The Day After

I enjoyed a restful day off from running today. Not that I could have run even if I wanted to - I'm too stiff and sore, though fortunately I AM able to walk! I'm not sure whether it's better to jump right back into it tomorrow, or to take a few more days to recover. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I appreciated the Herald's extensive coverage of the event and the prompt posting of results by the Big Sur International Marathon folks. One thing I noticed from the Herald photos - an advantage of doing the 21-miler is that it was a lot less crowded. Herald photos of the full marathon showed huge crowds where I had the thrill of being just one of a handful of people at points such as Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point. I'm sure that made for a very different experience.

It was fun to trade stories today with the many others at Naval Postgraduate School who participated in the Marathon or other events. It humbled me to talk to one faculty member who ran the full marathon yesterday - he wondered whether the 50-miler he had competed in earlier this month might have slowed him down a bit! A good reminder that it's all relative...

Wonderful Day, Wonderful Event!

I am completely awed by how well-organized all of the marathon activities and events were. What a well-oiled machine! I know the organizers and volunteers work really hard behind the scenes to make it so seamless for event participants. Thanks to you all! I had a wonderful experience today, and I'm sure that was truel for most participants, thanks to your efforts.

My day started at 2:45 AM with a small breakfast and modest amount of coffee. Then after a shower and a chance to digest and stretch it was off to the bus at the Marriott. Calle Principal was lined with what must have been dozens of busses, already filling up with marathoners by the time I got there at 4:25 or so. We 21-milers waited in front of the hotel for a bit, then loaded onto our busses and we were on our way. It was surreal driving down Highway 1 in the dark, one of many busses in a long chain that seemed to stretch as far as one could see. Some people chatted amiably, while others caught a last-minute snooze. At first I was looking at the road to get a sense of the course, but I quickly became so overwhelmed and daunted by its length that I decided it was better not to do that.

There were a lot more people at Andrew Molera than I expected, because some of the relay racers were there as well. The lines for the restrooms were long, so I attended to that right away. We were fortunate in that it wasn't that cold, so I was able to stash some layers in my sweats bag that I had intended to wear.

While waiting at the start, I saw a few familiar faces, but most of the people I spoke with had come from out of town for the event. At 6:30, after singing the National Anthem (lead very nicely by an Irishman from Esalen), the gun went off and we were on our way. Many people were walking, but some, like me, were there to run the full 21. The energy felt different than the start of larger running races that I've been in, such as the Big Sur Half. So I didn't feel that race adrenaline rush in quite the same way.

I'm not going to give a blow-by-blow of every moment of the run - my memory just isn't that good and this entry would be way too long. But here are a few of my experiences and observations.

• There were a lot of people following what was probably the Galloway method of interspersing short periods of walking into their runs. Their pace seemed good - it didn't seem to slow them down at all.
• I was grateful that I hit the restrooms a few times early on in the event, and appreciated that they were available every few miles. Because by the end of the race when the thousands of walkers had joined in, there were long lines and I would have been reluctant to take the time.
• More people than I expected ran/walked with their iPods/MP3 players. This surprised me, because in the Q&A period on Saturday, it had been strongly discouraged so I left mine at home. It turns out that I did enjoy the music, sounds of nature, and ocassional comments from fellow participants along the way. But on the other hand, there were some pretty long stretches where I could have used the energizing impact of my running music.
  
• One of the best things about the 21-miler was getting to see the elite and faster marathoners run past.
  
