I would be remiss if I did not honor the memory of Whitney Houston in this forum. As an aspiring singer, I have been quite influenced by her beautifully effortless voice. I have listened to her voice since childhood, wondering how it could ever be possible for me to make it sound so easy. I will be thinking of her on my 17-mile run tomorrow morning. I hope I have done her proud in this song. <3

This Is How We Do It!

When I tell people that I am running um-teen miles on Saturday morning, they look at me like I am nuts. I get asked the same question without fail. “Sheree, how do you get through it?”

If I said it were easy, I’d be telling a big fat lie. It isn’t easy. It’s really hard, actually. But, as Coach Rick says, if it were easy, everyone would be running marathons.

It doesn’t need to be easy. It just needs to be POSSIBLE. You know how the saying goes: if I can do it, anyone can. Well I can assure you, I am not just blowing smoke up your behind. I completed a marathon last year as a beginner runner whose longest distance run before training was 3 miles.

What got me to that finish line last year was not my fitness. I was physically dunzo by mile 20. It was my mind that got me to the finish line. Mental strength, to me, is so much more important than the physical. And as someone who isn’t the most experienced of runners, I need to sometimes trick my mind into letting my body do what I want it to do. So I’m going to let you in on a few of my little secrets. And if you’ve ever set out on a run and wanted to give up– 5K, 10K, whatever!– I urge you to try them! You will see that running can be fun if you can get through that mental barrier!

Musical Chairs Miles

Here is a little game I play with myself on a long run, especially when the going gets really tough. I use my music to set small goals. A couple examples:

• “I will not stop until I have listened to 3 more songs.” Using this method, 3 songs could easily last for 9-12 minutes. That is about a mile you have just convinced yourself to run while having some awesome music to entertain yourself. If 3 songs seems long, do it one song at a time. I constantly say “just one more song.”
• “I am going to run through the verses and walk through the choruses up this next hill.” I do this one ALL THE TIME. Before I ascend a hill, I designate a pattern and stick to it up the entire hill. Maybe it’s walk 8 counts, run 8 counts. Maybe it’s walk through all the guitar solos and run whenever the singer comes in. By breaking it up, you keep your mind affixed to this “game” instead of how difficult this hill is.

Tick Tock

This is the game Kate and I played on Saturday for our 16 mile run. We planned to run 9 minutes and walk 1 minute the entire way. But making adjustments as you go is important (AND FUN) to keep the run feeling fresh.

• At the end of our 9 minutes, we reached a downhill section. Now, it seems a waste to spend a walk break on a downhill, doesn’t it? So we extended our run to enjoy the downhill and deducted that extra time from our next run section. By doing this, you find yourself looking forward to the next time you run because now, instead of 9 minutes, you will only be running 7 minutes before your next walk break.
• We walked on the 4′s. For example, 14 minutes, 24 minutes, 34 minutes, etc. Here’s where the game came in: there are situations that will set you off of that schedule like pee breaks, hills, wedgies to pick… So once you are off that schedule of 4′s, spend the next few run sections trying to get back to it (running an extra minute here and there). In doing that, you will spend at least 20 minutes playing this game of “catch up”– it’s a great distraction!

Promises, Promises

Make yourself promises while on your run. And look forward to keeping them.

• I will not sip my Gatorade until I have finished this mile.
• I will allow myself a piece of licorice once I reach mile 6.
• I am going to stop in that Dunkin Donuts at mile 9 and buy some munchkins. **A MUST TRY** : )
• When I finish, I get to drink that chocolate milk. (YUM!)

So there you have it. I have more games and things that I think I will continue to integrate into my weekly blogs. But this should be more than enough games to get you through some runs for a while. Go try them out! And tell me how you do : )

P.S. More than 50% to my goal… For anyone who donates at least $26, I will perform a dare of their choosing and document on video. This offer is extended to only the first 26 people who do this…

The Run

I was on my own this week. And that scared me. I hadn’t done a long run alone since the single digits- which is now nothing in comparison. <<Pauses to chuckle to self>> I was worried that I would give in to negative thoughts; but I nipped those worries in the bud by giving myself permission. “If you need to walk, then walk,” I told myself. And I did just that.

I was in a lot of pain in the beginning. I hadn’t hydrated well enough the night before and it became evident when just 1 mile in I began to feel dry mouth and foamy saliva. Normally, I down at least a half gallon of water just before bed on the night before a long run along with potassium and magnesium supplements for cramp prevention. Unfortunately, I fell asleep before I was able to do so. Insert dry mouth. Insert pain. I was worried how I’d make it through.

But I started the run, nonetheless, by running 9 minutes and walking 1 minute, hoping hydration would miraculously fall upon me. I wanted to simulate what I would do during the marathon (the water stops are at every mile marker on that day), and I managed to keep that schedule through 8 miles of the run. It was around mile 8 that we approached the dreaded hills of Newton. I consequently had to allow myself to walk more frequently at this point. In fact, I found that I was walking the hills more than running them. By mile 9, I was essentially walking the uphill and cruising the downhill and flat terrain.

Now, last year I accepted this. I walked more than I ran on the hills in order to survive the rest of the run. But THIS year? Something wasn’t settling with me as I approached the water stop at mile 1o. I knew I was much stronger than this. I knew I was much better conditioned than this. I knew I could overcome this battle with the hills. So I came up with a plan. In my last 5 miles on these hills, I would run to the beat of the music on my Pandora playlist. 8 counts running. 8 counts walking. On every uphill. So there I am listening to Dynamite by Taio Cruz:

Run…
“I throw my hands up in the air sometime…”

Walk…
“Saying heyyy oh, gotta let go!!”

Run…
“I wanna celebrate and live my life…”

Walk…
“Saying heyyyy oh, baby let’s go!!”

Cruising the downhills and flats, before I knew it, I had completed 4 miles through tough hills and I was at my final water stop saying hello to the staff of MMP. I had 1 mile to go and was as energized as ever. I made it back to the church in 2 hours 42 minutes and 05 seconds, which clocks me at an average of 10:48/mi. A personal best awesome-est. I had tears of joy in my eyes. And to think, this was with walk breaks! I could not be prouder of this moment… and here’s a big reason why:

Might I accomplish my goal?

I don’t like to take these calculators too seriously. After all, I know at the end of the day it will be the work I put in on April 16th that matters. However, last year I ran this distance in 3hrs 07mins… and had an IMPROVED pace in the full marathon. I can’t help but to be hopeful that these dreams might come true for me. I could possibly hit my time goal of a sub-5hr marathon. The very thought fills me with the utmost pride : )

The Run

TOUGH run. Kate and I had each been battling illness for nearly a month and were making a crazy leap from 11 miles to 14, with little training in between. We knew this would be difficult.

Positive thinking was the only way I could survive this, and I knew it. I kept repeating phrases aloud, for Kate and for me.

“It’s only the first 6 miles that are tough. Once we do 6, we’ll be warm.”
“Once we reach Heartbreak Hill, we’re halfway done.”
“We’ve done these hills before.”
“We can take a walk break at the next water stop!”
“Only one more hour to go.”
“Breathe!”
“In 14 miles we get to drink chocolate milk!”

Turns out these thoughts were integral to my success on Saturday. Especially when toward the end of the run I began to feel little pings of shin splints coming on. I won’t read too much into it though. Surprisingly enough, I did not get sore at all following this run. I find that a sign of strength!

It goes without saying that our lovely stop at Dunkin Donuts to go potty was a nice boost as well. Gotta love munchkins ; )

The White Lie

So… we actually only did 11 miles. <<gasp>> I know!! It pains me to admit this. It really does. But I couldn’t live with myself if I posted a falsity. Darn it, I knew when I pulled up to the church in under 2 hours that something wasn’t right. But if this should prove anything, at least it shows you I would never lie to you : )

Call it what you will, this was still the most fun I’ve had on a run so far. Kate and I took it slow, she with her nagging injury and I in my state of exhaustion. We opted for leisure and good conversation. Isn’t that the point of going to the training runs, anyway? If I wanted to run alone, I’d sleep in and run around my neighborhood.

Everything you can do at a bar, you can accomplish while running.

