And the decision is..........

I have decided to continue training for the marathon this spring! On April 22, 2017, I will be a marathoner at the Illinois Marathon.  I have yet to send in my registration, but will do that in the next few weeks when I have the money to do so. At this point, I feel like I'm naturally progressing to those 26.2 miles, and I have been training all along with this thought of  running the marathon. Since I am 12 weeks into the program, with no intention of stopping, I am officially making the marathon my goal.  However, I'm still keeping the same goal of just finishing...walking at water/aide stops, especially later on, but and not focusing on time. I really want to go out there, and prove to myself that I can do that distance,  and have the best possible race I can. Plus, the thought of being in the "top 1%" of something sounds really nice, too!

So far, I have already hit these lines of questions during my training:
Am I scared of seeing these increased miles? Oh heck yes.
Am I ready to tackle them? Gradually, and have already hit 6 miles twice, and will hit it again at the end of next week.
 Will I have my doubts about being able to do it? Check those off already.
Will I want to quit? Yep, but I won't. I may have rough runs where I might even have to walk some here and there, but I won't quit unless something really dramatic happens. If a plan A won't work for a week, I'll figure out a a plan B to get the job done.
Will I also have those absolute kick butt runs where I feel like I can run forever? Oh yeah. I will need to hang onto those runs for the tough times.
What will keep me going? Picturing myself crossing that finish line in one piece with the biggest smile on my face, and thinking about my runing buddy that I dedicate runs to, and for those who need extra moral support for whatever reason.
What will crossing that finish line feel like? Absolutely exhausting, but hopefully the best feeling ever!

Happy New Year! (week 12)

For those of you celebrating tonight, Happy New Year!  I hope that everyone that is reading this will a better new year in whatever means they need.  A LOT has happened in 2016, both good and bad, and my best wish for everyone to keep pushing forward.  It may not be an easy ride, but we'll make it through if we keep putting one foot in front of the other.  

So this week, I finished the 12th week of my program.  I was briefly home for Christmas, and the day after, during the morning, I was able to get one 3 mile run in, which included a hill.  I'm originally from the Southen Illinois area (go Salukis!), which is hillier than my current area.  So, I decided to give myself the challenge of running on hillier street, and did so with a running friend of mine.  There is something to be said about running hills, and it's that they can be absolute freaking killer on the legs.  Last year, I conquered that same street, which is has quite a few more hills, for 9 miles when it was cold, windy, and raining at times.  

This time, it was 65 degrees with about 95% humidity (it had been raining off and on).  65 degrees now feels really hot for a run! Plus, with the humidity, I was dripping sweat in no time.  Now, we only did the one hill, on the run. We hit the incline on the way up, and the decline on the way back.  I had to push myself to stay relatively close behind to my friend, but managed to do so.  My friend is a super speedy runner...runs something in the 8 minute range (or even faster), but she ran a bit slower so that I could keep up.  So, I ate that hill for my running breakfast, and still managed to run 3.1 miles in under 30 minutes in 65 degree temperatures, plus nearly 100% humidity.  I consider that run a win, as it was super nice to have something different for a change.

A few days later, I went and did my long run.  That long run completely kicked my butt. I think it was partially due to me skating the day before.  The other part was due to it being almost 40, but wind chills in the 20s, and me running in lots of head wind.  I went to run with my Garmin on, but it somehow turned off, so I basically ended up putting it into my pocket and going by feel instead.  I have no idea what my pace actually was, but I felt like I was running like a turtle trudging through mud....or maybe a turtle that was facing lots of head wind..I don't know.  I also lost track on which mile I was on, so I ran a bit extra, in hopes that I got in the right mileage (found out later that I did...got in 6.4 actually).

For this run, I decided to run a bit further on the actual marathon route.  The area I ran in is the miles that are in the 17-20 area.  I had been on the course to what is considered the mile 19 mark, but never further.  So, on this run, I decided to include the the mile 19-20 area, so that I can become more familiar with it.  In a lot of ways, this is really good practice, not just to get to know my surroundings, but to help me push through those mental walls.  On this run, it was that new mile route. That felt like the longest mile ever. I don't know what it was about it, but I really had to mentally push through that one mile, and my legs were just not really having it (I did allow a few short walk breaks at what would be aid station areas).  However, once I turned around to head on back, that mile felt MUCH shorter.  Maybe it's the thought of being at the turn around point...not just on my particular run, but also for the marathon in general.  In the actuall marathon, I would basically head about a mile further south, then work my way back up..sorta making a loop, then head back towards the stadium.  I can already tell that area is going to be a BIG mind game for me.  It's going to take a lot of training to push through that part of the race.  However, with continuing of long runs, I hope to complete all of those remaining miles on the marathon course, so that I will be better prepared mentally and physically for the race itself.

Yesterday, I took the day off from running (skated instead), and finished my week today with a 3 mile run.  Today, I was suppose to do a local 5k, which I was going use as a race/training run, but, as it turned out, I registered for a race in a DIFFERENT STATE that was under the same name.......yeeeeahh......only someone like me would be dumb enough to do that.  So...yeah...no in town 5k race for me.  So, I ran my own 3 miles today. I must've been taking out my stupidity of registering for the wrong race, as I actually ended up with these results: 

I did have a few stops because of traffic, and had to make one quick stop to drop off my rent check, but this is my personal best 3 mile time!  It completely kicked my butt, as I did this, just sort of thinking, "How fast can I go?" So, I pushed myself to do it.  Had I ran this in a 5k, this would have been a new racing PR for me (28:27 is my racing record).  Despite how tired I was, I am pretty darn happy with that time, as that is a new personal speed record for me.  I will take this as a very positive ending for my running year!  

