Whirlwind Emotions!

My goodness, the feelings I am experiencing now are crazy!! Excitement mixed with nervousness and a side of worry! Mostly excitement though. The weather is not looking the best but I can't change that. I can only adapt. I'll be going later today to look for a cheap water proof jacket that I don't mind shedding and losing if need be. I've been reading lots of comments on the Dallas White Rock Marathon fan page and most of them have been reassuring. People are still excited and ready to take on the rain. Haven't seen any that are backing out! I've also been reading many articles by seasoned marathoners which are very reassuring as well. Sounds like the Seattle marathon last weekend had horrible weather! Ours Sunday won't be near as bad.

I watched the four weather forecasts this morning -- WFAA, Fox4, NBC5 and the CW33. All of them were varied. NBC 5 was the best, so I'll choose to believe that one :) but also prepare for worse.

I read a line in an article that said "the marathon is not for babies, and you are going out there to succeed and be tough". TOTALLY changed my outlook. I've trained hard for 6 months, made many sacrifices, and run hundreds of miles!! I'm no baby. And hey, if it is sucky, it will only make future marathons/races that much better in comparison.

So Close!

It's been a couple weeks and I've been fairly busy! The week after 22 miles was a fast twelve miles and it was great. Then we entered into taper time.

My sister and nephew were in town for Thanksgiving and we had a great time! I was still able to get my runs in. I ran the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. I wasn't planning on pushing myself too hard since White Rock was only a week and a half away. I did the 8 miles in 1:07:33! I was very pleased with my time. My mom, sister, and nephew all came out to watch and we had a great time.

Last Saturday's run was just 9 miles and I did it on my own in the morning. It was pretty weird sleeping in a bit and not having to get up at 5 am!

This week is tapering as well to prepare for the race. Monday was a short, easy 30 minute run. Monday was a 45 minute walk. Tuesday was a 45 minute slow run. Today was an hour walk and tomorrow is an easy 30 minute run. Friday and Saturday are off! Not running as much is really weird. Walking today and on Monday was really weird, but still enjoyable. I kept wanting to run!! I think that's a sign that I'm a runner at heart :)

So tommorow is my last run before the actual marathon. The next time I lace up my running shoes it will be time to run the 26.2!! Oh my gosh!

The forecast for Sunday morning is COLD and possibly rainy. I'm a little nervous!!

Twenty Two

Saturday's run was 22 miles. And I made it!! It took about 3 1/2 hours. When you think about it, that is such a long time! But it really didn't feel like it was that long. It wasn't my best run -- my feet were hurting like three miles in. I think that was partly due to all the walking I did the weekend before. It's normal for my feet to hurt on a long run, but not quite that early. It was also quite windy. But overall, just completing 22 miles is a HUGE accomplishment.

We ran along the Trinity again and then out through a neighborhood in Benbrook before turning around at mile 10. Ran back to mile 7 but had to get the extra two miles in since we only turned around at ten. So ran back to mile 8. Here is where things started becoming really mental. I wasn't feeling progressively worse as the miles ticked away so I knew I could make it. I knew the water stations were spaced every 2 miles for the last 8 -- at mile 8, 6, 4, & 2. So I mentally chunked my run into four 2 mile segments. Just make it to mile 6. Okay, now just make it to 4. Now to 2. And only 2 left till I'm done! Then once I hit 1.5 miles left, I picked certain markers to "make it to". Just make it to the bridge. Okay now the next bridge. A mile left, and I felt (relatively) great. Definately was glad and proud to reach the end :)

I stretched out well and was pretty sore the rest of the day. Not terribly so though. I actually felt better moving around more than just sitting/laying down. That makes everything kinda tense up. Yesterday I did a short, easy 30 minute recovery run and was quite surprised how good I felt. Today I'm feeling a bit tired and sore, so not sure if I'll get my run in. Might just rest. We'll see how I feel as the day progresses.

Gee only 12 miles this Saturday. It'll be over in a flash!

20 days till the Rock!

Running On The Strip

This weekend I was in Las Vegas. My run Saturday was set for just twelve miles. We were staying right near The Strip so I decided to get in my 12 miles by running there. It was awesome!! I started out just after 6 am and it was still completely dark outside. I ran out to Las Vegas Blvd and all the Vegas Strip lights were still on. There were still some inebriated stranglers roaming the streets. Guess they hadn't been home yet after having some fun the night before? It was quite interesting. Anyways, I headed south on the strip. It was a little apprehensive at first being in an unfamiliar area in the dark and especially with what Vegas is known for. But once I saw a few other runners out, I relaxed. I was surprised by the amount of above the street walkways. This was nice because I didn't have to wait at every intersection for a walk signal. But it also meant LOTS of stairs to climb! There were escalators and elevators, but I was running -- why would I take those? I was just amazed by all the lights and it's always exciting to explore a new place on a run. Once I got nearer to the south end of the strip, the sun began to rise. It was absolutely beautiful with the mountains in the background. I took some detours down some side streets to get my mileage in and then headed back up the strip. By now, the inebriated folks had made it home to sleep and the streets were now full of the older generation with their Starbucks coffee. Oh and of course lots of other runners! I was actually surprised by how many there were out. It's always a good feeling seeing other runners out like you. My dad met me for the last 20 minutes or so and then we stopped at Starbucks before heading back to the condo.

Vegas was fun! I ran Sunday (easy 30 minutes) and Monday was supposed to be 30 minutes or off. But I just couldn't resist getting a nice longer run in on the strip so I did an hour and switched Tuesday as my off day. By the last 20 minutes or so of my Monday run, my legs were just beat. I had done TONS of walking in the previous days. I finished the run fine but reverted to walking the stairs.

Tomorrow we cap our endurance training at 22 miles. I'm excited but as usual a bit nervous. We'll see how it goes!!