So...What now?

I am so behind on blogs it isn’t even funny. I thought I would get caught up on my training blogs before my actual marathon, but that didn’t happen. J Its ok, I think that I will still try to blog about at least the one 22 miler. It was a good run and reflects why I came away from the Marathon with the feelings that I did. Nothing went according to the vision/plan in my head when it came to the Marathon, but it was also more than I could have imagined in some other ways. I am still working on that post so you will have to wait a bit longer. (Was that a tease or what?) For now, this post is about one of the biggest things I brought away from that race: My body isn’t ready.

Now let me explain what I mean. I was trained. I was prepared mentally and physically. (SPOILER ALERT!) I, obviously, finished all 26.2 miles. What I mean is that I am carrying so much extra weight that it was more of a burden on my body than it needed to be. I had visions of losing weight and being lighter and freer, so to say, come marathon day, but that didn’t happen. I have been avoiding the scale for months now because I didn’t want to know what my pants were already telling me. I would rather live in an ignorant state of denial than admit that I have let myself backslide. I stepped on the scale today. No more hiding. No more pretending.  After AFM, its time to acknowledge that, yes, I have gained some of my weight back. I am tired of hiding it. Who am I protecting? Not myself. No matter how much I want to delude myself into thinking that way, I am doing nothing but prolonging the misery. It wasn’t as bad as I thought. It is frustrating as hell that I have to start over, that I have to lose weight that I have already lost, but I also know that the right mindset that has to be in place in order to do it. I have that mindset now.

Its not an easy thing for me to admit. I feel ashamed of myself. Its not something I take lightly, but over the last (not quite) year I have been lazy.  I got to where I wanted to be for my sister’s wedding, and my trip to WDW for SpaceCoast, and then after that…. I got complacent. And my weight kept creeping up and up and up again. . Its not like I didn’t KNOW it was happening, I just didn’t DO anything about and because I didn’t I now have 40 lbs to lose instead of 10 or 20.  It’s ok. It is. Why? Because my mind set is ready to do the work required to lose this weight again. AFM was my wake up call. It could have been so much more than it was… Please know my regrets about this marathon are VASTLY overshadowed by my joys, but it KILLS me that there have to be regrets at all. I had a wonderful, fantastic, uplifting, empowering experience, but I will not pretend that it was perfect. I will address all of that in my official marathon blog because some of those regrets stem factors completely out of my control.  My weight, however, is COMPLETELY with in my control. It is beyond frustrating, but the only way to fix it is to pull my head out of the sand, quit pretending that there isn’t a problem, and take the steps to fix it.

Step One: start listening to my trainer. I am paying her, you would think I would listen. From here on out, as long as I am paying for her advice, I will start taking it.

Step Two: No more half assing my workouts. I work out 6 days a week but MAYBE 2 of those are a true, 100% effort workout. Most of them, I just do and get them done with. Nope, not anymore. Again, I am paying for these workouts, I need to start getting my money’s worth. She gives them to me; I am going to start doing them, for real. Sweat dripping, muscles burning, and fat torching work outs. Everyday they are assigned to me. No excuses. No half assed effort.

Step Three: Food Log. It works. It is the difference between success and desperately trying to keep my head above water.  It is a lot of work and part of being lazy is that I don’t want to spend the time logging all my food. But truth be told, the real application in life, is that it is a real deterrent to eating excess food, because, quite frankly, I don’t want to log it.  This also goes back to my trainer because she has made up a meal plan for me too, but I have only been sort of using it. I will be revisiting it and  taking her suggestions and requirements to heart. I know I have a lot to learn when it comes to the nutrition aspect and its past time to learn.

Step Four: Water. I have fallen off the hydration wagon. All the severe headaches I have had should have been a MAJOR billboard sized sign that I have been dehydrated, but I wasn’t paying attention. No, truthfully, I just ignored it and popped a couple ibuprofen.  Problem "solved." Not any more. I will be drinking my minimum required amount of H2O EVERY day.

I feel like I am starting over. I guess I am. I have 111 days until WDW Marathon weekend where Laurie and I will be going Goofy. I know it’s a big goal, but I know that I am ready to do what it takes to get there. It will be my last big race for awhile and we are going to make it EPIC. Time isn’t a factor in that weekend, but the fun will be off the charts, but I don’t want a bunch of regrets and what ifs when it comes to Goofy. This may end up being my one opportunity to do it, and I will be doing everything I can between now and then to make the most of that experience. And that starts now. Today.

