5 days to go....MCM #3

                     In five days I will attempt to run my third Marine Corps Marathon, my 8th official marathon. The MCM is a very emotional race for me. I cry like a baby during and even after the race and it's not about the patriotism, soldiers, flags and such, as one might assume. While running the MCM, above any other race, one experiences so many bittersweet emotions in those long hours. At any given moment one can catch themselves running besides mothers who have lost their child in war, injured vets with missing limbs, cancer survivors, elderly runners, disabled athletes, and the list goes on and on.  Yet, my tears are not, as some may think, tears of sadness, they are primarily tears of pure outpouring joy. The whole race is a celebration of so many things, yet, to each one of the 30,000 runners its significance uniquely individualized. To me, it's a celebration of humanity, peace, freedom and most importantly, life. Running any race, in its simplest form, is just a metaphor for every one of life's obstacles. In crossing that finish line one reaffirms that hard work, dedication, sacrifice and belief in one's dreams will always lead us in the right direction and what better race to run than one in which one can literally see humanity rising even after unimaginable loss and pain. It's going to be amazing. 

Running as refuge

           Getting ready for a long run requires a lot of calculations. First, you get all the variables, how fast you think you can run, how many miles, when is sunrise, how many of those miles will begin at the gym on the treadmill and how many on the trails, and which trails, when am I needed back at home, the temperature tomorrow. I am very much looking forward to my 18 miler in the morning. Four and half hours of me time....heaven. 

            Yet, planning all this is tough enough with all other activities that come with being a mom to a 12 and a 10-year-old. Four our of 5 weekdays we have some form of evening event after work. Then, on top of that add on my current severe downs that I have been experiencing lately. I am not sure if my downs are due to hormonal changes in my aging body or just maybe tiredness from work, maybe, just maybe it's the news of all these natural disasters and the sadness that come with that news.  No matter what it is, it has been very tough dealing with these downs and luckily running helps get me back on track... somewhat. 

             It's not only the act of running and the exercise and the exhaustion that helps me get back on track either. Running gives me a sense of self-dependence that I desperately need right now. Trust and lack thereof has been a huge issue this year, on so many levels. Erratic behavior in others has made me withdraw and increased my need to depend only on myself more and more.  I could definitively say at this point I feel most at peace when I am alone. I am aware that I am taking a sabbatical from a lot but for now I am quite comfortable here. Not sure if running is helping or hindering me, but at this moment I am going to follow only my comfort level, like I would a compass. Currently, my personal sense of personal comfort is the only barometer in which I blindly trust. This is huge. For someone like myself who has spent an enormous chunk of her adult life being there for others, right now, I am unable to do be that person, yet, for the first time, I am allowing myself not to feel guilty, which feels very nice to not have that pressure....deep in me I must know my limits well and I know that right now, I just simply can only bear to carry myself and those immediately in my care. 

               Therefore, Sundays are reset days. On Sundays I let out my adventurous self out and for 3 to 5 hours I get to only take care of my own needs and not have to negotiate levels of care for anyone but me. Like a mom caring for an infant, on my long runs I baby myself. If tired, I take a GU, if thirsty I drink, if chafing, I apply vaseline and so on. Running is my refuge for now, more than ever, and despite my occasional stints with my downs I am able to stay on top of it thanks to the deep level of self-sufficiency and strength this sport gives me every time I lace up my sneakers. I am feeling so lucky to have a trusty tool that can help me save my own life and sanity, day after day. 

35 days to marathon #8

17 miles completed by 8:15am!!! What do you do when you're a mom and your son has a baseball tournament you cannot and do not want to miss in Fredericksburg at 11am BUT you also have to do a long run that day? You wake at 3am of course! #readyforsomebaseball 

hike- while recovering from an injury

In attempts to listen to my body more...I chose to hike for an hour instead of running.....and it felt wonderful to not be so tough on myself. I also know my body enough to know that this will not jeopardize my training....I am in pain and walking is the most I can do right now. 

42 days to go!!

             I have a small foot injury and needed to complete 16 miles today. I have been nursing my foot with rest from running and just doing the elliptical for the same milage during the week. Today, I ran 5 miles on the treadmill before the sun came up and finished the rest, 11 miles on the Mt. Vernon Trails. 

