It’s Starting to Feel a Lot Like Football Season

I love those first few semi-cool mornings when there is a break from the summer heat and I feel a small reassurance that the seasons will indeed change and the oppressive heat will eventually be replaced by lower temperatures and autumn leaves.  With the same warm, fuzzy feelings that a kid has about Christmas, when I think of fall approaching I have visions of jeans, boots, beer, and my favorite spectator sport: Football.

Growing up in Eastern North Carolina in a family full of die-hard ECU Pirate fans, I remember fall being synonymous with football season.  As a little girl, I used to love the excitement of waking up on Saturday mornings in October and coming downstairs to find my dad already listening to some pre-game radio show while my mom was making deviled eggs, potato salad, cookies and all sorts of other traditional tailgate food.  And a couple hours later, while my parents loaded up the car with all our pirate paraphernalia, I would be icing a Pee-Dee tattoo on my cheek to complete my ECU cheerleader’s costume.

With my two sisters - Dare (left) and Darla (center)

My father and I would talk in detail about the season strategies, the new players, and our predictions for the outcome of each game on the schedule.  I would become obsessed and study each program, religiously watch the weekly coach’s show, listen to Jeff Charles, aka “The Voice of the Pirates,” and treat each game as if it were the most important one of my life.

Now that I’m older and maybe have dealt with too many losing seasons of both ECU and UNC (my alma mater), I care less about how the team does on the field but more about the tradition, the socialization, and the excuse to relax, drink beer, and watch some sports.  In this time of my life as a runner, I am also starting to think of fall as another type of season:  Marathon Season.

We runners have been sweating, chafing, and trudging through the dog days of summer, but I am starting to feel the promise of a time when easy runs will naturally become quicker and I’ll be able to fly through some speed work.  Similar to the excitement I still have about football season, I am starting to feel some butterflies about a couple of approaching races.

This past week, I picked out and signed up for the Marine Corps Half-Marathon in Camp Lejeune that I will run as training 5 weeks before the Marine Corps Marathon.  I have already started devising some sort of game plan in my head for both the half and the full, and I have been researching the courses and past performances to see what I will be up against.

As the Carolina Panthers have begun some seriously hot practices at training camp in Spartanburg, SC this week, I have run my body hard till I have had chills from dehydration.  Still – even through the heat – I can feel a different kind of tingle that is a reminder that game day will be here before I know it.  And I still feel the same optimism that I had as a kid watching Jeff Blake, David Garrard, and Scott Harley when I thought my beloved ECU Pirates would finally arrive and win a national championship. 

My prediction this year?  I think it’s going to be a good season.

MCM Training Week Seven: 50 Miles 

Overall, it was a solid week of training.  Thankfully, the discomfort in my right foot is now completely gone.  Between a 15-mile run on a Wednesday night after a long day of work and an extremely hot 10-mile run with a little over 5 miles at a hard 10K pace, there were some challenges.  However, I absolutely believe that it is important to force myself to complete some difficult runs.  That way – a marathon in sub-60-degree weather may almost feel like a breeze in comparison (or so I can hope!).

This Week’s Beer Choice: Bell’s Oberon Ale

This wheat ale pleasantly surprised me.  I picked up a bottle in my make-your-own six pack at Harris Teeter after being persuaded by another beer lover perusing the store’s selection.  I put off drinking it because I was afraid it was going to be too sweet, but it actually turned out to be a great ale with only a moderate fruity taste.

Never Too Old to Rock ‘N Run

“Well, you are another year older.” – Unlike my mother, I could have thought of a million reasons why my 10K time as part of a company relay team at the 2011 Kiawah Island Triathlon was two minutes slower than the year before that had nothing to do with my age…. For example, that I spent the majority of that summer drinking IPAs while painting the interior of my recently purchased condo in Charleston instead of out walking my dog or jogging the Ravenel Bridge.

