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NYC Countdown T – 16 weeks: I’ll never do another Full marathon again!

  • Random thought of the week picked from my journal to Coach Erin : Working Hard vs Being Lucky? Working hard wins every time!

When I first started running and then realized I could run long distances, I was so pleased to be able to run 10 Fulls. That was my goal and these races have brought me to some of wonderful places: PEI, Fredericton, Boston, Boston, Bluenose, Saint John, PEI, Ottawa, Chicago and Mount Desert Island. That last to trip to Acadia National Park was 3.5 years ago. So there it was 10 and done. I turned my focus to the Half and other distances. I was totally OK with this despite never getting to fulfill my first big wish as a new runner dreaming big about the New York City Marathon.

My cousin Hélène (who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan) was one of my first running role models and she joked in my first year of running that we should meet in NYC for a marathon. Running in the big apple seemed like a fun idea, but I had no idea as a newbie how challenging it is to make it into that race. Who knew that your chances to get in could be as low as 9% in some years! I am one of those people who have next to no luck in these kinds of things. My number never gets picked, even when the odds are 50-50;) But you can never win unless you buy the ticket or put your name in. So it became an annual tradition for me to put my name in the lotto. Even when I was 10 and done, I figured the odds were in my favour to never get picked 😂. I had 6 unsuccessful attempts at the lotto and applied for my 7th:

So, here I am getting ready to prep for Full #11 and NO I DID NOT GET IN THROUGH THE LOTTO! I did it to myself and qualified for it using a half marathon instead. Typical! Redmond’s rules state clearly: things come more easily when you work your behind off:). A little half marathon I did the previous March at Old Orchard Beach, ended up being a relatively fast enough golden day and was accepted by the good folks at the NYC organization. Hélène still runs, but not long distance, so she’ll be there in spirit. That part of the dream is a bit modified but here I come NYC!

So….never say never, I guess. I am running another marathon in 4 months. I did this to myself. I didn’t leave it to luck and still leapt. I know there will be highs and lows, severe self questioning and lots of adventures (what else can happen on those long runs?) Successful maintenance training cycle is complete and now it’s time to focus on getting myself back into marathon mode. Bring it on….

Race Recap: Run for the Lobster 5K. Fierceness? Where are You?

Post race smiles with Coach Erin and fellow LTMer Donald 🤩

I was not in #FierceAndFearless nor #IAmTheStorm mode at this start line. I am usually way more focussed, and Sunday was not one of those days despite the beautiful day in Pictou.  It was an emotional week and at one point, I wasn’t even sure I was going to race.  My Dad was all about living life, yet despite his sudden passing this week, I knew I was going to do this. It was the thing to do. Then I woke up Friday with a knotty quad and couldn’t get into massage, so it was over to self-care. I attacked it with some stretching, the tiger tail, rolling with the LTM water bottle (1st MacGyvor move), and the TENS massager.  Saturday shakeout was a typical bad dress rehearsal so I settled on goals of embracing the sun no matter what and the 5K suck….because that’s what 5K does!

LTM water bottle MacGyvored into a “foam roller” = relief !

Finally, the knots started coming undone by Saturday afternoon.  I got into Pictou Saturday evening in the middle of a parade, carnival and concert.  Pictou was abuzz.  I had never seen this sleepy little town so alive. As happy as I was for them, I became worried about a peaceful night sleep.  Thankfully, my room was at the back of the Inn.

I forgot my lacrosse ball in Halifax. I NEVER travel without it. With the knowledge that my habitual warmup was not going to happen, I settled into a “whatever happens, happens – meh” kind of mode. My quad was feeling better, so a bit of good news, but if it decided to get knotty again, I would back off…..not the time for injury 😉  I was, however, in serious need for positive mind shifts. The search for the turnaround points was on…

Turnaround point 1 – Realized that the water glasses in the Inn were actually glass…a makeshift lacrosse ball it became.  Got part of my mobility warmup done.  Couldn’t quit get a nice glute release or loosening of the hamstring, but the TFL got some loving:)  Had to give myself a pat on the back for the 2ndMacGyvoresque move!

