the marathon

On May 5th in Long Branch, New Jersey (with a gorgeous ocean view) I officially became a MARATHONER!!

Was there ever any doubt?!?! Alight, maybe a little…but in the end I was able to catch-up on my long runs, complete my training and achieve my goal of finishing the New Jersey Marathon!!

My #1 goal was to finish, #2 was revised after my foot injury to finish around the 5-hour mark. I finished at 5:20. I lost about 7-8 minutes on two port-a-john breaks (was very thirsty and drank a ton of water, TMI? super quick the first stop, but a line for the second), so I’d say that’s pretty close to the time I was expecting. Definitely not the fastest marathoner out there, but a finisher nonetheless!!

I woke-up early on the morning of the marathon…ate a big carb-y breakfast in my hotel room and then did 20 minutes of yoga before packing up and heading out. The traffic getting there was insane. It was only about a 10-minute drive from the hotel, but it took over an hour. I sat in my car watching the half-marathoners sprint down the highway trying to make it to the start line in time (their race started about an hour before the full). Fortunately, I left with plenty of time to spare. I parked, got my gear together, waited in the warm car for a bit, then headed over. It was absolutely FREEZING and WINDY. I was extremely thankful that I brought a ‘toss away’ hooded jacket. I absolutely would have been miserable without it.

In what seemed like no time we were off!! I would say that within an hour of starting the clouds cleared, the sun started shining and the wind died down. It turned out to be supreme running weather. It was total perfection.

Being a former Jersey Girl, maybe I’m biased, but Jersey spectators have to be some of the very best! They were literally tailgating in their front yards. Eating, drinking, holding up signs, playing lawn games and many of the homes had Springsteen blasting from their radios. They were loud, enthusiastic and very encouraging.

I saw a few signs that said “Welcome New Jersey Marathoners”…and it was really nice to see. These people were stuck at home pretty much all day long…they had crazy runners filling their streets, energy gel packets and sweatshirts being tossed everywhere, but yet they still cheered us on and made us feel welcome.

To be honest, it was a very uneventful race. Absolutely nothing went wrong. I felt great, I had everything I needed, the weather was perfect. It was like the planets aligned and I was handed this excellent first marathon experience!

However, I did start out a little too fast (as always). In fact, for a while it was looking like I was going to hit a 13.1 PR!! In the end I hit it right in around my usual time, but then things slowed down considerably around the 18-20 mile mark. From there I did a walk/run mix. Sometimes I’d end up next to someone taking a break too and we’d chat for a bit.

It’s so strange to say it, but marathon running (for me) is far more relaxing and enjoyable than the shorter distances?! I was able to take in so much more of the experience since I wasn’t being driven by a time goal. Of course, it was hard at times, but surprisingly enjoyable as well.

With about .3 miles to go I spotted the finish line.

Wow.

That was something.

For one split second I got a little choked-up. Most training plans are about 4-5 months long, but in actuality it took a year of my life to build up to that exact moment. All the doubt, all the worry, the early morning runs, the lost sleep, the sacrificed wine!! Well, it all kind of hit me at once. It felt like such a HUGE accomplishment just making it to the START line, so being that close to the finish was without a doubt one of the top five moments of my life.

As soon as I snapped out of it, I sprinted the rest of the way. As I passed another runner she yelled to me “you’re making it look so easy?!”. It was my last burst of energy, the sudden euphoria that made me feel like I had plenty of gas left in the tank!!

For about an hour afterwards I was sore. I felt fine during the 2-hour car ride home, but when I finally stood up I was stiff as a board! A hot shower, a big dinner and a few hours later I felt completely fine. By the next morning I was 100%. No soreness at all. Which is a good thing considering how much I had to get done that day!!

The only reason I can come up with for not being sore the day after a marathon is because I ran it, but didn’t RACE it. I pushed, but not outside of my capability. It gave me a slower finish time, but there is GREAT satisfaction in running a marathon and not feeling even the slightest bit of fatigue the next day!

By 48 hours afterwards I felt like running but gave myself an extra day or so of rest just in case. I eased back in with a three-miler on Thursday and yesterday I did a nice, slow 7.5 mile run.

I have about a month before I start training for the Marine Corps Marathon, so I plan to keep up my long runs, but not push too hard. I’m sure my legs will appreciate the break!!

And there you have it…my first marathon complete. I enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend you lace-up and run one yourself ; )

the streets of philadelphia

A few weeks ago, my friend and I met up in Philadelphia. I have to say, for some reason I have a really big soft spot for Philly.

