Life goes on

Friday: me and Clifton took the East River Ferry to get to the Javit's Center in Manhattan to get my running bib.  The expo was big; a lot of people as excited as I was to get their race number, I had fun being surrounded with other runners.  It took us a while to get there without the subways crossing between Brooklyn and Manhattan.  It's a pain in the ass to get places.  We took the bus to cross on the west side and half of the way was still without power!

We got back home just as my family started to arrive from Montreal ready to cheer me on for the big race when I saw the announcement that it was cancelled.

Less than 48 hours before the race..."Really???" 
Seriously, I couldn't believe it; you know when you receive unexpected news that just seems impossible?  Well that was Friday night! 

So the marathon is cancelled, not postponed and we have no refund at all from the $250 entry fee we paid which is also unbelievable!  You would think I would have a free entry for next year's marathon; not even! 

The only positive thing I heard is that it will give me a guaranteed entry for the NYC half-marathon (because I earned my marathon entry with all of my races I ran this past year) which is also a lottery since a lot of runners try to run it.  It's gonna be in March!

We are good doing it in Quebec and it's the first time I see it happen here which gives me hope for the human race: New Yorkers who stood up for themselves and spoke up against something that didn't make sense for them: and they won!

I understand that Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of problems so on Tuesday, when they said they didn't know if the marathon was still on or not I was ready to accept that it might be postponed or cancelled.  But Wednesday the news was: "The marathon is on" so I assumed they had everything under control!  Here in Williamsburg we had damages but nothing serious, we didn't get hit hard at all so I figured they had everything under control; NOT!!!

I am not debating that these people need help, some of them lost everything and they are trying to survive.  I saw a video about houses destroied on Staten Island and I understand how offensive it must have been to have a marathon village being built there when they are next to it without houses. 

Still, it doesn't change the fact that after 2 years of preparation it is really disappointing!!!

Now I am debating if I should try to find another marathon for the next month or really take the time to recover from my shin-splint and find one for next spring...

After doing 4 months of solid training I don't feel like adding another few weeks to this, especially now that I tapered and that the only run I had left was the marathon!!!  But if I don't do one in a month or so it means that I will have to build up for more than just 4 weeks of running.  Man!!! I was soooo ready to be done with it!  I think if I wait for Spring, I will find one in another country to add another experience to it!

Last year's goal was a half-marathon:
Which was cancelled by Hurricane Irene.

This year's goal was a full marathon:
Which was cancelled by Hurricane Sandy.



There is something going on between me and hurricanes!

2 days 'til the end

Today, after having 3 classes of Deep Water Running cancelled in a row and tired of cycling I decided to run 4 miles.  My body kept on reminding me that I haven't exercised enough lately & it affects my mood; so I ran.  Tonight didn't go that well since I have been resting a lot for the past few weeks and it doesn't seem to do anything to repair that leg!  For the last 3 days I felt "pins & needles" in my toes frequently.  So while running tonight my leg was tight and hurting the whole way and when I got home my shin-splint was swollen, very visibly swollen even though I took a really low pace.  So I put my leg in an ice-chest with ice and water and tried to rescue it even though I was taking a risk of losing a toe by freezing it and yet still I don't know... I have been doing everything I could so whatever happens, happens.

Everything else is ready but that injury is nagging me.  If I have to stop during the race this will be the reason why so I am mentally ready to accept it if I don't make it to the finish line. I am after all qualified for next year as well...

It is still my birthday (23:35) & I am having a cocktail to celebrate it of course, I doubt it will make anything worse at this point right?  I spent the whole day not feeling like it was my birthday & I kept on forgetting about it until I got a new "Happy Birthday" lol.

Man, I really hope everything goes well on Sunday (that is why my birthday isn't important today) I can't take that race off of my mind!!!  My family will get here tomorrow; it will be a fun weekend!  The weather will be cold but sunny which is perfect!  I am starting to think that maybe I should wear longer pants than shorts to run in.  It was cold out there tonight when I ran.  Seriously, at least can I save myself from a cold?  It got colder all of a sudden.  So I will decide tomorrow if I need to worry about the longer pants!

