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Cleveland Half Marathon Race Recap

Yes you read that right, a race recap. Despite all of the pain and heartache over my foot, I was able to run a spring race. All that crying and whining, though not necessarily completely unwarranted, was a waste of energy. Sometimes good things happen.

Sometimes you have to do what sucks right now so you can do what’s right later. Giving up Pittsburgh was a difficult decision and I was sure I was doomed for Cleveland as well. I did what I could to heal and crossed my fingers a lot.

I made myself rest my foot for an entire week. No running for 7 full days. And when the 7 days was up, I waited 2 more. Fearful of running in bad shoes I put on my Kinvaras on Wednesday before the race and gave 3.5 miles a go. No real pain. Some discomfort, but not bad. So the next day, I was curious. I was waking up with no pain and wearing heels. So I tried again.

Kinvaras on, 5 miles, no pain. I was afraid to run to many miles in a natural shoe so I stopped there. I felt good, don’t push it. If I can get new shoes and an entry to the half marathon I planned to run the race in Cleveland.

On Friday I went to the expo to get my event switch. Team Volkswagen sponsored my half marathon entry and the folks at the team table we were really good to me. They gave me a bunch of goodies and talked with my about my injury. I knew I wouldn’t get a refund for my original registration but it helped me with switching fees. I headed over to the solutions table to switch my marathon bib to a half marathon bib fully prepared to pay the $20 switch fee. But the nice, sympathetic lady at the Solutions table hooked me up and gave me a clean switch with no fees.

Things were looking up.

On Sunday morning it’s safe to say I was nervous. I was frankly to afraid to wear my Kinvaras, a more natural shoe, for 13 miles but I believe that my foot problems had something to do with my Dyad’s being worn down. But the shoes I ordered had not come in (they were supposed to arrive on Thursday). I figured if I was going to get injured because of my shoes, there was probably an equal chance it would happen in either shoe, so I wore the shoes I had more confidence in, the Dyads.

At 5:30am Justin drove me downtown and walked the 10 block march with me to the Browns Stadium. We checked my gear bag and navigated the thick crowd to find my running friends before the start. About 15 minutes before the gun we walked to the starting line. My friend Serena was running with the 4:55 pace group, a 11:15 pace, hoping for a 2:25 finish. I had been running 10:30′s post injury but not for much more than 5 miles. So it sounded like a good pace for me.

When I crossed the starting line I stayed with Serena for a couple miles. I could see the 4:55 Pace group just ahead of us, but after the bottle neck of the first aid station they had caught us. I think Serena slowed to stay with the pace group because I looked around and no longer could see her. So I continued on at my comfortable pace.

I felt great when I got into Lakewood and off the Shoreway. Here it gets very flat and easy to pace. There were a lot of spectators out cheering and entertainment on the course was good too. I did think for a second that I might want my music but never got it out. Around mile 4 or I started counting down “miles till Katie.”

My fellow runner and blogger buddy KatieO was meeting me at mile 7 to jog a few miles with me. I knew this would be about where I would start hurting since I hadn’t run much more than 10 miles total in over 2 weeks so I needed a mid-run distraction real bad… 3 miles till Katie… 2 miles till Katie…

I saw Katie just past the 7 mile aid station. It was great seeing a smiling face. With her fresh legs we were running along at a 10:20 pace. After about a mile I knew that was to much for me, so I had Katie walk a couple steps while I ate some honey stingers and slow my pace. We chatted along the streets of Tremont and I don’t know if it was all the talking or the heat, and it was getting HOT, but I got a side cramp I couldn’t kick. At mile 10 I asked we walk it off. I am VERY proud to say that until that point, I had not walked at all.

Just after mile 10 I said goodbye to Katie and carried on over the Lorain/Carnegie bridge. And then, the wall. The bridge slowed me down and I walked. Then jogged, then walked again. The overcast sky had revealed a mean sun and I was hot but cold at the same time. But I didn’t want anymore water. In fact, I was sick of carrying my water bottle and could not wait to hand it off to Justin.

At the top of the bridge I started running again, enjoying the downhill change. At the bottom of the bridge, just past mile 11, I walked again to take a final S-Cap. I knew I would see Justin soon and I wanted to hand him my water bottle. But I didn’t see him till just after mile 12. I was so happy to see him. I smiled, gave him a hug, and then shoved the water bottle into his hands, “OMG you HAVE to take this!”

The weirdest things get to me when I start to feel uncomfortable.

The final quarter of a mile of this race is amazing. It’s full of life and excitement through the streets of downtown Cleveland, and it is all downhill. Just as I turned off to the finish line the 4:55 Pace group came up behind me. Imagine that.

I crossed the finish line with a Chip Time of 2:26:35. I can’t help to think, if I had just stayed with Serena and the pace group, could I have avoided all that walking? Does it really matter?

No, it doesn’t. Because up until 4 days before this race I was unsure I would run at all. It was 11 minutes slower than my PR but 8 minutes faster than any of my other Cleveland Half Marathon finish times. Which makes this one of the best Race Records (RR) ever.

I would like to say next year I will be running the full in Cleveland. This was my 4th year running a Cleveland event. I’ve the run 10k and the half marathon 3 times. So I really should try and run the full, but I know how “counting my chickens” so to speak goes, so I think I will wait to make the commitment. I plan to get my full marathon redemption in Akron this fall and go from there.

Half marathon #14 down. I would say it was a success.

***Disclosure: I was asked to join Team Volkswagen simply by signing up. They were looking for 300 runners and offered 300 free registrations, I submitted and was selected. All opinions are 100% my own. Photo cred for many of the above photos goes to Justin, my tolerant and supportive photographer/boyfriend.

Cleveland Magazine’s Silver Spoon Awards Party

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I’ve been neglecting the blogging a little bit. Mostly because I haven’t been running much, until Wednesday that is, I had taken some time off. But I have been eating. If there is one thing that I do really well other than drink wine and watch Criminal Minds, it’s eat.

I am pretty lucky to live in a city with such a large and constantly growing culinary community. We have some good food here in Cleveland. We have famous chefs with multiple restaurants of totally original and dedicated menus and pairings. Food Network winning chefs open restaurants here. Chris Hodgson of Food Network Star and Michael Symon, the Iron Chef himself.

If you are new to Cleveland and wondering why you came here or are looking to get to know your city, your love affair starts with the food. Hands down.

Yesterday was the 19th Annual Cleveland Magazine Silver Spoon Awards Party to benefit the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region. I knew the event planner was looking for volunteers and I really wanted to go anyway. So to get my free pass to fine dining heaven, I decided to volunteer.

(fresh lobster salad with veggies and sprouts from hodge podge truck… awesome)

The Silver Spoon Awards is a food and wine tasting, all in one place, of Cleveland’s greatest and most notable eateries. In May, Cleveland Magazine presents Northeast Ohio’s “Best Restaurants” with the Silver Spoon Award in a variety of categories. These winners come together at the awards party to share their winning dishes with their adoring fans. Last night, 30 of the best restaurants and 8 wineries were represented.

(cupcake table by sweet melissa’s… they also had chocolate covered strawberries)

I got to sample food from some of my favorite places ranging from Aladdin’s Eatery to Hodge’s Cleveland. I ate desserts from Sweet Melissa’s and Blue Point Grille. There were pizza joints, hamburger places, Melt Bar and Grill. Zachary Bruell was there with 5 of his restaurants, Parallax, L’Albatros, Table45, Chinato, and Cawell&Hubbard. It was amazing. A full list of attending restaurants can be found here.

After about an hour and 15 minutes of stuffing my face, I made my way to the Wine Raffle table where I was to volunteer. Seems like the perfect post for me. It was almost like a little game. Pay $40 to benefit the Arthritis Foundation and pick a cork with a number on it. The number correlated with a bottle on the table but you didn’t know which one till after you pick your number. That number entered participants to win a grand prize getaway to their choice of one 40 cities for a 3 day/2 night stay. Either way you walked away with a bottle of good wine. It was a sweet deal.

I did feel a little bummed that I was not a chosen blogger to go to the event and write about it and giveaway tickets and what not, but then I realized that I was doing more good and enjoying myself more as a volunteer. It never seems to occur to me what I can do to help those that are close to me through charity.

My mom is currently living with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Suddenly I wished I had invited her! Maybe she would want to volunteer and help others too. Sorry mom! My bad. But it felt good to give my time to my mom and a great cause. I will be doing it next year for sure.

Now to run off all that Phnom Penh.

Did you attend this year’s Silver Spoon Awards? As a guest or volunteer? What was your fav? I kind of loved the Smore dessert from Blue Point and the cheese at Whole Foods was delicious. Then again I could have eaten everything in the room.

Under Armour’s “What’s Beautiful” Campaign

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I don’t get a box of clothes from PV.Body every month. I didn’t do the “Diet Bet.” I am not a FitFluential Ambassador (though I totally would be if they asked or ever opened up applications again). I never get asked by companies or events to give shit away and get free shit to write about it on here.

My blog just isn’t that cool.

But through reading fellow bloggers I did stumble across Under Armour’s “What’s Beautiful” Campaign. Amanda’s doing it, Heather is doing it, Ashley is doing it, too. So I checked it out. Under Armour is redefining the female athlete. Challenging women to set goals, push past their comfort zone, and redefine what beautiful means. They are looking for women to share their journey and to motivate and inspire other women. This can get you prizes and other swag from Under Armour.

I usually don’t do these things. They are really good ideas and I feel inspired by them, I love reading other people post about what they are doing for these campaigns and try to gain motivation out of it. But usually participating myself just never happens. I tend to sit the sidelines.

Why? Part of it is laziness. Sometimes it feels like another means of social media I need to keep up on. Between facebook, twitter, reader, and learning bloglovin’, I don’t always feel I have the time to do challenges and upload videos about my workouts. Daily tweets? Ain’t nobody got time for that.

But with the What’s Beautiful campaign I was forced to recognize the fact that some of the laziness is a copout for fear and self-doubt. Everyone is posting about what they think beauty is and what makes them feel beautiful. The fact that I have NO IDEA what I would say scares the hell out of me. I don’t feel beautiful right now at all.

I am not just sad and down over the fact that I have a foot injury that made me drop out of Pittsburgh and very likely the Cleveland marathon too, I am sad because I did it to myself. I took my training for granted. I got a big head. I subconsciously told myself on a regular basis that it was OK to miss a run because I was already so fit and conditioned anyway.

Then when I tried to be that strong badass runner that I felt I was back in October I got hurt. My body gave me the finger and said, “I’m out.” Now I am left feeling pretty upset. I’m mad at myself, I feel weak, I feel fat, I feel like a failure. And this COMPLETELY irrational list could go on.

(me feeling strong and beautiful at a happy weight running a sweet PR in a freakin’ santa shirt, for crying out loud)

So at this juncture, I simply can’t write a list of all the unconventional ways I feel beautiful. Alyssa has a great list, but I couldn’t put myself into any of those feelings right now. My self-confidence is pretty beat up. That’s why this campaign could not have come at a better time.

Beautiful is having self-confidence, acceptance, and loving yourself exactly as you are. And if my best most confident self was when I was crossing finish lines and smashing PRs, then thats where I want to be.

My Goal: To overcome injury, fear, and self-doubt and run a sub-5 marathon.

A recommitment to this winter’s goal for the spring. I am going to do it and I am going to get there the right way. I will.

If you would like to read more about Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful Campaign, click here. If you would like to see my page (there isn’t anything on it yet) or join my team with your running goals, click here.

Are you thinking about taking on the challenge? What makes you feel beautiful? Everyone’s idea is different, I’m hoping to find my own definition soon.

Invest in your health, invest in your feet: Why great running shoes are important

What happened in Pittsburgh, a brief synopsis

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Ok, this will be short.

This will be sweet.

Mostly because it’s tough for me and I don’t want to talk about it much. It was hard, it’s over, and it’s done. Moving on.

We all know I was the queen of taking training for granted. Whether it be totally under training (skipping week day runs) or over training (running 8 miles on the trail the day after 10 on the road), I didn’t take what training for a marathon is seriously this time around. And I know better, clearly.

I ran my 20 miler to prep myself for Cleveland. I knew it would hurt, but it was also going to be the final test to tell me where I was with the marathon and what my goals should be. It did hurt. I was pretty sore but very active after which was surprising. The next day I had pain on the top of my foot but it seemed to subside with foam rolling.

So on Thursday I went for a run to get my legs going for the half marathon in Pittsburgh this past weekend. I started out for a 3.5 mile run and my foot felt sore. Then somewhere in mile 2, I had some crazy heinous plantar fascia pain. Like “WTF!” pain, out of no where. I thought someone was stabbing me in the heel.

I hobbled home and panicked. I was 3 days away from race day. I began stretching and foam rolling and KT-taping. I was determined to rest it and stretch it out and run in Pittsburgh. I even canceled some events I had in the works in favor of an evening at home on the couch.

It was strange, the pain never stayed in one place. Sometimes it was my heel, then my arch, then the top of the foot, then my shin, then the edge of my foot, and it never seemed to stay in the same place.

Wrap, tape, stretch, rest.

On Saturday morning Justin and I made the trek to Pittsburgh. I have never been before and the excitement of the city and the expo had my adrenaline pumping. My foot was feeling good, I was ready to run this shit.

Then as the day wore on, I started to have some soreness on the outside edge of my right foot. As the hours ticked by it got worse, and worse. Suddenly I could barely put weight on it. Justin helped me hobble around the city as I fretted about the outcome. Saturday night we carb loaded. I ate like a cow trying to suppress my anxiety (I tend to eat my feelings) and Justin told me to take it hour by hour. We would see how I felt in the morning.

I went to bed on Saturday night in our super awesome hotel room that cost me $300, in an cool city, hosting a race with a badass medal. I went to bed thinking, “I’m going to run this shit. Just watch me.”

I woke up at 5:00am on Sunday morning. Went to the bathroom and took some advil. That was all I needed. A handful of steps across the room to know what my fate would be.

I crawled back into bed and cried. There was no way this was going to happen.

So that was that. I had my moment of grief and self-loathing and it was over. We got up, got ready, I had my foot taped up and I put on good shoes and we walked (well, I limped really) to the starting line where I spectated my first ever big race.

Yep, you read correctly. I have never spectated a big race before. And you know what, it was fun. I saw my good friend Serena at the start and the finish. I called out to runners with the names printed on their bib and encouraged anyone who would listen to keep running. I decided that if I don’t get a “Yinz Run Like Jagoffs” shirt, I might die.

I iced my foot on the car ride home, re-taped it after my shower and have been resting since. My foot actually feels pretty good now. I think I did the right thing and probably avoided a serious injury. I haven’t seen a doc yet but I have been consulting with some fellow runners who are also PTs. The interwebs tell me I have peroneal tendinitis. But no real diagnosis.

So what does this mean for the Cleveland Marathon?

I haven’t admitted it to myself fully yet, but the full is probably out. If there are switches to be had at the expo, I am hoping to switch into the half. But we will see.

I will get into what went wrong and what I am doing now a little later. My wounds are still a little fresh right now. But I have been devising a plan for a comeback. It will be glorious. Everyone loves a comeback.

Have you ever had to pass on a race? How did you cope with the decision? Have you ever gotten hours away from the start and have to back out? That’s probably just me… say it ain’t so.

HuffPost Live with Andrew McMahon

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Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin… love, Love, LOVE. The voice behind two of my favorite bands, Andy McMahon has gone solo. Ending the Jack’s Mannequin chapter of his life.

I got to see Andrew McMahon a few weeks ago here in Cleveland for his solo tour and I talked about it a little here on the blog. I mean, my whole life isn’t running, you know.

What’s that you say?

You actually have hobbies and likes that go beyond beating yourself up on the pavement everyday?

Absolutely.

I am pretty into music and I like to see concerts any time I can. I also like to talk about these concerts as if you care. But hey, sometimes I just like to share things. Good thing I did. It put me in a pretty interesting position on Monday.

(something corporate reunion tour 2010 @ the fillmore detroit)

I woke up Monday morning with a media request from the Huffington Post asking if I would like to participate in a discussion on their live news network, HuffPost Live, with Andrew McMahon to talk about his new EP, The Pop Underground. At first I didn’t believe it. Really? Me? But how?

I responded to the inquiry that I was, in fact, VERY interested. But wanted to know, why me? I mean, if it was just a phishing thing and they were going to ask for a credit card number and my for my first born or something, I wasn’t interested. The producer responder, “I was doing some googling and I came across your blog post. Could I list as a Andrew McMahon fan?”

Duh.

(jack’s at HOB CLE winter 2011)

I was in for sure and I was immediately freaking out. I was going to get to talk to one of my favorite musicians. Live. When the conformation emails and instructions came in, I found out I was not only going to be sitting in on his interview, but I and 2 other fans got to actually interview him personally. I would be given 10 minutes to talk with him about whatever I wanted and was asked to submit 3 to 4 questions to the producer ahead of time.

Oh. My. God.

I calculated my questions, sought suggestions from my super fan friends, and sent them on for approval. Nothing was really off limits, they just wanted to see the questions ahead of time. The live telecast started at 7:00EST and I was instructed to be on Google Hangout by 6:45.

The show started late and all of HuffPost Live was running behind. The interview that was supposed to start at 7 didn’t start until 7:15 or so and was only supposed to last maybe 35 minutes. All the waiting was making me more and more anxious. And then it started…

(source)

Andy (we are on a first name basis) started out by talking about his newly released (as of yesterday) EP, The Pop Underground. He decided on the title to reflect upon and the brand of music that he has been making and identifying with all these years through Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, and though neither band reached a level of major single or airplay success, it was music that he was always very proud of. Music that developed a cult following. It has always been pop music, though slightly underground. Thus, Pop Underground.

(source)

Swoon.

The idea behind going solo was to really focus on more freely making music that inspired him to be in the studio rather than writing music for a label that left him feeling nervous about what his music would make the people he was effectively working for think. The new album was written primarily in the studio and grew organically there which is why it sounds more synthesized and electronic than past music. Currently, he’s unsure when a full album will be released.

He also talked about his diagnosis with Leukemia, how he dealt with that and how life changed. He chronicled this illness in a documentary called “Dear Jack” and has spurred a foundation called Dear Jack. It’s a non-profit to benefit Leukemia and Lymphoma and is now focused more on young adult cancer, ages 15 – 39, and has used this platform to raise money and call attention to those affected. As well as provide college assistance to young adults who survived cancer.

I love this man, there are no words.

Audience members as well as me and the other two interviewers got to ask questions. I had all my questions ready and sweating like crazy as I awaited my turn. The girl who spoke before me, Kelly from Messy Dirty Hair, had 8 questions but only got 2 out before the in studio interviewer cut her off.

(jack’s @ nautica summer 2009… or 2010, i’ve seen them there several times)

I played off her question about Konstantine and it’s meaning, and asked him now that he has transitioned away from Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin, in his solo career, was he afraid he would be begged to play that song at every concert he plays for the rest of his life?

A playful question. He laughed and was gracious. He said that it was a song that he only just recently brought out of the vault with the slew of request to hear it. It is one of the most requested songs on tour and he even said that when people are just screaming for him to play Konstantine, he has been know to kind of “Put the spotlight on them” and call them out. He likes that people have thoughts on his play list and there are songs people want to hear, but it’s likely that in the near future Konstantine will be retired again.

Bummer.

Before I could even take a breath the moderator jumped into a final twitter question and then had Andy wrap up with some info on the Dear Jack foundation.

The segment was only 22 minutes long since HuffPost Live started 15 minutes late. When the segment wrapped up and the producer came back into Google Hangout to thank us, the live interviewers, I couldn’t help but to whine… “but I only got one question!”

(andy solo tour @ the grog shop april 2013)

I was disappointed, we all were, and the producer apologized. I honestly had a hard time for the next 24 hours with the whole thing. It was hard to keep excitement when I kept viewing the whole thing as a missed opportunity.