I think it’s fair to say I’ve proven to myself (and my mother) that my running didn’t peak at age 25.  Fortunately, running is a sport where the Olympians aren’t some thirteen-year-old girls that haven’t yet hit puberty.  In fact, Kara Goucher who, at age 34, represented the U.S.A. in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London actually gave birth to her son two years earlier.  I love that a 34-year-old mother(!) can still train hard and beat out much younger girls to earn a coveted spot on the American Olympic team.

In addition to my speed work on the pavement this week, I did a little speed reading as I breezed through Dean Karnazes “Ultra Marathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.”  Karnazes, who has become a celebrity in the running community as a result of his 2004 win at the famed Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley and his various escapades such as running a marathon to the South Pole and, as mentioned in the August 2013 edition of Runner’s World magazine, across the whole United States.  While I found Karnazes dedication and shear strength to be inspiring, what touched me most about his book is his story about how (and when) he began his journey to ultramarathoner legend.  At age 30 exactly (it was his birthday), Karnazes realized there was a void in his life and career that he eventually succeeded in filling through long-distance running…which, he began promptly doing the night of his birthday after boozing it up for hours at a bar. 

Like Karnazes, I recognize that I would not be running and training if there was not something missing in my life.  You see – I have always been an over-achiever.  I thrived in school because I was motivated, and I loved that I could work hard and score a high grade as a direct result of my efforts (strikingly similar to a fast time in a race).   While a professor may hand out the assignments and tests, you really worked for yourself in college.  There was no “working for the man.”  I didn’t have to “give away” part of my test score or work an obscene amount of hours and cross my fingers it would pay off.  You got what you earned.  Period.

While living in Charleston, I remember going on a date with a guy who was a med student at MUSC.  As first dates go, it was really more of an interview and I inquired about how he ending up researching psychotic disorders and sticking his finger up guys’ butts.  He told me that he always wanted to do something “cool” for a living...He first wanted to be a pilot for the Air Force but he failed the sight exam.  Thus, he decided to be a doctor instead.  As someone who felt that my only options for a living were the very practical, dull ones (even though I know some people who seriously get jazzed about tax provisions), I remember feeling jealous that he was pursuing a livelihood that he would actually find to be fun.

I often ask my little niece what she wants to be when she grows up (lately it’s been an artist).  Then I ask her what she thinks I should be when I grow up.  “Aunt Paula, you are grown up.” 

Am I?  Last month I wanted to be a CIA agent (I watched Zero Dark Thirty) and last year I wanted to be a politician (The Iron Lady).  I even told my own boss that I was planning on running in the Olympics.  It may seem silly and I may be joking (partially), but very few (if anyone) gets somewhere in life by thinking small.  While I may never kick ass in Pakistan, Parliament, or the Olympics, I will keep pushing and I will keep running because unless you try, you will never know how far you can go…And also because I really (REALLY!) don’t think I peaked at 25.  

MCM Training Week Six: 50 Miles 

After coming off a tough week, this past week’s training was far better than I could ever hope.  My long run may have been my best ever training run (now that’s a bold statement!).  On Sunday, I ran an 18-mile fartlek (Yes – it’s a funny word and has brought countless jokes to the sport of running for years.  However, since I’ve already discussed fingers up butts, I think I’m done in the crude department this week.) It was a day when my body seemed on it’s A-game, and I finished the long run feeling like I could have easily (used relatively) ran another eight. 

While the South Charlotte trail where I ran was not the perfect location due to a portion temporarily closed, several muddy spots as a result from all the rain, and the fact that I may or may not have hid in a greenway bathroom stall to avoid speaking to an ex-boyfriend’s mother, it was shaded and provided some mileage off the pavement.  The run called for twelve 30-second bursts of speed at 3K-5K effort throughout the workout.  Even though the additional speed made the otherwise easy long run of 8:00 – 8:30 minute miles more difficult, I loved this training run!  The speed play made the workout more fun (running fast is fun!), and, in a strange way, the short changes in pace gave my muscles a break from maintaining the same effort for 18 miles.  The last 30-second interval was done a little over 17 miles in…A few seconds after upping the pace I heard my watch beep (completely unplanned) which meant I could get a read on how fast I was running…When I slowed, I glanced at my watch: 4:57 mile pace.  While you do have to take a Garmin with a grain of salt, I still knew that I was moving swiftly.  A little bit of fast – but relatively comfortable – running (even just 30 seconds) after logging some serious miles can do wonders for your confidence, and if you haven’t figured it out yet…Building your confidence is half of the goal of marathon training.

