[BEFORE] Every Woman's Marathon
The training!
The finish line flowers are dying, so I guess it’s time to start writing.
The starting line for Every Woman’s Marathon was in January 2024. A women’s marathon is coming to Savannah? Wait, what?! My very favorite distance with a “women can do anything” spin is coming to the city where I live? I’m in. I had been looking into Fall marathons and none of them were really calling me. I could run Marine Corps or New York? Go back to Philadelphia? When Every Woman’s Marathon was announced (with the best hype/promo video I have ever seen) it wasn’t really a decision. It was automatic. I would be running Every Woman’s Marathon in the best way I know how - putting all my eggs in the Every Woman’s Marathon basket and going all in. The last couple years I’ve found a really nice rhythm of using the Spring to go FAST and the Fall to go 26.2, with some down time in the Winter, and a hefty dose of easy-paced miles in the Savannah summer - so I kept with that pattern for 2024. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it right?
If you want more of the Spring 2024 season specifics, they’re here:
If you want the SparkNotes (Is that still a thing?) version: I ran a lifetime fastest mile, 5k, 10k, 15k, and half marathon. Again. For the fourth consecutive year. Little by little, chipping away.
After the Savannah Women’s Half Marathon, I ran my first EVER 1 mile race, and fastest mile ever - a 5:11 at the Savannah Mile. A couple weeks later, I followed that with a lifetime 5k PR of 17:46 up in Beaufort where the Grounded Running crew puts on the most organized races. Small local races on certified courses that start on time *chef’s kiss*.
Then I put my head down and got to work. Then I picked my head up because the month of June was an actual life circus. It was a perfect storm of busy season at work in addition to taking on 18 new coaching clients. It was one of those situations where I don’t know how much is too much and then I get there and I’m like WELL OKAY THIS IS TOO MUCH. Starting a virtual training group for Every Woman’s Marathon was an awesome idea, I regret nothing AND there were a few weeks in June/July where my hair was sticking out in every direction, my eyes were crossed, and I was overwhelmed everyday & hanging on by a thread. So I did a quick priority inventory, and decided to cut back on my physical therapist work hours so I could spend more time training and coaching. Not forever, it just made the most sense at that time.
By the end of July I was stacking together 75 mile weeks, doing all the yoga, strength training, swimming, sleeping and eating. I was getting accustomed to the schedules of each and every runner that I was coaching - keeping written notes of their schedules, goals, and time trials turned out to be way more efficient than trying to remember everything. Duh. I got used to how much time I needed for programming and mentally had “work from home” hours to get it all done. Messy at first, but once I got the hang of it, I loved it! I loved people asking me questions about running, programming, fueling, recovery, strength training, yoga, everything - I know these answers. This is what I love to do. Introverted, but willing to talk about running!!!
Anyway. August, ENTER BACK PAIN. I don’t know what I did. Well, actually, I know exactly what I did. I ran 19 miles then tried to play volleyball immediately after and I jacked up my back. I had the kind of “threw my back out” pain that I have heard about and seen in other people, but didn’t fully understand until it happened to me. It was like I was either completely debilitated or I was fine. Like something was in or it was out; it was right or it was wrong. I dropped down to about 50-60 miles per week (running was pain-free!) and I spent extra time on mobility and stability of my core and low back so I could start the 12 week “official” marathon build feeling 100%. That was a great decision, and by the last week of August I was back to 75 miles per week with zero pain. #phew Crisis averted.
I handed over the 12 week build to Coach Stephen Noble. He did my programming for the Philadelphia Marathon last year. That build and race were about as perfect as marathons get, so another one of those “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” situations. An easy decision. Let’s go round 2!
Can I do my own programming? Yes. Do I love having someone else do the programming? BIG YES. I love doing workouts I haven’t done before so I have nothing to compare to AND I don’t have any preconceived feelings towards the workout based on what happened last time I did it. Stephen’s programming is really well done. There were some days that on paper (app), I thought it looked too easy (I plan ridiculously hard workouts when I plan for myself), but when I was out there doing the work, I’d change my mind and know it was just right. I also connected some mental dots with heart rate-based training which was really good learning as a runner and a coach. I love the learning. One more thing I love about having a coach - not thinking about my own programming allowed me to pour a little more into the runners that I was coaching. Essentially, having a coach makes me a better coach.
Once I got into the *official* 12 week marathon block, I ran by myself. I like to focus on what I’m doing during workouts. I like to unwind my brain on easy runs. I’m better at doing both of those things when I’m by myself, so I flew solo. HOWEVER, I made an effort to train in popular Savannah running spots at least once a week. I wanted to see other people training for Every Woman’s Marathon. I wanted to do this together with Savannah female runners, and I wanted them to KNOW we were doing this together. I loved that we were all on the same timeline, training for 26.2 miles on the same date, so our long runs were getting longer together & our bodies were getting tired together. Any time I wasn’t feeling particularly motivated, I’d head to Daffin or Forsyth and find my mojo in the local women out working hard in their training for Every Woman’s Marathon. It worked every. single. time. Mojo found.
