Running the Houston Marathon

After four months of training, everything came together for my first full marathon on Jan. 30, 2011.

Throughout training I dealt with a sciatic nerve injury and therefore inconsistent training. However, thanks to my amazing chiropractor/PT, I felt as close to 100% as I was going to get. Eating enough was another big challenge for me throughout training as well. I lost roughly five pounds in the last two weeks leading up to the race, which being 5’3″ and going from 115 to 110 pounds is significant. It was probably a combination of eating at weird times since I work a night shift and general anxiety.

Pre-race

Three days before the race, I made a conscious effort to eat really well and try to gain a little weight. The day before the race, I ate an absurd amount of food — for me, anyway. Before noon, I downed a bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and honey, two bowls of honey bunches of oats cereal with almond milk, a slice of pizza, about three bottles of water, one with a nuun tablet. After noon, I had a 32 oz bottle of gatorade, an Odwalla bar, half a peanut butter sandwich, two healthy servings of shrimp alfredo and mixed veggies, more water and nuun. Dinner was chicken picatta, a small greek salad and bread. By this point, I was pretty tired of eating. I gave it up after dinner.

I woke up around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning, got dressed and headed to the Four Seasons to meet up with the rest of the Gazelles. There, I ate an Odwalla bar and drank a bottle of water. I felt good and ready to go.

Race

The first couple of miles were packed with runners and it was a little frustrating trying to weave through. The mugginess in the air was heavy and thankfully, it finally started to rain. Kendall, Chrissy, Andrea, Meredith and I managed to stick together through the first five miles though, which was great. I skipped the first water stop because I knew it would be chaos. And it was. In fact, the first two water stops were awful. Not enough volunteers handing out water/gatorade. I was thankful they were there, but we sure did need about three times as more. I grabbed water after mile two and at the next stop.

Around mile 4 I started to feel a stitch on my right side. It took a couple of miles for it to go away, but I’m still sore from it.

I took my first powerbar gel at mile 5 and an accelgel at mile 10, which I regretted. The accelgel got a little too liquid-y (from body heat I assume) and as I tore it open with my teeth, it squeezed into my mouth and down my windpipe. I started choking and gasping for air. I’m sure I looked pretty stupid, but I managed to recover (proper breathing and my dignity).

I broke away from the group at some point around mile 8, but I saw Kendall again after mile 10. I think we were in the theatre district? Not sure. I grabbed a stick of petroleum jelly from one of the aid stations because one of my gels on the side of my sports bra was stabbing me. I took a quick port-o-can pee break around mile 12 and kind of felt amazing after that. I was clocking an 9:00/mi pace around this time and felt strong. I took another gel at mile 15. This was the one covered in petroleum jelly. Yummy.

At mile 16, I saw my boyfriend and his brother, which gave me a nice little bump of encouragement. This was when I remembered feeling really hungry. The Odwalla bar at 5 a.m. wasn’t enough. Nor the vaseline-covered gel.

At about mile 18, I remember smelling breakfast tacos coming from a restaurant we ran by.

Mile 20 I took my last gel. This is when I noticed a lot of people around me beginning to walk. The rain had stopped at this point and the sun was poking its head. I was a happy and hydrated gal though. I tried to slow down at the water stop to drink more water instead of having it splash all over my face, but my legs tensed up and I decided slowing down was a horrible idea. By this point, even though I felt OK, I knew I wasn’t going to reach my goal time of 4:00. I had not kept a consistent pace. I had slowed down significantly. I think this was an inexperience issue that I’ll work on in future races. So I ripped off my pace bands and kept the smile on my face.

Mile 24 I saw Kendall again. We shouted some words of encouragement to one another and I ran past.

Mile 26. I told my legs to go faster. I managed to sprint through the chute, running past a few people. I remember the announcer saying my name wrong. My name has an unusual spelling, so I heard a lot of Maria instead of Maira throughout the race. Anytime someone pronounced my name correctly, I felt pretty awesome. I think three people got it right. One of them was the DJ for some Spanish-language radio station.

Mile 26.2 – 4:14:08 I ran across the finish line with my arms in the air and a giant, goofy grin on my face. I can’t wait to see those race photos. Undoubtedly, I’ll look like a dorkazoid, but I was ecstatic. I’m happy with my time. I can’t wait to run another and aim for sub-four hours.

