Before my Race

Where do I start?  Now that it’s over, I’ll tell you everything that went wrong before my Marathon.  First I got sick.  Not just a little sick, the sickest I’ve been in quite some time.  My nose would not stop running, my eyes would not stop watering, I had a sore throat...  I was miserable.  Monday October 4th I went in to the Doctor.  I knew that I needed to act fast if I wanted to be well in time for my race.  She gave me Claritin and nasal spray.  If anything I just got worse after that.  Come Thursday morning, I wanted to cry because I felt awful and was showing no signs of improvement so I called my Doctor back and asked what I could do.  She suggested that I add Zyrtec at night but that wasn’t flying with me.  I needed something good and fast because I was leaving the next day for Portland.  I had to ask if she would give me a shot and thank God she said okay.  I’ve never  been so excited for a shot in my life!  Being sick and not able to run would have killed me after all this training.  Thank goodness I finally started to feel some relief Saturday afternoon.  The shot took 24-48 hours to start working.  My flights were easy.  Being in Portland was fantastic!  The weather was great.  I got to meet my niece Evelyn for the first time which is beyond words wonderful.  All babies are cute but she is CUTE!  And I got to see the rest of the DeMoss family; Amanda, Jimmy and Jon.  It was so neat when my brother and I went to pick up my nephew from school that Friday he was so proud to tell everyone this is my Aunt Amanda.  Made my heart melt.  I love that little boy so much.  I also got to see my brother’s new house which was great!  I love that they are right there in the heart of the city.  I can tell how happy they are there and that makes me so happy for them.  Friday night we took it easy.  My brother rented us a movie Run Fat Boy Run.  I was so excited to watch it but I was so exhausted and could not keep my eyes open so we watched half that night and half the next.  I think the toll of the flight, being sick, and running around Portland all day had caught up with me.  The next day, Saturday, the day before the run we woke up and went to breakfast at Besaws.  One of the many perks of living where they do is you can walk to cute, quaint little breakfast spots like Besaws.  It had already begun raining and I must admit I was starting to get a little scared.  I knew the chances for rain on Saturday and Sunday were high but there was something about actually seeing it rain that made it become more real.  Breakfast was great!  I had pancakes with berries and whipped cream on top.  Yum!  The carb loading had begun.  That afternoon my brother and I went to the NIKE store and I bought a rain jacket.  I finally realized that I couldn’t wear my gear as planned.  It was going to rain, really rain so I needed to be prepared.  After buying my jacket, we saw that Jeff Galloway was speaking at the Hilton so as reluctant as I know my brother was, we went.  I convinced him that Jeff Galloway was an amazing runner, author and speaker that we must see.  It was neat to see someone I’ve read lots of running advice from.  I don’t follow his “methods” but I still think he’s very wise and has a lot of great advice to offer.  After that we got some pumpkin yogurt and headed back home.  Props to my brother for being such a stand up guy and putting up with me.  That evening we went to a cute little pasta place called Il Piatto.  My brother made reservations and we went just us 2.  My brother loves trying new places around Portland and this one was new to us both and quite fantastic!  Isn’t it great when you find somewhere new that you like?  You get to think yes I was a success.  Or in this case, my brother got to take all the credit.  I had the Funghi e Formaggia di Capra.  I know, heck if I know but it was delicious!  My brother and I talked about how it would be the perfect place to drink wine and just relax and have dinner.  Instead I was chugging water like it was going out of style!  But it was perfect, truly perfect.  Afterwards we went home and played with the kiddos and finished the rest of our movie.  (Very cute by the way)  I was trying to keep my nerves at bay but I was really nervous and ready to have my run over with.  I've really tried to enjoy every moment of this experience but come on, it’s so much easier to say I’ve done this rather than I’m going to do this.  This is one of the hardest parts for me. The anticipation... Almost here. Almost over. I will feel fear and excitement when my alarm goes off I thought.  I got into bed, cleared my mind and actually slept pretty decent.  I mean I woke up a couple of times with anticipation but overall it was a good night’s sleep.  When my alarm went off I hopped out of bed and ate my Clif bar, checked the weather (yep still raining) and prepared for my race.  Since it was raining pretty hard, I loaded my feet up with chafing cream.  The last thing I needed was blisters on my feet as I was trying to run.  I was ready.  This was the moment I had worked the past 10 months for and I wasn’t going to let rain dampen my spirits.  My brother and I took the max down to the run, Amanda and the kiddos were following shortly behind us.  They wanted to stay dry for as long as possible and I don’t blame them!  Once we got to my corral, my brother said okay, like okay bye.  I hadn’t really realized before this that now I was all on my own.  I walked in and immediately got in a huge line to go to the bathroom.  I’ve learned feeling like you need to go to the bathroom before your race is a lot mental.  You need to mentally know, you don’t need to go if that makes any sense.  Plus it wasn’t raining in the port a potties.  Haha!  When I came out, I went to the front of my corral.  Since there were so many runners, they let different corrals start at different times.  I was in the last corral.  How I got put in the last corral is anyone’s guess.  I’d guess because I hadn’t ran a marathon before so I didn’t have an expected finish time for them to pair me with.  So I’m standing there in the rain thinking where are all the pacers?  I didn’t get too worked up over it because I thought oh surely they’ll show up soon but they never did.  I was asking people around me but I’m pretty sure, no offense, I was with the reject group.  I mean these people looked at me like I was crazy, like they had no clue what pacers or pace groups even were.  So I fiddled with my iPod.  Nope no sound.  Was this really happening??!  No iPod, no pace group, pouring rain… Stay positive I thought.  You can’t give up now but there was a big part of me that just wanted to cry.  Finally I asked someone who knew something, she said I think the pacers are all in the groups ahead of us.  It finally clicked.  Oh my gosh I thought, I have no pace group.  This was slightly devastating to me because I did want to finish in a specific time and I knew how important it would be to be around people with the same goal.  Not only was it a time thing at this point but just being around people who had also been training.  The people in the groups ahead of me had already started to run.  Group F had just been given the go ahead.  I was in group G.  So I thought to myself do I run ahead?  I really didn't have time to think to be honest, so I just went.  So here I am running, thinking what if I were to be disqualified or something crazy for starting with a different group.  Thankfully I think the groups were more of an organization thing than a strict rule.  Nice organization…  I had never felt so discombobulated!  So I ran over the starting marker and started my Garmin.  I couldn’t see a pace group in sight and thought oh no, I may never reach any pacers.                 

Fit, Focused and Balanced

It’s hard to believe that my race is less than a month away.  In fact in 23 days, I will be running my first marathon!  Wow.  Hard to believe and still very scary.  My brother recently said that the banners are starting to get put up for the run in Portland.  When he told me, my heart kind of sunk.  Not a bad sinking feeling but an oh my gosh this is really happening feeling.  My adrenaline soared and I felt excited and scared.  I’m trying to do all I can to prepare myself for this run.  I know it’s going to be hard.  I don’t even think I realize how hard it will truly be which is probably a good thing.  I have 3 weeks of training left and my last really hard LSD run this Sat.  I know once I finish this, I can breathe a sigh of relief because I know I can do the other Saturday runs.  After this Saturday, I will begin to taper.  Which just means that it will be a period of active rest for me.  I’ll still run but I won’t push myself as hard as I have been.  I look forward to when this Saturday morning is over more than you know!!!  In my mind, it means that my training is essentially complete.  I have ran as far as I will have before the real race.  Of course then I will just start worrying about the actual race and staying healthy and strong.  On that note, I’m going to try my best to let this be the last time I say anything negative.  I need to focus on the positive and picture myself completing this goal that I’ve worked so hard for.  My dad so kindly reminded me of this and he’s right.  He told me to omit failure from my vocabulary and visualize success.  He told me not to give any of my time, energy or ability to absorb anything from anyone that isn’t mentally imaging positive things for me on my behalf.  I loved this.  He’s right.  From here on out I will surround myself with positive people who want the best for me.  I will visualize myself running the race healthy and strong and crossing the finish line of my first marathon.  I will soak in the crowd and welcome the anticipation of what lies ahead.  I will never have these moments back so I must make the very best of them.  How many times can I say, “I’m about to run my first marathon?”  This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I thank God for getting me to where I am today.  As for Saturday’s training run, bring it on!  It’s going to be hard and it’s going to hurt but I’m mentally strong and ready to conquer my goals.      

