where oh where did my running legs go?

I have no idea what has happened :( I am in serious, serious running BURN OUT. I have had one run since the marathon in October.

After a race I'm always ready to jump right back into running & scheduling the next race. Now.....I have zero desire. Since I began running a few years ago, I have never experienced this!

I think maybe all the marathon training was just too much + the race was pretty awful for me + no goal = CHUBBY. I feel chubby, lazy & just PFFT.

I know I have lost all of my endurance from such a long break. The thought of starting over .... gaww. I love running so much, but I have lost it. :( How do I get it back?!?!

Maybe I need to take a little time to get caught up on my running friend's blogs, or maybe just stop whining & run?

Help!

Chicago 26.2!

This past weekend I ran the Chicago Marathon. 26.2 long .... hot miles.

We drove from Kansas, a long, 10 hour drive across Iowa. We pulled into Chicago around 10pm on Friday night - not the ideal time to try to find our way around, but we found our spot pretty easily. A good friend of mine's sister has an awesome place that she let us bunk in for the weekend. Just minutes from the start - I felt super lucky to be able to stay there :) (thanks Sheila!)

Here is a pic of my view on Saturday morning from the bed. Awesome right?! A great way to start the day, on a normal day that is. But on this day my nerves were setting in, my temper was short, I was doubting myself.

Pretty much the normal day-before-the-race bitchiness. Normally I have doubts, whatever, which are never warranted. I train diligently, never missing a training run .... running exactly the mileage my plan tells me to. I start to get freaked out the day before, do fine, or better than I thought & then look back & think how stupid I was to get all stressed out.

But this was different. I hadn't run a step in 2 weeks prior to the race because of the car accident we had right before taper week. My knee felt fine now, but it kept me from running the normal taper miles 2 weeks prior.

Now, I know .... the taper miles aren't nearly as important as the 20 mile training runs - which I did just a few days before the accident. But no running was making me feel chubby, out of shape, tired .... blah.

#1 on my list Saturday though was to find the expo & get my race packet. We walked to Niketown (which was insanely crazy btw!) & caught the shuttle to the expo. I can't tell you how amazed I was to see the check in sign that said 47,000! 47,000 runners! 47,000 people registered to run 26.2 miles. Holy crap, we are all clearly out of our minds!

Walking through the expo & here is what I saw. My name on the Nike wall. Sweet.
Um, yeah, that's Dean Karnazes. The Ultramarathon Man. 50 marathons in 50 days. Ran all the way across the freaking United States this past summer. Awesome.

I left the expo in sort of a haze after that tight squeeze from Dean.

Got on the shuttle & headed back to the super sweet condo. Had some beach time & some dinner with my kiddo,
laid out all my stuff for raceday,
headed to bed to try to get some good rest.

Tomorrow was a big freaking deal.

4:30 am alarm. I of course woke right up, got ready, jetted downstairs to make my way to the finish. I met some nice girls waiting for the bus & we decided to all just share a cab. Much easier & my anxiety about getting to the start disappeared.

Got to the start. Wait. Wait. Wait. I had about an hour wait at the start before the race even started. When the gun went off I waited another hour to cross the start. OMG let's run already! That waiting was really hard!

I felt really good about my pace throughout the first part of the race. Slow, steady, feeling good. My breathing wasn't strained at all, just where I wanted to be.

I felt like I really, really had to pee for the first 10 miles. That was kind of weird for me because I never, ever have to go during a run, so I thought it was just nerves. Nope. Mile 10 - I had to stop. Talk about waiting.

5 minutes in the potty line.

6 minutes in the potty line.

10 minutes in the potty line.

Tick tock tick tock, there goes your goal of a 2:00 first 1/2. I guess it's good to be super hydrated .... but I surely hated losing 11 minutes to a bathroom break.

Mile 12. My knee started to burn, so I stopped for ice at the tent.

Tick tock tick tock.

More time wasted. That was frustrating, but I knew if I was going to make it through to 26.2 I had to take care of that knee.

Oh I forgot to mention boys town. I can't remember what mile they were at, but certainly by far my favorite portion of the race. Men in drag just make me smile. lol

Here is a pic of the boy's town ROTC :)

13.1 checkpoint. I think I was at about 2:20. My slowest 1/2 ever, but I kind of did that on purpose. It was really hard for me not to go faster & I really, really wanted to sprint in that 'last' mile. But I knew that wasn't my last mile, I was only 1/2 way done! OMG.

Honestly, I remember nothing good between mile 13 & mile 20. The crowd support vanished, the fun was gone, it was freaking hot. F this. Stopped again for ice, this time on my foot.

Something really wrong started happening around mile 20.

I wanted to cut through & cheat.

I wanted to stop.

I wanted to walk into Dunkin Donuts & sit for coffee.

I wanted to kill somebody.

I followed a training plan that 20 miles was my longest training run. Right here is where I would now run the farthest I have ever run.

People say you are excited to be almost done at that point & that's enough to pull you through that last 10K. Well those people are just stupid. LoL

That last 6.2 was awful. (keep in mind that I have given birth, & I swear this was worse!)

I was DONE. Wasted. Pissed. Mean. Hungry. Walking.

I tried to focus on my music. My daughter. My best friend. Finish line beer. Nothing was working. I was completely falling apart!

But somehow the support of my friends & family took me through that last 6. It really took all I had not to just stop. I know that sounds so crazy. You're almost done at that point! SO CLOSE! But I just had nothing left.

After the finish I didn't really feel triumphant because of that crappy last leg. I know that sounds really stupid. 26.2 miles .... be proud of that.

I was proud ... but I just didn't have the crazy, happy, omg I did it attitude. My finish line pictures I'm sure are atrocious. I think I walked across the finish line with my head in my hands .... bawling. Good lord, that was so far.

I found my family, got my phone, which had been going crazy with text messages asking if I'd finished. Several friends were following me online & my last checkpoint was 30K. According to the updates I still wasn't finished!

OMG my tag was off my shoe. Are you KIDDING ME?!?! This must have happened when I had to take my shoe off to ice my stupid foot. I just ran 26.2 miles & I will never be posted as a finisher? Are you KIDDING ME?!

Well, in that case, I finished in 4:00.

Friends, even though this isn't my normal happy post-race write up, make no mistake that I am so glad I did this.

I would never trade this experience.

I am humbled by the distance.

I am proud to say I know many ladies who have ran this race many times - way fast. To those ladies, I have a new found respect for each one of you.

Lots of people have asked me "what are you going to rename your blog after you have run the full?"

I am keeping my blog name exactly the same.

I am Happy with 13.1!

Extreme Coolness!

Today I got an email from Whitney at Straight Hempin' to tell me this awesome marathon bracelet is ready for me!

Custom made just for me :) & she makes 'em quick too!

Check them out on Facebook here: Straight Hempin'

Now I just have to run those miles!!

Tapering....

Ok kids, well, I haven't updated in a few weeks - things are crazy. I finished my last 20 mile run before taper week....felt good. Confident that I was ready, all the training was done, and then BOOM. I got into a car accident a few days later.

All was fine .... except when I was hit I bumped my knee on the dash. Now of course that is the ONLY place that just can't get hit (that was my knee from last year's surgery). GAWWWW. Seriously. I just couldn't believe that happened. 2 weeks out from the race and then THAT.

Fast forward to today. My knee is still sore, bruised and crappy. No running for me until race day - just rest & ice.

My taper weeks just turned into a sit on your ass and worry weeks! (but I'm of course trying my best to remain positive)

Today I am 9 days out from the race. If the race was this weekend I probably wouldn't be able to do it. SO! Here comes my realistic Plan B. I am trying to remember that this race is not about a certain time goal. It's my first full. Goal is to finish happy.

