« September 2005 | Main | November 2005 »

October 30, 2005

Almost Back

Yesterday was the big day - the day I got to go running again! I was horribly excited about it. I woke up, had some breakfast, then got dressed and got out there. I was only going to do 4 or 5 miles, but I decided to head out to the Prairie Path for it, just because.

I got out there, headed out, and everything was good. I felt good, my ankle felt good... or so I thought. After about a half-mile, it became clear that even though I felt like I was running normally, I was favoring the left ankle. How could I tell? Because my left knee started to hurt.

Nooooo! I stopped to stretch it out a bit, and thought briefly of sticking through another couple of miles. However, as soon as I had that thought, I knew it was a bad idea, so I decided to just walk back to the car. As much as I wanted to keep going, I didn't want to keep running on the ankle when it was clearly not happy - especially if it was going to mess with my knee.

Was I bummed? Majorly. However, I had a nice walk back to the car, and it just felt good to get out there and get moving.

So! Since the run didn't work out so well, I headed into the gym to do some swimming. The pool at my new gym is pretty pimped out - it's on the 4th floor of the building, and it's got these huge floor-to-ceiling windows. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, so it was just absolutely gorgeous. Plus, there was no one else in the pool, which was even better. I haven't done any actual swimming in years, and it was nice to not feel like I was holding anyone up. They even had kickboards and those little leg floats there!

I started with 50m with the kickboard, just to make sure I remembered how to breathe and whatnot. Then I got into a groove of 25m freestyle followed by 25m backstroke. The backstroke was to give myself a chance to recover from getting water in my eyes and up my nose while still moving, and I think it worked out pretty well. I took a breather after every 50m, because, wow, swimming is hard work!

After about a half-hour, I called it quits. I was tired enough that I wasn't swimming in anything even resembling a straight line anymore, and my legs and arms were just feeling exhausted. I had been hoping to go for 45 minutes, but 30 was a good start.

Posted by Dawn at 08:12 AM | Comments (1)

October 28, 2005

Fastest. Bike Ride. Ever.

Last night, I sucked it up and joined a gym. I knew I was going to have to eventually in order to keep running through the winter, since I don't do that whole "outside in the dark" thing, but I was planning on waiting until after I moved. I was excited about it - as much as I hate the treadmill, it's better than sitting on my heiny all winter watching it slowly expand. Plus, I was hoping the availability of extra equipment and classes would actually get me to do something that resembled cross-training, since it would all be right there.

Then I got majorly antsy this past week, and then I got a good recommendation for a gym whose locations are all either near work or near public transit, and then I saw that they currently have a pay-as-you-go, no-contract membership deal. No contract! So the option exists to cancel it when springtime rolls around and I've got enough light to go running outside before and/or after work. I'm hoping I won't, for that whole "cross-training" benefit, but I won't be locked into a $70/month gym membership if I find I'm not using it. Then, when I went in there to inquire about pricing and whatnot, I discovered that my employer has a deal with them that gets me an extra 10% discount.

Sold. I filled out the paperwork and signed over some money last night after work, and this morning celebrated by getting up at 5 so I could be on a bus by 5:25 so I could get to the gym in time to work out before work. (Until I move, it works out better with the train/bus schedules to go in before work. After I move? AFTER WORK, BABY.) I'm feeling the early wake-up call now, but it felt good to move around.

Don't worry - no running yet. I'm still saving that for tomorrow. Instead, I spent 45 minutes on the Coolest. Exercise Bike. Ever.

It's a standard looking recumbent exercise bike, but it's got a really big screen on the front of it. It's a touch screen, which you use to control the resistance, workout program, etc, etc. But that's not all it does. It also works as a TV, so you can watch whatever you want, and it's got a headphone jack so you can actually have sound, instead of trying to read the closed captioning from across the room. You can also pop a CD in and listen to that. Your very own music, instead of whatever urban/hip-hop/top 40 remix the gym is playing over the sound system.

Pretty cool, eh? But wait - I haven't even gotten to the best part yet.

It also has internet access. Yes, internet. On an exercise bike. So instead of spending 45 minutes trying to find something on TV to capture my attention and get my mind off the fact that I was sitting on an exercise bike and pedaling and yet getting nowhere, I played on the internets. I checked my e-mail. I checked the news and weather. I checked my message boards. I read blogs. It was the quickest 45 minutes on an exercise bike I've ever spent in my life. It was awesome.

OK, so I was a little lost when I got to work and didn't have any new e-mails or blog entries to read, since I'd already gotten through all of them, but that's OK. It was probably better that way, since I actually had things to do today.

But internet + exercise? Absolute GENIUS. To whoever out there invented such a wonderful, wonderful thing? I think I love you.

Posted by Dawn at 04:03 PM | Comments (1)

October 26, 2005

Marathon Splits

For those that are interested, my mile splits from Sunday:

1) 11:18 2) 11:12 3) 11:15 4) 11:44 (up the bridge) 5) 10:09 (down the bridge) 6) 11:18 7) 14:49 (pit stop #1) 8) 10:50 9) 10:58 10) 11:09 11) 11:39 12) 11:14 13) 11:09 14) 19:51 (pit stop #2) 15) 10:38 (too fast! oops) 16) 11:55 17) 13:26 (the walking begins) 18) 12:02 19) 13:08 20) 14:45 21) 15:07 (visit with family) 22) 14:51 23) 17:34 (pit stop #3) 24) 13:35 25) 15:42 26) 13:43 .2) 3:19 What amazes me is that while I felt like I was crawling in those last few miles, I was still moving along pretty quickly - my longest non-pit-stop mile was only 15:42! That's not bad at all. Also, my second half only took me about 40 minutes longer than the first half. Again, for as bad as I felt? Not bad. Not bad at all. And I was running a pretty good, steady, controlled race until it started to fall apart (not as steady as it could be, but not all over the place, either). So, for the next one, I just need to work on being able to hold on to that steady and controlled pace for more than 16 miles.

Posted by Dawn at 04:31 PM

Antsy

I'm starting to feel almost recovered from the marathon. I feel more rested than I have in weeks, and keep waking up before my alarm. My ankle, which was massively sore Monday morning (I could barely walk) is almost back to normal. Even my quads are feeling almost normal again.

Which means I'm starting to feel antsy to run. I've told myself I can go running on Saturday, but not before then. My ankle's still a little twingey, and so I want to wait until it's 100% again. It doesn't make any sense to me to jump back into it before my body's ready with no major races on the horizon. But, man, I really, really want to.

I can't wait until the weekend. I'm going to get out and run Saturday morning, and it's going to be awesome.

Posted by Dawn at 04:29 PM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2005

Detroit 2005 - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

This is long. Very long. And it probably contains way more information than you ever wanted to know about what went through my head as I made my way through my first marathon. You've been warned. Grab a snack, clear some time, and proceed at your own risk.

Pre-Race

Saturday night, the boyfriend and I met up for dinner with Ryk and Len, a couple of guys from the TM boards, which was a tasty and enjoyable experience. After we got home, I double-checked to make sure everything was ready to go for the next day. I watched some TV, and then went to bed. I slept shockingly well - I was expecting to be tossing and turning all night, but I only woke up a few times. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I got almost no sleep on Friday night, or if it was the giant glass of beer I had with dinner. Either way, I woke up moments before my alarm went off Sunday morning feeling rested and ready to go.

Breakfast was oatmeal with dried cranberries and a banana. I usually eat a Clif bar before a long run, and had brought one with me, but just couldn't bring myself to eat it. Instead, I put it in the bag o' goodies for my parents to bring down to the race with them. (Also in said bag: extra Gu, Gatorade, and pretzels.) After breakfast, it was time to get dressed. I had everything sitting out, so it was just a matter of selecting which layers to wear. I opted for all of them, figuring it was better to have it and not need it than to wish I'd put the stupid thing on. Sunblock, check. Shoes & socks, check. Gloves, check. Bodyglide... no check. Brief pause to remove the layers while I applied the glide. I thought I got everywhere I needed - I even hit under my shorts and sports bra, even though I've never had chafing problems in either of those spots - although I would find out later that I missed a few, ah, cruicial spots. Oops. Throw the layers back on, grab my hat and ear-warming headband, take my bag packed with a change of clothes, and head back downstairs. I'd given the boyfriend the option of getting up early and heading down with me, or sleeping in and heading down later with my parents. I let him know I was leaving, and he mumbled "good luck" as he rolled over and went back to sleep. Clearly, he was opting for plan B.

It was only 6, but I was ready to go, and my dad, who was driving me down to the race, was also ready to go. We weren't sure what traffic would be like, or how hard it would be to find parking, so we headed out. It was early, but that was OK. I was bouncing off the walls at that point, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself if he said, "OK, we'll be leaving in 20 minutes. Sit tight for a while." Turns out, there was no traffic and no problems finding parking, so we were at the Tigers by 6:30. I said I wanted to go check my bag now, since we had some time to kill, and we started to walk around the stadium hunting for the gear check. Naturally, we wound up taking the long way around the park. At least it was a nice walk and helped to keep us warm. I checked my bag, and then it was back to the Tiger, where Tapirs should be showing up at any minute.

Len and Ryk got there first, and we spent a few minutes talking before my dad headed out. I think he may have been a little nervous about leaving me downtown... alone... in the dark... with these two shady characters he'd never met before, but he was nice enough to not say anything. He was also nice enough to take the extra layers I'd decided I didn't need home with him. Jon, Alastair, Mike and Tom rolled up shortly afterwards, and then it was time to hit the start line. I sort of wanted to hit the port-o-lets before the race, but the line was huge and not moving very fast, so I figured I'd see how it went. If I still had to go after a few miles, I'd stop then. If I didn't, then I wouldn't worry about it. In retrospect, I should have gone when we first got there, and there was no line. Things to know for next time.

I lined up just behind the 4:45 pace group. I wasn't sure if I was going to stay with them for the whole race, but I knew I didn't want to go any faster than they were, especially at the beginning. I talked to a couple of half-marathon runners, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the race started. After another eternity, we could finally see people ahead of us moving. Then, we were off. I saw the cameras at the start line, and remembered to smile and wave after I started my watch. (If anyone has a copy of the special section the Free Press had on Monday, you can sort of see me in the big photo on the front page of it. Look for the orange TM hat partially behind/to the left of the 4:45 sign.) I was off and running!

Mile 1

The sun was coming up over the city, and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day. The cold, wet, crappy, rainy, miserable weather that I'd been so worried about all week was nowhere to be seen. In its place was a clear fall day that was cool, but not too cold, and would warm up only slightly. Perfect. I was feeling great - I was relaxed, running nice and easy, holding my pace to a crawl, and hanging out just behind the 4:45 pace group. I was looking around the city, and trying to make an effort to remember everything, while trying to just stay relaxed and slow. There was a guy running just ahead of me who was moving his hands in a way that cracked me up - I can't describe it, but it amused me. I saw him a few different times in the first 10K of the race, and it made me laugh every time.

Mile 2

I'd purchased a Tyvek jacket at the expo Friday night, figuring it would be more comfortable than a garbage bag in case of rain. Even though it was a clear morning, I wore it anyway to the start to keep warm. However, by mile 2 I'd warmed up enough that I figured it was time to lose the jacket before I got so sweaty under it that I'd be suffering when I finally did take it off. I kept the gloves on for now, though, as my hands weren't quite warmed up yet. As I was trucking along, I saw a girl attempting to remove her Tyvek pants... without stopping. She'd managed to get one leg free, but was having trouble getting leg number two out. All I wanted to do was giggle and tell her she was probably going to have to stop to do that. However, I opted to keep my mouth shut and keep going. I wonder if she ever got them off? There was a wee little incline as we had to run up an overpass to get over the train tracks. I overheard someone say, "hey, they said this was a flat course!" All I could think was, "man, they're going to be in trouble on the bridge."

Mile 3

Mexican Town! For someone who grew up in the Detroit area, I know surprisingly little about the city itself. When I was younger, we only ever ventured downtown to go to the Rennaissance Center (RenCen), the Science Center, the DIA, or a game at Tiger Stadium or Joe Louis. Occasionally, there'd be something at Cobo we'd go do, but that was about it. If the People Mover doesn't run past it, chances are I have no idea it exists, so discovering this little neighborhood was a bit of a treat. The highlight was the mariachi band playing on someone's porch, as well as the smell of something tasty cooking at the Mexican Town restaurant. Also suprising? The tortilla factory! I never knew Detroit had a tortilla factory! As we left Mexican Town and started making our way towards the bridge, the volunteers at the water station were shouting, "Last water stop in America!" and "Go get that bridge!" as we ran past.

Mile 4

We looped around and over the freeway and started the climb over the bridge. I kept the effort easy, determined not to power up the hill as I tend to do, and concentrated on admiring the view. I've been on the bridge tons of times before in a car, but never on foot, and never just after sunrise. I had plenty of time to take it all in, and I was determined to use it. It was awesome - on my left, the sun was coming up over downtown, and you could just see the RenCen in front of the big yellow-orange ball if you squinted. On my right, the Detroit River had a slight mist over it, and there was a fire boat moving along the river. I could see a sign for Boblo Island on the Detroit side, and it made me wish I knew where exactly the Island was so I could look for it. As amusement parks go, it was pretty small - Cedar Point is far larger and more exciting - but I spent quite a bit of time there when I was growing up and it still makes me a little sad that it's closed. It's where I had my first experience of being pooped on by a passing seagull when I was 7, and where I learned to love roller coasters at 12.

Quite a few people around me had resorted to walking, but I was determined to make it up and over. Finally, just as my quads were starting to wonder what in the heck was going on, I saw the 4th mile marker and passed over the crest of the bridge.

Mile 5

This entire mile was downhill, and boy was it rough. I felt it in my quads and in my knees and I couldn't wait for it to end and for us to be on level ground again. However, while it lasted, I did take advantage of it and picked up some free speed, all the while reminding myself that I would have to slow down once I hit level ground again.

The coolest part of this mile? Running right through customs.

