

I got all choked up when I saw my son zooming towards the finish line.  He crossed right at 29 minutes and my husband soon followed. They did run together for most of it until Tyler started to “kick it” the last quarter mile. Good boy, just like your momma taught ya! He learned that he needs to practice more for it to feel better and that he wants to continue running… music to my ears! It was great to include him in “my” race weekend.

Gunnin' to the finish!

Gunnin’ to the finish!

Now to race day.  In order to eat, get stretched, then get to the start line by 5:45, I got up at 3:30 am Sunday morning. It looked like the rain was going to hold off, thankfully, but sometimes you just can never trust that weather! My husband is a Clemson alum so he and the kids were part of the team that would man the first water station at mile 2.  I was worried the kids would complain they were tired or just get bored, but they wanted to help the minute he asked them, and they were still excited at 5 am.

I didn’t do a pre-race jog but walked quite a bit, saw lots of familiar faces, and then happened upon a fellow blogger Paul from Running Wild, only recognized because of his bib number. He was running his 3rd marathon this year and we were hoping to be able to catch up and meet. We chatted a bit and then I hit the port-a-cans one last time.  My goal was to run the full 16 miles (my part of the marathon relay) at 8:05-8:15 pace, which is the pace I’m hoping for in Boston to re-qualify by at least 5 minutes, and I was nervous.  The weather was around 50 degrees and mostly cloudy – perfect.  The wait for the bathrooms was taking FOREVER so I got more and more irritated the longer I had to wait. I missed seeing the anthem and the rest of my friends before the start, but at least I made it in time and wasn’t stuck IN the jon when the gun went off (to hear THAT story, click HERE).  When the race started, it took a while for Corral 2 to get going, and I was in the back of the pack. I had to run on the side of the road, which was fine, since I was able to easily pass people. The miles quickly went by and when I passed my husband and kids at the first water station, they were too busy doing their jobs to see me.  Oh well, next loop! We crossed over the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge where I was able to get on the sidewalk.  There were many volunteers warning the runners of the medal grade on the floor of the bridge, but I saw one who had been injured as she ran. That’s always horrible to see.

It started getting light out and we were able to see the scenery a little better. Landfall is a private community that I never get to see because there’s guarded gates and I’d get in trouble, so it was nice to be able to run there.  There were many people watching and cheering, and the college team aid station themes were a lot of fun. We looped through there and then headed back towards the beach for loop two. I was getting that feeling that I needed some fuel and had already taken my Gu at mile 8, so I took one at mile 11.  I knew my pre-race meal experiment was a big fat failure and I will now count on a ginormous burger the night before the Boston Marathon. It was so pretty out! The sun was peeking behind the thin clouds and I could see the birds just swimming along in the waterway. It was nice and calm.

I was getting tired and I got mad that I was getting tired at the half marathon mark. I knew I only had three miles to go, so I channeled the saying on a guy’s shirt I saw that morning, “SUCK IT UP”.  I worried that I would never be able to hold that pace in a hilly marathon, I worried that I would crash and burn, I worried about everything. But I kept going and knew that I could make myself keep going if I had to.  The thing is, I’ve never made myself do that.  It’s a totally new territory for me.  It’s scary, but I’m ready.

I saw mile 16 go by and then saw the exchange tent where I was to give my race bib to my relay partner, Sherman, who stepped in when my sister injured herself and couldn’t run, even when the team name was Twisted Sisters. Heh heh. Anyway, I got the bib unpinned before I got to him so he could put it on his race belt. I detested the thought of a belt, plus it didn’t fit the race number, so I just pinned mine on. No big.

Me and Sherman at the exchange. I do not know why I was laughing but it makes me laugh to see the picture of me laughing when I did not have funny thoughts in my head at the time. It was more like "*^%@#$".

Me and Sherman at the exchange. I do not know why I was laughing but it makes me laugh to see the picture of me laughing when I did not have funny thoughts in my head at the time. It was more like “*^%@#$”.

