Are You Sure This Course Is Measured Right?
OR: You mean I actually have to run 42.2km
OR: The hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my whole entire life.
Warning: This is a LONG post. Seriously. Grab a cup of coffee and join me on the experience of my first ever marathon. I enjoyed writing it, so you should enjoy reading it!:) It’s in sections if you don’t want to read it all though.
Yesterday I ran a marathon. Today, everything I try and do is like running a marathon. Standing up from the couch (which now has an indent of my beaten up body). The four stairs in my house I’m sure have increased in distance apart and the small hill through the park. When asked to breathe, my lungs scream “NO!” and my back tenses up. My shoulders remain tense and for some reason my elbows hurt. My good ol’ runners have been retired for flimsy flip flops allowing the two large blisters on my toes to breathe. My quads scream at every bit of pressure. My Achilles feels as though it is about to snap in half. I’m hurting in places I never knew could hurt. The school I attend is not built for a marathon runner. Or another theory that I have devised is that marathon runners are not meant to function the day after a marathon. But this is the best feeling pain that I’ve ever felt.
Let’s go back to the beginning, shall we?
About a year and a half ago my step dad said I would never run a marathon. And yesterday I proved him wrong by running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I won’t go into any more detail about that, because I’m sure I’ve said it several times on this blog. It’s around here somewhere. I’ll make a link sometime. But you’re lucky you’re getting this report so soon. It’s taking all of my energy to stay awake. (and it’s only 4:30pm)
Two Weeks BeforeThis marked the beginning of Taper madness when I only ran 12km and biked 20km. What was I to do with all this extra energy? Why, dance around work in circles and sing of course! This freaked people out, I think. But who was I to help it. This also began my “I’m not getting sick” streak, where I fed everyone around me Vitamin C tablets, drank Orange juice with 400% of my daily recommended intake of vitamin C and used hand sanitizer on an OCD basis. Started planning outfits and lists in my head.
The Week BeforeThis marked the making of lists. Eight beautifully coloured lists on different coloured paper with boxes beside them for checkmarks. I also set out and labelled all of my outfits at the end of my bed so I didn’t have to do much thinking. This also marks the week that I got sick because of the lack of exercise (not because of a lack of vitamin C). So I spent Wednesday curled up in bed and Thursday taking it easy. The lists that I had created were obviously too intense for myself at the time, and needed to be significantly cut down. So that I did.
The night before:After having a fantastic day at work (in which I could barely remember my own name or where I was, let alone how to speak), I set out to meet Laurel, Marci and Marlene! It was really fun to finally meet the people who help to keep you motivated and going on a daily basis. They’re all a hoot. I will eventually post pictures from the meet-up as soon as I get my dinky little disposable camera developed! (Patience my dear friends, patience). I went home that night and went through the checklists one more time. I had everything set. I felt like I was going to puke. I watched Run Fatboy Run and was in bed by 10:30pm. I slept rather fitfully and almost hit the snooze button when my alarm rang at 5am. I digressed, and promptly got out of bed and put my race outfit on. I made oatmeal but ended up burning it in the microwave (Who knew that was possible) so I opted for a bagel at Tim Horton’s on the way. My best friend was also running her first 5k race that day, so she arrived at my house about 5:30 am. By the time I checked over my “Don’t leave the house until...” list it was 5:45am and we were off!
The Race Start
We were at the race start line by about 6:15am, and made our way to the Porta-potties. The lines weren’t too long, as everyone was making their way to the real bathrooms that were inside the city hall. I figured I didn’t have that much patience to wait in that line up. I had set the meeting place for my clinic and a few others I was meeting at 7am, near the bag check. I met with Carla, someone from work who was also running the half that day (and who rocked it with a side stitch the whole way), and one person from my clinic. At 7:15 am, I made my way to the purple corral. I was alone in a sea of people. It was kind of an overwhelming feeling. Before I knew it the gun went off. I had set my Garmin for a 4hr marathon. We started to slowly walk towards the starting line. What fun. What I didn’t know was that I was about to embark on the most difficult journey I had ever attempted...
Kilometers 1-5I had decided I was going to dedicate a portion of my race to a bunch of special people in my life. Kilometers 1-5 were dedicated to my very best friend, Gilda, who was running her first 5k. I was upset that my race started 45 minutes earlier than hers and that I wasn’t able to see her start or finish, but I knew that she was tough and would finish. I had my 13 y/o sister there with us and she was able to see her finish and make sure everything was good. I think she got a picture too...I think.
