Photographic Evidence

Around Mile 5 (near Ghiradelli Square)



Rounding the bend out of Golden Gate Park



Still smiling!



Where's my necklace?


More pictures on Flickr.

I did it!

I ran a marathon.

I finished in 4h55min.

I'm happy and tired and sad that it's over. Will post details soon.

California Here We Come

Current SF Forecast for Sunday, October 22:

Sunny
High 66°F
Low 56°F
Precip. 20%

Awesome.

My flight departs JFK tomorrow morning at 7. Ack! I'm going to spend tomorrow and Wednesday in Santa Cruz, Thursday in San Jose, and will head to SF on Friday. The TNT Pasta Party is Saturday afternoon. The NYC Chapter is expected to be the largest and rowdiest of the bunch. I'm sure I can contribute to that! Updates this week may be sporadic (although they do have the interweb in California).

Team Langenberg

Waterloo, Ontario Team Langenberg had a pretty OK finish in yesterday's 10th Annual Oktoberfest 10k Run through the streets of Uptown Waterloo. The weather was a crisp 8 degrees Celsius, which Ms. Gutenberg commented might have hurt the couple. "It's freaking freezing out here," she stated. Mr. Langendoen, however, seemed pleased with the results. "Wunderbar!" he exclaimed as they crossed the finish line.

The couple had prepared for the gruelling race by carbo-loading at Altes Muchen Haus on Friday night, where they were also treated to a very special concert. Mr. Langendoen was fortunate enough to meet Canada's Polka King, (and even had his new Oktoberfest hat signed by the Grammy-award winner).

Following Sunday's race, Ms. Gutenberg and Mr. Langendoen enjoyed a delicious meal, surrounded by family and friends.

The pleasant young couple returned to their home in Brooklyn on Sunday night. "Next year we'll be more prepared," vowed Ms. Gutenberg. "We're going to start training next month!"

"Wunderbar!" said Mr. Langendoen.

Long-Range Forecast for San Francisco

Sunday, October 22

Mostly Sunny
High 61°F
Low 52°F
Precip. 10%

In other words, perfect weather for running a marathon!

Who's Freaking Out?

Tonight I attended the Team in Training Fall Season Sendoff for Chicago and Nike marathoners. We received our race weekend packets, which include detailed instructions on where to be and when, as well as the fabulous Barney-purple TNT singlet (a version of which I can be seen modeling in this unflattering post-triathlon photo. Ramon asked repeatedly who was freaking out, and I realized that while I kind of am (see: Nerves), I also feel really ready to do this thing! He also promised us that after a full 5 months of behaving at practice, we'd have plenty of opportunity to misbehave after the marathon. Coach Lisa pointed out that we'll probably have some new aches and pains this week and next, and that that's nothing to worry about. She observed that running has probably become a kind of therapy in our lives, and during tapering our bodies (and minds) are adjusting to not having that as much.

Only 12 more sleeps until I wake up and run a marathon! Yeah, I'm definitely freaking out.

(At right: But I look ready, right?)

Nerves

The other day I was reading an article about being a spectator for the NYC Marathon, and the author mentioned that she liked to be at the Mile 25 marker to cheer the runners into the finish. When I read that - the Mile 25 marker - my stomach did a total flip-flop. Ack! I'm actually going to run far enough to *see* a Mile 25 marker! That is just insane. It was crazy enough seeing the markers on Saturday go up to Mile 17, but Mile 25?

Speaking of the NYC Marathon, after Sunday's race I need to run 4 more qualifying NYRR races for guaranteed entry to next year's marathon. I'm seriously considering it. Ack again!

Pancakes and Bacon

This morning, fueled by my usual Clif bar and coffee, I headed to Central Park for the NYC Marathon Tune-Up, an 18 mile run consisting of 3 loops of Central Park. At the advice of several people, including Coach Lisa, I'd planned to run only 12 of the 18 miles. OK, I confess, I was having a really good day and a really good run, so I did the whole thing. I took it really easy on the last loop, and having a bit of soreness in my left ankle/shin, even walked for a few minutes in the last 2 miles. However, I'm proud to say that I ran up all the hills (the last time going up Cat Hill - 1/4 mile with an average 3.7% grade - was tough), finished in 3:11:27 with an average pace/mile of 10:38, and feel super extra ready for my first marathon in just 2 weeks!

My Splits:

Mile	Miles 1-6	Miles 7-12	Miles 13-18
1/7/13	10:51	10:21	10:51
2/8/14	10:36	10:24	11:02
3/9/15	10:11	9:59	10:58
4/10/16	10:16	10:08	10:54
5/11/17	10:39	10:49	11:34
6/12/18	10:23	10:15	11:20

(Since the run was made up of 3 loops, miles 1, 7, and 13 had the same profile, as did miles 2, 8, and 14, etc. Reading from left to right, the table shows how my time for the same mile the 2nd and 3rd time around changed. Reading down the columns shows my consecutive splits. I had a lot of time to think about how to display this information while I was running!)

After the run, I came home and made pancakes and bacon. Neither have ever tasted so good.

