NWM 2011: Marathon Finish

Well, so there it is. My marathon finish.

It has taken a while to sink in, that I've accomplished that. It didn't feel that special at first-- it felt like a really hard, long run that my friends happened to be cheering at. But calling myself a marathoner, trolling through the results page to see that no one else from my hometown, no one else from my alma mater even competed in the (full marathon) race, seeing that I actually broke the top 25% of finishers... that makes it sink in. It's only my second race I've ever competed in, but I've got the bug.

4am wakeup to eat my pre-race food (bagel, PB, honey and Gatorade)

5:15am wakeup call for final preparations and to walk down to the start (0.8 mi away)

Back in the first half of the marathon, when I was all smiles and focus

My official Tiffany & Co. finisher's necklace

A bouquet from my sweet sister that was waiting on the doorstep of my apartment

The mood got dampened a bit the next day, but you know what? I was only ever doing this for myself and my own goals. He wasn't ever giving me pep talks or cheering me on. I went for runs with his friends while he slept. And I have the necklace to prove that I've accomplished my goal. It feels good.

I was out weeks 4-8 of my 16-week training plan with a strained hip flexor and bronchitis. I jumped back into the plan when every person I talked to and article I read told me to stop. I wanted it so badly, though I also felt like I was making too many excuses and wasn't pushing myself hard enough. I let almost every double-digit run slide, missing two twelves and a fourteen, and then doing 8-milers instead of 12, twelves instead of 16, and only one of the two 20s on my plan. But even if only for frugality's sake, I signed up for that race, so I was going to run it, damnit.

Miles 1-9 were great. Hills were just what I was anticipating, the scenery was beautiful, I stopped at every hydration station and ate every banana/orange slice/energy chew offered. Around mile 11.5, my piriformis started to hurt-- bad. I hadn't taped my right leg, so my foot was numb, burning, and tingling. Four of my friends were there, waiting, cheering, yelling, taking pictures... being their amazing, crazy selves. All I could do was turn on my iPod for a few songs (which I had decided to use on an emergency basis, since I wanted to get the most out of the experience), tighten my sweatshirt against my lower back to apply a little pressure and hope for the best, even though it was all I could think about... until mile 14.6, where two of my friends were standing on the sidewalk, waiting to join in. They had boundless enthusiasm, and all of a sudden we were clapping, singing (yelling), and half dancing to the Black Eyed Peas' "Pump It (Louder)", a Nike+ powersong at mile 16 or so-- even after the music was too distant to hear. I was too excited to have them there to actually care that I looked like a fool. With one guy running on each side of me, I kind of felt like I could tackle anything. It was amazing.

At mile 19, my housemate joined the three of us, and with 10k left, I was on track to make my goal time, a 4:30:00 marathon. But then I hit a wall--hard-- around mile 21. Nausea, anger, depletion of energy, dehydration... all of it. The "bitch zone" is a real thing. I stopped to walk 7 or so times not due to muscle ache, but nausea, and now wish I had obeyed the "puke and rally" sign we saw around mile 23, just before a hill that I didn't remember coming. I definitely wouldn't have been the only one. I resolved to run from mile 25 on, and that was pure adrenaline. The four of us pressed on, and they left me with a half mile to go for the finisher's chute. I turned on my iPod a second time to find the most adrenaline-pumping song on my carefully-crafted marathon playlist. It had turned off after two hours of pause, so it shuffled to something random. I wasn't even looking at it, just pressing the play button enough times to turn something on. (I kind of lost the capability for coherent thought around mile 22.) The song: "I get by with a little help from my friends", by the Beatles. The least adrenaline-pinching, but most appropriate song I could have ever picked. Needless to say, there were tears at the finish. And I'll be back for more.

Tomorrow!!

Ready... let's do it

Last-minute paradigm shifts and final marathon prep

Am I ready???

Trip to Target for the essentials, and my afternoon snack for work (after I ate half)
Starting off Thursday with a bagel and homemade strawberry jam

Thursday night at the Expotique in Union Square: seeing my name on the wall somehow makes it 10x more official (as does finally inking it into my planner now that all threat of injury has passed)

My pre-race nutrition plan. This is my second race ever, after all (my first being the US half last April) so I'm trying to be much more vigilant about what I eat. 


- - - - - - - - - 

I am now a morning runner. That's right. I started all this a year ago with 10pm runs, then they slowly crept up from post-dinner to post-work to midday to midmorning (on the weekends.) This week, I decided that I would run in the morning to get my body used to the early wakeup for the marathon. Instead of my usual 7:30 or 8am wakeup, I woke up between 5:30 and 6:15 this whole week. And now, surprise of all surprises, I'm actually awake in the mornings and tired at night. Wait a sec, this is what it is supposed to be like... whaaaaat? That's not to say that this hasn't come without serious bouts of kicking and screaming (or the mature adult equivalent. No, wait...) but fortunately, I have an amazing housemate who helps pull me out of bed and convince me that yes, this really is a good idea.

