Run Happy.

Hopkinton start lines,
And pounding up Heartbreak.
High fives at Wellesley,
And one more (Margarita Clif Shot Block) I'll take. <3
Running long miles for smiles in spring.
These are a few of my favorite things!

When the wall hits,
Or bad hamstrings,
Or my knees are mad.
I'll simply remember my favorite things,
And then I won't feel so bad!

Did you notice her shirt?!? I might have cried a little when I spotted it at the Adidas store on Boylston Street. "Grammy!" she yelled when I gave it to her. "I get to run the Boston Marathon someday!"

<3

ps Want to track me? The easiest way is to text 234567 with my bib# 27613 . You can also look up other runners you're interested in on the Marathon participant website.

--------

Forecast: 65 degrees with a 15mph tailwind. Warm. Not terrible. (Spectating? Hot runners love Freeze pops!!!)

Goal: 4:05. Ultimately hoping to break 4:09 like something fierce. (4:09 was my time in 2015 and 2016.)

If tomorrow had Tuesday's forecast of 45 degrees (!!!!) I would have been competing more with myself, but instead I'm trying to think smart, going for a plan that will get me a time I like with enough in reserves for a beer when I get home!!!

My 20 milers have pretty consistently been at a 9:20 pace. This is arguably faster than they should have been, since you are really supposed to train at *slower* than marathon pace. But anyway. That 9:20 pace includes 65 degree days in February and 40 degree days recently. I think it's a fair estimate.

However on those runs, I've been having serious fueling issues. Gu, my old best friend, now makes me want to projectile vomit. Dates have been gentle on my belly, but useless. Despite eating dates, I keep hitting the wall at mile 17. It's textbook. Muscles store about 1600 calories' worth of glycogen. Running burns 100 calories/mile. IDK. Some people manage to teach their bodies to go without fuel during the marathon but mine was just not interested in figuring it out in 3 out of 4 of my 20 milers. I was debating what to do and found this GREAT flow chart, comparing different fuel options. Thankfully on my last 20 miler, my friend Louise <3 introduced me to the delicacy that is Margarita Clif Shot Blocks and I had a much better run!! I only got to try them out once since that was only 3 weeks ago. Trying new-ish things on race day is generally a no-no but I otherwise do not have a fuel plan that works, so whatevs. I've stocked up, and am ready to give it a whirl tomorrow!

Anyway back to pacing. Let's say I can realistically run a 9:20 pace in 65 degrees. My plan is go to out at a 9:30 pace (including stops for family photos!!) until Mile 20, and then give it everything I've got after that. This is especially important in the first 5 miles of downhill where you're excited, full of energy, running downhill, etc. It's a good time to lose yourself by accident. That would give me the following splits:

5K: 29:30
10K: 59:00
13.1 (halfway): 2:04:30
30K: 2:57
20 miles: 3:10

Then 9:15 to the finish?? --> Mile 26 at 4:05
+2 minutes for 26.2 --> 4:07

Blahhhh not thrilled with that, because if I ran a 9:20 pace, that would be a 4:03. Ok can we compromise and aim for a 4:05? (What I also want is to run a normal marathon that doesn't have Boston weather and terrain and get a better sense of where I'm at physically! Maybe Philly again in the fall? Or Newport? Hmm.)

Meanwhile, I'm trying to be better about eating and drinking this weekend than I did last year. This is mildly challenging on Easter weekend, especially making bunny cake with this kiddo!!

Finally, a loving shout-out to my favorite runner friend and partner in crime Jen for being my expo date and taking sweet Paparazzi photos of me all day Friday!

HAPPY MARATHON MONDAY. LET'S DO THIS!!

Running Quiets My Brain

My brain is a constant web browser with 25 open tabs. Ok maybe 50.

With teaching, parenting, and house hunting, by the end of the week, my stream of consciousness is like a pinball machine. Or a dog distracted by a "squirrel," as Jon and I often say.

The more I have on my plate, the harder it is to focus on one tab without pinging over to another, and another, and then opening up another... The harder it is to focus, the more tired I become. The more tired I am (physically and mentally), the harder it is to focus. You see where I'm going? I get tired just thinking about it.

