Final Pre-Race Blogpost

It's finally marathon weekend! I've been thinking about this weekend since I signed up for the marathon back in mid-March. I've been training (for better or worse) for nearly 7 months. When I was running the lake shore path over the weekend, I noticed that the 'palm trees' were taken down from Oak Street beach. This really meant that summer was over. Then I realized that I have ran through (almost) all of the seasons that Chicago endures. Allow me to explain...

WINTER

The Shamrock Shuffle is the official kick-off to running season in Chicago. This 8k race is held right around St. Patrick's Day in March. This year was the first time I ran 'The Shuffle' and it was absolutely freezing! I know many people who actually ditched out from running because it was so cold. There was still some snow on the ground and I ran wearing at least 3 layers of clothing, a hat and gloves. Despite all of these layers, I froze my butt off while running. I couldn't feel my toes after the race. Runners over the age of 21 get a free beer after the race, but I was beyond frozen to even take a sip. Does that tell you it was a true winter run? I'm getting chills just thinking about it again.

SPRING

Spring can be a tricky season to run in. Do you wear pants? Do you wear shorts? Spring weather can be super warm one day and then cold the next. The struggle I had was that I like to run in the morning before work, but it was often too dark to run outside alone. As spring progresses, you start to notice flowers being planted, leaves on the trees and more people out and about.

SUMMER

Ah, summer. As much as I love summer weather, it can be problematic for a runner. Runners deal with sweat, exhaustion, dehydration, "August Injuries", higher mileage runs and the damn sun. The sun beats down on you and strips all the energy you have and makes you crave water. At this point of training, a Saturday long run is anywhere from 9-20 miles. Imagine running 18 miles in the August sun. August is also the month where most runners are prone to injuries due to the miles they log. However, summer also gives a runner a lot to look at while hitting the pavement. I've enjoyed watching boats out in Lake Michigan, the beauty that is the Chicago skyline and people watching at North Avenue beach. There's just so much to look at! Summer is also the time when marathoners-in-training complete half-marathons. It's a busy time to be a runner!

AUTUMN

Present day. The leaves are started to turn colors and fall from the trees. Runners are starting to trade their shorts for capri pants. I assume anyone who is still running during this season is preparing for the marathon. I know it's a pretty general assumption, but it's what I believe. I love running through the leaves that are on the ground and smelling the crisp air. It's the most beautiful time of year! Autumn is bittersweet because for more casual runners, it's the end of outdoor running season. I'm not the kind of person to run year-round, so autumn means it's time to hit the gym instead of the pavement.

How am I feeling about the marathon? Excited! Nervous! I can't wait!!!! Thank you for all the support!

Charity Update!

My last post must have really hit home with folks, because I raised an additional $150 in less than 1 week! As of today, I have raised $230 for Children's Memorial Hospital.

I have specific fundraising deadlines that I must meet (as set by Children's Memorial). I must raise at least $300 by October 1. I am only $70 away from that goal and I hope to raise the money within the next two weeks (September 24). Overall, I have to raise $600 for the hospital, but I have until November 3 to do so.

I'm starting to think of some different fundraising ideas. The obvious one is a bake sale (that hopefully I can do at work). Other than that, I'm a bit stumped. It's tough to come up with creative ideas that don't cost a lot up front/out of my pocket. If you have any low cost and easy to plan fundraising ideas, please send them my way!

Here is a picture of one of several shuttle buses that Children's Memorial Hospital operates. The buses run between the main hospital and the outpatient center and are completely free for families. Parking in one of their garages is also fairly inexpensive. Parking for 24 hours (with validation) is only $5. Children's Memorial understands the financial burden most families are in when they have family in the hospital. It is so wonderful that they can offer such affordable parking for families. On average, parking in a garage in the city of Chicago can range from $15-$50. I see these shuttles on almost a daily basis and smile every time I see one.

Have you donated yet? Every penny counts and makes a huge impact in the lives of the unfortunate.

Donate at www.tinyurl.com/tanyaruns4kids

It's All About the Charity

The marathon is only 36 days away.

I have devoted myself to raising money for Children's Memorial Hospital and pledged to raise $600. As of today, I have raised $80 towards my goal. Thank you to my students and co-workers who have donated to Children's Memorial on my behalf.

