The Game Plan

So I got an e-mail from the group leader of the running club that I trained with over the summer regarding their winter training program, which begins on December 15.  They hold their group runs at 7:00am at the Lake Forest Train Station.  The dues are $40 since I'm a current CARA member.

I've been mulling over the decision on whether or not to join.  I'm leaning toward joining since it'll ensure that I try to maintain some sort of shape over the winter.  If I'm part of the group, I will feel obligated to do the long runs especially if I paid for it.  And, I won't want to show up unprepared either meaning subsequent runs during the week would have to happen.

I worry about running outdoors as I have never run outdoors during the winter months.  I usually start going to the gym around November/December depending on the weather.  So, that will be a challenge.  I also worry about getting there if the weather is less than ideal.  I rarely drive anymore and have always been a relatively poor driver.  Google Maps tells me that in optimal conditions, it would take me 21 minutes to get to the train station.  Factor in show and my poor driving and it could take more almost an hour to get there.  I think on bad weather days, I'll just plan on going to the gym as opposed to Lake Forest.

Unfortunately, I could not convince my dad to venture outdoors with me.  If I convinced him to sign up, I think I could have convinced him to drive as silly as that sounds.  I suppose I could motivate Jim to drive me since maybe he could work out or do work in the area since I'm sure there are coffee places nearby.  Or, I could make friends with someone and ask that we carpool and I'd be more than happy to help pay for gas so I wouldn't have to drive.

As for the work out plan, I've decided to start going today (no ifs ands or buts).  Here is my proposed plan.  I'm aiming to just get in 1 hour of cardio today, tomorrow and Thursday. 

• Tuesday: 30 minutes treadmill / 30 minutes elliptical
• Wednesday: 40 minutes treadmill/ 20 minutes elliptical
• Thursday: 50 minutes treadmill/ 10 minutes elliptical
• Saturday: 60 minute run - treadmill or outdoors depending on the weather

This is pretty pathetic compared to where I once was, but I've been slacking hardcore since the half marathon (Nov. 18 and I've literally done nothing).  I need to ease back in and not overdo it and get injured (again).  So, baby steps.

I packed my gym clothes, shoes, foam roller and water bottle and they are in my car.  I am going to the gym ASAP after work.  If I go back home, I'm liable to get tempted not to go.  Also, if I sit with my foster cat, it's game over since she's so cute and just wants me to pet her and cuddle with her.

So yeah, it's about time that I get off my lazy butt and back out there.  Wish me luck!

HELP!! What should I do now?!

I really don't have any idea what to do with myself running wise now that the marathon is off my bucket list.

I could:

• Focus on the marathon and attempt to better my time.  Ideally, I'd like to beat Oprah's time.  Then, once that happens, I'd like to try to go sub-4.  At this point, it seems like such a long ways away.  I'd have to cut 47 minutes of my time.  Then again, I walked so much during the back half of the marathon.  Those darn walk breaks sure added up fast!

The downside to this would be A) a greater investment of my time in the summer training and B) I probably wouldn't be able to run as many races as I'd like to during the season to again focus on the full.  I really felt like I didn't train as much or as good as I should have last time around so maybe doing it again will give me a chance to focus on it.  My schedule should be the same unless big changes happen with my job.  That could go for better or worse though if that happens.

The upside would be that I'd train with the same running group again.  I had a great time running with them.  Also, I feel like it'd be much more feasible for me to drop time in my full as opposed to attempting to PR in my half.  See next idea below.  Oh, and Dad wants to train for the full next year as well.  And, as crazy as it sounds, I think I'd rather run the race than attempt to wander around the city trying to watch him running.

Or I could:

• Focus on the half and attempt to better my time.  At this point, a PR seems so far away since I haven't been training for speed.

The benefits of this would be that I could easily fit races into my training as either training runs or to try to get PRs in whatever distance the race happens to be.  I can easily see myself pulling off a few halfs next season as well.  I ran 4 halfs one season and didn't have too much of an issue with that. 

Also, the time invested on running could be far less than the half.  I suppose I could do longer distance runs while training for a half (runs over 13.1 miles), but I could easily see myself capping it off at around 12 and being happy with that.  Also, my weekend would open up for non-running related activities since I would not need to do long runs of 3+ hours.

Lastly, I could:

• Attempt to complete a sprint triathlon.

Has anyone ever transitioned for running halfs and fulls to a tri?  Who did you train with?  What did you spend on gear?  Where did you get your gear?  Did you get hooked after?

Right now, a tri is pretty much just an idea in my head and not really something I think I'd be interested in pursing.  I'd have to step it up on the swim and bike portions big time in order to pull it off.  Plus, I worry about having to train for three disciplines when I could barely manage training for one.  I think if I want to do this, I'd try an indoor triathlon (I've seen this available at gyms by me) before I make the commitment to training for an outdoor one.

All I know is that right now, I have to just focus on getting back into the groove of running.  I'd been lazy again and I haven't run since Big Sur.  But, I've been pretty disciplined about not being a pig and eating everything in sight (unlike what I did in October post-marathon).  Still, I feel like I have to do something.  I've been feeling pretty tired these days and I think working out again would give me some much needed energy.

Race wise, it's kind of a dead zone.  I'm not motivated to do anything outdoors when it is cold unless I absolutely have to.  I'm contemplating running the Warm Your Heart Indoor 5k at McCormick Place, which is in early January.  I'm trying to see if my running buddy will do it with me so we can run together and then hang out (and eat!) afterwards.  We shall see.  Prices go up tonight so I've got to decide soon.

Does anyone else have motivational issues around this time of year?  If so, what have you done to get yourself out of the rut?  Any tips, suggestions or advice would be most appreciated!

Big Sur Half Marathon Race Recap

The Big Sur Half Marathon is probably my favorite half marathon ever.  First of all, the weather in California in November is PERFECT and far better than the cold in Chicago.  Second, the course is amazing.  I ran this race last year and spent time with my family in Salinas, which is close to the race.

Image Credit  For more information on the race click here.  The course is nice as well - it is fairly flat, but there are some rolling hills, which makes it a bit challenging as well.

My results:

I am so proud of myself for actually finishing this race!  I really was worried that I wouldn't finish because I really have not been training like I should.

I'm still getting over the lazy bug that I developed post-marathon (see post below for more on that).  I ran 2 miles 9 days after the marathon.  I ran 8 miles on November 2nd and then ran only 9.5 miles from November 2nd to November 14th.  I think I ran maybe 3 times and all the runs were on the treadmill during work.  The runs were capped out at 4 miles since that was all I could fit in during my break at work.  I was going to run on Thursday with my dad, but I got super sick after the flight so I rested instead.  I ran 5 miles on the treadmill Friday and it went OK.

However, the course totally kicked my ass.  I dominated it last year and almost got a PR, but that was not the story this year.

First, I violated my rule of not eating too much fiber in the days before the race.  One of my aunts ordered this delicious pasta that was served with a salad with an awesome dressing, which I gobbled up.  I most certainly regretted the fiber choice the following morning.  So yeah, note to self: no high fiber foods before the race!!

I was super worried and nervous before the start since my stomach was churning.  Also, I felt super unprepared for the race.  It's funny because I really didn't feel that nervous for the Chicago Marathon at all.  Then again, I had my running buddy Cindy with me most of the time so I had something to distract me and take my mind off running.

