The Steel Man Duathlon

I began my running blog almost four years ago when I started training for my first (and probably only) marathon. I have not updated my blog in almost two years because I haven't really done anything exciting in terms of running. I have run a few more races in the past couple of years, including my 8th half marathon this spring. When I was running the Bridge Run half marathon in May, I was thinking about how I've gotten a little "bored" with half marathons. I still enjoy running half marathons and they keep me in really good shape every spring. However, I have not really been challenged while running lately and that's probably where my boredom is coming from. During my marathon training, I wrote a blog post about my running bucket list. So this spring I decided that it was time to work on something on my running bucket list.

During a night of insomnia, I made the impulsive decision to purchase a road bike. A few days later I decided to sign up for my first duathlon. This was towards the end of half marathon training so I felt like I was in pretty good shape. I started biking a couple of times a week and continued running 3 or 4 times a week. There was about a month between the half marathon and the duathlon so I figured that was enough time to train. I began incorporating brick workouts, which are not very fun. A brick workout consists of running then biking or biking then running or run, bike, run. I think that it is called a brick workout because your legs literally feel like bricks when you get off of the bike and try to start running. After you get off of the bike and start running, your legs feel really heavy for the first half mile. It's not so bad after that, but it's definitely a weird feeling.

As the training month progressed, I was not sure how well I would do at this duathlon. I felt pretty slow on the bike and other bikers would zoom past me when I was out for a ride. I figured that I was out of shape and it was okay because it was only my first duathlon. It had never crossed my mind that maybe I was using the wrong gears because I had read a lot of articles and watched a lot of YouTube videos about road bikes. I did not discover until after the duathlon that I had been using the wrong gears the whole time and one of my gears was also broken. So I went into the duathlon thinking that it would not be so bad and I was hoping that the course would be flat. I certainly was proven wrong!

On the morning of the duathlon, I woke up feeling slightly nervous as I always do before a race. I honestly had no clue what really went on before and during a duathlon. The Steel Man was also a sprint triathlon, olympic triathlon, aquabike and duathlon. So you could do running, biking and swimming or biking and swimming or running and biking. I think that I would like to do a triathlon someday, but I am not a very good swimmer. The duathlon seemed like a perfect fit for me because the swimming leg was replaced by another running leg.

When we showed up to the duathlon, I could not have felt more intimidated. There were some pretty serious athletes there and here I show up with a road bike I barely even know how to use. I was immediately flustered by the fact that there were hardly any spots left in the corral for me to put my bike and Jay also got yelled at for going in there because he was not in the race. I also felt out of place because I didn't have a fancy triathlon outfit on. There were people in their wetsuits or fancy biking clothes and I just threw on a tank top and spandex. I figured it was not worth investing in triathlon clothing unless I actually liked the duathlon and wanted to do more.

There were so many different things to do to get ready for the actual race. You didn't just put on a running bib like you do in other races. You also had to put a timing chip around your ankle, get body marked and get your bike tagged too. When I headed to the start line, I noticed that there were only about 15 people in the duathlon. There were probably about 100 people competing in the different events, but the duathlon was definitely the smallest. As I sized up my competition, I met a girl who was competing in her second duathlon. She had done the Steel Man duathlon last year and came in last place. She told me not to worry because she would definitely finish after me. Some of the other people in our race seemed pretty serious about the duathlon so I did not know where I would fall into the mix.

We started the race off with a 1.5 mile run. I was feeling really confident and good about my run. I was even towards the head of the pack going into the biking portion of the race. I thought that this race might be a breeze after all. As I headed into the transition area to get my bike, I had no clue what I was going to be in for the next 12.4 miles. I took my bike out of transition and hopped on for what would be the worst bike ride ever. I rode the entire race in the uphill gear and did not even know it. I felt like I was pedaling so fast and people were just flying by me. I was beginning to get discouraged because I had such a good start.

The bike portion of the race was awful. I felt like I was riding really slow, which now makes sense because I was in my uphill hear, and people were passing me left and right. When you were body marked, they put a D on the back of your calf if you were in the duathlon. They also had S for sprint and A for aquabike. As I was riding, I began to count all of the D's that rode past me. At one point, I think I had counted everyone except for the girl that I had met at the beginning. I was so ready to quit and was getting so embarrassed. I am not an expert biker and was beginning to think that I did not belong in the duathlon at all. The people that rode past me were very encouraging and kept telling me good job. One girl yelled some piece of advice to me, but I could not hear what she said. I am now thinking that she was telling me that I was in the wrong gear.

As the world's worst bike ride continued, we rode in one giant square of rolling hills. I kept hearing people telling their friends to shift their gears so I did too. Only I now know that I was just increasing and decreasing the difficulty of my uphill gear. We were only about halfway through this LONG bike ride when we got to a long steep hill. I actually saw other people walking their bikes up it, but not me. It might have taken me awhile, but I slowly made my way up that climb. I was so excited that I was over that hurdle until we got to the next big hill. The hills were nothing compared to what we experienced on the last stretch of the biking. There were 40mph wind gusts plus we were on a pretty major road. Anytime a truck drove by it made the wind gusts even stronger. I felt like I was barely moving at all because the gusts just kept pushing me back. On top of that, the rolling hills continued.

At one point, I was like maybe I should just stop and call Jay to come pick me up. It wasn't that I couldn't finish it. I just was feeling defeated by how hard this actually was. I kept going anyways because this was the challenge I wanted and I was not about to quit. I was so happy when I rode my bike back into Darien Lake and could put my bike back in transition. As I ran out of transition, my legs were feeling super heavy and tired. I was glad to be out running instead of biking though so it was no big deal. The last leg of the race was running the 1.5 mile loop twice. As I finished my first loop, I yelled to Jay and my mom that I was never doing another duathlon. I finished the duathlon in 14th place and there were only 15 finishers. Even though I came in 2nd last place, I was still proud of myself for my new accomplishment.

A few weeks after the duathlon, I had my gears fixed and I also learned how to use my gears properly. It makes a huge difference when you are using the right gears and it turns out that I am not really that slow on my bike after all. Although I said I would never do another duathlon, I think that I probably would now that I know how to use my bike. I think I would even consider a triathlon if I had some serious swim practice, but for now I think I will work on improving my duathlon. I am not sure what my next running challenge will be, but for now it's back to cross country season and enjoying the fall running weather.

November ..... The Month of the Running Comeback

During the month of November, I ran 4 races including a 5K, two 5 mile races and a 13K. Here is my place, finishing time and pace for each race:

I came in 53rd place in the Halloween 13K with a time of 1:15:30, which is a 9:21 min/mi pace.

I came in 69th place in the Returning Warrior 5 Miler race with a time of 44:00, which is an 8:48 min/mi pace.

I came in 27th place overall and 2nd place in my age group at the Chilly Chase 5K with a time of 25:55, which is an 8:20 min/mi pace.

I came in 297th place at the Pete Keyes Turkey Trot 5 mile race with a time of 44:57, which is a 9:00 min/mi pace.

For someone who just had surgery 6 months ago and is making her running comeback, I would say that those are some pretty great race times. A few months ago I was not sure that I would ever run again or if I would ever be good at running again. It definitely took me quite awhile to get back into running and it was a bit of a struggle at first. I am actually a faster runner now than before I had surgery. Being healthy again makes it much easier to run.

Out of all of the races that I ran this month, I am most proud of how well I did at the Chilly Chase 5K. I decided to sign up for this race because I wanted to run a shorter race after signing up for 3 longer races this month. I knew that I had a chance to do well in this race because my pace kept continuing to improve and this was going to be a smaller race.

There were only about 100 people who ran this race so it was nice to run a smaller race for a change. When the race started, I was out towards the front of the pack and there were only about 15-20 people ahead of me. I definitely got caught up in the hype of this race because my first mile ended up being around 7:50 and I never run that fast. I knew that I needed to slow down if I wanted to do well so I did.

