Back in the Stride of Things

Summertime, time, time…Child the livin’ Ain’t easy…Not if you are training for a fall marathon that is.

Over the past two weeks, I have eased my body back into marathon training like a little kid, step-by-step, slowly submerging herself into a freezing-cold pool before an early-morning, summer swim team practice.  As I find myself in the early stages of my marathon training, I can’t help but parallel this training period with that of my first.  Thankfully, since I’ve now done a lap around the block (or many blocks rather), I have the benefits of all the hard lessons I learned last year, and I thought this may be a good time to share my perspective on how to make your marathon training successful and put you in the best position come race day.

1)    Develop your Training Program:  There are countless training programs out there (vast majority of which are free!), but you need to start your training with something that is reasonable for your current fitness level and your goals.  If you are training for your first marathon and your goal is just to finish, I wouldn’t put a whole lot of effort in to speed work.  Instead, I would focus on just safely building mileage.  A good place to start (and my first training schedule) is MarathonRookie: http://www.marathonrookie.com/marathon-training.html 

Also, it is important to think of your training schedule as more of a guide rather than a set-in-stone plan.  As I mentioned, last year I started with the MarathonRookie schedule, but then I scratched it a few weeks in and began using a plan that had me running three days a week and cross-training two other days (swimming, biking, yoga), and then, as my body became capable of withstanding additional mileage, I ultimately took that schedule and blended it with another training plan that incorporated hill sprints and with one that emphasized four 20-mile long runs.

2)    Track your Progress:  Because I rarely follow my training plan perfectly, I like to log my mileage in a spreadsheet.  It is also a good idea to make note of what type of run you did if it differs from the plan.  As you progress through your training, monitor your progress to make sure you are on track.  And if you experience any injuries or discomfort, your training log will be a great place to help you pinpoint where you went wrong.

3)    Listen to your Body:  There is no training plan that has been magically created to tell you the perfect run for you to do each day.  Instead, you need to constantly check in with your body to see how you feel after your last run, how you feel during your current run, and what you think your body can take for the next run.  The answer may be that you do no run at all.  For example, Friday night, I was supposed to run 10 miles, but it had been a long, draining week – my calves were tight from the increase of mileage, my mind was tired from so much thinking and too much work, and my body was, generally-speaking, plain exhausted.  So, instead of running when I got home from work, I sat on the front porch of my little bungalow with my dog and enjoyed this week’s beer choice, Lagunitas I.P.A.  And my training runs Saturday and Sunday – much stronger due to the Friday night beer break.

4)    Avoid Injuries:  There are various figures out there for the percentage of runners who get injured each year, but one thing they all have in common – the rate is extremely high.  Nothing can set back your training or ruin your race day more than an injury.  Going along with #3 ‘Listen to your Body,’ I cannot stress how important it is to check in for any signs of pain or the beginnings of an injury.  I try to handle my training and body with kid gloves.  As soon as I experience any signs of an injury (most likely an overuse injury from increasing mileage too quickly or pushing my training too far too fast), I back off.  And by back off, I mean I STOP RUNNING!  Seriously – Don’t be an idiot – Don’t run!  It seems like common sense but so many people try to run through injuries, and then they turn into a huge issue that sends them to the doctor or knocks them completely out of race training.  As soon as you feel an injury coming on, stop running (cross train by doing something that does not cause discomfort and mimics the planned training effort – easy, medium, hard, etc.)  Continue to cross train until your injury is completely gone. Then cross train for one more training session just to be safe.  Once you feel you can run, go out and do an easy short run.  If that run goes well, you can resume training the following training day.  Remember – kid gloves.

5)    Research:  A fast runner is a smart runner, and a smart runner is one who has done her homework.  Read as many books and articles as you can.  Ask people’s advice.  You will quickly learn that one expert will say something completely opposite of another (barefoot running ring a bell?), but look for the commonalities and find what works best for you.

6)    Eat Well:  The average runner burns 100 calories per mile.  Being accustomed to instant gratification we often want to reward ourselves for our hard work.  For the same reasons why I would want a cookie every day during tax season, some runners will enjoy a dinner of beer, burgers, and fries after a sweaty, hard three miles.  300 calories out.  Calories in???  You get the picture.

