4 weeks to go

Monday - the nerves hit. Monday afternoon at work, printing pedigrees, which doesn't take a lot of concentration I got to thinking about the race and ended up thinking to much about the race. Before I knew it I was in a full blown panic, tears and all. I was asking myself what was I thinking and I was dwelling on the fact that I won't have done a full 26 miles before the race and everyone says the last 6 is the hardest. I called the best runner I know, Carol at the gym, and she talked me down. She has done lots of races, she is very fast, and I knew she would know what to say and she did. Felt better after talking with her.

Monday night is a 5 miler and I have been doing my hillier run on Mondays so off I set. Probably not my best idea, my legs didn't bother me during the day but as I got to running I could feel them, fatigue. Probably not smart to do a hilly 5 after a 20 miler on Saturday. I pushed ahead, told myself not to go for a fast time, just finish so that's what I did. When I got home I iced both of my knees and went to bed early. I try to remember that rest is as important as running.

Tuesday I woke up very sore, especially my right knee. I went ahead and got on my stationary bike and did my stretching and then after I got dressed for work I iced my right knee again. During the day it seemed to ease and I was feeling pretty good when I got home. I had been telling myself all day that I should give myself the day off and I had decided that was what I was going to do BUT... When I walked outside to leave work it was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon and my first thought was "I have to get out and run in this". When I got home I did a short little run on the sidewalk and decided I would be ok. Tuesdays are 4 milers and I told myself I would take it easy. David tried to talk me out of it but I promised him I would take it easy and if I got to hurting I would turn for home. It was a good run. I didn't push to hard and for the first time in months I didn't wear my Striders Singlet but went for a shirt with sleeves. I did think of wearing a long sleeve shirt because I thought it was that cool but of course once I got started I got warm and was glad I didn't put on long sleeves.

The running clinic at Johns was on Wednesday night. It was only me so I got a one on one session with Gary and it was great. I think I can really tell an improvement in my running just after two weeks of working with him. The form tips and the strides really help.

Thursday was a busy day. I needed to do a 9 mile run but I had to work all day and get to a meeting at 7 pm. I rushed home, changed my clothes and got started. Ater I did 8 miles I decided to stop and get home. That way I had time to ice my knee and eat my supper without rushing around like a chicken with my head cut off. It was a good run. I stayed in the neighborhood and set a really good pace.

Friday was a rest day and I needed it. My legs were feeling fatigued and tired. David and Chandler were off camping with the scouts so I got a manicure and had the night to myself.

Hills was word of the day for Saturday. Cherri and I wanted to run part of the Iron Horse half marathon course so we planned to run in Midway on Saturday. I had 12 on the schedule but I was staying flexible till I saw how I handled the hills. Bob and Chris met us at 6 and off we started. It was a great run. It is a really pretty course, going thru town and by horse farms. We saw some weanlings running in a field and a bunch of geese. We ended up doing 11 miles and both Cherri and I handled the hills. No problem. (This also helped calm some of my marathon nerves, the marathon course is hilly and I handled the hills ok so I am hoping that means I will handle the marathon hills also.) Afterwards we all headed to IHOP for a good breakfast and good talk. Cherri and I then headed over to check out the Swim, Bike, Run shop. Really neat store. I really think if I was a stronger swimmer I would have to try a triathlon.

Sunday is another rest day and I was glad. I had thought of taking a bike ride, it was so pretty outside but Cherri reminded me it is supposed to be a rest day and I have 39 miles to do this week so no bike ride.

This coming week is the hardest week mileage wise. After this I go into taper mode, which means the marathon is only 4 weeks away. I can't believe it is so close. When I started on June 7th it seemed so far away and I was terrified of 20 miles run but here I am 4 weeks away and 2 20 milers done with one to go. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

till next week

C

‎"If I can do that, there's probably not a lot I can't do."

Kenneth Feld of Ringling Bros circus talking about a marathon

35 days and counting

Oh my gosh, can it be only 35 days till I see this sign at the finish? For some reason 35 days sounds lots shorter than 5 weeks. Had a very good week. Even though I knew another 20 miler was coming it didn't freak me out quite as bad as the first one did.

Monday night started off with a good run. I wanted to do some good hills so I mapped out a new course in the neighborhood. 5.06 miles in 51:22 - it wasn't real hot and I liked the new course.

Tuesday was a 4 miler and I wanted to try for some speed. Did my usual in the neighborhood route and did 4.2 miles in 41:24. The weather was good and the run was great.

Wednesday night Cherri and I went down to John's Run Shop and attended a Running Clinic put on by Gary Ditsch of Endurance Base Camp. They have been doing them most of the summer but this was the first time I could get down there. I really enjoyed it. He showed us some great exercises and stretches along with analysing our form. It seems like I look down to much when I run. SO...

Thursday night I tried to put into use everything I learned on Wednesday night. I was supposed to do 9 miles on Wednesday and 4 on Thursday but since I had attended the clinic Wednesday I did the 9 miles Wednesday night. I headed out the bypass towards the interstate trying really hard to remember all I learned. Arms high and tight, lean forward, foot fall and of course keep my head up. It must work because I had the best run I have had in a long time. 9 miles at 9:55 per mile, that is an awesome time for me for that long of a run. I was really jazzed when I got home, felt like I could conquer the world.

Friday is an off day. We went bowling with some friends to raise money for an adoption. Some friends of ours are leaving this week to bring home their new son and we all had fun.

Saturday started at 5:30 am. Cherri met me at 5:30 and we started off, in the dark, for our 9 miles together. We ran out to the interstate and back, good run together. Just as we got back to my house we saw a bunny beside the road. It was obviously a pet bunny and I knew Cherri would go back and try and help it. We got to my house and parted ways. I filled up my water bottles and started off again. After I did 6 miles I headed home to fill up my bottles again and as I got near the house there was Cherri, police and animal control trying to rescue the bunny. They had caught it and was taking it away as I got there. I filled up my water bottles and headed out for the final 5 miles. It didn't seem that warm but the humidity was getting to me and I was drinking more than usual. With about 3 miles to go it started getting cooler and the sky started getting darker and sure enough there came the rain. With about 2 miles to go the skies opened up and poured. Strangely enough it felt good and since there was no lightening I just kept running. Was soaked to the skin when I got home but I had done it. 2nd 20 miler done in a pretty good time and stronger than the first one. One more 20 miler in 2 weeks and then it is taper time. I was pretty sore when I got done but luckily I had 2 free massages coming and I scheduled one for Saturday afternoon and so I let Nora work some of the soreness out of me. It felt so good, wish I could have massage after every hard run. One free one left and I am going to save it for after the marathon.

Sunday was about rest and laundry. I didn't sleep well Friday night so a good 11 hrs sleep on Saturday night felt good. Then the day was spent catching up the laundry and playing with my genealogy habit.

This week is about another clinic and a good run over the Iron Horse half marathon course on Saturday and hopefully breakfast out with friends.

Till next week

C

Commitment and Motivation - 6 weeks to go

6 weeks to go and this week was a toughie. If I didn't have my money already paid I would have been sorely tempted to quit. I was so proud of my 20 miler last Saturday but for some reason it makes the rest of the training seem anti-climatic or needless. It was like, ok, I did the 20 miler, I can do this, I don' t need to keep training. I really struggled to get out on Monday and get going. It was probably the hardest time I have had of getting myself motivated to get out and get going.

So Monday - I waited till 8 pm, as I have been doing to beat the heat, and started out. Unfortunately for me the days are getting shorter and it started getting dark on me before I got home. I ran here in the neighborhood, incorporating the hill I am doing to try and get ready for the marathon, but it was darker than I am comfortable with by the time I got home. Anybody who knows me knows I am a real chicken in the dark but I have been getting up at 5:30 am on Saturdays and starting out in the dark and it doesn't seem to bother me as bad as running in the dark at night. I think I have figured out that it is because in the morning I know light is coming where as at night it's just going to get darker and darker. It was a pretty good run, fair time and I realized I have to start running a little earlier to avoid the dark.

Tuesday was probably the warmest run I have had all year or at least it felt like it. I did 4 miles in the neighborhood and I was really pushing for a good time. I had water with me and I drank as I usually do but I was really warm when I got done. As I was drying off after my shower I had some cramps in my calf, not fun. I have to remember not to push when it is so warm.

Wednesday is the night of the long run but not this week. I had promised Chandler we would go to Bengals training camp this week. They practice just minutes from our house and one of his favorite college players is on the team this year. You might know their last and only evening practice was on Wednesday. I asked Chandler if I could let him and his dad go without me but since I am really more of the sports fan than David Chandler really wanted me to go. I decided that Chandler has been really good to help me get my runs in so I put family first and off we went to camp. It is kind of interesting to set there and watch them practice and see all the players. We stayed till the end and Chandler was able to get a few autographs.

Thursday night was the long run for the week, 8 miles. I stayed in the neighborhood and did ok, Didn't push real hard just ran along till all the miles in. I did decide I am going to start mixing up the routes a little to mix things up.

