Cleveland Marathon Recap

Marathon #5 has come and gone, where is time going these days?

After a fun weekend in Cleveland (Weekend in Pictures--here),

it was finally time...Marathon morning.

I've said before, I am really bad about getting up in the morning and usually require multiple alarms.  I believe I had 10 set for yesterday morning, and also had John set a few on his phone. But of course, my nerves got me up around 3 and I laid there freaking out staring at the ceiling until my first set alarm went off. Shower, food, and trying to relax in compression gear while I chugged my cold coffee.  Stared at the city lights, fine tuned my playlist, and got myself ready slowly but surely.

Boston Tribute Ribbon #BostonStrong

The outfit (All Saucony)

Kinvara 4 Sneakers

Ignite Singlet (Not shown here) 

Spark Bra

Ignite Tight Shorts (4")

Kinvara Running Socks

Speed-Run Visor (Thanks @SauconyRacing!)

Gear (Not shown)

Road ID

Garmin 405

Black/Hot Pink Spibelt

Sunglasses

Ipod

Around 5:15 we made our way to Cleveland Browns Stadium where the start/finish was.

A million few bathroom stops, bag check, gearing up and it was finally time to get to the start.

My man and I before the race :)

At 6:15 I made my way to the start and found a place to stand for 45 minutes. Actually there was no standing, there was pacing back and forth, random stretching, and bobbing my head to tunes trying to zone out. Ate a handful of Bits, drank some water and continued pacing.

A race photographer asked if he could take my picture, I said sure knowing this was probably the only race photo I would be smiling in. 

As the start got closer I watched the crowds of people filter in...all 22,000 people...there were no starting corrals, just flags for paces (because people are so good at following those...). A man lined up next to me, who was about 400 pounds and sounded like he was a pack-a-day guy for 30 years. Now I am happy this man chose to take up something like running to get into a healthy lifestyle, but he damn well knows he wouldn't be running anything close to the paces he was standing at. The paces are there for a reason, to allow everyone to get into a groove quicker and run a smoother race. 

Finally it was time to go, and I stood facing a wall. It was the worst bottleneck start (combined with no seeded corrals), I literally walked across the start line because I couldn't go anywhere (I'm sure my rage was apparent). I didn't take a running step until at least 50 feet after the start line, and it was a ways after that before I was able to get into a groove.

Cleveland Source

The First 13

It was about 65 at the start, but cloudy with a breeze so it was pretty comfortable. I knew even before the race I was going to ditch my tank top early on, luckily I saw John around mile 2 and was able to pass it off. I wasn't sure of my plan for the race so I decided to just kind of go with the flow pace wise. I found a comfortable pace and kind of stuck in that range. The miles rolled on, and I even took time to look around and enjoy some great views of the city going over the bridges. I high-fived every kid I could on the side, this made me really happy. The roads were packed, because we had the half marathoners with us at the time. Around mile 12, a girl in the half started chatting with me, telling me it was her first half. I encouraged her and told her she was doing awesome, she worried she was fading though. I told her I would push her for a bit (until the course splits), she gave me a big smile and we pushed forward...hence the faster mile for 13. At this point my watch was consistently off on the mile markers. So I was either running really bad about tangents or course was off...I'm assuming shitty tangents on my part.

7:50,7:35,7:52,7:48,7:46,7:39,7:42,7:42,7:45,7:42,7:40,7:40,7:16
notable thoughts during this time: your welcome dude (as the man next to me stared awkwardly as I stripped my tank top off while running), pshh I wasn't even getting paid for the semi-adult entertainment I was providing. Cheap bastard.

14,15,16

Somewhere around mile 10, I realized I had to pee, it wasn't too bad so I figured it would just go away. Around 14 it got worse but at this point I was still thinking "If I can pick up a little bit and hold it, I can PR", so I decided to press on. Finally around 15.5 I knew I couldn't hold it. I saw a port-o-potty coming up at a water stop in the distance, so I started loosening up my spi-belt, moved my Ipod clip, and got myself as ready as possible while still running. I saw someone come out of it right as I was coming up so I knew it was empty. I lost about a minute so I could pee (this affected mile 15 &16 times), came out and re-situated my gear while running. I tried to settle back into my pace, but was discouraged when I saw that the 3:25 pace group had caught up to me. Mentally this was hard, I pushed forward trying not to let them get ahead of me. 7:29,7:41,8:17
notable thoughts during this time: I legitimately considered peeing my pants so I wouldn't have to stop. Thank goodness for common sense kicking in. 

