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!!

It's All Relative

Saturday's run was just 15 miles. I realize how crazy it is that I think of it as "just 15 miles". It was over in a flash, or so it felt. It was the coolest morning for a run so far and though I was shivering at the beginning, it was perfect once the sun came out. I couldn't believe when we got to the halfway turn around. We ran at a very good pace and I had to slow down from the head of the pack towards the end. I think it took me just over 2 hours -- which is great considering my Half Marathon PR is just shy of 1:53. I definitely won't be running the full at this pace though. I can't sustain it for that long.

This brings me to the idea that 15 miles seems short. When I started training in June, I was pretty nervous. The longest I had ever run was 13.1 miles. I knew my goal was a marathon and so I'd have to get to 26.2, but the idea seemed so untangible. In my mind, anything more than about 15 miles seemd out of reach. But each week we would increase the long run by a mile or two. Before I knew it, I was facing a 17 mile run, a 19 mile run, and ultimately a 21 mile run. These seemed doable! And I did them.

This reminds me of something we talk a TON about in my education classes -- scaffolding and the zone of proximal development. The ZPD is the area between what a student can do by themselves and what they can't yet attain. Teachers should meet students in this zone and scaffold (provide incremental supports) to lead them into the area that was once unattainable. Thus this becomes their new ZPD and the process continues.

To me this is just like marathon training. You start in your "ZPD" and "scaffold" your way into longer runs that once seemed out of reach. You did 15, why not 17? It's only 2 more. All of a sudden, your running further than you ever thought you could! All of a sudden, 26.2 is so close you can almost feel it. But not quite yet, there's still lots of work to be done!

Anyways, that about sums up my thoughts in a nutshell. 15 miles is short if you think of it in relation to the fact that I did 21 miles the weekend before. It's all relative. I could elaborate but I like to be short, sweet, and to the point. 15 miles on Saturday was a great run, and to be honest it was almost over too fast. I actually forced myself to slow down a bit on the last mile and a half or so just so I could enjoy it and savor the last little bit. Crazy maybe?

Sunday was a rest day. M/T/W/Th are hour long runs. Friday rest. Saturday just 12 miles. I will be out of town this weekend, so I'm glad I'm not missing the next 20+ miler!

33 days till the Rock!

21 Miles!!!

I did it! I completed the 21 mile run and unbelievably did it quite comfortably! The course was absolutely beautiful. We started on the east side of the lake, ran around part of the lake and into some neighborhoods. We turned around at Good Latimer in Deep Ellum (this wasn't quite halfway). This is when I started feeling really hungry. I was worried this would ruin my run, but it didn't. I guess I'd rather be hungry than feel sick! From there, the course led us back through the neighborhoods and then we did a loop through a different neighborhood to make up some mileage since the turn around wasn't the half way mark. These neighborhoods were quite hilly! But it seemed ridiculously easy to me due to the fact that the hills I run in Fort Worth are ten times steeper. After this loop, we were back at the lake (west side). So we finished the loop around the lake. Once I hit the lake, I was feeling tired but very strong so I pounded it home. At this point, I couldn't stop till I was finished. Stopping at the water stops, even if just for a minute, makes starting up again painfull! I have my water bottle, so unless I need to fill up with water, I try not to stop. When I got to the last water stop I asked the Dallas coach that had been leading us how much farther it was. He told me less than a mile. I literally did not believe him. I thought he was playing a mean joke on me by saying it wasn't even a mile till the finish line. He was right though!

It was fun running in Dallas. They didn't have mile markers and I don't have a GPS watch so I literally didn't know how far we had run! At a water stop, I thought we were maybe between mile 4 and 5 but someone told us we were at the 6 mile marker. When I thought we'd only run 12, we were actually at 13.5. Knowing I only had 7.5 miles left at that point was amazing. It seemed so doable!

This was definately one of my strongest runs. This is also due to the fact that I took it a bit slower than normal. But these longs runs are about time spent on the feet not about finishing in record times. After I was finished, I ate a bowl of fruit (grapes, melon, strawberries, cantelope, etc.) they had provided for us. I was so hungry!! I'm not a huge cantelope fan but I scarfed those pieces down. Then I headed home -- oh and stopped at Starbucks before getting on the highway :)

I was pretty tired the rest of the day but not terribly sore. I did a short, slow 20 minute jog yesterday for recovery. Today I'm going to rest and let my body recover. This Saturday we have 15 miles -- this seems so short!!

This has definately boosted my confidence for the marathon. Knowing I made it that far and still felt like I could go further is a huge psychological advantage. 5.2 more miles definately won't be an easy feat, but I'm up for the challenge. Then I can get my 26.2 sticker :)

40 days till White Rock!!

Twas The Evening Before...

I can't believe that tomorrow I will be running 21 miles! And I also can't believe that I am excited about this. I'm also nervous! Feelings of excitement and nervousness are a fun combination. I know it will be challenging and painful at times...but I'm ready for it. I feel ready physically and more importantly I feel ready mentally. We are doing the run at White Rock Lake, which is where the actual marathon will be. I'm excited to get some good training in on parts of the actual course and a change of scenery is always nice.

Sometimes logistics can be a bit stressful - gotta get to the place and not forget anything (definately can't forget my water bottle and NUUN tablet for electrolytes and Shot Blocks for nutrition). Normally, for my group runs in FW I just have to be there by 5:45 and I live like two miles away. Not the case tomorrow. I have to be there by 5:30 in the morning. I'll try to get up at 4:00 am (that's early even for me!!), eat a good breakfast (need that energy!!), and get to the meeting spot by 5:30. We start the run at 6:00. I can't wait! Hopefully my next post will be one of a 21 miler success...

