So You Finished A Marathon, Now What?

After finishing our first full marathon last February, we would often get asked this question: "So, what's next  in store for you?"

taken from Pinterest

Honestly, I didn't make plans after that marathon. I thought work is probably going to eat up most of my 2013 as I am expecting a lot of changes happening for me in that department. But guess what, the minute that question was popped I was just so quick to answer - Make THE STANDARD CHARTERED MARATHON in SINGAPORE my second FULL Marathon!

2013 ULTIMATE GOAL

And I gave that answer to who else but my husband's adrenaline junkie friends. So now, I've given my word. And that's where we're headed at the end of this year. Hopefully. 

I say hopefully because I know the minute the registration for that race is opened, they sell out faster than a speeding bullet train (hahaha, here i go again with my weird made-up metaphors). But we'll be watching out for that really tight. I hope we do manage to get a slot. For now, we all focus on our individual training goals.

So now this leaves us with plotting out a game plan. And despite my resignation to lie low on running this year, my body is retorting violently so I just couldn't give that up like that. And those weekend long runs are really hard to pass up. Right now, I'm really missing them so bad. (and the belly is filling up with dreaded fats again, I just couldn't let that happen).

So what's our training plan then? Well for the hubs and me, we plan to do the Milo Marathon again in July. We hope to finish strong this time. No cramps and with a good time (like a sub 2 and a half, especially for me). Then maybe come October we'll do a 32km race. Hopefully too (because that race has a rather steep registration fee in our books so I will have to save up for it). 

I also plan to take strength training more seriously this time. Any suggestions on how I can start with that? 

I guess there's really no turning back for us now. Unless something major like hmmm getting pregnant happens along the way, it's probably safe for me to make it a goal to run at least one marathon every year. Who knows, before I turn 40 maybe I can qualify to run in one of the world marathon majors (told ya I am a big dreamer!).

TAKEN FROM PINTEREST

Missed Runs And Breaking The Slack

I'm back to slacking again. A week has passed and nary a mile was logged.

A week after our marathon, I suffered a mild asthma attack and incidentally red read an article in Active Run that went like - when down with a cold do you risk it? or rest it? -- Believing I do deserve the rest, I opted to just do 2 milers twice that week. I felt temporary relief but in the afternoon, I was having back pains so I decided to just take the rest of the week off from running. I nailed the "I DESERVE TO REST after all that hard work" excuse in my head to somehow drive the guilt away.

What I hate though is when I slack off with my runs, I also tended to turn to unhealthier food choices. I've been feasting on junk food for the past few days and now I'm feeling sluggish all day. The lethargy drives me to take in more cups of coffee than my self-imposed quota. And of course, coffee goes very well with cookies or a slice of cake so before I can stop myself I grab the closest pack of cookies that I can get my hands on and devour it like crazy. It's a vicious cycle that started off with me skipping my runs. 

THIS HAS GOT TO STOP. I kept chanting that till I got home and last night I was finally able to break the laziness off despite the kid begging me to just do some indoor exercises and the husband demanding we eat dinner already. I waved that off and just headed out. I told myself I just needed 20 minutes and ran 2 miles. I didn't realize how I missed the smell of the cold night breeze and the feel of sweat dripping like crazy on my chin as I stop to take a deep breath amid the threat of a side stitch. I ran at 5.30/km on the first few minutes and it felt soooo good.

And since that felt really good, I'm doing it again tonight. I won't let anything stop me. Because yes, come to think of it, what is 20 minutes these days anyways? I spend even more time browsing through Facebook updates. And that one, I can just let go.

Sharing some inspirations and words of motivation that I came across on Pinterest today. Hope you're all having a great week!

Recovering From A Full Marathon

A day after running my first marathon, I expected the worst. I was prepared to stay in bed because friends warned me it's highly possible I will NOT be able to walk because every single muscle would be aching like hell.

I ran for almost 6 hours and a half. I covered 42+ kilometers. I honestly would not expect my muscles to be that forgiving. So I readied myself.

