Lull

Hello everyone! I hope everyone made it through another Christmas season without too many bumps and bruises along the way. I, for one, am pretty glad it's all over and am ready to get back into a comfortable routine. That's sad to say, but true nonetheless. I guess when you're in the middle of a particularly bad Christmas, you don't really know it. Not until all the gifts are opened and the food is eaten and everyone goes home and the dust settles around you do you have time to reflect on it all and say "Wow, that pretty much sucked." Without going into too much detail, I will say that for a group of people who all came from the same place, I don't know how my family came to live in such different senses of reality. Hopefully someday we can all work out our differences and be able to get along, but for now we are merely tolerating each other's existence.

Anyway. Enough of that. Aside from the family drama, Christmas was nice. My dad got me some fun running books and gear and my mom got me The Sweetest, Softest Robe on Earth with footies to match. I've pretty much lived in that for the last week. My sister and her husband loved the cross stitch monster I've been working on and hung it up right away. I was just glad to have it finished and framed in time!

So now I'm starting to look ahead to what my goals will be for 2008. I want to do it all! But I find myself in sort of a lull. It's hard to get out and run and my base I had planned to work on during the time between the marathon in October and the half marathon in April has taken a nose dive. I'm lucky to get up over 15 miles a week! I think not having a training program to hold me accountable is really making it easy for me to slide. I'm considering tacking on an extra 4 weeks to my 1/2 marathon training program (16 versus 12) to get me back on track and hopefully salvage some sort of base. I've decided to switch up the training plans for the 1/2 marathon. Last year I stuck pretty much exclusively to the Hal Higdon programs and was happy with the results. Next year, however, I'm going to go with SmartCoach and see what happens. If you've had experience with this training program please drop me a note and tell me your thoughts. I'm also trying to figure out how to add in some hill training (seeing as how the lack of it pretty much killed me during the marathon) but I have no idea how to do that. Is it just as simple as running up a bunch of hills? Do I charge them as fast as I can? Or try and keep my heart rate the same? How often and how many? So many questions for such a simple idea!

The good news? I'm down 20 of the old LB's since October 21st. The fact that I've managed to lose any weight at all during Christmas is extremely encouraging. Now if I could only get out the door every once in a while...

Christmas Reminder

This was me yesterday. Freak out central. Only, cousin Eddie did not kidnap my boss and force him to reinstate the bonuses that were promised. Oh, and no jelly of the month club either. Instead, I drank beers with friends who provided some much needed cheering up and consoled me during my realization that I've got to get out of my current employment situation.

I awoke this morning with a slight hangover and dragged myself through a shower, through breakfast, through scraping off my car and hulling myself through the 45 minute commute to a job I pretty much loathe right now. But somewhere on Polaris Parkway, this song came on the radio and a sense of calm washed over me. I know I'll be ok without the bonus, my situation will work itself out. But this song served as a subtle reminder that this isn't what Christmas, or life, is all about.


The First Noel,
the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
in fields as they lay
In fields where they
lay keeping their sheep
On a cold winter's night
that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

They looked up
and saw a star
Shining in the East
beyond them far
And to the earth
it gave great light
And so it continued
both day and night.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

And by the light
of that same star
Three Wise men came
from country far
To seek for a King
was their intent
And to follow the star
wherever it went.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!


This star drew nigh
to the northwest
O'er Bethlehem it took its rest
And there it did
both Pause and stay
Right o'er the place where Jesus lay.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then entered in those
Wise men three Full
reverently upon their knee
And offered there
in His presence
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord
That hath made Heaven
and earth of nought
And with his blood mankind has bought.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel
Born is the King of Israel!

Snow dancing

The big fat snowflakes were really fun to run through on my Saturday morning long run. They stuck to my eyelashes and my nose. I managed a 10:35 pace and the crazy thing was that the pace felt really easy which was bizarre. Maybe there's something to be said for speedwork after all! I ran 7 miles and felt great the entire way. Near the end, both knees started to twinge a little but that's probably because 7 miles is as far as I've gone since the marathon if you can believe it. It took me longer than I'd anticipated to bounce back from the marathon but on Saturday I felt like I'd finally gotten there. So I stuck my tongue out and caught some snowflakes on my tongue and danced around the lake like the crazed fool that I am.

No News!

I've come home the past two days panicking at the blinking light on my answering machine. Isn't it against the law or something for telemarketers to leave voicemails? If it's not, it should be. I'm on the Do Not Call list and everything.

Anyway, no word from my cardiologist. Hooray! But I'm still having stabby pain around my heart. Boo! The waiting game continues...

And I still have a cold. I can only breathe out of my left nostril and had to sign over my first born child at the pharmacy just to get some Sudafed. I have no interest in constructing a meth lab. Have no fear, pharmacy lady. Honestly, it hasn't been hard to rest my tweaked foot. I'm run down, sluggish, lack of motivation abounds. Blah. I'll be better soon.

2 Race reports

That's right, I did two races in one weekend. On Saturday, I slipped and slided through Nancy's 8 on the 8th and on Sunday I ran the Reindeer Run which wasn't officially timed but I crossed the finish line in an un-official 30:24 (poopahloopah). Also, my races overlapped as I only did 5 miles on Saturday, Sunday's race bringing me to a grand total of 8.1 miles for the weekend, which, I guess would technically make me last in Nancy's race seeing as how it took me TWO DAYS to cover the distance. Nancy is the most lenient race director I've ever not met =)

I must have tweaked something in my right ankle on Saturday as I was slipping and sliding through the ice and snow. I'm going to rest it for a few days. Since I have a cold and the weather is downright depressing right now, seems as good a time as any to rest up the old body.

In other news, I had my stress test this morning. I told the nurse I was totally going to own that treadmill. She laughed and said the treadmill always wins. How right she was. The combination of speed, incline and being hooked up to all manner of machines, not to mention being topless (they did give me a paper robe-thingy, but come on! I need an over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder in order to really show 'em what I got!) caused me to reach my max heart rate far sooner than I expected. Then they threw me on the table and took all kinds of pictures of my heart. It's amazing to see how much work our hearts do and we hardly ever notice it until something goes wrong.

The nurse told me they would contact me within the next 24 hours if the cardiologist found anything urgent, otherwise the full report will be finished in a week. I imagine this sort of waiting is common....you wait for an appointment, then you wait for the results, then you wait for a follow up appointment where the doctor tells you to go see someone else, then you wait for an appointment with that guy and he orders more tests and the cycle continues until someone either tells you you're gonna live or you're gonna die. In the meantime, I'm going to keep on getting out there and living, aka running.

Winter

So, this is what I awoke to yesterday morning, a fresh blanket of white covering the ground and quieting the city. I thought about trying to make my way through it for a few miles but then thought better of it. I'm a runner, true, but even I have my limits!

This being the first snowfall of the year, I'm still in a place where I get excited like a little kid at the prospect of snowmen and sledding down hills until my lips turn blue and my toes fall off from frostbite. I can't wait to sip a cup of hot chocolate in front of a crackling fire and cuddle with a fluffy blanket...or cat...or Christian Bale look-alike, I'm not picky.

But all too soon I'll grow weary of digging my car out every morning and long for the humid 95* days I was complaining about not too long ago! The grass is always greener, I suppose. One thing I really love about living in Ohio is that we get to experience all four seasons in their entirety, sometimes within the span of 4 days. I read it's going to be in the 60's next week so I'm keeping a snow shovel and a pair of shorts in my car at all times. You just never know around here!

Crafty

I planned on reveling in my post-PR high all Saturday afternoon but in the car on the way to go Christmas shopping with friends, I got a raging migraine. Although, at the time, I had myself convinced it was a stroke and opted out of the mall and screaming kiddies for the sanctuary of my very dark and quiet bedroom. I'm not quite sure what brought on the migraine - I haven't had one like this since I was in junior high - but it kept me flat on my back for the rest of the day.

It's subsided to just a dull ache somewhere at the back of my head but I'm once again thankful that it's just another one of those freak things that happen to my body and not something serious. Spoken like a true hypochondriac, I know!

All that to say, I haven't done much other than cross stitch this weekend. I got the brilliant idea a few weeks ago to make this cross stitch thingy for sis and my BIL for Christmas and I've been working my nubby fingers to the bone trying to get it done in time. Hopefully, it will resemble the picture when all is done.

Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis

It was cold this morning. I mean, low 20's with a windchill factor in the 'teens. So I bundled myself up, secured my jingle bells to my shoes and headed downtown along with 1,500 other runners and walkers, dogs and little kiddies. Santa hats and elves hats were everywhere!

