It’s Runners Tell All link-up time for the month of October! This month we’re talking about your most memorable running experience. It can be from a race or a training run, and I have a doozy of a training run to share with you!

I started running in February of 2007, and have been running consistently since then aside from taking a year off in 2010. So let’s say roughly seven years. During that time I have run a lot of races, but there have been even more training runs. One training run in particular, from early on in my running, still stands out in my mind to this day.

It was a typical Saturday in early April, and I was three weeks out from my very first race, the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville. I had begun training for the race in early February with Team in Training. Each Saturday we met in the morning for a group long run. I loved running with the group and always looked forward to these runs.

On this particular Saturday, I woke up to a blizzard and 30 mph winds. Everyone in our group bailed on the long run except one other lady, Peggy. She knew I had a 13 mile long run on my schedule and that it would be the furthest I had ever run. She also knew that since I wasn’t sick or injured, I was not going to miss this run, despite the weather. So Peggy graciously agreed to meet up with me.

Back then I did all of my long runs on the Huckleberry Trail, which was about a half mile from my freshman dorm. It’s a great trail to run on, with rolling hills, but it’s pretty exposed in some areas and the wind on this day was wicked.

Peggy and I met up, shivering in the 25 degree weather that probably felt much colder with the 30 mph winds. As the snow whipped around our frozen faces, we headed out for what would end up being a nearly 3 hour run. The whole run kind of blends into one freezing experience as we ran into an endless white oblivion. You couldn’t even see more than a foot in front of your face.

At times we would be running downhill and the wind would be blowing right in our faces and I was convinced my face was just going to fall off. The icy cold wind gave me a terrible headache by the end of the run. I can’t even remember whether or not we carried any fuel or water, but if we did I bet it was frozen by the end.

This run stands out in my mind because of how tough it was, but also because of how accomplished I felt when we finished. The weather was definitely less than ideal (downright horrible, really) but I ran thirteen miles. And I finished this run knowing that I could handle whatever Nashville threw at me on race morning on April 28. As luck would have it, we had temperatures in the low 60’s with overcast skies on race morning. I had a great first race, and finished in 2:06:57.

This is my last training recap before the big day! This past week of training began my taper with the Hansons Marathon Method.

Monday- Since I had the day off for Columbus Day, I thought about going somewhere to go trail running (maybe Hungry Mother State Park). But then it was cold and rainy most of the day. I was still getting over my sinus infection and I had already spent the previous day running for over 2 hours in the cold rain.

So I hung out with Sven for an easy 7 miles while watching TV coverage of the World Gymnastics Championships (the U.S. women’s team took gold and the men’s team earned bronze!).

Tuesday- 6 x 1 mile with 400m recovery, for 10 miles total. This was my final strength workout for training! I was going to have a long work day on Friday, so I got off work early on Tuesday and was able to do this run at Bisset Park in the early afternoon. It was lucky, too, because we had strong storms and tornado warnings that evening that would have forced me to do this workout on the treadmill.

I was feeling a bit off and just not that into this workout, which is odd for me because these interval workouts have been my favorite throughout training. But it was the last one, so I just focused on each mile and got it done. My goal for the mile repeats was 10:08 and my splits were: 10:01, 9:54, 9:59, 10:04, 9:52, and 10:03. I also forgot to bring any fuel with me, so I only had water during this run. Typically I have one gel about halfway through these longer workouts.

I had some nice views of all of the changing leaves along the river as I ran. I also had to be careful during my run because it was pretty windy. In addition to leaves falling off of those trees, there were walnuts (still inside their green husks, about the size of a tennis ball) falling like bombs from the trees. I was really lucky not to get hit in the head by any of them, but I spent portions of my run with my hands over my head for extra protection. Some of them were falling so fast that the husks were busting open when they hit the ground!

Wednesday- It was a gorgeous fall day outside, if not a bit unseasonably warm when I got home from work. But I was having one of those days, where you just don’t feel like going anywhere or being around anyone by the time you make it to the post-work portion of your day. I can’t be the only one who has days like that, can I?

Despite the gorgeous weather and the changing leaves, I hung out in the basement with Sven and reruns of 19 Kids & Counting (my show lately, for some reason) for an easy 6 miles.

Wednesdays are usually my rest days, but I moved Friday’s easy run to Wednesday this week because of my upcoming long workday.

Thursday- 10 mile tempo run for 12 miles total. I did this run on the treadmill because it was pouring rain when I got home from work and it was going to be well after dark when I finished running. On a side note, I’m glad I picked a late October marathon. It’s just now getting dark enough early enough that it gets hard to fit in these longer runs after work. Perfect timing.

The middle 10 miles were meant to be done at marathon pace (10:18/mile) and I ended up averaging 10:15/mile. I felt pretty good throughout the entire run. I watched Remember The Titans while I ran. Such a great movie with a great soundtrack. It was my way of pregamming before watching the Hokies play Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, I think the Hokies offense forgot to get on the bus before they drove up to Pitt. It was a rough game.

This tempo run was my final workout of training. From here on out it’s all easy running before the big day.

Friday- Rest day. As I already mentioned, I had a 15 hour work day that started at 4:00 AM. A run was just not going to happen before that. Which is why I planned ahead and did my Friday easy run on Wednesday. I got home a little after 7:00 PM and was in bed by 8:45 🙂

Saturday- Easy 6 miles on the lake loop trail around Hungry Mother State Park. It was definitely worth the drive (about an hour) to run trails at Hungry Mother because the leaves were beautiful! I was worried if I waited until after Marine Corps, most of the leaves would have fallen off of the trees.

There were already a lot of leaves on the trail, so I was extra cautious not to roll an ankle on the hidden rocks and roots. Nevertheless, it felt great to be back in my trail shoes again!

I took a lot of trail pictures during this run. I’m planning on sharing the rest of them later this week!

Sunday- Met up with Kim for 8 miles easy on the Dora and New River Trails. It was a very chilly morning. The temp’s were only in the low 40’s, but it felt like mid-30’s with the wind. For the first time in a long time I ran in capris, which felt weird.

The clouds were very ominous looking during our run, but we never got rained on. The sun made them look really dark. This was my last longer run before Marine Corps! Everything else is 6 miles or less from here on.

Total Miles: 49 miles (which seems like a lot the week before a marathon, but I feel fine)

I’m five days into the penultimate week of training before the Marine Corps Marathon.

That means I’ve got 16 hard weeks of training behind me, and now it’s time to back off and take it easy for the two weeks leading up to the race. Taper time! But since I’m following the Hansons Marathon Method, the jokes on me. There is no taper! At least, not in the usual sense. The Hansons’ marathon training program involves a lot of running, and the taper is no different.

During this week of training I had both my final strength workout on Tuesday (6 x 1 mile for 10 miles total) and my final tempo run on Thursday (10 miles at marathon pace, 12 miles total). Yesterday’s tempo run took place exactly 10 days before the Marine Corps Marathon. Hanson philosophy says it takes 10 days to reap the benefits of a hard workout. So from here on out it’s all easy running. That makes for a 10 day taper.

During that 10 day taper, the training program still has you running six days per week. That kind of freaks me out. Logic tells me I should be decreasing the number of days I run and getting extra rest leading up to the big day. But the Hansons argue that if you subtract too much training too quickly, it could leave you feeling sluggish and even fatigued. Their reasoning:

…consider how you would feel if you were accustomed to drinking a couple of cups of coffee in the morning and then suddenly gave it up cold turkey. Your body probably will react with a dull headache. If instead you cut back to one cup, you limit the effects of withdrawal and usually end up feeling better. This is the same idea – reduce the stress while keeping the body happy in its preestablished routine.

Alright so that does make sense. The last thing I want to do during my taper is lose any of the fitness I have gained. But then I look at the final two weeks of training and forget about all that logic:

Do you see those last three days of training? Not only am I running the three days leading up to the race, but it’s going to total 14 miles. Seriously guys!? They better know what they’re doing. Although, everything they have told me up to this point has been true. They promised that at times training would seem impossible, but that I would get through it and I did. So there’s no reason to doubt them now…. right?? At least I’m not likely to face the taper crazies!

How do you usually taper for a big race?
What do you think, does the Hanson logic make sense?

Let the countdown being!

Now it is time to start stalking the weather forecast! 🙂

 

One word can describe Sunday’s race in the most basic way: wet. I was soaked to the bone about as much as I’ve ever been during a race. I woke up Sunday morning to a cold, steady rain (after getting 4 hours of broken sleep – stupid cough). The forecast was 60% chance of light rain showers, so I hoped for the best. But on this day, the best was not to be.

I had my new favorite pre-race breakfast of a pancake with a thin spread of peanut butter, along with a cup of coffee. Once we fed the dogs and Annabelle, Barry and I hit the road to make the 30-40 minute drive to Blacksburg. It was dark, chilly, and rainy. The kind of day where you’d rather crawl back under the covers than be outside. But the second annual Hokie Half Marathon beckoned.

We arrived about 30 minutes prior to the race start and parked with ease near the start/finish line. Barry and I separated before the start of the race, and I made my way over to the porta potties in the pouring rain. A lady ushered me inside an adjacent building, telling me there was no line for the bathrooms inside. Lo and behold there was no line and I got a small break from the rain. I hurried over to the start just as the gun went off. They had two waves for the start, and I wasn’t sure if wave 2 was just kind of going right after wave 1, so I jumped in with the mass of people moving towards the start line and before I knew it I was off and running. As it would turn out, I started at the very back of wave 1 (wave 1 was meant to be 2:11 and under).

