New Goal

With the half marathon behind me, can you guess what's up next? Yep... a full marathon. I already have my registration in for the Martian Marathon in Dearborn coming up this April. I have six months to train, and my goal is to do it in under five hours. And my Dad is going to run it with me! It's going to be awesome. Slash horrible... (You know.)

Detroit Free Press Half Marathon

On Sunday morning, the alarm sounded at 4:30, we rolled out of bed, got dressed and headed out the door. We got down to Detroit at 5:30, and it was already ridiculously crowded. So much traffic! We got to the cross streets and then waited in line for a port-a-potty stop. It was WAY too early, and WAAAYYYYY too cold!

As soon as I was done in the restroom, the first horn sounded. We gathered up our things after I got dressed down and geared up and made our way to the starting line. Wow. Just wow. There were so many people:

Bryce told me that there was probably a mile of people in the chute. I slipped through the barricade and nervously awaited my corral's horn:

I was supposed to be in corral L, but I slipped into D. I just wanted to get started; I was pretty excited! How could you not be, with all the people and lights and music?!?

In waves, we moved forward:

And off we go!

I started really slow; I was taking pictures and watching and listening to the other runners and spectators. I even sent a few texts. I wanted to enjoy and really experience it. I really think the best part was the build up to the Ambassador bridge. It was amazing. Just as I started to cross the sun began to rise on the city:

As I said, I took pictures, but pretty much every one was blurry. That's what happens when you point and shoot on the run I guess. This was a particularly spectacular view of which the photo does no justice:

Soon I had crossed into Canada:

The Canadian fans were the best. They literally lined every foot of the road, and they were cheering like crazy for everyone. Of course, in my mind they were all there and cheering just for me. There were some great posters; "Worst Parade Ever," "Killer clowns are chasing you," "Run like you stole it," "Go random stranger!" "Can you believe you paid for this?!?" and "Your feet hurt because you're kicking so much @$$." Pretty soon we were heading into the tunnel and back to the U.S.:

It was seriously cool. Okay, maybe the tunnel was my favorite part. It was warm and echo-y and just us runners.

But then as I came out of the tunnel, Bryce was there to cheer me on. That was my favorite part!

Yep, between taking selfies and cheering myself on, I run most of the race with my arms up...

There we go!

The next stretch was a little painful. There wasn't anything to look forward to now except the finish line...which was still five to six miles away. I had a powerbar applesauce and some m&ms, put my music on and trucked away. I started to lag behind the 9:55 pacer, and pretty soon they were almost out of sight. Perhaps it was lack of liquid or lack of sleep the night before, but I was just tired. But before I knew it, I was coming back towards downtown and Bryce. I asked him at this point if I could be done now; I was burned out. But I had less than a mile left.

I finally crossed the finish line at 2:13. My Garmin watch dropped off under the bridge, so I don't have my splits, but overall I'm pleased:

My legs were a little shaky at the end but not totally trashed, and I felt pretty good... for which I was glad because I still had to walk a mile to hook back up with Bryce, and then half a mile back to the car. I was however, cold and starving.

When I did meet up with Bryce, I felt a wave of emotions. Relief that it was over, sadness that I didn't get a better time, joy at the accomplishment... but mostly gratitude for my body. I'm awed at what it has accomplished. I have to say, after having three babies and being over weight and feeling old and constantly tired, even running a mile seemed impossible. I thought I would never be able to lose weight or be physically active. I definitely thought I was on the downhill slope. How wrong I was! In just three months, I've lost 45 pounds and run two half marathons. And I'm not done...

Week Seventeen

Exercise:

  Sunday: Rest
  Monday: Rest
  Tuesday: Rest
  Wednesday: Mid morning 4.3 miles up and down Waldon. 41 min
  Thursday: Speed work and walking at the track. 4 miles total. 55 min
  Friday: 2 mile walk to and from the Freep Expo in downtown Detroit.
  Saturday: A shake down and roll out. Some walking to get the blood flowing.
  Sunday: HALF MARATHON

Food: I spent this week putting away carbs and not counting any calories. I wanted to make sure I'd have enough energy for the 13 miles. I had a lot of white carbs, too... to avoid any potential Crohn's issues with high fiber foods.

Poundage: Lost 0# (Keeping a solid 160)

I'll write all about the half in the following post. Stay tuned!

Week Sixteen

Exercise:

  Sunday: Rest
  Monday: 5 mile recovery run on Paint Creek. 50 min
  Tuesday: Rest
  Wednesday: Roller skating!
  Thursday: Morning 5.75 miles. 60 min
  Friday: Rest
  Saturday: 6 miles at Stoney Creek. 60 min

Food: I've figured a few things out about sugar... (and this may be TMI) it gives me the stinkiest gas! And I get headaches. Best to avoid the stuff.

Poundage: Lost 3# (163 to 160)

This was a hard week. I think I'm still recovering from the half last weekend, which probably depleted my glycogen stores. And I had a couple knots in my right quad. I'll have to take this next week of tapering seriously if I want to fully recover in time for the Detroit half!

Week Fifteen

Exercise:

  Sunday: Brooksie Way 10K (as listed on last week's post)
  Monday: Early morning 5 miles with Dawn. 55 min
  Tuesday: Morning run with Bryce. 3 miles on Paint Creek. 36 min
  Wednesday: 5 miles on Polly Ann trail with Dawn. 55 min
  Thursday: Rest
  Friday: Rest
  Saturday: Frankenmuth Half Marathon; the Bruckelaufe. 130 min (2 hrs 10 min)

Food: Drink lots and LOTS of water!

Poundage: Lost 1# (164 to 163) That's 40 overall!!

My friend Natalie convinced me to run the Frankenmuth Half as part of my training. I was planning on running the first 9 miles then walking the remainder, but I ended up just running the whole race and doing so with 10 minute miles!

It was more of a trial and error run to see what running a 13.1 mile race was all about and to prepare myself for the hype and process to look forward to in Detroit. I'm really glad I ran it: I had a great time and learned a few things that will help me succeed in two weeks.
#1: I can totally do it! At the beginning, my goal was to cross the finish line. After a bit, my goal was to run the whole race. Now, I have a time to beat!
#2: Don't over hydrate the day/night before. I ended up having to stop and wait in line for a potty break.
#3: Don't stress over not getting sleep the night before. I only got 5 hours (thank you, Charlie), but still performed great.
#4: Wait for the crowd to go through the starting gate, then take off. It's much more fun to pass people than to be passed. And it's less crowded.
#5: Start slow! Don't let excitement and adrenaline push you. Energy saved at the beginning really will be available at the end.
#6: No need to get water at aid stations. I made a mess trying to drink while running, and was only able to take a tiny sip. I just need to have a little snack (I really liked an applesauce pouch from powerbar) at about mile 9.
#7: No heavy fiber the day/night before. For breakfast I had a banana and a Clif bar an hour before the race, that was perfect.
#8: Post race procedure: Drink A LOT of water. Walk around. Ibuprofen. Ice bath, then hot bath. Lots of carb snacks. And now is the time to get some sleep, if possible.
#9: Having a loved one cheering you on makes all the difference! Especially if they can join you for a few strides: