Battle of the Sexes

I was almost eleven miles in to my 22-miler the other weekend when I was passing by an older man (maybe 65? 70 tops?) on the greenway in south Charlotte.  However, as I made my way around the man at my steady, easy pace, he started speeding up!  Thus, I kicked it up slightly, made the pass, and then moved to the right side of the trail.  The guy immediately passed me. 

A few minutes later, he started slowing down and I – maintaining my same, steady pace – began passing him for the second time, and the same thing happened again! 

Finally, at mile eleven, following my training plan, I picked up my pace from easy to moderate and attempted to pass the older man for the third time, and this time he began a little shit talking to me about “bringing it.”  What?!? – This guy like qualified for the senior citizen discount at Harris Teeter.

Even though I was a little annoyed, I resisted the urge to put the old fart in his place and instead laughed and made some joke about how far I had left to run, but I was thinking like seriously?!? – Even an old man has such a problem with being “beaten” by a girl!

This instance happened only a few weeks after I was at mile 21 of another 22-miler, when I was again attempting to pass a guy who instead picked up the pace and said “Oh, so you are going to make me run faster?”    

What is it with guys – especially ones who aren’t that fast to begin with – having so much ego that they turn every run in to a race and loathe the thought of a girl passing them!

In the Marine Corps Half Marathon last weekend, I started ticking off the boys one-by-one in the last few miles of the race (still had six in front of me at the finish).  As I chicked them (To get “chicked” is to have a girl pass you – I learned this a few years ago when some guys came up to me after a race and accused me of “chicking” them), I couldn’t help but feel a little bad about breaking their spirits.  And to make matters worse, I felt like I should say something to these guys as I passed by so I offered up a few “Good jobs” which, in retrospect, unfortunately probably came off as patronizing.  I’m not sure there really is anything polite to say when you chick a guy – A coworker suggested I just yell “Suck it!”…not so polite.

I guess the root of the matter for me is that I don’t really feel like I am competing with these guys.  I’m certainly not competing with anyone during my training runs, but even during a race – this may seem strange – but I feel a certain sense of community with the boys surrounding me.  We are all out there pushing ourselves – trying to get the job done. 

Just like how my mom tries to convince me that not all boys are assholes, I don’t think every male runner is horrified about a girl passing him.  In fact, throughout my short running career thus far, I have experienced a great deal of comradery while running with the boys.  For example, I think of the guys who I met at the Thunder Road Marathon at around mile 17 who found out it was my first marathon and tried to help me out (they pulled me in to their pack and blocked the wind for me) or I think of the male runner who gave me a high-five as soon as I crossed the finish line as the first place female at the NoDa Brewing 5K.

But for the boys who do pride themselves on what great shape they are in (you know who you are or then again, maybe you don’t but others do), you may need a reality check.

A couple of weeks ago, a Utah woman made headlines for winning the Big Cottonwood Marathon.  However, when I say “winning,” I don’t mean she was the first female to cross the finish line, but rather she was the first runner – male or female – to complete the course.  (http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/utah-woman-is-overall-winner-of-marathon)

So for the guys who don’t want to be staring at a girl’s rear as she passes by – You better pick up your pace and watch your backs – cause the good ‘ole boy days are coming to an end and the women are chasing you down.

MCM Training Week Sixteen:  74 Miles

My longest run this week (which will be my longest of this training period) was 24 miles, and it was the most painful training run I may have ever had.  It certainly didn’t help that 15 miles in to the hilly long run, I ate it while running uphill on an uneven sidewalk.  With a bloody left hand, I was forced to trudge on for another nine miles after the incident.  By the end of the run, my hips, legs, and oh-god my feet hurt so badly!  Hopefully this run has made me stronger, but my body certainly felt trashed at the end of it.

This Week’s Beer Choice:  NoDa Brewing Co.’s Hop, Drop ‘n Roll IPA  (Hands Down – Best Charlotte Beer)

“Winning is Fun” – Recap of Marine Corps Half Marathon

 “Winning is fun, isn’t it?”  - I will always remember this comment I received in a LinkedIn message from a guy named Joe who I ran and chatted with for a couple of miles during the Alston & Bird Corporate Cup Half Marathon.  He was nice enough to send me a message of congratulations after he realized I finished as the first place female that day.

And again, Joe’s comment proved true Saturday when I crossed the finish line at the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Camp Lejeune as first place female with a time of 1:22:36.  Not only was I excited about the guaranteed paid entry to the 2014 Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. that I had won, but I was even more thrilled (and somewhat relieved) that I soared past my goal of running a 1:25:00 half at around a 6:30 pace and instead was able to comfortably (relatively speaking) hold an average pace of 6:18 for those 13.1 miles.