Instead we covered a whole host of topics: running, jobs, life and Kate’s amazing patterned running tights. Kate even had a friend join us at mile 8 to finish the distance with us. Will you look at that? Everything you can do at a bar, you can accomplish while running.

• we take shots. [of Gatorade, but that's a minor detail]
• we snack. [on Gu and starburst, but it's all relative]
• we chat.
• we meet new people.
• we look cute [enter Kate's running pants]
• we court. [ case in point, my coach is now married to someone he met in training]
• and when we’re all done, we stumble home unable to stand up straight.

Amazing, isn’t it?

The Tie Dye

Most importantly, I want these. Not quite like Kate’s, but still awesome. Wish list!!!!!!

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to help me reach my goal of $10,000 for underprivileged kids, I hope you might consider donating to a great cause like the Mass Mentoring Partnership!! : )

see you next week for 13 miles!

Throat ache and heartbreak

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged and there is a reason for this, I promise. After my 6-mile spectacular, I became very ill. Turns out the mysterious sore throat I’d been feeling in weeks prior was actually an infected cyst near my lymph nodes. Because of this, energy was low and pain was high. I had to make the difficult decision to back off training until my health improved. I managed a few short runs in the duration of my illness, but I skipped the 8-miler altogether. Thus… no blog.

But here I am today, back in the game with my 10-mile endeavor complete and checked off the list. The truth is, I am not even so sure I should have done 10 miles at all. To go from 6 to 10 with only a few short runs in between is quite ambitious. I really only did it for peace of mind- but that is certainly what I got! I averaged a 10:40 pace compared to last year’s 12:20 pace at this point in training. I honestly am still in shock over this statistic. If you’re interested to know, there were a handful of things I did during my run, all of which I am certain helped me to get through it with such success.

• I started SLOW. Very, very slow. UNCOMFORTABLY slow. Why? Because I knew I had hills to tackle along with the 10-mile distance. By the time I reached Heartbreak Hill, I didn’t feel overspent and I enjoyed the ride. And when I reached that final nasty hill on Beacon, my legs felt great… and wouldn’t you know? I picked up some crazy speed in my last 3 miles.
• I didn’t listen to music. This wasn’t by choice, but I think it helped. I wasn’t trying to stay with the pace of the music. Those of you who enjoy music, who perform music, who dance to music can understand me here. Movement is influenced so much by the beats and tempos of the music we listen to. Ditching the tunes altogether helped me stay slow. Which helped me get fast. I promise, it makes sense.
• Keeping a positive attitude. When I saw Heartbreak Hill, my immediate reaction was “Oh shit balls.” However, that wasn’t the way to approach a hill that claimed my Achilles during the marathon last year. Instead, I thought: “I CAN do this hill. I’ve done it before. It wasn’t easy, but I will be at the top soon!” It worked.
• ONE SOCK. It is true that people who train for marathons will not let anything get in the way of the goal. So when I came across pesky foot numbness at mile 3 (like I always do), I said “TO HELL WITH IT!” When I reached the water stop, I took my left sock off and I ran the whole way on one sock. Side note: Lesson learned. I am clearly not wearing the proper socks.
• Walk breaks. I’d done all of my training up until now without walk breaks. It was mainly as a way to gauge my progress from last year. I walked a lot last year. But I knew I would have to implement them again at some point. Ironically enough, because I approached the run giving myself permission to walk whenever I needed, I actually didn’t walk that much at all. I took probably a total of 3 walk breaks (1 on heartbreak, 1 on the last hill leading back to the church). And I STILL had a 10:40 pace. Go figure.

12 miles tomorrow!

: )

I’m trying to raise $10,000 for kids in need. Can you help me get there?

Who Am I?

I have no idea what got into me on Sunday. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit. Maybe it was the time off from being sick. Maybe it was the cold. After all, I suppose there is nothing quite like the freezing of one’s butt cheeks to motivate a person to get on the good foot.

That said, I averaged a 9:30 pace for the first time in my LIFE at a distance longer than I’d ever run continuously (As a beginner runner, I always used walk breaks). The hilarious part is, my GPS went amuck. So, though I sped up my last mile trying to finish what I thought was 6 miles under 60 minutes… it turns out I’d actually done 6.4 under 60 minutes. And it felt great!

