“Rising up, straight to the top
Had the guts, got the glory
Went the distance, now I’m not gonna stop
Just a man and his will to survive

It’s the eye of the tiger
It’s the thrill of the fight” – Survivor, Eye of the Tiger

So, I had to pick this song as the title for the week I ran my last 20 miler because of the Rocky connection to Philadelphia. Thanks to Jen for suggesting it.

I went into this last really long run with a sense of dread. I mean the last one went so badly (puking, walking, unhappy IT band) why did I think this one would go well? Are middle-aged, pudgy moms really supposed to run 20 miles at one time? Are we supposed to pound the pavement for 16 weeks with no break and expect to remain still standing at the end? Apparently, we are.

I laid all my clothes out, like I always do the night before an early morning run. Dimity suggested using the run as a true dry run for Philly. I chose the capris, shoes and warm weather option shirt I plan to wear at the race. My long sleeve option is in the works – Another Mother Runner is getting custom special shirts to wear in Philly. We’re also getting gray hoodies so we can re-enact the stair scene from Rocky!

This is after the run but you get the drift. My shirt is courtesy of Another Mother Runner and it says “Are My Kids Still Chasing Me?”. The answer is no because no one is chasing you after 20 miles! This shirt got a lot of laughs from the other mothers in my group.

Jen and I agreed to run this last really long run at an easy pace. We have trouble pacing ourselves and you have to pace yourself when you are running 20 miles. The half marathon ladies from Team Indiana Jones had to run their 13 miles before the taper so we knew we’d have lots of company for at least 13 miles. We made sure to stay behind the half marathoners for the first 13 miles to insure we maintained an appropriate pace. It saved us in the end.

I have to give major credit to Jen for her positive attitude during this run. She framed everything in a positive way – instead of “we have to run 20 miles”, it was “we get to run 20 miles”. She kept my spirits up. For the first time ever, I ran a significant distance without turning on my music once. There was no need when you have such great company along the way! The group talked about all kinds of things during the run. I can’t even begin to put into words what happens when you run long with the same group of women for 12 weeks. Nothing is off limits and nothing is TMI. The miles just fly by. I am so lucky to be a part of the great Fleet Feet running groups. I have made wonderful friends and met people I would not have met any other way.

Something really sweet happened while we were still with the group. One of the women in our group is training for her first half marathon. The group was running 13 miles and it was going to be her longest run, ever. On the trail, at one of the cross-streets, her husband met her with her two kids. They all ran out to give her hugs and she continued on the run. We all got a little teary, I think. There is nothing I love more during a run or a race than seeing a fellow mother runner getting some love from her kids.

Jen and I knew we were doing well, when each time my Garmin beeped for our walk interval, we were surprised that the 5 minutes went by so fast. There have been runs where I am praying to hear the beep and it does not come for an eternity. Always, a bad sign. Not so on Saturday. Sara is finally on the mend from her glute injury and agreed to join us for the last 6 miles of our 20 miler, which was wonderful. Having someone with fresh legs makes a huge difference. At the turnaround on the last stretch, Jen started singing the theme to Rocky, Sara and I joined in. A couple of bikers passed us with weird looks but I don’t think we cared at that point!

Jen, Me and Sara

I learned some valuable lessons on this run. The first lesson is that I CAN do hard things. I now know that, while it will be hard, I can and will finish a marathon. I also learned that the last 6.2 miles will probably be one of the hardest things I have ever done. I finished 20 miles and did not feel awful but I will have to stay on my feet for another hour beyond what I just did. I learned that you really do have to eat a lot of food the day before a very long run. The idea of not eating and torching massive amounts of calories is not realistic (thank you, Eating Disorder I Developed in College, for continuing to warp my eating habits). I also learned that I still have not perfectly nailed my nutrition challenges out on the run. I did much better this time but I got a little headachy and light headed at about mile 18 and had to take a few more walk breaks. I have 26 days to figure this one out. I also learned that Jen and Sara are two of the best running friends a girl can have.

So, what do mother runners do after nailing a 20 mile run? We go shopping, of course. Our post shopping spree picture! I love Jen’s new top and I envy her height and long torso because I covet that running tunic!! I, of course, opted for yet another article of running apparel in black because I will stop wearing black when they invent a darker color.

