Dad and I on New Year's Eve

This is a very bleated new year post, but I am so excited that 2010 is behind us! It was a year of the ultimate high, achieving a major running goal - qualifying for Boston, to the ultimate low, my father's illness.  My father is on the road to recovery, in fact, he and my step-mom are in Florida as we speak getting some much needed, and deserved, vacation time.  And now that things are going well for him, I can press play on my life and fully commit to my Boston training plan.  Seriously, it was like someone hit pause on life and now, getting back into things, while fantastic feels really strange.  The fog is slowly lifting though!

My running guru a.k.a. Crazy Ass Coach Bill has got me pounding out the miles this time around.  He upped my running by a day (4 days of running plus long run on Sunday's), has increased the pace and mileage on my interval runs and upped the incline on my hill repeats.  So far, so good.  The first 2 weeks were tough but it always amazes me how quickly my cardio endurance catches back up. 

I've also gone all crazy hard core on my classes at Gold's too.  Loving body pump (Monday's and Friday's) still and I've actually really gotten into body step on Thursday's and Saturday's (gasp! 1985 ya'll!) and, still very new to me, body combat!  For people who are not aware of the Les Mills classes, combat is basically kickboxing.  I thought I was going to hate it because I have zero coordination but I love it!  I'm sure I look like a total ass but after 60 minutes, I feel jacked up and ready to take on anything!  I take combat Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 

Bill doesn't love my new obsession with classes.  He wants me to only run with the exception of cross training in the form of either biking or swimming.  So I  keep my gym schedule to myself.  I'm sure I'll have to tone it down as our weekend long runs get longer (speaking of, we have a 21 miler on tap this Sunday!) but for now, it feels good to be back at it!

Marathon Rest Days Become All Out Hiatus

My post-marathon rest week was fantastic.  I really wanted to let my body do it's thing - heal up nicely - and not rush it.  My hips were horribly sore and my tendinitis was all tendony so I knew a week off was much needed.  I shopped! I had lunch with friends! I had coffee with friends! I shopped! I caught up on my shows! It was fantastic.  Until Thursday night when I started getting that itch to run. 

On Friday morning, I went to the gym to test everything out by getting on the treadmill and taking a Pilate's class.  I assumed I would do a run/walk for about 3 miles but was pleasantly surprised when I ran the entire time and managed to log 4 miles without too much discomfort.  It felt great to get moving again.  Pilate's was a bit tough though.  I wasn't quite ready for one leg balancing. 

Then on Saturday, I took Power Yoga for the first time.  I knew it was going to be a good class for me when I saw all the runners.  How did I know they were runners?  Well, there were more running shorts than tight yoga pants, quite a few garmins were spotted and several people kept looking at their watch like they were in a hurry - yup, runners.  It was a great class.  I'm going to try and attend as much as possible but unfortunately, it's only on Saturday mornings and since I do my long runs on Sunday mornings, I know I'll feel guilty if I'm out of the house two mornings in a row. 

After Saturday's class, I was really looking forward to Monday when I was going to get back to all my favorite classes and running.  Then my youngest got sick.  Yeah.  He had been fighting a cough for a few days during my off week but on Friday night he developed a fever.  This is now day 3 that I've had him home from school and I think my muscles have atrophied.  Seriously.  I'm not sure how much more of this I can take.  He is on antibiotics and is using a nebulizer for the cough and so far today (knock wood!) he hasn't had a fever so I'm hopeful that he will be headed back to school tomorrow. 

There is a Body Pump class tonight at 7:30 which I'm planning on attending and if my husband finishes work early enough, I'd like to get up there early and run.  Then tomorrow, I'm taking a new to me class called Xtreme Effects.  I like the sound of that.  It has sore glutes written all over it.  After that, I'm going to take step.  I know, I've said no less then 9 million times how much I hate step due to my lack of coordination but I'm trying again because I really want to get some different workouts in besides just running and pump.  I can already tell you what is going to happen.  I'm going to take all these classes and run and I'm going to be all gung ho about it to try and make up for lost time and end up being crazy sore.  But I don't care.  I'm a bloated, lazy mess and I'd rather be sore dammit!

