Post-Race Lull

I've had the good fortune of completing some pretty daunting things in my life. First was my PhD comprehensive exams (studied 9 months for them), then there was my dissertation (took two years to write) and finally there was this marathon (trained for 9 months). The common denominator between all of them is that there's a period of time after the big event where you just stand around thinking, "now what?" You expend so much energy just trying to get *there* that there's now a big void in your thinking and motivation.

It's easy to get into a post race slump, so while I took last week off of working out (for the most part), I'm using today to reevaluate and get a new schedule going asap. I'm thinking something like this:

Monday: Swimming, weight training
Tuesday: Running
Wednesday: Cycling, weight training
Thursday: Running
Friday: Cycling, weight training
Saturday: Swimming
Sunday: Running

If I decide to do the half ironman, I'm going to have to double up my workouts (ex. swimming + cycling on Mondays, etc...), but I think I just want to get into an established schedule for right now. I also know that I want to keep my half-marathon length, so I'll probably do a 13 mile run every other week or so just so I don't lose that distance. The Thursday run will probably be either 6 or 8 miles and I'd like to keep my Tuesday runs at the track just for a change of pace. You'll notice that I'm adding weight training back in 3 days a week. For swimming, being stronger is really helpful. Plus, after spending the better part of the fall and winter running for hours on end, it seems like a ridiculous luxury to just stand there and lift weights.

The Marathon: All The Gory Details

Well folks, we finally did it! Both my big brother and I successfully completed the 2009 Disney Marathon, but I have to say that it was neither very fun nor very pretty. Who knew that running 26.2 miles could hurt so bad?? Wait, YOU did? Well, why didn’t you say something! Just kidding, just kidding. Here’s a run down of the days events supplemented with photos from my friend’s camera phone.

So, our day started at 3:20am. We had to be down at the Epcot parking lot by 4am to get our bags checked in and to make our way down to the starting line, which was about a one mile walk from the parking lot. When we got there, my first impression was one of disbelief that so many people had signed up for this thing. It’s amazing what a swarm of 20,000 people looks like. People were sitting, standing and pacing everywhere you looked and they were dressed from the normal (like us) to the extreme (think Disney characters on crack). To accommodate all of the people, there were hundreds of port-o-pottys lined up every couple hundred feet. It was all very strange.

After we got to our assigned corral (you were put in one based on estimated completion time), we had about a one hour wait until the start time. So, we had a seat to rest our legs. The time went by pretty quickly and before we knew it, they were getting us ready for the start. The energy there was amazing. You could almost feel the buzz coming off of everyone. I know for my brother and I, this journey started last March and we couldn’t believe that it was finally race day.

Here we are waiting for the start of the race.



The official started the countdown and with a burst of fireworks, the race began. There was a huge surge forward from the crowd as everyone was ready to start running and then we were off. My brother took off ahead after about a half mile since his average speed is much faster than mine. The first couple of miles were a blur as we expended a bunch of energy maneuvering around slower people. It was such a contrast to my training runs where it was just me and the open road. This was like an obstacle course. By the end of the race, the GPS watch registered that we ran more than 27 miles and most of that excess was from all of the back and forth we did trying to get around people. I must say, the walkers that were in the middle of the road were very annoying. Running rules should follow road rules – slower traffic keep to the right.

My friend and training partner, Kasey, suggested that we hit up a port-o-potty around mile 2 before we entered Epcot. Remember, we had been sitting around for an hour and, at this point, we had been awake for 3 hours, so nature called pretty early into the run. This was my first source of frustration. We had to wait in line for 5+ minutes to use the bathroom. That adds up considering that we needed to relieve ourselves 4 times during the race (that’s 20 minutes just standing around!) Some women were not so patient and were literally peeing on the side of the road. While I’m not the most inhibited person in the world, squatting in the bushes in front of 22,000 strangers just didn’t seem like a viable option for me. Call me crazy.

After our bathroom break, we quickly rejoined the race and headed into Epcot. This part of the race, the part in the actual theme parks, was total mayhem. The running path narrowed down dramatically and there was just a backlog of people trying to navigate the twists and turns. Epcot was a complete blur to me. Also, it was really hard to hold back our pace. There was so much adrenaline and anticipation, that I think we went out faster than we should have. Before we knew it, we had exited Epcot and were out on the road that lead to the Magic Kingdom. We were on this stretch of highway for about 4 miles or so and then we were gearing up to enter the Magic Kingdom.







At this point (mile 10 or so) we felt great. It really felt like we were just out for a walk in the park. I was aware of my ankles, but they weren’t hurting yet. Running through Magic Kingdom was nice. There was a huge crowd of people on Main Street cheering us on and it seemed pretty surreal as we wound our way through the park and then through Cinderella’s castle.


