Every running program has a graduation. A race where you get to see the progress you've made and the product of all that hard work and dedication over the last few months. For FTM, graduation was the Marine Corps Marathon. Hai and I opted for an early graduation with the Baltimore Marathon, where we exceled, and then used MCM as a celebratory race for our success. For SDP, graduation was the Pike's Peek 10K. This race also bears the weight of being what they use to assign you to a pace group for FTM. There's a lot riding on this little race, which made me all the more excited about it before I took those 2.5 weeks off leading up to it.
All winter long, we trained (even with all the snow!). Track on Tuesdays and long runs on Saturdays. Those track workouts were rough, but I always went home feeling great knowing that I had put in a lot of hard work. By the end of February, I was already beginning to see how much I had benefited from this program. I was running more comfortably at faster paces and killed my previous PR's by over 5 minutes at the RRCA 10 Mile Challenge and National Marathon with not as much effort as I would've expected to make those times.
Then came April and traveling sidetracked my running. I managed two runs total in the 2.5 weeks leading up to Pike's Peek and made it back from Cali the night before the race. Being on Pacific Time was not very fun at all, especially considering that I was sleeping in til 8-9 am instead of getting up at my usual 5 am over there. I spent most of the night away counting down the hours I had left til I had to get up.
The weather was cold, rainy, and humid that morning. Although most considered this weather ideal as opposed to hot and sunny, I did not appreciate it as it made me feel groggier than I already was from the lack of sleep. Hai and I got into the 7:00-8:00 min/mile wave start with a couple of other people in our 8:00 min pace group. I tried to follow Coach Tom's advice and start conservatively. Although I thought I was running at a comfortable pace, Hai caught up to me and told me I was doing 7:15 min/mile for mile 1.
It all went downhill after that. The effort and ease of running fast that came to me in February and March as a result of those tough track workouts had escaped from me with that long April hiatus. I struggled through the rest of the race not focusing so much on time as on watching most of my peers from the program pass me.
I learned a very valuable lesson that if you don't keep working at something, you will lose those abilities very quickly. Although I still PRed by almost 4 minutes from last year's race, I guess I was disappointed in my performance because I had been looking forward to this race for so long and know that I could have done a lot better and with less effort had this race taken place before my 2.5 week hiatus. I was one of the slowest in my 8:00 pace group and when we shared our finish times with each other and I told them mine, one of them had a shocked expression on his face and asked "What happened?" I couldn't help but laugh and think "My thoughts, exactly!" Regardless of the circumstances, I am still very proud and thankful for what SDP has brought out in the runner inside me. Hard work DOES pay off! I am excited for what this summer's Experienced Marathoners Program has to offer and hope for some positive results in my fall marathon, Steamtown.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Road Trip to Cali
A road trip from MD to Cali is something I've always wanted to do and now I can finally say I've done it. Driving cross country really gives me an appreciation for just how big and diverse this country is. I loved experiencing all the different climates and cultures/people/accents (if you haven't already noticed, I have a thing for accents!). I also realized that I need to brush up on my U.S. geography!
Day 1 (Sunday):
We jam-packed all of our things into Vi's little car and headed out on I-70W on Sunday morning. As we hit the C&O Canal and surrounding area, I was fondly reminded of that crazy 50 mile race I did back in November on those paths. Good times! We sliced into a tiny piece of Virginia before going into West Virginia for a short period of time and then it was back into Virginia coasting along 81 for what seemed like a very long time (perhaps because I've seen Virginia enough times and had no interest in it). I was very excited to reach Tennessee, as it was the first of the four states (TN, AR, OK, NM) on this trip that I'd never been to before. We stopped in Nashville for the night. We drove down Broadway St. and I was surprised to see/hear how happening this street was on a Sunday night with all the live music (no wonder they call Nashville "Music City").
Day 2 (Monday):
We stopped at The Parthenon in Centennial Park before heading out. It was a very pretty park, I saw a group of runners and was very jealous of where they got to run. We passed right by Memphis and I could see St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from the highway. Ever since volunteering in the Pediatric Care Research Unit at Hopkins in 2004, I have always wanted to work at St. Jude's, although 1) I don't want to live in Memphis and 2) that would be an extremely depressing job. I don't remember much about Arkansas except a lot of open fields and cows. Sadly, I did not even know that AR neighbored TN and OK. Next up was Oklahoma! We stayed for the night in Oklahoma City with Amy and John (thanks guys!). It was nice to see their place and meet Holly. She liked me (Amy said she likes pink) and I wasn't even wearing any pink! Must've been her pink intuition! The only thing I know about Oklahoma is the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. I did not know that they made a memorial at the bomb sight, but that was very cool to see.
Day 3 (Tuesday):
On the road again with the next state being Texas. Technically, I have been in the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport for layovers, but I guess you can't really count that as a visit. The highlight of our brief encounter with this state was seeing tumbleweeds rolling across the roads, it was just like in the cartoons! Next, we hit New Mexico. There are a lot of Indian reservations in NM. We reached Arizona and stopped in Flagstaff for the night. It was colder than I had expected and I was surprised to see a good amount of snow still on the ground.
Day 4 (Wednesday):
We took the day off from driving and went to see the Grand Canyon. This is definitely something worth seeing in person, as pictures cannot even begin to do this place any justice. It was also nice to take a break from 11 to 13-hour days of driving, although the driving did not seem as bad as I expected it to be. It had been a full week since the last time I had run or done any form of exercise, so I was really anxious to do some form of physical activity. Vi and I were really excited to use the hotel's "fitness center" until we turned on the treadmill and realized that the speed would not go pass 3.6 mph. WTF?! By this time, I was beginning to lose track of dates and times altogether, especially with crossing all those time zones.
Day 5 (Thursday):
We decided to spend another day playing by visiting the parks in Sedona, AZ. We visited Slide Rock State Park, the downtown district of Sedona, and Red Rock State Park before deciding we had had enough of red rocks and continued onward with our road trip. No wonder why Arizona is always symbolized with a cactus, there were cacti everywhere and they were huge! We decided that if we headed to Phoenix, it would be too early in the day to want to stop driving, but if we tried to make it all the way to San Diego, we wouldn't get there til past midnight. So we chose a random city in between: Blythe, CA. Just over the border between Arizona and California, Blythe was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and basically seemed like a "pitstop" kind of town. Also, why does California make you stop at their border for inspection and make you throw away all your produce?
Day 6 (Friday):
Just a couple more hours before we reach our final destination. The drive out there seemed to happen so fast, that I didn't expect it to be over already. Everything went so smoothly, the weather was sunny the whole way, and we only hit traffic once for about a half an hour in Tennessee. The first place we hit up upon reaching San Diego was apartment complex choice #1. This place looked very appealing and almost seemed like a resort. We checked out a few more places and then checked into our hotel on base at Camp Pendleton.
Days 7-13 (Saturday - Friday):
We spent the weekend in the hotel and then moved to the beach cottage on San Onofre Beach during the week. Saturday was spent doing more apartment hunting before Vi ultimately decided to go with choice #1. We then proceeded with the moving process by going furniture shopping over the next two days. We also took multiple trips to Super Walmart (or as Vi's GPS calls it, "Wooooowwwmart") for numerous exchanges, returns, and forgotten items. There was hardly any free time with all the chores to do and waiting around for furniture, the cable guy, and the Navy movers to arrive. Vi unfortunately had to report to work right away on Monday, but was lucky enough to get Thursday and Friday off. I was able to get in one run on the beach and one around her neighborhood (life without humidity is so great!). We also went to Mission Beach, Coronado Island, and Santa Ana. I really like the place that Vi chose to live, Oceanside. It's so close to plenty of stores and a lot of good food! Avocados are cheap there, only 50 cents each!
Day 14 (Saturday):
The end of the trip =(. Let's just say I was glad to be riding a 4 1/2 hour plane back to MD rather than driving all that way back!
Day 1 (Sunday):
We jam-packed all of our things into Vi's little car and headed out on I-70W on Sunday morning. As we hit the C&O Canal and surrounding area, I was fondly reminded of that crazy 50 mile race I did back in November on those paths. Good times! We sliced into a tiny piece of Virginia before going into West Virginia for a short period of time and then it was back into Virginia coasting along 81 for what seemed like a very long time (perhaps because I've seen Virginia enough times and had no interest in it). I was very excited to reach Tennessee, as it was the first of the four states (TN, AR, OK, NM) on this trip that I'd never been to before. We stopped in Nashville for the night. We drove down Broadway St. and I was surprised to see/hear how happening this street was on a Sunday night with all the live music (no wonder they call Nashville "Music City").
Day 2 (Monday):
We stopped at The Parthenon in Centennial Park before heading out. It was a very pretty park, I saw a group of runners and was very jealous of where they got to run. We passed right by Memphis and I could see St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from the highway. Ever since volunteering in the Pediatric Care Research Unit at Hopkins in 2004, I have always wanted to work at St. Jude's, although 1) I don't want to live in Memphis and 2) that would be an extremely depressing job. I don't remember much about Arkansas except a lot of open fields and cows. Sadly, I did not even know that AR neighbored TN and OK. Next up was Oklahoma! We stayed for the night in Oklahoma City with Amy and John (thanks guys!). It was nice to see their place and meet Holly. She liked me (Amy said she likes pink) and I wasn't even wearing any pink! Must've been her pink intuition! The only thing I know about Oklahoma is the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. I did not know that they made a memorial at the bomb sight, but that was very cool to see.
Day 3 (Tuesday):
On the road again with the next state being Texas. Technically, I have been in the Dallas-Ft. Worth airport for layovers, but I guess you can't really count that as a visit. The highlight of our brief encounter with this state was seeing tumbleweeds rolling across the roads, it was just like in the cartoons! Next, we hit New Mexico. There are a lot of Indian reservations in NM. We reached Arizona and stopped in Flagstaff for the night. It was colder than I had expected and I was surprised to see a good amount of snow still on the ground.
Day 4 (Wednesday):
We took the day off from driving and went to see the Grand Canyon. This is definitely something worth seeing in person, as pictures cannot even begin to do this place any justice. It was also nice to take a break from 11 to 13-hour days of driving, although the driving did not seem as bad as I expected it to be. It had been a full week since the last time I had run or done any form of exercise, so I was really anxious to do some form of physical activity. Vi and I were really excited to use the hotel's "fitness center" until we turned on the treadmill and realized that the speed would not go pass 3.6 mph. WTF?! By this time, I was beginning to lose track of dates and times altogether, especially with crossing all those time zones.
Day 5 (Thursday):
We decided to spend another day playing by visiting the parks in Sedona, AZ. We visited Slide Rock State Park, the downtown district of Sedona, and Red Rock State Park before deciding we had had enough of red rocks and continued onward with our road trip. No wonder why Arizona is always symbolized with a cactus, there were cacti everywhere and they were huge! We decided that if we headed to Phoenix, it would be too early in the day to want to stop driving, but if we tried to make it all the way to San Diego, we wouldn't get there til past midnight. So we chose a random city in between: Blythe, CA. Just over the border between Arizona and California, Blythe was pretty much in the middle of nowhere and basically seemed like a "pitstop" kind of town. Also, why does California make you stop at their border for inspection and make you throw away all your produce?
Day 6 (Friday):
Just a couple more hours before we reach our final destination. The drive out there seemed to happen so fast, that I didn't expect it to be over already. Everything went so smoothly, the weather was sunny the whole way, and we only hit traffic once for about a half an hour in Tennessee. The first place we hit up upon reaching San Diego was apartment complex choice #1. This place looked very appealing and almost seemed like a resort. We checked out a few more places and then checked into our hotel on base at Camp Pendleton.
Days 7-13 (Saturday - Friday):
We spent the weekend in the hotel and then moved to the beach cottage on San Onofre Beach during the week. Saturday was spent doing more apartment hunting before Vi ultimately decided to go with choice #1. We then proceeded with the moving process by going furniture shopping over the next two days. We also took multiple trips to Super Walmart (or as Vi's GPS calls it, "Wooooowwwmart") for numerous exchanges, returns, and forgotten items. There was hardly any free time with all the chores to do and waiting around for furniture, the cable guy, and the Navy movers to arrive. Vi unfortunately had to report to work right away on Monday, but was lucky enough to get Thursday and Friday off. I was able to get in one run on the beach and one around her neighborhood (life without humidity is so great!). We also went to Mission Beach, Coronado Island, and Santa Ana. I really like the place that Vi chose to live, Oceanside. It's so close to plenty of stores and a lot of good food! Avocados are cheap there, only 50 cents each!
Day 14 (Saturday):
The end of the trip =(. Let's just say I was glad to be riding a 4 1/2 hour plane back to MD rather than driving all that way back!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Exploring My Own Backyard
I've lived in Columbia/Ellicott City my whole life, but these past two weekends have made me realize how little I know/have explored about my own backyard. I get too excited about exploring new cities away from home that I forget about what remains to be discovered in my very own hometown.
What sparks this sudden urge to go exploring more of Columbia? Well, two things:
1) I've been spending a lot of time in downtown Bethesda due to running and biking and have really fallen in love with that place. They are trying to turn downtown Columbia into something similar to Bethesda Row. At first, I was not in the least bit excited about all the construction that this will bring to Columbia, as it will draw in more crowds and traffic. But now that I see all the cute little places there are to hang out in Bethesda and how little of those places we have around here (have you seen how packed Tutti Frutti gets every night?!), I am kind of excited for Columbia to have more locations to hang out. Plus, I have come to terms with the fact that Columbia is just going to get more and more built-up/city-like and crowded whether you like it or not, so either roll with it or move further out into the countryside.
2) I have recently started running with the Howard County Striders and discovered that Howard County is filled with plenty of walking/running/biking trails! I didn't even know we had a fitness trail by the Restaurant Lake! What's even sadder is that I didn't even know that lake was called Lake Kittamaqundi! For 23 years of my life, I always thought it was just the "Restaurant Lake." Running with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club has opened my eyes to all the parks and trails available in MoCo, so it's time I start learning more about HoCo!
So who wants to go exploring?!
What sparks this sudden urge to go exploring more of Columbia? Well, two things:
1) I've been spending a lot of time in downtown Bethesda due to running and biking and have really fallen in love with that place. They are trying to turn downtown Columbia into something similar to Bethesda Row. At first, I was not in the least bit excited about all the construction that this will bring to Columbia, as it will draw in more crowds and traffic. But now that I see all the cute little places there are to hang out in Bethesda and how little of those places we have around here (have you seen how packed Tutti Frutti gets every night?!), I am kind of excited for Columbia to have more locations to hang out. Plus, I have come to terms with the fact that Columbia is just going to get more and more built-up/city-like and crowded whether you like it or not, so either roll with it or move further out into the countryside.
2) I have recently started running with the Howard County Striders and discovered that Howard County is filled with plenty of walking/running/biking trails! I didn't even know we had a fitness trail by the Restaurant Lake! What's even sadder is that I didn't even know that lake was called Lake Kittamaqundi! For 23 years of my life, I always thought it was just the "Restaurant Lake." Running with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club has opened my eyes to all the parks and trails available in MoCo, so it's time I start learning more about HoCo!
So who wants to go exploring?!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Unpublished Posts
I had no posts in February not because I couldn't think of anything to write, but because I would start a post, get bored with it halfway through, and never finish it. I have a knack for doing that a lot and then never going back to finish what I started and often wondering what the heck I was trying to say in the post to begin with. So I finally decided to go back and attempt to finish what I started, or just publish them as is...
Part of it is because I think most of what I write is stupid and pointless and who would care to read it? But I have to remember that I'm not making anyone read my blog. I'm just publicly sharing my thoughts for anyone who happens to be interested in them. So write what you're passionate about. And if you don't like what you see, don't read it!
Part of it is because I think most of what I write is stupid and pointless and who would care to read it? But I have to remember that I'm not making anyone read my blog. I'm just publicly sharing my thoughts for anyone who happens to be interested in them. So write what you're passionate about. And if you don't like what you see, don't read it!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Variety is the Spice of Life
Runners come in about as much of a variety as do ice cream flavors. Of course, there are the sprinters and the marathoners, but that's does not even begin to describe how many different types of runners there are. Over the last year and a half of racing, I have met runners who barely break a sweat after running 20 miles and runners who are completely drenched in sweat as if they just got out of a pool after running only a couple miles. There are runners who swear by the treadmill while others refuse to run anywhere but outdoors (even through 20" of snow). There are trail runners and road runners, night runners and morning runners. There are the extremely loud panters who sound like they're dying and god forbid they draft you because it'll feel like they're breathing down your neck. There are quiet runners who completely zone out and loud chatty runners who run their mouths as much as their feet. There's the extremely fast runners who excel at short-distance races and fall apart at any race lasting more than 3 hours. Then, there are those who have great endurance and can keep running forever at a solid pace but suck when a race calls for speed. I guess that's why they make races at such a great variety of distances from 100 meter sprints to 100 milers.
