I apologize for not posting this sooner, but with the last week of training, trying to prepare for the trip to San Diego, it's been quite busy and a little overwhelming.
The only way I can explain the last week of our training was a lot of fun. With the last week of tapering, we ran 4 on Tuesday, 6 miles on Thursday, and 8 miles on Saturday. Still feeling pretty broken from all the training and miles over this journey, we took it slow and just focused on getting the miles in before the marathon. I can't really explain how I felt that last week other than just super excited to have made it through the training healthy. Dealing with the Piriformis, my right Achilles tendon, and the ever so often runners knee, I was bound and determine to finish this marathon even if I had to cross the finish line crawling! :)
Quote of the Week...
Running Pictures!
This week started our tapering process, which I feel we've been waiting for for quite some time now... I know my body was more than ready for this week to start! Every morning when I woke up during this week, I would feel pretty broken and worn out..but I knew this was normal and expected during the last few weeks of marathon training.
Our pace times were a bit slower this week, and during the runs, my legs felt pretty heavy the entire time. Our long run for Saturday was 12 miles. It was weird waking up early Saturday morning and being relieve to only be running 12 miles.. ONLY 12 MILES?!?!? I know, crazy! Even though I was excited to only be running 12 miles, the run itself was pretty brutal. The sun came out pretty early, humidity was pretty high, and by the time we were done running, it was already 80 degrees (@ 9am).
My main goal for the next few weeks is to just stay healthy and keep eating and training right. Although I feel pretty worn down right now, I know come race day, I will feel like a new person! This training has flown by! I can't believe we are down to the last few weeks and then it's GO TIME!!!
When I first got the crazy notion of running a full marathon, I knew that running 20 miles for the longest run during training was going to ultimately happen at some point. I jokingly called this week "Hell Week" because it was the most miles I had ever ran in one week in my entire running experience. 5 miles on Tuesday, 10 miles on Thursday, and the dreaded 20 miles on Saturday. 35 miles in one week. Most people don't run 35 miles in their entire life! I knew going into this week, I had to remain focused and mentally ready to take on the miles and gain the confidence I needed to know I could finish a full marathon in less than 4 weeks.
Jeremy and I joked all week and and asked each other over and over "Why are we doing this again?" I think humor and laughing is the approach we've always used to get through the tough weeks. If we can't laugh about going out and spending our Saturday running for more than 3 hours, then what can you laugh at right? The week of course flew by, and Saturday was here before we knew it. We had planned to meet at 6 am so we could get an early start. The weather had other plans for us unfortunately. I had coursed out a run from Belton all the way through Peculiar and into Harrisonville- totaling 20 miles of almost all black-top. We decided to do something a little different this time, and instead of looping around or going out 10 miles and coming back, we decided to park his Truck in Harrisonville and drive back to our starting location in Belton where my car was parked. Since Saturday's cold wind and rain caused us to cancel, we knew that we had to rely on Sunday's break in weather to get the run in.
Woke up Sunday morning to rain, and by about 11 am, I texted Jeremy and told him that we just needed to get the run over with despite the rain. He agreed. Somehow we ended up having the rain completely stop during our entire run! I couldn't believe it. The weather we've had to deal with for our training has been less than ideal. The course was pretty flat with some gradual hills. We kept under a 9 minute mile pace until about mile 14-17 where we both agreed we kinda hit a wall and our shoulders were heavy, our form was getting sloppy, and of course we were getting pretty tired. We ended up finishing our 20 mile run in 3:09- about a 9:20 minute mile pace. I was more than happy with this time and felt that if we could go out on a whim and run 20 miles, just think how well we are going to do come race day. Running and finishing the 20 mile run gave us both a sense of real confidence that while we knew would still have 6.2 miles to go in San Diego, by making it this far, another 6.2 miles, while mentally tough, will be achievable.
Due to the weekend weather, I think we both thought that our sand vb games would be canceled for that evening, but with the rain stopping early on Sunday, volleyball was still on! We got back to Belton around 4:00 and had to each rush home, eat, shower, and change, and turn around to go play vb. At first, I wasn't ideal on playing, but after getting out there and stretching and constantly moving, I think it was the best thing we could've done. While our legs felt heavy, we played really well!
Now that HELL WEEK is over, I am looking forward to the tapering process and continuing to mentally prepare to finish my first marathon. I am looking forward to the day, the afternoon of June 6th, where I can officially be called a true "marathon runner."
