Marine Corps Marathon 2009

Left to right: Ros, Jonathon, Holly, Tammie, Yogi, Heather, Lana, Lee, and Tim

9 runners. 1 spouse (Thank you, Susan!). 1 sister-n-law(Thank you, Denise!). A Mercedes. A Marine Corps Marathon. Manchester meets Washington D.C. for MCM!

The 2009 Marine Corps Marathon was and is the only long distance event on my calendar this year.2008 was the year of a lifetime, but 2009, well, not so much. If you've followed me at all on Twitter, Facebook, or on the occasion that I actually do post a blog entry here, you probably know it's been a roller coaster ride. Train hard for a week, do nothing for a week. Get up at 4 a.m. for a week, then hit-snooze-until-I'm-almost-late-for-work for a week. I've been in and out of doing MCM more times than I care to mention. So, when I finally got a decent 20 miler in the books 2 weeks prior to race day, I made the decision to go. I really had no goals that I would have ever mentioned in public, but I'll just be honest with you...somehow I was secretly hoping I was Super Girl and could go bust out a sub-4. Hehehe...yeah, go ahead and laugh. My marathon PR is a 3:56.This was seriously a recession-proof trip. We arrived in D.C. Saturday, ate lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen, took the metro to the expo, ate dinner back at the Embassy Suites where we were staying, crammed the girls in one room, the guys in another, and depended on Denise, Yogi's sister-in-law and a local resident, to transport us to the race Sunday morning. Then back to the hotel after the race to get to head home. If you ever wonder if a Mercedes is actually worth the extra money, let me go ahead and answer that question once and for all - Hell Yes, it's worth it. That thing is like one of those tents in Harry Potter - you can just keep cramming people into it! Note that this was a car, not an SUV...but it rolled us all the way to the Pentagon in time for the race start, when the line on the shuttles would have made us at least an hour late. (Note to self - and anyone else planning on doing MCM in the future: Do NOT wait until an before race start to catch the shuttle. You won't make it in time...not even close.)

So we all made it to the start line and wished each other good luck. Yogi, Holly, Lee and Jonathon were out of site before I even knew what was going on. I ran with Tim, and Heather, Tammie and Ros jumped into the crowd somewhere behind us. There were so many people you really couldn't move. We kind of just cruised along at the pace of everyone around us for the first couple of miles, and then I got impatient. It was a beautiful day, I felt halfway decent, and I had a huge rush of adrenaline just from the fact that I was back at the races. It had been almost exactly 51 weeks since I had done anything of the sort (IMFL), and I certainly did feel like myself again. You know what I mean, right? That uncertainty of what's going to happen - because it's 26.2, anything can happen, the beautiful sunrise promising a great day to run, the OMG how I love the marathon, all the people, the sheer excitement, the butterflies, the I-will-do-this-if-I-have-to-crawl-to-the-finish-line. You know what I'm talking about. Go 51 weeks without it, when you've been used to it, and see if you don't get overly excited and overly confident in yourself too.

And that's what I was - overconfident. When I finally saw a little bit of daylight through the crowd, I went too fast. Some of the miles were close to 8 minutes. At one time, Tim even came right out and told me that we needed to check up. I crossed the halfway mark around 1:53 still feeling pretty good. Mile 15 came, though, and I knew I was starting to slow down. Mile 16 I finally found the port-a-potty I needed, Mile 17 hurt like 7 hells trying to get my legs going again, and at Mile 18 I was done by all manners of any kind of respectful marathon running. Mile 20 brought the cramps in my calves and the death march -the run as far as I could, then walk until I could run again and repeat. I crossed the finish line at 4:16:53. I remember seeing the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial, other than that I can't really tell you too much else about the course. One thing that I thought was really cool about the finish of this marathon was all the people...there were tons crossing the finish line with me. Normally it's fairly sparse, a person here or there, but getting to the finish line here was almost as crowded as starting out. Lots of encouragement to get there...I even heard one guy yell for someone to "RUN!" when they stopped to walk - and they did! Haha!

We all reconveined and took an adventure trip (read - every damn road in D.C. was closed) back to the Embassy Suites, and then to Denise's house for some of the best food and the best shower I've had in a long time! The adventure actually lasted so long that Lee missed his flight and got the priviledge of riding back with me, Susan and Yogi - 10 hours to Manchester. I got up and made it to work the next day, with the help of that good office coffee - 2 cups, instead of my normal 1.

Soooo glad to be done!!! Ros, Yogi, Tammie, Lee, Lana, Holly, Tim, Heather, Jonathon

What I loved about this race:

- Great friends can make a painful marathon not so painful. Yeah, I was disappointed in my time, but who cares - I had a freakin' blast with all my runnin' buddies!!

- The marines on the course and the general patriotic you feeling you got while being involved.

- The woman we met on the subway. We met a lady, also from TN, who was there for the marathon and had recently lost her husband in Iraq. And her two sons are there now. When the pain set in at mile 18, all I could think about was her...and how what I was feeling was nothing even close to pain. It's only because of this woman's sacrifice, and many others, that we are able to do this stuff.

- It really is a cool course, if you're not hurting too bad to pay attention. We were up close and personal with many of the monuments.

- It's not hilly. Nope, it's not. I mean there are a couple hills during the first 7 miles, but they aren't anything to get worked up over. They have a nice downhill on the other side, too.

- The crowd support. Geez...there was 26.2 miles of crowd support in this one. You gotta love it when you don't have to wave goodbye to all the half marathoners and the crowds at the half point and take the lonely road of faith.

- Ros qualified for Boston. Ros kicked ass. Major ass. 3:43 ass. Boston Ass. LOVE. IT.

- The buffet at the Embassy Suites the night before. Good stuff.

- The medal, the l/s shirt, the coin, and the patch. Very cool.

Lee, Heather, Jonathon, Tammie, Holly, Lana, Ros, Tim

Heather, Lee, Yogi, Tim @pre-race dinner

Holly, Tammie, Yogi, Jonathon, Lana, Tim, Ros, Heather, Lee @pre-race dinner

What I didn't love about this race:

- Water stops. Sorry, but after mile 18 I need a water stop every mile. Not sure if it's mental or what, but I need it. I swear at one point I think I went over 3 miles before I came to one. Some girl even offered me her half-drank bottle of water, and I will be forever grateful for her. No worries about the swine flu when you are about die of thirst.

- The post-race festivities were too far away. Dude - I hate to admit it, but once I got my medal I hit the grass for a few minutes. I'm glad I did, too, because I had to walk what seemed like another two or three miles to the family meetup area.

What I learned at this race:

- It's worth it to get up at 4:00 a.m. and run in the dark because the plan says to. Just like I always use to say. It's still true. It's still the same. Baby, babe your still the same.

- It's not worth it to sleep in and hit snooze. And skip runs. You WILL regret it.

- Don't go after a goal you haven't trained for just because you get all caught up in the excitement of the event.

- It helps to have your own luxury taxi service at the race venue. Denise and Susan-you are angels sent from God, girls.

- I love my running peeps very, very much. I already knew that, but now I know it more.

What's next?!?! I'm headed to NYC to support my super fast sister - Holly Jane - at the NYC Marathon!! I will serve as head cheerleader and co-photographer alongside The Flash and Kathy. Go Holly!!

Track Me

Ok, I got my bib for MCM...I'm #16690. I posted it on Facebook, but nobody laughed so maybe I'm the only one that thinks that's funny.

....moving right along...

I did actually taper this week. I ran 6 Monday and 4 Wednesday and that is all. I might run a fast 2 tomorrow. Maybe. I didn't swim or bike at all. I did lift weights on Monday and over did it a bit, but it was mostly upper body, and I'm not that sore anymore so all should be good.

I'm flying to D.C. Saturday morning and riding back with Yogi (who will have just kicked my @ss in the marathon) and Susan after the race. The only site seeing being done will obviously be whatever the course has in store. I've heard it's great, so it should suffice.

I'm excited!!! No, this is not gonna be a PR. I'm undertrained and a bit over stressed lately, but let me just say this. I love running. Running makes me feel good, and it makes me feel strong. I haven't been very faithful to it in 2009, but we are tight again. I heart it. And for whatever it's worth, I plan on running my heart out in D.C.

Wanna track me? Go here: http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=32

First name = Lana
Last name = Sain
Bib# 16690

You should get updates on your cell phone.

I love you, peeps. All of you.

Peace out.

