So, here it is April 27th and there's a "Freeze" warning for tonight. What does that mean for me in terms of my walk tomorrow morning? It means I need to consider my trainer's phrase, "There's no inappropriate weather, only inappropriate clothing!" Really? Still? Fleece and mittens! Whew! Now tomorrow I will be starting at 8:30 am, so I should luck out and it should be at least 40 degrees by the time I head out. Maybe no mittens.
BUT what about Sunday morning? My start time is 6:30 AM. Why? Because it is my last 20-mile training session. The last 6:30 AM start, earlier this month, I could see my breath when I began. Therefore I will be dressed appropriately on Sunday morning as the forecast is similar - I will be layered. Layers need to be the kind that can be easily removed and dealt with on the road. I have a favorite Patagonia pullover (courtesy of my sister - it was actually intended for my husband) that is just the right weight and ties easily around my waist when no longer needed as a layer. It has a zippered chest-pocket that is perfect for carrying my cellphone, chapstick, ID, and a few bucks (ya never know).
As I said this particular pullover ties easily around my waist which is important because I also wear a 4-bottle, bulky waterbelt that actually carries Gatorade! This "belt" has a zipper pouch built on and I added another Velcro pouch because I carry plenty of carb snacks and energy chews.  What can I say? I get hungry on the road.
As you may have imagined by now I tend to be a walker who is not fashion conscience (gasp!) because in the end it is not about my look, or the medal on Race Day (well, maybe a little bit) ... it's about finishing the distance and being the best I can be on that given day!

"New shoes, new shoes ... red or pink or blue shoes ... tell me what would you choose ... if we were to buy ..." These words come from a favorite childhood poem and lead me into a post about new sneakers.
With all the miles of training, and a couple of races already this year, it was time. I looked at the tread on my well-loved Adidas (3rd pair of the same style, just updated model) back in March. I knew what I had to do. Time for Supernova Sequence 4s. So with one month to go before the Shires Marathon the box arrived. Some people really like new car smell. I like new sneaker smell.
First, I just wore them around the house. Then I took them out for a 3 mile walk on Saturday. So far so good. Next test? 10 miles on Sunday. No blisters. But something was not quite right. So today another test, 6 miles. Different socks. Ah ha! I think I have found the combination I was looking for. I sure hope so.
A big test coming up on Sunday - last 20 mile training session.
"Feets don't fail me now!"

Last week was vacation week - for my younger daughter. She went to Arizona with a high school friend and stayed with my parents. That is usually MY April trip. But I stayed in the East during my vacation week (the week right after Easter) and grabbed some time with my older daughter. I got my walks in and some tennis! I suppose it was cross-training of a sort.
And therein lies the subject: cross-training. I have not been doing much cross-training. I got in a handful of ski days this winter. And that's about it.
The marathon trainer recently reminded us about the benefits of stretching and cross-training exercise. So, with less than a month to go until the Marathon, I am buckling down and "planking" and stretching.
I hope I am not too late (I can hear the inner voice saying, "It's never too late!") because there is one more 20-mile training session this coming weekend (oh, no ... don't worry I won't go on and on about that ...) Suffice it to say that I will have company this time around - at least that's the plan. I will be a mentor this weekend and get my walking buddy Jen through the mileage. I think "planking" and stretching this week will help my mood as I work up my attitude to complete another 20 miles.
My plan for getting Jen through 20 miles? Simple. The trick is to NOT talk with Jen all week so we have plenty to talk about on the road on Sunday as we walk from Bennington to Arlington. Our school weeks get so busy that we don't interact much. So it worked out this past weekend that we had plenty of conversation as we walked 10 miles (much talk centered on the weather as on the return 5 miles we faced a headwind that I think added 2 miles in terms of energy spent!)
So there you have it ... instead of focusing on the idea of a marathon medal, I am focusing on cross-training and stretching. Oh, and that 20-mile date I have on Sunday!

Some thoughts on Girls on the Run (GOTR)

Following a less-than-routine day of teaching, I pitched in at my elementary school's Girls on the Run activity. The GOTR group meets twice a week and the energy of the girls (grades 3-5) is amazing! They are simply ready for anything. If you are not familiar with the program I suggest you visit http://www.girlsontherunvermont.org/ to learn about Vermont's participation in this nationwide organization.

My now-17 year old daughter took part in GOTR the first year it was offered at her elementary school, 7 years ago. I think that the culminating GOTR 5K race that year was the first "other" 5K I had ever walked outside of Vermont's Komen Race for the Cure. It was very different from the country road race I was used to.

Last year I went to both culminating GOTR 5K events - one in Burlington and the other in Brattleboro. I "mentored" students at both races. Both held in soggy conditions - the Burlington race following a huge downpour and the Brattleboro race in steady rain!

This Spring I will be cheering on my school's GOTR students on May 19 in Brattleboro, but might not do the 5K itself. Why? Because it is the day before my full marathon.