Je Suis Malade

The cold that's kept many of my co-workers at home this week has made its way into my sinuses and throat. My amazing runner friend Leslie tells me that people always get sick during the tapering phase, so I guess I'll just ride it out and keep sleeping lots.

I emailed Coach Lisa about whether to run 12 or 18 miles on Sunday, and she told me to stick with the 12. It's hard to believe that 12 miles is a short run!

A 5 Mile Race

Last night I trekked up to Central Park for my final Tuesday GTS with the Summer 2006 Marathon Team. (Next week we have sendoff, and the following week I'll already be in California, wondering why I didn't sign up to run the nice flat Chicago Marathon.) Ramon reminded us that the marathon is <3 weeks away (holy crap!) and that we should all be freaking out. Check!

He then announced that the evening's practice would be 3 lower (1.7M) loops, run as a race, and paced as we would pace a race. Pretty straightforward. I ran with Denise, who runs about the same pace as me (maybe a little faster, which is good) and we finished in 48:23, with even splits of the 1.7. I felt a little tired in the last loop, and as usual I'm pretty sure I should hold back more at the start to make sure I have enough juice left to kick it at the end. I'll be able to practice pacing more at this weekend's event.

I was feeling a little under the weather when I woke up this morning (sore throat, sniffles) so I'm going to stay well-hydrated today and get to bed early tonight. There will be no pre-marathon illness! I also had nightmares last night about handstands, of all things. (I was practicing before bed so I guess it isn't that surprisng, but it was rather disconcerting anyway!)

Body Glide: A Girl's Best Friend

Last week's 20 miles left me with a lot of nasty chafing, particularly around the edges of my sports bra. This week I very generously applied Body Glide, and had a relatively chafe-free day! Yay for Body Glide!

Oh, and while I was out in Jersey running on the trails, DLang ran his longest distance yet - 6.2 miles! - so that he could say that together we ran a marathon. Hee!

The marathon is 3 short weeks away, so now we're in the tapering phase. How nice. Next weekend I plan to run the ING New York City Marathon Tune-Up (probably just 12 miles), and the weekend after that the Oktoberfest 10k in Waterloo. Then, I fly to California to relax for a few days before the marathon!

Another 20 Baby!

Yesterday morning I left the house bright and early to meet the Brooklyn-based Chicago and Nike marathoners to carpool to New Jersey, where we would undertake a 20-mile run on the trails at the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park. It was a cool, slightly crisp morning, and I was the first to arrive at the meeting spot. For a moment I thought I'd misread the email, and resigned myself to running loops of Prospect Park - however, within a few minutes some of my teammates began to arrive.

We piled into the cars and drove to Jersey. I rode with husband-and-wife team Pete & Jamie, and learned in the 45 minute car ride that women speak an average of 20,000 words/day, and men average 7,000. Heh, seems about right. I also learned that Pete runs about the same pace as me (10:45 minute miles on a long run), so we decided to run together.

The cars congregated in the parking lot of the state park, and Head Coach Ramon gave us his usual razzing and then an overview of the run, which would basically involve running along a trail for 10 miles, then turning around and running back. The coaches had set up water stations along the route for us (aw!) but most of us came equipped with our Fuel Belts and were packing Gu.

Pete and I set off together, and pretty quickly shook the morning chill. The run was very flat and very pretty. Running with Pete was great (thanks, Pete!) and we finished the 20 in 3:45 (or ~11:25 minutes/mile) - a little slower than I ran it the previous week, but still respectable, and I didn't really push myself - I just wanted to finish it strong. (At left: A teeny tiny picture of me looking rather happy after running 20 miles!)

My goal pace for the marathon is closer to a 10:45 minute/mile, which might be aggressive with the hills, but I think the energy of the crowds on race day will help me along. And I hope the SF hills don't slow me down too much!

Yoga Bliss

Last night I attended Beth's Hatha yoga class. It was delicious. One thing she talked about was observing how you feel instead of trying to figure out how you should feel. It reminded me of this article about mental training for a marathon. From the article:

Association refers to running where your mind is focused on the body and you are intentionally concentrating on physical sensations.

Dis-association refers to running where your mind is focused either on external stimuli or internal distractions.

Yoga is definitely the former, and association is the practice I've found most effective lately in my long runs. Being in the moment, and enjoying the run. Noticing the physical sensations, just taking stock of any discomfort or changes in my breathing and observing how that feels. Writing this, I realize that I really enjoy running!

(DLang reminds me sometimes that one of the first things I told him after we met was that I hate running!)

Hilare

At the party on Saturday night, K-Dog The Boy told his girlfriend, "Gillian & I ran an average of 10 miles each today."

Heh.

Run Jimmy Run!

For parallel and very funny commentary of this season's Team in Training marathon training extravaganza, check out my teammate Jim's blog. He and his lovely wife Aurora are both training for the NYC Marathon in November.

While you're there, donate!

Another 3.4!