Mile 6

I was starting to think about that bathroom break I didn't take before the race, and started scoping for port-o-lets. As we ran back down past the bridge, I saw tons of people ducking behind big piles of dirt to take care of things, but I didn't have to go quite that badly yet. As we passed the aid station by the University of Windsor, I took my first gel with some water. Once we were past the campus, we were back along the riverfront and heading towards downtown Windsor.

Mile 7

I passed a few bathrooms in the riverfront park, but they all had ridiculous lines, and I wasn't willing to spend that much time waiting just yet. Finally, I spotted a set of port-o-lets with not much of a line, so I started waiting. My quads were feeling a little tight over the trek over the bridge, so I took this opportunity to stretch them out. Finally, I was back on my way. At the next aid station, I heard someone yelling out, "Canadian Gatorade!" I took some, but I can't say I noticed a difference between that and the regular American stuff. All part of the international marathon experience, I suppose.

Mile 8

Starting this mile, I was starting to see parts of downtown Windsor that I recognized, so I knew we were getting close to the tunnel. That, and the fact that on the other side of the river the RenCen, which is close to the American side of the tunnel, was getting closer and closer. The first thing I saw that I recognized was a Burger King - I wondered if it was the same BK that we'd stayed across the street from when some friends and I made a trip to Windsor just before Winter Break my junior year of college. My question was soon answered as I saw the Days Inn we stayed at that weekend come up on the right. So close to the tunnel! As we turned down the street to head towards the tunnel entrance, the "spirit station" at the corner was blaring music (I don't remember what song it was, but I remember it was upbeat, and something I knew). I was bopping along, and there was a line of volunteers cheering for us - one of them had a the boyfriendbourine, which she held out for me to hit as I ran past. Then it was through the tolls and down into the tunnel.

Mile 9

While the mile over the bridge had a far better view, the mile through the tunnel was almost as cool. I was nervous about it being hot and stuffy, but it really wasn't too bad. By the time I emerged on the other end, I was dripping sweat, but it never felt suffocatingly awful down in there, and the mile flew by. Again, I let myself pick up a bit of speed on the downhill (which was far gentler and kinder than the downhill off the bridge) and took it super-easy on the uphill. My split for this "underwater mile" was 10:58 - right on target. Again, running through customs? Very cool. Fastest. Border crossings. Ever.

Mile 10

After coming out of the tunnel, we passed by Hart Plaza, heading straight for the Cobo Center, which we ran around the back of. I was still feeling good, and still hitting splits right around 11:00. I decided to try and pull the pace back a little, at least until after the halfway point, since I wanted to keep feeling good through the end.

Miles 11 & 12

Heading back towards the new ballpark and Ford Field, this was one of those miles that made me say, "Detroit is just not a pretty city." We were in a bleak, blank, boring area, and it was surprising how quickly we'd gone from Big Downtown Area to Rundown Urban Crap. It would have been depressing if we weren't almost halfway done. I took gel number 2 of the day, and kept trucking along.

Mile 13

When my dad and I parked next to Hockeytown in the morning, I saw a 20K sign on the sidewalk across the street, and said, "hmm, the route comes through here." Now here I was passing by it already. As we came around the corner, the half marathoners split off to head into Ford Field for their finish, and the full marathoners kept heading down the street. I was afraid that when I hit this point, I'd be tired and cranky and not at all feeling like running another 13.2 miles, but it wasn't an issue. I watched them go, and I was excited to keep going. Shortly after the split, there were a few guys standing buy the course with half marathon bibs on. As I got closer to them, one of them threw their arms in the air and yelled, "First timers rule!" I threw my arms up and yelled back. If I'd had any doubts about whether or not I'd be able to finish the rest of the race, they were immediately gone.

Mile 14

The course got kind of twisty and turny here for a bit, and then I hit the half marathon split timing mat at 2:30:05 (official time). A few more turns, and kids from Rochester Adams (a local high school about 45 minutes north of downtown) were handing out bottles of water. I wasn't going to take one, because I wasn't all that thirsty and didn't feel like carrying it, but I figured what the heck, I could always drop it if it got annoying, and took one. Of course, shortly after that I got the feeling that I needed a pit stop. ASAP. Just as I was cursing the fact that I was in the middle of downtown and, therefore, couldn't exactly squat behind a tree, I came by a port-o-let on the I-75 overpass. There was a line, but I didn't care. The last guy in line was kind enough to let me cut ahead of him, since I was running and he wasn't (his wife was running her first marathon). He was also kind enough to let me hang on to his shoulder while I stretched out my quads, which were still feeling tight and cranky. We had a nice little chat, and then, finally, I was off and running again.

Mile 15

Still feeling fantastic! This was through yet another ugly part of town, but there was a Gu station! I grabbed a couple for later, and took one at the aid station just after the 15 mile marker. The aid station also had a woman with vaseline, which I was just starting to think would be a fantastic idea, so I grabbed some and relubed a few spots. My only problem this mile? I ran it way too fast, with a split of 10:38. I was past the halfway point, but it still felt way too early to be picking it up that much. I made a mental note to slow it down a bit.

Mile 16

Somewhere during this mile is where I went from feeling fantastic to feeling not-so-good. My hip flexors started to feel achy and tired, which happened on a couple of my Really Long Runs. I stopped, did some walking and stretching, and tried to keep trucking along. When I hit the mile marker, I thought, "6 more miles until I see my parents," since that sounded way better than "10 miles to go."

Mile 17

And here is where I started to really feel like crap. My legs hurt, and they weren't getting any better. When I took the Tyvek jacket off earlier that morning, I'd tied it around my waist. I saw a garbage can along the side of the road and decided to toss the jacket, because, clearly, all 2 oz of it is what was weighing me down. Into the garbage it went. Around here I met Kristy, another first-timer, and we talked for a bit as we stopped to stretch by a light pole. We got separated just before the aid station when she stopped to walk and I kept running. I grabbed some water and kept going, but I was starting to feel really panicky. I focused on breathing and just getting to Belle Isle. As I hit the bridge, I had to stop and walk for a bit, and I burst into tears. Kristy caught up with me, and asked if I was OK. I told her I was fine, I wasn't hurt, I was just tired and hurty. She gave me a hug, walked with me for a bit, and said that we could run together for a while. By the time we passed the mile 17 marker on the bridge, I was still feeling like crap, but at least I was smiling again.

Miles 18 - 20

Kristy and I alternated walking and running around Belle Isle. I'd never been over there before, and was surprised by how beautiful it was - especially since the last stretch of Jefferson Ave we'd been on left quite a bit to be desired from a "scenery" aspect. There were tons of aid and spirit stations, which kept us going. An older man passing by saw our green bibs, and told us that if we were going to walk, we should try to take a few exaggerated strides to better stretch out our legs. I tried it, and it felt fantastic. It even helped work out the ass cramps I was getting, which, wow, that was not a comfy situation. We walked through all the aid stations, tried to run as much as we could, and got each other around the island. At one point, she turned to me and said, "you're really helping me" to which all I could say was, "no, you're helping me." She was disappointed I lived in Chicago, since she was looking for a running partner. It may have felt like it took us forever to get around the island, but at least we enjoyed it a bit more and didn't have to suffer alone. We passed the 20 mile marker just after 4 hours - I'd been taking a gel every hour, but my stomach was starting to feel a little funky, and I was afraid another gel would turn things ugly in a few minutes, so I just kept going.

