26.2 with a side of problems, please.

I can still remember last Thursday morning like it was yesterday. I woke up filled with excitement because I knew I had to get through one workday and then it was time to hit the road for Nashville. As the day progressed, I started getting a really bad earache and burning in my throat. I remember saying to myself, “Aint happenin’. Tomorrow at this time I’ll be almost to the race expo and there’s no way in hell I’m going to be sick for this race.” Two hours later the cold sweat began. I was in such denial that it was happening. Then, it hit me like a sack of bricks. Sore throat, ear pain and sneezing; I immediately asked to leave work early.

Sure enough, I had a 102 temperature and a severe ear and sinus infection. Talk about a kick in the gut. And, to top it off, this superb, sweet doctor said (while tears are pouring out of my red, itchy eyes), “Yea, Mary, you’re running a marathon SATURDAY? Um, that’ll be a DOOZY with this sickness.” If anyone knows my “true colors” you’ll believe me when I tell you that I gave her the infamous Nicole stink eye and said, “awesome.” She made it out the door right before the stethoscope was about to hit her in the back of the head… but that’s a different story.

Fifty zillion tears later, it was Friday morning and I had all the essentials packed, including my antibiotics and cough drops. On the road we go…

Friday is supposed to be the LETS EAT EVERRYYTTHHIINNGGG DAY! CARB ME. CARB ME. I CAN’T SLEEP! IM PUMPED. WE ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK ON OUR FIRST MARATHON. FEED ME! PIZZA. BREAD. BEER. Instead, at least for me, it was a quick trip to the expo, a four-hour nap, and a salad with a half of a slice of pizza. The lack of food I ate on Friday had A LOT to do with my lack of energy and nausea during the race.

Swag bags.

ready or not!

Come on! I don't look THAT bad?? 😉

After taking my medicine, feeling sorry for myself, praying I would wake up 100%, and setting my alarm for 4AM I was out for the night.

After only getting about 4 hours of “sleep” I finally got up, got dressed, and made it down to the lobby. Oh, did I mention that I felt WORSE than I did before? I was starving, which is the worst feeling to have when you’re about to run 26.2 miles and what I hoped to be a filling breakfast turned into half a slice of a bagel and 4 bites of oatmeal. Not good. But, there was no time for negativity. Time to suck it up!

waiting for the shuttle.

on the shuttle

We were suppose to start in Corral 11, but that turned into corral 25 since we had to wait 50 minutes to use the porta-potty. The only good thing about waiting was running into LEAH! And, of course, I was in tears. After lots of hugs and some good encouragement from Leah we headed to the start line.

Mile 1-2- Excitement started kicking in and I figured it was too late to feel sorry for myself. Time to run!

Then came mile 3- if you’re a woman you can imagine what happened at mile 3 and how bad this part sucked. (I’m sorry if this grosses someone out, but it’s life.) That would explain our 5k taking 33 minutes… 8 of these were spent running off course to a gas station, waiting in line for a restroom and running back on course.

Mile 4-12- I was cramping and my throat was very dry. I was slowly, but surely losing steam. Negative thoughts kicked in and I was very discouraged. It was WAY TOO SOON to feel this way, but I was trying to fight it. I told Katie to run ahead at mile 12.5 and I’d try to catch up in a minute. Took a Gu at mile 6 and mile 12.

Mile 13-15 – Katie kept a little ahead of me and during these 3 miles she would wait at the water stations just to make sure I did not cut out early… which, I hate to admit, but I was seriously considering branching off at the half way mark. I was starting to feel shaky and nauseous. My stomach was growling and my head felt like I could pop it with a needle.

remember when I said to SMILE? This is what not to look like.

Mile 16- boring and I was alone. I cried and cried, ready for the pain to subside and numbness to set in. I saw Adam on the corner and I melted. He could tell how sick I felt and immediately took off his shirt and started running beside me. I’m not sure how he managed to trot along without complaining for the next 10 miles but he did it and I thank him for encouraging me after I had just tried to quit. I saw my mom, Alanna, Mrs. Chris and Mr. Scott. My mom was in tears when she heard what happened at mile 3 and how terrible I was still feeling. My dad and Gerold were at the finish line to pick up Emily. I was so happy to know Emily, Alli and Kate were done with the half!

telling my mom what was happening...

Adam to the rescue.

going topless

Mile 16-20- a lot of tears and my feet were numb. I blame the sickness on feeling so drained because I had run this far before with little problems. I was running on E. If Adam wouldn’t have jumped in with me I know I would have just sat down and given up. I felt this drained and mentally broken down. Took a Gu at mile 18.

I call this “near death 20 through 26”-

Mile 20 and 21- I was dragging and physically ready to collapse. My legs were shaking and I walked about two minutes during each of these two miles to have a drink and I also grabbed peanut butter crackers from a table. Crying and shaking I was ready to throw in the towel. Then, I saw LEAH AND AMY! (Alleluia) They were running up with Katie and I knew they were going to push me to the end. According to the medical staff I was “ghostly white.” They tried to pull me off the course, but Leah wasn’t having it! Amy grabbed me a water and we went on.

Mile 22-24 BORING! We had to run around a golf course. I remember seeing 4 people clapping and cheering. It was very discouraging, but Amy and Leah kept pushing me along. Amy found me a Gatorade and we slowly, but surely kept trucking along. I walked about four minutes between these 2 miles but needed those minutes to eat some pretzels and drink the Gatorade. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Mile 25-26- when I say these two miles were a blur, I mean it. If I hadn’t eaten those pretzels and had the Gatorade I would have blacked out. That’s how weak and depleted I was. All I can remember is Leah saying, “COME ON BABY YOU’RE ALMOST THERE! THIS IS IT!!!! ONE MORE HILL! ONE MORE HILL AND YOU GET TO STOP!” In the middle of tears and pain I felt comfort rush over me. I knew she was right and I knew I was about to make it. Adam was smiling so big and he kept saying, “Nicole, I’m so proud of you. You’re almost done. You’re being so strong!!” And Katie didn’t have to say anything.. just having her beside me was enough.

Mile 26-26.2 Katie and I lost it. It was like nothing I had ever experienced and the feeling was nothing you can imagine. We made it over the hill, tears and sweat pouring, and we heard the cheers roaring at the finish line.

Katie looked at me and said, “This is it! We did it! MARATHONERS!” I remember seeing everyone who came to cheer us on in tears. My dad was yelling SO loud and I knew how proud everyone was, which put everything into perspective.

I’m not sure how I got through those 26.2 miles. I’m not sure how Katie had the patience to be such a strong and understanding friend. I’m not sure how Adam managed to bust out 10 miles when he couldn’t even make two with me last week. I’m not sure how Leah and Amy have so much passion and love in their hearts to encourage us through that tough time. I’m not sure how our friends and family’s felt waiting and waiting for us to come over that hill, but somehow everyone did what they had to do. And, thank God they did, because I can say, honestly, I’m glad I didn’t feel good. I’m glad I was sick and cramping and tired and hot. I knew all along it wouldn’t be easy. I knew it would take some soul-searching and pain to call myself a Marathoner. And, I know now, that if I can run a marathon under those conditions, I am capable of taking on anything this world has to offer.

26.2 baby! Slapping this puppy on my back window!

 

It’s the final countdown…

Like I wasn’t already nervous and excited, I wake up to this text…..

Needless to say, I’m shakin’ in my running shoes!

To help settle some pre-race anxiety I went through my three favorite (and easy to follow) tips. Funny that these are the same three tips I followed before my first 5K. Boy have I come a long way..

1. Prepare- It’s VITAL to take care of yourself before a race. It’s not necessarily what you do the day of the race, but rather how you prepare BEFORE the race. Regardless of the distance of the race, make sure to stick to the routine. Don’t try and get fancy, just eat what you normally would before a run, stretch like you always have, and HYDRATE. Have everything laid out the night before so there are no last-minute search and rescue missions!

2. Breathe- When I get nervous my breathing becomes shallow.  This only makes things worse, especially when you’re trying to watch your heart rate. Take slow, deep breaths. I call these.. Yoga breaths. Relaxing, huh?

3. Smile- The hard part is over!!!!!  It always makes me feel better to smile, high-five, and wave at people during the race. It reminds me that racing is fun and I love running so why stress about the results? And, ALWAYS smile at the cameras and at the finish line because eventually those pictures will be on the Internet. 🙂

When I run through the finish line I know it won’t compare to anything I’ve ever done before. I’ll be an emotional wreck, but I think I have good reason for being that way. I keep getting stuck on the fact that I need to run my hardest the entire time, but I know that’s not true. When we decided to run the full instead of the half I promised myself I would enjoy the journey, and not stress about my time and I’m not going back on that promise. It can be tempting to hold yourself to too high of standards and to feel embarrassed if you don’t reach your “goal time” or feel like you’ll never make it to the end, but like John Bingham said, “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”

Country Music Marathon here I come!!!

