A True PR

Five days and counting until the TransRockies Run with Dean K. Fingers crossed that I will triumph. That I will not fail. That I make it the full 20.4 miles. Ken said the only way I am allowed to not make it is if I am flown out by a helicopter.

With the upcoming Pike’s Peak Marathon and Leadville Trail 100 this weekend, there was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today about trail running. It gives insight into the muscles you engage while on the trails and how some doctors recommend TR over road running because trails offer the body a break from concrete and asphalt. You can find the article HERE.

I realize you’ve been holding your breath as I anxiously awaited my race results from the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half. 48 hours later I found out that yes, indeed, it was a PR. But by the skin of my freaking teeth. 21 seconds. Last year’s time for this half marathon: 1:47:57. This year? 1:47:36.

Good thing I didn’t stop to high five that cute kid or to pull out that wedgie.

19/148 in the 40-44 female division. 140/1390 overall (female).

Meh. Could have been worse. Definitely could have been better. I always say we have our official race time, then the time we think we should have gotten if  ___________________(insert your favorite excuse here) – we didn’t stop to crap, the wind wasn’t blowing, our allergies weren’t acting up, that blister didn’t rear its ugly head, etc.

The ass still hurts. I will get massaged today. Nothing like a butt massage. I will give a good tip to the masseuse for her trouble. I just realized I had a high mileage week last week (at least for me). 50 miles! That’s why my ass is talking back. However, my ass will not have the last say. My ass will not eff up my run with Dean K. My ass will be chilling on ice and rolling on foam all week long. And if my ass is lucky there will be one run this week. Only one. Dean K. will not be happy if my ass acts up.

Moving on from the ass (I wrote “ass” 7 times in that last paragraph), do you have your official time and  your should have been time in races?

Magnolia Road Run – She’s a Bitch

I admit it. I’ve been getting  a bit psyched out about my run with Dean K. It’s two weeks from today. Here’s what’s causing the nerves:

1. I’ve never done a trail race
2. I’ve never done 20.4 miles on trails, racing or otherwise
3. I’ve never climbed 2,721 feet on trails running from 8,000 feet to 9,400 feet. I can hardly breathe just typing it. Would it be wrong to run with on oxygen tank?
4. I’ve never run/pooped alongside a celebrity runner
5. I’ve never done 1-4 above all at the same time

You’d be nervous too.

Dean and I shared emails yesterday. I do love to say that. I told him I might cry if it gets too hard. He told me crying is good because it adds to the drama. At least I am being up front and he can’t say I didn’t warn him.

My interview with the big man is by phone on Tuesday. Thanks so much for your interview question ideas. They were a great help. I’ve compiled a list of some good ones, so stay tuned later this week to be the first to read the interview Q & A!

In preparation for the upcoming race, I told you I wanted to run the famed Magnolia Road west of Boulder. Ken and I did it today. This run has quite a reputation. She’s hard. She’s tough. She’s not for the faint of heart. She takes you up into the clouds. She chews you up and spits you out. This is what the bitch looks like on my Garmin (spoiler: yes, I did make it):

  I stole this from someone:

The alarm went off way too early at 5:45 a.m. I lay awake in those pre-dawn moments when you snuggle down into your sheets, face planted against the drool-drenched-mattress, knowing that you are way too tired to even think about getting out of bed let alone running 15 miles.

Ignoring each other because that’s what we do in the early morning, Ken and I filled up water bottles and my bladder with Accelerade and water. I grabbed a cup of steaming coffee for the 45 minute drive to the start and tried to choke down a piece of cinnamon raisin bread (whopping 32 carbs per slice!).

I loaded up my new hydration pack with the bladder and two 20 oz bottles of liquid. I had two GUs and my camera. Oh, and some Wet Ones should I need them during a roadside squat.

We got to the start at 8,100 feet by 7:00 a.m. The road had just changed from paved to dirt, which was fine with me. 50 degrees. Perfect.

Here’s where I look like I’m doing a l’il Irish jig:

   

By mile one, I knew the pack was not going to work for me. It just didn’t fit right and kept swinging dramatically from side to side with each step I took. Since I would be taking about 30,000 steps that might be an issue. I had the straps as tight as they would go. Don’t get me wrong. I think the pack itself is comfortable, light weight and practical. I just think it’s too big for puny self. I will say that once I removed the bottles, I still had some jostling of the bladder, but it felt much better and served me well during the run.

Since I follow everything that is told to me on the internet, I had cleaned out the bladder with Polident denture cleaner. Spearmint. Probably not the best move, but my water was minty fresh for the run and so was my breath.