As I finished my second mile, I did not see anyone ahead of me that looked like they would be in my age group. I was feeling good and I knew that I was going to have a really good finish. When I was around mile 2.5, I turned around and did not see anyone who was very close to me. I thought that I was going to be able to finish the race without anyone in my age group passing me.

At mile 3, I turned the corner to the finish line. I only had 0.1 miles left and I could see the clock at the finish line. I knew that I was going to get a personal record for my best 5K time. I was running as fast as my legs would let me when 2 girls blew past me right before the finish. One of those girls was in my age group. She beat me by 5 seconds and took 1st place in our age group. I was a little upset at first that I was so close and I had missed 1st place by 5 seconds. However, I would say that coming in 2nd place in your age group and getting a 5K PR is still a pretty big deal.

November was a really good running month for me and I had a lot of great races and runs. I am glad that I am finally back into running and even faster than I was before. I am going to continue running through the winter, but I always cut back my mileage during the winter months. I like to give the body a break from running and I plan to do other forms of cardio this winter. Amy and I actually joined a gym so that we could take classes and do things other than running. It was funny that we both ended up running on the treadmill the night that we signed up for the gym. I have been doing other things at the gym besides running since then. I do not have any upcoming races, but the month of November was definitely a great finish to the 2014 running season.

Things That I Am Thankful For

So my last few blog posts have not exactly been the happiest blog posts. Recovering from surgery and returning to running certainly has been a roller coaster ride. Some days it is frustrating to not be able to run like I used to, but I am finally starting to enjoy running again. I might not be getting my distance back quite yet, but I have certainly improved my speed quite a bit. I actually think that I can run faster now than before I had surgery. I used to run a 9:30 - 10:00 min/mi pace for most of my runs and lately I have been able to keep my pace below a 9:00 min/mi pace. I was even able to maintain a really good pace at the Returning Warrior 5 miler race this weekend.

Jay, Amy and I all signed up for this race together, but they ran the 10 mile race. I definitely was not ready for 10 miles and I am glad that I stuck to the 5 mile race. I definitely could not have run 10 miles on Sunday, but I felt pretty good running 5 miles. When I started the race, I went out at a pretty comfortable pace. Shortly into the race, I saw Jackie and we ran together for about a mile. It was nice to have someone to talk to and run with for a little bit. I was hoping to run the race in 45 minutes, but figured that I would probably finish between 47 and 50 minutes. I went out a little more quickly than I should have so I had to slow down a little bit. I did not think that I was going to meet my race goal because I felt like I had slowed down quite a bit. However, I have improved my speed so much over the last few weeks that I really wasn't running as slow as I had thought.

I ended up crossing the finish line at 44:00, which was a minute faster than I was expecting. This race was exactly what I needed to turn my running attitude around and to really start to enjoy running again. My pace for the race was 8:48 min/mi and I cannot ever remember running that fast before I had surgery. I ended up finishing the race in 69th place out of 231 runners. I was the 22nd female to finish and I was 10th in my age group. I was very happy with how well I did in this race and I am extremely happy that running is beginning to get easier again. I am just going to focus on shorter distances for awhile and not worry about increasing my distance. Sometimes I forget that it has only been 5 & 1/2 months since I had surgery and I am definitely doing very well for someone who is making her comeback.

As I have been making my running comeback, I have been thinking a lot about how thankful I am to be running again. I am extremely thankful to be so healthy after struggling with stomach issues for 11 years. It was around this time a year ago when my stomach issues began to worsen and running no longer felt good. I love that I am able to run again and I love that I feel pretty good when I am running.

Lately, I have been thinking about how much my life has changed for the better over the past year and a half and I have Jason to thank for that. It is hard to believe that a couple of years ago I was not sure if I even wanted to stay here. Now we are engaged, we own a house and we are planning our wedding. Jason is the perfect guy for me and I would definitely say that he is my better half. I think that Jason has made me a better person and I am so lucky that I get to marry such an amazing man in just a few more months.

I am extremely thankful for all that Jason and our families did for me after I had surgery, but there is one person in particular that I owe a special thank you to. I might not tell her enough how much I appreciate her, but I am extremely grateful for everything that my mom did for us. My mom stayed here for a week and a half when I had surgery and her and Jason spent every day in the hospital with me. My mom did a lot of stuff for us right after I had surgery like cooking, cleaning and laundry. When we moved a month and a half after that, I still had some restrictions so my mom came down to help us again. My mom spent another week and a half down here helping us clean our house, my apartment and move. She definitely went above and beyond and I am so grateful that my mom still does so much for me.

Even though we do not live near each other anymore, I am extremely grateful that I am so close with my family. I am thankful that I still get to see my parents often and that my mom and I talk almost every day still. I wish that I was able to see my brothers and sister-in-laws more often, but I am glad that we still talk often. My family is one of the reasons that I am looking forward to our wedding so much. I cannot wait to have my dad walk me down the aisle and try to keep up with him on the dance floor. We are rarely ever all home at the same time anymore so it will be extremely nice to all be together that weekend.
 
I am also very thankful for Jason's family. I love that I have gotten to know Jay's family so much better over the past few months and that we get to spend a lot of time together. I am extremely thankful that Amy was persistent in playing matchmaker for Jason and I. I am really happy that Amy and I have become such good friends and that I am close with her family too. I absolutely love her children Andrew and Maddy and I love spending time with them. I also love seeing how great Uncle Jay is with the kids and I know that he will make a great dad in a few years when we are ready to have kids. In conclusion, my life is pretty wonderful right now and I have a lot more to be thankful for than just running.

Halloween 13K Recap

Lately I have been running because I feel like I should and not because I really want to. I feel fine physically so that is not why I really do not want to. One year ago, I was having health issues and I still found running more enjoyable than I do now. I think the hardest part is that I cannot run like I used to and I've even said to a couple of people that my prime running days are over. I am only 26 and my prime running days really are over. I have run 51 road races in the past 6 years, including 6 half marathons and one full marathon. The road race total will definitely continue to increase, but the marathon total definitely won't and it's pretty likely that the half marathon total will not increase either. When I was training for the half marathons and for my marathon, I had a big goal that I was working towards and I do not have that anymore. I'm not used to running just to run. I am used to having a running goal and working towards that goal. I do not have a training plan that I am sticking to anymore and sometimes it is harder to force myself to go out and run when I do not have a set plan. I have a couple more races coming up so hopefully that will make running a little more enjoyable again.

This past weekend, Jay, Amy and I all ran the Halloween 13K. Jay and Amy both had really good race times and they each came in 2nd place in their respective age groups. I finished the race in 53rd place with a time of  1:15:30, which is a pace of 9:21 min/mi. I felt really good for most of the race. The first half of the race was pretty easy for me, but the back half was a little bit tougher. We were running against the wind for the second half and then there was a killer hill between miles 6 and 7. I got a cramp after the hill, but luckily it was not on my surgery side so I was glad about that. Jay waited for me and ran a little bit of the end with me and I even finished the race 8 minutes faster than I did last year. Even though I ran faster than last year, I did not have a fast race time or win a medal or really accomplish anything. I don't feel entirely proud of my race this weekend because I was the only one who did not really accomplish anything. I don't know if I will ever get to the point where I am fast enough to place in an age group. I have improved my pace quite a bit over the past month, but I am still just a mediocre runner.

The Struggles of Returning to Running

Think about something that you love to do. Think about a problem that can get in the way of you being able to do the thing that you love. Think about being told that you can no longer do the thing that you love to do. Think about getting the problem fixed. Think about being told that you can now do the thing that you love again. Think about being told that even though you can do this thing again that it probably won't ever be the same. Think about doing the thing that you love again and it being completely different than it was before. Think about the thing that you love to do being more difficult and having more restrictions. This is exactly what has gone on with my running journey over the last year.

