Just 5 More Minutes, Ma...

I have been soooooo tired lately.   Is 35 the new 55?  Some days it feels that way.  I think I could sleep for about 20 hours if someone let me.  As it is, I got to sleep in this morning and didn't get up until 9:30.   That may be a record for me (since having kids, anyway!).

One thing I have been doing lately besides craving extra sleep is thinking.  I've been doing a lot of thinking.  Mostly late at night, which is probably why I'm so tired.

So what am I thinking about?  Well, mostly, random stuff like getting a job, my crazy kids, Revenge (the t.v. show, not actual vengeance).  But I've also been thinking about Cleveland.   More specifically, the North Coast 24 Hour Endurance Run.  You may remember me mentioning it.   24 hours, running and walking in a circle?  I registered for it 6 months ago, then realized I was seriously under-trained and decided not to do it.  Even got a refund from the race director.

Yeah.  Um.  After Endless Summer last weekend, I kinda...  I mean, there are these people...  And then I bought a plane ticket...

*ahem*  Yeah.  I'm going.   To Cleveland.  To run (walk) NC24.   In 7 weeks.  Because...  Well, maybe because I'm insane.  But also because there are people that will be there that I really want to meet, and it'll be fun, and the plane ticket was really cheap, and I'm going to be (hopefully) starting back to work soon, and this is my last chance to blah blah blah.

I'm going because I want to.

So now I just have to figure out the whole blister situation.  I bought new socks and some powders and things and I will be trying them all out and then, of course, giving the internet my opinion because, hey, that's what the internet is for.  Singing cats and random people's opinions about stuff.     (Also, Simon Cowell memes, apparently.)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've been awake for 2 hours and now need a nap.   (Just kidding, the kids are upstairs screaming and I should probably go check that out.....) 

More Thoughts On ES6

After getting some sleep, lancing a few blisters (ew), and looking over the preliminary results from yesterday's Endless Summer 6 Hour Run, I realized that there's another blog post I need to write.

Yesterday's post gave the bare bones, "this is what happened" version while my body was still reeling (lack of sleep, lack of food, not to mention while I was typing there was a 5 year old tugging on my shirt since I'd been away most of the day).

Today I've got a clearer head and I'm realizing how truly awesome yesterday really was.   Not so much because I hit my goals (yay me!) but because it was once again a reminder of how freaking awesome the human race - and runners in particular - can be.

Wonderful things I observed/experienced yesterday, in no particular order:

• Constant "way to go, ladies!" and other words of encouragement every time someone passed us (that actually sounded sincere!)
• Amazingly nice and encouraging volunteers, even at the end of the race when I'm sure they were tired and sick of standing in the sun
• A woman spectating who offered me a band aid when she overheard me mentioning a blister problem. 
• A gentleman with a prosthetic leg, volunteering and encouraging people along
• Volunteers anticipating the  needs of runners and going out of their way to be helpful (many thanks to those who took care of Michelle when she decided to stop!) 

Actually, I'll stop with the bullets there because the rest of them would be about the volunteers.  Holy freaking moly, were they amazing.  Seriously cannot stress that enough.  I wish I could thank each of them again.  I'm pretty sure I said "thank you" 100 times yesterday, and each time it was truly sincere. 

Another amazing thing about yesterday was just the atmosphere in general.  Since this was my first timed event, I went in feeling like a bit of an outsider.  I'm far from an ultra-runner, and heck, yesterday I wasn't even planning on running.  Yet I never felt like anyone was judging me or thinking "Who is this chick?"  In fact, in the final minutes of the race when I was walking just waiting for it to be over (LOL), I was chatting with a girl who was part of a relay team.  When she found out that I was NOT doing a relay, she said "Wow!"  

