Living the Dream - Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon 2015

It was a long time coming... I'm overwhelmed by so many thoughts I'm not sure where to start..

BQ BABY!!

I FREAKIN' QUALIFIED FOR BOSTON!!

 

I started this blog in February 2013 hoping to run a half marathon in under 2:00 again. I reached that goal in May then decided to run a fall marathon and try to qualify for Boston 2015, announcing it to the world HERE on June 15, 2013.

 

I suppose if I had reached that goal in November 2013 I would not have had the journey... and what a journey it has been. Along the way I met all my Sole Sisters from Brook Kreder's Inner Circle, I had to get a Facebook account, I met all my Indiana Timing running friends, Facebook put me in touch with other friends I hadn't heard from in years, I learned about diet and nutrition, I lost weight and now weigh what I did before I had kids, and I learned to believe in myself and push harder and dig deeper for the things I really wanted. I believe the journey is a story in it of itself, so onto the race.

 

I drove to Lousiville Friday afternoon and met up with some of my Sole Sisters at the race Expo.

 

Araminta, Michelle, Jackie, me, and Magda

 

We then met up with Sole Sister Beth, her husband and sister for dinner.

 

After dinner at the Troll



 

Magda and I shared a room at the Galt House hotel. Badass Trena, who had run Boston on Monday then traveled to Florida for business and back, got into town late Friday night to run in the morning. Trena and I ran the marathon. Everyone else ran the half.

 

Magda, Michelle, and me at the start

 

Saturday morning... it was raining... of course!!! Thankfully it was not super windy and it was just misting rain at the start. The temperature was actually ideal, around 50 degrees.

 

I started slightly behind the 3:50:00 pace group but passed them before the first mile. The early miles ticked off just as planned...

 

Mile 1 - 8:36

Mile 2 - 8:40

Mile 3 - 8:26

Mile 4 - 8:32

Mile 5 - 8:32

Mile 6 - 8:26

Mile 7 - 8:21

 

I originally didn't want to run faster than 8:30 pace and just keep it in the 8:30's but I felt really good and it felt easy so I just went with it and found myself running slightly faster than I intended.

 

Just after Mile 7, I heard someone yell my name and turned around to see Jane. She was running the half. She either gave me a big boost, or maybe my subconscious thought we were racing, or maybe it was because we entered Churchill Downs right after that and the field compressed and I don't like running in crowds... but anyway my pace picked up...

 

Mile 8 - 8:19

Mile 9 - 8:18

 

The field split after Churchill Downs, with the half runners going back downtown and the full runners going out to Iroquois Park. I told myself to SLOW THE FREAK DOWN!!!

 

Mile 10 - 8:26

Mile 11 - 8:23

 

The hills in Iroquois Park started at mile 11.5. I told myself to maintain the same effort as I climbed the hills.

 

 

 



                                                                                     the dreaded hills

 

 

Mile 12 - 8:36

Mile 13 - 8:34

Mile 14 - 8:46

 

I passed Trena going up the hill between mile 12 and 13. I knew she was tired from Boston but I had thought I might catch her in the last couple miles of the race, not here. Either she was running really slow or I was running too fast. Turns out it was probably both.

 

At 13.1 I peeked at my watch and it read 1:50 and change, an unofficial half PR. The skies also opened up at this point and the misty rain turned to hard rain. Please no lightening. Please don't stop this race!

 

Then it happened... just before mile 14...  my calves started cramping. NO! It was the same lightening flashes of pain that had made me gasp and stumble at Napa and it was just mile 14. NO!!! I tried my best to calm the rising panic. Relax, relax... think calm muscle relaxing thoughts... I was 3:30 under 3:50:00 pace at this point. Calm down, calm down... you have time.

 

Mile 15 - 8:38

Mile 16 - 9:03

 

Just after mile 15 as we were exiting Iroquois Park I had a full on Charley horse in my left calf. I had to stop and let it relax. This CANNOT be happening again!

 

I felt a rising despair. This is where I had lost contact with the pace group last year. Did I run the first half too fast? Did I totally screw myself? Is this where my lack of mileage is going to come bite me? I CANNOT fail again! This is my last BQ attempt this year. I don't have time to do this again. Get your head together! Get your head together!

 

I was still close to 3:30 under goal time, way ahead of the 3:50:00 pace group. All I need to do is run 9:00 pace... maintain 9:00 pace... I've run 9:00 pace hundreds of times... just run 9:00. I can run 9:00...

 

RUN THE MILE YOU'RE IN... the next light pole... the next sign... the next tree... just keep moving forward!

 

Mile 17 - 9:06

Mile 18 - 8:47

Mile 19 - 9:07

Mile 20 - 8:51

 

I still had twinges of calf and foot cramping but no full on Charley horses. It was still raining but the downpour went back to a drizzle. I was losing time with every mile but every mile was bringing me closer to the finish and I was still ahead of the pace group. I thought about all my Sole Sisters pulling for me today, either here in person or following me online. I thought about all my Indiana Timing friends, my co-workers, and everyone else that had sent me well wishes and encouragement.

 

Give me strength! I HAVE to do this! Run the mile you're in. Run the mile you're in...

 

The last 10 miles of this race were the hardest 10 miles of my life... and 10 miles is a freakin' long time! I wanted to give up but I couldn't give up. I was too close. BELIEVE!

 

Mile 21 - 9:11

Mile 22 - 9:19

Mile 23 - 9:52

Mile 24 - 9:15

 

The 3:50:00 pace runners passed me just before mile 24. There were no runners left in their group, just the two pacers. My goal now was to keep their bright orange jerseys in sight.

 

Mile 25 - 9:37

Mile 26 - 9:41

 

The last mile went on FOREVER. All I could think about was this is your Boston... this is your Boston qualifying time!

 

I FINALLY turned that last corner and saw the finish line. I closed my eyes and ran as fast as I could... this is Boston...this is Boston...

 

last 0.2 - 2:27 (roughly 10:00 pace that felt like 6:00 pace!)

 

I started wobbling about three steps before the timing mat but got across the mat and immediately got grabbed by medical. All I wanted to do was stand for a minute and I'd be alright... but I guess I always look like hell at the end of a race... Anyway, there were four of them and only one of me and the two people holding my arms would not let go so I let them put me in a wheelchair and take me to medical. I drew the line when a photographer wanted to take a photo of all of us! We got to medical and they wanted me to lay down in a cot but I wanted to stand so I wouldn't tightened up. They finally left me standing next to the cot, handed me a bottle of water, then went to find someone else to grab. I gathered myself, wrapped myself up in a space blanket, and went back out to the finish chute.

 

 

I had done it! I qualified for Boston! I didn't run 5:00 under like I had hoped but 3:13 under should be good enough. I was IN.

 

It was still pouring rain. I had told everyone not to wait for me if it was raining; I'd meet them back at the hotel. The only one left on the course was Trena. The official clock read 4:02 when I left medical. Had she finished while I was in medical? I looked around and waited for a couple more minutes then decided to walk on out of the chute. Now that I had stopped running, I was cold. I couldn't feel my fingers and my teeth were chattering. I wrapped myself up tighter in the space blanket and decided to head back to the hotel.

 

As I started tottering back I had moments were I was overcome by emotion and let out a couple sobs of joy and relief. Tears mixed with rain. My journey was over. I had met my goal. I cannot remember anything in years that I had worked so hard for and wanted so much.

 

soaking wet but elated

 



Believing. Carmel Half Marathon.

Today was all about believing in myself.

A week ago, I decided to run the Carmel Half Marathon as my last marathon pace run. My training schedule had a 10 mile pace run with a 3 mile warm up and cool down on it. So, 13 miles and the dates matched up. Initially my coach didn't want me to do it. I think he was afraid I'd blow my legs out a week before my marathon. No way. I just wanted to run a race simulation with other people and aid stations. Pleeease..... talked him into it. Then he asked if I planned to do a warm up before my marathon. Ummm.... no. OK, plan then would be to run the first 10 miles at marathon pace then jog it on in. Got it.

This was totally a training run. Last night I realized maybe I should see what the course looked like. Then I found out there were pace groups. There was a 1:55 pace group. I could just run with them.

