pics and finish line video

http://www2.brightroom.com/browser.aspx?eid=76785&bib=28

It's not how many times you fall off the horse but how many times you get back on.
Even though I haven't spoken to many people about last Sunday it's obvious I didn't have a great race and I didn't finish it. It's hard for me to discuss these things b/c I get emotional and I get pretty upset with myself. The day wasn't my day. I went out faster than what was smart, my left shoe came untied (this is where I began to lose focus mentally), I threw up green Gatorade at mile 13.....I hung in for a while but after a while I knew that the day wasn't mine.
I didn't want to lose my training. So I decided to run the National Marathon up in DC. After talking with Coach I knew that I had to work on my mental thinking and adjust my mental talk. Think positive. Focus on taking one step after another.
The race was a little different. The marathon started with the half marathoners so it was a little interesting at first. It didn't take very long before I knew who was my competition. She was a Russian girl.
The first half of the race was very hilly. Long steep uphills and long sharp downhills. The leader and I kept pace beside each other for the first half of the race (until about mile 18). At this time the fatigue starting setting into my legs and I began to fall off the pace a bit. It was actually a conscious decision b/c I really wanted to finish feeling strong. The course evened out until mile 23 or 24 when we entered a residential area and it started going back into steep hills.
Overall, it was a good race. I was pleased with the finish. The most important part to me was being strong and steady and finishing well. I was a little upset or maybe I should say confused b/c my training and been going so well and I really thought that I had a PR in me.
I do have changes I want to make to my training program that I think will improve my race in a couple of months.

Only a few days to go

So it's Wednesday night and I'm in full taper mode which means I'm slowly driving myself crazy. I have all the time in the world on my hands right now with nothing useful to do (and I have to stay off my feet). I'm anxious all day long and then I sleep like the dead during the night. I'm so tired which is crazy b/c I'm not training hard core.
I had a great run today with my running peeps. I hit marathon pace with no problem on the boardwalk........running into the wind.
Wore my racing flats, racing socks, gloves and singlet.
My singlet......I'm hoping it's ready by Sunday........I had it tailored to fit me better. I'm not sure if that's weird but I was tired of it being to large around me. It was the strangest small I've ever seen.
Anyway, so far.........so good.
I hope everyone's taper is going well.

time to Taper

The Shamrock Marathon is a week away. Well if we want to be technical it's less than a week.......by now next week I will be napping b/c I will be exhausted from all the Shamrock Festivities.
These past couple of months have been wonderful. It's been some of the best training that I've ever had.
-Great longs runs
-Perfect paced tempo runs
- a happy life/wonderful friends
- and an awesome coach
I've felt very comfortable during my longs runs.....so much that my 20 miles runs weren't as mentally tough as I thought. I took this as a good sign.
I feel like this race is going to be a good one for me. I'm ready mentally and physically.
The taper week can be tough. It's a time for rest but all the rest makes a runner begin to feel restless. This restless feeling creates anxiety and it makes me feel like I need to go out an run. Which I can't b/c I'm suppose to be resting and only running a little. Agh.
Running a marathon is very tough mentally and physically. It's a long distance with lots of variables (nutrition, water, wind/weather). And anything can happen. A runner does their best to control whatever they can but in the end it's all in God's hands.
So this is the taper week. It's a week to rest, relax, eat good food, stay off the feet, and get a massage. I've spent weeks mentally envisioning the race and how it will go. I can't wait to see how it's all going to play out.

Yoga.......to do or not to do?

I really like yoga. I love the feeling I get when a class is over and I feel flexible and relaxed. The problem I have is that I usually end up getting hurt or something b/c I try to be like all the other yogi's who practice everyday. So the question is.......is yoga good for running.
According to Runner's World "Yoga realigns the body and releases tension from connective tissue," (Sharon Stocker, mind/body editor of Prevention magazine and a veteran yoga instructor) . The musculoskeletal realignment comes from stretching and an emphasis on proper posture.
We all know that running causes microscopic tears to the muscle fibers and when they begin to heal, they tend to bunch up and shorten if there's no stretching. Also, with our daily stresses at work, at home, and trying to squeeze in a workout our muscles become tight. The result: misaligned muscles are stiffer and less efficient which is something you don't want after all the hard work that's been done with training)
Yoga can help flexibility and strength so practicing yoga a couple times a week is very beneficial. And the result is more flexibility and reduced injury risk. And better overall strength can only help your running.

But let's not forget the cost of yoga. Yoga is expensive. If you dropped into a yoga class the price is about 10-20 dollars. If you buy a package then the cost will decrease to something like 10 dollars a class. That cost will add up and that can be difficult to afford in these hard economic times. There might even be a time constraint. A small solution could be buying a dvd and doing it at home. Maybe a group of people could get together and everyone buys a yoga dvd and you could take turns. Finding what works for you is important.

I've practiced yoga a couple of times this week. It's easier when I'm tapering to get yoga into my schedule. My goal is to integrate yoga into my training schedule whether I'm doing it at home or if I'm going to a yoga studio

20 miler

This was a beautiful morning. The temperature was great and the sky was beautiful. There was an amazing turn our at Final Kick..........just tons of people everywhere. Today was one of my last 20 mile runs before the marathon. I ran it with Dai.......who made sure to keep me on pace.
I'm really hoping for a great Shamrock. I've been running very well and the 20 mile runs have rocked better than ever.