Megan’s Friend did what? I think she is Crazy!

This is a guest post from my friend Laura.  She has been training for an olympic tri, and it’s been a period of highs and lows, for sure.  I asked her if she wanted to guest post about it on my blog, and she said yes, and then sent me a six page essay!  So I split it into two parts.  Here’s part one.  Take it away, Laura!

This year I set out to try and challenge myself with events that I knew I could do. In other words, I just wanted to do better, and have more fun.

In January of this year my focus was to break my Personal Record (PR) at a half marathon and to cut time off of my Olympic Triathlon. The idea being that the training for the half marathon would boost my time for the run on the Oly Tri.  Really, I didn’t just want to run faster, but I wanted to be able to walk after.  At the middle of January, I was registered for Disney’s Princess Half Marathon, Rock N Roll USA Half Marathon and the Rev 3 Williamsburg Olympic triathlon. Sounds like a reasonable race schedule.

I was looking forward to the Princess Half as I have done it every year and am a “Perfect Princess”, I was pushing and training with major focus for this.  Then at the end of January, while avoiding the ice from a major ice event (ok this is Maryland .001” is a major event) I was setting out to do my 10 miler on the treadmill. I have a love hate with the treadmill. I was taking it slow on pace for my 8 mile time of the week before. A blistering 2 hours, when at mile 7 of treadmill fun, I started wheezing. I have asthma, this is not new, but no matter how many puffs or how much walking I did for the next mile I could not recover. Normally I can just walk and get it back under control. This turned into an awesome Asthma attack that continued till I was in the ER on Tuesday enjoying the perks of a nebulizer treatment.

Since this fun ER trip, I have spent time working with my Asthma Doctor to find the new right combination of medication for me, which in turn has caused some unexpected side effects.  Have you ever overheated in 35F weather? I now have.  Or how about sitting in your living room tying your running shoes? Yep that happened too.

In February, with the new inhaler in my pocket I was ready for the Princess Half. I woke up wheezing, Over heated by mile 5, chatted with a friends husband, who was cheering at mile 8, for 5+ minutes, and finished in 3:50:56. Not my goal of breaking 3:25 (my Disney PR), but I was in great shape walking the park later in the day. So I guessed it was a partial success. I should have stopped with the friend’s husband but I wanted to maintain my “Perfect Princess” status.

In March, 2 weeks later, I had determined which of the two new inhalers was the issue and was determined not to use it again unless I had to during the RnR USA. Megan and I were excited about this race, as it was our 20th Half Marathon, a good portion of which were run together… or more correctly at the same time. She is faster than me.  I was on pace for my PR, having been able to see her up ahead till the 5k mark, the 10k mark I was ahead of PR pace. I was having a great race… then the 15k sign came and the heavy breathing turned to wheezing.  I used the evil inhaler and hoped for the best. I made it to mile 12… when I realized I was overheating… and my PR wasn’t happening. But I could still do ok. I powered through and finished with a 3:37:11. Not a PR but more than 13 minutes in 2 weeks, I will take!  This was also one of the fastest half marathons I have done in the last 2 years. I was happy. But I wanted that PR.

I called the Asthma doctor and went back to an older inhaler.  I couldn’t keep overheating.

Through discussions with some friends about other races to do, to have fun and see some that live in other states, I decided to register for the Geist half marathon in May. Now I just had to train from Mid-March to Mid-May.

I signed up for the Cherry Pit 10 miler, a small local 10 miler that is known for its hills.

The weather was perfect. I wanted to finish with a 15 min/mile pace. I failed to use the restroom before the start, and as a result had to use the one and only stop at mile 5, where I had to wait my turn. But I finished at 2:32:52. I consider that on pace for having to stop and wait and I had a smile on my face.

Wishing I had the PR, and looking at my long run schedule I realized I needed a 12 miler the same day as a small local half marathon in Lewes, Delaware.  I signed up and a friend joined me. We left “Disney Early” to drive the 2 hours to the race, and I did it! I set my new PR at 3:19:23. I hit mile 12 at 3:00 and realized I was going to do it, teared up a little and kept running. But my nutrition was off and that last mile was hard, I saw the wall even bumped into it, but I didn’t wheeze. The race was a success, except for the fact that my friend who rode with me got lost and did a 14 mile run, and our results are not official. Seems they didn’t post any results after 3 hours. But to me I did it!