I am thinking I will do a jog/walk kind of thing, and shoot for a 5 1/2 hour time. If my average pace for long runs has been 10-10:30, think that is doable?!

P.S. I'm so sorry for the delay in announcing the winner of the marathon bar giveaway! Shelley is the winner! Send me your address girl and I will send those bars your way!

A Hangover & A Giveaway!

Anyone 4 weeks out of a marathon knows that this title didn't come from too much beer ... I'm talking 20 miler hangover. Let me whine just a tiny bit more about running 20 miles.

When I woke up Sunday, I felt like I had a long hard night with a bottle of tequila & wayyyyy too much dancing. My legs ached, my lower back was sore, killer headache, my shoulders hurt, and OMG my butt. My butt! ouch. Ice bath after the run was great but nothing completely stops the pain of a run that long.

My heel has been hurting too much to run since then, so I am a day behind on my training this week. I'm already certain it will keep me from the time I was hoping to have, but I will still do the race - even if I have to walk some. Walking is not usually something I would be ok with - but if it's that or not do it - then walking some it is. I know I can run at least 20, it's just how much I want to pay for pushing myself after. hmmm.....pondering that thought a bit.

OK! Now for a giveaway!
At the beginning of my training I told you about becoming an ambassador for Marathon Bar. Well, it's time to share that coolness with you & give you some goodies! I'm not just saying this because I'm wearing their clothes - these little babies are tasty!

You have several chances to win. Give me a separate comment for each, be entered once for each comment!
Here's what I wanna know from you:

1. Follow my blog & tell me you are

2. Tell people about this giveaway - blog it/facebook it/tweet it/scream it out the front door. Tell me what you did.

3. Give me one of your fitness/health goals.

4. Check out the Marathon Bar website. I specifically like the Performance Tools tab.
Check it out here
Determine your caloric & nutritional needs or your ideal weight. It's pretty cool. Don't freak out - you don't have to tell the whole blog world what any of those are.....but leave me a comment telling me you checked that out. You can also order some bars online.

That's it! Easy peasy.

What am I gonna win you ask?? I will hook you up with 2 boxes of Marathon Bars .... shipped right to you. Now, you don't have forever to do this because someone out there might be really hungry for some Marathon Bars. I'll pick a lucky winner this Sunday. Good Luck friends!

Holy Crap, I ran 20 Miles Today!

Normally I log my daily miles here for the week, but honestly, the week is a blur after today.

Today I ran my first 20 miler & here is what I think about it.

I went to bed early after a day yesterday of drinking lots of water & eating right. Feeling good about that.

3:30 a.m. woke right up (alarm was set for 4:30) I couldn't get back to sleep, but finally did - just in time for the alarm to go off.

I had planned to hit the road at 5:00 a.m., to have enough time to get this motha done, come home to rest before some college football today. 5:00 a.m. was still totally dark. I worry about going out in the dark alone -- kinda freaks me out.

I took my time getting ready, ate a pb&j, coffee, watermelon beans .... ho hum .... ready to run. Still dark at 6:30. Fall must be upon us. I didn't feel good about going until 7, when the sun was almost popping up. Much later start than I wanted, but such is mother nature. I could have gone to the gym at 5, but the thought of 20 miles on the treadmill? My lord.

This is how it all went down.

Mile 1 - 9:05 pace. Geez. This isn't a 5K girl, slow your butt down.

Mile 3 - stop to have some beans

Mile 3-6 - allll good. Nice easy pace. Widespread Panic/Dave Matthews mix on the ipod, feeling fine.

Mile 6-8 - my foot started hurting. I haven't really said anything about this .... denial probably .... but I have been having some pain in my heel. I have no idea what that is, but I'm afraid to know. The one thing I can't take at this point of the training is an injury! Not hurting enough to stop, so let's carry on.

Mile 8-10 - stopped for a snack size payday, water fill up & a few beans. Feeling good, foot was ok.

Mile 13 - 1/2 marathon point. Ok so here is where I start regretting my choice to do a full. If I was sticking to the 1/2 distance, I'd be done here. The 13 point puts it all into perspective for me. Do 13. Now turn around & do all of that again. omg.

No whining!

Mile 13-15 - snack time - more beans, water. Feeling pretty tired here.

Mile 16 - Taylor Swift on my ipod. Now, normally I am fine with a little Taylor Swift. But at mile 16? It made me want to scratch my eyes out. I was pretty pissed off at this point of the run. Why, why, WHY am I doing this to myself?!

This was where I started wishing I had a training partner. I thought a bit about my buddy Russ, who is training for an Ultra - bet he WISHES he only had 20 today. Needed to check myself here, have a little talk with myself.

Stop, refill water, pop a few beans, fix that little music problem, change to a Michael Jackson/Justin Timberlake/Prince mix.

As I was stopped, a cyclist came by & said "Hey pigtails - you should take up cycling, it's easier". Now, normally I would have joked around with him or just waved & agreed. I'm sure he wasn't meaning to be rude, but jerkwad, don't mess with me at mile 16.

I said a few very unlady like things, flipped him the bird & started running. Hey guess what? I run because IT ISN'T EASY. Duh.

Mile 18 - Have never run farther than this ... really, really wanted to quit. I was 2 miles from home, a route I have run a million times, but today that 2 miles seemed MUCH longer. I kept saying, just 2 more miles - you've ran 2 miles hundreds of times - stop being a crybaby.

I'm pretty sure I started talking to myself at this point. Something just happens after mile 15.... It becomes ridiculous!

Had to have some really good music to bring me home, to keep me from walking. Jack Johnson to help clear my crazy mind (alllllways works for me)

If you're going 20, you had better have pa-lenty of music ready!

Mile 20 - 2pac brings me home. (um, what a crazy mix of songs I had today! Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews, Prince, Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Jack Johnson and 2pac. LOL)

Home sweet home for an ice bath, chocolate milk, banana, some fritos for the salt & gatorade.

Feeling tired now, my shoulders ache, my lower back is sore, my bum knee is icing right now & my foot is hurting pretty bad (it's right in the bottom of my heel if anyone knows what that is...) I'm a mess! Going to rest now.

Happy Labor Day friends! Thank goodness for the long weekend!

Just Some Thoughts

Here I am in week 11 of marathon training. Not much time to write about how it's going, how I'm feeling etc., just seems to be enough time to eat, sleep, work, run. Just thought I would take a second to relect on the past training weeks & think a bit about what lies ahead. Stay tuned for the rambling....

A few days ago I decided I was going to drop out of the race. A tough decision, but I know in my heart that I haven't put myself totally into this training. I haven't been eating right, sleeping enough, training hard enough, etc. I know what it takes to be a good runner .... and I haven't been doing it. At all.

Why drop out in week 10?
1. Scared to be disappointed with my time.
2. Worried I may have to walk some.
3. Scared sh*tless of the 20 miler that awaites me in my training.

Fast forward two days later & I must have been crazy to even consider dropping out. 10 weeks of training wasted? No way, I'm too far in.

So from today on my friends it is time to concentrate on finishing up this training feeling strong .... getting my head on straight .... and remembering why I am doing this.

Get the pickle juice chillin' in the fridge and the paydays in my pocket. It's time to run long this weekend. Ba-ring it!

Week 10

Week 10 -
Monday 5
Wednesday 8
Thursday 5
Weekend 18
Total for week 10 - 33 miles

Well good lord, I am exhausted! I haven't been eating right or resting enough ... it's catching up on me. Next weekend I will attempt the dreaded 20 miler. OMG it just keeps getting crazier & crazier!

Quote of the Day

Runner's World quote of the day... sharing because I just liked it. Happy Tuesday!

Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.

Tim Noakes, author of Lore of Running

Warriors!

A little break from marathon training....to bring you Warrior Dash! Truly the craziest fricking day of my life!

