Runner Insight

Marathon Training:  What I Did Right

Well lots of lessons learned, as you gathered from the last post. Now this one, I’ll focus on what I did right 

I can tell you the first thing I did right was to decide to run the marathon in the first place! 

I had always told myself I didn’t need to run 26.2 miles to prove anything, to myself or others.  But when Run Wild Missoula announced that they would be putting on a full 26.2 mile marathon in my hometown of Missoula in 2007, I was all over it. 

Deep down inside, I had always had an urge to run a full marathon. I had always said that I didn’t really want to because I didn’t want to deal with the hassle of travel and running in a strange environment where I didn’t really know the area or the race route. Logistically, running a race alone, away from home is stressful for a blind runner. 

But since it was going to be right here at home, wow – kazow…let’s do it! I felt I was at a good place in my running program that I could train for and run a 26.2 mile marathon.  

And what fun to be part of the Inaugural Missoula Marathon, especially if it became an annual event. It would be great to be able to say that I had run the Inaugural Missoula Marathon. That carries a little deserved swagger, don’t you think?

So when I started training for the marathon at the beginning of January, one of the first right things I did was to start studying all sorts of material on training for a marathon.  One very important tip I learned was to eat a recovery meal within the first 30 minutes after a run.  This was something I had previously not been in the habit of doing before I started my marathon training.

In addition, my overall nutrition plan became much healthier, as I really began to pay attention to what I ate, and how it would affect my running. 

One brilliant idea I had was to enlist the help of my friend Vickie to help me with my long runs.  By having Vickie ride her bike with me on my long runs, I was able to concentrate on running instead of things like traffic, and where or how I was going to get my water and power drinks to replenish on my long training runs.  She took care of all of that for me so that all I had to do was run.  There was the added bonus of having great company and conversation as she rode alongside on my run and of course, the rekindled friendship with a dear friend.

Another thing I did right (and would highly recommend to you) was to buy two identical pairs of running shoes at the beginning of my marathon training program.  I set one pair aside after I got them broke in. All I did was put about 150 to 200 miles on them, and then brought them out for the marathon.  This was great because I wasn’t wearing brand new shoes that were too stiff that hadn’t been broken in yet. Nor was I wearing a worn-out pair with too many miles on them. My feet had great support the whole race, and I didn’t need to buy a new pair of running shoes after the race, ‘cause there were still a few hundred miles left on the race shoes. Thanks Anders at “The Runner’s Edge”. Great advice! Now I do that every time I’m preparing to start training for a race.

Another good strategy was to tell as many people as I could that I was running in my first marathon.  This not only got me excited about running 26.2 miles, but it got others pulling for me, too.  Their respect, enthusiasm and awe of how I could even think of doing something like that as a blind runner, was highly motivational.  Since I knew they were watching and were going to inquire as to how my training was going, etc., it made me stick to my marathon training schedule, even when sometimes I wanted to skip a long run.  I knew by having told so many people about running the marathon, that I could not disappoint them or myself.  It was a very good tool to keep me motivated when my body was insisting that I “Stop this nonsense!” 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The most important thing I did right was… are you ready?

I finished the race! 

26.2 miles in just under five and a half hours.

5:28:00

Yea for me!

How ‘bout it?

-Vision Runner 

Popularity: 12% [?]

Hey all,

I’m posting a short video clip from the finish of the Diva Day All Women’s Run in October. It’s as I’m coming into the finish, but if you go by “Mom” or “Whitney”, and finished in less than 30 minutes, your finish may be highlighted in here, as well as several other unnamed runners coming in to the finish….

Enjoy Below

and don’t forget to get your free eBook “Gifts For Runners”

How ’bout it?

-Vision Runner

____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

Popularity: 1% [?]

^ Click Arrow Above To Listen

Saturday I ran in the Diva Day All Women’s Run. Since it was only a 5K run, (about three miles) I was calling it the Piece of Cake Run. I figure after running the marathon (26.2 miles) in 90 degree temperatures, anything less grueling is, well, a piece of cake. And right now my average run is about 6 to 8 miles, 3 to 4 times a week.

I had been looking forward to this 3.1 mile run for weeks, as the weather here in Montana has been just awesome for the past month.  Blue skies, warm temps: just perfect for running, and this would be my last organized race event of the year. 

The morning of the race however, I woke up to rain, pouring rain.  For a long moment my thought was to growl, which I did, and, crawl back into bed, which I didn’t, and forget the whole race, which I also didn’t do.  Why? Well as I have gotten older, and maybe a bit wiser…maybe, I have become a fair weather runner.  During my fanatic younger years I would run in just about any kind of weather: sub-zero temps, blizzards, scorching heat, and, yes, even rain.  But now, I hate to start a run if it’s raining.  In fact, I just won’t.  If it starts to rain while I’m already out running, well not a big deal. I don’t have a problem, then; it’s just water, right?  But for some reason, psychologically, I don’t want to start out running in the rain, or any other adverse weather. But the race start time was still a couple hours away.  I was hopeful the rain would stop before the start of the race. 

So putting my weather issues aside for the moment, my next dilemma was, what do I wear now?  I had already picked out my race outfit a week ago, presuming the weather would stay nice. I was all excited to wear my new blue sleeveless running top with a pair of shorts that were a gift from T’s mom when we went to Illinois for a visit in May. (Hi Mom, Thanks) But now that the weather had become more of a challenge, I was unsure of my choices.  I checked the outside temperature, and at 54 degrees, it was certainly warm enough for what I had originally picked out to wear. But if it was at all windy or too wet….well, obviously…a sleeveless top and shorts wouldn’t be nearly warm enough.  What to do? What to do? 

After some debate with myself, I decided I would simply trust that everything was going to work out perfectly. With that decision done, I put on my originally planned race outfit.  I must have gotten some of that good ol’ Diva spirit in me. What was the universe thinking? That it could throw a little rain in my path, and I would quake at the thought, shudder in my steps, and deny myself the adventure and celebration of a glorious run on a fabulous fall day with 400 other local Divas? Pish…Pish, I say. 

As we left for the race, we noticed Jack, the rabbit who has been hanging out in our yard for a week or so. He (or maybe she?) is probably someone’s pet that got out. He seems to be enjoying his emancipation, as he looks fairly content to be roaming free and eating what’s left of our dandelions. He has turned his little wiggly nose up at the proffered carrots, and left them to dry up in the grass. 

So there was Jack, munching on a floral snack, and not a bit bothered by the rain.  Seeing that, my resolve was strengthened: a little rain wasn’t going to dampen…(ha,ha, sorry ) my spirit. 

At the race site, there were lots of women warming up and laughing, and just having fun…True Divas, I thought in admiration.  When we went to pick up my race packet, and I found out that my race number was 64, I knew it was another sign I was meant to run. After all, it was my favorite number (46) backwards…. 

Bundled Up Before the All Womens Run, Vision Runner

It was still raining pretty hard, as the race was about to start.  Two minutes before the gun sounded, I shed my rain jacket and sweatpants. Bang! I was off to lots of high-spirited and animated cheers. The energy was palpable.  

Running in races always poses its own set of challenges for me.  I usually try to start somewhere in the middle of the pack off to the edge. It’s easiest for me if I can find someone running at my pace and follow them.  But at the beginning of the race, runners are jostling for position.  This is where I have to be the most careful, as the runners get bunched up and are trying to pass. I used to do it myself.  But being legally blind, the most important thing for me is to be safe.  So as much as I would like to pass and get myself in a better position, I know without being able to see very well, I need to be content to wait for the crowd to thin a bit. 

Vision Runner Oct 4 2008 All Womens Run

We were a few minutes into the run, when I noticed that I was not very wet, except for my shoes. It wasn’t that my shoes were sloshing because the pavement was wet. Nope, it was because while everyone else was running around and gracefully jumping over puddles, I plowed right through them!  By the time I realized what the runners in front of me were doing, their graceful, gazelle-like leaping certainly a skill to admire, it was too late for me to avoid the puddle. So I trudged through it like well, I guess a blind gazelle, unaware that leaping is required.  So after the first big puddle, my feet were soaked. But in a way, this was actually good, because then I just didn’t worry about even trying to keep my feet dry anymore.  

As I was saying, I noticed I wasn’t getting wet.  It had stopped raining.  In fact, the moment the gun had gone off to signal the start of the race, I think it stopped. I just hadn’t noticed until a few minutes later, as I had been focused on the crowd of runners and keeping myself upright.  I could hear a woman behind me mentioning that she was hot, that she had over- dressed.  I just smiled, thinking, everything works out perfectly for me.  And it did. The outfit I had chosen was perfect for the race conditions. 

The race course was somewhat familiar, but for the most part I tried to keep other runners in front of me, so I would know when a turn was coming up. There were times I just wanted to pass and run faster, but, as I said, my first priority was to keep myself safe, and finish the race.

Without knowing the route that well, this was my goal.  I mainly run for enjoyment, but when in a race, the adrenaline kicks in, the competitor in me comes out, and I want to pass everyone.  Not an option for me right now, but just you wait. When I get my vision back…I’ll be working to break my 5K PB (Personal Best) of 25:56. 

I finished the race in just over 30 minutes. (30:08.9 to be precise.) The rain stayed away during the whole race, and that meant all the post-race activities were enjoyed in relatively dry conditions. The grass was wet, but the food stayed dry, anyway!  Yeah! 

After The All Women's Run

I’m really glad I ran the All Women’s Run in spite of my aversion to inclement weather. As it turned out, the universe was on my side.  I need to realize that the universe is always on my side, and stop doubting it. After all, the signs are everywhere. And I’m focused on being able to see them.         

How ‘bout it? 

Vision Runner

P.S. I want to give a big thumbs up to Run Wild Missoula for putting together such a great event, and also a sincere thanks to the organizers (especially Sue and Anders) for getting things lined up so that flyers for RunnerInsight.com could get put into the race packets. We truly appreciate your efforts!

P.S.S. For more pics of Diva Day – The All Women’s 5K on Oct 4, 2008, go to our All Women’s Run Page.

Thanks!!

Popularity: 55% [?]