Running strips away that excess. Breathless and goal in mind, it's physically impossible to have so many open tabs. If this NYT writeup on the effects of running on neurons isn't an advertisement for running, I can't imagine what would be. It describes a Princeton study that concluded running builds excitatory neurons, while also producing GABA inhibitory neurons. Essentially, runners experience physical changes making them more willing to explore, but can control and bring themselves back from stressful events. This reminds me of the importance of deep sleep in cleaning up your neuron synapses overnight so your thinking is more streamlined the next day.

Today I came home mentally frozen. I knew I should run but (arms crossed, sweat pants calling) just. didn't. want. to, even though I knew it would make me feel better. Jon gave me a gentle nudge to pull up my big girl pants and just-do-it-already, and though that bitter cold (I am being a bit dramatic) was tough to face in the driveway, as soon as I'd made it half a mile down the road, I felt everything slip away.

I'd forgotten what was so exhausting. I'd forgotten why I didn't want to run. I felt my legs loosen up, I settled into a pace, and I just ran.

I didn't think, I didn't complain, I didn't feel, I didn't want. I ran.

And you know what? It was so awesome, I ended up running an extra mile and couldn't believe my pace, which I haven't accomplished in a very long time. I needed that boost, particularly after a week with very tired, angry legs. Those kinds of surprises don't hurt ;)

I will say, that in a world with increasingly distracted drivers and threats of psychos, runner friendly roads and communities have become essential if running is going to be so meditative. On a route with sidewalks and other runners, you don't have to worry about the logistics of not getting hit by cars. You don't have to think.

You just run.

AND this is another reason I love marathon training. Ultimately, after a few unpleasant runs, you are rewarded with becoming physically fit enough to head out the door for a couple of hours, detach from reality, and simply enjoy the ride. Imagine as parents being offered either a 30 minute coffee date or a two hour dinner. Only the longer option actually offers the opportunity to unwind. Similarly, quick walks through the neighborhood are nice, but a 6 hour hike up a mountain provides a tangible break from reality.

A quick run gets the job done. But those long runs are exceedingly restorative.

(Look how beautiful that is! It's a Runner's World "Rave Run," which is one of my favorite things they publish monthly. I don't know where or who it is, but to me this captures just one flavor of many delicious runs.)

12 miles tomorrow. Next weekend is the last 20, and then it's taper time!! (And THEN what will I do?!?)

Happy running :)

Recovery Runs and Other Maintenance Strategies

...Because 50 mile weeks require running smart!

I did it! I ran a 50 mile week! Granted this was because I ran 19 on Sunday, 4.1 and 6.6 during the week, and 20 on Saturday. But hey, 50 is 50. (Don't you call me on the 49.7 because I will eat your face.)

The 19 I ran last Sunday was a 65 degree day in Boston along the Charles, at a 9:20 pace. It was AWESOME, though I got some weird calf cramps around mile 16 and had to keep stopping and stretching. Haven't felt it before or after that, so that's good.

I'm pretty sure my Heaven will have warm Mexican beaches, inebriated nights under a sparkling Eiffel Tower, and 65 degree runs along the Charles.

The 20 I ran this Saturday, which is the only time I have consecutive 20-ish milers from week to week in my schedule, was a 65-70 degree day along the Minuteman Rail Trail from Lexington to Arlington to Fresh Pond in Cambridge. The first 5 miles were blissful, and I was excited/pressured to get to an open house afterwards, and I sped down the path, taking it all in. And then I hit the wall at mile 15 like something WRETCHED. I swear I can feel when I run out of glycogen because my breathing changes and I can just imagine my muscles struggling to switch to fat burning mode. Plus I ran out of water and had to stop at Burger King to refill, which has never happened to me. It was HOT. Further, I knew I wasn't feeling great when I started, especially with the 19 miler still lingering within eyesight, but I did that stupid thing where I figure, "Eh, I'll just push through it," and then I die. I remember someone saying on the bus to Boston last year that for every 10 seconds you go out too fast, you lose 30s (or 1 minute?) per mile at the end. I started at a 9 minute pace, actually dipped below 9 for a few miles, and ended at a 9:45 pace. Ok ok. I won't do it again...