While most women get together for shopping or spa weekends, we get together to run. The Rothman Institute 8k was the fourth race this year that we’ve done together!

This was my first ever 8k, so in a way I was destined to ‘PR’. Philly lived up to it’s ‘fast and flat’ reputation and there was absolutely no ‘traffic jam’ at the start, so I didn’t have to do much weaving before settling into my pace.

I finished with a chip time of 42:40, which is about an average 8:35/min pace. Very happy with that.

As for race day mishaps…I always seem to have one. This time around it was my sock. When I put it on before leaving the hotel I saw a tiiiiiny hole up by the toe. It was so small I decided to wear it anyway (even though I had a back-up pair) and then get rid of it afterwards. About a mile into the race I felt my toe nail digging into the toe next to it. By midway through, with every footfall it dug further in. It didn’t slow me down, but it certainly did not feel great.

By the time I got back to the hotel it was killing me! Turns out the small hole, became a HUGE hole during the race. Two of my toes popped out and the sock was so tight around them, that one nail was under the other toe…thus the digging.

My sock/foot was a bloody mess and even now there’s a bit of blood on the OUTSIDE of my shoe. Apparently there was so much it soaked through. I do this for fun????

Regardless of the bloody sock, it was a great weekend with my friend! And a fantastic location for running!!

MCM10k

Approximately 24 hours before Hurricane Sandy knocked out our power for six days…I ran the MCM10k!!! For a little while I wasn’t sure if I was even going to make it down to Washington, DC at all. Leading up to the race I was watching the weather channel on a daily basis, trying to get an idea of what the timing would be for this storm.

By the Friday before the race, it was looking pretty good that I could get down to my friend’s house on Saturday, run the race on Sunday morning and then be back home before the storm hit.

Fortunately, I was able to beat the storm back to Pennsylvania. By the time I got back home it was already ridiculously windy, but not one drop of rain the entire way.

As for the race, I have to say it was absolutely fantastic!! The expo/packet pick-up was extremely organized (of course!), it was so very cool to run the streets of DC…

…and to have a Marine put a medal around your neck afterwards was definitely an experience!!

I would have to say that IF I should ever do a full marathon, I’m about 90% sure I would go for the Marine Corps Marathon. Again, I loved being down there for this race, getting to spend time with my friend and really…I don’t think there’s any better motivator while running a race than having Marines lined up along the course cheering for you!!

I would highly recommend this one!! As for my finish time…it was just over 56 minutes, which is about a minute less than my last 10k. Not by much, but still a PR!!!!!!

The Great Pumpkin Run

A while back I came across The Great Pumpkin Virtual Race. I absolutely fell in love with the medals for both the 5k and the kid’s mini-mile!! So, of course I registered for it…

I ended up putting my medal towards the 5k I ran last weekend…one race, two medals!! But yesterday was the big day for my daughter.

Originally, I was hoping to coordinate a kids run with some of the other members in our Moms RUN This Town local chapter.  It ended up not working out this time, but in hindsight I think yesterday turned out perfectly. We decided to make it a family run. So, both my husband and our youngest came along…

We ended up running just over 1.5 miles!! She was so excited to get her medal…

and of course her swag bag!!

I’m really happy we went ahead and did this. Not only did she have a great time running, but it was also a fantastic way to spend some time together as a family!!

the frozen runner

Officially a week after my half-marathon and I haven’t been doing much running. I wasn’t sore afterwards, I just really didn’t have any desire to lace-up. I got a 4 mile run in on Wednesday and then a 3.5 mile walk on Thursday. I was hoping to get at least one more run in by Saturday morning, but it didn’t happen.

So, I was a little worried about the 5k I was planning to run yesterday. Not only did I not do a whole lotta’ running leading up to it, BUT…it was also the coldest morning we’ve had since last winter. 29 degrees when I left for the race. {bbbrrrrr}

I was freezing, my toes were numb and I was literally shaking from the cold. Yet I kept reminding myself how much BETTER this weather is to run in as opposed to the ridiculous heat and humidity that I was training in during the summer!!! Yes…I’ll take stiff legs, frozen joints and numb toes over 90+ degree temps any day of the week!

I was also pretty excited about this race because I was running with a few members of my Moms RUN This Town group! This was our first official race day together and I’ve gotta say…not only do we ‘run this town’, but we also clean-up at races!!! Two members took first place in their age groups, I took 2nd in mine, another took 3rd and two members won door prizes!!

