Lessons Learned in Hopkinton

Sorry this is a little late, but last Saturday two of my teammates and I drove out to the starting line in Hopkinton and ran 12 miles back into Wellesley to see what the first half of the course looked like. It was a beautiful, warm, and sunny day so it was nice to be outside enjoying the weather. I am really glad that we decided to do this run together because it taught me two very important lessons.....

First, the infamous downhills everyone always talks about are not so much down but rather rolling hills! Yes, the first mile of the course does have a pretty steep drop, but the rest of it definitely didn't feel all downhill. None of the uphills were very significant....nothing like Comm Ave in Newton, but I think it was really important to get out there and see for myself so I won't be shocked on marathon day when I have to run uphill early on!!

Second (and probably the more important) lesson I learned was the need to pace myself well early on. After that 18 mile run, I felt so good and I started wondering if I should have pushed harder and faster. For these 12 miles, we decided to all push our pace a bit since it was a shorter run......well we definitely pushed hard!! To give you an idea of our speed, I typically run my long runs around 9:00-9:30 min/mile -- this run we averaged 8:40 min/mile and we all agreed that we went faster at the beginning and slowed a little as we came through Framingham and Natick. It felt awesome to run that fast for 12 miles, but I definitely learned my lesson.......I can not keep that pace up for 26.2 miles!! I learned how important it is to hold back some at the beginning to conserve energy to get through the rest of the marathon. I don't want to be one of those people doing the "runner's shuffle" during the last few miles of the course. I want to enjoy the last 10k through Brookline and Kenmore Square. And I want to still be smiling as I cross the finish line! If that means holding back a little at the beginning then I am fine with that.

"The Dark Side"

During my training, I have noticed that there is a huge difference between what I'll call normal runners and marathon runners. The normal runner logs a couple miles a day 3-4 times a week and is running mainly for weight loss and cardiovascular fitness. The mind of the marathon runner is completely different. Making the transition doesn't come quickly or easily, but once you get there -- there's no turning back!

Signs I have crossed over to The Dark Side....

1. I regularly use the phrase "only 10 miles"
2. I consider temperatures above 35 degrees to be warm and anything over 50 degrees to be HOT
3. I get jealous seeing other people running when its my rest day
4. I voluntarily sat in an ice bath after a run, but have yet to really swim in the New England waters over the summer because its too cold
5. I actually think vanilla Gu tastes like cake frosting, if not better
6. I know exactly what socks, sports bra, and underwear I like the best and won't do a long run in anything else
7. I haven't bought new work clothes in a while because I prefer shopping for running clothes
8. I am already planning my next marathon when I haven't even finished my first!

Feel free to add your own!

Back on track!!

So yesterday was my longest run to date -- 18.3 miles! Talking with some of my team mates before the run, I was relieved to hear that I was not the only one who was anxious about this run. Janette, Steph, and I set out together for what we knew would be approximately 3 hours of running....that's right 3 hours of non-stop running!! It was cold as usual, but the sun was shinning and it was a beautiful day.

Rather than thinking about the run as 18 miles, I broke it down into 3 smaller distances -- 5 miles from the gym out to Cleavland Circle, 8 miles through Newton back to Cleavland Circle, and 5 miles back to the gym. At each check point, I would announce when that run was done and we would all move onto the next one. It really seemed to help me mentally thinking of the run this way rather than as a whole.

Surprisingly, I felt great during the run! The hills weren't that bad and having my team mates to talk to made the time go so much faster. I had enough energy at the end to push hard up Beacon Hill and finish the run strong -- good practice for getting up Heartbreak on marathon day. We finished the run in 2 hours and 55 minutes....just under 3 hours -- YEAH!! A bunch of TEAM BMC met up for bagels and coffee after to refuel and talk about the run. As tired as we all were, there was such a great energy between us.....everyone was so excited to have finished this long run.

A few of us have decided to skip the group run next week -- another 10.5 miles up the Newton Hills. Instead, we are planning to drive out to Hopkinton and do the first 12 miles or so of the marathon course. I think we are all so comfortable with the last half, but none of us have seen the first have yet. Veterans of Boston say that the race is really won or lost in the first half where the course is mostly downhill.....if you don't take it easy on the downhills, your legs are going to hate you when they have to switch to the uphills in Newton!!

I am so excited to have pushed through this part of the training.....although its only an extra 2 miles, 18 miles is really in a whole different league. For the first time, I now feel that I am capable of finishing this race -- this run gave me back the confidence that lost during my fall last week.

Getting Nervous!

