Nationwide Insurance Columbus Marathon 2011

Distance: 26.2 miles

Finishers: 4743 (2856 men, 1877 women)

Average Time: 4:19:28

My official finish time: 6:02:59

Average pace: 13:52

Overall place: 4563 out of 4743

Gender place: 1775 out of 1887

I have officially completed my first  marathon! I have to say that I am very happy with my results. I have no major or minor injuries. I didn’t get sick during the course and didn’t get cramps. The most important thing was that I did not have to use the Port-a-John. THANK GOD!!

I really wanted to finish in 5 hours, but I decided the day before the race to be realistic about how hard I should push myself.  I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed the run.  I will push harder next time to get under 6 hours.

The race was fun and I would recommend any first timers or long distance runners to try it. The event was very organized.  The website provides tons of information on what to expect before, during, and after the race. The course it relatively flat. Each person can interpret that statement a different way. Since I live in the mountains with elevation 2000 to 25oo feet above sea level, I can say that this course was FLAT.  770 to 795 elevation level was nothing on my legs. I think that was the reason why I lasted as long as I did. I started to feel the lack of energy around mile 22 and then it hit full force around mile 23.  Every 3 miles, I would eat a Shot Block chew to regain some of the simple sugars I lost.

There is water and Gatorade stations around every mile marker. Cliff shots stations are at mile 7 and 15.  The volunteers are helpful and are constantly cheering for you. There were bands playing music throughout the entire course.

The crowd was amazing. I don’t think I would have gotten through the last 3 miles without then. They acknowledge you by name and motivate you to keep pushing through. They’re were not the type of crowd that yells at you that you can do better. They’re the ones that envy runners and wish they could be out there with us.

My knees are lower back are not happy with me at the moment and my feet have swelled a little. That’s what I call normal wear and tear and ice baths are great to sooth the pain. I know I’ve complained about marathon training in some of my past blogs, but I understand now that crossing the finish line was so worth it!

Marathon Bound!

I’m packing up and getting ready to head to Ohio. I’m excited at the moment, but I know there’s going to be a moment when I say ‘What in the world did I get myself into?’. That will probably happen at the start line.

Columbus, Ohio is about 8.5 hours from Franklin, NC so I’m in for a nice mini road trip. I plan to visit some friend tomorrow night in Tennessee and leave early Saturday morning to drive the rest of the way.

Let the fun begin!

Overtraining – Time to check myself

I was reading an article in Runner’s World magazine and I now realize why I’ve been slacking off  in miles. I’ve been over-training. I thought I got over this when I started running three years ago. Old habits die hard.

I remember days before the Asheville Citizen-Times half marathon, I pushed my body to the extreme. I did 30 to 60 minute of cardio workouts in the morning and ran 5 to 7 miles in the afternoon.  So it makes perfect sense now why my body just shut down.

According to the article, “early signs of over-training include loss of energy and frequent fatigue. Also, the legs may feel heavy and tired even after a day off.” I remember trying to run three days after the race and my legs felt like logs. Talk about being a pegged-leg pirate. I couldn’t get my legs to move!

Some other symptoms are anxiety and irritability. The most extreme case of over-training is when a runner goes through all the symptoms and winds up sick or even depressed. I don’t think I’ve pushed it that far. I haven’t put in hard miles in two weeks! To me, that alone is depressing. All summer, I’ve worked so hard to get my body adjusted to the heat and long miles. Now it’s fall and I’m feel like a couch potato.

Only 15 days remain before the Nationwide Marathon. Will I be ready? No, but is anyone ever ready?

Almost back to Normal

I’m starting to feel normal again. I ran/walked around 3 miles on Monday and ran a 5k on the treadmill today. I’m still going to the doctor first thing next week. I’m not taking any chances. I was reading another runner’s blog this week and I will have to agree with him that training for a marathon takes up you life. I don’t understand how people can have a full-time job, be a parent, and manage to find time to run 5 to 10 miles every other day. I can barely make time to run 6 miles in one day and I’m single!

If I get through this marathon in two weeks, it will probably be the last major race of the year.  Training for a marathon takes too much time and somehow it takes the fun out of running. I think I’ll still with half marathons after this one. I did find some running partners to do long runs with and that is exciting. Let me get through the next two to three weeks and I can have a life again!

Trusting my instincts

Something is not right. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t been the same since the half-marathon last week. I haven’t run all week because I felt pain by my right shin. That last thing I wanted was a shin splint weeks before the marathon.

I was visiting my best friend this weekend to celebrate her birthday when I realized my stomach was swelling. I forgot to bring my blood pressure medicine with me. Crap. My stomach’s never swelled before in this way.  When I got home and checked my weight, I went from 174 to 184 pounds…IN TWO DAYS. I did eat some high calorie food, but it wasn’t like I ate a tub of butter. Usually I would gain 3 or 4 pounds and I would run it off the next day.

I’m hoping that taking the BP medicine will reduce the swelling so I can start running again.  I’m going to give it a few days. I’m trusting my instincts this time and will not wait until it’s too late.

2011 Asheville Citizen-Times Half Marathon Results

Official time – 2:25:23

Ranking – 1056 out of 1254

2010 official time – 2:25:06

2010 ranking – 1002 out of 1285

It seems like I get slower and slower every year. However, I do feel the endurance building within me. I don’t worry about my time going into this race because it’s not a race where you set your PR. It’s a race that challenges your body and mind. That’s why I do it every year. This year, my goal was to get through mile 9 and 10 without walking and I did it.

Mile 1 and 2 – These were ok, but I didn’t feel the excitement and adrenaline rush that everyone else felt. I got through them at and 10:52 pace and that’s  where I wanted to me.

Mile 3 and 4 – I got through the first big hill. I knew it was coming. I could see people starting to walk because they couldn’t win the fight with gravity. I wasn’t going for that. I turned up the music, put on my A-game face and pushed my way to the top.

Miles 5 – 8 – There were slight bumps in the road in one major hill, but most of it was downhill. By this time, I was starting to feel the runner’s high. I could appreciate the view around me. The weather was cool, there was no sun, and there was a few raindrops here and there to keep everyone cool.

Mile 8 – This part of the course has one of the nastiest hills that a runner has to defeat. The elevation climbs up from 2100 to 2150 ft. That’s not what make the hill nasty. When you turn the corner to go up the hill, there old people standing around cheering you on or say remarks such as ‘If I can get up this hill, you can’ or ‘You can move faster than that!’. At this point I’m thinking, ‘well if you’re so fast, why don’t you get of your rocker and come run up this hill for me?!’  I decided I would be nice this year. My definition of nice was to turn up the music and run up the hill as fast as I could without even glancing at the ‘oldies’.

Mile 9-11 – This is where the course get’s challenging. Last year, I said this part of the course was like beating a dead horse.  From the moment you turn the corner after passing the 9 mile marker, the elevation goes from 2000 to 2250 ft. That doesn’t see like a lot, but when you’ve been running for 9 miles 250 increase can make a BIG difference. My goal for this part of the race was to got from mile 9 to mile 11 without taking a walk break. I didn’t care how slow I was, I was going to get up that hill without getting angry or stopping.  There were times when I wanted to stop, but then I thought of my friends and how that would be cheering me on.  I almost cried when I say the mile 10 marker.  From that point it was mostly downhill until getting into town.

Mile 12 to finish – See downtown Asheville had such a feeling of relief! But it was far from over. It was a slow, pain incline from mile 12 to finish.  As usual, my calves were not used to the higher inclines and they started to tighten. There was one more big hill before turning the corner to the finish line. I didn’t let this hill stop me. I kept running. When I turned the corner and saw the finish line, I gave everything I had and picked up my pace. I dont’ know what my picture is going to look like, but there won’t be a smile anywhere near my face.

Overall, this was one of the best marathon I have run. The time doesn’t speak for itself, but my attitude does. I got up every hill without stopping. The only thing that ticked me off was one runner that finished before me. Throughout the entire race, I watched him. He would run fast downhill, but when it was time to run up a hill, he would walk.  If you’re not going to try, why run? I tried not to judge. He may have a condition where he couldn’t run up hills. Who knows? But it does upset me that, he finished before me when I plowed through the race the entire time.

I plan to take a day of two to recover, but I want to get some more miles in as soon as I can. I have less than one month before the marathon is here. I’m not too worried at this point. I don’t think I will be until I’ve passed mile 13 on the course. Until then, I can only live one day at a time.

 

Crazy week

I ran 7 miles tonight and I felt pretty good afterward. Our Greenway park is finally open again so I don’t have to run through town as much.  It’s going to be so much easier to do long runs. I can tell that I need to drink more water before Saturday. I finally got an email with the race instructions.  This week has been crazy so far, but I’m enjoying the challenge.

Easy Monday

This has been one of those days where I just want to go home and crash after work. Instead I drove myself to the gym, ran a 5k, and came home. Technically, this is supposed to be rest week for the half-marathon on Saturday, but I also want to keep my marathon training on track. I can’t believe it’s only a month away!

I’m scheduled to run 7 miles on Tuesday, 7 miles of speedwork on Wednesday (yuck!), and 6 miles on Thursday. Then Saturday is race day. While I’m putting in the miles in the evening, I’m doing my TurboFire workouts in the morning. So far so good!

Par 5k at Highlands Fall

I must say that this was by far, the best 5k I have ever run. The course was very challenging and it was not my personal best, but it was worth it. If I had the chance to run it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing (except to go a little faster ). The race took place on a golf course call Highlands Falls Country Club. I’m not a golf fan, but I could appreciate the beauty of the course. All funds raised were to help the American Cancer Society.

I made it just in time for the race to start. I misread the instructions and thought that race started at 8:30am when it really started at 8am. It’s a good thing I like to be at the starting line early. For a September morning, it was cold outside, but the chill in the air is exciting because Fall is almost here.

Since the race started at 8am, I didn’t get a chance to warm up. That may have slowed me down a bit. We were all warned before we started that this race is not for a PR and he was right! There was hill after hill after hill! As we were climbing the first hill, there was a sign that said “Don’t swear at me, swear at cancer!” I got through every hill without stopping. I refused to stop and it didn’t matter how long it took me to reach the top, I was not stopping.

I finished the race with an official time of 30:40. That’s not my best by a long shot, but considering the hills that is a good time. You could tell how cold it was outside because the heat was flowing from my body like smoke. What I appreciated the most was that the host waited until the last person was finished before starting the award ceremony. Some bigger races don’t do that and I can understand that.  But show a little respect to those that are still running.

For the second year in a row, this race has prepared me mentally for the Asheville Citizen-Times half marathon. There are only 6 days until the race! I would like to keep the same time frame of 2:25:06, but if I can shaved a minute or two off my time, that would be awesome!

Vacation from a vacation

 

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco California

Vacation is such a treasure that everyone should have at least one or twice a year. It’s a time where technology and worked are kicked out the back door so you can relax and explore. The idea of going to California was scary at first, but once I stepped foot in San Francisco, all my worries were gone.

This industrial city is beautiful. There are mountains surrounding it like a protective wall. You can see views of the city as an island on the bay. Best of all, there is so much to do! You can find things to do for any age group. The mix of culture is amazing. Running is a popular sport in San Fran. People are running at all times of the day. The weather is just right. However, consider yourself warned when running in San Fran. There are some very nasty inclines because the city was built-in the mountains. That is the one thing that freaked me out when I have to drive up a sharp incline. If you ever get a chance to visit, I would recommend visiting Chinatown, The Fisherman’s Wharf, Coit Tower, and taking the Alcatraz tour.

From San Francisco, I got a rental car and drove south to Santa Cruz where I would meet a high school friend. There are a lot of scenic places to check out in Santa Cruz. I managed to run about 6.3 miles through town. The mornings are very foggy because the clouds like to hover. Around 9 or 10am, the sun make its appearance and stays for the remainder of the day.

I returned home last Tuesday and immediately recognized the differences between the West Coast and the South.  In some ways, I think the vacation made me more bitter than ever. I ran a 10k on Saturday to release some of the tension.

I have less than two weeks before the Asheville half-marathon and a little over a month before the Columbus marathon. The training schedule is getting intense now with 20 mile runs almost every other week. I’m looking forward to the challenge.