I did the first 3km at the pace that my Garmin said I would have to do them in. I knew then that a sub 4hr marathon wasn’t in the cards. Ok. Fine. It’s my first marathon and I’m going to do it so that there is absolutely nothing left in me at the end. To that effect, I’m not posting splits on here.
5-9kmI decided that I would run this part of the race for my Store manager, Ashima. She’s awesome and wanted to do her first 5k but ended up having to work. She’s totally inspiring, has incredible courage and makes you think. She’s helped me with my goals so much, and helped me realize that worrying is just a waste of energy, because it’s not helping anybody. She’ll do a 5k soonJ.
I was still having fun here. I started implementing 10 and 1’s when I realized I still had seven more 5k runs to do. I took a gel at 6k and was feeling good. The course is an out and back course.
So you run out and then back, and then out in a different direction and then back again. When you’re crossing the 7km marker, on the other side of the street is the 17km marker. Low and behold, there were the Kenyans. A group of about 6 of them, followed by a group of three. They looked absolutely amazing, and like they were barely breaking a sweat. It seriously looked comfortable. Right. I heard somebody remark that “Anybody can do a 2hr marathon, but not many people have the endurance to do a 5hr marathon.” I would learn to hold onto that statement later in the course.
Km 10-14I did these for my family. They woke up at an ungodly hour, and put up with a very grumpy Tiger for quite a few days before the race. They have listened to me talk about my aches and pains, and how good or bad of a run I have had.
These were pretty uneventful. I took another gel at 12km and there was the turnaround. I saw a few people from the Port Credit Running Room there cheering us on. I don’t know if I smiled but I tried too. I had people calling “GO Tiger!” which was written on my arm, and I had someone poke me, point to my arm and give me the ‘thumbs up’ sign. How coolJ I was still feeling pretty good.
Km 15-19For my bestest running buddy, Super Danielle!:) She seriously rocks. Everything from her positive attitude and mantras, to having real authentic conversations on our long runs. She is one wicked awesome person who helps to put the things that are bugging you, or silly little things into perspective!
At 19km, you separate from the half marathoners and go on to conquer the marathon. I took a picture (on my pathetic little disposable camera that I haven’t used up yet) of the place where the marathoners and half marathoners split. We were off to the queens quay and they were on their way home. I’m starting to feel a little bit tired, even though I had my system going of 2 glasses of water and one Gatorade at each aid station. The weather was just about perfection too. I was still holding on though.
Km 20-24For all the fabulous people I work with. These people have listened to me blather on about this race for a few months now. They’ve listened to me. They all have contagious positive attitudes which I definitely pulled on during this part of the race. This positive attitude thing was becoming a bit of a challenge at this point. It was boring and got pretty lonely along this course.
I think I fell into my zone at this point and went along at a pretty good clip that I don’t remember. I later found out that it must’ve been too fast, because I was fading fast, even though I had my gels and nutrition into me.
Km 25-28I ran this part of the race for YOU GUYS! For my RBF. You guys are the ones who listen to me when everyone else wants me to shut up. You guys are the ones that are reading this long ass report, that I’m sure not many others are going to want to read. You guys are the ones who reminded me that everyone has bad runs and helped me figure out what was wrong when I wasn’t feeling it. And you listen to my non-running rambles that I sometimes won’t tell anyone else. You guys ROCK!
These were in the Leslie spit. This was tough. It was sunny and hot and there was no shade. I ran for 5 minutes, and walked. I felt like I walked for an eternity. Then I started to run again. Then I walked. There was no set interval, it was what I could do. Geeze, it’s not supposed to get this hard this early, is it?
Km 28-32:
I ran these km for my Running Aunties. Auntie Helen and Tante Kathleen joined the marathon club last January, and welcomed me yesterday. They are really awesome people. I guess it’s our version of ‘the Woo Hoo’s’ lol. They’re like second mothers and remind me that life isn’t as difficult as we make it seem, listen to me talk about boys and help me with my marathon training.
My power song came on here. Or one of them at least. It was “Heart of a Champion” by Nelly. It seriously gave me a boost. I repeated this song like 4 times. This was getting hard. And it was hurting. But I was still moving forward. There were times I thought that I wasn’t going to finish. I still had the run walk thing going on, but it was a little less than it was during the last 4km. There was a man taking pictures. In the middle of the road so we knew he was there, giving us a chance to smile and pretend we felt good. It was pretty funny watching everyone run through the camera and then walk as soon as he was done!