In the scheme of training doing 3.1 miles the day before a marathon probably does not seem like a problem, but thus far my group leader has always encouraged us to "lay low" the day before a race - even a little half marathon.

I have a feeling though that I will be drawn to the course - those smiling faces will be headed to the start line and I will have little choice but to join them as they run, for many of them, their first 3.1 miles.

I can hardly wait to celebrate their accomplishments!!

Oh, and in case you were wondering - I walked a mere 4.5 miles today! But that is another post.

A little extra mileage

The 20-mile training session was successful. In fact it was so successful that it turned out the route actually was 20.63 miles. Excuse me?!

Now you have already had the chance to read my comments on “additional” mileage. In this case, the .63 miles was more "extra" than expected. The trainer's route, calculated on Map My Run, showed 20.57 so I had already accepted the notion of added mileage when I started off at 6:32 AM Saturday morning on Lake Paran Road in North Bennington.

And before I go any further - many thanks to my Number 1 supporter - my husband - who drove me to Bennington (leaving the house at 5:45 AM).

It turned out that on this particular morning my body was not fully cooperating. Pitstops were a necessity and I decided that this training session was really going to be about finishing, not about my time.

As far as long walks go, it was uneventful. That's a good thing.

After realizing that I was more than half way through, and in familiar territory - leaving the Stewart's in Arlington, I began to reassess my time scenario. Did I really have ONLY 8 more miles to go (translating into almost 2 hours)?

The last section, from center Arlington to Manchester, was one I had walked earlier in the Winter, but I had not really paid attention to its actual distance. While mulling this over entering Dunham Rd. my friend Harriet from the Half Marathon group pulled over to say hello and check to see if I needed water or snack. I was all set and thanked her for the concern.

Off I went not wanting to linger (I had already sgiven up 3-4 minutes for an elderly gentleman who early in my walk – on 7A in Shaftsbury – had asked for directions to Manchester. I told him to turn around and go back North).

I called a friend in NYC and my husband to make the time pass quicker. Walking solo has its disadvantages (like having no one alongside to talk to) and its advantages (I can sing along to my iPod and not offend anyone).

At the foot of a short, insulting little hill prior to arriving on River Road at the Sunderland Garage I asked my husband to just keep talking on the phone so I could concentrate on the incline. Phew. Arriving at the top of this hill meant 4 miles to go!

Piece of proverbial cake. 16 miles down and 4 to go.

My watch said 10:47. My original goal was to finish around 11:30 – but that was when I was thinking 20 miles exactly. Now I realized I had not anticipated that I would need an additional 7 minutes for the .57. So 11:45 was the new target. One hour or less to complete the last 4 miles.

After 2.5 miles I arrived on the section of River Road that is used for the Komen VT Race for the Cure 5K (I know this section of road like the back of my hand after participating in this event for some 15 years). I was beginning to feel there was, "light at the end of the tunnel" um, I mean road!

Let me back track for a minute. In March my sister talked me through the last 1.5 miles of my first 20-mile training session. That had worked well, so now I called her and said, “I have 1.5 miles to go!” We chatted happily as I passed through the familiar terrain. No last drinks or snacks needed. I passed the Equinox Falconry where a guide was leading a demonstration and a falcon swooped across the road – more than once - landing in various trees before taking off over and over again. A little bell tinkling announced his whereabouts. Magnificent bird.

Back to the walking. Ah - Hildene Meadows - the finish - in sight. Time to refocus. I said to my sister, "I need to finish like I mean it."

I arrived at 11:43 AM. I announced to no one in sight, but to my sis on the phone, "Done. Done. Done."Watch check - 5 hours and 11 minutes. It may not seem important to you, but that time includes pitstops and giving directions. Turns out this was a good session!

I thanked my sister and we hung up. I roamed slowly about the parking area where others from the group had parked their cars early in the morning before carpooling to the start. I stretched my legs, slowly. I was giddy at being finished.

Then I noticed movement coming from downfield. The first of the runners was coming in. Time for photo ops of finishers. Time to begin celebrating together.

18 of us altogether – trainer included. Some more weary than others. Sharing road stories over a potluck picnic. And then the news from one friend (who has technology that calculates the actual distance traveled) that the route was 20.63 miles.What? More extra mileage? That means I have now trained my furthest distance ever!

Oh, but wait, there are 5.6 miles left to conquer on Race day – May 20.

Now there's something to think about!

4.4 + 4.4 + 6 + 4.4 = 19.2

Fancy math sentence, isn't it? That is the equation reflecting the number of miles I walked during the week leading up to the 20 mile session planned for Saturday.

Now you might be wondering why 4.4 miles? Well, it turns out the 4 miles that I have been walking (2 out and 2 back) over in West Pawlet along VT-153 is actually 2.2 miles out and 2.2 back. This was discovered by my frequent walking buddy Patty who has the technology to measure such things. And let me tell you, we felt quite righteous when we discovered we had been walking further than planned. That .2 in each direction adds up over time (see above). And all those days when I thought it was taking me a lot longer to complete 4 miles (normally in under an hour) it was taking 1 hour and 7 minutes, roughly. This was because I was walking an additional .4 miles! What a joy to discover that the extra time was due to extra mileage, and not a slow pace on my part.

