The two weeks after the marathon were a learning experience as well. With the help of a sports massage to target the worst soreness, I felt perfectly fine again by Tuesday of the first week. This meant I wanted to start running again because over the last 4 months it had become such a habit and an enjoyable time to listen to new music. I forced myself not to go since I knew I probably wasn't fully healed. Good call on that and I probably could've rested longer. On the Tuesday of the second week I went for a 3 mile run and I was amazed at how tight and a bit sore my calves were. I did the same on Thursday since I seemed to have pulled something in the back of my left knee. Even though more rest could've been good I'm happy that I got back out there again since the thing that hurt me the most on this last set of Triathlons is that I pretty much took the winter off and lost my entire base. By getting moving again hopefully I'll be able to keep some of that.
Now Where?
Right after the marathon I left the open question of whether I would ever do one again. My answer still holds that it wasn't that bad I just don't know about the training time. The next one coming up is the Charlottesville Marathon and they just announced it's a new course along routes that I'm fairly familiar with. That being said, I'm not sure about running in the cold to train. The other option is to do the half marathon and really focus on improving my time.
I do already know I'm planning on doing the Martha Jefferson 8K again (already registered) and the Cville 10 miler (will register as soon as it opens). For both of those I'd like to get my time under 10 minute miles since they are shorter distances. The Charlottesville Sprint Triathlon is also in my future. I'd like to get my time for that under two hours. The key there will be keeping up my base on getting a new bike since I was maxing out my gears.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Race Report - Richmond Marathon
Thanks
First off, thanks to everyone who supported me and followed along on this blog. Your well wished and encouragement meant a lot. Special thanks to David & Ben who came to the race to cheer me on and make sure I was alright afterwards.
Pre race
It was an early start to the day since we chose to drive down there in the morning. David & Ben met at my place at 6 to start the journey. The drive was uneventful but felt rather long since I was starting to get anxious about just wanting to get there on time and get on with the run. We got there slightly before 7:30 so we were able to see the beginning of the half marathon. For about 20 minutes we just milled around the starting corrals. I was in the last corral since I knew I was going to be slow. Around 7:50 I said my goodbyes to them and they headed up to a little past the start line and I lined up with the other slow folks.
First half
The race officially started at 8 and at that time I heard a great round of cheers. Since there were about 3800 runners for the marathon, it took me 4 minutes to even get to the starting line. I managed to stay true to my pace for the first few miles which is especially important since it is so easy to start out too fast and pay for it later. Along the course of the first few miles there were clothes just strewn along the edge. It was a chilly morning and drizzling so many people kept jackets or sweaters on then discarded them along the way. I also started with my jacket but since I really like it I instead tied it around my waist after about two miles. One (pretty large & organized) training group had a clothing drop spot where they filled up a couple of laundry hampers full of jackets/sweaters/etc of their members.
At mile 4 I realized I had not yet had any fluid intake on the race because I skipped getting any at mile 2 water stop and hadn't had any from my fuel belt. Typically on long training runs I'd have some around mile 3, but I think that was largely because there was always a hill there. I partook of the powerade at that stop and all future ones until about mile 21 (but that story will come later). Until mile 20, the water stops were every two miles so it kept me pretty well hydrated. Outside of those, I used gels at 5, 10, 14, 17, and 21 to keep me going.
The first half of the course was a bit through downtown then through beautiful historic neighborhoods which I enjoyed looking at the architecture. Around mile 7 we were on a road right next to the James river. The foliage was gorgeous and the river was a nice difference from running around the city. The water level on the river was a bit unnerving at times since it was as close as about 5 feet from the road and not that much of an elevation distance.
Second Half
Around mile 15, the place where my hamstrings and butt meet started to hurt a fair bit. It actually hurt more to walk than to run, so that was great encouragement to keep running even when I mentally wanted to walk. Especially because the transition between walk & run hurt the most. Amazingly, my calves and quads never hurt during the race. Clearly I did a good job building them up during the training and resting them ahead of time. I think my hamstrings would've been fine except a week ago I went on the company hike and that is what was the most sore then too.
The second half was much more mentally challenging because I was starting to ache, get tired, and when the wind hit me just right - cold as well. Thankfully, many wonderful supporters know this is the case for most racers and there were amusing support signs along the way as well as some folks shouting encouragement. Some of my favorite signs (and the ones I can remember):
The best encouragement of all was knowing that Ben & David would be at the mile 19 "party zone" waiting for me. Sure enough, when I got there they were all smiles with signs to cheer me on. Clearly I was rather slow because they even had time to draw pretty pictures on them. Ben's had a picture of me crossing the finish line and David's had a cow on it (long story). I stopped for just a minute to chat with them (not going to really affect my time that much) and drop off my jacket. It was wonderful having them out there and knowing that they would once again be waiting for me at the finish line.