I knew Dimity was probably at a Saturday morning sporting event with one of her kids but I had to call her when I got in the car to drive home to tell her I nailed it. She was genuinely happy for me and I think she is probably less worried about whether or not she is going to have to give me a piggyback ride to the finish in Philly. She posted this awesome quote on Twitter after we got off the phone and I felt the AMR Tribe love from afar. Now, we start the taper and I have no idea what I am going to do with all my free time! I don’t do waiting well.

I started out this week sick with the crud that is going around my office. I think that is one of the reasons why last Saturday’s planned 20 miler sucked so much. I was exhausted on Sunday and feverish by Monday. Chest was tight, head hurt, glands swollen. It gave me a small amount of consolation – I don’t completely suck at running long distances, I was getting sick! That’s the ticket!

Heather bought me this book from Amazon and gave it to me on Monday. It brightened an otherwise horrible day of trying to sit at my desk and make it through work because we already planned time off at the end of the week.

This book is hilarious. I have already read the cartoon about thoughts one has while running a marathon but had not read the book. I loved a lot of stuff about the book but I like this quote the best:

“Reason 7 to run long distances: Become a drug addict. And so, motivated by fear, I choose to be a different kind of drug addict. And make no mistake: running is an addiction, both chemically and spiritually. There are euphoric highs, terrible lows, and the constant desire to ‘squeeze in a quick run’ in order to feel whole. But unlike other drug addictions, running is socially acceptable. It’s like being able to smoke crack every day, but instead of getting strung out you get bananas and compliments” – The Oatmeal

I’ve said before that I realize this is just a blog about running and, training for a marathon, is just a lot of running but, what I hoped to convey is that, for me, it really is a drug. I’m beating my blerch – the fat kid still inside of me who has all the doubts and fears, who wants to quiet the world while she runs down the miles. And I really love bananas.

Dimity cut me back this week and I was very grateful. I ran the Bull City Race Fest Half Marathon (and Food Truck Rodeo – can’t forget the food trucks) on Sunday as a training run. Laurie ran it with me but we were supposed to run with Sara and Heather, too. Heather is still in a boot with a foot injury and Sara is recovering from a glute strain.

It was an epic run. I am now the owner of a brand new, shiny half marathon PR. I shaved 6 minutes off my prior PR and 9 minutes off my less-than-stellar performance in Montreal, where I had secretly hoped to PR. I will hold onto this PR during the times when running is hard, again. I am grateful that all this training has yielded me something more than 5 plus hours on my feet, slogging through the streets of Philadelphia!

 In the chute, on my way to my PR

The weather was amazing. Heather and Carly volunteered to be course monitors. I found Laurie right before the start so we ran together the entire race. She is the world’s best pacer and an amazing motivational running partner. She earns her living writing and speaking on HR matters but I think she should look into charging people to run long distances by their sides! Fortunately, I get to run with her for free but I’d gladly pay to have her by my side. We kept up a lively conversation for some of the way but some of the way we kept up a comfortable silence. There is a special kind of bonding that happens when you run alongside someone for so many long, hard miles. Although you complete distance running out in the open for the world to see from afar, what happens up close is personal and intimate. I’ve had the pleasure of spending many of those miles with Laurie, Sissy, Sarah, Heather and Jen. We’ll always be bound together as the Fleet Feet Fall Half and Full Marathon Group (or Team Indiana Jones).

Towards the end of the run, right before Laurie pulled ahead of me in the last mile and a half, she teared up a little and said she knew, at that moment, that she was really ready for her marathon on Nov. 2. You could see how much it meant to her to know she had done everything right. Having witnessed it all this Fall, I know she did. She pushed herself, she cross-trained, she ate well. She is ready and I am honored that I will be at the finish line in Raleigh to see her success. I’m not sure I will feel the same way two weeks before the Philadelphia Marathon. I am sure there is more that I could have done. I am still in the “ignorance is bliss phase” since this is my first rodeo but Laurie knows from experience what this takes and she gave it her all.

 She looks gorgeous after the run!

Running is my companion and so are the wonderful people I have met along the way. You know who you can really count on when you’ve got to find someone to run 20 miles with you. Laurie is tapering so Jen and I have agreed to tackle the elusive 20 miler on Saturday. I have no idea what to expect (yes, I do – pain) but I do know I will have someone by my side, helping me make it home. Fortune and glory, kid, fortune and glory (our team motto).

