Funny because it's TRUE!

I came across this picture the other day when I was browsing Pinterest. How hilarious is that?! We all have those rock star moments when you're finishing up that last mile, sprinting hard, feeling sleek and unstoppable. Then, you see some unflattering race photos and think, "Is that really what I look like with I run??" That's the curse of high-impact exercise...jiggling.

More often than unwanted jiggling or bouncing, I find that I always feel like I'm running faster than what it actually looks like to other people. Sometimes on light, easy treadmill runs, when I approach the last few minutes, I suddenly feel like I'm going faster than when I started--even if I never touched the speed button--probably just due to adrenaline. Then, I catch myself in one of the gym mirrors and it looks like I'm just jogging.

But isn't increased self-image one of the well-known benefits of regular exercise?!

A Race in Every State?

Lately, I've been thinking about what fitness goals or activities I want to focus on after the marathon is over. Since I'll be doing less running, and it will be getting colder outside anyway, I want to devote some of my Saturday mornings to trying out some of the group fitness classes at NIFS. I rarely make use of my free membership there, simply because it's out of the way, and I can get all of my exercise in at work. This would be one good way to mix it up so that I don't fall into that holiday/cold-weather/post-marathon slump and challenge my body in other ways besides running. Chad and I also have a Groupon for Climb Time that we've been waiting to use. I've never done rock climbing before, but have wanted to for the past couple years. Now I'll have more time on my hands to finally get that in.

Once spring rolls around with nicer weather and my joints have had a few months to recover from long-distance running, I would like to start back up on half-marathons. One obvious goal, as I mentioned in the last post, would be to increase my speed. But, another thing I would like to do is start traveling for other races besides the ones in Indy. I'm even debating on whether or not I want to do the Mini this year. After 3 times, the course becomes a little boring. The main reason I would do it is simply because if you don't, you feel like the only one in the world who isn't! Everyone at work will be training for it and talking about it. If races were free, I would do several, but paying $60 each time can add up!

Here's my new on-going list of half-marathons I would like to try in the next few years (I know the links don't actually work here...technical problems with Blogspot...but just copy and paste into your browser if you want to check any of these out).

1. Geist Half Marathon: I know it's still in Indy, but at least it's a different scenery than downtown. I've heard the course is hilly, so probably pretty similar to the terrain at Ft. Ben. www.GeistHalf.com
2. 13.1 Chicago: I would do any of the Chicago half-marathons since it wouldn't be too much travel time, and that's always a fun city to visit! www.131Chicago.com
3. Go! St. Louis Marathon Relay: I actually almost did this race a couple years ago before part of our group had a conflict with the date. I think it would be a blast to get a group of people to do this race and then spend the rest of the weekend exploring St. Louis--a city I've never been to. www.gostlouis.com
4. Disney's Princess Half Marathon: What girl/woman doesn't have a favorite Disney princess?! (Mine would be Belle, partly because that's what my younger brother called me when he wasn't old enough to say Mechelle!) This race would obviously take some more detailed planning and some vacation days, but I would love to do it once. It's also way more pricey than normal races--the early bird rate is $130 and it goes up from there. The start/finish line is at Epcot. It takes place in February, so the Florida weather wouldn't be hot enough to be a concern. http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/
5. Kentucky Derby Festival Half Marathon. Having been born and raised in Kentucky until we moved to Indiana when I was 14, I've always held the Bluegrass State near and dear to my heart. Most of my family still lives in that state. I've always wanted to go to the Derby, so perhaps I could make a couple trips to run this race the last weekend in April, then return the first weekend in May for the actual Derby. I suppose that means I need to find a big, gaudy hat first.... http://www.derbyfestivalmarathon.com/

Marathon Relay

This past Saturday, I did the Ft. Ben Harrison Marathon Relay. I ran the half-marathon there last year, but had never before done a marathon relay. There were 4 of us girls total, and the legs of the race were 5 miles, 7.5, 6.55 and 7.15. I was person #3, running the 6.55 mile leg. I had never done a race of this distance before, so I really had no idea what my time would be. I expected it to be somewhat fast, but the only races I've done before have been my half-marathons and a 5K, which was two and a half years ago. The last 7-mile training run I had, I was able to keep a 9-minute pace, putting my finish time at 62 minutes. A year ago that would have been completely normal, but lately with marathon training, my overall pace has slowed down. I shocked myself at the relay with a finish time of 54 minutes--in other words, an 8:17 pace! A few years ago I would have never thought that was possible! It makes me really curious what my pace for my next half-marathon will be--8:30-8:45 could be a good goal.

Our last runner crossed the finish line at 3h 55m. I think we all had a secret hope of beating 4 hours for our combined finish time, since our average pace for the group was 9 mins/mile. Besides, when else could any of us say that we had a marathon time under 4 hours?!

If you ever do a relay marathon, be sure you know how they are timing the legs. As soon as the race was finished, there was a tent where you could get a print-out of your results. I thought something was a little fishy with the time they showed for my portion, because they listed it at 51:35...while I would certainly like to say that was true, I know that a pace of under 8 minutes would have been pretty impossible, plus I obviously had my Garmin that was saying 54 minutes. Only later, when we looked at the results online, did we find out that the times they show for each leg were NOT for the actual distance that you ran, but rather at the closest timing mat to your exchange zone. So, the 51 minutes they showed for me was for 5.9 miles, not the full 6.55 that I ran. This also means that the pace they show for each runner online is slightly off. Your best bet during any race, but especially a relay, is to always have your own watch too! And if you don't have a Garmin (and don't like doing math) www.coolrunning.com has as pretty handy pace calculator!

The Ft. Ben Harrison race has options for either a full marathon, half-marathon, or the relay, which means all runners are racing at the same time. The funny part about this is that all the relay runners appear pretty fast compared to the full marathoners, since we only had to do short legs. By the time I started in on my leg, the marathoners had just crossed 13 miles and were either slowing down or just remaining on their steady pace---which meant here I was flying by all of them. In fact, I only got passed by one person, and she was also doing the relay. Most of the other girls said they were breezing past people too. Sure, is a confidence boost at times, but we also felt bad in a way. The marathoners sometimes let out a sigh or groan as we passed, as if to say, "How can you be feeling THAT good this far in?" You could see their agony as some of them were tiring out and starting to walk--it is a very hilly course. I decided if I ever do this again, I will put a sign on my back that says "Don't mind me...I'm just doing the relay. Keep up the good work! You're looking great!!"

Epic Fail

Even though I'm a subscriber to Shape magazine and have found many good articles in it, sometimes you have to ask yourself, what am I paying for here? I feel like with ANY magazine I read in the health industry...Shape, Fitness, Women's Health, Self, etc., they all have the same basic articles, just re-worked. They always feature a workout, which generally never shows you anything brand new...normally just takes an old familiar exercise and re-names it, or adds one complicated addition to the move--I've tried many of these and they're just plain awkward.

I realized just how repetitive all magazines are yesterday when I was reading one from our fitness center shelf: earlier that morning I saw a feature on The Today Show about how hair braiding is the new trend for fall. I then saw an article in this particular magazine about braids and using them to update your look...but then I realized the magazine I was reading was from February 2009. We all know trends in fashion repeat themselves over and over, but the same can be true with fitness in the media.

My biggest pet peeve, however, in health magazines is the advertisements. They can be the EXACT opposite of healthy! You read an article about realistic weight loss, only to turn the page and see an add for some kind of pill or supplement saying you'll lose inches off your midsection...in 4 weeks...with no dieting. Case in point (and this tops ALL the scams I've seen), I saw an ad in Shape for "2-Week Bootcamp Extreme Diet." Now, keep in mind, they did not use the term 'boot camp' to suggest that you exercise; it means this is a "doctor-developed hardcore diet," according to the box. It consists of 4 bottles of tablets labeled Fat Burner, Carb-Blocker, Colon Flush, and Bloat-Less. Alarms going off in your head, right?! The best part of all is that the main headline is "NO PAIN, NO GAIN!" I can only assume this is referring to Bottle #3...the Colon Flush.

Shame on you, Shape magazine. Get your funding elsewhere.

A Boost of Confidence

Well, I did it. Even though the race itself hasn't been completed yet, the last long training run has!!! And to not have a big, scary run looming over my head all week anymore is SUCH a good feeling! I can't explain it, but this run was different than almost all of my other training runs. In fact, I haven't had a run this great since the 12-mile run that felt incredible.

Even starting from the week and the night leading up to the run, I didn't have the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach like I normally do. I was dreading the time it would take, and assumed I would feel like hell at the end, but I had a weird sense of calm. I drank a Gatorade this time the night before the run as well as in the morning before I left. I didn't know if that would do any good or not, but I definitely think it helped me feel more hydrated than normal, because I built up my store of electrolytes. My route this time was less of a mental block than my 20-mile, where I did four 5-mile loops. My friend Sarah, aka the running event planner, had me starting right at my house, jumping on the Monon (which is .2 miles from us), then running north to meet up with her at Main Street in Carmel. She had a Gatorade ready for me there, and then we ran together further north to 161st Street in Westfield, which was my halfway point. From there all I had to do was run home, which is an easy way to think of it. (Even though someone reminded that Broad Ripple to Westfield is a long car drive.) Sarah ran back to Main Street with me, gave me a fresh Gatorade, then I ran the remaining 8.5 miles alone. So, essentially, I broke the run up into thirds. I took two gel packs, and had one at mile 12 and one somewhere between miles 18-19. The entire run felt great.

