Marathon Interrupted

Race morning came way too early.  Late Friday night we heard they may start the race early so instead of meeting at 4:30 we had to meet at 4 am.  Which means I needed to get up around 2:45.  Of course I woke up at 2 and let myself get out of bed about 2:15.  I didn't want to disturb Deanna so I went into the bathroom to start my prerace routine. 

Mini coffee pot was awesome for boiling the water for my oatmeal.  I forgot to bring  a spoon so my toothbrush stirred it and I tried to pour it in my mouth.  Needless to say I was a mess.  I taped the crap out of my leg and ankle with hopes of a pain free race. 

As you can tell I was having some race day nerves. It was time to get dresses and head out the door but not before a few more pictures...

Yes I know I look silly. I got lots of stares and looks, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do to hold the legs together. I was determined not to let my ankle tendonitis or calf strain slow me down!

When we got to the starting line it was already pretty warm out and cloudy but not raining.  We dilly dallied for a while but then it was time to head to the starting line. I got right behind the 4:30 pacer who looked all of 18 maybe.  But she sure could run.  About 25 minutes after the first group headed out at 6:45, I crossed the starting line.  Holy hills and humidity.  Remember when I said the course is fairly flat?  Ha, dead wrong. No the hills weren't big but they were long and steady inclines one after another.  The humidity was killer.  Apparently 95-98% humidity negates any sort of altitude advantage.  Regardless I was sticking with the pacer who was actually moving quite a bit faster than the goal pace.

By mile 6.5 I had to start pouring water on my head.  Every water stop, one down the throat, one down my shirt. I could not get my temperature down and it was starting to hurt my pace.  I held on and decided well small change of plans, I'll run/walk...no biggie.  So that's exactly what I started to do.  I passed the 11.2 half marathon turn off and it finally started to get a bit cooler.  The wind picked up and the clouds really moved in.  A few miles down I heard from some other runners that they had closed the course and were making all of the people behind us do the half regardless of it they were registered for the full. I was so happy that I had made the cut!

Three port-o-potty stops later I was almost to mile 16 which means yeah only 10 miles left!  It also was when my calf, ankle and IT started really screaming. I had been stretching my calf every few miles but it just wasn't enough.  I think I must have changed my gait which inflammed my stupid IT band.  A very nice TNT coach from Tennessee was nice enough to hang with me for a few miles and even refill my water bottles.

We were hurried off the greenbelt by the river as the lightning started.  A few minutes later it began to rain. Rain really hard. It was hurting my body when it hit.  It was coming down so hard that it was washing my sweat into my eye which caused burning. So I'm sure I looked ridiculous trying to waddle in the rain with my eyes closed.  Actually it makes me laugh to think about it now.  The police were shouting "Take cover...or you can keep running." I was thinking well which one is it? 

My shoes became cotton and rubber pools.  It got more and more difficult to hold a steady pace at all.  Many runners ran into gas stations and entry ways to take cover from the rain.  Not going to lie it was getting scary out. Between the rain, thunder and lightning it was nasty.  I was definitely looking around for the nearest ditch just in case the tornado sirens went off.

Around mile 18 I was told that we were all going to be taken off the course just before 21 miles.  At this point I just started walking.  My time wasn't going to count so why should I be pushed myself and giving myself blisters for nothing?  I don't know if I've ever felt so many emotions at the same time. I was mad that they let me get this far just to cut me short, sad that I even though it wasn't my best race ever that I was going to be given a medal that I didn't really earn, relieved that I wasn't going to have to run 5-6 more miles in the nasty weather especially since I was about 15 minutes behind my goal time...so much was running through my head.

I was really excited when I saw Deanna at mile 19.  We walked and chatted about the adventures on the way to the half marathon finish line.  She had helped people that had gone down on the course and saw the AT&T building get struck by lightning twice.  Apparently between the heat and humidity of the morning and the severe weather of the afternoon there were a lot of people who needed medical attention.  I crossed the finish line and did my best to force a smile on my face.  Medal in hand I went to check in at the TNT tent.

I didn't bring my camera or phone with me so we're going to have to wait until the official photos come out for you to see what a wet dog I looked like. This is a picture from out the window in our room.  I had to immediately hop into a hot shower when we got back because I could not warm up. Every inch of me was drenched.  Taking off my clothes was like peeling off a wet swimsuit.  Awful. This race goes down as the WORST MARATHON EVER!

I don't even know how I feel about this medal I have.  Techinically I didn't earn it. Was that my fault or something I could control?  Nope.  Do I feel like I can say that I've done two marathons? Nope.  Did I suffer through extremely shitty conditions to get it? Yes sir. So I suppose I'll say I've done 1.79 marathons? 

I'm in Music City

Well getting here was a bear.  Somehow in between the time I left my office and arrived at the airport just a half hour later my flight had been delayed. Ugh. At that point it was only delayed about a half hour which wasn't bad at all. 6:35 came and went, 7:10 came and went as did 7:30. Finally a quarter to 8 we finally boarded and took off for a bumpy ride. We landed in Nashville just after midnight.  I picked up my very wet (they must have left it on the tarmack while it was raining) bag and head to the hotel.  My head finally hit the pillow around 1 am.

I woke up way to early this morning around 8ish.  Of course I couldn't fall back to sleep so when Deanna called to say she was down the street at Panera around 9 I was all over it.  The expo opened for the day at 10. I was looking forward to getting some free swag. Love expo samples!

I picked up my bib and headed over to get my t-shirt and goodie bag.  I noticed this little countdown they had going on.  Looking at this picture now I notice that it was off by about 12 hours. Someone doesn't know how to tell time apparently. Or maybe they got confused and thought it was supposed to be the countdown to when the expo closed. 

