26.2 COMPLETE!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


What a week so far!  I haven't even had time to sit, let alone write a blog about this weeks experience.  However, I have had time for back and forth competitive banter on Facebook with my husband and friends regarding this weekend's 26.2.  I know many have heard me recount the story of Sunday's now famed Rock N' Roll San Antonio Marathon.  If ya don't want to hear me tell the story again...then you may stop here....or fast forward to the bottom.  No hard feelin's :)


Sunday morning came bright and early, and I think this was the first time EVER that I got a good night sleep before ANY race.  5k, 10k, half, full, ultra....I usually am plagued with insomnia.  But, alas, that half bottle of Chateau St. Michelle Riesling I downed allowed for 6.5 solid hours of shut eye.


Side Note:  I would never endorse drinking alcohol in large amounts before a distance run...but ummm...It worked for me?


Woke up rested and stretched out all my muscles.  Did my usual pre-race ritual (I will not go into that here...if you are really that curious...email me...I'll be happy to share).  I ate a mini cinnamon bagel.  I drank a little bit of water.  I can tell you what I did not do...I did NOT put on enough sunscreen.  About 5:10am we headed out of our hotel room, and started the trek towards the AT&T center.  The traffic was insane.  Sooo terrible.  Thousands of people.  Finally parked and hopped on a bus, and made it to the start line at about 6:30am.  Hopped in a port-a potty line.  Good call on doing that early, those por-a-potty lines were insane.  Did anyone else notice the "Occupy San Antonio" group camped out around Corral 20-25???  I was so confused.  I posted on Facebook that I thought they should help Occupy a Water Station...ya know...help was needed.  6:45 came and went, and 7 am started the final stretching.  It was at 7:15 am that I slurped down my very first PowerBar Gel (I use the Tangerine 2x caffeine...AKA Jetfuel).  Kristofor and I got in the middle of Corral 12 at about 7:20, and before we knew it, the race had begun. 


We didn't actually start until around 7:45am, and I can tell you then, I knew the race was going to be interesting.  Why?
1.  There were SO MANY PEOPLE.  And by mile 1, there were already SO MANY walkers.
2.  It was humid.  Like Ridic Humid.
3.  It was hot-ish.  Even early.  It was not cool.


Regardless, Kris and I both started off just as planned, pacing right with the 4 hour 15 minute finish pace group.  About mile 1, we passed the pace group and decided to get ahead and give ourselves a "surplus" for what was to be a long, hot race.  Many times, I had to slow us down, not because I was tired, but because I just knew we had to watch it.  I once looked down and saw we were at about an 8:15min mile.  We tried to stay between 8:45 and 9's.  The miles before the Full and Half Marathon split flew by.  But at about mile 7 or so, my knee really started to hurt.  I didn't want to say it out loud, because then I would be acknowledging it.  But I was in pain.  I kept repeating in my head "you are strong, you are trained, you can do this."  Literally over and over...and then I would turn up my music.  By mile 9, I started to wonder (to myself) if I would be able to finish.  The pain was a lot, and I didn't want to seriously injure myself.  I was still moving quickly; if I slowed down, it actually hurt more.  I started to think, "if I can make it to the 13.1 mark by under 2 hours, I'll be ok.  If I have to drop then, I'll be ok.  At least I finished a strong half."  Then something happened.  At about mile 11, a song came on my iPod, and I don't remember  which one it was (which is strange), BUT something happened inside of me (cheezy I know), and I just started to loosen up.  I think I had been making the pain happen, I think I was still carrying the "I know my knee might hurt" burden.  And at mile 11, I gave it away.  And I sped up some more. 


By mile 13, I had gotten about .10 miles head of the mile markers.  This happened because of all the weaving in and around the traffic of other people.  When you are going from side to side passing people, eventually, you end up running more distance.  I started just counting the actual mileage on my Garmin.  We passed the 13.1 mark at about 1:59.  Kristofor told me that we needed to slow down, we still had a lot of miles to run.  And by that time, the clouds had peeled off, the sun was shining, and the heat index was well above 90 degrees (I'm guessing).  Around mile 15 we stopped briefly for a bathroom break (I didn't go...), and when we started again, I plugged my headphones in and turned it up.  I also sped up.  Usually in races, Kris and I take turns leading (usually he leads...), and I for the next 2 miles, I thought he was right behind me.  When I turned around at mile 17 and he wasn't, I was torn.  Should I slow down?  Do I wait?  How far back is he?  Is he hurt?  A million things went through my head.  I looked back one more time, and I made a decision.  I kept going.


Side note:  Last year, we ran our first marathon, step by step together.  It was a MUCH MUCH smaller race.  And it was our first time. We finished hand in hand.


I can't really tell you what went through my mind in those last 8 or so miles.  I almost feel like I was in a different place.  I remembered reading something about running in hot HOT weather.  The article had said to imagine that you are running in Antarctica.  I didn't imagine that in particular, but I definitely channeled myself into thinking it was cold.  I ran through every single water hose on Sunday.  And there were lots.  I also poured an entire 2 bottles of water down by back and over my head.  I was given a sponge filled with ICE COLD water at mile 22.  I held on to that sponge almost until the very end.  Every time I started feeling sluggish, I popped another PowerBar Gel.  I had one at mile 8, mile 16, mile 20, and mile 23.  I took in almost 600 calories and a whopping 235mg of caffeine during that race.

I looked at my watch at mile 23, and I knew my margin to get to my goal had become slimmer.  Before mile 19, I was pacing quite a bit ahead of where I wanted to be, but post mile 22 (which was surprisingly also Kris' toughest mile as well) I really started to feel the heat.  And I knew that I was sunburned.  And all I wanted to do was get out of the sun.  I kept running, and I was amazed that when I slowed down, my "slow" pace was faster than my "fast" pace last year.  At mile 24, I started to enter back into the downtown area, and I could see the buildings.  More than once, I threw my hands up in the air, and I know I wasn't just thinking shrieks, I was actually SHRIEKING out loud.  I saw an older couple towards the last 1.5 miles and the woman said "come on little one."  I began to cry and yelled "I'M REALLY GOING TO MAKE IT!!!!"  Meaning that I was going to make my time.  As I turned left to head into the Alamodome parking lot, the 4:15 pacer passed me and said "COME ON HURRY."  I looked down at my watch and I was at exactly mile 26.  I crossed the 26.2 mile mark as I entered the tunnel, and I stopped my Garmin....

I took this photo right after I finished.  10:38 was my current pace at the moment I hit 26.2.  From what I can estimate, when I crossed the FINISH, I had run 26.33 ish.  Which is why my "official" time for this race was 4:15:24.  24 measley seconds over my goal.  BUT, I don't count that, because I had run further.  Which is why I am so happy I had this watch (thanks babe) to stop it when I hit the mark.  To me, this is MY time.


Immediately I started getting texts from family and friends who had been following me and Kris' progress.  My first question to our friend Javier was "where's Kris?"  He told me that he was about 15-20 minutes behind me.  I started to worry that he wasn't ok.  I was told to leave the finish area, but when I got the text that he was about to finish, I snuck around to see him cross.  He was overheated from the heat, and just glad to be done.  His first words were "when did you finish?"


Now let me tell ya (and many already know)...it's been quite fun to ride the "I beat my husband in the marathon" train this week.  Simply because, I NEVER beat him at anything.  He finished unofficially in about 4:39.


Side Note:  If you know my husband, you know he is not only an amazing runner and athlete, but he is also brilliant.  He is the guy you always want on your trivia team.  He is more of a grammar cop than I am.  And he is a FAST runner.  I hope we have very smart, well-spoken, athletic children one day :)


So, it's been fun to bask in the glory of my win this week.  In his words "it's not a competition unless you win sometimes" and by golly, this week is my week!  BUT, I'm very proud of him for beating his own Personal Record, and for finishing such a tough race.  I can tell you, when I finished, I passed more super fit "fast looking" male runners.  I finished with a bunch of females.  I think the heat really affected the male population.  This race definitely has made us reconsider ever doing another Fall TEXAS marathon.  The unpredictability of the weather is a gamble for sure.  Which is whyyyyyyyy.....


