Marathon Reflections

So sorry to have disappeared for a while, but after the Olympic Trials Marathon I didn’t know what to say… but these lyrics by Crossfade (generally not my type of music) kind of explain how I felt. 

So you found out today your life's not the same 
Not quite as perfect as it was yesterday but 
When you were just getting in the groove 
Now you're faced with something new 
And I know it hurts and I know you feel torn 
But you never gave up this easily before 
So why do you choose today to give it all away …

I started out that morning feeling as confident as I could feel going into something that I had never done before. I had the training under my belt and I was surrounded on the course by people I love. A beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner was sung by a fellow competitor (Esther Erb, props to her!) and the race began. I tried to settle into 5:45 pace with the pack that I was with, but the group was anxious so the pace was a bit erratic… jumping between 5:39-5:50 per mile. The first ten miles flew by in what felt like the blink of an eye. It was at about this time that I started to feel the blister on my right foot forming. I could feel that it was there, but I put it out of my mind as best I could. The competition was more important. 

I made it to half way, still on 2:32 marathon pace, still feeling strong. I continued to get my fluids and clip away at the miles on the 7 mile loops course. Coming in toward the start/finish line on the second loop, nearing 18-19 miles I was starting to feel my hip flexors. I felt like I was having trouble pulling my leg through my stride. I had slowed a bit, to 2:34 marathon pace, but I was still feeling optimistic. I was still close to my goal per mile pace. I could do this! I had lost my group and was running alone, but I was clicking away at the miles getting closer with each stride to my destination.  
I made it to mile 22 and I was coming unglued. My legs felt like they were hardly coming off the ground. But I was so close. I could fight through another mile!

I got to mile 23 and the 180 degree left hand turn in the course. My blister by this point was really bad; I had to kind of dance my way around the turn because I couldn’t push off on my right foot. I was starting to get passed by other competitors who had paced their races a little better. Only three miles, I told myself, so close. You can do it.

The mile 24 mile marker loomed. I looked at my mile split on my watch and swore that I saw 6:45…I thought that I had slowed by over a minute per mile. (When I later looked at my splits it was a 6:15 mile, not 6:45) But that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. When I saw that and that I was getting passed by people I knew I should beat I gave up. At mile 24, with only two miles to go I walked off the course and burst into tears. I have never felt so ashamed of myself. Not once in the 13 years that I have been running competitively had I ever not finished a race. And now I can say I never will (consciously) ever again. The feeling of giving up is the absolute worst. 

I learned a lot from that day and now that I have had time to think it through and get back to training and racing I can continue the song…

Well it's not so bad y'all 
Together we all fall 
Just as long we get up we'll stand tall 
We shouldn't waste another day 
Thinking 'bout the things that we forgot to say 

I know we have given 
All that we can give 
When there's nothing to lean on 
Well, I remember this 
All we make of this lifetime 
Is always here within 
And remembering that's why 
We should never give in

One day soon I will do another marathon, and this time I know without a doubt I will succeed.
For now, I am back to training and racing, getting ready for my next big adventure- the USA Olympic Track and Field Team Trials in June! I already have qualifying marks in both the 10K and 5K. In the early part of the season I will see if I can better those marks to put me in a better position going into the trials. So I will get back to writing and letting you all know how it is going! 

Thanks for all the support. Yours in running!
~Meghan~

Marathon splits:
6:16, 12:05, 17:45, 23:29, 29:09, 35:02, 40:53, 46:34, 52:25, 58:17, 1:04:09, 1:10:03, 1:16:01, 1:21:59, 1:44:00, 1:33:54, 1:55:00, 1:46:04, 1:52:15, 1:58:30, 2:04:02, 2:11:03, 2:17:27, 2:23:42

North Vs. South

As fall starts to settle in (I use the word “settle” loosely as it was in the 30’s this morning) some thoughts keep nagging at me about some important winter training decisions I need to make.  The big question:  Stay here in Minneapolis where temperatures can dip to a brutal -40 degrees Fahrenheit or make like Tom and Cruise on south for the winter?

