Sunday, November 20, 2011

What make you a runner?

After I stopped smoking and decided to get healthy I wanted to learn to run. As a teen I attempted this a couple times but when I couldnt ever breath after only going 20 feet I would give up. I wish then I had someone who coulda told me if I continued the breathing does come! So 9 years ago I gave up 3 packs a day and several months later started watching my food intake and exercising....thats when I lost 85 pounds! I got tired of the EFX and wanted to learn to run! I would run a minute or two walk a minute or two and continue this for about 30 minutes or so a couple times a week. I would run the track at the local gym and when I made it around once without stopping I thought I had accomplished so much....and I did for me at that time! When I ran my first mile without stopping what a feeling, my first 5k, 10K half marathon...my first sprint tri, half ironman full ironman.... As of today I have never ran a marathon without stopping and walking, all of my marathons have been during Ironman training or done during and Ironman. To some though...you are not really a runner unless you run a marathon without a walk break. Are you a real runner if you can only run a marathon in under 4 hours? Are you only a real runner if you can pound out miles at a pace of under 8 minute miles? 10 minute miles?I honestly have never considered myself a runner either. I have enjoyed running and when I would go out and do my runs around the neighborhood and such I never hesitated to take a walk break here and there....not that I really felt I needed it and sometimes I would analyze in my mind why exactly I am feeling like walking at that moment to decide if I truly wanted to walk a few. Now the strangest thing has just started happening with me since I started to train for some Ultras......I go out and run my short 8 mile runs....I love that I can consider a short run 8 miles that just makes me smile. Anyways but when I go out the door to run these 8 milers I just run and run and run and my legs now are starting to feel like they just float. Now we have to remember 4 Orthos told me my knee would need replaced within 2 years if I continued and it will be 2 years in December...sure it hurts but nothing at all that I cant deal with. Also there is the tarsal tunnel in the other foot....I think that hurts more then the knee pain but while I am running I tend to be able to block all this out. I no longer feel like taking a walk break, my pace has improved tremendously and I actually go to bed looking forward to waking up to run the next day. And the long weekend runs...oh my I cant wait for them to come just to see how my body is gonna feel. Weird huh? I know this is the beginning of the ultra training so I hope it continues! I did go ahead and sign up for a 50k which will be Jan 7th and probably in the snow with a friend who is doing the 25K....I dont like running in cold cold weather but again....I am so looking forward to this. Last week I had an ah ha moment while running and at that moment I was no longer a person that like to exercise and run and do triathlons something clicked in me and said YOU ARE NOW A RUNNER!!!

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Drive or Addiction?


As I was out running the trails this morning I couldn't help but ask myself...what is it that makes a human want more? Is it drive or addiction, a little of both or something completely different. When is that we can say ok I am satisfied now and if we do say that is that settling? I thought about all aspects of this.....I don't believe a alcohol or person who continues to use drugs continually wants more because of drive so that has to be an addiction. Just one more drink or one more pill. I have always struggled with my weight and lost 85 pounds in 2004. For the most part I kept it off. I look at times when I say ok...10 more pounds. Throughout the years of keeping this weight off I at times will gain 10-20 of it back....it seems like once I have gotten to a certain weight I almost settle Like I have reached a goal and now I don't need to try anymore....at this point it starts to creep back on until I will tell myself enough is enough. I will give myself all the excuses in the world as to why I put the weight back on to justify it and it works and it sounds like very reasonable reasons to anyone that listens. At the end of July I said enough was enough and now have taken off about 31 pounds so I am currently at the lowest weight I have ever been....but I want more. I tell myself I want more because I am training for this ultra and I already have a ton of disadvantages due to knee and foot issues so I have convinced myself that the less I weigh the easier it is going to be on my joints....and this is true. I am far from being too skinny so there is nothing to worry about there! I do ask myself if I am wanting more out of fear? Out of fear for settling and accepting where I am and then using that again as a reason to not maintain. I think the word maintain and settle are so similar and I don't ever want to be known as someone who settles.
I then start to look at the wanting more aspect of endurance sports. I have done 3 Ironman Triathlons, several marathons, over 20 half Ironmans but I still want more and have always told myself I want more. Is it about testing the limits of our body, our mind? I do know that I am always needing and wanting to be training for that next goal and after reaching that goal I immediately start to ask myself what is next? I do not feel at all like I have something to prove to anyone because there really isn't anyone to prove anything to. It's almost like I just need to see if I can do it. Personality wise I have always been an insecure person...I wonder if that has anything to do with "proving" to myself what I am capable of doing?
TO BE CONTINUED AT SOME POINT

