Eat Drink Run Woman

The picture captures it all — the joy, the pain, the tears.  It’s the overwhelming elation I feel for accomplishing something I thought inconceivable.  No more am I the scrawny, awkward, non-athletic teenager, nor am I the overweight and miserable 40-year-old.  I AM A BOSTON MARATHONER.  Here’s my story.

Stats
Official time: 4:15:48
Overall: 18202/22849
Gender: 6902/9302
Age group (F45-49): 1066/1456

Training
While I got through my first two marathons with minimal mileage using the run/walk plan, I tried Pete Pfitzinger’s 18/55 for my first BQ attempt at the North Olympic Discovery Marathon.  I missed my goal by 15 minutes, regrouped and BQ’d 10 weeks later with a 3:54:34 at a small Marathon Maniac-sponsored race called the Light at the End of the Tunnel (I needed 4:00:59).  I squeaked in another BQ in October 2008 at Royal Victoria with a 4:00:26, so barring financial ruin I’ll be toeing the line again at Hopkinton in 2010.

While Pfitz was indeed strenuous, I liked the plan and intended to follow it for Boston.  However, I figured I wouldn’t try for a particular time.  Sure, I wanted to finish strong but I also wanted to take in the experience.  By the time I ran Royal Victoria I had become a Marathon Maniac, and the multiple-marathoning bug had hit.  I ran three more marathons for the year after RVM, then ran another on Jan. 1 and the Goofy Challenge at Walt Disney World Jan. 10-11.  I had no intention of running any others until Boston, but when I saw the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 4 was a Maniac reunion, I decided to run it as a training run for Boston.  But I swore that would be it; HA!

By early February I was jonesing for another race, so my husband and I signed up for one on Feb. 8, then I ran my first 50K on Feb. 22.  As a result I tossed out my plan to follow Pfitz’ 12/55 program for Boston.  His speed work beats me up, and considering all the races I was running my No. 1 priority was recovery.  That said, come March I wanted to see if I had ANY speed left in me, so I entered the annual St. Patty’s Day Dash fully intent on racing it.  While I was thrilled with my pace (about 8:20 — fast for me), I knew I could have gone faster if I had elbowed my way closer to the front.  Oh well.

A couple of days later I ran almost 7 miles at an 8:37 pace.  During that run my heel, which had been barking at me for several weeks, decided it had had enough.  While I wasn’t sure if it was plantar fasciitis, I was definitely dealing with a bruised heel.  I took the next four days off from running, focusing instead on cross-training.  And despite admonitions from the owner of my gym, I raced a half marathon that weekend.  While I missed my overall half PR by less than 40 seconds, again I was pleased with my effort.  (The course somewhat mimics Boston in that you get a couple of killer hills at the very end).

Again I had to take several days off to nurse my heel, but I got new shoes for work and replaced the shoe inserts with green Superfeet.  I also put the Superfeet into my running shoes, which helped tremendously.  I was able to get in a few more runs before Yakima, but I took it easy and ran by feel.  I then ran/walked Yakima, finishing in just over 4:36.  (That course also mimicked Boston with a 1.2-mile hill starting at Mile 22 that climbed almost 300 feet).

I came up with several goals for Boston, ranging from the “you’re freakin’ crazy” goal of another BQ or PR, to the more realistic 4:10-4:15 range, to the “You went out too fast, didn’t ya?” goal of 4:25-4:35.  I was hoping to make this my third fastest race, which would mean finishing in under 4:15:19.  Ever so optimistic, I printed out pace bands for a 4:05 and 4:10 marathon using a spreadsheet someone developed on the Runner’s World forum.

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I’ll be posting an epic report soon, but suffice it to say it was a tough race.  I made my “You never know what race day will bring” goal, finishing in 4:15:48.  What race day — or actually Mother Nature — brought was a steady headwind that hit just as I was entering the Newton Hills.  I ran up ALL of them (I actually only walked through the water stops), but the winds certainly held me back.  I also lost several minutes at a potty stop at mile 12 (that was my slowest mile at 13:35).

I did a great job of holding back for the first several miles (I’ve heard if you don’t feel you’re running too slow, then you’re going too fast), running the first three miles in 9:43, 9:24 and 9:23.  I then sped up just a bit, but tried to keep my effort consistent.  When I got to the Newton hills my times were above 10 minutes for three miles.  But someone pointed out on one of the running forums I belong to that my second half was only 4 seconds slower than my first!  (Darn bladder).

It was truly an amazing experience and I look forward to next year!

To say I’ve been distracted this week is an understatement.  I can’t believe I’m heading to Boston tomorrow!  What a long, strange trip it’s been.  This will most likely be my last post for several days, but I plan on posting updates on Facebook.  In the meantime, check out the Runner’s Lounge podcast featuring four Boston-bound runners, including yours truly.

As for my goals for the race, of course I have several tiers.  I doubt I have another BQ in me right now, and besides, I think I’ll want to enjoy the experience and take it slow.  But who knows — perhaps I’ll get caught up in the excitement.  My heel is holding up well, and I’ve been taking this week easy.  We may have to deal with wind and rain on Patriot’s Day, but I’m used to that.  If you’d like to track me, I’m bib #19631.

Here’s the breakdown of my tiered goals:

• The “Who do you think you are, Deena?” goal: sub 3:54:34 (a PR)
• The “Lay off the crack pipe, woman” goal: 3:54:34-3:59:59 (sub 4 hour)
• The “Pretty optimistic, aren’t ya?” goal: 4:00:00-4:00:59 (BQ)
• The “It’s a stretch considering my training” goal: 4:01:00-4:09:59 (beats the time of the No. 10 finisher in the very first Boston Marathon in 1897)
• The “That’s a reasonable challenge (and most realistic)” goal: 4:10:00-4:15:18 (beats my North Olympic time)
• The “You never know what race day will bring” goal: 4:15:19-4:25:00 (still a good race, but not as fast as I hope)
• The “Started out too fast, didn’t ya?” goal: 4:25:01-4:35:00
• The “What — did you stop to kiss the Wellesley girls?” goal: 4:35:01-4:45:00
• The “Ruh Roh — something’s wrong” goal: 4:45:01+

Wish me luck!

This is going to be a down & dirty report since I’ve been obsessing over another little race I’m running on Monday. 🙂

My darling and I have wanted to run YRCM ever since we heard about it.  His mom lives in Yakima, and when we heard Bob and Lenore Dolphin put it on, we knew it would be amazing.  However, this year was out for my darling as he was shooting a wedding that day (the bride originally picked April 18, but he convinced her to change the date due to Boston).  I figured I wouldn’t run it either, but then discovered it would be a huge Marathon Maniac reunion.  How could I NOT run it?

To save on costs I advertised for a roommate on the Maniac message board, and within a couple of days fellow Maniacs Rikki, Marie and Cheri took me up on it (we figured we could stand sharing a bed for one night).  The cost of the room couldn’t be beat: $70, divided four ways.  While Cheri would be driving solo from Oregon, Marie, Rikki and I made plans to carpool.

I originally had Friday off, but a last-minute trip to Tucson the day after the marathon meant I had to cook for my Monday client that day.  Fortunately I picked a speedy menu and made plans to meet up with Rikki and Marie in North Bend at 2 p.m.  However, we were concerned about the weather — Snoqualmie Pass had to close Wednesday evening for several hours due to a severe snow storm.  WTF?  It’s April!

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This was the third year running this race and I was determined to not only set a course PR, I also hoped to beat my overall half PR of 1:53:35 set at last year’s Kirkland Half.  However, given I hadn’t been doing any formal speed work and was dealing with possible plantar fasciitis on my left foot, I knew the latter could be a long shot.

I’m particularly fond of this race as it not only signals the start of the spring running season, it also is a fundraiser for colon cancer awareness (we have a family history of the disease).  This year I decided to forego wearing the blue colon cancer ribbon on my bum since in the past people kept coming up to me telling me I had a piece of tape on me.  (Don’t you get it, people?  You wear the pink breast cancer ribbon on your chest, so it only makes sense to wear the colon cancer ribbon on your bottom.  Sheesh!)

