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2 weeks

February 22nd, 2013

Two weeks ago I received an email from a woman who needed help getting faster so she could pass the physical test for law enforcement school.  She had one more shot to pass.  Since time was of the essence I skipped the usual first meeting I have with coaching clients and we got to work.

She had to shave 11 seconds off her 300 meter time and 1 minute 1 second off her 1.5 mile time.  At our first workout I told her that the 1.5 mile time goal was likely but the 300 meter time would be tough in just two weeks.  I could not guarantee anything.

We worked together twice a week for two weeks and she ran on her own and cross trained the other days.  I showed her how to properly warm up and we worked on improving her form to make her a more efficient runner.

Two weeks is such a short time but during those training sessions I saw her form improve, her confidence in her running improve, and her ability to embrace the pain that comes with running fast improve as well.

I was able to be there the morning she retook her test.  We warmed up just like we did during our workouts and even did a timed 100 meters to remind her what her 300 meter pace would feel like.  Then she left to check in, take the vertical jump test, then returned to the track with the instructor and other students who were also retaking the test.  She passed the sit ups portion of the test then it was time for the 300 meters.

I timed each 100 meter section of it for her and called out her times so she knew exactly where she was.  She finished in exactly her goal time.  Passed!  Then on to the push ups.  Passed.  Now the final test was the 1.5 mile run.

I reminded her where she needed to be at each 200 and 400 meters.  She started slower than goal pace and gradually picked up the pace.  With a lap and a half to go she really started to push.  I could see the effort on her face and hear her labored breathing.  She learned to embrace that discomfort and in doing so she beat her goal by 24 seconds, which was 1 minute and 25 seconds faster than two weeks ago.

I don’t know who was more nervous and excited that morning.  I felt the adrenaline pumping through my body and I wasn’t even running!  Even her instructor who was giving the test came over to me afterwards and told me how impressed he was with her improvement in such a short time.

I don’t know if there is anything more satisfying than helping someone achieve her goals…especially in just two weeks.

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Recalibrate

August 7th, 2012

This morning I was in a different mindset as I got ready for our group run at the Celery Fields.  Both of my Achilles tendons have been extremely sore for the past couple of weeks so I decided that I would either not run at all and just oversee the run or maybe walk/jog a little while everyone else did the workout.  It’s difficult for me to go to one of my favorite training spots and not run!

                          

Instead of my usual pre-run breakfast of PowerBar Energy Bites, a little caffeine, and 8-12 ounces of water, I decided to eat a “regular” breakfast which included taking all of my vitamins plus a bowl of organic granola with almond milk.

So the pressure is off.  No hard running today.  No running at all since I had my regular breakfast.  We meet at the school, carpool to the Celery Fields, and a few others meet us there.  We start the dynamic warm up and my Achilles tendons hurt.  We finish that and I explain the fun hill workout they are about to tackle.  I decide to go with them on the easy mile warm up loop just to make sure everyone knows the route.  We had a few new people out today; which is always cool.

Warm up mile loop is done and the group splits up into several smaller groups as everyone begins the actual workout of 2-3 x mile loops working hard on the up hills and coasting the down hills.  I took it easy on the first loop and did not run hard on the up hills.  When I finished that my Achilles tendons actually felt a little better.  I really wasn’t feeling them at all, which was a nice change!  So my warm up loop and the first of the workout loops were both somewhere around 10:00-11:00 mile pace.  Considering the loose rock trails and hilly terrain, not bad.

Remember, I ate my regular breakfast, not a pre-run breakfast so I wasn’t supposed to be running and certainly not running a hard workout.

I just finished two miles on the hilly loop and I was not feeling my breakfast at all plus my Achilles tendons felt pretty good.  I decided to run the second of the workout loops harder and dropped to about 8:46 mile pace running hard on the up hills and coasting somewhat on the down hills.  That felt great!!!  Maybe I just needed a longer warm up – definitely a trend with me lately.  Sometimes I need a 2-3 mile warm up before a workout or race.

