You know that you are addicted to marathoning when you begin planning the next marathon before you are even finished the one that you are running. The next marathon for me will be Marine Corps! Wa-Hoo! The best part? It's already paid for since I had to defer last September. Truth be told, I'd run another marathon next week if I could!
Plans for the spring include a half the weekend of April 17/18, interval training, a 10k in May, and then maybe a half in May, as well. Since Josh will be joining us on the weekends again, the plans may change somewhat. I do plan on working the intervals into my training at least once a week. I have a friend from work who has given me some instruction on how to go about getting faster. So, I'm going to give it a shot. I've reached this plateau with my running, and I find it be ANNOYING. Racing a little bit more and training faster and harder should help. I'm determined to get to Boston one these days, even if that means changing my diet of junk food and shaving an inch or two off my rear-end. (I do love my junk food, though...)
This morning's run went really well. Ran for about an hour with the girls! That's much more than I've ever done before the week after a marathon. I also took this one a lot easier than others in the past, so maybe that helped with the recovery? My legs felt great, no soreness at all. I felt more well rested than I have in ages, which was another bonus. I couldn't help but to think about the temperature of this morning's run, it was EXACTLY what I would have predicted for a March marathon around here! (Cool, breezy, cloudy.) It's time to just let it go, right? Uggh.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
"second loser", random
This was quite random, but I spent yesterday afternoon (alongside my family) with the man who placed second in the National Marathon. Yes, that is quite random, isn't it? And, yes! How COOL was that?!?! He is friends with my brother, Daniel. They work together at a running store in Providence, and so they rode down here for the marathon.
When my grandparents walked into the room yesterday, they immediately bombarded him with questions, "How'd you do yesterday?!?! Did you win?!!?"
His reply? "Well. I was the second loser, I guess."
It was an incredible to talk about running with a true elite runner, who has raced in the Olympic Trials. He is also the record holder for the National Marathon, last year he had a winning time of 2:19. That's insane. I have trouble even wrapping my mind around how fast he runs.
More about the marathon soon...
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
done.
done with the training, ready for the big day! i've already started to pack my bag, and thanks (?) to this warm weather, it's kinda easy to plan the race day outfit. though, i am still a little iffy about the top/short combination. still feeling anxious about the weather, but i think i have enough experience to work around the heat. i've already backed off of setting a strict goal time. it sounds like the perfect kind of day to run, but when it's 26.2 miles, things change a bit. i'm thinking that i have got to drink, drink, drink, and take the first half very easy. then, if i have enough gas at the end, i can go for negative splits, which is the best way to run a marathon, anyway! i'm ready.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
this is it!
one more short run, and i will be done with training for marathon #6. hard to believe. i'm still in shock that i made it through the training and that i stuck with it. this whole idea of training for a marathon in march started out as a dream, really. it was my way of getting over having to back out of marine corps back in september. it was also a way of re-gaining the faith that i had lost in myself. august, september, and october were extremely challenging months, and when it looked like i was going to lose running, too; i virtually fell apart. so, really? i am shocked that i've followed through with this crazy dream of mine.
training for a marathon through tax season seemed virtually impossible, as well. many told me that i was nuts to even consider adding one more thing to the plate during tax season. looking back, holding on to the hope of running a marathon has been my biggest motivator to get through tax season, to stay positive, and to take a smidgeon of time for myself. the past few weeks, when tax season really gets tough, have not been easy. but, josh has been incredibly supportive and somehow i've made it through the program (minus a few runs here and there). it's remarkable to me how supportive josh is about the marathon. he, obviously, will not be present for the marathon. however, not ONCE has he complained about a long run that i just have to get in or for me adding to the craziness that tax season brings to this house. i think he gets that running is a part of who i am and that i desperately need just forty minutes a day to re-group and restore my energy.
it is going to be a fabulous adventure. i can't wait to get out on that course! one thing that causes a bit of concern is the weather: it is supposed to be about 66 ℉ on Saturday. that's a high temperature, particularly when you've been training in 15-20-30 degree temps over the past three months. i'm trying to think of the beautiful, sunny day as a REWARD for pushing through running in blizzards and sleet and wind chills below zero. as long as i drink, drink, drink; i should make it through okay.
more coming soon on this marathoning adventure. (i'm already a little sad that training will be over tomorrow. that's how great this program is!)
training for a marathon through tax season seemed virtually impossible, as well. many told me that i was nuts to even consider adding one more thing to the plate during tax season. looking back, holding on to the hope of running a marathon has been my biggest motivator to get through tax season, to stay positive, and to take a smidgeon of time for myself. the past few weeks, when tax season really gets tough, have not been easy. but, josh has been incredibly supportive and somehow i've made it through the program (minus a few runs here and there). it's remarkable to me how supportive josh is about the marathon. he, obviously, will not be present for the marathon. however, not ONCE has he complained about a long run that i just have to get in or for me adding to the craziness that tax season brings to this house. i think he gets that running is a part of who i am and that i desperately need just forty minutes a day to re-group and restore my energy.
it is going to be a fabulous adventure. i can't wait to get out on that course! one thing that causes a bit of concern is the weather: it is supposed to be about 66 ℉ on Saturday. that's a high temperature, particularly when you've been training in 15-20-30 degree temps over the past three months. i'm trying to think of the beautiful, sunny day as a REWARD for pushing through running in blizzards and sleet and wind chills below zero. as long as i drink, drink, drink; i should make it through okay.
more coming soon on this marathoning adventure. (i'm already a little sad that training will be over tomorrow. that's how great this program is!)
Saturday, March 13, 2010
that's never happened before.
Yesterday morning, I decided to knock out the last long run before the marathon. My goal was to get in about ten miles, or so. Naturally, I overslept because this has been an exhausting week. My clothes were not laid out the night before, so I was in a scramble, trying to gather things up to get out the door as quickly as possible. I couldn't find any of my running hats, and since the rain was coming down in buckets, I desperately needed SOMETHING. So, I just grabbed a ball cap and left.
Generally, just getting out the door is the biggest running challenge I face. If I can get started with a run, I always finish what I planned and will usually (if time allows) add on to my goal time. I can't recall a time when I started a run, and completely quit a quarter of the way into the run. Yesterday was a first, unfortunately.
I knew within the first half mile, that things were going to be off. I truly felt like I was running in quick sand. My legs were heavy and I didn't have one ounce of energy. It was a struggle to get through the first mile. And, while I was out, I kept noticing everyone's trash cans. Friday's are trash/recycle days around here. Our trash was not taken out the night before. The lunches were not packed the night before. All three of those factors: the exhaustion, the trash, and the lunches, completely interfered with the run. I couldn't let go of the stuff I needed to get done at home.
Around 25 minutes into the run, I decided that I was done. I couldn't run another step; I was just way too tired. Usually, I can always talk myself into a few more minutes. Not yesterday. I threw in the towel at 28 minutes and called it a day. I must have just been too tired to go another step because when I got home, I was still exhausted. Normally, getting outside for a run is an instant alarm clock for my body. Not yesterday. So, I slowly got the lunches ready for the day and hopped in the shower. I didn't even take out the trash or recycling, Josh took care of that.
I think the days of sleepless nights and not eating dinner are starting to catch up with me. I've got to get back on track this week, if I want to finish that marathon next weekend.
Generally, just getting out the door is the biggest running challenge I face. If I can get started with a run, I always finish what I planned and will usually (if time allows) add on to my goal time. I can't recall a time when I started a run, and completely quit a quarter of the way into the run. Yesterday was a first, unfortunately.
I knew within the first half mile, that things were going to be off. I truly felt like I was running in quick sand. My legs were heavy and I didn't have one ounce of energy. It was a struggle to get through the first mile. And, while I was out, I kept noticing everyone's trash cans. Friday's are trash/recycle days around here. Our trash was not taken out the night before. The lunches were not packed the night before. All three of those factors: the exhaustion, the trash, and the lunches, completely interfered with the run. I couldn't let go of the stuff I needed to get done at home.
Around 25 minutes into the run, I decided that I was done. I couldn't run another step; I was just way too tired. Usually, I can always talk myself into a few more minutes. Not yesterday. I threw in the towel at 28 minutes and called it a day. I must have just been too tired to go another step because when I got home, I was still exhausted. Normally, getting outside for a run is an instant alarm clock for my body. Not yesterday. So, I slowly got the lunches ready for the day and hopped in the shower. I didn't even take out the trash or recycling, Josh took care of that.
I think the days of sleepless nights and not eating dinner are starting to catch up with me. I've got to get back on track this week, if I want to finish that marathon next weekend.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
A kink in the training
I haven't felt well for over a week now. (Shoot!) I got through the 20 miler last weekend, even though I felt weak. I could tell, though, that something was off. I've been beyond tired and have been dealing with this sore throat for over a week. I feel like I hardly ran this week, maybe I got in two days of running and a day of swimming. I even missed the long run yesterday and then decided to sleep in today. The long run for this week is a ten miler. Since it doesn't take too long, I may try to knock it out tomorrow before school. Or, I may stay home sick and scratch the run AND work. This stinks! At least I'll be strong and healthy for the big day, which is now less than two weeks away! Wowsers.
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