Tomorrow I will also go and pick up my race number!!!  This will be so exciting, I am sure the expo will be full of energy from all the runners there!

This is my use of a wine cooler sleeve, perfect for icing calve aches & shin-splints!

What to do, what to do???

Today's 5 miles was a good race!  When I woke up at 6h30, I was really happy to read that the race was still happening!  It was on stand-by because of the weather of course; Sandy had me on my toes with this race.  Last year I registered for the exact same race and it was cancelled last minute because of the weather.  Two years in a row would have sucked!  I didn't sleep well last night, not sure if it's because next Sunday is frightening me or if it was just the fact that this race was on stand-by...

No matter how many races I run in Central Park, I just love this park!  It was really nice Fall weather & the leaves are starting to change colors; it was really pretty!  Everybody seemed happy to be there & it ended up not raining at all!  The finish line is the actual marathon finish line so I will be running it again next week... There is a dreadful little last hill just 0.1 mile from the end that I already know will be the "coup de grace"...

When I started running my right leg was tight and painful.  Not as much as last week's 15 miles: not the same sharp pain and not for miles & miles!  I did less than half a mile and the pain disappeared.  Of course right now it's another story since my leg is hurting and with Sandy, my Deep Water Running class will be cancelled :(

No...I am not on the picture...

Today was also my 9th races of the year which means I have a guaranteed entry for next year's marathon :)  This is always a spirit lifter to have achieve it once again.  What? I am prepared just in case...

There was 4893 runners today and I finished #992, I had a personal record of 7:52min/mile  *4:47min/km.  It was actually 7:42 but I ended up running more than 5 miles again!

This morning I stretched carefully, it was my first run since last Tuesday.  Five days of rest felt like it was enough for a shin splint.  Yesterday I changed my 6 mile run for cardio at the YMCA.  I didn't feel like cycling for an hour so I printed myself a one-day trial pass and went right here in Greenpoint, not many people training on a Saturday afternoon.  For some reason, the elliptical left me with pain even without any hard impact on my legs.
Other than that it was a good training, I worked-out hard, especially since I never think that cross-training is as good as running.

I am annoyed, this leg is the only reason possible for me not to finish the marathon.  I would be really disappointed if I was to quit in the middle of it, not that it would be the end of the world but it's so much work!!! I don't know if I would have the courage to go through all that again next year if I don't finish this one.  I will be positive for once: I am ready, I will finish it!!!

Maybe this week I will try acupuncture, yes, I am at that point...

6 DAYS LEFT

My new dilemma: should I wear my gps watch for the marathon?

When I did the 18 miles I forgot it at home and ended up being right on target of my marathon goal pace.  I am thinking that maybe it is a better idea to just go with "what feels right" instead of keeping a pace.

I am not sure if I trust myself to go without it.  I would not be sure that I would be going the right pace, especially since my runs have often changed to cross-training in the pass few weeks.  My last 15 miles would have taken forever to finish if I wouldn't have paid attention to my time.  I was going slower than ever and kept on pushing myself to be in my average time for long runs.

Maybe the race would be more enjoyable if I was just going with the idea of "finishing" instead of aiming for a 4 hour limit... I don't know!!!!  I like the idea of focusing on my time but I would also like just to go out there, run, have fun and finish when I finish.

What to do, what to do???

One thing that will be bugging me if I do use it, it's the fact that I will probably run 27 miles with the gps on my wrist and every step pass 26.2 will be a real drag! If I don't wear it I will not focus on that!  I will sleep over this, hopefully 6 nights will be enough for me to make up my mind!

Deep Water Running is the jam

Last Sunday ended up being a bad idea to run after all.  I did more research on shin splints only to discover that I would have saved myself some trouble (and pain) if I would have taken it more seriously when it wasn't hurting that much.  I am now very close to having a stress fracture... oh well, nothing I can do about it except to really give my leg a rest!