Beginning of the End
The end portion really began at mile 20 for me at which point is was only 10K left. At that point they started having water/powerade stations every mile. Ignoring my training, at mile 20 I took two cups of powerade instead of one. I knew better... I really did... but I was so thirsty that I told myself that it wouldn't slosh around in my stomach and make me feel sick. Nope. That's exactly what happened. I skipped powerade again until mile 23 when I was feeling better. I may have introduced liquids again earlier but the beer station at mile 22 only had beer and I much prefer hard cider.
During this portion, I started looking at the miles left to do rather than the ones I had already done. For instance, at mile 21 I reminded myself that it was only 5 miles left and recently my short runs had been 5 miles. During those short runs I had been tired from work and it was often dark out, so this was an improvement because I may be tired but at least it was light out. Same happened with 4 miles - it was just like the Cville womens 4 miler which was where this all began a few years ago. 3 miles was just a nice little 5K race.
The hardest mile of the entire race was mile 25 to 26. I was hurting and my energy level was low. I should've had another gel, but I don't think I wanted to admit it was my energy. We were back into downtown Richmond at this point so there was a stoplight every block. My strategy for this mile was to walk to one light, run to the next light, walk to the following one, then run, etc, etc. It worked great. Kept me going at a decent pace and made the distance I had to run into small achievable chunks.
Most folks say that the last 0.2 miles are the hardest. I actually found them the be among the easiest but mostly due to the course and the spirit of the race. Just before mile 26 the course peaks a hill and by the time you reach mile 26 one can see the finish line. It is literally all down hill to the finish. The closer one gets to the finish, the more folks are there cheering you on. I looked around for David & Ben and spotted them slightly before I crossed the finish line. They had their signs proudly displayed. Since there weren't that many folks crossing the line around the same time the announcer was able to read my name and city as I crossed. It felt great.
Post race
After the race I continued down the chute where I got my medallion, foil blanket, and food. I really wasn't that hungry but I nibbled on some pizza so that my stomach would not hurt as much when I took advil. I desperately wanted to sit and thus found some stairs to relax on. Thankfully the guys made me get up and moving again after 10 minutes (I think, I really don't know) since I had stiffened up incredibly by then. I could barely walk and needed to brace myself against one of them when stepping up or down off the curb. They were also wonderful to me by making sure I stayed warm by getting out my jacket and also loaning me one of theirs to wear so I could wear the foil blanket as a skirt. Yes, Ben has a picture of this so once I get it from him I will post it.
We walked very slowly back to the car and by the time I was there I was significantly less stiff. I changed into a dry top and sweater, then bundled up with another jacket and a real blanket for the ride home. David was kind enough to drive my Prius so that I could rest in the back.
When home I did some stretching, took a shower, and took a nap. Unfortunately, the shower was upstairs and food was downstairs. Despite the advil and a hard cider, getting down the stairs took a lot. I can't even describe the ache because unlike other times it wasn't just one muscle. It was everything. Today I am much less sore and was able to make it down the stairs like a normal person. I even took a walk to the grocery store to keep my muscles from stiffening today.
Stats
As a reminder, my only goal was to finish so I'm happy with my time and placement. For most runners this is rather slow, but slow or not, I finished.
Time: 5:39:23
Pace: 12:57/mile
Overall placement: 3543/3785
Gender placement: 1372/1506
Age group & gender (women 25-29): 267/294
Other - QA style
Q1) Will you run another marathon?
A1) Maybe. This was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life, so I'm not jumping at the chance to do it again right away. On the other hand, I completed it and it wasn't so bad that I will swear it off forever. As many folks say, I've got to forget about the pain of the first one before attempting another.
Q2) What was a humorous moment you didn't tell earlier in the post?
A2) The mile 16 water/powerade stop was also a junk food stop, but I had forgotten this. They had trained us from the earlier stops that water was the first table and powerade was the second table. Thus I started to pass a group of volunteers holding out cups because I thought they were water. Then one of them said it was coke. I immediately perked up and went for a cup. The great change in my expression was evidently amusing because we all had a good laugh about it.
Q3) Do you have any pictures?
A3) Yes and no. Ben took some and evidently some video, but I do not have these yet. Once I do I will post them.
