So how about some Fat Kid breathing

http://www.montrealendurance.com/media/coverage-of-canada-running-series-21kdemtl/
So the Canadian Half Marathon Championships were two weeks ago, and as some of you know I was less than pleased with my performance. The event itself was really well organized and we "elites" were treated like gold, I was just frustrated with the outcome. Now that I have had some time to reflect on the race, I really am not all that disappointed anymore. Yes I still wish I had placed and/or ran faster, but there is nothing I can do about that now but look forward and get back up on the horse. As I'm sure most have heard by now, the course was windy - and no, it was not the nice tail-wind they had at Boston. I'm talking huge gusts from the front and the side that would blow you back 5ft if you weren't careful (let me just say, I wasn't very careful).
To be honest, I have been struggling this last month to get my body back to feeling like normal (I mean Lanni-normal). My stride has been off since my left calf decided to tear a bit leading up to the Around the Bay 30k, which caused me to compensate and end up with some really tight IT bands. Add to this that my body has just generally been revolting against me - head colds, girl issues, tummy turmoil... u name it, and it's no wonder that even once I got my stride back I then felt totally out of shape and like I was breathing like a fat kid at fat camp.
The 5k this past Friday in London, Ontario made me feel like I was on the road back. My stride released and I felt like a normal runner again (just a little winded from my head cold). Just when I thought "Yippie! My body is cooperating again!" Flash to yesterday (Monday) evening, where the right side of my bum/pelvis/hip jammed up so bad that I had to walk it in the last mile. I was pretty annoyed considering I had a really good tempo going up until that point. At least I know that my fitness is not as far off as I thought, and I just need to get my hips and pelvis to square out again and my right hamstring to release and I will be back on track. Should be fun to try and do that while I now spend the majority of my waking hours studying for MY LAST SET OF LAW SCHOOL FINALS! Hopefully things release in the next few days as I have the last portion of my 2 Feet and a Heartbeat (www.Lannimarchant.wordpress.com) this weekend in Chattanooga, TN. I am really very lucky that there are such supportive and generous people out there. I cannot wait to be able to pay it forward some day!
Aside from the run-a-thon, I have my marathon coming up at the end of May. Hopefully the little speed bump that is my jammed up right hip will be a thing of the past in a few days and I can keep building and getting my wind back.

Running to the Bar

So this weekend was the last portion of my run-a-thon "2Feet and a Heartbeat" down in Tennessee. I was going to run from Ringgold Georgia, to Chattanooga, TN, but due to the crazy tornadoes they had down here just prior to my arrival, I decided to go with a less debris ridden route. I ran from Nikajack Lake, up highway 41 to Raccoon Mountain. Let me just say it was hilly and HOT! I am going to really have to adjust to the heat again when I come down here this summer to study for the bar and train!
The run-a-thon was more successful than I ever could have imagined! Thank you all for your amazing support and donations. I hope that within the next year I can sort out how to do something similar for other struggling post-college student athletes, and will definitely keep everyone posted! But for now I am just thankful that I can now sign up for the Bar prep course and sit for the Bar at the end of July!
It was a really pretty run - I love it down here in Chattanooga!
This quick trip was for more than just my run-a-thon, I was able to move some of my stuff down here and... I got a J-O-B for when I finish studying and taking the Bar! Yippie!
As an update from my jammed up hip from last week - it is feeling quite a bit better, though I still feel like it is pretty tight and locks up a bit on me. I think with a bit more work on my hamstrings and hip-flexors, it will be totally back to normal.

Powered by Mizuno

Look above! I have a sponsor - Mizuno Canada! I am so excited and happy that they have decided to pick me up and provide me with some gear! I will happily be wearing my Mizuno race gear this Sunday at the Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Montreal. Actually, I am sitting in my hotel room right now (Thank you Canada Running Series) and thought that updating my blog was a welcomed break from trying to do homework.

I am really excited to race tomorrow - of course I have some crazy nerves running through my body, but I am attributing most of it to excitement. I do not feel as sharp as I did in the Fall, but I do feel really strong! I am hoping the combo of strength, proper racing flats, and "cookie cutters" (small wool inserts under my arches), will help me to a fast time and keep my calves from cramping up in the last few miles of the race. Of course the travel to this trip was not without some bumps, as my initial flight out of Lansing was cancelled. Having an actual ticket and not flying on stand-by (hello Hawaii trip), made things still go smoothly, however I did not even leave Detroit until my original flight was landing in Montreal. It made for a later arrival than I had planned, but the race coordinators here are amazing and Anh was a trooper for making yet another trip to the airport to pick me up at 8pm.

These last few weeks have been interesting training wise. My calves were totally messed after the ATB 30k, and it took about a week for them to relax to where they were somewhat run-able. Thankfully, the weather was clear enough for me to rollerblade! They were still very angry with me about a week later, so I went to the Playmakers Injury Clinic and was seen by Sue. What a wonder-worker! She worked on my legs a bit and suggested the cookie cutters. Within a day my calves felt totally normal again, and I was able to get back to running and do some mile repeats! It was perfect timing, as I was starting to feel like it was going to be another Spring filled with rollerblading. It also let me do a 17 mile long run with the Farmington group and do my London 2 Feet and a Heartbeat run-a-thon!

