Lakefront Marathon: Spectator edition

9 10 2012

I wish I wanted to run. I wish I wasn’t injured. I wish I hadn’t gotten sick right before the Madison Mini. I wish I knew how to get back on track.

I won’t go on and on for several paragraphs whining and bitching because even I don’t want to read that crap. Instead I will talk about last Sunday, the Lakefront Marathon.

This past weekend I cheered for friends running the Lakefront Marathon. I forgot how much fun it is to spectate at a marathon. I forgot how much fun it is to support your friends. I haven’t spectated a marathon since Marine Corps in 2010 where I spent all day out cheering for and celebrating with friends.

This was a race I was supposed to run. I was supposed to attack 26.2 again. Several weeks ago I decided not to run it. I was going to run it with my totally amazing friend Sara. When I decided not to run it I promised her I would be out there to support her. It was such a fun day to be out cheering and supporting. Sara shaved 20 minutes of her time and broke 4 hours. When I received the email with her finish time I almost cried. In fact, I teared up and couldn’t wait to give her a giant hug.

In addition to Sara having a good day, so did a whole bunch of other friends. It was a cold day to spectate, but I wouldn’t trade anything for being out there cheering.

I just wish it had inspired me to get my ass off the couch. I guess it kind of did. I’m just so damn annoyed with my hamstring that I don’t want to run 2 miles. I want to run 12. That is until I start running. Then I don’t want to be anywhere but my couch.


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The Marathon Journey

27 08 2012

Training for a marathon is a journey. A very different one for each and every one of us who decide to register for 26.2 miles. My journey has been full of ups and downs as I already wrote about. The Lakefront Marathon is six weeks away. That’s not far at all. I registered in February. That seems like a million years ago.

I had some simple goals this time around like have fun and don’t get injured. I am very excited that I have not sustained any injuries or visited an orthopedic doctor in a long time. This is big people. What has happened is I am not having fun. I’m getting increasingly worried that marathon training is going to make me hate running. And while I know a lot of the shitty runs I had this summer were weather related, but that doesn’t change how demoralizing they were.

I do not doubt my ability one bit to finish the Lakefront Marathon, what I doubt is my desire to do it. And there is no way I will be able to run 26.2 miles on October 7th if I don’t want to be doing it. Two Saturday’s ago I ran through Madison on my way to another half marathon finish. Of course I somehow managed to get the summer plague (or just a cold) the day before the race and wasn’t able to have the race I wanted, I did still finish. I remembered how much I enjoy racing the half marathon.

This weekend is my first scheduled 20 miler and I will not be running it.

My marathon journey has come to an end.

I will not be running the Lakefront Marathon this October.

And I’m okay with that.


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The emotions of marathon training

6 08 2012

I had one of those terrible horrible make you question why train for marathon runs this weekend. I know those are bound to happen. I know it’s the weather, but it is so defeating. I was mad. I was upset. I wanted to get to my planned mileage. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. It just wasn’t going to happen.

Now I expected there to be ups and downs during my marathon training. That is bound to happen. This is the third time I have trained for a marathon. I kind of know what to expect. I also know to expect the unexpected and that so much is out of my control. But I wanted this to be different. I foolishly thought it would be easier. I have no idea why, but I thought it was going to be. I have the experience of having run a marathon and having not made it to the starting line. I know the good and the bad. That doesn’t make it any easier. Not even a little bit. I wanted this to go smoothly.

I was supposed to be training with Sara, but it’s summer and life happens. We are both really busy. We still get to do a lot of out weekday runs together, but we have barely been able to match up any of our long runs. We did have one totally amazing run on what can only be described as a magical day. It wasn’t hot, it wasn’t humid, it was actually nice running weather. I want that all the time. I know that’s unrealistic, but it’s what I want.

I never expected the summer from hell. I know summer running isn’t easy, but this is horrendous. It’s killing my spirit and my desire to run. But I am not ready to give up. I still want to run the 26.2 miles. I still want to cross the finish line. I still want to do it all. I want to do the 20 mile training runs. I am prepared for the ups and downs that will come over the next few months. And on October 7 I will toe the start line with Sara by my side and we will both cross the finish line with smiles on our faces.