I got a request for details on what I eat before and after a long run so here goes… Saturday night I had chips & salsa (salt helps retain water), two springs rolls and a spicy tuna avocado roll (“LG” roll from Miyagi’s in Charlotte http://miyagisnoda.com/), and three Bell’s Two Hearted Ales.  Before my run Sunday morning, I had two slices of Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted bread toasted with jam, a banana, a small glass of chocolate soy milk, and two cups of coffee.  During my run, I had one Gatorade (NOT low-cal).  Immediately post-run, I had about two cups of chocolate soy milk.  About an hour after my run, I had a veggie burrito (whole-wheat tortilla, brown rice, black beans, guacamole, chunky sausa, corn, and lettuce.  No meat and no cheese.) with another Bell’s Two Hearted.

This Week’s Beer Choice: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Running

“Things could be worse.” – That’s been my motto this week. 

Between blood blisters, a stolen wallet, getting my new shoes caked in mud during a 16 miler in the rain, and having mayonnaise (would could be grosser than mayonnaise??) splattered on my face, dress, and bare legs at a cocktail party by some gentleman fixing his burger, it’s not been a good week…

I’ve also been frustrated by the perpetual presence of stress in my right foot. I have been battling with my body to safely get in some quality running (or just any running!) these past several days.  The good news is that I’m 99% certain that I do not have a stress fracture – nor do I believe I have the beginnings of one (See – I said things could be worse.)  Instead, I’m quite sure I have injured a tendon on the outer side of my foot.  No clue which one – I took Astronomy as my science in college.  Like runner’s knee though, I have taken the approach that I may continue to run – just cut back on mileage, closely monitor the foot to make sure it is not getting worse, and ice the crap out of it.

Now that I am a few weeks in to preparing for my big race, I am starting to get all the typical aches and pains of marathon training.  Being paranoid about injuries, I internally push the panic button each time I feel a twinge.  Then I remember how I felt after my first few long runs at the beginning of my debut marathon training – pure, all-over pain.  It wasn’t like I got back from running and my knees hurt or my feet hurt.  Instead, I got back and my soles ached, my toes throbbed, my knees felt as if a three hundred pound football player bashed them in, and I could barely stand up straight.  I would wonder “How did I just run 16 miles if my walk is now a shuffle that should belong to a ninety-five-year-old great-grandma in a rest home?”

After taking several days off to rest my right foot, I tested the waters with an easy three miler…well, it was easy until I decided to take off my shoes and run barefoot down the paved streets of my neighborhood.  Fortunately I live in a hood where mannequins and mirrors are considered yard art, so a person running barefoot down the sidewalk seems normal in comparison.  I would probably need to run barefoot while wearing an animal costume to get any second looks. 

While my running sans shoes was not out of place, the blood blisters that appeared (especially one large one) on my feet certainly were…Great.  Now I have two bum feet.  Could things get any worse?  Yes – I would remind myself.  Things could definitely be worse.

A few days later I tried a different approach with my barefoot practice – About three miles in to an easy run, I randomly decided to jump off the sidewalk and in to a grassy field where my neighbors often play softball.  The grass was wet and the ground a little muddy from the continuous rainfall that we have been receiving in Charlotte.  I slipped off my shoes and sat them on a picnic table and began to run 3 miles (almost perfect lengths of .25 mile laps) around my new grass track.  As I completed each lap, I would do strides – picking up my pace from easy running to near 70% effort for about 10 seconds then back to easy. 