Mile 21

All the walking we did around the island helped re-energize my legs, and I was starting to feel a bit better, mentally. I was at a point where I had less than 2 miles until I saw my family, and that was all I cared about. Kristy stopped to walk for a bit, and I told her I had to keep going. I was trying to get some momentum back, the legs were back in the game, so I went on. I told her I'd see her at the finish, if not before then.

Once I was alone, though, I started to lose it again. I was, at this point, about a half-hour behind the 4:45 pace I told my parents I might be at. I did tell them that I wouldn't be going faster (and I made them a copy of the pace band so they could transfer that into useful info), but I was feeling like I was further behind than I was, and a horrible horrible thought entered my mind: What if my parents thought they missed me, and already headed to the finish line? What if they weren't going to be there? I had been hanging so much on the mental refresher of seeing my parents and boyfriend and what if that wasn't going to happen? I just about burst into tears on the course again, and stopped to walk so I could breathe and compose myself. They would be there. They had to be there. That's all there was to it, and so I kept running.

Mile 22

Less than a mile to my parents! They'd told me about where they'd be, so I was planning on seeing them somewhere between the 22 mile and 23 mile marker. I was running through Indian Village now, and so I spent some time admiring the (absolutely beautiful) houses. It actually reminded me of the neighborhoods that the Ridge Run went through back on Memorial Day. I passed by another Gu station, but didn't take any. I still had two in my amphipod pouchy thing, and I wasn't sure if the stomach ouchiness was of the "I need a bathroom STAT" variety or the "I'm going to throw up" variety. Either way, I wasn't willing to chance it.

Then, as I neared the corner just before the 22 mile marker, I saw them. On the corner - my mom, my dad, and the boyfriend. I was mildly disappointed that my brother hadn't gotten up on time to come down with them, but only for a second. My mom was there! I practically sprinted towards them, and then grabbed my mom in a hug and burst into tears. I probably scared the crap out of the poor woman and took 10 years off her life, but I didn't care. I was tired and hurty and I wanted my mommy and she was there. She let me cry for a bit, and then asked if I was OK. I said I was fine, but my stomach hurt and I was tired. My dad told me I was probably low on potassium, and should have an energy bar and/or a gel. I told him I didn't want anything. My mom opened up a gel and handed it to me, so I guess I had to eat it. I washed it down with the Gatorade I brought, and just as my dad was trying to convince me to take the energy bar with me, a sag van pulled up.

The driver asked if I wanted a ride, and I said no. He asked if I was OK, and I told him I was fine. He said there was a doctor in the van, and then the back door opened up and someone else asked me if I was OK. I said I was fine. Was I sure I didn't want a ride? YES. For a moment, I was so scared they were going to make me go with them. That I was going to get 22 miles into it and then DNF because I just had to stop and have my little nervous breakdown. I didn't bust my ass all summer to get this far and not finish, dammit! I had plenty of time before they were going to close the course, and there was only 4.2 miles left. I could crawl that if I had to. My mom later said that I was pretty emphatic about NOT getting in the van (although she was impressed by the fact that they pulled up to see if I was OK pretty quickly and offered me a ride), and, finally, I was able to convince them that I was A-OK and was going to finish on my own. I took another swig of Gatorade, gave my dad, mom, and the boyfriend a hug, and then took off. As I passed the mile marker, a volunteer on the course said, "way to get back in the race!"

Mile 23

Shortly after I left my parents, that "time for a pit stop NOW" feeling came back. I finally found a port-o-let at the end of the mile, and there was no wait! Bonus! Except... oh, wow, ew... someone that had been in there previously apparently had a massive digestive emergency and, well, the back of the seat suffered. They had put TP over it, but, wow, it was gross. It definitely wasn't fresh, because it wasn't horribly offensively stinky, but, wow, it was gross. However, I had to do something before I had my own digestive emergency, so I just stayed forward. Ewwww. In my defense, I may not have been thinking clearly at that point. (Still. Ewwww.)

Woefully, the bathroom stop didn't help my stomach cramps as much as I had hoped. When I left my parents, I was feeling a bit better, but no more. Ow. Oh well. Just keep trucking.

I'd been thanking the police officers that were blocking/directing traffic along the course all morning. Some of them said thanks, some of them just nodded, but they were all varying degrees of friendly and/or polite. Except for the woman near the mile 23 marker. When I said thanks, she simply said to the group of us passing at the time, "Get a move on! I want to go home!"

That did not sit well with me. In my mind, I had some very choice words for her. However, since she was an officer of the law, I kept my mouth shut and fumed silently to myself. The last thing I needed was to get arrested for assaulting an officer, as I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have let me finish the marathon first. Thankfully, the guys just behind me were a little more coherent and a little less foul-tempered, and said, "YOU want to go home? WE want to go home!" It wasn't quite the same as what I had planned, but it was something.

Miles 24 - 26

I tried to run. I really did, but my stomach just wasn't having any of it, and I was so. Damn. Frustrated. Of all the stupid annoying things that happened in training, stomach cramps were not one of them, and so I didn't know how to fix it. I was tired, my feet were starting to hurt, but I only had 2 miles left! I totally could have run that, but, noooo. The stomach. The owwie ouchie stomach. Finally, I just told myself, "Self, there ain't nothing wrong with walking. You've been running all damn morning, you're almost done, and you're hurty. Give yourself a damn break." I was too tired to argue with that, so I just walked.

About halfway through mile 24 (just before the 40K marker), Kristy caught up with me again, and asked how I was doing. I told her I was OK, still a little hurty and crampy. She looked fantastic - much better and far less tired than she did when I left her a few miles back. She asked me how close to 25 we were, and walked with me for a bit. She said she was going to start running again when she hit the 25 mile marker, and asked me if I wanted to run in with her. I thought about it, but I didn't want to slow her down, so I told her to go ahead and I'd see her at the finish. I wished her good luck, and she took off.

Shortly after she left, I passed by an ambulance parked on the median. I tried to stand up a little straighter and look alive, because after my encounter with the sag van, I was still a little worried that they might decide I wasn't able to continue and pull me off the course, and I was not going to let that happen. There would be medical personnel at the finish, and if I needed something, I could get it then. I was almost done. I was going to finish the damn thing, come hell or high water, even if it took me an hour to get through the last mile, and no one was going to get in my way. Luckily, I was being a little ridiculous, and I passed by the ambulance without incident.

Just before the mile 26 marker, the buildings on the side of the road started to look a little nicer, and there were more people out. (Since mile 23, it had been a long, desolate, ugly stretch down Lafayette Ave. My dad works with someone who's run the marathon before, and it was described to him as "the part that really sucks." So true for so many reasons.) When I heard someone yell, "only a half mile left!" I started running again. My stomach hurt, but if I ran, I'd only have to deal with it for another 5 or 6 minutes. I could do that. I could do anything for 5 or 6 minutes.