Huh.  Pretty sure that's the first time I've ever gotten a "Wow!" in response to anything I've done since I began this crazy running (and now walking) adventure.  That felt pretty good.  (Of course, I won't think about the fact that she probably did her 12 miles in half the time it took me to do my first 12 miles of the day) 

Anyway.  I'm digressing.  Or rambling.  Or something.  (Cut me some slack, it's been a long weekend!)  My point is, yesterday was amazing.  It was fun, it was challenging, and it made me feel something I haven't felt in a long time.   Pride. 

Weird, right? ;-) 

So, congrats to all those who kicked major butt yesterday (in other words, all who participated!), and kudos to the ES6 "cast and crew" for putting on such a great event.  

Oh! Almost forgot.  Unofficial results state that I did 5 complete laps (20.5 miles) plus an additional .246 miles for a total of 20.746 miles.  That puts me at 57 out of 73 participants (not counting the relay teams).  I'll take it! =) 

My Aching Feet!

In the two and a half years that I've been running, I've never gotten a blister.  Two black toenails, but no blisters.  In the month and a half that I've been WALKING, I've gotten more blisters than I care to count. Holy moly.  Today was no different.

Actually, today was wildly different because it was . . . RACE DAY!

Check out that loot! Tank (singlet?), sticker, cool flexible cup, and a $1 beer coupon (not pictured) that I gave away because I don't drink beer. 

So we got our swag, put our bibs on, chatted with George (the gentleman who encouraged me to do this race after he did it himself last year),  took the obligatory selfie:

(Must learn not to have arm in shot!)

 and after a few words from the RD regarding the rules (full laps would be counted, then towards the end you get a little flag and you plant that in the ground when the airhorn goes off at the end of the race - or you decide to pack it in, whichever comes first), a little "motivational speaking," and the Star Spangled Banner, we were off.  For the first couple of hours, it was cake.  We were going a lot faster than we'd expected, we felt good, it wasn't too warm, etc, etc. 

The somewhere around 3 and a half hours, the wheels feel off a little.  Michelle wasn't feeling well and my feet were not happy (I found out that one of the gel insoles in my left shoe was shredded, causing me to walk on a weird bump until I was able to dump it out into the trash).  We stopped for a minute or two, and then decided to proceed slowly until we could reassess.  After a little while, with some fuzzy math regarding timing and goals and the day getting increasingly hotter, Michelle decided she wasn't going to continue on after the end of the lap.  There was some back and forth but she convinced me to just go ahead with out her, so I started running.  It felt odd to run after 4 and a half hours of walking, but it felt good, too. 

Until it didn't.  

I finished the 4th lap feeling good and then once I was into the 5th lap, I started feeling awful.  My feet hurt, my back felt weird, it was hot, I was tired, blah blah blah.   I'd picked up my flag after the 4th lap, thinking I would not make a full 5th lap before the end of the 6 hours.  I had over an hour (laps were 4.1 miles) but I couldn't do math by that point and couldn't swear that I'd be able to keep up any kind of decent pace, though I was going to try. 

Michelle and I had set out to try to get 20 miles, so I kept thinking I HAD to do it, since I'd left her behind.  I was not allowed to quit.  The funny thing (or not so funny, really) is that my last run/walking miles were actually slower than our beginning walking pace.  I did not realize how flipping tired I really was until I was out on that 5th loop by myself, with the sun beating down and my feet screaming at me.  

When I hit the last mile, I just kept slowing down and then I'd speed up.  I was completely unable to figure out if I was going to make 20 miles (my Garmin was "off" of the official race measurements, but I never could figure out by how much), or if I was going to finish the lap,  all I knew was that I had to keep moving.  

I powered (as much as I could!) up the last hill to the start/finish area and I still had 5 minutes on the clock! Now, I think that's great, but at the time, I was so defeated.  I had to KEEP GOING?   I considered stopping, since completing the 5th lap meant I'd hit our 20 mile goal, but everyone was so encouraging I just kept going.  I ended up slowing to a walk, and then almost to a crawl.  I think the last bit that I walked was at almost a 22min/mile pace.  Snail-like.  I was just DONE.