Merry Christmas! (week 11)

I'm a bit late with the posting, but I wanted to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, and for those of you who may not celebrate, I hope that you are enjoying some time to yourself, or with some friends/family.

I officially have another week of training under my belt, but I didn't get in all of the required mileage that week.  That was because I took an extra rest day, which I really needed.  I've been noticing in my training plan that I've been having to skip a short run here every few weeks, partially due to the need for an extra rest day.  Sometimes, life does get in the way, but I definitely needed that extra rest day last week.  This was because I had a breakthrough in my skating, and decided it was better for me to focus on that.  Plus, I worked hard in my gymnastics class on upper body strength later in the day. I thought I would be okay with running the 3 miles the next day, but I did have some soreness in both my shoulder and left hip, and just general fatique from working my butt off in skating and gymnastics the day before.  So, as much as I wanted to get that run in, my body was balking at the idea. So, I decided it was best to listen to my body, let it take an extra rest day.  I know that missing a few miles here and there is not going to kill me, especially with getting in the long runs (which I did do). I am still trying to get in all of my runs as much as possible, but sometimes, my body just needs the break.

Fortunately, the weather has gotten decent again for runs outside, so I'm not completely confined to the treadmill.  I really hope that I can continue to run outside, whenever possible.  If I can continue to run outside, that will make things easier than doing everythign on a treadmill.  Past experience has told me that if I do a good chunk of my training on the treadmill, it takes a bit of time to get re-use to running outside again.  I know that on the treadmill, you can change the incline and all that (and incline intervals are a good way to change things up), but it's still a very flat surface, which feels a lot different than being on the road.

One other thing I have started working with some is a foam roller.  I had tried them in the past, but didn't see a lot of benefit to them. However, I decided to give them another a few days ago, and found that I liked it!  It's kinda having a bit of massage, but you hit upon those "It hurts so good" spots where you might have some developing tight areas.  Supposedly, if done right, foam rolling can serve as a type of myofascial release, which can help prevent injuries.  What is kinda nice is you can totally control the pressure given to the spot, and is way cheaper than going to a massage therapist (although, don't get me wrong, full body massages are freaking awesome).  

As for the kinds of foam rollers, my gym only has two different varieties...a white foam roller and two black ones.  The two black ones feel a bit harder than the white.  So far, I like the black ones the best, as I feel like I can put more pressure onto them without feeling like it's bending. I usually don't have tight hamstrings or anything like that, but I am the pressure just feels good.  If I go onto my stomach, and support myself like in a plank position, I found that I can get the my quads, if I sorta push and pull myself on the foam roller.  I may occasionally do my IT band area, although I generally don't have problems there. I also use it with my back (hands behind me for support), and I want to figure out a better way to roll out my shoulder areas. I also want to try ones with different textures/grooves to see how I like those.

In the meantime, I will keep using what is available to me, and keep plugging away at these miles. Some of these runs may be faster than others, but as long as I continue to keep getting the job done, that's all that matters.

Happy Running!

Time is flying by (week 10)

I can't believe that I'm through the first 10 weeks of this 30 week training plan.  I still haven't made an official decision on doing the marathon training, but am leaning towards it still because...well...why not?  I'm starting to feel a bit stronger with my runs (runs were 2,3,2.5, 5.5 miles...but did 6 instead), and this week, I had two runs where I felt like I was flying. For one of my runs, I ran most of the run above a 6.0 pace..even faster than 9:30ish 5K pace, and even touched a 6.8 (8:50ish mile). I also had one run where I briefly touched a 7.3 pace, which is somewhere around 8:15/mile.  Holy moses, I was flying!   I definitely couldn't hold that later pace for long, but I did it for a chorus or two of one song...just to prove myself that I could. I came off of those runs tired, but SUPER proud of myself!

Since our weather has suddenly turned really cold, I've been taking my runs to the treadmill for the time being, especially with it being super icy outside. We've had a few days with wind chills in the -15 range, so it's really not safe for anyone to be out running in those temperatures.  Plus, it makes being outside dangerous with the ice.  Also, unfortunately, in my area, many sidewalks are not de-iced, which causes a lot of problems with trying to be out and about.  I think I would almost do better getting to where I need to go with my figure skates than anything else. However, unfortunately, the ice isn't thick enough for that to happen.

Knowing that we had some nasty temperatures headed our way, I decided to switch my long run and my last short run of the week, just in case I decided to stay inside.  I did end up running both days, but ended up being really glad that I did the long run first.  I was scheduled to do 5.5, but felt good enough to do 6, which I did.  The hard part about these longer runs is that I HAVE to go slower.  On this run, I felt like I was going at a decent speed. Then, I made a mistake at looking at the distance. It was much shorter than I anticipated. Then, I looked at the speed and I was only at about a 4.8, which was WAY slower than I was hoping. I swear, treadmills are the biggest liars sometimes!  However, there were times where I did adjust the speed some, depending on what I felt like I could handle, so that speed may have been a "recovery" speed of sorts, but I don't think I went faster than about a 11:30ish pace at tops.

 I know that I shouldn't stress over it, as that's probably the speed that I need, but it did mess with my head a bit.  However, I did my best to push it out of my head.  Then, I realized that I still had some pretty good energy once I hit the 5.5 mile mark, so I decided to push myself just a wee bit further, and finished out strong at 6.0.  I actually felt like that I could have ran more if I slowed down the pace a bit, but I didn't want to push myself too much.

As for the 2.5 mile run, I decided to change things up a bit by running incline intervals. I would run "flat" for about two minutes, then run on an medium(ish) incline for about 2 minutes.  I actually liked this as it provided a bit of variety on this run, and worked my legs just a bit differently.  Plus, there was that mentality of powering through that helped me out mentally ("Come on. You got this. Get your butt up this incline..."). I do have hopes to do at least or two hilly runs outside again somewhere when the weather warms up some, but in the meantime, I'll make due with what I have access to.

