There are 89 days until the Boston Marathon! 89 days – holy buckets. The good news is I got in my first long in run last Sunday, 22 miles, but it rocked my world a bit (meaning I immediately laid horizontal on the couch post run with my furry friends and cat napped). I've also been fighting a cold (second one in a month, I might add… grrrrr) so I think it sent me into extra tiredness and post run lethargy. And this all comes after the previous week which included a half marathon followed by a Treadmill Challenge that I did five days later.
A Treadmill Challenge you say …. What pray tell is that? Well let me tell you! It’s madness, MADNESS! In all honesty, it was fun, (mostly afterward when I was done and sitting down) but it was for a great charity and probably the closest I’ll ever get to being famous/rock star/professional athlete and having people screaming at me and cheering for me.
Here’s the breakdown:
- 6 men, 6 women & 3 treadmills on a stage
- 10 minutes per heat
- 12% grade
- Each runner runs first heat
- Top in each heat advance to final + next furthest distance
- Charity: Youth Homes
- Sponsored by Adidas,Runners Edge & Big Sky Brewing Co
I’ve been asked a lot of great questions about the event so I think I’ll just answer them here. (Nerd Alert! interviewing myself)
What was it like running in front of all those people?
Weird, scary, nerve-raking, awkward…. Just to name a few. Now, I’m not one to shy away from being the center of attention (in fact I grew up on stage performing ballet, jazz, tap) but considering this was new, something I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable doing, I was nervous. I think my heart rate was 165 before I even started the first heat. In a race you run by people for a few seconds so you can put on a brave face, but this, there is no hiding when you are racing and not really going anywhere.
Was it loud?
Yes, loud (and really hot.) During Heat 1, I heard specific friends in the crowd cheering for me and I even looked up from the consol a few times. Heat 2 was a massive struggle to say the least. Head down, just tried to finish. I pretty much tuned out (or blacked out) everything. I think the kids are calling it the ‘Pain Cave’ these days…. Well I’m pretty sure I was buried in mine. For the record, the crowd and the announcers were AMAZING! So awesomely loud and enthusiastic. I’m sure the $2 Big Sky beers helped… but it wouldn't have been a successful event at all without them.
Did you practice?
Ha, ha, ha… no. (I probably should have!) I was going with the ‘ignorance is bliss motto’ (dumb, dumb, dumb). I have been focusing on getting my weekly mileage up, so I did one minute at 12% about 2 weeks ago after a workout and thought, I better not do this for too long because I’ll talk myself out of it.
Were you scared you were going to fall off?
Heat 1, no.
Heat 2, about 6 minutes in, hell yes. I felt that little bump at the back of the belt a few times. Luckily, it was quite obvious from my struggling form that I was possibly going down, so a few people stood behind me and next to me to grab me in case I crashed.
How sore were you the next day?
Surprisingly not sore! I thought for sure my quads would be blow out and my knees would buckle when I got out of bed, but I remained upright and ran an easy 10 the next day.
Will you do it again next year?
If I’m invited and healthy, I’m in. I might even practice and work on that high heart rate threshold I don't often touch as a marathoner. It truly was an honor to share the stage with every runner up there. It’s not every day I get compete against the Canadian record holder in the 10,000M and a US National Mountain Running Champ. Seriously. These women are my heroes.
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