Marathon Training: Week 25

Training took a back seat this week. I know the race is just a couple weeks away. I did get a five mile run in, but then was hit with tragedy. My dog, Jake, passed away. He has been by my side for 14 years. I love and miss him so much. So instead of running, I am just taking some time to grieve, cry and adjust. I can't say I will be ready to run next week or at all for the next couple weeks. But honestly, the marathon just doesn't seem as important to me anymore.

Jake Polacek 

12/17/96-12/25/10

Rest in peace, sweet boy. I love and miss you immensely. 

More Motivation Arrives

The motivation and positivity just keep on coming. Yesterday, I received two more reminders about the upcoming 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon. First, this package arrived from Clif, one of the race sponsors.  It was a nice reminder that I need to get some gels/gummies for race day. 

Also, Disney emailed to give me my final race day instructions. Just seeing that phrase in the subject line spooked me. I can't believe the race is just three weeks away. The sad part is I really haven't had any motivation to run since completing my 20 miler. But I need to suck it up, put on my shoes and get out there. I can't lose momentum now, especially with all the motivation and well wishes coming my way lately.

Marathon Training: Week 24

SUCCESS!!!! That is the word of the week. After two weeks of discomfort, pain and no running, I came back with three amazing training runs. More importantly, one of those runs was the big one - 20 miles. Yes, I completed my biggest training run to date. It was slow and took me almost 4 hours to complete, but I ran all 20 miles. No pain during and no soreness or stiffness the following day.

I am still in shock and awe of the accomplishment. This means training is essentially over. I still have to run a bit here and there, but nothing like I have been doing. Also, it reassured me that I can actually run this race. I needed that confidence boost. I was always doubtful about completing 26.2, but the injury made me doubt myself even more. Now, I know I will at least finish. I may not achieve my under 5 hour time goal. I may hit the wall and hate the last 6 miles. But again, I will run across that finish line.

Speaking of "the wall," I totally understand now why runners experience it. Once you get between miles 18-20 boredom sets in. The music on your iPod is no longer entertaining. The clarity in your head goes away and you start thinking "why am I doing this?" or "what else could I be doing right now?" The mental game then switches to coaxing yourself not to stop running. I just keep telling myself you'll get to the finish line quicker if you run instead of walk.

Thankfully after this week, I am kind of excited about the race. I am still a bit scared and nervous. I also can't believe it is just over three weeks away. But at least I can take comfort in the fact that I did everything I could to prepare, I will be there with my best friend and I have a lot of other friends and family who are supportive and know I can do this.

Motivation Arrives

I think the tide may be starting to turn. I am beginning to get a little excited about the marathon again. Yesterday some motivation arrived in my inbox and mailbox.

First, I received an email asking me to print out my waiver. Sure, I have to basically sign my life away before running the race but it also included my bib number. Very exciting. I am #7742.

Then when I arrived home, I found this in my mailbox. It is my hotel reservations packet from Disney; complete with luggage tags for me and my running mate.

For some reason this has made it more real to me. Yes I have been training for 5 months and know I signed up for the race. But with my hip issues the last two weeks, I have found it difficult to be excited or positive about the whole thing. Now, I feel like this has invigorated me and given me some focus, which I needed. I want to get back to a steady running schedule and am pushing myself to kick butt on my 20 miler this week.

I am starting to believe, once again, that I can actually run this thing. Just four more weeks to 26.2.

Marathon Training: Week 23

10 miles. It doesn't sound like that big of an accomplishment. But to me, this week, 10 miles was a huge step in the right direction. I have not truly trained in two two weeks thanks to a hip issue. But on Saturday, I took a chance, put on my running shoes and hit the road. I probably should have run more than 10 miles, but it was really all my hip could handle and I didn't want to push it.

Now that I have a pretty decent long run under my belt, I feel like I could start training again. I am no longer scared or worried about running or doubtful that I can complete the marathon. I just need to focus and get  back to the old routine. I am going to attempt my 20 miler this week. I have already put it off twice and with four weeks to go, I need to get it out of the way.

Also, I want to thank all my fellow marathon trainees and friends who have been so supportive over the past two weeks. I was really down and out and the encouraging words were extremely helpful.

Marathon Training: Week 22

I would love to start this post by saying... I'm back. But honestly, I can't say anything close to that. After a week of rest, my big return to training was flop. Sure, you could say I am being too hard on myself, but really I'm not. I could barely make it 8 miles this week. That is sad for someone who completed 18 miles just three weeks ago.