Km 33-37For my friend Linzee who is super fun, and upbeat. She just moved to Australia and hates Sharks. So I ran for her so she wouldn’t get eaten by sharks. Km 33 is uphill. And it hurts. So I walked up the hill. And started crying. Sobbing almost. I didn’t know if I was going to finish. I still had 9km to go, and could barely take another step. A random spectator pushed me through it and insisted that I was going to finish. By 35km I knew I was going to finish, but I was still walking a lot. Why is this so hard?!?!? These km were faster than the ones before.
38-40kmFor Rick. Because he said I wouldn’t! Simple as that. I saw Teresa and Wendy here, who reminded me of the fact that I had just over 4km to go and I would be a marathoner. Again, exhausted tears here. It helped me to pick up my pace though. I rounded the corner and saw Stuart on his bike. I smiled at him, and continued to run forward. I look to my left 30 seconds later and there he is, riding beside me. I guess I must have given this overwhelmed exhausted look because he told me I didn’t have to talk. I made a very sad attempt at small talk and we continued together. He had the brilliant Idea that I run in the shade as opposed to the sun. I seriously never would’ve thought about it.
We reached the last water station, and I took water and Gatorade, and dumped a water over my head, because it was getting really hot. Stuart also dumped water on my head and went back to get 3 more glasses of water for me, and rode with me for another 100 meters. He then headed on his way. I don’t know if I properly said thank you to him, but I really appreciated what he did. .
40-42.2km
Knowing I was on my way to the finish line only helped a little bit. I wanted to stop. And die. I passed the medical and decided that I wouldn’t go in there. I would finish. You run up a lonely street in the last kilometre before the race ends. At 41km theres everybody. Many people had already finished and were cheering the runners coming through on. There was so much noise, and it took so much to pull myself together, but I did it. I knew it was going to be over soon. They had signs from 500m to go, so I just kept running. My siblings joined me for awhile and I saw Danielle and Gilda and my mom and other siblings. I gave them a pathetic half assed smile and continued my journey to the finish line. I “Sprinted” across the finish line.
The finishInsisting I don’t need medical attention, I held onto a volunteer (for dear life)who walked me to the medal area and continued on my way. Before she left she said “Congratulations, Marathoner”. Cue tears. I didn’t know how to react when I crossed the finish line. I was so overwhelmed and glad that it was over. When the woman said “Congratulations, Marathoner” I was so happy. I did something that only 3% of the population would ever do.
Mind you I did it in a lot longer than I wanted to, but I had met the goal that I set the day before the race. “Have nothing left. Know you couldn’t have done better on that given day”.
I wandered, and sobbed until I found the place where they give you Gatorade, and they take your chip off. Mind you I didn’t know they were supposed to take my chip and they hunted me down. I got my bag and went to the family find area, and sat down, still crying. A random runner came up to me and asked me if I was alright. I said yes and that i was just looking for my family. She offered me her cell phone and I had my family meet me.
It was so cute to see them all running towards me. Super Dano and Gilda were there and we talked, and Danielle made me stretch and stuff. It was great just sitting there with them though. I ended up finding Wendy and Teresa, and saying thanks for their help, and then Alyson and Stuart as well.
After we got everyone organized, Rick went to get the car. I stopped into work to say hello. I guess I was walking like a 96 y/o woman cause everyone was asking if I was alright. It was great to see their positive happy faces afterwards. I went home and crashed on the couch. For quite awhile. I then made my brother walk to get me Salt and Vinegar chips and root beer. My mom ordered Swiss Chalet for dinner and it took me several hours to finally eat.
Stats:
Chip Time: 5:12
Analysis: Not today. Let me remember how to walk first. You guys are probably sick of reading. The count on word is 2,900 words.
I am a Marathoner
And too exhausted to write about it...
stay tuned.
Check, Check and Check
I have to run a marathon tomorrow. I'm talking 26.2 miles. I'm talking 42.2km. I'm talking a hell of a long way.
I'm running a marathon. Holy bjeebers. I have no coherent thoughts, so I'm just going to mentally go through the checklists (by writing them down on my blog) and then going to say "Farewell" until after I have run.