Friday was rest day. A friend of Cherri's wasn't able to use her ticket to see Beth Moore in Lexington so she gave the ticket to me. I had never heard of Beth Moore but I really enjoyed her speaking. She did a study out of Jeremiah that she called, Eat, Love, Pray. Very powerful speaker. I was amazed that there were 11,000 people from 29 different states.

Saturday morning was the conclusion of Beth Moore's study and then Saturday night was the Midsummer Night's run in Lexington. Both Cherri and I had friends who have only recently started running doing the race and we planned to run/walk with them. As as been the case for several of our runs we had bad weather. As David, Chandler and I headed to Lexington for the race the skies opened up and poured the rain. We pulled into Rupp's parking lot with it raining so hard you could barely see in front of you. Luckily Chandler could pull up a weather map on his phone and we could see that it should pass over pretty quick and it did. Cherri and friend and me and my friend all managed to meet up and even met up with Chris and Bob from the striders. As were lining up for the race I got separated from my friend. I knew she would be fine as she was running with another friend also. Since I was now on my own I decided to go for a good time. I ended up with a 28:37, that is the second time I have ran that, it was my time for the Purity Dash also. I feel like I could have done a little better but the crowd was horrible. Had I realized I was going to run by myself I would have started closer up, as it was at the one mile mark I was still dodging slower runners in front of me. When I finished I met David and Chandler at the finish line and was cheering on the rest of the finishers, fun - fun

My long run on the schedule for Saturday morning was supposed to be 12 miles. Since I needed to be at Rupp at 7:30 am for the conclusion of the Beth Moore study and I wanted to be fresh for the race Saturday I didn't run Saturday morning but planned to do 9 Sunday. I met Cherri and Marty in Midway to do part of the Iron Horse half marathon course. I had driven the course one day with David and I really did not remember how hilly it was. The race is going to start in Midway and go out Stephens St to the East and then back to town and out Stephens street to the West. We headed to the West as it is less hilly. It may be less hilly than going East but it was still a hilly run. We started a little later than we had planned and the hills slowed us down to the point we did 7.5 miles and called it a day.

All in all, considering how at the beginning of the week I didn't think I wanted to keep running it was a pretty good week.

till next week, (another 20 miler next Saturday)
C

7 weeks to go

This week was all about anticipating the 20 miler on Saturday. I tried not to think about it or dwell on it but it was always there in my head, 20 miles on Saturday. I was trying to decide the best place to run when Toyota stepped in and told David he had to work so that told me I was going to be running in Georgetown but will go into that later.

Monday started off as a bad day. Lot's of little issues, I didn't get home till almost an hour later than I had planned and I was stressed. Cherri, Marty and I were going to Frankfort to run with a friend of Cherri's and I knew we wouldn't be doing anywhere near the 5 miles on my training schedule. I had thought I would get out and do a mile or two before they picked me up but I got in a groove and got going and did a little over 4 miles in 10:03 per mile. Then they picked me up and we went to a park in Frankfort that has a really nice trail and did a little over a mile. It really helped me destress.

Tuesday was speed work at the track. Chandler wanted to go with me but after we got there he got to feeling bad so I got in my 4 and we left, no weight workout for me this week.

Wednesday is the long run, 8 on the schedule. I went to the Horse Park and did 4 by myself, good pace, good run and then met Cherri and Marty for the second 4. Marty was having trouble with her leg so we took it slow and had a nice run. It was dark, good and dark, by the time we finished though and I didn't like being there in the park in the dark. Cherri had promised to protect me so I stayed close to her.

Thursday my legs were feeling fatigued and I was really beginning to worry about the 20 miles on Saturday so I gave myself the day off. It was such a nice day though that David, Chandler and I went for a 5 mile bike ride. It was a nice ride and not real hard but I think I tweaked something in my left hamstring as it hasn't been right since then.

Friday is my regular day off but because my hamstring was bothering me a little I decided to go for a nice leisurely walk. I didn't even go a mile and by the time I got home my hamstring was hurting. This worried me immensely. How could I do 20 miles with my hamstring hurting like that. I think I had a mini panic attack as I worried over the 20 miles and my leg.

