I can’t believe it’s almost here. In some ways, it feels like I’ve been training FOREVER…and, in others, the last couple of months seemed to fly by. Our final weeks of training have come and gone, and I’m VERY MUCH enjoying my taper.

In addition to walking on eggshells trying not to get sick or hurt myself this week — and doing very little running, because I think my body is crying out for the extra rest — I’m thinking about my race day goals. And working on gathering the rest of the pieces for our race day “costumes,” of course…which I’ll post by the end of the week.

The thing with me and race goals is that they have a tendency to treat my mind like their own personal playground. If I have a time goal in mind during a race, the second I feel it slipping away, the mental breakdowns begin. It consumes me. It taunts me. And more often than not, I end up getting negative and frustrated and beating myself up, and it puts a black cloud over my entire race experience if I can’t manage to get back on pace.

Time goals don’t seem to motivate me like they do so many other runners…I guess because I still have a tendency to slip back into my “old” ways. That negative, self-deprecating person I used to be when I was heavier almost always manages to make an appearance during a marathon. I usually end up feeling like a failure for not maintaining a certain pace or for struggling more than I anticipated or for having to take extended walk breaks. I consistently have full-blown meltdowns during marathons. I’ve almost come to expect crying and freaking out as part of my race day experience. And that’s just plain sad!

Well, that’s the plan…

Long story short, my #1 goal for this race was to NOT. HAVE. ANY. MELTDOWNS. It happens time and time again, and frankly, I’m tired of it. The second I start to struggle in a marathon, I let myself become absorbed in self-doubt and I completely fall apart. Physically, I’m usually okay…but, mentally, I’m a mess.

Still, I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t set at least some loose time goals for this race. After all, Todd and I busted our butts all summer, and we did everything we were supposed to do. And, truth be told, our last several long runs/races have gone surprisingly well!

Honestly, I’ll be happy no matter what. I let the fact that I struggled so much last year bring me down, and I hated that I let the time on the finish line clock in any way damper my accomplishment. This Sunday, I’m running the New York City Marathon. I was fortunate enough to enter the lottery and get a second chance. AND get in with Todd! For that, I will be forever grateful.

Still, a little redemption would be nice.

GOAL A: PR with anything under 4:57:34

Hey, a girl can dream, right? That’s why I’m calling this my “A” goal…my absolute best-case scenario, everything goes right goal. My current marathon PR was achieved in the New Jersey Marathon, which happens to be a COMPLETELY FLAT course. And, as you all know, the New York Marathon course kicked my butt last year. But I honestly feel that this has been our most successful round of marathon training yet. So…we’ll see!

GOAL B: Finish under 5 hours

Honestly, this is pretty much always my goal for a marathon right now. If I cross the finish line in 4:59:59, I’ll be happy. Based upon how our training went this time around, it’s definitely doable. For me, the first half of the race almost always goes swimmingly, and then when I start to fall apart (mentally) in the second half, that’s when everything goes awry. Based upon our training, it’s a time goal we should be able to beat, if I can just KEEP IT TOGETHER. So, we’ll see!

GOAL C: Do better than I did last year — mentally and physically

This is my most conservative goal, but it also happens to be the most important to me. After I bonked so early in last year’s race, and ended up bawling like a baby at several points along the course, I really want to ENJOY the race this year. I wasn’t at all happy with last year’s finish time of 5:17 (I had to walk…a lot), but what bothered me more than my finish time was the fact that I had such a negative attitude for most of the second half of the race. This year, I want to feel confident. I want to feel strong. And I want to head into Central Park with a smile on my face. And I mean a REAL smile, not just a “hey, there’s a photographer up ahead” kind of smile. Is that too much to ask?!

GOAL D: Have the time of my freakin’ life

Who says I can’t come up with a “Goal D?” I’m pretty much guaranteed for this one to come true. I plan to stop for a few pictures along the way and soak it all in and have an amazing experience. I’m beyond thrilled that we’ll be running together this year, and I know it’ll make the race that much more special. Do I want to meet a time goal? Sure, of course…that’d be awesome. But at the end of the day, what matters most to me will always be the experience.

And there is nothing — NOTHING — like the New York City Marathon. I CAN’T WAIT!

How do you set your race day goals?

What are your goals for your next big race?

This time around, Todd and I will be following New York City Marathon’s own training program for the “conservative” runner. Even after all this time, I still in no way feel ready for a more intense training plan. I’d like to get through a round of marathon training without having some sort of mental episode before I even think about attempting an “intermediate” plan, haha.

And this one seems perfect for me; it spells out exactly what I need to do in terms of speedwork, hills, etc., and keeps it really simple (I STILL don’t understand exactly what all that 4×800 stuff is, lol). Plus, it has scale-back weeks in between almost every long run, which is something that I think both of us need given how disastrous those final weeks can be with 16-mile and 18-mile and 20-mile runs all back-to-back. PLUS, it incorporates “flex” days, which I will use for my Taekwondo classes.

My first week looked like this:

Mon., July 13: 3 miles

Tue., July 14: 3 miles

Wed., July 15: Taekwondo class

Thur., July 16: Rest

Fri., July 17: Taekwondo class and 3 miles

Sat., July 18: 6 miles

Sun., July 19: Rest

Total weekly mileage: 15 miles

Well, folks, there it is. At 15 miles, I’ve just logged my highest weekly mileage since…oh, I dunno…April? And I gotta tell ya, it was not easy.

My thoughts on that first hot, sweaty 3-miler.

And guess what else? It truly does feel as though I am starting allllllllll over again. Those 6 miles on Saturday? The first half was okay, but the second half was pretty tough…especially since an earlier rainstorm was clearing up, the sun was poking through, and it got H-U-M-I-D. I can’t think of any other way to describe it other than to say that it’s like running in a freakin’ sauna. IT SUCKS.

Whooooooo’s a hot mess…?

Needless to say, miles 5 and 6 were pretty brutal. We took several water/walk breaks and kept things very easy and casual, and our pace (surprisingly) wasn’t all that bad for us given our lack of training and the heat (under a 10:30)…but it does kind of suck to struggle through “only” a 6-miler when I know I have such a looooooooooooong way to go.

Happy it’s over!

That being said, right now I have exactly ONE goal. Sure, I have my hopes set on performing better than last year, and yes, I’d like to beat my New Jersey Marathon time and set a new PR. Who wouldn’t?

But my #1 most important training goal this time around?

I want to finish this marathon without having a meltdown.

During last year’s New York City Marathon, I had a full-on panic attack…not once, but at several points during the second half of the race. I let the tough course and the ridiculously windy conditions crush my spirit. I was struggling big time and I kept letting myself cry like a little baby, CONVINCED that there was no way I was ever going to make it to Central Park.

Struggling…

During this year’s New Jersey Marathon? More of the same. Apparently, I finish the first half of a marathon and it’s time for meltdowns. It’s like a switch goes off and suddenly I feel as though I’ve never run long distances before. I can focus on nothing except the discomfort and the boredom and the feeling that THIS IS NEVER GOING TO END. I convince myself that *this* is the time that I will NOT make it to that finish line and what was I thinking and I’m not a real runner and why can’t my legs move any faster and I can’t do this and OH MY GOD I HATE RUNNING SOOOOOOO MUCH.

(I’m a real treat, aren’t I?)

