20 Miles of Smiles

Yesterday was the final 20 miler of my Columbus Marathon training schedule.  Over the course of the past 15 weeks I have completed 2 other 20 milers as well as a 19 miler with many other distances mixed in.  I ran the 19 miler back in August and my friend Bill joined Missi, Deb, and I on our run and I had an excellent run with a fantastic pace!  One week later I had my first 20 miler on the schedule and I had calf cramping before we even made it to mile 5.  It was a very long and frustrating run that ended with me doubting my ability to run a respectable 26.2 come October 16th.  The second 20 miler took place on September 11th.  I ran the first 12 miles with Deb and Missi and felt pretty good.  After I got some more water and refueled I headed out for the intended last nine on my own (the training plan had called for a 21 miler). The wheels fell off at mile 17 with some calf pain and I had to walk a bit and called it a day at 20 and was once again incredibly frustrated and disappointed with my run.  I exchanged a few messages with my friend Joe and he mentioned it sounded like dehyration and encouraged me to work on my hydration and nutrition on the rest of my long runs.  Last Sunday I ran the Philly Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon and I was diligent about my nutrition and hydration and felt great for the first 11.5 miles and then I experienced some mild calf pain and major chafing from body glide application gone wrong.  I did manage to run a sub 2-hr half last weekend so I was feeling really good about things.  This past week I only clocked 9 miles between Monday and Saturday.  I was trying to catch up on sleep and get the calf to heal as best I could for my 20 miler yesterday.  I made a point to hydrate like crazy on Saturday.  I needed wanted to have a good 20 miler so I was doing everything in my power to set myself up for success.  Missi and Deb had 12 miles on their schedule for yesterday.  In a few email exchanges I was asked when I thought I would need them most.  I was certain it would be for the final 12 so with that said the plan was for me to do my first 8 prior to meeting Missi and Deb for their 12.  I slept pretty well Saturday night and was up in plenty of time to have a cup of coffee, some peanut butter toast, and a banana before heading to the Metroparks for my first 8 solo miles.  I also decided to put some biofreeze on my left calf which has been the one giving me the most trouble.  I drank water on the odd miles and drank sustain (my electrolyte drink of choice) on the even miles.  I also had some Power Bar Chews after the first hour.  I was feeling great the first 8 miles and made it back to meet Missi and Deb just a few minutes after our planned meeting time.  At this point I refilled my water bottles, grabbed my sample size biofreeze and threw it in my water belt and used the restroom before we headed out for the final 12.  I continued to use the same fueling strategy throughout the run.  Around mile 13 we decided we were going to stop at the Pro Shop and refuel, use the restroom, and Missi was going to see if she could get some socks in the Pro Shop as she had forgotten hers and she was developing blisters.  While we were refilling our water bottles I took in some more Power Bar Chews.  I also decided to apply my biofreeze to both calves at this point.  Just after mile 14 we came across these very interesting mushrooms!

Missi found them very odd and really wanted to know what type of mushrooms they were so she got up close and personal with them!

Of course Missi ended up posting an article on facebook after the fact about 5 men getting sick from poisonous mushrooms.  Can you guess what those mushrooms looked like?  Yep, exactly like the ones above.  As Missi said "good thing we didn't eat them (not that we would have)"!  Oh wait, I'm supposed to be talking about my 20 mile run.  Where was I?  Oh yes, I was at mile 14.  I continued to feel really good on the way back with no calf pain to speak of.  Dave had mentioned that he may be in town on Sunday and he may run a few miles with us but he said he wasn't really sure.  By mile 14 I figured he had decided not to join us however to my surprise he was on the trail waiting for us when we got to mile 17.  It was so nice to see him.  He jumped in with us and I was in the zone and just running and listening to my music.  I must have really been zoned out because Dave ran up behind me and tapped me and scared the daylights out of me.  As we ran a mile or so together he looked down at his watch and said 9:21 holy crap.  I kind of laughed and mentioned that my watch had me closer to 9:35 pace.  Sometime between miles 17-20 Missi yelled out "you're kicking a** today Jodi".  It definitely made me chuckle.  By mile 18 I was smiling from ear to ear because I was having such a great run.  I decided to see what I could do for the final 2 miles.  I finished up my final mile with an 8:59 pace.  I was thrilled with my final time of 3:12:24 (9:37 pace) as my goal marathon pace is around 9:40.  Yesterday's run was nothing short of perfect.  Now if I can just bottle it up and bring it along for Columbus I will be one happy marathoner!!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inspire me!!