First Long Sleeve Run of the Season

A cold front blew in last night with the storms and I awoke to wonderful running weather! I pulled out one of my long sleeve running shirts for the first time since like February! Truth is, I'd probably have been okay without it once I got warmed up but I wore it just on the principle that I could. Yay Fall weather! During our hot summer runs, our coaches kept saying that summer training would pay off once the temperatures dropped. And boy were they right. My run was great and very enjoyable.

Saturday's run was only 12 miles and I actually did it on my own on Friday morning instead. This was so that I could go home and not have to worry about it. It was pretty weird not to get up at 5:00 on Saturday morning. I did go out at about 8:00 for a short thirty minute jog. Sunday was also 30 minutes easy. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are all one hour runs and Thursday is 45 minutes. As usual, Friday is off and Saturday is....twenty one miles! Wow. I am amazed that this actually seems doable. 3 months ago it seemed like a lifetime away. I'm planning to do a post soon about this phenomenom. There's been talk about doing this run at White Rock Lake but no official word yet. I hope we do because we'll get to do part of the marathon course. Good preparation for the real deal, which by the way, is in 46 days! This is also my 23rd birthday and I can't think of a better gift than running my first marathon.

19 Miler Success

Saturday morning was 19 miles and...I made it!! I still almost can't believe it. By no stretch of the imagination was it easy, but I completed it. It was humid, windy and just plain icky outside so that made it a bit harder. We ran out the first 9.5 miles at a pretty good pace and it definately had repercussions at the turn around. All of a sudden we were running into the wind and my legs just felt like lead! But once I hit the 7 mile marker (12 down, 7 to go), I got a second wind and settled in to a good rhythm. The last two miles or so were a complete mental challenge. My knees were beginning to hurt and my feet were just flat out sore! But two miles left when you've already completed seventeen? Really puts things into perspective.

After the run, I refueled at Chic-Fil-A with low fat chocolate milk (apparently a great recovery drink due to its ideal protein to carb ratio!) and a chicken breakfast burrito. Then I drove home to Allen for a long weekend. TCU had Monday and Tuesday off for Fall Break. By mid afternoon I was really tired and a bit sore. So I tried to take a nap but was unsuccessfull. I seriously have an inability to take naps! But I at least rested up a bit and then went out with Daniel to watch the USA vs Honduras soccer game at a local restaurant/bar. USA won and Clint Dempsey had a pretty sweet goal. After the game we went to see The Ides of March. George Clooney and Ryan Gosling...need I say more? :)

So Monday was a 60 minute run or cross train day. I decided to do a 40 minute run and some lunges. I haven't done lunges in forever and boy did it show! I used to be able to do tons and tons of lunges with hardly any pain the next day. But man I am so sore. I managed a good run yesterday despite the soreness, but today it's rainy and I'm still really sore. So I'm taking today off. It's smarter to rest then risk injury.

This Saturday we only have 12 miles. I'm glad for the cut back - I need it!! 12 miles used to seem like forever when I was training for my two half marathons but now it's usually over in a snap! Or at least it seems that way.

52 days till White Rock :)

Inside The Two Month Mark

Last Saturday we had a shorter run (never thought I would say 12 miles was short!). We ran 6 miles out at just under a 9 minute pace. Then half a mile a bit slower. At mile 6.5 we started a 30 minute tempo. So we ran at about a 7:45 pace for thirty minutes straight. I was kind of nervous about this and when my coaches were discussing our target pace before we started, I was literally thinking "Yeah, right! I can't do that!". But I did! I am continually amazed at myself and what I can do. Once we started the tempo, my coach said the key is to find a good pace, get into a rhythm and just relax. I thought she was crazy. But again I was shocked at how "relaxing" it could be! After the tempo, I jogged the rest of the way back to Luke's. This is always a very taxing part of a run. But if I try to block out some of the discomfort and tackle it mentally it's not near as bad. Thinking that I have less than ten minutes left till I'm done is quite comforting! My feet just seem to keep on trekking...

Training this week has been going well and I've felt very strong.
Here's what my schedule was:
Monday: 60 minutes
Tuesday: 20 minutes warm up, 20 minutes faster, 20 minutes cool down
Wednesday: 60 minutes
Thursday: 45 minutes
Friday: REST!

We have 19 miles on Saturday morning! Oh goodness!!

Only 58 days until White Rock!! Woohoo!!

Been A While...

I'm signed up for the White Rock Marathon! I made the decision this summer. I started Graduate school and for one of my classes an assignment was a Learning Project. We were to pick anything we wanted to do/learn about and do it! I love these types of projects. I decided to do endurance running and marathon training for my project.

I signed up for training through Luke's Locker. I've been doing that since early June. About three months now. And as of right now it is 73 days, 11 hours, & 20 mintues till the race!

Training has been going well so far. 14 miles has been our longest run and it was great! This Saturday we have 17 miles. I'm a little nervous!!

A Marathon Birthday?

I've toyed with the idea of running a marathon for a while now. After finishing the White Rock Half Marathon in December, I couldn't stop thinking "I'm doing the full next year!" I just found out that it is on my birthday this year. It's time to get serious about this and look at training programs if I'm going to do this. I really want to...but it's also very scary!!

Delay of Game

North Texas is on Day 3 of "inclement weather" and probably won't see much improvement until the weekend - just in time for the Super Bowl. I'm going stir crazy not being able to lace up my running shoes and hit the road. Luckily, the TCU Rec Center is open during the day so I can get some endorphins going. The treadmill just isn't the same though! Atleast this weather has given me the time and motivation to actually start my blog.