As for week 11, it's a set back week in terms of the long distance mileage (only 3 miles), but the other runs are increased to 3 miles a piece.  Then, the week after, it's a 6 mile long run, then the miles start going up from there.  The good news is that I know that I can do the 6 miles, so I should be able to do it again.  If things keep going as a well as they are with this training, you may just see an official announcement of me doing the marathon "for sure." :)

Trying to run on a budget (week 9)

This week , winter had decided to blow through. I've come to realize that I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold and wind...especially when the wind chills hit the single digits. Brrrrrrr......I think I'm finding that my willingness to, run outisde limit is somewhere in the 20s at this point, but only for the shorter runs.  My training schedule ended up being thrown off a bit, as I was suppose to run 3 miles, but we had wind chills in the low single digits.  I even considered trading the 3 miler for a shorter run, but when it came down to it, I just could not make myself run in that cold of weather. I then thought that I could run at my gym....but it's really hard to run when you forget to bring your running shoes with you.  So, with that plan scratched, I thought, "Okay, I will just run three days in row to get back on schedule. I ran FRiday, but didn't realize that my training plan called for 2.5 miles, and not just my normal 2.....ooops.  Saturday came around, and my body basically balked at the idea of running at all.  So, I decided it was just best to skip the three miler, and give myself a flat out rest day.  There wasn't even a freestyle session happening at my rink, and I worked on upper body in gymnastics back on Thursday (made it to the second notch on the knotted rope....YAHOO!!), so I gave myself permission to take the entire day off from any type of physical activity.
in
As for these colder temperatures, I decided to get a pair of Under Armour leggings that I found on sale (gently used) for $25.  I found them through Poshmark, which is a website that sells new and gently used clothing for less than retail value.  I got the leggings, and they fit perfectly....but they're not the wam, fleece-on-the-inside leggings that I was hoping for.  They're more of a base layer type of legging.  They're still a good item to have, but when I was running the othe day, and it was in the 20s, I found myself wearing another pair of leggings over that to have enough warmth for the run.  Despite that, I'm not completely disappointed with the leggings as I also wear them for skating, and are nice enough for me be able to take one of my skating tests in them in a few months, if I want.  Plus, I can just wear them under pants and stuff for some extra warmth with these upcoming cold months.

As for my long run today, I did three miles on the treadmill, ending at just under a 10 minute pace (5.8).  I know that we all complain about being on the treadmill, but today, I was grateful for I'it.  Today I desperately needed the run, as I needed to relieve stress.  I was super stressed about money issues because I stupidly overdrew on my account by a few dollars.  For those of you who may not know me, I've often struggled with finances, although I do work full time.  I'm tired of having this struggle, and have come to realise that I need someone to help me sort things out financially.  Thankfully, our university has a "Money Mentors" program that is free of charge and completely voluntary.  I signed up to have a money mentor to hopefully help me organize my finaces, so that I don't come up short every month.  So far, we have met twice, and I'm trying really hard to make steps in the right direction...such as not touching my savings account.  We're in the process of trying to set up small goals each month.  Like last month was contriI buting a bit more to my savings and to my credit card payment. This month, it's to look through each item line by line on my bank statement and making a list/columns of where my money is going, so that I can establish a realistic budget.  I'm also trying to find out information on my interest rate on my credit card (which I unfortunately cannot get online) and how much money is going to my retirement fund with my job at the high school...stuff like that.

That being said, I was stressed because I was trying to figure out when I could pay my skating coach and a friend of mine who I owed some money to for getting my skates sharpened.  Plus, I was having an issue with my gym membership (which is only $10 a month), because my card wasn't being accepted.  I got that sorted out, but it resulted in my bank account being overdrawn by a few dollars. For me, this was a huge blow this afternoon because I am really trying to get better with my money. I must've cried in the bathroom for a good 30 minutes.  I managed a short warm up walk on the treadmill and a short stretching period, but found myself crying yet again.  I did let my money mentor know what happened, along with one of my best friends. I love my best friend like a sister, but I came to realise that I was coming across in a way that she wasn't deserving of.  My money mentor was super chill with me, and basically told me to focus on getting back into the postive with my bank account.   I was only a few dollars overdrawn, so I knew that in the long run, a few dollars wasn't going to make a huge difference, but at the time, it was a huge blow to my self-esteem.

So, finally about a hour later, I got onto the treadmill, and did my run.  It was a "run to relieve stress" run.  Having the blotchy, "I've just been crying" look probably didn't look too great, but I decided to focus on the job at hand. I had my ipod with my recently downloaded songs that I'm still jamming to, and I tried watching something on the t.v. I didn't like what was on, so I changed channels, but found that I just couldn't focus.  So, I decided to shut the t.v. off, and just focus on running with my ipod playing my new favorite songs on almost full blast.  I was picturing myself running the marathon, or mentally improving routines to whatever song was playing for skating competitions/events.  I also just kinda let my thourghts ramble a bit, while allowing myself to run harder, breathe, and physically beat out the stress that was in me through my legs.  I ended up running 3.25 miles, which was slightly longer than my originally planned "long run" of 3 miles. I felt a lot better afterwards....not my easy going self, but better than what I had coming in.

One of the thoughts I had during my run was related to budgeting.  How does one make a budget for running?  What is considered to be an adequate amount of clothing for runing?  Do I really have enough there, or are new running items more a want?  Did I really need the pair of workout/running capris  and tank top that I just bought for $6? As a whole, what is best for me in terms of paying for things?  Is is better for me to pay things in one chunk (such as my last paycheck always going to rent), or is it better to split things up?What about food? How am I going to manage my food budget when I need increased fuel, especially if I start hitting those longer runs?  Plus, how can I keep fuel for my runs themselves without breaking the bank?  How can I make this budget so that I'm being reasonable and realistic with my budget, without feeling like I'm depriving myself?

Now, if running was my only sport, I probably wouldn't be in as much financial craziness.  However, I'm also involved in figure skating and gymnastics.  I've already set the firm rule that quitting skating and gymnastics is a non-negotiable item for me.  They've become part of who I am, and I've come to love both sports.  I know that a lot of people would say, "Oh. Well, you just have to drop those sports." I do realize that both of these sports are expensive, so I want to figure out a way to make it work, so that I can still participate.  On the skating end, I am willing to not skate a freestyle session once a week or so, and maybe cut out a few public skates, and maybe take a lesson every other week rather than every week. I also get my dresses for cheap (and stone them myself), or I reuse dresses I currently have. My gymnastics gym allows for people to "pay as you go," which is also very helpful.  I guess I feel like everything with trying to come up with a reasonable budget is a mind boggling process.  There's also the thought of obtaining a second job, which may have to happen.  The kicker is that I don't want to feel like I'm constantly working. I put up with that for years, and it's really not a good thing. However, since I don't get paid for breaks and many half days (teachers meetings and stuff).  That would also bring up the question on how I could continue to run/train for this potential marathon, plus still skate and take gymnastics.  I'm trying to stay positive, but it really does make me stress out some with things being so uncertain, and trying to sort it out.

However, since I know things are questionable, the one thing I know I can do is to do what my money mentor is reccommending at each of our meetings (we've only had two so far, but will keep meeting each month), and continue to slowly build from there.  If I try to tackle everything at once, it's going to not end up in a good result.

That beingsaid, at least running, as a whole, is very cheap.  It doesn't cost anything to run outside, so I'm grateful that I am healthy, and able to run. I actually have it very lucky there, as I know many people can't run, or are in much worse financial mess than me. I'm just having to take baby steps, but they're going in the right direction. This overdrawing at the bank was just a minor pothole.  I could be losing a house or car, or out in the streets, but I'm not.  I just hope that things will smooth over a bit better soon, or that new opportunities come up to help me sort out...and possibly improve my situation.

Keep on running!

Back to the treadmill (week 8)

I think winter has been sneaking in here, and we had our first snowfall today.  I had good runs this week, but got thrown through a loop with seeing the snow coming down this morning.  Keep in mind that I don't like winter weather because I hate being cold, especially for running.  I did consider running out in the snow, but it was also windy with the big flakes, and it wasn't quite sticking, making a bunch of slush.  This is not good when you don't have the proper running gear for winter weather running yet (working on that...more about that later).

So, today was my first run at the gym this winter.  This meant hitting the treadmill for 5 miles, and I was initially nervous about the distance.  I don't know why...probably because it feels like a long ways to me, but again, once I got going, the mileage wasn't that intimidating.

As a whole, the treadmill is not my favorite method of getting miles in, but it sure beats running on an indoor track for laps on end.  I brought my ipod, and played some of the new tunes I had recently downloaded. I started off with a 5 minute walk, just to get things moving a bit, then took about 10 minutes to stretch. After that, I hopped back onto the treadmill to start my 5 miles.  It took a few minutes to get use to being on the treadmill, and my legs needed a few extra minutes for warm-up, but I ended up really enjoying the run!  I got into the music on my ipod, was mouthing along with the words, and even mentally changing the lyrics here and there to make them race/finish line related. I was even picturing myself running the marathon, holding a great pace, feeling great, and just enjoying the run.  I kept my pace and distance indicator covered most of the time to avoid the mindset of "Ugh. I've only done X miles at X speed,", but I think I was running somewhere around 10:30 pace (maybe a bit slower) for most of the run.  I varied the speed some throughout the run....ran a bit faster when I felt like I could, then slowed down some when I felt like I needed a bit of recovery.  I finished the last 10th of a mile at a 10 minute pace, and finished somewhere about a minute or two above 50 minutes.  For a marathon pace, that's actually not bad.  I had to remind myself of that towards the end of my run, because I did have that thought of "Am I too slow?" sneak in.  However, I had to remind myself that if I do this marathon, I'm going for distance, not time, and that my pace was really good for me....not for anyone else, but for me.  I certainly won't first finish first, but I wouldn't be last, and, most importantly, finish the race like a boss.

As for fueling, all I needed was some water, which I had on me at the treadmill. About a hour before the run, I realized I was really hungry, as I didn't have lunch.  As I normally like to do, I slept in late, and had some oatmeal, with plans of doing the long run outside, but those plans got foiled.  Then, I remembered there was a gymnastics meet on campus that I was wanting to go see, so I went to that instead, which caused me to not have lunch. In other words, I didn't plan my schedule well. So anyways, I went to our local food co-op, which is in the same building as my gym.  There I was only planning on buying a banana or small snack to tide me over, but found myself buying two slices of pizza and some pesto salad instead.  I wasn't sure on how well it was going to work with me, but it ended up being fine, and I had good energy throughout the whole run.

As for this cold weather thing, I'm trying to still run outside as much as possible. However, I really don't have the warm weather gear for it.  Plus, warm weather gear can be expensive to get.  So, I've done some snooping around online, and came across this site called Poshmark.  It's a website in which people sell (mostly) gently used clothing, including running gear.  I did try on some Under Armour "Cold Gear" running tights at the mall that I found on sale for $25, but neither size fit.  However, I decided that I would be okay with a gently used pair, and found one that will hopefully fit me well for the same price.  I figured it's worth a shot.  Now, I am also trying to find a winter weather/cold gear type of running shirt, as my Nike Pro shirt (which was super cool, as it also had thumb holes) has gone MIA. I *might* have accidently gotten rid of it when I moved to my current place back in August, but I'm not sure.  Plus, I still want a good jacket, and some reflective gear/lights. It gets so dark so fast nowadays after work that I have a narrow time frame to get my run done. At this point, I may be having to run at the gym on the treadmill more because of the daylight issue.