Lucky for us commuting runners, we had friends who volunteered to drive us home. So before lunchtime we were already lying in bed and resting. The hubs wasn't very lucky because he vomited twice before we got home. It caused me and our friends to panic (we almost brought him to Asian Hospital) but luckily around 9am, there were still some medics left on the Condura Skyway Marathon Village so we had them take his blood pressure just to be sure. It was normal at 110/80. We were advised to get him home to rest as soon as possible. The day before, while I was able to get at least 3 hours of sleep, the husband did not. He just couldn't sleep. So I relented. Let him be. The following day, his body wasn't as forgiving as me. Exhaustion hit him hard.

Our recovery plan included a serving a chocolate milk right after the race, lots and lots of water, an ice bath, at least 8 hours of uninterrupted shut-eye and a full body massage. I was able to get everything except for the chocolate milk. I totally forgot I packed some. I guess, I was just too overwhelmed with finishing the race everything after that was just going by like a blur.

the water was really ice cold i had to take my feet off every so often.
but it did its magic with keeping the swelling muscles at bay.
earlier that day, I already iced my knees.

Did all that work? Yes, it did! While I was ready to embrace the worst impact the day after the race, I surprisingly was walking. Walking with a limp but compared to how I was last year after finishing my first half marathon, I was way better this time. I was even able to report to work and climb 4 flights of stairs as my office is located at the 3/F of our building and we had no service elevator to take us up. My knees also surprisingly were never painful this whole time. So I only had to deal with muscle pain and not the joints.

The hubby recovered just as fast as I did too. I guess, everything just worked well this time. Apart from us not finishing as we targeted I think I can say we did extremely well as first timers. No injuries was way better than a fast but unsustainable finish. 

By day 3 (post-marathon), I was able to do a 30-minute easy recovery run (at 7:14/km pace). My thigh muscles complained a bit, but as I am typing this, I can honestly say there was no trace of an ache. The foot that used to ache when we were training wasn't even painful at all. I guess, trading my favorite Adidas shoes to a new pair of New Balance 1090's also helped bring me to the finish line. 

I can't wait to start training again. Our friends and I are talking about running our next marathon at a bigger race event by the end of this year. I hope I can clock in a better time then. I have roughly about 11 months to make that happen. Hopefully, I now have better discipline. And more determination than ever before. Wish us luck!

i still had my cup of ice cold milo later that day. so good.

My Dream Within My Reach

I was just a few meters away from the finish line when our friends took this photo. I love how they captured my emotions here. I was on the verge of letting out a happy cry here. You see, 3 kilometers from the finish line I was already feeling so low. Although I didn't pressure myself much on this race, I still made a mental goal of finishing it at 6 hours. And I thought that was more than feasible. At kilometer 35 though, I started feeling extremely weak (at this point, I ran for more than 5 hours already) so I chose to do a 2min run/1min walk which at some point would end up a 2min run/3min walk (I was actually walking more than running already) I knew I wasn't in any way going to make it at 6 hours. The thought of the finish line didn't excite me anymore. 

But on my way down I started hearing the drums beating and race marshals cheering the finishers, my mood made a 360-turn. I suddenly felt alive. So I made a dash to the finish line. I realized how BIG an experience this was. And how blessed I was to be healthy enough to finish a marathon. Add to that the sight of friends cheering on me just a few meters to the finish line, I just let out a shout -- "I MADE IT! NATAPOS KO! NATAPOS KOOOOOOOOOOO!"

And really, to experience crossing that line after running for more than 6 hours is extraordinary. This is just the start of it. I hope to cross more marathon finish lines in the future. But hopefully, in less than 6 hours next time :)

My Marathon Dream Came True

I'm still on 7th heaven. I finished a marathon yesterday and yes, I feel like I just won a bigtime lottery. I'm still overwhelmed with the thought and my emotions are still very high (as you can sense in this post probably. and if you are a Facebook contact, i know i'm nakakaumay already). BUT. I just can't help it!

They said it was life-changing. Finishing a marathon that is. And it indeed is. How life-changing? Well, in my case, I proved to myself that if I pushed harder nothing is impossible. So cliched. But that's just the best way I can summarize it.

Finishing a marathon is life-changing. YES. And also very addicting. I have yet to recover from all sorts of pain in my body but I'm starting to map out my training plan for my next marathon already. Define atat. Yes, that's me.

But going back to yesterday's experience. A few weeks back, I read an essay about a runner's thoughts at the 25th kilometer. All of the things he said there was true. Being a first-time marathoner, I experienced all that and more. My agony actually started just a few meters after the 21st kilometer. My husband and I trained till the 30th kilometer so despite my legs turning to lead, I knew I can still survive that far. But even if  the 30th kilometer was still almost 9 kilometers away, anxiety was creeping in fast. The mental battle/struggle ensued after that. And I was slowly giving in. I started thinking about plantar fascilitis and how my foot is starting to hurt everytime it touches the ground. About leg cramps and how my calves are starting to stiffen up each time I made an effort to land. About fatigue and how I can barely move my legs or raise my arms even if I've already gobbled up a banana and Gu.

I paused and asked myself, How bad do you want this? And the answer was clear and with conviction - THAT BAD. So I plodded on, firmly holding on to my resolve that even if it takes me 7 hours to finish. I will finish it. (But please Lord, with no injuries if possible).

Every second, a runner would get past me. I was on the first wave so I really expected a lot of runners to overtake me. But once in a while, I would get that competitive nudge and urge to speed up and overtake a runner or two. So when that happens, I pause and remind myself what my goal really is. FINISH WITH NO INJURIES. And I go back to running my pace.

Running slow enabled me to connect with fellow first time marathoners. And it was a very humbling experience. Madami pang mababait sa mundo. There wasn't a time that I would stop and be ignored by a runnner. There was always somebody who would ask how I was doing, offer a liniment, a power gel, water, a banana. The safety buddy did work! (and I honestly think, everyone just cared) We all took care of each and that made this experience even more worth it.

Congratulations Condura Skyway Marathon organizers! I made a goal to finish a full-marathon before I turned 35 and I DID IT. You helped me make that happen!

Till next year!

If you want to read more about my progress with running, please CLICK HERE.

One Year Ago...

I traversed the Skyway from Alabang to Bicutan and back. Ran strong and was confident to finish at less than 2 hrs and a half but cramped out at the 18th kilometer mark and painfully limped my way to the finished line. I think I hurt my ego more than my body by being so careless and mindless of how my race strategy should be. And yet I got this to prove a tiny woman like me born with no athletic bone or muscle in her body can finish a half-marathon armed with mostly just guts and determination (because I was too laid back and honestly, lazy to train hard then):

In 4 days, I'm coming back to run on that same Skyway. But this time I am aiming to conquer the entire length of it (and a couple loops more on some parts of it) and get this in return:

PHOTO SOURCE

I am not as anxious as I was last year. I would say I did put more work this time around. I did clock in more training mileage than I'd actually expected (so yes, dun pa lang I'm giving myself a big pat on the back already). I am hoping to step into that Skyway this time armed with a more mature heart and a more sensitive spirit to know how far I can stretch my body's capability. 

I am about to cross out another one off my life list (which I have yet to pen down in here to make it official, I will find time soon) so this is rather an exciting time for me. Forgive the exaggerated tone. Please say a little prayer for me if you have a few seconds to spare when midnight strikes on February 3rd. I am about to change my life for the better. I have a feeling this marathon dream is just about to start. 