(Courtesy of Kasey's husband)


(Still feeling good at mile 12)

Before we knew it, we were back out onto the highway and were headed to Animal Kingdom. As we passed the halfway point, we were still feeling okay, but the sun was coming up and it was getting pretty warm out there. We had completed most of our training during the pre-dawn hours and didn’t anticipate how overheated we would feel in 70 degree weather. As we neared Animal Kingdom (around mile 16), my ankles started to hurt and I got a little bit panicky. We still had 10 miles to go and I’d had enough experience to know that once the pain started, it only got worse…much worse. But, we were in it for the long haul, so I pushed the pain to the back of my mind and we kept on going at our steady pace.

Animal Kingdom was different from Magic Kingdom because there were far fewer spectators there. We still had the narrowing roads, but the runners had thinned out a bit by this point so there wasn’t as much frantic weaving going on. I also noticed an increasing number of people had switched from running to walking. This is where the going got tough for most of the runners, us included.

We headed out of the Animal Kingdom at mile 17 for the long, desolate stretch to Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). This stretch of the run was about 5 miles long and was done entirely on black asphalt. It was nearing 80 degrees and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It was dang hot. I switched from water to PowerAde as I saw runners falling out of the race left and right. They were laid out on the curb with medics on bikes tending to them. It was a small reality check of how grueling this distance really was. This was also the point where I started to lather myself with BioFreeze at the medical tents. (BioFreeze is a numbing agent that takes the edge off of the pain.)


(That's BioFreeze in the cup)

I have to admit, this is where it became a game of mind over matter. It was hot, my ankles were throbbing and I remember thinking, “why did I ever think this was a good idea?” The desire to just stop was pretty strong, but I kept picturing the finish line and my medal around my neck and having to answer to all of my supportive family and friends. Most of all, I kept thinking about Carol and the millions of others who had battled and lost their fight to cancer. Well, let’s just say that quitting wasn’t an option. My focus turned to trying to block out the pain and as weird as this sounds now, my mantra during that stretch was, “pain cannot kill you.” At this point, I was just desperate to get to the 20 mile marker and once we passed it, some of my concern faded away because even if I had crawled the last 6 miles, I still would have made it.

It’s funny how our goals change so quickly. During the first handful of miles, we were optimistically aiming for a 5-hour completion time. Kasey had even printed out a nice armband that showed what our splits needed to be to achieve that goal. I literally tore the armband off and threw it away at mile 15 once it became clear that we weren’t going to reach it. By mile 20, we just wanted to finish. That was it. Just finish the race. We were no longer competing against 22,000 other people, we were only competing against our aches and pains and we would be damned if they got the best of us.


(Tower of Terror)

By the time we entered Hollywood Studios, the pain was almost unbearable. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was fighting tears. Each step sent a jolt of pain up my leg. It felt like someone was stabbing me with an ice pick. We started taking walk breaks every half mile or so, but pretty soon, walking hurt as badly as running did. This was not good. My brain was almost numb with the pain and my poor friend Kasey (who was battling her own aches) could tell how much each step was costing me. She was a great motivator and it was so nice to have someone there who had literally run hundreds of miles with me already. We were going to cross that finish line together no matter the cost.

For the final stretch, we left Hollywood Studios and ran through the Boardwalk hotel before re-entering Epcot. The last couple of miles are a blur to me, but I think that’s because my brain was trying to block everything out. It was all I could do to keep moving and this was pretty shocking. This hadn’t happened to me at all during my training runs, but I had never run the full 26 miles before. I had read a quote that said, “the first half of the race is the first 20 miles and the second half of the race is the last 6.” I could not have said it better myself. It’s amazing what a toll the last 6 miles takes on your body. I could tell that mine was very close to just shutting down. I had lost the blood flow to my hands and my temperature kept shifting from hot to cold. It was very disconcerting. The only thing I can relate it to was natural childbirth. Each step was like a bad contraction and while I knew the end was somewhere down the road, I couldn’t figure out how I was going to hold on long enough to get there.

By the time we got to Epcot, we had about 1.5 miles to go. I didn’t mention this before, but our race bibs had our names on them. It was quite the boost every time a spectator or Disney employee would call out, “Keep it up Cynthia! You’re doing great!” This personalization was really helpful during this last stretch. I’m sure that I had a grimace of pain on my face (Kasey kept looking over at me with concern) and it was nice of the folks in the final stretch to offer whatever encouragement they could.

We started a pattern where we running 100 yards and then walking 50 yards in an attempt to get to the finish line faster. In the beginning of the race, we were forcing ourselves to take walk breaks when we didn’t need them. At this point in the race, we were picking out landmarks that we could see. “Let’s run to the next bend in the road.” “Let’s start walking at the third light post.” We could no longer think of the next mile. The idea that we had more than one left was just overwhelming so we took it a handful of steps at a time. When we had a half mile to go, we just started running with everything we had left (which, sadly, wasn’t much). The desire to cross the finish line was overwhelming. By the time I saw it, I had tunnel vision. My brain computed that there were bleachers with cheering people, but I didn’t see them. All I saw was the huge “FINISH” sign…and then we crossed it.