A Reminder

Now that I'm on day 3 post marathon, I'm doing what I assume all other marathoners at this point do....questioning if I could have pushed just a little bit harder.  Run just a little bit faster.  I missed a 4 hour goal by 5 minutes...really?  How did that happen?  My hips didn't hurt that bad, did they?  Running a marathon is not all that unlike child birth, you forget the pain and just have the accomplishment - baby or big shiny medal - to think about.  If we remembered the pain, we would all only have one child and one shiny medal.  Fortunately, on day 3 post marathon, the fine folks at MarathonFoto make it their job to send you a picture that shows just how much pain you experienced.  Exhibit A taken somewhere around mile 24/25 (there is no Exhibit B because it simply isn't necessary, this is an open and shut case):

Ah!  Right!  Now I remember!  Instead of wondering how I missed a 4 hour goal by 5 minutes, I should be thankful that I didn't miss it by an hour!  That face says it all.  Every. Single. Step.  A shooting pain up the hip/butt.   I better burn this photo or there will never be another marathon.  Thank goodness no one took a picture of me when I was in labor with my first born.

Marine Corps Marathon - Check!

I sat down to post about 10 times in the week leading up to the Marine Corps Marathon.  All I could think to write was, "Remember when I said I wasn't nervous about the marathon? Apparently I was wrong."  Because holy shiznit was that a long week leading up to the big day!  I had butterflies the size of elephants in my stomach that I just couldn't shake!  I'm not really sure why.  I had no intention of setting a PR - that 3:46 I got in Delaware was something I put so many hours of blood, sweat and tears into getting ready for that I knew getting it again was virtually impossible (I believe the saying, 'You get what you train for' and this race certainly didn't have that same amount of training).  I think my biggest fear was that I'd have another Outer Banks Marathon experience.  I never, ever want to feel that feeling again and because I didn't train for as long as I trained for Delaware, I think I thought it would happen again.  Obviously I trained for MCM, I just started later than I would have liked.  Anyway, I did it, it's done and while it wasn't a total success, it wasn't Outer Banks so I'm happy!

On Friday, I went with a few friends to the Expo, which was great by the way, and was finally feeling excited for the race.  Brooks had a great selection of marathon gear to choose from which was a nice change after some of the smaller races.  Oh, and the best was the 'take your picture with Ryan Hall' booth.  Helllooooo there!

On Sunday morning, I got up at 3:15.....I know, a crazy early time but as I've started to share, I have some pretty major stomach issues going on and I have to give myself a good 2 hours at least before leaving the house every day.  Every. Single. Day. This has got to stop people!!  Sorry, I get so sidetracked when I think about my stomach.  My next postings will be all about doctor appointments and testing.  For breakfast #1, I had a bagel (have you tried the Thomas' Fruit and Grain bagels? SO yummy!) and a cup of coffee.  I packed a peanut butter sandwich and a banana for breakfast #2.  I met some friends at 5:30 and we drove to the metro.  We got there at 6:00 (yes, I'm out in the sticks where no metro dares stop) and there were only a few people there which was nice.  My friends stayed on to the Smithsonian because they were running the 10k and I rode on to the Pentagon stop.  Here's where it got a little crazy.  We got off the train and just stood there.  Not moving.  Not a single step for a good 5 minutes.  Finally we started to inch forward to the escalators.  By the time I got up the escalator, through the card swiper thingy (I'm so not a city girl) and up the escalators to the outside, 15 minutes had passed.

I wasn't prepared for the walk from the Metro to the Runners Village, it was much further than I anticipated.  I ate breakfast #2 along the way and was feeling super pumped up and excited.  I had to go through a bag check security line before getting into the Runners Village and by the time I got through that, then waited in line for a porta potty, it was 7:45!!  I ran to the gear check, threw my bag at them and started the walk to the starting area.  My plan was to get with the 4 hour pacer but the closest I could get was about 50 yards behind the 4:15 pacer.  Normally, this change in the plan would shake me big time and I'd get totally psyched out but for some reason, I was calm and totally fine with it.

