Richmond, stop taunting me

Dear Richmond Marathon,

If you keep sending me those emails about how great the 30th anniversary will be and how cheap the entry fee is until 12/31, I will be forced to do this crazy thing again. So please, please, don't send me one at the 11th hour, New Year's eve, when it's just me and Dick Clark contemplating our places in the universe.

Love,
Mama

New shoes

The Supportive Husband got me a gift certificate for new running shoes, so I took advantage of the slow day at work to head over to the shop and try out a few. I recounted my tale of woe to the salesguy, who said that judging from a few laps around the store, they looked like a good fit. But he humored me and my insistence that I just couldn't trust my shoes any more, and brought out a few pairs to try. I went with the Brooks Addiction 7. They are a half-size smaller than the Asics, but somehow feel much roomier in the toe, plus I don't have to do any fancy lacing to get them to fit right in the heel. I used my gift certificate, which was almost a shame - it's a cute little paper running shoe with red and white ribbon for the laces. And I still had $16.01 left over.

So it's a win-win, right? Great new shoes, an end to my foot woes. $16.01! And a free t-shirt! No, there's a dark side to this happy story.

These shoes are ugly.

My Asics were white and purple and silver and attractively proportioned. These are drab gray with a hint of blah blue, and blocky. I knew, though, when I saw them amid the sporty and stylin' Sauconys and Asics that this ugly but serviceable duckling was the shoe for me. So here's to a few hundred good miles with my homely new friends.

6 miles

Six very, very cold miles. I did my first long run of the 10-miler training program. It'll probably be the only one I do before the new year, but it felt good to get out and run around. I did pretty decently, too, I was somewhere around 10:45/mi for the whole thing. And probably could have gone faster, but spent some time running and talking with some new friends and some old.

I spent six months trying to beat the heat, now I'm thinking about how to keep warm. It was 22 degrees when I started my run, and all of 28 when I finished. I felt pretty warm most of the run, but my legs were practically numb on the drive home. They were so cold I couldn't even feel my heated seats. I definitely need warmer tights. And I'm still not sure about my shoes. After Christmas, I'll head over to the shop and reevaluate my options. I had such a horrific time with them at the marathon that I'm ready to try something new.

Boston bound!

No, I'm not running, though I do hope to be a volunteer so I can get the coveted BAA jacket. IronMo qualified for Boston this year, and will be running on Patriot's day. So I figured I'd tag along and relive the good old days of cheering the runners at the halfway point. I've bought my plane tickets, and I've arranged to bunk with Mo. In the meantime, I've got the 10 miler to think about.

I'm considering running the Virginia Beach RNR Half Marathon over Labor Day weekend - it's supposed to be a lot of fun. It would be a nice motivator to stay in shape during the dog days of summer.

For now, I'm staying in shape chasing after my increasingly mobile (and daggone fast) child. Don't laugh - it's pretty good exercise. I keep thinking that I'll hit the pool one morning before work, but there are always more pressing matters, like chopping green beans into choke-proof bits. How was it I found the time to run 20 or more miles per week to train for the marathon, and now that it's over, I can barely manage a walk around the block on alternate days?

Oh, and Santa, if you're listening, Mama Marathon needs a new pair of sneaks.

5K

The Turkey Trot!

I ran into lots of old friends this morning, which made the day, as cold and damp as the weather was, seem warm. I had a fun race, and finished the 5K in 31:39, which works out to about 10:12 per mile. Holy mackeral, that's fast for me. I would have been faster, but I had a verrrrrryyyy slllllooowwwww start. I'm so used to being the absolute back of the pack on my Saturday runs, that I placed myself near the back of the pack at the start this morning. Of course, a 5k fun run attracts a very different crowd than a marathon. So when the gun went off, I was caught in a throng of people who run once a year, or who were running in costume. There are about 1300 entrants vying for space on very narrow residential streets, so it was about a half-mile before I could really open up my stride. The first half of the course is almost entirely uphill, which I'm finding quite suits me. I had no trouble at all - my first mile was something like 10:25, even with the slow start.

I'm looking ahead to the 10 miler in the spring, though I won't really start training for it until the first of the year. At first, I was thinking I'd shoot for an 11:00 mile pace, but I really think that 10:45 isn't unreasonable to shoot for. In the marathon, my first 7 were under 11:00 (except for mile 5, with the bathroom break). I'm getting really excited about doing a shorter distance. I had so much fun this morning - it's great to just roll out of bed, and think, yeah, I'll do a race today. It's a much lighter state of mind than thinking all summer about doing a marathon. Not to mention that it's great not to have to think about nutrition, and bathroom stops, and all the logistics that go along with an endurance challenge.

Epilogue

There was no resting on my laurels. Max got another cold, which manifested itself in a terrible cough that kept us both up for the better part of several nights. Then I got the cough. Then he got the GI bug. Then his papa got the GI bug. No cards, no flowers, no flashbulbs, red carpets, tearful speeches, or telegrams. IronMo got another traffic ticket. But I did get pictures, that show me in all my pale-legged, stiff-gaited glory. And while I quickly gave up on the idea of putting my medal into rotation with my other accessories, I do keep it out on my nightstand. The glory of the whole enterprise was in setting and reaching a goal, and in knowing that my son has a strong, fit, determined mama.

So what's next for Mama Marathon? Not another marathon, not for a while, even though $30 to sign up for Richmond next year very nearly sealed the deal for me. I'm doing a Turkey Trot 5k on Thanksgiving, and a 10-miler in the spring, and in the meantime I'm looking forward to getting back to yoga class, going to the gym, and getting back in to swimming. I'm an ordinary mama, after all.

I'll keep posting here now and again, to update you all on my quest for fitness in motherhood, so don't unplug me from your RSS aggregator. It's a journey, after all. In the meantime, pictures!


Looking sporty. If you look carefully, you can see the top of my cellphone peeking out of the pocket on my left hip.



Mo and I both look a little goofy, but at least we're both smiling! Please note the finish clock - we actually crossed the start nearly 5 min after the gun, so our chip time was 5:34:33. Is it petty to be picky about 5 minutes when it took over 5.5 hours to run the thing? I think not.

Richmond Race Report

IronMo had just returned from Europe, and we headed over to Richmond on Friday night. We were delighted to find out that our hotel was right at the start line. We headed off to check in and go to the Expo, where I bought more Shot Bloks, and totally impulse-bought a pair of tights. Mo thought I should buy a "My mommy ran a marathon" t-shirt for Max, but I wouldn't, for fear of jinxing things, so she bought it instead. After a quick dinner, we headed back to the hotel. I got all teary watching the preparations for the race unfold along the streets of Richmond. All of those gates and chutes and signs were for ME!

The alarm went off at 5:55. It felt like Christmas morning. I pumped, got changed, and finished packing up. I had a banana and a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter, while IronMo stuck with her usual soy butter and honey sandwich. We checked out, checked our bags, and headed out into the street. We quickly returned to the warmth of the hotel - it was still nearly an hour prior and there wasn't much going on out in the cool morning air.

We finally headed to the corral at 7:30, where I was delighted to run into Jim! He said he'd seen Sadie, who was ahead in a faster corral. We couldn't hear the loudspeakers from so far back, but soon, the crowd began moving forward, and the next thing I knew, there was lots of cheering, and we were underway. We crossed the mat with about 4 minutes on the official clock.