“You know a dream is like a river, Ever changin’ as it flows, And a dreamer’s just a vessel That must follow where it goes, Trying to learn from what’s behind you, And never knowing what’s in store Makes each day a constant battle Just to stay between the shores I’ll never reach my destination If I never try So I will sail my vessel ‘Til the river runs dry” – The River, Garth Brooks

So, yesterday was rough. I set out with one of my favorite running partners, Laurie, to attempt 20 miles. It was just the two of us left from our marathon training group to tackle this milestone on the American Tobacco Trail. Lena and Sara are too injured to continue. I made it 19.3. Laurie made it 22.5 because she is total badass. I was looking forward to this run all week. I really felt like I could do this after 17 successful miles last week. What a difference a week makes.

I wondered if I would be in trouble on Saturday when I struggled during Thursday morning’s 6 mile hill run with my regular crew. Kelly and Nancy pulled way ahead of me. Sissy, being the wonderful friend that she is, waited for me at the top of each hill but I was gasping for breath. I don’t know what the problem was but I just was not feeling it. I went to bed early on Friday night but did not eat much. I just was not hungry. I woke up on Saturday morning not feeling fabulous. I went out to get in my car at 6:45 and it was already 78 degrees with humidity in the low 80s. Ugh.

Laurie and I headed out with the half marathon training group for the first 11 miles and I knew I was just not feeling it. At mile 12, my asthma acted up and I did not have my inhaler because I never have trouble on the run. By mile 14.5, I was worried I might see my Uncrustables and Sharkies, again. My intervals were more like 2/2 and less like 6/1 when the nausea set in. I told Laurie to run ahead and she knew I meant every word of it so she did.

Somewhere along the side of the ATT at mile 15ish of my run when it was a sticky 82 degrees, I saw every thing I had eaten on the run come back up, again. Some nice older man walking his dog asked me if I was OK. I considered calling Sissy, who I knew was done with her half training run and was waiting at Starbucks, to come pick me up in her car at the nearest cross street. If I had known what that cross street was, I am pretty sure I would have finished my day in the front seat of her car!

“Just put one foot in front of the other and get back to Fleet Feet” I told myself. So, I walked the last 4.5 miles. I walked it as fast as I could. I averaged 14 minute miles for the last 4.5 miles. I had an internal argument with myself about whether or not I could really stay on my feet for 26.2 miles. I made it back to the store (I actually ran the last .25 miles hoping to end my misery a little faster) and Nora, our training program director, was so kind. She brought me water and tired to make me eat. So, what went wrong? I don’t really know. I think it was the heat. I think it was the humidity. I don’t think I ate enough on Friday. I think it was those damn sport chews that my system absolutely hates, no matter what brand.

What I do know is that I did not quit and I kept moving forward for 19.3 miles. I did not cry (remember, there is no crying in running). Dimity was so kind when I texted her that it was ugly. She said my 13:04 per mile average pace was at the top range of my long run pace (I’ve been averaging much faster than that). She said I developed mental toughness for Philly. She said she was proud of me. We’ll re-group and I will attempt 20 miles, again. You really never know what is in store. I can learn from this run which is, thankfully, behind me. I’ll keep trying to stay between the shores and I’ll keep sailing this vessel. I knew this was going to be hard.

“When you’ve been fighting for it all your life
You’ve been working every day and night
That’s how a superhero learns to fly
Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power” – Superheroes by The Script

I met my local Saucony rep, Erin, at the 10K race! Finding our strong!

I chose this song for this week’s post title first, because I added it to my running mix and it fires me up and second, because I was reminded this week about the real meaning of perseverance. I raced twice this week: once at the end of my 17 mile training run for the last 6.2 miles in the Carrboro 10K and once at the Rambln’ Rose super sprint triathlon, where I was the runner on a relay team. While I enjoy “racecations”, I love racing at home.

Saturday’s long run was just one of those runs that works out. I won’t say 17 miles was easy but it was not as hard as I once thought it would be. I ran solo (except the last 6.2 miles with 500 of my fellow Carroborians but I did not have any friend running this race with me) and I enjoyed it. I was able to stick to my run/walk ratio, something I have been horrible about doing when running with my group. I don’t want to make anyone do intervals with me and I think it has cost me at the end of long runs. Dimity keeps (very nicely) chiding me for not consistently doing the intervals we agreed we would do. I learned my lesson on Saturday. From here on out, I will stick to the plan. Hold me accountable, friends. I can run non-stop for a long time but I can also run longer and better with planned walk breaks. I am a new runner. I need to be patient with myself. I also set a 10K PR at the end of a 17 mile run so the intervals are certainly not slowing me down.

