My first 26.2

I ran my first marathon Saturday - the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. I learned that all the training, all the planning, all the agonizing over every little detail still doesn't guarantee that all will go right. 26.2 is a beast. I learned the only thing that's fully in my control is how hard I try.

I was incredibly nervous in the days leading up to the race. Nervous, but excited and pretty confident that I could finish. Friday night I was so proud when I picked up my number at the expo. 16 weeks of training, long runs in sweltering heat, running in the dark after a long day of work, raising money for Team Carson, and the day was finally here!

I barely slept a wink Friday night, which is typical for me right before a race. Saturday morning, Trea and I walked to the finish line to check our bags and then met up with our training friends at the start. Trea and I always run long miles together, and since this was our first marathon attempt, we agreed to stick together the whole time, even though he's faster. 

We started out with the 4:55 pace group, but I was pretty sure we would fall back from them quickly, which we did. (I swear they were going too fast.) My Garmin kept losing satellite signal, so I wasn't able to monitor my pace at all. I just relied on Trea since his Nike watch was working. The first few miles were exciting because there were several spectators, and we were running through downtown Memphis. We ran by the pyramid and then through the St. Jude campus. When I looked at my splits later, I saw that miles 4 and 5 were about a minute faster than what I should've been running. That was because of all the sweet St. Jude supporters and signs that said things like, "A blister never needed chemo!" We couldn't help but run faster!

As we passed by Rhodes College, I noticed the pace felt too quick for me, so we slowed down. I had some goals in mind, but mainly I just wanted to make sure I could finish. I was feeling really good, and I just knew I would come in somewhere between 5:00 and 5:15, which I would have been thrilled with. But around mile 10, trouble set in. And by trouble, I mean uncontrollable waves of nausea. FAN. TASTIC. 

Somewhere around this point, I decided that I needed to eat something because I thought that would make me feel better, so we slowed to a walk while I tried to choke down half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We had already made two bathroom stops since we failed to synchronize our bladders, and while we were walking, the 5:10 pace group passed us. I was feeling so sick, and the sight of that pace sign bobbing by did not lift my spirits. 

I had been walking quickly through water stops since almost the beginning, and my walk breaks were getting longer and longer. I was having trouble just making it from station to station because I felt so awful. At around mile 12.5, the halfers split off toward the finish, and I almost started to cry because I wanted to follow them. But I still had over halfway to go. The course thinned considerably, there weren't as many spectators as there had been earlier in the day, and my nausea was getting worse and worse. I kept taking walk breaks just to keep from getting sick. 

At mile 17, things got ugly. I ralphed on somebody's lawn...twice. I've never gotten sick on a run before. I've trained up to 20 miles and not had any issues. I was so upset and disappointed. I was upset because I couldn't run, embarrassed to be in such a condition on the side of the road, and even more upset that Trea was watching it happen. After three years of marriage, we still try to be polite and keep private things private, but I suppose the honeymoon's over. And when he said I had to keep running because we still had 9 miles to go, I wanted to cry again. But I didn't. I ran. 

I started getting thirsty and feeling weaker almost immediately, so at mile 18 I diluted some Powerade with water and drank it. At mile 19, I turned into the exorcist and vowed to never drink Powerade or lemon-lime anything ever again. I kept running and walking, and my walks were getting crazy long. I would wait until I could see a water station and run to it, then walk again when I got there. It was terrible. Every time I tried to run, my stomach would cramp so bad that I couldn't stand up straight, so I would have to walk again. I hadn't had any calories or electrolytes since mile 12, so at mile 23, I gave up and decided to walk the rest of the way. I had thought even with all the pit stops and walking that we could still make it around 5:30, but there was no way to do that if I stopped running. Mentally, I had already checked out. My music had been off for a long time, my heart wasn't in it, and I was just plain sad. 16 weeks of working my butt off...for this. 

When we got about half a mile from the finish, we started running again. No way was I going to walk across the finish line, even if I threw up on the medal volunteer. I felt like we had been out on that course for two days.

I finished in 5:56 -- almost an hour longer than what I had hoped for. My aunt, cousin and Carson were the only members of Team Carson that had stayed at the finish line for us, and I was so happy to see them. The rest of the group had run races earlier in the day and spent a long time waiting before giving up. My friends had finished way before me and were cold and ready to head back to their hotel -- as were we -- so we all briefly said our congratulations, snapped some photos and went on our way. 

My cousins, Ginger and Carson

I was so disgusted with the way my day had gone that I didn't even think to get a heat blanket or have someone take our picture at the finish line. I was really looking forward to finally getting one of those space blankets and feeling like a real runner. But I didn't feel like a runner that day. 

When we got back to our hotel, Trea surprised me with this necklace. He worked really hard to find all the charms and had it engraved with 26.2 on one side and Memphis 2011 on the other. I never would've dragged myself to the finish line if Trea hadn't been with me. He's the best running partner and an amazing best friend.

I'm still unhappy with the way things went, and I haven't at all made peace with it. I've hated having to tell the story to everyone I see this week who wants to know all about it, but I'm trying to just focus on the fact that I finished. I didn't finish well, but I finished, and I still got a medal, and I'm still a marathoner. 

I know I tried my best. I ran as much as I could run. I trained as much as I could train. I studied nutrition and hydration tips, and I made sure to stick with what worked for me in training. So I just have to be ok with knowing I did my best, even though on this day, that wasn't enough. 

I'll just have to try harder next time. ;)

All my bags are packed

I'm ready to go...but I'm not leaving on a jet plane. 

Trea and I are hitting the road for Memphis. It's marathon weekend! Tomorrow, I will run my first (possibly my last) 26.2 and I am 100% terrified. The marathon is nothing to sneeze at. It's far. It's hard. If it were easy, more people would do it.

I told Bella how far a marathon is. This is her "Say what?" face.

Looking back on my training, I think I'm as prepared as I can be. No, I didn't follow my plan. Cross training intentions died somewhere in the first few weeks, and speed work followed not long after. I wasn't in good enough shape to get through all the workouts without causing problems with other parts of my life and my health. So I've done what I can do. Will that be enough tomorrow? We'll see. 

As for goals, my first goal is to finish. As long as I finish, I'll be fine. My even-better-than-finishing goal would be to come in at 5:10 or under. There's a 5:10 pace team I'm thinking of joining, and while it would be awesome to finish faster than that, I know deep down that that's the group for me. 

My over-the-moon goal would be to finish in under 5 hours. But let's get real here. When I check my half marathon time and 10 miler times on a race calculator, the result always projects that I'll finish around 5:12 or so. That's my ability level. And if crossing the line in 10 or 15 minutes more means that I don't collapse at mile 22, then who cares? I ran 20 miles in about 3:55, so I just don't think I have excellent chances of finishing in less than 5:00. But that's ok! Because I'll still get a medal! And I will still be a marathoner! 

I will know I've done my best. That's all I can do.

One week

Today was my last long run before the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, and this week, I've been reminded of what it takes to persevere, keep going when you're exhausted and to never give up. I've mentioned before that I'm running for Team Carson, in honor of my cousin who was treated at St. Jude for brain cancer. And this past week, Carson's story was featured on the TODAY Show! He and his family spent the week in New York and had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Check out his video from the show.

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Carson and his parents are such an inspiration. They never gave up, even when it was incredibly difficult, and Carson is with us today because of St. Jude. (If you'd like to make a donation to Team Carson, which goes directly to St. Jude, please visit my St. Jude Heroes fundraising page HERE.) 

So when I'm running my first 26.2 in just six short days, you can bet I'll be thinking of Carson and hoping I can muster a fraction of the strength that he and his family have. As race day looms closer, I'm getting more and more nervous. I just got a new job, and I haven't had much time to run at all the last couple of weeks, so I was even nervous about today's 10 miler. It's the farthest I've run since my 20 mile run two weeks ago...because Trea and I spent last weekend eating bacon instead of running our planned mileage. Ahem.

This morning, we met up with Lori, Alicia, Jennifer and Charles for 10 miles in the freezing cold. The weather was kind of awful, but we were all bundled up, so we had a good, strong run. It was exactly the confidence booster I needed before the big day. I can do this! I think. Probably.



I can't believe we only have a week left -- just six days! -- and then we'll be Memphis bound!

Running for Carson

When I decided I wanted to run a full marathon, people thought I was crazy. At the time, I was fresh off the high of running my first half marathon, and I felt like I could do anything. But 26.2 is serious business. I knew it would be hard, so I was selective about choosing my first race. I wanted a location that would have lots of crowd support, one without massive hills, and ideally, I wanted a race that means something to me. It's my first marathon; it's a big deal. And that's why I chose the St. Jude Memphis Marathon on Dec. 3.

St. Jude is a special place, and I'm thrilled to be able to support such a worthy cause if even just in a small way -- because St. Jude saved my family. My 8-year-old cousin, Carson, was treated there when he was a baby for a rare brain tumor. The medical care there rivals no other, and after months of harsh treatments, surgeries and therapy, Carson made a full recovery. 

 

But you'll notice I said St. Jude saved my family -- not just Carson. While he got the best treatment in the world, his tireless parents and his sweet twin brother had a place to live. They weren't left to find a hotel far away from their child in a city that was already far from their home; they were able to stay on the St. Jude campus with him...and remain the family they were so desperately trying to be. The beautiful thing about St. Jude is that no child is ever turned away for the inability to pay for treatment. So when families are living their worst nightmare, they can focus on the only thing that matters -- making sure their babies get better.

Carson's mom, my cousin Ginger, has been running the St. Jude Half Marathon for several years now as a St. Jude Hero. That means she puts together a team and raises money each year as a way to give back so other kids can have the treatment Carson received.

In fact, several members of my family take part in the weekend races -- in the 5K and family fun run. So when I decided to run a full marathon, I knew I wanted to run for Team Carson. I'm also running as a St. Jude Hero to raise money for the hospital.

I have a fundraising site HERE, and I hope you'll stop by and make a donation. All donations go directly to St. Jude. Every single one of us knows someone who has been impacted by cancer, and when children are the ones who are affected, it's absolutely heartbreaking. So please consider making a donation. Thanks in advance for your support.

18 miles and counting

A lot can happen in 18 miles. On Saturday, Trea and I ran our longest distance ever. 18 big ones. After my bad experience trudging through 16 miles, I did not have high hopes for this run. But it was awesome! I felt strong the entire time and had plenty of energy to get to the end. I still can't believe I ran that far and actually had fun doing it.

We ran a new route that went through places we were somewhat familiar with, but areas where we usually don't run. It was so nice to have a change of scenery. We ran past the city airport and watched planes take off and land, saw about 47 little kid soccer games and were serenaded by a Latino garage band. I almost stopped and loved on some free puppies that were being given away on the side of the road, but I made myself keep going. It was a beautiful, happy day.

I stopped at a gas station around mile 7 to get some ice and refill my water bottle, and we were already starting to get hungry. After about 10.5 miles, we ran past a Popeyes, and I was doing fine, trucking right along...until the smell hit me. Trea and I both smelled fried chicken and biscuits at the same time and just couldn't resist. We were starving and still had quite a ways to go. I had packed Shotbloks and strawberry Newtons to eat along the way, and I had 8 oz. of Accelerade for an extra boost, but all that stuff suddenly seemed pretty nasty compared to hot, buttery biscuits. So we stopped our watches, walked in all stinky and covered in a thick layer of salt and ordered three biscuits and some water. The lady behind the counter was not too excited about touching my debit card, but I didn't let her snobby attitude get me down. People in the restaurant were staring at us, but we were too hungry and exhausted to care. We took off our gear, plopped down at a table and destroyed some biscuits. YUM.

After a few minutes of rest, we topped off our water supplies and headed back out for 7.5 more. The rest of the run was new territory for me, with much of it on bike trails in Rogers, where I never run. It was sunny and breezy and the fall leaves were beautiful. At around mile 15, we made another quick pit stop. We were just getting started again, ready for the home stretch when the unthinkable happened. I was standing there talking to Trea, waiting for the crosswalk to change, and SMACK, I felt a hard thud on my head, like an acorn had fallen out of a tree. But there weren't any trees.

I got pooped on by a bird! Thank goodness I had a hat on, but it was still disgusting. Luckily, I had packed kleenex, so I was able to clean up a little. An hour later, Trea was still laughing at me.

Even with the bird incident, this was still one of my favorite runs so far. Getting through that distance -- and getting through it feeling good and staying strong -- was huge for me. I feel a lot more confident about finishing a marathon now, but at the same time, I'm still nervous about 26.2. Although I didn't get so tired that I had to take walk breaks on this run, I got little breaks at stoplights, crosswalks, bathroom stops and breaks while I consulted my route notes to figure out where to go. I won't get any breaks like that during a race. Pretty sure I won't have a chance to swing by Popeyes either, so nutrition is a big concern for me. I still don't know what to eat that I can carry with me. I can't eat Shotbloks for 5 hours straight. I can't even get through a whole package without feeling sick. They're just too sweet. On my next long run, I'm planning to pack a PB&J and see how that goes. I need to figure out what works for me in race conditions -- without a bunch of stopping and without a piping hot biscuit.

I don't know what to eat, but at least I know what to wear. I got my first pair of real, legit running tights last week!

No more Old Navy yoga pants for this girl! I feel like a real runner now. They look black in the first photo, but they actually have a fun design so I'll look FAST. (Ha!!)

I'm hoping Memphis brings some cold weather on December 3 so I can put these to good use! They're Nike Pro tights with a soft fleecey lining, so I'm hoping they'll keep my legs toasty warm this winter.

Only 31 days till the St. Jude Memphis Marathon, and just 10 days till my first 20-mile run.

I'm ready!!

I am a runner

I run, plan to run, read about running, map out running routes, shop for running gear and stretch my sore legs in an unladylike manner -- ALL the time. I even got a haircut just so I would have a more comfortable ponytail for running.

It's what I do.

I train usually 5 days a week. So, no, I can't go to happy hour with you. I can't go to dinner with the girls (though I still appreciate the invitation!). Why? Because it's Tuesday. I train on Tuesday. It is written in the plan, and so it must be done. Or because I have to get up at stupid-thirty (as That Pink Girl says) for my long Saturday run, which means I can't go out on Friday. I will turn down a burger or a steak the day before a long run because I require more carbs than that. So I can run. This is my life.

Training isn't always fun. It's a hassle. It's hard, and it hurts. It gets in the way of just about everything. It keeps me from wearing high heels. It means early mornings, running so hard I want to throw up and running so slow that I start to think my Garmin is broken when the miles tick by like molasses. It means uncontrollable napping on weekends and drinking gallons of water every day.

These marathons, they don't train for themselves. It's hard work, and I volunteered for it. But on December 3, I will run the streets of Memphis with my friends. I will arrive at the starting line knowing that I've done all I can do to prepare. On race day, I will be able to look back at 16 weeks of exhaustion, frustration, running through heat, humidity, rain and cold...and say I did my best.

Failure is not an option. This is why I train. 

Memphis Marathon Training: Week 2

Let's pretend this post isn't two days late. Let's pretend you read this on Sunday and I'm not totally behind on both blogging and training.

Week 2 wasn't bad, and I was feeling pretty decent about sticking to my training plan until the last few days. Increasing my mileage is really taking a toll on my energy level, and I'm finding it hard to complete all the workouts each week. I feel like I've been fighting off a cold since Friday. If I'm going to make it through this, I'm going to have to get lots more sleep than what I usually make time for. BUT, we all know marathon training is hard; if it was easy, more people would do it. So there will be no whining here. At least not until my runs reach double digits.

Monday
Speed
I ran at the track with Alicia, and had a great speed workout! We ran a slow mile to warm up and then did some half mile repeats. I still haven't figured out how to settle into a pace that's out of my comfort zone and keep it there, so my splits were kind of all over the place. Still a good run though.

3 miles/30 minutes

Tuesday
Cross train
I skipped spin class so I could try out my new bike!

I got a Scott Sub 45 Solution. It's a hybrid/fitness bike, and I love it! It's going to take a while to get comfortable on it, but I think I'll get used to it eventually. It's been years since I've been on a bike, so I'm still trying to remember how to ride. We had a fun evening cruising around on paved bike paths.

7.5 miles

Wednesday
7 Tempo
This tempo run was such a nightmare. I was supposed to run 1 mile easy, 5 miles at marathon pace and finish with the last mile easy. Sadly, none of these miles were easy. Work was crazy last week, so I worked late, which made me go for a run late. Really late. Like pitch black and wearing a headlamp. I wear a headlamp to run in winter, so I didn't think it would be a big deal. News flash: Bugs are attracted to bright lights in the summertime! It was awful. Also, because this run was on a Wednesday and not on a weekend, my brain did not compute that this was about the same length as my weekend long runs have been. On weekend long runs, I make sure to eat before I go and take Sport Beans or ShotBloks to have midway through the run. But because it was Wednesday, my brain thought, eh, it's just a mid-week run. I'll just carry some water.  And so I almost died. And I will add one more complaint...Trea and I ran late enough that spiders were out and building their webs for the evening. There may have been some screaming and cursing and flipping out around mile 6.

7 miles/1:21:00/11:34 avg. pace

Thursday
Cross train (Spin) Rest
Still exhausted from 7 miles of hell, I came home from work and collapsed on the couch.

Friday
Rest

Saturday
9 long
I ran with a group Saturday morning and had so much fun! Lori, Jennifer and Alicia joined me and Trea for 9 miles around Bentonville.

I'm the slowest in the group, and I warned everyone what my pace would be. I was so nervous that they were all going to take off and leave me running by myself. Trea led for the first few miles, and he was extra careful to stick to the pace that I was aiming for. About halfway through the run, the girls sped up a bit and Trea and I hung back. I have bonked on so many runs by burning through my energy too fast, and I really didn't want that to happen that day. I wanted to stick to my pace and make sure I finished my miles. But they gradually got faster and a little faster, and I had to speed up to stay within a reasonable range of them. I was so worried about hitting a wall, but thankfully I never did. I had negative splits the last half of the run and ended up running the whole thing faster than I had run my 7 mile tempo. I felt great and never struggled, even at the end. As long as I listen to my own body and stay aware of my limits, I think running with a group can be a great thing. They all felt better because the slow pace at first helped them finish strong. I felt better too because I had pushed myself and gone faster than I would have if I had been alone.

9.03 miles/1:43:00/11:22 avg. pace

Total running mileage for the week: 19

14 weeks till Memphis!

So here's the plan

Marathon training is ON! Week 1 just ended, and I think it was successfulish, considering how busy work and life have been the last few days. I do other stuff (occasionally) besides run, you know.

So here's the plan. I'm following the Run Less, Run Faster plan for first-time marathon runners. I'll run three days a week and cross train two days a week for 16 weeks leading up to the Dec. 3 St. Jude Memphis Marathon. The idea is that by only running three days, I will be less prone to injury and burnout. However, the cross training part is serious. Without that, I don't think even finishing 26.2 is feasible. The plan calls for one day of speed work, one tempo run and one long run each week. I'll eventually build up to 20 miles (!!!) for my long run. Please put me on your prayer list now.

Here's my pretty pink plan (design inspired by That Pink Girl, of course.) Click to make it bigger. Friday and Sunday will be rest days, and though it seems silly to write down "stretch," I actually need reminders to be kind to my sore muscles.

I'll be posting training summaries at the end of each week because I know you're all just dying to know how all my training runs go, and it will help hold me accountable. So here's my recap for week 1:

Monday
Speed Rest
I took an unplanned rest day because my previous week's running schedule was off, and I did my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday. That means my legs were useless on Monday. Skip a day, and it throws the whole week off kilter. Lesson learned.

Tuesday
Spin Speed
Since I was off a day on my plan, I chose to make up my run rather than attend spin class. In training for a race, I think it's more important to make sure I get my runs in if I have to choose between running and cross training. BTW, excuses stop here. For the most part.
I ran 2 x 1600 (9:33, 9:35) at the track with a half mile warm up and half mile cool down. I cut the speed work 1 mile short because it was late and someone has to cook dinner.

Wednesday
6 tempo 4 miles
This was a very tough run. I was dehydrated and had to walk a lot and cut it short.

4 miles/49:43/12:12 avg. pace

Thursday
2 tempo and Spin
I made up for my Wednesday failure by finishing those remaining 2 miles at target pace in the morning and going to spin class in the evening. Redemption.

2 miles/20:00/10:00 avg. pace
Spin class: 50 minutes

Friday
Rest

Saturday
8 long
This was the hottest, hardest run of my life. 94 degrees in direct sunlight at high noon with a heat index of 104. This one was ugly. But I got it done!

8 miles/1:38:00/12:15 avg. pace

Total mileage for the week: 17

15 weeks till Memphis!!