Q4) Any advice for those of us considering running a marathon, half marathon, or triathlon?
A4) Train hard, race easy. More importantly - know what works for you. I learned which type of gels I liked and could stomach, when & how much I should drink, and what clothing would be comfortable for long distances.
First off, thanks to everyone who supported me and followed along on this blog. Your well wished and encouragement meant a lot. Special thanks to David & Ben who came to the race to cheer me on and make sure I was alright afterwards.
Pre race
It was an early start to the day since we chose to drive down there in the morning. David & Ben met at my place at 6 to start the journey. The drive was uneventful but felt rather long since I was starting to get anxious about just wanting to get there on time and get on with the run. We got there slightly before 7:30 so we were able to see the beginning of the half marathon. For about 20 minutes we just milled around the starting corrals. I was in the last corral since I knew I was going to be slow. Around 7:50 I said my goodbyes to them and they headed up to a little past the start line and I lined up with the other slow folks.
First half
The race officially started at 8 and at that time I heard a great round of cheers. Since there were about 3800 runners for the marathon, it took me 4 minutes to even get to the starting line. I managed to stay true to my pace for the first few miles which is especially important since it is so easy to start out too fast and pay for it later. Along the course of the first few miles there were clothes just strewn along the edge. It was a chilly morning and drizzling so many people kept jackets or sweaters on then discarded them along the way. I also started with my jacket but since I really like it I instead tied it around my waist after about two miles. One (pretty large & organized) training group had a clothing drop spot where they filled up a couple of laundry hampers full of jackets/sweaters/etc of their members.
At mile 4 I realized I had not yet had any fluid intake on the race because I skipped getting any at mile 2 water stop and hadn't had any from my fuel belt. Typically on long training runs I'd have some around mile 3, but I think that was largely because there was always a hill there. I partook of the powerade at that stop and all future ones until about mile 21 (but that story will come later). Until mile 20, the water stops were every two miles so it kept me pretty well hydrated. Outside of those, I used gels at 5, 10, 14, 17, and 21 to keep me going.
The first half of the course was a bit through downtown then through beautiful historic neighborhoods which I enjoyed looking at the architecture. Around mile 7 we were on a road right next to the James river. The foliage was gorgeous and the river was a nice difference from running around the city. The water level on the river was a bit unnerving at times since it was as close as about 5 feet from the road and not that much of an elevation distance.
Second Half
Around mile 15, the place where my hamstrings and butt meet started to hurt a fair bit. It actually hurt more to walk than to run, so that was great encouragement to keep running even when I mentally wanted to walk. Especially because the transition between walk & run hurt the most. Amazingly, my calves and quads never hurt during the race. Clearly I did a good job building them up during the training and resting them ahead of time. I think my hamstrings would've been fine except a week ago I went on the company hike and that is what was the most sore then too.
The second half was much more mentally challenging because I was starting to ache, get tired, and when the wind hit me just right - cold as well. Thankfully, many wonderful supporters know this is the case for most racers and there were amusing support signs along the way as well as some folks shouting encouragement. Some of my favorite signs (and the ones I can remember):
- Your legs will forgive you...eventually
- That's not sweat, it's your fat cells crying.
- Remember the reasons you are doing this.
- Don't stop -- people are watching.
- Your feet hurt because you are kicking so much butt!
The best encouragement of all was knowing that Ben & David would be at the mile 19 "party zone" waiting for me. Sure enough, when I got there they were all smiles with signs to cheer me on. Clearly I was rather slow because they even had time to draw pretty pictures on them. Ben's had a picture of me crossing the finish line and David's had a cow on it (long story). I stopped for just a minute to chat with them (not going to really affect my time that much) and drop off my jacket. It was wonderful having them out there and knowing that they would once again be waiting for me at the finish line.
Beginning of the End
The end portion really began at mile 20 for me at which point is was only 10K left. At that point they started having water/powerade stations every mile. Ignoring my training, at mile 20 I took two cups of powerade instead of one. I knew better... I really did... but I was so thirsty that I told myself that it wouldn't slosh around in my stomach and make me feel sick. Nope. That's exactly what happened. I skipped powerade again until mile 23 when I was feeling better. I may have introduced liquids again earlier but the beer station at mile 22 only had beer and I much prefer hard cider.
During this portion, I started looking at the miles left to do rather than the ones I had already done. For instance, at mile 21 I reminded myself that it was only 5 miles left and recently my short runs had been 5 miles. During those short runs I had been tired from work and it was often dark out, so this was an improvement because I may be tired but at least it was light out. Same happened with 4 miles - it was just like the Cville womens 4 miler which was where this all began a few years ago. 3 miles was just a nice little 5K race.
