good advice...

Simmer over Low Heat for 700 Miles

"The only way we can improve is to change the stresses on our body..."  

One of my favorite MTT Coaches, Coach Black, says this to me on a regular basis.  He's right.  You want to get faster? Stronger? Add Endurance?  Well, you need to train to get faster, or stronger, or to add endurance.  And if you're always training at the same level your body will adapt, resulting in no improvement.  Now, certainly, we wouldn't try to change everything at once...  it would add stress of another kind.

And of course, in these insightful coaching exchanges, it only takes a tiny leap to get from there to here...

 "The only way we can improve in life is to change...."

I have ~like practically everyone I know these days~ set down on the path for the marathon with Sports Backers Marathon Training Team again.

For me registering for the marathon is like going out with an old flame.  It’s familiar, and new, all at the same time.  The ~um~ soup is still hot, and because we’re starting again after a long break it could even be called fresh.  I'm more comfortable now, able to enjoy the months leading up to the race, because I don’t have all the nerves that go with doing it for the first time. ~awkward soup~

...I might be off topic...

The thing is, my relationship with Marathoning has changed in the last 2800 miles.

For my first marathon, I went into the training FULL STEAM on FIRE...The thing about heat at those temperatures is that you can't maintain it.  Marathoning is about a controlled burn, not a flash in the pan.  I fizzled toward the end of training.  

By my 3rd experience with the 700+ mile commitment that a marathon requires I was feeling like an old hand.  And yet, it was still a bit like the first one. Only with less sanity and WAY more hype...  "Yeah, I am running ahead of the mileage, but..." I could justify it...  I could justify anything.  I was an addict.

I was intense.  

I was on FIRE.  

I was going to be EPIC.  

I was... 

...sick on race day.  

It was an amazing lesson on how you cannot control the un-controlable factors.  It was also the day that I learned that Marathoners should probably stand in a circle before every long run and say the serenity prayer.

Lately I've taken a much calmer approach to marathon training.  I turned the heat down.  I've taken such a calm approach that I'm wondering if I've severely over corrected...

And then I think, why worry?

I'm moving forward, I'm pushing my body to places I never imagined it could go, and I'm definitely stronger.  I don't need to get faster.  I can already run fast.  I need to train myself to hold the pace for longer miles.

I just need to settle into a routine and stress a little less about the things I can't control.

So Happy ToGether!

I've been under some new stress this year.  

Not all running related, but some of it is...  I have come to realize that I put huge amounts of pressure on myself to perform.  To be Galactically BadA**.  To Not Suck.  To not....  disappoint my coaches.  

Weird, right?  

Not sure what they would say about that.  Still, that pressure leads to fear and anxiety.  It's lead to my not enjoying my running as much.  It's not their fault, I don't blame the ones I love for my fear.  

And I do love my coaches.  

I love hearing what they think, gleaning their wisdom, and knowing that knowing them is making me a stronger runner one footstrike at a time.  I love that they'll hang back with me, they'll check in, they'll leave me in the dust.  All appropriate in the moment.

Last week, at the beach, I decided to it was time to let some of the fear go.  I don't run for my coaches.  I run for me.  I don't run for The Marathon.  I run for me.  

I don't run...

I run.

Yesterday MTTographer caught me on film.  It's probably my favorite running photo this year.
Not because I've had an offer from Victoria's Secret.
Well, it is only Sunday....  

I love the photo because my eyes look happy.  The joy that I find in running is right there, for anyone to see.

I love running.  Running doesn't care how fast or slow we go.  Running enjoys the moment.  Running likes to be savored.  Running appreciates that some days are about maximum effort, and some days are about recovery.  Running empowers me to be stronger than my weak mind.

We have several months to go before The Marathon ~said in the big movie announcer voice~ and I need to find a way to culture my relationship with running. To do that, I need to banish the fear.

I need to reclaim the faith.

I need to run more.

Baby Come Back...

It's that time again...  time to sign up.  Time to think ahead.  Time to wonder.  Time to plan.  Time to set goals.  Time...