When it comes to running marathons, it’s never my body that fails me. It’s ALWAYS my mind. My self-doubt always somehow manages to completely ruin the race experience for me, and I HATE that I keep letting myself get consumed by negativity and why I STILL cannot just believe in myself even after running five freakin’ marathons. Frankly, I’m tired of it, and I want to do everything in my power to ensure that it does NOT happen to me again this November.

To that end, I feel the best approach is to make sure I take extra steps to make my training go as smoothly as possible this time around. Obviously, running in the summer heat/humidity is going to be a BIG struggle for me, so I need to take extra precautions to prevent any major issues and keep my spirits high.

Rewarding myself with an iced coffee after a sweaty run? *PRICELESS*

For example, should I wait until the middle of the afternoon when temperatures are at their hottest to squeeze in a mid-week 4-miler? Should I not pay any special attention to my hydration/nutrition and then try to complete a 10-mile run in the sweltering heat of August…and then wonder why I feel like I’m going to die? Should I let myself get all bent out of shape when I can only manage 11-minute miles on an especially humid afternoon? Should I procrastinate on getting my long runs started on Sunday morning so that by the time I head out it’s already 85+ degrees? Should I continue to go to a zillion karate classes every week and then wonder why my legs feel like they’re going to fall off before I even start that long run? Should I “forget” to foam roll and skip rest days so that even the short, “easy” runs feel like agony?

These are all mistakes I continue to make time and time again. I struggle through so many of my training runs, and then I wonder why I’m so unsure of myself come marathon day. I know it’s impossible to avoid pitfalls when you’re training for a marathon, and some runs are going to be hard and that’s just the way it is…but this time around, I feel as though I need to focus on listening to my body and doing everything I can to continue to boost my confidence so that I can fully enjoy and experience the thrill and amazingness that is the New York City Marathon.

Because it really IS going to be SPECTACULAR. I can’t wait. And I know that the next 15 weeks of hard work are going to be so, so, SOOOOO worth it.

Have you ever set a goal for a marathon that had nothing to do with your finish time?

How are you battling the heat/humidity during your runs this summer?

]]> http://thefinalforty.com/and-were-off-nycm-training-week-one/feed/ 10 http://thefinalforty.com/race-recap-firecracker-4-miler-2015/ http://thefinalforty.com/race-recap-firecracker-4-miler-2015/#comments Thu, 09 Jul 2015 18:36:05 +0000 Jennifer http://thefinalforty.com/?p=5838 Happy summer, everyone! I’m back with some exciting news…

I have NOT, in fact, fallen in a ditch somewhere. I AM alive and well. And I will NOT disappear for weeks at a time again, I swear!

Clearly, when it comes to life as a running blogger, I’ve been a fraud for the past several weeks (okay, months). Not only have I let life, work, etc. get in the way of blogging, but after struggling through the New Jersey Marathon in April and pretty much falling apart during the particularly disastrous Wildwood Half Marathon in May, I haven’t wanted anything to do with running.

I’ve been going to Taekwondo at least 3 times a week, which kicks my butt, so it’s not like I’ve been sitting around eating Fritos on the couch all summer. But, truth be told, my runs lately have been limited to short jog/walk/run/sniff sessions with my new best bud.

Sometimes we only make it a mile (especially on those HOT summer afternoons that we both loathe so very much) before he lays in the grass and tells me he’s done for the day, and sometimes we hit the park and go between 2-3 miles and he seems like he could run around and chase birds play all day, but I hold back because he’s still a puppy and I know I have to be careful.

But when it comes to running on my own…well, I can’t remember the last time I ran anything beyond 4 miles.

And, honestly, I have been MORE than okay with that. After running 3 marathons in a ridiculously short period of time — New York in November, Disney in January, and New Jersey in April — I had just had ENOUGH. I wanted a break, and as guilty/lazy as it made me feel, I knew that physically — and, quite honestly, mentally — I was in desperate need of a training hiatus. Since then, I’ve been focusing on my karate and just being active in general, like spending hours in the park with Todd and my favorite canine (who, BTW, has a brisk walking pace that’s faster than my running pace, haha).

So you can imagine my anxiety last weekend when Todd and I arrived at the starting line of my annual Fourth of July race: the Firecracker 4-Miler in Cranford. It was my very first race EVER back in 2011, so regardless of the fact that my running mojo has been completely nonexistent lately — and I am nowhere NEAR “racing” shape, even for a 4-miler — I was still excited to participate.

My first Firecracker. Back when I thought cotton tank tops were optimal running gear. Ah, memories.

However, the Firecracker 4-Miler is always one of my toughest shorter-distance races of the year, because the 4th always just so happens to fall on some ridiculously hot, humid day and the sweltering temperatures make me want to kill myself by mile 2. To that end, I have never done better than a 10-10:30/minute mile in this race, and have never crossed the finish line with anything but a 40 in front of my time…which is certainly not my best.

But this year, the heavens opened up and for some who-knows-what reason, it was, amazingly, NOT that hot on Saturday. It was fairly cloudy that morning, and it was supposed to rain during the day, so the high was only supposed to be in the mid-to-upper 70s. Not 85+ degrees like 2014, or 90+ degrees like 2013. WOOHOO!

2013…almost 90 degrees by 9am…wanted to die.

Because of the fact that it was just a teeny, tiny bit cool that morning, I let myself hope that this would be the year I would break 40 minutes in this race. It wasn’t a huge deal or anything, and this is always very, VERY much a “just for fun” race for me, so I wasn’t going to let myself be disappointed if I didn’t meet that goal. However, I thought it would be kind of nice to prove to myself that it really IS the weather that kicks my butt every year, and I can stop letting myself secretly think that I’ve shown absolutely no improvement since my first race ever 4 years ago…since I consistently finish in almost the exact same time every year.

Anyway, the race draws some 1,000+ runners, so it’s pretty congested in the first mile or so. Still, we fell into what (surprisingly!) felt pretty cozy to me given my complete lack of training — around a 9:45ish/mile pace — and I was delighted to discover that I wasn’t completely drenched in sweat within the first 3 minutes of the race.  By mile 2, I was still feeling pretty good, and we were still running just a smidge under a 10-minute/mile, so it was at that time that OF COURSE Todd felt the need to announce, “hey, maybe this is the year you break 40 minutes!”

UUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Here’s the thing with me and time goals. I WANT to set them, I WANT to crush them, but unfortunately, I’ve found that more often than not, they end up ruining my life. I am without a doubt my own worst critic, and when I set a goal and don’t meet it, I feel like a complete and utter failure and it completely ruins the race for me. OR, such as in the case of the NJ Marathon this spring, I let that stupid little time goal cause me such ridiculous levels of anxiety that I spend the entire race beating myself up when I inevitably don’t perform to my standards, and I can’t even enjoy the experience.

So, I basically told him he needs to 1.) not jinx me and 2.) be quiet immediately. (Although, admittedly, I may not have said it so nicely.)

At that point, though, I DID really want to go for it, but I know myself enough to know that the second half of ANY race is always harder for me, whether it’s 4 miles or 13.1 miles or 26.2 miles. So I knew that just because we were doing surprisingly well in the first half didn’t mean squat.

Fortunately, the course is flat as a pancake and I obviously know it like the back of my hand, so I knew mile 3 was on a trail and nice and shady, and typically local residents are out on their lawns spraying runners with hoses/sprinklers and cheering us on. AND, since all of my piano students happen to live in town — and one of the families actually HOSTS the race — I knew I’d likely see some friendly faces along the way.