We have a few races between now and then, but for the most part I am done with running for the season. Just a couple HMs left and Race for the Cure. My focus is turned to training for Goofy, and the first major part of that is losing weight. Let the Goofy Training Begin!

Until Next time, Run On and Be Happy!

20 Miles: Live and Learn

It is my intention to have all of my training run blogs done BEFORE the marathon. I have 16 days to get caught up!!! 20 miles. This one sucked. I am just going to put that out there right now. No sugarcoating. No “well, it wasn’t good, but….” It flat out sucked monkey testicles. Yes, there is a big story behind it. Yes, I will go over some of it. Just the parts that are relevant though. Otherwise, its done and gone and over and I am not going  to drag it up again just for the sake of my blog.

From the beginning I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to handle this 20 miler. Matthew was going to be out of town to the air show in Oshkosh, WI. I was going to be a single parent for a week. Mom was too weak to watch Hayden, but even if she wasn’t, because of the heat, I was going to have to start this run between 3 and 4 am to be able to get most of it in before the temperature reached the triple digits. This Is smack dab in the middle of the hottest summer we have had in decades (if not ever) and I have to run 20 miles. I knew what I was going to have to do. It would be awful. It would be more than I thought I could take, but I spent a week mentally preparing myself to run those 20 miles on the treadmill. I was ready. I was willing. I figured it would be a true test of endurance. If I could run 20 miles on a treadmill in my basement, I could run 26.2 outside with cheering people and tons of support, right? Laurie was going up to spend the weekend with the boys in Oshkosh. I had my plan, I was ready. I had my Newtons and Gummi LIFE SAVERS. (Remember what I said last blog about not liking GummiBears? Yeah, still don’t LOL) and GU. I think it takes a lot of mental stamina to convince yourself that you are ready, willing and able to run that distance on a treadmill like some psychopathic lab mouse, but I was ready to wake up early Saturday morning and do just that. “Warden, yes, I would like to check out a straight jacket, please.”  It was to my great pleasure when Laurie asked me how I would feel about postponing the 20 miles to the following weekend. I was eager to jump at the chance. Saturday morning I woke up and got ready to do a regular workout, and found out that Laurie had changed her mind and decided to run the 20 in Oshkosh. So I lost my morning, I lost my mental preparedness, and found myself scrambling to put together a new plan. To not mince words, I was pissed. And worse, I was hurt. We made plans, and I felt disposable, and that’s not what a partner should be.  We are good now, we worked it out and that’s all I will say about that, but those feelings did linger and I think it was part of the problem that would be this long run.

As runners, I think we have to have that bad run. Not to make you appreciate the good runs, because, let’s face it, we know when we are having a good run, and we don’t need any additional encouragement to appreciate them! I think we have bad runs to remind us the delicate balance you have to maintain as a runner. So many factors can effect the outcome of a run: mental state (mine was bad), nutrition in the days leading up to the run (ok, but not great), rest (not sleeping well cuz Matthew isn’t home and Hayden doesn’t sleep well when he is gone either), hydration, and, oh yeah, mental state again.  As much as I want to think that I am, I’m not infallible. HA! I know I’m not. I am a creature of my emotions. My emotional state dictates my existence. Sometimes, it is absolutely exhausting.  Anyway, back to the actual run. After being assured that you CAN, while not IDEAL, split up a long run as long as you do both parts in the same day, I decided that was my route. I had Wednesday afternoon off of work so I picked Wednesday. I would run the majority of the 20 miles before work, come home shower and go in for my 4 hours, come home, change and finish up.

 This arrangement is not ideal in about every sense of the word. Matthew was home again, and willing to do whatever he needed to do to make sure I got this run done. I went to bed at 7 pm on Tuesday night. My alarm was sent for 2 am. If I could hit the road by 3 am I would have at LEAST 3 hours (3.5 if I decided to push my time limits) to get the majority done. I wanted to get at LEAST 13 done so I would only have 7 left to do after work (in the heat). That is exactly what I did. The morning portion was pretty good. The run went smoothly. I actually ended up hitting the road at 2:30. I got 15 miles done before work. I was feeling ok about this plan. Once I got to work, things started to turn in the opposite direction. I work in a bank and I spend my day behind a desk. I could feel myself stiffening up as the hours went on. I made an effort to get up and walk around every 15 minutes or so. All of my co-workers know I am training for this marathon and they are very supportive.   I knew this was not going to be good. I ate lightly throughout the morning, and when 12:30 rolled around, I headed home to finish up.

When I left the bank, it was already 80 degrees. 83 by the time I had changed and headed outside. I felt like I was made of 160 thousand pounds of concrete. I only had 5 miles left. What is 5 miles? On that afternoon, 5 miles was my Everest. I was desperately searching for any road that had a remote amount of shade. I was about a mile into it and I had to stop. According to my phone, it was already 93 degrees. It jumped 10 degrees?!? ! Yep, surely did. Remember what I said about knowing my limits? This was it. I couldn’t run 4 more miles in this heat. On those legs. It just wasn’t going to happen. I made my way home. It was round and about as I was still in search of the shadiest roads between the West end of town and my house on the East end. I got 2 miles done by the time I got home. I was in bad shape. I felt like a rock, and my body wouldn’t respond to my brain’s commands. That scared me. How far was I willing to push myself? Was I willing to risk a relapse in the name of a training run? No. I sat in my living room and cooled myself back down using techniques I learned while working for the National MS Society. I went downstairs and finished up SLOWLY on my treadmill. It was pretty awful. I didn’t dare risk pushing any harder because I was home alone. Matthew wouldn’t be home for a couple more hours.

 I finished. I know it was the perfect cocktail of variables that mixed together to form the vortex of suck that was my 20 mile run. Here is what I learned. I can’t run in heat. I can force myself to do it, but I will have to pay a steep price. One that I can’t afford. When my body stopped working, I was scared. Never again. My emotional state plays as big a part in preparing for my runs as any other factor. It is not to be discredited or downplayed.  Forgiveness takes time, but I will always be open to it. It is who I am. We will be ok, but don’t make me disposable again. Most of all, I learned that we need to have a bad run to force us to look at those variables and realize each one’s importance in our training. Just as good runs make us feel invincible, bad runs make us humble. I am grateful that I have had both through this journey to keep me balanced.

Until next time, Run On and Be Happy.

Marathon Training Week 7: 19 Miles?

I think I procrastinated too much on this blog, because most of it has flown out of my brain. For all the the GREAT pictures from this run, please go to Laurie's blog post about our run. Anyhoo, This week’s scheduled long run was to be 17 miles. Laurie and I weren’t really feeling the group run so we decided we would take to the bike path to pound out the miles. I had planned to go up on Saturday in the afternoon and take it easy, then head to bed early. We wanted to get a very early start. This heat has been insane and we wanted to beat it before it really set in. Alright, great plan in place, and I am ready to tackle this thing. 17 miles. Further than this Former Fat Girl has EVER run. I was nervous. It was the sheer size of the number. It was a milestone. And a possible stumbling block as well. On the flip side of that, I was actually very calm in my core. My head can freak out all it wants before hand, but it is my core, my heart that holds the power, and it was calm. It felt natural; this whole process has felt natural in its evolution.  

On Thursday we had rumblings that they would be releasing my Mom, as early as Friday.  The steroids were keeping her fever in check and her blood cell counts were holding in good range. I wasn't sure how what time I would get up to Hotel Rose. I wanted to be sure that I got enough sleep. I think the thing that made me the most nervous about this super  long run wasn't the mileage, it was the fear that I would run out of steam. Laurie and I researched some fuel alternatives to GU, but I was afraid that the new fuel wouldn't work and I would be tapped out and no way to drag myself  back to the car. Anyway, Mom did come home on Saturday so I didn't get up to Laurie's as early as I would have liked, but there wasn't anything I could do about it.  We wanted to spend time with Mom and more importantly, we wanted Hayden to spend time with her since it had been over a month since he had seen his Ama. 

As I said, I didn't make it up to Coal Valley as soon as I wanted to, so I didn't get to bed as soon as I wanted to either.  Laurie had gotten some Fig Newtons and some GummiBears as alternative fuels, but I packed my fuel belt with GU too. I wasn't going to let my worries get the best of this run! After fuel belts were loaded up and alarm clocks set we headed for bed. I slept ok. I woke up once, afraid that I had overslept and Laurie was ready to go without me. Turns out it was 2 in the morning and someone upstairs just had to get up for a potty trip. Enough to wake me up in a complete panic, though. Guess I was more nervous about this run than I thought! 

After a good breakfast of banana protein oatmeal, we headed down to the bike path. Laurie was telling tale of the adventures of Lance Gage when we arrived. We parked in the middle of our planned route so that we could stop and refill our water, Gatorade, and fuel. 