 

run, heal, repeat

4:00 AM came quick on Saturday morning.

Katie spent the night Friday so we could carb up for 20 miles, and to make sure we didn’t back out on each other 😉

My mom and dad helped ease some of the anxiety when we woke up.

We headed out at 5:30 AM. 3 hours and 5 minutes later we were back home and it was a sunny, beautiful day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve been having some knee issues, so after the run I stretched, had a protein shake and a banana and iced my knee. I’ve also been wearing Compression leg sleeves! A few months ago when I was first introduced to the compression leg sleeve I thought it was unnecessary and too expensive ($45). Well, that was when I was being ignorant and thought I could “tough out the pain.”

I did some research, knew someone who had a pair, and finally reconsidered the idea. After many long runs and serious calf cramps and feeling like it took a lifetime to recover from a long run I decided to try out a pair before and after my 16 miles. They most definitely work!!!!

Here’s how:

Zenah Fabris= compression

Silver ions= thermal regulation

Pin-point compression= promotes oxygen blood flow

Moisture Wicking Properties= Ultra breathable

Seamless construction= Anti-chafing

Non-elastic Band= No cut-off of circulation

And the best part… *WARNING* May lead to ultra comfort and improved performance.

I am an advocate for the compression leg sleeve and think it’s a great investment.

Here’s the website if you would like to read more or buy a pair.

Compression Leg Sleeves

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, if you’re weird like me, you can wear them when you go out dancing 🙂

The weather is warming up! Hope everyone will make time for a run!!!

 

Trying out Google Mymaps

Katie and I completed our 18 mile run in 2:36:55. We were ecstatic! Not only did we make great time, but we talked almost the entire time and felt like we could have picked up the pace a little (which is a good thing). This weekend we will take on 20 miles, and may even push for 22 🙂

I used Google Mymaps to map our run, however, since this was my first time using google maps I couldn’t quite figure everything out. It mapped 14.6 miles, but left out several coves and smaller roads we ran on to end our 18 miles. But, it was cool to look at our route from that point of view!

Exactly one month until the Nashville marathon! :):):)

 

Germantown half marathon

I had a great race on Sunday, and really needed that extra boost of confidence to get me through the last weeks of training for the Nashville marathon.

Picked up my race packet on Saturday at the Germantown Athletic Club.

Had to get some pictures BEFORE the race so we wouldn’t look like a hot mess in ALL of them 😉

Adam unwillingly loves tagging along!

He’s several things: driver, photographer, videographer, “hold all of my stuff” man, and #1 fan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allison Hart and me before the race. Katie, our other running buddy, woke up a little late, but still kicked our butts in the race 🙂

 

It was Drew and Kate’s first half marathon!

Good company, good weather, GREAT race! Can’t wait for Nashville!!

 

Why do you run?

I was finally able to finish this after completing the Germantown half marathon this morning. (That’ll be a different post) So, here is a “Why do you run?” video I did of my running buddies and myself.

Hoping to create another video of why YOU run.  *hint hint*

 

motivation station

When my alarm went off at five o’clock this morning I had zero motivation. I checked the weather and it was 38 degrees (feels like 35) and I could hear raindrops hitting the window. These were my exact words, “stupid marathon.” WHAT!!!

Two problems here. 1) I was talking to myself and 2) I was letting the lazy side of me come out when all I had to do was get up and do a little five-mile run! This wasn’t 16, or 18, only 5!

Then, the most important factor set it. I had given up bitching for Lent. Yes, bitching (God knows I have mastered this skill). So, I got up, sent out a tweet that went something like, “can’t wait for this run!!!!” just to see if that helped and then as I made it down to the kitchen to grab a banana I started thinking about how mental running is.

I know I could knock out this run in 42 easy minutes, but my brain was telling me to “crawl back in the warm bed you fool!” I decided then that I was going to dedicate each mile to someone I know that can’t run or was going through a hard time. I laced up my shoes and as a started mile 1 I thought about that person and why they couldn’t run this morning. After a few tears, I figured a little rain and wind wasn’t so bad after all.

And, the best part came when I hit 4.5 miles. The rain stopped and the sun started peeking out from behind the trees. Remember when I said it would only take me 42 minutes? I did it in 40:10 🙂

A song that has been motivating me a lot lately is One Day by Matisyahu. Add it to your playlist and find some motivation 🙂

 

I think I can, I think I can….

Training for a marathon is much harder than I thought. Not only physically, but mentally I didn’t prepare myself enough.