Final 20 Miler Complete

This weekend the training schedule called for the final 20 miler of the training cycle.  Jenn and I had decided to sign up for The Cleveland 10 Miler for part of this training run.  Our plan was to run 10 miles before the race and then finish the last 10 on the course.  Dave, who is on a bit of an altered training plan, would be coming up from Columbus to join us for the last 10 miles.  Jenn and I exchanged several text messages early Saturday morning.  The main topic of the texts were the weather.  We went back and forth a bit about what we were going to do.  Jenn asked me if it was bad that she wanted to meet at 7 instead of our original plan of 6 since the weather was calling for the rain to stop by 7.  If we met at 7 we would be doing 5 miles before the race and 5 miles after the race.  I told her she had to suck it up because it could pour all 26.2 miles on May 15.  She said I was right and told me she would be on her way shortly.  When we got to our meeting place the rain had stopped and the weather was fantastic.  Since we got a later start than we had planned we decided to run 9 miles before the race and do the final mile at the end.  The first 9 miles went by quickly.  We ran a nice easy pace and Jenn even asked to run up a killer hill twice!  I was perfectly fine with that.  During the course of the first 9 miles we stopped back at our cars because we had gone out wearing long sleeves and we were hot so we quickly got all of our race stuff ready and I changed into a short sleeve shirt which was much better.  We did a final loop near the starting line to complete our first 9 miles. 

Rocking our running skirts after 9 miles

The plan was to meet Dave at the start line.  However, it was really crowded so I was concerned we wouldn't be able to find him.  I tried calling him but he didn't have his phone on him.  Jenn and I decided to walk over to the start line where I spotted my co-worker E.  We walked over to him and exchanged hugs.  He commented on our "Scottish Kilts".  We told E that they were our marathon outfits and we had gotten a lot of compliments on them during our first 9 miles!  Two minutes later another co-worker, Danielle, walked up to me and hugged me and told me we were crazy for running before the race.  I gave her a hug and thanked her and then out of nowhere Dave was walking right towards us.  We talked for a minute or so and then the race started.  Our plan was to run between 10:15-10:30 mile pace.  Our first mile came in under 10 minutes..oops...sorry guys, I am usually much better at controlling pace.  I was able to get us on the right pace during mile two.  I checked in with Jenn and she said she was feeling good.  Checked in with Dave and I got the same answer...although I think his exact answer was that he was fine.  Starting right around mile 3 (12 miles for us at this point) Jenn began to struggle.  I gave her the usual pep talks, tried to get her to focus on different colored shirts to catch up to, tagged out to Dave to try and boost her spirits.  Turns out Jenn wasn't feeling well from chugging water and gatorade and she ended up throwing up on the course a few times.  We were all still together at mile 5 and then Jenn was slowly dropping back.  Dave and I kept trying to keep her spirits up.  A few minutes later another runner on the course said Jodi?  I realized right away it was Kelsey from dailymile.  We had originally planned to meet up before the race but that didn't work out.  I am so glad she introduced herself on the course!  Then around mile 6 I had to decide what to do.  I told Dave I felt bad and I was thinking I needed to run ahead.  I asked him if he was coming with me to which he replied it depends how fast you are going to run.  I promptly told him I wasn't going to be going much faster than our current pace because my shoulder and legs were pretty much done by mile 13.  Reluctantly, I ran ahead and Dave came with me.  I am pretty sure we kept the same pace for the next 2 miles.  During the final 2 miles I actually told Dave I need ed to slow down because I looked at my watch and we were running sub 9 pace.  Dave ran ahead of me a little bit during the last two miles and I remember telling him I just wanted to finish.  My legs were done, my shoulder was done, and I was done.  I was so glad to see the finish line up ahead and I lengthened my stride to try and get to the line faster.  I crossed the line in 1:42:55 and promptly walked over to the side and proceed to completely bend in half.  I was hot, in pain, and tired.  Dave was very helpful and kind (thanks Dave).  He got me to walk and got me some water.  I have never felt the way I did yesterday after a run/race.  Dave even mentioned that he had never seen me that way after an event.  I am not sure why I felt so bad.  Maybe my body is ready for taper and it was trying to tell me to slow down.  I also told Dave that 19.07 (I had run back a few times to take Jenn water which explains the .07) was good enough for the day in my book.  I then told Dave I needed to go back out and get Jenn and he told me he would come with me.  Imagine our surprise when we started walking back out on the course and Jenn's name is being announced as she is crossing the finish line.  She was only 4 minutes behind us.  We all talked for a few minutes and I told Jenn that I thought 19.07 was good enough for the day.  She said she was going to finish out the 20 so she can say she did it.  Jenn, Dave, and I talked to some other runners and Jenn mentioned that she runs better alone because she doesn't like feeling like she is holding me back.  We also had a few pictures taken at this point.