And of course, let's not forget the less traditional runners, such as the stroller joggers and barefoot runners. Some people even become local characters that every person in the running community recognizes and can instantly spot in any race, such as the joggler (jogs and juggles at the same time) and the crazy ultra lady who always wears those crazy leopard-print outfits.
People's reasons for running are also a source of diversity. Some run for charity, others run for their own health. Some run to relieve tension and stress, others to lose weight. Some people are just looking for something new to do and enjoy the social aspects of joining a running community. Some run to achieve personal goals, others run to inspire others. Some run as a tribute to/in memory of a lost loved one. Still, others run to turn their life around (check out http://www.backonmyfeet.org/).
There is even diversity amongst different running clubs. After running with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club for the past year, I recently decided to check out the Howard County Striders. While MCRRC offers a lot more structure and organization, HCS is much smaller and has more of a close-knit family feel to it. Because I like what each of them has to offer, I now hold dual membership to both clubs!
The best part about the running community is just when you think you've met the craziest runner out there, someone crazier comes along. And there is just as much of a variety of crazy as there are runners. Some go for distance and aim to finish a 100 mile race. Others go for quantity and try to run as many races in a year as possible. Last weekend, I met someone who ran 103 races total last year (54 of them were half-marathons), often running back-to-back races in a weekend and even multiple races in a day sometimes. I have never even fathomed running more than one race in a weekend, let alone in a day! And today, I read about a woman who is running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise funds for 52 South African AIDS orphans (http://www.52beginnings.com/). There is no clearly defined physical limit to the human body, so people are always trying to push the limits and see what else they can accomplish.
And that is what I love (and sometimes also hate) about running! It is so versatile that you can never run out of goals to aim for.
And of course, let's not forget the less traditional runners, such as the stroller joggers and barefoot runners. Some people even become local characters that every person in the running community recognizes and can instantly spot in any race, such as the joggler (jogs and juggles at the same time) and the crazy ultra lady who always wears those crazy leopard-print outfits.
People's reasons for running are also a source of diversity. Some run for charity, others run for their own health. Some run to relieve tension and stress, others to lose weight. Some people are just looking for something new to do and enjoy the social aspects of joining a running community. Some run to achieve personal goals, others run to inspire others. Some run as a tribute to/in memory of a lost loved one. Still, others run to turn their life around (check out http://www.backonmyfeet.org/).
There is even diversity amongst different running clubs. After running with the Montgomery County Road Runners Club for the past year, I recently decided to check out the Howard County Striders. While MCRRC offers a lot more structure and organization, HCS is much smaller and has more of a close-knit family feel to it. Because I like what each of them has to offer, I now hold dual membership to both clubs!
The best part about the running community is just when you think you've met the craziest runner out there, someone crazier comes along. And there is just as much of a variety of crazy as there are runners. Some go for distance and aim to finish a 100 mile race. Others go for quantity and try to run as many races in a year as possible. Last weekend, I met someone who ran 103 races total last year (54 of them were half-marathons), often running back-to-back races in a weekend and even multiple races in a day sometimes. I have never even fathomed running more than one race in a weekend, let alone in a day! And today, I read about a woman who is running 52 marathons in 52 weeks to raise funds for 52 South African AIDS orphans (http://www.52beginnings.com/). There is no clearly defined physical limit to the human body, so people are always trying to push the limits and see what else they can accomplish.
And that is what I love (and sometimes also hate) about running! It is so versatile that you can never run out of goals to aim for.
Monday, March 22, 2010
National Marathon
Often times, seasoned runners can get so wrapped up in timing that they forget what lured them into the sport in the first place. Enjoying the race route, high-fiving the crowd, and chatting it up with fellow runners becomes replaced with constantly checking one's watch to stay on pace to make sure they beat that clock. The best part of a first race for any distance (be it a 5K or 50 miler) is that just finishing the event sets a PR. With each race that follows, one feels the need to set a new PR to make that event worthwhile.
Going into National, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't feel any pressure to meet a specific time goal and decided I just wanted to enjoy the race for what it is: a run through history as they promote on their website. This winter had been plagued with endless weekend snowstorms and I only put in one 19 mile, two 14 mile, one 12 mile, and two 10 mile training runs in preparation. On the other hand, I have noticed that the track workouts from the Speed Development Program have made me more comfortable with running at faster paces and I PRed in a rolling hills 10 miler by over 5 minutes. So I decided I was going to start National at a faster pace than previous marathons and see how long I could last and how much more work I need to put in to qualify for Boston. No specific time goal. No specific pace to stay on. Just run it based on how I was feeling at the moment.
THURSDAY:
On Thursday night, I had a really bizarre dream that took place on the Friday before the marathon. In the dream, I woke up on Saturday morning at 10 am and thought, "$@#! I should be done the race in an hour and it takes about an hour to get to DC, I am not going to make it." I already wasn't looking forward to having to wake up at 3:30 AM and this got me even more paranoid.
FRIDAY:
My one complaint about this race is that I think they should've held the packet pickup/expo over two days because dealing with Friday traffic is not a very fun way to spend your evening. I was lucky that I got to leave work early, but I still hit traffic on the way home.