- Checklists completed: CHECK
- Bib and chip attatched: CHECK
- Close laid out-CHECK
- Mantras written down on arm: almost CHECK
- Playlists Made: CHECK
- Water into me: CHECK
- Post Race Bag packed: CHECK
- Mental ready: not soo much
Tomorrows the day. The day I've been waiting for since I started training. I feel like I've done my training and I'm as ready as I ever will be.
Here is the goal, one more time, in writing:
I am going to finish, with nothing left. I want to know that I gave it 190% and couldn't have done anything differently, I will be happy.
So there it is! I'm doing it. This is it!
Lots of pictures to come, but no time to post them now.
I had the privelege of meeting Marci, Marlene and Laurel today! IT was so neat to meet you ladies in person! And apparently, we're all honorary WOO-HOOS!
I bet you're all jealous. You should be :)
This is all you'll hear from me til it's over! My bib number is 1634. You can track me if you want on : www.sportstats.ca -Emily Letourneau.
See you on the flip side
The Reason I hate taper
I've made a decision.
If I survive this marathon, and if, by some lapse in mental sanity, I decide that I am going to run
another marathon I am going to for-go the taper.
WHY?!?
Because I am SICK!!!All those lovely people I have been spending most of my time with have been sick. I thought that since I was eating well, and taking my vitamins and feeding vitamins to other people that I would be fine and I would get sick
after the marathon, which would not be a big deal, because the race was already one.
Last night, I went to bed thinking that i had drank too much water. I had a
wicked headache and weird feeling in my tummmy tums. I went to bed and woke up with a wicked sore throat. OH CRAP, I thought to myself, as I proceeded to make the executive decision to hang low, read the notes on what I was supposed to learn that day and make my way to the doctor.
I then went and purchased some Cold FX, and halls, and a runners world. After that I looked at my lists. The lists of all the things I had to do this week, and cut down any unneccessary things. I am pretty confident that I was doing
wayyyy tooo much for post marathon week. For example, tomorrow instead of running all hours of the day, I'm going to class, 'reading for classes' (or checking the weather again, and planning my race strategy) going to get my pants and then going to my clinic. Thankfully I have a speaker to do the race prep talk...
If I did it, it would sound something like this:
ustjay rinkday otslay foay aterway nday ontday rytay nythingnay ewnay. ownay etslay ogay otay ateay astapay.So, I'm sick. But I am thinking UBER positively because the power of positive thoughts will help to make me healthy!!!
Yeah. That's about the state of me right now. I just saw the "Spirit of the Marathon."
What.an.amazing.movie.
You laugh, you cry, your there running right along with them. It's coming out on October 7th. It's mine on October 7th.
I've got my mantras figured out as well:
- I'm strong, I'm fit, I trained for this!
- Pain is temporary, pride is forever!
- sometimes the walls are there so we can prove how much we really want something-from the last lecture.
- It's the long run that puts the Tiger in the Cat
- Run Strong, Think Big, Be Proud
And I'll also change my language to "I can" and "I will" instead of "Can't"
I need to make my playlist still. Bags are pretty much packed. As soon as I have my kit my race stuff will be packed and set out. Yeah yeah. Yeah yeah yeah.
I'm in marathon mode. And I'm excited. and scared out of my mind.
3 days. Expect a frantic post or two before Sunday. The race is on Sunday. In like 3 days. Or less!!!
Tigrrr
:D
This Is The Story of a Girl...
Once upon a time, in a far away land, where they live in igloos and penguins roam free, there was a silly, niave highschool student that got a brochure in the mail from Team In Training. At that moment she decided that she was going to run a marathon. She excitedly went to tell her parents that she was going to run a marathon and was greeted with immediate laughter and snide remarks somewhere along the lines of, "Ha, no you won't."
But this girl soldiered on.
Fast Forward a year and a half.This girl has been training. We're talking hardcore training for the past four months. She changed her eating habits to something, although not perfect, much better than they were before. She changed her sleeping schedule. She gave up most of her social life to train for this race. She ran long hours by herself on Sunday mornings. She found that her sanity stayed in tact as long as she got her runs in.
As the months crept past, this girl felt herself getting stronger and stronger. More and more ready to tackle this journey that most will never attempt in their lifetimes. Sure, she had some bad runs like everyone else, but she got through them. Sure, there were times when she asked herself what the hell she was doing, asking herself
why she was doing this. She pushed those negative attitudes aside (with the help of the wonderful people she's met at her knew job who's positive attitudes are absolutely contagious). She kept trucking on.