.

The horn sounded at 10am but there was no starting line (and no chips) and mass confusion at the start so I didn't know when to start my watch. Oh well, I thought to myself. Fun run. Fun run. Fun run. But the competative side of my brain took over and knew I'd be slightly dissapointed in myself if I didn't finally break 30:00. I got tagngled up in a group of three baby strollers whose mothers had lined themselves up with the front runners at the 3rd row. Geesh. Fun run. Fun run. Fun run. I got out of the congestion eventually and hit the first mile marker in 9:23. When I came across mile two in 18:30, I knew this was going to be the day. All I had to do was hang on.

.

My lungs were screaming from the cold and I blew snot bubbles practically the entire way but I came across that finish line in 29:01 feeling strong, a full 1:45 faster than I ran it last year. I smiled at the volunteer who took my bib and handed me a bottle of water. I felt fantastic but looked like hell - my face was beet red and I'm sure I had dried snot all over my face. And I wonder why I never seem to meet the man of my dreams at these things! I found a place on the sideline and cheered on the other runners as they came through the finish shute, just happy to be around other runners again. I send a text to my BIL to tell him how fast I was. He wrote back Awesome! How do you feel? to which I replied Now I know what it must feel like to be a Kenyan.

.

Erm. Not quite.

.

What a fantastic way to spend a December morning!

Gym time

More time spent at the gym tonight with the BIL. Lots of squaty things in big manly looking machines. I swear, some of those things look like torture devices. I get so tangled up in them and probably end up in about half of them backwards. It was really crowded which I wasn't too crazy about but we went at the peak after-work hour and still managed to put in a good workout. Did both upper and lower body, then 3 miles on the TM at 6.0 (which I think works out to about a 10:00mpm pace). The last .25 miles I ran at a 8:54 pace. Ha. Sweet. I find it easier to run faster on a TM than outside. I'm pretty confident I could break 30:00 for a 5k if I could do it on the TM and count it. Unfortunately, the 1,000 or so other runners running in the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis this Saturday will be running downtown and outside. Bummer. Ah well. I'll tie the jingle bells to my feet and run 3.1 miles and whatever time I get, I get and will be happy with. I'm just happy to run!

A start.

Guess what? I don't have heart cancer. Shocking, I know.

I saw my cold and humorless cardiologist first thing this morning and he determined from my blood work that I have hypothyroidism which a) I did not know and b) *could* be causing the palpitations. So we are going to treat the hypothyroidism and hopefully the palpitations calm themselves down. If not, then he'll put me on a beta-blocker which should do the trick (no sense in putting me on a pill I don't need if it is, in fact, the thyroid dealy).

In any event, he determined the palpitations are annoying, yes, but not harmful. In the mean time, I'm scheduled for a stress test/echocardiogram thingy to rule anything else out. This puts my mind at ease. Even though I've already had all the blood work and the chest x-rays and about half a dozen EKG's, the stress test is the mack daddy. If that comes back clean as well, there's no reason why I shouldn't be out there winning marathons and stuff. Well, ok, trying not to come in dead last in marathons and stuff.

So, there's still doctors appointments and trial drugs to follow but I'll sleep (and run) better knowing I've done everything I can to make sure I'm as healthy as I can be.

Speaking of running, oh yeah because this is a running blog, I've had some great runs recently. I ran 4 miles tonight with an average pace of 9:45mpm <--wahoo! My BIL has gotten me in the gym a few times because he's tired of me punching him in the neck when he tells people it took me less than 1/2 a day to run the marathon. He's a funny guy, I tell you. He's been kicking my butt on the machines and it's actually a lot of fun. Plus I don't feel as intimidated using those things with a guy around. Speaking of guys....there sure are some cute ones in his gym. I'm thinking of joining!

You've been tagged!

Alright. We need to lighten up around here. I can't get in to see my cardiologist until next week so we are going to think positive thoughts and have a little fun while we're at it. Ok? Ok.

Pastor Greg tagged me a little while ago and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my mind off my heart.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, that would be me at www.katesmarathon.blogspot.com and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 random and/or weird facts about me:

1. I'm a Pharmacy Technician. I work for a BIG BAD INSURANCE COMPANY and they offered to pay for those of us that worked in the pharmacy department to get certified. I thought, what the hay? It's free, all I'd have to do was take a test and POOF, I'd get to put a couple of fancy letters after my name, get a raise, and legally be able to sell drugs. Shortly after I got my certificate in the mail, I changed career paths (within the same company) but still like to be able to put this: CPhT after my name. I'm vain like that.

2. I lived in Scotland for 6 months. I was fresh out of college and couldn't find a job so I hopped on a plane to the UK. I ended up in Edinburgh and spent 6 of the most fantastic months of my life working in an ESL school, learning how to roll my r's and soaking up the wiskey soaked air. I can't wait to go back and visit someday soon.

3. My favorite food is a pickle spear with a piece of American cheese wrapped around it. Top it off with some mustard and I'm in heaven.

4. Every year on my birthday, I like to be some place different. One year I was in Rome, the next Edinburgh...one year it was Toledo, OH and one year I went to Virginia Beach and swam out into the ocean far enough so my feet couldn't touch the bottom so I could say I was "out of the country". That one was a stretch.

5. I cannot pronounce the word "ambulance". For some reason the "bu" sounds like "boo" when I say it.

6. I am an extremely picky eater. Basically, I have the taste buds of a five year old. I like cereal and mac'n'cheese and hot dogs. Wont go near seafood or mushrooms or onions or peppers or tomatoes or corn or cantaloupe or...

7. My sister and I are six years apart and we look exactly the same. People often think we're twins, which either means I look like I'm 22 or she looks 28...or maybe we're somewhere in the middle. We have the same pale skin, the same red hair and same body shape (although she's a little taller and thinner), we even have moles and freckles on the exact same spots on our bodies, down to the same shape, size and color. And yet, my brother and I managed to convince her that she was adopted when she was little. We were so cruel.

I'm going to break the rules and say that anyone who reads this post that has not been tagged in the last month - consider yourself tagged.

On a more serious note, thank you for all the prayers and comments left here recently. I am again touched by the support I continue to receive here, whether it's running, just being silly or something that's a little scary. My doctor urged me to go to the ER if the pain got any worse but I feel like it's better. I know chest pain is nothing to take lightly and won't hesitate to go if it gets worse. I'll keep you all posted.

To be continued

The doc listened to my chest, poked around in my belly and said "I'm concerned."

Hmmmm. Not really what I wanted to hear.

He's sending me to a cardiologist for a more complete work up. Now I have some anxiety.

No news is good news

Well, I went out for a 3 mile run today and I didn't die. In fact, I seem to be a little bit better. I had a dizzy/fainting spell on Saturday afternoon at the thrift store which was really more embarrassing than anything. But since then, the palpitations seem to be getting "weaker", if that makes any sense. Probably not.

My good friend also reminded me of the fact that I got a flu shot last week and while I've never gotten flu-like symptoms from it before, that doesn't mean I couldn't this time around. That might explain the light headedness, nausea and other "flu-like symptoms" I'd attributed to my heart cancer.

The fact that my doctor didn't tell me to come in right away or go straight to the ER tells me that yeah, it's probably nothing to be concerned about but I'm still going to request every test in the book. Because the thing is, I don't feel anxious. I don't feel stressed out. In fact, my life just got downright dull here recently and I'm reveling in it, not freaking out for once.

So, we wait until Wednesday.

In which I become dramatic

Right now, I'm cuddled up in bed with my cat on my feet and my laptop balancing on my knees. I've got one eye on Leno and the other checking out the Flying Pig website. I haven't been up this late in months. I've been planing all week to run 8 miles tomorrow morning but I don't think that's going to happen. You see, I've been having some very strange heart palpitations occurring in the last few months. I got it checked out before the marathon and was told I was "anxious" of all things. Me? Anxious? Pshaw! My doctor said my EKG was one of the cleanest he'd ever seen. So I thought I'd wait until after the marathon and after the wedding to see if my "anxiety" leveled off.

Well, here I find myself post-marathon and post-wedding and it's worse than before. In fact, it seems to be accompanied by some minor pain. The pain is nothing substantial at all and, honestly, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it if I wasn't already hypersensitive about every twinge, hiccup and bubble I feel in my chest. But, I figure we can never be too careful when it comes to chest pain.