Glass water glass MacGyvored into a lacrosse ball = TFL happy !

Turnaround point 2 – Warm up felt a bit rigid, but the quad wasn’t complaining so I modified my Coach-prescribed warmup, by adding a few dynamic drills at midpoint.  The second part of the warmup run felt much better. 

Turnaround point 3 – Stood in the port-a-potty line behind this family from QC speaking French as if nobody around them can understand. This attitude typically annoys me, but they were so cute and seriously impressed with the ‘little lobster race’. She was laughing at herself because she thought she was getting a lobster bib instead of a race bib.  They concluded with wanting to come to NS for more races.  All I could do was smile…NS hospitality has no bounds.

After the 3rd positive, got myself to that start line feeling a lot better, but there was still no fierce in me.  My race plan was barely in my mind. I was flying by the seat of my pants and could only hope that race wisdom would come into play.  I was way to relaxed, chatting with friends and really happy to see Coach and Donald, a fellow LTMer.  Coach stared me down and lovingly told me not to have any 4:26s in the first KMs.  So at least I had that. 

The gun goes off and up a little hill we go.  Already at the 500m mark, that little voice began negotiating when I could start accepting excuses to slow down.  I had to tell myself that these thoughts would not be entertained until after 3K. With that out of the way, it is easier to think about “1 more K” and how to deal with that K in that moment.  The original plan was: it’s OK to go faster than 4:55 in the first half (but not too much faster) and just try to hang on in the last half.  While I still had thoughts like, “gee, I wish this was a 2K race” or “this would be easier is I just slowed down”, I managed a 4:42, 4:50 and 4:48 for the first 3K.  This gave me the confidence boost that I was doing OK and managed to follow Coach’s orders.  Time to focus on the next K.

Then struggle really started, but my first thought went to my quad. It wasn’t complaining at all! So now it was about hanging in.  It’s amazing how you can feel the slightest bit of an incline and I was getting it along that beautiful Pictou shore. I tried to look at the pretty things, but that was only momentary.  I was huffing and puffing and continuously playing catch up with this pre-teen boy. I kept on hearing Coach’s voice saying stand tall and point those elbows back.  Finally passed that pre-teen….sorry kiddo ! 4th K was slower but happy with the 4:58.

I had already planned on the 5th K to be slower.  I had run up that hill in the warm up and found many reasons not to like it.  Finishing uphill in any race is cruel, let alone on one that is rocky and full of crevices!  Coach called it a snotty hill.  I think I like that descriptor better. There was also a turnaround to slow me down about 100m from the bottom of that hill.  It was going to be difficult not to face these 2 obstacles in the last 300m of the race and not say “done” at the bottom of that hill.  This was the one thing I had given myself permission to do: tanking (not walking) on the hill would be OK. 

Obstacle 1: The turnaround – These 180s should not be allowed in a race, let alone at the 4.7K mark!  To add to my little bit of misery a young, but cute child jumps into the race with his Dad.  To his credit the little guy was running pretty quickly and moved out of the way like a pro when I called out that I was coming from behind him.  I was going to make this last little bit before the hill one of the fastest parts of my race….and it felt like I did 😊

Obstacle 2: The snotty hill.  I rounded the corner to start my permitted jaunt up.  I was OK with my performance to that moment and was OK to not be PBing that day.  But you know what they say about best laid plans. Out of nowhere, I hear Coach and Donald yelling at me at the top of their lungs and that was all I needed to change my attitude. In an instant, they made me want to see what else I had left going uphill to a finish. My lungs were screaming.  My legs were moving as fast as they could.  I pass some poor guy on all fours about 50m from the finish being attended to (so no reason to stop) and all I could think was: Please don’t let that be me!  Crossed the finish line and then stopped the watch.  Walked over to the fence and hung on for a bit.  5th K – 5:19 and it was a 5K PB after all 24:53!  