I stopped running back in March and did not start running again until sometime in August. During the month of August, I would run a couple of times a week and I would only run about a mile or two. When September hit and we went back to school, I was running, hiking, walking or biking pretty much every day. I began running like I had in the past. I was running 3 times a week and some weeks I even got 4 runs in. I began to increase both my distance and my speed while I was running, but things were different this time.

Before I knew it, I could run 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and even 8 miles again! For someone who had surgery just a few months ago, I could not believe what my body was able to do again. It was almost like I had never stopped running. But I had stopped running for quite awhile and now my body is no longer the same. Ever since I did return to running, my running has been very inconsistent. Some days I can run at a really great pace or a really far distance and it feels great. Other days, running can be a struggle. I am not as fast as I once was and I cannot run as far or as much as I used to be able to.

Since I began running so much again, I decided to sign up for a few races that Jay and Amy had signed up for. The first race is a Halloween 13K this Saturday. If Jay and Amy had not signed up, I most certainly would not have signed up myself. However, Jay and I do have a great couple's costume picked out for this race and the 3 of us were excited to be able to run this race together. Truthfully, I am not sure that I am ready for this race. I was not sure that I would be ready for this race when I signed up, but I felt like if I kept increasing my distance it would be no problem.

Did I get back into running too quickly? Did I do too much too fast? Am I pushing my body too far too quickly so soon after surgery? Have I been overdoing it? The answer to all of these questions is probably yes. I hate accepting the fact that there are some things that I cannot do like I did before and one of those things is running. I know that I am probably running too much and I fully intend to cut back on the running now. I spent too many years being sick so often to let running ruin what the surgery has fixed.

The surgeon told me that I would be able to return to running again, but to listen to my body and know that running probably won't be the same for me anymore. I know that I won't be able to run 20-30 miles a week again. I know that sometimes running 3 times a week will be too much. I know that sometimes I won't be able to go as far or as fast as I would like. I know that I do not need to sign up for races just because Jay and Amy are. I know that I need to find other things to do besides running. The only hard part is that I cannot lift weights or do core exercises so I am pretty much limited to cardio anyways. I do plan to continue running, but I am going to cut back and be more conservative in how far or how fast I run.

4 Months Post-Surgery & My Return to Running

It's been 4 months since I had surgery for a hiatal hernia and I am now the healthiest that I have been in 11 years. I no longer suffer from acid reflux. I no longer have to take several medications a day. I no longer have stomach pain or trouble sleeping at night. I have the nissen fundoplication to thank for the extremely significant improvement in my health. For those not familiar with the nissen fundoplication surgery, my stomach was wrapped around my esophagus and my hiatal hernia was also fixed. When my stomach contracts, the wrap closes off the opening between my esophagus and my stomach so that the reflux no longer comes up. I also no longer have the ability to burp or throw up, which is both a good and bad thing. Some people are able to burp or throw up again after they have the surgery, but so far I have not been able to and that was definitely a challenge during the beginning of my recovery.

Even though I am healthy now, I still have some restrictions and I have had to make some lifestyle changes. I have to eat smaller meals now and I am not supposed to eat my food too quickly. Sometimes food gets "stuck" in my esophagus when I am eating, but it goes down eventually. I have 5 different incisions from my surgery and sometimes I get some occasional pain in any one of the incision sites when I overdo it. I don't really think much of these minor changes because having this surgery was the best decision that I have ever made.

The only part of my life that this surgery has majorly impacted has been my physical activity. There are some things that I will never be able to do again and there are some things that I have had to cut back on. Since I had a hernia fixed, I can no longer do upper body workouts or lift too much. Even though I am pretty much recovered, it was recommended that I avoid core exercises for a year to really give my body time to heal. I have to be careful with activities that include jumping or physically exerting too much. Despite all of my limitations, my body finally feels like it is back to normal, or at least my "new normal." I am able to walk, run and bike, which were the 3 activities that I did the most before surgery.

In the weeks following my surgery, I started using MyFitnessPal as a way to track my calories because I was not getting enough calories right after surgery. Since I was on a restricted diet, I was not eating as much and I did not have a lot of energy. The restricted diet also caused me to lose 18 pounds after my surgery. I was not fat before I had surgery, but I definitely had a few extra pounds. I am finally back down to the weight that I was in high school so I have continued to use MyFitnessPal to maintain my weight.

After I had surgery, it was a struggle to even walk a 1/4 mile. As I recovered all summer, I went walking everyday. I slowly built up my distance over the summer as my body continued to heal. Jay and I joined the FitBit craze and it was great motivator to keep walking. Despite all of the walking that I was doing, I thought that I would never be able to run again. At my 2 month follow-up with the surgeon, he lifted all of my restrictions and gave me the all-clear to start running again. I did not begin running right away, but I did continue to walk and I started biking again.

It took me almost 3 months after my surgery to finally feel ready to run again. If I had not kept walking everyday, then it would have been an even bigger challenge to get back into running. All of that walking made it a lot easier to get back into running than I had expected. I started out very slowly and did very short distances a couple times a week. I have continued to slowly build up my distance and my speed over the past month, but I still have an extremely long way to go. I still have a pretty slow pace and my longest run has been 4 miles. I usually go out for a 1 or 2 mile run, but I have had a couple of 3 mile runs. This is definitely a huge decrease in the amount of running that I was doing even a year ago.

It feels to good to be running again, but running will never be the same as it was before because my body is not the same. I will never be quite as fast as I used to be and I will never be able to go quite as far as I used to. I will certainly never run another marathon and I might not ever run another half marathon. I am not going to rule out another half marathon, but I know that if I ever run another one it will be a long time before I ever get there. I don't know if my "new normal" will ever allow me to go that far, but time will tell what my body will allow. I never even expected to be running 4 months post-surgery so that alone is a huge accomplishment.

It is hard sometimes to know that I cannot run like I used to. Sometimes I get a little jealous when Jay or my friends are running long distances and are running much faster than I am. However, they constantly remind me of the huge accomplishments that I have had in my running career. I have run over 50 road races including several half marathons and a full marathon. I am proud of all of the running accomplishments that I had before surgery, but sometimes I do miss running like it was before. I miss running several times a week and running far distances, but maybe one day I will be there again. For now, I am just happy that I am able to run now.

My running plan for now is to not have a running plan. I am enjoying being able to run whenever I want and how far I want without any pressure of any big upcoming races. I would like to do a couple shorter races in the near future, but I would definitely not be trying to go for a personal record. It is nice to be able to just run for fun again and not worry about sticking to a training schedule. I am going to continue working on building my speed and distance back up and just run what feels good. For the first time in a long time, I finally feel like a runner again and I am extremely happy to have that part of my life back.

Life without Running

I created my running blog a year and a half ago when I began training for the 2013 Buffalo Marathon.  I was able to share my journey from the beginning of my marathon training until I crossed the finish line at the end of that glorious 26.2 miles. Since I am a math teacher, I naturally included running statistics at the end of every post during my marathon training. Over my 30 weeks of training, I ran a total of 527.1 miles over the course of 85 hours, 9 minutes and 44 seconds.  When you do the math, it equates to a total of 3 days, 13 hours, 9 minutes and 44 seconds of running. On top of the 85 hours of training, it took me 5 hours, 5 minutes and 30 seconds to cross the finish line of the 2013 Buffalo Marathon. After devoting 90 hours of running over the course of 30 weeks, I was extremely proud of myself for accomplishing something that only about 1% of the world’s population will ever accomplish.

