I run for...off season.

11/26/13 – 3 miles, 6-0.25 hill intervals, 11:33min/mi

 

I really like “off” season. It gives me a chance to play around a lot more with my workouts without the pressure of making my pace time or getting in a certain number of miles each day. Today I decided to run hill intervals. This is a workout I’ve done before but it is brutal so I don’t do it very often. It consists of me going out to this particular road out in the country with a great number of hills. I’ve measured the length of each hill to be about 0.25 mile. Sometimes I run all the hills or I’ll pick one and repeat over and over like I did today. I start by taking a nice, easy jog up to the hill and then sprinting up it. Once I reach the top I take a little breather and take a nice, easy jog down to the bottom of the hill. Then I turn around and repeat the process however many times I decide for that particular day. Today I ran 6 hills. Total distance about 3 miles.

 

I forgot to mention that today it was 17 degrees outside but felt like 11 degrees with the 10mph wind. I was prepared. I had my thicker, moisture wicking fleece on, my gloves, thick socks, earmuffs with my shirt’s hood pulled up over the top and zipped up to cover my neck and my chin. By the time I got to the first hill, I still could not feel my face, my legs or my feet. Luckily my hill was somewhat guarded from the wind and I warmed up pretty fast.

 

As crazy as it sounds, I really enjoy running in cold weather. I think there are probably several reasons for this. For one, I really, really, really hate being hot. Secondly, my running journey began in November/December so I always feel nostalgic as I bundle up, step outside and see my breath in front of me. And like I said, generally, winter is my off season so running feels fun and free without the constraints of time, pace, miles, etc. Also, running in the cold is hardcore. Running in the cold carries the same feeling of invincibility as running in the rain.

 

If you don’t like running in the cold as much as I do, I completely understand. But here are a few things you can do to prepare and motivate yourself.

 

1)

The right gear is essential. Invest in a good pair of athletic hooded sweatshirts, fleece, and other insulating fabrics. Shoes without a lot of mesh help keep your feet warm. Otherwise buy some thick socks. I run with earmuffs (that double as earphones!) and almost always wear something to cover the top of my head as well, like a stocking cap or a hooded shirt. As you know, the majority of the heat from your body escapes from the top of your head.

2)

Warm up properly. I have heard several different running experts give this advice. Do some type of light activity while inside (cleaning, jumping jacks, yoga, etc.) to get warmed up and then the temperature outside won’t feel as cold.

3)

Stay close to home. If any accidents were to occur, you don’t want to find yourself miles from home, stranded in the cold.

4)

The goal is always to get yourself out the door. You can tell yourself you will only be out for a short run and then home. But I find that once you get out there you usually stay out and enjoy it.

5)

Promise yourself a nice, long hot bath or shower after your run. Or a hot cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

 

All in all, I promise going out to run, regardless of the circumstances, will make you feel good. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. You will never once regret getting out there…even on bad runs, cold runs, hot runs, long runs. It’s all worth it!

Oh! And an extra hoorah for the day...I've already surpassed my yearly goal of 500 miles! 

I run for...everything I've got.

"At mile 20, I thought I was dead.
At mile 22, I wished I was dead.
At mile 24, I knew I was dead.
At mile 26.2, I realized I had become too tough to kill."

Marathon #2 - Rock N' Roll Marathon Savannah

I started marathon day bright and early at 5:00am. Oddly enough I felt at peace. I had some time in the morning to reflect and I couldn't help but think how running/training is so much a part of my life now. It's actually not that unusual for me to get up at 5:00am for a run and it isn't unusual for me to look forward to a 20+ run. I was ready for this.

Emerson & Steven waiting for me to start

My husband and son accompanied me as I made my way to the start line (about a mile away from my uncle's house). About 4 or 5 blocks away from the start line I said my goodbyes and jogged/walked to the start line as a warm up. After spending about 30 minutes standing in the bathroom line, I made my way to the corral. Not a lot of space in the corral to do much but I stretched and jumped up and down as much as I could waiting for my corral to move forward and start. It took about 23 minutes for our corral to make it to the start. They did a little countdown and then we were off!

