Survived

I survived Ultra training! We capped off weeks of training yesterday with our last 31 mile training run. I had been feeling a little down during my runs all last week and told Andy as I was heading out the door that I really needed this run to go well. Thankfully, it went great! Once again, I felt like a million bucks and could have kept going when we finished. The weather even cooperated and the sun was shining for the whole run. Now I know the heat we had yesterday isn't anything compared to what we could potentially have in July, but it was a good test and I felt fine running in it. When I was driving home after the run, I started to feel really sad. I'm sad the training is over. I REALLY enjoyed the training and although the back to back long runs took up a lot of my weekend, I enjoyed them so much. I got to run with some incredible people on these runs and I'm going to miss spending hours at a time with these guys.

So the taper starts today. I'll be going from the upper 60's to somewhere in the 40 miles a week range. Funny that this taper is about where I maxed out my mileage for the Philly marathon. The next 3 weeks are all about health for me. Nothing bad is going in this body and I'm making only healthy choices. I want to go into race day feeling my best. I know the taper isn't the time to lose weight but I gained 5 lbs through this training and I'm going to work on taking it off over the next 3 weeks. Now that I know what I'm eating on race day, I don't have to spend my long runs shoving my face! To also help get back on track, I started food blogging again to keep track of what I'm eating. We'll see how it goes.

I'm feeling pretty good this morning aside from super sore feet. I'm wondering if it's the new Asic nimbus. I switched my shoes half way through the run yesterday and my feet started hurting towards the end while I had the nimbus on. This morning I woke up and the first few steps I took were brutal. I'm going to test these on the long runs I have left but I might think twice about wearing them on race day. The rest of me feels fine, though. Legs, butt, etc...all good!

I'm going into the taper feeling great, which is what Coach Jack wanted. Because of him, training went so well, I feel so prepared, and I can't wait for race day.

First 5K!!

My sister ran her first 5K this morning!! Over the winter when my family held a little weight loss challenge, my sister Jeanette started running a bit (note: it paid off! She won $200 AND lost 16 lbs!). Somewhere along the way I convinced her to run a 5K thinking she'd fall in love with running the way I have. More on that later. Since I'm not in racing mode with the Ultra training, I ran with Jeanette and was her water-carrying-pace-bunny and let me say, she did AMAZING!! Having not run a race before, I was really impressed with the effort she put in. It was a really warm, sunny morning and the race had quite a few big hills. But we plugged along and Jeanette finished strong at 33:03. As for my dream of her becoming a crazed runner, yea, I'm not so sure that is going to happen. She told me not only during the race but after as well that this was her first and last one. Oh well, I tried!!

I also have to say, it was a whole new experience for me running with Jeanette today. The times I've ran a 5K, I've run them hard and at my fastest. It was really cool taking my time and running at a slower pace. I saw what it took for people to finish and realized just how hard running actually is. It's not easy to run a 3 miles and I think being more of a distance runner these days, I sort of forgot that. There was a lot of determination out there today and I loved being with the newer runners who were giving it their all.

So while Jeanette isn't going to be a marathoner any time soon, I'm still SO proud of her!! She really pushed hard and gave it her all. Congrats Jeanette!! You did something that lots of people can't do and you should be so proud of yourself.

Here's a picture of me, Jeanette and her husband, Brad. Brad also ran this morning and did GREAT. He finished ~ 23:00. Not too shabby for his first 5K!

Jeanette sprinting to the finish (Note: this is the ONLY time I'll ever let you beat me, J!!)

TIaRT - No One Ever Told Me...

I haven't had much to say this week and with this being my 200th post, I thought I should wait until I had something worthwhile to say. Turns out, I still don't, but I liked the topic of this week's TIaRT so I thought I'd write a little something. The theme for this week is "No one ever told me this about running..."

Fortunately, before I started running I was warned about pooping myself (check), chaffing in terrible places (hasn't happened yet), losing toenails (check), blisters (check), tired legs (check), IT band injuries (check), etc (check). But there was one thing I didn't know about and that was the friendships and bonds I'd make through running. I have met so many amazing people since I started running and created so many new friendships, that I feel truly blessed. It's these friendships that make all the not so fun things I mentioned easy to endure. It's these friendships that get me up at the wee hours of the morning to go for a long run. It's these friendships that make a 31 mile run go by fast AND be fun! It's these friendships that keep me running.

As for my running this week, I have to say, it's just been ok. I had two good 7 mile runs but then my 5 miler this morning wasn't so enjoyable. I felt like a slug. I decided to go in the morning and I just didn't have it in me that early. I have 50 more miles ahead of me between now and Sunday and I'm ready for them! Bring it on!

Peaking

I can't believe this is my last week of training before the taper starts. This went SO fast. I guess that's because I had so much fun with it. I have 68 miles on the schedule this week and am ready to knock it out. This is the highest mileage I've ever run and I sort of want to sneak in 2 more miles to make it an even 70. It would definitely help if I wasn't so tired from this weekend (I'm too old for Buffett shows!!) but hopefully after I get through this craptastic Monday I'll be feeling better.

We've had really unusual weather here lately with tons of rain and cool temperatures. While it's nice to not have the air conditioning running non stop, it hasn't given me time to get acclimated to the heat and humidity that I'll have on race day. We have 4 weeks to go and that's about the time it takes to get acclimated, so bring on the heat! Good thing the temps are going up and by the end of the week it will be in the upper 80's, hazy and humid. That's the summer weather I'm used to in Philly! Due to the cool temperatures we decided not to push the long run this Sunday to 36 miles and to keep it at 31. Coach felt training has been going so well that rather than push the mileage in our first hot weekend, to save that extra push for race day.

Here's my schedule for the week and a picture of me after I finished the 31 miler a week ago. I hope I look this happy after the Ultra!!

Mon - 7 mi
Tues - 5 mi
Wed - 7 mi
Thurs - off
Fri - 12 mi
Sat - 6 mi (I'll be running 3 of these miles with my sister when she runs her first 5k!!)
Sun - 31 mi

Matter of Time

Things had been going so well with all the training that it was just a matter of time until I hit a rough spot. All week I had my 22 miler on the back of my mind and yesterday morning when I got up to run, I could tell it wasn't going to be good. I decided to run the 6 mile loop around the lake, which definitely isn't my favorite place to run. From the moment I started, I felt...off. Around mile 3 my blood sugar was acting up and I felt really spacey. Luckily I had some beans on me so I ate some of them, and hoped I didn't pay the price later with stomach issues. The first 6 miles felt like they would never end and I was contemplating throwing in the towel. The second loop went a little better and I started to feel optimistic about the last loop and a half. But things got worse, not better. By the time the last loop came around, I had NOTHING in me. My legs felt like bricks, my back was hurting, I was insanely thirsty, I was telling myself to quit, blah, blah. At one point I actually let out a groan/moan/whatever that noise was and found myself praying for a walk break. It just wasn't a pretty run, but I guess I was due for one of these. Running can be very humbling. I was on such a high after my 31 miler on Sunday and then yesterday put me back in my place. But no matter how bad it was, the important thing is that I got it done. There was no one out there pushing me to keep going. Just me and I did it. So although the run wasn't the best, I'm wee bit stronger for getting myself through it and know that will come in handy for the Ultra.

When I got home I took a monster ice bath and then put on the compression socks. I was feeling much better after a little laying around and got myself back out there this morning for a 7 miler. I can definitely tell training is catching up to me, but I'm going to keep chugging along...

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm packing up for the Buffett show. We have a 4 car caravan leaving from my place in a little over an hour. Weather is looking a little scary, but I have no doubts we'll have fun regardless.

Compression Socks - a must have!

I slipped these bad boys on after my 31 mile run on Sunday and I think they made a world of difference in how I felt post run. Sunday night, while I admit I was tired, my legs felt great after wearing the socks for a few hours. On Monday, I woke up feeling great! My butt cheeks and bunions hurt a bit, but my legs...they were fine!!! If you haven't tried these out and are putting in the long miles, I highly recommend them. I will definitely be wearing these after all my long runs from here on out. You can order a pair at www.recoverysock.com.

I'm still sort of on cloud nine after the ultra run this past weekend and I can't get over how great I feel. I had a recovery walk on Monday and ran last night and this morning and nothing is hurting or sore. There are only 2 weeks left until the taper begins and I have to say, I'm sort of bummed about it. I've really enjoyed the training and pushing myself with the high weekly mileage and I'm worried I'll get bored going back down to less miles. I'll have to talk to Coach after the Ultra to see if we can work something out with my marathon training to keep the mileage high. We have one more crazy long run before the taper, 36 miles, and I'm looking forward to it!!

My schedule for this week:
Mon - 3 mi recovery walk
Tues - 6 mi
Wed - 7 mi
Thurs - 6 mi
Fri - 22 mi
Sat - 7 mi (then Jimmy Buffett!!)
Sun - off

I Ran An ULTRA!!

Well kids, although it wasn't a "race", I ran an Ultra this morning. I ran my first 50K, or 31.1 miles!! To get right to the point, I feel like a million bucks! I can't get over how great I felt during, and so far after, the run. Today's run really boosted my confidence and I feel like I'm ready for the 50 miles in month.

We started at 7am sharp and had a manned pit stop at mile 3 and our cars at mile 6. This is pretty close to what it's going to be on race day so it was great practice. The manned pit stop was STOCKED with food!! Peanut M&M's, boiled potatoes, teddy grahams, fig newtons, defizzed coke, Ensure, Red Bull, water, marshmallows, hamburgers, and I'm sure there was more that I'm forgetting. Worried about my stomach, I decided to stick with what has been working so I ate 50 calorie portions of pop tart, 100 calorie portions of peanut butter on bread, and sips of Ensure. To get some extra calories, I alternated water with an energy drink called Perpetuem on each 6 mile lap. Towards the end of the run I did try a boiled potato and let me tell you...it was delicious! Nice and salty, it was the perfect little treat. I also tried some of the defizzed coke on the last lap and it tasted SO good. I don't even like soda and it was hard to take little sips and only drink a little. I wanted to chug it! I'm really happy to report that everything I did today seemed to work with my stomach. I had no issues and aside from not being in the mood to eat right now, my stomach still feels fine. I did hit a point during the run where I did NOT want to eat so on those laps I opted for a few sips of Ensure rather than solid food.

The whole shebang, including pit stops, took just under 6 hours. The best part when it was all said and done, is that I could have kept going. My legs were tired but my body felt great. The toughest part for me was transitioning back into running after a short walk break. But once I got moving again, everything was fine.

Here's a pic of us after the run with our crew member, Susan. Dana brought medals for all of us!!

So now, I'm relaxing, wearing my new compression socks sent by Recovery Socks (I'll let you know how they work out). Check out these sexy socks!! I'm also sporting my Brooks Run Happy t-shirt...thought it was appropriate after such a great run today. Please ignore the hair...I just ran an Ultra! And the pose...I'm a runner, not a model.

Here comes the BIGGIE

I got a few questions regarding the Chia seeds so I thought I'd answer them.

• Yes, you eat them the way they are, or raw.
• Not much of a taste...not as nutty as flax seed anyway. I've put a lot in my foods and can't really taste them. Best I can tell you is that they are not overwhelming.
• No, they are not cheap but someone mentioned they found them in their health food store. I'm wondering what they paid...
• Yes, they do look like bird food.
• And no one asked this but I forgot to mention that if you spill some outside, they will in fact grow into chia grass. My first package came busted open and the little seeds spilled out of the box onto the front porch. We had a nice patch of chia grass until Andy sprayed weed killer on it. Murderer!

Now, onto the fun stuff...I have my 30 mile run this Sunday!! And believe it or not, I'm actually excited. I've never run further than 26.2 so I can't wait to see how this goes. We'll be running a 6 mile loop around a lake and we'll take a pit stop every 6 miles at our car to refill food, water, take care of issues, etc. Someone is also setting up an aid station for us on the other side of the lake, opposite our cars, so we have another pit stop. I think this is going to be great practice for race day. We're starting at 7am on Sunday and I expect to be gone close to 7 hours by the time it's all said and done. Seriously, I am SO excited!! Can't wait to tell you all about it!

Here is what I ran this week:

• Mon - 7 mi
• Tues - Off
• Wed - 7 mi
• Thurs - 5 mi
• Fri - 9 mi
• Sat - 5 mi
• Sun - 30 mi

Cha, Cha, Cha, Chia

I was recently sent some Chia seeds to try out from Chia Seeds Direct. Not knowing much about chia seeds, I did some research. I am so glad I found these little guys!! Did you know:

• Chia seeds are known as the "running food" due to the high energy endurance they provide.
• It's said that the Aztec warriors subsisted on chia seeds during conquests and that the Indians would eat as little as a teaspoon full to get them through a 24 hour march.
• The Aztecs medicinally used chia seeds for joint pain and skin conditions.
• The gel that is formed around a chia seed in the presence of liquid is believed to create a physical barrier between carbohydrates and the digestive enzymes that break them down. This then slows the conversion of carbohydrates to sugar, leading to higher endurance.
• Chia seeds can absorb 9-12 times their weight in water. The ability to hold onto water leads to prolonged hydration.
• Chia seeds are a better source of omega-3 than flax seed and do not require grinding.

For a one ounce serving, chia seeds have 138 calories, 9g fat, 11g fiber, and 4g protein.

And based on a 2000 calorie diet, 18% calcium and 28% iron!!

There are a lot of other tid bits of information out there about these little seeds. I've tried them in oatmeal and yogurt and liked them in both! They actually give oatmeal a really creamy texture, even when the oatmeal is made with just water and not milk. I also read some things that say chia seeds aid in digestion so I added these to my oatmeal before my 24 miler last weekend...coincidence that I didn't have any stomach problems that run?? Who knows...

Saturday of Surprises!!

I woke up yesterday after having run a double the day before to head out for my scheduled 22 miler. I decided to run this at a one mile loop around a park near my house. With all the stomach issues lately, I wanted to make sure I had a bathroom close by and no matter where I would be on the loop, a bathroom would never be more than a half mile away. I mentioned it to my running buddy Lisa and she said she would swing by to do some laps with me. Since I do the 5:1 run/walk, I didn't think anyone would be interested in running with me so I was happy she was up for it. Well, Lisa did the coolest thing. She organized a bunch of visitors for me throughout my run! It was the best SURPRISE. Turns out almost all of our Reach the Beach team came to support me!! It was so cute...me and Dana (another lone ranger) leading the pack with all my peeps in tow. That meant so much to me. The running community is so supportive and I love the friends I have made. Here is a pic of some of us (more came and went throughout the run) and a pic of Dana and I on our last lap!

The next SURPRISE...I ran 24 miles instead of 22! Dana was actually suppose to run a marathon and couldn't due to work, so she was running 26.2 miles (yes, around a one mile loop!). She started a little before me and had 2 more to go when I hit 22 so I just tacked on another two loops to finish with her. I'm kicking myself for not going a little further to get the marathon in myself!

And finally, the last SURPRISE...NO STOMACH PROBLEMS! Did I finally figure this out??? I tested my theory and stayed away from beans/bloks, etc and once again, had no stomach issues. Throughout the run I ate one pop tart, 4oz Ensure and 2-100 calorie portions of peanut butter on bread. I also took 3 salt capsules throughout the run. I really needed a run without stomach problems. That has been stressing me out and I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get through a run without feeling like I was going to die!

Meet My Crew

When you run an Ultra, it's typical to have what they call a "Crew." The crew is there to assist a runner throughout the race with clothing, shoes, food, changing socks, taking care of blisters, etc. But most importantly (to me), the crew is there to encourage the runner. When it came time to pick my crew, it was easy. I knew I wanted something fun to look forward to at the end of each 8.4 mile loop and I also knew I needed to be comfortable with whoever I choose. Not only will I most likely be a little crabby, these people might have to change my dirty underwear. You never know!

So, without further adieu, meet my CREW!!

THE GREAT EL ANDYO
Andy is my adorable, loving husband. I really don't think I'd be able to train for this race if it wasn't for him. He is so supportive and really picks up a lot of the slack while I'm running, napping after a run, or in bed early because I ran and need to get up early to run again! He's the smartest person I know, yet thinks farting is the funniest thing ever. He has a weird obsession with bacon and his million dollar idea is a bacon flavored donut. While we were talking about the race the other day, he told me that he won't let me quit because I put too much into this and I want it too badly. That was definitely the right thing to say. The best part of seeing him after each loop will be the hug and kiss he'll give me before I start the next lap.

KT
KT is my partner in crime and long time friend. She's a very smart young lady, climbing the corporate ladder while still finding time to make it to happy hour whenever the feeling strikes. She's a runner, who loves a good republican (*wink, wink*) and was recently elected Inspector of Elections 17th division, 5th ward of Philadelphia. KT is a world traveler, jet setting all over the place. If she's in PA for a few consecutive weekends, I begin to worry. I expect nothing but the best out of little KT when I come into the pit stop...and she's already been told to NOT offer me any beer.

PUMPKIN
When God made the mold for Pumpkin, he did not throw it out. Instead he made me and then tossed the damn thing. Two of us are plenty for this world! It is creepy how similar we are...finishing each other's thoughts, knowing what the other is thinking, etc. Pumpkin is an IM'ing, animal loving, customized t-shirt making fool and will soon begin training for her first marathon!! Not only will Pumpkin crew on race day, but she'll also be a pacer for me towards the end of the race. We can bicker like sisters so this should be interesting...

I can not thank these three enough for being there for me on race day. It's going to make the day that much more memorable having so many people I love there to support me.

National Running Day

Before this week, I didn't even know this day existed! But rest assured, I'll be heading out today to participate.

I was excited to start off June after such great running in May. It sounds like I'm going to hover around 60 miles a week for a few weeks, max out around 70 miles, then begin to taper. I can't believe we are less than 7 weeks until the Ultra. Honestly, I'm not so nervous about the run itself but more so about the logistics of race day and making sure I'm prepared with everything I need. Oh, and if you haven't run an Ultra before, um, these things aren't cheap. For one, you go through shoes like it's no body's business and there are all these other little things that I need. Needless to say, these little things are adding up!! Speaking of buying stuff...I just got a new pair of shoes. I went with the Asics Gel Nimbus 11. They have a much wider toe base than the Asics GT 2140 which hopefully will be better for my bunion and annoying blood blister. I took them for a test run the other night and after some mild shin discomfort in the beginning, they felt pretty good.
Here's my schedule for this week. Since we have plans for a music festival this Saturday, I wanted to have Sunday off from running. Therefore, I'll be doing a double on Friday to get the 10 miles in (5 before and after work).

Mon - 6 mi (5:1)
Tues - 7 mi

Wed - 6 mi (with some sharpening speed work)

Thurs - 7 mi

Fri - 10 mi (5:1)

Sat - 22 (5:1)

Sun - Off

Make Your Own Cereals

Making your own bars, granola, etc seems to be all the rage these days. Well, I recently was given the opportunity to make my own cereal, which is yet another great idea.

At My Way Cereal you get to design your own handcrafted, custom mixed all organic cereal. You start with the base and then add the fruit, nuts/seeds and something a little sweet, if you'd like. For my mix, I choose the multigrain harvest base with dates, cherries, raisins, almonds, coconut, peanuts, flax and cacao nibs. My mix was really good, but I actually didn't like it so much with milk. I preferred it as a topping to yogurt. I also learned that I really don't like cacao nibs. But don't worry, that didn't stop me from eating it. For a 1 cup serving, my mix had 200 calories, 5g fat, 4g protein and 8g fiber!

Another place to mix up your own cereal is at Me & Goji. It's the same basic premise as I mentioned above, picking organic ingredients to customize your cereal. However, I have to say, I liked this site a lot more! I thought there were a lot more options to choose from and the site was fun to use. My cereal had artisanal cereal, granola, chocolate chips, blueberries, raspberries, raisins, chia and almond. For 3/4 cup, my mix had 169 calories, 3.5g fat, 5.1g protein and 6.5g fiber. Unlike the mix above, I did like this cereal with milk..and straight from the container.
Of the two, I prefer Me & Goji over My Way Cereal. The only thing I would have changed is not getting so many little ingredients (i.e. chia seeds, flax). I enjoy my cereal dry, right out of the container, and it was a little messy to eat it that way with all the tiny pieces.

As for biscuits, I'm giving My Way Cereal 5 biscuits and Me & Goji 7 biscuits. While I thought it was fun to make my own cereal and they tasted good, I think they are a little pricey to incorporate as a staple into my diet.