The first mile zipped by. I literally have no memory of it, except being giddy when I saw the sign for Mile 1. I told Mo that I needed to pee (again, I'd already gone three times at the hotel before the start), and that I'd duck in to the porta potties at mile two. Mile two, aid station, grab water, run over to porta potties. Pull on door. It's locked. With a tiny padlock. Requiring a key that no doubt, some well-meaning but forgetful volunteer has in his pocket. They were all locked, and rather than join a gentleman who was squatting behind them, I decided to press on.

Mile three and mile four, again, very little memory. Except that we were really speeding along. I think one of these was my fastest mile, at 10:26. Yippee! The weather was still cool, and the shadows were long, making for plenty of shade. I decided that I *had* to use the porta-potty at the mile 4 aid station, but apparently, so did everyone else who'd been burned by the locked potties at mile 2, and there was a long line. We spied someone running out from an alleyway, and decided that was a better option. As I was in a compromising position between garbage cans, a man ran past, back out toward the course, proclaiming "you gotta do whatcha gotta do."

I was pounding the Shot Bloks, one per mile, and Mo was metering out Endurolytes at 3 per hour. I was feeling pretty good. We crossed the James on Hugenot Bridge, and ran along the river. At mile 10, instead of the Shot Bloks, I took half a Clif Bar, and instead of nibbling at a third of it like I usually do, I pounded a half. Within minutes, I was feeling not so great. At about this time the sun was climbing the sky, the air was heating up, and shade was becoming more precious. Around the half, I watched the 5:00 pace group pass us, and knew I was in for it.

Once the blood began flowing away from my stomach, and back to my muscles, my feet started to cramp and hurt. Mo gave me more Endurolytes, and we stopped to stretch. It took conscious thought and effort to be able to wiggle my toes. My recent foot woes had left me still unsure of my shoe/insert combo, and by mile 14, I knew I had it wrong. I was in a stiff shoe with a stiff insert, and the result was too much stability - my foot couldn't bend and move. Not only that, but the heat meant that my feet were swelling more than normal, making for a very tight fit. We soldiered on.

Around mile 15, I was complaining of being sleepy. I'd never felt this during a run before. I really just wanted to lay down and close my eyes for a few minutes. It didn't help that we were crossing the James again, on a long, hot, shadeless, relentless bridge. Mo reminded me that there was a junk food stop ahead, and I should look for Coke. God bless the race organizer who decided to offer coke and pretzels, just when I needed them most. It was exactly 11:11 when we got to mile 16 and the junk food; just across the road a Veterans Day service was underway, and we were reminded of their great sacrifices by a 21 gun salute as we passed. All throughout the race, we were surrounded by those wearing placards bearing the names of veterans, and others wearing "Proud Veteran" placards.

I was still not feeling so great - miles 14-20 were the hardest for me. Definitely the slowest and most painful. We'd run, and my feet would hurt so bad they were tingling, and I just couldn't run any more. I'd try to take a breath, and my muscles were so tight that they wouldn't allow my ribcage to expand. The sun was really beating down, with not a cloud in the sky. At some point, Jack called to ask where I was. I had no idea of the street names, I just told him mileage. He finally called back to say he'd just arrived at mile 17 - by then, we were almost at 18. I was certain I wouldn't see him, as he had to head back home to go to work.

Winding through the streets of Richmond, many generous spectators supported the racers. There were kids with card tables handing out water, pretzels, and orange slices. And then there were the bastards offering, nay, pushing, Krispy Kreme donuts. Not just any Krispy Kremes, but gooey chocolate frosted donuts. Nothing was more revolting to me at that point, except for the smoking spectators puffing in my direction. I was exhausted, but had enough energy to yell at the top of my lungs to two smokers to put out their cigarettes and quit smoking on the course. I don't know if they heeded my impassioned plea ("I don't care if we are in Richmond, put out your cigarette!"), but all the runners around me gave me a cheer, and I felt like a hero.

Not long after the water stop at 18, I tried to eat a pretzel and couldn't. As I chewed, it turned to dust. I had no saliva left. It was nearly two miles to the aid station at 20, and I was beyond thirsty. Like a beacon of hope, there was a CVS up ahead. I searched my pockets, past Max's pictures and the hotel luggage claim check, found my Visa card and handed it to Mo. I kept moving, while she ducked in to buy water. The customers let her cut in line, and she caught back up to me in minutes.

I was starting to feel better, with a little extra water on board. Many runners were not so lucky. The route was peppered with runners down, waiting for or being attended to by medical staff. There were lots of IV's. Mo offered Endurolytes to no less than three hobbling, wobbly athletes, and all were extremely grateful.

Mile 21 is known as "the wall," but I was actually on the upswing. My condition was further elevated when I saw Jack sitting on the side of the road! I was so excited; I didn't think he'd find us before he had to head home. He motioned thumbs up or down, and I gave him a big smile, and two thumbs up. He took a few pictures, we grabbed the pringles he'd brought, and we headed through the stone gate at 21 that is, literally and figuratively, the wall. Just on the other side, I burst into tears. I was so happy Jack made it. I was relieved. The tension just fell off my body, I could breathe, my stride was smooth.

My feet were still in quite a bit of pain, but I was able to run more. I noted to Mo that my labor was much easier than this, and took place in a climate-controlled room while I got to lay in bed. And I got a really cute baby at the end. She reminded me to push off my back foot, keep my arms loose.

Mile 25 was upon us, and it was nearly all downhill from there. I picked up the pace as much as I could on my screaming feet. Several quick turns through downtown, and suddenly we could see the crest of the hill. The last ten blocks are a steep downhill. We were flying. I searched the sidelines for Max, who was with my parents. I saw him, and yelled and waved, but didn't stop. Down, down, down. And then I heard the announcer say my name, I heard the beep of the chip timer as we crossed the mat, saw the cameras, and we were done. We'd done the last mile in 12:06 - more than a minute faster than any other mile in the second half of the race. Mo and I hugged, and I burst into tears again.

A volunteer placed a mylar blanket on my shoulders, and as I kept walking forward, there was an army of volunteers, each holding a medal. One of them approached me, and put it over my head. It was official!!! I finished a marathon, and I had the hardware to prove it.

We continued walking down the hill, briefly stopping at the merchandise tent to look for finisher apparel (there wasn't any, shame on you Richmond!), got our chips cut off our shoes, then to the food tent. I grabbed every piece of food I could get my hands on, juggling them all while trying to keep the blanket on. I finally ditched a bagel in favor of the cheese pizza. We headed to the UPS trucks to retrieve our start-checked bags, and I sat on the curb, ate my pizza, ditched the too-hot mylar blanket, and took off my shoes. My parents and Max found us, and gave us a ride to the Y, where we showered and changed. We picked up our bags from the hotel, and headed home, west, into the sunset.

Twenty-six point two!!!!!!!!

The rundown:

Shot Bloks: about 20

Coke: Three dixie cups

Orange slices: One

Donuts: None, and a pox on those who offer donuts at mile 20

Smokers yelled at: Two

Friends made because of aforementioned incidents: Many

High temperature: 78

Degrees away from record-setting high: 2

Trips to CVS: 1

Trips to porta-potty: None

Locked porta-potties at planned porta-potty stop: All

Clif Bars: 1/2

Endurolytes: Dozens

Times burst into tears: 2

Finishers: 2917

Blisters: 3

Fastest mile: 10:26

Slowest mile: Uh, a lot slower than 10:26

Total mileage: 26.2

Time: 5:34:33

Thumbs up: 2

Happiness: Infinite!!!!!!!!!

Full report tomorrow, or soon...

48 hours from now...

...I'll either be bonking or able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

WeatherWatch: Partly cloudy, high of 78. Oh, crap.

