Goodbye to 27

Today is my 28th birthday.  I'm a little apprehensive about saying goodbye to 27, but not for the resasons you'd think.

I'm not afraid of getting older.  I'm afraid of disappointing myself.

27 was an amazing year.  Some of the highlights are that I:

• Bought my first home
• Ran my second marathon
• Met my trainer
• Ran my first mud run
• Joined a run cub
• Continued the Team Never Nude legacy
• Completed an ultramarathon
• Ran countless races with so many amazing people

How can I expect to top that?

I guess I do have a few things to look forward to:

• My third marathon
• Tough Mudder
• Baltimore Running Festival Half
• Army Ten Miler
• Ragnar Relay
• Team Never Nude v. 3.0
• A trip to Morocco

28, I'M COMING FOR YOU.

Woke Up Today to Everything Great

(I've got to stop using Guster lyrics as post titles.)

This morning I dressed in all black and snuck out at sunrise like a ninja. My (seemingly never-ending) rest period was over - it was finally time to start training for Marine Corps Marathon.

Since technically I am still recovering from 20in24 I didn't want to push things too hard too fast. I decided on 8 miles - far enough to test my legs but short enough not to re-aggravate any lingering injuries.

As I stepped out the door I immediately noticed the humidity. Regardless of the fact that it was only in the 70s it was bound to be a hot, sweaty run.

One thing I love about early morning runs, especially on Sundays, is that there aren't many people out. I only saw a couple of other runners on my first few miles. It was so quiet - all I heard was the rustling of leaves and chirping of birds. At one point I was startled by the sound of a duck landing on the creek. I know this isn't the first time I've said it - and it certainly won't be the last - one of the reasons I love DC is that you can feel like you've completely escaped the city while you're in the middle of it.

The closer I got to Georgetown, the more people I started to run in to. The sun was fully up and out at this point, and the views of the Potomac were gorgeous.

Somewhere around Mile 6 I got to the mall and did a little stair running at the Lincoln Memorial.

Hi, Abe.

It was nice to see the construction on the reflecting pool (finally) coming along. Hopefully by next summer it'll be filled and this view will be much more picturesque.

From there I headed past the WWII Memorial, my softball field, and the Washington Memorial.

I decided that since I was already at mile 7 I'd head toward the Dupont metro stop and end things there. I passed the South lawn of the White House and headed up 17th street.

I ended my run at the Dupont farmers' market. It wasn't open yet, but the smells of fresh fruits, vegetables, and cheeses emanating from the stands were a treat.

I ended up covering 8.9 miles - farther than I'd originally intended - and kept a decent (sub-9:00/mile) pace throughout the run. I'm feeling great, though I do have some stiffness in my Achilles tendon. If anyone has experienced this and has recommendations for me on what to do, I'm all ears.

All in all it was a great run and a great start to my last day of being 27. If I can close out 28 in a similar fashion, I'll be thrilled.

Resting is Hard

I've been under orders to rest this week and, while events in my professional and non-running personal lives have kept me insanely busy, I'm finding it really hard to do.

As it turns out, when I don't work out for 5-6 days I turn in to a hyperactive, annoying insomniac.  I'm sure my friends and family are loving every second of it.

Luckily, it's almost over.  Saturday kicks off my Marine Corps Marathon training and my ramp-up to fall races.  It's crazy to think they're just around the corner!

I should have some big news to share soon, but don't want to say anything until it's a sure thing.  Sorry to tease you like this, but it's something I've been thinking about a long time and will be thrilled if things work out!

A Budding Interest

I know.  I know.  I have to stop with the puns.

When I run on my own, I run with music.  It took me three years (and countless pairs) to realize I hate running with headphones.  They get disgustingly sweaty and, regardless of whether they wrap around the top or back of my head, they move around while I run and annoy the living daylight out of me.  I tried a few pairs of earbuds, but they all fell out within a mile.  I thought I was going to have to suck it up and go without music until someone introduced me to yurbuds.

Yurbuds bill themselves as "sport earphones that will never fall out" "developed by athletes for athletes."  They look like regular earbuds with funny-looking rubber covers.  I was incredibly skeptical of their claim but figured they were worth trying, so I picked up a pair of the Ironman Inspire earbuds.

Photo courtesy of the yurbuds website

I've now been running with my yurbuds for six months and only once has one of them fallen out of my ear.  Putting them in takes some getting used to as you're supposed to put them in your ear, then turn them to "lock" them in place.  Once they're in, I can't feel them and, while I'm not a music snob, I think the sound quality is pretty good.  Whether you're die-hard about running with music or just like some tunes for your long runs, I highly recommend giving these a try.

Week in Review

I've been having a nice little week.

I took it easy on Monday and by Tuesday was feeling so great that I decided to run to my softball game.  I figured "4 miles downhill? easy peasy."

Once again, I didn't think things through properly.  Running 4 miles with shin splints, blisters, and other lingering injuries from an ultra-marathon in 99 degree heat is not easy.

I made it to the softball game in one piece and was rewarded with a cold beer and this view:

I get to enjoy that every Tuesday.  It's ok to be jealous.

I took Wednesday off and got up bright and early on Thursday to meet my trainer.  I managed to catch the sunrise on my walk to the gym.

What a nice way to start the day!

I'm taking the weekend off.  Next week it's back to business as I start training for Marine Corps Marathon.

Have a good weekend!

