Aimee's TNT Training

chicago marathon

2005-10-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

For my second marathon, I did not respect the distance. In fact, I did everything a person is NOT supposed to do.
1) I didn't do the long runs (14 miles, 8 weeks out, was my longest).
2) I didn't taper (25 miles last week, one of those 10 miles).
3) I tried something new during the marathon (took my first gel ever at mile 13.5).
4) I wasn't mentally prepared (hey, I'll just do half, and support my Team).

However, I did many 2:30-4 hour tris, bricks, and rides. I had put in the same amount of time and distance as my friend in the middle of her Ironman training. Her longest run was 16, and crosstrained the rest. I did something very similar.

I decided I'd do another marathon after three years, so I signed up through Team In Training. Several of my friends were also running, some their first marathon, and also were coaching. So I signed on, and raised over $2200 in honor of my aunt, Jo, a survivor (long-time remission) of leukemia. Thank you to everyone who donated, we raised millions of dollars for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Two weeks out from the Chicago Tri end of Aug., I got bursitis in my knee after 14 miles. I thought it was more serious, got scared, and backed it down, as I really wanted to do the tri. However, I continued to train with the team, doing 10-12 as they did their longer runs, for encouragement. So when we got to Chicago this weekend, I was planning to just go, support the Team, and maybe run half.

That's why I did so well. Because I had no expectations. I wasn't nervous. I had no goal. I just ran comfortably. At mile 7, I looked at my watch: 1:00. Whoa. That's not comfortable enough. I continued under 9mm until mile 11, when I saw my coach. He asked how I was feeling. I said GREAT! I am having SO MUCH FUN! Then I said, I met a guy on the course who's longest run was 5 miles. He was going to finish. So I was going to finish too.

Up until mile 26, I hammed it up with the crowd. Whenever we turned a corner, I got out to the outside edge, threw my hands in the air, and got everyone to cheer the runners on. I thanked all the volunteers I could. I thanked the little boy with the jolly ranchers. I joked with people, I laughed with them, I did what I could to keep us all going. I had a blast.

At mile 22.5, I had to walk. I tried to stretch my quads. I couldn't, my legs wouldn't bend that far. Then I realized running was easier than walking. At mile 23, my time was 3:23. I thought...I have to do this. I'm going sub-4. I CAN DO THIS! I didn't come all this way just to take CTA!

I lived it up until the end, ran up the hill from hell, turned the corner, and there it was. And then I realized how much I severely underestimate my ability as an athlete. I finished for my aunt, I finished for my team, and I finished for me.

I finished in 3:52:19. I had the best time of my life.

surprise! des moines half

2005-09-19T04:46:00.000-07:00

It's a surprise because I wasn't signed up until a week prior. My training partner, Sherry, is working on 50 marathons in 50 states, and needed Iowa. Months ago, I said I'd go with her. The past few weekends I did a tri, then two 10 milers, and thought, hey, I'm ready, I'll do a half!

Short Version: Second half marathon I've done, 1:45:26, PR by just over a minute. 4th in age. First two miles, 7:45s. Too fast! The next 6 miles, right on about 8:00s. Then they drop to 8:10s or so, due to being tired and the course being crowded (it's an out and back, and catching up to lots of walkers at that point). Average pace, 8:03.

Long Version: We get to Des Moines, and we're in bed by 7pm. Our lights are out by 8pm. (don't ever tell anyone we're that lame) We were sure we were going to be woken up by all the kids coming back from the Green Day concert, but didn't hear a peep. So the next morning, we're up at 5:15. I go down to the lobby to get our coffee and bagels, and when I come back up, Sherry's on the phone talking about an unexpected guest. I look in the bathroom, and there's a HUGE, live cockroach under a glass (Sherry put the glass over it). When Sherry hangs up, she tells me they comped our rooms. Yay!

So the line up is right outside of our hotel. Literally, we walked outside and into the corral. Then we're off, and I do my first two miles in 7:45. I run the next 6 miles in 8:00. Much better. At about the 5 mile point, the half and full routes split, and while I cross a bridge, I see the marathoners go up a HUGE hill. Apparently, that wasn't the worst for them. Fortunatly, the half was flat, while the full was wicked hilly.

After that, our course was beautiful. On a path in a park around a lake. The Parrotheads are at a water stop at mile 8, and I get lei'ed (hee hee), twice! Woo! I'm having a good old time, as the day and scenery are so beautiful, and at this point, the course is pretty flat. With a mile and a half to go, we go up a ramp and over a bridge (ouch!), then down the bridge to the final water stop. Up a ways, right at the turn to the 1/4 mile straightaway to the finish, someone has a sign that says, "One last push!" And I'm thinking, just ONE? C'mon, a quarter mile? That's, like, THREE last pushes!

I get up to the room (the finish was a block away), shower, nap, make some phone calls, and go down to see Sherry come in. She is a 4:05 to 4:10 marathoner, and shooting for Boston with a 4:05. Well, the 4:00 pace group she started with comes and goes. Then the 4:15 and 4:30 pace group go by. It's a small race, so I know I didn't miss her. I start to worry, but then I see her. She finished with a 4:38. The race was a lot hilier than she thought and the day was in the 80's, so it wasn't her race. But no worries, she still has Columbus, the race she BQed in last time.

This was my first small race, about 2700 people total, if htat, which is TINY compared to 20,000-35,000! I loved it. I may not go back to do it again, and I may not recommend the marathon unless you LOVE hills, but it was a great half, and a well-organized race, and a beautiful town.

chicago tri

2005-08-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I did the Chicago Tri, the largest tri like ever. Seriously...7800 people participated. I did the Olympic (International) distance tri, which is .93 mile swim, 24.8 mile bike, 10K run.

My official time: 2:43:44
swim: 33:29 (30 min. in water, 3 min. running to transition)
T1: 2:21
bike: 1:14:27
T2: 2:11
run: 51:16

Stats:
age group: 17 out of 284
gender: 70 out of 1135
overall: 672 out of 3632

The course: swim from the middle of the Lake Michigan harbor down to Shedd Aquarium, then back up to the Yacht club. Run 1/4 mile to the transition area. Then bike north on LSD to Foster (6 miles), then back to Navy Pier, then do the loop again and back. Then run around Shedd on the Lakefront Path, up to the Planetarium, down past McCormick. Turn around then go back up around Shedd, then finish on Columbus at Balbo.

I had so much fun. Met up with my friends, Lori and Wanda. The race morning, we got up at 3:30am, and walked over to the transition area at 4:30am. Got all our stuff set up, and then sat around for 3 hours, waiting for our start. The sprint distance tri started at 6:15am, so we watched a lot of the people running into the transition area until about 8:15. Then we walked over to the start. There were about 50 people maybe in our wave. I decided since the water was 72* at 5:15am, before the sun came up, I would go without my wetsuit. I was very happy with the choice. The water felt great! But this was my first mass start for the swim, we started in the water, and it was S-C-A-R-Y! I was a bit miffed that men were in our wave. Basically, the women knew better, and let the more aggressive gender of the species get towards the front. The first few hundred yards were very slow for me, but at the turnaround, I found my pace. It was awesome! We were in the harbor, right up to the wall on the lakefront path. Inside the boats so there were no waves or chop.

I was impressed with my time for the transition, simply because it was SO HUGE, with over 6000 people set up in there. The bike was fun too, I just went fast to basically stay alive. It was up and down Lake Shore Drive, and honestly, while I remember all the hills on LSD, I do not remember how crappy the road is. There were so many slooow people, so I was passing everyone, but there were also a lot of very fast men passing me. It was hard with all those people in two lanes of traffic.

The run was great too. The first 3 miles were very hard, and SO did not feel like I was doing 8 minute miles. It was hot. I was taking in fluids every chance, there were water/Gatorade stops at every mile. I was salty and sweaty and pasty. I wanted to walk SO BAD, but knew if I did, I'd never start up again. pushed it to the turnaround. At that point, the sun went under the clouds, and the wind started to blow. Saw Lori and then sped up the last two miles.

My dad came up that morning, and I saw him right as we were lining up to get in the water. David and his family also came to watch and it was a blast. My support was so wonderful!

I feel great today. Maybe just a little tired. Here is a clip of my coming into the finish line. It's the 30 seconds where I come in. You'll see people doing a wheelbarrow crossing the finish line, then you'll see three people come in. I'm on the far right (your right) with a black outfit and black cap. You'll see a chic run RIGHT BY ME, then I come in after her.
My finish clip

Me, Lori, and Wanda with our body markings, having a nice dinner. A man came up and asked us what the numbers were, and said his little boy thought maybe they were our addresses.
Lori and Wanda with their well-earned, post race beers!

tired. anticipating. ready

2005-08-23T16:42:00.000-07:00

I overdid it this weekend. I really just "forgot" to take a rest day on Monday. So I had a long run (well, 8 miles) on Sunday, then did a swim/bike/run on Monday. By Monday worktime, I was sore. And tired. My body was spent! Fortunately, I had a massage Monday evening. Took Tuesday off completely from any workout, and will probably take Wednesday off, too. Then gotta get the bike out, since I haven't ridden it since it's tune up last week, and only once since my 53.5 mile ride a week and a half ago. And I miss running. I miss my hills. Next week I can get back to them.

Which leads me to my next gripe. As I get with every endurance event, I am SO ready for this to be over! First of all, I'm just so excited (resulting in anxiety) about it. Seeing the girls, and doing the race, and having WLG's family coming out to see me. Second of all, my body's ready. It's ready to just do the training I want to do, when I want to, and how I want to.

Thanks to all who have donated and those who are still getting them in! There's still time, about one more week! Thanks for all your support!

rethinking the marathon

2005-08-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I cannot thank you enough for your generous donations to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this year. I was able to raise almost $2100.00 – well over my goal – and the numbers just keep on growing. Over the summer, Illinois Teams in Training raised a combined total of almost $1 million!

Originally, my plan was to run the Chicago Marathon with the Team in Training in October. However, at this point in time, I do not feel that my training has been sufficient enough to do well in a marathon. I have lost a couple of weeks due to a minor injury. I will, however, still be competing in another goal race this year, the Accenture Chicago Triathlon. I have been training for this event for quite some time, and as it is a Team in Training event, I am going to make this the event in which I will honor my patient honoree (my Aunt Joanne), all those who struggle with blood disorders, and those who have donated to the cause.

The Accenture Chicago Triathlon is an Olympic Distance triathlon, famous for being “the world’s largest triathlon.” On August 28, I will be swimming .93 miles (1.5k), biking 24.8 miles (40k), and running 6.2 miles (10k). The swim is held in Lake Michigan, while parts of the bike and run are on sections of famous Lake Shore Drive. This will be the longest triathlon I have done to date, and I am very excited (and a little bit nervous!). If you are in the Chicago area, we would love to have you cheer us on!

I will continue to train with the Chicago Marathon Team, and will still be in Chicago on Sunday, October 9 to cheer my teammates on. And who knows, I may run the Marathon after all. Thanks to all of you for helping the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society take another step towards cures for leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Aimee

it's all good!

2005-08-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a scare that I was injured. Knee pain, and a bump in my inner calf. All I could think of was it was inflammation of the bone. Took a couple weeks off from running, even though the running actually made the knee feel better. Saw the sports doc, and he wasn't even worried about the bump. Said it was on the fascia, not the bone. YAY! And the knee turned out to be bursitis. I will take bursitis over an inflamed bone anyday!

So now I have to rework a marathon schedule. Still have a tri coming up on August 28. Just want to make it through that.

Heather's Mission

2005-07-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

This October, Heather (Momtout to you forumites) will be running the Detroit Marathon through Marathon Strides Against Multiple Sclerosis. She is working very hard to train for and raise $500 for her cause. Please, visit her website to learn about the chapter and how you can donate.

measure your distance

2005-07-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a free online tool to track your distances: Measure your distance with Gmaps.

in urgent need of bone marrow donor!

2005-07-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Vietnamese bone marrow donor urgently needed. Please visit the link.

Sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry here.

weekend recap

2005-07-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

Had a great training weekend. On Saturday, some friends and I participated in a 50-mile organized ride. It was spectacular. Perfect weather, beautiful day, and we finished before it got too hot. On Sunday, I did my 10-mile long run with the Team, and then drove out to the lake to swim about 680 yards in open water. I would have loved to stay out there all day, but had to get back to work. All in all, it was a great training weekend!

i'm almost there!

2005-07-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hooray! I've made my recommittment goal. That means that after I hit the $1000.00 mark, I am officially signed up for the Chicago Marathon. And since I am doing so well, I have raised my goal to $2000.00. Thanks to all who have donated to such a wonderful cause thus far!

weekend recap

2005-07-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

No long run for me this weekend, I wanted to take the usual Sunday long run off so I could run the local 5 mile race . So instead, on Saturday, a Teammate and I went out to the lake for 15 miles of cycling, and 7.5 miles of running around the lake. Oh the hills! I forgot about the hills! You really don't feel them as much when you're riding, as opposed to when you're running!

Every workout has a lesson. Unfortunately, it's usually the hard way! But I learned this: Even if it feels like I'm running 12 minute miles right after I get off the bike, I am not. I am probably running closer to 8 minute miles, and that is WAY too fast. Needless to say, we were a bit sore (but it was a *good* burn) the following hours.

Next week's long run is 8 miles, thankfully, as I'm participating in an organized 40-mile ride the day before.

4th of July 5 miler

2005-07-05T15:42:00.000-07:00

Whew! Ran the latest 5 miler in town this weekend, and every year, I keep forgetting just how hilly it is. And every year, I swear I'm going to run more hills. That never seems to happen. Funny. Nonetheless, I still ran this race the fastest ever, placing 3rd in my age group, with a time of 36:40. That's a PR by almost 2 minutes, averaging 7:20 minute miles. I have my TNT coach to thank for this, as he so kindly hung back and paced me the first 3.5 miles. After that, I couldn't hang on.

Why am I smiling? Because at this point, my brain is melted, and I've gone crazy.

My Patient Honoree

2005-06-27T07:20:00.000-07:00

My aunt Joanne. Isn't she just lovely?

ugh

2005-06-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

Ran a terribly hot and steamy 10 miles this morning. Only 8 miles were scheduled, so of course, I had to go 10. So thankful for the fluids that our wondeful coaches have taken the time and effort to put out for the Team at about every 1.5 miles.

Thanks to everyone's generous donations, I am only $80 away from my recommittment goal of $1000, in which I will then get signed up for the marathon! I still don't think it's hit me yet, that I'm doing this distance again. I know that once the long runs get up to 14 or 15 I will start really taking the distance seriously, and possibly hitting the speed workouts on Thursday nights.

I promise to post pictures soon!

my honoree

2005-06-20T06:38:00.000-07:00

Each Team member runs in honor of a Patient Honoree, usually a family member or a local patient seeking treatment. This year, I am running in honor of my Aunt Joanne. Joanne is a survivor of hairy cell leukemia, a rare form of the disease. She was diagnosed and treated in 1999, and thanks to the research and advancements in the field, her treatment has resulted in a long-lasting remission.

Thanks to fundraising efforts such as Team In Training, the overall survival rate from blood related cancers has tripled over the last ten years. Tripled, people!

the weekend

2005-06-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

Since I was heading to The House on the Rock this past weekend, I knew I'd miss the long run with the Team on Sunday. So I ran an easy 7 miles Saturday morning, and then we headed off to probably the most spectacular manmade roadside attraction I've ever seen. Then we headed back to Madison to spend time on campus in the trendy shops and have some dinner. We set off for home the next morning, and after the weekend in the car, I was so restless, I decided to do another 6 miles of hills. So...I think I made up for missing the long run this weekend, and am ready for a great 8 miles with the Team next weekend.

The weather had been MUCH nicer this past week, thank goodness. Wonderful runs all around!

boy, it's hot out there!

2005-06-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I really don't recall the heat and humidity affecting me so much. In years past, I loved the heat! I thrived on it. It warmed the muscles. It helped me stretch. I warmed up quicker in the heat. So why do I feel like a beginning runner in the humidity this year? I suppose I just have to get used to it again, being that it's really only been about a week since it's gotten so wicked hot here in Central Illinois. But when 5 miles is difficult for more than one run...that's saying a lot about the weather!

I'm almost to my $500 mark, just $79 more dollars to go!

hurrah!

2005-06-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm back! And doing well. Ankle is fine, most everything else is healed from the little fiasco last weekend. Doing so well, that I ended up doing a 7.5 mile long run with the team. I took some pictures this morning, but it may be like forever until I get them posted, as I have yet to buy the digital camera I've had my eye on. This week for sure.

Fundraising is going well. I'm hoping to be halfway to my recommittment goal of $1000 by the end of next week. Only $160 to get there.

training has officially started

2005-06-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

And I've already missed my second long run with the Team due to a cycling accident. I missed the tri I was training for, but that's no problem. There will be plenty of others. I was out this morning for three miles with no pain in the ankle I was worried about, so I am hoping to make it to a group run this week and the Team run this Sunday. Wish me luck!