I Can Still Rock the Long Run

2009 has not exactly been my year when it comes to endurance sports. I've struggled. I've battled with burnout, with time management, and with keeping my priorities in check. I've had times when I felt strong, and times when I've wondered who in heaven's name that girl was that did Ironman Florida last year. I signed up for the Marine Corps Marathon thinking this would give me a somewhat worthy goal, and a reason to put my running shoes back on with some consistency.

Wrong.

Consistency didn't happen. The mental fortitude I had developed over the last several years dissipated into the sheets that I stayed covered up in when the alarm clock went off. So a few weeks ago, about 4 weeks out from the marathon, I decided I'd make a run at a comeback. I got up early and had some good 6 - 8 milers, and then last weekend gave a 20 miler a shot. My longest run to that point had been a 13 miler.

I tanked.

Terribly. I felt like deja vu from the Rocket City Marathon in '07. Weak, nauseated, cold sweats, no energy. I don't know if this due to a particularly hard week I had, or a combination of things, but I couldn't go another step after about 12.5. My good friend, Jay, ran back to his house and gave me a ride back to my car.

Having a run like that haunts me from then until I redeem myself. So yesterday, I set out for redemption. It was raining when I got up at 4:00, but I really wanted to run. I had kept myself hydrated the days before and acted like the "old Lana" who prepared herself for the task at hand. I wanted to run. Thankfully, Tim wanted to run, too, and we took off in the sprinkling rain. It rained for the first 3 or 4 miles, and then stopped. I felt strong, and even when I didn't feel strong, I pushed on. I wanted that 20. Tim did the first 17 with me and had to go. I finished out the last 3 on my own. And ended up with a pace around 8:35.

That's right...this momma can still rock the long run. Bring on MCM! I'm only left with a 2 week taper and not much of a training base, so it's going to hurt, but bring it on anyway.

I'm Alive

I ran 10 miles today. I ran 6 miles Monday. I took the LSAT Saturday. I've got lots on my mind. I'm not trained for MCM. Still debating on whether I will make it to D.C. I'm doing the MS Jack N Back ride this weekend - 150 RT - and the most I've done in months was a 2 hr trainer ride Saturday. I miss Ironman training. I miss my training friends. I miss Greyhound, Trimama, TacBoy, Bigun and Di.

It sounds bad, I know. But I'm getting it back together, one step at a time. Life is still a beautiful thing...sometimes you just have to rearrange things in order to see it clearly.

Peace and Love...

Beautiful Earth

I really should have a picture for this post, but I just didn't want to stop my bike and lose my momentum to take a picture. I just wanted to pedal through it and enjoy as I rode my bike to work this morning. I've committed to commuting to work via Doc Holiday (my TT bike) at least once a week. And ya know what, I really like it. Is it just me, or is there something really cool about riding a bike to actually get somewhere instead of just to force physical adaptation to a higher intensity? I don't know, maybe it's just me. The point was, though, that the earth is just beautiful. I rode over the Normandy Lake bridge on my way to Tullahoma and the sun was reflecting off the steaming lake. It's something I've seen quite a few times, but there was just something about it today. Maybe it was because I almost stayed in bed a little longer and opted to burn petroleum on Hwy 55 instead of carbohydrates/fat along the backroads. Getting out the door is always the hardest part. Maybe it was because my average was looking better than last week's average, and the ride actually ended up being 2.5 minutes faster. Or maybe it was because I really felt like myself again out there. I've been doing more of what I said I'd do. Not perfect, but making progress.

I had a good week last week. I didn't make it to run with the group Friday morning, but I made up for it by doing a 14 mile trail run in midday in the heat and humidity. I love the solitude of trail running. This week, I ran 4 at lunch on Monday and 6 yesterday (Wednesday). I didn't make it on the bike Tuesday, but I am commuting today. I'm running long tomorrow, and I'm riding long Saturday. Not exactly 'PR Marathon Training,' but it's all good for now.

There's a lot of hurt in the world. I think sometimes I don't slow down long enough to really see it, or maybe I just avoid looking at it because I don't want to slow down; but that doesn't mean it's not there. A little boy on Briar's baseball team dove into a swimming pool back in the summer and broke his neck. 14 years old, and he's paralyzed from the waste down. He was a tremendous baseball player and great kid...and we pray that he will walk again someday. But when I think about the intense rehab he goes through daily and the demons he must have to fight in his head, it is very sobering. It certainly makes my self-inflicted long running and biking pain seem unimportant. So if I don't post about this stuff with the same zeal as I may have in the past, it's just because I have taken the time to actually see the hurt this time, and it sort of brings me to a loss of words for now.

Above all the hurt in this world though, the Earth is beautiful. It is truly a gift. Get out in and play in it, and be thankful you can.

A Time For Everything

They say there's a time for everything. A time to talk, and a time to keep quiet. I just haven't been motivated to blog. This is probably a direct result from the fact that I haven't been motivated to train, either. All of my training in 2009 has come in short spurts. Get in a few good workouts...start thinking about this race or that race that I'll sign up for, then miss a few workouts and completely fall off the wagon. While normally I'd be beating myself up for it, I just haven't found it necessary to be really hard on myself about it, following 2008 (the year of Ironman). I mean, if it's not fun, and I don't want to do it, then why do it? Actually there are many reasons to go ahead and do it...like being healthy, staying thin, racing and having fun with friends, setting and meeting goals, etc. But the one reason I have found that I miss more than anything is the way training keeps me disciplined.

Brushing off commitments is contagious. Training keeps me honest, and it keeps me disciplined. I'm committing to 14 days of doing what I say I'll do. No excuses, and no exceptions. I started this morning, and it felt great to follow through, for a change. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are running and cross training. Tuesdays and Thursdays are biking. Fridays are long runs. Saturdays are long bikes and/or boot camp. Wednesday's cross training is always Cindy's class. Next week, I'm starting back Masters Swim. I'm way behind on my training for the Marine Corps Marathon, but I'm going to fight back.

In other news, we just got back from our family baseball trip. We drove to Chicago and saw the Cubs drill the Astros, hooped and hollered in our country accents, then sang "Go Cubs Go" at the end of the game - it was AWESOME! Then we went to St. Louis and saw the Cardinals play the Astros, too, and we visited with my cousin and went up in the Gateway Arch. I have pics and video to share soon.

Unfortunately, it's about time for school to start again. It's hard to believe I have a 7th grader and a 2nd grader already. I have been in denial that it's time to go back, but I might as well get used to it.

Sugoi Verve Short Review

Running shorts a big deal to me. Outside of my shoes, I'd say they are probably the next most important piece of gear. Well...actually they may be tied with the sports bra. Either way, when you're running long distance, you gotta have a pair of shorts that feel good. I've experimented with several different types of shorts in my running life, and not just any will do. There are several factors that play into whether or not I like them: fit, comfort, flattery, and performance. I am normally a die-hard Nike Tempo Track shorts girl, but I recently gave the Sugoi Verve Short a try, and here's what I think about it...

Fit: These shorts fit me really well. I got a medium, which is what I normally wear, and it fit great. The length is actually a little longer than my normal Nike Tempos, and I liked something a bit longer for a change. They have a drawstring in the waist to make sure they are snug, and a liner that felt perfect. I haven't tried to run in my undergarments in many moons, so that liner is crucial. For fit, I give them 5 stars.

Comfort: Very comfortable shorts. The material is very thin and airy, and as I mentioned before, the liner on the inside is perfect. These shorts never offered to ride up, and that's a big deal. I have yet to experience any chaffing with them, although I normally apply some Body Glide as precaution. For comfort, 5 stars.

Flattery: This probably depends more on your body type than anything. I was pleased with how I looked in these shorts, although I think when I am thinner and in better shape I like the cut of my Nike's better. These did a very good job of covering up some of my problem spots, though, so that was nice. They were a very cute "coral" color also, that went with several running shirts I have. For flattery, I'll give them 3 1/2 stars.

Performance: These shorts have a small key pocket in the front, plus two pockets near the back that are perfect for a gel or two. This is one area these shorts definitely kill the Nike Tempos. Being able to tote along some gel is crucial for marathoning. They also have some reflective strips which come in handy for my 4 a.m. runs in the dark. Last but certainly not least, they did a good job of keeping moisture off my skin with the wicking material and the breathability of the mesh panels on the side. Performance gets 5 stars.

Overall, I highly recommend these running shorts. The only thing that tripped me up a little was the fact that the retail price is $45; that's a bit higher than my $28 Nike Tempo Track shorts. I guess you get what you pay for, though. If $45 doesn't hurt your recession budget too bad, give them a try.