Taper Time

It's finally here. The week I've been awaiting for months. It's is now taper time!!! It's my favorite part of marathon training. It's the time when your "long" run is "only" 12 miles...and it seems easy. It's the time you can justify a whole lotta laziness by saying, "Better not - I need to rest." Sneak in an extra workout? Better not - I need to rest. Go in early to work? Better not - I need to rest. Comb your hair? Better not - I need to rest.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. You see, because before the taper starts, you have hell week - the biggest mileage week of your training. And when training for Dopey, hell week is especially hellish. This is the week that you need to do your final - and longest - Dopey simulation by running long miles on several consecutive days. But I made it....with a little help from some crazy people I know my friends.

Dopey Simulation, Day 1: Thursday, December 17 - 5 Miles

Lauri took the easy day. Slacker.

This was the easy day of the simulation. My friend and neighbor Lauri agreed to accompany me on this run. My alarm went off at 5:15 and I jumped out of bed ready to knock these miles out.  After all, 5 should be no problem.  Should, being the operative word here. This run just flat out sucked. I was tired. My legs were sore. I had no oomph. I had to reign Lauri in a couple times and fretted to her that I was nervous. If I was having trouble with 5 measly miles, how on earth was I gonna do 10? Or 20? Before she trotted back across the street to her warm house and puppy snuggles, she told me that I would be fine and it was just a bad day. I knew this on an intellectual level, but something like this messes with your mental game.

I made myself a recovery drink, hopped in the shower and got ready for work - complete with my recovery compression socks hidden in my knee high boots. I had pre-made a batch of hard boiled eggs the night before so I easily take some high protein food with me to work. I grabbed an egg, a banana and a clementine and left for work. Sadly, when I got to work and took out my egg - I discovered it looked not so much hard boiled as slimy. I was told it was actually soft boiled, some people like it that way and they even sell these fancy cup things to perch them in and eat them. People are weird. So I tried it. I did not appreciate the slime factor. Yet another Raegan cooking fail.

FYI - this is gross.

Dopey Simulation, Day 2: Friday, December 18 - 10 Miles  

No - we weren't preparing to rob a casino Ocean's 11 style.

My alarm went off at 5:00 am and I rolled out of bed to get dressed in the running clothes I had set out the night before. I did my PT-prescribed planks, ate an English muffin topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas while filling my fuel belt and headed out to meet early bird Karin for a windy run. We decided to run north so we'd be going through Uptown in the dark and could run through the Christmas lights. It's the little things that help you get through a cold run. And it was cold. Despite my multiple shirts, gloves and neck gaiter I was freezing.

After we got north of town and away from the protection of trees and buildings, the wind got vicious. We agreed to run to the north end of the trail so there would be minimal back tracking past our cars to get in the prescribed mileage. (There are few things as mentally taxing as running past your nice, warm car and not stopping. It's like it's calling to you. "Come back to me. You've run far enough.") But as we ran toward the north ending point of the trail, the wind and cold were playing tricks on our minds. We could see the end after a while but it seemed as if we were running in place, and were getting no closer to it. We finally did reach the end and Karin with her running OCD made me actually go back and step onto the street because I had turned around a step shy of it the first time.

The good news was that I felt much better doing 10 miles than I did doing 5 the day before. I had taken the morning off work so I could take my time getting ready after my longest weekday run. I got back home, downed another recovery drink and rolled out my legs. As I laid down to roll my calves, I placed my hand under my head and discovered my pony tail was frozen...and I'd been home in front my fireplace for about a half hour at this point. I thought it was cold out there!  After I got out of the shower, I looked at my watch and realized I had enough time for a nap before I went to work so I climbed into my bed and promptly fell asleep. Before leaving for work, I made another attempt at a high protein meal and made a bagel with cream cheese and salmon. No cooking issues this time. Of course the only "cooking" I had to do was toast the bagel...

Well, it turned out better than the egg.

Dopey Simulation, Day 3: Saturday, December 19 - 20 Miles

This is the last day, right?

This was the big day. Even though it's Saturday, my alarm still annoyingly goes off at 5:00 am. I stagger out of bed, get dressed in 2 pairs of tights, a thermal shirt, fleece-lined jacket, neck gaiter, fleece hat, gloves and wool socks and do my planks. Ugh - why aren't those getting any easier? I had packed a bin with supplies the night before and would be dropping it off at a park along our route. I grabbed that, my fuel belt and my knuckle lights and headed out to meet a group of selfless certifiably crazy people who were willing to meet me and fellow marathoner Wendy before dawn to run for hours.

Our supplies bin that we'd access at mile 12 and again at 13.

The layers weren't enough. I was freezing. I had to pull the mitten mitts over my gloves and tuck my hands up into my sleeves to get feeling back into the tips of my fingers. When the sun came up, it was a little better, but not much. I honestly didn't get warm until about 4 hours in. There was a good-sized group of us and we even saw 2 other crazy people who were out before dawn in 18 degree weather.

After 2 hours, we got to the meeting point where we met up with Jane and Barb, 2 more crazy people of my friends. They would be running about 5 or 6 miles with us. Our posse continued on. In the next hour, we picked up 3 more folks. At this point we started to look like a president running surrounded by the secret service detail - but with more colorful clothing. The large group of people helped pass the time.

Let do this thing, but first lemme take a selfie.

The posse going through Uptown.

Yes - that is frost on my hat.

Not so much a training run as a party on legs.

By mile 14, I was starving. I scavenged food from posse members who produced pretzels and gummy bears from their pockets. Shortly after I was getting a little restless to get done. Our group had been doing run/walk intervals but now I just wanted to finish. Karin encouraged me to do what I needed to do for my own training. So a group of folks stayed with Wendy while Jeffrey and Karin went with me as I took off, telling the rest of the group I'd see them at the finish.

Finally I was starting to get a little warmer and I could almost feel the finish. I ran the last quarter of a mile repeatedly staring at my Garmin, watching the tenths of a mile tick by. All I could think about was a huge fountain soda and a hot shower. Soon my watch buzzed and I was done. I actually felt great. As a matter of fact, my last mile was my fastest one.

Done! What's to eat?

Once I got home, I sent my mom the obligatory "I'm still alive" text - complete with photographic proof - and took a hot shower. I stayed in there until the hot water ran out.

I then went in search of food - grabbing a quick bite and then heading to the grocery store to pick up something for a party that night. Here's a tip - maybe don't go to the grocery store the day of a long run. In addition to the party supplies, I may or may not have also come home with a Hershey bar and a tray of iced pumpkin bars.

So now the Dopey simulation is behind me and I can start the taper. I kicked it off by skipping my Monday morning run. It was raining anyway...

Hell Week

The time has come. Hell week. The week that has been looming large over me for months has finally arrived and right now I'm staring down a weekend of a mini Dopey simulation.

Months ago when I was putting together my training plan, I marked off this week in my planner as my ultimate high mileage weekend and have been flipping to this page from time to time and staring at the numbers written there with equal parts reverence and fear. And now it's here.

My planner thinks I can do it, so I must be able to, right?

My training plan for this weekend is to run 5 miles on Thursday morning, 10 miles on Friday morning and 20 miles on Saturday morning. 

I think I've prepared just as well as I can. I am paying more attention to my diet this week. I'm adding more protein to help sustain the muscles over a longer period of time. I'm also doing some kale and fruit smoothies to give me the additional fruit and veggie nutrients I sometimes lack. I've even made an appointment with a dietitian to learn more about how to fuel most efficiently. I gotta say those smoothies, while tasty, look like the layer of scum that rests on top of stagnant water.

Mmmm....green sludge.

I'm also trying to pay special attention to my body. My back has been giving me trouble the last couple of weeks and is affecting my sleep. I literally haven't been able to roll over in bed without using my arms to pull myself into a new position. I know more than almost anything else right now, I need my sleep so I went to see my doctor and got the prescription cocktail of a muscle relaxer, anti-inflammatory and pain medicine with which I've already been well acquainted. While at the doctor, I learned I lost 8 pounds, which is a little surprising considering how often I eat these days. In addition to the doctor and ongoing PT (am I EVER going to graduate Josh?) I also have a sports massage scheduled for tomorrow night.

With all this, I think I've done just about everything I can to prepare for the days ahead so here we go. The fun starts tomorrow morning!

Marathoner's Dictionary

When you spend an inordinate amount of your time doing something, you tend to find yourself with a vocabulary of words relevant to said endeavor. Some of these words or phrases may not be understood by people who aren't unnaturally preoccupied by your project. In fact, as shocking as this may be, they may not even be interested in your endeavor to the level that you are. I know - weird, right?

As such, the people in your life that are not embroiled in said crazy project might not even be interested enough in what you're constantly occasionally talking about to do research in order to figure out what you're saying. Marathoners in training hardly ever talk about their running, but in the off chance they do, you might be a little confused at some of their terminology. So as a public service, let me define some of the terms that you might hear when you're not tuning us out. Full disclosure: I may or may not have made some of these up myself.

Marathoner Dictionary

Long Run: An activity around which a runner's week revolves. This event takes precedence over sleep, social obligations, family time, cleaning and pretty much everything else. Said event normally occurs on the weekends but can vary based on the schedule of the runner. Preparation requires special food and the ritualized rubbing on of a greasy substance to prevent aggressive rubbing.

PRP: Pre-Run Poop. The all important bowel movement necessary before the long run. Often the runner in your life will get up an hour or more before their run in order to make several attempts at a meaningful attempt. Failure to achieve the PRP can result in disastrous consequences. See also: Pre-Race Poop. 

Runhole: A creature who, during training, tends to talk only about running related things, is unavailable to family and friends because they have a workout to get in, and just generally ignores life outside of running. 

Runger: The level of hunger that you attain when you spend so many hours of your day running. This is usually treated with large amounts of carbs. Or donuts. See also: Rungry.  

Running Math: The mental computations that must be made on the run in order to turn around in the appropriate location in order to get the exact prescribed mileage for the day. Note: due to the excessive amount of oxygen that must be diverted to the legs during a run, the brain is operating at a disadvantage and traditionally your running math is incorrect, putting you further away from your house or car than you wanted to be. 

Glide: Derived from the BodyGlide brand of products used to lube up a runner's body before long runs in order to prevent the uncomfortable, ever present danger of chafing.  Absence of glide is generally made evident by screams coming from the shower. 

Roll Out: Activity during which the runner positions his or her body on a cyclindrical piece of foam or plastic and slides sore muscles back and forth over said device, eliciting screams and curse words. Despite the looks of it being to the contrary, the runner assures you it is a good thing they are doing.

Calf Guns:  Calves that are shapely and hard as a rock. Generally accompanied by arms that are about as well defined as a wet noodle. (Or is that just me?) Note: these are often an impediment to female runners finding a cute pair of knee-high boots that fit over said guns. (Again, just me?)

Digestive Issues:  The blanket term that refers to things that happen to a marathoner in training after a particularly rough run. It's best not to ask for details. 

On that note, I think that's a good place to stop. I hope this mini dictionary is helpful for you as you attempt to better understand your runner.  

Feed Me

Training hunger is no joke.

I get hungry often and at the most inconvenient times.

After a long run I have been known to eat something while I'm deciding what I want to eat. It's not unusual for me to eat dinner, and then 2 or 3 hours later as I'm getting ready for bed I'm so hungry that my stomach literally hurts. But I don't want to eat again because all I want to do is brush my teeth and go to bed. Sometimes I'll give in to the hunger and eat a piece of cheese or a handful of pumpkin seeds. Other times I'll just try to ignore it. I've even woken in the middle of the night to hunger pangs.

A friend who recently did her first Ironman triathlon reportedly slept with a jar of peanut butter and a spoon near her bed so when she woke in the middle of the night starving she'd just eat a spoonful of peanut butter and go back to bed. I haven't resorted to that yet, but I have eaten spoonfuls of peanut butter at various times during the day to try to satisfy the hunger.

I'm not exactly a whiz in the kitchen so the idea of having to feed myself more than normal is distressing to say the least. Most of the time these hunger pangs come up, I don't really want to eat because either 1) nothing sounds appealing, or 2) I'm too busy doing other things to stop and eat.

Thankfully I have some awesome friends. Cindy dropped off a brownie for me while I was at work. Laurie and Veronica spent one evening last week doing some holiday baking and invited me over to partake in the goodies. They even sent me home with some treats.

So I guess what I'm getting at is...please feed me. I can't be trusted to do it myself.

And Then There Was Only A Month Left...

This is getting really real now folks. I know I've said it before but it bears repeating.

I've been planning for the Dopey Challenge for more than a year now and we're currently one month away from the day of the marathon - the last day in the challenge. We're under 30 days. Thirty. Three. Zero. For so long, this thing was so far in the future and now it's closing in on me, as evidenced by the fact that runDisney put out the bib numbers, corrals and event guide.

Nothing says impending doom race day like the race waiver.

It's weird. For months, I've lived with a vague feeling that was parts anxiety, dread and excitement about this event. I really thought I'd be in full-blown panic mode as this point, but I'm not. I feel kind of ready. Sure I have some aches and pains (and bruises from PT - thanks Josh!) and I still have my big mileage weekend  to go, including my 20 miler, but for the most part, I'm feeling ok about this. 

I've done test runs in the clothes I plan to wear for the races.

I've experimented with nutrition and fluids.

I've decided on shoes. 

I've used my share of Body Glide.

I think I've prepared just as well as I can at this point. Up next: the Hot Chocolate 15K in St. Louis, and then my mini Dopey simulation weekend.

Otherwise Known As 23851

One month from today is the first race of the Dopey Challenge. By this time next month, God willing, I will have finished the 5K. This week things are getting REALLY real. Yesterday they released the race bib numbers. For the next month my identity will be as runner #23851.

A lot of folks in the Dopey Challenge Facebook group I'm in were trying to estimate which corral they will be in based on their bib number. I have a friend who is guessing I'll be in M. And now is when I re-experience the frustration of my 3 failed attempts at getting a good proof of time race result to submit (2 races done while injured and the 3rd cancelled by a hurricane. Thanks Obama).

So now the bib numbers are out and we are under 30 days until we do this thing. I'm excited because I'm ready (or maybe just ready to be done). And I'm nervous because how could I possibly be ready for this?

Meanwhile, I'm thinking....

Can I Get A Bubble Over Here?

I'm 34 days away from Dopey-ness. This is the part of training at which you try to be hyper-vigilant about, well, everything. The thing you dread more than almost anything else is getting injured so you see dangers everywhere you look. Following is a partial list of things that I thought might constitute a danger to me in the last several weeks:

• An icy parking lot
• A dusting of snow on a footbridge 
• A stretch of gravel 
• A pile of leaves

Add to all these dangers lurking about in everyday life, there is also something else you start to fear at this point in your training: sickness. If you are coughing, sneezing, have interaction with a quantity of germ-factories (i.e. children), or live or work within a 3 block radius of a hospital, I will probably be keeping my distance from you for a while. Please don't take it personally. I'm considering attending Christmas gatherings like this:

 

So that is what we want to try to avoid. But anyone who has been putting in the miles a marathoner in training does, is bound to have a crap ton of some aches and pains. Looking around my house, I've discovered somewhere along the way, it started to resemble a cross between a physical therapy office and a pharmacy. Let's take a little tour of Raegan's house of ailments.

Deep Blue Rub is a lotion made with essential oils that is supposed to help with sore muscles. Not sure how much it works because, let's face it, my muscles are pretty much sore all the time. But I think it might help. Even if it's a placebo effect, I don't care - it feels like I'm doing something and that makes me feel better.

I use Perform when I'm experiencing something that is not so much soreness, but more outright "what the hell is that?!? pain. What I always seem to forget is that a little dab will do ya. So minutes after I've rubbed this on, my skin is on fire. I actually think that's how the pain relief of this product works - make something else hurt so much that you forget about the first thing.

They cylinder of death and its little friend

Let's face it - the topical stuff is really like putting a band aid on a bullet hole. It covers up the problem but doesn't really deal with it. So a runner's best friend - and worst enemy - is the foam roller. Putting all your body weight on this torture device and rolling back and over your sore muscles is pretty masochistic. It hurts like crazy but helps if you can stand the pain. The foam roller's younger sibling is the orb. It hurt only slightly less than the cylinder of death.

Here we have an assortment of tools used to make some thing or another hurt slightly less than it did before. The Stick is great for self back massage. This is often necessary after runs of more than 15 miles because as soon as I stop running, my back normally decides it is done too. The Moji hand massager is great to use on muscles that are too sore on which to use the cylinder of death. And the lacrosse ball is used when the cylinder of death doesn't hurt quite enough.

These 2 items are used for my legit injuries, as opposed to my whining over sore muscles. The Moji foot massager is to work on my plantar fasciitis. Try rubbing a sore heal on a group of metal balls and see how it feels (spoiler: it doesn't feel good). The therapy band can be used in a variety of humiliating and painful ways - the most recent of which is strapped around my thighs while I do a toe-tap number that looks like a spastic dance routine.

But let's not forget the best tool of all. The friend to marathoners world wide. The miracle product that I keep in my bag, my purse, my bathroom, and my linen closet. And recently, I've started buying in bulk...

Yes - each of these contain 500 pills

Tales From Physical Therapy

I had a physical therapy appointment today. I have mixed feelings about this. One one hand, I kinda look forward to going because being the regular that I am at this point, I know just about everyone there and it's kind of like visiting friends. I fully expect to receive a Christmas card from Athletico this year. On the other hand, I dread it because the people there hurt me. Often.

There were a couple things of note with today's appointment.

1) When your physical therapist touches your calf to see how tight your muscles are and his eyes get really big and his eyebrows shoot upwards, I'm thinking maybe that's not a good thing. Either that or he's really impressed with my 'calf guns'. Yeah - that's probably it. I'm going with that.

It feels about as good as it appears to feel.

2) I had my first session of ASTYM on my heels today to help relieve the plantar fasciitis I've been experiencing. ASTYM on any part of your body is no picnic, but as I discovered today, it's especially sadistic to have it done on your heels. This is what I felt like during my treatment. It was so bad that a nice older lady who was doing her exercises near my table stopped, bent over and said "Here - squeeze my hand." She stood there and let me squeeze the ever-loving crap out of her hand until my torture was over. When he was done, my therapist remarked about my heavy breathing and semi-jokingly asked if I wanted to put on his heart rate monitor watch for a while.

3) I had graduated to only going to PT every three weeks. This week, I guess you could say I was demoted. Now I'm back to weekly sessions, because as my therapist says, I "have a couple of issues." You don't even know the half of it dude.