7)    Make Time: No one has time to train for a marathon – Or at least very few people have the time.  You have to make the time.  Training for a marathon has to be a priority, and it has to come before almost everything.  Your friends or loved ones may not understand why you choose running over dinner out, but they will learn to make plans with you in advance so you can switch your run to the morning.  You will also figure out ways to save time.  For example, I-just-ran-10-sweaty-miles hair looks an awful lot like I-just-walked-on-the-beach hair.  Just rinse off your body, throw on some deodorant, and you are good to go.

8)    It’s Not Supposed to be Easy:  If running a marathon were easy, everyone would do it.  The truth of the matter is that it’s absolutely awful sometimes.  You will have good days of training, but you will also have really hard days that will make you question what you are doing.  You will be tired.  You will be sore.  You will get black toenails, and you will lose toenails.  I will probably not get another boyfriend in my life for posting the below picture, but it is a shot of my toenails (after removing toenail paint and before reapplying new paint) about a month before my marathon last fall.  Tip: If you are a girl (or a dude who likes painted toenails), pick a dark shade like black, grey, or navy so that it will blend with the bruising.  You can also paint a “fake toenail” on the toes that are missing nails.  Unless you post a pic on your blog, most likely no one will ever know.

9)    Remain Focused & Motivated:  Perhaps the biggest challenge of training for a marathon is to remain positive and focused on progressing your training.  Consistently reading and researching running helps me to stay motivated.  I also receive daily quotes from Runner’s World that help me start my day (http://www.runnersworld.com/quotes).  Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, I visualize my goal and never allow myself to forget why I’m training.  Remember – you want this.

10) It’s Your Marathon:  After all my training advice, I will acknowledge that it is your marathon (just as my marathon is my marathon) and you can choose to train and run it however you please.  Maybe you are running a marathon just so you can eat burgers and fries and drink beer every night or maybe your marathon isn’t a priority and you are fine with just training when you can and winging it on race day.   Whatever your goal may be – I can only hope that you find some joy in training, and you may come to realize that the rewards from running a marathon have already been won before you ever toe the starting line.  Happy Training!

MCM Training Week Two: 56 Miles

(Mostly Easy, A few hill sprints, A few miles at goal marathon pace. Longest run = 15 miles)

This Week’s Beer Choice: Lagunitas IPA  (Yes, the second beer of the week from the Lagunitas Brewing Company)

The Weight of the Matter

101.  About what I expected…Just a few pounds above the number that appeared the last time I stepped on a scale, which was back when the temperatures were below freezing and I was at my parents’ home for the holidays.

Until yesterday, when I purchased some scales out of interest to track any potential impact of my Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) training and my recent dietary shift to more plant-based foods (I read vegan, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek’s Eat and Run), I had never owned a set – Previously when my jeans got too tight, I realized it was either time to cut back on the candy bars or go shopping, and when my pants started sagging, I went around eating as much of whatever I wanted with the mentality, “Hey,  I’m skinny.  I can eat that!”

You see, I’ve always been lucky to have skinny genes…When I was in elementary school, I remember being teased that I was not maturing as quickly as other girls.  And when I was in high school, I continued to buy clothes that were a little too big for me, figuring that I would grow in to them until eventually I came to realize that I was staying the same size.  In fact, I still wear a comfy pair of grey lounge pants that I got in middle school from the Limited Too – and why not?  They fit!

Before you start cursing at me and calling me a skinny bitch, I want to express some of the down sides of being below the “normal” weight (yes, there are some).

To me it is always interesting that people are crucified by the media if they criticize a person for being overweight (I am sure you have seen the stories…remember the news anchor?), but it seems like skinny people are fair game! Olsen twins, Calista Flockhart, Matthew McConaughey – countless actresses and actors have had their “skinny” photos splashed across the page with very little, if any, push back.  Sure, some of the weights of these Hollywood stars are unhealthy and sure, some are bad role models, but the same can be true about an overweight public figure.  And frankly, I don’t hear about all the anorexic models out there driving up our health care costs, and there are far greater overweight people than underweight people in this country.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69.2% of American adults are overweight and of those, 35.9% are obese.  The percentage of underweight Americans… 1.7%.*

After getting in the best shape of my life last fall while training for my first marathon and logging more miles that I had ever before (and eating more too!), I braced myself for the inevitable conversation I knew would arise when an old highschool friend stopped by for a visit during the holidays.  I intentionally dressed in baggy sweatpants and pulled on a hoodie over my head.  Covering my skinny arms, I felt like a heroine addict trying to hide the tell-tell evidence of needle injections.  Even after I put forth all the effort to hide my boney body (maybe I should have worn a mask!), my friend, who has always struggled with being overweight, made a sour face and said, “You look REALLY skinny.”

