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An Update on the Move

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Corey

Just in case anyone was wondering (and for myself to look back on later), I wanted to give a quick update on The Move. I capitalize it like an important event, because over the last month all things move-related have taken over my life. It’s the first thing I think of when I wake up in the morning and I typically fall asleep at night planning what unpacking I will accomplish the next day. The subject dominates my conversations with Brad, our families, friends, coworkers, etc. Partly because everyone is curious and asks (or is just being polite?) and partly because it is constantly on the forefront of our minds.

The status…

We closed on the house the Wednesday before Eugene (April 23) and when our “stuff” arrived the next day, it went directly into the basement. Why? Because on Friday of that week, they started sanding down and refinishing all of the hardwood floors in the house. Great idea to do it right away, but it really hinders the whole move-in process!

So while I was (sort of) running and playing in Eug, and working from Peoria the following week, Brad lived like this in the basement

It was classy. Check out that HUGE TV.

The Sunday after Eugene, once the floors were finished and dry, I brought the dogs up to Chicago and Brad and I moved most of the boxes up from the basement to their respective rooms…Climbing stairs with heavy boxes…Yeah. That sucked.

But at least the floors look great!

Brad was traveling the following week so I was left to fend for myself with a mess of a house and two crazy, cooped up dogs.

That week, I became the ring master of the circus that was painters finishing the stairs, deckers finishing decks, Geek Squad installing electrical, contractors quoting remodel work and the list goes on. And the dogs? Well, lets just say that we quickly became *those* neighbors with the annoying barking dogs. My small town boys were NOT comfortable with the noise/people/sounds that come along with living in the city, and they made sure the whole neighborhood knew it.

But finally on Tuesday of that week, when a second round of furniture came, I “convinced” the movers, (ahem, paid them) to move the other furniture up from the basement. That was HUGE because then I was able to sleep and work from a *real* bedroom!

Once Brad arrived home later in the week, we were able to get the furniture moved around and set up in bedrooms and start really unpacking. At the end of every day, I was EXHAUSTED from working/unpacking all day, but every box emptied and every closet organized was a huge sense of accomplishment and the house really started feeling like home.

We still haven’t done anything with our master bedroom because we are looking to remodel the master bath and some new furniture we ordered hasn’t come in yet. And the basement still looks like a war zone because that is where all electronics and “odds and ends” are going until there is a proper place for them.

But everyday, it gets better and better and we even went to dinner with a friend on Saturday evening, (gasp!), finally enjoying the city for a (brief) evening.

There is still a ton of work to do, and I am in Peoria for work again this week, which just makes me feel guilty. But we at least got paint colors picked out before I left and that will make a HUGE difference in the look of everything starting Friday!!

I have done some running in the city too. We live close to the Lakefront so Walter and I have already enjoyed a number of sunrises over the lake (the sun comes up so much earlier here!).

Photo cred: Fellow Chicago Runner Emily

It’s beautiful and I feel so lucky to be so close to a great running path, but the only route decision being North? or South? will surely get old eventually. I may have to explore some other route options. Suggestions? I am also learning what it’s like to run in WIND for the first time. I am told “I ain’t seen nuthin’ yet”, but from what I have experienced already, it makes me wish for the hills of Greenville any day!

I think that pretty much sums everything up! I have told Brad multiple times over the last few weeks that we are “never moving again” because the process is so painful. But once we get settled, this month or so of craziness will become a little blip on the radar that is our time in Chicago. I am definitely looking forward to that…I certainly won’t miss the days of fretting over buying door handles (it’s surprisingly complicated!) or waiting in silly lines at the DMV.

Happy running! And when you walk in your home tonight, look around and be thankful that there aren’t boxes everywhere. I am jealous!

Posted in Ernie, family, friends, life, Moving, running, the boys, training, Uncategorized, walter, work travel | 5 Comments

Moving Forward

Posted on May 4, 2013 by Corey

Thank you all so much for your thoughtful comments and support from my race recap. No one truly understands how disappointing this sport can be and how much passion we have for it, except other runners.