But I got to talk to my favorite musician! Why was I so upset? I got to sit in a virtual studio with the man who writes some of my favorite songs. I have been listening to Synesthesia from the Pop Underground EP on repeat. It’s that good. I feel it in my bones and in my gut, it’s that good of a song, and I got to talk to the guy who wrote it. Pretty bad ass.

I could barely sleep on Monday night. It might have been one of the coolest things I have ever done.

If you would like to view the interview in it’s entirety… which is only 22 minutes because of the time crunch… click here for the HuffPost Live archives.

Have you ever gotten to interview with your favorite artist? Who would you interview if you could talk to anyone of your favorite bands? What would you say?

***Disclosure: I was asked by the Huffington Post to participate in HuffPost Live with Andrew McMahon. I received nothing for this other than feeling like I was on cloud 9 for about 15 hours and the opportunity to do one of the coolest things ever. I have no idea how I was asked to do this, I should probably buy a lottery ticket. All opinions are 100% my own though totally biased as it comes to Andy and his music. So sue me.

20 miles of fun, or something like that…

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As I prepared to run my 4th ever 20 miler, I had a lot of support from family, friends, and readers. I had next to zero confidence going into this run. I made the decision to run my 18 miler 2 weeks before in two parts and that decision had me thinking that I may have sold myself short.

I didn’t feel like I felt the pain of an 18 miler and therefore running 20 was going to kill me. I did not see this ending well at all. Plus I took a lot of time off after Fool’s Run and then burned the tops of my feet while I was in Florida and didn’t run that entire week.

It seemed like a good idea to sandwich the Cleveland 10 Miler in the middle of 20 for motivation. I could run 5 miles from my house to the starting line, run the race, and run the five miles home. It would break up the monotony and I would have some friends along the way. But there was still that small part of me that thought, “what if I can’t finish?”

I woke up a little later than I wanted on Saturday morning. I wanted to be out the door at 730AM to have enough time to run to the starting line of the race, which Gmap-pedometer told me was about 4.8 miles. I got out the door on time, but didn’t give myself enough time to go through some pre-run morning rituals.

I made toast but didn’t really want it. I wish I had something else to eat. So walking out the door I knew I would be hungry. I had no fuel for during the run, a fellow runner was bringing me some honey stingers for the race so S-caps were going to have to get me there. I just felt a little off.

Of course my Garmin struggled to find satellite when I got outside, as it always does in Lakewood, so I just started on my way and let it connect enroute. I think it caught satellite somewhere around half a mile. About a mile into my run I started to have irrational panic. I started to panic that an hour was not enough time to reach the starting line.

I sped up to make up time, then felt like I was over working myself to early and slowed down. Then panicked again and sped up. I was a mess.

Funny thing is, I know I can run 5 miles in 50 minutes. Even less. Why the hell was I worried?

I reached the starting line with plenty of time – Shocking – mostly because I underestimated the distance a little bit. The distance from my house was only about 4.25 miles. Which meant I had to make up 3 quarters of a mile somewhere and that just didn’t sit right with me.

I talked to fellow runners and fidgeted excessively as we waited for the bell. Then I got a text message that my boyfriend was looking for me at the start and had come to see me off. I was so excited to have the support I immediately felt better. Not soon after finding Justin in the crowd it was time to start. The bell sounded, and runners took off.

In the first mile, I felt great. I wasn’t straining or breathing heavy. I felt like I was at a good pace. I noticed that my garmin said I was running under a 10 minute mile. However exciting, it was not a good idea to be running that fast. I had to remind myself over and over again that I was not racing. I needed to slow down.

I passed my good friend KatieO cheering on runners like a champ. It was a great day for spectators, and runners really, because the weather was so nice. I stopped to say hello to Katie and give her my long sleeved shirt. Her bright smile motivated me even more. I was at about mile 6 for the day and was feeling pretty good.

(stripping down… thanks for holding my sweaty clothes katie!)

