I've been really hesitant about participating in group rides because I've always felt I wouldn't be fast enough. The 2 local rides I've been suppose to go on average 17-19 mph. When I'm out on my own I usually don't average 18 mph. How could I possibly hang with the group?
This week I was in the bike shop, Plan B and Steve, the owner, told me again I should come out and ride with them. Well, finally I didn't have any more excuses. I'm in town and finished with the marathon. It was time to give in and go.
I showed up too late for the Tuesday night ride. It started at 6pm, but for some reason, I thought it started at 6:30. I was very sad that I missed the group. I went about on my own and vowed to show up on Saturday.
Saturday came and although I was tired, I was up at 6:45 and out the door by 7:00 am. I jumped on my bike, pedaling hard to ensure I wasn't late again. The ride began at 7:30 and I made it there with plenty of time to spare. There was a small group of 8 as we set out. The pace was easy. I stayed to the back, unsure of how well I could ride in the group. A few miles into it, the lady behind me came up beside me, and we chatted for a while.
As we headed down Nova Road and then up along the river, I was surprised at how effortless it was to keep up. We were cruising around 19mph. However, having the group ahead makes a huge difference. I even coasted a bit to avoid hitting the rider in front of me.
Finally we rounded the corner and began the trek up the bridge. It wasn't bad, but we were behind the group now. Steve had slowed down and waited for us and then began to "pull us up". This really means that he lets us draft off him, then when we were ready, we broke around him, sped up and re-joined the group. Next week, I won't need Steve to pull me up. I'll be ready.
There were several things I learned about riding in a group this week, and I also realized that I'm not that slow :)
Our turn around was Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Park. We stopped and some riders refilled water bottles, etc. As we headed back, the pace picked up, a lot, and everyone began to spread out. I made the choice to go as hard as I could for as long as possible. I managed to maintain 20+ for most of the way back to the bridge and then I split from the group and headed back towards home. I still needed 30 more minutes, and so I rode. I still maintained 19+ until near my turn around when I saw a group of cyclist headed the opposite direction. I immediately slowed down and turned around to catch them. They slowed long enough to talk to me. The nice guy I chatted with thought I had been cycling for quite a while and seemed shocked that I had only been cycling for a few weeks.
I was tiring and there was no hope of me hanging at 25+ mph when I wasn't close enough to draft off them. I fell back and decided to call it a day. I had cycled for 2 hours and traversed almost 35 miles. It was a great day! and Tuesday I'll be there for the group ride, this time at 6pm.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
A New Spirit
I've been too many places in the last month to really do any kind of training. After the marathon we were all over Northern California. Then the next week I was in Alabama and just late Tuesday night I finally came home to stay, for a while at least. Wednesday morning came early, so I was a little late heading out but still managed to get 3 miles in and discovered the perfect loop. I realized on this run, I'm still in the final stages of recovery from the marathon.
Thursday morning was orientation for new faculty at the university. I had to be there around 8:00. I had hoped to get up and ride in the morning. I was good; I got up at 6 and had everything laid out to go. The only problem was, I haven't been getting up this early and didn't realize that dawn doesn't occur until around 6:35 and sunrise is at 6:50 or so. The problem, I don't have a reflective vest. I do have a flashing light on the back and a reflective seat, but I wasn't sure this was enough. I sat here sadly watching the time tick by and realized there was not enough time to get my ride in and make it to orientation on time. Instead, I opted for an evening ride to the lighthouse and back.
When I woke up this morning with the alarm blaring, I was not awake at all. It was 5:40 and I thought I had just laid down to sleep. Exhausted, I skipped the morning workout again today. I went out this evening instead. It was a mere 86 degrees :) The wind was blowing so hard it actually slowed me down quite a bit, but I welcomed it. It's odd though. I was delaying coming home because I knew I had to run and it's Friday. On Fridays I usually relax and hit the bed early: 1. because I'm tired and 2. because I should get up before the sun to set out for a long workout. Tonight though, I needed to run. As I walked through the front door I saw my running clothes hanging up and somehow, as if it were magic, a few minutes later I had them on. I looked down and thought, well, I guess I am going running. It was really weird. I don't remember making the decision to put them on. They just appeared on me.
Tonight when I left I was unsure of how far I could/should run. According to my training schedule, I should run for 1 hour. I was debating between 3 and 5 miles. Once I got out there though, I was feeling really good. Yeah, I was slow and my legs are still recovering, but my body and spirit felt good, so I passed where I would turn to finish 3 miles and kept running. I knew I could go for 5 and I did.
Doing this tonight has put me back where I need to be. I'm ready to ride, I'm ready to run and next week, I'll be ready to swim! I'm back to Iron Training and it feels great!