As more time has passed, I have been able to remove myself from the emotion of the race and do a little more analyzing of how things played out and (more) lessons I can learn. Also, thanks to many of your comments, I was reminded of a few other things that I probably knew subconsciously, but hadn’t given much thought.

How about some bullets? (With some *stolen* pics thrown in for the fun of it). Let’s start with the “Before”:

Stress from moving: Okay, so this was kind of like my elephant in the room from the time I found out we were moving the week before the race. Moving is apparently one of the top 3 most stressful events that you can encounter in life. I knew this. But I didn’t have much control over the dates and since I typically handle life disruptions pretty well, I thought I could manage. And most of all I didn’t want this to be an excuse as to why my race didn’t go as planned. The week leading up to race day, I was physically exhausted. The weekend before, I could barely pull myself off the couch to go for a run and I was sleeping 10 hours a night plus napping during the day. I attributed this to taper sluggishness, but ultimately, I know it was also related to the stress of moving. Although I had more energy in the days before I flew out to Eugene, my body generally felt exhausted. There isn’t much I could have changed about this, except maybe to accept that it was a factor and consider readjusting my goals.
Over stimulus: Part of the reason that I chose this race is because so many of my friends were traveling to Eugene to run. It was a huge reunion and I wouldn’t change any part of that. BUT, I am the kind of person who wants to talk to everyone, wants everyone to like me and wants everyone to have a good time. All of these things require a lot of energy in group situations. Constantly worrying “Did I say the right thing?” “Did she know I was joking?” “Was that a rude comment?”can be draining. I told myself that I would try to stay focused and not get too caught up in everything going on, but it is just in my nature to jump right in and be myself rather than keeping to myself and reserving energy. Again, I wouldn’t change a thing, but I do know that in the future, big group races shouldn’t be my “A” goal marathon.
Over analyzing Race Strategy: I would say 75% of the talk in our house leading up to race day was about each of our respective pacing strategies. It’s no secret that I have been training for a sub-3:35 marathon. Yes, that is a BQ, but it is also a time that I truly feel I am capable of. In the days leading up to the race, and after my 1/2 PR in NYC, I was convinced that I could run closer to 3:30. I still believe that on a perfect, day I could run a 3:30, but instead of wasting so much time and energy worrying about my pacing strategy, I should have just gone out and RUN.
Nerves? Pressure? I am not sure why I put so much pressure on myself for this race. There was no external pressure, but I put a ton on myself. I knew I wouldn’t be happy with “just” a PR. I wanted to have the perfect race, and I told myself that was the only acceptable outcome. I typically only run one marathon a year and I put all my “eggs” in the Eugene basket which certainly didn’t help. I need to learn to just relax, enjoy the moment and RUN!
Taper strategy & mentality: I felt most ready to run this marathon around weeks 11 – 12 of training. I was in the midst of the biggest weeks I had ever had and was constantly getting the positive feedback of solid workouts. I felt confident and strong. Then as I tapered, my focus was on other things…not just because of the move but when I reduced my mileage, I wasn’t constantly gearing up for or recovering from a run. Naturally my life didn’t revolve around training anymore. This happens to me every time I train for a big race and it always makes me feel detached from my training at the very end. I am not sure how to avoid this without skipping taper altogether. I think a shorter taper may be one way to help, but I would love other suggestions on how to avoid this?

Now for the “During”:

