Marathon Training

Wiped out hard!

2008-04-15T10:09:00.002-04:00

What a beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky. 40 degrees. Did 3.82 miles in 45:35. I bumped up my intervals to 5 min run/ 2 min. walk. I figure it's easier to step up the intervals when you're running shorter distances. I totally wiped out during the last mile. Bloodied up my hand and gave my right hip a raspberry. That's my very first running wipe out ever. I didn't wipe out once all during training last year. And of course just as I'm picking my sorry butt up....one of my neighbors drives by. Murphy's law don't ya know.

I need a calorie free cookie!

2008-04-09T18:53:00.003-04:00

Squeezed in another hour on the elliptical. I LOVE my elliptical. It's the only cardio machine that I can do and still read! I'm reading a fabulous book..."Rockabye: From Wild to Child"...made the time go by VERY fast...a great book goes a very long way when your working out! Imagine that...burning over 600 calories (at least that's what the machine tells me) while reading a book. Wooohooo! Doesn't get better than that. Well it could actually...someone could come up with a way to burn that many calories while eating these damn M&M cookies that I've been inhaling for the last 3 days...UGH! I begged my hubby to take them to work to get them out of the house...he forgot.

I need some motivation!

2008-04-08T13:57:00.002-04:00

Well I felt really good after Saturday's run. I wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be. Spent the entire day Sunday doing yard work and woke up Monday morning barely able to move. I'm sore...I mean REALLY sore! My back is killing me and legs hurt like hell from all the landscaping squatting. I haven't slept good the last 2 nights because of my aching body. So I'm complaining about all this now to explain why I didn't do my planned run this morning. Maybe I'm making excuses...I don't know...maybe I need to run when I feel this awful...but it didn't happen today. That's the bad news. The good news is I spent an hour on my elliptical instead. A little less impact.

I'm at it again!!

2008-04-05T18:27:00.004-04:00

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! Winter is behind us. Spring is finally here. The snow is completely melted and I saw a Robin Last week. Which mean....drum roll please....

It's time to start move'n again. Our group started with the training last Saturday and we all discovered that we are ridiculously out of shape. Back to square one with the training. It still blows my mind away that just 5 measly months ago I ran 26.2 miles and now I struggle to get through 1. I lost it all! So, both last Saturday and today we did 6 miles of interval training. 3 minutes running / 2 minutes walking. We were struggling to breathe in the end but I remember from last time that it took me about 5 or 6 weeks to get the breathing under control. So I had hoped this past week to get at least 2 more runs in but that didn't happen because of my husbands work schedule...eh-hem...but I'm hoping to get back on track this week.

The weather was gorgeous today...60 and sunny...doesn't get any better than that. And there were loads of people at the park enjoying the weather. Good day! Good day!

I did it!

2007-10-21T19:31:00.000-04:00

And survived! It wasn't pretty but I finished! My official time was 5:19:51.

Where do I start??.....I guess I can start by saying that I totally underestimated how painful and difficult this would be. I started the day thinking that it would be a repeat of my 20 miler only a little more difficult the last 6 miles...the last couple miles of the 20 miler were hard but certainly doable and I felt great when I finished. But I'm slowly learning that each run is a new experience and if the planets aren't aligned just so....it can inexplicably make a run....not so good. I tried to do and eat everything the same...and the weather couldn't have been more perfect....so....naturally....I thought it would be a perfect and blissful experience. Well, let me tell you.....

The first 13 miles I felt incredible....my legs were loose...my mind was inspired and fresh....the weather was perfect...I was enjoying it, taking it all in, and kicking butt (relatively speaking). My official time at the half was 2:23:17....which was right on track for finishing in under 5 hours. Kelly who has had injuries plaguing her training wasn't going to run it at all but decided at the last minute to try. Her and I ran the 1st 13 miles together. It was awesome...and for someone who's training has been continuously interrupted because of injuries ...she was doing an incredible job. Dan and the boys were waiting for me to cheer me on with the signs they made at about the 9th mile when I came back over through the tunnel and then again at about 13.5... gave me a big hug and I was on top of the world.....it was about that time that I lost Kelly.....and from that point on I started falling apart.

I'm going to completely digress here for a moment to tell you about my boys' signs.....since the beginning of this my boys keep asking "so are you gonna win mom?" and I have to over and over again explain to them that NO I was not now or EVER going to win a marathon but it was only about the journey and FINISHING the 26.2 miles....that's a difficult concept for 2 competitive boys....so Saturday night at the TNT sponsored spaghetti dinner they pulled all the kids from the room and brought them to a room next door to help them make signs to support their loved ones....I laughed when I saw my kids signs.....all the other kids brought out signs that said "you can do it!" and "we're proud of you"......MY boys, however, wrote "FINISH MOM!"...LOL!

At the same spaghetti dinner my friend Traci was recognized and given a plaque by the TNT powers that be for recruiting 4 friends to do this along with her.....how cool is that??!!

So, back to my unraveling.......At around the 14th mile my lower back and hips started really aching. So, in the past I've found that when something is sore during a run it really helps me to stop and stretch it....so I stopped to stretch....and I could never get back in the groove from that point on...my back, hips, and lower abdomen were really hurting by the 16th mile when I got to the entrance to Belle Isle....Diane and her husband were at the entrance to the bridge over waiting for me with orange slices, bless their heart, and she ran a short distance with me to help remotivate me and then went back to meet me when I returned back over the bridge at mile 20. The whole 3 or 4 miles on Belle Isle were rough....I ran a little and walked a lot....but I was in a lot of pain. When I met up with Diane she told me she'd run the rest of it with me....the whole last 6.2 miles to the finish....I have serious doubts that I would have finished this without her support...... I'm so blessed to have her in my life! I was in a really bad place at that point....I'm glad I didn't bring my cell phone because I really think I would have used it to call for a ride back to the finish. I tried to run as much of it as I could for the next 2 miles but by the 22nd mile I just couldn't do it. I walked the next 3 miles straight and Diane was wonderful about it. God bless her for putting up with my sour butt for that long. I did nothing but complain about how miserable I felt for 3 miles straight...probably longer....I could hear myself continuously complaining but just couldn't stop....I was disappointed in my time and frustrated with how much pain I was in and she just listened and encouraged the entire time. At one point I was feeling like such a negative sour puss and everyone around me with there shouts of encouragement and praise were getting on my every last nerve that I leaned over and asked her to tell the guy next to her to shut the f-ck up! Instead of calling me out on my bitchiness she told me that I earned the right to hate everyone at that point...LOL! God bless her!

But then the end was near and Dan and the boys were waiting for me at the 25th mile and started running with me! It was awesome having them running along side me for that last mile....it kept me going. At the start of that last mile I got a shooting nerve pain through my lower back and actually yelled out and doubled over in pain but it went away quickly....I started running again and realized that I felt NO PAIN...and sprinted (well, I felt like I was sprinting anyway, the truth is I was probably only running a 12 min mile...lol) the rest of the way to the finish.

And when you cross the finish line you then have the impossible task of walking the 1 mile back to the hotel...I wanted to cry!

So I've been sitting here trying to analyze all this to figure out what went wrong and I just don't know. Originally I thought I went out too fast but after looking at my times and comparing that to my times from the 20 miler...I just don't think that's it. My Average time for the first 1/2 was 10.9 min/mile. Which is about right for me....maybe a little fast but not fast enough to do me in..... Then I wonder if all my stopping to stretch may have actually been hurting me instead of helping...everyone keeps saying just keep moving don't stop....so maybe that was it. I didn't take Motrin before I started which probably would have helped prevent the pain from getting so bad. Or......maybe......the planets weren't aligned just so. Who knows.

So, in the moment I was frustrated and mad that after all this hard work I wasn't going to be able to run it all....or finish it in under 5 hours......I was in so much pain that I was seriously thinking "never again"....."I'll switch to the 1/2 marathon in the future".....but now after some time to come to my senses I have realized that the joy of this experience has been through the journey of getting here. My friends and I raised over $10,000 for a great cause. Back when my dad had Leukemia....Leukemia was a death sentence....now through the research that is made possible by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society stem cell transplants have changed that death sentence to one of hope....It really doesn't matter whether I do the 1/2 or full....I've found a sport I love and will continue doing for a long time. It's a lot like child birth.....you tend to forget the traumatic experience once it's over. And now it's over....and every square inch of my body hurts.... So I plan to take the next 2 or 3 weeks off from running to let my body heal...my right heel and left ankle need some time to TRULY heal....so I'll take that time off and then get back on the wagon.

things I plan to do different next time....

1) I'm adding strength training to my running training!

2) I'm going to add core strength to my running training!

3) I'm going to take Motrin before running!

4) NO STOPPING TO STRETCH!!!

Somewhere on Belle Isle someone....a complete stranger who was reading my shirt, came and patted me on the back to tell me my dad would be proud....that just did me in! I was already an emotional basket case and that just threw me over the edge.

Traci and I before the race started ......waiting to start the 1 mile walk to the start line....as if the 26.2 miles weren't enough!

This is the coral and the start line when we first started....we were packed in like sardines! Pictures are horrible but I was moving and it was still dark.

Crossing the Ambassador Bridge into Canada....the sunrise view was beautiful....I took a picture of the sunrise but it didn't turn out.

Me and Kelly at about the 5th mile. Notice that we're still smiling....those smiles disappear in about 10 more miles....

Running in Canada Miles 4 - 9...it was somewhere in here that Kelly and I were running behind a guy that had a sign on the back of his shirt that said...."I signed up for a marathon and got a girlfriend"....we thought that was cute.

The tunnel back to Detroit....the blur of the picture is how I was feeling through here...it was SO hot in there!

My saint of a friend Diane walking with me during those last few miles!

Me during the last few miles....that smile is pasted on....in fact, if you look closely you may see the glue seeping from the edges of my lips....

Me with my 3 boys at the finish.....I'm feel'n a little guilty that we didn't bring Jordyn.....

I'm editing this post to add the following picture....Traci and Kristina's picture was in today's paper...the Free Press had a whole section on the marathon.....all the names and times were listed. I was able to find and save the picture on line. Here it is.....Awesome job guys!!!!

PS.....they're the 2 on the right in the purple shirts.

Sub zero weather may not be so bad after all!

2007-10-18T11:32:00.000-04:00

I think my hatred for the winter has been trumped by my hatred for the treadmill. I try to keep a positive attitude about it thinking that my positive thoughts will become a reality....you know the whole "secret" theory....yeah, not so much! 3.5 miles of running and walking....couldn't bring myself to run the whole 3 miles...I was hating it. I should've just ran in the rain....oh well.

3 days!!!!

MY NAME IS IN THE PAPER.......wooohhoooooo!!!!!!! Todays paper has a whole section on the Detroit Fress Marathon and on page 20R is ME....along with the names of the other 10s of thousands of participants.....get your magnifying glass out to see it...but never mind that....IT'S THERE! And I'm number 7040!

Jordyn update.....after all that it must have been something she ate because she woke up this morning happy as a clam! Can't figure out what it could've been because everything she ate was pretty benign as far as potentially containing anything bacterial....and me and the boys ate the same dinner she did..... turkey sandwiches (the turkey was bought less than 24 hours ago).....and no one else got sick. So either it was a school snack or it was a less than 12 hour flu bug....go figure! THANK YOU JESUS!

wagers anyone?????

2007-10-17T20:48:00.000-04:00

OMG! I think my daughter has the stomache flu....the stomache cramping been in the bathroom 10 times in the last 3 hours shit her pants twice because she can't make it to the toilet fast enough gonna puke bucket at the side of the bed stomache flu....would anyone like to start placing wagers on my health for Sunday??? Extra pocket cash may be helpful in these difficult times...........

God help me........forget the prayers for weather......I can deal with cold....I can deal with hot....I can deal with thunderstorms .......or even hail......just keep me healthy till Sunday night.....

So on a scale of 1 - 10 how bad is it that my poor daughter is lying in bed miserable with the stomache flu and all I can think about is.....please God keep me healthy till this marathon is over? Go ahead....be honest.....I know.....

Jordyn's teacher.....

2007-10-17T15:23:00.001-04:00

started asking me about my training. Asked how it was going and if I was enjoying it....and then asked ....."so have you lost any weight with all this training?".......LMAO!....to which I responded "one would think so wouldn't one?"......so lets think about this.....I've heard that you burn 100 calories for every mile you run (some say it's even more than that) so lets assume for the sake of argument that this is correct.....which means that for instance when I ran my 20 miler a couple weeks ago I theoretically should have burned 2000 calories....how does a person burn 2000 calories in one day and NOT lose weight??? I mean NOT EVEN A POUND????!!!!!! Take a week at a glance....on average in the last couple months I've been logging in between 25 and 35 miles...so how many calories must I have ingested in that time to not even lose ONE POUND!!! HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!!!??????????

OMG!

2007-10-16T20:07:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! 5 days!!! I've been praying for 60 and sunny on Sunday and as of this morning the extended forecast is calling for 72 and sunny.....I'll take it! Did 3 miles on the treadmill today. Felt great! Started decorating my TNT shirt today. Put my name in neon yellow on the front....which my daughter of course felt compelled to stick her fingers in before it dried so the neon yellow "y" from my name is smeared....I've been told that if you put your name on your shirt people from the sidelines will shout out encouragement. ....Printed and laminated my "in memory of" page for the back of my shirt....still have to have the kids put their handprints on it.

Diane told me today that she hopes to meet me somewhere near the end to run the last couple miles with me....I just love you Diane.....she made me a little teary eyed when she told me that....I'll probably be a blubbering idiot at that point...with each passing day I get more and more teary eyed everytime I even THINK of the finish...so I can't imagine the mess I'll be when I actually get there....It's been an emotional journey for me.....certainly "cheaper than therapy".

I'm ready!

2007-10-13T10:53:00.000-04:00

Today was our last long training run before the big day and it felt great. 8 miles in 1:25....that's a 10:37 mile average! I felt wonderful! It was cold as hell (started in 37 degrees) but I went on a little winter run shopping spree recently and loaded up on warm gear.....I was toasty warm by mile 2! I'm READY! It amazes me that 8 miles feels like nothing now. I feel no soreness at all. 16 weeks ago I ran my first 8 mile run and it seemed so daunting to me....I was ridiculously sore afterward and now it's just a piece of cake....heehee....who'da thought!??? This weeks challenge will be keeping myself healthy. I think I just may quarantine myself in my house to keep away from the cooties. I'm going to become a neurotic germophobe for the next week!

For anyone who's actually following this blog and interested.....on race day you can track my progress through the marathon as I'm running. Apparently they give me some sort of a GPS chip to attach to my shoe that tracks my run and you can log onto the Detroit Free Press Marathon web site while the marathon is actually taking place and find out where I'm at. You can go to this site http://www.detroitmarathon.com/events--races/marathon.html
and find the "track runner"...... or something like that.....type in my name and they will tell you where I'm at and my time at specific splits in the race. Kinda neat.

11 days & counting

2007-10-10T12:59:00.000-04:00

Sucked it up on the treadmill for 6 miles. Listened to Middle Sex audio book down loaded on my ipod. I'll have to relisten to the part I was supposed to be listening to.....ugh.....not sure what it is about the gym that makes me unable to focus....but I keep trying....maybe it's a learned skill that will take time. But I CAN say that today was a little more tolerable than the past treadmill days and I think it's because I tried to push myself....for instance, I did a couple 1/4 mile sprints at a 9 minute mile pace and a couple 1/4 mile incline segments....it was tough but seemed to make the time go by a little quicker by breaking in up. I felt really good today. But got a little nervous when I walked for a cool down because I was getting those really bad heart palpitations again.

At the risk of sounding morbid......I noticed today's date.....I'm reminded of what inspired me to do this to begin with. Tomorrow, Oct 11th, marks the 30 year anniversary of the end of my Dad's battle with Leukemia.

I've officially decided on Chicago next year!

2007-10-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Ran an easy and very enjoyable 3 miles this morning....no gps and no water bottle strapped to my butt. Just me and my ipod! I'm very happy to be over the hump of training and now the runs are enjoyable again....I have to admit that I was getting a smidge burnt out these last few weeks. Now I'm getting excited. I'm almost there. My easing off the last week really helped my sore ankle and heal. They're almost completely better.

So it's official....I haven't even completed my 1st marathon and have already decided on next years' marathon....Chicago. I'm going to try a new marathon in a new state each year.....that's my goal......for as long as my body will allow me.....or until it stops being enjoyable. This has been a life changing adventure for me and I plan on repeating it over and over again. Obviously this isn't for everyone. There are a few in our group who say "NEVER AGAIN!". But at least they gave it their best shot and TRIED! I respect that! Even through all my complaints and struggles I've enjoyed every aspect of this. & I've somehow been lucky enough to avoid any major physical injuries to hold me back....I'm sure that won't always be the case and I'm sure I should be knocking on wood since the marathon is still 2 weeks away....I probably just jinxed myself! I haven't even lost a single toenail yet!! YEAY! I'm not sure I with my toe fetish could have handled a blow like that!

Chicago marathon

2007-10-07T18:36:00.000-04:00

My friend Diane ran the Chicago marathon today and TMed me that it was "absolutely the worst experience of her life". Her husband said that it was the hottest Chicago marathon they've had in over 30 years. Apparently 4 hours after the start of the race they actually closed the route and stopped the marathon because of the heat. Most continued on but were forced to walk it....she said you couldn't run if you wanted to at that point because of the number of people. Found this news article on line....1 person actually died.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/420/story/160897.html

She finished it anyway.....Diane, you are my hero!

2 weeks left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

14 miles in 2 hours 40 minutes (11:29 mile average). Wasn't the best run I've ever had but what did I expect after a week of slacking. Only did the 2 days of elliptical....Tues and Wed....my body needed the rest so I don't feel guilty in the least...I may regret it come marathon day but right now in the moment I'm glad I took the 6 days off.

Came home today to blissfully relax and calmly read a chapter in my book and reflect on my 160 minutes of solitude while in a tub full of ICE WATER......NOT!!!!!!!!!....... My legs feel great but now my back and jaw aches from the intense shivers that ran through my spine and teeth for 20 minutes!!!! Cured one ache only to acquire a new one! I'll be thankful in the morning.....I guess.

I would also like to add that my wonderful neighbors...Scott and Ilene Sipp just gave me a donation of $50 but for some reason I can't log into my account to "manage offline donations" and add their name to the list....I wanted to give them credit but couldn't....it may be because we're so close to the marathon...not sure. So their name isn't on my TNT donation page .....I tried. Thank you!

almost feel'n normal again!

2007-10-03T14:00:00.000-04:00

Another elliptical day....only did 30 minutes....having a tough time squeez'n in these runs lately. But my body is thanking me. Today was the first day since last Saturday that I didn't wake up limping (crawling would probably be a better description). Tomorrow will be another elliptical day although I'm not too sure when I'll get it in. Then Saturday we do 14 miles. We're almost there.....only 11 days left......can I get an AAAAAAAAAAAA--MEN!!!!!!!!!!

I've decided to continue this blogging when the marathon is over...But I'm thinking I may just do it on MySpace. It'll be a blog for my kids ....intitled "This is My Life". ....that ebay lady inspired me. I always intended on keeping a journal for my kids when they were younger to document all the incredibly cute, funny, and of course STUPID, things they do....yes I said stupid because now that my oldest son is 10 many of the things he does can in fact be called stupid....maybe not the politically right term for it but true non-the-less. Now that I'm scrapbooking I need something to help me remember these moments....and I think it would be neat for them to look back and read one day. My memory is fading faster than a snowflake these days and I really want to preserve these moments.

EDIT: Way off!! Let's try 18 days left!!!!

I'm walking again

2007-10-02T10:50:00.000-04:00

First off.....Man I screwed up big time on Saturday by not taking the ice bath when I got home. I hurt so bad I can't stand it. Then I talked to Traci and she and Kristina feel fine.....because they took the ice bath. I've been gimping around for 3 days now...today is the first day I woke up and felt somewhat better. Still not up to running so I did the elliptical again for 70 minutes. I was thinking I had pulled my calve muscles they hurt so bad....but my legs actually feel better now after the work out. I think the elliptical is a good thing for my ankle and heel anyway. Pounding the pavement everyday is taking it's toll. This week is going to be tough getting my miles in because I have 2 preschool field trips to attend with Jordyn.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I did it! And I'm still walk'n!

2007-09-29T14:13:00.000-04:00

Man, what a rush! I just ran 20 miles! I never thought I'd be able to truthfully say those 5 words! Not only did I finish but I ran the entire 20 miles....and finished in 3:44....an 11:14 mile average. HOLY SHIT!!!!!!! It felt awesome until the last mile and then my legs didn't want to work anymore...but I kept shuffling right along....I kept chanting to my self...."keep on going almost there....keep on going almost there"....and "give me a shove dad give me a shove....give me a shove dad give me a shove".....over and over again until the end was in sight. The last 2 pictures were taken at the 1/2 way mark.

For any skeptics out there who still doubt this devine intervention I'm always talk'n about....I've got another story. Got to the park this morning and had actually forgotten during the 1 hour drive about the whole it's my Dad's birthday thing. We were all lining up in the street to start the run and I said to my friend Traci...."oh my gosh, I almost forgot....know what today is?" and she says smiling "yeah I read it in your blog". NOT 2 MINUTES later there were 2 women standing directly in front of us and one turns around and says...."Hey every1 it's my friend here's birthday...she's 30 years old today" and everyone started singing happy birthday.... OMG!!!!!!! I'm not making this up....Traci and Kristina saw/witnessed the whole thing!

So Happy Birthday Dad!....and thanks for the shove(s). LOL!

feel'n great

2007-09-27T11:19:00.000-04:00

Ran 6 straight through this morning. Felt really good. Weather was perfect. I'm ready for 20 baby bring it on!

I'm editing this post to add that I just realized today's date....this Saturday is my dad's birthday. He would have been 59 years old on Sept 29th. How ironic that his birthday is on the same day I'm doing my 20 miler.....coinkidink??!!.....NOPE! = )

I cheated....kind of

2007-09-26T14:50:00.000-04:00

Woke up this morning to pouring rain and didn't feel like getting soaked. I also didn't feel like running on the treadmill so I ended up doing an hour on the elliptical. I say I cheated by not getting in my 5 miles of running....but I was far sweatier after an hour of that than I ever am when running....it sure didn't feel like i was cheating! I can see my progress in my fitness level even in the elliptical. Before starting this training I would occasionally get on it and always did the same 30 minute program. It's an interval program that spikes in intensity 4 times. This machine has a thingy on it that lights up one of 5 different levels of intensity....the goal is to keep the center one or "target" lit...if 1 of the 2 before it are lit then your not working hard enough....it 1 of the last 2 are lit then you are working too hard. When doing this program before starting this training I could never get up to the center 1 because it was too hard...I was trying to make that my goal but never achieved it...but TODAY....man, I'm a lean mean elliptical butt kicking machine!! LOL! I had it lit at and above the target range the entire time! WOOHOOO!

On another note....I've decided that I'm going to have to make peace with the treadmill before winter hits. Because there are 2 things that are for certain about me....1) I hate winter even more than I hate the treadmill! & 2) If I fall off the training wagon after the marathon and end up losing all the progress I've made in my running abilities by next spring....I can guarantee that I will never work up the courage to start all over again....it has been way too hard to get where I am to fall off and have to start over in the spring. It just won't happen. So I can't let that happen....I have to keep up with this through winter and I will NOT be out running in below freezing weather. SO....I have to make peace with the treadmill! Not sure how to do this. The last time I was on the treadmill...last week or 2....I spent the entire hour 1) trying to count (and recount) the zits on the back of the neck of the guy in front of me....2) trying to count how many times my left foot hit the track in .1 miles.... .2 miles.... .3 miles...etc 3) tried counting how many times the chick beside me said the word "like" to her friend on her other side....it's just mind numbingly boring...I've tried watching movies on my ipod but I have a difficult time seeing the screen because it's so tiny and even more difficult time concentrating on the story line....same thing with the downloaded audio books...I can't seem to concentrate when I'm in a gym on the treadmill. That's why I like the elliptical because I can read a book while on it....I can't do that while running on a treadmill. I have to figure out a way to some how get over this extreme loathing of the treadmill.

Freeing myself of the burden of improving my time!