***You should probably know that I have a slight tendency to be a slight hypochondriac and have been banned by friends, family and coworkers from visiting WebMD and other search engines to "self-diagnose" before getting a professional opinion. To date, I've convinced myself I've had 18 different forms of cancer and several disorders, some of which haven't even been discovered yet by the medical community.***

But I digress. Rather than run 8 miles in the morning - 8 miles that aren't on any training schedule for any race - and in light of recent tragic events in the running community, I'm going to stay in bed tomorrow with the cat on my feet and see the doctor as soon as possible. I don't want to drop dead of a heart attack tomorrow morning and become another statistic. As much as I would love to die doing something I'm passionate about, I don't want to be that guy. Who does, really?

Raise your hand if you're Dri

I'm pretty sure it's going to give me cancer (I mean, what doesn't these days, right?), but this little product has changed my life. I can lift my arms above my head whenever I feel like it without having to worry about the sopping wet mess I might reveal. I mean, how embarrassing!

I always wondered why I could never smell the hair dresser's arm pits when she put it right in my face to wash my hair, or why all of my white t-shirts had big yellow stains on them, or why students would recoil in horror when I knew the answer to a question in class...I'm an excessive sweater.

But no longer do I have to suffer in sweaty silence. No longer will I stain every white t shirt that touches my body. No longer will people walk by me and say "Man, someone smells like some serious B.O." No no! I am Certain that I am Dri.

5k's Oh My!

Alrighty. I'm done being a bum. I haven't run for 2 whole days and I'm going a little stir crazy. It's hard to remember what life was like before I fell in love with running again. Hard to believe I could go weeks, months, years without the thought of going out for a run ever crossing my mind. Luckily, I'm hooked on it now.

I signed up for a couple of 5k's in the near future that I think will be a lot of fun. The first one is the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis on December 1st. I ran this one last year, my first 5k in about 100 years. It was bitterly cold out but that didn't stop hundreds of people showing up and tying bells to their shoe laces. I think I'll wear my elf hat this year.

The second 5k is the New Year's Day Resolution Run. I've never done this one before but it looks friendly and will give me a good reason to go easy on the champagne the night before.

And who knows? Maybe a new PR could be in my future. Shhhhhh....I'm desperate to break 30:00, but that's a secret.

Back to regularly scheduled programing

This is the first Saturday in....in.....uhhhhh.....I honestly cannot remember the last time I haven't done a long run on a Saturday morning. Last week (wedding) doesn't count since the whole weekend was just about as exhausting as any long run. Last night I did not eat spaghetti and I did not drink gallons of water and I did not lay out my running clothes and prepare my fuel belt and go to bed early. No no! I ate a pizza and drank DIET COKE and watched a movie and still fell asleep early but dang it! I slept in this morning and it was heavenly.

But now? Now, I'm puttering around my house thinking about how I really should clean the place and I really should go to the grocery store and I really should run all those errands I've been putting off for the last 18 weeks. But I just can't be bothered. I'm taking this day off completely from my life.

I've ran about 12 miles this week with no pain and minor sluggishness, but ultimately I feel pretty good. With my new found abundance of free time, I've caught up with friends and family who put up with my running schedule for so long. I figure I (and they) have earned a little break so I'm taking it and refusing to feel guilty about it. I'll do my "ordinary running" (thanks, Runner's Lounge for coining the term) for the rest of the year, ideally keeping my mileage at 25-30 miles per week. Then in January I'll start 1/2 marathon training for the Capital City Half Marathon on April 12th.

Good things to come, I hope! Happy miles...

The Wedding, A Report

I didn't talk too much about my sister's wedding in this blog, mostly because this is a running blog where I talk about running - not other things going on in my personal life. But pretty much all of my time and energy has been focused on the wedding from the moment my toe touched the finish line of the marathon. I'm not sure we would have made it through the day had it not been for my fantastic friend-sister Liz (pictured with me here) and her family. They are truly a blessing.




The wedding day was frantic but exciting. The house was bursting with family and friends and food and laughter. There were some minor hiccups here and there but I think my sister will ultimately look back on the day with nothing but happiness. Seeing her walk down the aisle was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen in my life. I know it's cliche to say the bride was beautiful, but she really was. Radiant and glowing. Afterwards, we ate, we toasted, we celebrated and danced our hearts out until late into the night.



I wish my sister and her new husband all God's blessings as they start their lives together.

Plan of attack

Thank you for all the kind comments after my last post. As promised....

Me and dad just before the start:
Mile 20.5, never so glad to see my friends!

My biggest cheerleader and mom:

Big finish:

This is how I celebrate!:

Am I not the palest person on the planet?

4 days post marathon and I'm hungry for more. I haven't yet tried to run again but all my soreness is gone and I'm no longer hobbling around like a penguin. I have taken the medal off and am trying to resume to life as usual but I can feel myself already anticipating the next one. I've checked out some other training plans and I think I might use Smart Coach off the Runner's World website to train for the Columbus Distance Classic (half marathon) on April 28th, 2008. I want to PR in the half in a big way and I think with a switch up in training plans (incorporating some speed work) I just may be able to do it. I like the fact that Smart Coach tailors the plan to each individual and even suggests pacing for each day. I think some of my easier runs this summer were run too hard without even knowing it.

I'm also on a mission to get rid of about and extra 40lbs I've been carrying around, otherwise known as "the junk in the trunk". My butt is huge.

Recovery is hard. I feel great but I know I have to take it easy. I'm over the moon! I fully expect to come crashing down any day now but for now I feel just about ready to tackle anything.

I probably won't be back around these internet parts though for a little while. My baby sissy is getting married on Saturday so the next few days are going to be a whirlwind of wedding mania. I'm sure I'll have more pictures, this time, hopefully I'll be a little less sweaty!

Columbus Marathon - Race Report

I spent most of the morning on Saturday at the expo checking out all the cool stuff and the cute boys. Runners are dead sexy. I didn't want to leave but my dad was itching to get back home and watch the game. "But dad," I wanted to say "these are my people!" It felt so refreshing to be in a room full of other people with the same passions, obsessions and determination that I seem to be so hooked on.

Sunday morning came very early but in no time we were on our way to the starting line. We parked and made our way through the mass of porta potty lines and jittery runners bouncing up and down. 15 minutes before the gun went off, my bladder decided it needed to empty so I tried to get to an empty porta potty but all the lines were at least 10 people deep. I decided to wait until we got going and find one later. I never did find one and ended up just holding it/forgetting about it until I got home at 3 in the afternoon!

The marathoners and the 1/2 marathoners ran the same course for the first 5.5 miles of the race which meant that dad and I got to start off together. The first 3 miles were effortless and crowded with runners, but not too congested. There was overall good cheer and clapping as we passed by bands and family on the side. At the turn off for the 1/2 marathoners, I gave my dad a hi-five and told him to give 'em hell. I kept a pretty steady pace and was dead on track for a 4.55 finish time. I'd even managed to bank a minute or two, which, in retrospect was probably a rookie mistake but I'll get to that!

At the 1/2 point I was feeling great, even had a 1/2 PR. However, the niggling little burning sensation in my right foot that had plagued me since mile 4 was less of a whisper and more of a ROAR. The ball of my foot felt like it was on fire and every time it hit the ground it tingled - and not in a good way. Other than that, my legs still felt fresh and my breathing was controlled and steady. I had no problems with any of the hills and I thought I surely was going to meet my goal.

Miles 12-17 were a slow and steady uphill, one straight 5 mile shot up High Street. While there was still spectator support, the runner field had dropped off considerably with the 1/2 marathoners already finished. I started breaking the marathon down into achievable chunks. Just get to mile 17. I knew I had a friend waiting for me there and I wanted to look good when I passed by. At this point, I was still dead on pace, almost to the second. I saw my friend at the top of that very long and gradual hill and I wanted to do cartwheels I was so happy. Her sign said "Your feet hurt because you're kicking so much @ss!" There was a huge crowd of people at this corner and everyone started cheering my name and giving me hi-fives as I approached.

If the race had ended there, I would be over the moon. But, I've learned, the marathon has a way of bringing you to your knees if you aren't prepared.

The niggling little pain that was screaming from the ball of my foot had now spread to both feet and by mile 18.5 I was walking. I was pissed. I watched the 5 hour pace group pass me by and I just shook my head in frustration. I walked to the next water station and just happened to see the mother of a kid I'd gone to high school with. She recognized me and saw how bad I was hurting. She handed me water and walked with me until I was able to pull myself together and start running again. Her words of encouragement couldn't have come at a better time and for that I praise God. I don't know how I would have continued if it hadn't been for her kind words!

