Sara Wittmeyer’s Blog

Last week was a big one, relatively speaking, in Sara’s world. I celebrated my 29th birthday (yikes!) and I marked the one year anniversary since I broke my foot. “Foot Day” on Tuesday was actually a bigger celebration than my birthday. I went out for comedy and a drink with some friends from work. Several times throughout the evening, I stopped and thought about what I was doing one year prior….hmmmm at this time I was crawling across my living room, Oh gosh, I was at the ER around 8, around 9 I got the news I didn’t want to hear. The rest of the night and into the morning I just cried and searched the Internet about Jones Fractures. It’s amazing how clear it all still is in my head a year later.

But I can celebrate. With the help of Dr. T I made it back and did my first marathon. I love this quote by Steve Prefontaine…

“Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.”

I will never be as fast as Steve Prefontaine, but I’ll slog out the miles anyday and be grateful that I can. My next marathon is about two months away, and while I’m having trouble getting really excited about it, I know I’ll be thrilled after I do my first 20 miler in a couple weeks. More on that training soon….

One last thing that gets back to last week and my birthday: one of my former students planted an idea in my head. He said as a joke, “You should run your age each year.” I’ve been thinking about it seriously since last week, and I think it’s a great idea. 30 miles next year for the big 3-0? Yeah, I think I can do that! I’ll have to do it in place of a long run though because on my birthday I plan to be some place exotic running a marathon.

I’m really finished with my training, and I’m about to go nuts.  I’ve been warned over and over again to obey the taper and to resist the urge to squeeze in just one more long run. It is a daily struggle not to go for a long run.  I recently did an interview for KBIA and a marathoner told me something that makes so much sense now… he said, when you start training it’s awful and you dread it, and you don’t want to run. Then at the end when you’re forced to taper all you want to do is run.  So true!  I remember when I first started, I looked at the end of the week and my long run was eight miles. I resented Hal Higdon! I thought to myself, if I felt like doing eight I would, otherwise maybe I’d do five or six. In the end Hal always wins, and I’m proud to report Hal is winning now in my battle to resist long runs.

I did my last 20 miler (actually 21 miles) two weeks ago, and it was awesome! I felt so good.  At mile 18 I ate about three energy chews and that really helped me float through the rest of my miles.  At the end, I was in a complete state of euphoria;  it made me realize I have no idea what crossing the finish line in Miami is going to be like!

Saturday I did my last double digit run – 13 miles. I forgot to apply my chafing powder, and yikes – I am still paying for it. I recommend Body Glide if you are looking for a good product.  I prefer the stick kind to the cream.  The problem is with all the chafing products I’ve tried, they only work for a couple hours.  After that, you need to reapply if possible.

Today is a cross training day.  I’ll likely try the pool for a bit because I’m very nervous about hurting, stressing, or pulling anything this late in the game. Only eight more (baby) runs until the big day!

I must preface this post by saying I know nothing about music. I grew up on a blend of gospel and country. I loved the McKamey’s and The Inspirations, but in terms of classic groups or songs that are legendary, I knew nothing.

I’ve only owned my iPod for about a year, and that’s only because the program director at our station went with me and nearly forced me to get one. It’s changed the way I run. I run faster because of the upbeat music, and I run longer because I don’t get bored.

Selecting the perfect marathon playlist was a challenging but fun task. Again, KBIA’s program director, and my friend, John Bailey stepped in. He has a music library that rivals most large record stores.

He loaded up my iPod with more than 6 ½ hours of music (there are a number of extras just in case). This list has been tested several times, and I give it two thumbs up. Everyone’s tastes are different, but there’s probably something in here you will like. I feel like I should explain the Ricky Martin, Gloria Estefan, and Will Smith… I don’t typically run to these songs, but they seemed perfect for Miami. During my long runs in snowy Missouri they’ve helped me imagine running along South Beach and through the palm tree-lined streets of Miami.

I’ve spent much of the evening reading about Ted Corbitt, and realizing I was wrong… I’d heard about Corbitt’s battles with racism and I just assumed he lived in the South. It turns out, though that he and I are from the same place – Cincinnati, Ohio. Ted Corbitt was a actually a member of the University of Cincinnati’s track team. During college he ran about 200 miles a week. Later in his life, while training for his first hundred mile run, he set a goal to run 1200 miles…in one month! He fell short by about 200, but still, wow!

At the end of this week, I will have surpassed the 500 mile mark since my training began in late September. I’ve never kept track of my miles before, but I’m finding it’s incredibly motivating. Because I’m competitive, it’s nice to be able to have something tangible to see and then try to beat it. Before the new year, I was thinking about making a resolution, and I thought maybe I’d set a mileage goal of 1500. Doing the math though, that was less than 30 miles a week. I worried I’d hit my mileage mark in July, and then just flounder the rest of the year. Ultimately I decided not to make this my resolution and instead focus on increasing my number of high mileage races and improving in each event.