While I crossed the finish line just a few minutes before 8:30 am, the day had started much earlier for me.  My alarm went off Saturday morning at 3:45 am.  I can remember nights in college when I probably was still up partying at that time…I’m not sure if I was crazier then for being up that late doing all sorts of stupid things or crazier now for being up that early to go run!

At 4 am (3 hours out from the race starting time), I ate breakfast – a banana, creamy natural peanut butter on cinnamon raisin bagels (best not to do whole-wheat on race day – excessive fiber may upset your stomach), orange juice, and one cup of coffee.

I then did a quick, easy little five-minute jog around my parents’ Emerald Isle neighborhood to make sure everything felt loose and allow my body to start waking up.  Other than the voices I could hear from the deck of a neighboring beach house where people evidently had yet to pass out for the night, it was calming and peaceful to run in the dark early morning hours while listening to the faint sounds of the ocean.

After getting dressed in all of my race-day garb (I did end up wearing the Nike Racing Boyshorts.  The replacement pair had a much smoother seam!) and drinking half a bottle of Gatorade two hours out from race time, I made the quick 25-minute drive to Camp Lejeune.  If I wasn’t awake before, going through security at 5:45 am with guys holding machine guns certainly woke me up.

About thirty minutes before race time, I did a few strides – a little easy jogging, then picked up my pace to around race pace for just a few seconds, then back to easy jogging.  I also did some light stretching, retied & triple-knotted my Brooks T7 Racers, and I went to the restroom one last time.

With participation around 700 people, it was not difficult to make my way to the front of the starting line to pack in with the boys.  I brought the remainder of my bottle of Gatorade from that morning and took a few sips – swishing the liquid around my mouth – during the few minutes before the start.

Once the race was underway, it only took about one mile of running in the coastal humidity before my hands felt sticky.  Around two miles in, we ran through a light shower of rain for about a mile.

All week long, I checked and re-checked the weather what felt like a hundred times.  While I was not as lucky as the little boy in this week’s Runner’s World motivational poster (http://www.runnersworld.com/fun/motivational-poster-58), I knew the weather could be worse.  It was most likely in the 60s when I started, but when I passed by one building on base that had an outdoor temperature display, it read 70 degrees.

The pack thinned out quickly, and I found myself running the majority of the race by myself.  The base was very quiet and while I did receive the occasional “Good job, ma’am,” I also passed by several Marines who appeared to be practicing to be grenadier guards, those guys who stand in stony silence outside of Buckingham Palace.  They were probably thinking, “Damn, that girl has some short shorts on!”

Other than the less-than-perfect weather and lack of crowd support, the only other slight challenges were a few minor elevation climbs and a bit of wind that I had to run against at times.  I really cannot complain too much about conditions.  The race did offer up water views of Farnell Bay and Morgan Bay, and I enjoyed running over a short bridge around mile seven where I had a few moments of uninterrupted water views.

Throughout the entire race, I focused on keeping good running form – chest up, shoulders relaxed, legs turning over quickly.  For the first ten miles, I kept the pace easy (again relative) and did not push myself much.  However, when I had around three miles to go, I started picking it up a bit to keep my pace below 6:15.  The last mile, I ran in sub-six minutes. 

Overall, I could not have been happier with how my body felt.  It was a solid day of running that gave me confidence that I am stronger now than I have ever been and that as long as I don’t get injured, I should be capable of reaching my goal of running a sub-three hour marathon in five weeks at the Marine Corps Marathon.

Yes – winning is fun, but it’s gaining confidence that makes your post-race beer taste that much better.

MCM Training Week Fifteen:  62 Miles

This Week's Beer Choice:  Waterfront Brewing Co.'s India Pale Ale

Race Week: Marine Corps Half Marathon

Finally!!!  After talking about racing, writing about racing, and daydreaming about racing for months, I am going to race again this Saturday!  As part of my Marine Corps Marathon training, I am scheduled to run a half marathon this Saturday, September 21^st at the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville, NC). 

There is always something special about race week…maybe it’s the little butterflies of excitement or the multiple guilt-free bowls of pasta I get to enjoy as I carbo-load.  Whatever the appeal, race week is a time to take a step back, rest my body, rest my mind, and get ready to race!

