...on account of the Manitoba Marathon. Good luck to everyone running and a special shout out to Bob and Andy. Nicole and I will be watching and cheering.
Showing posts with label Marathons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marathons. Show all posts
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Post marathon blues?
So here we are, two weeks after the Trehern marathon. It seems to have gone by slowly. There has been so much information about how to train, the Internet is full of training plans. Although I have found very little info on recovery, and what little I have found is extremely vague. I was happy to hear that there was some info on "post marathon blues". This is something that I have experienced, but never really have heard people talk about. G told me she had found some info on it and I was so happy to think that I wasn't quite as insane as I had previously thought. Apparently this is some thing that has been documented, although not well. It seems that an after race plan is something that helps out in this area, a recovery time and future plans keep you moving through this 'down time'. It is interesting how everyone talks about the 'runners high' and no one really talks about the after effects of achieving a goal and getting to the 'now what?' phase of running.
Running is so varied form one person to another, it is so individual, it keeps us all learning about ourselves and our environment. Each run, training or race, is so different and ever changing that there are a variety of guide lines for how to train for different events, and they later become more narrow per runner, as to what works for that one specific person. There are so many ideas and schools of thought, which keeps it all interesting and I don't think I will ever get board trying new things. Although now, with trying a new distance I find comfort in the thought of something less varied, a training plan I can stick to, something concrete to follow, one that is specific to this new distance. Call it a starting point, a diving board, something to expand on in the future. We are looking at the last marathon as part of our training plan for the next adventure, Vulture Bait 50k. I am currently working in an after plan, especially knowing how I can feel 4-5 days after the high from completing a marathon. Not something I'm liking.
Experimenting with nutrition and distance has taken up a large part of running this year, each long run has brought out new snacks (Jeannie's chocolate cake was a nice touch back in Feb.) new ways to hydrate in different temperatures (water and Gatorade freeze well in -20C). Where are we going to feel exhausted? How far until we need to refuel? How are we going to refuel? We have discovered that the 'long run rounds' are great cookies for spring summer and fall, but get too frozen in the winter. The home-made protein bars are best in winter as they are better frozen, and get too soggy in the spring and summer when it is getting warmer out.
I guess the lesson is to plan what you can, then roll with what ever falls onto your path, and to always keep getting up. As I write this though I see Gail has a way more awesome post... so I'm gonna stop here and take her advice to keep motivated....
See you tomorrow morning.
Nicole
Running is so varied form one person to another, it is so individual, it keeps us all learning about ourselves and our environment. Each run, training or race, is so different and ever changing that there are a variety of guide lines for how to train for different events, and they later become more narrow per runner, as to what works for that one specific person. There are so many ideas and schools of thought, which keeps it all interesting and I don't think I will ever get board trying new things. Although now, with trying a new distance I find comfort in the thought of something less varied, a training plan I can stick to, something concrete to follow, one that is specific to this new distance. Call it a starting point, a diving board, something to expand on in the future. We are looking at the last marathon as part of our training plan for the next adventure, Vulture Bait 50k. I am currently working in an after plan, especially knowing how I can feel 4-5 days after the high from completing a marathon. Not something I'm liking.
Experimenting with nutrition and distance has taken up a large part of running this year, each long run has brought out new snacks (Jeannie's chocolate cake was a nice touch back in Feb.) new ways to hydrate in different temperatures (water and Gatorade freeze well in -20C). Where are we going to feel exhausted? How far until we need to refuel? How are we going to refuel? We have discovered that the 'long run rounds' are great cookies for spring summer and fall, but get too frozen in the winter. The home-made protein bars are best in winter as they are better frozen, and get too soggy in the spring and summer when it is getting warmer out.
I guess the lesson is to plan what you can, then roll with what ever falls onto your path, and to always keep getting up. As I write this though I see Gail has a way more awesome post... so I'm gonna stop here and take her advice to keep motivated....
See you tomorrow morning.