Week 7, 8 ,9

Week 7 -
Monday 4
Wednesday 6
Thursday 4
Weekend 12
Total for week 7 - 26 miles

Week 8 -
Monday 4
Wednesday 6
Thursday 4
Weekend 14
Total for week 8 - 28 miles

Week 9 -
Monday 4
Wednesday 7
Thursday 4
Weekend 16
Total for week 9 - 31 miles

Trying to catch up on my blog, so not commenting a ton here....but ok, let's talk about that weekend 16. I have never run a full marathon before, only 1/2's. So there has never been any logical reason at all for me to ever run beyond 13.1. I'm still trying to figure out what logical reason there is!

16 miles on a Saturday morning....started out a little something like this.

Awake at 4:30. The planning for a run this long is pretty extensive. Can't just jet out the door. Must have time to eat, wake up, bathroom, water, bathroom, stash pickle juice, powerbar & water refill along the route, eat a yummy pack of watermelon beans.

5:30 I'm off.

First 6 miles were fine. Thanks to my awesome Garmin, I didn't really plan a route - let's just run until it says we're done.

I ran my normal loop, not remembering that the return goes RIGHT by my house. So what's the problem with that? Well ... when you are at 8 miles of 16, seeing your house is verrrrrrrrrrrry tempting.

Noone would even know if I just slipped home a little early....

Ok, yeah, I would know... & I told a few people I was running 16 that weekend... kinda was thinking I would have to admit to only doing 8 if I stopped. Can't do it.

Off I go, running AWAY from my house ... but I had some more beans & felt good to go.

Remember that good thing I said about the Garmin? How you don't have to plan your route? That's also a bad thing sometimes. I ran the trail by my house not really thinking that I was going to have to do an out and back. Gahhhhhhh I hate out and backs. I guess they are fine on a short run, but man, turning around & knowing exactly how far I have left gets in my head sometimes on a long run.

The last 2 miles - I could feel every step, my quads were burning, my back was hurting, oiy. Ready to be DONE.

Home sweet home finally. Chocolate milk, banana, a snickers & an ice bath! Heaven.

After this 16 miler, my only thought is holy sh*t in 2 weeks I will do 20! What in the world was I thinking?!

Week 5 & 6

All this running...no time for blogging! Yikes, I'm behind. Ok, recap time!

Week 5 -
Monday 3
Wednesday 5
Thursday 3
Weekend 10
Total for week 5 - 21 miles

Week 6 -
Monday 4
Wednesday 5
Thursday 4
Weekend 11
Total for week 6 - 24 miles

Week 3 & 4

Bad blogger.... forgot to post my runs for the past 2 weeks...

Week 3 -
Monday 3
Wednesday 0 :(
Thursday 0 :(
Weekend 8

Um yeah, I see those zeros just like you do. 17 miles on the schedule,
Total for week 3 - 11 miles

Week 4 -
Monday 3
Wednesday 5
Thursday 3
Weekend 10
hell it is HOT out, 10 miles on the treadmill. good lord.
Total for week 4 - 21 miles
(19 was scheduled for this week, so I'm a tiny bit ahead for week 4, felt guilty for week 3 slacking... & yes I know the golden rule when training is to never try to make up lost mileage...)

Week 5 starts today, 7/18, 21 miles scheduled for the week. Happy Monday!

Week 2

pffft. I don't even want to blog about this running week. AT ALL. But....as promised I'm telling the good, the bad & the ugly.

Monday - 3 miles, 27:00, 9:00 pace
Wednesday - 4 miles, 37:00, 9:30 pace
Thursday - 3 miles, 27:00, 9:00 pace

Here comes the ugly....
Saturday - 7 on the schedule. Abort at 3 miles. Not feeling rested, just didn't have it. No biggie, try again tomorrow.

Sunday - take 2 on long run. Abort at 2 miles. wtf. Bawled like a baby all the way home.

Blah. Ok let's think about what happened here. It was freaking hot on Sunday. Like really humid. I had spent the afternoon at the pool...I was tired. I didn't eat before I went. Excuses, excuses ...

The Saturday failure was in my head a bit, so I went to the track where I could just zone out, not have to worry about traffic or mess with any hills. Just a clam, slow, flat, uneventful run is what I was going for.

Mile 1 - 7:30. omg. uh...7:30? No wonder I about barfed. Mile 2...slowwwwwwwwww down baby. I just couldn't go. My legs felt heavy & my head was all over the place, I was a basketcase.

Not every run can be your best ever. We all have runs that suck. Yup, I just had 2 in a row. Hey if anyone finds my motivation....send it back to me please?!

I don't know what's up with me. Running has always been the one thing that keeps me level, & right now it's feeling like a second job. I'm not even CLOSE to being into the high weekly mileage that awaits me in the following weeks.

I'm not resting enough, not eating well .... gawwww. I know what it takes to make this happen, I just can't seem to get there this time. Even the complete terror of 26.2 miles in 15 weeks wasn't enough to get my ass in gear this weekend.

Starting fresh tomorrow. Monday will be better.

Hooo-ray for Race Day! Runshunga 5K

Last weekend I ventured back to my hometown to run a 5K with some friends. Here we are before the race...
So great to see my best dude friend Russ who is 20 pounds from his goal weight, after weighing 400 pounds when he started his journey to get fit. Just freaking amazing. He has the sweetest little wife who also has dropped like pretty much a whole person. She wasn't able to come this weekend :( boo hoo, we missed you jaimeiam.

Last year, this race was his very first race & he ran it in 45 min. This past weekend, he kicked that 5Ks ass with a 24:07. Just WoW! You can check out Russ's blog on the right side of my page (Thunder Road Racing). Need some inspiration? You'll find it there.

Ok so back to race day. The 5K is a challenging distance for me - it's fast, no time to relax & get a rhythm going. I didn't really know what to expect of myself for this race because I haven't really been focused on running since the Lincoln 1/2, & especially not focused on the 5K distance.

I knew I could at least do 9 min miles, so I was thinking probably a 27 min or so, but honestly would have been happy with anything under 30.

As usual....chatty cathy at the start line with my friends - not even realizing the race was about to start. The gun went off & I was like "oh crap, I guess we're going!". ooops.

Mile 1 check in - going pretty fast - but feeling ok. Course was great, pretty flat except a gradual hill on mile 2. Thank you Mika for changing the route from last year! ;)

We rounded the corner to the finish - probably a 1/2 mile to go - all downhill. What I love about 5Ks - there are usually some kids running. I spotted a little boy, probably about 7-8 years old - walking. I came up on him & said 'dude, you aren't going to let a girl in a skirt beat you are you?'. That kid sprinted to the finish so fast I totally couldn't even catch him. HA. Want to make a boy run fast? Threaten him with getting beat by a girl. So funny.

I came in at 25:57, 8:22 pace. Feeling fast! I thought for sure that time would have been enough to bring home some hardware, but darn it, I got 4th in my age group .... top 3 get the goods. Eh, next time.

Super fun race day. We stayed for the parade afterward, drank some beers (yes, it was only 8:30 am, but hey, when you get up at 5 that's pretty much lunch time right?!)

Out of the group, Phil took home first in his age group, Krista took home 3rd, & Rob ran his first 5K in under 30 min. That was even a Happy Birthday 5K!

It was great to spend some time with my friends who I totally don't get to see often enough. Here we are :)

Week 1

Week 1 of marathon training....complete.

Monday - 3 miles, 27 min, 9:00 pace
Wednesday - 4 miles, 37 min, 9:15 pace
Thursday - 3 miles, 27 min, 9:00 pace
Saturday - Runshunga 5K, 25:57, 8:22 pace (race report coming soon :)

13 miles total

Notes... mileage was a few off this week because of the race on Saturday. I was scheduled for a 6er on Saturday. Since I'm so early in training, no worried about those few miles at all. On to week 2!