At this point, I have to say my confidence is a bit shattered. I am sad, angry, scared and worried my left hip will not heal in time to run the marathon. At first, I thought my injury was just an IT band issue, similar to what I experienced at the beginning of training. Back then, I just got some new shoes, a massage, did some extra stretches and I was back to normal after a few days rest. This time, I did all that and even took a week off, but it didn't help. My first 5 miler of the week was great. The second run should have been 8 miles, but I cut it to 5 because my legs felt heavy and the humidity was making it difficult for me to breathe properly. I figured, if anything, I could just make it up later in the week. Of course, I did not. I skipped the run because my hip still didn't feel quite right. Then came the weekend long run, which was a disaster. Everything started out ok. My new shoes felt great, my mindset was positive and happy, my body felt good... until mile 5. My hip started feeling a bit sore. I kept plugging along thinking it was just a fluke and I was just over analyzing every weird feeling because I was worried. But I had a reason to be concerned. When I stopped for a water/walking break at mile 8, I was in pain. My hip hurt, even when I was walking. So I decided the best thing to do was to quit while I was ahead and head home.

This whole week has just taken the wind out of my sails. Any bit of hope and positivity I had has been replaced with fear, sadness and sheer disappointment. I have taken my training for the race so seriously. I have put in all the time and hours to make sure I completed all my training runs, didn't push myself too hard  and took care of my body. I honestly thought I was succeeding, but now this hip thing is keeping me from moving forward. Sure there are five weeks left until race day, but what if it doesn't heal soon? I still have a 20 miler to get in before the race. And what if I can't run the race because of the hip issue? I know there is no shame in walking. I planned to stop several times throughout the race for brief walks to give my legs/body a rest. There is no way I can run the 26.2 miles straight through. But I have trained way too hard to not be able to run and have to walk the entire thing.  That would just be a huge disappointment. I have always said "one and done" when it comes to this marathon. I do not want to run another one of these... EVER. So to not be able to run this race to my full ability would break my heart.

I know I am being hard on myself and there is still time. I am just finding it difficult to think positive and have hope about all of this. My friends and family have been very supportive, trying to cheer me up and keep me positive, and I thank them for that. Hopefully, they know something I don't.

Marathon Training: Week 21

This week was all about being thankful. I am thankful that I have survived 4 months of running 4 days a week with relatively no injuries, without losing any toenails and still have the ability to run and enjoy it. So as a Thanksgiving treat to myself (and my inflamed IT band), I took the week off from running. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. I did not run for a full seven days. I figured my body could use the rest, especially if I want to make it through the marathon pain free.

As I mentioned in last week's post, I bought a new pair of shoes. This will be the pair I will be wearing on race day. Running is a cheap sport. You really only need to invest in some good shoes, but I find it sad that I now have a pair of each of the colors available for this year's model of my shoe. At least I am brand loyal and found a shoe that works well for me.

Now it is time to lace up the shoes and get back to running. I ran five miles this morning without any pain or complications with the IT band. So I think the resting help. Just six weeks of this left, then I can celebrate big at the finish line.

  

Marathon Training: Week 20

Week 20 came with some ups and down. First, the bad. The IT band on my left leg flared up. Never had an issue with that side before, but I listened to my body and rested. I skipped two training runs this week - a five miler and 8 miler. I also got a massage to help work everything out. It seemed to help and I felt good going into my half marathon race on Sunday.

Now to the good. My long run for the week was 13 miles. So to make it easier to track and get me in race mode, I signed up for the Women's Half Marathon in St. Petersburg. I was surprised to learn based on my estimated finish time I would be in starting corral #2. Thankfully, two friends who are also running the 2011 Disney Marathon were in the corral with me.

Overall, it was a good race. I got to see parts of St. Petersburg that I have never seen before, like the Pier. I made it through the first 10 miles feeling great, but then my IT band became an issue and slowed me down a bit. I will say I finished this race 11 minutes faster than my first half marathon, setting a new PR of 2:12:24. The finisher medal was also kind of cool. So I really can't complain. 

Speaking of cool, while picking up my race packet, I was able to get an up close view of what I have been training for. Disney was on hand with the medal for the 2011 marathon. It is massive and heavy. I can't wait to have one draped around my neck. I will probably cry like a baby when they do it, but it will be such an awesome accomplishment and I will be relieved to finally be done with training. Just seven more weeks to go.

I do think I have clued in on the IT band issue though. After two months and a couple hundred miles or more, I think I have worn through another pair of shoes.

