Baltimore Marathon Relay Race Report

It's DONE! I RAN 6.8 MILES WITHOUT STOPPING!

In the words of one of my favorite TV characters Hiro, "YATA!"

It's taken me a couple of days to really process the race and the accomplishment of running for that long. A mere 3 months ago, I had never ran much longer than a mile straight. Now, I can run over a 10k without stopping. Not at a blistering pace by any means, but running the whole time nonetheless. :) So, here is how my weekend went:

Pre-race

I got into Charm City around lunch time on Friday. I went to my old job and hung out with my friends and tried to remember why I left Baltimore in the first place. I'm still working on that question. ;) Anyway, that evening, 6 of the 8 of us running in the relay went out to dinner at Olive Garden to carbo load with the all you can eat pasta. Delightful! Afterwards, we all headed home to get a good nights sleep. I got up early on Saturday morning and was feeling pretty good. I drank a glass of water and ate an fiber bar. Unfortunately, I my stomach is pretty unsettled in the morning, so the fiber bar was all I was able to manage eating. Probably not the best decision I ever made. A friend from my old softball team came and picked my old roomie and I and drove us down to the race. Our driver was running the whole marathon, crazy thing! Maybe someday. :) Got to the race site and it was insane! Over 17.500 runners were there to either participate in the 5k, relay, half or full marathon. It was around then my stomach started to roll and my intestines decided to hate me. A few trips to the porta-potty later and I was worried about my ability to run the race. My old roomie was running the first leg, so we wished him well and then I walked to the exchange point. I got there in enough time to watch the lead marathoners cross. Those guys were running 5 minute miles! It made me want to get out there and run, but I still had a good while until my roomie got to the exchange point. I was thinking he was going to be running around a 10 minute pace, so I was surprised to see him coming down the hill at the 54 minute mark. He was running 9 minute miles and then I started to get nervous. I ran out in the street to high five him to start my leg and then took off.

Race

The first two miles were a blur. It was almost entirely downhill through the main section of downtown Baltimore and people lined the streets with signs and chants to cheer us on. The whole time in the beginning I was thinking, "This is it! This is what I have been training for! Run, sister, run!" Right about mile three I started to feel my body craving energy. That fiber bar did not last long at all. Thankfully, I hit a banana stand and grabbed two and ate on the run while trying not to slip on the banana peels runners threw in the middle of the street. The next two miles took us over a bridge into Fort McHenry, which I actually never went to while I lived in Baltimore. It was a beautiful place to run, with the only exception being that it was a small path and there were many groups of runners that I had to either pass, or let pass me. It was a bit stressful at times navigating the small path by the water. Once we left the fort, I knew we were 2 miles from finishing. It was also when my body started reminding me the longest I have ever run was 5 miles and I was at that point. My legs started to feel like cement, and my stomach started to make noises. I could see the beautiful skyline of Baltimore getting closer, and I knew I had to do it. I don't really remember much of mile 6, besides that I kept telling myself, "You are a runner! You have ran almost 6 miles and you can totally run the last .8!" I slowed down a bit I know, but I never stopped running. I might have been slow, I probably looked like a penguin, but I didn't stop. Before I knew it, I saw a crowd of people ahead and I knew it was the exchange point. I threw it into high gear and sprinted the last 200 meters looking for my partner. She saw me and jumped into the middle of the street we high fived and hugged and then she took off. I hobbled to the sidewalk where I barely kept myself from tearing up. I DID IT. 6.8 miles and I didn't stop to walk. :D

Post Race

As I walked to the water table, I realized I wasn't even that sore. Sure, I was tired and I needed food, but my knees weren't throbbing and my breathing returned to normal pretty quickly. I ran into a friend from another relay team, and we walked back to the finish line to watch our teams cross and meet up with our other relay members who finished. It was back at the start/finish line where a few of us made the commitment to do this again next year with a slight modification. That modification is that we are all either running the full or half marathon. I opted for the half. So, I barely processed this victory, and now I'm thinking of running 13.1 miles! Am I nuts?!?! :) Additionally, two days after a friend of mine from Baltimore wants to run in a 10k in DC in december and asked if I would run it with him. How can I say no? A guaranteed trip back to Baltimore and a 10k? Sure! Why not?

