Sunday, September 21, 2014

The Last Long Run of the Summer


I woke up from my nap and felt a heavy weight on my chest. I reached out for my phone and checked my Twitter timeline. I ended up reading about Emily Gray’s first marathon and reflected some more and then cried. She did finish her marathon even though she had jumped in without giving it much time and consideration. You should definitely read it, if you are thinking of running your first marathon.

I, on the other hand, have known since Dec 2013 that I’d be running my first marathon on October 19, 2014 in Toronto. I’ve been having problems since early April when I found out my iron was too low. I took it easy for a while and reduced my amount of activity. I used to cross train with weekly yoga and spin class. I also love boxing and martial arts and used to do more of them.

I picked up my training again in June. But this time there wasn’t much yoga, spinning, or any other different types of workouts. I had no energy to get anything done. I would get heart palpitations and dizziness as the amount of physical activity increased or I when I picked up the pace during my runs. I started Insanity about a month ago again as the only supplement workout to my running.

Most of my runs have been very slow. I pushed myself for my half marathon on Sept 7th and finished in less than 2 hours. I also had a great run of 29K a few weeks ago which I completed with a decent pace. Those two are the highlights of my training. The rest have been smeared with multiple issues from not having anything left in the tank, muscle cramps, fuel problems, etc.

I do everything right: carb loading, dynamic stretches, foam rolling, hydrating, etc.

What I can’t figure out is what the cause of my poor performance is.
Is it all iron related?

Today, I was up at 5:00. I had a delicious breakfast of toast and jam with coffee. I foam rolled and did Jason Fitzgerlad’s Standard Warm Ups. And the night before I had done yoga. Then the thunderstorm arrived and we were hit by torrential rain. I waited for the storm to pass by before heading to the Running Room. By the time I got there, they had left. I couldn't find them, so I decided to go for a solo run.

I started strong as I was happy to feel the warm air around me with the sun shining. I chose a new route and I decided to include a 12K trail of Kains Woods with my long run.
Kains Woods - April 2014

When I got to the woods I felt even stronger. I was zipping through the paths and I was smiling looking all around me seeing the river to my right flowing fast and furious as if it was racing with me. I kept looking all around me, seeing nothing but nature and a magical, breathtaking beauty. I inhaled the fresh air; the smell of rain and mud was lovely. I made a mental note that this moment will serve as a new mental visualization for my marathon. When I’m struggling I will be back in this place.


I made a mistake of eating very spicy chicken wings for lunch yesterday. I have had them before and they are not new to my diet. But I’ve never had them before my long run. I should have known better as I’m still tweaking my fueling habits. I don’t like energy gels. Period. I thought I liked them two weeks ago when I did not go rushing to find a bathroom. During my ½ marathon race I found out I hate taking them as they make me gag, are too sweet, and they just feel wrong and full of chemicals! Today was no exception. I had to run and find bathrooms. I did not stop my watch. Before hitting 21K today I had gone two times. From 21 to 27K I literally died. Severe diarrhea came out of nowhere! My long runs are cursed. My long runs are so mingled with dramas that it’s not even funny anymore. I want to write one time and say I had a KICK ASS LONG RUN. I RAN GREAT. AND NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BAD HAPPENED.

Of course, being a pre-menopausal woman of age 47 who has her period twice a month now did not help. Severe cramps and all…I got home, cleaned up, and went to bed.


Now, I read Emily’s first marathon’ story. I did cry and still am upset about not being able to run a decent and happy long run. But I will try to remember what went well today. I will focus that I still have another 26 days and will do my best to stay with the training. I will be positive and focus on crossing the finish line even if it takes the whole 6 hours. I worked too hard to quit at this point. I worked too hard not to believe that I can’t finish. I maybe slow. Way too slow now, but I will shuffle my feet and have every intention to crawl over that finish line.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

My First Official Half Marathon

 
1.59:12

Last Sunday, I ran the Springbank half marathon in London, Ontario. The race was special for many reasons:

  •  I had just turned 47 a few weeks ago and ran the 47th Springbank half for the first time.
  • Both of my kids accompanied me and waited to greet me at the finish line. Their support meant a lot to me.
  • My daughter ran the same race in 2013 and got her very first medal for her first half marathon.  It was during that race that I was waiting for her, I saw many people crossing the finish line and I imagined that that would be me. In a way my daughter’s interest for serious running made me serious about running too. She inspired me to make my dream a reality.
  • I registered for my first half marathon and ran it on Nov 1, 2013. But my time of 2:06 did not get registered due to some tech problems and they showed me as a walker with a time of over 3 hours. In a way, the Springbank half was a redemption race. I’d like to call it my first official half marathon. I made it in less than two hours.
  • For someone who is 47 and picked up running only last year. I have a lot of learning ahead of me. Not only through social media, various group runs, and reading articles, but also through personal experiences during long runs and races.
  • The organizers of the race, Runner’s Choice, were of course very organized and they had amazing volunteers to cheers us on. As I crossed the finished line, a woman with a warm smile put my medal around my neck and I smiled back saying thank you. They also read each individuals name as they came in. There were lots of refreshments and great support. The technical top they provided was great and it will be one of my favourite tops to wear during my runs. The medal was pretty cool as well and I still haven’t given it to ninja to keep it in his room.

  • What did I learn from this race? I’m going to be honest to myself and my readers:

    • I don’t enjoy running in crowded places for several reasons:
      • Noise:  
        • Sometimes crowds are loud and the noise bothers me. I don’t listen to music to mute all other noises. But I wish I could figure out how to focus better on my run and not the crowd.
        • Is there such a thing as an ADHD Runner? I might be one! When someone is behind me breathing heavily, pounding their feet, or their bib is making too much noise, their music travelling to my ear…I surge to put distance between myself and the distractions around me.
      • Scented Products:
        • I’m very sensitive to perfume and scented products. It becomes difficult to breathe properly and I get migraines. It’s just uncomfortable to smell someone else’s scents during my runs. Again, I try to pull away from them.
      • Mental Focus:
        • I definitely need a lot of work to learn how to focus on me and my race and not the elements around me.  I was even thinking to start listening to music again to eliminate all other distractions. But as a minimalist, I like to run free. And this brings me to the next question.

"Before the Race"
  • What didn’t work for me during the race?
    • Hydration Belt:
      • I’d love to run free of any gadgets. But being severely low in iron, sweating profusely more than the average person, and lacking the ability to drink water from a cup (I choke on my saliva!), I’d like to carry my own electrolytes (Nuun) and water.
      • I have tried many hydration belts but have ended up returning them as they all bounce.
      • This hydration belt was bulky, a bit big and bouncy. It fell two times and I had to pick it up. It was making me uncomfortable and tired. I gave it to a kind volunteer to hold on to it for me and moved on.
      • But that meant not drinking the way I was used to. I like to take a sip, just a sip but fairly often. Drinking at hydration stations is not for me. I had a hard time drinking from a cup, so I walked till I could drink. That slowed me down.
 That belt won't be part of any future races!
    • Pacing/Garmin:
      •  I don’t plan every minute of my race, strategizing, keeping track of my time and all that jazz. I just want to run as fast as I’m able to and get the race done. I run with feelings.
      • I usually find a person who passes me and it seems to be fast. I keep an eye on them and just run with them. If that person is too fast and they disappear from my view I pick another person. Someone who is bit faster than me and can be my pacer.
      • I had a few of those and it worked very well until around 16K when I started feeling little twitches in my calves. I said, “Please let’s not have any cramps”. The twitches got a bit stronger and I slowed down. My pacers were gone.
  • What worked:
    • Mental Strength and Visualization:
      • My mind was a jungle of thoughts buzzing in all directions. I wanted to finish my run in under two hours, I wanted to see my kids at the end of the line proud of their mama bear, I didn’t want to have cramps, my pacers were gone, there is heavy breathing….then I thought of stopping and walking to prevent the cramps but then another voice said you’ve made it this far keep going even if you’re dead tired! I thought of my kids and I did not want to let them down.  I started telling myself to shut down all the negative voices. I remembered how one day I had run through the woods feeling light and fast without a sound. That day I felt strong and regal like a gazelle. 
        My posture was better, I was feeling strong and I saw the finish line. I kept the visualization running through my head and kept pace. I crossed the finish line. I turned around and saw my kids and the first thing they said was YOU DID IT MOM!

"Serentiy"
What happened next was a round of severe dizziness, and everything was going black. I lied down on the cool grass and told my kids to go get Eload, water, and recovery foods like banana and etc. I started drinking and feeling better. The dizziness had subsided but out of nowhere both my calves cramped! Holy crap! I had a golf ball in my calf L I was in agony and a gentleman ran and got me juice, but seeing how bad the cramp was, he went and got the first aid people. One of them asked how often I run and I knew where she was going with this and said “I’m a runner” and I’ve never had this happening. This is not my first run here today! The other one tried to give me an icepack but you had to shake it to become ice! I told them you really need to carry real ice with you guys! Thanks to Brian, the manager of Runner’s Choice who brought some real ice, there was a decline in pain and the contractions eventually subsided.

"After muscle cramp attack had vanished."
As we drove home, I told my kids that I was thankful for having them with them and helping mommy to get her recovery food and drinks after the race. My ninja said, “You do a lot for us and we wanted to be there for you.” I choked up and had to wipe my tears.
This race was a great learning experience about me and our little family.  They see me as a great role model and I see them as my motivators.  Visualizing their faces with me running in the woods gave me the sub 2 hour half marathon. My daughter said mom you looked strong when you were coming in. That made me really happy.
My daughter behind me taking pictures :)

Visualization is a powerful tool!

I am a free-spirited woman who loves to run. I can see an ultra runner in the making. I visualize myself running in beautiful places and being one with nature.
Where I love to run...

Thank you to the organizers and volunteers for their support and fantastic race experience!

@nomadicrunner45