25 Days To My Marathon Dream

I only have 25 days left to prepare for my first marathon finish. Today I learned that I can actually raise pledges to help several causes apart from the mangrove seedlings that will help preserve the Mangrove forests here in our country (which automatically came with our registration by the way). I'm still trying to make up my mind on which one to choose but what tops my list would be the I CAN SERVE FOUNDATION, of course. I will discuss with the husband tonight. And hopefully I could campaign among friends next week. At least knowing that I am raising funds to help a good cause can help motivate me more to reach the finish line. 

I am aiming for 6 hours or less. I hope I will have enough strength to make that target. Last Sunday, we finally made our first 30 kilometers (but it took us 4 hours to do it, mind you) and we almost crawled. While I was cooling down and stretching, I wasn't able to stop myself from letting out a shout --- "Ahhhhhhhh 12 kilometers more!!!" -- instead of just a deep exhale. I am seriously doubting if I can make that finish but maybe, just maybe, committing myself to raise pledges will give me the extra boost to cover 12 more kilometers.

On February 3, can you please offer a short prayer for me? A friend tells me that reaching that finish line will forever change my life. And I absolutely have no doubt it will. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE PLEDGE FORM

On Runner's Nutrition and More Insights From My Marathon Training

My husband ran out of fuel, 15 kilometers into what was to be a 20-kilometer long run this morning. Although I was feeling great and was running like I was just a few minutes into the run, I immediately empathized with him. I have been in that situation several times already. And the worst part of that usually is your knees start to wobble and exhaustion starts to creep in, even half a kilometer would feel like forever. 

I had no intention of stopping since we normally don't really allow ourselves to get distracted with each other's pains and discomforts (unless it's a life-threatening situation of course). Being competitive with each other during training pushes us beyond our comfort zone and is usually a test of endurance for us both so being left behind was never an issue. This morning though, I heard him shout for me from far behind. Turns out, he was asking if I had some power gels left. I unfortunately only packed enough for myself. When it comes to things like this, I come more prepared than him. 

All that was left with me then was half a container of Gatorade. I handed it to him and plodded on. I only had about 2.5kms more to go so I kept at it. I wanted to maintain my pace at 7min/km as much as possible because I also wanted to see if the dreaded cramps would still come back to haunt me. I went past 17kms and I still felt great. I now feel validated and ready for the big challenge we are to face in the coming days. It was also at this point when my thoughts started flying again. I thought of how significant the role of good nourishment is for people like us. And how the husband has been taking that for granted lately. I thought, maybe as a sort of reminder, I better write down my current pre and post training go foods. And maybe, as a reminder to the husband too. (hehe)

Let me just reiterate that I am no nutritionist and that I'm just listing what works for me currently. This might change as we go on with our marathon training.

Pre-training/race favorites:

• Pasta - I usually try to whip out any one of our solid, household favorites a day before a race or a long run so we can load up on carbs and since I'm trying to avoid being tempted and ending up over-consuming on rice, pasta is my next best thing. 
• Water - I make sure I consume at least 3 liters daily, a week before a race or a long run to stay hydrated. 
• Bananas - whenever I crave for sweets, I force myself to gobble up a piece. Works well!
• PB Sandwich - wheat bread and a generous amount of peanut butter. Yum!
• Muesli + Soya Milk - my go-to breakfast on the go!

Post-training favorites:

• Chocolate milk - Chuckie is a big favorite. We try to drink up at least 30 mins after finishing our run.
• A cup of yogurt or soya milk
• Bananas - this morning, we came home to freshly cooked plantains (boiled). Instant energy boost.
• Protein-loaded breakfast and coffee - ahhh there's nothing like eating your favorites right after finishing a race or a long run. No guilt whatsoever. (but sometimes, I get tempted to count the calories right after. i really just love to inflict pain on myself)

Nutrition is indeed a big part of a runner's (oh yeah, I've been dodging the use of the term but I ran out of terms now) training regimen. But since I also do meal planning at home, I try to just incorporate what we need into our daily meals. Luckily for us, most of our meals are eaten at home (and I pack baon as much as I can). I just make sure I eat my meals on time because again, especially when your muscles are recovering it's important to have the proper amount of protein in your diet (it doesn't give you an excuse to eat a bucket full of Chicken Joy though no matter how tempting).

Now let me just send a link of this post to my husband so he remembers to eat lunch today.

Racing Towards My Half-marathon PR

When I race, I hardly ever focus. Although I do try to concentrate on the race, my mind always fly thousands of eons away. Today, as I was racing to make my unexpected personal best record for a half-marathon I am suddenly bombarded by thoughts regarding lessons learned while running a half-marathon.

The QCIM race is my 3rd attempt at finishing a halfmarathon. Although I did finish the last 2 half-maries that I  last participated in, today was definitely the finish that made me feel like I can finally call myself a legit half-marathon finisher. Why, you ask? Isn't reaching the finish line enough ticket to the claim? Well, technically yes. But those last 2 races gave me the worst cramps ever, they ended making me feel like I didn't prepare well for the race. There's probably a lot of truth to that which also was another reason why I feel I don't deserve to claim the finisher title yet. But today, yes today made me feel very, very proud of myself.

So what led me to a 'personal' strong finish? Well, I can list several things.

1. I followed my training schedule to the T. I religiously plotted the mileage requirements for the week and worked hard to reach them. I may fall a mile behind on some days, but I try to make up for the deficit on other days. And I guess, that helped a lot with building my endurance.

2. I listened to my body. I used to challenge myself and believed that all the pain just comes from my mind. And if I control my mind and psyche it hard enough to push my body to just run and not stop for a walk break, I will get a strong finish. But after 2 failures, I finally decided to listen to my body. After the 10th kilometer, I modified my strategy and chose to run in 6/1, 5/1 and 4/1 intervals instead depending on the terrain difficulty (4/1 if it requires me to climb and 6/1 if it's flat all the way). This helped tremendously. And when my GPS tracker announced I'm at the 20th km, I feel like jumping in glee. But I restrained myself, I had to save up all of my remaining energy for the last kilometer to the finish line.

3. The night before the race, I was beyond my head with panic having realized I left our power gels at home. But then, Tibs assured me I can finish it without the gels (because in our last race, he didn't feel the need to take one and yet finished it) so I resigned and just pocketed 3 pcs of menthol candies in case I do run out of energy. A bit of sugar can go a long way. 

4. We warmed up for a good 10-15 minutes. We stayed in QC for the night so we were just 5 minutes away from the starting line. We didn't have to rush and we had ample time to do stretches and sweat up a bit before gunstart. The point I'm trying to drive at here is that IT PAYS TO COME ON TIME.

5. Proper hydration is also key, I guess. The entire week before the race, I wasn't feeling well. In fact, I had a major asthma attack last Tuesday I had to call in sick for fear that I would fall extremely ill come race day. In order to hasten my recovery, I had to drink up liters and liters of water (average of 4 liters a day). That probably helped a lot as I didn't feel the need to stop for water at the first 5km. I also loaded up on carbs on Friday (it wasn't really a lot but it was more than my usual carb intake). I should remember to do that again at every long run.

So yes, I wasn't in my best form this morning (with the asthma attack still hovering over me). And yesterday, when I went to see my doctor to sort of ask permission if I can go on with the race she gave me a disapproving nod. But seeing how determined (and stubborn) I looked, she relented and just prescribed several meds to help me get through the day. And I tell ya, maybe it's my positive spirit today or maybe it's the meds (I really cannot tell at this point) but I feel better now. And the entire length of the race, I never felt the need to puff on my inhaler. As if it was a validation for me to finally say - SEE I TOLD YA, I HAVE STRONG LUNGS! haha. 

Today has been a very good day. And yes, to God be the glory. I finished the race safely. And I am now more determined that ever to train harder for my first marathon finish. 

The Marathon Dream

I remember saying last year that it's probably going to take me a few more years to run in the Skyway again after finishing my first half-marathon there. But a lot could happen in a year. And I am now taking that statement back.

