The Demon Run

"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."-Buddha

Please allow me to introduce myself...

No, today's blog installment isn't some race report from October.  It is about a certain kind of run that presents itself every once in a while.

As a runner you have many types of runs:

Training runs- get the mileage in so you can have a great race.

Social runs- sometimes are training runs, but with a destination at the end, like a bar or cafe with friends.

Speedwork- working on getting faster; this is serious running, sometimes puking is involved.

Hill repeats- up and down and up and down…

Fartleks- funny name for running fast and slow randomly.

and 

Demon runs.

Demon runs cannot be scheduled like the other runs, they present themselves as a unique opportunity.  Many variables go into a demon run, such as:

Stress from work

Bad news about the health of a loved one

Frustration about situations you cannot control

And everyone bailing on the run, leaving you to run by yourself.

This Saturday a demon run presented itself to me.  I didn't know it was going to be a demon run until mile 3. I started out from my house and crossed the street to the residential development that I have my 3 to 10 mile routes mapped.  It was a beautiful day- cold (duh, I live in Chicago), no wind and the sun shining.  As I entered the park to run around the lake, the demon run presented itself.  I needed to run hard enough and long enough to get all of my frustrations out. It also involved screaming. I don't know why that feels good when you run really hard and then scream, but it feels really good. Try it sometimes.  You also need a good playlist for a demon run.
Excerpts from my demon run playlist:

Galvanize- The Chemical Brothers
Yeah!-(feat. Lil' Jon and Ludacris) Usher
Get Back- Ludacris
'Till I Collapse- Eminem & Nate Dogg
Epic- Faith No More
Ladies and Gentlemen- Saliva
No More Tears- Ozzy Osbourne
How Do You Like Me Know- The Heavy
Get Ur Freak On- Missy Elliott
Remember the Name- Fort Minor featuring Styles of Beyond
Stupid Girl- Garbage
And the Cradle Will Rock- Van Halen
My Prerogative- Britney Spears

As you run, you are mad as hell.  There does come a point when you work it all out.  You know when you hit that point when a certain peace and calm comes over you.  That is when you know you have had a successful demon run.

That is when you change the playlist to a cool down and find your way home.  Excerpts from a demon run cool down:
All the Love You Need- Big Head Todd & the Monsters
Shambala- Three Dog Night
Maybe Tomorrow- Stereophonics
Give a Little Bit- Supertramp
#9 Dream- John Lennon
Claire de Lune-Claude Debussy

Yes, my concerns and frustrations are still here.  Yes, I am still worried about loved ones and friends, but I know that a good demon run can help me cope.

Sometimes you just need to run like hell.

The Rituals of the Long Run

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."- Steve Prefontaine

Legendary long distance track runner who held seven American track records

Yes, this would be my house.

It is becoming that time of year when the mileage starts ramping up and long runs become part of the Saturday morning ritual.  My definition of a long run is anything over 8 miles.  The reason why 8 miles consists of a long run is because if something is going to go wrong in a run, it is really going to hurt after an 8 mile run.  

Today, I thought I would share with you my Saturday morning long run ritual.  

The day before:

1) Drink lots of water.

2) Don't eat: buffalo wings, hamburger, pizza, lots of salad, beans, Mexican food, water infused with blackberries (that is another blog subject).

3) For dinner eat 4 oz. of spaghetti and meatballs, glass of wine, one piece of chocolate.

4) Lay out running clothes, which includes favorite jog bra from 2009, favorite wicking panties that say on the inside of the waistband "I see London, I see France…", favorite socks which were bought at the Indianapolis Mini Marathon last year, Moving Comfort tights, favorite race t-shirt that stinks so badly no matter how much you wash it because you wear it every Saturday for a long run.  It gets out of the drawer on its own.

The morning of the long run:

1) Wake up 90 minutes before run.

2) Strip down naked.

3) Slather Body Glide on every surface of the body that has ever encountered a chafing incident- bottom of the feet, inside the thighs, under boobs and triceps.

4) Put on clothes.  Wear socks inside out so that the stitching across the toes do not cause any blistering.

5) Drink 1.5 cups of coffee, no more, no less.

6) Go #2.

7) Eat a Luna Honey Peanut Pretzel bar.  Wash down with water and 1-2 Endurolytes.

8) Prepare the fuel belt: fill up water bottle with water, make sure there enough Endurolytes, put nutrition in zip lock baggie and make sure asthma inhalator is in fuel belt.

9) Put on heart rate monitor and Garmin.

10) Go #1 one more time…

11) Put on hat, gloves, coat and sunglasses, if needed.

12) Ready to run!

During the run:

I cannot tolerate Gatorade or any other type of sports drink.  I either gag from the taste, or it gives me gastric distress.  This is why I take Endurolytes to maintain my electrolyte levels so I won't cramp.  At mile 4, I eat one date.  I then alternate every 2 miles between an Endurolyte and a date.  I used to take e-Gels instead of alternating between salt tablets and energy gels…until they made me sick.  I then switched to Hammer Gels.  My favorite flavors were apple cinnamon and raspberry…then they made me sick.  This year, I am trying dates as a nutrition supplement.  I will let you know how that goes.

After the run:

After being injured last year, I have concocted a stretching routine that I use.  

1) 20 heel drops, 20 squats, 20 donkey kicks, 20 fire hydrants, 5 second hamstring stretch, 5 second quad stretch.  Do 3 sets of these.  I change up this routine on a monthly basis.

2) Foam Roller

3) Stand on head for 3 minutes.

Long run and stretching are finished!

Post run nutrition:

Egg sandwich on an English muffin.  

What are your long run rituals?

