Just One Marathon

Learning is Not a Spectator Sport

Twelve hours from now, I’ll know what kind of marathon I’m going to run. It’ll be approximately 90 minutes after the start of the race, and by then I’ll be learning if I was right or wrong to try to run this race at the pace I’ve chosen. 

Right now, on the evening before, I’m not sure. I know I’m faster – over short distances. But I’m not certain how my body will respond after 3 or 4 hours of pounding.

Though I’m nervous, I have this inexplicable feeling of confidence about tomorrow’s run. I think it’s going to be great. But I’m afraid that I’m over-confident – or under-experienced. Still, there’s only way to find out. Give it a try.

Ready

“…the taper may seem to bring on injuries. You may develop all kinds of minor aches and pains, or feel sluggish and irritable as the race approaches. You train less but worry more.”

-- The Competitive Runner’s Handbook, Bob Glover and Shelly-lynn Florence Glover

 

Phantom aches? Irritability? Worry? Check, check and check.

 

This week, I’ve had a galloping case of the “taper crazies”. I’ve got a chest cold, my hip feels weird, and I’m beset by doubts.

 

The only time I feel good is when I’m running. In fact, when I’m running, I feel fantastic. And fast? You have no idea. During my speed training on Friday night, I logged my speediest 800s to date – and it didn’t even feel hard. This morning, I ran just over 13K at a 5:30/K pace, again without too much effort.

 

Unfortunately, since I’m tapering – significantly reducing my mileage to give my body time to rest and heal before the big day – I’m not running much. And because I’ve been extremely busy with work and kids’ fall activities, I haven’t been cross-training either. That makes me nervous. So does the fact that, due to a bout of low blood iron, I only ran one 20-miler during this training schedule. It doesn’t feel like I’ve logged enough long-run Ks.

 

However, there’s not a lot I can do about it now. Whatever work I’ve done in the past 20 weeks or so will have to be enough. And this morning, as I finished my last long run, I heard a calm, confident voice inside myself saying, “I’m ready”. (At least, I hope it was my inside voice. During this challenging training period, I’ve developed the “endearingly eccentric” habit of talking out loud to myself at critical moments.)

 

Inside or outside, I was glad to hear that voice. So far, it has never been wrong.

Exploring What's Possible

On Canada Day, I’m running a 5K race to test my potential. The results will provide a predictor of my marathon completion time. An on-line race predictor indicates that if I can run a 5K race in 25 minutes, I could run a marathon in 3:59 – one minute faster than the Boston qualifying time of 4 hours for a woman my age.

 

That’ll be a challenge. My fastest 5K to date has been 26 minutes and 40 seconds. Honestly, I really have no reason to believe that I can shave almost 2 minutes off this time. I’ve only been speed training for about 3 weeks. I ran a half in May, but it wasn’t particularly fast. And I’ve had a wicked case of jelly-legs for the past week.

 

On the other hand, my friend and coach Barb feels I’ve got the speed in me. She’s run beside me during intervals and made me test my mettle. Her confidence opens me up to the possibility that my ability to run more quickly may have something to do with how fast I believe I am and how much I am willing to push myself.

 

I am going to stay open to that possibility for next Thursday’s race. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I'm Putting It Out There ... Almost

Who would have thought there’d be a reason to be thankful for bad plumbing? On Wednesday night, we discovered a leak in our basement. Thursday, I worked at home to wait for city workers to turn off our water supply ($75), then the plumber to fix the pipe ($350), then the city workers to turn the water supply on again (another $75). It was an expensive afternoon.

On the plus side, I was able to register on-line for the Ottawa Hypothermic Half on January 25 – an additional $60. I’ve never spent so much money so quickly and had so little fun doing it. (BTW, that date just happens to be our 17^th wedding anniversary. Nothing says romance like an 8 a.m. run through snow and ice.)

I have a couple of very specific goals for my half-marathon performance over the next few months. I may achieve these goals at the Hypothermic, although I’m a little doubtful. Last year at the Montreal Hypothermic, I found that the slippery ice and cold weather really took the edge off my speed (and I use that term – “speed” – quite loosely when it comes to my running).

Nevertheless, at this half marathon or my next (or my next, or my next…), I hope to shave almost 4 minutes off my PR and finish in 1 hour and 55 minutes. Why? Well, I'll tell you my friends: if you punch this time into a race time predictor, it estimates a marathon finish of 3:59:54. Which is just four second under the qualifying time for women ages 45-49 in the Boston Marathon. Not that I’m going to try for it. I’m just saying.

 

How Fast Will iRun?

Canada has a new running magazine. It’s called iRun, and you can’t go anywhere in the Ottawa running community these days without seeing its new logo on hats, shirts and probably other cool swag. Because I’ve lately become obsessed with all things running, it was inevitable that the first issue would eventually find its way into my house.

Here’s what iThink. It’s definitely an idea whose time has come. In Ottawa, and I’m sure this is true of many other cities, running has caught on in a big way. Our National Capital Race Weekend has become one of the biggest events of the year. I hardly know anyone who isn’t running, walking, volunteering or spectating (I am now declaring that a verb) sometime over the weekend of May 24 and 25.   

It’s neat to read a magazine that features Canadian runners, races and heroes and suppliers. I also really liked their feature on yoga poses for runners, and not just because I know the yoga instructor who is pictured in the article.

