The 2021 Chicago Marathon: Race Recap

Wow, after almost two years am I really getting to write about a marathon again!? This whole trip feels a little surreal, but I’m so happy to be returning to racing again - and I’m especially glad that it’s for the Chicago marathon, since I’ve been waiting to run it since 2019. Those of you that have been around for a while May remember that while training in 2019 I took a bad side step on a treadmill, and wound up with patellar tracking disorder in my left knee, which pulled the plug on my marathon plans. 

But this time I made it through training, even if there were a few small hiccups. I had to slow down a bit about two months ago, when I just couldn’t hit the paces on my quality runs anymore, after weeks of them going well. Combine that and some dizziness when standing, and I headed to my doctors office. After some blood work, I found out that I was borderline anemic, which explained the fatigue and dizziness. I started taking an iron supplement, and started feeling better just in time to taper. So while it may not be my fastest race, I’m excited that I at least made it to the starting line. 

We flew to Chicago on Saturday morning, so of course I ran around a bit Friday night. When I got out of work Sophie and I went for one last shakeout run, ending at my parents house. Sophie picked up supplies for a pasta dinner send off, and dad prepped the meal while we were running. We had pasta, meatballs, garlic bread, and some caprese salad.  I took a page out of Becs gentry’s book, and treated myself to a glass of wine with the meal. 

After dinner dennis and I had to make a quick pit stop at BJ’s, and then headed home so I could get all of my marathon supplies together. While I had gathered everything I needed into one room (for the most part), I still needed to physically put it into a bag. The biggest decision was designating a “race day” outfit - I had three all laid out as I tried to make a choice. 

By the time I was done packing my bags were stuffed to the brim, but I managed to keep it to carryons. I really did not want to check a bag for a two day trip, even if said trip did include a marathon. I had taken the time earlier in the week to embroider a few “Chicago 26.2” masks, and took a little time to sew them together before getting into bed - nothing like leaving a project until the last minute, right?

Our alarms went off too early on Saturday morning, and our cats were a little annoyed as we got out of bed. We crammed all of our chargers into our luggage, and waited for our Uber driver to pick us up and take us to the airport. 

We were flying out of LaGuardia, much to Dennis’s grumbles about it. That airport is in a constant state of construction, which can make driving around it a bit difficult. But lucky for us, we had a ride. 

It was our first time at LGA since the new security area opened, and we got through it seamlessly. We headed to our gate to wait for the flight to board. I knew that I am not great at eating enough on travel days, so ordered a smoothie while we were at the airport, since I knew it was important to be well fueled the day before a marathon. The joke was on me though - I am so used to making my own dairy-free smoothies at home that it did not even occur to me to make sure the one I ordered had no dairy - but I found out rather quickly once I started drinking it. I was able to sort myself out well enough before getting on the plane, but it was a less than ideal start to the day.

When we landed in Chicago we ordered a lyft to get a ride to our hotel. There were options for public transit, but since we had all of our luggage we decided it would just be easier in a car. As we made our way through the city my excitement for the race grew, as I got glimpses of landmarks I knew we would spot during the marathon.

By the time we got to the hotel I was dizzy with motion sickness. Between the plane and the car I felt like I was spinning. I usually take Dramamine on flights, but had opted not to this time - which was apparently a mistake. I took one at the hotel, hoping it would help a little at least. 

We were too early to check into our room, but were able to leave our luggage there while we headed to the expo. I needed to get some food in me ASAP, so we went to the McDonalds right across the street- not the best thing to eat the day before the marathon, but I knew that their breakfast sandwiches usually sit fine with me. By the time we were done eating the meds had kicked in, and I felt much better. 

The next plan was to head to the expo. Den really wanted to walk, but I couldn’t justify that long of a walk the day before a marathon. So we took the subway, which was surprisingly easy to navigate. I didn’t even go a station in the wrong direction, like I pretty much do every time I take the subway in NYC. 

It was a quick ride and then a short walk to the expo. Approaching the building it didn’t seem too crowded - and then we got inside and saw the winding line of runners. There was even a whole giant room just of winding lines! It took us about 45 minutes from when we got on line to get into the expo. When we finally got to the entrance they checked our covid vaccine cards and gave us bracelets, which we were told to keep on for the duration of the weekend. 
Once we got inside the expo if didn’t feel too crowded, and there were a few rows of vendors to go through. First things first, we headed for the bib pickup. They checked my ID and scanned my QR code, and directed me to a table. It was a quick and easy process. From there we were able to go and get my race shirt, and then walked through the many tables. 

I didn’t buy much - I was surprised at  the lack of marathon specific merch. Nike didn’t even have the finisher gear available to buy - you had to go to their store or order it online! I did pick up some throwaway jackets for NYC that were only $5 (I didn’t plan to bring throwaway layers to Chicago, as temps would start in the 70s that morning), a saucony marathon shirt, a pair of oofos, and some assorted freebies. The Bank of America was handing out posters with the course map on them, which were really nice! 

Once we left the expo we headed back towards the hotel, and chose a ramen restaurant near by to eat lunch at. Dennis really like to try a ramen place at any city we visit (his running favorite is still San Francisco), so it was on our list of places to eat. Had I eaten ramen the day before my longest training run to see how it would sit? YUP. This may be the most prepared my stomach had ever been. 

By the time we were done eating our hotel room was ready, and we were planning to have a chill night in so I could stay off my feet as much as possible. We watched Jurassic park and the beginning of hocus pocus, and I ate a dinner consisting of crackers, tuna, and mac and cheese - I know, not the best pre-marathon meal, but I was too nervous about unknown food at that point to try to order takeout from somewhere. Before bed I took my time setting up all my gear for the following mornings race. 

We were both pooped from the long day of travel, and were very happy with an early bedtime. 

On race morning Den and I left the hotel a little after 5:30, since the race documentation recommended that wave two runners get to the start area by 6 am. We opted to walk to the start - it was less than a mile and we were sure plenty of runners would be heading in the same direction. 

As we left the hotel and other runner joined us, who happened to be from Long Island too! We chatted with her as we made our way to the start, and parted ways when we passed a Dunkin doughnuts and she popped in for coffee. 

Dennis and I said goodbye at the edge of grant park, since at that point the street was full of runners. He headed back to the hotel, and I headed into the start area. Not gonna lie, at this point I was already ready to cry! I was just so happy to be at a race like this again. It felt like coming home after a crazy two years. 

The Chicago marathon doesn’t allow any open bottles to come into the start area, so I had to dump the nuun I was drinking - I had prepared for this though, and had the powder to make another drink and a closed bottle to mix it with. I usually carry my clear gear bag within a drawstring backpack, and today was no exception. When it’s time for security I just dump the contents from the drawstring to the clear bag, and throw the drawstring into my checked bag - but they actually made me dispose of the drawstring at security, which surprised me. 

Chicago is a “world marathon major,” just like NYC, so leading up to race day I anticipated that getting to the start area and the start area itself would be just as intense as NYC. I had even googled “Chicago marathon start village” at least a dozen times, and was shocked that I could not find more details about it. Well runners, if that is the info that you came here looking for, I must report that the start is much more laid back than NYC. Sure, there are a lot of people. But at no point did it feel chaotic. I walked into the start, and easily navigated my way through everything.

The corrals were right after security, but I kept following the stream of runners that were going further into grant park, since I needed to find a bathroom and gear check. I found a row of porter potties quickly, that somehow had no line!? It felt like a race morning miracle. 

But imagine my surprise as the unit rocked as I stepped into it - and promptly stepped out. I didn’t need to fall into that “WHAT IF IT TIPS” thought spiral. I found another, more stable unit to take care of business in. 

It felt too early to get into the corrals, so I kept following the flow of runners and headed further into the park. I kept walking and eventually found my bag check area, and plopped down near the fountain to hang out for a while before the race. I didn’t have to been in my corral until 7:45, and I had more than an hour to kill. 