We are signed up for our next race.  And this time, for the first time (for me), I am doing this race for a cause.  We will be running the Austin LIVESTRONG Marathon on February 19th.  And I will be fundraising for the LIVESTRONG Foundation.  I have pledged to raise $500, although, I hope to raise much more.  Kris joined the LIVESTRONG team this Fall for his triathlon, and I'm excited for us to do this together!  If you'd like to get more information on what the LIVESTRONG Foundation does, you can visit livestrong.org.


And if you'd like make a donation, my donation page is:


http://laf.livestrong.org/goto/lacyhealey


I know that this race will be very special for the both of us, and I know that it will be a much harder course to run.  Austin has a landscape of rolling hills, and I've already looked at the topography...and YIKES!!  I'm also excited that many of my Bod Squad Sisters have decided to run as well!  It will be a fun 3 months training together!  


Which brings me to my final note.  When I started this blog in July, it was intended just to document my "second go round at the 26.2."  It turned out to be about a whole lot more.  I guess I'm kind of at a crossroads with it.  I enjoy writing it, but I want to make sure that people enjoy reading it.  SOOOOOOO....should I continue?  Does anyone wanna hear about all this crazy stuff anymore?  Is there anything that I can add in or do better at to make it more informative in general?  Give me your feedback!  You can message me here, on Facebook, or at lacysheahealey@gmail.com.  Either way, I hope that you've enjoyed taking this journey with me!  It's been a wild few months of Ultra Running, Possum Hunting, and other nonsense adventures.  As always, I wish everyone the best of luck in their upcoming races.  And I'm so proud of those you that just finished this one and decided to take the leap and try it again!  That takes courage!  Congratulations again to all this weekends finishers!!! See ya on the street!


Thanks for cheering me on,


Lacy

Twas the night before the marathon...

And all through SA, runners were winding down
Ready to hit the hay.
Clothes were laid out by their doorsteps with care
with hopes of Boston qualifying times dancing in the air....

That's all I got :)

In less than 11 hours, the gun will go off, and over 40,000 participants of all ages, shapes, nationalities, and backgrounds will all come together to run the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon/Half Marathon.  As said by a runner in the documentary "Spirit of the Marathon,"  39,980-ish of them will be running in the footsteps of the Elite runners that will take off first; they will finish well before most of us will hit the half way mark.  What an exciting day!

At today's expo, Kristofor and I stood and watched Meb Keflezighi speak.  He won the NYC Marathon in 2009, and was a 2004 Marathon silver medalist in the Olympic Games in Athens.  What an inspiring guy to watch.  He was born in war torn Eritrea and came to the US when he was 12.  His attitude is infectious.  Even just watching him speak for a few minutes gave me the goosebumps.  He had some very insightful words into the pressures of running a race, regardless of the fact that NONE of us regulars will win.

When we take on these races, like a half marathon or the full, we inevitably talk it up to everyone we know.  As the race gets closer, especially if it's your first time, you tell everyone you meet about it, you live, eat, and breathe for the moment you take the first steps.  In doing that, we all create some sort of expectation for ourselves, and that expectation is mirrored by our peers.  Every single person that starts tomorrow, expects to finish.  All of our families, friends, and co-workers expect for us to come back to work Monday (or Tuesday...) and tell the tale of how they crossed the finish line.  This is the expectation.  This week, today, an hour ago, I worried, myself, that I wouldn't meet that expectation.

I say this with complete and total candor.  I today, and this week, had doubts.

My right knee, since Wednesday, has been very sore, and somewhat swollen.  I don't know why, don't know what I did to re-aggravate it (I haven't run since last Sunday...), but never the less, it has felt shaky and unstable.  I've been icing, and icy hotting, and stretching, and wearing NO heels (I wore tennis shoes to work yesterday....), taking anti-inflammatories, the whole bit.  And nothing made it better.  Yesterday, it actually felt worse.  I remember the Dr. telling me this summer when I had my MRI, "Lacy, it's chronic, it will flare up from time to time, nothing is torn, it's just going to happen, don't let it get in your head."  It got in my head.  I've spent all day trying to get it out of my head.  And I think about half an hour, I got it out.  I gave it away.  How????  This is going to sound so stupid....

