Yep, I ran 26.2 miles. It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t fast, and there may have been some walking involved, but I crossed the finish line after 16 weeks of a regimented training schedule. Let’s start from the beginning. (This post is a long one.)

The Before
The last two years, I’ve run the Pittsburgh Half Marathon. I got really nervous the night before. Well for the full, the nerves kicked in about five days prior. I was on pins and needles all week. Nervous, excited, scared out of my mind, etc. But I tried to rest up, drink a lot (water, that is), and try to focus on the end goal. Watching this video didn’t help. It made the race seem so much longer. Thanks for scaring me, Russell.

I hit up the marathon expo Friday night after work. It’s funny, but as soon as I saw that green bib, I felt like I was the shit. The half people always get the white bibs, so for the last two years when I lined up in my corral on race day and saw those in green bibs, I was in awe. “Wow, they’re about to run a marathon,” I thought. Well, I felt so proud when I was handed MY green bib. And you betcha I waved that sucker around the expo. Ain’t no shame.

Saturday I woke up and watched some Saved by the Bell to keep my mind from not freaking out. Watching Lisa and Screech do “The Sprain” is quite calming. I ate some carbs, chugged some water, then hit up a high school track for a quick, flat two-mile run. At the track, I went sans Garmin and iPod and just listened to myself BREATHE. Something all runners who are gadget-obsessed like me need to stop and do once in awhile. A nice older gentlemen asked me how I was doing while I passed him. I replied, “I’m good….I’m running the marathon tomorrow!” I had to stop myself from telling the high school cashier checking me out at Rite Aid shortly after when I bought Gatorade. “Not everyone cares,” I told myself.

Saturday night my mom made me a lovely spread of pasta, bread, chicken cutlets, salad, and peanut butter pie. Ah yeah. I couldn’t really sit still. I finalized my playlist, watched Rocky (I’m such a dork), and finally went to bed at 11. I was WAY too wound up to go to bed any earlier. Surprisingly enough, I fell asleep right away and slept soundly the whole night. This is not typical for me the night before a race, as I’m usually up every hour making sure I didn’t sleep through the 12 alarms I set.

Race Day
HELLS yeahhhhh, it’s marathon day! I woke up Sunday morning ready. I had plenty of time to put on my clothes, eat some toast and peanut butter, and listen to some George Michael. My friend Autumn and I were downtown and parked by 6:30, despite one wrong turn, so we had plenty of time to pee, stretch, drink water and eat a banana before we lined up. I will not reveal our secret bathroom spot on this blog so the rest of Pittsburgh doesn’t know our secret for next year. I don’t want to wait in those dang porta-potty lines, darnit!

At 7:15, we took our spot in Corral D. We were supposed to be in E, but that felt too far back. Sorry, I break rules. Next time I do a race I am just going to lie about my time on the form so I’m put up higher. Hehehe. Anyways, as we were standing waiting to run, my high school lacrosse coach “Big E” just so happened to be standing next to me! He was doing the half. It was so great to see him after 10 years. Small world to see him out of the 25,000 other runners. After the national anthem, at 7:30, we were off! It was time to start this thing.

The first few miles, as always, were a breeze. I looked up at the sky and thought, “Holy shit, I’m running a marathon! Check me out in my green bib!” (Side note: Sorry for the potty mouth in this post, but running makes me swear.) The beginning of the Pittsburgh Marathon is in the Strip District. At about mile 1.5 we saw the mile 25 sign and I jokingly said, “Almost done!” We’d be back in the Strip soon enough for that very mile marker, and I couldn’t help but think how the hell I’d feel then. But I snapped out of it and ran the mile I was in. I was surpsied at the Strip this year. It was pretty sparse compared to years past, especially as we turned the corner on the 16th street bridge. It wasn’t as crowded, and people were quiet. I wanted to be like, “Um, hello people! We’re running over here! Make some noiiiiissssee!”

Anyways, we passed into the North Side and I put my iPod on for the first time. I started with Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.” Extremely upbeat and fitting for running the Pittsburgh Marathon. (My music strategy for the marathon was to turn it down a lot to hear the crowds and bands. I’ll talk more about certain songs throughout this post, and my exact playlist is at the bottom.)

When we ran down the 9th street bridge and onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard, THEN the crowd picked up. There were crowds and cheering on that street, and turning onto the 7th street bridge as well. People were lined up and cheering. I LOVED it. Here’s where I saw three amazing signs: 1) “Your training lasted longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage.” 2) Picture of the “Riduculously Photogenic Guy” and 3) A Ryan Gosling “Hey Girl” sign. Something about it being OK you can’t fit it in your skinny jeans because your muscles are so ripped from running.

I even spotted my parents here for the first time. Here’s the amazing sign they made me:

Side note: My dad said so many people yelled, “Go Steelers!” and “Defense!” when they ran past. Um, people you are running, there is no fence sign next to it. We are not at a football game. Damn yinzers.

Back in the North Side, I spotted my friend Emily. Her sign said “Run Like a Boss.” LOVE her. Before we knew it, we were crossing the 10K mark and into the West End Bridge. We hit the 10K mark in 1 hour flat with a 9:42 average pace. “Wow!” I thought. “At this point last year, I was feeling tired. Now, fine.” My how things changed. We crossed into West End which is always a fun place, and we were off to Carson Street. West Carson always sucks for me. I hate this road. There’s really nothing on it. But once you hit Station Square, crowds formed, relays switched, and lots of action. I high-fived some kiddos, and we were in the South Side. Me and Autumn decided to pee here since the porta-potties were open and we had to go. We were done in 30 seconds flat. And then, the split. This was another key moment for me. In years past, this is the place I split from the marathoners as a halfy (I just made that word up), and watched them go on their merry way. This year, it was ME who was going on my merry way. This was it. We split from the half at the Birmingham Bridge, and mentally I thought this is where the race really begins. At the end of the Birmingham Bridge, I spotted my parents again. I was still in great spirits, then we turned the corner to the death hill going into Oakland. If you don’t know about this hill, it’s the worst incline of the whole race. I don’t know how long it is, maybe a half mile? But it sucks. I blasted some Britney “‘Til the World Ends” and just ran it. Autumn was suffering here from the HEAT, so this is where she demanded asked for water from a random bystander not running. Love it, Autumn. We approached Craig Street in Oakland, and hit the 13.1 mile mark at 2:13, with an average pace of 10:12. Not too shabby, but slowed slightly.

The Second Half
When we turned on Fifth Avenue right into Shadyside, Autumn and I lost each other for a bit. She was feeling sick, and I couldn’t slow down because I wouldn’t be able to start again! I made sure she was OK, and kept going. This is when I started to feel HOT. The temps in Pittsburgh were easily at 80 degrees at this point, so I needed to make sure I drank enough. I opted for Gatorade at each water station. I turned on Walnut Street in Shadyside and then back up Fifth again. This is where homeowners busted their hoses out and just sprayed the runners. These people were a Godsend. Thank you, thank you!! I spotted my friend Anna on Fifth, gave her a high five, and kept going. This is when I started to walk a bit. I was feeling extremely hot, so I wanted to pace myself. No sense in overdoing it and hurting myself, especially when I saw more and more people passed out on the side of the road. On the border of Shadyside and Point Breeze, I saw my boyfriend’s aunt. I gave her a hug, since this is when my emotions started going all over the place. Running a marathon makes one bi-polar. I was on a happy high, then saw her, and started to cry a little. Not because I was sad, but because I was really doing this. Point Breeze was when I had to stop and stretch for a quick moment, but was then back at it.

And then there was Homewood. Somewhere we skipped on our previous 20-miler. I didn’t know what to expect, but Homewood was AWESOME. First of all, they were handing out all kinds of stuff. Some woman gave me ice water. ICE WATER! As hot as I was, this was like gold. I made sure to hang on to it and sip it slowly. Then I heard the Electric Slide being played. Had I not been running a marathon, I’d of definitely stopped and danced. But alas, I had lots more miles to run, so I kept going. Here’s where Autumn caught back up to me, and then left me in the dust! This happens every time — she speeds up, and I slow down. I was glad she was OK. She said the orange slices people were handing out were her Godsend. Yay! Anyways, Autumn went on her way and I was not far behind when the Cupid Shuffle came on my iPod. I realize this song is old and overplayed at weddings, but my God do I love it. And with that, I was running and dancing. Yes, I’m a weirdo. But music helps push me when I need that boost on a long run. I ran with my legs and danced with my upper body. Wish I had a video of that. A little ways down the road, my friend Julie came and ran with me for a minute or two. I spotted Julie a few times on the course and she was awesome being all over the place! Thanks for being a great cheerleader for us, Julie! The final part of Homewood included firemen opening a fire hydrant for us runners to get a quick spritz. I proceeded to say “Heeey Firemen!” when I ran past. I just couldn’t resist; one was really cute. I can’t help but checking out a hot fireman.

Soon I was in Highland Park. I was struggling a bit, but then I hit the 20 mile mark (in 3:44; average pace 11:14). This snapped me out of my struggle, because I had never passed 20 miles before. This was the unknown, and that last 10K I had thought so much about. This is it! I even heard “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction here. Love me some underage boy bands. That song is so fun, and uplifting. So the combination of that song and the 20-mile mark had me yell to the crowd, “I’m running a marathon!!” They loved it and cheered.

Well that didn’t last long. I was walking again. “Am I in effing Bloomfield yet??” I thought. I hated running. “What mile am I at?” “I need some more ice water.” “I should NOT have started walking.” These thoughts were in my head. One thing about running that long is in my opinion, walking just makes things worse. When I stop running after a long distance, then I start to get sore. I knew this from my previous long runs so I kept my walking to a minimum. Walking in the marathon made me get sore too soon, so when I started back to running, my whole body hurt. But it was too late, I had already walk/ran, and I would just continue this and just try to run as much as possible for the rest of the time. FINALLY, I passed through Friendship and was on Liberty Avenue again. “Two more neighborhoods to go!”  I told myself. But wait — there’s another hill. EFF.

