A Cross Post...

This is a cross post.... It doesn't have much to do with the little guy, but it does mention a k-h and her marathon training. Read on, if you'd like...

I've been deviating from "the sacred plan" lately, which, always irritates me. I'm a stick to the plan!, follow the rules!!, kinda person.

Last week's running did not go as smoothly as I had hoped. I managed to get in the two 5 milers and the 13 mile long run, but I ended up missing the 8miler. My plan was to run the eight miles on Sunday, even though we were at a football game about three hours from home the night before. Naturally, I just couldn't drag myself out of bed on Sunday morning. So, I skipped the 8 miles.

This week, I thought about trying to squeeze eight in on Monday and then do three 5 milers during the week. Didn't stick to that plan either... So far, I've done two 5 milers this week, however the plan calls for three and then a 20 mile long run on the weekend. The long run won't be a problem, and they usually aren't because of my running group. Tomorrow I can get in the five with a running friend. So, this week I'm on target...I just can't let go of the missed eight miles from last week.

Because I just can't let it go, I'm contemplating running just a little bit on Saturday to get in 40 miles for the week. Who am I kidding? I'd like to run 5 on Saturday, and that' s not "just a little bit". As long as I run slowly on Saturday, it shouldn't ruin the long run for Sunday....Except, well, Sunday is actually a 20 mile race. I know, how do you "race" for 20 miles? If I figure it out, I'll blog about it.

This is just a glimmer of what goes on in my head during marathon training. It's so annoying. Things used to be easier when I didn't have our precious baby, I had a shower in my office, and when I lived about ten minutes from the running group. I wouldn't change a thing about my life right now, though. I am so grateful for our baby, for my new teaching gig, and for our running-friendless home/neighborhood.

The two morning runs this week have been wonderful, however. The full moon is beautiful right now. It's so bright, I feel like it lights my little path in the mornings.

There are only thirty days until marathon day!! How did that happen??? And, after the twenty miles this weekend, it's all down hill. (Aside from the marathon, of course...)

Check out the RunHappy link to the right for more of this nonsense....

A Lack of Motivation.

Well. I've reached the "hard" part of marathon training. I'm TIRED. I'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night, worrying about missing a long run with "the girls". I'm tired of centering the weekends around getting a long run in. I'm tired of trying to manuver longish runs into my schedule during the work week. And, well...I'm just tired.

Tomorrow, I'm planning on meeting a buddy for a thirteen mile jaunt so that I can fit the long run in before the weekend starts. I'm actually looking forward to that run; even though I will be getting up at 4:00 am so that I can get myself ready for the day and get to our meeting place on time. Some people might think that's crazy...waking up at 4:00 am, running thirteen miles, and then teaching a bunch of middle schoolers the rest of the day; but the running high will get me through the day just fine. I have a feeling the exhaustion will hit around 8 pm tomorrow evening...

I skipped the 8 miler this week, so I'm planning on squeezing that run in before church on Sunday morning. That really shouldn't be too difficult, even though I'd rather be sleeping...

There are only, what...37 days left of this madness...

It's worth every complaint, though. There's nothing like finishing a three hour run with dear friends or just listening to the sound of your breath on a 5 mile run early in the morning. So, as tired as I am right now, I wouldn't trade the experience of training a marathon for a ten am wake up time, EVER.

Happy Trails....

~k.

A Bazillion Miles Later...

It's been awhile since the running blog has been updated, but believe me, I've still been plugging away.

This weekend I switched things up a bit because we're going to be out of town next weekend. So, instead of running thirteen miles, I ran close to twenty. What a gluten for punishment, I am.

My shoes have waaaay, way, way too many miles on them; which is causing some knee pain. As soon as I get my new pair, I'll be good to go again. The pain doesn't stay with me throughout the day, so it's really not that serious. It was pretty bad, though, on the nineteenth mile yesterday. It amazes me how important it is to run in good shoes. Anytime I get the slightest twinge, I know that a quick change of Brooks Adrenaline will take any discomfort or pain away.

This week, I plan on trying to run two five milers, a eight miler, and a thirteen miler all before Saturday. This way I can really enjoy the weekend with my family and not have to figure out how running plays into the schedule.

We'll see how this week goes! One more twenty miler and I'm over the marathon training hump! Honestly, once that run is finished, it's all down hill from there.

Thanks for checking in---

Felt longer than it was...

Ran four this am. And, it felt like fifteen miles, or something comparable. For some reason, I had major side stitches during the last two miles. I wasn't running too fast, didn't drink soda before I started (I kid...I never do that...; ) ), didn't pig out on chocolate chip cookies (Sometimes I do have a little treat before a run...)...Some runs are just like that, though. There's a good chance that I'm still recovering from the long run on Saturday and the long run on Monday. My back was actually sore yesterday morning, especially if I took in a deep breath or yawned? That's gone today, however.

Anyway, hopefully Friday's run will be better....

Sweet Seventeen.

Ran seventeen miles this morning. And, what a glorious run it was! No kidding. The weather was just GORGEOUS for running. In fact, it was just a teensy bit cool when we got started.

The loop that we ran was fabulous because we didn't have to back track or add on loops. That's always nice because sometimes it's hard to stay focused on the distance when you're running past your car a time, or two. I hope that we'll run the same course next week and then just add a mile somewhere during the run.

Honestly, I'm not even sore! My toes hurt. But, my legs? Totally fine! I barely feel like I ran! How crazy is that??? It's definitely due to the perfect pace, the weather, the gu, the water, the gatorade, and most importantly, the company!

This run definitely boosted my confidence and my excitement in regards to the marathon. And, I've also discovered that chocolate is definitely the best flavor. Oh, it's yummy! Trust me.