Eleven..

I reached Eleven miles today...actually 11.1 - that little point one is very important!

Today on the long run I noticed a few things that started happening around mile 9.

1.  My left knee had a glitch and starting hurting periodically.

2.  I started chaffing...I know who wants to know that? But this is a common problem for runners.   Constant friction rubs the skin raw and it hurts.  Just remember this run takes over 2 hours of constant moving.  Nobody talks about it much, but you have to keep your arms a little further out from your body so they don't keep rubbing your sides.  Wearing the right running shorts helps for thighs that rub together.  There is even a product to apply that relieves and prevents it.  I'll be making adjustments necessary!

3.  My right foot again started hurting in the arch.  My feet could totally feel the pavement and it was a little painful.  I had to make a conscious adjustment to my landing to work it out.  Again, I think a nice new pair of shoes will solve this.  I love the shoes I have now- but I've trained in them for 3 years and I think they are ready to sit on the sidelines.  I also noticed a blister forming from- yes believe it or not- friction  against the edge of the lining in my shoe at the arch.

4.  My sweet little Gymboss Interval Trainer for the third time fogged up and I couldn't see the times of my intervals or how many I had done or had yet to do.  I had spent time last night trying to seal it with clear nail polish around the seams.  That was irritating, but it still vibrated to alert me to the intervals of Run/Walk just the same.  But nonetheless it pipped me off!  Thankfully I had my timer on my iphone that gave me a visual of my time.

5.  I'm thinking I will wear my water belt next time so I don't have to get off the track to get my water and snack which takes time.  Its amazing what a minute does to your time and pace.

BUT I did do several great things that I will keep doing and they ramped me up with a successful mindset!

1.  I logged every lap (mile) on my iphone timer.  This gave me a specific record of my time every mile so I can see when and where I am lagging as well as my average time.

2. I drank a lot of water the night before, taking in EmergenC last night and this morning.

3.  I had a little bit of coffee and a granola bar - in other words I gave my energy level a boost.

4.  I rehydrated, even just a bit, every two miles and on mile 6 I ate part of a mini Clif Bar to bring my sugar level up.  I noticed I actually got hungry!

5.  I picked up my pace significantly, pushing myself on the runs and then replenished and evened out my breathing during walks.  I didn't mindlessly run or walk- I gauged my paces in response to where I was in my body.

6.  On mile 8 & 9 I responded to a spurt of adrenaline and ran through the entire mile 8 and part of 9 without any walks.  This boosted my moral because I made up time and was totally stoked to do 10 and 11.

7.  I almost forgot this, but I stretched before I left the house.

When I ended my run, I stretched slowly with deep breathing because I could feel my legs aching.  I rehydrated immediately and ate a high protein meal as soon as I got home.

SO TODAY- I am one HAPPY, SUCCESSFUL Runner in Training.  

NICE TO SEE YOU ELEVEN you only took me 2.07!!!!

See this guy?

He stung me yesterday on my run....twice.  Well, maybe not exactly this one, but a cousin of his for sure!

I've been writing some informative blogs the last two times and thought I would stick this personal, random, just FYI blog in the mix.

But seriously , he stung me...did I say TWICE?

I was having a good moderate run of 4 miles timed just right before my long run on Friday..  So I was happy to have timed my week out perfectly, getting that run in was important in that flow.

Just as I was to mile 3,  feeling oh so fine,  I had just taken off my jacket.  A few paces later I felt it; a sharp piercing needle point poke.  It was right below my arm band for my iphone.  So I naturally thought somehow the armband was pinching me.  As I reached to adjust the band, the piercing became evident it was a bug and I swatted it upon which it landed on my shirt on my side.  In a split second it stung me again there under my ribs.  It happened so fast I was stunned and never stopped running in the process!

I was thankful that the woman I had just passed was far enough behind me around the last bend she didn't see the commotion and most likely embarrassing reaction.  I was NOT thankful that I had one more mile to run and on the backside of my trail with no short cuts to get to my car.  I had to keep running.

I am amazed that I have never in my life of 45 years been officially stung by a wasp or bee like creature before.  Probably because when I have seen one I run faster and they have no hope of getting me.  I am also amazed that this particular wasp had an opportunity to land on me without me noticing WHILE I WAS MOVING AND RUNNING!   Obviously this was a strain of mutant ninja covert wasps!  I never saw it coming!  That gave me something to think about while I was running with my arm and side on fire with intermittent piercing shooting pain. 

I was wondering for a little bit of my run back to car, with only one arm pumping and the other held out a distance from my side holding my shirt away from my side because each swath of material rubbing on the sting was crazy pain,   I was wondering, having never been bitten before, if I was one of the statistics of people who have allergic reactions to stings.   I kept monitoring my breathing, feeling my throat as I swallowed and moving my tongue around to feel if it was swelling or not.  A mental few pictures of "HITCH" came to my mind with Will Smith's lips swollen...it wasn't funny at the time.