I don't know why, but I am getting really nervous and anxious about my first 18 miler tomorrow morning. I did 16.5 miles 2 weeks ago and felt really good.....no major problems or soreness after so why should 18 make me nervous?!?! Last weekend was a stepback and that's when I fell on the ice and hit my chin. Ever since then, I have been really nervous and timid running outside. I did 8 miles on Wednesday and I was 30sec/mile slower than normal because I was so scared of falling again.

To make matters worse my running buddy, whom I didn't run with last weekend, had an awesome run and set a new PR for her 10 miles. I am so excited for her and know that I too could keep that pace under better conditions, but I guess it just gets me anxious going into tomorrow knowing that she is coming off of a great run and I am coming off of my worst running experience.

Hopefully I can shake this feeling by 8am tomorrow morning.....wish me luck!

My 1st Running Injury

Unfortunately, I suffered my first running injury this Saturday. No, its not a pulled hamstring or a tight IT band.....its my chin! How does one injure their chin when running?? Believe me....its possible!

I set out early for a 10 mile run by myself since Bryan and I were heading to my in-laws later that morning to go skiing and enjoy the snow we got last week. Most of the road was plowed and I was feeling good after about 6 miles. I took it nice and easy over the non-shoveled sections and picked up the pace when the conditions were good. Well, I must have misjudged a small patch of ice because all of a sudden I lost my balance. Trying to catch myself, I tripped over a lip in the sidewalk which sent me falling forward.....face first :( As I skidded to a stop on my belly, 2 men stopped to make sure I was okay. We surveyed the damage.....a ripped glove, dirty running tights, and a bumped chin. I could feel that I hit my chin pretty hard, but not being able to see it, I couldn't really tell.

I picked myself up and continued on. Tears were filling my eyes....not because I was hurt, but my confidence was shaken. How was I supposed to make it up these hills after a fall like that? Then I realized that crying wasn't going to make it easier.....running up hill is hard enough on my lungs, but doing it while crying would be even harder. I sucked it up and finished the run strong.

Over the next 24 hours, the bruise on my chin kept getting bigger and darker shades of purple. Honestly....the picture does not do it justice!! I'm sure I will be a little timid and scared the next time I run outside in these conditions, but I need to look back on this "injury" and draw strength from it. Knowing that I finished this run even as my bruised chin continued to swell and my confidence started falling will help me get through other tough runs.

I can only hope that this is the only injury I have during training.....for now there is nothing more to do except show off my battle scar!

Two months and counting.....

Some interesting facts since training started November 1st --

• Miles logged -- 420
• Hours spent running -- 63
• Pairs of sneakers -- 3
• Number of times up Heartbreak Hill -- 5
• The feeling I get after finishing a great run -- Priceless

The ups and downs of my 16 miler

Yesterday I joined my team for our longest run to date -- a 16 miler. As we left the gym and headed down Beacon Hill, I was feeling good. There was the cutest family standing in their doorway clapping and cheering for us as we pasted through the Back Bay....it put a smile on all our faces :)

We hit 6 miles and started going up the hill behind Boston College.....this is when I started feeling down. I had a side stitch that was coming and going for a good couple miles. I thought to myself "how the heck am I going to make it through this run if I feel this bad at the 6 mile mark?!?!?" But really I had no choice.....if I stopped to walk some I would lose Janette, which would mean running the rest of the way by myself. That thought alone made me push through the pain and eventually the cramp went away.

The next couple miles were fairly flat and I started to get into the grove. We soon turned onto Comm Ave. and all I could think about was having to make it up Heartbreak Hill. Seeing the hill in the distance, we passed a man slowly moving down the sidewalk in his wheel chair. Looking at him made me realize that I should be thankful for the ability to be out there running on such a beautiful morning and both my spirits and my legs started moving up Heartbreak.

Coming back through Brookline is probably my favorite part of the run -- with less than 5 miles left and the major hills out of the way (I always try to forget about Beacon Hill at the end) I know at this point that I can make it through this run. With about a mile left I had to stop to tie my shoe. Bending down, I realized for the first time just how much of a beating my body was taking. Luckily, I was able to will my legs back up and moving again. We finished the run in 2 hours and 32 minutes -- plus we realized later that the run was actually 16.5 miles!!!

This was the first time that I saw how mental this experience can be. In the past, I relied solely on my legs to get me through the runs. On this run I realized that its going to take a lot more than my legs to get me to the finish line. I need my head, my legs, and most importantly my heart to carry me the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston.

So as I literally ran up and down the hills, I got to experience the mental ups and downs of this crazy marathon journey! I am a little sore today and can't really sit for too long in one position without getting stiff, but I am already starting to forget about the downs of this run and looking forward to the ups of our 18 miler!!