I came into Greektown, and the crowd along that last turn was amazing! I couldn't believe there were that many people still out there, cheering us slow pokes on. My mom was standing on the side of the road, and she yelled "good job!" as I passed by. (Turns out she'd headed down there with the intention of walking that last quarter mile or so with me, except I was running!) I turned the last corner as everyone yelled, "you're almost there!" and I could see Ford Field just a few blocks down. I was almost done. I was actually going to finish it.

The Last .2

Right after I turned the corner, my stomach yelled at me. Why was I running? It was hurty! I ignored it and kept going. I ran around to the entrance to Ford Field. My dad's co-worker had told him to warn me to stay near the side, and that it was steep and dark. He wasn't kidding. My first thought was, "damn, this IS dark," and for a second I felt like I couldn't see anything. Then my eyes adjusted, and I was fine. I was picking up all sorts of speed on the downhills, and I could see how easy it would be for someone to fall down the hill if their legs were about to give out on them. Mine held out, though. As I was running down the hills, I had the horrible thought that they'd make us do a lap around the field before reaching the finish. I was determined not to walk once I entered the field, and I wasn't sure if I had a lap around it in me (of course, basic math would determine that since I'd already passed the 26 mile marker, they couldn't fit in a 400 yard lap around the field without making the course longer than 26.2 miles... but I wasn't thinking that clearly). Thankfully, once I hit the astroturf, it was a small, quick run to the finish. I picked it up, gave it everything I had, and sprinted through the finish.

I'd done it. I'd finished the marathon. I was a marathoner. I happily took the mylar blanket and had my chip removed. I remember JKo telling me to stay on the field as long as I wanted to, because once I left, I wouldn't be able to get back down there. So I did. I walked around for a little bit, and saw Kristy and her husband stretching on the astroturf. I went and got my picture taken with my medal. I thought about sitting down to stretch, but I was feeling absolutely exhausted at that point, and was afraid if I sat down I'd never get back up. I saw my parents waving to me from the stands, probably wondering what on earth I was doing wandering around like I was lost. I started walking over to see if I could get up into the stands where they were, but it didn't look like it. I looked up at the monitors at the runners and walkers still coming through the finish line. I looked at the field. I looked up at the roof. I took it all in, knowing that I might never have another chance to stand on the field like this. Finally, I decided I was ready to head up the stairs.

The stairs weren't that bad, and I set out to find the gear pick up, but got distracted by the massage area. There was no line, so I figured I'd so that first. I would have been happy just to lie down on the table for 5 or 10 minutes and be off my feet, but the massage? That was wonderful. I felt bad for the poor girl, who by that point must have handled hundreds of sweaty nasty runners, but I just didn't care all that deeply. I had her help me up, and wrapped myself back in my shiny blanket. On my way to gear check, I saw that all of the food/water/gatorade stations had been torn down (by this point, it was beyond the 6-hour cutoff), which bummed me out. However, I knew I still had most of a quart of Gatorade with my parents, and I wasn't hungry yet. I picked up my bag, cleaned up a bit and changed, and then headed outside to find them.

I was greeted with applause, as they were all waiting just outside the exit. My mom took one look at me and exclaimed, "You look like a 3 Musketeers bar!" (I was still wrapped in my mylar blanket, because I was freezing, even after changing into dry, warmer clothes.) My dad said he parked the car two miles away, and before I could say, "well, then you'll have to bring the car to me," he confessed he was kidding. They were just down the street, past the lot I'd just run by. It wasn't far at all, but it really did feel like it was a couple of miles away. As we were walking (or, in my case, shuffling) back to the car, the boyfriend asked me if I had any blisters. I told him I sort of felt one forming on my left arch, but looked and didn't see anything (I'd changed into flip flops). He just heard "I felt one forming" and then said, "oh, yeah, I see it." I didn't see it until we were stopped at a traffic light. I looked down, and my left big toe looked... well, it just looked wrong. It took me a second to figure out what it was - on the outside of it, there was a blister the size of a jelly bean. Easy. It was HUGE. The blister that ate my toe. I just stared at it, completely shocked that I didn't feel it at all during the race.

The Aftermath

Once we got home, my brother was there to congratulate me. I showed off my medal, finished off all the Gatorade I had in the house, and then sat down for a few minutes before dragging my sorry butt upstairs to the shower. Then I sat on the couch and slept through the end of the Lions/Browns game. I finished the race around 1:15, but didn't get even a little hungry until after 5. I had half a bagel and we had dinner shortly after that, which I picked at. I was sort of hungry, but not really. I didn't really get my appetite back until after 10 p.m., at which point I ate just about everything in the house (leftover pad thai and a whole bagel with cream cheese, then a couple slices of pizza a couple hours later). I was stiff, sore, and tired, but feeling better. The stomach cramps had gone away by the time we got home. I woke up Monday morning with a seriously hurty ankle, but that was the worst of it. Sure, my quads are sore and stairs have been a challenge, but it's getting better. Even the ankle is feeling better today. (And, as annoying as the majorly hurty ankle is, it's probably for the best. If it hadn't been for the ankle, I probably would have tried to run a couple of miles today, and I'm pretty sure it's too soon for that. REST, Dawn. REST.)

Will I do it again? You betcha. I know I have a better marathon in me - one without cramping or stomach problems - and I know I can figure out how to get myself there. I feel like I was close on this one, which, for the first time out, is amazing. By the time spring marathon season rolls around, I'll be Ready for it.

The weirdest thing, though? Is that it doesn't feel quite real. I know I ran those 26.2 miles. I know I was in pain, I know it was hard, and I know that I stuck it out and did it. I have the medal to prove it, and I remember what it's weight felt like as it was put on my neck at the finish line. I have all these very tactile memories, yet, somehow, it almost feels like some sort of strange dream. Like it wasn't really me that did it. As much as I know I was there, I'm still having a hard time believing it.

I am a marathoner. I know it's true - it just hasn't sunk in yet.

Posted by Dawn at 05:24 PM | Comments (6)

I Did It!

It took me 5 hours, 37 minutes, and 16 seconds, but I did it. I finished the marathon on Sunday.

Since then, I've been resting and working on my full (long, epic) report. Stay tuned for that if you're interested. Most of it was good, and I had a lot of fun. Some parts of it flat out sucked, but I never once thought I wouldn't finish or wondered why I ever thought I could do it. I did, however, wish on multiple occasions that the finish line was right around the corner instead of 4 or 6 or 8 miles away.

Will I do it again? You bet. I'm happy with how it turned out, but I know I've got a better race in me.

For now, the quick version:

Half-marathon split: 2:30:05
Chip time: 5:37:16
Underwater mile split (through the Windsor Tunnel): 10:58

Gus consumed: 5 (two plain, one chocolate, one vanilla, one banana)
Post-race massages: 1, and it was fantastic

Best quote of the day: "You look like a 3 Musketeers bar" - my mom, upon seeing me emerge from Ford Field wrapped in a mylar blanket.