When I look back at the Strava data, my pace went from a high 5:30ish to a 5:05ish going uphill.  That is so not typical me and all because I had that awesome encouragement at the finish!  THANK-YOU Coach and Donald!  That PB would NOT have been there without you❤️ 

Awesome free race photos by Bob MacEachern

Lesson for the day: Fierceness knows when to show up. Today I needed to begin with that beautiful soft morning.  I needed to work though the ‘meh’ of the day and choose to go positive instead of bringing me down.  I needed that distracted relaxed race start. I needed the slow calculations of each kilometer to slowly add up to success.  While I know the storm threw several challenges at me today, fierceness showed up when it needed to.  #LiveLife #FierceAndFearless #IAmTheStorm

Gratitude: Hi!

I need to do more of this. I have to recognize gratitude.

Gratitude, at the base of all things running, is what is my buzz, lights my fire, lightens my heart….whatever which way you want to cut it! Last week, on my long run, I was miserable. It was all of sudden summer (in our cool Nova Scotian part of the world), I wore what I thought would be my favourite long run shorts (and the rode right up where shorts do not belong) and my right shoulder seized up (I felt like I was a lopsided hunchback of Notre Dame). I had to cut my run crew loose and choose the shadiest way back home…I was coming home the wounded soldier-runner…

Until I heard a little voice shout out: Hi! It was the kind of desperate hi. The kind that only little people can do from the confines of their home through an open window when they want to connect with anything passing by… It was my elixir. Exactly what I needed for those last 2K. A beautiful soul reached out and recognized me. Gratitude handed to me….just like that!

I need to start my gratitude list as I prep for my next big race goal: NYC 2019. Gratitude.

Race Nails Can Make A Difference!

Apologies for the really long Race Recap…I guess that’s what a 62 second PB on a half-marathon does to you 😉

Race Recap Ramble:

Love Training More takes the Jersey Shore!….

Road trip! With elites no less!  Still am not sure what the privileges actually look like but am sure that hanging with elites is cool and fun 😉 This is about a race recap, but it wouldn’t be complete without a shout out to Expo fun and splurging, great carb loading adventures and a super windy group shakeout run.

Race day:

I will never complain about port-a-pottie lineups again! The positive thing, is we needed to group problem solve, made new friends and managed to barely get in to our corral on time. That pit stop was totally worth it and took away any fear of maybe having to make a stop on the course even if it meant being stuck in the last corral … yes it’s chip timed, but ick!

Had totally planned… I mean perseverated on the necessity of music to not crash mentally.  I had no confidence in myself that I could talk myself out of that mid-race voice that questions my every move.  A good thing I tried to pair my music before I checked my bag… the wireless buds were totally dead! Checked them in the bag and didn’t have to run with this useless distraction…positive, I guess.

Got in to the corral and realized that they were starting each corral at a different time…. how had I missed that?  I usually know every detail… oh no!  What else had I forgotten.  Race nerves were explosive at this point but thank goodness Allana was there…. I could at least pretend out loud now that everything was cool.  Calming to have a familiar face.

0-5K: “Fit on a Teenager Leash” – Coach said no Redmond’s Rules (I need to write a book about them ….).  BTW, I think some of my peeps are growing to appreciate them !

Focus on not going too fast.  Everything felt goodish. 

  • Soak in my surroundings. It’s amazing how green and truly beautiful this part of New Jersey is. Tree leaves are out, and tulips are huge.  Dogs everywhere. People really like their dogs here.  Gave myself the time to think about the great dogs I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and excited about the puppies coming in to our lives (Linda… you are so lucky with that gorgeous mutt busting into your life!)
  • Great to see all the locals out cheering us on. Appreciate it.
  • Listen to the conversation:  still marvel at how people can talk so much when racing.  How do they remember what they are supposed to do if they’re talking sooo much?
  • Watch the runners:  How is that guy going to finish a half marathon wearing running sandals and jean shorts?
  • Water stops: 
    • The plan…. I will not walk through the water stops. 
    • What actually happened: Didn’t skip the first one, really don’t need it that early, but wanted to practice with a sip. Fail!!!! Squished the cup like I was supposed to but got more air than water and choked!  
    • Ok….new plan: I’ll need to take a good sip of water for the next ones so will walk 10-15 seconds to drink.  I’m Ok with that because shockingly I’m a bit too fast to start. Besides, this always feels like I’m getting a little break and if this is all the break I need by the end of the race, I’d be very happy!

BUZZZZ…. what was that! OMG!!! Was that 5k already?  ….and I was a bit too fast (of course).  Kind of pleasantly shocked as that went by so quickly, but now I have to find my « true » race pace.  The one I haven’t been able to find for my whole training.  

5-18K: “Fierce” – Now I really need to buckle down. 

Time to focus on getting that critical first fuelling and nothing seems to be where it’s supposed to be … or when it’s supposed to be.  At this point I realized I just needed to go with the flow.  Can’t control this minor thing and it shouldn’t be bothersome!  Getting fuel in me at the exact minute I was planning should not make a difference… right? Right!

Music would be nice right about now (darned wireless) so time to get back to soaking in my surroundings: 

  • Lots of pretty houses. 
  • Super fans dispersed along the course & they are troupers.  
  • More children.  
  • More dogs. 
  • More flat. 
  • Starting to appreciate the twisty turns or the course. 
  • Flat and straight looks better on paper…oh oh-negative voice!  
  • Where’s the positive? OK. This is waaaaay better than going up Devonshire!.

10k mark- Things are starting to get harder and I’m a little bit bored.  Feeling my calf muscles… maybe I should have worn compression.  Oh no…. the voices started again, and they are way too soon!  It’s not the Boredom Miles Coach got me to think about. I really wish I had my music! No time to panic but too soon to pull the big guns out. 

Time to think about the awesome people and supporters in my life. You know who you are!  I thought about my challenging workout runs, the early hours, the cold, the hills, the laughs, the tears, the lessons learned…. breathe.

Oh, and then the bridge…. this is a flat course.  I mean flat! How a tiny little incline for a tiny little bridge could feel so hilly was perplexing me.  It felt like a Purcell’s Cove hill. It was nothing like that of course.  But I’m starting to realize that a flat course is not as easy as I bought it should be!  Then I hear Coach’s voice: “It’s hard because it’s hard!” Of course, it is! This made me feel better because hard is normal 😊

Now the funny moments come: the Trump punch bag, the musicians, the human bacon, lots of signs (some familiar and some original…. really wish I could remember them, but I know I laughed out loud at a couple of them).

At the 15k mark, I knew that this wasn’t going to be THE GOLDEN DAY. The elusive sub 1:50 was not within my grasp, but I wasn’t feeling awful.  Determination set in to not let a PB slip through my fingers. The race plan clearly laid out what to do between 16 and 18K and it was all about 2nd Ave and whether I was feeling golden.

I got to the16k water stop, deciding I needed Gatorade (I don’t like Gatorade!) Why this stop had to mix them up, so we couldn’t figure out which was which, I will never know but I sincerely apologize to that nice man who had to get one for me as I snapped at the end of the line without having found one cup along the way!

OK time to snap out of this, the race was not over yet. Scrolled through the screens to get my distance (I really have a hard time with miles).  At least that part of my plan is on track, the mental map is matching the distance…..NICE!  Rechecked the pace to make sure I was going to at least maintain race pace. WHAT!  I had stopped my watch!  It looked like it was only for about 20 seconds. I looked up and before I could panic, I was immediately comforted by the church group handing out water bottles…. just because. Gotta love these impromptu groups coming out and support. I then imagined some uplifting gospel music… 

2nd Avenue comes up.  On the map this looked like a short stretch, but the more time I spent on this straight flat road, the longer it felt.  It felt like it would never end. Then the whispering started. BUT I was ready for Fear to whisper in my ear that I was not ready for the storm and I was practicing my answer: I am the storm! 2nd Avenue was not going to get me.

