Lessons Learned: First Marathon

September 04, 2019 by Stacy McAllister in marathon training

I thought it would be fun to look back on my past 7 marathons as I’m prepping for my 8th one next month! I don’t always love when others compare their lives to their ‘past lives’ because changing, maturing, moving, growing is a part of life, but I love to reflect on the lessons that we have learned along our journey!

When I look back on my first marathon the first thing that comes to mind is hard. It was so unbelievably challenging covering that distance. I was totally unprepared for how much it was actually going to hurt those later miles of the race. I remember getting to mile 14 and honestly wondering how am I going to cover 12 more miles when my legs already feel completely spent?!? In all honesty- I also went out way too fast the first half. We’re talking sub 10 minute miles (it was downhill!), when I should have been going more like 11 minute miles. No wonder my legs felt like lead.

I also remember thinking how beautiful the course was. I signed up for this race because I needed a goal to work towards when I first moved to Steamboat. I had no friends there at the time and wanted motivation to get out the door. I saw the ad in the paper for the local marathon (and a discount code) in December and just signed up on a whim. I had no idea what I was doing or how I would train through the winter, but that didn’t stop me!

TBT to my first hike when I arrived in Colorado in November! Yes, there was already snow…

I also remember how challenging it was training through the winter months. I had never run longer than 14 miles, so having to get in 16,18, 20 mile runs with the insane amount of snow we got that winter was pretty challenging. I remember walking A LOT during my training runs and wondering how people got in this training when working full-time, having families, having any sort of life. My life basically revolved around marathon training and working part-time at the ice arena.

Carbo-loading become the center of my life. I ate way too many carbs and thought that before every long run, I needed to have a lavish (very heavy) pasta meal. Ha. Oh, how far we’ve come!

The biggest takeaway that I took from my first marathon was how surprised I was when I crossed that finish line. I really did not think I would get there come mile 14, so to cross that finish line in 4 hours and 45 minutes was really special. I also was really surprised with how much it hurt walking down stairs post-race. Living in a three-story condo= I really planned out my trips to go upstairs to use the kitchen or laundry because I did NOT want to go back down those stairs more than once.

There’s nothing like your first marathon.

What lessons did you learn from your first race?

Anyone else consume way too many carbs during training/ before your race?

Do you remember what you had as a post-race meal? I’m pretty sure I had macaroni and cheese because I was way too exhausted to do anything besides lie on the couch and watch TV. Ha.

Life Updates Lately

August 28, 2019 by Stacy McAllister in Weekend Things

Happy Hump Day! This was the post where I meant for it to come out on Monday and then I thought I could DEFINITELY get it out by Tuesday and well… here we are on Wednesday and it’s finally happening! Life has been super crazy lately which is honestly surprising because I had an entire week ‘off’ from school work; I had grand plans of getting so much done on my blog (revamping it, lots of posts), but in actuality things take way more TIME than I ever imagined! Chores, running, training, etc. I still hope get some more work done here on the blog within the next few days, but who knows! Sometimes life is funny like that- your priorities shift all at once and sometimes they really put things into perspective. SO let’s catch up shall we?

I’m still in marathon training mode for my next upcoming races (find them HERE!) and am feeling all sorts of inspiration from previous podcasts that I’ve listened to from kick-a$$ guests and just feeling like my fitness may be finally coming together (thanks to those cooler temperatures). Don’t get me wrong, it’s still really HARD to train for any race distance, but I’m kinda sorta loving it.

I’m also really really loving slower mornings with some coffee and my NEED Mt. Washington Road Race fleece blanket (they give each of the finishers one of these when they cross that line!).

I’m also really loving on this guy lately. He cuddles with me so often (especially at night) and it’s super hard when I have to leave for the day to go to work or school.

I’m also really into Home Projects lately! I redid an old window and turned it into a chalkboard. We used spraypaint chalk and then sanded and painted the trim with paint that we had used on other projects. It came out looking much better than I imagined and was also quite a bit easier to make than I imagined!

I also began biking a few weeks ago! I’m by no means an expert, but there’s something really exhilarating about being able to go farther and faster than I can if I’m running!

I’m trying to get in as much reading this week as I can and snagged these two from the library (bonus: I can now ride my bike to the library!).

I’m also really enjoying being able to run along the Ocean (it’s right down the street from where I take my classes!). There’s something so soothing about that Ocean breeze and dirt-packed trails.

Also really into Oatmeal again (I think that’s because it’s starting to feel a bit ‘Fall-like’ outside). I love customizing the Quick Rolled Oats in the mornings to whatever I’m feeling. Sometimes I throw in beet powder and cocao, other times I throw in peanut butter and maple syrup!

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Are you training for anything right now?

Favorite Fall foods?

Anyone else into ‘do-it-yourself’ projects?!? Send some ideas my way!

Endure Strong Training Review

August 13, 2019 by Stacy McAllister in Bib Chat, Training Cycle Review, Training Tuesday

I had the opportunity to be a part of the Endure Strong Training group as being a Bib Rave Pro and decided to utilize the summer to get some speed under my legs for the Beach 2 Beacon 10k (find my race recap HERE!). I knew that I've always wanted to have a running coach (because sometimes I have no idea what I’m doing when I’m training for races!) and what better group to train with than one run by Jared Ward?!? Within the first week of being part of the team, I was blown away with how involved in the entire training and coaching process he was. We had several group training phone calls with Jared throughout the Summer and they covered topics like Nutrition, Recovery, and Injury Prevention (along with a way for you to submit questions to them!).

I had A LOT going on during my B2B training-moving to Maine from Colorado, beginning Nursing School, planning a wedding, commuting 2 hours a day to school and back (4 days a week), and lots of family visiting on the weekends. I knew that training would be a challenge, but that is one of the main foundations for the Endure Strong team- we are all busy, but we also want to help you achieve your goals (Jared is the perfect example of someone who is crazy busy, but still manages to crush his running goals)!

I had wanted to PR in the 10k (my previous PR was 55:00), but also knew that after training for my 50 miler getting speed back was going to be an issue. With the training program, you get 2 runs emailed to you each morning (one for that day and one for the upcoming day). I had one day a week as my rest day and averaged around 30-35 miles. I will honestly say that I did NOT follow the training plan to a “T” because I was still recovering from my 50 miler/had a million life stresses and wanted to take that as a priority, so I was not 100% sure that hitting a sub-50 minute 10k would even be in my wheel house.

I did, however, feel prepared and excited for race day thanks to the Endure Strong training plan and supportive atmosphere of the team! You can read more about how big a PR my Beach to Beacon race was here, but I know I wouldn’t have been able to quickly bounce-back post-50 unless I had the Endure Strong team behind me.

Cheers to new PRs and hoping that I get another awesome opportunity to be a part of the Endure Strong training team again really soon! You can check out some of my apparel and race discounts from being a Bib Rave Pro HERE

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Ever train with a running team before? How were your experiences?!?

Favorite male and female pro runner?!

Ever really ‘raced’ a 10k? How’d it go?

Race Recap, Life Updates, and What's Next?

August 08, 2019 by Stacy McAllister in goal setting, outdoor, Nursing School

I’M BACK! Life has been absolutely crazy these past 5 weeks including 6 final exams, a 10k race, goal setting for the Fall, and researching a million different wedding venues.

You can find my Beach to Beacon 10k Race Recap HERE.

It’s also included a whole lot of ice cream because- SUMMER. Maine/New Hampshire friends -> Sherman’s Farm is a MUST for both ice cream and fresh veggies/ produce. Such a nice little New England luxury we have so close to home!

I’ve also been brainstorming a lot on what my next goals for running are. I love a good challenge, so I decided to take my next ‘big thing’ to train for to my social feeds and the result was…unexpected…scary….exhilarating to think about!

SO I’ve been researching 100 mile races and tentatively might have found one. Still deciding, but it’s also been pretty fun to break out my road bike and get in some cardio in a different aspect of training too.

I really like the idea of doing an ironman, but also really love the idea of trying to complete a 100 miler. I already have everything I need for the 100 and I could do the same 50 miler I did this year as a good training part for the 100. I’m still debating it, but thinking my ironman dreams may be going on the back burner for a little bit.

Speaking of going on a back burner - that also includes Netflix, casual reading (unless the 3 pages I make it through before bed), and cooking from scratch has all been put on the back burner as well. I’ve been all about studying, schoolwork, teaching skating, and trying to still move in to our house in my spare time! I’m down to 3 classes now (all online), so I’m not commuting at the moment (normally I was commuting 1 hr each way 4 times a week)- which definitely saves me a lot of time. My classes will end in 2 weeks and then I’ll have a week off before my Fall classes begin (three semesters LEFT!). It’s exciting to think that my hardest semester will be behind me once these end (this summer I’ve heard is the most challenging).

SPEAKING of goals- I think I’ll need a whole lot more of THESE from our local Country Market (they have the most amazing organic products for $2 or $3!!) to help me reach my next upcoming Fall races!

I signed up for my next two races yesterday, so it’s official! I did need to drop out of the Chicago Marathon because it just was not feasible considering my schooling schedule right now. I would want to spend a few days exploring the city post-race and purchase all of the race merchandise, which it wouldn’t have happened had I gone there this year. I know my time will come and it will be amazing. I’ve got the White Mountain Milers Half Marathon coming up next month (it’s our local half marathon, so I HAD to do it) and then I’ve got the Loco Marathon (!!!) at the end of October (it’s another relatively local race and perfect time of year). It feels so good to have some ‘concrete’ set goals for the Fall because it helps take my mind off of the schooling I have! It’s also nice to look forward to something other than classes/studying.

My HOPE is to get back on track with blogging (I think this should be more feasible considering my upcoming class schedule) in the near future. I love this space and hope to continue to improve and tailor it to my interests in the future.

On the wedding planning front- we’re BACK to finding a venue. We had originally found one, picked a date, and was getting ready to sign the contract when some red flags on the contract came up. There were a bunch of unexplained fees and items that were not discussed during the tour, so we decided to not go with it. SO unfortunately we’re back to trying to find something within our budget, researching a million different options, and trying to keep our spirits up that we will find the perfect spot soon. I have to admit that it felt REALLY GOOD when we did find something and had a date set, so I’m sure we’ll feel much more relieved when our time does come.

Anyways enough about me, what’s new with YOU?

-Favorite thing about Summer?

-Any nurses out there have any Pharmacology/ Pathophysiology tips?

-Favorite snack while marathon training?