I can't say if it's a better idea to take a break from running or to push through.  After all, most of the athletes out there don't stop for every little pain their body feels;  I listen to my body but I have to push further than the limits to know where my limit is...

Since it's my first marathon, following my program gives me some comfort.  After all the book I'm using is written by someone who has plenty of experience on the matter so I trust him more than myself.  Even if I had run every mile out of it I would still feel unprepared so having to rest when I am supposed to run is stressful.  Maybe I need to have more faith in myself.  It's really exciting with the unknown that comes with it but at the same time, I wish I knew what I was getting myself into before it happens. 

So this past week I only ran 4 miles on Tuesday.  My leg was really painful as I started but was better after the second mile.  I did a personal record of 7:47min/mile!  The thing with personal records is that you really push it the whole run for finishing (in this case) 40 seconds faster!  If I would have taken it easy I would have added less then a minute but would have had a nice and easy run...It's okay,  I run so little these days that the pain felt good.

Wednesday morning I knew that I couldn't keep it up until the marathon.  If I did I would run the entire 4 hours (and something) with a really painful leg and probably end up with a stress-fracture so I searched for anything that could keep me training without the impact of running on my leg and I found the perfect cross-training/recovery treatment possible:

Deep Water Running!!!

It's only 3 times a week but it's definitely better than nothing!  I had my first session yesterday and it is a really intense class!  You wear a belt with 4 floaters which only keeps your head out of the water.  Then it's 45 minutes of intense aerobic work that mimics running in water so I get the workout without the impact on my legs!  It also speeds up injury recovery which is something I need right now!  It is known to improve running posture and speed.  I went for a second class tonight and the workout was different which I appreciated but was hard if not more than last night.  We practiced the same as if I was running uphill, downhill, on flat surfaces, and with the water resistance it was a real challenge to "Push It To The Max!" 

I LOVE IT!!!

I recommend it for anyone who wants to cross-train for fun or because of an injury.

On my way there (the class is on the Upper East Side) I was reading my NYRR marathon official program and I was so excited about next week!!!  To see all the ads in the city and the marathon route with orange panels over the lamp-lights on the city streets there is no way for me not to be tickled about it!!!

I will rest tomorrow, go for a bike ride Saturday, and hope for a good race on Sunday morning.  It is my last race before the marathon and it will give me a good idea of how my leg feels.  I hope everything I am doing will bring me up to top shape on the starting line!

This is the most exciting time ever!!!  I think I will need to do some yoga to keep me from staying awake at night :)

I am almost there

So here I am, 2 weeks before the marathon.

When I look back at the last 2 years, I learned a lot about running.  Preparing for a marathon is much more complex than I was expecting it to be.

It was not always easy.  I have experienced many ups and downs, had a few mental struggles, and learned to love it even at moments that I was hating it with every fiber of my body.

To keep on running I needed a lot of self discipline to stay focused.  I have managed to keep it up year-round with the different weather, while I was sick, on vacation, and simply when I would have chosen to do anything else other than running.  To go for 4 miles here and there is easy but to be consistent makes some of those 4 miles a real pain in the ass.

Today I was running 15 miles.  I am now 2 weeks away from getting my weekends back: freedom!!! 

To be ready for a Sunday long run I have had to make sure I would get a good night sleep on Friday (since I never sleep well the night before).  Saturday I had to keep it easy going, eat well, don't drink alcohol, stay hydrated, and go to bed at a reasonable time since Sunday morning I have to get up around 6 o'clock.  Sunday's start at 6h00,  I would start running around 8-8h30 which means I get done around 11h30 then comes the hydration, food, stretching, showering... so by the time I get done half of the day has gone by and I'm exhausted!  Yes, I can't wait to get my weekends back!

This past week I ran less than usual because of my shin splint: I went for 2 bicycle trainings, ran 5 miles Wednesday, 3 miles on Saturday, and 15 miles today.