Jenn, Kelsey, and I

Jenn, Dave, and I

 Once we took the pictures, I handed Dave my medal to hold and Jenn and I went off to finish up our run.  My watch hit 20 miles before Jenn's so we stopped back at the tent and Jenn said she was going to finish up her .07 and meet me back by the food.  I found Dave and we waited for Jenn.  I did eat some egg casserole but it wasn't sitting so well so I threw most of it out.  I then decided to try an apple and I immediately choked on the apple skin.  I regained my composure and Jenn snapped a picture of Dave and I.  

Dave and I.  Notice I'm still holding the evil apple

Jenn and I used yesterday's 20 miles as a dress rehearsal of sorts.  We have matching outfits for the marathon so we wanted to wear them during at least one training run before our 26.2.  I have to say I loved the skirt.  We ordered them from runningskirts and I highly recommend them.  The added bonus is I think I looked pretty cute out there today!

Rocking my running skirt



With our final 20 mile run behind us we headed our separate ways.  Jenn texted me and mentioned that she just needed to figure out how to clear her head when running with others.  She then mentioned that she just may have to ignore Dave and I and focus like she is on her own.  I replied back that after the way she killed the last four miles of the race, we had actually thought about that.  I then told her she could pretend we were invisible.  She said she felt bad for doing that and I told her not to feel bad and just run behind us and pretend we are imaginary and join us at the finish line.  She said pretending we are invisible sounded good and that running behind us and joining us at the finish sounded like a plan.  So we shall call this the "invisible running partners" race plan. 

I am so thankful that the final 20 mile training run is in the books.  I am looking forward to the taper and being at the start line of the Cleveland Marathon in 21 days!!

Keep running, you're simple the best, and you inpsire me!!  

20 Miles Turned 21.1...

This morning was the CWRRC Spring 10 Miler.  Jenn and I had 20 miles on the training schedule so we decided to knock out the first 10 prior to the race and then finish it up race style while taking advantage of the course support!  We made a plan to meet at 6:30 AM so we would have adequate time to get our first 10 miles in.  Of course, the directions I had to get there took me by way of China and I was 15 minutes late..oops!  We quickly got ready and headed out on the trail.  It was pretty uneventful but it was great to be able to run in capris and a long sleeve shirt.  I was actually smiling because I didn't have to wear layers.  It just felt better not to be weighed down by all of the winter gear!  With me being late and a restroom break along the way we were just shy of 10 miles when we started the race but we figured we would just make up that mileage at the end.  We started out slowly and I could tell Jenn was having a rough time of it.  Around mile two she seemed incredibly frustrated.  I kept trying to keep her spirits high talking about anything but running.  Shortly after this I finally had to tell her that I couldn't help her if I didn't know what was wrong.  Once she told me it was her calf I had something to work with.  I continued to run with her for awhile asking her the typical questions.  Do you want to stop?  Will it do you more harm than good if you try to finish?  She told me she really wanted to try and finish but she didn't know if doing so would cause more harm than good.  At this point we were close to the 3 mile mark and I told her I was going to need to speed up in order for my hip to stop hurting as a result of my stride being shortened too much.  I made her promise me she would stop if the pain got unbearable and then I reluctantly continued on with a promise to go back out on the course and run her in.  Lengthening my stride immediately eliminated my hip pain.  The great thing about this course was that it was a loop course so I knew I would be able to check in with Jenn.  When I went past the finish line to start my second loop I let Jenn's husband know what was going on and I told him that I was going to finish the run and then head back out and get Jenn.  I saw Jenn 3 times during miles 3-6.  Each time I checked in with her she was running and she said she was going to finish and each time I told her she needed to stop if the pain got too bad.  As I approached the finish line, I knew I couldn't stop when I got through the chute because I had to finish out my 20 miles.  I literally stopped for a tenth of a second and then just kept on running back out towards the course.  The girl that handed me the medal gave me a funny look.  What can I say...distance runners are crazy sometimes!!  Once I hit 20 miles, I started walking back out on the course to find Jenn.  I cheered on each of the runners and eventually found Jenn right at mile 9.  As we were finishing up her last mile, we came upon to two girls that were walking.  We quickly learned that one was 7 weeks pregnant and the other was her running partner.  We encouraged them and got them to start running again.   Now one thing you need to know about Jenn and I is that we have a lot of random conversations during our long runs so we immediately started the random babble when the other girls joined us.  They asked us to keep talking because we were fun and we were keeping them motivated.  Less than a half mile from the finish Jenn's husband joined us and the 5 of us ran it through to the finish!  Once Jenn grabbed her medal we walked for a second and then she wanted to finish up her 20 miles because she was too close not to!  We ran around the parking lot and back onto the trail and shortly thereafter Jenn's watch indicated she had hit the 20 mile mark.  In the end I ran 21.1 miles today.  I don't regret one single decision Jenn or I made today.  There is a lot to learn from each and every long run.  There will be hard ones, there will be easy ones, and there will be downright painful ones.  Today's was okay and we finished it and that is matters!