I've been running faster than 8:45 pace on my pace runs though and I kept thinking about being told that I was wasting energy by trying to run slower than what felt comfortable. Maybe I should just go out and run what felt right. As long as I didn't go crazy, I'd be OK right? That's what a training run is for...

Carmel is a small race but the start was incredibly congested. The half and full marathon started together and we only had one side of the street to run on. Standing in my warm sardine pack of bodies I realized that I hadn't even checked the weather or bothered to worry about throw away clothes for the morning. Funny how different your mind set becomes when you're not running for time.

This was a race simulation though so I had eaten exactly what I was going to eat on marathon morning and eaten a GU before the start. I had two more GUs for mile 4 and mile 8.

3...2...1 and we're off. Took another 1:30 to get to the starting line. One of the reasons I wanted to run in a race is because the congested starts freak me out. I always feel like I'm going too slow plodding along behind everyone so I dart around and end up going too fast. I've found that starting with the pace group prevents that... if you can start with them. Today I couldn't even see them by the time I got to the starting line so I just ran what felt right. First mile was still a bit fast but I settled down after that.

I caught up with the 1:55 pace group around mile 4, then went around them. Part of the problem with running with a pace group is that everyone is bunched up together and you keep running into each other. The other thing that I found was that I'd often cut my natural stride short just to stay with them. Today I decided I was going to run on my own. I thought that as long as I didn't go crazy and run faster than 8:30 pace I'd be OK. I still had to restrain myself because I felt GREAT!

10 miles came and went in no time. I was 2 minutes under 3:50 marathon pace at the 10 mile mark. In comparison, at Napa when I really worked to try and run an 8:45 pace I was 2 minutes under at mile 19. Cool down time. I slowed down but kept wanting to speed up. I normally don't take anything during a 13 mile training run and during races I just drink water and Gatorade. Today I'd had 3 caffeinated GUs plus water. I was bouncing off the walls... but I thought it would be poor form to run a half-marathon PR (which I could have easily done!) a week before a BQ attempt. Back off... back off...

DONE!

I'm ditching the pace group next week and trusting myself to run what feels right. Today was wonderful. Now I just have to eat well, sleep well, and lay off the caffeine this week.

Beer has no caffeine

Rain Rain Go Away! ... Derby Training Updates

Louisville, KY 4/3/15

 

 

As a self proclaimed fair weather runner, sometimes I feel like I'm cursed by bad weather.

 

Years ago, as a college student, I used to run a 5K that took place in February called the Polar Bear Run. The weather was always miserable. Then, it occurred to me that since I was the only person I was running for, I didn't HAVE to run in miserable weather anymore... so I quit running in the winter.

 

Flash forward to 2006. It had been over 10 years since I ran a winter race. I'd forgotten the misery. It was a mild winter. I got lulled into a sense of safety. I registered for the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in May and decided to do the training series 5K in February. Yup, 20 degrees and sleeting on race day.

 

So, no more winter racing again for a couple years. Now it's 2012. Again, mild winter. Progresses into a nice spring. I finally decided to do an 8K on April 21st. It's APRIL for Pete's sake! You got it... 20 degrees with, like 50 mph wind gusts. I considered just waiting inside the port-a-potty til the race started. At least I was sheltered in there!

 

When I started this blog in 2013, I still wouldn't run in bad weather. Then I discovered the indoor track. Voila! All my problems solved. I LOVE my hamster track. It keeps me running all year long.

 

...but this training cycle I got a coach... and he wants me to do speedwork... and I can't do the workouts on my indoor track because my Garmin won't work indoors. Ugh. Outdoors again, rain or shine. Of course, in my case, it's been RAIN!

 

So here's the low down on my last couple weeks... I left off with the long run on Week 2...

 

Week 2

Monday - 4 easy (indoors)

 

Tuesday - 8 (read about it HERE) It rained on me.

 

Wednesday - Rest

 

Thursday - 15 miles. Long run day. I was suppose to run 20. Of course it's thunderstorming outside so I took to the hamster track. I felt good through mile 8 then I started feeling horrid. Hot, nauseous, light-headed. I may have been tired from working plus I had a million other things to do on my "to-do" list as we were leaving for Spring Break to Playa del Carmen, Mexico the next morning. Anyway, I bagged it at 15. Fact is, I barely made it to 15.