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Information Overload

I started reading Relentless Forward Progress: A guide to running ultramarathons and now I have incorporated part of one of these training plans with the others. I am sure throughout this next 27 weeks I will change it around again. Most of them are little tweaks. I am keeping my long long run on Sunday with the shorter long run on Saturdays. I hope I can continue to keep the excitement that I am feeling right now consistent for the next 5 months....I think this beautiful weather right now is helping tremendously. I dont mind running in the cold as long as it is not below 20 degrees and I love running in the snow; however, cold raining days are what I am dreading. I have heard from a couple other ultra runners that the long long run can be split up in a days time so if it comes to a point that I have a 20 some mile run on a cold rainy day I can watch a couple movies on the dreadmill throughout that day.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Marshall Half Marathon

Went to Huntington WV with Kelly and Tiffany to do the Marshall Half Marathon this morning. I was very glad to have that extra hour of sleep last night as Kelly got here at 5:20am. I ate a Panera Bagel and brought a banana for the road in case I wanted it before the race but didnt. We got parked with just a few minutes to spare before the 7am start time; however, they were behind and it didnt actually start until about 7:15. It was a chilly morning-only 32 degrees and I warm up so fast but kept saying I would be done in just over 2 hours and at that time its only going to be 40 so I did wear long sleeves and a running jacket....I had to remove the jacket and tie it around my waist at mile 2. I was hoping to be able to potty and could tell I was going to have to at some point before this race was over....I really hate to have to stop on the course when duty calls but it happens. I've only done this race once and it was it's second year back in 2005...I did it as a relay with Chris, Ginny and I...I remember only a portion of the course cause I only did about 4 or so miles of the relay cause I was having shoulder surgery the next morning. I do remember it being a pretty boring course and not many spectators....this held true 6 years later! I started thinking I could go to the bathroom at around mile 6 but didnt see any potties. Some other girls running next to me start discussing they too needed to go and we were all on the look out. I almost ran across the road to a gas station and thought that would take to much time so I kept trucking along. Around mile 7 we came to a bike/run trail but it wasnt paved...it was a light gravel sand and actually I liked it. As we approached down below I noticed one loan Porta Potty....At this point I was gonna race these other gals to the potty cause I definitely wasnt going to wait for 2 people to finish and who knew if there was already a line...I got there and there wasnt a line I debated whether to stop my garmin but at this point I had been running around a 9:30-9:41 pace and thought no I wanna see what my race time is and I knew if I kept the average below 9:58 I would PR and beat Columbus time. I had my Garmin set up to tell me overall pace on the screen and at each mile it would tell me the mile pace. I went quickly but not to my expectations, the other girls were waiting outside and I came out pulling my pants up as I opened the door. Off I went and I knew I had a little time to make up cause my watch now took my 6 mile pace down from 9:40 to a 9:52. You could tell the temps got colder here also..I am wondering if its because we were running next to a small stream...it was cool enough that I had to put my gloves back on. I went pretty hard for that mile to make up time and I think it overall averaged that mile at 10:16....I prolly did close to a 9 min mile there and I payed for it the next 2 cause my actually mile pace slowed down around 10:16 or so for the next 2 miles. When I got to mile 10 I told myself only a 5K to go...lets get this....now my overall average was staying steady at 9:51 so I knew I would be super close to a PR if I pushed a little harder for the next couple miles and I did. I ended with a time of 2:09:07. Kelly and Tiffany were already done...they are super fast! I grabbed a half of a banana and saw Tiffany with a diet pepsi and that looked good so I grabbed one of those. We headed to the car and grabbed some dry clothes and went inside the rec center to change and headed home. I dont think this would ever be a course I would chose to run a full on except if I ever decide to go for the 50 states club it is probably one of the flatter courses in WV but boring!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

It's all about getting your legs to be your minds bitch

I've combined two different ultra plans that I found together...one from Hal Hidgon and the other from a page from UltraLadies. Hal's is a 24 week plan and Ultra Ladies is a 20 week plan. I think it's best for me to go by distance on this one instead of timed running. UltraLadies has all distance as to Hal's plan changes to the long runs being timed after the first 12 weeks. From what I have been reading the most important thing is not not skip any back to back long runs and to slow your pace down on these. I also read some different info and will continue reading and hope not to confuse myself but some say on the long runs to run the first hour at your normal pace then the rest of the mileage take it to run 5 minutes and walk 1 minutes...others say just plan on the 5:1 ratio.
The hardest part of this training is most of it will prolly be done alone. My long runs I need to go to the trails to do and am hopeful some friends are willing and able to atleast go part of these distances with me each weekend. The long long runs will be on Sunday and the so so long run the day before....typically Saturdays are 10 milers and Sundays well....they are 22-24 miles. Wow...thats a hard one to grasp right now but I am excited about starting this adventure. I am also hoping the winter wont be super bad this year....I honestly can not imagine a dreadmill run of 20 miles! I am prepared though....my TV with the DVD and hugh speaker to hear well is right in front of my home dreadmill....my good friend Tammy has copied me all sorts of motivational DVD's from Ironmans to Running on the Sun.
My favorite quote of the day is "It's all about getting your legs to be your minds bitch"
Yestedays run was 6 miles with my friend Erin....I messed my Garmin up so was unsure of the distance and both of us were kinda tired. We kept a nice pace of just over 10 min miles and walked up a couple of the hills. Today was a 4 miler and I decided to head out as soon as I got up. My legs felt really fresh and great but my mind was not into it today. I kept thinking ok...go alittle faster and you will be finished quicker! Sunday Im doing the Huntington Half Marathon with some friends...we may not stick together during the run but will head over together. I said if someone drives to the race Sunday I will head over on Saturday and pick up our packets so we dont have to deal with that early race morning. It's only an hours drive and I figure I can get my 7 mile run in early Saturday morning then head over and get packets and have a nice lunch and see what winter gear is out at Dicks.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Here we Go