RACE DAY:
I was startled awake by my alarm going off at 3:30 AM and fell out of bed and gave myself a bruise. I thought, "Crap! I haven't even run the race yet and I already have a bruise!" It was so weird to put on shorts and a singlet that morning after months of running bundled up in multiple layers, a hat, and gloves. I got to the College Park metro station at 4:55 AM. The metro opened at 5 AM to accomodate the marathon. It was a nippy 40 degrees out. I had a jacket and pants on but was still shivering and wished I had another layer and a hat. I even contemplated keeping my jacket on for the run, but had to convince myself that I did not need it for a 4 hour run that was going to end in 70-80 degree weather. I dozed in and out of sleep on the metro, too scared of missing L'Enfant Plaza to let myself fully fall asleep. We got to Stadium-Armory around 5:45 AM and got to wait inside the armory. This was one of the highlights of this race for me. Most races make you wait outside, so you have to strip down to your running gear and stand around shivering for a good hour waiting for the bathroom and stretching. It was so nice to be inside in the warmth until 5 minutes before the start.
The race started at 7:00 AM. I was supposed to be in Corral 5 (8:41 - 9:00 min/mile pace), but Hai and I didn't feel like pushing through the crowd to get there, so we stayed in the 7:35 min corral, which probably made us start a lot faster than intended. The first few miles offered a beautiful view of the city, passing by the Capitol and National Mall. Around mile 2, a girl named Liz ran up to me and started up a conversation. I found out she was from Cali, her running partner had crapped out on her due to IT band issues, she wanted a sub 4-hour marathon, and planned to keep pace with me/I had just become her new running buddy. I wasn't sure how I felt about that because running with other people makes me feel the pressure to keep a certain pace, but it's not like I could've gotten rid of her. She was headed the same direction for the next 24 miles. So I rolled with it.
Around mile 3, I looked over at a couple of policeman patrolling the streets for the marathon and immediately recognized one of them. It was Dave, my cousin's husband! I knew he was a DC cop but had never seen him in action. I ran over to him screaming his name and flailing my arms at him. He was caught completely off guard and had a "What in the world?" expression on his face before realizing who I was and saying "Oh, HEY!!!!!" I didn't stop to have a conversation with him as I now had two running partners to stick with.
The next few miles are a bit of a blur to me. I was in a complete daze and hardly paid attention to any of the scenery. When Liz mentioned there were some hills coming up on miles 5-7, I still thought we were on mile 2 until I looked at my watch and saw that I had been running for 40 minutes. Somewhere in there, we picked up another runner named Stephanie, who decided to join our group. This was her first marathon, but she definitely had a runner's build and I knew she was going to be fast. As we rolled around RFK stadium for the 13.1 mile mark, I was excited to drop off 3/4 of the runners. It wasn't because the course was too crowded, but more so the fact that the half-marathoners were throwing me off because they were running at a faster pace and definitely hustling the last few miles.
Miles 13-20 are also a blur to me. I don't know why I was so completely zoned out during this race, I usually pay more attention to my surroundings than I did this time. Somewhere in there, we passed the Capitol again, but that's really all I remember. I had heard that this course takes you through some really ghetto areas of DC, but I have no recollection of any ghettoness during this race. I guess it must not have been that bad. I remember all too clearly how ghetto some of the streets were in the Baltimore marathon, I definitely ran faster through those parts. I do remember Liz mentioning that we should slow down to a 8:45 pace several times, and I started to slow down but she and Stephanie didn't. It wouldn't have annoyed me that they continued at a faster pace if they didn't keep saying we needed to slow down and not slowing down! I eventually lost them around mile 21. I knew Stephanie was going to be too fast for us and Liz tried to keep up with her.
The weather up until mile 18-19 had been perfect. It wasn't until then that I really started feeling the sun beating down on me, especially with no shade at all along the Anacostia Riverwalk trail. The heat was exhausting my energy and I could feel myself falling apart. I took a gu and drank several cups of water at every station and still could not get it going. I dared not take any Powerade, seeing as to how my stomach had already been doing a couple flips after each Honey Stinger chew that I ate (organic cane sugar, why are you failing me too now?) and one 10 mile session on a treadmill was not enough experimentation for me to rely on coconut juice. If anyone has any non-sugar suggestions for electrolyte/fuel replenishment, please share! I don't think it was so much the weather itself as the drastic change from 40 degrees to upper 70s in the course of the race and the fact that my body had gotten used to running in bitter cold temperatures and was not adjusted to the warmth. Although the hills between miles 23 to 25 were nothing compared to Frederick and Baltimore, they were still bigger than I expected. At mile 25, I had spotted Liz, kept her within reach, and eventually passed her.
The last mile of the race was a straight shot down E. Capitol Street to the stadium. I really liked that the end point was within view from a mile away because I knew exactly how far I had left to run before it was all over. I appreciated the crowd support, especially those that yelled my name (which was printed on the bib) or my bib # and told me I was looking strong for the last mile. When the finish line was in sight, in typical Amanda-fashion, I hauled ass and sprinted across the finish line. What always goes through my mind during the last few miles of a race is that there is no way I am going to have any energy left to sprint the last 500 feet to the finish, yet I somehow always manage to find that last burst when the time comes. I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:53:33, a new PR for me. Looking at my race split times, I started out at a 8:30 pace and slowed my pace down 5 seconds for each of the following splits, which means I have a lot of work ahead of me this summer if I want to keep a 8:23 pace and get that Boston qualifying time.
The finish line festival was a little dinky in my opinion. The food was the same as any other race, but there was pretty much nothing else there. They offered a free post-race massage, but there were only about 6 masseuses and the line did not move at all in the 15 minutes I stood there, so I left. I met up with Hai and headed to Eastern Market after taking a ton of pics with our newest medal. With all the advertisements for this race having pics of Abe Lincoln all over them, I was a little disappointed to not see Abe on our medal. I was pleased to find no crowd jams at all inside the metro station. The crowd had cleared out at a gradual pace, especially with all the half marathoners being done over 2 hours ago. At the Marine Corps Marathon, it was so crowded that I waited for two hours inside the eating place next to Rosslyn station and still had to wait in line for another 30 minutes to get into the metro station.
At Eastern Market, we waited at a stand to get crepes. When we got to the front and ordered, the guy asked Hai if he had just run the National Marathon, to which Hai responded, "Yeah, wanna give me a discount?". The guy was so chill and said "Ok, $2 off." Hai pointed at me and said "She ran it too" and the guy looked at me and said "$2 off for you too." My crepe was only $6, so I ended up only have to pay $4 for lunch. I didn't expect him to say yes, let alone take 1/3 of the price off! What's really sad is that after the crepes, we stopped at Starbucks to use the bathroom and I paid 2 cents more for a freakin tall frappuccino than I did for lunch itself!
I really enjoyed this race and would consider doing it again. The scenic route was awesome, as well as waiting inside the armory before the start. I also enjoyed the number of race participants allowed (Frederick was too little that I was running parts of it completely alone and MCM was too much that we were running into each other), the amount of crowd support, and the fact that I was able to get out of there via Metro at an efficient rate. I also enjoyed the flat last mile with the end in sight during the whole mile. National Marathon was a positive experience for me.
Going into National, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't feel any pressure to meet a specific time goal and decided I just wanted to enjoy the race for what it is: a run through history as they promote on their website. This winter had been plagued with endless weekend snowstorms and I only put in one 19 mile, two 14 mile, one 12 mile, and two 10 mile training runs in preparation. On the other hand, I have noticed that the track workouts from the Speed Development Program have made me more comfortable with running at faster paces and I PRed in a rolling hills 10 miler by over 5 minutes. So I decided I was going to start National at a faster pace than previous marathons and see how long I could last and how much more work I need to put in to qualify for Boston. No specific time goal. No specific pace to stay on. Just run it based on how I was feeling at the moment.
THURSDAY:
On Thursday night, I had a really bizarre dream that took place on the Friday before the marathon. In the dream, I woke up on Saturday morning at 10 am and thought, "$@#! I should be done the race in an hour and it takes about an hour to get to DC, I am not going to make it." I already wasn't looking forward to having to wake up at 3:30 AM and this got me even more paranoid.
FRIDAY:
My one complaint about this race is that I think they should've held the packet pickup/expo over two days because dealing with Friday traffic is not a very fun way to spend your evening. I was lucky that I got to leave work early, but I still hit traffic on the way home.
RACE DAY:
I was startled awake by my alarm going off at 3:30 AM and fell out of bed and gave myself a bruise. I thought, "Crap! I haven't even run the race yet and I already have a bruise!" It was so weird to put on shorts and a singlet that morning after months of running bundled up in multiple layers, a hat, and gloves. I got to the College Park metro station at 4:55 AM. The metro opened at 5 AM to accomodate the marathon. It was a nippy 40 degrees out. I had a jacket and pants on but was still shivering and wished I had another layer and a hat. I even contemplated keeping my jacket on for the run, but had to convince myself that I did not need it for a 4 hour run that was going to end in 70-80 degree weather. I dozed in and out of sleep on the metro, too scared of missing L'Enfant Plaza to let myself fully fall asleep. We got to Stadium-Armory around 5:45 AM and got to wait inside the armory. This was one of the highlights of this race for me. Most races make you wait outside, so you have to strip down to your running gear and stand around shivering for a good hour waiting for the bathroom and stretching. It was so nice to be inside in the warmth until 5 minutes before the start.
The race started at 7:00 AM. I was supposed to be in Corral 5 (8:41 - 9:00 min/mile pace), but Hai and I didn't feel like pushing through the crowd to get there, so we stayed in the 7:35 min corral, which probably made us start a lot faster than intended. The first few miles offered a beautiful view of the city, passing by the Capitol and National Mall. Around mile 2, a girl named Liz ran up to me and started up a conversation. I found out she was from Cali, her running partner had crapped out on her due to IT band issues, she wanted a sub 4-hour marathon, and planned to keep pace with me/I had just become her new running buddy. I wasn't sure how I felt about that because running with other people makes me feel the pressure to keep a certain pace, but it's not like I could've gotten rid of her. She was headed the same direction for the next 24 miles. So I rolled with it.
Around mile 3, I looked over at a couple of policeman patrolling the streets for the marathon and immediately recognized one of them. It was Dave, my cousin's husband! I knew he was a DC cop but had never seen him in action. I ran over to him screaming his name and flailing my arms at him. He was caught completely off guard and had a "What in the world?" expression on his face before realizing who I was and saying "Oh, HEY!!!!!" I didn't stop to have a conversation with him as I now had two running partners to stick with.
The next few miles are a bit of a blur to me. I was in a complete daze and hardly paid attention to any of the scenery. When Liz mentioned there were some hills coming up on miles 5-7, I still thought we were on mile 2 until I looked at my watch and saw that I had been running for 40 minutes. Somewhere in there, we picked up another runner named Stephanie, who decided to join our group. This was her first marathon, but she definitely had a runner's build and I knew she was going to be fast. As we rolled around RFK stadium for the 13.1 mile mark, I was excited to drop off 3/4 of the runners. It wasn't because the course was too crowded, but more so the fact that the half-marathoners were throwing me off because they were running at a faster pace and definitely hustling the last few miles.
Miles 13-20 are also a blur to me. I don't know why I was so completely zoned out during this race, I usually pay more attention to my surroundings than I did this time. Somewhere in there, we passed the Capitol again, but that's really all I remember. I had heard that this course takes you through some really ghetto areas of DC, but I have no recollection of any ghettoness during this race. I guess it must not have been that bad. I remember all too clearly how ghetto some of the streets were in the Baltimore marathon, I definitely ran faster through those parts. I do remember Liz mentioning that we should slow down to a 8:45 pace several times, and I started to slow down but she and Stephanie didn't. It wouldn't have annoyed me that they continued at a faster pace if they didn't keep saying we needed to slow down and not slowing down! I eventually lost them around mile 21. I knew Stephanie was going to be too fast for us and Liz tried to keep up with her.