I watched as the sun slowly came up, but thanks to an overcast sky, there was no grand sunrise on race morning. I hoped that the cloud coverage would last through the race, because they were projecting temps in the high 70s. More runners rolled into the start area as I sat and waited. 

Eventually I decided to try to hit the bathroom one more time, and was greeted by the very long porter potty lines that I had expected the first time around. It was a little after 7 am when I got in line, and I still had to check my bag and make it to my corral before 7:45, so I watched the clock as I waited in line. 

After I finally made it to the bathroom, right around 7:40, I loaded my pockets with race day supplies - manly fuel and body glide - as I jogged to check my bag, which was really just a charger for post race, in-case my phone died while I was running, since it’s four years old and has less than stellar battery life. 

I made it into my corral just before 7:45, and soon after we started moving forward as the 8:00 start time for wave 2 got closer. It was surreal to be in a corral with so many people! 

I was half crying with happiness as we approached the start line, and I had to collect myself before it was time to get moving. I tried to take in the moment, and really appreciate being there. 

I went over the start line, and was just so happy. I told myself to not get caught up in the crowd, and run my pace. There were already crowds lining the street, and we went right into a tunnel. I had set my garmin to manual laps, since I had heard that the GPS has issues in Chicago, and at mile marker one my garmin had accumulated an extra 0.25 miles - confirming the GPS issue. 
At the start of the event the status was “yellow” because of the weather. The temps were in the low 70s and it was humid, but at least there was cloud coverage as we made our way through the streets of Chicago. I snapped a few photos as we went through the early miles, doing my best to take up every moment. I kept yo-yoing with a guy dressed as a banana, and it was fun to hear the crowd call out to him. 

Things went well for the first few miles, and I really enjoyed the crowds as I headed through Chicago. I spotted dennis at mile 3, when we ran by our hotel. He headed to mile 13, where I would spot him again. By mile 5 I could feel the impact of the weather, and started taking two waters at the aid station, to try to stay on top of my hydration. 

I kept moving forward, and by the time I hit mile 10 I knew I wasn’t getting enough fluids. I texted Dennis, and asked him to pass me a bottle of water when I ran by. He was under a bridge, and I spotted him before he saw me. He handed me a water, and it took all my willpower not to immediately chug it. The weather didn’t feel that bad - most of the time it was breezy, but when we hit stagnant air it was suffocating. 

We crossed the River for a second time around the half way point, and I almost fell on my face - the had covered the grating on the bridge with a carpet, that I learned was not totally taught. I didn’t lift my foot enough with one step, and found myself stumbling and almost falling. I breathed a sigh of relief when I regained my balance, glad that I hadn’t taken a tumble.

I usually try to wait until after mile 20 of a marathon to take in Gatorade, but by mile 14 I knew I needed to start drinking electrolytes too. I tried to drink half a cup of Gatorade in addition to water at each aid station from there out, and when they gave us sponges around mile 15 it was so nice.  I also made a mid race decision to take an extra gel. 

The crowd support really kept me going - I was able to run non-stop until mile 17, but my hip was starting to hurt. Luckily I was able to stop and stretch it out and then keep running forward. But as the race progressed, I needed to stop to stretch more often. First at mile 17, then again at 19, and by mile 21 I wanted to walk so bad, but settled for a stretch. I somehow missed mile marker 22, and as I made my way to mile 23, my garmin distance read over 24 miles - I had started to hype myself up that there were only 2 miles left, and when I spotted 23 and realized there were actually 3 miles left, it was almost crushing. Mike 23 to 24 was a struggle, and felt longer than the whole race leading up to that point. 

At the aid station at mile 23 I made the decision to take a quick walk break - and learned that my hip felt even worst walking. I wanted to cry. I wanted to puke from the pain and exhaustion. But with the help of texts from my Dad and Sophie, encouraging me to keep going, to just put one foot in front of another. I ran, I walked, I stretched. It was the slowest mile of the race. But when I finally saw mile marker 25, I knew I could get to the end. 

I pushed myself to keep running. It was one mile more. I could run one more mile, especially since walking felt worst. Around 25.5 “who are you” shuffled onto my headphones, and I thought about everything I had gone through in the last year - I am a resilient person, not willing to let losses define me - and I was going to make it to the finish line. 

I turned the second to last corner and saw the 800m to go sign, at the top of a tiny hill. Suddenly Chicago didn’t feel like the “flat” race that everyone had told me it would be. But 800m is only two laps at the track. I could do 800m. 

I got over the hill, crossed the last corner, and a “fuck yes” slipped out of my mouth when I spotted the finish line. The end was in sight. I could do this. 400 m to go. I started to get choked up, and just focused on getting my breathing back to normal. 

At long last, I crossed the finish line. Every emotion flooded over me. The race that I was supposed to run in 2019 before I hurt my knee, the race I was supposed to run in 2020 before covid cancelled it, I had finally crossed that finish line I had been chasing for so long. 

A volunteer placed a medal around my neck, and I truly shuffled through the “extra mile” that they make you walk to get out of the finisher chute. I collected my drinks and snacks, including a beer that I wouldn’t drink, but would use as makeshift ice on my hip. 

Eventually I got out of the chute and back into grant park, and headed for the gear check. As I limped along a stranger offered me their lightly used bag of ice, and with much gratitude I accepted. I retrieved my bag from the gear check, and texted Dennis to let him know I needed to sit down and stretch for a few minutes before making my way out to him. 

I laid out my heat sheet and started stretching, and acquired another bag of lightly used ice from a passerby. Eventually I could hobble along without wanting to cry, and I got up and started making my way to the family reunion area. I found Den, and we sat for a few more minutes. I switched shoes, and he offer me his arm as we made our way back to the hotel. 

I felt defeated, but in the hours after the race that would shift to happiness. I had done it. I had crossed another marathon finish line. Something that really felt impossible to me at times in the year leading up to that race. 

After the walk back to the hotel I showered and used the massage gun on my hip, which helped it feel better. By the time we headed out for celebratory drinks at three dots and a dash, my hip felt tight, but didn’t hurt anymore. 

After dinner it was time for bed, and I was so fully of happiness. I had somehow already forgotten the anguish of mile 24. 

We were flying home on Monday, but before we headed out we made three stops - one at “the bean,” one at the Nike store for some finisher gear, and one for some “authentic” Chicago pizza. 

I can believe I get to do this all over again in NYC in a month!

Week 7: Showing up, even when it rains

After a hectic few days that did not include as much running as my training planned called for, I finally started to get back into things on the Monday of week 7. In a move that will not surprise my return readers, I did not get my butt out of bed to run on Monday morning. I thought about it, even set an alarm. But sure enough, rolled over and went back to bed, promising myself that I would run after work.

 That evening I got home from work, and set myself up to go on a treadmill run. My husband got home from a bike ride right before I started, and mentioned how it was tolerable outside….. so in a non-committal way I headed towards the front door, just to test the water. It seemed ok, so I shifted gears and headed outside. I listened to a podcast, and just made my way though some easy miles. I got through the six miles on my schedule, and then made time for a 10 minute stretch before sitting down for dinner.

I made plans to meet Mike at a local track on Tuesday morning, but after a rough night of sleep that included my knee aching enough to wake me up, I felt like it would be a bad idea for my knee. I had actually managed to get myself out of bed that morning, so I decided to do some light strength work and yoga in. I know from experience that when my knee starts to hurt I often am slacking with strength training, so I did a 15 minute strength for runners class and a 10 minute core class, followed by a half hour of yoga.

After work my knee was feeling better, so I decided to make another attempt at my interval run. I didn’t have a run buddy, and I don’t like being at the track alone, so I hopped on the treadmill.

I did a mile warm-up, then hopped off the tread to do some stretches. Then I spent half a mile alternating easy miles with strides before getting into the quality part of my workout. The schedule called for a ladder workout, starting at 400 m, working up to 1600 m, and then back down to 800 m, with 400 m of rest between each. I felt really good, and it was nice to have shorter intervals at the start after four hard 1200m intervals last week. When the distance built up to a mile, I had to employ some positive self talk to keep myself moving to hit that one mile mark, and managed to do it at a 7:53, as intended. Once I got passed the one mile interval, the return side of the ladder was easier mentally, having already conquered the hardest part.