I would never DARE tell someone “You look REALLY fat” (because it’s not nice obviously), but my highschool friend and others have not had any moral dilemmas about criticizing my lack of weight.  Over the years, in addition to people gossiping about whether I have an eating disorder (which I have never had thankfully), I have received a whole number of comments from both girls and guys…

“Woman – You need to stop running and get some meat on your bones.”

“Paula – You were like really skinny…like ‘not-attractive-to-guys’ skinny.”

“I don’t want you to lose any more weight.  You need to think about your health.”

“I know you’ve been running a lot, but after this marathon, you need to seriously gain some weight.  You are too skinny.”

While I have had more that one boyfriend suggest that I get a boob job, and I do agree that probably most 6^th grade girls have got me beat in that department, I also realize that you have got to love the body you are given.  I will never have Beyonce’s curves, but I know that my small frame and flat chest have helped me run faster.  And as far as the remarks on my weight, in the words of a post lap-band surgery Chris Christie, “With all due respect…your opinions on this issue don't matter a whole hell of a lot to me.”

MCM Training Week One: 53 Miles

(Mostly Easy, A few hill sprints, Longest run = 14 miles)

This Week’s Birra Choice: Menabrea 1846

I enjoyed this week’s beer choice at a small Italian restaurant on 54^th Street in New York City. I was there on business travel for my real job…the one is actually get paid for (i.e., not running or blogging).  While I cannot justify the hefty price tag of the Menabrea 1846 (I don’t even want to put the price in writing!), I will say it was a refreshing light lager with a hint of sweetness, and since the cost was more comparable to a bottle of Chardonnay in most restaurants, the beer was served in a wine glass.

I will also note that while my stay in the City was brief, the morning after my Menabrea1846, I was fortunate enough to get in a cool, easy 6.5 mile run that took me through central park, down Broadway, and across Times Square.  Later in the day, I snapped the below picture of the scene of part of my morning run.

*You can check my facts at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/underweight_adult_07_10/underweight_adult_07_10.htm

A Bit ‘Bout Boston in Charlotte

“Stop being lazy!  If someone can overcome Boston, you can run a freakin’ 5K at an uncomfortable pace.  No excuses.” 

These thoughts (and others than contain more profane language) ran through my head Friday night as I participated in the first annual NoDa Brewing Company 5K, which supported a local family that was injured in the Boston bombings.  It was a hot, balmy evening, and while running sub-six minute miles, the devil in me lamented why I couldn’t just enjoy the start of the weekend with a good, cold beer.

A few minutes before, I had been standing in the middle of a Villa Heights street listening to Boston victim Nicole Gross greet the crowd.  I had recognized Nicole from the national circulation of her haunting picture that seemed to capture all the shock, horror and devastation of that bloody day in Boston.  She thanked everyone for their support and expressed gratitude for all that the city of Charlotte has done to try to help her family.  As Nicole became choked up during her address, I started feeling tears well up in my eyes as well.  While I did not look around at the other runners and spectators (partly out of embarrassment of how visibly upset I’m sure I looked but also in respect of others), I still sensed that I was not the only one that felt so moved by Nicole’s words.

As we weaved through the Villa Heights and NoDa neighborhoods, I tried to tap in to the strength of Nicole and the countless other brave survivors and heroes of Boston.  I was also thankful for the company of the other runners around me.  While running may appear to be an individual sport, it is amazing how much easier it is to run quickly and/or for a further distance when you do not have to accomplish the task by yourself.

Recently, I read an interview on Runnersworld.com with Shalane Flanagan who came in 4^th place at Boston this year.  In addition to the article quoting Boston area-native Shalane Flanagan saying “I am just pissed off” in reference to the bombings, there is also an interesting remark by Shalane that details her thoughts at one point during the race to team-up with her training partner, Kara Goucher, in order to get the pack moving.