In other news. I'm bringing more people to the active lifestyle. In addition to the 6 people we have running Disney, a fellow grad student, Luis has signed up. I've also enlisted quite a few more to run 5k's locally. It's going to be a great fall!
Thursday morning was orientation for new faculty at the university. I had to be there around 8:00. I had hoped to get up and ride in the morning. I was good; I got up at 6 and had everything laid out to go. The only problem was, I haven't been getting up this early and didn't realize that dawn doesn't occur until around 6:35 and sunrise is at 6:50 or so. The problem, I don't have a reflective vest. I do have a flashing light on the back and a reflective seat, but I wasn't sure this was enough. I sat here sadly watching the time tick by and realized there was not enough time to get my ride in and make it to orientation on time. Instead, I opted for an evening ride to the lighthouse and back.
When I woke up this morning with the alarm blaring, I was not awake at all. It was 5:40 and I thought I had just laid down to sleep. Exhausted, I skipped the morning workout again today. I went out this evening instead. It was a mere 86 degrees :) The wind was blowing so hard it actually slowed me down quite a bit, but I welcomed it. It's odd though. I was delaying coming home because I knew I had to run and it's Friday. On Fridays I usually relax and hit the bed early: 1. because I'm tired and 2. because I should get up before the sun to set out for a long workout. Tonight though, I needed to run. As I walked through the front door I saw my running clothes hanging up and somehow, as if it were magic, a few minutes later I had them on. I looked down and thought, well, I guess I am going running. It was really weird. I don't remember making the decision to put them on. They just appeared on me.
Tonight when I left I was unsure of how far I could/should run. According to my training schedule, I should run for 1 hour. I was debating between 3 and 5 miles. Once I got out there though, I was feeling really good. Yeah, I was slow and my legs are still recovering, but my body and spirit felt good, so I passed where I would turn to finish 3 miles and kept running. I knew I could go for 5 and I did.
Doing this tonight has put me back where I need to be. I'm ready to ride, I'm ready to run and next week, I'll be ready to swim! I'm back to Iron Training and it feels great!
In other news. I'm bringing more people to the active lifestyle. In addition to the 6 people we have running Disney, a fellow grad student, Luis has signed up. I've also enlisted quite a few more to run 5k's locally. It's going to be a great fall!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Mountain Lakes 20th Annual Triathlon
Yeah! Another triathlon completed and a whole lot learned!
Sunday evening a week ago one of my cousins called and asked me if I wanted to come home and do a triathlon. I inquired about the distances. It sounded like it was going to be an olympic distance race (approx. 1.5k swim, 50k bike, 10k run). No way! I had just finished the marathon a week ago and this was only 1 week away.
I thought about it that evening and decided to look up the distances. What I found was surprising. It wasn't an olympic distance. Instead it was a sprint with 600 yard swim, 16.2 mile bike and 3 mile run. This I could do, maybe. It had already been 2 weeks since I swam or biked and I had yet to run after the marathon.
I did what anyone would do before signing up. I went and made sure I could run 3 miles. For the details on that, see the post "My First Run". Since I completed the 3 miles, I began thinking really hard about registering. I had been watching the registration numbers steadily increase all day. There were 825 of 897 particpants registered. Then it was 833, 842...876. Wow, less than 20 spaces left. I registered and hit the road driving.
The racers were lined up according to estimated swim times. Eeeks! I've never really swam open water, especially not 600 yards; so I look at other peoples times and decide to just make a stab in the dark. I chose 11 minutes as my estimated time. On race day, I began to think I was WAY off on my estimate. None-the-less, I was to start as #420. The wait seemed like forever since they started 1 swimmer at a time with 3-5 seconds between us. The sun was rising and it was getting hot. Finally though, I step up, they motion me into the water and I was off and swimming.
Even growing up in Guntersville, I never "swam" in the lake. Yeah, I got in it to tube, ski, whatever, but never just to swim. Now I was having to finally do something I had avoided my whole life. I did the "dolphin dive" for the first few strokes, until it got too deep, and then I decided I had to swim. I started with free, emptied my goggles and then changed between free and breast stroke. I had to swim free mostly to quickly pass someone (which I am proud to say I did a lot) and then I would cruise with some breast stroke. This is the first place I could save some time, do freestyle the entire way!
I couldn't believe it was so short. It seemed like just as I was getting started, I was finished! And, it took me 11:08; I didn't do too bad with my stab in the dark :)
I ran up the chute with my sister racing beside me to take my picture. I headed into the transition area where I wasted way too much time (a second place to improve and shed time). I have a couple of things in mind for reducing this transition.
I headed out nicely on the bike and didn't have any problems getting clipped into the peddles. I was surprised to see my sister here taking another picture. She had sprinted all around the course trying to be a good photographer, and she was GREAT!