This was not the case with Big Sur.  My dad ran the race as well, but he started way back in Corral J whereas I was up in Corral C.  My goal was simply just to finish.  A PR was definitely not going to happen since I haven't been training for speed.  Also, I've been running half marathons around 2:11 and 2:15 while training for the full.  So, I figured that ever going sub 2 would be a bit of a stretch.  So, I'm happy with the 2:02.

Jim, Dad and I got to Monterey a little bit before 6:00.  We parked the car and walked on over to the McDonalds which is right by the start.  I figured using an indoor bathroom would be better than using an outdoor one.  The McDonalds is always packed and the seats were full, but at least the line to the can was short.  At this point, my stomach was in absolute knots.  Things were not looking good at all.  I love how my stomach and nerves can literally give me the shits.  TMI, I know, but this is what I was dealing with before the race started.  I blame my lazy self for undertraining, but there was really no turning back at that point.

I wanted to go again, but got distacted talking to a group of runners about the Chicago Marathon since I was rocking my shirt.  One of the ladies was originally from Chicago so she got it when I mentioned points I had run to along the marathon course. 

The lines to the bathroom were long and I was cutting it close to 6:45 so I decided to forgo the bathroom and get into my corral.  I was super nervous, cold and trying to do my best not to shit my pants. :(  Not a good way to start off a race whatsoever...

Miles 1 through 4:  These went by OK and I was still running at a sub 9 pace.  We ran through a tunnel that seemed to have a little incline, which killed me big time.  By the time we reached the hill in Pacific Grove I was pretty much dying and wondering why the hell I was even out there.  My lazy bug was tempting me to drop out and go back to bed.  But, I forced myself to keep on running.

Miles 4 to 7:  I pretty much had a shit fit at this point.  Mentally, I just wasn't feeling it and I really wanted to stop.  My body wasn't really hurting - I was just mentally out of it.  At this point, I passed Lovers Point and was running up to the turnaround at Alsolimar State Beach.  Also, I started spotting bathrooms and I was debating whether to use one and lose time or try to hold it through the finish.  There were bathrooms right past 7 miles so I pulled off to use one.  I felt so much better after my short break and returned to the course with some energy.  Also, I decided to take off my headphones and enjoy the atmosphere.  If you listen closely enough, you can hear the waves, which is nice.  The scenery is pretty amazing.

Mile 7 to Mile 11:  My pace slowed from slightly under 9 to around 9:15 - not too bad, I suppose.  I felt much better having taken a break and taken off my headphones.  I willed myself to keep on going and reminded myself to take deep breaths and focus on finishing.

Miles 11 to 13.1:  I lost it again here and slowed down some more.  A woman at Mile 11 yelled out 1:53.  I started 9 minutes back so that put me at 1:44.  I did a little mental math and figured out that a sub 2 would not be happening since there was no way in hell I was going to run 2.1 miles in 16 minutes.  So, I accepted that my run would be over 2 hours.  The 2 hour pace group also caught up to me a little bit past Mile 12.  I knew I had to keep them in my sites and if I finished in front of them that I would be finishing sub 2:03 since they were in the corral behind me.

On the home stretch, I passed the 2 hour pace group leader so I knew I went sub 2:03.  I felt like complete crap afterwards and my lovely stomach decided to act up again, which made me super cranky.  And, Jim decided to wait by the hotel as opposed to in this plaza area where the runners were being filed into after the race so I was not thrilled about having to walk over there.

We waited a bit for my Dad to finish (2:41 for Dad - he struggled @ the end and cramped up in the final stretch) and then went back to Salinas.

If you are looking for an awesome race to do in November, I highly recommend Big Sur!  Oh, and there are no clocks along the way so if you want to know your time, have your watch with you!

Running on Hold

To be honest with you all, I have felt very lazy and unmotivated since running the marathon.  I totally intended to following Hal Higdon's training plan post marathon.

Well, that failed.  I took off 9 days and ran 2 miles in 19:25.  I was pleased to run sub 20, but my right ITB/knee felt stiff and tight during the run.  However, the pain wasn't enough for me not to finish.  So, I finished the run.

I think that pain scared me so I decided to back off.  And, then the laziness kicked it.  I made every excuse under the sun not to run.  Soon, it became too cold to run outside, too dark to run outside and of course, my legs hurt so why bother running when I can sit at home at the comfort of my couch watching my TV shows and eating junk food?

So, I sat around and did nothing.  But, I had a damn good time not running.  I hung out with my boyfriend.  We went to the Two Brothers Brewery in Warrenville and did a tour and got samples of their delicious beer.  We went to Paddy Long's in Lakeview and binged on beer and bacon.

In those 17 days, I did think about working out.  But, honestly, I didn't want to do it so I didn't.  I couldn't even get my sorry ass to the gym to at least hop on the elliptical or walk on the treadmill.  Nope, my workouts consisted of raising my hand to my face to shove food (or a bottle of beer) into my mouth and plopping my ass down on my comfy couch remote control in hand.

Plus, I'm addicted to "The Voice"!  I promised myself I wouldn't get sucked in, but that failed and now, I'm super into it.  And, it takes up at least two weeknights (three next week) of my life.  Damn TV show.

Also, I am still upset about my time since I really felt like I could have run better if I hadn't been injured, if I had properly trained, etc. etc.  There are so many "what ifs" in my head.  I'm disappointed in my performance, but is is what it is.  I really wasn't smart in deciding that I needed to break a certain time.  My goal should have been to simply finish the race.  And, I did achieve that goal.  I'm proud of myself, I guess, but there's a part of me that feels bitter about it.

I went to the end of the season party with my running group and our group leader announced everyone's times.  He didn't announce mine for some reason and I think that may have been because he may not know that I'm actually part of the training group.  I really didn't care because I didn't want my time announced anyway.  My pace group leader told me to announce it to everyone, but I didn't want to since I'm not proud of it.

So yeah, anyway, I finally woke up and realized that Big Sur is coming up.  I don't want to skip out on the race since I've paid so much money for the race and for the trip.  And, to be honest, I'm pretty much going to California to run the race and see my family.  I had SUCH a great time at the race last year and performed pretty well.

So, this morning, I finally got up off my ass and ran.  My training group is still meeting, but I decided that I wasn't ready for that.  And, I didn't want to meet at 7:00.  I slept in some more and ran later.

I ran 8.03 miles in 1:17:19 (9:37 per mile).  The first three miles were pretty rough.  Maybe I'm coming down with something, but I kept getting a lot of phlegm caught in my throat and I was hocking loogies quite a bit.  And, I think I took it out a bit too quick too.

Anyway, after the first three went down, I started to feel better and I felt like my feet were moving OK. This went pretty well until about 6 miles in.  I planned on doing 8 so I really wanted to make it.  Plus, if I had to stop and walk, it'd take forever to get home.  Or, I'd have to call Jim to come get me and I didn't want to do that.

My left hip had a sharp, shooting pain that was in the area near my groin.  It hurt so bad and I really was thinking about coming to a complete stop.  I ran into a long driveway leading into a park area and i stopped and stretched it.  It felt a lot better after that and I was able to finish the run.  My right knee hurt pretty much the whole way through.  The pain was by my kneecap area.

So, on the one hand, I'm happy that I finished my goal of 8 miles.  It probably was dumb to have run so much off the bad with a 17 day delay in running.  And, I'm totally worried about this hip/knee pain.  I think I'm going to have my legs looked at again.  Also, the race is questionable.  Ideally, I'd like to get a 10 miler in before the race.  If I can do that, then I think I can run 13.1.  Plus, I've already run a marathon so half is not that bad.