Bathroom stops: In my race recap I mentioned that my one regret was the bathroom stop at mile 6, because it was premature. But as I look back, I realize that the stop wasn’t the only mistake. The real mistake was how I reacted to it. Assuming I lost 30ish seconds while stopped, I would have had to run a 7:30 mile to end up with the 7:59, that I clicked over in the next mile. I then followed that up with a 7:40 mile. It was a downhill section, so I didn’t feel like I was working too hard, but throwing down miles that are 30 seconds faster than marathon pace in the early miles of a race aren’t really good pacing strategy. If I have to stop again in the future, I will just pick back up at my “normal” race pace and consider that time lost. (Side note: I have NO idea why I had to stop in this race for the first time ever, other than my body just wasn’t in it that day.)
What? You don’t blow your nose into your hands while you run?
Managing my adrenaline: Another thing I mentioned in my race report is how I get so excited to see friends or family in a race that I get these huge adrenaline spikes…followed by dips in energy. This happened when I saw my family in Houston, when I saw Brad and my friends at the beginning of the run in Augusta and it happened again in Eugene. I love having support on the course, but I need to learn to calmly smile and wave in the early miles and save the adrenaline spikes for mile 20+ when I need them!
Salt tabs: If you have been reading for a while, then you know that I swear by Nuun & SaltStick tabs to prevent cramping in long distance races. I have used salt tabs for long races and training rides for a few years now. Since I trained throughout the winter this year, I didn’t use them during training, but figured it would still be fine to use them in the race since I have used them in the past. I took one about an hour before the start and another after running for an hour. Shortly after I took the 2nd one, my stomach felt really full. I have never experienced this before and it was pretty uncomfortable. I wasn’t positive that the salt tabs were the cause until I tried a tab an hour into my run yesterday and had the same feeling. I guess my body just isn’t used to them anymore. Probably not the best move to try something you haven’t used in 6 months on race day?!

I have heard over and over that you can learn something from every race. And that it is the *worst* races where you can learn the most. This absolutely holds true for me with the Eugene Marathon. I know I will get redemption for this race and I also know that when I do FINALLY break 3:40 (this was my 3rd time trying) and get that elusive BQ (2nd time trying), it will be A-MAZING and completely worth it.

I was going to have a disclaimer about reserving the right to only post pictures of me that look *good* on the blog…but what fun would that be when gems like this exist on the internet? Also, let’s not discuss the hip collapsing going on in this pic (and many others). Anyone got any good hip strengthening exercises for me?

Posted in friends, Goals, Greenville, life, Moving, Race reports, Races, running, training, Travel | 19 Comments

Eugene Marathon: The Heartbreaker

Posted on May 3, 2013 by Corey

Despite the results of the race, I haven’t been avoiding writing this post. I truly have just been swamped with all things life-related since getting back on Monday night. In fact, I have really wanted to get this post written, process my thoughts one last time and then finally move on from this race altogether.

Let me start by saying that the weekend overall was fantastic. Spending four days with running friends from all over the country exceeded every expectation that I had and left me wishing we all lived closer together so I could be around them WAY more often.

From the moment Holly stepped off of her plane at the Chicago airport until the minute I said goodbye to Steph and Laura in Chicago Monday night, I was surrounded by beautiful and amazing women. We laughed, we cried, we told stories, we encouraged each other and we laughed some more.

Steph, Holly, Laura and Molly just before starting our road trip from Portland to Eugene.

My most favorite parts of the weekend were just sitting around the house…

Friday night dinner. “Taco” Bowls

…And of course foam rolling parties.

We were all exhausted from a long day of travel Friday, so we were in bed before 9:30, but up bright and early the next morning. We went for a walk/adventure to get coffee (why are so many coffee shops closed on Saturday mornings?!), then met the rest of the crew for a shake-out run at Pre’s trail.

This is probably only the 15th time you have seen this pic…

It was so awesome to see Nuun teammates, Twitter friends, meet bloggers I have followed for years (ahem, Page) and new bloggers who I can’t wait to follow from now on (Hi Nicole!). With every conversation, I fell more in love with social media and blogging and was so thankful that this little blog was the seed that eventually led me to be in those moments.

After the run, we had brunch at the infamous Off the Waffle (MUST TRY), where we continued the ever-developing conversation about Sunday’s race strategy.

Eventually we made it to the expo where we had the pleasure of hearing Lauren Fleshman speak. She is adorably pregnant and her talk was spot-on, really hitting home with me on at least 2 of her main topics.

We finished out the expo with a flurry of meeting more new people (including Holly!) and chatting with friends, before heading out with Chief Hydrator, Mason, to drive parts of the race course and talk more about how to approach the race.

Finally it was time for a big “team” dinner at our house, where we combined efforts to feed the masses

Photo Cred to Emily

Never a shortage of food or water bottles.

It was a fun evening, but once again, I was exhausted before the sun went down, so we got our race gear ready and were in bed by 9:30.

I absolutely LOVE this pic!

In general I slept decent both nights, but Sunday morning I was up well before my 5 a.m. alarm. Holly and I laid in bed for a few minutes, but quickly realized that no more sleep was happening, so we got up and started the process of getting ready. It was nice to have plenty of time, especially since race nerves were in full effect and I used the bathroom 3-4 times before ever leaving the house. (foreshadowing)

Emily and Kristina came by right at 6 and Em dropped us at Hayward with plenty of time before the start. It was a cool morning and I looked ridiculous, but I was happy to have throw-aways to stay warm.

Kristina (who had a HUGE PR), Laura, Holly, Molly, Me (Photo cred: Emily)

We made another stop at the bathrooms, found Joc & Meggie, along with Steph, Sarah and Kelli who had run over from the houses, and our Nuun friends, Mason & Casey.

After we dropped our bags, we only had about 10 minutes before the start and with no time for another porta-potty stop, I easily found an inconspicuous place on campus to pee. I won’t call out any of my other friends above who may or may not have joined me

Finally we huddled for a short pep talk (theme: “Go Fast, Take Chances”), then made our way to the corrals for a moment of silence for Boston (where they unfortunately still had Sweet Caroline playing over the speakers) and the National Anthem. Then finally we were off.

Holly and I had a loose plan to run together and in the first few miles, I kept saying to her, “I can’t believe we are finally running.” I have this moment in every marathon. There is so much build up and then it starts and you are just doing what you do…going for a nice, loooong run.

Miles 1 – 5: 8:02, 7:59, 8:01, 8:00, 7:57

Right on target through 5. We saw super-pacer Mason quickly at mile 4 and he reminded us what was coming up then told us he would see us again soon. Right after mile 5, I started thinking that I needed to go to the bathroom. It wasn’t urgent, but while the grass was tall and there was an easy place to stop, I decided to go ahead.

It was definitely a premature stop and probably one of my only regrets from the race. I was stopped for 30 seconds or so and then headed back out to try to slowly catch back up to Holly. Fortunately it was a slight downhill section, so I was able to make up the time quickly. Despite a fast couple of miles, I didn’t feel like I was working too hard.

I caught Holly right at the end of mile 7 and while I still felt pretty good, I knew I was going to have to stop for the bathroom again. That worried me and I really started doubting my race.

We cruised up the only real hill at 8 and it actually felt like it woke my legs up a little, giving me hope that things were turning around. As we headed into the Oiselle/Nuun cheer crowd at 9, I told Holly that I was looking forward to seeing them, but needed to keep my heart rate down because I don’t recover well from adrenaline spikes during a race. And once again, it proved true. I started feeling really blah just before mile 10.

About then, Holly and I decided that we would make a porta-potty stop together. That FINALLY took care of the bathroom problem, but I never really re-gained any momentum back.

Miles 6 – 10: 7:58, 7:40 (catching Holly), 8:00, 8:02, 8:27 (2nd stop)

Shortly after we hit the 10-mile marker, we saw Mason again. I asked about everyone else, then told him that I was “having a moment”. I knew it was WAY too early for that, but I also have come out of those moments before so I wasn’t overly concerned.

Holly and I ran the next few miles about 5 feet apart, which was helpful for me to focus on how I was feeling and what I needed. The Gu I took at 10 helped some and for miles 11 and 12, I settled back in for a bit. Those 2 miles (11 & 12) were the last miles in the race that I held anything close to race pace.

Just before mile 13, I lost my Garmin screen. I told Holly and she asked if I wanted to know the pace…I told her I knew exactly what it was (8:15) and she confirmed that I was right. Looking back, not seeing my pace as it degraded was a HUGE blessing in disguise.

Just before the half, Meggie came by us, chatting away. Seeing how great she was feeling and knowing that I should have been feeling like that too really deflated me. I tried to hold her pace for a step or two, but knew it was impossible and I watched as her and Holly pulled away. By mile 15, I had hit a wall and basically felt like I had zero energy.

