For Abbey and Katie

My previous enthusiasm for the weather died just about the time they uttered the word “snow.” The forecast for Sunday went from absolutely optimal to fucking terrible likethis. Now that I am apparently a meteorologist (no seriously, I read the entire National Weather Service transcript this morning), it just looks miserable for Sunday. The NWS summed it up as “cold, blustery and wet” for VCM. Well. That just straight sucks.

Any of those elements alone would be frustrating, but not race torpedo-ing. All together, however, is a different story. A 10 mph NW wind (don’t start thinking about how many long north running sections there are, just don’t) is usually calculated to have about an 8% negative impact on pace for the same effort. This is ~6:32 to close to 7:00 for my purposes. Ouch. Why can’t you just work harder, you ask. The issue with working harder or increasing effort is the same as any other marathon mistake like going out too fast: you accumulate lactate faster than your body can clear it. No one wants to meet the wall AND be soaked, freezing and blown around.

So I’m pissed off today. And whining. And not sure what to do about the race. If these conditions happen, any real chance for a PR go out the window and it becomes a race for place, not pace. The goal of VCM this year for me was a huge PR, as predicted by both my Philly performance and my work over this cycle. Even if I place well, the time won’t be indicative of my fitness or preparation. So do I bail and try to find another race? Bail entirely and prep for cross season? Freeze?

Highlights of this morning, however, are the constant texts between Abbey, Katie and I about the weather. Abbey and I have shut down and are just grumpy. Katie is standing outside in her shorts “trying to acclimate.” And we all may wear snorkels in case things get really bad on the Causeway and swimming is involved.

So Light Em Up

This cycle’s power song courtesy of Fall Out Boy…

Thanks, Coach

I made a big coaching shift this summer. While Will and I have always been good at compartmentalizing our various relationships, deciding to add coach-athlete to that list was a risky endeavor. It’s hard to date someone you coach. It’s hard to date your coach. And then there’s that whole “marrying your coach” element that we decided to add in January. Still, I am of the opinion that he’s one of the best young coaches around and I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity. For the most part, we do a good job of managing this set of roles. Beyond the hours of work Will puts into my training schedule are the hours of massage and stretching and sports psychology that comes from having an athlete in your care. Training me for VCM has taken over our lives and we’re hoping the past nine months are worth the sacrifices, spats and sore muscles.

So thanks for all of it, Coach. Sorry about being your live-in taper horror.

Weather Check Two Wooooo!

Looking pretty good. Naturally, a 10 MPW headwind for all the miles to the north (Beltline, Causeway and Neighborhoods come to mind) isn’t great, but you can’t beat 40s at the start and a high in the low 60s.

Idle Hands (and Feet)

While taper can be a nice time because it lets sore muscles heal and the body rest, it’s a hard transition to go from 70 mile weeks plus all the extras of core, stretching and lifting because suddenly you have nothing but time to think about your upcoming race. Working all week can help, but you still find yourself obsessed with the task ahead. One of my coping mechanisms is to watch old race videos. I watch 1500 meter recaps to remind myself what it looks like to change gears. I watch marathon recaps to see the amazing women who forged on before me and to remind myself that patience is a virtue in the marathon. It’s rare that anything good comes from trying to do too much too soon and given my experience last year, I know that the hard part doesn’t start until well north of Battery.

Here are some of the clips getting me through this week:

The Original (Joanie at the 1984 Olympics)

Deena’s Bronze

Katie Mackey and Mary Cain’s Crazy Oxy Run

The Hurtbox

The strongest athlete isn’t always the fastest or the most talented. The athletes who perform well time after time are those who can get into and stay in the pain cave or hurtbox. I personally prefer hurtbox, as it seems more structural and less dark and dreary. Regardless, one of my struggles this winter and spring has been with the hurtbox and my seeming inability to either get moving fast enough to get there or lack of drive to stay in it. The hurtbox isn’t everything; you have to have the foundation underneath it first. However, it can be the difference maker between first and second, the tick between a good performance and a great one.

I did one of my last workouts last Tuesday. The intention of the workout was to practice my gear change between marathon pace and tempo pace, which emulates effort over harder portions of the course and any surges that might happen later in the race. Before the workout, I had a strong talk with myself about the hurtbox and made a commitment to myself that no matter how bad I felt, I was doing my best to execute this workout. My times had to be wind adjusted, but I absolutely nailed it, running 6:36, 6:38, 6:37, 6:06, 6:04. I felt so in control of the workout that I had to resist the urge to fistpump upon its completion.

The real benefit of a hurtbox success isn’t the physiology, however, it’s the psychology. Yes, the workout was uncomfortable but I did it and I feel almost invincible now. I’m less scared of what a surge might feel like or how I will react. I’m getting really comfortable at both my planned marathon and tempo paces. I’m assured of my fitness.

Welcome to Race Week.

Weather Check One

I feel like we should set up a betting line on how much this changes over the next 10 days…

Whoa!

Like many things, changes like weight loss or mileage don’t necessarily stand out to the people who are there day to day. In my taper boredom, I was reading back through my blog and found a post on my running totals from 2010 and 2011. I had surgery in early 2010, and my average monthly mileage was about 104 miles a month. In 2011, my average monthly mileage was about 165 miles a month. While I’m missing the first half of my 2012 because I changed running logs (and apparently Runners’ World gave my old blog to someone else…weird), my average monthly mileage in 2012 from August to December was 225. That average has ticked up to 232 miles a month since January. Whoa.

And that doesn’t equalize for the down months of December or January, or the fact that February is shorter or that I’M AN IDIOT and didn’t prorate my off days until oh, January of 2013. That’s a story for another day, but when Will realized that, he nearly killed me.

I’m so looking forward to some more down time in July but excited to keep building my mileage and reaping the benefits of consistent high mileage.

My Sister, The Artist

Suzanne has always had a knack for drawing. She also has a front row seat to my depths of taper madness. She drew me this. It is a thing of true beauty.

Tears Almost Guaranteed

This article is tear jerking and humbling and incredible. It can be so easy to get caught up in our own struggles, to start spiraling into the things that feel unfair or difficult and this story is a reminder both of just how incredible people can be and that everyone fights a battle every day, whether you see it or not. I am so inspired by Bret, by his mother and by the story.