So we all know Marathon can take your best laid plan, chew it up, and spit it out before running off into the sunset of your broken dreams. And in the five marathons I’ve run before Eugene, that’s happened to me twice before.

 And so I had a new plan. A plan so radical it involved crazy non-competitive adjectives like “fun,” “relaxed,” and even “enjoyable.” It also involved putting the word “bananas” on my race bib instead of my first name to A) remind me not to take myself too seriously, and B) hopefully hear the crowd yell, “Go bananas!” for 26.2 miles, which I thought would be very funny while also helping me reach my goal of 3:15. (Previous marathons: Seattle 3:37; Portland 3:02; NYC 3:05; Portland 2:59; Portland 2:59).

So the first sign that my plan would go awry was the bib number itself. My number, 440, was BIG. And the word bananas was small. And sure enough, for the first 22 miles, not a single soul uttered “Go bananas!” except perhaps...the banana. (Thank you Meghan. Seeing you equaled the highlight of my race.) But beyond that, just quiet, 3:15 pace group crickets. But no biggie.

The 7:25-ish miles felt beyond easy. At 16 miles I got the joyous news that @oiselle_mac had gotten her Half Marathon PR of 1:19/3rd place and Oiselle athlete Marci Klimek had taken the win. I immediately felt a rush of joy and happiness (if anything, over the past 10 weeks, I had been more excited about Mac’s goal than my own). All seemed well with the world...I took off my arm warmers and felt ready to bring it home. But at 21 miles, something changed. I could feel a tightness building in my right quad. And by 22 miles, both quads felt as if they had been shot with an elephant gun. So tight and painful, they were unrunnable. Not an ease-off-and-run-a-few 7:45 miles here and there kind of unrunnable. Just simply could not get them to stride without searing, tight pain. And so the walking ensued. The walking and the self-doubt. I went down the list of what I thought I had done right: pace (check), training (check; light at 45 mi/week but I had done the long runs), fuel (check, 3 gels at miles 5, 14, and 19), water (check, almost every station, a half a cup). But there I was. Walking. By then, the volunteers had plenty of time to read bib names, and with earnest sympathy the sweetest looking high school girls looked me in the eyes and said,“Ohhhh c’mon bananas...you got this...” “It’s okay bananas, you’re almost there...” “Aw bananas...”

Ah, sooooo ripe.

After seven cups of fluids, I was able to run the last two miles. This was the only relief, and a small salvaging of my race time (3:24). That, and getting to run onto the track at Hayward, with its iconic silhouette hovering on the sky like a beacon of running hope and heritage.

Of course the after-party was amazing...

The other salvaging part was every other aspect of the weekend...pics better than words:

So one week later, this is where I’m at: I am humbled and grateful for the experience. Much like my less than stellar NY Marathon experience, I felt the hard times of mile 22-24 took me to a dark place that I was then forced to find my way out of. A big part of what drew me forward was the love of the Oiselle Family... which equals our staff, customers, team members, online peeps, and the marathon volunteers. There was never a time when I felt alone in the true sense of the word... and for that I am eternally grateful. I love this business. I love the people. I love where Oiselle is at in its growth and evolution. Go Bananas!

When we get the new season in the office I love pairing things up and imagining all possible running outfit combinations. This spring my dream outfit was the violet armwarmers with the stripey simplicity tank and black stride shorts. Also any and all of the alder tops with indigo bottoms or the black distance short with the violet boise bra... the list goes on and on.

When we still packed web orders here in the office I loved seeing what customers put together. Awesome combos I never even thought of, cross season orders were the best.

Annnnyway, today the Aero Tank is here! One of my favorite pieces for spring 2012 because it's the perfect balance of fashion and function. Hello, little key pocket. Hello, contrast flatlock stitching details. Hello, SUPER wicking fabric, like so wicking that 98º + 99% humidity feels like a cool breeze.

And here are two of my favorite Aero Tank looks. The second one would be perfect for a marathon or trail run, where three zip pockets could come in handy.

What would you pair the Aero Tank with? Did you ever get a note from me back in the day complimenting your online order outfit choice?

For the past 12 weeks Sally and I have been training for Eugene. Sally signed up for the marathon and I signed up for the half. We each had business to take care of in Eugene. I wanted to break 1:20 in the half and Sally wanted to enjoy the 26.2 while qualifying for Boston.

This Sunday morning we raced Eugene. But the weekend itself was even bigger than Sunday morning. Come along for the ride, I'll try to keep it short.

Getting Ready To Fly

The week before our races was charged. I’ll let Sally tell you what was going on in her mind. But I was swinging between excitement and terror. Lying sleepless for four nights before my race. I had shouted my goals from the internet mountaintops. Twitter, Running Starfish, Facebook, DailyMile… all proclaimed  “1:19:__ or bust”. I felt that pressure. Also I had my first elite race entry, which means I didn’t pay to run. I was like a guest, and I wanted to make sure I was a good guest. Which in Eugene, means a fast guest.

Anyway I’m sure Oiselle HQ was a real fun place for Kristin, Jacquelyn, and Kerr to be. Fun like walking a landmine field is fun. Questions about the weekend could set off any number of emotions. But we kept the façade of “pure excitement” strong in my opinion.

Off We GO!

Sunday morning I left West Seattle with Owen; Sally and Lesko left from the East Side. We met at The Nest in Eugene. Yes, that was really the name of the little house they rented. We had lunch and then headed over to the expo at the Hilton to watch the Flomas’ talk (Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas). It was an open format QA about nutrition, competition, training, returning from injury, etc. Such a great talk – they are both naturally gracious speakers, funny, thoughtful and interesting to listen to. 

Owen and I killed some time and then I returned for my first ever ‘Elite Meeting’ upstairs at the Hilton, holy nerves! All these fit people sipping water and eye balling each other. Eeeck. Get me a drink! We learned where we’d meet the next morning and which porta-potties were set up for us, etc. I left feeling like a bundle of nerves/really excited about the prospect of having a warm place to hang out in the next morning since I tend to show up very early.

The next hours: bundle of nerves, dinner together, nerves, nerves, ice bath/hot bath, sleep….

RACE DAY - EUGENE STYLE

Time to see what’s inside. I got less nervous the closer we got to the start, more excited. I’d already done the tough mental work and by race morning had talked myself into this: you put the work in, lets see what you have (and this isn’t the last race on earth). 

Meb Keflezighi started the race by giving a short talk, then firing the starting gun. I could see him. Just feet from me. Starting our race. I was full of love for the pure sport of running as we all started the race and our individual races. All at once.  Here we go. 

The temperature was great, the course beautiful. I had little packs of men to run with and spent very little time alone. When I felt myself get tense I breathed out the word calm. I held back trying not to go too far under the pace I needed. I couldn’t wait to get to 3 miles out to start to crank as much as I wanted. Of course by then I was hurting more, but still ducked under 6:00 pace for the last miles. I crossed the line at 1:19:11. High fived a pancake, yes really, congratulated Oiselle runner Marci Klimek on her win! And got back on the course to cheer for Sally.

Sally wasn’t with the pace group I expected, and I began to worry. But then there she was, hamming it up slapping her hands onto her quads, which I assumed meant 'oh crap my quads are shot'. Which it did and they were. But she hung on, still BQed and, as seen in these pictures from Meghan's blog, did have some fun along the way.

We were all left Hayward relieved to rest before a fun night out with none other than Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas AND Meggie Smith. Tweet up!

The best part of the weekend aside from crossing that finish line was meeting so many people in real life (or IRL as the kids say) for the first time.  We had Meghan on the course cheering in a borrowed Banana suit! (Sally put 'bananas' on her bib number instead of her name so people would cheer GO BANANAS! Check out Meghan's blog post Operation Go Bananas for more on that.) We got to hang out with Meggie Smith, a Oiselle runner, who was just as much fun as I imagined. We got to shoot the breeze with Lauren Fleshman (seriously?!?!) and Mr. Fleshman. And I got to spend the weekend with lots of my favorite people.

Let’s just say it was hard to come back to reality...but great to know that on June is just around the corner. OLYMPIC TRIALS!!!

Or something like that. The question I've been asking myself as I get ready to run the Eugene full on Sunday. Right now, I have only three thoughts: 1) I have been completely awed, inspired, buoyed, humored, enlightened by the input (mostly tweets) of the Oiselle community who told us how they dealt with that first question. Amazing. 2) I am often grateful to my Dad (pictured), who can't run now, but who introduced me to the sport when he could. And 3) Some truths are eternal (and even go well on a t-shirt). His now-vintage R. Crumb "Keep on Truckin'" tee is still probably, to this day, the best advice for marathons -- and life. If you will be in Eugene this weekend, we hope to see you! I'll be the one with the bib number that says "Bananas" and thus feel free to holler "Go bananas!" as I run by. That, or "keep on truckin'!"

Papa Bergesen Truckin' circa 1972

It's vlog time! Gather 'round the YouTube. We've got tips on how to deal with the pre-race running diva in your life

Our last Twitter contest for marathon month! Must "follow" to win.
 

PRIZE

- 2 winners will recieve a $126.20 Oiselle gift card to spend at Oiselle.com

HOW TO WIN

1. Follow Oiselle on Twitter
2. Find the contest tweet, and retweet it
3. Tweet at us what you plan to do (or did) to celebrate your marathon. If you can fit your celebration plans in your RT, great. If not RT, then reply. 
4. Be sure to use #celebrate with your marathon celebration plans tweet.

Ends tonight at midnight (4/23/12) We will pick 2 random winners on Tuesday!

Dave invited Sally back on to the Late Show after her "Top Ten Things You Never, Ever Want to Hear from a Competitor Before the Start of a Race..." became one of the most searched YouTube clips in Late Show history...

The Top Ten Thoughts You Will Have at Mile 20

10. Toenails are really nice to have. 

9. That someone MUST be playing a cruel trick on you and moving the mile markers further and further apart.

8. People have stopped cheering, "You look great!"

7. Rosie Ruiz was on to something.

6. Do pay phones still exist?

5. Chuck Norris never ran a marathon because dude is brilliant. 

4. Oprah never ran a second marathon because...hello? 

3. I think I've officially reached "toddler" pace. 

2. This "on-foot" thing totally blows...  

Cue the David Letterman voice: “And the number one thing ladies and gentleman that you start to notice at mile 20...”

1. If I lived here, I'd be home by now. 

In Grete Waitz’s book Run Your First Marathon: Everything You Need to Know to Reach the Finish Line she so tactfully talks about "a call to the toilet". It's a call you have to answer, you can't let it go to voicemail even if you're in the middle of a pack of runners all running towards the finish line miles and miles away. She goes on to talk about her experience with this "call" during a marathon. "One of my most dramatic race stories is also my most awkward. I was in the lead of the London Marathon when I got an attack of diarrhea... in my mind there was no question: I had to keep running, despite the shock of onlookers and worse, the television cameras broadcasting the event to millions of people. It was not a pleasant experience, but winning was.”

The call of the toilet is something everyone running a marathon worries about. I mean everyone, even elites like Lauren Fleshman. What if... And if the call comes what are you going to do about it!? What if there’s no porta-potty? No bush to duck behind? What if it’s just calling and calling and there’s no putting it on hold?

Ways to Prevent “The Call” during the 26.2

- Of course the best way to prevent this is during training. Practice with the gels and fluids you’ll be using during the marathon.
- Practice your dinner and breakfast around a couple key long runs. (Carb load the way you plan to for the race, wake up at ‘race time’ and eat, get out the door at ‘gun time’). Do the full dress/eat rehearsal
- Don’t eat an adventurous meal for dinner or breakfast before the marathon, or really any time within 48 hours of the marathon.
- Make sure you’re hydrated. Dehydration can lead to diarrhea. You need water to digest food properly. Avoid warm drinks though, those can speed up digestion and cause diarrhea.

Oddly enough, most of the time your body will take care of it. You’ll wake up on marathon day and go to the bathroom about 6 times before the guns goes off. Seriously. Your body knows how to prepare for battle.

And if the call comes – you decide how to answer it. But if you’re leading the NYCMarathon I’d just let it happen in your shorts.

For more potty talk check out:
Every Runner Poops by Joe Dudman on Run Oregon Blog
ESPNW interview with Lauren Fleshman before the NYC Marathon
Toilet Training from Today's Runner a UK publication
Runner's Diarrhea - How to Reduce Your Risk by That's Fit (this post could have been titled That's Sh*t)

And finally, some stand-up about marathon pooping:

When it comes to tackling the 26.2 into submission it helps to have a trainer. A plan that will take you from start to finish with as little agony as is possible... considering the 26.2 miles you will be encountering in between.

So tell us, who's training you?

Are you following a website? Specialized plan? Training with a group?...

As always the conversation is open on Facebook, Twitter and below (once I approve your comment, you wouldn't believe how often Viagra wants to comment on running posts...)

tough, but you might want tougher...

Welcome to our first vlog! We had so much fun making my Nuun Hood to Coast video application that we decided it's time to actually do more with the video medium. Look out for more product videos, vlogs and general video fun in the future.

Enjoy! (And yes, I can't get enough of the Apple jingles/sounds in my iMovie, there's one on here I swear E! uses on all their reality shows)

You can also see more videos by Oiselle and others that we like at our YouTube Channel.