Myrtle Beach Marathon Recap

I gotta get better at this blogging more thing.  Or maybe I don't because let's face it, it's a little narcissistic.  But if I do need to get better at it, I'm not going to say it's because I don't have time because really, none of us have "extra" time these days, right?  HOWEVER, I'm a firm believer that all of us have time for the things we see as a priority and are super passionate about.  It's like my Dad always says, "excuses are like a**holes, everybody's got one."  So true!  If you want to get something done, you'll figure out how.  Did I also mention that as the older I get, I don't know when to shut my mouth?  Ahh, shit.

K, let's start over.  So, yeah, after what I would call a shitnado of a first half of the year in 2018, I'm super jazzed to report that this year is off to a much better start.  Once I started training again in June, it took me a looooooong time to feel good again, but with a little bit of irrational crying and yelling patience, I stuck with it and knew my body would rebound sooner or later.  After all, your body doesn't forget all the work you've done in the past, and talent doesn't just disappear, so a little faith can go a long way...

My plan was to run some shorter races in the fall before going for my next marathon this spring, but I was only able to do one fall race.  Why?  My plantar decided to be a booger after that one race, so I didn't want to compromise the marathon.  It was a fun race though... the Mayberry (Mt. Airy, NC) 5K.  It was my first race of any distance in over a year and my first 5K in...omg...3.5 years.  What?  My goal was to average 5:50-5:55 pace, so when my first mile split in 5:35, I kinda felt like a giant ass ...sorta like Phoebe from "Friends" running in the park with Rachel.  All good though.  I finished in 18:37 (5:59 avg), so close enough...

   

After the 5K and letting my foot simma down (thanks to Elite Performance Chiropractic for that!), it was time to get into marathon mode.  Dude, the miles were NOT feeling easy though.  I had to dig deep into my bucket of mental power nuggets to keep myself from saying F it.  I'd be running at what I thought was cruise control for long runs, which is typically ~7:00 pace, and when I'd get done, it would say ~7:45.  Huh??  Here's the thing.  I know I'm no spring chicken anymore, and while I will NEVER use age as an excuse for why you can/cannot do things, our bodies DO change.  So, recognizing this and making the proper adaptations for it went a long way.  It now takes me much longer  to "hit my stride" from base phase to peak, to warm up into workouts, and to recover in-between workouts.  All easy adjustments though...

About halfway through this marathon cycle, my hubby/coach Mike decided to try something new.  Enter:  Hanson.  He took what I was used to doing in training and blended it with the Elite & Advanced Hanson's marathon method.  Basically, I wouldn't have down mileage weeks anymore, but I'd alternate a week with three to four workouts, followed by a week with four recovery days in a row.  We knew this wouldn't be enough time for a full cycle of it before Myrtle Beach, but I gotta say, I LOVED IT and am excited to give it a full go this fall.  I hit an 80-mile week for the first time ever, and my peak workout was a 15-mile run with eight in the middle @6:02 avg.  It was starting to click.

Race week, I was feeling relaxed.  Well, I mean, I hit the refresh button on weather.com about 7,249 times a day, but other than that, super relaxed.  We got to Myrtle on Thursday, hit up the hotel's lazy river, ate a buttload of baked ziti, got through the expo, and were ready to roll.  The start temp on race morning was a f&#*ing 61 degrees and 90-something% humidity, so that, you know, sucked monkey butt, but I was still pretty sane.  My goal for this race was to compete and aim for a 2:50ish, but most importantly, to come back and FEEL GOOD.  Seriously, after the great shitnado of 2018, running strong and happy was super important to me.  

Miles 1 to the 10K:  Ummmm, I have NEVER experienced mile markers so HORRIFICALLY misplaced in a marathon before.  I realized by mile four that this would need to be a "just run how you feel" kinda day because when you hit one split in the 5:50s and the next in the 7:00s when you didn't change your effort at all, you know that shit ain't right.  Anywho, I was running with another female and her male posse for the first five miles or so, and when a lead motorcycle appeared around mile three, I knew this meant that we were the two leaders.  Hey, cool!  At mile five, I was feeling too easy, so I picked up the pace a bit and took over the lead for good.  The 10K passed at a 6:33 avg.  Luckily, the timing mats seemed placed correctly, so this gave me an idea of where the heck I was (I don't, and never will, wear a GPS watch.  I'm all for trusting my body.).