We shall see.  All I know is that I've got to fix whatever is going on STAT so I can get back up and running full time again.  The 17 day delay was not a good thing at all, but I do think the break was needed.

Grandma Pony Ran a Marathon!!

My time was 4:47:01.  My Paul Ryan time was 3:28:00 (haha) - find our your Paul Ryan time here!

Anyway, I was somewhat disappointed with my time since I wanted to break 4:30 (actually break Oprah's time of 4:29:15). Alas, that goal was not achieved, but honestly, I am just proud of myself for finishing since I did not train as much as I needed to.  I skipped out on two long crucial long runs at the peak of training and wanted to quit running entirely.

But, I didn't want this year to be the Year of the Choke.  I choked on Ragnar and the big 20 mile run of training.  I really did not want to walk away with nothing to show out of the 2012 running season.  Plus, I spent so much money on everything and it would have sucked to let it all go to waste.  I could have made probably two mortgage payments with the amount spent on running this year.

RACE DAY:

Dad, Jim and I left my house a little after 5:00 and got to the city a little before 6:00.  We parked by the Art Institute and walked over to the Congress Hotel.  My training group had a suite for the marathon runners with private gear check, indoor toilets and other perks.  I decided to check my bag there and have them meet me there after since it was closer to the finish.  Plus, it was cold out and I didn't really want to meet in Butler Field where the 27th Mile Post-Race Party was being held.

I waited for a while for my running buddy Cindy to show up and we met upstairs, checked in our bags and bumped into another member from our training group whose name I can't remember.  We talked to her for a while before we decided to go to the outdoor bathrooms since the line was super long.  Thankfully, we decided to go to the ones in the bar and that line moved quicker despite only having two stalls.

On the way to our corral, we bumped into more people from our running group and we took pictures with them. 

Left to Right: Me, Cindy, Linda, Dave (our Pace Group leader), Amy,
I can't remember his name or her name either :(

Left to Right: ?, ?, Eric, Cindy, Linda, Dave and ?

Cindy and I decided to try to run the race together.  Linda, Dave and Amy wanted to run the race at a 10 minute mile pace and we didn't think we could handle that.

Cindy & I

Honestly, without Cindy, I really don't know if I would have made it.  It definitely was good having someone you knew running beside you.

This will serve as the basis for my recap.  Also, here are my splits.  As you can see, the wheels fell off the bus big time around the 25K mark and 35K mark.

Splits

Split	Time Of Day	Time	Diff	min/mile	miles/h
05K	08:41:44AM	00:31:52	31:52	10:16	5.85
10K	09:13:11AM	01:03:18	31:26	10:08	5.93
15K	09:44:31AM	01:34:39	31:21	10:06	5.95
20K	10:17:12AM	02:07:19	32:40	10:31	5.71
HALF	10:24:31AM	02:14:39	07:20	10:45	5.58
25K	10:53:19AM	02:43:27	28:48	11:53	5.05
30K	11:28:13AM	03:18:20	34:53	11:14	5.34
35K	12:05:24AM	03:55:31	37:11	11:58	5.01
40K	12:42:09AM	04:32:16	36:45	11:50	5.07
Finish	12:56:53AM	04:47:01	14:45	10:49	5.55

Miles 1 to 4:  These were probably my favorite miles of the course.  The Loop area was very energetic and there were many spectators cheering us on.  You get to run through State Street where the big Macy's (I'm still mad that it's not Marshall Field's anymore) and along LaSalle Drive.  And, you pass the legendary Chicago theatre.  Running on LaSalle was awesome and I ran past my old office. 

Pace wise, Cindy and I are doing well and we're averaging just a little over 10 minute miles.  We both feel good and confident that we can keep up the pace.  We see another group of ladies from our pace group pass us, but we decide not to go and catch them since we really wanted to start out conservatively so we wouldn't run out of gas at the end.

Miles 5 through 10:  It appears that we got faster!!  Must be all the good vibes and energy that we got running through Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Boystown and Old Town!  It felt so awesome running through the neighborhoods that I've explored many times on my trips to the city.  You know you have problems when you recognize that you are running past Molly's Cupcakes (on Clark) and Soupbox (on Broadway).  I kind of wanted to go off course for some yummy soup and a cupcake, but I resisted the urge.  Again, the energy of the crowd again was super awesome and I loved running through Boystown.  I couldn't make out what theme it was this year - I think something military related, but I wasn't all too sure.  

In not so good news - I did not like seeing guys pull off to pee on the trees in this little park area that we passed.  First of all - I'm still a little jealous that they can pee standing up!  And second of all, it's just gross in my opinion.  Hey, but if you gotta go, you gotta go.  I think I also saw one woman coming out of the woods.  Ballsy.  

However, my left hip started acting up.  There was this somewhat sharp pain that went up my left thigh into my left hip and it was throwing off my gait a bit.  I mentioned it to Cindy so we slowed down for a bit.  I told her I could wait to stretch it until after the half.

Miles 11 to 13.1:  In these miles, I seriously debated quitting the race.  My left hip was acting up and I just wanted to stop.  I also wanted to see Jim and Dad very badly.  I knew that they were at the half waiting for me so I had to tough it out and get to them.  I could see the Loop approaching so I knew we were close.  I hoped to be able to pick them out in a sea full of spectators.  I was able to see them both so that made me happy.  Slowing down must have helped since the hip pain subsided a little.  I knew that if I decided to keep going after the half that I'd get to the finish.  Plus, I didn't want to quit and leave Cindy behind.

Miles 13.1 to 14:  We ran to 14 and decided to stop and stretch.  I hadn't been taking in much water throughout the first half.  I did manage to grab a bottle from a lady handing them out so I was drinking that.  Also, I hadn't taken any of my GU.  So, I figured that now was a good time to do that.  However, my gels were cold and wouldn't go down nicely.  I didn't want to risk the Battle of the Bowels part 2 (like this lovely run here) so I decided to just skip it.  I ate about half before I had enough.  Stretching helped out a lot and so we continued running.  At this point, my legs were hurting pretty bad so I decided that walking all the aid stations would probably be best for me.

Mile 15:  I went to grab water and when I turned around, I didn't see Cindy behind me.  I freaked out and slowed down a bit in hopes that she'd catch me.  Usually, she catches me right away.  But, she didn't.  So, I had no idea what to do and decided not to pull off on the side to try to spot her.  There were so many people coming up behind us.  So I kept going in hopes that she'd find me.  Spoiler alert: she never did.  :(

Miles 16 through 20:  My pace slowed down significantly and I started to get hot.  The aid stations were only about 2 miles apart, but it seemed to take forever to get to them.  Oh yeah - that's right.  That's because I'm essentially crawling through this part of the course.  I didn't want to run any faster for fear of hurting my left hip or IT bands.  And, I was pretty much spent at that point. 

However, I spotted this sign that really spoke to me.  It said "Pain is temporary.  Quitting is forever."  That sign just made so much sense.  And, I did not want to be a quitter again this running season.  At that point, I knew I had to finish.  I would finish the race no matter how long it took.

