Here I go with this blogging thing: A recap of what I've been up to since August

So here I go again, starting to write on this little fitness blog of mine.  I wish I could be more consistent with this, but, you know...work and life and stuff. But I really do want to get back to blogging here on a regular basis, because a) it's fun and b) I miss writing bulleted lists and FAQs full of facetious garbage.  That being said, let's catch everyone up on what's been happening with a quick FAQ:

So what have you been up to since you last blogged in August?

Working, working, and more working...not sleeping...and, of course, running.  I ran another little marathon race in October, where I tried to hit a 4:10 on a very hilly marathon (Twin Cities) and failed miserably because I went out too fast like a moron.  But I did nab a 4:20, and I'm slightly OK with that.

Rethinking that whole "I feel great let's go faster at the start"
plan I had for that race.

Oh, I also ran another marathon the weekend after Twin Cities...it's a little race you may have heard of before: the Chicago Marathon.

I'm only happy because I wasn't really racing
the race.

Nabbed around a 4:43 for that marathon...and even though my legs were heavy and dead from Twin Cities, I did manage to run the entire 26.2, so I got that going for me.


Well, that was quite the pair of marathons you ran there.  I'm sure that not running for more than 2.5 hours each weekend is feeling pretty weird for you; what have you been doing to fill the time?

I took it easy for a few weeks after Chicago, but then I decided to set my trusty My Run Plan App to the "half marathon" training plan setting, which involved me putting in "half marathon" and then the app making me run less mileage at the same marathon paces only with slightly different workouts.  But I didn't do it just to run less mileage while still doing speedy runs during the week - I am actually training for the BMW Dallas half marathon.  Normally I run the marathon at this little running event, but I thought it might be wise to back off doing so many marathons in the fall if I want to PR the heck out of my spring marathon. Anyhoo, I'm looking to run around a 1:55 in Dallas in a few weeks..not a half marathon PR for me, but a very decent time for a woman of my advanced age.  Or I think so, anyway.

I have to admit the decreased mileage has been pretty nice...maxing out at 10 miles for my long run is a luxury I haven't enjoyed in a long time.  And not seeing 13 mile training runs in the app on Mondays or Thursdays has also been pretty sweet.  Mentally, this has been a nice break from the usual "OMG twenty BLEEPing miles this weekend..."


When last we left you, you had this weight loss thing in progress.  How's that going?

I am frustrated to report that my weight loss stalled when training for Twin Cities, and I actually gained 3 pounds back because I started eating semi-crappily (meaning: so much chocolate and processed sugar) again.  However, I am also happy to report that I and the dogs have been taken off store-bought treats, and we're now all on this weight-loss journey together eating only things we make at home.  My new rule is that if I want a treat, I have to make it myself to ensure the ingredients are high quality.  The dogs get carrots now instead of store-bought treats, although they feel I should also make their treats now, too, but omg ain't nobody got time for that.  So it's pretty much the stink-eye for me 24/7 about that.

Nothing but stink-eye.

Even though the weight isn't coming off like it was, I do have to say for an old almost-45-year-old broad, I'm in better shape than I ever was in my 20s.  Although I'm not sure that male cat there in the pic would agree with that assessment of my fitness during his random workout inspections.

"Hmm..woman still smells wimpy to me"

Sounds like you've been busy since you've been away from the blog.  How do we know you'll blog consistently from now on?

You don't.  And that's the thrill of this little blogging adventure, now isn't it?  That and the nervous anticipation of what atrocious fitness selfies I'll post.


Are you going to post those stupid non-learning learnings like you used to at the end of each post?

Why, of course!  Prepare yourself for some below:

• You'd think since PR-ing in the spring with a "start slow-get faster" approach to my marathon I would know better than to start a race too fast, but, sadly, this is not the case.
• Chicago was a fun marathon, as it usually is...it's a multicultural celebration of running.  Also of suffering, especially up the final hill right before the finish.
• Cats are rarely impressed by my gun show.
• The dogs are rarely impressed, either, but they fake it in the hopes of getting a store-bought treat.