         The trails were just gorgeous.....a beautiful day....67 and sunny....and in the early morning it was even fresher and a bit cool. 

What I love about these trails is that they are paved and for about 90% of it you are completely alone...In nature. 

I was jealous of all these amazing homes placed right on the Potomac River. 

There was a race going on.....Below I places some more info on this race....hey, I might want to do this next year. 

Enjoy this unique experience and run a 5k or 10k and finish on the historic grounds of George Washington's Mount Vernon. Race registration provides admission to George Washington's Mount Vernon, which includes an opportunity to tour the Mansion, grounds and Donald W. Reynolds Museum & Education Center. 

Spectators will be required to purchase an admission ticket to gain entry to the estate and finish festival area. These admission tickets are available for a discounted rate on Mount Vernon's website until September 9, 2017. Your race registration confirmation email will also contain the link to purchase discounted admission tickets. 

Spectators may purchase admission tickets the day of the race but only at regular admission price.

5k & 10k Information
Start time: 8:00 am
Price: $50 Race Fee + $3 SignUp Fee

Me, the way I look when I am stretching my legs at halfway. 

The Potomac...

Cross a few bushes and you're right at the water. 

Yes!! done......16 miles baby!!!.....My last two runs had really bought my confidence down to its knees....this was quite a nice run...felt strong and confident. 

Still sweating, half an hour later driving home. 

My post on FB....

Taking back the night

        After a few injuries and a kick ass gym membership I just stopped running outdoors. Time made me forget all about the beyond awesome feeling of being out in nature before everyone wakes and taking on the night.  I had a long run scheduled for this Sunday and I simply could not muster another treadmill long run. Last time I felt like I was in a time warp, three and half hours of the fan blowing and literally going nowhere was just beyond boring. So I planned to take on the night for this next run. Being a mom I do not want to be gone all day as if I were single, my kids need me around, therefore, making it back home around the time they wake is my BIG challenge. I am also a super slow runner which means I must always wake at an ungodly hour to make all this possible. 

     This is what the intersection near my home looks like. You'll see a few cars, zero people and an occasional fox streak across your path. I always imagine all this is mine, all mine. 

Gently rolling hills, unlike a treadmill, allow me to work different parts of my legs muscles. This prevents me from becoming injured. On a treadmill it's hard to change, adjust and play with one's gait. 

Mine, all mine still. Have seen 2 other runners at the 8 mile mark. 

---

Halfway mark (mile 8)....Here's where the real work begins. Podcasts go off and music comes on. 

I LOOOOOVE slugs. Mostly because my mom, who is a garden goddess green thumb, hates them with a passion and would often sprinkle them with salt to "save" her garden. I spent many years trying to save them from this very horrific approach. So now when I see them I always grab a leaf and place them off the path, so they don't get stepped on. 

Nothing like feeling your legs carry you across miles and miles. There is a certain power that comes from knowing that your own body can do that.....without the use of a motor, or pedals, such a primal connection to the earth, our ancestry as humans, life, the planet.....oh, don't get me started. 

I am done!! showered and smiling....Now let's eat!!! This is a smile of a woman who is starving. 1500 calories burned in 4 hours of running.....where are the eggs...get out of my way. 

This shot was taken after a shorter morning run, the sun was just coming up and I felt amazing....nothing like a morning run before work. 

A new day arises behind the trees...Everyone is still in bed at home. 

Finally.....I catch my beautiful sunrise. Have a great day everyone. 

It's not failure...It's wise

                       I don't see this as failure.....starting this week, I switched to the most basic marathon training plans I could get my hands on....Not only that, I am also loosely going to follow it only for the long runs and just make sure I get in 4 miles three times a week plus weight-training once or twice a week. 
                During the summer I was able to complete up to 8 miles on a weekday and not have it dent me. But now that school starts back up and I have to teach I would need to get up at minimum 4:20am, and that is just when I run 4 miles. Partly it's the fact that I am a slow runner but I cannot change that much at the moment. If I were to complete an 8-miler during a workweek I'd have to get up at 3:20am!! That would not be easy to maintain and keep my sanity and health. Last week, I did an 8-miler and was trying to do a 17-miler the next day and felt a painful pull in the back of my thigh. The LAST thing I want is to get injured. Then, I remembered that my 50-miler is 6 months away and that technically I am still just training for just marathon for the moment, and to top it off, I am just training for a marathon I want to finish and not win or even PR, at this moment. 

* 4:20am: Wake up to get ready for the day
* 5:20am: If I were to run 4 miles I would need to leave the house 
* 6:20am: Get home to shower and change 
* 6:50am: Leave home  
* 7:25am: Get to work  

               So, it's with great assuredness that I made this decision to lighten my load and I already feel a ton better. 

Getting mentally ready.....just as important

                     It took me talking about my 50-miler with another runner to make me realize that I am scared shit-less about it and that I do not yet have my thoughts in the right place when it comes to this race. The minute it was brought up in conversation I noticed my breath become shorter and more stiff and I needed to suck in extra air so as to breathe. But scared shit-less does not mean you tuck your tail between your legs and run, it never means that, in fact, it's a call to do JUST the opposite, a call to action, a call to face your deepest, darkest fears valiantly or die doing it. Okay, okay, I don't want to die doing it, but I am approaching this as if it were an offshoot of Odysseus's journey. To me it's an epic adventure in which at the end I find something amazing. 

                     So what would it take to feel it in my bones that yes,  I could do this? In the marathon it took me doing one or two 20-milers to get my mind thinking that maybe, just maybe I can complete this 26.2 mile distance and not, say, die or faint from the pain. For a 50 miler, obviously, I'd have to complete a 30 or even a 35-miler in order to in my heart know that it is possible. But in this case I feel that I would also need something more, something from my heart. The more I read about completing a 50-miler from various online sources, the more I learn that it's not whether things will go wrong, but that when things DO go downhill (because things WILL go downhill) that I will have the wherewithal to keep myself moving forward. 

                     When I completed my first ever long race, the 50K race back in 2013 I did fall apart. A wonderful man, The man the race hired to be the "sweeper" in fact, and whose name I regrettably forgot, helped me mentally cross the finish line. He encouraged me to keep going when I no longer thought I could and distracted me with his friendly company for at least the last 6 miles for the race. Had it not been for him I would have surely not finished and certainly not within the cut-off. In a similar situation, at the last marathon I ran, the Marine Corps Marathon, I helped another runner in quite the same way and now we are close buddies on social media. I think the fear of this race stems from worrying about my mental state at the last 10, 12 miles and wondering if I will perhaps need the help of another 'guardian angel'. I can take care of being physically ready for the race for sure. I will show up on race day and be ready with my many miles under my belt. But seeing as I cannot fathom where my mind will be many miles and hours later I will just have to trust that my heart resolve is strong enough to get me through, and if not, I will also trust that the Universe will provide what I need at that time, whether that is a buddy or a helping hand, or maybe even ice cold soda! 

              We all know how we prepare our bodies to run a long race, but how do YOU prepare mentally for a race? Please comment below. Thanks!!

                        
                

Longer and Longer runs....how to make it easier

                   You know training is going well when you begin thinking of a 4 or a 6-miler as "easy". Yesterday I did a 7-miler and my body adjusted beautifully, no stiffness, no pain, not even the day after. Also, I have been doing my best to stretch after every run and it has been helping to keep me pain free and flexible. What has been getting tough is making the runs mentally interesting. Because not all runs could be in a beautiful forest, which would be ideal, I often need to come up with ways to entertain myself over the 1-3 hours I am out there. Below are some ways I have found help. 

1. Audio books downloaded from your local library via your Overdrive app on your phone
2. Music
3. Podcasts. My favorite podcasts are Marathon Training Academy with trevor and Angie and The Ultrarunner Podcast. Either will always have interesting, almost hour-long shows. 
4. If in a forest or a trail, I don't need anything....Just the sounds of nature is enough to make the run fun. Plus, you need your ears to stay alert and not slip and fall and most likely you will run into turtles, bizarre birds and many other creature. Huge bonus. 
5. Music- New music based on a "radio" from a song you already have. On Spotify you can turn any song into a "radio" and the program selects music similar to this song. Great way to find great music you are likely to love. 
6. When really suffering I count, 1-20, then back again, 1-20. At the end of every 20 I fold down a finger and when I get to 100 I start again. This works best when in lots of discomfort from heat, or exertion but I know there's more in the tank. Helps to keep your mind from convincing you to stop.
7. A new route of any kind does the trick! This works best for really long runs. Find a beautiful, never explored route and explore it. Time will go by really fast. 
8. Some people find it easier to run with others. Not my thing. Long story. This is a tough one for slower runners like me....most often we get left behind and run on our own anyway, so its best to start alone anyway. Less confusion and less broken expectations. 
9. Run in the elements. Nothing makes you feel more like a badass than running in the elements. Whether it's in the rain, wind or in the snow, running in weather other than good weather can be quite entertaining. Especially, if you have the right gear. It would be no use running in 3 inches of snow if you did not have those nifty snow claws to wear over your shoes, same as it would be useless to run in the rain without a plastic bag in which to store your phone. 