(This was just after the finish line and I have no recollection of taking this picture)

As I stumbled to a stop, all I felt was overwhelming relief. My poor, ragged feet were screaming at me and I had a hard time following the instructions of the staff. “Please come over here so that we can remove your time chip.” “Please come this way to get your medal.” I literally shuffled from station to station just willing myself to continue moving forward.

Now that I’m one day out, I can say with absolute certainty that the hour immediately following the race was the most painful. It was all I could do to remain standing. It hasn’t really sunk in yet that we actually finished the race. I think I’m still too caught up in the emotional aftermath that follows a big event. This was a monumental feat for me. I mean, I started out not being able to run more than 2 miles before I was flat on my back with pain and exhaustion. By the way, my brother totally killed the marathon in a mind-blowing 4:03. To say that I’m proud of him would be a gross understatement.

This has been a crazy journey and at the present moment, I’m not sad that it’s over. It will be nice to run for the fun of it without worrying about staying free of injury or illness. That’s not to say that I plan on getting sick or hurt anytime soon, but I had an overwhelming fear that something would happen to prevent me from finishing the race and that I would let down the dozens of people who contributed more than $1600 to the Livestrong Foundation. It was a bittersweet finish that Carol did not make it to see the race, but I know she was watching and I didn't want to let her down. Thank you for all of your support and for sticking around to read about this crazy ride. While I wait for the last of the pain to wear off (so over the next decade or so) I’m sure I’ll find something else to focus on. My friend Karen is trying to get me to do the half Ironman and while it’s too soon for me to commit to anything, I’ll probably consider it.

The Biggest Motivation

I have a guilty pleasure. It's the only actual TV show that I follow for the entire season. I have quite an obsession with The Biggest Loser. Besides having a huge girl crush on Jillian Michaels (one of the trainers) I love the message of the show. It's a simple one.

No excuses.

The main premise of the show is that there is absolutely no excuse big enough for letting yourself become morbidly obese. Food is not your lover. Exercise is not your enemy. Cut the bull and start taking care of yourself. How refreshing is that?

I also love that the show illustrates the fact that excess weight causes so many health problems and not the other way around. The vast majority of the contestants no longer need medication after they drop the weight and all of their aches and pains disappear too.

There is no shortcut to losing the weight. Cut out processed and fried foods. Severely limit soda and alcohol until you reach your goal. Start moving. The Biggest Loser shows that yes it will hurt, but yes it is possible to turn your life around.

No more excuses. So, if you've never given it a chance, tune in and watch these people give their blood, sweat and tears (lots of them) to finally take control of their lives.

Running Update And A Funny

I am quite pleased to report that yesterday, I ran (drum roll please) 20 miles! Woohoo! It was quite the painful accomplishment, but any lingering doubts I may have had about my ability to complete the marathon were completely quashed. My ankles were killing me from about mile 15 onward, but the good news is that the pain had a plateau and once it got to "painful as hell," it didn't get any worse. In other words, I now know I can run through it if they start to plague me during the marathon, which I guess is the true purpose of doing a 20 miler in training.

Now, it's all downhill from here. With only two weeks of training runs left, I have a 10 mile run scheduled for Sunday with an 8 mile run to follow the next weekend. Yup, it's time to taper for the race, which means that the next two weeks are all about resting and getting over the aches and pains. My ankles will very much appreciate the R&R. I can't imagine what it's going to feel like to run on fresh legs since the last month or so has just been brutal.

Now for the funny that I promised in the title. I was at a bookstore looking at vegetarian cookbooks when I came across this:



The Bacon Cookbook? King of the Blue Plate BBQ? What? I'm certain some teenager (or someone like my husband) relocated these cookbooks into the vegetarian section as a joke to see if anyone would notice. I have to admit, I thought it was pretty funny and since I was at the bookstore alone with no one to share it with, I snapped a picture with my iPhone so that I could share it with all of you.

Pay The Piper

Well, I ran 18 miles yesterday...and it hurt...a lot. What's odd about it is that I felt mentally fine, cardiovascularly fine, but my legs felt like they were going to snap off at the hip. It was quite surreal.

When I got home from my run, I was walking very gingerly (Parker was imitating my old lady gait quite accurately) because my ankles felt like they were going to break at any second. Truly, I was concerned that they might just break off. That's a nice visual, isn't it? But really, I have very skinny little ankles and I'm not sure that they're equipped to carry my 5'11" frame over long distances. I'm sure they've filed a complaint with the proper authorities for the amount of abuse they've had to suffer through.

Anyway, I had a few objectives that I had to meet before I collapsed onto the couch: (1)A scalding hot shower; (2) three Advil; (3) nourishment (which consisted of a huge glass of chocolate milk and some homemade buttered popcorn); (4) a good deal of whimpering. Once all those things were accomplished, I blessedly got to put my tortured feet up and I promptly realized that I was having great difficulty staying awake. This shouldn't be surprising considering that I ran for over three hours straight and burned more than 2,000 calories.

Fortunately, Parker was in a snuggly mood and after laying on me for 30 minutes (watching Thomas the Train, naturally), we both headed into the bedroom for a nice, long nap. I woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed and while my legs were still protesting any movement, I no longer felt as if they had been beaten with a sledgehammer.

In retrospect, it was time to pay the piper. This is the climax of my training (I have a 20 miler in two weeks) and these runs are definitely the ones that separate the quitters from the finishers...or the sane from the crazies - anyone want to venture a guess as to where I fall??

The marathon is only 5 weeks away and I am absolutely certain of one thing - I will be ready. This journey has been both a mental and physical struggle. My head is definitely in the game and my body is doing it's best to hang in there. When I first signed up for the marathon, I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to complete these double-digit runs and while I knew that it wouldn't be easy (obviously), I wasn't prepared for the sheer mental toughness that it takes to keep going when every joint in your body is screaming, "STOP!" I think you have to be a little crazy to do this because when I hit that place, it just makes me want to keep going just to prove that I can. It's nuts, I know.

16 Miles And Counting...

I ran 16 miles this morning. I was afraid of that distance all week, but I decided to get out there and pretend that I ran 16 miles all the time. You know what? It totally worked. I breezed right through it and if I wasn't sticking to a specific training plan, I would have absolutely kept going to 18 or 20 or however far I got until my legs gave way.

Right now, I feel like I can do anything and that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I'm training for a marathon. I crave this feeling. It's my drug and by the end of the week, I'll be ready for another dose of it. I feel powerful and invincible. I feel like climbing a mountain, or cleaning out my garage - equally daunting tasks.

Instead, I'm going to take a scalding hot shower and eat a cranberry walnut bagel (with butter) and drink an entire pot of coffee. Then, in about 6 hours, I'm going to soak my feet in an ice bath and pray to the good Lord that I don't lose another toenail. Oh well, even invincibility has it's drawbacks.

Freezing My Tail Off...Literally.

Hi folks. Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I was in St. Louis last week for a criminology conference. I have lots of pictures to post from Parker's tiny birthday party and a trip to the museum, but while I'm working on editing those, I thought I would write about what's been most on my mind...freezing weather!

When I checked the temperature for my run this morning, I cringed when I read that it was 34 degrees outside. So, I promptly layered on my short-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved shirt, jacket, gloves, ear muffs and running tights. I stepped outside and it was so cold, I still felt like I was in my skivvies. This was not good.

I drove down to the track with icicles for fingers willing my car to warm up and wondering if I've completely lost my mind. Most sane people, I was sure, were still tucked into their nicely heated homes snoozing away for at least another hour or two. I, on the other hand, was making my way to a pitch black running track. My crazy theory was confirmed when there wasn't a single car in the parking lot. Yup, I was the only crazy out this morning, but at least my friends were going to join me.

When they showed up, I felt much better. Misery loves company and we were a chorus of groans and complaints as we walked to the other side of the track. We left all of our layers on as we started our warm up, but slowly, we started peeling layers off one at a time until, at mile four, I was running in a short-sleeved shirt and gloves.

It's amazing how quickly your body warms up. It equally amazing that you forget this fact every single time you head out for an early morning run. I'm half convinced in the ride over that this particular time, I will not get warm. I will run with chattering teeth and numb fingers cursing the first time that I ever laced on running shoes. Thankfully, that's never happened and the bigger concern is making yourself pile on all of your layers after your run so that you don't catch a chill on the way home.

What's funny though is that, while your muscles warm up, your fat cells never do. It has something to do with the fact that blood does not circulate as well through fat as it does through muscle. So, without fail, I hop into a searing hot shower after my run and feel as if my backside (the largest deposit of fat on my body) is frostbitten. This process invariable serves as a reminder that regardless of how fit I think I am, there's always room for improvement.

Making Strides

Well folks, today I completed my longest run to date - 14 miles. The first 11 miles were pretty easy, but the last 3 really took some grit to get through. I just kept telling myself that it was just a little bit farther. While I'm marginally daunted by the thought that I still need to muster up an additional 12.2 miles over what I completed today, it wasn't too many months ago when 7 miles seemed like a great feat. With this in mind, I know I'll get there.

As always, the game plan is to take it one day at a time and to take each run one mile at a time. When you breakdown any seemingly insurmountable obstacle into small parts, it's easier to stick with it. Another trick is when you feel yourself starting to mentally give in, just try to get to the next light post or street light. Baby steps - they work! And when they don't, you just have to dig deep to find out what you're made of. If you can get past those moments of self double, I promise that you'll come out on the other side.

I'm sure I posted it here before, but one of my favorite quotes from Moliere is this:

"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."

As I sit here and take an assessment of how I feel, I don't think that I'm doing too bad, all things considered. I have my full lung capacity back and it's amazing what a difference that makes. I've taken breathing easily for granted my whole life, but I can tell you that it's no fun to feel like you're going to fall over or pass out with every stride. My muscles feel a little fatigued, but still functional. Almost all of the pain that I have is skeletal, primarily in my feet and ankles. I did go ahead and schedule a massage for tomorrow because I have a feeling that getting out of bed tomorrow morning is going to be a delicate and painful process. You want to know a secret? I love that feeling. I love knowing that I've pushed my body to the limit and it didn't let me down. I love knowing that it's capable and strong and dependable. When I finish my runs, I always say a heartfelt thanks to my legs for carrying me the distance, even though I'm pretty sure it's against their will.

Set Backs

So, I have pneumonia. Um yeah, this is not good. While I definitely felt as if something was not right, I would have never imagined that it would have been something as serious as pneumonia. I did feel slightly vindicated since I felt like a wimp during my last couple of runs before I was diagnosed, but that self satisfaction was quickly quashed when I realize how stupid that it probably was to be running in the first place.

Besides not being able to run for over a week, the side effects of the medicine are quite unpleasant - dizziness, tremors, dry mouth - yuck! I've never been a sickly person and I hate taking medicine, so this has been a pretty rough couple of weeks.

I'm currently just looking forward to feeling better and to getting back in full swing. I'm going to take it easy the first week back, but I'm getting a little nervous with just over two months to go until the marathon. We have some really long runs scheduled for the end of November and early December - I hope I'm ready for them.

Battered Feet

One thing I didn't take into consideration when I started this marathon journey is the toll that it would take on my feet. I used to have lovely manicured feet. I would get regular pedicures and always had brightly colored toenails that were seasonably fashionable. Yup, I used to have feminine, well maintained little feet, but that is definitely a thing of the past.

Now, my feet are an utter mess. My toes are calloused and bruised, I just lost my first toenail (YIKES!) and they just appear battered in general. Definitely a sorry sight. (Don't worry, I'll spare you the picture.)

It seems like I should care that they're in such a state, but surprisingly, it doesn't really bother me. I feel like it's just a right of passage. My own version of battle wounds gained during this crazy journey. When I get back from a run, I examine my feet with a detached focus looking for anything that could potentially slow me down because really, that is all I care about these days.

My single drive is that I need to keep going no matter what. It's like running through an obstacle course with illness, trips and work as the hurdles that I need to move beyond. I get frustrated when life gets in the way of my mileage and I'm trying to do everything I can to stay healthy and injury-free for the next 2.5 months. We're so close now that every week counts.

Same Routine, Different Place

I've been trying to keep my same mileage schedule while we've been down south for the week (in spite of my very annoying cold). So as planned, I got up on Tuesday morning and ran my intervals. While I normally do my tempo run on Thursdays, my brother informed me that he was coming into town, so I put it off until this morning so we could run together.

As an aside, Parker has not been sleeping at all since we've been down here. He picked up my cold and his cough has been keeping him up all night. Needless to say, when my brother sent me a text message at the crack of down telling me to "wake up!" I seriously contemplated breaking my own leg so that I could get some more sleep. (Yes, my brother is staying in the next room over, but since we both have iPhones, the iSnob way to communicate is to text each other even when you're virtually in the same room.)

As luck would have it, the paparazzi were waiting for us outside.



Just kidding, that would be my early bird father who followed us outside to get photographic evidence of our early departure. I had barely rubbed the sleep from my eyes at this point and wasn't too keen on getting a picture snapped, but I was too tired to protest.

In this picture, you can just see the sun thinking about rising. It was early and I was tired, but we were up and dressed so it was time to hit the road.



It was my brother's day for a long run, so he ended up doing just shy of 10 miles. For my tempo run, I did 7 miles at a pace much faster than what I'm used to. He's a faster runner than I am and I am still feeling the effects of this cold, so 7 was about my limit for this morning.

The good news is that my legs feel perfect. Six hours later, it doesn't even feel like I ran at all so my muscles are definitely where they need to be at this stage in the game. My lung capacity was a different story. I hate being sick because it felt like I was wheezing the entire time. Definitely not cool.

I'll probably get in another run either tomorrow morning or Sunday before I'm back on my regular schedule next week.

Exaustion - I Love It!

Last night when I got into bed at 8:02pm, I felt like I melted into my sheets. My limbs felt so heavy that once I was laying down, I don't think that I could have gotten up for anything short of a fire. You see, my day started at 5:30am when I went down to the track to run intervals and I was going at full speed until about 7:30pm. My exhaustion was bone deep and you know what? I loved it!