As we headed up the first huge hill, we hit mile one huffing and puffing like we had just finished 15 freaking miles. Only 14 more to go. I hid the water bottles knowing they were causing the pack to move so drastically. I would have to survive on the 1 liter of liquid in the bladder. It’s kind of neat how I would transfer from the bladder in the pack to my bladder. Anyone else find that fascinating?

The hills seemed endless. Just as  you’d crest one and have a bit of a downhill respite, you’d be greeted by another incline shouting, “Oh, yeah? Try this one, you pussy!” At about the two mile point a herd of runners flew by us going the opposite direction. Damn University of Colorado cross country team. I know they love this run, as it was made famous by the CU x-country team in the book “Running with the Buffaloes.” Humbling to say the least watching these guys fly by, effortless.

Here come some of those damn buffaloes. They need to slow the eff down:

 

We trudged on and up.

At mile seven, we hit the Peak to Peak Highway, crossed over and ran another half mile on a rocky dirt road. At the turn around, we had our GUs, stretched and headed back. We both felt pretty strong at this point.

If I haven’t said so already, this road afforded amazing views of the foothills and the Rockies. Wildflowers grew everywhere. Occasionally the route would open up to a high altitude pasture with grazing cows and horses. The air in Colorado is so crisp, cool and bright with no humidity, especially up that high. Kind of like Florida. Or Texas.

Here is where we crossed over the Peak to Peak Highway:

   

Ken runs by a pasture:

 

And up a hill:

Told ya’ it was pretty (not me, the scenery dummy):

I did not have to stop to crap on this run. Miracles never cease to happen. So I did a fake out for you. If only I could poop with shorts on. Well, I can but it’s not pretty.

Here’s where I tell you about my studly husband. He has run several half marathons this year, and is training for another in October. He has never run more than 13.1 miles at a time. Today, he ran the whole flippin’ 15 miles with me. He wants you to know he has his first blister on his tender toe. Ever. Cue the violins. I smell a marathon in his future even if he doesn’t.

Nearing the end, some dude passed us on the last gargantuan hill leading to the car. I picked up the pace and kept a steady 20 feet behind him. He was letting out the most ungodly sounds – like he was either yakking or dumping or both. But, I think it was just an “I’m going up a big hill and I’m tired” GRUNT like none I’d ever heard. Think I’ll try that one with Dean.

Overall Stats:

15 miles
2 hours, 28 minutes
1,650 feet elevation gain
1,650 feet elevation loss
9:44 average pace (okay speedies, you try to run this bitch fast)

I do feel pretty good after the run with the exception of an aching ass. I’m glad we took it kind of slow.

Don’t forget my giveaway! Ends Friday.

Training Your Mind and Drymax Sock Review

As I close in my second marathon, mental strength is on my mind.  Thank you for all of your feedback and suggestions about what to do when all you want to do is stop. You all are pretty smart after all.

I want to know that when the going gets tough, my mind will pull me through. Lord knows it has before. I found a great article in Men’s Fitness that gave me some stuff to think about.

I don’t usually read Men’s Fitness because I’m not that into how to build strength in my penis and please my lady with my rock hard abs, but this one was pretty worthwhile. Oh, wait, that’s Men’s Health that has those creepy articles. Sorry.

It’s titled, “Breaking through the wall” by Michael Bane Men’s Fitness (1999). He looks at training your mind, pre-race, for the obstacles to come:

• Accept that a portion of your race will be run on a mental panorama, and that it can be a scary place. It's a landscape littered with your own failures and successes, your pains and your losses. It's home to mythical creatures and places of legend, and your journey will be uniquely your own.
• Understand that you may be beset by storms of powerful emotions - exhilaration, despair, fury. But like storms, these spikes of emotion pass and have no meaning. I once ran alongside a woman who described how she planned to kill her new husband, because she hated the bastard so much. I don't think she talked like that when she wasn't running.
• Never question your goal. The completion of a marathon is more than an objective. It's a summit, like a beautiful mountain peak, and has the power to capture and hold a person's imagination. A trick I use is to "table" the mental discussion of whether this particular event was a good or a bad idea; I set it aside to deal with later. Then I focus on why this particular summit seemed so interesting.
• Let go of judgments. While your mind is bouncing hither and yon, sooner or later it's going to land on the "Why am I running so badly today?" square. Rather than expend that mental energy on judging my performance, I repeat one of my favorite mantras: "Nothing proves anything."
•  Negotiate with your body. Crazy as it sounds, I carry on a mental conversation with my body. Before the race, I explain what is expected and acknowledge that it's going to hurt. I apologize in advance and promise that I'll make it up to my body somehow. Amazingly, my body continues to believe me.
• Finally, what do you do if you hit the Wall, when you meet your dragon? Why, nothing, of course. Keep running, that's all.