The gun went of and we all clapped and yelled then stood there.  And stood there.  And stood there.  Kind of a let down!  Finally we started to shuffle forward and eventually, got started.  One of the things I was worried about in the days leading up to the race was the elevation chart.  It made the first 8 miles of the race look a bit scary.  Fortunately, there were so many people and the energy was so incredible that I really didn't notice it.  I've never run such a big race and I really can't even begin to describe the feeling.  It was just so fantastic!  My first couple of miles were pretty slow.  I had planned on not doing any weaving in and out of people because I didn't want to waste the energy on that so I kept it nice and easy knowing I would be better for it.  Once it started to open up a bit, I'd say after about 5 miles, I tried to get a good rhythm going but it was still really hard.  I'd have a half mile running at a 8:20 pace then we'd go around a corner and log jam would hit and I'd have to slow down to a 10:00 pace.  It was a little frustrating at times but I just went with it.  I got to the halfway mark at 1:58 which I felt was perfect since I was going for a 4:00 finish.

My hips started to yell at me around mile 17.  I tried to push it away and think about other things but once it flares up, it's almost impossible to ignore.  As a side note, I went to an Ortho dr. about 6 months ago who said it was an inflamed sciatic nerve and he put me on a prescription anti-inflammatory.  It worked but then about a month later, the pain was back.  After Sunday's race, I spent some time online trying to self-diagnose and I've decided that I have 'Piriformis Syndrome'.  It sounds exactly like what is going on with me.  Anyway, by 18.5, I was dying to stop and walk.  I would walk through the water stations but then start running by the end of them.  At mile 19, I was still a minute and 30 seconds behind my 4:00 goal so I was trying to stay positive.  Then a half mile later, I saw my friends and decided to stop and chat.  Yeah.  Stop and chat.  What the hell??  So I'm standing there talking away, telling them about how long it took on the Metro, about the bathroom lines, the walk to the start, etc.  Finally, one of my friends said, 'Um, don't you think you should get moving?'  Honestly, I have no idea what the hell I was thinking!  So I started off again.  Not sure how much time I lost there but it really didn't matter because then the bridge came.  Or as I like to call it, no mans land.  By this point in the race, people are walking.  A lot.  And there are hardly any spectators on the bridge so it's really quiet and the feeling is pretty depressing.  I made it about 2/3's of the way across and had to walk.  I walked for about 2 minutes then pushed on.  The pain in my hips at this point was all I could think about.  Every step was a stabbing pain.  I walked again at mile 25 for a couple of minutes.  Mile 25!!  Who walks when you only have 1.2 miles to go??

Finally I arrived at the hill of the finish.  I was leaning so far forward to haul my ass up that hill that I'm surprised I didn't scrape up my nose.  I was never so happy to see a finish line in my life!  Final time: 1:05:12. Not quite the 4:00 I was hoping for but I am totally fine with it.  I ran the race I was able to run on that day.  I have zero regrets. 

Yesterday, I did absolutely nothing.  Today, I managed to vacuum the house.  Tomorrow, I'm going to pilates.  As far as running is concerned, I think that will have to wait until next week. My hips are still really sore and I really want to give them some time.  Hard core training for Boston (Did she say Boston??  WOOT!) will get going in mid-January.

I Am One of the Lucky Ones

The Boston Marathon sold out in 8 hours and 3 minutes on Monday.  8 hours and 3 minutes!!  I thought last year was fast at 9 weeks but 8:03?  Incredible.  Fortunately, I was on my computer at exactly 9:00am and only experienced a slight delay.  I had to submit about 10 times before it finally went through and was registered, with confirmation in my email box, in about 20 minutes.  My running partner Amy had a harder time and finally got in at 10:30.  But we are in!  IN! 
This is my most favorite email in the entire freaking world:

Boston Athletic Association

Dear Renae:

Your entry for the 115th Boston Marathon has been received, and your spot in the race has now been reserved, pending verification of your entry and qualifying information.

If those are not the most beautifully written words you've ever seen, I don't know what is.  It's like poetry.

I was on a high the rest of the day.  Only altered by the many tweets I read from runners who qualified but didn't get in due to the quick sell out.  I can't imagine how upset they are.  I am expecting to see a lot of pissed off runners at MCM next weekend - both those who already qualified but didn't get in and those who were hoping to use MCM as their qualifier.  The question now is what the heck is The Boston Marathon going to do?  Make qualifying harder?  Widen the field?  Open more waves?  I know one thing, I'm glad I'm going in 2011 because there is no telling what the requirements for 2012 are going to be!