Cherri had volunteered to do the first 8 or 9 with me. Since David had to work that left me with what to do about Chandler. David and I decided he was old enough to stay by himself while I ran but I didn't want to be to far from home so Cherri came to Georgetown and off we went. I was very conscious of my hamstring but it felt ok. In fact it hurt less running than it did when I was walking. I did the first 9 with Cherri, thank goodness for her, and we headed home. I filled up my water bottles and off I went again. I felt ok, the weather was very nice, in fact a few times I was really cool and I was trying to not think about the total but just a mile at a time. At about mile 18 I ran out of water so I called Chandler and he met me outside and brought me some more water and I finished up. I probably walked more of the last mile than I ran. It seemed like I was having a problem breathing and it was getting warmer by then. When it was over I really could not believe that I had done it. If I didn't have my Garmin registering 20 miles I am not sure I would believe it. I have to say I am really proud of myself for doing it and hope I can keep it up for 6 more miles when it counts.

till next week - which is a 9 miles on Sunday because I will be doing the Midsummers Nights Run 5k on Saturday night.

found this week - 28 cents

Half way there

If I have counted right this is the midway point of my prep, 8 weeks down with 8 weeks to go. WOW 8 weeks to go and this was a big week. Had all week to worry about the 18 mile run on Saturday. I kept telling myself it would be ok, but more on that later.

Monday was a 5 miler, I decided this week to test a 1/5, walk one minute, run 5. I used it for all the runs this week and I think I like it. For the long run on Saturday I went back to 1/4 but may stay with the 1/5 for the shorter ones during the week. Also I have been a little worried about the hill in the marathon so David found a hill that he thought equates to the hill in the marathon. I have been trying to incorporate it into my Monday night run. As some of you know, I like hills and this one is not a problem. Of couse the one in the marathon is 4 miles long with an elevation of 200 feet but I think I can do it.

Tuesday was probably the hardest run I have had in awhile. It had rained and the air was just heavy and yucky and I had a really hard time. Several times I wanted to call David to just come get me but I kept remembering the quote about throwing in the towel or using it to wipe my face and I imagined wiping my face and just kept going. It must not have been as bad as I feared as I set a really good time.

Mother nature tried to mess me up on Wednesday. As I was getting ready to go to the Horse Park to meet Cherri and Marty for an 8 miler the skies opened up and poured. Luckily it stopped in time that I could get in 6 miles and I decided to add the missing two to Thursday nights run. Due to races, weather, etc I hadn't gotten in all the miles for the last two weeks and I was determined this week I was going to run all the miles on the training plan. Even though the air was a little heavy from the rain it was a pretty good run.

Thursday was a little cooler and it was a good run. I had 4 miles on the plan plus the two I missed on Wednesday and it was a good run.

Friday was the off day, the weather was gorgeous and I really wanted to go for a run but I knew I had those 18 miles on Saturday so I rested.

As I mentioned above I worried alot over the week about the 18. On top of that worry David ended up having to work on Saturday. Chandler had a scout lock in on Friday night and we were trying to figure out how to make it all work. We managed to work it out that another scout mom could bring Chandler home. My friend Cherri had agreed to do the first 9 with me so I knew if we started at 5:30 we could be back at the house about the time Chandler would get home. I could check on him, fill up my water bottles and finish up the second 9 while he slept. So thinking of it as two 9 miles runs somehow made it seem not so bad. I also kept thinking, I did 16 two weeks ago this is just two more miles. So off we went at 5:30 am and almost immediately I see lightning off in the distance. I had not seen the weather and sure enough in just a few minutes we were getting sprinkled on. Luckily it was just sprinkles and it went away, came back again about mile 4 for a short time and then came back again about mile 14. It was just sprinkles, no lightning or thunder so we ran through it. The first 9 went well, I enjoy running with Cherri, sometimes we talk and sometimes we run in silence, she is a good pace sitter as I tend to go out to fast and she reins me in. We were coming down the street back to the house just as Chandler pulled onto the street, perfect timing. I thanked Cherri for the companionship, ran into the house, checked on Chandler, he was pretty tired, filled up my water bottles and started back out. I stayed in the neighborhood for the second 9 miles. The first couple were fine but then I got a little down and I had to do some talking to myself to keep going. About mile 15 my calves really started hurting and I began to really look forward to my walking breaks but I kept pushing. When I saw mile 17 on the Garmin I was thrilled, one mile to go and in fact with 3/4 of a mile left I started into a run phase and I ended up running the whole last 3/4. My calves were killing me and my hamstrings were a little sore. I took a cool bath and rubbed my calves till I felt like I could move again. Chandler and I got dressed and headed to Mickey D's for some pancakes and then we went down to the mall to walk around and stretch my legs.

As I sit here today I cannot believe I ran/walked 18 miles. According to mapquest it is 15 miles from Georgetown to Lexington so I could just run down to Lexington the next time I want to go shopping. Nah, don't think so I still like my wheels. :)

Till next week

C