The course was hilly, but beautiful. There was one area where the fall leaves on the trees parted and we were treated to a gorgeous view of the river. Even in the midst of running like a maniac, I still had one of those moments when the tension suddenly dissipated and it was impossible to ignore the gorgeousness surrounding me.

I didn’t have high hopes, performance-wise, for this race. Just under a week after my half-marathon, only one SLOW run leading up to it and the hilly course didn’t sound like PR material to me. Surprisingly, I ended up finishing at 26:49 almost a full minute less than my last 5k!!

sportin’ my diva half race tee from last weekend!!

Then to round out my race weekend….this morning I volunteered at a local cycling event. This was my first time volunteering. I was pretty excited to do it, it felt like I was giving back for all of the fantastic support I’ve received during my own races in the past.  This was the first of what will likely become an annual event. They ended up with less than anticipated registrations, but everyone was enthusiastic and the organizer’s did a phenomenal job!!

No races for me next weekend!!! But I’m off to DC the following weekend for the MCM10k!!!

13.1

Oh, and as a follow-up to my Half Marathon Recap…

In case you were wondering, YES I was totally suckered into buying up all kinds of 13.1 memorabilia. Well, more accurately my Aunt was…she was far too generous at the expo the day before the race!

I may not be a big fan of stick-figure families on the back of my vehicle, but definitely bring on the half marathon merchandise!!!

BeeCause Sneaker Charms

Milestones Sports

For the Divas Half Marathon Entry in my Race Journal

Diva Half Marathon

Yesterday was The Big Day, I ran in the New York Divas Half-Marathon!

Going into it my time goal was around 2 hours and 14-15 minutes…but why run it in 2:14 when you can do it in 2:11:28!!

The race started out on a narrow path looping through Eisenhower Park. It was packed ridiculously tight with runners. The odd thing about this was that at the start line runners were lined up by pace. I figured they would be letting us through in waves. Instead, they just let us all go at once. Definitely a bit of a traffic jam. At first I thought I would ride it out, but there was literally a wall of people in front of me and we were averaging about a 12 minute mile…way below where I wanted to be. So, I spent about the first 2-3 miles weaving. By the time I got through the pack and had some breathing room I kicked it up a notch to around 8:45/mi (my 5k pace). I held onto that for much longer than I should have while running a half, but I was a little panicked about making up for lost time.

I got through the rest of the race without many issues. By about mile 10 I think my earlier sub-9 pace and my lack of dinner the night before caught up with me. I started really feeling it and my pace dipped below 10:00, which was a little disappointing. For a while there I thought I was going to come in under 2:10!!

Regardless, I have to say I’m really please with my performance. I pushed, but not foolishly. I came in with a finish time UNDER my goal and my recovery time was incredibly quick and mostly painless. Oh, and of course there’s the whole ’10 months postpartum’ thing too!

As for the race itself…these Divas know how to run!! The bling was magnificent!! By far the nicest I’ve ever seen…

After crossing the finish line, each runner was presented their medal by a half-nekkid’ NY firefighter, they were also given a rose by a gentleman in a tux…

…and apparently Divas prefer champagne as their recovery drink!!

I will say that traffic/parking direction prior to the start was kind of a mess. However, I don’t think that was the race organizer’s issue, but rather the town. I don’t think they were prepared for the volume of people who descended upon this little park!! I sat stopped dead in traffic RIGHT NEXT TO THE PARK for about an hour. There weren’t enough police directing traffic and once we made it into the parking lot a staff person waved 10 cars down a dead-end aisle that was already FULL. All 10 of us had to make k-turns to get out of there.

Hopefully, they’ll learn from that for next year because overall this race was a fantastic experience. Very girly, very fun. Definitely worth registering for one if at all possible!!!

in conclusion

I think it’s time for a little follow-up bloggin’…

First up: you sure it’s not the shoes?

Well, here I am…more than a month later. Wearing larger shoes. And guess what? It was not, in fact, the shoes. It was…The Socks.  Typically, I like snug socks. There’s nothing more uncomfortable to me than loose socks. They get all bunchy and I feel like they slide around too much. The socks I originally had were Brooks running socks (not quite the ones I had, but close) with the undertoe seam. I thought they fit perfectly, but when the larger shoe size didn’t really help I decided to go with a different pair of socks. I opted for Adidas. I’ve been wearing them for about three weeks and the improvement is significant. Unfortunately, for my poor toe I think it’s too little too late.

