Tag: Columbus Marathon

Columbus Marathon, Part 2

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Saturday, I was nervous. Sunday, I was ready. I tossed and turned all night, feeling pretty awake by 5am. I was up by 5:35 and full of anticipation, ready to take on Columbus. I spent the next hour pacing the hotel room, trying on different clothes, and forcing myself to eat. I knew I had to eat a decent amount to have enough energy for the entire race, but with each bite I thought it was going to come right back up. I managed to get down a Blueberry Clif bar and part of a blueberry bagel. I made my way down to the the start line and was right at my corral by 7:00.

Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous. I kept looking around, amazed by how many people were out here. I chatted with a few people, but as the air started to get colder, all I wanted to do was get going. Every couple of minutes the cannon would go off followed by fireworks, and each time it would take me by surprise. We were moving closer and closer to the start line, and soon it would be my time to start. I left my headphones out so I could take in every sound. With every step I was getting closer to running and with each step I had more tears flooding into my eyes. I knew if I cried right away I wouldn’t be able to get my breathing under control, so I kept thinking of other things, like how cold I was and how crazy it was that all these people were out here to support the runners they knew. I put my headphones in, started my Garmin, and began my journey of running 26.2 miles.

Mile 1: 10:43

I was cold, it was crowded and my teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. I was having trouble getting my breathing into a normal rhythm from my teeth shaking so much. I needed to figure out what would be my best pace so I looked around to find the closest pace group. I quickly found the sign with “4:45” on it. I picked up my pace and settled right behind the sign. At this point, it was my best guess at how to manage the giant crowd and how I wouldn’t let myself go out too quick. 25 miles to go, this isn’t so bad.

Mile 2-4: 10:34, 10:38, 10:37

I started to warm up and I got into a pretty comfortable pace. It was still pretty crowded so we would slow down or speed up at times, but overall I felt good. My music was playing songs I didn’t think I had on my iPod, but I tried to ignore it and focus on the race. By mile 3 I pulled out the iPod and changed the playlist, I instantly felt better having my “go to” music playing. I saw a fellow Second Sole RR runner from my summer runs with the group. I took my first set of Sport Beans at mile 4, with a plan to take them every four miles. I saw Elayna along the course and quickly sprinted across, gave her a hug and thanked her for coming. It meant a lot to have support along the way.

Mile 5-6: 10:37, 10:33

I kept going, feeling pretty good. I made sure to stop at every water stop to keep myself hydrated, mixing water and lemon lime Gatorade (my fav!) The weather was warming up a bit, but I held onto my gloves  because I knew I’d need them for later when I’d probably be freezing. At mile 6 I decided I’d go ahead of the pace group. I had no intention of sprinting to catch the 4:30 group, but I wanted to give myself a time gap to fall into.

Mile 7-10: 11:09, 11:06, 10:57, 10:57

I started to remember this part of the course from last year. We went through Bexley, German Village and by Capital University. Lots of crowd support and some wonderful signs to put a smile on my face. I was a quarter of the way done and did a quick check on how I was feeling; legs were good, breathing was good, my mindset was good. I took my first Clif shot around mile 8, because at this point, I was already hungry. I was thankful that I was in a much better place mentally for this race than previously. I was at a steady pace and I had yet to walk.

Mile 11-13: 14:23, 11:05, 10:51

At mile 11 I had to break my pace and stop at the port-o-pots, I was definitely drinking lots of water. I spent a while waiting for one to open up, but it was ok, I wasn’t in a rush, I still had a long way to go. We were now getting close to the half way point, and there were more spectators and a great energy. I couldn’t help but be excited that my race wasn’t over yet. I asked myself, could I do that again? Sure, I felt like I had only run a few miles, I would feel good for at least another 5.

The closer we got to the the turn off point, the more I was surrounded by half marathoners. I panicked thinking I forgot to take a turn, I couldn’t see a single marathoner anywhere near me. Right then I saw the sign for the turn off, followed by Darren on the sidewalk taking pictures as I went by. I smiled, I felt good, I was so glad he made it to the race. I was running the second half. I was running a marathon.

