Long, nasty, cold run this weekend. Wish me luck?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Apologies to scout1222, I sent this to her in an e-mail earlier this morning… scoutybaby, I know you’ll understand that I need all the Doper luck I can get!

I’m doing a 17-mile long run this weekend as part of the training program for my first marathon. This run will be a real test; it will be the furthest I’ve ever run.

Three weeks ago, my marathon training group had its first run at Minnehaha park. I was supposed to do 15 miles in Galloway style (9 minutes running, 1 minute walking), which would also have been the furthest I’ve ever run. I did the first 11 or so the right way but mostly walked the last four. The coach said, “You covered the distance, so you’re good to go.” Despite his encouragement, I did a self-evaluation and found the following reasons for my exhaustion.

  1. I felt a little sick the day before – like a cold was coming on – but felt better on the day of the run.
  2. El Hubbo and I had been weight training for a few weeks; I was sore that day from some upper-body work the day before.
  3. I started with the group despite knowing that I’m the slowest; in udda woids, I went out too fast.
  4. I probably ran too fast, period.

To boost my confidence, the next weekend I ran 10 by myself. I just ran down my street, a sweet hilly course in cool weather with the sun peeking through the clouds… It felt GREAT! So I am cautiously confident about this weekend’s run… :::crossing my fingers:::

This weekend I will start AFTER everyone, letting the pack get way ahead of me. I will also wear my heart monitor, in order to stay comfortable the entire time. The discomfort from coldness might be a factor. It was nice here in Minnesota for a while (89 degrees on Monday!) but yesterday, it turned on us: 30s and rainy. Today looks the same and that’s the basic forecast for this weekend. This time I’ll wear an extra layer and give it to the coach if I need to. He meets us at various points in the course.

Any running Dopers have additional advice?

Otherwise, just wish me luck, my Doper friends. I’ll post afterwards about how it went. :smiley:

::channeling the strength and endurance of my namesake::

2

Wow, 15 miles is GREAT! 17 miles is even GREATER!

I’ve been running, too, and I think we have the same weather here in da UP that you have in MN, only worse. I’ve been so proud of myself - walking or running a minimum of an hour every day for the past week, and every other day for a couple weeks before that. I walk because it gets me in shape for running, and it’s easier on the knees/ankles. I’m afraid if I run every day my feet will fall off.

This morning, though… sheesh. 30 degrees out and slush falling from the sky. I’m not sure I’m motivated enough to go out at all. Monday was glorious - 89 degrees out! Sun! Felt like summer!

Maybe I’ll go to the gym and run on the treadmill.

<shakes herself. You’re supposed to be motivating Gazelle!>

Ummm… think about this summer, when it’s going to be 95 and humid in MN (I lived there for a while, I know what it’s like!). Think how much you’ll be looking back at cold rainy days and wishing you could be running in THEM. After all, you can always dress for the cold. Gloves, hat, etc. do a world of good. But when it’s too hot out… you’re stuck.

Also think about SEVENTEEN MILES! Whoohooo! That’s a LOT of miles to run! You’re a STUD. You’re even MORE of a stud if you run SEVENTEEN MILES in the cold and rain! Think of how much mileage you’ll get out of that story! (pun intended)

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Well, more of a studette. Go get 'em!

4

The only thing that could get me to run 17 miles is if I were being chased by the entire Manson family, waving knives over their heads. Even then, I’d hail a cab at mile 3.

Good luck—and be careful, I understand lions tend to take down running Gazelles. Travel in a pack.

5

I’m running my first marathon next weekend (eeeeek!!!). What got me through my long runs-I did only 2, a 16 and a 19-was splitting it into little chunks of time. Is topped for 1 minute every 20 for water and every hour stopped 1.5 minutes for a gel. Psychologically, I just had to make it through 20 minutes of running. Which made it a lot more manageable than thinking miles.

Good luck with your run!!! And your marathon!!!

6

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone.

Which marathon are you doing, Ashildr?

7

Good luck Gazelle. I’ve taken a semi-break the past week or so. Was sick 3 days last week, and only ran 7 on my long run Sunday. Working my miles back up this week, but it’s hard. Take pride in the fact that even though you may not be an Olympic marathoner, how many people do you know in your circle of friends that can run 17 miles? I know for myself, hearing the surprise and admiration in others voice when I talk about how far I’ve run is a huge boost in enthusiasm for the run. Have fun, and run smart.

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Good luck, Ashildr! Come back with a post race report if you will. Hope to see you in the running threads that pop up from time to time.

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Yesterday dawned, misty and slightly chilly. Forecast said 42 - 57 degrees, scattered showers.

I thought about how I was supposed to meet the rest of the marathon group at Minnehaha. I wasn’t very excited about that. Then I remembered my neighbor saying how much she likes running alone. She even described a nice, fairly flat course in our neighborhood. Thinking about running it around here gave me a brief surge of confidence. If I ran it alone, on a course I plotted myself (like the confidence-building 10-miler a few weeks ago), I might actually complete the task. I might be able to do it!

I left a message on the coach’s machine, put on most of my running clothes and left to chart my 17-mile long run. (Hit the coffee shop first, of course.) The course was quiet, especially since the weather wasn’t optimal. It passes baseball fields, parks, playgrounds, neighborhoods and the Minnesota Zoo. During the drive, I saw plenty of other runners, a few of them in shorts. I also saw places that looked like good water refilling spots and spied a few port-a-potties.

I had to drive around quite a bit to get the 17 miles mapped correctly, but by the time I finished, I was even more convinced that I could do it. “Seven Nation Army” by White Stripes was running through my head…

I’m gonna fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back

And that funky bass line that sends Frankenstein marching through my head… Bow bow wow bow bow Bow bow

Upon arrival at home, I changed my attire slightly. Lighter tights, a short-sleeved shirt, jacket and a running cap. Strapped on the heart monitor and wondered whether I could really keep my heart rate under 138 bpm (70% of max) for the entire run. Strapped on my running watch, set to beep every nine minutes to remind me to do my one-minute walk breaks. And finally, strapped on my water bottle and Gu (I brought five) holder.

I was off. During the first mile, ran into the aforementioned neighbor; she was running with her dog, coming toward me. I waved but she didn’t wave back until she got closer and recognized me.

“What are you doing here?” She knew I was supposed to run with the group.

“I decided to do it on home turf.” I said, smiling.

She high-fived me and said, “You can do it, girl. Go for it!”

My heart rate was between 140 and 150 for the first two miles or so, then leveled out; I was able to keep it between 135 and 140 for most of the run.

My clothing choices turned out to be perfect. After the first mile I had to open my arm vents to let some air in and I un-zipped and zipped my jacket at various times when it got warmer or cooler.

Saw a few other runners, a couple of dogs, kids playing. Mostly it was a nice, quiet run. The solitude and repetitiveness mesmerized me… I felt strong, calm, content.

I was able to refill my bottle only once; I need to find another spot for that before my next long run.

I also could have used one more place to relieve myself.

Every mile felt great. Keeping my heart rate at that level made it easy. There were a few times when I realized how slowly I was going and thought that I should speed up but I kept reminding myself, Cover the distance and do it slowly. This is building your endurance. It doesn’t matter how quickly you do it.

During the last mile, the home stretch, I saw my other running neighbor and his girlfriend in their car. They stopped.

“We’re heading to Boston right now!” Larry’s running the marathon on Monday.

“Good luck, Larry!” I said, panting, “This is mile 17 of my long run.”

“Gazelle, you rock! Keep it up!”

“Have a great trip, you two.” And they were gone.

The rest of that last mile was rough. It felt like the shoelaces of my right shoe were digging into the tendon on the top of my foot. I stopped briefly to readjust the tongue and kept going. Now it felt like I had a piece of wood between the tongue and my foot. OW! I shuffled the last few yards and walked into my house.

Wow, I did it. 17 miles. Furthest I’ve ever run. Did my stretches, then lowered myself into a hot bath. A few minutes later, El Hubbo brought me a cold beer.

Life is good.

10

Couldn’t say it any better than that.

11

Awww, Ethy, you’re so sweet!

Yer making me blush!

12

Heh, I came in here thinking you had a “long nasty ** cold ** this weekend” so I was gonna go on and on about my sinus problem and that I hope you would recover soon… :o

** ANYWAY ** best of luck ** Gazelle ** and let us know how you do.

13

I’m glad to know you did well. And good for you for doing it solo!

You know, sometimes a group is good, but sometimes running alone is what needs to be done. I guess it depends on the run, and depends on what you need out of it.

I’m glad it all came together for you, and you DID IT!

14

Marathon Training Update:

This weekend was slated for a 19-21 mile long run. Earlier in the year, I signed up for a half marathon on May 4. When I started the marathon training program, I wondered how the long run/race thing would work. Luckily, my coach had seen this situation before. He suggested that I treat the race as my long run and add on the extra miles at either the beginning or end. Great suggestion. But it didn’t work out.

The race was the Wells Fargo Half Marathon. Liz and I call it the Covert Half Marathon. The organizers do not advertise at all. The only way to get in is to write to a woman who works at the Wayzata branch office; she’ll then send you a registration form. Sending the form is the only way to register and you have to register quickly because they limit the field to 1000. Turns out that the form also included a course map. The only course map. We both signed up for this frikkin’ marathon in early February; we threw the map away! Neither of us received confirmation that we were registered or any other information in the mail. Our checks were cashed; that’s how we knew.

In order to add on my extra miles, I needed to know more about the course. A co-worker did the race last year. From her I found out that it’s a point-to-point race (Wayzata branch to Excelsior branch) with a shuttle bus back to the start. Hmmm… How was I going to add those extra miles on to the end? Liz helped me strategize, I needed eight more miles. How about we leave my car at the five-mile mark and I just run back to it, after I finish the race? Perfect.

I tried to use Mapquest to see if I could figure out the course; but first I needed the addresses of both banks. Wayzata branch: 900 Wayzata Blvd. Excelsior branch: Nonexistent.

I was reduced to having to call the woman at the Wayzata branch. She described the course incredibly quickly, mentioned that there would be maps at the start and gave me the cross-streets for the finish. Okay, good to go.

Liz and I decided to leave 2 hours early (Wayzata is quite a drive away) in order to execute our plan. At 6:30 AM, we arrived at the Wayzata branch. <cricket sound here> There was no one there. An hour and a half 'til the start! 1000 people had yet to pick up their numbers! Were we at the wrong place? Wayzata is a small town… there’s no way that there’s a second branch. WTF?!? A couple other cars full of runners happened by…

“We heard the start is down the hill at Lake street. We’re going to check there.”

Liz and I followed down the hill behind the branch. Turns out there’s a back side to the building and that’s where the race headquarters are located. I can just see the genius thought process: Hmmm… maybe we should put a note on the front door of the bank. Nahhh… let’s make them figure it out.

We parked, got our numbers and picked up a course map.

A really crappy course map. Someone had highlighted the course on a road map and Xeroxed it. Street names and highway numbers were unreadable. We compared the map to a spiral-bound book of street maps I keep in my car… It’s only five miles out; we could figure that out! We started driving, me in the lead and within two miles, we’re lost. We didn’t see even ONE mile marker. Liz and I dejectedly drove back to the start.

We got out of our cars and talked about what else we could do when a guy ran by, warming up…

“Sir, excuse me… Have you done this race before?”

“No, but maybe I can help anyway.”

“There are shuttles from the finish, right?”

“Yep. The last one leaves at 10:45 AM.”

My race pace is between 9:30 and 10:00 per mile. Long runs are supposed to be run two minutes slower than race pace, plus I’m doing the Galloway method of 9 minutes running, 1 minute walking… That’s cutting it pretty close.

That’s when I decided to just go home.

I ran my 21 miles in 4.5 hours; when I returned, I went over to Liz’s house to see how she did.

Liz placed in the top ten! She said that the course sucked ass. Hilly and weaving… She also said there was no way I would have been able to track back to the 5-mile mark. So I guess it was meant to be. Liz grabbed my race shirt for me…

My 21 miles felt pretty good; not as good as the 17-miler two weeks ago, but I think I know why. It was very windy, I got only four hours of sleep the night before and missed some of my runs this past week… Sore spots include lower shins (kinda feels like I barked them), knees, arches and inner left thigh. We went to see X-Men 2 last night – it was excellent, by the way – and after two plus hours in the bent position, my knees were so stiff… Everything feels better today.

So 21 miles is now the furthest I’ve ever run. I feel like a badass.

And after all the hassle we went through, I will wear my WF Half Marathon shirt.

15

That race is…interesting…to say the least.

Well, I’m glad that you didn’t let the whole thing discourage you and just decide to bag the run. Hey, you managed to run it anyway! Good.

I ran in the rain on Saturday and Sunday. Not really cold rain, mind you, and there was just a little wind. But by the time I finished both days, I was soaked to the bone. Unusual for this time of year in San Diego. So once again, I feel like a true and utter athlete. Or a crazy woman, I can’t decide. :wink:

As to unusual races, I know a guy who for a while ran a series of short trail runs he called the Nightmare series. I ran one (a small race, 6 miles and about 10 participants, no entry fee, just a desire to be a crazyperson), and about a mile, mile and a half into it, the trail ran between several crates of bees. I am deathly afraid of bees. I paused, (and was the last place runner, so was by myself) worried, and decided that the best solution was to run through the 30 feet or so of bees REALLY FAST. Get it out of the way quickly. Unfortunately, a bee got caught in my ponytail, and was buzzing at the base of my neck. I freaked, started crying, started to try and gently shake my hair out. I really had no desire to piss the bee off.

Finally the bee was dislodged and went on its way. I collected myself, took a few deep breaths and said to myself “Man, that was my worst nightmare!” Then I laughed, because as the name implies, that’s the WHOLE POINT! (though it’s usually in reference to rough terrain, rushing water and big rocks) When I finally finished the course (dead last) I went up to the guy and shook his hand. I told him that he had actually succeeded in creating my ultimate worst nightmare. I then told the bee story to everyone’s amusement. Thankfully everyone was much faster than I was, and missed out on my panicked bee dance.

I can laugh about it. Now.

16

Wow, scoutybaby. I’m definitely impressed. Deathly afraid of bees and you just ran through! Man. What a f*ckin’ badass!

When we get our official t-shirts made for the FBA running club, you’re getting one.

:slight_smile:

17

It sounds weird that they’d cut the shuttles off too soon–you gotta figure they have some people that are going to finish it, but long after you would have…

Too bad you couldn’t follow your original plan, though; there would have been the funny espressions on peoples’ faces as you ran past them, going the other way…

“Is she lost?”

“Are we going the wrong direction?”

“Do we have to run all the way back???”

Hee hee.