I finally settled in on the bike. It seemed much shorter as I biked it than the previous night when we drove the course. That was good. At one point, I had a guy pass me (there were lots of these men flying on the bike) only to see him eating the pavement 2 seconds later. It was sad, but he was fine thankfully. Shortly down the road, there was another guy on the side of the road changing a flat.
I cruised along on the rolling hills thinking about all the guys who passed me. I am very much a beginner biker, which leaves ton of room for improvement. I am happy to say though that only 3-5 women passed me on the bike during the 16 miles. I passed a few men, but not many.
I unclipped as I was rounding the last corner, rested my feet back on the peddles and hit my breaks to launch myself forward to dismount, only instead of dismounting, I too bit the pavement. My left shoe had apparently reclipped. I quickly got up with cheers of "good recovery" and walked (not ran) most of the way through the transition area (another area where I can shed some time). I'm toying with leaving my shoes clipped to the peddles and just taking my feet out for the dismount. I had previously dismissed this thinking it wouldn't save much time, but oh what I have realized.
By leaving your shoes on the peddles, 1) I won't risk falling on the dismount (this has also happened in training) and 2) I can actually run with my bike to my shoes. If you've never worn clips, you may not realize how hard they are to run in. So I'm going to practice this and see how it goes. Then I would also save time on taking off my shoes once I racked my bike.
Finally I started the run. I was so full of water from the bike that I was sick. I kept thinking I was going to have to step off the course. I still ran for almost half a mile and then decided my stomach hurt so badly that I needed to walk. I did but put a time limit on it. I tried running before my time was up, it didn't last long. I walked another few seconds and then took off. Yet, another area I have identified where I could take off some time. Don't drink too much on the bike. The run will go much better and therefore, I'll be able to run faster, sooner.
It was getting hot, but the aid stations helped. I poured some water on me. It was very refreshing. I picked up the pace and was excited the race was coming to an end. Nearing the finishing stretch I saw my youngest cousin and as I approached I told him to run with me. He was outrunning me, but that was ok. We ran together until the chute.
I crossed the finish line 1 hr 40 min and 3 sec after I plunged into the water. It was a great day with an overall successful race. To think, I had just done a marathon less than 2 weeks prior to this race, I hadn't swam, biked or ran and...I finished. I am eagerly awaiting my next race which will be sooner than later!
Sunday evening a week ago one of my cousins called and asked me if I wanted to come home and do a triathlon. I inquired about the distances. It sounded like it was going to be an olympic distance race (approx. 1.5k swim, 50k bike, 10k run). No way! I had just finished the marathon a week ago and this was only 1 week away.
I thought about it that evening and decided to look up the distances. What I found was surprising. It wasn't an olympic distance. Instead it was a sprint with 600 yard swim, 16.2 mile bike and 3 mile run. This I could do, maybe. It had already been 2 weeks since I swam or biked and I had yet to run after the marathon.
I did what anyone would do before signing up. I went and made sure I could run 3 miles. For the details on that, see the post "My First Run". Since I completed the 3 miles, I began thinking really hard about registering. I had been watching the registration numbers steadily increase all day. There were 825 of 897 particpants registered. Then it was 833, 842...876. Wow, less than 20 spaces left. I registered and hit the road driving.
The racers were lined up according to estimated swim times. Eeeks! I've never really swam open water, especially not 600 yards; so I look at other peoples times and decide to just make a stab in the dark. I chose 11 minutes as my estimated time. On race day, I began to think I was WAY off on my estimate. None-the-less, I was to start as #420. The wait seemed like forever since they started 1 swimmer at a time with 3-5 seconds between us. The sun was rising and it was getting hot. Finally though, I step up, they motion me into the water and I was off and swimming.
Even growing up in Guntersville, I never "swam" in the lake. Yeah, I got in it to tube, ski, whatever, but never just to swim. Now I was having to finally do something I had avoided my whole life. I did the "dolphin dive" for the first few strokes, until it got too deep, and then I decided I had to swim. I started with free, emptied my goggles and then changed between free and breast stroke. I had to swim free mostly to quickly pass someone (which I am proud to say I did a lot) and then I would cruise with some breast stroke. This is the first place I could save some time, do freestyle the entire way!
I couldn't believe it was so short. It seemed like just as I was getting started, I was finished! And, it took me 11:08; I didn't do too bad with my stab in the dark :)
I ran up the chute with my sister racing beside me to take my picture. I headed into the transition area where I wasted way too much time (a second place to improve and shed time). I have a couple of things in mind for reducing this transition.
I headed out nicely on the bike and didn't have any problems getting clipped into the peddles. I was surprised to see my sister here taking another picture. She had sprinted all around the course trying to be a good photographer, and she was GREAT!
I finally settled in on the bike. It seemed much shorter as I biked it than the previous night when we drove the course. That was good. At one point, I had a guy pass me (there were lots of these men flying on the bike) only to see him eating the pavement 2 seconds later. It was sad, but he was fine thankfully. Shortly down the road, there was another guy on the side of the road changing a flat.
I cruised along on the rolling hills thinking about all the guys who passed me. I am very much a beginner biker, which leaves ton of room for improvement. I am happy to say though that only 3-5 women passed me on the bike during the 16 miles. I passed a few men, but not many.
I unclipped as I was rounding the last corner, rested my feet back on the peddles and hit my breaks to launch myself forward to dismount, only instead of dismounting, I too bit the pavement. My left shoe had apparently reclipped. I quickly got up with cheers of "good recovery" and walked (not ran) most of the way through the transition area (another area where I can shed some time). I'm toying with leaving my shoes clipped to the peddles and just taking my feet out for the dismount. I had previously dismissed this thinking it wouldn't save much time, but oh what I have realized.
By leaving your shoes on the peddles, 1) I won't risk falling on the dismount (this has also happened in training) and 2) I can actually run with my bike to my shoes. If you've never worn clips, you may not realize how hard they are to run in. So I'm going to practice this and see how it goes. Then I would also save time on taking off my shoes once I racked my bike.
Finally I started the run. I was so full of water from the bike that I was sick. I kept thinking I was going to have to step off the course. I still ran for almost half a mile and then decided my stomach hurt so badly that I needed to walk. I did but put a time limit on it. I tried running before my time was up, it didn't last long. I walked another few seconds and then took off. Yet, another area I have identified where I could take off some time. Don't drink too much on the bike. The run will go much better and therefore, I'll be able to run faster, sooner.
It was getting hot, but the aid stations helped. I poured some water on me. It was very refreshing. I picked up the pace and was excited the race was coming to an end. Nearing the finishing stretch I saw my youngest cousin and as I approached I told him to run with me. He was outrunning me, but that was ok. We ran together until the chute.
I crossed the finish line 1 hr 40 min and 3 sec after I plunged into the water. It was a great day with an overall successful race. To think, I had just done a marathon less than 2 weeks prior to this race, I hadn't swam, biked or ran and...I finished. I am eagerly awaiting my next race which will be sooner than later!
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Buidling a Team
Here are a few other random things that have come up lately.
Pinal has decided that she really would like to join me in pursuit of the Iron Dream. I am very excited about this! We have so much fun together and love to sit and talk about our training more than anyone else wants to hear about it. So now we'll continue to have each other to share with over the course of the next 9 months.
Also, we have rallied troops here at school to run the Disney Marathon. Thus far we have 6 people and we're still trying to increase that number (Peter, you and Patty should join us). It will be the first for everyone except Irfan and I. It's already very exciting having these other newbies around to talk about training. We're also planning on running a few local races before the marathon. The more people you know running in a race, the better I think it is. We'll see as things progress.
Pictures of me from the marathon can be seen at:
http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?OID=27892007M1&CustomerNumber=D95801&BFI=192jjvc81w&Currency=USD&Language=EN
I also have a web gallery that I haven't posted the link to from my blog yet, but pictures from recent travels as well as a couple other marathon pics can be viewed at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MaryKate12
I still have a couple more albums to add from our latest national park trek, but hopefully over time I'll keep adding to it more regularly than I have in the past.
Thanks for your continued support in my crazy endeavours!
Pinal has decided that she really would like to join me in pursuit of the Iron Dream. I am very excited about this! We have so much fun together and love to sit and talk about our training more than anyone else wants to hear about it. So now we'll continue to have each other to share with over the course of the next 9 months.
Also, we have rallied troops here at school to run the Disney Marathon. Thus far we have 6 people and we're still trying to increase that number (Peter, you and Patty should join us). It will be the first for everyone except Irfan and I. It's already very exciting having these other newbies around to talk about training. We're also planning on running a few local races before the marathon. The more people you know running in a race, the better I think it is. We'll see as things progress.
Pictures of me from the marathon can be seen at:
http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?OID=27892007M1&CustomerNumber=D95801&BFI=192jjvc81w&Currency=USD&Language=EN
I also have a web gallery that I haven't posted the link to from my blog yet, but pictures from recent travels as well as a couple other marathon pics can be viewed at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/MaryKate12
I still have a couple more albums to add from our latest national park trek, but hopefully over time I'll keep adding to it more regularly than I have in the past.
Thanks for your continued support in my crazy endeavours!
