Thanks for the Miles

Every runner training for a marathon has probably studied the course map and elevation changes of her target marathon and can tell you in detail where all the tough spots will be along the course – the steep hill up to the finish line (why do they like to do that to us?), the boring, deserted miles along the wide highway, and the long, never-ending steady incline that seems to only level off when you hit the point that your body can’t run uphill another yard.

Training for my first marathon, The Thunder Road Marathon in Charlotte, NC, I struggled with a hilly, challenging course that had an overall climb of 1,168 feet and a total elevation change of 2,349 feet.  It was easy to complain about each hill that I hit, but one thought that kept my feet moving uphill was the decline coming around the turn – or even the relatively flat mile that I would eventually get to. 

Instead of breaking up the marathon by all the hard spots and tackling those, I tried to change my thinking and make note of all the miles that weren’t so difficult – mostly downhill on Queens Road, flat throughout South End with a downhill bonus on Tryon Street, and a slight decline along The Plaza.

My mantra during that marathon and its training was “Be thankful for the easy miles.”  On race day, those words ran through my mind countless times and helped me to complete my first marathon in 3:16:11.

It’s always easier to focus on the problem areas of a course or of one’s life, and rarely do we appreciate it when things are actually going well.  Instead, our small problems during the “easy” part of life just become larger to take the place of the bigger problems that we have passed or have yet to conquer. 

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for so many things.  I am thankful that, while it may not always seem like it, life really is pretty easy – or at the very least, it could be much, much worse.  And I am thankful for the hard miles that I have covered because I know that they have only made me stronger.  And whether it be a marathon or year 2013, if you focus on being thankful for when things go right, the course just seems a little bit easier.

Weekly Miles:  One! 

I went for a very short, easy run around the neighborhood, but I still felt some discomfort in my left ankle.  The injury is definitely getting better, but I’m not sure if it has fully recovered yet.  I am still doing some aqua jogging at the local aquatic center, but I am looking forward to hopefully getting back on the roads soon!  Boston 2014 will be here before we know it!!

This Week's Beer Choice:  New Belgium Brewery's Rampant Imperial India Pale Ale

2013 Thunder Road – My Most Fun Marathon Ever

On Saturday morning, my alarm went off at 5:15 am.  It was race day.  The Thunder Road Marathon was beginning in less than three hours, and I had work to do.

I hit the pavement at 6:00 am, but I was not wearing running shoes – instead I had on an old pair of sneakers, and I was not planning on doing any running that day.  I was preparing to take on a new challenge as a marathon spectator and to help throw the best, damn race party in Charlotte!

Every year my neighborhood hosts the funkiest marathon cheering station in the whole Queen City, and they have the awards to prove it!!  It has become infamous for handing out beer and bloody marys to runners as well as putting up the “Wall” obstacle for marathoners to run through around mile 20 on the course when typically runners’ glycogen stores have been depleted.

While I’m sure the planning had begun months in advance, I began helping out the morning of the race when I met a few of my fellow neighbors to practice our artistic skills and add some colorful, legal (I hope!) graffiti to our streets.  By the time we finished, it looked as if our neighborhood was hosting a color run instead of a marathon!

A painted arrow pointed the way to the party.

My dog also got in on the action and showed her support of the runners by dressing up as one herself!  (Ok, she had some help, and yes, I do realize she puts up with a lot from her mom.)

With my best running friend, a motivational sign, and a cooler of mimosas and beer, I set up camp on the course around 9:30 am. 

It wasn’t long before the race vehicles came down our streets, followed by our first runner, who finished in a little over two and a half hours (Burt Rodriguez – 2:33:37).

Our NoDa Cheering Party

While it was certainly neat to see the first runner pass by, I found myself almost getting emotional when the first female came charging down our streets looking strong and grinning from ear to ear.  She was literally so happy.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen so much joy on someone’s face.  I was touched because I could understand a little bit of what she was feeling, and it was truly a beautiful thing.  (Alice Rogers –  2:56:12)

I don’t know if it was the music, the booze, or the crowd of energetic NoDa neighbors and friends, but watching the Thunder Road Marathon may have been the most fun I’ve ever had at a marathon.  It was truly stress-free, and while the runners were out there working hard mile after mile, I got to drink beer!  It almost made me wonder if I should just give up the running thing and travel around cheering at various marathons around the country.  Almost made me wonder….Almost.