Fast Forward to NowThis girl has so much exess energy she scares the people around her. Her excitement and Obsession have become too much for most normal people to handle. This girl has lists. Lists with little boxes to check off as things have been done. She's including water drinking and playlist making on the list.
This girl is so ridiculous that she has picked out her clothes for the upcoming week, and created outfits that lay on her kitchen table. We're talking complete outfits with undergarnments and socks. The things that she is laying out for her race are slowly congregating on said table as well.
Her post race bag is almost packed and just waiting for the pants she bought for post race which are being hemmed. Said pants will be ready Wednesday. She has packed the bag she has to take to work on Saturday which includes clothes for work, clothes for the Blogger meet up and clothes for her work party.
She has a list of things that she needs to buy this week. All of these lists are on brightly colored cardstock paper, and she carries around a retractable sharpie pen so that if need be she can check things of this list.
Said girl just realized how far 42.2km actually is. She is trying her best not to let that thought get in the way of her positive thoughts. Positive thoughts that will be plastered all over her arms, and race bib on race day.
This girl will post pictures once she gets home, so that you can see the extent of this taper madness.
5 sleeps and counting. (I say 5 sleeps not because I can't count, but because I am pretty much positive that I will not be sleeping on the 6th night!!!
Hope you're all excited for your upcoming races!:)
Tigrrr
Obsession?
Maybe? I'm thinking so.
I've got list. 3 pages of lists of things I need to do before the race this week. As in before Sunday. I've gotta do all the petty little stuff like creating a race playlist, figuring out and re-figuring out the order I'm going to run in, picking out and purchasing race outfit. Making sure that I have run in it atleast twice before the race.
After I completed those lists, I made lists of what I need to pack:
Race Bag
- Clean underwear and bra
- Pants
- Tank
- Warm long sleeve top
- Sweater
- Flip Flops
- Hair Brush
- Something to wash my face with
- Kleenex
- Cellphone
- Jacket
- Cell phone and camera batteries
Race Clothes to be set on bed the night before:
- Outfit yet to be decided (shorts, top and bra)
- Socks (that I've worn before)
- Running shoes with chip attatched
- Race bib attatched to bib holder
- Gels pinned to race belt
- Garmin (charged)
- Body Glide/vasoline
- deoderant (I don't want to be the smelly runner)
- permanent marker (to write race order on self, as well as mantras)
- Camera (to be decided)
- Long sleeved cotton shirt I'll throw away
- 1 bottle of gatorade for morning of
- 1 bottle of water
I have decided in order to be space efficient, that I'll be writing my mantras on my arms. This way I'll can read them and remember them without having to take out annoying paper and what not. The race order will also be written on my arms.
Race bag will be packed Friday night. Race clothes will be set out Friday night. On top of my race clothes and race bags I will put out cardstock checklists.
Example:
Before you go to bed:
- Is your garmin charged
- Is your ipod charged
- Is your water set out
- Have you checked your race clothes sitting out? Has anybody touched them?
On the Door before going outside:
- Do you have everything that is on both checklists?
- Have you eaten breakfast?
- Have you gone to the washroom?
- Is it before 5:30am?
Yeah. This might be bordering CDO (like OCD but with the letters in alphabetical order like they should be).
I have also been having a 'bipolar taper'. My mood changes 3 times in 10 minutes. My moms not too impressed with this though. lol.
So that's my life right now. Next week is so so soo busy!!!! I'm so excited for the busy-ness though!!!
Catch up with you all later today!
And SO it begins...
The self doubt and paranoia has come up in
full force over the last 3 hours.
Holy crap. I have to run a marathon. It's not longer "YAY, I get to run a marathon," It's "I have to run for some ridiculous amount of time that people don't like to even
drive and I'm going to do so with a smile on my face after having trained only 36km."
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!And I know it's still 11 more sleeps until I'm running this thing, but the non-logical part of me is thinking that this is going to give me more time to prepare. I can go out and run 42km, and then I know I'm ready.
But alas, the logical part of me is saying--too close of a time for injuring my poor, (slightly less)exhausted body already.
What does my body have to say about all this?
Why are you not taking me out for a 3hr run today??? What am I going to do with all this extra, pent up energy, hm? I know you took me out for an hour run Yesterday and that you're going to make me work and go to school today but I NEED to run!And so I take my body out for a short (20 minute) run. During this 20 minutes,
everythinnggg hurts. I'll put them in list form for your easy reading pleasure (and we'll do it logically too-we can start at the bottom and work our way up:
- Heels of my feet and balls of my feet: Plantar Facitiis? My mom had that for awhile. Maybe it runs in the family. Freezing juice can to roll on the bottom of my feet when I get home.