I still have quite a way to go and I need your help!

Consider what you spend $10 on....

- 1 pizza

- 1 martini

- cab fare

- 2 beers

- take out

- 7 songs on iTunes

- 2 lattes at Starbucks

Now consider what $10 could do for Children's Memorial Hospital....

- help build the new hospital downtown

- purchase updated equipment

- provide research money to help cure diseases

- save a life

Please consider making a donation to Children's Memorial Hospital on my behalf. Training has been a long and difficult journey and I am only 36 days away from race day. I've been told that the actual marathon is my victory lap and that all the training is the real challenge.

I am asking that the next time you go to buy a drink or hop in a cab, consider how that money can make a difference to the kids at Children's and how much motivation it would provide me to keep running.

If you would like to donate, please click here. Thank you for your warm heart and kindness.

Week 7 Summary

It's a good thing I decided to do my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday this week. I woke up on Saturday to thunder and lighting--a clear sign that running was out of the question. Luckily for me, I decided to wait until Scott got back into town so we could do our long run together. It really stinks when you get into the mindset of doing a run and then mother nature gets in your way. The weather on Saturday eventually cleared up, but it was a HOT one!!

As for my run this morning, I can sum it up in three words: gorgeous, motivating and painful.

Gorgeous

I walked out of my condo at 7:15 am this morning to stretch for the run. I was overjoyed when I realized that the air was a bit crisp. It wasn't hot by any means and in fact, it was a perfect combination of chilly and warm. If I had to guess, the weather was in the upper 60s or lower 70s. It was overcast when I first started running and then mid-way it turned out to be pretty foggy. The waves on Lake Michigan were pretty big and they were slightly crashing on the lower path. The wind picked up a little bit and created a light mist along the lake shore running path. This was heavenly! At no point during my run did I ever feel hot or overheated. I can only hope that the half-marathon next week and the full marathon are similar to today's weather. Ha, if I was only that lucky.

Motivating

Today I ran 12 miles. I was just 1.1 miles short of running an official half-marathon, BUT I am running the Chicago Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon on August 1st! According to my training plan, I am right on target to run 13 miles next week, so it works out quite perfectly. While I was running, I kept telling myself that if I could finish the run today, the race next week shouldn't be a problem. It must have worked because I had enough energy to run (okay, jog) the entire 12 miles. I didn't stop to walk at all. Yay! I attribute my awesome energy level to the delicious and carb-filled dinner I ate the night before, as well as the new energy fruit snacks I ate along the run. I forgot to take a picture of my new energy snack before I ate them, so I'll post a picture and all the details of them later this week (I have to buy more)!!!

I really didn't get tired until the last mile of my run today, but even so, I finished strong. I think I'm just really excited to get into race mode.

Painful

As you can see from my picture, I ended up icing my knees after my run. If there is one thing that is going to hurt my chances of finishing the marathon, it's going to be my knees. They started to kill me around mile 5, which is unusual for me. My knees haven't really been too much of a problem in the past, but today was an exception. They didn't stop hurting, so I iced them as soon as I got home. 12 hours later (as I type this blog), they hurt even more. Perhaps I'm experiencing "August Injuries" a bit early? I have 't ran this many miles in about a year, so I have a feeling my body is just reacting to the increased mileage. I have a doctor's appointment to get a full physical on Tuesday and I'm going to discuss marathon training and my knees with my doctor. I definitely want to be proactive about my body and nip potential injuries in the butt before they become a real problem.

All in all, it was a great run and I'm super pumped for the half-marathon next week! Bring it!

Weeks 3 & 4

Clearly, I've been behind on my blogging.

Scott and I went to Florida for 10 days and the trip overlapped with weeks three and four of training. All I have to say is running in Florida during the month of July is not a good idea. I tried to run a quick 3 miles one morning and the heat kicked my butt. I had to stop and walk the last half because the heat stole all of my energy. I carried a water bottle with me, but it didn't seem to help. After this horrendous run, I was scared to run later on in the week. In fact, I didn't run until about 5 days later. This time, I ran right on the beach along the Gulf of Mexico (oil-free). The weather was great! It was warm, but not hot. There was a light breeze off the water and the view wasn't too shabby either. All in all, I would say it was a good run. Scott and I visited a local running store a few miles from where we were staying and I have to say, it was quite disappointing. They did not have a very large selection of running clothes and the entire experience felt very impersonal. I feel so spoiled by all the awesome running stores we have here in Chicago (such as Fleet Feet). Us Chicagoans have it lucky and we should count our blessings.

