I'm a graphing nerd.

In prep for NYC2008, September 2008 was my biggest month of mileage. Looking back, clearly not enough to get me to reach my goals in the marathon.

Nearly half that running was long, slow distance, including two 18-milers.



6 months later, my approach to running has changed significantly, with an emphasis on frequency and now knowing what it takes to reach my goals in the marathon.

This month, I ran the same amount as Sept 2008, but with no run longer than 11 miles.


As a numbers person, it's nice to have a visual of my progress and I can't wait to race the Brooklyn Half in one month, and for official marathon training to start in a few months.

Reflections on the marathon.

(Bummer they didn't have finishing clocks for wave2 times)

I'm not going to try to put my thoughts together in a coherent, witty post, but I want to get it down so I have the memories and lessons to look back on. So here are my reflections, being as honestly with myself as possible.

Sidenote: I have slowly shared this blog with some friends scattered across the country, but I have been hesitant to share with too many close friends, especially those in the city, as it has really been an outlet to be honest about where I am with my training, emotions, etc. I fear that if too many people close to me, as in training partners, coaches, etc read my thoughts on a daily basis, I may start to edit or censor. Right now I am SO glad I have made this choice b/c, as you will see in my reflections, I am a bit disappointed in my race this past weekend, and am so glad to have this as an outlet to express those feeling, bc I am still so so proud of my accomplishment and don't want to diminish it at all, or the help my friends gave me through the entire process, especially on 1st Avenue on marathon day.

So, here goes:

1. I admit, I am a bit disappointed with the outcome of the marathon. This has NOTHING at all to do with time. I know I will improve and in fact, believe I could end up enjoying the distance once I learn how to run it. However, I don't think I ran to my potential on Sunday, which is disappointing regardless of how many times you have done something.

2. What was my potential? I have no clue (see 'related' below regarding not having a time goal/race plan). I know I didn't run the amount you're 'supposed to' in my training (whatever that is?). I am not sure how much mileage my body will ever be able to handle, but I know there will be a limit. I did everything I could to smartly and safely get in the miles I could, and I am confident in this. But being my first marathon, after a major injury, I had no idea what I was capable of and didn't have much racing to base a goal time on.

3. I REALLY, REALLY enjoyed the training. I have always 'enjoyed' training as it has been a major part of my life since I was 12 years old. I don't know where I am going with this, or if there is a point I'm trying to make, but I enjoyed training for the marathon more than I have enjoyed triathlon training. Sometimes it feels like a task to get on my bike, but the running never felt like a task, and I really missed it when I needed to take rest weeks. I think the difference was having a specific goal race in mind- and want to remember this during triathlon season next year. I need to pick a goal race and train FOR it and focus on that.

3. HOWEVER- I do think I could have gotten some of the miles in SMARTER. My 20 miler was a half marathon, with 7 miles added on the end. There was about a 30-45 minute break between the first 13 and last 7, and maybe this contributed to whatever happened around mile 13? In the little corner of the back of my mind, I had never run 20 straight. BUT I had run 3ish hours TWICE, and I cracked before 2 hours, so who knows?

4. I still can't wrap my mind around what happened around mile 12/13. Maybe, even though I was feeling fine, I realized I had gone 13 miles and still had 13 MORE to go and I freaked out. But I don't remember that happening. Honestly, I just remember a moment where I decided to give up- which KILLS me. I have done this in the past when I thought I wasn't doing well- better to give up and have an excuse for failure than try your best and still fail. However, it's weird b/c I knew if I FINISHED I would have succeeded, regardless of time- but maybe I was just lying to myself about this?

**Related- I think not having a goal was a defense mechanism for not wanting to 'fail'. Now that I have run the distance and experienced the race, I cannot believe I went into this race without a time goal or even really a plan about pacing. I think this, more than anything, contributed to what happened. Once I started to slow down, I freaked out, but also had nothing to fall back on to make me feel OK/better. If I slowed down but was still within my goals, but could have thought, "That's OK, XX:XX minute/miles will still put me where I want to be", I could have had something to latch on and focus on. But I didn't have a goal pace, so when I started to slow, there was nothing to focus on except my splits getting slower and slower.

BUT, BIGGEST LESSON OF THE DAY: Do not put a Gu in your sports bra and forget about it- it will chafe in ways you've never experienced and leave a beautiful scab, that will most likely scar, in the most lovely of places.



So it's 4 days later and I feel almost 100%. I am still painfully tired and want to eat everything in sight, but my legs feel almost normal. There is a bit of lingering soreness behind one knee, but ironically, my hip feels better than it has in weeks.

And of course, now come the 'what's next?' thoughts. I'm going to try not to be stupid about what is next, and let myself recover and repair. My early tri season is pretty set- already registered for three races in June and July, one of which will become the 'GOAL' race, most likely NYC.

The most immediate goal: There is a 10k in December that I want to rock out. I have run this race every year since I moved to the city (for a grand total of two times - ha), and am excited to see if I can improve on last year's 4 minute PR now that I have a base I never had before.

But other than that, it's back to the pool and back on the bike, and I am REALLY REALLY excited about that.

NYC Marathon 2008- Very much Fun.

Mile 21 - 10:23
Mile 22/23 - 10:43 (3rd Gu I think)

Back into Manhattan and onto 5th Avenue. It's funny, during my training run on the end of the course, I figured climbing back up 5th with the park in the distance would be the hardest part of my day. Little did I know, it would turn out to the best! I picked up the pace, which became amazingly simple as soon as I got out of my own head. I felt completely comfortable and probably could have picked it up more, but I figured at this point, I just wanted to enjoy the rest of my day. I even started to pass people. I cheered greetings to the South Africans I passed in Zulu and Xhosa, and realized that THIS was what the day was about.

In my pity party, I had not taken a Gu, so I took a Gu around Mile 22 I think. I had started to drink Gatorade during my walks, so I was worried how it may react with the Gu, as I usually stay away from the sweet drinks on my long runs, but it turned out fine.

Around this time as well, the 4:15 pace group passed me. I briefly considered trying to hang with them until the end, trying to make up the minutes spent chatting it up and feeling sorry for myself on 1st. But I reminded myself that not only did I NOT have a time goal, I had told myself before the race started, that if I wasn't going to break 4 hours, there was no difference between a 4:03, a 4:14 or a 4:20. If 4 hours wasn't in the cards, then I was going to enjoy my day, stop on 1st, visit with my friends, and soak it all up. Ok, so fine, maybe that IS having a time goal, but it's sort of having one, without having one, right??

At 110th, I knew I was only 1 mile from the park. I knew I was going to see my friends again, and I knew I was going to make it. This picture, between miles 23 and 24 and one of my new favorites, sums up how I was feeling at that moment (thanks to Bob for his amazing pictures, as always!).

Mile 24 - 10:41

Mile 25 - 10:12

Mile 26 - 10:14

I knew once I was in the park I was going to be fine. My crazy friends were hours into their Mimosas, hanging out behind the MET, and I am not sure if they have ever been so happy to see me. I am also not sure if they had the tambourines out when I saw them on 1st, but they were not to be missed in the Park!! I think they were a little insulted I didn't stop, but I was on a mission.

I was a bit worried about the downhill at Cat Hill and how my hip would take it, but at that point, I actually don't think I could feel my legs at all. I was running on pure emotion and adrenaline. Running under the mile 25 banner was the most amazing feeling ever (although it did come with the always present smell of horse sh!t at that corner in Central Park. You think they could do something about that on Marathon weekend, no?)


I missed seeing my best friend from college on Central Park South, and resisted the urge to speed up at the end. There was no need at this point- I wanted to take it all in (however, looking at my splits, I guess I DID speed up). I knew there was a final little climb to the finish, but best of all my friends who had seats in the finish area spotted me and yelled like crazy and I saw them! I knew they had VIP seats, but didn't think I was going to be able to see them.

My non-human friend who just finished KONA a few weeks ago, and is insane, also ran NYC (and a 10 minute PR, crazy lady) and was able to make it back to the finish area to cheer me across the finish. It meant so much to see her.

