Philly Pics

Once again, the pictures taken by the course photographer sucked butt. I was really hoping for a good finish line photo as I grabbed that BQ, but no such luck. I looked like such a tool in every picture they got of me. Thankfully, Laurel was on the course and grabbed some great shots. I'm nominating her to be the new course photographer!

Right around mile 13...feeling great!

Heading towards the finish...

I can see it!

Dear God, just let this be over...

Running has been going really well this week. Still easing back into it and just running at paces which feel good and I'm having so much fun with it. I ran 4 on the treadmill this morning since it was so dark and cold out and it was mind numbingly boring. I have no idea how I ran 20 miles on that thing. I'm hoping it starts to get a little lighter out earlier so I can head outside. I'd rather run in the freezing cold then put in long miles on the treadmill.

We're having a housewarming party this weekend now that all the renovations done. The kitchen back splash was done this week and it looks amazing. I'll post pictures soon! I'm really looking forward to having friends and family over for the party...it's been so long since we've entertained with all the moving, etc. So nice to finally be settled.

Goals!

I had a meeting with Coach Jack yesterday to talk about goals and plans for 2010. I'm not one for goal setting...I don't even like to do it at work when we need to write objectives at the start of each year. You just never know what life is going to throw at you and honestly, I'm not a fan of the added pressure of trying to meet a goal. My goal of qualifying for Boston was stressful and now that I did it, I want to relax and have some fun over the Winter and Spring. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. At the end of the meeting we had lined up 3 marathons (Shamrock, NJ, Pocono) in 3 months so I can earn my way into Marathon Maniacs and we have a plan to work on some serious pacing. I want to learn to know my pace by effort, rather than relying on the Garmin. I hope to pace a bunch more marathons after NJ marathon, so this is something I'm taking very serious. As for the Fall, it all depends on how many miles I do in July for the Ultra and if I get selected for NYC marathon.

So while my running goals are fun and exciting, I still have this ever looming goal of losing weight. Yes people, it comes back to this again. In fact, it never really leaves. I've spent the past few months writing down what I'm eating and during the week it's really helpful. But then I completely fall apart on the weekend. I seriously sometimes wish I didn't have a weekend just so I could stay on track with the food. I want nothing more than to be able to relax and eat what I want, when I want it, in moderation of course, and be happy. The "in moderation" part is what I struggle so much with. I need to slow down and really listen to my body and shut up the voices telling me to shove my face when I do allow myself a treat. I have this awful all or none mentality which I desperately need to change. So, I'm taking a deep breath and I'll get through the next couple weeks the best I can. But then it's time to buckle down because we're heading to...

JAMAICA!!

This will be our 4th time visiting Jamaica and let me tell you, April 9th can not get here soon enough!

Here's my schedule for the week:
Mon - 2mi
Tues - 4 mi
Wed - off
Thurs - 4 mi
Fri - 2 mi
Sat - 8 mi
Sun - off

I've been adding cardio on to all my workouts since I'm still building my runs back up and I also got in 3 days of lifting last week. It felt so good to lift again!! Was extremely sore, but it was worth it!

Ultra Marathon -- Take Two!!

Registration for 20in24 (the 24 hour Ultra event I did last year) opened a few days early for past participants because they are expecting it to sell out again this year. Before I got the email for registering, I was all set to do it. But when it came time to commit, I got really nervous. Maybe it was the $200 entry fee (ugh!!) but I really doubt it. I've never been one to have a hard time spending money when it comes to running. But something inside of me was hesitant about doing it again. I kept asking Andy if I had fun, enjoyed the training, etc., but he wasn't much help. So I went back and read a few of my blog posts from last summer. I totally enjoyed it!! I loved the long 31 mile runs and even mentioned several times that I was sad training was nearing an end. So I did it! I took the plunge and registered!! I'll be a Lone Ranger again in 2010!!

Last summer there were 4 of us who trained and ran together on race day. This year, it's just me and Puddlz. I have to say, I'm not sure I would have registered if I didn't have a training buddy for the super long runs lined up. I'm good at entertaining myself but when it comes to 5 hours of running, yea, I'd probably drive myself crazy. We already know that Coach and Colleen (both ran it last year) will be there on race day to pace and crew for us.

Now, the big question...how many miles do I shoot for??? Part of me says, "just go for 50, you know you can do that and it won't be too bad" but then another part of me says, "go further!! See what you can do!" I have a meeting with Coach on Sunday to talk about goals for 2010 but I think I'm going to go into this with the goal of 75 miles. Maybe I'll shoot for 100 in 2011...who knows!! Puddlz is going for 100 miles so if I change my mind, I'd have company...just a thought.

Funny, I just read my race report from the Ultra last year and of course at the end of it I said I'd never do another 50 miler again. I'll never learn.

Ugly Digits

When I was in my late teens/early twenties I used to want to be a foot model. I thought I had the cutest feet and took really good care of them, always making sure my toenails were painted to look their best! Then about 10 years ago, I broke a pinky toe. I somehow stubbed my toe on a keg at a Jimmy Buffett concert and my pinky toe swelled up, never really to return to it's original state. Then a year later, I broke the other pinky toe at another concert. You think I would have learned my lesson from wearing flip flops to the first concert, but I had such cute feet, I wanted to show them off. Then one day in Michigan, I happened to glance down and noticed a bulge on the inside of my right foot. I pulled my sock off to see that it was the beginning of a bunion. At the time it didn't hurt but over the years this little deformity has gotten worse and not only is my big toe growing under my other toes, I now wear a bunion splint when I sleep to try to stretch it back. Sexy, I know. While these issues are ugly, there's one thing that I don't mind seeing when I look down at my feet. Hard earned, twin black and blue toe nails. When these puppies fall off I might just save them in remembrance of my BQ.




Creepy big toe


So JoyRuN, here's my entry!! I love my black and blue toe nails!

Back from recovery

I'm back after a glutaneous, lazy week of recovery. After qualifying last Sunday for Boston I was ecstatic. The high lasted most of the day on Monday and then I came crashing down with "what now" thoughts. I have so many things I want to do and wish I had more time in each day to do them all. I also have this all or nothing mentality and I need to let myself relax about some stuff. Running has taken up so much time over the past year and I realized that I'm not really allowing time for anything else. So, that needs to change. Running is and will always be a big part of my life but I won't let it become my life. I spent the whole week thinking of what I want to do, things I want to work on, accomplish, etc. I will never give up running but I have to make time for cross training, lifting and hopefully soon, yoga. On top of this, I need to find time to study for my personal training certification. I go in waves. I'll spend a few weeks studying every day, then I fall off the wagon and don't open a book for a month. I also really want to work on getting out of the food rut I'm in and start to eat more variety, more raw, and possibly eliminate the little meat (currently only chicken) I eat. I bought 2 books the other day which I hope will help with this: "Eat to Live" and "eat, drink & be vegan." I plan to post a little more about my eats (no worries, this won't turn into a food blog!) so I can share some of the fun stuff I'm hopefully learning.

So where do I go from here? I talked with Coach Jack and I'll be taking my running down to 5 days a week, but still keeping up with my mileage. These 2 off days from running give me extra time to lift and do some other form of cardio...like taking a walk. I miss taking nice long walks! In addition, I will be adding on cardio to any run day where the mileage is low. I really want to keep my cardio to at least 60 minutes for each workout. I'm also going to check out a local yoga studio and hope to try that once or twice a week. Not only could my body use the benefits of yoga, but I think my crazy head could, too.

I will say this, though. While I was deep in thought all week about what to do now that I just crossed a huge goal off my list, I realized how much I love running. I love the simplicity of it and I love the people I've met through the sport. I love racing and I love proving to myself what I can do. But with that being said, I'm looking forward to a fun year of non BQ stress running!! Here's a little glimpse of what I have lined up so far in 2010. I also have some more things in the works, including another biggie, but I'm not ready to talk about that yet! And I entered the NYC lottery today.

Dec 31st - Puddlz NYE marathon (this is a just-for-fun marathon my friend is organizing at a local park. It's a one mile loop so people can come and go as they please. If there are any local runners interested, let me know! Run a few laps and bank some calories for champagne later that night!)

Feb 21st - Frostbite 5 miler (won third in my age group last year, trying to beat that)

Mar 21st - Shamrock Marathon (running for run, around the 4 hour pace group)

Apr - yea, no races this month because I'll be sunning it up in Jamaica. Not a bad trade off for Boston 2010 being sold out!

May 2nd - NJ Marathon (pacing the 4:15 group)

My recovery week, which consisted of NO running and too much food, is officially over. I'm so ready to get out there and hit the pavement tomorrow. Here's my schedule for the week. No set paces, just a nice easy jog.

Mon - 2 mi
Tues - 3 mi
Wed - off
Thurs - 3 mi
Fri - 2 mi
Sat - 6 mi
Sun - off

2009 Philly Marathon Race Report

Starting with Saturday...I woke up a nervous wreck. So nervous that I was emotional on and off all day. I know, me, emotional?? Shocker. It was a really long day and I was happy when it was finally time to go to bed. I headed up around 8:30pm and actually got a good night sleep.

Wake up call was 4am on Sunday and I woke up calm and collected. The day had finally arrived. We got down to the city in enough time to hit up the bathrooms at the Four Seasons then met up with Coach Jack and a bunch of other runners. At 6:30am I headed to my corral and situated myself right behind the pace leaders. I also met Bill, which was cool because we ran in the same group last year and never knew it! By the time we moved to the start line for our corral to start, I was shivering really bad but still feeling calm. When we finally got started it was really tight around the pacers and I was having trouble finding a spot where I could settle in and get into my groove. But right from the get go my breathing was great and the pace felt perfect. Definitely a good sign! After the first few miles I moved myself to just in front of the pacers and this was a great position to be in. I had plenty of room and I knew if I kept them in ear shot that I was holding my pace and would stay on target. After one of the early water stops I found myself pretty far out in front of the pace group but I was feeling good so I just went with it. I was so glad I carried my hand held and could just run right through the water stops. They are so chaotic and people really don't know how to move through them properly. More on that some other day. Anyway, I was feeling great and very early on, I thought several times, "today is my day."

