I Am Not A Runner

It's true.  I'm not a runner.  I was always one of the last kids in gym class to finish the mile.  I don't feel like it's anything I've got natural talent for.  I'm not fast.  Some people probably consider what I do jogging.  I can't keep up with any of my team mates.  I can't keep up with my boyfriend.  Of all the blogs I read (and there are a lot of them), I don't know anyone who runs as slowly as I do.  I am not a runner.

Yet, here I am about to embark on an endeavor that seems to me like the epitome of being a runner.  Running a marathon.  How did I end up here?  About a month ago I was talking to Drew about the marathon and I asked him this question, "Do you think I have the mental stamina to finish the marathon?"  His response was silence, followed by, "Well...", followed by at least another minute of silence.*  Which just proves my point.  I am not a runner.

I used to hate running.  The very first time I went running with Drew, I wanted to trip myself less than a quarter-mile into the run so that hopefully we could stop running.  I've come a long way since then.  I can now really appreciate running for its simplicity.  It's so easy to just throw on your shoes and head out the door and not have to think about all the details that come with biking or swimming.  

I've been planning on running a marathon for a while now.  I just thought it would be in 2011 and in New York City.  That's still the case, but I guess I'm just throwing in the 2010 Philadelphia Marathon as a warm-up?  This is what happens when you break your arm and can't bike for a long time, I guess.  The funny thing is that this marathon was exactly what I needed.  Once it was clear that I wouldn't be able to do Timberman this year, I needed something else to push me to continue working out.  I needed a goal.

Now the marathon is just days away and I'm left pondering my race plan.  It almost seems funny to have a race plan for a running race.  I mean, the plan is to run and not slow down, right?  That's sort-of my plan, but of course, it seems more detailed than that.  My real plan is to start slow.  Really slow.  Like 11-minute miles slow.

I've learned that if I go out too quickly, I can't sustain that sort of pace over a long distance.  Sure those 4 and 5 miles races in Central Park it's possible, but I'll never make it in the marathon if I do that.  If I make it to Mile 2 before 21 minutes (in total time), I'm going to have to force myself to walk early in the race so as to try to avoid walking late in the race.  I'm going to have to try not to get swept up in the usual race-day enthusiasm or feeling cold from standing around outside. 

After the 2-3 mile marker, I think I can just run at my regular, natural pace.  I think by then everyone will have settled down and I shouldn't feel like I'm trying to keep up as much (or warm up) as I will at the start.  The other really important thing of note is that I'm going to stop at every aid station and walk through them.  Even the early ones.  Although I might not think I need a sip of water at Mile 2, I'm going to be wishing at Mile 23 that I had taken the water early in the race.

As far as calories go, since I had a bad experience mixing Gu and Gatorade in my stomach once, I'm going to pass on the Gatorade and just go with Gu and water.  I'm planning on having a Gu every 5 miles for Miles 5, 10, 15 and 20 (or near those mile markers depending on where the water stops end up being).  I'm going to carry at least one extra Gu (probably two, because I worry) in case I get hungry or think I need one for the last 10K of the race. 

That's pretty much it as far as the race plan.  Other than I should have fun and I hope to finish smiling.  Oh, and time goals?  Yeah, I've got one of those too.  I'm going to be happy with anything under 5 hours.  I think anything under 4:30 is totally unrealistic this time around.  I think if I go over 5 hours I'll be disappointed and think that I probably didn't do enough training.

However, I realize that this is my first time at this distance and there is pretty steep learning curve to be had. So, with that in mind, my first goal is to finish.  The second goal is the whole timing thing.  In just three short days, I'm going to try to prove to myself that I am, in fact, a runner. 


* I have to be fair here and say that although it took Drew a painstaking amount of time to come up with a response, when he did respond it was to say that he thinks that I'm really good at setting limits for myself, so even if I had to walk for a minute in the marathon, I would always be able to force myself to run again, which is something that he's not so sure he can do for himself.  So, I guess that was a really long way of him saying "YES!", which was what I was really looking for.

Getting My Legs Ready To Execute The Plan

I have today and Monday off work since my best friend, Ann, is visiting for the weekend. I wanted to go for a quick run this morning and she was more than game. We ended up heading outside around 8:45, which I realized later is about the same time I'll be running on Sunday, so it was a good realization of how hot it'll be!

We were thinking something in the 3-mile range for today. Just enough to get my legs out there and moving, but not enough to tire them out. Plus, I had a feeling we'd be doing a lot of walking around later on doing some shopping/touristy stuff!

We walked to the Park, headed north up the east side, cut across the Great Lawn Loop and then back down the west side. Whew. It was hot. I made us take a couple of walking breaks. I felt okay about that today. My legs were a little testy and I didn't want to make them mad at me! It was nice to get out and have a quick run with Ann while we could catch up on some gossip. I don't normally love running with other people, but she's a pretty good one to have around. Plus, she never complains that we're going slower than her normal (fast) pace!

We ended up going exactly three miles, so success on that front! Just a nice little fun run! Today starts the getting organized for the triathlon day, so here's the rough outline of my plan:

• Friday: Attend mandatory pre-race meeting, pick up packet and race number, look around the Expo. And, possibly most importantly, get mani/pedis with Ann and Laura!
• Saturday: Drop off my bike. Mandatory to do this on Saturday. No bike drop off on Sunday.
  
• Sunday: Race Day! Transition opens at 4:30. I think I'll get there around 5:00. My swim wave is at 6:20. That should be plenty of time to set-up and walk the mile + to swim start.
  
• SWIM: I'm still not sure what wetsuit to wear. The water temperature is really warm. I'd like to keep more of the Hudson off me, but I think I might wear sleeveless so I don't overheat. My plan for the swim is to find a rhythm, but get out of the Hudson as quickly as possible!
  
• BIKE: Be careful getting up to the course from transition and from there, just have fun. I'm never going to be a fast biker, or at least not for this particular race, so I might as well just enjoy it. I've heard that there is a lot of broken glass really far to the right, so I'm going to be conscious of the road conditions and the technical turns on the course. Oh, and try to not break my arm before the race even starts.
  
• RUN: I really want to run this race. I know that the crowd support is amazing (from my own experience last year) and I want to really have fun and enjoy that. My plan is to get into the Park, up to the East side of Harlem Hill and just keep running from there. I will not penalize myself for walking through aid stations. With the heat, I know I'll need the hydration and it's more important. But, I don't want to take other walking breaks. When I turn the corner on the 72nd Street transverse, I want to have something left in the tank so that I can hopefully pass a couple of people since I know where the finish is (this is my backyard after all!).
  

All in all, I'm just hoping to have a great race. I know that because I was out for such a long time with my broken arm, this might not be my best triathlon ever ability-wise, but I think it will still be a blast! I'm so excited to do this race. I'm really glad that I didn't defer. I'm trying desperately to not have a time goal for this race. In truth, I'd be disappointed if it took me more than 4 hours. I'd love to make it under 3:30:00, but I'm not going to be upset one bit if I'm not. Now it's just time to rest up, hydrate, and execute the plan!

Running
Time: 30:27
Distance: 3.00 miles
Pace: 10:02/mile