While runners can sometimes receive minimal benefits from drafting off of other runners, the main reason why they race in packs (also called clustering) is mental.  If you inadvertently start falling off your pace, the fact that the other runners around you begin moving more quickly will alert you to speed up.  You are also sharing the same goal, the same challenge, and the strength of runners around you should make you feel stronger.  Most ultramarathons (races greater than 26.2 miles) will allow a participant to have a pacer for the last part of the race to encourage a runner to keep going when his body screams to stop and to possibly even provide rational thoughts when the ultramarathoner’s mind begins to shut down or worse – hallucinate.

The same thing goes with cheering spectators – Us runners run off the energy of the crowd as much as we do our cliff bars and goo gels. 

As my body heated up and my muscles became taxed, I began to think that maybe I should drop out of the race when we rounded the curve that came close to my home.  I could flush my timing chip down the toilet like a fugitive freeing himself of his tracking device, and no one would ever know.  However, as I passed by a row of homes around mile two of the 5K, I heard a little voice saying “Look Mom!  There’s a girl!” 

At that point, I knew I couldn’t quit. 

In 1966, Bobbi Gibb became the first woman to run the entire Boston Marathon.  After her application had been rejected by the director of the marathon (who wrote a letter stating that women are not physiologically able to run marathon distances) Bobbi snuck in to the race after hiding in bushes near the starting line.  With the support of the male runners around her and the cheering fans on the sidewalks, Bobbi kicked some serious butt that day and led the way for generations of women runners.

Maybe it was the community of my fellow runners, or my desire to prove that a girl can run with the boys, or maybe I knew how almost self-centered and weak I would seem if I couldn’t run 3.1 hard miles after all Boston and its victims have been through, but I finished the race Friday night in 18:19…Not the greatest time in the world, but a hard effort none-the-less.

While I cannot even speculate if I would be able to see a silver lining in the tragedy if I had been directly affected, I will say that I am always amazed at how strangers come together in a time of darkness to give strength and provide help to those they don’t even know.  It is a reminder to me that in running and in life, we can go further and faster with others rallying around us.

This Week’s Mileage: 41

This Week’s Beer Choice: Palmetto Pale Ale (Charleston, SC) http://www.palmettobrewingco.com/

Read David Willey’s entire interview with Shalane Flanagan at http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/shalane-flanagan-i-am-just-pissed

For the Love of Charleston

This past weekend, I returned to quite possibly my most favorite city in the world and I place I used to call home – Charleston, SC.  I was dragged, kicking and screaming, from the town about a year and a half ago with the promise that Charlotte would provide greater opportunities and be a better place to live.  While I have grown to appreciate Charlotte in certain ways, initially upon the leaving of my beloved Charleston, I felt broken – like a Taliban detainee who had just been waterboarded. 

Thankfully though, Charleston is just a relatively short (3-hour) drive away, and a few days ago – just for a short while – I was back in town!  I can honestly say that I felt a little pitter patter in my heart and butterflies in my stomach that I can’t remember feeling in a long time.

While I was technically back for official landlord business related to a condo I still own, I managed to sneak in a great run before I had to leave.

I started in Mount Pleasant at about 8:30 in the morning.  While I was planning on a long run, I did not bring along my usual Gatorade in hand.  I had decided that I was fine with doing more of a glycogen-depleted run with my only fuel being a slightly mushy banana for breakfast (and 2 cups of black coffee).  I did not, however, think about the Charleston heat and likely fluid loss.  Even though I had zipped up my credit card in the back pocket of my running shorts just in case, I was thankful to see a local running store handing out bottles of water at the foot of the Ravenel Bridge.  Fleet Feet Sports of Mt. Pleasant was like my angel in the Holy City providing me a bottle of water at mile 1 of my run and then another at mile 14.

Leaving Mount Pleasant behind me with my cold bottle of water in hand, I tackled the steep incline of the Ravenel Bridge that crosses the Cooper River.  I used to run this bridge about once or twice a week when I lived at a condo building near the foot of the bridge on the downtown side.  Not being a consistent runner at the time, I remember having to often take walking breaks on the bridge, and I even remember one time getting so hot that I began seeing stars and was afraid that I would pass out.

