8.29.2009
blessed
I received an email today from Coach Lea Ann telling me that my fundraising is DONE! Someone annonymously donated $101.14 - which gives me the exact amount needed to run next Sunday. So, in an effort to thank someone who wishes to remain annonymous - THANK YOU! It's such a relief to know I do not have to write that check out myself! Now...7 days and just a few hours away from race start! :o)
8.23.2009
14 miler
Yesterday was the BIG run, our 14 miler with celebration! Last year I missed it because I was in NH for my family reunion so I was thrilled to be around this year. We run more than the half marathon to prove we can do it - in mind, body, and soul! The weather definitely threatened to end the hopes of a good Saturday morning run but in the end the half marathon crew rain completely rain free, although the poor full marathoners, who ran 20 miles, started their run an hour early in DOWNPOURS!
I started my run with Tracey and Shannon, taking it nice and easy and running at a good training pace but as we reached the 6 miles mark they needed to slow down due to some aches and pains so I attempted to catch the next group ahead of us - Brett and Ann - who were BOOKING IT! My first mile with them was easily 2 minutes/mile faster than what I had been running. I slowed them down a bit, to which I think Ann was somewhat greatful! Overall I was pleased that I wasn't in much pain until my hip started in around mile 11. Mentally I was done, but I knew I couldn't stop running especially since I had friends waiting for me at the finish line! Everyone's families are invited to the 14 mile celebration/picnic and since I didn't have family locally I asked a few of my closest friends if they would be willing to be there. As we got closer to the park, I looked for them and that truly gave me the motivation to keep running and finish strong, despite the pain in my left hip. It was so awesome to have them there, along with Coach Amy, some old students and parents etc. I was also SO excited to see soda in the cooler when i finished. For some reason the last mile or two all I was craving was a real Coke and it was there for me when i was done! :o)
Some pretty cool accomplishments - My 14 mile training pace time to finish was 3:09 - I finished in 2:57! Last year I finished the 1/2 marathon in 3:09 - this year my half marathon time along the trail was 2:42!!! That's 27 minutes faster! My goal for race day was to finish in 2:45 - now I know I can do it so I'm just hoping all goes well in VA Beach and I can come in around the same time. I was pretty sore after the run - mainly my hips but after some stretching I felt pretty good. Even waking up today - no blisters, no knee pain, no hip pain! WooHoo!!!
Now all I need to do is eat well, keep up my maintenence runs, hydrate and get ready for VA Beach in 2 weeks - this time exactly 2 weeks from today I will be 2/3rds done with my first half marathon of the season!
I'll leave you with some pictures of the 14 mile training run - post party!
I started my run with Tracey and Shannon, taking it nice and easy and running at a good training pace but as we reached the 6 miles mark they needed to slow down due to some aches and pains so I attempted to catch the next group ahead of us - Brett and Ann - who were BOOKING IT! My first mile with them was easily 2 minutes/mile faster than what I had been running. I slowed them down a bit, to which I think Ann was somewhat greatful! Overall I was pleased that I wasn't in much pain until my hip started in around mile 11. Mentally I was done, but I knew I couldn't stop running especially since I had friends waiting for me at the finish line! Everyone's families are invited to the 14 mile celebration/picnic and since I didn't have family locally I asked a few of my closest friends if they would be willing to be there. As we got closer to the park, I looked for them and that truly gave me the motivation to keep running and finish strong, despite the pain in my left hip. It was so awesome to have them there, along with Coach Amy, some old students and parents etc. I was also SO excited to see soda in the cooler when i finished. For some reason the last mile or two all I was craving was a real Coke and it was there for me when i was done! :o)
Some pretty cool accomplishments - My 14 mile training pace time to finish was 3:09 - I finished in 2:57! Last year I finished the 1/2 marathon in 3:09 - this year my half marathon time along the trail was 2:42!!! That's 27 minutes faster! My goal for race day was to finish in 2:45 - now I know I can do it so I'm just hoping all goes well in VA Beach and I can come in around the same time. I was pretty sore after the run - mainly my hips but after some stretching I felt pretty good. Even waking up today - no blisters, no knee pain, no hip pain! WooHoo!!!
Now all I need to do is eat well, keep up my maintenence runs, hydrate and get ready for VA Beach in 2 weeks - this time exactly 2 weeks from today I will be 2/3rds done with my first half marathon of the season!
I'll leave you with some pictures of the 14 mile training run - post party!
8.09.2009
routines = positive outcomes
So I felt bad to have not blogged at all as promised throughout my training process. In order to entertain my readers I thought I'd make my 12 mile run fairly dramatic for you...so I almost past out. Just to give you something to read about...how nice of me right?
OK...so the drama was unplanned and unwelcome but did happen just the same. This morning was PERFECT for a 12 mile run - decent temperature, low humidity and good cloud cover with a slight breeze - can I order that for labor day weekend in VA Beach please? The 12 miler was great - I felt good, other than my one hip which was a pain in the @#$%* but I finished feeling good - mentally and physically!
My title for the post is what I learned today - keeping to routines equals positive outcomes...deviating from them are not quite as good of an idea.
My routines -
RUN and follow coaches directions for walk breaks/speed etc. -check!
Eat fruit punch sports beans every 45mins or so to refuel along the course - kinda check! (first mistake seen in hindsight - I ate my beans at 45 mins and 1hr 40 mins...I should have eaten them again at 2:25 but I knew how close I was to being finished at that point so I decided to save my dollar bag o beans and skip the food.)
Return from run and eat some goodies at the park - check! (I had an awesome blueberry muffin from Cafe scossa and some meat and cheese.)
Wait for other runners to finish and head to the bagel bakery for an ET bagel with egg, bacon and cheese - OJ and large coffee. (THIS IS WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG!)
Since my full marathon bagel bakery buddies had to run an extra 6 miles more than me today and because a friend from PA was coming to visit so I'd be short on time to eat at the bagel bakery - I opted to go home and shower, head back to the park and wait for my girls then eat breakfast. This planned worked out fairly well until after 20 mins or so after arriving back at the park showered and feeling refreshed I began to feel light headed and nauseas. If you know ANYTHING about me, you know NOTHING is worse to me than feeling like I'm going to puke. I tried breathing through it and then told Lea Ann I was feeling weird. She tried to get me to sit but I refused. Then I felt like I was going to be sick so I tried heading for the car - I wanted to save face and not puke in front of people. I took about two steps before she arrived with water and made me sit only seconds before my legs gave out anyway. I felt like I was in a tunnel and everyone's voices got fuzzy. Amy ran over with wet paper towels and ice - we went over who they could call to come get me and what I ate since I stopped running - roughly 90 mins ago. They decided it was low blood sugar. I shared that I had not gone to the bagel bakery right after as I have been doing now after every run each season and it all clicked. After some orange slices and grapes - and sitting with ice on my face and neck I felt MUCH better - and needless to say took myself to the bagel bakery. I didn't even make it out of the parking lot before my oj was open and half gone!
I arrived back home to my friend sitting in front of my house waiting for me...oops on timing! I was SO thankful for Amy and Lea Ann this AM - for figuring out what was wrong with me as well as helping me through it. I am SO thankful that didn't happen at home or while I was in the shower - or driving for that matter. That's the one thing that really hit home today about living alone - no one would know if I wasn't ok! Scary.
Other than a decent headache and normal stiffness/soreness in my knees and hips I am feeling just fine.
What lesson did I learn - DON'T skip the sports beans at the end of a run just to save $1 and stick to your routine - I wanted so bad to wait for my girls to eat but waiting 2 hours was NOT what my body needed - and it clearly showed me that today.
OK...so the drama was unplanned and unwelcome but did happen just the same. This morning was PERFECT for a 12 mile run - decent temperature, low humidity and good cloud cover with a slight breeze - can I order that for labor day weekend in VA Beach please? The 12 miler was great - I felt good, other than my one hip which was a pain in the @#$%* but I finished feeling good - mentally and physically!
My title for the post is what I learned today - keeping to routines equals positive outcomes...deviating from them are not quite as good of an idea.
My routines -
RUN and follow coaches directions for walk breaks/speed etc. -check!