4 days to go

And I am freaking out. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 75. Seventy-five degrees. Fahrenheit. Looks like all that layering practice will be for naught. Hopefully IronMo will bring extra Endurolytes. At least it (hopefully) won't be raining.

Let's all obsessively watch the weather now, shall we? Richmond Weather

Think cool thoughts for me!

7 Miles

Okay, this was my last "real" run before the big day. I'll do a couple of short runs during the week, just to stay limber.

I headed out to the Saunders Monticello Trail. It's two miles up to Monticello mountain, and I figured the relentless 2 mile uphill would be a good workout. The trail winds through the woods, and is at times a wooden boardwalk that evens out the gentle folds of the hills. Before I left the house, I put on my shoes and discovered that I had them laced so tight, I couldn't even get my feet into them. Huh. In my anxious state, I've been subconsciously tightening the lacing over the past few weeks. I took a moment to relace them, and headed out.

I ran all the way up to the Monticello parking lot, contemplated stopping at the Luncheonette for a hot dog, or the garden shop for some native plants, then turned back and let myself fly downhill. I did the two miles downhill in just under 21 minutes. Back up 1.5, and back down again. Overall, I averaged just a hair under 11:00, and was ready to run some more when I finished. My foot feels better than it has in weeks. I'm crossing my fingers that next Saturday's run is as pleasant.

1000 meters

Everything I've heard about taper is true. You think it's going to be a walk in the park, but really, everything hurts and it sucks. My knees hurt, the tendonitis in my foot won't quite go away, heck, even my shoulders are tight and tired. Things that never hurt, not a single ache or twinge, are acting up and saying enough is enough. So to humor my creaky parts, I figured I'd take a day off from work, sleep in, and head to the pool. I am, or used to be, an avid swimmer. Even while enormously pregnant, I was swimming 2000-2500 yards twice a week. So replacing a run with a swim should have been a relaxing diversion. If only I had been swimming more than once since Max was born.

I knew I was in for it when I stepped out on to the pool deck to find that it was set up for long course! Okay, no big deal. I hopped in and started with my standard 100 free, 200 kick, 100 stroke warmup. Man, that first 50 just seemed to take forever. My stroke is all herky-jerky. The last couple months of pregnancy, I had no body roll to speak of, and frankly, I still don't. My left arm is big and burly from hossin' the baby around, but my right seems weak and uncoordinated. I couldn't keep my fingers together, and my wrists were getting tired. I was in fine cardiovascular shape, but my body needs some more practice before it remembers how to swim.

I quickly abandoned any idea of doing intervals, and just pushed on through to do my 1000. Today, I have a whole new set of swimming-induced aches, keeping my running-induced aches company. Ay, caramba.

8 miles

It was supposed to be 12, but since 4 were with the stroller, I figured that 8 was close enough. IronMo was on this side of the country, and came down to do her 20 with me. Whee! We ran 4 together (she was pushing Max in the stroller) then I turned back and she went on. It was great fun, and I am so excited that we'll get to run together on 11/11. The only downside is I got a stitch in my side (first of the season!) because we were talking up a storm.

We both overdressed, and I was really hot and sweaty after pushing the stroller over DWR and Plank Road's undulations. In fact, I did about as much walking as I did running. Not surprisingly for taper, I felt a little creaky. It's as if every ache and twinge from the whole season is having one last hurrah.

Max was a great passenger, and only pulled off his shoes and socks once.

Zero miles

Taking another day to let my foot heal after Saturday's 20. It felt stiff and downright old when I woke up this morning, but is feeling more limber now. I'll test it out Wednesday morning. Saturday, I'm planning on doing my 12 with (drumroll please) IronMo! She has no idea what a feat of endurance my marathon is going to be. It's going to be a challenge for a Boston qualifier to slog it out with someone who's crossing her fingers for 5 hours.

20 Miles - take THAT, Dick Woods!

We started in inky predawn darkness. Shooting stars were raining down over us. It was flippin' freezing, and I had on only shorts and a t-shirt. By the end (but that was more than 4 hours later) I was plenty warm.

Claudia, Jim and I set out, and were soon joined by Kelly, who was only doing 8, since her marathon (Marine Corps) is next weekend. A mile into the run, we saw some headlights up ahead and moved to the side of the road. Then, a horrible crashing, scraping noise. It was still pitch black, so all we could see were the two headlights, which had stopped in the road. DWR is pretty narrow - barely room for two compact cars to pass, and no shoulder on most of it. So we slowed to a walk until we got closer to the lights. We discovered a pickup, stopped in the middle of the road. It was, or had been, towing a thresher (I think it was a thresher, it was something farm-y). But it had been towing it on the truck bumper, not a proper trailer hitch, and the bumper had come off the truck, and now bumper and off-kilter thresher were stranded in the middle of the road. We squeezed past it and continued on.

We ran down Plank Road after mile two. We did the whole section, 3.5 miles to 250 and back. It's all pavement, and it felt like marshmallows compared to the stony gravel of DWR.

Somewhere around mile 12, Jim was way ahead of me, and Claudia way behind. A dog, and by dog, I mean fluffy white canine that came up to my waist, loped out into the road. He sniffed around, and looked up at me with pleading eyes. I was walking at this point, but started back to a run, inviting the dog to join me. He declined, and stopped in the middle of the road, and watched me run off into the distance.

Jim, Claudia and I met back up at the water stop at 13 (mile 6 on the DWR stretch). Claudia was hurting, but we continued on, did the .5 mi that brought us to our turnaround point, and then headed back. We were DONE, we just had to get back the 6.5 mi to the parking lot.

Claudia was way behind us, and at the 4 mile water stop (that is, with 4 to go), we waited a bit to see if we could see her. I couldn't stop for long, as my foot was hurting worse when I was stopped than when I was running. So we decided to get back to the cars as quickly as possible, and then drive back up the course to find Claudia.

Those last 4 miles were a doozy, and after the 2 mile water stop, my foot was really hurting, and my legs were dead. It was mostly downhill, but my heart sank at the sight of even a gentle uphill - all I could think about was having to schlep my bum foot up that hill. With about a mile to go, I just quit running. Jim stuck with me, and we kept on walking. One foot in front of the other, right?

With less than a half mile to go, a car pulled up next to us - it was the course volunteers who had Claudia with them in the backseat!! They asked how we were doing, and I indicated my foot hurt. They asked if I wanted a ride, and I said no way, I came here to do 20, and I was doing 20.

The last 200 yards or so is a nice downhill into the parking area. Jim and I picked it back up to a run, and entered the parking area triumphantly. There was lots of cheering (Claudia, the water volunteers, and some other runners were still there), high fives, and pats on the back. It was over 4 hours since we had started - way, way off a 5 hour marathon pace.

I still hope to do a 5 hour marathon. My last 3 long runs (14, 17, and 20) have been less than ideal. Heat and humidity (14). Driving rain and cold (17). Hurt foot (20). I'll rest my foot over taper, let my body heal, and hopefully I'll be a well-oiled machine by Richmond, and the weather will cooperate. Plus, I'll have IronMo with me. I'm holding on to the 10:30 pace I held at the last track workout. I know it's there inside of me somewhere, and I only need 11:27.

Foot update #2

And then it started hurting again. So I wasn't miraculously cured. But it wasn't hurting as badly. I skipped my run this morning, and made my way over to the shop after work. I ran laps around the store, in sock feet, in my shoes, in my shoes with different inserts, in shoes with the same inserts. Three salespeople listened to my tale of woe, and finally the great and powerful Oz himself took a look. Mark assured me that my inserts were fine, and then gave me a good dose of perspective. Running seventeen miles in the wet and the cold is bound to make something hurt. So I walked out of the shop with the shoes and the inserts I came in with, and headed home to take another dose of Advil.

