Marathon to Nowhere 2015

On Saturday my running group was scheduled to do a 26 mile training run. This is part of the Galloway method of training and while I understand where the plan is coming from, I'm pretty well convinced that this level of preparation is overkill. Last year I did the 26.2 mile training run because I thought it would be fun to prove to myself that I was tough enough to run a marathon with no other incentive than that I could do it. Sure, it was on the training plan, but I knew deep down I could quit early and be in perfectly good shape to run my scheduled race. This year, it was coming up on the schedule again and while I remained skeptical, most of the others wanted to do the run.

On our long runs earlier in the summer we'd often talk about the 26 mile run. We plotted the best route, we discussed registering for virtual races so we'd get a medal on the big day, we thought about all of the reasons NOT to do it. It loomed large for all of us. As marathon Saturday approached, our group of five had dwindled to three runners: one had family plans in another state and couldn't make the run, one had a bad 23 mile outing and was timid about pushing all the way to 26. Personally, I was seriously considering skipping it. I have a habit of developing hypochondria before marathons. My typical M.O. is to imagine that I have a stress fracture about a week or so before a big event. This time though, I was fretting over a twinge or two I felt in my hip. Could this be the return of the problem I had two summers ago? I have too much on the line for that to happen! As I dug into the recesses of my closet looking for my super deluxe CW-X compression shorts, I seriously considered bagging the run for fear that it would jeopardize my trip to Disneyland for the Dumbo Double Dare one week later. As much as I thought about quitting, on Friday night I filled my hydration belt, gathered up my snacks and went to bed early.

Saturday morning was about as perfect a day as one could hope for when running a marathon in August. It was 54 degrees and chilly when I left my house, so chilly I actually wondered if I should change into something warmer (I didn't!) My hip ailment had disappeared and I chose my cute Skirt Sports skirt over my ugly but functional compression shorts. As I drove to the meeting spot, I started to get excited. Not quite race level excited but I was feeling confident and ready.

I'm lucky to live near a fantastic rails to trails system so we were going to spend the whole day running along the Perkiomen Trail and the Perkiomen Creek. It's a beautiful, green and shady trail and it's a wonderful place to run. Before I knew it, we were 8 miles into the run, refueling at a water fountain and appreciating the gorgeous morning. Things were still looking great at mile 15 when we passed a local convenience store and stopped for a quick hit of air conditioning and snacks. Everyone was in good spirits and as the day heated up we decided to work on keeping our spirits high and agreed that if things got rough we'd stick together. Slow the pace when we had to, take breaks when we had to, just get it done. Time on feet not time on clock. We chatted about books and vacations and sending kids off to college but mostly we talked about how much we were going to enjoy a chocolate milkshake when it was over. (One great thing about parking for your run across the trail from a diner is instant gratification when it's over!)

So what have I learned by running the Marathon to Nowhere? While running that far is never exactly FUN, it is satisfying in the way that only a long, long run can be. For me, who already has a lot of marathons under my belt, I think there is minimal benefit as part of the training plan but for those who are less experienced going the full distance gives them a boost and more time to experiment with nutrition plans. It's no secret that I think running a marathon can change your life and running a marathon when it's not a race builds upon that foundation. Pushing that far when there is nothing at stake takes a level of determination that I wasn't completely convinced that I possessed. I've done it twice now and I still think it's crazy but it won't surprise me if I wind up doing it again next summer. I was wearing a shirt during this run that says "I love running... just not while I'm doing it" and while that can be true for me on a homework run, on the long runs, when I'm out there for hours, I do love every second of it.

Next up: DISNEYLAND!!!!!

Homework Runs

I know that the secret to success in long distance events is doing all the runs in the training cycle. I'm not a runner who is motivated by the clock so my homework isn't so much about tempo runs or hill repeats but more about logging regular weekly miles to build up my base so I can run a lot of races at a comfortable pace. I'm also a little bit unusual in that I tend to really look forward to my super long runs and think of them more as mini adventures. Short runs on the other hand are nothing but homework for me. Something I have to do but seldom want to face even when I know they are good for me and almost always turn out to be rewarding.

I have a pretty good routine with my running partners to meet twice a week after work to get in 4-5 miles and without them I'd find excuses to skip the run more often than not. Last night is a great example: as I mentioned, we're in the middle of a heatwave and temperatures were in the 90s most of the day yesterday. I live in the mid-Atlantic and most days are really humid as well as hot. This was not adding up for great running conditions - especially since our typical Tuesday takes us to Valley Forge National Park and it's five mile, hilly, mostly unshaded loop trail. Blah. The excuse maker in my head looks at those conditions and says "No sane person would run in this. Go home. Use the treadmill or run tomorrow." The committed running partner in me says "They will be waiting for me. They are not wimping out. Just go." And so I went.

Luckily, I have smart friends and one suggested a change of venue to a shady flat trail that runs along the Schuylkill River so things were looking better already.

We started off at a conversational pace and chatted about everyday life: vacations, frustrations with the cable guy, buying new furniture. Before we knew it we were at the end of the trail and had committed ourselves to a six mile run which is about a mile father than we usually go on a Tuesday. Amazingly, the humidity was not oppressive so even though it was hot the shade on the trail was enough to make the run pretty pleasant. The run back to the car was even better. Our pace picked up and we started having a more philosophical conversation about marriage and divorce and started to notice the trail itself a bit more: how many spider webs we were seeing clinging to the trees, how soothing the sounds of the cicadas were, how the foliage was ever so slightly starting to change from summer to autumn. And then we were back. Six speedy miles in the tank, homework done, relaxed and content.