My game plan was to walk through every aid station as so that I'd get a little break and some much needed water.  I saw Dad and Jim past mile 16 in Greektown, which was encouraging.  I wanted to take my arm warmers off since it was getting hot, but I was already carrying my hat and gloves so I decided to leave them on.  I've also decided that I hate this part of the course as there isn't much around and some parts are pretty bare.  Taylor Street was lively, but still.  I liked the parts up north better.  Pilsen was OK and a bit more lively, but I didn't smell tortillas, which bummed me out a little.

At Mile 18, I mentally waved goodbye to my longest run ever.  I got a little emotional a few times along the way since I was just in awe at the fact that I was really running it and that in 8.2 miles that I would be done.

Also, at 20, I didn't hit the wall - that would come later.  Oh, the 4:30 pace group and 4:40 pace group passed me at this point.  When 4:30 passed I thought that was OK and maybe if I could kind of keep them in my sights, I'd be OK.  I lost track of them and also got passed by the 4:30 pace group.  Like an idiot, I kept the 4:25 pace group sign on my shirt.  I should have ditched that at the start, but I left it on.  I also passed a guy with 3:35 on his shirt.  Yikes. :(

Miles 21 to 23:  I was struggling BIG TIME at this point.  I tried to envision the places where I run around home to take my mind off things.  Also, I put on my iPod on to try to drown out some of the noise and to keep me focused on completing the run.  I made it to Chinatown and there were tons of spectators out cheering us along.  Running down Wentworth was awesome.  The energy was amazing.  I wished I just had more in me to move a little faster.

I also got to run on IIT's campus, which is where Jim went to school.  I forgot to wave at this building called the BUTT, but then again, I couldn't even see it since there were so many spectators lined along the streets.  Again, super cool running through a place I've been to before!

Miles 24 to 26.2:  I finally turned up Michigan Ave. a little while back and I knew that I was close to the finish.  You think that it's just 2.2 miles, but when you've run 24, 2.2 miles is difficult.  And, it was rough for me.  But, I think I was good and did not walk at the aid station just after 25.2.  I just had a mile left and I would do whatever it takes to get me across the finish line.

My dad and Jim saw me before the turn on Roosevelt Road where mile 26 was.  There was a small uphill, which was absolutely brutal after running almost 26 miles.  I could see signs telling me that I just had 400 meters to go.  Then, it became 300.  I could see the finish line as soon as I rounded the corner on Columbus Drive.  I must have had some gas left in the tank because I sprinted toward the finish and picked off a bunch of people.  I got passed on the sprint by another gentleman who must have had some gas left.  I really just wanted to get the run over with so I hurried up toward the end.

I threw my arms over my head as I crossed the finish line and I was so proud of myself for not quitting and getting it done.

I finished!

Picture of my medal :)

Things I Would Have Changed:

- I have to find a way to take in more fuel during the race.  I planned on having GU every 45 minutes like the packets said, but for some reason, I didn't want to eat any for fear of having tummy trouble and needing to use the bathroom.

- I have to find a way to drink water on the run to minimize my time spent at the aid stations.

- Most importantly, I have to train more and maybe complete longer runs on harder surfaces.  Training on the trail is nice because it is easier on your body.  But, I have to get my legs used to the constant pounding on asphalt.

New Running Goals:

- More of these will come in the following weeks.  Right now, I have the Big Sur Half Marathon on my schedule.  I'm debating on running a smaller race before Big Sur just to see how the legs hold up.  I'd really like to break 2 hours in the half.  I doubt that I will get my best time since I haven't been training for speed this year.  If I get a PR, that would great.

Thank you everyone for your support and advice during my marathon training season!  Best of luck to anyone racing this season!

Last Week of Training Recap & Pre-Marathon Thoughts

Weekly Miles: 9 / Miles Run: 9

I ran 3 Tuesday night in 27:05, 4 Thursday afternoon during lunch break in 37:56 and 2 Friday in 18:18.  All the runs felt good and I didn't have any issues with my IT bands.  Thursday's run was tough since it was about 75 when I ran on my lunch break.  I wasn't used to the heat, but nevertheless, I completed it.  I was proud of myself for being able to get all the runs in.

My dad and I went to the Expo at McCormick Place this morning to pick up my race packet.  We took the train down then hopped in a cab to get to McCormick Place.  I figured that the cab, though more expensive, would be a lot quicker than taking the bus.  Packet Pickup was super organized and everything was labeled and pretty easy to find.  Also, it wasn't super crowded when I got there.  But, I'm still glad that I took the day off so I could get my packet early.

There were several different vendors and a bunch of different booths about upcoming races.  Nike had a huge booth with official merchandise.  I decided to hold out and not buy anything since I'm still super worried that I won't finish and also, I'd rather buy something that says "Finisher" on it.  The gear looked pretty awesome though.  Nike also had this huge wall with everyone's name on it.  Dad and I found my name and took a few pictures of it.  

I came to the Expo with a plan in mind and I stuck to that.  I didn't really sample anything or spend much time walking around the booths.  In my honest opinion, once you've been to an expo, you have been to any expo.  Also, I've seen most of what's there before.  I felt kind of bad since it seemed like my dad wanted to stay and hang out for a bit.  But, he was OK with leaving since he's not running the race and also doesn't want to buy much.  We did buy new SpiBelts.  I wanted something to carry my GU since mine doesn't seen to fit any.  And, my dad's belt has worn out so he picked up a new one.

The Sun-Times prints a commemorative edition of the paper on Monday with all the names of the official finishers (under 6:30).  I went the booth to order one and got haggled by an employee about a subscription, which I didn't want.  I subscribe to the Tribune's Sunday paper and I hardly read that.  Plus, I don't need two sets of coupons because I already get some with the Sunday Tribune and again, I cut them and barely use those.  The guy just kept haggling me and I was really starting to get annoyed.  He finally took the hint and gave me an option of getting the paper online, which I opted for.

Anyway, we wandered around a little bit more then caught a cab back to the train station.

Here are some of my goodies:

Shirt, Bib, Pace Group Big &
Tattoo with Split Times for Various Mile Makers

This book has everything you will ever need for the race! 

Program, Chicago Athlete Magazine
& Other Papers

Free Commemorative Poster
- 35th Anniversary of the Marathon

Cryotherapy Wrap, Laundry Detergent, Cliff Bar,
Pain Relief Cream and Vegetable Oil (wtf?) samples

Bought a new SpiBelt, which is supposed to hold my gels better

After lunch Dad and I were pretty hungry so we stopped by Olive Garden for a late lunch.  Lunch was absolutely delicious and the company was great as well.  :)  I really love that Dad runs as well and participates in races with me.  He's going to run the Chicago Marathon next year, which will be awesome.  I'm just super proud of him and I want to be like him when I'm his age.  I want to still be able to run long distances and races.  I'm glad that he'll be there to support me when I run the marathon.

Mentally, I'm feeling a little better about the race.  There's nothing that I can do now and I can't dwell on my missed long runs.  All I can do it keep a positive attitude and try my best.  I've run 18 and 18.5 before.  I can run that again.  I've signed up for the 4:25 pace group and hopefully I'll be able to hang on and run it with them.  If not, there's always the 4:30 group or 4:45 if worse comes to worse.  Hopefully my friend from my running group will be able to change her corral and run it with me.

I'm not really excited and not really nervous (yet) either.  I'm just going to look at it like a really long run with a lot of people!  And, I get to explore Chicago by foot, which will be super cool and fun as well.

GOALS:

- Finish without any major issues and finish with an attitude of enjoying the experience and wanting to run another marathon.  Time goals have pretty much been eliminated at this point. 

- However, if going for time, I'd really like to break 4:30.  I think that would be pretty respectable for my first.

I'll post back after the race to let you know how I did!  Hopefully I can finish!  Everyone but me thinks I can!  Maybe they are on to something!  I didn't think I'd run well in Big Sur since I had some bad races, but I went there and ran really well.  I almost got my best time in the half marathon.  Hopefully this will be the same.

Any last minute, tips, tricks or suggestions are always welcome! :)

Week 17 Recap: Long Run Completed!

Weekly Miles: 21
Miles Run: 18

I ran 4 miles Tuesday on the treadmill @ work - not fun at all.  I will have to try to get to the lake to run since the weather is perfect for it.  I almost got hit by a car crossing Lake Shore Drive the last time I ran outside at work so I've been avoiding it.  Plus, the bikers along the path scare the shit out of me.  I will have to make peace with this since I like to run at work so I can get it done and relax when I get home.

I ran 6 miles Thursday night outside around my neighborhood.  I decided that I despise running on sidewalk since it hurts my IT bands like no other.  I was OK up until about 4 miles and then my right ITB started hurting.  The pain traveled down to my shin and I had to slow down on the way back.  Also, I have no discipline whatsoever to maintain a slower pace and I averaged in the low 9s for 6 miles.  This is probably why my IT hurt as well, but eh, I wanted to just get it done since the new Grey's was coming on at 8!  Wow, what a crazy start to the season, but I digress... ;-)

On Friday, I used the elliptical at work just to get the legs moving and to DO SOMETHING.  I used it for 30 minutes and watched some crazy shit on Maury.  I cannot believe that people are stupid enough to go on that show.  It was not a "Who's my baby's Daddy episode?" but instead this:  "I Want To Marry You, But You Have To Take a Lie Detector Test First" episode.

Oh, the drama!!  This one woman's fiancé cheated on her with multiple women when she was pregnant with his child!  Another man lied to his baby's momma about his real age AND his real name!  The horrors!  Oh, and this other stupid lady accused her cement truck driver fiance of cheating on her while on the road.  Spoiler alert: he passed all the test with flying colors!  In your face stupid lady!!

But, again, I DIGRESS....

Weekend long run: 8 easy miles.  A girl from high school who ran cross-country and track with me was there so we ran together and chatted along the way, which was super nice.  My legs felt pretty good though just tired at the end.  My IT didn't act up as much as it did on Thursday's run either, which was a big relief.

I talked to a bunch of other runners about my situation and how I felt super screwed for the marathon since I failed to do the 20 miler, a 12 mile run the weekend after and just haven't been on top of the training runs as much as I could have been.  A lot of people said that I'd finish, but I don't know if that was just to be nice to me.  Another runner asked me how many 20 milers I completed and I said 0.  He gave me an awful look and said that it'd be difficult for me to finish. And, he's right about that.

But, at this point last year, I had come off a bad 10K in Buffalo Grove, a bad (almost didn't break 2 hours) half marathon in Chicago and an OK, but not as good as I wanted 10K in Highland Park.

I took some time off from the running and ran a 5K in October (and almost PR'd - though someone said the course was short) and went to Big Sur, ran the half and almost got a PR.  So, maybe all this added rest is good for me.  Maybe I'll be energized and ready to run the marathon next Sunday.

I thought about it some more and I really would be super upset with myself if I didn't at least show up and give myself a chance to finish the run.  I think a lot of my worries are in my head.  A lot of running and racing is mental.  And, right now, my mental attitude is in the trashcan.  I've got to get it out of there and start thinking positive thoughts.  Otherwise, I'll never finish.

I've been working hard this summer - despite not finishing all the runs.  I would hate to let all that work go to waste simply because I have a bad attitude about the race.  If I don't finish, I don't finish, but at least I can say that I tried my best.  Simply not showing up would be running away from it and I don't want to do that.  I have to do this.  Completing a marathon has been a goal of mine since I started running competitively again in 2010.

Hopefully I can do this!

If anyone has any last minute tips, tricks, advice or words of encouragement, feel free to shoot them my way!

Week 16 Recap

I failed to get Week 16's long run done for this:

And, guess what - I don't regret it one bit. :)

Week 15 Recap: So I Want to Bail on the Marathon...

The marathon is only a few weeks away and I'm debating on bailing out and not running the race.

My training hasn't gone as well as I would like it to.  And, I missed the crucial 20 mile run, which was on September 16th.  And, to be honest, I missed it for no good reason at all.  I just didn't feel like running it so I didn't.  I didn't even attempt to make up for it and run 20 miles at home by myself.  Nope, I skipped that completely.

And, do I feel bad about it?  Yes, in the sense that I'm screwed for the marathon.  My longest runs have been 18.5 miles and 18 miles.  I ran the 18 back in the beginning of the month.

However, I don't feel bad about it because the things I put ahead of my running were more important to me.  Those things I put ahead of running needed to be done.  And I feel better that I did them.

I read a bunch of stuff on the running forums of people who also missed their 20 mile runs and it seems like running 20 is a mental thing - achieving the distance - knowing that you ran that far and that long. If you run 20, you can run 26.2.  However, there are people than only ran 18 (or even less) and managed to run 26.2.  Whether or not they ran it with issue is one thing, but nevertheless, they were able to finish the run.

In all honestly, I don't care about my time anymore.  There's no way I'm going to achieve my time goal with my inability to get my rear in gear and train properly.  Plus, I'm not even sure if I can say that I will finish since my ITBs are a mess.

I didn't run or do my exercises for 5 days and they were super tight.  My PT massaged them and rolled them out on Tuesday and they hurt so bad after.  Ugh.

This week, I've run 9.05 miles Tuesday night and another 5.02 Thursday night.  I'm going to attempt to get up early and run before the Bears game.  But then again, sleeping in and making sure I'm rested for the game probably is a better idea than waking up at the ass crack of dawn to get some mileage in.

My Sunday morning run, at this point, is a game time decision.  We'll see how tonight goes.

And, as for the marathon, eh, I paid for it so I'm still planning on showing up.  I mean, I would really be super upset with myself if I didn't give it a try.  If my ITBs start acting up and throwing off my gait, then I will consider bagging it and dropping out of the race.  But, hopefully I'll be able to make it.

The weather looks like it'll be good so hopefully I'll be able to finish.  But honestly, I don't really know if I want to anymore.

Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about running a marathon and how it's something that I REALLY want to do.  However, I don't know if I feel the same way about it anymore.  Right now, I want it to be October 8th so the marathon will be all over.

I hope to run it and finish, but honestly, with my lack of training and poor attitude, I'm not sure if I can do this.

What do you all think?  Any suggestions on what I should do or can do?

Week 14 Updates: Cut Back Week!

"I don't know what I've been told
marathon training puts my life on hold
No more drinking at the bar
Because I have to run very far."

Creative, huh?  One woman in my group told us that we should create a chant for our pace group.  That was my suggestion.

Program Mileage: 33
Miles Run: 26

I felt good about this week despite not running all the miles.  First of all, it's a cut back week and I ran 18 miles for the long run last week.  That's my second time at 18, which is my longest distance ever run.  And, I only did 12/14 today, but I hauled it on the last 1.5 miles with a few other runners so I felt like I worked hard enough.