I felt I needed one more half marathon before my trip to Geist May 18th.  I looked in Maryland for half marathons. Ones I could sleep in my own bed and get too.  I found 2 races: Frederick Half Marathon on May 5th and Maryland Half Marathon on May 11.  I learned a very important lesson… Crazy running friends will encourage you to run another half NEXT month. Crazy triathlon friends will encourage you to run A half marathon as your training run. Insane Triathlon friend will convince you to run everything on your maybe list. Be careful who you share the list with.

I signed up for the Frederick Half Marathon AND the Maryland Half. I decided to try and do 3 half marathons in 14 days.  I set out to do these in a reasonable time on each, and be able to walk after. I was driving to Geist, and needed to be able to drive home 10 hours.  The key to this was to run smart, not just run.

Again I went to see the Asthma Doctor and she modified my medications. In an effort to get me to be less reliant on my rescue inhaler, I started another maintenance medication.

The Frederick Half Marathon was good, no major wheezing, despite the police encouraging (I use this term loosely) me to pick up the pace, and the course being cleaned up in front of me I did a 3:23:26.  My second fastest half marathon since 2009! Another win! And I looked good and comfortable at the end. I didn’t push, I just ran.

The next week, for the Maryland Half, I was running this without having told many people I was doing it. This race is known for being horrendously hilly. And it lived up to the reputation. I didn’t come close to a PR but I wasn’t trying. I was in this one to “just finish with a smile”.  It was humid and hard to breath at the start. The hills were there from the start as well.  I was a little dejected and feeling I wasn’t meant to be out there when the rain started, and I turned the corner at mile 6. Then at mile 6.5 I saw a great friend and mentor at a water stop. I can’t put into words how happy I was to see her and get that hug. Never underestimate the power of a woman and her Banana costume!  I finished in 3:43:53. Nowhere near fast, but no wheezing and I walked more than normal thinking “Don’t hurt yourself, One more race!”  I passed a friend on an out and back at mile 11/12.5 and was complimented on my form. I finished with a smile.

I drove to Geist IN for the last race of the three.  Excited I would see some friends I hadn’t seen since January 2013, and hadn’t run with since January of 2012 when I dragged myself over the line at Tinkerbell Half marathon with a blistering time of 3:55 (and proceeded to hobble around Disneyland for the next 2 days).   I was ready. I wasn’t expecting to set a new PR, I was expecting to run some hills and have some laughs.  After getting ready and wearing a shirt that I have run about half my 24 half marathons in, my friend tell me how loose the shirt is getting on me.  First win!  This shirt is sort of a joke, because I always wear it. I even wore it for my first triathlon.

At mile 4 I was a little off PR pace, but I was close. Mile 6 had a beer stop, and I was all for it.   Around mile 8 it started raining. While I was happy for the cooling effect, I wasn’t happy with how slick the roads became and my feet slid while running. I had to slow down. But as I crossed the reservoir less than a half mile from the finish I heard my name as my friends cheered me on.  I finished Geist in 3:33:29. Third fastest halt marathon since 2009! All three since April!  I was happy!  Second Win! Then my friends noticed I could have kept running and was walking like I hadn’t run. Third Win!  The race was a lot of fun, the scenery was nice. I will be back next year!

This left me a month to really train for the Olympic triathlon. I had been swimming regularly.  I love to swim, so no fear there. But the bike, I have a love hate relationship with. I love to forget to ride it. The week after Geist I got on the bike for the first time all year, other than a few spin classes.  I biked 26 miles.

At the beginning of June every year a group of us do the Run for the Achievable Dream; I stick to the 8k for various reasons, mostly the triathlon training lines up better that way. I cheer the half marathon in my own special way. Who doesn’t love a freezer pop at mile 11.5 from a woman in a tri-corner hat?  I ran the 8k, by mile 1 I was having problems. This wasn’t good. It was warm and I was warmer. It wasn’t my fastest mile one of a race all year, it was in the middle. But I was not feeling well. I just kept walking. I ran the last mile/mile and a half. I finished in an ok time.  As I finished and got my medal, the medic suggested I come into the medical tent and get some ice. I did so but didn’t stay around. My friends were waiting.  I cheered the next day and everything was great.  Little did I know that this was a foreshadowing of my race to come?

Then the next week I got sick. Not violently ill, but I ran a temp for several days and couldn’t stop getting queasy and it was worse when I worked out. After two weeks of this I thought “I am not going to do Williamsburg.” But then I felt fine for the last week. My friends from Canada were coming to race & cheer so I was going to go. I wanted to have fun and enjoy the tri. That was all.  Actually racking my bike and starting would be a last minute decision.

But does she do it?  Tune in tomorrow for the second half of Laura’s saga!