Sports Backers Marathon Colors colors everywhere, 1200 like minded runners, a little Llama Drama, coaches and bloggers, complainers and doers and go getters mashed into one giant mess of warm gooey ~run~ love Training Team

Richmond Marathon Race Recaps

Thinking of Running Richmond Full, Half or 8K?  

Well, here are a few bloggy re-caps from around the web of people who ran or spectated Richmond Marathon 2011.

Racing With Babes

Setting You Free

Life Began at Thirty

Neurosis of the Stay at Home Marathoner of 3 (kids)

Small Beginnings

Pace of Me

Dori's Shiny Blog

Running to Stand Still


For the most part, these touch on all aspects of the race.  From the local "how do I drive in and park" to the out of town, "does the shuttle to the expo function as advertised."

Enjoy!

Also, thinking of signing up for MTT?  Just do it.

Jenny's First Dance

My father is a musician.  One of my favorite pieces that he composed is a lovely little guitar solo called "Jenny's First Dance".  When I hear it, it makes me think that about the idea that the first steps are the hardest, but once you get through them, nothing can stop you.

Jenny Silver, as I've bloggy named her, ran her first marathon on Saturday.  She owned it.  For that matter, she OWNED IT FROM DAY ONE.  I'm so proud of her.  She is a testimony to why MTT is a good program for the first time marathoner.  She lived the highs, the lows, and finished on top.

Epic doesn't even come close to describing her race recap.  It makes me want to go for a run.

Congratulations Jenny Silver.  Savor this week of recovery.  You've earned it.

~savor the run~

Guest Blogger: DeNiece

DeNiece is a great friend and runner.  She's inspiring and encouraging, and confident and competitive...  pretty much, DeNiece is just like a lot of us.  Here she takes on one of those *sticky* topics we all talk about, the dreaded running partner you just can't out run....

One of my running partners claims I am her best friend, although she is NOT mine.  

Even though she is my nemesis, she plays an important part in my life.  Maybe you know someone like her – she is loud, negative and outspoken.   She is the first to tell me that I “can’t” or “won’t” do something.  She crushes my spirit, douses my confidence, destroys my self-esteem.   She is insidious.  She starts out with little comments like “boy its hot today…you don’t like the heat do you?”  Then she becomes a little more pointed, “Whew, it is really hot.  You’re only at two miles – it’s a long way to 10.”  Then, she goes in for the kill, “I don’t think you can do it.  It is really hot.  Aren’t you uncomfortable? You can’t do it”….

And the negative mantra is born….hammered into my brain, pounded in with each painful step I take -“YOU.CAN’T.DO.IT. YOU.CAN’T.DO.IT”….

She picks my weak point – “It’s hot”, “too cold”, “you’re sore, tired or hungover”, “they’re faster than you” and throws it up in my face until I am repeating the negative mantra with her… 

SHE.IS.TOXIC…

And yet, she has run with me for years.   I found myself listening to her, wondering where she was when she was quiet.  I try to drown her out by chatting with friends or listening to music (she also likes hip hop and rap) but she can be incessant, loud and dominating.

 It is lucky, for me, that I am so likable, charming, personable, and fun… because when the posse runs with me, they run with her.   

Last year, I started marathon training.  It turned out that she was not as fit as I am.  While I love the long, LONG runs, she does not.  She figured out quickly, though, that there were plenty of places she could jump in on the long run.  So while she wouldn’t join us for 20 milers, she’d pop in for 6 or 8 miles to make me miserable. 

As I become fitter and stronger physically, she became weaker.   As I developed more and more friendships with runners, their voices could drown her out.   Those friends were supportive, kicking her to the curb when she tried to run with us.  I toughened up mentally, found ways to shut her up, leave her behind or better yet, avoid running with her.  Her power over me was dissipating…

Last night I woke up and began to think about all my marathon fears:  it’s two half-marathons and that second one is REALLY hard;  my husband is not meeting me at mile 21 so I will have to run the last “half” by myself; can I really meet my goals?; what if I hit a wall?; what if it hurts?  – ALL of these things are about a fear of physical pain and mental anguish.  When I realized this, I tried to tease out which was worse - the physical or mental.   Which would come first…does physical pain lead to the wall or vice versa?  