I was tempted to tell a few people I passed (because at that point I was running pretty fast just to get it over with) that I had been stung.  I knew they wouldn't care and it really wasn't important to anyone except me, so I opted to do what most people do with non-important personal information, I posted it on Face Book as soon as I got in the car.

Well now here I am the next day after spending yesterday using every concoction of home remedies written as comments on my Face book post and fretful night of getting up to reapply cortisone.   I am convinced I need to do a blog on all the things that have happened and I have seen on the trail when I run.  I first have to get my phone out in time to capture the guy riding a unicycle playing the guitar!

HYDRATION! DRINK UP!

Here is something that is a key component of going the distance.  It's not great shoes, physical condition, or a good training schedule.  It is HYDRATION!

 I just read a great article this morning.  It's focus is pre-race hydration, but it truly give the insight in HOW to hydrate well.  I think the one thing new I have learned about hydration is to change my thoughts from just "RE-HYDRATING" during and after exertion but BEFORE.  In other words, "hydrating UP" not just before a race but before training and KEEPING my body hydrated all the time even during rest periods or non-training seasons.  There are so many benefits to staying hydrated that we only realize it once we do it.  Many common health complaints, such as headaches, lethargy, depression and bloating or weight gain disappear with a regular hydration lifestyle. For a runner dehydration even on its lowest level can affect performance through fatigue, poor performance, decreased coordination and muscle cramping.

Here is a portion of the article written by  Sarah Piampiano, 2011 Ironman World Championship Top American Amateur

I still have a lot to learn about the race, but here are a few pre- and post-race tips that either worked well for me or that I picked up along the way.

Sarah Piampiano @ 2011 IM World Championships

1. HydrationBefore: Staying hydrated was probably the most valuable thing I did leading up to the actual event.  I began my hydration routine a full 2 weeks before the race.  I was never without a water bottle and tried to drink at least one bottle per hour. I often used Emergen-C for electrolyte replacement and added salt or sodium citrate to every third bottle I drank.

  Lucky for me, I don’t get the unfavorable side effects that significant consumption of vitamin C can bring, so Emergen-C was a great resource for me.  However, if you are like many individuals who
can’t handle more than a few packets a day, try to find another electrolyte alternative (Nuun tablets are a good option).

The key here is to ABP – Always Be Peeing.  A word of caution though:  people who only hydrate the few days
before the race will likely pee out many crucial nutrients the body needs.  Give yourself ample time to incorporate your hydration plan into your pre-race routine.

After:  Post race it is easy to forget about hydrating.  I was a culprit of that.  It’s ok to relax and drink other liquids, but remember that keeping your body pumped up with liquids will help you recover much faster.  Keep the fluids  coming in!   

(The American College of Sports Medicine suggest that the guideline for good hydration should be to drink no more than 1 cup of water every 20 minutes and to add into your regimen some sodium, potassium and electrolytes. )

Just writing this is making me thirsty.

W A R N I N G:

The number one reason people don't show up at race day?

INJURY!

The main reason for injury?

OVER TRAINING!

The number reason for over training?

OVER ACHIEVEMENT!

As the weeks on the calendar seem to get shorter between you and race day, it is definitely a temptation to push every training, especially long run days, to the very point of exhaustion.  The stress of getting to the race and not having trained enough is a reoccurring nightmare and even daydream of a runner registered for a big race- novice and veteran!

I know in these last weeks I have thoroughly examined my training schedule and I see clearly the gap closing in and wondering if I'll be ready.   It's hard to take a rest day when you could be running and racking up miles on your log.  It's easy to keep running when that sharp pain keeps showing up but you think you will run it out.  It's totally tempting to add one more mile on your long run even though you already added two.  All that is a recipe for a training injury that not only can keep you out of training but also the race.  

And then there is the dreaded two weeks before the big race when you are urged to "taper down"  The taper down week or two has to be the hardest part of training.   To do LESS before you have to run the MOST!  What kind of sense does that make??  But it does.  You can't run your height of miles if your body isn't in ultimate rested condition.  But once again this is where the MIND of the RUNNER is the most powerful tool he has.  Because the mind is always running or wants to anyway.

So I'm determined to train smart and be careful even though at this point I want to push myself more than ever before.  The only positive thing about this temptation is the sign of total motivation!  I can feel the adrenaline increasing every week now!  But I'm going to make sure I make it to the race, because you can't cross a finish line until you start it!

Here is the article that inspired this warning in red blog;

                               Who Quits Before Race Day?
         Injury From Overtraining, Fear of Undertraining Can Lead to 15,000 No-Shows

                                                                                 By KEVIN HELLIKER