During the 10K, I ran for a bit behind a local running legend. She is in her 80s and has competed in many full Ironman races. She has an Ironman tattoo on her calf. She did not start running until she was in her 40s. She is my inspiration. She comes to all the local races and, in years past, she has beat me. I want to still be doing this when I am 80. She is a total badass (but very nice) and I love that she shows up to races in full make-up and a USA triathlon suit – y’all know I love a good outfit! Reminders that I need to suck it up and move these 43 year old legs on down the road without bitching.

Me, Heather and Jessica (Team Splash, Flash and Dash) before the race – do we look cold? We were!

Even more inspiring this week were two of the athletes I saw at the Ramblin’ Rose. The Ramblin’ Rose is a beginner triathlon series for women only. Their message is truly that ANYONE can be a triathlete and I have seen it with my own eyes. Being on a relay team means you get to stand in transition and see everyone coming in and out. You also get to moonlight as a cheerleader for all the women who are getting it done. There are women who I know must weigh over 300 pounds, in stretchy fabric, out there on the course moving in a forward motion. Some folks have to walk their swim in the pool. Some folks have to get off their bikes and push it up the hill. Some have to walk the run but they all finish. Yesterday, I saw two disabled athletes finish the race. One woman was the swimmer on a relay team even though she had to walk with two canes and her teammates bought her in to cross the finish line with them. I saw another woman with a quad cane, moving so slow, on a recumbant bike and walking her run. She had a friend helping her every step of the way. I was completely inspired. So, maybe I am slow. So, maybe my core is covered in a layer of baby fat. I can walk without assistance. I can run. I can shut up about my aches and pains. Everyone has a struggle and some are real.

 All done with a 6th place finish.

I was also inspired by Carly, yesterday. Carly struggles to stay motivated with trianing. She is not one to aspire to long term goals. She had not trained for this race even though she was signed up for months. Early in the week, she decided she was not even going to do it. Then, on Friday, she decided to race it. The child got up early, put on her triathlon suit, waited a really long time in the cold for her turn in the pool, rode her bike wet and cold and walked her run but she did it. She was brave. I might not have taught the perseverance lesson I had hoped to teach but she did learn a lesson about being brave and doing what you say you are going to do. I am really proud of her!

So, this is how a superhero learns to fly. Doing things when conventional wisdom says you are too old. Doing a triathlon even though you can’t walk without assistance. Taking a chance on a race when you know you are going to come in dead last in your age group. Putting one foot in front of the other every day, not just in running, but in life.

“Unladened, empty and turned to stone
A soul in tension — that’s learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try” – Learning to Fly, Pink Floyd

This past Sunday I ran the Rock N Roll Montreal Half Marathon (Demi-Marathon, if you are a cool French Canadian). I was asked to write a race report for the Another Mother Runner blog so you can read the full, official report over there. I did not have a PR. I did not stick to the race plan Dimity and I discussed. I finished on a hot, cobblestony, slightly hillier than expected course and that counts for something. No matter how much I run, I don’t ever feel like I always get it “right”. That is why I consider endurance running “learning to fly”. I’ll never be fast but I am determined to try.

I really admire the fast runners. I know the dedication, the adherence to a training plan, the diet it must take to be in top shape to perform at such a speed. Many people who are fast runners can finish a half marathon in under 2 hours. They can finish a marathon in under 4 hours or even under 3 hours. I am not one of those people and sometimes, I wish I was one of them. It takes me about 2:30 hours to finish a half marathon and it will probably take me between 5 and 5.5 hours to finish the full marathon, if everything goes according to plan; Longer, if it does not. Running often does not go according to plan. Sometimes, you feel like you can fly and you set a PR. Other times, you aren’t sure you are even going to make it to the end before the sag wagon gets to you.

In Montreal, in Corral 24 (out of 28 corrals) I looked around at my fellow runners and considered the guts it takes to sign up for a race, show up and head out on the course, knowing that you will be out there for the long haul, on your feet, making forward progress of some kind. The aid stations will be littered with crushed cups and the ice in the water will be melted by the time you get there and you will pass thousands of discarded packs of GU. There were full marathoners in my corral. Those people were in it for the real long haul. They were going to help close down the course. We are the mid-to-back of the packers. The turtles not even trying to race the hares.

