Moving back to school and Philly Rock n Roll Half Marathon

Training for the Marine Corps Marathon has been going pretty well. My ITBS *knock on wood* has been not as painful. I've been pretty diligent about about rolling it out after my runs, so I am happy that my hard work of building up a base hasn't gone to waste.

I got in an 18 miler two weekends ago and a 20 miler this past Saturday. They both went really well , surprisingly well. The biggest change from training from my ultra to my half and full marathon is speed and the lack of my walk breaks. This sounds pretty stupidly obvious, but golly, the change is pretty crazy. I will say I think I have been able to transition pretty well, even with four weeks off due to my ITBS. I have been training well and putting in some solid miles, but at some point, there's other stuff that comes into the equation. I've gotten my hopes up that I can finally break 4 hours for the marathon, but I have to realize that although I have a good distance and endurance base, I am running much faster than I have in a long time. I have been able to run the miles faster, but I wish I was just a smidge faster as I feel like I am just where I need to be to break 4 hours, without much wiggle room.

Friday, I move back to school (Drexel University in Philadelphia) and finish up my degree in Marketing. Friday night starts the beginning of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement in the Jewish religion. This requires fasting of all foods and beverages for 25 hours. You're probably wondering why this matters in a running blog, but this will affect me as I plan to run the Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon on Sunday. This means I fast starting Friday night and can then eat and drink again Saturday night, the night before the race. I am a bit nervous about not drinking at all the day before the race, but I'll make sure to hydrate a lot this week and have a very nutritious meal the night before.

Can't wait to see how my ultra training will affect my racing abilities for shorter races. I'll make sure to post a race report after I finish!

Kicking back into gear...with my new gear!

Got in my longest run in since my 24 hour race in a 14 mile run with the Road Runners club. I went to do it at 9:40 min/mile pace, but the coach for that group went to help another one, so we were with the 10 min/mile group. It was good to keep it slow for my first run back and it felt great! I'm really happy that my IT band didn't cause me issues, though my right hamstring is still tight, even months after my 24 hour race.

Okay, on to the main point of this post. Since I can probably remember, once I found out about Garmin watches, I've wanted one like nothing other. To be able to constantly check your pace, distance, and other fun facts. For someone who hates numbers and analyzing them, I am kind of obsessed with data and analyzing it when it comes to things I love like running. I have been keeping an Excel spreadsheet documenting each run I do with distance, time, pace, and the weather. It might be a bit obsessive, but it's nice to look back on.

When my new watch finally started acting up (it was $30 at the Nike outlet, so not a huge investment, but still annoying), I decided I might as well go for it. I got it with the heart rate monitor for a fab price at Amazon and it arrived yesterday! I was too busy to run yesterday, so I did my first run with it today. I did a 4 mile run, with one as a warm-up and the last 3 at tempo pace. I haven't done a tempo run in probably 8 months and I haven't done a speed workout in 3+ months, so I was a bit nervous. It went went well! I did the warm-up in 9:08, the second mile in 8:18, third in 8:35, and fourth in 8:17. I was supposed to aim for around 8:30 min/mile, so I'm pleased.

I'm still learning how to use the watch, but so far, so good. :-) I'm going to attempt an 18 miler this weekend, so I can't wait to use it then. I will be heading to Rehoboth Beach, DE for Labor Day weekend, so my runs will be there. Since I don't know the distances of my routes there so well, my new gadget will come in handy. Can't wait! :-)

And I'm back...let's hope for good

Okay, so I haven't posted in forever because I have been doing physical therapy for the past 4 weeks for my ITBS. Without running, I have not really had motivation to exercise. I have mentally tied exercise with running so that when I'm not running, I have no desire to exercise. If I was at school, I would at least have exercise classes at the gym to go to, but here at home in MD with no gym, I am not able to push myself to do anything but run. With that said, I have been very good to rest up when I should with my ITBS and did not push myself when I needed to. This is good for my running and health in general, but not so great for my training. I totally forgot that my school's track club registered me for the Philadelphia Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon for September 19th. Whoooops. With now less than 4 weeks, I know I won't PR, but I'd like to at least be within 5 minutes of my PR.

After that, I have to then decide if I can do the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween. To be honest, I do not want to do it if I do not think I can PR. My goal is to break 4 hours and my PR (three years ago) was 4:01 and this past fall, I ran one in 4:02, so it's doable, at least before my injury. I am really afraid I won't be able to run it in my goal time, so I have to wait the next few weeks to decide what I will do.

For now, I have to feel happy that I ran 7.25 miles today at MP + 11 seconds on average. For that, I am ecstatic and feel like a million bucks. Let's hope this can keep up....

