fun fact #13: if you don’t already know, im running the sugarloaf marathon this sunday (along with my friends andrea, rebecca, and melissa). and yes, this marathon is also 26.2 miles (how many runners have heard someone ask the question “oh your running a marathon? how far is this one?” it gets old after a while. theyre.all.the.same.distance….). tyler and sarah are coming to cheer us on and we will all be so thankful for their support, along with two posters sarah made (and some apparently ridiculous outfit she has planned).
preparing for a marathon is really not an easy task. it takes a LOT of time and even more dedication. giving up is way too easy, especially if you are training alone. throw in there having to work a full time job (and the night shift on top of it), having a life (trying not to neglect your fiancé and friends), getting enough rest… you get the point. if you think running 26.2 miles sounds tough, its nothing compared to the months leading up to it. im sure many will vouch for that.
the last 18 (actually 19) weeks of training were full of numerous ice packs, almost an entire bottle of vitamin I(buprofen), two pairs of sneakers, different shorts, socks and sports bra trials, good tunes, many tears… and it all leads up to a 5:45am bus to the starting line for a 7am start in eustis, maine, just a few miles from sugarloaf, USA, a popular maine ski resort and golf course.
heres what my sugarloaf marathon training schedule turned out to be (week dates followed by total weekly distance)
(jan 4 – jan 10) 11m
(jan 11 – jan 17) 16m
(jan 18 – jan 24) 20m
(jan 25 – jan 31) 12m
(feb 1 – feb 7) 12m
(feb 8 – feb 14) 9m
(feb 15 - feb 21) 0m
(feb 22 – feb 28) 15m
(mar 1 – mar 7) 17m
(mar 8 – mar 14) 27m
(mar 15 – mar 21) 19m
(mar 22 – mar 28) 3m
(mar 29 – apr 4) 31m
(apr 5 – apr 11) 22m
(apr 12 – apr 18) 10m
(apr 19 – apr 25) 31m
(apr 26 – may 2) 12m
(may 3 – may 9) 17m
(may 10 – may 14) 12m
total milage: 296 miles.
this definitely is not the “ideal” marathon training log… the one that i kinda followed (tried to follow/model my training after) would have had me running a total of 405 miles. figuring all the numbers out now and actually putting them down on here makes me feel horrible. the 3mile and 0mile weeks dont look good on paper either. (those werent on the training plan, if that wasnt blatantly obvious). 0 miles one week. seriously? ugh.
but after all is said and done, i feel good about the milage i did do. i was able to get in two really good 20 mile runs, one of which i ran in 2:57 (the other was a bit slower at 3:06). my ITBands were really inflamed and hurting last year during training for the maine marathon (last october... read about that here) and i didnt properly ice, rest, or use my foam roller like i have been during this training. i also stupidly did the Reach the Beach 200 mile relay two weekends before the marathon last year, which didnt help the knee issues.
so although im feeling pretty healthy right now and my legs have felt good, anything can happen on sunday. im not going to go for a huge stretch and try for sub 4 hours, but i am hoping for a PR (and not so secretly hoping for sub 4:30). so we’ll see. (and you can bet ill have splits on my arm… in fact ill be all marked up. stay tuned….)
from the looks of it, the weather should be nice (40ish at the start, up to 60 by the finish). the course is listed as one of the top 15 fastest boston qualifiers (no im not trying, but melissa and rebecca are!!!!). there are a few rolling hills to start, a steady 2 mile incline from 8-10, and the last 16 miles are said to be downhill…. good luck to my quads! (i apologize to you in advance. i promise i will use the muscle rollie stick which you love so much! maybe ill even splurge for a real massage next week!). work should also be fun tues/wed/thurs night!
one night i was bored at work and was talking (most likely complaining) to my friend/special care nurse mike about how my knees hurt so bad from running. he told me that running was bad for my health and that i would probably end up needing knee replacements at some point in time. but, because he loves me so much, he agreed to make me my own personal walker. so i drew him a picture of what i would want it to look like (see below), complete with a blue basket with yellow polka dots and streamers, and pink tennis balls. love! (ok, but we’re really gonna hope that doesnt happen though).
looking around i also found a few funny slogans on http://www.cafepress.com/ and thought i would share a few of my very favorites…
ive seen this bumper sticker on a few cars… so true. and only runners like us will still wear flip flops even after a few have fallen off (and even paint our toes to look like the nail is still there).
id like to think i remember most everything about my last marathon, and im still doing it again. then again ive been known to do some stupid things in my lifetime… so we’ll see. but this frank shorter guy might be onto something...
haha if youre a runner and you dont laugh at this next pic, theres something seriously wrong with you. (pretty much its me following melissa haha)
found this next one and immediately thought of ChicRunner (http://www.chicrunner.com/)....
fun fact #14: (ok i lied before, there are gonna be two fun facts today because i cant end fun fact friday on marathon weekend with #13. bad karma)- we actually call her “chick runner” cuz either we couldnt read or just didn’t realize it was “chic” (pronounced sheeeek) runner when we first discovered her blog…so smart.
anyway, if you havent read any of her stuff, get on over there. shes good people and a lighthearted fun runner/blogger. (and this port-a-potty pic will make more sense haha… but any runner who has ever needed to use one of these during a marathon will understand too).
the following was also on a tshirt but when i went to copy the pic you couldnt read it very well… so heres what it says
i run because:
i love not just the finish line, but the trip along the way – it makes me feel free- ive got energy to burn- i need energy- its my anti-depressant- i hope my children will- i need an excuse to eat- stopping would hurt so much more than a blister or a broken toenail- walking takes too long and i have things i need to get done- my personal best is just that: mine- others cant- its a good kind of sore- it makes the pavement feel needed- there are a lot worse addictions out there- theres no better way to explore a city or enjoy the spring flowers and fall leaves- i ‘just felt like runnin’- theres no drug like adrenaline- ill never know how far i can go unless i try- the pavement doesnt complain when you pound it- it takes all ive got, but gives back more- i can.
and now, for those of you that really care (ie- sarah), here is an assortment of the music i will be listening to. these are in no particular order, but theyre all on there (including many more… 4+ hours is a long a$$ time)
ke$ha- tik tok & your love is my drug
dj earworm- united state of pop 2009 (seriously, download this song. its a free podcast on itunes)
ryan star- breathe (still makes me tear up)
jason derulo- in my head
glee- defying gravity & don’t stop believin’ (glee-rific!!)
one republic- all the right moves
dexter freebish- leaving town
dashboard confessional- belle of the boulevard
cavo-let it go
snow patrol- just say yes
cobra starship- good girls go bad
keri hilson- knock you down
metallica- hero of the day (s&m concert version-best version ever)
angels & airwaves- the adventure final (this has been on my racing playlist from the very first half marathon i ever did. great song)
creed- rain
miley cyrus- party in the usa (…sugarloaf USA!!) & the climb (duh, we’re running at a mountain)
britney spears- 3
jayz, kanye, rihanna- run this town
michael jackson- dirty diana
black eyed peas- i gotta feelin’
katy perry- i kissed a girl
eminem- just lose it
boys like girls- love drunk
kelly clarkson- my life would suck without you (cuz yup, it really would… and for the record, i will not be going to a kelly clarkson sunday night like i did after my first marathon… nor will i be drinking the number of beers i drank that day/night. huge huge recovery fail. will someone please follow me around for a few days with gallons of water, k thanks.)
dropkick murphys- forever
lady gaga- poker face & bad romance
collective soul- precious declaration
my chemical romance- welcome to the black parade
the killers- when you were young (love pretending im playing guitar hero when this one comes on)
goo goo dolls- let love in, better days, give a little bit (yup, i heart the goo’s)
quick blog shout out to Sam Felsenfeld... he is on week 20 of his marathon trek, running 60 (maybe 61) marathons this year to raise awareness for autism. this guy pretty much rocks and you can enjoy reading about what he is doing at http://www.operationjack.org/blog . and with every marathon he runs you can try to guess his super fast time and win super awesome operation jack clothing!
(yup, here comes another fun fact....)
fun fact #15: sam might be coming to maine next year to run the maine marathon with us. we just have to raise some money.... but dont you worry. it will happen. and he will love it.
so i guess thats it! sorry for such a long post with lots of useless info that im sure you all enjoyed. i am beyond excited for sunday to just hurry up and get here! pics and tweets to come. happy running to everyone else running this weekend!
and again... and probably again after that... 
Rock it this weekend! Just in case you needed any confidence about your sub-4:30 goal, if you hit 20 in 2:57 like you did in your training run, you'd just have to finish with a 92:59 10K to make it happen. Plus, not only are you faster on race day, but you have a favorable course.
ReplyDeleteRun smart, don't try to take too much from the course, and sub-4 isn't unrealistic. If there's a pace group, try to hang with them because it'll be a good push and they won't lead you out too fast. Since you've run at faster than that pace in training, you should be OK. Well, it's at least reasonable to give it a shot.
Have fun ... and yeah, I'm looking forward to Maine! :)
you WILL rock it and im so pumped to be there to cheer you on! fun fact: my outfit could be sold at hot topic...you will love it:-)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any other super awesome words of advice...just that you are my running hero...among lots of other things! xoxo!
Took a look at your playlist, cool! I have one on my ipod that I got from a spinning class: Spiritual High(State of independence)by Moodswings and Crissy Hynde (sp?)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog! Run your heart out!