"The pride will last longer than the chafing.."

As of yesterday, I am officially a marathoner. I had doubts as to my sanity before, during, and after the race but the title remains. I have joined an elite group of people (<5% of the population) who can say "I have completed a marathon and lived to tell about it."

I think it was George Sheehan who said that "The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank." I believe that there are many other factors involved in becoming a runner but the fact remains that it only takes one race to earn the title of "Marathoner." Now, at this point it's too soon to decide if I'll ever do one again but the fact that I've done this one is beyond any expectation I had for myself when I first started running about 5 years ago.


I had originally set a goal of finishing the race in 5 hours or less. I was far from it (6hr20 minutes was my chip time, 6 hours of actual running if you count 2 bathroom stops & stretch breaks) but I sorely underestimated the course and even more, my abilities.

The race itself was pretty cool, all 26.2 miles of it (although my GPS registered about 26.4 by the time I remembered to push stop after the finish line). Here's a brief overview...

The weather was cool, probably cold by valley standards, and the first few miles were uneventful. We started at Union Square where we (my partner in crime, Kate) finally crossed the starting line at about 7:20 and continued through the financial district of San Francisco until we emerged onto the Embarcadero. Kate and I separated, and then met up briefly around mile 5. It was miles 6-7 that officially did me in the for the race.

It was mostly uphill and my hamstrings were pretty well shot when it finally leveled out, only to hit more hills until mile 10 or 11, when the half marathon split from the full. The scenery was beautiful, running through Golden Gate Park and then back towards the ocean, and eventually the finish line. I can't describe how unnerving it is to see the finish line and know you are no where near done with your race.

The marathon proceeded down the Great Highway around mile 17, paralleling those that were only 2 miles from the finish. That to me, was one of the hardest parts. Knowing that the finish line was again so close but I still had 8+ miles to go before I would be there.

Around mile 19, you begin to loop around Lake Merced. Not the most scenic but at least for my sake, it was flat. As you climb out of from Lake Merced, you begin the journey toward home with about 2.5 miles to go.

A lady we had met at the start in the port-a-potty line had mentioned that her fastest split times were the last 3 miles of the race. I didn't expect that to happen to me but when I hit mile 24, as my legs picked up speed (believe me it wasn't much), I began to realize what she was talking about. Something else takes over your legs and you move faster than you had thought you could after running that far for that long.

I had a lot of time to observe the people around me. You see a lot of emotions during a race of this magnitude and only those who have been there personally know what I'm talking about.

A race like this brings with it, many highs and lows- some of which you experience personally and some of which you experience from a distance. Near the turnoff for the half marathon finish, I heard a woman tell her coach/running partner, through tears "Don't leave me." It was all I could do not to break down in tears myself, even though there times of my own when I doubted my ability to finish the journey I had started. There were several of these moments during the race, mostly when there were no crowds or other runners around to focus my attention towards.

Along with those lows, there were many highs when the feelings of pain and weakness had seemingly subsided, even for mere moments. For brief spurts I felt invincible, strong, and able to fight off that little voice. The voice told me that I had reached my threshold, that I could take no more pain, to give up and make it stop. It's that ability to ignore those voices and push beyond the self-imposed threshold that separates the strong from the weak, both mentally and physically.

The title of my post comes from something I heard one woman tell her friend as they approached mile 24/25. I can only assume that she was complaining about how bad the chafing was and that the pride of finishing such a race, the marathon, would last way longer than the chafing will.

I, too, had some chafing issues of my own so I knew exactly where she was coming from. I also know the pride because, along with 19,999 other runners and walkers, I am a marathoner.

One week to go...

It's been a busy week. School, work, running (ok, not so much on the running but that's ok at this point)...time has been flyin by.

The race is next week and thus the taper portion of my training comes to a peak. For a marathon, a taper starts about 3 weeks before race day, after the longest run of 20 miles. It allows the body to rebuild, recover and prepare (little does it know) for race day. For a beginner, 20 miles is sufficient, or so I've read because 1-it's better to go in slightly undertrained than overtrained to the event and 2-the "rush" of race day will help to carry you through the remaining, unchartered miles. I've read that in so many places, I almost believe it.

With one week left there are a few parameters that need to be followed:
1-absolutely under no circumstances do not do or eat anything new: it would suck to get injured the last week before the race when I've managed to avoid it thus far. I think I'll manage crossing off another item from my life-list until after race day.
2-don't try to make up for lost training by doing extra this week: not a problem there
3-Avoid, if at all possible, anyone who looks like they might be sick: as the body is repairing and rebuilding, the immune system is already busy and you are more susceptible to colds, etc. another thing I've avoided all through training so alas, I'll do my best to not let it happen now.
4-With 3 days to go, my diet will be 65-70% carbohydrates: Most of you might think this is great but it does serve a purpose.

My muscles will soak up this energy, storing it as glycogen for use on race day. It's a slow process so 3 days of this, along with a breakfast of toast/oatmeal or something of the like on race day, will ensure my body has topped off it's so-called "gas tank" of energy. as much as I'd like to gorge myself on french fries and other carb-laden goodies, it's in my best interest to make these complex carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, pasta, and potatoes (not the fried kind - those can be saved for the post-race feelings of entitlement).

Last Friday I went and had a physical fitness assessment done. It was a lot information, some of which I was happy to hear, some I was not.

The good points - my cholesterol & blood pressure are good; I am somewhat above average when it comes to physical strength for my age (per the wall sit test and the 1-minute of sit-ups test); and I now have a better understanding of what paces I should run for the type of run I might be doing that day (easy runs, "tempo" runs, 10k races etc). All of which I wanted to know before I went into the test.

The bad - ok, not bad but stuff that's hard to hear when you already know it then having someone with an "M.D." or "Ph.D" after their name tell you about it in detail. After being poked and prodded, I discovered my body fat is too high (27.8%) and alas, I don't eat enough vegetables.

It was recommended (post-marathon) that my calorie intake not exceed 1800 cal/ day, including exercise (of which i was recommended - 4-6 days a week of running and 2-3 days of strength training). Based on my 3-day food log that I submitted prior to the test, I was averaging about 2200 calories a day (that I hadn't been aware of - wow!). A far cry from the 1800 but I chalked it up to those 3 days being days after I had just run 20 miles. No amount of excuses could get rid of the fact that even though I had run 20 miles, my choice of calories could've been better.

The nutritionist also said if I was feeling good, I could go as low as 1600 cal/day but to be aware of how I was feeling as far as energy, exercise, etc. My weight loss should be ~1 lb a week - enough to see results but not enough to feel deprived. My ratios would be about 55% carbs, 20-25% protein, and 20-25% from fat.

I've started using a program called fitday.com to help me out in tracking my calories based on her recommendations to make sure I'm on track and meeting my goal of a 10 lb. weight loss over the next few months. For now, I'm using the free program until I know I'm using it regularly and can justify the $20 for the full version.

You can create goals based on weight loss, a particular nutrient you might be lacking in, or your water intake. The search function takes some getting used to - instead of "Doritos" for example, you search by "tortilla chips, nacho cheese." You can also enter customized foods for more accuracy, or you can use their suggestions as an estimate. One of the better free programs I've found if you want to see how you're doing in you're overall health and not just by the calories you're eating.

So, after the race concludes and I'm back to just running for fun, my diet will take some overhaul. Nothing drastic at first (a few veggies in my eggs, more veggies at dinner) but something is always better than nothing. The holidays are fast approaching so the sooner I start making these small changes, the better prepared I'll be for the onslaught of goodies that awaits.

Hope everyone is well...

Two Weeks and Counting

Well, it's 2 weeks exactly to Marathon Day.

As anxious as I am for this day to be over with, I'm almost sad to see it come and go so quick. Of course, my thoughts would've been different had you asked me a week ago after doing 20 miles (I still don't believe it) but I am wondering what's next after this? Maybe I should ponder that after the race is over, haha.

Honestly though, I don't know if full marathons are quite my thing. The time and energy commitments are crazy and there are many sacrifices to be made. Maybe it would be easier if I wasn't in school? Who knows...At least I can say I did this one.

Next Friday, I'm doing a health & fitness assessment at UC Davis Sports Medicine. I'm hoping to make a few changes to my running that are geared toward me, not just women or my age group (ok, losing a few pounds would be great, too). The test includes:

1. A physical exam and questionnaire to assess disease risk.
2. Measurement of resting and exercise blood pressure, heart rate and heart rhythm (electrocardiogram).
3. Resting lung function assessment.
4. Measurement of body composition.
5. Tests for muscular strength and flexibility.
6. A graded exercise test with measurement of heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen consumption (VO2peak).
7. Explanation of test results and an individualized exercise prescription designed by an exercise physiologist.
8. Dietary analysis and counseling by a sports nutritionist. (separate visit)
9. Counseling session with our sports psychologist to help you stay motivated. (separate visit)
10. Optional blood analysis to assess risk for heart disease ($50)

I'm anxious to see what happens because I feel like I don't have a lot of direction. Formulas for heart rate, VO2 Max, all that stuff is so broad and I want to know what my personal stats are. Ground zero, per se. Where I'm at and where I could be. Potential is a great motivator sometimes, I'm learning.

On the other hand, I have found a few favorites that might keep me running even if won't be for 26.2 miles at one time. I found this shirt recently at a local running store - the Saucony Elite Speed Melange. I'm considering wearing it for the race since it's cute, comfortable, and the chafe-factor has been zero.


My shoes of choice are the Saucony ProGrid Guide. I originally got it in a standard width but having a blister on my pinky toe convinced me I needed a little more room. I just WISH they came in something other than a blue/white color combo (I loved the lime green of the first pair). Ah well, comfort over style is kinda the name of the game for a race that long.