My race splits & finish time:

5K - 36:04
10K - 1:13:48
10 mi - 2:01:28
13.1 mi - 2:44:31
15.5 mi -3:25:20
20 mi - 5:00:56
26.2 - 6:33:14

So here's a rundown of how my race went. Started off nice and easy/slow knowing I still had a lot of ground to cover. My goal was to finish the race better than last year's marathon at 5:46. So as you can see until about mile 15-16 I was right on track for doing that. Last year I had some complications as a result of being a first time marathon runner - dehydration, cramping, blown out knee. But nothing compared to this year. I feel like I'm making excuses but the truth of the matter is that the marathon is an extremely difficult race. There was a point yesterday running miles 12-14 where the elite runners were running in the opposite direction at miles 22-24. You can see the strain in their faces, the labored breathing, and struggle to keep their legs moving, and that makes me feel a little bit better about the pain I feel towards the end.

So exactly what happened between miles 15-16 and mile 20? I stopped at a medical tent at mile 19 to get some salt and extra water. I walked up and the nurse says "You're going to pass out." I said "No I'm not" and about that time she placed a chair under me right as I proceeded to pass out. I wasn't out long. When I came to, they checked my blood pressure and pulse and my heart was racing! I was shivering, had cold and clammy skin, light headed, and nauseous. They placed a bag of ice on my neck and gave me some sugar (GU) and made me sit there until my BP and pulse came down. I'm not sure how long I sat there. It felt like forever. When my BP and pulse finally started to come down, the nurse did not want me to finish the race. She said "We have a van here that can take you to the finish line." Tears started to well up in my eyes. There was no way that I was not going to finish this race. She went on to say, "I can see that you don't want to do that. So if it were me and I wanted to just finish, I would walk and take it easy." I agreed and they let me be on my way. I took her advice and walked a good portion of mile 20 but once I started to feel better I started to lightly shuffle/jog in between walks. At mile 22 I was back to running at regular pace. At this point, I was determined to pass as many people as I could and try to finish strong.

Emerson watching as I came down the chute to the finish line

 

Shoes, FINISHER medal, & my race bib

I really do feel disappointed in not being able to do better than I did last year but then I think "Okay, I passed out, was told not to finish, was told to walk the rest, and I continued and finished strong." Sometimes the struggle is worth more than the end result. That is certainly true for yesterday's marathon. I still cannot believe what happened yesterday and I'm not sure that I could have done anything differently. One thing is for sure. I am constantly amazed by the power of the human spirit. It's moments like these that make me realize I can do ANYTHING.

Other memorable moments from yesterday:

- The absolutely wonderful people of Savannah. We passed a lot of residential neighborhoods in which residents sat in their driveways to offer words of encouragement and praise. By far the best cheering came from Savannah State University. It seemed like the whole campus was out there to support us. One very heavyset, young man stood there cheering with all he had and saying "I can't do this but you can. You're a hero to me."

- People dressed as: a banana, super heroes, Gene Simmons, beer cans.

- Signs: The NSA can see if you're walking. You're running better than our government. Run like Paula Deen is frying chicken at the finish line. You're all Kenyans to me. I thought this was a Law & Order marathon.

- Running right by my uncle's house at mile 8 and seeing my Uncle Dennis, my husband and my baby boy cheering me on.

My encouraging little buddy giving me a kiss for good luck!

- The amazing scenery. Huge oak trees with Spanish moss and the many, many courtyards of Savannah were absolutely breathtaking.

I did say after crossing the finish line yesterday that I would probably never run another one because I forgot how much pain it causes. But then not two hours later, I was researching where I will run next year's. I cannot help it. I love it!!

Thanks to everyone who has supported me and encouraged me along the way!