Mile 20.5 and I saw another group of my friends which was a huge boost. By mile 22, I was sure there's got to be rocks in my shoes so I actually sat. down. on. the. curb. and. take. off. my. shoes. and. socks. Nothing there! It's all in my head, or feet or whatever.

Mile 23 and I saw two girls puking on the side of the road.

Mile 24 and I was walking again. The pain in my feet was intense. A girl cheering on the side looked me right in the eye and said "YOU CAN DO THIS. YOU ARE 2 MILES FROM YOUR MARATHON!" I started sobbing then. Running seemed impossible. Two miles. Two miles. I picked up my feet and made them move.

I round the corner to the finish line and saw my family waiting on the side. As soon as I saw the FINISH banner, I'm bawling again. I had been fantasizing about that moment every day for the last year and there it was. Right there in front of me. I gave it everything I had to the finish line. So worth the pain and frustration of the last 8 miles. So worth all the long hard runs in the heat and humidity of the summer. So worth everything for that moment. I crossed the finish line with my hands in the air crying my eyes out thanking God for this gift, a staggering 5 hours and 32 minutes after I started.

While I'm pretty disappointed that I missed my goal time by 33 minutes, I treasure every moment of the experience (well, maybe not my aching feet!) and will most certainly absolutely do this again next year, hopefully closer to my goal! While I was struggling back around mile 23 or so, I said to myself "No regrets." I have absolutely no regrets for how I trained, for how I ate, for how I made it to the starting line. I have no regrets for how I made it to the finish line, even though it was really freakin' tough there at the end. However, now I have the experience of all that to work with, I know first hand what kind of monster I'm dealing with and will put in the work required to make the 2008 Columbus Marathon even better.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rambling report. I'll try and post some fun pictures soon and stay tuned...more races are already in the works!

Finished!

I finished. I hurt pretty bad but I'm wearing that medal all week, by golly. More to report later but I'm just now coming back to life. I will say that even for all the suffering yesterday in the later miles, I think I'm hooked.

Here we go!

It's hard to believe it was a little over a year ago that I sat my family down and told them of my intentions to run the Columbus Marathon on October 21st, 2007. The day seemed so distant and I had no idea how fast it would sneak up on me.

I've learned many things in those 12 months. I've learned how to push myself to the limit and when to back off. I've learned patience and persistence. I've learned the power of positive thinking and how to pee in the woods. I've learned that I will probably always be an odd-ball amongst my peers and I'm learning to accept that.

Training these last few months has lead to some great runs with my dad and my BIL and I treasure the love and camaraderie found in a place I never expected.

But aside from the mental and physical benefits gained over the last year, I've grown closer to God each time I put on my running shoes. I abandoned the ipod long ago and instead turned my runs into a very prayerful experience.

I don't know what will happen between mile 1 and mile 26 tomorrow. But I do know that I've worked very hard to get to that starting line. The marathon has been on the forefront of my mind every day for the last year and I'm going to go out there tomorrow and give it everything I've got.

Thank you to all my BRF's who have left me such inspiring comments, motivation and tips over the last few months. I will carry all your good vibes with me and I'll see you on the other side!

Freaking

Alright. So I'm a little nervous. I'm a little edgy. I'm a little obsessed. I keep shouting "4 DAYS!" to my coworkers in the middle of conversations entirely not about running or the marathon or any sort of physical activity whatsoever. But that's normal, right?

I'm about to be disciplined at work because I check the weather forecast every 18 seconds on company time. I keep staring at the course map, imagining myself running through all of the mile markers.

Today during my 3 mile run, I "practiced" crossing the "finish line" at the end. I threw my arms up in the air and smiled, crying "I did it! I did it!" to the heavens and the high school cross country team that was blowing past me. I have to say, my finish line victory looked pretty impressive, but that was after only 3 miles. Don't know how impressive I'll look trying to do that after 26.2 miles.

Nightmares

The gun goes off and I'm running. The crowd surges around me and I start pumping my arms wildly at my sides. I lose my dad in the shuffle and I think I've already passed my family waiting on the sidelines. The confusion continues until the first waterstop at mile 5. I look down and realize I forgot to attach my timing chip to my shoe laces. Would I have time to go back to my house and get it? Should I keep running anyway and explain to the race director later? Surely they'll give me my medal anyway, right?

And later...

Sunday morning, October 21st. It's 9am and I'm sitting at my desk at work, cleaning up files, rearranging the stuff on my desk. My mom calls to ask where I am. They're at the starting line and can't see me. I tell her I decided to come in to work instead of running the marathon and I'll be down there around 4pm. It's chip timed. I'll be fine. By the time I actually get down to the starting line, every one is gone.

Aside from the wild dreams, I think I'm doing ok. I'm trying not to obsess about things out of my control (weather) and focus on things I can control (not going out too fast). I have pretty vivid dreams every night so I'm not surprised by these two I had this afternoon while snoozing on the couch. What does surprise me is how calm I am in my dreams. In the first one, I'm all, "Meh, I'll just keep running, it will be fine." And in the second, "Meh, I'll get there when I get there." I just hope I'll have the same calmness in my waking hours.

Who am I kidding? I'm going to be a nervous wreck.

Last long run with Dad

Sorry I've been away and been a bad blogger this week. Nothing newsworthy to print, I suppose. Just biding my time, resting up the ol' legs and obsessing about the weather. Not much I can do about the weather but I'm checking the forecast every 5 minutes anyway, as if knowing it's going to be 49F at the start versus 48F is going to make a lick of difference.

I finished my last long run this morning at 8.30 and now I'm puttering around the house looking for something to keep me occupied, yet restful the same time. I'll probably blow through the 5th Harry Potter book this afternoon and catch up on TV I haven't watched for weeks. Unfortunately, the major cleaning project I had in mind will have to wait. Bummer. No cleaning for me!

Dad and I did 8 miles this morning for our final long run and it felt great. Easy. Piece of cake. Walk in the park. All that good stuff. My BIL crapped out at the last minute but I really enjoyed running with my dad for the last time this season (hopefully he'll want to do it again!). We talked football, race day strategy, the most recent episode of The Office. I'm really grateful for the conversations we've had between the miles over the past 14 weeks or so. I scrounged up this picture from the Lifeline of Ohio 1/2 Marathon (aka, the 1/2 marathon where I crashed and burned at mile 6 and wanted to throw myself in front of a semi). Sorry for the ridiculous face I pulled here. I think my subconscious knew what was coming. But, nonetheless, here we are; me and my dad...

Heavy

I've been on sort of an emotional roller coaster the last few days. Could it be the lack of miles? Possibly, but I don't remember being this irritable the last time I *only* ran 30 miles a week. I'm finding I'm a bit lonely even though I'm sort of a loner by nature; I work a job where my contact with coworkers/customers is extremely limited, so limited, in fact that I can go an entire day with out my phone ringing once and without taking the headphones out of my ears. I'm not married and I live alone. My apartment is small and cramped so I don't invite people over often. I pick a sport that is highly individualized (or, as individualized as I make it) and poor all of my energy into it. But, for whatever reason, I'm yearning desperately for someone who gets it. And I don't necessarily mean running and I don't necessarily mean romantic...just a deep longing to be really known by someone tangible.

I don't know. I'm internalizing and wrestling around inside my own head a lot more than usual and I have the sinking feeling I'm about to enter into the midst of some change, even though I can't put my finger on exactly what that change will bring.

Heavy stuff for a Monday night, eh? Man, I wish I could go out for a run! I feel like a puppy that's been cooped up in the house for too long. Somebody take me around the block and tire out my brain! And my body!

Chicago

While I'm ecstatic that I did not run the Chicago Marathon today, I know a lot of runners out there did and each one of them has my sincere respect. Whether they crossed the finish line or not, in my book, they are all winners for even having the guts to try. I obviously wasn't there so I can't give an opinion as to what went wrong or why, however I felt the need to acknowledge the event and say how deeply saddened I am by the outcome of one runner as reported in this article. I hope this is the only one, even though it's one too many.

.

My hat also goes off to the volunteers and the medical staff working diligently to provide aid to those in need.

.

I'm sure more stories will arise over the next few days, providing fodder for non-runners who assume this happens at every marathon and that marathons are dangerous. I only hope that something like this doesn't happen again and that no more deaths are reported.

Twelve with Dad and My Bill

I had a pretty good run this morning with my dad and my future BIL. Dad did 11 and my BIL and I did 12 miles. The first 5 miles or so were pretty sluggish and I could tell dad was hurting. At 7am it was already 70F with high humidity so I knew it was going to be a struggle for him. One of these days we're both going to have a good run on the same day. Hopefully that day is October 21st!

The future BIL ran circles around us (and by the way, I now call him "My Bill" which I find HILARIOUS even if no one else seems to).. At one point he ran off to use the porta potty and took off like a shot. He later told me he ran an 18:00 5k in high school. And he's out there with us slow pokes now. I keep thinking he must be so bored but he keeps coming back!

At mile nine, My Bill and I left my dad (at his insistence) and tried to run the last 3 miles at MP (10:50). The first mile came in around 10:25 so I thought, ah hellena, I'll try and do the last two at the same pace. Somehow I managed it and finished strong. It felt hard and I know I couldn't hold that pace for 26.2 miles but I'm encouraged by the fact that I could run with that intensity after already running 9 miles in this kind of weather.

A few new weird twinges in my feet today that I attribute to the taper. I was able to run it out so I'm not worried. I feel strangely calm about it all today. Don't worry, I'm sure that will change tomorrow.

Update: I tried a bagel with spray butter this morning (for taste, there's absolutely nothing in that stuff) and Gatorade and it worked like gangbusters. Breakfast problem SOLVED!

Maddness

I'm not sure I would know I had a touch of taper madness if I didn't know it. Don't read that sentence again, your eyes might start bleeding. What I mean by that is that if I didn't know ALL the things I might possibly experience the next few weeks, I might have taken the symptoms in stride, barely registering on my radar. But since I know I might be feeling a little edgy, I feel edgy. Because I know I might be paranoid about little niggling aches and pains, I'm uber paranoid. Because I know I might fear gaining weight, I'm obsessing about what to put in my mouth. If I hadn't read that stupid article, I MIGHT BE FINE.

For example, earlier this week, I noticed my running log said my shoes had over 250 miles on them already. That would mean they'd have over 300 by M-Day. Should I get new shoes? Was it too late to break them in? I ended up rescheduling my day and driving to the Fleet Feet an hour from my house in rush hour traffic just to get a professional opinion. Luckily the store is filled with runners and the sweet girl understood my anxiety. No problem. Shoe problem solved.

On Tuesday I realized that I hadn't experimented enough with my pre-run morning meal. As I mentioned before, the PB&J sandwich I had been eating had a way of catching up with me about 5 miles into my long runs. I only have 2 long(ish) runs left to experiment. Should I go back to bagels? Should I try a banana? Oatmeal? Toast? Maybe I need to eat earlier than 3 hours ahead of time? Breakfast problem not solved.

Today's Issue is food. I'm eating way more than I'm burning off. I'm going to be a big fat lard standing on the starting line. I won't be able to fit in my sports bra. I won't be able to run as well because my legs won't be used to all the extra weight.

I know. Smack some sense in to me. Please!

Conversations With Myself During a 20 Mile Run, As Told in 3 Acts

Act 1
I: Good morning!
Myself: Bite me.
I: Nice, I see we have a long day ahead of us. What's up your butt?
Myself: I feel like I'm going to hurl, I forgot to charge my Garmin last night and I hit and killed a raccoon on my way to the stupid park this morning.
I: I'm so sorry you've had a rough start to the morning. Let's get our legs moving and all will be better in no time!
Myself: Whatever.

Act 2

Myself: I feel like I'm going to hurl.
I: Let's try and get your mind off it. Let's sing a song.
Myself: Dork.
I: How about some....Timbaland. You like him, right? "If you see us in the club...we'll be something something...if you see us on the floor we'll be rockin' something something. We ain't here to somthing...giveittomegiveittome"
Myself: Shut up! You don't even know the words!
I: Sing along! It's fun. Who cares if people are staring??
Myself: I seriously have to puke...

~Intermission~

barfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarfbarf

Act Three:

I: Well, that was fun
Myself: Go to hell
I: C'mon. We've gotten it out of our system now. Let's make the most of the miles we have left and the beautiful day.
Myself: Whatever.
I: Listen hear you little pissant! I'm tired of listening to your whiny butt complain and complain and 'Oh I want to stop, I can't do this,' blah blah blah. Pick you feet up off the ground and MOVE you MAGGOT. Did you hear me? I said MOVE!
Myself: Uh....
I: This is the last long run we have to do. This is it! The last one. Are you going to sit there in your own puddle of self-pitying nonsense and make this LAST and most important run, the one you've been building up to for ONE YEAR, a total bust? Get off your sorry ass and MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!
Myself: Ok ok! Sheesh. Someone's in a bad mood.

20 miles: 4hrs 14 minutes, including the, uh, intermission.

Tenner

Can you believe it? I've been anticipating the Wednesday 10 Miler since June!

Despite the RIDICULOUS humidity, I had an awesome run tonight. My goal was to run the first two miles easy as a warm up and then see if I could hold the remaining 8 at MP. I was worried when I checked the Garmin at mile 1 and it read 10:39. Ooops. So much for easy! (By the way, I know 10:39 isn't exactly flying but my goal pace for this marathon is 10:50 so I was way too fast this first mile.)

Fully expecting to crash by the time I got to 5, I tried to pull back a little bit. Mile 2, 10:45. Alrighty then. So much for a nice easy warm up.

Shockingly enough, the crash never came and I was able to hold that pace the full 10 miles. I finished the run SOAKING from head to toe and smiling from ear to ear. I live for runs like this. The runs that make all the hard days seem worth it. The runs that leave you feeling strong and empowered at the end instead of totally spent and frustrated. The runs where everything goes as planned and you actually surprise yourself with what you're able to do.

The Grinch Who Stole Fall

92F today. 92F tomorrow. What gives? For the last 3 weeks, I've gone out every day and ran in this heat and I've said to myself "Self, this is the last time you have to run in this heat. Surely Fall is just around the corner."

Surely...?

Twelve.

Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes. The birthday run wasn't great but the rest of the day was. I ate like a horse and spent time with friends and family. I also took the week off work so I've been doing a whole lotta nuthin' and it feels marvelous. And, aside the fact that my tits are in my shoes, I feel much better at 28 than I ever did at 21. Here's to my late 20's!

I had a cut back week this week so I 'only' ran 12 miles this morning. Dad ran the first 9 with me and when he finished I tried to pick up the pace a bit and finish at MP. However, I had more in the tank than I realized and ended up running those last 3 miles about 20-25 seconds faster than MP. This never happens so I was high as a kite when I finished. Why can't the marathon be 12 miles, huh?

Anyway, I'm going to bore you with the splits (oh, and it was already 75F and 79% humidity when we started, joy)

mile 1: 11.20
mile 2: 11.15
mile 3: 11.18
mile 4: 11.43 (water)
mile 5: 11.20
mile 6: 12.08 (gel, potty break) ug. I've got to tinker with this. My breakfast the last 2 weeks has been catching up with me. Not fun!
mile 7: 11.11
mile 8: 10.59
mile 9: 11.01
mile 10: 10.35
mile 11: 10.33
mile 12: 10.33

Yep. I'm loving miles 10, 11 and 12. And dad even finished faster than he started which is awesome, although a little birdy told me he's hurting pretty bad now, a few hours later. Ice bath! Ice bath! Ice bath!

So, I'm feeling pretty good about this whole marathon thing. One last week of proper training, capped off with my final long run of 20 miles, then 3 weeks of taper. I'm already anticipating the madness so I apologize in advance if I go a little mental.

The Big 2-8!

No, not 28 miles (I wish)! 28 years of wandering around on this planet. That's right, it's my birthday. My present to myself every year is the day off from work, or in this case, 3 days. No one should have to work on their birthday. When I'm ruler of the Earth, birthdays will be akin to holidays. Sleep in, have pancakes for breakfast, watch soaps or football all day, let your friends buy you presents and tell you how marvelous you are. None of this work silliness!

Today I run 9 miles. I'll leave the Garmin on the kitchen table and run for the sake of running. I'll run to feel my 28 year old feet push my body across this earth. I'll run to feel the sweet September air fill my lungs. I'll run to feel my heart beat in my chest for the 1,178,125,312th time. I'll run in celebration of all the blessings I've had and those to still look forward to.



Today, I run 9 miles because I can.

Guess What?