I honestly don't remember much about crossing the line, just a complete rush of emotion and the incredible urge to sob. Not out of happiness or sadness, just out of pure emotion. I resisted, as I figured that may have been quite embarrassing, and then focused my attention on the new task at hand: How to get from the finish area to beer as quickly as possible.:

Mission accomplished.

Pics around mile 19.

Able to put together some pretty convincing smiles and waves at about mile 19.5

And this is my friend telling me there are 6 miles left, at Mile 18.  Pure joy before I realize her mistake.

NYC Marathon 2008- Not so Fun

Mile 11/12 - 19:09 (9:35 pace, 2nd Gu)

Mile 13 - 9:43

Mile 14 - 10:19

Mile 15 - 10:59 Queensboro Bridge

This is where the melt down began, and became complete.  I am racking my brain to remember, but I have no idea what happened between miles 12 and 13.  I was still feeling fine physically.  I was actually excited- at 20k, I knew I was right on pace for a 1:57/1:58ish half and was elated at how little effort it had taken.  However, something happened between 20 and 21k.

I just don't remember WHAT.

My hip hurt, but it has been hurting all day. I just got a similar feeling to my last half marathon- I just wanted to stop.  Then I got down on myself for wanting to stop.  Then I started thinking about excuses for stopping.  Then I got more angry with myself.  And my pace began to slow.

I made a deal with myself around mile 14.  I would run to my friends, who were planning on cheering at mile 15, right before the turn onto the Queensboro Bridge.  I would let myself stop and chat with them, stretch a bit and regroup before the bridge.  It was a great deal.  Until I didn't see them.  Apparently, they saw me, but I didn't see them, and I think this is where the mental breakdown was  just about complete and took over my body.  I knew the rest of my friends were waiting between miles 18-19, but that seemed to be an eternity away.

The Queensboro Bridge was the longest, loneliest and most painful mile of my life (wow, that sounds dramatic, but I've only been running for 4 years, so I think it's actually possible).  The climb seemed to go on forever, it was so quiet and I began to talk myself into quitting.  I told myself I would run until I saw my friends at 78th Street, then I would stop.  I looked forward to the crest of the bridge so I could use the downhill as a little break.  Yea, right.  The downhill of the Queensboro Bridge hurt my hip more than anything all day, and I had to settle for a hobble/ walk down the bridge into Manhattan.  I was totally out of it.  This was supposed to be the best part of the day, making the turn into Manhattan and running up First Ave.  And all I wanted to do was stop.  So I did....

Mile 16 - 11:07

Mile 17 - 11:04 

Mile 18 - 11:31

Mile 19 - 11:42

Mile 20 - 11:30

...At the Medical Tent located right after the Bridge, on 59th street I think.  I asked for Tylenol (I had a friend waiting with Tylenol at Mile 19.  In retrospect, I should have carried my own and taken it right when the breakdown started, if not before).  The medic gave me ONE Tylenol.  Said I could only have one.  I responded 

"How do I quit this thing?"

He informed me that there were buses right at 60th that would transport me to the finish.  I told him, no, I wanted to quit around 80th street, were there buses there?  He laughed and sent me on my way.

I knew I had 1 mile to my friends.  At 78th Street I didn't see them.  There was a water stop, porta potties, but no friends.  I didn't need water, I didn't need to go to the bathroom- I needed to see my friends, and they weren't there.  I almost totally lost it.  One group of friends were between 79th and 80th- They screamed my name and I have never been so relieved.  I could now quit.  Ha.

Not so much.  I couldn't even look at them without tears welling up (as they do now).  I was so disappointed in myself (which is CRAZY bc I at this point I really hadn't even slowed down that much!  so amazing how mental this as well, looking back).  They reminded me of the hard work I had put  in,  and that it was supposed to hurt.  They said I was doing so well (ha b/c the athlete alert was delayed and they were still getting my sub 9 splits, bless their hearts!) 

