FALL MARATHON!

I usually reserve my marathon purchases to land on my birthday, a birthday gift to myself, if you will. But this year, the Twin Cities Marathon opened their registration in mid-December, and I just couldn't wait until December 26th to pull the trigger.

So I registered, on opening day! And so did Toni. Expect to see a lot of #jeronirunsTCM hashtags over much of 2018.

And happy birthday to me!!

Milwaukee Marathon Race Plan

This spring I had a tiny moment of crazy in which I decided I was enjoying running enough that maybe I should run a fall marathon. Now if you were in my brain during the last marathon I did, you may recall that "never under any circumstances should I ever do this, ever again, unless I'm crazy fast, because this 5 hour marathon business suckkkkkks."

I was bopping around on marathon guide searching for midwest marathons in October and November, thinking that if maybe I found one late enough, I could be convinced to do it. I considered the Mankato Marathon, as I typically do, and it was a large front runner until I stumbled on to the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee in October. I quickly realized I could probably have a fun weekend with Renee and my other favorite Wisconsin chicks, when I discovered that there's a marathon in Milwaukee in NOVEMBER.  Yes yes yes, where do I sign.

So this November 6th, I'll be running my 8th marathon in Milwaukee and then eating cheese curds and drinking delicious local beers post race while watching the Packers play with my favorite cheeseheads. BEST RACE WEEKEND EVER, right??

I'm planning a non-traditional race plan for the marathon to see how my body holds up. I'm running the Sioux Falls half in September, so I'm working to have decent base mileage with a weekly speed session. Once the half is done, I'll have a short training cycle for Milwaukee. I did a similar plan for the Philadelphia Marathon in 2011, and it was one of my best marathons. I'm planning to get in two 16s, an 18, and a 20 before I taper.

Fingers crossed I can get to the starting line healthy and ready to go!

Marathon #7

Sunday, after basking in a weekend of all things running: running a half marathon, watching hours of DVR'd Drake Relays and Penn Relays, finalizing my marathon training program, working on my friend Jenn's marathon training program--HER FIRST, and excessive running chatter via text, I pulled the trigger on marathon #7.

Bemidji Blue Ox Marathon

The price increases tonight, so sign up asap to save yourself that $10, but let's be honest, it's pretty cheap even if you wait until the last minute to sign up!

Now everyone go sign up, and then let me know so I can plan our running weekend* (and most importantly where we'll meet for post race PR PARTY BEERS!!!!!

*Or if fishing is your thing, I'll pass your contact info along to Kyle, because he's probably hoping I run a PW so he can spend more time fishing along the race course. :)

Fall Marathon Plan Shake Up

After I wrote my post about my fall marathon plans, I hopped on to my favorite trusted marathon site: marathonguide.com to see if there were any races that I was missing. When searching the site, I first look at December then November races. Then I check out October races that are further north than me.

Boom.

Bemidji Marathon.



Last year's race was their first ever. The course looks nice and flat and similar to what I train on here. Mid-October 6 hours north of here should be gorgeously cool perfection. And more importantly, the race route actually runs around the lakes up there. Thus making it an easy sell for Kyle and my dad to travel up there to spectate. "Oh, I can fish while I'm waiting for you to run by? Cool, I'll be there."


"Oooooh shoooore... loohk how high up in dah nort dat is....." <--Imagine that's done in my best northern Minnesoooootan accent.



If I go this route and I continue to work on my running form, I'm also considering the Leading Ladies half marathon in Spearfish. It's in August, and being on the western side of the state they tend to have less extreme weather than we do on the east side, so it could actually be a pleasant race morning in August. It's a downhill course which terrifies me since that usually hurts my IT bands, but could be fun! TBD fall. Anyone want to meet me out west for a girls weekend? Fast race friends, check the race results.... could be your chance for a half or marathon W.... I'm looking at you Susan, Angry Runner, etc. etc.

Fall Marathon Debate

It's that time of year again where we play "What's Jerbear's next big race?" In our last installment, we toyed around with the spring race calendar and landed on Operation: get our speedy legs back via ALL THE HALF MARATHONZ! In this blog post's discussion we will figure out my fall marathon plans.

Ooooooooooooooooh.

