PMS: The Other Kind

Bloating, irritability, food cravings, pain, fatigue... all symptoms of PMS. Along with comparison shopping, feelings of worthlessness, sadness, pessimism, feeling lost and rounding down.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, you may be a victim of PMS - otherwise known as Post-Marathon Syndrome. (It's a real thing, okay?) Apparently it's quite common to feel a little blue after you've finished something huge like a marathon. And according to Coach Jenny, it's not such a bad thing either...

"There are great benefits to living in this space for a little while. One, it allows you to slow down enough to heal and rejuvenate. And two, when you sit with it, you can gain awareness of the natural phases of a marathoner's life and see it as an opportunity to run seasonally and make the most of the free time." (Via Ask Coach Jenny)

So how do you break through the emotional torture? Well, for one thing, remember that time is relative. Just because you (meaning "me") didn't meet your goal time, it doesn't mean you didn't accomplish something awesome. And "one runner's personal worst is another's personal best." Then start to consider the following questions:

What were the lessons in this race? And what were the gifts?

For me, the lessons were: I committed to running too long of a race before I really loved anything about running. And, you can't cheat your body into thinking it's more prepared than it really is. Aaaand, I can't compare myself to my dear running mate, Liv, who just so happens to be awesome at goal setting and sticking with a plan and doing lots and lots of athletic things a billion times better than me (sigh). The gifts? My totally awesome support crew and running buddies and strangers cheering and the total rush knowing that, "I finally did it."

Who Quits Before Race Day?

My bro passed along this article from today's WSJ, and I felt like it was speaking directly to me (and the thousands of other runners who end up injured in the final days before the marathon). It truly is astounding that despite the many bang-ups and hang-ups that impede almost every runner's training at one point or another, nearly 80% of runners who sign up for a marathon, both start and finish the race.

 

Here is the full article...

Who Quits Before Race Day?

Injury From Overtraining, Fear of Undertraining Can Lead to 15,000 No-Shows

A month ago, Gary Scheiner felt ready to finish under four hours in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday. Today, he couldn't run a single mile.

During the high-mileage final weeks of training, a sudden tightness in his back escalated into a debilitating injury, relegating Mr. Scheiner to the field of broken hearts, those who won't make the start of the race.

ONE WEEK

*GULP* You guys, one friggin' week from today, from this very second (well the very second that the post posted) the gun will go off and we will be on our way to...making history? A certain slow and untimely demise? 4+ hour of misery? One of the greatest days of our lives? The greatest legal/natural high on earth? Well - we're not quite sure, verdict still out - but whatever it is, we're really looking forward to it and as of now...wait now, no riiiiggghhht NOW, we're super ready with the best attitude and we feel confident that our goals of finishing the race and having fun are within reach.

And guess what - you can watch it all go down, right here in our @ShoesFullofFeet twitter feed. You'll see as Liv + Sal each complete the 10K, 20K, 30K, and finally...40K distances. Oh the powers of Social Media.

We're actually not so sure this is the best idea - but you know what, we've been pretty dang honest with the inter-webs as this process has unfolded, so why stop now? And if you see our feed somehow magically disappear then I guess we cut out early, likely reason: distraction by mimosas.

If you have a runner you'd like to follow in the MCM, sign up here to receive text message alerts as you follow their progress. Or convince them to feed it directly to their Facebook page. We don't know yet if we have the courage for that level of full disclosure.

Tweet us on, we'll need it!

Dooce Does NYC

As previously stated, I LOVE blogs. There are so many blogs I follow and on such a variety of topics that it is truly hard to keep it all straight. I am sadly serious when I say I go out of town for one weekend and my reader will come up with >400 "while you were out" entries. It's become quite clear that I'm much better at reading other's blogs that I am at writing my own. I've decided my ideal career in this world would somehow involve reading and finding all of the really great blogs and entries and bringing them to the people. I'll point out the best stuff that's out there so you can get the highlights, the not to be missed, and the need to know. You guys...this is necessary, it's what I should be doing, not this accounting stuff (insert wah-wah pedal). I digress...

One of my favorite bloggers, Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com, is running the New York City Marathon just a week after we take the MCM by storm. Heather is oh so many things: a hilariously talented writer, ex-Mormon BYU grad, mom to two precious daughters and two photogenic dogs, Valedictorian of everything, a voice for those who have battled or are battling depression, etc. etc....and now a runner and you all should be reading her blog. She also follows the Paleo diet which, intrigues me because I think it's pretty spot-on with the way we were meant to nourish ourselves. She's just one of the many people inspiring me to jump on board...just as soon as I find the self-discipline and the time to figure it all out. (again with the digression, must stay on point)

So Heather only announced on her website that she would be running the NYC marathon in the middle of September, leaving only 50 or so days to train. I would be freaking out. But she is a machine, already in great shape and recently completed The Other Half Marathon in beautiful Moab Utah. Earlier this year she partnered with Christy Turlington Burns (yes the super model) and her non-profit organization Every Mother Counts on their trip to Bangladesh. Now Heather and their team of 9 are running for such a worthy cause.

Every day I look forward to what Heather has to say about her journey in training and her new found love/hate of running (she's picked up on the fact that it's a bi-polar relationship). Can't wait to follow her and the team as they take on NYC.

If I Had a List

It is TBD how I'm going to feel after this whole thing shakes out, if when we make it over the finish line. Am I going to be a runner for life? Will I begin searching for my next conquest soon after MCM? Hopefully we can turn our thoughts to planning our Oregon trip. Or...will I be burnt out, over it and never want to run again?

I'd like to think that my enthusiasm for training and the joy I've found in running thus far will continue. It's hard not to look to the future and think about the other races out there, after all there are so many different ones, all with something unique to offer and located in some fun place or city I would love to visit. A recent Runners World article about the best marathons for first timers got me doing just that.

So, consider this my "if I had a marathon bucket list" list, and preliminarily, this is what would be on it:

The New York Marathon: I mean, how could it not be? It's "the" marathon (unless you're fast, and then I guess to you, that might be Boston - which will not be on this list because that requires speed...and qualifying). Who doesn't love New York City, especially in the fall? This race definitely has the "name" factor going for it. Not to mention the celebrity appeal. But I think the main draw for me is the screaming supportive crowd is basically 4 deep for the entire course. I can't even imagine that. Love that the course makes its way through all 5 boroughs involving the entire city. Minus two points for the fact that to get in you either have to a) face the lottery or b) pay up...a lot.

Big Sur International Marathon: Consistently named as the most scenic marathon, as far as a destination/vacation race for me, this would be my number one. I've never seen the beauty that is the Northern California coastline. Why rent a convertible and drive it (like in the movies), when you can really take it all in by spending hours running it? I'm sure the views you experience are a great distraction from the pain and hilly course. In fact the more I research it, watch videos of the course, and see pictures the likes of this:

and this:

...the more I want to sign up...like right now. I'm pretty jealous of all you NoCals out there that can experience this on a regular basis.

Walt Disney World Marathon: Big fan of Disney World, huge. After all, it's the most magical place on earth. I can't get over how much fun it would be to run through all 4 kingdoms passing the characters along the way - snapping pictures as you go with the disposable camera provided for you. To boot, it's in sunny Florida... in January. I could imagine for those runners with children this is like killing two birds with one stone: take your kids to Disney World and accomplish your goal of running a marathon or half. Only negative is you might be limping the day after while your kids are running from ride to ride in the parks yelling at you to hurry up.

Chicago: Watching this documentary on the Chicago marathon definitely has me inspired. Rounding out the "big three" of NYC and Boston, I feel as though it can't be left off. I'm not as familiar with Chicago as I would like to be, and what a great way to experience it. As a plus, it's flat and fast.

Portland: I believe I have previously shared my fascination/obsession with the city of Portland. Although, number one on my list of races that I must participate in is Hood to Coast, which we WILL do, preferably sooner rather than later (right team?).

Napa: I can't imagine anything better than recovering from your race with a wine tasting, or four. The perfect way to really earn your wine and food - not to mention the beauty of the course as you're running along the vineyards. Additionally, it has a small field size of about 2,400, so you would never feel too crowded. The hubster and I are visiting wine country for the first time ever in late September, and I couldn't be more excited. The timing of this trip will mean that while there, I'll likely have to run the distance of at least a half marathon for MCM training, so I'll get a little taste of running in this:

and then some of this:

Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon in Phoenix: I have some family friends that live outside of Phoenix and I had the pleasure of visiting them and the state of Arizona for the first time last year. It was more beautiful than I imagined and I'm just looking for an excuse to get back to Carefree. This race is held in January, which I'm pretty sure is the only month I would attempt to run outside in the desert.

My "brah" and me after hiking Black Mountain

Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras: It's New Orleans. During Mardi Gras. See comments above for Napa regarding wine and gourmet meals. Except sub wine for hurricanes. One of my favorite cities in the world. Enough said.

This list is strictly stateside. I could write an entire separate post for all of the international races I would love to participate in....which basically encompasses any race located in a foreign country that I long to visit (and yes, I included Hawaii, even though I know it's in the US...but for me getting there, it might as well be in another country.)

What about you? Do you have any favorites I need to add to my race wish list (that I may or may not wish for come October 31st)? Have you run any of these yourself?

Back on My Feet

BOMF DC in the 2010 Fannie Mae HTH Walkathon

Last weekend at the Help the Homeless Walkathon, there was a large and enthusiastic group (800+ to be exact) from Back on My Feet, "a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.