The weather up until mile 18-19 had been perfect. It wasn't until then that I really started feeling the sun beating down on me, especially with no shade at all along the Anacostia Riverwalk trail. The heat was exhausting my energy and I could feel myself falling apart. I took a gu and drank several cups of water at every station and still could not get it going. I dared not take any Powerade, seeing as to how my stomach had already been doing a couple flips after each Honey Stinger chew that I ate (organic cane sugar, why are you failing me too now?) and one 10 mile session on a treadmill was not enough experimentation for me to rely on coconut juice. If anyone has any non-sugar suggestions for electrolyte/fuel replenishment, please share! I don't think it was so much the weather itself as the drastic change from 40 degrees to upper 70s in the course of the race and the fact that my body had gotten used to running in bitter cold temperatures and was not adjusted to the warmth. Although the hills between miles 23 to 25 were nothing compared to Frederick and Baltimore, they were still bigger than I expected. At mile 25, I had spotted Liz, kept her within reach, and eventually passed her.
The last mile of the race was a straight shot down E. Capitol Street to the stadium. I really liked that the end point was within view from a mile away because I knew exactly how far I had left to run before it was all over. I appreciated the crowd support, especially those that yelled my name (which was printed on the bib) or my bib # and told me I was looking strong for the last mile. When the finish line was in sight, in typical Amanda-fashion, I hauled ass and sprinted across the finish line. What always goes through my mind during the last few miles of a race is that there is no way I am going to have any energy left to sprint the last 500 feet to the finish, yet I somehow always manage to find that last burst when the time comes. I crossed the finish line with a time of 3:53:33, a new PR for me. Looking at my race split times, I started out at a 8:30 pace and slowed my pace down 5 seconds for each of the following splits, which means I have a lot of work ahead of me this summer if I want to keep a 8:23 pace and get that Boston qualifying time.
The finish line festival was a little dinky in my opinion. The food was the same as any other race, but there was pretty much nothing else there. They offered a free post-race massage, but there were only about 6 masseuses and the line did not move at all in the 15 minutes I stood there, so I left. I met up with Hai and headed to Eastern Market after taking a ton of pics with our newest medal. With all the advertisements for this race having pics of Abe Lincoln all over them, I was a little disappointed to not see Abe on our medal. I was pleased to find no crowd jams at all inside the metro station. The crowd had cleared out at a gradual pace, especially with all the half marathoners being done over 2 hours ago. At the Marine Corps Marathon, it was so crowded that I waited for two hours inside the eating place next to Rosslyn station and still had to wait in line for another 30 minutes to get into the metro station.
At Eastern Market, we waited at a stand to get crepes. When we got to the front and ordered, the guy asked Hai if he had just run the National Marathon, to which Hai responded, "Yeah, wanna give me a discount?". The guy was so chill and said "Ok, $2 off." Hai pointed at me and said "She ran it too" and the guy looked at me and said "$2 off for you too." My crepe was only $6, so I ended up only have to pay $4 for lunch. I didn't expect him to say yes, let alone take 1/3 of the price off! What's really sad is that after the crepes, we stopped at Starbucks to use the bathroom and I paid 2 cents more for a freakin tall frappuccino than I did for lunch itself!
I really enjoyed this race and would consider doing it again. The scenic route was awesome, as well as waiting inside the armory before the start. I also enjoyed the number of race participants allowed (Frederick was too little that I was running parts of it completely alone and MCM was too much that we were running into each other), the amount of crowd support, and the fact that I was able to get out of there via Metro at an efficient rate. I also enjoyed the flat last mile with the end in sight during the whole mile. National Marathon was a positive experience for me.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Coconut Juice as a Sports Drink?!?!
I am no stranger to coconut juice (aka coconut water). I've enjoyed it in the tropics, off the streets of NY, and even from the local Asian restaurants and supermarkets. However, I have always considered it an exotic tropical delicacy, a vacation indulgence, something to enjoy on rare occasions because it is on the pricier side for drinks and I thought that it was actually nutritionally bad for you...that is, until I recently heard about the latest health craze...
For the longest time, Gatorade was my go-to sports drink. I remember what a difference it made back in my days of soccer. Drinking a bottle at halftime always gave me a burst of energy and significantly improved my performance during the second half versus when I just drank water. When I started training for my first marathon, I naturally turned to Gatorade as my hydration/nutrient replenishment source, knowing how important restoring electrolytes is for optimal performance.
Although I experienced some stomach problems during my training runs and at the Frederick Marathon, I attributed that to nerves and the whole marathon experience being new to me. It wasn't until my summer training that I realized that I indeed could not stomach Gatorade. This was rather hard for me to come to terms with. Gatorade had been so good to me for all these years, why was it failing me now?
I stubbornly tried to rely on Gatorade for runs. Knowing that water and Gatorade/Powerade are the only two drinks offered at races, I did not want to start having to carry my own drink to races if I found a new product that worked. I even experimented with diluting the drink with water and trying the G2 brand, but that didn't work either. Being the science dork that I am, I googled my problem and was relieved to discover that many runners experience the same problems and it is not some rare condition. The human body's absorption rate of high-fructose corn syrup (the second ingredient listed in Gatorade) is limited and what doesn't get absorbed can cause gastrointestinal distress. Exercise can exacerbate these symptoms.
After my stomach troubles during the Baltimore Marathon, I finally accepted defeat and decided I needed to try something different at the Marine Corps Marathon. I was nervous and reluctant about relying on just water and gels, for fear it wouldn't be enough electrolytes, but I knew I had to try it. I have stuck to just water and gels ever since with no problems so far, but I still fear that I might not be getting enough electrolytes, especially when the weather gets warmer. Thus, I have decided I'm going to start experimenting with different products, which brings me back to the subject of this post...
During my long run last weekend, Ram, a member of my pace group, was talking about Gatorade flavors, so I told him that I can't stomach Gatorade. That's when he asked me if I've ever tried coconut water. Coco what?!?! Did I hear him right? The stuff people drink on tropical islands? He told me it was all the rage with running these days and that people from other countries, including India (his ethnicity), have been drinking it during long-distance runs for ages.
Of course, the first thing I did when I got on the internet after my run was google "coconut water and running." I was hit with a vast amount of articles and blogs about "Nature's Sport Drink." I was surprised to learn that one cup of coconut water has more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana, a mineral important for preventing cramping. Not only that, I also discovered that coconut water has been used as a IV fluid when saline was not available. It is the only liquid that can be put into the bloodstream intravenously. The medical uses and nutritional benefits of coconut water are endless. Who knew?! I usually think most health crazes are a bunch of scams, but this one actually sounds pretty legit. Plus, I don't even need an excuse to drink coconut water.
Today, several American companies have broken into the coconut water industry, including Zico, O.N.E., and Vita Coco to name a few. These brands sell at an average $2.00 per 11 oz. juice box and can only be found in natural and organic food stores, like Whole Foods. So I said @#$% that and went to the Asian supermarket, where I found 11.8 oz cans of coconut water for 69 cents! The only downside to the canned products is they have added sugar, which might not be any better on my stomach than the HFCS in Gatorade. I will have to look for the frozen kind and see if they add sugar to that. I told my parents about this new health craze yesterday and today, my mom came home with two fresh young coconuts for only $1.29 each. That's even more natural and fresh than the juice boxes and cheaper too! I can't wait to try out coconut juice on my long run tomorrow. Would you judge me if I made a handle out of duct tape and ran with a coconut?
For the longest time, Gatorade was my go-to sports drink. I remember what a difference it made back in my days of soccer. Drinking a bottle at halftime always gave me a burst of energy and significantly improved my performance during the second half versus when I just drank water. When I started training for my first marathon, I naturally turned to Gatorade as my hydration/nutrient replenishment source, knowing how important restoring electrolytes is for optimal performance.
Although I experienced some stomach problems during my training runs and at the Frederick Marathon, I attributed that to nerves and the whole marathon experience being new to me. It wasn't until my summer training that I realized that I indeed could not stomach Gatorade. This was rather hard for me to come to terms with. Gatorade had been so good to me for all these years, why was it failing me now?
I stubbornly tried to rely on Gatorade for runs. Knowing that water and Gatorade/Powerade are the only two drinks offered at races, I did not want to start having to carry my own drink to races if I found a new product that worked. I even experimented with diluting the drink with water and trying the G2 brand, but that didn't work either. Being the science dork that I am, I googled my problem and was relieved to discover that many runners experience the same problems and it is not some rare condition. The human body's absorption rate of high-fructose corn syrup (the second ingredient listed in Gatorade) is limited and what doesn't get absorbed can cause gastrointestinal distress. Exercise can exacerbate these symptoms.
After my stomach troubles during the Baltimore Marathon, I finally accepted defeat and decided I needed to try something different at the Marine Corps Marathon. I was nervous and reluctant about relying on just water and gels, for fear it wouldn't be enough electrolytes, but I knew I had to try it. I have stuck to just water and gels ever since with no problems so far, but I still fear that I might not be getting enough electrolytes, especially when the weather gets warmer. Thus, I have decided I'm going to start experimenting with different products, which brings me back to the subject of this post...
During my long run last weekend, Ram, a member of my pace group, was talking about Gatorade flavors, so I told him that I can't stomach Gatorade. That's when he asked me if I've ever tried coconut water. Coco what?!?! Did I hear him right? The stuff people drink on tropical islands? He told me it was all the rage with running these days and that people from other countries, including India (his ethnicity), have been drinking it during long-distance runs for ages.
Of course, the first thing I did when I got on the internet after my run was google "coconut water and running." I was hit with a vast amount of articles and blogs about "Nature's Sport Drink." I was surprised to learn that one cup of coconut water has more electrolytes than most sports drinks and more potassium than a banana, a mineral important for preventing cramping. Not only that, I also discovered that coconut water has been used as a IV fluid when saline was not available. It is the only liquid that can be put into the bloodstream intravenously. The medical uses and nutritional benefits of coconut water are endless. Who knew?! I usually think most health crazes are a bunch of scams, but this one actually sounds pretty legit. Plus, I don't even need an excuse to drink coconut water.
Today, several American companies have broken into the coconut water industry, including Zico, O.N.E., and Vita Coco to name a few. These brands sell at an average $2.00 per 11 oz. juice box and can only be found in natural and organic food stores, like Whole Foods. So I said @#$% that and went to the Asian supermarket, where I found 11.8 oz cans of coconut water for 69 cents! The only downside to the canned products is they have added sugar, which might not be any better on my stomach than the HFCS in Gatorade. I will have to look for the frozen kind and see if they add sugar to that. I told my parents about this new health craze yesterday and today, my mom came home with two fresh young coconuts for only $1.29 each. That's even more natural and fresh than the juice boxes and cheaper too! I can't wait to try out coconut juice on my long run tomorrow. Would you judge me if I made a handle out of duct tape and ran with a coconut?
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