chicknamedchuck » pre-race nerves

Flying Pig Marathon: Ready… Set…

chicknamedchuck — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:55:58 +0000

The Flying Pig Marathon is tomorrow. In 24 hours, I’ll have crossed the finish line of my 15th marathon.

I feel ready, because I’ve trained more “seriously” than I have for any other marathon with (six whole weeks of) paced speedwork, tempo runs, and long runs. I feel confident about pulling off a PR, unfortunately… the weather is less than ideal… Tomorrow’s high temperature is 85-degrees with 87% humidity. What is that ?!?!?!

The Pig’s letting runners defer to next year, but I’m trained now. My head’s in it NOW, so I will run. And I’ll run my heart out.

I could say this one’s for Jessie, but really, they’re all for Jessie.

#15 – Let’s do this.

Carlsbad: Take 3

chicknamedchuck — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:20:37 +0000

Tomorrow, I’m going to run marathon #13. You’d think that after 12 full marathons and so many halfers that I’ve lost count (counting them will occupy my mind for a good mile or two tomorrow) that I wouldn’t have a stitch of nervousness about running another 26.2… and yet, I do. In fact, I have more than just a stitch. I’m pretty wound up and anxious right now…

You know what helps with the nerves (besides indulging my inner couch potato and watching movies all day)? Some Pinterest inspiration:

Marathon #13… here we go!

Life-defining endeavors

chicknamedchuck — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:09:03 +0000

Welp, I guess I’ll go run Marathon #10 tomorrow.

Rather than ramble on and on about goals and plans and nerves and whatnot, I’m just going to tell a story about one of the clients I’m currently coaching.

Back in July, this member–let’s call her Jamie–enrolled in our weight management program. During our first session, she described her goal to lose 30 pounds. We started off talking about workouts and when I asked if she had any goals or aspirations for her fitness, she responded: “Well, I’ll never run a 5K or anything. I can’t do that type of thing.“ To which I responded: “No, no, you most definitely can run a 5K if that’s what you want to do.“ She seemed to shrug it off and the conversation shifted from there. We set a diet goal and scheduled our next appointment two weeks out.

Two weeks later, Jamie was so excited to report she’d run a mile straight. She was surprised and motivated and really excited, so she set a goal to keep running every other day. And after another two weeks, she’d run two miles straight. It was during that third session that she brought up the 5K again, and on her own, saying: “I don’t know, maybe I could do it afterall.“ I should also note that not only was Jamie consistently running every other day and feeling confident enough to start considering a 5K, but she was down 10 lbs after one month!

Two weeks later, she started off the session excitedly sharing that she’d been looking at a 5K online and said: “I accidentally signed up. And it’s this weekend!“ She had looked at a couple different options and planned to sign up for a 5K that was a few weeks out, but mistakenly signed up for the sooner one. The entire session was a bit of a “pep talk,” pumping her up for the race. I told Jamie: the goal is to enjoy the experience–don’t put too much pressure on yourself–you’re job is just to finish it–you’re ready for this–you’ve been running for 6 weeks!

Well, we met again, two weeks later and Jamie started off the call reporting she was down another 10 lbs after two months. We talked about the weight loss and her diet, until finally I (somewhat apprehensively) asked: “So, how’d the 5K go?“ She responded that she ran the entire 5K without stopping and finished in under 30 minutes! With only a few minutes left in our session, I bubbled over with praise and excitement, congratulating her and telling her was an incredible accomplishment that was. I told her some people work a long time to break 30 minutes and here, she did it on her first try after we’d spent the entire previous session talking about there’s no shame in walking. I said: “You are so much stronger than you think you are.“ She was quiet for a moment, then with a quiver in her voice, she said: “Thank you.” She explained that she was personally very proud of her accomplishment, but when she told others, specifically, her family, about the race, they said: “Good job!” but didn’t really grasp how hard she had worked. To them, it was just a race that anyone could do any old day. To her, she had done the unimaginable. And to me, she said: “I’m surprising myself. And you get it. It’s nice to have someone get it.“

At the very end of that session, she surprised me by saying she was doing another 5K that weekend and she nonchalantly stated her goal was to beat her time. During our next session, I wasn’t at all surprised to hear she’d finished the very hilly 5K in 26 minutes and finished in the top 10 of her age group. I was surprised, however, to hear she’d already signed up for a 10K. And again, it was only a couple weeks away. This girl was on fire, signing up for races left and right, pushing herself, surprising herself and inspiring the heck out of me!