I am going to attempt to blog my journey for my first Ultra Marathon. I have signed up for The Labor Of Love 50 mile run that will be held in Lovell Canyon Las Vegas on April 19th.
In 2003 I had enough of being heavy and was tired of being a 3 pack a day smoker and started my weight loss journey. It only took about 6 months to take of a little over 80 pounds and if I were going to keep this off I needed to find some goals to reach for. It was then that I discovered the Sprint Triathlon and 2004 is when that new adventure started. By 2007 I was doing my first Ironman and since I have no completed 3 Ironmans, 21 Half Ironmans, 3 stand alone marathons but I havent had a chance to train solely for a marathon they have been mixed into my tri training mostly by accident. I was accepted in the lottery for Nike Womens Marathon in San Fran and also one year was accepted into NYC marathon so I couldnt not do them! I also did Myrtle Beach Marathon as that year I was training for an early season 60K as my first Ultra but due to injury was unable to do this. It was a good thing cause the weather at that 60K I found out was horrid. I had some friends who frequently run 100 mile runs plan to do this one as well and due to the weather they opted out. Things happed for a reason!
So alittle more about me. 2009 Was my last Ironman...after that Ironman I did a half marathon 2 weeks later and then The Nike Womens Marathon in San Fran a couple weeks after that. I was signed up to do the Beach to Battleship Full Distance Ironman as well just another short weeks later and then my knee started giving me fits that I couldnt take any longer. I decided against the Beach to Battleship and ended up having my knee scoped only to have the Dr preform 3 mirco fracture do to 3 of the 4 compartments cartilage being extremely worn. There is pretty much no cartilage left on the articular cartilage which is under the patella. After the surgery and during recovery I was told it didnt look good for running again and I would be need a partial knee replacement in a matter of a couple years, I then went to several other Dr's looking for an answer I would be satisfied with. This didnt happen until Dr number 5.......he didnt actually tell me what I wanted to hear but atleast he didnt tell me NOT to run. He did say that he didnt see a knee replacement as quickly as the others suggested but he did suggest to prolong it that if I were running 6 miles 3 or 4 days a week I should maybe cut back to 3 miles a couple days a week.......so that tells me ok....its time to do an Ultra! LOL Since starting this crazy obsession with swimming biking and running, Ultras have just drawn me in. I figure if I dont attempt it now then maybe just maybe I never will. The new knee is inevitable so I will continue until I just cant take it any longer. So now not only dealing with the knee issues a year ago my Plantar Facitis started acting up and after months upon months of no relief 24/7 I went to the Dr. We tried rest, ASTYM therapy, custom orthodics and then a foot specialist. Upon going to the foot specialist not only did I have acute Plantar Facitis the pain I was experiencing 24/7 is actually called Tarsal Tunnel. Similar to that of Carpel Tunnel in the hand....a nerve entraps the area around the ankle. Only solution is surgery to remove the entrapment since all other therapy's had failed. I was scheduled for surgery July 21st of this year and after more research about the recovery time and the actual percentage rate of fixing it I opted out. Instead I decided to lose the 20 some pounds I had put on since knee surgery at the end of 2009. Believe it or not this is helping!! I am currently down 30 pounds so I am at my lightest ever and I do want to continue as I believe the less weight I have on my body the longer I will keep my joints. I also wont lose any muscle mass during this process.
So here I begin this wonderful journey for 2012! I will do 2 marathons in March for training the 50 mile Ultra in April and then start training for Ironman number 4 which will be Wisconsin on September 9th. I tell myself after this I will stick with half marathons, and half ironmans but then that other voice tells me 5 Ironmans sounds much cooler then 4....100 miles sounds cooler then 50....so we will see what happens.