Eat fruit punch sports beans every 45mins or so to refuel along the course - kinda check! (first mistake seen in hindsight - I ate my beans at 45 mins and 1hr 40 mins...I should have eaten them again at 2:25 but I knew how close I was to being finished at that point so I decided to save my dollar bag o beans and skip the food.)
Return from run and eat some goodies at the park - check! (I had an awesome blueberry muffin from Cafe scossa and some meat and cheese.)
Wait for other runners to finish and head to the bagel bakery for an ET bagel with egg, bacon and cheese - OJ and large coffee. (THIS IS WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG!)
Since my full marathon bagel bakery buddies had to run an extra 6 miles more than me today and because a friend from PA was coming to visit so I'd be short on time to eat at the bagel bakery - I opted to go home and shower, head back to the park and wait for my girls then eat breakfast. This planned worked out fairly well until after 20 mins or so after arriving back at the park showered and feeling refreshed I began to feel light headed and nauseas. If you know ANYTHING about me, you know NOTHING is worse to me than feeling like I'm going to puke. I tried breathing through it and then told Lea Ann I was feeling weird. She tried to get me to sit but I refused. Then I felt like I was going to be sick so I tried heading for the car - I wanted to save face and not puke in front of people. I took about two steps before she arrived with water and made me sit only seconds before my legs gave out anyway. I felt like I was in a tunnel and everyone's voices got fuzzy. Amy ran over with wet paper towels and ice - we went over who they could call to come get me and what I ate since I stopped running - roughly 90 mins ago. They decided it was low blood sugar. I shared that I had not gone to the bagel bakery right after as I have been doing now after every run each season and it all clicked. After some orange slices and grapes - and sitting with ice on my face and neck I felt MUCH better - and needless to say took myself to the bagel bakery. I didn't even make it out of the parking lot before my oj was open and half gone!
I arrived back home to my friend sitting in front of my house waiting for me...oops on timing! I was SO thankful for Amy and Lea Ann this AM - for figuring out what was wrong with me as well as helping me through it. I am SO thankful that didn't happen at home or while I was in the shower - or driving for that matter. That's the one thing that really hit home today about living alone - no one would know if I wasn't ok! Scary.
Other than a decent headache and normal stiffness/soreness in my knees and hips I am feeling just fine.
What lesson did I learn - DON'T skip the sports beans at the end of a run just to save $1 and stick to your routine - I wanted so bad to wait for my girls to eat but waiting 2 hours was NOT what my body needed - and it clearly showed me that today.
8.04.2009
Slacker
It's been almost 3 months since my last post. Apparently I'm a slacker blogger and somewhat of a slacker runner this year. Last year I followed the rules line by line because it was the unknown, however now that I know I can run a half marathon I've somehow relaxed a bit. I haven't been super at getting in my maintenence runs (ok so I've only done a handful of them all season) and I've even missed some saturday runs. My first half marathon of the season is only one month away and there are no more travel plans for the summer so I have no reason to miss anymore runs.
On a fundraising note - I have some of the best family and friends ever - I've already raised about $650 and only have $100 left to reach my goal! In these tough economic times it amazes me that people are still willing to donate. I've also been a slacker on thank you notes - I promise they are coming!!
I recently bought new running sneakers so I'm in the process of breaking them in on my short runs (which I'm now forcing myself to do) so that they'll be ready for the 14 miler in 2 1/2 weeks. This saturday is the 2nd 12 miler - desperately hoping the humidity is lower by Saturday!!
The schedule for the rest of the running season:
This Satuday - 12 miles
8/15 - 7 miler (I think)
8/22 - the BIG RUN - 14 miles (I missed this run and celebration last year for my Adams family reunion - I am SO looking forward to it this year)
8/29 - 6 or 7 miler
9/4 - I leave for Virginia Beach, VA to spend Labor Day weekend getting ready to RUN!
9/6 - VA Beach Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon - My personal goal is finishing in 2:45 (last year's time was 3:09)
9/13 - 6 mile run on my own
9/20 - Philly Distance Run - my 2nd half of the year! I can't wait to do this on my own - I'm excited to run something different but am slightly intimidated that there will be hills - especially since I run in FLAT Easton!
After my 2nd half I plan on being lazy for a bit them getting back into a serious routine at the Y - lifting and doing cardio that does not involve running for a while!
I am SO SO SO thankful for NO injuries and relatively little pain after long runs. I love being able to encourage our newer runners. It's so nice knowing that I can do this!!
On a fundraising note - I have some of the best family and friends ever - I've already raised about $650 and only have $100 left to reach my goal! In these tough economic times it amazes me that people are still willing to donate. I've also been a slacker on thank you notes - I promise they are coming!!
I recently bought new running sneakers so I'm in the process of breaking them in on my short runs (which I'm now forcing myself to do) so that they'll be ready for the 14 miler in 2 1/2 weeks. This saturday is the 2nd 12 miler - desperately hoping the humidity is lower by Saturday!!
The schedule for the rest of the running season:
This Satuday - 12 miles
8/15 - 7 miler (I think)
8/22 - the BIG RUN - 14 miles (I missed this run and celebration last year for my Adams family reunion - I am SO looking forward to it this year)
8/29 - 6 or 7 miler
9/4 - I leave for Virginia Beach, VA to spend Labor Day weekend getting ready to RUN!
9/6 - VA Beach Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon - My personal goal is finishing in 2:45 (last year's time was 3:09)
9/13 - 6 mile run on my own
9/20 - Philly Distance Run - my 2nd half of the year! I can't wait to do this on my own - I'm excited to run something different but am slightly intimidated that there will be hills - especially since I run in FLAT Easton!
After my 2nd half I plan on being lazy for a bit them getting back into a serious routine at the Y - lifting and doing cardio that does not involve running for a while!
I am SO SO SO thankful for NO injuries and relatively little pain after long runs. I love being able to encourage our newer runners. It's so nice knowing that I can do this!!
5.22.2009
better get in gear
So tomorrow is the 5 mile run. I am SO far from prepared. I didn't do any of my maintenence runs this week and honestly barely worked out at all. The week was crazy and I was so worn out and tired that my free time was taken up by sleeping. I'm just thrilled that I have done 5 miles many times before, so while tomorrow won't be the easiest run ever I know it'll be just fine.
5.16.2009
Timed Run
Today I did a "make up" 3 mile timed run since I missed last week. I ran the entire 3 miles, only walking for 30 seconds - 3 times - in about 35 minutes. I felt great at the end and had even better news when I was placed in Marian and Indra's pace group That was where I was hoping to end up. So...that means I'm training at a 13 minute mile (that was where I started last year before I dropped back to a 13:30) and running a 4:1 run walk ratio (which is 1 minute longer run ratio than last year). If I run the 1/2 marathon at that pace I'll come in around 2 hours 49 mins. I'm hoping to be able to finish quicker than that - under 2:40 is my goal. That should not be too far off of a goal based on where I'll be training. I have to say that I am SO excited to be starting this again. I don't feel quite as prepared as I was last year regarding gear etc but running wise I feel great. This week I need to get some new socks and sports beans. I have to dig out my water belt and make my meat sauce for Friday night dinners. It'll be tough to get back in the boring friday night routine - no going out late or eating out - pasta w/ home made meat sauce and early bed time will make for good Saturday runs. Feeling great so far...can't wait to see some fundraising money come in and have my fundraising Cookie Lee party in 2 weeks. :o)
5.12.2009
one step at a time...
Am I really doing this? Am I really going to train for 2 1/2 marathons? Am I really going to do 2 maintenence runs during the week, forgo eating out on Friday nights, go to bed early, forgo sleeping in on Saturday mornings to run? Yep! I did my first maintenence run today and it left me wondering why it was so hard. The last few runs I've done- I've done continuous without a walk/run ratio. This time I ran a 4:1 but I may have sped up my run quite a bit. My body felt great but boy was I winded...ugh! It could have also been because I already weight lifted at 5 this morning and ran after a 45 min. pilates class. I also was not truly hydrated and I hadn't eaten anything in a while. So...here's to hoping my next run is a bit easier (these are suppose to be the easy ones!).
Overall I'm super excited to be running again - and starting training 30 pounds lighter than last year - that's got to help my training and race time for sure!
Overall I'm super excited to be running again - and starting training 30 pounds lighter than last year - that's got to help my training and race time for sure!
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