ITBS can really eat rocks

Now that my 24 hour race is over, I'm in this weird place right now. I am feeling like a break would be great, but am stressed about starting training for the Marine Corps Marathon. The week after the race, I only got in 4 miles, but I was fine with that. This past Tuesday, I got in my normal 7.25 miles with my local Road Runners club. I run them at about 9:30-9:45/mile pace (for which I am going to need to speed up for my marathon training). My knee starte to bother me a bit, but it just felt like my normal runner's knee flare up. I woke up Wednesday with my knee really hurting me, which felt weird. My hip also started to hurt, so I immediately thought I had ITBS. A Wednesday night visit to my PT uncle confirmed it. Sometimes if I walk too much (especially in unsupportive shoes), my knee and hip really hurt. It's really frustrating because I am already sidelined from training for my marathon plan, which should be starting in a week. I have a large mile base from my ultra training, but in order to break 4 hours for my marathon, I really need to get my miles to be faster. I am not running at all because I am trying to let it heal as much as possible, but it is getting so frustrating.

Okay, rant over. My mother finally uploaded her pictures from my race, so I figured I'd upload some of them.

The fam before my race.

That's me on the left waving as the race starts.

This is me at the end of the race, covered in sweat, dirt, and happy tears. 

It's all built up to this...

Okay, this is a seriously long race report, but after I ran for 19+ hours, I think a long report is due.

Ah, where to begin? The week of the race, I really was not getting enough sleep. It was a combination of nerves and just not being diligent about when I went to bed. Friday, I packed and my family and I headed to Philly. I went, checked into the hotel, and picked up my race packet (which included getting weighed in, as well as getting my blood pressure and temperature checked). Afterwards, my mom, dad, brother, and I headed Marathon Grill. I had the best roast turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans slathered in butter, salt, and pepper, and a cranberry bread pudding. It was the perfect pre-race meal in that it had protein, carbs, and some yummy fat. J Went back to the hotel and went to bed at 10 pm. I didn’t sleep well, but I still got more sleep than earlier in the week.

At 7 am, I had to get up, get dressed, and head to the race location to get a spot. We ended up being able to set up our tent right next to the course. I ate some Pop-Tarts, attended the pre-race meeting, met up with another fellow Drexel Track club member who was doing it, and got myself ready. Before I knew it, the gun went off and we were starting! I was worried because I woke up tired and that didn’t seem like a good start for a 24-hour race. The heat was seriously oppressive and it was only 10 am.

The first loop (8.4 miles long) went by really well, though I realized my miles were a bit slower due to the heat and the time it took me to refill my water bottle and get food at the aid stations. I didn’t see the food at the aid stations for most of the first loop (it was usually kind of at ends of tables where I was focused more on the drinks in the middle…silly me), so I was pretty hungry after the first loop. I took me a few hours to kind of get my eating right, which was pretty annoying. The food at the race was not nearly as good as the Mind the Ducks 12 hour race and in just a few short hours, none of it looked appetizing.

 

I had a great plan where I called my mom with 1 mile to go (I ran with my phone in my belt) and told her what to have ready for me. This allowed me to run in, get what I needed, and head back out in a minute or two.

Loop 2 went okay, but the heat was starting to really affect me. When I finished it, I wondered how I was really going to make it through the whole race. I was also getting really bored. I had my iPod stocked with music, but I was already so bored. Luckily, 3 miles into Loop 3, I met a guy who I ended up running most of my race with. His name was Glenn and he was doing his second 20in24 Lone Ranger Ultra. He had completed 84 miles last year and was going for 100 miles this year.

With Glenn, I ran the rest of my 3^rd loop and we only separated in the 8^th loop. With all that time together, we talked about everything and anything; we even had a debate about religion! He was a really nice guy who had been running for a long time, so I was great to run with a vet and learn from his experiences.

I had some friends come by me during my race and it was so amazing to see them all support me. I also had some friends volunteer to pace with me during the run. This started at the 6^th lap. Kristin, a girl in my co-ed honors fraternity, was my first pacer. She had never run more than a 5k, but quickly volunteered to pace my 8.4 miles. She did great! The most memorable time in our loop was when it got dark in the loop, I looked to see the moonlight on the river and said, “Wow, the moonlight on the ocean looks so beautiful.” Glenn and Kristin would NOT let me live this down. :-\

Another one of my brothers from my co-ed frat, Neal, came to my rescue as my 7^th loop pacer. Around this time, 12 hours in, I started feeling so nauseous. It was dark and I was using my headlamp, which made me feel motion sick. I think my stomach was also revolting from all the physical strain I was putting it under. I felt so sick at this point and wondered if I could keep going. Neal was fabulous in that he kept me thinking positive and got me talking about anything and everything so I was distracted. I really thought that might be my last lap because I felt so terrible, but I knew I wanted to do at least 2 more loops to run at least 70 miles. Glenn also told me that I was not allowed to think negatively, so once I had those two cheering me up and some Maalox in my belly, I felt amazing. The best part of this lap was turning the corner to the last ¼ of a mile to see 10+ of my fraternity brothers screaming, cheering, and dancing for me. I actually stopped and started to tear up. My friends are so supportive of my crazy running and seeing a huge group at the turn made me just melt.

