Part of me thinks the universe was trying to tell me to take a break and part of thinks I am just trying to rationalize how slacker-like I was this week. Ohhh, it was bad. So bad. But life happens right? You gotta roll with the punches right? Ok, that was a little cliche. So let’s just get to it.
Monday- Sick. I actually called in sick to work. I had felt poorly all weekend and Monday morning just wasn’t happening. Lots of rest, water and sleep.
Tuesday-Rest I told myself I was well enough to run so I packed my bag- I wasn’t. My subconscious must have known better as I forgot my shoes. Then came the air quality warnings due to the Chimney Fire. I found out from my mother that even the schools canceled all outdoor sports practices due to air quality. Ok, I get it.
Wednesday-Rest I had to stay late at work for phone issues so I knew I wasn’t running. Boo.
Thursday- 4 miles I ran!!! Mile one was too slow and mile 4 was way too fast but I got out there. I still wasn’t feeling the greatest and I was moving a little sluggish. The smoke in the air made things rough. My legs were also freaky sore. I stopped to stretch a few times on the run. I was glad I got the run in though, it felt good to be moving. I remember thinking that there were fewer people out and chalked it up to the smoke.
Friday- Rest And backslide. I woke with a very sore throat and some tightness in my chest. Boo, smoke. I used my inhaler on the way to work. Things got a little better while at work as work town is a little farther from the fire. That didn’t stop the sky from glowing when I left though.
Saturday- Rest. I had laid out all my clothes to run the night before and I was really hoping for 10 miles. Surprisingly, marathon training made me like long runs. But I felt worse Saturday morning than I had on Friday. Boo. So I lazed about all day and the ended the day at the movies.
every parking lot is full of fire trucks
Sunday- 8 mile stationary bike, 10 pushups and a plank attempt. My clothes were still laid out to run but yeah. I was exhausted and learned something about my running route. Mountain lion sightings?!!!! Oh hell no. Apparently there have been a few sightings and the game warden has been out. Seriously?!
Ok, enough is enough. Smoke, lions and sickness? I’m done.
So yeah, this was an interesting week. I am over it and moving on. And now debating if that running route is public enough to chance running. I mean there are houses on one side, right? Hmmm.
I hadn’t really planned on another recovery week but well life right?
I was feeling very out of it all week. I had troubles speaking and couldn’t seem to remember anything. With working last Saturday and then the company picnic on Sunday, it just felt like the longest week ever. I was just so tired and so ready for the weekend. That said, this will not be a very long recap. 😛
Monday- Rest I got a phone call Sunday evening from an employee calling sick. With another one on vacation I knew the day was going to be straight chaos so I left all my running gear at home assuming work would run late. And I was right. I wasn’t completely lazy though, I managed to clean my car after getting home that evening. I am embarrassed at the state that it was in.
Tuesday- Rest Same situation as Monday. However I also had a meeting in another town in the AM and I had the brilliant idea to wear heels for the first time in a month. Oh my word, blisters suck. Ouch! I did make it home in time for #bibchat though. I took advantage of a discount being offered and finally ordered myself the fancy transition towel I had been eyeing on the Orange Mud site for a year. Monday’s car cleaning also aided in me finally clicking buy.
Wednesday-Rest I can’t remember why though. I know I took my gear to work but didn’t run. Hmmm. I ate pizza though. 🍕🍕🍕
Thursday- 4.5 miles Fully staffed for the win! I taped up my blister and ran in home town. It was a little warmer than I would have liked and I started out super cautious thanks to the blister but it turned out to be a pretty good run. I have my watch set on 5 min run/ 2 min walk intervals, I am trying that these first few weeks post marathon. The first mile was super slow due to more walking and mile 4 somehow came in at 9:40. Ummm, oops? I think my new playlist may have been a little too inspiring. I felt pretty good at the end of this run though.
Friday- Rest So damn tired, is it the weekend yet? We also started a Biggest Loser type bet at work and the scale really pissed me off this morning.