One Step at a Time

Lately I’ve been getting really nervous about running my first marathon. It’s only 45 days away and I don’t feel near ready. It’s hard for me to even write about because telling people I’m doing it makes it even more real and even more scary for me. What if I get injured before or what if I can’t complete it? I know how hard it is to run a half so I truly can’t imagine running a full. Actually I do imagine it and I imagine it being extremely hard which is probably why I’m so scared. These are all fears of mine but I guess I need to focus more on the journey and take one day at a time and one step at a time. I love hearing other people’s running stories and recently I read about some people’s 1st marathon experience so now I’m going to share my own, so far…

Why are you running a marathon?
I started out training for a half marathon. During training I thought if I’m ever going to train for a full, now is the time to go for it!
How did you select your race?
My brother lives in Portland, OR and it’s a beautiful and active city. I knew it would be the perfect place for my first marathon and I LOVED the date. Silly I know but saying I ran my first marathon on 10-10-10 is really cool to me.
What shape were you in when you began training?
I began training in December 2009. At that time, the most I’d ever ran was 3 miles. When I began training, I was comfortable running 1 mile and semi comfortable running 3. I was used to being active and had a decent muscle base and fitness level from doing aerobics classes. I used to be a cheerleader and run track in High School but I really hadn’t been consistently active for quite some time.
What is your training plan?
I started training with Runner’s World in December of 2009. After I finished my half, I began training with Fleet Feet in early July 2010. Running with a group gives me much needed encouragement and direction.
What is your motivation for running?
If you read my blog, then you know I have so many reasons for running but mainly because I like having a goal and it makes me feel good! I’m also a little stubborn so I want to prove to myself that I can do it and check this off my bucket list. Although I’ve really grown to love running with so much more passion than I ever thought I would.
What is your biggest training mistake?
Hard to say since I haven’t completed my training yet. But my focus is on not getting injured. I need to start stretching more and start taking more ice baths. I’m petrified of getting hurt. Other than that, I wish I would be better trained when I run in October but I can’t really help that at this point. All I can do is try my best to finish. They say on your first marathon to not focus on a finish time but just to cross the finish line so that is my main goal.
What is your eating plan?
Ha-ha this is my favorite part. I eat whatever I want, not saying it’s right but I do. But with that said, I really do try to be mindful of drinking more water and Gatorade than ever before and I need to start eating clean and cut out alcohol completely. But there’s nothing better than having a few beers or a glass of wine Saturday evening after a long Saturday morning run. I think I deserve that after what I’ve put my body through.
How do you deal with injury?
I’ve had one minor injury so far, and I took the week completely off and R.I.C.E. Like I said I’m so scared of getting hurt so I’m doing my best to listen to my body.
What is your pre-race ritual?
I try to wake up an hour or more before race time so that my food has time to digest. I eat a Clif bar and just try to mentally prepare. I have usually set my running gear out the night before so I’m ready to go!
The next few questions, I can’t answer until after I’m done with my race in October. Fingers crossed.
Be brutal, what was the race like?
How did you celebrate your marathon?
Do you plan to run more in your future?
What is your running schedule now?
Honestly do you enjoy running or just the effects?
What advice do you have for first timers?

So it’s official, I’m 45 days away from completing my first marathon. I look forward to the feeling I will feel after I cross that finish line. But until that happens, the debauchery of training continues. Wish me luck!

Why do I run?

There are many reasons why… but here are my top 10. I think it’s good to remind myself of these things from time to time.
10. I like good food
9. I’m competitive with myself
8. It feels good to move/burn calories
7. Because I can therefore I should push my body to its potential both physically and mentally
6. I'm running away from unhealthiness, laziness, mediocrity and a non-successful life and towards extraordinary goals, great friends and happiness.
(I read this somewhere and loved it.)
5. It reduces stress/anxiety
4. I love feeling healthy
3. I like having a set goal
2. It makes me feel good about myself
1. It gives me a sense of pride and satisfaction

Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps, if you are not willing to move your feet.

Injured :(

On Saturday I accomplished a really great goal but it turns out that I also injured myself. It was quite odd because I didn’t even know I was hurt until the following day. When I ran, I do remember stumbling a couple of times on the pavement but I didn’t think it was a big deal. I was surprised when I woke up Sunday morning with a sore ankle. This has been my biggest fear since day 1 so I’m kind of freaking out. It would be really disappointing to not be able to run or meet a goal because you are hurt. I haven’t been to a doctor because I don’t think it’s that severe but I have diagnosed myself with having a high ankle sprain. I think it’s a mild injury and if I take some time off and recover, I should be back to normal soon. But honestly I have no idea what to expect. I know that time off is very important for me right now but it’s so hard to take time off when you know you should be training. It just kills me that this has happened but I’m trying to tell myself that things like this happen especially when you are running as much as I have been so I need to be responsible and handle it as best as I know how. RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation will help speed healing so I have started trying to follow these steps. The sooner I am healed the better! Please pray for my speedy recovery!