I DID see some of my kids and got a few personalized cheers, not to mention random compliments on my “tutu” from strangers, so that was definitely helping me to not get so worked up by the impromptu time goal we had set for ourselves. Mile 3 still had us hovering under a 10-minute mile, and there was one point when Todd picked up the pace a bit (he wasn’t even wearing his Garmin, so he was totally winging it) and I tried to keep up…and found we were pulling out a 9:15/9:30 for a few minutes. That would be a pace I haven’t run since, oh, I don’t know…MARCH?!…so I was feeling pretty impressed with myself right about then.

In mile 4, runners circle back into the park where the race started, and there’s a festival and lots of spectators and excitement. It was, of course, in that last mile when I started to experience my usual bout of nausea. Every friggin’ year with this race, I swear to god. Any time I race in warmer temperatures, I end up feeling like I’m going to lose my breakfast, and then I spend the rest of the race scared sh*tless that I’ve going to toss my cookies in front of everyone and humiliate myself. I usually blame the intense heat for my annual bout of nausea, but this time, I’m sure it had to do with the fact that I was pushing myself harder than I have in months. Based upon my calculations, I knew we had a little less than 11 minutes to finish the race in sub-40, and now I just HAD to meet that goal.

In the last half mile or so, I tried my very best to ignore the nausea and run as fast as my legs would carry me…somewhere around a 9:15. Todd, of course, was feeling just fine and dandy, because he’s actually been, you know, running. As we approached the finish line, I saw that there was still a “39″ on the clock, so we booked it…

…and finished in 39:14!

Obviously it’s not a 4-miler PR or an amazing performance for either of us, but it is, BY FAR, the best I’ve ever done in this particular race. More importantly, it made me feel a lot better about being so lax in my running as of late…I haven’t completely lost all of my fitness and I’m still in running shape, so I can stop mentally beating myself up about how I’m going to fall apart in the first few weeks of marathon training because I’ve let myself be so “lazy.”

‘Cuz guess what, ladies and gentlemen? Next week officially starts NEW YORK CITY MARATHON TRAINING. That’s right, the big moment is almost here (already)! So this is literally my last week of taking any sort of running hiatus…and let me tell you that I am enjoying it, haha. Of course there’s a part of me that misses running, but there’s an even bigger part that is very, VERY nervous about ramping up a marathon training plan in the middle of July…when, as ya’ll know, I HHHHAAAAATTTTTTEEEEEEEE summer running.

Anyway, after we crossed the finish line and sat down and I inhaled ate a banana, I started feeling better, as I always do. We then stuffed our faces with free ice cream, popcorn, and various other goodies — that is, after all, the highlight of this race for us, not gonna lie.

Plus, our favorite local running store was there selling discount sneakers, and while they didn’t have my size/model (naturally), they DID have a pair of the 2014 New York City Marathon sneakers (you know, the shoes that I bought for like a million dollars) in Todd’s size — and they’re his usual running sneaker. So he gets to actually train in NYCM sneakers for NYCM — and all for the low, low price of 50 bucks! Lucky bastard.

Afterwards, we had a BBQ at my parents’ house, and took about a zillion pictures of ourselves with the dog. Because it never seems to get old.

 We ate like pigs, took Miles for a little walk in the park, and hit the fireworks that night.

So, all in all, it was a successful 4th of July…and, for me, a successful return to running. Which, of course, means you will DEFINITELY be hearing a lot more from me in the coming weeks. I’ll have to apologize in advance for the inevitable whining that’s about to come your way…”it’s too hot for running, waaaaahhhhhh!”

How did you spend your 4th of July?

Did you race this year?

Any advice for me on getting back into marathon training after a hiatus?

Soooooo sorry, again, for being such a bad blogger, guys! Things are settling down now so I’ll be back to my normal posting schedule — and I’m catching up on all the goings-on with YOU, I swear! Puppy parenthood has been a fun (but huge!) adjustment, but we’re getting into a normal routine now. Miles is doing great with his training and is especially loving our weekend run/walks in the park. (Thanks for all the tips of doggie-friendly running gear, BTW…I’ve already invested in a couple of your suggestions and it’s working out great!)

Anyway, the Wildwood Half Marathon was intended to be our last “big race” of the season. And, by “big race,” I mean a distance over, say, 6 miles, because I know myself well enough to know that once those temperatures reached 70 degrees, I wouldn’t be doing a whole lot of running. I also knew going into this one that I was NOT attempting a PR, and that depending on the weather conditions/how I felt that day, the plan was to do the best I could. No pressure.

Todd and I drove to Wildwood early on Saturday morning, and made a stop at the Cape May County Zoo along the way. Since apparently it’s sort of our thing to check out the local zoo anytime we go on a race-cation.

Packet pick-up was on the boardwalk, and basically consisted of a couple of tables with bibs and quite possibly some of the ugliest, worst quality race shirts (only available in men’s sizing, no less) that I’ve seen thus far, haha.

We carbed it up on pasta at Little Italy, which was pretty damn good, and then spent the rest of the afternoon/evening walking on the boardwalk.

The next morning’s forecast called for rain, which I was COMPLETELY fine with. It was already approaching 70 degrees by the time we were waking to the starting line at the Wildwood Convention Center, and seeing as how I was already sweating from the humidity during our leisurely stroll, I knew I was in for a real treat. As per our usual M.O., we slipped into the starting area within seconds before the race began.

From the very first mile, I knew it wasn’t going to be my day. Although I was very, VERY thankful that it was a little drizzly and overcast, it was still SO HUMID. Plus, I was having some sort of tummy issues that morning and I was hoping that they would just go the hell away so I could run this race (spoiler alert: they didn’t).

Todd and I planned to run our own race this time around. He and I both knew that I wasn’t going to be performing well that morning, and I knew he wanted to see what he could do. We stuck together for the first few miles but then somehow lost each other before we reached the boardwalk.

The course was an out-and-back…it took us through a residential area of Wildwood and onto the boardwalk, through some more residential areas, and then back to the starting area. I liked running on the boardwalk and seeing the ocean, and the course was nice and flat, which is always a plus for me…but, I have to say, I found the race to be a snooze-fest. Though the race itself was very well-organized and there were a lot more volunteers than I would have guessed, there was very little in the way of spectators.

After the first water stop offered only small cups of lukewarm water, I panicked about not having access to enough water (or Gatorade/Powerade) on such a humid morning. So when one of the boardwalk businesses (I think it was a kettle corn joint?) kindly handed out full-size water bottles, I grabbed it and carried it for a couple of miles so I knew that at least I’d have it as a back-up. Luckily, though, the remaining water stops were more plentiful, and included Gatorade, so I ditched the water bottle.

By mile 5, I was already sooooooo over it. Try as I might, I couldn’t push my pace faster than a 10:15/10:30 at any given time, and towards the end, it was getting harder just to keep it under 11. I remembered that it was just a few short weeks ago that I was successfully racing at a 9-minute mile in The Love Run, and here I was plodding along at a pace that was so much slower for me. I knew Todd was doing great, since he’s the type of runner who doesn’t seem to have any trouble holding his usual pace in any weather conditions. We spotted each other after he made the halfway turnaround, so that lifted my spirits a little bit, but I still just wanted to be DONE.

In addition to the humidity and the sheer boredom/frustration I was experiencing that morning, my stomach was also giving me some trouble. No idea why. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say I had to take a mid-race pit-stop, which is something I very rarely do. I was happy that there seemed to be a whole lot more port-a-potties than the New Jersey Marathon, though (which is pretty pathetic, might I add).

