Marathons+Moderation Guest Post #27

Hello Healthy, Happier Bear Readers! When Ashley asked me to be a guest blogger on her awesome blog, I was ecstatic! I am a newbie blogger (just over 3 months) and really love “meeting” other runners through the virtual world.

My name is Michele and I blog at nycrunningmama. I am the mother of a happy 1-year old boy and wife to my best friend. I have been running for most of my life (in order to stay in shape for the sports I was involved in) but didn’t really fall in love with running until I was deployed to Iraq. Running became my “me” time during each of my deployments – although I was pushing my body, I was resting my mind, so I happily looked forward to my daily runs. You can find out more about me and read my bio on my blog!

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If you would have asked me three years ago about Marathon + Moderation, I would have probably told you that those two words do not go together. I was single, living in an apartment two blocks from Central Park and had no real obligations other than a very flexible job. I was able to run whenever I wanted and for however long I wanted. I was comfortable and happy to log upwards of 60-70 miles/week. Life was good. Most days, I would run however long my body felt like running – 8, 10, 12 miles. I very rarely had anything that required me to cut my run short – so if I chose to extend my run to two hours, I could.

Fast forward to today.

I find myself trying to juggle logging the necessary miles with being a stay-at-home mom, blogging, working on my pre/post-natal exercise specialist certification, cleaning, cooking, and other chores around/for the home. My “free” time is limited. I no longer have the luxury of running whenever and however far I feel like.

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What does this mean?

I am no longer able to waste my time running “empty” miles. Nowadays, each mile has to matter and every run has to have a purpose. Every. Single. One.

I’ve been forced to get smarter with my training. It was a necessity – after my son was born, I realized I was lucky to squeeze in a 30-45 min run a few days a week. Whether it was due to my decision to be an on-demand nursing mother or simply because I couldn’t bear to be away from my son for very long, I no longer had the freedom to just run.

In an ideal world, I would be a sponsored elite runner with no obligations preventing me from running twice a day and logging as many miles as my body permits. But, I have no hopes of running even remotely close to a sub-2:30 anytime soon. So, being smart with my *moderated* miles is key for me.

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These days I hope to run 6x days/week. I have three quality runs that are the essential workouts to my training – speed, tempo, and long runs. The other three runs are recovery/easy days to get more miles in while giving my legs and body a rest. Although it’s a training plan, it’s a flexible one that allows me to easily skip a day and rearrange as necessary. But, at a minimum, I make sure that I complete my three quality runs – they will be the runs that affect my pace during the marathon.

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I am currently logging considerably less miles (about 20-30% less) than I was a few years ago. And despite that, I am actually faster than I was. My goal time for my spring marathon (NJ Marathon) is sub-3:10, almost 12 minutes faster than my previous PR. I’ve dropped close to 20 seconds off my mile PR. And I completed my first ultra in November (Knickerbocker 60k). I am proof that you can lower your mileage and improve your times at the same time.

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Regardless of what constraints you have in your life – child/children, work, time – you CAN train for a marathon without logging an obscene number of miles. The secret is ensuring that every mile (and minute) you run is important – don’t waste them!

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Marathons+Moderation Guest Post #26

Editor’s Note: If you participated in the Home for the Holidays Virtual 10K don’t forget to submit your times here and email me your pictures as we will be choosing winners by December 31st! Also, check out the photo album here!

I’m Melinda, a founding member of the New York Flyers, former member of the Central Park Track Club, and trying to get my groove back. Approaching the 50-year mark—I am 48—I told myself last year that I finally have to complete the big one. Most people have completed a marathon in their first two years of running, according to Running USA. But, here I am after 38 years on the roads…and nothing!

When I used to be a fast runner, I decided to run the New York City Marathon in 1989. My training partner and I were at the start on the upper level of the bridge. Note that the start was arranged completely different from now, as everyone went off at the same time. The women’s start, along with the master’s men, took off from the top center level of the bridge. What the foreign men didn’t realize was that men were prohibited from the first 21 rows of runners and could be disqualified if they passed the elite women before two miles in. Needless to say, the guys didn’t realize that. After Fred Lebow, the founder and late race director of the NYC Marathon, realized that there were men at the front of the women’s start, he began screaming at them through his megaphone and kicking them out. Scared, I turned to my training partner and asked her what was going on, “Fred’s kicking the guys out. They don’t belong here.” I found myself moving up and then realized that I was in the second row—Ingrid Kristiansen was in front of me. Yes, the eventual winner. She crossed the finish line, but not me. I had to drop out with hypothermia at mile 19. The sag wagon was a school bus which followed the course—slow torture watching those who I ran with on their way to completing the race. For me, unfinished business.