Every run I had this week wasn't hurting much while I was on the road but was painful afterward.  Today it was something new: it was hurting badly from the first step.  At first I thought I wouldn't make it to 15 miles.  I was gonna run as much as I could tolerate and deal with that.  I finished my 15 miles!  The first 5 miles where hurting my right shin and my heel like Hell but the next 10 miles where "ok", not comfortable but "ok".  There was no way I could follow the pace I had set, I was almost a minute slower each mile.  I could tell I had been skipping a lot of runs because 15 miles wasn't as easy as it would normally be and it was hard for my body.   I was disappointed to be struggling for 15 miles right when I am starting to taper down.  How am I gonna manage to do 26.2?

Hopefully the next 2 weeks I will be able run all that is left from my program.

The first runner's book I read 2 years ago was talking about every little aspect of running from A to Z.  At first I had no idea what they were talking about for most of it! As the 2 years have past I have gotten familiar with every aspect of running and this marathon will just close the subject for me.

Not that I am going to stop running but I have learned all I need to learn about it and I wonder what will be the next thing to keep me moving...

Pictures from today:

We drove to Bay Ridge.  Clifton is getting his bike ready.

After the first few miles

Under the Verrazano Bridge

In a little park

By the water (AKA the Atlantic Ocean)

In my last few miles

Almost done!!!

This is it: 15 miles complete!!!

"OMG!" this was a tough one

Clifton made it too!

5 Bridges run

I am so SOOOOOOOORE and exhausted!!!

Today was my last "Over 20 mile run" until the marathon. What a relief!!!  I did 20 miles, I decided yesterday not to push it over that.  It is common in many running programs that tapering starts tomorrow.  Since last week's half-marathon my right heel and shin was incredibly painful so I cross-trained Tuesday and Wednesday to give it a break but Thursday & Friday were still really painful to run.  I was not sure about running my long run today thinking that I should save my foot for only one long maybe it should be for the marathon.

Today was a hard run, I figured it out pretty fast so I wasn't surprised to have a hard recovery.

So yesterday I had to do something about my heel and my shin splint, I had trouble walking so I couldn't see myself running on it.  As I said in a earlier post: I am done worrying about it.  I went to the running store, got myself some compression socks for my shin splint and KT tape for both my heel and shin.  Wow, tape has come a long way since I had to used it for volleyball in high school!  This tape is pretty amazing.  Once I put it on I wasn't even feeling it so it was not in the way of my movement;  pretty amazing!

8h48am at Oslo Coffee Shop

Last night getting ready for today's run I soaked my feet in iced cold water, then in hot water with Epsom salt, then I stretched with my TP therapy kit, put some Bengay on it, took some Advil and went to bed: the whole treatment for desperate people in need of a miracle.

This morning I woke up, stretched my foot before I got out of bed and put my compression socks on before standing on my feet.  When I took my first steps out of the bed it was actually not so bad!!!  Having socks up to my knees reminded me of high school ;)  I highly recommend these socks, it really feels good for the leg muscles!

We left for the run at 9 o'clock, which is an hour later than I wanted since I had my breakfast at 6.  2 hours before is usually the winner for me, especially for a 3 hours & something run.  I ate a banana just before starting and my stomach was acting weird: "oh-oh"...

Bridge #1: Williamsburg

I ran 5 bridges today:
We started with the Williamsburg Bridge, than the Queensboro, than the Welfare Island Bridge for Roosevelt Island, we did 2 loops of the island, then came back by the same bridge and finally the Pulaski Bridge.

Bridge #1: Williamsburg

The United Nations

At mile 7 my right heel started to be painful but not intensely.  My legs were cramping a lot starting around mile 8 and kept on cramping until the end.

Bridge #2: Queensboro

I knew I was gonna make my 20 miles but it was suffering, really different than the 21 miles I did 2 weeks ago.  I had my intestines cramping as well so I knew I was probably not digesting my Shot Bloks as easily which would explain why it was so hard today and why my legs were so cramped up.

It was overcast and cold.  Roosevelt Island was really windy and I had to fight through it to keep going forward, I was happy to be on my way home after I left the island!  My legs were going high enough to run but they felt super heavy, I had to make sure not to trip over uneven surfaces.

Bridges 3 & 4: Roosevelt Island with the previously run Queensboro Bridge in the background.

I am happy it's done but the hours after were awful: I was dizzy, nauseated, sore, had mild GI distress and almost passed out in the shower.  I had to cut it short to lay on my bathroom floor when I started seeing black.  My whole body was in shut-down mode.   I went to bed, didn't sleep well at all and now here I am, it's 7 o'clock about to have dinner and probably sleep some more!!!

Bridge #5: Pulaski

Bye bye cocktails

From now on until after the marathon: no more cocktails.

I know, how am I gonna survive with all those great bottles of alcohol right in my living room right?  Well, I have the "okay" to keep drinking wine.  I was the only person in that decision making so the debate was short...  As I decided to stop the cocktails delight yesterday, I treated myself to a Absinthe-Colada at "Maison Première" and 2 carondolets: 2 delicious cocktails everyone should try once in their life!

I am young, I am not gonna restrict myself (too much) on the good things of life for a marathon when I know at the end I will be suffering anyway!

It is stressful to be injured so close from the big day.  I don't want to screw up my training because of a little pain but I don't want to screw up the race because I don't "listen" to my pain.  Knowing exactly what to do is impossible because it comes to "listen to your body" but until you experience it once, you can't really tell.  Ok; so it hurt.  Some say rest, some say train carefully, but at the end you will only know if you made the right decision afterward...  This weekend's long run is my biggest and last long-run before the marathon so I need to run it but at the same time, will running it injure me enough to stop me from doing the marathon?  The next 2 weeks I will be tapering so this last week of 38 miles is really important in my training but is it better for me to cut back to save my leg or is cutting back now fucking with my Marathon on the 4th of November?  I hate the unknown. I hate unpredicted guessing after 2 years of preparation and I hate not to be in control.  Life is just cruel to me right now!!!

So since Sunday, my pain hasn't stopped or diminished which isn't keeping me on my "zen" side.  Monday I was off training, I took Tuesday and Wednesday for cross-training so I biked my normal running time.  2 days in a row was actually not that easy since I am not a biker and I got a little sore.

Today was the big day: I went running 4 miles on my already hurt leg. Well, it could have been better but I guess it could have been worse.  It is hurting just walking so yeah, running was not that enjoyable BUT I was really happy to run.  I never go 3 days without running and I really needed it.  I stayed in the 9min/mile since it was easier on the leg.  I tried to get to my regular pace but it was like sticking a knife in my shin so I slowed back down.

That whole right foot/lower leg area is just a mess: the shin splint I know how to deal with it since it started almost 2 years ago but the ankle pain is new and unnecessary.  Maybe it's my new insoles since it makes my running shoes way much harder in the bottom and my feet are used to more cushioning.   Since I land too much on my heel when I run, I guess the insoles where too much of a change for the mileage I am already doing.  I have been working on my landing for a few months now but it's hard to kill old habits!  If I was at 15 miles a week it would have probably hurt but I would have managed to work with it but I started using them the day I was doing 18 miles during a week I was running 35 miles so yeah, another beginner's mistake here!

Tonight I put in the regular shoe insole instead of the hard one to give it a try but it's hard to tell since it hurts anyway!  The pain started on my shin splint, then moved to my heel, and then under my foot.  At some point I was stepping on the sidewalk and the joint between my leg and my ankle cracked: weirdest feeling ever.  Painful at a really low level but still just weird!!!

So here I am:
3 weeks and a half from the marathon and no matter what -I am running it- but hopefully not agonizing the whole way and beyond. 

I am hard to kill....