In the last couple of miles, my walks through water stops were getting longer and longer. I just didn’t have any oomph. I felt hot and drained and unmotivated and just sick to death of running, and that’s when I knew that signing up for a half marathon so soon after a marathon was definitely a mistake. My body seems to bounce back just fine after a marathon, but mentally, it seems to take WEEKS for me to get back to a point where I genuinely WANT to run.

Finally, we were back on the boardwalk, and even though I felt as though I was trudging through molasses, I kept on going. Mainly because I wanted it to be over with. It had started to rain on-and-off in the second part of the race, and that helped cool me off a bit, but I was just so…bored.

My finish time? Let’s just say I barely broke 2:30. And, again, just weeks prior to this race, I ran a 2:04 in Philadelphia. Oh, how the mighty have fallen, haha.

Todd was waiting for me at the finish line — he managed to finish in 2:04, so he had quite a long wait, haha — and we got our little goodie bag with a “soft” pretzel, cookie, fruit cup, and other assorted snack items.

We sat around to listen to the band that was playing for a few minutes. But then I just wanted to get out of there. Honestly, the highlight of this race for me was that it was my first distance running event wearing my new SparkleSkirt, and since it DID. NOT. BUDGE., it has officially earned my seal of approval! I’m so happy to have found something a little cooler that I can wear to run on these hot, humid days. (I won’t, however, be attempting the Sparkle Athletic/SparkleSkirt combo look again…it was real, real annoying).

Remember how I said the race shirt was disappointing? Well, when I crossed the finish line (finally), I had something else to be disappointed about. While it was a cute design, the medal was practically microscopic compared to what we’re used to. Definitely not worth 2+ hours of mental and physical frustration, I’ll tell you that much!

We took a few pictures, of course, and then headed back to the room to change and check-out. Then we got to do that I REALLY wanted to do that weekend, which was go to the beach.

Of course, it wasn’t all that sunny, and the beach was DESERTED, but we didn’t care!

I had a grand old time reading my puppy training books (we were supposed to pick up Miles the next night!) and relaxing on an empty beach. Later on, we had pizza, chilled on the boardwalk (and had my favorite Polish Water Ice!), and eventually headed home.

Moral of the story? I’m done with running right now. Until New York City Marathon training ramps up next month, I’m focusing on Taekwondo and just keeping some sort of baseline level of running ability with 2-3 short runs a week. I haven’t run longer than 4 miles since Wildwood. I’m just so burnt out…and my body seems to be BEGGING me for a break.

It has been so hot and gross and miserable, and my heart just isn’t in it right now. This has happened before, so instead of panicking about it, I know I just need a mental/physical time-out before I throw myself back into yet another round of marathon training. I plan to take the next few weeks nice and easy and will hopefully be ready and rarin’ to go when it comes time to train for what I consider to be the second most exciting marathon in the world (after Disney, of course).

Have you ever (voluntarily!) taken a hiatus from running?

Do you scale back your training in the summer months (or am I the only whiny baby who can’t stand the heat)?

I’ll start with a quick look at the expo. I say quick look because there wasn’t really anything there. The half and full marathons draw some 6,000 runners — about 4,000 for the half, and 2,000 for the full (along with a 5K and half relay) — so it’s definitely not the largest expo (although a few of my favorites, like Bondiband, were there)!

I didn’t love the race shirt or the sneak peek of the medal — and I also got the sense that this particular race weekend was going to primarily be geared towards the half marathoners, which I thought ended up being pretty accurate.

But it didn’t matter all that much then because I knew we had worked HARD for this race…and I couldn’t wait!

We left for the race around 6am on Sunday, since we live about 30 minutes from the starting line in Monmouth Park Racetrack. Fortunately, Todd figured out a “secret” way to get there via back roads, so we didn’t have to sit in the insane traffic that many other runners had to deal with in trying to get inside the complex.

It was nice and cool in the morning (mid-40′s), but I knew the temperatures were expected to rise to at least the mid-60′s (BOO). We headed right for the (INDOOR!) bathrooms so we didn’t have to use the port-a-potties. As always, the line for the ladies’ room was loooooooong, but we made it to the corrals with a few minutes to spare (an announcement was made that they were delaying the start of the race due to the fact that so many people were having trouble getting in…an issue I faced when I ran the half marathon in 2013.)

I was nervous because my legs had felt pretty tight and sore in the days leading into the race, but that morning, I felt READY.  We had both trained our butts off and our shared goal was to cross the finish line with a “4″ in front of our time. Given the way our training had gone, honestly, I felt we had this in the bag. In fact, there was a part of me that was sure we were going to crush that goal, and maybe even come in closer to 4:30.

We squeezed into a corral in front of the 5:00 pacer and started the race with a nice, easy pace of 10:30. The plan was to try to hover around 10:15/10:30 in the beginning of the race, and then evaluate how we felt in the middle to see if we should try picking it up (haha, yeah, right) or try to maintain a sub-11 as best we could for the second half. We saw our fellow Jersey runner friend Kim from Barking Mad About Running and chatted for a minute or so in that first mile. And then it was time to begin my 5th 26.2-mile journey.

The first couple of miles felt easy. A little too easy. I kept telling myself that we had a long way to go, but I still couldn’t help but feel optimistic that we were going to CRUSH this race. My only issue at that moment was that Todd and I were both complaining of side stitches, which I rarely get anymore, so I wasn’t sure what that was about. We walked through each water stop and I tried to massage my side, and that helped a bit.

The course is practically flat as a pancake, with just a handful of rolling hills (mainly on bridges), and although I was already heating up by the time we were finishing the first 10K, the chilly winds were helping to keep us cool. Better yet, we were running close to the 4:40 pacer, which thrilled me to no end because I was sure we could not only achieve a sub-five, but that we could definitely break 4:45! Ah, gotta love the optimism in the first half of a marathon.

It felt like there were tons of runners and a fair amount of spectators, but I knew that was probably all going to change once the marathoners split off around mile 12 and the half marathoners headed towards the finish line. Sure enough, after the split, Todd and I were practically running alone, with what felt like only a handful of fellow runners in our general vicinity at any given time.

Where have all the runners gone…?

We quickly discovered that our plan to delay any bathroom breaks until the second half of the course — with the assumption that the lines would be shorter — ended up being a very, very bad idea. Because guess what? There were NO FREAKIN’ PORT-A-POTTIES TO BE FOUND.

As usual, there were runners ducking behind bushes to do their business, but since this course is largely residential (you run through “shore towns” like Oceanport, Long Branch, Asbury Park, etc.), there were others that had no choice but to go on people’s lawns (as discreetly as possible, but, still). Since I have lady parts and it’s not so easy for me — nor would I want to do my private business on somebody’s private property — I got PISSED AS HELL. How are we expected to run for 4 or 5 or 6 hours without being supplied with any sort of bathroom facility? REALLY?!

Unfortunately, it was also somewhere right before the halfway point that I started to feel…not right. My legs were already feeling fatigued, but worse, it was my stomach that started acting up. My stomach was feeling a little crampy and I started to feel borderline nauseous, which never happens, so I wasn’t really sure what do about it. We were sticking to our usual tried-and-true routine of taking fuel every 4-5 miles (I had Clif Bloks and Honey Stingers gels and waffles with me), so I didn’t know what the issue was.

I tried to take a piece of the waffle somewhere in mile 14 and couldn’t get it down — which is NOT a problem I’ve ever had — and as much as I usually love in-race bananas, I held onto mine after the first banana stop because just the thought of eating solid food at that moment made me want to hurl.