I felt surprisingly good (energetic and not too ouchy) this afternoon so I decided to do a loop around the park. It was a pretty humid day, and I felt a little sore when I started running, but completed the 3.4 miles without a hitch.

(Oh, except that near the end of my run, a teeny bug flew in my eye and died there, and I couldn't get it out until I got home and could look in the mirror. Yuck.)

I read somewhere that the frequent short runs are just as important as the weekly long training runs, and that the two serve different purposes - but I don't think the article said what those purposes were. I thought about that as I was running today, and have a theory. Yesterday, the hardest miles were the first 3 and the last 2. The first 3 just suck because I'm thinking, "Running sucks. I can't believe I've only run [<3] miles. This sucks. I have so many miles to go," etc. The last 2 are hard because, "I want to be done, and running faster would make me run faster, but my legs just won't go any faster, and where the hell is that last mile marker?!" (I've confirmed that my fellow runners have similar thoughts.) My theory, therefore, is that the short runs give you both the start and the finish, and the confidence to do both - so it's really training for mental stamina.

More about this morning's run

Nutrition Notes:

- Breakfast: Banana Nut Bread Clif Bar, a baby banana, coffee
- En route nutrition: 2x Chocolate Outrage Gu, Gatorade Endurance Formula (that's what'll be on the course in SF, so I'm trying to train with it)

Stuff I thought about to get me through the last 2 miles:
- My friend Andrew yelling at me to stop whining
- Bagels!
- Pamie's recap of her first marathon
- This blog, and my post about the run (20 miles, in case you've forgotten!)
- Leading with my heart (it sounds silly, but thinking about this made me feel stronger and I'm sure improved my posture!)
- The awesomeness of calling my friends on the way home (K-Dog The Girl definitely wins for most enthusiastic response - we trained together for the triathlon in 2004)
- My friend and 3-time Ironman Triathlete(!) Meredith who is just completely inspiring
- The cause, and all of you who've invested in my fundraising and training. Thanks, again, and I promise to make you proud on Oct. 22!

I was planning to run 18 miles...

But instead, I ran 20!

Yes, really.

Look how happy I am after running 20 miles! Doesn't this make you want to run 20 miles?

We met this morning at Coach Lisa's in Bay Ridge. Lisa was already in Prospect Park to send off a group of next season's TNTers on their training run, so her husband Clark let us in and was quite a gracious host! By the time the whole group (there were about 20 of us) had gathered in Lisa's living room, she was back from PP, and gave us instructions for the morning's run.

I headed out with two runningmates, Rebecca and Lesley. They were superfun to run with, and we were cracking each other up within 3 miles. We picked up another girl along the way who's training for the NYC Marathon by herself, and I think she was glad to have the company for the run.

We ran down the Brooklyn greenway, under the beautiful Verrazano Bridge, to Coney Island, where I learned that Rebecca & Lesley were planning to do 20 miles. I felt pretty good, and it didn't take much convincing at that point to get me to add on the extra 2 miles.

The weather was awesome for running - it rained on the way out, but was nice and cool and overcast on the way back. When we made it back to Lisa's (20 miles later - did I mention that?), Clark had purveyed bagels and all the fixin's for us hardcore marathoners. Thanks, Clark!

I feel surprisingly energetic now, which is good since I cleverly volunteered to bake delicious cupcakes for an engagement party we're going to tonight. On to buttercream!

Handstand Class #2

Wednesday night I had a really bad sleep, and I was exhausted all day yesterday. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep, but it was Thursday night, so I donned my yoga pants and tank and found my way to 524 Bergen St. for my 2nd handstand class.

I'm so glad I did.

There were fewer people this week, which made the group a little more intimate. We started out by standing in a circle. One person would make a noise and a motion to another person in the circle, then that person would make a different noise/motion to a third person, and so on. It was really fun, and surprisingly, even a little intimidating! It was a good reminder that as an adult I'm more self-conscious and less spontaneous with my body, and I don't always have to be.

After some abdominal work, we moved on to assisted handstands, held for 40 seconds each. We also did a series of exercises that involved kicking up in various ways - scissor kicks, and tuck-ups, for example. Then we did wheelbarrows - you know, the ones you did when you were a kid, where you walk on your hands with a partner holding your legs? We did them with obstacles - mats stacked higher that you had to "step" up and across along the way. That was harder than I thought it would be - in fact, I sucked at it. However, when I finished, everyone applauded! It was like the Handstand Special Olympics.

The class was, again, amazing. I was sweating within 10 minutes and I felt completely energized afterwards. Walking home, I laughed out loud when I realized that I'm 32 years old and I just finished my 2nd-ever gymnastics class!

More lunchtime running

Yesterday I ran another 5k across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a beautiful day, and I'm learning to be zen with dodging tourists. It's kind of like a video game!

Tonight I have my 2nd handstand class. Yay!

Saturday's run looks awesome - we're meeting at Coach Lisa's apartment in Bay Ridge and running along the greenway to Coney Island. I'm going to run a minimum of 18 miles, and maybe 20 if I feel good. Running on the boardwalk at Coney is superfun - I can't wait!