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Mental Durability

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, this weekend my plans included a 10 miler in preparation for this Saturday’s Brooklyn Half Marathon.  This will be my second time completing this half marathon. I originally signed up after Heather and other local bloggers posted that they had registered. I hoped it would be a great blogger event and end in a beach picnic after! Alas, multiple NYC runners are on the sidelines with injuries and other priorities.  I hadn’t thought much about the half until last weekend when I realized my very successful 14.5 miler last month had given me a bit too much of a confidence boost. Over the past month my long runs faded into a distant memory as my weekends were filled with moving, parties, and trips. Last Sunday night I had a wake up call and realized with only two weeks left it was time to bite the bullet. I’m going to run this half, I’m going to enjoy it, and I’m going to spend the next two weeks preparing for it mentally, physically, and emotionally!
Tonight, I want to talk about the mental and emotional side of running.
As runners, we all want every run to be perfect. Lace up the shoes, chug the last gulp of water, verify for the 10th time that your iPod is fully charged, grab the emergency cash and head out the door. In your head, this will be the greatest run you’ve ever had. You’re groove and pace will set within the first half mile and people will turn in awe as they see you stride past them. Your mind will release all the tension and thoughts of the day or week as you run past each mile hurdle. Glancing at your watch you’re amazed how long you’ve run already and decide to add an extra mile for good measure since you’re in your stride. As sweat beads on your forehead you realize that you have finally evolved into a runner. You’re confident in your motions and proud. This is what you always wanted to do and be. That cute gal in great physical shape, toned legs that reflect the hours of street and treadmill pounding, a watch and sports bra tan to which leave fresh reminders of your long runs in the sun, and endorphins that could blow any chemical high out of the water!
Oh wait, that isn’t every run. In fact, that’s probably more like one in every ten runs if you’re lucky.
My weekday morning runs tend to be mechanical in style. I reach the Equinox. Walk the two flights up to my favorite treadmill, perfectly positioned between the Channel 4 news and the fan. After putting my water bottle and towel in place I set the speed to 6.2 and take off for a 4-5 mile run depending on the day. I leave sweaty, enjoying minimal endorphins, and glad to check another day off on my running calendar. Success, I tackled the 5:15 wakeup call and completed that run without any issues. Some days I even consider upping the speed the next day depending on my confidence level. Maybe that speed work is actually helping!
My weekend long run is a whole different story. I think about it the night before, rolling my legs in anticipation hoping to loosen any worry from my limbs. I think about what I put in my body more within the 24 hours preceding a long run than any other point in the week. What if I actually thought about the rest of the week as much as this Friday or Saturday before my double digit run.
I wake up, enjoy my normal toast or oatmeal fuel, chug plenty of water, and begin praying. “Please let this be another run that helps my confidence levels. Please let me enjoy this instead of feel it’s a chore. Help me think of this as a way to see NYC. Choose a new path today Ashley as it’ll make the run more interesting.”
Then, with a hope and a prayer I set out. I’ve come to embrace NYC as a running city over the last year. The first few months running in the city caused me great anxiety as I would go crazy every time a stop light diverted me in a different direction off my path. But, with time I’ve started to find the positive in this and use it to force me down different streets and avenues. I use this opportunity to explore new areas and communities within Manhattan. This Sunday I ran with no route, map, or idea of where I’d head. I had one goal in mind and that was to run 100 minutes around Manhattan and end back in Gramercy.
The first seven miles were smooth sailing. Running through Chelsea made me smile as I took in the multiple street parades, open air bars, day drinkers, and other people whose happiness was contagious. I made a wrong turn and ended up in Chinatown which turned into a Nintendo game of sorts. I was the character dashing in and out of obstacles, increasing my strides just to get through Canal Street. At one point I felt invincible as I abandoned the sidewalks and took to the bus lane heading down Canal Street. In my head a bus would honk if he needed to get around. Until then I wasn’t risking a twisted ankle or strained ligament just to pivot around the street vendors and fake Gucci purses. Mile six lead me down towards Bo’s old apartment in the Financial District. I reminisced back to the days of running in this area each morning with the energy of Wall Street surrounding me. Unfotunately for me, it was around this area that the fun ended.
At 70 minutes my legs started to feel like lead. My ankles were sore and the mid afternoon sun was shining stronger than I’d expected. My Lululemon crop pants were comfortable but not as cool as my old favorite Nike shorts. I regretted wearing a run tank and t-shirt instead of just a run tank. I dreamed of the CamelBak I’d meant to order a week earlier. I thought about stopping and hailing a cab. “Seven miles is better than nothing. You’ve run a lot this week. You deserve a break.”  But, I knew that I had to be mentally stronger than this if I want to train for the NYC Marathon and finish this weekend’s half. I thought about Ashley and other runners who often discuss the benefits of running slowly and going far versus stopping. I slowed my pace to around a 10:30 and focused on positive thought. Similar to Anne’s long run this weekend, I used the last 3 miles to enjoy the wonderful spring weather, count my blessings, and discover my neighborhood. I hauled it back to Gramercy so I could enjoy the sights. I looked up, around, and forward but refused to look down. I didn’t want to see the heavy weight of my feet pounding the ground. And then, I heard the bell. The sound of ten miles done. Mental strength outweighing my sore, tired body.
In that moment, I smiled, wiped the sweat from my forehead and no
nodded. It wasn’t the best run, it wasn’t the worst run, but it was today’s run. This weekend, come 7am Saturday morning, I will look forward and smile as I realize all that my legs have allowed me to see and do over the years. Then, with a quick prayer and good wish, I’ll put one foot in front of the other as I set out to explore Brooklyn and Coney Island again. Hopefully this time the power of positive thought can help me see a few sights that I didn’t notice last year and run with just a bit more confidence.







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An Epic Day: NYC Half Marathon

Sunday, March 21st was an epic day for me as I was able to accomplish many goals.

1) Run the NYC Half Marathon. Two years ago, from the window of his 6th floor apartment on West Street,  Bo and I watched the runners as they sprinted towards the finish line on the West Side Highway. We were unpacking boxes and dreaming of our future in NYC. This was the first weekend of our new life in NYC and we decided that one day that we would join the New York Road Runners and run the NYC Half Marathon. We wanted to race through the streets with a feeling of freedom as the cars were halted and for only the second day in a year the runners were given the ride-away. We wanted to experience the beauty of the city on foot while thriving from the excitement of bystanders cheering and friends waving. In our eyes, this is what being New Yorkers was all about! On March 21st, 2010 Bo and I both ran the New York Half Marathon and soaked in every single minute. I love that since we ran separately we had very different experiences but followed the same course. It’s amazing how differently two people can see and experience the same event. 


2) Overcome my fear of running a race alone. Unbeknownst to many, I have a fear of running races longer than 5k alone. I have always felt like i’d get tired and give in to my aching muscles. I felt like i’d become that girl who started walking or never crossed the finish line. I think it is partially due to the natural intimidation one fears when participating in races with a large group like the NYRR. There are both elite and novice runners who participate in the races but many times seeing the striders in their jerseys and the elite runners prepping gives me chills. Chills of excitement and chills of intimidation which force me to question why i’m at the same event. I think this is also due to the fact that I ran the first ELEVEN races (2 5K, 2 5 milers, 1 8K, 1 10K, and five half marathons) with someone for the entire race. I started running 4.5 years ago so I could join my best friends in their annual Macon Labor Day Road Race tradition. After graduating college running was one of the things that kept my best friend Amy and I connected during our first few years with P&G as we would train for races virtually together and then travel to Charlotte or Philadelphia to run the actual race together. Before we were each married and living with our significant others we would spend hours talking each week about our training plan, schedule, and dream of the next race. Therefore, it wasn’t until this year that I had to worry about running alone. I was able to manage the shorter NYRR events as they were only 4 mile races and even those i’d often find a running partner in a blogger friend like Dori or Melissa. I started getting anxious about the NYC Half Marathon last week when Dori told me that she intended to run this race on her own since it was her first half marathon and she needed to do it for herself. I understood this rational but immediately went into panic mode. What if I got tired? Who would push me through the hills? Who would be my pacer? At the end of the day, Bo helped me realize that like Dori, I needed to do this for myself and I needed to prove, once and for all, that I would be my own motivation. Sunday morning, as my corral started moving towards the starting line, I took one deep breath in as I took in the scenery. These were my people. In this moment, I was just as much of a runner as the next person. I had woken up at 5:30am, prepped the night before, eaten my pre-race ritual breakfast of peanut butter and banana on toast, and pinned on my bib just like the runner next to me and the elite runners towards the front. In that moment I found an inner peace that helped me focus on my race, my time, my pace, and my breath instead of everyone else’s. Maybe this is why I didn’t see the multiple people who saw me during the race as they waved from the crowds. I was focused and determined.

3) Overcome my fear of hills. I grew up in the very flat town of Savannah, Georgia. Our town is so flat that they have to bring in dirt to raise the lots so that the homes are above the flood plain for insurance reasons. When I moved to New York City and ran in Central Park for the first time my legs thought they’d just entered the Rocky Mountains or the seventh circle of hell. I had never experienced hills nor knew how to handle them. Over the last year i’ve merely pushed through them, cussed them, or walked them during the numerous NYRR events. But, this year, in preparation for the half marathon, I read about hills on Runners World and talked to more experienced runners.  I knew that these could be my advantage if I approached them correctly. On Saturday I checked my form (shoulders down, neck and back straight, arms lower, body leaned ever so slightly forward) before entering each hill and pushed backwards on my iPod so each hill started a new song. This helped me power through the hill, focus on the music, and overcome even my steepest conquest at the northernmost part of Central Park. I was able to power through hills similar to the ones below without walking, crying, or aggravation. In fact, I dominated the hills so much that I set a PR for my 5K time (28:30) which could explain why the last 3 miles of this race were so hard for me. I was EXHAUSTED. 
Thanks Leslie for the hill photo. 
4) Run the best half marathon I’ve run in 2.5 years! While my NYC Half Marathon time may not seem amazing to most people (2:20:24) this was my best time in 2.5 years and included THREE porta potty stops which were very inconvenient. These three stops accounted for 6:22 on my time which means that without them my time would have been a 2:14 which would have been a PR. I can’t sit here and say “shoulda, coulda, woulda” but I can say that I purchased Immodium AD to keep in my race box next to the pins, Glide, and hair bands. I refuse to let silly porta potty stops get in my way next time. But, outside of these, my race was fabulous. I PR’d my 5k portion, found my pace again after my too fast start, set into a steady stride for the middle 8.5 miles, and didn’t find exhaustion or pain until the last two miles. But, the entire time I was smiling, enjoying the sites, relishing in the fact that i’m living in NYC and have the opportunity to experience events like this, and jammed to my music. I can’t wait for the official race pictures as i’m sure there will be some hand waving, head jamming, and maybe even some hip dancing as I ran through the park and Times Square. I’m already looking forward to next year and a PR! Thank you everyone for your warm wishes, support, and motivation! It was great to train and motivate each other as we trained together and congratulations to the other ladies who ran on Sunday:Katie, Melissa Z, Dori, Leslie, and Megan who also ran the race yesterday I’ll need more of the same as I begin training for the 2010 New York City Marathon!

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Carb Loading?

I had the wonderful opportunity to do a guest post for the gorgeous Meloncauliflower while she’s away in paradise with her boyfriend! If you have any questions about carb loading feel free to email me or drop a comment! I’ll hopefully have Bo post our favorite pasta recipe later today.
Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend with lots of sunshine, summer excitement, outdoor activity, and oh yes a beer or two! 🙂 If you haven’t been to our blog, A Healthier, Happier Bear, my fiance and I focus on our work towards living a happier, healthier life together in New York City! Since next weekend many of our favorite ladies in the blog world will be running half marathons and marathons, I thought I would do a quick post on the ins and outs of carb loading.
What is Carb Loading? Carb loading can be defined as the act of consuming large amounts of carbohydrates to increase glycogen storage in your body to provide extra energy during a physically demanding exercise, such as a marathon.
When should I start Carb Loading? In the case of a marathon, carb loading is a must during the week of the marathon, particularly in the final three days before race day. Our bodies have the capability of storing large amounts of glycogen which is converted from consumed carbohydrates. By consuming more and exercising less (your taper period), your body is able to store more glycogen. In the case of a half marathon, it is normally recommended that your carb load the day before the marathon.
So I can eat bowls and bowls of pasta right? No, the most beneficial carbohydrate is complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are the most beneficial for your body and include such foods as potatoes, yams, beans, peas, wheat bread, bananas, macaroni, spaghetti, cereal, raisins, apples, bagels, syrup, brown rice, corn, carrots, and root vegetables. Mix a variety of carbs into your diet to create a nice balance. Make sure you don’t experiment with foods during the week before the marathon or half marathon. The last thing you want is stomach problems! For example, during carb loading you may have a more carb laden day by having a bagel and banana for breakfast, apple for snack, homemade brown rice with vegetables and tofu for lunch, and then include starchy vegetables such as corn/peas/yams with your dinner. Be sure that you carb load not FAT LOAD!
Should I avoid protein the day before the race? NO!! Your body needs a great deal of protein on a daily bais and therefore you should eat a samll amount of low-fat protein at each meal. Some great proteins include eggs, yogurt, turkey, beans, and lentils. Once again, ensure that you don’t experiment with your protein choices.
Will carbo-loading make me fat? It is normal to gain 1-3 lbs the week of carb loading for a marathon and .5-1 lbs when carb loading for a half but this is due in part to the taper week. But don’t panic! This weight gain is good; it reflects water weight and indicates you have done a good job of fueling your muscles. For every ounce of carb stored in your body, you store almost three ounces water. Should I eat the most carbs at lunch before the race or dinner? New York City Marathon Queen Grete Waitz once said she never ate a very big meal the night before a marathon, as it usually would give her trouble the next day. Depending on how sensitive your stomach is, this may be a great idea. You can always enjoy a large pasta lunch and this will then give the food plenty of time to move through the system. Bo and I normally have a pasta dinner the night before and having a more carb focused lunch than normal. But, we never deviate from our standard pre-race dinner of fresh pasta, a light homemade tomato sauce, and a protein. We once made the bad decision of trying italian sausage the night before the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Needless to say it made for a difficult race because we were searching for portapotties! Remember that you’re always better off eating a little bit much than too little the day before! Don’t overstuff yourself though! You can also experiment throughout your training by introducing different carb meals in before long runs.
How much water do I need? Be sure to drink more water than normal. You should also abstain from too much wine and alchohol as they will keep you from being at peak performance level. You want to get to the point where you are using the bathroom every 2-4 hours but make sure it doesn’t become clear. You don’t want to overhydrate because your body can only absorb so much fluid.


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