I ran 5 miles Tuesday night after work and that went well.  I ran around my old neighborhood, which was good.  It was nice to see my old stomping ground.  I took it a little too fast and averaged 9:13 per mile.  Oops.

I ran 9 miles Wednesday night after work and that was more challenging.  My average was 10:10 per mile, but that was all over the place.  I started out too quickly, got into a rhythm in the middle of the run and petered out at the end and struggled to get home.  By struggle I mean 11+ minute miles for 1.92 miles.  It was getting hot and dark.  And, I was tired.

The weather was PERFECT for this morning's run.  It was in the upper 50s when we started and it isn't even 70 out there right now.  This is my favorite type of weather for running.  I've always preferred to run when it's cooler since it's easier for me to breathe that way.  I'd take cold and even rain over the heat any day.  Hopefully this will be the weather for marathon day, but I doubt it.  It's been hot the past few years so I'm thinking that it could be the same.

But, I've already established my goal as just to finish so hopefully I'll ease up on myself a bit.  I'd love to break 4:30 in my debut marathon, but there are so many factors that I can't control that go along with race day.  So, it may or may not be my day.  Plus, if I don't break it, I'll have even more incentive to keep up my training so that I'm able to do so.  And, if I break it, I can work on improving my time for the next one.

Next week is going to be CRAZY!  We have our 20 mile run on Sunday.  It's an organized run in Chicago and we run along the Lakefront Path.  I'm looking forward to it, but I'm nervous for it as well. For our midweek runs, we have 5 Tuesday, 10 Wednesday (this will be difficult) and 5 Thursday.  I have an appointment Wednesday evening, but I may try to move it back so I can get my run it.  Otherwise, a couple runners were thinking about meeting at Old School on Thursday evening to get the run done.  We shall see how this week goes.

PT and ITB wise, things are OK.  My ITB/right knee really hurt after the 9 mile run so I took off on Thursday and didn't run.  I felt somewhat guilty, but I didn't want to risk it.

Overall, good week of running and can't wait to see what next week brings.  20 will be my longest run ever!

Running Without a Watch

So, we're into Week 14 of marathon training and I have a confession to make.  I haven't gotten a running watch yet.  Nor do I carry my cellphone or track our weekly long runs with a running app of any kind.

And guess what - I kinda like it!

I feel very free and liberated without the watch and the constant reminder of my time and distance.  I'm that type of person that will stare at the distance and the time.  Then, I get these ideas in my head about a certain time I should be running the distance in and in turn, I put some pressure on myself to run faster, which at times, does more harm to my body than good.

Take for example, this week - I ran 5 miles on Tuesday (9:13 pace per mile) and 9 miles on Wednesday (10:10 per mile).  Today, my right knee was very sore and stiff so I decided to rest instead of run.  I don't feel bad since I did run 14 and our long run Saturday is 14.  So, that's not too bad.

But, anyway, my reasoning for not wearing a watch is this:

This is my first marathon.  So, my goal truly should be to finish.  I learned my lesson after my first half marathon.  I set a goal for myself of sub-2 hours and was disappointed when I finished in 2:05:10.  I felt terrible at the end of the run.  I would have felt a lot better and proud of my accomplishment had my goal simply been to finish.

If I have the watch on, I'll be staring at it and I will be focused on the time and the distance as opposed to simply enjoying my first marathon experience.

This way, I'm literally taking the pressure off myself by not putting a watch on.  We'll see how this works out.

My marathon plan is to try my best to hang with my pace leaders to finish around 4:25 and there will be clocks along the way so that will help.  And, I'll have my phone so if I really want to track it then I can.

Week 12 Update: Long Run Success!

Weekly Mileage: 36

Total Miles Run: 33

I woke up at 3:24 Tuesday morning and panicked.  I was stressed out about the upcoming weekly runs since I had failed to get them done the previous week.  Plus, I crapped out on a 12 mile run and definitely wasn't too thrilled about Saturday's 18 mile run.  Anyway, I laid in bed for a while then got up at 4:00 and was out of the house by 4:30 to complete my run.

Running in the early morning hours sure does have its advantages.  No one is around so the streets are all yours.  I ran on the street just because it'd be flatter and hopefully no acorns or other items would be on the ground for me to roll my ankle on.  Plus, the weather is much cooler!  I really hate this heat!  It's almost September and temperatures are still in the 90s!  I'm really worried that the marathon will be hot, but that's another story for another day.  Anyway, at 4:30 the temperature was in the high 50s to low 60s, which is PERFECT for running.  I was proud of myself for being disciplined enough to get it done.

On Wednesday, I put my big girl panties on and ran at lunch.  I decided to run 5 miles since I definitely could not get in 9 during my lunch hour (I'm not that fast at all).  I ran along the lake and was deceived by the somewhat cool air and breeze that was around where I work.  By the time I got to the lake, it was super hot and the path has almost no shade whatsoever.  The last mile was a struggle.  And, my running app crapped out and I ended up running 5.14 miles instead of 5.0 like I had wanted.  Stupid me forgot a hat, water and my SpiBelt to carry my ID.  Oops.  Again, I would have done this run indoors, but our gym is being renovated so that was out of the question.  Plus, I took the time to bring my clothes and shoes to work so I took advantage of that.  Again, I was proud of myself for getting the run done despite the sweltering heat.

On Thursday, I ran 6 miles on the treadmill at the gym since it was still hot when I got home from work.  I ran 3, had to bathroom, went to the bathroom and ran another 3.  I could have run more, but it was already past 8pm so I figured 6 would be good enough.  6 is better than 0.

The long run this morning was AWESOME!  I ran a little over 18 miles and felt good about the run.  We had about 18 people in our group this morning.  The majority of the group ran 20 miles, but I decided to just run 18.  I think there were 5 of us that ran 18.  I felt good enough to push the pace a little for the last 1.5 miles of the run.  It also helped that we definitely did not run 10 minute mile pace for a few of those miles.  I was honestly OK with that as well since I just wanted to get the distance in and most importantly, feel good after the run.

My dad also completed his longest run ever - I think he may have gotten lost on the way back since he fell off the pace of his group.  He might have run a little closer to 19, but he had to do a run/walk for the last 3 miles.  I'm proud of him for doing all these long runs and I know that he will definitely do a marathon some day - probably next year!

Post run, I felt OK - the legs were a little stiff and still are still - I ate, took a nap and took a shower.  Now, I can enjoy the long weekend knowing that my run went well.  And, we have a cut back week next week and it will be a 14 mile run for me.  Hopefully I can stay on the boat with the weekly runs as well.

Lesson learned: I need to go through my morning routine in the morning in order to have a good run.  I need to eat, drink some water and make sure I go to the bathroom.  It also helped that the weather today was far cooler than last week.

More to come soon!

MiddleFork Savanna Long Run Recap: The Battle of the Bowels

This week was another epic fail for me.  I failed to get all the weekly runs done this week.  I was supposed to run 17 miles during the week and 12 on Saturday.  I managed to run 4 during the week and 10 on Saturday.  Super epic fail and I'm very disappointed with myself.  How can I go from such an awesome week last week to this?!  Not good whatsoever.

So, during the week, I scheduled a lot of personal appointments, which I think hindered me from running at night.  Plus, I didn't home until relatively late in the evening so I didn't get enough sleep and chose sleep over a morning run.  I did run Tuesday morning and rolled my ankle on an acorn about a mile into my four mile run.  I powered through and finished.  However, I was so exhausted for the rest of the day since I had gotten up a 4am to do the long run.  Needless to say, I was tired and did not run the 8 miles on Wednesday.  I had another appointment Wednesday night and didn't get back until late in the evening so Thursday's morning run did not happen.  And, I figured that it'd be better to rest on Friday then try to make up for the 13 miles I failed to run Wednesday and Thursday.

Our long run this week was 12 miles and I've done 12 miles on numerous occasions so I figured that I would survive it for sure especially since I survived 18.5 with minimal issue last weekend.  Ha, little did I know.

To be honest, I almost did not run this morning.  I really did not feel like it at all and my dad wasn't coming either so that made it even more tempting to skip it.  I was out late at my sister's birthday dinner and again, failed to get enough sleep.  And, I didn't get ready until really late this morning so I didn't have time to properly eat or warm up before the long run.

This morning, we ran along the Middlefork Savanna, which is near Lake Forest.  The trail itself was OK, but there were parts that were really tight and I just was uncomfortable running so close to the other runners today.  I have a hard time staying in a straight line and I was worried about bumping into people or being bumped into.  Also, I rolled my ankles 3 times on various dips and grooves in the trail.  That definitely threw off my focus so I had to spend some time looking down at the ground to make sure I didn't stumble over anything.  Not fun.

I was feeling pretty good for the first half of the run.  We took a little break at Mile 6 and I had a Vanilla Bean GU Energy Gel, which is had caffeine in it.  This was a mistake.  Also, I didn't wash it down with water since I had some Nuun (electrolyte tablets) in my water bottle instead.  This was another mistake.

I started to lose it between Miles 7.5 and 8.  We reached a hydration station and I really just felt like shit.  Mentally, I was out of focus, my right ITB was pulling (nothing severe enough to throw off my gait but still annoying nonetheless) and my hips felt tight.  I just really wanted to stop, but we still had another 4 miles to go.

Also, my stomach decided to start churning at this point thanks to the stupid GU with caffeine.  I figured that I could still finish the run since we only had 4 left to go.  I've finished runs having to go to the bathroom before and I've managed to hold it in long enough to make it.  

Unfortunately, this was not the case for me and I really lost it at the 10 mile mark.  One woman in our group had already started to walk so our group leader went back to walk with her.  My running friend, E. had fallen a little back to and she was walking by me.  She decided to run and our group leader went with her.  I tried to keep up and I ran for a little bit, but then I really had to walk since my stupid stomach had developed a mind of its own.  And, it only wanted to do that one thing and that one thing only.  Running just make it worse.  So, I figured that I would just start walking before I had an accident.

The woman that started walking earlier caught up to me and we walked the last 2 miles together.  I felt like shit (literally and figuratively) and I almost pulled off into the woods to do it there and get it over with.  Also, I spotted a porta-potty on the highway by this construction area and I almost ran there to get it done, but I decided to try to hold it as best as I could.  

Once we got back to Old School I knew that we were close to I just held on for dear life and made it safely back to the bathroom.

I bumped into other runners for my group who asked me how I was and I told them that quite frankly I felt like shit and just was out of it.  Another runner from another pace group told me that it is better that I felt like shit on a cut back week as opposed to feeling like this on a longer run.

We have to run 18 next week and to be honest, I am terrified.  I failed to finish the 12.  What if I can't finish the 18 next week?  Also, the intermediate runners are supposed to run 20.  There is no way in hell I am going to run 20 especially if we have an organized 20 miler scheduled a few weeks from that time.  That's just too damn much.

Right now, I feel like shit about my training and I know damn well that I'm not doing enough and right now, I really doubt if my ass is even going to get to that starting line (let alone finish the fucking thing) since it's having such a hard time now.  

I need to re-group and get it together.  I still have time and I can get this done.  I know that I would be so disappointed in myself if I didn't at least show up to the marathon and give it my best shot.  I've learned so much with my training and I've met some great people.  I don't want to give up on myself right now just because I had a bad week and a bad long run.  I know that I can do this.  I just have to find it within myself to keep pushing and get back on the boat in terms of the weekly runs.  I felt so much better last week and I know that it was because I ran during the week.

So, the adventure continues next week.  Hopefully I'll have better things to report!

Week 11 Long Run Recap

I RAN 18.5 MILES THIS MORNING AND I SURVIVED!!

Mentally, I was not ready this morning.  I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked and I didn't get to prepare as much as I wanted to since I got up later than I wanted.  But, I figured that I would just make the most of the long run and get it done.  I knew that I would not run the miles on my own and definitely would prefer the support and organization of the group.  Plus, my dad runs with the group as well and he picks me up in the mornings so that helps me stay motivated.

I originally planned on just running 16, but it didn't seem like anyone in my group wanted to turn around and go back.  One lady turned around, but I figured that I would just try to hang in there and run all 18.  We take breaks every two mils to hydrate and there are hydration areas along the way where we can fill up our bottles with water and Gatorade.  It's a nice way for me to mentally break up the run in 2 mile increments.

Our group was larger than usual and I think we had 15 total runners.  So, I started out in the middle oft the pack in hopes to keep my energy up and not crap out after 13 miles like I had last week.  Plus, having a lot of people around helped me stay motivated.  I knew that I wouldn't quit or drop back if I had a support group of people around me.

Today, we ran along the Des Plaines River Trial (DPR) North.  We ran through Independence Grove in Libertyville and I think we ran past Route 137.  We had hydration tanks set up at the 4 mile mark, 6 and then a little over 9.  Knowing that those were coming up helped me as well since I knew that I'd get a little break.

And, I can't really describe how I felt, but I felt AWESOME!  Mentally, I was on top of it and I didn't have any negative thought cross my mind at all.  My legs felt great for the majority of the run.  I didn't experience any weird left hip pain (like last week) and my calves weren't burning as much as they were last week.  My right ITB started acting up toward the tail end of the run - maybe from Mile 12 to 15, but it wasn't super painful or throwing off my gait in any way.

I was really trying to just focus on remaining calm and focusing on maintaining my form.  I would try to remind myself to take deep breathes in and out (like what my pacer Kerl told us during the half I ran in July) and to focus on how many miles I have left and not how many I had already run.  Also, I would make sure to take shorter strides going up and down any inclines or declines.  I also really tried to keep my arms at my sides and not use them to propel myself forward (unless I was going up or down an incline).  And I think that focusing on my form and staying calm really helped me take my mind off the amount of mileage in front of me.

We hit our last hydration tank at mile 15 and I knew that we only had 3 miles left to go.  Also, I knew that we would get another little break 2 miles after that.  I started to move up toward the front of our group and soon I was running with our leader and another woman who is always toward the front of the pack.  We got into a shaded area in the trail where we took our final hydration break.  A lot of our group had already dropped back a bit.  We lost two runners along the way as well.  One guy was going to drop off on purpose, but I don't think that was the intention on the other runner.

Our break was a little long since our group leader decided to turn back to find the missing runner and he told the rest of us to go.  So, I started running with another woman and I don't know what happened to me, but I felt really good so I decided to push the pace a bit.

We only had about 1.5 left to go so I figured that I'd take it out a little faster so that I could get the run done.  And, the weather was great and my legs were feeling good so I went for it.  And, it paid off.  I was the first person from our group to finish the run and I felt AWESOME.  My legs were a bit sore, but nowhere near as bad as last week.  My breathing was good and I wasn't sucking wind, gasping for air or anything like that.