 

Friday - Traveled all day

 

Saturday - 4 miles. Woohoo! We're in Mexico. It's sunny and beautiful but it's like 80% humidity and 70 degrees by 7 am. I went to check out the fitness center at 7:30 am. There were exactly 3 treadmills and they were all occupied. I took to the streets outside our resort. The scenery was beautiful. The air was NOT! The pollution and the constant smell of raw sewage was a bit overpowering. Gag.

 

Sunday - Rest

 

Week 2 Total Miles: 31

 

Week 3

Monday - 6 miles. Horrid run. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort - also known as an all-you-can-eat 24/7 resort. Frankly, we ate like pigs. By Monday morning I had ingested so much food my body didn't know what to do with it. I felt like my stomach weighed 100 lbs and had to take a bathroom break midway through my run just so I could finish 6 freakin' miles. Not pretty.

 

Tuesday - 6 miles. By now I'd decided I HAD to run 6 miles just to burn the calories! I'm never eating this much again...

 

Wednesday - Traveled home all day

 

Thursday - 8 miles. Workout was a 2 mile warm up then 800m at 5K pace, jog 400m, 400 m at 5K pace, jog 400m, then repeat 2 more times, then cool down for 2.5 miles for a total of 8 miles. Well, guess what... it was RAINING. I knew I was going to get wet but I didn't have a choice. This was the only day I could do this workout and the only time I could do it was while my daughter was at dress rehearsal at the Tarkington for a show she was dancing in so I packed a change of clothes and sucked it up.

 

Pretty darn proud of how this went. Here are the speedwork splits:

800m - 3:38, 400m - 1:53

800m - 3:46, 400m - 1:46

800m - 3:49, 400m - 2:01

 

By the time I got to the last set of speed sets it was raining so hard I could barely see. My shoes were so soaked they felt like they were 10 lbs a piece. I'm suppose to run a 5K on Saturday. If it's raining like this, I'm running in aquasocks! There was thunder and lightening crashing everywhere. I was the only fool on the Monon. It got scary. Lightening scares the crap out of me. I finally made it back to the safety of the Tarkington and changed clothes in the bathroom. Nevermind taking a shower, I was soaked to my underwear. All I had to do was towel off and throw all my clothes in a plastic bag. The only thing I forgot was dry shoes.

 

It stormed like crazy. The photo above is Louisville after the same storm. Roads were flooding everywhere.

 

Friday - Rest. We went to the show my daughter was in, then out for dinner afterwards. I didn't get to bed until 1 am.

 

Saturday - 12 miles. First road 5K of the year, the Arc's iCAN 5K. Plan was to do a 3 mile warm up, then run the 5K and do a 6 mile cool down.

 

Weather report - no rain but 30 degrees in the morning. Ugh. The alarm went off at 6 am and I considered blowing off the race and just running by myself later in the day, then peeled myself out of bed. Things didn't go as planned. I got lost getting to the race so I got there later than planned and barely had time to get 2 miles in before the start.

 

All things considered - eating like a pig for 5 days, 5 hours of sleep, first 5K of the year - things went OK. I had no idea how fast to go out so I just went for it...

 

Mile 1 - 7:13

Mile 2 - 7:50

Mile 3 - 8:04

last 0.1 - 0:34

Official time - 23:41

 

Obviously I went out too fast and my splits were all over the place. I ended up 4th in the women's race and won my age group.

 

Magda, Nora Jo, me and Jane

 

 

 

Cool down didn't go exactly as planned either. I never did really figure out the 5K course; I just chased the people in front of me. I decided to run the course backwards as my cool down but then I got to the last person on the course and realized there was a chase vehicle after them taking down all the course markers. Ack!! By the time I'd gotten 1.5 miles through the course the vehicle had picked up most of the signage and I was sorta lost on the course. I ended up peeking down neighborhood streets looking for runners or leftover pilons to find the finish again... so I only got 3 miles in before the awards ceremony. Finally, I drove home and ran 4 more miles to finish my 12 for the day.

 

Sunday - Rest. Happy Easter! I got to work all day.

 

Week 3 Total Miles: 32

 

Week 4

Monday - Rest

 

Tuesday - 4 miles. Easy run indoors... because it was raining.

