1 State to Go!.... BOSTON BOUND!!!

Today I finished my 49th state at the Rock'n'Roll Mardi Gras Marathon on my quest to 50 marathons in 50 states by Boston 2011. I managed to catch all my flights, stay healthy, and finished every SINGLE marathon I signed up for (that was was run... thanks Myrle Beach '10). I'm all signed up for Boston and ready to go... now get here already!!!


Don't worry-- in the mean time I'll have at least another 4 to 5 marathons, including 1 or 2 double marathons weekends to keep us entertained. More on RnR MG tomorrow. I'm a tired girl! 

Inspiration Points...

Marathon #55!, State #49!

1. 1 to GO! My last state before Boston and #50!!!!

2. 10-Star Maniac ********** ... After this weekend I'll be a 10-star titanium maniac!

3. Christine's First! My friend Christine will be running her FIRST half-marathon! 

4. NOLA! I've never been to New Orleans and I'm esp excited to go during Mardi Gras "season"

5. Divas and Running Buddies! This is the first time 4 of the 5 original MM Divas will be together at one race. We also have a ton of maniacs going down as well as friends to watch! 

6. Double Medals! This is my second RocknRoll marathon this year, so I'll be getting extra bling... a "rock encore" medal. 

2011 Mardi Gras Marathon Medals. SPARKLESSSSS

(Don't panic... this is the same blog. I just decked i tout with purple and green in the mardi gras spirit!)

LA Race RUNdown...

Rock'n'Mardi Gras Marathon ~ Sunday February 12, 2011. 7:00am start

New Orleans, LA ~ Downtown New Orleans

Registration Fees: $95-$115 Early $145 at Expo

Year Running: 2nd

Races Available: Marathon, Half-Marathon, 2-person relay... Currently available at the expo: Marathon and half marathon registration only!!!

2011 Expected Field: Unknown (no cap met)

2010 Field:  3,517... Females: 1,556  ... Age Group: 279 (F25-29)

2009 Avg. Finish Time: 4:35:52

Certified Course/BQ Certified?: Yes/Yes

Cutoff Time and Early Start Option: No early start. There is a 7hour cutoff time. 

Weather Update: The forecast has been showing nothing but sunshine and 40's to 60s for race day! Even sat should be great weather to stroll around NOLA. 

Course:

MarathonGuide Rating: 

The course is flat and fast. It loops through downtown, doubling back on itself in the last 4 miles or so. This should give all the runners a little taste of New Orleans bringing us through downtown, the french quarters, parks, and more. Every post on this race emphasizes FLAT... as does the elevation chart below.  

Race 411:

~ GU- There are 2 GU stop for the full marathon (Miles 11 and 21) so bring your own if you need more!

~ Lots of H20! RnRs always do a great job with the number of aid stations available on their courses. 

~ Bands!!! Tons of entertainment along the course. I'm excited to have good weather that should ensure ALL the acts come out. (Nashville was too hot for them and some others I've been in have been too cold). 

~ $ Runner Track??? It looks like all the RnRs are charging for runner tracking now... really?!? It rarely works well anyways! Sigh
~Pre-Race Snacks! Start Line Village at RnRs have pre race bananas, bagels, and sometimes more. Take advantage if you're still hungry!
~Sparkly Medals!!!! I LOVE SPARKLES!!!! All of the RnR Marathons have sparkles somewhere on the medals but this years mardi gras is ALL sparkles and mardi gras beads. See Pic at top!

~Add a Mile! As with most of the RnR marathons, the starts are not overly easy to get to and very crowded. It looks like no matter where you go you're going to have a little walk to get to the start so prepare for 27.2!

Race Plan:

Now that I'm getting a little heavier into my ultra training, I'll be expecting myself to run another 10 or so on Monday. So, again I will be practicing slowing myself down and possibly taking 2-3 1 minute walk breaks to keep my leggies loose as a goose. I'll aim again for around a 3:40'ish time.... maybe a little slower. 

Throw Back! Bring it back now ya'll...

2007 Air Force

Reverse the Countdown!

This is my 49th marathon-state, meaning I have 2 to go including this race. What was going on around state #2!?!? I was running the Dayton Air Force Marathon... and we're talking all the way back in 2007! I didn't start this wild adventure until 2009 but prior to that I only ran 1 marathon in 2008 (the Flying Pig), and the year before I ran 2 in 2007-- marine corp and Dayton Air Force. If you've yet to run the Air Force it is a MUST do! It's flat and fast. Always good weather in the middle of September and great crowd support. It's a huge race for family and friends to attend so an after party is always great. 

