Recently in Marathon Category

I made it! And it was fun, impossible, surprisingly pain free, emotional and rewarding (depending on where you happened to catch me on the course). I'm taking today off to relax and recover, but I just wanted to let you all know that your good thoughts and encouragement worked. I'm overwhelmed by and so incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support I had, both on the course and virtually.

The full race report will be coming soon. For now, I'm going to sit around and compensate for the calories I burned yesterday morning!

(Photo of me around mile 23 with a lady in a banana suit, by my friend Brian Moen.)

I run my first marathon in less than three days (Sunday, May 31, 7 a.m.).

Two years ago today, I had never run more than a mile. And the mile that I did run (as part of a P.E. class my senior year of college) took me about 14 minutes to finish, and left me wheezing and near tears.

I also started at Experience Life two years ago, a day after I graduated, and if you had asked me then if I would ever run a 5K (let alone a marathon), I would have thought you were crazy and laughed right at your crazy face.

A combination of self-loathing (or at least self-estrangement), positive peer pressure and slow-building momentum eventually changed that. The first time I ran a mile without stopping, I felt like I had conquered the world. My next goal was to run all the way around Lake of the Isles (about 2.8 miles on the bike path). When I made it around for the first time, in September 2007, I was smiling for the rest of the day.

It felt great to accomplish something and to see my body change and get stronger, so I kept setting goals for myself. I ran my first 5K in February 2008, my first 10K in July of the same year, then the TC 10 Mile and Monster Dash half marathon in October. Members of my running group then pointed out that a marathon training clinic was starting up, and hey, wouldn't that be fun?

I must've been drinking some strong Kool-Aid because I decided to sign up for the Minneapolis Marathon and a triathlon this summer. And while marathon training hasn't always been fun (exhaustion, weight gain, injury), I've learned just how far my body is capable of taking me -- and when I need to ease off and give myself a break.

Two years ago I was overweight, under-exercised and very unhappy. Today I'm healthier and happier than I've ever been, and I can run at least 20 miles. Consecutively. After Sunday I hope to say that I can run 26.2.

I've had lots of thoughts churning in the ol' brain box as marathon day approaches. In some ways, it's only a day, and only a race. It's a milestone, yes, but this is only the beginning of the healthy life I'm building. But, on the other hand, it represents a lot to me: the transformation that has occurred in the past two years, my ability to make lasting change in my life, and some things that I haven't even fully grasped yet. One of these things being that I must be crazy, because really. Who pays to run 26 miles?

More than anything, I find myself monumentally grateful for the support and encouragement you all have provided as I stumbled my way through training. Without my friends, family, virtual and real-life running partners, and coworkers I would never have made it this far. So a big Internet high five and sincere thank you to all of you.

(Photo by opacity)

Marathon training is never without drama, I'll say that much.

With 11 days before my first marathon, I'm nursing an unpleasant calf injury. It had been bugging me a little bit, but it was our second 20-miler that pushed it over the edge. (Lower, inside left calf, the pain is deep in there and radiates down to the ankle.)

I've drastically reduced my running (as in, I ran twice last week, and haven't run since Sunday). My running friends assure me that I could do nothing between now and the marathon and I would still be absolutely ready for the race. And I'm trying my best to believe them.

So for now, I'm resting, icing and trying not to stress. I might try to see a PT this week or early next week. Here's hoping!

(I tried to find a picture of a leg injury to accompany this post, but searching Flickr for "injury" turned up only very disturbing things. Blech!)

I'm signed up to run the TC 1 Mile this Thursday. It's a short, crowded and fun race that starts and finishes in downtown Minneapolis.

This year's course goes straight down Nicollet Mall:

When I ran the race last year, I ran it hard. This year, I've done FAR less speed work (I've become the running equivalent of a pack mule) and the marathon is only three weeks away. Now would be a really silly time to pull a hamstring just because I wanted to see if I could improve on last year's time (which isn't likely in the first place, see: pack mule).

My plan is to take the first half at my normal interval speed (about 7:30 to 8 pace), and then see how I feel. I know, logically, that it's better to play it safe. But there's something about running as fast as your little legs will take you that provides a hefty boost in motivation and inspiration.

Have any of you had experience running shorter races with a long race in the not-so-distant future? Do you temper your speed or go all out?

Tonight marks the beginning of my favorite least favorite part of training. It's a thin -- and steep -- line between love and hate when it comes to hill repeats. Why would someone torture herself by running up and down a hill, repeatedly, until she wants to collapse?

Let us count the ways:

• It builds strength in your major leg muscles in a way that normal endurance runs don't
• It increases aerobic capacity (like any interval workout)
• Hills will help make your stride more efficient and increase ankle flexion
• Runners who do hill training maintain fitness longer when taking time off
• And we should know by now to do as the Kenyans do.

It's the psychological warfare that makes these lumps of earth so intimidating. I get butterflies in anticipation of our hill workouts, yet it's never as bad as I think it's going to be. Sometimes it's even fun. It makes me feel stronger and victorious, a sort of "queen of the mountain" euphoria. And I feel the benefits in my subsequent runs almost immediately.

If you want tips on good form for hill training, this article offers a good overview. The main things to keep in mind: run light and upright, shorten your stride, slow down, and rest in between each hill repeat.

I know I'm not the only one who has this love-'em-hate-'em relationship. Do hills make you tremble with fear, too? How do you get over the hump?

(Photo by kmonojo)

Happy Monday, everyone. In the spirit of the day (Mondays are for phoning it in, right?), I've thrown together a short update on the very exciting sorta noteworthy things that have happened recently.

Last week I bought a couple of much-needed running necessities.

This is my new running journal. It just needed one small addition. (I'm not sure how helpful a three-option emotional spectrum is, but the little faces are kind of hilarious.)

I finally got new shoes. I've put more than 30 miles on them and I still haven't decided if I like them. The ones I *really* wanted aren't made in my size (see: clown feet).

We've done our long runs in single-digit temps almost every week, which means mountains of gear. I planned it out ahead of time so I wouldn't forget something critical and end up losing an appendage to frostbite.

Fun link: After seeing my Twitter friends using it for months, I finally checked out Dailymile. It's a site that allows you to track workouts, connect with other runners/cyclists/triathletes/what-have-yous, find races in your area, and you can link your Dailymile posts with your Twitter feed. I'm still exploring, but so far I love it. Great design and practical features! You can add me as a friend here. 

Dear Marathon,

I've gained 10 pounds since I started training for you. Ten. Pounds. In less than a month of training!

Every non-runner I've mentioned this to cheerfully says, "Oh, it's just muscle weight!"

Wrong. NOT muscle weight. Muffin top weight. The kind of weight that makes your pants tight, your face bloated and your self image very depressed.

I'm not placing all the blame on you, Marathon. Sure, when you do long runs, your body naturally retains more water (that by itself that can mean a 5 pound gain). And with the mileage increase, my metabolism is roaring, which leads to insatiable hunger. But how I deal with that hunger is all on me.

There seems to be a disconnect between what I know I should eat and what I actually eat. Ideally, I would be fueling my body with an abundance of whole foods (veggies, leafy greens, legumes, nuts, berries, quinoa, brown rice, lean proteins, et al) and eliminating the processed crap that causes inflammation and imbalanced blood-sugar levels (flours, sugar, and basically anything that comes in a box or is endorsed by a cartoon character).

Now, my brain knows that if I fuel well, I will recover faster, I will build muscle more easily and my body will maintain its ideal weight. But then this crazy hunger takes over all conscious reasoning and all of the sudden -- with no warning at all! -- I am wrist deep in a quart of cookie-dough ice cream.

It's easy to justify these kinds of decisions because of you, Marathon.  "Well, I'm training for a marathon. Of COURSE I can eat anything I want!"

That's just the thing. I *could* use an increase in activity to vindicate every terrible food decision I make, but so far that has left me feeling listless, heavy and weak. I would rather make my training an opportunity to be even more aware of what I'm putting in my body and how it affects my energy, health and moods.

Before things spiral too much further out of control, I'm establishing some regulations. No more ice cream (a food I can't ever seem to eat in moderation) and no more eating after 9 p.m. I've never had trouble with this before, but now it's like I'm eating nonstop right up until I fall asleep, lonely spoon dangling from my mouth.

I'm going to keep junk "food" out of my house (if I don't buy it, I won't eat it), and I hope that in time, Marathon, if I combine my training with wise nutrition, I may actually start loving you.

Tentatively yours,

Kaeti

--

Have you dealt with this pesky marathon weight gain? What did you do?

(Photo by strausser of a muffin top. Get it? Muffin top? Like my tummy but more delicious!)

As I did with the half marathon and the TC 10 Mile, I am following a training plan to get ready for the Minneapolis Marathon. I base my weekly rewards and reminders around the clipart I find on my computer.