Then like a flash, I realized this was all her doing – she had snuck into my room and was whispering her bullsh** into my ear.    

So, I broke up with her for good.  

Her power over me and my life is gone.  I am happy, centered, energetic and relaxed.  I have balance between the marathon and my family life, even if it is just for this week and it is GOOD…

…but watch out, fellow runners, she will be out on the prowl and the marathon will have lots of potential clients.  

So be wary of her….or maybe you’ve already met her – her name is Debbie.  Debbie DOWNER…

and then what V?

My husbands stupid cat woke me up at o'Freaking Early hour this morning.

Stupid cat.

Doesn't he know it's race week?

Doesn't he get it?

I'm supposed to be sleeping late every day this week. I'm supposed to be cozy in my bed, snuggled in under 2 extra blankets.

Instead I found myself hobbling down the stairs to set him free.  He danced a ballet of celebration, floating through the dark.  My gait was awkward.  A straight jacket posing as a sock cinched my foot into a contortionist pose.  I could barely manage an igor-like hobble through the dark house.

The cold tile floor bit into my feet on a hiss.

Wretched cat.

My eyes were half closed, or perhaps, half open as I fumbled with the locking mechanism on the door.

Will Feral, the aptly named wretched cat, laced his soft orange body through my legs humming like an electric razor.  His entire body vibrated with his purring song.

Finally, successful, I flung the door open.

The shock of cold air immobilized my companion.

The shock of cold air immobilized me.

We stared into the morning.  The vastness was overwhelming, leaving me empty and insignificant.  I looked up into the stars, and I felt the sky look back into me.  It brushed my soul, leaving only a dewy finger print.

A perfect letter V was etched into the inky curtain, and it taunted me.  I breathed a sigh as the magic washed over me.

V... victory.
V.... and then what V?....
V.... for V, my dear friend...

It's a sign.  A sign of greatness.  A sign of the moment that lays before us.  It's...

...nothing special.  Seriously.  These stars have been here for ~like~ a hundred million years.  There is nothing special about them today.  They are not flaunting their V.  They are not displaying this perfection for me alone, it is simply a high pressure system keeping the clouds at bay.

There's no magic.  It's just a Monday.  Get over yourself....

As thought this, I closed my hand over the door to slide it closed, and a shooting star lanced across the sky.  I couldn't stop the smile.

Message received....

oh yes.... There is magic out there waiting for us every day.  Even on Mondays.

~savor the run~

A Letter to MTT "Alaska"

yeah


Yeah I'm out that Brooklyn.


Now I'm down in Tribeca.
Right next to DeNiro


But I'll be heard forever


I'm the new Sinatra


And since (you) made it here
(you) can make it anywhere


(Yeah we love you everywhere)
….

…Cruising down 8th street
Off-white Tall Socks
 Driving so slow 


(but Birch, it's from Texas!!) 


Me I'm out that BedStuy


Home of that boy Biggie
now I live on Billboard
and I brought my posse with me


Say what up to gba, 
still sipping Mimosas


...tell by my attitude that I'm MOST DEFINITELY RUNNING IN…

New York!!!!
 Concrete jungle where dreams are made of,


There's nothing you can’t do,


Now you're in New York!!!


These streets will make you feel brand new,


the lights will inspire you…


Let's hear it for Birch cos he’s out running New York!

Dear Birch,

So…  I was listening to this a few weeks ago, and heard the Texas line and thought – hellz to the yeaH!

First things first:  Don’t get over heated on Race Day.  Got that?

You are a great coach.  I know you have a plan.  Of course, you know when I’m running a marathon and things get tough, I have some race strategies of my own to get me through.  I thought, I should SHARE THESE bits of BRILLIANCE with Birch...  Unfortunately, I don’t think they’re all going to work for you.  