17,18,19,20

Mentally and physically these miles were hard. I was still trying to hold off the 3:25 pace group, and I hit the point I knew I wasn't going to PR. It felt like Tonya Harding took out my knees and I had to ignore the pain as best I could. The heat cranked up during this time, and I spent a few seconds at each water stop drinking, dumping water on me, and dancing in the hoses that kids were spraying at runners. I am really not sure who enjoyed it more, the kids who got to spray people or the runners who basked in the cold water. Some of these miles were down hill and through a wooded area so there was shade which was a huge help. I started doing math in my head, knowing I couldn't PR but also knowing it would be my second fastest hands down.

7:33,7:37,7:26,7:21
notable thoughts during this time: WTF I am 25 my knees aren't supposed to hurt like this, marathons suck, I wonder if they'd mind if I just sit on the ground and let them keep the hose spraying at me for the next 15 minutes. oh and I wonder if the owner of that road-killed cat knows it's missing?

Cleveland Source

21-23

Physically I was feeling okay, but mentally I was struggling. I hadn't seen John since mile 5 (Which was expected...he was following his brother around on the bike as his brother was trying to BQ, so I wasn't planning on seeing him a ton), but I knew that since it had been so long that something was up. I didn't need to see him at this point, but I wanted to...just give me a little boost to get through last few miles. Around 21.5 there he was, my knight in red&black on his bike. I yelled his name and he stopped and waved and as I passed he said "They aren't far ahead of you". I knew what this meant, as much as I didn't want it to be the case. Around 22 I caught up to John's brother David and his GF Katie (she ran the last 10 miles with him). I contemplated staying with them, I have my BQ & I knew I wasn't going to PR. But then I knew that he wouldn't want me to do that, so I said "hi" and carried on. The sun was brutal at this point, no clouds, no shade, no wind...just a hot road (my feet were on fire through my shoes) and the sun blazing down. I stood for a good 30 seconds under a hose at a water stop around 23, I didn't care...I needed it.

7:25, 7:38, 8:04
notable thoughts during this time: damn my man has a nice rear on that bike, am I an asshole for passing my soon to be brother in law?, I wonder if there will be ice cream at the finish?

24-26

I did something I hate having to do, but I knew was smart. I walked. Not a lot, but I walked a few times, and stopped at hoses/water stops a few times. My mind was getting "foggy", and I knew I needed to try and cool down, I couldn't replace the fluids/salt as fast as I was losing them. Around mile 25 the 3:25 pace group finally caught me and I didn't care. I watched them get further away and thought, it's another marathon, I'm still going to finish with a solid time, but I want to finish on my feet, not on a stretcher. I'm not saying I would have passed out had I not walked, but I knew those walk breaks/water stops were the smart thing to do, I had nothing to gain by not doing it.

8:06,8:46,8:41
notable thoughts during this time: I'm really bad at doing math while running, why is that girl running with a sucker in her mouth, did her mother teach her nothing! Sucker will not beat me.

Final Push

Instead of finishing 0.2 miles, I finished 0.5 miles after mile 26. Like I said, I just assume it was my shitty tangent running. At about 25.5 I said to myself "no more breaks" and just started running. Picked off a few girls, cranked up the tunes and pushed forward. The last 2 turns were nice, there was a lot of people, and very loud drums with a beat that forced you to finish strong. 

The last 0.5 was at 7:10 pace.
notable thoughts during this time: finish strong, don't get passed, ohhhh I see chocolate milk must run faster!

The clock said 3:26:10 as I crossed. 

I did it, marathon #5 and my second fastest.

My watch said 26.5 miles in 3:25:38 which would be 7:46 average.

According to my Garmin data, my "moving time" was 3:23 so that's almost 3 minutes of peeing, and standing under hoses...oh well. 

Chip time gave me 7:51 average, solid.
Happy with my placing...especially for such a big race.

Thoughts

Am I happy with my time?

You bet, its my second fastest marathon and considering this wasn't my be-all-end-all goal race this year, I can't complain. Another BQ under my belt, Boston 2014 you will be mine.