- Arches: Feel like they're falling. Is it my orthodics? Could they be worn out already? I got them in March. What about my shoes? Could that be the problem? Is the cushioning gone?
- Ankles: Maybe the orthodics aren't correctioning my problems and I'm still rolling over on my ankles. OR maybe they're correcting it too much and it's making it worse? What if????Maybe this taper is causing me to gain weight and it's too much for my ankles to handle and they're going to give out on me (note: This is not (yet?) the reason due to the fact that when I stepped on the scale my weight is consistant...but it could be)
- Achilles Tendon: It's tight. Both of them. It might be because of the oncoming plantar facitis and tight calves.
- Calves: Are cramping when I'm just sitting around doing nothing. Maybe I'm not hydrated well enough. Maybe I have a salt imbalance. Maybe it's something to do with potassium.Maybe that Beardsley guy that Nitmos talks about is going to follow me around before the marathon.
- Knees: Both of them. My bad knee hurts around the ACL and my other (better) knee hurts where it meets my IT Band. Did I re-tear my ACL? Maybe theres scar tissue on my ITBand. Must roll out with 'The Stick' when I return to my home
My quads, hips, hams and core are fine (thankfully) but then you get to:
6. My Lungs and Throat: My lungs are aching and my throat is killing me. Now, this one may not be in my head because taper is the best time to get sick (well not the best time but a likely time) and everyone at work and school is sick and my mother (like always) is sick again. I have a plan of action for this one as well...I'm going to get vitamin C tonight as soon as I am done work, and I am going to carry it around and give it to everyone close to me so that they don't get sick (thus giving me no possible way of getting sick. Brilliant, right?)
I will post the other thing that is plaguing my thoughts as well, and then hopefully forget about it until tomorrow:
The goal for the race is to finish with nothing at all left. Just completely depleated (and elated). But the question then is: HOW? I know, I work hard for a long time, but what if I work hard too early and then run out of energy and then not finish? Or what if I start to late and could've done better or what if, what if, what if?!?!
How do I make the "What if's" go away??
AFAFVIABAHUDAGFHASDF
YEAH.
I'll figure it out and let you know.
Zooom
As can be noted by the last post, I have developed the one track race mind. I told a few people I would make them personalized training programs (Practicing what I know/what I'm learning) and they read more like a short novel than a training program!
I love how busy life is. It makes time fly by. Zooooooom (just a fun, childish word that I like to use never)
This week I'm deciding on my outfit (almost picked out), my race playlist, the order I'm running my race in (as in, for whom), and my race strategy. Come Monday next week I will begin packing my bag (because the week is crazy).
I bought the Last Lecture. And read it. Twice. And cried both times (and as you guys have been told that doesn't happen often so it's gotta be good). It's a heart-wrenching story and it makes you think.
I'm thinking about my childhood dreams and about the things that are going to make me truly happy. As soon as I figure them out, I'll put them into action. And you'll hear all about them (along with the running. Who knows, maybe on a run it'll trigger a childhood dream and you'll get a 4 pg blog entry about it. But if that happens I promise to write it in installments so it's tolerable!). The other book that I'm reading is called "Embracing Uncertainty" and it's basically how not to worry. The book, along with the fabulous people that I am priveledged to work with (their positive attitudes are contagious you know) helped me get through what (in my mind) was a really difficult week. Just stuff going on that worries me for reasons that make no sense.It's tough passing those big dates though. You know the ones when your whole life changes in an instant and you have no control over it?
Back to my one track mind:
We had to draw a picture in paint for one of my classes to get us used to the the programs and stuff.
I thought I would show it to you! So without further ado, here is what I pay $5000 a year to learn (Not really):
You guys might be getting a post once a day from now on, becaues my family and friends are sick of hearing about it and we're still 2 weeks out! (Well actually as of right now, we're 12 days, 13hrs and 22 minutes from race day!)
I'll be back commenting on blogs when I find a plug. Or go home. Or come to school 4hrs early tomorrow to fill out documents.
Wow-Wee!
Just thought you should know that we are approximately 15 days out from the marathon.