 

Wednesday - 8 miles. Workout was warm up 2 miles then do eight 800m repeats with a 200m jog in between, then cool down 3 miles. Originally I was going to do this at 9 am. Well, guess what... it was RAINING... then started HAILING. Complete and total downpour at 9 am. I decided to postpone my run until the evening. Then the sun comes out and shines all afternoon. 4 pm rolls around. I'm driving to Carmel to take my daughter to dance and run the Monon. Guess what... it starts to RAIN again. This time I didn't think to pack any extra clothes...

 

So it's raining but not too bad when I start out. I get four 800's done in 3:53, 3:54, 3:54, and 3:52. By the time I finish my third 800 I'm about 4 miles from the dance studio. The skies open up and it's a complete and total downpour again. Then it starts thunder and lightening... like really really scary lightening. I got done with my fourth 800 and got to the overpass that goes over 146th Street and was too chicken to run it in the lightening. No way was I going to be the highest point on the horizon! I stopped under the overpass with several other runners. Problem was, I couldn't huddle under there indefinitely. My daughter's class was only 90 minutes. I was covering 8 miles. I had to get back before she was done. As soon as the light changed on 146th Street I left the overpass and just booked it back to the studio... never mind trying to get the other four 800 repeats in, I just wanted to get back! I got back and figured out I'd covered 8 miles in 65 minutes.

 

Talk about being wet! I was so soaked I went into the bathroom, locked myself in a stall, and was able to take off all my clothes and wring them out into the toilet. Then I had to put all the wet clothes (which at least weren't DRIPPING wet anymore) on again and just stand inside until my daughter was done with class.

 

OK, it can stop RAINING any day now! I think I've paid my dues.

 

Thursday - Rest

 

Friday - 16 miles. I was suppose to run 20. It was a deceptively beautiful day. There was a thunderstorm all night. I remember thinking at 1 am that I really wanted to do my long run outdoors but didn't think I'd be able to do it if it was still storming. Well, it stopped raining in the middle of the night and the winds picked up so much that the pavement was dry in the morning.

 

 

 

Deceptively beautiful. It was so windy it took my breath away. Plus, I think I got a little spoiled running all month on the flat protected Monon. The county roads by my house are hilly and, this time of year, all the farm fields are completely bare and open so the winds are brutal. I was tired from working all day Thursday plus, well, I was just tired! My hamstrings started aching and by mile 16 I just couldn't take it anymore and threw in the towel. I actually had to walk another mile home but it was just too much pain and effort to keep running.

 

Ugh. This was suppose to be my last long run before Derby and I bagged it. Time to rethink the training plan. I was suppose to do another 8 mile "steady state" run next week, followed by another longer run of 10 miles at marathon pace with warm up and warm down. If I moved the 8 miler to this week, maybe I can try 20 again next week... I emailed my coach.

 

Saturday - Rest. Spent the day at work.

 

Sunday - 8 miles. No reply from my coach yet so I did the steady state workout. 2 mile warm up, 5 miles at marathon pace, 1 mile warm down.

 



 

Still running faster than goal marathon pace. Should I just let myself run in the 8:30's?

 

Week 4 Total Miles: 36

 

So now it's Week 5...

 

Today was a rest day. Coach emailed me back. The 20 miler is still in discussion. Do I really need it? I'm running the Carmel Half-Marathon as my 10 mile marathon pace run on Saturday. Plan is to warm up 2 miles, run 10 miles at 8:45 pace, then cool down for 1 mile. He said I could do this as long as I didn't "cook my legs racing." Ummm, no way am I "racing" 13.1 miles a week before my marathon. I just don't like doing long runs by myself. I'm planning 4 easy miles tomorrow, then maybe 20, then two rest days, then the half marathon. That's only 3 days of running this week but 37 miles which would make it the biggest week of this training cycle. Still doesn't feel like a lot of miles to me but no going back now!

 

Should I run a 20 miler this week? Should I let myself run in the 8:30's? There are days I feel like "I've got this!" but then there are days I'm full of doubt. There are days I really want more time to prepare but then there are days I just want April 25th to get here so I can go do this!