Now that I am not so sore and the memory of pain is fading from Sunday's race, I wanted to share a few moments that stood out for me during the 26.2. What were your best memories?
1. The buzzing at the start line. The nervous energy throughout the crowd as the National Anthem was sung, the elite runners were announced and the countdown to the start.
2. Seeing my best friend cheering me on at mile 4. She came down all the way from Wisconsin to surprise me!
3. In Chinatown, I witnessed a 30-something male leaning against a utility pole clutching his quad. A Chinese grandmother ran over and started pounding rapidly on his leg. I am not certain that she knew him, but I am certain that she was trying to help!
4. The deja vu I felt at my low point- the frontage road near White Sox field. As soon as I was chugging along in the sun all my memories from 2010 came flooding back. This is where I was mentally exhausted, my legs felt like concrete slabs, and I still had about 3.5 miles to go. This was when I said in 2010 "this is my last marathon" and I know I uttered those words again this year.
5. The Nike Cheerzone on S. Michigan Ave- thank you for being there. You were a light near the end of the tunnel.
6. The "trail of tears" after the Nike Cheerzone. People were honestly dropping like flies. It went like this: Lean over, clutch aching muscle, limp to the side of the street, crumple to the ground. I saw this happen at least 10 times in the last two miles and just prayed it would not happen to me.
6. Crossing that finish line- does it really get any better than that?!?!?!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Chicago Marathon Race Recap
The day turned out to be warm, but not nearly as hot as I expected. There was a cool breeze blowing most of the race. The first 13 miles flew by- through the loop, boystown, old town and out to the west loop. A good portion of that half is in the shade and the miles flew by. I was doing well the entire first half. Miles 14 and 15 felt pretty good. And then it started- a dull ache in my hip. I have been in PT the last several weeks for my hip and thought it was back to normal. After 15 miles, my body begged to differ.
I plowed through those last 10 miles at the most painful, harrowing 10 minute mile pace you could imagine. It was a mind game to not just start walking. Thanks so much to friends who were cheering and supporting me along the way. Between Chinatown and the last stretch of Michigan Ave is where you get to have a personal struggle between your body and mind.. There is an ugly stretch of frontage road where the crowd is sparse, the sun is beating and you just want. to. be. done. But you still have 5 miles to go.
Once I made that last left turn I could start to see the light. The Nike Cheer Zone was awesome and I am pretty sure many of the spectators were drunk, which makes for loud cheering. I dug deep and could not even feel my legs on the last little hill towards the finish line. As much as I hated myself during those last 10 miles and despite the pain, crossing that finish line is a glorious feeling.
There is a reason I call myself a "triathlete" and "triathlon coach." Racing in a triathlon is what I love to do. Yesterday's event was a true challenge for my mind and body but I am not convinced that it made me feel good, like a triathlon would. Like many others, I said "not next year" about running the marathon again. I think I will come back and try to get my revenge, but I am going to take a few years off. This bod needs some cross training and year of dedicated tri training.
Congrats to ALL of you out there yesterday, especially those I have coached throughout the years! You are a marathoner and you should be so proud!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Get Marathon Ready: Visualization 101
Alright runners, we are in the final hours. It is time for you to chill out, take a minute, and visualize how you are going to dominate this race on Sunday! Here is what you need to do.
Find 20 minutes, a quiet room and a comfortable space. It can even be the time right before you are going to drift off to sleep tonight. Close your eyes and start to imagine the alarm going off Sunday morning. Go through your morning routine; eating, getting dressed, making your way to Grant Park. Imagine the masses of runners heading toward the start and the active warm-up you will do before you make your way into the corrals. Picture how you want to feel Sunday morning- light on your feet, fit, exhilarated, fast. Spend several minutes going through the miles in the race; the different neighborhoods, the spectators, the mile markers. Go to mile 20 where you will have tired legs and mind and use your mental plan to power through. Place your mind at the last mile where the crowd will get you through to the finish. Take a few moments and think about how awesome you will feel when you cross that finish line. Linger here for a bit.
Once you have made it through your entire race morning you should feel empowered, pumped and completely prepared for your race. Visualization may seem corny, but it will help calm your mind and body and prepare you for what to expect on race day.
You are all ready! See you at the race!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Marathon Mania: Mental Mistakes to Avoid
1. Phantom Injuries Over the past couple of weeks I have had hip pain, calf pain and IT band pain. Not to mention signs of a cold and an upset stomach. The thing about all these symptoms is that they have been fleeting and random. But with the occurrence of each one my mind has jumped immediately to the marathon and how this new symptom was going to effect my race. My guess is that each of these small things happen often, but I typically would not even pay attention to them. Try not to linger on the small things. Your body is ready- you will be fine.
2. Negative Talk/Giving Yourself an Out. Has someone ever asked you how you plan to do during a race and you reply "I want to break 4 hours, but I have not been sleeping well, been in PT and my stomach hurts today." Not only is that response mostly negative, but you are giving yourself an out in case you don't have a great race. Instead with your response, you should just own it. "I plan on breaking 4 hours". Say it, believe it, do it.
3. Not Having a Mental Plan. The first half of the marathon is cake. It's cool, tons of fans and you feel great. Mile 20-25 are a completely different story. When your legs feel like lead and negative thoughts are clouding your mind, you need to have a plan. I remember the exact minute I "gave up" on my Boston dream last year. It was hot and I was hurting. I told myself that I did not care if I qualified because I never wanted to do another marathon. And that was it, I could not trump that thought. This year I have a few different places to go when I want to give up- those early training mornings, thoughts of my friend Ellen who passed away a couple months ago, and the way I felt looking back at last year's race. Have a few thoughts in your back pocket that you can pull out when you need a kick in the rear.
Work on getting these things in shape and you are on the right track. Stay tuned tomorrow for a visualization exercise that will be sure to get you pumped for the big day!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Top 5 Mistakes Beginner Marathoners Make
I know many of you out there reading this are first timers so I want to share a few pieces of advice with you before the big day. Here are a few mistakes I have learned from over the years:
1- Going out TOO fast! You don't have to be a beginner to make this mistake, but you will learn from it. The first several miles of the marathon are amazing. Your adrenaline is pumping, the crowd is thick and you feel great. It is hard NOT to go fast. The real race starts at mile 18 when the crowd thins, your body is tired and you still have 8 miles to go. Make sure you reserve some energy for that.
2. Being stingy with the bodyglide. There is nothing worse than having legs that feel great- except for the raw skin that has chafed on your upper thigh. Yuck. Make sure you are over enthusiastic with that body glide on your arms, legs and anywhere else you might get rubbed.
3. Having spectators look for them. Find out where your spectators are going to be (including which side of the street) and you keep your eye out for them. It is really hard for a spectator to spot you in the moving sea of 35,000 runners, but there is a good chance you can find them.
4. Not having a bathroom plan! If you have not started talking about it yet, you will after October 9th. Poop. Experienced runners know that if you don't get it out before the race, there is a real possibility it will come out during the race, and that is bad. Remember that when you arrive at the race Sunday morning you are going to be sharing the port-a-potties with 35,000 others which can lead to some killer lines. Plan to arrive early or get it out of the way at home before you go.
5. Trying new shoes/clothes/food day of race. I have said it before and I will say it again- please don't try anything new on race day. Go with what you know and you will be fine. New shoes (even the same brand, make, etc) may have a stitch that gives you a blister the size of a quarter. The new flavor of gel could make you want to hurl. Best to be safe and go with the old stuff.
I hope I have saved a few catastrophes!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Hello Marathoners- What you need to know RIGHT NOW for race day!
The Chicago Marathon is exactly two weeks away. If you are racing, you should have received your above confirmation packet. There is no turning back now! At this point in your training, there are some things that you need to have figured out.
TWO WEEKS OUT FROM THE MARATHON YOU SHOULD:
1) Be able to run 13 miles easily. Most of you probably ran 13 miles this weekend. It should have felt short. You have to run twice that in two weeks. Enough said.
2) Have your nutrition plan down. Know what you are going to eat, and when you are going to eat it. Will you drink Gatorade or just stick to water? Are you taking any salt tablets? Have you practiced eating the exact foods you plan to eat on race day? The long runs are over so your chances to practice this are behind you!
3) Have a warm weather and cold weather outfit picked out. Thankfully this year in Chicago we had very hot days, cool days, rainy days and sunny days to get our long runs in. This means we should be prepared for anything on race day. You should know what you are going to wear if it is 40 degrees or 90 degrees on October 9th. Wearing a new shirt or shorts for a 26 mile run is never a good idea. Can you say chafe?
4) Have an idea of what your race pace will be. Provided you were doing your long runs at an easy, sustainable pace, you should be able to knock 30-40 seconds off per mile on race day. How do you know if that is the case for you? If you could walk around town, take care of your house/kids, etc after your long runs, you should be good. If you have ever done a marathon and gone your fastest, think of how you felt afterwards. Chores and chasing kids is not likely after running at your peak speed for 26.2.
5) Have race weekend logistics down. Do you have to travel? Where are you staying? When are you picking up your packet? Figure out all the logistics now so marathon weekend can be as stress free as possible.
If you haven't got some of these figured out, get on it today! Questions about any of it? You know where to find me!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Ironman Wisconsin- No Race Envy Here!
The last time I watched an Ironman I was 6 months pregnant and dripping with jealousy. I had done my Ironman less than a year earlier and in a matter of months had gone from the best shape of my life to handing over my body to the growing child inside. As excited as I was about having a baby, I missed being fit. Surrounding yourself with 2,000 athletes who are at their prime and seeing them accomplish one of the ultimate fitness goals can make a pregnant girl sad. On that day I tried to make myself feel better by plotting when I could register for my next Ironman. I had race envy.
For those of you have experienced race envy, you know what it is. For those of who have not, here is my best explanation: It is kind of like running into an old boyfriend (or girlfriend). You get kind of uneasy feeling like you know something is wrong, but you are not quite sure what it is. You may feel the need to tell everyone that you are a triathlete and not just a mere spectator. Just like when you run into an ex and you only think about the good times, you just think about how great it would be to be racing. You forget about all the annoying parts (like the training, the stress, the hard work!). And then you do something crazy like call your ex (or register the next day for the 2012 Ironman- which I did NOT do).
Well, things have changed since I was pregnant. Obviously, I have gotten back into tris and I love racing. I also have continued coaching and enjoy getting new people involved with and hooked on the sport. However, as much passion as I have for triathlon, my time is limited. I get about an hour a day to workout and focus on quality instead of quantity. I have chosen to compete in sprint tris as I have no time to get out on long bike rides. My one long run per week is my "me" day to workout for 2-3 hours. And I do not want to work out a minute more.
Nowadays I rather be at the park with Alex or reading her a book. Likewise, I rather be cheering on the sidelines of the Ironman with my toddler than looking for her in the crowd while competing in a day-long race. And I feel totally good about that. I still have the utmost respect for those racers who commit themselves to the training and racing and I am happy to be there to cheer them on. I guess I can just say that I am in a different stage in my life.
So, if you ask me today if I will do another Ironman, my answer would be no. But I am not naive enough to think that race envy won't come creeping back one of these years when I my kids are a little older and I am volunteering at IMWI. Only time will tell!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
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