In the meantime, I'll do the best that I can with this weather. I believe in two weeks, I will have my 6 mile long run, and will be making my decision about doing this full marathon training around then. I am still on edge about it a bit, but with knowing that I conquered five miles nonstop today, I'm feeling more confident that I can start running six, and maybe continue on with the training.

Happy Running!

Suck it up, Buttercup (week 7)

This week, I was back up and running again, now that my foot is healed.  Our weather has turned colder and more gray, which is making running much more difficult.  My plans called for 2,3,2,3 in terms of mileage, which isn't bad.  I just did not want to drag my butt out of the door--at least for these three runs. I did my first three mile run of the week on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving), and it was in the 40s and raining.  It took just about every ounce of me to get out there and get that run done.  I even had an errand that I had to do, and the chilly weather and rain didn't make that thought any better.  But, the errand did have to be done, so I could only put it off for so long.Wh

So, I decided that the run was just going to be a case of, "Suck it up, Buttercup," and just get it out of the way.  I dressed in my running leggings, a lightweight long sleeve running top, and a fleece jacket (I don't have a waterproof running jacket).  It wasn't raining hard at the time, so I decided to get it over and done with.  Once outside, I had to give myself some pep-talks...."Come on, a little rain never hurt. You got this. Think about your buddy. Your buddy has it rougher than you.  Alright now, keep going. Us runners are tough. You get bad@$$ points for running in this.  The sooner we get this done, the sooner you cango back inside and take a hot shower..."

Funny enough, that run ended up being a good run!  The three miles didn't really feel like 3 miles. I did make the brief stop for my errand, but I was in and out in about a minute.  What was also helpful that I saw another runner, an older gentleman, on my way back.  We passed each other, and he told me something along the lines of, "We gotta get these miles in somehow." I responded back, "Hey. We get bad@$$ points for this!" That made him laugh, and made me feel better, knowing that I am strong enough to power through the rest of the run (although, I have to admit, my past two half marathons were WAY more wet, and I FROZE afterwards).

I didn't run on Thanksgiving or the day after, since I decided to spend that time enjoying good food and friends/family.  I personally think people should really enjoy food on Thanksgiving, and not really think about calories consumed and all that, unless they have a medical reason.  I've seen postings online with stuff like "If you eat two slices of pumpkin pie, then you need to do X amount of miles,"or, "You will need to do this amount of burpees,"  or, "You will need to do this amount of X workout X times." If I had followed that, I would have had to run 8 miles or something....yeah...not happening there.. I will just sit and enjoy my slices of pumpkin pie, thank you very much. :)

So yesterday my two mile run.  This run was slower, and I think it was partially due to all that I ate on Thanksgiving, plus having four slices of pizza from my favorite pizza place in my hometown on Friday probably didn't help that much. However, I have learned of another food that I can't have before a run......cranberry sauce.  I was craving it the night before, and I had some leftover cranberries, so I made some up.  I ate some of the leftovers during my late morning breakfast (or more likely, brunch, since it was around 11). I did my run a few hours later, and I just feel that stuff not settling well with me. That made me feel really heavy, and kinda tired (maybe too much sugar), and I didn't appreciate having to burp.  That was one run that I was glad to get out of the way. In addtion, it was windy, which made my face cold (yet my body was sweating some), and I could feel a lot of tension in my neck, which I'm guessing is partially from the chilly wind, plus it just being a harder run in general. I was just so ready to be done, and was really glad when I hit my two mile mark, and was back home in the warmth. I ended up back home, under the covers, and developed a bit of a headache, which went away as I rested some and showered. The one positive thing (okay, I'm choosing it to be positive) was that there was a car that went by, and honked at me quite a bit, with a bit cheering.  I didn't catch who was driving, but I decided to think that they were cheering me on, thinking I was an awesome runner.  If I have a tough run or race ahead of me, I might as well have a dose of awesome sauce thrown in, right?

The run today, although I wasn't burping cranberries, was just really tough. I must be running low on my awesome sauce juice or something, as I really wasn't feeling it.  I'm not quite sure why the run was so hard. Even my oatmeal didn't seem to give me the energy boost that I normally get.  Mentally, I was not wanting to run, but I had to do it.  So, this time, I decided on a different direction, just for a change of pace. This direction brought me more into the downtown area and a bit onto campus.  I dragged myself out the door, and got going.  Again, my energy just didn't feel up par, and mentally, I wanted to be back at home.  I was running in my running pants, a long sleeve running top, and a hoodie, so I was warm enough. However, I felt like a turtle trudging through mud. I have no idea what my pace was, as I didn't have my phone on me, but I just couldn't make myself go any faster.

Mentally, I wasn't there either. I about wanted to call it quits when I ran past my block, but I knew I would be mad at myself for not completing the run.  I had all of these negative thoughts going through my head about me just dreading being out there, being so slow, feeling some random aches, wondering what if I have to walk in the marathon, how hard this run is, and who knows what else.  Yet, the other voice in my head was going, "SHUT UP ALREADY! JUST.SHUT.UP! Think about your buddy. Think of him "running" with you for this last bit.  Besides, this whole walking thing, you're already planning on walking through water/aide stops in the marathon if you do it. There's no shame in that. So, just shut up, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Besides, you're almost done. X street is up ahead, and you'll only have a matter of blocks to go from there." I pictured myself running with my buddy for a bit, which did make the run a slightly bit easier towards the end. Plus, I did manage to run just a wee bit faster (pretending I was heading towards the finish line), but man, I was so glad to be done.