I stopped my watch at 16.1 miles with 2:09.  I figured that to be around an 8:04 mile, so I was pretty happy with that since it more than met my pace goal. And like I mentioned above, it gave me so many doubts, scary thoughts, and misgivings about being able to run the hilly Boston course at an 8:15 pace, which is what I really want to do. THEN I had to channel my coach who would probably tell me that 1) I didn’t taper and 2) I didn’t carb load and 3) no Negative Nellies. So I stopped whining to myself, turned up my good playlist, and jogged the mile or so back to my car and my warm clothes so I could wait for Sherman at the finish. I thought that I had done good. I learned a little about my pre-marathon meal and what I must do. I learned that I could take a Gu and drink water at an 8:10 pace (even though I did get some up my nose but I just came right back out). I learned that I can push myself and am able to meet my goals.

It started to lightly rain as I headed to the finish line. I felt bad for the full marathoners because no one likes to run a race in the rain. Thankfully, it wasn’t too heavy and ended up stopping.  Thankfully! I met up with my sister and then my boys to watch people finish.  It was great to see fellow team members pace each other, support each other, to see people lining up and cheering finishers. I love running and what it can do for people.

Just past the finish line - full marathon in 3:31:34, 3rd Place Relay Team.

Just past the finish line – full marathon in 3:31:34, 3rd Place Relay Team.

The Twisted Sisters Marathon Relay Team finished in 3rd place in the full marathon with 3:31:34. I would highly suggest this race to anyone who is looking for a PR. It’s flat, fast, and the course is a good one. I’ll be back next year.  I’m not sure in what capacity, but I WILL be back!

Any other Boston runners out there who are just OBSESSED with the race? Yeah, I totally am. It’s almost consuming.  Just over 4 weeks until the Boston Marathon. And I’ll be ready.

Categories: Boston Marathon, marathon, running, training for marathon, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Happy St. PaDDy’s Day

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond
Shirt from the Shamrock 5k in Sioux City, Iowa

Shirt from the Blarney Stone 5k in Sioux City, Iowa

 

This picture is in honor of St. Patrick’s Day or St. Paddy’s Day (not to be confused with St. Patty’s Day – those Irish people get VERY upset if you say Patty’s).  And yes, I’m going to drink some green beer tonight! It was a very busy weekend filled with expo working, running, and then more running.

The Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Relay race recap will be coming in the next day! It was a LONG day, but it ended nicely.

I got frozen yogurt so I didn't have to ration how much Magic Shell I used. Was totally worth it.

I got frozen yogurt so I didn’t have to ration how much Magic Shell I used. Was totally worth it.

 

Categories: Boston Marathon, marathon, running, training for marathon | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Aaaannd the A-holes Are Back

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

On October 9th of 2013, I posted “Shin Splints are A-Holes“.  Well, guess who decided to re-appear lower on the other leg?  Honestly, I’m not 100% sure it’s technically “shin splints”, but I would define shin splints as any injury or something-feeling-like-an-injury, or an ache or pain that can’t be attributed to anything else but “running”.

A week ago Sunday, I felt a strange sensation in a different place on my right leg. I knew I’d had some issues with my shoes fitting right and I figured it was due to some sort of compensation for ill-fitting shoes. Dummy me who put off buying new shoes…. fast forward a few weeks and my sore area is worse and I went 0-4 for new shoes at the running store.  Sorry TrySports, it’s not your fault my feet are as wide as boats barges. Instead of waiting two weeks for them to order me my Asics Nimbus WIDE that I’ve used for years and decided to stay with, I ordered them from the good ole web and voila! Two days later, they lay here all pretty and ready for me to run in.  They feel like clouds…..

Because my method of ignoring a pain to make it go away didn’t work last time, I decided to be pro-active and make an appointment to have my back adjusted and then some active release therapy done on the sore spot. It’s still just sore at this point and I don’t want it to turn into an injury, so I’m doing whatever I need to do for it to heal and well, just go away! The session was good and I will go back again next week. I’m rolling as much as I can, and my doctor even told me to roll with a lacrosse ball. Ouch!! It wasn’t quite the white-hot pain as when he was doing “therapy” on it, but it certainly hurt more than my foam roller. No pain, no gain!