When I got to mile 9 of the day I saw Justin on the course. Roughly half way into the 10 miler. When I saw him, just 3 miles after seeing Katie, I was hurting pretty badly. My piriformis was tightening up like crazy and I could feel it. My butt hurt, which made my leg hurt, which dragged down my entire right side. I was in full on panic mode. I still have 11 miles to go for the day.

Around mile 12 of my run, somewhere close to mile 8 of the race, I got a little upset. I was only 2 miles from the finish line but was slowing down like crazy. My back and legs hurt and I had to walk. It was so defeating to be passed by so many people. To know how close to last I was going to come in to the finish line. It was incredibly hard to break that mental cycle of failure.

I wasn’t getting passed because I was slow or out of shape (well, a little out of shape), I was getting passed because I was at mile 12 of 20 and I started out to fast. The rational Julie knew this. How come the nut-job runner Julie couldn’t grasp this?

I had to break down and walk within a half a mile from the finish. What a kick in the teeth. But then I saw Justin off in the distance and just started running again. Just get through that finish line for crying out loud. I crossed the finish at 1:50:15.

For having run 4 miles followed by a 10 mile race, I was definitely running to fast. No wonder I felt crappy. I averaged 10:30 pace for most of the race and then slowed to an 11:30 or so because of all the walking I had to do. If I had just ran at an 11 – 11:30 pace the entire time, I probably would have survived better.

After smashing a banana at the finish line and walking a mile with Justin to his car, I picked up the pace for the remaining 4 miles of my run. It was killer.

KILLER.

If it hadn’t been for the bright warm weather I am not sure I would have survived at all. My legs were screaming, my feet hurt from all the abuse. My upper back was sore from all the crouching and bad form. I was miserable. I did my best to maintain a steady walk/run combo. Run for .75 mile, walk for .25. On and off. It seemed to work pretty well. But I was toast by the time I reached my apartment building.

I sat outside my building on the curb like a lost puppy for probably 15 minutes before moving to the parking lot to stretch. I can only imagine what people driving by thought I was doing. I noticed I never took my race bib off either. People probably though I was some loon running her own imaginary race.

Once I got into my apartment I texted Justin to let him know I was alive. Then I sat on my couch and ate the rest of my chips-ahoy cookies until they were gone.

Classy.

I knew I needed to eat something other than cookies so I showered and insisted that Justin take me to Melt. All of a sudden I was on a total runners high. I felt no pain (except a minor cramp as we waited 45 minutes for a table) and was actually kind of giddy. I also wanted to drink. A lot.

This resulted in a night out with some old college friends in town for the weekend. You would have thought that I would crash and burn after such a ridiculous run, but no. I actually closed the bar that night. But trouble was brewing.

My foot was killing me. The top of my foot felt stressed. Like stressed as in a stress fracture. I could have sworn that I broke something. I limped around all morning on Sunday. I worried like crazy that I was not going to be able to run Pittsburgh this weekend.

“You don’t think you can run at all?” Justin asked.

Run? I could barely walk. I decided I would beg and plead for any open spot to see the running doc this week. I had my fingers crossed that Monday morning he would have an opening. So on Sunday night I foam rolled. I foam rolled the shit out of my piriformis. And magically, my foot started to feel better.

So I foam rolled some more. And some more. Then I stared googling. I read that my pain could be caused by tight calf muscles. So I stretched. And stretched some more. And then foam rolled.

I am happy to report I am walking almost (almost) pain free today.

So this marathon might actually happen.

Oh shit.

Are you feeling ready for your spring race? Wish you had more time or feeling totally prepared? I wish I had more time. Doesn’t that just figure.

Tomorrow’s do or die. Let’s hope its not die.

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First of all, I need to have a quick heart-to-heart with Northeast Ohio weather.

Seriously, what is the big deal? It’s time for a come to Jesus moment here. Do you, Northeast Ohio weather, not realize that it is April 26th? That it’s the end of April. Not the beginning, not the middle. The end. We should be hitting at least 60s on the regular during the hottest part of our day. Not 45 degrees like yesterday. This whole 75 degrees one day and 40 the next is really weird. You’re taking your meds, right? Northeast Ohio weather?