Am I disappointed I didn't go sub-3:20?

Yep, there were a few points I thought I could do it yesterday, but I'm not going to beat myself up. I didn't train to run sub 3:20 this time. Hell, I personally don't even think I trained to run what I did. Not every race is going to be a PR, and that's okay it gives me something to work for. I ran smart and strong and I can't diminish that success with "what if's". This makes me excited for Wineglass Marathon in the fall, I have good goals to work for. 

I was overwhelmed with support leading up to the race and even more so after. Between texts, twitter, and Facebook it was huge to see so many kind words. I love this community of runners, I love my family & friends and I love my fiance who is always there to support me. 

Big congrats to Jamie and her husband Mike. Jamie ran this as her 2nd marathon and beat her goal by over 10 minutes, and this was her hubby's 1st time finishing a full and on a brutally hot day! The 2 of them also used the marathon to raise money for Project R12, you can still donate to their efforts here.

Thoughts on the race itself:

Very well run, and they were well prepared for the heat

(good amount of water stops, hoses frequently, lots of cold stuff at finish)

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start doing seeded corrals. Way too many people not to.

Crappy road conditions, lots of post holes and many sections of running through roads under construction (exposed pipes in the road...come on people)

Great volunteers/spectators, amazing signs and cheering crowds. A little scarce in second half (as expected) but the ones that were there, were great.

A special thanks to all the kids/adults that were in charge of spraying hoses.

 I can't tell you how much that helped. 

Loved having pre/post race at the stadium, no shortage of space or bathrooms. 

(Only thing I would say about this is don't put bag check on top floor on far side of stadium...getting up there after finishing was rough (even with escalators))

Love the medal

 Oh, and for your viewing pleasure....

No officer, I didn't drink a very large blue slushie on the way back to the hotel from the race.
What are you talking about, what blue tongue?

Thanks for all of the well wishes and support :)

I'm excited to be volunteering for 2 races this week, 

I know how much volunteers and spectators made a difference yesterday and I am happy to be giving some love back!

Cleveland Marathon Weekend in Pictures

Marathon is almost here, less than 11 hours from now I'll be at the start line...cray cray.

Instead of a boring wordy recap of things going on since we left for Cleveland yesterday....

Photo Recap with a few blurbs :)

ready to hit the road!

Of course these made the trip with the 5 of us...
if you remember it was the official fuel of our Seneca 7 team!

Finally can see the city skyline ahead...
The last 4 miles of the marathon are straight and this is all we will see....oh boy!

The large beer list at the Winking Lizard from dinner Friday,
I went with Guinness because I know it sits just fine in my stomach before a race.

We watched this cool car try and go down one way street

Then realized it was the CRUELLA DEVILLE car!!

Salmon, garlic bread and mac&cheese :)
Food was....okay....my Guinness was the best.

Walking home from Dinner...

Our hotel is right next to Progressive Field,where the Cleveland Indians won Friday night!

Fireworks outside our hotel window....
We always seem to get lucky and able to see fireworks from out hotels,
this happened when we went to Niagara Falls too.

Ran to Cleveland Browns Stadium this morning to check out start/finish areas

 We watched some of the final people straggle in from the 5k.

IX center for the expo

got my bib #1486!! 

Westside Public Market

Inside public market, lots of vendors and yummy foods, I would go here all the time if I lived in Cleveland.

Katie and I decided to get crepes while the boys mosied around.
We each got 2, 1 sweet and 1 savory.
For my  sweet I got one with PB, banana, and dark chocolate!
Savory was Ham, asparagus and brie....
YUMMY!

After the market we went to the movies to sit and relax...

Movie was pretty good, Chris Pine was handsome as always.

Relaxing in the hotel this afternoon with my Aspaeris Pivot Shorts, and my Zensah  compression sleeves:
weather checking, playlist making and watching the Preakness. 

Classy Dinner of fabulous loaded Quesedilla (Tomatoes, chicken, squash, peppers and a bunch of other stuff)
And my glass of red wine to help me sleep!

Overall it's been a good weekend so far, 

my nerves are getting to me.....but that's normal.

I've had overwhelming support from family and friends and hope I can make everyone proud!

It definitely helped doing video chat with my parents and my sister and the baby.... So freaking cute.

And we also face time with our friends Corey, Marie and their 2 year old daughter....having a 2 year old dance for you while you catch up with friends is a good way to help you relax!