Unfinished Business to be Finished was the goal for 2011. I signed up for the NYC Marathon lottery, but didn’t expect to get in after being selected for the NYC Half via lottery. Who gets in to two races in a year via lottery? So, I signed up for Chicago. Lottery Day finally showed up and I wasn’t selected, or was I? The searchable database said “not selected,” so I was relieved I signed up to run in the Windy City. Later that afternoon, a friend wrote on Facebook that he had seen my name on the NYC list. No way! I had already checked. Went back on the database and there I was! Wait, two marathons in one month? Not exactly what I planned for the Year of Unfinished Business!

It gets worse. I was asked to help put on the inaugural Empire State Marathon. No problem. Wait, the race is a week after Chicago? No problem, three marathons in four weeks. How does this relate to moderation?

Planning trips and running distances that you’ve never done before in your life requires moderation. At the age of 48 and having run 38 of those years, you develop a unique sense of what your body can handle and what amount of recovery you need.

Add a twist to the story: while training on the Erie Canal Trail in May, a 2-year old child attached to dysfunctional parents ran in my direction and trying to avoid him, my foot caught a gopher hole and I went flat out. Are you kidding me?! The skin wound was severe and I was not allowed to run for two weeks, but it healed fine (though with resultant war wound scars). As training progressed toward double-marathon month, my patellar tendon flared badly. This is where moderation set in.

My training required me to only run on flat surfaces and limit my mileage. But, how was I going to complete a marathon on limited mileage? I got through the 20, but the 13 mile drop down weekend to follow is where my knee seriously flared up. My physical therapist took me off of long runs and put me on a schedule of shorter base runs with cross training on the weekends. No long runs for five weeks prior to Chicago, but I did get in a two-hour EFX workout. I do not recommend that anyone tries this—worst workout of all-time.

Moderation required me to run only four days a week with scheduled rest days on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. When I was younger, we were always told that running 6-7 days a week was the gold standard. Double workout days were also common. Take it from this 40-something year old woman, training is overrated. Or, is that, “rest is underrated?!” Plan your rest days accordingly.

Here we go! Got to Chicago and the excitement of runners at the expo and folks from Chicagoland was awesome. Seeing the banners up on streetlamps on Michigan Avenue set in, “I am finally doing this!” I promised myself that I would not drop out, no matter what. Moderation in pace was absolutely key, as the race day temperature was supposed to get up to 80 degrees. My mantra for the race was “crossing the finish line is the only option!”

image The start was bounding with excitement and we finally took off. Getting through the first six miles was easy, but the heat was starting to seriously set in. As we exited Lincoln Park, we got blasted. It wasn’t the heat, it was 2 million people from Chicago out to cheer us on. The sound was so loud, it scared the you-know-what out of me!

imageI felt like I was in the Tour de France with folks pushing out onto the street and us having to attempt to pass through. I was angry at first, but people were actually giving out bottles of cold water and Gatorade. I was so psyched. This was about to get better. A woman walked out into the street with a huge bag of ice in her arms. As we saw her, we ran in her direction and ripped it open! I put some under my hat. This woman was a godsend!

The people were so kind and thoughtful. People made it a point of calling out your name. Whole church congregations came out and cheered on loudly. The volunteers were amazing, they not only gave out water, sponges, and ice, they also acted as spectators and cheered you on and called out names. A guy around mile 23 started running with me to help push me toward the finish. Crossing the Finish Line Is the Only Option.image

As I turned right over the bridge at 26 miles, I freaked out. The mass of people at the finish was unbelievable. The last turn toward the finish put visions of entering the Olympic Stadium in my mind. I felt like an Olympic champion! People were about 15-20 rows deep at the finish stands and calling out my name. I finally crossed the finish line!

imageRecovery was easy, but I returned home only to continue work on the Empire. No rest for the weary. We had few volunteers, so a majority of the work was put on my shoulders. Two days after returning home, here I am putting up tables, banners, and moving endless goody bags for runners. I spent 14 hours per day on my feet putting this thing on—more than 2,400 runners from 35 states and six countries. Lots of aggravation and problems, but the runners didn’t notice. Thank goodness. Only one runner sent to hospital and she is fine.

Next stop: NYC Marathon. For two weeks, I contemplated bagging the race. No. This is The Year of Unfinished Business!

I finally made it to New York, but had tremendous anxiety and could not calm down. I couldn’t eat and was scared that I was too exhausted to finish. My non-runner friends and father told me to drop out if I wasn’t “up to it.” This is The Year of Unfinished Business.