When we arrived back to the art museum for the half marathoners to finish, I was feeling great and never once wished I was only running the half. Instead I told myself that the race was just beginning. I arrived at mile 13 in 1:46:43 which was a little over 2 minutes ahead of schedule. I rounded the corner near the art museum ready to tackle the second half of the course.

I think it was just after mile 14 when I could hear the crowd cheering for the 3:40 pace group and I realized I must have slowed down a bit. I decided to fall back a bit and use the group to tackle Lemon Hill, the last real hill of the race. But once again, I made it to the top of the hill, holding my 8:20 pace and lost the group who had dropped back a little. After Lemon Hill is where the race started getting harder. A few times I assessed how I was feeling using a scale devised by Coach Jack. Knowing I would not feel "great" the entire race, my goal was to stay in the "good" to "ok" range. At one point I thought I was just "ok" so I slowed down a bit to regroup. Doing this on and off during the latter part of the race for a few seconds really helped and I knew I had a few minute window to play with. Around mile 17 the 3:40 group caught up to me again so I held pace with them to keep me in check for a little bit. Shortly after that, I left them...never to see them again!

When I hit Manayunk around mile 19 I had two goals in mind...1) get to the turn around at mile 20 then you only have 6 miles left! and 2) get to Falls Bridge. This would put me on the second half of the 8.4 mile loop I did over the summer as part of my Ultra. I'm so familiar with this part of the course that I knew I could do it once I hit that part. Running through Manayunk was fun, lots of excitement and people and that's just what I needed. I saw Pumpkin with her hot pink sign and I got tears in my eyes! At that point in the race I really needed to see a familiar face. At the turn around point, mile 20, I was 2:44:10 into the race and was still well over 2 minutes ahead of pace. So out of Manayunk I headed and I told myself out loud, "take it home."

Back on Kelly drive for the last 5 miles, I was feeling it. What started hurting around mile 16 was REALLY hurting at this point. My calves were really tight and then my hamstrings started tightening up. I was just praying that I didn't get hit with any debilitating leg cramps. I almost gave up eating my shot bloks because I could barely choke them down at this point but I knew my body needed the salt so I forced myself to eat them. There were a couple of moments where I thought that I'd just like to walk but I quickly pushed them out of my head by saying, "keep going, you're going to qualify!" For the last few miles I felt like I was trying so hard but wasn't moving. But when I looked at my watch I was holding steady at a 8:20 pace. I told myself that if I had to, I could take it down to a 9 minute mile closer to the end and still meet my time goal, but I never did! When I hit mile 22 and realized I only had about a half hour left of running, the miles started flying by. Mile 22 - 8:21, Mile 23 - 8:21, Mile 24 - 8:24, Mile 25 - 8:34, Mile 26 - 8:24...I think it's safe to say that my training paid off and this pace was drilled into me! During these last few miles, I knew it was going to happen.

The last mile was tough but the crowd support really helped. Having our names on our bibs this year was great as so many spectators called out to keep us going. As I rounded the art museum and headed down the parkway, I gave it everything I had left, which wasn't much and I'm sure I didn't look pretty. Laurel was there (also saw her at mile 13...not sure how a complete stranger can pick me out of a crowd when I passed Andy twice and he never saw me!!) cheering me on and I forced a smile and a big wave to her. Seeing the finish line was amazing and I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I raised my arms in hopes of finally getting a good finish line photo, but I'm sure it won't be anything worth putting on the mantle! I finished in 3:38:02...earning my spot at the Boston marathon in 2011!!

After I crossed the finish line, I couldn't believe what I just did. I am not kidding when I say EVERYTHING hurt. EVERYTHING. After I got my medal and food, I found Andy and got an incredible hug. All I could tell him through the tears was that it was so hard. Because it was. But I did it. I freaking qualified for Boston with over 2 minutes to spare.

It was a great day. I'm still filled with emotion today. I keep surprising myself with what I'm capable of and I'm so happy I was able to come back to all of you guys and tell you that I did it. I thought of you often during the race and I didn't want to have to blog that it wasn't my day. So thankfully, it was my day. I ran hard and more importantly, I ran smart. I PR'd by roughly 13 minutes and like I said yesterday...I am so proud of myself.

I'm home recovering today. Very sore, but not complaining. The aches and pains are more than worth it. Thanks for all your support!!

Drumroll Please...

Watch out Boston, here I come!!

3:38:02

I'm not even sure I'm capable of writing a race report at this time. All I can say is: It was a beautiful day for a marathon. It wasn't easy. Everything hurts, especially the chaffing in my nether region. I didn't poop myself. I'm happy. I'm emotional. I'm SO proud of myself...I'm crying again. *sigh* All the hard work paid off and now I'm off to crack open a bottle of champagne!

Race report to come....