Boston Marathon Training: The 18 Mile Road to Recovery!

I was instructed by Shaun that I better not fluff this week's blog with smiles and lines like "Oh, yes 18 miles done and feeling GREAT!". He mentioned this as I was immobile on the couch with a bottle of gatorade wrapped in my hands like a teddy bear, a bottle of ibuprofin and icy hot strewn about the room. Damn him for calling me out!

So yes, 18 miles DONE. And, let's be clear..it was not an easy 18. However, I AM feeling great and psyched that the marathon is only 4 weeks away!

This weekend, I decided to do the long run on Saturday morning with my friend and client, Kerry, who is also running Boston. I usually run on Sundays, but the forecast did not look good for Sunday and there was no way I was going run in flash flood conditions. Therefore, I woke up Saturday morning at 6 am, lubed up the feet, filled the feul belt and headed to FitCorp. FitCorp organizes group runs every Saturday morning for Boston Charity runners, and on this rainy Saturday, about 50 runners came ready to brave the windy, wet roads.

We started at 8am downtown at One Beacon Street, and ran 9 miles out to Newton and back, hitting Heartbreak Hill on the second half, just in time for the rain to pick up. Kerry and I chatted for the first 10 miles and I was feeling strong until about mile 15. The wind was wipping and we were soaked. The hills rolled on, and although I was running stronger than last week, I could tell my heart was breaking...more mentally than physically (obviously). I was honestly ready to be done with the rain and done with the run.

At one point, I was running alone and feeling the mental pain so much that I literally said outloud to myself "C'mon NAT - GO!". It worked for a while (and so did the Billy Joel song "Second Wind" that randomly started playing on my iPod) until the last few miles. Around mile 16, my hip decided to cease up. I felt like I ran the last leg on one leg (pun intended). But I finished, and Shaun picked me up at 11 am soggy and sweaty, but accomplished.

I know I sound a bit negative, but honestly, I really enjoyed the run despite the part about the rain and the minor hip issue. I LOVED it actually. There is nothing more exhilirating than knowing you're up at the ass crack of dawn to push yourself past your mental and physical limits. Not to mention, doing it for someone I care so much about and a cause like Melanoma makes it all worth it.

So it goes, I spent my entire Saturday afternoon stretching my hip, foam rolling and sleeping. By Saturday night I was feeling great (SEE SHAUN, I was feeling GREAT!!) and we headed out for a delicious dinner at the bar at Chez Henri. After a run like that, the.wine.was.awesome. =)

And thus, Sunday started my road to recovery. I headed to Baptiste Yoga to get some healing heat into my crampy hip. Then, I got a lower body massage from my favorite girl at Healthworks, Michelle B. As a runner, I recommend yoga and massage for anyone doing long distances. Massages used to be considered a luxury for me, but have now turned into a necessity.

I am a feeling great today and happy that I have only one long run (The big 2-O!!) in a few weeks. I can't believe it is almost here. The training has seemed quick, but the running community and support from everyone has made it easier. A big thank you to the people that came out on Saturday and gave us gatorade and jellie bellies on the route - I assume you were much colder and wetter than we were!

Boston Marathon Training: Paranoia Paranoia!

Those of you who've run long distances before know this is just about the time when race day paranoia sets in. With just over a month to go before the marathon, I need to make sure everything feels ok. So, today, it took me forever to get ready for my 16 mile run. Here's why: (with peak into my psychotic brain):

1. Clothing Catastrophe: "It's 50 degrees -yay!. But, if I wear shorts, I can't wear my ankle brace because then it's going to rub for 2 hours and slash my shins open. But if I wear pants, I'll collapse of heat exhaustion!" Solution: Capri pants, no brace.

2. Ankle Brace Dilema: "If I don't wear my ankle brace, what if I step on a rock and I re-sprain my ankle??!". Solution: Chucked the brace,since I've already been doing short runs without it and I won't want to wear it on race day either..Ankle feels fine!

3. Blister-tastic Trauma: "I should probably rub my feet with a pound of petroleum jelly AND Aquaphor, because it's really hot out." Solution: Took 20 minutes to slather my feet, and still got some blisters. Dang it!

4. Ga Ga for Gu: "Crap, I only have one Gu packet left, and City Sports doesn't open until 11 am!" Solution: Frantically checked 2 stores before asking some runners on the race route for the nearest sports store. Lucky for me, one of the guys had an extra Tri-berry, and hooked me up. How's that for good kharma?

5. Music Mania: "I hate the songs on my ipod. Maybe Shaun will let me use his. Wait, maybe I can just download 10 new ones to get me revved up! Wait, what? iTunes is undergoing an error today?! When does that EVER happen?". SOLUTION: I borrowed Shaun's ipod and asked him what to listen to, specifically something "Cheerful", and he replied easily "Vampire Weekend." Done and done.


All in all, the 16 miles went incredibly well, considering how nervous I was in the morning. I finished at about a 9:00 min mile pace and had no problem with the hills (I thank training in Vermont for this!). The sunshine seemed to melt away my paranoia throughout the run, and the Gu gesture from a fellow runner really made me happy.

However, by mile 14 I was unusually dehydrated and my body ached. Next time, I'm bringing more water in my Fuel Belt... Next week, add "WATER PARANOIA" to the growing list! Oh well, 18, here we come!

ps- One thing NOT to be paranoid about? Raising enough money for the Melanoma foundation! So far, we've raised over $13,000! Let's go for $15,000! Thanks for all of your support =)

Boston Marathon Training: Mardi Gras and Mountain Views

Here's one awesome thing about running: you can do it anywhere. So I had no promblemo accepting the invite for our annual ladies weekend at Tara's new house in Williston, Vermont! Williston is about 15 minutes from Burlington (which happens to be the healthiest city in the country and one of my favorite places, ever!)..Did I also mention it just so happened to be Mardi Gras weekend in Burlington? Oh, the beauty of marathon training ANYWHERE =)

The ladies started the weekend off with some serious Mimosa's on Saturday morning. And yes, I had one! I am not a big drinker anymore, and tend to take it down during my marathon training, but, one was fine! Especially considering I wouldn't be running 12 miles until Sunday...

One mimosa later, we headed to the Mardis Gras parade dressed in our yellow, green and purple feathered garb. Our favorite float? The Where's Waldo crew. You may not have been able to find Waldo, but you could certainly recognize our crazy crew!

At night, we hit Nectar's, where I enjoyed one Vodka Soda for BP, and then retired to water. Twelve miles never feels good with a hangover!

That's why it was easy to wake up bright and early Sunday morning to run. This week was a lower mileage week, to prep for my 15 miler next week. On this fine day, the sun was shining, the weather was 40 degrees and I had my route all picked out. Williston has some great bike paths, open roads and amazing homes to look at. I was also lucky enough to climb atleast 3 miles of hills and see some sweet mountain views. And just as I rounded the 10 mile mark, panting up one of the hardest hills I've climbed in a while I saw Mt. Mansfield ahead of me and went to grab my camera for your viewing pleasure.. And right there, my camera died. Oh well, I guess you had to be there =)

And of course, what weekend would be complete without the foam roller?


A big thanks to my girls for an awesome weekend, and a yummy pancake breakfast when I got back from my run!! Couldn't have asked for a better weekend <3