I decided to continue blogging occasionally after the Buffalo Marathon because that certainly was not the end of my running journey.  I met Jason shortly after I ran the Buffalo Marathon and he quickly became a part of my running journey too. He was just beginning to get into running when we met and we quickly began to compete with one another in the distance aspect. If one of us went out and ran 5 miles, the other one would go out and run 6 miles. If one of us went out and ran 8 miles, the other one would go out and run 9 miles. We were both in pretty good shape by the end of the summer and coaching cross country helped me to begin to really improve my speed while running. By the early fall, Jason and I were both in the best shape that we had ever been in and we began running road races together. By running road races together, I mean that we would enter the same races and Jason would always finish well ahead of me. I loved that he was always waiting for me at the finish line and that running had become an integral part of our relationship.

The last time that I wrote a blog post was about 8 months ago, which was the last time that Jason and I had entered a road race together. I have run 2 more road races since my last blog post so I have now completed 50 road races since I began running 6 years ago. Those 50 road races include several 5K’s and 10K’s, 6 half marathons and 1 marathon. I had been hoping to increase the 50 road race total, but my body had different plans for me. It has been 8 months since I last posted because I have not run much since then and it has been 4 months since the last time that I actually went out for a run. After the Buffalo Marathon, some stomach issues began to worsen and I slowly began to run less and less. I had dealt with acid reflux for 10 years, but I had still been able to continue running. A hiatal hernia developed over the last couple of years and the acid reflux started becoming a problem when I was running. I decided that it was time to stop running until I was able to get my stomach issues under control.

Since I finally had surgery 2 months ago, running has been and will continue to be out of the question for a while. I know that running has caused a lot of wear and tear on my body and it certainly attributed to my health issues. I know that if I ever get back into running eventually, it will not and cannot be the same as it was before. Truthfully, I am not even sure that I will ever really get back into running or if I even want to. In fact, I do not even really consider myself a runner anymore. I am not even proud of my running accomplishments anymore since I am no longer running. When I began cutting back on the running a few months ago, I took my 13.1 and 26.2 magnets off of the back of my car. I worked really hard to accomplish running several half marathons and a full marathon so I proudly displayed those magnets for months. After spending 6 years running 3-4 times a week and entering many road races, I felt like I no longer deserved to display my accomplishments because I am no longer a runner.  As a former runner, I had always considered running to be a huge part of my life and that is no longer the case. Some days I would really love to just lace up my running sneakers and hit the pavement again. Some days I am jealous of all of my friends who get to go out run and I am sad that I am not out running too. Some days I really do not miss running at all, but most days I do. I am not sure when or if I will ever begin running again so in the meantime I will have to find something else to fill the running void in my life.

The Returning Warrior ..... And Michele!

On Saturday, Jay and I ran The Returning Warrior 10-Miler Race. After the Halloween 13K last weekend, we almost immediately decided to sign up for another race. I thought that I was ready to sign up for another race, but I was honestly not too excited about running 10 miles. Since the Buffalo Marathon, which was at the end of May, I have only run 8 miles a total of three times and I have only had a few 6 mile runs. I have been running a lot still, but I have not been doing a lot of distance running. I did not feel well-prepared for a distance race so I was not sure how well this race was going to go.

If you have followed my blog, then you know that I was having trouble bouncing back from the marathon. I did not write too much about why I was having so much trouble because I am not one to share too much of my personal life on my blog. This is a blog about my running adventures and not about my personal life. However, some health issues have been affecting my running and that is why it was so hard for me to really get back into running. As the new school year and cross country season began, the stomach issues progressively got worse and my body was telling me that it was time to cut back on the running. I chose to ignore what my body was telling me and continued running quite a bit. I got to the point where it just did not feel good to run and I knew that it was time to listen to my body.

Last week, I decided that it was time for my body to take a break from all of the running. I knew that it could not be a good thing to have your stomach hurt so much during a run and after a run all of the time. Since I had taken the entire week off from running, I was a little nervous about this race on Saturday. I decided that I was not going to set a goal for myself for this race because I am pretty sure that running too hard and too fast all of the time has contributed to the problem. I told Jay that I wanted to maintain a pace of around 10:00 min/mi and I was expecting to finish the race between 1:40 and 1:45. I knew that this race would be a lot easier on my body if I did not push it too hard.

Saturday was nice and cool and it certainly was a beautiful day for a race. There were about 350 runners in the race, but about half of the runners were in the 5 mile race and the other half of the runners were in the 10 mile race. I was majorly impressed with how well this entire race was organized. The course was very well marked and there were even clocks at most of the mile splits, which was nice to be able to track your progress. The race followed a 5 mile loop in Otsiningo Park so the 10 milers had to run 2 of the 5 mile loops. The other thing that I loved about this course was the fact that you ran back up some of the same paths that you ran down. It was awesome to be able to see the people running in front of you and behind you. I even got to see Jay and high five him a couple of times.

I decided to start the race in the back of the pack because I knew that I would be slower. When the race began, I turned on MapMyRun so that I could get voice feedback at every mile. I wanted to have the feedback so that I could be sure that I was running a pretty decent pace. As I ran the first couple of miles, I slowly began to pass people and that is my favorite thing about starting in the back of the pack. I did not even feel like I was running that fast, but I was maintaining a pace well below 10:00 min/mi. When we reached the 5 mile mark, the 5 milers crossed the finish and the 10 milers continued running. I hit the 5 mile mark at 47:46 and I could not believe that I was running so fast. I was not sure that I was going to be able to maintain that pace for another 5 miles, but I was feeling pretty good. I ended up finishing the race in 1:35:47 and was extremely happy with how well I did.

The Returning Warrior 10-Miler was the first race since the Buffalo Marathon that I did not feel awful during or after the race. I have run a couple of times since then and I finally feel pretty well again when I am running. I think that cutting back and taking a break from running was exactly what my body needed. I am going to run a little bit more conservatively for the next couple of months to give my body time to fully bounce back. I plan to have no running plan over the next couple of months. I might still do a race or two, but I am not going to do way too much running like I have been. I am finally feeling good again, but I am going to listen to my body from now on when it comes to running. It might take some time, but Michele the runner is making her comeback!

The Tale of Jason & Michele: The Running Couple

About 5 months ago, Jason's sister Amy decided that she wanted to play matchmaker for her brother and I. I work with Amy and we quickly became friends last year when she began running. Amy and I would talk about running or she would ask for running tips. Amy and Jason both ran their first 5K at the Bridge Run this past spring so Amy knew that Jason and I both had running in common. I ran the half marathon at the Bridge Run again this spring and then I ran my first marathon just 3 weeks later. Jason and I first began talking the day after I ran the Buffalo Marathon.

When we began talking, I did not want Jason to think that I was some elite runner because I had just ran my first marathon. The truth is that I am quite the opposite of an elite runner. I have run several 5K's and 10K's, a few half marathons and even a full marathon. I am just your average runner who worked really hard and overcame a lot of running obstacles to train for and run a full marathon. I am no special runner and I will admit that I am not even that fast of a runner. I am just a regular runner who enjoys running and setting running goals to accomplish. I would definitely say that running the Buffalo Marathon might just be the biggest running goal that I'll ever accomplish and that is good enough for me.

If you followed my marathon training, then you would know that I had some major runner burnout after the Buffalo Marathon. I had no desire to run for quite awhile and half of the time going out and running did not even feel that great. I knew that all I needed was some time to bounce back from the marathon both physically and mentally. Since Jason and I began talking right after the marathon, I used my evenings after work to talk to Jason non-stop instead of going out running. We went on our first date about a week and a half after we first started talking and we really hit it off. Jason and I went on a few more dates and we have been happily dating ever since.