Time to Run. Like alot.

I keep saying...it's almost time, it's almost time...to begin training for Chicago full. Well, it's here :)

I'm going to try to log my runs here & give you at least a little recap. Some runs are just runs though & I predict being tired pretty much the whole summer...but I'll do my best to keep up.

6/13 Monday - 3 miles, 27:00, 9:00 pace
Hot! Holy crap it was hot. Felt like I averaged a decent pace, considering I had a freaking chili dog an hour before the run. Geeez. I've been eating whatever I want & having way too much fun. Time to get serious here people! Today was the first official day of training on my 17 week schedule.


6/11 Saturday - 7 miles, 1:07, 9:34 pace
I was a tiny bit nervous about this run b/c I haven't really been running much since the Lincoln 1/2. I do believe a break is good for us every now & again though :) Great run, did some hills & felt good!

Happy National Running Day!

Today is the day that we all must run, like it or not, because um, hello?! It's National Running Day!

For me, June marks the beginning of the training schedule for the Chicago Marathon this fall. I am nervous, excited, freaked out at the commitment I have made .... how will I ever have time to follow this schedule?!

8 miles on a Wednesday, 5 the next day? Oh & then how about do 20 two days after?

I must be crazy. No question, I totally am.

But ... I can remember thinking the same thing when I first looked at the 1/2 marathon training schedule - so I'll do the same thing I did then & check them off one by one (with my super cute pink pen of course)

If you are following my blog, I will be taking you through each & every run throughout this training schedule.

I have some product giveaways coming for you too! Oh & I am an ambassador for Marathon Bar now (more on that later), so I'll be sure to spread that around when I get that big box of joy in the mail!

My goals for this training schedule & race? Stay injury free & finish this motha.

Ok, well, here it is - my entire summer. Hope I can find some pool time in there somewhere! :) Run on my friends!

wk 1 ... 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 5 Rest Week 1 total - 15
wk 2 ... 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 6 Rest Week 2 total - 16
wk 3 ... 3 Rest 4 3 Rest 7 Rest Week 3 total - 17
wk 4 ... 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 8 Rest Week 4 total - 19
wk 5 ... 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 10 Rest Week 5 total - 21
wk 6 ... 4 Rest 5 4 Rest 11 Rest Week 6 total - 24
wk 7 ... 4 Rest 6 4 Rest 12 Rest Week 7 total - 26
wk 8 ... 4 Rest 6 4 Rest 14 Rest Week 8 total - 28
wk 9 ... 4 Rest 7 4 Rest 16 Rest Week 9 total - 31
wk 10 ... 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 16 Rest Week 10 total - 34
wk 11 ... 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 17 Rest Week 11 total - 35
wk 12 ... 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 18 Rest Week 12 total - 36
wk 13 ... 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 20 Rest Week 13 total - 38
wk 14 ... 5 Rest 8 5 Rest 9 Rest Week 14 total - 27
wk 15 ... 3 Rest 5 3 Rest 8 Rest Week 15 total - 19

wk 16 ... 3 Rest 3 Walk 2 Rest Rest
RACE! 26.2 Week 16 total - 34.2

Life is Short

Something for Today

Nonrunners cannot see how they can afford the time to run every day. But runners cannot imagine getting through a single day without it.

Kevin Nelson, The Runner's Book of Daily Inspiration

:)

reflection, perspective & appreciation

Whoa, my title today is all deep & serious! That's strange for me!

So you know, sometimes a run is just a run. Nothing to write about, all good, no problems, not super fast, etc. Today wasn't one of those runs. The run itself was actually fine in the end .... but ....

I haven't ran much since my 1/2 a few weeks ago - I was being very BAD last week - not eating well + not getting enough sleep = no running.

So I knew I had to kick it in the pants this weekend & get going. Saturday night it is. Nope. No motivation. At all. I had some work obligations super early Sunday morning so I decided to take care of those & hit the gym Sunday instead.

I got on the treadmill, all fine & good. I think I've said like a gazillion times that I so hate the first 3 miles of any run. Today? No exception. I looked down thinking I had done at least 4 .... nope. 1.5. Yikes.

I almost called it quits, because you know, somedays you have it, somedays you don't...& I'm ok with that. But decided I should hang in until at least 3 to see how I was feeling.

3 miles & all of a sudden ..... my tunes are good. My shoes feel great. I can speed up just a bit. My mind is clear & ready to go. Weird how it takes me 3 miles to get there.

Here's where reflection, perspective & appreciation come in. I have none of that before mile 3.

Reflection - I started to think about my last year. Last 6 months specifically. Something just kicked in over the last 6 months. Got faster. Went farther. Felt better. Awesome.

Perspective - It's strange how when you become a distance runner that anything under 3 miles is just a waste of getting sweaty. If I had stopped at mile 2 I would have went home pouting.

But I remember very vividly when 2 miles was a goal I never thought I could reach. I remember when 2 miles took me like 25 minutes. Wow, has my perspective changed over the last few years!

Appreciation - This isn't a problem for me very often. I'm usually a super positive person (sometimes to a fault!) I feel like I really do try to take time to appreciate where I am, what I have & where I'm going. I was struggling with this at first today.

Not because I was having a bad run, but I had alot of ups & downs this past week .... & it's sometimes a little hard to bring those 'ups' to the top of my list & stay positive & confident in myself. Funny how a run can do that for me.

I really love running. For lots of reasons:
I can eat pizza. (note that I still *shouldn't*, but I can)
It clears my head.
My legs are strong.
It's uninterrupted think time.

But today reminded me to be thankful for my health because that allows me to run, thankful that I have people in my life who love & care about me & thankful for really awesome friends I've gotten to know through running.

So there you go. A deep serious blog post about a little 7 miler today! I feel refreshed & ready for the week. Come on Monday, I'm ready for you!

Lincoln 1/2 Marathon - jellybeans, elvis & a PR

Sit down for awhile, this is going to be a ton of race day blahbitty blah blah.

Lincoln 1/2 marathon this past weekend. Freaking nervous wreck (as usual). But really, this time was different.

Recap in case you didn't bore yourself with my pre-race freak out. I had what I considered a pretty agressive goal for me - 2:10.

My last 1/2, in November of last year was something like a 2:23, and my fastest 1/2 ever (my first, 2 years ago) was a 2:14. Lots has happened since that 2:14, but it's always the time I'm fighting to beat. It just meant so much to me to beat that 2:14 for this race.

Fast forward to Saturday - running around like a mad woman of course at the last minute - updating my ipod, charging my Garmin, going to the grocery store.... yes, all of which could have been done days prior... but why would I ever do that?!

We headed out, got to Lincoln. Packet pick up was less than anything to write about, so yeah, we got our packets.

I did get to talk to a pacer who convinced me to forgo the 2:10 pace bracelet & pick up the 2:05. He was going to end up being my best friend or I would find him after the race & kick his ass. That was yet to be determined.Pasta dinner was good, then back to the hotel to obsess about what to wear. Here we are at the dinner. Dang it, I planned on a skirt & tank top, but brrrrrrrrrrrr it was going to be 39 degrees in the morning. I consistently overdress for races & I wasn't making that mistake again .... but 39 degrees & dressed like you're going for a 90 degree run? I wasn't sure. But hey, if Pat Melgares can run in the freezing rain in a tank & shorts, I can do it. (hi Pat!)

Tank/skirt it is. That skirt is freaking cute.

Off to bed at an early hour for a 5am wake up call. Slept like a baby. Good, good, good. Woke up feeling rested & ready to run! Here we are pre-race. I look nervous as hell. Or maybe that was my teeth chattering. brrrr!Race starts are always a little crazy. Parking, getting to the start, checking bags, last minute bathroom break .... hugs all around & off to your start position in line with 10,000 other crazies.I am usually a very social runner (I realize that suprises noone that knows me...). Love to chatter with everyone around me & listen to everyone's anxiety & their hopes for a PR. But not today. I think sometimes that chatter gets in my head a bit & makes me even more nervous. So today I put my ipod on, put my head down & got myself straight. Best idea ever.

As we inched up to the start, it seemed like it took forever to pass the start gate. 20 minutes in fact! Longest I've ever waited to start a race, but I had good tunes, so it was totally bearable. At about Mile 2 I saw Elvis singing Burning Love - my all time favorite Elvis song. Seriously. Love 70's jumpsuit Elvis. Here he is:My friend who did the full said she saw that dude at mile 24 or something - so cool that he stayed around for all the runners. I bet those sideburns kept him warm.

Feeling warm after mile 1 - stripped the long sleeve shirt off & wimpered a bit when I threw it to the curb, sad to be throwing away that shirt. That was my WinterRunderland 10k shirt. Dang it, I packed a million other things....but no throw away. poo.

Mile mark 5K. 30:53. Right on schedule, nice & easy. Mile mark 10K. 1:01. So far so good, perfect pace for a 2:10. I was feeling awesome, like I could run at that pace all day.

Oh I need to tell you about the water stops. This seems like a small thing, but to anyone who has ever run a race.... it's a huge thing. Water/Gatorade with LIDS & STRAWS. What?!? omg I have never seen such a glorious thing. This totally made it so that I actually was able to drink instead of spill all over myself. Freaking great. After about mile 8 I usually start to fall apart. But not today - I felt great!

Mile mark 15K. 1:30. Right on target for a 2:10. Hells yes. Free jelly beans!I maybe started smiling at this point. And singing. Outloud. And I didn't care who heard my awful singing. I knew I only had under 4 miles to go & I wasn't tired, nothing hurt, the weather was perfect, my tunes were awesome... I was feeling it. I do sing horribly, but at least good enough for the dude next to me to know I was singing a Dave Matthews tune. He gave me a thumbs up & sang along with me.

Mile 11. Something amazing happened. Only 2 miles to go - time to make it count. I knew my time was going to be somewhere in between 2:05-2:10, but I didn't want to jinx myself at this point & think I had a shot at the 2:05.

So I stopped looking at the Garmin & just ran. Ran fast. My last mile was under 8:00. Where the hell did that come from!?

I passed 154 runners from 15K to the finish. No, I didn't run around going "passing you, you, you... oh & you, you & you too". Race results told me that 154 number. Negative splits baby. Something I can rarely do in a practice run much less a race. WoW negative splits - having enough left to sprint the last 2 miles of 13 feels AMAZING.

Ok so I about barfed at that pace, but I came into the finish like a total spaz with energy left - I think I skipped over the finish, jumped around like my cheerleader days, hugging strangers & chatting up the lady putting on medals. Screamed a little & high fived any national guard person I saw. Can't wait to see those crazy dorky finish line pics. Geez. I always forget there's a camera right there.

So. 2:05:35 was my chip time. Sa-weeet. Last fall when I was running an 11 min mile, I never, ever thought I could do a 2:05.

Based on how I feel today (great & totally ready to run again), maybe I could have gone faster?! And there it is.... I wonder if I could have gone faster.

Oh wait, did I say I beat my goal by 5 minutes? Yeah, that's not even enough for me?! lol There is always faster & always farther. :) But for today, I am supa dupa proud of this run.

Elvis, free jelly beans, perfect weather, cups with lids & straws, nothing hurting, negative splits & a 9 min PR from my fastest 1/2. BOOM.

Watch out 2:00, I'm coming to get cha.

Lincoln 1/2

Full race report later....but my 2:10 goal somehow turned into 2:05. :)

Quote of the Day

Runner's World quote of the day ...

After the race, I mused on marathon running ... & how it provides males with insight into another exception, the experience of childbirth. In both cases, marked agony and exhaustion are subsumed by such lasting gratification that you are moved to repeat the process.

Uh oh, I only did the childbirth thing once so .... yeah. lol

Now Panic and Freak Out

Oh hang on...this is going to be a long, rambling, freak the freak out post. Don't like obsession & craziness? Might want to skip today.

Race this weekend. My 5th 1/2 marathon.

My head is spinning. My stomach is already fluttering. GAWD I love this so much.

But here's my problem.

My first ever 1/2 was a 2:14. I haven't been able to break that race time since then....after 3 other 1/2s.

Just run for fun? Hell no. I run for time, every time. If you aren't getting better, you aren't getting better, & that's NO GOOD for me.

So for the past 4 months or so I have been focusing on getting faster. So much in fact that now I'm freaking out about distance. What the hell?! I have always been more comfortable with a long, steady pace.

I've set some awesome 5k & 10k PRs during this 1/2 training, which has been SO FUN & faster than I ever thought I would be, but now I have no idea what I'm doing for 13.1!

Last weekend, 8 mile on Saturday. This should have been a pretty easy run, I had planned on trying to go 10 minute miles the whole way - just working on keeping myself at a comfortable pace.

Mile 1 - 8:30. Geez. I was ALL over the place. My splits were ridiculous! In the end I ran a faster 8 than planned, slowing down to a 10 min mile was really a struggle. (ok that is just weird to say)

So, could I have done that for another 5? Hell if I know. Surely didn't feel like I could have, but maybe I could have? Maybe I'm past the 10 min mile goal now? 2:10 1/2 too conservative of a goal? That seems impossible.

Run with a pacer this weekend? NO WAY. The last/only time I ever did that was KC 1/2, my worst race ever. I couldn't keep up with the pacer, & spent mile 8-9 about crying watching her STUPID little balloon on a stick get farther & farther away. I hated that stupid balloon. omg I was in a bad place that day. I will never forget feeling so shitty about running 13.1. Thank the heavens for my friends who picked me up around mile 9 or I'd probably still be sitting on the curb bawling.

So, I'm just trying to figure this out today. Run a kick ass fast 10k & leave myself the last 10k to go slower? But some credit in the bank in case I need it? Or try to settle down & run a steady 10 min mile the whole way? (2:10 is my goal).

omg my running peeps, I need race day counsel, STAT!!!

Say hello to my new little friends....

My new besties. They smell nice, they're clean, put a little spring in my step, and they look freaking cool.

I heart new shoes :)

Awesome tunes, Treadmill 10 miler, & a Barfer

3 main things today....

1. Treadmill 10 miler.

2. Completely bearable because of my awesome new playlist, fast for me & felt great. Good tunes make all the difference. :)

3. A barfer. Let me explain that one.

I'm running along, about at mile 3 or so (just when I start to get comfortable & start feeling good) - on the TM right next to me, a guy steps on & starts running.

I can tell he's looking over at my dashboard....but I ignore. (see my post from a few weeks ago about comparing myself to others...) Anyway, I can't help but notice he seems pretty interested in my pace, so I speed it up a little. He asks "How far are you going today?" I answered "Well, I guess I'll just go until I'm ready to stop."

I knew exactly how far I was going today, 10 miler, just like my schedule says. But I'm not really much into announcing to someone next to me. Kinda just wanted to run & listen to my awesome new tunes.

He blurts out a 'bet I can run longer than you'. Oh yeah?! Let's see cowboy.

I could see him matching my pace, so I thought maybe I'd try to make it interesting .... & I kicked it up some. Now, I'm not a fast runner - I never have claimed to be, probably never will be. 8:30 is about my top pace, & I can't hold that for long. But put some competition in my face & I'm probably going to go for it.

About a mile later I can see he's hurtin' - hanging onto the TM handle, looking like he's about to fall off the back.

I started feeling a tiny bit bad for the guy at this point. Anyone that knows me knows that I love encouraging other runners - I would never want someone to have a bad running experience.

So I offered him a shot block, but he refused with an "I'm good" grunt. Not sure he appreciated that so much. Gawww. Really dude, just have the shot.

2 miles later his head was in the trashcan. He was mad, quit, had a smoothie, took a shower & there I am....still running.

This post isn't about me thinking I'm so great - lord knows there are much faster runners than me, who can run much farther. I know some amazing athletes. But dudes thinking they can beat a girl just because she's a girl? Well, I have a little problem with that one.

How about this dude - the next time you feel the need puff out your chest & try to beat the girl in pink & piggytails....you might want to consider that she could send you to the trashcan.

Yup, I waved a little 'piss off' wave as he left the gym. Seeeeee ya. LoL

Running Long Saturday

3 weeks out from Lincoln 1/2 marathon. I'm freaking ready.

That is me telling myself to be confident in my training, etc. Am I truly feeling that confident? um no.

I have a 2:10 goal - which is pretty aggressive for me - & I'm already in freaking-the-freak-out mode. Let the race brain begin.

This will be my 5th 1/2 marathon - should probably have this figured out by now....but I always start questioning myself during the 12 mile training run. Blah.

Saturday training run went like this. (If cussing offends you .... you might want to mosey on to the next blog for today)

Mile 2. Holy hell. It was freaking hot. My headphones were slipping out. My music was all over the place b/c I didn't take the time to plan the playlist. My feet were already hurting. I need new shoes. This run was going to SUCK. boo hoo hoo.

Ok, stop. I stopped on the bridge on the trail and took a breather. Checked the Garmin - was I going too fast? Nope. What the hell is wrong with me?

It's not unusual for me to hate, hate, hate every second of mile 1-3, but this was different. I was just funky. I couldn't get a comfortable pace going, couldn't zone out & zoning in wasn't doing me any good at all.

I had to have a little talk with myself. Get over yourself. Be happy to be running this morning. Stop being such a freaking cupcake. Get your shit together girl - you have 10 more miles to go! 10 more!

Mile 3. Thank goodness, I'm better now.

3-8, perfect, perfect run.

Had some gatorade at mile 6 & some powerbar energy bits - which are really good in your kitchen....not so good out on the road in the heat where they turned into a melty mess. Probably not doing those again.

Mile 9. Ick. I am running out of gas now....better have a snackity snack. Pickle juice. :) Sounds gross, but it's goooood & helps replenish the salt I lose from my sweatness.

Mile 11. Is this how it feels to die? What the hell was I thinking signing up for a full marathon? I must be certifiably insane.

Mile 12. Thank the lord, I am done.

In the end, I did 12 in 1:57. A PR for me for this distance for sure. So what am I bawling about right?!?! ;)

I think my fueling needs help....again. I just can't figure out the right combination of salt, carbs, whatever, to keep me going. Beans, GU, etc, mess my tummy up big time. Fueling is going to have to be a whole different post - I have questions for my running peeps out there.

But for now, I have a 3 miler on the schedule today. After a pretty craptastic Saturday run, the sun is shining today .... and just like that - my legs feel ready to go again!

This running thing sucks somedays...but it gives me *just* enough good to keep me coming back for more. Run on friends!

Waking UP!

So....recently I've been feeling very tuned in. Like not just in my running, but everything. I don't know if it's the signs of spring or what - but I'm noticing so many things lately that I never really did before.

Like this. Last night I did a 4 miler and stopped to watch the sunset. A perfectly quiet way to end the day. Take a few extra minutes to do something for yourself today!

What does one do on a treadmill for 9 miles anyway?

After a few weeks of very spring like weather, Kansas is back to snow :( boo hoo. I needed to get a long run in, so off to the gym this morning for a 9 miler on the treadmill.

I would much rather take it to the streets, but the one thing I really like about long treadmill running is the time to zone out, listen to music, think, think, and think. Usually as long as I have good tunes & lots to distract me, I can tolerate the treadmill.

So here is my thought process today.

Mile 1-3 - Watching yard crashers on DIY, wishing they would find me in home depot & redo my yard.

Do a 3 miler 2 more times & you're done.

Let's have some starbursts (yeah, I know, it's not running fuel....but....I forgot to buy any & the running store is closed Sunday. So this will have to do)

I need new shoes soon. I think I forgot deodorant. Ugh, I need to do laundry today. I had a good weekend. I wonder how many meetings I have tomorrow? I wish I had remembered my lip stuff, my lips are chapped. This song is awesome. Go faster. Whoa, not that fast. Gaww, you need to paint your nails. I wonder if my sleepyhead kid is even out of bed yet? I think I should learn how to play the guitar. I need to call my brother today. Next weekend I should do 11, then 12, then it's time to start the dreaded taper. Oh cool, House Hunters. I love that show. I can't wait to race again. and on, and on, and on. So many random thoughts today!

Lots & lots of think time. I can't think of any other time I have 1 1/2 hours of uninterrupted, quiet thinking time. So I'm going to stop dreading the treadmill runs & enjoy the time to myself.

I finished with some time in the smokin' hot sauna. I am feeling great today! (and I hope you are too :)

Positive Power....

Saw this on a Facebook status today...

No matter what happens, no matter how far you seem to be away from where you want to be, never stop believing that you will somehow make it. Have a unrelenting belief that things will work out, that the long road has a purpose, that the things that you desire may not happen today, but they will happen. Persist and persevere, your desired path remains possible.

Right on.

Just a Tuesday thought....

I saw this on a facebook post today... love it.

Running is doing what you WANT to do.
Training is doing what you SHOULD do.
Racing is finding out what you CAN do.

Now get out there and DO IT! Happy Tuesday!

a PR, orange shirt man & a cold beer

St. Patty's Day. One of my favorite times of the year in Aggieville. Race day, green beer, parade, candy.... nothing sounds bad about any of those things!

However ... the 10k. My race nemesis. I have fought this distance for a long, long time. Too far to sprint (for me). Not far enough to settle down. Not far enough to make up time if you blow it somewhere along the course. Just an in-between distance that you have to try to go all out for ... but all out for 6.2 ... well, that's a long way.

I've been doing some speed work in the last 3 weeks or so, feeling pretty good about the 5k distance. I ran a few 5k PRs lately, so I knew I was feeling faster. But could I hold on to it for 6.2?

As usual, race day freaking the freak out. Tied/untied/tied my shoes about 64 times. I had a plan & Garmin ... but as always ... questioning whether I could pull it off.

Here was the plan : (yes, I had the splits written on my arm. FREAK)
Mile 1 - 10 min (slooooow it down, it's uphill & crowded)
Mile 2 - 9:30
Mile 3 - 9:00
Mile 4 - 9:00
Mile 5 - 8:30
Mile 6 - 9:00
.2 - sprint with whatever is left in the tank

GOAL: 55 minutes & whatever it takes for me to finish that .2

My 10k PR is 59:04. That was 2 years ago, pre-knee surgery. I've ran several 10k's since then - I've never been able to break that time.Race started out crowded & like all races, a bit hard to find a spot. But just a few blocks in it thinned out to where I barely noticed anyone else around me. Plugged into my tunes & tried to settle myself down. I had a plan. I had my Garmin (first race with the Garmin by the way). I knew I could do this.

Race went a little something like this:
Mile 1 - hated every second (like always)
Mile 2 - gawww can I just get to mile 3 (starts to rain)
Mile 3 - finally. now the fun begins!
Mile 4 - spotted orange shirt man. (more on that later)
Mile 5 - stayed *right* on the heels of orange shirt man.
Mile 6 - still right behind orange shirt man.
.2 - ran it in arm & arm with orange shirt man.

race time : 55:33

I about cried crossing that finish line. Such an emotional day for several reasons:

1. Knee surgery sucks & I feel like it took FOREVER to get back. That was about a year ago. Today was the day I truly felt I finally had it.

2. I didn't barf.

3. I saw so many of my friends after. Lots of fun.

4. Watching Russ in front of me the whole race was an awesome thing. I smiled many times seeing that TRR shirt rockin' a 6 minute PR.

Ok so now the story of orange shirt man. Having Russ in my sites pushed me most of the way, but by mile 3 he was a bit ahead of me, so I needed something a little closer. I always try to find someone along the course that I can kinda stay with - or try to beat. I don't care who they are, but if I like their pace, I'm not afraid to ride right in on their heels.

This is where orange shirt man came in. I saw my friend Jeff right after mile 3, we chatted for a second, & I said, 'Jeff, I gotta go - I have my sites on orange shirt man & I have to stay with him. I like his pace.'

Orange shirt man had on a tank top, shorts and arm warmers. Anyone who is cool enough to wear arm warmers? Yep, I'm following you.

About a 1/2 mile later, I ran up to him & asked 'if I follow you, what is our time?' He said a very confident 54 min. RIGHT ON DUDE. I'm with you.

I could see him look back around mile 4 - I kinda lost it for a second there & fell behind. I got a little caught up in friends along the course & my focus went to fun suzy instead of race suzy. But I gained it back, caught up to him on a downhill.

Down into Aggieville - what sucks about this race is you come down the hill into the finish area, but you still have a mile to go. All these people cheering & stuff - you just feel like you should be done. Mile 6 was kinda tough, but I stayed with my new friend & I had the best race EVER! I don't know that dude, but he got me a 4 minute PR this weekend.

This is what I had after....one or two or three....Thanks Marian for the ride home! :)

fastest 5k, sore hammy & some beer pong

It's crazy what a little sunshine will do for you! This week's running weather was completely awesome. I ran 21 miles this week...which was more than what was on my schedule, but I'm just trying to go with how I feel.

Thursday was a beautiful day out, so I took out for a lunchtime run. During the week I've been trying to do some speed work on the shorter runs. I kicked out my fastest 5k on thursday :) a 4 minute PR! That's big for me. I giggled and smiled the whole way back to my office.

For anyone new following this blog....I had knee surgery last year, started back to running with 11 minutes miles, so a 25 min 5k is honestly something I never thought I would ever do.

Friday - should have been a rest day for Saturday long run, but wow, it was so nice out I just couldn't stay in. Lunchtime run again, 4 miler, 3 minutes faster than I've ever run 4 miles. Something has just clicked this past week and I LIKE IT!

Saturday - well, this is where I didn't do a very good job of listening to my body. I was tired Friday night (probably from 2 days of all out), but Saturday was going to be the nicer of the weekend days....so I got up early Saturday for my long run.

Feeling really good during the run, but after my hammy is hurting. Stretching & rest for me for a few days. I have a race next weekend, so I'm going to take it a bit easy this next week.

Anyway, Saturday run - I saw :

A guy in his silky pj pants taking his dogs out. He tried to hide behind a tree when he saw me coming, but just so he knew that I saw him, I yelled a big 'good morning!' lol

A packet of GU 1/2 gone on the sidewalk. First thought : Ah, cool. Runners are out there everywhere. Second thought : Dude, pick up your trash you literbug. Third thought : I wish I had one of those right now. I forgot to buy any fuel so I was going without today.

Plus a whole lotta drunk, drunk, drunk people heading to Aggieville for 'fake patty's day'. Ahhhh ... to be 21 and drunk at 8am.

A group asked me to come along with them, another asked if I wanted to take a beer pong break (I really DID), and I got a passerby honk (but it was a car of girls so I'm not sure if that one counts? Or maybe it counts double?) I resisted the beer pong and kept on running.

Saw several people doing the Saturday morning 'walk of shame'. You know, the 'still in my Friday night clothes, hair a mess, walking home from the hook up' walk. Cracks me up sometimes to live in a college town.

OH! And the coolest thing I saw today :Hello Spring!

Long Run Saturday

ahhhh....Saturday. Maybe my very favorite day of the week. Not because of the usual things people love Saturdays for - no work, sleeping in - but because Saturday means I have time to run long.

I'm in full swing of 1/2 marathon training now, so I've been focusing during the week on the shorter, faster runs - trying to build my speed a bit. GAWH I hate those. Mostly because I've been stuck on the treadmill, but speed work in general sucks. I'm pretty convinced that I'm not built to ever be much faster than I already am....but I will keep trying!

Saturday long run is a much different run. I get to slow it down a bit, not focus on speed, zone out to my tunes and take it easy. I have tons of 'think' time, which I love.

I come up with all kinds of things to blog about on those runs, but I'll pick one for today.

When I first started running, I was about 45 pounds heavier, didn't own a single piece of dri fit clothing (or even knew what it was), & I ran around the old track at my gym just because I knew noone ever used it. I could run without anyone seeing me. Funny how I thought you should be completely fit & skinny before showing your face in the gym! Ummm, isn't that what the gym is for??? How silly.

Here's my experience at the gym yesterday.

I'm on the treadmill....for 1 hr, 40 min. Plenty of time to see lots of people come & go. We have two rows of treadmills & I always take the back. Ok there is still some vanity there (the back row means less people to see your butt shake when you run!).

A woman got on a treadmill right in front of me - heavy set woman, & started to walk. Shortly after I see her take it up to a jog, then a walk, then a jog....of course that looks just like the Couch to 5K plan to me, & I right away want to see if that's what she's doing.

If you know me, you are not surprised here, I will attempt to convert anyone I know into running - even if they really don't want to. Of course I go talk to her. She was in fact working on the Couch to 5K plan & Saturday was her 2nd week. We talked for awhile, then I let her get back to her workout & I to mine. I know how much time she had left in her workout.....

In walks 3 completely hot girls in those little boy shorts, full on makeup, tan, legs as long as my whole body....you couldn't help but notice them. They pop on the treadmill right next to this lady in front of me. But not before stretching right out in front of the whole gym. (um, ok, if I had an ass like that, I'd probably bend it over in front of the whole gym too...)

They get right onto the treadmill & start a warm up at what looks to be a comfortable pace for them. You know, just jogging along leisurely & chatting. Since I am behind them I can clearly see their pace. This leisurely warm up was at 7.0.

Now, let me tell you that I know who one of these girls is - she is a body builder - so I secretly was thinking when she hopped on the treadmill that there was no way she was a runner too.....but an 8:30 pace for a warmup? Yeah, thinking she's a runner too.

Then....she kicks that up to 10.5. That's a 5:40 pace. Then to 12. Yeah, that's a 5:00 pace. Holy crap, this woman is now running twice as fast as me.

I was jealous, felt like I needed to pick up my pace some - but only for one second - then I knocked it back down again. I was there to run 10 miles slow & easy....I wasn't going to mess that up.

But the sad thing is, the lady I had talked to earlier, turned off her treadmill & left. I know she wasn't done with her workout. I know why she gave up yesterday. I've been her & I felt sad for her. I truly hope to see her again at the gym.

Long story to get to my point of the post.

It's really hard not to compare ourselves to others. VERY hard. I used to do it. ALOT. From that time in my life I can tell you that comparing yourself to anyone else is the most unproductive use of your time & energy. I will never be taller than a 28" inseam. And you know, I'm ok with that :)

When I feel myself going there - like yesterday - I do two things.

First, think of what I would say to my little sweet one if she came to me with thoughts like this. I would NEVER let her feel inadequate to another girl.

Second, I try my hardest to acknowledge the work that other person has had to do to get to that point. That girl is at the gym every single time I am there. I know you don't get an ass like that eating pizza & drinking beer. She worked hard & for a long time. Those abs didn't happen overnight.

This post is a reminder for me, & for my friend(you know who you are!)

The best advice I could ever give you is to celebrate your accomplishments for what they are. YOURS. On this running journey, you will find out more about yourself than you ever thought possible. This is YOUR path that you are making for yourself. You can't worry about who's faster than you, who's slower than you, who has a smaller butt than you.

Oh & plus, that chick was only on the tready for about 10 minutes. I was there for an hour & 40 min. :) ooops, there I go again!

Quote of the Day

via Runner's World:

When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are very exciting.

Doris Brown Heritage, Five-time World Cross-Country Champion

1/2 Training here we go!

Ok, so it's time to get a bit more serious about 1/2 marathon training. I have Lincoln 1/2 scheduled for May 1, and up until this past week have been mostly spinning and running just kind of whenever I wanted, and for however long I wanted.

But I'm thinking I'd better get to following a plan....officially. I have a pretty tough goal (for me) for this upcoming 1/2. But I'm a little lost about what plan I should be following.

For my first 1/2 I followed marathonrookie.com, but if I go back to that - I'd be going backwards on mileage. So I wonder if I just press forward and add mileage each Saturday like I normally would in training?

For example, last week I ran 3 on Wed, 6 on Thur, 11 on Sat. I have 2 1/2 months until this 1/2 marathon. I think I could do some speed work during the week, but I have no idea what to do on my long weekend runs?!

Anyone have tips?

Oh, and here is a pic from my long run last weekend - what a beautiful, perfect day.

Runners are freaking awesome

I'm always amazed...again and again...at how supportive and great runner friends are. Thank you all so much for the support & confidence on my Chicago post. Some from friends that I actually know....but for the most part, runner friends that I only know from blogging. So cool how strangers can come together with running. Runners are freaking awesome!

Yep.

Well....I did it. I registered for the Chicago Marathon in October.

Holy moly! I've waited a whole 15 days to blog about this - trying to get my head wrapped around 26.2 miles, wondering what I can even say about this decision!

When I first started this blog it was 'Countdown to 13.1'. After doing a few 1/2 marathons, I thought maybe I would attempt a full. Blog name change to 'Countdown to 26.2'.

After knee surgery, recovery, crappy first 1/2 marathon back....I said - screw that. Why would I ever run a full?! The thought of 26.2 miles is completely crazy.

My life would be consumed with training (1/2 training is hard enough to schedule)... everything else in your life goes second...every Saturday is committed to the long run...every Sunday recovering & limping down the stairs...no Friday night beers...not to mention the black toenails.

Two 20 mile training runs...tapering week consists of more mileage than I've ever done in a week - and that is tapering! 10 miles on a Wednesday? Really? Who has time for that???

I just didn't think it was for me. Blog name change to 'Happy with 13.1'.

But....here we are, back to the full again. I'm indecisive and kind of crazy.

$145 reg fee...hotel booked...I've told way too many people, it's done. And now the obsessive behavior begins.

I keep telling myself....
'it's your next natural goal'
'Four 1/2 marathons - you are ready for this'
'you're just scared of the mileage, but you were scared of 13.1'
'if you don't go for it, it will hang over your head forever as a wonder if I could have done it'
'when it's time, you'll be ready'
'all the miles, the crazy schedule, it will be worth it on raceday'
'oh lord, what if it takes me 6 hours?'
'you are strong enough to do this'

It is going to be a looooong 8 months my friends!

Groundhog Tunnel Run

This past weekend we ventured to Kansas City for the annual Groundhog Run. This was such a fun race! Seriously one of the best I have ever done.

Kansas City has these underground tunnels/caves whatever they are - I dunno - but I had never heard of them before. Strange. Apparently it is a place where businesses reside, storage spaces are kept, etc. Temps are a consistent 60-70 degrees all year long. Sounds like the perfect weather to run in when it's super stinkin' cold out!A race is always more fun with friends, so we got the gang together to run. There was a 5 & a 10K, we were all running with different goals.
* Russ would run the 5K with his sister Stephanie & nephew Joshua - his first 5K.
* Russ then planned to run with his wife Jaime for her first 10K.
* Rachel & I planned to rock the 5K - her graduation day from the Couch to 5K program.
* Scott was going for a big 'ol 10K PR.I have to say this race day weekend started off nice and calm - picked up Rachel on my way to Kansas City, stopped by the mall for a visit to Nike (that is a no brainer...my car just automatically turns off the interstate when I see the Legends Mall).

We got to Russ's house & got our awesome brand new Thunder Road Racing shirts to wear for the race. I had planned to just stay a few minutes....several hours later...we are still talking about running, diet, running, knees, running, shoes, running. I have a tiny tendency to talk too much.

We headed to my friend's house for dinner, then settled in for bed. I was feeling a little bad because it seemed to be complete chaos from the time we got to Kansas City (which is what I love about race day and my friends) but this was Rachel's first race, and it was really....well....kind of alot to take in.

Bedtime. Only after an hour of obsessing over what to wear.

5:30 am, wide awake & ready to get going.

I was feeling excited....but confident about this race. There is something strange about running a race as kind of the coach (even though I am NOT a coach!) but I knew going into the race what my time was going to be. We had a goal of 30 minutes and that was what we would do (secretly I was hoping we'd pull in just a *tad* under 30).

If you know me at all....you know it's completely against every fiber of me not to get super competitive on race day. I spot someone in front of me, and it's not over until I have passed them. Holding back was going to be a little hard - or at least I thought it would be. It wasn't. I was so happy to be running for Rachel & so proud of her for this accomplishment.

We hussled over to Russ's for breakfast, then onward to the tunnels. My goal was to contain my race day excitement....settle in, get Rachel ready to go, get my head on straight and RUN.

There is something I love about standing in a big group of runners, all anxious, awaiting the start of the race. I can't describe this feeling, but it's special. I think my very favorite part of the day is standing in complete quiet listening to the National Anthem. Brings tears to my eyes every time. I feel so lucky to be healthy, running, have such an amazing group of friends, and my family is beyond awesome for supporting all this crazy running. All of that comes to my mind in those few seconds before the gun.

The race was awesome. We had a little trouble at first finding enough room to run - it was really crowded. It was hard to get a pace going, but that's pretty much like any race.

Mile 1 - right on track. Mile 2 - right on track. We were right on pace, but not a second to spare. I knew mile 3 had to be dead on for us to make the 30 minutes.

That's when we passed someone barfing....that's pretty normal to see....but Rachel lost a little gumption there.

At about 2.5 we passed a volunteer that told us we had a mile left. Rachel looked at her watch....(dang it, I should have NOT let her wear that!) She knew at that point that if we had a full mile left there was no way we were making 30 minutes...and she lost a little more.

I KNEW we didn't have a whole mile left - dang that person whoever you were! I KNEW we could still pull this off, but only if we kicked it a bit. It was hard for me to know at this point how to push her. You know, what kind of encouragement did she need? I know what works for me - I need someone to be a little mean - what, are you going to quit? What are you, a sissy? Geez, you're acting like a girl. Yeah, that kind of 'encouragement' lights a fire in me. But I didn't know if we'd be friends if I said that to her....so I just tried gentle encouragments :)

We got to mile 3 and I knew it was over - no way we were making it. I sprinted to the end with Rachel right on my tail - but there were lots of people crossing at that time - I couldn't get passed them. I about mowed a few over right at the finish (I'm sure those finish line pics were BAD! My face was pissed I'm sure)

When we crossed, my watch said 30:22. I'm not sure what is worse - missing the goal, or missing it by 22 stupid seconds! But here we are, all smiles, after the race.Ok so we're over it. We had such a great day. Scott killed his PR, Joshua ran his first 5K, Stephanie had a PR day, Jaime finished her very first 10K, Rachel is now an official raceday addict -- overall a race day filled with awesomeness!

When's the next race!?!? I wish it was next weekend!