Starting to Feel It

I'm training for my first marathon and I'm starting to feel it in more ways than one. The good way is that I really feel like I am having fun and enjoying my running. I don't mind getting out there knowing that the time I spend now will really pay off later. It's been a great summer weather wise - not too hot/windy/rainy. As long as I am healthy, everyday is a good day for a run.


But I can also feel it in my body. Last week I was so excited that I ran 28 miles - by far my most ever. I'm going for week two of upper 20's running and I can feel it. One week was good, but maintaining it week after week? Well, it will get better, but in the first few weeks my legs are putting up some resistance. I've noticed that my individual runs have included more walk breaks and have been on the short end of the spectrum. I'm looking forward to just 10 miles for a long run this week.


In other marathon news I am signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon and way more excited about it than I thought I would be! This means I am signed up for TCM on 10/4 and Des Moines Marathon 10/18. Ha! Technically, I am entered in both, but will not be doing the full marathon in Des Moines. I'm changing my entry to the 1/2. So October will consist of two 1/2 marathons and a full, followed by November which will consist of sofa lounging and neighborhood strolls with the dog. And Thanksgiving which I LOVE.

Happy Milestones

I ran 28.61 miles last week. To be exact. That is the most miles in one week in the 3.8 years I have been running. Also, in the month of July I will hit my first 100 mile month! It will be close to get 100 in, but you can bet that I'm not going to get to 98 and say "oooh! So close! Maybe next month".

I want to start doing yoga on my days off. It could be good for both strength training and stretching. Probably just what I need. I think it all started years ago when I was going to yoga regularly with my friend Heather. I gained some flexibility back then and I think it has stuck with me for the most part but I need to maintain it. I started with an unofficial workout on Sunday. We had a small class but they were great learners.

Confessions of a Good Intentions Runner

Maybe if I put it in writing I'll feel better. I didn't do a long run this weekend. Ok? There. I also did not do a short run. I competed in a triathlon and that was it. Which was challenging. But it wasn't a long run. I only ran 14 miles this week and it should have been over 20.

I did enjoy the break. I rested. Got tons of house work done. Read magazines and my book. Walked the dog. Napped. All enjoyable!

But the guilt.......oh the guilt. Because mostly - I JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT. And that can't be a valid excuse when training for a marathon. Or any race that you want to do well in really.

So what's a girl to do? Get back on the plan and make sure weeks like this happen very infrequently. And when they do happen, like if I miss a run, I better consciously make the decision and then enjoy the choice. For the rest of the summer I've got nothing to do but run.

Guilt free. I shall think of it no more and look forward to an awesome running week!

All smiles!

The Lifetime Triathlon - once again a great day! Last year, I swam a little, biked a lot and did the usual running. This year I swam a lot, biked almost none, and ran the usual. The results then, are a little confusing.

I was 8 seconds slower in my swim time. Kind of irked about that. I swam 10 times the distance in preparation this year than I did last year. I thought I was getting better. I can't explain it. I thought in the swim this year I wasn't as worn out, I swam more of it, but yet, the results were the same!?!? Baffling. Let's move on.

The bike was 6 seconds slower. Which begs the question, why did I train at all last year?? After about 5 minutes of biking, my legs were shaking. After 5 miles, I would stand to go up the hills and there were times that my legs almost collapsed from under me while standing because the just didn't have the muscle to support me. I didn't know how the run was going to go because I was pushing so hard on the bike just to keep it going. And after 15 miles of biking. I WAS DONE. Really, the sprint triathlon is really where it's at. I love this distance. Just enough variation in activity to keep it interesting, but not long that you have to put in the many, many hours of training.

The run. I'm a runner. I like running the best. I kept thinking, ok just get to the run. You'll fly in the run. You're good at the run. Relatively speaking of course. I took off running and it was super weird. I tried going slow, but I don't know how fast I was going. I don't even know how my legs were moving, but I told myself just 5 minutes then you can break. At 5 minutes, I though I could do 10 and at 10 I knew I could do the first water stop. I walked the 2 water stops, probably 30 seconds in total, and just ran. And it felt GREAT! I shaved about 2 minutes off my run from last year. In fact if it would have been a full 5k instead of just 3 miles, I would have PRd. 9:54 minute miles!! Holy cow! How the heck does that work? I run my fasted 5k EVER, AFTER swimming and biking??. I also cut 1.5 minutes from my total transition time so overall, I was 3.5 minutes faster this year. All because of running a changing clothes. I know where my priorities are.

And I feel completely redeemed after Grandma's. Hey, some days just aren't your days. But many, many of them ARE my days.

Tomorrow Grandma's is officially history!

I found some photos from marathonphoto of Grandmas. The first one is me around 6 miles. Notice how I still have good form and my pinkies are extended out with proper etiquette and everything?

I like to call this next one "Tenacity". I love that word. I think this was on the way up the bridge hill around mile 9. I was thinking - NO CHANCE I am walking this thing. You can walk at the top. Absolutely no other option. Or I was thinking "Ew gross, don't step on that dead bird".

And finally, the finish. That confused look on my face is me wondering what the hell just happened. The words 'hit by a truck' come to mind. I was already trying to forget the race and seek out my Great Harvest race rolls - which they didn't have.

Tomorrow for the Triathlon there will be nothing but smiles. All I'm demanding tomorrow is everything I've got. Nothing more. I don't want to give more than I've got; the results of doing that...well we all know how that ends. I'm going to write my times from last year on my hand so I know what I have to do. Who know how I will be able to perform, but I've already visualized the results and in my mind, I'm happy. And Grandma's will be but a distant memory of a day that opened the door for my glorious comeback.

Good run, still in a funk

I just can't seem to get the Ricky Bobby quote out of my head "I wanna go fast". Slower is better, get in the time, just try to finish your first marathon. I think this last 1/2 proved for me that you can go out to fast and suffer in the end for it. It's hard to admit that 11:30 is my pace and my first marathon will probably be at least 5.5 hours since I had faster 10k and 5k times. Yet my 1/2 marathon time isn't really up to par. They say it will all pay off in the end, but I can't see that now. I wanted to be a faster runner this year, but fast and marathon don't belong in the same sentence for me. I feel like I was ready to see what I could do and they are saying hold back, now is not the time to let 'er rip. I believe all that is true; they are the experts, but it a hard mental thing to overcome.

I do enjoy running more lately now that I know I will be able to complete the distance with no problem because I'm slowing down. That's a nice feeling. Maybe I'm just in a funk and it has nothing to do with running.

Blog-worthy?

I haven't been doing anything really blog worthy lately. Well, nothing that I have wanted to express or talk about. Last week I ran 21 miles, which was the first 20 mile week of 2009! Felt good about that. This week should be 20 also even though I skipped out on my run last night. I shouldn't be doing that. I need to get every run in that I have scheduled and be consistent.

A few things my coaches in the running group said that stuck with me. The goal of the marathon (for most of us) is running the whole thing without slowing down. Also, at this point in the game they said it's how much time you dedicate to running not necessarily the miles. Just get out there and pound the pavement so your body builds all of the good scientific things it needs to run for 5 hours. I like to think that I should be enjoying this time. It's laid back, and I'm just trying to go and go and go. I don't have to push yet, I'm still building. For some reason that seems easier to me. It's not really. 10 miles is still 10 miles, but mentally it seems more relaxed.

This Saturday is the triathlon. It should be fun again! I don't think I'm going to do much better than last year like I aspired to, but again I stress, it should be fun! Only thing is, I will miss another long run, which kind of bothers me. I'm a rules girl. If my coach or plan says 12 miles, I do 12 miles for fear that in 3 months from now, at mile 18 I'll have a complete break down because I ran a triathlon plus 17 miles (over the week) instead of a 12 miler. I'm afraid of 'losing it'. And one thing about running I've found is that if you follow the plan, you'll finish the race(barring injury). Since this is what I know, I follow the plan and stress when I don't.

Yesterday, I was kind of having a crummy day, which is probably why I didn't run. Even though I am 100% sure that running would have helped my mood I didn't go. It takes effort to get out of a bad mood. Sadly, sometimes it easier to just wallow, and then that wallowing is just fed by the fact that you aren't doing anything to make it better. Today is a little better but I have a run with the group tonight so no chance of wallowing. It should be good actually.