My First Run
After spending a week hiking in Redwood, Crater Lake and Lassen Volcanic National Parks Irfan and I felt pretty optimistic about our first run when we got back to Florida. According to the plan, we would get up first thing Monday morning and go for a short 3 mile run. 6am came and went, as did 6:30 and then 7. It was getting late and we were both still exhausted. We opted to just head to work and try running tomorrow.
Just the day before though, my cousin had called and asked me to come home and do a triathlon next weekend. "Are you kidding?" I thought to myself. I just ran a marathon last weekend and haven't run yet and have heard about the horrors of post marathon running. Before registering for the triathlon I would need to know if I could run the distance or not. Therefore it became imperative that I run, today! The triathlon had only 25 of 895 spots left, there's no time to wait.
Finally last night it happened. We got home around 6 and were out the door around 7. I'm not an evening runner at all, but there was no time to dally. It was hot, but mainly the humidity was the real killer. I kept thinking that maybe I could cut through the heat, pull back the curtain and step to the other side where it would be cooler. I was dreaming.
We started off slow to be sure we could run. Our IT band ached where it's reinserted just below the knee. It was only a dull pain, nothing too bad. We continued. Then, the lower half of the outside of our shins hurt. What is this? I've never felt pain there before in my life! Odd. We pushed on, legs tired, pouring sweat. By mile 1.25 my calves were tight and tired. Overall, I came to the conclusion that I was still tired, everywhere. On the other hand, we both finished the 3 miles we set out to do. We didn't finish with record pace, but we weren't that slow either. It was good.
We followed with a nice dip in the ocean. It was so warm it almost felt like a bath. It was a great night. And I signed up for the triathlon this weekend: 600 yard swim, 16.2 mile bike and 3 mile run. It will be challenging since I'm not really ready for it, but I'll give it a go anyway.
Just the day before though, my cousin had called and asked me to come home and do a triathlon next weekend. "Are you kidding?" I thought to myself. I just ran a marathon last weekend and haven't run yet and have heard about the horrors of post marathon running. Before registering for the triathlon I would need to know if I could run the distance or not. Therefore it became imperative that I run, today! The triathlon had only 25 of 895 spots left, there's no time to wait.
Finally last night it happened. We got home around 6 and were out the door around 7. I'm not an evening runner at all, but there was no time to dally. It was hot, but mainly the humidity was the real killer. I kept thinking that maybe I could cut through the heat, pull back the curtain and step to the other side where it would be cooler. I was dreaming.
We started off slow to be sure we could run. Our IT band ached where it's reinserted just below the knee. It was only a dull pain, nothing too bad. We continued. Then, the lower half of the outside of our shins hurt. What is this? I've never felt pain there before in my life! Odd. We pushed on, legs tired, pouring sweat. By mile 1.25 my calves were tight and tired. Overall, I came to the conclusion that I was still tired, everywhere. On the other hand, we both finished the 3 miles we set out to do. We didn't finish with record pace, but we weren't that slow either. It was good.
We followed with a nice dip in the ocean. It was so warm it almost felt like a bath. It was a great night. And I signed up for the triathlon this weekend: 600 yard swim, 16.2 mile bike and 3 mile run. It will be challenging since I'm not really ready for it, but I'll give it a go anyway.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Finally, the San Francisco Marathon!!!
Yeah! I am officially a marathoner (although Pinal and I have been declaring this from day 1 of training per instruction from our training guide). There are a few things that I would like to share with you about my marathoning experience.
Marathoning: Life Changing?
Everyone says that finishing a marathon is a life changing event. I will definitely agree that my life has changed, but was it finishing the marathon that changed me? For me personally, I would have to say no. It’s not the running and finishing of the actual marathon, it’s the commitment to yourself to train for the marathon. It is 5 months of 4 days per week running when you don’t really like to run. THAT changes you. You may ask, “Why run when you don’t enjoy running?” It sounds crazy! I was motivated by the long term goal of actually finishing a marathon. As Peter (my blogging buddy who also ran this marathon as his first) put it, “You’re approaching this as a life list. Marathon. Check.” While he was correct, this is no longer my approach.
These months of running have changed who I am and how I view everything. The empowerment one gains from this experience is definitely life changing. It’s odd though, I still don’t love running. I begin each morning with a positive attitude about getting out there and getting my mileage in, but once I get to the start, I stall and temporarily dread the distance ahead of me. On the other hand, not running makes me almost feel agitated. I have all this energy bottled up waiting to be released and internally I tremble when there’s no outlet. I enjoy my days off, but I find myself looking for something else active to do. This is perhaps why I think I will enjoy my ironman training even more than marathon training, there’s simply more of it. There’s little down time with at least one workout 6 days a week and many days have 2.
