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!! :)
Quote of the Week...
Running Pictures!
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!