Foot update

Yesterday I wrapped it up in an ace bandage, and when I wasn't laying on the sofa with it propped up, I was hobbling around. At bedtime, I took a big dose of ibuprofen, and left the ace bandage on. I couldn't sleep. A searing pain overtook my foot, accompanied by cramping. I pawed off the ace bandage, and managed to fall asleep. This morning when I awoke...I was cured. My ankle's sore from compensating for it over the past week, but the lump is almost gone, and there's no pain at all. Weird. I'm still going to try to take it easy this week - my big 20 mile run is Saturday, and I don't want to jeopardize it.

8 Miles

Frosty morning. We started in the pitch black. There was just enough moonlight to be able to avoid potholes. The sky lightened and the sun began to rise somewhere around mile 2. The light was filtered by the turning trees, and dappled the frosted pastures with silver and gold. At water stops, steam rose off our bodies. It was tranquil, and passed by far too quickly.

Yes, my foot still hurts. But I was able to keep an 11:30ish pace without pushing too hard.

1215 Miles

Well, not exactly. Mama's gone to Dallas for a conference! No running today - just a lot of flying and sitting around. I did read the new Runner's World, which had a bit about running in, of all places, Dallas. And then I left it on the plane. It's just as well - I'm resting for a few days, if you can call schlepping around the conference center resting. My right foot really, really hurts and has a lump on it. Am I freaked out? You betcha. The upside is, other than the sharp, excruciating pain in my foot, I was surprisingly un-sore after my big run on Saturday.

Max's papa called a while ago, and apparently bedtime did not go well. That hurt worse than the lump in my foot.

Seventeen Miles

ROCK ON!!!

Today's run was wonderful on many levels. I ran the whole thing with Claudia and Jim. I was powering up hills for about the first 2/3. I did the 17 miles I set out to do. I felt like I'd accomplished something significant when I was done. I got a chocolate mint Clif Bar.

But it was not without adversity. Two words: Driving rain. Oh, and one more: Cold. I ran 17 miles in the driving rain and the cold. I am not kidding or exaggerating. It was about 45 degrees, and the radio was rife with flood warnings on the dark and winding drive over. I was completely soaked by the end. Heck, I was completely soaked by about three miles into it, despite sporting my brand-new fluorescent "water resistant" top layer. My feet were so wet that at the end, they were white and wrinkled. I have blisters on the bottoms of my toes. I wore a fleece toque the whole time, and still had a few moments where I was shivering. My legs got so cold that they started cramping up with about four miles to go and I walked/run-shuffled to the end. The last three miles were the longest @$#%^#&^ three miles of my life. Longer than the last three miles hiking out of the Grand Canyon.

I can't imagine that I'll feel any happier or more emotional at the end of 26.2.

Sunday evening update: 36 hours later, my shoes are still wet.

Four miles*

*with stroller

Max's papa had Important Work to do this morning, so I took the boy with me on my run. I do this rarely, despite having not one but two jogging strollers. We set out in the big ole purple Baby Jogger II with the 20" wheels. It was a bit nippy, so I put socks and a hoodie on Max. He pulled off his socks before we even got out of the subdivision.

I surprised myself by actually getting a rhythm going while pushing the stroller. And all that extra weight meant a great upper-body workout. Max got to watch birds ("buh") and cars ("buh") and trucks ("buh") go by, so overall it was a win-win.

When we got home, he was all tuckered out. I gave him a snack and some water, and put him down for a nap. He slept for almost two hours, and woke up with a sweaty head and one side of his face all smushed.

Track workout - 9? 10? total

Today's track workout was the reward for last week's awful run. Mark was there, and gave us a pep talk, and the lowdown on the run. A 2 mile warmup, then 6 laps, down a hill, "surge" up the hill back to the track, then 4 laps, hill surge thingy, 3, hill, 2, hill, 1, 1-2 mile cooldown. I was way faster than I thought I'd be - at an easy pace, I was still doing 10:30 miles. 10:30? Me? What? How'd that happen? I mean, I was really trying to go slow. But there I was, at 10:30. Huh. Such a difference from last week when I struggled to do 12:00.

Of course, it was all put into perspective when I was "surging" (read: huffing and puffing) my way up the hill and the guy who won the Pepsi 10K blasted past me. Oh, *that's* what Mark meant by "surge." Yeah, mama don't surge.

But what really mattered was that I felt powerful. Not only that, but it was just a lovely day to be running. It was cold this morning - tights and fleece and see your breath cold. It was really difficult to get my butt out of my heated seat and into the cold, dark morning. But the first several laps around the track had a vista of pink and red clouds as the sun rose over the pregnant clam. The view alone was worth getting up at 5:30.

I also had a chance to chat with an old airline buddy - he's training for Richmond, too. I hadn't seen him in years, until last week on Dick Woods, there he was! Since our company went under, he's been with JetBlue, down at the bottom of the seniority ladder. But JetBlue's treating him right, and hopefully he'll be upgrading to captain again sometime soon.

Coupla short runs

Monday I was still sore from Saturday. Today I was just running short on time. But I gave it my all - I banged it out with headphones on. IronMo and I are ironing out the details of race day. Uh, nothing else to report.

Oh, the new inserts are okay. They're thicker than the old ones, so I have to lace my shoes differently, and I don't have it quite right yet. How could something so simple be giving me such fits? Did I mention that I was the LAST kid in kindergarten class to learn to tie my shoes? When Asics starts making serious running shoes with velcro closures, I'll be first in line.

14 Miles

Wooooohoooooo. I did it. This is the farthest I've ever run. Please don't remind me that it's nearly twice as far to finish a marathon. I'm still basking in the glory.

It was warm and humid again. Not hot, but definitely no snap in the air. At least it was overcast, so the sun wasn't beating down on us. I started out with Jim and Claudia and Chris, but I just wasn't feelin' it. I walked up a hill or two and felt really dejected. I caught up with them at a water stop (though at some point Chris went ahead, and I didn't see her after about mile 4), and ran the rest of it with them, on and off.

Everyone was having kind of a crummy run - bad chi on Dick Woods today, I guess. But we slogged through it together. We all kept apologizing for having to slow down or stop, but everyone was just waiting for someone else to cave so we could slow down, too. It took nearly three hours to complete it - THREE hours!! But I was in good company. Jim and Claudia were actually doing 13, so with 2 miles to go, I popped off down Plank Road for a half-mile.

Plank Road sucked.

It was one giant downhill, which meant one giant uphill on the way back. I didn't mind being alone - despite being tired and sore, I felt pretty chipper. With just 1/2 mile to go, a car pulled up alongside me - it was Claudia and Jim! Claudia had been hurting earlier, and with less than 1/2 mile to go, just couldn't go any more, so Jim ran back to the start, got his car and picked her up. They made sure to cruise out a little farther, to make sure I was still doing okay. A few minutes later, we all rendezvoused at the finish, and ate our Clif Bars. Everyone milling around had some complaint about something. We were a big bunch of whiners. But it was good to be done with it.

When I got home, the baby was napping, so I had time for a shower. I put it on as cold as I could stand it, and, for the first time ever, actually sat on the built-in seat. I had to sit down to take a shower. I felt cleansed from the inside out when I was done.

Even though that run was painful physically and mentally, it was a great confidence booster in a twisted way. That run sucked. It hurt. It was uncomfortable and NOT fun. But I did it.

One foot in front of the other.

Off today, but important updates

I went to the shop and got some new insoles for my shoes. They're comfy and supportive. At least they were for the 10 yards of jogging I did on them in the shop. Anyway, they'd better work, as my old insoles went in the trash at the shop inside the box the new ones came in. Oopsie.

And I got my Phase II program from Mark. Very reassuring. He gave me props for doing this while still nursing. I'm certain he went home to Cynthia after reading my questionnaire and said, "You will never believe what this crazy lady is doing." Anyway, he left my weekday runs pretty much up to me, and my weekend runs pretty much as I'd figured a few days ago. He put a big star by the last long run, circled it and noted "Very Important." Um yeah, I get that.

My game plan is: no more day care special, no more coxsackie. The weather is fab-yoo-lus, and we're down to the wire. I am reaching the point that instead of freaking that I'm not going to be ready, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel - my goal is right there. It's not like back in June when 7 miles seemed like 7 light years. 26.2 scares me just a little, but IronMo will be there! And support people! And water stops!! And junk food!! And spectators! And other poky runners. This town is full of really serious runners, and they tend to scare us poky folks away. It takes a lot of cajones for me to go out on Saturdays. Looking at last year's results, there were over 700 finishers with times at or above 5 hours. SEVEN HUNDRED. That's about 20% of the field. I'll be as fast or faster than 20% of the runners in Richmond.

One step at a time, one foot in front of the other.

Five miles

Game on, my friends, game on.

Very few miles

In the past 10 days, I have run very little. Maybe twice? Yes, Max and I were both sick. Again. I had a terrible cold, and just when I was out of the woods, Max came down with Coxsackie virus, aka, hand foot and mouth disease. Yum. Poor fella had several near-sleepless days and nights, and was refusing to eat or drink. He's finally back to his charming self, and I swear, swear with all my heart that this Saturday, I will run 14 miles. Yes, indeedy. Even if I am sick and throwing up and have blisters on my throat, feet, and hands, I will haul myself down Dick Woods Road and back because I am SEVEN weeks away from this marathon and feeling like a real pansy. IronMo sent me a lovely and reassuring email, but I am sure that in the back of her mind she's thinking I am crazier than she is. Training for a marathon with a small (or should I say "small," since he's 22 lbs) baby is ludicrous, especially when you're still nursing and always exhausted to begin with. But without this goal, my "nap when the baby naps" inertia would be overwhelming and I'd still be soft and out of shape. I do enjoy being a hot mama. And I adore being strong and focused and in shape.

Here's the deal:
9/23 - 14
9/30 - 10
10/7 - 16
10/14 - 10
10/21 - 18-20
10/28 - taper
11/4 - taper
11/11 - twenty-six point two

Game ON!

Pepsi 10K (6.2 miles, plus warmup)

I had a great run - I ran the first 4 with Claudia - Jim was just ahead, and finished in just under an hour. I started out feeling a little sheepish for having missed the long run last weekend (and two weeks before, and two weeks before that) - Jim did 20 miles! Holy crap. But with 2 months to go, I think I'll be okay. I think that having the break has been good - I missed some of the hottest weeks of the summer, and got recharged and rested. Starting training in June for a November marathon is a little bit overkill. I see that now.

Before the race, I jokingly said I'd run it in 67 minutes, but estimating that I'd actually do it in about 70 -75 minutes, which is about an 11:30 pace. Claudia is still getting over her injury, so we started out together. We did the first mile in something crazy, like 10:05. Don't laugh, you hard core folks. To me, a 10 minute mile might as well be a 4 minute mile. We continued at a fairly good clip until just before mile 4. There was a long hill just before the turnaround at mile 4, and when we came around the bend and saw just how long we had to go until the turnaround, my legs just died. Claudia went ahead, and I walked up the hill a bit. I got my second wind around mile 5, and was passing people left and right (okay, so I passed a guy who must have been 70 and a couple of people jogging with headphones who may or may not have actually been part of the race) all the way in to the finish. That was fun! It was a small race (250 entrants), so I was by myself in the chute. There was lots of cheering and I felt like I was winning!

And then I looked at the clock: Yippee! 1:06:40 - that's 10:45 per mile, and 20 seconds faster than my joking, pie-in-the-sky time. Whoosh!

I gobbled up a whole wheat everything bagel, and milled around with Jim and Claudia. There was a drawing for door prizes, and I won one! I had my choice of a travel mug, $5 and a sticker from C-ville Coffee, some schwaggy stuff like t-shirts, or, a round of golf (plus cart) for 2 at Birdwood. I took the golf, figuring that Max's papa might enjoy it.

Jim, Claudia, and some others were heading to Panera after. I really wanted to go, but, as I put it so eloquently when they invited me, my boobs needed to get home.

Who knows? But I ran fast.

I started out on my regular 4-ish mile route, and about a mile into it, realized that I'd forgotten to wheel the garbage can up to the curb, like I'd promised my husband. Ooops. So I turned back, did my chore, then ran into the adjoining neighborhood, intent on shaking up my routine. I ran as fast as I possibly could for as long as I could. Which wasn't very long. But I felt very speedy and buff. I gave some extra kick when I passed the kids at the bus stop, just in case they cared. Sadly, my shirt clashed with my shorts, so they were probably more dazzled by my bad fashion sense than my speed.

I'm supposed to do the Pepsi 10K this weekend. Sounds like fun, and it starts an hour or so later than my usual run, so I'm definitely in.

And for weeks, I've been crossing paths with another woman runner, we'd wave and say good morning, she with her headphones, and me with my flushed face. It turns out, she lives just down the street from me, has 3 boys, and is automatically cool because she is French. She's faster than me though, so I'm still partnerless for my weekday runs.

3.5 miles - shake it like a polaroid piiiiiicture!

I rarely run with headphones. But it was just that kind of morning. So I ran and had a blast, I shook it like a polaroid picture, loved my lady lumps, and elevated my soul. I made furtive glances to see if anyone was looking and skipped for a hundred yards. I took it down a notch with Otis Redding, and cooled off while John Mayer made me feel good about myself.

Holidayless Weekend - 0 Miles

Another Saturday missing its run. Max and I both had a cold this week. Friday evening, I wasn't sure if I would run Saturday morning or not. Then the power went out (thanks, Ernesto!). By bedtime, it wasn't back on and I was preoccupied thinking about the stash of breastmilk in the basement freezer. I decided that if the power came on in the night, I'd run. Otherwise, I'd be scurrying to move the milk to cooler climes before 7 months of daily pumping had to be dumped down the drain. The power came on at 6:40am, 25 minutes after the start of the run, and about 20 minutes before I was going to pack it up and drive really really fast to my parents' house. It was for the best - I spent much of the night tossing and turning with sinus pressure and congestion. I had a terrible sinus headache, and was grateful to be able to sleep in. Just over two months to go - I am freaking out a little. I just hope the next couple of months don't contain the run of illness the past six weeks has. I'm spent.

More encouraging is Max's foray into solid foods - he's an amazing eater. He's gradually dropping feedings, and for the first time in months, I'm not famished 24/7. I've resolved to actually start using the freezer stash (which stayed frozen solid during the dark and stormy night), so I've dropped my nightly pumping session. I'm holding steady at 115 lbs, but my body's still changing - none (and I mean none) of my clothes fit any more, so a shopping trip is definitely in my future.