Airhorn blew, I planted my flag, then I made the slow journey back to the pavillion.

I did it.  I made it through all 6 hours, and I made our goal of 20 miles.  I was happy, but practically whimpering, wanting to get my shoes off.

I will spare you pictures.  They are not pretty.  Oh my goodness.

I won't know my official results for a few days, but since I did 5 full laps plus a little, I know I did at least 20.4 miles.  Previously, my longest race ever was a Half Marathon, and my longest training walk was 14 miles.   I am super happy with how this all turned out (though I wish I could figure out my blister issue!), and I am so grateful to Michelle for allowing me to be selfish and continue on.

There are so many things in life that I have allowed myself to quit on - I am so thankful that this was not one of them.  6 hours, relentless forward motion.  I'll take it.

"Finish" line - where I didn't get to stop! 

Me and George after the race. 

Walk the Line

A few months ago, way back when I was suffering from temporary insanity more confident in my running abilities, I signed up for the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run.   Then I gained some weight, stopped running, blah blah.  In short, I did what I always do.  I gave up on myself.

(Remember this?  Apparently, I don't.)

Fast forward to today.  Today I woke up at 4:30 (why is it that when I have to get up ungodly early, I end up waking up even earlier than planned? My alarm wasn't set to go off until 4:45!) and got dressed in the dark, trying not to wake my husband.  Puttered downstairs, got some coffee and breakfast, and now I'm sitting here, wishing I'd had more faith.

I'm still headed to Endless Summer.  And don't get me wrong, it's going to be fun.  Well, as fun as walking in a circle all morning can be.  But a little part of me does wish that I was going to be running it instead of walking it.  BUT.   If I were running it, I would be alone, and walking it allows me to spend 6 hours with a good friend.  So really I can't complain.  Besides, we're going to rock it - and that's always a good thing, right?  =)


So here I go.  Off to my first ever timed event, my first non-ultra ultra.  Let's do this. 

Walk This Way

I may be a slacker when it comes to running lately (though I am getting back on track!), but you can NOT say that I was slacking today.   Behold.

Yes, that says 14 miles, and yes, that says 4 hours and 3 minutes.  Michelle and I walked the crap outta that park! =) 

While we were walking, it was just nonstop movement - some miles faster than others, but go, go, go the whole time - and I felt fine.  Then we finished and I kind of just wanted to fall down a little bit.  I did not realize how tired I was until I got home.  Thankfully my kids are still little enough that we mandate "rest time!" in the afternoon.  Once they were ensconced in their rooms, I pretty much turned into a slug, and even napped a bit, which I never do.  I will say I'm a tad bit worried about how tired I'm going to be next weekend after an additional 2 hours, but whatever.  I'll caffeinate more or something.

My feet held up, which is good, because since I started this walking endeavor, I've been getting blisters.  I never get blisters running, so I'm really not sure what the deal is.

This is also new:

You can't quite tell as much in the picture as in real life, but my feet are super red and blotchy - and this picture was taken hours after we stopped walking and I had cooled down significantly.  It's not sunburn, since obviously I had on socks and shoes, but they were kind of hot to the touch earlier.  And splotchy, like I said.   This happened 2 weeks ago when Michelle and I did our 3 hour walk, too.  Only two times ever that I've had weird reactions on my feet.  So. Strange.  

Who knew walking would make my body fall apart?   Ok, ok, I'm exaggerating.  But the blisters and the splotches are weird and I don't like it.  Knock it off, feet! 

That being said, I am soooooo looking forward to next weekend and the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run (walk).  We did 14 miles today, and I solidly believe we can do 20 on Saturday.  Fingers crossed the weather doesn't get super hot like in past years.  

It sees surreal that we did 14 miles today.  Previous to this, I'd only ever done 13.1 - and that was in races.  This was just a Sunday stroll in the park.  Felt good. =) 

I'm Making It Up As I Go Along

Week 1 of my completely made up and likely-to-be-changed training plan for Endless Summer is in the books, and I am freaking tired.  Granted, it doesn't help that I've been sick for the past couple of days (allergies + a cold or just allergies or maybe it's the black plague, who knows).