With the Olympic Team Trials Marathon being in Houston, the answer almost looks obvious – go south. But it isn’t that easy. 

The Pros to staying in Minneapolis:

- My loving husband and biggest supporter is here.

-I get to stay in my routine, doing the things that I know work for me. Sleep in my own bed.  

-I have my coach close at hand, where he can watch my workouts and make assessments.

-I have access to all the facilities that I could possibly need with all the support I get from Team USA Minnesota and Life Time Fitness – including indoor training facilities, massage, and so on.

The Cons to staying in Minneapolis:

-The cost of the trip. 

-Did I mention yet how cold it gets in Minneapolis, or how much snow falls during an average winter? I have trained through the winter here in Minneapolis for the past three years without being any worse for the wear. So why am I even questioning whether I should stay in Minneapolis or not? Well, the reason is because in January the average daytime temperature in Houston, TX is 63 degrees while in Minneapolis it is 22 degrees.  Those 40 degrees make a big difference because my body would have to acclimate for the trip to Houston in January for the marathon trials. Although normally 63 degrees isn’t that warm, when my body is used to being exposed to 20 degree temps and then is suddenly put into much warmer temperatures, running at peak performance is asking a lot.  

So this is where my quandary begins: to stay or to go? At first I thought that the answer was obvious, that I should go south.  However, after listening to an interview by Tera Moody after she completed the 2011 World Marathon in Daegu, South Korea, (she was the first American to cross the line, finishing in 18^th place overall) I am not so sure. She mentions in her interview with LetsRun.com that one of the reasons she was able to cope with the very warm and humid conditions in Daegue was due to the fact that she spent a lot of time training on the treadmill, where room temp is often in the 70’s and there is no wind to help keep you cool.

After listening to her interview, I only have one strong aversion to staying….and that is that I really hate running on treadmills. I like having the road under my feet and the scenery passing by. However, at the same time I can’t ignore all of the pros that would come with staying put.

For now I guess I will continue to soul search….at least while fall is still settling in and the abundant trees of Minnesota begin to turn their beautiful red and gold colors.

Any thoughts? 

New Balance Falmouth Road Race Weekend

38:25 – my time for the 7 mile New Balance Falmouth Road Race. That time was good enough to finish 13^th overall and 11^th American.  It is a race that I can walk away from and be OK with because it was the best I had that day. It wasn’t the ideal race that I would have loved to run, but with only 2 weeks of workouts behind me I think I am still lacking some speed and endurance. I also need to remember to exercise some patience. I went out a little bit harder than was probably ideal for my current fitness, clocking the first mile a 5:10 pace. I usually run fairly even splits, but I got a little too excited and when the gun went BANG I was out hard. Patience and pacing is one of the hardest things for all runners to learn. Even amazing runners like Shalane Flanagan have to remind themselves to be patient – see great Runners World article “The Killer Inside Her” profiling Shalane and how she learned to be patient in races.

Falmouth was as beautiful a race as I imagined it would be. It was a great day, a little cloudy and humid, but that is pretty good weather for a race, so no one was complaining. They had to start the race 10 minutes late because the buses that were transporting the participants to the start were running behind. The town of Falmouth is a very quaint little place with narrow streets and beautiful old architecture, which makes it a really fun place to visit. But it makes holding a race with 11,000 participants a great exercise in planning and execution. I give major props to the race organizers for making the event go as smoothly as it did. I really look forward to running the New Balance Falmouth Road Race again next year. For now I am looking forward to my next race – the Stratton Faxon New Haven 20K which will be held on Labor Day (which also happens to be Cole’s and my 1 year anniversary).  Hopefully I can finish a lot higher in the 20K and make it an even better anniversary than I know it will be.

Back to Work

For the time being, it will back to work. Tomorrow I will be doing a tough workout of 2.5 mile repeats with short rest. I am a little anxious for the workout because I know it will be tough, but it is also a very important workout because it will help me gain the stamina that I need not only for the 20K in two weeks but also for my ultimate goal on the horizon – the USA Olympic Marathon Trials.

Until next week…cheers!