Feeling great!

Mile 14-16: 10:54, 12:17, 13:32

After the half marathoners turned off I felt alone, most of the runners disappeared as well as the crowds. I felt like High Street was going on forever and I had no idea how long it would take to get to the Shoe. I stopped to stretch, and take some more sport beans. I could feel my body starting to tighten. It was starting to wear down a bit as I got closer to mile 16, and I knew this would be a turning point. The next miles would be my longest run ever, distance and time wise. My pace slowed down, but I wasn’t too worried yet. In mile 16 I suddenly felt weak, my hands started shaking and I felt that if I continued to run a few more steps I would pass out. I stopped. I drank a bunch of water, ate some sport beans and ate the only Gu I had left in my FlipBelt. I didn’t know if I would get to the finish.

Mile 17-18: 12:58, 12:11

I started to do a walk/jog combination for the next couple of miles to get my energy level back to where it should be. As long as I was moving, I would be ok. At this point in the race we were approaching the stadium, and I was excited for my chance to run through it. We came around campus and over a bridge to a winding path around the side. It was an amazing feeling come into the Shoe, but it was a short run through. Darren was there somewhere, but I didn’t look around. I just had to keep going. As soon as we entered, we left and would enter the darkest miles of the race.

The Shoe

Mile 19-21: 14:31, 17:57, 14:06

I honestly struggled from mile 17 to mile 21. But mile 19-21 were my slowest miles for sure. I went back and forth between walking and running. I felt like I was going to get sick, and wasn’t sure if I was better off running or walking. I felt miserable. Running a marathon was miserable. And it was hard. I was exhausted, hungry and in a lot of pain. I kept counting down the miles until I would finally be done. But I never once wanted to quit. I knew I had to keep going, I wasn’t going to give up. Right around mile 20 I stopped at the port-o-pots again, I felt over hydrated, but I clearly wasn’t. I thought I was going to get sick and didn’t know if I’d have energy to get me through the last 6 miles. I looked in the mirror and told myself to get it together. Yes, it was hard. But I signed up for this. And I wasn’t alone, there were plenty of other people that were hurting. I couldn’t give up now.

Mile 22-24: 15:26, 12:26, 12:15

Somehow, someway I got to mile 22. Because I don’t know Columbus very well, I never knew where I was in relation to the map or the city. I took more sport beans and told myself I had four more miles, just four more! I started to find a pace that was decent, I was feeling good all things considering. I kept going, and going. I felt almost free, a second wind. Everyone around me was walking, but I didn’t want to, I didn’t need to. I tried to figure out how I would approach the last couple of miles. I stopped at one of the water tables and filled up my hand held, I knew I would need as much water as I could get. I spoke with a gentleman who was also struggling. It was his first marathon and he was having IT problems, we shared the same thought that yes this was hard, but we’ve had a good day weather wise and the course was pretty flat. We had two miles left, and we were going to make it.

Mile 25-26: 12:53, 16:23

I took my ear buds out at mile 25. I wanted to cherish that last 1.2 miles of the race. I had come this far, I wanted to make sure I remembered the finish forever. I saw finishers walking to cheer others on with the medal around their necks, I wanted that. A half mile to go and the sun was shining. I took my last sport bean to have just enough energy to get me across the line. I could see the amount of spectators growing. The closer we got the the louder everything became. I started to get teary eyed, I was working myself up and I had to calm down. As I was approaching the turn, I heard my name called and let out the tears. I was going to finish a marathon! As soon as I turned the corner, I had to stop. I was going to get sick, not once, but twice. Nothing. I told myself to stop it, this is embarrassing. You’re fine, and you’re going to get up and finish this race. A few hundred feet from the finish, I had the energy of someone who had fresh legs, I picked it up and sprinted. I crossed the line. I finished. I finished a marathon.

Courtesy of @cbusmarathon

I was crying and smiling. A volunteer placed a medal around my neck and told me congratulations. I heard my name called, it was Darren. I went to the fence and as he reached over for my hand, I saw tears, something I’ve seen only one other time. He told me  how proud he was of me. It was the absolute best moment, such an incredible feeling. I walked towards the food, got my picture taken and let out a big sigh of relief. I was officially a marathoner.

26.2 Done!

I grabbed a small snack and got a massage. I was in a lot of pain, but at that moment I felt nothing. I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sore, I was in a daze. I stood around to take in everything. I was an hour off my goal time, but I finished. I gave it everything I had and left it all on the course.

My biggest fan

Official Time: 5:28:10

 

 

Columbus Marathon, Part 1

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Saturday felt just like Christmas Eve. Excitement, anxiousness, nervousness; all of those feelings kept rushing through my head and turning my stomach. To say I had butterflies was an understatement. I packed everything the night before, but I was still worried I had left something behind, what could be worse than leaving your shoes at home. Once I was ready to go, we started the long drive to Columbus. I dropped Darren off with some friends so he could watch the Buckeyes, and I went straight to the hotel for a few hours. The plan was to get to the expo, relax for a while then have some dinner, keep the day easy and get plenty of rest for the race. Luckily, I was able to meet up with some fellow Muskie alums to check out the expo. We all ran cross country and track together, so it was good to have some familiar faces with me on this experience.

Muskies!

I’m going to run this!

Personally I didn’t think the expo was as good as last year. There was no wall of names with bib numbers, the official gear from Nike and Second Sole was limited to a few items in XL and the whole space seemed to be much smaller. It was a little bit of a low point, but I quickly got over it and spent probably too much on things I didn’t need. But you only have one first marathon, why not go all the way. I was lucky enough to score some great deals and walked away with a handful of shirts, a fleece jacket, some bondibands, some amazing new shoes and a few other things.

Asics GT-2000, Heaven for your feet

After the expo I headed out to have dinner with a high school friend who was also running her first marathon. We’ve been running together since we were 13, so there was no other way to prepare for the night before a race than having a home cooked meal and some cupcakes for good luck, just like we did in middle school and high school. It was a great way to get our minds off the race and catch up on life.

Soon after dinner I left to pick up Darren and headed back to the hotel. The hours before I’d be waking up on race day were now limited to minutes. I made sure to set everything out, changed my race outfit about twenty times and had a good talk with my dad before I went to bed. Everything was becoming real now, the next time I woke up I would be running a marathon, and hopefully becoming a marathoner a few hours later. I struggled with sleep, tossing and turning, waking up every hour thinking I’d slept in, reassuring myself that my alarm was set, I wouldn’t miss this race for anything….

It all comes down to this…

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It’s here. It is finally marathon weekend!! And the marathon is in two days. TWO DAYS!! After 110 days and almost exactly 16 weeks of training, the moment of truth is here. First of all, I apologize (not really) for all of the marathon talk. It is honestly all I have on my mind. I know it’s been coming up and I knew my days were numbered on when I would get to stand on that line, but it didn’t hit me hard until last night. There may have been a few extra tears in dinner, and they weren’t from cutting an onion. It’s crazy to think that I’m running the “ultimate” event, at least that’s how I see it. What is more unbelievable is that last May I ran my first half marathon. In the past 17 months I’ve run 8 half marathons and will now get to reach the next level.

I’ve set out some goals. Nothing too crazy, but something to think about when I reach a low point or two during the race.

  • Finish in 4:30. This may be a lofty goal, but it’s a best case scenario for sure. This puts me at a 10:15ish pace, a 2:15 half. A majority of my miles in my long runs have been sub 10, so I f eel like this is a possibility. But there is no guarantee on race day and I know I have to keep my pace slow.
  • Finish in 4:45. This is the finish time for my corral. I think this is a safe goal, it gives me extra time and I’d have a pace of 11:00. I never ran this pace during training, but I have a feeling that I may dip down to it in my final miles.
  • Finish. In all honesty, I just want to finish. I want to cross that line and become a marathoner. This is one of the most important days of my life, crossing that line is all I can think about. It means more than anything to me.

