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September 30, 2005

Am I the Only Runner Who LOVES to TAPER?

So I said I would more consistently update, but my running (and my life) have not been extremely noteworthy of late so I slacked a little. As my title alludes to, I LOVE to taper. I love running easy, I love not having to run long, and I absolutely love runs of 5-6 miles. This week has been extremely easy: Monday - 6 miles; Tuesday - OFF; Wednesday - 4 miles easy; Thursday - 5 miles faster pace and today???? Hopefully 6 miles and 3 tomorrow . . . and 26.2 on Sunday.

I am slightly worried that I have tapered to the extreme and that I have lost some of my fitness. Then again, that is how a taper is supposed to feel so I need to quit being a mental case and I need to quit ruminating over all of the "what ifs." There are a lot of what ifs leading into this race. I have to honestly say that I have absolutely no idea how this race is going to turn out. It could go really well, really mediocre or really not so well. Hmmmm. I am hoping for the really well, but I need to calm down and relax. Maybe it's all the Clif Shot Blocks that I was ingesting at the Running Store that have me suddenly so hyper. I am hyper.

Hopefully I will be hyper on Sunday. I am beyond nervous at this point because it has been three years since I have bravely run 26.2 miles . . . although I did have one training day worth 28 miles (23 in the AM and 5 in the PM). My greatest worry moving into this race is that I have just run too damn slow to accomplish anything great - like that darn sub-3 that I have my eye (and heart) set on. Of course, now is the time where one starts to say, "If only . . .. I did x,y and z, I would be super prepared for this race!"

I know I am going to be disappointed if I do not run sub 3:10, but I think finishing the race at this point will mean more to me than reaching a goal time. The goal time will matter significantly more in the winter/spring.

I am going to Wisconsin early tomorrow . . . I will try to report back Sunday after the race. Please send some positive energy my way on Sunday from 8AM - ?!!! Oh - and for those of you who pray - please ask the Big Guy/Gal for a tailwind!

Posted by bridget at 06:15 PM | Comments (4)

September 22, 2005

Taking the 26.2 Mile Plunge October 2

Once again I find myself racing to play catch up. I have decided that I am going to end each evening with a refreshing recap of my day's run or runs . . . although plural runs are virtually nonexistent in my current training diet. I have been hanging on by what seems like a thread the past few weeks, and after almost bowing out of my date with 26.2, I have decided to suck it up and step onto the road anyway. My best friend, Carrie, made the following comment in regards to my previous ping-pong post about whether or not to run a marathon:

" . . . the choice is yours but i can attest that the only decisions i've ever regretted were choices i made based on a fear i wouldn't live up to a standard i set for myself - and they're ALL running regrets. there's alot to be said for accepting yourself wherever you are on race day and then, in a week or month or year or two, looking with satisfaction at the road you've traveled."

"BASED ON FEAR" - that hit home. I do not want to live in torment based on all the races that I did not run because I was afraid of not reaching the goals I impress upon myself. Is a sub 3 *really* possible based on my training? Realistically, NO. But when I race, I tend to toss my heart and soul into the racing rhythm and hang on for dear life. It is not necessarily a racing strategy that I would recommend to the masses, but it seems to work when I run longer distances.

That said, my final "long" run this past weekend indicates that even draining my heart and soul into the race will not allow me to crack the 3 hour barrier. I ran 15 miles on Sunday; I spent about 4 miles finding my stride and warming up and then I launched myself into marathon race pace for the next 8 miles. All I could muster up were a string of 6:56s. Well I am not disappointed in my effort, I am disappointed in how hard those miles felt and how difficult - nearly impossible - it would have been to hold that pace for *gasp* 18 more miles. I finished up the final 3 around 7:10 pace and that felt much more comfortable.

I am going to run the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on October 2. I usually refrain from public racing announcements (as I prefer to race secretly and then report about it), but I feel an odd serenity going into this race. What I am most confident about is that I know I am going to have fun - no matter what the outcome (Carrie, my twin sister, my dog and my fiance will all be out there to cheer me on). I am looking forward to running a marathon after a three year hibernation. If anything, I am just happy to just make it to the start of this year's race.

My list of the good, the bad, and the ugly:
THE GOOD:
*I managed to consistently run 50 miles/week for 4 months - this is a record for me as I tend to peak in between injuries and fail at the consistentcy requirement that all runners with race goals must achieve.
*I ran 5-7 days/week. While this pales in comparison to Alison and most other speedsters, it is an accomplishment for me - especially since I think I am finally emerging from a 3 year slump.

The Bad:
*I took too many total days off that I did not need.
*I did not get as many long runs in as I would have liked: I did 17,20,23,20,15 . . . and a few other scattered 13-16 milers. The bread and butter of my training were 10 mile marathon pace runs and 6 mile progression runs. Not enough long runs and probably too many runs around 7:30 - 8:00 pace.
*I never did speedwork and I rarely ventured into tempo runs.

The Ugly:
*I will keep this one to myself!

This week has been rather quiet. I recored a ZERO on Monday (I sprained my arm and it killed to run . . . thank goodness I did not fracture it). Tuesday I ran 6 miles and my arm still hurt. Yesterday I ran 4 quick miles with the intention of running more later in the day. The later in the day part never happened. I am hoping to run 6-10 today and repeat tomorrow and Saturday. I think I am only going to run 8-10 on Sunday. I am supposed to be tapering.

The butterflies are fluttering in my stomach.

Posted by bridget at 10:37 AM | Comments (7)

September 06, 2005

To Marathon or Not to Marathon

Once again, time has escaped me and I feel like I need to run over 100 miles just to fill everyone in on my running - and non-running - life. First things first, I cannot believe the pop culturalists have sucked me in like a vaccuum! I just voted for Marty on the hit show, "Rock Star INXS." His original song, "Trees," literally had me clapping my feet on the floor and singing along to the chorus. Ah, Chicagoans.

I am in a little bit of a pickle. No, I am not injured (knock on wood) or worried about being injured, but I am confused. I have been running a steady and consistent diet of 50+ miles/week, including long runs of 17,23, and 20. I am planning to run another 20 miler on Saturday. In spite of my long runs and consistent running, I am not 100% sure that I am ready to tackle the marathon . . . then again, are we ever ready for the grueling physical battle and even more grueling mental war? I have not done enough pace runs, tempo runs or even long runs. I have no idea what I am capable of at the moment, but I am positive that crashing through the 3 hour barrier with my arms raised and a bright smile on my face is out of reach. I think I might be in 3:10-3:15 shape, but that is a long way from my ultimate goal of 2:5?. I know that people will say (inevitably people who love me & who will stroke my ego) "you can break 3! You just don't know it."

Yet runners tend to know their bodies quite well. Mine is not where it needs to be. I am still taking 1-2 days off per week, I still feel grossly out of race shape, and . . . I still want to run a marathon???? A part of me believes that I will suck it up, quit the mental babbling, toe the line and just RUN. Who cares about time, right?

On a side note, I have been overwhelmed with the pending nuptials. I have a million things to do, but I am procrastinating and quickly falling behind. I am hardly a bride-zilla. If anything, I am a lazy and terrifed bride. I am not into the planning part (NO flowers, no fancy colors that match, no make-up and hair people, etc., etc.). My sisters are paranoid that I am going to walk down the aisle in either flip flops or running shoes! I am not saying that I am going to display my black toenails to the in-laws, but what is wrong with marching into wedded bliss in the comfort of my flip-flops? After all, people keep reminding me that this is MY wedding (really? because it doesn't always feel like it!!). Enough complaining! I am excited :)

I have also been busy at the running store and editing a new Chicago magazine.

I am too tired to write anything else . . . but I plan to broadcast my marathon dilemma on a daily basis :O

Posted by bridget at 10:03 PM | Comments (5)