Challenge Accepted!

I have decided to sign up for Janathon 2013, a challenge to exercise every day (in some way) and blog about it within 24 hours in the month of January. Check it out: http://janathon.com/

Marine Corps Marathon 2012

It was fucking awesome. Here's me, still smiling, at mile 19. Richmond Marathon 2013! That is all.

Totally. Not. Running. (For the moment)

So that 20-mile race messed up my foot. I've been told to take a rest for the week. Which is making me nutty, as you can imagine. 11 days until the marathon!

Taper Time

Peak marathon training is OVER!! I can't believe it!! I'm now into my 3 week taper time, cutting my miles and resting for the big show. So far, it's nice. My body wants to sleep a lot, and I'm honoring that. Let's talk the week before the marathon, and see how psycho I've gotten...

Stonewall Jackson 20 Mile Ambulance Run

Today I completed the longest run of my marathon training cycle. A close-by town does a 20-mile "tune up" race exactly 3 weeks prior to the Marine Corps Marathon, which is exactly when you're supposed to do your 20. Husband and I figured we might as well get a t-shirt since we have to run the 20 anyways! I'd love to give you a play-by-play of the race, but it's really fading into one big blob in my memory. The first 5 miles were spent running at a 10-10:30 pace, easily chatting with the runners around me. The course was hilly, but I run hills all the time so it really was no big deal. We spent 4-5 miles somewhere in the middle running on a rocky trail. It was pretty, but unpleasant as you really had to watch where you stepped. Around mile 16 I started to really, really want to be done. We were running the same hills in reverse, and they suddenly seemed a lot larger. And more steep. In fact we hit a really large uphill at mile 17 (one that I daintily pranced DOWN at mile 3)and I ended up walking the think. The only reason I wasn't crying at that point was because I wasn't carrying water and didn't want to cry any out! At mile 19 I figured I'd better stop walk/running and finish strong. When my trainer first ran this thing 5 years ago, she ran a 3:44:07, and I was determined to beat it. My Garmin hit mile 20, and the finish line was nowhere in sight, VERY frustrating. The race turned out to be closer to 20.2, my finish time was 3:41:22. Here's the finish photo!

Now, I taper for three weeks. Then the BIG SHOW!

Almost there!

The marathon is in 33 days y'all. My training is peaking. I hit 40 miles last week, with my Saturday long run being 17 miles. I also experienced my first ice bath. Not. Awesome.

Check out the lovely black toenails. That's hot, right? I am feeling incredibly burnt out at this point. As in, I'm dreading my runs. My entire life revolves around getting ready to run, running or recovering from a run. It's all consuming. On October 6th, I'll run in a 20 mile race, and that will be the longest of my long runs. After that, I'll have a 3 week taper before the big show. I can do this...

A 15 miler

Yesterday I ran 15 miles, which is the farthest I've ever run. I did it without my running group, as the person I usually do long runs with had a race. Basically I ran the 7 mile loop around my neighborhood twice, then threw in an extra mile at the end for good measure. I felt really, really good. I stayed on top of my hydration, taking a salt pill every hour, along with water. I ate a Gu every hour as well, though I think I'm going to push that back to every 45 minutes because I felt myself starting to droop before the hour was up. I ran it at a comfortable 11:08 pace, which is acutally pretty fast for me at that distance. I think I need to stay off the scale until after the marathon. The weight fluctuations are scary. I can lose 3lbs during a long run, and wake up the next day 2lbs heavier than my original weight. And waking up heavier freaks me out, so then I don't want to eat the calories that I need to fuel my runs. Nasty cycle. Time to just let it go and focus on my training and eating as healthy as possible.

T-minus 75 days...

So I am just about halfway through marathon training. Last weekend I ran a whopping 14 miles. It really wasn't too bad, and I think that if this heat and humidity would let up, it would be even easier. I am running an easy 10 this weekend, and have a half marathon scheduled next weekend. My Monday tempo runs are up to 7 miles now, and my tempo pace is supposed to be a 10:15 or better. I've really, really struggled with this, as it is a hilly 7 mile course where I live and the heat has been brutal. Yesterday I ran it at a 10:01 pace, so I am definitely improving. I'm going to run a marathon in less that 75 days. No, really. I am!

Still alive, still running

What a horrible, sad, lonely little blog this has become. I DID finish that half marathon. It was slow, horrid and discouraging. It took me awhile to recover mentally from it. I ran a 2:42:55 which was 20-30 minutes slower than I was expecting. Since then a ran a 10K and got a new PR of 1:02:50, and 2nd place in my age group (it was a group of 4). I ran a miserable, hot, hilly 5K on the 4th of July for a time of 31:16. My running coach (did I mention I got one of those?) encouraged me to run a redemption 5K which I did last weekend and finished it in 28:22 which is a HUGE PR for me, and the first time I broke 30:00 in a 5K. Next up is the Patrick Henry Half Marathon. I'm treating it as a long run that happens to me timed. It's really just a tune-up run. But, it's also an August run on a hilly course, so it'll be tough. And of course, looming over everything is that marathon. Gulp.

Half Marathon Musings...

So my first half is in 17 days. I am prone to bouts of panic and crying when I think about it. I need to trust my training. I have put in the work. I am more cardiovascularly fit than I have been since age 19. But holy shit, 13.1 is a long way to go. I'm skeered.

Did the 12.

After last week's epic fail, I decided to go to a local run group and try to clock my 12 miles with other people who're training for a half marathon. I was successfull, but it did get a little hairy around mile 10.

A Heightened Sense of Blah.

So Saturday I ventured out for my longest run to date, a 12 miler. This run became an absolute horror of a run, cut short at 8.3 miles. The night prior I made a couple of fatal errors. Number one was a delicious, greasy sausage pizza. Number two was a giant bucket of theater popcorn, loaded with nasty movie theater butter. Can you see where this is going? I chose a new, extremely hilly route through my neighborhood. Somewhere around mile 3 I hit the first bathroom. It wasn't too bad and I thought I could continue. Around mile 5.5 I met a nice couple and their cute pit bull puppy. I played with the pup and then asked directions to the nearest park with a bathroom. They told me about a port o potty about a half mile down the road. I reached it, but barely. Hideous. I continued on down the road. At one point I actually had my cell phone in my hand to call my husband for help. I convinced myself I could continue. I was no longer able to run and was run/walking to the next park. Unfortunately, that park's bathroom was still boarded up from winter. Now I'm getting shaky. Continue on a couple of miles to my neighborhood's clubhouse where I know there are bathrooms. I make it in time, and open the first set of doors to find the second set locked. Practically in tears I ound on the door, but to no avail. I check the outdoor bathroo by the pools... closed for the season. By this point, knowing I couldn't run 4 more miles to get home, I call in the cavalry. Husband quickly picked me up, and I cried on the way home. It was embarrassing, uncomfortable and I was hideously disappointed in myself for quitting a run. Fast forward to today. I had my normally scheduled 3 miles. I wanted nothing to do with it. I forced myself to go, but it wasn't pretty or fun. I am worried sick about my upcoming half marathon. I'm worried about handling the distance, and about GI issues. I don't ever want that experience again.

Knees & Potholes

Tuesday I ran four miles at a mildly easy pace. About halfway, I failed to notice a pothole in the road and slammed my leg into it hurting my knee. You know that feeling when you expect one more stair on a staircase, but there isn't one and you take a weird step? That's exactly what happened, I expected my foot to hit the road and the road wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Wednesday I ran 3 at about the same pace. By a mile I could feel my knee begin to hurt (and a weird twang on my opposite foot bottom) and be the end of the run I was limping. Argh.

I have my first 15K tomorrow and am hoping that 2 days rest and icing will have allowed sufficient healing. If I do run it, I'm just treating it as a long training run. No land speed records. No max effort, I swear! I'll take it easy...

Irish Sprint 10K Race Report

This race was by far the hardest, but also the most rewarding I've run to date. The web page described it as "challenging". The web page did not lie.

My day began at 3 am with an animal yowling outside my window. That animal turned out to be one of the cats that we'd accidentally shut out on the deck. As soon as he got in the house, he ran under our bed and continued to growl and spit for the rest of the night. So that was the end of sleep.

My husband, daughter and I were up, fed (well hubs and I ate anyway, we had to pick up some nutrigrain bars for daughter), dressed and out of the house by 6 am. The race was in a national park, with inadequate parking, so we had to take shuttle buses to the start.

The port o potty situation was dismal. Maybe 20 port o potties for 2000 runners. I've never been so jealous of men before, as many just chose to take a trip into the woods. Lucky bastards. I must've waited 20 minutes to pee, and was getting a bit nervous about making the start time. It all worked out though. Oh, and the national anthem was played on bagpipes, it was awesome.