My 16 mile race is Sunday where I will run two legs of the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Relay, hopefully at Boston Marathon pace. The coaches from my running group, Without Limits, are either the directors or deeply involved, plus lots of us from the group are running in it in some fashion.  It’s going to be a blast! The water stations are college sports themed due to it being March Madness, so my husband, a Clemson alum, will be working the Clemson/LSU water station with our boys. So fun!!!

Event tent for the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon

Getting set up for the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon – I’m so excited!!

As for other things this week, I haven’t felt the best.  I felt very sluggish on Tuesdays run, and Wednesdays was better but not normal.  Thursday was a 1500 m swim and it was ok, but not up to my normal performance.  I figured I really need to get serious about nutrition. I don’t know if it’s because I’m nearing the peak of training for the Boston Marathon and I’m just tired, or if I’m not doing something all right. I do well at eating for the most part, but it’s time to step it up and pay a little more attention.

I went to return my shoes and drove right by the finish area for the race pictured above.  Right next to that is a place I have a very hard time being in with a credit card…. Barnes & Noble. I went in and about spend $2000 on all sorts of stuff that I would LOVE to read, but ended up with a new cook book featuring chicken, my favorite meat. I also got Hal Higdon’s 4:09:43.  I was SO FREAKING excited to hear that Hal Higdon will be at the Boston Marathon expo so I will plan my visit there according to his schedule.  I will bring my Hal Higdon’s Marathon book I read and followed so many years ago and 4:09:43 to see if he can sign them. EX-CI-TED.

I'm looking forward to a little more variety.

I’m looking forward to a little more variety. YUM!

Last night was the volunteer dinner for the Wrightsville Beach race as I will be working the expo/packet pickup tonight.  Then on Saturday, my son is running his first 5k.  I don’t know if he or I have more nerves, but I’m thrilled for him to be a part of the race festivities this weekend. Sunday morning, I’ll do my best at keeping in my goal pace range and of course, HAVE FUN!!!!  Let’s just hope the rain stays away!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Categories: Boston Marathon, marathon, running, swimming, training for marathon, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

18 Miles, A Smile, and A Relay

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

Yesterday was my longest run in over a year. Training Peaks (Coach Kristen) said to do 2.5 hours with this after warm-up: 4 x 15 min at 7:50-7:55 pace then 1 minute walk and 9 minutes easy after each; finish strong.   After a week of cold and more rain, it was beautiful out. Here’s my view on the drive to Wrightsville, where my nice long route (complete with a water fountain so I don’t have to carry water) is.

On my way to run. Yes, I pulled over to take this picture.

On my way to run. Yes, I pulled over to take this picture.

I tried grits as a pre-run meal, as opposed to a banana and oatmeal, just to shake it up.  This is the time to try different things, so I figured I might as well. They sort of sat a little heavy, so I think I’ll stick with my normal oatmeal and banana.

I started out at an 8:15 pace and knew I needed to cool it a little or I’d burn up since I’ve been in heavy training mode since the Myrtle Beach 1/2. Well, I didn’t cool it and I was sizzling, almost close to burning up at the end of my 2.5 hours, er, 18 miles.  I was SO close to 18 at 2.5 hours so I went a whole two minutes over to get to that mile mark. I can’t imagine any other runner does that, hmmmm?