So, there you have it! I was the slowest person on my team (the last two runners on my team ran at an 8 mile pace), but I'm happy in what I accomplished as was my wonderful relay members :) As a team, we finished the marathon in 4:04, which is pretty awesome! My personal pace was around 11:30 miles, which isn't too shabby at all. Now, we all have nice matching medals and under armour T-shirts to show off. :) I also learned quite a bit during this race too. The first thing being I need to eat a better pre-race meal than just a fiber bar. Not sure what that is yet, but I just know I need to eat more. I also found the value in walking after you finish a race. I probably walked another 3 miles in total after the race, and had very little stiffness the next day. A few of my teammates went immediately home and to nap, and had trouble walking the next morning. All good things to learn indeed.

I haven't been running since the race because I decided to take a few days off. My plan is to try a 5k tomorrow and then start getting back into running three days a week. Gotta keep up for my 10k in December :) My next goal is to try and get my mile average down to a consistent 10 minute pace. I've ran miles that quick, but I haven't strung more than 2 or 3 together. My friends running the 10k in december run at that pace, and I would like to run with them and not slow them down. So, that's the goal. I'm also thinking of investing in some quality running shoes since mine aren't specialized. I think I pronate when I run, so I might look into getting a shoe that can correct that. We shall see. :)

Three months ago I scoffed at people who ran for fun... and now I think i might have become one of them :)

I RAN 5 MILES!!!

OK, I know I haven't been the world's greatest at updating lately. I had a couple of bad runs that left me feeling weak, slow, and totally unable to complete my task of 6.8 miles that I've committed myself to this Saturday. Up until today, the most I've ever ran straight was a 5k. I've talked to other members of my relay team who were excited because they've had longer runs, which made me even more nervous of my impending failure. Pretty much, I was in a bad state mentally. Even though I knew I had been training for over two months, I didn't mentally think I could do it.

After work today, I decided it was all or nothing. A last chance run if you will. :) My motto has always been go big or go home, so it was time to apply it to my running. I HAD to prove to myself that mentally, I could go longer than 3 miles straight. I went to the same track that gave me such luck the first time I was able to run a 5k straight. The first miles was really rough - I couldn't get my breathing in any sort of rhythm and my brain was shooting out the signals "Whoa! What do you think you're doing? We are stopping this in the next five minutes, do you hear?" I managed the first mile just over 11 minutes and that gave me enough to hit the second mile, and the hill that came with that mile. I felt like I was moving as quick as a snail, and my breathing still sucked, but I kept going by trying to focus on the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. It seemed to work because eventually my IPod said, "Half-way point - 2.5 miles." That seemed to give my brain the signal that we weren't going to stop until I said we were going to stop. Within a few minutes, I was AMAZED because my breathing actually slowed and my legs stopped feeling like cement. It was almost as if my body said, "Fine, we'll do it your way." I don't think it was a runner's high by any means, but surely a running first for me. I realized at that moment, I was going to make it. I had the capacity to keep going, and I did. I DID. Yata! I'm not going to lie either - when my Ipod told me 5 miles was up (in 55:03, an 11 minute mile average!), I bent over and started to cry. I had thrown such a huge mental wall up that I wasn't good enough, quick enough, or had trained enough to go that long. I FINALLY after 2 months over came all of that. Just in the nick of time too, eh? :)

So, needless to say, I'm stoked about the race on Saturday now. I think I can go a new distance PR and run the 6.8 miles straight! My body can do it, and now I think my mind knows that as well. I will surely post sometime after the race and give you all the low down. This is what I've been training for for a while now, and it's almost here. Wish me luck!!!

Finally!

Hello again! I know I sorta dropped off the face of the blogging world for a week and some days. There are a few reasons for this, some which are good and some which aren't as good. The good news: I got a job, yay! I have a new job working at a veterinary office, which will help me make ends meet until I go to grad school in the fall. So, I'm still figuring out what my schedule looks like and readjusting to the working world again. The bad news is that I also haven't run in the last week and a few days. :( Some of this is related to my new job and figuring out when in the world I can run now. The other part of it is that I seemed to go through some sort of post-race running blues where I couldn't bring myself to run. I'm not really quite sure why, or if this is overly common. I just didn't have much motivation after my 5k race.

Eventually, over the past few days I've noticed the runners on sidewalks when I drive home and I've started to feel the push to get back out there. I wasn't sure what kind of momentum I lost by stopping for so long, but I knew that if I wanted any shot of running the 6.8 miles I need to in less than 3 weeks, I needed to get going. So, my co-workers told me of this nice, but hilly, 1 mile loop at a community college down the road from work and I decided to head out that way once my shift was over today. The sun was just starting to set, so it was nice and cool outside. I decided that instead of running to music, which I've learned the playlist so I focus on how many more songs I still need to run through, I played the podcast of the ever fabulous This American Life. I started off with my five minute warmup, and then took off. The first lap wasn't that bad, and I didn't even realize I had gone a mile until I crossed in front of my car again. Not feeling too winded, I decided to keep running and see how far I could go. The second lap was a little harder, but people I had passed earlier smiled at me when I passed them again, and it gave me momentum to keep going. When I passed my car the second time (now running for over 22 minutes, which is the longest I had run continuously prior), I knew that if I could make it around again, I would finally have run a 5k straight. I kept running and listening to Ira Glass and eventually my Ipod told me I had 400 meters left. 400 meters and I would have ran for over 30 minutes straight! I quicken my pace and practically danced when my ipod told me I had ran a 5k!!! I've FINALLY gotten over the mental block of stopping around 15ish minutes and thinking I can't go further. Now, I want to get back out there on Friday and prove to myself that isn't a fluke that I was able to run that long today. Hopefully, I can then up my mileage a bit before my race in October. So, all in all, today was a great running day. :)

Here's to being back on my game!

First 5k!!!

First 5k is done! Yesterday I ran my first 5k since starting the C25K program a month and a halfish ago. The beginning of the day did not go as planned, however. A brief power outage knocked out my alarm, and thus I woke up with 10 minutes to get ready before I needed to leave for the race. Talk about frustrating and nerve racking! I quickly got dressed and grabbed a bottle of water and a luna bar to try and down while driving there. I got there with a few minutes to spare so I could run to the bathroom and get some stretching in before starting. Needless to say though, I was pretty flustered and had a rock of nervousness in my stomach.

Right at 8 they had us all line up at the start line. It was a pretty small race - just about 200 people it appeared. Most of the people around me looked like seasoned runners and were talking about their various training methods for races much longer than this one. I was a little worried I would bring up the rear, but trying to channel the penguin runner, I just decided to do my best and not kick myself if I didn't run as fast as I wanted.

Well, the gun went and everyone took off. The first 5 minutes were quite exhilarating! I knew I came out running too fast, but I just got caught up in all the energy around me. After about a half of a mile, I started to get winded so I eased up a bit and let the faster runners go by. At the first mile marker, I found that I ran it under 10 minutes! Go me! However, I knew that there would be no way I would be able to continue that pace. They had a water station set up right at the half way point, and that is where I took my first walking break. I really wanted to try and run the whole thing, but I just came out with too much energy. I think, knowing how that feels now, I'll be ready my next race to take it easy in the beginning, and to try and a have that negative split that everyone seems to rave about. So, after the halfway point and a 5 minute break walking break, I took off running again. I decided at that point that my goal was to run the race in under 36 minutes, a feat I had not yet accomplished and would make my mile averages under 12 minutes, which wouldn't be too terrible. I ran until the about the 2.5 mile marker and had to take a walking break again. Next thing I knew, my ipod told me I had a kilometer left and I knew I had to run until I finished the race. So, I took off and vowed not to stop. When I rounded the final corner and could see the finish line, my Ipod told me I finished the 5k, making it probably about 200 meters off of the race distance. So, I hit the button to see how fast I ran the 5k according to my Ipod (since that is what I've been training by) and it said I did the 5k in 34:47!!! I totally blew away the 36 minute mark I couldn't break! My official time crossing the finish line was 35:15, so even that time was under 36 minutes and an official new PR! So, even though I didn't run the whole race, I was a least proud that I was able to get under 36 minutes.

Of course, once the race was over, I wanted to find another 5k to sign up for and try to run the whole thing straight. ;) I think the experience of the first race will give me patience my second attempt to not exhaust myself before the half-way point. Again, it's really amazing how much of running is mental. I just need to pace myself and mentally get over the road block of stopping to walk, and I think I'll be able to run the whole time. Still, overall, not too shabby!

Now, my next race is my dreaded marathon relay - the whole reason I started running in the first place. I need to start scheduling in some longer runs so I can get used to being on my feet for longer than 40 minutes. Monday will start my training for that. Kinda scary, and yet exciting too. :)

The Great Outdoors

So, last Wednesday I went on my run and clocked in a tad over 37 minutes. Not my best, but not my worst. I still seem to hit this mental road block around 15 minutes into running and I just stop and walk. I think if I can just get past the next few minutes, I can run the 5k continuously. I think it will also be helpful when it isn't over 90 degrees outside and humid.

I was also supposed to run on Friday, but Hurricane Hanna messed up those plans. Saturday I was sick and spent most of the morning in bed, which sucked. So, on Sunday, I went to the gym with some family members and discovered, apparently, I'm still an active member. Sweet! This was the first time that I've tried running on a treadmill in a long time. I thought that, perhaps, this would be easier and I would get my first time under 36 minutes and break my average of 12 minute miles. Alas, I think I started off my run too fast (near a 10 minute mile) and got exhausted after 10 minutes. I stopped to walk for a few, and then tried running again. However, I was really bored. There was nothing to catch my attention and nothing interesting on the TVs ahead of me. All I could concentrate on was how slow the clock was ticking down. Alas, I finished the 5k right near my average of 37 minutes. So, I think for me, I'll keep the running outside and the just use the gym for weight training unless there is really bad weather.

Tomorrow and Thursday I'll go running again, and then on Saturday I'll run my first 5k! I'll make sure to post about that afterwords. :) Peace!

Ah, September!

It's been a few days since I've posted since I was sin computer for a while because apple had to put a new keyboard on my new macbook (it's my luck that I get the one computer in a million that happens to be faulty off the line. Else wise, I love my new mac). Anyway, I ran last Thursday and it wasn't my best run, but it was alright. I was still a bit above 38 minutes for my 5k time. Then, I hiked up grandfather mountain on Friday with my best friend on the most strenuous trail the mountain has to offer. It was a beautiful day and a great way to start the weekend! I love nothing better then the sound of birds chirping and creeks babbling. However, my friend and I didn't start the hike until 2, so we hauled it up that mountain at a blistering pace to get to the top before we had to head back before it got dark. We covered over 7 miles in under 4 hours of strenuous hills and flooded trails. It was an amazing workout. I actually had to buy a new shirt before dinner because my ENTIRE shirt was soaked with sweat and I didn't want to knock people out over dinner with my awesome sweating abilities. :)

So, the start of my weekend was really great, and I was planning on ending my weekend by running the Nike 10k on Sunday. However, when I woke up on Saturday morning, my legs had turned to stone. The crazy hiking and rock scaling that I did on Friday took its toll and walking up and down stairs was tough both Saturday and Sunday. I knew I need some time off for my legs to recoup, so although I really, really wanted to run the Nike 10k, I decided it was best not to since the most important race for me is the Relay in Baltimore in October, and I can't injure myself before then. The good news is that I felt less stiff on Monday and went out for a run, and I ran it under 37 minutes! I ran it in 36:30, which I think is my second fastest time ever. I was pretty happy :) I ran the second mile in 9:30, which is also great that I got a mile under 10 minutes! I should probably start taking out my 5 minute warm-up, since that is a factor in my statistics. I might try warming up, and then running the 5k to see if my times will be better. My other goal for this week is to get back to 3 or 4 runs a week. For the past three weeks, I've only ran 2 or 3 days (granted, I cross-trained some of those days, but I want the consistency of running). So, I'll run tomorrow morning and Friday morning and probably try adding in a long run either Saturday or Sunday depending on which day seems to work better for me. My other hope is that it will start becoming cool again since I'm pretty over this humidity. Although, Hurricane Hanna is brewing in the atlantic and it's path has it coming up through NC, so that might halt a few days of running. Oh, weather.

You Think I Would Learn By Now...

Well, I went on a run Monday morning a little later than I normally do, but didn't eat or drink any water before hand. Big mistake. I got through the first mile fine, but about half way through the 5k my legs cramped up on me, followed soon by my intestines, and then my head got fuzzy. It was pretty bad. You would think that after experiencing this once or twice, I would have gotten serious about increasing my water intake and making sure I have proper fuel in my system before running. However, I just hopped out of bed and on the road - I didn't even stretch beforehand. I think 3rd time is a charm though, because I was really miserable and I don't want to experience that again. Hopefully, that is the last time my body has to remind me how stupid I am.

So, I increased my water intake and set a luna bar next to my bed so I could eat it before running this morning. However, before my alarm went off, i was woken up by thunder and pouring rain. In fact, we even had a tornado go through the upper part of my county. So, needless to say, I didn't think it would be the safest weather to go out and run in. The stinky thing is that tomorrow's forecast is much the same. My parents are members of the Y, so I'm pondering perhaps going up there tomorrow and seeing if I can go in as my mom for one day just so I don't miss too many days of running. We'll see.