I Love 8 Mile Tuesdays!

Today we ran 8 miles. It was gorgeous outside. Just a little bit cool, but fantastic weather. I ran with the 11:30 pace group. It's a lot of fun running with new people. For some reason, I just love the Tuesday morning 8 mile runs. I feel strong and really like that I did something significant before sunrise!

Anyway, I checked for pictures from the Zoo run. I couldn't help but compare how I look in this September 2009 picture (this is me in blue crossing the finish line after 4 miles at an avg. 10 min. pace) vs. me in the May 2009 5K run (where I had only run a 12 minute pace - it's the picture with Kelly the dog in it). What do you think? I think I've improved. :)

10 Weeks and Counting

I have a whiteboard in my office that I use as a huge calendar. I have about 6 weeks up there and next to the black numbers of the dates is a red number that varies. For instance, this week says 18, 8, 8, 6 in red. Those red numbers are the miles I'm supposed to run this week.

As you can imagine, I have to erase the board every so often and re-do the numbers to update the "calendar." I had to do that today. When I went to our training log to find the red/mileage numbers I needed to add, I realized we are only 10 weeks out from the Vegas Marathon! 10 WEEKS!!!! That's only 9 more long run Sundays.

Speaking of long run Sundays, HUGE KUDOS to Lindsey and Jennifer who completed 20 miles this weekend. The schedule said "18-20" miles. I planned on running 18, but only made it 14.75. That's because I felt naseated after mile 13. It was a LOT hotter than it was supposed to be and I think I messed up my "fueling" schedule. There's a delicate balance on what you eat while you run. If you mess up the balance, your stomach gets affected because there's too much sugar in your system. So I have to watch that for next week.

Next week I'm running in Kansas City with a local marathon training group there. Can't wait to meet new marathoners and learn new things from them!

KC Zoo Run

I wrote this last weekend...Just now posting it!

I was out of town this weekend - in KC to watch the Chiefs' heartbreaking home opener - and I signed up for a 4-mile run at the Kansas City Zoo. I did not get the 20 miles in that I was supposed to this weekend. I ran 6 miles on Saturday (1 to warm up, 1 after the race with my Dad and Step-Mom Sandra). Patrick, my brother, also ran with me.

IT WAS AWESOME.

The weater was perfect. 50 when we left the house, then warmed up to the mid-60s. Seriously perfect weather to run in. I was warned to run at my marathon pace - but when do I ever listen? Never.

So, I took off and tried to keep up with Patrick, the former champion cross country runner. After 1/2 a mile, I told him to go ahead and relied on my iPod to keep me company. So I found myself a "rabbit" to keep up with and let er rip. I ran an avg. of 10 min. mile and finished just under 40 minutes (by seconds) for 4 miles (since I didn't keep tight to the corners, the race results say I ran 40:24, but my garmin has me at 9:52 avg and 4.11 miles for the race).

Anyway, it was really really fun. I felt sick in the middle of the run (Darn You PowerAde!), but bucked up and kept going. And it was well worth it. What a great day.

So this week has been a fantastic running week for me! We had an 18 mile run in the rain on Sunday (see Shannon's post below). It was pouring half the time, but it was great for me. I felt really strong the entire run - even up the final hill on the way back to the store. I think I just hit the right stride and it carried me through. I did get new shoes (my beloved asics) and that certainly helped. The asics provide the perfect amount of suppor for my huge feet :-)

Today we had an 8-mile "short" run, and again, I had a fantastic run. We ran through Lakewood and over to Swiss Avenue - those who know Dallas know that Swiss Avenue provides BEAUTIFUL scenery.

Anyway, I really needed a few good runs. Two weeks ago I had a terrible 16-miler. It was hot and humid and I just felt weak the entire run. Jennifer and I moved up to a faster group to try it out. I think on a good day this would have been fine, but that day - not so much! The last two miles back to the store were a beating. I had to push myself like never before. But, I guess I can be happy that I made it :-)

Well, thats it for now. Wish me luck on the hills on Thursday!

~L

8-Mile "Short Run"

It's funny to think that our 8 mile run today is the "short" run. I remember the first time I ran 8 miles. I was in St. Louis and I had just attended my friend Joy's wedding. I was SO WORRIED about it! I had my whole route scheduled - I ran from the clock tower at SLU to Forest Park all the way to the end at Wash U, then back. On the way back, I got a little lost in the park, but it was a pretty fun run. I wasn't able to run the entire distance (in the end I did 9 miles, but only ran 7.5 of it with some walking in between). It was a huge accomplishment for me.

Any yet today, it's no big deal! It's our weekly "short/maintenance" run. And it was fun! I was able to get up at 5:15 and knock out those miles at a 12:00 pace, only stopping for water.

The point is, it's interesting how your mind can adapt and adjust. What seemed nearly insurmountable and intimidating 2 months ago barely gave me pause today. I'm trying to bring that same thought over to my regular life. If I think something may be too difficult or exhausting to attempt, I should remember when I successfully "ran those miles" in the past that now seem a breeze and move forward with a bounce in my step.

Soggy

For those of you who live in Dallas, you know that this weekend was wet. Not rainy or misty - wet. That didn't stop Lindsey, Jennifer, and I from attempting our 18 mile run Sunday, though! Our coaches said - this is good training, because you never know if your race day will be rainy. (Not likely in December in Las Vegas in my opinion, but it was certainly an experience!).

It was not that bad, actually. Sure we were soaked to the bone in the steady almost non-stop downpour. But there was something elemental and fun about being out in that kind of weather, knowing that (1) everyone else in the city slept as we logged an amazing amount of miles; and (2) that we could indulge ourselves inside the rest of the day knowing we had braved the elements enough for one weekend.

Lindsey and Jennifer did an awesome job at the 18 miles. I swear it looks like they're not even trying hard! Their runs appear effortless. You know that are having a great time, too. I only logged 12 miles yesterday. At about mile 11.5, my plantar faciitis reared its ugly head - I had shooting pain in my left foot. The good news is that I made it almost 12 miles with little to no pain. The bad news was that I needed to quit at that point to avoid further or re-injuring the foot. (Secretly, I wasn't that disappointed given the weather. It felt great taking the epsom salt bath, let me tell you!).

We are now less than 3 months away from our marathons. And I know that we can do it! I mean, I ran 12 miles yesterday. I can easily run a half-marathon. And I have plenty of time to build my mileage for the 26.2 needed in December. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather for the training. I'm just hoping it stays dry on Sundays!

14 Weeks Out!

Wow - we have only 14 weeks to go until Vegas (15 for White Rock)! That's crazy, scary, exciting. I got a preview of the marathon this weekend as I was in Las Vegas for fun. I ran 8 miles - from the Hard Rock Hotel to the strip (1 mile) then down to Mandalay Bay where the marathon will start, and up to Circus Circus and back. The coolest thing was that I passed people still out from Friday night's partying. It felt pretty cool and healthy to be passing them on the strip in my comfy running shoes - while many of the ladies carried theirs and went barefoot (eww!).

The schedule had us running 12 miles on Sunday - as I said, I only ran 8 (but walked another 2 miles later that day). This is because of my foot issues. In fact, I'm not running this week to give my foot a chance to heal. Today, I missed our 8 mile weekday run. I liked sleeping in, but I'm worried I'll get behind. The good news is that the foot is feeling a lot better. I'm surprised - happily so. I plan on running this weekend though - another 16 miler. Let's hope I'm up for it.