Something I thought I would never do in my life would be to get a tattoo anywhere on my body. I thought this for my entire 29 years, until I wondered about what would be a better way to permanently brand my marathon training experience, than to get some INK!? This was something I thought long and hard about, and decided that I wanted to choose a tattoo that of course had "26.2" somewhere on it, was colorful, feminine, and small. After going back and forth on where to have the tattoo placed, I decided that what better place to get a running tattoo than on my foot right? So, I've been looking through a lot of different designs that I can make my own. At this point I am still debating, but think I'll have it figured out before I get it done after my marathon on June 6th. That's right, the day of my marathon! Crazy! I figure I'll probably be numb from the neck down anyways after running 26.2 miles, so no better time than on the actual day!
For this week's running I felt a little broken at times... I think my body is ready for tapering...and unfortunately, I haven't even ran the longest run of this training yet! The dreaded 20 mile run will be next weekend. This week, our long run went back down to 14 miles....and it was pretty brutal. The wind was pretty strong and I was just not feeling it physically...UGH! WE still managed to finish in a 9:04 pace, which I'm always happy with! The days are just flying by now...I'm getting so excited for June 6th to be here!!
Next week is what I will call the HELL WEEK of marathon training. We will run 5 miles on Tuesday, 10 miles on Thursday, and 20 miles on Saturday. The most miles I will ever ran in one week in my entire time as a runner. Just trying to stay healthy these last few weeks is my main goal. NO rushing the pace if I'm just not feeling it. It's not worth it at this point. We've come too far during this training to risk injury. Looking forward to another week and starting the tapering process!
I can remember when I use to go out for a 3 or 4 mile run and think "Geez, this is going to be rough"... and now, 13 weeks into marathon training, and it's like I think to myself, it's only 8 or 9 miles for a Thursday morning run, no biggie. It's so weird how my body has adapted to the longer mileage and how going out for a 9 mile run at 5:30 am before work feels like just another run!
It's that strong feeling that makes me confident that I can finish 26.2 miles. It's going to be the biggest mental challenge of my entire life so far...but I have come too far and put in way too much time to not finish, so mentally, I think that determination will get me through! :)
This week we bumped the mileage on Thursdays to 9 miles. 4 miles for Tuesday, 9 for Thursday, and 18 for Saturday... going into this week, it was hard to wrap my mind around 18 miles...and how much ground that would cover. Jeremy and I decided that we wanted to go somewhere new or just out of Belton/Raymore to run our 18 miles. I put him in charge of charting out a course for us down by the Ward Parkway/State Line area. We started at the same place we did for the "Rock the Parkway" half marathon and headed out! The course was a very scenic one! Lots of gorgeous flowers in the perfectly manicured lawns off the mansions off of Ward Parkway. We did a loop around the gorgeous Loose Park on the soft running trail, and then headed towards State Line. The last 5 miles or so were a little hilly, but not bad at all. The course was beautiful and while 18 miles is A LOT of ground to cover, I am so glad we did it in a different area! We ended up finishing in 2 hours 43 minutes, a 9:05 minute mile pace. We were VERY happy with that!
I knew going into this week that the 18 mile run would be my last in these running shoes. My usual time in shoes are about 3 months- but with the mileage we'd been doing, I knew it was way past time. Around mile 2 of the run, I started feeling my Achilles tendon pretty good on my right side and after the run, it was SO SORE! Luckily, with the great advice from my running partner, :) I iced it really good and wore my new running shoes for support and later that night felt good as new!
Can't wait to break in the new shoes next week and look forward to that last 4 weeks of training!
With only 6 more weeks of training left, the weekly mileage is getting higher and higher, but also getting more comfortable and easier to recover. I remember when I use to get ready for a 4 mile run and think that was a long time to run... and now, getting up at 4:45 am to run 8 miles before work seems like just another run.
It's been a great journey so far to see how much I can push myself in order to achieve a goal I've been wanting so badly. I feel that I've accomplished a lot already through this training. I've been successful in balancing everything in my life that I thought would be a big challenge. I've proved to myself that even though I am a married, full time working mother of 2 children, both participating in 2 sports each, I CAN balance marathon training, my normal gym and cross training routine and spend quality time with my children. Now, that may mean waking up at 4:45 to get my running or workout finished in order for my kids to get to gymnastics, soccer, baseball, or whatever activity...but I promised myself when I started this training that it would not take away time from my kids or their activities that are important to them and me. I'm definitely not saying it's been easy at all...but I can say that so far, it's been more than worth it.
