Tag Archives: marathon

The Changing Plans Continue

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The changes just keep coming in my training/running schedule.

I had originally planned to run the Big Sur Marathon on April 28. This was assuming that I did well at LA and then could run Big Sur easy (well relatively speaking of course). Big Sur holds a special place in my heart because it was my first marathon. I had been especially looking forward to running it again because the year I ran the race was the year that part of Highway 1 collapsed and so rather than being a point-to-point course it was an out and back. So I was eagerly looking to running the full, original course.

But … I had to change all of that. For the 2nd race of 2013, I have dropped out of a race. Well, unlike the Santa Cruz Half Marathon and I am changing my registration for Big Sur. I have officially downgraded from the marathon (all 26.2 miles of it) to the 5k (all 3.1 miles!). I could have run the full but I was starting to worry that would erase all of the recovery work I have been doing. As I reassess the rest of my running goals for 2013, I didn’t want to throw any possibilities away because I ran Big Sur. While it’s a bummer to not run the marathon, I am excited to run the 5k because I get to run with two of my favorite running/training partners and SCE teammates, Elise and Leslie. The full marathon will just have to wait for another year (perhaps a Boston 2 Big Sur year? A girl can dream!)

When have you had to change your running/training plans? Have you had to drop a race?

My Lackluster LA Marathon

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Warning: It’s a long post.

As the saying goes, even the best laid plans… the LA Marathon did not result in a Boston Qualifier or a new PR. It ended up being a hard and frustrating race.

I came into town Thursday evening, spent some time with my parents, and met up with my very good friend (and super talented friend) Tara. The following morning, my mom and I drove up to LA for the marathon’s expo. We missed morning traffic and made it to LA pretty quickly. After picking up my bib and goodies, I headed to the SF Marathon booth where I met Luis and Ciara. After saying hi, I picked up a few things I needed for the race and my mom and I headed back down south. We had a nice day and my mom even got me a new pair of running shorts (I needed some green for Sunday!). And Kevin got me the Jawbone Up bracelet that I have been eyeing (Kevin wasn’t able to be with me for the race weekend as was at spring training with his dad and nephew, an annual tradition that had been planned before I signed up for the race).

At the expo

At the expo

Saturday was a nice relaxing day. I had a short shakeout run with some strides but other wise laid low. We had sushi for dinner (my fave pre-race meal) and headed up to the hotel. I headed to sleep fairly early but my parents went to the bar! Talk about a role reversal, haha!

Swanky hotel room

Swanky hotel room

Laying out the race outfit. Hello new Lulu shorts :)

Laying out the race outfit. Hello new Lulu shorts :)

My alarm went off at 4am. I got dressed, ate peanut butter and a banana, and had some Energy Bits. At 5am, my dad (graciously) drove me to Dodgers Stadium where the race starts. I learned that driving in 5am on a Sunday might be the only time there is no traffic in LA! (Well until you get to the runner drop off.) I quickly met up with fellow SFM ambassador Chris and got to say hi (and meet) Lauren, Wes, and Luis. Chris and I soon headed off to our corral (B), ready to race. In the B corral we ran into the SFM ambassadors Keith and Ryan. At this point, I still felt great! I had a positive attitude and tried to remind myself that I had the training and could run a 3:35 marathon. Right before the race started, I went to turn on my ipod and found that it was dead. Oops! Oh well, I put it, with my headphones, my headband (I had been debating about wearing a running cap and decided to do so meaning I didn’t need to wear my headband), and my phone in my back pocket.