There are many things that I love about Jason and our relationship. One of the things that I love the most about our relationship is the fact that we grew to know each other so well through hiking and running. One of our very first dates was going hiking on the trails at the nature preserve at Binghamton University. Over the summer, hiking became our regular weekly or bi-weekly thing to do. We went to many different state parks around the area and we would spend 3 or 4 hours at a time hiking. We were able to spend time getting to know each other so well over these hikes. I loved that hiking gave us a break from the busy, technologically-dependent society that we live in. It was so nice to be able to spend an extended period time with each other instead of our cell phones. I loved just talking with Jason for hours and exploring the trails and waterfalls at these beautiful state parks.

I love the fact that Jason and I were able to spend the summer staying fit and active together. As the summer continued, I slowly got back into running and even started biking too. I was beginning to run pretty consistently again and at the same time Jason began to start running pretty consistently too. If you know Jason or I, you know that we are both competitive people and the competitive side came out of both of us in running this summer. If I went out for a 6 mile run one day, then Jason would go out for a 7 mile run that day or the next day. If Jason went out for an 8 mile run one day, then I would go out for a 9 mile run that day or the next day. We spent the entire summer always trying to outdo one another when it came to running, but it was definitely not a bad thing for either of us. Jason runs at a much quicker pace than I do so the competitiveness always came out in the distance of the run. If Jason and I had not been trying to keep up with one another in running all summer, then I think that neither of us would have done much running all summer.  By the end of the summer, Jason and I were both in the best shape that we had ever been in and we had running and hiking to thank for that.

Coaching cross country helped me stay in such great shape all fall and I continued to see improvements in my running pace. Since I had fallen in love with running again and was ready to start racing again, entering road races was a perfect fit for our relationship. Jason and I ran two 5K's together this fall and we both saw significant improvements in our running. So the tale of Jason and Michele leads me to our 3rd race that we ran together today. Jason and I debated between running a 5K or a 13K today. We considered running a 5K because both of us wanted to get another 5K PR. Two nights ago we ended up deciding that we would run the 13K because neither of us had ever run a 13K before. It was also a Halloween race so I knew that this could be a really fun and competitive race.

Last night, Jason and I talked about our running goals for today. We both always set goals for ourselves when we run a race and try to beat a certain time. I decided that my goal for this race would be to win the costume contest. I had never run a race in a costume before and thought that it would be a really fun thing to do. When I was in college, I was a Rubik's cube for Halloween one year and decided that this race would be the perfect race to wear it for. I told Jason that I planned on running this race instead of racing it. He told me that he was confused because I had just talked about wanting to race again in my last blog post. I have been running a lot lately, but I did not think that I was prepared enough to race a distance race. I had run a lot during cross country season, but I had focused more on speed than distance. I have not even run more than 6 miles at once since the summer so I knew that racing for 8.1 miles was a stupid idea.

I decided that I was still going to run this race as fast as I could, but I was not going to be upset if I did not break a certain time. I was still aiming for finishing in 1:20, but it was not going to be a big deal if I did not. Jason planned to race and wanted to finish in under an hour. The difference between running and racing for me is that racing is finishing under a certain time and running is just doing the best that you can during a race. When we arrived at the Halloween 13K today, I received a lot of compliments on my Rubik's cube costume. I had a few people tell me that they did not know how I was going to run in that costume and one guy said that he would not be surprised if I ditched the costume somewhere in the middle of the race. My goal was to keep the Rubik's cube on for the entire race, prove those people wrong and win the costume contest.

When the race began, I headed out at a pretty decent pace. I was well on my way to finishing under 1:20 and was hoping that I could keep a steady pace. However, running in a giant box is kind of difficult. I could not really move my arms too much during running and that definitely slowed me down during the race. However, I was determined to run the entire 8.1 miles with that Rubik's cube on. There were parts of the race that running in a Rubik's cube made a lot tougher. This was not the easiest race for me to run with that extra weight on and limited arm movement, but this was definitely one of the most fun races that I had ever run in. I got so many compliments and cheers from other runners and spectators throughout the entire race.

My giant Rubik's cube costume and I crossed the finish line in 1:23:13. I was a little disappointed that I did not break 1:20, but I reminded myself that I was not trying to break a certain time today. I also reminded myself that I had just run 8.1 miles wearing a giant box. When I crossed the finish line, there were a lot of people cheering for me and I knew that we had chosen the right race to run in. Jason ended up finishing the race in 58:13 and he was waiting for me at the finish line like he always does. I ended up winning the costume contest so I succeeded in my running goal for today. Jason ended up coming in 2nd place in his age group so we both went home with medals today. I love that running has become such an integral part of our relationship and Jason and I definitely plan to run more races together soon.

The One Year Difference

It's been exactly one year since I began my running blog, which means that it has been exactly one year since I began my 30 week marathon training plan. The big difference between this time last year and this time this year is that I have finally considered myself to be a runner. I really began running in 2006, which is when I was a freshman in college, because my college roommate was really into running. I had run occasionally before that, but never on a regular basis. I ran my first road race in 2008 and since then I have run in 46 road races. At this time last year, I had already ran several 5K's and 10K's and I had even ran 4 half marathons already. I decided that it was time for me to attempt the big 26.2, but I still did not really consider myself that much of a runner. I figured that running a marathon was the next logical step down my running path. There were many people who told me that I would not be able to run a marathon and I wanted to prove them wrong. After 30 weeks of long, hard training, I successfully completed my first marathon on May 26th, 2013.

When I reflect back on my marathon training and race, I realize that this was the moment that I truly considered myself a runner. After the Buffalo Marathon, a friend told me that only 1% of the population ever completes a marathon. As a math teacher, I can truly understand the significance of that statistic. Even though my marathon time was way slower than the average time for someone my age, I still felt like I was part of an elite group. That feeling was recently squashed when I read an article that Hal Higdon posted. I have used, and really enjoyed, Hal Higdon's half marathon and marathon training plans so I follow his status updates. The Slow Lane was an article about whether or not there is any pride in running a marathon anymore. Everyone runs for different reasons and not everyone runs races solely for the competition. I think that we should be commending the fact that so many people have taken up running as a sport or a hobby.

I did like that the article talks a little bit about how "fun runs" such as the Color Run and Tough Mudder are not even real races. If you had followed my running blog or knew how my running was going after the marathon, then you will recall that I had some major runner burnout this summer. I was really mentally and physically struggling through many of my runs this summer and had no desire to even be running at all. I ended up running in the Color Run and the Dirty Girl Mud Run and they were exactly the kinds of runs that I needed to kick my runner burnout. By the end of the summer, I was running for fun again and had no specific goal in mind. I usually sign up for races all of the time so that I will always have a goal to reach, but it was great to be able to run however much I wanted to run whenever I wanted to run.

By the end of the summer, I was more than ready to enter my 2nd year of coaching cross country. I was ready to focus on my athletes' running instead of my own for once. I workout and run with my team pretty much everyday so I knew that I would definitely be in great shape by the end of the season, if not the best shape I had ever been in. After the first 2 weeks of cross country, I was itching to begin running road races again. It had been quite awhile since I had the desire to enter a road race and I was ready to make my return to the race scene. I ran a 5K the day after my 25th birthday and I finished the race in 27:27, which was 49 seconds faster than my previous PR. I had been trying to break 28 minutes during a 5K race for a long time and finally being able to do it was such an incredible feeling for me.

After my new 5K PR, I realized that up until this point there were not many races that I had run that I had really raced. I did run fast during 5K's, but I never really pushed myself as hard as I could. I enjoyed running 5K's, but I never really had the desire to see how far I could push myself. I knew that I was getting into better shape every week of cross country and that I was ready to really test my limits during races. I realized that being a good coach meant that I should also practice what I preach. I am not really teaching my athletes anything if I enter races just to run in them. I wanted to show them that if you set a goal and worked hard, then you could achieve your goal. I made myself a 5K goal of getting below 28 minutes and I realized that running a 5K is much more of an accomplishment when you have a goal to achieve.