I don't think there is a day that goes by that either one of my kids do not ask about how long we have until we go to San Diego. It always make me smile knowing that they are just as excited to go as I am. The weeks are flying by and June 6th will be here before we know it!
This weeks runs were pretty good. We've now been running exclusively in the early mornings because it's been warmer and just getting the runs out of the way makes for a better day! This is our last 8 mile Thursday, next week we will bump up to 9. We decided to go out to Indian Creek Trails where we had our half marathon last weekend and run a 16 mile course. While the trails were a bit challenging, it made for a good run. We finished in about 2hrs and 30 minutes, averaging a 9:24 minute mile over all. We decided to try the GU Chomps this time, and I think I've found something I can stick with! The Chomps were not hard to chew, and the flavor and texture were really good! Hydration was not an issue, as I was able to still have some Cytomax left over after 16 miles. For our 15 mile run we stashed a bag of grapes along the course, and decided to do the same for this run. The grapes are a nice change, easy to eat, and pretty refreshing, so I think we'll stick with those as a mid run snack!
Next week we will go to 18 miles for our long run, and then only a few more weeks until the longest run of 20 miles...and then TAPERING!! :)
The warmer weather has really been a nice change for training! Since it's been much warmer in the mornings, Jeremy and I have been getting up early to run before work instead of in the dark afterward. Believe me, I do not love the sound of the alarm going off at 5 am, but I sure am glad I got the run out of the way, and it's a great way to start the day off right!
Tuesday morning was our normal 4 miler, which was surprisingly fine! I say surprisingly because usually Tuesdays are the roughest days body wise for me. I'm not sure if it's because it's the first run after running so long over the weekend, or if it's the fact that it's only 4 miles, and usually when I'm running, I just start to feel loose and relaxed after the first 30 minutes or so... Who knows. On Thursday, according to our schedule, we were due to bump up the miles from 7 to 8. We woke up early and ran 8 miles in about 1 hr and 9 minutes...not bad! Still got to work on time and was able to bring my little girl to gymnastics and not have to worry about running 8 miles in the dark after!
This weekend we were scheduled to run in the First Annual Indian Creek Half Marathon in Overland Park. The weather was perfect running conditions---something that we NEVER have got in any of our previous half marathons. This run was a trail type run with lots of twists, turns, up and down short hills, which made it tough at times. We also tried the "GU" Jet Blackberry flavored energy gel. I thought the flavor was not bad at all, but the texture I will never get used to! UGH! Overall, I thought the run went great, I felt great and finished first in my age group with a time of 1:52:26 according to my Garmin watch. My parents came out to watch me finish in another half marathon, which is always a huge motivator to run fast when you know you have people waiting on you at the finish line! I was so happy they came out to watch! Made my whole weekend! Another medal to add to the collection!
Still hard to believe that we are only about 6 weeks away from walking up to the start line in San Diego. I get butterflies and smiles just thinking about it! Can't wait!!
So this week the only thing on my mind in terms of running was the fact that I was going to run the most mileage I had ever ran before. Our long run was scheduled to be 15 miles this week. While I tried to mentally prepare myself as thinking that it was only 2 more miles than I had ever ran before, nothing could really prepare me for how I would feel come Saturday.....
The first of the week was pretty standard. I had been feeling pretty good for the most part, and the piriformis wasn't giving me too many issues. Our Tuesday 4 mile run was pretty typical and felt pretty good. I had a day trip to New York on Wednesday for work, so being on an airplane for 6 hours that day didn't help my piriformis in the least! Thursday I scheduled an appointment with my Chiropractor because I had started feeling pain in my right side after my day of airplane rides and meetings and I needed to be adjusted! The Chiropractor appointment was good, and our 7 mile run that evening was the fastest 7 miles we had ever ran. The weather was perfect, mid 60's, not much wind and some sunshine! Our time was 58:25. :)
Friday evening I decided to go swimming for about 1600m (approx 1 mile) to stretch out the legs and arms to prepare for the daunting 15 miles that was before me on Saturday. The swim was great and just what I needed to feel good! Saturday was a hectic morning of soccer games for both the kids, so we didn't start our run till nearly 1:30 that afternoon. It was a pretty warm day with a lot of wind, which I knew was going to be rough for the run. Overall our pace for the 15 miles was 9:22, which was actually surprising to me since it felt A LOT slower than that for me. It was a struggle that day for sure. I ran out of fluid around mile 13 and my piriformis was acting up quite a bit. I'm glad that the 15 miles are behind me and I can look forward to amping up the miles here in the next few weeks knowing that I have the strength and confidence to continue on regardless of the pain and fatigue.