Repping SCE

Repping SCE

Marathon Gridlock

Marathon Gridlock

Dodger Stadium

Dodger Stadium

SFM Ambassadors

SFM Ambassadors

The first 6 miles of the race was perfect. For the first couple miles, the course has a lot of downhill so I just enjoyed it. My pace was right on target (a bit fast sometimes with downhill but nothing crazy). I was just ahead of the 3:35 pace group and feeling happy about my race. There was a water station after each mile marker so I knew that when I took my Sports Beans at mile 8, there would be water to take with them. Wrong! It seemed like an eternity before I came to the water station. Somewhere in mile 9 my stomach started to feel weird (likely due to not being to able to drink water after taking my beans) and I was super hot. It wasn’t particularly warm weather but the humidity was getting to me. I slowed down a bit but was still near the 3:35 group, slightly ahead and then slightly behind – back and forth for a little while. Around mile 10 or 11 I thought I should use a port o potty to try to help my stomach. I didn’t have to go to the bathroom so back to the course.

At the halfway point, everything started to fall apart. My stomach felt strange, I was hot and had to drink more water than I normally do in a race. I was even pouring it directly on my head. I lost the 3:35 group somewhere at this point but could still see them. I figured if I could just overcome this rough spot I would catch them. My legs also started to feel heavy. I’m not sure if it was due to the stomach and humidity problems, if I had overtrained and my legs were just done for, or if all that stuff in my back pocket (that I suddenly became very aware of in mile 15) had caused me to slightly change my running form affecting my legs. But regardless, I was having trouble keeping a reasonable pace and my legs were tired. I knew my parents would be at some mid-point in the course so I started to look for them, I wanted to give them the stuff in my pocket, and my hat. When I saw them at mile 18, I was so happy to relieve myself of my stuff that I couldn’t really appreciate how nice it was to have some mid course support. In hindsight, it was awesome!

Taking off my hat to give my parents

Taking off my hat to give my parents

During this time I also lost the 3:35 group and when I saw the 3:45 group, I was so mad. Sorry to anyone I offended as I swore. I swore again when the 4 hour pace group passed me.

By mile 20, I was exhausted. The weather started to cool down but I still was thirsty. I was in a bind, all the water intake was giving me side cramps but I needed to drink something. By mile 22 I had to walk A LOT because of the cramping. My miles went from an 8 minute pace in the first 10 miles, to 8:30 pace to 9 minute pace, and then some ugly 11 minute and, gasp, two 14 minute miles. There went the 4:15 group. I was so bummed I wasn’t even mad. This sucked. A few times I considered DNFing because I was just sad and tired. But I wanted to finish and I forced myself to run the last mile and half. I got my medal and my cool LA/SF Challenge medal, ran into Keith again, and headed off to find my parents. Sad but at the same proud for pushing through and finishing.

Done.

Done.

Love the medals!

Love the medals!

This race was hard. It wasn’t what I was capable of doing and it wasn’t what I planned for. I thought if anything I’d miss my goal by a few minutes, not 45. But I was so thankful to have my parents with me. They made the weekend fun and they were proud of me. And my dad even bought me a sweatshirt so I wouldn’t be cold after the race. Our post-race In n Out was the best.

My favorite post-race meal!

My favorite post-race meal!

I loved the course, there were some hills but lots of downhill. The course winded around just the right amount. Best of all was the amazing crowd support! There were spectators everywhere we went! And they cheered for all of us, strangers yelled “Go Meg!” the whole race. It made not having my iPod totally fine. This is by far the best crowd support I have ever experienced. I also knew at the various points my friends and Kevin were getting updates through the race tracking. That was a huge motivator but I knew they were wondering what went wrong as my time slowed down so much in the second half (thanks to all of you for reaching out to me after the race, it was awesome!)

Indulging in guilty pleasures for the plane trip back.

Indulging in guilty pleasures for the plane trip back.

It wasn’t my day to BQ or PR. As my friend Leslie says, the marathon is a beast. You can train and plan, but come marathon day you never know what might unfold. For this one, just finishing was an accomplishment.

{Update 3/19/2013}: I can also see that I overtrained. I took on too much and I needed better guidance. My amazing runner friends have advised me to rest and consider a coach going forward. This week I’m taking off from all exercise and next week I’ll return to cross training and maybe a little bit of running. Then I will be re-evaluating race goals and consider working with a coach.

Have you had a bad race? How do you deal with disappointed race days?

I am a Sub 4 Hour Marathoner!

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For the past 3 months I have been training for my second marathon (read about my first one here). My friends Elise and Alisyn had signed up for the 30th Annual California International Marathon (CIM) and I decided, what the heck? I had wanted to run a marathon again and what better time than December in California, right? I have had a really great running year and thought that I might be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon. (For information about Boston & its qualifying time system, click here). I had a strong training period for CIM. I felt really good about this race until the weather reports for race day (Sunday Dec. 2) became available: heavy rain & 25-30 mph winds. At that point, I figured I should kiss a that Boston qualifying time away. Then it seemed like the wind might work in my favor as the reports said it would be blowing south/southwest, just the direction of the race.

Friday night Kevin & I drove up to Elk Grove (just outside of Sacramento) to stay with my best friend, Monica. We had a good dinner and Saturday morning I went to the expo. I got to meet fellow SF Marathon Ambassador Chris (who also braved the storm Sunday) and picked up my goodies. The rest of the day I just relaxed and snacked. Monica made a carb loaded dinner for us and then I was off to bed.

Prepping for race day

Prepping for race day

My alarm went off around 3:30am, I quickly got ready, and ate breakfast. Monica’s husband took me to the shuttle pick up (so nice, thank you again Kyle). After a few minutes, I headed to the start line in Folsom.

Runners hiding from the rain. Photo by Paul Kitagaki Jr of the Sac Bee

Runners hiding from the rain. Photo by Paul Kitagaki Jr of the Sac Bee

When we arrived it was pouring. I waited as long as I could before leaving the bus. One last bathroom break and I was ready to go. I was a little confused about the start. They didn’t put up the Starting Line arches (I’m guessing because of the rain). I saw some pace groups and positioned myself near them (standing with my back facing the start line for as long as I could to avoid the wind!). Somehow, I never saw them again! I ran the first mile with a trash bag trying to keep my core as warm as possible. And then, in the first mile, my shoe came untied! Seriously! I tied it, checked the other one, and continued on. The first 10 miles were the worst! That wind that was supposed to push me to the finish line? Yeah, it decided to push against the runners. For the first six miles, it was not bad but miles 7-10, yowzers! Even miles 10-13 were still painful. At times I felt like I was running in place (thanks a lot 40 mph gusts)! And the roads were so flooded! At one point we had several inches of water to run in! I followed my plan to stay within a 8:10-8:20 pace for the first 6 miles but at mile 7 when I had planned to drop to 8:01, the wind went crazy. After that I just couldn’t pick up the pace. I resigned myself to just do my best and carry on.

Photo credit @hmgiraffy

Photo credit @hmgiraffy

Photo by Peter Beck FB post on CIM page

Photo by Peter Beck FB post on CIM page

And just to give some idea of what kind of weather we runners faced, according to NOAA, there was approximately 0.9 inches of rain from 6:53 am to 10:53 am – with two-thirds of that in the first 2 hours. With that we faced 32 mph winds with 40 mph gusts! Holy rainstorm Batman!

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Screen Shot 2012-12-04 at 6.42.32 PM

Anyway, I felt pretty good for the next 20 miles, my legs were sore at points but much better than  Big Sur a year and a half ago. I followed my hydration and nutrition plan pretty well. I opted to skip my last Sports Bean and had an orange slice instead. I didn’t regret it. I never had any stomach issues or dehydration, so good to know I had planned well.

Screen Shot 2012-12-04 at 6.43.23 PM

I looked forward to hitting Sacramento a little after mile 20 (which had a big fake wall, haha!). Once you hit the city you follow the numbered streets so I could count down how many blocks I had left. I was tired and wanted to stop but pushed through. A little before the 26 mile marker I saw a dailymile friend, Jessica. And then at mile 26, just before the finish line I saw my hubs & BFF. I was so happy to see them!! I waved like crazy. (Thanks so much Kevin & Moni for coming out to cheering me on, knowing you would be there really made me push through the home stretch!) The last two miles were also good because I was passing other runners (my last full mile was 8:30). And I super sprinted that last tenth of a mile, I just wanted to be done!