I ran a few races during the cross country season, but my best race was the Chris Bond 5K that I ran last weekend. I had run this race a few times before in college with my college roommate so Jason and I decided to sign up for it. When you are practicing or coaching meets 6 days a week, entering a race on a Sunday morning does not seem as exciting as when you signed up. I decided on the way to the race that my only goal for the day would be to just break 28 minutes again. Once I got to the start line, I began to feel like this was not a good enough goal. The minute that I took my first step of the race I knew that I was going to be able to get a PR. I felt so good during the entire race and I knew that I was keeping a quick, steady pace. With every step that I took, I began to feel more confident and determined to not just break 28 minutes, but to break 27 minutes. I felt so incredible when I crossed the finish line at 26:49, shattering my old PR by 38 seconds. I am definitely attributing my recent success to the cross country season.

The cross country season came to an end over the weekend, but I am very grateful for the fact that this season has put me into the best shape that I have ever been in throughout my entire life. I am thankful that I was able to run with my athletes everyday and hopefully be a positive role model for them too. This cross country season made me fall in love with running all over again and gave me back that spark that I needed to enjoy running again. I was frequently reminded of how compassionate and encouraging runners are to one another, whether they are on the same team or not. I was reminded of how unique the bond of runners really is. I was reminded of why I love running so much in the first place, even on days that running is the last thing that I want to do. I was reminded that success is a result of hard work and determination. I was reminded that I really can be considered a runner, even on my slowest days. I was reminded that running is fun and that you do not always need to have a goal. I was reminded that running is the sport that you will love to hate and hate to love.

When I look back on the past year since I began marathon training, I am really proud of how far I have come as a runner. I ran 13 races this past year, including 2 half marathons and my first full marathon. I shattered my 5K and 10K PR's more than once and I proved to myself that I can accomplish my goals if I work hard enough. The million dollar question is what comes next? I have been toying around with many different ideas for my next big running goal and have not settled on one yet. I have decided that I am going to let the next couple of months just be running for fun. I plan to enter a couple more road races before 2013 ends, but I do not have any major goals set for myself. During cross country season, there were weeks where I was running 5 or 6 days in a row. I am definitely going to cut back a bit now so that I will be ready to tackle my next running goal once the new year starts. I built a really solid running base during cross country so I will be ready for whatever I decide to do next. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy running and get myself ready for whatever comes next. It's amazing what a difference a year can make.

Life After 26.2: The Inability to PR

It has been exactly 10 weeks since the Buffalo Marathon and I am finally getting the desire to run back. I did not do a whole lot of running in the first few weeks following the marathon and there were many different reasons for that. With the end of the school year, my brother’s wedding and giving my body a break after the marathon, running quickly moved to the bottom of my priority list. The marathon definitely took its toll on my body and running was a bit challenging physically after that. Running was a struggle for me from the end of May until the end of June so I decided to take a few weeks off from running. After my brother’s wedding and a couple weeks of traveling, I was finally over my runner burnout and ready to begin running again. When I began running again, it was still a bit of a struggle physically and that was very frustrating. After a couple of weeks of running regularly again, my body finally began to bounce back from the marathon and running began to feel good again.

One thing that helped me bounce back from the marathon was beginning to do some more cross training. From November to May, my entire focus was on training for the marathon and running was the only exercise that I was doing. My pace for running is still pretty inconsistent right now, but the cross training has definitely helped my running. Jason and I have made hiking a weekly thing this summer and 3 hour hikes are definitely a great workout. I have also started biking a couple days a week too and that is also a great workout. I really wanted to get into biking because I am considering completing a duathlon next year. I am not a very good swimmer so a duathlon would be perfect for me. I know that I will definitely do at least a couple of half marathons again next year, but I am not so sure about another marathon. If I do not do another marathon, then I will definitely have the time to devote to training for a duathlon. That is definitely on my bucket list and I am already thinking about my big workout goal for 2014.

For the remainder of 2013, I plan to take it easy on the running. I will still enter shorter road races and continue running regularly. I have no intention of doing any longer races again until late next winter or next spring. I want to spend some time just running for fun again and enjoying running some shorter races. I have run two 5K’s in the past month and I was a little disappointed after I finished each of them. My speed for shorter distances definitely improved quite a bit after training for the Buffalo Marathon so I expected to PR in both of these races. I technically did PR at the Corporate Challenge, but the course was not exactly 3.1 miles. The Corporate Challenge was a huge struggle for me and I just could not push myself to go any faster. I was the last one to finish from our team even though I tried to keep up with everyone. I was pretty disappointed after that, but you cannot expect to PR every time that you race. I also started running again the week of the Corporate Challenge so it was no surprise that the race was difficult for me. 

I spent the weeks following the Corporate Challenge just trying to get back into a regular running routine. Running has definitely gotten easier again over the past few weeks, but I have still been pretty inconsistent. Some days running is really easy and I have a pretty good pace. Some days running is a struggle and I am pretty slow. Despite my inconsistency, I have gotten the desire to begin racing again. Since I am ready to do some shorter races, I have been making sure that I run 3.1 miles at least once a week. I ran 3.1 miles 1 ½ minutes quicker than my 5K PR this past week. I was so happy that I had such a good run that I decided to enter a 5K this past weekend. I thought for sure that I would get a PR at the Taste of Lancaster 5K, but that did not happen. I had a really great first mile and I had set into a pretty comfortable pace. It was pretty hot out that morning and I definitely slowed down during the other 2 miles. I was disappointed when I saw that I was not going to get a PR, but I was less than a minute away from my best time. I should have been able to get a PR because I had just proved that I could do it a few days before. I am not sure why the last two races were so difficult for me and why I now have the inability to PR during a race. I think that I need to get a couple more races under my belt and a few more weeks of running before I am satisfied with where I am as a runner again. I am definitely on the right track now and I am very happy to finally be bouncing back from this marathon.

For those who were wondering, here are my running statistics since the marathon:

May 2013

5/30/13 – 2 miles in 20:11 (10:06 min/mi pace)

June 2013

6/3/13 – 4.25 miles in 39:20 (9:15 min/mi pace)

6/9/13 – 2 miles in 18:56 (9:28 min/mi pace)

6/11/13 – 4.5 miles in 39:44 (8:49 min/mi pace)

6/19/13 – 7 miles in 1:12:14 (10:19 min/mi pace)

6/20/13 – 1 mile in 7:56 (7:56 min/mi pace)

6/20/13 – 1 mile in 7:34 (7:34 min/mi pace)

6/20/13 – 1 mile in 7:40 (7:40 min/mi pace)

July 2013

7/8/13 -5K in 28:29 (9:11 min/mi pace)

7/10/13 – 5K in 31:29 (10:09 min/mi pace)

7/11/13 – Corporate Challenge 5K in 28:17 (9:06 min/mi pace)

7/14/13 – 4 miles in 43:43 (10:56 min/mi pace)

7/16/13 – 1 mile in 8:16 (8:16 min/mi pace)

7/16/13 – 2 miles in 17:40 (8:50 min/mi pace)

7/17/13 – 5K in 29:27 (9:30 min/mi pace)

7/21/13 – 5 miles in 52:44 (10:32 min/mi pace)

7/23/13 – 6 miles in 1:00:42 (10:07 min/mi pace)

7/26/13 – 5K in 29:52 (9:38 min/mi pace)

7/30/13 – 8 miles in 1:21:19 (10:09 min/mi pace)

7/31/13 – 5K in 26:56 (8:42 min/mi pace)

August 2013

8/3/13 – Taste of Lancaster 5K in 29:08 (9:23 min/mi pace)

8/4/13 – 1 mile in 7:40 (7:40 min/mi pace)

8/4/13 – 1 mile in 7:43 (7:43 min/mi pace)

8/4/13 – 1 mile in 8:34 (8:34 min/mi pace)

8/4/13 – 1 mile in 8:31 (8:31 min/mi pace)

522.05 miles run in 83:51:39 during 2013!

Life After 26.2: Runner Burnout

It’s been exactly 2 weeks since the Buffalo Marathon and I am currently experiencing a severe case of runner burnout. When I say a severe case of runner burnout, I mean bad enough to want to drop out of all of the races that I have already registered for this summer. At this point, my lack of motivation is mostly mental. I was surprised at how quickly my body actually bounced back from the marathon and all soreness was gone by the end of the first week. Since the marathon, I have lost the spark to run that I have had all spring. I just do not want to run at all anymore, but I am hoping that I can get back that motivation to run again soon. I feel like I have lost everything that I have worked so hard for over the past few months. I have run 3 times since the marathon and all 3 of those runs have been a struggle. I ran a very slow 2 miles a few days after the marathon and then took a few more days off. I was able to get a 4 mile run and a 2 mile run in this past week. When I went out for the 2 miler, I was actually hoping to do 3 or 4, but my body just felt like it could not do more than 2. I was easily able to run 10 miles just a month ago and now it is a struggle to just run 2 miles.

When you train for a marathon, no one ever tells you how much of a struggle the days following the marathon will be. I knew that there would be a lot of soreness following the marathon, but that is expected with any big race. I was happy that I was only sore for a few days and that I finished this marathon without any injury. While my body was extremely sore for a few days after the marathon, I actually had trouble sleeping the first few days after the marathon. The runner’s high lasted for several days and I think that is why my body was not willing to go to bed before 1am for several days. The insomnia did not last very long and by the middle of that week I was just exhausted. When you’re exhausted, running is the last thing that you want to do so I listened to my body and took some time off. I was glad to have another excuse not to run. I have had no desire to run since the marathon and had to force myself to go running the 3 times that I did run. I never thought that running a marathon would give me such a mental runner burnout. I just do not have the same passion for running right now that I used to. I have had a few people tell me that my journey to 26.2 was what inspired them to begin running. I almost feel a little bit guilty writing this post because this is the furthest thing from inspiring people to run. Now is the time that I could use a little bit of motivation myself to begin running again.

I think that there are several factors contributing to my lack of motivation to run now. It is the end of the school year so work is extremely busy. In fact, life is just extremely busy right now. My body is just tired from the marathon and all of the traveling and has not really had a chance to catch up on sleep yet. I have been doing quite a bit of traveling recently between long weekends, different races and my brother’s upcoming wedding. I have spent a lot of time in my car over the past couple months. My running sneakers do not really feel the need to spend time on the pavement since my car tires have done so much of that. Luckily, things are beginning to slow down and summer is quickly approaching. Running experts say that it takes about a month to recover from a marathon so I am hoping to really get back into it once school ends and summer vacation begins. I have a few races that I am already registered for this summer so hopefully my body will be back in top shape by then. My next race is the Corporate Challenge this Thursday and hopefully the rest of my coworkers will not embarrass me too badly when I come in last place!

The Buffalo Marathon Recap

I AM OFFICIALLY A MEMBER OF THE 26.2 MILE CLUB!!!!! I completed the Buffalo Marathon today in 5:05:30, which is an 11:39 min/mi pace. I have already had several people asking about how the race went today so here's a recap of my marathon experience.

The Night Before the Race
I was feeling pretty good about this race because I worked really hard and I was definitely physically prepared to run a marathon. Over the past few weeks, I really had to mentally prepare myself for such a huge task. I was surprisingly only a little nervous last night because I knew that there was nothing else that I could do at this point. I did everything that I needed to do to prepare for the race today. I made sure that I had plenty of water and gatorade all day and loaded up on carbs. I also had all of my running "gear" ready last night. I tried to go to bed early last night, but I was too excited and nervous to fall asleep early. After much tossing and turning all night, I eventually fell asleep last night.

The Morning of the Race
I woke up at 3:30am this morning and was extremely happy when I realized that I could get 2 more hours of sleep. I woke up at 5:30am and got ready for the big race. I had my bowl of oatmeal and banana, put my running clothes on, got my hydration belt ready, put my timing chip on my shoe and put my race bib on my shirt. We left around 6:10am and my dad dropped me off near the start line.

The Moments Before the Race
The race did not start until 7am, but I arrived at the start line around 6:30am. I had debated wearing short spandex or capri's and was extremely happy that I chose capri's. It was only around 45 degrees outside when we were waiting for the race to start and it was COLD! I knew that once the race started that these cool temperatures would make for a great race. I got a ton of compliments on my wonderful pink race tank that Brian made for me. People either asked me if I was a math teacher or told me that they did not understand the front of my shirt until they saw the 26.2 on the back.

I entered the race corral when there was about 10 minutes left to the start. I lined up with the 4:40 marathon pacer and was hoping to stay with the pacer for most of the race. I can comfortably run a half marathon in about 2:15 so I figured that I would do okay starting with the 4:40 pacer. I knew that I would slow down eventually, but I was worried that if I started with a slower pacer I would slow down way too much. I met a lady who came from Syracuse and was also running her first marathon. We decided to run together since neither of us had anyone else to run with and would be able to help each other push through. Neither one of us had a set goal, but we were both hoping to finish in under 5 hours. My real goal was just to be able to finish the race, but a time goal really helped me to pace myself and stick with the crowd.

Miles 1-6.2 (The 10K)
I decided not to wear a watch for this race because I did not want to be disappointed in my time if I ended up being slower than expected. There were clocks at the relay points so it was good to see my time every 6.2 miles instead of every mile. When the race started off, we were maintaining a pretty good pace. We did not set out too quickly because we knew that it would be a long 26.2 miles. The first 10K of the race felt great. I was happy and comfortable with the pace that we were maintaining. The course was also relatively flat, which is a nice change from what I am used to running. The first 3 miles were through downtown Buffalo and there was just so much excitement and energy all around. We were stuck in a pretty big crowd for the beginning of the race because there were way more people in the half marathon and the relay than the actual marathon. Miles 3-6 were so beautiful to run through because we were running right along Lake Erie and the Erie Basin Marina. I also love that when you loop around the Marina you get to see people running in the other direction. The Marina loop is from miles 5-6 so I was able to see a few people that I know running by, including Molly who was also running her first full marathon. Once we were out of the Marina, we were at the 10K mark and we were holding a steady 10:40 min/mi pace.

Miles 6.2-12.4 (The 20K)
The 10K mark was the first exchange of the marathon relay so naturally tons of runners began to pass us since they were just beginning their leg of the race. I have run the half marathon twice before, but I forgot how long it feels to run from the 10K mark to the 20K mark. We ran all the way down Ohio St. for more than 2 miles before we reached the Harbor. The 10K to the 20K is a giant loop so you run past the 12 mile mark and then realize that you are actually only approaching mile 7. I had my first Gu packet around mile 7 and was only drinking water every 2 miles at this point. When you pass the 11 mile mark and go over the open gate bridge that I hate, you are really only at mile 8. We ran almost a mile down the Harbor and had another beautiful view of Lake Erie before turning around and running back the same way that we had just come. I also like this part of the course because you get to pass by all of the people that are ahead of you on the other side of the street or behind you on the way back. After mile 10, we began looking at all of the people still making their way down to the Harbor. It was incredible to see all different kinds of people out attempting a half marathon or marathon and you could tell that some people had worked really hard to get there. We noticed that there were many red bibs behind us still, but not too many blue bibs. The red bibs were for the half marathon, the green bibs were for the relay and the blue bibs were for the marathon. This was to be expected because there were way more people running the half marathon and first time marathoners are slow anyways.