Now officially half way through marathon training, and after receiving numerous emails that the marathon was close to selling out, Jeremy and I went ahead and registered! No turning back now!
We experienced a lot of spring wind in our running this week! Tuesday's 4 mile run was a slower pace of around 9:00 minute miles. This was the first run after running the half marathon last week, and while usually the first run after a half is pretty horrible, this one was not bad at all! I think that tells us that we are training the right way for our marathon! Thursday's 7 mile run was about 95% into the wind the entire time. It was pretty rough for sure. We finished in just a little over an hour, 1:02. Saturday's long run was back down to 10 miles. It was a gorgeous 60 degree day with sunny skies! We finished in 1:28:05, 8:49 min miles. We both got a lot of sun, and I have a nice knee brace tan line on my left leg to prove it! Cytomax and the PowerBar Chews are still working great. I am still having some trouble with trying to maintain my breathing and getting the chews down, but I guess that will take more practice!
Next week will mark the longest run Jeremy and I have ever ran- 15 miles. I am excited and nervous at the same time! We are supposed to have beautiful weather, which will definitely help! I am just hoping that I will feel ok after running that long. It's going to be a test, that's for sure!
This week marked an official two months into marathon training!
This week was a little different than the 7 weeks before though... Jeremy and I knew going into this week that we were going to be running our 5th half marathon on Saturday. Maintaining a normal running schedule, on Tuesday we ran our 4 miles at an average pace. Our Thursday miles are now starting to rev up and we had to run 6 miles, something we had never done two days before running a half marathon. We ran our 6 in about 53 minutes and overall felt really good. This week we decided to rest on Friday instead of cross training. This was the most miles either one of us had ever put in in one week, so resting for one day wasn't going to kill us!
Saturday's forecast was calling for cold rain around race time. This was nothing new for Jeremy and I, since almost every half we've ran there has been rain either during the run, or immediately after. It was going to be 13.1 rain or shine! While we had no expectations for a certain time on the run, there is still something about participating in an actual organized run that gets your heart pounding, your adrenaline flowing, the butterflies in your stomach fluttering. I still had all those feelings walking up to the start line, but still saying in the back of my mind that I was going to have to run 13 miles anyways, so just have fun and run your best.
I thought this course was challenging, but overall pretty fast. It took us through a very scenic part of Kansas City through Ward Parkway. The race was extremely organized and was very accessible for parking! The rain held off until we were walking up to the start line, and about 7:30 we started to feel sprinkles. By mile 3 or so, it was coming down pretty good, but to me, I could hardly feel the rain. I was feeling really great and strong during the run! I really didn't start to feel the wetness until about mile 10. My shoes and socks were feeling really wet and squishy. With only a 5k left, and looking down at my Garmin watch seeing the fastest times for our mileage, I knew it was going to be a great finish regardless. My husband, Benny and children were not going to be able to make it to this run because of my son's scheduled soccer game that morning, which was eventually canceled due to rain. My parents and my sister and niece were supposed to be at the finish line waiting for me to cross, and by knowing that, it kept me going fast and strong. This was the first half marathon my parents and sister had seen me finish in, so I was extremely excited anticipating seeing them at the finish.
Jeremy and I both ended up finishing with our PR's- my Garmin watch clocked our finish time @ 1:49:30 @ 13.1, but both of our chip times clocked us at 1:50:04. I took 31 out of 189 for my 24-29 female age group. I had improved my half marathon time by over 10 minutes. The best feeling besides finishing with an awesome time and seeing my family waiting for me at the finish, was that I felt we finished really strong and much different than the other 4 halves we had ran before. I felt that we could have ran a lot longer and I think that was the biggest test for me. Knowing that in 2 1/2 months we would only be half way done at this point has made me even more confident that we will do great in San Diego! Only 10 more weeks!
It was a good end to week 7 of marathon training. The weeks seem to be flying by, which I guess is a good thing. I probably wont be saying that when the REALLY REALLY long runs start here soon...
When I first decided I wanted to run a full marathon, I had and still have no expectations on my finish time. The only two goals I have when running this full is 1. Have fun 2. Finish. During this training, I've been extremely cautious about my nutrition and hydration, which is what I think has helped me continue to run my fastest times. On Tuesdays 4 mile run, I think the rubber on my shoes were hot from running so fast. I ran 32:07, an 8:02 minute mile pace. It's amazing how fast you can push yourself when you have a lot on your mind, or have a lot of tension to work out!