Miles 11 – 15: 8:04, 8:05, 8:18, 8:19, 8:40

The rest of the race is a blur. I remember seeing the cheer crowd at 16 and giving them a thumbs down and telling Meghan that my race was “over”. I watched sadly as the 3:35 pace group passed. I saw Jocelyn and told her that I didn’t think I could finish. Then I watched sadly as the 3:45 pace group passed (and was worried that Terzah wasn’t with them). I mourned my race. And over and over again, I asked myself WHY? Why did I work so hard for 16 weeks and have this happen? How did I run a 1:38 half marathon 5 weeks before but couldn’t run a pace 30 seconds slower than that for the same distance that day? I was baffled, shocked and just wanted to crawl onto the grass and lay down.

I also asked myself what I could possibly learn from this race.

Miles 16 – 20: 8:57, 9:35, 10:11, 10:22, 10:48

It took everything I had to continue to put one foot in front of the other. But at some point, I decided that I WOULD finish. And that I WOULDN’T walk. And so those became my goals. And in the last 10k I decided that I knew what this marathon taught me…it taught me that a finish is not always guaranteed. And that sometimes just finishing the marathon is something to be truly proud of.

Miles 21 – 26.2: 10:56, 11:15, 11:17, 10:56, 10:06, 9:29, 1:28 (8:53)

Marathon #4 Overall Time: 3:57:12

I wish I wasn’t admitting this, but I didn’t take in the moment in Hayward Field. I was only happy to see it so that the race would be over. And I forgot to put my hands over heart for Boston.

Looking MUCH better than I felt. Thanks Holly for the pic.

Immediately after I crossed the finish line I burst into tears. And I didn’t stop crying for a really long time. I got so many hugs and encouraging words from my friends and I was so, so very thankful for all of them. They got it. They understood.

Some of my favorite people in the world. (photo cred to Jocelyn)

The only thing that made me happy in those moments after the race was hearing that Molly and Kristina had killer sub-3:20 races, Laura and Meggie BQ’d, Jocelyn had an incredible PR after a tough spring and Sarah and Robyn PR’d the half. I might have predicted that I would be jealous of all of their fantastic races, but I truly, honestly was SO glad to be able to celebrate their PR’s. I didn’t want anyone else to feel the way I felt.

After the race, I wanted nothing more than a shower and a beer. Not necessarily in that order. Having amazing company for the rest of the day lifted my spirits really quickly and by the time I got out of the shower I felt like I had kind of washed the whole thing away. I enjoyed listening to everyone rehash their races and talk about what went well and what didn’t.

2012 Hood to Coast Friends

And it only took several beers, a few margaritas, a nuun-tail (Grey Goose, water and Lemonade – TRY IT) and a really great chat with Casey before I accepted the day and was ready to move forward.

So much love for that girl. (Also…there is a puppy on my shirt)

I will wrap up (finally, right?!) with saying that I got a bit of a reality check Sunday afternoon when Jocelyn asked me “When was the last time you didn’t PR?” I thought about it for a long time, then came to the blog to confirm…but the truth is: I have never NOT PR’d. I have done one 5k and one half marathon for fun, but other than that, there isn’t a distance that I haven’t PR’d every single time I have run it since I started running. And as you probably all know, that just is not realistic to maintain in any way whatsoever.

I know I can learn a tremendous about from this set-back and that someday I will have the day that I trained for in the marathon.

Molly, Me, Holly, Laura, Allison, Steph – Awesome housemates & friends

Posted in friends, Goals, Hood to Coast, life, Moving, parties, Race reports, Races, running, training, Travel, weekend fun | 24 Comments

I am Ready.

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Corey

Marathon training is nothing short of a mental and physical roller coaster. My friend, Laura, who I will share the course with on Sunday (albeit from several minutes behind), said it best here.

While I absolutely love the process of training for a marathon (so far more than I have ever loved any actual marathon itself), this training cycle was definitely not all cupcakes and rainbows.

Some days…

…I didn’t want to get out of my warm bed at 5 a.m. on a cold winter morning.

…My legs felt heavy. My body felt tired. I didn’t feel like I could run another mile.