Blisters: 2, one of which was the size of a jelly bean on my big toe
Areas coated in BodyGlide: nearly all
Areas uncomfortably chafed: The one I missed

Amount of rain called for: cold, miserable drizzle all day long
Amount of rain actually had: none - it was a perfect, beautiful day

International borders crossed: 2
Coolness factor of running through customs: off the charts

Awesome volunteers: too many to count

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support - I couldn't have done it without you!

Posted by Dawn at 05:58 AM | Comments (21)

October 20, 2005

Cranky

For the second time this month, work has conspired to keep me here late. Late enough that it is now dark outside, so running when I finally get home is out of the question. Late enough that I can't even go to the fitness center at my boyfriend's apartment, since that will also be closed by the time I get home.

So, here I am, less than 3 days out from my first marathon, and I haven't run since Sunday. I'm going to get in a quick 4 miles tomorrow morning before I leave, and then maybe take the legs out for a quick 2 mile spin Saturday morning. I know, I know, I should be resting, but I've spent the whole week resting, and I just want to make sure I haven't forgotten how to run before Sunday.

Clearly, if I'm going to do any weekday running at all this winter, a gym membership is going to be absolutely necessary.

Posted by Dawn at 05:59 PM | Comments (3)

Packing

Last night after my Japanese test (which was really hard, so we shall not speak of it), I had some time to kill while the rest of the class finished up. So I started making my packing list for the weekend. I decided to split it into two parts, so that nothing would be forgotten: stuff I'll need for the marathon on Sunday, and stuff I'll need for the rest of the weekend.

The list of stuff I need just for the race on Sunday? Including food and warm, dry post-run clothes (since the current forecast is for a high of 50 with chance of showers... but we shall not speak of that)? Is longer than the list of stuff I need for the rest of the weekend. Also, the marathon list? Is far more specific. It's got entries like "pink Nike shorts" and "purple sports bra" and "orange gatorade x2", while my "other" list is far more generic. That list has entries like "shirts x3" and "socks x4".

I think it's obvious where my focus is. I think my list is complete... now the trick is to actually get all that stuff out to Michigan. (Getting it on the list is a step in the right direction, but doesn't guarantee that it'll actually make it into the suitcase.) (On the plus side, I do know where there's a running store by my parents' house, so if I do forget something vital, I know where I can get a replacement.)

Less than 20 hours until I leave for Detroit, and less than 72 hours to Go Time.

Posted by Dawn at 02:20 PM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2005

Pace Band

Ever since my 20-miler run, I've been thinking about pace. Originally, I thought I might shoot for a 4:30, but now I think that's a bit too ambitious. I might be able to do it, but I'm not confident enough in that to risk going out that fast and then crashing halfway through.

Instead, I have decided that if all the planets align and everything goes well and my stomach doesn't rebel, I can hit a 4:45. So that's what we'll sort of try for. I spent the week creating pace bands online and looking at them, asking myself if I could really do it. I think I can.

Today, I made my last pace band and saved the file to my computer. Later today, I'll print it out, cover it in clear tape, and put it in my pile o' stuff to take to Detroit.

Tomorrow, I pack. Friday, I drive to Michigan. Saturday, I relax and hit the expo (unless I have time to go Friday night).

Then, Sunday? Sunday I run.

Posted by Dawn at 11:25 AM | Comments (3)

October 18, 2005

Almost There

First of all, a big huge THANK YOU! to those of you that chimed in and assured me that the pre-marathon freak-out is not only normal, it's expected. You'll all be happy to know that I got some great running in this weekend and am back to feeling like I'm going to kick some major ass. Although, whenever someone asks me if I'm ready, I just say, "I'm as ready as I'm going to get." I don't want to oversell it and jinx myself, you know?

This weekend featured an awesome 9-mile run on Saturday. A running friend was in town for her son's hockey tournament, so we met up for a nice little jog (she's training for Disney). We wound up talking the entire time, and I couldn't believe how fast the time just flew by! I also couldn't believe that after running a 10:30 - 10:40 pace for 9 miles, I was still talking without any problems. This makes me feel better about my Dream Goal for the marathon on Sunday.

This was followed by a ridiculously speedy 3-mile run on Sunday. I felt like I was working, but I wasn't running all out. I was just jogging along, not trying to push myself but not trying to slow myself down either. The 3 miles flew by in 28:47. For comparison, my 5K PR I set this summer (back in June) is 28:29. I'm sort of excited for the next 5K I'm going to run now - I don't know when it's going to be, but as long as I can maintain the shape I'm in now? I think I can bust that PR to pieces. (Which is exciting, since that race busted my previous PR of 31:15, which, at the time, I was pretty impressed with.) If nothing else, that might be enough to brave the treadmill over the winter and get off my heiny after the marathon and keep running.

So, this week, I've calmed down, I'm pumped, excited, and ready to go. I don't always feel ready - in fact, I've been feeling ridiculously sluggish and lazy so far. I don't think I'm drinking enough water or getting enough sleep, and I'm fairly sure I'm eating too much. I'm trying not to obsess over it, though, since it's a busy week. Tonight, I've got a happy hour to go to, and tomorrow night I've got a test I haven't studied for yet. Thursday night is packing night, and then we hit the road for Detroit bright & early Friday morning. Eeek! I really can't believe that after all these months of training, race day is finally almost here. I have stopped checking the weather - the temperature forecast seems to be holding steady at 50-60, which is fantastic. The only variable seems to be whether or not it's going to rain. And, if it is? I'm honestly better off not knowing that until the night before. I'll pack enough running clothes to get me through anything, and figure it all out on Saturday night. Or maybe Sunday morning. We'll see.

If nothing else, this little piece of news is keeping me happy and excited this week: I e-mailed my brother last week, to remind him that the marathon was this coming weekend, and to see if he'd be able to come and watch the finish. He's not a morning person, and lives about an hour west of Detroit, so I really didn't expect him to show up in time for the 7:35 start. My 12:00 - 12:30 finish is much more up his alley. So imagine my surprise when I got his response, and he said he'd talked to our parents and was thinking about heading over to their house in the morning and riding downtown with us, so he could see the whole thing.

I couldn't believe it! My brother, who doesn't get up early for anything, was volunteering to leave his house by 5 or 5:30 so he could be at our parents' by 6 or 6:30 so I could be downtown by 7? Really? I told him that it was up to him, but it would be really awesome if he could come over early and see the whole thing. Sometimes, he really surprises me with how decent of a person he is these days - a far cry from the little brat who used to terrorize me on a daily basis. (But that's what little brothers are for, right?)

I'm also working out a deal with my boyfriend to have him jump in around mile 21 or 22 and run a few miles at the end of the race with me. A couple people have recommended I do this, since by that point the company may be the mental boost I need. The boyfriend's knee has been bothering him a bit lately, but he said that as long as it feels OK, he's got no problem running 4 or 5 miles with me at the end. Fantastic! I'll have crowd support and a running buddy. What more could a girl ask for?

The last bit of planning I'm plotting is to give my parents a banana, a bottle of Gatorade, and maybe a granola bar, and ask them to hang on to it during the race. That way, if I want any of those things when I pass by them on the course, I've got it.

