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.

Running in Circles.

I'm happy to report that I had the fortitude to run eight miles by myself on my first day of school, with students. It was a humid, boring run; but, it felt so good to work off all of that nervous energy. I got started pretty early (like, 5:15); but next time I think I need to get out by five. My pace wa very comfortable, it was a solid nine minutes per mile. Not bad at all!

I ran a negative spilt, which is a very good thing to practice when marathon training. A negative spilt is when the second half of the run is faster than the first half. I figured out during the last marathon that I HAVE to run the first half slower than the second. And, I do mean I HAVE to. Not only is better for me physically, but more importantly, it helps me psychologically. When you're on the sixteenth mile, it's uplifting to know that you're only getting faster and stronger than you were on the tenth mile. That's huge.

While I was running yesterday morning, I ran into a woman I know and we've made plans to meet one another tomorrow morning. It will be so nice to have some company and to have a reason to get out of the house on time. Tomorrow's run is four, which seems so do-able.

During the run yesterday, I thought a lot about the marathon, which was a good thing...But, I have to admit, when you're finishing up an eight mile run in this hot, humid weather; you begin to wonder if you've really got it in yourself to run a marathon...

I try not to let these thoughts cross my mind because OF COURSE I can do it. It might not FEEL good and it's certainly going to be painful, but I know I can do it...

Trying to Fit it all in..

Our move last year sure did change my whole running plan. Initially, I thought that I'd be able to just meet my friends "whenever" to run because we moved only about twelve miles from our old house. And, initially, that scheme worked out fine, until I got so tired I could barely think in the evenings. I was getting up somewhere between 4:30 and 4:45 in order to run with my friends. Eventually the lack of sleep caught up with me and I got very sick with bronchitis.

So, I figured I'd run on my own in my neighborhood. That worked out okay until I scared myself with the newspaper delivery man. I thought that his patterns seemed a little strange, etc, etc, etc. So, I quit running by myself. Then I decided that I was brave enough to give it another go, and somewhere soon after that, this man popped up on a cul-de-sac out of nowhere. I got VERY scared that day and quit, once again, running by myself.

Move ahead to the summer and the early morning sunlight, I began, yet again, to run alone. And, I'm still feeling okay about running by myself...However, I'm encountering some obstacles. One, it's very dark again this early in the am. I haven't had the best track record of running in the dark by myself, as I have mentioned. And, two, this marathon plan calls for some pretty long runs in the middle of the week, anywhere between seven and eight miles. Because I've switched jobs this year, I can no longer use the shower that was in my office; which means I can't meet my friends on the day they do their long run. And, the indoor pool isn't open yet, so I can't shower at the pool after meeting my running friends, either. So, I'm going to be stuck (hopefully, just this week...) running eight miles, by myself. Or, I guess I could just not shower on the first day of school and just get dressed there? : )

It's funny that with the job change, I have experienced the most stress in trying to figure out how I'm going to run in the mornings. It's one of my top priorities, though...

Easy Eleven.

Today's run was a blast. We ran about 10.94 miles, approximately, of course...

There were four of us, one of whom has never run above ten miles or so. And, she did so well!

I felt very strong, despite the horrendous humidity. My toes, however, hurt! I'm thinking about finding a podiatrist for after the marathon.

This week the mileage goes up considerably. The mid-week long run is eight. And, what about the long one, you ask? Oh. Just SEVENTEEN. Ha. : ( I can preeetty much count on sleeping all of next Saturday afternoon. That's okay, though, the running high is certainly worth it; as are the sodas and junk food that will DEFINITELY follow as well....

Stay tuned! Things are starting to gear up around here for this marathon!!

Freedom: GONE.

Oh boy. I'm really missing the freedom of running later in the morning. I love the summer days when all I have to do is get home by 7:45 for J. to get to work on time. Now, if I'm not home by 6:30 and in the shower, I'm totally late for work.

This morning I got up around 4:30 am and met two friends around 5:15, or so. The run was fantastic. I'm feeling very strong right now. Actually, come to think of it, I haven't run since Saturday. Wow. It's been awhile! That must be why I felt so good today...

The break that I took means that I'm going to have to squeeze in three more runs by Sunday to get my mileage back on track. Tomorrow I'm going to try to do seven, Friday will be short-like four, and then Saturday will be the long one.

My body is holding up well, aside from the lack of sleep. The toes seem to be enjoying the anti-fungal medication....

I really do miss my freedom and the sunlight early in the morning.