It's Taper Time!

Ten days til the Chicago Marathon!!

I haven't posted on here in awhile because life got pretty busy with work, marathon training, and socialization.  And then a lot of my free time pretty much went straight toward research for a new business idea I had.  I can't share the idea just yet, but it's coming and it's awesome.

So here's a summary of last week:

Monday - 3 miles on the treadmill

Even as I was walking to the gym, I could tell that the shoes I was wearing should be thrown away ASAP.  I think I got that pair for Christmas and started running in them in February.  I have another pair I started using in June and have been alternating between the two.  I thought I'd run the marathon in that pair, but now I'm thinking even those are a little too worn.  I started running on the treadmill at an 8:30 pace and was planning to keep it at that for 6-8 miles as a recovery run.  But I stopped after 3 miles because of the shoes, went home, and ordered a new pair online.

Tuesday - 5.7 miles on the lakefront

This run went by super fast.  Probably because the entire time I was thinking of my awesome new business idea that I am really excited about.

Wednesday - Rest

Went to dinner with some lovely accounting ladies  :)

Thursday - 4.5 miles

Mac and I ran after work through Wicker Park.  We went up onto the abandoned train tracks that Christopher told me about.  I wasn't feeling great - my legs felt really tight.

Friday - Rest

Running in the morning just hasn't happened lately.  I'd have to run in complete darkness for my entire run to get ready and to work on time.  Or go on the treadmill.  But the evenings have been perfect weather lately.  There was no time to run on Friday evening though because we left for Dayton right after work!

Saturday - Frericks 5k Race

You can read my full race recap here!  I mentioned that my mom ran/walked the 5k too, but forget to tell you how she did.  She finished in 52:39, which was much better than the hour she was expecting.  After the race, she said she should've kept J-Lo's song "On the Floor" on repeat because she really loves that song.  I agreed and said I do the same thing with Teenage Dream.  Or at least put it on at the very end of a race/run to get me through the finish.  I still don't have an iPod though since mine broke last week.

And another tailgate picture from Saturday:

Sunday - 5 miles on the lakefront

New shoes!!  I went for a run right when I got back to Chicago.  It was perfect running weather and a ton of people were out on the lakefront path.  Angela told me she did 15 miles out there this morning, so it was just weird to think while I was running that she was here in Chicago running there while I was in Dayton and then when I came back to run in Chicago she was already en route back to St. Louis.  But we'll get to run together in 10 days!!

I might wear these new ones in the marathon, if I feel over the next 2 weeks that they are good to go.

And a summary of this week so far:

Monday - 4.5 Miles on the lakefront

Nothing fancy.  I ran in the new shoes again.  I used my really old iPod Nano.  The songs on there haven't been updated in over a year.  They were obviously pretty good though.  I think I'll post tomorrow with the workout playlist that's on there - it will be a nice throw back to the summer of 2012 and earlier.

Tuesday - 4 Miles on the lakefront

I ran with Mac to the lakefront with the intention of doing 12 miles.  Not sure what happened because I was fine most of the day and pumped to get in my last long run, but I just did not feel good mentally and needed to stop.  We ended up just walking back.  So that was frustrating, but hopefully I'll be able to get in other solid runs over the next 1.5 weeks.

Wednesday - REST

I got a massage after work!!  I definitely needed it because my muscles were super tight and now feel better.  I am not good at just relaxing and not thinking - even during the massage I kept thinking about various things.  I've only gotten massages at a salon before and this one was at my gym, XSport Fitness, because I had some reward points to use so it was free.  The massages I've gotten at the salon were more relaxing and light and this one at XSport was more of a deep muscle massage, which was probably a good thing right now.

So that's all I got for now...boring running talk I know, but I felt like you needed to be filled in obviously since this blog is supposed to be to document my training.

Guest Post: Catherine's Running Craziness and Taper Secrets

I’ve known Colleen since freshman year of high school.  We had a lot of classes together, but more importantly, we were on the track team together (and cross-country team junior and senior year when Colleen came to her senses and realized running was way cooler than tennis).  It was through running that Colleen and I became best friends and truly embraced each others craziness.  And let me just tell you, running together year round can bring out a whole lot of craziness!  For instance… 

• We ran together all summer talking about saving money for mini iPods, Kenny Chesney, and how it weirdly always smelled like donuts (I finally spotted the Dunkin Donuts during one of our last runs that summer).
•  We ran for literally hours at a time in the halls of Res when it was too cold or icy to run outside during winter track.
• We would go entire runs speaking only in Spanish to practice for the AP Spanish Exam (ahora, pon en marcha…)
• We became obsessed with all things York and Elmhurst.
• We also became obsessed with tigers and discussed tigers body slamming runners on the track (hence the “tiger” shorts in the Bandit Turkey Tigers.
• We know to always do an equal number of crunches so we don’t get stomach bulges (thanks Coach Mickey!)
• We ran the former CDC together as our first half marathon, where we met John “the Penguin” Bingham and received the coolest deck ofcards that are still in mint condition.
• And most importantly, we stayed crazy enough to keep running and train for half marathons and marathons.
• Unfortunately, due to real life and work schedules, Colleen and I don’t get to run together nearly as often as we would like.  But, we still talk about running constantly and share the crazy things that happen while we run…

• After having my water bottle stolen during multiple track workouts at Olympia Park, I finally took measures into my own hands: 

• I was just running along in the early morning hours, minding my own business, lost in my thoughts, and then bam, my shoulder hits a car’s side mirror. Sadly, this happened more times than I care to admit to the World Wide Web.
• I made friends with a construction worker in Norwood Circle.  It a little over a mile around, which was perfect for my paced and tempo runs, so I ran there every Friday.  They’ve been fixing the sewers there since May so one worker started to recognize me and would count my laps as I passed each week.
• We began running so far that 12 mile step back weeks seemed short
• Colleen had some adventures with crazy exercise contraptions. 

So as you can see, marathon training gets kind of crazy, but the marathon taper can make you even crazier.  Since I just finished my taper for the Fox Valley Marathon I figured I would share some tips to help stay calm, stay focused, and reduce the crazy in the weeks leading up to a big race. 

•  Test out your race day attire.
• Test out your race day fueling.

(Props to Colin Meyer for coming up with the best way to carry gu on your shorts – comfortable and easy removal!)

• Get lots of rest, drink lots of fluid, make sure your salt and electrolytes stay in balance (you’ll especially want to do this if temperatures are going to be in the 90s…trust me :/)
•  Have confidence in your training and yourself.
•  Stay positive and keep reminding yourself why you run.  You might question yourself during the later miles of the race, so remember that not only did you choose to do the marathon, but you actually paid money to experience this pain.
• Remember to have fun and enjoy the race!  You trained all summer for this!

In looking back at my race day experience, I think what made the biggest difference this year compared to my other marathons was my mental preparation.  Although the last few miles were extremely difficult and pretty much everything was hurting, I did not let that pain get into my head.  Instead, I kept reminding myself that this is how I am supposed to feel and if I wasn’t in pain, I wouldn’t be running fast enough.  During the taper, I repeatedly focused on why I love running, how blessed I am to be able to run, how I am ready for the marathon, and that I can handle the pain.  So then, when that unavoidable pain set in during the race, I was able to recall these positive thoughts and remind myself that it is supposed to hurt.  The mental game continues even when the race is over. You spend months and months preparing for this one day, and then just like that, it’s over!  Remember that a marathon is a journey, not a destination, and we keep running even after we cross the finish line.   And so I leave you with one of my favorite quotes; it is applicable to all walks (or “runs”) of life and is perfectly suited for the marathon.

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

(Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own)