I then started my third of the workout loops really pushing the pace on the up hills AND the down hills and finished around 8:18 mile pace.  I could not believe how good I felt.  I then joined the group for the 4 x short sprints up the steep grass hill.  Those things make you feel alive!  Somehow I swear my legs muscles morphed into a Jell-O like substance while my lungs were burning and I became a little light headed.  I had trouble keeping track of how many I had actually run.  Who knew counting to four could be such a challenge.  Okay, a slight exaggeration here, but these are intense!

 

After the fourth short, steep hill sprint we did one more mile on the hilly loop to cool down then a quick stretch after some shin strengtheners.  A total of 5.5 miles for the day.  I am still struggling to adjust my way of thinking about mileage in workouts and total weekly mileage.  Training for that 57 miler has really skewed things for me.  I am keeping much more detailed notes in my training log now so I can see the intensity and types of workouts and not worry so much about my lower weekly mileage totals.

The big mistake I made after the 57 miler was jumping back into 50+ mile weeks with only one week of rest right after the race.  When my Achilles tendon pain started I looked at my training log and I could see it right there plain as day the reason why.  Last week I backed off to about 33 miles and this week will be even lower.  I decided to do shorter runs, increase the intensity of just a couple of them, and also take more rest days to heal up.  I definitely needed to recalibrate my way of thinking about my training.  Yes I am going to be running a 50K in just a few months and yes I am going to run another marathon when I run Goofy at Disney Marathon weekend, but that does not mean that I need to be training the way I was just a couple of months ago.  I don’t always have to run high mileage just because that worked well for me this spring when I was preparing for a 57 mile race in June.

I don’t know if other running coaches have similar issues, but I find that I am often my own toughest athlete to coach.  I always feel like the regular rules of training do not apply to me.  Sadly I am not invincible.  But luckily I do learn from my mistakes and that helps me to be a better coach to others.

Back to breakfast…

I have never been able to run well or run hard after eating cereal with milk or just drinking milk.  As I said this morning was organic granola with dark chocolate bits and almond milk.  I decided to switch to almond milk for my cereal because it is higher in calcium and has fewer calories than regular milk.  I am still amazed at how hard I was able to run after eating all that.  I felt great on the run.  The granola is pretty dense and kept me fueled.  I did not get my extreme post run hunger for quite a while after the run too.  Perhaps a new pre-run meal in the arsenal!

I will definitely keep trying new things to see what works.

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Disconnect

July 23rd, 2012

With smart phones, email, text messaging, facebook, twitter, LinkedIn, Words with Friends, Tiny Village, blogging, and all those other ways to be connected to everyone in our lives, how do we disconnect? I have really been struggling with this lately. But if I do take a day off from technology, it is a double edged sword, I feel both refreshed from the break but also overwhelmed by all the emails and messages that have piled up. I guess people just expect everyone to check messages and work every day at all times of day.

I think we fall into the trap of feeling like we are going to miss something if we disconnect for a day or even just a few hours. I know I do sometimes and I am sure I am not alone. Social media is an addiction.

Some of my favorite, stress free hours were during my four and five hour ultra training runs back in April and May. I was out at a park running trails by myself totally disconnected with only my thoughts and my Garmin to record where I have been.

The reality is that we are too busy to have the luxury of four or five hours to ourselves to do whatever makes us happy. But what about devoting an hour a day to ourselves, our health, our physical and mental well being? Whether we use this time to work out, run, get back to nature, or just enjoy some quiet time, I think we need it. Desperately!

I am so used to multi tasking that when I sit down to watch television, I feel the urge to be doing something else like checking email or facebook, playing Words with Friends, eating, folding laundry, stretching, or foam rolling. I know watching TV is not the best use of my time but there are some great shows that I do really enjoy.