When I got though all of the speedy parts of the run, I did a mile cooldown before hopping off the treadmill. I was really pleased with how this run felt, and had totaled 7.5 miles at the end of the run. The icing on the cake with this run? For this first time this year I hit my 100 mile goal for the month with more than a week to spare.

I was happy to have an off day on Wednesday and even got to head by my grandpa’s house to hang out and watch jeopardy after work. Before bed I decided to get in a little bit of strength work, by logging onto the Peloton app. I picked a 20 minute strength for runners’ class, and then spent some time on recovery, by working on my quad with a massage gun for a while.

The weather looked promising Thursday morning – temps in the 60s and low humidity? What a gift for July! I set out a new pair of running shorts (a pair of Oiselle long toolbelt rogas that I picked up in a recent “fast faves” sale), hoping that the promise of new running gear would motivate me to get moving in the morning. I may have snoozed my alarm a little, but I ultimately managed to get moving. My schedule told me I had a 7 mile tempo run on tap, and I was hopeful that I would be able to hit the paces that I wanted to. I started with a one mile warmup, and then stopped to stretch and grab a sip of water before picking up the pace. The weather was cooler than usual, but as the sun continued to rise I was thankful for each patch of shade that I could find. I was running loops around my neighborhood and made it a point to weave a little extra as I headed further from home. I wanted to stop and walk so many times, and kept bargaining with myself to hang onto the pace for a little longer.

I told myself that when I got to the halfway point I could stop for some water, and at 3.5 miles made a quick pit stop at the house, where I chugged water and popped a few honey stinger gummies before I got outside again. I also grabbed a visor, since I was starting to sweat into my eyes. I got moving again, and struggled a little to get back down to a sub-9 pace. I got there, but was thwarted when I hit an uphill, and in my pace frustration walked up the hill. Ugh! But I did not give up, I once again got moving, and picked up the pace. The subsequent miles did not  go as well as the first ones. It was more of a struggle to hang onto the pace, and I paused my watch and walked a few times. I managed to get though all of mile 6 at tempo pace without stopping, but when I saw the time on my watch, I knew that I would not have the time to get through mile 7 before work. So I started heading back towards my house, and finished my run with a total of 7.2 miles, with 6 miles run at a sub-9 pace. I stretched quick, and then rushed to get ready for work.

I really wanted to get in a swim after work on Thursday night, but got stuck at the office too late and the pools were near closing by the time I got home. Womp womp. I was hopeful that I would get myself to the pool at least once before the end of the week.

Friday morning the weather looked agreeable again, so I set an alarm in hopes of getting out to run before work. I snoozed my alarm, but as I considered sleeping for another hour, I thought of two words: Cumulative Fatigue. AKA the cornerstone of hanson’s marathon method. The thought was enough to get me out of bed and into running clothes, and when I got moving outside I was happy to discover that the humidity was tolerable, and it was actually kind of pleasant outside. I popped on a podcast and enjoyed just moving along, not thinking about my pace.

When I finished my run, I realized that I was already at 26 miles for the week, and was pretty pleased with myself about it. My weekend training schedule called for a total of 22 miles, so I was on track for my highest mileage week in a long time. I was hoping to get my “long” run in on Saturday, so on Friday night I set out an outfit, and packed my long run supplies all together.

Of course, luck would have it that I woke up Saturday morning with a throbbing headache, feeling super dehydrated. Dennis had planned to accompany me on his bike, but as he started to get ready, I told him to go back to bed. I took some asprin, drank some water, and went in search of some breakfast, hoping that food would improve my overall well-being.

After an easy morning, I was feeling a little better, so I decided to test the waters on my treadmill. I had to do an 8 or a 14 mile run, and the 14 mile run had a prescribed pace of 9:30. As I trotted along on my treadmill, I tried to turn the pace up a little bit each mile, inching closer to that 9:30 goal, figuring that I could catch that pace if I could pull off some negative splits. But as I approached mile 6 I was already bargaining with myself to keep moving forward, and I was rapidly feeling worse, despite taking in fuel as I ran. Ultimately, I made it to 8 miles, and decided that I would just have to see where I was at on Sunday and hoped that I could get my full distance in regardless of the pace.

When i finished the less-than-stellar 8 miles, i questioned why I felt so cruddy… and came to the realization that the only protein I had consumed the day before was a single scoop of protein powder after my morning run. Whoops. I made sure to up my intake for the rest of the day.

The key to making sure you show up for your long runs? Accountability buddies! I made plans to meet Katie and Michal on Sunday morning, and since they were planning to run 10 and 8 miles respectively, I talked Mike into meeting me at mile 8 to finish off the last 6 miles with me. I woke up to discover it was a rainy morning, and despite my best efforts to get to a group run on time, managed to miss an exit and show up 10 minutes late. In my haste to throw my fuel into my hydration pack, I forgot to take off my glasses. I almost never run with them on, so almost get confused by how well I can see when I accidentally bring them along on runs.

We headed onto the path and trudged up some hills, chatting as we made our way through the miles. We planned to run out and back for the first 8 miles, so that Michal could finish her run back by the car, and we could pick up Mike for the last few miles. Around mile 5 we found ourselves in a real downpour, and by asthma decided to take a seat at the head of the table. I went from feeling good, to struggling to get words out as we chatted. Thankfully Katie and Michal were super understanding, and walked with me for a minute while I caught my breath. Once we started running again I focused on one breath at a time, and did more listening than talking. When we got to mile 8 Michal said goodbye, and Mike joined our run. We turned around and went up the path in the same direction, having to take on the big hill once more as we did a 2 mile out and back so Katie could finish her miles.

When I hit mile 10 it was just Mike and I for the last 4, as we steadily got more drenched by the rain. I was really struggling with my breathing, and was so thankful that Mike had agreed to meet me, and was being gracious with me when I needed walk breaks. He chatted and kept me occupied, and after what felt like a very long time, my watch buzzed and announced that I had completed 14 miles – just as the rain started to let up.

I was soaking wet, and immediately pulled off my waterlogged shoes when I got into the car and swapped my wet shirt for a dry one. I hadn’t thought to grab a towel, and would wind up soaking the seat enough that it would be wet until the next day. I was pooped for the rest of the day, which I mostly spent doing laundry, but had pulled off a 48 mile week – something I hadn’t accomplished in a really long time.

Week 6: A few missed Miles, a few gained Memories

I did not get in as much running as I was supposed to this week, but I really tried to roll with it. I had family visiting New York for the weekend, and I was so looking forward to seeing them for the first time in over a year!

Tuesday morning Mike and I met up at the track near my house, and got in an interval run together. I ran to the track, and did a few easy laps while I waited for Mike to arrive. When he got to the track we finished up the warm-up, and got into the workout. The plan was for 4 1200m repeats at a 7:50 pace, with 400 m of rest between each.

We shifted from warmup into workout, and Mike kept talking to me like there was no increase in effort. I listened to him talk, but kept questioning how he was doing it. By the time we got to the final lap of the first he was more on my page, and I think we were both happy for the recovery lap. As we got later into the workout, Mike got more on my level with regards to talking during track intervals. It reached a point where we were both just trying to hang onto the pace with each repeat.

But in the end, we made it through the session. The first two intervals were a little faster than the second too, but it was a humid morning, so we were both okay with it. We parted ways, and I got in a little cooldown run as I headed home, and made sure to stretch before moving on with my day.

Since I knew that I would be busy during the weekend, I had planned to get in a run on Wednesday, and then take my weekly rest day on Friday or Saturday. But when it was time to run after work, I could only think about swimming. I just wanted to get in the pool and swim some laps! I don’t feel that way often, so I suited up, and headed to the pool instead of popping on some running shoes. I listened to music as I got through my laps, and decided to take my time and swim a mile. It wasn’t the run that I planned on, but I felt so good after that swim.