• I felt well-prepared for the hilly stretch leading up to Hurricane Point. It helped to hear Hugo's talk yesterday, because I knew how long to expect it to last and wasn't looking around every bend expecting the end to be in site. I actually enjoyed it! The funny thing was that such a big deal had been made about "be sure to look back behind you at the top and see where you've been," but the fog was so dense at that point that I couldn't see a thing!
• Of course, the drummers and the pianists and the other musical offerings contributed greatly to the overall atmosphere and gave me renewed energy at some key points along the way.
• The coast, when it wasn't obscured by fog, was awe-inspiring. And in the fog, it was magical.
• The most difficult part of the event for me was the Highlands, because my ankles are my weak link, and the tilt of the road was hard on them.
• At mile 25 (mile 20 for the 21-miler) I was so excited and amazed that I was almost done and that I'd successfully run the whole thing, that I began to hyperventilate. Fortunately I got it under control - passing out due to excessive excitement would have been a disappointing finish.
• It was wonderful to see and hear people I know at the finish. Thanks to those of you who to0k the time to come out and cheer along the course or at the end.
• My finish time was 3:37:49. That was at least 20 minutes earlier than what I'd told my husband and friend Allston who were going to be there at the end to cheer me on. Sadly, as a result of that poor time estimate on my part, as well as the difficulty of finding nearby parking, my husband didn't make it in time to see me finish. Allston and I aren't quite sure why we didn't see each other since he was there on the course at the appropriate time. It was still great to have them both there (my husband only briefly due to another commitment, and Allston to listen to me debrief, help navigate the crowds, and generally take care of me as I started to "come down."
• The huge crowd milling around Marathon Village was intense, so although I had looked forward to staying for food, awards, and general socializing, I left fairly quickly. I felt cold and tired, but not very hungry. So a shower, snack, and an afternoon in bed sounded delightful. And that's what I did! Except for general stiffness and some soreness in my left ankle which has been bothering me anyway the past couple of weeks, I'm feeling pretty good.
• I'm trying not to second-guess whether I should have done the full marathon instead of the 21-miler. It seems pretty clear that I could have completed the full event, although the last few miles probably would have been a struggle instead of relatively pleasant. And I imagine my post-race aches and pains would have been more severe. So I need to hold onto my original intention - to run the event and to enjoy it, and to view it as a step along the way to a full marathon. I did enjoy it, and I feel charged up about going on to do a marathon, so I guess it's "Mission Accomplished!"
• I hope those of you reading this who participated in ANY of today's events also enjoyed yourselves and accomplished your goals. I encourage you to contribute to the "Comments" area and tell me about YOUR experience today.
  

Race Day Minus One!

Although my original plan was to go to the Expo today (Saturday), yesterday afternoon I just couldn't wait so I hustled over there in the afternoon to pick up my race materials and scope out the exhibits. Today after a VERY SHORT run I intend to go hear some of the speakers, particularly Jeff Galloway and Dean Karnazos, since I've read some of their books. I spent the evening going through my race materials packet, particularly the brochure explaining the history and specific details of the event. This morning there were two BSIM-related articles/columns in the Herald's Sports section. All of this has helped to make me feel excited about, prepared and well-informed for tomorrow.

I've spent a fair amount of time the past few days wondering whether I should have signed up for the Marathon instead of the 21-miler. So many people have asked my why I am "only" doing the 21-miler - both experienced marathoners and non-runners. So while many who are signed up for the Marathon for the first time may be wondering "can I do it and have I bitten off more than I can chew?" I find that in these final days my question to myself is, "have I been too unambitious?" I have to keep reminding myself that this was part of my logical, systematic plan to build up to doing the Paris Marathon this time next year, that at my age it is better to increase gradually if I want to avoid injury, and that my time will come soon enough.

I wonder how I'll do on Hurricane Point and on the long hills through the Highlands? Tomorrow I'll find out.

This Week's Biggest Challenge

My biggest challenge so far this week is having the discipline to throttle back. To only run 3-4 miles every other day, and to actually REST in between. (Second challenge: to not eat quite so much, since I'm not burning as many calories). This morning I felt so good, I just wanted to keep on going. I had to force myself to remember that any extra miles I run now won't help, and might actually hinder my efforts this weekend.

One Week Countdown!