"Back on My Feet... does not provide food nor does it provide shelter, but instead provides a community that embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership. Back on My Feet is much more than just running. It is a comprehensive program that offers connections to job training, employment and housing, but these benefits are not free. Members earn the opportunity to move forward in the six month to nine month program by maintaining a 90 percent attendance rate at the morning runs three days a week"

Source: Good

First of all, we think this concept is pretty awesome. We found our newest inspiration in Eric Fair, a homeless man and Back on My Feet team member who recently completed the Philadephia marathon. He was a promising athlete in his high school days, but drugs and a number of other stumbling blocks got in his way. In an effort to piece his life back together, he began training with Back on My Feet - and though we haven't been able to confirm it just yet, it looks like he completed the race in 3:49:32.

An impressive time? Obviously. But it's even more astounding when you consider everything Eric had (and still has) to overcome just to be able to run...

"His years of drug use have ravaged his body, leaving him with high blood pressure, kidney problems and a slew of other health concerns, but he says he always feels good when he is running."

His doctor was clearly worried about his decision to run the marathon, but his response to those concerns won't be easy to forget...

"I have to [run]. After all that I've been through, I would rather die on my feet than sit on my butt."

We are extremely thankful for organizations like Back on My Feet and inspirational runners out there like Eric Fair. Thank you for reminding us to stop making excuses and start focusing.

Pre-Training Training

We've done a pretty good job thus far focusing on just about everything BUT the actual running part... whoops. But that's not to say we haven't been running. We just haven't been running far... or fast... or well. Our pre-training training program is off to a very slow, but very steady start. Fortunately, we have an entire year to prepare for the big 26.2, and the serious training won't start until next June. So for now, we're taking it step by step and day by day.

Here is our "Pre-Training Training Program:"

• November
• Run 2 - 3.5 miles at least 3 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Be able to comfortably & consistently run 3 miles by the end of the month without wanting to (or actually) throwing up.
• December
• Run 2 - 4 miles at least 3 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Be able to comfortably & consistently run 4 miles by the end of the month.
• Avoid egg nog and fruitcake at all costs.
• Run a 5K in New York!
• January
• Run 2.5 - 5 miles at least 3 - 4 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Be able to comfortably & consistently run 5 miles by the end of the month and hardly be able to remember the days when running made us want to throw up.
• February
• Run 2.5 - 6 miles at least 3 - 4 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Be able to comfortably & consistently run 6 miles by the end of the month and shake our bad attitudes about the bitter cold weather.
• Register for the 2011 Marine Corp Marathon!!
• Liv to lose 10 lbs (we included some extra time to accomplish this after the holidays)
• March
• Run 3 - 7 miles at least 3 - 4 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Be able to comfortably run 7 miles by the end of the month and rejoice about the slightest snap of warmer weather, but then remember that DC won't truly get warm until May.
• April
• Run 3.5 - 8 miles at least 4 -5 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Be able to comfortably run 8 miles by the end of the month without feeling completely burnt-out.
• Run the Cherry Blossom Festival (10 miles) and finish before the sun sets. Throwing up acceptable.
• May
• Run 4 - 8 miles at least 4 - 5 times a week
• Cross-train on off days
• Run 9 miles at least 2 times within the month (preferably in the Virginia countryside with a trip to the vineyards afterwards).

Oh, and to look like this by summertime. Psyche!

lylas,

Marathon Mania(cs)

So today, the Monday following the ING New York City Marathon, is "Marathon Monday Mania" on the Today show. Part of the madness is that you can get into the 2011 NY marathon before anyone! Sure you have to do a little song and dance, AND take a picture of you completing a scavenger hunt item AND post it to Facebook - AND THEN be lucky enough to have your name pulled from the drawing. We're not quite that ambitious just yet, but good luck to any of you folks out there who are!

One of our favorite parts about the NYC Marathon is the celebrity factor. I mean, can you even imagine...you're running along and then all of the sudden it's like, "oh hey Al Roker - what's the weather going to be like tomorrow?" Now, we've already paid homage to our hero of this race, but let's review some of the other celebs and how they fared...

Bobby Flay had a little marathon "throw down" of his own. He was hoping to beat four hours, and just missed it with an impressive finish of 4:01:37. Justin Gimelstob, professional tennis player and first time marathon runner had to beat 4:45 to win his bet with Andy Roddick to receive $10k for Gimelstob's charity. He crushed the bet, finishing in 4:09:58.

Our personal favorite celebrity charity story was Amani Toomer, former New York Football Giants wide receiver. He was the very last person to start the race, and for every runner he passed Timex is donating $1 to the New York Road Runners youth fitness program. Loves!

Subway + running too soon = ugh

Sal + Liv both got a little overzealous in support of Jared's fight for the cause and overindulged in Subway before our run yesterday. Actually - overindulged isn't the right word for a six inch sub on toasted whole wheat - we prefer to reserve that word for foods like hot fudge sundaes and chili cheese fries. Nevertheless, Subway + running don't exactly mix unless there's at least a 30 minute buffer in the middle [sidebar: Aw cuss! does that mean the whole swimming pool rule about waiting 30 minutes is really true too? We always assumed that was just something our parents told us to make our lives miserable.. jk mom] Anyway, for our marathon next year, Jared and we/us (ummm... Liv + Sal) share the same goal - to just finish the thing.

Moving along...lets talk times. Holy heck - the winner finished in 2 hours and 8 minutes! He would have finished, gotten a massage, maybe an ice bath, and chugged back a couple of mimosas at brunch by the time we'll finish. And of course - 5 out of the 6 winners (men and women) were Kenyans. God - why did you put all so much of the natural running talent in one country? Couldn't you have spread the wealth? She's got the right idea for her blog title, seems like we're always "Chasing the Kenyans."

Sigh.Who knows what's in the cards for us if when we finish our first marathon. Regardless, a major pat on the back to all of you runners from the NYC marathon - and hopefully we'll see you at the starting line (oh yeah... and finish line, too) in the future!

lylas,

You're a Hunk of Burning Love, Peña

I mean, c'mon. For realsies? If Edison Peña aka "the Runner" (the Chilean miner who was trapped in a mine for 69 days) can finish the NY Marathon, surely we can do this, right?? 

Liv + I just finished our first run together, and it wasn't pretty (for me, at least). I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and then came back to discover that Peña actually finished. I mean, the man whittled his boots down to running shoes and ran through pitch black dark mining shafts - never more than 6 - 7 miles a day - and he crossed the finish line today. Furthermore, he's inspiring others to do it to:

"First, I want to run this marathon, but secondly, I'd like to motivate those people who aren't running the marathon to do so in the future. I also want to especially motivate young children and youth to run because running makes you free."

You're a total bada$$, Peña. Consider us motivated... and a wee bit convicted. Paso a paso, we hope to make you proud. This one goes out to you, amigo...

• Burning Love by Elvis Presley

More Elvis Presley music on iLike

Oh, and just in case you missed it, here is our hero stealing our hearts on Letterman last week...

¡besitos!

Meet Sal

I’ve always wanted to be a runner, but somehow my short attention span and a pile of lame excuses always get the best of me and I give up. In fact, I’ve never been much for regular exercising at all until I moved to DC. Don’t get me wrong, I’m reasonably active - I danced my whole life and dabbled (unsuccessfully) in intramural sports and the occasional yoga class. Nowadays, I spend about 30 minutes on the elliptical a few times a week, pretend to lift weights until I find myself awkwardly staring at others through the gym mirror, and take long walks around home sweet DC. I’ve done a little bit of everything here and there, but only once in my life have I found a consistent and rewarding way to stay healthy…

[Begin nostalgic flashback/cue Saved by the Bell dream sequence effects] Christmas morning of 2006 I half-heartedly mentioned my desire to run the Nashville Country Music Half Marathon. I was still adjusting to the “real world” post-college and running seemed to be the only logical way to balance a newly acquired full time work schedule with my empty bank account and my desire to stay active. At that point in my life, I had never run more than a few miles at a time and I wasn’t exactly taking myself seriously. Much to my horror surprise, my oldest brother (who completed the Marine Corp Marathon in 2003) was. He thought it sounded like a great idea, and before I knew it, I had challenged my entire family to run it with me.

It is a glaring understatement to say the next 4 months were challenging. I came up with an absurd list of excuses (company softball league injury?) to get out of running. Fortunately, my roomie at the time was running the half marathon too and she helped me keep my eye on the finish line. The training process was grueling (for me, at least), but through the support of my friends and family, and the knowledge that whomever came in last place among my fam had to foot the bar tab after the race, I found myself on I-40, driving to the race and trembling with fear. 


I finished in just over two hours and the sense of accomplishment was pretty stellar - the camaraderie among racers, the awesome bands at each mile driving me forward, friends and family cheering and waving posters – it was enough to convert me into a runner for life... 


And yet, I haven’t run more than a mile or two since (awkwaaard). I completely “fell off the wagon” and reverted back to my sedentary lifestyle where I count leisurely strolls as a workout. Over the years, I’ve come up with plenty of excuses to convince myself that I didn’t let myself down by slacking on my running. But there’s really no room (or reason) for lying to myself anymore. And now that I have an extremely pushy motivated running buddy, I’m 98 and ¾ percent sure I can do it.   


I am definitely not a natural runner. But I’m going to try my darndest. And hopefully, during that process, I’ll also learn how to live a healthier lifestyle and treat my body better. After all, it’s the only one I’ve got - and it's tired of eating goldfish every night for dinner. 

lylas,