Another group of friends were about a half block north.  This is my friend who I went down to MCM last weekend with.  I cried more.  She offered me a mimosa.  I declined.  They all looked SO happy to see me and SO excited for me, and all I felt was that I was disappointing them.  And there was a barrier between the sidewalk and the street, and I couldn't get out.  So I kept on running.

More friends at 92nd.  I stopped and chatted.  This was around Mile 18.  One friend shouted "You've only got 6 left!"  This made me think for a moment I could still get under 4 hours.  Then I wanted to kill her.  She apologized later, even though I had forgotten :)

More friends around 100th.  I stopped and walked at this point and took two more Tylenol.  At this point I think I finally realized I was going to finish.   

At Mile 20, you cross the Willis Ave Bridge (or something like that), and are in the Bronx for about a mile.  On the end of the bridge, while I was still busy feeling sorry for myself and not focusing on running, I tripped and almost face planted.  I scared the shit out of myself and caught my fall with my bad leg.  This FREAKED me out and I had to stop and take a few deep breaths.  I was worried I may have hurt my leg.  But this almost seemed to snap me out of my funk, as well.  

I realized "What the hell am I doing?!"   I was missing it.  All this time, all this training, and I was MISSING IT.  For the next mile I talked myself into running the rest of the miles, only walking at water stops.  I found a comfortable pace, with no need to push it at this point, and focused on finishing mile 20, getting back into Manhattan and into Central Park.

NYC Marathon 2008- Fun.

(I start to write 1 post, but it's way too long, and since my race is easily divided into three distinct parts, they will be: Fun, Not so Fun, Very much Fun)

You can get the short version in the previous posts.  It wasn't pretty.  But it was [mostly] fun, and I finished with a smile, so goal accomplished.  Am so so glad NYC was my first marathon, the support of the city and all  of my friends was amazing and I feel so blessed.  As I hobble around my apartment today, the emails and messages are icing on the cake (I don't like cherries).

Long Version:

My confidence was admittedly shaken going into race day.  My 20 mile run didn't go as planned (ie I ran too fast), and the three weeks that followed were tough, mentally and physically.  I fell and bruised my back/ass pretty hard and think it really inflamed my hip, which had been doing so, so well in the last weeks of higher training.  About 5 days before the race I tried to get rid of the negativity, finally had a comfortable run, and was ready as I could be.  I was confident in the training I had put in.

I also fought off the desire to set specific time goals for my first marathon.  From the beginning, I tried to keep the goals simple: Have fun, finish healthy and with a smile on my face.  Of course in the back of my mind there were specific goals, but I tried to keep them away.  

I had a little bit of a freak out when I found out at the expo that the 3:50 pace group would be starting in my corral.  I decided to use this to my advantage and try to stay BEHIND them and away from them to keep from going out too fast.  Unfortunately I never even saw the pace group.  The only pace group I saw was the 4:15 group run by at mile 23.5.

Race Morning

Was able to get a good night sleep, including an extra hour b/c of setting the clocks back the night before.  Only had one dream (nightmare?) about running up the side of a mountain.  Woke up at 5am and hopped in the shower to wake up and warm up.  I had two Go Lean Kashi waffles, a greek yogurt and water for breakfast.

Logistically, the NYC Marathon is interesting.  As it is a point to point race, through all 5 boroughs, you start in Staten Island.  Which means transporting close to 40,000 people to Staten Island before 9Am.  I had been assigned the 7:00am ferry to Staten Island, where buses were provided to get runners to the staging area near the start line.  In addition to the simple transportation logistics, this year was the first year NYC had 'wave' starts, with about 13,000 people starting every 20 minutes.  They hoped this would ease congestion at the start, where the course merged, and at the finish.

I left my apartment at 6am and got a cab to South Ferry. I arrived just as the 6:30am ferry was leaving, and decided to take this ferry.  The ferry was buzzing with excitement, and I tried to zone out and not think too much, as my stomach was in knots.  I took a few pictures of the sunrise over the Verrazano Bridge, this is thethe first 2 miles of the course

Once arriving in Staten Island, I decided to stay in the ferry building for a while, to avoid having to wait in the cold for 3 hours (my start was at 10am).  Luckily, I ran into a friend at this point and we spent the next 2 hours chillaxing- first in the Ferry Terminal, then huddled in trashbags and blankets after we had to check our baggage.  I ate a plain bagel while waiting, probably around 7:30/8am.

