Giving the 26.2 Distance Another Chance

I didn't make a big deal about it earlier, but on April 24 I handed an absurd amount of money over to New York Road Runners so I can run the 2013 New York City Marathon. I'm sure you know by now that the 2012 NYC Marathon was cancelled due to hurricane Sandy. I had already made the trek up to New York when I found out. Part of me was heartbroken while the other part of me was relieved. I had wanted to do this race long before I started running but I also wasn't adequately trained to run a marathon.

In the hours following the cancellation I debated whether or not to sign up for a different marathon. I hadn't put in as much training as I would have liked but I did build my way up to a 20 mile training run. I didn't want the training that I did do to be put to waste. I signed up for a marathon that was 30 minutes from my parents house and very low-key. The scenery wasn't ideal and I spent the entire day wishing I wasn't running a marathon.

After finishing the Harrisburg Marathon the last thing on my mind was running another marathon. I had always imagined myself running more than one but my first experience at the distance was so miserable that I couldn't bear to think about possibly doing another one.

Why, you might ask, did I sign up to run my second marathon a mere 12 months after my first marathon? The main reason is because I want to run the New York City Marathon. I love big cities, especially New York, and this has always been a dream of mine. I also have dreams of working up to the Ironman distance in triathlons and 2013 would be my last real chance to train for a marathon without it impacting triathlon training.

The last reason, which may be the most important one, is that I didn't train sufficiently for my first marathon in the slightest. I had no idea what I was doing and it showed on race day. I want to actually train for this race and then see how I feel about the marathon distance. I think the half marathon will always be my sweet spot but I want to give this 26.2 mile thing another chance. And after how well I did in the half marathon this spring I think I have the potential to take a big chunk of time off of my PR.

So on November 3 you can find me running the streets of New York City. I am terrified about running another marathon but I am also excited.

Running in 2012

This questionnaire has been circulating the blogosphere and I thought it would be a fun way to look back and pay tribute  to my running in 2012

1. Best race experience: Hands down the Baltimore Half Marathon. I have never enjoyed myself so much during a race. It was the first time I actually felt like a runner and the first time I really raced a half marathon. I had no expectations going into this race and surprised myself with another PR. This is also my favorite race to do, period, and I will probably do it every single year.

2. Best run: Off the top of my head I would have to say the 10 miler I ran during my taper for the NYCM/Harrisburg Marathon. I ran it and my dad biked along side me. We talked the entire time and a pace that used to be fast for me suddenly felt easy. Another memorable run was my run in Central Park the day that the marathon was supposed to be held. That run made me fall in love with running and realize how amazing runners are. It also solidified my love for all things New York City.

3. Best new piece of gear: Probably the Oiselle Lesley Knicker. I have been looking for a pair of running capris since last year and haven't found any I like until these. I wore them for a hard run last weekend and didn't have to adjust them once. My road bike is also a contender but since it is a Christmas gift I'm not allowed to ride it until after Christmas. We'll call this 2013's best piece of new gear.

4. Best piece of running advice you received: I can't think of any thing in particular but everything that Robert said to me during those last 6 miles of the Harrisburg Marathon motivated me enough to run to the finish. My old swim coach use to say "do the little things right" and I think that apples to every aspect of life, not just swimming.

5. Most inspirational runner(s): Not to come off as some crazy blog stalker but I have never met her in real life.. Page. Not only is she a badass runner, she made the leap from runner to triathlete in one year by signing up for an Ironman. When injury forced her to withdraw from the race she stayed (mostly) positive and vowed to finish her journey to becoming an Ironman in 2013.

What I Learned from My First Marathon: The Race

I decided to split my typical "what I learned" post into two parts since my first marathon was such a big deal to me. Training and the actual race were two different beasts so I wanted to treat the post as such. If you missed what I learned from training for my first marathon you can read it here. Now onto what I learned from the race

1. If possible, have your spectator carry extras of everything
I was lucky enough to see my parents multiple times during the Harrisburg Marathon. I took the idea from the Ironman to have a special needs bag filled with stuff just in case I needed it. In the bag was extra GU & Shot Bloks, socks, bodyglide, chapstick, hair ties and other stuff that I am forgetting. At first I thought the idea was stupid but when my Shot Bloks fell out of my pocket at mile 5 and I didn't have any extra with me I was so glad I had extra in that bag. I saw my parents around mile 8 and never ran into any fueling issues.

2. Run your own race no matter what
I started the race with the 4:45 pace group because I didn't know where else to start. For the first 10 miles I stuck with the group despite that the pace didn't feel as easy as it should have. I knew I should have slowed down but I liked the idea of running a 4:45 and so I clung onto the group for as along as possible. Miles 10-20 were absolutely miserable because I was already feeling pretty crappy. Lesson learned. Pay attention to your body and don't get caught up in what others are doing.

3. You are always more capable than you think
I felt so crappy during miles 17-20 that I walked almost all of them. I was going to walk the last six miles too had Robert not come to the rescue. I ran the last six miles only stopping at water stations and felt pretty damn good for the last six miles of a marathon. I was amazed with myself the entire time. I had all but given up and then ended up passing everyone in sight and cruising to the finish. The mental aspect of racing and training has repeatedly proven to be my downfall.

4. Make friends with the people around you. 26.2 miles is a long time to get to know people
When I was running with the 4:45 pace group I was constantly talking to the others about what races were their favorites where they were from, what their goals were, etc. Despite how bad I felt it really made the time go by quicker. And those last 6 miles with Robert, they were something I never thought possible. I was in a lot of pain but we kept chatting and stopped paying attention to the fact that we were running a marathon. We talked about everything and just enjoyed being out there. And in the (delayed) spirit of Thanksgiving, I am incredibly grateful to Robert for taking me under his wing and helping me as much as he did.

5. 26.2 miles is a long time, period
The thing about the marathon is you can experience just about every emotion possible throughout the course of the race. Just because you are feeling great now doesn't mean you won't feel crappy later and vice versa. I learned the hard way that you can't dwell on things. No matter how bad you feel you will also feel better for times. Those hard mental times make it really easy to give up and throw in the towel but it is so important to just ride out the storm.

6. Running a marathon is 90% mental
Honestly, when I woke up the morning of the race I wasn't mentally into it. I didn't want to race that day and from the minute I crossed the starting line my legs felt heavy and slow. I was upset about not running New York and just couldn't get excited for this race. My attitude was bad and only got worse. Running a marathon is not something to be taken lightly. If you are not excited for it it will show in your performance.

Post Marathon Recovery & Update

I still can't believe I ran my first marathon last weekend. It seems like so long ago, yet so close at the same time. 2012 has been a really big year for me and I made a lot of progress in my running and training. I have spent the majority of the year training for something and haven't really had a break. Not only did I need a physical break from training to recover from running 26.2 miles but I also needed a mental break. Balancing school with training is always hard for me because I feel guilty going for a run when I have a test the next day. I feel I should be studying even though the break will probably help me in the long run.

So for now I am enjoying not doing anything. I took off the entire week from all exercise more for my mental health than anything else. I really enjoyed the extra time to clean up my apartment and focus more on my schoolwork. It was a much needed stress-free week for me. By Friday I started to get a little stir crazy and wanted to do something active but I restrained so I could completely focus on resting and relaxing. I don't want to feel forced into working out again. My goal is to be anxious and excited to exercise with no pressure.

Even though I haven't tested my legs out on the roads yet they are feeling pretty good. My whole body was pretty sore Monday and I was waddling instead of walking but there wasn't much actual pain. By Tuesday I was pretty much back to normal, only more tired than usual. Besides my total body soreness Sunday & Monday only my calves were really sore Tuesday & Wednesday.

Not working out all this week also allowed me to catch up on sleep. I was in bed by 10:30 Monday through Thursday instead of my usual 12:30 bedtime. I had a lot of trouble sleeping Sunday night because I was so achy but the rest of the week has been glorious. I was amazed at how tired I was the entire week.

This next week I will start easing back into exercise but will only do what I want. I want to enjoy the off-season and start my next training cycle feeling rejuvenated and rested. I am running a 5K on Thursday and will hopefully run once before that to loosen my legs out before the race. 

Harrisburg Marathon Race Report

It has now been two days since I ran my first MARATHON! This has been such a long journey and one that I am sad has come to an end. This has also been an incredibly rewarding experience. I have learned so much about myself and am even more excited to train for my next marathon.

When I found about the NYC Marathon being cancelled I chose to run the Harrisburg because of its close proximity to my house. Harrisburg is a small race that doesn't have an expo so I picked up my bib before the race. We got there around 7:00 and the race started at 8:30. There was a nice enclosed pavilion with heaters that runners were allowed to wait in. I especially liked that there was no line for the bathroom until about 15 minutes before the start.

The race started promptly at 8:30 and there were no corrals. There were some pace groups to help runners decide where to line up. I wasn't sure where to up so I hopped in with the 4:40 group. The start of the race was not as exciting as I would have liked. I expected to be emotional when I crossed the starting line but I didn't really feel anything.

I saw my parents a few times within the first few miles and felt pretty good. The 4:40 pace group was all getting to know each other and I really enjoyed feeling that I was not alone. I also liked the idea of just following the pace leader and not worrying about how fast I was going.

In retrospect, I should not have tried to run with a pace group. There were times when I wanted to slow down some but was afraid to fall behind. I wasn't running my race and that is a mistake I will not make again.  I split off from the group around mile 12 and was so glad I did. I slowed down and ran however felt comfortable.

Despite splitting off from the group I still wasn't feeling fantastic. Miles 14-20 were absolutely brutal for me. My legs felt terrible and I didn't want to be running. There were hardly any spectators, which I hated. Around mile 18 a long serious of hills started which is where everything fell apart.