With Thursday came another call for a tempo run from my training plan. This week called for 7 miles at tempo place, and with the humidity and heat of the week, I had no desire to run outside in that. Instead I planned to go by my parent’s house after work and hop on their treadmill, and sneak in a few loads of laundry while I got my miles in.

I hadn’t successfully strung together a full length tempo run to this point in my training schedule, but I decided to make an attempt at going for the 7 miles on my schedule. I lined up a stack of classes on the peloton and planned to run my own miles as I listened to the classes.

I started with a 10 minute warm up run, then did a 5 minute stretch before picking up the pace. The first class in my stack was a 30 minute tempo run with Matt Wilpers, and when I was at a mile total, I turned up the pace on the treadmill, and played the “set it and forget it” game. As the class rolled through different paces, I mentally pretended that I was taking recoveries when they did, even though I did not touch the pace wheel. At the end of the class I took a minute to drink water and shifted a load of laundry before starting the next class. I picked one of my favorites, a 20 minute Punk Rock run with Chase Tucker. I knew that any time I had taken the class before, the soundtrack had gotten me through the miles with ease, and often faster than expected. Once again, I set my pace, and got to it. I focused on the songs, and mentally sang along, since there was no way I had the breath to sing along outloud. I was racking up the miles, and did the math as I neared the end of the second class. I had managed to hold my goal tempo pace for 5.5 miles. When I started I thought there was no way I would get to 7 miles, but with only 1.5 miles to go, I felt like I had to at least try. I swapped over some laundry, then pulled up another repeat class – Matty Maggiacomo’s 30 minute Hamilton run. I figured that a 30 minute class would motivate me to get in a solid cooldown. I kept my tempo pace for the first half of the run, and then dipped into a cooldown for the second half – I was so pleased with myself. seven miles at goal tempo pace! Sure, there had been a few moments of rest as I switched between classes, but I was still pleased with myself.

 I knew that I would not have much time to sneak in runs over the weekend, and was only working a half day at work on Friday since I had plans to head into manhattan with my brothers and cousin. When I got out of work I had a little time before the train, so I headed over to my parents house and hopped on the Peloton tread again. I could feel the weight of my legs after the previous days workout, so decided to take it easy, and jammed out to Bec’s 30 minute Spice Girls run. I got in just under 3 miles, and then got ready for the rest of my night. My cousin Jen was in town, so we took the train to the city and met up with my brother Kevin to go check out the new Harry Potter store, plus to grab a few drinks and dinner. My other brother Tommy, Jen’s husband Will, and Kevin’s girlfriend Sophie met us for dinner, and I had possibly the most delicious rigatoni ala vodka I have ever tasted. It was a great night, and it felt amazing to spend “normal” time with my family.

On Saturday I spent my morning cleaning and preparing the house for our first overnight guests – Jen and Will! They were driving over in the early afternoon, and then we were all heading to my cousin’s sweet 16. It was a day full of fun with family, and I tried not to stress about missing a few miles.

I did manage to get a run in on Sunday though – my plan called for a long run of 10 miles, and an early morning was not in the cards for me, so when it was time to run I opted for the treadmill over full sun and high humidity. I popped on a movie, and just took my time with the miles. What movie you wonder? Iron Man! It has been a few years since I watched through the MCU, so it felt like with all the time I have spent on treadmills lately, it would be a good time to re-start, so that I never have to think about what to put on when I opt for an inside run.

I was really happy with how my “quality” runs went this week, and I have high hopes that I will be able to keep this momentum running into next week.

A Real Life Race: The 2021 Long Island Half Marathon

Well guys, I may have fallen off the “weekly blog post about training wagon,” but the good news is I did not fall off the marathon training wagon – and thank goodness for that, considering the Chicago marathon is less than three weeks away – how did that even happen!?

I have hit some milestones this training cycle – I logged my most monthly miles ever in July, and then beat that number in August when I pulled off over 180 miles for the month. Like any training cycle there have been ups and downs – days where I nail that 9 mile tempo run at a hard pace, and other days where I struggle on an easy run. But thanks to a killer support system with lots of friends that are also racing this fall, I kept going even when things got tough. I may have even started to drag friends along on runs to make sure that they kept going as well.

This past weekend I FINALLY got to run an in-person half again, for the first time since March of 2020! I was registered to run the “22.4 mile challenge” event in 2020, which consisted of a 5k, 10k, and half marathon over three days, but the event was cancelled. I decided to do it virtually in 2020, and it was fun to earn my medals and swag, but not the same as a real race.

Months ago I signed up for the Long Island Half Marathon, figuring that it would be a good chance to test my fitness before my fall marathons. As race day approached, I shifted that goal – I decided my “A” goal was just to run without stopping, regardless of the pace, and add on some miles before and after the race to make it the last long run before Chicago. I knew I would likely have to stop for a few minutes between getting to the park and the race start, but that couldn’t be avoided.

Mike and Sophie were also signed up to run this one, so on Friday night Mike and I headed to Eisenhower park to pick up our race gear. The expo was set up right at the events finish line and seeing the finish got me excited for the miles ahead of me. The first room of the expo had our bibs and race swag – a tech shirt and a drawstring backpack. I was a little bummed that the race shirt were the same design as the 2020 ones I earned virtually, but its not like I don’t have a plethora of running shirts accumulated from various races. Once we had our bibs we made it through a room of vendors and collected some more swag. There was also one local running store there, so I took a few minutes to look through their racks. It was a small expo, but still nice to experience after so much time. Outside of the tent was a setup of a dozen or so food trucks and some picnic tables, and Mike and I scoped out the scene so we would have an idea of what we would be able to pick up post-race. I couldn’t resist the doughnut truck, and got a yummy pre-race treat. We both decided to get some empanadas, which I ate for dinner that night after Mike and I went for a run that night.

On Saturday night I packed my race bags and set out everything that I needed for race day. Dennis was going to bike along with me as I ran from home to the race start, so I loaded some supplies into his backpack. When my alarm went off on Sunday I ate a peanut butter sandwich and drank some nuun endurance, and then got dressed and headed out. Our house is about 2 miles from the park, and when we got to the corner of it we found the race course being closed off from traffic. As Den biked along with me he joked that I was probably cheating, getting on the course before the race had even started. When we turned into the park to head towards the start, we saw the mile 12 marker of the race. I kept the pace easy, and just enjoyed the beautiful morning weather. As we turned the last corner before the finish line, a spotted a beautiful Dalia garden in the back of the park, and ran by to sneak a peek. By chance as I ran away from it and towards the start area, I spotted Mike and Sophie as they made their way to the start area. I got in just over 3.6 miles in my “run to the start,” and caught up with the two of them to get myself put together before the race start.

The marathon corrals were already going off when we got there, and we had about 10 minutes before our corral was set to go off. Once we were loaded up with race fuel, we handed Dennis everything that we did not need, and he loaded it into his backpack. He was planning to spectate from his bike, so he could catch us throughout the course.

Mike and I were planning to stick together for the half, while Sophie did her own thing. We split up shortly after crossing the start line, and Mike and I settled into a comfortable pace as we started our race. It was a new course this year, that I was excited to experience. We found Dennis cheering as we left the park, and headed out onto the main road. It took us from Eisenhower park towards the Nassau coliseum. Around mile three I took a peek at my pace, and slowed us down a little – this was about endurance, not speed. We went from the coliseum, passed museum row, and into the Mitchel athletic complex. We were lead onto the track, and got to run a lap there which reminded me of Disney marathons passed. Mike and I kept chatting as we ticked off the miles, and around mile 6 Mike mentioned that he would love to break a 2:20 half, as it would be a PR for him.