That’s how I knew something was wrong. I can assure you that I never, ever have a problem eating. Before running, while running, after running, EVER. And I started to get very afraid that the nausea was going to get worse. It’s not like there were any port-a-potties to duck into, either!

So, of course, that’s when my head started with its usual shenanigans. Here I was, only halfway through the race, and I felt like crap. There were hardly any spectators — or runners, for that matter — and running through residential areas on training runs (I prefer parks) bores me to no end, so the fact that it felt like we were just running up and down side streets at this point made things even worse.

My stomach felt weird and a fatigue took over me that I usually don’t experience until much, much later in a marathon. Was this “the wall,” and was I hitting it when we still had 10+ miles to go? Meanwhile, by mile 15 or 16 that 4:40 pacer was long gone, and I knew we’d never catch her…and I let it get to me.

So then began the panic attacks. I am typically not a crier — at least not in public — but for some reason, every time I run a marathon I end up having a meltdown at least 2-3 times along the course. And I don’t mean like a single rolling tear down my cheek. I mean like I have to stop running because I’m panicking and I can’t catch my breath and I feel like the whole world is ending and my body is falling apart and there’s no way I’m going to make it.

This is the first time Todd got to experience this particular phenomenon (lucky him). I never have a problem during runDisney races (of course), and our only other marathon together thus far was his first (the Rock n’ Roll USA in DC last March), so I was way too worried about him to let myself freak out.

Well, this time, it happened by mile 15…and then again around 18…and then again around 22. I was just DONE. We were fighting just to keep an 11ish pace, and all I wanted to do was stop and walk because I allowed myself to think that I wasn’t going to be able to finish this race. I couldn’t catch my breath, and a constant stream of negativity was playing on loop through my mind…and I hated myself at that moment because I keep letting this happen. Todd kept assuring me that we “banked” plenty of time since we performed so well in the first half (we finished just under 2:20), and that I didn’t have to stress about meeting our time goal.

WHY do I continually let myself fall apart the moment I start to struggle, and WHY can I never just have enough faith in myself that I WILL make it to the finish line? I mean, really…how many times do I have to run a freakin’ marathon before those little voices go away?! This getting ridiculous now!

Meanwhile, we both needed to use a bathroom, and there were NONE to be found. We found one port-a-potty on what appeared to be a construction site, and were behind one other runner waiting in line, but then she told us there was no toilet paper and that it was exceptionally gross (goody), so we moved on. Fortunately, we finally stumbled across two port-a-potties near another banana stop around mile 18, so we stood in line and wasted about 5 minutes with a few other runners who were also disgruntled that there were no bathroom facilities on this course.

I hoped that a pit stop and a quick break (because even sitting in a disgusting port-a-potty feels heavenly during a marathon) would help alleviate some of my discomfort, but I continued to struggle every step of the way. My feet were starting to burn now, and some of my toenails were rubbing against my socks so it felt like I was about to lose them. My legs weren’t TOO tight, but they were definitely heavy, and I just felt…tired. Exhausted. OVER IT.

And then the 4:55 pacer appeared behind us as we were rounding the corner for the out-and-back section of the course (somewhere around mile 20), and I FREAKED. Here was the culmination of everything we worked for in human form, and it was literally chasing us down. I panicked. Again.

Todd kept trying to calm me down. Here I was acting like a complete baby, and he continued to be so calm and sweet and supportive. He kept saying stuff like “we’re in this together” and he “believes in me.”

As much as I appreciated that, and I SO needed him there, I kept telling him to leave me. It was something we had already discussed, and though I would have been disappointed, I also would have completely understood if he ran ahead. I didn’t want to be the reason that he didn’t meet his goal, because he worked so hard for this race and he was doing SO much better than I was. Ironically, we were joking in the weeks before the race that I would be the one leaving him, since that’s the scenario that usually plays out during long runs and races longer than 13.1 miles.

But he wouldn’t leave me. He said it’s “just a number” and he’s not missing the opportunity to finish this race with me, no matter what the clock says. (Interestingly enough, that’s usually MY viewpoint; he’s typically a little more competitive when it comes to finish times.) He was making me feel better, but I still felt guilty for ruining what was supposed to be our triumphant sub-five finish.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day, but the sun was beating down on us now and I felt hot and sweaty and just DRAINED, no matter how much Gatorade I drank (race organizers may have forgotten about the port-a-potties, but the course did NOT lack water stations, I’ll give them that). I took a few bites of banana when they were offered, and I forced down a couple of gels, but my usual mid-run hunger was not happening that day; clearly, my “unsettled” stomach was going to stick with me for the remainder of the race, and I’d just have to try to ignore it.

In those final miles, I remember running with my eyes closed a few times because it literally felt like I was falling asleep standing up…almost like my batteries were “on low.” Speaking of batteries, guess what decided to DIE in the last 10K? My fully-charged iPod. Todd saved the day yet again…he let me take his. Because he knows I will die without the distraction, whereas he runs without music all the time. Have I mentioned yet how glad I was that he was with me for this one?! Seriously.

Almost there…

As we made our way to the boardwalk, my spirits picked up just a little bit because I knew we were so close (and, yet, still so far!), and plus I like running by the ocean. There were also a couple of photographers hanging around so I was sure to put on my best pretend smile.

Photo credit: NJ Marathon

The 4:55 pacer caught us again and passed us for good, and I was mad because I knew there was no way in hell we’d ever catch him. I kept compulsively checking my Garmin to monitor our potential finish time, and knew that we were going to cut it so close…and I hoped that if we could just keep the 5:00 pacer at bay, then we’d be okay (meanwhile, of course, I had NO idea what time they actually crossed the starting line and whether or not they were even on their pace).

But it didn’t matter because they represented my goal slipping away and I felt guilty because I had ruined Todd’s race and now we were going to have to fight just to squeak by under five hours. (Note to self: I will never be able to run with a pacer. It clearly screws with my head just a little too much.) I KNEW we were capable of doing so much better, and I was frustrated to be struggling so much when I was so sure I did everything “right” during my training.

Whoooooo’s in pain…?!?!

Finally…FINALLY…I knew Long Branch’s Pier Village was up ahead, and there were a handful of spectators in those final miles so their cheering helped a little. With just about 2 miles to go, according to my calculations (which I couldn’t rely on since I had some SERIOUS marathon brain going on), we could still make our sub-five goal as long as we stuck to our current pace and didn’t take any more extended walk breaks.

When we passed the 25th mile, I dug deep and we both managed to drop back down to around a 10ish-minute mile, partially because I desperately wanted to be done and partially because if I suffered that much and came in with a time of something like 5:00:01 I would have proceeded to drown myself in the ocean.

As we approached the finish line, we scanned the crowds for our parents, and spotted his (I never did see mine) holding signs and cheering for us. I swear, Todd’s parents sometimes seem even more excited about our races than we are, and they’re always super supportive and totally our biggest fans. I was so excited (and relieved!) to see them!

With the finish line up ahead, as per my usual M.O., the nausea, the pain, the frustration, the agony…all of it…was gone. WE MADE IT.

The clock said 5:05. I KNEW we started 10 minutes after the official start of the race, so we both knew then for sure that we HAD it.

We crossed the finish line in 4:57:34, and I was too relieved that it was over to care that we had come thisclose to missing our goal.

We got our medals and proceeded to sit on the ground for several minutes because it was absolutely necessary. That’s when I realized that apparently my camera had turned on in my running belt, so the battery was dead, which just felt like the cherry on top of what was already a disastrous race. So we relied on our friends at MarathonFoto and our phones.