Waiving to the hubs & bestie right after passing the 26 mile marker

Waiving to the hubs & bestie right after passing the 26 mile marker

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Crossing the finish line!

Crossing the finish line!

After crossing the finish line, I saw volunteers giving out water and Coke. I never wanted a Coke as badly as I did then! After we got back to Monica’s house, we also ate In N Out. Those fries, chocolate shake, & a grilled cheese sandwich was the most delicious thing I had ever eaten! I knew this was a strong race for me just because I could actually eat after the race!

watch

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I finished with a time of 3:42:24. While this does not qualify me for Boston, it’s still a HUGE PR for me! And honestly I think I could have shaved off those 7 and a half minutes if I had better race conditions.

Here are some additional links from the Sacramento Bee‘s coverage of the race: California International Marathon and Americans Shine Amid Wind and Rain. And I want to give some shout outs to my friends both online and in person who also braved this crazy monsoon marathon: Alisyn (who made some difficult but ultimately the right decisions race day), Paulette, Renee, and fellow SC Endurance member, Laura, who was only a minute behind me the whole race!! Way to rock it ladies! Also, thanks to all the SCE members & my parents who supported me virtually, tracking the race online. I knew you all were watching and it kept me running!

A Marathon Post…

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Warning: This a long post, read it anyway, but know it’s one of my longer blog posts. (See the double meaning in title now? get it? haha)

About a year ago, after finishing my first half marathon, I decided I wanted to run a marathon. And I didn’t want to run just any marathon, but the Big Sur International Marathon (rated one of the best marathon’s by Runner’s World Magazine). So I counted down the days and signed up as soon as I could. I started training in November and was doing great right up until the end of January when I ran my first 18-miler and then promptly got sick. I never got back into a good training routine, never ran more than 18 miles again before Sunday’s race; basically, life and school got in the way. But dang it, I was gonna run this race. And I had one goal (I abandoned my 4 hour goal long ago) and that was to finish.

As many of you might know, back in March part of Highway 1 collapsed. This forced the race organizers to change the course from a point-to-point starting in Big Sur and ending in Carmel to an out-and-back. Many people were disappointed with the change (me too), but hey things happen. Let me tell you, this was a BEAUTIFUL course despite the changes.

Expo
I headed down to the Monterey Conference Center Saturday morning. It was already super busy even though I got there right as it opened. I picked up my bib (with my name on it, which I love), my bus ticket, and headed down to the expo floor. I usually never buy anything at expos, I’m poor and I have good running stuff. But I splurged this time buying a running skirt (love it!), a headband (eh), and my Big Sur finisher’s shirt… premature? Yes, but I worried I wouldn’t be able to get it the next day and I wanted a short sleeve one in addition to the long sleeve one they gave us. The rest of the day I chilled and carbed it up (pasta, pasta, and more pasta). I tried to go to bed early but still didn’t get to sleep until after 10pm.

Race Morning
At 3:02am my alarm went off. I somehow pulled myself out of bed, dressed, and had a cup of coffee. I toasted my bagel and put PB on it (eating it on the drive down to Monterey). Once parked, I climbed aboard and soon was surrounded by other nervous, excited, cold, and talkative runners (not me – something about 4:45 am makes me uninterested in conversations). We arrived at Marathon Village and I tried to find a place to hang out for the next hour and a half. After roaming around, I saw Safeway was open and along with several hundred other runners hung out there until 6:30.  I then dropped off my warm clothes at the sweat check and lined up for the race. I wasn’t nervous, I just wanted to start.