Of course I don't know what it was like before, but the wave starts seemed to work great.  I think the first wave started a few minutes late, but I headed over to my corral once they called wave 2 and spent maybe 20-30 minutes until we were off almost exactly at 10am.  I had 1 Gu while waiting in the corrals.  Not as bad as I expected.  We walked from the staging area to the start, turned a corner, and the bridge was in front of us!!  I started to get choked up- there was so much emotion and excitement in the air!  The weather was perfect- I ended up running in shorts and a sleeveless top and was comfortable the entire time, and wore gloves for about 10 miles.

Mile 1 - 9:19

Mile 2 - 8:14

Once the cannon sounded, it probably took less than 30 seconds to cross the timing mats, and right away I was able to setting into a comfortable pace.  It was not nearly as crowded as I expected.  The first mile of the course is actually the longest climb, the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting Staten Island to Brooklyn.  The view was amazing, and my body was feeling great.  My hip was definitely bothering me, but not to the point that it was altering my stride so I didn't worry.  Everything I had read said not to freak out over the first two mile splits, and to average them and move on from there.  

Mile 3 - 8:33

Mile 4 - 8:50

Mile 5 - 8:48

Mile 6 - 9:04 (first Gu)

This part of the course is up 4th Ave in Brooklyn.  The crowds were amazing, I felt great, BUT KNEW I needed to slow down.  You can see in my splits I was trying to slow down.  I would have loved to be running right at 9 minute miles, I just couldn't seem to find it.  I took my first Gu at mile 6.  I tried to assess how I felt, and I felt great.  My hip was nagging, and I had been feeling a side stitch since the start, but my heart rate was totally controlled and the pace was effortless.  

Mile 7 - 8:55

Mile 8 - 9:06

Mile 9 - 9:40 (course merged- bit of a bottleneck)

Mile 10 - 9:04

These miles were my favorite part of the day.  The crowds in this section of Brooklyn were AMAZING.    The three 'color' starts merge at Mile 9, and at the same time the course narrows a bit, so there was a bit of a bottleneck.  But it didn't matter, the crowd was AMAZING.  People were standing 10 deep, up the stairs of the brownstones, and rocking out with live bands.  At one point, I swear an entire block was dancing in unison!  It was amazing.  I missed my friend who was taking pictures around 9/10, and was a bit bummed.  I also didn't see Josh, but thanks for all your well wishes and support!!  I knew I had more friendly faces waiting at 15, so I tried to look forward to this.

In retrospect, at this point, I was really starting to want to see a friendly face.  I still felt fine physically, but I hadn't seen anyone I knew since I left my friend in the staging area around 9am.  I thought I would see some familiar faces on the course, but I was beginning to feel a bit lonely.  This is where 'Fun' ended and 'Not so Fun' began....

Love it.

Official Time

5K Time

10K Time

15K Time

20K Time

1/2 Mar. Time

25K Time

30K Time

35K Time

40K Time

Pace/ Mile

4:22:05

0:27:06

0:54:46

1:23:30

1:52:57

1:59:37

2:25:56

3:01:31

3:35:36

4:08:06

0:10:00

Probably close to the ugliest way to get exactly a 10 min/mile pace :)  Very proud.

I was happy, comfortable and having fun through 20k, would have gone through half in about 1:57 to give me a bit of a cushion to get under 4, and I honestly can't figure out what happened right at 20k.  I just lost it mentally.  

I probably spent at least 5 minutes on First Ave talking with friends, as the convinced to me keep going.   

Gathered myself around 30-35k and was able to enjoy the last hour and finish strong and with a smile.

After I digest, will write a more detailed report of the day.  It's hard to be SO SO HAPPY and a bit disappointed at the same time.  Just trying to wrap my head around and understand what happened.

Quickly.

Because I smell and really need to shower. Then go back to the bar.