What does my made up training plan look like, you ask?  Well, it looks like a whole hell of a lot of running and walking and very little time for things like naps and piñatas.  To be more specific, my week looked like this:

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 1 Hour Run
Wednesday - Rest
Thursday - 1.5 Hour Run
Friday - Rest
Saturday - .5 Hour Run
Sunday - 2 Hour Walk + .5 Hour Run

Saturday's run and today's run were supposed to be an hour each, in theory, but with the way I was feeling, it just wasn't going to happen.   So all told I spent 3.5 hours running, 2 hours walking, and covered roughly 24 miles.

Going forward, the runs will increase and the walks will increase and hopefully my tolerance for a piñata free life will increase.  (Please, don't ask what's up with me and piñatas today, because the truth is I have no idea.  Sometimes a word just gets in my  head and since it took me entirely too long to figure out how to type a tilde on this stupid laptop, I'm just going to keep using it, mmkay?)

Though I'm not exactly sure how it'll all flesh out, I think that my training will peak at something like 11 hours of running and walking per week.  After Endless Summer I'll probably scale back for a week or two and then ramp back up even higher before I get to North Coast.

Or, maybe I'm completely full of crap and have no idea what I'm talking about.  This, truthfully, is much more likely.  Fortunately I have lots of very smart friends who have been at this way longer than I have, and I can pick their brains when I realize mine are falling out of my ears.

Aaaannd I have a 5K next weekend and a Half Marathon 2 weeks after that.  I keep forgetting about those races. I am NOT looking forward to the 5K, but the Half Marathon in St. Michael's should be fun.  Or at least that's what I'm telling myself.  We'll see.

I also just registered for another 5K that's in August.

Hey, it's cheaper than gambling, boozing, or doing drugs.  (And better for you, I'm told.)

Time For A Run

The last time I followed a training plan, I had set mileage that I was supposed to run each day.  I slogged through the miles and often times felt overtired and overworked.  I stressed if I didn't get the exact mileage I was supposed to get.  It didn't work well for me.

This time around, I'm trying a new tactic.  I've set up my training plan so that each day I have a prescribed amount time to run.  An hour, and hour and a half, etc.  So far (a whopping 4 runs in), I'm liking it.   It somehow takes the pressure off, so that if I have a slow day, I don't feel as guilty that I "only" got X amount of miles.  Time on your feet is time on your feet, and since I have two time-specific races coming up, it makes sense to me that I concentrate on time rather than distance.

That being said, I do want to do some runs where pace is the main focus, but for right now I'm not worrying about that so much.

Today's run was an hour and a half on the paved loop that I will  be running for the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run in July.  As I was out there, I realized that no matter how many times I run that loop in preparation, it will be the weather on the day of the race that is going to determine how things go.  July in Maryland can be unbearable.  Between the heat and the humidity, race day may be brutal.  Time will tell.

Between now and then, all I can do is put in my time, and hope that I can acclimate to the heat as it comes.  Today it was only around 58 degrees and by the end of my hour and a half, I was pretty warm.  A few extra hours and an extra 30 degrees...  yeah.  That's not going to be terribly comfortable.  But it is what it is.  

I'm actually really looking forward to the race, I just hope that I enjoy all the training leading up to it, too.  My last real "training cycle" was not terribly enjoyable for me and when it was over I kind of went into a negative spiral.  I don't want that to happen again.  The race is just one day - the rest of it is the real journey.  

Which do you get more enjoyment out of, your training, or race day? 

Meb For President

Oh, my goodness.   Did you watch? Tell me you watched.  If you're saying "Watched what?" then obviously you don't need to be reading this blog.

The 118th Boston Marathon was held yesterday and OH MY GOSH, what a race.

I won't re-cap it, because if you care, you watched it (or read about it), and if you don't care, then me telling you about it isn't going to change your mind.

I will say that I'm sorry that Shalane Flanagan didn't win, because I know that she really, really, really wanted to, but man, she did a great job.  She set a record, both personally, and for American women, and that is saying something.

And Meb.  Oh, my.  Meb Keflezighi.  What an amazingly awesome and supremely gifted runner. I will be honest, I did not think he was going to win.  When the race started, I cheered for him but was kind of expecting him to get over taken.  Ha.  That'll teach me to doubt!

By the last 400 meters, I was on my feet in my living room, bouncing up and down, yelling at the television.  "Don't celebrate! Keep running! Faster! He's behind you! Faster!"  I can't remember the last time I was that stressed out. LOL

*sigh*  What a great day. 

And, as always, watching amazing runners run got me all fired up.  So I spent some time last night looking at the calendar and fretting and came up with a loose 14 week training plan for the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run.  It looks like a crazy amount of running.  I honestly don't know how it's going to go.  But I'm gonna try!  

2 weeks till my 5K, 4 weeks till my HM, 14 weeks till ES6, and 22 weeks till NC24.  I have a lot of running ahead of me, and I am seriously crazy excited.   

Did you watch Boston?  Does watching a race get you pumped up for your own running? 

What's Next?

What's the best thing to think about after an endless winter?   Why, an Endless Summer, of course!

When I signed up for the North Coast 24-Hour Endurance Run, a friend suggested that I sign up for the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run as a sort of test-run/supported training run.  So I could get my feet wet, so to speak.  My first thought was "6 hours? I can't run for 6 hours!"  But then I reminded myself that I'd just plunked down over $100 to run for twenty-four hours, so I'd darn well better be able to run 6 hours two months ahead of time! 

After deciding to run the race, I cyber-stalked it, reading every race report I could find, and checked in on the Striders website every few days to see if registration had opened.  Then I got busy with other things and just kind of forgot about it.  Not the race itself, but the actual act of registering for it.  

Today good friend Michelle told me that she wanted to sign up for a race, even though she's walking and not running these days, and that she had decided that ES6 was going to be it.  And, oh look at that, registration opened two weeks ago.  Whoops.  Glad she reminded me!  So now I'm signed up, as is my friend who originally told me about the race.  (He didn't know registration was open, either.  So, really, I'm not THAT oblivious.)

(Me & George after last year's ES6)

What I'm most excited about now is that Michelle and I are going to do some of our training together.  I knew that I needed to add in an extra day of training to get my mileage up, and I wanted it to be just walking because I know that I will be doing a lot of walking at NC24 - but to me walking long distances is super boring.  Being able to do some longer walks with Michelle will be great! 

Of course, I'm sitting here talking about ES6 and NC24 .... and yet I have a 5K and a Half Marathon coming up that I should probably be thinking about, at least a little.  But training for a 6 hour run (and eventual 24 hour run) should make the 5K and HM super easy, right?  Right.  =) 

Have you ever done a timed race?  Any tips for an ultra-virgin? 

Wacky Winter

Earlier this week, I ran in a tank top and capris and I was a sweaty mess.  (It was awesome.)  Today I looked more like this:

(Plus gloves)

28 degrees plus strong gusts of wind made for a pretty chilly run.  But I ran at a local park that I don't get to very often, and it was a nice change.  

Not only was I happy to have a good run, but I was glad to be "scoping out" the paths at this particular park, because it's where the Endless Summer 6 Hour Run will be this July.  (More about that in another post!)

I will say, though, that I am glad that this crazy cold snap is only going to be a day long, and we'll be warming up again tomorrow.  I think I may have said this a time or two (or two thousand), but I am ready for Spring! 

I'm also (finally) starting to get excited about the races that I have coming up.  3 weeks from Saturday, I have a 5K and then the next day I have the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler.  I have no business running either of those races, but I'm starting to think that I'm going to be ok regardless.