My darling decided not to run as an “official” runner this year, opting instead to take it as a slow training run and help pace me (shhh… don’t tell the race director).  This was fortunate as we encountered a huge backup at the Mercer Island exit.  By then I had to pee again, yet we were stuck in traffic for at least 15 minutes.  I actually considered peeing into a bottle in the car when I saw a couple of runners ahead of us get out of the car and run to the start.  With less than 15 minutes to go before the race start, I decided to do the same.  I kissed my darling goodbye, saying I’d meet up with him on the course.

I was a good half to three-quarter mile run to the start, which helped get my legs warmed up.  The lines to the port-o-potties were quite long, but fortunately they moved rather quickly.  I had just enough time to do my business and get lined up in the 8-9 minute pace group when the starting gun went off.

In order to reach my goal I would have to average an 8:38 pace.  Knowing I’d slow down at the hills at miles 10 and 12 I decided to start out at that pace, increase it during the middle miles, then run as fast as I could during the hilly portion.  My darling caught up with me just before mile 6; while I was doing well it was definitely a challenge.  I had put some cushier insoles in my shoes thinking it would lessen the heel pain, but it started talking to me.  I also started getting a tad bit dizzy, despite taking in plenty of fluids and gels (I think the rolling course may have triggered my vertigo).

Starting to struggle:

Not a happy camper:

While I had been on pace through mile 6, I started to struggle slightly after that.  Mile 10 — with its short, yet steep hill — got the best of me, slowing me to a 9:05 pace.  While I was able to run mile 11 in 8:41, I slowed again for the mile 12 hill, running that at 8:54.  Fortunately mile 13 is mostly downhill, and I was able to shake the dizziness and run that in 8:33.  However, the last bit of the course is a very cruel uphill.  Despite pumping my arms as hard as I could, I missed my overall PR by 38 seconds, finishing in 1:54:13.  However, I smashed my course PR by almost 4 minutes!

Egads!  Another two weeks has flown by.  However, I’m flying to Tucson on Sunday to spend time with Mom & Dad, so hopefully I’ll have some time to properly blog.   The great news is he’s doing well, although it will be another two weeks before he’s given the go-ahead to travel home.

I rocked the Mercer Island Half (will post a full report soon); while I missed my overall PR set at last year’s Kirkland Half by only 41 seconds, I cut off almost 4 minutes from my course PR (while they’re both hilly courses, Kirkland’s hills come in the beginning, while Mercer Island’s are at the end).  However, my heel was sure talking to me afterwards and still hurt considerably the next day.  But a trip to the shoe store remedied things; I’m now sporting an ugly — but very comfortable and supportive — pair of Brooks walking shoes with the green Superfeet for work (they replace my Dansko clogs which have been giving me problems).

I actually haven’t done a lot of running in the past two weeks, instead focusing on cross training to heal my heel (the fact the weather has been downright CRAPPY certainly played into things).  But I hope to go on a quick run tomorrow morning before heading over to Yakima for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon (it’ll be a slow training run for Boston).  I’m really looking forward to this marathon as it’s a reunion for the Marathon Maniacs.

In Boston news, I received my celebration jacket last week, however, I’ve decided I’ll wait until after I cross the finish line to wear it (a lot of people will be wearing them on marathon weekend as they figure they’re celebrating qualifying for the race).  I also bought a singlet and will probably pick up a hat at the expo (yes, I know I said I wasn’t going to buy any more race stuff, but I also recall saying Boston gear doesn’t count!)

Anyhoo, for those of you who still bother to stop by, I promise I’ll be a more prolific writer in the months to come.  (And you KNOW I’ll be posting an epic Boston report!)

Boy, you know you’re a lame blogger when you see someone who claims they’re on sabbatical has written more than you.  Sheesh!

Yeah, I’ve been in a funk.  Some of it is warranted — my 83-year-old dad was rushed to the hospital a couple of weeks ago when he fell at my sister’s house in Arizona.  At first he was diagnosed with pneumonia, but the diagnosis kept getting worse and culminated in a quadruple bypass surgery a couple days ago.  It’s been a whirlwind of emotions, but I’m so grateful for my sister and everything she’s done (Tucson is known for its world-class cardiologists, so I know he’s in good hands).  My darling and I are planning on heading to Maine to visit the folks after Boston, but right now we’re playing it day-by-day.  However, it sounds like they’ll be able to travel soon and we’ll be there to help them settle back home.