Also got an email tonight from our friend Amy with this...

Add caption

 Beyond true! 

Time to have fun tomorrow!

Good luck to all who are racing!

The End is Near

I can't believe it's Friday already...

Taper is FINALLY almost over!

In case you missed my 2 dedication posts to the taper....

The T.A.P.E.R Acronym

Stages of Grief: Taper Edition 

Yesterday was a good day, got a lot accomplished at work and then had time to run a few errands before heading to Syracuse. Spent the evening at dinner with Hollie and her dad at Empire Brewing Company Restaurant in downtown Syracuse. Let me tell you, the apple didn't fall too far from the tree, it's 100% obvious where Hollie got her awesomeness. We had a yummy meal (served with their Black Magic Stout, which will be one of my favorite beers besides Guinness from now on), and talked lots of running (her dad is a runner too).

Dessert was The Black Magic Stout (yes the beer I drank) sundae! It was beer ice cream, with pretzels,chocolate and whipped cream and lots of yumminess. I could feel my ass getting bigger with each bite, but it was 100% worth it.

It was a bittersweet evening though. It was great to kick off marathon weekend spending time with them, but it was sad knowing this was her last night in NY. Word's cant describe how much I am going to miss this girl. I have had lot of "friends" over the years, but can truly call Hollie one of my best friends. So the good thing is, even though she is moving I KNOW we will keep in touch and see each other often.

I don't know where I would have been without this girl the last few months...

I'd also like to point out that Hollie took advantage of my taper emotions and made me cry.
She gave me a package and told me to open it when she wasn't around (probably good or we BOTH would have been sobbing idiots crying women.)

I.tunes gift card for marathon music, starbucks mug (she knows my addiction), and lots of protein and fuel for recovery...all with a note...yeah that note made me cry.
Hollie--I will get you back for that. KARMA :)

Today is a day of packing, traveling, 

and preparing myself for the weekend to come.

262 miles from my house to the hotel in Cleveland (is that a sign?)

13.1 miles from our hotel to the expo (weird, I know)

and Sunday 26.2 miles from start to finish

and of course the 262 miles home.

Finally packed and ready to roll.... 
Less than 2 days from now I will have finished Marathon #5!!!
:):) Another state down!

I'll update my twitter constantly. 
Mainly to try and stay sane and vent on the road trip.
5 people....1 car....
bring on the madness!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Good luck to all who are racing!

Stages of Grief: Taper edition.

Maybe you know, maybe you don't but according to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross there are "5 stages of grief". The 5 stages are DENIAL, ANGER, BARGAINING, DEPRESSION & ACCEPTANCE. Not everyone goes through the stages in this order, and it's very possible to double back and go through some more than once. Now, when you think of grief we think of losing loved ones, finding out bad news, traumatic events, etc. What you don't think about is the 5 stages of grief as pertaining to.....

MARATHON TAPER

[source]

Well, let me enlighten you.

Denial

Biggest form of denial during taper: denying our abilities.

I haven't trained enough.

I can't do this.

I'm going to DNF.

I didn't do enough 20+ runs.

I'm going to come in last.

Or the opposite, denying the seriousness of a marathon...

It's just another race

Its only 26.2 miles

I think I have said this 238947 times so far during this taper. DENIAL.

One of my All time favorite quotes about denial: 

"Sometimes reality has a way of sneaking up and biting us in the ass. And when the dam bursts, all you can do is swim. The world of pretend is a cage, not a cocoon. We can only lie to ourselves for so long. We are tired, we are scared, and denying it doesn't change the truth. Sooner or later we have to put aside our denial and face the world, head on, guns blazing... Denial. It's not just a river in Egypt. It's a freakin' ocean. So how do you keep from drowning in it?"- Meredith Grey

Anger

When your body is used to working out so many hours a week, and you cut that down to well...very little (or nothing)...you're sure to have some out of whack hormones....do we need a reminder from Elle?

I'm pretty sure Elle Woods is a genius.

And if you're like me, where running is your main stress reliever and something you do sometimes to keep yourself from punching someone in the face...well...taper can be hard.

Little things turn into bigger things, and big things...well they turn into emotional angry tears and a bottle of wine. Either way, we get frustrated and temperamental and we aren't the easiest people to be around....sometimes I think our spouses should get the marathon medals, just for putting up with us.

The good news is, you are eating more during taper, so your chances of getting hangry (so hungry that you are angry) are slim to none. We will call that a silver lining?

Bargaining

I think the biggest thing we bargain for...if I just run one more long run, I'll feel better for the race. Cramming extra workouts in the last week or two before the marathon really isn't going to benefit you. It may mentally help you but physically it's more likely to hurt than help. We beg and plead, just one more workout, just one more run. A marathon isn't like The Biggest Loser, folks there is NO last chance workout. (You can totally quote me on that people.)

Depression

As I said with anger...our hormones get out of whack with endorphin levels lower than normal. This can cause some serious emotions and definitely bring your mood down. Like anger, little things become bigger things and big things become...category 5 hurricanes.

During taper this is how one might react to being told bad news.
Like Starbucks is out of your favorite sugar-free syrup or something. 

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WE WILL FILE THIS ONE, UNDER A TAPER INDUCED DEPRESSION TANTRUM.

During this time, it's also common to get "phantom pains". Your body starts playing tricks on you, and it's seriously all in your head. Twinges and passing aches and pains, usually in spots where you have had previous injuries. I have noticed I get it the most in my foot where it was broken last year, before that my phantom pains were usually in my knees where I have had many problems. We physically feel tired, and pay more attention to the little things about our bodies and it only makes taper depression worse. Weight gain (from eating more and running less) is common and we all know that's more than enough to make you depressed. The good news is, taper is a set period of time and this won't last forever. In the mean time, I'll try not to chop off my foot because of the phantom pains, no promises.

Acceptance

Acceptance, it's a weird thing. When it comes to acceptance in the spectrum of the marathon taper, it comes in a few different forms.

Accepting: The alarm goes off...you're running 26.2 miles today.

Once it's actually race day, it's hard to deny it. It's here and you can't change it. This is when I wake up super early, and try and forget what I will be doing in a few hours. We accept that it's finally the day, but we move slowly as possible trying to give ourselves more time. 

From marathon #3, calf sleeves towel, coffee and snacks. The usual suspects on marathon morning.
Not as good as if I had a photo from #4 sitting on the hotel floor in the corner, but close enough.

Accepting: Standing at the start line

This is where we accept the fact that we're there and it's almost time. This is also the point you see many runners just looking around (people think we are sizing up the competition), when in truth we are all looking for an escape route.

My typical 'focused' look at the start. Trying to accept the fact of running 26.2 miles.

Accepting: The gun went off, time to run

This is the point where I accept the fact that there is no turning back. It's time to run, time to breathe and just move forward. 

Accepting: Marathons Hurt

Somewhere between miles 20-26 you learn to accept the fact that your body is going to get tired, it is going to be sore, and you accept the pain. If you're like me you secretly are wishing a freight train would tear through the course and run you over, but either way...you accept the pain and keep moving.

 

Some examples of pain around 24-25 miles during marathons #2 &3. (definite forced smile on the right but it's clear by my form (and the medicated patch on my leg) that I was struggling. Accepting the pain means continuing to put one foot in front of the other.

Accepting: You just finished 26.2 miles

You did it, you crossed the line, they put a medal around your neck. Regardless of how long it took you to get there, the fact is you got there. You have no choice but to accept finishing because it's a fact...you got there. 

Accepting: Your time good/bad

As runners we naturally push limits, we like to see how far we can go, how fast we can get there. When you cross the finish line you have this time, it may be what you wanted and it may not. If it's slower than you wanted, accept that you finished but don't accept that being the best that you can do.  You NEED to give yourself time to relax and try again DON'T GIVE UP BECAUSE OF ONE BAD RACE. If the time is what you wanted (or better), accept it and be happy...and then accept the fact that you should push yourself to see if you can do even better. Never stop trying, always work towards a goal! I've had my good races, I have also had my bad. I accept both of them and both good/bad races make me want to try again, to be better, to be stronger, to push myself. 

We go through all the stages during taper, and that doesn't even begin to describe everything we go through during and after the race. When they say marathons are 90% mental and 10% physical, it's more true than most realize. We put ourselves through it but it's worth it. 

Have you noticed you go through these during taper (for any race, not just marathons)?

What are ways you help yourself deal with taper issues?