Mmmmm fries...

Miles 10K to 13.1:  Um, so I carry my GUs in my boobs.  I have a North Face Stow-n-Go sports bra with a big ol' pocket on the front, and it's FANTASTIC.  Except for when it's not.  At mile seven, one of them suckers flew out the top of my bra.  I didn't freak until another one flew out too.  Gahh!  I decided to go back and pick one of them up but knew I'd now be down a gel (I take four on the course).  This is also where an aid station volunteer yelled "water!" and gave me gatorade instead (Double gahh!  Note...dumping gatorade on your arms is NOT AWESOME.), and I realized I was starting to dehydrate since it was humid and I had already missed another earlier water station.  Then, at mile 10ish, a MASSIVE WALL of runners cut onto the course from the boardwalk about 50 meters right in front me.  WTF??  Apparently the 5K merged at the, uh, wrong time (at least for me and the guy behind me that thought a "f*cking conference" <-- his words, not mine ...was letting out).  So yeah, for about a seven-mile span here, I was a hot mess.

Miles 13.1 to 18.3:  Logan was standing at the halfway mark (1:25:09 ... 6:30 avg) and handed me a very much needed extra gel, yay!  Except I dropped it and heard him cry, "Mommyyyyy!"  So, mommy dilemma... Do I go backwards yet again and get the gel??  Or do I keep going??  Um, I decided to keep going and therefore suck at life.  Luckily, the same guy that thought a  f*cking conference had let out went back for me, grabbed the gel, ensured my child was happy, and saved my a$$.  Faith in humanity = restored.  Around mile 14, a breeze picked up, the humidity started steadily dropping, and I was feeling good.  I crossed the 18.3 mile timing mat at a 6:29 avg.

Miles 18.3 to 26.2:  There was an annoying out-and-back at 18.3, but this enabled me to see the substantial lead I had on the next female.  Also at this point, I started to get some calf and, um, jay-jay (<---being a female sucks sometimes) cramps from the earlier humidity.  I was still feeling really strong though, and since I wasn't going for the OTQ time or anything, I kinda just cruised in from here.  At mile 25, I high-fived Logan again and saw the rest of my family (Coach Hubs, Cooper, Ginny & Charlie... who are Mike's parents that make these weekends possible by traveling and helping with our boys!).  Rounding the corner to the finish was the best finish line ever... a bunch of my Streakers lined up and high-fived me in.  Finish = 2:51:38 (6:32 avg).

Okie dokes, so let's digress into some post-race Dirty Myrtle-ness.  That night in our hotel, some dipwad pulled the fire alarm. Twice.  Do you know what it's like to have to wake up your two small sleeping children out of bed to walk them down eight flights of stairs for a false alarm?  Welp if you don't, let me tell you: it's not cool.  Oh wait, but even more not cool is when you're cleaning up your room the next morning to leave, and you find a vibrator behind the curtain,  Yeah no, you did read that correctly.  A vibrator.  Oh wait, you still don't believe me?  Here:

Aaaaand your day is now complete...

Mmk, digression over.  As are our future visits to Myrtle Beach.  So, what's next.  I plan to get a full cycle of this new training style in and attempt the OTQ standard this fall.  I have a lot of time before then, so right now is all about full recovery and hoping that my fat pants don't get too tight.  Seriously though, I purposely gain a few el bees during this time as a means of storing energy for when base phase begins again (<--or at least this is what I tell myself to justify my skittle binges).  

And now without further ado, a pictorial summary of my recent life since I know you really
care (<-- sarcasm) and probably want to get that vibrator image out of your head...

My Streakers are the best!