I realized on my last run that I need a new pair of shoes - I bought these when Max was just 2 months old! The arch support is slowly collapsing, and I really felt it last weekend. So tomorrow, back on the wagon, and a trip to the shop for the shoes to get me to Richmond.

3 Miles

The baby has not been sleeping well, so neither have I. I missed Monday's run - after a 5am nursing session, I headed back to bed for some much needed sleep. Today, I felt grumpy and out of sorts, but hopeful that a run would clear my head. It was humid, and I just couldn't get a rhythm. Turned around early, and headed home discouraged.

Eight Miles

Another speedy run! I think I was about 11:50ish, maybe a little faster. I left my watch at home, darn it. I ran the first 3 miles with Claudia from work - we did the first two in 22:00 exactly. Holy moly! Overall, it was kind of a bummer run, felt like a lot of hard work. Some big hills, Claudia was only doing 6, so turned around at 3, and left me partnerless for the remainder. It wasn't all bad - back at the track, I ran into my high school French teacher who is doing the 4-miler training. We had a nice time catching up.

Two miles

Back on the wagon, sort of. I actually felt pretty good. It's the first day of school around here, and the air, while not exactly autmnal, has definitely been released from the grip of the dog days of summer. I needed fresh air in my lungs.

But I felt a little lightheaded, and my tummy hurt when I got home. And I realized I was supposed to have run 16 miles this past Saturday. I haven't even done 12 yet. Less than three months to go. My goal is to finish, but I'd like to finish with a spring in my step, not with an extended visit to the medical tent. Phase 2 of the program is coming up in September - time to readjust.

Off the wagon...

Max and I are both recovering from the latest day care special - it was a doozy. I'll leave out the gory details, but it was enough work trying to stay hydrated this past week without adding running in the heat and humidity. Perhaps some weights at the gym tomorrow, and then on the road again on Monday. God willing, my long run will actually get longer one of these days.

I'm feeling a little down, but I've still got more than 2.5 months left, and I did make a hotel reservation, so I've *really* got to run the thing. I met someone who is dutifully training (all summer!) to run the four miler. It came up that I'm training for the marathon. "Oh, but I'm not a runner," she said. "Me neither. I just put my head down and put one foot in front of the other," I replied. When you get right down to it, it really is just that easy. (Says the woman who hasn't run in a week and who has missed 3 of 4 Saturday runs.)

8 Miles

The stars aligned today. Was it the Shot Bloks? The Endurolytes? The good company? The perfect (and I do mean perfect) weather? The interesting course*? Whatever the reason, today I had an 11:52 pace overall - my first time breaking 12 min/mile for the whole run. And I didn't even stop my watch at crosswalks and water stops. I feel much better about having missed two long runs.

*Astute reader(s) (hi Mo) might notice that the link is to the Ten Miler, and I ran eight miles today. There's a two mile loop about midway through the course that you can skip. Hence, eight miles, as per my program.

5 Miles

Another variation on the ark site and back. Ho hum. I tried raspberry flavored Clif Shot this time. It was really gross. The first ingredient listed is "brown rice syrup." The gel tasted exactly what you would imagine brown rice syrup would taste like. And oh yeah, it had some fake raspberry flavor added. I couldn't finish the whole thing.

Four Miles (back on the wagon)

Yeeeeeeha, I ran my program today. Four miles - ran past the ark site, around the nature trail (which is bitchin' hilly, and not all that fun to run, despite the shade), and back home. I tried a Gu halfway through. It was banana flavored. It tasted okay, but I wasn't crazy about the texture (it's not called Gu for nothing). And then it sat in my tummy like a rock as I jounced around in the heat. Bleargh. But I didn't feel as ass-draggy on the long uphill bit, so it wasn't a total loss.

I also wore my spiffy Ironman visor, my Camelbak, and my watch with the new battery. I feel like a dorky poseur weekend warrior with all those entrapments. I think I need to accept the fact that even if I'm the slowest runner out there, I'm actually a runner. Me, an athlete! I was the kid who cried every day after gym class in the seventh grade. I had math right after gym, and my wonderful teacher would let me sit in class with teary eyes, and just quietly do that night's homework. She never once chided me for not paying attention. I loved the numbers and patterns, the regularity, the rules, and mostly, the fact that I was as good at math as I was bad at volleyball.

And now, I'm a runner, I'm a swimmer. I love the rhythm of running, running my pace by the numbers. I love the solitude and time for reflection. I love counting laps in swimming. I love devising workouts in my head, counting by 25's or 75's, and finding novel ways to add up to big numbers. I love keeping count of breaths, strokes, laps, kicks. I love the strangeness of 26.2. On November 11, it will be the first time I have purposely not run a distance that was an even mile, half mile, or kilometer.

100 degrees (and far fewer miles)

The past two weeks have been a blur of travel and sickness. Not to mention the heat. It's regularly topped 80 by 8 am, and was over 90 by 10 am the other day. I'm just not that hard core. Even coach Mark said to back off some in this heat. I think I've run a grand total of 6 miles in the past 10 days. I'm waffling about whether to do the long run tomorrow - I'm afraid to look at my program and see what kind of mileage I'm supposed to be doing. I think one more day of rest. Perhaps a good swim, and some weights instead. IronMo gave me her too-small brand-new speedo, I think it needs to go for a swim. It's all orange and red and flamey. I'll look fast, even if I'm still desperately trying to recover the body roll I lost somewhere around week 30 of the pregnancy.

I feel lazy and irritable. But at least I'm not starving all the time.

Oh, and I made some progress - I got a new watch battery! So now I can know exactly how slow I am. And I bought an assortment of gels and Clif Shot Bloks, and Mo gave me half a bottle of Endurolytes. And, I got a fancy new IronMan visor. So one of these days, when I get back off my tuchus, I'll have all the gear.

0 Miles

For the first time, I missed the Saturday group run. And I'm bummed - it was a "surprise" run at the track. Boo. I've come down with a sore throat and general ick, and just really, really needed to sleep in. Thankfully, Max complied and we all got to sleep until 7:30! Aaaah.

So I totally slacked for a week. I've still got what, like 15 weeks? I can do it!

140.6 Miles

Not me, IronMo!!! Way to go Mo, with a time of 13 hours and 18 minutes. YOU ROCK!!!

I was incredibly inspired by the whole experience. So inspired that I skipped my Monday run. I figured the loooong day of spectating, walking back and forth to the hotel, and schlepping around one overstimulated 19 pound baby made up for it. I had every good intention of running around Mirror Lake on Tuesday, but had a small mishap that left me missing a small chunk out of the back of my left heel, right where my shoe hits. Mo does 140.6 with nary a scratch, and I lose flesh taking the baby to the indoor pool at the Comfort Inn. In my defense, there is an industrial strength spring attached to the very heavy metal gate to the pool, and I'm sure there were no self-closing gates along the IronMan course.

Congrats to Mo and to the entire IronTeam!! You guys are completely insane.

10 Miles

Ran a very peppy 10 miles along Dick Woods Road. Friendly runner Kelly let me try some of her carb replacement blocks. No tummy troubles, and I don't know if it was coincidence, but I felt fabulous the whole run.

The views were lovely - the absolute definition of bucolic.

Was supposed to run 12, but had to catch a plane to Lake Placid!

4.5 Miles

I was fully broiled by the end of the run. Nothing like baking on asphalt for nearly an hour with the sun in your eyes to ensure that there's no pink in the middle.