Nicole
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Treherne Marathon
Starting point for full marathoners. Minutes prior to lining up I spotted a runner wearing a shirt with I run to stop the voices in my head written on the back from Queen City Marathon. This gave me a good laugh and thought what a great way to start. This was Bob's first marathon as well, and although we had put ourselves in as good a mental state as possible, nervous energy was just below our calm exterior. This was Nicole's 3rd marathon and she always seems calm on race day and manages to pull off a positive attitude no matter how many miles lay ahead of her.
we passed this volunteer at the first water station. His ghost mask doesn't show clearly but it was very funny and gave us a lift. This was taken near the beginning of the race and my calves were a bit stiff. It took about another mile to loosen them up. I wore my old shoes and put the water shoes in the backpack with the intention of switching over at the last part of the race. That way I can stretch out my toes. The rubber on my running shoes has completely worn off where my foot makes contact and I am now left with running on the sponge part. The more I wear through them, the closer I am to the ground. I am not ready to ditch my shoes completely.
First hill. This photo doesn't capture how steep it actually is. It brought back a memory of when I first ran the Treherne 1/2 some years ago and thought at the time how great it was to get the hill over with at the beginning of the race. HAHAHAHA! This time I was prepared for the MANY hills and decided to walk the incline of most of them to conserve energy. My main goal was to finish as strong as possible and I looked at this as a long run Sunday in preparation for Vulture Bait ( 50K).
Nicole says she is always running behind Bob and I so I took her pic running downhill in front of me. She loves a downhill more than any runner I have ever seen. Usually she speeds by us and then we catch her at the top. Today she ran to the the top of the hills and did a silly happy dance for me, as I did for her in our last race together. By now we have run many miles into a full on prairie wind and it seems there is no end. Even when we finally turn a corner we got hit with a wicked cross wind. I manage to pass Bob at around mile 16 as he was putting on his vibrams while trying to keep his kilt down. He mentioned that at one point it blew up over his head but thankfully there was nobody around to witness the event. Actually , it would have given runners something to talk about for the next couple of miles which is always good to pass the time. A little while later I ducked into a porta pottie and was so scared it was going to blow over with me in it that I high tailed it out of there asap. Bob was not far behind and said he could see it getting knocked around in the wind.
At some point before this sign I saw 2 runners in the distance. I was very happy to see people after many miles of running solo. As I got closer I could see they were younger guys who looked quite fit. One guy was running ahead then coming back to his buddy and seemed to be trying to motivate him. As I got closer I could see his buddy was walking in a pained way and looked to have bonked...or close to it. I ran faster to catch up with them. I have in the past tried to offer food or drink to younger guys who have gone out too fast and now find themselves struggling. They often look indignant that an older women is about to offer help and pass them. This time I was determined not to take no for an answer. As I passed him I said there wasn't much further to go and shoved my bag of M&Ms into his hand so he couldn't refuse. I worried about him until I got to the next water station and told the aides to keep an eye on him. if he wasn't with his buddy I would have stayed with him.
The last 3 miles went by quickly and I was very pleased to have finished strong at 5 hours and 17 minutes ( don't laugh) with nothing more than a few blisters and sore quads.
Bob coming in a few minutes behind me looking strong. he hasn't even been running for a year! Nicole came in shortly after him looking as fresh as she always does.
...and these are my beer fairies (more like party boys). As I was coming in the last few yards to cross the finish line these funny guys turned around, gave me a big smile, and let me pass them. I thought how sweet, but then thought, boys being boys they probably did that because I was wearing a short running skirt???
Lucky for us I parked near them and they treated Bob, Nicole and I to a nice cold one. Now that is perfect way to finish a marathon!
Note: The young man who almost bonked ended up finishing the race after all! We were so happy for him and he thanked me for the M&Ms.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Manitoba Marathon
What a beautiful day Sunday was.