Last year in Seattle I didn't really purchase anything which was kind of a bummer. I missed out on getting a regular t-shirt to wear around which I didn't want to do this year.  I got a cute little Rock Star t-shirt amongst many other things. 

Including:  more KT Tape (why can't I find a store in Colorado that sells it?), Bondi Bands (one of them is for Nancy), and The Stick. I'm pretty excited about all of my purchases. I'm definitely trying out The Stick later.  I also got an awesome reuseable bag courtesy of Publix and misc samples. Overall I was kind of disappointed with the expo. There were really not many samples or freebies. Clif wasn't there which made me sad. Love Clif Bars.

Anyway, after the expo I was finally exhausted and headed to the comfy hotel bed. Two hours later I was refreshed and headed down to Broadway to check out all of the music joints. 

Deanna and I met for lunch shortly thereafter then it was off on a trolley tour. Totally cheesey I know but it was the only way I was going to get to really explore Nashville (well other than the race). I was the only single person on the tour and it was actually kind of lame. Here are a few pics from it.

As was the norm for my weekend, the trolley tour ran late which made me late for the Inspiration Dinner.  I was so frustrated at this point. I hauled ass to get there, hurting calf and all. The Penguin spoke again. Even though I heard the same speech in Seattle I still laughed. He's a good speaker.  I was so ready to head back to the room after dinner. 

I got back to the room and had a mini breakdown.  All of the doubts in my head coupled with not having any of my loved ones with me at the race just got to me. After talking to my mom and watching Deanna burn a huge hole in her TNT Coach shirt I felt much better. So funny!

Everything is laid out and ready for tomorrow. Time to try to get some rest. Oh yes and the latest on the race.  Runners of the full marathon must reach the 11.2 mile point by 10:40 am in order to be able to stay on the marathon course. Runners not there by that time will be diverted to the half.  I don't think I'll have any problem with that but it certainly puts a lot more pressure on me.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I’m packed and ready to go. Last night was a very busy night. I stopped by the store and picked up a new ice pack that I can strap around my leg…awesome and some Tylenol since IB Profin is a no no. As soon as I got home I was running around and talking to myself like a crazy person. After wearing my compression socks for basically 3 days straight it was time for a wash. No I do not have stinky feet. Load of laundry in, it was time to get together all of my race day stuff.

Race Day Gear:

• TNT Singlet
• Running skirt
• Sports bra
• Moisture wicking sock
• SHOES
• Garmin (fully charged)
• Fuel belt (don’t forget the water bottles)
• Gels, Nuuns and Oatmeal
• Gatorade mix
• iPod (fully charged w/ new earphones)
• TNT information packet
• Josh’s Speedo sandals for post-race
• Throw away jacket

But let’s not forget the most important things. I’m going to go ahead and call this my injury repair kit. I should market this idea…seriously. Mine includes:

• Travel foam roller
• Compression sleeves
• KT tape
• Shaklees Muscle and Joint Cream
• Herbal tendon and muscle recovery gel
• Extra Strength 8 Hour Tylenol
• Warm around ice pack (Not pictured because I was wearing it)

Oh how I love you all! Well not really the foam roller because it hurts me until I have tears coming down my face. But you know it hurts so good.

After packing the important things it took only a few minutes to pack the rest of my gear for the weekend which was great because I still had work to do at home. The camera is charged and ready to take pictures in Nashville. Maybe I will pick up a disposable to carry with me at the race. Eh, I’ll probably get sick of holding it and toss it. I may as well save myself a few bucks for some ice cream.

Calf/Ankle Status Update: Both still a bit sore but feeling 10x better than they were last week. Currently sporting my nice, clean compression socks and icing with the new ice pack for 20 minutes at a time. Fingers, arms, legs and toes still crossed for race day.

P.S. Totally hoping to bump into some stars in Nashville...like Keith Urban (hot) and Nicole Kidman.  Just casually getting coffee.  I'm sure all famous people are hiding out during the crazy weekend but a girl can hope right? I will be armed with my camera while exploring the city just in case.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Just a day until I leave for Nashville which means I’m only 2.5 days out from the race. I would say three, but its lunch time on Wednesday so technically I don’t have a full 36 hours until race time. I’m not going to lie, I am totally FREAKING OUT. My calf is still hurting, not all the time but when I jump up and down I can definitely feel it. If I can feel it jumping up and down, I’ll definitely be feeling it while I’m running. I tried to get into PT but of course no available appointments in either of the offices. I’ve been wearing compression socks for days and the past two nights I tried my hot rice pad on it. I’ve been rubbing my herbal gel on it as well. I even brought it to work with me today. It doesn’t smell the greatest, but eh, I’m not impressing anyone. There is not bruising or swelling, I can stretch it without pain and I don’t remember ever hearing a pop so I’m sure it’s just a strain but eek. Isn’t this just my luck. Seriously, ugh.

Last night after work I headed to Road Runner Sports to pick up some compression sleeves which are basically the sock without the foot part. Didn’t find them there but I did find a travel size foam roller. I was all over that! After an appointment I stopped by The Boulder Running Company. They had the sleeves! So on race day I’m planning on taping the calf as well as wearing the compression sleeves (mine are white...not pink). I’m hopefully that once I’m going I’ll be just fine.

From now until race day, I’m wearing my compression socks nonstop, icing, rolling on my foam roller and downing anti-inflammatories. That’s really all I can do now. It will be fine right? I keep trying to visualize myself crossing the finish line strong but right now that image keep getting rudely interrupted by flashes of me being hauled off by a medic. In my heart of hearts I know I can do this race. I did a marathon with tendonitis before right? I need to learn to stop Googling and freaking myself out. Half of the information online is not accurate anyway. They guys at the running stores didn’t seem to be too concerned when I told them what was going on and that I had a race on Saturday which made me feel better.