At an easy 8:30 mile pace, the ascent was much easier than the last time I ran this hill.  Not quite two months ago, I participated in the 36^th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run.  The race was far from perfect.  For starters, due to a late shuttle taking us through a tour of North Charleston, Daniel Island, and Mount Pleasant, I missed my “competitive” heat and had to begin with a later corral.  Packed in like sardines, hundreds of other people and I pressed towards the gate waiting to begin.  The moment we were released, I shot forward and accidently caught some chick’s headphones in my watch.  Once untangled and completely frustrated, I went out entirely too fast.  I was able to curb my pace after a few minutes, but once I hit the Ravenel, I struggled to maintain speed.  I remember being thankful that I missed my competitive heat, because I would have been embarrassed if some of the fast runners saw how much I slowed down on the climb.  All in all, I was proud of my effort that day.  I ran the 10K in 38:15, the 28^th fastest woman of 18,477.  However, that bridge was a reminder of how much further I need to improve and what separates me from those girls who ran away with cash prizes that day.

Once I descended the bridge and landed in downtown Chucktown, I continued my run south along East Bay Street.  I passed my old office building where I spent so many hours doing so many tax returns.  I passed the Charleston Beer Exchange (picture below) where I did a little afternoon shopping the day before.  I continued running across the cobblestone streets until I hit the battery at the point where the Ashley River and the Cooper River collide.  I stopped for a moment, took a few deep breaths, and felt the wind whipping across the water and hitting my face – making my sweat feel cool as it trickled down.

After only a few seconds of rest, I continued running alongside the battery on Murray Blvd until it wrapped into Tradd Street; which, with its classic Charleston singles stacked tightly beside each other for the majority of its length, Tradd is one of my favorite streets South of Broad.  Cutting East across the peninsula, I followed Tradd until I came to Legare, perhaps the most prestigious street in downtown Charleston.  I remember a couple of years ago; one of the mansions on Legare was for sale for about $24,000,000.  However, in addition to a pool and carriage house, that price tag came with its own ghost! 

Late at night after the tourists had retired from their daytime excursions and I had put in a long day’s work at the office, my dog and I used to often walk Legare in silent darkness.  I would look at those enormous, utterly beautiful homes and wonder just how many tax returns I would have to prepare in order to some day buy one.

At the end of Legare, I took a right on South Battery and ran until I was able to take another right on Rutledge to begin my journey back north.  I continued running past Bill Murray’s house, across Broad Street, and around Colonial Lake, until I took a right onto Bull Street, the first street I ever lived on in Charleston.  I loved my quaint, little 425 sq ft studio in an old Charleston single when I first moved in after grad school.  Quickly though, I realized 425 sq ft wasn’t quite large enough for my golden retriever and me.  Passing by, the historic house with its windows covered in ivy, my old apartment looked exactly the same as I remembered.

Back in Cougar territory, I took a quick tour through the College of Charleston campus before I crossed over Calhoun street and headed north on King.  I passed by the Spoleto festival in Marion Square, which brings an abundance of art and performances to the city each spring.  I stayed on King Street for a while until the design galleries and trendy restaurants (including The Rarebit where I enjoyed this week’s beer choice) faded behind me and I was north of Crosstown, an area that when I first moved to Charleston I was told not to go.  As a volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club in Charleston (which has since closed due to lack of funding), I learned that there is an East Side Gang and a West Side Gang in downtown.  One of the volunteers used to break the rules and shuttle some of the kids from the East side over to the local high school on the opposite side of the peninsula so they would not have to walk through West Side territory and risk getting in a fight.  I still remember one hot summer when there were three homicides just in the month of August.  The theory of one of my coworkers was that people were just so pissed off because of the heat that they took their aggression out on one another.

Upon reaching Huger (pronounced Hugh-Gee), I took a right and headed east until I hit Morrison Drive, which turned into East Bay Street as I headed south towards the foot of the Ravenel.  Then, it was just one more up and over the bridge and an easy mile through Mt. P., and I was back where I started.  The total run clocked in at 15.5 miles.

While almost everyone believes that Charleston is a beautiful town, I think there is something more about the city that makes it so special.  To me – Charleston is a magical place.  Whether I am running the streets in the morning or taking a walk with my dog in the stillness of night, I get the feeling in this town that anything is possible, and dreams really can come true if you work hard enough.  And so – for the love of Charleston – I keep running.

This Week’s Mileage: 48

This Week’s Beer Choice: Westbrook IPA (Mt. Pleasant, SC) http://westbrookbrewing.com/

Westbrook IPA along side a cocktail at The Rarebit (474 King Street):