I think we didn't start out quite as early as we had planned that came back in the end to bite me in the butt. I have to watch the heat. If my core temp rises too far it could send me into an MS relapse. Its always in the back of my head when I head out for a run, especially this summer with it’s extraordinarily high temperatures. Regardless of time, off we went. We were on a mission. 17 miles. A new distance for both of us. I think 17 miles was looming as this huge thing in my brain. A psyche make it or break it distance. Funny thing is, EVERY new distance became a make it or break it distance.

We started out great. The miles were ticking by rather uneventfully. I like going down to the bike path to run. It’s a nice change of scenery from the streets of Wilton. Running long distances around out little town is a different kind of training. One I will discuss in my blog about 22 miles. I felt pretty good going into this run, and I think that my positive mental state was helping my body cope with this new distance. Today’s run was also an experiment in new and different fueling options. I will tell you the truth, most of my nervousness stemmed from this very point. Experimenting with new things leaves me open to them not working and there I am stranded 12 miles into a 17 mile run, on empty, and struggling. We went with Fig Newtons and gummy bears. (I don’t like gummy bears generally. I think they taste weird.) I packed a few extra GU packets just in case the fear of crashing came true. I think having the back stash helped alleviate the worry some. The LAST thing I wanted was for that to poison my mindset. The Newtons were a nice change of pace. The sensation of CHEWING fuel instead of shooting it down my throat in an effort to not taste it was a foreign concept when it came to fuel! LOL

By this time we had reached our car and hit the restrooms, restocked our water (it was getting HOT) and Gatorade and discussed how long we would run for. 17 miles was scheduled, but we were both feeling AWESOME, so we were trying to decide if we would tempt fate and go a little farther… We decided on 18 miles and took off down the path in the other direction. We got closer and closer to Hampton, the heat started to hit me hard. I had to slow my pace, but there was no way I was going to stop. Laurie went ahead of me to the decided turn around. She thought I was going to stand there and wait for her to return to the spot, but I followed her. I was just going to keep going (at a slower, more heat appropriate pace) and then when we met up, I would turn around. So I kept going, and going… and going. I started to wonder what happened to Laurie. Did I miss her? The Garmin’s distance kept inches up and up… still no Laurie. We had joked about making it a 20 mile run. She wouldn’t have taken that seriously… would she?  FINALLY off in the distance, I see her orange shirt. She thought I was waiting for her (as IF) and made her run 19 miles. I was NOT in the best shape. It was just shy of 2 miles back to the car. There was a nice area with shady benches, 17 miles was what was scheduled for that day, and I had completed that distance. There was NO reason I couldn’t stop and wait for Laurie to finish and come pick me up. Nothing except that voice in my head that said “Don’t Quit.” It would have felt like quitting. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t have that in my psyche. It would have crushed me. Yes, I completed the distance, but I would have quit before I was done. I wasn’t done. Yes, I walked most of the last mile. Yes, I was tired. Yes, I was hot. I wasn’t going to quit. I was not hurting except for the fatigue. I HAD to finish. I had to because I knew that I could. I know when I have to stop. I know when I have reached my limit, but this wasn’t it.

 

It was probably the slowest I have ever run, but I did it. I finished. Not too long after Laurie. I tried to keep her in my sights. It is what I do, even during races. I keep her in my sights and it lets me know that I am still going. Even when everything else has shut down and I am running on training and memory, I know that if I can see her, I will finish.  I was actually pretty light headed and a little nauseous when we got done. Nurse Laurie kicked in and made me drink Gatorade and do whatever else it was that she made me do. I don’t really remember. HA!

Good or bad, I did it. I didn’t quit. I ran farther than I had ever run before. I ended up being only ¾ mile shy of Laurie’s 19. I won’t pretend that it was a pretty or even an ideal run, but it was epic. It was what I needed it to be. I could have quit. Laurie gave me an out. I could have taken it. I didn’t. I wasn’t done. I wasn’t going to stop until I was done. Right or wrong, I know that my sheer determination will carry me to the end. I don’t fear this marathon. I respect the distance, but I no longer fear it, because I know that when it comes down to it, my desire to finish will carry me to the end.

That and following behind my Running Partner.

 

Until Next Time, Run On and Be Happy.

30!?!?!

