Tag: marathon

#TinkRuns2024

The Final Countdown

2chicksandapen

Next month is around the corner. The marathon month!

A half marathon.

A full marathon.

Can I do it?

Should I do it?

I have my vlog camera ready to go. My clothing is planned and ready. I hope to document my journey for the half and the full to showcase my efforts and memories. It might not be pretty but I’m going to try to commit to the documentary along the way. 

A little extra baggage! To carry and maneuver, but I’m committed to the process.

This month is dedicated to overcoming fear. The fear of injuring myself. This is a big mental hurdle. I can get by today pain free, but I’m not running. If I run and run at an extreme level of a marathon will that be too much on my extremities? That’s what’s nerve wracking. Stay where I’m at and not push the envelope or push my limits to the extreme and see if I break or succeed?

What would you choose?

I don’t even like to run. Rather I choose to run to get better at running: this was my whole goal for the year. Somehow my injuries stacked on top of each other in ways I couldn’t even imagine leaving me helpless on the running front while my counter parts trained their little hearts out. 

7.5 miles done mid month. A big hurdle was jumped on this day. I didn’t feel like I would run. Somehow I ran. Then I decided to push a little. It felt good to get this out of the way. A little tight the next day but I survived!

Now the hard part. Finding the time to train in the remaining days before the two big events. 3-5 weeks is not much time at all! 2 hours at a time is how I will chip away. Little by little. Here I go!

5.5 miles was my next trek out just a couple days after the 7.5 miles. Progress: the pace was an improvement but still far behind ideal. I am Still choosing to celebrate progress. I mapped out a schedule for my remaining weeks to the marathon. I’m penciling in 2 hour bike time and run time in between paddle sports. Not ideal but what the calendar allows and my body can handle. Focusing quality vs quantity to limit stress on my joints.

Running into people along the trail is a blessing and a curse. It’s hard to ignore them socially but if you’re training your not there for social hour either. My version of saying hello is in the distance as we both pass by. Too funny not to share. Another 5 plus in the training books. And boy does it feel good to even type that I’m back at it!

New panic sets in when I realize the start time is 7 am for the half marathon. A decent drive there, morning prepping, etc. I’ll get through it but man it’s cold and dark these mornings which means extra layers and weight to carry and my body isn’t all the way awake at this hour these days. Got to get up extra early to stretch before the car ride, just to stiffen back up.

Oh another funny to reflect on. A friend sent me my time for my first half marathon in 2019. Sub 3 hours! For some reason I thought my time was 3 hrs 38 minutes. That would be a big no! Based on my practice runs I will be over the 3 hour mark this go around. I will be happy to complete it, not be last, and not be kicked off the course before the end of time cutoff. Let’s just wait and see how the clock treats me this time around.

Cheers to doing hard things in life to test your limits and face your fears. It’s also time to start mapping out my fitness goal for 2025. I can for sure say it won’t be running after this year of injuries! 

#TinkRuns2024

So Close – September 2024

2chicksandapen

November is almost here. 2 big races! Will I be ready? That is the big question. Half marathon early November. Recover. Full marathon end of November. Mighty ambitious at this point in the year.

September 1st I’m logging a distance workout on the bike. 13 miles on the bike helps me with training, just eliminating the pounding on my knees. This month I will be adding bike workouts to see how that helps me overall.

While I finish the final preparations for the big races in November, I was supposed to complete a 21 mile fun relay with two friends this month. Unfortunately schedule conflicts prohibited it and so did a hurricane! Another let down for the mind to overcome. Boy am I getting good at positive self talk or now it seems like excuse babble at this point.

While my friends who are running the marathon are putting in serious miles each week, I seem to be twirling my thumbs. Workouts, yes. Running, no. It’s a bit scary to get back your running legs after such injuries. Much harder than I expected.

Another month down with no races and no running. Pretty funny to think I’m training for a marathon without running. Guess I’ll be testing my theory here soon.

Hoping to pick up mileage in October! I may need prayers and a little luck at this point to be successful. I’m not opposed to either at this point.

#TinkRuns2024

Marathon Miles August 2024

2chicksandapen

It’s the month of walking.

5.3 miles here. 4.6 miles there. 9.7 at the peak. Time on my feet they say. It’s training. It’s so much time I say. It’s slow. It’s a mind challenge! Maybe even a mind fuck of sorts.

I didn’t track walking miles at all this year so I don’t have a quantity to give you but I did walk a lot. I walked because I could. I also walked because I knew I would have to walk a portion of the marathon thus my mind agreed I’m still training. I’m slowly increasing the time I spend on my legs even if it’s just a walk vs. a run. Sidelined from running until September. I feel I’m getting better but also falling behind in training. The quandary.

I shed the cast which lightened my load, however, I feel I need to trash a pair of shoes because they seem to lean to the side I had my cast on. That was surely an unplanned problem. The cast removal gave me a small victory to celebrate however the realization of the recovery outside the cast was a defeat. My walking pace is still a work In progress. I’m just not a fast walker. I’m more of a social walker. Both are very different paces. The hip shake needed to be an advanced walker is just not my thing. I much prefer a strut vs. a shake the tail feather. Walking unfortunately is my main training focus that may have not been designed but is now a required part of my training. Speed walker here I come!