I put that thought on the back burner and kept moving forward. We had a few out and backs before we went back towards the start, and then started running around the perimeter of the park. Dennis had gotten a flat shortly after we saw him but was back on the road when we made it back near the park, and he spotted us as we turned the corner of the outside perimeter. For the rest of the race, we spotted him every mile or so, as he would cheer, and then pedal ahead of us to wait for us to run by. It was fun to be able to spot him so many times. As we got towards the later race miles, Mike started to fade a little bit, but we kept pushing, managing to keep the pace under an 11 minute mile. We took in a little extra fuel, and trudged onward. I felt good, happy to be doing a real race in beautiful weather.

My one complaint about this course was that the water stations were a little too spread out for me. I didn’t carry any water with me on course, so I was relying on the on-course stations. The stops were every 2-3 miles, and there were times when I was thirsty when we ran into the stations! Towards the end of the race, I started grabbing more than one cup of water, and sometimes some Gatorade. One unusual thing about the Gatorade – the flavor changed at every station! It was a little exciting to see what flavor we would get at each station, I feel like most races stick to one flavor.  

As we headed towards the end of the race, we finally turned into the park and spotted the mile 12 marker. I was pushing Mike as we made our way through that final mile, doing all I could to hype Mike up as we got closer to the finish. At long last we turned that final corner, and made it into the finish line chute – we held our hands high together as we crossed the finish line, complete with a shiny new PR for Mike!

 We made our way through the finishers area, getting water, fresh fruit, and bagels. I was at 17 miles total, and was debating going to 19. I texted Sophie to see what mile she was at as we left the finisher area, and found we found Dennis near the food trucks. I snacked on a piece of watermelon, and Sophie texted back that she was at mile 12 – so I decided to run back to her to add on a little more mileage. I started running back towards her, and found her on course, and was happy that she was excited to see me and have some company. She was still running strong, and nearly at the finish. When we got to the finish chute I peeled off, and took the long way back to Mike and Dennis so that my total mileage was 19. I was tired, but I felt so good and was proud of the work that I put in.

As we hung out among the food trucks we decided to get some sno cones, and they really hit the spot. I wasn’t hungry enough to really eat anything, but I felt like I was at least hydrating. I also found a churro for Dennis, and his face lit up when he saw me coming back with it.

I was done running for the day, so Sophie gave me a ride home. Dennis was nice enough to offer to make us post race burgers, so after we all went home and showered and rested a little, Mike and Sophie came by the house. The three of us devoured some thrown together taco dip while Den prepared the burgers, all in a great mood after a fun race morning.

I had forgotten how good a race day like this can feel, and it was just thr confidence boost that I needed with my last long run before Chicago – fingers crossed that marathon morning feels as good as this half did!

Week 5: doing what i can

After what felt like a very successful week 4 of marathon training, week 5 had a very slow start. I had off from work on Monday, and while in my head that meant I would have plenty of time to get my run in, that was just not how the day went. In fact, this whole week I felt like I was struggling to hit a groove with my running. I had to constantly remind myself that it was enough to just show up, even if things were not perfectly executed.

Since we moved into our house in January, I have been slowly decorating, and putting things together so that it can feel more like our home. I had gotten paint for the bathroom and wanted to use the day off to paint. I figured that I would start the project, and when things were all finished, I would head out for my run… it just didn’t work out like that. I got so entangled in painting and cleaning that by the time I was finished it was the evening, and I was just exhausted and wanted to go to bed. So my planned run just did not happen.

What’s one missed run in the scheme of marathon training, right? I figured that I would just swap my days around and run on Wednesday instead of taking is as a rest day like I usually do. Tuesday I planned to go by my parents and run after work – completely forgetting that I had a doctor’s appointment to go to. Whoops.

As I drove home from work I figured I would squeeze in a quick run… but all I wanted to do was swim. I just kept thinking about how relaxing it was to swim, and how hot it was outside. After not running Monday I knew that I really should run Tuesday… but the pool was calling. I got home and changed into my swimsuit, and since the pool is less than a mile from my house, I decided to walk there. I checked the weather quickly and saw that around 7 it was supposed to thunderstorm, so I planned to be out of the pool by 6:40 that way I would have plenty of time to walk home.

I did make a pit stop at the free little library on my way to the pool and picked out a fiction book that looked promising. When I got to the pool the long lane was free, which is always a bonus. I plopped on my aftershocks Xtrainers (waterproof headphones) and started swimming laps. I felt my bad mood dissipate as I worked my way towards the goal I had decided on for the day, 1,000 yards.

The swim was uneventful, other than a few kids popping through the lane occasionally. As I closed in on 1000 yards, the sky rapidly started to darken – at 900 yards I saw the clouds start to roll in but with only 4 laps to go, I felt like I could make it! Two laps later, the wind picked up, and I could hear the trees blowing and the mothers shouting at their kids to get out of the pool. I started to worry that the lifeguards were going to start blowing their whistles and telling everyone to get out of the pool, so I picked up the pace as much as I could.

I made it to 1,000 yards, but the weather had turned quickly. I hustled to get out of the pool, throw on my backpack, and start heading home. The sun was not out, but I had to wear my sunglasses because it was so windy that it hurt my eyes if I did not. I walked at a quick pace as I headed home, and with about a half mile to go, the rain started. Then thunder and lightning, and I decided it was time to upgrade to a run pace.

Soon enough, the sky had opened, and sheets of water were falling as thunder boomed overhead. I was glad that I opted for sturdy sandals over flip flops, as I rushed to get home. By the time I got to the front door, I was soaked, and everything I had with me was soaked – including the poor little book I had chosen. But hey, it had at least been a good swim.

The next run on my schedule was an interval run, with a prescribed workout of 5 1000m repeats at a 7:50 pace. With it being July in New York, and lacking the discipline I needed to get up before sunrise, I opted to take this run to the treadmill rather than cook in the sun and shake my fist at the humidity of the outside world. I put some TV on, that way I could have something other than running to think about while I tried to sustain a 7:50 pace for almost 5 minutes at a time. I did a one mile warm-up, then hopped off the treadmill for some dynamic stretches. Before starting the repeats, I got in 5 x 20 second strides, to make sure I was primed.

Strides are not usually a part of my workouts, but after reading an infographic about how tiny efforts of strides add up over time to miles at faster paces, I have been trying to incorporate them into my training more.

When I started my workout, I found that the paces felt like more of a mental workout than a physical one. Each repeat I felt pretty good at the fast pace and found that in the last minute I needed to be counting down the seconds. I tried to not keep track of where I was in the interval and just run, waiting for my Garmin to chime and tell me that the interval was over – but even that felt like a mental game. By the end of the repeats I had decided one thing – I prefer running 5 long intervals over 12 short ones! I tacked on a mile cooldown at the end of the run and checked this one off as a success – I even took the motto of “Hard days hard, and easy days easy” to heart, and stacked on a few strength classes after the run.

The next morning, I headed out for what was supposed to be an easy 6 miles, but what turned out to be a hard just-under-three mile run. The night before when I set out my clothes, I planned to get in my miles on the treadmill, since it was supposed to be rainy out. But clear skies lured me into a false sense of security, and I decided to take my miles outside. It quickly became clear that it was a poor choice. As I put one foot in front of the other, it was a struggle with each step. I just could not find my stride, and my calf started yelling at me more and more. When I looped by my house I stopped for water, and once I was inside I decided there way no way I was going back out. I considered hopping on the treadmill to finish my miles, but my calf made it clear that it was not interested. So instead I stretched and used a massage gun on it, in hopes that it was a one-off issue.

I was worried about hitting my weekly mileage goals, and wanted to test out my calf, so at the end of the day I hopped on the treadmill and ran just over a mile – my calf felt ok, but I was pooped from a long day. It brought the daily mileage to just over 4, which was short of my goal, but at least something.

We had a tropical storm roll into town on Friday morning, which meant that outside running was a no-go. I thought about a morning treadmill run but realized that I was 60 days out from my next Disney trip, and needed to snag a few reservations. The system was slower than usual, which wound up sucking up all of my pre-work time.

I wore compression sleeves on my calfs all day as a precaution, and really wanted to get outside to run instead of logging treadmill miles. The storm had passed by the evening, and I headed out for an overcast sunset run. It helped me to reset a bit, and I tried to focus on my fall marathon goals. There was a lot of bargaining on this run – it was humid and I just really wanted to take walk breaks, so I talked myself out of them with goals like “just get to the end of this song and if you really NEED one, take it.” But most of the time by the end of the song, the “need” had passed.

I got in five miles before it was totally dark, and decided that was enough for the day – when I have been wearing my glasses all day and my eyes have adjusted to them I have trouble seeing in the dark without them, and humidity + glasses do not mix, so I did not want to risk tripping or getting hurt because I couldn’t see well enough. I took the time to stretch, and even talked myself into a core class before heading to bed.

I kept pushing my tempo run later into the week, and I knew that I had to either let it go and move on or try to run it on Saturday. After a lazy morning, I finally got dressed and headed outside despite the heat of the day. Dennis rode along on bike so that I would have water during the run, and we headed towards my parent’s house. I figured that if the humidity was too much, I would hop on their treadmill to try to finish up the run.

I took it easy for the first mile to warm up, and then eased into the harder pace. The first half mile was tolerable, and I got a little break when we had to wait at a crosswalk. The break was the beginning of the end. After that first break, I managed to hang on to the “tempo” pace for about a half mile at a time, and when we got to my parents house around 3.5 miles, I was dripping with sweat. Dennis headed home on his bike, and I set up to run on the treadmill…. Except I never got around to starting the treadmill. Instead I wound up chatting with my parents for an hour. Whoops.

I was cooled down by the time I was going to start running again, and opted to just head back outside and run back home instead of hopping on the treadmill. I tried to pick it back up to tempo pace, but my body just was not having in. Instead I just focused on banking some more miles, even if they were at a slower-than-ideal pace. By the end of the run I was able to pick up 6 miles for Saturday.

Mike held me accountable for my long run on Sunday – he agreed to meet up and run 5 or 6 miles of my planned 12 miles with me. When I was dragging my feet getting ready, he decided to run to my house and get me moving, instead of waiting for me to get to him. It was humid out, so I left some water bottles outside so we could make a pit stop before heading towards his house.

We ran away from both of our homes, looping through the town as we chatted. It was hot and humid, so we just focused on forward motion, and the miles slipped away. We made a pit stop for water around mile 4, Mike played dead in the grass for a moment, and then back onto the road we went, this time towards Mike’s house so he could close out his miles.

When we were about to pass his house, I somehow talked Mike into keeping me company for two more miles, and we ran past his house and towards my parent’s, where they had left us a pair of water bottles. We plopped into the chairs in front of their house and recovered for a moment as we drank some water. Mike was 8 miles into what was gonna be “6 miles, max!” So when we got back on the road, we headed towards his house.

Mike got in 9 miles total, and I was at 7 when we parted ways – 5 miles left to complete my long run. I weaved a little as I went, so by the time I was near my house again I only had two miles to go. I was so ready to be done!

I made one final stop, a quick potty break, and then finished out my long run. It had a lot more breaks than I usually work for, but it was needed with the weather we were dealing with. I will not miss summer when fall rolls around!

When my run was done I took a well-earned shower, and then went back to my parents to hang out and relax. Eventually my Mom and I went shopping, and I picked up some things to decorate the house. Even though we moved back in January, it takes a long time to make everything feel “put together,” and I still have a long way to go.

I was thankful that I got though another week of training, and that I kept showing up for my runs.

Week 4: Thwarted by Humidity

I did not win the battle against my bed Monday morning. Or Tuesday morning for that matter. That’s a motivational way to start a blog post about marathon training, right?

We had a bit of a heat wave in New York during week 4 of marathon training, with the kind of humidity that makes you want to puke even on an easy run. Frankly, when I am lucky enough to have access to treadmills with fans or air conditioning in the vicinity, I am always going to choose the treadmill over the soupy, humid, outside.

Despite not running Monday morning, I did get my miles in Monday night. After work I headed right to my parents’ house so that I could multi-task, and get a run in on their treadmill (which is admittedly nicer than mine) and do a load of laundry. Even though Dennis and I have been in our house since January, and we physically have a washing machine, it is STILL not hooked up thanks to a drawn out battle with the seller, who was supposed to connect it before closing, and is still refusing to release escrow money since the task was not complete.

Once the laundry was going, I put together a nice stack of classes on the peloton tread.

When I was scrolling through run classes, I was seriously considering re-taking the RENT or Hamilton classes, but opted for a 45 minute “Broadway” class. Who do I need to petition to get a Little Shop of Horrors class series?

Even though it was an easy run day, I generally followed the instructors queues on when we were using an incline or picking up the pace a bit, I just made sure my average pace stayed within my goal range, and that my heart rate wasn’t going crazy for large chunks of time.

When I finished my run I stretched it all out, and then had some yummy pasta that my Dad had made for dinner. They laundry took longer than expected, so I stuck around and hung out with my family while I waited for it to finish.

The battle Tuesday morning was more of a mental one than anything else. After an anxious night of sleep I just felt crappy when my alarm went off. I went so far as to look at the weather, as I usually do as soon as I wake up to run, and with I saw it was hot and humid, it solidified my desire to stay in bed. Some mornings are just like that.

I dragged all day at work. It felt like my brain was in a fog, and I just couldn’t quite catch a groove. When I finally got home, I just wanted to lay down and be done with my day. But marathon training beckoned, and I at least had to try to answer the call. I changed into running clothes, and proceeded to spend the better part of the following hour not running. When Den started to cook dinner, I became aware that the time I had to dilly dally was limited, and made my way onto the treadmill. I put on some TV, and got moving. Predictably, I almost immediately felt better than I had all day.

The workout on tap was a set of six 800 m repeats, with a goal pace of 7:50. I warmed up for a mile, and then hopped off the treadmill for some dynamic stretches, which I am trying really hard to be better about actually doing. When I hopped back on the treadmill I did five twenty second strides, and then made my way into my repeats, which were just under 4 minutes each. Ever since my disastrous track morning during week 2 of training, I dread interval day each week… but honestly, I was almost enjoying it by the time I made it into the last repeats. There were moments I wanted to quit, but I made it through all 6 repeats, and even stuck to doing a cool down mile. I was really pleased with myself for getting this run done.

Since Wednesdays are my official “off” day according to this training plan, I usually sleep in and then head to my parents’ house after work to get in some strength training. But this week I did something exciting: I got back in the pool! I did get up early enough to squeeze in a 10 minute leg strength class before work, which isn’t much – but the class I selected turned out to be 10 minutes of weighted forward and reverse lunges. My legs were screaming by the end of it!

Pre-covid my pool time varied from three times a week to twice a month, depending on how much motivation I had (read as: depending on how many people I could rope into agreeing to swim with me in a given span of time). My friend Ken, who I met through the merrick bicycles tri team, has often kept me accountable with getting in the pool, but the last time we swam together was in March of 2020, pre-pandemic. This was also the last time I was in the pool.

We agreed to meet up at one of the outdoor public pools in our town and were slightly thwarted when I got to our first choice only to learn it was closed because they had to clean it after someone puked in the pool. Gross.

Luckily, our second choice was only 5 minutes away, and I got there to find it open, and with a 25 yard lane available, yay! I was really excited to swim again but was nervous that I would have lost all of my ability. But thankfully, it was just as blissful as I remember it to be. There is just something about mindless laps of the pool that really puts me in a good mood – I kind of find it meditative. Is there such a thing as a swimmers high?

Ken’s family had come to swim as well as we did our laps, and it was so cute that his wife and sons were there to cheer him on, even for weeknight laps. After 1,500 yards I called it a night, not wanting to overdo it my first time back in the pool.

If you are inclined to read more about multi-sport triathalon training, check out Ken’s blog at https://www.givinitatri.com/ - he is training for an Iron Man right now!

For the first time all week, I managed to get myself out of bed early enough to run before work – only to discover that my legs and glutes were DEAD from that teensy little 10 minute leg class that I had done on Wednesday morning. I was supposed to get in my tempo miles, but decided to just go for a few easy miles to get used to running on tired legs, and save the tempo run for Friday.