Fingers, toes, legs and arms crossed for a good race. One thing is looking up, the expected race temperature has decreased from 79 to 74. Rain is still in the forecast but maybe it will just be cloudy.

P.S. I haven't packed a thing. Tonight I must eat, pack, clean, work. It's going to be a long night!

Pace Tattoo and Mental Prep

My last marathon, I ran to finish.  I had a goal of 4:30 in mind, but with injury and it being my first race, it was just not in the cards for me.  This time I really think that I can run for time.  I have three, okay four, goals:

1. Beat my previous time of 5:06:57.
2. Hold a steady pace and finish strong.
3. Have Fun.
4. Come in under 4:30.

The final one is the last one on the list because if it doesn't happen it doesn't and I don't want to beat myself up about it.  To help me try to achieve it though I ordered this awesome PaceTat.  They aren't sold here in Colorado yet, apparently we're behind the times, so I had to order it online.  I ordered the 4:20 marathon pace chart.  That's a 9:55 min/mile pace.  Most of my runs I did between 9:30-9:45 so I think aiming to hold a steady 9:55 until I think (hopefully) I can speed up at the end.  So race morning, or probably the night before I'll put it on my arm to refer to.  This way I can turn off the mile alarm on my watch because I know I'll just be waiting for the each of the 26 beeps. 

I'm still thinking about joining a pace group but I'll have this to fall back on if I have to stop at a porta-potty or stop to stretch.  Now I just need to set my watch to beep at me if I start going too fast or too slow.  I'll probably give myself about 30 seconds to a minute on the slow alarm, but the fast alarm is really important so I don't burn out too soon.

My Train with Altitude t-shirt also arrived.  I'm excited to sport it at our Inspiration Dinner in Nashville.  I have all my gels, my PaceTat, my t-shirt, singlet. I'm ready for the race...

I printed out the race course and elevation chart. The course is pretty flat though there are a few steady inclines that last for a mile or more.  I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for race day.  I know that the wall may come but I'm trying to give myself ways to overcome that.  It can't hurt to know where the turns are, where the hills are, etc.  I think I almost have it memorized. 

I keep reassuring myself that I am much better trained and in even better shape than I was last year.  I haven't run since my 21 miler because it's just not worth risking pushing my ankle too far before the race.  I've been crosstraining my heart out and making sure I'm really working my abs and my back.  I'm going to need both to be strong during the race.  I'm so close to actually having somewhat visable abs. Finally!  All I can do now is eat plenty of food, drink plenty of water and let me body relax before the race.  Only 12 days left!

Taper Time

Well it's official...time to taper.  On Saturday I was eager to get out there and do my last long run before the race (only three weeks to go...eek).  I met Deanna, her friend whose name now totally escapes me and Tina.  We started off and got two great loops of the Boulder Res completed. Tina decided to take a break since she's not in training while De, her friend and I ran Eagle trail...bad idea.  The wind had been picking up but by the time we tried to do Eagle it was ridiculous. We were running straight into it and at one point, no matter how hard I was trying, I was not actually moving forward. A little over a quarter mile in we turned around.  Ugh!  With 11.28 miles down, I headed to the gym.

Torture...pure torture. That's the best way to describe the gym.  When I got there I had to wait for a dreadmill which irritated me. Come on people, you're barely moving on the thing while talking on the phone. Get off for those of us that are actually planning on working out!  Anyway, I finally got on and walked abotu a quarter mile to get my legs back in running mode, 2 miles down, so hot so I take a break.  Another mile and a half down, gel digestive failure.  Back from the bathroom, half mile in my IT band totally seizes up.  I hope off, stretch and roll on a foam roller. At this point these two women in the abs area are staring at me.  I casually tell that they my legs is not actually held together by the tape but it's simply keeping my knee cap and ankle in line and that I'm doing my final long run before a marathon. They looked at eachother, looked back at me, and tell me that I'm crazy. At this point I totally agreed with them.

I pick my sorry looking ass up and get back on the stupid running device. I walk a half mile to get my legs warmed back up. A mile and a half later I'm spent. I just cannot take the heat of the gym, the stupid people on the phone and my freaking IT band seizing again.  I gather up all my crap and head home. At this point I'm exhausted, frustrated and grumpy. Poor Josh was on the receiving end of this...sorry babe.

I roll on my foam roller again and head back out to brave the not-as-bad-as-the-Res wind.  With tears in my eyes I finally finished the run. All 21 miles of it.  Other than the last marathon I don't think I've ever been so happy to be done running.  Had I been able to do it all at the Res it would have been over with in about 3.5 hours...with all of the dividing up, driving time, waiting time, etc. it was like 5 hours.  I still survived and I am feeling pretty confident going into the race.  I'm even thinking about joining the 4:15 pace team...we'll see how I feel when I get to Nashville.

The rest of the weekend was spent nursing my sore legs and enjoying family time. I did get my long awaited Blizzard right after church on Sunday. So happy Lent is over and I can have my sweet indulgences again!

P.S. Thank you to Kirsten, Brandon, Jill, Grandma Walker, and Kim Greenlee for donating this week!  You guys are amazing!

The Panic Sets In

After my long run failure yesterday of course I could not stop worrying about next weekend's run and the race to follow.  My ankle is killing me and my right knee hurts. Of course I iced and took some IB Profin, but still hurt.

Here comes 1:30 am and the panic.  I woke up and could not get back to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about how much pain I was in during the Seattle Rock N' Roll Marathon because of my tendonitis.  But it wasn't just the race I was worrying about, it was my last long run next weekend.  I cannot skip it. Yes I've run an 18 miler and a 19 miler, but I just could not mentally get my head around not doing the 21 next weekend.  I've already trained farther than I did last season, but I could not get that voice in my head to shut up.

