20 Miles....DONE.

So despite the simple fact that I haven't run a long run past 15 miles or so (my 16 ended at 15 miles...mile 18 miler also ended unceremoniously at 15), it was clear to me that I MUST get in that 20 miles. Right before that disastrous half marathon two weeks ago, I decided to sign up for CARA's Ready to Run 20-Miler supported training run, because I've run 20 miles by myself before, and I didn't want to do it again. I signed up 8 days before the run. 2 days later I thought to myself "what's that scratchiness in my throat?" and then I didn't run again for 10 days. Sigh. So while everyone else is reveling in their marathon taper, I still had work to do.

Scenario: Taking Friday off anyway, b/c the kindergartner has the day off from school. Leave extra early and start off in the dark, hubby will watch the cherub until I get back.

Truth: Middle of the night my 3 year old wakes me up and asks me if she can have some tacos. True story. She cries herself to sleep when I tell her not right now. After over an hour of pleading and crying and whining and trying to go back to sleep. (Her, not me...well, I did try to go back to sleep.)

My alarm goes off at 5am but I don't hear it. At 5:40 I wake up and try to reason with myself why I should just put off the run until Saturday...but no. The prep involved for a 20-mile run is stressful enough, so I just decided to get up. Alas, the prep work was not enough. WHERE ARE MY SOCKS???? Because I was pretty tired still, it took me nearly an hour to get out the door, including two tries at socks, because when I finally went up the creaky stairs (worried that it'd wake up the girls) I GRABBED MY HUSBAND'S ALL COTTON SOCKS ON ACCIDENT. WHY ARE HIS SOCKS MIXED UP WITH MINE?!?! Two trips up the creaky stairs!

So I get out to the lakefront, this time from 31st Street Beach, and the sun is already peaking over the horizon. :( I eventually start running, with my new iPod in tow. (Yes! I got a new iPod. My old shuffle died, I THINK that morning I ran in the pouring rain. I don't know why I didn't think about that more. I'll have to post about the whole iPod saga later...)

Miles 1 through 4.5
From the very start of my run, my nose instantly started running. My short sleeve shirt became a necessity. Throughout the ENTIRE run, I was blowing my nose into my sleeves. As I explained to my husband later, "I don't do snot rockets." Anyway, right around 2.5 miles, I started coughing like crazy!!! But I kept going. The coughing last intermittently for about 2 miles, but never enough to make me stop. It was just annoying. At one point I had to spit out some stuff, just in time for some guy to pass me by. I wonder what he was thinking, I'm sure the whole scene was disgusting.

Mile 4.5 through 10
Right at Mile 4.5, I was at Ohio Street Beach, where there is a drinking fountain. I decided to take a Gu here. As I enjoyed the scenery for a minute (beach, tall buildings, cars on Lake Shore Drive zooming by, I decided maybe I will take a few pictures during my run with my cell phone camera. Leaving the water fountain I got my first opportunity for a picture. (See pictures at the bottom of this post.)

Along these miles, I decided to take the eastern side of the path that stays right next to the lake, instead of the route I'm more familiar with, which crosses over the Drive at North Avenue, and winds through Lincoln Park. It was beautiful out, and I found myself looking down at my Garmin at the 10 Mile mark right near Wilson Avenue. That's 4800 North (and I started at 3100 South.) Whew. So I stopped at a park district bathroom, took a short break and there...and as far as public bathrooms, this one was pretty nice. I decided to take another Gu, and then also decided to "mix up" some more Gatorade. HUH, you ask? Yes, in the FIND OF THE CENTURY, I found some Gatorade Mix, NOT in the hideous lemon lime flavor, but in my favorite Riptide Rush flavor. So I mixed up three 8 ounce bottles. While it was cool to be able to do this, I will never do it in a race, and maybe never again in a training run. It took FOREVER b/c I was worried about spilling the granules, it took like 10 minutes for my whole break. Ridiculous! So finally, I was on my way back south. The first 10 miles were fairly, uh, "easy" (it's all relative). So what's 10 more? Let me say here that I was so glad to go out 10 miles, b/c it FORCED me to do 20 miles, one way or the other. I was worried that if I went less, and told myself that when I got back to my starting point, that I'd run the other way for the remainder of my miles, well, that my resolve would fade during the later miles. I know myself all too well. So an "out and back" run this would be.