I was hoping to get a new pair of shoes at the race expo, but the vendors did not carry my brand. BOO! I did find a place online that had my shoes on sale with free two day shipping. So I will have some new kicks by Wednesday. However, I think it is best that I take a small break from running, do some yoga and stretching and give my IT bands a break. I want to feel good and be able to fully run the marathon in January.

Marathon Training: Week 19

Week 19 has been a bit exhausting and painful. I think it is because I really haven't been taking care of myself as well as I should. Because the weather has been so cool, I haven't been stretching as much as a should before and after each run. I really haven't felt the need. Well that has resulted in a tight left hip flexor. I tried some intense yoga, but that really hasn't helped. I just need to do some more stretching and icing.

Another battle I am fighting is food. I really haven't been eating much lately, which is bad for someone running more than 30 miles a week. I find myself struggling to eat three meals a day. I am just not hungry. Then on top of that, I am never hungry after my training runs. It baffles me that I can run for three hours or more and not feel the need to eat the rest of the day. On a positive note, I am hydrated. I bought some replacement bottles to make up for the one that was run over by a car last week. So my hydration belt is now fully loaded again.

Other than the hip flexor and food issues, it has been a successful week. I completed all of my training runs, which included my farthest run to date - 18 miles. I can't say the 18 miler was pretty. My hip flexor started acting up around mile 10. So my walking breaks during those last 8 miles were a little longer than usually. I can't be disappointed though. I completed all the miles in a respectable time and am still walking. Those are all good things.

Next week, I get to take it easy a bit. My long run is only 13 miles. Of course, it is also a half marathon race. Knowing me, I will probably push myself so that I can beat my last half marathon time. Hopefully my hip flexor will calm down and I can run the race pain free.

Marathon Training: Week 18

I have completed another week of training injury free. Hooray! I did, however, suffer a small casualty. One of the water bottles on my fuel belt popped off during one of my runs and was run over by a car. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, it is really insignificant. I can buy a new replacement bottle.

This week's training seems to be more about the mind, than the body. The New York City marathon is this weekend and there have been several inspiration and scary stories in the news. The article that really caught my attention was one about heart damage and marathon runners. Research shows that marathon runners do temporary damage to their heart while running the race. Your body recovers in three months, but that is still scary. But I will say that if Al Roker and Jared the Subway guy can finish the NYC marathon, I can finish the Disney marathon.

November is going to be a rough month of training. I have my two longest runs this month and a half marathon race. When I make it through, the hardest part of training will be behind me and I will officially be ready for the race. Of course, I will still have a month of running left, but I will be tapering off from my mileage dramatically. So here's to hoping for a healthy and successful month of training.

Marathon Training: Week 17

This was an interesting week of training. I started off with two runs on Monday. My first two-a-day. I don't know what got into me. It was hot and humid, but for some reason I ran four miles before work and felt compelled to run another four after. It was actually nice because it gave me an extra day off to sleep in. This week was also my first midweek 8 miler. There are a lot of these on the training schedule next month. I wasn't sure I would be able to run, rest and still get ready for work in time, but I managed to do so without any problems. That makes me feel better about the training runs ahead.

My long run this week was 16 miles. It is my longest run to date. This one didn't go as well as last week. My hips started hurting within the first six miles. I had to stop and stretch a few times, but I managed to power through and complete all the miles. I even went to the mall afterward to walk around a bit. I find walking after my longer runs help keep my legs from tightening up the next day. Still, it looks like I have a lot of yoga and time with the foam roller in my near future. I need to work out all the kinks so this doesn't become a reoccurring problem. Hopefully, I will be all stretched out and pain free before adding on more miles in two weeks.

Marathon Training: Week 16

It is hard to believe I am four months into marathon training. Most training plans are actually that long. I just chose to extend mine out to six months. That's right, I am two months away from my marathon. It is kind of scary to think about.

This week, number 16, was nerve wracking, but good. It marked the first time I ran past the half marathon mark. My long run this week was 15 miles. And surprisingly, it went well. Real well. I finished without any real pain and was able to walk around and go shopping afterward. It was a nice change of pace from my previous long runs, which usually ended with IT band, knee or hip pain. I guess it just goes to show how important it is to take care of yourself and your body. The yoga, stretching, soaking and icing are working.

Next week brings another mileage increase, but I can honestly say I am ready for it. Bring on 16 miles. I just need to load some more tunes on the iPod before next weekend. My playlist is getting old and played out.

Marathon Training: Week 15

It's been another great week of training. The weather has been so beautiful, making the running much easier. I have also gotten much better at running with the proper form and taking care of my body during this crazy training process.

