Movin' On Up!

Hey guys! We've moved!

http://twentysixpointtwos.wordpress.com

Come and follow Val and me through our Chicago Training!

Gooooooaaaaaaalllllllllll(s)!

Well, now I'm in recovery and maintenance mode until June. The sweetest run you will ever experience is the slow, stretchy, relaxed recovery run. Last Tuesday I only had to trek about 1.75 miles and stopped in the middle of the run to do some dynamic and static stretching. Then I stopped again to dance a little bit to "SexyBack" (right on Memorial Drive no less; it was pretty awesome).

Once you go into maintenance mode, there's one plaguing question: What are your goals for the next round?

What is so awful about this question is the fact that I suffer from Acute Over-Achiever's Syndrome with a nice healthy dose of Unrealistic Expectionalism. And a pinch of Amibitionitis.

My entire life since pre-school has been defined by the goals on my list, no matter how big (graduate college) or small (get out of bed). I have always wanted to be the best, be the elite, to win. This being said, I am not actually that athletic.

To be perfectly honest, I am a slow runner. I'm getting faster each race, sure. But I credit some of that to the fact that I went into running with "no expectations".

Goal for the 2008 Lowell 1/2 Marathon: Finish (check)

Goal for the 2009 Boston Marathon: Finish (check)

Goal for the 2009 Baystate Marathon: Beat Boston's time (check)

Goal for the 2010 Fitness 1/2 Marathon: Beat Lowell's time (check)

With every race I do, the time gets whittled away. Which is great. I worked really hard to get those results and it's kind of fantastic (and easy) to have no other competition other than myself.

But when Lisa asked me on Thursday what my goals were going through to Chicago, I literally had to take all weekend to think about it. Because now, I want to see what I can really do. What am I really capable of? I know I can finish marathons - that's why this #3 is a huge deal to me. Finishing Baystate proved that my Boston finish wasn't a fluke (and I actually saw what a real marathon training schedule is like). And so now I want to just blow the doors off this thing.

Blowing the doors off it is all relative, though. I can power through the next 5 months, but am I going to go and qualify for Boston (which is running a marathon in about 3:30:00)? Absolutely not. Would it be nice? Absolutely. Would I get hurt on the way? Absolutely. A more realistic goal is 4:59:59 (which means I would pull ~18:00 off my time. Which is what I did between Boston and Baystate). Eighteen minutes doesn't sound like a lot and doesn't sound like it should take 5 months of work, but it probably will. And that's okay (deep breath).

One of the areas that has (always) been severely lacking for me is speed. I'm not fast. I joined the track team in high school to get better for soccer (more on that in another post!) because I was told I wasn't fast enough. Let's face it: who goes out and does a bunch of short range 50-100m dashes and then tortures themselves with a few 400's? Masochists and professionals with oodles of dollars in endorsements, that's who. People with brains who aren't getting paid are not like....let's do a sprint workout!

I need to do some sprint workouts. My legs are accustomed (and have a love/hate relationship with) long runs. I need to mix it up a little bit to keep them fresh and strong (I also have been getting completely smoked in my Ultimate games - who wants to be agile and run in more than one direction? Or go for short speed bursts? Lame.) and speedy.

All of my lifting over the past year has come with some pitfalls, too. While everyone can see how jacked and tan I am (not right now chief, I'm in the zone!), my flexibility has become almost nonexistent. When I first started out running 2 1/2 years ago, my goal was for overall fitness and athleticism. Well, endurance and speed are dichotomies, and so are strength and flexibility. And all four are indicators of fitness. I'm getting to a point that I'm actually worried that I might tear something in my right leg because I'm not the nice stretchy rubber band, I'm that one that's around broccoli in the grocery store (you totally know what I'm talking about).

I keep struggling to keep up with yoga because I usually try to squeeze it in on a day that's supposed to be a rest day, thinking yoga is rest. Nope, it's not. Holding a Warrior II pose after running 10 miles basically makes your Om turn into OMFGthisfuckingkills. After a few OMFGTGK, I stop going - there is nothing calming about painful downward dogs.

The worst part of thinking about all these things is knowing that I have to stay realistic. I can write down and tell myself that I'm basically going to be training Monday-Saturday, but I know after 2 or 3 training cycles like this, that I need 2 rest days, or I'll be down to 1 run a week. And sometimes, I would rather sit in the recliner and watch every DVR'ed episode I have stored and eat ice cream instead of "cross training".

In the past (college mostly) I set myself up for inevitable failure: huge goals with little to no support and I would dry up my willpower well by the end of week 1. I think one of the main reasons I've been able to stick with running this long and consistently is because I started out small: 5 milers, 5Ks, 1/2 marathons, and the fact that I only really prepare for 2 events a year (spring and fall). I can go into a 6 week stretch where I can run as far and as fast and as often as I want without fear of repercussion.

After thinking for 4 straight days, I finally wrote down my goals (and am now publicizing):

-Finish Chicago in 5:00:00 or less

-A more balanced approach to my training with speed and flexibility being the focus until about July

-Over all tone (buh-bye arm jiggle and tummy pooch...note: this has been a goal of mine since....1999. See paragraph of failure setting.)

-Train in some way 5 days a week (and now! with less junk food! to help with all over tone!)

-Harpoon 5 Miler in 46:00 (last year I did it in 52:00)

-Run a 5K in 8:37 miles (right now my fastest 5K time is 27:00 flat, which is about 8:42's)

I'm going to grant blog space the same cred as Facebook: now that this is on the webz, I have to do it!

Let's see what I can do in the next 5 months!

See you on the road.

Amy

Thirteen Point One

2010 Half Marathon: Completed! I finished my first race of the year and now have officially kicked off my 2010 season. The race was one of the toughest I've ever run, and I'm pretty sure that I feel worse after this half marathon than I have after either of my marathons.

It started raining in New York around 4 AM. When I woke up at 6:30, it didn't seem too bad; it was worse to me that it was only about 45 degrees. Running in the mid-40's is tough because you're either freezing you ass off at the start, or you're stripping down over subsequent miles. I am (a) too uncoordinated and (b) waaaay to cheap to strip down over miles (throw away a $45 Under Armor? Perish the thought!), so this is always very problematic for me. I wore my 2009 Boston Marathon long sleeved climate control tee under my Bruins Timmy Thomas cotton t-shirt (because it's playoffs!) and my Yankees hat. This is my race hat. If you think I'm weird about my sneakers, you have no idea my attachment to my running hat.

As I walked to the park, I realized that I was not nervous for this run at all. That's all it was - a run. I did 10 miles last week, now I'm just doing 13. No biggie. And then it started raining harder. Sigh.

So I walk into Central Park, and as I'm walking to the start area, I see this long, winding, gradual hill coming down on my left, and I groaned.

I. Hate. Hills.

Not like...ya know...a regular person who runs a couple miles or like in that obvious "I hate hills" kind of way.

I. HATE. Hills.

Last Wednesday, I had an early morning appointment with my trainer about my 9:48 miles and my hopes/expectations/goals for this race based on that time. It went a little something like this:

Me: Well, as long as there's no gnarly headwind like there was on Monday, and no major hills, I should be fine.

Lisa: You'll totally be fine. I mean, there aren't any hills in Central Park.

Now, I haven't spent any substantial time in the park, and Lisa said this with the same authority as she says, "OK, 20 squats", so I was like....yeah. OK. No hills. Let's DO this.

I had picked up my bib (number) on Saturday, and I was #5127. This race is one of the few that I have run that had corrals. This is how they group runners at the start, so that faster runners can get through easier, and not be clogged up by clumps of slower runners. So I was in the 5,000-5,999 corral. I pinned up and took off my running jacket - I was race ready:

At first I thought that the corral numbers posted were mile times, so I was hanging out in the 9,000's, and was a little panicky that there wasn't any slower time than 9:00...especially since I would have to be on some sort of 'roids to be able maintain a 9 minute mile for 13 miles. Annnnnd then I realized it was by 1000's. Phew.