Experimenting with "power" foods.  Even 1% improvements matter at this point!
Pasta with beets, chick peas, and spinach!

 Some of my Thursday run group peeps! ...
Molly, the Perv, Flip Belt, Pop-a-Squat, Kinavara, Golf Cart, MRSA, and Knuckles

They also surprised me with this post-race Dirty Myrtle gift bag :D

 Fast Fab Friends, all of whom have come into my life this past year!

Cheers-ing to Elle after her Houston run!  Fun being on the OTQ journey with her!

My #1 fans cheering me on during a tempo run!

 Happy 5th Birthday, Logan!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Cooper!

 Merry Christmas!

Mmmmm Christmas trees nom nom

Cutest Hoka Ad around!

 My world!

My person!

Thanks for the fun, Dirty Myrtle!  Onward! 

Happy Fall, Y'all!

When I was young, I loved the summer.  The hotter, the better.  Then again, I grew up in Connecticut, and now that I'm older and a North Carolinian, heat has new meaning.  Now, I love the FALL.  Everything about it.  The food, apple cider, apple cider donuts, apple cider covered pretzels (<-- you know you want them, so head to Total Wine to get 'em), fall festivals at every park, library, church, winery, and brewery known to man, the food, my kids' excitement at costumes and candy, having to wear a hoodie yet still being able to wear shorts, the food, the smell of the air (<-- is that weird?), adding pumpkin to everything I bake, Halloween themed wine tastings, hurricanes (<-- just kidding, but since we've had two here, I figure I should mention), leafy designs in my coffee that I have no idea how to make myself, fire pits and s'mores, the start of Hallmark Christmas movies, the colors, the food, and most of all... 

AWESOME RUNNING WEATHER.

Finally!  I finally feel like my legs have rekindled with the rest of my body.  After my 10 weeks of no running this spring, I started back right in the thick of the heat.  It was a struggle bus.  More like an 18-wheeler.  Pulling an RV.  With an airplane on top.  I seriously don't remember it ever taking this long in base phase to feel even semi-good again.  I routinely started having the negative thoughts of, "Well, darn.  Maybe I really am getting older and slower and, well, maybe I should just run to not get fat and because I'm a bitch if I don't, and I just shouldn't worry about getting faster anymore..."  

Then it got cooler, and I smacked myself.  After all these years running, and after how often I tell my runners how the heat affects them (~:45 seconds slower on average per mile per runner at the same effort at dew points above 60), I still let it get into my head.  So, needless to say, I'm back to a point where I look forward to heading out the door every day again.  And, I'm looking forward to racing again (I actually started dreaded it).  I've committed to a spring marathon and will run one or two shorter races before the end of this year.  I capped off a 65-mile week this week and finished up with a 12-miler with 5@ 6:20 in the middle.  Then I came home and ate three pieces of bbq chicken pizza with hot apple cider and the rest of Logan's candy from a fall festival last week (<-- he just asked me what happened to it).  omg.  #winner

Anywho, if you haven't hit your stride yet in this cooler weather, hang on!  It's coming!  It takes about three to four weeks to acclimate to hot weather (and you'll still run like shit; I just mean acclimate as in your body finally gets somewhat used to it), but it also takes a good week to acclimate back to cooler weather.  So, if you went out for a run on that first cool-ish day and didn't feel great, yep, not a shocker.  Like I said, don't give up... just keep going because it will get better!

Okay, so a slight digression here.  I will say, as I do get older (I'm 38), I do feel some differences from when I was, sayyyy, 30?  No, I do not think that you cannot get faster as you get older, but we DO need to adapt to the changes in order for this to happen.  For example, I know part of my problem on top of the heat was that it just takes my body longer to respond now.   So, I decided to stay in base phase longer during this cycle to give my body the time it needed.  It also takes me longer to warm up into a run, so I have added more miles before starting any tempo work, and I also need more rest after the hard stuff, so if I'm feeling beat up, I'll take a second recovery type day afterwards instead of just one.  It's almost like my body now needs a loud-ass alarm clock before it's ready to go to work...

