girls on the run st. louis 5K

After I finished the Chicago Marathon, I knew I needed another goal to help me see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of marathon recovery.  [Typical recovery from 26.2 miles is said to be equivalent to 1 day for every mile run.]  I gave myself 5 weeks to recover:  1 week right after the marathon with very little, light running, and then 4 weeks of progressive training, with each week getting a little harder.  [Check out Hal Higdon’s Marathon Recovery to view what I used to recover from Chicago.] 

This meant I needed wanted  a race to do at the end of those 5 weeks.  My original plan was to run the Run to the Lights 5K in Branson, MO, which was a 10 PM race running the streets of Silver Dollar City on the opening weekend of their Christmas festival.  The Hubs and I have been dying to do this race, but by the time I went to sign up, it was already full.  Boo.

So, I was in search of a new race, and luckily, I already had one in mind for the weekend of November 13:  the Girls on the Run St. Louis 5K!  Girls on the Run is an after-school running group for 3rd through 8th grade girls where they meet up not only to run, but to learn things about self-esteem, responsibility, and overall well-being.  Some of my 5th grade girls are part of this fabulous organization, so I wanted to show them my support as they ran their 5K.

I picked up my race packet the night before, and actually had to take my D-tag from Chicago off my shoe. :o(  But, the shirt + water bottle make up for that!

 

Fortunately, the race didn’t start until 9 AM this morning, so I had plenty of time to sleep in and head down to Forest Park for the race.  I ate a banana + peanut butter [I can’t decide if I’m a fan of Trader Joe’s Valencia PB… it’s a little too savory tasting for me – I like my PB SWEET!] before leaving so I would have plenty of energy for the race.

Since I am still technically recovering from Chicago [believe me, I feel 100x better than I did 5 weeks ago], I didn’t want to go all out for this race.  When it comes to racing, I have an all or nothing mindset.  “Why would I enter a race if I didn’t have a chance to PR or win?”  I usually enter small races because I know I can finish well in them, but with 5,000 people running this one, winning wasn’t going to be happening.  So, instead, I wanted to go out, have a good time, and race comfortably… push myself, but not KILL myself.

I moved my way up to the front of the pack, just behind the elite runners – anyone planning to run under 20 minutes, and although I’ve just barely broken 20 minutes before, I knew it wasn’t going to happen today.

When the gun went off, I settled in to a comfortable pace – something I knew I could keep for 3.1 miles.  I ran my first mile at a 7:10 pace, way faster than what I felt like, but I was happy.  I passed a couple people and finally caught up to a sweet little girl decked out in all pink at about the half way point.  We ended up running the rest of the way together, as I gave her some encouragement along the way.

All of a sudden, it wasn’t about time or medaling anymore.  I ran the last half of the race with a huge smile on my face!  It felt amazing to be pushing and encouraging this girl I didn’t know.  At the 2 mile, this tiny little girl and her dad flew past us.  I encouraged my girl to keep up with her, but she stayed along side me, right on their heels the rest of the race.

Once I saw the finish, I told her to pick it up and go.  We sprinted the last 0.1 in together and I gave her a pat on the back.  I didn’t even know her name, but I still felt… I don’t know… empowered?  I guess.  It just felt good to be helping her along the way, and she thanked me for pushing her.  It was an amazing feeling of accomplishment, even though I didn’t PR [I ran a 22:28, which I am so happy with] and missed placing in my age group [I was 4th].

Overall, it was an awesome race!  I LOVED the signs along the way… “You are strong!”, “You are responsible!”, and my favorite, “You don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep!”  Ha!  I will definitely be doing this race again, and hopefully dragging some people to run it with me to support this amazing organization!

Sidenote:  You can support Girls on the Run by donating your time as a coach or money to go toward the school of your choice.  Or become a Solemate!  Raise money for GOTR as you train for your next race – I plan on becoming a Sole Mate for the Go! St. Louis Half Marathon in April – plus, you get a discounted entry fee!

official first day

Today was my official first day of Chicago Marathon Training. OK, technically, Mondays are "no-running" days, so I guess my official start might not be until tomorrow... but that's beside the point. It is Day 1... the Kick-Off. For the next 18 weeks (4 months!) I will be racking up the miles to run Chicago. Although it is my second marathon, I am still nervous beyond belief. My last marathon was over 2 years ago, and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life. (FYI, the hardest thing I've ever done was climb 4 14,000-ft mountains in one day, last summer.)

First of all, I trained through the winter -- BIG mistake! I remember running 15 miles in 15 degree weather... by. my. self. Torture. I actually went and bought new running clothes to keep me warm... and my gatorade froze during my run, making it even harder to stay hydrate. Oh, and another training run, 16 miles I believe, I had to do after a huge snow storm... I did 8 2-mile loops in my neighborhood because the sidewalks weren't clear on the busy street I normally run on. Again, torture.