The weather was hot and humid, and it only got worse as more time passed outside. Ideally, I should have run 6 miles if I wanted to perfectly execute my training plan…. But instead I did 3. I slogged through these miles, listening to a podcast as I weaved around the neighborhood. As soon as I stopped moving at the end of the run, a river of sweat rolled into my eyes. Not sure where that was when I was running, but it was certainly waiting for me to stop moving long enough that I would notice. Before getting ready for work I did a core workout and a stretching class when I got home.

We had lots of thunderstorms on Thursday night, and when I woke up Friday morning it was still a little rainy. I got up early enough to run though and was hopeful that the storms would have broken the humidity and made the weather a little more tolerable. I was hoping to get in my weekly tempo run so I laced up and headed out to run – only to find that I was having a lot of trouble breathing. Even at an easy pace, I was panting. I checked my heart rate, and it was low – so not the culprit. I just could not catch my breath, and after a mile I called it. I returned home and used my inhaler. It helped a little, but I still felt like I was struggling.

It was crappy to feel that lousy after one mile. I felt like I had done something wrong. I spent my day working, and by 5:00 I was feeling normal again. Since the weather had cooled down and the rain had passed, I decided to give the run another go. I needed to head to my aunt and uncles house to help out with booking a vacation, so I figured I would run there, that way I could not easily quit after a mile.

I made sure to use my inhaler before starting, and committed to running a mile long warm-up, where I would not focus on my pace. To my surprise and delight, I felt great when I started running, and when the first mile buzzed on my watch, I was surprised to learn that I had dropped a 9:32? I wasn’t sure where it had come from but decided to at least try to get in my tempo run – the goal of which was 4 miles. I pushed to keep the pace just under 9 minutes, and just after passing the 4th total mile ran by my parents’ house, and made a quick pit stop to grap some water and chat for a minute. I know, I know – not the best idea to take a break during a tempo run… but I did.

After a few minutes, I got back on the road, and squeezed out one more speedy mile, totaling 6 miles for the day, 5 miles for that run, and 4 miles at “tempo” pace. I walked for a few minutes to cool down, and then took care of vacation bookings with my uncle.

The weekend called for two runs, both 8 miles long. It was rainy again on Saturday, and I listened to and watched the rain as I cleaned up the house on Saturday morning. I was figuring I would hop on the treadmill and get my miles in, but it occurred to me that at this point, I am training for races which will happen rain or shine – and it may benefit me to get some rainy miles under my belt.

So I got dressed, put on some body glide (ok, a LOT of body glide), grabbed a hat, and headed outside. I popped on a new episode of the ali on the run show and listened to her and Kara Goucher chat about the Olympic trials, and it was nice to feel like I had company as I made my way through eight very rainy miles. I tried to stay close to the house, just in case the storm got worse, so I looped through the same few blocks as I got more and more soaked by the rain. By the time I was finished my sneakers were soaked through, but there was a big smile on my face. I had forgotten just how much I love rainy runs, where the temperature is just warm enough that the rain feels refreshing. It was such a good feeling.

I got to have some of my best friends over after that, and it wound up being a great Saturday. We played some board games, ate lots of yummy snacks, and just all relaxed together.

Sunday was the 4th of July, and I upheld a 4 year strong tradition: Kayaking with my friend Jimmy. We started in 2018, and every year we have made it a point to head out together onto the water – it is one of my favorite traditions, and I look forward to it every year. This year Dennis joined us, and we headed to Lake Ronkonkoma. When we got there, we were warned by a local on the beach that the lake is cursed – nothing bad came of it, but it was interesting to google after. If you like ghost stories, it was a little bit eerie to read about after! We wound up spending two hours on the water, and we were pooped when we got home.

Den and I grabbed lunch on the way home, and I spent a few hours relaxing before heading out for my run. It was a stark contrast to the rainy run I went on the day before – the sun was high in the sky and it was humid out. I tried to just keep an even pace and get through the second eight mile run of the weekend. At just under two miles I stopped to do some warmup stretches and decided to grab a water bottle.

I opted for a handheld bottle over my hydration vest, because it was just easier to grab quickly – but it was much less comfortable than the vest. I spent the next few miles switching hands constantly but getting closer to the end of the humid miles. 

I was very happy when I got to the end of the last mile. It was a humid day, and even though I was tired when I started the run, I was so happy that I had gotten out there and ran anyway. Dennis and I closed out the weekend with celebratory burgers, and a nice night at home.

Week 3: When it's Humid, I head for the Treadmill.

 I was met by, as my dad says, Hot, Hazy, and Humid weather when I headed outside for my run on Monday morning. It was the end of June in New York, and the humidity was very much out to play. I managed to get out of the house before 7 am and worked my way through the 6 miles on my training schedule. The miles were difficult, and slow going, but I kept going even when I wanted to quit. I walked a little at the end of my miles to cool down, red faced and exhausted, but happy that my miles were finished for the day. I rounded out my day with some yoga that evening, so that my legs would feel fresh when I took on speedwork the following day.

When I had done speed work a week earlier, it was borderline a traumatic experience. I was DREADING another speedwork session. I told myself I was going to get up early to beat the heat, but then just could not get myself out of bed that morning. So, I packed a gym bag, and after work I headed to my parent’s house to get in my interval run on the treadmill. I was honestly worried about being able to hit the prescribed paces in the workout but figured that I had a better chance on the tread than I did outside.

My schedule called for 8 600m repeats, at a 7:50 pace. I took a warmup class, stretched, and then picked out a HIIT class from the peloton, so that the energy of the class would match my goals for the intervals I had on tap. I was skeptical the first time that I rolled the speed up to a 7:53, but managed to hang on for 600m. and after 400 m of recovery, I managed to do it again. It kept going like that – a slight disbelief, a hard effort, another interval checked off. At the end of the 45 minute class I was dripping with sweat, but only had one more interval to go! I popped on a 20 minute Pop Punk run, and made it through my last interval, and glided into a nice cooldown to finish off my run. This run was so welcome after the struggle that intervals had been the week before.

The next day I focused on strength training, and after work met up with Sophie to do a few peloton classes. We did an hour of strength training total, consisting of a 20 minute lower body resistance band class, a 20 minute strength for runners class, and a 20 minute core class. As we are early in our marathon training, we even did a nice 10 minute stretch to close things out. How many weeks do you reckon I will actually manage to keep up with strength training and stretching like this?

Thursday morning called for a 6 mile tempo run, which I knew I was not up for just yet. I planned to run in the morning and had to fight to get myself out of bed. I set a goal of trying to hit around a 9-minute mile for 3 miles, and planned to run 7 miles total, so at least I would get the full mileage that the training wanted, even if the paces were not perfect. I let myself take it easy the first mile so my body would have plenty of time to warmup, and then tried to take the pace down when I got into mile 2. I fought to get the pace to just under a 9 min/mi, and didn’t quite get there for mile 2 – but by the time I rolled into mile 3 I had found my stride, and managed to hang on to the pace for miles 3 and 4. I spent the last three miles slowing down and just getting the miles under foot. It was a hard run, but I was happy that I had dragged myself out of bed at the end of it.

On Saturday I had my first race since march of 2020 – the NYRR pride run! It was a freaking humid morning, so I had no plans to run at an all out pace, but I was excited for the “event” that is a race, at long last! Mike and Jude picked me up, and we headed into Manhattan together. We pre-reserved parking at a lot near Carson’s apartment, and met up with her before heading into central park. They had covid precautions in place, so they had asked runners to pick up their bibs in advance if possible, so Carson had gotten our bibs and shirts earlier that week.

NYRR had set up the race to have a “rolling” start, with different start times based off your pace, but we all decided to start at the later time, together. We headed into central park, checked our bags, and were able to run right up to the start line and begin our race without being packed into a corral. Carson and I stuck together as we made our way through central park. This year the race was a 6k, and when we got moving, I was pretty much immediately dripping with sweat. It was central park, so of course there were hills - first up were the three sisters, then we made our way around the south side of the park before going up Cat hill. It was nice to be running with Carson though, and we did all we could to make it through the miles without melting.

When the finish line was in sight, Carson picked up the pace to fly through the finish, and I matched her stride for stride – although had she gone much faster, I probably would have thrown up. They gave us ice pops as we left the finishers chute, which were so good in the heat. We waited for Mike and Jude at the finish line, and then found a restaurant that served crepes, and we each ordered a different type and shared them, as we caught up. It was a great morning in the city, and made me really miss the days of races!

My last run of the week was a long run of 10 miles. It was humid again on Sunday, so I decided to just take the run inside, and headed to my parent’s house to use their treadmill. I did my diligence with a warm-up stretch and a warm-up run, and then started with one of Bec’s 60 minute marathon race prep classes. When I made it through the hour long class, I was dripping with sweat. I sat down on the treadmill for a minute to catch my breath, and then got up and went into another class, a 20 minute rock run with Andy Speer. By the end of the second class, I was at just over 8 miles, and ready to be done with my treadmill run. I stalled for a few minutes, swapping a load of laundry, and then clicked into a class that I always enjoy, one of Chase Tucker’s 20 minute pop. It got me to pick up the pace a little and carried me through the 10 mile mark I was aiming for. I forced myself to stretch, and was glad that I was done with another week of training.

Week 2: The return of group runs!

Before I jump into how training went on week two, I want to make a few notes about how I am adapting the training plan from Hanson’s marathon method to match my fitness level at the start of this training cycle – since my Chicago registration happened a bit last minute, I signed up about 19 weeks before race day, which did not give me much time to ramp up my weekly training load. For most of 2021 I was averaging about 25 miles a week, but had been derailed for two weeks before training started, first when I threw out my back for a week, and then when my knee started acting up while on vacation.

I did not want to jump from 25 miles weeks to 35+ mile weeks, because I know from previous training that my body needs to ease into training load increases like that. So, while the Hanson’s plan calls for 6 days of running a week, for the few weeks I decided to cut one of the 6 mile “easy” runs down to 3 miles, and make one of the easy runs “optional,” depending on how I was feeling with the weeks training load. This would allow me to increase my mileage by about 10% per week, which I know is more my speed.

I also modified the tempo runs at the start of the program – Hanson’s marathon method training plan starts tempo runs at 6 miles., holds you there for three weeks, and then adds a mile and repeats that cycle. As I started this training plan, I was really only doing easy runs and 6 miles at my goal tempo pace did not seem attainable. As marathon training approached, I started throwing in a mile at a sub-9 pace during these runs, so that I could start to get the feel for running fast (for me) again. When my training plan called for me to start adding tempo runs on week three, I decided to start them up with a two mile “tempo” effort, and then bring them up by a mile each week, rather than pushing for a fitness level that I just was not at. Since the whole tempo run was mean to be 6+ miles, I tried to keep the mileage at the right amount, just with a slower pace for some of the miles, so that I could focus on building up the load before adding speed.

These may seem like big modifications, but I felt like they were necessary if I wanted to ease into this training plan and not wind up injured. As I get deeper into training and I gain fitness, I hope to ramp up the training back to the full schedule. Could I just opt for one of the “lighter” Hanson’s plans? Sure. But I would really like to hit my “sub-4” marathon goal, and I think this plan gives me the best chance at that.

So, without further ado – onto week 2!

I opted to sleep in on Monday morning, and figured that I would get in some miles after work. When I got outside I somehow settled into a decent pace, and actually felt really good with. It was one of those runs where it just felt like things were flowing, and when I returned home I had a full blown glazed doughnut look going. It was a short run – just a 5k, but it was a reassuring reminder that there are days that running really feels good. Nothing like a run that leaves a smile on your face to start the week.

The next morning was not as magical – in fact, I kinda wanted to throw the whole marathon training plans into the trash. It was meant to be the first speedwork session of this training cycle – my calendar told me that the goal was twelve 400m repeats, at a 7:50 pace, with a 400m recovery between each effort.

It was a humid morning. I got through the warmup mile with no issue, and then hopped into pushing the pace for the first interval. I went a little too fast on the first one, and had to remind myself to reel it in – there were a lot of repeats ahead of me. The second one didn’t feel as good as the first, and by the end of it I felt like I was going to puke. That was promising.

I took my recoveries as needed, made pit stops for water during the rest intervals, and I honestly wanted to quit. I told myself to just make it to six repeats. I could quit after six repeats if I really needed to. I got to six repeats, and I told myself I would make it to eight. It wasn’t too many more than six – even if I needed to slow down the pace, I would make it to eight.

My recoveries turned into walks more than jogs, and there was a lot of self-encouragement happening. I knew that I could decide to quit and try the workout again on another day. But I was so close to finishing the workout – if it was a friend struggling through their workout, I would encourage them to do what they could. The intervals slowed down, hitting in the low 8s instead of the high 7s like they should. But I got through 12 of them and was elated that the workout was DONE. It wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t quit.

After a hard Tuesday, I was happy that Wednesday was a rest day. I needed time to mentally recover from Tuesday’s workout as much as I needed to physically recover. I took my day off from running but did complete an hour long strength session to check off a cross training session from my weekly goals. I created a nice strength stack with peloton, and worked my way through a strength for runners class, some core work, and some total body workouts.

Thursday meant another quality run on my calendar – this time the first tempo run. While the schedule said I should be doing 6 miles at an 8:58 pace, I set my goal for two miles at that pace, sandwiched between a two mile warm up and a two mile cool down. By some small miracle, I even managed to get up early enough that I got out to run before work. It was under 60 degrees outside, and it was a comfortably hard run. I struggled to get the pace under 9 minutes for those two “tempo” miles, but did my best to work towards the pace goal. I was happy with my overall effort at the end of the run. I was a little discouraged that two miles felt so hard, but I am trying to trust the process and choosing to believe that my fitness will catch up with my goals, eventually.

The end of the week brought another no-run day for me, and an hour long strength stack. I like to start with a “strength for runners” class, and then make my way through other muscle groups. I sometimes dread strength training, or worry that it will make my runs harder, but I know that I need to take time to focus on it so that I can support my body as much as possible.

I just could not get my body moving on Saturday morning, and decided to commit to a treadmill run – since I had the time I headed over to my parents house so I could run on the peloton tread. I set up a stack of classes, since I wanted to total 6 for the day, starting with a warm-up class, then a 45 minute endurance run with Becs, and a 20 minute fun run with Matty.

The endurance run had a surprising number of hills sprinkled in, and at times I felt like I was just trying to hang on as I moved through the miles. I know that hills are important though, and that even though I didn’t always want to listen to the incline instructions, I clicked up as they directed, and made my way through the treadmill “hills.”

Now Sunday, Sunday was a great day. After a long year apart from the Merrick Bicycles tri team, I finally got myself up and out for a group run! Was I a little late? Yes. But thankfully Katie and Michal were nice enough to wait for me.

We made our way through the rolling hills on the Bethpage bike trail, and were grateful for every bit of shade that the trees were willing to give us. We ran a total of 7 miles together, swapping stories and comparing fueling plans as we ran. When we stopped to stretch at the end of the run, another group of runners from the tri team found us, and since they had a few more miles to run, I decided to join them for their last 3 miles so I could get up to 10 total… because I really thought that I was supposed to run 10 miles that day. It wasn’t until I got home and checked my schedule that I learned I only needed to run 8…. Whoops!

The last three miles were somewhat strenuous, but I talked with Rob and Laura about their training goals – an Ironman and a ultra marathon! Makes my fall plans feel like chump change, but I love hearing about how people prepare for these big challenges!

All in all week two felt pretty solid, even if the summer humidity started to rear its ugly head. I was discouraged early in the week after a tough interval workout, but was so happy to finally make it to a group run again, and I hope that I can make it to more this summer!