Race Day Strategery

I'm ready. But a few things I'm not sure of:

Who do I run with? My run group has a 4:30 pace group and a 5:00 pace group. I don't know that I can keep up with a 4:30 group for the entire race, and I think 5:00 would be too slow for me. Should I suck it up and go with the 4:30's and drop back if they're too fast for me, or go it alone and time myself doing 11 minute miles, and if I feel good at the halfway point, picking up the pace? Or, maybe I'll find a 4:45 group from another running club and join them.

Do I wear a hat? It will keep me cool, but will it feel funny since I haven't run with one recently? Will I look good for pictures in a hat? :)

And how about the fuel belt? Do I run with my trusty two 10-ounce bottles of PowerBar Endurance Fruit Punch drink and two 10-ounce bottles of water, or will I run faster with eight fewer pounds around my waist? And then where do I put my Clif Shots and Gu? Maybe I'll safety pin them to my body.

I am leaning toward the following:
-Joining onto a 4:45 group and if there is none then going it alone.
-No hat. Headband and sunglasses, with pony tail.
-No fuel belt to weigh me down. Drink at all water/Gatorade stations. Safety pinning Clif Shots and Gu to my shorts.

Regardless of these little details, I've made it this far without any significant injuries. I am ready!!!

Getting Psyched for the Marathon!

"Go Heather!" will appear on the front of my shirt.

The elephant's rear will be on the back.

I think this will help me get some crowd support. I'll definitely need it.

Shirt courtesy of Running Banana.

Burnout

I'm finding it hard to stick to my workout schedule. First off, I'm still getting over this upper respiratory infection, which while I'm feeling better, is sapping me of my energy. And I just don't feel like working out.

It will be a relief for the marathon to be over. I'm ready to change up my routine. It's been two days weights, five days running, and three days cycling for weeks on end. I haven't been in a pool for months!

One big change is that I'm changing my coach. Mary, my current coach, is fabulous, but she is in Rochester, NY -- if I still lived there, I'd definitely stick with her. But, I need to be better connected to the local tri community. More than just being a member of the LA Tri Club, I need to know which of the many workouts in a week are suited to my goals.

I've chosen to work with Triathletix, a local triathlete coaching company. Tonight I had the opportunity to speak to Jamie, my new coach, and I'm confident that he's going to put together a great program for me.

Sick :(

I hate slowing down. It makes me feel like I'm lazy.

I've come down with a sore throat and feel exhausted. Maybe I'm a little better this evening. I haven't exercised in two days, which feels really strange.

Many people around me have been sick with a similar illness, and I took pride in the fact that I haven't been ill in over a year. Maybe I brag about it a bit -- I attribute it to a healthy vegan diet and being a triathlete.

The marathon is in sixteen days. Tomorrow is supposed to be a ten mile run. I really want to do it. I am not terribly close to anyone in the group, but I just like running with other people. Right now I don't feel up to it. Maybe I will in the morning? I hope I do. Maybe I'll run with the 11:30's instead of the 10:30 per mile pace group that I usually run with.

Or maybe I should just skip it. That's going to feel really weird. I'm going to see what I feel like when I wake up tomorrow morning.

Update, Saturday February 16: I did not run. Instead I walked a couple miles, to and from Trader Joe's. Getting outside, I realized that running just wasn't a good idea today.

Image from www.luckyoliver.com

I'm a cardiologist, not a pastry chef!

In honor of my parents' visit, I made carrot cake. Normally it's a two-tiered cake, and normally, the frosting goes on nice and smoothly. However, I covered it shortly after baking, and it absorbed a lot of water, making it a bit flat and far too moist, which made frosting the cake a challenge. But it does taste good, even if it looks a little funny.


The recipe is from Dr. Pete's Eating For a Healthy Heart. He's a cardiology fellow at U of Washington. He's a vegan, a fabulous cook, and wrote this cookbook while in medical school.

One slice has 375 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 3 grams of protein.

My Valentine

This valentine is from my two and a half year-old niece, and is the first piece of mail that I've received addressed to "Aunt Heather". If this is the only valentine I get this year, that's all I need.

The Twenty Miler

In marathon training, our training peaks at a certain mileage. The group that I run with chooses to run twenty-six. However, at the urging of my trainer, and with a little bit of common sense, I ran twenty miles, as those extra six miles run during training can lead to injuries. And, bottom line, if you can run twenty miles, you can definitely run twenty-six on race day.

My run was good, with the exception of this nagging pain in my left foot. It starts at the base of my big toe and runs about halfway down my arch, mostly a dull pain. It was much better with running on dirt as opposed to pavement. And, after running, it doesn't even hurt. I'm not sure what it is.

During the run I felt like I could definitely run faster. And, at the end of the twenty miles, I felt like I could have run another six, were it not for my aching foot.

I think I've conquered my upset stomach issues. Whenever I do a distance event, triathlon, or run longer than ten miles, I'm sick to my stomach toward the end and for the rest of the day. I've found that for me, I need to keep drinking, even if I'm not thirsty, not just water but also an electrolyte fluid. I need solid food for carbs on my run too. Oreo cookies work very well -- it's not like I eat them any other time of the week. And yes, they are vegan.

I think I'm ready for the marathon. From here, I will be tapering my running distances to get ready for marathon day on March 2.