Things that are going through my head include, but are not limited too:
Stairs: Why are there so many stairs at my school? How am I going to get around the day after? I have soo many classes that day too. Maybe I should invest in some sort of walking aid (like a stick or something.) And maybe a rolly-bag too. Or maybe I just won't bring any books. Just a computer. It's lighter than all those text books. For really reals.
Headphones: It's sooo difficult to find a pair of headphones that are light, and will stay in. I've been experimenting with different kinds of ear buds lately but, apparently ears sweat. Ear sweat + stuff in your ears=stuff in your ears falling out. And then theres all the ear wax and stuff...yeah.
Music: Gotta have a kickin' playlist just incase time get rough! Any suggestions? I'll put you guys on my playlist and re-name the song so your name is in it!
Outfit: Now this is where it gets tricky. Ideally I wanted to wear a bra top, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable enough to actually do it. 42.2km with people looking at my not so nice stomach. I'm sure that after awhile you stop trying to hold it in and the picture I can't imagine will be that nice either.
Not only is it what to wear, its what color to wear! I'll be co-ordinating colors with several other people. That's where it gets tough. I'd like to have my outfit by Sunday night.
Weather: Is it even going to be nice enough to run in a bra top? Geeze, that makes it even more complicated (especially with the whole color co-ordinating bit). I'm not too concerned about the actual weather. I can deal with heat and I can deal with cold and I can deal with in between. It'll be fantastic any way you slice it. Besides, weather is something I can't control, so why worry about it. It's a complete waste of energy.
Watch: Should I wear one? I guess I technically have a time goal, but I also don't have a watch charger. And I don't want to be a slave for my watch either. If I'm capable of a sub 4hr race (
which I KNOW that I am) then I will do it with or without a watch. I could keep my eyes out for pace bunnies to gauge how I am doing (but I won't
ever run with one again!)
Run Order: Member how I said I'm going to do a 5k for 8 different people and then the last 2.5k for myself. I know I'm doing one for my Grumpy, one for the people at work, one for my best friend, one for you guys, one for Danielle, one for someone whos moving away, One for my family, and one for Mr. Science teacher and one for my running group. It`ll help keep things fresh. I just need to know
where I want to put them all. My running group (who always like to give me a hard time) said they`d like to be around the place where you hit the wall so that I`ll hear their voice telling me to stop). 32-37km are taken. tell me where I should put you guys.
Mantras: To pull me through the tough times. I got some good ones! What gets you through the rough times.
Nutrition: To carry a fuel belt or not to carry a fuel belt. That is the question. Waters stations every 2.5 km. Gels can be pinned to me and then easily ripped off. Water and gatorade at aid stations of just water. Should I drink at
every aid station. The way I have my walk breaks planned is to run between aid stations and then walk through the station.
On the run photography: This one is an interesting one. Do I run with my camera. I will definately be taking picture beforehand. Do I take pictures on the run. If I know I`m going to come in under 4, then I won`t waste time but what if it`s not in the cards. Wouldn`t it be fun to stop and take pictures and enjoy the run...I think I will put new batteries in my camera and run with it.
Pre-race: What time should I go to bed at. How early is too early. When should my last meal be. What time should I wake up and when should we leave (keeping in mind traffic). Should I watch a movie the night before. If I get up and have breakfast at 4 am, will it still be working by the time the race starts at 730am.
Post Race: One thing I know about post race is that I don`t want to have
any energy left. I want to have completely depleted every ounce of glycogen in my body. Then I will know that I couldn`t have done any better and have no reason to be upset with, or worry about my time. I already have a piggy back ride to the car, and I`ve warned relatives who will be there cheering me on that all they`re getting from me is a sweaty hug. Hopefully no medical tent, but we`re batting 50% here.
Bags: Do i check my bag or leave it with my mom. Given past experiences, I probably should check it since my mother is the hardest person in the world for me to find post race. What should I bring with me...
- Clean everything. Bra, panties, most likely long pants and a long sleeved shirt (I`m cold blooded, remember).
- Cookies...
- Blanket
- Deoderant and oxy clean so I don`t feel really gross
- KLEENEX! (without fail my noes always runs at the end of races)
Any other suggestions...
I know guys, this sounds ridiculous, but I really only have about a week to get ready for this. The week before the marathon is soo freaking crazy you wouldn`t believe it. Let me just enlighten you.
Marathon Week:
- Monday: Class til 6:30pm
- Tuesday: Work until 10pm, class starts at 8:30
- Wednesday: The Spirit of the Marathon Movie
- Thursday: Go visit Mr. Science Teacher, Run clinic
- Friday: Race Expo
- Saturday: Work in the morning, Bloggy meet-up in the evening sometime (hopefully
- Sunday: I`m a marathoner!
And I get to fit in 3 runs and family and homework time.
So really, Ì don`t think its ridiculous that I am thinking about all this right now. I don`t. I am a ridiculous person though. BUT YOU LOVEE ME!:)
I look forward to these next few weeks. They`re so exciting! I`m excited. Life is exciting.
Thanks for putting up with me folks!:)
When Life Leaves you With A Sour Taste In Your Mouth...
Forget about it and think about all things running.
(
Things have been intense the last few days, but I am learning that worrying doesn't help!)That is my new coping mechanism.
This running blog (should) be going back to being a running blog, atleast for the next 3 weeks. Do you know whats happening in three weeks yesterday? (Lily and Vickie can't answer)
I am going to be a marathoner.And in three weeks today, I will be hobbling around like Im crippled. But I think it's going to be the best pain I've ever been in, because pain is going to equal accomplishment.
Do you know what else will have happened? I will have
won the bet! Rick told me I wouldn't run a marathon,
but I'm going to do it!!! And I'm going to buy the jacket and long sleeve shirt and socks and hat and and and...you just wait! I'll be all decked out and I'm
totally wearing my medal to school too.
This weekend I completed a 28km run. Next weekend is going to be like 24km and then the week after is going to be 16-20km at Goal Race Pace.
Speaking of GRP, I don't have one. Well, actually I lied. Ideally, my GRP is 5:12/km and based on my tempo pace, I can do it. But i don't think I want to wear a garmin or worry about race pace and time and splits.
I think I just want to have fun. You only get to run your first marathon once, right?
Based on the training I've done with my Garmin, I think I'm capable of a sub 4. But we all know how races are. You can wake up and have a crappy race or have a great race, no matter how much preparing you do.
That being said, this is my race strategy:
Run the first half at exactly 2hrs
Run the second half in like 1:55.
Thus, a sub 4hr finish.
But mentally, this is going to be hard. So what I have decided to do is to run 8 5k's. This means that at the beginning of everyone, I'll (hopefully) feel fresh and ready to go. I'll run a 5k for my RBF too. :) I don't really want to care about the time to be honest. I want to finish. I want to leave
everything on the course. And I want to be happy just crossing the finish line...
I'm going to pin my gels to my shorts and rip them off when I need them. I'm also going to be buying my outfit soon. My bra top. I'm not sure if I'm ready to wear the bra top though...We'll see.
And...
I can't wait to Carbo-load. It's taper time now (ish, no more 3.5hr runs by myself) and I'm feeling ready to do this thing!I'm now off to catch up.
TiGeR!
Long Overdue!
Heyyyyyy:)
Remember me? That Tiger girl that runs a lot? And (used) to work a lot (but loves her job)? The one who is on a mission for self-improvement and self- betterment?
She started school today! And she knows all of you who don't go to school are super jealous because, while she gets a break from reality and gets to go to school for the next 8 months, you guys are stuck working real jobs to pay real bills. (Although I have to admit, if I could travel to some of the places you have travelled to, I'd be willing to reconsider)
So what goeth on in my life?
Many, many things.
1) SCHOOL STARTED! I love it! I love school. New things to learn. New doors opened. New friends. New boys. New possibility. It's just great.
2) Marathon in like 25 days. That's
LESS than a month away!!! I can just feel you guys getting excited! I am going to try to make it so my work has a waterstation. Yesterday I went and got 250 brochures, some posters and they gave me a free hat.
3) On that note, I think I want to be a race director when I grow up. Thinking, and talking about running for like a job, I think it would be amazing. I'm not sure how to get involved but I'm going to see if next summer I can't volunteer and be like assisstant to the race director and then wiggle my way in from there. It would be
so much fun I think.
4)I'm going to stop worrying. I know, I know. I've said that before. But I'm going to make a concious effort. Instead of hoping, I'm going to wonder. We'll see how it works. Hey, whatever gets me through the day right?
5) It's going to be exactly a year since it all went down on Friday. And I'm not worrying. I'm going to try and plan lunch or something so I know everything is fine. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read about it
here.
I'm excited about life. And I'm excited about catching up with you guys.
Talk to you sooon:)