I am behind on blogs. I'm sorry. LOL. I have one for 19 miles (that should have been 17, but my training partner is crazy) one on 20 miles (which was tough, but had LOTS of lessons involved) and a 22 miler which was AWESOME and left me feeling like a Rock star. (Trust me. It was a MUCH NEEDED change of pace!) and the I have one for yesterday's Half Marathon in Madison, WI. It was so much fun and so relaxing. I needed some down time. I feel like I have been wound up so tight. Between Mom's health, work, training and trying to be there for Hayden... I have been spread so thin I was ready to snap. A day sitting by the lake at the University of Wisconsin on the most gorgeous day you could ask for (especially after this summer who's heat had you holed up inside like a prisoner) gave me time to reflect on some things. Mostly, what I have planned for the next couple years. I recently turned 30.

The idea used to bother. I can't be 30. 30 means you are getting older. It seems surreal. I suppose I feel this way every time I (or one of my siblings) hits a "milestone birthday."  As I was watching this couple learn to windsurf... I got to thinking about a lot of things that are happening in my life. The sun was shining. The breeze was just enough to keep things comfortable. I was in a state of Bliss.

And I got to thinking that 30 isn't going to be all that bad. I mean, really, it IS just a number. In comparison to my 20s, there really isn't any comparison. I am going to do things as a 30-something that my 20-something counterpart would have NEVER DREAMED of doing. (I know because that was me! HA!) Like running a marathon. Voluntarily. And enjoying it. How about learning how to eat properly to fuel my running. How about making it through a Half without being miserable in the last 5K? How about actually ENJOYING work and feeling like I am making a place for myself there. I am going to become a YounggLife Leader and be more involved in the community that way. I have an AMAZING little boy who lights up my days with his laugh and vast knowledge, curiosity and love of running. I have a WONDERFUL husband who bends over backwards to make sure my dreams and goals come true. Who supports me and loves me, even when I don't think I deserve it. Yeah, my 20s were good. I had adventure and love in the Last Frontier. I made a home in the town I grew up in. I made great strives in improving my health and took control of my weight. I put in countless hours or blood sweat and tears to shed the pounds that I had spent my life hiding behind. Trying to protect me from disappointment and failure that were simply self-fulfilling prophecies.l If you believe you will fail, then you will fail. But guess what, now that the work is behind me, I get to ENJOY the fruits of my labor. Am I done? Not by a long shot, but I know that, and there is power there. Power to take the things I have done and build them, improve them, make them more than they were before.

Age doesn't matter and my 30s are going to be awesome. I am already seeing improvements since I signed up with Kyra, The Get in Shape Girl. I am almost to the Big Day when I run my first Full Marathon. I will then jump right into training for Goofy Challenge for my big blowout weekend before we start trying for Baby #2. Life isn't about how many years have passed. It is about how much life you have put into your years. I have LIVED more in the last 3 years than I did in my entire last decade and it is just the beginning. Now is the time to enjoy being a grown up. I have found my place. I have found myself. No more hiding from life. I am tired of hiding. I have learned how to LIVE. No more sidelines. This is the decade of going after the things I want and making them happen. Its time to take life by the horns and be in control. No, I am not 29. I don't want to be. I am 30 dammit. And I am proud of it. Yep, I have wrinkles (they show where years of smiles have been). Yep, I have gray hairs (who doesn't? LOL Its what dye is for). But I also have strength, laughter, family, love, faith, health and a handful of years to enjoy them. So I will.

Until Next Time....

Run On and Be Happy





Marathon Training Week 6: Cut Back

Thanks to a revised schedule, this week was a cutback week so I had 6 miles on the calendar for yesterday. Seems I have been cutting back on ALL my workouts this week.... A lot of that was due to the renovations that we are doing right now, but those are almost done so no more trying to use that as an excuse! I do love my excuses. Anyway, as soon as that is done, I will post some before and after pictures, but today we will talk about the run. After a week of 90-110 degree weather (Holy Shitake, was it HOT) we had a front move through which brought a tease of rain and MUCH cooler temperatures. So when I stepped out the door yesterday morning, I was almost a bit chilly in the 70 degrees! I stood in the driveway texting as much to Laurie, and I started getting goosebumps! I had to warm up so I went off down the road. When I turned on my GymBoss, I discovered that I had run last weeks 14+ miles at a 1:30 to 1 interval NOT the 1:1 that I thought I was doing. I did the shorter run at a 1:1. I THINK I may prefer the 1:30 to 1 but we will see. Maybe for the cutback runs I will do a 1:30 to 1 and then on the LONG runs I will do 1:1. Its all experimental. For whatever reason, i had 8 miles stuck in my head for my distance. I was cruising along on the other side of town when I hit 6 miles and realized that was what I was supposed to do for this week! I was DONE?!