I know that these won't be the last of my tough runs, but I really felt that difference between of me wanting/needing to run (for my sanity), and me needing to run because of this training.  It is such a mental game. This makes me wonder on how much tougher mentally the marathon will be if I do it. The physical part is going to be super hard, no doubt about it, but mentally is a whole different race. Yet, at the end of it all, I want it to be 100% worth it.

off week---foot injury

This week, I am grateful that I have some extra time built into my training schedule because I ended up needing it.  Unfortunately, I had a slight injury happen with my left foot when I was in gymnastics on Thursday.  I was working on a handstand drill using a training beam, and when I came down from one of my attempts, I mis-stepped off the of the edge of the training beam, and my foot kinda rolled sideways. I ended up falling to the mat next to me.  At first, it did hurt some, so I spent a few minutes massaging and moving it about. I knew it wasn't serious as I still had my range of motion. The pain lessened after a few minutes, so I thought it was kind of a random thing to happen and that it wouldgo away on it's own as I continued to practice. I got through the rest of practice fine. I did notice that my foot felt slightly swollen in my shoe, was otherwise feeling okay.  I get home, go to bed some time later, and wokee up about 1:30 a.m. with a fair amount of pain, and some loss of range of motion. I could put weight on it, which was a good sign, but I was tentative to do so. I didn't have an ACE bandage, so I wrapped a sock around the middle of my foot, which is where I felt like it needed the most support.

The good thing about this is that I could feel that my foot was improving, almost by the hour.  There really wasn't bruising either.  I'm thinking that maybe I mostly jammed the foot.  Either way, I'm glad that the foot is improving, and I'm hoping to get back on track with this training program this week.

On a happier note, I learned earlier this week that my running buddy, Mateo, turned 3!  I really hope that I can one day meet him and his family.  He is such a huge inspiration to my running, and I can't wait to get back onto the pavement for him.  The only thing I'm not liking that is getting colder outside, and I don't have much in terms of winter running gear.  I will have to make due to with the running stuff that I have for right now, but maybe with the holidays coming up, I can get some cold weather gear either as a Christmas gift or on sale to buy for myself.  I'm trying to avoid running on the treadmill as much as possible still. I know that I will eventually have to do some runs on the treadmill, but I'm still hoping to be outside as much as possible.

One last thing for this week's post: music.  Although I've been running without music more often lately (mostly because of me needing to get my butt out the door in time to run), but sometimes, I still do like running to music. Keep in mind that I mostly run to pop music. I do realize that there are risks with running with music, so I try to take those precautions, and still be aware of my surroundings.  That being said, I decided to add a few new songs to my playlist, as good songs can also help me find inspiration in my run, whether I find that I like lyrics/message (and find myself mentally changing the lryics to make it running/racing related) or just the overall beat.  Feel free to look these up online, and add them to your own playlist if you find ones that you like.

Shakira: Try Everything
Adele: Send Your Love (to your new lover)
Rihanna: Pon De Replay
Walk the Moon: Work This Body
Imagine Dragons: I Bet My Life
Meghan Trainor: Better When I'm Dancing
Sheppard: Geronimo


  

Week 6: Choosy Mom's May Choose Jiff, but I can't

This was one week in which I am glad that I got to run.  For those of us in the states, we had our Presidental Elections, and that has caused tremendous stress for a lot of people. Without getting too political, I realized that regardless whomever is President, that does NOT change me for who I am. I am still a person who still cares for my loved ones and who still wants peace and happiness for everyone. I think there has been a lot of fear and sadness going on, but the only person that I can control is myself.  It may sound selfish, but if I'm really angry or upset, I cannot make rational decisions to help others, let alone focus on what I have to do. ISo, with that being said, I continued to run, despite some emotional hardships I had this week, and running helped my physically deal with that stress.  I needed those short runs (2 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles), as I was able to regroup, and maybe get a bit of an emotional boost that we can all use.

As for my long run today, I am in the beginning stages of figuring out some fueling. In terms of the actual training runs, most of the foods I have been eating have been working fine.  I have found that peanut butter crackers, fried eggs, and oatmeal work well for me. I did make the mistake of eating an enchilada chicken and bean dish for lunch one day.  The beans gave me quite a bit of gas, making me quite gratefull that I was running by myself outside.    Oops!

Today, I was needing some pre-run fuel, as I had a long run of 4.5 miles on the schedule.  To be honest, money is also super tight right now, and groceries are getting a bit scarce, but I found some peanut butter and nutella.  So I mixed some of each in a bowl and ate that.  About 30 minutes or so later, I headed out for the run.  I don't know if I didn't allow for enough time for them to settle, but I could just tell that stuff was not "setting" in my system well.  It was too rich or something, because I really struggled mentally nadn physically through this run, even at a really slow pace.  I almost felt sorta sickish to my stomach, and could taste the peanut butter with some of the burps that happened-eeew.  I'm not sure if it's the particular brand that didn't agree with me, or if it was just too rich for my system to handle. I'm kinda thinking it was the later, as I've done just fine with peanut butter crackers.  Maybe I should've had something else to go with it, like a banana or something, but I'm having to make due with what I have for the next few days.  Whatever it is, I'm mentally marking off that combination as a possible fuel choice.

Mentally, I think I was struggling because of the slower pace that I had to run at.  I think it was also partially due to the fear of running 4.5 miles. It seems so irrational at this point, but I haven't ran that far in quite some time.  Plus, I knew I didn't have the best energy in me. It was like I wanted to go faster, but my body physically couldn't.  Granted, it's been a long time since I've basically ran 4.5 miles in one shot. I did have a few stops for traffic, which I used as a quick breather, and a chance to stretch, but that was it. Since I was struggling, I was questioning if a marathon really is possible for me, and was thinking of the "What's if's" if I do a marathon:

"Man. I'm going at a turtle pace today. What if I do finish last?"
"What if I do throw up at the finish?"
"What if I have to walk more than anticipated? Does that still make me a marathoner?"
"What if I really can't run this race?"

Then, on the other hand (foot?), I was trying to shut that negativity up.  So thoughts like these were crossing my mind:

"Hey. You knew there were would be some rough runs coming up. This is one. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other."
"Think about your buddy, Mateo. He just went through 3 weeks of intense PT/OT and speech therapy for his CP, and handled that like a boss.You can certainly handle this for him."
"Left right left right left right left right..."
"Hey! You're past half way! Come on, one more, then you'll be turning around to head back home!"
"Oh hey! You're closer to home than you expected. That was a long mile, but you got this one. Come on. Get to that mile, then cross X street.  Take a quick stretch and breather there if traffic allows, then run a few blocks past that.  Anything after about 3 blocks is a bonus. Besides, what if you finish this marathon strong? That would be sweet! BTW, walking is acceptable at a marathon. Even walking 26.2 miles is still a marathon distance, and you're already thinking of walking through water/aid stops anyways, so chill out."

As a whole, I don't think this run was a "bad" run. I was out there, and kept putting one foot in front of the other, and just learned a lesson along the way.  I'm now back at home, and anxiously waiting for some crockpot chilli with fresh beans (black, red, and pinto), chicken, fresh sautted onion and garlic, frozen corn, and a crushed fresh tomato to finish cooking.I really wish I had cheese, sour cream, and avacado to go with it, but oh well. This will do for right now.


Happy Running!

Week 2 of possible marathon training

Today marked the end of week 2 of my possible marathon training, with today's long run of being 3.5 miles.  This run, for some reason, was a bit tougher mentally and physically.  However, I thought I was running about an 11:30 pace, but at the end of my run, according to running app ("Map My Run"), I was running closer to a 10:50 pace.  My plan was to run the last few miles of the marathon course, plus a bit of the route that starts the whole race.  Well, I took a wrong turn, and ended up being a bit off from the course...oops. I found my way back, and was running towards the stadium where the finish line is at.  I was picturing people cheering me on, as if I was actually running the marathon, and it sorta made me a bit emotional for a moment.  I know it sounds dumb, but that's what happened.  There's always something about training on the course, picturing yourself coming around that last corner, and running down the incline, and touching the door that leads right into the stadium. For me, this was a BIG morale booster, as during my run itself, I was wondering how on earth would I manage to run 26.2 miles, given how I was feeling on just the 3.5 miles I was doing today. Yet, I was thinking that if I was "only" as tired as I was feeling right then for those last few miles, I would definitely be able to push through to the end. Then, reality kicked in. Chances are that this will NOT be the case, as I will most likely be completely exhausted by that point if I do the full, but will have to trust my body and training to get me to the end, and completely push those thoughts out of my head.

One thing I did realize today is that I really do need to keep track of my mileage, as I want to stay as close to my training mileage as possible.  This includes days in which I do speed work.  I forgot to bring my flip belt, which I use to carry my phone and other small running related items to speedwork, so I couldn't really keep track on how many miles I did.  We did six sets of running 3 minutes at a "hard" pace, followed by 1 minute of a slower pace. I estimated somewhere around 2.25 miles of harder running (approx 600 meters), and maybe about 600 meters of slower running.  I think total, I got in somewhere around 3 miles of work, but I'm not sure.

Normally, I wouldn't be that concerned, but I was planning on running in a 5k today10 , and due to finances, that wasn't the case.  I'm trying to not be too concerned about getting the exact three miles based upon the fact that I ran 4 miles total on Tuesday, and got in at least two miles for speed work.  I just don't want to do too much guesswork throughout the training.  I know that being slightly off here and there isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but I want to be at least close to the mileage.

For cross training, I'm still working on skating and gymnastics.  In my gymnastics class, I've been working on holding handstands (MUCH easier said than done), and working on my "vault" and on front tucks ("flips") into our foam pit.  My "vault" consists of running and jumping off of a springboard with about 7 springs, reaching out to a huge squishy mat (called a "resi" mat), going into a handstand, andfalling flat on my back in as straight of a line as possible. For the front tucks, I'm working on height and speed of my rotation into the pit, which is actually quite fun...a bit scary at first, but quite fun.  Towards the end of class, my coach is having me do some conditioning, which may vary from week to week.  At this point we're mostly focusing on abs and some upper body.  Last week, he had me do 10 slow V-sits (feet and arms up, as if in a V position), then 100 hollow rockers. Hollow is a basic gymnastics position, kinda like that of a banana.  The 100 rockers are KILLER.  I have to do divide those up into sets of 10 or so, with a few seconds rest between each set, as they majorly work everything....abs, legs, arms to an extent, and back.  For this, we literally get into the position, and "rock" ourselves back and fourth. It's WAY harder than itp looks!

Skating wise, I'm working towards putting together a program for my rink's exhibition in November, and continuing to work on improving my speed, edges, jumps, and spins.  I've been working on two new jumps, both of which are hard for me, and one jump in particular, the flip jump, is giving me lots of trouble.  I'm working on improving the technique so that I can hopefully land it soon, but it's just not happening at this point.

Challenge for next week....adjusting my schedule so that I can do my long run before I leave to volunteer at Skate America, whic is a major skating competition (as in Olympians will be competing). I got accepted to volunteer there as a an ice monitor for the actual competitions. I'm totally looking forward to this, but I need to figure out how I'm going to get all of my runs in, including my long run.  I may see if I can change things up a bit, and do my long run towards the middle of the week, then one or two of my shorter runs before I leave. That way, I won't be behind on my training schedule.