Runners were to start in waves, based on your estimated finish time. My daughter was in the first wave, husband in the second and I was in the third (but not the last wave!!!). It took over 8 minutes for me to even get to the start line after the gun went off.

We started out on asphalt with an easy downhill then a slight uphill, no biggie. After a cool boardwalk, we turned a corner to hit the first trail portion of the race. There was a Marine posted at the corner who smiled and told us we had a 1 mile hill ahead of us. I thought he was joking. He wasn't. It was really and truly the neverending hill from hell. About halfway up, mired in my own misery and pain, I shouted "Holy BALLS, this hill is huge!". I felt better getting that out. I was SO excited to reach the peak, knowing I could catch my breath on the downhill. Until I got a look and the next hill waiting for me. *sigh* I looked down at my Garmin and saw that I was running a 12:30 min/mi, and knew there was no freaking way I was going to get a PR (personal record) and beat my last 10K time.


We finally reached the asphalt again, and luckily it was mostly downhill and I got to relax into my run and pick up my pace. Around mile 4 was the second water station. I knew I needed some and I knew I needed a bit of a break, so I allowed myself to walk through it. Then, with dread, I turned back on to the trail. We went through rolling hills until we reached a cool suspension bridge that we had to run single file across. This thing really messed me up as it was bouncing up and down with all the runners and it felt like you were running across a bouncy house. *barf* And, just to keep things fun, they decided to end the race with another large, fairly steep trail uphill. Awesome. We were pretty deep in the woods, but I could hear the crowds and music at the finish line. I will admit to walking for the second time for a few steps. Until suddenly, miraculously I heard "Good Feeling" by Flo Rida being played. This is my jam! I listen to it on almost every single training run! It gave me the extra boost I needed to push myself over the top of the hill and down to the finish. I looked down at my time and realized I'd picked up my pace enough to PR! Official chip time 1:08:48! Over a minute faster than November's 10K on a relatively flat course! My fitness level is most definitely going up!

Running begins to run your life.

When I decided to start running the treadmill about a year ago, it really was only to lose weight. I remember a girlfriend telling me she'd run 2 miles and I was all DAMN! That's a long freakin' run!

Then the races started, and the work became fun. The results were everywhere! In my ever shrinking wardrobe, in the way people who hadn't seen me for awhile reacted to me, and in a PR everytime I did a race.


And then, sometime last October, I decided that I wanted to run a marathon. And the obsession grew. It seems that all I can talk about is running, running shoes, gu, port o potties, training plans, and running skirts. I still don't always love to run, but I love the way I feel when I finish!

This Saturday is the long anticipated Irish Sprint race. It gets me my "golden ticket" so I can register for the sold out Marine Corps Marathon. It's a hilly half trail/half road race. My "A" goal is to finish. That's it. My "B" goal is to steal my 15 year old's ticket if I can't finish. She doesn't need it anyway!

Miles are going up!

I'm very proud to say that I ran 21 miles this week! That's the first time I've had mileage greater than 20. I was so exhausted after yesterday's 9.4 miles (and hungry!), I have trouble wrapping my head around the 13.1 half marathon distance, let alone the full marathon. How the hell is that going to happen? This summer, my marathon training takes me up to 40+ weekly miles!!! For a newbie runner, those type of miles are beyond comprehention. Someone tell me I can handle this. Please!

Paying for my mistake in pain.

Volleyball was my first athletic love. I really adore the game and have played it since I was 11 years old. All those years left me with some sort of rotator cuff injury on the arm that I serve and hit with. I heven't played for at least 7 months. When I got the text to play on a night between two "rest" days, I jumped on it.

Huge mistake.

I can barely lift my right arm, and doing so makes me literally whine out loud. My back, butt and quads are killing me. It's interestling actually. Because I'm much more cardiovascualarly fit, I never even broke a sweat while playing... but damn! The short, quick spurts of speed and jumping used muscles that are not used to being moved in that manner anymore.

This resulted in a very tight uncomfortable 5 miles this morning. That's a mistake I won't repeat. Volleyball is not appropriate cross-training for distance running.

Sweethearts 4 Miler Race Report

This race was COLD. Stoopid cold. Cold enough that I don't think I'll run a race in February again. Like, ever.