A fellow runner approached us as we were sitting on the ground and made a comment about how they were watching us and saw how much Todd helped me get to the finish line (which meant I REALLY must’ve looked like a hot mess out there, lol). But, yeah, that pretty much sums up this race. I did it for him in D.C., and he did it for me this weekend. It’s how we roll.

We got our goody bag (the idea of eating anything from it was completely out of the question, because I STILL felt a little nauseated) and made the long, slow march to find our parents on our sore, stiff legs.

There’s a finish line festival but I was a little too out of it to really enjoy it, and I was disappointed in that the swarms of spectators that I remember from running the half marathon in 2013 were completely non-existent when it came to the full marathon. Everyone had already gone home, so there wasn’t much of a “festival” at all. It sort of felt like the event should be called “THE NEW JERSEY HALF MARATHON (and also a marathon).”

We hung around a bit to cheer on some of the runners coming in after us, but I couldn’t help but notice that most of the vendors were already starting to pack it up — not cool for those coming in closer to 6 hours, especially with a course time limit of 6:30, might I add. Then we all packed it in and went out for dinner, and by that time, my appetite was starting to come back.

Would I run the marathon again? Honestly, probably not. I think Todd and I have been spoiled in that we’ve run marathons with a whole lot of hoopla (like, you know, the New York City Marathon and the Walt Disney World Marathon), so to arrive to a practically empty “finish line festival” was a little disappointing. The post-race goody bags were pre-packaged, which was nice, but the half marathoners apparently used up all of the heat sheets because none of the marathoners finishing with us got one.

The fact that there were twice as many half marathoners as full marathoners — and that we all got almost the exact same race shirt and medal — was also a little disappointing. I’m not at all saying that finishing a half marathon isn’t an enormous accomplishment, but to me, it just doesn’t seem right to have a half and a full marathon on the same day and not differentiate at all between the two events. Even the official “finisher” shirt says 26.2 AND 13.1.

As disappointed as I was in how my race went down, I was SO proud and excited for Todd’s performance. We have both come a LONG way from our first (non-Disney) marathon finish in 5:20, and I am beyond thrilled by how much we’ve improved in the little over a year that we’ve been running marathons!

Still, I’m glad that we were able to conquer another 26.2 miles in our home state. And, of course, no matter what…running a marathon will always, ALWAYS be a huge deal for me. A HUGE deal.

Clearly, no matter how much I have changed, the “old me” is always hanging around to tell me that I can’t do it. It frustrates me to no end that I can still so easily slip back into my old mindset. But I guess if running marathons is the only way to prove myself wrong, then so be it. My struggles with obesity will always be part of my story, but crossing the finish line of yet another marathon is just another step towards leaving that 265-pound version of myself in the past.

And, as always, I will definitely be taking some new lessons learned into our new round of training for the New York City Marathon. I don’t know exactly what caused me to feel sick during this race — I know it could have been much, MUCH hotter and I can’t complain about the beautiful day, but I suspect the sudden warmer temperatures and hot sun after months of training in frigid winter temperatures probably shocked my system a little bit. Especially since, in general, I do NOT do well in warmer weather.

I DO know that I clearly need a longer taper (we tried a shorter plan this time around), and I likely took on a bit too much in the final weeks before the marathon. The fact that I was busting my butt for weeks to earn a new half marathon time to submit for Wine and Dine probably didn’t help, either. It all probably caused “the wall” and my good old friends “dead legs” to find me a little sooner than I would have hoped.

I think the most important lesson I’m taking from this race is that it’s becoming increasingly clear that my mind fails me in a marathon LONG before my body does. Apparently, I need to spend as much time training my brain for a marathon as I do training my body! If I can work on not letting my self-doubt overcome me, then there’s no telling what I’ll be able to accomplish in marathon #6.

Have you ever met a race goal but still been disappointed in your performance?

I’ll share all the gory details in my recap, but for now, I will say that it didn’t exactly go as well as I had hoped. Even though I went in feeling 100% ready and trained and fully confident that we were going to CRUSH this race, I ended up struggling big time…and I’m still reflecting on what exactly went wrong.

But the good news? I went into this race wanting nothing more than to finally achieve a sub-five marathon. And despite some extended walk breaks towards the end (and a panic attack or two), we DID meet our goal!

Though we trained to keep our pace to about a 10:30 — which is exactly what we did up until the halfway point — the fact that I struggled so much in the second half of the race killed our overall pace a little bit. (Even when I meet a goal, I still somehow let myself obsess over how I could have done better…because I’m ridiculous like that).

Thank god Todd was there because let’s just say I let myself go to a dark place several times during the race…and I don’t know what I would have done without his encouragement and support along the way. He did AWESOME yesterday, especially given some of the issues he has struggled with in previous marathons…and I am ridiculously proud of him!

That feeling when you FINALLY see the finish line…!

Still, I’m excited that I shaved about 20 minutes from my New York City Marathon finish time, and Todd beat his Philadelphia Marathon PR by nearly 10 minutes. So no matter how I felt on the course yesterday, I have to go ahead and put this one in the “win” column.

There were some aspects of this race that I found pretty disappointing, and I hate that I had such a hard time even when I went in feeling so READY, but just like every marathon experience, I definitely learned a lot yesterday. And I know from experience that no matter how well trained you are, ANYTHING can happen in those 26.2 miles!

I’ll be back with more details (and photos, of course, haha) this week! Thanks to everyone for your support, encouragement, and advice in the weeks leading up to this race. We both really appreciate it!

Have you ever struggled during a race that you felt SO ready to run?

So, last weekend we tackled the big kahuna in any marathon training plan. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen…

THE 20-MILER IS COMPLETE.

We just think we’re so clever, lol.

Honestly, it wasn’t our best long run. Granted, it definitely wasn’t the WORST either. We tackled the 20 miles in my old stomping ground of Kenilworth/Cranford, which I loved because there are so many parks and there were tons of people out and about because the weather was BEAUTIFUL.

However, with spring-like temperatures finally here, I could tell right from the beginning that the warmer weather was going to take its toll on my performance. It was only in the 60s, but given the fact that we’ve been training in the 20s, 30s, and 40s all this time, it felt like a HUGE temperature difference. And ya’ll know how I feel about running once it starts getting warmer.

As for Todd, I know he struggled a bit at the end with sore legs, feet, back (okay, sore EVERYTHING), and for some reason, both of my feet were ridiculously sore and achy and ON FIRE for most of second half of the run, which definitely had an impact on our overall pace.

But given that our finish time was only about 30 minutes longer than our 18-miler, I’m hopeful that the (*fingers crossed*) cooler temps at the start of a 7:30am marathon and the fact that our legs and feet will be good and rested will help us do better on marathon day.

But now that I’m in full taper mode, I’m struggling a little bit. See, the thing is, I am definitely NOT one of those runners who suffers from “taper crazies” or that undying need to run even though I’m supposed to be resting and gearing up for the race.

Quite frankly, I’m freakin’ exhausted, and I very, very much look forward to the taper. Is it wrong that it’s kind of my favorite part of the training plan?

TAPER TIME IS HERE!!!

However, the “beginner” plan from Competitor that we’ve been following all this time still has a whole lot of stuff going on this week and next. I’ve stuck with the plan pretty closely for the most part, but this week I was supposed to run a 3-miler, 8-miler, and 5-miler — and I only did the 3 and the 5, with a couple of Taekwondo classes tossed into the mix.