We had to be in our corrals by 7:50 AM. Gun time was 8:00. It was a long, rainy, cold (cold cold cold) 10 minutes. I stood around, half listening to the announcer, half worrying about my iPod battery life (I totally forgot to charge it the night before). I was very cold and pensive in my corral:

There was the typical thanking and clapping and announcing that happens in that nervous time between the final line up call and the gun. One fact announced while we were all standing (bouncing, shaking) there: there were 10,000 registered women runners for this event. This is insane. The Boston Marathon is 26,400 runners (which is one of the biggest events in the world), and the Baystate Marathon that I ran this fall was 484 people. Ten Thousand women, standing in the rain, waiting to take on this race.

The gun went at 8, and it took me 4:00 to get to the start mats, which register with the tag on my shoe, to give me an accurate time. I hit my watch, and off I went.

The first mile was down hill-ish, which would've been great, if (a) this wasn't a loop race and (b) if I didn't have to do that loop twice. So while I was on my descent, I suddenly think: crap. If I'm running down hill now, I'm going to have to run uphill eventually.

Then I thought about Lisa's words "...no hills in Central Park."

Just to be clear: Central Park is. ALL. HILLS. At least the 6 miles around the outside edge of the park is. ALL. HILLS. There was maybe 50 meters where I didn't feel any incline whatsoever, and by the time I realized that it wasn't a hill, it was too late - I was already on another hill.

Between miles 3 and 4 (and therefore miles 9 and 10), there was this mega-bitch of a hill. It was long, it was winding, and it was fucking steep. My first mile had been killed by trying to shake the pack; weavers and pairs, and women who were not as fast as me (did I really just say that?) so I figured that this hill was going to be the great divide between the girls and the women so to speak. I felt that getting up over this giant ass terrible hill was going to make or break my race.

I got over the hill, and had a giant ass mega bitch of a descent down. Now I know what most people are thinking: "Sweet!" This thought, while nice, is totally 100% incorrect. Running downhill is just as (if not more) taxing on your body. A nice gradual downhill is juuuuust fantastic, but running down a giant ass mega bitch hill after dragging yourself up a giant ass mega bitch hill is just MURDER on your legs.

It's totally fine if you have a GAMB hill and then some flat ground to reestablish your rhythm. But like I said, Central Park is ALL HILLS. So I was up hill, I was down hill then back up then down down down then up down up up up down up....down. I never got comfortable, the whole run (soaking wet dog feeling aside).

I knew my dreams of a sub 2:15:00 run were dashed (no pun intended...or is it?) after the GAMB hill mile 3 to 4 registered an 11:00 mile on my clock. It was even more apparent after I finished the first 6 mile loop and realized that I'd have to run all those GAMB uphills and down hills again. And part of me cried a little.

So there are parts of most runs that the following train of thought comes barreling through my head: "What the fuck am I doing? Why the hell am I doing this? This is stupid. My legs are screaming. I'm hungry. I hate my sneakers. I hate my playlist. I hate my stupid stubbornness that makes me stupidly run. Ugh. When is this going to be fucking over?"

This went through my head starting at mile 5. This was not good.

What was good was the 3 Powerade GUs that I ate at miles 3, 4.75 and 5 respectively. They started to kick in right around mile 7. And then my playlist started picking up (I had painstakingly put together on Friday. There was Excel involved. Yeah.). By the time I got to mile 9, I knew that hill was coming and so I dogged it a little at water station. Delaying the inevitable.

I switched into a lower gear until I felt my gluts burning (and was cursing/loving all my squats during the winter). I hit 10 miles. I hit 11 miles. I hit....the wall. So bad. Between miles 11 and 12, I seriously contemplated walking; I was in pain, I was wet, my feet were squishing in my sneakers. But I knew that slowing down would just mean extra minutes in the rain. I cleared 12 miles at about 2:05:00. Deep breath. 1.1 miles to go.

