Believe to Achieve

Since I am NOT running today...I will post my POST-marathon race report, NOTES-to SELF and others.  No regrets because you got to realize you run with what you got the day the race is.  I knew I was trained well for a sub 3:10.  I even know (barring the below pointed out items) that an under 3:05 was WELL within reach if things went differently.  But after years of running and knowing myself I give myself a break because I can't change what happened the week before the race and come what may THAT kind of WEEK WILL NOT happen before SGM.  Here are the things that RED-flagged me and things for SUB three at SGM won't/will be happening:  

Umm I won't have the longest bout of a nervous system FLARE.  I couldn't even fuel right all week.  I wasn't even hungry.  Man did that hurt.  Going from facial pain on Thursday and extreme pain in my right calf radiating down my neck, butt and foot.  Wowsers. That gave me too much NEGATIVE energy

Second, I won't be coming off a STEROID taper. I don't do well on steroids.  I was already NOT sleeping.  Thursday night I got only 6.5 hours of BROKEN sleep.  For SGM I will be sleeping much better as I regulate the hormones I don't have.  No period for a while now.  Also reading more into prednisone (it saved me from extreme nerve pain, however) it is what caused my diuresing because as I tapered off of it my kidneys started working more.  My sugar was probably high (because prednisone does this) and hence at mile 21 I felt GUed out.  I was doing deep breaths and had a fluttery heart when earlier miles it was so easy to run that pace.  I attribute that to a high blood sugar level.   Oh, OKAY I WON'T  CHAT AWAY for 6.2 miles EITHER.  I will sign that I am FOCUSED  : D.   BTW I don't eat any CAFFEINE gus.  And NO caffeine jump starters.  I RUN SANS CAFFEINE BABY!!   

THE diarrhea was probably the MOST depleting along with the diuresing from the steroids.  I started taking magnesium, 1/2 dose cause I am sensitive to everything.  Well....hmmmm the "milk of magnesia" sounds familiar here?  Why oh Why would I take a NEW supplement two days before a race?  Talk about a LAXATIVE.  The abdominal cramping was no fun.  Funny though the magnesium contributed to taking away my leg cramps.  So no magnesium for me.  Someone suggested I take calcium with it to balance it out.  I will mettle with that way before RACE week. 

Lastly, I FEEL SO GOOD.  Besides nerve pains down the base of my neck to my right shoulder this is THE VERY BEST RECOVERY EVER.  After the race I could do lateral raises and kick backs and even could run to the podium.  That is how I like to run a race.  I don't like to feel SPENT so I run just under that pace to make it feel like I can run again by Tuesday without doing damage.  Seriously THIS IS SO AWESOME.  The great first place gal was hobbling to get her award.  Obviously AT SGM I am going to have to feel that badly.  Oh well.  But really this marathon felt more like a training run for 22 miles and then it was about the race the last 4 miles.  So I talked and slowed down but KIM was just so fun to have there like I was out on a every day run.  So nice.  I am all over that sub 3 at SGM.
VERY LASTLY--- I just downloaded my GARMIN---  54 SECOND POTTY STOP!!!!!!  WHAT THE HECK?     NOT GONNA HAPPEN AT SGM (I just downloaded my garmin for all the facts).  Plus with this long course or my poor tangent-taking I should shave off a lot of time.  Elevation gain at UVM 943 ft!!!  Elevation loss-- 2127ft.    So only 1184 ft overall loss.  That was some ROLLER coaster RIDE.  Will definitely do this marathon again!! SO VERY BEAUTIFUL.  Will be prettier without abdominal cramping  : D.