This time in 2010...

This time last year I was blogging angrily about the cancellation of the Myrtle Beach Marathon late night before the race!!!! It ended up being a blessing in disguise because I was able to make my first BQ the next weekend in my hometown :)

Meet up Info: 

-MB, Tinie, Kim, & Greg- Airport! 11-12 am. 

-Divas & Dave- Expo 12-1pm

-MM Dinner buddies, divas, Greg and Cait +1- Dinner at Angeli on Decatour at 6pm!

-MM MEET-UP!!!! At the edge of start line village on Convention Cnt Blvd and Henderson St. at 6:15!
-Diva Pictures!!! Post-Race at Family Reunion are "D" for Diva!!!!

MM Meet-up Pre-Race at 6:15 (click to enlarge)

Happy Racing!

Stephanie

"Run to Win"-Meb
"Fast Girls Have Great Times!" - Marathon Sign

Knee Strength and Ultra Training

You can't run A marathon without some doubter telling you "that's dangerous" and "you could get hurt." Running as many marathons and miles that I do, it's more like "you could die" and "you ARE going to get hurt." I'm asked about the state of my knees about 10 times a week and that includes other runners and marathoners. I hear it so often that any pain, twinge, and general change in my knee makes me freak out just a bit.


 I haven't actually had any problems, but constantly hearing how much danger my knees are in... I just can't help but be paranoid about them and convince myself they are weak and need constant attention. I believe there are 2 critical pieces to my training that kept me injury free last year and (hopefully) will help me as I train for Western States-- my first 100 miler!


1) Minimalist Running Shoes! If you were following at this time last year, I strained a tendon in my ankle and had only 2 weeks to recoup. Well that's when I found Vibram 5 Fingers and Nike Frees. I used them to help strengthen my ankle and haven't looked back since. I feel this minimalist running method helps in a few areas...

• Keeps your feet and ankles stronger (instead of relying on cushion) 
• Helps you run in a form that is more natural and keeps your knees/ankles in better alignment
• Helps to build an arch so you stop "over-pronating"
• Helps to develop a mid to front foot strike that is good to a more natural form and faster pace. 

Chris McDougall writes a little about minimalist or "barefoot running" in his book Born to Run and in this recent interview he references running injuries...

"You talk to a runner, I guarantee that within 30 seconds it turns to injury." 

... toward the end and how people are naturally made to run but the aids we've been creating in running shoes are actually hurting us. Check out the whole speech here.

As most of you know I've run the past year in almost nothing but Nike Frees and Vibrams. The new frees I got a few months ago (Nike Free 7.0) didn't exactly feel like the 5.0's and over time it feels more and more like they're shifting-- like I'm running on the inside edge of them. I haven't been thrilled with that and then I noticed a big rip on the right edge. It's funny because the 5.0's lasted me almost a year-- through rain, mud, trails, and over 20 marathons. Well I went to check out the basic "Nike Free Womens" shoes and they fit MUCH better... more like the 5.0's. AND... they come in pink!!!! 

2) Strength Training! Ok ok I know I talk about that a lot but I can't stress the importance enough. But, since we're talking about knees I've developed a little regiment to keep up especially for my knees. I noticed that my knees tended to turn in and when they did that they hurt just a little after I ran long. Well there are a few exercises that, when done right, can be great for strengthening the knee. 

Most of these are done with the foot turned outward a few degrees to help balance out the muscles around the knee. I started doing these twice a week with my strength training...

Single-Leg Extensions: this can be done on a normal leg extension machine. Just use one leg at a time and while using the machine, turn your foot outward slightly, utilizing the muscles around the inner knee. 

Single- Leg Press or Single leg squat: Use light weight here, as you can end up doing more harm than good. You're going for light strengthening here, not maxing out! Again, turn your foot a few degrees outward for this exercise. If you're able to do a leg press then try a single leg squat, but be sure that your knee is not swinging outward or inward. Once you're able to do this, try it on a balance ball. 

Good Girls!... Not Bad Girls! If you don't know what the "good girl, bad girl" machines are yet, they are better known as abductor/adductor leg and hip machines. The "good girl" would be the one where you pull the legs in, working the inner thighs. The bad girl works the outer thigh. You need to be a good girl if you're having knee pain.... try and remember that if you're a "bad girl" you'll get punished-- with more knee pain that is. 

Quadriceps Stretch! This isn't exactly an exercise, but if you do it correctly it should take a while and be a workout itself. Try putting your foot up on a ledge and leaning back as far as possible, getting a full stretch. 

That's it for tonight. I hope you're all having a great training week. This weekend is state #49 (LA) at RocknRoll Mardi Gras. More to come on that tomorrow!

Happy Running,

~*Stephanie*~

"Fast Girls Have Great Times!" -Marathon Sign

NYC Qualified!

People often ask me what marathons I've run. When I start listing the 50+ they look at me a little confused and I usually get challenged with the following conversation


"Well have you run that Boston one??"
Me: (sigh) "I'm saving it for my last state. I'll be running it this year." 
"well have you run The New York City Marathon?" 
Me: (exasperated) "no" ... and the look of dissapointment in me follows. 


NYC and Boston are not the ONLY marathons in the world and they are not any more "marathon-esque" than any other either. Granted, the people that usually make these comments are typically non runners and non marathoners so we'll let it slide.... put down the rocks and nuces people, we'll be as understanding as we can. 


Where is this all coming from?? Well... If you didn't already know, I'm originally from upstate NY. The Albany area.... more specifically the East Greenbush area... even more specifically the Castleton area (If you haven't heard of it don't worry). Anyway, for my "New York" marathon I chose to do one close to home and completed the HMRRC Winter Marathon in 2010. 

This also happened to be the first time I Boston Qualified! So great news all around. However, I'm still plagued with the disappointed looks I get from non-marathoners when I say "no, I have not run NYC." There is a reason here people... I refused to run NYC until I qualified for it!!!!


"You can qualify for the NYC Marathon!?!?" You may be saying (runners and non-runners alike). Yes, it's a lot harder than Boston, which is why less people are aware of it. Also, after putting in the effort to make a BQ, most people say "you want me to shed another 17+ minutes?!?! No thanks!"

NYC Marathon "Automatic Entry" Qualifying Standards

To make a BQ I had to run a 3:40. For a NYC auto entry I needed a 3:23. Well if you've been following along like good little kiddos I ran a 3:21 at RnR Phoenix JUST in time to make the calendar cutoff for Auto entries (Jan 31, 2011). Well that wasn't the end of the story. This is a supposed "automatic entry" but they still need to review, confirm, and if they aren't filled they can let me in. 


So where is this all going? Today I checked my bank account and saw an unexpected $196 withdrawal from my account. At first I was confused then I say "New York City Marathon." I went to the application page and saw... I got CONFIRMED!!!! I'm in for the 2011 NYC Marathon!!!

Woohoo. Now when people ask if I've run the NYC Marathon... I can safely say "I'm running it this year!"

Updates! Updates! Updates!

I've been seriously MIA lately but you can't blame me too much... I've run 4 marathons in the past 5 weekends and I've added a lot of midweek mileage. With that said there are plenty of updates to make, starting with my most recent marathon...

Melbourne and Beaches Music Marathon

Maniacs at our Pre-race dinner! All pretty!

This past weekend was Melbourne and Beaches Music Marathon and my second FL full marathon. So not a new state, but a great way to catch up with my running buddies in the Sunshine state and get a long training run in. I focused on SLOWing down!!! And honestly it was painful NOT to take off on such a flat, straight course. But it paid off to slow down because todays 9 miler was cake! Didn't even feel like I ran yesterday. On top of that, I got my sub- 4 hour FL marathon time. 

Maniacs pre-race... still pretty

I finished the race in a 3:45:36. It's funny that my excruciatingly "slow" pace is around my PR 2 years ago. :) The weather was great for a marathon (overcast with a little rain at the start) but I had hoped the sun would stay away until the minute I crossed the finish line then pop out to great me. It was definitely still worth the trip to get this rowdy group (pic above) together. This is the first time we've had 2 of the original Divas with our diva shirts!!

This Weekend... BIG GOALS to be Made!!!

This weekend I'll be running the RnR Mardi Gras Marathon. Upon completions of this marathon (knock on wood) I'll have made a few "strides" in running (pun absolutely intended). 

1) 10-Star Maniac! ********** In the Marathon Maniacs club there are different levels of "maniac-dom" and the highest is a 10-star "Titanium" maniac. This weekend I'll be completing my 30th marathon in 30 states in 1 year, making me a titanium maniac! 

2) 52 in 2 years! Also upon completion of RnR Mardi Gras, I realized I'll have run 52 marathons/ultras in 2 years. That's like running a marathon every other weekend for 2 years straight. Ok it's not THAT bad because I had a few streaks of 2-6 marathon weekends in a row and I took SOME rest breaks. 