With the forecast calling for a lovely spring snow storm on Saturday, Jeremy and I decided to switch our 12 mile long run to Thursday, in which it was a beautiful, sunny 64 degrees! We had a great 12 mile run and the fastest for me for sure. Our time was 1:44:47, 8:44 minute pace. During this run, we switched to the Powerbar chews we had a few weeks ago, but tried the raspberry flavor, which were really good! I was very happy with our time, and it was exciting to run the longer runs again. On Sunday, we went ahead and did the ole' treadmill routine for 5 miles, which wasn't too terrible at all.
We are pretty lucky to have an organized half marathon next weekend here in KC called "Rock the Parkway" during the same weekend we are scheduled to run 13 for our training. Since we have to run 13 miles anyways, why not pay for a nice medal, a shirt, and all the race goodies after-wards! It will be a nice change to run along the scenic Ward Parkway with thousands of others. Jeremy and I discussed it and agreed to make sure that even though this is an organized run, we are still going to wear our fuel belts, bring our power bar chews and treat it like a normal training run. No need for pushing for a PR if we are not feeling it.
Next week will mark the two month mark into this exciting journey. The weeks are flying by and the weather is getting nicer and nicer! I keep imagining what the weather and scenery will be in San Diego in June, and I can't wait to take it all in!
Another week of marathon training down, and we are in the double digits of how many days are left until the marathon. I am getting so excited! Spring is trying to get here in Kansas City, slowly but surely. But of course, rain comes with the spring time, so it looks like we'll have some wet runs ahead!
Our Tuesday's run of 4 miles was good! Still running around a 8:30 minute mile pace. I have developed a case of the "runner's knee" and after we were done running, my left knee cap felt really loose...it's kind of hard to explain. It felt unstable with some pain. On Thursday, I had some travel for work, and it was raining that morning, so we just ran 4 miles on the treadmill early, which wasn't that bad. Friday morning I swam 1200 meters and felt great! Swimming has really been a great cross-training exercise that I am excited about getting back into! I have noticed that it really stretches my legs and arms out really good, and I feel so much better when I run my longer runs!
Saturday's long run (7 miles) felt great for me. I ended up buying a brace that goes right below my knee cap for additional support and it felt wonderful! It gave me really good support and wasn't too bulky! The weather was really windy and rainy, and our time ended up being 58:02 (8:17 minute mile pace). During the run we tried another "energy" supplement called Cliff Bar Bloks- strawberry flavor. These tasted really good, but were super chewy and hard to swallow because they stuck to my teeth so bad. For me, eating any kind of "chew" energy supplement is tough because it kinda messes up my breathing, if that makes any sense. So, I've learned that to not really "chew" on them, but to try to cut them in half and swallow them whole, which is easier. I think incorporating the chews, Gu's, bloks, and everything else is just going to be an experimental phase to see which one works best!
I think this was the first week during training that we were able to run all of our scheduled runs outside! I certainly did not miss the treadmill, that's for sure!
Tuesday's run of 4 miles was fast, and did not feel good at all for me. We finished in 33:09. My piriformis had been bothering me quite a bit before we started running and my shoulders were pretty tight from lifting the day before, so I'm sure that was most of my problem. On Thursday we ran 5 miles in 44:15 that felt great and I was happy with our pace! It's always nice to feel good and run faster when you can, but I think it's almost better when you know you can run slower when you want and know that you are capable of running faster when you feel good! It's all a part of the mental side of running in my opinion.
Saturday was Jeremy and I's first 10 mile run since we tapered for the Gobbler Grind half marathon in November. I woke up on Saturday feeling really excited that we were running our first 10 mile run for our full marathon training! My family had our weekly Saturday breakfast at my parents house, in which I brought over two hard boiled eggs and a thin toasted bagel with peanut butter while the family got to enjoy my mom's famous biscuits and gravy... needless to say I was jealous!
The weather for Saturday was in 50's and the rain held off, but unfortunately, it was still very windy. In the time I have been a runner, I have never used the Powerbar gels or GU's for energy during my runs. I found some new Powerbar "gummy" type chews and bought a few bags for us to try out. The run started out pretty miserable for both of us.. For me, I had a side stitch almost the entire 10 miles that I could not kick for very long. It was miserable breathing... and Jeremy said he wasn't feeling the best either.