I would be thrilled just to be able to say that I never hit a wall or had extreme cramps or felt on the verge of death, but my pace was also faster than my 20-mile run...by a whole minute per mile! I had intended to keep a 12-min pace, but since I started later than planned, waiting for the sun to come out, I told Sarah I would bump my pace up to 11-min to get to her faster, then drop back down to 12. I felt so good that I never had to, and although I haven't uploaded all the info from my Garmin yet, I'm pretty sure I had a negative split for this run! The reason I don't know for sure, is because after I passed 15 miles, I refused to look at either my distance or pace on the Garmin. I didn't want to know the distance, even though I could guess pretty well based on where I was on the Monon, but seeing it makes it that much more real. I especially didn't want to know when I passed into that 21st mile, because that uncharted territory is where it always goes downhill for me. I didn't peek until I knew I was within the last half mile, and then, get this.... I was able to speed up at the very end! Unheard of lately!

Perhaps the best part yet... I knew I would have been able to run an extra 3 miles :) Again, a feeling that has been unheard of in my recent long runs where I doubt I could have gone another HALF mile even if being chased by a wild animal.

Minus my legs getting stiffer by the minute post-run, I didn't feel sick afterwards. I did, however, spend the rest of the weekend taking naps, eating, and watching Grey's Anatomy (yayy for Netflix!).



Did I mention it was BEAUTIFUL outside?! Fall is my favorite season anyway for a variety of reasons (my birthday, football, bonfires, anything having to do with pumpkins and apples), but the leaves on the Monon made for a spectacular view. It was a real fall wonderland with the bright orange and yellow leaves swirling from the sky and crunching with each step.

When new runners are just starting out training for a half-marathon, you always hear them say that once they got past 6-8 miles, it became easier for them, and the miles just started ticking away. I would completely agree. Perhaps with full marathon training, you have to make it to 20 before it seems like something you can confidently do. All I know is that however this run happened, it was JUST what I needed.

Gel Pack Review

There comes a point in marathon training where you should introduce gel packs. Most people that I talked to who have completed marathons said they never used gels during their training, but then the day of the race they did, so they all recommended using them during training. This way, your body becomes accustomed to them and you know when in your run to take them for the most benefit. I've seen several people even use gel packs during half-marathons--personally I think that's a little unnecessary, but it all comes down to what you need to perform your best.

I usually use mine halfway through a run, and then if I need a second, it's within the last 5 miles or so. The biggest key with gel packs is that you need to take them before you feel like you need them. At that point, it's too late. Not that you won't finish the run, but you would have been better off to not reach the point where your body feels like it's crashing. Gel packs are more or less a preventative measure during a run--keeping your endurance up and replenishing sugar/nutrients in the bloodstream.

Some gel packs have caffeine, so that's one thing to pay attention to. I honestly haven't noticed a difference between the ones that do and the ones that don't, but I'm a coffee drinker, so someone who rarely has caffeine in their diet might notice it more. The best thing is to try a variety of brands, flavors, and caffeine options to try to narrow down which ones you prefer. Interestingly enough, I liked the exact opposite ones that the Blue Mile employee recommended, so that just shows you it all comes down to personal preference. Here's my review so far:


Power Bar: 2-4 out of 5 stars, depending on the flavor. If you're just looking for a good taste, don't go with this brand. I expected with any of the gel packs, I would have a problem with the sticky consistency, but even though this gel was the thinnest in texture, I hated it the first flavor I tried, strawberry banana. Maybe I expected it to be just like yogurt, but it was clear, runny and extremely salty too. I later tried the chocolate and vanilla gels, and they were much better, but still had that salty edge to them. I will say though, that I really feel the effects of this gel pack maybe more than the other brands. They keep me going strong!


Gu Roctane: 3 out of 5 stars. According to Blue Mile, Gu brand is the top-seller. The Roctane line packs a jolt of caffeine. I used it during a 15-mile run where I was feeling so good I didn't think I was going to use the gel at all. Then, about 2 miles later, I hit a wall. It gave me that extra energy I needed. The consistency was about right--not too runny, not too thick. The flavor I tried was vanilla orange, which sounds a little weird, but it tasted like a creamsicle!


Hammer Gel: 4 out of 5 stars. This particular brand is made from all natural ingredients, so if that is important to you, go with the Hammer. The vanilla flavor tasted just like pudding. The consistency was probably the thickest out of all the gels I tried, but it didn't bother me. With ANY of them, you'll want some water to wash it all down. I used this one halfway through my 20-mile run, and it kept me going strong for the next 5 miles. After that, I should have packed one more gel.