The Training Paid Off

Unbelievable. The Rome race was just fantastic. Everything went according to plan. Better than the plan. The weather was perfect. I wore just the right clothes - Team Diabetes singlet and black shorts. I felt strong and fast throughout the race. I tried to stay on the heels of the 4 hour pacers (and their purple balloons) for the first 10K or so. Just after 10K I felt I needed to go faster and got out ahead of them. This really great guy from Germany asked if he could run and keep pace with me at about 13K. We were really well matched for pace and eventually got each other going even faster. We ran the rest of the race together and my time was an unbelievable (for me) 3:50.
I couldn't believe how great I felt throughout the race. I didn't have any of the usually aches and pains that often hit after 20K. I did, of course, feel incredibly tired for the last 2 or 3K but that's too be expected. I didn't take any walk breaks, except slowing down enough at each water station to get some water down. It actually felt better during the race to just keep running, rather than stop and start.
Once again, I didn't stretch properly post-race. I was just too excited. Also, Peter and I ended up walking too much around Rome later than afternoon. The next day my quads hurt so much I could barely walk. It took over two days to feel normal again.
Team Diabetes put on a wonderful celebratory dinner in a fantastic venue - a palace high in the hills overlooking Rome. I truly felt victorious.
This is the wrap-up of my training blog. It's been quite a journey. Thanks to everyone for supporting me through the last year of fundraising and the last four months of training.

If I'm Not Ready Now . . .

I'm not going to be. 16 weeks or more of training. Several months before that of fundraising. The time has almost come to run the race. This last week before the race should be relatively stress free. I should be getting lots of rest, drinking lots of water, going for a few easy runs, and daydreaming about our Italian vacation that commences the day after the marathon.
Unfortunately, I'm a wreck. I'm an Ontario college teacher and we've been on strike since March 7th. We don't seem to be close to a resolution so I have know way of knowing when I'll get my next paycheck. On top of that, Peter and I have been dealing with a family crisis. I don't want to get into any details here, but we've been sad, anxious, and concerned. It's bad timing to leave the country and I'm not in the best mental state to run a major race.
However, I did say earlier that I was a basket case in the days leading up to my last marathon. Perhaps some of my feelings can be attributed to race and trip anxiety.
Yesterday, Peter and I ran our last long run before the race. It was a relatively easy 16K. We couldn't believe that it was snowing. I really thought we were done with snowy runs. The footing was okay, though, and it wasn't too cold. Hard to believe that my next Sunday run will be in shorts and t-shirt (most likely) through the streets of Rome.
This may be my last entry before the race. I'll post our results when we're home but if you'd like to know sooner, you can look up my time on the race site. The link is posted to your right. My big number is 931.

Tapering

The countdown is on. We are getting on the plane in just 9 days. The race is a week from Sunday. This past Sunday, we ran our 23K. In the pouring rain. At least it was warm. I was so chilled after, though, that a hot bath, and a hot shower, didn't quite take away the chill.
I just came back from running a tempo 6K. I think my time was pretty good, even though the inside of my left knee has been bothering me quite a bit. I'm going to try to stretch a lot more. The tapering should help too. From now on it will be relatively short runs.
More speedwork tomorrow in the farm. Last Wednesday, Peter and I decided to get it done in the afternoon while the sun was still shining. My km repeat times weren't bad: 4:13-4:14 on the downward slope; 4:24-4:26 on the upward slope. Tomorrow, I'll try to map out a flat kilometre.
I guess I'm ready to run this race. I'm just worried about the days leading up to it. Last May, when preparing to run my first race, I was a basket case. The plan is to taper, hold back the distance running, and pent up the adrenaline for the big day. I remember getting very anxious and irritable. Ready to blow. Hope I don't experience those feeling while I'm stuck on the plane. And just think, both Peter and I could be in the same state.
Taper, breath, stretch, relax. I'll try to remain calm.