You’re JUST not going to look as good as I do in tall socks and a short skirt so people will cheer for you.

Instead, I think maybe, just maybe, we need to go in a different direction with you…

On Race Day, if you get to a spot that feels rough or you start to doubt, just remember that you’re like ALASKA.  You have an inner strength that is FOUR TIMES the size of TEXAS.  Believe that.

And if you feel tired, it’s ALWAYS ok to ask for MORE COWBELL!

And if someone says “Just keep going, just keep going!”, the proper response is “That’s what she said!”

And remember that You’ve got GREAT STAMINA…. call me!

AND TRY NOT TO SUCK.

Run like SNOT!

You are Galactically Bada**.

~savor the run~

g.

Taper Madness

My gmail calendar just sent a new, "Shared Event Reminder" from my H's calendar:

MARATHON MADNESS - ALL DAY

10 days until Richmond Marathon

and I just have to think that I'm not as cool as I think I am...

Or that Taper Madness is like an infectious protein I learned about in Microbiology...

but probably I'm just not as cool as I think I am.

Thanks for letting me be a part of this blog!!

So here I stand, peeking over the edge of the cliff, knowing that I have the potential to mark one more thing off of my bucket list. Please, somebody push me, I believe my feet are stuck….

Rewind-----

You know, there are life altering things that occur when you least expect it and you decide you need to do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Bucket lists are formed and your life does indeed get changed in so many ways. When you’re diagnosed with a potentially debilitating disease it gives you pause. Makes you think long and hard about things in your life.

Would I have any more children? Would I go blind? Would I need a wheelchair, a cane, a walker? I would be damned if this disease defined me. Damn it all to hell, I was going to be me.

Fast forward to today, almost the eve of the most monumental thing I have ever done besides having children. But this is one of those things that got added to my bucket list in my head when I flipped off MS. The things I had to do before my body betrays me. My training showed me that certain things are changing for me, changing for maybe ever. But I will be an Ironman, or woman as it were, if I can just make it through. I have to do this.

Thank you to my friends for your never ending cheerleading. Telling me I have this when it could be a very real possibility that my body doesn’t but I am going to try anyway. Your enthusiasm and confidence in me meant more then I can begin to tell you!

Thank you to my husband and girls for supporting me along the way, and believing in me and cheering me on. Your patience and love mean so much to me. I love you more then I can ever say. I cannot wait to see you on the other side!

And thank you to my best friend Heather (this is, after all, all your fault). A training partner extraordinaire, we logged miles, secrets, laughs and tears along the way. You have become a part of my heart and family through all of this madness and I truly wouldn’t be here without you being beside me every lap, pedal stroke and step. Run your race, I will run mine. I know in my heart how well you will do!!! Rock it girl, I cannot wait to see you when I finally finish!

I know no matter what my time is that I am truly blessed to have made it through with everything I have had heaped on my physically. I wish training could have been easier too, all of the road rash, sprains, jelly fish stings and concussions will be worth it after I am done. I’ll take whatever time I get and know in my heart I am lucky to have made it this far at all.

I am ready, I am doing this, I WILL BE AN IRONMAN “we all step up to the starting line with something…no excuses”

Ginny thanks for including me on this blog!!! I was flattered when you asked me, I admire your writing, your running, your being a mom, wife and student. This has been the most remarkable journey, and I have been able to chronicle it for posterity! You're a total GBA and I am honored to be thought of as such by you!!

In your immortal words---SAVOR the run (or IM lol)

Words for Wednesday

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

Henry David Thoreau

Relevance

I'm training for a marathon.

I'm also a student.

It's mid-terms this week.  As in, mid term exams?  Yeah, Freaktastic, I assure you.

I have no free time to write.

h*ll, I can barely function as a normal adult much less be creative.

So todays post is ~lame~.

No but seriously, I published a post about 20 milers and why they don't suck even when they suck over at NofSahm.  If you're desperately craving some GBA_GF wisdom before the run this weekend, well, that's where you're going to want to go.