So, after a 12 mile run last week, I was sick for about 5 hours. I felt discouraged about my time and my performance. I decided I was going to try and take care of myself, not only before and after, but during my runs by buying a running belt to have easy access to a little water and Gu.

Hoping this would help me during my run this weekend (along with a new playlist) I finished my 14 miles  in 2 hours and 13 minutes and I felt GREAT!

Then, I saw this in the Commercial Appeal this morning!  Love these stories because I don’t feel like I’m struggling alone 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

When Aida Wiese finished eighth in her age group at a California half-marathon in 2005, she started to dream a little bigger.

“That day I realized I could be good at this,” she said. “I thought maybe I could qualify for the Boston Marathon one day.”

 

Inaugurated in 1897 with 15 runners, the Boston Marathon is considered one of the most prestigious road races in the world, attracting more than 20,000 registrants a year.

“If you’re a runner, you know what the Boston Marathon is,” said Wiese, 39, of Collierville.

After waiting a couple of years to increase her qualifying time, she ran the St. Jude Memphis Marathon in 2009 and missed qualifying by 1½ minutes.

“It was kind of devastating, but I also still had hope that I could do this,” said the mother of two.

Her second attempt at the St. Jude race in 2010 resulted in a knee injury, and she walked the last six miles.

“That was so devastating,” she said. “I didn’t know if I ever wanted to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon again.”

Being part of a running community helped put her back in the game.

In October, Wiese, who is also a running coach and personal trainer, traveled to Florida to cheer on a friend participating in a half Ironman.

“It was very inspiring. It’s fun to cheer people on and see them finish a race,” she said.

The day she returned home, she began looking for a new opportunity.

“I told my husband, ‘I need to find a marathon. I need to qualify,'” she said.

On Sunday, Feb. 13, Wiese ran the Birmingham Mercedes Marathon, and beat her qualifying time by 12 minutes.

She attributes her success to having a new approach to racing.

“I trained smart. I didn’t push myself. When I ran the race, I took it easy and told myself my No. 1 goal was to qualify and so to have fun,” she said.

She plans to carry that same attitude with her to New England in 2012.

“Birmingham felt great. It changes your whole perspective when you feel good during a race,” she said. “I just want to finish. I just want to enjoy the experience and have fun. And buy lots of pants and jackets that say ‘Boston Marathon’ on them.”

Aida Wiese

Age: 39

Hometown: Collierville

What she did: After missing her qualifying time two years in a row, Wiese kept pushing forward and finished the Birmingham Mercedes Marathon in 3 hours and 38 minutes to qualify for the women’s 40 age group at the 2012 Boston Marathon.

Advice: “Dream big, and never quit.”

 

Dailymile.com

Join in on the fun! I just found this site http://www.dailymile.com

I stumbled upon it and have been messing around, setting up my profile, and adding my runs for about 30 minutes and this site is REALLY neat and fun!

I love tracking my runs so I can look back and see how far I’ve come and I’d love all of you to join the site! We can be “friends” on dailymile.com which will help us hold each other accountable and allow for some “friendly competition.” 😉

It even has a link for routes in your area! Awesome if you’re getting tired of the same ole’ run every week! Really loving this site!!

Check it out and comment on this post with the link to your page!

Also, got some new shoes last week, and so did Betsy! If you ever need a buddy to go running shoe shopping with, I’m always willing to help!

Trying out some Asics!

 

No pain, no gain. Sike.

If you find yourself singing the Maroon 5 song, Misery, during a run you’ll find this helpful. Stretching, shoe selection, planning, and resting are key to avoid injury while running.

stretch- Stretching helps prevent muscle cramps and pains. It also helps you relax after a run and will keep your muscles flexible and strong. I stretch about 10 minutes before, and 15 after, but that is a personal decision. Just make sure you do it!

shoes– Shoes last about 300-500 miles. GET NEW SHOES WHEN IT’S TIME!

plan- Planning out your running schedule is very important. You have to plan for when you are going to run and for how long. If you are training for a race this is extremely important to keep you from over-training or under-training.

recover- Rest! This is just as important as training days. You have to allow your body to recover and build up those muscles! If you’re consistently sore and fatigued your running will never improve.

Cross train– It’s not necessary to run everyday. It’s important to change it up and build muscles all over. Be sure to strengthen upper body and abs and also to choose a few days to cross-train (biking, swimming, or whatever you like to do that will get your heart rate up)! A strong upper body will help minimize fatigue and maintain good form while running.

Good site to check out for training plans and tips 🙂

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