No real problems to report this week. My long run was a bit sluggish. My time and pace were great, but I just felt slower than usual. I think yoga is to blame. Wednesday was an intense instructional class focusing on opening up the hips. The class was great and I learned a lot, but holding lunge poses for long periods of time and opening up your hips can leave you sore. You see, you have to engage your glutes to make the poses work. And let me tell you, running with sore glutes is a pain in the rear.

Week 16 should be an interesting one. The farthest I have ever run is 13.1 miles. Now, I will have to complete a 15 miler. I am sure I can do it. It just seems scary saying and reading it. Time to rework the ipod playlist, so I can rock out while trekking along.

Marathon Training: Week 14

Week 14 went great. There was a nice cool snap here and it made running comfortable again. I noticed I was running faster, more on my race pace, because of the cooler temperatures. Even my 13 mile time was better than the half marathon I ran earlier this year. About 5 minutes faster to be exact.

This week, I payed more attention to my running form. After my massage a couple weeks ago and talking to some friends who run a lot, I realized I am not running correctly. My shoulders are shrugged up and tense. I tend to lean forward a bit. That is why my legs and IT bands have been suffering. I am allowing my legs to all the work. Running is a full body sport. When your shoulders are back and your head is up, your arms give you momentum to help move you forward. It also helps you engage your core, which is a great workout. So this is my new goal: focus and improve my form. I also need to add some new tunes to my iPod too. Suggestions are always welcome.

Marathon Training: Week 13

Who said 13 is an unlucky number? Week 13 was actually a good week. I feel like I have finally turned the corner. All four training runs, including a 12 miler, went great. I think mentally, and more importantly, physically I am back on track with my training.

I made a couple tweaks to my training schedule this week. I figure since I'm doing so well, I might at well adjust my schedule to fit my progress. It basically just shifts everything up two or three weeks. The good thing about that is that it leaves me flexibility to add an additional 20+ mile run in December. I have talked to a lot of people about this. Most people only run one 20 mile run before race day. It works for thousands of people. But then there are a few people I know, who like me, who feel they need an extra run that is 22-24 miles. It's a mental thing. Think about it, you hit 20 miles and still have 6.2 left. Sure, it doesn't sound like much after 20, but that is an additional hour of running. And if mentally you are already hitting a wall around miles 18-20, another hour can seem like an eternity.

Either way, I like my new outlook on this whole marathon thing. I am taking better care of my body; more time stretching, doing yoga, icing, etc. I am also not trying to run my race pace all the time and take brief walking breaks during my long runs. All around it is just making it a more enjoyable and healthy journey to 26.2.

Marathon Training: Week 12

Week 12 is complete. And this week it was all about the shoes! After my recovery week of yoga classes and a deep tissue massage, my knee was still bugging me. That is when I decided to take a look at the bottom of my shoes. I was shocked. I have only been running in them for four months. Of course, I do have 300+ miles on them. Take a look. The pink shoe is my old one. The blue is my new pair.

Now, I will be honest. The shoes were not some miracle cure. I am still a little sore when I run. But the shoes do help keep everything in better alignment and support my legs. It is a big difference. I was able to complete my long run - 10 miles. There was a little pain, but nothing too unbearable. I will say the IT compression band and taking brief walking breaks every two miles has helped. I never thought I would be the kind of runner who could stop and start during a run. However, this practice has not only made my running times faster, it has also helped give me knee some much need rest mid run.

I am looking forward to getting back on track this week and start adding some more miles. If all goes well, I will be back where I was before my knee started bothering me three weeks ago. I just have to be much better about taking care of myself. That means more yoga, ice packs, foam roller and hot baths. I think I can handle that.

Marathon Training: Week 11

Another week down and I think I am getting out of the funk from last week. I am happy to report that my IT bands are finally cooperating. Doubling up on yoga classes this week worked wonders. I needed to get down and dirty and stretch everything out. Cutting down on miles and practicing water stops helped too.

Now to further help my physical and mental state, I am getting a deep tissue massage and taking the weekend off from running. I have only had one massage in my life. So I am really looking forward to this and hope it helps work out the tension and tightness of my leg muscles.

I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of me the past few weeks. I had this "whoa is me" type attitude and thought there was no way I could continue with my training or run a marathon. I do still have some doubts, but the positive attitude is back and I know I can keep on running and closer to the goal of finishing 26.2. 

