The Sprouts Mesa Marathon: Before and After the Race

I know a few of you saw my Instagram post on Saturday and were a little concerned. With reason actually, though I’m fine now. I will have a full recap of the Sprouts Mesa Marathon on Wednesday, but I wanted to touch base first.  If you didn’t see my post, here it is in all its whiny glory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Remind me. Why do I do this? . . Marathon #39 is done and is officially one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. And that was just the last 2 miles! Honestly, it’s the only race I’ve ever been at mile 25.5 and doubted if I’d finish. . . . . . #icandohardthings #running #mesamarathon #runmesa #sproutsmesamarathon #werunsocial #sweatpink #marathon #marathonrunner #whydoidothis #becauseican #fitafter50 #fitbloggroup #fitover50 #healthylivingcommunity

A post shared by Debbie Woodruff (@coachdebbieruns) on Feb 8, 2020 at 12:47pm PST

So, first off, I’m okay. I had a bad time, I admit it, but I’ll survive. And I’ll share it all on Wednesday. In the meantime…

BEFORE the Sprouts Mesa Marathon

 

It sounds a little sad now, but in the week leading up to the Sprouts Mesa Marathon, I was determined that I would not suffer the difficulties I had at last year’s race. I felt sure that focusing on hydration all week long would help.  Hence this post:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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With my klutzy tendencies 🤸‍♀️ I probably shouldn’t be running on the trails just 3 days (😳) before the @mesamarathon, but only about a mile of my 5 mile run was actually on trails, so I took the risk and survived. Whew! 🏃‍♀️ . . Let’s talk about hydration. 💦 Specifically, pre-race (half marathon, half marathon, or longer) hydration. . . We all know how important it is to stay as hydrated as possible during a race, but it’s equally as important to hit the start line with your tank filled up. That means the entire week before your long race you need to focus on getting and staying hydrated. . . I speak from experience. Many of the problems I’ve had during races stem from dehydration, including a tendency to get a little lightheaded and a more rapid heart rate. You’d think after 38 marathons I’d have this fueling and hydration thing figured out, wouldn’t you? . . There are a few things that can help. During the last few days before the race it’s a good idea to cut back on alcohol consumption. It’s very dehydrating. Obviously, carrying water wherever you go helps, but may not be enough, especially if you live in a super-dry environment like I do. . . Adding electrolytes to your water can help (I’m a Nuunbassador) maintain balanced hydration, plus if you like the taste (@nuunhydration Watermelon 🍉 😋) you will tend to drink more. . . When I’m really on my hydration game the first thing I do in the morning, plus again after a run, at meals, and before bed, is drink a glass of Nuun. It’s like hydration insurance! . . Today, #ontheblog, I’m sharing a list of 29 things you should do the night before your big race. Hydrating is at the top of the list (though remember to do this all week long). There’s even a printable checklist! The link is in my bio. . . What is your best hydration tip?

A post shared by Debbie Woodruff (@coachdebbieruns) on Feb 5, 2020 at 2:07pm PST

So, on Friday when I drove into Mesa, AZ I was feeling pretty good (and having to pee a lot!). On the drive from La Quinta to Mesa, that means about four rest stops.

Here's the scoop on all the fun leading up to the @mesamarathon! The preparation, the food, the meetups! #marathon runningClick To Tweet

I’d forgotten about the We Run Social meet up at the Sprouts Mesa Marathon expo, which was scheduled at 3:00 at the Pro Compression booth. Well, I didn’t forget about it, I forgot that Arizona is actually an hour ahead of California, so I lost an hour and just barely made it to the expo in time.  That wasn’t a problem though. I managed to cut about 20 minutes off of Google Maps ETA (does anyone else to that?) and got there in plenty of time. I also had time to buy three new pairs of compression socks!

After a group gathered we all walked over to Fired Pie, one of those pizza joints where you create your own, well, fired pie. Fortunately, they had vegan options and I had one of the best pizzas I’d had in a while. So good. I ate half there and brought the rest home to my Airbnb (and ate it later). It’s an Arizona chain so, sadly, I may not get another chance to enjoy it for another year! 

After pizza, I headed over to my Airbnb. It was a winner! Originally Alan was planning to travel with me and do the half marathon, but he strained a calf muscle, then decided to stay at home with the dogs (which sounds weird but is totally sensible in our world). His calf is getting better, fortunately. He can run again but was definitely not in half marathon shape.

Anyway, my place was a cute one bedroom with a kitchenette. Perfect for my needs. After I checked in, I settle in for the evening, followed my own Pre-Race Checklist and went to bed pretty early. Realizing that I’d lost an hour and that 2:30 would come really, really early.

AFTER the Sprouts Mesa Marathon

So, I will give you a little hint of how I felt immediately after the Sprouts Mesa Marathon. After sitting on a curb for a while (where I took the aforementioned IG photo), I finally collected myself enough to pick up my race gear and head to my car. I had to stop a couple of times to get myself together, lean on something so I wouldn’t fall, and once I even stumbled on a curb. It felt like it took forever, but I finally made it to my car and sat down there for another 10 minutes for so to get it together so I could drive back to my place. Yes, it was that bad.

My brain was on slo-mo for most of the afternoon. I’d intend to do something (like make some coffee), then forget. I took a little nap. I took a long shower (and it was amazing). I snacked on a couple of things I had in the fridge, drank a lot of water and Nuun, then finally got up and headed out to my favorite while in the Phoenix area vegan restaurant, the Green New American Vegetarian, where I ordered ALL THE FOOD and took it back to my room.

Seriously, I ordered the Seitan Gyro, “Chicken” wings, Thyme fries, a chocolate chip cookie, and another chocolate bar. Oh, and by accident, I ordered these amazing fries that were smothered in vegan cheese and grilled onions. So good!

As my mom would have said, my eyes were better than my stomach, so I do have some leftovers. Not as many as you’d think, though! I even felt up to little wine!

Other than that little excursion, I basically zombied out for the rest of the day. I did a little body care, packed up a bit, lay down a lot, and went to bed early.

I slept pretty good (though not as good as you’d think) and woke up early feeling much, much better. I drank lots of coffee.  I had a bite to eat. And yes, I spent more time with my Intelliroll, my Theragun, and I stretched. And I felt even better.

By then, I was ready to go home. Especially with a four-hour drive ahead of me. But first, one more stop for a vegan meal. This was at a place called Scramble, which is not vegan, but which has a few delicious vegan dishes, including the Soyrizo Burrito, which I took to go. Road food!

A few final thoughts:

I now have a lot of leftovers in my fridge.

Arizona has amazing rest stops. They’re clean and they work. Sadly, the one rest stop I went to in California had Porta-Johns. Seriously.

My husband is awesome. Even though he couldn’t make it to Arizona, he supported me through my race, before, during and after. While I didn’t call him in the middle like I did last year, he continued to tell me what a great job I was doing and that he loved me. 

My brain is still tired. I apologize for misspellings, repetitions, or being boring. And say thank goodness for Grammarly.

Marathoning, whether it’s your first or your 39th, is hard. That is all.

Recap coming Wednesday. Thank you all for your support.

 

 

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Weekly Linkups

My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!

Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Inspire Me Monday with Janet
Tuesday Topics with Kim and Zenaida
The Runners’ Roundup with Rachel , Deborah, Lisa, Smitha, Jenn, and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim