Report Number 3

REPORT NUMBER 3

Race Entertainment: I really have been quite detached from my ipod lately when running. I know this has helped me run better and track my progress better. But, I do know that I need it...especially during the marathon. My computer at school houses my itunes, and they were being replaced. So, I did not have access to my itunes before the race. My buddy Kim and I used her itunes to make a play list to load on my shuffle. I also purchased some inspirational talks by Wayne Dyer. It was perfect! Perfect! I had some new music to listen to that had been tested by Kim and some intellectual things to keep my mind awake and not on the mileage. At Mile 5, I fueled up and hooked up the ipod. The music was great and just when that was enough around Mile 14, Wayne Dyer came on. Wayne Dyer is an inspirational speaker. I have always been very interested in how we use our mind to improve our lives. He speaks all about this. It was the perfect combo for me because he was speaking about 101 ways to improve your life, and this engaged a different part of my brain. At the end of a run, it is difficult to avoid the negative thoughts. Not because I am being negative, but because the body is ready to stop running, it is running out of fuel. It is a defense mechanism. I can honestly say that I did not have a negative thought during the whole race. I think accessing this part of my brain took away from many of the pitfalls that runners face. I knew that this race would be mental for me, and I feel that I found a good combo to conquer the mental side of the marathon.

Nutrition: During the race, I took 3 gel packs and a Powerbar. The Gel packets were chocolate and were just like eating icing, dark chocolate icing. It was good! After the race, I drank a Recoverite drink and ate the pizza and pasta that the race people provided. About an hour and a half later, we ate at McDonalds (usually yuck), BUT the chicken sandwich was really good. OH, and 2 bananas at some point too. I kept the water flowing and also continued to eat lots of veggies regularly. We have also gotten plenty of sleep and a couple of naps while in Canada. Every time I sleep, I feel better. I have not felt the unsatisfiable nutritional pit that I have in the past. I have had plenty of carbs and sugar this week to make up for the race.

The Recovery: I am excited to say that I really have not been in pain. I have taken 2 sets of ibuprofen since the race to reduce inflammation. I have been sore mostly in my quads and a little slower in my step, but no injuries or reoccurring pain. I have been stretching and using my stick everyday. Also, the day after the race, I walked a 5k with Andrea (my cousin's daughter) that benefited Prostate Cancer called Do it for Dads. Thought about running, but body said heck no. I will run tomorrow. It has been a great recovery.

MORE TO REPORT

MORE TO COME
We are having a blast visiting with family. Canada is beautiful in the summer. I cannot remember the last time that I came up in the summer. I believe it was about 18 years ago. My family lives in Southern Ontario which has many farms. They are pristine and beautiful, and it is fun seeing all the beginning of the crops; baby corn is the cutest.


The Scenery:
Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) is wine country and has numerous vineyards and fancy places to stay and visit. We ran on the Niagara Parkway, a bike/run path that is many many miles long. This race also hosted an Ultra Marathon of 33 miles that turned around at the falls. We ran along the river the whole way. The race started at the lake and them went upstream.

• Rain: It rained for 22 miles of the 26.2. Other than the weight, it really did not mess with me. It made me laugh because it was hard to see and read my watch. You kind of get to the point where you are like, it is what it is. I want to improve my time and that's it. Running a marathon is intense, no matter the speed. You cannot always factor in the uncontrollables to your time or experience. It all makes it fun to me.

• The first 5 miles featured the lake and the beautiful homes and yachts. Just as we arrived at mile 5, the scene opened up to a beautiful bridge in the mist.
• Mile 6-8 were uphill in the forest and past a butterfly sanctuary
• Mile 9-13 were right on the river. The Niagara River is powerful. I heard a roar below and to my left was huge gorge. I peered way down and there was the river....oh, my, it was rushing. I wondered what level these rapids were and then thought they were probably not rated and no one was allowed on them. It was awesome. The power lines ran up the gorge to a huge building covered in ivy. It was so beautiful.
• TURN AROUND: I was so excited to reach the turn around! I love out and back style races. Plus, I knew several miles of it would be downhill, because what goes up must come down. YES.
• 13-21: Easiest miles of the whole race. What...did not expect this. I was listening to my inspirational talk and also waiting to see the great scenery that I had experience at mile 5. The anticipation made these 7 fly by.
• 21-23: I was checking my time and realizing that I was off. No prob...because I was smiling. It was difficult to keep track of all of it in the rain and difficult to gage speed.
• 23: Bonita an Savannah caught me and said hello! I gave Savannah a flower (picked it while running). She asked me to get her one at the race.
• 24-26: Music came back on....and finished the race with 2 playings of SURVIVOR by Destiny's Child. God knew what I needed to hear.
• 26: Ran fast and bounded into the finish....no slumped over flop for me.

THE RACE

THE REPORT
It was a great race! We flew into Buffalo, NY and soon stopped at a Tim Horton's for a donut. The border crossing was so easy this time, and I actually chit-chatted with the border agent about marathon stuff. We arrived in Niagara-on-the Lake, ON on Thursday around 9:30 pm.
The hotel was nice and Savanah got her own bed.
On Friday, Savannah and I visited Niagara Falls. They are breathtaking every time I see them. Savannah was amazed and said WOW! We went up in the Skylon Tower to view the falls from above. I got a great walk pushing the stroller that really helped to loosen my legs. It was a fun day. Cousin Bonita Arrive around 6pm, and we went to the Kinsman Scout Hall to get the race packet. Nice people and a small race feel. Loved it. Got all the gear ready and went to bed around 10:30pm. Oh, and I made sure to get breakfast food ready for the next day.
Niagara-on-the lake is a beautiful place in Canada. It is wine country with miles of vineyards that sits on the Niagara River. My cousin said this is the dream vacation spot of many well-to-do Canadians.
RACE DAY:

• 6:00: up and eating
• 6:45: Race sight, bathroom break, 1 mile warm up, stretching, bathroom, ready to go
• 7:30: Race started, I felt great. 2 Miles in the rain started. It poured for another 2 and then just rained for the next 20 miles. It was fine. I smiled because I had done a 20 mile training run in the rain and was familiar with the feeling and the weight of the rain and visibility. Thank goodness for my new sunscreen that did not burn my eyes as it was being washed off my face. The last 2 miles were cool and breezy with no rain.
• My Time: I improved my marathon time by 38 minutes. My goal for my second year of running was to get faster. I was over my personal goal time by 13 minutes, but overall I was happy because I felt great the WHOLE race. I did not hit the wall, I did not have the overwhelming urge to stop running, my hamstrings were a little tight, but I took 2 ibuprophen and mile 15 and that did the trick. Feeling this good during a marathon was a huge triumph for me. You can learn from your long runs all the time, but the chance to learn during a marathon is once in a while. I think it will give me confidence to push myself in a race.

GOING GOING GONE

CANADA, Here we come

  In just a few minutes, Savannah and I are headed to Canada. I am relaxed about the marathon. I remembered-duh, to eat my daily banana....so, we should be good to go. I made my own pace band with mile splits, notes when to fuel, and 26 people to pray for. Running is a gift from God, and I want to spend this time praying for people. Those near the beginning with get the best prayer and those near the end with get whatever I've got! I will Blog again on Sunday or Monday. 

FIVE DAYS until the MARATHON

The Beach

We had a wonderful trip to the beach. Savannah was completely happy and loved the ocean and the multiple pools. We talked about our favorite part of the trip, and she said "going underwater." She is bold in the water. I think she will be swimming by the end of the summer. It was wonderful. John and I got a little sunburned because we decided to show Savannah how cool it was to go under the big waterfall at the pool. It washed off our sunscreen.

Taper Week 2

It is challenging to taper. In some ways you want to take a little break from intense running, and in most ways, you do not. I was good stuck to the training plan. The lower mileage makes me really hungry. They say to lower your calorie intake, but that is not what I have done.

Mileage: 14 (two tempo runs). The run at the beach was great heat training. I walked once day, rode the stationary bike, and ran 5 miles the next day. I started the run at 7:00 am and it was hot. I was very happy because I was about 30 sec faster/mile than planned even with the heat. I was really trying to listen to my body.

A Successful Eater: Here are a few things that make me a successful eater. What I mean is searching for the most satisfying and delicious high-fiber and low fat foods.

• Whole Wheat or Oat Bran Pita Bread
• Stacy's Multigrain Pita Chips (New York Wheat are better for you if you can find them)
• Athenos Humus
• Fiber One Muffins (mix)
• Fiber One Bars
• Fiber One Honey Clusters Cereal, and Shredded Wheat
• Thomas' Hearty Grains English Muffins
• Reduced Fat Wheat Thins
• Kroger Brand Mini Rice Cakes
• Goldfish Pretzels

MARATHON WEEK

This is it! We are getting geared up for travel to Canada. I cannot wait to see my family. My buddy Kim asked me how I was doing in regards to the Marathon. I had not really thought about it until then. I feel ready, got my pace plan, my nutrition plan (added S-Caps to the mix) and doing the taper by the book. No last minute sprints to get in shape. It is what it is. With running, overworking is not an option. What I mean is that if you over train, you are toast for the race. It may help you in the long run, but not for the immediate race. I learned that from my first marathon. I was like a new puppy with the first marathon and just raced and raced and ran and ran...so the marathon was tough and I was not fresh. Of course, all this training has helped me in the long run.

Mileage: 9 so far....plus 26.2 on Saturday.

Thankful for: Bonita is coming to be with Savannah and cheer me on at the race. I am excited and thankful for her. She is quite an athlete herself (playing fast pitch ball for most of her life). I am excited that she finally gets to see an athletic side of me (believe me, this is a new side). We are going to have a blast.

Savannah's wisdom: Savannah gives me lots of advice these days. I woke her up to go to Owen's early one morning so that Kim and I could run. I told her that I was going to exercise, and that is why I woke her up. She said, "No Mommy, you RUN....Daddy exercises." She also told me that sometimes we have to do things we do not want to do (good advice for both parties).

Toe Health: Pedicures are a part of toe health. I have found that I run better with a pedicure. Sounds funny, but my toes are prone to hangnails, etc and need attention. I think I can avoid loosing the nails and avoid chaffing if the are taken care of. So, this week, Savannah and I went to the nail place and she got sparkly pink and I got neon green. It was fun. 26.2 is on the big toes.

Phantom Aches: My buddy Kim P told me that before the race during taper week you usually feel some pain that gets you worried about your body and the race. Since the beach, my left hamstring has been tight. Stretching works. I was a little worried yesterday because it was not until mile 4 that it loosened. I believe my marathon pace will ease it in to working well. I read in Runner's World that this may be caused from a weak pelvic floor. Ok, so maybe giving birth to Savannah did this to me? Who knows. I hope it is a phantom ache.

Canada: Canada is a wonderful place. The people are gracious and kind all around. Plus, they have Salt-and-Vinegar goldfish....YES, the do. They are delicious and trump SV chips any day. I will stash some in my bag for the trip home. Canada here we come!

Thanks for All the Support

You Cannot Run a Marathon without support

Thanks to my husband who puts up with me getting up at dark-30 to run and taking great care of Savannah. Savannah always has fun things to say to me when I come home. "Did you race today?" "Mommy, you should wear your skirt all day so you can be a princess like me." And last night right before bed, she said "let's exercise." Savannah has been helping me with strength training. She usually jumps on me when I am doing planks and crunches. Good resistance training....possibly a little dangerous. I love my family. 

Thanks to my friend Kim who started all this running. She also catches me at the end of my long runs and makes the hardest part of the run so much fun. I could not have finished the 23 miler with out her (she joined me for 8...when she only wanted to do 6). I love my friend.

Thanks to my Dad for his enthusiasm for exercise. I remember fondly when you would go running. It was always a mystery to me (where did he go), and I wanted to be a part of that adventure. You could have totally run a marathon...and beyond.

THE TAPER

Mileage: 20 miles (next week will be two tempo runs! They are the toughest for me)

Lessons Learned: Do not eat a lot late at night before a long run! I had fun with my friends Helen and Matt and some delicious food. BUT, I paid for it. Acid indigestion and a sudden stop at Kroger 5 miles in...that I would rather not relive. The cashier asked as I jogged back out of the store, "are you OK?" I said, "now," I am.

A Date in History: I actually uttered the words "I am tired of chick-fil-a." I know it will come back. I think it is just part of my taper....taper off of the chick-fil-a wraps. 

Why NIAGARA?

THE NIAGARA ULTRA SERIES

Why did I choose this race? I knew that I wanted to do another marathon. Did not expect to want to more than one a year, but as I was training for the ING half-marathon, I realized that I wanted to do one in the summer. If you look at the marathon calendars on the web, you will notice that there are not many marathons in the summer. This sport is typically fall/spring dominated. I looked into Grandma's Marathon (don't laugh, this is a real marathon and a famous one in Duluth, MN), but realized that I could not afford that trip in addition to trips visiting relatives this summer.

How could I do both? My relatives (Dad's side) live in Thorndale/London Ontario Canada, and I have not seen them in a year and a half. Normally, we travel every year to see them and were unable to this year due to the economy. (Don't worry students, I will bring back Smarties to start off the year). I happened upon the Niagara Ultra 50k (this is an ultra marathon...which means MORE than 26.2 miles) that was happening on June 20th! The race also featured a Marathon, Half-Marathon, and I think 5k. YIPPEEE. Perfect timing for training, and I get to see my relatives who live just a few hours from Niagara. I am so excited. 

First Marathon Feet

GOOD LUCK CHARM: I had a pedicure the week before my first marathon in November. I had them paint 26.2 on my big toes to go along with the neon green. I will make this a tradition. PS: this picture was taken right after my race...hey, I am still standing.

Low then High

I skipped a week of blogging....last week of school, so a good week to skip. I will include 2 weeks worth of training on this one. 

Last Week Low Mileage Week: 20 miles

This Week High Mileage Week: 33 miles with a 23 mile long run...now the taper and looking forward to longer tempo runs.

During the Run: My 23 miler, I started to feel it early, but what I realized is that I felt it but was not slowing down. So, I realized that these feelings were not going to stop me from running. I did not hit a wall. I did want to stop running at 18 or 19 miles (maybe because I am running slow--following the training guide minus 50 seconds). I was sane and coherent after the run and was actually jazzed up. It was good. I realize more and more that the marathon is going to be mental not physical this time.

Ouch: Remembered Body Glide and Sunscreen. Found some less stinky Kroger Brand Sunscreen that did not burn my eyes. 

The IPOD: This long run, I loaded Andy Stanley, Joyce Meyer, and James Dobson. I got me some church on while running. It was good and definitely helped.  

Nutrition: After the 23 miler, I tried chocolate milk as my official recovery drink, ate chickfila wrap and felt pretty good. Had a banana before, 2 gels and power bar during (did not like the choc/peanut butter power bar--tasted like a big tootsie roll--barf) and a banana after. What I am working on is avoiding that bottomless pit feeling, like nothing can satisfy me....not that I am that hungry, just nutritionally starved. My goal is to get to the next day and be like, oh, yeah, I just ran 23 miles. I would say the last two 20+ milers have been that way, I actually forgot I ran the day before. I know that I am getting stronger, but I am also getting smarter about my nutrition after the run. Sugar has been really messing with me lately. I can't eat the littlest piece of something without feeling overdosed on sugar. I just made whole-wheat choc-chip cookies and know that I won't be interested in them for long. I even put less sugar in them this time and they are still too sweet. I know this is a good thing, but I would like to eat something sweet without that feeling. Yes, I was eating a banana this week and thinking, this is like candy. A good thing overall....

Firsts: I forgot my "official" water bottle that goes with my belt....devastating mistake, NO, the Nestle water bottle fit just perfectly after I wedged my power bar in there with it.

Technical Difficulties: I use the nikeplus to track my runs. I am about to get my third one for free because the display keeps getting eaten by my sweat. I have read this is a problem for this product, but as I was running, I could not tell if the watch said .9 or .4. This is a big deal when you are at 22.4 miles waiting for 22.9. It was funny, cause when my watch hit 22.9 I was at the end of the pavement and near my car and kept moving to see the big 23 come on the screen...but just gave up cause I could not tell what the display said. I got home and plugged it in and it said 22.96. HA, close enough for a track star.

What's in a Name: Oh, I forgot to share how Kim and I got our name, Track Star Mommas. One morning at dark 30 in the morning in our cul-de-sac, we were doing weights and "sprints" and out of nowhere a young gentleman appeared and came right up to use. We were wary. I thought this is it, we are going to have to defend ourselves. He said, "are you all track stars?" He was serious, we were not. It was funny, and then he disappeared into the dark. 

You know you love running when: I bumped into one of my band parents, and she mentioned that she runs at 4:15 am for her long runs. I was REALLY excited to hear that and will be joining her in July. Later, I thought WOW, that did not even phase me. It does seem the earlier you run, the faster the miles go by.