This newly found life has rekindled my spirit and excitement for live. I have always loved competing. Growing up, I competed to win, but if that was my goal now, I would have a hard time training each day. I now enjoy participating and only compete against myself. I strive to better my own times and my own health. In the end, I just love being outside, being active and surrounding myself with other people who are doing the same thing. We're all winners now for challenging our self to get off the couch, out of the office and out there moving.
About the actual marathon (a little long, like always)
The day started early like with most long runs. We were up around 3:15am and out the door shortly after 4:30. It was really great. Jared, my brother who had come up the night before, rode his motorcycle down to the starting line. Irfan and I, bundled in sweats, took a nice easy 1 mile jog to meet him. When Irfan and I started out it was just us and 1 other man in front of us. As we got closer and closer, more and more people started appearing from no where. It was as if we were silently taking over the city.
At last it was time for us to begin our trek around San Francisco. The darkness had just given way to the rising sun, but the air was still chilly. Pinal, Irfan and I joined our group and headed off on what would be a very long day. Irfan took off immediately leaving us in his dust. Pinal and I started off slowly and wound our way through Fisherman’s Wharf and up to the first hill. No problem. We were smoking! Approaching the bridge we were excited, but that excitement soon ended. The bridge was so crowded, there was very little room to run, and thus we spent way too much energy maneuvering around slow runners. The bridge was windy and it had begun to drizzle. By mile 7, Irfan was already a mile ahead. I yelled as he passed us headed back over the bridge, but he was in his own world. Pinal and I ran to the turnaround, waved as we passed Jared and headed back over Golden Gate.
The wind was so strong by now that it was almost blowing us sideways. Oosh! We cheered on the other racers stilled headed over the bridge and finally got relief from the cold as we ran along a tree lined road.
As we were running up the next hill, I heard a man call out, “Go! MK! Go!” I had the words written on my tummy so people could cheer me on personally and it had worked! It was awesome! I needed this energy boost. My run wasn’t going so well. From the beginning of the run, my calves were tight like a rubber band and my pre-race meal had been a disaster. Anyway, I thanked the guy with some cheers and picked up my speed. Pinal made a pit stop and I ran on.
She didn’t take long to catch back up to me. We exchanged a few words of encouragement and off she went. It was awesome to run with her though for almost 2 hours! Now the rest was up to me.
I trudged along, moving slowly and feeling sluggish. The weather was nice for running, not much else, but wreaked havoc on my fueling. With the temperature being so much cooler than I was used to, I didn’t drink as much and my gu (energy gel) from my bottle didn’t flow as easily either. This lead to me not getting what I was used to during my training runs. By the half marathon point, I was already tired. My legs were heavy and remained so for the rest of the day.
The crowds along the route were awesome. Time and time again, people where cheering for me who had never seen me and will probably never see me again, but they were there, “Go Mary! Go MK! Looking good! You’re over half way!” They were always so positive and supportive and it was great. The other runners were great too.
There was a young couple walking together and I happen to be passing them when he had said to her, “Yeah! It’s going to hurt.” I ran by and told her to ignore her body and run. Later she passed me and said “Ignore the pain! Come on and run.” So I ran. We ran together for a while and then I had to walk. My legs were giving out. We ended up continually passing each other for the last 10 miles and would always offer up words of encouragement. In the end, we resorted to “Tag! You’re it!”. They were a lot of fun to have along the way.
Also in Golden Gate Park I had a bystander come and run with me to ask me my pace. I told him, he ran a few more steps and then stepped off the course. I tried to always encourage those around me when they looked like they were struggling because I know just how far someone’s words can carry me.
Towards the end, around mile 23, there was a girl who was upset about how slow she was going and wasn’t sure if she was going to finish. This was also her first marathon. Others around her were telling her about their first marathons and she was feeling better. Then I turned to her and said, “We’ve all come this far, we’re all going to finish.” She yelled back, “I like your positive attitude; I’m going to run with that”.
By mile 24 my left foot had such tremendous pain with each step that I felt like every step was going to shatter all the bones in my foot. I decided it was time to walk. Once I started walking, my calves got even tighter. I decided and tried to accept the fact that I may not run for the rest of the race. It would be ok, I would still finish. I walked and walked for what seemed like forever. During this time, I met up with another racer also walking. We walked silently together. Finally I told him to come run with me. He said he couldn’t, he was in too much pain. “Where?” I asked. He proceeded to tell me he was dizzy and needed to sit down. I gave him a bottle of my Gatorade; he drank it and still wasn’t ready to go.
I was nearing 25 miles and decided I should give running a try. I took a few steps. It was painful, going from walking to running when you are that far into a run is always painful. I trudged on and finally settled in for my last 1.2 miles. I crossed the finish line in 4 hours 58 minutes. Not the greatest of times, but I finished and I left tons of room for improvement for my next marathon.