With All Good Intentions

"Plans are only good intentions unless they degenerate into hard work."- Peter Drucker

This winter for most of us has proven to be a challenge to get in workouts, particularly running workouts.  I can say with 100% certainty that I do not like to run inside; either on a track or on a treadmill.  In fact, I can say with 100% certainty that if the only choice is to run inside, I will not run.  On the other hand, I can conjure up the courage to jump in the pool with -40 windchill outside, or hop on my bike for a 2 hour Sufferfest video while a snow storm is raging outside.

Because of my choices, guess which sport has suffered?  Yep, my running.  I am sad because of this.  I used to love to run.  It is where I got my inspiration, my courage, my friendships.  I have fallen out of love with running.  Is it because I have gotten slower?  Perhaps.  Is it because I am still struggling to recover from an injury from October 2012?  Probably.  Is it because I am embarrassed of my running?  Yes.  

I used to love to run with a group of 10-12 people.  Now, I have to talk myself into running with my husband and my running partner of 10 years.  I'm afraid that I am 'bringing them down' to my pace.  I never used to worry about such things.  Some days I was faster and some days I was slower.  It just didn't matter.

But then one day it did.  I don't know what happened, but I feel out of love with running and became ashamed of how I ran.  I got frustrated and mad.  And I have stayed mad at my running and myself.

I was no slacker of a runner.  I have been running since 1998.  Since then I have run countless 5Ks and 10K races.  I have run more than 50 half marathons and 12 marathons.  Today, I seriously doubt if I have another marathon in me.  I never used to think that way.

What to do?  Being my Type A self, I have devised a plan.  Here it is:

• Try to run 1000 miles in one year by running virtually to Charleston, SC from Chicago.  I am way behind schedule on this and am trying to make up some time.  Right now, I am 10 miles north of Kentland, IN.
• Attend the Speedwork Information Session at Golden Legs Racing on Tuesday, March 18th.  I haven't done speedwork in a while.  It might be fun to shake things up a bit and try something new with running.
• Signing up for races with friends and family.
• If my recovery goes well, then I may consider a fall marathon with X-t.  It would be his first.

Hopefully, this will not be just good intentions, but some hard work and fun along the way.

Gasparilla Distance Classic Race Report

"Damnation seize my soul if I give you quarters, or take any from you." Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
Translation: "I'll be damned if I accept your surrender or surrender to you."

What a fun race and a great weekend.  The reason for signing up for this race was to celebrate a good friend's 40th birthday.  We all gathered from around the country (and Canada too) for a weekend of laughter, sweat and good food, drink and of course a good time.  

The thing with my friends is we aren't the spa and rest and relaxation types.  If we are going to celebrate a momentous occasion, we must try to kill ourselves.  When we emerge from the other side, we are closer to one another and have some great stories to tell of our adventure.

It is a race weekend, not just a race day.  On Saturday, there are 15K and 5K races.  On Sunday, there are the 1/2 marathon and the 8K races.  And yes, you can race all 4 races.  We didn't though; we just did the 15K race and the 1/2 marathon.  We had other things on our agenda.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites Downtown.  It was the perfect location.  Sure it was pricier, but we were right across the street from the Convention Center where packet pickup was located.  The street car stopped right in front of our hotel and we were right on the Riverwalk.  The start/finish line was a block away.  Throw in 'free' breakfast buffet and happy hour at Embassy Suites and you couldn't go wrong. 

Saturday was the 15K race.  It was an out and back course.  I hate out and back courses, except for this one.  It followed the bay so you had a view of the water most of the time and nice island music (think Jimmy Buffet and reggae).  There were water stations every 1.5 miles that had sprinklers (nice touch).  This was important for us Northerners as the humidity was 95% with a 70 degree temperature at the start.  The course was nice and flat absolutely no hills unless you count the overpass at the very beginning.  There was plenty of bananas, water, Gatorade and beer at the finish.  You could get your picture taken with a pirate or a wench with your medal. 

No time to party afterwards.  After a refueling breakfast of omelets, potatoes, coffee and watermelon, we jumped in our bathing suits to rest our legs in the pool before heading to Urban Kai for a 2-hour paddleboard lesson.

Look Ma- I'm paddleboarding!

Yes, I have found another sport.  We had so much fun.  I am looking forward to doing it again this summer in Illinois.  I'm going to Canoecopia next weekend in Madison to further investigate SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding).  

After taking a water taxi back to the hotel, we cleaned up and went to my all-time favorite Florida restaurant The Columbia to fuel up for the 1/2 marathon the next morning.  Hands down, the best sangria that exists on the planet.

The course for the 1/2 marathon was almost the same as the 15K.  Again, it was an out and back by the bay with the same bands.  There were water stops every 1.5 mile or so with two of the stops including gels and/or blocks to refuel.  The weather was the same- 95% humidity with temperatures in the 70s.  There was fog in the morning, so we were spared the sun.  A lovely after party with plenty of beer AND food from The Columbia Restaurant.  

Kick A** Medals: 1/2 marathon on the left, 15K on the right.

Do I recommend this race?  Most definitely! I might do it again next year.  It was a perfect respite from  a nasty winter.  I probably won't do all 4 races, though.  There is SUP to be had!

March Challenge:

This month's challenge is to do 10,000 steps everyday, plus these little activities.  Thank you to The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans for these monthly challenges!

Charleston, SC Running Challenge Update:

The weather hasn't really cooperated with my running and I DISPISE the treadmill, so I am a little behind on my trek to Charleston.  Right now, I have 902 miles to run.  On the map, it puts me Willow Slough State Game Preserve, 20 miles north of Kentland, IN.  Once the weather is above zero degree windchill, I am going to add 3 mile runs to my Mondays and Fridays to get back on track.