And this wind? I do not mind a cool breeze while I am running, but these strong gusts that blow in every direction? Is there a purpose for this? If you have one, please explain. That’s all I want, an explanation. We can work it out. This wind blowing in my face no matter what direction I am running is starting to become a real pain. If the wind is blowing east while I am running, I would expect it to be at my back when I am running west. This is normally how this goes. Go talk to Southern California, Northeast Ohio weather. Cali might be able to give you some pointers.

Ok, now that I’ve got that out of my system. Lets move on.

Tomorrow’s 20 miler.

Que scary music.

Normally I get real pumped up about these super long runs. But since I haven’t been having the best runs lately I am feeling a little… ok super… nervous. I might die out there people. I might die.

Here is the plan, I intend to leave my house at 730am and run 5 miles to the starting line of the Cleveland 10 Miler. I have always wanted to run this race, so sandwiching it between two 5 mile runs seemed like a good idea. Then I found out that Hermes sacked the “Run Like a God” theme on the t-shirt and now I feel less than enthused with my decision. But what’s done is done.

(source)

I plan to run 5, then run the race, then run 5 more. I mean, I have to get home right? Justin is going to meet me at the finish line to take my medal and any junk that I have accumulated throughout the run (unwanted layers, my bib, bananas) and I will do my best not to try and crawl into his trunk when he’s not looking.

Honestly 20 mile runs are supposed to be scary. What person in their right mind wakes up on a cold morning (Im looking at you Northeast Ohio) and decides they want to run for 4 hours? Don’t answer that.

I think I am can do it, I just know how bad it’s going to hurt. It’s one thing to look at a run and say, “That was difficult, but appropriate” and something completely different to look back and a run and think, “OMG, how am I ever going to run that again +6.” And that’s not a good feeling to have going into race day. I want to feel confident.

(me after the 20 mile blue line run last fall. i felt great, though it rained the entire time. thx weather)

My biggest challenge will be keeping it slow during the 10 Miler. As a race addict, I tend to jump into all races and want to run my guts out. But I have to remember that once I cross the finish line there is still 5 miles to be run. I hope I don’t gag. I am hoping since 10 mile races are not those that I run often, my lack of knowing what a PR time would be will keep me from trying to smash a previous PR. I don’t really have a 10 miler PR. This should help me.

I only have 3 wishes for tomorrow:

1.) run slow and run your best. It might take you 5 hours, but that is better than running it in 3:50 and feeling like crap. Or having crap in your pants.

2.) Don’t get hurt. I was having a piriformis flare up on Tuesday. It made for a difficult run. I am about due for new shoes, but don’t want to have to worry about needing to break them in pre-20 mile. So I am hoping to wear out these shoes and then get new ones. Avoiding injury is my top priority right now.

3.) Finish.

I hope all goes well.

How do you prepare for long runs? Do you make wishes to your genie or pray to the run gods? Who else is running the 10 miler this weekend? I look forward to seeing some friendly faces! Good luck to anyone running anywhere this weekend! Good luck to the Tough Mudders too!

Wednesday = Hump Day Link Day

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You might remember when I used to do that. Share some links for everyone to enjoy. I have been so busy the last few weeks I haven’t been doing much internet reading. I think my google reader has about 71 unread blog posts just waiting for me to read, comment, and then share with you here.

So lets get started.

Lets start with my favorite category, given that spring has finally made an appearance here in Cleveland, race season.

Running!

You know I love running with a group – Solo Running vs. Group Running: Which One is Right For You?
If increasing your mileage this training season, would running doubles help? Is Running Doubles Beneficial
For those running their first 5k this spring – 10 Foods to Fuel a 5k
More for the beginner runner – 9 Essential 5k Race-Day Tips for Beginners

Food!

I am true believer that any diet will work if you ACTUALLY do it. But I don’t know if I would do any of these – 5 Weird Diets That Actually Work
A healthy pizza alternative with No Thanks To Cake – BBQ Chicken Fajita Pizza
I had a killer cupcake weekend. Check it out:
Boston Creme Pie Cupcake Minis – #BostonStrong – only 190 calories!