Time For A Reset

The first 10 weeks of training were good. Ok, let's be honest. Nine of the weeks were great. The tenth was so so. That is why it is time for a reset. Thankfully, I started early with my training. Of course, that is good and bad. The good: I am still 17 weeks from race weekend. Plenty of time to train. The bad: my IT bands are causing some pain in my right knee. For those who have talked to me lately, you know this has taken the wind out of my sails. I was really concerned I would not be able to do this marathon and doubted myself tremendous. But now it is time to put on the big girl panties, shake it off and come up with a new plan of attack.

Step 1: New training schedule. That is right. I have thrown out my old training schedule and have adopted a plan similar to one of Hal Higdon's beginner marathon plans. Most marathon training plans are 18 weeks. And since I am already up to 12 mile long runs, missing week one of the new plan isn't really going to hurt me. This works out great because the first few weeks include runs that are much shorter than I have been running. This will give my IT band / knee time to heal. I also plan to take brief walking stops every few miles to simulate walking through water stops on race day. I am told this will be my saving grace on race day; giving me a short break to rest my knees and hydrate. But the best part of this plan is that it is almost identical to plan of my magical marathon mate. It will make it much easier to support one another and know where we are during training because we will be running the same mileage amounts and long runs each week.

Step 2: Fix the IT band issue. Of course, this is easier said than done. IT band irritation isn't really an injury. It is more of a stretching issue. Some may say it is the amount of miles I have been running that caused this. But I didn't start having problems with my IT bands until I skipped yoga three weeks in a row. I already know I am bad at stretching before and after running. I do it, but apparently not well. I guess yoga served as a weekly rehab session for my tight leg muscles. So this week, I am going to double up on yoga and also get a deep tissue massage to work out the leg muscle issues. Then it is back to weekly yoga sessions until race day. I also bought an IT band compression wrap. I will let you know if it helps. I tried it during my 4 mile run this morning and didn't really notice a different. My right knee still felt weird. Who knows? Maybe it is just a gimmick. Concentrate on the tight  IT band wrap on your thigh instead of the pain in your knee. I will give it a couple more runs.

I think this IT band / knee thing has served as a wake up call to me. While my running routine was set and I was just plugging along, I stopped taking care of myself. I need to drink more water. Stretch more. Get to yoga class. Eat better. I have never thought of myself as much of an athlete, but I guess now I am. At least until I cross the finishing line after 26.2 magical miles at Walt Disney World.

Marathon Training: Week 9

Another week complete and this was a rough one! It started with the 8 mile knee fiasco in Tallahassee; followed by a pesky cold. I thought this was suppose to be any easy recovery week! Despite the mini-obstacles, I powered through and finished all 4 runs. I am still battling the sniffles, but my knee feels much better.

I have to say I was pretty scared Saturday when I couldn't bend my knee after my run. I thought this was an injury that would keep me from running for weeks. But there was no swelling and after a few hours I could bend it and walk. So this week, even though I still ran, I took much better care of my legs. First, I pulled out the foam roller every night this week, focusing on my IT bands. Damn, that thing is painful. Second, I returned to yoga. I was really shocked at how much flexibility you lose after skipping class for three weeks. Regardless of the tight muscles, it felt great to stretch everything out. Very therapeutic and calming.

So now it is on to week 10. I am definitely a little nervous about this. Not only is my knee still getting back to normal, I also kick things off with a 14 mile run. It will be the longest distance I have ever finished. I am pretty sure I can do it though. Let's face it. It's not even a full mile longer than a half marathon and I have run one of those. I think it will be more difficult when I hit the 16, 18, 20 and 22 mile runs. Of course, it's really all mental. As my magical marathon mate always tells me, positive thoughts!

Trouble in Tally

Recovery week started out rough. I thought running less miles this week would give my already sore knees and IT bands a break, but then I decided to run in Tallahassee. I have been told several times that people from all over the world travel to Tally to train for races. I can believe it. The area is beautiful and the weather is usually reasonable, excluding the summer months, of course.

But after running 8 miles in the Capital City, I feel like a wimp. At one point I was running up hill and felt like I was barely walking, let alone running. However, my trusty Garmin said I was at the same pace I usually run. Weird, right? I know running hills helps with training, especially when it comes to strength and speed. Let's just say, I am thankful Tampa is pretty flat. I could barely walk or bend my left knee after running in Tally. Of course, I sucked it up and slowly made my way to Doak Campbell Stadium to see the Seminoles kick some butt. Go Noles!

Hopefully, after two or three days of rest, my knees will be good for a few five milers. Now if I could just get rid of this pesky cold. :(