20in24: The Aftermath

It's been a few days since the race and, minus a few blisters, I'm faring pretty well.  My body tends to recover pretty quickly, but I attribute my condition primarily to what I did during the first 24 hours after the race.

Immediately after getting to the hotel I took a hot shower, stretched, and iced my shins and feet.  My feet were throbbing so badly I couldn't sleep, so I took some Advil and used a pillow to elevate them.  I also slept in compression sleeves to help the circulation in my calves.

When I got up Sunday morning I went for a walk, ate a huge breakfast, then got a massage.  The walk wasn't exactly fun, but it helped me loosen up.  Getting a massage the day of or day after a race is a habit I started after running Marine Corps Marathon for the first time - it prevents a lot of soreness down the road.

I was (and still am) on a steady diet of Advil and water.  I'm probably drinking more water in one day than most people drink in a week.

During the last lap of the race I had some serious doubts about whether or not I would ever run it again.  Now that I've had some time to think about it, I know I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Everyone I met was super-friendly, the race was well-run*, and the course flat and fast.  I think it's the perfect first race for anyone considering running an ultra.

*pun not intended

20in24: Laps 4-6

As I started lap 4, the sun started to come out.  Unfortunately, as the sun came out, the temperature started to climb.  Since I could finally take my iPhone out without worrying about it getting drenched, I decided to take some photos of the course on this lap.  This was a great way to entertain myself as I didn't think to bring music with me and the course had started to thin out to the point where I wouldn't see volunteers or other runners for 10-15 minute blocks.

During the first mile of each lap we ran by the Philadelphia Art Museum, which was pretty, but crawling with tourists - it was like an obstacle course running by there!

From there, we would run up one bank of the Schuylkill river.

Cross over a bridge.

Then run back up the opposite bank of the Schuylkill.

As we got closer to the end of the lap, there were some great views of the Philadelphia skyline.

Halfway through lap 4 I realized my armpit was chafing pretty badly.  I stopped at the medic tent on the course for some Vaseline.  I thought they would let me put it on myself, but instead I ended up having a complete stranger lube up my armpit and side-boob.  So awkward.  As I got toward the end of the lap I started to chafe again and realized the gauze and tape I had on my arm was to blame.  My legs were still feeling pretty good, so I decided to make a quick stop at the finish line medic tent to have them remove the gauze and re-lube me, and set off on mile 5.  The medic who lubed me up was nice enough to give me a "go pack" of Vaseline... in a rubber glove.  Of Mice and Men immediately came to mind.

Lap 5 is when things started getting weird.  I knew at some point I would get in to a funky zone where time seemed to pass a lot more slowly and I didn't seem to be making much forward progress.  I hit that point around mile 3 of lap 5, which, compounded with the fact that the sun was setting, made it feel like  I'd lost all sense of time.  I probably had.  I forged on, run/walking, until I felt an unfamiliar and uncomfortable tightness stretching from my left hip to knee.  I'd never had IT band issues before, but I knew right away that was what was bothering me.  I sucked it up and tried to push through the end of the lap before the sun set completely.  I got a good photo of sunset over the river before I finished.

The second I finished lap 5, I beelined to the massage area.  I knew I needed to have someone work on my IT band if I planned on finishing the race.  What I didn't plan on was two people working on my legs.  Amazing.

After my massage, I headed over to the medic tent to get a blister taken care of.  By this point I was on familiar terms with quite a few of the people working there.  You would be too if it was your fourth time visiting the medics.  Once all the sources of pain were addressed I ate something, threw on some reflective gear, grabbed my dad to pace me, took a quick photo, and set out on my last lap.

I should probably mention that lap 6 is where I hit my point of being "over it."  I was tired, dehydrated, sore, overheated, and had multiple blisters starting to form on my feet.  My poor dad thought he'd be running a bit more than we did, and I'm sure he thought I'd be in a better mood.  A couple of miles in to the lap, the tightness in my IT band came back with a vengeance.  This time my right leg tightened up as well.  The pain was so bad I couldn't make conversation - all I could do was make random noises to let my dad know I was still listening to him.  The lights for the medic tent seemed like a mirage when I finally saw them.  I'm pretty sure I thanked the medic who stretched me out no less than 16 times, which is impressive because I was there less than 10 minutes.  The relief only lasted about a mile and a half, but at that point I was taking whatever I could get.  We passed another Lone Ranger and his pacer, who was in the middle of commenting on how wonderful of a night it was to be out walking when he told her to "shut up."  I couldn't help but to burst out laughing.  This guy clearly felt the same way I did.

I hobbled along the rest of the loop until I saw the lights indicating that we were about a half mile from the finish line.  At that point I told my dad we were running.  I think he was a little worried about me breaking myself, but all I could think about was finishing the race.  I was desperate to stretch, take a hot shower, and go to bed.  As I crossed the finish line, all I could feel was relief.  I went straight from the finish line to the award tent, grabbed my award, and collapsed on a cot in the medic tent.  Surprise!  My friend who stretched me out at the other medic tent was there.  As it turns out, he was one of two attending physicians on the course and had come over to the main medic tent to cover for the other physician while he took a nap.  He stretched me out again (while making fun of me for knowing which faces I make when I am being stretched to my limits), congratulated me, and sent me on my way.

Before I packed things up and left, I got a photo in front of the 20in24 sign.

Want a close-up of what was in my hands?

That's right.  50 MILES.