For me, the feeling of exhaustion signals that I've squeezed every ounce of productivity out of my day. Nothing is more annoying to me than laying down only to realize that I'm not ready to fall asleep. Not surprisingly, I haven't had any difficulty falling asleep since I've moved my regular wake-up time up to 5:30am. In fact, I feel more grounded and centered than ever.

I've also been sleeping more solidly (well, for as long as Parker lets me) and I wake up feeling energized and ready to go. I think part of my motivation for a schedule change has to due with the fact that fall is here. For the last 23 years, my life has revolved around the school year with September signaling the start of a new semester. In a students life, the start of the fall semester is like New Years Day. You get the chance to start fresh and set new goals. Since I plan on being in academia for the duration of my career, I'm not too worried about changing this mentality...it's worked for me so far.

It's a good thing that I like feeling exhausted because the heaviest part of my training is ahead of me. With my "light" days now consisting for 6-7 miles and my long runs increasing from 11-20 miles, my body is hoarding all of the sleep that it can. Add in my 3 cycling and 3 swimming workouts a week and I have a fully loaded schedule for the rest of 2008.

I'm also more mentally exhausted as well. I'm teaching at the prison for 3 days a week and each session is 3 hours long. I don't know if you've ever had to speak for 3 hours straight, but it is damn tiring. I'm glad that I have a 30 minute commute coming back into town because it gives me a chance to collect my thoughts and to get re-energized before I get Parker from school and let me tell you, I need every shred of energy that I can muster to keep up with him.

Yup, my schedule is bursting at the seams and I couldn't be happier about it. Add in all of the planning and executing of our holiday plans and three out of town trips and I am going to bulldoze my way to the end of the year. Life is definitely good.

Double Digits

Well, I finally did it! I completed my first 10 mile run this morning. There was something completely daunting about entering into the double digits, but I was determined to run every step of the 10 miles simply out of principle.

My alarm went off at 5:30am and I stumbled across the house bleary-eyed to get dressed. Luckily, I laid out all of my gear ahead of time so that I could just mechanically put it on. I grabbed my phone, keys and water (also strategically placed ahead of time) and hopped into the car to drive out to our rendezvous point.

We decided to run two 5 mile loops. Kasey set out water ahead of time at the 4 mile point so that we could hydrate at 4 and 9 miles. I was also heartened by the perfect weather. The digital clock outside of the bank that I pass on my way over read 61 degrees and there was virtually no humidity.

We set out at a nice, easy pace and the first 5 miles seemed to fly by. We've been running together for a while now, so we fluctuated between easy conversation and comfortable silences. I am happy to report that I didn't feel any discomfort in my legs at all in the first 5 miles. Actually, that limber leg feeling lasted until about mile 8 when I started noticing some tightness in my calves and ankles. Surprisingly, I didn't feel winded at any point in time (there are some decent uphill stretches) and once we hit pace, my legs seemed to carry me of their own accord with very little encouragement needed.

I think a big part of that was that I had completely committed to having a strong run this morning. The marathon is just over 3 months away and these long runs are really important for making sure that my legs are conditioned enough to make it. It took us about 1 hour and 40 minutes (that's including two water breaks and two bladder breaks) and we ended going faster than our training plan wanted us to, which was a nice confidence boost.

As I was driving home with the knowledge that the vast majority of people I know (my boys included) were probably just stirring in bed, I was filled with a sense of accomplishment. I still had the entire day ahead of me to organize, clean and decorate...and ice my poor battered feet.

30 Degrees Difference

Greetings from Chicago! I'm saving a full report for when I get back and upload my pictures, but I wanted to post a quick update. We have really lucked out here because the weather has been simply gorgeous. The high has been in the 70s during the day with beautiful blue skies.

This morning, I went out for a run in downtown Chicago. I weaved through the city and headed out to the Navy Pier. The temperature was in the 50s went I left the hotel with minimal humidity. Now, even when I go running at 6am in Tallahassee, it's usually already in the 80s and sticky. It's amazing how much difference 30 degrees makes for running.

I had a thin jacket on when I got started and I only needed it long enough to get warmed up. The constant stream of a cool breeze kept my body temperature down so that I didn't feel like I was going to spontaneously combust (a common feeling in the Tallahassee heat). It did take me slightly longer to warm up, but once I did, I was able to maintain my cruising speed for much longer without having to slow down when I got over heated.

I thought that I would be annoyed by having to wait for green lights, but all of the lights were pretty coordinated so I didn't get caught at too many. When I was forced to stop, it was a nice little break, before I took off again. All in all, it was the best run that I had in a long time. I came back to the hotel after a handful of miles feeling refreshed and ready to go. Even though Tallahassee is a couple months away from cooling down, I'm eagerly anticipating the cool morning runs that await me in the not too distant future.