Next up: run to the hills

Earlier this month I started doing hill repeats for the first time. A love-hate relationship quickly ensued. Once a week I warm-up with about a 1.5-2 mile run, then I head over to The Hill. Each week I’ve added an additional repeat. This week I squeaked out a sixth one…

I have to say, I love looking at this chart. That shaded green area right there…that final push straight up. It’s the only time when I run that my lungs burn, my legs scream and my heart feels like it’s going to pound right the frig’ out of my chest!! It’s awesomely horrible!! I have a bigger hill already picked out for next month!

Moving on: to marathon or not

I’ve made very little progress on this one, but I guess that’s to be expected since it’s a huge decision and it’s only been less than two weeks of serious consideration. I came very close to deciding on a 50k. Now I’m not so sure. We very recently (like, today) discovered that we may have some major changes that might happen right in around the time I would be in the thick of training. I don’t really want to deal with it all at once. The race I had my eye on is scheduled for March, but there’s another in October ’13 that might be the better one to shoot for. So, it looks like I’m off the hook for a while.

Let’s not forget: noises your shoulder shouldn’t make

I’m very happy to say that my arm still seems to be attached and my shoulder appears to be functioning properly! Since last week went so well I gave P90X2’s upper body workout another try yesterday. I completed all three rounds without any problems. It didn’t do it during the workout, but randomly throughout the day my shoulder will make interesting (but not painful) clicking noises. Not entirely sure what the deal is with that, but if it’s the only lasting issue that I end up with…well, I can get used to a clickity-shoulder.

Lastly: apple picking

This one isn’t really a follow-up, it’s more of a continuation…apple picking last weekend was definitely a good way to get a head start on the fall season. Since then we’ve had some chilly temps, on Wednesday night by the time I got home from running my arms were freeeeeezing. The leaves are starting to change color and the acorns have been slamming the heck out of our roof and satellite dish. Yup, fall has arrived!!

to marathon or not

There’s the question that I’ve been struggling with for a while now. I have no idea whether or not I want to run a marathon. I’m in a very strange place, with my thoughts on registering for one pretty much all over the map.

My top five random thoughts in no particular order:

1.) I should just go for it because it’s the natural progression of the sport. 5k, 8k, 10k, half…FULL. Makes perfect sense.

2.) But maybe it would make more perfect sense to master each distance before moving on to a full? So, instead of showing up to each race and just squeaking by, I should actually set time goals that need to be achieved before moving on to bigger and better things.

3.) Now is so very much the time to do it. I’m comfortably running 12 mile long runs on the weekend. At this point I’m almost halfway there. I’ve put a lot of time and effort into my half-marathon training and who knows what the future may bring. I could let a big opportunity slip by if I don’t go for it soon.

4.) {This is where things get a little weird…} I would much rather skip marathons all together and head straight for an ultra (!??!?!?!) Yeah, there’s logic behind this one, but it would require a post all of it’s own.

and finally…

5.) I could be very happy with ‘only’ a half under my belt and there’s always trail running. Got a taste of it recently. Loved it. Could easily see myself saying goodbye to pavement for a while and making 2013 all about off-roading!

Well, there it is. This is why I can’t seem to decide if I’m going to go for 26.2 or not. In the meantime, when people ask me if I’m going to do one I just tell them I’m not sure I have ‘the time’. This is a complete and total B.S. answer. See, non-runners hear that and enthusiastically shake their head ‘yes’ in agreement. They either have no idea what it’s like to train for a race OR you’re giving them the extremely convenient answer that they WANT to hear.  BUT…you offer up that exact same response to a runner and they know it’s a cop-out. If you want to do it, you will make the time. As it is I leave the house at 7:30 AM for my weekend long run. Would leaving at 6:30 really make that much of a difference? No. Of course not. Will I need to run 20 miles per day for six straight months. No. Of course not. Time is definitely not the deciding factor. I am.

…to be continued…eventually.

Labor Day Virtual Run

Yesterday, I completed 10 (+1) miles for the Labor Day 5 or 10 Mile Virtual Run over at Mommy Run Fast!

It was perfect timing for me. I already had an 11 mile training run on the agenda for Sunday. So, when I saw this virtual run pop-up I immediately jumped right in! I even got into the race day spirit by sportin’ my SweatPink tank…

But let me back up a little bit!! I had no idea going into it that last week was going to be such a big week of firsts for me.