Minor quibble: the kinda cutesy over-use of the iRun name. The magazine is peppered with quotes from real runners completing the sentence, “iRun because…”. How about we officially declare an end to the use of a lowercase letter followed by an uppercase letter to indicate cutting edge, technology-oriented cool?

Another small irritant (probably stemming as much from my own insecurities as anything else) is a light-hearted feature at the beginning of the magazine about celebrity marathoners. It clocks their times and makes snarky comments about runners who took longer than four hours to finish. It’s not that celebrities need my pity – I’m sure they have staff for that – it’s just that, as a runner who expects to finish just a little faster than Katie Holmes, I take that kind of pettiness personally. On the whole, though, I think it’s a fun and info-packed magazine, with a content-rich accompanying web-site. I’m looking forward to the next issue.

As long as we’re on the topic of speed, though, I’m officially declaring the Reluctant Runner Finish Time Pool open. There are no prizes for winning but you can’t beat the cost of entry. Let me give you a few guiding facts:

My fastest 5K: 28 minutes

Fastest 10K: 57 minutes and change

Fastest Half: 2 hrs, 12 minutes

My outside goal is to finish in less than five hours. Honestly, unless something goes terribly wrong, I think I will meet that goal (and may I take a moment to implore Athletica, goddess of runners, not to punish me for my hubris). My fantasy goal is to finish in 4 hours and 30 minutes. But my back-of-the-napkin calculations around my current running pace are telling me that might be a mathematical impossibility. Bottom line: this Reluctant Runner is amazed just to be out there at all.

Want to guess when I’ll finish? Just post a time below. I will take every entry personally, read all kinds of messages into your guess, and probably end up mad at you. But don’t let that stop you.  

...And Then What?

"Beginning Monday 19 May, you will enter the final phase of your pre-race taper. Some of you will feel very heavy, and your usual sunny disposition won’t be quite so sunny. Warn those close to you and be aware that your mood may be off. This is a normal reaction to the reduction in your training mileage.” – Words of wisdom from Tom, our marathon clinic leader

Why wait until Monday? Despite being early into a gradual two-week reduction of miles, I’m already feeling a bit blue. The reason – and I feel stupid admitting this – is that this marathon training roller coaster will soon be over. Yes, there have been cold mornings, sore muscles and bloody toes. But there’s also been the excitement of preparing to do something I never thought I’d do. What will I do without the constant planning, worry and underlying excitement of preparing for race day? What’s next? 

My post-marathon plan-of-record is to quit and never run again. But who am I kidding? I’ve gotten used to this fit new body I’ve been building. I like feeling strong and powerful. And I love having a goal that excites me.

Nonetheless, another marathon is out of the question right now. I have already put too many other things on hold to do this. Plus, I am really, really, really starting to bore my friends and family, who have endured (with remarkable patience) endless one-sided conversations that must sound something like this: “Blah, blah, blah MARATHON, blah, blah, blah, BLISTERS, blah, blah, blah, GROIN PULL.” Um, sorry guys. And thanks.

So now I feel downright panicky about not having another motivating running goal on the horizon – something that will get my butt out the door on hot (and eventually) cold days. Something to visualize while I’m out there on the 10th kilometre of a 20+K run.

It feels like there’s a big, empty void, looming just beyond race day. Is this normal? And how do I make the feeling go away?

Eighteen Short Hours and One Big Suitcase

Tomorrow, I’m running the Hypothermic Half in Montreal, Quebec. This race represents two new experiences for me: my first winter running event and my first out-of-town race. So the two big questions I’ve been asking myself all week are: how do I dress and what should I pack? (Plus the additional nagging question: why am I doing this?)

First, the weather. The forecast for race day is -20C and sunny with 10km/hr winds.So it will be pretty cold when we start at 8:30 a.m., but not too windy. Or will it be windy? The race is being held on a small island on the Saint Lawrence called Ile Ste-Hélène, which is just over the bridge from downtown Montreal. Island on big river + winter conditions = wind.

I’m going to wear a long-sleeve shirt, fleece, shell, neck-warmer, hat, gloves and mittens. I may pull a sled behind me carry all the gear I will be forced to shed along the way. I often dress for the first 5K of the run when I’ll be cold, instead of the remainder of the run when I’ll be hot. It’s a rookie’s mistake, but I can’t help making it. Knowing I’m going to be warm is what gets me out the door.

Which brings me to the packing dilemma We are only staying for one night and leaving right after the race on Saturday, so other than my PJs, the rest of my suitcase is stuffed with running junk. Everything I need, think I might need, will decide later if I need, or don’t need but can’t bear to leave behind is in that suitcase. I had to sit on it to close it, and it only contains one pair of shoes!

After the race, we are dashing home to pick up our kids (my husband is also running the race). One has an art class ending at 4 p.m.; the other has a hockey game starting at 5. The race starts at 8:30 a.m., so with a quick stop at the post-race buffet, we should be able to make it home from Montreal (about a 2-hour drive) in time to grab a quick shower, pick up the kids and go. So I’ve also been thinking about what to pack in the car for two hours of post-race immobility in which our blood sugar levels drop and our muscles freeze into position. We’ll have protein bars, lots of water, and dry clothes.

Plus the satisfaction of knowing we’ve completed the race.