  So, that's all.  It's a gorgeous fall day here, and I'm about to take the kiddos next door so I can drink wine we can play, eat pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and watch football.    

Happy Fall, and Happy Running!

And now, a way-too-long pictorial of our fall so far...

I Don't Know

In Maine a few weeks ago, I gained the confidence that yes, my foot is going to be a-ok.  Having been back running for just over a month, I decided to be a bit of a jacknut and test it by running up a ginormo mountain.  Then I did it again.  Oh, and then I did it again two more times.  And yay!  No pain.  I was so happy and confident that even when I saw a bear cross the street about a quarter mile in front of me one day, I kept running towards it instead of hiding behind a tree and peeing myself.

I like to credit my Hokas (I run in both the Arahi and Mach models), nitroglycerin patches, and Body Helix compression for keeping my foot tame.  So, yeah, thanks, peeps...

But this is kind of where the goodness ends for right now.  Not gonna lie, running kinda just feels...hard?  Don't get me wrong, I'm still happier than a pig in shit to be out there, but yeah, I'm sucking some murky pond water.  My paces are not coming down as I anticipated them to at this point.  I have a few theories why...

* Yeah, so, it's hot.  I think when you start back in base miles when it's already 614 degrees and 237% humidity every day, it's going to take a little more time.  I've also decided that running in the heat makes me a little, shall we say, hongry? ... which would be like hangry, but instead of hungry + angry, it's hot + angry.  I discovered this ugly trait of mine on a run one day when a runner coming in the opposite direction said to me, "It's a beautiful day for a run!", and I responded, "It's bleeping hot as balls!" ...except I didn't say bleeping.  

* I don't sleep.  And I can't even blame my kids.  Well, except for the occasional kiddo wakeup at 4am to cover itchy bug bites with bandaids or give back massages, because why would you not request a back massage at 4am??  ...but no, I go into a massive deep sleep 2.7 seconds after my head hits the pillow, only to dream crazy things and wake myself up.  ...over and over and over again.  Like last week, try and figure this dream out... I was running through Winston-Salem, got lost, ended up at the Wake Forest track, which actually was the New York Yankee stadium, where Derek Jeter asked me to pitch for the team, except when I got up to pitch, I turned into the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but I still pitched a perfect no-hitter game and ended up in the Yankee Hall of Fame.  What?

* I've gained five pounds.  Okay, yeah, no, this is definitely not why, but the thing that gets me is that I'm like, "whatever".  I really love wine and pulled pork nachos right now, and every day I say, "this is the day I'm going to be healthier", and then every day I fail.  And then comes the whatever.  I will care at some point, but I'm going on the theory that the extra el bees are totally, ya know, stored energy right now.  Okay, so yeah, seriously, someone smack me before I do turn into the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man...

* I mean, I was on a buttload of medicine, including two antibiotics, for TEN WEEKS.  So basically, I had this resistant staph thing on my face that can actually develop from taking too many not-needed antibiotics over time, but the treatment was uh, antibiotics ...that turns out were uh, not needed.  Oh okay.  So yeah, ima 'bout ready to go back to school to get my medical degree because my trust in docs has gone down the crapper.  I'm also aware that I would survive about a half day in medical school before calling my mom crying and pleading to come pick me up.  So, yeah.  But really, I think my body is trying to bounce back from this influx of meds and is therefore giving me the middle finger when I head out to run, esp. when it's 614 degrees.

Yeah, so who knows.  But really, even though running feels hard and slow right now, I'm the happiest I've been in a looooong time.  Running gives me so much clarity; I find that anything I can't figure out or decide in life will always be realized when I go for a run.  I'm also able to cut myself more slack.  For so long, I'd drown myself in guilt; when I was working, I felt like I needed to be with the kids more, and when I was with the kids, I felt like I wasn't doing my best at work.  Now, it's okay if I stay at work a little later, it's okay if I take an extra night out of the week to meet some girlfriends for a glass (or two) of wine, and it's okay to opt for an extra hour of sleep in the morning if I actually have the chance to take it (even if it's with whacked-out dreams).  

So for right now, I'm enjoying running for what it is (beautiful!), and at some point, I know I'll pick up speed again.  I'll probably start adding actual speed work back in within the next few weeks to see how I respond.  I haven't selected my next marathon yet because I won't race one until I feel ready to go for my goal.  I've run eight marathons, so I don't feel the need to just go race another for shits and giggles...  I want to race when I'm really ready to go for it.

Honestly, it just feels good to be me again.  As I type, Logan and I are currently playing a mean game of "Who Can Stay Quiet the Longest?"  Yes, this game was my idea, and yes, it is genius, and yesssss, he really likes this game.  Yesssssss.  Life is good.  :)

Oh, and I didn't know what to title this blog post, so that's why I decided to just call it, "I Don't Know."  

Happy Running!  :)

 More Guilt-Free Date Days/Nights :)

 More Guilt-Free Friend Time :)

 More Loving on These Dudes :)

And it turns out that leg boots double back as kiddo-toys.  Win!

Running with Plantar Fasciitis & Post Tib Tendonitis

I finally feel somewhat back to normal.  Well, "normal" is relative, because I've never really been "normal".  More like that weird chick that says odd things at the wrong time.  Yeah, that's me.

But, I'm so happy to say that I've now been on SEVEN runs.  Whoaaaa.  Yes, seven.  THIS makes me feel like my normal self.  Happier.  More energetic.  Less anxious.  I'm still kinda dealing with that stubborn staph thing, and my throat is still slightly recovering, but being able to run, even just the three to four miles I've been covering, makes EVERYTHING okay.  What running does to my body and mind is truly amazing, and I'm so grateful for it.

I plan to keep my miles low and at recovery effort/pace for a while.  This is to both baby my foot/ankle in coming back and to build a strong base, as the longer amount of time spent building the foundation, the higher the peak in the long run...pun intended.

So, here's what I'm doing.  Like I mentioned, I haven't run more than four miles yet, right around 8:00 pace.  I basically run a set distance for three days straight, then take a day off, then bump up one mile the next day, then bump back down a mile the next day, before bumping back up to that one more mile for three days in a row.  Did you follow that?  Because I'm not sure I even did...    Yeah, so, basically, I'm running to a mileage threshold.  Once I'm confident my foot/ankle is ready at that mileage, I move on...

Lotssss of strengthening.  The minute I get back from running, I do calf raises on my stairwell, towel curls with my toes, dorsal and plantar flexion stretches, and then I get frozen cauliflower ice right on that sucker.  Okay, but seriously, Cooper eats a bag of frozen cauliflower every day.  Our freezer is overflowing with that mess...  weird.  Is this normal??

Mm k.  So what else.  What's been discovered is that my ankles, especially my problem foot/ankle, are extremely hyper mobile, which means, well, I'm messed up.  My ankles can stretch so far to the inside that it looks like they may snap off.  So yeah, that's not normal (I told you I wasn't normal).  This is basically a structural issue that I just need to learn to manage (baby what my mama gave me).  My hip and glut area is also very weak and tight though (yeah, yeah, tight ass...), which can also be contributing to my foot/ankle issues. So, with a PT, I'm having dry needling done on my hip/glut, trigger point therapy on my calves, and massage done to my foot with a graston-like tool that helps break up inflammation/scar tissue.  I'll also continue with ART therapy, and I have a nighttime regimen of resistance band exercises (monster walks, side steps, leg raises, squats; etc. blah blah).  

So yeah, this is all a lot, but I'm focused on getting it under control so I can really get back out there as I wish.  I'm sure all of this mess will get old after a while; it's sooooo easy to neglect stretching/strengthening; etc. post-run in favor of heading to the fridge for some chocolate and wine, BUT, it's super important.  So far all is feeling good, and it's fun being able to look forward to my next 26.2 again.

So, that's that!  I'm happy and healthy and hope you are too.  I'm very appreciative for all the support over the past weeks.  Runners ARE.  THE.  BEST!