I am often surrounded by similar runners in my corrals. I suspect they think the same thing about me. They are my people, my tribe, my inspiration and my new best friends. They are often fellow mother runners, a little pudgy, like me. We often end up running near each other during the race and I see their kids on the sidelines, exited, yelling, “Go, Mommy” and giving high fives as she passes. The husbands snapping pictures with their phones. The dads with knee braces and baggy shorts, also running past their kids. I am not saying there are no parents in the fast corrals because I know there are but I always notice the parents in my corral. There are a lot.

As we run along together for so many hours, we chat with each other. We have time to talk, to take it all in and to encourage one another. I am sure the fast runners do the same thing but there is a certain camaraderie in the back of the race, a shared determination to finish the race no matter what because, for us, it might not be a sure thing. We’re brave because we know just how long this race is going to take us and we do it anyway, eyes wide open. Rarely is this our first rodeo.

I have no misconceptions about how hard the marathon will be. Half marathons have a tendency to remind you that 26.2 miles is a long damn way. Five plus hours on your feet, constantly moving forward, is not a cake walk. I will struggle. I will feel pain. I may want to quit but I won’t. I will continue to put one foot in front of the other and one day, I will finally learn how to fly.

“You got me beggin’ you for Mercy
I’m beggin’ you for Mercy
I’m beggin’ you for Mercy
I’m beggin’ you for Mercy
I’m beggin’ you for mercy” – Mercy, Duffy 

 Train for a marathon, it’ll be fun.

“Mercy”! So, this is what my right knee, my left foot, both sets of shins, both quads and my right glute were all saying to me this week after last week’s long run and Tuesday’s tempo run. I could hardly walk on Wednesday and yet, I ran, again, on Thursday because that is what we do. We follow the training plan e-mailed to us by our coach. Except, when we don’t.

By Saturday’s planned 18 mile run, my residual soreness was still in high gear. It is mostly a stiffness. I feel like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. I can’t point to any one thing that hurts any more than anything else. My coach, Dimity, was in a van full of other Mother Runners running Ragnar Napa Valley with the BAMR Ragnar team (I tried to win THAT contest, but alas, I won the 26Strong contest, instead, and now I am in pain, instead of drinking Pinot Noir in Napa), so I could not e-mail her to ask her if I should make up my own cut back week and scale back the mileage. I also had the Ramblin’ Rose Triathlon as a relay team on Sunday morning, and while it was only a 2 mile run, and we did not care about placing, I still needed to be able to move in a forward motion. Then, there is the Rock N Roll Montreal Half Marathon on Sept. 28 and, I don’t want to fly to another country, be child-free with my husband for the first time in two years and not be able to walk, much less run the half, where I am hoping for a new PR.

I iced, foam rolled, medicated, rubbed with a Ben-Gay like substance that does not smell, religiously from Thursday morning through Saturday morning. I was still sore but I could walk without hobbling. What should I do? How does one reconcile one’s Type A brain with one’s 43 year old-been-training-for-a-marathon-for-11-weeks-high-mileage body? Of course, one asks all of her running friends what she should do, seeking permission to cut back! The universal response was to cut back. So, I did, and I only ran 12 miles on Saturday. I feel bad about it from a training perspective but I know it was the right thing to do. I have not had a chance to tell Dimity, yet, but I suspect she will back me up on this one and help me figure out what to do for Montreal. I also suspect my hoped for PR is in jeopardy but, I think I can handle it because, I don’t want to jeopardize the grand prize of finishing Philly. I may skip Tuesday’s training run this week and just go with Sissy for a light shakeout run on Thursday morning before we board the plane on Friday to fly to Montreal. We’ll see. I see my massage therapist tomorrow and she has magic hands that can fix a lot.

Here is proof that the Nike Plus Run app sometimes has a mind of its own. There is no way I ran a 5 minute mile during Saturday’s long run! Seriously, I don’t know which satellite was tracking me on this run but I certainly hope it is not one used for national security or to track the space station because it is wonky.

The Ramblin’ Rose in Charlotte was fun, with Heather as the swimmer and Carly as the biker (Team Two and Half Women). The run course was very strange, through the parking lot of the aquatic center, some weeds, some gravel, a major highway, a bike trail and a field. It was certainly not my fastest two miles and, I was hurting most of the way but, we finished! We also got free containers of my favorite brand of hummus at the end (Roots Hummus – made in small batches in Asheville – I could just eat it with a spoon, no chips needed). I basically run for hummus, I guess. Heather had the second fastest swim of all the relay teams because she is a rock star. I’m proud of Carly because she PR’d on the bike!