Some of my funk is due to general unease over the economy.  While being self-employed has its rewards, it can be unsettling at times.  Sometimes I feel I’m hanging on by a thread.  And then there are the irrational emotions that flow over me during my “lady time.”  Something as innocent as a lost shoe will send me into a wailing tizzy:  “I can’t find anything in this mess!” “If we had a larger house we’d have more storage space!” “We’re NEVER going to be able to afford a larger house!” “What am I going to do with my life?” “I feel fat!”

Given all of this I haven’t been particularly motivated to write.  But fortunately I haven’t let my funk interfere with my training.  Since I last wrote I’ve logged in a little over 130 miles, which included the Ghost of Whidbey half marathon (a small Maniac race) and the St. Patty’s Day Dash, as well as earned a bronze medal through the President’s Challenge (more on all of those in a bit).

Because I’ve added several races to my schedule, I’ve ditched my plan to follow Pfitz’ 12/55 plan for Boston.  My body has been rebelling of late, and since speedwork tends to aggravate whatever aches and pains I’m feeling, I’ve decided not to follow his prescribed workouts, opting instead to run by feel.  Some days I’ll feel speedy and will run an average of 8:20-8:35, other days I’ll take it slow, averaging 9:45-10:15.

Speaking of Boston (which I’ve been doing quite frequently; my darling simply rolls his eyes), I received some news the other day that got me out of my funk: my bib number!  So if you feel compelled to follow me on April 20, I’ll be #19631 (back of the pack).  By coincidence my number is the year of my birth, plus the No. 1; I’m hoping that’s a good sign.  I’ve also ordered my Adidas celebration jacket and a racer-back tank top (hey — they were on sale; I won’t wear them until after completing the race), plus a really cool shamrock t-shirt with the Boston logo (I probably WILL wear that before the race, but will also wear it at next year’s St. Patty’s Day Dash).

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I’ve been meaning to post my race report from my very first 50K, but recovery has taken a higher priority. However, procrastination has its rewards, as I can now weave the Biggest Loser marathon debacle into the report (gotta keep this blog topical, ya know).

So what does the Biggest Loser have to do with a 50K? Not much, really. But if you watch the show, you probably know it also doesn’t have much to do with FINISHING a marathon. At least not in Dane Patterson’s case.

I was tipped off about the alleged cheating soon after the race (the Arizona Desert Classic on January 31). It’s a relatively small Maniac-centric race; most of the runners know each other, and given it’s an out-and-back course you know where you place throughout the race. One marathon finisher posted her account of what happened on the Biggest Loser forum, stating she saw Dane and his wife behind her at the turnaround. Imagine her surprise when she saw them again in FRONT of her at Mile 23. Turns out they were picked up by a van at Mile 17 and driven for several miles (according to Carli Patterson, they were “only” driven 3 miles; I find that suspect).

After I read about this on the Maniac forum, I was curious to see how they would portray it on the show. Sure enough, last night Dane was voted off, and during the “Where are they now?” segment they showed him “finishing” the marathon, along with his wife. The real shocker? They claimed he ran a sub 4-hour marathon (3:53:xx). The clock actually states 5:53:xx, but the caption underneath clearly states 3:53. In addition, both Dane and his wife talk about the elation of running “an entire marathon.” I’d point you to the video, but NBC has since removed it from the site. (BTW — the Desert Classic race director was tipped off and Dane and Carli were disqualified).

I’ve been a fan of the show for several seasons, although I’ve been getting turned off by the product placements and back stabbing. It used to be a very supportive show, and now not so much. With this latest charade, I think my BL viewing days are over. Mind you, I do think Dane and his wife ran at least 17 miles, which is indeed impressive given he’s still a big guy. But it’s irresponsible to claim he was able to run a full marathon in under 4 hours. I just think that’s a slap in the face to anyone who has trained for — and ran — the entire distance. (And yes — the fact they claimed he ran the marathon a minute faster than MY marathon PR really chaps my hide!)