…It was raining.

…I was traveling and jet lagged.

Some days it was just plain hard.

Some days…

…I felt like I could fly. The paces came easy and splits were right on target.

….I chatted away with a friend and the miles just disappeared.

…I couldn’t wait to get my shoes on and get out the door for a run.

Some days it was so very easy.

Some days…

…I woke up facing 20 solo miles and the prospect was daunting.

…I looked at my training plan and was terrified at what the next week would bring.

Some days it was overwhelming.

When things got hard and I was hurting and felt like I had nothing left, I would repeat to myself over and over, “This is what PR’s are made of.” I would remind myself that pushing harder right then, at that moment, when I felt like I couldn’t give any more, was going to get me to my goal.

Now I can only rely on all of those moments, and when I feel like giving in at mile 23, 24 or 25 remind myself to not let all of that work be for nothing. I need to get tough and remember why my goal is so important to me.

I made it through 14 tough weeks of training and 2 mentally challenging and emotional weeks of taper.

And now…I am ready to race.

Posted in Goals, Races, running, training, Travel | 12 Comments

Emotional Roller Coaster

Posted on April 19, 2013 by Corey

My life over the last week has been nothing short of a huge emotional roller coaster. It’s been highs followed by lows, then quickly followed by highs…

One week ago today, as I was preparing for 3 days of fun and celebrations for our last weekend in Greenville, I woke up and looked in the mirror to see this:

Pictures don’t do the swelling justice.

According to my doctor, I had an “infected follicle” in my eye (basically a giant zit) and was completely miserable. I still attended the planned happy hour with my coworkers and dinner with good friends, but I felt pretty crappy and just really wanted to be home in bed.

Saturday morning, despite waking up with my eye still swollen and painful, I had a fantastic last long run with my very favorite running partner, Char. The miles flew by effortlessly as we chatted and reminisced and were reminded why we are such close friends.

A non-running picture of us for a change

I rushed home to shower and get ready to go decorate for another dear friend’s baby shower, when I noticed that Walter had managed to break open his stitches from a minor procedure he had earlier in the week. We rushed to the vet, got him stitched back up (and acquired a “cone of shame”) and barely made it on time to decorate.

Crappy iPhone Pic

The shower was flawless. The parents-to-be were glowing, the food was great, the decorations were beautiful and we had a fantastic time celebrating with many of our best friends, followed by more drinks on our deck after the party.

You would never guess she is 7 months preggers!

Despite all of the fun, Brad and I were in bed at the reasonable hour of 11 p.m. and were sleeping soundly, until we woke up (for some unknown reason) at 2:30 in the morning to discover that Walter had gotten his cone off and managed to break his stitches open again. The wound couldn’t wait until the morning, so I took him to the emergency vet. He got staples, more pain meds and a new, soft cone. We were finally back home in bed by 4:00 am.

Sunday we planned a “Sunday Funday” with all of our friends to eat leftover shower food (and cake!) and watch The Masters. It was a fun afternoon, but ended on a very somber note. Once everyone left, I sat on the couch crying with Alicia (above) about the impending move. I knew it was coming and that day, reality finally settled in. We are leaving all of our amazing friends and our life here behind. I know exciting things lie ahead, but the transition will be difficult and I will really miss my friends.

Despite the low that was Sunday night, I woke up Monday morning buzzing for Marathon Monday. I watched the live feed at my desk while I multi-tasked teleconferences. I tracked my friends, tweeted about the race, texted with Holly about our Eugene strategy and dreamed of the day I would be in Boston to run from Hopkinton to Boylston Street. I have never been more inspired, excited or anxious to race. I could barely sit still all day thinking about my race in 2 short weeks, hoping that it would be my road to Boston.

