Race Report: LA Marathon

So, here I am attempting to write this blog entry on my old computer...the computer which Quinn and Anders have now claimed.  After watching countless "trains on 'puter", the mouse pad barely tracks my pointer finger's commands, is covered in dried slobber, and I do not want to know what is stuck to the screen.  Just so you have a visual of the challenge I went through just to post this entry.  (I am now punching myself that I did not bring home my work computer this weekend.  Or maybe I can use this as a rationale to purchase a new one?)

But I digress.  Let's get to the real point here.  This past Sunday, I completed the LA Marathon, which is my 35th, 36th, or 37th marathon.  (I really need to go back and count.)  My training went as well as it could have in the six weeks or so that I prepared.  I hadn't really planned on this being my 'A' race for a number of reasons: 1) Traveling cross country for a race is never easy.  Actually, it can be mighty stressful. 2) Hotel sleep is never that great. 3)It was probably going to be hot.  To the latter, I actually received an email a couple of days before I was set to head out warning me of a heat advisory.  I felt okay about this--if things didn't go as planned, I had other options.

The week leading up to the race was incredibly stressful...I had so many responsibilities to take care of at home (planning to be gone at work, making sure the boys' Valentine's were mailed to friends/family and ready for Philip to take to daycare, packing, and getting myself from Omaha to LA).  Even after I was sitting on the plane, my anxiety did not lessen.  Plus, I am rarely away from Philip and my boys so that felt weird.  (I was planning on meeting a couple of friends once I got to LA).

Everything went smoothly on my trip into California and was able to spend the next day sightseeing with Mike and Ryan.  We volunteered at the Olympic Marathon Trials the next day which had to be one of the coolest things that I have ever witnessed.  That being said, after standing and working there all morning and part of the afternoon, my legs felt tired...so tired that I felt a little worried about how they'd react the next day.  We ended up going back to the hotel to rest after our shift and then went out to find dinner.  I just grabbed a sandwich at an organic grocery store and went back to the hotel while Ryan and Mike went out.  I didn't have much of an appetite but knew I needed to eat.

My alarm went off the next morning at 4:45am.  Now, given the two hour time difference, this was totally sleeping in for me.  I slept okay.  Ryan dropped Mike and I off at the start of the race and then headed to the finish line to meet us when we got done.  Mike and I made our way to our starting corral. Luckily, we'd been assigned the same one!  After the gun went off, we stayed together for the first five miles or so.  I felt really good for these first few miles.  I didn't have a watch going at all, but found out later I was going mid-eight's.  I had been concerned going into this race that I was going to have knee issues...I was concerned enough that I decided to pack three ibuprofen (as well as five gels and several salt tabs).  My knee hadn't bothered me terribly during my training, but I had come to conclusion that it gets aggravated while running hills.  The LA Marathon's course was all hills.  (I'd say much more downhill than up.)  But my knee doesn't discriminate.  By mile 6 it was killing me!!!!  And this really messed with my head.  There was NO WAY that I could walk TWENTY MILES!!!!  I slowed down, but didn't walk.  Around mile 10, I took all three ibuprofen (which you aren't supposed to do while running), but I was pretty desperate.  Especially after what happened in Florida, I could NOT have a DNF.  Around mile 14, it finally kicked in and I was able to run again!

At this point, the temperature had started to rise, but it didn't feel as high as initially projected.  Plus, some of the tall buildings offered a bit of shade.  I gradually got myself back to a positive state of mind and decided that I would, in fact, run again.  (Thoughts such as, "I hate this! I'm never running another marathon! I'm never running again!" had passed through my head when my knee was hurting so early into the race.)

As I got into the 20's, I started feeling really great.  I started picking up my pace quite a bit.  I remembered from looking at the course profile that the last three miles were downhill.  And they were! Amazing! Miles 21-24 were at 8:44 pace, and I dropped down to 7:14 pace for the last two miles.  I caught back up to Mike right before the finish and we were able to finish together in a time of 3:53.  I ended up getting pretty sick to my stomach after I finished.  Because of the projected high temperatures, I drank much more gatorade than I normally would have and also took quite a few salt tabs, so my stomach was a sloshy bile-y mess.  Yuck.