Here's what I'm doing (more or less):

OK, my marathon training technically started yesterday.* So I only have a day's worth of perspective to offer. BUT, I have much to share after only one day!

It's hard.

No really, the phrase "run a marathon" may feel breezy and fun to say, but the actual practice of marathon running is rather unpleasant. And I've only done 15 percent of the distance at a time this week.

It's a strange phenomena to run for 30 minutes and then realize, when I'm running a marathon I will still have four. more. hours. (Insert involuntary whimper here.)

Despite the crippling fear that this inspires, I'm excited about this challenge. I'm cross-training, stretching, eating food that's actually made out of food and sleeping a decent amount. I thought I should record this particular moment in time for posterity's sake. In two months (or, heck, two days), I might be singing a very different tune.

*Stay tuned for my clip-art enhanced training program, which I will be posting in the next few days. I'm confident it will be as effective as these were.

---

In the vein of goal setting and getting things done, I've decided to start my own 101 in 1001 project. You can read more about it here, but it is basically a list of concrete tasks that you want to accomplish in 1001 days (about 2.75 years).  I don't expect to finish all or even most of these, but just writing this list gives me a good idea of my vision and goals for the coming years.

Here are a few other great resources for setting attainable, realistic goals (and actually following through):

All Over It: How To Eliminate Goal-Blocking Obstacles for Good 

Envision This

Live Dynamite
"Personal-development program designed to help people discover what inspires them and to set goals and get good at living."

The Skillful Life
An action plan for assessing and building the skill sets that matter most to you right now.

(Photo by wallyg)

For most of us, New Year's Eve is full of friends, revelry and maybe one too many glasses of champagne. And if you're not careful, you might wake up the next morning with foggy memories of things you immediately regret. We've all experienced heard stories about this, right?

Well, my NYE didn't involve anything remotely resembling lechery, but I did wake up in a panic the morning after. Because on New Year's Eve I decided it was a fantastic idea to sign up for a triathlon AND do a marathon.

That's right folks, 2009 will be the year of my first triathlon and marathon! And I am absolutely excited. Oh, and terrified. But still excited. Mostly terrified, actually.

I've signed up for a marathon clinic with a local running store, so I'm not as worried about finding a training plan for that race. I'm shooting for the inaugural Minneapolis Marathon on May 31. I chose not to do Grandma's, a larger and arguably more "prestigious" race, because I want to sleep/toss fitfully in my bed the night before. Staying close to home eliminates a lot of variables that I'd rather not deal with for my first marathon -- travel, hotels, weird Duluth food, weird Duluth people, and so on (just kidding, I love you Duluthians).

(Disclaimer: By saying "first," I in no way mean to imply that there will be a next.)

Running 26 miles is certainly a special kind of crazy. But do you know what's even crazier? Voluntarily signing up to get kicked in the head and drown in the middle of Lake Phalen. Also known as the St. Paul Triathlon.

Here are the pros of this whole triathlon situation, as I see it:

• It forces me to cross-train, something that I usually neglect.
• I will learn about bike maintenance.
• It's great motivation to get stronger and healthier and try new challenges.
  
• I signed up with two of my good friends, so I'm not alone.
• We're going to make T-shirts. Clever team name pending (ideas, people!).
• It's not until August.
• UPDATE: I also get to wear special biking pants with a padded butt. Awesome!
  

And the cons:

• I don't know how to swim. I mean, I can keep myself afloat and know the strokes, but I am just awful. I'm going to have to figure something out there, or death is imminent.
• Imminent death is a pretty big CON, come to think of it.
• I don't have a training plan (yet) or training group. This means I need to get my responsibility on, and that is a tricky business.
• I don't really know how to bike, either. At least not in a "Ooh, hot aero bars, where'd you get your clip-in shoes?" kind of way. Leisurely pedal to a nearby restaurant? Sure! No problem! Ride in a race where I'm not allowed to do things like "drafting" and I have to ride many miles CONSECUTIVELY? Eep.

I have many things to learn between now and August. Well, hopefully I learn them long before August so that I can practice the skills I learn, like "not drowning" and "how to bike fast without tipping over." I might join a training group through Life Time, and will probably volunteer at the LTF Tri in July, so that I can get a feel for it.

If you seasoned triathletes are still reading, I am in need of recommendations for good training plans (and any other tips you might have).

(Photo by ableman, of a tri that looks much more my speed)