I crossed the finish line and almost started to cry. I was so overwhelmed, mentally and physically exhausted. I was happy to be finished. I was touched at everyone cheering for me now and along the way. I was so happy Jared was there to see me finish and at so many other stops along my 26.2 mile route. I was just barely keeping it together.
I received my medal and my thermal blanket and found Irfan. We had a nice exchange, had some pictures taken and then headed to meet with Jared.
I was the last in of the bunch. Pinal was having a message which I desperately wanted too. I headed for the message tent while Irfan hit up the food line. We met up and had a nice post race gathering with Pinal’s friends at a local pub. It was wonderful!
Finally things were winding down and we headed out. Irfan and I walked together avoiding any changes in elevation. I’m talking about curbs, stairs, any up and down.
After a good night’s rest we were ready for a big breakfast. Irfan and I headed out, arm-in-arm in search of food. We would see a curb we needed to step down from, cringe and then look for the dip you would use to roll a cart or wheelchair over. That small step seemed so big and was very painful. For the day, if I needed to raise my left leg for anything, tying my shoe, curbs, to get into the shower, I had to physically reach down and lift it with my arms. For the first time in my life, I felt truly disabled. Obviously I wasn’t, I had just completed a wonderful journey and needed to recover. By Wednesday, Irfan and I were out hitting the trail of Redwood National Park; we had recovered!
I am very grateful for all the volunteers that provided much needed support. Without them, there could be no race. So to them, Thank you!
Our next marathon we’re planning is on January 13 at Walt Disney World! We’re very excited! We would love your continued support as we set out in our newly changed lives.
Marathoning: Life Changing?
Everyone says that finishing a marathon is a life changing event. I will definitely agree that my life has changed, but was it finishing the marathon that changed me? For me personally, I would have to say no. It’s not the running and finishing of the actual marathon, it’s the commitment to yourself to train for the marathon. It is 5 months of 4 days per week running when you don’t really like to run. THAT changes you. You may ask, “Why run when you don’t enjoy running?” It sounds crazy! I was motivated by the long term goal of actually finishing a marathon. As Peter (my blogging buddy who also ran this marathon as his first) put it, “You’re approaching this as a life list. Marathon. Check.” While he was correct, this is no longer my approach.
These months of running have changed who I am and how I view everything. The empowerment one gains from this experience is definitely life changing. It’s odd though, I still don’t love running. I begin each morning with a positive attitude about getting out there and getting my mileage in, but once I get to the start, I stall and temporarily dread the distance ahead of me. On the other hand, not running makes me almost feel agitated. I have all this energy bottled up waiting to be released and internally I tremble when there’s no outlet. I enjoy my days off, but I find myself looking for something else active to do. This is perhaps why I think I will enjoy my ironman training even more than marathon training, there’s simply more of it. There’s little down time with at least one workout 6 days a week and many days have 2.
This newly found life has rekindled my spirit and excitement for live. I have always loved competing. Growing up, I competed to win, but if that was my goal now, I would have a hard time training each day. I now enjoy participating and only compete against myself. I strive to better my own times and my own health. In the end, I just love being outside, being active and surrounding myself with other people who are doing the same thing. We're all winners now for challenging our self to get off the couch, out of the office and out there moving.
About the actual marathon (a little long, like always)
The day started early like with most long runs. We were up around 3:15am and out the door shortly after 4:30. It was really great. Jared, my brother who had come up the night before, rode his motorcycle down to the starting line. Irfan and I, bundled in sweats, took a nice easy 1 mile jog to meet him. When Irfan and I started out it was just us and 1 other man in front of us. As we got closer and closer, more and more people started appearing from no where. It was as if we were silently taking over the city.
At last it was time for us to begin our trek around San Francisco. The darkness had just given way to the rising sun, but the air was still chilly. Pinal, Irfan and I joined our group and headed off on what would be a very long day. Irfan took off immediately leaving us in his dust. Pinal and I started off slowly and wound our way through Fisherman’s Wharf and up to the first hill. No problem. We were smoking! Approaching the bridge we were excited, but that excitement soon ended. The bridge was so crowded, there was very little room to run, and thus we spent way too much energy maneuvering around slow runners. The bridge was windy and it had begun to drizzle. By mile 7, Irfan was already a mile ahead. I yelled as he passed us headed back over the bridge, but he was in his own world. Pinal and I ran to the turnaround, waved as we passed Jared and headed back over Golden Gate.
The wind was so strong by now that it was almost blowing us sideways. Oosh! We cheered on the other racers stilled headed over the bridge and finally got relief from the cold as we ran along a tree lined road.