I have two more days in Chicago and I can assure you that I will hit the pavement on both mornings.

Switching Into High Gear

With my mileage increasing week after week, one thing has become very clear - I need to change my schedule to fit it all in. So, starting this week, I have a new wake up time of 5:45am, seven days a week. I have to admit that it is pretty painful to drag myself out of bed when it's pitch black outside. However, it's definitely worth it when by 8am, I've run 6 miles, showered and I'm working on my second cup of coffee. So, here's my new schedule:

Monday - Swim (1-2 miles)
Tuesday - Run (3-4 mile speed workout)
Wednesday - Run (easy 4 miles), bike (12 miles), swim (1 mile)
Thursday - Run (7 miles)
Friday - OFF
Saturday - Brick (10 mile bike followed by 3 mile run - race pace)
Sunday - Long run (starting at 9 miles and adding 1 mile every week until 20 miles)

I've decided to stop my long run at 20 miles because (1) I think if I can go that far by myself, the momentum of the race will help me get the rest of the way, and (2) I don't want to risk getting an injury from over-training. The marathon is exactly 4 months from today and if I can stay injury free, I think that I'll be ready. I've already committed to finishing the marathon at any cost, but I may actually enjoy it if I'm prepared.

Much like childbirth, my ignorance about how painful this marathon is going to be is what's going to get me through it. I guess than in some instances, ignorance really is bliss.

The Final Countdown

I looked at my calendar yesterday and realized that it's September. I don't know where the summer went, but all of my training up to this point has been pre-conditioning. Now, it's time to get serious.

When I began this marathon journey, I had 9 months to train for it. That felt like an eternity. I mean, you can create a new life in that time. Well, we're down to 4 months now and it's time to put my 20 week marathon training plan into action. I'm going to start training with my marathon coach on Wednesday mornings and follow that workout with both a cycling and a swimming workout. I need to start tracking my mileage and my calories (to make sure that I'm getting enough) and I need to start planning my weekly menus again.

I'm kicking my late Saturday nights to the curb as well. While they've been a source of ample entertainment, it's hard to transition back into work mode after a late night. So, late nights out, senior citizen schedule back in. I gave Parker the memo that I'm going to need him to sleep through the night, but thus far, he's ignoring it. Truly, that's the only kink in my plan - I need to sleep to be able to (1) get in 30+ miles in a week and (2) wake up at the crack of dawn to do it.

Sleep or no sleep, it's time to just do it because we've reached The Final Countdown.

Pounding the Pavement

There's something so refreshing about leaving your house when it's still completely dark outside. At 6:15am on a Sunday morning, I encountered fewer than 5 cars driving out the meet the group. When I got to the starting point, there were a couple new people that I hadn't met before, one of which is running the Disney Marathon as well.

So, we set off at 6:30am, in the dark, to pound the pavement. Most of the runners had GPS watches, which made it easy when we split up into three groups. The first group was running a quick 4-miler, the second group was aiming for 6 miles and the last group, which consisted of me and the other Disney marathoner decided to go for 8 miles. Is two people still considered a group?

It was a nice, easy pace and it was quiet enough in the area that we could run in the middle of the street. Around mile 3, we watched the sunrise over the lake, which was a spectacular view. I really wish I had my camera with me, but somehow, I think running with my Nikon isn't really practical.



Around mile 5, we snuck onto the Golf Club grounds to sneak some water from their water cooler and around mile 6, I realized that the water wasn't such a great idea. Luckily, my running partner knew all of the ins and outs of the area and pointed me in the direction of a nice cluster of bushes that I could use as cover to relieve myself. I have to say that that's the first time I've peed outdoors since my sophomore year in college, but we'll save that fun little story for another time.

We finished out the last two miles easily and then cooled down. It was nice to meet someone who's training for the same marathon (and who owns a GPS watch to track our distance) and who runs at the same pace. It looks like we're going to start meeting every Sunday morning to tackle the long runs together and I have to say, I'm somewhat relieved. It's so much easier for me to stick with it when I know that someone is suffering along side me and none of my regular friends are sadomasicistic enough to punish their bodies every weekend.

Mileage

Since I signed up for the triathlon last week, I've been thinking about the fact that I haven't ridden a bike outdoors in over two years. While I've been spinning about three days a week, I was a little bit nervous about how that would translate to road mileage. When one of my friends from the gym invited me to ride the St. Marks Trail at 7am this morning, I jumped at the chance to get my on my bike.

I wasn't sure what experience level all of the other riders were, but I've ridden the St. Marks trail (32 miles) for years, so I wasn't too worried about it. Plus, I would rather fall over and die than get left behind on a group ride, so my will if nothing else would allow me to keep up. So, I had the Irishman inflate my bike tires and hook up the bike carrier to the truck and I was off at 6:40am to meet the group at the trail head.