State of Mind

Mind over matter. Critical to the long distance run. Yesterday I learned the hard way that if you can't get your head around it, a 32K run is brutal. I was not in the best frame of mind. The biggest emotional factor was that Peter and I were arguing. Well, not arguing actually, we were not communicating because we were not very happy with each other. A carry over from Saturday morning. This meant that communication about where to run to make up our 32K was problematic. We both wanted someone else to make the call, then we would simply follow.
When will I learn that you absolutely have to know where you are going before you start out? If not, you can't visualize the route and finishing it. The last thing you need when you set out is uncertainty, doubt, and miscommunication.
In addition to being in totally the wrong place, mentally and emotionally, the footing along the canal was treacherous. Thankfully, our route took us off the pathways when we ran in Hull and around the Governor General's but eventually we were back on the path along the canal on the Queen Elizabeth Driveway side. I said goodbye to Peter by the Pretoria Bridge and took his iPod. Peter had hurt his back on Wednesday and it was affecting his run, so he decided to call it quits. This meant I had to do another 13K by myself. The footing from Bank to Bronson was pretty much impassable. This confirmed my decision to rack up some kilometres by running in the farm, where at least I could run without fear of falling every few steps. On the way back to the Bank Street store I ran on the driveway rather than the pathway.
Even though I did many things wrong, I did get my longest run done. Peter and I are doing better, too. It always comes down to communication. Later that evening, I felt better about running and relationships as Peter and I chowed down on his most amazing ribs, polenta, and swiss chard. Peter just put the cutting board on the ottoman and we polished off two huge racks while we watched the Oscars. (Enough to feed at least a family of six.) I even washed them down with a couple of glasses of red wine. Decadent, yes. But it was a very challenging morning - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Just a few more training runs and we're on our way to Rome.

Enough of Winter Already

From the very beginning, when I first decided to sign up for Team Diabetes and Rome, I knew that the most intense training would take place in the dead of winter. I knew it, I dreaded it, but I was committed to just do it. To be honest, it hasn't been as bad as I imagined, but it is more difficult that my marathon training was last year. What a difference two months makes. I only have about three weeks of training left, but when I got to this point last time, the snow was gone and we were doing our last long runs in t-shirts and shorts. Best of all, we were running on clear pavement.
My last three runs have all been in pretty miserable conditions. Friday morning, I ran my 10K steady and fast, but the icy footing robbed about 5 minutes of time. It took me 59 minutes instead of my usual 54. There was some waiting around at traffic lights, but mostly the uneven footing slowed me down. And it was darn cold. Sunny, but really, really cold. Sunday was cold, too, but not as cold, and the sun was strong enough that you could almost imagine it was a hot summer day. The cold didn't bother us but again the footing made our 27K feel like 32. We were supposed to run 29 but I had calculated wrong. I've decided not to worry about the 2K. Our route was very hilly - it included that progressive uphill climb from the Champlain Bridge to the farm - and the snow on most sidewalks was so slippery that my hamstring and glutes were killing me Sunday evening.
I just came from running almost 8K this morning. The portion through the farm was severely cold. The kind of cold where you're sure your ears are being frostbitten and your chin freezes up so much it's hard to keep talking. Perhaps that's why Frederica and I didn't chat as much as we usually do. That and the fact that we'd both had difficulty waking up this morning.
Enough of winter and enough of my venting. It's just got to get warmer soon. Speed work on Wednesday night and our last 32K on Sunday. This time, Peter gets to map out the route.

Where has February gone?

January dragged like the proverbial molasses, but February has flown by. I've been forgetting to post to my blog, but believe me, I've been running. The hill training is over and speedwork has begun. This past Wednesday, I was to do some fartlek - if you're a runner you know what that means, if you're not, you're thinking I was doing something noisy and smelly. Fartlek is speedplay, varying the speed in a random way throughout the run. However, I ran more of a tempo run with the Running Room marathon group. They are just beginning their training for the National Capital marathon in May. It was a good fast run, though.
Peter and I have worked our way up to 32K and we're going to climb to it again in the next two weeks, then taper for the big race. We're getting on that plane a month from yesterday. This is starting to seem very real now. We've met some of the other Team Diabetes participants who will be going with us on the trip. They seem like a lot of fun; we're going to have an amazing time.
February brought new shoes, improvement in my ankle, and a real mix of running conditions - snow, freezing rain, puddles. I've got to get out in the snow for a fast 10K this morning, then rest up for Sunday's 29. Four more weeks - the countdown has begun.

Did I do the right thing? Ankle Woes

Yesterday morning I came pretty close to skipping the long slow distance run. I was up, dressed, fed, and ready to roll but awfully worried about my sore ankle. I knew trouble was brewing, but my ankle didn't really become an issue until Tuesday morning's run when I realized that it hurt terribly whenever I stopped running and shifted my weight onto my right foot.
I skipped hill training on Wednesday, my 10K on Friday, and then tried it out on Saturday morning. I'd tentatively planned a 10K, but shortened it to 6 when I found my ankle was still hurting.
Everything I've heard and read says to be sensible and let an injury heal before it turns into something worse, in my case, maybe jeopardizing the Rome race. Even so, I got Peter to wrap it in a tensor bandage for me and I went out the door. I also took a couple of Motrin for the journey.
In the end, the ankle issue didn't impede my progress. We completed our 29K and I can't say my ankle feels any worse. In fact, it may feel better. However, I do realize that I've got to do something about this. I'm going to see how it feels on tomorrow's short run (6K) and then I may have to get it looked at. In the meantime, I'm trying to replace my shoes. Not an easy task. No one has my Brooks Ariels in stock.