2011 Flying Pig Marathon Re-Cap

I did it: I ran my second marathon.

This one was fueled by a newfound vegetarian diet and a lot of determination.  There is something almost whimsical about training for your first marathon: you know it is going to be tough, but you don't really know HOW tough until you are actually doing it.  Your second marathon is a conscious decision to put yourself through the same experience over again - I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and I signed up for it anyway.  What's that they say about the definition of insanity?

Anyway, as I was saying ... 18 weeks and 376 training miles later, the big day had finally arrived: the 2011 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon.  I could not believe I was actually about to embark on another 26.2 mile journey.  But here I was, standing in Pig Pen D in the pouring rain at 6:30 in the morning in downtown Cincinnati.  Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?

First things first ... a quick re-cap of Saturday's events.  My mom ran the 10K on Saturday morning!  I tried my best to sleep in as long as possible while still making it downtown to see my momma cross the finish line.

Yeah, Mom!!

She did a great job!  This was not her first rodeo - Mom has been running 10Ks for a few years now.

Then I headed to the expo to pick up my race packet.  Claire and Jared were still en route with an ETA of 5:00 p.m., so we decided it would be best for me to pick up Claire's race packet as well as mine.

Some scenes from the expo ...

Claire and Jared arrived right on schedule, and, after our little jog in matching outfits, with matching dogs, we focused on carb-loading - an amazingly delicious pasta dish with salad and garlic bread, all homemade by my master chef.

We headed to bed around 11:00 p.m. - that 4:00 a.m. wake-up call was going to come soon enough!  Of course we first watched the episode of Seinfeld when Elaine hosts an Olympic marathoner:

Popout

The morning was filled with preparation, frequent weather checks, and increasing nerves.  But we finally made it downtown in plenty of time to get to our corral - ahem, I mean "Pig Pen."  Apparently this was the first year for corrals at the Pig, and I think they've got some re-planning to do for next year: Claire and I literally had to jump a fence to get into the corral, because there were absolutely no breaks in the fence and no race organizers to help or answer questions.  We were not the only ones, either - it was quite frustrating.  Either way, we made it in, and were ready to go!

The beginning of the race was SO exciting - even in the pouring rain, there were hundreds of spectators lining the streets, cheering us on.  I started getting emotional almost immediately!  I knew I had to get it together, though, because you can't very well run 26.2 miles while crying the whole time.

Source: Flying Pig Marathon Facebook Page

I was ECSTATIC to see my work buddy and running partner Ashley on 7th Street!!  You may remember that Ashley follows the run/walk method, so we knew it wouldn't make sense for us all to run together.  She briefly stopped to say hi and good luck before passing us right by - she was looking great and so strong (and ended up finishing with a PR)!

I had been warned repeatedly about THE HILLS, but I had trained for them, and was hopeful that I had trained enough.  I had heard that the first ten miles is all hills - I'm here to tell you that that is a huge lie.  I found the first four miles or so to be quite flat, with the exception of crossing the bridges to and from Kentucky.  It definitely ramped up for a few miles, but I honestly felt so good through the hills that I didn't find them that rough.  And then, mile 9 ...

We stopped for a quick restroom break around mile 9 (right after the half marathoners split off), and I actually didn't have to go (amazing, considering I ALWAYS have to pee!), but I made myself anyway.  A couple of minutes later, we were back on the course.

All of a sudden, I noticed that my stomach was a bit uneasy.  I didn't have to "go" - and I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  Luckily, Claire had brought along some Pepto tablets, and was nice enough to let me have one.  Unfortunately, that didn't help much, and I continued to run in pain for ... oh, I don't know ... the rest of the race.  I was in a constant state of nausea, but I could not actually get sick (which I had actually hoped for, as I thought it would bring relief).  There were points during the race that I would just stop and double over in pain, upset with myself that my hopes of breaking 5 hours were slipping away with every second, and that I was holding Claire back from the race I knew she could run.  Ugh, I know - so dramatic.

We saw Jeff and Jared a little past the halfway point, which was a huge boost:

We kept pushing along, and I fixed my mind on making it to the Frisch's in Fairfax (right before the 18-mile marker), where I knew Jeff's parents would be.  I was only halfway done and I was already focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.  Seeing Jeff's mom and dad was incredible - it really is amazing how great it feels to see friends and family along the route!

But reality soon set in - I had eight more miles to go.  My stomach pain was not easing, but I still didn't feel the need for a bathroom break.  Claire was my cheerleader: she was feeling great, and kept me going.  I told her I was disappointed that I had to walk so much, and we agreed to "just run" the rest of the race.  And we did.

The rest of the race was somewhat of a blur.  I cranked up the music, and took one mile at a time.  I tried not to think that I had "seven more miles" or "just two 5Ks left" - I zeroed in on making it to that next mile marker, and then the next, and then the next.  I could not believe it when "Jesus Walks" came on, once again at mile 21.  I was definitely praying that my feet would not fail me - I had come too far!

The spectators along that final stretch were amazing.  I had been warned that Riverside drive was sparse in terms of people cheering you on, but I thought it was great.  The Flying Pig Marathon Facebook Page took some great photos of the spectators throughout the course:

Finally, we were at the last mile.  It was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  I tried to distract myself by searching the crowd for familiar faces, and listening to the cheers of all of the spectators.  How on earth I ran right past my mom and missed her, even though she was holding THIS, I'll never know!:

Hellooooo KITTY!

I remember a random guy cheering me on, telling me I only had .2 left, and I could do it.  I remember nodding, like, "Alright, if you say I can do it, then I can do it!"  I couldn't believe it when I finally had a glimpse of the Finish Swine.

It was at this point, just like she did in Detroit, Claire urged me to "Sprint it out!"  So I tried.  I really, really tried - in fact, I pushed myself so hard (and let's not fool ourselves here, I'm sure I was "sprinting" no faster than an 10:30 minute mile, absolute tops), that I had an undeniable feeling take over me mere steps from the finish: I was about to get sick.  All I could think was, "Don't puke while crossing the finish line, don't puke while crossing the finish line."  I knew that, not only were hundreds of people going to witness the event live, but I also was getting my official "finish line" picture taken.  Just what I needed - a photo finish.  And I did not have a poker face about it.

Thankfully, I made it across the finish line without making a scene.  After a few seconds of circling the garbage can, just in case, I got myself together, and headed over to get myself one of these:

The next few minutes were spent in disbelief that it was actually over, and the recognition that I needed to force some food down my throat - stat.  They always say that recovery begins the second after you cross the finish line, and that is no joke.  If I don't eat within minutes of a long run, I won't be able to eat for hours.  So I grabbed a banana, granola bar, and some water - I did NOT, however, get the chocolate milk I was promised!  Apparently, I ran the marathon WAY too slowly, and they were all out by the time I got there.  Grr.  They did have some vanilla milk shake samples (each about the size of a shot glass), so I had two of those instead.  About 20 minutes later, I was in much better shape and ready for the photo shoot:

Note the pink KT Tape.  Rock it out, Claire!

I love this girl.

Jeff, me, Mom, and Jerry - oh, and HELLO KITTY!

With the boys: Jeff, me, Claire, and Jared

My official time was 5 hours, 26 minutes, and 21 seconds.  I reached my public goal by breaking 5 and a half hours, and by beating my Detroit time.  I was a bit disappointed, though, because I really had hoped to be under the five hour mark.  Still, I know that finishing the marathon is something I should be ecstatic about.

And I am.  I'm also a bit relieved that it is over.  Training is hard - really, really hard.  And running a marathon is not a walk in the park, either.  But all of that work paid off - not only for the medal, the amazing experience, or the bragging rights ... but most of all, for the post-marathon ice cream:

Thank you, Graeter's!

Flying Pig Training Re-Cap: Week 7

Success!  Another 100% week.  That's only the second one so far, so I guess I shouldn't toot my own horn too much.

Monday, 2/7 - Zumba

Tuesday, 2/8 - 4.3 miles in 46 minutes (10:46 average)

Wednesday, 2/9 - 7 miles in 1 hour, 18 minutes (11:05 average)

Thursday, 2/10 - 4.1 miles in 45 minutes (10:57 average)

Friday, 2/11 - off

Saturday, 2/12 - 14 miles in 2 hour, 42 minutes (11:24 average) - including 5 miles of run/walk

Sunday, 2/13 - off

While I'm very pleased that I managed to get all of my miles in this week, I'm a bit disappointed at my times.  Well, I guess I shouldn't say "disappointed" - I just know that as the mileage builds, my pace gets slower and slower.  My goals for the Pig include (in this order):

(1) Finishing.

(2) Finishing in under 5 1/2 hours, thus beating my Detroit time of 5 hours, 38 minutes, 26 seconds.  (This would be "the public goal.")

I want to be realistic, though.  The Pig is hilly - very hilly.*  So finishing is goal #1.  Anything beyond that is a bonus.  Onwards and upwards (literally)!

*Holy crap, that course is hilly.  Whose idea was this, anyway?!

2011 Flying Pig Training Mileage Stats

Scheduled (This Week): 29

Completed (This Week): 29 (100%)

Scheduled (Overall): 153

Completed (Overall): 125 (82%)

50 States?

During my 11 mile run today, a guy stopped me and asked if I was training for the Pig.  I told him I was, and he said, "Oh, that's great!  You should join my group: The 50 States Marathon Club.  I've done a marathon in every state.  You can apply after you've completed 10 states!"

File under: Ideas that sound great at mile 4 of 11 ... and: Ideas that sound terrible at mile 11 of 11.

My (No Longer Secret) New Year's Resolution

New Year's resolutions.  Each year, I go back and forth on whether or not I will make them.  Part of me realizes the ugly truth: I've had pretty much the same exact resolutions for at least the past 15 years (lose weight, work out more, eat healthier, blah, blah, blah).  It has to stop being a resolution at some point - I mean, I'm not meeting my goals if I have to make the same ones year after year after year - right??

I learned some great goal-setting guidelines in a business class I took in college (you may have heard of these before): make your goals SMART:
-Specific
-Measurable
-Attainable
-Realistic
-Timely

That's when I realized that the goal to "lose weight" is not a SMART goal.  Lose how much weight?  By when?  Is it realistic?  How am I going to do it?

So that's why I stopped making those same old tired New Year's resolutions.  First of all, there is no reason why you should wait until the new year to start good habits - my old "resolutions" have now become habits I've worked into my daily life.  I started to realize that, it's not that I was failing on my resolutions each year - that's just what life is about.  Achieving those goals is a daily struggle, not something I can meet one year then never worry about again.

So my "new" New Year's resolutions have been ... simpler.  Just focus on changing one small piece of my daily life that will, overall, help me achieve those bigger goals of "being healthy."  For example, one year, my goal was to brush my teeth in a manner that wouldn't erode my gum lines.  Yeah, yeah, I know this sounds completely nerdy, but I LOVE tooth care and was appalled when my dental hygienist (who typically gave me an A+ each visit) told me I was brushing too hard.  So my resolution that year was to focus on proper toothbrushing technique.  You know what?  That was almost 10 years ago, and those changes have become habit - I don't even think about it anymore.

Now on to this year's resolution: stop relying so much on over-the-counter painkillers, particularly Excedrin.

Here's my big secret (not such a big secret to my close friends, I suppose): over the past 10+ years, I've gone through phases in which I borderline abuse (perhaps too strong of a word??) Excedrin.  I would realize that, over the previous few weeks (even months), I had taken an Excedrin and/or a couple Advil tablets every single day.  Not good!

Excedrin (for those who do not know) is an over-the-counter headache relief medicine that contains acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine.  It's the caffeine that gets me: it provides a quick fix without the hassle or cost of buying a cup of coffee.

I would take Excedrin to relieve my headaches, and thought there was no way I could go without it.  That's when I realized that it was the dependency on the drug that was causing the headaches.

So my official (and now public) New Year's Resolution is this: stop relying on Excedrin as a daily dose of caffeine/painkiller, and start using healthy foods (and lots of water, for crying out loud!) to regulate my headaches.  I have a belief that (for the most part) we can control our health and well-being without the help of drugs.  PLEASE NOTE: I stress the for the most part phrase - there are wonderful advances in the pharmaceutical field that provide relief and care for serious illnesses - that is not what I'm talking about here.  I'm talking about daily minor aches and pains.

My goal is to only use OTC painkillers for true pain, and to not rely on it daily.  We will see how this goes as marathon training amps up ......

Learning to Fly

Well, it is official: I am registered for the 2011 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, and training is underway!  I had been wishy-washy about signing up for a second marathon (I ran the Detroit Marathon in October 2009, then took just a liiiiiittle too much time off afterwards ...), but with the encouragement of friends and family (here's looking at you, CW), I've pulled the trigger on embarking on a second round of punishment a challenging, yet rewarding journey.

Claire and me post-26.2 in Detroit, October 2009.  I was lucky I could even stand up to take this picture!

Lots of people ask me: "You've done it, you finished a marathon.  Why not cross it off your list and move on?  Why on earth would you want to do it again?!"  Trust me, I've asked myself that same thing.  In fact, that is part of the reason I put it off so long (I more or less took a year off from running post-Detroit).  There is no sugar-coating it: marathons are hard.  And training is a huge commitment - not only of time, but of mental and physical energy as well.  So wait a minute - why am I doing this again?

Because crossing that finish line is a rush like no other.  Months of preparation, miles upon miles of training runs, countless aches and pains, hours of weekend and evening "free time" devoted to a seemingly endless training program - it all culminates in that one moment when your weary legs carry you across the finish.

Crossing the finish line!

So here I go - after a year of excuses, I'm taking the plunge again.  But this time, some things will be different.

A few months ago, I became a vegetarian.  A huge part of a successful training program relies on a solid nutrition plan - including adequate (but not excessive) protein to feed hungry, overworked muscles.  Most Americans get their protein from meat - chicken, pork, beef, and fish.  I need to learn how to eat a balanced diet, including an appropriate amount of protein, in order to fuel a challenging running regimen.

I want to make another change this time, too.  Excluding the meat aspect, my diet while preparing for Detroit was filled with the wrong kind of carbs (pizza, anyone?) and too many "reward" foods.  These poor choices caught up with me very quickly post-marathon: I kept eating, but stopped running, and I gained back about 15 pounds that I had worked so hard to lose before starting training.  While marathon training is NOT the best way to lose weight (I'll post more on that some other day), I don't want to set myself up for a second round of weight gain.  (I would be lying if I didn't say that losing a few more pounds in the process wouldn't be a welcome side effect, though.)

So that is the challenge: train for and run the 2011 Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon, while maintaining a healthy, nutritious, meat-free diet.  Welcome to Meatless Marathoning!