Again, as you might expect, Jamie rocked that 10K, finishing in 57 minutes. As we talked about the difficulty of the course and the challenge of those final miles, she laughed: “It was so hard. But I’m going to do a half-marathon. I already signed up.“ The half-marathon was only three weeks away and she won’t be running until next weekend, but we’ve been meeting more frequently as she prepares for this life-defining endeavor. We’ve talked training plans and injury prevention, endurance nutrition and mental toughness. And yesterday, I asked her: “How are you feeling? Are you nervous, anxious…?” To which Jamie responded, “Um, no… Should I be?” I had to laugh because I was totally projecting my own personal insecurities and lack of confidence (about my race tomorrow) onto her. This girl, who continues to surprise herself, is so full of confidence that it literally astounds me. She is completely excited–right to the brim, having lost 25 pounds of 30 in just three months time, having completed her first 5K, another one and a 10K, and having the courage and faith in herself to go after a goal that was unfathomable just a couple month ago…

So here I am, about to run Marathon #10. And while I could lie and say I’m not nervous or anxious, some of Jamie’s confidence rubbed off on me.

“All you have to do is convince your mind to believe in your body.” (-Sgt. Jerry Giglia)

LA Marathon Part 1: here goes nothing

chicknamedchuck — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 02:39:00 +0000

Welp. I’ve lived in California for two years now and I can finally say I’ve been to LA. (And it’s been one year since I learned it’s Los Angeles, not Las Angeles. Whodda thunk?!?!). Not that I’m all that proud or excited about it. My initial thoughts are that LA kinda, sorta, um, sucks. Sorry, LA. This Ohio girl will always prefer wide, two-lane highways that make sense.

Some kind of miracle got my tush out of the bed before 7am and mom and I were on our way from San Diego to LA by 8am. 120 miles later, we were lost in LA, somewhere in the vicinity of Dodger Stadium (thanks for nothing, Google Maps), with no stadium in view. Luckily, mom was zen, I found my brain and we finally found the stinkin’ stadium and expo:

These Ohio-girls were uber-impressed with the rosey-smelling portopotties and porto-sinks with real soap, water and paper towels. But I’ll bet my race bib they won’t be so lovely tomorrow morning… All tinkled out, we wandered through the chaos collecting samples, coupons and fliers, trying not to get trampled by the sample-hungry masses, sipping coffee and doing shots:

Shh, don’t tell! This was our 2nd round of POM Wonderful “shots!”

POM for Pam

With our bags full of Larabars, buy-2-get-1 socks, an LA t-shirt for the hub, and a bunch of other ~~crap~~ goodies, we stretched, got back in the car and drove 120 miles back to San Diego. We picked up Jared and headed to Souplantation for a feast. And by feast, I mean FEAST. I housed two gargantuan plates of salad with all the good stuff and went to town on the (hey, I’m carbo loading!) all-you-can-eat self-serve fro-yo. Yummers.

I beg to differ, Souplantation.

Now we’re home from our 4pm dinner, getting ready for bed at 8pm because we’re leaving for LA at 3:30 ~~in the middle of the night~~ in the morning! Golly, am I a marathoner or grandma?

In 12 hours, I’ll be running the LA Marathon. I’m both focused and freaked out. I’m a tornado of emotions: excited, anxious, confident, fearful, keyed up, impatient, frustrated, hopeful, ready. Truth be told, I am not ready in the sense of being “trained.” Sarah Soon-To-Be (who’s in the same boat with only 5 weeks of training) said it perfectly: “My body might not be trained to run 26.2 this time, but it’ll be ABLE.”

I’m confident in my ability to cover the distance, but with less than five weeks of last-minute “training” and a handful of other variables… ongoing IT band issues, one week of recovery since I was laid up for seven days with the flu, and a “100% chance of heavy rain & wind” predicted for tomorrow morning… I can honestly say I have absolutely no idea what kind of performance I’m going to pull off. I don’t know if I’ll be running nine minutes per mile or fifteen… if I’ll run the whole distance or bonk. Bottom-line: I’m really feeling the nerves right now. I’ve printed off directions, maps, instructions, and anything (and everything) else I’ve found that could possibly be necessary, helpful or related to the expo and race. I’ve made a dozen lists of food, gear, schedules, goals, mile-by-mile dedications, to-dos, motivational quotes, things to buy, what to wear, what to pack, the lists go on…

I catch myself questioning my sanity, thinking: “why in the heck do I do this to myself???” but quickly snap back to reality. Truly, I wouldn’t trade this for the world. I love this stuff. I love this crazy ride, the adventure, the whole wild, overwhelming tornado of emotions. It’s an addictive, intoxicating, whirlwind that reminds me I’m alive. And I’m so intensely grateful to be alive, which reminds me of my favorite passage from Christopher McDougall’s book, Born To Run:

“Strictly by accident, Scott stumbled upon the most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner’s arsenal: instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you’re not afraid of it anymore. Lisa Smith-Batchen, the amazingly sunny and pixie-tailed ultrarunner from Idaho who trained through blizzards to win a six-day race in the Sahara, talks about exhaustion as if it’s a playful pet. ‘I love the Beast,’ she says. ‘I actually look forward to the Beast showing up, because every time he does, I handle him better. I get him more under control.’ Once the Beast arrives, Lisa knows what she has to deal with and can get down to work. And isn’t that the reason she’s running through the desert in the first place–to put her training to work? To have a friendly little tussle with the Beast and show it who’s boss? You can’t hate the Beast and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as every great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it.”

Just venting (vomiting) all this mumbo-jumbo has been therapeutic, calming and a good reminder that running a marathon is simple: “Step 1: You start running. There is not Step 2” (-Barney, How I Met Your Mother).

One of my favorite momma-isms is: “Pain is a part of life. Misery is an option.” Rain, shine or torrential downpours, I’ll be smiling. True, I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’m really excited to find out–to put my training to work and “love the Beast.”

Half-marathon nerves and a haircut

chicknamedchuck — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:19:22 +0000

BEWARE! Nervous, pre-race ramblings ahead…

While riding the post-race high of my last half marathon!, I did something impulsive (but not at all surprising for me): I signed up for another half marathon 4 weeks away. I knew my hubby would be working that day, so I asked my former-coworker-turned-running-buddy if she wanted to join and she jumped on it, saying: “Sounds awesome! I’m in!” Little did I know, I registered and she waited. Last weekend, I got a text from her asking if I knew whether or not she could register on race day. Uh oh… Immediately, I realized I could be running this one on my own. And sure enough, she messaged me the next day saying the race is SOLD OUT.

I’m incredibly bummed, nervous, anxious and of course, excited. I’ll be running this one entirely on my own (Gulp)!

I received my race bib in the mail: #1953 (***Fun Fact: I have not had lucky #7 on any of my race bibs so far this year; this being my 12th bib in 2010!), along with a timing chip and some final instructions reminding us that we need to bring our driver’s license, proof of insurance and vehicle registration in order to enter the military base where the race is being held.

Okay, this is new…

The instruction sheet goes on to describe the course as: “all-gravel; off-road; across breathtaking rolling hills.” Hm… My wonderful coworkers warned me that “rolling hills” is a nice way of saying the course is going to kick your a$$. This freaked me out for a second until I realized they don’t know the story about how I got expelled from preschool. Don’t mess with me! I will fight back!

You hear that, hills? You’re going down!

I get a major case of these pre-race nerves before EVERY race, so this neurotic rollercoaster of worries, self-doubt and feeble attempts to pump myself up, it’s nothing new. It’s very likely that it’s exacerbated by the fact that the Long Beach Marathon is right around the corner. To be exact, it’s 5 weeks from Sunday, which means I’m currently in the thick of “monster month.” I’m running, eating and sleeping A LOT. Luckily, I love all three of those things, so life is ridiculously good, but it also means that I’m attempting to go into tomorrow’s half marathon with the mindset that it’s simply a training run and I should NOT set a time goal. Am I alone in feeling like that is unbelievably hard to do?!?!

I’m already thinking that tomorrow’s half marathon could be a perfect Marathon Pace run. And there I go! As soon as I said I should NOT set a time goal, I turn around and start talking time goals! Shoot! I might as well just give in and dare myself to PR, right? Run a sub-1:53:15 on this brutally hilly, trecherous, off-road course in the middle of the relentlessly sunny, sweltering desert!

(While I write that sarcastically, in the back of my mind I’m thinking: How cool would it be to come back to The Loop tomorrow afternoon to report that I destroyed the course and really did PR afterall… Am I crazy? Or is this just part of being a runner?)

The bottom-line, here, is that I’m truly trying NOT to put too much pressure on myself, because this race really is for training. My main goal is to break 4 hours at Long Beach. (Though placing among the top 10 females in my age group tomorrow would be ridiculously OSOM! I never ever used to be a competitive person–not in the slightest. How did this happen to me?!?!)

In other crazy news, I chopped off 18 inches of hair!!!! I grew it out for my wedding back in February and it looked ridiculously amazing when a pro got her hands on it! (I could never make it look like this myself)…

Truthfully, I’m too lazy to have long hair and 99% of the time, it was in a messy bun or a ponytail and more recently, I started braiding it for races so it didn’t end up in a frazzled, knotted mess:

For MONTHS, I’ve been saying: “I need a haircut.” The only problem is I hate salons… I may have long hair, but that certainly doesn’t make me a girly-girl. Until Saturday, when my husband had finally had enough and said: “Just do it already!” So I ballsed-up (well, he drove me to the salon) and I had Mindy chop off 18 inches, giving me this lovely little pony:

I’m loving it! However, it does feel strange to run without that braid continuously whipping my shoulder blades and getting caught in my armpits!

I’m thinking that maybe, just maybe, this short lil ponytail will somehow outweigh the challenges of tomorrow’s “brutal” course, rendering it helpless to my dedicated training and indomitable spirit… Afterall, haircuts can provide superpowers, right?!?!