Tomorrow's workout:  I'm giving thanks for everything in my life by running 9 miles of tempo and then trying to stick to my diet while at Thanksgiving dinner.  I think the latter will be harder to do than the former.

Day 1, Week 6: 2017 Chicago Marathon: Will take bananas from complete strangers.

Some running nuts such as myself like to accidentally (or, as some nuts do, intentionally) sign up for marathons on back-to-back weekends.  In case you haven't been following along, I ran Twin Cities last weekend and Chicago today.

If you ever either accidentally or intentionally find yourself in a similar situation, let me give you some advice on how to accomplish this feat and survive:

• You're going to have to give up a time goal for one (or both) of them.
• You need to pace yourself during both races; don't destroy yourself on the first race or you're going to suffer A LOT on the second race.  I mean, you're going to suffer anyway; it's a marathon for cryin' out loud.  But the goal should be to reduce suffering, not increase it.
• To help in that "reduce suffering" goal, make sure you take it easy during the week between the marathons.
• Make sure you fuel properly before both races and eat well before each race.  Also make sure to eat right to give your body needed nutrients during the week between the races.
• Get into a good mental headspace in both races.  Remember, your mind gives up long before the body does.

So of course I violated every one of the above tips.  Surprise!  I had time goals for at least parts of each race that I was going to hit come hell or high water, I completely destroyed myself at the first race, kept on training during the week in-between, kind of ate crappily this week before Chicago, and was pretty much ready to sit down today after mile 22 but didn't because 40,000 people trampling you just cannot feel good.

But I hit my goals.  That's what matters, right?  That and the bling.

Bling bling!

And now, let's race recap.  But I won't bore you with a mile-by-mile breakdown, because I don't even remember most of the miles--just things that happened.  Instead, let's break this race down into two big parts: the Training Run and The Rest of the Race.

Part #1: The Training Run (13 miles at 9:35 pace)

First, I got my warm up in during the walk from the hotel to the start line.  Saw some tall buildings and some neat-o Art Institute lions.

See the "26.2" in that red building off to the left?  I know you do.

I was lucky enough to be in the last corral, L, which I determined was for lovers, not losers.

It was a beautiful morning for a 13.1 mile training run.  Others were there for a race, though, that was longer than my run.  I just went along with them.

I froze in that tank top for a good 50 minutes.  That'll teach me to check
my sweatshirt in my gear bag so early.

And before we knew it, we were off.  And I was running a good 9:35 pace...and then those pesky tall buildings kept messing with my Garmin and it kept telling me I was running a 16 minute pace.  LIES.

So I had to run the first half pretty much by feel until about mile 8 or so, when my watch told me I did an 8:38 pace and I was all HOLY COW but didn't even slow down that much because I am stupid.

Nothing says "Training run done!" more than a selfie with total strangers.

So, as usual, I ran the first half way too fast. And by "way too fast" I mean a freaking sub-2 hour half marathon (1:57!!!).  So much for a 9:35 pace, eh?  Just in case you were wondering, that's an 8:56 pace. This came back to haunt me in the second half of the race.

Part 2: The Rest of the Race (aka My Legs are Really Tired Now)

Not too much to say about this half of the race, other than I tried to just run 10:30s from miles 14-16 and I felt like I was just never going to make it that way--not after busting out a sub-2 first half.  So I whipped out the old "run 5 minutes, walk 2 minutes" strategy and did that from about mile 16 onward.  That really got me through to the end of the race.  Below is a quick run-down of anything notable that happened on the back half of the course:

• So many runners touching me.  So many.  *sob*
• When a volunteer slaps you on the back and you realize you're sunburned
• Yay cold sponges!
• So hungry by mile 19.  SO HUNGRY.  I grabbed any banana from any human I saw holding one after that...I ended up eating at least 4 bananas from mile 20 onwards.  My next race shirt should read, "Will take bananas from complete strangers."
• Lots of stupid poses for race photogs.  Some of them unknowingly involving other runners around me.
• Literally singing through the last mile.
• To the dude that stopped suddenly in the middle of the course on Mt. Roosevelt (the last little hill in the race about 600 meters before the finish) to bend over and do some stretching: I'm sorry for almost knocking you over, but dear Lord give a girl some warning before you stop suddenly in front of her.

I managed a 4:36:00 finish time (my watch below said 4:31 and some change, but who's counting?  Oh, wait, they are; they counted my two pit stops and the time in mile 19 when I had to get a rock out of my shoe) which, people, is only 5 minutes slower than last weekend.  See what happens when you lose 15 pounds and start lifting the weights and bike riding?  At least that's what I'm blaming this craziness on.  Damn you, fitness and healthy eating.

Seems I ran an extra mile zigging and zagging around people.  So I really ran an ultra.  Woot.  It was also my 26th marathon...a mile for each one.

BTW, I am not Hannah Bradford.

Dallas (my goal marathon) will be my 27th; no more back-to-back craziness I swears.  Really.

Some marathon morals:

• Is that last sentence a lie?  Most likely.
• I literally growled at a spectator trying to cross the road in Chinatown who almost made me run into her.  Not my finest moment.
• The one word that could define this race would be "zig-zag."
• Is a hyphenated word one or two words?  Buh.
• It will be interesting to see how the training week goes with its "12 x 400" and "18 miles" and all.
• No bacon cheeseburgers on the course.  Totally bogus.

Tomorrow's workout:  Maybe weights...maybe nothing.  Maybe some other race photos where I ruined it for other people that I just found....

Day 7, Week 5: Who *doesn't* do a workout before going to that marathon expo?

Tomorrow I'm running the Chicago marathon.  I hear it's where champions run.  I wouldn't know anything about that since I never, ever come downtown unless I throw my name into a lottery for a marathon and then get chosen. 

I wonder where that is.

But let's start with how this day began--by me interrupting what was obviously supposed to be a private moment.

SCRAM HUMAN

After backing away slowly, I went downstairs, assessed the weather as too windy (20 mph...buh) to bike ride, and did Cathe's Total Body Giant Sets instead with some abs thrown in for fun.  I did skip the last leg set in honor of my marathon tomorrow.  Sometimes I do things that make sense.

Don't mind me; just getting yuge.

After running some errands, I headed to extremely urban downtown Chicago to hit the expo.  On the seemingly 5-mile trip from the parking garage to the actual expo, I played tourist and took an artsy-farsty picture of some tall buildings.

Artsy: Check.  Fartsy: Check.

There's a lot to see and do at this race expo, probably because 40,000+ people are running this freaking thing.  I, as usual, spent too much money on gear I don't really need and cursed the expo organizers for making us run the rat maze that was the expo just to get our bibs and shirts.

Space Expo.

But what wasn't usual for me was hearing Bart Yasso (whom I adore) speak about his running life and take questions from the audience.  I found out he will be running with us tomorrow, and now I'm on a mission for a mid-race selfie with him.  It's always good to have a goal during a race, right?

Watch out, Bart-I'm coming for you.

Speaking of race goals, what's the plan for tomorrow?  Well, the main plan is to make it to my start corral on time.  My next goal is to do the 13 mile run at 9:35 pace that is actually on the training plan.  After that, it's wander around the course hoping for a bacon cheeseburger aide station until I get to the finish line.  At least I know my gear is ready for tomorrow, even if I'm not.

Take this stuff away with you when you leave:

• Seriously, I'm not a fan of downtown Chicago.  I've been countrified.  The only reason I've been to Solider Field is because a half marathon starts there. 
• My cats do whatever they want, whenever they want.  That's so they don't decide to kill me in my sleep one day.
• Hubbs like to take sneaky pics when I'm weight lifting.  Like it will embarrass me or something.  Pfft.
• Most of my artsy fartsy pictures fall more on the fartsy side.
• Bacon cheeseburger aide stations.  These need to be a thing.

Tomorrow's workout:  Marathoning it.