So, problem 1: solved... training in the summer. Guaranteed, St. Louis isn't exactly known for its cool summers. If it's not the heat, it's the humidity. My plan is to do my long runs early before it gets too deathly hot... but, in all honesty, I would rather run in 90 degrees than in 9 degrees.

The other major things I dealt with were proper fueling/hydration and injuries. Looking back on my past marathon training + nutrition log, I ate crap. And lots of it. For instance, going to the gas station on my way to work after my 20-miler to buy 3 soft pretzel sticks. Not exactly what you call nutritious (OK, so it could've been way worse). And, jelly beans on the run (frozen, of course) were not exactly appetizing to say the least.

Lately, I have been reading the book Thrive and Thrive Fitness by Brendan Brazier, a vegan Ironman triathlete. Being a vegetarian leaves me a lot of healthy but low calorie foods. In these books, he gives recipes for healthy meals, along with how and when to fuel before, during, and after training runs. Some of his recipes call for some unusual ingredients, but I get the gist of it and plan on following some of his advice along the way. I also plan on figuring out what works and what doesn't straight from the start... so wearing my Camelback for my 8 mile WILL be happening this weekend, although I normally don't hydrate during runs unless I'm running over 10 miles. But, again, St. Louis heat...

And that leaves the injuries. My feet suck (thanks, Mom). I ended up with not 1, but 2 neuromas in my left foot, thanks to marathon training and my lovely hammer toes (again, thanks, Mom). Painful. I guess I'm lucky it wasn't worse, but in all honesty, it took me out of training right towards the end for 2 weeks. I haven't had many problems with them since, but I'm just recovering from Hamstring Origin Tendinitis and have been struggling with Plantar Fasciitis for a year now. Both are under control, but my chiropractor is on stand-by just in case something flares up.

Also, I'm still learning what my body can handle. Most marathoners log 40-50 miles per week... the most I've done per week is about 35, and pretty sure I ended up injured. But, would I go, I go all out. Being an exercise scientist (I use that term loosely), I understand the importance of rest. But, to me, that usually means don' t run, but doing anything else is OK. This is what caused the hamstring issues. So, I've mapped out my plan and it includes less mileage (still under 40 miles per week) along with the all important rest day.

The Plan
My running program comes from Hal Higdon's Novice 2 program. It has decent mileage and a good build up. I don't have the base mileage I would like coming into the program, due to the ham injury, but I think the mileage is low enough that I should be OK. My biggest issue with this program is that I will only be running 4 days per week. I am used to running 5 days per week and I am nervous that I will go CRAZY only running 4. But, the Intermediate 1 program seemed like a bit too much mileage for my body to handle. So, I might throw in a recovery run 1 or 2 days per week... just NOT on my scheduled rest day. Just a really easy 2 mile run... nothing that's going to kill me or my long runs.

I am a huge advocate for weight lifting for runners. It has helped with my running immensely! If you are a runner and not lifting weights, you should be. I really think running specific is great, but I also want my arms to look good in my tank tops this summer. The best program I have found, for me, for general strength and toning is Jillian Michaels' Making the Cut. I started this program in January, following the strengthening program almost perfectly (there is also a section on nutrition that I didn't worry about since it didn't fit my vegetarian diet or the fact that I don't need to lose 10-20 pounds). My arms had never looked better! Then, I got busy and couldn't fit the 45-minute long workouts into my schedule. But, being a (currently unemployed) teacher with LOADS of time in the summer, I figured this would be fabulous to get my arms and abs sculpted again. Her workouts have you strength training 4 days per week, 2 chest days, 2 back days... a little much while training for a marathon. So, I am doing 1 chest day, 1 back day, and then a heavy lifting day 1 day a week to keep my legs nice and strong.

My last component is yoga and core strengthening. Yogadownload.com has been a blessing in podcast form. I have been loving their free 20-minute workouts! I plan to do yoga and core strengthening (from Thrive Fitness) on my scheduled rest day. I figured this is the best thing my body can do, and not overly taxing on it.

But, my biggest thing while training for Chicago is to listen to my body. I can't stress this enough. If I'm sore, I need to take it down a notch. It's OK to skip a workout. Life happens and gets in the way of marathon training (of course, summer running clubs help combat this problem). I am just trying to make it to the start line injury-free this time and hopefully enjoy the running since it is what I love to do.

Here goes nothin'.

(Sidenote: we will hopefully be going out to some frozen custard place this week.... stay tuned as we also begin our Frozen Custard Tour 2010!)