Delinquent Blogger

Been a little busy lately. Still trying to get ready for Chicago. Will's been looking at the marathon website and picking restaurants & using Mapquest. We are driving to Chicago & then after the marathon, we're headed to Michigan to visit family. So, I'll be gone a little over a week. I've been trying to get things together at work so the continuity of workflow will continue in my absence--keep the calls to a minimum.

When I first decided to do MM, I was a little hesitant because Will & I have been next up on an adoption waiting list for a while. I jokingly told him we'll probably be taking a kid along with us to Chicago. It turns out our SW called us and wants us to come into the office. My mother in law graciously offered to care for our child while we're away, but I want our child to come with us. However, this is jumping the gun a little. She just wants to see us; she didn't mention bringing the carseat. Still, I can dream, can't I?? :) Speaking of babies, my brother will be bringing the family down 2 weeks after the marathon; so I will finally get to meet Alexa J. And, my sister is waddling. She's due in late November and looks bigger than she did when she was pregnant with my first nephew.

I've been pretty healthy as of late. Nothing hurts, no headaches. Today's run was pretty good except I didn't stretch as well as I should have and the ITB started a mini rebellion at about 7.5 miles. When will I ever learn???

Our next run is in Chicago!!!!! :) See you then!!

Dude, I Ran 21 Miles!

It was darn close to 6 hours, but I did it!!!!! Now, I can actually see doing 26.2 miles! I decided not to use the interval training setting on the Garmin this time and I jogged at a slower pace. Perhaps a little too slow?? Too late to start speed training now!

Some of us were standing around having a post race meal of Endurox (Thanks Kim, STR), cinnamon bread (Thanks Great Harvest) & rice crispies treats (Thanks Paige) and pointed out how this run was SO much better than the 18 miler we did weeks earlier. This cooler weather made a HUGE difference!

Personally, I was well hydrated and I had 2 packs of Sport Beans which I gobbled like no tomorrow. Looks like 3 packs of Sport Beans should hold me for Chicago. My right IT band was still a little tight, but thanks to the prescribed stretches & yoga I could push through with relative ease. My knees didn't bother me as much, either. :)

Next time, I'm going to pick up the pace a little & see what happens. Y'all, WE ARE MARATHONERS!!! \o/

34340 of ???

Got my confirmation ticket in the mail Tuesday! Wow, I'm going to run/walk/jog (possibly crawl??) in a marathon! I confirmed my hotel reservation & they still have us down for a room. All we have to do is get there. Y'all, we're so close! :)

See ya tomorrow at Lakeshore!

Hey, I've Got Some New Shoes On. . .

The weather was just gorgeous yesterday; perfect for breaking in my new shoes. However, I had little motivation to run. Monday night, Will decided to do a little mechanical work on the Chevy truck--as if he needed another work project (he's currently working on our roof). A little background: my husband & my father in law are both do it yourselfers & perfectionists to a fault. They work sllllooowwwlly & methodically. They will not be rushed. I spent Monday evening running to Auto Zone, Lowe's & Home Depot for various items. It was late when he decided to knock off. If I don't get a decent 8 hours of sleep I'm a bear to deal with as many of my family members can attest. So, Tuesday evening, I was tired & not wanting to run. But, I got out there (thanks Heather) and I wasn't very fast, but was glad I did and my shoes feel great! And my knees didn't bother me. :)

Thanks everyone for your encouraging comments. Happy Training Everyone!

Nagging Doubts

Properly hydrated?? Check

Stretched?? Check

Carb Load the Night Before?? Check (if 9:30 late meal of French toast counts)

Have a Good Breakfast?? Check

Disposed of Now 4 Week Old Tuna?? Heck yeah.

So, I was all set for Saturday. The night before, both Will & I were craving French toast or oatmeal. I opted for French toast; I made a huge amount of it and we ate like pigs. I didn't sleep very well, probably because I had indigestion. I took it easy on Labor Day, ran 5 miles on Tuesday. The IT band in my right leg acted up a little, but the knees started hurting worse. I iced them & rested Thursday. Looks like it paid off because I had a great run today.

However, doubts are starting to creep in. Feeling the aches & pains is scary. All I can think about is breaking down in Chicago & being unable to continue. I did it at 20 miles & was unable to complete the whole distance. I'm feeling like I just HAVE to complete this up coming run, otherwise why bother trying to do 26.2?? Ok, I am a marathoner, I am a marathoner. . .

It Was The Best of Runs; It Was The Worst Of Runs

I did everything right this time; at least I can't think of anything I did wrong. I stretched, I was hydrated, I had a good breakfast. Oh, but there was the sandwich I ate the night before made with 3 week old tuna. . .

Earlier in the week I had been having some pain in my left knee behind the knee cap & some pain on the back of my right knee. Usually it passes. I have no explanation as to why both of these pains decided to rear their ugly heads at about 5:10 am. Nancy was walking with me & when it came time to run, I just couldn't seem to pick my feet up off the pavement. I told her to go on because I wasn't going to be very fast today. As badly as it hurt, I couldn't quit. I wanted to see just for far I could go; to see what I was made of. I walked much of the time & even felt well enough to do a slow jog at times. As I was walking away from the Craft Center, I had terrible stomach cramps--that cursed tuna!!! I want to say a big "THANK YOU" to the Dept of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks for maintaining the bathrooms at the Craft Center. I cannot IMAGINE having to go out into the woods to deal with that!

So, I continued on & managed to complete the 10 miles just short of 3 hours. I was glad I did it because yes, I know I can persevere through pain. Lesson learned: Don't eat 3 week old tuna before a long training run. :)

Happy Labor Day Everyone!