Saturday- Rest. I planned on running, I was aiming for an 8 mile mid to long run and had been looking forward to it all week. I could not get out of bed. I stayed in bed past 3 alarms and could not get moving. When I finally did get moving, I was moving like a snail. Ok, running probably wasn’t the best idea. So instead I headed down to SLO for some errands. That included a stop at the Running Warehouse for some new kicks-
Sunday-8 miles. I was still tired when my alarm went off but not like Saturday. That said, I didn’t get started on this run until 9. That was stupid. I only took my handheld with 23 ounces of water- rookie move #2. Miles 1-4 weren’t bad. I was feeling tired but overall ok. Miles 5-8 were a hot mess. I was overheating, slowing down and having troubles with my asthma. I couldn’t smell smoke in the air but a huge wild fire broke out nearby Saturday night and I figured that could be affecting me. My mother met me at the halfway point, well that was the plan, I was so slow I didn’t catch up to her until mile 7. Oops. I just kept telling myself get to my car, get to my car. It felt like forever but finally I was done.
I was glad to have completed the run but things went south in the afternoon. I started to feeling very not right. I couldn’t regulate my body temp and I was burning up. I took the coldest shower possible and was chugging water. I was coughing a little more than normal and couldn’t focus on anything- which is why this post is also a day late. I texted my boss to let her know that I wasn’t doing so great. For me to text my boss, things are bad. At last check, I had 220+ hours of sick time available. Which is now 8 less because I did not make it to work on Monday.
I am feeling a tiny bit better and hoping that it was just too much sun/heat on top of being overly tired that kicked my ass. It was in the 90’s when I finished on Sunday which shouldn’t feel like a lot considering I live in Central CA but it’s better than the alternative. That coworker that had been out at the beginning of the week? Pneumonia. So yeah, I am hoping for too much heat.
12.5 miles for the week. More than the week before, that’s a plus right?
I can’t believe this post is here. How did the 6 months since I registered fly by so fast?
I was also seriously doubting that I would be able to write this post. I was losing my mind the 2 weeks leading up to race day. I even had a back up plan all picked out. I was going to have some valid (to me) reason to quit at the halfway point and then say I was going to run a local marathon in October. And then come up with some reason by then why I couldn’t. This was still in my mind even on expo day.
Race day dawned all too quickly. I stayed in bed until the last moment. I got up, got dressed, panicked a bit and we were out the door. Disclaimer moment- the way I fueled for this race was specific to me and my weird stomach- I in no way recommend it. I did not eat anything prior to the race. My Camelback was filled with orange Gatorade and I had Honey Stinger chews in the front pockets.
Ashley was awesome enough to drop me off as close to the start as possible before she parked and Uber’ed to the Second half starting line. I felt like I needed a bathroom but couldn’t find the port-a-potties. I stood in the line for the one pier bathroom I saw but decided screw it about 5 minutes before they closed the gates to my starting wave. So I lost my throw away layer, took a place near the 2:30 half marathon pacer and took a deep breath. Wave 7 started right on time at 6:22 and we were off.
Miles 1-5 Hello, speedy. 10:40, 10:48, 11:08, 10:48, 10:54
I started at what felt like a comfortable pace and just tried to enjoy the sights of running along the Embarcadero in SF. Ocean views, boats and the prettiest McDonald’s I’d ever seen. I saw Coit Tower in the distance. I came up behind the 4:55 pacer and tucked myself in behind them. I heard the guy say that he was planning on running everything but the hills- those he would walk. Perfect! That had been my strategy anyway. Hit the first water station- I walked through and drank some water. Mile 3 included the first hill but it was a baby one so I almost ran it but forced myself to walk. Yeah, remember how that pacer said he would walk the hills? His walk was my running pace. We ran into the Presidio and I caught up with the pace group again. We were looping around towards the bridge and all I could see was the fog around the bridge. My mother was tracking me via the app and she sent me a text telling me to watch my pace. No problem as up next was another hill…and it was bigger. I took 2 Honey Stinger chews at mile 5. My Garmin was also about .25 miles off the mile markers.
Miles 6-10 Hello bridge. 13:00, 11:11, 11:20, 12:07, 11:34
Totally lost the pace group on this climb. I kept them in my sights until the bridge and then they were gone. I had been looking forward to running the bridge and enjoying the sights but Karl had other plans. I thought I was prepared for fog but yeah no. This was more like rain. The mist was making me wet and the bridge was drenched in water. There were metal plates that were slick and I almost face planted twice. I slowed down as my shoes filled with water. Grrr. Once across the bridge we looped Vista Point before heading back to the bridge. The aid station as Vista Point was having some issues- they had run out of premixed Nuun and were low on filled water cups. I still managed to snag one but I was glad I had my Camelbak and was sipping on Gatorade every mile or so. Then I was heading back over the bridge and I was done with the fog and the water- I wanted off the bridge. Coming off the bridge led to another hill but it was a little drier and less foggy so I was loving it. I took another 2 chews at mile 10.
Miles 11-15 Kind of a blur. 10:46, 12:55, 12:45, 11:42, 12:43
Downhill holla! It was too short. I was bouncing back and forth with the 5:10 pace group. What the hell? I was on track for a 2:30 half and they were ahead of the 2:30 pace group. They eventually left me in the dust so I have no idea when they finished. I started to slow down but can’t pinpoint why, I was still walking the hills and there were a lot but I was running a decent pace on the rest. We ran through city streets until we turned into Golden Gate Park. The second half runners were merging with us and the first half runners were heading towards their finish line. I didn’t even think about following them. I hit the halfway point at 2:33:13. Ok, a little slower than I hoped for but still good. I had been told the second half was less hilly so I was hoping for a negative split. Oh, naive Slacker. Miles 14 and 15 were a longish out and back and it was a bit mind numbing. Mile marker 15 was also in the wrong spot. My watch said 14.5 miles and I knew it was ahead anyways. Grrr. 2 more chews around 15.
Miles 16-18 Uh oh miles. 13:03, 13:29, 13:54
We were deep in the park looping paths and I passed an aid station around 15.5 They were also having troubles keeping up with the demand. I felt ok so I grabbed a cup of water and kept going. Just before the mile 16 marker, things changed. My stomach cramped in a very bad way. I knew there was a bathroom 1/2 mile behind me but the thought of adding distance to already long race was too much. So I walked more than I would have like and ran when I could. I knew the next bathrooms had to be around 2 miles farther. I am sure that at any other time, I would have enjoyed looking at the park around me but I just wanted the hell out of the place. I felt like we were looping around forever. I could even hear the First Half finish line but had no idea where it was coming from. Let me out! We were finally out of the loops and running past the First Half finish, I just kept looking for the bathrooms. Aid station!!! I ran towards the port-a-potties but it didn’t have toilet paper. Nor the second or the third. WTF?! Success at the fourth. And nothing happened!! Stupid stomach. Since I wasn’t breaking any speed goals I made sure to use the hand washing station before running on. I have to say the cold water felt amazing. Considering the pitstop in mile 18, I have no idea how it came in at only 13:54. Ashley started texting me encouragement at this point along with my mom so I had those to look forward to.
mile 16.5 ishMiles 19-21 Park, still?! 12:33, 12:18, 11:38
I’m still in the park?! Yes, it was pretty but I felt like it was taking forever. As we were finally coming out of the park there was a group of ummm, homeless men to the right. They were cheering on the runners as we ran by. One shouted out the he had heard that cannabis helped increase stamina. Ummm, thanks? I admit it made me laugh though and I dug myself out of my park coma as we headed towards Haight-Ashbury. I glanced at my watch around mile 20 and knew I was slower than my 20 mile training run but it is what it is. These hills were no joke. I ate 2 more chews at mile 20 and water at every aid station.
Miles 22-24 Headphone time. 12:55, 12:28, 12:55
The beginning of the city streets were pretty and interesting to look at but I needed a kick in the pants so I turned on my music around mile 21. Yes, I ran 21 miles with nothing but sounds of my breathing and the sounds on the course. I only had one earbud in so I could still check out my surroundings. I passed a Taco Bell/ KFC combo and the smell of fried chicken made me nauseous. I passed cool looking houses and homeless tents camped on the sidewalks. I passed the scariest Burger King I’ve seen in my life. I ran passed a man in jeans, heeled boots and a black lace bra singing to the runners. I won’t lie, I was getting tired and my hips were hurting but I kept trucking. I did have to slow down for a cable car to go through the course. The last few miles were very industrial.
Miles 25-26 Damn is the bridge ever getting closer? 12:30, 5:57, 12:05
Yeah, I did something funky to my Garmin there and by this point in the race, my watch was reading 1/2 mile longer than the course. AT&T Stadium and the Bay Bridge were looming but they seemed like mirages in the distance, never getting closer. The crowds picked up as we got closer- it was a game day so there were people heading into the stadium. We ran around the stadium and back onto the Embarcadero. I wish I could say I was running this last bit but it was more like run 100 yards, walk 100 yards. Text messages were coming in constantly from friends and family in the last 1/2 mile but I just ignored them. Turns out my mom was posting my time updates to Facebook while I was running.
26.2 Holy crap. 5:22:27
Crowds were cheering, under the bridge and to the finish line. I actually did it. I crossed the finish line and stopped my watch.
Then I just stood there, I had no idea what to do next and there wasn’t much direction. I was finally handed a bottle of water and pointed towards the medals which were farther away than I was used to. From there, I found a picture line but still little to no direction from the volunteers. I marched in place while in line and responded to my mom’s texts and then Ashley’s. Then I was out of the picture line and headed towards food tables where volunteers handed me a banana and bar of sort but no bag to carry them. I didn’t have the manual dexterity to carry all that plus my pack which I had taken off at some point and I was starting to get emotional. I ended up standing in the road just past that and started crying. What was wrong with me?! Ashley called me and I headed towards where she said she was but I was feeling very lost. I found her and her sister and calmed down a bit. They asked me how I was feeling and what I needed. I said that physically I was feeling ok but I didn’t really feel like food. I was really craving a Diet Coke. Ashley’s sister went and found me a soda while Ashley and I headed to the challenge tent to pick up my California Dreamin’ medal.
I am not sure how I went from being a hot mess for 2 weeks to never even doubting that I could finish come race day. The fog made me wheeze during the bridge miles, the hills kicked my ass but I just kept running. I saw the turn off for the first half finish but it never seemed like an option. I was slower than I would have liked but I just kept moving forward. I walked more than I would have like but I just kept moving. I somehow managed to thank volunteers on the back half of the course, I talked to another “marathon virgin” on the course and spoke to one of the bad ass ultra runners. I am not a talker during races. At the finish a guy thanked me for pushing him. Umm, what? Turns out he focused on my socks for the last bit and followed me.
It’s been 2 days and I still haven’t processed a lot from the race or training. There will probably be another post coming. And a whole lot of thank yous to people.
I feel like it just last week that I was writing the post about signing up for the marathon. In some ways time flew and in some ways, I wish that I had had more time. I don’t think you ever really feel prepared for a race let alone your first marathon but I felt like a wreck.
Monday- Rest With my last longish run of 9 miles the day before, I knew I wasn’t running today. It was another day of flats at work and trying not to freak out.
Tuesday- 3.1 miles With the race so close, I knew I wanted to run but also didn’t want to go crazy with the miles. Especially since week 17 was such a small one. I thought abut running in work town to expose myself to more humidity but decided that was silly. I thought it would be akin to trying to run ALL the miles right before a race. So instead I headed to home town and temps of 93 degrees. Why not dry out the lungs? 😛 My calves were so tight. They might have gotten better if I had run more but as it was a short run, they never loosened up. It stressed me out and I headed home for a date with my foam roller.
Wednesday- Rest Not only did I think 2 days in a row would be silly, this was also the day I dropped a FULL 5 gallon water jug on my left foot. Son of a monkey. I later found a bruise where it hit my stomach on the way down too.
Thursday- Rest Yeah. I fell off my chair this day and re-bruised the same foot. Like fall on the ground, legs splayed in a dress. What the hell?!