I begged my legs to keep moving. I had run out of all my super pump up songs and was on to my contingency plan GirlTalk tracks. At mile 13, I saw a familiar face (Joe) and that always makes the run a little easier - especially when I only have a tenth of a mile to go:

After I passed him, I looked down at my watch and saw I was at 2:17:30, and knew I had to turn on the afterburners. I wanted to run this in 2:15, but I had to run it in 2:19:21, because that would be 13:00 faster than my first half marathon, meaning that I would have pulled about 1:00 off of my mile time per mile. So I started to book it (as much as screaming legs could book) and I even passed someone on my "sprint"! (I like....never finish around people....so passing someone is pretty exciting.) So I crossed the mat, and hit my stop on my watch and looked down.

2:18:38

I did it!

First thing the volunteers gave us was.....a medal? Really? It's mid-40's, raining, and I just ran for 2 hours....and you're not coating me in mylar blankets (which prevent hypothermia)?

Shivering, with my medal around my neck, I bumped down the line to get my bagel and banana and Gatorade. I found Joe and shivered some more. Once we got me in some warm, dry clothes, I could finally celebrate:

Like I said, overall, this was probably my hardest race I've ever run. But this makes me optimistic for Chicago - mostly because the Midwest is FLAT.

My official time was actually 2:18:38, and I came in 3029 out of ~10,000 runners. I rocked it.

I have about 6 weeks before I start my training for Chicago, and I am totally ready to break 5:00:00!!

Special thanks to Joe, who stood in the rain for 2:18:38 + and took some great pics for this post.

See you on the road.

Amy

Here Comes Speed Racer

I'm 4 days out from my first event of my season; Monday I received my pre-race email with my instructions on when and where to pick up my race packet (where I get my number that I pin on, my timing chip, my free t-shirt(!!!)) and the race course. It's a couple laps around Central Park, which should be beautiful. The weather report for Sunday is a dismal 59 degrees and showers - am I surprised? No. I haven't had a nice race day yet in the 2.5 years I've been doing this.

Monday I also an my peak run, which is the last high mileage workout someone completes before an event. Typically, this run is done about 2 weeks before the race, to give a week of "taper" before the big day. I (a) have never tapered and (b) plan on running a ton more after this, so my legs should actually get used to just getting demolished week after week now, rather than August.

My peak run is also where I figure things out like what I'm going to wear/try a couple new things to see how they work out/where I'm going to schedule refueling. This is pretty important, as there are about...193849328409745 anecdotes flying around between runners, coaches, various magazines, your grandma's advice, etc about people who have tried something new on race day (layering system, food, socks, sneakers, playlist) and crashed and burned miserably. The horror stories range from massive chafing (you wouldn't believe what patches of skin rub together when you run for a couple hours) to shitting their pants (seriously) to being unmotivated (Ben Folds Five is great to bop to on the train....murder on your pace), which all lead to major suckage during the race.

The newest piece of clothing I have added to my rep is a pair of pink Under Armor underwear. This is WAY more exciting for me than it probably should be - but seriously, please see my massive chafing clause above. I have learned to take joy in the little things.

Monday was a gorgeous 63 and sunny. It also happened to be Marathon Monday here in Boston. For all of you who have never experienced the Boston Marathon (watching it, running it, anything) all I can say is - do it. It is seriously the most revved up day in the city - more than Move In Day, St. Patrick's Day and Commencement Days combined. The buzz that's in the air when you see the 26,400 runners is a mix of admiration, inspiration, pain, sweat, and booze (lots and lots of booze).

It makes even the most recreational runner lace up with (typically short lived) aspirations of running next year's Marathon. (Runner's nerd note: A course record was set by the winner of the men's division as well as the first US male finisher. The race was run in 2:05:52. Just as a point of reference, my goal is to run my HALF marathon in 2:15:00. Yeah.) All the newspapers (what's that?) and magazines and blogs have been going nuts with runners' "Why I Run" exposes and essays and testimonials. I read most of them. Most of them listed all the reasons I run (there are a dozen at any give point in time for me).