I layed in bed for about a half hour before I got up, took some IB Profin and headed to the living room. Quick roll on my foam roller and I grabbed the frozen corn out of the freezer to ice my ankle.  I didn't get back to sleep until a little after 4 am.

Needless to say when my alarm went off at 5:45 am, I was not a happy camper.  I called my doctor's office this morning and they are faxing me a referal so that I can go back to my physical therapist.  I cannot wait for my appointment on Wednesday. Even if it doesn't do much it makes me feel better to know that I'm doing what I can to get it before it gets really bad.

I haven't crashed yet or even had any caffiene.  But as I eat my lunch I'm sure the drowsiness will set in and I'll be longing for my bed.  I'm taking tonight off from working out and making sure to R.I.C.E.

Long Run FAIL

I put off my long run until today thinking if I rested all day yesterday I'd feel better. Well I felt a bit better when I woke up today so I headed out to run the Boulder Reservoir.  The run started off fine, though I was sniffling and having trouble getting in my groove. I of course tried to attribute this to just needing to get through the warm up.  Well then the knee pain started.  I was almost a lap around and I started to cry. Every thing in my body ached and I knew there was no way that I could run 12 more miles.  I think I cried more because I HATE giving up.  It makes me feel weak and like a terrible runner.

Being stubborn, instead of driving home I drove straight to the gym.  I thought about trying the treadmill but knew if I was feeling that dizzy outside when it was nice and cool with a little breeze there was no way that I would feel any better on the dreadmill.  I hopped on the elliptical instead.

I set the machine to level 6 and started running away on it.  Sixty-five minutes came and went. I was exhausted and feeling like crap, but I needed the time on my feet.  I did another 45 and called it good.  According the the elliptical I added another 11.75 miles to the 5.25 I did at the res for a total of 17 miles. 

I still feel like crap. My body is aching, my head pounding but I just knew if I didn't get this done that next weekend I'd regret it.  Next week is the tell tell run. I'll be covering 21 miles...that's 4 laps around the res.  If I can get through that run I can get through the marathon. It will help me determine what pace group I want to be in for the race and help me predict my finishing time.  It is my final dress rehearsal.  Eek.

Recovery and Lessons Learned

I don't know if it was the downhill or that I ran the half faster than I normally do for that distance and on cement, but my legs were actually sore. It was so strange.  I didn't exercise on Sunday since we were in the car and then running errands all afternoon, but I did hop on a stationary bike on Monday which really made my legs feel much better.  My ankle hurts but what else is new?

So you know how I said that you should never wear anything new on race day?  I didn't follow my own advice. I sported Josh arm sleeves and I'm paying for it. It chaffed the crap out of me. I have two nice scabs near my armpits.  They hurt so bad pretty much every time I move my arms by my body.  Point made body, I will never wear anything new on race day again.

Also nice are my now, two purple toenails.  My second toe curls over and I lost that toenail last season. I wasn't surprised to see it trying to come off again. I think my third toe's nail is coming off because at the start of the race I couldn't feel my feet so I'm sure I was digging it into my shoe and didn't even realize it.  Oh well, badges of honor right?  At Josh's request I did buy some new polish to paint them...they do look pretty bad.

When I went to the gym I did sport my new Canyonlands Half Marathon shirt.  Maybe the color isn't that bad when not wearing the hat at the same time...it's still pretty ugly though.

Don't you think?  Yikes on a side note my thigh looks huge in the picture...eek.

On my way out of the gym I had a complete stranger tell me how awesome it was that I just ran a half marathon. When I told him I had a full to go next month he said he thought that was amazing. It was kind of nice to hear.

It's snowing like mad so I'm not going to the gym.  It took me nearly two hours to get home from work and it's just not worth going out in the weather for. Hopefully tomorrow night I'll be able to get in a great workout.

Canyonlands Half Marathon

Believe it or not I got to sleep in for this race!  I didn't have to get up to until a little after 5 am...it was awesome!  When I woke up I snuck out of bed and warmed up my oatmeal.  Josh was still sleeping so I pretty much hung out in the bathroom while I ate and read magazines and surfed the web.  By around 6 it was time to start thinking about taping and getting dressed since the team was meeting in the lobby of the hotel at 7 am to get on the buses to the canyon.

Once taped up I started getting on all of my layers.  I put on my race gear including Josh's arm sleeves then the sweat pants, windbreaker and hoodie.  I knew it was going to be cold up there while we waited.  With my gear check bag packed I headed out the door to meet the team.

We all walked to the park where the race was going to end and jumped on school buses up to the canyon.  We got to the bus stop in the canyon at 8 am..to wait to very cold hours for the race to start.  At least I was able to kill about 45 minutes waiting in line for the porta-potty. Apparently a lot of people have never used one and didn't realize when any number of porta-potties open, you jump in regardless of if it is the one right in front of you. Why this concept was so hard for people to wrap their head around I have no idea. I mean come on...not that hard. Jenn and I started cheering people on to get them into them. 

After about a 1/2 mile walk up to the starting line I stood with Aaron, Amanda and Tina anxiously awaiting the start.  The race actually started a bit late but that's ok. Having all of those people around me really kept me warm.  The race started and we were off. For about the first 2-3 miles it was pretty crowded. Slowly people started dropping bag so it was easier to get through the crowd. 

My legs felt like they were made of cement. They felt heavy and sluggish but I was able to maintain a pretty good pace.  By mile 6 or so I saw some awesome TNT volunteers cheering me on which really helped me get my feet moving.  I ran into Deanna shortly thereafter and she was nice enough to run with myself and Amanda for a few minutes.  After mile 7 I was off.

I knew there was a hill coming up around mile 9 but I was determined not to let it slow me down.  My legs started to feel much lighter and before I knew it the hill had come and gone. I could almost see the end of the canyon where we made the turn into town.  The stretch from the hill to the turn seemed to fly right by.  The weather and scenery were beautiful and I was feeling good...no gel digestive failure finallly!

I made the turn into town and knew I needed to pick up the pace. I was on track for a new personal record which was super exciting and unexpected.  About a mile from the turn in I saw Josh and a group of TNT supporters. It was awesome seeing them. 

I handed Josh my fuel belt because it was dragging me down.  I didn't realize he was going to run along with me. Jeans and all Josh ran the last mile or so with me to be my personal photographer.

One final turn and the finish line was in sight.  Right as I saw the finish Hero by the Foo Fighters came on...perfect!  My iPod apparently read my mind.  I wanted to finish strong and for the first time in a distance race I was able to not only pick up the pace but move into an all out sprint.  For the last 200 feet or so I race as fast as my legs would carry me.

I even passed several people along the way, including this guy right at the finish line.

Time: 2:05:52  Avg. Pace: 9:34 min/miles

My Garmin actually said I went 13.18 miles so my average pace was actually a tiny bit faster, you know a few seconds.  There it was, a new personal record. I was so happy!  What amazed me is that I wasn't even trying to PR. I didn't even think about it until I was about at mile 7ish when I looked down and realized that I was on track to beat my Denver half time.  Not only did I beat it, I beat it by about 8 minutes!  I'm hoping that I'll come in under two hours at my next half marathon. 

Afterwards I took my finishers photo and went to check in at the team tent.  I was super disappointed to learn that they stopped giving out medals. Instead I get that dayglow shirt and hat I was telling you about. I'll have to take a picture. Luckily TNT brought us medals. I think that I'm going to get mine engraved with Canyonlands 2010 and a kokopelli runner. 

The rest of the team started trickling in. It was such a beautiful day we hung out and soaked up the sun before walking back to the hotel. 

You better believe I rocked my compression socks. Those downhill portions were brutal on the legs.

I got back to the hotel, iced, rested and relaxed before our victory dinner.

On the Road Again

Thursday was busy busy. As soon as I got home from work, I packed the last of the things I had forgotten to pack Wednesday night, dropped off Lucky and waited for Josh to get home. As soon as he got home it was time to load the car and get on the road.

We had a slight change of plans with our overnight accomodations when TJ told Josh that his roommate's parents had come into town. Not to worry, I found the cheapest hotel possible for us to stay in so that we weren't sleeping on a floor.  That would just not have been pleasant. 

We arrived at our hotel or maybe it was more of a motel since you can park and walk into your room around 10ish? Anyway, we stayed at the Rodeway Inn in Glenwood Springs which yes, did advertise that they have HBO on their sign (eating my words).  It wasn't actually all that bad. I mean it could have used some updating and some new carpet, but the beds were fairly comfortable and we had cable so you know, it worked. When we got up in the morning we were so glad that we decided to head up the night before. While Denver was being hit by the snow storm, we were enjoying our free breakfast the next morning...good old waffles or pastries.

After breakfast we hit the road.  Just a few hours later we arrived in Moab and to rain and hail.  Yes the weather was lovely.  We discovered two things, Zax Pizza aka Woody's only serves breakfast until 11:30 and there is absolutely no checking in early at the Ramada Inn.  Ugh. I was so irritated.  To kill some time we hit a bike store and the hardware store for Josh to buy a new lock (we found out later he had brought his). By the time this was done we were able to get some lunch...yeay for salad bars and pizza.

After lunch I drove Josh up to a trail for him to do some biking. We had to wait out the hail for a few then he was on his way.   I hit the expo while he was riding...not impressed.  Now I know Canyonlands is a small race but I was really disappointed with the expo. There were like two sponsors there and basically just bins of clothes that some stores were trying to get rid of. I did score some new TYR goggles for $6 which was exciting.  Dayglow shirt and hat in hand, as well as my reusable gear check bag, I drove the race course.

Amazing isn't it?

Finally we were able to check in and head out to the Inspiration Dinner.  I was charged with leading all of the participants to the dinner. And lead I did...literally. It was like playing follow the leader in kindergarten. You would think that someone would walk with me, but nope, they all stayed behind me.  It was weird.  We got there and they were all cheered in!  Nice plate of pasta later we got to hear some facts about how much work we've done this season, how many calories we've burned (over a million), and how much money we've raised (just this group $73,000).  Once Ashley was done speaking one of our honored heroes spoke to us about her battle and thanked us for our hard work.  As everything concluded we took team photos and we went home.

Of course I laid everything out and was able to get a great night of sleep thanks to Advil PM. Lifesaver!

Moab Here We Come

On Monday night we had our official send-off meeting.  This is when we pick up our bright purple TNT singlets and get our tickets for all the weekend events.  Some people decorate their singlets at this time, but I can never find enough letters to spell my name so I figure I'll just use my foam letters from last year to spruce it up. Maybe at some puff paint at a later date...we shall see. I'm not very good with stuff like that.  Anyway here's what's on tap for the weekend:

Wednesday-PACK. I hate packing and I always leave it until the last moment.  Here's my list of things not to forget:

1. Running shoes...I know this barefoot running thing is the latest phenomena but I'm not into it.  Definitely don't want to forget these babies.

2. Running skirt, TNT singlet, sports bra and socks.  Can't run without any of those things.  I suppose I could but it probably wouldn't be very attractive.

3. Body glide, gels, fuel belt and kinesio tape.  Body Glide is an amazing deodorent looking stick that works wonders. I put it on the tips of my toes, the inside of my arms and thighs...anywhere that might be prone to chaffing.  As I learned last weekend I also need to put it on the side of my hips because apparently my running skirt has either stretched or I've gotten smaller and it rubs.  Booo.  The rest is typical long run gear.

4. Garmin and iPod. Both will be charging up all night so they have full power. I don't want to have a dead iPod like I did at the Denver Half.  I downloaded some new music last weekend to keep me pumped up. 