It was fun. More fun than not fun, so fun wins. The first hour and 50 minutes were great. The last hour was fun, too.

Not sure what happened between 13-20. I guess my wall came a little earlier than most people? I am proud to say that even though there was lots of walking, some crying, I didn't quit, as I had planned. I even asked the med tent at mile 15 "How do I quit this thing?" He gave me ONE Tylenol and told me to keep going....yea buddy, that's really gonna help :)

My hip hurt the entire way. The downhills KILLED it.

Am elated to have finished, sorta bummed that I cracked mentally and took that it took me so long to get it back together, especially bc I was in the worst of it on 1st, where I should have had the most fun. But hey, it was my first try, right?


More later, when we can laugh together at my splits, with color commentary, of course!

Hands Down: The best weekend in NYC.

It's official. Picked up my number, spent way too much at the Expo, got my dad a t-shirt: this means I have to finish. How else can I wear my new snazzy, sparkly 'I run this city 2008' T-shirt??

The official T-shirt is quite appropriate. The front reads:

"What does it take? HEART POUNDING DEDICATION"


The weather is supposed to be perfect (knock on wood): 51 and partly cloudy. As of now, I am wearing shorts and a long sleeve. Oh, and zebra stripe gloves until I warm up. I have throw-away sweats for the loooonnnnng wait in the corrals before the start.

I'm as ready as I can be. My biggest fear? I am going to cry through the entire thing. Not from pain (well, maybe from pain in the last miles), but from pure emotion.


The buzz in the city has started. All over, you see people carrying their expo bags with the excitement written on their face. Riding home on the subway from the expo last night I spent the entire ride talking with other runners who are either running this year or have run in the past. The number one piece of advice- don't get so caught up you don't enjoy the experience. DONE!

It's funny, marathon weekend, in my opinion, is always the best weekend in the city. Especially last year when we got to watch the Men's Olympic Trials the day before. However, actually running makes it all the more special and you see so much more.

This afternoon, I am skipping out of work early and going to see "Run for your Life" It is a movie about Fred Lebow, the 'father' of the NYC Marathon, and the creation of the marathon into what it is today. It is playing in special release in the city and was released on DVD as well for the expo. I will probably cry through this, as well.



I FINALLY had a good run on Wednesday, did the 2nd mile under 8 minutes (whoops). Legs feel almost 100%- this running-taper thing is CRAZY! Hip is still nagging a bit, but it is what it is.


And let's be honest- did you really think I wasn't going to wear my watch!? :)

Finding my confidence.

Even though the last two weeks of my training have not been optimal, and I have been having a rough time physically and mentally , I need to remind myself of this:

I have done everything I can since March to get to the start line healthy on Sunday.  I may not have the optimal weekly mileage, but I did what I could starting from ZERO.  I did 2x16, 2x18 and one 20 mile training runs.  I did some tempo, some marathon paced running and a few speed workouts.  I allowed myself rest and recovery when i needed it, and I didn't race too much.

The two sprint triathlons I did, my run was solid.  The one half marathon I did was only 3 minutes off my PR with minimal effort and a bathroom break.

And now, even if i don't feel 100% come Sunday, I need to be confident in this work.  

I wrote another whiny-woe-is-me post last night and deleted it.  No more negativity.

I have decided to run on Sunday.  I have put too much time and effort into this not to.  But I will be smart and listen to my body.  Aches and pains and mental weakness is one thing- pain is something different.

A few weeks ago I was ready to set some time goals and confident in my ability to achieve them.  The goal now is to have fun and enjoy the journey through a city I love.  Probably without a watch.    And hope for a little race-day magic.

Taper Traps.

From a Runner's World Article, after I googled 'Marathon Taper Pain'.  The three 'traps' below explain how I am feeling TO A TEE:  My hip/hamstring hurts for no apparent reason, my 4 mile run today felt worse than any of my long runs, and all I want to do is curl up in my bed and cry.

On my walk home from the park I had decided I was going to take the rest of the week off, but finding this article is comforting.  This running-taper stuff is crazy.  I am going to keep plugging away some 3-5 mile runs until race day.  