My goal going into the race was to run the first few miles easy, and then get in a solid 10 mile run at marathon pace. But the race day weather, along with how I felt on my run the Friday before the race, made me adjust my goals. I decided to just run at whatever pace felt comfortable, enjoy the race, and not wear myself out before the Marine Corps Marathon. Despite the weather, I did end up having a pretty good time!

All of my photos are roughly the quality of the one above, so that’s something for you to look forward to 🙂 My camera is waterproof, so I was still able to snap some photos along the course. I did a bad job of taking pictures last year, so I wanted to get a few this year, even if they were water-logged ones.

For the first few miles we ran on roads through Christiansburg as we made our way from the start area in Blacksburg over to the Huckleberry Trail at the New River Valley Mall. A lot of people were running pretty fast at this point, and I was getting passed a lot. I let them all go, though, figuring I would see some of them again. Spoiler alert: I saw lots of them again when we hit the hills 🙂 As we turned into the mall, I saw two funny signs. One said “This seems like a lot of work for a free banana” and the other said “Quit reading this sign and get going!.” I wanted to get a picture, but they were across the road and it was open to traffic. Shortly after entering the mall we hopped on the Huckleberry Trail as we headed towards mile four.

I was carrying my handheld water bottle with me, but I was not very thirsty until mile 9 or so. I took sips of water from it on the even miles, but I really didn’t feel like it. I guess it was just because of the cool weather and the rain. At the end of the race, I had drunk less than 20 ounces of water. That won’t fly for Marine Corps.

The first few miles on the Huckleberry Trail were relatively flat/downhill. Normally I would pick it up here to “bank” time, knowing we were headed for the hills. But this year I chose to take it easy during this section to conserve energy. I think it really helped, as I felt very strong on all of the hills. At mile 5.5 I had a Salted Caramel Gu just before we headed into the hillier portion of the course.

I usually don’t pay much attention to what my competition is doing during a longer race like this. I focus on my own goals and compete against myself. But as we hit the hills of the Huckleberry, I started passing a lot of people. And I must admit, I was enjoying myself. It really gave me a boost to see people stop to walk on the hills as I cruised up them with plenty of energy left. There’s one long, gradual hill just before mile 8 that is always tough for me. During the race I powered up it while telling myself “no surrender” over and over.

Around mile 10 fatigue started to creep into my legs, as we ran through local neighborhoods. Up until this point I was feeling very comfortable, both in my legs and with my breathing. I also suddenly felt very empty and hungry. I ate two Shot Bloks and drank some water and focused on getting to mile 11.

Mile 10 felt long, but finally I reached mile 11. I had another sip of water and told myself “Okay, two more to go. Let’s get this done.” At this point we were on another paved bike trail and headed back towards the finish line. Mile 11 actually flew by and before I knew it I was passing by the mile 12 marker. There was a band at mile 12 playing “Play That Funky Music White Boy” and I had to fight the urge to dance!

We had one final hill to conquer towards the end of mile 12 and then it was downhill and flat to the finish! I was so happy to see that finish line. It had alternated between raining steadily and pouring the entire race and I was ready to get out of the rain. I think I finished somewhere around 2:20. My watch had me at 2:19:28 (10:41/mile pace), but I had a bit of a snafu getting it started for the first tenth of a mile of the race.

After crossing the finish line, I received a finisher’s shirt, medal, and a car magnet. They also had a volunteer standing at the finish asking each person if he/she was okay. That was really good, because the race conditions were very similar to the Asheville Half Marathon, where a lot of people were treated for hypothermia. I actually ended up in the medical tent at the end of that race, but it was due to my own stupidity 🙂

Once I got away from the finish line area, I quickly met up with Barry, Deb, and her husband Bill. We got in line for the post-race food and took a few soggy group photos together.

The quality of these photos really captures how wet it was outside and how wet we were. There wasn’t even any way to wipe off the lens of my camera. I guess we can call these “dreamy” photos.

In talking with Deb, Bill, and Barry it sounded like everyone had great races all around! Barry finished his race around 1:44 (he doesn’t wear a watch). We were rewarded with some piping hot, delicious turkey chili. Definitely a special treat, and a staple item for the Hokie Half. They also had granola bars, bananas, mini chocolate candy, pretzels, water, soft drinks, and vegetarian chili.

Once we all got through the food line, we headed to our cars since everyone was freezing. I was shaking so much that I splashed chili on my white finisher’s shirt. Barry had the same thing happen with his shirt after he finished. Luckily, I was able to get the stains out by washing them as soon as we got home!

The Hokie Half is definitely one of my favorite races. Virginia Tech will always feel like a second home to me, and this race has a hometown feel. Hopefully I can continue to run this race every year, and become a “Hokie Half streaker.” With this race behind me, it’s on to Marine Corps!!

Have you ever run a race in the rain like this one?
Are you seeing some pretty fall foliage in your area?
What’s the best post-race food you’ve had after a race (that was provided by the race)? I think the turkey chili wins this one for me!