Around mile 5 we decided to try a few of the strawberry-banana chews and they were surprisingly really good! At first it was hard to chew them and breathe at the same time with the awesome side stitch I had going, but I worked it out. I chased the chews with a little bit of Cytomax and I think it helped...unfortunately it didn't help with the side stitch though. We ended up finishing our 10 mile run in a respectable 1:29:44, which averaged out to be a 8:58 pace. Pretty good time for feeling terrible and with our face towards the wind for most of the time!
For the past few weeks I have been swimming on Sunday mornings after my long runs and have found that it has helped tremendously with stretching out my body - especially my legs. I swam about 1200 meters on Sunday, with 500m being continuous, Something I have not done in 12 years since I swam in high school. It felt great to get the muscles stretched out and made for a much better day for recovery.
Something that I've learned as a runner is, no matter how good you are with your running nutrition pre and post run, your fluid intake, and your stretching, you will always have those certain days that you cannot pin point the reason you are not running your best. For me, it all just comes down to that day and how I feel after I push the "start" button on my Garmin watch!
I decided to write an additional posting this week, because I have been talking to a few of my friends who have asked me for some running advice on what they should do first when starting to train for their first 5k. The advice that I always give first mirrors the advice that I received when I first started running, and that was go get a good pair of running shoes!
When I first started running, my friend Ryan told me to get professionally fitted for a good pair of running shoes, and although they were more expensive than most tennis shoes, it was the best investment that I made! I went to Gary Gribbles Running Sports, a local running store with multiple locations here in Kansas City and got fitted. They were very thorough with me and let me try on many different pairs that felt best for my flatter than flat (did I mention flat?)feet. The best shoe for me was the Adidas Supernova series which gave me enough support and width, but not too much support! Also, I found out after my first half marathon that it's best to go up at least a 1/2 size in your running shoes than your normal shoes. For me, I usually wear a 8 1/2 shoe, but I ended going up a full size to a 9 1/2 for my running shoes. My first pair of running shoes felt great for my shorter runs, but after finishing my first half marathon, the ONLY thing on my body that ached afterwards were my toenails! My feet swell the more miles I run, so going up a full size was the best feeling ever! I was able to keep my toenails in open-toed shoe condition thanks to going up a full size! :)
Since I have flat feet, I go through running shoes a lot faster than most runners. With the miles that I run every week, I average a new pair of shoes about every three months. Believe me, after you've been running for a while, you will know when it's time for a new pair... it will start to feel like you can feel the pavement through your shoes!!
I am super proud and excited for my friends who have made running their first 5k their 2010 new year's resolution! You have to start somewhere, and it's like I tell people, if I can do it, anyone can!
The picture in my post is a picture of my shoes (mine are the yellow and white pair in the middle).
I am now officially a month into marathon training, and everything is still going great so far! I have been feeling healthy and not too many aches and pains with the piriformis, so that always makes for a good week!
This week I had some travel for work to Las Vegas, but luckily the travel did not impact my normal workout routine. When I got out to Vegas on Monday, I did my normal bicep/tricep weight routine and 45 minutes on the stair climber in the Rio's gym. On Tuesday morning, as I walked off the elevator into the casino at the Rio, I couldn't help but giggle, as I knew that most of the people in the casino that were there at 6:45 am that morning, probably had not even made it to bed yet! I have been to Vegas many times, but never as a runner, so running for the first time outside in Vegas was pretty exciting for me! I met my friend Mark at the entrance of the Rio and off we went! It was a beautiful morning, sunny, and a temp of about 40 degrees with little wind- great running weather! We finished our 4 miles in 33:10, which was an 8:18 mile pace. While we were walking back to the hotel, Mark confessed that he normally does not run that fast, but knew that if he did not keep up, then he would never hear the end of it from me! :) I was really glad he ran with me, it made for a great rest of the day in Vegas!
I arrived back in KC late Wednesday night, and the temps were a balmy 12 degrees...NICE! So, of course Thursday's short run was on the treadmill at the gym. UGH! This week, Jeremy and I's long run was 9 miles, and although the weather was about 37 degrees with a lot of wind, it was a fantastic run! We ran 9 miles in 1:17:52, which was an 8:39 minute mile pace, my fastest 9 miles ever! I was pretty excited that that pace felt great and I wasn't over-exerted after we were done.
It looks like for next week, we are supposed to get a break in the weather hopefully, and we should have some 50 degree weather for our long run! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!
I guess since this is going to be the longest winter ever, I might as well stop complaining about having to run on the treadmill for the first part of marathon training...