So, overall, AWESOME run!  And, we have a CUT BACK week next week (woo hoo!) so we'll only have a minimum of 12 miles to run.

This week has just been awesome!  Everything has been going well for me and it's such a GREAT feeling.  Hopefully I can duplicate this next week!

Week 11 Recap

Total Mileage: 32.  Total Miles Run: 30.5
Achievement: Ran 18.5 miles, which is my longest run my life! (see separate post to follow)

So I only skipped one run this week, which is good saying that I skipped 3 last week.  I've also made an effort to go to bed earlier and I haven't been up all night watching TV because there really isn't anything to watch.  MasterChef started up again, which is good.  And, I also watch Suits, which wasn't new Thursday night.  And, the odds must be in my favor because Jim has come home at a good time most nights so we've been able to eat dinner early.  So, overall, this week has gone well.

And, it's Friday as I type this to you and I feel pumped up, energized and ready to have a kick ass weekend!  I've been on this strange OBSESSION with cupcakes and I ran downstairs to get some from Flirty Cupcakes on wheels.  On lunch, I close my door, chow down on my food and eat the cupcake with a fork and with my door closed.  Weird, yes, but it makes me feel better being all quiet about it. :)

Anyway, my 4 miler Tuesday morning was good and was done in a little over 39 minutes.  I actually ran a 10 minute mile and a little over 10 minute mile for the first time on my own.  I then ran the next 2 miles in 9:36 each.  I felt really good, but was really tired during the day.  I should have gotten another coffee, but skipped it.  I won't do that next time.

Wednesday:  I had an 8 miler scheduled and was going to go in the morning, but passed up on it for more sleep.  I went to bed before 9:00 Tuesday evening since I was so EXHAUSTED.  I decided to do the run when I got home and was orignally going to run 6 that evening and another 6 Thursday evening.  I got out there and went for 8.  My splits were wonky and I ran way too fast in the beginning and really paid for it at the end.

Also, I started to get weird pain in my left hip area, which really threw off my gait about 4 miles into the run.  I really struggled and my splits shot up from the 8:30s to the low 9:00s and them into the 10:00s with a split at 10:38 (!).  I really wanted to quit on the run, but I couldn't since there wasn't a shorter way to get home.  So, I turned around and ran back.  My left hip issue managed to work itself out toward the tailend of my run, but then the right ITB started pulling away as usual.  Quite frankly, I was just pissed that I hurt so bad during the run.

Hence the skip for Thursday - I was intending on running and was taking a little break at home.  But, Jim showed up early so we made some good use out of the extra time if you know what I mean. ;-) And, I don't feel bad about that one bit!  Besides, this way, the legs will be rested for the 16 mile beast which will pretty much kill me on Saturday.  I thought briefly about doing something today, but eh, maybe I felt like shit after last week's long run because I did do some cardio (albeit light) the day before.

Oh, and PT is fine - I'm trying to cut down my session and my PT is working on my left hip tightness, which is caused by weak hip flexors.  He did these stretches on my left hip since evidently there are four places for the tip and they definitely felt uncomfortable and I'm not sure how much they helped if I had hip pain during my last run.

Mentally, I'm back on the boat, but there is a little piece of me that doubts if running this marathon really is a good thing for me and if I can really pull it off.  I have not missed a long run (thanks to the group), but I haven't been exactly diligent about my weekly runs.  I haven't been cross training, strengh training and I'm hit or miss with pre and post warm-up/stretching as well as my at home PT exercies.  Diet?  Ha, that's a joke - see cupcake rant above.  Sleep - meh... I'm lucky to pull off 7 hours at best.  And, I can't seem to sleep in on Sunday either.  Last weekend, I was up at 5 to watch the marathon. 

So yeah, I mean, as of now, I'm going to run it.  Physically, I can.  Mentally, I'm still trying to stay on that boat.  This new feeling in my legs that I experience after the long runs doesn't feel good at all.  In fact, it makes me just want to stop and stick to half marathons since they are a lot easier on my body.  But, we'll give this marathon thing a go and see what happens.  Hopefully I can make it to that starting line.  If I make it there, I know that I'll finish (no matter how long it takes) unless medically removed from the course.

Week 10 Recap - Lacking Motivation & Epic Fail

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it."  - Oprah Winfrey.

How true.

This past week, I didn't put anything into it.  I was supposed to run 29 miles and I only ran 15, which was the long run.  I failed to run any of the weekly miles.

Why?

Well, I was just exhausted all week because I had been going to bed way too late do to watching Olympics late into the night.  Also, I have been getting to work early and working later due to PT, which affects my normal working schedule.  I kept telling myself that I'd get back on the boat and that I'd get it the next day.  I thought that I could be OK if I could get the 7 mile weekly long run in.  But, I rolled over when the alarm rang at 4:00am.

So yeah, overall, it was just a bad week.  Even my PT noticed that I wasn't myself when Friday rolled around.  He mentioned that I should be eating properly and sleeping enough, which is just a given to stay healthy even if you aren't training for an athletic event.  And, of course, I haven't been doing either one of those things.  I don't diet or even make an attempt to do so.  And, of course, I never get enough sleep.

So yeah, a big whopping goose egg fo the weekly runs.  *SIGH*

Honestly, I thought about just skipping the 15 mile long run and getting back on the boat next week.  However, I knew that if skipping that run would open the door to making it OK to skip even more runs.  So, my PT told me to do the run and if it hurts to just slow down or stop.  Also, he recommended that I do something on Friday just to get some kind of cardio in.

So, I worked out for an hour on the elliptical just to get the legs moving.  I felt a little better about things, but I was still dreading the run.

The long run went relatively well given that I didn't run any miles during the week.  The rest of my running group decided to run 17, but two other runner and I didn't want to run that far so we turned early and ran back.  One guy in our group of three dropped back so I ran with another woman back to our starting point.

My legs felt really great until our turn around point, which was about 7.7 miles into the run.  My legs really started to feel it probably after 10-12 miles.  The last were an absolute killer.  Both IT bands were pulling.  I also was experiencing some weird pain in my left upper thigh and my calves were burning like crazy.

I was happy to have gotten the run done and to have survived it.  My legs were very sore after the run.  I could not go down stairs without issue and my calves were on fire.  I tried to ice them and that helped a little.

Jim and I went to the White Sox game last night and my legs definitely didn't feel 100% and going up and down the stairs was somewhat of an issue.  Thankfully we went down the ramp on the way out so I didn't have to go down any stairs.

I took some NSAIDs and I think I'm going to put BioFreeze on my legs before I go back to bed for a few hours.  I've been up since 5 watching the Men's Marathon.  Ryan Hall and Abdi from the US dropped out after about 15 miles, which sucked for them.  Meb finished in 4th, which was awesome and really just inspirational.  I watched about how his family left their war-torn country of Eritrea and they eventually ended up in California where they built their lives.  Maybe watching him come back from being back in the pack a bit to finish in 4th will inspire me to get my ass back out there and keep running so I can finish the marathon.

This week, I really began to doubt myself and my ability to complete it.  I mean, it would be so much easier to stick with the half and just do that since the runs would be shorter, I could run more races during the year, etc. etc.  However, I know that deep down, I do want to run a marathon and accomplish that goal.  I just have to get myself back on track, get the runs in, take the runs on run at a time and get to the starting line so I can accomplish that goal.

We'll see what next week brings!