It started with our first group outing of the Moms RUN This Town local chapter that I started up only two weeks ago.

Then on Wednesday evening, my husband got home a little early from work, so I headed out for a run. For the first time ever I did hill repeats. It was horrible. I felt like my heart was going to rip right out of my chest. It was PAINFUL to get through. Yet I loved it?! And I’m totally doing it again this week!

On Friday our running group made it into the local paper!! I was beyond excited about it. I was a little less thrilled that my home number was included in the article, but as it turned out I only received one phone call and it was legit.

Saturday morning I met up with two members for a trail run. I’ve been dying to try trail running, but never got around to it. I have to say, I absolutely loved it. AND…I can easily see myself getting through the rest of this year’s races and saying goodbye to pavement for a bit, so I can spend some more time exploring the trails.

That brings me to my 11 mile run on Sunday. See, the way I follow a training plan is that I look at the mileage and I make sure I either hit it exactly by the end of each week or I may go a couple of miles over. Because of this, I feel like I don’t really have any direction with my running. I just head out and run as hard and fast as I can, holding back only enough so that I don’t tank before my miles are done. There are times when I feel like I’m running blindly. That I have no focus and that ultimately I’m just accumulating a whole slew of junk miles, without the promise of any improvement.

That’s how I ended up with my heart pounding out of my chest on Wednesday night. AND how I ended up with a 10:15 min/mi pace during my 11-miler yesterday.

I know that I consistently train at a faster (for me) pace than I should on pretty much all of my runs. For my long runs, I come down pretty hard on myself when my pace gets too close to double digits. That’s not really smart running and I know that.

I recently came across the McMillan Calculator. It tells you (based on your race day finish time) exactly what pace you should be moving at during each type of your training runs. So, just like I’ve decided to include hill repeats once a week to my running schedule I’ve also decided to pay closer attention to the pace I’m working at during long runs.

Yesterday I kept myself between 10:00-10:15 pretty much the entire way. A few times I checked my garmin and noticed I was getting closer to 9:45…at which point I slowed myself down. And ‘ya know what? It was the most comfortable long run I’ve ever had. Not one walk break. I felt great the entire time and afterwards I spent the afternoon out with my daughter running errands. I had plenty of energy left and not one bit of soreness.

So, here I am with 510 miles under my belt since baby #2 arrived, only 5 weeks out from my half-marathon and I’m just starting to listen to what all of these training plans have been trying to tell me?! Better late than never!!

the color run

Yesterday I headed over to New York with friends and finally got to experience my first Color Run. I have to say, it was absolutely a fantastic time!

My daughter was originally going to join us, but apparently she’s more of a swimmer than she is a runner. She wanted to stay home with my husband and head over to the pool instead. I’m not sure if it’s that she really wanted to swim that badly or if she was just missing her Daddy. My husband was gone almost the entire week on a business trip and only got home hours before I packed up and left for an overnight stay at a hotel near the race. Either way, I was disappointed she didn’t join us, but I certainly wasn’t going to force it. She had a blast with my husband and her baby sister and I had a fantastic time with my friends!

For anyone unfamiliar with the Color Run…basically all the runners wear white to the start line. Shortly after beginning your 3.1 mile run you enter a color station, at which point you are completely coated by volunteers with different color powders.

I don’t think I saw one person there who was interested in their finish time. They don’t even have a clock at this ‘race’, probably because people are too busy dancing, laughing, taking pics and basically rolling around in color!

It was such a FUN way to spend the morning.  It felt great to run in an event like this and NOT have pre-race jitters or be physically exhausted afterwards. This is definitely one to do again next year!!

race journal

Over the last few months I’ve been completely in love with RACEDAY books. I wanted to do something with my race bibs and pictures and this seemed like the perfect idea. BUT…it’s fifty-five dollars. I couldn’t bring myself to order a fifty-five dollar spiral notebook. Regardless of how cool the concept may be.

Then yesterday I stumbled on SMASH books. I found the journals on sale for twelve dollars.  TWELVE?! I got two! I also picked up a few accessories to go along with it.  One book will be for my races, the other I plan to use for my girls. They were definitely the better investment.

This video pretty much shows it all. I started them last night and I have to say I love these books. I love that each page has a different design and I think they have more personality than the raceday notebook.

With several races still ahead this year and planning already starting for next year, I’m pretty excited to fill this book up!