So I ran my 10 miles along the Charles River. I brought two chocolate-y goodness Gu's (little foil packs with like....electrolyte frosting and caffeine in them. Delicious.) and a full bottle of water. My legs were still sore from my 9 mile Tuesday/Ultimate Frisbee Wednesday from the week before, but I ended up with a 9:55 first mile. I always start out fast in the first mile (under 10:00) but usually spike up at mile two (like....10:45ish). Second mile I hit 9:43. The wind along the river was BRUTAL. My legs hurt like a mother.

But when all was said and done, I ran it in 1:38:30. Which is about a 9:48 mile. (Flashback: my first half marathon I ran it 1:47:15, or a 11:42 mile.)

I also almost threw up on the Western Ave bridge on Memorial Drive.

I can't tell you how many squats and lunges it took to get there (somewhere in the thousands) or the miles I've had to run to practice (somewhere in the hundreds) but I can tell you that I pulled my goal time from 2:15:00 to 2:08:00 (which would be approximately 2 minutes off each mile since my last half). Now I'm seeing the results of my winter training, and how they're paying off. This sets me up for breaking 5 hours at the Chicago Marathon this year (my marathon times are 5:36:35 for Boston and 5:18:07 for Baystate) and makes me more focused and determined than ever. Crossing that finish line in Central Park on Sunday has the potential to be a huge moment in 2010.

I am so anxious and excited for this half marathon than I have been for any of my other races, ever (except the Harpoon 5 Miler, but there's free beer after that one). I am going to kill this 13.1 miles on my own terms. And that is why I run. (This time.)

Up next: Pre race and post race Pics/updates/results from the Fitness/More Magazine Half Marathon on Sunday!!

Till then!

Amy

First Gear

Unlike Amy, I'm able to find my running shoes. And for nearly half the cost. Any of you that know me, know I don't like to pay full price for anything. However, I will if it's important. And shoes are important.

I too was fitted at the wonderful Marathon Sports in Cambridge. I tried a few pairs before angels started singing and rainbows filled the skies. These shoes felt like nothing I've ever felt before. And my leg pain stopped immediately after I started wearing them.

So when I found my Brooks Adrenaline GTS (on one of my favorite sites for workout gear), I jumped at the opportunity. I only bought one pair, but I'm going to buy a second, so I don't find myself unable to find shoes before the marathon.

Speaking of that marathon... so far my training has consisted of finding shoes, and keeping up some sort fitness level. I'm taking 2 continuing education classes right now, and my energy has been focused on that. I'm still trying to find the schedule that works best for me. I've been sporadically running at the gym and on the occasional Sunday outside.

I'll be stuck in first gear for the next few months until my classes are over. It's actually a great time for me... I'm ending my 27th year with some classes, and starting 28 training for my first marathon. Since the majority of my training starts in May, I won't be posting as much as Amy. But when I find a good deal on gear I'll keep you updated.

Gotta Get My Kicks Somewhere

Well, I'm just about to finish up Week 3 of training for my half marathon in April; today is 40 minutes of cardio (which I'm mostly doing because the past couple days have mostly been 40 minutes upon 40 minutes of booze and burger eating) and tomorrow I finally get to up my long run mileage to 5 miles.

But what this weekend really is is "time to get new sneakers" weekend.

These types of weekends make me scared, sad and excited all at the same time.

The pair of sneakers I'm retiring - my Saucony Progrid Hurricane X - were something I picked up in a pinch: I had worn out my pair of Brooks sneaks with all my marathon training, and I needed a new pair to go on my peak run of 20 miles. I walked into Marathon Sports up in Cambridge, fully expecting to just pick up my new pair of Brooks in my size, and walk out. But....they weren't there.

Now, Marathon Sports is pretty much the only place I will ever buy running shoes, because the staff are all runners, and they undergo hours upon hours of training to find the right sneaker for every individual (which is something we'll probably end up talking about in the future, after I wear out my new pair today before Chicago). So I wasn't about to run all over the city of Boston looking for these Brooks. So I got refitted.

My Sauconys' first run with me was my 20 miler (which is actually awful - you still need to break in running shoes like you would any other shoe. I knew this at the time and that I was kind of being an idiot). A week later, they ran me through a marathon in a 42 degree N'oreaster that I pulled 15 minutes off my previous marathon time. About 6 weeks after that, my Sauconys ran a 10K in an hour. This past Wednesday, they ran a 5K with me on some nice snowy sidewalks in about 27 minutes. Now their green tread on the bottom is starting to feel smooth. Their white mesh is stained with sweat and mud puddles and miles of city running.

My nostalgia regarding a pair of sneakers probably seems off-kilter to some people, but the truth of the matter is that those sneakers supported me through a few hundred miles - literally. They're designed for all my body's running quirks (bad knees, foot placement, mileage - like I said, this will not be the last time I write a love letter to sneakers on this blog). My sneakers are a portion of the reason I can train the way I do and not get hurt.

My running shoes are also something I frequently cite as something I can't live without. Because at the end of the day, when I'm running, it's only me out there. All the other stuff going on - job, boyfriend, friends, family, whatever - is all gone when I'm on the road. All it is is my sneakers, hitting the pavement and my legs turning over again.

And so, my sneakers are like old pals. If I take 6 weeks off between races, they don't ask me where I've been or complain that I was gone. They just pick up and go with me.

So yesterday, I was browsing for my Progrid Hurricane X's...and they're no where to be found. Which is heartbreaking on a couple levels: 1. I can't just find them on some discounted website and buy a couple pairs for the price of one (these run about $130-$140) and 2. It means I'm going to have to be fitted....aaaaagain. And start my attachment and relationship alllll over again.

The next generation of my sneaker are out - but the Hurricane 11's - will they be the same? Will they fit like my X's? Will it be like any other relationship - where at first I notice the differences, but after awhile, I won't even think about my X? I guess the worst thing about having to get new shoes so frequently is that to the naked eye, it doesn't look like there's anything wrong with my current ones; most of the wear and tear is internal. That internal cushion is essential and pretty much the only reason I'm not in excruciating knee pain 90% of my life, and I know it's important, but, still. I got these sneakers....exactly 5 months ago this weekend. I think I have stuff that's been in my freezer longer. But with the miles I put on them, 5 months is about the life expectancy of a running sneaker (or about 300 - 400 miles, depending on a handful of factors).

So, tomorrow when I hit the road for my 5 miles, I will be in my Hurricane X's; our final farewell run before I hang up their worn treads. They served me well.

Title & Registration

Inaugural post!

There. Got that out of the way.

So Val and I are running the Chicago Marathon this year. (Yes, on purpose.) We thought of starting twentysixpointtwos so that everyone we know can follow us through the whole thing (and confirm suspicions that we are, in fact, completely insane). But we figure not a whole lot of people actually understand (a) why we run (b) what goes into running something like a marathon (c) that we will admit that sometimes, it sucks as much as everyone thinks it sucks.

We'll be writing and sharing a bunch of stuff for the next 35 weeks because this will be Valerie's first marathon (!!!!!!!) and my third (on my way to my goal of 5 by 2012). It'll range from goals to thoughts to training schedules and to other things like playlists, sneaker shopping, and Gu preferences. Hopefully we get some cameos from our trainers because they're like...professionals and get paid to know things, and we're just kind of winging it without them.

We hope that this will not only give everyone a glimpse into the feat that is a marathon, but that we get everyone excited about it. Because I know that I would have never been able to make it through my first marathon (or second, for that matter) without knowing that I had friends and family along the way and at the finish line (my Dad still owes me 26 feet of running, by the way).

There's approximated 980 miles between Boston and Chicago - but all that really matter to us are the last 26.2.

First step of that finishing that run is starting. So:

Let the miles begin.