The hardest mile of the entire race was mile 25 to 26. I was hurting and my energy level was low. I should've had another gel, but I don't think I wanted to admit it was my energy. We were back into downtown Richmond at this point so there was a stoplight every block. My strategy for this mile was to walk to one light, run to the next light, walk to the following one, then run, etc, etc. It worked great. Kept me going at a decent pace and made the distance I had to run into small achievable chunks.
Most folks say that the last 0.2 miles are the hardest. I actually found them the be among the easiest but mostly due to the course and the spirit of the race. Just before mile 26 the course peaks a hill and by the time you reach mile 26 one can see the finish line. It is literally all down hill to the finish. The closer one gets to the finish, the more folks are there cheering you on. I looked around for David & Ben and spotted them slightly before I crossed the finish line. They had their signs proudly displayed. Since there weren't that many folks crossing the line around the same time the announcer was able to read my name and city as I crossed. It felt great.
Post race
After the race I continued down the chute where I got my medallion, foil blanket, and food. I really wasn't that hungry but I nibbled on some pizza so that my stomach would not hurt as much when I took advil. I desperately wanted to sit and thus found some stairs to relax on. Thankfully the guys made me get up and moving again after 10 minutes (I think, I really don't know) since I had stiffened up incredibly by then. I could barely walk and needed to brace myself against one of them when stepping up or down off the curb. They were also wonderful to me by making sure I stayed warm by getting out my jacket and also loaning me one of theirs to wear so I could wear the foil blanket as a skirt. Yes, Ben has a picture of this so once I get it from him I will post it.
We walked very slowly back to the car and by the time I was there I was significantly less stiff. I changed into a dry top and sweater, then bundled up with another jacket and a real blanket for the ride home. David was kind enough to drive my Prius so that I could rest in the back.
When home I did some stretching, took a shower, and took a nap. Unfortunately, the shower was upstairs and food was downstairs. Despite the advil and a hard cider, getting down the stairs took a lot. I can't even describe the ache because unlike other times it wasn't just one muscle. It was everything. Today I am much less sore and was able to make it down the stairs like a normal person. I even took a walk to the grocery store to keep my muscles from stiffening today.
Stats
As a reminder, my only goal was to finish so I'm happy with my time and placement. For most runners this is rather slow, but slow or not, I finished.
Time: 5:39:23
Pace: 12:57/mile
Overall placement: 3543/3785
Gender placement: 1372/1506
Age group & gender (women 25-29): 267/294
Other - QA style
Q1) Will you run another marathon?
A1) Maybe. This was one of the most difficult things I have ever done in my life, so I'm not jumping at the chance to do it again right away. On the other hand, I completed it and it wasn't so bad that I will swear it off forever. As many folks say, I've got to forget about the pain of the first one before attempting another.
Q2) What was a humorous moment you didn't tell earlier in the post?
A2) The mile 16 water/powerade stop was also a junk food stop, but I had forgotten this. They had trained us from the earlier stops that water was the first table and powerade was the second table. Thus I started to pass a group of volunteers holding out cups because I thought they were water. Then one of them said it was coke. I immediately perked up and went for a cup. The great change in my expression was evidently amusing because we all had a good laugh about it.
Q3) Do you have any pictures?
A3) Yes and no. Ben took some and evidently some video, but I do not have these yet. Once I do I will post them.
Q4) Any advice for those of us considering running a marathon, half marathon, or triathlon?
A4) Train hard, race easy. More importantly - know what works for you. I learned which type of gels I liked and could stomach, when & how much I should drink, and what clothing would be comfortable for long distances.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Success!
I finished the marathon in 5:39:24 and since my only goal was just to finish, I consider this a success!
Full race report will likely come tomorrow.
Full race report will likely come tomorrow.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Less than 24 hours!
It is now less than 24 hours until the start of the marathon. Last night Ben & I went to Richmond to pick up my race number, t-shirt, and goodie bag. It was a less than pleasant drive due to the weather (company was fine, it rain and gusts of wind that were not). Once we got there we guessed as to what was a parking spot since the dark and rain obscured the lines. Much like the midwest winters, you just find some other cars and park next to them.
Inside the arena was just a huge area for picking stuff up. That was the first time it really hit me as to how many people were doing this. I'm used to races of a few hundred to the max of 3000 where the packet pick up is in a store or church. This race has over 15,000 people registered (between the 3 distances) so it makes sense they need a much larger space.