I have made yoga a priority in my training lately. My goal is two yoga or bodyflow classes per week. I am hoping the inward focus, breathing, and added flexibility will help my running and help me relax more.

Happy Disconnecting!   :)

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Uncharted

June 10th, 2012

Back in March The Tornado Alley 50 Miler race director emailed me back to let me know that I could run the entire distance myself and that I did not need a relay team but I would need to provide my own crew and fuel.  Okay, now how do I train for this thing?!?

Talk about uncharted territory!  26.2 miles is the longest I have ever run in a race or a training run.  So I did some research on how to train for ultras.  I took some of the ideas I found along with what I have learned over the years and created a training plan that looked great on paper.  I kept the 3 month training schedule right next to my desk so I would see it daily and stick to it.

Consistency is key.  That’s probably the most important tip I can offer.  And that does not mean the schedule is set in stone.  Definitely listen to your body, take rest days as needed, and revise the schedule to fit your life.  But be consistent.

In March and April I had quite a few races on my calendar so I used those in place of some of the tempo and speed workouts.  I started doing back to back long runs in order to teach my body to run on tired legs.  This worked great for many weeks in this pattern – rest day, long run, long run, rest day and then the remainder of the week filled in with some easy runs, tempo or speed, and maybe a race.  But as the long runs got longer and longer I found that I sometimes I needed two rest days in a row before or after my longer efforts.  Some weeks when I was putting in 4-5 hour training runs (25-31 miles) I could not handle them back to back.  So I made the schedule fit what my body could handle.  I was training in Florida which featured many hot, sunny, and humid training days.

I trained at various times of day so my body could adapt to running at the different times.  I was ready for any sun, heat, or humidity that race day might bring.  I trained using all of my drinks and fuel options so I would know how my body would react to them all.

Once I reached the start of the taper, about three weeks out from race day, I was a little concerned that my longer runs were single day runs with two rest days around them and I was not able to do as many back to back long runs as I had originally planned.  But I have found that over thinking things is pretty typical for taper weeks – too much time on my hands so I start to question everything.

But I headed into race week healthy, well trained, and rested.  I had some of my best sleep the week before the race.  I have never felt so well prepared before.

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First ultra

May 2nd, 2012

So how did I get here?  My husband will confirm statements that I have made in the past about how I have no interest in doing an ultra, that “those people” are crazy, and why would you want to run all day anyway?  That was my former opinion about ultras.  This opinion was formed really knowing nothing about them or the training required to prepare for them.

I guess the progression to “here” (having just signed up for my first ultra) would begin with doing longer training runs for my last few marathons (Boston–April 2011, Space Coast–November 2011, and 5 Points of Life–February 2012).  I had several long runs over 20 miles including a few of 26.2 miles during the past year.   I enjoyed my training for these races and really enjoyed those long runs over 20 miles, especially the 26.2 mile ones!

So good training plus better hydration and fuel during the marathons, yet I still could not break that darn 3:30 barrier.  What is up?  I thought I would rock the 5 Points of Life Marathon because I had figured out I needed Gu and used it in training.  I had done the hill training, the long runs, the GMP runs, tempo, speed, everything!  And I tapered.

That is the beauty and the heartache of the marathon.  You train for months and months and then when the big day arrives you can have a great race or you can walk away disappointed.  I think because it is such a big physical and emotional build up, such a commitment and investment of time and energy that if it does not go perfectly, it can be such a let down.  If you bomb this weekend’s 5K or 10K it’s no big deal.  You can go out and do another one next week or the week after.  But not with the marathon.

So with the disappointment from the last three marathons, I thought maybe I need to get away from the marathon for a while and stop obsessing about breaking 3:30 and do something else.  But what?  Maybe I would try my first ultra this year.  Maybe a nice 50K or something.  Then an opportunity, a race, presented itself and I could not pass it up…

Tornado Alley 50 Miler.