My husband had his knee scoped Friday afternoon, and we weren't sure if he would be able to 'run' after the kids so I held off saying that I would run. As the time drew near I had to confess that I did want to give it a try. I have a great sister-in-law who has a very nice husband who agreed to get up at 5am to give me a ride down to the university so I could be there for 6:15ish. He was here at 5:30am, took me down and then came back to help my husband with the kids. I have a fantastic family!! Of course he then drove back to get me and bring me home, many, many, many hours later.......
I can't believe how nervous I was! Fargo was only a month ago but it seems so unreal that I accomplished a finish, so I thought I should try again. You know, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Besides I think, in my mind, I should have three marathons under my belt before I add another four miles to the equation. So Saturday afternoon as I took the kids out to give my husband some rest I found myself at the Manitoba Marathon Expo signing up for the full marathon. Got a few gels, a couple of energy bars, more info on some energy drinks and other neat things. I was really impressed how kid friendly it was, mine went crazy getting their bingo cards signed, probably a bit too crazy, but it kept them somewhat distracted for me to get information at some of the vendors. Each of the vendors were very nice and accommodating as well, and this is not always the case where children are involved. I was nicely impressed, great job guys!
On my way, a quick stop for coffee and a muffin on the way (part of a bribe payment to entice my brother-in-law to get up so early), a planned drop off at the corner of pembina and bison, and a short walk into the university. Along the way I had a few questions about the vibrams from a couple of ladies who had seen my husband at the polar bear run at the zoo earlier this year. They had seem him barefoot along the run. I hope you ladies running the half had a great run. That went well, then a nervous belly drove me straight to the.... enough said.
Finding the beginning of where I should be.... what, there is no 5:30 marker? alright, I will just keep to the very back! Found another runner with great pink headphones, she was looking for about the same time, I found it encouraging. Saw another pair of KSO Vibrams, actually he found me, and gave me a? I think it was like a hand shake but you put your fists together? I'm feeling really old right now, I'm hoping that before I actually post this I can find out what the greeting was called. Running is so awesome just for the camaraderie alone. It doesn't seem to matter where you are, everyone is so friendly, even if they are racing you. I think it could be just a simple matter that we are all racing ourselves more than the others around us? Doesn't really matter, I don't think I've met a really sour runner yet. Maybe I'm lucky?
Then we started..... wow, what a feeling. Excitement, elation, ....fear of what I've yet gotten myself into, again. In the first two miles I met with a lady who was walking in her vibrams. Nice to see yet another pair out there. She had the light blue camo colored KSO style, and looked happy to be out there. I hope you had a great day.
I must be grateful for living in Manitoba, thankfully we don't have crocodiles here! If mosquitoes were crocodiles.... we would have all lost limbs!! But who really cares when we were able to appreciate the parks we ran through, I don't spend a lot of time in the area of the university, but wow! what great parks we have as a city. I was passed by an acquaintance around mile six, but was not able to keep up, and lost him along the way, I have yet to find out if he ran the full or the half? Maybe I'll find out next week. This is all very exciting!
I was passed by a walker around mile 12. We had a short conversation about the vibrams and rocks on the road. This is the most asked question to date I think. The pebbles are not to bad at all, bigger rocks you will feel. But those are the ones that you just try to step around. It does make you aware of you surroundings as you do need to watch where you are placing your feet along the way, especially with a BARE foot.
Which makes me want to back track the the lady running in total BARE FEET! Way to go!!! This was around mile 9-10. I'm not to the point of going that far, totally bare, yet as I'm still getting blood blister under my toes when I do. That is awesome. I hope you had a beautiful day, as you had a great such a fantastic attitude.
2:35 at the halfway point. That is about my average half time, it's warm, I'm halfway there, maybe I will keep a better pace this time in the last half? Time for a gel? Maybe I'll wait a bit longer.
Mile 15 is around where I was hoping to see Gail (my running partner) who was running leg 4 of the relay. Found her waiting patiently, with her husband and daughters. Kinda neat to see people along the way that you know. I told her that I would need her to come by and give me a bit of a pacer along the way cause I was feeling a bit tired in the legs. Not quite two miles later I had the pleasure of a running partner again, for a short time, as I was not able to hold that pace for very long. That is something I admire greatly about G, she can really pick up her pace for shorter distances and slow it down for the long haul. I have not yet figured out the picking it up for a shorter distance yet, but I'm working on it.
Now there was a very helpful medical aid person on a bike around mile 19-20. Told me a story about his friend being pulled off the course when they had to close the course many, many years ago. I had mentioned it was my second marathon, as it had been her second at the time. Wow, that hadn't occurred to me. So I'm once more grateful for an awesomely fantastic day that was NOT 36 degrees out! Only about 6.2 left to go and again my time is around the 4:15 mark. This is paralleling Fargo's' timing.
Legs are getting heavy! lactic acid eh? Guess I haven't moved the threshold enough yet. Guess I got lots to work on. Trying to not walk too much, just through the water stops. Gel only as the water stops are close by to wash them down with, and it all seems to be working well. I took gel at the 15, 20 and 23 mile marks, trying to boost energy at the end, and of course the scary story of possibly being pulled this close to the end....
It was the same nice guy on a bike who found me, and another couple at the orange station. Thank you so much whoever did that!! Incredible!! We got a nice story about how you can tell when someones brain is overheating, they tend to lean to one side, as if they were about to fall over. He is telling us that this is about the time where we should be replenishing our sugar stores and that the oranges will be a help. I have one gel left and I will keep this useful information for the future. The real thing that scared me here is that I don't usually run very straight at all on a normal day. If you asked my running partner or my husband they would laugh and tell you the same, so here I'm thinking about keeping my eyes on the road and trying not to look to out of it. I'm still not breathing hard at this point, but I think someone added more ankle weights while I was thinking about running in a straight line!
Mile 24. Run into the lady I started beside, I hope you had a great day at this point you looked great. I'm almost there..... mile 25, Gotta love the hair! The volunteer had a great wig afro, did I mention...it was great, along with the good news that we only had a mile to go, and the good news that we had already finished 25 miles! Thanks for the enthusiasm, you made me smile.
Then I seemed like I was on my own, around a corner, see a split, keep to my side, full marathon....another corner, a little while later see someone on the other side and follow.... apparently the wrong side of the road. Not sure how I missed that but I'm at the start area and there isn't much further to go, get on the proper side, find a water station, thanks to the military guys! almost missed another turn, but the stretcher guys know where I want to go and are nice enough to give out the directions. Yes this looks familiar, I did run a half one year out here. See the guy on the bike again and say thank you... all the time thinking "just run straight, just run straight!"
Mile 26. Not far to go.... and my phone rings. What to do, what to do? So I chose to ignore it and think that whoever it is probably wouldn't mind my finishing that last .2 miles before I call them back. Besides, I'm not entirely sure what the etiquette is for answering your phone as you are heading into the stadium on the last leg of a marathon. I'm also praying that it isn't an emergency with the kids. Which gives me the incentive to giver to the end.....
And I finish. Nice. 5:42:34 according to chip time. 2 seconds faster than Fargo. Not sure what to make of that, but I'm not gonna over analyze this too much. (not now anyway)
There is someone asking me how I feel? I feel great! My legs are really heavy, the medal is pretty, the Popsicle is just what I could use! Oh yeah, there's a t-shirt too! Now I'm thinking.... "just keep walking, just keep walking, walking, walking,....." there is a little chant from 'Finding Nemo' stuck in my head here.
Thanks to all the volunteers. You are great! I'm hoping everyone out there had at least as awesome a day as I did. No matter what, we all learn something about ourselves and things from those we have around us, and that makes it all worthwhile.
On another, note I must mention a passage which I found encouraging. It is a very popular verse, Philippians 4:13 "I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]. (amplified version) I like this version.....
Enjoy the week off....... at least a day or two? Have a great one!
