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!

Marathon Monday and Tapering Sucks

Today is Marathon Monday in Boston.  I think it's the only race that is held on a Monday and is like a holiday in Boston. The winner of this morning's race finished in an amazing, 2:05:52 setting a new course record.  That means for all 26.2 miles, he held a pace under 5 min/miles. He runs over 12 mph...he must be half cheetah.  Amazing! 

Instead of cheering for tens of thousands of runners, I'm eating lunch in my cube trying to calm my marathon jitters.  Tapering sucks there is no doubt about it. What sucks more is that I've listened to Josh (Yes, I'll say it again, you're right) and stopped going to the gym.  After I met Rache for a workout on Tuesday, I knew I needed to back off because my calf and ankle were hurting to the point where I wasn't walking normally.  Now, almost a week later, with icing and compression socks I feel like I'm so close to being 100%. 

Of course any normal person would be like heck yeah, I get to eat a ton and not workout, awesome. Yeah, not me. I'm going crazy not working out. This is the longest I've gone in I don't even know how long. I've been doing crunches and pushups at home to at least feel the slightest inclination of the burn.  Many runner gain weight during the taper and I'm no exception. I can feel my pants tightening around the waist and I feel gross and bloated.  Oh well, I'm gearing up for the big race right? All of this is not helping with my nerves though. I almost feel more nervous than I did about Seattle. I think it's because I know how hard the distance is and this taper has just been really rough.  I know I'm well trained and resting to get healthy is the right thing to do, but man I'm struggling.

This weekend the carb gods decided they wanted to help me carb load. Josh and I went over to Great Harvest  Bread Company to pick up my free loaf I got at Canyonlands and we actually won something!  They were having some sort of event and every hour at random times there was a basket winner. We just so happened to win!  Score!  Check out our delicious basket: bread, cinnamon roll, apricot jam, a little knife and a gift certificate for $5.  Mmmmmmmmm.  My carb hungry body is very excited about this. In fact I'm enjoying a delicious sandwich right now. Throw in tons of water and Gatorade and you have a runner on a mission to be carb and hydration ready.

We also had an awesome Italian meal...best since being in Italy. We went to Undici  with Russell and Shanna (his girlfriend, not Josh's sister).  So delicious!  Being hungover the next day, not delicious. In fact it totally sucked. No more drinks until after the race.  Biggest highlight though, after four years I finally got a new phone. Yes, I have now joined the 21st Century.

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!