I ran down to the walking trail, and ran the full length of it. It's not very long. It's not even as shady as I thought. Only about half of it is in any real shade. But it is lovely, and there are wild blackberry bushes, and it does skirt the golf course. There are even a couple of wooden bridges over a stream. But there are some unpleasant aspects. I came around a bend by the pond where the geese live, to a portion of the path with a substantial amount of goose poop on it. The bright sunlight glinted off flies making a meal of the goose poop. Except as I got closer, I realized they weren't flies, they were hornets.

My greatest phobia is stinging insects. I've made peace with my phobia. It's a perfectly sensible phobia, as phobias go. There are a host of good reasons to be afraid of things like hornets and to go to great lengths to avoid them. Add another reason to the list - SPEED!!!!!!!! Poky mama damn near broke the sound barrier to get away from the hornets' picnic. It was exhilirating to move that fast! But then the adrenaline wore off and I came to the end of the path, and I was back roasting on pavement.

4 Miles

Ah, finally, not dragging ass on a weekday run. It ended up being near 100 degrees today, but I was done with my run by 8:45 am, and it was still not scorching. Best of all, it wasn't humid.

On second thought, I did drag ass a little bit. The ark (or ark-site, as the ark is now gone) and back route is nearly devoid of shade, and I was really feeling it by the last half mile. Again. Which happens to be uphill. Still. I did run down the road toward the golf course, and discover what might be the other end of the walking trail I used last week. It might be worth driving over and parking close to the trail, just to be able to run in shade. What a pansy, right? Driving .7 miles to go on a 4 mile run! But hey, whatever it takes. Plus, with no giraffes, cameras, or movie stars, that route is boooooooooring. A long, barren stretch of asphalt that's uphill both ways. The most excitement on my run now is listening out for the Spanish-language easy listening blasted by the construction crews. Bad taste crosses all cultural boundaries.

8 Miles

Today's run was at Ridge Road. It was approximately 127% humidity. There was patchy, steamy fog when we first started out. It was an out and back - four miles to the turnaround at Free Union Road. The terrain gently undulated the entire way - all my hill-climbing muscles are sore now. I ran the first half with a woman named Mary, but pulled ahead of her on the loooooong uphill after the turnaround, and didn't see her again until I was eating my Clif Bar at the finish. I bumped into Jim again, and we ran together for about a mile, but he pulled ahead of me on a long uphill.

I really need to get on the gel and electrolyte replacement wagon. Gatorade gives me a tummyache, plus it's usually gone by the time poky me gets to the water stop. IronMo recommends Endurolytes, which are just salt pills. I figure the can't be any worse for me than the 1/2 can of Pringles I ate on the drive home. I also need to start doing gels during the run - a handful of Jolly Ranchers just doesn't cut it.

And for Pete's sake, would I get the battery in my watch replaced already? I'm fairly certain I kept about a 12:05 or 12:10 pace, but I can't be sure.

4 Miles

I wasn't feeling well last night - another day care special. Went to bed early, all achy. Felt pretty good in the a.m., but was really dragging on my run. The poor ark is nearly all gone now. The fake McMansions are just plywood shells, and slowly shrinking. I used to run through while they were shooting - lots of extras lining the street, movie stars and production assistants everywhere. Running just isn't as fun when I can't wave hello to Steve Carell. I need to find a new route, and shake things up a bit. Plus, it's an out and back that starts with a gentle downhill, bottoms out at about 1 mile, goes uphill for a while, then a little bit downhill. So when you come back, it's a gentle but relentless uphill for almost the last mile. So just when I'm hot and wanting to be done, I've got this crummy uphill. And I know it's coming, so all during the downhill, I'm thinking about it, instead of enjoying the downhill. Bah.

Eight miles coming up this weekend - I hope I do okay! I hate being the slowest one. We got info about speed sessions at the track. Mark had instructions for different pace groups. Of course, the slowest marathon goal listed was 4:30. Crap. If IronMo's first marathon time was 5:22, then by gum, I'll just keep plugging away. I don't expect that I'll be an IronMom or a Boston qualifier, but I sure as shootin' can put one foot in front of the other for 26.2.

Five-ish miles?

In Norfolk for the weekend. Was supposed to run 10, but in an unfamiliar urban area I wasn't about to go exploring. I ran to the ballpark that houses the Tides, ran around the parking lot, ran along the water, over a bridge and back, and along the water again to a sketchy looking park. Most of the run was on concrete and man, my feet hurt afterward. Looking forward to getting back on track this coming week, after an over-eventful week of sickness and schedule disruptions.

4 Miles

It was cool, gray, and drizzly when I left. The sun was coming out and it was oppressively humid by the time I returned. I felt much better than I did last Wednesday, though. I ran past the ark (now, little more than an ark skeleton), and hung a right onto the nature trail. It was actually quite a pleasant path, crushed gravel lined with birdhouses and wild blackberry bushes. The long, slow uphill toward the townhouses got me again on the way back, and I walked most of the last half-mile.

I got some new running togs at Target, and I felt really cute and sporty this morning.

Zero Miles

Supposed to be 3 or 4, but Max was up from 1:30-4:30 a.m. and I'm beat. I had a fever again Saturday night, and am feeling generally tired. I think Max may have caught whatever I had - he also had a little fever and a stuffy, runny nose in the wee hours. He was happy as a little clam this morning, though he missed his morning nap and was fussy when I dropped him off at day care. I'll run a little tomorrow if I'm feeling chipper and the boy sleeps through the night. Otherwise, I'm following coach Mark's advice and not running while fatigued.

8 Miles

At last, it's not 118% humidity! I didn't feel like eating the whole can of pringles when I was done!

The past few days (since Wednesday, really) I've been soooooo tired. It didn't help that Thursday night I went to see South Pacific with my dad (oh, the irony of *dancing* sailors singing about wanting a girl). And it didn't get out till past 11 pm. My back was achy, and I thought it was just the uncomfortable theater seats. Turns out, I was coming down with something. I always get muscle spasms and pain in my back when I am brewing a fever. Yesterday, I was beyond exhausted and my very bones ached. I thought it was just new-mom tired. But then I took my temperature - 99.8! So I ate and drank as much as I possibly could and went to bed early.

I woke to Max crying at 5 am. At some point in the night, the battery in the baby monitor died, because *someone* unplugged it. I'm not going to say who, but it wasn't me, and the cats have no thumbs. Anyway, I heard him wailing, and was first freaked out that I hadn't heard him earlier, and then absolutely delighted that I wouldn't have to pump! I fed him, settled him down, and he was back asleep by 5:30. I knew I shouldn't have given him avacado right before bed.

Anyway, I was feeling much improved this morning, and my temp was a cool 97.4. So I headed out to run with the group, starting at White Hall vineyards and going up toward Sugar Hollow and back. It is a great route. Dappled shade, the rushing of the Moorman's river as constant company. I am one of the slowest Saturday people, and I started the run with a beefy two-time marathoner named Harold. We had a good chat, but he was only doing 6 miles, so I was on my own after he turned back at 3 miles. Just before the turnaround at mile 4 is the most killer hill I've ever seen. I just couldn't make my legs go fast enough, so about halfway up it, I slowed to a walk until the water stop at mile 4. It was fun going down, though.

At the water stop at mile 6, I met up with Jim, and we plodded the rest of the way back. He's 63, and not an easy guy for me to keep up with. We ended up doing about a 12:15 pace overall.