Though my training took a significant step-back during vacation, I hit the pavement hard this morning. Now that vacation is over, I'm getting back on schedule with life. I can't believe I'm already in week five of training.

Two things I will be blogging about in the very near future: fundraising efforts (or lack thereof) and the half-marathon I'm running in less than a month (that I seemed to have forgotten about...oops!).

Last Day of Sanity

Tomorrow is a very important day. Tomorrow I start my 18-week marathon training program.

I think I have every emotion possible running through my body right now. It's a very uneasy feeling. I feel frightened and nervous, yet excited and determined. Every time I think about the Saturday "long runs", I get a little sick feeling in my stomach. I know I'm just psyching myself out and that I'm being my own worst enemy, but it's really difficult not to think about the increasing mileage. I'm allowing myself a mini-freak out tonight, because starting tomorrow it's nothing but happy thoughts (or so I'll try).

Aside from the near nausea feeling, I also have waves of excitement! I feel good knowing that I'm not alone in this journey. Not only do I have the support of my husband (who is also training for his first Chicago Marathon), but I know there are thousands of other rookie marathoners in training. For those of you who are on Twitter, there are several hashtags I use to chat with other Twitter users or "tweeps". Here are some of the hashtags I use:

1. #cm10 - Chicago Marathon 2010

2. #runnerds - a group of runners (mostly from the Chicago land area)

To learn more about the use of hashtags, check out this You Tube video.

This is a popular sign that many people take pictures with at the expo before the marathon:

I, too, will have my picture taken with this sign at the expo held at McCormick Place in Chicago. I feel like it's all a part of the experience.

Here's to strong legs, happy feet and a healthy heart!

New Kicks

With the help of some birthday money from family, I splurged and bought a new pair of running shoes. I hardly call it splurging, because when you're training for a marathon, it's all about the shoes. On Saturday, Scott and I hit up Green City Market for some fresh produce and then walked to the Fleet Feet store on North and Wells so I could buy some new shoes. As it turned out, they were having a decent Memorial Day Weekend sale, so while Scott picked up a few shirts on clearance, I tested out a new pair of Nikes. Here is a picture of my new kicks:

Aren't they magnificent? These shoes are compatible for the Nike+ chip. Thanks to my mother & father-in-law, I am now a proud owner of the Nike+ chip. The chip tracks running workouts and logs all of your runs. It also documents your PR (personal record) for specific distances, such as a 5k, 10k, etc. I've only used it a few times, so I need to calibrate it soon to improve its accuracy. The chip fits in a carved out section of the right foot shoe, underneath the sole. Here is a picture of how it fits into the shoe:

It's kind of sad to think that by late August, I'll have to buy yet another pair of new shoes. You put on a lot of miles training for a marathon and everyone I've talked to highly recommends getting a second pair of shoes about a month or so before the race.

On a serious note, official training starts June 7. I'm scared to death. Once June 7th hits, there's no room for excuses. OMG, I'm 7 days away from hell. Pray for me.

Book Worm

I just finished reading my book by Hal Higdon (see previous post) and I am already looking for a new read. The last chapter of the book offered some advice and words of inspiration from runners. Here are a few of my favorites:

- On Inner Strength: "Even when you have gone as far as you can, and everything hurts and you are staring at the specter of self-doubt, you can find a bit more strength deep inside you, if you look closely enough." -Thomas Davis, Baltimore

- On Power: "Finishing a marathon was much more emotionally powerful than anything I could have expected. It was an exquisite combination of pain, relief, and pride. It was all I could do to keep from crying." - Pete Jones, Denver

- On Waste: "I realized how much time I wasted doing nothing. An hour spent watching TV became a 7-mile run. Time wasted daydreaming became time spent in the morning sun. It's about setting priorities." - Bob Winter, Illinois

- On Advertising: "Putting my name on my shirt was one of the smartest things I did. Everybody cheered me by name." - Mary Beth Winklejohn, Illinois


I could go on and on with other pieces of advice offered up in the book. Reading all 358 pages, cover-to-cover, has gotten me in the marathon mindset. I feel like I am actually prepared to take on 18 weeks of training. I've been using Twitter to connect with other runners who plan on running the 2010 Chicago Marathon. Recently, I asked Fleet Feet Chicago (via Twitter), how many miles a pair of running shoes is good for. The response was shocking. I quote: "Oh, you are due for a new pair of kicks! General rule of thumb is every 300-400 miles."