Nicole
My husband had his knee scoped Friday afternoon, and we weren't sure if he would be able to 'run' after the kids so I held off saying that I would run. As the time drew near I had to confess that I did want to give it a try. I have a great sister-in-law who has a very nice husband who agreed to get up at 5am to give me a ride down to the university so I could be there for 6:15ish. He was here at 5:30am, took me down and then came back to help my husband with the kids. I have a fantastic family!! Of course he then drove back to get me and bring me home, many, many, many hours later.......
I can't believe how nervous I was! Fargo was only a month ago but it seems so unreal that I accomplished a finish, so I thought I should try again. You know, just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. Besides I think, in my mind, I should have three marathons under my belt before I add another four miles to the equation. So Saturday afternoon as I took the kids out to give my husband some rest I found myself at the Manitoba Marathon Expo signing up for the full marathon. Got a few gels, a couple of energy bars, more info on some energy drinks and other neat things. I was really impressed how kid friendly it was, mine went crazy getting their bingo cards signed, probably a bit too crazy, but it kept them somewhat distracted for me to get information at some of the vendors. Each of the vendors were very nice and accommodating as well, and this is not always the case where children are involved. I was nicely impressed, great job guys!
On my way, a quick stop for coffee and a muffin on the way (part of a bribe payment to entice my brother-in-law to get up so early), a planned drop off at the corner of pembina and bison, and a short walk into the university. Along the way I had a few questions about the vibrams from a couple of ladies who had seen my husband at the polar bear run at the zoo earlier this year. They had seem him barefoot along the run. I hope you ladies running the half had a great run. That went well, then a nervous belly drove me straight to the.... enough said.
Finding the beginning of where I should be.... what, there is no 5:30 marker? alright, I will just keep to the very back! Found another runner with great pink headphones, she was looking for about the same time, I found it encouraging. Saw another pair of KSO Vibrams, actually he found me, and gave me a? I think it was like a hand shake but you put your fists together? I'm feeling really old right now, I'm hoping that before I actually post this I can find out what the greeting was called. Running is so awesome just for the camaraderie alone. It doesn't seem to matter where you are, everyone is so friendly, even if they are racing you. I think it could be just a simple matter that we are all racing ourselves more than the others around us? Doesn't really matter, I don't think I've met a really sour runner yet. Maybe I'm lucky?
Then we started..... wow, what a feeling. Excitement, elation, ....fear of what I've yet gotten myself into, again. In the first two miles I met with a lady who was walking in her vibrams. Nice to see yet another pair out there. She had the light blue camo colored KSO style, and looked happy to be out there. I hope you had a great day.
I must be grateful for living in Manitoba, thankfully we don't have crocodiles here! If mosquitoes were crocodiles.... we would have all lost limbs!! But who really cares when we were able to appreciate the parks we ran through, I don't spend a lot of time in the area of the university, but wow! what great parks we have as a city. I was passed by an acquaintance around mile six, but was not able to keep up, and lost him along the way, I have yet to find out if he ran the full or the half? Maybe I'll find out next week. This is all very exciting!
I was passed by a walker around mile 12. We had a short conversation about the vibrams and rocks on the road. This is the most asked question to date I think. The pebbles are not to bad at all, bigger rocks you will feel. But those are the ones that you just try to step around. It does make you aware of you surroundings as you do need to watch where you are placing your feet along the way, especially with a BARE foot.
Which makes me want to back track the the lady running in total BARE FEET! Way to go!!! This was around mile 9-10. I'm not to the point of going that far, totally bare, yet as I'm still getting blood blister under my toes when I do. That is awesome. I hope you had a beautiful day, as you had a great such a fantastic attitude.
2:35 at the halfway point. That is about my average half time, it's warm, I'm halfway there, maybe I will keep a better pace this time in the last half? Time for a gel? Maybe I'll wait a bit longer.
Mile 15 is around where I was hoping to see Gail (my running partner) who was running leg 4 of the relay. Found her waiting patiently, with her husband and daughters. Kinda neat to see people along the way that you know. I told her that I would need her to come by and give me a bit of a pacer along the way cause I was feeling a bit tired in the legs. Not quite two miles later I had the pleasure of a running partner again, for a short time, as I was not able to hold that pace for very long. That is something I admire greatly about G, she can really pick up her pace for shorter distances and slow it down for the long haul. I have not yet figured out the picking it up for a shorter distance yet, but I'm working on it.
Now there was a very helpful medical aid person on a bike around mile 19-20. Told me a story about his friend being pulled off the course when they had to close the course many, many years ago. I had mentioned it was my second marathon, as it had been her second at the time. Wow, that hadn't occurred to me. So I'm once more grateful for an awesomely fantastic day that was NOT 36 degrees out! Only about 6.2 left to go and again my time is around the 4:15 mark. This is paralleling Fargo's' timing.
Legs are getting heavy! lactic acid eh? Guess I haven't moved the threshold enough yet. Guess I got lots to work on. Trying to not walk too much, just through the water stops. Gel only as the water stops are close by to wash them down with, and it all seems to be working well. I took gel at the 15, 20 and 23 mile marks, trying to boost energy at the end, and of course the scary story of possibly being pulled this close to the end....
It was the same nice guy on a bike who found me, and another couple at the orange station. Thank you so much whoever did that!! Incredible!! We got a nice story about how you can tell when someones brain is overheating, they tend to lean to one side, as if they were about to fall over. He is telling us that this is about the time where we should be replenishing our sugar stores and that the oranges will be a help. I have one gel left and I will keep this useful information for the future. The real thing that scared me here is that I don't usually run very straight at all on a normal day. If you asked my running partner or my husband they would laugh and tell you the same, so here I'm thinking about keeping my eyes on the road and trying not to look to out of it. I'm still not breathing hard at this point, but I think someone added more ankle weights while I was thinking about running in a straight line!
Mile 24. Run into the lady I started beside, I hope you had a great day at this point you looked great. I'm almost there..... mile 25, Gotta love the hair! The volunteer had a great wig afro, did I mention...it was great, along with the good news that we only had a mile to go, and the good news that we had already finished 25 miles! Thanks for the enthusiasm, you made me smile.
Then I seemed like I was on my own, around a corner, see a split, keep to my side, full marathon....another corner, a little while later see someone on the other side and follow.... apparently the wrong side of the road. Not sure how I missed that but I'm at the start area and there isn't much further to go, get on the proper side, find a water station, thanks to the military guys! almost missed another turn, but the stretcher guys know where I want to go and are nice enough to give out the directions. Yes this looks familiar, I did run a half one year out here. See the guy on the bike again and say thank you... all the time thinking "just run straight, just run straight!"
Mile 26. Not far to go.... and my phone rings. What to do, what to do? So I chose to ignore it and think that whoever it is probably wouldn't mind my finishing that last .2 miles before I call them back. Besides, I'm not entirely sure what the etiquette is for answering your phone as you are heading into the stadium on the last leg of a marathon. I'm also praying that it isn't an emergency with the kids. Which gives me the incentive to giver to the end.....
And I finish. Nice. 5:42:34 according to chip time. 2 seconds faster than Fargo. Not sure what to make of that, but I'm not gonna over analyze this too much. (not now anyway)
There is someone asking me how I feel? I feel great! My legs are really heavy, the medal is pretty, the Popsicle is just what I could use! Oh yeah, there's a t-shirt too! Now I'm thinking.... "just keep walking, just keep walking, walking, walking,....." there is a little chant from 'Finding Nemo' stuck in my head here.
Thanks to all the volunteers. You are great! I'm hoping everyone out there had at least as awesome a day as I did. No matter what, we all learn something about ourselves and things from those we have around us, and that makes it all worthwhile.
On another, note I must mention a passage which I found encouraging. It is a very popular verse, Philippians 4:13 "I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]. (amplified version) I like this version.....