Every runner has her breaking point, and this past week I was tiptoeing the line on mine…Work was long and draining and on top of it, I was pushing myself to run 80 miles for the week.  It only took a few days of working till past 7:00 pm, then coming home and trying to fit in ten miles of quality running before my body started breaking down.

On Thursday night, I was scheduled to run 10 miles at moderate pace.  I made it a mile…Gave up.  Came home.  Had a beer.  And went to sleep.  I knew that by skipping that run I would not meet my goal of running at least 80 miles this past week, but – even as much as I hated it – I knew I had to listen to my body – not my training plan.

Six days before race day, my body is not 100% (but when you run as much I do when is it ever??)  Most likely due to tight calve muscles, I am combating a little bit of plantar fasciitis in my right heel and achilles tendinitis in my left ankle.  Even though the injuries are far from severe, I am icing everything (including taking foot ice baths) and trying to be careful to not further any injuries.

One of the best ways (and most delightful!) to loosen the body and prepare it for race day is to get a massage.  So, Monday night (don’t want one too close to race day in case I am sore after), I am having some woman massage my back, butt, and legs until I am loose enough to bend over and twerk it like Miley Cyrus.

While I cannot control the weather (and I am certainly concerned that it will be too hot for fast running!), I can do everything in my power to get my body ready to race.  In addition to getting a massage and loading up on carbs, I am also cutting back on my miles this week and making it a priority to get ample amounts of sleep!

The goal of this half marathon is not to run the fastest half marathon of my career.  My training plan does not have the time to fit in a proper taper for a half marathon (I ran 22 miles on Sunday – 11 miles easy followed by 11 miles moderate.)  Instead, the goal is to have a solid race that will build confidence for the Marine Corps Marathon in October.  As long as the weather is cool, I hope to keep my pace around 6:30/mile or below (around a 1:25:00 half marathon).  Thus, I hope to be able to take my half marathon time from this weekend to predict a sub-3 hour marathon.  http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/race-times-predictor

 You can’t always follow your training plan perfectly, but this week I think I am going to have no problems getting a massage, loading up on pasta, and just sitting on my butt a little more.  Marathon training sure can be tough!

MCM Training Week Fourteen: 72 Miles

This Week’s Beer Choice: Avery Brewing Co.’s India Pale Ale

Building My War Chest

The only thing that could be more special to a girl than the shoes that take her through miles and miles of marathon training is the pair of shoes that take her 26.2 miles on race day. 

These past few days, I have spent hours researching and searching for that perfect pair of racing flats.  The hunt turned out to be exceptionally more difficult than I could have imagined.  For starters, if you try to Google “best marathon racing flats” or “best marathon shoes,” you will either get results that provide an assortment of racing flats that are almost all for track, cross-country or other short racing distances or you will find loads of training shoes that are all heavier than my everyday pair. 

After much tedious detective work, I thought I had narrowed my search to three potential pairs of flats: Nike Lunaracer, Saucony Type A5, and New Balance 1600.  Unfortunately, I had a surprise when I visited the local TrySports – they did not carry any of my options.  In fact, to my knowledge, there is not a running store in Charlotte that carries these racing flats.

While I was certainly disappointed that my choices were limited and my research was wasted, I did leave TrySports pleased with a pair of Brooks T7 Racers.  I originally did not consider the shoes because Brooks specially states on its website that “the vast majority of runners will not find it ‘enough shoe’ for a full marathon.”  However, the guy who assisted me – who has had far superior athletic success than I – promised me multiple times (I kept asking) that I am the “exception-to-the-rule” given the fact that I have been consistently training in the super-light Brooks PureConnects.

Brooks T7 Racing Flats

Even though marathon shoes may be the most important piece of one’s racing ensemble unless you are doing one of those nude runs (then the more power to you!), there are other necessary pieces to the race-day puzzle. 

The first item I purchased for the Marine Corps Marathon was a size small men’s racing singlet with a U.S. Flag print.

Of course, then I needed gold, star earring studs to match!

Lastly, the element that I am still struggling with the most – running shorts.  Annoyed by all my current shorts becoming soaked with sweat and sticking to my legs during long runs but yet not being quite ready to bare it all in racing briefs, I decided to try to find a pair of short, tight boyshorts.  Unfortunately, the Nike Racing Women’s Boyshorts that I ordered offline had a shockingly rough seam on the front inside of the shorts.  The shorts hurt to just walk around in…I can’t even imagine having to run 26.2 miles in them!!  I have ordered a replacement pair in case I happened to just get defective ones.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed these next shorts will be more comfortable!  They may kill you to run in them, but I will say that the Nike Racing Boyshorts are super cute (and super short)!

Armed with almost all my material racing goods, I am starting to feel more prepared for the big day.  Sure – some kickass Nike Road Machine sunglasses like the ones Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher wore at this year’s Boston Marathon won’t guarantee faster race times (yes –I got sold on those too), but the sense of feeling prepared will boost your confidence and putting on your special racing gear and shoes will remind you that it’s showtime! 

In its own way – the marathon is a battle.  It’s hard, long, tough, and it takes some guts just to get out there.  So, every marathoner needs to build her war chest in preparation…However, she may sub GUs for guns and even throw in a pair of sparkly, gold star earrings.

MCM Training Week Thirteen: 76 Miles

My body is still hanging in there.  I am certainly feeling stronger and faster!  I hope to remain healthy these last few weeks and try to build on the progress.  Getting excited about MCM Half in just two weeks!

This Week's Beer Choice:  Flipside Red IPA...A new beer from Sierra Nevada.  Great IPA - Perfect for the Fall weather!

Training My Patience

OMG!  Why do I always pick the longest line at Target???…Don’t these people know I have to get to the coast this afternoon!  And it’s lunchtime, and I’ve only had cereal, a banana, an apple, a glass of chocolate milk, tea, and coffee today.  I’m about to start ripping in to that whole display of candy bars beside me.

“Next customer!  Next customer!” I keep hearing from the express line one aisle over.  Why didn’t I get in that line?  I’m such an idiot!  Ok – let’s see if we can move this process along…I’ll go ahead and line up all my items on the conveyer belt and get out my ID and Target card.  Ok – I’m ready.  Seriously – what are they chatting about?  How much can the cashier say about ten boxes of colored pencils?  And why does that lady need ten boxes of colored pencils?!  Oh, She’s probably donating them.  Ok – I’m being mean.  Patience, Paula.  Patience.

Nope – “Patient” is definitely not an adjective I use when I am told to “list three words that describe yourself.”  And my lack of this virtue is certainly not a result of my mother not trying to instill it in me.  As a little girl, I remember being told constantly to “Be Flexible” and “Be Patient.”  I also remember being told to “Soften my edges” and “Be more pleasant” as my parents and teachers tried to curb my spunk and turn me in to a sweet, soft-spoken girl while the boys my age were coached to be tougher, stronger, and more confident.  Then again, my lessons may have had something to do with kicking that boy in the balls at horse camp.  However, almost 20 years later, I am still not seeing the problem there…he was picking on me!  He deserved to be brought down to his knees.

Maybe because I didn’t sufficiently learn patience as a child, I am getting my fair share of lessons at 27, however, in a certainly different form.  While I can attempt to speed through Target, throwing things in my cart left and right, it is a little more difficult to speed through a 22 mile long run.  Halfway through this week’s Sunday long run in the heat and humidity of Emerald Isle, NC, my eyes are stinging from my salty sweat, my feet are throbbing from what turned out to be 71 miles of beating this week, and my shorts are so drenched that I feel like I am wearing a diaper.  And then – you are reminded that you have eleven more miles to go – about another hour and a half of running.

While I was soooo ready for a cold shower, chocolate milk, eggs, toast, fruit and anything else edible that could come near my hands, I had to remain settled in my pace with a calm mind.  I had to tolerate pain without becoming anxious.  In other words, I had to be patient.  My mantra:  “Keep your feet moving and the miles will take care of themselves.”

In an age of instant-gratification, the miles, workouts, and years that are required to attain peak running performance are probably too much for even the average athlete.  In fact, you can get your undergraduate degree AND your law degree in the time that it takes to train yourself to your life’s PRs (Personal Records).  And the Seven-Year peak performance rule could be even longer if your mileage is low or if you have setbacks from injuries.

While I think I will always be opinionated, independent, and down-right stubborn at times, I am trying to become more patient as I age – whether I am standing in line at Target, going through my home’s to-do list, complaining that I haven’t found the “perfect guy” (or even a decent one), or I’m daydreaming about my best-marathon ever!  Seven years of training is a lofty goal, and I am not sure if I have the dedication or the patience to get there…But for the time being, I’m just going to focus on keep moving my feet.

MCM Training Week Twelve: 71 Miles

This Week's Beer Choice:  Foothills Brewing Hoppyum IPA (Winston-Salem, NC)

A bottle of Hoppyum with my beach-drinking glass - Reward for my 22 miler.