Is to watch the movie Hocus Pocus. So awesome. I haven't seen it in probably 15 years, so i hope my memory of its awesomeness isn't distorted. But that is my goal for the weekend.
I have gone on two runs since Chicago, and both were amazing. I remember in the weeks leading up to the marathon, running a few miles seemed like such a chore. I felt tired, and heavy, and like 4 miles was impossible. After the horror that is 26 miles, a four mile run is basically like a 40 minute party of super awesome happy fun time. I love not running 26 miles.
I'm really good at NOT running marathons!
Probably not the best mindset with another marathon around the corner, haha. Although i feel lighter now, like all the pressure has been removed, and i can go run Dublin and have a great time. As usual, i keep flipping back and forth between serenity and bat-shit insanity. Speaking of marathons, our blogger brethren of north will be running their first marathon this weekend! Go wish Sarah and Alicia good luck on their first marathon this weekend!! I know the weather has been questionable this week, so keep your fingers crossed that the rain stays far, far away! You're going to do great ladies!! And it looks like Bill is finally getting some nice weather for what is sure to be a PR marathon on the east coast. Having also survived a super hot marathon this year, it's long overdue! Is anyone else racing this weekend? Or would you rather watch Hocus Pocus with Waffles and I? I make great stovetop popcorn!
Sorry i haven't been blogging, i have been too busy being a crazy bitch to everyone. The one downfall of marathoning is that it makes me insanely tired and cranky. I would have liked to take a day off to power-sleep, but with the upcoming trip, i really didn't have the PTO to spare... 1. So instead of power-sleeping, i have been power COUCHing! Thats right - there is now a butt print from me spending so much time there. The problem with this whole marathon is, you spend 15 weeks running too much to watch tv, and then three weeks tapering. During my taper, i found all these amazing tv shows.....
I am so stressed out about making time to watch all these shows! It's too much! And to make matters worse, American Horror Story and The Walking Dead are starting next week! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO????? WAAAAHHHHHHHHH First World Problems. 2. Have you seen this commercial?
It's witty and i love it. First World Problems. 3. Marathonfoto and i have a long standing love/hate relationship because they suck at making me look presentable during a marathon. The only picture they got of me at the Chicago Marathon where i don't look like a dying T-rex is this:
SMOOTH CRIMINAL.
Its where i illegally broke through the red rover chain to enter another corral. I was just trying to make it back to where i belonged...they were the assholes who sent me to the back of the line in the first place! I love the look on my face in this. I'm sorry i'm not sorry. First world problems. 4. Matt and i have been trying to watch a scary movie every night in honor of shock-tober. We watched the omen on Monday, and have not had a peaceful nights sleep since, because Matt is a giant scared baby.
Look at the cover - we were CLEARLY warned! First World Problems. 5. During one of his wake up in the middle of the night and make sure the house is safe moments, he went into the fridge, and somehow managed to knock all my honey crisp apples off the top shelf. Honey crisp apples are NOT cheap! And now my beautiful apples are all dented and massacred. I'm sorry, but this girl? Eating dented fruit? I don't think so.
J/k. I still ate it. I am just so hungry all the time.
First World Problems.
6. Speaking of my horror movies disturbing my sleep, guess who decided to go all exorcist and start puking in the bed last night?
And people wonder why i am so grouchy all the time.
First World Problems.
7. And in other spooky news, i some how got suckered into throwing the annual halloween party at work. For everyone's kids. You know, because i am so experienced with children. They told me it was NBD, and that there was a box with everything i needed. I looked for the box for an entire day, only to find it. Not containing anything that would help me plan a party.
Binders and CD's. awesome. And a freaking floppy disk? How am i supposed to plan a party with this?? Looks like the main event will be the extra spooky "clean out Sara's carrrrr. ooOOOOoooHHHHHHH"
Ugh. Kids. Halloween. Why me.
First World Problems.
8. If you are friends with me on facebook, you may have seen that i had a total meltdown last week. I was crazy stressed out at work, and had intense deadlines, my coworker was in NY, and then my computer freaked out on me. I went for a run on the North branch trail to basically just cry. I got back to my car, and continued to cry as i changed my shoes to drive home. Then a cop came and gave me a ticket for being in my car crying when i clearly should have moved my car 4 minutes ago. Because you can't park there after sunset. I told him it was still dusk out. And he said "Official sunset was four minutes ago" I was baffled. Just baffled. So watch out for that "official sunset" kids. It will bite you in ass.
Official sunset. What a jerk.
First world problems.
9. I broke three pairs of brighly colored two dollar sunglasses last week. Why is my life so hard? Why is the world picking on me? And seriously, where do you buy sunglasses in October??
First World Problems.
10. And now that i can knock back a few, I can't find the Pumking beer anywhere! WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS WORLD??????
The one thing that kind of sucks with most training programs is that they prepare you for (almost) every scenario that occurs on race day, but they don't prepare you for the horrors that occur the week after. I'm just kidding, there really aren't any horrors. It's normal to feel run down and need more sleep (your body has to fix all that damage that YOU did to it!) but to be honest, everyone reacts differently. In fact the same person might react differently to different races! I know Hal Higdon calls this week "Zero week" and stresses rest-rest-rest! And who am i to disagree with Hal?? Some people like to go for a shake out run the very next day. Thats cool and all, but no one is expecting you to do that. I take a minimum of two days off from running and strength-training (haha, we all know i never do strength-training...). And thats if i am feeling perfect. I do like to walk around though especially with waffles, who pulls me along and does most of the work.
So what does my zero week look like you ask? (ok, no one asked.) PROTEIN! Normally, because i don't eat a lot of animal by-products, i tend to have a low protein/high carb diet. It's what comes naturally to me. I know its not the natural thing to do, but i rely heavily on on protein rich nutrition drinks/supplements after a marathon. SALT! You would think by now i have the hydration thing mastered. I don't. I ended up with a terrible side stitch, and was so loopy after the race that i realized i was extremely dehydrated. I think i did ok drinking on race day, but i did a terrible job drinking water all last week. I am snacking on olives, which are salty and high in unsaturated fat. And so delicious. SNACKS! Sadly, marathons mess with my tummy a bit. I usually can't eat a large feast of a meal for a couple days. Which sucks, because after running 26 miles, i want to be able to conquer an entire pizza. I can't though (without getting sick at least) So i have literally been eating small and bland things every 2 hours. Luckily, at my job i can sit at my desk eating all day with minimal judgement. EPSOM SALT! I really wish i would have bought a massage like three months ago. I didn't though. grrrr. Instead i have been soaking in epsom salt and foam rolling. It's actually quite nice! (although i totally smell like epsom salt now. And that smell just will not wash off! SLEEP! Actually, i am still not getting quite as much sleep as i want. I want a lot though. And i have not alot going on this weekend, so i am SO sleeping in. It shall be glorious. VITAMIN C! I get the sniffles after every marathon, and even after some of my harder half marathons. It's basically a karate chop to the immune system. I like the emergen-C mixes. I don't know if they really help though, i just sneezed like four times in a row. RELAX! Seriously. I just ran a marathon. If you need me, i will be on the couch in sweat pants after work everyday, with a fleece blanket and a dog in my lap. And i will be watching brainless trashy reality tv. My mind needs a little break too! Aside from walking to keep everything from stiffening up, don't expect much from me this week! I hope everyone is taking it easy this week. I am already getting the "itch" to get back to training to try and sneak some in before Dublin. Truth is, nothing i do between now and then will help me. But a lot could definitely hurt me. My main goal is to get there as rested as possible so i can bring my A game. It's in here somewhere....
She is so tiny! And seriously the nicest person ever. She even laughed at my jokes! (Obviously out of pity) I am so excited for her to kick butt at Boston 2013. Talk about someone who works hard to be the best. If i could muster 10% of her motivation, i would be a much better runner. Special thanks to the Brooks team and Maggie who was able to make this happen via her amazing PR skills.
This entire weekend was really rough for me. As someone who actually has an anxiety disorder, things like crowds of people are a huge trigger to me. The stress of getting to the expo, fear of missing Desi, and ending up lost in McCormick place had me practically in tears by the time i met up with these awesome ladies. We went on a shake out fun run with the brooks team, and it was just what i needed to help balance myself again. I left the expo feeling much calmer and happier. And i had a bag full of snacks - always a win.
Race weekend: I had already mentioned Matt had invited his friends to stay with us that weekend, which was not really the best situation for zen-like marathon prep. I got very little sleep, and spent too much time on my feet. They brought their Husky "Stark" to play with waffles, and as stressful and anxiety-filled as my weekend was, i think Waffles had it worse...
