race report

i don’t really do these. i often try to forget races. with that, here is what i wrote on the plane ride home:

oh running. what are you? i started running because the family did. i had a knack for athletics (dad was “most athletic at his high school and my mom was a basketball player, runner and tennis player). it was a natural progression. i was always a ‘good’ runner by my standards…never great, never bad, good. it took a while for me to be OK with my high school running ‘career’. i felt that i let myself and my dad down. i have some natural talent and strength, but i have a brain that gets in the way. i believe in goals. i believe that one should set goals that develop self-efficacy, whatever they may be. but what do you do when you don’t reach them? kelly asked me this before i left and i told her i didn’t know and that i should probably think about it.

this year has been a fantastic year on the whole. yes, i’ve maintained my battle between feelings of wanting to be the best and resentment when i’m not, but i have enjoyed running far more than i have in years. it’s the first step in a long road of enjoyment of the sport—but a big one. i think sunday was another lesson. physically, i can run under 3:20—i believe in my training, training plan and the exercise science behind it all. mentally, i have some work to do. while it wasn’t my day physically, it wasn’t my day mentally either. i started feeling down after battling cramps for a few miles and never really pulled myself out of that funk. i think that is where my disappointment rests. sunday became about finishing when i didn’t like the sport. which to a degree, is noble, but also frustrating.

what i learned (or at least, am trying to teach myself) is that despite the disappointment of sunday’s performance after 18 weeks of 50-60 mile weeks, 6am summer track workouts and mid-week long runs is that the training, not the time is something to be defined by. the discipline. the work ethic. the friendships. and of course, those runs where you feel like no one or no thing can slow you down.

so monday i cried. and maybe a little on wednesday too. frank shorter said this about the marathon:

“You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can’t know what’s coming.”

will do frank. will do.

so this is why people hate tapering

tomorrow will be one week from chicago. something i have thought about every week for the last 4+ months. in the last 2 weeks, 75% of my runs have felt sluggish, i have often been bloated and i’ve doubted myself more than i should. with that, the legs are simply recovering from the last 17 weeks, bloating is (apparently?) normal when you drop mileage and/or the temps change because you’re not loosing as much fluid and your body has to reach an equilibrium again, and i’m changing my attitude back to one of excitement.

i had a little mental breakdown yesterday about the marathon. anyone who knows me well knows that i put an absurd amount of pressure on myself (i think we all do in some discipline). it’s silly really. after all, the point of this marathon is not to win a medal. if that was the case, i wouldn’t be a student. so why all the pressure? i was talking with my roommate about it last night. why is success as a runner built on these time goals for 5Ks, 10Ks or even a marathon? don’t get me wrong, i think challenges are fantastic and why not set one for yourself and go hard after it. with that, it is an activity i do because most days, i simply enjoy moving my body. i have yet to regret going for a run. i think emil zatopek sums running up perfectly with,

“…it was the most pleasant exhaustion i have ever known.”

running really has numerous metaphors for life. this training has been educational for me. and it’s probably been pretty good for my heart and lungs too. here’s to no more tears. and one heck of an enjoyable weekend.

getting closer

i’d be lying if i said i wasn’t excited and anxious about chicago.

i'll make sure to bring this sass...

and this face.

4 weeks!

Chicago is 4 weeks from Sunday and time is going to fly! I’m really excited. I do have a time goal, but I’m trying to not focus on it too much (some days I’m better at this than others). Regardless of time, I know this will be a great experience. The training has been so far! My family and friends have been more than supportive. I made a new running friend, R, who keeps me accountable on the track and during my mid-week long runs. She’s also become a really good friend. My roommates ask me about EVERY run and celebrate every little accomplishment with me. And my parents will be in Chicago to cheer me on! Despite the fact that I’ll be running with 40,000 people, I’m pretty sure I’ll hear my dad while I’m out there (anyone who has been coached by him knows why!). While I have run one marathon, this process has taught me a lot more than Boston. With Boston, I was just floating along, trying to get the long runs in and stay upright. Race day was awesome—there was crowd support for the whole 26.2 miles. There was a ton of buzz for Goucher and Hall. I was able to celebrate the weekend with one of my best friends, Sharon, who was running the marathon too and I’m thankful adidas provided me the opportunity to run without qualified prior. The round of training has taught me to appreciate running and appreciate a body capable of running, regardless of speed. Yes, some days I forget that and get fussy if it’s ‘slow’ despite being mid-70s and 80+% humidity at 6:30am, but on the whole, I am thankful that I am able to be active. Yoga has always been a metaphor for life to me. But this training cycle has been a metaphor for life too. I’m much happier than I have been in prior years and can’t wait to run through Chi in just a few short weeks. Butterflies just thinkin’ about it.

I changed the shoe color choice. I wanted to make sure it matched my outfit regardless of weather. Tough life, I know.

-e

I love running shoes.

 

Peachtree

Monday brings the Peachtree Road Race. For me, it’s tradition. I don’t remember too much of the early days but I’m sure they were pretty similar to what I am able to remember. We’d all wake up at Dovonshire at 5:00am. Travis and mom would get their numbers and put their change of clothes in the car. Dad would ensure I had gone to the potty to avoid a pit stop later. We’d head out by 5:30am en route to Buckhead and drop them off at the bank at Peachtree and Piedmont. Dad and I would go down the street to the BP where he’d get his paper, coffee and something to drink for me. We’d park somewhere off of 17th and grab our seat at the big tree in the park by the 6 mile mark. Dad would cheer for all the runners he knew. Everyone in the park would chant “T-shirt! Cold Beer! T-shirt! Cold Beer!”. We’d wait for mom and Travis to pass, find them in the park, and go grab some tasty breakfast. Then there were naps. Except for me, I don’t really enjoy naps.

When I was old enough, I began running. Over the years, things have changed. The race doesn’t finish in the park anymore–it finishes on 10th. One year it went up Juniper which was a dreadful, lackluster finish. It now hosts 55,000 runners. I missed a year because I had knee surgery. Travis missed a year to travel. Mom had to stop running due to knee trouble. Amanda joined the race. Then Mandy. Scooter used to come, now Jackson. The methods of getting to the start have changed, as have the restaurants. But one thing is consistent–someone from the Gower family will be on the left hand side of the road, right around the 6 mile mark, camera in hand with a smile on the face giving you all the energy you need for the last 0.2 to the finish.

I’ve occasionally wondered why I do the race. It’s not the t-shirt. It’s not the distance. I think it’s finding the familiar faces during and after the race.

Catch up.

3 finals down, 2 to go and the first year of the MPH will be complete. I only have 6 hours of required coursework, an internship and capstone to complete but will probably take a few extra while I have the resources on hand.

At the end of April my Field Epi group and I presented our semester project looking at HPV vaccination prevalence among University of Georgia undergraduate women (prevalence is pretty high).

Poster Day.

That same weekend brought the most exciting weekend of the year in Athens – Twlight (photo complements of Morgan)! Ran the 5K in the morning with a lot of my CPH friends and even qualified to run the mile downtown. I haven’t run a mile for time since high school so I was a bit nervous. But hey, regardless of time, it was a PR! My goal was not to finish last and that was accomplished so I was pleased.

Danielle keeping me calm before running a mile in front of a lot of people downtown!

My Epi partner in crime.

More awesome people!

We didn't really get it either.

Good Day

This morning I awoke early for a trail race put on by Dirty Spokes in Decula, Ga. Tim and company do a fantastic job with their races so it’s always nice to be able to get out and participate in one. Running this race was Brennan’s idea. He calls me at 7:30am (the race starts at 8:30am … he lives 40ish minutes from the park…) to tell me he just woke up. Me, being the sensitive person that I am, told him he better hurry. I suppose that’s the Lee Gower in me. After a touch of guilt, he said he was on his way. 3 minutes before the race I walk to the start (right by the entrance to the park). 2 minutes before the race, Brennan pulls in. Tim’s wife is running over for him to sign is waiver, I am attaching his ankle timing chip and he is attaching his number. I’m sure it was a sight.

Tim: ’45 seconds’

BP: [Tying shoe one.]

Time: ’30 seconds’

BP: [Tying shoe two] ‘I think I’m good.’

Nice.

It was funny. The race went well. I was pleased with how my legs felt and I even won for the women! Wooo hooo! Very happy to have my parents and Brennan at the finish!

This afternoon, I hit up Alps Road Elementary School for a ‘Dig In’ sponsored by Slow Food USA. We worked on the garden beds pulling weeds, disturbing fire ant beds, and laying compost. Hot day for late September, but a lot of fun! Looking forward to more events with the Athens chapter of Slow Food.

Thanksgiving recap

Thursday was an anniversary for Brennan and myself. We had our first date the day before Thanksgiving last year at 5 Seasons Brewery in Sandy Springs. Since it fell on Thanksgiving this year, we are heading to Athens today to celebrate. The plan is to go for a run around campus and the IM fields, get some coffee from Jittery Joe’s, and dinner at Five and Ten. Last night we exchanged gifts and I’m very luck to be the owner of a new coffee grinder. We acquired an abandoned Bodum French Press coffee maker from the store and I’ve been anxious to have a grinder that allows me the ability to grind coffee beans for the drip coffee maker or the french press.

 

Thanksgiving day also turned out really well! I finished the half under my goal time of 1:35 with 1:34:20 and was very pleased. The most exciting part was that I paced myself well. (I don’t sometimes.) The last 5 miles are hilly, so it’s unlikely for me to be perfectly paced, but I felt pretty smooth for the duration and was happy with that. I finished the race and met up with Brennan and the Deals. Jennifer came to watch and kindly drove us back to our parking. (Which, by the way, was perfectly planned. I can’t say where we parked because it’s a secret, but it could not have been smoother. Well done BP.)

It was then time to make the rounds. We started with my parents house. We had about 16 people there for lunch! (The shocking thing is that there was a time when we had 20+ people around.) Somehow we managed to get a family photo together. *Please note, the combined weight of the dogs in this picture is about 28lbs. And that would be the total of 3 pups.

We rallied and jumped in the car to head to Decatur to meet up with Brennan’s parents and grandparents. Another excellent meal, and 6 pies. We also took a moment to watch the space station and shuttle take off. Essentially, 2 moving dots. Nevertheless, check that off the list of things to see.

Post Decatur, it was back to Tucker to sit. We had a glass of wine from Pietra Santa Winery and I was out by 9:30pm. Cheers.

Weekend of Running

I took last weekend off from work to participate in a few events around metro-Atl. Such a nice break that I completely welcomed! Retail can be extremely draining…

Saturday morning I competed in our Big Peach Fall 5 Miler road race in East Cobb. It’s been a little while since I tried to run a bit faster so I was pleased with the effort. I finished 3rd in my age group and even won a little gift card to … Big Peach. Ha! But I’ll take it! The event went well, especially considering winter took it’s first strike that morning with chilly temperatures and a nice headwind for, what felt like, the whole race.

Followed the race up with Decatur Beer Fest in downtown Decatur. The weather attempted to put a damper on the event with drizzle, overcast and lower than ideal temperatures, but it failed to do so completely. I really enjoyed it because I am no beer connoisseur  and it proved to be a great opportunity for me to try a number of beers that I have never tasted. They also gave us a great little nugget glass for our tasting.

On Sunday morning the Big Peach team headed out to Conyers International Horse Park for a Trail Ekiden 40K put on by Dirty Spokes. Still a bit chilly, but the sun was out and the course was great. Some hamburgers and giant cupcakes topped the afternoon off.

I also picked up a few of my favorite prints that I got framed at Michael’s and I love them. Only took me 3 years to frame …

Boston

 

My set-up for the marathon.

The marathon was a few months ago, but I want to take a moment to write about it.

I decided last summer that it was time to run a marathon. Not an ideal distance for me, it’s long. However, my friend Sharon qualified in Nashville in April of 2008 and would go to Boston this spring. I decided to join her, one way or another. The plan was to run Kiawah in December but injuries told me no. Our Adidas sales rep, Ryan, was gracious enough to put my name in for a number through Adidas even though I had never completed a marathon.

Training went pretty well. I went into the training somewhat beat up, so the fact that I was able to increase my milage was excellent. I was taking classes at Ga State and working during the training, but was able to get into a decent routine with Sunday long runs, some accountability from Brennan in the middle of the week with our morning run dates, and the rest of the store with our Breakfast runs Friday mornings. 

I met Sharon in Boston on the Saturday before the marathon. We did some touring, although it was kept to a minimum so that we were fresh for the 26.2 mile jaunt from rural Hopkinton to Boston. The race expo Sunday was astonishingly huge. The race takes about 30,000 people, but the expo is open to the public and the John Hancock building is packed with vendors, product and people. We acquired our licensed merchandise from the Adidas spread, worked our way through packs of people, and headed out. We found a little bookstore/cafe off of Newbury Street and took in a afternoon lunch and break. 

Monday morning we woke up at 5:00am to get some coffee and head to the buses that take you to the start. Boston is a point to point race, so we loaded up in some school buses and were driven to the staging area to ‘relax’ for 3 hours until the start of the marathon. The ‘village’ they set up is at a middle school in Hopkinton. There are restrooms, tents and a lot of open space to sit. It was going well until I accidently rolled back stretching and busted my PowerGel pack all over my half-tights, and self. Somehow, we were next to a nice girl who had wet-naps. I really think my clean-up could have been photographed for some ad where the highlight how runners have no shame with public exposure on race morning. I did not care that thousands of people were around me as I cleaned my back, tush, calves and somehow neck, of Green Apple PowerGel. Sticky stuff. Any who. Cleaned up, changed half-tights and was ready to go (despite the fact that I still had some gel on my sock that was sticking to the insole of my shoe everytime I stepped). 

Sharon and I had to separate for the race start. Different time groups. So we gave our good-lucks and went to our respective corrals. 

Time went off, and off I went for my first ever marathon. Overall, the race was great. Those who have run the marathon before do not lie when they say that the course is lined with people from start to finish. The only thing that changes is that there are more and more the closer you get to Boston. There were kids passing out Gatorade from their front yards, the Wesley girls screaming for you at the half, and masses of people from Boston college on. There are only a few distinct turns during the marathon, but the last one is the best. You turn left toward Copley Square and the site of the grand stands are amazing. Partly because you know you’re almost done. More so because the site, noise and vibe are just awesome. 

When I crossed the finish line, my IT band and lower back instantly thanked me. The volunteers put a thin foil blanket around me, topped it off with my finishers medal, and handed me a cookie. I was happy. Found the family and Sharon and we went for an excellent meal. 

The night finished up well. Talked to Brennan and Travis as I walked to the Cheers bar to meet Mike and Todd (owner of BPRC and Director of Events for BPRC respectively) at the Adidas after party. I thanked Ryan for the number, informed him that I ‘earned’ my entry with my time, had a beer, some Boston Cream Pie and relaxed. 

It was a great trip. I was incredibly fortunate to have my first marathon experience be that of Boston and I’ll wear my Adidas Boston track jacket with pride.