What a great day that was. I'm still reeling. And, I miss my friends terribly.
But, I have a bike ride to look forward to this afternoon. My first! I know, I know... I know I said May 1st, but uh, there was just no way. I've been swimming a lot (love the pool right now), and walking. I might try a run this weekend, but it's gonna be short, and most likely on a trail. We'll see though. Legs feel great, they're just a bit... tired. Gee, I wonder why?
So, I did the whole lessons learned thing for this race....
1. Gels and Powerade do not supply enough electrolytes, especially during hot conditions. (Okay, it was high 70s... normally I would not call that hot, but realize that my body is used to 50s.)
2. Which brings me to part 2. It might have been savvy to train for the weather. Maybe bundle up on a warmer day... Dunno, the jury is still out on this one.
3. Stopping at the med tent is not a sign of weakness. Those folks are there to help, and they did!
4. HR is just a number and can easily be ignored (intelligently).
5. There is NO substitute for diligent training.
6. It was VERY wise of me to accept a kind friend's offer.
7. Buying a bike right before the marathon: VERY FREAKING SMART! Sersely, guys, if you know you have a HUGE-ass race coming up, buy something pretty that you can't use until after the race. Make it training related. You'll thank yourself later. PMS sucketh. (That's post marathon syndrome...)
So thank you so much to all of you that responded either here or back channel. It was such a great day (great in many aspects).
Out of all of the people I shared my report with, I did receive *one* negative comment from a friend, however. She seems to think I pushed it too far and that I shouldn't "pull" this in my next race... that I'm "damn lucky" and she hopes next time I'll have compassion for my body instead of mental fortitude. I guess she would have been prouder of me had I had quit. It put a negative spin on it, you know? Honestly, I was never in any danger! I was surrounded by very knowledgeable runners and triathletes the entire time. The folks at the med tent were happy (both times) to send me on my merry, cramping way. I'm SURE that if they thought I was in danger, they would have made me stop. There were many people that day pushing themselves to the limit. I'm neither heroic nor special. We were all hurting together. I'm sure that there are other stories just like mine.
Anyway, we've emailed back and forth a couple of times and I guess we're going to agree to disagree. Sometimes you just have to step on your feelings to save the friendship, I guess.
On a more positive note, I'm entering the last phase of weight loss. I imagine this one will be a bit more challenging, but ever-so-rewarding once I get to that goal weight. I will be choosing to lose 13 lbs. in 100 days. :) It would have been 10, but I went and ate a bit too much the past week or so.... Oops!
10 comments:
What a great picture! And what good insight to how your race went. Best of luck with the rest of the season ahead! :)
You can revise that 13 lbs. back down to 10, probably.
A common phenomenon that occurs post-big endurance event (marathon, Ironman, riding 8+ hours in a day, you get my drift) is a little bit of edema. Especially during a marathon, cells are actually damaged and explode and their cellular contents leach out into your system. Normally, your body would be able to flush this all out, but you just did something big, so it takes a little longer. Add to that all the salt you took in, and your fluid balances are bigger than normal and a little messed up. So spot yourself a few of those pounds--they should be off by the end of the week.
The first time I experienced this after my first Ironman I was like, WTF?? I just did this HUGE thing and I have put ON weight? But I had a mentor who explained that the post-endurance puffiness is normal, and it was all gone in 5 days.
I had the same thing after the 200K rides I have done.
No worries. As you get your electrolyte balances back on target, you'll be just fine.
Congratulations again, remember, it can take a few weeks for your body to settle back into a healthy state. And don't be in a hurry to run. Waiting 2 weeks after your first marathon is a GREAT IDEA! Keep swimming, though, that is always a good thing.
You look so happy!!!
Definitely look into the electrolyte thing. Nancy Toby has a lot of information in her blog.
As for your friend, some people get endurance sports, others don't. You are right about the med tent people. If you were in physical danger, they would have stopped you.
That's why you'll be an ironman one day and she...she won't.
Agree to disagree. Hmm... u have been following a solit training with help from others. I don't think u are in danger. My concept of danger is just go run a marathon without proper training and proper knowledge.
The week after my marathon I went for a 15 k run. It felt fine. But (a bit BUT) I can still I am not fully recovered until 3-4 weeks after the marathon.
YOU LOOK FABULOUS!!
Um, you know you just posted your photo on your newly anonymous blog, okay? :-)
I hope you're still wearing that medal!
There's lessons to learn from EVERY race, if you take the time to think about it and move forward. YOU DID GREAT. PERIOD.
Thanks for taking us along for the ride! And spending time with your new ride is a great way to combat PMS!! Wonderful idea!!
What a wonderful picture. You look happy & proud and beautiful!!
Congrats on a great race and a job well done. Now revel in the fact that you are a marathoner!
LOVE the pic!
(but thinking the same thing as Nancy).
That is such a great picture, you don't look like you just ran 26.2!! Way to fight through all the pain and finish...as to the negative comments, some people just don't understand runners!!
Jen - Better late than never in sending you CONGRATULATIONS! What a great race experience you had and what a wonderful report you wrote! Be proud of every mile ..you earned each one! May you have a tailwind and plenty of salt when you choose to venture 26.2 again!
WELL DONE!
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