Regardless, one of the best things a runner can hope for in training for a marathon is weather that simulates race-day conditions. I don't know about you, but man does this year smell like 2012, and I'll take all the warm long runs I can get, lest it be 87 on race day...

And now on to the real point of this post: Maintenance.

1. Stretching a lot including power vinyasa yoga #obsessed #downdog #warriorpose
2. Cross training with spin.
3. Recovery runs

The key difference between training for this marathons and other ones is what I'm doing the week. For a variety of reasons in the last two Bostons, I've pretty much done my long runs (maybe skipped one), slogged a couple of 5 milers during the week, and squeaked by with a 4:09, which is a 9:30 pace.

This time, I'm running hard during the week and so far, keeping up with my Yasso's, and kind of keeping up with hills... AND also cross training by spinning. I'm being better about stretching fully after all my runs and spins. My legs are tired, and I'm working hard on tired legs, and I'm working harder than ever -- but NOT injured, dare I say. I feel tired but fine. Spinning and stretching help a lot.

However today was the first time I've done a recovery RUN after a 20 miler. I didn't get to stretch yesterday because I was late finishing up, and I was too lazy to go to spin at 8am on my last day of vacation, so I gave it a shot. Given that I could barely walk down the steps this morning, it wasn't surprising when those first few strides? stumbles? down Zion Hill were excruciating. But as I got warmed up, it felt good. Like, painful physical therapy after an injury that you know is good for you- good. I think the idea with a recovery run is that you stretch out the muscles that were previously overused, get some good healthy blood flow returning to them, and flush out some of the waste. I liked it. This may be my new favorite discovery.

Marathons are full of them.

Now to build in some speedwork to kick that 9:20 long run pace... got to get that closer to 9:00...

Happy running :)

Blogging with a toddler on my lap!!

I think I (very periodically.) maintain this blog to shed some light into what it's like to train for a marathon, at least from my perspective. I never thought I would be a runner when I was younger, and when I did start running, never thought I'd have it in me to run a marathon. I think I want my readers to know that if *I* can do it, anybody can do it.

And "it" doesn't necessarily have to be running. It can be whatever you think would be really cool -- challenging, rewarding, growth-yielding, enjoyable. If you just keep plugging, good things will happen.

(Watch from today's run on my FAVORITE Minuteman Rail Trail, from Lexington to Davis Square. 50 degrees and running towards Boston amidst a sea of pussy hats and marathon trainers? Yes please.)

So in the spirit of shedding light on marathon training, I thought I'd shed some light on the crazy thoughts I have while running crazy miles.

1. Can I run this pace for two hours?
2. Food.
3. Zoe.
4. Can I run this pace for two hours?
5. That's a weird looking stick.
6. Can I run this pace for two hours?
7. Food
8. Jon.
9. School
10. School
11. School
12. School
13. Can I run this pace for two hours?
14. Margaritas
15. School
16. School
17. Look! Pussy hats!
18. Can I run this pace for two hours?
19. School
20. I'm getting tired. Time to try some dates as fuel.
21. Are these dates hurting my belly?
22. School
23. I LOVE THIS SONG.
24. (Many dance moves in my head)
25. (Swear words)
26. School

etc.

The dates were a big deal today because Gu and Honey Stingers upset my stomach and ruin my run, so I've been searching for an alternative. Dates supposedly also have a good dose of electrolytes, which would be good as salt caps are a little too strong for me, and Gatorade makes my mouth taste disgusting. I think it was successful?! I generally try not to take fuel in my runs under 16 miles, but I want to figure out what kind of fuel works, and get my system used to it. I'm ok with it. It would be really nice if dates were a solution!!!

Ever wonder what it's like to be in my head, not just running, but in most situations? Enjoy. Especially about 3 minutes in. Loooove me some Pitbull!!!!

Happy running :D

2017 Aspirations

Hopkinton start lines, and
Pounding up Heartbreak.
High fives at Wellesley and one more Gu I'll take
Running long miles for smiles in spring,
These are a few of my favorite things!

When the wall hits,
Or bad hamstrings,
Or my knees are mad,
I'll simply remember my favorite things,
And then I won't feel so bad!

(photo from mile 26.0 in 2012, 87 degrees. The picture shows elation. I was elated to have the finish line in sight as I'd thought I was going to collapse. I was completely delusional and steps away from entering 12 hours of wicked nausea and vomiting. lol why do I do this?!)

And if you're still reading, some training thoughts below.

Since Zoe was born, running is a whole different beast. Being well rested is not a thing. Having time is not a thing. I'm basically booked from 5:15am to 8pm. But what can I do with the time I do have, without further burning the candle at both ends? I realized with the last 4 marathons I've run that I've never run more than 30 miles a week. If I want to break 4 hours at Boston (barring any weather disasters), I've got to get some peak weeks closer to 50... which means I've got to fit in some cross training and core training to avoid injury...

I remember when I joined Greater Boston Track in 2011 that the first thing the coach asked me was how many miles a week I was running. I proudly told him 50 (ha, I probably did that twice,) and he kind of paused-- as in, 50 mpw was not enough to be a serious runner!!!! I guess I get it, especially in their elite, dedicated status. Mentally I know I can do 30 miles per week and run a marathon. It's comfortable. So the new challenge is to fit in more miles, and more purposeful miles, to see if we might be able to run a marathon better...

Goals:
1. Tuesday spin with Jen.
2. Planks and IT band stretching and foam rolling... let's make this realistic. Two mornings a week.
3. YASSOS. This has been the workout missing from my training consistently. "Yasso 800's" mean running 800m (0.5m) in your goal marathon time; ex. 4 hour marathon = running 0.5m in 4 minutes, followed by 4 minute recovery. You start with four of these repeats, and over time increase to 10 repeats. I think this is a huge part of what made my training successful for Marine Corps. And they're not that bad.
4. Hills - maybe Spickets? Though Andover has some good ones too, for sure. Once a week. This time I'm going to keep my long runs and hilly runs separate. Hilly long runs were too tiring.
5. Running hard the day before the long run. Yasso's might be a good way to do this. The intent is to tire you out, a. So you don't run too fast on the long run, and b. So you run long on tired legs, to get used to running on tired legs.
6. Lights out by 10pm on weeknights.
7. Taper by running the same intensity, with less distance. 2 yassos instead of 4. 1 hill repeat instead of 5. Etc.
8. Hit at least one 50 mile week. *If* I run 5 days that week, and one day is a 20 miler, that means 30 miles in 4 days. Which is basically 8 miles per day on the other 4 days. That's not that different from 5, right? ... Right?

Obstacles:
1. Time: Maybe run at 2:30 and come back to finish work until 4...? HAHA ya right.
2. Health: working hard without time for extra sleep.

::cough:: And the last list I've been working on...
Vices:
1. Coffee
2. Dancing in my car to terrible (and my terrible I mean amazing) hip hop from 15 years ago like I'm still in high school. I would say the same for 80's music except 80's music cannot possibly be a vice.
3. Staying up too late.
4. And apparently Boston Marathons :D :D :D

Running While Pregnant

And no, I most certainly am NOT pregnant. So cross that off your list.

(There exists a lengthy "rainy day" list of blog posts I'm secretly brainstorming all. the. time. about running. A few friends recently have brought up running while pregnant or what it's like to run afterwards, and so this line item comes to fruition.)

Physicians subscribe to a wide range of beliefs about running while pregnant that are terribly confusing for mamas-to-be. My understanding is that there's not a whole lot of research that exists because it would be unethical, beyond things like "People Women who run while pregnant tend to have smarter babies," and the caveat that correlation does not equal causation. The fear of not knowing if running/exercise in general might be bad for baby scares some running moms straight to the couch for 9 months.

I know I am lucky to live in a progressive area with many like-minded physicians. I started a Facebook group for running moms -- @LSTRunnerMamas (we're up to 205 people!) and have confirmed my suspicion that these kinds of doctors are not ubiquitous. So it helps to have a community of women to support each other and provide another source of experiences. We don't give out medical advice!!- but we maybe nudge each other to get a second opinion if something doesn't sound right.