This weekend is a final longish run, a 12-miler, which I’m totally cool with…but then next week there’s another 3-miler, 8-miler, and 4-miler on deck.

Yeeeeeeeeah, I don’t think so.

So, my question to you all is what are YOUR taper strategies? Honestly, I’ve learned from experience that I have yet to struggle from anything other than heavy, exhausted legs and tight muscles on marathon day (don’t we all?), and I’m thinking that a little extra rest in the days leading up to the big race might be what I need to finish strong next Sunday.

This week’s longest run — a 5-miler — and temperatures in the upper-60′s are already feeling WAY too hot for me, haha

But then, even though I know it’s ridiculous, I feel “guilty” for not getting in all of my runs this close to the big day…even though this plan is definitely unlike others I’ve followed that had much lower mileage in the final weeks. I know enough to scale back on the karate next week (duh), but when it comes to how much I should be running, I sort of feel like a newb. I’ve made so many mistakes in my previous rounds of marathon training, and I paid for it on race day…and I really want our experience at the New Jersey Marathon to be AWESOME.

Honestly, I’m more anxious about this race than any of my previous marathons. Okay, fine, except the Dopey Challenge. It really feels like the first time that I trained and planned and genuinely busted my butt to significantly improve my finish time, and I do feel READY. But at the same time, I’m sure you can all understand the feeling of wanting all that hard work to pay off on race day!

How often/long do you run in the final week or two before a goal race?

Any other taper tips/strategies for me?!

We’ll be heading back to Philadelphia for The Love Run this weekend, and this is going to be my goal half marathon for the spring. It’s supposed to be a nice, flat course…so I’m hoping to use it as my official Wine & Dine Half Marathon corral placement race.

Our most recent trip to Philly for Todd’s 2nd marathon!

Plus, since it’s STILL not feeling very spring-like around these parts, the weather is still producing optimal racing temperatures for me (the cooler, the better)! In fact, my 7-miler on the first day of spring was completed IN THE FRIGGIN’ SNOW! (But at least I got my free “first day of spring” iced coffee!)

I literally run on Dunkin’.

As I’ve mentioned many times here, my previous PR (and runDisney corral) was a 2:03…from a race about a thousand years ago (April 2013). The closest I’ve come since then was a 2:04 race in September of 2013.

Since then, my half times have been all over the map — anything from a 2:07 to a 2:14 to a 2:25. As marathon training consumed my entire life, all other race distances, my speedwork, etc. took a backseat…and I’ve allowed myself to use the “I have marathon legs!” excuse for far too long.

Honestly, I haven’t run anything under 2:10 in quite some time. So, needless to say, I’m EXTREMELY motivated this time around to correct the many (MANY) mistakes I’ve made in my training and see what I can really do.

I will be happier than a pig in you-know-what with anything under 2:05 this weekend. I know it’s a lofty goal, but I’ve been busting my butt these last two months to reclaim my “old” pace…and maybe even set a new PR. Hey, you never know, right?! My 1:34 in a recent 10-mile race gives me hope that I might just be able to pull it off.

And then, of course, there’s training for marathon #5. The New Jersey Marathon is really sneaking up on me now, and I gotta say, I think this has been my second best round of marathon training yet (after the Dopey Challenge, of course). I’ve been a lot more consistent in terms of logging ALL of my runs, and I’m pushing myself to run significantly faster on shorter distances (which, for me, is anything under a 9:30/pace). But it seems to be paying off on my long runs.

In fact…this Sunday’s 16-miler was among the most successful long runs I’ve ever had. That’s right…EVER!

Todd and I went to our local park, and I FORCED myself to keep my pace in check in the early miles. I’ve been doing lots of experimenting with that whole “negative split” concept lately; up until now, I had pretty much decided that it was something I was physically incapable of doing. Whether it’s a long run or a race, I am NOTORIOUS for going out too fast and then crashing and burning in the last few miles. And since that strategy hasn’t exactly been paying off for me as of late, I thought it was time to try something new.

So, this Sunday, I FORCED myself to simmer down and not go out like a bat out of hell. I maintained a comfy 10-10:30/pace in the early miles, and I just kept having to tell myself to SLOW. DOWN. when I’d get overzealous and feel that urge to run faster. I’m SO tired of dragging my lifeless body through the final agonizing miles of a long run, and I wanted to prove to myself that I CAN hold back a little bit and still have enough gas in the tank to push it at the end.

The first 10 miles flew by pretty quickly, and in that final 10K, I started to feel a little sore and hungry and, let’s face it, bored…but I also somehow felt just as strong as I did in the beginning of the run. SAYWHAT?!?!?!?!

In the last leg of the run, I allowed myself to go for it…and Todd and I both managed to pull out a 9:30-9:40 pace for the final 5K. Todd was having a little bit of a hard time that morning, but at our 10-mile fuel break, I fed him one of my Honey Stingers “Ginsting” gels with caffeine…and, for some reason, he claims it magically “gave him a boost.” Gee, I wonder why…?

As a coffee addict, I don’t think I really notice the caffeine in the gels all that much…but he doesn’t drink coffee AT ALL, and he said he really felt it. Ah, it will be so fun to get him hooked on legal stimulants.

Anyway, I somehow managed to end up with EXACTLY the 10-minute/mile pace I wanted for my 16-miler! I have NEVER been able to pull off such a consistent pace for a long run, and I honestly have never felt so strong in the last miles. I’m not saying I wasn’t sore and tired, but I didn’t feel like dropping dead like I usually do. It was a HUGE difference.

Why it says “8:06″ is beyond me…in my freakin’ dreams!

In other news, I’ve been having an ongoing issue with my right foot. It’s a pain on the bottom of the foot, but a little closer to the outer edge than the middle. I basically spent the entire day on Saturday trying to diagnose myself, because this has been going on for weeks now and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. It was particularly bad on Saturday (more of a stabbing pain than the usual soreness). And since I had high hopes for Sunday’s long run, I didn’t want a stupid bum foot to ruin my efforts.

So, based upon my self-diagnosis — it sounds an awful lot like plantar fasciitis, a.k.a. one of the most common running injuries of all time — I tried all of the numerous tips and tricks that Google had to offer.

How I spend a Saturday…party time!

My efforts included: rolling it on one of my dog’s tennis balls (which I have been doing for weeks), freezing a bottle of water to try ice massage (which felt surprisingly good), wrapping an ice pack around my foot (and securing it with a hair tie, haha), pulling my toes back and massaging the tendons on the bottom of my feet, and doing lots and lots of stretching for my calves…hence the belt and my arch nemesis, The Stick.

Of course, I paid a little visit to the KT Tape website for a handy demonstration on taping my foot for this particular issue prior to Sunday’s run. (I’d share a photo, but I have the nastiest, most calloused runner/martial artist feet in all the land…and I don’t want to make anyone lose their lunch).

And I spent the rest of the day on Sunday and Monday walking around in my Gone For a Run “recovery sandals.” I felt like a little bit of an idiot trying to pull off the socks and sandals look in public, but, HEY…you gotta go what you gotta do.

Fortunately, it DOES feel better. During the run, I felt just a little bit of a twinge/tenderness…but nothing like I’ve felt on previous runs. And today, I don’t feel anything when I walk on it.

It’s a pain that seems to come and go — and I’m 99 percent sure it all started when I failed to replace my running sneakers in a timely fashion. I’m hoping that it will at least hold on and not get any worse until the marathon is over next month…at which time I promise I will do the one thing I know I’m supposed to do: REST IT.

