okto21k: October 2021

This past Thursday I completed my final tempo run for training. Thank you, Lord! I did just a couple of things different in preparation for race day.

I know there will be water stations along the route, but I really like the security of having hydration on me. When I ran the 13.1 a couple of weeks ago, I was sipping on electrolytes with caffeine, and I feel like it helped boost me along. So, for this last tempo run, I tried out running at race pace with my hydration belt. Yes, it adds a little more weight, but surprisingly it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. I've pretty much decided I am going to run with it on race day. It has a super spacious pocket for both my phone and gels as ell.

I am one of those runners who looks at his or her watch 100 million times while running. I blame it on not yet mastering the "feel" of the pace, though I think I am getting there. For this last tempo run, I tried my hardest to not look at my watch and go by feel. Turns out, I would end up running much faster than I thought! That's a good and a bad thing. I recently read a quote that said, "In the beginning of the race, don't be an idiot. At the end of the race, don't be a wimp." I do NOT want to start out too fast, especially since I know I will be excited and full of adrenaline! I am thinking check my watch to pace myself for the first mile, and then let my feet do what they will. The miles just go by faster when you are able to get in that mental groove and not constantly check your pace. I do want some way to make sure I am on time, thought, so my idea is to just figure out where I need to be every few miles. For example, instead of looking at my watch every few seconds to maintain an exact 9:00 pace (which isn't realistic with the kind of elevation we will be up against), I will just figure out where I need to be once I hit say the 4, 8, and 12 mile marks. That way I can look at my overall time instead of my pace, and it will also allow me to incorporate whatever water breaks I take.

Overall, I am really excited. I can't believe it's just a little over a week away! Taper week officially starts on Sunday, but having all the hard runs out of the way, I still consider myself starting taper now. I have 6 miles today and 5 tomorrow. Sunday I have 8 miles to do, which is the shortest "long day" run I will have done in like 2 months!

Last thing, I am pretty sure I need knew shoes. The reviews for the Hoka's I have did say they aren't great in the durability area or good for long runs. I agree. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn, but with just about 300 miles on them I am starting to feel the breakdown. Also, my shin splints are trying to come back, and I am sure that's the reason. Alex found me some sole inserts on Amazon that I ordered. They should come in Monday. I am hoping they extend the life of my shoes, without messing me up too bad. We will see!

That's it for now. Talk soon!

Follow me on Instagram - @okto21k

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I did it! This past Sunday I ran the full 13.1 miles. I wanted to have covered the distance at least once before race day. It gave me confidence in my progress, and it gave me an idea of what that distance looks and feels like. I learned a few things along the way that will help me prepare for the race.

First, I had noticed on my long runs that I was making it to about 5 or 6 miles before needing water, but then I was having to hydrate way too much after that point. I was running out of my water before the end of my run, and Alex was having to bring me more. This time, I made sure to drink PLENTY of water the day before. I usually drink at least 64 ounces a day, but I made sure to double that. It definitely helped, as I was able to finish out the run with the water I had.

That is something I did right, but I also did something wrong. Before the run I ate two pieces of toast with butter, which was about 250 calories. I now know that I need to eat at least twice that much before the race. Furthermore, if I am going to eat close to 500 calories, I will need to eat early enough that I have time to digest it. My guess is at least an hour before, maybe two hours. Those two pieces of toast were blown through by mile 6, and I was nauseous when I finished. I will need more energy stored up if I am going to keep up race pace.

Lastly, I will need a playlist. One runner I follow on Instagram says she runs every race listening to nothing but her breath. While I do enjoy running without music from time to time, I don't think I am experienced enough to do it at a race. Music calms me, motivates me, and gives me something else to focus on other than nerves and fatigue. I usually play Pandora when I listen to music on my runs, and it usually gets me by. A playlist is important, though, because I don't want to have to skip songs and pray for a good one to come on when I need it. I want to know my music will be music I like and I have personally chosen just for that. It's just one less thing to have to worry about while running.

I may not be confident I can finish the race in under two hours, but I do at least feel prepared for the race. I know what I want, what I need, and I know I have trained to the best of my ability. It's also nice to know that even if I ran the race at my easy pace, I could finish it well under the three hour cutoff time, having finished those 13.1 miles in 2:18.

I leave you with some words of wisdom. I thought of this on a run the other day:

Running is like life in many ways. When I started out running, I would run the same loop around my neighborhood. I knew it well, it wasn't too difficult, and it was safe. As I started to increase my mileage, I was forced to look elsewhere for places to run. I knew I needed places that would challenge me. In doing so, I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. I had to run routes for the first time, not always knowing what to expect. Many of those routes were not flat like my neighborhood route but had hills. That's how life is. If you want to grow, there comes a point when you have to explore. You have to change up your route. You can't keep running the same loop in life because it's easy and safe. Yes, you will find hills along the way, and it will be challenging, but you will be better because of it. Just as there will be uphill times, there will also be downhill times. There are times on a run when you are on the last stretch of the last mile, it's downhill, the wind is in your hair, and you feel accomplished. You did what you set out to do. Similarly, there will be times in your life when you have worked hard for something, you are seeing the fruit of your labor, and all seems right in the world. But you can't get there unless you change your route and be comfortable with the "hills" of life.

Sorry this post doesn't have a lot of visuals. I have been slacking in that area. Anyway, that's all for now.

Talk soon!

Follow me on Instagram - @okto21k