Friday- 2.21 miles Last run before race day. I had the day off work and I forced myself to stay in bed until 9. Once up, I headed out for a very short run. Figured the heat wouldn’t be too bad as I was only running for 2 miles. I didn’t take the fires into account. Oops. The smoke from the Sobraones fire has been burning for over a week and the smoke coming our way made for a severe air quality warning last week. My legs felt ok but I was disgustingly sweaty and gasping for air after a slow 2 miles. I had taken a 24 oz bottle with Ultima in it and I drank the whole damn thing. It was only 2 miles!
essentials, right?
Then I headed home to pack for San Francisco and to try to not stress. I watched a lot of Lost. 😛 Saturday- Expo day!! Ashley picked me up and we headed north. We made good time and checked into our hotel before heading for the expo. Seriously, roads and traffic in San Francisco are a giant cluster f***. Who designed that crap? It took the Uber driver 20 minutes to go less than 2 miles! It’s not even the time that made it stressful- that actually happens in Paso all the time but in apparently in SF red lights mean nothing and everyone loves their horn. Grrr.
I won’t lie- the second we got out of the car at the expo, my heart rate spiked. My Fitbit says it hit 105. Ha! We wandered around the expo a bit and picked up our bibs. I caved and bought a San Francisco marathon 3/4 zip. I hadn’t wanted to buy anything until after the race since I wasn’t even sure I was capable of finishing but they were selling out too fast. From there it was back to the hotel after picking up a pizza for me. I piled up my clothes for Sunday, tried not to panic and was in bed by 9. Once we had linens for the pull out bed that is. I think we frustrated room service that night. 😛 Surprisingly, I slept a decent amount of time. But race morning arrived all too quickly.
17 down, 1 to go. I’m trying not to dwell on that.
This was the first week that I fully embraced the taper. Some might say I took it too far. 😛 I guess there really is a way to run less when training. I didn’t mean to have such an ummm- “relaxed” week it just kind of happened.
The week started off rough. I got little to no sleep on Sunday night and almost called in. good thing I didn’t as my boss wasn’t feeling well either and didn’t make it in. Then when I finally did make it into work, I was greeted by the news that my fish had died. Can you be done with the week by 8:20 on a Monday? Work was crazy from that point forward all week.
Monday- Rest. After 13 miles on Sunday and crap sleep, I was fried. Throw in the work day from hell and I was done.
Tuesday- Rest. I thought about running, I really did but I was still feeling kind of foggy. Besides, I had plenty of time during the rest of the week right?
Wednesday- Run– Fall Out Boy!!!!! Running was the plan but when you are given the opportunity to see one of your favorite bands for the cost of only 2 drinks- you take it! So I made my trip to the fair a little sooner than planned. Both the funnel cake and the concert were amazing. 😃😃 They played all the songs I wanted them too and a few more.
Thursday- Rest. I took my gym bag to work. Even though I was still super tired I was planning on running. I really was but once again I allowed my family to text-coerce me into going to dinner with them. Yum.
Friday- 4 miles. Holy crap, I ran on a Friday! I didn’t get home until 7 but I was out the door fairly quick. After 4 days off, I was kind of worried my legs wouldn’t remember what to do. They did! It was slow and still very warm but it was nice to get moving.
Saturday- Rest. Damn, I’m really good at this rest thing aren’t I? I wasn’t completely sloth like though. I headed down to SLO and did a bit of shopping. That counts as moving the legs, right?
Sunday- 9 miles. I headed out around 8 but I should have headed out sooner. It was way hotter than I would have liked. I packed my Camelbak with more supplies than I needed and filled it with water. I knew I didn’t need all of it but I wanted to practice carrying the weight. The run was hot and slow and my neck was a little sore after it. I was a nasty, sweaty mess. Whose idea was it to train in the summer?
Shouldn’t I be feeling at least a little more fit these days? Every run just seems so damn hard. The smallest thing seems to trigger my asthma and I am freaking out. But let’s save all the drama for another post, ok?
Slacker Runner 