I feel pretty great. Not sure why I'm not cramped up and hobbling around today, perhaps I have gained some fitness after all. Running (and walking) for 4 hours yesterday didn't kill me and I'm no worse off today than I was after any of my other long runs. And I got a HUGE kick out of seeing people's faces this morning at church when they asked me how far I went yesterday. I wish I bottle that expression, "20 miles??"

For some reason, 20 always gets more of a reaction than the actual marathon itself which is a whopping 6.2 miles longer. Maybe because 20 is a nice round number that's easily pictured. What is 26.2? It's odd, weird, uneven, how far is that? Everyone knows about how far 20 miles is. "Why, you could run to Circleville!"

Lastly, I stole this idea for my shoes from the Runner's World forums. I thought it would be a great motivator when I'm doubled over in pain somewhere around mile 22, wanting to quit. I'll look down, see this and press on. I was also thinking about drawing wings on my heals! I'm so cheesy :)

The Big 2-0

Hal told me to run 19 miles this morning. But did I listen? Nooooooooo!

The weather was cool, my legs felt great. I told myself that if I felt horrible at 19, I'd stop, no bones. But if I got to 19 and I felt like I had one more mile in me, I was going to go for it. More for the psychological benifit than anything else.

When I got to mile 15 and I wasn't dead, I knew I was going to go for 20. The last 5 miles were anything but pretty but it was too late...I already had my heart set on 20. There was more walking than I would have liked but in the end, I got it done in 3:59:33, slower than I would have liked but I'll take it. 20 miles is 20 miles after all and that's what I did today.

Took the planned marathon outfit for the run and I think my shirt is too big. =(

FUEL

Provided I don't slag off and I complete my 19 miler on Saturday morning as planned, I will reach 37 miles for the week. Holy moly. No wonder I eat like a freaking horse. I eat everything placed in front of me and then I ask for more. Like a Hobbit, I have breakfast, then I have Second Breakfast. Lunch, then Second Lunch. I'm not too hungry at the end of the day so after my run, I'll usually have a banana and then maybe a bowl of soup. But for the most part, I'm starving all the time. And when I finally do eat after going a whole 20 minutes or so of not eating, whatever it is tastes soooo gooooodddd.

For example, I had a chicken sandwich for lunch, plain old chicken, some lettuce, a little mayo...nothing out of the ordinary, right? So how's come I scarfed that thing down like I hadn't seen food in days, then went on to rave to everyone I saw about how good it was?? It wasn't that spectacular, was it? Half an hour later, I'm back down at the cafeteria sniffing around for another one!

I've been a human garbage disposal now for about 3 weeks coinciding with the increase in mileage. It makes sense that I would need to eat more to keep up, but is this normal? I haven't gained any weight but I'm worried I will if I keep walking around "famished" all the time and make poor food choices. I have absolutely no idea how many calories I'm ingesting, honestly, they're chewed up and in my tummy before I can count them.

It just seems so totally bizarre to me, that I can eat as much as I do and not gain weight. And yes, I realize it's a balancing act (calories in vs calories out) but I still have that overweight, out of shape mentality that was ME for so many years. Just because the weight is gone, doesn't mean I don't still feel like that insecure fat girl. One thing that has changed, though, I don't eat for comfort anymore, I eat for FUEL.

I'm learning about so much more than running while training for this marathon.

Lesson learned

I'm not cutting myself any slack for Saturday's poor performance. Yes, my back hurt but more than anything I just didn't want to be out there. 13 miles is something I've done a few times now so I didn't have the thrill of a new PR somewhere near the end of my run. I didn't have much motivation for this run and it felt more like a chore than anything else. Just puttin' in the miles. The heat and humidity were a killer and *ahem* oh yeah, the beers. In my defense I only had 2 and it was my friend's 30th birthday. On the other hand, I know better than to think that wouldn't be a factor in the morning.

So. Lesson learned. Respect the long run, you idiot!

The good news is that I think my back problem is mostly gone. I spent most of Saturday icing and doing some ibuprofen therapy. I ended up at my yoga class last night and a good stretch did wonders.

The other good news is that the forecast for next Saturday, aka The 19 Miler, is a high of only 64F, low humidity and plenty of sun. I think I'm looking at a nice, cool 49F at my start time of 6:45. YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really looking forward to 19!

And lastly, people keep asking how long it is until my marathon. I throw up a little in my mouth after I said "39 days" today. GULP! I remember when that countdown clock said 312 days. Man. Time goes fast when you're running!

Is it too soon to start picking out an outfit?

How a planned 13 mile run turned in to an actual 7

Gather 'round fellow runners. I want to tell you a story.

Our runner friend Kate has gone and got herself injured because she is a stupid silly girl. How did she do this? you may be wondering. Well...lets just say that she woke up Friday morning with a muscle pull in her lower back. Where it came from, no one knows but she apparently slept pretty rough that night. And lets just also say that instead of doing anything about it, she went out for her intended long run of 13 miles this morning as usual. And imagine, if you will, a runner who had not put much time and thought into preparing for this run, seeing as how it was "only" 13 miles she had to do that day.

Feeling over confident, she stayed up too late with friends the night before, drinking a few beers instead of water so the next morning instead of being properly hydrated and fueled, she was dehydrated with a tad of a hangover stomach. As she slogged through the suffocatingly humid miles, she closed her eyes in a self-pitying whine of frustration and in that blind moment, got tangled up in a tree branch and bit it. Hard.

As chance would have it, she caught herself with her pulled back muscle. She crawled on the grass in pain crying "why God?!" looking around for anyone who would sympathize. Alas, she was alone. She pulled herself up and hobbled the last 2 miles back to her car, bringing her to a measly 7 miles for the day instead of 13.

With her tail tucked between her legs, she sat in her ice bath and denied herself the little chocolate covered donut she had bought herself the day before as motivation for this run. Bagging a run is something our runner friend Kate had never done before and so felt she didn't deserve her reward. She also admitted to being humbled saying, "I will never go out for a run unprepared ever again!" and adding later that yes, the beers were a horribly stupid idea.

And that, my dear friends, is how a planned 13 mile run turned into an actual 7 miles covered. Chin up old girl. Tend to your back and next week will be better.

Fartlek

I've been feeling rejuvenated after Saturday's 18 miler which, if you think about it, is an insane thing to say. I never thought anything would feel good after running 18 straight miles in a row but golly, here I am.

It's still on the hot side in my little corner of the globe but thankfully the humidity has taken a vacation for the last few days. In order to prove to myself that I still have something resembling "speed", I decided to run a fartlek this afternoon. I haven't done much speed work in my training, and none at all in the past few weeks. Getting the miles in at all has been difficult enough without running them hard. Today's only rule was that there were no rules. I ran hard when I felt like it, and easy when I didn't. I ended up doing close to 1/2 mile repeats with the pace being close to 9:15mpm.

I was feeling so good and determined by the end of my run that I decided to run the last mile "all out." Stupid? Probably but my pace has been so slow lately I felt the need to prove to myself that I could still run "fast". Lo and behold, my last mile clocked in at 8:13. Still not setting any land speed records but that's pretty good for me. Don't get me wrong, I still got passed during this mile by some guy who looked like he was out for a Sunday jog pushing his kid in a stroller, but I was still pretty daggon pleased with that time.

As I type this afterwards, I'm spent. I couldn't ever imagine running 26.2 miles at an 8:13 pace. But then again, I never thought I'd say I feel rejuvenated after an 18 mile run either.

Life's funny like that!

And then there was...The 18 miler

How can 17 be so bad and 18 be so so good?

Today I am a firm believer that without the bad days, there would be no good days. This run felt good. I'm as shocked as everyone else. Coming off the last few weeks, I thought surely I was toast. I thought surely I would struggle through this run and come straight home and switch my registration from the full to the half. I thought surely I would be ending the day in tears, giving away all my running gadgets to someone more worthy of them than silly ol' me.

Ha! I'm keeping the Garmin and sticking to the full and I'M GOING TO DO THIS THING!!

My dad ran with me again but left the future BIL at home which turned out to be ok. Without him running in circles around me and playing in the trees and skipping off to look at who knows what, I was able to focus on my form and my breathing and settle into a comfortable groove. It was downright chilly when we started which I was over the moon about! I wore a long sleeved t-shirt over my singlet for the first mile and could even see my breath. Hallelujah! Dad and I chatted through the first 6.5 miles so they went by really fast. 7-13.5 also went by pretty fast because I had some new tunes on the pod (yeah, I know, I took it with me today even though I said I'd cut it out, but I'm glad I had it) and took a route I'd never been on before. The last 4.5 miles were all mental, the last two pure grit, a lot of "left, right, left, right" going through my head just to put one foot in front of the other. Only 1 unscheduled walk break but I was able to beat down my Negative Monster pretty quickly and press on. (Thanks Nancy!)