In short – my grassy three miler was great.  “Why have I never run barefoot out here before?”  I thought.  It’s funny how my right-foot road block opened up a whole new training opportunity that was right around the corner from my house but until this week never noticed.  While a set back in training, work, or just in life often leaves us feeling defeated, it sometimes is a hidden opportunity to help us think outside of the box (or off the pavement in my case) and brainstorm new ideas that we may not have otherwise thought.

This week, as I set out on one of my runs (or maybe hobbles is more accurate) with my blisters, inflamed tendon and all my other aches and pains, I made a mental note to capture the moment…Hopefully when I reach my goal, I will look back and remember the hot, humid long runs, the threshold workouts where I thought I would die, and that tough week when, with a stressed foot and mud on my shoes and mayonnaise on my face, I found a way to keep running. 

MCM Training Week Five: 40 Miles 

This Week’s Beer Choice: 21^st Amendment’s Brew Free or Die IPA

Lady Liberty

“Just you in that big house?” – It is a question I have received no fewer than half a dozen times since I purchased my first house (2^nd home) last December.  My new neighbors don’t even pretend to hide their surprise that a young, single girl has bought the four bedroom renovated bungalow where she plans to live alone.

My two little neighbors (four and seven) from across the street are even less subtle.  No less than thirty seconds after entering my home in their cute Crewcuts dresses with matching headbands and ballet flats and carrying an honorable mission, as a Girl Scout of America, to make the world a better place and sell me lots of cookies, the younger of the two girls announced, very matter-of-factly, “You don’t have a husband.”  I refrained from my impulse to smartly reply, “Yeah – You don’t either, kid,” but instead I smiled and responded that no, I did not have a husband but instead had a dog.  The sweet, little girls cocked their heads sideways and gave me an expression that clearly said, “Not the same thing.”  …And I believe I’ll take another box of thin mints!

I have often read descriptions of running being a lonely sport.  And it is true that if you do not consistently train with a group, you will find yourself spending many hours alone each week either pounding out miles on a city sidewalk or possibly in the backwoods on a quiet trail.  While I, personally, have never felt lonely on a run, I will say I have always found it to be a little eerie to be out weaving through the city in the pitch dark on a cold morning when everyone else is still inside sleeping in a warm bed and the only sign of life at that hour is a homeless man bundled up in a blanket on a long, wooden bench.

While some complain of a lonely feeling, being a successful runner requires a certain level of independence.  Unless you are Shalane Flanagan or Kara Goucher, you can’t count on waking up each morning to meet your bestie for a run that will push you to your highest potential.  Most likely, if you want to be the fastest runner you can, you will have to wake up to that 5:00 am alarm clock, throw on your sweat-wicking tank and shorts, slip your feet in to some running shoes, and head out the door – all alone – to get in that early morning training run.

Perhaps more important than the self-discipline required to rise early to train, is the need for a desire to independently achieve.  Sure the elites have a “team” of coaches, trainers, sports therapists, etc., but ultimately there is just one member of that team running the race.  There is no drop back and throw to your teammate in the end zone....The runner has to get to the finish line all by herself.

Being an independent twenty-seven year old woman is not always easy (In addition to being made to feel inadequate by a four-year old, I’ve learned how to labor through all sorts of yard work and other house projects), but when I think of my grandmother who had to ask my grandfather “permission” to have her ears pierced or when I think of my own mother who at my age was married and poor with a three year old child and another one on the way, I realize just how lucky I am. 

History and society has certainly played its part in the restriction of women’s freedom, but I cannot deny that sometimes women themselves have been their own greatest captors of that freedom.  In many of us women, it has been ingrained to put the well being of others in front of us – our boyfriends, husbands, children, etc.  On the other hand, most men approach life with some sort of “God given” right to achieve with the support of those around them (mainly mothers, wives, and girlfriends) an assumption.  And as far as outside of the office goes, how many men do you know that gave up golf once their first child was born? 

I think there is no coincidence that I blossomed as a runner shortly after escaping from an oppressive relationship, and while I cannot claim to be the strongest woman I know, I certainly think I am in the running for the most independent.  Even though I have had to fight for it, I know how strongly that independence has helped drive me forward.