As we were running up the next hill, I heard a man call out, “Go! MK! Go!” I had the words written on my tummy so people could cheer me on personally and it had worked! It was awesome! I needed this energy boost. My run wasn’t going so well. From the beginning of the run, my calves were tight like a rubber band and my pre-race meal had been a disaster. Anyway, I thanked the guy with some cheers and picked up my speed. Pinal made a pit stop and I ran on.
She didn’t take long to catch back up to me. We exchanged a few words of encouragement and off she went. It was awesome to run with her though for almost 2 hours! Now the rest was up to me.
I trudged along, moving slowly and feeling sluggish. The weather was nice for running, not much else, but wreaked havoc on my fueling. With the temperature being so much cooler than I was used to, I didn’t drink as much and my gu (energy gel) from my bottle didn’t flow as easily either. This lead to me not getting what I was used to during my training runs. By the half marathon point, I was already tired. My legs were heavy and remained so for the rest of the day.
The crowds along the route were awesome. Time and time again, people where cheering for me who had never seen me and will probably never see me again, but they were there, “Go Mary! Go MK! Looking good! You’re over half way!” They were always so positive and supportive and it was great. The other runners were great too.
There was a young couple walking together and I happen to be passing them when he had said to her, “Yeah! It’s going to hurt.” I ran by and told her to ignore her body and run. Later she passed me and said “Ignore the pain! Come on and run.” So I ran. We ran together for a while and then I had to walk. My legs were giving out. We ended up continually passing each other for the last 10 miles and would always offer up words of encouragement. In the end, we resorted to “Tag! You’re it!”. They were a lot of fun to have along the way.
Also in Golden Gate Park I had a bystander come and run with me to ask me my pace. I told him, he ran a few more steps and then stepped off the course. I tried to always encourage those around me when they looked like they were struggling because I know just how far someone’s words can carry me.
Towards the end, around mile 23, there was a girl who was upset about how slow she was going and wasn’t sure if she was going to finish. This was also her first marathon. Others around her were telling her about their first marathons and she was feeling better. Then I turned to her and said, “We’ve all come this far, we’re all going to finish.” She yelled back, “I like your positive attitude; I’m going to run with that”.
By mile 24 my left foot had such tremendous pain with each step that I felt like every step was going to shatter all the bones in my foot. I decided it was time to walk. Once I started walking, my calves got even tighter. I decided and tried to accept the fact that I may not run for the rest of the race. It would be ok, I would still finish. I walked and walked for what seemed like forever. During this time, I met up with another racer also walking. We walked silently together. Finally I told him to come run with me. He said he couldn’t, he was in too much pain. “Where?” I asked. He proceeded to tell me he was dizzy and needed to sit down. I gave him a bottle of my Gatorade; he drank it and still wasn’t ready to go.
I was nearing 25 miles and decided I should give running a try. I took a few steps. It was painful, going from walking to running when you are that far into a run is always painful. I trudged on and finally settled in for my last 1.2 miles. I crossed the finish line in 4 hours 58 minutes. Not the greatest of times, but I finished and I left tons of room for improvement for my next marathon.
I crossed the finish line and almost started to cry. I was so overwhelmed, mentally and physically exhausted. I was happy to be finished. I was touched at everyone cheering for me now and along the way. I was so happy Jared was there to see me finish and at so many other stops along my 26.2 mile route. I was just barely keeping it together.
I received my medal and my thermal blanket and found Irfan. We had a nice exchange, had some pictures taken and then headed to meet with Jared.
I was the last in of the bunch. Pinal was having a message which I desperately wanted too. I headed for the message tent while Irfan hit up the food line. We met up and had a nice post race gathering with Pinal’s friends at a local pub. It was wonderful!
Finally things were winding down and we headed out. Irfan and I walked together avoiding any changes in elevation. I’m talking about curbs, stairs, any up and down.
After a good night’s rest we were ready for a big breakfast. Irfan and I headed out, arm-in-arm in search of food. We would see a curb we needed to step down from, cringe and then look for the dip you would use to roll a cart or wheelchair over. That small step seemed so big and was very painful. For the day, if I needed to raise my left leg for anything, tying my shoe, curbs, to get into the shower, I had to physically reach down and lift it with my arms. For the first time in my life, I felt truly disabled. Obviously I wasn’t, I had just completed a wonderful journey and needed to recover. By Wednesday, Irfan and I were out hitting the trail of Redwood National Park; we had recovered!
I am very grateful for all the volunteers that provided much needed support. Without them, there could be no race. So to them, Thank you!
Our next marathon we’re planning is on January 13 at Walt Disney World! We’re very excited! We would love your continued support as we set out in our newly changed lives.
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