The one thing that interferes with my running:

SLEEP!  (Or, my lack of it, which then leads to various reasons why I miss morning runs.)  I was supposed to get in a long run with my girlfriends this morning, but I fell asleep on the couch before the plans were finalized.  Talk about annoying!  I probably should have picked up the phone instead of waiting for emails to go back and forth.  Oh well.  Sleeping until 7am and going down for the night by 9pm was so luxurious and so necessary, apparently.  

The exercise routine went well this week.  I did not swim, as I had planned, but I did use the eliptical machine for 30 minutes in addition to running in the morning.  So, I finally made it back to the gym this week.  I'm trying so hard to get over there, so that I justify the monthly fee to my husband (and, more importantly, myself!).  Three times in one week and two days of running is very good, considering that I haven't been to the gym since MARCH.  

This week is full of after school meetings, I have three.  (That's A LOT!)  So, I will be lucky to get to the gym twice.  I still have my eye on the classes, but it's not going to happen this week.  And, since I missed the long run this morning, I'm shooting for tomorrow.  This morning light is just splendid, and I can't wait to get out on the streets on a quiet, sleepy Sunday morning.  If I get in an hour and a half, I'll be incredibly happy.  It's been a wonderful week of running and exercising, I just need a goal to work towards now...  

One Goal Down

FINALLY made it back to the gym this afternoon!  It sure didn't feel like much, but I know I'm going to be hurting tomorrow.  My legs/butt are already burning, which is  a good thing.  I am excited about trying out this new exercise class on Thursday.  I could use a little toning!  So, tomorrow's running and more ab work.  Thursday is exercise class day and then Friday is (hopefully) a swim/run day!  I'm determined to get back into swimming suit shape by June 15!

Food really helps.

Over the past two weeks, since tax season is over, I have realized that food (?) really helps my running.  From about the beginning of March until the middle of April, I eat like a bird.  The kids eat kid food at 5pm and Josh usually scrounges something up in the office, which means I hardly eat in the evenings.  (A spoonful of mac and cheese here and there, and a bag of popcorn with my nightly show, that's my dinner during tax season.)

Now that taxes are in, sort of, I am back to cooking dinner for our family. And, I've noticed that because I am eating dinner, I have so much more energy on my runs. Thank goodness!  I felt like I was running in quick sand in the weeks following that terrible stomach virus.  So, I am back on track now and am running as much as I can.  (Yay!)  This week my goal is to get back to the gym, in some capacity.  I really want to try this toning class on Thursday morning with some of the running girls.  That's one goal for this week, and the other goal is yoga on Wednesday.  I'm going to do what I can, hopefully meetings at school don't magically appear and hopefully Josh's work load will slow a little by Wednesday so he can help me with the boys.

I'm also looking for a race or two to run in the next few months!  It's been so long, the marathon really doesn't count...   I'm ready to push myself so that I can see where I'm at, it's hard to tell when it's so early in the morning.  I'm still wiping the sleep out of my eyes, without any concern for speed.

First Run Back

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.

20 miler is IN THE BOOKS.

no doubt about it, the last few miles of a 20 miler HURT.

no doubt about it, a soda tastes so incredibly GOOD after a 20 miler.  who cares about the calories when you've just run 20 miles, right?

i took a bath as soon as I got home, which is very weird for me.  i don't like baths, they kinda make me feel dirty.  sitting in your own dirt and sweat just seems gross.  i've heard that it's a great to help your legs recover and i positively just wanted to sit down. the bath was heavenly!  i got out and my legs felt 100% better, although my toes are pretty tender.

because i don't run with a garmin and don't map out my runs prior to getting out there, i generally just go by time.  i figured that i was at least running a ten minute pace, so i needed to get in at least 3 hours and 20 minutes of running.  i decided yesterday to be on the safe side and run for 3 and a half hours.  when i got home i felt doubtful about the mileage.  so i used map my run, an awesome little website, and came up with my total mileage.  it's a rough estimate, but i think it's pretty legit.  it turns out that i ran 22 miles today!  wa-hoo. no wonder i felt like i was ready to throw in the towel by the time i finished.  four (.2) miles more and i would have run a marathon.  awesome!

so.  i think i'm ready!  i am so grateful for this healthy body that has been given to me.  the next few weeks are going to be delightful, now that it's time to taper.

Absolutely Love this Idea!

I absolutely love this idea!  Read on...

This is from one of the running blogs that I like to check out from time to time: 

Here's the link:  http://themommyminute.blogspot.com/

And here's the plan:                                       "Run 10 for '10

Virtual Group Run

On January 1st, 2010, we need to ring in the new year right! Run either 10K (6.2 miles) or 10 miles any time on New Years' Day and tell me about it in the comments section---who, where, when, etc. You can even divide it up--you can run 5 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon as long as you total a distance of 10 miles or 10K.

Are you in for 10?

Please pass it on! "

Another Goal!

Marine Corp Half Marathon in May!  I'm thinking of bagging the half marathon in March for this one.  The thought of pumping before the half, pumping in the car, pumping in the hotel room just doesn't seem appealing to me at this time.  The more I think about the half in March,  I realize how much work and preparation it will involve and I'm just too lazy!  

This morning I had a great run with my neighbor.  She is really helping me get back into shape, which is awesome.  We ran a little over four miles, but it was a fast four miles!  Tomorrow we're going to run in the country, which means lots and lots of hills.  The hills are tough, but I remind myself while I'm struggling that my quads really need the hill workouts right now.  It feels so good to be out running again, it is one of my favorite times of the day.  

Running Goals for 2009!

1.  Colonial Half in February.  If I just finished this one and had fun while running, I'd be happy.  I'm not concerned at all about my time.

2.  The half in the DC, which is in March.  Again, it'll be a challenge to JUST get there with the baby and tax season.  Just to have a chance to run in a race with the group would be fantastic.

3.  50K in Capon Valley, May.  This probably won't happen, but I'm keeping it in the back of my mind....

4.  Marine Corp Marathon #4!  Maybe, just maybe work towards finishing in under 3 hours and fifty minutes... I'd be soooo happy.  But, I'd need to push myself soooo hard...not sure if I'm up for that challenge just yet.  

I've been back to running for quite some time now.  And, I've even been able to get out with the running girls on the nights that both of the boys sleep.  The extra pounds are slowly melting away, thank goodness!