In other news, I quite enjoyed all the feedback I got about my upcoming fall schedule! While most think I'm nuts there are a few out there who are doing similar crazy things. That said, I've already started to modify the plan. One of my scheduled runs is the Rocky Balboa 10K in Philadelphia in mid-November. I ran this one last year and it had an absolutely fantastic medal and it was a very fun day but I just found out that one of my husband's favorite runs is on that same day this year: The Foot Pursuit 5K and 5 Mile Run. His race is local, 5 miles instead of six, and costs a lot less. I'm leaning towards swapping out the Rocky run for this much more low key event that I can decide on at the last minute. By November I think I might need the time off and at the very least will enjoy NOT having to drive downtown for an event when I'll be doing that on Halloween for Rock'n'Roll and for the Philadelphia Half a week later.

Happy Mother's Day - Skirt Sports Giveaway!

As many of you know, this is my first Mother's Day without my Mom. My Mom was not a runner (or much of an athlete at all) and she thought those of us who were runners were a little bit bonkers. She was however, impressed by all of us. She never could quite believe that my sisters and I were able to finish marathons and she was proud of us and glad that we'd found something that made us so happy. So, instead of being sad today, I'm running a contest in her honor. I think she'd approve of this for a lot of reasons:

1) She loved pretty clothes and I'm sure she'd approve of ladies running in brightly colored skirts instead of something less cute.
2) She loved presents (who doesn't?)
3) She REALLY loved cake and this giveaway includes cake at the finish line if you are lucky enough to run the event in person in Colorado. (If you run with me in PA I will provide a finish line cupcake!)


What am I giving away? I Basic entry to the Skirt Sports 13er race - a Half marathon/10k/5K (taking place in Louisville, CO or virtually anywhere)

The winner's package includes entry to the race (in person or virtually)
$50 gift certificate from Skirt Sports
Race #
Finisher's Skirt (Don't Sweat It Collection pull over skirt)
Sponsor swag

So how do you win? Sometime between now and May 20th comment on this blog and tell me about your favorite Half Marathon (if you haven't done a half yet, tell me about a race of a different distance that you have done or a race you WANT to do someday!) Then be sure to click on the Rafflecopter box to enter the giveaway! I'll be in touch after 5/20 to tell you know who the winner is and to explain how to enter the race.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Real people, real adventures, #REALwomenmove

Sometime during the year 2000 my oldest sister Mary saw a cable TV show where an overweight woman was showing off her recently earned Mickey Mouse shaped marathon medal. She looked like a regular, real person! Not some kind of super athlete like you expect all marathoners to be. That random mystery woman inspired my sister, a lifelong non-athlete, to sign up for the 2001 Walt Disney World half marathon. That decision set her on a course to lose a bunch of weight and to complete 50+ marathons. Watching her transformation had a trickle down effect on me and after I few false starts, I too did a half marathon and then a full marathon and 28 marathons later I still haven't stopped running.

Check us out here after finishing the Disney marathon together back in 2004 in identical Snowman hats. (We knew about Olaf before DISNEY knew about Olaf!)

Back in the late 90s Mary and I took a trip out west to the Grand Canyon we spent most of that trip in the car and walking maybe 500 steps at a time from the car to peek over the edges of some scenic vistas. Since then I've transformed from the kind of person who sits in the car to a woman who carried a 35 pound back to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back out again. I've become the kind of person who will take a vacation to ride a mountain bike 70 miles around a national park, who will go night snorkeling in the middle of the ocean, who will hike to remote chalets where the only way to get there is on your own two feet. I have adventures.

Along the way I discovered that the people who run marathons and have adventures are NOT all young, super-fit people. They are people who are excited about life. REAL people who are committed to their own happiness and fitness. Sure, some are skinny and have perfect bodies, but more often than not they are a little bit squishy around the middle, they have aches and pains, they might be in a little over their heads. They might even be....old!

See the woman in the center of this picture in the orange hat? Her name is Sarah and she is almost 80 years old. That's her husband next to her in the green shirt. He actually was 80 -- they were at Glacier National Park celebrating his birthday. We are on the Grinnell Glacier Overlook trail in this photo. To even get to this trailhead we had to hike about 8 miles and then we had to go straight up about 500 vertical feet to the overlook. And off of this at an elevation about 7700 feet. Let me say it again: they are 80 years old.

Here's a photo from the end of my 70 mile mountain bike trip at Canyonlands NP. I am in my early 40s and I was the youngest person on this trip. The bravest cyclist on this trip was an overweight woman in her 50s. The lady on the far right? This was her first vacation after her hip replacement! These people are proof that if you want to lead an active and adventurous life you absolutely can do it.

REAL people, REAL adventures. REALLY possible.

Look, not everybody has the genetic gifts to be a super athlete. Not everybody has the luxury of staying fit and perfect for a lifetime. Life happens to people. We fall out of good habits and into bad ones. We get older and slower and maybe a little sad about what we used to be. We start to think that maybe it's too late to change. But it is never too late. These random REAL people I have met over the years prove that getting out there and doing things is always possible. It's never too late. You might not be climbing mountains at 80 but you just might be if you do a little something today to set you on that path. Take a walk, ride a bike, just get out there and be awesome and see what the world has waiting for you.