My husband accused me yesterday of not being athletically competitive. I do this because I am competing with myself. He's a laid back Cancer - I'm a thick-headed goat of a Capricorn. I wouldn't be doing this if I had any athletic talent at all, unless I could win. I do it because it's hard. I've always picked the things that are hard for me to do. Math was easy, so I majored in Sociology. Writing was even easier, so I became an airline pilot. Flying got easy and boring, so I went to grad school. I'm not a natural pilot; I'm not a natural runner. But I do it just to prove a point. Just to prove to myself that I can do something that I probably have no business doing. Just to say I can do it. Because it ain't braggin' if ya done it.

What's that line from A League of Their Own? "The hard is what makes it great."

Yeah, this is hard. And it is GREAT.

Epilogue, or, Why We Don't Run in Basketball Shorts:
My first bout of chafing! Discovered when the hot water of the shower burned like fire. Holy #%^&^%$! My right inner thigh is ouchy, but it's the small of my back that took the real beating - apparently, I cinched up my Camelbak a little too tight. And #&#$%^^@ I've got this raw area about the size of a quarter in the small of my back. Anyway, I'll be getting some proper running shorts on Monday.

This just in...

...IronMo is going to run Richmond with me! I told her she could only do this if she could keep up with my blistering 11:45min/mile pace. I slow down for no one, Iron or not. Actually, it will probably be a challenging test of endurance for a Boston qualifier to slog it out for 5 hours. IronMo, I hereby give you permission to, at mile 15, run ahead to the junk food stop at mile 16. Just save me some Pringles, 'kay?

3 Miles

I was really dragging ass today. Maybe because it was approximately 118% humidity again. Maybe because it was on it's way to being 90 degrees today. Maybe because I can't possibly consume enough calories to sustain myself and my almost entirely breastfed son.

By my estimation, Max eats about 30 ounces of breastmilk per day. At 22 calories per ounce, that's 660 calories. I pump slightly more than he eats, to add to the freezer stash and make up for day care wastage. So just by lactating, I'm burning 700 calories per day.

At 5'2" and 115 pounds, my basal metabolic rate is about 1300 calories per day.*

So I'm up to 2000 calories, and I haven't even factored in things like showering and diaper changing, let alone running.

One mile of running burns about 90 calories.*

So today, with just my morning run, and nothing else more strenuous than breathing, I need 2270 calories. Consider that I often walk the mile from the parking garage to work, plus I haul around my 18+ pound baby (and wiggle his legs while singing Yankee Doodle Dandy), plus I do regular mom things like cooking dinner, washing dishes, doing laundry. Which means I need at least 2500 calories on a day with a short run.

No wonder I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant.

I'm always hungry. I eat a lot. It was fun for a while (second helping of cake? Sure!!), but now I'm just tired of eating all the time. I'm tired of being hungry. I'm bored by all the food. But I gotta have it.

I guess I could have bigger problems.



*per calculators found using google, so this may or may not be accurate

3 Miles

And I still walked half of it. I think my ark and back route is uphill both ways. That and it was approximately 118% humidity. And I'm sad that they've started taking apart the ark. Though the star trailers are back, and I saw a couple of goats the other day.

Mark gave the group a little speech Saturday morning. Something about how the Kenyans train. Screw the Kenyans, what's the latest training fad for nursing mamas?

And I finally broke down and forked over another $35 for a good sports bra. I got a different model than before - I wasn't crazy about the old one, even when it fit. I hope it works - today's run was not pretty. The girls were lightly compressed, and I swear the band didn't even touch my ribcage at all. So I had a big bouncing uniboob, which is not an improvement over individually bouncing boobs.

7 Miles

IronMo was right - I did not die! I actually did just fine, and ran almost the whole thing. I walked up 2 hills on the second half, but other than that just plodded along. I didn't wear a watch, so I have no idea how fast/slow I ran.

I ran with the group on Dick Woods Road (yes, that's its real name). The first mile was a gentle uphill, and it was mostly level after that. The miles were marked, which was very nice, and there were water stops at the start/finish, and at 2 and 4 miles. I didn't quite go to the 4 mile one - I turned around at my best guess of 3.5 miles, to stay at 7 miles for the morning. I was tempted to run farther, but figured I should err on the side of too little since this is by far my longest run in over 10 years. I ran the first 3.5 with the woman who had marked the course that morning. When I turned around at 3.5, she kept going to 4, so I was by myself for most of the rest of the run. It was very peaceful, and I felt good. I had one Jolly Rancher and one roll of Smarties to keep me going. At the end, I inhaled a Clif Bar and some pringles.

I was amazed at how good I felt when I got done. Maybe it was that 1 mile downhill, but I didn't feel overtaxed, or like I was pushing my limits. I'm still entirely daunted by 26.2 miles, but I feel like I could have kept going for at least another mile or two. Of course, the high is wearing off now, and I'm starting to feel the 5:15 wake up call.

Three Miles

Well, 2.9, actually. As measured by GPS, woohoo! I couldn't figure out how to do average speed for the trip, and I forgot to wear a watch, but most of the time my speed was between 5 and 5.5 mph. Not bad! Of course, there were times that I walked, and those were about 4 mph. I got up to 8 mph on a big downhill for about two seconds.

Ah, the joys of pregnancy. The gift that keeps on giving. They say "nine months up, nine months down" in the weight department. I figured that saying was for people who overindulge and don't exercise and gain a lot of weight while pregnant. I lost all the weight and then some by 4 weeks post-partum. But I realize that saying is not about weight, but body! My body is still changing by leaps and bounds all the time. You'd think that months at my pre-partum weight, and I'd be used to my reflection. Nope. I never know what I'll see in the mirror. The latest changes are my arms and my ribcage. My arms are suddenly lean and muscular (yes, my arms!) from hoisting around my 18 pound 5 month old. And my ribcage, which had parked itself at a 36 since my second trimester, has suddenly decided to shrink back to a 34. Which means that my sports bras no longer fit. And nobody wants to see a nursing, running mama with not enough support.

Two Miles

Coach Mark gives great tips for running in the VA heat and humidity. The first on the list is not to run after 9am. I figured I'd wake up around 7, feed the boy, and head out for a run by 8 or so. Max woke up about 7:30 or so. I nursed him, then had some cereal. Then fed him some cereal (oatmeal and bananas - he just started solids last week). Then nursed him again for his nap. Put him down for a nap, changed clothes, headed out to run. Time? 9:15. And all I did was feed the baby!

Today's run was supposed to be two miles. But up until today, I'd been running by time, not worrying about mileage. So I don't have any idea how far my normal routes are. I know that to the ark and back is about 3 miles. Give or take. Farther if you go all the way past the ark to the trailers. So, I ran not quite to the ark and back. My strategy was to do something resembling the distance on my program, while being able to be back at home in time to get showered and changed, and out the door by 10:15. This boiled down to about 20 minutes of running in oppressive heat and humidity (Mark was right), and such a quick shower that I was still sweating when I got out. But, Max got to school, and I got to work on time.

Mama Marathon

On November 11, 2006, I will run the Richmond Marathon. My son will be 10 months old, which means that as I write this, I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

I'm a little scared. I've been running 3 days per week religiously for the past 2 months or so. I've signed up for the training program with the good folks at Ragged Mountain Running Shop. I've got a good pair of shoes, a whole lot of moxie, and an almost full time job outside the home. Have I gone a little crazy?

My hero is IronMo, and I will state for the record that this is all her fault. Way back in aught-four, she did an IronMan triathlon. She was undecided about doing another one. I told her that if she did an IronMan in '06, I'd run a marathon that year. Well, there's still no cure for cancer, so she's gone and done it again. IronMan USA is in just over a month, so I'm strapping on my running shoes, and scouring ebay for a gently used running stroller. Wish me luck!