Who knows what’s next.

I feel like Corbitt would be proud. In the book I am reading, First Marathons by Gail Waesche Kislevitz, Corbitt writes: “You don’t need a goal, you don’t need a race, you don’t need the hype of a so-called fitness craze. All you need is a cheap pair of shoes and some time. The rest will follow.”

There’s peace in that for me. It’s almost like one of the greatest runners of all time is signing off on my plan for the next year. In addition, I’ll take Corbitt’s words to the start line with me in Miami. When all my worries about hitting the wall, my foot giving out, painful side stitches – start swirling through my head, I’m going to remind myself to stop and think about Corbitt – I have the shoes and I’ve put in the time.

If you aren’t familiar with Corbitt’s story, it’s worth reading. He’s a legend. Oh, and his birthday is January 31- the same day as the Miami Marathon.

My marathon has consumed me. With such a short time to go all the details are swirling through my head. Of course, the biggest concern is if I will be able to finish under my goal time. I have no doubt I will finish, but since I have never done a race before I don’t know if I’ve trained hard enough, long enough, or under the right conditions. I don’t want to hit the wall and be forced to walk.

Today I did a lot of reading about Hal Higdon’s plan in an attempt to ease my worries. What I found were really mixed reviews. A number of runners praised Higdon for the high number of pace runs followed by long runs. Others called Higdon’s plan simplistic, saying it was basically the same thing each week except with a few additional miles. My biggest concern with Higdon since the beginning has been what seems like a relatively few number of miles. I’m probably only averaging about eight miles more a week than I was when I wasn’t training. I have increased my daily mileage on a number of occasions because I just felt like I had a lot more in me. Because of the increased pressure I’m feeling now as the marathon looms around the corner, I’ve decided to step up my mileage for the next week and a half. According to Higdon, my week is supposed to go like this: Monday: Cross Train, Tuesday: 5 miles, Wednesday: 8 miles, Thursday: 5 miles, Friday: REST, Saturday: 8 mile PR, Sunday: 20 miles. Instead, I plan to do 18 tomorrow, 8 Wednesday, 8 Thursday, rest Friday, 8 Saturday, and 21 Sunday.

I realize this may be overdoing it, but since this is all new to me I feel like I’m just going to experiment a bit to see what works.

One other thought: “New Year’s Resolutioners.” I’m genuinely pleased to see so many new faces at the gym. Since January first, the local rec center in town where I train has been busting at the seams. It’s inspiring to see people of all sizes, shapes, and athletic ability pledging to become healthy in the new year.

The one drawback is I’ve had to rearrange my running schedule to accommodate the large crowds. I have problems running on the indoor track because of the pin in my foot. When I turn corners and when I have to stop suddenly (for example if there is a walker in front of me who I can’t quickly pass) the pin sends a sharp pain through my foot, up my ankle and into my leg. It’s enough to sometimes make me lose my balance. In addition, the pain lingers for awhile, making it nearly impossible to get in a long run after this happens. For this reason, I try to do most of my runs on the treadmill. Because of the crowds though, I’ve had trouble getting access to equipment. Since I anchor in the mornings my work day is supposed to end by three. My goal until training is over is to be out of work by three and at the gym by 3:30. I am hoping this way I can get in my runs before the large crowds arrive around 6.

….And to all of you who made fitness a part of your New Year’s resolution, KUDOS to you and best of luck!

In one month, I will be celebrating after completing my first marathon. I have envisioned this moment hundreds of times while training. Nothing gets you through the last few miles of a long run, like visualizing yourself coming down the homestretch and lunging across the finish line. I imagine myself smiling with a sense of satisfaction. 

Schedule of each day’s mileage

Mentally I began preparing for the race at the beginning of March 2009. After receiving my foot diagnosis, I remember crying to my doctor and explaining that I was a runner. Fixing my foot so I could walk again was not enough. I needed to run. After hearing my case, Dr. T asked, “You do marathons?” I had to say no because although I had trained for them something had always gotten in the way of my actually following through to the finish line. Faced with the reality that maybe my time had passed, I pledged if the surgery was successful (the surgery success rate is about 95%), I would tackle the 26.2 monster that had always alluded me. 

Fast forward to September. It was time to pick a marathon and time to start training. Two factors determined my course selection: it had to be prior to Feb 9 (the anniversary of the day I broke my foot) and it needed to be near a beach. Miami was the perfect fit. 

I adopted Hal Higdon’s plan, which now dictates my life. I made a large board with each days miles so I would be held accountable. I call the board Valerie because of the magazine cut out of Valerie Bertinelli prominently placed at the end of week 6. (pictured)