And our conversation about running of course extends well beyond pregnancy. (Training tips? How do you find time? How cold do you bring baby out in? What's the best stroller? MPG = marathon parent guilt, and more! Love my running mamas.)

My very talented, dedicated running friend ran throughout her pregnancy. Even in her 38th? week -- I was still a little bit struggling to keep up at her 8:30/mi pace every Thursday afternoon. (Can you imagine running 8:30s while 9 months pregnant?) At that point baby kept kicking her in the hip bone and the doc suggested maybe it was time to lay low. Baby heard this and decided to make an appearance 4 days later.

Her experience in mind, I set out to run through the 38th week of my pregnancy.

Doctor 1, at Boston Hospital: "You won't feel up to it in your first trimester, and you will be too dehydrated in your second trimester because blood volume increases so rapidly."

(ok, so he was right about the first trimester. ::cough:: But it wasn't because he told me so!!)

Doctor 2, at Brookline OB office: OMG YES PLEASE RUN HOW MUCH CAN YOU RUN RUNNNNNNNN

Unfortunately my first trimester ended in January in a pile of snow and ice. But as spring emerged, I was good as new. I happily ran throughout March, in my 5th/6th month, and would literally fantasize about running, while running. I remember running my favorite route through Beverly approaching my favorite park and thinking, "I'M GOING TO RUN EEEVVERRRYYDAAAYY I LOVE RUNNING!"

And then I fell.

I was wearing a baggy long sleeved shirt, so the car that drove by with their windows down, couldn't see that I was 6 months pregnant as they laughed at me.

Luckily I was only half a mile from home but I'd scraped up my knee, elbow, hand - and hip - pretty badly. I still have scars. What a shit show I was walking home.

Ya ya ya. Everything's cushioned in there and evolution and crap. I hear ya. But what a horrific morning that was until the ER told us (over and over again) that we were good to go.

So that was it. I stopped running. My ridiculously progressive OB said, "Eh. Can't you just run slower?" I glared at her. "I have patients fall getting out of the shower who are fine. One woman was in a car accident and was hit so hard her wedding ring flew off, and the baby was fine. Please run." Ok. Thanks but no thanks.

When I told my runner friend about my fall, she kind of looked at me blankly. "What, was your ego bruised? What's the problem? What do you mean you're stopping??", she said. -- I just couldn't do it.

And so began our 4 mile walks around Beverly (or Boston, if we had a doctor's appointment.) Until some test came back at 30 weeks that a certain fetus was trying to make an early appearance and almost had me on bed rest. So I went from runningallthetime to sittingallthetime and just about lost my mind. My solution was to sign up for a half marathon at 14 weeks postpartum.

Beverly: 26 weeks

Windham NH Rail trail: 28 weeks

Boston: 30 weeks, minutes before they almost put me on bed rest

The original friend in this story was back to running at 4 weeks pp, and I was closer to 6-7, after delivering at 38.5 weeks. It was a relatively unremarkable return aside from balancing lack of sleep with desire for intense physical activity. Long walks with the stroller helped ease the transition.

First postpartum run, on the same day as my postpartum follow-up appointment.

NBPT Half Marathon, 14 weeks pp.
(In training, with hormonal/loose tendons, I immediately got injured. But still managed to run a 2:09.)

Other friends/people on LSTRunnerMamas talk about being sidelined due to bleeding while pregnant, or bad pelvic pain. The same goes for postpartum stories. Lady bits turning inside out etc for long after baby arrives. To be sure-- I think the message here is to find a doctor that aligns with your beliefs from the beginning so you know he/she has your best interests in mind, when push comes to shove. (No pun intended, I swear.) Further, running *after* pregnancy is far more important than running during pregnancy, so if hip damage or loose tendon damage or pelvic damage is concerning... maybe it's time to step back.

But to say that one shouldn't run simply because she's pregnant? Hodge podge. We're not frail. I'm a woman and I like to ride my bicycle. Exercise is good. If it's important to you, find a doctor who feels the same way and is up on their research.