This morning, I feel better than I did yesterday. My right shin and knee are still sore but, if I take it easy this week, I may be ready to go for Montreal. I certainly hope so.

“Lost track of how far I’ve gone
How far I’ve gone, how high I’ve climbed
On my back’s a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile line

Come on up for the rising
Com on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight” – The Rising, Bruce Springsteen

Me and Laurie at Fleet Feet after our run.

I’ve been waiting for this moment and this post for a long time. I wanted to write about that moment when, while out on a long run, I felt like this was possible. A rising, of sorts, from my old, slow self to my new self. The self that can cross the finish line at Philadelphia, with my head up and some air still under my feet. I felt that this week. I have this song on my running mix and I listen to it each run, waiting for that moment.

I know this is just a blog about running and that training for a marathon is really just a lot of running. Lots of people have run marathons and it is really not that big of a deal, in the grand scheme of things. Really, though, it is about so much more than that for me. It is about all the years I spent overweight and not happy in my own body. All those times I doubted my ability. It is about all those times I told myself I could not do something but now I know I can. Running for me, is a catharsis of sorts. I really do leave all my fears, frustrations, stress, inadequacies behind me after a run. it is not something I can easily explain to non-runners without sounding cliched and a little insane. People who run for the love of running and not just because they need the exercise probably get it. It is an obsession, a drug, a necessity.

So, how did my rising happen? First, we had a break in the weather. It was overcast and pretty sticky but the temperature was only in the low 70s at the start of the run. So much better than last week. Second, Laurie and Sara needed to run 15 miles for NY. I only had 14 miles on my schedule but since they have been so kind about running extra mileage with me, I hung in there during the extra mileage with them. Third, great conversation. We talked about all kinds of things on the run this morning. It was great bonding time and made the miles fly by. Fourth, I fueled right with the right amount of carb loading yesterday and my trusty Uncrustable and hydration pack with Nuun Energy. I don’t know why I think that you carb load for races but not for long training runs. Why would running 15 miles on a Saturday be any different than running 13 miles in a race? I think I am going to have to pay less attention to Weight Watchers points and more to what works.

Yesterday’s run reminded me why I am doing this. For the love of running. For the joy, the freedom, the friendships and the sense of accomplishment. I know there are going to be times before November 23 when this is going to feel hard, again. Mentally, though, I needed this run. I have felt so much doubt these past weeks with the heat and nutrition issues that I was beginning to doubt if I had been overly confident in my ability to do this. I will still have doubts but, when I finished 15.2 miles strong yesterday and knew I could have gone a little bit further, I know that I just might be able to do this.

Plus, I think new running shoes always make everything better.

“Yes, I am a pirate two hundred years too late
The cannons don’t thunder there’s nothin’ to plunder
I’m an over forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late” – Jimmy Buffett 

 

I turned 43 on Thursday and I ran 30 miles this week. I’m not excited about 43 but, it is better than the alternative so, I’ll take it. I often wonder, where my running is concerned, if I really am an over 40 victim of fate. I really wish I had started my running career prior to age 41. Would I be faster now and less achy after long runs? Should I have run a marathon in my 20s? Would I have been able to qualify for Boston in my younger days? Then, I tell myself, “better late than never” and just leave it alone. They say 40 is the new 30 but I don’t think 43 is the new 33! I am just tired and kind of achy.

Something this week that was really fun as part of Saucony 26Strong was to record the Another Mother Runner podcast with our coaches and my fellow cadet, Alison. We recorded it on Skype on Wednesday and it was great to gab with them about how the training is going. There was a lot of laughing, which I needed.

I ran 15 miles this morning. Longest run ever. Hardest run ever. I really need it to not be so damn humid. Why do I live in the South? I intended to take a photo of myself and my running friends at the end of the long slog this morning but, we were so gross and wet, no one wanted to have their picture posted, least of all, me! I really need to start taking some pictures to post on here and to remember all of this years from now. I did take this picture of my sweaty running clothes and thought I would claim I melted like the Wicked Witch of the West:

But, I’m still here. My pace was much slower today than it has been so I got mad at myself. I read an article this week in Competitor Magazine about running in humidity and how it greatly affects your performance. I have to keep reminding myself of this point. I made it through 15 miles, my longest run to date, but I can’t get over that I had to go slow. I also can’t wrap my head around the fact that I will have to travel another 11.2 miles after the brutal distance this morning. Someone please tell me it will all get better when it is not so hot and humid! I realize the race is not until November but doubt is creeping in about my ability to do this. The first 8 miles were actually really good. The last 7 were misery.