As much as I hate running on the treadmill, I am thinking that by running slower on the treadmill for our shorter runs, it has helped improve our pace for when we do get to run outside. Two out of our three runs were on the treadmill this week. We had a little break in the weather on Thursday, so instead of running our long run on Saturday, we decided to take advantage of the weather and run the long run early...and boy did we run! I don't think Jeremy and I ever thought we would be getting our PR's for some of our longer runs during marathon training, but on Thursday we ran 48:46 for 6 miles. Maintaining a pace of 8:08 per mile. It was a fantastic run and pretty exciting to see the time and distance on our Garmin watches, as we both knew we were running a great pace, and still feeling good!
Cytomax has been our hydration staple of choice. Since taking the Cytomax during and after our runs, I can definitely tell a difference in how I feel during and post run for recovery. I am super excited that Cytomax is the "official" course drink for the marathon in San Diego!
This next week, I have some travel for work in Las Vegas. I am pretty excited to get out of this frozen tundra for a few days and enjoy some 60 degree weather! I am hoping to be able to run 4 miles outside on Tuesday in Vegas...keeping my fingers crossed! Next week we rev up the miles for our long run to 9. I just saw a weather forecast and it looks to be decent. When I say decent these days, I am just excited to see mid-thirty degree weather with the sun shining...how sad is that? Hopefully the weather will cooperate, because although I think there has been some benefits to running on the treadmill, there is no way I am going to run 9 miles on that torture chamber!
Another week down in marathon training, and 16 more to go!
I booked the airline and hotel accommodations this week for San Diego, and my kids are so excited to see the beach again! So excited in fact that the day after I booked our travel arrangements, I came home to my son already packing his suitcase for San Diego! When I asked him what he had packed, he rolled his suitcase in full of toys! :) When I asked him about packing his clothes, he told me that he would be packing all of his clothes in my suitcase! I couldn't help but laugh!
The running this week was great. My piriformis hasn't been bothering me and my legs have been feeling really fresh! With only one running day on the treadmill, it always makes for a good week! Jeremy and I had ran our normal two 4-mile runs, and then on Saturday, we increased the mileage to 7 miles. When we were preparing for our marathon training, we had decided to keep our base long run at 6 miles for the last 3 1/2 months, and I'm so glad we did! Although the weather was a bit windy and cold and the sidewalks and streets still had some snow cover, we actually ran our fastest 7 miles since we started running together. Our time was 59:33, and remarkably, it was a run in which we felt so good that it was hard to believe we were running so fast! Those are the kinds of runs that keep me excited and motivated to be a runner...it's what it's all about!
After the run we had talked about how we both agreed that by incorporating more hydration (Cytomax) during our runs and doing more cross training and weight lifting on the off days, it had helped us become stronger runners! While I thought at one time we had found our "comfortable pace" for the marathon, I now feel that we really haven't found that yet... I truly thought that we would be averaging 9-9 1/2 minute miles for the duration of our training, but I think we'll just have to see how we feel from week to week on the longer runs in a few months.
The winter is seeming to be endless with yet another snow storm on it's way this week. I am just hoping that we can run outside as much as possible. I am still thinking warm thoughts and am ready to feel the beautiful San Diego sun!
The first week of marathon training...mission accomplished! It wasn't pretty, but the miles were put in and now, only 17 more weeks to go! While 17 weeks seems so far away, I know it's going to go by so fast. Of course, living in the mid-west, it can be 90 degrees in February one day and then negative temps the next.. this week we had another round of snow and cold weather come in, so two of our runs were on the treadmill. Believe me, I am one that will usually face the rain and cold weather just to avoid the dreaded treadmill..but with temps below 32 with snow and ice on the ground, just aren't safe running conditions for outside. It's not worth slipping and breaking or straining something.
This week our 4 mile run on Tuesday was pretty fast (about 33 minutes)and felt pretty good..until after. My piriformis started acting up again but luckily I had an appointment to see my Chiropractor the next day, in which she really worked me over! Yikes! While the treatment that day was pretty painful, I felt good as new the next day, so it was totally worth it! I always feel so much better after my appointments!
