Don’t Forget Your Fans

I write a lot of notes to all of you. This one is actually a shout out to your friends and family. Those who show up at your half marathons or marathons to support you. They cheer you on and congratulate you when you accomplish this life-changing event for which you have been training so long. They wear the neon T-shirts so you can find them, and they help us spread awareness about NF. They bundle up, find a good spot on the course and wait for quite literally hours for you to run or walk by.

I can also attest to the fact that they are, for the most part, just a little unfaithful to you too. I have caught them at almost every race cheering and encouraging thousands of runners who are ahead of you. They shout words of encouragement, ring bells and clap for hours. They even lie by telling these runners they look good, or that they’re almost done. They even cheer for those guys wearing the purple TNT shirts! Can you believe it? You should know this! Your friends and family are actually out there for hours before you get there, and probably cheering for all those people who are ahead of you. People who are going to beat you to the finish. The nerve! I hope that you will forgive them for this, but I thought that it’s my duty as your coach and director of this team to let you know what your friends and family are doing behind your back.

Honestly, I cannot say enough about the army of volunteers that I see nearly every week out there helping us spread the word about NF. Your friends and family are one amazing group of people. We all owe them so much. If you have never stood and watched a marathon waiting for a special someone, you should. It’s hard! I mean really hard. Your feet will hurt. Your hands will hurt. Your back will start to ache. You’ll get cold. Your kids will get cranky. I’m not downplaying the effort you’re putting forth. I know it’s probably the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but please know that your support crew is out there giving up their day to stand in the cold, or rain, or snow, or sometimes when we’re really lucky, sunshine, for you.

Thank them! I can’t tell you how many times I stand with families waiting for one of our teammates to come by so they can holler at the top of their lungs, jump up and down in congratulation, only to see their runner nod at them or quickly wave at them. Or, the runner throws a piece of sweaty clothing at them and then goes on plugging away towards that finish line.

Folks, I’ve got some news for you. You are probably not going to win the event. If you think you have a chance, by all means pass your family by without looking back. Don’t wave, don’t high five them, and don’t even say, “hi.” But for the rest of you, (I’d say the other 99.99% of you) take some time to acknowledge those waiting for you. High five them, stop for a picture, and give ‘em a big old sweaty hug. (Little sisters especially enjoy that big old sweaty hug.) I know you can’t stay long. You shouldn’t. BUT, take a few seconds to acknowledge those heroes who are there for you.

And another thing… You’ve trained a long time for that event. You’ve gotten up when you didn’t want to. You’ve done the long runs in the rain. You’ve done your part to get yourself to a point where you can accomplish something you probably thought you’d never do. ENJOY IT! Don’t fall into the mentality that this is the final exam. Think of it as more of the celebration after the exam is done. Relax, find your happy place and enjoy yourself.

I’ll see you on the course.

Steve

Tapering 101

Photo by Andrew Scott

Emily Brown is preparing to run the NYC Marathon this weekend. She took some time to share with us her approach to tapering for the race:

“If you don’t know it by now,” my professor rattled off, “You don’t know it – so put up your damn note cards and show me what you got.” His words crushing the looks of stressed students cramming, quieting voices of last minute questions all hoping to secure fragments of knowledge before an exam.

Preparing for a successful marathon is much like preparing for a test. There will be many factors you cannot control – the course, the variables, the day-of jitters. The point is, however, the day and even week before the race are not the times to cram in what you haven’t done already; doing too much prior to your race can cause more damage than not doing anything at all.

Here’s a “cheat sheet” to crafting an effective tapering plan:

T-rim down your mileage. Run less. Rest more. It can be harder than it seems. You will notice every runner outside, and you will covet their run. Instead of running more often in the last three weeks, schedule fewer runs that pack higher quality. Shave off overall miles, but tack on strides and intervals, and add more tempo runs. Each week you will see your total mileage wane, but this overall rest period stabilizes glycogen, hormones, antioxidants and enzymes high-mileage has slowly depleted.

Anticipate crossing the finish.