               I have a 14-miler this Sunday and I am starting to think of where I could explore in Nassau County, Long Island, where I am for another week and a half. 

Week 6, day 1 Intermediate 1, Hal Higdon

            I am loving my training plan, for once. Usually training plans ask too much from me too fast and I abandon ship soon after starting. For most of my past races, aside from my first marathon, I have made up my own plan as I went, but not this time. I am on week 6, day 1 of Hal Higdon's intermediate 1 plan and it is progressing slowly enough that I feel strong and capable on most runs and unlike other years, it has not been a struggle keeping up. This weekend I completed a total of 18 miles and the only side affect was a bit of crankiness, and not even the usual soreness the next morning. 
              For my 2 days off during the week I am totally taking the day off completely, no guilt, no cheating, just rest 100%. Over the years I have grown to value of these days off as essential parts of all training plans. Only with proper rest in between intense training periods is one able to come back stronger each time. Most of my speed PR's we've earned on days I took 1-2 days off running. I tend to liken these days off to pauses in all songs, they are just as essential as the song, yet, any song would not sound right without these gaps of no song; song and no song, they each complement one another just as running days and non-running days; they each make up a part of a whole. 

              What plans do you use? 
               

week 4, day 3...feeling strong baby

             It's sad when I think about how most women rarely get to feel the way I feel after a run. It's tough to describe the feeling exactly, but after a run, I feel a combination of utterly invincible, imperfectly beautiful, powerful beyond belief and just so blessed and joyful all around. Everything is right with the world right after a run, and one can think and make decisions with crystal clear clarity for several hours after. When people ask me about running, which RARELY happens by the way, but in the rare, rare occasions when they do ask me about it I always make sure to add in there that running is my anti-depressant, not only that, but I think of it as the love of my life. In describing it this way I can successfully communicate (in mainstream "America-speak") the importance and the intensity of the relationship. So yes, when asked about running I almost always bring out the intense, romance-speak to make sure to communicate just how essential this activity is in my life. 

      On that note, I had a GREAT run today. Not one part of my body hurt and no breaks were needed. It was a straight 6 miles, with the last two being much faster than the first 4. What more can one ask? 

             

Week 2, Day 3 of marathon training

So I am giddy with excitement.....I am following Higdon's intermediate 1 18 week plan, starting at week 2. They have this app that I had uploaded and paid for over 2 years ago and just now using. I don't like the app that much, it's very simple. But, it makes it easy to know what days I will be doing what. For a busy mom, these little apps as a lifesaver. 

The app tells you how many days until your race and gives you a daily pep talk slash info about your training. Again, very basic, but sometimes frills can also be annoying. 

Today was 5 miles.....felt great to run more than 3 miles.....and here we go again.....another marathon season started. I also went ahead and reserved a room with 2 queen beds for the Rehoboth Marathon in the fall, came to $145 for 2 nights, not bad. Now, if only the weather cooperates it will be a beautiful race day at the beach. 

Rehoboth Marathon.....new hope begins

             Despite my reluctance to face this new year due to the disastrous election results, lots of amazing things have been happening, making me feel a tinge of hope again. First, I got some positive news from my sister, Alexa, who is going through gender transition and I could not be happier for her and these current turn of events in her life. Surprisingly, I've also been running faster allowing me to feel a surge of power after every run these days....another amazing thing that's happened is that my annoying injury, the one that haunted me for most of 2016, seems to have finally dissipated.  But most importantly, (drumroll please..).... I signed up for marathon #8, the Rehoboth Beach Marathon on December 1st, 2017. 
            