3) State 49! I'll have completed all my marathons leading up to Boston and #50!!! We're so close kids... start getting excited! :P

WS100 Training ~ Week 9

This weekends long run was set for 35 miles total (20M and 15M). Since I ran the Melbourne Marathons I ran 26 and 9. This weeks big focus was on slowing down on my first long run. This was especially hard because I knew I was capable of placing in this marathon with the top 3 women ranging from 3:21 to 3:31. I slowed down and even took 2 short (~1 min) walk breaks to help keep my legs loose and ready for a 9 miler on Monday. 

H-Hills  WT-Weight Train  SP- SpeedWork  E-Endurance  TM-Treadmill

Notes/Thoughts: I haven't gotten up to "unknown territories"-- double long run mileage I haven't reached before. I have done double marathons in the past (and a 50 miler) but I've never done them surrounded by so much weekly mileage-- especially at the intensity level I've been running. Slowing down on my first long run of the week is definitely helpful and I feel like I'm starting to acclimate to the jump in miles. 

Happy Running!

Stephanie

"Run to Win" - Meb

Worried about getting injured? Need a boost in speed to hit a PR? Ask yourself... "Have I done my strength training today?!?"

My Perpetual State of OUCH! WS Training ~ Week 8

Last week was my 8th of WS100 training and a much needed "drop down week." Some people have asked me about what this means... 

Drop Down Week. n. in endurance run training this is a reduction in weekly mileage, directly following an increase in mileage for 2 to 4 weeks. This continues to increase mileage for 2 to 4 weeks, and again drop down. These are the weeks for rest and "recovery." 


Why is it much needed? I'm hurting. I really haven't increased my mileage all that much v. last year (completing about 200 miles in January) but I have increased the intensity of my runs-- including more speed and hill sessions, and weight training-- lots of leg strengthening. In addition, the marathons I've been using as "training runs" have been run pretty hard, either fast or on more hilly courses. Nothing in particular hurts, I'm just generally sore and exhausted.


In weeks like this, I look ahead to the mileage and think "ugh"-- then I wonder how I'm going to get through all this training. But, just like a marathon this is a long process and I have to take it 1 mile (day) at a time. Unlike what some of you think (Mel! :P ) I'm no a robot and sometimes even I don't want to train! Also, just like the marathons, it gets easier with time. You can make your body get used to anything as long as you have the will to fight through the tough times like these! 


WS100 Training ~ Week 8

H-Hills  WT-Weight Train  SP- SpeedWork  E-Endurance  HR-Hill Repeats

Notes/Thoughts: It was definitely nice to get a good drop down in mileage, although I didn't take a break from working out, adding a Bikram Yoga session on my would be day off. Coming into week 9, I'm still tired and it's probably from the lack of a break and lack of sleep. I'll focus this week on getting more sleep, vitamins, and TLC on my sore legs. 

Happy Running!

Stephanie

"Run to Win" - Meb

Worried about getting injured? Need a boost in speed to hit a PR? Ask yourself... "Have I done my strength training today?!?"

Rock'n'Roll Arizona Marathon ~ Race Ratings (#47)

Tag line: 
"Flat, Fast, and Fun!!!"
Ratings...

Rock'n'Roll Arizona Marathon ~ January 16, 2011

Phoenix to Tempe, AZ ~ Downtown Phoenix to Sun Devils Stadium
Type: 100% Road
Year Running: 8th
Registration Fee: $105-$130 Early $145 at Expo
Charity Race? Yes! list of charities found here.
Runners:  5062... Females: 2188

Available Races: Marathon, Half-Marathon, 2 Person Relay, Kids Run
Average Finish Time: 4:29:53

BQ %: 13.9%


Overall Race Ratings: 4.1/5.0

Average Calculated Rating: 4.2/5.0

~ A typical Rock'n'Roll race with lots of people, bands, etc with nice medals. It could use a little help to be more "Arizona" from the local running community. If you're looking more for a flat, fast course, this is it! 

Race Director: Let's play race director...

~ The race was pretty well put together, but these large rock'n'roll marathons tend to lack a certain feel other marathons have. All of the rock'n'rolls tend to blend together and are pretty lifeless. I think a lot of this is driven by the organizers lack of involvement in the area since they're not technically from there. 


They could use a little help from local running groups/stores/etc getting the community more involved. This could also be helpful for getting spectator involvement. They also need a little help with gels/shot blocks. 1 stop is not enough at all. 

Event Organization: 4.0/5.0 (now broken into 2 parts, see below as well) As far as "event organization" we'll include things like Host hotel, website use, ease of travel to the event and to the actual race, etc.

Distance from Airport to Expo/Race: Start (~6 miles from the airport) finish (~15 miles from the airport)
Rental Car Required: Yes. 

~ Leading up to the event (as with all RnR events) there was plenty of communication, news letters, emails etc with directions. No matter where you stayed, you were close to either the start or finish, which was nice. Nothing was ever too far away. The difficult part with RnR marathons is usually the shuttle/parking situations. For Arizona, they have everybody park at the finish and shuttle to the start. We got to the start in the estimated 40 minutes and had no issues parking.


Post race... I was a little peeved that there were no massage tables. The only ones available were in this "PF Changs section" that you needed to pre-sign up for. Even though it cost you nothing, they wouldn't allow people to walk up and come in. The one new thing I saw was this area with buckets to people to ice their legs/feet. It was a pretty funny sight... 

The really unusual aspect of this race was how the marathon and half were handled. Usually running with halfies can get annoying at the end as they clog up the last few miles. In this race however, they had separate start and finish areas completely that ended on each side of the post-race party. I really liked that that they were treated as 2 different races. 

Race Organization:3.9/5.0

Hydration Color/Type: Lemon-lime/Cytomax & water available nearly every mile.
Gel Type/Flavors/Availability:  GU/Various/1 stop
~Post Race Food: .They had the typical bagels, cytomax, etc. But they also had frozen yogurt, potato chips, and dried fruit packs. 
There were plenty of aid stations and "rest stops" available on the course. It definitely would have been nice to have more than ONE GU stop... and by miles 18/19, is there really a point anymore? It also would have been great to have a little more substantial food at the end. 


I was pretty surprised at the bands on the course. RnR's advertise bands at every mile, but this was the first time I noticed how many... and they were pretty good! There were also cheering squads along the course, however... they seemed a little -- off. Their outfits weren't exactly cheer outfits, but more ripped stockings, leather jackets, etc. The course was very well marked at each mile with clocks. 

Course: 4.5/5.0
MarathonGuide Rating (NA- New Course)
Garmin Distance: 26.2

Type: 100% Road
~ Elevation Gain/Loss: 150 ft gain/ 90 ft loss

~ This flat point to point course traveled from Phoenix to Tempe and included a steady graded climb up to about 18 then a mild drop at the end. It included a lot of long straight aways, but the road would veer directions here and there so you weren't seeing miles in front of you. The direction faced west, so when the sun came up it was on our backs. This was nice, especially when it started to get really hot. The sites were essentially city and mild desert. It was cool to finish at the ASU Sun Devil Stadium. If you're looking for a flat fast, warm, course this is the one for you! 


Spectators: 3.7/5.0
~ There is a good amount of spectators at this race, but nothing crazy. Some of them did bring out food, water, alchi, etc., which was nice. 

 Pace Group: 4.9/5.0
~ The only pace group I saw was the 3:20 group. I wasn't too far behind them and their leader ran a very consistent race. They also had quite a large group around them even toward the end. 



Runner/Corrals: 4.8/5.0

~ There were corrals per usual at the rock'n'rolls. Fortunately I was able to be in the "preferred start" area right behind the elites because I was running in the corporate track and field championships. From my view the corrals worked great. The runners were very friendly along the way and at the end people were more excited than I've seen in a long time.

Expo: 4.4/5.0
~ The RnR races always put on a HUGE expo. All the usual characters were there: Bondi band, 1 more mile, power balance bands, etc. But they've been having a little circus-type area put on by Brooks which had running fortune telling machines, a 3 ring leader giving out running prizes, etc. One big issue I had with this marathon was the lack of parking/expensive parking in the garages in Phoenix. 

Swag: 3.9/5.0

~T-Shirts: The shirt is a loose, blue, brooks Tech-T with a cute Arizona design on the front with sunny colors. 3.7

~Medals: Similar to the RnR Seattle marathon, the medal pays homage to the host city with a cactus as well as the guitar to represent rock'n'roll. Also similar to the Seattle medal there are sparkles!!! I DO love my sparkles. 4.1
~ Goodie Bag: The goodie bag was pretty typical for RnR marathons-- lots of pamphlets, a few cliff shot block samples, as well as some body gel samples. 

Results: Stephanie
Chip Time: 3:21:05**
Place: Overall- 387/5110, Gender- 53/2209, A/G (F25-29)- 10/415
**New PR Time


Happy Racing,
Stephanie 
"Run to Win" - Meb