The Zen of Ultra Running

This will be a short blog because I had nothing much to update since the last Akron marathon post in terms of running/triathlon.  October was crazily busy (as always) and I tried my best to keep my head above water (barely). There were so many things going on at work that I could barely keep up. That said I was not running/biking/swimming much in October. Also, I was exhausted all the time and did not have much energy. The weekend before the race I went to run on Loop the Lake course with friends. Despite the slow pace (12 min/mile), my HR was up to 170-180 bpm and I started to wonder what was wrong with my body.  The week leading up to the race was packed with events, teaching, meetings, and other activities and I did not really have time to rest much. After talking to my coach, I decided to drop from the marathon to the half marathon at Run with Scissors because I wanted to give my body a break.  Race morning - It was raining when I woke up. I also slept through the alarm and did not

This year's Akron Marathon was special to me.  First, it's the 5th marathon that I ran at this race so I was invited to join the loyalty club and attend the pinning ceremony at the expo.  Second, I signed my husband (P.) up for the half marathon. This is the first year that he got to experience the Akron marathon vibe.  Third, I talked the Dean into sponsoring the College of Business relay team and I formed a 5-person relay team with other faculty and staff who I knew were runners. Our team name was #ExperienceBusiness Trailblazers.  The week leading up to the race was not ideal. I had a lot of things going on at work and did not really have the time or energy to do anything else. I went out for a short run for 2 days during the week but I guess it was a good taper? On Friday, I met up with other team members and we walked to the packet pick-up together. It was so much fun to see the race vibe and other folks I knew. At 5pm, I attended the pinning ceremony where they announced