I AM THE STORM!…PUSH POP…I’VE GOT THIS!…I WILL NOT LET THIS STOP ME

….besides I still have my final push to execute!…BUZZZZZ

18-21K “Fearless Warrior” Show time !

I was never happier to hear a buzz from my watch telling me a section of my race plan was done. That was a long section. The little buzz felt electric. 2 turns and up a little hill and burst on to the boardwalk along the Jersey shore. The little coastal wind is welcome and makes me feel at home. The beautiful Atlantic Ocean is right there…hello sea salty air 🙂

Only 2.4k left and this was it. Time to conquer that fear of implosion and leave it all out on that course.  I had absolutely nothing to lose…. well almost nothing 😉

Still electrified from the buzz and getting a good smell of the ocean I was able to gear down and began picking off the runners in front of me. I lost count of the number of runners I passed.  Not very many spectators but I convince myself that every single police officer is cheering me on specifically;) I felt as great as one could with her lungs exploding, my legs pumping and me keeping every single negative thought out of my head. I was going to cross that line like Shalane Flanagan… expression and all!

I hear a “You’re almost there. Just around the corner”….Awesome!! That would have been a great way to end the race, BUT it didn’t quite happen that way…

That corner happened to be as crater-filled as a bluenose roadway in April, my legs started feeling wobbly and all I could think about was don’t stop, don’t trip. Thankfully, the finishing chute comes into view and I’m back on solid ground. Head up and Coach’s voice: “Do not touch watch until after finish line is crossed!”

I’m done PB achieved!!  I hear Coach, Allana and Linda calling me over. Oh…must turn off watch 😉 I thought I was jumping up and down with excitement (even though it wasn’t my golden day), but it was all in my head.  I was told that I was a bit too non-chalant about the whole thing.  

Gratitude:  

Thank-you Coach for your patience, your humour, your grace and your belief in me.  Thank-you Barry….you were right.  Thank-you Jersey Crew (Allana, Linda, David and Donald)…this trip taught me that interrupted best laid plans do not have to side track a good race. Thank-you LTM et al running peeps….I know our runs don’t always correspond but your support in person and on-line is so important. Jody and Allana…6AM crew runs rock! Thanks Mom…just because! It takes a village.

Summary:

  • I ran this one solidly (my Strava K splits have never been so evenish for me). 
  • I finished strong – My 3 fastest K splits are between 17 and 21K (I am sure my 21st K would have been in there had I been able to ignore the potholes;))
  • I need to learn how to drink on the run! 
  • I need to eat more carbs leading up to the race.
  • I am closer to a sub 1:50 than I thought. I overran the course.
  • Race Nails CAN make you run faster….
  • I felt a bit fiercer this time. I am the storm!

Time to rest, get back in the gym, have some summer fun in the shorter distances and prep for NYC!  Coach tells me there are many hills in my future!  Woohooo!

Hello world!

Runventurer – Seize the moment….or at least realize that there’s a moment to seize and value it. Whether they come at me on a run, a stroll or a break or whether I go out and grab them; here they are.

This is my test blog as I’ve never done this before….blogging that is. I’ve been a runventurer all my life, I just didn’t know it! I have launched myself into new situations, new jobs, new adventures with carefully planned reckless abandon or is it with recklessly abandoned careful plans? My goal is to write regularly, but what does that look like? I’m just going to have to take this week by week (or any indeterminate length of time), learning as I go. Still figuring out how to load pictures in text…. So patience please and feedback is always welcome !