As it was my birthday weekend, it was fun to be home in London and see my family and incorporate my fundraiser. It was really great of Brandon Laan to let me meet up with his run group before I took off to Dorchester. Next up is the Georgia to Tennessee Run-a-thon at the end of the month. I am so thankful for all of your support and donations. I am still working towards my end goal, so if you know anyone who would be interested in donating, please forward the link (www.lannimarchant.wordpress.com). Ok, that's enough of a plug =P

I really am still in shock over the amount of support and assistance I have received these last few weeks! After this weekend I go into crunch time for exams and then the whirlwind of this final semester will finally be over! It has been a blast, but man, I am so ready to be out of school and on to the next chapter!

I'm not sure if you can follow the race live tomorrow, but if I find something out, I'll post a link for everyone here and on my facebook page! Regardless, it is going to be a pretty amazing race with some awesome competition! Ohh, I'm excited!

Wish me luck! I'll give you all a play-by-play when it's all over and done with!

2 Feet and a Heartbeat

Well, it is finally here! Tomorrow is the first leg of my "2 Feet and a Heartbeat" Run-a-thon! I must say that since my last post things have definitely turned around! You all have been so generous and I have once again been reminded that I have some truly amazing friends and people in my life. One thing that I will definitely take from this whole experience is that it is OK to ask for help.
I am so grateful to have had Alan Brookes take interest in my fundraiser and help me get the word out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UNPh12_SOY&feature=related ) and am even more grateful to all of you who stepped up and helped a girl out! I was fortunate enough to be interviewed about 2 Feet by Canadian Running Magazine (http://runningmagazine.ca/2011/04/sections/news/around-the-bay-runner-up-raising-funds-for-law-school/), and was again totally surprised for my lil' run-a-thon to be receiving so much attention.
I am really excited to see if I can make this fundraiser take off and benefit other athletes like myself - grad-student-athletes or just those who are good, but do not quite qualify for funding assistance.
I will be posting pics and video (hopefully) from the event tomorrow - so be sure to check back here or go to http://www.lannimarchant.wordpress.com/ to see my fundraiser updates!

Now onto my recent training/racing updates -

As some of you know, last week I competed in the Around the Bay 30k! Now lemme tell you, this race is amazing - a bit of a beast at times - but such a great event. I was so lucky to carpool from Michigan up to Hamilton with Dave, MB, and Mark - three runners I met this fall while doing some workouts with their group in Farmington (coached by former ATB winner Paul Aufdemberge) - who definitely made the trip entertaining and were full of little tips about how to get through the longer races. Huge props to Stefania for letting us all tag along with her for her dinner reservations the night before the race - amazing food!
Let's see, what did I learn while running 30k? That starting the race with a tight calf is going to make running up the hills in final kms of the race quite interesting - like trying to run without putting one's left foot on the ground interesting - and that I need to find a gu/gel to take that does not kill my insides. All in all, I really did enjoy running the race - I like the challenge of learning how to race the long stuff! Huge props to Dayna Pidhoresky - the women's winner - she went for it from the gun and is definitely making her mark on female running in Canada!!
This week after the race, I wish I could say I have enjoyed it - but man, I don't know if it was because my calf was so tight or what, but on Sunday and Monday night my left shin was purple and I could press my finger in it and have an indentation that lasted for a few minutes - thank god for ice cups, tennis balls, and compression socks =P My calf is still a little tight, but by Wednesday I could find my shin bone again - Yeah Me!
Needless to say, I took this week very easy and was able to run the Martian 10k today in Dearborn, Michigan. I will say that there was no "pep" in my step at all - but I ran consistent and felt like I could have kept my pace going for longer. After the 10k, my calves were pretty tight, but I went for a 40 min rollerblade this afternoon and that seems to have helped knock out the junk! Yes - my first official rollerblade of the year!! It was a little chilly - but geeze it felt great!
While in Dearborn I was able to knock off another burger joint from my list - despite what Relish.com says, I question how this burger ended up ranked in the top 25 in the USA - it was ok, but it will not be ranked in MY top 25!
Speaking of burgers and rollerblading, I have decided two things after the ATB 30k
#1 - I need to refocus my training and cross-training - I need some "pep" and the rollerblading today has made me well aware that my bum and hips are not nearly as strong as they were a few months ago
#2 - I am going to keep a food diary for a few weeks - no, not for weight or "diet" purposes - As I mentioned a few months ago, I cannot seem to get my insides to cooperate on my runs and I think writing down what and when I eat might help me figure out what is going on - u'd think that by this point of the semester I would have learned what to pack in my lunch - but something seems to come up every day and I never end up following any sort of schedule

My goals are:
- to get my muscles back in balance (BONUS - a cute bum in jeans!)
- figure out how many hours I need between meals and hard or easy training sessions!

Ok, I think that's all I had for ya today - please keep checking for updates about 2 Feet! If you are around Okemos or Bath Michigan, please come out and cheer!