The bus traveled from the New York Public Library to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at 6am. My start wasn’t until 10:40am. It was cold and dark, but Dunkin Donuts was giving out coffee and awesome hats to keep us warm.

imageThe four-and-a-half hour wait to the start was brutal. On the bridge, the foreigners were going crazy taking pictures. What I wasn’t expecting, was that this would take place most of the race. The cannon went off. Frank Sinatra was playing on the speaker system and my first experience with a “tourist,” I mean a runner, stopping in front of me happened at the apex of the bridge. I had to dodge him to prevent getting seriously injured. Brooklyn is finally here! The first three water stops revealed disorganization and having to wait for cups to be filled, but I kept going with the flow.

I started feeling it as we got on the 59th Street Bridge. I swear that is the longest and most monotonous bridge I have ever crossed! On First Avenue, my left quad began cramping like crazy. I stopped to stretch it out. Most people ignored me. A woman came over wearing a long fur coat and emotionless, asked me if I was alright. No worries! Crossing the Finish Line is the Only Option! She looked at me like I was nuts.

This began the long road of the run-walk. I had a bad headache, was freezing, and my quad was screaming at me. People kept encouraging me. I started focusing on signs. Anything to get my mind off. I finally made it to The Bronx. One sign still resonates with me, “You are doing what less than 1% of the world’s population has ever accomplished.” I started running consistently again!

Back on the Island of Manhattan, the trek down Fifth Avenue was brutal. Once again, as in Chicago, a guy started running with me to help move me toward the finish. I got into Central Park and knew I would eventually get to Tavern on the Green. But, how long would this journey take?

The last 5K was total breakdown. It didn’t help that I would finish in the dark. Get to the start in the dark. Ran the last couple of miles in the dark. Something is seriously wrong with that. This is a marathon, not an ultra marathon. As I started up West Drive toward the finish, there were still a few holdouts still in the viewing stands. Not what I was hoping for based on my experience at Chicago.

imageUnfinished business was now finished! Volunteers were plentiful at the finish area. Thank you! Someone was there to congratulate me and put a medal around my neck at the finish. He even gave me a hug…I needed that!

I was freezing and dying to get my dry clothes at the UPS truck. But, the crowd was not moving. There was a bottleneck. As I stood there, I started to decompensate and became disoriented. There were medical folks walking up and down the sides of the line. I grabbed onto one. He looked at me and took my arm, “come follow me.”

I was triaged and brought to a cot. This was a mini hospital. Eight people were working on me. Labs were taken and I was given two bags of warmed IV fluids. A physical therapist worked on my quad and foot cramping. I started to feel better, but still couldn’t eat or drink on my own. As I looked around the tent, the other cots were being removed and I realized that I was closing down this tent. I had been there almost three hours. I asked her how many runners they treated in that one tent—“1,500 and a few were sent to hospital with chest pain. We didn’t expect this many at our tent. Usually, the last tent gets slammed.” I didn’t feel so bad after all. There were others also having issues. Thankfully, there were no deaths.

Two hours later, I was in a restaurant having dinner and thought “two hours ago I couldn’t have imagined walking on my own, medal around my neck, and eating out.”

For the second time in a month, I have Crossed the Finish Line. The Year of Unfinished Business is now finished!

Next stop: Rock ‘n Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon. The madness never stops. I love it. My moderation: running half marathons. This will be No. 14.

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Marathons+Moderation Guest Post #25

Hi all!  I am Stephanie and I blog at Run for Fun!  When Ashley offered me the opportunity to do a guest post on her blog on Marathons and Moderation, I could not pass it up.  First, Ashley has the cutest blog and is super sweet.  Second, I could not in any way pass up an opportunity to write on my favorite topic of all…MARATHONS! I am excited to get to know all of you and I hope this post helps some of you.  Feel free to comment and check out my blog too, I love hearing from readers and getting to know everyone. I am also currently doing a Sweepstakes (usually referred to as a giveaway) for Skin Sake – an anti-chafe, blister healing cream – so be sure to check it out (shameless plug, sorry). Anyway, back to the important stuff – Marathons.

When Ashley mentioned she focuses her guest post series on Marathons and Moderation, I immediately thought of Taper Crazies.  I tried to think of something else to blog about, but honestly I just kept coming back to Taper Crazies so I figured I would just go for it.  Why not? Taper crazies get to the best enough of us, so why not talk about some type of moderation with Taper Crazies. So here we go:

In October of this year, I completed my first marathon, Marine Corps. 

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There I am running a marathon. I am really excited. Yay marathons!

So while I am no expert, by any means, I can tell you what I know.  Originally, I thought Taper Crazies were a myth.  I figured that I would be different.  My general training schedule is different than most runners as I run less miles than others. So I figured that I would not be bothered by the Craziness that is Taper Crazies.  Well, boy was I WRONG.  I should have known better.  Of course, I was going to freak out – I mean I was attempting to run this 26.2 endurance event that I had essentially been training for over the past three years.

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Here is the hubby and I. He already knows I am kind of crazy, notice the shirt? It is his official race shirt, which will be on sale in dri-fit for both men (and women versions too) really soon on my blog!

Crazies came in the form of phantom pains, nightmares, lack of sleep, random worries, over-packing, and obsession about blisters, side cramps, and the like.  My biggest worry was not that I had not gotten in enough miles or run enough, but rather that I had not had enough time to train for all the other things that you need to train for – how much to eat, when & how to get enough fluids, how to deal with side cramps, and what to do about these nagging blisters.

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Here I am acting all calm.

I would like to tell you I was cool, calm and collected about all these things.  But, as my husband can attest, that would be a flat out lie!  So I just worried, and…uh worried some more.  Because when you don’t have miles and miles to run, all your energy has to be put towards something else, right?  So why not worry?

In the end, my worries were for nothing.  My first marathon, in my mind, ranks pretty high up there as one of the best days of my life, you know up there with weddings and fun stuff like that.

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Weddings or marathons? You decide…

The race was amazing and wonderful!  Everything I was worried about seemed to melt away as I entered a strange marathon zone.  While in this zone, I knew exactly what I had to do.  Everything seemed to click from negative splitting to eating granola bars to drinking at all times.  The blister I had worried about did not appear and the side cramps and ankle pain that I stressed over, while they tried to make an appearance, I was not having it.  This was MY day and no one or thing was stealing it from me.

Now, I am not saying that it is always going to turn out perfectly for me or for anyone.  And I can’t promise that next time around (because there will be a next time) I won’t worry myself sick again, but I am going to try and practice what I preach now and that is Moderation in the form of Taper Crazies.

Don’t Let Taper Crazies Get You Down

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Taper Crazies make me a sad runner…

Ultimately, it is normal and a right of passage to go through Taper Crazies.   Runners expect it, they know it is coming and I don’t think you can steer clear of such a process even if you are a seasoned runner. However, you can give yourself a break from these crazies.  And I did try to do just that and I will try my hardest to do it again next time around.  So here are just a few thoughts:

Tips on Taming Taper Crazies

5) Trust Your Training – I know people all say this, but it is totally true. You have put in the time and the effort.  You have practiced, you have worked hard.  It is easy during taper to feel you have not done enough, but you have!! Trust this.  You may worry a bit that you have not but then look back over your training plan and realize you have done a ton and let it go!

4) Watch Motivational Movies & Relax – all week leading up to MCM, I tried to relax and watch fun related marathon movies.  I told everyone that I could not take in any extra projects.  I canceled any extra plans.  I spent my nights on the couch catching up with all the running favorite inspiration movies…Hood to Coast, Glee you know how it is 😉

3)  Support Person – When I took the bar exam in two states, someone told me bring a support person.  Someone who is going to just be there for you!  Same applied to my marathon and I actually cheated and had two wonderful support people.  They kept me calm.  They made me dinner the night before the marathon.  They held all of my stuff the day of the marathon. They were my very own pit crew and I could not do it without them.

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My two favorite guys- thank you!!

2) Rock Your Mantras – When taper crazies got the best of me, I remembered my mantras.  Sounds silly, but I promise they really work.  I think my favorite for MCM was – "I am not talking to you."  Sounds strange, but this worked. Mainly anytime anything bothered me, I just told it (whether it be my ankle, my stomach, whatever) that I was not talking to it, that today was my day and they were not going to ruin it.  No siree.

1)Have a Blast – Ok, this may sound lame but it is really important.  This is YOUR day. You have trained and worked hard. I know it is difficult not to get caught up in Taper Crazies or worry yourself sick but take a step back and take a deep breath and realize you are about to run a marathon.  You will start and you will finish I promise. And even if for some reason you can’t, there is always next time.  So put aside the worries and just rock it. It is your day 🙂

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And after you will enjoy this – Marathon Ice-cream, the best kind there is!

So that is it for now.  My solutions to moderating and meandering around the Taper Crazies.  Thanks for listening and I hope to get to know all of you soon!

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