19.2 over 4 days! Hmmmm ... I guess I am ready for a 20-mile session tomorrow!

Getting reacquainted with 20 miles

This weekend I will take part in a 20-mile training session in preparation for the Shires Marathon, coming up on May 20. This will be my second 20-mile practice walk. The first one went quite well - under agreeable weather conditions.

I guess I should back up a bit.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I have completed 10 half marathons. So early in the Winter I made the decision to "bump it up a notch" and commit to training for a full marathon. I figured I had "mastered" walking 13.1 miles (if there is such as thing as "mastering" the distance).

I has manned a water station last Spring and watched several women friends slosh their way through the 26.2 miles in steady, cool rainy conditions. Sounds like fun, right?

Marathon training began in January for me. I am the sole walker of the training group - although I do have a friend working her way through the training distances who will walk with me on Race day, but she is not a regular member of the group.

Since I was training for a half marathon through the first 3 months adding on the distance sessions was not too hard - at least not through 16 miles.

Then came 18! This is where the training became more about mental training than physical. I knew what foods and drink I needed to go the distance. This was about going on for two more miles. Now that in itself is not a big distance, but tacking it on - another almost 30 minutes - was a task. But where there's a will, there's a way. I knew I had the support of the runners completing the same mileage. I did not get to start as early as I had hoped and the trainer would be waiting for me - and I did not want to make her wait too long. She greeted me with a smile. I had completed another "milestone".

But there was one more to come. 20 miles. The longest distance we are asked to complete prior to the race itself. 20 miles! Again, I looked at it as a mental accomplishment. I had been bringing my legs along 2 additional miles at a time. 14,16 and 18. All done! So, why not 20?

Mainly I was looking at the time factor. Spending 5 hours on training! And alone. My walking buddy was not available to go on this walk.

So I got dropped off at the starting point shortly after 7 AM and started walking. This race will start within a 45-minute distance from home, so training has taken place on the actual race course. A major side-benefit!

I had not started from the actual Race Start before, so the 20-mile training was providing some new mileage, and scenery. Soon I was walking along road that I had already "conquered" in previous weeks. It was familiar. My legs were comfortable. My head knew where I was going. I walked. I spoke to family members on my cell phone (thank goodness for my Bluetooth) along the way. I listened to music in the "dead zones". I was doing it. Only one runner passed me (with about 1 mile to go - and she started at 9 AM!!). It felt great to be finished and have the opportunity to cheer on the runners coming in after me.

The course has hills make no mistake about it. I have now walked those hills 4 times. This weekend I will walk them again.

The training route this weekend starts 6.2 miles into the race and therefore I will walk 20 miles to the Race's actual Finish.

I know what foods and drinks I need. My legs have walked the hills before. Once again I will not have my walking buddy to chat with. I will start as close to 6:30 AM as possible as runners will start as early as 7:30 AM. I know there will be more than a dozen running women out on the road behind me.

It's only 20 miles. I have done it before. But I also know no two training sessions feels the same.

20 Miles! It's time to get reacquainted!

In the beginning

In the beginning it was all about the medals. That was four years ago. Yes, I have been taking part in half marathon events for four years. I started out as a walk/runner (and no, I have never referred to myself as a walker/runner ... go figure). Over the past year and a half I switched to just walking. A bit easier on my knees.
Being a walker makes choosing a race a bit tricky as not all Half Marathons are "walker-friendly". But as a walker if you convince a race director that you can finish in under 3 hours, then usually you are welcome. Sometimes you have a separate start time (perhaps an hour earlier) and other times it's an all-racers start.
As a walk/runner when I started with "the pack" and I pretty much finished at the end of the time-limit. As a walker with an hour's headstart I finish close to the middle of "the pack". At a recent Half Marathon where I started an hour ahead, I was able to cheer on my runner friends (and take Finish Line pics) as they were coming in just behind me. It was a mental game for me. Sure they were completing the same mileage almost an hour faster, but I was there ahead of them - taking their pictures - instead of the other way around. Like I said, it was a mental game!
Now to tell you the truth, four years later it is still about the medals. I really like my collection of finishers medals. Metal, glass and wood! They are proof of races completed! There are, however, only 9 of them, even though I have completed 10 half marathons. Imagine my reaction at one race when I realized after finishing 13.1 miles that there was no finishers medal! Each of those medals (and bib numbers - yes, I have kept those) holds the memories of that particular race. Each bears the race's name (sometimes the date and the location). One even has the race route on the reverse.
And now I am seeking my first Marathon medal. Yes, I am training for a full 26.2 mile event. I have walked training sessions of 14, 16 ,18 and even 20 miles thus far. And there is another 20 mile training session to be completed.
But on May 20th the medal will be the proof that I have walked further than ever before. It's all about the medal!