20 Miles in. . . Let the Taper Begin!

Huh. So this was a post I started a week and a half ago, Peeps. I don't know why, but I never hit the publish button. Enjoy!


Saturday was a busy day. I knew it would be a busy day, so I cleaned my bathrooms Friday evening after I got home from work and before I took my son to the football game to watch my daughter march.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I clean the house before the football game. . . in the 1950s.

Actually, this is EXACTLY how I look when. . .AHAHAHAH!  I can't even write it! No. Just. No.

I woke up early on Saturday to pouring rain. This was the morning of my 20 miler for the Akron Marathon. Great. I almost went back to sleep (something I am rarely tempted to do), but I got up and made breakfast. The rain let up a bit, so I kept going with my pre-run routine (coffee, bathroom, etc.).

It's raining in my soul.

I was a bit nervous about running the Blue Line for 20 miles because my Trail Sisters (at least those who are willing to run roads with me) were in Hell. . .Michigan, that is, for the Woodstock Race Series. I didn't go because I didn't want to miss Vertical Runner's Blue Line Training Run (or my 30th year high school reunion). Anyway, I didn't officially have someone with whom to run.  I tested out a few people:

Me to Jennifer: What's your pace today?
Jennifer: I plan to run the 20 in a 12 mile pace.
Me: Yeah, bye.

Me to Cassie and Beth: So, are you doing the 20 miler or the 12?
Cassie: Well. . .we're not really. . .
Me: Yeah, bye.

No worries. I ran with my friend Deb for a while, and then I decided to run alone, but there was always someone I knew or someone with whom I could chat along the way, so I wasn't LONELY.

I went really slowly, and I told myself that the only goal was to get this done without killing myself.  I stopped at all the aid stations, run by wonderful volunteers who braved the yucky rain--THANK YOU!

In the last 3 miles, I saw Tamra, my running partner from Burning River, and we ran together until the end, which was very nice.

In the past, I have felt very defeated after the Blue Line Practice Run, but today I felt. . .fine. Not great, not terrible.  I think this is a good sign; I've respected the training, and my expectations are realistic.

I even mustered up a smile!

Ok, so I have about a week and a half to go before the Akron Marathon, and the tapering hasn't been too terrible. I've cut down my mileage by about a third last week, and this week will probably be the same.

Last Sunday I ran the Race with Grace 5k, and that review will be my next post.  Until then, Run Happy, Peeps!

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Recap: Race with Grace 5k

Sunday was the annual Race with Grace 5k in Medina. Last year I ran it with the Kabyle Chef, but I knew that with his crazy hours he wouldn't be getting up early to run or walk 3.1 miles with me on his only day off, so this year I asked my friend Katie if I could run with her.  It was Katie's first race, and well, that's always a special moment.

I got there early so I could put in a few extra miles.  I only had time for two miles because our team had to meet for pictures, but hey--two miles is better than nothing, right?  After all this is taper week.

Did I mention this is taper week?

This is EXACTLY how I look during taper week.

I guess some of my team members saw me running before the race, and somehow a rumor went around that I ran to the race.  From Akron.  Yeah.  I guess there are worse rumors.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I run 13 miles from my house to a race.

Our team consists of high school staff members and their families.  We are called Team Brenda because we run to support Brenda Hufford's fight against cancer.  The race is in honor of Mary Grace, who was an active Medina Community member.  You can read about her struggle with breast cancer and the race's mission here.

Team Brenda 

We had a good showing this year; team Brenda raised over $1,200 for the Mary Grace Foundation.  I am so proud of my colleagues.

The best part of the day was running with Katie for her first race.  I remember my first race; it was the Mother's Day 5k in Munroe Falls. I remember how nervous I was the night before, and I remember how keyed up I was during the race, so I asked Katie if she would like me to run it with her, and she said yes.

To seal the deal, I gave her a running tattoo.  I'm not a tattoo person, but I do believe in war paint, so my tradition is to wear temporary tattoos when I'm racing.

I got this tat from Bondi.  Order yours as well as some headbands (see mine below?).  Make sure to use my code (TroubleRun) for a 10% discount.

Another team member, Jess, joined us, and the three of us chatted while we ran in the sun.  Katie was tough, and she managed to save enough in the tank for a kick to the end, which is always exciting.  I am so proud of her; it's not easy to train for any race, and it's not always fun, but Katie did it with class.  I hope this is just the beginning of her running journey.

Look at this Badass!  She ran a 5k!

After the race, I got a FREE chili cheese dog with my former principal, Paul.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm standing in line for a free chili cheese dog in the morning.  I'm on the right, by the way.

All in all, I can say that this race is such a fun experience for me.  The course is nice with just enough incline to make it interesting.  The food and entertainment are amazing for a small-town 5k.  The opportunity to run with my colleagues is even better.  The best part was that Katie allowed me to share the experience of her first race.  Katie, you are amazing.  I hope you had fun, and I hope this is something we can do again in the future.

Next year I want to find someone else who has never run a race.  Who will it be, Peeps?  I'm betting on one of my kids.

This Saturday is the big day: The Akron Marathon.  I am in taper mode, and it is UGLY.  If you want to find me before the race, look in a dark corner where I'll be rocking in the fetal position and crying. Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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A Snapping Turtle Meaner than Me

Megan and I ran 13 miles on the Towpath last Sunday.  The weather was perfect, but the run seemed difficult because we were both wondering how we were going to DOUBLE that mileage and then add .2 FREAKING miles in a few weeks.  Shelby tells me not to think about it, but it's hard to turn off the crazy, you know what I'm saying?

The monster snapping turtle helped distract us from our angst:

Seriously, he was YUGE!

He was blocking half of the Towpath, and we were afraid to cross in front of him because snapping turtles have those long, snakelike necks AND we thought he might lunge for us.  It was an existential problem, too: Can I really run faster than a turtle?

I was too afraid to find out.

Then, a man ran past us, totally in the zone with his earbuds, didn't even look at the turtle, and ran right in front of him.  Nada.  He left with all his toes intact.  So, after some nervous squealing, we ran as fast as we could past the turtle.  He looked pissed, but he didn't try to bite us.

Stephani and Megan: 1, Turtle: 0

We began our run with members of TORN (The Ohio Runners Network), and I caught up with them at Szalay's later when I bought some corn.

Notice that I am the blogger, but I am the ONLY ONE who never knows where the camera is.

Other fun surprises:

My Ragnar belt buckle arrived!  It is so heavy!

Also, I know you never see me without a Bondi Band (Click here to order from them and use my code, TroubleRun, for a discount), so here is a recent picture when the Kabyle Chef actually took a night off and we had dinner out:

My hair is purplish-pink now!  I love it!

Speaking of dinner, I really need to regain control of my eating.  I've stopped my nightly glass of wine with dinner (since the Chef isn't there to enjoy it with me), but I've replaced it with ice cream.

Alas.

I fear the taper will not help this situation.

How is your taper going, Peeps?  Ready to kill anyone yet?  Have you eaten all your kids' candy bars?  No? Just me, huh?

Well, I hope you do better than I traditionally do.  Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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I'm Handling It (The Taper). I Am.

As many of you know, "tapering" is when an athlete cuts down on workouts in both length and intensity to recover and prepare for an event.  Usually I pretend to taper before a race, but I don't really do it.  This year, because I have been actually training for the 8k/Half Marathon Challenge, I thought I should do it up right.  I decided to cut down the mileage by about 1/3 and replace my intervals with a slow and easy run.

It figures that the week in which I cut down on mileage and intensity is an incredibly stressful week.  Of course.

This is EXACTLY how I look on the outside when I am stressed out. 

I often joke that there is no problem that food and booze can't cure, but runners know this isn't true.  I NEED running.  I NEED intensity.  When I get restless, I want to hurt people.

This is EXACTLY how I look on the inside when I'm stressed out.

  It's difficult to take part in a two-hour meeting knowing that there will be no run to shake off the negative vibes.  It's difficult to shelter students from an irate parent in the parking lot who has just pulled a gun (true story--my Friday) and then come home to. . .no run.

Yoga just doesn't take care of that.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm de-stressing after school.  I look great with blonde hair, eh?

One thing I have done to take off some of the pressure is to stop logging my calories in My Fitness Pal.  I am a wee bit obsessive about it, and because I live to eat, it would be too difficult for me to think about those calories that I'm just not taking care of as efficiently as I could with running.  I'm still trying to make good food choices, and I'm still counting in my head, but I am also telling myself that there is only so much I can handle during this time.  I weighed myself once, and I've dropped two pounds, but that could be water weight.  I'll probably start logging calories again after the half marathon.

Today I ran with Shelby; we did nine miles in the sun on the Towpath.  Running with a friend is the BEST way to handle a taper.  I am able to bitch and moan to Shelby about everything going on, and she knows the best way to pretend to listen to me.  I love you, Shelby.

I'm going to end today with my traditional Mother's Day video.  A word of warning: If you are offended by Mike Polk or the word MILF, well, why are you reading my blog?  Anyway, DON'T click on this if you are sensitive.  It's hilarious and you might not be able to handle it.

Happy Mother's Day to all my Mother Peeps.  We are all MILFS to somebody.



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Join me at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon, Peeps!  Click here to register or volunteer.

Taper Begins. . .NOW!

This Sunday I ran my 12 miles before taper.  It was incredibly humid, like running though a jungle, but Heather and I got through it just fine.  We even kicked it up a notch in the last mile, mostly because I was so sick of running by then, and I just wanted to be done.

There were plenty of geese on the Towpath, and they were defending their goslings, so they were mean and scary.  I hate when geese hiss at you.  Freaking snakes with wings.

This is EXACTLY how those geese looked.

We saw plenty of turtles sunning themselves on logs in the river:

Look!  It's the Towpath Turtles! (See what I did there?)

I've been feeling a little soreness around the knees lately, so I pulled out the foam roller and HOLY GOD ALMIGHTY did that hurt like the bejesus!  I felt so much better afterward, though. I've got to bring that foam roller back into play more often.

This starts two weeks of tapering for me.  For those of you who don't know what tapering is, basically you cut down on your mileage in order to rest and recover before a race.  Most runners don't handle tapering very well; they feel antsy, and they want to hurt people.  Not me, though.  I'm cool as a cucumber. Really.  I'll be fine.  I will.

Wanna find out if the taper works out for me?  Join me in running (or volunteering) at the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon in two weeks. I'd love to see you there!  I promise I won't bite.  Much.

Until then, run happy, Peeps!

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Trust the Taper

This is taper time.  I'd like to say that I'm really embracing it, but the truth is that my week hasn't really been different than other weeks.  I ran two four-milers on Wednesday and Friday, and today I did a long run of ten miles.  I also ran in place for about fifteen minutes before lifting on Thursday, so I count that as a mile.  The only real change I made was to skip my Saturday run and/or walk, which usually was between four and six miles.  Maybe I'm not doing it correctly, but the 2015 Rite Aid Cleveland Half Marathon will be my seventh half marathon, and I've done it this way almost every time.

It's funny (maybe not funny haha) that I post each week about training when the reality probably is that I don't know what the hell I'm doing.  Am I running long enough during the week?  Is my speed run REALLY a speed run?  Are the weights heavy enough when I lift?  Should I be doing those sequences?  Who knows?  I see my esteemed fellow bloggers, and they all seem to have a plan.  My plan is always the same, and it is the mantra I recite while I fist bump whoever starts the race with me (if you are standing next to me in the corral, it might be you!):  No falling, no puking, no dying.  I used to say No Crying, but I think crying is now ok if it's because you are emotionally involved in getting to the finish line.

I do know, however, that I need to hold back this week, even if I feel like I want to run more.  Science says that tapering works, even though every runner I know secretly believes that it will weaken him/her and lead to a more difficult race.  Not true, Peeps.  My coach says the taper should make you feel like a horse, nervous to break out of the corral.  It does.  Oh, it does.

Today I gave myself a treat, and I ran my favorite ten mile loop.  It follows the fading blue line from the old Akron Marathon course through Sand Run Park, around the golf course, up to Highland Square, down Merriman past Stan Hywet Hall, and down, down, down hill back to Sand Run Parkway again.  The first four miles are pretty much uphill, so it is a challenge, but finding this on the path at Mile 1.5 lifted my spirits:

How cool is it to come upon a painting in a metropark?

I stopped long enough to take this picture and then scan the QR code to see what this is all about.  The code led me to Akron Art Museum's Inside/Out Tour.  If you follow the tour, you can find paintings like this all over Akron.  Here is the link to this particular painting.

It has been a long while since I've run this loop, and it gave me plenty to think about: lesson plans, this blog, my family, my career goals, and of course the race coming up this Sunday.  I also thought about how far I have come in strength and pace and overall physical fitness.  I even flashed back to my first blog post, which I composed while running this very loop.  As I ran downhill for the last mile, I felt like I was flying, and as I finished, the rain started.  Perfect timing!

This is EXACTLY how I look after running 10 miles in terrible humidity.  Oh wait. . .

THIS is EXACTLY how I look after running 10 miles in terrible humidity.

UPDATE:  We have a winner for the Gold Jacket 5k free entry!  Congratulations, Lyndsey H!  Check your email.

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