5. Two packets of regular instant oatmeal, cinnamon and brown sugar.  A bowl and a spoon would probably be helpful too.  Never eat anything new on race day, so I'm bringing it with me. Lucky for me our room has a microwave.

6. Tickets for the TNT events.  Can't get in without them.

Thursday: Drop Lucky off at Happy Tails and head up to Vail.  We're planning (well if Josh calls and gets the ok) to drive up to Vail on Thursday night and staying with friends.  With the whole I-70 rock slide debacle we don't want to have a super long ride on Friday.  Plus it's supposed to snow on Friday and I'd like to be as close to Moab as possible before that moves in.

Friday: Arrive in Moab!  Yeay!  We'll check into the hotel and Josh was leave to go for a ride.  He's really looking forward to it but I can tell he's kind of bummed that Colin is running on Saturday and won't be riding with him.  I have a lot to do on Friday.  Pick up all of my stuff at the expo and pick up some free swag.  Love the expos before a race!  After the expo it will be time to start getting ready for the Inspiration Dinner.

The Inspiration Dinner is awesome. In Seattle, the Penguin, who wrote for Runner's World forever, spoke and was hilarious.  We also had cancer survivors speak, the head of the Competitor Group and the head of LLS.  Pretty freaking fantastic, inspirational and emotional.  The Rocky Mountain Chapter is the only TNT chapter at this race so it will be substantially smaller.  After the dinner I'll probably head back to the room to relax and lay out all of my clothes and gear.  I'm neurotic and must have everything layed out on the floor and ready to go before race morning.

Saturday: Race Day!  The race doesn't start until 10am but they have to bus all 4,000 participants up the canyon. So we are meeting at 7 am to take off.  That's going to mean at least 2 hours standing in a cold canyon.  At least that gives me time to hit the porta-potty at least half a dozen times which seems to be the norm for me on race day.  Hopefully I'll have a fantastic race and breeze through the finish line around 12:30.  Since it's a mass start, I figure it will be a long slow walk across the line and a lot of weaving in the first few miles. 

After the race I'll definitely be hitting the TNT tent to get my PB&J and the after race expo to grab some more swag.  That evening we have our Victory Party. It's at the Chuckwagon Bar and is a country themed party. It should be a fantastically cheesy time. Josh isn't going because he's going to hang with Colin and Rachel. I'll be meeting them for drinks after enjoying some BBQ and maybe a little line dancing.

Sunday: We head home. Hopefully we'll get to enjoy some breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe before we leave town.  I will surely be packed especially since it was just featured on MSN's Best Breakfast Restaurants in the USA.  I'm willing to wait for some deliciousness though.

Busy busy busy. Unfortunately we probably won't make it back up to the Delicate Arch where Josh proposed on this trip, but I'm sure we'll head back to Moab in the near future. 

Hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep before the weekend hits.  I'm wiped.

Mission Day 19

Today was Mission Day which is a day of remembrance and celebration for all Team In Training participants.  We all met in Denver to run the High Line Canal Trail. Once everyone arrived we were all handed balloons and moved into a circle.  Once in the circle the 2015 Initiative was read.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has set a goal of allowing patients to manage their illness and live long happy lives as well as curing forms of blood cancers so that no one else has to lose a loved one. They want to do all of this by the year 2015.  Amazing isn't it?  That's just a mere five years away.  They've done so much to advance to treatment and research that I have no doubt that they'll be able to accomplish it as long as we all keep supporting the cause.  After the reading was done we went around the circle to tell everyone our name and why we do TNT.

Deanna went first which made all of us tear up when she spoke about her brother, then Tawsha told everyone about her Nana, after Jianna I told everyone who I run for, my Grandpa Tom and my Uncle Ted.  There were a lot of tears this morning. One woman who couldn't have been much older than me, was already a widow. She lost her husband to lymphoma. Another woman about my age, just found out on February 1st that her husband was cancer free.  I cannot imagine learning that Josh had cancer or losing him. It would be awful.  Another woman spoke about losing her 10 month old daughter to leukemia and a man his wife.  Their strength amazes me.  At the end we celebrated Mighty Mason who I told you about in a previous post, who had his last treatment this past week and is officially cancer free.  Once Ashley read aloud all of the names of the friends and family members that we participate for, we released our balloons into the air.  It was an amazing and emotional morning.

Mighty Mason lead us to the trail and we started running.  I was running longer than any of the other runners thanks to my altered schedule so I knew I'd be running by myself most of the time.  Shortly after mile six I got to the final cheer station where I was warmly cheered on.  They told me I was the first person they'd seen. Here I was thinking I was in the back!  I ran out until I hit the 8 mile mark and turned back.  I headed back to the trail head. I was just finishing my final gel when I saw Deanna and a few other volunteers under an arch of balloons cheering me on.  It was great but I wasn't finished.  My goal was to run 20 today, but at mile 19 I was just burned out.  I was extremely thirsty ( my fuel belt was all out of water), hot and I felt bad because everyone was waiting on me.  So 19 miles it was. I felt pretty good the entire run. I keep a pace between 9:15-10 min/miles.  I felt strong and I'm feeling great about my chances of finished the marathon well under 5 hours...at least for now.  It was a beautiful trail!

Before getting into my car to head home I filled two trash bags with ice for my knees.  Fifty minutes later I was home, well iced. Josh was nice enough to run a cold bath for me. I made my green monster and headed up for an ice/epsom salt bath.  I was shivering even with my sweatshirt on in the bath, but I think my legs appreciated it. As of right now I am still feeling good. My legs are sore but I can bend easily. I'll probably ice at least one more time today before I roll out on my foam roller to release some of the muscle tension.

Time: 3:05:25   Distance: 19 miles  Avg. Pace: 9:45 min/mile

Now to be fair, I did stop my watch when I stopped and stretched. So that would probably add about 5-7 minutes to my overall time making my pace about 10:07 min/mile.  If I an keep that pace for the marathon I'd come in under 4.5 hours!  Which would just rock my world. 

P.S. My shoes arrived yesterday and they were amazing on my feet today!  No ankle pain!

Race Preparation

A week from tomorrow at 10 am I'll be toeing the starting line in Moab.  The Canyonlands Half Marathon will be my second half and I'm really looking forward to it.  Josh and I are tenitively planning to drive up to the mountains on Thursday night and then drive the rest of the way to Moab on Friday morning. That way, even with the disasterous I-70, we can still get there early enough for Josh to get in a ride.  We haven't been back to Moab since we got engaged there in November of 2007.  Josh was very romantic and proposed under the Delicate Arch.

This is a hilly course and I'm not really going to have any sort of altitude advantage.  I'm trying to remind myself that this is just a training run because it really is. Nashville is the big race!  I'm still hoping that I can come in faster than I did in my first half and finish around 2 hours. Realistic for a course this hilly?  Probably not but a girl can hope. 

At least this is a nice small race, one of the smallest I've ever done. The entry is completely by lottery, so there are only 4000 entries allowed. Lucikly I was able to get in with TNT.

I sent my mentees some tips for race preparation. I thought I'd share them with everyone else. I'm not expert but these are a few things that I've learned:

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. You cannot hydrate the night before or the morning of the race. You need to make sure that you are drinking lots of water and Gatorade in the coming week before the race. Typically for every two bottles of water I drink, I drink a bottle of Gatorade. If you drink only water and too much of it, you risk depleting your electrolytes which is bad. So please make sure you also drink some sort of electrolyte beverage in addition to water. Also this may be gross but, if your pee is clear you've had too much. You only want to drink enough to have light yellow pee. If you have dark pee, keep drinking.

2. Rest. Don't do any crazy strenuous leg exercises. You want your legs to feel fresh and ready to go. Also, get some sleep. If you are feeling really tired, take that nap or go to bed early. You won't be sleeping the night before (trust me) so you want to make sure that you are as rested as you can be.

3. Eat! I mean it. This is not the week to watch your calorie or carbohydrate intake. Carb-loading the night before the race is not going to do a thing for you. You actually need to build up your carbs over several days, even a week or more. So enjoy that bread, pasta, etc. You can start tomorrow night at Jianna's.

4. Pack everything you need on race day in a separate bag from the rest of your weekend gear. Once you check into the hotel and get all of your stuff from the expo, lay out your outfit, shoes, sock, even your gels for the race on the floor. Pin your bib onto your shirt so you don't have to do it in the morning. Put the toe tag on your shoe as well. You're probably going to be anxious enough as it is that morning without having to get to the starting line and realize you forgot something. When you're laying everything out, if you discover you've forgotten something at home, you'll have time that evening to get to a store.

5. Don't eat anything new. Bring whatever you normally eat before our long runs with you. You don't want to be scrambling that morning trying to find something or having to settle for something you're not used to. It could really upset your stomach.

6. Enjoy! Take in the moment and your accomplishment.

I'm excited to get away for the weekend!  It's going to be a short trip but it should be a lot of fun.

Quick Fundraising Update

It's been a while since I've talked about fundraising. Mainly because it hasn't gone as well this season. No matter how many emails or letters I send, how many times I post it on Facebook...nothing.  I can't even get anyone to respond to Evites. If you can't go, just tell me but at least respond.

As of today there is just over $2800 in my account. Now that is nothing to sneeze at but this close to my race I should already be at my goal.  Josh and I made a hefty donation to help me out...$400. Thanks to Amgen's matching program, $800 will be arriving in my account shortly.  That is about double the amount I should have matched when I was doing my own donation matching campaign.  I know times are tough but it's so frustrating. 

A few weeks back we had an awesome wine tasting event. The event raised a little more than $10,000 I believe.  Thanks to Ryan and Claire, Rache, my dad and Liz, Josh's coworker, coworker Lisa and her husband Roland and my coworker Bob and a group of his friends, I was able to sell 15 tickets which helped me raise $450 to put towards my goal.  With the profit from the silent auction portion, I have an additional $520 to deposit in my account.  Thank goodness for this event otherwise I'd be in a total panic about raising enough to meet my minimum to attend Nashville.

I'm not trying to whine, because I know many of my friends and family supported me last year by donating, but come on, everyone has $10.  Cancer doesn't wait. I'm not asking for anyone to donate to Josh and I's personal checking account.

If you're still intersted in donation you can always visit my website: http://pages.teamintraining.org/rm/dhmomu10/jvankirk.  This is going to be my last season with TNT for a little while so I want to make it count!  I'm doing the hard part, the training, all you have to do is donate to help those cancer patients, current and future.

A Day of Running

Today was supposed to be an easy run. And the run itself was easy, except my stomach did not want to cooperate and I changed where I ran three times!

I started at the gym because my stomach was already unhappy from the margaritas I had last night at dinner with my lobster who is finally home!  Well 2.5 miles in I knew there was no way I could run 10 more...it was way too hot.  I took off for McIntosh Lake just a few miles away.

I was having an awesome run when about a mile after my gel, here came my stomach again!  UGH!  I thought oh no problem, I can see the bathroom.  Ran to the door of the bathroom...locked.  Seriously, come on.  Ran to the next one, also locked.  After 7 miles, I drove home just to use the bathroom. Sad right.  I don't know why my body is rejecting gels lately. 

I was pretty hungry when I got home, so Josh and I had some lunch.  I was just going to let the food settle and then be on my way to finish the last 2.5 miles. Well I accidentally doozed off. 