My knees hurt so badly and only felt worse with each uphill and downhill. I was just going to walk to the finish line because of how miserable I was. At almost exactly the 20 mile marker I met a man named Robert who tried to get me to run again. I didn't want to run but I wanted the race to over even more.

So I ran. We ran together all the way to the finish and those 6 miles were my favorite of the entire race. I felt the best and happiest then. Throughout those 6 miles we talked about ultra running, marathons, injuries, and life in general. There were also periods of time where nothing was said and those were just as wonderful.

I felt so at peace running with someone else. I was and am so incredibly grateful to Robert for putting me first despite the fact that I had never met him before. He ran a 50K the day before and was running the marathon to put in miles for training for his first 50 miler. I am honestly not sure I would have run any of those last 6 miles if it wasn't for Robert.

The greatest feeling during any running race is feeling strong during the last mile. I didn't feel fast but I felt in control. We were even able to pick it up during the last half mile. I never thought I would say that I enjoyed the last 6 miles of a marathon so much.

I finished in just under 5 hours, which I am okay with. I would have liked to run faster but I did what I could. It was a really hard day both physically and mentally. Some days produce great runs and others, bad runs. Sunday was a bad run day. I wish I could have changed the outcome of the race but it is what it is.

All in all it was a great experience that taught me so much about myself as a runner.

The Night Before

Tomorrow is the big day. After the whirlwind of events last weekend I wasn't sure if I would be running a marathon this fall or not. I had all but made up my mind to bag the marathon and ran a half instead when I made the impulsive decision to not give up on my dream. So now I am running the Harrisburg Marathon tomorrow as my first ever marathon. It's definitely not what I expected would be my first marathon but I am out of the world excited for it.

The plan was to come home Thursday night and spend all Friday and today relaxing and getting my homework done so I could enjoy race weekend. But then a meeting popped up on Friday and before I knew it I had gotten none of my homework done at the end of the day Friday. I woke up determined to get as much done as possible without stressing out. It wasn't my ideal day for before a big race but it could have been so much worse.

I have been a good endurance runner and have been eating every carb that comes my way today. I have also had enough to drink to probably fill a bath tub. I have been living in my compression socks and have been staying off my feet. I feel well rested and ready to race tomorrow.

I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring for me but I am letting go of all time goals and focusing on solely enjoying this experience. I will only have one first marathon and I want it to be as memorable as possible. I want to finish tomorrow's race inspired to learn how to improve at this distance not regretting my decision to sign up to run 26.2 miles. I am not wearing a watch and quite frankly I don't give a rats ass what my time is. I am doing this race because I love running and I have something to prove to myself. I will worry about time goals during shorter races.

Despite all this excitement I am still really nervous. On Friday I told one of my professors I was terrified. When my nerves start to overtake my thoughts I try to remember being told by a writer for Runner's World that if you aren't nervous there is a serious problem. I have trained for this race. I ran a brutal 20 miles a week after knocking 18 minutes off of my half marathon PR from the spring. I may not have trained like an experienced marathoner but that is because I am not one. This is my first marathon and only my second year of casual running. Yes, casual running. I run because I enjoy it. Racing is an added bonus.

Tomorrow I am going to run the most enjoyable 26.2 miles of my life.

NYCM Replacement Race

When I found out that the NYC Marathon was cancelled I decided I would run the Philadelphia Marathon instead. Except the Philadelphia Marathon was closed within an hour of the cancellation. I thought about running Richmond but really had no desire to make that my first marathon. I've heard great things about Richmond but I just couldn't get mentally on board for that race. I didn't really know of any other races within the next few weeks that would be easily able to get to so I decided to run a half marathon in December and shoot for another PR. I figured I would just retrain and run a spring marathon.

Late Saturday night, after spending the day exploring New York I started thinking about how I did want to run a marathon this fall. My training may not have been perfect but I still trained with the intention of running marathon on November 4th. I called my mom but was still undecided about what I should do. I decided to sleep on it and decide later. When I woke up in the morning I went for a run in Central Park and decided during that run that I needed to run a marathon this fall.

I had heard about a small marathon being held on November 11th in Harrisburg, Pa about 45 minutes from my parents house and a little less than two hours from my apartment at school. I was hesitant about running such a small marathon since crowd support really helps get me through races. Once I got home I checked out the facebook page I saw that dozens of fellow displaced NYC marathoners would be running this race. I saw how accommodating the race officials were and knew this would be a great race.

Harrisburg Marathon- November 11, 2012

If it is even possible I may be more excited for this race than I was for the NYC Marathon. This whole thing has been such a unique experience and I am in a weird way glad to be a part of it. My respect towards the running community grew exponentially this weekend and after spending the weekend touring the city and am itching to run the race next year. I never would have imagined this is how everything would have turned out but I am excited and ready to take on the challenge.