And I will not talk myself out of the marathon again, as I did twice during my run today...

Trap: Phantom Pains

Symptoms: A totally new pain in the foot, knee, hip, back, or insert-any-body-part vhere that strikes for no apparent reason.

Cause: Twinges and passing aches are all part of the body's rejuvenation process. "During a taper, tissue repair on the microscopic level causes muscle twitches and sometimes muscle cramps as the body adapts," says Dr. Smurawa. Also, when we run less, and worry more about our marathon, everyday aches and pains-which would normally be ignored--get exaggerated to the point of lunacy.

Solution: Think of each phantom pain as a signal that the body is healing itself and preparing you for the marathon. Since your workouts are now shorter, spend some extra time on your favorite stretches to help relax your body. And if you like whirlpools or long baths, indulge. Also, if you've had massages during other parts of your training, get one this week. It will further aid the healing process.

Trap: Heavy Legs

Symptoms: A tired, heavy feeling centered in the legs, but affecting your whole body, that you get late in a taper. 

Cause: "Tissue repair in the legs during recovery, coupled with the fact that you are storing more carbohydrate and water late in the taper, will make you feel like you do after eating a big meal," says Dr. Smurawa. In other words, you feel like a slug.

Solution: Remember you're not the only one feeling this way. "Just knowing that this is how tapering marathoners are supposed to feel can help curb your anxiety," says Robert Udewitz, Ph.D., a sports psychologist and the director of Behavior Therapy of New York. Also, try a few strides (100-meter sprints) after some of your easy runs. Strides can help knock off the rust, leaving you feeling fresh and ready without overdoing it.

Trap: That Sinking Feeling

Symptoms: A feeling of malaise, depression, and hopelessness, which often accompanies the physical sluggishness that intensifies at the end of a taper.

Cause: "Generally, running counters feelings of anxiety and depression," says Hays. "So as you run less miles, bad feelings tend to crop back up and increase." 

Solution: Take a short-term approach. "You only have to get through the rest of the taper," says Hays. Do a little low-impact and low-intensity cross-training--like pool running--to generate the good feelings you normally get from running. Also, use your downtime to focus on other things that bring pleasure to your life, such as listening to music, cooking, and being with family and friends. And rent some funny movies or read a few joke books to lighten your mood.

The flu?

I think I'm getting the flu.  Honestly, I HOPE I'm getting the flu.

Both of my entire legs are in pain.  From my ankles to my hips.  It hurts to walk up the subway stairs.  And I got 9 hours of sleep last night.

This can't be normal taper-aches and pains, right?

Ugh, I have to go to sleep now.

Marathon Goals

A goal- Beat Sarah Palin (3:59:36)

B goal- Beat P Diddy (4:14)

C goal- Beat Oprah (4:29)


...I kid, I kid.

Real goals coming soon :)

NYRR 18-Mile Marathon Tune Up

...or better referred to as 'Sarah's Tour de Central Park Porta-Potties'

Chip Time- 2:59:50 (9:59 pace)

Watch time- 2:48:50 (9:23 pace)

Yes, that is 11 minutes spent in the bathroom.  Mostly in the first six miles.  Fabulous.

HOWEVER, despite my tummy's objections, My legs felt GREAT:

My shins didn't (and still don't) hurt,

The pace I settled into felt comfortable

I felt strong at the end

And most importantly, I smiled the entire way through, and enjoyed the run in general.

I have noticed that about every other long run has been a great confidence booster.  This one is no exception.  After a not so wonderful first 18-miler two weeks ago, this was a whole different story.  I didn't let my tummy issues get me down mentally, just stopped when I needed to and continued to hydrate.  I didn't use the 100% humidity as an excuse to slow down.

After holding this pace for three loops of a hilly Central Park, I think I am ready to set some goals for the marathon.  However, I am going to hold off on sharing until I race the half next weekend.  That will obviously impact the 'faster end' goals....

(I think the tummy issue could be from the coffee I had before the race.  I am trying to think back, and I think this was the first long run that I had coffee before.  It is not necessary.  I will not do this again.)