I planned to get pregnant in 2012. I was dead set on doing that because due to my health condition, I was told it might not be wise for me to get pregnant past 36. And I so wanted another kid. I know I have plenty of room to love another one. And I miss the smell of an infant. I miss getting just two hours of sleep everyday (masochista lang talaga). The little miss was also already asking for a sibling. 2012 just seemed to be the perfect time then to give the kid what she wanted. And I feel so ready. But life and the husband didn't get my memo as they both have other plans. And so I had to let that one go for now. I had to move on to the next best thing. 

And that next best thing is to run my first marathon before my 35th birthday. 

I never bothered to start a bucket list when I was younger, but if I had one, this would definitely fall on my top 10 (maybe even top 3). I couldn't count how many times I've read testimonies from marathon finishers claiming that reaching the finish line on their first marathon is one major life-changing event. And after finishing two half-marathons, I know they were telling the truth.

And so I managed to convince my husband. We are officially signed up now and there's no turning back. We're on week 6 of our training now and we've been nailing our mileage requirements like pros. So yes, we're just right on track. Some days, I would get the nerves and throw myself into a little play of doubts but the minute I put on my shoes and start running all those doubts just melt away and I'm suddenly washed over by excitement. 

We still got a long way to go and  definitely a lot of kilometers to burn (will probably need to replace shoes soon too). But I've never worked this hard for something in my entire 34 years I might as well just double the hardwork so I MAKE IT TO THE FINISH LINE. 

Marathon Diaries: Aiming For The Stars Now

I started my marathon training today. Last week, I plotted my training days on this Marathon Finisher Plan that I downloaded from Nike Running. As I was looking at the first 8 weeks, I was pretty sure I can handle them easily. I started doubting myself though the minute my eyes fell on 16 miles. Then a question suddenly popped in my head (think thought balloon) - WHAT THE HELL AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?

Deja vu. Of exactly one year past.

Unlike most serious marathon trainers, I do not have a real (what do i mean by this?) training plan in mind. Nor a training coach. Except for my competitive husband (who doesn't like training with me) and that downloaded training plan, I have nothing else. Well maybe the motivation of finally crossing out this item on my bucket list that says - RUN AND FINISH A MARATHON BEFORE MY 35TH BIRTHDAY. I have less than a year to do that. Although (yes, you got me there) that bucket list is honestly non-existent I still have several things (at the back of my mind) that I would really wish to achieve or experience before well to say it bluntly, I die. And a marathon finish is one of them. Alongside maybe, several dream places to travel, concerts (or rather bands) to see and items to own (yes, i do crave for material things too). After serious contemplation, my husband and I decided that we will try our luck at making our first marathon finish at Condura Skyway Marathon again. If you would remember, it's the same race where I ran my first half-marathon. Condura is  less than 4 months away (roughly). So really, I have about 3 months to train. And I mean seriously, T.R.A.I.N.

I think I can handle the mileage requirement. The scheduled days of the runs are just the right fit to my rather unpredictable life as a working mom to an audacious preschooler. But what concerns me the most are those days on the training plan that were marked - CROSS TRAIN. It suggests of weight training which I have no single clue of. I've also read somewhere that the best cross training exercises for marathons are biking and swimming. Biking and swimming (two things that I never learned and most likely will never learn to do) - if I take that suggestion seriously I might interpret it as a sign that I should not push through with this crazy idea anymore. But I am going to throw that out the window and carry on with this as boldly as I possibly can.

Maybe I can make use of some of the suggested exercises in this guide from Runner's World or this guide from Active.com. I'm sure the internet is a treasure trove in itself. I could try You Tube as well. I know that I have very weak endurance and I have to especially work on that since I've never been spared of cramps before. But there are still several half-marathons lined up this year that I can join just to prove that I can finish without a cramp attack. I also have very strong lungs. And a huge fighting spirit (check back with me again in December, will you? hahaha). SO...I CAN DO THIS. I WILL DO THIS.