AHHHH!!! just a few days left

My first marathon is on Saturday. I am officially freaking out. How am I going to do? Will I be able to sleep Thursday or Friday night? Will I even finish? I'm telling everyone that I simply want to finish and be in good enough spirits to still want to do another one. That's really it. I hope this doesn't completely suck. I hope I'm still able to walk on Monday (I took the day off just in case :)). I am going with an amazing group of people. I really am so thankful for that.

So my plan right now is to start with the 10:52 (4:45) group. I tend to run faster in the first part of my runs and I think this will really hold me back. Then I should have energy to break away and do whatever I need to at the end. Logically, looking at my 20 miler splits, I can do this without a problem. Mentally I'm losing my mind.

I'm freaking out about what I'm going to where. Do I dress in layers and just toss them as I get warm? It's going to be warmer than it has been around here lately so I'm not sure what I can wear without worrying about chaffing. Where am I going to put my sports beans? Do I need some of those new right foot/left foot socks (No! change nothing!)? I'm going insane.

Like I said, it's good to have such a great group to go with. I know they'll keep me sane enough to run 26.2 miles.

Where am I?

Ok, so I haven't been blogging but I have been running. I am training for the IL marathon in two weeks. I've had some troubles; my shins and calves really act up towards the beginnings of my runs but loosen up after a few miles. My long runs are going okay. I ran 20.06 miles on Saturday in 3:35. It's not fast but I'm not really going for fast. I figure since this is my first marathon that the only thing that matters is that I finish it. Besides, it leaves more room for improvement on my second marathon. That's right - I'm already considering doing another one.

To help make sure I am getting my runs in I have my Runner's World calendar posted at work and I put a little sticker on the days that I run. Some of my co-workers stop by to make sure I'm getting the right number of stickers each week.

I'm trying to eat better too but that's hard. I don't really eat a lot of fried food or anything but I do tend to eat more than I should. I need to figure out how I can balance that. I just switched buildings at work so now I have a long walk to the cafeteria and it makes more sense for me to bring my own meals. Now I just need to make time to pack them.

I'm overly excited that it's getting warmer. I need to get outside more. The cold weather has really been wearing on me lately.

Anyway, two weeks until my very first marathon. Wish me luck.

Trophies!!

October has been a pretty good month for me for trophies. I cut almost four minutes off of my time last year at the Deere run and got third in my age group. That being said if I would have known I was only twelve seconds behind first place I think I could have found some speed somewhere. It was a really good run for me and I really wanted that trophy. It was cold and misty but I am so glad I did it.

The next weekend I ran six miles with the Happy Joes group on Saturday and then had a 10k race on Sunday. I wasn't really planing on going out very hard so when everyone took off at the beginning I kept back. Less than two miles in the run I felt my ab start acting up so I slowed down some more. It didn't help. Shortly in to the second mile I had to stop and walk. For some reason if I push my side in when I run it won't hurt and if I stop to walk and hold it in for a while I can run a while before it hurts again. I walked a little more right at mile 3 and then ran the rest in slow. I actually still finished in under 59 minutes. I also managed to get a second place trophy in my age group. As a group the Happy Joes crowd had seven trophies. We rock!!

I was really regretting running on Monday. I have no idea how I can run a hilly course hard one week and a week later be in so much pain during a flat easy race. I could feel my ab scream every time I moved on Monday. I was actually stuck in a hotel room for work Monday night so I spent some time in the hot tub. I was hoping if I let the jets hit it for a while it might feel better. I am not sure if that is what did it or not but I felt better on Tuesday.

I am going to be back at my dad's this Saturday so I won't be able to run with the Happy Joes crowd this week. I've debated taking some time off but honestly I am terrified of putting on weight if I stop running. I love running. I just really wish my ab would get better. Right now the plan is getting an easy run in on Sunday morning.

I've been running....

Blogging only takes a few minutes. I'm really not sure why I haven't been doing it.

I've been running. I just haven't been running hard. I've decided I will be doing a spring marathon. I don't have anything big planned for this year although I'm still in good enough shape I could do another half. I've still been running with the Happy Joes group and keeping my miles up. I really want to get another 14 miler in. I haven't done that much in a while but I've been trying to do at least 10 on my long runs. I also still run with the Wednesday night group. I started classes so I had to stop going to track.

I've been trying to give my ab some time to recover so I've been staying pretty slow on all of my runs. It seems to be working because I haven't had a problem since the end of July. I have noticed my quads have been getting really tired early in my runs. I wonder if that's because of my medicine. I really need to figure that out.

My next big goal is to get a trophy at the Deere 5k in early October. I think I can do it if I come in under 26 minutes. I ran some hills around my house yesterday in 25:19 so I think I can do it.

I have a couple of races left this year and I'm pretty sure I am going to get a medal again for winning my age group in the local race circuit. It's been a really good year for me but next year I'm going to avoid hurting myself in April. I think I have potential to do even better.

Checking In

I wanted to break an hour for the Bix 7 (7 mile race in Davenport). I started out pretty well but my side is still acting up. I'm debating taking a break from racing for time. I still beat my time from last year but I missed the hour by 5 minutes. Oh well. Hopefully I can rest my ab and come back better for it next time.

A pretty good week

It's been an interesting week for me. Tuesday I went to track hoping to get some speed work in but I didn't want to push it given the problems I've been having with my ab. I got three sets of 800s in before my ab started acting up. I was smart enough to call it quits for intervals but still wanted to get in some miles so I ran a 2.5 mile cool down.

On Wednesday I went to Iowa City to chat with my doctor about my back. I'm less than excited that I have to take muscle relaxers everyday but at least I haven't had too much trouble with my shoulder while running lately. Anyway, he had made some comment the last time we spoke about how 'it wasn't like I was training for a marathon'. I decided even though I'm not actually training for one I should tell him about the miles I've been putting in. I guess the medicine I'm on makes my muscles weak so if I started training at the same time as someone else I wouldn't progress as quickly. I'm doing pretty well so I wonder how I'd be doing without it. He would like me to start weaning myself off so I guess we'll see.

Thursday I ran the Bix at 6. There is a large 7 mile run here at the end of July and for a few Thursdays before the actual race they block off the course and let everyone pre-run the course. There are a few challenging hills but the run went okay. Last year I ran the race in 1:06:37. My casual run on Thursday was just under 1:01 so I should be able to break an hour easy.

I was going to go for a run Friday and I have to admit I actually started to run but there I started to think about my long run Saturday and all of the miles I'd done for the week already so I stopped with less than half a mile. It wasn't my proudest moment but I guess it happens sometimes.

Saturday was my long run with the Happy Joes crew. I wanted to get 14 miles in but I knew I would have to run them slow or my ab would act up. My plan was to stay between 9:30 and 10:00 the whole time. My first mile came in fine and then I started to speed up. I kept telling myself to slow down but I have trouble. The great news is that my ab wasn't mad at me doing most of my run. I decided at mile 5 that I should be able to run without my side killing me. Instead of turning around at 7 miles I ran just a little further in case I didn't want to make it all of the way up the hill at the end.

I felt really great on the way back. I debated running 15 but decided I really shouldn't. My side started to hurt a little around mile 11 but luckily I was almost to a water stop so I stopped to drink some and eat some sports beans and then I was off again. It didn't bug me much after that. In the end I ran 14.52 miles. Not bad considering I'm not officially even training for anything yet.


14.52 miles in 2:09:50 = 8:57 avg FASTER THAN MY ACTUAL HALF
1.00 - 9:45
2.00 - 9:18
3.00 - 9:27
4.00 - 9:05
5.00 - 8:56
6.00 - 9:02
7.00 - 8:59
8.00 - 9:01
9.00 - 8:39
0.00 - 8:40
1.00 - 8:04
2.00 - 8:27
3.00 - 8:41
4.00 - 8:51
0.52 - 4:47

Where am I?

Dave called me out yesterday on not posting in a while and that's exactly what I needed to get another post up. Although I haven't really blogged much in the last month I've still be running. I did one race - Race for the Cure. The race was so packed that my friend Luke and I ran it without worrying about our time. I still had a 26:55.

On the Saturdays I don't have races I'm still going to Happy Joes for my long runs. Yesterday I ran 12 miles with Larry, Monica, Jay (I think), and Brenda. Jay and Brenda ended after 10 but Monica and I really wanted to get 12 so Larry ran with us and we added a few on to the end. At the beginning of the run I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to do it. My side was on fire again. I'm trying to figure out why sometimes I don't notice it and other times I can't run a mile. Right now I'm thinking it has to do with whether or not my stomach is empty. Crazy - I know.

I haven't been able to go to track much yet this year. I've been spending a lot of time working on my basement. Pictures!! It's almost done. I have a coat of paint on everything so now I just need to put on another coat, paint the ceiling braces, and swap out the tiles. I'm just ready to be done so I can worry less about when I can paint and more about how my interval runs are going.

I will try to post more but if you notice that I'm not - just comment on my last post and it will email me a nice reminder. I really love having this blog. It's just sometimes I pretend I'm too busy.

My side.... and my PR

I had another PR in the 5K yesterday. I knocked another 15 seconds off of my last best. You'd think I'd be over the moon today but I'm really not. I pulled my ab during a race over a month ago. It aches a little every now and then but it felt pretty good for my half so I was thinking the worst part was over.

I got busy with another class after the half and took almost a week off. I ran a few shorter runs and then my race yesterday. The course had a lot of rolling hills but none of them were too steep. I felt okay running it but today my side won't stop hurting. I really do want to go out for a nice long run but I'm thinking if my side hurts this bad now - how will it feel during a run. I might have to give it today and tomorrow off and then give it a shot on Tuesday. I need a long run. I'm craving a nice 12 miler :)

MY FIRST HALF...

Yesterday marked my first half marathon. I made sure to drink tons of water on Saturday and took one of my trusty muscle relaxers before I went to bed; I knew if I didn’t my mind wouldn’t stop spinning and I would worry too much. I knew I needed a good night’s sleep.

I woke up early on Sunday and ate my half bagel and peanut butter breakfast. I stepped outside and it was exactly how I hoped race day morning wouldn’t be. It was pouring rain, low forties, and winds gusting up to 40mph. I spent the next hour starring at the local weather hoping the storm would pass soon but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. My friend Luke sent me a message letting me know his knee was acting up and he wouldn’t be running.

I debated for quite a while about what the best things to wear were. I actually bought three different shirts with me to the race and made my final decision in the parking lot. I was all set - ready to brave the wind and rain - and started walking to the starting line. It took me a few minutes to realize I hadn’t put my bib on yet. It was going to be a fun day.

At the starting line there were a lot of people huddled under umbrellas or wearing plastic bags. My shoes were already soaked. There were no speeches and anthems, just ready set go. My mind was racing - don’t go out to fast, don’t worry about everyone who’s passing you, you have 13 miles to go.

My first mile was still a little fast but I managed to slow it down for mile two. I kept thinking about how much time I was going to need to bank to break even for the time I’d lose running into the wind. I thought if I could get the first half in sub-nines then I could afford to go a little over into the wind and up the hill. I saw Larry on his bike somewhere around mile 3 and Missey was handing out water.

I was pretty strong the first part of the race. Around mile 6 I started running with the wind at my back and it was great. I let it push me along so I wouldn’t waste any energy. We turned around just before mile marker 8 and that’s when the wind hit. I think anyone who ran the race would tell you this was the hardest part of the race. My pants were soaked - obviously I made a bad choice on what to wear. I really felt like the wind could sweep my away at any minute. I honestly gave up on breaking two hours. I brushed some of the rain off my garmin and must have pressed stop because the next time I looked at it it wasn’t moving. Towards the end of my head-wind experience a line of running ran by and told me to jump in; they had created a train so only one person had to brave the wind. It was brilliant. I wish I would have met them a few miles earlier.

My legs felt like I had huge weights strapped to them by the time I got out of the wind. I gave up on breaking two hours; I wasn’t sure how much time I really lost in mile 10 so I had no idea what my real time was. I knew I could still break 10 minute pace if I didn’t let the weather break me. I’d love to tell you I ran the whole way back but I didn’t. I ran up half the last hill and walked the rest. Just as I was coming down the hill I saw Laurel. I knew she was busy doing bike patrol so I thought she’s encourage me some and then move on but she didn’t. She rode next to me!! She told me I might still be able to break 2 hours if I finished strong so I picked it up. Honestly, I couldn’t have done that without her. I really hope they have better luck next week at Green Bay. Anyway, I ran pretty strong the last half mile and Laurel rode with me until I got into the track.

I almost wish I could have seen the time when I got into the track. Maybe I would have picked it up even more. I could hear people yelling for me; I have to say I love the running group. I came around the corner just in time to watch the clock changed to 2:01. - You mean I was that close to breaking two hours - If I wouldn’t have mentally gave up on breaking two hours I could have still done it - If the weather was better I could shattered two hours. I finished in 2:01:07. 68 seconds short of my best goal.

John handed me my medal and I walked around for a while. Laurel introduced me to a lot of people and I really feel like she was proud of me. I ran into Dave, the “leader” of our Happy Joes runs, I talked to Larry, and I wondered around a little. My fingers were frozen; when I left the race I sat in my car for a while trying to warm up my fingers enough to get them to wrap around the steering wheel.

The truly amazing part - I felt great during the whole race. My left calf has been tensing up the first few miles of all of my runs; it didn’t happen this time. My ab ached a little while I was running into the wind (probably because I was using my arms so much) but nothing that even made me think I should back off. My shoulder didn’t act up either. I tape the toes that usually give me problems. I realized around mile 8 I was starting to get a little blister on my baby toe but that didn’t really hurt either. My hamstrings are a little sore today but only when I press on them. I feel great! Laurel (my amazing friend and massage therapist)- you rock!

So rather than dwelling on how I could have done I’m very focused on what I can do now. I’m trying to pick out a half to run this fall. I also think I could be a marathoner. It only took me a few months to go from 5ks to a half marathon. If I keep up the training this summer I could be awesome.

It will probably be quite a while before my shoes dry out.


1.00 - 8:27
2.00 - 8:59
3.00 - 8:51
4.00 - 8:49
5.00 - 8:49
6.00 - 8:59
7.00 - 8:42
8.00 - 8:59
9.00 - 9:59
0.00 - 11:00+
1.00 - 9:33
2.00 - 9:46
3.00 - 9:41
0.10 - 0:46

13.1 miles in 2:01:07 = 9:15 avg pace



I even made the front page of the sports section. I'm the second to right with the purple hoodie. Look like I'm smiling? I am. I'm thinking about how insane I must be to be starting a 13 mile run in pouring rain and winds gusting up to 40mph.

** Special thanks to Larry for snapping a pic of me running at about mile 11.

Almost there

Tomorrow marks my first half marathon. I'm nervous but I know I can do it. Physically I'm set; it's the mental part I'm working on. I went on my last real run on Wednesday. It was cool and misting but a nice run. I ran with the Wednesday bar group that I ran with a lot last year. It was a nice run.

1.00 - 9:56
1.00 - 9:22
1.00 - 9:04
1.00 - 8:53
1.00 - 8:30
0.12 - 0:56

5.12 miles 46:43

Thursday night was my first softball game. I stopped in for an appointment with Laurel first. My left calf has been bothering me and my ab aches a little still. I had my last sports massage before my run and now I should be set. Softball went pretty well. I played right field so I wouldn't have to throw much; I don't want my shoulder to tense up while running again. Two of my at bats were great hits. Overall it was a good night.

I had class Friday night and all day today so I went for a very short run today. Only a mile. I ran it at about a 10 minute pace just to get my legs moving.

So now what? I'm going to bed early tonight. I plan on laying out most of my stuff tonight. I picked up my packet tonight; I'm #58. Part of me wishes I would have pre-ran the course but I'm okay with the fact that I didn't. I've ran some of it along the river already anyway. I've studied the elevation. I've listened to people's evaluation of the course. As long as I can sleep tonight I know I can do it.

Goals? My goal first and foremost is to finish my first half marathon. My secondary goal is breaking a 10 minute mile pace. My last goal is breaking two hours. I do really want to break two hours but I don't want to miss it and feel bummed out if I miss it but still finish.

Race Morning Forecast? Cold, Rainy, and Windy... The wind is the only thing I'm actually worried about. Hopefully it's at my back the whole time. I'll worry about it tomorrow.