Enjoy the week off....... at least a day or two? Have a great one!
Nicole
Monday, May 24, 2010
26.2, Fargo
So this past Saturday was a new measure for me. I was able to finish a 26.2 mile run, with a little walking of course.My first marathon.
Our family trip was a nice weekend away, with a fantastic stay at the Governors Inn in Castletown. Once I had entered the marathon, I couldn't find a hotel anywhere in Fargo so we found this place just 20 miles out of town. Unfortunately all they had at the time was a smoking room, which we took, but asked if there was anyway possible if we could have a non-smoking room that would be great. They had our room switched before we got there! (Thank the Lord!) They also have a great little water park, fantastic for our 3 year old and for our 9 year old. It is a hard mix of ages to satisfy, sometimes the pools are too old (too small with not enough shallow end) for one or both our kids, but this one was just right! Then they even helped us get a better room for a second night when we decided last minute we would stay. As well, they stored our things for us from checking out of room one until the time we checked into room two. All with a smile! The front desk ladies all knew what was going on from shift to shift. I was really impressed.
Now back to the run.
The marathon began at 8 am. The forecast was for sunny and hot, but (after a little prayer, on my end at least) the race began wet! We had a nice rain to start our day and to keep some of the heat from hitting us as we began. I was really glad for the rain, but later found that it may have caused another annoyance for me, but we will get to that. After spending the few days before wondering why I was so nervous, I remembered..... I have never done this before! Then as we began to run, it all seemed to just seep out from my pores and I tried to just enjoy the day.
The first 5 miles were easy, just a nice Sunday type run. Although I noticed that I was out there a bit faster than I was planning, trying to pace myself on race day is so tough. I was keeping up with the 5 hour pace runner (pacer Tom is what he called himself) Thanks Tom! He was very nice and I was sad to let him go at around mile 8 when I realized what I had done by letting myself go out a bit faster than planned. I was wondering how it was that we were running a 10:45-11:15 min mile when we were suppose to be running about an 11:27, later to realize that there would be an eventual slow down.... I will get this figured out!
I was running in my Vibram Five Fingers. Yes! My new VFF'S, the ones I bought the day before. Scheels in Fargo carry them. They were just a touch narrower than the men's pair I have been in, and I was so excited. Next time I will remember to use the glide on my feet as well. A bit of chaffing is what I noticed at this point. A bit of an annoyance and the rain at the beginning of the race probably added greatly to this situation. I almost took off the shoes at this point then thought that I could recover from chaffing just fine, but an infection from stepping on something might be a bit tougher to come back from, and the damage was done at this point anyways. It was only another 18.2 miles to go.
There were so many people out in support of the runners! I am looking forward to being a spectator for my husband next week, just to add to the event here. There were at least 3 live bands along route, drums, cheerleaders, and just so many people from their homes. I don't think there was a single block that did not have supporters on it!! People even came and turned their hoses and sprinklers on so we could keep cool as the sun did come out and there was a nice warm day to carry us though.... I'm not sure just how long the sun was out, as I was just enjoying the whole experience. There was also a nice wind, which I enjoyed to cool me down, although the paper the next day was saying how fast the wind was going (30-40 mph) and I'm glad I was oblivious to that as well.
I was happy to make the half way point in my average time of 2:34. I met a nice man just after this half way point who said he hadn't the time to properly train for his leg of the relay, but as I thought about it I find it interesting that he stopped to walk a bit then caught up a little while later. I have a hard time catching up after I stop to walk. He was very encouraging though as we talked when he told me how fresh I sounded. My response was "scary huh?" And it was scary, I was feeling really great! Halfway through and I had lots left.