I'm a carboconvert. I really don't like carbs. Really. I stick to things like Greek yogurt and fruit, salads, and eat carby meals like pasta only when I don't have any vegetables in the fridge. I mean, don't get me wrong-- I lived in France for four months. I like baguettes and croissants. But when it comes to healthy thinking,  I was always under the impression that "the more nutrients, the better." Because I thought of nutrients as things like vitamins and minerals and protein. I try to eat quinoa, beans, nuts, and eggs for protein and make sure I'm getting enough fiber, but I never even think about carb requirements. Not even how it would affect my running. (Seriously. I feel stupid admitting this.) So I would eat my normal fruit, veggie, and dairy diet before every run. Even the long ones. Only the night before my 20-miler did I think, "Hmm, maybe I should eat pasta." So I did. And guess what? My 20 miles were great! Then I went back to vegetables and salads. Well, it turns out, there is nothing scary about carbs. They make my runs--even the 4-milers-- feel AMAZING! Who knew?! (Oh wait... everyone else did... pretty sure we learned about the food pyramid in middle school)

The funny thing about paradigm shifts is that you can't stubbornly stick to a routine-- running or otherwise. You have to be open-minded enough to let them happen and try out a million different things-- sometimes multiple times-- before you can choose. And that's kind of the point of this blog and the whole unabashed thing. Like admitting that what you've always done really isn't the best way to do achieve your goal. Because trying to optimize a really shitty plan just gives you a really nice looking but still shitty plan.  (Subtext: my Honors Thesis.) Sometimes, there's better ways to do it. You just have to look. And better late than never, right?

The big 2-0 and TAPER TIME!

I did it!! Last Friday was my first long run, and I actually went ALL twenty miles without stopping. Since my hip flexor injury in the end of July-- and since I came from it at the end of August-- I haven't been able to go for a long run without stopping at least once to walk. Usually I stop around the 4-mile mark for a short walk break, and I've never been able to make it to 7 miles without a longer (1/4 mile to a mile) walk break. It was demoralizing, to say the least. How am I supposed to run 26.2 miles if I can't even run 8 straight? Visions of being run over by the race course police opening the road back up to traffic because I'm too slow kept running through my head. My goal shifted from "sub 4:30" to "just don't get kicked off the course." But, as predicted by my experienced friends, tapering is just as psychological as it is physical, and man am I psyched to be over the worst of it!!

Night-before prep: 

1.5 hours of yoga. Wasn't expecting this-- I wanted to do gentle yoga (even though I prefer Bikram) because I didn't want to be sore, but then I got there too late and got 90 minutes of hot Bikram instead. It ended up going surprisingly well after not having done it since February!

My first time taping my piriformis. Didn't go so great. Totally having someone else do it before the marathon. It was supposed to look like this, but it ended up looking like a really pathetic almond shape that basically outlines a love handle on my right lower back in neon pink K-tape.

My food plan:

(logged because I'm a creature of habit and will most likely repeat this exact thing before my race)

Pre-run dinner (at 10pm): 2 oz. whole wheat spaghetti with juice + zest of 1/4 lemon and finely grated Parmesan (and milk)

Dessert: 4 mini Famous Amos cookies and milk 

Morning of: a couple myrtl exercises (fire hydrant, circles, leg swings) and regular stretches (hip butterfly, single-leg stretching), gummy multivitamins, 1 ibuprofen, 1 Endurolyte, and 2 Clif ShotRoks in peanut butter, some sips of water... no breakfast (this was an experiment... I ALWAYS eat breakfast no matter what)

During run: 5 Clif ShotRocks (taken at miles 2, 5, 8, 10, and 12), 3 (12-oz) bottles of water (refilled at miles 7, 11, and 15), 4 almonds. Definitely should have fueled up more for such a long run, but couldn't bring myself to stomach the gel I brought.

Immediately Post-run (in my car): at least 50 oz of water, joint health Emergen-C, Vanilla Honey Stinger waffle (After which I realized that I paid $1.50 for an organic version of a single stroopwafel. Last time I had stroopwafel, I got a whole package straight from the Netherlands, and there's no healthifying something that good. This kind of proves my moral opposition to fitness company BS. It's not an "energy waffle", it's freaking Dutch dessert. I don't want GU when I can eat gummy bears. And I still get roped into it half the time. But I digress.)

When I got home: more water, 1 ibuprofen, 1 Endurolyte, and a hard-boiled egg with 2 oz. whole wheat spaghetti with juice + zest of 1/4 lemon and finely grated Parmesan 

A year of running

A year ago today, I went for my very first run. In typical fashion, I started my senior year of college with about twenty to-do lists of things I had hoped I would accomplish. Elaborately scheduled days in which I would wake up at 6:30am, work two jobs, have 4 hours of class, cook for myself, and get amazing grades, do extracurricular reading, meet my friends out at the bar, and be asleep by 1am.

I ran for 17 minutes that day-- including some walk breaks. I was embarrassed by my form, so I only ran at night for the first two months. I would avoid the campus loop and wait to be away from streetlights or behind parked cars if I needed to walk. I was embarrassed that I was in college and not fat, but so incredibly out of shape. I plodded along, though, with the help of an Excel spreadsheet. My times were only calculated by counting how many songs I listened to on my playlist, and my distances only tracked by charting my loop on Nike +. It was laborious, but look at the difference.

Last fall:

This fall:

It actually doesn't look like that much of a difference, but it's been one year, and I'm doing a marathon. Is that crazy? Probably. I'm fighting injury and (now) illness. My paces aren't any faster, but I'm more fit and MUCH happier. I can eat whatever I want (within reason, of course-- or with less guilt, at least.) It's been a good year, all things considered. It's a bucket list item I actually stuck to. Here's to many more years of running!

Good eats

What is it about home that is so comforting? As much as my city's changed in the five years since I've moved (and as much as I've resented and mocked that change), there's something about the gray skies and 65-degree weather that is comforting. Dependable. Like still being able to wake up as late as I want (that mattress is killer. I swear. It has a pillowy death grip on me for 10 hours. Every night.) and settle back into my standard spot at the kitchen island and have my mom cook me breakfast. Just like I'm fifteen again (but without the whole "I hate being a teenager" thing.)

This morning: whole wheat French toast with cottage cheese, half a sliced peach, and a little cinnamon and maple syrup. 

My post-lunch dessert: Jasmine green tea with black sesame dumplings from last night's dinner at Din Tai Fung. And guess who's going to be trying the recipe as soon as I get home and get my hands on black sesame seeds and glutinous rice flour? THIS GIRL.

...And then a trip to the Farmer's Market for a fresh pretzel. Completely unnecessary, but soooo carb-y. So salty. So good. And then on the way out, we saw this truck. And I did the whole "oh I've heard that place is good! I've read about it! Oh but it's 5:15pm, so ice cream is probably not a good idea... and I don't think I have any money." But I scrounged together $2.50 in change, and I got the most delicious honey lavender 100% cream ice cream that I've ever eaten. In a cone. That's right. The six-year-old girl behind me ended up ordering the same thing, which only made me more sure that that was exactly the right decision. Carpe diem, baby.

No workout today-- yesterday's 18ish hilly miles did a number on my quads, and a run is out of the question. Do ice baths actually help? This is the sorest I've ever been...

My first ice bath

Does anyone else actually want to throw up at the thought of food after long runs? No? Just me after 18 miles? Moving on...

Guess what got my mind off that pretty quickly?

I read some hints about doing the whole ice bath thing, which I never really understood, to be honest. I mean, I'm usually a little sore after a long run, but not so much so that it's immobilizing! I sprang for it today, and got ready in my bikini and North Face. What a combination.

I settled down with my go-to recovery for long runs: Joint Health emergen-C and Chobani. When I really can't stomach the thought of anything that takes effort to digest, I stick to high-protein yogurt. Mmmm.

I read that you're supposed to stay in an ice bath for 15-20 minutes. I set my phone alarm for 12 as my no-bail minimum (naturally), and if I wanted to stay longer, I would. I use this same technique for my runs, and I'm always surprised how well it works. Sure enough, I stayed in for about 17 minutes. My mug of hot tea and this song popping up on Pandora were the only things getting me through my first ice bath. My muscles didn't feel any different--until I tried to get out of the tub and felt like I legitimately needed a handicap lift-- but didn't think about this side effect:

                               

Numb fingers (and toes), officially called Raynaud's, it's more annoying and embarrassing than anything else. Try holding a door open for the stranger behind you when half your hand looks like a corpse's. As far as the genetic lottery goes, though, I have to say I'm still pretty lucky. I guess shitty blood circulation is just kind of my pet trick.

Fortunately this whole ordeal was assuaged by seeing Contagion, shopping, and going out to Din Tai Fung for dumplings. I'd been craving pork buns for weeks. We ended up splurging on hot & sour pork soup, pork buns, garlic sautéed green beans, shrimp and rice cakes, spicy noodles in peanut sauce, and chicken dumplings, washed down with a Tsingtao. Dessert was the most delicious sesame dumplings with jasmine tea. Seriously, next time I'm going back just for dessert.

Home.

Flew home yesterday and got to wake up in my luxurious (read: not purchased on craigslist like the one in my apartment) pillow-top bed and have this for breakfast:

Don't be fooled by the Wall Street Journal-- I didn't even make it past the front page.

Half a peach, a handful of blueberries, two generous scoops of cottage cheese, a handful of raw almonds, a cup of coffee, and you've got one happy camper.

I did the only there is to do when I'm home: shop. I bought a running hat, Runner's World, and a coffee to fuel my evening run. Can you tell I'm in the middle of training?!?

I decided on the "uphill both ways" run, a 5-mile loop from my house (on a hill) with about four hills in between-- the Mother of all puts those San Francisco hills in the NWM to shame-- and was able to power through. No stopping, no walking, minimal knee/hip pain (unlike the last time I tried it when I was home, last December). PLUS I got to have Chobani as my post-run snack. I'm in heaven!