Since training for my first marathon wasn't enough to keep me busy, I decided to sign up for my first triathlon at the end of July at Smithville Lake! I am super excited to try out the whole triathlon experience. This triathlon is for women only and it's what I would consider a "mini-tri." It's 500m swim, 10 mile bike, and a 3.1 (5k) run. I think it will be a good first timer event!
http://www.winforkctri.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=77&Itemid=8
Being's that it was Superbowl week, I felt it was appropriate to incorporate it somehow into my post. While running is obviously an individual sport and it means something different to each runner. All the dedication and training that you put in to prepare for your event is ultimately your "regular season." It's the hard work that you put into the regular season that will pay off in your runner's "Superbowl." While I haven't felt what it's like to cross the finish line in a full marathon yet, just knowing how emotional and ecstatic I was after my 4 half marathon finishes,I think it will be a feeling of accomplishment that will be indescribable. I can't wait to share the moment with the people I care the most about and who will be waiting for me at the finish line.
This last week of running before marathon training starts was actually the best week of running I have ever had. I've been feeling great physically,and have been cautious about my pre and post running nutrition.
About four months ago I started having some severe pain in my right hamstring and up through my buttocks area. After doing a lot of research, I was able to find out that I was suffering from "Piriformis Syndrome." Basically I was having numbness and tingling in my buttocks and then down my leg through my hamstring area. This neuromuscular disorder occurs when the piriformis muscle in the buttocks compresses on the sciatic nerve. The pain was getting worse when I would sit for long periods of time, and would burn when I ran. So I started seeing a Chiropractor for treatment, which helped tremendously! I was continuing to run my normal running routine, and just slowing down my pace. I was so happy that I was able to continue running without too much discomfort. I was a little discouraged that I couldn't run as fast as I was prior to getting the disorder, but as long as I could continue to put in my miles, that's all that mattered to me.
My normal workout routine is usually 3 days of running, with 1 day being a "long run" and the other 4 days incorporating weight training and cross training such as swimming and riding the bike at the gym. Tuesday was a great run. My running partner, Jeremy and I ran 4 miles in approx 34:05. On Thursday, we had to hit the dreaded treadmill because of the weather, and ran another 4. On Saturday we were able to avoid the treadmill and hit the pavement for a nice 6 mile run. This run was the fastest 6 miles we had ever ran. I'm not sure what it was...if it was the bright sun, the cool air, the citrus flavored Cytomax, my new play-list, or just knowing that this would be our last long run before our marathon training started, but we ended up finishing in 49:46, which is a 8:19 minute mile pace. I was super excited. After months of not feeling well physically because of the piriformis issue, and to finally start running faster than I have before was the ultimate rush and made for an awesome weekend!
When I first starting running in October 2008, I knew the best way to stick with it was to start running with someone that would push me and challenge me to become a better runner...that someone was Ryan. Ryan and I had worked together at US Central and started running over our lunch hour. He was the one that told me to sign up for my first 5k- and told me that if anything would keep me motivated, signing up for my first race would be it. So I signed up for my first 5k- The Pilgrim Pacer in Shawnee Mission Park. Ryan also ran the race with me. Of course the weather conditions were terrible... temperatures in the high 20's, and it started sleeting right before we were getting ready to cross the start. Although the weather was terrible, the adrenaline that I felt walking up to that starting point was unreal. I was so excited to run in my first actual race. The running atmosphere was amazing- tons of people, music, and of course a row of Johnny's! :) Since I had only been running for about a month before my first 5k, I had two goals: finish and DON'T WALK! With the energy of the race, I ended up finishing in under 30 minutes and didn't walk one step, and had a smile on my face the entire rest of the day. After that first race, I knew there was no turning back.
Ryan convinced me to track my marathon experience via blog. I follow Ryan's blog at:
http://ryanslifeinkansascity.blogspot.com/2010/01/diary-of-ryans-weight-loss-journey.html
As I quickly approach my 30th birthday this year, I decided to take the plunge and sign up to run in my first full marathon - The Rock n Roll San Diego Marathon on June 6, 2010...Let the adventures begin!
Many of my friends and family often ask me "What got you into running?" One day I wasn't a runner,and the next day I was! I decided to take up running in October 2008 only for the sole reason that I had a chance to go to Washington D.C., on an all expenses paid trip as long as I ran in the 10 mile race that my former job sponsored every year. When the trip was canceled due to the company's financial hardship, after months of training, I was obviously devastated, but I refused to stop running.
I continued running for many different reasons: the drive, the accomplishment, the high, and my only release in the busy, hectic life I lead as a busy working mother and wife.
Since becoming a runner, I have ran in multiple 5K runs, and finished 4 half marathons in the St. Louis and Kansas City Missouri areas.
I am going to start my full marathon training next week and thought that if I could share my experiences during my 18 week training with others to help inspire or challenge them to do something they never thought they could achieve, then crossing that finish line in June will make it all the more worth it.