I think my favorite bullet point is about the peaks and valleys of the race. You will experience a full range of emotions and the only thing to count on is that they will pass and be replaced by something else.

Next up in a future p0st: Five ways to avoid the dreaded wall and what to do if/when you hit it.

On an unrelated note: I have found a new favorite running item. I follow Jamie Donaldson’s blog. She is an ultra runner from Colorado, but not just any ultra runner. She is the two time female winner of Badwater (2008 and 2009) and many, many other endurance running races.

I’ve had some blister problems recently and asked her advice. After suffering major running-blisters for years, she now swears by Drymax socks. In fact, they are one of her sponsors. She just ran and won the Philadelphia 100 Mile Endurance Run 14 hours 58 minutes – an average pace of 8:58 over 100 miles. Here are her feet after the race. Don’t see any blisters? That’s because there are none.

 

She offered to send me a pair of her blister blasters: Drymax Maximum Protection Running Socks (mini crew for running). Yesterday, I got these babies in the mail:

Today I tried them out. Jamie did not ask me to review these on the blog, but I had to. Just putting them on is like slipping on comfy slippers. They have a fair amount of cushioning, are made of soft material and a provide a snug fit. Once I started running in them on my track run today, I knew they would be my go-to sock because:

• Majorly comfortable, cushy even
• Flat toe seam
• Breathable mesh on the top of the foot and toes
• Blister guard system (uses material to reduce friction)
• Dual layers to keep feet dry
• Comfort, comfort, comfort
• I can run 100 miles in them at an 8:58 pace

Unfortunately, these are not cheap, but after having tried them, I am willing to pay a bit more for comfort on long training runs and while running races. The best deal I found was $19.74 per pair from Amazing Socks.

Just a thought for you runners who are suffering the wrath of those pus filled bubbles. Ick.

Today’s funny (it’s not a post from me if it doesn’t have potty stuff). I got an email from Ken today saying this would be my mother’s day present. Nice and romantic. Because nothing says “Happy Mother’s Day” like a flatulence deodorizer (fancy name for fart masker):

Now you know why I married the guy. Happy Tuesday.

Mexico Prep

Running tip: Protect your toes by using Body Glide or Vaseline. Those nubs do need some love and attention, especially on long runs.

Today I went to get a pedicure, since Mexico is right around the corner (2 days). Don’t hate. My feet have pretty much not seen the light of day since September. They are gnarly. Huge blister atop a huge bunion. Missing big toenail on my right foot. The toenail actually fell off a couple weeks ago and now there is just this pool of blood remaining under a new nail is trying to grow in. Hell, I am paying just as much as the next guy for a pedicure and I’m not going to be ashamed of how gross my feet are. In fact, I work hard to get these feet looking this bad.

So, I'm at the nail salon, in the throne chair, soaking my feet and reading Glamour. This sweet Asian woman was working on my feet. She didn’t speak much English. She took my right foot out of the sudsy tub to remove my nail polish. Only I didn’t have on any nail polish. She was scrubbing and scrubbing the place on my big toe where the blood is stuck under the nail. Apparently she thought it was purple nail polish (probably OPI’s Purple with a Purpose). I kept trying to tell her that it was a bruise and not to worry about it. But, being the hard worker she was, she kept on with the cotton ball and the nail polish remover. She was working that thing. Finally, she looked up at me and said, “This no paint?” I said, “No, it’s not going to come off.” She gave it one last try, as if it was her personal mission to remove this stubborn purple polish. I bet if she had surgical equipment she would have found a way to remove the old blood. Eventually, she gave up. I give her credit. I could tell giving up was not easy. But she did it.

Today I put in 15 miles (9:20 avg). That means I have run 45 miles in the past six days. I know some of you animals run 90+ miles a week, but I don’t. In fact this might be a PR for me. I knew I had to get in my long run today since come Sunday I will be lazing my ass under a palapa, passed out, with a tequila spiked umbrella drink glued to my hand and a smile on my face. For effect, this is the exact beach and palapa where I can be found. Don't hate again.

Being only 7 weeks out from the marathon, I can’t totally slack on this vacation, however. What sucks is I will have to run in this fitness room with this view. Yes that is the Caribbean right there:

Here's outside view of la gym. (Or should I say El gym. I was a French major not Spanish):

Running on a treadmill will be much safer for me than being outside. I plan on ingesting loads of beans, cheese and alcohol, so the inevitable Shut Up and Run poop will surely poke its ugly head out at some point during the run. Much easier to pause the treadmill and mosey on over to the toilet than to find a prickly pear cactus to hide my white ass behind.

What you got on tap for Spring break?

Drinking: Grande mild Starbucks coffee with extra cream