Miles 12.4-18.6 (The 30K)
I lost my new running friend around the 20K mark because this was where I was beginning to struggle. We parted ways and I decided that it was time to slow down my pace, while she kept up the 10:40 min/mi pace. I knew that if I kept running so fast that I was never going to make it to the finish line. You could see the finish line around 13 miles, but this was the point where the half marathoners ran straight to the finish and the marathoners turned off to the right to continue the second half of their journey. The minute that I turned the corner it was like a ghost town compared to what we had just run in for the first half of the course. There were a lot less people running the marathon and the people running the marathon were at all different ability levels. The nice thing about this was that you had plenty of room to run with very few people around you. I was extremely happy to see bananas at the 13 mile mark because I have recently discovered that bananas are great to eat before or during a run if you have stomach problems. I was still drinking water and/or gatorade every 2 miles at this point. I had my hydration belt on in case I needed it, but luckily it was cool enough out that drinking at every 2 miles worked pretty well for me. I learned my lesson during my 22 miler about drinking too much during a run.

Miles 13 to 16 felt extremely long because it was a straight stretch down Franklin St/Linwood Avenue. I was beginning to lose motivation and energy at this point, but luckily there were a lot of motivating people along the way that helped. I talked to many people along the way and most had run a marathon before and gave me some good tips to keep moving along. We entered Forest Lawn Cemetery around Mile 16 and this was the point when the 4:40 marathon pacer passed me. I walked through every water station, but this was the point when I had to start alternating in some more walking. I really did not want to do any walking during the race, but it was necessary to help me keep running the majority of the race. We entered Delaware Park around mile 17 and miles 17-18 were where I just wanted to quit the race. I did not think that I was going to make it another 9 miles and I was getting really discouraged. It was right around mile 18 that I realized that I had not had a Gu packet since mile 18 and probably just needed a burst of energy. The fuel certainly made a difference and I quickly got rid of my negative attitude. As physically tough as this race was, it was actually way more mentally tough. When you are running for so long, it is easy to lose focus and forget about keeping your mind on the finish line. I knew that my time was getting slower, but I was going to get to that finish line no matter what.

Miles 18.6-24.8 (The 40K)
The last leg of the relay was right outside of Delaware Park and it was a bit frustrating to see the relay runners just breezing by. Luckily, the relay runners were very encouraging and kept telling us how they could never do what we were doing. Running from the 30K to the 40K was certainly not easy at all, but I was feeling much more confident than I had been before I reached the 30K point. It was beginning to warm up a bit so I began drinking water and/or gatorade at every mile, but the temperature was still comfortable for such a long run. We ran through the neighborhood around Delaware Park and there were still a ton of spectators out cheering us on. The people volunteering at the aid stations were the best and I was extremely grateful for everything that they had at the aid stations. I really enjoyed the oranges at one of the aid stations, which just fell right around the time that I needed a little kick of energy. The Buffalo Marathon does not mess around when it comes to aid stations. They did not have everything at every aid station, but they had everything ranging from water and gatorade to oranges and bananas to Gu and candy to vaseline and tylenol.

There were also water/aid stations at every mile after mile 21, which was perfect at this point in the race. This forced me to stop to walk at every mile and rehydrate. I would walk for about 1 minute and then run to the next aid station at the next mile. There were a couple of times that I had to stop to walk for a minute in the middle of a mile, but I was able to run most of the stretch from the 30K to the 40K. I am sure that I looked pretty funny every time that I started running again after a stretch of walking. It was hard to lift my legs too far off of the ground at this point so I sort of waddled a little bit until my legs began running again. We ran out of Delaware Park around mile 21, but passed through it again at mile 22. This was the point in the race that I was the most nervous for because I had never run more than 22 miles before. After the awful time that I had at mile 17, I knew that this would not be too bad. I only had 4.2 miles left to run at this point and I would have walked all 4.2 miles if I had to. Luckily, my body was willing to run most of the rest of the race very slowly. Miles 22-24 were a straight stretch down Bidwell Parkway and Richmond Avenue. The straight stretches are always the worst because they look short, but actually take forever to get through.

Miles 24.8-26.2 (The Marathon)
We turned back onto Delaware Avenue right around the 40K mark and I was happy to be so close to the finish. I got the worst cramp right below my ribs right around mile 25. I am not going to lie about the fact that I had to walk a good chunk of mile 25. I would run about 1/4 mile and then stop to walk for a minute or two. I had been doing so well around the 40K mark, even if it was slow so I was a bit annoyed. I was also a bit annoyed because I could see the fountain in Niagara Square for about 1 mile and it felt like it took forever to get there. During one of my walking stretches, I was fixing my headband and some girl ran past me and asked me if I was trying to look good for the finish instead of keeping running. I told her yes I am going to look good when I RUN past the finish line. The 26 mile mark was right in Niagara Square and that is when I got the biggest adrenaline rush of the entire race. I was going to run right across that finish line and I was going to look good doing it. I came around the corner running as fast as my body would allow at that point and I saw my parents, my brothers, my sister-in-laws and my best friends all waiting for me near the finish. I was so happy to see all of them and have such a big crowd to cheer me on at the finish. I crossed the finish around 5:08, but my chip time ended up being 5:05:30. I was expecting a 5 hour finish so I am still pretty happy with my finish, especially since running 26.2 miles is such a huge accomplishment in the first place.

After the Race
I was so incredibly proud of myself when I crossed the finish line. When I had turned the corner and saw the finish line, I just wanted to cry because I was so excited that I had made it so far. It was tough, but I made it to 26.2 miles with very few problems. It was an incredible feeling to have that marathon medal placed around my neck and realize that I have just accomplished something that I have worked so hard for the better part of 30 weeks. If you set a goal, work hard and believe in yourself, then you can achieve anything that you set your mind to! If you had told me 5 years ago that I would successfully complete a marathon, then I probably would have laughed in your face. Running a marathon was physically the most difficult thing that I have ever done, but hard work really does pay off. Thank you to all of you who joined me on this journey to 26.2 miles. Today I am especially thankful for all of the people who cheered me on and helped me get to the finish line. I am glad that my family and friends were there to see me finish, but I am also grateful for all of the other runners and the complete strangers who helped push me along today. I was definitely sore and tired when I was done, but I felt so much better than I did after I completed 22 miles. Stairs were no easy task, but I was actually able to walk/waddle and eat when I was done! I am now officially a member of the 26.2 mile club and I could not be more proud of myself for such a huge accomplishment.

What's Next
I am going to take about a week off from running now that the marathon is over to give my body some time to recover. I would like to do more cross training this summer, but I still plan to continue running. I am going to cut back on my mileage for awhile. I plan to run shorter distances and spend more time focusing on speed over the summer. I have several races planned over the next few months including the Corporate Challenge, the Boilermaker, the Color Run, the Tops/Roswell 10K and the Dirty Girl Mud Run just to name a few. I like to do longer races during the spring when the training and race weather is much cooler. At this point, I am not sure if I would ever run another marathon. It's way to soon to even think about that, but it could be a possibility one day. 

The first thing that I said to my family after the race was I am never running a marathon ever again. I am not going to say that it is going to be out of the question, but I am already beginning to think about my 2014 workout/race goal. 2008 was my first road race ever. 2009 was my first half marathon. From 2009-2011, I entered a ton of local road races and worked on improving my race speed. In 2012, I entered 3 half marathons and worked on improving my half marathon time. 2013 was the year that I ran 2 half marathons before I ran my first full marathon. I do not know what is in store for 2014 yet, but I am potentially thinking of something involving biking. I would really love to enter a duathlon, but I need to begin biking first. I think that this summer will be the perfect time to work on cross training and other workouts in addition to running. I am going to take a break from blogging for a little while. I will probably continue blogging after running races, but since I am not training for anything there will be no need for me to blog on a regular basis. So thank you for joining me on my running journey and stay tuned for whatever comes next!

26.2 MILES CONQUERED AT THE BUFFALO MARATHON IN 5:05:30!!!!!