            The Rehoboth Beach Marathon (RBM) is the race I ran on December of 2014 to finally to qualify as a Marathon Maniac. I am a proud Maniac, #10, 361. In 41 days I ran 3 marathons and RBM was y third and final race of this series. I love this race more than any one I have run so far, yes, even over New York City and over Marine Corps Marathon. (Click here to go see pics from that 2014 race). It's such an easy race, logistically speaking; you go there, park a block away, then run the race, what modern race these days is that easy? Even the packet pick-up is that very morning, right there at the starting line a few steps away from the ocean...It's also a gorgeous course, lots of nature and ocean smells, with very little logistical drama of the bigger races. 

                A month before I will also be running the Phoenix Half Marathon and going to Arizona with my hubby for a running vacation of sorts, slash belated honeymoon.....15 years belated, but who's counting. My hubby had even (loosely) promised to run the 10K portion offered at the same time as the half. He's not into races despite having been a runner for almost 40 years now. I'll have to see that to believe it, but mostly I am not counting on him running, although I LOVE the idea. Nevertheless, this will be our very first trip without the kids, they will stay with my mom and stepdad, who will drive up from NY to be with them for several days. I cannot wait. One of my favorite things to do with my hubby is have these long engaging conversations with him about just about anything....we hardly ever get time to just sit and chat anymore due to our hectic lives, so this will be so nice. 

             I am open to being happily surprised in 2017, although I am not holding my breath. In the meantime I will keep my nose to the grind and focusing on love, light, hard work and more love. 
                    
                     

Honolulu Marathon

        So I have been dreaming again. What best do housewives who work full time and have tons of energy do anyway BUT dream,? Despite feeling super crappy this week health-wise I am looking forward to a shiny new year, full of new potential (just don't  mention the T word). This year was the shittiest year in a long time, my grandma died, my mom totaled her car, I ran a slow marathon (again), lots of tragedies in the news almost monthly, and yes, we elected a man for president of the US who ran a racist campaign. So I am looking forward to any ray of light in 2017.....My dreams are now in doing a travel marathon, the Honolulu Marathon.
         This week I have been "under". For me, who has not gotten sick in over 4.5 years (knock on wood) even a cold is a huge deal. I have been sneezing and sneezing and my head feels like a squirrel is caught between my temple and my brain, no fever, but who needs a fever, I feel crappy enough. I have been juicing up as always. My hubby makes veggie juice in juicer and leaves me half almost daily. I have also not been to the gym in 4 days, which has been very tough emotionally to bear. I need my workout to feel normal, so out comes the "Miriam" who cries about the dumbest things and 20 minutes later feeling just fine. This morning I was a mess about a dumb argument I had with hubby about the new president, of all things. Thankfully, I now know not to believe my thoughts when I get this crazy so I just walked out and drove to work.
          The idea for Honolulu came from a running magazine, one of many I get at home and hardly ever even look at for lack of time and/or energy. Under the heading of marathons for slower runners (or something to that affect) both Honolulu and Missoula marathon were mentioned. Polling friends about both immediately made Hawaii the winner. Not only that but a friend who I worked with offered me a place to stay in December, so in my mind, I am 99% ready to sign on the dotted line. The mom guilt of leaving my family for 2, possibly 3 days still exists, but, nothing a few sessions with some good girlfriends can't smooth out. In the meantime, right now I feel not only ill, but I am also feeling bloated and huge and slow....a natural emotional state from not working out for half a week. Part of me knows this guilt I lay one myself is pure bullshit, but I can't help myself, the perfectionist in me is always on my shoulder eating away at my confidence.
            Initially I had thought of having the whole family go and if we spend so much to get there why not make it 5 days? I roughly did the math and it came to $6,000 for all of us to go to Hawaii for 5 days next December. Sadly, that is beyond what we'd like to pay for a family vacation so the only logical next solution is for me to go alone. I will have to figure out additional support for my hubby with the kids when the time comes, but for now I need not worry. Already they are much more independent, and in a year from now, maybe they will even be more independent, maybe even independent enough not to drive my hubby crazy with their sibling wars. Okay, here comes the guilt again. I need to call a girlfriend.