Splits

1. 9:53
2. 9:39
3. 9:16
4. 9:37
5. 9:16
6. 9:18
7. 8:29
8. 9:14
9. 9:34
10. 9:00
11. 9:03
12. 9:06
13. 9:25
14. 9:29
15. 9:37
16. 9:56
17. 9:30
18. 9:38
19. 9:37
20. 9:51
21. 9:57
22. 10:07
23. 10:34
24. 10:31
25. 9:57
26. 9:20

Post-race

I was really happy with the way I prepared in the days leading up to the race. The weather wasn’t ideal, but I don’t think it hindered me. I need to eat a little more the morning of the race in the future. I was very well hydrated. I’ll never use accelgels again. I want to be more consistent with training for my next marathon.

Halfway there and I hit an injury

I’m two months well into training for the Houston Marathon and it finally happened…I’m injured.

I hate to put it that way, to be pessimistic about training and expect to be injured, but I just felt so good for a long time that I started to worry something would go awry. About a month ago, I started experiencing some tenderness and tightness in my hamstring and knee that just wouldn’t go away. I stretched and bought a foam roller (a wise investment for any runner), and while it would help some, the pain started to increase. In fact, it began to bother me even when I wasn’t running.

I have started to reevaluate a few things that could have led up to this.

1. I need to stretch more. Initially, after long runs, I probably didn’t stretch as much as I needed to. Maybe adding a yoga session once a week will help.

2. I need to get massages regularly. I have always been one to stress, whether it’s about paying bills, getting a project done at work or family issues. As a result, I tense up. I can feel it when I run too because my shoulders are less relaxed and I don’t feel as fluid. Massages always help release some of this tension. I have the extra cash to do so now as well.

3. Generally, I need to chill. Bills will be paid. I work in a relaxed environment, despite the fact that we are deadline-driven industry. Mom is doing great in her chemo sessions. After being diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer a year ago, she looks and feels great. We are grateful for that and we know she will be around for a long time yet. Things really are OK.

4. Sleep deprivation. One thing that has been difficult for me to adjust is my work and training schedule. I work nights at my job and I train with the Gazelles Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Mondays and Wednesdays aren’t so bad since I run at 9:15 a.m., but Saturdays are the toughest. We start runs at 6 a.m. and I get out of work at 12:30 a.m. By the time I get home and get into bed, it’s usually 1:30 a.m. I wake up around 5:15 a.m., grab a bagel and do my long run. The lack of sleep keeps me napping most of the day Saturday as a result. There isn’t too much I can do about this since I enjoy running with my group and long runs are hard for me to do on my own. I have to keep in mind that it will only take a couple more months before we start tapering and I can sleep in a little more. In the end, it will be worth it.

5. Eat more. I don’t think I’m fueling enough. I’ve dropped some weight and put on some muscle, but I still need to eat a little bit more.

I made an appointment with a physical therapist for Tuesday and hope we can pinpoint what exactly is wrong. It’s early enough in training that I’m confident I can recover, though it may mean slowing down some and seriously considering some of the things listed above.

Consistency is key on my road to the Houston Marathon

About a year and a half ago, I started this blog to discuss and share ideas on running and nutrition. I wanted a way to stay aware of how both of these things reflected in my own training habits. I didn’t do a great job of keeping up with it, so I’m going to give it a second run.

Currently, I am training for the Houston Marathon, which will be held Jan. 30, 2011. It will be my first full marathon experience after having completed two half marathons, a 12k leg on a relay race, 10k race and more 5ks than I can remember in the last year. It’s been a long transition for me going from an active short distance runner in high school to an on-again off-again runner throughout college to a consistent distance runner post-college. As much as my body loves the thrill of a quick sprint down the last 100m of a track at a 6 minute/mile pace, there is nothing more rewarding than finishing a long run on a beautiful, cool Saturday morning with your run buddies and chowing down on a much-deserved breakfast taco.

So now, I’m dedicating myself to posting more regularly with updates on my training and nutrition. The boyfriend and I have decided to eat more like vegetarians (I’m calling it faux vegetarianism). I’ll eat some meat occasionally mostly because I don’t really want to cut it out completely. We’ll just be having more meatless days. I’ll post recipes and ideas that I pick up along the way.

These next few months should be a fun ride. I’m excited about running my first full marathon and braving the cool Houston temperatures in January.

University Star on the Austin Marathon

A reporter from The University Star, the student newspaper at Texas State University-San Marcos, interviewed me for this story on the Austin Marathon that was published Monday. I meant to post this sooner, but I’ve been totally distracted with work and training!

Patrick is one of my former students. Good job and keep it up!

Austin Marathon highlights and looking to the future

Sunday’s Austin Marathon was nothing short of fun for me (maybe for some of the runners too!).

I volunteered at the water stop around mile 9, which was sponsored by the Gazelle Foundation. As some of you know, I train with Gilbert’s Gazelles in Austin, Texas, and the Gazelle Foundation is my coach Gilbert Tuhabonye’s organization that raises funds to build water wells in Burundi, Africa, where he is originally from. Many of us woke up extra early to help set up the water stop and eagerly awaited for Gilbert to run by. He ran the marathon as way to raise money for the foundation and to send money to those devastated by the earthquake in Haiti.

Check out this video as we waited in the cold for Gilbert to pass by. FYI it’s pretty shaky, so I’m praying you have no motion sickness. It was pretty cold and holding a Flip Cam steady for five minutes isn’t easy!

Gilbert’s goal was to place in the top three, but he came in a respectable fifth. He said got off to a bad start that morning when his watch died and he forgot to pack a Gu for the run. Energy loss and dehydration set in and he was unable to overtake the runners ahead. Regardless, he ran a 2:34:54 marathon, which is AMAZING and about a million times better than I could ever do. I’m really lucky to have such an awesome coach.

Another Gazelle who had an amazing time was Desiree Ficker, who won the half marathon with a time of 1:17:41. What an inspiration. Her and Kara Goucher are my heroes.

Once water duties slowed down, I headed toward the finish line to see runners complete their marathons. It was around the three-hour mark when I got there and it wasn’t too long before I started seeing Gazelles run through. I helped run in one of my long run buddies Ken Turlington, who qualified for Boston, and Glenn Croft, a UT student and fellow distance-running fanatic who I met through a close friend.

It was fun to volunteer, cheer people on, and made me eager to run my next race. I finally signed up for a half marathon. I’ll be running Moe’s Better Half Marathon in San Marcos, Texas March 7. I haven’t been training much lately because of I was dealing with calf muscle tightness, but I figure I’ll just run it for the sake of doing it and not focus on a PR, but just finishing. The race fee is very inexpensive, so it made sense. I also signed up for the Cap 10K in April to do for fun.

After those races, I decided I’ll just work on staying healthy and then begin training for my first full marathon. I’m not sure what marathon I’ll run yet, but it will likely be close to home. I considered doing Chicago and realized that the whole thing would just be too expensive with race fees, plane ticket and hotel. Plus, I want my family to be there. My mom was unable to see me run my first half last year because she had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was still in the hospital. She doing really well now and I can’t wait to have everyone there. The future is bright and full of running possibilities!

Bart Yasso talks about life as a runner, last-minute prep for the Austin Marathon

This weekend is an important one for the running community in Austin, Texas.

The city is hosting the 19th annual Austin Marathon Sunday. The Palmer Events Center, which is hosting the marathon expo, has been buzzing since yesterday as runners picked up race packets, browsed booths and watched a few motivational speakers give brief speeches.

I caught up with one of those speakers – Runner’s World Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso. The legendary marathoner and ultrarunner sat down with me and we chatted a bit about training, running around the world, and how the sport is much more than just exercise. Yasso will be running the 26.2 on Sunday as well, so if you are running, take a look at the runners around you. You never know what famous runner you will be pacing yourself with.

Yasso spoke to a crowd of runners after our interview and gave advice on topics ranging from hydration to blisters to dealing with cramping.

Both the full and half marathon sold out this year and perhaps with good cause. The Austin-American Statesman published a story yesterday saying the course might be faster than expected despite undergoing some changes in the past few years. Pam LeBlanc, the fitness writer for the Statesman, also provided a great list of last-minute information on the race.

I won’t be running the race, but I’ll be volunteering at the Gazelle Foundation water stop around mile 8. Good luck to all the runners Sunday!

Houston Marathon cheerleading

This morning, I attended my first marathon as a spectator/cheerleader/photographer.

Well, I mean, I haven’t run a marathon yet. I’m working on it, I swear.

Anyway, the Houston Marathon was held today and the weather was nothing short of perfect for all the runners. I had been raining for a few days in a row, so the break in weather came just in time.

It was good to see a race from the other side though. I remember how much it helped seeing some of my fellow teammates from Gilbert’s Gazelles along the San Antonio half marathon route and what a boost of confidence it gave me when I was feeling tired or hurting. I figured it was a good way to repay a good deed by going to cheer on my teammates. A lot of people consider running to be a solo sport, but having a group of people support you goes a long way because you have shared some of the same experiences. You know what they are going through.

I stayed a short distance away from the marathon route, so around 8:30 a.m. I slipped on a pair of track pants, my Gazelle shirt, SLR and phone and ran about five blocks toward the mile 16 marker. I was afraid I would be running pretty late, but once I got there, it wasn’t too long before I saw the first Gazelle, Chris, who runs Tuesday and Thursday afternoons with me. I tried to snap pictures every time I saw someone with a Gazelle shirt and cheer for them as they passed by.

Here are a few photos of some of my fellow runners:

It was good to see everyone looking so strong and happy.

I would really like to run this race in the future now that I have had a chance to see what it’s like and the route it takes. In fact, it motivated me to go ahead and sign up for the 3M Austin half marathon next weekend. I kept flip-flopping on the decision because I’ve been dealing with a sore left calf, but I think I can pull through. It will be good to race again with some hometown support.

Only crazy people run in 30 degree weather

At 5:15 a.m., I forced myself out of bed, pulled on a few layers, walked out to my car and drove to Runtex. It was hovering in the upper 20s.

Only crazy people run in this cold.

 

So I did a four-mile run with the Gazelles and a core workout.

 

Yup.

Core is the key

It’s been a few weeks since I last did a core workout — that is, until tonight.

Things have been slow around the house this weekend and after spending most of the afternoon reading on the couch (my sis got me Born to Run for Christmas!), I decided I wanted to go for a run on the treadmill around 7:30 p.m. So I got dressed in my workout gear, hopped into my car and drove to my gym which is about half a mile from my apartment.

It was closed. Great, I thought.

Unfortunately, my gym is one of those that is open 24 hours during the week and closes around 7 on weekends. So what is a bored girl to do on a Sunday night?

I realized I had two options: Throw on a pair of running tights and long-sleeve top and run laps around my apartment complex or do some core and strength exercises. With temperatures hovering in the low 40s, I decided to pass on running only because I had run a little more than 13 miles Saturday morning in 30 degree weather. I wasn’t really excited about freezing again.

So I grabbed my yoga mat out of the trunk of my car and headed inside to do a much needed core workout. I cycled between regular ol’ crunches, bicycle crunches, planks, push ups, wall squats and lunges. Needless to say, the boyfriend harassed me with a water bottle as I lunged from the bedroom to the living room and back. It’s OK. I managed to jab him in the side and arm.

Anyway, I realized I needed to make these core exercises a daily routine. I figure 15 to 20 minutes of it a day could do nothing but help. Usually, I try go to the Gazelle boot camp, which is an hour of ab and weight-lifting, but my work schedule changes too much for me to go consistently (oh, to be a journalist). I’ve always struggled with keeping my lower abs strong. Anyone have recommendations for ab exercises I should add?

Chili dogs kill

Now, I consider myself a pretty healthy person. In fact, I am often called a health nut. I try to make my own meals and pick healthy snacks as much as possible. I shop for organic foods and generally try to limit my meat intake. I always tell people I like to pretend to be a vegetarian/vegan a few days out of the week. (Sorry to all you full-fledged, card-carrying vegetarians/vegans. I do not mean to take the name in vain.)

Lately, I have not been doing so well on this front.

Case in point, I ate two chili dogs for dinner last night. I really don’t like processed foods to begin with, but I gave in because I’ve been working a whole lot lately and an easy dinner was all I wanted. (See my hunger post)

Pretty much from the time I woke up this morning for my seven-mile progressive tempo run with the Gazelles, I’ve been feeling just gross. And I know what you’re thinking. Don’t think that. By gross I mean just unhealthy. I don’t think my body knew what to do with all the artificial junk I put in my body, so it just said, “Maira, I’m going to teach you a lesson to never eat junk food again.” I’ve been lethargic all day. So the saying “you are what you eat” couldn’t be more true.

I guess what made me think about all this was my run this morning. We started off with a three-mile warmup and hit the higher speeds in the last four miles. I didn’t perform as well as I would have liked. My muscles got tight in the last mile and I wasn’t focusing on my form throughout. Granted I’m still trying to get over my sciatic nerve injury (I’ve been going to physical therapy for the past few weeks), but the San Antonio half marathon is just right around the corner.

Eating healthy is just one important factor when you are training for a race, I think. It’s time to stop regressing. So I’m going back to my old ways.

As an adieu to chili dogs, let us enjoy this video of a chili dog being made: