My run spot.

Yep. It’s official. I’m running another marathon in 16 days. 

Some things to consider - rest, recovery, and taper properly for another race. 

Rest - they say that after running a marathon, you should take as many rest days as necessary until you no longer feel any muscle soreness before running at all. I am almost there - Soreness was at a peak on Wednesday morning (48 hours post race), and am starting to feel much looser today. Things that can help with recovery time include ice bathing or massage (within 48 hours) and then heat and stretching until muscles have recovered.

Recovery - this is all about getting enough sleep, the proper nutrients and the right amount of physical activity to get your energy back to normal. Since Monday, I have been sleeping 9+ hours each night, so clearly my body is still tired from the race. There is no remedy for sleep and proper nutrition - so this is the time to eat plenty of lean protein to help repair muscle tissues and get enough sleep to give the body time to heal. I plan on sticking to cross training (lots of yoga and cycling) instead of running to give my joints the time to heal properly.

Taper - since Boston was practically a training run (I ran a 4:04 instead of a predicted 3:30), I plan on using it as a training run. After taking one week off to let my body rest and recover from the race, I will pick up where I left off. If using a marathon as a training run, runners should not build on this distance - only to taper from there. So, with three weeks to go, that means a half marathon distance (21k)  two weeks out and a 10 miler the weekend before the race.

This will be quite the experience! 

I did it - marathon one for 2012 is under my belt. And it was a killer one too - 26.2 miles in 89 degree weather - the running was the least of my worries on race day.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was my slowest marathon EVER (slower than that time I ran a marathon without training). But on Monday, my goal wasn’t to run a 3:30 anymore. It was to cross the finish.

The Boston Marathon is an unbelievable experience. The race is incredibly well organized, from the race expo to the finish line. There are volunteers everywhere to help you along the way if you have any questions or concerns. It is truly an experience that I would recommend to all runners. 

What makes it so great, however, are the people along the route. Everywhere we ran - from Hopkinton, to Newton, to Ashland, to Boston - there were thousands of people setting up shop in front of their businesses and their homes to offer the hot runners water, ice, snacks, orange slices, you name it. All out of their own pockets. Since Patriot’s day is a holiday in Boston each year, it is a tradition in Boston that the residents get together to cheer on the marathoners along the course.

This year, I believe they were one of the main reasons why so many runners finished. Even with water and gatorade at every mile on the course, the people of Boston stepped up to plate and helped us out, out there. 

All that to say, the Boston Marathon organizers had quite the challenge to deal with this year. But, all things considered, they still were able to deliver. So kudos. Thank you, Boston.

Next stop, NYC Marathon. :)

I can’t believe I’m here. Writing probably one of my last blog posts before I run the Boston Marathon. I’ve failed miserably in the last few months at keeping my blog up to date for various different reasons, but I’m glad that I’m taking the time to write about my journey before I compete on Monday morning.

The training for this race has been the most challenging yet. I went through ups and downs in terms of motivation and dedication to my training throughout the last four months. I trained with a group some weeks and did some 30k runs on my own on other weeks. I skipped some track workouts because I didn’t feel up for them, and raced a couple killer half marathons just to give myself the confidence that I still had it in me. But overall, I have to say that my only disappointment is that I didn’t share any of that with other runners. It’s human nature to fall on and off the wagon - and apparently even when you have a life changing race up ahead, you still veer off to the side a bit at times.

I’m trained. My body is rested. I’ve done all the runs I’ve needed to do. And I’m going in to the Boston Marathon start line knowing that I can trust myself to finish strong. 

HOLY CRAP. I’m doing it! 

xo.

Throughout my race yesterday, I realized that I was running pretty hard, but definitely didn’t expect to feel like I got run over by a bus when I woke up this morning. 

I did. I felt like I got run over by a bus when I rolled out of bed this morning.

My legs hurt. My abs hurt. My back hurts. My brain hurts. 

It’s pretty standard to be sore after race day. Here’s why:

What I’m experiencing is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness - or DOMS for short. DOMS is soreness experienced 12-48 hours post exercise (I’m usually most sore about 36 hours following events). The soreness is a product of various chemicals that are released within the muscle cell (due to muscle breakdown), and these products stimulate the nerve endings within the muscle (which is what produces the pain). 

They say muscle breakdown is at its peak 48 hours post exercise - therefore the accumulation of repair/damage fluids within the muscle only stops after this period. The pain is a combination of damage and pressure caused by the extra fluids within the muscle that stimulate the nerve endings.

How to reduce the effects of DOMS:

1. Ice Bathe post exercise. This will help reduce the inflammation as well as help flush some of the fluids out of your muscles.

2. Massage. I use my trusty foam roller and get some circulation going in the affected areas. It’s painful, but worth it. 

3. Get moving! As long as you are not injured, exercise can be beneficial. Low intensity, no impact activities (such as cycling or swimming) can do wonders to help get the blood to flow back in those legs. 

Happy Valentine’s Day :)

So it’s been a while - I know. (Oh goodness, I’m talking to my blog..) I have been working on one post that I’ve really wanted to put up for about 10 days now, but haven’t gotten around to it. I will have it up before end of day tomorrow. 

So far, Boston training is going really well. I’m currently on week 6 and have been building at the rate of 10% (in total weekly volume) each week since Christmas. Highlight of my training was a half marathon that I completed today. Second best time in a half marathon ever, so I can’t complain. Finished in 1:36:42.  

Many marathon training programs will advocate to have 10k and half marathon races throughout the training. Some benefits of racing during your training can include:

- Adrenaline fueled Fartlek: Race day and training days are not the same. Why? Adrenaline. Excitement. People. Cute running outfits. Yes, you can run Fartlek on your own without paying for a race - fair. (For info on what’s a Fartlek, check this out). BUT, on a regular training run it is much easier to take a break/give up/not push as hard as you’d like than during a race. Plus, adrenaline pushes you to run faster than you’re typically used to and it is important to know how to control this. Only racing will help with this.

- Race pace training: It is important to know your goal pace and to be able to stick to it. Having a plan and achieving a goal time (on any distance) can be challenging, and practicing this will help you on race day.

- Plan testing: Not sure what to eat before race day? Have a specific eating/drinking ritual throughout your run that you want to use on your goal race? New tee? Playlist? This is a great time to test these things out without feeling the pressure of your goal race. 

- Dodging crowds: One thing you never experience while on training runs is how to properly dodge your way through a sea of runners. A few things to remember: start in the right corral - the faster runners are always at the front and gradually slow down as you get further back into the starting pack. Need to take a walking break? Head off to the edge of the course - there’s nothing like having a runner stop dead in front of you during a race. Same goes for getting around runners - do your best not to cut anyone off and give everyone around you enough elbow room! 

- Practice makes comfortable: Never raced? Fear no more. The more you race, the more comfortable you get on race day. Though your main goal may feel daunting, if you (sort of) know what to expect, it will feel much more familiar if you’re done it prior to the big day.

Time to sign off. Week 7 of training will be tough - 8k tempo on Tuesday, Bridge Repeats with lulu Robson Run club on Wednesday, Track Thursday night, a 10k trail run Saturday morning and 26k on Saturday. Giddy up!