 

For my 8^th lap, I had a very special pacer, my younger brother, Joey. I got him (I should say, strongly convinced) him to run high school cross country my senior year and his freshman year. He hated it so much that year, but he slowly started to enjoy it and by the end of the season, he was hooked. He ran all 4 years and ended up captain of the team, just like I had done my senior year.  He hasn’t run much since he graduated, but when I asked if he would want to run a loop with me, he was actually totally game to do it. In a lot of ways, we’re opposites in that I am obnoxious and never shut up, while he’s much quieter and more reserved. I was worried that maybe we would run out of things to talk about, but he was great! Glenn was slowing down, so Joey and I pushed ahead. He was extremely positive and made me not think too much of how much pain I was in. I am lucky to have a great brother who helped me through a tough time.

After the troubles of the 7^th loop, and when I finally caught my second wind, I knew I would make it to at least 9 loops. I originally aimed for 10, but I knew that I physically could not do it. My awesome mother/Sherpa convinced my friend Maddie, who had done the Midnight Run (they had a run at midnight that was one loop long), to do my last loop with me. She got her friend Steve, also a Midnight Run participant, to join us. My nausea never fully went away and it definitely came back during this last loop. Maalox was seriously my hero this race.  The loop was slow slow slow, but at that point, I was just enjoying that I was almost done and that the sun was beginning to rise.

As I was able to sprint the last little stretch of the race, I just felt this immense sense of accomplishment. I cried briefly after my 12 hour race. It just is such an emotional overload and the culmination of so much work and effort. The same thing happened with this 24 hour. I just broke down in tears because I was so emotionally overloaded (and so exhausted!). I was proud of myself for covering so much, disappointed I didn’t reach my goal of 80+ miles, relieved the race was finally over, and a bit sad that this big event I had built up so much to do was over with.

Overall, I think I’m sad that it’s all over. I will be happy to have a brief break in training for at lest a few weeks before Marine Corps Marathon training, but I am a bit saddened that my big race is over. I guess this just means I have to plan another one…

Stats:

Time-19 hours, 16 minutes, 26 seconds

Distance- 76.1 miles

Place- Overall: 43/208, Female Overall: 10/68

Frankie Says Relax!....and to taper

It's t-minus 4.5 days until my 24 hour race and I am officially in taper mode. The more and more I think about the race, the more my stomach does flips. I had a successful 16 miler yesterday and now I just have to relax. Weather permitting, I'll get in 7.25 miles tomorrow and around 4 miles on Wednesday. After that, it's resting Thursday and Friday. Friday, my family and I will be driving up to Philly, checking into the hotel, picking up my race packet, enjoying a $15 3-couse meal at Marathon Grill, then sleeeeeeeep. Don't worry, I won't eat too much. It'll just be a salad, lasagne, and some chocolate mousse. That'll be carby and not too filling (hopefully).

I get a lot of flack from non-runners who say my running is not good for me. They say I'll end up in a wheelchair and I'm being stupid with how I treat my body. I really hate this. I mean, REALLY hate this. If people know me, I am someone who researches the hell out of things. I have researched the heck out of what I am doing and have purposefully chosen to be more conservative with my training (at least in comparison to the people who run 80-100 miles a week). When I hurt, I stop and relax. When it's too hot, I slow down and drink more. Overall, I'm pretty cautious as I train for this ultra. When people harass me about my running, I always tell them I could be doing drugs instead, which would be 10x worse. In order to commemorate my sentiments, my awesome mother/sherpa had a shirt made for me. There I am, pre-16 miler, in my spiffy new shirt. It also feels awesome to run in! Most people won't get it, but those who get it so far have really found it hilarious. My mother is so awesome for having not only thought to make this shirt, but to have actually purchased it for me for my race. I love it so much!
Alright, it's bed time for me. I may or may not update before my race, but if not, let's hope the race goes well!

Whew, a long run that went well!

I cannot tell you how great it feels to finally have a long run without serious issues. Mind you, the run was still super difficult since I had tight hamstrings and it was 100 degrees out, but I survived my 30 miler!!! The sherpa and I got out around 9:30 am (a bit later than planned) and everything was going well. With it being so hot, I was drinking a ton, but that was good. I brought some watered down coconut water with me, so that was a nice change from straight up water every once in a while. Around the halfway point, my mother pointed out that I only had one more electrolyte pill (with 3 hours still to go). When I was ready for the last pill, about 4.5 hours in, my mother realized she dropped it somewhere. It was an accident that anyone could have made, so I was not upset at her, but it did put me in a mental funk. I was drinking more coconut water, which has potassium and tried to eat more salty things to keep some sodium in my system.

I had been running the miles about 12-15 seconds slower than normal, but with the 100 degree heat, I just went the pace my body felt comfortable at and did not freak out about it. Once I had 6 miles left, I really started to feel exhausted. With no electrolyte pills in my system and the heat, I just felt like my body was done with the running. I pushed through and finished, but man, I was exhauuuuuuuuuuusted when I finished. I finished literally soaking wet and had dirt all over my legs, but I felt accomplished. This is my last really long run before my 24 hour race and I am so happy it was not demoralizing like my last three long runs.