Miles 10 thru 17
Terrible. I was beat. Famished. Miles 10 thru about 13.5, I walked once each mile, for about 2 minutes at a time. My goal was to just keep going...each step is a step closer to 20 miles. For the entire stretch along between Oak Street and Ohio Street Beaches, I WALKED..and up under the bridge, too. (That was about a mile and some change of straight walking. At 15 miles, my left hamstring and my right...I dunno, achilles, maybe? They started siezing up, like clenching fists. I've had this happen before, on a 20 mile run and an 18 mile run, but never this early in the run, usually towards the end. Ah...the lack of training, catching up with me. But I got myself together and run-walked, shuffling along, muscles siezing every few minutes or so.

Miles 17 thru 20
So I'm downtown again. Just 3 miles left. You can do this. (As I calculated in my head how long it would take "on-pace", for which I hadn't been on for quite some time now, and how long if I just walked it in.) I kept shuffling along, run some, walk a bit, run, shuffle, OUCH, run, shuffle, OUCH. Downtown and heading south there was some kind of benefit walk, I saw all these people in their cotton t-shirts, half of them complaining about how long the walk is. Hhmph. BTW, there were some interesting snippets of conversations I heard throughout my run, when I didn't have my iPod on:

"I wonder if Miles has a pre-nup." Two cyclists riding by.

"Margaret is the worst commander ever, she's incompetent." Two cops riding by on bikes.

"He's a filthy beast! I hate him." Two chicks walking by.

Anyway, during the last mile, I couldn't help but mentally calculate how long it would take me to complete an additional 6.2 miles on marathon day.

Overall, the run was not pretty, but I got it done. And while it would be easy to say "how on earth will I run another 6 miles on top of this," the point is that I will. When I ran that terrible half marathon the other day, I remember thinking "how on earth will I run another 7 miles on top of this for the 20-miler?"

The answer is: ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER.

And now, bring on the taper and obsessive checking of the 15-day weather forecast on accuweather.com. Because really, can we really have THREE marathons in a row where October weather hits the upper 80's? I'm going to look fate dead in the eye and say "I THINK NOT!"


p.s. I had just ONE bad cramp later in the afternoon. Just one. So I guess I hydrated well and ate enough afterwards. This has been a problem in the past.

p.p.s. I didn't eat more than I usually would during the day. But dinner? Dinner on a 20-mile kind of day: 5 tacos that included a total of about 7 or 8 ounces of meat, probably an ounce of cheese per taco, fresh garden tomatoes, spinach (try it!), two whole avocados (I kid you not) mashed up into my own homeade guacamole and.....in an ode to my dad, HEINZ KETCHUP, not taco sauce. And a banana and two Suzy Q's for dessert. I know, that's probably not a good dessert. But, in a small victory, I did NOT get up and get a Suzy Q in the middle of the night, even though they kept calling my name from the pantry all night.

Run #87 Chicago Marathon Non-Race Report

Date: October 12th, joined Lou between Miles 18 & 19, Ashland Avenue at 14th Street; temp somewhere above 80. (But not as hot as last year, whew!)
Time: Sometime after 12:30pm
Mileage: 7.72 (according to Garmin)
Time It Took: Lou's Support...that was all that mattered.
Pace: Lou's Pace...that was all that mattered.
Miles This Week: 10.82 (really Lindy? pathetic!)
MIles This Month: 10.82
2008 Goal: 499.72

Thoughts/Comments: So as you all know, I decided that if I couldn't run the marathon, I'd do my best to run with Lou. Here's how my day went: Left house like I was on a stealth bomber spy mission, sneaking out so as not to wake up the girls.

Race Start
My friend Rabiya (visiting from NYC) and I took the train downtown and met my friend, co-worker and fellow runner to stand on one of the bridges just past the start line to cheer runners on and hold signs. Specifically, I was looking for my pasta party invitees and friends: Annah, Lou, Sheena, Melba, and Anne. We watched the wheelchair athletes start off first, followed by the elite runners, and finally everone else. I was proud that our signs kicked the butts of all other signs out there. No white posterboards for us! We had these flourescent orange, yellow and green ones that were extremely visible. Amidst the thousands of runners, I was able to pick out Annah, who was happy to see my bright orange neon sign. Note to non-runners: one of the coolest things about the Chicago Marathon is the loud, supportive crowds.

We've Only Just Begun
On our way back over to State Street to catch the Red Line back home, we watched runners at around Mile 2 (and listened to Nicole complain about not being able to buy her CTA day-pass. ALRIGHT ALREADY!). I saw Sheena and we cheered and she waved....saw Lou who ran right past me and I screamed my head off and almost tripped my way into the crowd. Her iPod must have been playing her favorite song, and I knew she wasn't looking for me at that point in the race. :( I even saw another friend from my undergrad days. I mean, in a race of 45,000 people, it's kinda odd to run into so many people you know.

The Beat Goes On
So then Rabiya and I headed back south. I got home, packaged and tied ribbons on 50 cookies, put on my race gear, delivered said cookies, and headed back to meet Lou. She would occasionally text me to tell me where she was.

So I get over to Ashland Avenue at 14th Street between Miles 18 and 19, and I notice a few things as I'm standing out waiting for Lou: 1) Wow, it's hot out here! 2) Oh...I've been so busy I forgot to eat anything! 3) There are hardly any people in this section because for about 6 blocks they have half of the street open. 4) People are wondering why in the heck this crazy chic is putting on a race bib at Mile 18, carrying a plastic grocery bag. (that would be me) 5) I cheered runners on, and the ones who looked at me funny can wonder about me in their blogs today.

Here Comes Lou!
Lou was delivered to me by her friend Liz, who ran with her for about 4 miles leading up to this point. Fully engrossed in my race support role, I've got pretzels, rapid release Tylenol, gatorade, bottled water, sunscreen and extra gu if necessary. I'd like to think I was a sight for sore eyes...and calves, quads and hammies...So we start running. She was awesome...we walked a bit, then ran. And did this for quite awhile.

The Course and the Crowd and Stuff
So we went thru Pilsen, which I was really anxious for. Pilsen is "the Heart of Mexico in Chicago" (so read the banner) and as soon as we turned onto 18th Street, there were DJs playing house music that took me back to high school days. There were a few dancers, and little kids yelling Si su pueda! Yes You Can! It was great! Loved it! The smell of tacos and other ethnic food-fare filled the air, and the smell of food wasn't all that annoying as it can be when running.
So we leave Pilsen and hit this boring, hot industrial stretch. We're chatting some, walking some. Lou tells me we need to be on the lookout for "@" (Angela.) On Archer Avenue, there she is with pretzels, Smart Water and other stuff. We talked to her for a bit and then went on our merry way! @ ran her first distance race back in May at the Soldier Field 10, and whooped both me and Lou!

Up next? Chinatown! ANother neighborhood I was looking forward to, but this didn't live up to its reputation. Maybe because we were some 5 hours into the race and it was over 80 degrees, I dunno. But here we saw Lou's mom, but we stopped like two seconds and kept going. Off to the right I saw this chic on the ground, she looked like she had passed out, fell and hit her head. She was bleeding and some paramedics were wrapping her head in gauze and holding her head up some. I recognized her as someone I had cheered on, I remembered that bright green shirt. :( I don't know if Lou really saw it or not, she didn't say much, and it was loud still (from the music/crowds/etc), so we just kept going. Another dull stretch underneath the Dan Ryan, but it was some welcomed shade. Also, I know this part of the course well, and knew that we'd be turning up ahead a few times and then in the home stretch back up north to the finish line. Right before we turned onto 33rd Street, there were these big Nike signs up that said "Leave Your Old Self Behind" and then there was this big Jumbotron screen that was showing runners going by. Lou and I were quite pleased that we didn't look like total morons. Lou said she looked pretty good at Mile 22 (she did), and I said I looked good for 22 also (HAHAHAHAHA....ok, not funny.)

In the Mean Time
So the miles seem to be flying by. I don't know if it felt that way to Lou, but I was quite surprised as they popped up. I kept looking at my Garmin to double-check...and SHO NUFF, it was on point. All the while, whenever we are taking walking breaks, I'm texting Meg, our other running buddy from last year's CES training group. She JUST finished therapy for her torn ACL (yes, we were a sickly bunch this year), and was planning on running in the last mile. She too had a bib and had planned on running the race. Anyway, at some point she decides to walk back to Mile 24. I found this to be kinda funny because that is the EXACT same thing she did for me in Cincy...waited and waited at 25, and had enough time to walk back to 24!

The Home Stretch
Lou's ankle was really bothering her at this point. We did lots of walk-running, and she perservered. She was overly worried about finishing before the course closed. Now I kept reassuring her we were fine even if we walked the whole thing in. There was Meg up ahead and she reassured her, but Lou was PAST tired and bordering on delusional (in a most understandable "I've run 24 miles" kinda way) at this point, so she kept wondering out loud. A little while later, two more friends of Lou's joined us and stuck around till shortly before the finish line (they didn't have race bibs.) We were all surrounding her and cheering her on. It was a running entourage, and it was lots of fun!

So with her ankle hurting immensely, we walked from an aid station to up ahead where we could see the "1 Mile Left" sign. And then we ran it in. As we turned the corner on Roosevelt and went up Chicago's version of a hill, Meg and I were cheering Lou on and she was getting all misty-eyed and had a look on her face like "OH CRAP I'M ABOUT TO FINISH." Just before the finish line, she took off in a sprint and crossed! YAY!!!! Meg and I crossed behind her. It was exciting and although I thought I might feel weird about "finishing" after what happened last year, I wasn't. However, it was the best NON RACE, 7+ mile run I've ever had!
So Lou went off to the Medic tent to see about her ankle--it seems to be ok, they recommended ice. And I went off to journey to my car.

Post Race
With my bib and "fake medal" (that I DID pay for), I must have walked a half mile to the train, and then another mile back to my car b/c there wasn't a bus in sight. I gave the girls my medal to add to their toys. Later at night, I realized I hadn't had enough water and electrolytes, b/c horrible debilitating cramps hit me as I was lying on the floor. I nearly fainted when I tried to reach for my water bottle. I had Rabiya fetch me some salt. I mean, it's not funny, but it kinda is. Especially since I only ran a few miles, LOL! Last year that only happened once, and that was after my 20 mile run.

Anyhoo, this post is entirely too long anyway, but that is my Non-Race Report for this year's Chicago Marathon. Next year should be back to the real deal. I don't plan on any marathons before then, just halfs and other smaller races. Remind me of that if I suggest anything else, friends. The goal in sight is the CHICAGO Marathon. Not just any marathon.

Run #4 Group Run with NO GROUP!

Date/Time: Jan 5 at about 7:45am after larger training team meeting
Weather: 35 degrees and windy-NICE!
Mileage: 8 miles
Time It Took: 1:36:13
Pace: 12:01
Miles this week: 18
Miles this month: 18
2008 Goal: 18/1000

Thoughts/Comments: My group of 12:00 minute milers has been small to begin with, a few people trying the 11:30 group, and others trying the 12:00 and 12:30 5/1 run/walk group...but this week, I knew that two others might not be coming, due to post holiday commitments. I brought along my iPod just in case. Well neither were there, so I started out with the 11:30's. About a half mile in, and noticing they were going at a 12:00, I decided to move ahead and see what I could do for the day. I came across the 11:00 group and ran with them awhile. Their pace leader has a cool English accent that I enjoyed for awhile. I dropped back a bit to listen to my iPod. That lasted about 2 miles before I didn't feel like listening to it. I've gotten used to listening to the sound of the lakefront instead of music on Saturdays, fancy that.

At about the halfway point, I stopped and had a GU and kept rolling. I was starting to feel really tired, and I'm not sure if it was starting out fast, my legs not being as fresh from the slight jump in mileage (haven't run more than 12-14 miles/week since October), not sure....so I took a few walking breaks to drink Gatorade and stuff.

Mentally I was just not there either. I kept thinking, how the heck am I gonna train by myself for Cincinnati? Who the heck do I think I am to try and run a marathon? Maybe I should stick to half marathons. I guess we all have days like this as runners. Sometimes its hard to just think about the task at hand. And really, that's the whole point of marathon training...no, I probably shouldn't try to run a marathon TODAY or TOMORROW. But with good preparation and training, I can. Sigh. Today is a rest day and then off to week #2 in January. My goal for this week is 16-18 miles, which will require a longer midweek run since my last run for Winter Warriors next Saturday is only 6 miles.

Toodles!

p.s. Between Christmas and New Year's, I ate like you might imagine a rescued castaway would, big quantities, fast, a little of everything....I KNEW I was going to gain weight, and I went to my WW meeting anyway to weigh in. I figured if I "let myself off the hook" by not seeing the numbers, I might continue the tailspin.

p.p.s. I've been subject to horrible cramping in the past, see here and here from my old blog, if you care to read it-kinda long. Late last night those same cramps hit me BAD. I had my cell phone next to me, so I called dear hubby and asked him to bring me some water and some salt. Dummy! (me, not him!) Then I realized, after I ran, I didn't drink or eat until like NOON b/c I went to WW, then came home, then took a really long bath, then got the girls dressed who were still in their p.j.'s, then got them lunch, and THEN I ate. And then I hardly drank anything for the rest of the day, which is unusual. Not even my beloved diet pepsi. Live and learn. And keep learning.