Runners Guilt

Last weekend I was registered to run the 2014 Miami Marathon. Distance wise I felt confident about the race. I didn't think to much about it other then chalking it up as a solid training run. That was until I found out a close friend's wedding was scheduled for the night before. This wedding was "black tie" - meaning high heeled shoes... and this close friend getting hitched loves to party it up - meaning boozing it up and dancing till the wee morning hours. Not a good combo before a long "training" run, aka running a marathon in 80+ degree heat. Bad bad bad.
I figured I would shoot for the marathon anyway (instead of downgrading to the half) and try to keep the wedding festivities to a minimum for the sake of me surviving the race the next day. Well... at least that WAS my intention.
My first mistake was wearing 4 inch platform heels. Being this was a "black tie" wedding I needed a kickass dress. I rented this beauty by Yigal Azrouel from RentTheRunway.com. If you ever need a dress, but don't want to pay the full price hit up RTR. I highly recommend them.

Check out the photos below... Miguel and I looking very Bond-esque!

My second mistake was drinking. Period. End of story. I shouldn't have even had one glass of champagne. Total gateway to more debauchery. About 5 tequila drinks and a few glasses of wine type of debauchery. My third mistake was dancing, jumping around, and standing for over 8 hours in those damn 4 inch heels. What the hell was I thinking??? I asked myself that question several times the next day. I never ever get blisters from running. I guess I'm one of the lucky few. But heels, HEELS jack me up reeeeal good. I was hobbling out of the building and couldn't even make it to the car. The carnage: I had about 3 blisters per foot. Not to mention my toes and the pads of my feet were rubbed almost to the point of blisters so they were extremely sensitive and swollen. NOT GOOD before running for over 4 hours!  I am still kicking myself over this.
My fourth mistake was eating all of those delicious, eccentrically fancy, and unique hors d'oeurves while sipping on chilled tequila cocktails. Wow was my stomach happy with me on that one. At least I didn't eat the ceviche (which I love and normally would have tried). Miguel had a few of those spoon-fulls of goodness and payed for it over and over again during and after the race.
My fifth mistake was not leaving the wedding reception after we were finished eating dinner. IF I had left at that point, much of this could have bee avoided. We ended up leaving the wedding reception after 12am to go home and try to muster at least 3 hours of sleep before the race start. Miguel was intelligently registered for the half. Between the drive home, preparing my race bag for that morning, and a restless sleep from all the alcohol and sugar in my system - I probably got about one hour worth of sleep. Awesome.  I was hating life.
The Miami Marathon starts at 6:15am. We dragged our sad carcasses out of bed at 3:30am and left the house by 4:45am. The ride over to Downtown and to find parking was 35 minutes in total. Giving us just enough time to use the port-o-potty and find our corrals at the race start. Now looking back, I should have known my race was done for based off of the walk from the car to the race start. From walking at a brisk pace my feet seized up and ached horribly. I was forced to sit and attempt to massage the knots out of my arches. DAMN THOSE HEELS. Damn me for wearing them. Ughhh and I thought I looked cute. So NOT worth it. At least not at that moment sitting on a street corner infront of a pumping downtown Miami nightclub at 5am before running 26.2 miles in serious humidity.
Even with the aching pain in my feet (wrapped in band-aides and foot tape to cover the blisters), my unsettled stomach, the rising heat index, and a pounding headache from dehydration... I still was aiming for the full marathon. Talk about denial.
Rocking my Camelbak full of Nuun, I started the race and settled into a 9:20/9:30ish pace. I could feel the heat and all the issues in my body. Conservative seemed like the way to go. I've been running the Miami since 2007. I remember when the field was maybe half the size it is now. It was a field comprised of experienced runners who were out there to love and enjoy running through their city without fear of getting hit by a car. It was a good time. Present day though it's another story completely. The Miami race targets the newbie runner. Especially for the half marathon. Listen I don't have a problem with newbie runners. I think it's awesome when a person falls in love with running and they push themselves for the first time into distances that scare the crap out of them. Fantastic. Just please PLEASE have a sliver of running and race etiquette. I feel like there should be a pre-pre race meeting where the race directors round up all the first timers and give them a power point presentation of what NOT to do during a race.
Example: At mile 6 I stopped at a water station. I made a point to use the station at the very end and avoid the horde of runners in the early tables. As I'm reaching for a cup of water from a volunteer, a guy cuts me off by jumping in front of me, almost elbowing me in the face. He slams back half the cup of water meant for me and then tosses the remaining water on my chest while looking directly at me. No joke. I stood there in complete shock. As the guy ran off I yelled, "Really? Are you serious? What the hell is wrong with you?". The volunteer was so mortified that she apologized to me for what the guy did.
How did I know the guy was a newbie? It  was only mile 6 and the guy looked like he had just ran 30 miles through the Sahara sans hydration. His eyes were glossed over and dazed from over exertion. His clearly addled brain could probably complete only the simplest of functions in such a physically dire state. However that is no excuse for his horrible race etiquette. Did I KNOW he was a newbie? No. But unfortunately I had to deal with an unusually high rate of rude runners. My only deduction was they had to be inexperienced runners, cause why else then would they be so damn rude? They probably didn't know any better. By mile 10 my shoes were soaked through from inconsiderate runners dumping their cups of water and Gatorade on me. I could feel the tape that had been protecting my blisters loose, rubbing my skin making each step more painful. To top it off, the muscles of my feet were cramping quite bad. I was concerned if I ran the full marathon I would end up injured with some type of pantar fasciitis that would lay me out for the rest of my ultra season. Oh the horror.
I tried. I really did. I'm pretty sure with the dehydration and the upset stomach and the crazy crazy high humidity and heat I could have ran the full marathon. Even on one hour of sleep. It's just good ultra training, right? Even the blisters, yeah I can handle that as my pace slowed. But the feet spasm thing. No way. Maybe if it was my last race of the season. The race I had been training for over 9 months. Yeah, I would have dragged my sorry ass across the finish line. But come out injured from the Miami marathon? Hell no. Not worth it. And I held out with hope for the full. Right up until the course split from 13.1 to 26.2. I knew I had to make my decision. I was hoping that my feet would loosen up. That somehow they would relish and remember the freedom of pounding the pavement.... and let go of the torture of being smashed into unforgivably hard heels, forced into an unrelenting angle straining the arches, tendons, and ligaments for over 8 hours - less then 6 hours earlier.
Nope. they were going to make me pay for the torture. No mercy there.
I took the left course splitting off for the 13.1 runners with my head hung low. Over come with embarrassment and disappointment in myself. I finished in 2:12. Lesson learned. Miguel and I received our race medals, grabbed food and walked over to The Miami Runner's tent to chat with some friends. I couldn't even wear my medal. I took off my race bib and put my medal in my Camelbck. I can't explain it. I didn't feel like it was mine. I explained what happened to my running buddies. They all agreed I had made the right decision. Run smart to run another day. I know I made the right decision. And yet, even a week later I still feel horrible about the race. I'm feeling Runner's Guilt.
I know what I am physically capable of. I know I could have easily toughed it out. Even if it would have taken me 5 hours. I could have done it. And maybe I could have done it and NOT ended up injured. I'll never know. I made the smart decision to listen to the pain and make a choice based on experience. Yada, yada, yada.
I STILL FEEL LIKE A WUSS. And it bothers me A LOT. It's a pestering, nagging feeling that pops up anytime I see a friend post a picture on Facebook to show off their race accomplishment. I hung my medal on a hanger in my closet. Everytime I walk in to get dressed I see it. It's a reminder. "Get it together honey. Make your priorities and stick with them. You don't like that feeling of disappointment and guilt? Then fix that shit. Don't let it happen again. Make smarter choices. Take care of yourself." Amen.            