Do you tend to negative or positive split in long runs/races?

Have you ever dealt with a foot pain/injury?

Around 9:30am yesterday — NEW YORK CITY MARATHON LOTTERY DAY! — I received an e-mail alert from American Express saying that a charge was made on my account.

And, oh, the excitement…it was a $255 charge from New York Road Runners!

As you may already know, Todd and I both applied for the lottery this year. And I decided that we should use the same credit card for the drawing. To me, it was kind of like a superstitious thing…I thought maybe it would magically affect our chances of being drawn together. (I know it means absolutely nothing, but, hey, a girl can dream.)

So, at that moment we knew that one of us got in — but we didn’t know who! It takes awhile to receive your confirmation e-mail, and for the alert to pop up in your NYRR account.

I was excited that one of us got in (even if I not-so-secretly hoped it was me, not gonna lie, lol), but I really, REALLY wanted a second hit on my credit card.

After about 20 minutes of compulsively refreshing my American Express account and hoping for another e-mail alert, I saw this…

And, oh, THE JOY!!! (I have NEVER been so excited to drop 500 bucks, I’ll say that much.)

I am beyond excited. BEYOND EXCITED. Last year’s race was AMAZING, but I did it alone…and struggled. It was the time of my life, don’t get me wrong…but I kicked myself for not training harder/smarter and for going out too fast and for not being strategic about what I knew would be a difficult course and blustery weather conditions.

From start to finish, I caught myself wishing I had my running companion with me, from celebrating the sheer thrill of being blown around running on the Verrazano Bridge to the soul-crushing agony of mile 18 when I hit the proverbial wall just a tad earlier than I anticipated and was convinced that I’d never make it to Central Park.

In those early miles last year, I remember the only thing I could think about was that I couldn’t WAIT to tell Todd how awesome it was. It was decided right then and there — we HAD to run this thing together. Clearly, neither of us will ever qualify based on our race times, so I was more than prepared to enter this lottery as many times as it took for us both to get in.

Yesterday, my ultimate wish came true. We WILL be taking on the five boroughs of New York City together this November! I knew the odds were slim, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, right? I don’t know how it happened, but it did!

There’s little in my running life life that excited me more than finishing the Walt Disney World Marathon together this January…but I gotta tell you, this is already a close second.

The New York City Marathon is so much more than just a race to me, and I consider myself ridiculously lucky to have been given the chance to experience it for the second time. I’m still in shock that this happened…but I’m so, SO grateful to have somehow made the cut again.

And, best of all, this year I won’t be doing it alone. Assuming we both finish April’s New Jersey Marathon in one piece, it will be our fourth full marathon together! I know that both us of being accepted via the lottery the first time we entered together was a LONG SHOT, and there’s always the possibility that it will never happen again…so I fully intend to enjoy this experience!

Our first shared 26.2!

Who else will be running with me this November?!

Have you ever entered a race lottery?

The first few weeks were pretty uneventful. I had done a bit (okay, a lot) of lounging around after running the Walt Disney World Marathon, so it was all about getting back into the swing of things. All I can say is that training in this winter has been quite the adventure. It has been ABSOLUTELY FREAKIN’ FRIGID the past couple of weeks, with wind chills causing it to feel below zero most days. I’m constantly navigating my way over mounds of snow and slush, or gently stepping over patches of ice. On the rare day when the forecast calls for temperatures in the 30s or higher, it feels downright tropical.

Gotta love running in 15 degrees!

But as a wise queen once said…the cold doesn’t bother me, anyway. I’d still rather fight the brutal winter winds than run on a sweltering summer afternoon, thankyouverymuch.

Channeling my inner Elsa

Meanwhile, I’ve decided to take it back to basics a little bit. I haven’t particularly enjoyed my performances in races as of late, so I figure I’ve got to change things up. For starters? I’m really, REALLY trying to be consistent and get in ALL of my mid-week runs, just like I did when I was a marathon training newb. I’m following a beginner plan from Competitor, and I’m making my own modifications in terms of molding the runs/workouts to suit my own needs.

And right now, my needs are the following:

Run a fast(er) half marathon, or die.

I am super motivated right now to improve my half marathon time. I have a number of reasons for this — for starters, I’m sick of just being happy with “finishing” a half when I haven’t had a PR since my first half marathon in April 2013. Also, as I’ve previously mentioned, that shiny little PR of mine is no longer any good when it comes to submitting a race time for corral placement at my next runDisney race (which, hopefully, should be this year’s Wine and Dine!) so I have a little bit of added incentive to earn my way back into one of the earlier corrals.

Those were the days…

I know I’m not likely to PR (I’d have to break 2:03) because I can’t expect drastic results in such a short period of time…but I am confident than I can perform a LOT better than I have in my most recent half marathons.

October 2014, 2:20 finish time (which included a few stops for photos along the way!)

To that end, I’m working on running as fast as I can for at least 1-2 of the shorter runs each week, and trying to maintain a more consistent (albeit not quite AS fast) pace for my long runs. I’m definitely pushing myself harder than I have in a looooong time, and I think it may already be paying off. I’m seeing all of my “old” paces on the Garmin again (anywhere between a 9-9:30/minute mile), which is ridiculously exciting.

On other news, we have officially signed up for The Love Run in Philadelphia, and we will also probably be doing a local 10-miler in honor of St. Patrick’s Day next month. I know The Love Run course is pretty flat, so if all goes well and I stay healthy and the weather gods grant me with a nice, cool morning sans snow and/or rain…I’m hoping to see what I can do.

Photo credit: CGI Racing

This training cycle, my first two long runs were a 6-miler and a 7-miler. This Sunday, I went ahead and bumped it up to a 10-miler. Not the smartest idea, I know, but Todd is really good at modifying training plans to accommodate races and any other potential training conflicts we may have. And if he was doing 10 miles this weekend, then I certainly couldn’t let him show me up.

First double-digit long run for marathon #5!

The good news? It went fine. Even better than fine. I felt awesome on a long run for the first time in…well…I can’t even remember how long. The last mile or two were a little bit of a struggle, but other than that, I was THRILLED to maintain my “old” long run pace of about a 10-minute mile.

My knee hasn’t been bothering me lately, THANK GOD, but now I’ve suddenly got some weird soreness/tenderness on the bottom of my right foot. It’s nothing extremely severe…just ANNOYING. I’ve been icing, rolling my foot on a ball (stolen from my family’s Shih Tzu, Riley…who wasn’t too happy about it), and I know it’s about that time for a new pair of shoes — ALREADY — so hopefully that helps.

*Paws off, lady*

In terms of my weekly workout schedule, I *THINK* I’ve found a pretty good balance — for once. I’m going to Taekwondo on Wednesdays and Fridays, and sometimes I’m able to squeeze in a Thai kickboxing class on a Monday or Tuesday (depending on my piano teaching schedule). The Taekwondo classes can be absolutely brutal on my legs — I feel like I basically just hold a squat position for 60 minutes — but fortunately it doesn’t seem to be affecting my running too much (not yet, anyway). It DOES force me to stretch, which is something I’m terrible at doing consistently, and I do think the fact that the classes kick my butt, cardio-wise, is only making me that much stronger.

Right now I’m hopeful that all of these things, combined with the fact that I’m really watching what I eat again and trying to lose at least a little bit of of the extra flub I’ve packed on since I started training for Dopey 2014, will make this my most successful round of marathon training yet.

What are you training for this spring?!