Gotta Love a PR

How I achieved a PR (4:28:23)at the Marine Corps Marathon on October 29:

Speedwork - you can visit Runners World for an explanation behind "Yasso 800's" and finding the right pace for your speed workout. A MUST for anyone wanting to improve performance.
Mid-Week Interval Training - to help build lactate threshold
Starting out Slow and Steady- A painful lesson learned in Boston. While I was anxious those first miles, I held back.
Drinking Early in the Race - I was well hydrated before the race and continued to drink early in the race.
Increased Gel Consumption - I tried consuming a few more gels than usual
Finding a Training Partner - I joined a local running club (the best $15 I ever spent) and found a running partner with similar goals.
Finding the Right Race - The Marine Corps Marathon was a really beautiful course. There were some bottlenecks at the finish line that need to be worked out, but I'd run this race again in a heart beat.

Ahhh, Beating the Aches and Pains from Running

After being pretty battered and bruised from August 26th's grueling 18-miler, I decided the quickest way to recover would be an ice bath. I am not sure which was more painful, the ice bath, or the run itself. Yes sir, that 18 week marathon training schedule has now kicked into full gear! Those mid-week runs (at least mine) are reaching 10 and 12 miles long, and I've put one Saturday 20 miler behind me, one more to go. Speaking of which, Ann and I ran it in pouring rain for nearly 3 and a half hours. So then I think back to winter training for Boston and I'm not sure which is worse - a 7 degree day in which your water bottles freeze solid within 5 miles, or the quirky up and down weather of summer training. We are truly gluttons for punishment!

Boston 2006

The 2006 Boston Marathon took place on my birthday this year, April 17. Over the Easter weekend, we relaxed, enjoyed some wonderful New England seafood, visited some historic landmarks, met up with other teammates, as well as visited the Expo to pick up my bib and timing chip.

Early on Marathon Monday, Patriot's Day, Nancy picked us up at our hotel and we made it towards Hopkinton where we were greeted by tens of thousands of other seemingly anxious runners. As we hung out at "Athlete's Village" , I contemplated the months of effort I endured to realize this dream. We waited until the officials were ready to walk us nearly a mile down the road to the numbered corrals, positioned along the Hopkinton’s main street. As noon rolled around, the entire mass of people began its forward motion, and within moments, the 110th running of the Boston Marathon had begun.

“Run your own race”, coach Karen (1995 Kona Champion Karen Smyers!) reminded us Saturday night at our team pasta party in Brookline. Great advice, except when you’re a Boston marathon rookie and you think with a few marathons under your belt, and 18 weeks of training, you know it all. Boy, was I was wrong.

For the first 9 miles, I found myself running in a thick crowd at slightly over a 9 minute per mile pace. Bad idea ( I forgot I was one of only a handful who hadn't actually qualified for this race). So, despite a really fast first half, silly me found myself in a pickle at the mid-way point.

My second half (13.1 miles) was not as impressive as the first half. I did a rapid downward spiral. Uninspired by the crowds and uninspired by my music, my legs became heavy and stiffened. I began to notice that no amount of fluids were sufficient to reverse my slightly dehydrated state. I began to slow, knowing the hardest part of the course was still ahead. I struggled through the hills of Newton and Heart Break hill, with a few sightings of my family and coach Karen along the way. The succession of hills lasted for nearly 4 long miles. Once at the peak, I was ready to finish my race but the fans kept shouting, “Only 5 more miles to go!”. You’ve got to be kidding!

I had little energy at all for the last 5 miles. I was experiencing pain in my quads from the race's notorious downhill stretches and ultimately I threw away my hope of reaching my goal of 4:30. But the best part of the race was the last mile down Boylston, with thousands and thousands of spectators and partiers on each side, shouting words of encouragement, all the while, the finish line is in sight. I looked up one last time at the cameras and gave my “I finished Boston!” smile, and saved the tears for later. Yes, I did finish, in 5:04:11, a slower pace than I had hoped for.

I am humbled by this experience. One day, I will return.

Words cannot sufficiently express my gratitude for everyone’s well-wishes and donations to the MS Society - I exceeded my goal of raising $10,000 and I am fairly certain if I want to, I can come back to run Boston for MSAMS. We’ll see.

A Runner's Dream - Boston Marathon

President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veteran's Day are four distinctly American tributes to liberties, feedom and democracy, commemorated by a holiday in the United States.

Then there is Patriot's Day. For New Englanders, Patriot's Day remains the quintessential observance: the anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War between British troops and the Minute Men of Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts, and preceded by Paul Revere's famous Midnight Ride. For runners, Patriot's Day has become synonymous with the Boston Marathon, or as locals often refer to the day, Marathon Monday.

Two days prior to running the Chicago Marathon in October, I received word that I had been selected by the New England Chapter of the National MS Society to run in the Boston Marathon in 2006. This organization assembles a team of 50 each year to participate in the most prestigious marathon in the country while raising funds for MS. Next year's race will coincidentally take place on my birthday. I hope you will help sponsor me as I try to reach a personal goal of raising $10,000. You can click here to visit the chapter's web site to make an electronic donation. Dare to Dream! And if you choose to donate, thank you for your generosity!

A Run to Remember - 2005 Chicago Marathon

October 9, 2005. Up at 4:30 a.m. Bandaids, lip balm, MP3 player, chafing cream, gels, power bar, Tylenol, sunglasses, hat, socks and clothes neatly laid out with timing chip attached to shoe and bib pinned on the night before.

I started out with Tina in the 4:30 pace group, with the intention of finishing in 5 hours. The day earlier, I met Hal Higdon, Marathon guru and author of numerous running books. After I talked with him about how I had missed four weeks of training, his advice was "easy does it". Our journey began on Columbus Avenue at Grant Park. I watched as four television helecopters hovered above to capture images of 40,000 athletes eager to complete their goal. Thirteen long minutes went by after the starting gun before my wave actually moved up and crossed the start line. I started my stop watch and began to run. Each mile marker thereafter I checked my pace wristband to see If I was on target to finish in 5 hours. I surprised myself to see that I was gaining every mile. I felt like I was floating. Being a suburbanite, I caught glimpses of beautiful Chicago neighborhoods that I have never visited. We headed north through Lincoln Park neighborhoods and towards Wrigleyville on LaSalle and then back south to Adams Street where we entered Greek Town heading West.

After a while, the 4:30 pace group felt comfortable. The first 10 miles flew by. I weaved through runners and had many conversations along the way. By the mid-point (13 miles), I was in a groove, receiving congratulations from many 4:30 runners. One young gentleman said to me in a Southern accent, "ma'am, if you're shooting for five hours, you're going to smoke 'em!". (We wear pace group bibs on our back that indicate the time we intend to finish)

The weather cooperated in every possible way. 55 degrees by race start, and not much warmer throughout the run. It was slightly windy and cloudy, which helped to keep me from over-heating and dehydrating. By the time I hit Chinatown, the crowds were enormous and loud. When I hit mile 21, I began to feel the pain in my legs. While 5 miles seems a fairly short distance, it's the hardest part of the race. One t-shirt said it all: "Chicago Marathon: A 10K with a 20 miler warm-up" . We all know how hard that last 10K can be. From here on out it's purely a mental game. When I rounded the corner and saw the 26 mile marker and only .2 miles to go, I began to cry. This was it. I perservered despite an M.S. attack that wreaked havoc mid-training. Today was truly one of the best days in my life. Incidentally, I finished at 4:39:23, an unbelievable 29 minutes and 4 seconds faster than my first marathon! And Mom, you were with me every step of the way.

That's Me and Hal Higdon!

I met Hal Higdon at the Chicago Marathon Expo the day before the race. Hal is the official trainer for the Chicago Marathon and a revered author of several marathon books.

Synopsis of my First Marathon

Orlando seemed so long ago. 26,000 runners partcipated in the Disney World Marathon and Half Marathon on January 9, 2005. We started out at 6:30 a.m. on a day that would eventually hit 80 degrees. I felt I was pepared for anything that might go wrong. I was most concerned with the controversial subject of proper hydration. How much is too little or too much?

The first two hours were pleasant because it was dark out. I didn't anticipate the humidity would contribute to foot blisters that began to form by mile 6. If anything would take me out of the race, I thought this was it. Before long, I wrapped bandaids on my toes at an aid station and off I went. I forgot about the problem until I removed my bloody shoes from my feet in the hotel room about an hour after the marathon. Months later I calculate I lost about five toenails in all.

They say that a body can run for about two hours on glycogen, a main form of carbohydrate storage in the human body. Thereafter, the body converts to burning fat instead, a less efficient type of fuel. That is why most runners "hit a wall" after about 16 miles. My "wall" appeared before me around mile 22. I credited some of my fatigue to the rather boring stretch between mile markers 18 and 22, a four mile stretch along the outskirts of the park with few spectators and no shade. Upon exiting MGM studios around mile 23, the remainder of the course was a steady uphill run, a surprising encounter.

In all, the DW Marathon was a success and I enjoyed it. I finished in 5:08 and would have finished in under five hours if it had not been for the uphill run during the last stretch of the race.

Ad*dictive

adj. To occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually or compulsively. See photo illustration to the right. This was my first half marathon in St. Charles, IL. The photographer was able to pick up on every bit of cellulite on my body with his expensive camera. That's why I made the photo small.