During the first half of the run, I was in a happy place. Things were feeling good, but I noticed my Garmin was all over the place. At one point during a pick-up, it read 8:15, but I knew it felt faster. I maintained the pace and all of a sudden, Garmy said I was going 7:40. WTF? Really? Most of the pick-up times averaged 7:30-7:40 instead of the prescribed pace, and I knew I would be EXHAUSTED when I was done, but I kept with it for most of them. I marveled at the fact that some people run marathons at that pace, and they run marathons at much, much faster as well. I just can’t imagine.  I finished as strong as I could, but I did utter a few swear words near the end. I realized my new shoes were going to be too narrow to keep and that I have a new irritation, a spot that’s hard to identify, so I’ll call it the “inside of my Achilles but not really my Achilles but near that and my ankle” spot. Calling doctor to get in for any manual therapy he can do to help the mystery spot. And for an adjustment to be sure I’m running straight. That always helps.

I also noticed there were a lot of GRUMPY people out and I didn’t get it. It was beautiful out, they were at the beach, what is there to be grumpy about?! You may wonder why I knew they were grumpy??? Well, I don’t know how many people I passed who didn’t look at me, didn’t acknowledge my existence, didn’t say one word, blink, stick their tongue out, NOTHING.  It was almost as bad last week. I always at least try to look at people when I pass, say “good mornin'”, smile, or put my hand up a little just to show I see them. Sometimes when I’m at the end of a pickup, all I can muster is a “hmmtpfht” or a smile that probably looks more like I’m trying not to pass gas, but at least I try.  I passed tons of people who didn’t flinch when I said “mornin'”. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.  I even passed someone from my running group, a fellow blogger, who didn’t even look at me, just kept on a going.  What the heck?!

I beg of you, use your runnerly manners and just acknowledge people when you pass. Blink hard at them, say “eh”, put your finger up (even the middle one since then at least that’s some form of communication), SOMETHING. What I started doing was when I passed someone who was a big huge Grinch, I stuck my tongue out and made a sour face after they passed by. It made me laugh and it was my way of getting back at them.  Don’t let that be YOU.

Once I got done running, I stretched in the parking lot and headed home for this:

Starbucks coffee and a 49 degree cool down.

Starbucks coffee and a 49 degree cool down.

I was achy so figured this would help, but then I took a 200 degree shower for three hours. I didn’t hear of a water shortage in my area, so that’s good. I did tons of stretching and have done more again today to work the kinks out. Now I get to go shoe shopping again since both pairs are just too narrow. I’m trying not to freak out because Boston is in SIX WEEKS!!!!

Next week is a big test for me.  I’m running two legs of the Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Relay, which is right around 16 miles, at marathon pace.  I’m nervous based on how I felt yesterday, but I have two days off this week, only one speed workout, and won’t do pick-ups during the race.  My goal will be to keep a steady pace and to feel good when I’m done. This is a pancake flat course, so it will be much, much easier than Boston, so here’s hoping it goes as planned!  I’m working on pre-race fuel to make sure I feel good and don’t have any GI issues like I did in Myrtle.

Happy training!!

Categories: Boston Marathon, marathon, running, training for marathon, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

I Want A Unicorn That Farts Rainbows

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Running Boston and Beyond

Because then I would have a unicorn and I could point it at negative people and shower them with happy unicorn rainbow farts. It would be like that water sprayer I use when the cats get on the counters.

I love this card. I've gotten this card. It makes me smile.

I love this card. I’ve gotten this card. It makes me smile.

I don’t know if it’s the crappy weather that is clinging to us all like dog poo on a shoe, but there’s a negativity halo all over the place. I’m so sick of negativity.  I am desperately clinging to positivity and being happy, and thankfully, it’s working.  It’s like when you pick up a big pile of clothes to be washed, a sock falls out of the pile so you bend over to pick it up, but when you pick it up, a pair of shorts falls out, so then you pick those up and in the process, a different sock falls out, so what do you do?  Do you just keep picking things up, go get a laundry basket to put all the dirty bastard clothes in, or do you just leave a trail of socks and shorts along your route to the washing machine and then make another trip to pick up all the clothes that were jumping suicide out of the original pile?  You can get aggravated about it, or you can just laugh.  I’m choosing to laugh.

I know everyone has one of those whistle-in-your-nose kind of days. I get it.  But enough is enough!  My kids are whining a lot and my dog and cats aren’t getting along. There’s whining, growling, hissing all freaking day. The dog wants out, wants in, wants back out, wants in….. The cats growl when the dog is within one square mile of them.  Well, considering my house isn’t the size of Tori Spelling’s childhood home, my cats are AL-WAYS growling at the dog. The kids.  Oh, the kids. Homework?? You’d think they just started school yesterday.  Cleaning out lunch boxes? You’d think they hadn’t gone to school EVER and knew that it’s time to clean out lunch boxes and do homework when they get home.  And that magical time of evening when those mean parents say, “Time to get ready for bed!”?  You’d think this is the first time EVER that they needed to go to bed before midnight. I mean, after over 4,000 nights and 11 years, you’d think my oldest might actually expect that around close to 8:00 pm, it’s going to be time to get ready for bed. Evidently not and it’s still a surprise, complete with the whole body roll and the UGHTHIGHAAAAA, and the stomping up to get changed and teeth brushed.

Case in point, my youngest son was JUST pretending to whine like the dog and my oldest whined at him not to whine anymore. It. Just. Never. Stops.

Then there’s all the pissing and moaning on the internets. I’ve read so many posts and articles, and that’s fine, but then I start reading the comments…. Oh lawdy, should NOT have done that.  I mean, I’ve never EVER heard so much negativity, probably EVER, since I was a teenager and spent an hour and a bottle of Aussie hair spray on it only to have it fall after five minutes (seriously, the world was coming to an end when that happened). Really, if you go from all the stuff being spewed, we’re all going to die from cancer and live miserably hate filled lives if we don’t do this or don’t do that. You can’t eat eggs because you’re a male chick murderer or you can’t drink milk because WHO DOES THAT or you can’t eat red meat or you can run because it ruins your knees, and well, you’ve heard it.  Basically, we’re all wrong all the time if you listen to some of these people.  And so many people are just mean to other people.

I’ve had a really “interesting” few weeks, which is why I haven’t written in so long. Running shoe shopping became very, um, important since I found this when I forgot to put my dog in her kennel when I went out for two seconds:

Bad dog. Very very bad dog.

Bad dog. Very very bad dog.

Thank goodness these were my secondary running shoes. WERE.  Like the shoe/dog issue above, this is just life. It can get you down. I could tell you everything goofy that happened last week (chasing my cat from under the deck with my dog and having her turn feral and scratching and biting me is one example) , but I think the important part of what I got out of it is how important a good attitude is.  I could’ve had so many things ruin my day and make me grumpy, but I’m choosing to get over it, or laugh about it, or have a beer, or whine to hubby for a few minutes, then be done with it.

So how do I repel the negativity halo?

1) Stop looking at the 10 day forecast.

2) Stop looking at comments and reading articles that appear to be stupid. Chances are they are.

3) Run. I’m so in love with running right now, I want to marry it. But I’m already married and that would be illegal. I’ve just randomly  started crying the past few weeks because I am still reconciling the fact that in just a few short weeks, I’ll be fulfilling a dream in Boston. I’m scared, I’m nervous, I’m excited, I’m honored.

4) Listen to music. Isn’t it amazing what music can do for the mood? I listen to it often and I dance. Yes, I’m the one in the car dancing and singing. Why not? I might also be the one with the finger up my nose trying to get the whistle out of it, but just look the other way.

5) Find cool races to run.  Running Boston and Beyond has just moved past Boston and will be doing something different in July… a mountain race!  The Scream Half Marathon is a race in the Pisgah National Forest with a 2,000 ft descent. I. Can’t. Wait.

6) Keep on keepin’ on. Really, just keeping my head up is important. It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s rainy, I hear whining and complaining all the time. But I’ll just turn on the music and eat my eggs with a side of milk. And smile as I spray all the negativity away with my unicorn.

Anyone else feeling like people have a case of the Monday’s…. on Friday?

Categories: Boston Marathon, marathon, running, training for marathon, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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