I taped it.  With KT tape.  After watching the YouTube video on "how-to" umpteen thousand times to make sure I got it right.  And this tape made me feel so much better.  Thank you THANK YOU
Thank YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUU  Irma Cariaga-Moya
for telling me what to do.  And calming my heart.  And letting me know it would be ok.  Thank you for my hug.  You literally probably saved my race (I tear up just thinking about it).  You are an angel!

So now I have bright yellow tape on my leg.  To match my bright yellow head band that I'll be wearing. So stylish.

Meb also said today, the race preparation is 90% physical, 10% mental.  Tomorrow is 90% mental, 10% physical.  So true.  I will chant that in my head.  ALLLLLLLL MENTALLLLLLLLLLL!!!  So for now, I'm going to drink the rest of my glass of wine, and get some shut-eye.  4am is going to come very early!

Good luck to all runners, but especially to my friends running the half for the very first time.  I am so so so proud of each of you.  Today, when I needed a little inspiration and pick-me up, I thought of you guys, and how far you've come, and how you have triumphed over pains and insecurities as well.  And here you all are, ready to get it done tomorrow!  We are all winners tomorrow, because we have all put in the time and effort that most would never be able to devote.  Relax, enjoy it, take it all in, do your best, and make yourselves proud. Because you ALL should be so proud for making it here!  Sweet dreams everyone!  See ya downtown...CORRAL 12!!!!

Thanks for cheering me on,

Lacy

An Ode to the Carbo Load

Just days away from Marathon numero dos!  I'm so stinkin' excited now, I can hardly sleep (literally, I had to take a melatonin last night)!  I can't wait to get in the car and head 4 hours north to the BIG city (I miss the days when I LIVED in the BIG city).  In the meantime, I've spent some major time reflecting on how far I've come since I started this second journey the week of July 10th.  Since then, it's been full speed ahead!  I told a friend today, I don't know if I can stop training when this is over, I'd get bored.  I have hours upon hours of backed up DVR episodes that need catching up on.  However, when I think about sitting down in the evening instead of running, I get bored.  Training 5-6 days a week usually for 2+ hours a day has become normal.  I am used to eating dinner at 9pm now!  Speaking of eating...

And I have read and re-read my blog posts from the past months...

And I am fully aware that in these blog posts I love to talk about food...

So what's one more blog about food?  Here's my Ode to the Carbo Load :)

OHHHHHHH carbohydrates you make me smile.
You sit in my tummy for a while.
And give me energy to make me go
for hours and hours so I don't slooooooooooowwww
down.

Macaroni and Cheese and Baked Potatoes
Cheeze Ravioli and Pasta with Tomoatoooooooooo
sauce.
You make my heart sing a happy song
and make it possible for me to run very loooooonnnnggg
distances.

So from now until Sunday I'll be happy to eat
90% of my diet full of whole wheat
I'll be keeping it clean
So Renea won't be too mean  (Love you Renea :))
And I won't have to worry about hitting the wall
because my body is going to be full of allllllllllllllll
that glycogen.

The End.

But no seriously.  I started eating today.  And I'm not eating crap, but just as my ditty states, I'm getting most of my good ol' calories from lovely carbohydrates.  Why might you ask?  I read this article in my November 2011 Runner's World....

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--14076-0,00.html

It's appropriately titled "Fill 'Er Up", and it gives lots of good information on how the pre-race carbo load affects your body, and what it actually does for the runner.  It also goes into the reason why you start carbo loading earlier than just the day before the race.  And in case no one wants to read the article, here's the gist.

Since this week, all of us Rock and Roller's are tapering and not really running very much (at least that's what is supposed to happen....).  We are in the resting/tapering stage.  Resting our muscles so they are fresh and ready for Sunday.  We've put the work in, we've ran our miles, and now we just prepare.  And the biggest preparation, is food.  Since we aren't actively burning all the calories we eat with our long runs, we can start storing Glycogen....

GLYCOGEN:  The fuel for our muscles, its the body's simplest source for getting energy.  When you run out of glycogen during a LOOOONNNGGG run, this is usually what is referred to as "hitting the wall."  Where you feel like you can't move your legs anymore and usually feel like you have to stop (a la me at mile 39 during my Ultra Marathon). 

We can start storing Glycogen early, since we won't be actively burning it off every day as we normally do.  As this article states, this doesn't mean that we are necessarily taking in more calories than we normally do, but simply, we are getting most of our calories (85-95%) from carbs.  And oh the glorious day!  Because most people love them some carbs.  This article gives you a good idea of "good carbs" to fill up on.  For you full marathoners, starting the carbo load a little early (I'm actually going to start officially with dinner tonight...) may help keep your energy level up for the entire 26.2! 

For the half marathoners, this isn't as huge of a deal, but still, from personal experience, I ran much stronger last year at RNR SA after carbing up for 2 days than I had at my previous half.  My time showed it (I shaved over 15 minutes off).

So do yourself a favor, read that article (google Fill 'Er Up, Runner's World if the link doesn't work), and see if that may work for you.  As I always say, it may not work for everyone, but I know that doing it this way works for me, so it might help you too!

I did get a couple comments from readers about "Running Faux Pas" last week.  And I wanted to share it with you (both people had the same comment...).  Seems another faux pas I left out, and it's an important one, is this:  If you are running this weekend, and your shoe comes untied, or you need to stop to get water, or you need to stop in general.  Head to the side of the street to do so, out of the track of other runners.  For those that have been in a collision in the middle of a race, it can cause major injury.  When you have hundreds sometimes thousands running on the same path, sometimes at a higher speed, if one person stops, it can cause a domino effect.  So be kind to those running around you, and step to the side if you have to stop!  Thank you to my readers that brought this to my attention!  I'm so happy to have your input!

In closing, I wanted to say a BIG thank you and good luck to all my friends that are running this weekend!  Each of you has helped push me and inspire me with your own journey's and efforts.  Everyone who has trained should be congratulated.  You are doing something that most people would never attempt.  So pat yourself on the back for a job well done.  You've earned that medal and finisher's shirt (still don't wear it to the race....).  Relax and enjoy the next few days, relax and enjoy the expo, and the chaos of the starting line, and really ENJOY the exuberance of the finish.  Because...YOU earned it!  What a great self affirmation to earn your goal...one mile at a time! 

And to paraphrase one of my favorite shows of all time (Friday Night Lights)...

Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.

Thanks for cheering me on!

Lacy

Runner Faux Pas

Greetings from CHILLY South Texas!  It's been quite a blustery day here in the RGV.  Quite a departure from the 90 degree day in day out weather of the past several weeks.  Even if it's only set to last for one day, it was a nice change to do my evening run tonight in long sleeves with a headband over my ears.  Dontcha worry though, by Sunday, we are back to 90 degrees and sunny.

We are officially 10 days out from the marathon, and I can feel myself going into my pre-marathon obsessive fest.  What does this mean exactly?  Well, I've read all the emails being sent to me daily by the Rock and Roll people.  I talk about the marathon a gazillion times per day.  I think about the marathon a gajillion times per day.  Every time I think about the marathon, I think about eating.  I then think about how much I want a Garmin watch before I run next Sunday (hint hint hint HUSBAND...early birthday/Christmas present).  Then I start to worry about how many Gu's I should eat, if I should drink the Cytomax or not drink the Cytomax.

CYTOMAX:  Just so everyone knows beforehand (and this is good info...at least I think it is), they don't serve Gatorade during the RNR San Antonio.  That sports drink is NOT Gatorade.  They have water and Cytomax.  Cytomax to me is VERY sugary, and makes me dry in the mouth and makes my stomach unhappy.  I have heard many that feel this way as well.  BUT I've also heard people that love it.  Either way.  Just so everyone knows (if you haven't run this race before), the sports drink on the course next week will NOT be Gatorade....

Mostly right now, I'm just having the same train of thoughts over and over and over.  And I wonder if that is ever going to change.  Even when I'm like 50 and have run 30+marathons, will I still obsess?  Probably, because I'm neurotic like that.  Anywho, just like before the Ultra, mostly, all I can think about is food.  But it's too early to start carbo-loading (I think...).  Next week, is food week!

So let me get to my main point of this post, runner faux pas.  I want to bestow upon my blog readers some knowledge that I learned even before I ever ran my first race.  Knowledge that was given to me by my husband, and I'm sure the knowledge was given to him.  Go ahead and google the 3 words in the title of this blog, and see what comes up.  YUP!  Several articles about the same thing.  The BIGGEST runner faux pas of them all....

WEARING THE GEAR BEFORE THE RACE

Countless bloggers have covered this subject.  It's been in Runner's World TWICE in the past year.  It is single handedly the easiest way to pick out a race rookie.  Wearing your finisher's t-shirt, to the race, before you've finished.  Next Saturday, all Rock and Rollers will show up to the Alamo Dome and be given a BIG clear plastic bag full of goodies and coupons and race stuff.  A SCHWAG BAG if you will.  Also, you will receive a nifty, spiffy, technical finisher's shirt in the size of your choice.  Do us all a favor, put that shirt in your schwag bag and don't take it out until after the race.  It may look cool.  It may look super neat.  It may be cooler and neater than what you had picked out to wear the next day.  BUT JUST DON'T DO IT.  When a poll was taken in Runner's World a few months ago (I forget what month).  Surprisingly, this faux pas was listed as the BIGGEST by a whopping 87% of responders. 

Think of it this way.  We all know that we aren't going to win the Rock and Roll Marathon or Half Marathon next week.  The winners will be the Elite Runners that finish in crazy ridiculous Olympic fast times.  So in essence, for all of us, winning, means finishing.  And for finishing we get that shirt and a medal.  At any other sporting event, you wouldn't get your trophy before you compete.  Nobody ever gets their medal before they win the race.  No runner should ever wear their finisher's shirt to a race they haven't finished yet.  And this doesn't come from me, I sure didn't make it up!  Evidently, it comes from the running community as a whole.  Who knew that so many would get hot and bothered over such a thing?  But, alas, save yourself some dirty looks and giggles, and wear it post finish.

 Now, wearing a shirt that you received at another race you finished, that is perfectly fine, encouraged even.  Wearing the 2008 Rock and Roll finisher's shirt to the 2011 Rock and Roll Marathon makes you look experienced, professional even.  It shows "this isn't your first rodeo."  So resist the urge to put on your shirt before the race, and instead, save it as your outfit for the next race to show you've got chops!

The second most common faux pas I hear is this:  Calling something other than a Marathon, a Marathon.  And to many, this may seem trivial, or silly.  But if you have ever trained 5-6 days per week, running over 30 miles a week on the regular, calling anything but the full 26.2 miles a marathon can be disheartening.  If I had a nickel every time I heard someone say this, "My __________ is training for a 5k Marathon", I'd be rich.  Never would I ever think that anyone ever intends to make this mistake, there's usually just a lack of knowledge. Still, I've read several articles about this subject as well.  Anyone that has put in the hours and the work to train for the full marathon could empathize.  So I guess that one comes in at number 2.

And really, with all the reading I've done on the subject, that's about all I could find besides some nit-picky stuff.  Either way, I hope those 2 tidbits proved helpful!  If anyone has any other good "faux pas" that I've missed, please feel free to post them as a comment!  I'd love to hear em'!  I tried to do my best research on this one, but I know there are a lot that are more experienced than I.

In closing, I would like to share with everyone, the reason why I had trouble driving today.  I wanted to share with the world, the reason why my hair did not look good.  The reason why I grimaced while brushing my teeth this morning.  The reason why it was difficult to get dressed today....

The BURN MACHINE.

Renea made me use this devil contraption yesterday.  And I know, I know, I know...she said it was the ENTIRE upper body workout that has made me so sore.  However, this little diddy is an easy scapegoat, because it's new, and I am terrible at it.  Maybe someone can video me trying to use it, because my facial expressions are not pleasant.  I offered a reward to the first person that would steal it, and bring it to me.  I stand by that statement.  So Renea (and George), you may want to take that thing home before ya go and give me keys to your studio.  :)...just saying.

Happy running to everyone as you head into the final weekend before the BIG weekend!  Taper, relax, and get ready to roll!

Thanks for cheering me on!

Lacy