Happy Running!

My Spring Marathon

"I think that taking some time to do what you need to do to get better will be best in the 'long run'".  Wise words from my brother-in-law (Thanks, Trevor :))...

Whelp, to say that this spring has not gone exactly as I'd imagined may even be an understatement, but that's okay.  Sometimes life throws us curveballs, and it just takes some extra patience, acceptance, and learning to finally knock it out of the park.  

My training and racing plans this spring were geared towards the Wrightsville Beach 5K, Monument Avenue 10K, and Broad Street 10-Miler.  None of them happened.  I've now been off running completely for nine weeks.  In short, here's why:

After some minor tooth pain, a root canal was recommended to avoid the potential for a bigger oral surgery.  In the meantime, my tonsils started being assholes again, resulting in four infections in six months, including one trip to the ER for oozing pus...mmm yummy (<-- sorry, TMI).  This was my last straw, so I finally decided to go for the tonsillectomy... uh, ya know, that I should have pulled the trigger on, like, 16 years ago.  So, I scheduled both procedures, only to get a culture back that week revealing a stubborn strain of staph taking up residence on my face.  Therefore, both the endodontist and surgical center wouldn't touch me with a 10-foot pole, canceling both procedures, and their concern sent me into a state of anxiety, resulting in panic attacks.  My body started aching all the time, and my blood pressure, normally very low, was stupidly high for me.  All the while, my heel was still giving me issues, so I couldn't run, and the nasty-feeling-air around the warm-nasty-feeling-pool was drying out my throat, so I couldn't swim anymore either.  I therefore had no outlet, blah-di-freaking-blah.

Fast forward to today, and I'm relieved to say that I'm on day 16 of my tonsillectomy recovery.  Tonsillectomies for kids are no biggie, but the older you are, the tougher they get (and since I'm an old hag in the tonsillectomy world, that shit was NO JOKE).  I wasn't allowed to work or take care of my boys for 10 days, was told to expect to lose at least 10 pounds (I only lost four, yay!), and I hemorrhaged on day six.  Not cool, peeps, not cool.  BUT...it's over now, yay!  Although much improved, I'm still treating the staph, and I'll worry about the root canal a little later.  I had an MRI on my foot, which revealed plantar fasciitis, post tib tendonitis, and an ankle sprain (um, what?).  No bone issues thankfully, so as long as I can handle the pain (and I'll do some PT), I'm cleared to run.  Music to my big ears!  So, once the scabs completely fall off my throat (I gotta work on my TMI eh?), I'll see ya on the roads (err sidewalks), peeps!  My anxiety has calmed down thankfully, but it taught me a lot.  Anxiety was something I previously didn't understand, but I can now say that I wouldn't wish that shit storm on my worst enemy.

I'm not sure if a marathon will or will not happen this fall yet, but I'm okay with that.  It will happen when my body is ready.  In the meantime, I LOVE the fact that Atlanta was awarded as the Olympic Trials host.  Ya know, because I don't need to fly anywhere (<-- another anxiety.  Seriously, WTF is wrong with me??).  I often find myself daydreaming about being in the race, and it gives me chills, but for now, like Trevor said, taking this time to get better will only better me in my "long run".

I owe a lot of thanks to some awesome people in my life.  My husband for putting up with my shit, my parents and in-laws for uprooting their lives to come and take care of me and my boys, a friend that knew exactly how to handle a panic-attacking wacko, another friend with a sixth sense that drove to my house unannounced at just the right time to let me cry, an understanding boss, and so many others.  It can be easy to take for granted all the love and beauty around when we're constantly hearing and focusing on the crap and evil in the world, but throughout this spring, I learned how much good truly exists.  

So, I'll get there; the road just got a little longer!  And in the grand scheme of life, this is no big deal.  I'm a fortunate gal ... one that looks forward to seeing you out there on those sidewalks hopefully next week!  :)

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY RUNNING!!! 

  

My nuggets!  <3