2007-09-25T10:21:00.000-04:00

Ran 6.........well.........technically..........oh, never mind!....I'm so damn caught up in listing every single walk break that I take....and every single pee break that I take.....like I'm some how cheating by resting my legs every now and then & sitting down on the job because I have to use the restroom....for PETE'S SAKE!!!! In reviewing my past blog entries I realized how obsessed I've become with this. SO NO MORE!!!! I read an article in a running magazine that emphasized that even the best of the best take walking breaks and it improves their time....but you don't hear these world class athletes saying "yeah, I ran the marathon in 2 hours 43 minutes.....BUT....I had to take a couple walk breaks.....oh, and I had to pee at mile 10"......for cry'n out loud!!! I went out today without my gps watch because I'm tired....so so tired....of staring at my wrist every 60 seconds to see what my pace is. I keep saying that I don't care what my time is and yet I'm obsessed with keeping track of it! So I've made the executive decision to keep the gps at home for the weekday runs and only bring it along on my long runs. And I feel liberated because of it......I'M FREE!!!! And quite frankly I think my window of opportunity for improving my time has been closed for a few weeks now. In my mind this last month of training is about increasing the mileage and not increasing speed.

So today's 6 miles felt ok...legs felt pretty heavy...I'm still very sore from Sundays 16 miler...I could definitely tell the difference this week without the ice bath....last week after the ice bath I had minimal soreness....but this week I didn't do the ice-bath & I'm very sore. The humidity was a little suffocating...but I did it.

This Saturday the TNT group is hosting a 20 mile "mock marathon" somewhere near Ann Arbor....I think.......I'm actually looking forward to it...This 20 miler is the peak of our training and then the training tapers off for the next 3 weeks. That's probably why I'm looking forward to it....it marks the turning point of our training! Hallelujah!!! I'm still enjoying this sport and I'm enjoying seeing the progress I've made in the last 4 1/2 months....I enjoy working towards a goal...I'm a very goal oriented person....it's what keeps me going....BUT.....I really need a break. I'm tired. So very tired. After Sunday's long run I felt Awful....just couldn't get off the couch. I layed there all day thinking....WHY am I doing this to myself?! With that said...I have no doubt that I'll be doing this to myself again next year and probably repeating those exact same words.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Focus on your potential instead of your limitations."

started out good.....but fizzled

2007-09-23T11:36:00.001-04:00

Ran 16 today. Ran the 1st 10 straight through and felt awesome. Had a 10:58 average pace going up until then. I didn't want to stop because I feeling so good but I had to refill my water bottle...the parking lot where the drinking fountain is was completely blocked off with a temporary fence because they had some boat race thing going on. So I had to walk all the way around to find an opening to get to the bathrooms where the drinking fountain is. I decided to skip the bathroom at that point because I really didn't have to go and my pace was already suffering because of the search...so I started back up again and withing 1.5 miles my stomach started rumbling....not good....so I stopped to use the restroom and ended up in there for about 10 minutes....now my pace is REALLY suffering!....I'm investing in a super stock supply of Imodium today!....then I get out of there and the last 4 miles were a struggle because of the horrible stitches that I had in my sides...they would NOT go away. I kept trying to walk and bend over pushing on the stitch...I tried to deep breath (all the remedies I've heard over the last several months)....nothing worked...so I'd walk until the pain was bearable again and then run until it became unbearable again....I did that for the last 4 miles. Ended up walking a lot of it. In the end my average pace ended up being 12:04. I was very disappointed...the 1st 10 went so well....I was on a role! Damn it! The good news is...I can run 10 miles straight now...the bad news is I doubt I'll hit my original goal of finishing in under 5 hours. I keep peetering out in the end. But that's OK...as long as I'm not the last 1 over the finish line I'm good!

yuck

2007-09-19T14:01:00.000-04:00

Had every intention of running 5 today but by the time I got out there it was already 80 degrees. I only made it 4.37 miles and actually walked 3/4 of a mile of it. Did not feel good. Felt very weak and I just had no energy. Tomorrow will probably be just as ugly because I won't be able to get out there until late. O-well. I think it's safe to say that I will never be training for a summer marathon. Or a hot climate marathon. I may be nuts but I'm not THAT nuts. Some of us running friends are thinking about the Chicago marathon for next year. We'll see.

Maybe dodge park isn't so bad after all

2007-09-18T12:17:00.001-04:00

Ran at Dodge Park again...because quite frankly it's much more convenient and close. There are so many senior citizens walking the path that I can't believe anyone would chop me up right there. LOL! I forced myself to not keep looking over my shoulder but it didn't help that I was listening to a James Patterson murder mystery that I had down loaded on my ipod.

Anyway, ran 8 miles in 1:33. Thats an 11:37 min mile average. Took a 3 minute break to walk and use the rest room half way through. My pace has slowed quite a bit in the last few weeks and I'm sure it's because of the number of miles we're putting in now. The next 2 weeks will be rough but then the training intensity slows drastically for the last 3 weeks before the marathon to help our bodies recover and prepare itself for the big day. I'm REALLY looking forward to the last 3 weeks...and so is my body! My feet could use the reprieve.

18 miles!!

2007-09-15T13:01:00.000-04:00

Ran 18 miles this morning and considering the fact that I ran that on only 4 hours of sleep I'm very proud of myself. Finished it in 3 hours 36 minutes. It was very cold! 43 degrees. I don't like to be cold! I'm praying for 60 and sunny on marathon day! My pace was pretty slow with an average of 12:03/mile. I took 1 minute walk breaks about every 3-4 miles....2 of those breaks were longer breaks at 7 and 15 to stretch my legs a little. My hips were killing me when I finished. I actually went a little further than the 18 miles but walked the extra 1/2 mile or so to cool down ....walking at that point was very painful....it actually felt better to be running. My left ankle was bothering me more today too. Came home and finally gave the ice bath a try. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and it helped tremendously...between that and the motrin my legs aren't aching nearly as bad as they were last weekend. K....I need a nap now.

Night-night

I think I'm done with Dodge Park

2007-09-13T12:47:00.000-04:00

Dropped Jordyn off with Aunt Monica so I could get my run in today. Had to do 6. Planned on going to Stoney but after dropping J off I just didn't feel like driving all the way up there. So...I decided to bite the bullet and go to Dodge Park. I can't run there alone anymore. I'm a freak. A paranoid freak! I had pepper spray in my hand and I was still a freak. I had a hard time listening to my ipod because I kept turning it way down thinking that if someone snuck up behind me I'd never hear them. Completely irrational I know...but there you have it.....I'm an irrational freak!

On a positive note...the weather was beautiful! Cool and sunny. I took it very easy today because my legs are extremely sore. The last week has taken it's toll on my legs. I've run 35 miles in the last 5 days. My right heal is still giving me grief and my left ankle is bothering me again. So I took 3 walk breaks and averaged an 11:30/mile pace.

Just another typical day!

2007-09-12T20:27:00.000-04:00

Ran 5 miles today - stuck close to home. It'll take me a little more time to get over my trauma drama from last weeks' run in Dodge Park. In the past week my mind has warped that poor man from being an innocent bystander who happened to get injured into a crazy lunatic who had some devious plans to chop me up into little pieces and feed me to the squirrels. I now plan on running with the key chain pepper spray that has been hanging untouched from my key rack for over a year. Some may argue that I'm being paranoid; I prefer to think of it as being slightly overly cautious.

So I finished my 5 miles in 55:05. Ran it straight through without stopping mainly because I was so pressed for time that I had no choice.

I started out the day with a 10 am appointment with another patio estimate guy. Fed Jordyn lunch and got her to school by noon. Rushed home to get my 5 miles in - had just enough time to take a quick shower before picking her back up from school at 2:30. Rushed home again to get dinner started. Yes....dinner....So that when the boys got home at 3:30 they can scarf it down so we can get out the door for gymnastics which starts at 4:30. Only - I hadn't taken anything out for dinner so the gourmet menu for the evening ended up being egg/ham/cheese sandwiches with a side of apple slices. Hey - it was the quickest, easiest, & healthiest thing I could come up with at the last minute. Protein, starch, dairy, fat, fruit - 5 of the main food groups in one sitting - what more could they ask for....I even threw in a vitamin for good measure. Who says you can't eat breakfast for dinner?! Ya know what - I'm thinking pancakes for dinner tomorrow!

Then I realized somewhere in there that I had completely FORGOTTEN that yesterday was suppose to be Jordyn's 1st tap/ballet class - OMG! - WHAT is happening to my brain??!! Believe it or not I used to be neurotically punctual & obsessively, compulsively organized - Yeah - not so much any more. Apparently, I truly am my fathers' daughter...the big joke about my dad is that his memory was horrible.....apparently so horrible that he rented a book from the library entitled "How To Improve Your Memory"....or something of that nature....and lost it....he FORGOT where he put it. I can't figure out if I've lost my organizational and memory skills or if there is simply too much to organize and remember! So, I called the dance studio to find out when Jordyn can make up her dance class..... tonight at 4:30..... which is exactly when her gymnastics class is - so, I now have to make up tonight's gymnastics class tomorrow so that we can make up yesterdays dance class today - Make sense?? So - I dropped the boys off 15 minutes early for their gymnastics class so that I could get Jordyn to HER class. ( They did their homework in the car). When Jordyn's class ended I ran to Target to get Brendan some new "gym pants" (he tried on 4 pairs this morning for school before finding a pair that wasn't flooded by 2 inches...it seems he's grown a little). Then back to the gym to get the boys at 7:30 and home by 8.

-This is my life-

Am I whining? no. Am I looking for sympathy? Absolutely not! Just documenting a typical day in our life for my kids to one day read and hopefully APPRECIATE! and.....explaining to any person reading this why it may be a while before you hear from me again.

What's on the agenda for tomorrow?? More of the same!!

What a day

2007-09-10T19:17:00.000-04:00

Getting my miles in during the week is a challenge now. I had to get 8 miles in today. Was originally hoping to get it done while Jordyn was in school but I forgot that I had scheduled an appointment with a company to come out and give us an estimate for a new backyard patio....but....today was Jordyn's first day of school and I had forgotten that I was suppose to stay with her today for her 1st day...I'm so darn unorganized, I'm sure I read that bit of information in her pre-school packet that I got in the mail over a month ago....but who can remember that kind of stuff....if Jordyn had been my 1st child I would have known that and had all the paper work and payment filled out and ready to hand in to the teacher.....but as it turns out poor Jordyn is my 3rd and so the 1st day of school has lost a little excitement in our home....I'm just anxious to get them all off to school....so they can get a fine education of course ; ).......How bad is it that I forgot to take a picture of my boys on their first day of school?....

Anyway....totally off the subject here.... as I was saying...I'm stuck at Jordyn's school and have no way to contact this company....Frank C Construction ....uh-um.....to let them know that I'll have to reschedule because I'm stuck at the school....I tried calling information but they couldn't find a listing by that name..... there was literally nothing else I could've done. So...I get a phone call at 12:50 (20 minutes after the appointment was suppose to take place)....I apologized profusely on the phone explained what happened and that I tried to get a number from information but they didn't have a listing...blah blah....there was nothing I could do and felt horrible UNTIL I said "I'll have to reschedule"....this guy proceeds to get completely irate on the phone and nastily (is that a word...lol?) says..."I am NOT rescheduling....I've been sitting here for 20 minutes (ok....nobody asked him to sit there for 20 minutes)....if you want to tell me what it is you want I'll take a look and leave the estimate".....now I couldn't say what I WANTED to say because I was in a classroom with other fellow parents and my daughters' teacher, I just didn't think my language would have been appropriate....so I kindly tell him exactly what it is that we're wanting and hang up. I get home to find this JA's estimate of almost DOUBLE what our last 2 estimates have been. How's THAT for customer service!? JERK!!

Anyway, this IS a running blog right??!! So I guess I should talk about my run....I eventually got it in later this afternoon...when the kids got home from school my mom watched them for me so I could get my 8 in. My goal was to finish in under 1 1/2 hours and I did! With just under 2 minutes to spare. My average pace was 11:02/mile. Took a quick walk break at 2.5 miles and then ran the rest straight through. It felt really good the last 5 miles...the first 3 are always the hardest for me.

16 miles

2007-09-09T07:21:00.000-04:00

It went remarkable well! Not the best run I've had but we did it.....we ran 16 miles....holy sh-t! My body ached like hell for the rest of the day...we left the park and cleaned up and then went scrap'n for 13 hours. I sat there scrap'n with 2 ice packs on my feet and ankles. Now, the day after my legs feel great. Minimal soreness.

Next week.....18 miles! OMG!

BIG NEWS!!!!!

2007-09-07T15:18:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited to announce that as of about 3 hours ago I have officially reached my personal goal of raising $2500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! A wonderful friend went on my TNT donation page prepared to donate $25 and saw that I was only $26 dollars short of my goal so she put in an extra dollar!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!!! This couldn't have happened at a more perfect time! I've been really anxious about tomorrow's run because we're running 16 miles tomorrow!!! Every time the miles go up I'm filled with anxiety and trepidation wondering how on earth I'll be able to complete it....it always seems to be OK....but that doesn't stop the anxiety from returning. So I've been dreading this Saturday's run all week. But now I have a renewed energy and "BRING IT ON" attitude! I've said it before but I'll say it again...I am humbled, grateful, and brought to tears by my family and friends' generosity. I'm surrounded by incredible people and feel so blessed and fortunate! As of today our little group of 6 marathon friends raised a whopping $9198.00 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society! I think that's just incredible!

SO! Say a prayer for me....16 miles.....oh God what have I gotten myself into!??

5.3

2007-09-06T13:28:00.000-04:00

Did 5.3 miles on the treadmill. Have I mentioned that I HATE the treadmill! Was suppose to do 6 but I was bored out of my mind and just couldn't do it. It didn't help that I drove to 1 gym and found out that the daycare was closed for "floor repairs". So I ended up having to drive to another gym. UGH! Took the gusto right out of me.

Strange Encounter

2007-09-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

Ran 5 miles at the park. VERY slow. Didn't get to the park until 10am and the temp was already 78 and humid. But the time I finished the thermometer on my car said 85. Average pace was 11:50 but it amazingly felt REALLY good. I'm wondering if that's BECAUSE I slowed it down??!! Maybe that's my ticket.

Had a very weird encounter in the park. I'm running back from the 1st 3 mile loop and notice this guy about 100 feet ahead of me on the ground in roller blades very obviously in pain. So I yelled to him before I reached him "are you ok"....he shakes his head...I say "can you make it back"....he shakes his head...."what did you hurt?".....no answer....he starts to stand up but he's still not saying anything....obviously nothing is broken because he's now standing upright....but I say "nothing's broken?"......he's still not talking and now I'm starting to think maybe he hit his head and he's got a closed head injury or something because why the hell isn't he answering me.....I was slightly alarmed.....and now I notice he's grabbing the right side of his crotch....so now I'm thinking.... oh, maybe he pulled a muscle......groin muscle perhaps?.....after an incredibly long and awkward silence (because at this point I just don't know how to help this man because he hasn't spoken) he finally says....very slowly.... "it.... got..... me...... in..... the...... special..... place"...... WTF!!!!!!!! OK......1) How does one hurt their "special place" while falling off roller blades? 2) What is the "it" he's referring to? & 3) "Special Place"???........really????!!!! I honestly can't say that I have ever heard a grown man (or anyone over the age of 5) refer to it as their "special place". So I say....and I quote...."can't help you there buddy...sorry"....and took off running. I felt like a paranoid bitch but this guy was just a little bit "off" shall we say. So now I'm running and thinking that if I glance back to see if he's following me I'll look paranoid....but I can't resist....I glance back and now he's following about 100 feet behind me skating very slowly and gingerly....now I'm freaked out because I feel like he's following me. Then a couple people pass by & I think ....alright I'm ok because there's still people on the trail....he can't do anything as long as people keep passing by....then I turn around and he's not there....where'd he go??....is he hiding in the trees? Eventually, I give up on the paranoid thoughts and continue my run knowing that I'M the freak. UNTIL, I turn around to back track to get in my last mile and HE'S RIGHT THERE!!!! He stops me again and asks for directions to Clinton River road....I didn't stop, I just kept running and yelled "just keep going straight". Maybe that's why my run felt so good...I was so freaked out by this guy that the thought of stopping for a walk break never even entered my mind!

Big Apple Bagel Day!

2007-09-03T11:03:00.000-04:00

Did 9.5 miles with Diane & her crew this morning. I'm thinking the extra driving time is worth having a group to run with. We started at 16 mile and Crocker and looped around through Metro Park...It's just beautiful at the water....meant to bring my camera along but forgot it. I was having flash-backs to the days when I was younger and we used to have our DeStefanis family reunions there. I remember the exact spot right by the boat docks. I remember walking near the boat docks when my younger cousin Traci was first starting to walk and my Aunt Renee (the one who passed away from Lymphoma) was holding Traci's hand and trying to see how far she'd walk. So I asked if I could hold her hand and walk her and she said yes. I felt so "grown - up". Weird how that's one of my only memories of those reunions.

Anyway, we averaged out about an 11 min mile. They're just as bad as me with the potty breaks so I felt right at home! Then when we finished we went to the Big Apple Bagel....mmmmmm...that's all I could think about the last 2 miles. In fact, that was the only thing that kept me going the last mile because I was only suppose to do 8 miles today. When I hit 8 miles I kept thinking that technically I could just stop and walk the rest of the way....but I didn't want to miss out on the Big Apple Bagel!

Diane says I'm a weeny!

2007-09-01T16:11:00.001-04:00

And so I am.....and I'm OK with that...LOL! Was suppose to run with Diane's crew this morning. Was planning on meeting them at 7 this morning. Ended up deciding against that as I sat at my kitchen table last night playing euchre until 2 am in the morning. Who'd a thought that 3 long islands and an evening of gluttony would have such a negative impact on my motivation??!! ...(note to self.....no long island or food binges night before marathon....and stay the HELL away from garlic!....my list continues to grow)! I am here-by swearing off alcohol until this marathon is over. My body just can't be abused like this anymore.

I went out to do my 14 mile run on my own this morning. Didn't make it to the park until 8:30. I was slow as molasses this morning! Stopped at 5 miles for a LONG bathroom break....(Grandma could be on to something.....but then again maybe it was the long islands)........water breaks at 6.5 and 9.5.....a LONG walk break at 12 miles...and I was all but crawling the last mile. Average pace was about 11:30 min mile...felt OK.....I finished the 14 miles....it wasn't pretty, but I finished.

THEN, I came home and had a wonderful massage! A friend of a friend is a message therapist and does a 1 hour message for only $35 and comes right to your house. It was a wonderful thing to have when your body is still aching from the long run. Blissful I tell you....simply blissful!

Another major breakthrough must be coming soon!

2007-08-30T18:36:00.000-04:00

The good news is ...another major breakthrough must be coming soon. That seems to have been the pattern in the past and so this is me trying to put a positive spin on my horrible last 3 runs (today included). Today was my 3rd day in a row, it was much warmer than I'd prefer, there was no shade because I was in the neighborhood, and Sooooooo, I had another horrible run. I'm guessing this weeks' difficulties are because of the slacking I've done in the last 2 weeks due to vacations and so I'm trying not to get too discouraged again. Did 7 miles this afternoon but walked probably 2 of them. My left hamstring was nagging me and I had a horrible stitch in my side that I couldn't even WALK off. I thought the "stitch in my side" days were over months ago...thought I had gotten past that problem but it seems to have reappeared today. So anyway....hopefully this is just a prelude to an incredibly wonderful 14 mile run on Saturday. Tomorrow is a rest day and I intend on taking full advantage of it!

A "not so good" running day

2007-08-29T09:23:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure what made me think that not eating before running would be such a wonderful idea....I'm sure I was full at the time....but I'm thinking maybe I should reconsider. Today didn't go well. Ran 6....sort of....the first 3 went fine, the last 3...not so fine. I was starving....felt very weak, even a little dizzy, and developed an excrutiating headache in the left side of my brain at 3.5 miles....ended up walking for almost a mile. My other problem.....my face was on fire. I started using this ProActive knock-off stuff that I found at costco ....for treating acne....and apparently it works by burning off the first 2 layers of skin because once I started sweating....OMG....the pain.... I felt like someone had taken sand paper to my face and then poured salt water in the wounds.

And then there's the chub-rub factor...I guess I was thinking that after 2 days of not eating before my runs I would miraculously have thighs that don't rub....my running shorts were too short and they did in fact rub! Chaffing is becoming a real problem. I'm chaffed under my boobs, between my thighs, and in other places that I'll keep to myself. Getting in the shower after a fresh chaffing when you're covered in salty sweat is not my idea of fun.

On another note....my dear friend Dianne recommended this stuff called Endurox...it's a replacement drink mix that is suppose to help in recovery after runs. But there are 2 different versions of this stuff...one is a drink mix and the other is a pill...They both contain completely different ingredients and I didn't know which one to buy so being the shopaholic that I am....I bought both....using the "if 1 is good 2 must be better" theory. If you haven't read the book "Confessions of a Shopaholic"....you really should....funny, funny book....and I relate very closely to the main character.....minus the financial crisis......anyway, I tried it after today's run...I'll let you know how it works.

need fuel!

2007-08-28T09:07:00.000-04:00

Ran 7 miles this morning and purposely didn't eat anything before I went because I wanted to see how it would feel. To be honest, I can't believe that I'm running all these miles and not losing any weight so I wanted to see if I'd burn more fat if I didn't eat before going out. It was a lot harder but doable. I'll try doing that during the week and then stick with my banana on the long run days. My average pace this morning was 11:08. I had a few jelly bean fuel thingys during the run...had to or I'd have never been able to keep going. Beautiful morning, sunny and pleasantly cool. No pain....feel'n great!

12 miles-my best run yet

2007-08-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

Ran 12 miles straight this morning for the first time....minus about 15 seconds to refill my water bottle. Felt awesome...the weather was beautiful. My average pace was 10:46....my best pace yet!

vacation is over

2007-08-25T15:31:00.000-04:00

Our "vacation" is over....THANK GOD!.....in an effort to keep a positive attitude I'll just say....the kids had a blast! Justin got up on skis for the first time....Brendan went tubing.... (all on the 1 day that it wasn't raining and the boat wasn't being repaired) and Jordyn got her 1st kiss...LMAO!

I'm way behind in running my miles this week. I only ran twice. 6 miles on Monday? (I think...lost track of the days) and 5 miles on wed or Thurs. The weather was awful (oops....there goes the positive attitude)....and I wasn't getting any sleep....sleeping accommodations sucked....(screw the positive attitude...lol)...lets just say that 3 sides of our mattress were touching the walls.....there was mouse poop on our comforter and an earwig under our sheets when I stripped the bed....just didn't have the running spirit in me this week....the entire week was like a huge comedy of errors! And it didn't stop when we got home....got home to find our computer was fried!....brought it in to the Geek Squad for fix'n...thank God it was repairable or I'd really be cry'n right now. All of us actually left to come home an entire day early because it was so bad up there. So I'm sure I'll pay dearly tomorrow when we're all doing our 12 miles! No more slacking...vacation time is over so I'll try to get more serious about getting all my miles in now. ONLY 10 MORE DAYS TILL SCHOOL STARTS!!!! YIPPEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! I'll be on my street corner in my jammies escorting my children on the bus and doing the happy dance!

14 miles and going strong!

2007-08-18T11:45:00.000-04:00

Had to get one last entry in before we leave so that when I return I don't forget how awesome I felt today! I had my best run yet this morning and it was the toughest....14 miles! The weather was absolutely perfect....55-60 degrees and sunny! 14 miles in 2:32:12!!! That's a 10:52 mile pace average!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW!!!!!!! My best mile lap was the first at 10:09 and my worst was the 12th mile at 11:45. My pace stayed below 11 min/mile for the first 10 miles. I didn't have to stop to pee even once the entire 14 miles......I think I've finally got this pee/hydration thing licked.....YAH-HOOOOOOO!!! I stopped real quick at 6.5 to refill my water bottle which took a matter of seconds....then at the 11th mile I decided to take a quick walk break because my left ankle was nagging me....big mistake....now that the miles are picking up walking breaks are not in my best interest I've decided. Once I stopped that was it....my legs didn't want to start back up again....I walked again at mile 13 because my hips were really starting to freeze up. But all in all it was a perfect day for me....I essentially ran for the first 11 miles straight.....OMG!!!! I love these feel good days....it makes me look forward to the next run to see if I can top it! I'm off....for a week of fun and relaxation??? Yeah right! 12 kids under 1 roof....well....2 roofs.....and according to the weather forecast the week could potentially be a total wash out....I'll need a vacation from this vacation!!

Im very consistant

2007-08-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Did another 7 miles this morning in exactly 80 minutes....5 seconds slower than yesterday...LOL! BUT today I had to make a bathroom stop....so technically my running time would have been faster than yesterday if I hadn't stopped. Felt really good...although the humidity was a bit suffocating this morning. I'm loving my new Garmin...it keeps lap times for each mile and I can go back and review. Yesterdays average pace was 11:25....my fastest mile lap was 10:56 (5th mile) and slowest pace was 12:03 (6th mile). Today's average pace was 11:28....fastest mile lap was 11:03 (2nd mile) and slowest mile was 12:11 (3rd mile...potty break). I might do an easy 3 or 4 tomorrow depending on how I feel to make up for some of my lost miles this week but I'd really like to take a rest day before Saturday's long run. Doing 14 miles Saturday...OMG! NOW the miles REALLY start to pick up....EEK! I'm scared! And then after the 14 miles I have to sit in a car for over 3 hours for our week long vacation with friends. All of us marathon friends are going to Higgins lake for a week long vacation with our families...CAN'T WAIT! This trip should prove to be a true test of wills....trying to get our runs in after long days of drinking....I'm guessing running a marathon drunk is probably frowned upon! But they say to test every scenario before the big day....so we'll just consider this part of the training...LMAO!

took 3 days off

2007-08-15T14:41:00.000-04:00

I had every intention of running Sunday before leaving for Cedar Point and then running 1 morning while in Cedar Point.....it didn't happen. Saturday night we were at friends' house for a birthday party...didn't get to sleep until late and when I woke up Sunday morning it was raining....it was only drizzling but I hadn't even started packing yet...so that was my excuse. I had no excuse while in Sandusky other than after walking at Cedar Point for 12 hours straight....I just didn't think my feet could stand the beating. So I guiltlessly took a few days off.

Went out this morning after 3 days off and did 7 miles in 1:19:55. I took 2 - 2minute walk breaks....1 at 2.5 miles and another at 5.5 miles. Felt really good. No complaints. 8 hours later I sit here with an extremely stiff left ankle....nothing that a little ice can't cure.

I was reading an article in Runner's World on the way to Cedar Point and found a couple of paragraphs in an article that I love and wanted to share.....I've said from the beginning that I really wanted my kids to be at the race on marathon day. It's very important to me but I couldn't articulate why....I just knew that it was important...the author of this article summed it up beautifully!

"The way I see it, the only way to run counter to our toxic image-centric society is to literally run by example. I can't tell my daughters that beauty is an incidental side effect of living your passion rather than an adherence to socially prescribed standards. I can't tell my son how to recognize and appreciate this kind of beauty in a woman. I have to show them, over and over again, mile after mile, until they feel the power of their own legs beneath them and catch the rhythm of their own strides.
Which is why my parents wake my kids early on race-day mornings. It matters to me that my children see me out there, slogging through difficult miles. I want my girls to grow up recognizing the beauty of strength, the exuberance of endurance, and the core confidence residing in a well-tended body and spirit. I want them to be more interested in what they are doing than how they look doing it. I want them to enjoy food that is delicious, feed their bodies with wisdom and intent, and give themselves the freedom to indulge. I want them to compete in healthy ways that honor the cultivation of skill, the expenditure of effort , and the courage of the attempt."

Another breakthrough!

2007-08-11T11:02:00.001-04:00

Perfect day....weather was absolutely beautiful! 12 miles with the TNT group this morning and I ran the first 6 straight through!! No walk or pee breaks!!! Took my 1 minute walk breaks at 6 miles, 8 miles, 10 miles, and 11 miles.....kinda fell apart the last 2 miles but felt really good for the first 10. I shouldn't be admitting this but there's just noth'n like a little of Eminem's "Shake that Ass" to put a little boogie in your step! Everytime I have a bad week of training I always seem to follow it up with a breakthrough...I'll start trying to look at these bad weeks as my body's way of preparing itself for a breakthrough! Still in love with this sport!

Quote of the week

2007-08-10T16:26:00.000-04:00

This weeks quote kinda goes along with the whole "The Secret" philosophy...which I am a true believer of by the way...The law of attraction!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“If you care enough for a result, you will most certainly attain it.” - William James

Resting my aching body today in preparation for tomorrow's 12 miler.....say a prayer....lol!

6.5

2007-08-09T08:55:00.000-04:00

Did 6.5 on the treadmill again. ran 2 at a time and walked the last 1/2 mile. Felt pretty good. 1st 2 are always hard until I get into a rhythm. Looking forward to tomorrow's rest day. I think I'm going to go back to the 5 days of training instead of trying to get all my miles into 4. Although, I won't be able to do that next week because were leaving for a 2 day trip to Cedar Point. We'll see.

Back in the Groove

2007-08-08T08:20:00.000-04:00

Did 6.14 in 1:11:52. Felt pretty good...kinda felt like I was getting back into the groove....I thought it would be another bad 1 because of the heat and humidity but I felt much better than I thought I would. Ran 2 miles at a time with an extra walk break the last 2 miles. I bought a newer model Garmin that has a better GPS on it so it actually worked today in the park! AND.....not 1 potty break.....MAJOR bonus!

6 on the Treadmill

2007-08-07T10:53:00.000-04:00

Ran 6 on the treadmill....didn't look at the forecast this morning and as soon as I got to the park they announced on the radio that there would be thunderstorms and rain all morning....it was already 75 degrees out and 100% humidity....not my idea of fun so I turned around and headed to the gym. Didn't keep track of my time because I had to stop and use the restroom 1/2 way through...which is downstairs and all the way on the other side of the building. UUGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ran 2 at a time. Felt pretty good but my quads were screaming today! I really wish this gym had a bathroom on the 2nd floor!

10.17 miles

2007-08-04T10:40:00.000-04:00

Today was a little better than this past week has been but still didn't feel great. Did 10.17 miles in 2 hours exactly which turns out to be a little less than a 12 mile minute. Tried to run 2 miles walk 1 minute....but I took a couple extras. The weather was MUCH more runner friendly this morning....it was beautiful actually.

bad week

2007-08-02T09:01:00.001-04:00

been a horrible week for me...as far as training goes....time to move on to the next! Did 6 today but walked alot of it. I'm really hoping it's just this cold and the humidity because I'm getting really discouraged.

quote of the week

2007-08-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

I like this weeks quote...I seem to say that every week. This week's quote is a good reminder to be nice....to everyone....no judging.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." - Unknown

I'm taking the day off from running. I think my body needs a break. I probably should run since the last 2 days have been such duds but I need a day to rejuvinate....I may try to do a little on my elyptical later....still don't know how to spell that....but it'll be a low intensity level.

2 bad days in a row

2007-07-31T09:31:00.000-04:00

yesterday and today's runs (can't even really call them runs) have been awful. Did 5 on the treadmill yesterday but probably walked half of it. Did 4 1/2 today and walked most of it....feeling awful. I have a cold and so I Took nite-quil last night and the previous night and I think the morning after effects of the medicine are kicking my butt. Won't even bother listing my times....

Divine Intervention?

2007-07-30T11:29:00.000-04:00

Had another "Divine intervention" moment last night....gotta share! I'm sure everyone is thinking I've lost touch with reality anyway....so I may as well seal the opinions...lol!

A few years back my mom gave me her wedding ring from her marriage to my dad. I love the ring and of course the sentiment behind it ....there's actually another "Divine intervention" moment that is attached to this ring that I'll share some other time.....and have always wanted to wear it but my mom's fingers are tiny so it never fit me....too small for my ring finger but too large for my pinkie. I've always wanted to take it to a jewelry store to have it sized to fit me but just never got around to it or kept forgetting. So this past week I've been wearing it on my pinkie finger even though it's too large because I wanted to remember to set aside some time to get it sized....it's loose but wearable if I'm careful. So last night at 5:55pm I was in my car on my way to the pet store when I looked at my hand and realized the ring wasn't on my finger. My heart sank....I called Dan at home and told him to keep his eye out for it...all I knew was that I had it on my finger when we left church. But we went for ice cream after church....looked at open houses after that....for all I knew it could've fallen off my finger in the bathroom at one of the houses we looked at. When I came home I was upset....this ring is very special to me...I didn't even know where to start looking it could've been anywhere. So I only glanced around on the floors and counters....I searched the laundry that I had folded earlier in the day...looked in the drawers of the laundry I put away....searched in sheets that I had folded...couldn't find it. So we were watching a movie later last night..."because I said so"....cute movie by the way....but I couldn't stop thinking about the ring ....and about how in the hell I was going to explain to my mom that I lost her wedding ring...I searched in my purse during the movie thinking maybe it had fallen off while I was getting something out of it....nothing. So when the movie finished I went to the bathroom....sitting on the toilet (pretty picture...I know)....my forehead resting on my fists I said to myself in my head as clearly as if I had said it out loud "dad, please help me find this ring".....within 2 minutes I knew before even looking where the ring was....it just POPPED into my head...literally....in my laundry room sink I keep a bucket for soaking stained cloths in oxyclean water before washing them. Jordyn had spilled red Gatorade on her shirt so I had put her shirt in this bucket earlier in the day. I walked to the bucket....picket her shirt up out of the water....and there on the bottom of the bucket was my mom's wedding ring.

Now tell me I'm losing my mind! I dare you! LMAO!

12 miles with TNT group

2007-07-28T11:09:00.000-04:00

Today was a little rough. Sticky...humid...I'm getting a cold...ran alone....just rough. I did pretty good considering. 12.19 (I want full credit...there will be no rounding!) miles in 2:18. Which averages out to be 11.3 min mile. Ran 2 miles walked 1 minute for the full 12 miles and took 1 pee break....so considering all the walk breaks and the potty break...that's not too shabby! I've discovered the secret to running by myself....listening to downloaded book tapes on my ipod...it's perfect because I'm concentrating on the story instead of my aching legs.

Love running with a group!

2007-07-26T10:35:00.000-04:00

I can't say enough about how much nicer and easier it is running with a group. Ran with Diane and 2 of her friends today and the time flew by. We did 7 miles. I have no idea what our time was but I know when we finish the first 4 miles we were at 44 minutes....so about an 11 min mile. Took 2 walk breaks...of course I was the only one that had to pee....felt bad for making them stop but they didn't seem to mind....I think I'm eventually going to have to bite the bullet and get over my stage fright and just learn how to squat!....I keep hearing how all runners do it....I'm just not there yet....LMAO! The first 2 miles where hard....I kept thinking to myself "there's no way I'm going to be able to keep up with these guys today"....but I kept going and once I got past the first 1 or 2 miles it just kept getting easier and easier.....the last 3 miles were a breeze....in the end I felt like I could have kept going. My whole body just felt really good! Doing 12 on Saturday with the TNT group....not looking forward to running alone again....oh-well....

I spent some time yesterday looking back at the beginning of this blog and I'm amazed at how far I've come in just 2 1/2 months....I went from never running before and not being able to run more than 5 minutes at a time to now running distances of up to 12 miles. 2 1/2 months ago I never thought it would be possible....I'm very proud of myself....(I'm patting myself on the back right now)....

I love the quote of the week for this week!

2007-07-25T14:55:00.000-04:00

I'm loving this week's quote! Brings home the fact that everyone's "little bits" together add up to a whole lot of "little bits"! So far I've received 29 donations....29 little bits added up to over $2,000 .....Our group of 5 TNT runners/walkers have raised a combined total of over $8,000 so far!!!!!!!!!! I know the quote isn't necessarily talking about monetary differences but in this case it applies!

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”
- Marian Wright Edelman

Found this following excerpt from the LLS's website...found it interesting....

Between 1995 and 2004, the Society enjoyed tremendous growth including a 364 percent increase in revenue. In fact, during the same period, the Society's research funding increased 378 percent (from $8.6 million to $41.1 million).

The good news is . . .

Cure rates for some forms of childhood leukemia have risen from 4% in 1960 to 84% today
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society funds more than 400 researchers in 11 countries and provides thousands of patients support through family support groups, website chats, free seminars and conferences, financial aid, and programs like "First Connection" where cancer patients are partnered with cancer survivors who provide support and advice.
Our world-renowned SCOR research teams work together in complementary disciplines, each focused on accelerating the discover of breakthrough approaches for diagnosing and treating blood cancers

But we still have bad news . . .

Leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma are the major forms of blood-related cancers, with leukemia being a leading disease killer of children in America.
Every nine minutes, another child or adult is expected to die from leukemia, lymphoma, or myeloma. This statistic represents 158 people each day, or seven people every hour.
Lymphoma incidence rates have inexplicably increased by 71% between 1975 and 2000, the highest rate of increase for any cancer.
Multiple myeloma is one of the top 10 leading causes of death among African Americans.
An estimated 747,000 Americans are living with a blood cancers

5 miles

2007-07-25T08:24:00.000-04:00

5 miles in 56:04. 2 walk breaks....1 at 3 miles and 1 at 4.5 miles to cross Dequindre...had to wait for traffic. Not too shabby...didn't feel real good but I'm sure tomorrow will be worse because it'll be my 3rd day in a row....The recovery days definitely make a difference. I think I'm running with Diane and her crew tomorrow...that'll help.

Ran in the rain

2007-07-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

well....it was really only a drizzle...but It felt good. Did 6 at stoney and only took one walk break. It was a bit of a PIA because their doing work on the path...so they had the path closed off at one point....so I couldn't just loop around. I had to turn back around and back track. Oh well, Finished in 68 minutes. Wanted to stop more but I tried to pretend that I was running with a group...I kept saying to myself...ok...if I were running with Diane...would I really feel bad enough to have to stop and fall behind?...the answer was always no...I know I can do it now so I have to psych myself out....it's all in my head. My time didn't improve any without the walk breaks because the longer I run....the slower I run. I actually find that my time is faster when I take my 1 minute walk breaks more frequently. But I don't care about that....I just want to be able to run as much of it as I can.

I kept up with them!

2007-07-22T16:10:00.000-04:00

WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a day! I ran my long run with Diane and her running group this morning and did AWESOME! It makes a world of difference being with a group. It really helped me push myself. It was great because they all run my pace & they were a very enjoyable group to be with...they all made me laugh which really helped pass the time quickly! So today was all about running the distance without stopping...and they really helped me do that. I ran 10.32 miles. Ran the 1st 4 and then we stopped for a potty/stretch break...ran another 3 and stopped for another potty/stretch break....then finished with the last 3....that's the best I've done yet. They went on to do 11 miles and I stopped to stretch and wait for them. They're a couple weeks ahead of me in their training because they're doing the Chicago marathon which is 2 weeks before Detroit's. I carried on conversations almost the entire time. It felt great. The last mile was hell but I was very proud of myself for continuing. If I had been alone today doing my run I can pretty much guarantee that I would have walked much more than I did. For that reason I think I'm going to alternate my long run days between the TNT group and this group. When I run with TNT I always end up alone because no-one runs my pace. I'm the slowest of the runners but faster than the walkers....so that leaves me somewhere in the middle....by my self. I can't push myself when I'm alone....it's too easy to cheat and give up. So we'll see.

Trip to Indianapolis

2007-07-21T18:07:00.000-04:00

I spent the week in Indianapolis with the boys. They had their gymnastics camp. So I ran 8 miles on Monday at the White River park. It was a beautiful day and the canal and river that I ran along was gorgeous! I have no idea what my time was... I was just out to enjoy the day...and I did! The picture to the right is the canal...the 2nd picture is White River.

Wednesday I was hoping to go to the Eagle Creek Park but it poured and stormed all day so I ended up just doing my 5 miles at the gym that the boys were practicing at. Actually I don't technically know how far I ran...I just ran the track for an hour....my gps doesn't work indoors so I had to guess-timate. The running track is above the gym so I was able to watch the boys during their practice...made the time go by a little faster.

Friday was another beautiful day outside so I was torn...I really wanted to run outside but Friday was the day that Paul and Morgan Hamm were coming to coach the boys and do their exhibition show...I didn't want to miss any of it so I just ended up running my 6 miles (or there abouts) at the track again. Took 2 walk breaks....running 2 miles at a time. The last photo shows the boys warming up on the running track with the Hamm brothers...the one in the blue t-shirt is Morgan (I think....still have a hard time figuring out which one is which)....Justin is on the far right in the picture.

All my physical pains are gone! The left ankle and right heal pain are completely GONE....haven't felt a single twinge of pain in over a week!!! I'm not sure if its because I ditched the blue shoes or if it's because I condensed my running into 4 days..... I don't know...so I'm keeping both changes! I bought another pair of running shoes and I'll slowly start breaking them in next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me the new shoes work!

I'm gonna brave my long run tomorrow with a group of veteran runners (since I missed my TNT group run this morning...we were driving home from Indy). My friend Diane invited me to run with her running group....God help me! I'm only suppose to do 10 tomorrow but I'm gonna try to keep up with these guys and do 12. Not too confident about the whole thing but I really wanted to try running a different route...I really enjoyed the change of pace this past week so I'd like to find some new running paths.

I also wanted to add in this post that we have officially donated our $1,000.00. We split it up among the other 4 TNT runner friends of ours according to what they needed. $375/$200/$50/$375 to reach their $1500 minimum.
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/TraciS
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/randyandkelly
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/knowicke
http://www.active.com/donate/tntmi/tntmiKMalcol

$2,000 raised for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!!!

2007-07-14T10:59:00.000-04:00

What an adrenaline rush!! I hit the $2,000 mark for donations raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society....I can't thank my family and friends enough for their incredibly generous support! They are AWESOME!

I went out today with a renewed spirit....albeit a very NERVOUS renewed spirit....this 12 mile mark has been haunting me for weeks...& now I've concurred it!! I now know that I, at the very least, will make it through a 1/2 marathon still standing upright!! I went 12.41 miles in 144 minutes. But that includes 2 bathroom breaks and I stopped at the 1/2 way mark to stretch...probably 3 or 4 minutes. I went out with the idea that I was done killing myself trying to improve my time...last week I went out with a gusto and ran 5 miles straight but then completely fell apart in the 2nd 5 miles....so, I wanted to even it out today. I ran 1 mile walked 1 minute....at one point I ran 2 miles straight because I was feeling really good. I'm getting the hang of the energy replacement packs...and definitely felt it's benefits....I also discovered Power Bars....they're like the perfect food....100% of everything in it...plus lots of protein and carbs.....and ALL 3 of my kids love them....well, they like the peanut butter and vanilla....the chocolate ones are pretty bad!!!! Major bonus as Brendan is usually the food critic that will eat nothing healthy that has any amount of calories in it.

No heart palpitations again! And my ankle didn't start bothering me until the last 2 miles. Did good and felt great!

Going on vacation!

2007-07-13T15:28:00.000-04:00

Well, I'll be gone for the next week...leaving after my 12 mile run with my group...pray for me!!!LMAO!! So, I won't be able to update the blog until I return next week. I'm still planning on doing my training while I'm out of town....it'll be an adventure finding new places to run at....I'm excited!! = )

Ya know what I can't wait for?.....I can't wait to go on a beach vacation (next february I hope).....and be one of those people that goes running on the beach just before dawn and gets to watch the sunrise while they run....I always envied those people....corny, I know!

I think I need new shoes!

2007-07-12T11:56:00.000-04:00

I really think that the majority of my ankle pain is coming from my blue shoes....I started out by buying 2 pairs of running shoes....& I alternate wearing them each day....as suggested by a book a read. But my ankle always hurts worse after a run with these particular blue shoes. AND my knees ache when I'm done. So today, my ankle was really bothering me for the last 1/2 of my run....and I keep thinking that I need orthotics or arch supports or something because the location of the pain makes it feel like my arch is collapsing or something....so then when I finished my run I was stretching my quads and I look at the bottom of my shoe and notice a big bubble support thingy on the lateral side of the sole (like...between the baby toe and outside of the heal) and it says "lateral arch pod".......YEAY! I know that doesn't sound like something I should be getting excited about but I think this pod thing is the whole source of my pain!! I think I bought the wrong kind of shoe!!! Yeay!!!! yeay for 2 reasons.....1) it's an easy fix (I hope)....and 2) I have a good excuse to go out and by ANOTHER pair of shoes...LMAO!....that's my story & I'm stick'n to it!

Anyway, ran 6 miles this morning....in 74 minutes....still can't seem to get my pace back but I just don't care...it felt good this morning. I had to take 1 walk break at mile 2....1 potty break at about the 4th mile and then had to stop again before the finish to get the darn pebble out of my shoe. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! And for the 3rd run in a row I had a deer cross right in front of me on the path....like maybe 40 feet away. twice at Stoney and once at dodge park! There were all kinds of critters out today! I felt like I was in the middle of a Bambi movie with the deer, rabbits, butterflies, and sunshine!

Quote of the week

2007-07-11T07:23:00.000-04:00

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” -Michael Jordan

Taking a rest day today......Hallelujah!

changing my running schedule

2007-07-10T10:59:00.000-04:00

I've decided this past week to change my running schedule from 5 days to 4....the book I'm reading says there are advantages to this for 1st time marathon trainers 1) you decrease your chance of injury by taking more rest days.....but still running the same # of miles each week...I've been having some minor pain in my right heel and my left ankle and I'm worried that it's the beginnings of tendinitis....I've had it before in both my Achilles tendons when I used to dance and I'm paranoid about getting it again because it takes forever to heal properly. So I'm absorbing one of the weekday short runs into the other 3 weekday runs....running one mile extra each day to make up for the extra rest day. 2) it decreases your chances of burning yourself out which I think I may be quickly running into...The last 2 days have been awful runs for me...I feel like I'm going backwards again. I'm so tired and my legs feel like bricks. I'm exhausted but have insomnia! Was actually trying to run with my eyes closed this morning to take a little "nap"....

Yesterday I had to wait till Dan got home to get my run in. So by the time I got started it was after 8pm...did 6 miles in 71 minutes. It was so hot that I decided before even going out that I was going to do slow and easy...ran 1 mile / walked 1 minute. I felt good. My ankle and heal were bothering me for the 1st mile but then they warmed up and felt fine.

Then this morning I went out for 5 miles and finished in 57 minutes...it was the ugliest run (if you wanna call it that) to date.....I was exhausted and I knew it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to be going out for a 2nd run in less than 12 hours....but I didn't have a choice. My legs felt like brick blocks. Nothing felt good about today's run...I KNOW it could be worse and I KNOW I'm complaining right now like I promised I wouldn't .....but.....oh well....sue me!

2007-07-08T22:35:00.000-04:00

Just had to share this....if I ever need more inspiration or validation or motivation to continue I will read this daily. I was on runnersworld.com surfing around...and found this discussion forum for people to post stories comments etc....and found this girls post...posted today....with her picture...very sad...I am at this very moment promising to NOT EVER complain about how difficult a run is...and promising to try my hardest to remember that it can always be worse. She posted the following....

"This post is just a self centered, pitying rant. Feel free to skip on by to happier topics. I won't be offended.Hodgkin's Disease is mostly treated with four different drugs. The regimen is called ABVD. The B is Bleomycin, a potentially pulmonary toxic drug. Lucky me. Bleomycin has completely and utterly messed up my right lung. CT scan and x-rays show infiltrate, scarring, and fluid. The only thing good is it is confined to the right side.The oncologist dropped the Bleo weeks ago when I started having breathing problems. But I haven't gotten better.I'd like to say my life and my running right now is all flowers and happy fuzzy bunnies, but the truth is running with cancer has become ugly. To keep the severe pleuritic pain in the right side of my chest under control now requires Vicodin; I have to take two if I want to run. All of my running shirts are dotted with small blood stains ... running will inevitably trigger at least a couple coughing attacks that bring up blood.I'm not really sure why I am still going out and trying to run. I can't really run very well -- I have to take walking breaks or else I won't be able to catch my breath and a coughing attack is more likely. I guess since I've always been a runner and its really all I know how to do, the only way I know to cope with stress, I keep going out the door every morning to try. Or it may be I am living under the illusion that tomorrow will be the magic day I feel better ...My doctor said running wouldn't make things worse. I asked him specifically. But, yes, I am starting to wonder. The only good news I have had is I got off prednisone. It was making me depressed and it wasn't helping so my doctor stopped it.Somehow I have to make it through three more months of chemo. How I am going to do that, I have absolutely no clue. I know I won't make it through if I stop running, so I really have tgo go out there every day, even if I know its a bad day and it will end in dismal failure. I feel like I have to go and try because that is what I do; I am a runner and I desperately want to hang onto my identity as a runner (and, by implication, my old SELF) ... the rest of my world has fallen apart and running and my parents are all I really have left. So I am pressing on because I don't know what else to do. "

I burned 1000 calories today!

2007-07-07T10:38:00.000-04:00

Had my TNT long run this morning. It was a toasty one! Did 10 miles in 1 hour 56 minutes.....I ran the 1st 5 with a girl that I had never met until today...Kristina...She pushed me along and the conversation helped pass the time quickly....but then at 5 miles I had to use the restroom...ran off the course to the nature center to use the restroom and the damn restroom was locked....grrrrrrr....lost my running partner for nothing! So then I ran by myself and the rest of the 5 miles was torcher! I took a running goo thingy at 6 miles but by then I think it was too late because by the time I felt any benefit from it...the 10 miles was almost completed. I think I counted 4 or 5 walk breaks in the last 5 miles....2 of them was to use a bathroom (if you want to call it that). ...the 1st one was locked but I eventually found another.... I needed a partner to push me along. So I think I figured out that my pace today was about 11 1/2 minute mile....which translates to....."slow"....and I'm ok with that!.....

No heart palpitations today...cutting back on the caffeine before my runs really helps...plus I'm adding an electrolyte replacement pack to my water during my runs....don't know if it's helping but it certainly can't be hurting. My legs feel pretty good....hamstrings are tight and sore as is my lower back and right heal was hurting after my run (not during)....but everything else feels really good.no knee or ankle pain today...bonus! The scary thing is....next weekend jumps up to 12 miles...omg!.....which is only less then half of the marathon length....I'll have to do next weeks miles x 2 plus some on marathon day.....THAT is scary!

squeezed in an easy 3.5 miles

2007-07-06T20:14:00.000-04:00

I probably should have just stayed home but I was feeling guilty for not getting my run in yesterday...tried to substitute it with the elliptical (how the hell do you spell that??!) but it just wasn't the same....so I did about 3 1/2 miles (don't know my time...slow) tonight...I'm sure I'll be sorry in the morning when I'm doing 10 with the group...oh well. I'm all iced up and ready to go!

I'm sorry and sad to say that one of our group of 7 has dropped out due to multiple injuries. Now we're down to 6...I hope we don't lose any more.

elyptical day

2007-07-05T21:18:00.000-04:00

My run didn't happen today. My babysitter is out of town and by the time my kids got up it was already too hot to go run on the track (they were up late watching fireworks last night). So I had planned to run when Dan got home but then the sky turned black and began thundering...soooo, I did 50 minutes on the elyptical instead....it's just not the same. So now I'm feeling guilty for not running so I'm thinking maybe I'll squeeze a 5 mile run in tomorrow but then I don't get a day of rest before my "long run" on Saturday....maybe I'll just do the elyptical again....we'll see.

Track running

2007-07-05T08:20:00.000-04:00

If you haven't figured it out by now I think I have major obsessive compulsive tendencies...when I get involved in something I enjoy I tend to become all consumed by it. So I've been reading like crazy. Just finished my friends' First Marathon book and have been researching on-line and I went a couple days ago to a book store and bought a few 1st marathon training books. So I'm really learning a lot. Such as, running on the side walk or any concrete surface is horrible for your knees and ankles and legs in general...the book suggests running on an actual track. I've been having a little bit of left ankle and right knee discomfort....not bad....but enough to make me a little concerned that it's the beginning of something. The discomfort doesn't bother me while I'm running it's when I get up after sitting for a while that it hurts. And my legs usually ache in general when I complete a run. So I went to the track yesterday to give it a try. It made a HUGE difference in how my legs felt after. The track surface is actually spongy. Not the most scenic of runs but I can take the kids with me when I go so I don't have to wait to squeeze my runs in at night. And I tried to do some speed interval training...now that I can actually run a respectable distance...my hope was to get my 3 miles in and to take 1 minute of every mile to run a faster pace and then drop back down to my normal pace after the minute. I made it through the first mile and did my one minute and that was it...I just couldn't do it again...so I'll try next time to do 2 intervals...It's a lot harder than it sounds! So I ended up running 3 miles in 30 minutes 27 secs....which is AWESOME for me....my fastest time yet...not too shabby!! I stopped after 2 miles for a potty break...I stopped my watch which I suppose is cheating but I don't care!...I think my biggest hindrance on race day isn't going to be pain or lack of endurance...it's going to be my damn bladder! I need a bladder training program! Or maybe I'll just run with a catheter!

Feel'n Great!

2007-07-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

5.16 miles in 56.2 minutes. No walk breaks! no palpitations! (no caffeine!) The first 3 were hard but I kept using my ipod to push me along..."I'll just run till the end of this song"....that song would end and I'd say "ok....till the end of THIS song"...it worked because before I new it I was on mile 5 and my legs felt great...I felt like I could have kept going...I was in the groooooooove!

New Mission Moment and Quote

2007-07-02T14:56:00.000-04:00

Forgot to post this weeks "mission statement" and quote.....Got a little teary eyed reading the story that our mentor posted in this weeks email......I'm reminded that this is why I'm doing this...so that no other family has to go through what my mom must have gone through with 2 small kids at home when my Dad died....this is the story she posted....

"Getting up early on a Saturday seems like nothing to me. When I think back to 18 years ago when my first husband was diagnosed with AML (first husband because we lost him 2 years later). When you think about the strength he had every time he had his bone marrow tested, or the time he missed with family while in the hospital, getting up early seems like such a small sacrifice. I am doing Team In Training so that no husband, wife or family has to go through what my daughter and I did all those years ago. So when the going gets tough think of someone who may be going through something sooooo much worse than walking early or when it is cold, or hot, or rainy. Thanks for reminding me of why I have chosen this journey"

the quote of the week....

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” - Thoreau

Body is still recovering

2007-07-02T08:24:00.000-04:00

I was suppose to go yesterday to do 3 or 4 miles but my body was recovering from Saturday's run and our pre - 4th of July party. I was very sore yesterday (still am). I went out this morning for 3 miles to make up for yesterdays missed run. Damn GPS died again in the middle of my run...grrrrrr.....think I'm gonna have to get a smaller wrist watch timer because the one I have is sucking down the batteries...I'll never make it through the entire marathon with this thing! Felt good though...no walk break!...yeah! No heart palpitations (skipped the morning coffee today....waiting for the withdrawal headache...I know it's coming)! Wore a headband on Saturdays run and it worked wonders keeping the sweat out of the eyes...but I realized that the hat cannot be replaced for keeping the sun out of the eyes....so now I'll have a hat, a head band, a gps strapped to my wrist, an ipod strung from my waist band to my ears, a water bottle strapped to my waist, a pouch attached to the water bottle strap for storing car keys, goos, clean ex, and cell phone....may as well attach an antenae to my head and bring along a satelite TV! It's amazing how now that I'm doing this I'm finding people everywhere who are training for marathons. There were 2 other people at my Grandma's 80th birthday party yesterday who are also training for marathons.

9.66!!

2007-07-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a TNT training day out at Stoney. The weather was perfect once again. I did 9.66 miles in 1 hour 51 minutes...I was pretty disappointed in my time but....I had to stop at the nature center to go pee (discovered yesterday that there's nothing worse than trying to run with a full bladder)....and I stopped two more times at the water stations for a quick drink and a quick stretch....my legs were feeling really tight yesterday. And I took one more walk break.

I'm a little concerned about my heart...during the 3rd through 7th mile I was having serious heart palpitations...it's happened before but not for this long...it usually comes a goes quickly. I try to take my pulse and it's very irregular...sometimes beating so fast I can't even count it and then it'll just stop for 2 or 3 seconds before jump starting again. And the whole time I can feel it in my chest. I'm thinking I'll give it one more week....I'm going to try really hard to limit my caffeine intake this week....I'll see how next Saturday goes and if it happens again I'll go see a doc. I'd kinda like to do a long run with a heart monitor on so the doc can see what happens....around mile 3. So....not the best running day....but hey, I ran 9.66 miles! Someone pointed out last night at our party that if my car were to break down at 10 mile I'd be able to run home...LOL!

Me and Traci were discussing last night how great it is that we're doing this with such a great group of friends. I told her how disappointed I'd be right now if I didn't have all of them to discuss this marathon training with. My family is great of course but I can't really talk to them about all this training stuff because they really don't care...I mean, of course they care,....I don't know how to word it but this whole marathon thing is SO exciting to me that I just want to talk about it constantly....my family doesn't want to hear me go on & on about this so if I didn't have my friends to talk to about this then who would I talk to?....We've all been such a great support for each other...helping each other along and keeping each other motivated. It's a wonderful experience.

Grandma

2007-06-28T16:01:00.000-04:00

Gotta share another story that I forgot to mention that happened during last weekend....one of those stories that I'm adding so I'll have it recorded for my own memories... one of those stories that I just don't want to forget!.....This is SO my Grandma! I called my Grandma from the cabin up north to apologize to her because my daughter accidentally broke a very expensive vase of hers that she received for her 50th wedding anniversary...I felt horrible. But during the conversation I said Hey Grandma I just finished running 8 miles....to which she responded in her sincerely concerned voice...." OH Tammy, Be careful, don't over do it.....You'll get diarrhea!"...............................................................................................................................................

........................................................................what................................................................................

........................................................................................................................."yeah....didn't you hear about that girl that was running in the heat in Hawaii and she shit her pants!" I'm still LMAO over this!

fantastic weather today!!

2007-06-28T11:22:00.000-04:00

Couldn't have asked for more perfect weather to run in. Got to the park at 7:15 it was 67 and sunny....and no humidity....LOVED IT! Didn't bring my GPS this time because it doesn't work at this particular park and because I really wanted to push myself to run the full 4 miles...didn't want to be staring at my watch every 2 minutes....IT WORKED! Ran 4 straight miles without stopping and it felt fantastic! My only complaint....the damn shorts I wore!! They're new...never wore them before.... and they're too tight around my thighs...they don't stretch....they're way too short....and by the time I finished I had major chub-rub on my upper inner thighs...obviously picked them off the rack with out trying them on!

So I'm revising the "bonus" goal that I wrote in my previous entry....my goal is to not only be able to look in the mirror and say "DAMN I look good"....but be able to run in these shorts without getting chub-rub!!

treadmilled it today

2007-06-27T14:40:00.000-04:00

On the treadmill again today...did my 3 miles straight through with no walk breaks. It was hard but I did it in 32 minutes + I warmed up with a brisk walk for 5 minutes and cooled down with the same at the end....so I actually did 42 minutes...and 3.4 miles....did some sit ups obliques and push ups too. My video ipod helped get me through the treadmill work this time...watched the rest of the movie Gross Pointe Blank while I ran. -STUPID movie by the way....don't waste your time!

Body's still feeling good. Me and my friends were having a discussion when this training first started and of course we're all committed to our main goal of raising funds for an awesome cause....but....we were discussing the fact that one of our "bonus" goals is to be able to stare at our naked bodies in the mirror and be able to say "DAMN I look good"....and mean it!.....I'm not quite there yet but there's definitely a shift happen'n....it's taking longer than I anticipated but after 7 weeks (I can't believe it's already been 7 weeks) of training I'm just now starting to notice some nice changes....More incentive to keep up the training!

humidity was brutal

2007-06-26T10:30:00.000-04:00

Went to the park for my 5 miles....the miles are really starting to jump up now! I've been doing really good with following the TNT training schedule to a T but I hope I can keep it up when the miles start dramatically increasing. Got to the park at 7:30 thinking I'd beat the heat and humidity...but I didn't.... Did pretty good considering...Ran 5 miles in 54:10. Ran 2.5/walked 1 min./ran 1.25/walked 1 min./ran .75/ walked 1 min/ran to finish. So with my 3 minutes of walking breaks I still finished in under an 11 minute mile. I need to come up with a better way to keep the sweat out of my eyes...my eyes were burning like hell half way through the 5 miles...the hat just isn't cutting it. May try the sweat bands or a bandanna or something. I think I must have lost 3 pounds of sweat this morning!

Every week our TNT mentor sends us a quote of the week...they're very inspirational and motivating. I'm going to start posting them in my blog each week. I really liked this weeks' quote....

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Great Weekend

2007-06-24T21:04:00.000-04:00

As Mary (the Ballroom dancing expert judge from the show "So You Think You Can Dance")would say........ "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Today and yesterday were my best runs yet!!!

Was up north for a long and wonderfully fun and relaxing weekend with friends of ours. So I got my 8 mile run in up there on Saturday. I ran 4 miles straights through then stopped to stretch for a minute and then ran 2 more miles straight....then walked 1 min....ran 1.5 more miles....walked 1 min....and ran to the finish....so like I said.... "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Can't remember my time but who gives a sh-t I RAN!....Time for my happy dance....(picture me dancing in a circle shaking my ass and twirling my finger in the air)....."I can ruuuu-un....and e-ven breee-eath.....and you can't ca-atch me...ha-ha-ha-ha-----ha!" LMAO! Motrin kept me company though out the afternoon but I woke up this morning feeling remarkably good...calves are still sore but even that seems to be letting up a bit. The hills were brutal but I actually really enjoyed running the hills....just when I thought I couldn't possibly go on any longer I'd find myself at the top of the hill and either a plateau in front of me or the decline of the hill and my muscles were getting the break that they were begging for which gave me a little more umph to continue a while longer. It was great!