Going into Bloomfield is one hell of a hill. This is the third place I saw my parents. Later they told me every.single.person just looked completely miserable here. Most were red faced and either walking or slow jogging. The sun was beating down on me, and when I saw my parents from a distance, the crying started again. I just wanted to be done. I saw them and said, “This f*cking sucks.” I don’t typically drop f-bombs in front of my parents, but it was needed. They gave me some words of encouragement, and I was running again. Then, Journey came on my iPod. You may remember from my 20-miler that “Don’t Stop Believing” was the song I belted out loud the last time I ran through Bloomfield on the last leg of my run. It was perfect timing and made me smile. One foot in front of the other, I had made it to the downhill leg of Bloomfield. When I skipped ahead to the next song, another perfect fit was there. “‘Til I Collapse” by Eminem. My iPod was on shuffle, so it’s like it KNEW I had only a 5K left to go. As I approached the Strip, I told myself I had 2 or 3 more miles ago. That typically helps me, but at this moment it felt like that was still an incredible distance. My legs hurt. I was overheated, I’d been running for over 4 hours. I needed something. And at mile 24, I saw my boyfriend Dave. I had strategically placed him here, because I knew I’d need to see him for that last push of encouragement. I gave him a kiss, and kept going. I saw that mile 25 sign again. I was back in the Strip. “Just keep going,” was all I could think.

And then I was downtown. “No walking allowed” I told myself. The Pittsburgh Polka came on, again, how fitting. I listened to it for about a minute and then shut off the music. I wanted to hear the last mile. Just a quick note here — starting at 13.1 miles, I switched my Garmin so I could not see my pace and time. Mentally, I knew that 12:30 would be the 5-hour mark. I wanted to beat 5 hours, but once I was around mile 22, I couldn’t care less about my time or pace. I don’t know if it helped or hurt me not being able to see my pace, but I just wanted to run and finish. When I saw 12:30 came and went, I knew I didn’t do it, but when that finish line was in sight, it didn’t matter. I saw a guy snatch up his little boy, and carry him to the finish line so he could  be with his dad for the finish. It was the cutest. The crowd cheered, and I passed the finish line at 12:47 pm, in 5:09:26; average pace 11:48.

I DID IT! It was over. The misery ended. I got my medal. I was a marathoner.

The Aftermath
After the race, I tried to drink a lot of fluids. We went to brunch afterwards, but I could barely eat. It’s funny, you run 26.2 miles, but aren’t hungry. I think  your body is just all of of whack at that point. I barely ate the rest of the day, but the next day my hunger kicked in. I was also incredibly sore the rest of the day, and until about the Thursday after the race. I didn’t do any physical activity until the next Monday (a week later), where I did Autumn’s spin class. My black blister is finally gone as well, in case anyone is dying to know. And then there’s this on the back of my car:

It’s been exactly two weeks since the marathon, and two weeks since I’ve run. I’m not itching to get back just yet; but I know in the next week or so I’ll lace up my tennis shoes for a quick run. I love running, I just don’t love that rigorous of training. However, I will do another marathon. I said all along I didn’t know if I would, then I was a definite no, but now that I’ve run one, I want to do it all again so I have a better run. No walking. Or at least, very minimal walking. I should have definitely beat 5 hours. 11:48 pace is just not good for me personally. I know I’m not fast, but my pace should have been in the 10s. And that my friends, is the curse of the marathon bug.

What’s Next
No training for a while. I need to look ahead at races, but I’d love to do another half and beat 2 hours (my current PR is 2:03). I’d also love to do a fall race. Maybe in another city (that’s flatter). I’m not sure if I’ll do Pittsburgh next spring. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this race and this city, but I actually think I’d love to be a spectator. I have a really good sign I want to make! Maybe fall 2013 I will do my second full. But I don’t want to put pressure on myself. Marathon training is an investment in your time, body and spirit, so I want to make sure I’m fully ready. So for the time being, I’ll do a few 5Ks and just live life. My next 5k will be in August at North Park in Pittsburgh for the Sweet Summertime Sprint in memory of Michael Czerwien. Read his story and run it!

And for all you “halfies” contemplating if you should do a full or not: JUST DO IT. You’ll never regret running a marathon.

And now, the playlist, in 3 parts because it was SO LONG. My motto is put more songs on your playlist than you think you’ll be running in case you have an urge to skip a lot. I probably listened to about 40 songs since I paused my iPod quite a lot:

Past recaps:
Week 15
Weeks 13 & 14
Week 12
Week 11
Week 10
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Pre-training post with my 16-week training schedule

IT’S TIME TO RUN A MARATHON, BABY!

How I’m preparing:
Putting in the final miles (3 & 5 this past Saturday and Sunday; 3 this Tuesday, 3 Thursday, 2 Saturday).
Broke in my new marathon outfit this past weekend with a test run.
Gave myself a bright pink mani to have something pretty to look at.
Drinking lots and lots and lots of water and Nuun (no pop or alcohol this week).
Daily RICE-ing.
Getting lots of sleep.
Visualizing a great race.
Going to the marathon expo Friday night, getting everything laid out Saturday.
Carbo-loading, but not over-loading (including my mom’s pasta Saturday night).
Creating the most important playlist ever.
Tweeting motivational songs all week.

See you at the start line on Sunday!!! Last words? I am going to make this marathon my bitch!

Past recaps:
Weeks 13 & 14
Week 12
Week 11
Week 10
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Pre-training post with my 16-week training schedule

Some highlights:

On what you can do in the first few days of your internship that can make a great impression:

• “If they don’t give you an internship job description and/or goals, volunteer to work with them to develop.” - @KellyeCrane
• “This is your career, come to work everyday as though it was your permanent position. Many of our ACs started as our intern.” - @AbbieF

On what else students can do to get experience if they don’t have an internship this summer:

• “Most nonprofits need PR help & will gladly accept your services. Also, job shadow!” - @nikki_little
• “If you didn’t land a formal internship, make one up. Volunteer for a nonprofit, government group or event.” - @SydneyAyers

On ideal qualifications students can pull from their internships for their resumes:

• “Try to take away some biz results you played a part in generating. Always impressive.” - @arikhanson
• ”Self-starter, able to manage multiple projects at one time, solid research and writing experience.” – @sjplatte

Internship Opps:

• “Lots of AMAZING internships at my company, @2tor, in NYC and MD. Check ‘em out: http://2tor.com/careers” – @ericajmoss
• “PR Intern at Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, FL http://footballjobs.teamworkonline.com/teamwork/r.cfm?i=44448” - @dr_tindall
• “American Cancer Society needs #pr / #marketing internshttp://bit.ly/IoXI1z”  - @MarketJobsUSA
• “College grads looking for internships, Beehive is hiring an intern mid-summer for a 6 mo. PAID position. Info @ http://is.gd/zK3gqj” - @beehivepr

The overall takeaway of the chat was this: You have to WANT it, to make it. If you show up early and eager every day to your internship, ready to take it all in and even tackle projects on your own (sometimes without being asked), then you’re going to succeed. Whether it’s volunteering for a non-profit, or interning at an agency, paid or unpaid, your enthusiasm and hard work will shine if you let it.

Wanna view the whole transcript? It’s below (there are a LOT of pages since this is an ongoing hashtag, but lots of great stuff in there, including more tweets of job openings). Good luck to all interns this summer! ROCK IT.

Image source.

April showers bring May marathons.

Based upon my (almost non-existent) marathon training recaps from the past couple weeks, especially my last recap, it appears as if I’ve fallen off the training wagon. Well, I have. Sort of. The blog post recap wagon. Rest assured, I’ve been running away, I just have not blogged about it. Shame on me. But I suppose that’s what happens when you have a busy, full-time job, commute, life obligations and crazy miles to put in. Plus, I tweeted about running, so that counts, right?

Also, a little birdie blog reader (ahem, Dave), told me that these recaps are boring and include too many technical details. Point taken. But I did that to keep myself accountable and have something to read back so I can determine good and bad weeks to help my training. So without further ado, here’s a quick recap of the last two weeks (lazy putting two weeks into one recap, I know), then some fun motivational stuff so Dave can enjoy my blog again (in case you’re wondering, that would be my boyfriend).

Week 13: 20-MILER WEEK!
Week 12 had me all kinds of angry. I just was not into running. So my running buddy Autumn and I declared Week 13 “No negative talk week,” and it actually worked! We got excited about our 20-miler. After all, if you’re not excited to run the second-most-important-run of your marathon training, how are you going to get through it? Or run 26.2 miles? So we got up early, early (my alarm went off at 4:30), and were downtown and ready to run by 6:30, finished well before 10:30. What a difference from the previous week. I cannot encourage other runners enough to get their long runs in EARLY on the weekends. Something I didn’t do enough over the last 14 weeks. It’s cooler, quieter, less congested, and just easier. Plus, most races take place early in the morning so it puts you in that mindset.

Another huge game-changer this week was our water belts. Again, if you’re serious about running, and are putting in more than 10 miles during a run, these are awesome. We got these Nathan water belts. These were quite the gem since we had our water (and Gatorade) on us so we didn’t have to stop for water and had hydration at our disposal. Here’s all the snacks I packed for our trek:

I packed lots of liquids, plus post-run goodies to replicate what regular races give out after.

20-miler splits:

I definitely hit a wall at 16, but my trick was I literally belted out Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” as I ran. No, really. I’m glad no one was really around, but I passed by so many houses SOMEONE had to have heard me. I didn’t care though because it helped. My goal for marathon day is to maintain my pace as much as possible. I have a tendency to get slow the second half. It should be reversed. Total time = 3:38:32 (Garmin said 21 miles but since it’s sometimes a bit slower than race time, I gave myself 1 more mile. That will help mentally on race day, too).

Week 14: Taper time begins.
Ask me last year if I thought 10 miles meant tapering, and I’d of laughed in your face. This year, 10 miles feels something like a breeze. It’s amazing how your body adapts. On the contrary, ask me this July to run 10 miles and again, I’ll laugh in your face. This time because I will not be in marathon shape! I’m planning on taking my running down a notch for the summer. And to drink pina coladas poolside. But that’s neither here nor there.

Let’s talk motivation.
Since week 1, I wondered how I’d get through my training. The physical is hard enough with my aches and pains (and now blisters). However, I’ve made it. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a few more short runs to go, then it’s D-Day. There have been quite a few days where the last thing I want to do is run, even days when I question my decision to train for a marathon and give up. But then I think to myself, “How many people can say they’ve ran a marathon?” Not too many. I am not the most in-shape person ever by any stretch. And I am not fast. But I ran 20 miles, (only stopping about 4 minutes total to walk) and I’m confident I’ll run the whole thing. And that visualizing of running a marathon gets me PUMPED. Or “jazzed” as Autumn likes to say. Here’s a few other things that get me pazzed (new word, combination of the two, make that Twitter trend):

Music

Listen to the words. And that intro, epic.

Again, it’s all about the lyrics. That beginning part and the chorus is too good. Anything Eminem gets me pumped up, really.

Call me corny, but I LOVE THIS SONG. Last year at the half marathon I crossed the finish line to it. Plus, Pittsburgh is in the beginning of it, so I mean that gives it much credibility.

Ah yes, the song I belted. Honestly, whatever works to get you through a long run, even if it means singing out loud. Just don’t annoy people running next to you. Does anyone else think of Lauren and Stephen a la Laguna Beach when they hear this song? No, just me?

This song used to be my pump up song for college lacrosse games. It still resonates with me and makes me think of running down the field, scoring goals…and parties afterwards.

There’s many more songs that get me pumped. Visit my playlists page to check them out. I’ll be sharing my marathon playlist after the fact.

Documentaries/TV Shows/Movies
 Have Netflix or Hulu? Do yourself a favor and watch Spirit of the Marathon. You’ll root for the people along the way (and some may even annoy you).

While you’re on Netflix, get some episodes of the Biggest Loser. Their marathon running is pretty inspirational.

How can you not watch the original Rocky training montage and NOT feel motivated? It’s so amazing, YouTube won’t even let me embed it. Click here to watch the glory. Watch the entire movie, too. Especially when he tries the run the first time and fails. Awesome. Or just watch any of the epic 80s training montages from any Rocky movie. Oh yes.

Finally, one of my all-time favorite movies, Forrest Gump, has some of the best running scenes ever. From “Run, Forrest, Run!” to when he was a college football player to when he decided to just run across the country and back. “I was running.” Plus that movie has some good tunes. Watch this scene, for no particular reason.

For the ladies

I always loved this Nike ad from the 90s. What gets me motivated is thinking about how women were at one time not allowed to play sports (among other things). And I certainly love the story of Kathrine Switzer

Read the full story, “The Girl Who Started It All,” on Runner’s World. 

If all else fails, do a Pinterest search of motivational running quotes. There’s some good ones there, like this:

OK, so I’m officially “pazzed,” are you? Less than two weeks ’til marathon time!

Past recaps:
Week 12
Week 11
Week 10
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Pre-training post with my 16-week training schedule

In this chat, we’ll be talking to students and professionals alike to discuss tips for upcoming interns not only to succeed, but also to rock their upcoming summer internship. If students don’t have an internship lined up yet, no sweat! We’ll also be discussing last-minute internship opportunities to snatch up, plus tips on alternative ways to gain experience this summer. We’d love input from all ages and skill levels from both a student AND a professional perspective.

The details:
Who: PR and communication pros, students and recent grads
What: HAPPO Chat: Tips to Rock Your Summer Internship
Where: Anywhere you have access to Twitter! At your desk or on your phone
When: Thursday, April 26 from 2-3 p.m. ET
Why: We all want our up and coming pros to succeed — and the first step is that summer internship!
How: Follow me on Twitter (@dferrari), as I’ll be moderating this chat. I’ll be putting out a series of six questions (starting with Q1, Q2, etc.). Also — follow the hashtag #HAPPO and tag each tweet with this hashtag so you can easily follow along and folks can follow you. Stick to answering the questions, but also feel free to build off of them with conversation of your own with other folks tweeting. Just stay on topic!

Questions? Email me: deannaferrari@gmail.com.

See you next Thursday!

About HAPPO:
Help a PR Pro Out is a movement that seeks to use social media to leverage relationships and help connect those seeking a job in the PR industry with employers. It’s lead by co-founders Arik Hanson and Valerie Simon.

How I’m feeling this week:
Pretty bad. I am incredibly sore and tired. Running is starting to become a chore rather than something I enjoy. At least for this week anyway. 

What I ran this week:

• Tuesday, 4/3: 5.00 miles, 1:01:55 (12:18 average pace), road (including 1 mile walking)
• Saturday, 4/7: 15.33 miles, 2:40:28 (10:25 average pace), road (marathon course)

TOTAL: 20.34 miles, 3:42:22 (slightly behind my training schedule but still on track)

 LONG RUN SPLITS:

How I cross-trained this week: None

What I ate this week: Same routine, but definitely not enough hydration.

Roadblocks this week:
The mental is far outweighing the physical at this point in training. I’ve been devoting my life to running for 12 weeks, so it’s hard to stay focused. The pain is also tough to run through, too. But, week 13 (my current week), is all about the positive thinking and motivation to get through my 20-miler this Sunday.

Goals for the week ahead:
Of course, cross train. This is a weekly battle. But more importantly, take better care of myself, and get my mind in the game.

Past recaps:
Week 11
Week 10
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Pre-training post with my 16-week training schedule

Now that I’m training for a marathon, new music and a good playlist (or a few) is more important than ever. I’ve been doing a lot of long runs with a friend, so sometimes I forgo my iPod altogether and talk, but sometimes you just need music to pump you up. Especially those last few miles. Even if you’re not training for a marathon, it’s good to have some good tunes to soundtrack your run or other workout of choice. Here’s the next installment of songs to run to. Visit the links below to listen to more of my playlists, and to listen to this rightthissecond on Spotify.

Higher (Jody Den Broeder Radio) – Taio Cruz
Uprising – Muse
Where Them Girls At – David Guetta
In the Name of Love – Bob Sinclair
Wild Ones – Flo Rida featuring Sia
Express Yourself – Madonna
Little Bad Girl – David Guetta
The Motto – Drake
Bangarang – Skillrex
Starships – Nicki Minaj
Vibrant Thing (Club Mix) – Q-Tip
How I Roll – Britney Spears
Don’t Wanna Go Home – Jason DeRulo
Glad You Came – The Wanted
Ghostwriter – RJD2
Work Out – J Cole
Don’t Stop The Party – Black Eyed Peas
Star To Fall – Cabin Crew
Can’t Get You Out Of My Head – Kylie Minogue
Freedom! ’90 – George Michael
Rumour Has it – Adele
Rock the Casbah – The Clash
Helena Beat – Foster the People
Walking on a Dream – Empire of the Sun
Feel So Close – Calvin Harris
Slight Work – Wale
Everybody Movin’ – Bob Sinclair
You Don’t Know (Dub Mix) – GLOW and Oliver Lang
In My Head – Jason DeRulo
Lookin’ Fly – Murs (f/will.i.am)
Good Girl – Carrie Underwood
Ayy Ladies – Travis Porter (f/ Tyga)
Can’t Get Enough – J Cole
Dance (A*$) Remix – Big Sean
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ – Michael Jackson
Stronger – Kanye West
Hypnotize – Biggie
Just a Girl – No Doubt
Bye, Bye, Bye – NSYNC
Star To Fall – Cabin Crew
Sweet Disposition – The Temper Trap
Boyfriend – Justin Bieber

Listen to this now on Spotify.
Visit my playlists page for parts I-VI.

How I’m feeling this week:
IN PAIN. I’m not going to sugar-coat it. Last week’s soreness just turned into straight-up pain. It’s not the kind of pain where I need to see a doctor and stop running or anything. My legs and hips just hurt. I wake up in the morning and feel stiff. Driving hurts my hips. My shins randomly have sharp pains in them. However, it’s nothing a little ice and stretching can’t fix. Plus more running. Surprisingly, once I start running and hit about mile 4, I feel good. Until that is I hit about mile 14, then the real fun happens…more pain!

What I ran this week:

• Tuesday, 3/27: 5.01 miles, 50:56 (10:10 average pace), treadmill (including 10 minutes TUT – 4.5 incline)
• Thursday, 3/29: 8.65 miles, 1:33:48 (10:47 average pace), rolling roads (including part of marathon course)
• Saturday, 3/31: 19.59 miles (Garmin), 3:15:41 (9:59 average pace), rolling roads (North Park Lake Loop for Just a Short Run). In actuality, it was 18.6 miles so my Garmin is just a bit off.

TOTAL: 33.24 miles, 5:40:25 (on par with my training schedule)

 LONG RUN SPLITS:

My splits were a little all over the place, but I was glad not to have any mile over 11 minutes, even when I hit the wall at about mile 15ish.

How I cross-trained this week:
60 minutes hot vinyasa yoga
15 minutes Nike Training Club app – core burner
Stretching, stretching, and more stretching — although I don’t believe that’s technically cross training

What I ate:
Day Before:
Breakfast:
Bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with half a banana and blueberries
Coffee

Lunch:
Slice of pizza
Broccoli
Quinoa

Happy Hour:
1 Stella Artois (hydration and carbs, I swear!)

Dinner:
2 breadsticks
Lots of salad
Pasta with shrimp and peppers
(Olive Garden, baby!)

+lots of water all day

Long run day:
Breakfast:
Bagel with sunflower butter
1.5 cups of coffee
Banana
Water

During the run:
Water
Gatorade
1 Gu (chocolate w/ caffeine)
(I drank water or Gatorade at about every other aide station)

Immediately after run:
Water
Half of a banana
Chex Mix

After run breakfast/lunch/whatever you want to call it:
Chocolate milk
Water
Turkey sausage
French Toast
Some loaded cheese fries

Dinner:
3 beers (oops)
Bacon cheeseburger
Some potato skins

Clearly I was NOT thinking healthy after the run. But I ran 18 miles…

Roadblocks this week:
The pain is definitely a roadblock. Both during the week and during my long run. But I managed to meet my training plan this week as I should.

Goals for the week ahead:
My goal last week was to increase the cross training, but with all the running I’m doing plus working and having a life, it’s tough. I think one class per week, whether it be yoga or spinning, plus some at-home stuff is doable for me and my schedule. So my goal this week is to maintain that cross training. I also hope to have my soreness from yesterday’s run be gone by Tuesday. I scheduled a sports massage at Verve Wellness Salon tomorrow to help this!

This week’s running topic: Let’s talk about long runs
So let’s talk in more detail about yesterday’s race. It was definitely a good practice for d-day, a.k.a the marathon. I highly recommend if you’re training for a race to participate in a “trial run” before your race day. Yesterday, runners had the option of doing a 5K, 8.1 mile run, half marathon, or 30K, so no matter what level you were at, you could run. I did 15 miles the other week, so this run was now my longest yet. Two things I learned: I need to get myself better mentally in the game and I need to intake more during the long runs.

The mental: Because there was so many different lengths of runs yesterday, people were finishing before me left and right. This was hard to see. I still had 10 more miles to go, yet so many people were done and walking past me. Also, since we had to loop North Park three times, I crossed the finish line two times before my actual finish. Again, not something good to see mentally. It psyched me out a bit. Once we crossed the half marathon threshold, I did the next mile just fine, then sort of hit the wall. I was hurting, and felt like my legs were going to give out. I ran with Autumn and Russell, and they continued the pace, while I slowed down because I was in pain. I was mentally thinking “I just want to stop. I want to go home and take a shower and lay down.” Finally, when they were ahead of me and we only had about two more miles to run, I snapped myself out of it, got positive, and finished. I need to think more positive on my next long runs and be more mentally tough, and this should help me run strong.