About an hour later I was up and out the door.  The last 2.5 miles done!  I'm glad this was a taper week because this stupid run sucked.  I did have a great pace going though!

Here are the stats broken up: 

Dreadmill-Time:24:10 Distance: 2.5 miles Avg. Pace: 9:40 min/mile
McIntosh-Time:1:05:01 Distance: 7 miles Avg Pace: 9:17 min/mile
Neighborhood-Time: 22:57 Distance: 2.52 miles Avg. Pace: 9:06 min/mile

Totals:

Time: 1:52:08   Distance: 12 miles    Avg. Pace: 9:20 min/miles

I would rather just have done all the miles at the same time, but it was just not in the cards for me today.  Next week is Mission Day so I'm excited to run with the team again.  All of the Front Range teams are meeting near my high school for a huge group run.  It's going to be one of my longest runs of the season...about 20 miles or how ever far I can run in 3.5 hours.  I'm hoping I hit 20 miles and GDF doesn't get in my way.  After the run we'll be enjoying breakfast and celebrating our honored teammates, people in remission, battling cancer and those who lost their battle before we could find a cure.  I missed it last year because I was injured, but I'm not missing it this time!

Injury Update: My ankle feels fine for the most part once I start running and I have it taped.  Running outside today at McIntosh I felt so great.  It was nice to have the wind in my hair and the sun on my face.  Plus, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to maintain a pace under 9:30 min/mile.  It didn't hurt that the only hills around the lake are tiny.  Canyonlands is going to be a rude awakening.  At least the Nashville course is fairly flat with just baby hills and just 500 feet above sea level.

No Turning Back

It's official, I am definitely running in Nashville. Last week I sent in my recommitment paperwork, today I bought my airline ticket.  In 50 days I'l be at the starting line of my second marathon. I am super excited and nervous all at the same time. I did it once, so why not again right?  I should be feeling confident, I was able to go 18 miles on Saturday without a problem...well except for the upset stomach, but I think that was from the pizza.

My ankle is aching but I think there is a good chance it will be all better before race day.  My knees are hanging in there for now. Hopefully they'll continue to put up with my craziness.  I've taken it easy since Saturday.  I did a mere 40 minutes of exercise while in Oregon which is so unlike me.  To my credit, I was working for 10+ hours a day and on my feet most of them.  I've gained 6 pounds in the past two weeks...eek. That may seems like nothing, but I'm just not used to that. I feel sluggish and like I'm losing my fitness. 

Last night I dragged my ass to the gym even though I was completely exhausted from being on the go since 3.30 am.  Half hour warm up on the bike, squats, lunges, arms and abs then a 20 minute stint on the elliptical. I was thinking about running tonight but may just hold off until my quick 12 mile run on Saturday. I'm sick to death of the dreadmill but hey, that's so much better than no running at all right?

My biggest fear is that I've been taking it way too easy with training and one of these days I'm bound to have a really shitty run. I'm just hoping that it's not marathon day.  Canyonlands is just three weeks away.  I'm not really focusing at that race at all, just looking at it as a training run. After all, I will have run 20 miles the Saturday before...13.1 is a lot shorter distance!  The marathon is what's on my mind every day.  Will I make it to the finish line?  Will I get injured again? Will I be able to run faster than the first one?  Is a 4:30 marathon a real possibility?

Apparently I need someone to help me quiet the critical thoughts and doubts in my head.

Dreadmill Eighteen

I've been in denial for a few weeks now that something might be wrong with my ankle.  As we were running a couple weeks back I knew I landed wrong as my foot connected with the ground. Running on those icy,  uneven trails is really hard on the body. I played it safe and took a few days off and did my run last weekend on the treadmill.  It was a taper week so it wasn't too bad. 

I finally broke down and went to the doctor on Friday afternoon.  Low and behold...tendonitis.  UGH!  I thought I had successfully avoided it this season, but those trails took their toll.  Luckily it's just my ankle and not my knees this time.  The doctor said I could keep running as long as I ran on an even surface and used kinesio tape...which meant the dreadmill for an entire 18 miles...booo.

Bright and early yesterday morning I headed to the gym all taped up, two water bottles and my gels in hand.  I decided not to push too hard so set the treadmill to a steady 10 min/mile pace and started running. The first six miles flew right by and were a breeze.  By the time it slowed me down for cool down it was time for my first gel. 

The next six miles were interrupted by my stomach. It could have been the pizza or the gel but my stomach was not happy.  Quick run to the restroom and I was off again.  Mile 12 came and went and it was time for gel #2.  Done and done.

Mile 15 comes along...my stomach acts up again!  This is making me realize that running at the gym definitely has its advantages.  By mile 16.5 I was just ready to be done. I'd already watched an episode of Law & Order, The Practice, Ruby and was almost through Guiliana and Bill...yes I know, bad TV.  To help get myself through it I popped some PowerBar gummies and cranked up the speed to 9 min/miles.

With only a half mile left my knees stiffened right up.  I was going to push through but realized it was probably best to stop and stretch. Twat squat and I finished that last 1/2 mile.  When I was done it did not feel like I had just run 18 miles. I mean last season I was dying on that run. This time I was soaking wet and a little sore but not even tired. I thought about staying at the gym a little longer to do some upper body work but figured it was in my best interest to get home and ice.

Today I'm still feeling good.  My ankle is sore and my knees a little bit too, but I can still take stairs no problem and figure I'll be nearly 100% tomorrow. 

With that it's time to board my flight to Oregon...yes, I'm off again.

Beau Jo's Fundraiser...mmmm pizza

This Wednesday, Thursday and Friday Beau Jo's is helping me raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!  Eat at the Boulder location or just order take out and they'll donate 20% to LLS.  What's the catch?  You have to print out this flyer. 

My team will be eating there on Friday night if you want to join us!