Probably a good thing because my stomach was starting to growl again. I think I am going to have to retool my pre-run breakfast. Lately it just doesn't seem to be cutting it, for whatever reason. I always have oatmeal made with 1/2 water and 1/2 almond milk, banana and walnuts. It has just not been holding me over like it used to. I could get through a Half with no problems. I am wondering if it is a result of all the weight training I have been doing.... I am not good with the nutrition aspect of things (obviously!!!) and I still have a lot to learn. I am wondering if my increased muscle mass needs more fuel? Makes sense, but I could totally be making that up too. If you know, or have a suggestion, I am open to hearing it. More Protein? I realize that I will have to fuel more during the Marathon, but this was a 6 mile run. I just don't think I should have gotten that hungry. Anyhoo, by the time I made it back across down I had run 7 miles. Not the 8 I thought I needed to run, but not the 6 that was scheduled.

Overall, I felt good. I have some issues with an ache in my right hip/thigh/bum area that I am going to go have Dr. Lake work out for me. I imagine I will be seeing more of her in the coming weeks when the mileage really starts increasing. Next week is 17 miles. This is the first real new distance.

While it has been a long time, I have run 14 miles before. I will be going up to the Quad Cities to do that with Laurie. It will be my first run with the Training Group. I am a little nervous, because to me, this is going to tell me a lot about my ability to do this thing. I know that right now, if I need to make changes, I have two months to tweak. At this point, I have plenty of time, but time will be running out here shortly. This is one situation when I can NOT wait for the last second. I am not going to be able to wing this and fake my way through it. I am going to get just what I put into it, and if I want to keep from going down in a blaze of... anti glory, I better get my ass in gear. No more slacking on the ST and the 2 short weekly runs. i haven't been slacking THAT bad, but I can easily see it getting completely out of control. It seems to be a constant battle of believing that I can do this and the fear that i will fail.

 I need to WILL not fall victim to my own self sabotage that I have become so very good at doing. That is why I am so glad I am doing this with Laurie because she knows me, and she knows my tendencies to ruin my own best intentions. If she sees me doing that, she will 'gently' chide me back onto the right path.

I have big book of excuses. I have for my whole life. It what got me to 300 pounds in the first place. Now I find myself standing in front of the mirror picking apart every part of my body...again. Finding imperfections. I'm tired of it. This is to prove that even imperfections can't hold me back from what I want to achieve. If to no one else but myself.

Until Next Time, Run On and Be Happy.

Marathon Training Week 5: Firecracker 5K

Last year I had my race schedule loaded with 5Ks. If there was a race within driving distance, I was there. One of my favorites was a local race in East Moline, IL, the Firecracker Run 5K/10K. I did the 5K distance and it was such a flat easy route and the spectators were awesome... I knew crossing the Finish Line that I would definitely do that one again. I had tried to get Laurie to do it with me, but she didn't. I don't remember why, probably didn't fit into her schedule last year. This year was different. Of course, they were giving away nice swag this year for the 30th Anniversary, and who can turn down a Finisher's Medal ESPECIALLY for a 5K! This year we made it family affair! The Running Roses were at the Firecracker Run. Matthew didn't run with us this time, but Hayden did the Kid's Run. From the moment we got there he kept asking if it was time to run. He was going to try to run the 5K with me! Matthew served as official photographer. It was hot this year. Last year wasn't too bad, but this year was HOT!. When I got a cup at the water stop, half was consumed and half went down my back, or over my head, or down my front... you get the picture. The misters and the sprinklers were helpful. It was good though. I maintained a 12 minute mile, which was fine with me for the temperature. After the race Laurie and Jim had their celebratory beer, and Hayden and I had watermelon, grapes and water. We had lots of fun, but the boys were all getting overheated and grumpy. Had we driven 2 cars Laurie and I probably would have stayed to watch the Hospital Bed Races and the Guns vs Hoses charity race, but like I said, the boys were ready to go. Hayden slept all the way home. I love when we spend family time together and it is focused around health and fitness! I do believe this may become an Independence Day tradition for the Running Roses!!

Grandpa Rosies and Hayden checking to see if their Bibs are on straight:

Is it time to run yet?