Weekly Miles:  None!  (But a little over four hours of pool running)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Ska Brewing’s Modus Hoperandi India Pale Ale  (If you’re going to cheer on marathoners, you gotta drink out of a can.) 

I am a Runner Because…

I used to feel timid about claiming that I am a runner – Runner?  Who me?  Well, I enjoy jogging sometimes. 

I would feel even stranger when someone referred to me as an athlete – An athlete is someone who gets a scholarship to college!  I’m not an athlete!  I don’t belong in the roped-off  “Athletes Only” section of this race.  People will be like “Who does she think she is?!”

I absolutely believe that this negative thinking is part of what held me back from running all these years.  I signed up for my first marathon on a total whim!  I would never have consciously thought out to do one because I believed “real runners” signed up for marathons and half-marathons, and I was not in the “real runner” category.

But now, almost a year and a half after I signed up for my first marathon, I will giddily tell total strangers “I am a runner!” as if I were getting married or having my first baby.

What changed?  Well, naturally you would think that maybe it was logging almost 80 miles a week during training or qualifying for Boston or maybe completing a sub-three-hours marathon on a sprained ankle that gave me the courage to confidently claim from the mountaintops that I am a runner, but I realize that it is so much more than that. 

The first Lululemon shirt I ever bought had cute, little sayings printed on the inside seam like “Life is too short for the treadmill,” but my favorite has always been “I am a runner because I run.”  I love the quote because there are no justifications or qualifications necessary to be a runner.  It’s like the old joke about what do you call the kid that graduates last in his med school class – Doctor.  Well, the person who finishes last in a race is still every bit a runner as the person who comes in first.

While I still love and can identify with the Lululemon quote, I now find myself at a time when I cannot run – After running the Marine Corps Marathon on a sprained ankle, I am doing well to limp a bit around my house without a crutch.  Which begs the question – If I am not running, am I still a runner?  You bet!

Last Friday night, I hobbled into the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center on one crutch prepared to swim some laps.  The attendant at the front desk inquired if I came to the center often.  I’m not sure if it was a pick-up line or if he was curious if I was going to gush “Oh no!  I just started coming in hopes to see Ryan Lochte after I found out he was training here!”  However, my response was “No, I’m actually a runner!  But I can’t run because I have a sprained ankle.” 

The attendant then asked if I was going to do water running.  The truth was that I had read about aqua jogging and was aware of the benefits, but I honestly had no idea how to do it!   It was something that I had planned to research more before Boston training.  So, I swallowed my pride and told the guy that I was clueless, and about five minutes later I found myself with a buoyancy belt strapped around my waist and my legs turning over in their old, familiar stride as I glided through the water.

Because my feet did not touch the bottom of the pool, there was no impact on my sprained ankle.  The buoyancy belt kept my head dry as I stood tall while running.  Even though I was not swimming, I would make some slow progress down my lane.  It took about two minutes to go from one end of the pool to the other while maintaining an easy pace. 

That first night that I returned to running at the aquatic center, I kept my pace slow and easy, but during my second weekend run on Sunday afternoon, I found that the pool is a great place to do a fartlek run.  I played around with increasing my pace just until I got to the end of the pool or from backstroke flags to backstroke flags.

I have no doubts that learning how to deep-water run this past weekend will help me to maintain fitness and recover more quickly from my injury.  But perhaps more important, aqua running has allowed me to return to something that I love and that I thought I was unable to do. 

I am a runner for many reasons, but primarily, I am a runner because I love running, even when I can’t get out there and hit the pavement.  And even though it took me a while, I am so thankful that I eventually pushed past my comfort zone and started down a path that has taken me to the runner I am today and hopefully will take me further to the runner that I will become tomorrow.  I have realized that it is ok to not be the fastest in your age group or have all the knowledge of a seasoned marathoner….Runners are a good pack of people are there are plenty of them out there who are more than happy to pace you to the finish line or put you in a buoyancy belt at the aquatic center.

Weekly Miles:  None!  (But two hours of pool running)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Palmetto Pale Ale  (Yup!  A repeat – I went on another Charleston beer run)