I ran the OCNJ half marathon at the end of September, mostly because I wanted to wear Newton’s new “super shoe” with all the foam and a carbon plate. I wore them for the 1 mile and 5k races back in May, but I tried to wear them for a few workouts and ended up changing out of them halfway through because of hot spots under my forefeet. I also got really sore in my shins, ankles, and calves the day after wearing them. Sure, I wanted to get the benefits of the plate and be “4% faster”, but not if they don’t feel good or lead to pain/injury. The OCNJ race was also my mom’s first half marathon, so that was my main focus of the day! I did her programming and she trained all summer. She also loved the speed workout days so now I know where I get that from :) I didn’t have terribly high expectations going into the race. It was more like a family weekend with a decent long run effort thrown in. Being mentally pretty far removed from racing, the race for me was less than stellar. I lead the whole race then crapped out in the headwind at the end, got passed in the last mile, and finished second. Usually when I have low (or no) expectations going into a race, I come out with a lackluster result. I also had hot spots under my forefeet from mile 3 to the finish line which was VERY uncomfortable so my main goal became finishing the race without damaging my feet and hindering training for the actual goal race. Super shoes have their place in the racing world, but their place is not on my feet. Confirmed. I put them back in their box where they would remain for the rest of this training cycle. Short distances, sure. Long distances, no thank you. My mom finished the race, impressed herself, and I don’t think she’s retired quite yet! What a cool thing to run the farthest distance she’s ever run at 60 something years young. And to be just getting started!
After the race, I got right back into training. No other races on the calendar, all eyes on Every Woman’s Marathon. Training went well. I was enjoying the process, eating and sleeping well, found a nice rhythm to getting strength training in twice a week, and yoga 5-7 times per week. Very helpful as a runner (and a human really), I have a pretty short term memory when it comes to training. Some workouts felt awesome, some felt less awesome, and I remember exactly zero of the specifics. I’ll remember it the day of the workout, then it’s on to the next one. Never too high or too low. One day at a time.
Race week was kind of crazy, but also kind of nice that I didn’t have to do any traveling. I went up to Beaufort the weekend before the race for a girls night to be in our nerves and excitement together. That’s not something I would typically do, but I was making a concerted effort to make this race OURS, and make it known that we’re in this together. During race week, Billy (my husband) flew up to New York for his cousin’s wedding. My mom and sister (Bri) flew down to Savannah to spectate the race and keep me and my nerves company. On Thursday we did the *best day ever* which looked like honey lavender lattes in the morning, an easy run on Tybee, Breakfast Club, home for a nap, yoga!!! (my mom and Bri came to yoga!!!!), dinner at home & an early bed time. See? Best day ever. Friday was BUSY, in an “all good things” kind of way. I went to 2 shake out runs, tried to meet up with everyone in the virtual EWM group that I’d been coaching for the last 20 weeks (it was so cool to meet them in person!), then I went to the expo for packet pickup and yoga! Savannah Power Yoga teamed up with the MilkPEP team to provide yoga classes at the expo - this was a favorite people, favorite things, favorite place situation that will only happen at EWM in Savannah, so I was taking it all in. I was also acutely aware that I had been so nervous for the marathon that I hadn’t had time to get nervous to teach yoga at the expo. There were 100 mats set up, a microphone, uncontrolled outdoor environment, lots of new people, and with all of my nerves on the race, I was cool as a cucumber. Love that. Providing yoga classes to marathoners with the Savannah Power Yoga team was one of my very favorite parts of race weekend.
I headed home from the expo around 2:00pm to turn all the way down. I talked to Coach Stephen about a race plan and how I was feeling. From the beginning I was hesitant about targeting an inaugural race AND a race in Savannah. “Inaugural” means a lot of things could go wrong simply because it hasn’t been done before. Savannah races have the MOST unpredictable weather. The combination could be messy. I worried about the weather for 10 months for the forecast to turn out just about perfect. I like a little colder for a full marathon, but by Savannah standards, we hit the jackpot. 3 days before the race it was 80 degrees and 90% humidity. The day before the race, we were looking at a forecast of 50 degrees with reasonable humidity. HUGE WIN. I was trying on sub-2:50 paces in training to see if they fit. On a perfect day I was thinking I could get dangerously close to 2:50. I also wasn’t counting on a perfect day because they are few and far between in the marathon world. Either way, I knew I was in PR shape and it felt really good not to stress about time. I KNEW I’d be under the 3:00 mark that hung over my head for the last 3 marathons I’ve run. I KNEW I would run the fastest marathon I’d ever run, so I honestly wasn’t too hooked on a time. I run best with a negative split plan. I like the waiting. I like the holding back so that when I get to a certain point I can say “okay go get ‘em!”, so the plan was to start out in the high 6:30s, not to see anything under 6:30 until after the half way point, and to cut down from there. My only other thought was that there were no electrolyte aide stations from mile 18-22 which was slightly concerning, so I had the idea to carry an electrolyte packet with me and basically shoot it with a water chaser at the mile 21 water station. Stephen basically said “please don’t do that”. So I carried it with me just in case (and spoiler alert - didn’t end up using it). My mom, Bri and I made sandwiches at home for dinner (pepperoni, salami, mozzarella, and provolone on sourdough for anyone keeping score at home), then I got to bed early. I’m so happy they were here. I thought I’d be okay without Billy, but being nervous by myself would have been really hard. They didn’t have to do anything, being there was just right. I was so ready, I even pinned my bib the night before the race instead of trying to do it race morning with shaking hands. Crazy, right? Off to bed. One more sleep!!!