This 4^th of July weekend, as I sip beer with my family and watch an American flag flapping in the ocean breeze and fireworks booming overhead lighting up night sky over the quiet beach, my brother-in-law yells out in cheer, “Here’s to not paying the King taxes any more!” 

Yes – Freedom.  To my very core, I am so thankful for it:  Freedom from England.  Freedom from (some) taxes.  Freedom to pursue our own happiness…And the Independence to run like hell.

MCM Training Week Four: 17 Miles  (Yup, that’s 17, not 57, 47, or even 37….As I moved in to pigeon pose during last Monday evening’s yoga class, I felt a slight discomfort in the side of my right foot.  I believe the pain may be a result of unconsciously shifting my stride after developing a HUGE blister on my right big toe after an extremely humid run in Hilton Head (Don’t worry – no more feet pics).  Trying to be conservative, I am resting and icing the foot.  The most important objective is to not further injure the foot.  I am hoping to resume normal training this upcoming week.

This Week’s Beer Choice: Westbrook Brewing Co.’s Bearded Farmer 3 “Thomas”  (Mt. Pleasant, SC) (http://westbrookbrewing.com/beers/all/rotating/bearded-farmer-3-thomas/)

This Saison-style is not my favorite type of beer (way too sweet to drink more than a taste), but it was nice to share a bottle on the beach with the fam.

Running with My Mind on My Mile & My Mile on My Mind

I used to be good at planning.  I used to be able to commit to dinners, happy hours, civic club meetings, etc, a month in advance.  Now I am doing well if I can RSVP the week of the event and actually make it. 

It was Tuesday of this past week when a coworker asked what time I was going to run on Thursday.  I had no idea.  I didn’t even know what time I would run on Wednesday!  At this point in my life, I pretty much take it a day at a time.  And while I occasionally let something slip (Who knew dog kennels in Charlotte fill up so quickly in the summer?!), I think concentrating on the current tasks at hand is the only way to get everything (or at least most things) done.

My philosophy of taking life a day at a time absolutely extends to my marathon training.  The idea of twenty weeks of hard, long, time-consuming training can be daunting especially when you have only just started.  A runner logging 60 miles a week should be getting around nine hours of sleep a night, but several nights this past week I was squeaking by with just six.  While pushing through an early morning run on less than adequate amount of sleep, I thought, “I am just running a lot this week – Other weeks will be easier.”  And then reality hit that I have only just begun building my mileage.  I will need to only find more time to run in the coming weeks.

While the sheer quantity of miles and hours required of marathon training can certainly send a person into a tailspin, nothing may create a sense of panic like a bad thought on a long run…

I was about five miles in to a fourteen miler on a hot, sunny, Sunday afternoon in Charlotte.  I began to worry about the heat and the blazing sun.  I had a ways to go, and I was miles from home…Would I make it?

Then, I checked in with myself (Yes – You will talk to yourself when you are a distance runner.)  “PJ (For some reason, I always call myself by my nickname while running) – How do you feel?  I feel good.  Not too hot?  No.”  And that was that. 

The worst thing you can do during a long training run or a marathon is get too caught up with the distance you have left to go.  Sure – You can’t blindly just run full-out ignoring the necessity to leave some energy to finish, but you will find that the easiest way to tick off mile-after-mile is to keep your mind focused on your current mile marker and learn to accept and find some sort of peace with where you are in the run.  Before you know it, you will be near the end and the countdown will have begun.

This week is the 4^th of July, and I can hardly believe it.  How did I not see the holiday coming, and when did it get so hot outside?   Just like the 4^th has snuck up on me, I know that the countdown to the Marine Corps Marathon will be here before I know it.  I don’t want to miss any valuable training with the false sense of security that the marathon is still months away.  Thus, I will keep my focus and do my best, week by week, day by day, mile by mile.     

MCM Training Week Three: 58 Miles

(Included 11 Mile Run on Beach.  Longest run = 12 miles)

This Week’s Beer Choice: Green Flash Brewing Co.’s West Coast IPA (San Diego, CA)