When I got there, the only thing that gave me pause was the fact that the other 4 riders had high-end road bikes and I was riding on my Trek hybrid, which while competent, is sorely lacking in speed. Unfortunately (or fortunately if you have $5K to spend), cycling is one sport where your equipment is absolutely tied to your performance. In other words, you can peddle your heart out on a tricycle, but you're not going to get very far very fast.

Anyway, I suited up with my helmet and gloves (safety first) and we set off. I have to say that this was a pretty fast group. When I used to ride the trail with my friend Nicole, we would average probably 15-17 mph. We weren't out to kill ourselves, but we were slacking either. Well, on the ride this morning, we averaged 21-24 mph. Yeah, that's pretty dang fast for my heavy hybrid. I have to say that I was working pretty hard to keep up with the monster wheels on the road bikes, but fortunately, I like the chase, so it was a lot of fun staying with the group.

All in all, it was a really enjoyable ride. The sun was just coming up and the wind was blowing nicely. There's definitely a rush associated with going over 20 mph on a bike. When our ride was over, one of the cyclists said, "damn Cyn, I'd like to see what you could do on a road bike." I laughed because the only thought running through my head was for the better part of the ride was, "I have GOT to get a better bike!"

It was pretty brutal on my quads, but I'm glad that I made a good impression because all of the riders are triathletes, so they'll make good training partners for all three sports. In fact, I'm meeting them tomorrow morning for a 6am run. While I think I can hold my own there as well, I'm really looking forward to Wednesday morning when I'm meeting them at the pool.

Back In Business

So, yesterday was my first run after taking 11 days off to nurse my foot and I have to say that it was everything that I was hoping it would be. I started off with the intention that I would run a slow and easy couple of miles, but that didn't happen.

My legs were so fresh and rested, that I ended up running 3 miles in a quick (for me) 23 minutes. I felt like I was flying and that my legs were weighless. I kept telling myself to hold back, that this was only a warm up run, but I was so overjoyed to be doing it that I just had to let loose.

It's interesting that my life has switched so drastically from doing things that I "had to do" to doing things that I "want to do." It's such a subtle difference, but it's amazing the effect that it has on your motivation. I see people in the gym chronically looking at their watches, agonizing as the minutes tick by, just waiting for their required 25th minute to pass before they can quit and go home. I guess for them, the term "working out" applies in the literal sense - it's just another job.

On the other hand, I hate when my workout is over. I prolong it as long as I can and I'm constantly allowing myself just "5 more minutes" to enjoy the sensation of my body in motion. I love that I have the ability to get where ever I'm going by sheer will and that I can take for granted that my body will comply. I think that's why injuries are so stressful to me. They mean that my body is not functioning entirely as it should. I also like the feeling of burning muscles and fatigue. Call me a sadist if you'd like, but the protest of my body means that I'm pushing myself to new limits and there's nothing I like more than the sense of satisfaction I get when I wanted to quit, but didn't.

For me, there's just one absolute in life. Whether it's with regard to challenging your body or your mind, the only limitations that exist in life are ones that you set for yourself.

Is This Love?

So, I normally hate commercials. I despise the idea of someone trying to sell me something that I haven't gone out of my way to look for. With that said, once every three years or so, I come across a commercial that I identify with so closely, I almost forget that they're trying to sell me something.

This New Balance commercial is one of those. (In fact, I've since found out that the entire series of Love/Hate commericals rock. Click on the hyperlinks throughout this post to see more of them.)


I saw this commerical for the first time this week as I was sitting on the couch rolling my foot on a soup can for the second straight hour trying to get over this latest injury. It came on just as I was wondering why I was continuing with this running journey when it seems like there are so many roadblocks cropping up left and right. I mean, is all of this really worth it? What is running giving me that swimming and cycling aren't? As the doubts and second guesses roll through my head, I wonder if running is punishing me for picking swimming back up so early in our relationship.

After the commercial was over, I sat staring at the TV as I had two thoughts simultaneously. The first was, "Thank God I'm not the only person who thinks of sports as living entities that I'm involved with." And the second was, "Holy crap, I've fallen for running!" I was so busy rediscovering my relationship with swimming that I didn't even realize it was happening. I mean, I knew that I had been looking longingly at new running paths during my hiatus over the last week. And I also noticed the jealous stares that I was shooting at runners who were happily treading along without any foot pain whatsoever, but I didn't realize that it was this serious.

I have to say that I'm glad that I know now where I stand with running. I'm not sure that all of this pain would have been worth it for a fling, but since we're headed towards a long term relationship, I'm willing to work out the issues as they surface. Is running one of the hardest relationships I've ever had? Absolutely, but I'm willing to stick it out because you and I both know that my make-up run after my foot is better will be unforgettable!

Oh yeah and that picture at the top, that's a nearby path that I want to take running to after our break is over.