The Race: Did not go as planned. I ended up going with plan C and i cried twice on the course, but also, it sort of became my party. The first half of the race went pretty smoothly, and i felt good, although the weekend dog party left me with a runny nose and allergies. The weather was perfect - cool, cloudy, with just enough sun to warm you up every once in a while. I struggled alot with the sheer amount of people, and got very panicky at water stations, where people tended to "swarm". Everytime i felt like the race was just too much for me, someone would yell my name, tell me i was doing great, and cheer for me. It also helped seeing Amanda, Emily, Cary, David, Keren, and Kelly at various points throughout the day. The support for this race is indescribable. I won't even try to put it into words. Around mile 15-16, i got a terrible cramp/side-stitch on my left side. It hurt so bad. I am not prone to them, so i have no idea what caused it, or what to do to make it go away. So naturally i limp along the side and cry. A stranger actually put his arm around me and said "we're all stupid. Lets try to run a little." People can be so amazing. I was able to run half mile increments, and then would stop to try and massage the cramp, which was spasming at this point. In hindsight, i am 90% sure i made the cramp worse, as it still hurts today, and is all bruised from my inability to massage anything. Aaron was with me at this point, and i felt bad because i was supposed to set an example, and motivate him, but holy crap, this hurt so bad. I can honestly say this race hurt more than rockford and sunburst combined. I started crying again at mile 19, because i just felt so hopeless. Matt and a few friends were at the bar Simones waiting to cheer us on, and i promised myself i would take a break there. My time was already out the window, so i was going to try and at least salvage this to be an enjoyable experience.
I was so happy to spot Matt! I took a break at Simone's, enjoyed a bloody mary, and got a pep talk from my friends.
When life hands you lemons, all you can do is just say screw this, I'm gonna have a good time no matter how painful it is. The cramp stuck with me until mile 23. That, or maybe the bloody mary kicked in and i was too drunk to feel it anymore. I found that taking a minute break every half mile and trying to stretch out the cramp was all i could do, and i managed. It's still disappointing though, because otherwise this would have been a great race for me. I ended up finishing with a 4:46, which is 16 minutes off what i should have done. But i also stopped for a bloody mary and about 30 walk breaks. This was really a hard race for me, physically and mentally. If it had been a solo training run, i would have quit when the cramp hit. I was overwhelmed by the crowds, in both a good and a bad way. And i heard gangnam style no less than 4 times, which was awesome. The last six miles, i just kept thinking of hot dog cat. Aaron was able to finish 20 minutes later, despite severely under training for this race. He is suffering for it now though.
Post race: as usual, i am pretty lucky when it comes to post race aches and pains. I am a little sore, but nothing major. As i said though, my side is killing me, mostly from my mangling it trying to fix the cramp. Aaron and i had an ice bath post race, which can be summed up in these photos:
I think aaron cried.
Chicago is really an amazing race! I am torn between whether or not to do it next year. Its an unbelievable experience, but also very hard for anyone with anxiety. So many people. It was a struggle to stay calm. Looking forward: I was hoping this race would be a confidence boost for Dublin. It was not. I am now more terrified than ever. My focus the next couple weeks is recovery - I think my body is feeling a little burned out right now, and is ready for a break. I am going to try and heal it as much as i can in the next 20 days, and have promised it a nice winter break before i start training again in January. I am bummed that my race didn't go as planned, but i don't even have time to be sad, because i am way too busy overflowing with joy and pride for all my friends who ran Chicago yesterday, especially the first timers. If someone was gonna have a bad race, i am glad it was me, because you all worked so hard, and deserved the best race possible. Reading your stories inspires me, and encourages me to leave it all out there in Dublin. Let taper number 2 begin!
No, seriously. A bird pooped on me last night. I was just going for a nice and relaxing run on the trail by my office, and all of sudden, i feel something on my arm. Low and behold, its POOP. The poopatrater didn't stick around either, denying me any retaliation. Naturally i did what any reasonable headed person would do, and i moved to the side of the trail to calmly clean up the mess and deal with the situation. I'm just kidding, i started screaming and maniacally ran around looking for something to get the poop off with. I grabbed some leaves to try and wipe it off, but not only were the leaves i grabbed wet, moldy, and bug infested, but they also just smeared the poop around rather than remove it. They also contaminated my skin with about 10 million germs, and possibly leprosy. All this is in addition to the fact that i am covered in poop. And i am in the middle of a trail, at least a mile from my car, but i have no choice but to persevere and run back to my car, covered in poop and leprosy. And maybe the bubonic plague. By the time i got back to my car, the poop remnants had been permeating my skin for about 15 minutes, and had stained my arm! WHAT THE HELL are these birds eating??? Not keeping a soap ration in my car (a FWP that has now been remedied) I was left with no choice but to get in my car and drive home with poop on my arm. I got home and retold the heartbreaking tale to Matt, who laughed in my face. He also snapped this picture of the poop stain:
It doesn't look like much (actually, it looks like a bruise) But this is also after being wiped off! It's like that birds poop tattooed my arm. The moral of the story is that I hate everything.
Sorry I've been MIA- The head honcho at my company was supposed to attend a snazzy packaging design conference, but had to back out last minute, and i got to go in his place! It's really awesome because as these are giant networking events for the CEO's and Design Directors of design firms all over the country (and world!), people like me are generally not invited. It's also $1,000's of dollars to attend, so yeah- I basically never get to go. So now, I'm kind of a big deal.
1. I was going to do a blog post on one of the conference breaks yesterday, but when i went into the lobby, they had a hot pretzel bar.
You read that right. Apparently, fancy conferences just give out hot pretzels like they are pens or lanyards or something. If you were ever curious as to what the 1% is doing, they are making life altering decisions like "cheesy sauce" or "cinnamon butter." It's not that i chose a hot pretzel over you guys, it's that i chose two hot pretzels over you. And I'm sorry. I'm not sorry.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
2. I was supposed to take pictures at the conference so that i could present a topline summary to my entire office. Sadly, the only picture i managed to take was this:
They had miniature soda's in GLASS BOTTLES! Dying. Also, i am pretty sure my boss is going to be pissed. This will probably be the last conference i get to go to for a while...
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
3. I got a ton of free samples of new and strange foods and beverages that have yet to be released, and I can't eat any of them until after the marathon for fear of a tummy ache!
UGH!
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
4. I had to cram my feet into heels for this event. It. was. brutal. My feet are covered in blisters and sore spots. Totes ready for that marathon this weekend...
Being fancy and successful is really hard and exhausting.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
5. I was BY FAR the youngest person there. This became abundantly clear while sitting in on a presentation on marketing to millennials. I was the only millennial in the room other than the AV kid running the sound for the conference, and i'll be damned if they think they can market anything towards me. Then the brand director in charge of that MiO water flavor stuff showed us this viral adspot they did during the MiO launch:
I kid you not, i almost peed my pants. I was laughing so hard i was crying, as was the AV guy. And i could stop either, even after the video ended and the speaker was talking about profits and ROI's. I just kept giggling, and was crying all over the fancy silk tablecloth. No one else was laughing. So, so embarrassing.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
6. Open bar. Top shelf. Not drinking the week of the marathon.
I cried a little.
FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
7. Thats all i got. I am slammed at work because I've been at this conference. I don't even have time to compulsively check the weather, stress about what color compression socks to wear this weekend, or be snarky to everyone around me doing anything that might in anyway cause me stress or anxiety during my pre-marathon week of laziness meditation.
FIRST WORLD (design!) PROBLEMS.
If you need more problems, go check out Kelly's blog, she kept the problem train rolling!
It's that week. Whatever my performance will be, it's locked in. This week i will not get stronger. Or weaker. I won't gain any (actual) weight, or lose any. I won't get faster. (but I may get slower.) The weather is not likely going to radically change. All i can do is wait. And NAP. All i want to do is sleep. I know that scientifically, you can't "bank sleep", but i'll be damned if i'm not going to try my hardest. I still haven't finalized my outfit yet. The hang up is what shirt to wear. I am not used to planning for 50 degree weather...should i wear long sleeves? Arm warmers? Ugh, first world problems. I am both nervous, and serenely calm at the same time. My current emotions can best be interpreted by this picture:
The best way to eat 200 hot dogs is also the best way to run a marathon: One at a time.
I don't know why, but this picture sums up taper week for me. I am that fat cat, looking at an enormous challenge ahead of him (his is what must be at least 200 hot dogs, mine is a mere 26 miles) But we both want it really, really bad. This cat is my mantra for the race, and i will think of him when things get hard. I even printed this photo and hung it by my desk. I freaking love you, cat staring at 200 hot dogs. I love you. What are you wearing on race day? Does this cat make you as happy as it makes me? Did you get a chance to nap this weekend?
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