Build for Grandma’s Marathon
After the local 10k I ran April 2nd,
we ramped up mileage to 80 miles/week followed by 4 weeks at 90 miles/week. The
workouts varied in length, intensity, and pace but were pretty difficult
(follow me on strava for more specifics!). Then we set our sights on an US
Championship event, before 2 more weeks at 90 miles/week then back to 80 per
week before an even bigger 2 week cut in mileage/taper.
US 25k Champs
The 25k in Grand Rapids, MI was
such a fun experience.
I was a bit nervous going in as
it was predicted to be hot and humid, and the new distance was a bit
intimidating (how similar to a half would it seem?). I typically go down from
the half distance and race the USATF 15k in Jacksonville, FL in March. This
year I ran a marathon instead, so the 25k was a great choice to get in a US
Championship race! I was also nervous because I’d be in the middle of marathon
training, running 90 miles the week before the race. A mileage in 2021 I only
hit 4 weeks of the year, and in 2020 hit once. A mileage still intimidating and
tiring to me.
Yet, I did my best to trust my
coach and cast these doubts ahead and stay curious, just show up and do the
best I could. Positive self-talk and an open mind often go a long way. Worrying
certainly doesn’t help and anyways all the runners are dealing with the same
conditions, and their doubts.
A bit of a fiasco trying to get
there. What as supposed to be a 4-hour flight time and only short drives to and
from the airport turned into a drive to Panama City Beach. Honestly spending
the afternoon on the beach was kinda fun though. Can’t be too mad about it. The
2-2.5 hour drive also gave me time to clear my mind. Dissertation research has
really been picking up, as I graduate in the fall.
I finally made it to Grand
Rapids, sun still out, had dinner then got some shut eye. The next day met up
for a group run with the team. That afternoon, unexpectedly, someone knocks on
my hotel door and I find out I have a roommate (the organization of this race
is something else, I’ll leave it at that! Lol). Turns out she was a great roommate,
and it was fun to have someone to talk to and go places with.
The morning itself I didn’t feel
amazing. It was over 70F and over 80% humidity and the race started after 8am.
I warmed up and did some strides and we were ushered to our corral. It didn’t
have a super big race feel. It was nice to have an elite tent though for sure
and in general just how close everything was to the hotel was super convenient.
My teammate Sydney introduced
herself to me, as we have the same race goal in mind. We start off together,
maybe 4 miles, but I’m just not feeling it and worried I’ll crash, so decide to
let her go. I put 3 bottles on the course (my 1st time grabbing bottles in a
race!) and there were lots of water aid stations. I’m pouring water on myself
and drank 2 – 6-ounce bottles of Gatorade endurance, last one didn’t need. I’m
managing the heat the best I can. My legs just refuse to pick up. It feels like
a marathon session on heavy legs and the air is so thick. I look at my watch
occasionally and hate the splits I’m seeing >6:10?! I ran a marathon in
6:02 mile pace with a bonk! Luckily my coach James has prepared me in
practice and with a race plan that involves heavy weather adjustments to avoid
a crash and burn scenario. I keep hanging on to as close to 6 flat as I can,
alone on the road, the roads that have many potholes, and a slant. The best
advice I received was to run in the middle to avoid the slant. My ankles were
not happy during or after this race. The last 30 minutes got very, very, hot in
the direct sun. I just told myself to hang on. I knew my time goal was out. I
even knew top 10 was probably out (unless like 3 people literally just didn’t
finish). The only thing in my control was to try my best, to keep going and not
slow down, to keep dumping water on my head and keep my eyes forward.
I finally made it to the finish.
Felt like such a damn long race. I was so happy to see James at the finish, and
knew he was proud of me even though we didn’t hit the top 10 goal or progress
the pace. To catch up with all my teammates and new friends was how I spent the
rest of the day, and it was great to just hang out with other runners and be in
a new place, a change of scenery.
I was tired the next day but
ready to get home after a fun filled weekend and my highest placing in a US
Championship – 12th! Being around others with similar serious goals
really sparked the fire in me to work hard the last month of this marathon
block, towards Grandma’s in June.
Bloodwork
I got bloodwork done several days
after returning home from the 25k and received the results last week. The main
things we look at are Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, and Iron (Hemoglobin, Ferritin),
as these can be impacted by heavy training.
In Jan. 2020 was ferritin was 78ng/mL,
and since then it had rose to 146 in March of 2022 (I’d been supplementing more
since my training had ramped up considerably and get bloodwork done regularly
so this was a trend). Then May’s bloodwork showed a drop to 68. Similar shock
experience to not being able to hold marathon PR pace at the 25k (o yeah I
forgot to mention basically everyone was 5+ seconds slower than MP). I just
couldn’t believe it dropped by 78ng/ml in 3 months!
I’ll be honest, I thought getting
bloodwork every 2-3 months was a tad excessive (not to mention the expense; I
hate spending money lol) but now I am so glad I listened to my coach and did!
Based on what I’ve read and how I feel I don’t think the lower ferritin has
impacted me yet. I’m seeing the threshold at 50ng/ml (or even lower, at
30), in which lower than this (for females) leads to reduced energy etc. However,
we’ve decided to cut the double runs, stay steady at 90 miles then back off to
80 miles 3 weeks out. Also, I’ll be adding more red meat to my diet. The severe
drop indicates a trajectory headed toward iron deficiency (but not there) so
super drastic measures aren’t necessary. I think these strategies will help!
The FL heat means more iron lost through sweat. My body is not super used to the
stress of doubles which could lead to a more sustained elevation of pro-inflammatory
molecules. Inflammation could in turn be affecting iron storage is my guess,
but we won’t get super deep into the mechanism here 😉.
Each build is different, and this
one’s been a crazy ride for sure, but I’m lucky to have people caring and
supporting me along the way. I’m excited to see what I can do at Grandma’s full
😊.
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