Last year, I’d never really run before I began training for Boston. I’d done a couple 5K’s and that’s it. This year, I feel I am in much better shape and because of that, I can focus on the other aspects of training outside of the actual RUNNING. Speed work, hill work, nutrition, stretching- my mind doesn’t have to be consumed by how difficult the running is and because of that, I am improving!

Is it really possible I could reach my goal of finishing this marathon under 5 hours?   : )

Some things money can’t buy.

6:30AM and I donned running tights and a snowman cap (see Exhibit A).

Exhibit A (Money DID buy this, unfortunately.)

I was on my way to Logan Airport to pick up my sister who was fresh in from a red-eye. I hadn’t seen her since my visit to San Diego in June. And the time before that? LAST Christmas- an eternity. Needless to say, I was happy to have her home. So happy, in fact, that I absolutely would risk being late to my training run if it meant I got to be the one to pick her up! The plan: retrieve sister, drop sister off at home to de-lag, drive to Newton for 5 mile training run, and return home where a BBC movie marathon would commence. (Colin Firth. Oh yeah.)

But you could imagine my surprise when my sister agreed to join me in Newton instead. What’s more? She wanted to run. Naturally, the thought had crossed my mind to invite her along in the first place. The idea was even ignited by Coach Rick. However, like most normal people, I thought she’d opt for the sleep. Clearly she is just as crazy as I am.

Also joining me in Newton was my friend, Trisha, with whom I’d become acquainted through blogdom – a cyber friendship, if you will. In fact, it was this very blog which had connected us. We’d made attempts to meet in the past, all failed mostly due to my propensity to overbook… and in the last case, overbooze. So I finally invited her to come experience a training run with us on the hills of Newton. I knew that at least 1 of the following awesomes would occur: 1. I’d finally get to meet her 2. she would meet lots of new running friends and 3. she would absolutely love Coach Rick.

As usual, <<pats self on back>> I was right. It was the perfect storm, really. I had my sister, my new friend, and all of the wonderful people in the marathon coalition in one room. And after another inspiring talk by Coach Rick, we set off on our 5-mile adventure. Although we each had slightly different paces, the moments where our paths crossed were truly wonderful; these are moments I will treasure as I embark further on this new year of training.

There is something special about merging different facets of acquaintance. It is one of my favorite things to do, often yielding amazing results. And this Saturday was no different. Old friends with the new. New friends with the old. The positive energy was abundant and so powerful that it had become tangible. And I hope to grab on it now. I hope to carry it with me through the rest of training.

Something New

Last year, my training was taken hostage by shin splints and a whole host of bad practices. But this year, I am taking control. I was overwhelmed by the volume last year, but now I know what to expect and I am focusing on a lot of the “extras” to give me a more efficient and more quality preparation this time ’round.

STRETCHING. I am doing more of it. Last year, I did not do enough… if any. (I know. Shame on me.)

EATING. I am watching what goes in my mouth. No more junk. No more alcohol. I’ve even picked up a few supplements and multivitamins.

STRENGTHENING. I am incorporating pilates, yoga, and regular strength training into my regimen. Strong muscles and strong core make you a healthier and more efficient runner.

THINKING. Last year, I let thoughts get in the way of my will. True, I never gave up on a distance. I did, however, let myself slow down and even stop at even the smallest thought of “no”. This year, I push much harder. And I don’t take no for an answer unless I truly need to.

ALL of this has helped me to feel infinitely more confident in my training so far. And if I may be honest… it’s helped me to carry myself with more purpose in everyday life. I am really looking forward to what this year’s marathon experience will bring me for 2012. : )

I should also note, I tried this new pant on Saturday:

2XU Running Tights

I gotta say, as far as running tights go, I LOVED this pant. It’s a compression tight, and indeed it does just what it promises. It compresses in all the right places on the leg. I do have to admit that compared with CW-X tight, which I own in capri style, it is not as strong. But, the material of the 2XU brand is much smoother and allows easier stride in my opinion. Also, at about $30 cheaper, you really can’t go wrong. I loved how I felt and I would definitely recommend. My one issue? If you forget to draw the string and tie it, you WILL moon everyone. Guaranteed. (True story.)

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