Now you know my goals, but what if you want to see how I’m doing during the race instead of waiting for my race recap? No worries, I’ve got you covered.

  • I’ve linked up my Twitter account to check in on my splits throughout the race with Real-Time Race Tracking.
  • You can also go online and sign up for tracking as well, I’m bib number 3978
  • I’ve linked my Facebook account to give real time tracking
  • Darren may also be tweeting live (he did a good job in Colorado)
  • You can also come to Columbus and be one of the awesome fans. I’ll be wearing something from the assortment below….

So many options

Goals. Check. Tracking. Check. Thank you’s….

I wish I could take each and every person out to dinner to thank them for all they’ve done, instead I’ll let you know on here. Plus I can save money for the expo. Seriously, I wouldn’t have been able to come this far with out the support, encouragement, hope and love from everyone. Friends, family, blog readers, twitter followers, you guys are all amazing. All the comments, well wishes, advice, I’ve taken it all to heart and will think about each and every one of you on Sunday. I can’t wait to come back next week and share the experience with you, the ups and downs, the tears and smiles. Every single moment. So thank you.

It’s time, time to leave it all on the streets of Columbus and give this marathon everything I’ve got.

 

Why 26.2?

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Why run 26.2 miles? I used to ask myself this question. Throughout high school and college, I always thought that someday, somehow I’d run a marathon. It was on my bucket list I guess you could say. But it was a phrase that I loosely threw around. I had these hopes while I was running 6 days a week and racing almost every weekend. After college I took some time away from running. Not much, but I wasn’t running as many miles or as often as I had in the past. Then last year I made the decision I would run a half marathon, and I did it in the beautiful city of Cleveland. It was awful weather, but it was an amazing experience, almost too good to be true. After crossing the line, I immediately knew I wanted to run more half marathons. At that time I had no desire to run a full marathon, I had no interest in running any further than 13.1 miles…ever.

Over the summer I ran and trained for three other half marathons, along with a relay team for Akron Marathon. One of the Muskie alums Molly, a marathon expert, suggested that I think about it, maybe one day I’ll have a change of heart. Kimi, who at the time was training for her first marathon told me I should definitely do it, and like her, Columbus would be a great first marathon course. Throughout the relay I gave it a lot of thought, together as a team we completed 26.2 miles, was there a possibility I could do it on my own? While waiting near the finish for Molly to dominate her leg of the relay I found myself touched by every single runner that came past us. In my heart, I knew that I would run a marathon, that I would get my own chance to run past mile marker 26.

Talk about a “milestone”

About a month later I had reassurance that I wanted to lace up and try 26.2 miles when I watched the finish of the Columbus Marathon. If you are ever on the fence about running a marathon (or any race) watch the finish. I’m pretty sure I kept tearing up every couple of minutes. It was such a wonderful experience to watch, and had me counting down the days until I could register to run my own. Even better was watching Kimi finish, knowing she had put so much time and effort into her training, I knew I wanted to do the same.

Running 26.2 miles is going to be an experience, a year after making the decision, it’s finally my time. Why run 26.2 miles? This is why….

  1. Running comes full circle. I have been running for over half of my life time. It’s what I do, it’s who I am, it’s the one thing that has never let me down. I started with the 400m in middle school and continued my way into longer distances until now I’m on the doorstep of reaching 26.2. My running has changed over the past couple of years. I’ve finally come to the realization that I will most likely never run a 22:xx 5k again. And that’s ok. I want to focus on distance, I want to enjoy the hours spent running for myself, not for a time.
  2. Running the Shoe. One of the highlights for the marathon this year was being able to run through the Shoe. I may not be the biggest Buckeye fan out there, but I’m completely excited about this opportunity. I’ve only been to the stadium three times, but I have a feeling this will be my favorite and most memorable time there.
  3. Redemption. I have a bone to pick with Columbus. Last year’s half marathon wasn’t my best effort, I mentally gave up within the first mile. I was burnt out, I was injured (imagine that) and I was ready for the racing season to end. This year I want to show Columbus that I can handle it, and that I’m going to give this race all I’ve got.
  4. Running with Alumni. It makes me so excited that I don’t have to run the marathon alone, well kind of. I’ll be doing all 26.2 miles by myself, but I’m glad to know that cross country friends from high school and college will be going through the same race as me, experiencing everything just as I am, as we all run our first marathon. I may be running alone, but it’s good to know that I have some teammates out there on the course.
  5. Running 26.2. 5k, 10k, Half. I think it’s the perfect time to step up my game and challenge myself on a longer race. Who knows, it could be my new favorite race distance….

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 14

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It’s officially taper time! This also means that there are only two weeks until the marathon, two weeks! I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone by. Just over a year ago, I made the decision that I would take the next step and run a marathon, and to think that it’s almost here is still unbelievable. I wish I could say that my hardest runs are past me, and that I’ve done everything I could have to make sure that the marathon is a success. But I can’t.

It’s no secret that my training has been challenging, and not up to standards. I’ve gone through pain, and recovery, and pain again. I lost a complete month of training, something I know will show up on race day around mile 20 when I have feelings of doubt. But my main focus in these next two weeks is to keep my pain to a minimum. After last weekend’s long, hilly run, my body has felt a little beat up.  I felt it this week on both my shorter and longer run as well.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 3 Miles

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: 7 Miles

Total Miles: 10 Miles

For the next two weeks, I’m going to listen to my body and ignore my training schedule. I still want to get three runs in a week, but I’ll keep them short, easy and most likely on a treadmill. As much as I’d prefer to be outside, my daylight after work is limited. I also think it’s best for me to be on the flat surface of the treadmill, and if any pain happens, I can easily stop.

Other things I need to do in the next two weeks? I still need to figure out what to wear for race day. The weather has thrown me for a loop with the freezing temperatures, but it looks like it should warm up. Luckily I’m great at over packing, so I should have plenty of options. But most important, I need to figure out which colors to wear. I also need to update my playlist on my iPod. Over the past few weeks I’ve found some great songs, and some not so great songs. I need to shape it up so I’m not playing with music, but focusing on my running come race day.

What do you do during taper? Any suggestions?

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 12

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Here we are with one month to go. I personally feel that these next two weeks will be crucial. I’ll need to get some good distance running in before I have to taper. This certainly hasn’t been the most normal training schedule, but not all are. You have to have expect that something could always come up and push you off your schedule. Luckily I’ve been able to bounce back,  and hit the long miles that are most important. This week didn’t go exactly as planned with a busy schedule most of the week, but I was able to get a few runs in. It certainly was a low mileage week.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 2 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: 7 Miles

Total Miles: 9 Miles

My long run was not so long. The plan was to run 16-18 on Sunday, but as soon as I woke up I knew it wasn’t in the stars. I completely forgot that I need to charge my Garmin and iPod, so I kept pushing back my starting time to get good battery life out of both. I also made the mistake of checking the weather over and over. It was under 40 degrees out, my nice warm bed seemed like a much better idea at this time. Wasn’t it just 80 and I was smothering in humidity on long runs? I also kept reviewing my route I mapped out. I knew it had hills, and that was ok, but these were monster hills. They were waiting to eat me alive.

Finally  by 8:30 I got out the door somehow and was ready to tackle the run. I worked through my first section with some mild hills and the most beautiful view of Lake Medina. That view was worth getting up to see, the perfect moment to relax and reflect.

Perfection

After I took a few minutes to breath, I started towards the back roads. They were full of hills, no sidewalks and the twists and turns that leave you guessing what’s coming up. I get nervous driving these kinds of roads, so running them was an experience. I made my way to some familiar streets and realized how bad the hill work was getting to me. My knee was aching and these were the “baby” hills of the run. I mentally shut down and decided I was done for the day. I wasn’t going to tackle hills on unknown back roads, I wasn’t going to reroute and find some “flatter” ground. I was heading home.

I felt guilty for quite some time. I should have been running longer, I shouldn’t have given up so easily. The 7 miles I did was far from the 18 I was supposed to do. But after a while I knew it was probably the better decision. I had two weeks of long, tough runs, and normally I should have pushed through another. But coming back after injury, I can’t afford to end up hurt again. Sometimes you need to mix in the mid distance run to help your training. I had a good run pace wise, and I was able to battle some pretty tough hills. Sometimes that’s harder than going the distance.

I’ve thought a lot about training in the past few weeks, especially after this week. I’m trying to figure out where I can play catch up or if it’s possible to get some good mileage in. I’ve been able to do it, and it’s been hard. After a long day, the last thing I want to do is run, I’m ready to veg out and crash on the couch. But I do try to get two weekday runs in, if I can. It’s been easier to wake up on the weekend and head out the door, partially because I’m still half asleep  and have no idea what I’m in for. But the hardest thing yet, is running by myself. I’ve always enjoyed running with music and setting my own pace, but running long distances of 14+ is hard when you’re doing it alone. I feel grateful that I’ve been able to do all my runs by myself. I’ve learned a lot about me as a person and as a  runner.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 10

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Going in I knew this week would be crazy, but also very important. If I didn’t get a long run in, I knew I wouldn’t be ready for Columbus. Starting off with the long weekend, I took Monday as a day to catch up on sleep, unpack and survive allergies. I followed up the weekend with a work trip to Mississauga, a city outside of Toronto. I wasn’t able to check out the city like before, but I did take advantage of some fantastic food. Seriously, I’ve never had a bad meal in the Toronto area.

My feet and legs took a small beating after standing for two days and riding in the car for 6 straight hours both ways. However, I was able to get a short run in while I was there and another after I got back. I wanted to be careful during the week, because I had a weekend filled of racing that I wanted to be ready for.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 2 Miles

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 3 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday:  3 Miles (Run for the Record 5k)

Sunday: 14 Miles (River Run Half Marathon)

Total Miles: 22 Miles

Saturday was my easy race day, I paced my sister in her first 5k. I found the race months ago, and decided it should be a pretty flat course. The weather was ideal as it stopped raining about 5 minutes before the start. It was a good event and I’m proud of Claire for finishing her first 5k. She’ll have her recap posted here later this week.

Sunday was my second race of the weekend. I needed the miles, so I figured the best way to get them done was to sign up for a half. I even added an extra mile once I got back home. I’ll have that recap later this week as well.

Overall, I had a pretty good week. My weekday runs need to be a little bit longer, but so do my weekend runs. I feel much more confident about Columbus training now, knowing I can still get the long miles in even though I had to take some time off. And an added bonus to this week, I became a Sweat Pink Ambassador. I’m excited to continue to grow myself as a runner and learn more from this group!

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 7

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It’s been a busy, crazy, stressful week, but I’m going to claim it as a victory. I’m still pulling some short runs, and lack of runs, but I’ve finally ventured into a few weeks of pain free running. While my longest run has only been 3 miles, way under where I’m supposed to be, I’m proud of where I am. I may have taken a big step back by taking these weeks easy. But I’m able to run multiple miles a few times a week and not have any pain. I haven’t been able to do this since the beginning of March! Huge win for me.

I was even able to mix up my run by doing morning runs and got a chance to run in the New Orleans for my Tuesday run. It was incredibly hot and humid by 8am, but it was a nice way to see the city. I felt like I could have gone longer, but cut it short to play it safe in an area I didn’t know. It’s much better to run on Bourbon Street at 8am than 8pm.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 1.5 Miles

Wednesday: Rest Day

Thursday: 3 Miles

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 4.5 Miles

While I’m still stuck in low mileage, I’m hoping this next week I can really focus on some longer runs. I’m at a crucial point where I need to get my mileage back up and right away. These next two weeks could be determining factor for how the race will go. If I can’t get my mileage back to where it needs to be, I honestly may need to rethink training.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 6

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This week was all about taking the doctor’s advice and really laying off on the miles. I’m still far enough away from race day that I can manage taking days off and it shouldn’t effect my race. I’m not going for time after all, just making it to that finish line. I didn’t get as many miles in as I had hoped, and I defintely didn’t cross train like I wanted, but there was no getting around it this week. Saturday I’ll be moving, so I’ve been packing up my apartment, visiting friends before I leave and getting ready for my trip to New Orleans, which is where I’m currently headed. Even my 9 hours of sleep I require is suffering, so you know I’ve been busy and stressed.