What's behind Door #2 for the winner??

Hopefully a marathon PR.

The only thing I know for certain regarding the fall marathon, is that I won't be signing up for anything until my spring races are done and over. Training for, and running a marathon at my current speed is miserable. My enjoyment from running comes from pushing myself to become a stronger and faster runner and having my race finish times reflect that. I wish I was someone that just loved to run all day everyday just because it is the greatest thing ever, but I'm not. I do love running. But putting in a monster training cycle when every run takes a million hours longer than it "used" to is just not fun. So my plan is to get my running and racing game back to where it was in the fall of 2011. Or at least get it close. It'll take a lot of work, but I'm up for the challenge. If this doesn't happen, and it takes longer than I'm expecting, I may scrap the fall marathon idea and keep on working on half marathon speed.

The next time I register for 26.2 miles I want my sub-4 finish time to be a given, not a question mark. I want to go in to training knowing that my speed is clearly sub-4 and that after a monster mileage marathon training cycle the question will no longer be if I *can* go sub 4, it'll be how sub 4 I can go.

Breaking 2 hours in the half was such a huge deal to me. I think I tried and failed 4 times before it happened. The time I finally went sub 2 I had already run sub 2 for a half marathon training run, so I knew I had it in the bag. I ran a 1:54 that fall. I have such a mental block with 26.2 that even on the few occasions that I'm convinced I was in sub-4 shape, I never had the confidence in myself and my running ability to execute it.

On to the fall race plan:

I love running marathons late in the fall season. It almost guarantees cold conditions (thanks Madison!). I'd prefer to not race a super hilly course (sorry Madison, that counts you out). I'd be willing to travel. GIVE ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS! INVITE ME ALONG FOR YOUR RACE PLANS!

The Sioux Falls half marathon in September will be my 10th consecutive year of running it. The weather is always atrocious, so depending on which marathon I choose this will either be a longer tempo run or I'll run some miles before the race to make it a long-long run.

My two strongest contenders are currently the Philly Marathon or the Twin Cities Marathon.

TCM is normally good weather, but it has been hot, which freaks me out. I'd have to start training in June for the marathon, which blows. I wouldn't be able to race a half during the training cycle (like I usually enjoy doing) because it's too hot to race a half prior to mid-September and with an October 5th race date, that doesn't work. It's close enough to home that I could drive, and Kyle could maybe come and spectate! And a friend of mine is considering it for her first full! She's pretty close to the speed I was before grad school started, so I'd have a built in training buddy!

Philly was my favorite marathon course and conditions ever. I know it was a lot warmer this year, but it's late November which is in my favor both weather wise and when I'd need to start training mid-July. I'd like to think I could convince Megan and Jenn to join me for another bff runner weekend, but I'm not sure! Flights+hotels are always spendy so this would definitely be the more $$$ option.

The other back up idea would be CIM. It's an ideal time of year, similar to Philly, but I'm always concerned about doing the final month of my training when it's freezing here and then going somewhere with mild weather and it feeling tropical because my body is now used to the 20 degree training runs. A California trip would also be $$$. [CIM is clearly vying for my attention with the race weather this past weekend. 27 to start, 40 to finish.... where do I sign up??]

Please weigh in. What are your plans??

Fall Race Plans

My brain is an interesting place.  I would say one of my best qualities is that I’m able to think things through thoroughly, and very quickly.  Give me an issue or problem, I’m able to give you 6 solutions, and rank them in order of best to worst, offering up the negatives and positives that caused them to be ranked in such a way.  Because of this thinking process (or over-thinking process, as is probably more accurate), I sometimes have a tough time making decisions.

For the couple of weeks leading up to the Brookings half marathon, I started to enjoy running again.  And after the race, that only got stronger.  So much so that I started to think about the fall and what my plan was.

Just for fun, I’d like to take you through the hours long thought process that I endured.

Known Items

September 9, 2012.I will run the Sioux Falls half marathon (8^th consecutive year).  I will be doing it for completion vs. racing because the race director confirmed via email that the course route will still be jacked up for construction this season.  I value my IT bands, no thanks.

October 14, 2012.  I will run the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco with my running besties.  Since the course is hilly as I’d imagine hell to be, it’ll definitely be a race to do vs to race.

Unknown Items

Do I want to race a full marathon in the fall?

Do I want to race a half marathon in the fall?

I want to race a full marathon if it’s somewhat close to home (aka driveable), low in cost (splitting a hotel room, shacking up with a friend), cool weather, and provides me enough time to recover to complete NWM, or is enough time after NWM to be recovered for.

Just a few variables.

I made my way over to marathonguide.com knowing I’d need to find something in early to mid-September (barf) or November.  Shockingly, there are no races around here in November.  Lame.  As long as there’s no ice on the ground, I almost thinking racing in a blizzard would be awesome.

9/15/12 Northface Endurance marathon in Madison, WI.

A quick tweet to Krista confirmed that this is a trail race.  EEP!  For 6 seconds I pondered the 50k trail option.  Then removed it from the list.

9/15/12 Walker North Country marathon in Walker, MN.

I used to go on vacation up here, and it is g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s.  Plus it’s NORTHERN Minnesota, so it’s gotta be cooler for mid-September right?  Plus, there’s good fishing (Kyle: 1).  Upon further inspection, the 6 hour drive seemed slightly long, but the 9am start time sealed the deal.  GROSS.  Also, I learned that approx. 5 miles of the course is on paved routes, the rest is on gravel, dirt, grass, etc.  26.2 miles is hard enough thankyouverymuch.

9/15/12 Bismarck Marathon.  North Dakota is flat right?  7:30am start time, not bad… 7 hour drive… barf.  NORTH Dakota= cold, right?  Possibility.  And then I realized I don’t really have a desire to run in ND again unless it’s flat Fargo, and a review of the course map revealed 2 giant MOUNTAINS* in the course profile.

9/23/12 Fox Cities marathon, Appleton, WI.  7am race start.  I heart Wisconsin. Could probably convince Kyle to come and turn it in to a fishing trip.  Contender.

9/23/12 Omaha Marathon, Omaha NE. 7am race start, 3 hour drive.  Cheap/free lodging at Chez Niki.  Hilly-ish course.  Possibly close enough for my family to come spectate.  Could be hot, but will be training all summer long in extreme heat, so maybe it’d be ok.  I think we have a winner.

Then I went back to if I wanted to actually race a full this year, or if I should seek out a half to finally get sub 1:50 on (yes, I’m beginning to think it’ll never happen either….. join the club).

9.1.12 Clear Lake IA

9.2.12 Green Lake WI

9.2.12 Storm Lake IA

9.29.12 Grand Forks ND

Meh.  Nothing really stood out.  I also have a rule** that I don’t spend more time driving to a race than I’d spend running it.

So Omaha it is.  I told Kyle before bed that was my plan.  No general fanfare, but still excited that I’m excited to train for one again (hi this early spring was mis-er-a-ble!).  And then I wake up to see that my brother and sister-in-law bought a new home in Dallas!

And all previous plans were thrown out the window.

Originally I had planned to do Dallas White Rock because I :

a)      Don’t have to train through the summer.

b)      Know late November/early December is IDEAL race temps for sweaty Jerbear

c)       Need to meet my precious baby niece, Harper.

But the $400-500 flight+race fee+hotel costs were putting it out of my price range.

So after all of that thought and careful consideration, one small change helps me get my way and do the race I originally wanted to do.  Ahhhh I love when life caters to my selfish ways. J

*possible exaggeration.

**often broken, but still.

Marathon?

What seems like a thousand years ago, Jenn had asked if I was interested in running the Philadelphia Marathon.  Since (at this time) I was pretty committed to the Mankato Marathon, and knowing my high incidence of injury after marathons I had to decline.  And then her trip back home ended up getting cancelled.

Well imagine my surprise when she decided she'd come back anyway to run the race, and ZOMG I SHOULD TOTALLY COME!  I was in!  To spectate!  Because 26.2 miles hurts.

But of course my brain wasn't satisfied with that, so before I knew it.........

Oops!

So I guess I'm training for a marathon now.....

My mom's response:  MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR VITAMINS SO YOU STOP FALLING APART DURING THESE RACES!

Yes, it was shouted...  Or that's just the volume of my mom's voice.  Also mine.  Oh hai genes. :)