"I am ready to fly" (Lindsey)

I think I've started and re-started this post about a million times. I'm having a difficult time putting into words what Marathon weekend meant to me. Because it isn't just a 26.2 race - it's more than that. It's months of preparation and support from friends, family, co-workers, trainers, clients, and strangers. It's life changing and soul shaking. It's blood, sweat, and a whole lot of tears. It's also not about me - it's about my running buddies, my husband, my family. It's the humbling experience of watching a blind man finish the marathon and a fire woman dressed in full gear (including tank) finish the marathon to honor her deceased friend. It's about inspiring others while inspiring yourself and finding out how freaking strong you really are. Yes, when you finish your marathon - you are "freaking" strong. ;-)
So because I'm a photographer and it's easier for me to tell a story with pictures I thought it would be easier to tell my story with pictures from the weekend...

Rise and shine - it was a 5am wake up call to be ready to go by 7am. This is me and Austin in our pre-race glory. More like "holy cow what the heck am I doing??!" We were down a runner due to Heather having a knee injury but she was there to cheer us on like the rock star that she is. We missed you so much on that run Heather!

Zach ran the half marathon that day. He got a PR!! 1:53! then he ended up running another 3 miles but that's for later in the story...

Wow - well this was from early in the race. I think about mile 8. This is also about the time that my quad turned into a giant rock of pain. oh yeah it was awesome (she says in heavy sarcasm). Much of the rest of the race is me and Austin stopping for me to stretch and yes, Austin giving me a massage which one male runner enjoyed immensely. I don't actually recall most of this time because it was a) painful and b) non-descript. I like to compare it to what it must be like for someone having a kid. Women tend to forget all the painful stuff but remember all the good parts. 

 

Well here is the best part for me and thanks to my best bud Whitney - it will be with me always. :-) Mile 23, right where I needed it most were my husband, parents, sisters, soon to be brother in law, best friend, dear friends, and new friends. That's a lot of people! and yes I have the world's best husband and yes he ran the rest of the race with me and Austin. and yes, that's me cussing about wanting a beer. ;-) 

couple corrected false-hoods about marathons - 1) If you can run 20 miles, you can run 26.2. Technically this is true, however, they leave out the part where the last 6.2 are the hardest miles of your life. 2) do the training plan, you can finish. hmmm yes, technically true but in reality it wasn't just the training that got me through the race - it was my running buddies and all my support on race day. Seriously one of the most beautiful, human experiences of my life. 

Example of my beautiful, human experience. 

and then awkwardly stuffing your face not seconds later...

followed by choreographed crying. What can I say, we are Arnold's.

happiness

My awesome family!

Marathon runners are 0.1% of the population. So happy to be part of the club! Thanks Austin for pushing me to keep going when I didn't think I could. <3 

Curious about post race recovery? It's a lot like child birth or running a marathon - you forget the pain and remember the good parts. My ice bath following the race felt amazing and everyday my legs start feeling more and more normal. 

Now, which marathon will I run next...

83 hours, but who's counting (Lindsey)

I can't believe it, it's down to the wire. 3 more days, or 83 hours, 5037 minutes... who's counting? This past week I've felt somewhat like an addict coming off a high, looking forward to their next hit. Am I actually comparing long distance running to being high? sigh. This week has been a week of mixed emotions: excitement for Sunday's race melts into complete panic at the thought of running 26.2 miles but then they peak again at the thought of running across the finish line. This week has been more tapering and more stretching but I've had this feeling of "ansy-ness." I'm used to spending all afternoon running and now workouts are finishing in 30-45 minutes. What am I supposed to do with myself? Am I addicted to running now? I guess there could be worse things.

I've been trying to keep positive (there isn't anyway I'm going to get through this without some rose colored glasses) so I've been thinking about all the positive changes that training for this marathon has brought me. So here they are:

1) I can now lift my dogs' 50 lb dog food bag like it's a 5 lb weight. - yay for muscles!
2) Running has improved my riding. I rode Mafazi this past weekend and I'm pretty sure she was trying to figure out who the heck was on her back. "who is this chic w/ legs 'o steel and good posture?"
3) I'm learning how to tell the difference between pushing myself and being hard on myself - there's a difference.
4) I'm learning not to cheat myself - I have to do some of the hard stuff to get to the good part. You have to put in the work.
5) I'm learning that I'm a little more spiritual than I thought.
6) Discipline - you need it.

Remember those New Years Resolutions I hadn't figured out yet... well I've thought of one: I want to keep up with my running and cross training. I'm signed up for the Charlottesville 10 miler in March. It sounds like a piece of cake compared to the marathon but I think I'm going to aim to take some time off my PR. Who knows, maybe someday I'll be competitive in some of these races... we'll see.

Song of the week is Take on Me - covered by A.C. Newman - It's the first song on my marathon mix. I'm ready to take you on marathon!

Why I Run (Lindsey)

Hmm... well this has been an interesting week. No one talks about recovery from long runs, in my case this week, 20 miles. It's almost like running is the easy part. (I said almost) Last week's long run was surprisingly good. Surprising because I did it, and did it without knee pain. yay! One foot in front of the other, constant reminders to myself to hold my running form, stretching every now and then, and it all worked out. Miracle.
Now for the hard part. We get done with the run, we stretch, inhale any sort of calories available (in my case Gatorade for the drive home). When I get home all I want to do is eat but I have to stretch more, stretch, stretch, and ice. 30 minutes later I'm finally getting to the eating part. Heaven. Then more icing and the feeling of sheer exhaustion taking over. Nap time. Then wake up, more food, ice, and back to sleep. That was just Sunday.
Monday I woke up and I was pretty sure something was wrong with my body. My legs weren't moving right and there was a constant dull throb in my knee (oh no!). @#$#%$#@!@?! did I mess up my knee again? More icing, minor freak out at work and a call to the running clinic to schedule an appointment. More icing and freaking out. Then an e-mail to Adam to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. I'm supposed to feel tired and funky right? Adam suggested a short run (umm seriously?), deep water run (would love to do this sometime), or stationary bike to work out some of the soreness and yes it's normal to feel funky and tired. Minor sigh of relief. None of this happens on Monday due to work/life.
Tuesday. Feeling somewhat better, but only a little. I drag myself into the gym after work because I'm ridiculously tired. I do my workout and attempt to run a  couple laps. That's funny because I can barely move them in any sort of manner that resembles running so I hit the stationary bike. Success. oh yeah more stretching and icing.
Wednesday I attempt a run on the track. According to Hal I should have already run 5 miles on Tuesday and 8 miles Wednesday. Is this guy for real? How does anyone do that? I ran 3 and walked a 4th. stretch and iced. Oh yeah, I'm beyond tired.
Thursday (tonight) - workout at the gym and some running. ahhh... finally some relief. I can actually run again. huzzah. Just in time for another long run this weekend. stretch and ice of course.
So why do I put myself through this?
Gosh, isn't that the question. Yes, this is something that has been on my life goal/bucket list. But why? Am I trying to prove something? Why a marathon? I'm not sure yet. But I think I'm getting closer to the answer. I watched a cute movie tonight called "Saint Ralph" which is about a kid who runs the Boston Marathon in hopes that if he wins, that miracle will get his mother out of a coma (hey it was about a marathon ok). It turned out to be an ok movie but something that rang true to me was when Ralph asked one of the kids on the cross country team why they run and one of them replied, "it's in our blood, we have to." Hmm.. I wouldn't say running is in my blood per say, the Arnold's are not known for our speed and running form, but it's definitely in my heart. hmmm.. closer. But I'm still not sure. Maybe that's why I'm running this marathon? Maybe it's to figure out why?

17 days to go

Chuck Norris Never Ran a Marathon [Austin]

Only three weeks until Austin!!

I'll start by saying the third member of our trio was out today :(  Sadly, someone has been spreading the funk and she's under the weather, but no worries...rest is the second most important part of training!

This week's mileage was: 5 - 10 - 5 and 20 today.  Lindsey and I met at a Baptist Church in Ruckersville and ran and ran and ran and stretched and ran.  The run was much more flat than what we're used to in town but slow rolling hills were still in abundance.  I had a lot of time to think (4 hours to be exact - hence my motivation to blog)...and I started making a mental list of things running has taught me.

So, without further ado, and in honor of our 20 mile run today....the top ten things running has taught me:

10) Never skimp on a good pair of sneakers - your feet will thank you later, your wallet will forgive you.

9) There is no better way to learn your way around a new town or discover something new in an old one.

8) Food (carbs) are your friend.

7) Cars are not your friend.

6) Training is like a second job; it requires LOTS of time and planning but when it's gone, you don't know what to do with yourself.

5) I really do "hit the ground running"...and I have the scars and bruises to prove it.

4) There is not tolerance for runner's high.

3) Sweet frogs frozen yogurt is the best recovery food.

2) I am a worrier and would be even more insane if I did not.

1) To love and thank every part of my body for carrying me through the miles.

This week in training is the start of tapering down.  So after today we are officially "mentally prepared" for the marathon and these next two weeks will allow our bodies to rest...we'll see.

 

Mark your calendars.  Prayers will be appreciated on February 19th :)    

     

View from the run this morning (:

Eye of the Tiger (Lindsey)

For efficiency sake I'll cut to the chase... recent knee pain finally got the best of me and I had a minor freak out last week that I wasn't going to be able to run the marathon. After being assessed by my friend Rachel's trusted trainer, Adam, I am back on track... with probably more pain that when I started but at least I know it's good pain.

What I've learned this week...

Adam has rocked my running world. Basically from one session he determined that I'm not running off of my toes, utilizing my gluets and hamies like I should, but instead I hobble around in a half stride, using only my quads. Seriously, imagine an old man, hunched over, shuffling his way over the finish line - that is me in a nutshell. yikes! This completely makes sense. I've been wondering when my line on my thigh would return (the line I used to have in high school when I ran track) and if I would ever get any definition in my legs with all this training. Turns out if you aren't using muscles, they don't just suddenly appear. oops. I'm glad this was caught but now it's an uphill battle to fix my stride and get me in shape in the next month for the marathon. (cue the Rocky music). I am on a mission though and Adam has given me the tools to kick my own butt (literally).

Something else I learned this week - I've been stretching all wrong. Double oops. Static stretching shouldn't be done before a run as it can actually weaken your muscles. Before runs you should warm up with "dynamic stretching" to get and keep the muscles warmed up. see video below:

Better late than never I say. We still have our 20 miler up in a couple weeks... ek! But I'll be glad to be running with my buddies again. I missed them this weekend for the 18miler. Kudos to them for completing it!

We are getting close... I feel like we are at the part in the movie where the music plays and then there is a montage of scenes of running, lifting weights, etc. I'm actually getting excited for the part where the movie transitions to the epic last battle (marathon) and the hero(s) overcome great physical challenge.

Song of the week - Eye of the Tiger by Survivor 

32 days to go

Love song of a Runner (Lindsey)

"So this is the New Year/ and I have no resolutions..." (Death Cab for Cutie - The New Year)

Every year I take stock of the my past 365 days and set a list of goals for the following year. I believe self reflection is critical to growth and making for a happy and healthier life. So when I strapped on my shoes this morning for my 16 mile jaunt (groan) I set out to compile that list.

What did I come up with? Not much of anything. I actually spent the first 3 miles of my run cursing myself and my camel pack: myself for being such a crazy person for signing up for a marathon and my camel pack for leaking down my back. (My pack is pretty finicky. If I don't close the cap just right I get leakage.) Needless to say, it wasn't a fun start to my run.

But I kept going... why?

Zach, my sweet husband, accompanied me this morning on my run. He knew I was nervous and that I had a difficult time last week running on my own. Despite a recent lag in time since his last long distance run, he took on the challenge to keep me company. During my first 3 miles of cursing and self doubt, Zach took every stride with me and encouraged me to keep going. When my camel pack started dripping down my back he offered to carry it instead of me so I could be comfortable. I didn't hand it over because I'm stubborn but his offer melted my cold and angry heart. After that the miles ticked by under our feet.

My mind began to wander about running and it's impact on my relationship with Zach. It was difficult when we were first married to coordinate time to be together with our work schedules, school, hobbies, and sports. We are both pretty active people but our schedules never seemed to overlap. When we moved to Charlottesville for Zach's residency I picked up running races with Heather (see first post). I think running with Heather sparked Zach's interest in running races with me. Perhaps he saw that if we could do it, then he could do it too or maybe he was fed up and wanted to find some way for us to do something together. I'm not sure, but whatever got him over the first finish line in Williamsburg has been a blessing for me and for us. Since then I've had someone to push me out the door when I don't want to go and someone to understand what it's like to be so tired that you can't make it out of bed for the rest of the day. He's been my cheerleader and my running partner. Even when he's sprinting by me to meet me at the finish line, the fact that he's there means a lot. I think it's brought us closer. I know that he's proud of me and he knows that I'm just as proud of him. We help each other meet our goals. (Am I making you feel sick yet?) Sorry for all the sap but I thought it was worth it to share.

Whatever my New Years resolutions end up being and whatever life hands me to deal with this year, I know I can make it because I have my running buddy.

For those of you contemplating resolutions for the year: how about this year you tie those shoes on and step out the door with your significant other? See how far you can go together? See how close it brings you...

Most poignant song from my mix today: All I Need by Radiohead.

Days to go: 47 days

welcome to the dark side of the moon (Lindsey)

Breathe.
Breathe, breathe in the air... look around and choose your own ground/ for long you live and high you fly.
This past weekend I took on my longest run to date - 15 miles.

On the Run.
Run, run rabbit run.
To be quite honest, the distance was a little overwhelming in the beginning. But just like the energizer bunny, this chic put one foot in front of the other to get it done.


Time.
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain/ You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today/ And then one day you find ten years have got behind you/ No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
Running long distance means you've got time. Time to think, agonize over little aches and pains, and play mental games with yourself so you can make it to the end.

Breathe.
When I come home coldened and tired/ It's good to warm my bones beside the fire.
There is nothing like walking through the front door after a long run. The seconds before you plop down on the couch...heavenly.

Money.
Money, get away.
The minutes, hours after the run, when I'm decompressing, are the simplest and purest of moments. I forget about my worries and relax... or maybe that's a runners high?

Us and Them.
Us and them/ and after all we're only ordinary men/ Me and you.
I really missed my running buddies this week. It was torture running that distance without my friends to help me along the way. Never again guys!

Brain Damage.
And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear/ You shout and no one seems to hear/ And if the band you're in starts playing different tunes/ I'll see you on the dark side of the moon.
The higher the mileage gets, the more I think I've lost my mind.

Eclipse.
All that is now/ All that is gone/ All that's come/ and everything under the sun is in tune/ But the sun is eclipsed by the moon./ There is no dark side on the moon really. 
but the heck with it, thank you runners high. You've made it easy for me to forget the mental and physical torment and take on the road again, next week. 


Song to pull me through the last minutes of my run when all I wanted to do was lay out on the sidewalk and take a nap - I Like It by Enrique Iglesias. 


For those of you not catching the reference... see Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. 


54 days to go.