Bringing sexy back.

My reminder.

Ocala Marathon Review

So on a whim last week after perusing multiple race calendar websites (one of my favorite past-times), I turned to my husband and said "Hey so there's a marathon in Ocala next weekend. What the hell, let's do it! We both have to run a 24 miler that weekend anyway." And he was like "Um... yeah sure, OK how much is the race fee?"
On a side note - I love that I can drag my husband, Miguel, into random craziness and he just goes with it.
And that's how we ended up running the Ocala Marathon this past Sunday. I should mention this was the hubby's second marathon on record. I was very proud of him that he stepped up to the challenge without batting an eyelash.
I guess I should also mention the only reason he "had" to run a 24 miler this past weekend was because I coerced him into signing up for the Croom 50k a couple of months ago. Honestly, I'm not a horrible wife! He had just finished his first Ironman 70.3 (that I also convinced him to do) and I knew he could totally handle a 50k! Ok... I am chuckling as I type this, but I swear it didn't take much to twist his arm into it.
Back to the marathon review!!!!
We decided to drive up to Ocala as late as possible on Saturday night from Miami. According to Google Maps it was a 4.5 hour drive. We made it in 4. And I think we could have gone sub-4 if we didn't stop at the halfway point to switch drivers. What can I say? I have a heavy foot. We stayed at the race hotel - the Ocala Holiday Inn & Suites. The service was fantastic. They allowed us to check in at 11:30pm and had a nice breakfast ready at 5am for all the runners. Plus the hotel was just down the street from the race start. Not "walking" distance, but a 5 minute drive.
When we decided to do the race, we signed up and kinda forgot about it. Just had it as something to do in the back of our minds. All the blog reviews said great things about the race organization, beautiful scenery, and semi-warm temps. Well on Saturday morning I checked the weather for Ocala and my jaw dropped. On Saturday night the temperature would drop into the freezing 20s. Race start was supposed to be around 33 plus winds. And it didn't seem it would get much warmer during the race. Decision made! Thermal running gear it is!! And oh man, how happy I was to have made that decision.

Miguel & I pre-race about to leave our toasty hotel and brave the freezing tempts!

I brought several options, but finally settled on my Brooks Utopia Thermal Hoodie II, Nike Pro Combat Thermal Tights, Zombie Runner hat, Nike Thermal Running gloves, and ING NYC Marathon 2013 Finishers long sleeve shirt. Let me tell you... I did not take off one article of clothing (with the exception of my gloves at mile 23) for the whole race. IT WAS COLD BABY! Hello Polar Vortex! Ha! I have the wind and snot burns on my nose to prove it. Can we say sexy? Thank goodness for Aquaphor.
Oh yeah, you know I just made that image even sexier for ya. Burned red crispy nostrils slathered in clear greasy looking gel. Now that's hot. Yes, I have issues.
I digress!!! OK so we get to the race start and the marathon and half marathoners are about 150 to 200 people combined. Totally relaxed crowd. All ages and levels of athletes. It was a real home-town event. No frills, but with all the stuff that truly matters when it comes to a solid road race. First and foremost I want to state this course is BEAUTIFUL. Just stunning. I was kicking myself the whole race for not bringing my cell phone to snap pictures. I felt like every corner or top of a hill there was some picturesque scene, like something off of a post card. I made a point to run with out music and I am very happy I did. Just being able to quiet my mind and soak up all of the natural loveliness was so good for my soul. And the volunteers - the VOLUNTEERS! They did such a great job! Everyone was so enthusiastic! I felt as though every volunteer genuinely was happy to be there and wanted you to succeed. Because of the small number of racers the volunteers were personal and could spend more time helping you directly. Very much like an Ultra race. In turn, I am amazed by their maintained enthusiasm. They must have been out there for stretches of time without seeing a stream of runners and yet they were so positive and focused. All of the aid stations had Gatorade, water, Twizzlers, Hammerhead Gels, and Dunkin Donuts. Some even had sour worms! For a road marathon, that's a great spread.
The course was all asphalt with some hilly sections. It takes the runners through the horse ranches and local farms. Personally I didn't find the hills that difficult. I'm not a big fan of flat races. They tend to kill my legs quick with the repetition of using the same muscles over and over. Being that I had to do an 8 mile trail run the very next day, I wasn't trying to kill myself with a PR or even come close to it. Anddddd I had promised Miguel I would stick with him and be a source of positive motivation during the race.
I was having a great race. I never bonked. Never felt tired or like my tank was running empty. In fact, I felt as though I could have gone on and done a 50k instead of a marathon. I did make a conscious decision to hold back and just "go with the flow". Now Miguel's race was a bit different. At mile 18 he was already not feeling so hot and by mile 23 he was walking. He had developed some serious pain in his left knee and was having difficulty working through it. At one point I said to him "We are at mile 23 at exactly 4 hours! That means all we need to do is stick with a sub 10 minute pace and we can sneak in under 4:30! That will be a great PR for you honey!" Then the look he shot he knocked me off my happy horse. I know I said I was just "going with the flow".... but I was feeling so good! I wanted to whip through those last 6 miles... and then those last 3 miles. But alas... I DID make a promise. So I had to swallow my ego, muster my ultimate cheerleader and get my man to the finish line in form and with a time he could be proud of. With a run/walk combo we finished up the last 3 miles till I egged him on with a sprint to the finish. I am seriously SO proud of him. I know how much pain he was in, how crappy his stomach felt, and he still gutted it out. We finished in 4:37:19. All in all, not too shabby for a training run / marathon!
At the finish line there was bountiful food - pizza, cookies, candy, fruit, sodas... you name it. We crossed the red timing tarp, were given our beautiful Ocala Marathon 2014 medals, and headed straight to the food tent. After stuffing our faces and grabbing some more grub for the road, we headed back to Miami. My experience at the Ocala Marathon was totally awesome. I would do this race again in a heartbeat. Low race fee, a gem of a course, lovely volunteers, great food, affordable hotel and a nice medal - not to mention a sweet race shirt. What more could you ask for? And I don't want to forget the locals! Even though there really wasn't by any means a spectator "crowd" for the race, the random few supports were SO enthused to have us running in their town. I highly recommend this race! Do it!
  

Rocking Ocala Marathon finishers medal. Love the graphic with the horses running turning into a woman. So cool!