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Marathon Training: The Beginning

6 06 2012

Remember when I signed up for the Lakefront Marathon back in February? So it’s been a few months and while I know it’s out there I haven’t really thought about marathon training. Well that’s not completely true. I have thought about it, but not in the sense that it should start soon. Then Kelsey had to go and tell me it is in 18 weeks. And then Mo blogged about it too. Stupid friends. I was happily living in my own world.

The good news: I have a ridiculous base to go into marathon training with this time. I have run 25-30 miles a week almost every week since November. The only month under 100 miles since October was January. I run 12-14 miles on any given weekend.

The bad news: I have never successfully trained for a marathon. Yes, I have completed one, but I got injured, never ran my 20 mile training run and had to completely change my goals

The good news: I am a strong and smarter runner now. I am not training alone or blindly. In addition to having a running coach I have Sara. Running with Sara is fantastic. I know I have gone on and on about this, but I never truly understood how helpful it is to have a running buddy so well matched to your own abilities.

So in essence I’m not exactly sure when “official” marathon training starts, but it’s going to happen and I am going to be ready for it.


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Race Prices

27 03 2012

I have three companies I absolutely will not race with. Two have to do with money, one because they suck and are evil. I have races I won’t run because of the prices. It just isn’t worth it to me. It may be to other people, but it isn’t to me.

Disney Races – Don’t even get me started. The prices are insane. Flat out ridiculous. Add in that I’m not a Disney person and you will never see me at a Disney race.

Rock’n'Roll Series (Competitor) – This boycott is new. And I actually still have one I am registered for this year, but their prices have become ridiculous. I received an email in the days after Rock’n”Roll USA that said this year’s participants could get a $20 discount off of next year’s race. The discounted price is $65., meaning the price for a half marathon is $85. Are you kidding me? You used to be able to sign up early for Rock’n'Roll races early and get a good deal. That is no longer true. So after Rock’nRoll St. Louis, if I even run it, I am done.

There are plenty of fun races, local and not, that you can register for and not spend an insane amount of your paycheck. The Lakefront Marathon is $75 for a full marathon. When I ran the Philadelphia Marathon in 2009 I registered at the early price for $80, again for a full marathon. There are lots of local races that do not have exorbitant fees and that is what I will be running from now on. In fact, I just paid $11 for the South Shore Half. You can’t beat that.

I have paid too much to race in the past. And it is just not worth it to me anymore.

Instead I can buy more running shoes! (Just kidding, I’m still on a self ban).

Do you have a limit? Are there specific races you will pay more for?


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I’m running another Marathon

4 02 2012

I did it. I registered for the 2012 Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon. I will be running 26.2 miles again. It’s been awhile. My one and only marathon was the Philadelphia Marathon in 2009. I had no idea what I was doing then. I had run my first half marathon only 4 months prior. I bought a book (I did do some research) and followed the intermediate plan. I finished, which is really the only thing that matters in your first marathon. I finished within my B goal which was set after I injured myself and had to stop running four weeks out from the marathon. I was very happy with how it went. I am pretty sure I cried when I crossed the finish line. Running a marathon is not something I ever thought I would do once and I did it. I ran 26.2 miles and while I know no one can ever take that away from me I want to do it again.

I want to prove to myself that I can train for 26.2 and not get injured. While I want to ignore 2010 completely and block out the disaster that was training for the Chicago Marathon, I can’t. I have to remember how I over did it. I have to remember what happens when you run through the type of pain that you shouldn’t run through. I will not dwell on the emotional roller coaster I went through, but I will learn from my mistakes.

This time I will run it with friends. With people I know I can run races with. Friends I love running with. I will train in the city I will race in. I will get to train with lots of other people training for the same race. I will be able to do the training runs in Milwaukee. I don’t have a time goal this far out. I am sure we will come up with one as we get closer. For all three of us it will be getting through those late miles that haunt us from past marathons. I will not let marathon training take over my life. I do look forward to post long run naps because those rock. I will not be afraid of those 16+ mile runs. I know I can do it.

On October 7, 2012 Maureen, Sara and I will cross the finish line, together. And it will be awesome.


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Categories : friends, Just Me, races, Training

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