And in the end, 18.10 miles in 3:30:07. Slow, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. My pacing today was much more consistent than it's been in a long time. About 15 of those miles were right between 11:10-11:15. One mile was around 10:30 (don't ask) and my unscheduled walk break mile was about 13:00. Other than that, pretty consistent. WAHOO!

Now, food and drinks with friends. What could be better after a morning like that?!

Happy running...!

What to do, what to do

I was listening to a podcast today about how we Americans like to clutter our lives up with noise, the subconscious purpose to avoid seeing who we really are in the quiet times. As the speaker talked about our need for simple quietness, I had an out of body experience watching myself flip on the tv in the morning before I even get out of bed, listen to the news as I brush my teeth, sing along to the radio as I drive to work, stick the headphones in my ears as soon as I get to work, sing along with the radio as I drive to the park where I run, stick the headphones back in my ears to get into my groove, sing along with the radio as I drive home after my run, flip on the tv and get on the computer as soon as I get home from my day.

I was a little horrified at how much background noise I put into my day and so I'm making a conscious effort to cut some of it out, starting with the ipod on my runs. Today, I ran "naked"; no ipod, no Garmin, no sunglasses, no fancy visor, no gels or fuel belt. Just me, a t-shirt, a pair of shorts and my shoes. I was determined to listen to the rhythm of my body.

And it said, "FOR CRYING OUT LOUD STOP ALREADY!!"

My scheduled 5 turned into 2. The first mile was stiff and by the second I was feeling pretty good but decided to call it a day. After all, I'd rather be fresh for 18 on Saturday than push it through 5 on Thursday. The temperature has finally broken and there was no humidity to speak of. The fact that my legs still felt dead seemed like a no brainer. I'm worn out, and it's not all because of the weather.

So, easy 2 today, rest tomorrow, 18 Saturday, then...??? Do I stick with the schedule for the up coming week (Sunday: yoga, Monday: off, Tuesday: 5, Wednesday: 8, Thursday: 5, Friday: off, Saturday: 13) or do something different? Maybe x-train for a few days? Thoughts? Opinions? I'm in uncharted territory here so any advice is much appreciated.

Thanksgiving

There's been a whole lotta negative self-talk running through my brain and I realized that even though I'm out there putting in the miles week after week, I'm not doing the mental training I need to be doing to get through this race. I let the negativity creep into the forefront of my mind and it wins every time. I hit a road block, stop, walk, can't seem to get my rhythm back, sometimes after only a mile into my run.

There are a few factors that may be contributing to this. First, I'm up to running almost 40 miles per week which is more than I've ever done in my life. My body is struggling to keep up with the schedule and I feel tired and sluggish, even on the easy days. Instead of feeling antsy and wanting to run on my rest days, I crawl to them and colapse in them. It may be time to take some time off. Secondly, it's been in the mid 90's and humid for most of my runs for the past 3 weeks. Doesn't help that I run at 4:15 in the afternoon every day. The heat is taking it's toll but try as I might, running on the dreadmill almost seems worse. I'm ready for some cooler temps.

Until the mileage backs off and the temperatures cool down, I'm taking a page from Runner Nancy and getting out my club. I can't control the weather and I don't have a lot of options as far as when to run. The schedule is what it is, I can take an easy week next week and see how I feel, but really, with only 52 days to go, I feel like a bum skipping runs. My self-talk is about the only thing I can control and I haven't been doing a very good job of beating down my negative monster lately. Today, I want to list several things I am thankful for...

I am thankful I have a heathly body with legs that can carry me the distance and heart full of determination.

I am thankful for a running partner, even if he runs circles around me and makes fun of how slow I go. Well, when I'm not running with him, I'm thankful.

I am thankful for a supportive family that wants to come see me run and will cheer me along the entire way.

I am thankful to run with my dad after so many years of not always seeing eye to eye. I so wish I could see him cross the finish line at his first half marathon.

I am thankful for friends who understand my goals and don't give me a hard time for how much this takes away from my social life.

I am thankful to God for making the much anticipated changing seasons so incredibly sweet. And for giving me the courage to do this thing that scares the living daylights out of me.

I am thankful for this medium to come together and learn from and support other runners as I don't know any outside my immediate family.

Happy miles...

'Twas the day after the 17 miler

In a nutshell, lets just say I'm glad I registered for the marathon a few weeks ago. If I still had yet to do it, I might be hard to convince after yesterday's run.

It was bad.

And I don't mean bad like I normally mean bad. This time I'm for real.

My dad met me at the lake at 6:30am sharp to begin our long run. He's up to 6 miles in his half marathon training plan so he planned to run the first 6 with me and then I would carry on with the remainder of my run. To my surprise, my future brother-in-law was tagging along behind him.

"I'm going to run with you today, Kate!"

"Oh, gee. That's great," I said.

"How far ya going?"

"17 and dad's doing 6," I said this sort of thinking he'd finish with my dad after 6 miles.

"Cool, I'll do the 17 with you."

Now, I'll admit that I laughed at him because the idea that anyone could wake up one morning and just decide willy nilly to run 17 miles is completely beyond my abilities of comprehension. After all, I've been working months. Months. MONTHS! to get this far.

We started slow, about 1:30 slower than my/dad's comfortable pace. Even at 6.30 in the morning, it was already in the low 80's and humid. Dad made it to six and we dropped him off at his car. At 7, I was struggling pretty hard. Mentally, I was tanked. This always happens in the humidity for some reason. I just fall apart. Physically I felt fine but my mind was toast. I was so pissed at myself because the 15-er a few weeks ago couldn't have gone any better and here I was completely done in at only 7 miles.

I told the future BIL that he could bugger off any time he wanted because this was about to get very ugly. But NO! He wanted to keep going (of course he did) and he was perfectly fine, had hardly even broken a sweat. The kid is in shape, I'll give him that, but he could probably power walk faster than I was running and at one point he said, "Maybe if I feel like it that day I'll run the marathon with you." I tried to strangle him then but he sprinted off and I couldn't catch him. He's one of those people that are just naturally fast where, even on my very best day, I'll never even come close. Not an ideal running partner for me, especially when I'm out there for many many many hours.

The last 6 miles were terrible. Lots of walking and complaining. We ran out of water which didn't help and at one point I think I was down on my hands and knees laughing hysterically but I can't be sure, it's all kind of fuzzy.

I don't really remember finishing but I know I did, the Garmin says so. It also says my pace which I quickly deleted (I think one of the miles clocked in at about 25:00, good grief, this is probably the one when I was on my hands and knees laughing) because I don't want the reminder.

My only consolation from yesterday is that I feel fine today and the future BIL was hobbling around in church this morning.

'Twas the night before the 17 miler

'Twas the night before the long run
And all through the house
Kate was stirring, but not like a mouse

The ipod and Garmin were charging on the chair
In the hopes that both would help get her from here to there

The kitty was nestled all snug in her bed
While visions of catnip danced through her head.

She laid out her gear
as the hour drew near.

'Now body glide! Now gatorade! Now Asics and fuelbelt!
On toenails! On pbj! On water and gels!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away hell!'

And I heard her exclaime as she drove to the lake,
"Happy running to all, and to all a good day!"

Panic, but not at the Disco!

Yeah.

Haven't been around these parts much lately. Mostly it's because work is kicking my ass and I can't be bothered to come home and get back on a computer, even if it is my own computer and even if it is for doing important stuff. Like blogging. And Simpsonizing myself. And playing Spider Solitare.

That's how I knew. When I wasn't even excited about Spider Solitare, something's gotta change. Oh sure! I'll throw a in change of career path along with training for a marathon and helping my little sister plan her wedding and not getting along with any of my friends and working the freelance gig on the side and all that Spider Solitare.

No problem.

And my doctor says the shortness of breath and heart palpitations I've been experiencing aren't a heart attack after all. Turns out, I'm having panic attacks. What ever for?

Dead legs

I know my legs were dead today because of the short little jog in the park I had on Saturday. I know this and yet for some reason I'm still beating myself up for a lousy 4 miles today. The weather was perfect, the trail was well shaded and far from distraction, I had a good solid day of rest yesterday and still...dead legs. This happened before, the week after I ran my first half marathon. It was my first ever time at that distance and it took about 20 days for me to feel fully recovered and "springy" in my step. I'm hoping recovery doesn't take quite that long this time but at least today I know what the cause is for a poor run. So often, I set out my front door without knowing what my run will bring. Will I go out too fast? Will I run out of steam? Will I fall apart mentally? So often these things happen and I never know the cause.

Today, I know.

Even though I may someday look back on 15 miles and scoff, 15 miles is still a pretty long freaking way to run.

15 down, 11.2 to go

I started at 6:35am. The first mile was slow and shakey, trying to work out the kinks in my legs and get a feel for what lay ahead. The trail was still dark at this time so I opted out of the ipod and listened for any would-be attackers trying to sneak up on me. And my breathing.

Mile 2 was also slow. But that was ok, my legs were starting to loosen up and I caught sight of some other runners. I stuck my headphones in my ears and focused on the story being fed through the wires.

Miles 3-5 passed easily and faster. I was feeling pretty good.

At mile 6, I took a potty/gel/water break and called my dad to give him an ETA for the 10 mile mark.

Mile 7: "Holy cow, that gel worked like gangbusters." My legs felt springy and the next three miles all clocked it between 10:30-10:40 pace.

I caught up with my dad at mile 10 and take another gel. A minute to catch my breath and we're off.

At mile 13.1, I start clapping my hands and shouting "PR! PR! PR! PR!" Every step after that was uncharted territory. "How are you doing?" dad asked. "Two miles," I said. "I can do two miles in my sleep!"

Mile 14.5, I hit The Wall. I could see my finish line just on the other side of the lake but I had to walk for a few seconds. Half a mile! Half a mile!

Mile 15 done, total time 2:41:39.

Back in my car, I said to my dad. "That was pretty awesome but how in the world am I going to run 11 miles on top of what I just did today?" But even inspite of the niggling doubts, yesterday was the first time I ever felt like 26.2 might actually be possible.

Open Letter

Dear Makers of a Certain Undergarment,

Quit lying about your product being "no-chafe". You bunch of liars, you!

Love always,

Kate

Smokin'

Taking a break from standing nakkid in front of my open freezer to tell you guys....

....it's hot out there.

Be sure to hydrate!

With a little help from my friends

I'm not sure when it happened but all of a sudden my friends are on board. I had company for almost all my runs this week which was a rare treat because I always run by myself. Now, I love my friends dearly but runners they are not. Drinkers, yes. Runners? Someday perhaps, but up until this week, they usually looked at me with amusement whenever I'd start in about the obnoxious toenail that's still lingering on or how my ice bath this morning didn't exactly get all the kinks out like I'd hoped. Up until now, they were supportive of course, but never had any inclination towards joining me for a run.

Then, all of a sudden, there they were. One decided to bike along beside me while I ran, graciously carrying my water and keys and making me laugh the entire time. Another joined me for the first mile of my long run on Saturday. It was her first try running outside in the elements (has been running for a few weeks on a TM at her gym) and afterwards, I knew she was hooked. She called me up later in the day to ask what time to be at the park next Saturday.

After my friend finished her very first outdoor run on Saturday, I went on to get the rest of my long run in. A few miles into it, I ran into my dad. He decided to sign up to run his very first 1/2 marathon the same day I run my full (so we'll run it together) and Saturday was his first long run. I had no idea he was out there doing this so I yelped when I saw him "Hey old man!" and turned around and ran with him for about 5 miles. Well, 5 miles is a rough guesstimate. I forgot my Garmin and I was kicking myself for it, but actually I was much more relaxed without it. I pretty much know where the mile markers are on this route so I just ran by feel and chatted up my dad for a while. It was great!

And I have to tell you, I think this week has ruined me. I had so much fun with company on my runs I'm afraid I'll want it all the time!! But really, this was a fantastic week and I'm so thrilled to see my friends and family start to make positive changes regarding their health. To think I had anything to do with that blows my mind.

Happy miles....

New togs.

Out with the old...

...and in with the new!

I panicked a little when it hit me that these little beauties are going to travel the final 26.2 miles of this first marathon journey with me. Perhaps I'll have them bronzed when all is said and done.

How I win the marathon

People think I'm nuts. They wouldn't be far off.

It was 90* this afternoon when I planned to get my 7 miles in. Normally, I run on the bike path near my house but it's sparse with the shade so I decided to run my 7 miles on the treadmill at work. I get off an hour before most other folks so I was pretty well into things when the 5 o'clock whistle blew and the masses flooded past the work "gym". I got quite a few odd glances, some pointing through the glass at the treadmill no one thought worked (no one ever tried it before). I saw one guy who had come down an hour previously to hit the vending machine.

"She's still running!" he said, probably still picking the cheesy poofs out of his teeth.

Yes, I'm known around the office as "that girl who runs". They don't really know why I'm running all the time, other than the fact they think I've completely lost my mind when I head to the bathroom as soon as I clock out to jump into my Asics and hit the road. They look at all of my gear and wonder aloud how much everything cost.

"Sheesh," they whistle. "You spent how much on that watch?" pointing to my Garmin.

Monday mornings, I like to parade around in my latest race t-shirt, varying in distances from a 5K to a 1/2 marathon (so far).

"How long was that marathon?" they ask with a nod towards my t-shirt.

For a while, I tried to explain my passion. For a while, I tried to explain the anticipation for a race I trained so hard for over many months. I tried to explain the butterflies in my stomach every time I think about the next race I have planned. I tried to explain how a bad run can totally shatter my confidence or how a good run can make me feel invincible. How awesome running for the sake of running can be and how it tests my mental and physical limits daily. How I'm amazed at what I am so blessed to be able to do. I see the changes running has made in my life and I wonder why everyone isn't running.

Another confused look and I shrug my shoulders.

Now, whenever anyone asks how my "marathon" went, I smile and say "I won."

2nd Half Marathon

As soon as I stepped out onto my balcony, I knew I should haveabandoned my time goal. But part of me (the optimist) was hoping that it wouldn't be that bad and that all my training in the heat of the day would hold up today trying to run 13.1 miles in 78% humidity.

But things don't always work out the way we plan

I knew I was in trouble when my first mile clocked in at 9:56 and I felt like I'd stupidly sprinted the entire mile. I backed off the pace a little and tried to keep it steady at 10:20. I was still around quite a few runners at this point and found a pack and tried to stick with them. Slowly, I fell to the back, then lost them at the water station. But I pressed on.

The course moved onto the bike path and was up and down, up and down, up and down. I was physically drained by the time I saw my friend at mile 6.5. She told me I was doing fine and to keep it up. So I did, even though my entire body was screaming to quit.

At this point in the race, the course repeats itself (one big loop we did twice). I mistakenly looked down the street and saw the finish line a quarter mile away, but still 6.5 miles to go. At this point, I fell apart a little mentally. I wanted so much to give up, I was doing so BAD! It was so HARD! It was so HUMID!

I kept on.

To say the last 4 miles were a struggle is putting it mildly. I shuffled through them and tried to keep it together but I felt like death. I started chatting with another runner (Amy) who was doing a run/walk strategy as part of her Team in Training program. We ran about the same pace and talking with her really helped take my mind off of how bad I felt, physically and mentally. She eventually beat me (not hard) but we agreed to try and get together in the future for long runs as she is also training for the Columbus Marathon in October.

The last two aid stations ran out of water and the last one out of gatorade as well. It's ok, I thought to myself, I'll drink when I'm dead. Which should be soon!

The finish line was on the top of yet another hill but I got there. 2.29.30 and honestly, I was a little surprised. While it was no where near the time I wanted to run, it was only 27 seconds slower than my 1st 1/2 back in April. Considering the conditions, I think I can be ok with that time. I wanted to clock a faster time to prove to myself that all the hard work I've been doing is paying off but what can I say? Somedays it just doesn't happen. I know in my bones, muscles, joints, brain, heart that I'm a stronger runner than I was 5 months ago. Today just wasn't my day.

In a strange twisted sort of way, I'm a little glad this race was so tough. (The humidity, the hills, the heat, the lack of fluids in the final miles, the lack of crowd support, the mental toughness of having to run that stupid loop twice, did I mention the humidty?) I think the experience of gutting it out to the finish even when my body and brain both agreed that it was time to stop will be a valuable tool in future long runs and, ultimately, the marathon.

Good grief. Am I really going to run a marathon??