A-nticipate crossing the finish line. What are your challenges ahead? Build a mental plan about how you will handle them. It could be rain. It could snow in a place that you would never think breaks freezing (i.e. Orlando at Disney in January).  Rehearse in your brain how you will respond to these challenges.

P-lan ahead. The week before may not be the best time to plan your child’s birthday party or start playing pick-up games of basketball. Minimize your chance of stress and injury by resting as much as possible. For practical matters, check the race course map. Know what course nutrition will be served. If you can’t stomach a certain brand of gel, you may need to carry your own. Mentally knowing the locations of water stations and bathrooms can help you while on the course. Running with NFE makes race preparations much easier, and the staff will make sure to help allay any concerns you have before race day.

E-at well. Many people worry about carb-loading the night before. While browsing in a Boston running store a week before my first marathon, I asked the owner, “What one piece of advice do you have to a first-time marathon runner?” His words stuck with me: “Eat well, now, not just the day before.” Build up your glycogen stores and drink lots of water. Keep your sodium in balance by snacking on pretzels and salty foods. Tip: Just as important as eating carbs, added protein helps aid in muscle recovery and tissue repair.

R-uNFor a reason. Forget the time, the course, the medal – who do you ruNFor? Thinking of what your NF Hero endures on a daily basis makes any challenge seem trite. Need inspiration? Check out our NF Heroes. http://www.ctf.org/RUN-FOR-A-REASON-NF-Heroes/ Before race day, I dedicate each mile for the NF Heroes I have met, their stories of resilience, faith and hope recalled by names scrawled on paper, tucked in a Ziplock. Carrying the bag of their names helps me to remember my reasoNFor running, even when I feel like I want to stop. NF Heroes have to keep pressing on even through MRIs, doctor appointments, feeding tubes and other complications of NF. Remember what NF Endurance is all about – pushing passed self-imposed limits and finding possibilities within obstacles.

NFE Cheer Zone

At the end of the day, as a wise friend once told me, it’s just another run, but in a new neighborhood with a lot of friends in neon waiting to cheer you on home.

And so, instead of cramming for a taper, try this: Trim mileage, Anticipate success, Plan ahead, Eat well. RuNFor a reason.

Runner Turns Injury into Opportunity

The following post is written by NFE runner Brian Lease.

Passion in life…
It’s what I can do with my legs and proudly wearing yellow.

I set high goals for the 2010 running season: running in eight events (two marathons, one 25K and five half marathons).  Achieving these goals would set me up to run the JFK 50-mile in 2011.  Yes, I wanted to run in a 50-mile race.

As NF Endurance athletes, we all face possible injuries that can cause a setback.  I personally have been dealing with mild injuries since December 2009.  Injuries don’t usually stop me; I ran the 2010 Disney Marathon all taped up, limping to the finish line.

However, in late June 2010 an easy four-mile run turned into a 50 minute run.  I was really puzzled — the only issue was tightness and some soreness along my tibia. I figured it was just a bad day.   It was recommended I get an X-ray to make sure a stress fracture did not happen.  The X-ray showed my fibula was fully fractured and was close to the ankle.  I went in for an MRI the next day and found out I had a full stress fracture on the tibia.

What is amazing is that I have had very little pain — mostly soreness and some swelling issues.  Shortly later, I met with an orthopedic. My 2010 goals were immediately crushed  as I was told I would not be able to run for 12-16 weeks after the surgery.   I ended up with a plate and eight screws on the fibula and bone grafting.

I am on the road to recovery now, and I get to experience the other side.  In the Twin Cities Marathon, shortly after mile 24, there is a “Sea of Yellow.” I heard this awesome Cheer Zone in 2009 running my first marathon, and hearing all of them was more exciting than running my first marathon.  I look forward to cheering on the NF Endurance Team and giving that same push to the finish line.

Will I be back?  Yes, and my goal is to run the Kentucky Derby Marathons with my friends — the Kentucky NF Endurance Team – on April 30, 2011, exactly 9 months after my surgery.

I am going to take a line from a Whitesnake song:

I have made up my mind, I ain’t wasting no time, here I go again.