In addition to picking up the race stuff, we spent some time wandering the displays and shops. There were promotions for other races, sponsors had booths, shops with running apparel, and a couple of food places.
So now I have everything I need for tomorrow. Just need to make sure I eat well, rest, and I should be good to go.
-------
As a follow up to the weather/state of emergency, it does look like it will clear up by tomorrow but still be humid.
Inside the arena was just a huge area for picking stuff up. That was the first time it really hit me as to how many people were doing this. I'm used to races of a few hundred to the max of 3000 where the packet pick up is in a store or church. This race has over 15,000 people registered (between the 3 distances) so it makes sense they need a much larger space.
In addition to picking up the race stuff, we spent some time wandering the displays and shops. There were promotions for other races, sponsors had booths, shops with running apparel, and a couple of food places.
So now I have everything I need for tomorrow. Just need to make sure I eat well, rest, and I should be good to go.
-------
As a follow up to the weather/state of emergency, it does look like it will clear up by tomorrow but still be humid.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
State of Emergency
As of last night, our governor declared Richmond in a state of emergency due to the rain of tropical storm Ida sitting and spinning over the city. This means they are continuing to watch the water levels because they have had serious flooding problems in the past. In addition, they are preparing some evacuation plans for low-lying areas.
Right now the state of emergency is scheduled to be in place until Sunday. What this means for the marathon is unknown. From the forecasts I've seen lately it is supposed to dry up by Saturday so I'm really hoping it can still happen. I'd be greatly disappointed if I trained this long to get shut out due to a tropical storm.
Right now the state of emergency is scheduled to be in place until Sunday. What this means for the marathon is unknown. From the forecasts I've seen lately it is supposed to dry up by Saturday so I'm really hoping it can still happen. I'd be greatly disappointed if I trained this long to get shut out due to a tropical storm.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Week 15
5, 3, 8.
Just like predicted, I did run both the 5 & 8 mile runs. Nothing terribly exciting with them except that it was in the high 60s and low 70s this week. Thus I needed to up my hydration again for these runs. The 3 mile run was skipped in favor of a 8 mile hike on Old Rag which left me quite sore the next day. Despite being in pretty good running shape, I guess I wasn't in great hiking shape.
Week 16 - The Final Week!
3, walk 3, 26.2
This week is all about nutrition and getting mentally prepared for the marathon on Saturday. I plan to eat lots of carbs, make sure I'm well hydrated, and get good rest. Also stay away from anyone who could spread illness.
Just like predicted, I did run both the 5 & 8 mile runs. Nothing terribly exciting with them except that it was in the high 60s and low 70s this week. Thus I needed to up my hydration again for these runs. The 3 mile run was skipped in favor of a 8 mile hike on Old Rag which left me quite sore the next day. Despite being in pretty good running shape, I guess I wasn't in great hiking shape.
Week 16 - The Final Week!
3, walk 3, 26.2
This week is all about nutrition and getting mentally prepared for the marathon on Saturday. I plan to eat lots of carbs, make sure I'm well hydrated, and get good rest. Also stay away from anyone who could spread illness.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Week 14
8, 5, 9
This week turned out to be extra short, just 6 miles. My 8 mile run essentially got rained out because about half a mile away from home I stepped in a giant puddle (that I couldn't see because it was dark out) that soaked my shoe and sock. I did do the 5 miles as planned with no great difficulty except being a little tight. The long run didn't happen because I wasn't feeling well and I was still quite tight in the calves. I figure missing a couple this late in the game isn't going to kill me. It may be better for my body to heal.
Next Week
5, 3, 8
I already know that I'm only going to do the 5 and the 8. The 3 mile run would have been the day before our company hike up a mountain, so I figure I'll just substitute than in instead. Especially since it'll end up delaying my long run to Sunday since I will be recovering from the hike on Saturday.
This week turned out to be extra short, just 6 miles. My 8 mile run essentially got rained out because about half a mile away from home I stepped in a giant puddle (that I couldn't see because it was dark out) that soaked my shoe and sock. I did do the 5 miles as planned with no great difficulty except being a little tight. The long run didn't happen because I wasn't feeling well and I was still quite tight in the calves. I figure missing a couple this late in the game isn't going to kill me. It may be better for my body to heal.
Next Week
5, 3, 8
I already know that I'm only going to do the 5 and the 8. The 3 mile run would have been the day before our company hike up a mountain, so I figure I'll just substitute than in instead. Especially since it'll end up delaying my long run to Sunday since I will be recovering from the hike on Saturday.
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