Starting last weekend my days have been measured by their proximity to the Big Event. Now there's only one week left! I'm solidly into taper time. I ran "just" 12 miles yesterday (down from my recent long runs of 15-18 miles). It's really satisfying to be in a place where 12 miles is a comfortable distance. The two rest days that I took last week did seem to improve my energy level, so I'm going to plan a pretty easy week from here on out, with just three or four easy 4 mile runs. I will RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO DO MORE!!!

Yesterday I was reminded of how pleasant it is to run with others. Recently most of my runs including my long runs have been largely on my own. That has its charms, however time passing quickly is not one of them. But yesterday on my weekly run that starts in Carmel at 7:15 AM with the Wednesday Night Laundry Runners, I had the unexpected pleasure of running with Patie and Anita, and the positive stimulation of conversation with new people helped to keep me feeling motivated, strong and supported.

It's been fun and enlightening these past few days to talk with experienced Big Sur runners (either the 21-miler like I'm doing or the full Marathon). Here are some of the tidbits I've picked up:

• Do people really abandon their sweats by the side of the road as it warms up? (Yes, so bring something old that you don't care about)
• How do you psychologically deal with the long uphills? (Don't look up at the horizon - keep focused on the ground just in front of you)
• How's the bus ride? (Long if you just had your coffee and your bus doesn't have a restroom, so plan on dashing right to the port-a-pottie line)
• What should one eat in the days leading up to the race? (Everyone has their own take on this, but there seems to be general agreement that what you eat on Thursday and Friday is more important than what you eat on Saturday. Also, getting good sleep on Friday night is more crucial than on Saturday. And how much sleep can you get the night before the race anyway, with busses leaving around 4 AM, some earlier).

I feel sorry for anyone who expects me to talk (or even think!) about anything other than next weekend's activities. So please, if you know me, don't bother! My thoughts and intentions are filled with workout and rest plans, the excitement of the Expo vendors and speakers, the spaghetti pizza feed, the starting line, the sites along the route, the exhiliaration of the run itself, and the energizing effect of seeing friends at the finish. As one person put it to me, "You'll never be so happy to see Hugo standing there cheering you on!" I'm looking forward to that!

Get to the Starting Line

From the reading I've been doing and the conversations I've had with experienced distance runners, now that the clock is ticking down from two weeks until race day, my primary goal should be to stay healthy and uninjured so I can make it to the starting line. Some runners get sick or injured during the last couple of weeks, due to a weakened immune system and\or excessive last-minute training. Mike and Don's column in last week's Herald really reinforced this. As they put it, "there are lots of ways to screw things up." So, while trying not to be excessively paranoid, I'm definately taking what I've learned seriously and am exercising caution by doing the following:

• Taking 2 full rest days (days with no signficant exercise) a week. Those who know me realize what a big step this is!
• Listening to my body more than usual. For example, I've been feeling really fatigued the past few days so I've been trying to get more sleep. Today I passed on my usual 6:15 AM "Body Pump" class at Energia so I could sleep in and take one of those rest days I promised myself. And yesterday I was feeling really sluggish on my run, so I gave myself permission to just take it really easy and slow and not worry about my pace.
• Doing more hand washing and antibacterial wiping than I normally do.
• Eating well (smaller, more frequent, healthy meals, with as few sweet treats as possible)
• Tapering the length of my runs down (I only run 3-4 days a week so I don't intend to decrease the number of runs, though I may decrease my other workouts)
• Drinking lots of Emergen-C and AirBorne.
• Stretching after EVERY run, even if I'm short on time.
  

I realize that sometimes unexpected things happen that are out of our control, but I'm hoping my efforts will pay off and I'll be at that 21-miler starting line on April 29, feeling healthy, strong and ready.

Hills Are My Friend!

This past week I have begun focusing more on hill work and less on long distances. I know that it's the hills that will give me confidence and strength for the upcoming Big Sur 21-miler. But during the work week it is difficult to get in many hills just because I am short on both time and daylight. The best I've been able to do during the week is to incorporate a couple of repeats of the long, winding hill on the recreation trail that starts past the Naval Postgraduate School and ends up at the Monterey Beach Hotel parking lot.

Sunday morning I went on a medium-length (10-11 mile) run in my neighborhood, which included numerous repeats of the rather steep hill at the end of Skyline Drive (before it hits Soledad) as well as a run down and back up the hill between Veterans Park and the Monterey Police Station on Pacific Street. One woman who walked by me twice on the Skyline hill remarked that "It makes me tired just to watch you!" But actually, except for the final hill repeat, which was a push, I was feeling strong and relaxed. Thanks to one of the books I've been reading (more about that in an upcoming posting), I had developed this simple mantra to coax myself on during the uphill stretches: "Hills are my friend, and they will help me succeed." It sounds stupid, but it really did help to keep me motivated and focused.

Lost Dog

Last week while running along Skyline Drive I encountered a large but apparently friendly dog who appeared to be lost. He followed me for quite some time, and I was hoping he would continue to do so until we got to my house where I then might have enticed him into the back yard where he could be contained until his owners could be located. But I'm not comfortable with large dogs (even nice ones) and was afraid to stop him to look at his tags. Before we got to my house, he veered off onto the woods. I was glad that at least temporarily, he wasn't weaving around the busy road anymore. As soon as I got home I called Animal Control and they promised to see if they could find him. From now on I'm taking their number with me when I run. I know what a big difference a few minutes could make in saving a dog's life, and I just hope this one was happily reunited with his humans.

(Posted on behalf of Ann G. Jacobson.)

Starting anew - Ann Jacobson

I am 48 years old, and have lived in Monterey for about 23 years. I'm a librarian at the Naval Postgraduate School. I've always enjoyed working out, but had a long hiatus while my daughters were growing up. About three and a half years ago when my eldest headed off to college I joined a local gym, which really changed my life (and my body). I trained with a small group there for the 2004 Big Sur Half Marathon, which I completed and really enjoyed, but unfortunately, the following year while in another training group I got badly injured and had to take about 8 months off from running. So this summer I decided to begin training for the half on my own. I started with about 3 miles in July, and have been gradually building up ever since. I ran Big Sur Half Marathon this past October. I had promised myself that if I enjoyed it and remained uninjured, that I would join the local running club (Wednesday Night Laundry Runners). I did that this past November. It's been a lot of fun. The people are very friendly and supportive.

I signed up for the 21 miler instead of the full marathon mainly because I felt that going from a flat half marathon to the hilly Big Sur Marathon was too big a jump, and I'm really committed to trying to stay injury-free, and to enjoying myself while running if I possibly can!. I intend to run the full 21 miles. My ultimate goal is actually to run the Paris Marathon next spring with a friend of mine who lives in Italy. This is a good step toward that.


My most important training aid
I never thought I'd be one of those runners with white earbuds jammed into my ears. I prided myself on being completely aware of and engaged in my immediate surroundings. But as late fall arrived and it became too dark to run in the mornings, I was forced indoors onto the treadmill. If you've ever run five or more miles on a treadmill, you know how the time can drag. So when I bought iPods for my husband and daughter for Christmas, I snuck in a little matchbook-sized iPod shuffle. At first I loaded music from our personal CD collection onto it, but that took a lot of work and wasn't very satisfactory. Then I discovered Podrunner (http://www.djsteveboy.com/podrunner.html). Now every week or so I download a new, free, hour long mix of music at just the right tempo for a brisk run. It keeps me motivated and energized on my treadmill runs and makes it a lot easier to do speed work, and when I'm alone on my outdoor runs (I don't run with music when I'm with people), it helps me to keep a brisk, steady pace. I'm concerned about safety outdoors, so if I do use it on outdoor runs, I keep the volume low so I can hear people approaching, traffic, and other sounds. While I sometimes worry that the music has become a crutch, I find that now that I have it, I look forward more to my solo runs whether indoors or outdoors.

(Published on behalf of Ann G. Jacobson.)