All that's left to do is pack my stuff, get to Detroit, pick up my stuff at the expo, and sit down with my parents and the course map to figure out where they'll be on the course to see me, so I know where to look for them!

Posted by Dawn at 04:12 PM

October 14, 2005

Panic

Nine days left until the big day. Just nine little days. This week has gone fantastically - I've put in my fastest training miles ever. My legs just want to GO when I head out to run. I'm finishing my runs tired, but not wiped out. I almost wish I could get out and run more, since it's felt so good lately. Last weekend, I was at a wedding where I told everyone I'd be running a marathon in two weeks. I was pumped. I was excited. I was Ready To Go.

Yet today? Today I am panicking. Today I am wondering just what in the hell I have gotten myself into. I'm wondering what on earth ever made me think I could actually do this. I'm afraid that no one will come and watch. I'm afraid that I'll spend the whole course looking for my family on the sidelines, and I'll never see them. Mostly, I'm afraid that I'll hit 20 miles and be mentally exhausted and there will be no one around to tell me that it'll be OK, that I can do this, that I just need to get my ass in gear and run because there's only a freaking 10K and I can do a 10K in my sleep at this point.

I don't know what happened - maybe it's becuase it's a crappy cloudy day outside. Maybe it's because it's dark both when I get up in the morning and when I get home from work. Maybe it's because I've got about 400 other things that I'm sort of half stressed about (like, the fact that I'm moving two weeks after the marathon, for starters, and have to pack and move and I really really really hate moving and can't I just go to sleep and wake up in my new apartment and not have to actually do anything to get there), and this is just the icing on the cake.

Maybe it's because I haven't done any long runs in two weeks - I missed my long run last week due to the incredibly craptastic weather in Cleveland. I'm only doing 9 miles this weekend, and what if by next weekend I've forgotten how to run anything longer than that? What if no matter how carefully I eat, I still have a digestive rebellion on marathon day? What if it rains? Or snows? Or is 95 degrees outside? (The forecast is currently calling for a partly cloudy high if 58 with little to no wind, but you never know.)

I'm sure I'll be OK. I'm sure that, one way or another, I'll manage to haul my sorry ass from one end of the course to the other. I guess I'm just really, really tense about getting stuck out there alone in those last few lonely miles and having a total nervous breakdown because it HURTS and I'm TIRED and WHY AM I NOT DONE YET???

That won't happen, right? Right? In fact I will love every minute of this whole stupid thing and it'll be the best thing that ever happened to me.

Just, you know, humor me here.

Posted by Dawn at 10:59 AM | Comments (4)

October 11, 2005

Perspective

My training schedule this week calls for a total of 21 miles: 4 today, 6 tomorrow, 3 on Thursday, and 8 on Saturday. I was looking at my calendar this morning and actually thought, "That's it? That's nothing! I'll have all sorts of time to actually do something besides work and run this week!" Whereas 6 months ago, when this whole crazy adventure was just starting, 20 miles in a single week seemed like a whole heck of a lot of running. Now it's a vacation.

Posted by Dawn at 02:28 PM | Comments (3)

October 10, 2005

Northeast Ohio Race for the Cure

This past weekend, the boyfriend and I were in Cleveland for (yet another) wedding. On Thursday, I got an e-mail from him saying that the Race for the Cure out there was on Saturday, and did I want to run it? We were staying with a friend, and his girlfriend was planning on running it, so I'd be able to get a ride with her. At first, I said no - I wanted to run more than 3 miles on Saturday, and didn't want to worry about going back out to run after I got back from the race. By Friday evening, though, I'd changed my mind. The Cleveland Race for the Cure was the very first race I'd ever run (in 2003), so how could I pass up a chance to go back and run that race again? Especially just two weeks before my first marathon.

So I decided to do it. At 6:30 Saturday morning, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready to go. Christine, my ride to the race, warned me that she'd checked the weather and it was 50 with a good chance of rain. I went back upstairs and grabbed the long-sleeved shirt I had. As soon as we stepped outside, we discovered that it was already running. Fantastic. I silently hoped that by the time we got downtown, the rain would let up. Maybe. A bit.

It didn't. We found the registration tent and got me signed up. Then we looked for Christine's sister, who was meeting her there. Then we looked for somewhere to stand where we might just maybe be able to get out of the rain. Finally, after a little more than half an hour walking around in the cold and windy rain, it was time to line up for the start. It was definitely warmer in the big mass o' people, so we just hung tight and waited for the race to start. We realized that we were both planning on running about the same pace (30 minutes for the 5K), so we decided to just go ahead and run together. It was right about now that Christine turned to me and said, "You know what the sick thing is? This is the kind of day where if I'd just gotten up to go run, I'd go right back to bed. Yet I'm willing to pay someone to let me stand around for an hour in this crap before I run 3 miles."

Minutes before the start of the race, they announced that they'd be delaying the start by 15 minutes - apparently traffic was backed up more than usual, and runners/walkers were still making their way down to the start. Which, whatever. Rather than spend another 15 minutes standing out in the rain, we headed over towards the first-aid tent - we were able to get a little bit of shelter, and they had a heat lamp sitting out front. Definitely an improvement. Finally, it was time head towards the start. Again. But for real this time.

After the race started, we discovered we'd gotten stuck behind a huge pack of walkers. There was much weaving and running on the sidewalk - I remember when I first ran the race 2 years ago, I saw all of the people passing us by on the sidewalks and thought, "wow, they're really fast." Now I was one of those people - go figure. I noticed right away that the course was the reverse of the one I ran in 2003 - then, we started out running around the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Browns Stadium, then went through downtown before coming back around to Voinovich Park. The nice thing about that course was the downhill finish - I clearly remember that downhill finish, since I was dead and spent by that point and just Ready To Be Done. This year, it made for a slightly uphill start.

The race just flew by. As we were coming around the back of Tower City, I looked at my watch and realized we were right around the halfway point, and 17 minutes had already passed. I couldn't believe it. As we were heading back down towards the lake, a spectator yelled, "only half a mile left!" My first thought was, "that's it? Already?" Since I wasn't standing around getting drizzled on anymore, I'd warmed up nicely and wasn't all that cold anymore. Nor was I really ready to be almost done - I was just getting started! (Which was such a change from the 2003 race - then, when I got down to the last half-mile or so, I wanted to stop and walk and go home, but Ken kept me going. That race seemed endless, where this one was so very short.)

We picked up some speed on the downhill next to Browns Stadium, and kept going at the faster pace since we were so close to being done. I checked the Forerunner a few times in here, and it told me I was running at an 8:00 - 8:30 pace - of course, it also told me I'd already run 3.25 miles, so I took it with a grain of salt, as usual.

Of course, the faster pace caught up with me right before the finish, but since I was running with someone, I sucked it up and kept going. We crossed the finish line right around 31 minutes - the reading on my Forerunner was 30:49, but I remember seeing a 31:xx on the official clock. Either way, I'll take it, especially since we had so many problems with crowds at the beginning. Sadly, I don't have splits - I turned off the auto-split on the Forerunner, thinking I'd take manual ones at the mile markers. Of course, I'd forgotten that this race doesn't have mile markers. Oh well.

We walked around the race for a bit, picking up free foods and other samples (free Lip Smackers from Bonne Bell!), before getting completely sick of the cold and drizzle and deciding it was time to head home. I had planned to head back out for a wee bit more running after the race, but in that weather? I decided it wasn't worth it, and just took a fantastically wonderful hot shower, and then curled up on the couch under a blanket. Aaaaahhhh.

Posted by Dawn at 12:57 PM | Comments (1)

October 03, 2005

The Big One

This weekend was the big 20-mile training run. It's been the mini-goal that I've spent the last 3 months building up to. Sure, all of this running I've been doing is to get me ready for the marathon itself, but I honestly hadn't been thinking ahead that far. I was focused on getting to and getting through the 20-miler, trusting that if I could do that, everything else would fall into place.

Since this was both the last big run before the marathon and the longest run I'd do before the marathon, I wanted to make it sort of like a dress rehearsal. It would give me a chance to test drive my dinner the night before, breakfast the morning of, clothing, and how often to take Gatorade/water/Gu. I was looking at it as one last chance to make sure I had my plan set for the big day. I was even able to reproduce that "I'm so nervous and/or excited I think I'm going to hurl" feeling that I will likely have on race day, because I'm just that good.

Of course, the rehearsal wasn't perfect. I'd stuck around in the city after work on Friday to go look at an apartment, so I got home from work far later than usual, which meant I didn't have dinner until 9:00. (Although, it worked out pretty well - I may go for the late dinner before race day anyway.) I also didn't get to sleep in and relax on Friday since I had to go to work (whereas the day before the race is a Saturday, and the only thing I'll have to do that day is get down to the expo to pick up my number/chip/whatnot). Dinner was spaghetti and breadsticks and salad, then it was home to relax and get my butt to bed.

The race starts at 7:35, so the plan was to get up at 6:30 so I could be on the trail by 7:30. Again, not perfect, since I'll have to be up far earlier than an hour before the race starts, but close enough for now. I've been having Clif bars for breakfast before my long runs all summer, but last week hit the limit of my Clif bar tolerance. I had no desire to choke one down Saturday morning, nor do I expect to have any desire to choke one down before the race. I decided to experiment with having a bagel and peanut butter for breakfast, had a big glass of water since I felt thirsty, got my stuff together and headed out.

I got to the trail and headed out. For as keyed up as I felt, I was able to settle into a groove almost immediately, and it felt great. Already this run was feeling much better than last weekend's. I concentrated on taking it easy, keeping the pace slow, keeping myself loose and relaxed, and going with the flow. I made a quick pit stop after about an hour and then had some gel. By the halfway point, it was clear my stomach was not happy about something. I made another stop and then got back on the trail. I wound up doing a lot of walking during miles 9 and 10 while my stomach settled down. However, trying to figure out what the heck I ate that was sitting so badly gave me something to think about for a few miles.

By mile 11, I was running again. My stomach had settled, I still felt loose and strong, and I'd decided it was a tie between the peanut butter on my bagel that morning and the popcorn on the train home Friday night, and made a mental note to avoid both of them before the marathon. On one hand, I was annoyed that I'd put such a dent into my long run by trying something new. On the other, I was glad I'd found out then instead of during the marathon itself.

By mile 13, the sun was out and it was heating up quickly. It was about now that I realized that I hadn't put sunblock on before I left that morning. I always always forget that you can get sunburned just as easily in 50-degree weather as you can in 80-degree weather, which is why I'd forgotten it in the morning. However, by now it was nearly 75 degrees, and I was kicking myself. I figured that since I couldn't do anything about it, I might as well stop worrying about it. Oops.

Near the mile 14 mark, I went off the trail to stop at the McDonald's about 1/4 of a mile down the road. I made another quick pit stop, and asked if they could refill my (now empty) water bottle with water. They did! No problem, and no charge. Fantastic. Back on the trail, six miles to go, and I still felt pretty good. I was getting tired, but I was still keeping a decent pace and still felt pretty strong, considering I'd been running for nearly 3 hours. A little over an hour and I'd be done!

Things went well until the last 3 miles or so, when I started to get mentally tired. I wanted to be done. My legs kept trying to pick up the pace, but I kept holding back. Never having run more than 16 miles, I didn't want to start picking it up with 3 miles left to go, only to completely die a mile from my car. By the 18-mile mark, I was out of water (I really, really need to come up with either a better plan to get water/Gatorade on the long runs - either run shorter out-and-backs so I can refill at my car, stash bottles, carry more with me, run on trails with drinking fountains/stores, or a combination of the above. I've run out of beverage before the end of my run too many times this summer, and it's just no good), mentally exhausted, and starting to feel a twinge on the inside of my right knee. I was coming up on a street crossing, so I took the change to stop and stretch out my legs really well. I crossed the street, started jogging again, and both of my knees immediately locked up with some sort of crampy ouchy thing.

I don't know what it was, but it hurt, and brought me to a dead stop. It was all I could do not to sit down on the side of the path and cry. Instead, I bent over, massaged around my knees, and took some deep breaths and tried to calm myself down. Once I'd relaxed, I started walking. Then walking a little faster. I didn't want to walk the rest of the way back to my car, so I tried a little jogging, and it felt OK. I knew there was a water fountain about a mile and a half away, so I made getting there my goal.

Once I got there, I sucked down an insane amount of water, making it obvious that I hadn't been drinking enough (see above re: finding ways to get more water on my long runs with me) at all. Once I'd filled up myself, I filled up my water bottle and then set off for the last half-mile. Finally, I let my legs go as fast as they wanted to - I was almost done and knew I'd make it. When I hit the end of the trail, I couldn't believe it. I'd done it. I'd run for 20 miles. Four and a half hours after I'd left my car (actual running time was 4:04 - but there were a lot of pit stops), I was back at it.

I walked a lap around the parking lot, stretched out a bit, then changed from my running shoes into my sandals. I also poured the water out of my water bottle over both my legs. It was cold and it felt great. I headed home where I had a nice cold bath (I haven't worked up to ice baths yet - getting my legs in the cold water is challenging enough, but it really does help quite a bit. Plus, it just feels good, once you get past the whole "It's freakin' freezing, Mr. Bigglesworth" aspect of it) and then a nice warm shower. I called my boyfriend and talked him into going out to eat with me (because there was no way I was going to make my own breakfast/lunch/whatever at that point), and then immediately made my way into a bed where I took a nice long nap.

Sunday, I couldn't believe how good I felt. Sure, my legs were a little stiff and rock-like, but not to the point where I was walking funny. I wouldn't recommend wearing 3-inch heels to church the day after a 20-mile run (especially if said church service involves a lot of standing - trust me on this), but other than that, I wasn't too much worse for the wear. Today? The muscles are still a little tight, but nothing major. I'm actually looking forward to my run tonight for a chance to loosen them up and really get them moving again.

Now? Now it's all downill from here. My job for the next three weeks is to stay fit and stay healthy. If I can do that, everything else will just fall into place.

Less than three weeks until the big day, and, finally, I'm more excited about it than I am nervous.

Posted by Dawn at 11:32 AM | Comments (3)