I met my goal of running a sub-4.  After researching a bit, I am pretty sure that this is an IT band issue.  A day or so after the race, it wasn't hurting at all anymore.  I am really thinking that that thing just really hates hills.  I would love another shot at running a "fast" marathon...though, it's going to take a little planning.  The course cannot be a hilly one.  We'll see.

I planned to take an easy week post-marathon and get back to business this coming Monday.  I do not like downtime but know that my body needs a little rest before I start hammering it again.

Happy running! I hope you were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful day! :)

Complete results can be found here

New year, new plan!

So I have known for the past year or so that my plan of having no plan regarding training was not working.  I had gotten myself into the bad habit of doing whatever I felt like when I woke up in the morning.  Well, I had loose training plans depending on what I was working towards (i.e. the Ironman...I knew I had to gradually build myself up to be able to complete the three events.) BUT as far as the day to day went, I didn't have any structure.  In December, I finally took a long, hard look at what I was doing, or quite frankly, what I wasn't doing.  Yes, I was exercising daily, but the bulk of my work was grinding on my spin bike.  It wasn't good for me...I felt exhausted and my legs felt trashed.  I needed to rest.  I needed quality days.  And I REALLY needed to start incorporating some recovery and easy days of running.  Looking back, this was what I struggled with all throughout 2015.  Too much grinding, no speed, no recovery.

As I started the new year (and after signing up for the LA Marathon in February), I knew that I desperately needed a new plan.  I talked to a couple of my WRN friends and reviewed some training plans.  I finally settled on Furman's First to the Finish plan because it only had three prescribed runs per week.  Yes, they were tough workouts, but I could fill in the rest of the days with whatever I wanted (within reason--no more death grinds on that bike!). 

A link to the plan can be found here.

So far, I have followed this thing to a T other than starting with a 10 mile long run instead of the prescribed 13.  I have done all of the speedwork and gotten myself up to a 20 mile long run.  I didn't have much time to get ready for LA, but I used the time that I did have the best I could.  I actually haven't minded any of it!  I am feeling really good and feel confident that I could have a decent 2016.  LA is not my end goal, but more of a stepping stone as far as the marathon (and fitness in general) is concerned.  After LA, I am signed up for the Bryan Health Indoor Triathlon with my husband and sissy...it has become a yearly tradition for us to compete in this wonderful event together!

The bulk of my training gets done at 4:30am as I need to be out the door before 7am in order to make it to work on time. (After work is out as I don't want to waste the little time with my boys.)  My alarm usually goes off at 4:11am, and I immediately get out of bed...if I give myself even two minutes to think about how amazing my warm bed feels and how tired I am, my running isn't going to happen. I have my running clothes set out and a cup of coffee ready to slug down. (This is usually old coffee...sometimes I warm it up, sometimes I don't bother.) The key to early morning workouts is not really giving yourself time to talk yourself out of it.  If I am doing speed work, a slow two mile warm up is key.  There is absolutely no way I could go from zero to sixty without a warm-up.  Yikes. 

This is not without its sacrifices.  One of my favorite parts of the day is relaxing with Philip after the boys go to bed by watching an episode of a favorite show on Netflix.  On this early schedule, I don't usually make it much past 8pm.  (Thank goodness that the plot of practically every episode of Prison Break is the same!) At times, it can feel like every waking moment is completely filled with jobs and tasks.  That being said, I am doing an okay job of balancing it all.

As we have now entered the second month of 2016, I hope that you have begun training and it is going well! Happy running!

The frantic reality behind attempting to do it all...

