Hello reality

Hey sports fans,

Today I got smacked in the face by reality:

1. Eating lasagna at 1:00am then going for a run at 6:00am is a BAD IDEA. That doesn't give you nearly enough time to allow the lasagna to digest properly. urgerlers.

2. So, I thought I was a decent runner...until I encountered the Harvard or MIT women's cross country team on my run this morning. Talk about a humbling experience. I was doing a moderately fast run this morning along the Charles when these girls blew right by me at warp speed while laughing and talking as if it was easy and fun. All I could do was silently give them a mental high five--they were doing the dern thing!

And that is today's reality check :)
-mvq

The best thing about marathon training...

Hey sports fans,

Question....what is the best thing about marathon training? What have I enjoyed most?

In the true spirit of Cara S. Yang and Pallen Chiu I must say its...EATING!!! I get to eat anything I want to eat anytime I want to eat it. For example, it is 12:50am and I just finished eating a plate of lasagna and am in the process of eating vanilla, almond, granola cereal. And even my friends get to join in on the fun (see left....yes she is eating chicken and waffles ;)

Okay but seriously though...




Running update:

• Rain running: This week has been an "okay week"--I ran in the pouring rain twice this past week. I find rain running so refreshing and after-wards I feel uber hard core, I encourage all of you to try it out! (cue the scene from "Something New" with Sanaa Lathan...."My Hair!!")
• Friend support: I have done most of my training alone--AM runs before work, long weekend runs etc. But the power of having someone encourage you to run or better yet run with you cannot be understated. This AM, I had decided to just take it easy, I mean it is "the day of rest". But, Danielle Hamilton called and woke me out of my slumber to run ...despite my protests and delay tactics we ended up doing a great 8 miler. Gracias!
• Bostonians: I wrote a while back about the importance of making friends/fans on the road. I must admit...people in Johannesburg are so much nicer overall and receptive to cheers/encouragement! I get some salty looks sometimes from other runners here in Boston, but I'll keep working on it and saying hello/good morning etc. while running. Will let you know when the "frost chills"!
  
• Cars: "Dear cars, Please don't run over me or my friends. I have had 3 close calls and this morning DH was hit by a car!! (not injured don't worry)
  

Also I bought my ticket to NY today, M-Day is drawing upon us! (gulp!)

Please support if you haven't already....or if you have!
http://www.africanleadershipfoundation.org/marathondonate_maryanna.asp

The list

Hey sportsfans,

This is a new part of the blog that I call "The Ongoing List". I want to thank all of my supporters thus far and as we approach the "finish line" encourage anyone who hasn't donated (or who wants to extend their support!) to please contribute to African Leadership Academy on my behalf via this link: http://www.africanleadershipfoundation.org/marathondonate_maryanna.asp.

A special "shout out" to a partial list of my supporters thus far...

Nena Sanderson

Christine Quigless
Yves Noel
Dominic Schrader
Sunil Kapadia

Boris Rauls

Mona Moazzaz

Karlyn Adams Barneson

Anita LeVeaux

Danielle Anderson

Chudi Amu

Andrea Mitchell

Alison Little

As we approach D-Day on November 1st check back to see when your name will appear!

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ALA note:

One of my projects at ALA was to help develop the Pardee Library for the Future of Africa. Thanks to the hard work of the new library manager Divine Kangame and others (Gavin, Fred, Library Board, Ryan, Ettie etc.) the library is open and they celebrated with an opening ceremony. This is a huge milestone--hopefully when you all visit ALA you can check it out! Until then a few pics and a video courtesy of ALA founder Fred Swaniker...

https://rcpt.yousendit.com/749658341/560f60095cc0da31e7cf45c1b12fbbad

Back in action!

Hey sports fans,

Great news, I got the results of my MRI back and have no tears in my Achilles....which means... IM BACK IN ACTION! The week before last I got back into my 8mi a day routine. My mom convinced me that I had to do a long run ASAP as the run is getting close so last Saturday I did my longest run..ever.

I ran 23 miles around Boston, in about 3hrs and 15 minutes. Throughout the run I was motivated to keep going by the thoughts of the amazing students and my amazing friends/supporters who have contributed through donations and encouragement to this effort. Not wanting to let you all down has motivated me beyond expectations and I am so appreciative for all of you.

The 23 miler actually didn't feel that awful. Did I enjoy it? ermm no. Am I glad I did it? yes--because now I am convinced that I can do the marathon--I may not get a great time but my goal is just to keep running...if I can do that, that will be success!

This weekend I tapered and did a 14 miler in NY, admittedly this felt more difficult than the longer run the weekend before. I think a reason for this was that 1. I didn't eat right the day before (think nachos, tacos, pizza yum) 2. I hadn't gotten much sleep in the week due to work 3. I didn't hydrate appropriately 4. NY is much much more hilly than Boston--i cursed my way up all of those hills!!

On the health front, I now have a knee issue in addition to an ankle issue, and I get foot cramps all the time--its okay though--3 more weeks and then I can chillax/recuperate!

Running insights:

• Watch out when doing the "run on your toes technique", I know I advised yall to do this in an earlier post for speed, but I think making that switch from running with my entire foot to running on the balls of my feet is what caused my ankle and knee issues--so moderate running on your toes until you have the strength built up in your ankles to support that--I don't yet have this strength but one day hopefully I will--I learned this lesson the hard way :(


• Powerade/Gatorade are your friends: I am officially addicted to these overly sugared cold drinks post run they do an amazing job of re hydrating and energizing you. I recommend this to everyone--these drinks save me so much pain and agony post run!


• A race is not a race...its a run: While running don't try to "beat" those running around you. The temptation is there, you always think "I can go a little bit faster and pass that person", but in reality that can trip you up and cause you to over exert yourself. Run your own race, ignore people around you, congratulate those who pass you, encourage those you pass and you will have a good run--that's the philosophy I try to abide by for a good run and that's what I'll be thinking during the marathon (in addition to thinking about why I'm doing the race: ALA/supporters)

I am working hard to meet my goal to raise $3,000 for African Leadership Academy, as we enter the last 4 months before the run, please contribute if you are able!

http://www.africanleadershipfoundation.org/marathondonate_maryanna.asp

Inspirational quotes/ moment of zen:

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
- Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started. - Anon

Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.
- Peter Ustinov

The tooth fairy teaches children that they can sell body parts for money. - David Richerby

Check out the website of ALA student William Kamkwamba who just published his book about his life, very inspirational! http://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com/

(PS: Pic above from box seats at the Patriots/ Falcons game with my Audax analyst class--such a fun game!)

MRI today

Hey sportsfans,

So I got my MRI today on the ankle. It is so weird to the physical structure of the ankle, they give you about 50 pictures of the tissue and bones in your foot/ankle, it is amazing to think about how all these parts move in concert while moving. Having this injury has certainly helped me to think more about not taking my body for granted.

At any rate, see pics from the MRI below. I have no idea what they mean but am hopeful for a positive report from my doctor next week!

Until then...

-mvq

Don't over train!!

Hey sports fans,

It's me writing from Boston. I am a week in to my new job and really enjoying it..loooking forward to what the next few years have in store for me!

On the running front, my ankle is still giving me issues. I am going in for an MRI on Saturday to figure out what is wrong, my podiatrist says it is sever achiles tendonitis...what do i think? I think it is a challenge...i will run through the pain!

At any rate..short post today because i have to be up tomorrow at 5am to do work. Bottom line...running along the charles in boston is beautiful...and.....don't over train. that is what lead to my ankle issues, i was up to ~8 miles every day, with few rest days. My body revolted!

I hope you all are well....and if you havent already, please consider contributing to the cause!

http://www.africanleadershipfoundation.org/marathondonate_maryanna.asp

Best,
Maryanna

Just do it!

Hi there sportsfans,

I am back in action in a new geography! After a glorious 3 months in Johannesburg working with African Leadership Academy I am now back in the states. I am based in Boston now and will start with Audax Group tomorrow. I am a bit nervous about the new role, but excited to learn new skills and challenge myself. Here in Boston, I don't have bridgerunners :(, nor do I have my African cheering squad (more on this later), but hopefully I will adopt a few running buddies, starting with none other than Danielle "I happily ran a half marathon" Hamilton, who is a 1L at Harvard law. Given my likely busy work schedule and the psychotic demands of her law school hopefully we can push each other to "just do it" and get our butts in motion!

Also, please find it in your heart to support the cause. As you know, I am running the marathon for ALA and have a goal of raising $3k to support Africa's future. Please follow this link to contribute: http://www.africanleadershipfoundation.org/marathondonate_maryanna.asp

But I digress...now for the meat of this update in the standard fashion...

Running update:

My ankle is still giving me such pain, I decided to rest it for a week two weeks ago after a run which left me screaming in pain! I don't know what has caused this injury but it is certainly persistent...after running my right ankle swells up and feels very heavy/out of whack (any advice out there?). While resting I tried out Bikram yoga (which my mom has been pushing!) I ended up joining Jordan for a few classes in Joburg. I went almost every day, it seemed to get more difficult every time I did it, going from "easy as pie" in my first class to me nearly passing out and not being able to see/hear in my last class! It taught me that I can go further than I think I can, and I learned how to focus and push myself. While I am not sure if it helped my physical running, it was a great psychological boost! too bad bikram in Boston is $22 a class (vs. ~$6-8 in Africa :(

After the week of Bikram I tried running again and was able to get an 8 miler in last Monday, rest, an 8 miler on Friday, rest, then a 13 miler today. Before I was doing ~8 every day which I think caused my injury (Bruce H. mentioned that he got an injury due to over training for his marathon as well...rookie mistake for me I guess!) I am hoping to do ~8 miles every other day and a long run on the weekends. In Boston I find running so easy....there are no hills, and because I was training in high altitude South Africa I don't get winded as easily! ....lets see how long this lasts....

Running insights:

· Run with your entire body--I learned today on the long run that different parts of your body can drive your run. I found that if one part of my body got tired I could shift my focus to another part and use that as my "engine". For example, I usually focus on my legs but when they get tired I shift to "running with my arms", then "running with my core/abs" then letting gravity pull me by running with a forward lean. When I really need to push myself I run with all of the above! This shifting of focus has helped me in the long runs, hopefully it will help you too!

· Don't think about the total distance-Set intermediate goals for running rather than thinking about the total distance you are running. 13 miles sounds like a lot...but "just running to the next bridge" or "just to the edge of MIT's campus" is much more palatable. Each time I reach an intermediate milestone I feel a sense of success and then push on to the next rather than feeling discouraged that I have 7 more miles, or that I am not even half way done.

· Make your own cheering section--On the marathon route there will be tons of people cheering all the runners...but during training normally only you are there to motivate yourself. That doesn't have to be the case. While in SA I made my own cheering section by waving to other runners/ workers going to work and offering a smile as I ran by. At first they found this awkward (as did I admittedly) but eventually as they saw me every day they became my little cheering section and motivated me along the training runs. Then I would think to myself "I am running for these people, if I fail, I let them down". I am doing the same thing in Boston. The memory of my personal "cheering section" will motivate me during the marathon and hopefully keep me moving! As an aside-- I have a new motivation with the marathon...I want my cheering section from SA to have the same advantages/opportunities as the section here in Boston. It isn't fair that in SA so many people are forced to walk miles to work in the early morning for a paltry salary. They should have the opportunity to do what the Boston cheering section does...walk their kids in fancy strollers, have an ipod (or two), run/walk for pleasure rather than out of necessity, etc. ALA is addressing this gulf in opportunity, hopefully through my small contribution with the marathon/work I can help further bridge this opportunity gap.

· Visualize success-On tough hills in SA I would often visualize my mom or someone at the top saying "you can do it, no sweat etc." and I would envision myself at the "finish", this helps push when you think you can't go any further. It may sound odd, but by visualizing your success or someone pushing you, you can trick yourself into fulfilling that vision. Try it a few times, its amazing what you can convince yourself of!

Inspirational quotes:

· "Rinse the cottage cheese to get success"- Jim Collins, Good to Great (a triathlete was so detail oriented/conscious of his diet that he even rinsed the fat off of his cottage cheese to get the best possible diet for his training---the lesson here is to always try your hardest to do what you can to ensure your success, pay attention to the details)

· "We all have a role in this system...we all must play our part"- Fred Swaniker

· "Ego can't be about that...there is no way Beyonce is really that dumb"- Danielle O. Hamilton (i find that so funny, will think of this whenever ego comes on my running mix)

· "Get out there and run!"- Samosa Velempini

Playlist adds: (i've just found my old running playlists from college, hollerzz!)

· "Ms. New Booty"- Bubba Sparx ft. Ying Yang Twins

· "My love is your love"- Whitney Houston

· "American Girl/ Ignition remix...etc."- Dartmouth Aires (Accapella)

· "99 Red Balloons" (techno remix)- unsure

ALA update:

· The student body has officially doubled to ~200 students and campus improvements have been completed to facilitate the growth in the ALA family. Vusi performed for students and friends on Saturday (very famous SA performer, part of the movement against apartheid, inspiration to Dave Matthews). 2 students recognized by the Liberian President (Sirleaf) for their success at ALA. Finally...I left ALA, I will definitely miss everyone there and will be in touch!

Moment of Zen:

· A little gift from Kathryn Ogletree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0-Sv6YnxEc

And...a "shout out" to some of my faves from Joburg at my going away party. Thank you again to Jordan for hosting!