Mercedes Marathon Madams

As always the night before a race, I didn't sleep very well.  Nerves about the race and fear that my alarm clock wouldn't go off are the two main reasons.  A third reason is all the G2 I'd been guzzling down all day and night had me up at least twice.  I like to make sure I'm fully hydrated before a race and I probably overdo it just a little sometimes.

As it turned out, I didn't need the alarm clock to wake me up any way.  I was up before it went off.  Since the Murph wasn't going to be up at 5am and he's the one who usually makes the coffee in the morning, he got the coffee maker all ready so all I had to do was push the "on" button so I would have my caffeine race morning.  He was concerned that I wouldn't know where the "on" button was so he put a sticky note on the coffee maker pointing to it.  He was so sweet to idiot proof everything for me.   I think he was more concerned about what kind of damage this wrecking ball could do to the coffee maker.

It was going to be 29F at the start and sunny so I knew I wouldn't be cold after I got started running.  I actually wore too much.  I could have worn capri pants or even shorts instead of the long pants because I had on knee high compression socks that covered most of my leg.  I didn't need the arm warmers I had on under my long sleeve shirt either.  I was glad I had them on after the run though.  That's when I got cold!

I wanted to cross the finish line faster than I did at Mobile Half in January which was 1:56:49 something ( I don't remember the exact seconds, but it was right under 1:57 min).  I started off a little slower than I did in Mobile, but picked it up the last 5 miles thanks to a quick stop at the port a let.  My legs felt much better the last few miles than they did in Mobile.  I finished in 1:56:11 which was only seconds faster, but I'll take it.  Next year I'm going to train harder to go faster and maybe start doing speed work again and running more days than I do now.  I keep up with my training on my daily mile app that's to the left on my blog.  I don't have to look back through the weeks to know I don't run enough miles during the week.

Mel, the gal in the top picture wearing the tutu with the red sunglasses and head thingy, was the only one of us that did the full marathon and she did great!  She placed fourth in her age group.  Ken, aka Morgan Freeman, did the full as well, but you can only see his glove up there in that picture.  We took a picture of our group a couple of weeks ago when we did a trial run of the course and Ken, L and I were all leaning in so we would all be in the picture and realized afterwards that we didn't have to lean in and we looked pretty goofy.

This time Ken should have leaned in!

Here's the matching tech shirt, baseball cap and bling for the half marathoners.  I almost missed getting the cap at the finish line.  The shirt was in the race packet at the expo.  They also gave out gloves from The Trak Shak at the expo.

Photo from the Facebook page of Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend

I love the color of the shirt!  One of my favorite colors besides black, white or pink.

Overall it was a great race and a beautiful day!  And as usual, after the race there was Jim n Nick's barbecue sandwiches and plenty of beer.  I passed on the beer, but grabbed a barbecue to go so I could eat it later for lunch.  It smelled so good in the car that I ate it on the way home.  It became breakfast instead of lunch.  Delicious!

Mental note:  Next race don't hydrate quite so much before the race.

As Ready As I'm Going To Be For Mercedes Half Marathon!

Tomorrow is the Mercedes marathon here in Birmingham.  I 'm going to run the half marathon in the morning, not the full marathon.    My friend L and I went to the expo today to pick up our race numbers/chips and shopped a little bit.  I found some really great deals on half off running pants and a long sleeve running shirt.   I also bought another pair of compression socks, pink, of course, and a head band to match.  

I tried to explain to the Murph how much money I saved on everything, but I don't think he bought it.  I really did have a gift certificate to the The Trak Shak, a local running shop, that I needed to use.  That took even more than half off my purchases.   Win Win!!

A group of girl scouts were at the expo selling cookies so I bought some boxes just to support the girl scouts, you know.  I got a box of Thin Mints for the Murph, but he wasn't as thrilled about them as I thought he would be.  Apparently, he's eaten a ton of girl scouts cookies in his life when his daughter was in the Brownies and her mom was the Brownie leader.  He had boxes to last all year.  Oh well, they won't go to waste!

I looked at the weather for tomorrow and discovered that it isn't going to be as cold as I thought it was going to be.  Nope.  Instead of the 22F that was forecast earlier in the week, now it's saying that it's going to be a balmy 29F at the 7 a.m. start and sunny!  No snow, no rain, no windchill!  I'll take it!