Then the news came. And it was the lowest of the lows. It was heartbreaking, and as I know for so many of us in the running community, it hit very close to home. I just couldn’t understand. Still don’t. Why? Why anyone would or could do this to innocent people, celebrating their loved one’s personal accomplishments and the strength, resilience and toughness that the marathon embodies. For the remainder of the week, I walked around with my head spinning. I packed. I ran. I worked. I said final goodbyes to friends. But I felt detached. I felt empty, like there was a hole in my soul after seeing and hearing what was intentionally done to this community. My heart still hurts for what happened and I still am struggling with the evil and cruelty of two human being toward others. It just isn’t something I can digest. I am only comforted by the beautiful words I have read by others and by the love, support and feeling of togetherness in the running community that has resulted in this tragedy. And I know that now, more than ever, I want to be in Boston in 2014.

And now my house is packed and my whole life sits on wheels making its way from my old home to my new one.

My heart breaks for what we are leaving behind but soars for what we are heading toward. I suppose, as with all things in life, one door must close for another to open. I know one thing for certain: we will take away memories and friendships from this beautiful city that will last a lifetime.

And now as I head toward my new life, I am eagerly and not-so-patiently awaiting what I hope will be the next high on this emotional roller coaster…the Eugene Marathon. 9 days.

Posted in friends, Goals, Greenville, injuries, life, Moving, parties, Races, running, training, walter, weekend fun | 16 Comments

Taper Survival Kit

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Corey

It’s here! I have completed my final week of peak training (56 miles!) and now have officially entered my first week of taper. I will cut back 20% this week, another 25% the next week and then will have a few easy/shake-out runs during race week.

I don’t think I have ever really mastered the art (science?) of taper. I believe I was close at Beach 2 Battleship, but even then I never had that “caged animal” feeling. I have felt rested, recovered and ready to race, but never bursting with energy to where I couldn’t sit still because I needed to get out and just run.

Part of that is because, as a low mileage runner (35 mpw) in the past, there just isn’t much ‘cutting back’ to be done before there really isn’t that much running going on at all. And in triathlons, with 3 sports to fit in, the volume is reduced but I was still doing lots of workouts, so while my body may have been recovering, I didn’t get the same psychological effect.

I have experienced phantom “taper crazies” merely because getting closer to race day sparks anxious/excited/nervous feelings, but I have never felt that incredible exhaustion of peak training turn to exploding energy of taper.

And I WANT IT.

I want to go into Eugene feeling like I pushed my body as hard as I could, then tapered to restore it, to give it everything it needs so it can give me what I WANT on race day. I want to be bouncing off the walls with energy during race week, ready to leave it all out on the course.

How will I do it different this time? Well first, my training cycle was different, which I think plays a big part. I peaked in the mid 50′s, which is 20 mpw more than ever before. So my body definitely has those aches and pains that come along with running a lot of miles (for me). But I also am planning to use several tools to get me through taper healthy, both mentally and physically.

My taper survival kit:

Sleep. Several of you reminded me how important this is in my recent post. I think it is something that I have sort of taken for granted during training because I have been so tired that I naturally end up in bed before 10 most nights. But as the volume and intensity of my workouts is reduced, I am going to have to be very diligent about still getting to bed early and getting plenty of sleep.
Nuun All Day. Thanks Ali for reminding me to drink some sort of Emergen-C type drink to make sure that I don’t get sick! I will definitely be throwing a Nuun All Day tab in my water bottle every morning from here on out to give me a solid dose of sickness preventing vitamins.
Yoga. My love affair with yoga is still going strong. I have practiced yoga throughout this training cycle and will continue during taper. My core (while still incredibly weak) is probably the strongest its ever been and I truly think yoga has helped keep me healthy and strong. I think yoga will also be helpful to keep me centered, focused and calm as the race gets closer. (Who am I?)
Walter likes yoga too.
Bengay Zero Degrees. The nice people from Bengay sent me this product after Hood to Coast and asked me what I thought. I was fortunate to not have to use it this fall, but I have been using it religiously the last month or so. I have mentioned before (over and over?) that my right glute/hamstring are tight and a bit worrisome at times, so I have been doing everything I can to keep it runnable (new word?). I know the reduced mileage and rest will help, but this stuff is great. You keep it in your freezer and then apply it directly on your skin. It’s cold and hot all at the same time and soothes my muscles like nothing else I have ever used. I swear by it.
Food. Ahhh food. I don’t talk much about what I eat or my weight here, but let’s go ahead and do that now. I have lost about 8-9 lbs. during this training cycle. About 3 of those lbs., I put on after B2B from just a sheer change in activity level (and no change in eating habits). I haven’t been “dieting”. But I have been using My Fitness Pal to track what I have been eating. What I have learned is that I need a lot of calories to fuel myself during marathon training, but not NEAR as many as what I had been eating before. In the past, I definitely adopted the “I ran xx miles, I can eat as many Red Vines/Cookies/Gummy Bears I want” rule. Using the app has kept me accountable to not overdoing it, mostly with sugar. Don’t get me wrong, I still have been consuming my fair share of sugar, but at least now I stop at 8 Red Vines, instead of 1/2 of the family-sized bag I am going to give myself another week with my beloved sugar, but after that I am planning to try to cut out most processed sugars (+ alcohol) in the 2 weeks leading up to the race. This might be challenging, but I want to do everything I can to get my body ready. Also I will be moving/living with in-laws for the week prior, so we’ll see if I follow though .
Foam Roller. Not much I need to say about this. I love/hate this thing, but I have been using it quite a bit lately and plan to continue to use it until I toe the line in Eugene.
Wise words. We all know that once we get to taper, “The hay is in the barn.” and that we should “Trust the training.” But that doesn’t stop me from questioning, worrying, wondering and over-analyzing in the days leading up to the race. I am going to be reminding myself of all the work I put in and also looking for reassurances like this to get me through taper:

So let the taper begin!

What other tools are in your taper survival kit? Any other “wise words” you can share?

Posted in Food, Goals, Hood to Coast, injuries, life, Moving, Races, running, training, triathlon, walter | 11 Comments

Marathon Training Brain?

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Corey

We have all heard of “pregnancy brain” and “mom brain” right? You know, that state where the mind fail us and just doesn’t operate as it should? I have never been pregnant and I am also not a mom, but I have witnessed my pregnant and (especially new) mom friends completely space out on things and they always blame it on pregnancy or mom brain.

This morning, on the 2nd day of my biggest peak week of training, I have had 2 complete brain farts and the only logical conclusion is that I have marathon training brain. (Either that or I am going completely batshit crazy.)

Note: I am sure that in actual cases of pregnancy/mom brain there are hormones involved or something, but just go with me here…

Last weekend when I was looking at my training plan, I saw 3 x 2000 m on the schedule for today’s speed workout. I even had an entire conversation with Char about the workout and the possibility of doing it together. As I was calculating the amount of speed and total distance that would make up the workout, I calculated each 2000 as 1.5 miles or 6 laps around the track.

(Recycled from last summer)

I went to the track this morning and completed my first repeat. 10:25. Hmm…that seems really slow, I thought, I remember doing these in 8:something last fall. But I ignored it and moved on to the next. I was on the last lap of my 2nd repeat before I realized that 2000 m is actually 1.25 miles and only 5 laps around the track. Um, duh?

After my run, I got ready and headed off to work. When I arrived in the parking lot, I dug through my purse looking everywhere for my work badge. I dumped out all of the contents, SWEARING that I put it back in there after work yesterday. I had no luck finding the badge, so I went to the security shack and got a temp badge. I clipped it on my pants and went on my merry way into the office. I sat at my desk working for the next 3 or so hours, then got up to go to the bathroom (um, dehydrated much?). As I walked into the bathroom, I looked down and saw this:

I swear this is NO exaggeration. Not only did I not remember that I slipped my badge on my pants on the drive, after I “lost it”, I proceeded to put on the temp badge right below the real one and never even noticed.

So like I said, I am attributing any and all dumb moves in the next week to marathon training brain. Then after that? Well, taper brain, of course. Not at all related to being blonde, and a little bit ditzy

At the rate I am going, I just hope I make it to Eugene in 26 days! Happy Tuesday!

Posted in friends, Goals, life, running, training | 11 Comments

An Update on the Move

Moving Forward

Eugene Marathon: The Heartbreaker

I am Ready.

Emotional Roller Coaster

Taper Survival Kit

Marathon Training Brain?

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