So yes, I realize that it is December and that, for all of us, it's a busy time of year.  But lately I have been struggling to find time for everything.  My alarm clock has been inching dangerously earlier and earlier, finally finding a stopping point at 4:10am. (Isn't this the middle of the night?!)  On the surface, I feel like it appears that our little family is organized and functioning well (which for the most part it is), but as the week goes on I find myself running around like No-Noggin (Are you wondering who that is? Clearly, you don't have a toddler who requests the 'Curious George' Halloween special over and over and over again...) Here is a snapshot of how our Wednesday looked:

4:10am-alarm goes off.  I lay there for a minute or two before convincing myself that it's going to be just as hard to get up at 5:10.  Have you ever noticed that your bed will never be as wonderfully comfortable as it is when the alarm goes off?  Boo.  And I have to go down to the cold basement.

4:30am-I hop onto my treadmill for a quick three miles, then switch to the spin bike for an hour session. (This isn't so bad...I get to spend this time watching guilty pleasures such as 'Revenge' and 'Pretty Little Liars'!)  I am reminded by my choice of television shows that some people's lives are way more dramatic than mine.

6am-I get myself ready for work and the boys ready for their day. (YES, Philip is a vital help! Have I mentioned lately how great he is?! Our current routine is that I get Quinn ready and Philip gets Anders ready.)

6:45am- We leave for Columbus to drop boys off at my folks' for the day. (Anders has been attending feeding therapy at Wiggles and Giggles and both boys have dance lessons on Wednesdays in Columbus.)

8-4:30pm- I teach Life Skills at the ESU 7.  Typically I leave around 4, but I had a meeting today.

4:30-5:30pm-I pick up the boys and we drive back to Seward.  I explain to Quinn that I cannot change the fact that Seward is 60 minutes away. ("Say it's only 10 miles more, Mom! 10!! Say it!"..."Well, Quinn, I can say that it is, but that does not make it a true statement.")

5:30-6:45- Philip and I feed boys and go over Quinn's bible verse for Awana. (Philip leaves at 6 to take Quinn to Awana) I take a quick shower with both Anders and both kittens locked in the bedroom so that everyone stays supervised and out of mischief, and then Anders and I leave for church.  On the way to church I think about how guilty I feel about taking the shower when the house is so messy. Toys are everything. Laundry is all over.  Mail is all over. I feel a little bit better when I remind myself that at least the cats have been eating what the boys drop on the floor during meal time.

7-7:45- Church service.  I leave early to pick up Quinn from Awana.

**So here is where I insert that during the entire church service, I was frantic that there was so much to get done once we got home.  Usually, I get everything lined up for the next day before we eat supper so that everyone is able to relax for a bit.  Sadly, I cannot say that I have any idea what the sermon was about.
When I had gotten Quinn picked up and was driving home, I called Philip to find out what was decided about the upcoming Godparent dinner, and here was how our conversation went:
Philip: "I feel really good about how Wednesday went!" 
Me: "WHAT?! You do?! I do not feel good about it! We still have so many things to do before bed! 
I proceed to go through the list that had been running through my head the entire service.
Philip suggests that maybe we should get off the phone so he can start making Anders' food.

8-9ish-We get the boys ready for bed, set out outfits for the next day, make Anders' breakfast and lunch for daycare, set coffee pot for am, take care of cats, pick up house, get ready for bed.  Whoosh.

*******Day is over! On to Thursday!**************

Disclaimer: Of course not every night of ours is like this...Wednesdays are by far the busiest.  Most days, I feel like I am keeping all of the ends tied together, but it all seems to be close to unraveling by midweek.  My early mornings are starting to get to me...I am so exhausted that I am never able to watch tv or unwind before bed.  (We do try to watch an episode of whatever show we are currently watching...I usually fall asleep within the first five minutes or so.)

So--I am on the brink of Christmas vacation...two glorious weeks with my boys, my family, and myself.  My goal is to relish all of the slower moments with my children (if you know Quinn, there aren't many of these!) and to enjoy the downtime.  Life is moving four million miles per minute and this will all be over way too fast!

And I'll end with just a quick note on running/training.  While I do not have plans for 2016 completely solidified, I am currently signed up for two indoor triathlons, the first of which is January 3rd.  I am very excited to compete once again, as I wasn't able to do as much as I'd have like with at least half of the past year going to Ironman training.  Here's to 2016!