It is a six person relay race (similar to Ragnar or Keys 100) where each person runs three legs of varying distances of 2-6 miles and they pass through relay exchange zones where they find their vans full of teammates and take turns covering the 50 miles.  The course follows the path of the tornado that ripped through Western Massachusettson June 1, 2011.  This event even benefits all the towns affected by the tornado, including my hometown of  Monson, which was hit the hardest.  I had to do this!  But I knew there’s no way I could get five people plus a crew/driver to Massachusetts to do this thing with me.  So I emailed the race director asking if I could run the whole thing myself.

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1st quarter recap

May 1st, 2012

Back in January I was training on my hybrid marathon training plan which combined long runs, several races, hill training, and speed work.  The week ending January 15 marked my “highest week ever” (noted that way in my training log) with 63.25 miles.  Highlights of that week included a hill workout, 22 mile long run, and a decent 10K race.

My previous blog entry goes into great detail about the January 21 Ringling Bridge Run.  The week ending January 22 featured a 9 mile speed workout, some hill sprints, and the 26.2 mile run with the race in the middle.  That week ended with 57.45 miles.

I am going week by week for a reason here.  I wanted to share my build up to the February marathon so you can see the crazy hybrid training schedule I concocted.  ;)

Last week of January I totaled 49 miles with a tough speed workout (600s!) and one of my best races in a while – the Newnan’s Lake 15K in Gainesville (6:55 pace for 9.3 miles) which was followed by a 22 mile long run the next day.  Exhaustion was setting in but luckily it was taper time!

First week of February I had another good quality speed workout (800s this time), some 400s uphill, and took first overall female in the Run for the Manatees 5K.  Only 39 miles this week.  I was having some major IT band pain so I decided to switch to shoes with a little less stability to see if that would help.  I normally train in Brooks Adrenaline and decided to try the Brooks Ravenna.  Probably not the best idea a couple of weeks before my marathon but I didn’t know what else to do at this point.  I stretch, get massage regularly, and had acupuncture.

Taper time!  I do not handle the taper very well.  But who does?  The week ending February 12 totaled 34.25 miles with a tempo run, a couple short runs at GMP (goal marathon pace), and the St. Pete Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon which I ran at GMP.  It was tough to hold back during this race but I knew if I did not, I would ruin my chances at a decent marathon next week.  All this week I ran in the Brooks Ravenna (less stability).

Marathon week!  After two and a half weeks training in the Brooks Ravenna, my IT bands felt better but my left hamstring and TFL were so painful.  So bad that I decided I better run the marathon in my good old Brooks Adrenalines.  Race conditions were not ideal for the Five Points of Life Marathon in Gainesville.  It was super windy, extremely humid, hilly, and a small race so I often found myself alone with no one around to even think about drafting.  I felt very good through halfway and was exactly on my goal pace at 20 miles but that’s when the good feelings blew away with the strong wind gusts.  My pace slowed every mile from 20 to the finish.  I even had to walk in the last mile.  I felt awful trying to ascend the final incline before the left turn to the finish line.  I know I looked as bad as I felt from expressions on the faces of my husband and friends at the finish.  My goal was to finish just under 3:30.  For some reason 3:30 has been a weird barrier for me in my last few marathons so I wanted to break it.  I finished in 3:39:46.  Of course I was disappointed.  I felt like I had trained so hard and so well for this.

5 Points of Life Marathon

After I walked around for a while and came back to see the posted results, my mood immediately changed.  The winning female time was 3:20.  I was the second overall female and won $450!

After a week or so of recovery, I closed out February and started March with 30 miles including an 8 mile speed workout, a hilly trail tempo run, and the Gasparilla 8K where I finished 3rd overall female.  Since the marathon I had been back full time in my Brooks Adrenaline with no IT band pain but still some lingering left hamstring and TFL tightness and soreness that just would not respond to anything.  On March 11 Team RunnerGirl won the female division of the Sarasota Half Marathon Relay.  I ran the first leg which was about 6 miles and included the Ringling Bridge while my relay partner Kali ran the longer second leg.  It was our second relay together this year and this time we took home the gold.  What fun!  We had such a great time at this race with so many of our running friends from Team RunnerGirl – On A Shoestring – Brooks as well as Suncoast Striders and many of our local high school runners.

Team RunnerGirl Wins Sarasota Half Marathon Relay

Team Brooks-RunnerGirl-On A Shoestring

And then somewhere in mid March I decided I was going to do my first ultra…

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Ringling Bridge Run 26.2 Miler

January 21st, 2012

Most people know this race as the Ringling Bridge Run 4 Miler which is the biggest local timed/scored race in our area.  It’s mind boggling year after year to see more and more people who want to race over the Ringling Bridge!  I mean, I love hills and bridges, but people think I’m weird.  ;)

It looks like there were 2,158 finishers in the 4 miler this year.  I have no idea how many participated in the one mile.  But it’s for a great cause and the money stays locally so it generates great community support.

I ran the Space Coast Marathon on November 27, 2011 then took a couple weeks of rest and recovery before deciding to sign up and train for the Five Points of Life Marathon on February 19, 2012.  That didn’t give me a lot of time to recover, start training again, get in all the long runs and workouts I wanted to, and fit in all the other races I had already signed up for in January and February.  So I created the best possible training schedule I could with all the weekend race commitments I had already made weeks and months earlier.

This brings us to the Ringling Bridge Run 4 Miler and the Saturday I’m supposed to do my longest long run of this hybrid marathon training schedule.  So I combine the two and am very happy with the result!

I ran approximately 8.5 miles before the race then raced 4 miles in 27:09 (6:47 pace) which is 12 seconds slower than my PR.  Wished I realized that during the race so I could have gone for a new PR!  After the race I had some Gu and water then set off for my 14 (approx.) mile “cool down” with water and Gu stops throughout.  I averaged 8:55 for the 26.2 miles and went over and back on the Ringling Bridge (biggest “hill” in this area) four times.

This was the second time I had done a 26.2 mile training run.  I decided this was important to do again for this February marathon because I recovered so quickly from the November marathon.  Oh and did I mention the rolling hills I would see in the February marathon?  Luckily I have this hilly 26.2 mile training run under my belt and have been doing weekly hill workouts since last fall.

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Inaugural Disney Marathon Relay

January 8th, 2012

Team RunnerGirl has had some pretty good success at relay and team events in the past, so why not try the new Disney Marathon Relay?  I teamed up with my speedy friend Kali and we tackled this inaugural event together.

Team RunnerGirl

Team RunnerGirl

In this relay, we each ran half of the marathon and we started and finished with the marathoners.  I ran the first leg, starting at 5:30 a.m. in corral #1.  It was a great experience for me to be near the front of the marathon for my whole race.  I mean, I was running HALF marathon pace while most of the people around me were running marathon pace.  There were not that many relay runners around me (that I could tell).  I was in awe of everyone, especially the women who were up there with me.  I can only dream of running a marathon that fast.  They were simply awesome!

My half of the race was mostly dark but the sun started to come up as I was nearing the final miles of my 13.1.  I mainly ran through and near Epcot and Magic Kingdom, including through Cinderella’s castle (my favorite part!!!) before high fiving my relay partner outside Magic Kingdom.  The whole race was amazing and inspiring.  I felt elite running with these fast marathoners and it was not crowded up front at all.  Knowing that Kali was there waiting for me, inspired me to run fast and keep pushing the pace no matter how I felt.  I did not waste any time through the water stops, just cruised through quickly drinking out of the side of my flattened out cup.  Even when I took my packet of Gu, I saw the approaching water stop ahead, ate the Gu right before then washed it down as I reached the water stop.  I tried to be quick and efficient so as not to keep her waiting.

