Bits and Splits

It has been four days since the marathon and I am still basking.  I'll be sitting in my car at a stop light and all of a sudden I'll think, "I ran a 3:45," and I'll grin.  I've also found it difficult to cut the timing chip off my shoe.  So I haven't.  And when I put my shoes on or happen to look down and see the bright orange strip, I grin.  Sure, this will wear off eventually and be just another thing, but for now...I'm still grinning sporadically throughout my day.

Last night I attended a TRX Circuit Training class at the gym for the first time.  Ordinarily I would not have done this right after a marathon, but it was for an actual class I am taking at UAH (more on that later).  This was a two part class where we spent 45 seconds on the TRX section (don't ask me what that means, but if you know please share) and then 45 seconds on the circuit part which was out in the gym.  The instructor helping with the circuit portion saw me halfheartedly doing some long jumps (the exercises in the circuit were somewhat insane for even the freshest of legs) and so she came over to me.

"You've got some big leg muscles, you can do better than that!" she said.  I tried to comply, wondering if "big leg muscles" could be taken as a compliment.  Afterward she came over to me and my classmate and told us we'd done a great job for first timers.  I must admit, despite the difficulty level and my tired legs, I had a great time attempting it all and laughing at some of these attempts.  But whenever I found my legs simply would not follow instructions (such as high knee tucks on the bosu), I looked down at the orange strip on my shoe and... I grinned.

A few of my friends have requested splits and so I am including them here.

Mile  1 - 9:02
Mile  2 - 8:50
Mile  3 - 8:33
Mile  4 - 8:46
Mile  5 - 8:45
Mile  6 - 8:45
Mile  7 - 8:52
Mile  8 - 8:34
Mile  9 - 8:07
Mile 10 - 8:54
Mile 11 - 8:32
Mile 12 - 8:34
Mile 13 - 8:25
Mile 14 - 8:45
Mile 15 - 8:44
Mile 16 - 8:39
Mile 17 - 8:41
Mile 18 - 8:59
Mile 19 - 8:56
Mile 20 - 8:43
Mile 21 - 8:40
Mile 22 - 8:23
Mile 23 - 8:37
Mile 24 - 8:41
Mile 25 - 8:40
Mile 26 - 8:17
Mile .2 - 6:49 (pace - not sure of overall time)

It wasn't quite the speed-up at the end I was hoping for, but it was enough.  If I tried to bring some of those 8:50s down to 8:40s, a few more minutes could be shaved off with a bit more training and focus. Not that I'm quite ready to begin that just yet...but it won't be long. 

Two new things I did for this marathon involved hair and Gu (but they have nothing to do with each other).  First of all, I have a very short haircut with multiple layers.  I think my hair guy was tired when I went to my last appointment and well...it is interesting to say the least.  Too short for a pony tail, but too long to just let it sit on my neck (not to mention the really short curls that stick straight up on top of my head).  So what did I discover?  Pig tails!  They were tiny and a little uneven, but they stayed in place and kept me cool and comfortable throughout the race. 

Jason taught me the Gu trick, although most other runners may already know it.  I knew I wanted 4 Gus for my marathon and I knew there would be some out on the course, but I still wanted to take some with me.  My shorts did not have pockets and I can't stand things jumping around on me when I'm running, but Jason had the answer.  He pinned my Gu to the outside of my shorts and then flipped it in the inside so it was against my skin.  I only carried two with me, but four would have worked just fine.  They did not move or jump or chafe, and they were easy to pull off while running.  My flavor of choice is Espresso Love.  Due to the coffee-like flavor, it is the only one I can tolerate. 

Those are the bits and splits of my 3:45:52 (you knew I had to throw that in again) Mercedes Marathon.