Running in the months/years after baby is a whole other beast. Interestingly I'm finding it harder now that she's older, than when she was a baby. But that's a story for another day. ;) Stay strong mamas!

RUNGRY!

As it turns out, running is a fantastic hobby because it combines my six favorite hobbies:

1. Running. Duh.
2. Singing: I have a secret tendency to break into song after 8 miles. Low blood sugar is only partially responsible.
3. Dancing: My 96 beats per minute playlist lets me pretend to live out my dancing fantasies. Mostly in my head. With an occasional interpretive arm gesture. Or jazz hands.



4. Biology. Because anaerobic respiration and ATP for life.

5. Cooking.
6. Eating. Because I'm hungry all the time.

Which brings me to the focus of this post!!

Running consistently cannot exist as an isolated hobby. It's a lifestyle. You have to take an active interest in eating well in order to recover and stay healthy. Of course eating well is important for everyone!!- but also there's real science behind how muscles respond to certain nutrients in the minutes, hours, and days following a workout. (Think, 4:1 carb:protein ratio. Phytochemicals. Unsaturated fats. ::cough:: beer. Etc.)

One of my favorite things to impart upon my students in biology and anatomy is nutrition. (I try in Forensics but the conversation doesn't come as easily. It's tough to talk about what you should be eating for breakfast when you are also trying to analyze blood spatter and estimate time of death, right?) Anyway, we talk about the importance of being knowledgeable about what you eat and the meaning of nutrient-dense food. I share recipes and articles and we discuss the corrupt USDA and FDA systems, and how you can't trust a food label to tell you whether it actually contains 0 trans fat, or whether it's actually good for you. (Did you know Vitaminwater/Coke got sued for portraying themselves as healthy? Their response was that no reasonable person would ever assume it was a healthy product. They lost.)

And don't even get me started on McDonald's.

The kids always come out assuming I'm vegetarian. KIDS!! You don't have to be a vegetarian to make smart food decisions! (Mrs. L, I know. But you're a vegetarian, right?) Facepalm.

What biology has taught me is that the more you know about food, the easier it is to make better choices. Finally last year I swapped my usual turkey sandwich lunch, for a gigantic salad with all kinds of goodies in it. The result? I stopped getting sick. For years, I'd had colds every 10-12 weeks. Last year, I didn't get sick at all. It is conceivable, in my lifetime, that I've contracted a very large portion of and therefore immunity to all the common cold viruses. But I'm more inclined to guess that the salads were providing some nutrients I'd been missing.

It will be great if Jon and I can do everything we can to stay healthy this year, in his inaugural year of teaching an intense schedule. When he gets busy, he simply doesn't eat, and it drives me CRAZY. It's been a theme off and on in his routine and it works for him. But I just don't get it. He came home from school today and reported he'd eaten the oatmeal I made him for breakfast, at lunch time, and never got to his salad or snack. How can I fuel him better on the go?!

LUCKILY I recently received Shalane Flanagan's new cookbook called Run Fast, Eat Slow, which includes among other things a very delicious recipe for "Superhero Muffins." I used Jon's too-busy-to-eat day as an excuse to whip up another batch at 9 o'clock tonight.

This is a seriously awesome cookbook, btw. There's a great 20+ page introduction in which Shalane and her runner/chef/co-author friend describe the choices they made in writing the book and the value of their pantry/recipe staples. I may have started to cringe at their overuse of the word "nourishing" but their message was spot on.

I will totally be sharing their writing, and the Superhero Muffin recipe, with future students. And in the meantime, I'll be feeding Jon and Zoe "super muffins," "supergirl muffins," or "superman muffins," as Zoe calls them.

A few notes about running for another day include how maintaining a summer running schedule is not a strength of mine, how the bunion on my right foot (much nastier than the word sounds) is slowly trying to kill me, and how I fear the surgery that is inevitably lurking years down the road, and how as a result I just switched from the Baystate full marathon to the half marathon. Le sigh.

So for now, we'll focus on nutrition. And I'll leave you with this gem ;)