It would be my fastest half marathon since the Sarasota Half Marathon in March 2011.  Disney was only about six weeks after my last marathon so I wasn’t exactly in the speediest shape since I mainly focused on distance and volume before the marathon and then took a couple weeks off after the marathon.  Doing the relay was exciting, inspiring, and definitely helped me run faster than I thought I could at that point in my training and racing cycle.

Kali is one of the most energetic, happy, and upbeat people I know.  On race morning, there was no exception.  Now when I ran down the straightaway to the relay exchange zone, she took it to a whole other level!  I was laughing and smiling as I approached her even while trying to finish as strong and fast as I could.  She danced around, waving her arms, jumping around, just filled with the same excitement I felt, I’m sure.

Relay Exchange Zone

Racing a relay event is a game changer.  No matter how you feel, you are driven by the fact that you are running with someone and for someone else.  You need to reach that finish line (or relay exchange zone) as fast as you can, knowing you did your absolute best for your partner, your teammate.

We were the second overall female relay team in 3:13:08.  We averaged 7:22 per mile for 26.2 miles.  There were 270 female relay teams.

2nd Overall Female Relay Team Award

We had such an amazing time.  Now we’re teamed up for the Sarasota Half Marathon Relay in March!   :)

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Gu rediscovered

December 27th, 2011

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a big fuel problem at the Space Coast Marathon.  During the two weeks after the marathon I was a bit bummed and did not care to talk about it much.  When people saw me around town at cross country meets, group runs, and at the running store I cringed when they looked so excited and asked how it went.  I think they were excited because they also knew how well prepared I was.

But I gave my standard short version recap of how it was pretty good through 20 miles then I just fell apart and struggled to finish.  It almost felt like a script after explaining it to so many people.  After Phil and I finished timing and scoring the county championship middle school cross country meet on December 10, we were headed out the gate to the parking lot and got stopped by a good friend who has completed many marathons, half marathons, and has done even more crazy stuff like Ironman and several half Ironman races.

Anyway, when I gave her the scripted recap of the race she then asked, (paraphrasing here) “you didn’t take any Gu?”  When I answered “no” and continued to explain my intake of water and Gatorade, her jaw dropped and she looked shocked and amazed.  I so wish I had a photo of her face at that moment!  We laughed so hard at her reaction.  It was the perfect mix of surprise and disbelief.  As funny as that moment was, it really stuck with me and got me thinking…

I tried Gu way back in the mid to late 1990s when I was running lots of marathons and I thought it was so disgusting.  The consistency was gross and the flavor about made me gag.  But as with so many things…they can and do improve over time.  I asked around about the flavors that my fellow endurance athlete friends preferred.  I even tried eating Sharkies during a long run before I gave in to try Gu again.  Although I love Sharkies – taste, consistency, healthy – everything about them!  It was too much for my stomach to deal with during a run.  I know people who can eat bananas and Clif Bars during training runs and long races; I am just not blessed with that type of iron stomach.  ;)

So, here we are on Sunday, December 18 at our group long run.  I ran a 10K (about 8 miles total with warm up and cool down) the day before so I only planned to run 12 miles.  I took half a packet of Gu with water at six miles.  The run was supposed to be easy and I averaged 9:23 for the 12 miles but my last three miles were 8:47, 8:43, 8:24 and I felt pretty good.  No stomach issues from the Gu and the Vanilla Bean flavor was not bad.  Still not crazy about the consistency but there’s the incentive to get it down quickly!  Tuesday and Thursday that week were pretty hard runs followed by acupuncture and massage for my knee and Achilles on Friday in preparation for Saturday’s 20 miler.

The Christmas Eve 20 miler ended up being an awesome group run at the preserve.  I think we had over 20 people join in.  The 20 miles took 2:54 for an average pace of about 8:44.  I took a full Gu packet at mile 8 and mile 14 with water stops about every 3 miles.  I felt great and knew I could run more if I had to.  I ended the 20 miler with the last 3 miles in 8:34, 8:19, and 8:08.  That never happens!