• Tonight

  Feb 16

  Mainly clear and coldLo 26°

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• Sun

  Feb 17

  Cool with bright sunshine51°Lo 34°

• Mon

  Feb 18

  Partly sunny and pleasant61°Lo 45°

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• Tue

  Feb 19

  Rain possible in the morning58°Lo 33°

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• Wed

  Feb 20

  Partly sunny52°Lo 33°

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Thunderstorms Monday night

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Temp (°F)	27°	26°	27°	29°	32°	37°	41°	43°
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Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon

I just finished running in the Rock and Roll New Orleans marathon, formerly called the Mardi Gras Marathon.  This is one marathon I have wanted to do for a number of years, but just haven't for some reason.  I think one of the main reasons was that it use to fall on the same weekend as the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham, Al and I usually either do the Mercedes whole or half since it's in my hometown.  I love Pensacola, FL, but I have to say that the New Orleans Marathon is far superior to Pensacola or Mercedes.  It's flat!  No hills, and yes, there are hills in Pensacola.  More than just the two I was told there were.  The entire first part of the course in Pensacola was a slow, steady, calf burning climb along Scenic Highway.  Beauful, but not good for the calves.  Mercedes has hills, but the most deadly ones are no longer part of the course.  I think my calves are happier with a flatter course like New Orleans.  Besides, it is such a beautful, historic city.

The New Orleans marathon was moved to March, which made it perfectly fit in with my marathon training.  I was able to do the Mercedes half (I added 7 miles at the end to do a 20 miler) and then taper for this race.  My goal time was 4 hours 15 minutes and I was very, very close.  I am also now a firm believer in compression socks.  I wore my new Run Love compression socks (the white ones since I still haven't received the pink ones) and my calves are not sore at all.  The rest of my entire body is toast, including not only my quads and hamstrings, but also my back, abs, and lungs.  My calves feel fantastic!  Thank god for compression.  Maybe I wouldn't be sore at all if I had worn a complete compression suit.  (do they even make those?) I'm just joking, of course,  I have compression tights and don't like them much.  I wore them in the half marathon a few weeks ago and they didn't help my calves at all.

pre race potty stop

There were 22,000 runners today, but Ken managed to find me twice on the course and then at the finish while I was stumbling around a little dazed.  I didn't think I was ever going to find him and the security guard was making me go through the gate out of the finisher area into the huge mass of people on the other side of the fence.  He barely made it in time to see me finish because the cab driver that took him to City Park where the finish line was, let him off about 4 miles away (he says 4, probably more like 1 :)) and then he had to figure out how to walk to the finish area.  I was so happy to see him and to be finished!  

After the race we headed over to Pinkberry Yogurt because I was having a craving.  We were lucky enough to have one right near the hotel.  I got the original flavor with granola, yogurt chips and blackberries.   It's my new favorite yogurt.  Yum!

Then it was advil, shower and a nap since I didn't sleep at all last night in anticipation for the race today.

Now I have run a marathon in five states - Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Massachusetts (Boston -Yea!)  Now I only have 45 more states to go....

Me and the Running Nazi pre race

More Race Photos

Will Run For Beer- Mercedes Marathon Weekend

Yesterday was race day.  The Running Nazi and I ran in the Mercedes Half Marathon.  This is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) running event in Alabama.  It sort of started as the Freeze your half off run that was held this same time every year.  The Freeze your half off was my very first ever 1/2 marathon and also my fastest in under 1 hr 42 minutes.

In 2002, they did away with the Freeze your half off and created the Mercedes Marathon and 1/2 marathon.  That year I did the full Mercedes Marathon in an attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.  It was my first marathon and the most memorable.  I ran a 3 hrs 47 minute marathon missing the Boston qualifying time by 2 minutes.  I ran into my old running buddy D yesterday after the race.  We put in a lot of miles together training for those marathons and trying to qualify.  D ran the half yesterday and told me she was doing Boston again.  It was great seeing her and catching up.  I did eventually qualify for Boston that same year at the Huntsville Rocket City Marathon.

The Mercedes Marathon gets bigger every year.  This year both events filled up before the weekend expo even started.  For the first time ever, nobody could sign up at the expo.  There were thousands of people there Sunday morning in the 20 degree temps.  The Running Nazi and I bought a couple of disposable jackets at the expo for $8.  Yes, you can really buy disposable clothing here to pollute the environment.  We weren't being very green, but we did stay warm at the beginning of the race and disposed the jackets along the course after we warmed up.

I decorated mine the night before with some motivational quotes.  I think it  helped all the fellow runners that were passing me.  They were kicking my ass and feeling very inspired by the quotes on the jacket.  I'm positive.  Especially the one about Pain being temporary, but Internet results lasting forever.  That will make anyone run faster!  I have proof that this quote really inspired by all the super fast times all the runners posted.

Ken's vote on the funniest quote (because it was the lamest) was "Why are all these people following me?" Ms. Harry Potter liked that quote the best too.  She was there in her disposable jacket and I helped decorate it for her, of course.  I even remembered Mom on the front jacket sleeve.  I was suppose to wave to her when I saw the news cameras and I was going to raise my arm up so she could see where I had written "Hi Mom".   However,  I didn't see any news cameras and she didn't see me.  I was running too fast.

This was The Running Nazi and me when we got to the race start.  Don't worry, I brought my Sharpie pen so we could "decorate" the Nazi's jacket before the race started.  She wanted "Will Run For Beer" written across her back and a heart in honor of Valentine's Day.

We finished the race in under 1 hr 55 min and then headed inside to use the restrooms and warm up and hydrate before heading back out to run 7 more miles.  It was our last 20 miler before the marathon we are running in next month.  My calves are killing me!  So glad it's taper time and I have two 20 milers and a couple of 1/2 marathon races under my belt to help me prepare this time.

Weekly Training Log

Only one week till marathon day!  I ran my last long run last Sunday.  It was only 18 miles (20 was my goal), but that is going to have to do for this marathon.  It took me 3 hours and 45 minutes.  On Monday I ran 2 miles on the treadmill and did 30 minutes on the elliptical to try to make up for what I didn't run on Sunday.  Tuesday I did 1 hour Spinerval class at the gym and Wednesday I did upper and lower body weights and then 20 minutes on the exercise bike.  I hit the weights pretty hard Wednesday and that is the main reason why my legs have been really sore this week.  Thursday I did 30 minutes run on the treadmill and 1 hour Spinerval class.  My legs have been sore all week, but are better today after only doing an easy 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday.  I have been stretching and doing core work after most of my workouts too and that has helped.  My goal for the marathon is running it in around 4 hours.  As slow as I have gotten it is going to be tough.  This is the first time I have trained for a marathon without doing at least one 20+ mile long run.  It will be interesting to see how I feel afterwards.

I have been watching all the news about the runners in the NYC marathon which is tomorrow and I am soooo jealous!  I want to run that marathon so bad.  I have for years, but it is hard to get into.  I am going to make a little more effort to get in within the next couple of years.   I might do the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans this February with the Running Nazi too.  Of course, there is always the Mercedes Marathon in Birmingham.   I have run that one several times either the half or the whole.

A cold front came through night before last and it has been cold and windy at the coast.  It seems to have calmed down out there this morning.  I am heading to the gym to workout.  I will probably run and do weights (upper body only) today.  I passed up a 5k race at the Margartitaville Hotel mainly because the entire 3.2 mile run is on the sand at the beach.  I could just see myself getting injured trying to race as hard as I can on uneven surface.  I am too competitive to just go do it for fun.  It would have been fun, but I have to focus on the marathon next week.  Couldn't get the Murph to do it either.  It didn't sound fun to him!

The Running Nazi

Just finished a 12 mile run with my best running buddy, Lisa.  The Murph (my sexy fiance) and I call her the running Nazi.  She is so cute, sweet, outgoing, etc etc... that you would never know she's the Running Nazi.  At least not until you run with her...   It usually goes something like this...

Me:  Lets just do 10 today

The Running Nazi:  Ok, lets do the normal 6 mile loop and add Dester and the cul de sac and "make up the difference down Euclid"  That'll be 10.

Me:  ok...  (Doubtful)  

We ended up doing 13 that day because it was 10 without doing Euclid....I'm always trying to do the math in my head cause I know the course and the loops and I think she's always trying to pull one over on me.  (She usually succeeds dammit!)

         or

Me:  Ok, we're doing 13 today, right?

The Running Nazi:  Yes, I definitely don't want to do more than that.  Let's do part of the Statue to Statue run course.  I think I know how we can do a 13 mile loop on that.

Me:  ( 4 hours later, dying of dehydration, tongue hanging out...)  Do you know where we are?

The Running Nazi:  Sure, I think I just missed a turn somewhere back there but I know where we are....

We did about 18 or 19 miles that day in the heat, mostly lost with no water ...

Not to mention when she somehow talked me into signing up for Mercedes Marathon which is in February and just too cold for this wimp.  I woke up in a BAD mood that morning, cussing the Running Nazi.  That's the LAST time she's going to talk me into a race!  Yeah right..... The Murph laughs....

After our long runs she usually does yoga, zumba and spin class and my "long" runs of 13 miles are only her "medium" runs.  She also runs 15 to 22 miles every Sunday at 5 or 6 am.  I haven't been showing up for those...  Can't cause I'm in bed at 5am on Sunday mornings.

I need to get the Running Nazi signed up for an ironman triathlon.

On second thought, maybe not cause then I might have to swim with her and she will become the "Swimming Nazi".  I am shivering at just the thought of it!