The intake: I only took 1 Gu the entire race yesterday. Not good. When you’re running for that long, your body needs more calories to stay strong. I literally felt Charlie Horses in my legs when I was hitting the wall. I felt like they were going to give out. I knew I needed more gel, but I just didn’t want to reach into my Spibelt and get it.  No excuses next time. I need those calories. They could have helped me for the last leg of the race. I need to take at least 3 Gus for my 20-miler, and then 4 for the marathon itself.

Next up — dropping down to about 15, 16 miles for my next long run, then in 2 weeks it’s dress rehearsal with a 20-miler.

Past recaps:
Week 10
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Pre-training post with my 16-week training schedule

Tagged: Marathon training, Pittsburgh Marathon, Running ]]> http://deannaferrari.com/2012/04/01/lets-run-a-marathon-recap-week-11-of-16/feed/ 5 Deanna Just a Short Run runs week of 3/26 18.6 mile splits http://deannaferrari.com/2012/03/27/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-young-professionals/ http://deannaferrari.com/2012/03/27/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-young-professionals/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:30:47 +0000 Deanna https://deannaferrari.wordpress.com/?p=2315 ]]> When I graduated from college, I didn’t have a job. Since my junior year at Slippery Rock University, I had wanted to work in an agency and do PR. I had a very specific goal in mind, yet I was nowhere near getting it. I had one internship under my belt, but it was hardly the experience I needed that would resonate with any firm. (I worked in the promotions department of a radio station.) So I needed to get crafty. If I wanted that coveted position I yearned for, I was going to have to work extra hard. I got a job, but it wasn’t until a year and a half later that I landed an agency gig (an apprenticeship at an ad agency). This May, it’ll be six years since I graduated. In that time, I quickly climbed up the ranks and now still work in an agency, and hold a manager position. I didn’t get where I am today doing the bare minimum. I’ve worked hard in the last six years, so I wanted to share some “habits” with college students and young pros alike that can give them the boost they need to succeed.

Habit 1: Stand out
Everyone is different and unique, yet so many resumes are just ho-hum. Yes, you could have gone to a great school or did a great internship — but what sets you apart? When I applied for the apprenticeship, I did my research on the agency, learned the client roster, and brought in a press release I had written on one of the clients to my interview. Was I asked to? No. But I really wanted to show them I was a go-getter and could write well. I set myself apart. After I had been working there a few months, social media for business started to come into play. It was in its infancy, but I took an interest into learning more about it. Of course everyone knows it BLEW UP, and I was there with the knowledge, so people looked to me to know more. I ended up handling one of my client’s Twitter pages before that really became the norm, and it was the first social media initiative my agency had done. It brought revenue in, gave me this special knowledge, and catapulted me into a social media professional. I set myself apart.

Habit 2: Network
Everyone always hears they should network. Well, it’s true. My first year out of school, networking was all I could rely on to get me anywhere in my industry. In my networking, I made some connections. I just set up informal coffee sessions, or met people at their offices to talk about the industry. I’m not gonna lie, A LOT of it was a bust. It will be for you, too. However, there will be important people you meet along the way. In 2007, I met Paul Furiga, president and CEO of WordWrite Communications. His PR agency didn’t have any openings at the time, but Paul was still gracious enough to meet with me, give me advice, and help me find more networking connections. In 2009 when there was an opening at WordWrite, Paul remembered me and although I had an agency job, he reached out to me to come interview anyway. I ended up getting the job. See — networking works! And a piece of advice — don’t ever stop networking. You never know when you’ll need someone for a job, advice, a reference or just talking shop.

Habit 3: Use your current situation to your advantage
Don’t have a job? Well that gives you time to network, go to events and volunteer. Have a job you don’t like? Use your lunch break to meet professionals for lunch and network. Or start a blog to talk about your passions. Have a job you do like? Kick ass in it. Everyone has different situations. Use it to your advantage. In Habit 1, I talked about learning social media for business when it was new. Maybe your company could use someone to do extra research on a particular area, and could add that capability to their repertoire. Be the person to go the extra mile. If you want to go far, you’re going to have to work more. It’s that simple.

Habit 4: Participate
When I first started working in PR, I immediately became involved in PRSA (Public Relations Society of America) Pittsburgh. I had been involved in the student society in college, PRSSA, so I wanted to get involved again. It was a great move, because I joined a committee and got to meet lots of PR professionals from all over Pittsburgh in different areas – agencies, corporations, non-profit and solo practitioners. I quickly became a board member and have some great experience under my belt from just that organization, including event planning, judging for awards, non-profit, media relations and social media. It got me experience in addition to my job and so many more connections. Not to mention a resume boost. So get out there and participate in an organization or volunteer for a non-profit.

Habit 5: Be proactive
Did you know this is an original habit from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People? Yeah, I stole it, and the title. But it applies to young pros as well. No one ever got anywhere by just doing what they were told. You have to be proactive and bring things into your company. Perhaps it’s a vendor you noticed on Twitter, a lunch and learn you think would be beneficial, or you started a project early. I HATE it when my boss or client brings something up that I was already planning on doing. Like the status of a project or something we had talked about doing in the past. So I always try to bring it to them first, or least shoot them a quick email that says where I am with something. Also, I’m a big component of the saying, “Ask for forgiveness, not permission.” 9 times out of 10, someone will be glad you did something proactively, especially if you have the results to back it up. Just be mindful.

Habit 6: Speak up
Sometimes, you just need help. Don’t be afraid to ask for it. Maybe you don’t understand an assignment. Instead of thinking you’ll look stupid, why not just ask? I’ve wasted a lot of time not asking enough questions and having to re-do something. Get all that you need and don’t be afraid to ask. You’ll end up doing a great job if you know what’s expected. Also — if someone presents an idea and you have a different opinion on how to approach it (or additional idea) — speak up! Even if it’s to someone who habitually (no pun intended) thinks they’re always right, don’t be afraid to challenge them professionally. Just be sure to pick your battles. It’s so not worth the energy every time. And the more often you challenge, the less effective you’ll seem.

Habit 7: Keep learning
When I was little, I used to watch “Reading Rainbow” all the time with my older sister (LaVar Burton rules!). That show was so corny, but it was super entertaining AND educational. I didn’t have to watch it, but I chose to. And I’d want to read all the books they recommended. Today, I take that same approach. Yes, I’m college educated and have a job, but I want to keep learning. I want to learn about other disciplines in my agency, best practices of my industry, what other brands are doing in social, etc. I take note when I read magazines, watch commercials, and go on websites and social media to see what people are doing because that applies to my work. I try to read blogs and articles, participate in webinars and conferences, and keep learning. You should do the same, no matter what your industry. The more you know, the better you’ll become, and there’s ALWAYS more to learn.

How I’m feeling this week:
SORE. After last week’s epic 15-miler, I was feeling it for the next few days. This is what I’ve been afraid of. But since I have really improved my shin splints with RICE-ing, I intend to treat my hips the same way. Thanks to Sarah at Once Upon a Lime, I discovered some compression shorts with ice therapy, after asking anyone if there was such thing as ice pants. I can’t take an ice bath because of pure fear, and since this long distance running this has stuck with me and I intend to stick with it, I think I am going to take the plunge and invest in these pants. I’d rather have some Tori Burch flats or something, but whatever. Running is expensive, dammit.

What I ran this week:

• Tuesday, 3/20: 2.5 miles, 30:36 (12:15 average pace), hilly road (Too hilly for a recovery run coming off my 15 miler if you ask me. I was hurting)
• Saturday, 3/24: 6.21 miles (10K), 1:05:21 (10:32 average pace), treadmill with 3.o incline
• Sunday, 3/25: 5.07 miles, 48:10 (9:30 average pace), flat high school track

TOTAL: 13.78 miles, 2:24:08 (just slightly behind my training schedule but still on track)

 LONG RUN SPLITS:

Since I didn’t have a long run this weekend (per marathon training standards, at least), I’m skipping the splits this week. They’ll be back next week with a vengeance after my 18-miler.

How I cross-trained this week:
60 minutes hot vinyasa yoga
15 minutes Nike Training Club app – core burner (more on this gem later)

What I ate:
Like my splits, I won’t bother writing what I ate this week, since it was a light weekend. I did read an interesting article about marathon fueling with a Certified Sports Dietitian on Carrots ‘N Cake that’s worth a read in its place, though: http://carrotsncake.com/2011/07/marathon-fueling-q-a.html.

Roadblocks this week:
Since I was so sore from last week’s 15-miler, it caused for decreased running during the week. I cut Tuesday’s run in half, then took Thursday off to rest. It worked since the weekend runs were fine, but because I don’t want to cut too many more runs, I need to get my hips stronger.

Goals for the week ahead:
Continue the cross training momentum. This past week, I did two days of cross training, and this week my goal is to double that. I plan on going to spinning and yoga, plus do two Nike core training workouts throughout the week. Also, I need to do yoga hip openers almost every day. As I said, my hips were pretty sore coming off my long run last week, and it’s only going to get worse as the miles increase. To offset some of this, it’s stretching, opening, and icing.

This week’s running topic: Effective stretches and cross training for runners
If you’ve been reading along with me week after week, you’ve seen I’m not too good with cross training. But I have been slowly improving, and learning things along the way. First – some background. According to this Active.com article, “Some trainers and coaches recommend cross training for runners. They feel one-sport runners often are in poor skeletal shape above the waist, and could use additional workouts for better overall fitness. Secondly, they believe that running less and spending the time saved on other sports reduces the risk of the impact injuries associated with running.”

So which is best? I prefer yoga. Cycling and swimming are usually a common when I look up effective ways to cross train. I’ve been starting to incoporate spinning into the mix for this reason. I know swimming is so good for you because it’s barely any impact, but I just can’t get into it. Gym pools scare me. Maybe some day.

Some of my favorite yoga moves to help my running include: downward dog, half pigeon, frog pose, and tree pose.

As I mentioned above, I did 15 minutes of a core workout. I did it right at home on my iPad with the Nike Training Club app, something I just discovered this week. It’s got cardio workouts, weight workouts, and quick 15-minute workouts like I did to target specific regions. It’s perfect for home and traveling, not to mention it’s helping me make my core stronger for running. Win.

What are some stretches, strength training moves, or cross training exercises you do to complement your running?

Past recaps:
Week 9
Week 8
Week 7
Week 6
Week 5
Week 4
Week 3
Week 2
Week 1
Pre-training post with my 16-week training schedule

Image source.