2011 Christmas Eve 20 Miler

So, yes, I have given Gu a second chance and discovered its many benefits.  I am a fan!  And no longer wondering when my next marathon will be.  Gu has worked so well for me in these two training runs that I signed up for the Five Points of Life Marathon on February 19, 2012.  I will keep using it in training so I know exactly how much to use on race day.  Fueling issues are now under control.

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Go long

December 6th, 2011

In keeping with the theme of George Sheehan’s “experiment of one,” I have to say that my experiment of going longer than 20 miles in marathon training definitely worked for me.  As I look back on my training for the Space Coast Marathon I see many more long slow runs than I have ever done in any other marathon training before.  I took a longer taper of 3+ weeks, did not do much speed work other than the weekend races, ran a few tempo runs, and did a lot more hill work.  My 26.2 mile training run on November 1, 2011 was a first for me and was a huge factor in preparing me for Space Coast.  I ran it in 3:51 which is about 8:49 pace.

First ever 26.2 mile training run

On race morning I woke up feeling rested and really ready for the Space Coast Marathon.  My goal was to run the first 20 miles at 8:00 per mile pace and then hopefully pick it up a little the last 6.2 miles to achieve my goal of running just under 3:30.  I was amazed at how good I felt as each mile buzzed on my Garmin:  8:04, 7:54, 7:52, 7:48, 7:54, 7:56, 7:46, 7:56, 7:59, 7:55, 7:54, 8:00, 7:48, 7:50, 7:58.  The first half of the course had rolling hills which kept it interesting.  We ran north out and back and when I reached 13 miles near the starting line I was still smiling and feeling good.  I was happy to see the crowds and hear someone call out my name.  Then we headed south on the same course as the half marathoners.

By the time I hit 18 miles my average pace was 7:56.  And that’s when I felt it.  I knew right then that the miles would no longer feel good and be on pace.  Miles 18-20 dropped to 8:10 and 8:20 which took my average pace to exactly 8:00 by mile 20.  At that point it was mind over matter.  I used every mantra, every bribe, every positive thing I could think of to convince my body that it could give a little more…just 6.2 miles, a 10K, no problem!  I focused on one mile at a time.  I then focused on just getting to the next water stop.  I willed myself to close to mile 25 and then had to walk.  My breathing was so labored that I walked for six minutes straight and that labored breathing would not slow down, which had me a little concerned.  After walking and drinking some super concentrated Gatorade I somehow started running again and made it to the finish in 3:43:08 which is 8:31 pace.

2011 Space Coast Marathon

Normally I am extremely sore through Thursday after a Sunday marathon.  I mean I cannot walk normally until at least Thursday and stairs – forget it!  This time I had some soreness Monday and Tuesday but it was not that bad.  By Thursday I was out running again.  This more than anything has me convinced that I was properly trained for this marathon.  Maybe for the first time in my life!  This was the first time I ran several 18-20 milers and one 26.2 mile training run.  This is very exciting!!!

The reason for my “bonk” at Space Coast around mile 18-20 and eventual walking at mile 25 was lack of proper fuel during the race.  At first I was extremely upset and disappointed at missing my goal but after realizing it was not due to training but fuel, I am now determined to figure out how to fix that.  I can’t wait to start some long runs again and experiment with Sharkies, PowerBar Energy Bites, Gatorade, and water to figure out the right mix for me during a marathon.  I’m not sure when that next marathon will be, but I am already excited to do another so I can see what I am capable of doing now.  My marathon PR was set back in 1998 and I have not run close to that 3:18 since then.  Yet, my half marathon PR was set in 2010 so I know I still have some fast races in me!

For my next marathon, I will definitely run more long runs of 26, 28, and who knows, maybe close to 30 miles!  That is definitely what works for me.  And you can bet I will be eating and drinking a lot more than usual during those training runs until I have that down to an exact science for me, in my “experiment of one.”

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