I’m also in that post injury scared zone. I had two good runs, they weren’t long, but I had no pain. First time since St. Malachi! I’m nervous that this will be a fluke, and it’s sure to come back once I hit over 5 miles. And if the pain does come back, how bad will it be? Will it be worse? Not as bad? Will I be done for the rest of the year? I can’t live in fear that I’m always going to have painful runs, I just need to run and deal with what happens.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: Rest Day

Wednesday: 2 Miles

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: 2.5 Miles

Sunday: Rest Day

Total Miles: 4.5 Miles

I’m down to 2.5 months left until the big day. I experienced my first pain free run in months, followed by a second. I need to embrace it, continue to be careful and make sure I take extra care of my body from now on. I can’t let myself keep getting hurt.

Next week I’ll be in New Orleans for three days. Luckily I’ll have some down time the first day, so I’m hoping to explore the city on a little run. Then over the second half of the week, I’ll be moving, so running will be a luxury. Here’s hoping I can get back into some heavy mileage.

Columbus Marathon Training: Week 3

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This week was interesting for training. I had to switch a few days around to make room for plans after work and for the weekend. This threw me off for the week and made it easier to push my runs around. Note to self, stick to the regular training schedule from now on, you don’t want the habit of pushing off runs. I had my best run Wednesday when I ran an old loop from high school. I ran the first half mile with my sister who is training for her first 5k in September. From then on my pace got quicker and quicker. I always feel great running this route, I’ve done it so many times I know what pace I should be at and how far I’ve run at any moment. My pace even got down to 8:34, first time since the heat!

Unfortunately, the good feelings didn’t last long. I woke up Thursday with both my knees hurting. I hoped they would be gone by mid afternoon so I could do a longer run that night. Nope, no such thing, so I took Thursday as a preventative injury day. I changed a few things around and decided to let my knees rest a few days and wait to hit up more miles in the weekend.

Monday: Rest Day

Tuesday: 4 Miles

Wednesday: 3.5 Miles

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: Rest Day

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: 14 Miles

Total Miles: 21.5 Miles

Sunday would be a big day, my longest run yet was scheduled, and how the way the week went, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it. Just as I’ve done before, I would let the day decide my run, focusing on one mile at a time. The temperature was in my favor, unfortunately the humidity was not.

At least it’s not 90 degrees

Luckily the weather wasn’t hotter or else it would have been miserable. I started with my regular shorter loop and felt pretty good. I stopped at home for a short bathroom break and was ready to take on the remaining 10 miles. Somehow in the time I was inside, the sun came out in full force and so did traffic. Unfortunately half of my run didn’t have sidewalks, so I was battling for some space on the roads, which wasn’t welcomed by many drivers. However, the views were worth seeing. I love running in Wooster so I can enjoy the silence and take in pure country.

Morning views

One thing I always forget are the hills. They aren’t all bad, sometime they’re rolling and sometimes they’re steep, but it’s a big difference compared to running up north. I did pretty well with them until mile 12 when I hit the last big hill. It certainly wasn’t fun, and I felt the effects of it all day long. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good for most of the run. I think my body is finally adjusting to running further and adding more miles. I did start to struggle at the end, but I think part of it was from the warm water I was carrying around and the amount of work I had to do with the hills.

What did I learn this week?

  • Hills are tough, but they can benefit me in the long run. The more I challenge myself on them, the easier they will become.
  • Proper recovery is key. I think by adjusting my schedule a bit to give myself an extra rest day, I prepared my body for the long run. Two weeks until my next long run, I should be able to come back ready to take it on!