Sara MacDowell
Age: 25
Race: Marathon
Goal: sub 3:40
Blog 1: Better Late than Never
Blog 2: 3 Hours Is a Lot of Alone Time
Sara is a Louisiana girl. Born and raised in Baton Rouge she is a die-hard LSU fan and an excellent cooker of gumbo. She is also super smart and graduated at the top of her class in Wash U Physical Therapy school. Her PT skills come in might handy when one of us gets hurt by the way! She is also now married to the one...the only...Adam MacDowell, who despite his iconic status in the mid 90s among Missouri high school cross country runners, is lucky to have her. As a runner Sara is excellent at running even pace so the marathon suits her very well.
3 Hours Is a Lot of Alone Time:
10.30.09 (just over 2 weeks out)
Some people think it’s strange, but I actually really enjoy running alone (and with the dog). After a hectic day of work I cherish an hour or so of relative quiet. This is also why I rarely bring music with me on my runs. But, don’t get me wrong, there is definitely a time when having people to run with can make all the difference. This becomes especially important to me on days when I am exhausted, the weather is awful, and long runs. Due to scheduling conflicts beyond my control (my sister clearly did not plan her pregnancy around my marathon), I was home in Louisiana for the longest run of our training segment. Not the best situation, but overall it wasn’t too bad. Here is some advice for planning a solo adventure:
1) Get some support. Thankfully, my dad was able to drive out and meet me at several points along my run to bring me Gu and fluids (Thanks, Dad!). This was important for safety and my overall sense of accomplishment…2 hours in he simply said “you’re crazy.” Nothing makes you feel better about a run then other people calling you nuts.
2) Plan your route. I, for one, like to have a sense of purpose when I run. This way it feels almost as if you are actually going somewhere (though really you’re not). So, for my long run I planned a course that went around the LSU lakes, through LSU campus, then to downtown and around the BR state capitol. I hadn’t been to the capitol since grade school field trips and I certainly have never run there, so that was kinda fun. The run through LSU campus brings me to point 3….
3) Find some fans. If you’re going to be out there for 3 hours then you might as well find someone to cheer you on. I thought that intoxicated LSU football fans (yes, I was running 10 hours prior to kick off) would be just the thing! As always, they did not disappoint. The fans were out in full force and by the time I was looping back around they were very friendly and offered up high fives and all sorts of creative cheers.
Overall, getting this run in without the support of the team boosted my confidence for the marathon, which is ultimately up to me. My workout this week (2 x 5 miles) went pretty well, albeit a bit fast (averaging about 7:40-7:45 pace rather than 7:55-8:00). I’m feeling generally sore after the long run and workout, but am hoping that it improves as I get in some easier recovery runs. At this point in the schedule. I’m really just trying to stay focused-16 more days!
*And yes, LSU did go on to win the game.
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10.18.09 (4 weeks out)
Blog 1: Better late than never…
I’ll try to avoid my list of excuses for being behind on my blog, but, better late than never. This is sometimes how I feel about my running as well. For my running history in a “nutshell” here we go: first 10K in 4th grade and fell in love with the sport, averagely good high school runner but constantly plagued by injuries, I did many things in college (hook ‘em horns!) but running was not often one of them. Upon my move to St. Louis post college and meeting my now husband, Adam, I slowly dove back into the sport. Well, it wasn’t really a diving back in. It was more like a sticking your big toe in a pool that feels too cold but you think it might feel good once you’re in. Thanks to the incredible Big River group, I feel that I am finally enjoying running the way that I’ve always wanted to.
With the marathon training, I’ve averaging about 50 miles a week. My workouts and long runs have been going pretty well and my dog, Joe, helps me log the rest of my miles. In preparation for the Halloween 10K this morning, I was very unsure of a goal pace. I simply can’t recall the last time I ran a 10K and though I’m sure I must have run some along the way, I certainly don’t recall a time. I did the Wednesday workout (12 x 800) with Jenny and Brent at about 7:00 min. pace but was not at all confident that I could hold this for over 6 miles. I was really just hoping I could go faster than marathon pace!
The race got off to a good start, although just a tad fast for me (6:50 first mile). It was a beautiful morning and the weather was about as great as you could hope for. For the first time in a long time, I decided to do something completely novel…race. It sounds like a given, but after running so many road races in the crowded mass, I decided to get out a little in front of the group and then start picking people off instead of looking at my time. I also decided that it would be nice to not be passed by anyone in a costume (this is just a personal issue as it has happened one too many times!) Some girl in a yellow and black costume (maybe a bumble bee?) passed me at mile 2 and I thought to myself “oh hell no” and passed her along with a few others and really got into a good stride. Despite some really hilly sections and thanks to some mile 6 encouragement from Brent, I ended up with a time of 43:59. Just faster than 7:05 a mile! What a great day to have the whole Big River team running, cheering, and encouraging each other. I still have a lot of work to do before the marathon, but for the first time in a while, I actually had fun running a road race. Better late than never!
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