Words for Wednesday

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

~ Aristotle

Words for Wednesday

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

Henry David Thoreau

And it's been awhile since I could stand on my own two feet again

Ok, ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I was just listening to that Staind song. Three weeks ago I did have had a bit more trouble standing on my own two feet, but the ninny in me thought driving was perfectly acceptable. Let me explain...

Training has taken over my normally jam packed life. I had been told I would get to this phase when the miles we trained started going into goofy territory.


FL or Bust and I had a 100 mile Heart of VA ride planned a few weekends ago. It was a good day for it, not a ton of sun, not a lot of humidity, a relaxed start, good times ahead! We met up with another Ironman participant we ride with from time to time and off we went. This was a dress rehearsal of sorts. Practice nutrition, pace, etc. We had Chesapeake Man Ultra distance aquavelo the next weekend, I needed another Century ride under my belt to feel comfortable.

And then IT happened......

I was on the pavement trying to remember how the crash happened. People were screaming at me not to move, I think I screamed that I got hurt, I think I was crying, but I don't remember. I was feeling rather dazed and confused. I went down, as a good cycling friend of mine referred to it. Road rash, yeah a little.

I flew out of my clips, how, still don't know, but I landed pretty squarely on my head. I guess a Sheriff was across the street from where the accident happened and said he heard my head hit, blech...So instead of 100 miles on my bike I got 11 miles on my bike, an ambulance ride, one CT scan, two motrin, some lovely road rash, a really nasty whiplash and a Concussion just for me....sounded like the 12 Days of Christmas almost. I'd rather have the guys jumping around or some geese dropping eggs everywhere.

I could sit and tell you how I said I was ok, insisted on driving myself home (stupid stupid stupid!) and telling everyone I was just freaking fine, but in hindsight, I wasn't. My brain was totally rattled. The headaches and nausea lasted all week, but I didn't let on that it was really bothering me. In my stupid opinion doing Chesapeake Man was all that mattered. And I did it, I did, but did I mention that that was pretty stupid?

I struggled hard. Took way longer on my swim then I should have, between the jellyfish stings to the face, maybe that was God's way of trying to get my stupid ass out of the water and resting, and the pain in my neck and shoulder, I suffered through that swim. I suffered through the bike, I suffered for nearly 9 hours of my life. I don't want to think of the damage I might have done, but done is done. Riding 112 miles and not being able to get aero was a very difficult way to have to ride. I hurt more then I'd care to remember, the pictures of me show it etched on my face, I hate looking at them. Don't know what I was thinking or expecting.

Lesson learned, sort of, now I am training rather gingerly. I stopped swimming the other morning because I got too dizzy during a particularly difficult set. I listened to my body and didn't push it. I missed a group ride on Saturday this week because my head was not feeling all too great. When it felt better I got on the trainer for two hours. Woke up yesterday with no headache so I went to MTT. I was able to run a really great 20 miles, I never would have believed there was such a thing. I was thrilled to run the whole thing, to run and not hurt, not a great deal of dizziness. Fl or Bust and I needed a great run like that. I am happy to report I woke up with no headache again today.

It has been awhile, "but everything I can't remember, as eff'd up as it may seem, the consequences that I've rendered, I've stretched myself beyond my means", story of my life, for now.

Words for Wednesday

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.

Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

Sunny Side Up

I got the nicest compliment today. 

I was whining ~ I know right? ~ and my friend said it was OK, because I “always come out on the right side”.  And I chuckled.  The RIGHT side?  Would that be like coming out:

Sunny Side UP?

Seriously though, in marathoning there is A FREAKING LOT to be said about keeping a positive attitude.  If you’re feeling the need to complain about aching feet, consider this… 

The people around you have aching feet too.  But they’re not saying anything about it, because they believe what I believe - speaking about evil makes it stronger.…  And trust me, at mile 20, aching feet are evil.  They’re the base of evil.

The truth is, complaining about hurting feet or the long a** hill or tired legs isn’t really going to do anything useful.  Maybe everyone around you agrees.  Maybe they even say so.  But now you’re a group of runners talking about pain.  That just doesn’t sound that fun to me, to be honest.

Forming a mental image of success?  Now that is a useful way to spend a training run.

Consider this:  I recently did a research project involving guided imagery as pain management in postoperative patients.  Do you know what the excessively boring research indicated?  It works. 

Better than meds.  The patients were instructed to create a mental image of moving without pain.  And, in the 5 different studies I looked at, the success rate was exceptional.  I mean I’m here blogging about it right now because I think there’s something to this.

So keeping your chin up is going to do more than just hold you in good form.  It’s also going to keep the positive energy flowing around you. 

I believe that mental imagery is half the battle. 

I use it all the time in my training.  If I feel my feet shuffling, I expend a little energy imagining that they’re light and swift.  And you know what happened last week when I did that?  My split time for that mile was 9 seconds faster than the mile before it.  When you start getting into those high double digit numbers, that’s a pretty impressive feeling.

I look at the racecourse each time I run it, and I try to embed a positive memory.  For example, the week I ran with Coach Black and we blew from The Diamond up to the Pope Arch, I remember thinking, “This isn’t that long”.  On race day, I’m going to try to remember that it’s not that far from The Diamond to The Arch.

And one week when I was doing a 13 mile run that took me over The Bump on the Blvd in my last mile, and I felt SUPER STRONG, I remember thinking, “it’s the last real bump on the race course, and look, you’re running an X:14 over it right now, so it can’t be that big or steep or scary.”

So as we all go out for a recovery week this weekend, I recommend building a strong positive memory on the run.  It’s an ideal time.  The weather will be cool, like race day (we hope).  And the miles will feel short (ha ha, I caught myself today, “It’s only 12 miles on Sunday, so…”).  Take your light feet and your strong legs, and as you run along the marathon course, make your own positive memory.  You can use it as a base for your mental imagery, or, if you’d rather not use it for that, at least you’ll have something really nice to remember when you reflect on the time you spent with MTT.

~savor the run~

Words for Wednesday

Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.

~ Oscar Wilde

AMBUSH!

GBA.

Gonna Be Awesome?

God Bless America?

Great Big Attitude?

Galactically Bad A**.

There’s only one GBA.  

And that’s why this morning T & I put our run off for over an hour so we could go run 8 miles with 3L, WineNotWhine, Kristiß needs a bloggy name, KC and Dot in the middle of their 20 miler. 

See, there was NO WAY I was missing 3L’s first 20 miler.  No. freaking. Way.

But I’ve been running a low grade fever off and on for a few days, so I really had to run on Sunday of this week in the hopes that the fever completely breaks by the time it’s Sunday Funday Runday.  

Thus, no 20 on Saturday with Team Purple.

Thus, the AMBUSH.

Yup.  

we didn't plan it, but we're both wearing our Skull socks.

T & I didn’t even tell them we were coming.  We just showed up at a mid point on the route, parked our JEEP, and waited at the Grove SAG with SpeeDee & THE MAN until we started seeing runners.  

We chatted with THE MAN, cheered for the runners, called out Coach Black, got Shh'd by THE MAN, and in general, spent our 10 minutes waiting being cute.  MTTographer snapped a photo of our hotness whilst we waited.  How fabulous are we?

We saw The Posse coming from up the street and jumped in behind the MTTographer waving our arms & cheering (softly, as not to disturb the sleeping city of Richmond... ahem).

I know just the moment 3L saw us, and guess what?  MTTographer caught it on film. 

KC, WNW, Dot (2nd row), Kristi & 3L

Today I ran 8 miles- a few at MRP, and it felt easy.  And while that was great, it was the time spent with my favorite Posse that made today so perfect.

Today made me realize that sometimes doing something nice for someone is as easy as going for a run.

~Savor the Run~

And for the most part, the fever is gone, the exhaustion is waning, and I think if I get a good night’s sleep tonight that I should be able to tackle my 20 tomorrow.  IT’s the big 2.0.  And really, what kind of sicko am I that I can’t wait?