I really have to give credit for making it this morning to Sissy and Laurie. I ran 2 on my own at 6 AM before the group run. We ran 7 as a group because this was a cutback week for the Fleet Feet Full program (hey, Dimity, where are my cutback weeks?) and then, Sissy and Laurie agreed to run another 5 with me. Thank goodness for all the greenways around here because, if we could not have done at least half those 5 on the shaded greenway, I might not have made it. Sissy is a constant in my running. She has been on runs with me at least twice per week since January and I really could not make it without her. Laurie is a new running friend but I wish I had met her earlier. She stays perky and enthusiastic through the miles. Even though she is using the NYRR training plan, with fewer miles than me, she is willing to hang in there with me for the extra miles I have to run. I had to run the last 1.5 miles at the end by myself – there were a lot of walk breaks in there – running past the dumpsters behind Staples and the dry cleaner while everyone waited for me at the cafe at Whole Paycheck. Not so fun but I got it done. I started thinking I was too old for this shit. So, the graphic below is a fitting way to end Week 9 – I am the world’s okayest runner. That is going to have to be good enough for 26.2 miles.

“In touch with the ground, I’m on the hunt, I’m after you…and I’m hungry like the wolf.” – Duran Duran 

The last thing I want to do before or after a run is eat. I usually only eat a Luna Bar Mini before any long run and I don’t eat at all before my Thursday morning running group runs. I also don’t want to eat while I am running but it is important to take in nutrition on the run so I have struggled with what to eat while moving. A few times what I have chosen to eat has caused major GI distress, including a couple of times that it has come back up.

Later in the day after a long run? Things drastically change. I need to put a lock on the pantry door! I am like the cartoon above. I am ravenous. Since I am on Weight Watchers’ maintenance plan, I still have 47 “bonus” points in a week and I earn about 60 exercise points which I try very hard not to eat back. Saturday night dinners are my “cheat” meals of the week. I pretty much eat whatever I want, within reason. I am still not going to eat pasta with cream sauce but I may have a large steak or Mexican food, which is my biggest weakness in the world. I cannot consume enough guacamole to satisfy my guacamole addiction! We go to a local place with authentic, healthier choices, which makes the guac fresh at the table with a mortar and pestle, fresh limes, cilantro, etc. We fall upon it like a pack of wild animals. We really should each order our own and just eat that for dinner. I am sure the other patrons wonder what in the hell is the matter with us! I want to wear a shirt that says “Don’t judge. I ran long today”. Of course, there is also beer. Running allows me to consume good, craft beer with fewer consequences than I would suffer if I did not routinely burn 1000 calories on long runs. In my opinion, there is no point to light beer. It is just yellow water.

So, what to eat on the run? Like I said, my system would prefer nothing. My stamina needs something. I have tried all the traditional items developed for endurance athletes. I have major texture and GI issues with gels – it does not matter what brand, so those were ruled out during my first half marathon training. Sport beans? Way too sweet. Gatorade is too sticky and flavored – I only take water with Nunn. During Disney and RNR training, I discovered Sharkies Sport Chews. They are organic and made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Because I drastically changed my diet in 2013, I don’t eat much processed food so I have largely eliminated high fructose corn syrup from my diet so, my system has a hard time with it when I do consume it. The Sharkies got me through two half marathon training plans. I ordered in bulk from Amazon. Of course, because I liked it, Sharkies went out of business. Also, since it has gotten so hot and I previously trained in the winter, the combination of sugar and heat, started causing problems. I switched to Honey Stinger Chews, which are made with honey, and to Honey Stinger Waffles. The waffles broke into a million crumbs in my pack and the chews made me just as sick as the Sharkies. After a rather unpleasant incident last weekend, Mike suggested that I try out “real” food on the run.

I did a little research online and talked to a few triathlon friends. I also talked to Dimity. We had a “check in” call this week and we talked about my stomach distress, which starts around mile 9 or 10 on long runs. She thought the “real” food idea was a good one. She finished an Ironman race using real food. Dimity suggested tortillas with honey and peanut butter or peanut butter and jelly. A triathlon friend had told me she used Uncrustables, those frozen, round PB&J sandwiches. By the way, when this 26Strong program is over, I am really going to miss Dimity! I might have to hire a running coach to listen to all my obsessing over pace, nutrition, shoes, etc. She also sent me an awesome care package full of Another Mother Runner goodies and tons of tubes of nuun.