The race was held at a park about 45 minutes from where we live, so myself and two girlfriends left at about 7:30. In 20 degree weather. Humph. The problem with short runs in the cold is how to dress. You don't want to be freezing your butt off waiting for gun time, but you don't want to be peeling clothes off and dumping them on the side of the road either. I settled on 2 layers of long sleeves, running tights, hat and gloves.

We found the park no problems, and sat in the heated car psyching ourselves up to get out. The bathroom situation was dreary. Only two toilets, so the line was long. We timed it just right though. Out of the heated bathroom (not a port o potty, yay!) and only a couple of minutes until the gun went off. The course was fun, it looped around the park for a couple of minutes, then went onto a narrow path in the woods. Looking back at my splits, this is where I lost a lot of time. The path was only two poeple wide and was really bottlenecked. The rest of the course was an out and back of rolling hills through a neighborhood. I stayed side by side with a lady who seemed to be comfortable at my exact pace. She pulled a couple of steps ahead of me on the trail, but when we rounded the corner to the finish, I kicked it up a notch and smoked her in the end.

My goal time was 42:00, official chip time 40:26.

Goal Setting.

Finally, a race! It's been too long & I've been getting a bit bored.

Sunday's race is a new length, a 4 miler. Obviously I've had longer runs & races, I've just never raced this particular length. My last 4 mile training run was a 42:54, a 10:43 pace. I don't feel that this race is worth pushing myself too hard for, so let's keep it easy. A 10:30 pace.

My goal for this race is 42:00.

Things you should know as a running beginner, written by a beginner runner.

1. Good shoes are essential. This is not an option! Do not wear your old kicks that you've been gardening in. Do not order cute runners off the Internet because you like the color and style. Go to your local running store, and let them watch you run. Try different shoes and find some that work for you. You are not dating your shoes, you are marrying them. Make sure you're willing to commit.

2. This shit is going to hurt. You are going to experience pain. Believe that, prepare for it. Arm yourself with ice, heat, foam rollers, compression socks and a supportive partner. Get tough in your mind.

3. Find a plan and stick with it. There are tons of plans out there which will reasonably and safely help train a new runner. I personally liked Couch to 5K. Find one that works for you. There's tons of online support too. Check out Facebook pages and blogs. Subscribe to running magazines. Join forces with like-minded people.

4. Register for a 5K. Lay out the cash and have a date with destiny! In my experience, just having the goal of weight loss isn't enough to keep running long term. Enlist one of your friends or your spouse to run the race with you. Believe me, you will NOT finish last. (And if you did, so what?) Races make the exercise an experience. It's a fun reward for all your hard work.

5. For the love of all that is holy, get off that treadmill and go outside to run! Put the sun on your face and some miles behind you. You'll be so glad you did.

6. Believe in yourself. You can do this!

Hello world!

I've started running again. Thank goodness. I believe I may have been a little tough to live with. Who knew the endorphin rush and satisfaction of a run could be so addicting?

Yesterday's run, which was my first back, was supposed to be a five miler according to my schedule. I didn't think that was a good idea, as I didn't know if my coughing or the hip would be a problem. Neither was, and I completed 3 miles, non-stop at my normal training pace.

Today's weather was incredible. Especially for February!! I decided to attempt the 5 miler, and happily completed it without much problem. I think the week off didn't have much effect on my overall fitness, thank goodness. I tell myself and tell myself that I have to be flexible with my training schedule, but it's hard for me. The fact that I had to stop for a week and survived is a positive lesson!

Grr.

Not running makes Mommy very, very cranky.

Sick and Injured.

The day after I signed up for 3 races: a 4 miler, 10K and a half, I caught my toddler's cold. And the day after that I ran a quick 3 miler at a 10 min/mi pace and have a screaming case of bursitis in my left hip. *sigh* Rest and a massage are in my future. Hopefully I'll be on the road by Tuesday and only lose this week. I must train, train, train!

It's only getting more miserable out there!

Saturday was snowing and the roads were completely iced. I knew that there was no friggin way I could do a 9 mile with out a high risk of hurting myself. Sunday came with cold, sleet and wet roads. I enjoy running in the mornings, but everything was too iced. I spent all morning getting more and more antsy at the prospect of missing my long run. By the time I put my 2 year old down for a nap, the roads looked better and I actually saw a couple run past my house. I got dressed and headed out. As soon as I got going I realized it was freakin' cold (33 degrees)and drizzling freezing rain. I kept going anyway. About three miles out from the house I realized that *ahem* I was going to need a bathroom. And of course all the bathrooms in the parks are closed for the winter season. Misery. Mile 7 brought me back to the top of my loop course and back to my house. I kept going even though I really, really needed a bathroom. Probably the only reason I hadn't had an accident was that my ass was actually frozen. By mile 8 I was reaching emergency status, looked down at my Garmin and realized I was running 13:30 minute miles and decided to end the misery. Finished up at 8.25 miles and am impressed with my ability (insanity?) to make it that far. Yesterday sucked, but I got it done.

Winter Running

I'm a Wisconsin girl, born and bred. However, at 18 I enlisted in the Marine Corps and never looked back. Since then I've happily lived in California & Arizona and learned to dread cold weather. I've survived Virginia by staying inside and also putting on a nice layer of fat to keep me cozy. No longer an option, especially with a few big races on the horizon. So, I squeeze into my running tights, question my own sanity and stick to my training schedule. Winter is what seperates the runners from the posers.

Longest run yet!

Saturday I went for my farthest non-stop run ever! An easy 8 miles at a very comfortable 11:30 pace. I was just happy (and sometimes dancing, yes, dancing on the side of the road! What?) to be out in the sun, strong, and confident in my ability to move forward. Sunday and Monday are rest days for me, which means Tuesday (today) is my hard-to-move-my-ass day. I solved that problem by hitting iTunes, buying some new music, and making a new playlist. My music tastes are eclectic, and I just add whatever makes me want to move. Here's my latest list, it's about 33 minutes of playtime, perfect for my 3 milers:

I Gotta Feeling -The Black Eyed Peas
Sweet Dreams (are made of this) -Eurythmics
F**k You -Cee Lo Green
Sexy and I Know It -LMFAO
Good Feeling -Flo Rida
Moves Like Jagger -Maroon 5
Boom Boom Pow -The Black Eyed Peas
'Till I Collapse -Eminem & Nate Dogg
The Distance -Cake

Back to back 5K race report.

I was very excited to challenge myself for TWO races in a row. The weekend proved to be balmy warm (in the upper 50's!) which of course translates to running skirt weather. The New Year's Eve race was at an odd time, 3:30 in the afternoon. Which means husband and I sort of floated around the first half of the day, watching what we ate and waiting to leave. We got to Race #1 with about a half hour to spare. I love watching the young kids run the mile race that usually precedes 5Ks. It brings tears to my eyes, and I can hardly wait until my youngest is old enough to participate. When we were told to line up, there was some confusion as to which direction we were taking off, and instead of being in my favorite place at the back of the pack, I actually ended up at the very FRONT! Ack! This meant that I took off MUCH faster than my usual pace and ran the first mile in about 9 minutes. Oops. I knew that if I could relax and keep up a nice, reasonable pace for the next two miles, I'd get a PR. This was relatively easy until the bottle-neck at the Confederate Cemetery. Yes, I said cemetery. Don't ask. I peeked at my Garmin at that point and say I'd slowed to an 11 minute mile. *sigh* I picked it up at the end and finished with an official time of 30:46.





Day 2 was bound to be tougher. Hubs injured himself at the first race, so I was on my own. Plus, my legs were tired and sore. I showed up, picked up my timing chip, and wandered aimlessly until I ran into someone I knew to talk to. We lined up and were off. Immediately I felt fatigued. The course was a flat out-and-back. Through a parking lot, through a quick (but fun!) trail in the woods and around a big track. I was struggling to keep my pace, and sort of attached myself to the couple running in front of me, promising myself to not let them out of my sight. Before arriving at the turn around point I saw the old-grinning-running dude from my neighborhood. He's got to be in his 70's and he was completely Kicking. My. Ass. I made it back through the woods and when I hit the parking lot I saw my husband at the corner. He's driven all the way over there to clap for me at the finish. I felt a rush of energy, and finished at a sprint... passing the man in front of me and the couple in front of him. That man found me after the race and said "Nice kick! I heard you coming behind me, but couldn't do anything about it." Sha-weet! Official chip time: 30:45. A new PR, exactly ONE second faster than my PR the day before, thanks to that kick at the end. Yay!

I don't have another 5K until August. Wonder what my time will be by then?

Race #2

30:45! One second faster is still a PR, right? HA! Good way to start the year. Race report soon...