Jim and Matthew walking to the Start:

Hayden cheering on the runners:

Here comes Mommy:

I hear the best little voice yelling "Yay, Mommy!":

Me and Hayden at the Start Line for the Kids' Run:

Cute little Finish Line:

inding us coming down the street is kind of like a game of 'Where's Waldo?':

Group Picture:

Laurie aand her Beer:

Running Partners:

Laurie and Jiim and their Beer:

Forcig Hayden to say 'Cheese" while looking into the sun. Oops:

One of my favorite pictures of the day:

Laurie's look of "giddy":

Hayden's Bib and bling:



My Awesome Race Bling:

Tee shirt, stein, personalized Bib and BLING:

Hayden's tee shirt, Bib and Bling:

Marathon Training Week 5: Here We Go...

Ah, Week 5. Week 5 was a Milestone week. A make it or break it type week. My running psyche has been rather fragile as of late with some bad/painful finishes   Week 5 was the  first real test: 14 miles. Its not that I haven’t ever run 14 miles before, I have, it has just been a VERY LONG TIME. I know that from this point out it is going to be mental training as much (if not more) than physical training. My brain is so accustomed to my current routine that I can accurately run my intervals w/o my GymBoss beeping in my ear to within a few seconds.  If I can mentally react to the routine of my intervals, how would I react to reaching my regular stopping point of 13.1. Would my brain shut me down at that point just because my Garmin said 13.1? I couldn’t NOT wear my Garmin, but I was a little concerned with the mental effect the distance would have on me. I had a sneaky plan. I planned to pause my Garmin for half a mile so that way I was ½ mile further than what my Garmin said.  I set out early, before sun rise as usual. I was feeling pretty good. Under advisement of some experienced and trusted running friends, I changed up my MT intervals from my HM intervals.  Since my brain (and body) is so conditioned to run 13.1 miles at a specified interval, if I changed up the intervals it may make the transition smoother. It totally did! I LOVE my new intervals! I dropped from a 2:1 to a 1:1 and I LOVE it. I actually run faster at a 1:1, though I don't think it I was supposed to... I still need to tweak with it, but I think I have a few miles to do that! 

I made my way through town, mentally mapping my route so that I would make it to 12 miles before I started back for home. Unfortunately around Mile 5, and across town, I was starting to feel the water I was drinking. I came to Westview Park and lo and behold there was a portapotty sitting in the parking lot from the Youth Baseball Games. Dare I? I usually run a couple laps around the park anyway which ticks off a couple miles so I approached the glory potty. :) I slowly pulled the door open, unsure of what would be inside. You just never know. We have rowdy teenagers who would think it would be funny to deface property. Its a park right on the edge of town surrounded by cornfields so it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that there would be a stray raccoon or something inside. Luckily for me, it was totally clean. There wasn't any TP, but I always have a tissue in my fuel belt. Awesome! Back on track, I took this opportunity to implement my Garmin plan. I ran around the park because I know its just a little over a half of a mile. Then I turned my Garmin back on and continued running.  I was feeling really good. I tend to get hungry around mile 9 or 10. My stomach starts growling so I stashed a granola bar in my fuel belt. It was nice to have when my stomach started growling!  I was just tooling around, up and down dead end streets and around blocks, loving every minute of it. I don't even think that I was miserable at any point. Which is HUGE!!! Here I am running FOURTEEN miles and feeling good. I looked down and I was at 13 miles already! BUT with my trickery earlier in the run I was actually OVER 13.5! I headed back to the house and ended up with 14.63 which would have been a hair over 15 miles.

This was a HUGE week for me. I had it in my head that, while there was never a doubt in my mind about whether or not I would do this, the question was whether I would be completely destroyed at the end. You know, completely and utterly miserable. Now I realize that 14 miles is a far cry from 26, but still, this week made me feel hopeful that it wouldn't be a miserable experience. I have no visions or glory about crossing the finish line full of peppy energy and glowing. I know I will be an exhausted, sweaty mess of a human being, but barely recognizable as such, but NOW I have hope that through the tears will be a genuine smile reflective of what I had just accomplished.  I know now that I will enjoy at LEAST half of it, and really, anything over than is just icing on the cake! If I can "breeze through" the first 20 miles then I can fight my way through the last 6.2. Fighting is something I am used to doing. Get me to 20 and I will get myself home. I know it.

Until next time, Run On and Be Happy.