Strength training is still a slow go until my wrist fully heals but each week I can tackle a little more. Lots of hand exercises with a squishy ball are in my future. Physical therapy for the lower extremities and occupational therapy for the hand. Aren’t I a lucky girl. It’s definitely frustrating to have three of four limbs injured at the same time. Different symptoms yet they can flare at the same time. Rest is overrated for sure. 

The 10k for this month is still questionable. Walk. Attempt to jog. Forward progressions. Will this be faster than my 10k in a cast? It’s a night race which should mean it’s cooler. That’s a positive. Maybe the only positive. 

Oh wait I get to wear my lighted vest so that’s a bonus. All geared up. Let’s hope the legs want to go go go to outer space!

Change of plans! Got all the way to the start line and a huge storm rolled in. Thunder. Lightning. Torrential downpour. No dry spot on one’s body. Rain delay. Rain delay. Cancellation. Walked a couple miles to and from the car but that’s about it. Got drenched. Even got nailed with water from passing cars on my trek over a bridge. Dirty, gross water. I guess it really wasn’t meant for me to do this race. At list I got a bib to write did not start/did not finish on it. That’s a first for me on a race day. The path below was one of the few race day pictures I got since it was too wet to use my phone.

Back to walking for my training.

Hoping September is a turning point in my training.

#TinkRuns2024, challenges

The Marathon Vision

2chicksandapen

Month seven.

A deep breath after month six. 

The month started with a physical therapy appointment for knees, but one can consider that progress. Hoping the 10k is smooth this month or at least I’ll be there for the boom on the 4th of July.

I see the lucky 777 come up on the slot machine in my mind. Boy am I lucky to be where I am today. Happy. Healthy. Hopeful. I sure do hope this is the turning point month as I head into heavy training. Stay tuned!

I’m beginning the heavy lifting phase of my running training. The Marathon. 26.2 grueling miles. My race. My pace. My story. How I get there is up to me. How prepared I am rests on my shoulders. How I handle adversity is on me. That’s a big deal when you think about it.

Each month you will get a glimpse into not only my training but my mindset. Both of which are equally important parts of my preparation. I’ll be trying out clothes, fueling options, technology and gear. I’ll be thinking about contingency plans. One being the bathroom dilemma. This one sort of freaks me out and untiI I experience the full 26.2 it will be somewhat of a mystery.

Curveball alert! I broke my wrist. Yes that’s right. I do all my own stunts. Laughing as I type this. Seriously, a scaphoid fracture takes my forearm, wrist and thumb out of commission via a cast. We will now classify this as orthopedic visit one for the month.

It looks like Dr. and PT appointments now take up part of my valued training time. For a visual running in a cast is like moving with an extra 5 pounds of disproportionate weight you don’t know what to do with.

The 10k race is here. Day four of the month. A cast, physical therapy and a race oh my. I had no choice but to run in a cast. My fingers looked like little sausages by the end. No joke! I survived the course despite the extreme heat advisory issued just before they cut off the race. This was by far the hottest day in event history, and I had a cast as an accessory.  The race was actually shut down not too long after I finished. The sign had just switched to high alert at mile 5 and went to black while I was leaving. Such a close call for finishing.

As we enter the second half of training I opted for one photo from each of the first six months to post below. A glimpse of how far I’ve come and a little celebration of me and my progress. It’s been a journey so far. I also have an uphill battle in front of me.

Big race recap this month. A local event that attracts 50,000 runners and a lottery entry. The peachtree 10k. A little train ride downtown for this big race. I ran this race over 20 years ago in the mid 1990’s just to experience the hype. I ran it a couple times before the pandemic, consecutive years with my daughter. I see many friends each year as well. This year I even met up with a friend from Hawaii and her daughter. This race experience is one of my bigger races as far as people volume goes.

I was somewhat reluctant to sign up for this particular race, but when I did I had a goal in mind. See if I can beat my past best race time. Not a have to, but more like a little test of age, mindset, and overall circumstances. How did I fare? I survived that’s all. This was probably my slowest time for this race ever. The combination of the heat advisory, the cast and and and just all my body woes took their toll from mile 4-6. I did finish. That’s the main point. I never quit.

Takeaways: I showed up after a rough injury patch in prior weeks. I’m still going. These running lessons, sacrifices and challenges can be great life lessons to apply elsewhere. Life isn’t easy. One just has to attack each day with positivity and a will to get out of the hole one is in.

As I finish off this post for July it’s ending differently than what I would have planned. MRI results are in. I’ve been waiting restlessly for answers. Well, not good news. A patella fracture on left knee. That one I didn’t see coming but does explain the pain. A torn meniscus on the right knee, this I was expecting. So more rehab for this girl. Walking is not restricted but running is! My body can still move. I just need to modify movements for my situation. Below I am strength training though the weight is light.