On the plus side, I have found one food that seems to work really well with me for runs in earlier in the day...oatmeal.  I just have some of the quick cooking stuff, but mix it with some milk, a bit of sugar, cloves, and/or cinnamon, and heat in the microwave.  It filled me up enough to do the run without it being too heavy, as lon g as I gave it about 30 minutes to digest and go through my system some.  I will have to keep it in mind for the longer runs that I may have.

Food wise, I still haven't hit enough miles yet to really need fuel, but am hoping to start experimenting with those once I stat hitting about 6 miles.  However, this week, I'm thinking of trying some minestrone and some tortilla soup, as I found some soup mix packages, sausage, and frozen chicken breasts.  I figure I can try the sausage with the minestrone, and I know the chicken will go well with the tortilla soup.  I can also add some of my own veggies and pasta to the minestrone soup, plus some avocado to the tortilla soup (and maybe some tortilla chips), so I'm hoping these will turn out really good. :)

Have a great running week!

Possible marathon training first long run (3 miles)

As I had told myself earlier, I was going to do three miles tonight, as planned on the marathon training plan that I have printed out.  We've been experiencing what I would describe as perfect running conditions....upper 50s or so, clear skies, with very gentle wind (being in East-Central Illinois, wind is always a factor), and my body basically telling me, "Let's run! We need this!"  I gave a few thoughts for my buddy that I run for, and tried to picture a conversation we would have about me possibly doing the full marathon.

I decided to take things slow, not only to get in the mileage, but to also enjoy the weather, which ended up being a REALLY nice idea.  Instead of getting the 3 miles, I ended up doing 5 after a short break, and realizing I still had lots of energy left, and wanted to enjoy my run more.  I probably could have squeaked out one more mile, but it was starting to get dark, and so I wanted to get going home.  I ended up running those miles at an approximately 11:30 pace, which felt very comfortable.

In terms of my pace, I'm sure that it's super slow for many of you runners out there, but considering that I may be doing my first marathon, I wanted to sure that I could cover the distance comfortably.  I figure that at this point, it's better to be slower and longer, than faster and shorter. Areas such as speed can improve at a later date, especially if I can mange to continue to do speedwork in the winter months.  I'm also still running with our local running club for "fun runs" on Tuesday nights, and my pace there varies. I've ran as fast as a 9:20 something pace and as slow as an 11:30 pace (and at the same time, I paced a friend of mine to her own personal 5k PR at the 11:30 pace...what a awesome feeling that was for the both of us!). It just all depends on what I feel like my body can handle, and sometimes who I am with.  Regardless of my pace, I'm still running faster than those who sit on the couch.

We'll see how this journey goes over these next few weeks. Now, I just need to X off the long run for today.  One day down....many more to go, but it's one less day I now have to do.

Potential Marathon Training Attempt #2

So I know that I was all gung ho about attempting a marathon last year.  As some of you may have noticed, I basically fell off the face of the earth with the training.  Unfortunately, I realized that the marathon was NOT for me, as my training got super off schedule (and getting sick with a stomach bug didn't help), and I was afraid of risking major injury and stress if I had attempted to continue to train for the marathon.  I honestly found the mileage quite intimidating, and, I came to realize that my heart really wasn't into it.

As for the half marathon I did back in the spring, I did well under the conditions (again, it was cold and raining, but at least no storms this time), although I personally didn't feel as prepared as I ended up skipping a lot of the shorter runs.  However, I did manage a PR of 2:17:56, which was quite shocking for me.  Since then, I've been continue to run, although generally shorter distances, and had worked some on increasing my pace for a 5k (averaging a 9:30ish pace, according to my last timed 5k in August). I am still going to most of the "fun runs" with the running club here once a week, along with going to speedwork on a regular basis.  I have not ran any timed races since the 5k in August, and I'm okay with that, as I generally don't run that many races during the year. However, as a whole, I haven't really been that consistent with my running, although I have tried to make goals of running 10 miles a week. It just hasn't been happening.  I need some sort of plan to gradually increase the mileage, but without the stressfull thought of getting hurt.

Yet...funny enough, I've had the slight idea of attempting the Illinois Marathon here again.  I honestly don't know if I can seriously commit to it, but I have came across a plan that sounds much more do-able in terms of very gradually building the mileage.  IF I were to attempt the full marathon "for real" this time, I would have to start with my first long run tonight.  I have ran one other time this week, totalling four miles, so skipping the first few miles won't kill me.  What I'm considering using is Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Supreme program, which is over the course of 30 weeks.  If I start this plan today, I would have about 3 weeks leeway, in case something was to come up, as the race is on April 22 (and hopefully, we will have good weather this time).  Ideally, I would like to have at least a god week or so where I don't run at all, except for a few short "shake out" runs, so that I can be well rested, fueled up, and all that good stuff.

So, in the meantime, what I'm thinking is attempting at least the first few weeks of the program (say up to week 6 or so), and decide from there if I want to continue on with the training.  That way, at least I'm gradually gaining some mileage, Even if I decide to not do the full, I will at least have some decent "base mileage" under my belt again to make the training for the half a bit easier.  If I do the half again, I do not know at this point which program I will use, but it will most likely be a slightly more advanced option through Hal Higdon again.

Cross training wise, I'm still figure skating and taking gymnastics.  This is where the thought of getting injured concerns me, especially as my mileage increases as I'm still very active in both sports. I'm often skating at least 3-4 days a week, with being in gymnastics one night a week (just a hour though).  With that much demand on my body, I may not get a lot of pure rest days, which is a bit of a bothersome thought.  What I might have to do, especially later on in the training, is potentially cut down a bit on the skating to allow for better rest with my legs.  However, that is a decision I will make further down the line, when and if I get to that point.

In the meantime, here's the link to the training plan that I am considering, and we'll see what happens!
http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51143/Marathon-Novice-Supreme-Training-Program