Miles 1-9
The first 9 miles I felt great! I had planned to follow the Jeff Galloway plan to Run-Walk-Run. Basically you run a mile and then walk a minute. In these first nine miles I didn’t exactly follow that routine, doing more of a run two miles, walk a minute. Mile nine I had to make a port-a-potty break. Let me tell you, the BSIM has more clean, open, available port-a-potties than any race I’ve ever seen. I only had to wait once to use one and I only had to wait for one person.



Miles 9-17
After I got out of the bathroom, I hightailed it back on the race. I passed the 4:30 pacer team and felt great. In fact, I would stay ahead of them for the next 10 miles at least. Here and there I saw packs of people: mainly relay runners and volunteers at the many aid stations (again bravo to BSIM, I felt like there was a water available to me all the time and the volunteers were AMAZING). I love when they print your name on the bib because all those strangers I passed by yell “Go Meg!” “Great job Meg!” “Keep it up Meg!” And every time I smiled, how could I not? I made it the turn around point, and started my way back to Carmel. I felt great. And then…

Miles 17-19
Right around miles 17-18, my stomach rebelled. I have stomach issues fairly often when I run. I usually avoid eating much (GU or Shot Bloks) when running because they tend to cause me problems, even water can bother my stomach. But I was terrified of hitting mile 20 and having no calories left for my body to use – I didn’t want to hit “the wall.” So I ate some shot blocks and half a Gu (I hate the stuff!) and lots of water and Gatorade. My stomach apparently hated it. During this time I was so happy how many port-a-potties the course had. It slowed me down a lot and I had to walk more than I wanted to.

The Worst Part: Miles 21-23
By mile 21, I was exhausted. I had been entertained by Michael Martinez playing the baby grand piano and the Japanese drummers. I had been cheered on. I had enjoyed the amazing views. But I HATED the hills. I felt that I was never on flat land (we climbed 2400 feet… the regular BSIM course climbs 1700 feet). I had succumbed to walking up most of the hill and running down. At mile 21.4 I found the strawberries. A little fruit tasted great! But there I was tired, my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my stomach hurt. When I walked my hip killed but when I ran everything else hurt. And either there wasn’t a mile marker for mile 22 or I missed it, but I was convinced until I saw the Mile 23 sign that I was in the middle of the LONGEST mile EVER. During this time they routed us through Point Lobos park… it was beautiful but I wanted to be closer to the finish line. I tried to focus on each sign after 18 – reminding myself that no matter what happened, I had run farther than ever before.

Finishing … Strong!
We came out of the park just after mile 24. My goal now was to run/jog the rest of the way. I knew Kevin, Pat, Trevor, and Kelsi were at the finish line and I wanted to be running when I saw them. It hurt to run, it hurt to jog, but I kept telling myself how close I was – how happy I would be when I finished. I thought about all my dailymile friends who had wished me luck the days leading up to the race. I saw a girl who had passed me several times throughout the morning. She was walking, she looked done for. I leaned over to her and told her how she had passed me all morning and she had to run the end to… she had to compete against me! She had to beat me, she was so close! I said it because that’s what I would have wanted someone to say to me. She ran, I did beat her, but she ran in the end.

Then I saw Kevin and my friends. I was so happy! Standing with all the spectators they cheered me on. I was so happy that I was running. I was so happy they were there. I could see the finish line. I ran… stronger and faster. The race organizer (in the blue blazer!) gave me a high-five, I got my medal, I got my snack pack. And then I sat down. I did it! I RAN A MARATHON… I RAN 26.2 MILES!! I finished at 4:49:38 chip time (I did stop my watch during the potty breaks and have 4:43 as that time, which I like better, of course!). It wasn’t my dream time, but it wasn’t the worst.

After my terrible training I believed that this would be both my first and last marathon. But… immediately after I finished,  I wanted to run another marathon! It will have to wait until I have more time to really train, but I will be running another and hopefully Big Sur again! I also have to really give props to BSIM for excellent organization of a massive event. Every moment of my race day was made wonderful by the volunteers and organizers.