Going into this marathon I had little idea what to expect, but the plan was..... run for the first 15 miles, then maybe a walk break every 5 miles or so. I decided the night before that I would also give up the security of my back pack and rely on God providing the water stations when I needed them. (this was really hard!) At the 15 mile marker I felt that maybe I should walk through the water stations while I was drinking. To start up again...... well that was something altogether different. There was something feeling a bit heavy at the bottom of my hips, oh yeah... my legs! So I decided not to do that again if I didn't have to. At mile 17 I had a really short walk while drinking some powerade and water, then got back to moving before I could feel my legs get heavy again. Although they did, I made it to 18.5 before they started to scream at me louder than I could ignore. Not that they were hurting, just really heavy. The thing that really surprised me though was my breathing, I was not huffing and puffing, just had heavy legs. This is where I had to walk quite a bit, made it to the 19 mile marker for a gel, powerade and water station.
With this quick pick me up I made it to mile 20 at 4:11:09! 6.2 left to go.
I met a really nice lady, Cindy, around mile 20 or so and we chatted a bit. This was her 21st marathon! Wow!! She was coming back early from a pulled groin (ouch). She was great company as I really needed to walk, my legs were once again heavy, and I was not able to get them to move much faster than this. Thanks Cindy for the company, it was really inspiring to be able to chat with you along route.
I found it interesting to see the medical drop out at mile 21. I thought that I should see if they had some gauze to wrap my feet in, then I changed my mind, what is done is done. I'll take care of it later, besides, once these shoes come off, there is nothing going back on.
I took it pretty easy until mile 23 where I felt like I should be able to run it in from there, again I was surprised to find my legs with some added weight around mile 24.5.... I figured I only had to get to mile 25 where there would be some more fuel, and there was! This time there were even some really nice juicy oranges! What a treat!
1.2 miles to go. What a great day this has been. I really feel I have been well watched over. I have not been thirsty, hungry, left wanting for anything along the way. A bit of chaffing, but what is a bit of chaffing anyways? Something has to be there to remind me what it's all about. A bit of uncomfortable for the journey, nothing I wasn't able to live with or get over as it is really superficial. Only on the surface, "and this too will pass" comes to mind.
There was a really great end to this for me as I was able to pass through the finish running! Thanks for the down hill there, at the end, as we ran into the Fargodome!
My husband and kids were there to greet me. What an awesome feeling to have such support from my family.
The lessons we learn from these endevours are things that are revealed to us as we are able to digest them. I look forward to remembering and learning from this experience. As well I think I need to check out more about lactate acid threshholds/ anerobic energy/ speed work, and some other things...... and for now I will enjoy the finish.
Nicole
Nicole
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Tiberias Marathon
The husband ( who will be referred to as the B man) hits me up with the idea of going to Israel in January to run the Tiberias marathon. He knows his best chance at convincing me is to plant the marathon seed. It is an out and back where the runners travel alongside Lake Tiberias, known more commonly as the Sea of Galilee. It will be beautiful running weather at that time of year and so I think there
may be a chance of being convinced. A small chance. Why? Because I have some fears....
1. The plane crashing
2. The heart thing ( it's not an issue anymore but still)
3. Losing the B man ( the guy is forever wandering off )
4. Jet lag.
5. Taking an entire day to complete the marathon
6. Not being able to complete the marathon
7. The Syria rocket launcher thing that sometimes happens
8. Car crash
9. Passing out on the course
10. Running below sea level.
11. iPod dieing
12. Me dieing
The You Tube side bar has been added. Type in Tiberias marathon 2009 you can take a peek ....it does look fun.
Gail
may be a chance of being convinced. A small chance. Why? Because I have some fears....
1. The plane crashing
2. The heart thing ( it's not an issue anymore but still)
3. Losing the B man ( the guy is forever wandering off )
4. Jet lag.
5. Taking an entire day to complete the marathon
6. Not being able to complete the marathon
7. The Syria rocket launcher thing that sometimes happens
8. Car crash
9. Passing out on the course
10. Running below sea level.
11. iPod dieing
12. Me dieing
The You Tube side bar has been added. Type in Tiberias marathon 2009 you can take a peek ....it does look fun.
Gail
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