Today, I took an Uncrustable in my pack. Bingo! Worked like a charm. I had enough energy to finish the 14 mile run but did not experience the nausea. Granted, I did not want to go out for breakfast when I was done but I did not have the overwhelming feeling that I was going to see that sandwich, again! I ate half at mile 5 and the second half at mile 9. I did learn a valuable lesson – put the Uncrustable in a ziploc bag because the peanut butter smeared all over the inside pocket of my pack, but, otherwise, a success!

The rest of the day was uneventful until the “rungry” feeling hit. Saturday’s cheats were Southern Season pimento cheese on crackers and I spent a long time in their beer section choosing individual craft beers to make up my dream craft beer 12 pack.

I’m pretty happy with the long run this week but I am getting nervous about the mileage increases coming up in the schedule.

I had a total of 116 miles for the month of August. Pretty hard to warp my head around considering I was not even running two years ago!

 

Every long run from this day forward will be my longest run, ever. Onward, to Week 9.

“I got my toes in the water, my ass in the sand. Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today. Life is good today.” – Zac Brown Band

My new pint glass!

“Toes” is a good title song for this week because I had a lovely Staycation with Carly and while I did not have my toes in the sand, I did have a cold beer in my hand! I also need to post about feet. You may want to stop reading here if you are grossed out by feet.

So, one thing on my body that does look like a real runner are my feet. As I travel longer distances by the power of my two feet, I am in danger of losing toenails. I have two that are completely black but still attached but their continued attachment to my foot is questionable, at best. I have one that is half black but seems to be making a recovery. I am completely worried about the ones that are totally black. I really don’t want to lose my toenails. I like them. For non-runners, my toenails are black because of bruising under the toenail. In some cases, the bruising is really bad and the blood won’t drain. If anyone has any toenail saving tips, let’s hear them. My running shoes are already a half size to a whole size bigger than my regular shoes. I keep my nails short. I think it just happens.

This presents challenges for me because I live in flip flops when not at work or in my running shoes. I own a lot of nail polish but pink does not cover black. This week, in my spare time, I went in search of nail polish that will cover black. I think OPI is missing out on a line of nail polish for runners to cover black toenails. I don’t know what this color is really called but I would call it I Wish I Could BQ Blue. (See how the big toenail on the right foot looks a little off? That is the suspect one.)

I also bought a dark shade of purple OPI could call Pick Up the Pace Purple. There could be Medals Aren’t Earned on Race Day Maroon, Blood Sweat and Tears Black and Toenails Are Overrated Teal. Anyway, you get the picture.

This week’s runs were fun because I did not have the pressure of trying to fit them in around work and school for the kids. I ran nearly 14 miles on Saturday (not all of it consecutive) but I got the mileage in. I ran the last three miles with Carly to get her on track for the Carrboro 10K to earn a corral time for the Star Wars Rebel Challenge races at Disneyland in January. Our times have to be submitted by mid-October so she needs to get in gear. She cried on the run. I was not pushing her hard; she just started to cry. I told her there was no crying in running. I actually used that line from A League of Their Own. She stopped crying and we moved on, albeit at more of a fast walk. We all have to start somewhere. I know she will get there. Earning those three runDisney medals mean a lot to her. I reminded her we have plenty of time. Still, one cannot get off the couch and run 19.3 miles.

Crying was a theme for much of the day on Saturday. My new Fleet Feet marathon training group is coming together. We’re Team Indiana Jones (named after 80’s movies this time instead of Will Ferrell characters – 80’s movies are more within my frame of reference). There are 5 of us. Sara I run with regularly on Thursdays and Saturdays. Lena, one of the new group, used to be a Marine. She said we handled long runs better than her recruits, who would cry. We all agreed there is no crying in running, which is why I used that line on Carly later in the day.

That also made me think of this line from A League of Their Own:

I realize I probably make running sound awful. It is hard. Sometimes, it makes me puke. Sometimes (often?), it makes me hurt. Sometimes, it costs me body parts that have been attached to my body for years. But, much like parenting children, when it is hard, it is really, really hard but when it is great, it is totally amazing. I am convinced the runner’s high exists. I don’t feel it every run but when I do it is worth all the other miserable times. Running truly allows me to feel free. So, I will puke on the run from the heat and exertion, I will lose my toenails, I will take ice baths to relive the pain and I will run, run, run.