Hmm. Let's evaluate my current running shoes. I bought my Nikes back in May 2009 just before I started training for my first half-marathon. Since then, I've probably put on nearly double the recommended maxed out mileage of 300-400. I guess it's time for some new kicks. I'm going to head on over to Fleet Feet Chicago after my birthday (in 10 short days) to get some new kicks. I'm hoping the new shoes will put a little extra bounce into my run. But wait, there's more! The professionals at Fleet Feet and my running friends all told me that I'll have to buy yet ANOTHER pair of shoes just over halfway through marathon training. Oh. My. Goodness. Forget the budget I blogged about last week. That's been thrown out the window at this point. Shoes are $100 a pair. If I'm really going to run this marathon, I'm going all in.

The next book I'm going to take on is Marathon Woman. It's a recommendation from my friend Sue, who ran the 2008 Chicago Marathon. She said it's an inspirational book and to be honest, I need another book to read on the bus and train. My morning commute is just plain sad if I'm not reading a book.

Random side story: I was finishing up my Marathon Training book on the bus tonight and an older woman sitting across from me started giving me other book recommendations. Through our conversation, I found out she has raced in 8 marathons--all in NYC. I'm slowing earning membership in the runner's club and it's a good feeling. = )

Back to Basics: Education

I figured with as much as I'm going to invest in this marathon (physically, emotionally and financially), I should do my part and learn as much as I can about my new brilliant idea. So, last week I went to my local Borders Bookstore (Clark & Diversey) and browsed the running section. I was surprised to see such a small selection, but I chose a book by Hal Higdon (remember, I'm following Hal Higdon's 18 week training program). The book is called "Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide. To my surprise, the book is written with a heavy emphasis on the Chicago Marathon. I do believe I chose just the right book!

I thought I would read a chapter or two the night I bought the book. Before I knew it, 10 pages turned into 90. I found myself becoming obsessed with my new found knowledge and I couldn't put the book down. I'm currently on page 232 of 358 pages and find myself highlighting keys sections that I know I will find useful down the road.

Here are a few things I have learned so far:

1. Never go 2 days without running. One missed day is considered rest. Two or three days in a row without running is equal to lost conditioning.

2. As quoted from the book, "If I had to cite one mistake made by inexperienced marathoners when they seek to improve their performance, it is that they run too may of their miles at the same pace and over the same distance. There's little variety, and that limits their improvement." --I think that was written with me in mind.

3. It is highly recommended to schedule massages for yourself before and after the marathon. Yes, I said massages! The book suggests to schedule a massage within 48 hours after a long run (done on Saturdays). This helps ease the muscles back into "regular running". Hey, if the book says to schedule frequent massages, I should probably listen up. = )

4. One word: glycogen. Glycogen is a fuel supply stored in muscles and it pumps out the most efficient form of energy metabolism. Ideally, the more glycogen I have, the longer I will be able to run. However, once my muscle glycogen is depleted, the muscles start to contract poorly.

5. It is recommended that a healthy diet for a distance runner consists of 15% protein, 30% fat and 55% carbohydrates. That's right, 55 % carbs! It's important to know that not all carbs are created equal. I'll need to watch what type of carbs (and fat) I'm eating, but the book has a decent list of "good carbs" to stick to.

As a final note, I was quite pleased to read that slow runners deserve respect, too. Not everyone can run a 3 or 4 hour marathon. My goal is to finish. Repeat: my goal is to finish.

Marathon = Financial Investment

I decided to calculate how much money I have invested as a runner in the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Here is the breakdown:

- Marathon Registration: $135.00

- Children's Memorial Marathon Team Participant Fee: $35.00

- iPod Armband: $20.00

- Nike Fit Running Shorts: $22.00

- Running Bra: $40.00

- Marathon Training Book by Hal Higdon: $20.00

So far, I've spent approximately $272.00 on the marathon and the official training has yet to even begin. It's amazing how training for a marathon is not only a physical and emotional investment, but you need to be willing to shell out some money in order to get to the finish line. I estimate that my total investment will be around $350 - $400 when it's all said and done. I still need to get some new socks (cotton = the devil), a running watch, sleeveless shirts and other miscellaneous items like power gel.

It's funny to think that I actually pay someone to run, because most people think that's crazy. However, knowing that I've already made a financial commitment is a great motivator! It helps keep me motivated and focused: two keys aspects of training for a marathon.

While I'm on the topic of money, l would like to give a shout out to my friends who have donated to Children's Memorial Hospital on my behalf. THANK YOU to Traci (& Harley), Ray, Julie and Marisa. Of the four people who donated, two of them are students that I work with or used to work with (Ray & Marisa). So far, I've raised $60 of my $600 goal. I am aiming to raise $120 by the end of May: double what I've raised to date.

Please consider donating to Children's Memorial on my behalf. Not only does it encourage me to keep training hard, but the children at the hospital are in need. In 2009, the hospital served children from every state and 36 foreign countries and it is the only hospital in Illinois dedicated to kids. Children's Memorial hospital served more than 140,000 children during 2009.

To learn more about Children's Memorial Hospital, please click think link.

If you would like to donate, please click this link to go to my fundraising website. Thank you for your love and support.

Chicago Running Clubs/Groups

Last week I tried something completely new as an effort to keep my motivation high. I participated in the Niketown Run Club (located on Michigan Avenue). It was a great way to meet new people and run a different course. This time, I ran along Erie to Lake Shore Drive and then I headed north along the lake shore path. Once I got to Oak Street Beach, I turned around and headed back. This was the 3-mile run option. The Run Club also offers a 5-mile and a 7-mile path. After the run, Niketown offers FREE bagels, nutrition bars, water, and Argo Tea serves samples of their latest drink. It's not a bad deal, if I do say so myself. = )

Tonight I am going to try out a running group at Fleet Feet Chicago. This is a regular running group, as well. They offer fun runs on Mondays, Wednesdays (Ladies Night) and Saturdays. Tonight is a special run. It's called the Cinco de Ryo Goose Island Fun Run. Just like the Niketown run, you can choose to do a 3, 5 or 7-mile run. What's so special about this run is that afterwards, everyone is going to head over to a local pub and drink up FREE 312 Urban Wheat Ale. This sounds like perfect the motivation.

As a side note, I finally bought a new iPod armband. My playlists are starting to get old, so if you have any song suggestions for me, I would greatly appreciate them. Also, I'm considering buying a Nike+ chip. I still need to do a little more research about the product, but I'm definitely interested.

I had a great run on Sunday morning along the lake. I was surprised at how few runners there were, but I was actually quite happy about it. I didn't have to fear of colliding with one of them (or a biker). My run on Sunday also marked one of the last times I will wear capris while running. Bye, bye pants. Hell-o shorts!

Putting the Pieces Together

I don't "officially" start training for the marathon until June 6... it's an 18-week program. For now, I've been running between 3-5 miles. I'm trying to get my body adjusted to running again (I went nearly 5-6 months without running on a regular basis). The good news is, I can run 3-5 miles. The bad news is, I'm not quite in running condition. I really have to push myself to keep running and to not give up. I know as soon as I allow myself to take a break and walk during these "short runs", I will continue to do so time after time. Eventually, it will effect my ability to complete long runs (ex. 18 miles in training week 13). My friend Sue ran the marathon a few years ago and has been giving me some advice. She told me as long as I can run 6 miles by the start of June, I should be okay with the real training. I have some serious work to do.

I've decided to follow Hal Higdon's Novice Marathon Training Program. He really explains the nature of the training program, especially for the rookies. I'll be doing short runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays with a long run on Saturdays. Mondays and Fridays are reserved for rest; my muscles will need to to regenerate and get stronger. I will also be doing some sort of cross-training on Sundays (ex. swimming, cycling, walking). The training program is intense, but it will also help me build the endurance I need to complete 26.2 miles.

Due to the rainy weather in Chicago last week, I was only able to run once. It rained almost every day, with the exception of Saturday. It was 70 degrees and sunny! I went for a 4.4 mile run along the lake and I think I managed to get a little sun action! I'll have to remember to put sunscreen on next time. I'm so thankful for the water stations along the lake. The water is always cold and rehydrates me just when I need it.

Running for a charity is a great way to stay motivated. Here is a perfect example:

About two weeks ago I was on the last mile of my run and I was feeling really tired. I wanted to stop and walk, but I kept telling myself "only 1 more mile." As I was in the middle of this mantra, I saw a van for Children's Memorial Hospital drive by. As soon as I saw the words, "where kids come first", I knew I had to keep running. Seeing the Children's Memorial bus at that very moment was just the motivation I needed to continue running. I raised my head,

put on a smile and said, "I'm doing this for you".

Please, watch this video and learn more about why I decided to run for Children's Memorial Hospital. So far, I have raised $40 of my $600 goal. Thank you to Traci, Ray and Julie for donating! Please spread the word to your families and friends and help me achieve my fundraising goal!

A Poetic Relationship

The weather has warmed up quite a bit in Chicago, causing runners to ditch the treadmill and hit the pavement. I can't really complain, because I am one of these runners. I am lucky enough to live only 2 blocks from Lake Michigan; I often find myself running along the lakeshore. Allow me to describe the setting of my running path:

As I run east on Fullerton, I can see the beautiful blue Lake Michigan. Once I run under the Lake Shore Drive overpass, I head south along the running path - towards downtown. It's gorgeous. I can see both the John Hancock Building and the Willis 'Sears' Tower. I can also see the Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier and Castaways at North Avenue Beach. Talk about motivation! The view from the lakeshore running path is breathtaking. If I am really lucky, I can hear the waves crash onto the beach (just as long as traffic on Lake Shore Drive isn't insane).

Though I don't live anywhere tropical, living so close to Lake Michigan helps me feel like I do.

Now, onto the real topic of this blog post... bikers vs. runners. It's a dangerous relationship. The lakeshore path is home to many: bikers, runners, walkers and rollerbladers. As a runner, I try to stay as far right on the path as a I can. This allows other pedestrians to pass me. However, I quickly learned that it is not a wise idea to pass another pedestrian without giving a quick look over the shoulder. If I fail to do so, I risk putting my life in danger to bikers who rule the path. Some bikers are out for a lovely stroll, however some bikers are intense athletes who cruise at high speeds. I fear the day when we ultimately have a collision. I can see it now... I finally set my running pace and feel comfortable with the rate I am at while jamming to Lady Gaga's Poker Face on my iPod. I decide to pass a Trixie who is walking her twins in a double-sided stroller and I forget the cardinal rule... look over your shoulder! BAM! There is biker/runner collision with a group of 25 people mouthing "Ooo!" to themselves. Give it time. It will happen.

I hope you enjoy the cartoon above. It makes me laugh, because there are far too many "serious runners" in the Chi. We are Midwesterners for goodness sake! Perk up and give your fellow runner a smile! It will make you feel good inside, trust me.

~ Just keep running

Welcome!!

Hello and thank you for visiting my marathon website.

My name is Tanya Vandermoon and I am running my first marathon race on October 10, 2010 (10-10-10). I fell into running last year after I graduated with my master's degree. I found that I have a lot of extra time on my hands and I wanted to challenge myself in a new and exciting way. On a whim, I signed up for the Chicago Half Marathon and convinced my then-fiance to run it with me. At the time I couldn't run more than a mile without getting winded, but I trained hard and finished my first half marathon race!

Keeping up with the runner's high, I signed up to run the Rock & Roll Half Marathon this year and I am really looking forward to it. Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about running the ultimate race... the Chicago Marathon. I did my research on training programs and after what seemed to be a double-dare, my husband and I both signed up to run it! We wanted to run for a charity that is close to home for both of us and chose Children's Memorial Hospital. We live in Lincoln Park and the hospital is only a few short blocks from our condo. The hospital puts children first and we couldn't be more excited to raise money for such a worthy cause.

I will be blogging about my marathon training, including the high points and the low points. Please feel free to follow my blog as I journey along on this new adventure! Thank you so much for your support!

If you would like to make a donation to the charity on my behalf, please follow this link. No donation is too small because every penny makes a difference.

-Tanya