Granted, I realize this is television and they’d have red faces if they couldn’t show them getting their medals. They probably realized by mile 17 they wouldn’t be able to finish within the 6-hour time frame, so the gave them a ride. In reading comments on other blogs, forums, etc., a lot of people say that it’s still “inspirational.” Perhaps, but to me it would have been MUCH more inspirational if they either showed him NOT finishing, or finishing well after the time limit, then having him acknowledge what an incredible feat it is to run a marathon and that he’s going to train even harder for the next one in order to earn his medal.

But again, what the heck does all this have to do with my 50K this past Sunday? Well, while my “official” time states 5:45:00, there should be an asterisk next to my name. I can’t in good conscience rail against Dane and not fess up to my own deceitfulness.

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Forget flowers, diamonds and boxes of chocolates; when it comes to celebrating the Hallmark holiday that is Valentine’s Day my darling and I do what we like best: we go running.

First up was the Valentines Marathon on February 8.  We had no intention of running it, but when we saw several of our Maniac friends were signed up, we figured we might as well too.  (I never imagined I’d be at a point where I could sign up for a marathon at the last minute).  While I intended to run it extremely slow, my darling offered to pace one of our Maniac friends to a 3:30 PR.

This race, along with other “holiday” themed races put on by the same race director (Halloween, Christmas, Leprechaun, Easter) has quite the reputation among the Maniacs.  It’s basically a love-hate relationship; while many appreciate having such races available, the organization leaves much to be desired.  Although most are touted as being Boston certified, apparently the director has been known to change the course at whim.  There are no road closures, so runners must be on the lookout for cars whizzing past at 50+ MPH.  The t-shirts are old-school cotton and the timing at the end is suspect (there may or may not be a teenager there to mark your time; typically you have to hunt down the director to record what your Garmin states).  While this wouldn’t be a problem if the race was inexpensive, for $65 I expect more.  Still, we decided we’d have to run one and form our own opinion.

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This week the Runner’s Lounge asks us to let you in on the secret of how to qualify for Boston.  Why on earth would I want to do THAT?  I can put up with you stopping by my blog, but that doesn’t mean I want to rub sweaty elbows with you in Hopkinton.

I kid!

Frankly, even though I’ve managed to qualify for Boston twice, I can’t say I have the secret.  So many factors come in to play — some you can control, others you can’t — there’s no guarantee what works for one person will work for another.  While I worked hard to get my BQ, I was also blessed with a bit of luck.  I may not have the secret, but I’m happy to share my road to a BQ.

The following factors are what I consider to be the most important in my BQ quest:

Age/gender
Obviously, this is one you can’t control.  There are many folks who argue BQ standards favor older women, especially those in the 40-49 age group, and I just so happen to fall into that category.  The standards account for bodies that get creakier and less responsive with age, yet perhaps I’m in that sweet spot where my body isn’t so decrepit I can’t pull off a 4-hour marathon.  Compare that with the 3:15 my darling needs as a 38-year-old man.  As many of you may know, he missed his time by a mere 18 seconds in the same race where I first BQ’d.  But was my age/gender the only reason?  Maybe, maybe not.  My training was more regimented than his, and I believe I got in a couple more long runs.

The race
Here’s something you can control.  There are hundreds of BQ course around the country from which to choose — some with a reputation for being a fast course (CIM, St. George, Tucson), others not.  I chose the North Olympic Discovery Marathon in Port Angeles for my first BQ attempt.  It’s a scenic, small race (about 600 marathoners) on a relatively fast course.  Even though I missed my BQ there (you can read about it here), I do think it’s a great course on which to BQ.

Not wanting to leave things to chance, I chose the Light at the End of the Tunnel for my second attempt as it’s an all-downhill course (you can see the elevation profile in part 1 of my race report).  Some running Nazis may claim it’s a cheater course, but if the USATF certifies it, then it’s good enough for the BAA.  Still, even though I was ecstatic after the Tunnel Marathon, I wanted to challenge myself on a more difficult course.  While I wasn’t sure if I had it in me going into the race, I BQ’d again at Royal Victoria with a 4:00:26.

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