If I follow instructions I can still have hope to run in late September. The training will be rough to cram in for the marathon but I will hopefully cross that finish line in November. Stay tuned for updates.

More walking miles than running in my future! And boy is it hard to see my training buddies pounding the pavement while I am sidelined.

challenges, fitness and nutrition

Flying Pig Half Marathon

2chicksandapen

May’s choice for my year of race-cations was the Flying Pig Half Marathon.

Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, the Flying Pig was voted the #1 marathon in the US according to USA Today. I figured the half marathon, run at the same time, must be awesome as well. Leading up to the race, I joined a thriving online community that shared tips with racers, offered support, and went hog wild on the awesome theme. Needless to say, I was totally pumped up when I flew in to Cincy on Saturday.

This race is so big, there are even multiple Flying Pig welcome signs and structures in the airport. The 5k and 10k took place on Saturday, so traffic was already pretty gummed up on my Uber from the airport. In case you don’t know, Cincinnati sits on a river. I ended up staying in Northern Kentucky across the river, where the hotels were a bit more affordable. (I later learned that there were a ton of events in town that weekend, including a huge baseball series, that probably contributed to the extremely high cost of hotel rooms.) There was a welcome sign for Flying Pig runners in my hotel lobby. I dropped my luggage then made my way to the expo.

The expo was honestly amazing. Tons of vendors, balloon displays, pig statues, and amazing swag. For this race, half marathon runners receive a shirt, a commemorative item (this year it was an athletic duffle bag) and a race poster. There was also a huge line at the Proctor and Gamble (sponsor) booth where there is a famous freebie giveaway. From deodorant to beauty products and more, they give away bags full of full-sized items to runners. I wanted to see the city and not drag around a big bag of shampoo and razor blades, so I skipped this benefit of the race (sadly!) If I ever do this race again, I’ll plan better.

After I got my bib and swag, I hopped a city streetcar to the Findlay Market, a famous longstanding market in Cincy. I walked through the booths and took the recommendation of someone I met on the streetcar to get a breakfast sandwich from one of the booths. It was truly a gooey salty something special. I grabbed the streetcar back to the expo area to stop for Graeter’s ice cream, a local chain of creameries. I got the special Flying Pig flavor that they make each year. Awesome carb loading with local delicacies. I also walked through the Cinco de Mayo celebrations taking place on the square. I could have used another day in Cincy to enjoy all the murals, activities, and see the sign museum. It’s sort of bittersweet, but on the other hand I actually do like the feeling of wanting to come back for more.

After laying out my race gear, I set about my restless prerace sleep. I rose at around 4:30 am to get my caffeinated life together and start the walk to the start line. All the roads were already closed at that hour. I rolled into the lobby to piles of granola bars and racers bustling around. We all collectively started the mile or so walk in the dark to the start, which included crossing a beautiful historic bridge.

The start corrals were packed, organized, and filled with energy. Music was blaring. My nerves were definitely joyous. People of all shapes and sizes come out to walk and “Run the Pig.” People proudly wear walking club shirts. Women who appeared to be about 20 years older than me clustered in groups as we inched our way forward. Finally, after what seemed like hours, we crossed the start line.

I loved the first few miles. I was feeling good. The weather was still cool. We got to go over some great bridges back and forth between the states. I was smiling and my pace was solid.

Mile 5 is when things started to go off the rails a bit. I knew this race was described as hilly. But, reviewers had said Little Rock was hilly, but I didn’t find it troubling. But Cincy was different. It wasn’t really hilly so much as a single 4 mile long hill. Straight. Up. I guess I didn’t study the elevation of the race as well as I should have. The sheer length and relentlessness of this hill caught me completely off guard. I continued to run / walk as best I could, but my energy was completely wrecked by the time I got to mile 10. My pace had gone from the 13s to over 15 (even 16!) minutes per mile. In the mean time, the sun came up and I never recovered. Wearing full length pants was a huge mistake. I was overheated, legs were overtaxed, and I struggled to finish.

The crowd support was great. I had learned the trick of putting my name on my bib so people cheered for me by name as I shuffled by. I laughed at the signs and took the high fives. But honestly, I was fighting to get to the finish line. But, finish I did! As ugly as it was.

I physically sat down about 100 yards after receiving my medal. I NEVER sit down that soon. I couldn’t stomach the famous LaRosa’s pizza at the after party. I nibbled just the corner and hobbled to the shuttles back to the hotel. All I could think about was a cold shower and air conditioning.

At the time I said *NEVER AGAIN* to this race. But now that I’ve had some time to recover and get a little perspective, I can imagine myself seeking redemption someday. This may be a race to revisit once I am wiser about fueling and energy management (not to mention wardrobe!) I also have unfinished business with the city and the expo, so I won’t say never! When pigs fly!

June brings summer heat and shorter distances. I’ll confess I wasn’t totally sorry for a step back from the half marathon distance for a few months. Stay tuned to find out where my trusty Brooks will test themselves next.