So here's the deal:

1.  My personal life has been a roller coaster of emotions since the beginning of the summer when my dad got sick.  We are still on that coaster but are keeping our hopes high.  However, as roller coasters are known to do, it's a constant up and down almost daily hence my lack of blogging.  I had a lot of grand plans for the direction I wanted to take this blog in but honestly, it just hasn't been a priority.

2.  I am still dealing with a pain in the ass, er, foot, pain in my ankle.  The podiatrist says it's tendinitis and prescribed orthotics.  Here we go again.  I picked them up last week and I'm supposed to be breaking them in slowly - 2 hours a day, then 3 hours a day, etc.  As of right now, they are super uncomfortable but they are supposed to 'mold' to my feet so we'll see.  I think most of the breaking in process is going to happen after MCM.

3.  MCM.  Marine Corps Marathon is on Halloween, 2 short weeks away!  I should be excited but I haven't been able to get into it.  I've been running, been training but I'm having a hard time getting there mentally which could prove to be a major problem given running a marathon is 80% mental, in my opinion.  I better get geared up and quick!

4.  BOSTON!  Today is the day that registration (finally!) opens for the 2011 Boston Marathon!!!  I'm super excited.  They expect it to sell out pretty quickly this year.  I will be one of the many thousands who lock up their server at 9:00am this morning.  WOO!

5.  Still dealing with major stomach issues.  I cut out all wheat products for 2 weeks and didn't get much relief from that.  It might have improved a little, but not enough to make me believe that was the cause.  Not to mention the fact that I was having a hell of a time fueling my workouts with no wheat carbs!  Is there a dr. in the house??

10 Miler Done - New Leaf Turned Over

After our mini-getaway to Baltimore (also known as 'mom's attempt to salvage summer' or '4 more days of no running'), I got back on the running program and put in a fantastic 10-miler on Tuesday.  I know.  A very strange distance to run during the week but I happened to get an email from Runner's World on Tuesday morning with a link to the "Late Entry: Go from maintenance fitness to race-ready shape without hurting yourself" (you've probably seen it if you read the magazine) and thought, "10 miles?  Ok!" And just went out and did it.  Not that I'm going to follow this plan which is a down and dirty 4 weeks to marathon plan (assuming you weekly mileage has consisted of several 6-milers and and at least one 8 - 12 miler). First of all, I have a bit more than 4 weeks before MCM and second of all, I'm counting on my friend/coach Bill to come through with some kind of get-your-ass-in-gear-with-this-made-specially-for-you training plan.  Should arrive in my inbox any day now......  I'll admit though that it was nice to see in writing that I'm not totally screwed and should be able to get ready for MCM if I stop pushing running to the back burner.  

I'm more concerned about my ankle than my mileage.  I've got some kind of crazy ankle pain that has been a bit of a bother since April.  I've been able to pretty much ignore it until the last 4 weeks or so when the pain has become a constant - rather than just when I run - and it's pretty much always puffed up to some degree.  I decided to call a poditrist just to be on a safe side.  And this isn't that annoying quack doctor that I saw a while back for my weak ankle issues.  That dude just wanted to inject me with cortisone and managed to convince me to buy $400 orthotics which I never wear.  Hopefully this new guy will be better.  He'll tell me to ice more often and keep on running!  I can't get in to see him until September 8th and in all honesty, I'm kind of glad.  I really don't want anyone telling me I can't run so putting this off is just fine and dandy with me.  Healthy, right?

So.  Ran the 10 yesterday.  Took today off due to ankle pain but will be back on the horse tomorrow for a smaller distance of 5 or 6.  Having Dad healthy and finally home from Boston is allowing me to breath big sighs of relief and just get moving.  Getting the kids back into school is going to help a lot too!

I haven't talked about food or green smoothies in forever it seems!  Probably because along with a summer of worry brought a summer of pretty awful eating.  I either wasn't eating or grabbing whatever carbs I could get my hands on as a comfort thing.  Along with getting back to my fitness routine, I'm slowly getting back to my healthy eating routine too.  Up for tonight - baked halibut with a black olive tapenade topping.  Yum!  Hopefully it'll turn out and I'll post a photo tomorrow.  I also stocked up on spinach, bananas and lots of other fruits today at Wegmans so the Vitamix is going to be back in action tomorrow!  When life derails, hang on and eventually it'll get back on track.