Keep running, you're simply the best, and you inpsire me!!

Twenty Miles And An Ice Show

This weekend was crazy and busy but it was a great time!! Kaelynn has been practicing for her ice show for months on end. Once I had developed my training schedule, I looked at what type of mileage I would have to run the weekend of the show and sure enough it would be our first 20 mile run of the training cycle! Friday night I dropped Kaelynn and her two friends off for Dress Rehearsal and then headed to a friend's house for a Premiere Jewelry/Dove Chocolate/Simply Said party where I enjoyed the company and products. Saturday morning it was back to the ice rink for Kaelynn's final ice skating lesson of the session. After lessons, we headed home and my mom and step dad and one of my best friend's from PA and her family got into town. We had an early dinner, took a quick picture of the kids and then headed off to night one of the ice show. The theme of the show was "Let's Go To The Movies". Kaelynn was in Annie and she did a really good job! Since the show didn't start until 7PM, we didn't get back home until close to 10:30PM. All of the family and friends from PA headed home and we finally got the kids to bed around 11:00PM. I of course knew I needed to get to bed since I would be getting up at 4:30AM to meet Jenn for our long run. I slept pretty good and was thankful for that. I was up and at it by 4:45AM and getting ready for the long run. The 20 miler would be Jenn's farthest run to date. She didn't have her Garmin so I was in charge of distance and pace. When we first started out we had discussed running out 5 miles and back and repeating it but in the end I ran us out 10 miles. Jenn was quite surprised when I told her we were half way done at our turn around. There were a few times when I could really see the fatigue setting in for Jenn. Around mile 15.5 we needed to refuel again. Jenn mentioned that she would need to walk for her fueling this time because she was going to take sports beans. I told her at that point that we were going to stop and stretch while she ate them because I was proving a point to her. I knew for a fact she could run 20 miles without stopping and that is exactly what she did! I was so proud of her! There wasn't much talking on the run but I am sure parts of the marathon are going to be like that so it was good practice. Once we had 1/4 of a mile left I asked Jenn to show me what her legs could do after 19+ miles. We brought in mile 20 at 10:35. Not too shabby...not too shabby at all!! Our final time for the run was 3:34:09 which is an overall pace of 10:42/mile and we were still smiling at the end!! After a few stretches, hugs, and good jobs Jenn and I went our separate ways. I stopped and grabbed ice and then headed home for an ice bath. I knew I definitely had to fit one into my day since yesterday afternoon was day 2 of the ice show and I would be sitting in bleachers for 2 1/2 hours which is not always the best thing after a long run! Kaelynn did a great job again yesterday as well! As crazy busy as this weekend was I wouldn't change it for the world. I managed to successfully get my long run in and got to watch my daughter do something that she truly loves and adores. Keep running, you're simply the best, and Kaelynn your passion for ice skating inspires me!!