Then today (Sunday) after a long drive home I put on my running gear and did my 4 miles....ran the 1st 3 miles straight through then walked 1 minute and then ran the last mile home....did it in 42 minutes 56 seconds....."WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

motrin is my friend

2007-06-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

Did my 4 miles at the park this morning...another tough one. Upped the intervals to 1.25 miles. Not sure how long it took me because I accidentally shut my GPS off before I looked. My calves are so damn sore I can barely walk...if I sit for any length of time it takes a good amount of time before I can walk normal again after getting up....it's been like this for the past month...I feel like my calves are forever going to feel this way.... I sent my running coach and mentors an email to find out why. I feel NO pain or fatigue in my quads or hamstrings it's ALL in my calves. During the run and after. I'm stretching them good before and after every run and icing them when I think about it but it's not helping. Everyone else I talk to says that they don't have this problem...they all say they feel it in their upper legs. So I'm starting to think that I'm doing something wrong. I've had a couple different people comment on the size of my calves and I've been noticing that they are in fact getting larger....I'm going to end up looking like Popeye if I don't figure this out!

Leaving tonight for a weekend getaway up north. Looking forward to the rest and relaxation. The roads up there are even hillier than Stoney so Saturday's 8 mile run should be interesting. I'll up date the blog on Monday.

back to baby step...=(

2007-06-20T08:40:00.000-04:00

I keep trying to run the straight miles but it's just not happening. I just did it last Saturday so I KNOW I can do it!! Not sure what the problem is but apparently I underestimated the impact the crowd at the Race for the Cure had on my performance....plus I was starving the whole time...but I didn't want to eat right before going out to run. Went out today with the intention of running 3 straight miles. Made it 1.5 and had to take my 1 minute walk break....made it 1 more mile and took another walk break. I finished in 34 minutes. I'm still making improvements every day so I'm trying not to get too frustrated.

HATING the treadmill!

2007-06-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

Went to the gym today to get my 4 miles in because after driving all the way out to Stoney it started downpouring....which I wouldn't normally mind but I had to go to the grocery store immediately after. Only had the babysitter until 11 so I was a little crunched for time. I REALLY don't like running on the treadmill. It's soooooooo boring and the time just drags. I did 1 mile run/1 minute walk/1 mile run/1 minute walk/ bathroom break / 2 mile run. Thought I'd be able to run the entire thing...just couldn't do it. Only doing 3 miles tomorrow so I'll try again then.

Looked into running the Crim in Flint but it's on the same day we return from vacation....Aug 25th. Oh-well....next year!

7 miles today!

2007-06-17T10:28:00.000-04:00

Now that I've gotten past the breathing hump (it took about 6 weeks) I really feel like this is getting easier! I feel like the improvements and breakthroughs are coming by leaps and bounds now. I'm enjoying running more and more each week. I ran out at Stoney this morning and did the 7 miles doing the 1 mile run / 1 minute walk. Didn't have to cheat even once. Finished in 79 minutes. So now here's my revised plan....I'm going to try to run my short weekday runs straight through without walk breaks and then my long Saturday runs I'll try to increase the intervals each week....so depending on how it goes during this week I may try running 1.5 miles for the intervals....because there's just NO way I'll be able to run 8 straight miles!.....My baby steps are turning into toddler steps...LOL!

K now I have a long winded story to tell you....so if you're not interested in hearing it.....you should leave now....lol......I have to explain something or what I say in the end will make you think that I'm coming completely unravelled!

Those who know me well know that I've said for a very long time that I TRULY believe that my life is touched by "Divine intervention"...Strange things have happened to me all my life...Things that continue giving me goose bumps to this day....I believe (and I mean TRULY believe) that I've had a guardian angel sitting on my shoulder my entire life guiding me in the right direction....those who know me also know that I'm not huge into religion....in fact, up until about 1 1/2 months ago I hadn't been to church in 4 years. We found a new church down the street that we all really enjoy so we've started going again. So this "feeling" I've had all my life isn't a religious thing...The first time I remember having this feeling was when I was 14 years old. I was out on a "double date" with a much older guy...I'm guessing he was 18 or 19....maybe even older....can't even remember his name...this was my first date so to speak and my parents new nothing about it...all I'm going to say about it is there is no doubt in my mind where this "date" was headed and how things would have turned out if my guardian angel hadn't stepped up to the plate to intervene! All 4 of us were in a living room...in the dark....making out....again...this was my first "make out session" and I had no clue! But shortly after it started I felt like my nose was dripping....I wiped my nose and discovered I had a bloody nose...not just your ordinary run of the mill bloody nose....it was a major gusher and it took a good 15 minutes to control...and I somehow had on this guys WHITE sweatshirt (OVER my own clothes)....and it was covered in blood. Now, this may seem like just a coincidence to you or you may be thinking that it was just because I was nervous....but I also have to tell you that up until that point I had NEVER had a nose bleed before....and I have NEVER had one since! Needless to say...the "date" ended and that was that...I was absolutely mortified of course and left that date cursing this Divine intervention....apparently my guardian angel has one hell of a sense of humor! But this is just the first of MANY MANY experiences like this. Things like this have continued happening my entire life. It used to freak me out ....big time.....but now it just makes me smile!

Now that I've said that I'm going to tell you that my guardian angel is with me when I run. I know I say that at the risk of everyone thinking I've completely gone off the deep end or that I'm just so emotionally invested in this marathon that my mind is working overtime.....but I swear that's not it....the entire time I run I can hear footsteps behind me. I'm continuously turning around to make sure no-one's following me or to make sure I'm not in some one's way...I'm telling you.....it's my guardian angel running with me.

Look out Forest Gump! Tammy Hopgood's coming through! heehee

2007-06-16T12:11:00.000-04:00

I'm just so damn proud of myself! I ran the entire Race for a Cure 5 K with NO WALKING BREAKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ("5K" sounds so much bigger and better than "3 miles"....doesn't it!!???) And even better yet....I finished in 31 minutes 55 seconds....ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh baby!!!!!! What a difference running with a crowd.... the adrenaline and spirit of the crowd really pushes you along. The whole experience was fantastic! I was floored by how many people were there. My cousin asked me if I wanted to run the Crim 10 K with her in August...definitely gonna look into signing up for that 1 too....assuming it doesn't conflict with our August Vacation. This is just so exciting for me. Another MAJOR breakthrough day!

Much Better!

2007-06-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

Went to Dodge Park for 4 miles...was able to complete the whole run doing the 1 mile run/1 min walk...it was a struggle but I was able to finish all the running intervals. I stayed very focused on running really slow and relaxed. It helped. Finished in 47 min. 27 sec. I know it's a pretty slow running pace but I don't care. For my 1st marathon attempt I just want to be able to run as much of it as I can. In future races/marathons I can focus on improving my time......(I have to keep telling myself this to help temper the frustration!)

This Saturday is the Race for a Cure 5 K! My first race ever! I'm really excited! I'll be missing my TNT group training day....It's a 7 mile run day so I'll have to make it up on Sunday.... by myself....ho hum....

2 steps forward....5 steps back??!!

2007-06-13T10:40:00.000-04:00

WOW....this morning's run was awful! Was feeling so confident after last nights run...but today made me feel like I'm getting no where! There is definitely something to this night time running theory! I did 3.13 in 37 minutes 28 seconds....DEAR LORD! I was cheating the whole time....ran the first mile straight through and then cheated the whole rest of the way....just didn't feel good today!

I'm ditching the timed intervals

2007-06-12T21:50:00.001-04:00

Sunday's run ( and my interval timing mishap) made me start thinking that a lot of the difficulty that I'm having with improving my intervals is all in my head. So I went out today and decided to try to push for distance instead of timing...and do you know that I ran 4 miles ....running 1 mile walking ?? seconds ( how ever long it took me to walk across the major traffic lights...didn't really time it). I did 3.92 miles in 44 minutes 29 seconds. Which means that I ran for over 11 minutes at a time to get to that 1 mile! I definitely think I'm past the breathing difficulties...It felt really good today right from the get-go!...Even in this heat.... So assuming I'm not jumping the gun with that statement it'll be about strengthening my legs and muscle endurance from here on out. This is SO exciting for me...I feel like I'm improving and hitting more breakthroughs everyday! My hamstrings were feeling really sore and tight in the end...need to work on that!

easy Sunday morning

2007-06-10T08:27:00.000-04:00

My legs are REALLY sore! Did 3 miles in the neighborhood in 34 min. 22 sec. I tried to increase my intervals to 6 1/2 minute run / 50 minute walk.....but I somehow screwed up my timer on my GPS....after the 3rd walk break I was thinking boy these walk break are going by way too fast so I happened to pay attention the next time around and I somehow had it timed for 30 seconds instead of 50. So my legs started to revolt...I swear it's all psychological....because until I knew that I messed my timer up I was doing just fine. Go figure! Oh well...Really looking forward to giving my body a break tomorrow!

3rd training session with TNT group

2007-06-09T10:34:00.000-04:00

I love this sport. I think it's safe to say that this is something I will continue doing long after the marathon is over! I ran 6 miles in just over 67 minutes. I figured it out and it averaged out to be an 11 minute 10 second mile. It felt so good today! I did my 5 1/2 minutes run and 55 second walk. I completed all the intervals without cheating and even felt so good at one point that I skipped one of my walk breaks. I stopped for about 2 minutes at the half way point (TNT group has a water station set up at the 3 mile mark). So with my stop figured in I actually was UNDER 11 minute mile!!! The first 3 miles were hard...I had to really concentrate on my breathing and my legs were burning. But after that water stop it was a strange feeling....I felt like my body was on autopilot. Nothing burned, legs felt awesome, and my breathing felt so comfortable that I really wasn't even paying attention to it. I felt like I could have skipped all my walking breaks during that last 2 1/2 miles but I didn't want to push my luck. I'm a little paranoid about injuring myself and I'm glad I didn't push it because my left hamstring is feeling really sore right now. I almost feel like I can call my self a "runner". LMAO! I'm trying to talk Dan into training for the half marathon....my friend Traci thinks she may have talked HER husband into the half....Dan's response is "let me think about it"...which is better than "NO WAY"....so we'll see! By the way....my running partner ditched me this week....it was a little damaging to my ego....but I got over it after my run went so well....I do much better on my own!

T.L. # ? OHHHH... I DON'T KNOW!

2007-06-07T09:42:00.000-04:00

Gorgeous day! 3.14 miles in 34 minutes 36 seconds. Legs felt like they were dragging a little today again...didn't sleep last night even WITH the Nite-Quil! I really hope this passes before Saturday's 6 miles. Gonna be a hot one today....I'm off to go soak in my neighbor's pool!

T.L. #14

2007-06-06T10:17:00.000-04:00

Today felt incredible! Not sure of my exact distance because my GPS kept losing it's signal but whatever I ran I did it in 34 min. 16 secs....should have been around 3 miles though. Kept the same intervals as last night's run and felt really good. Dare I say, I may have gotten over the "breathing hump"??!! Breathing felt REALLY good today. My weak link today was generalized weakness...legs felt like noodles...I think it's this cold I'm trying to fight dragging me down. And by the way, I'm admitting an error here so you may want to take notes....it doesn't happen often.... = ), today's weather was perfect for running!...55 and sunny this morning! So, apparently, my heat loving days are on hiatus until this marathon is over!....It could be a loooong summer!

K...now I need to explain something. I don't want anyone to think that Dan & I are reneging on our promised pledge of $1000. We still plan to give that money but here's what we decided to do. As I've said before we have several friends doing this marathon including a married couple. Because they're BOTH doing this they have to raise double the minimum ($3000). I never in a my wildest dreams would have thought that I'd reach my minimum this quickly...my family and friends are AWESOME! I did not anticipate everyone's unbelievable generosity! So I originally thought that our $1000 was going to make up the difference in whatever I was short in raising my minimum amount. So now I'm thinking...if, in the end, my friends are still short from reaching their minimum then I'll use the $1000 that we were planning on pledging anyway and disperse it into each of their accounts to help them in their fundraising efforts. It's all going towards that same cause so it doesn't matter if it's getting there through our account or someone elses....right?! SO, when the time comes and that money is dispersed I will put direct links on this blog to their TNT donation pages so that everyone knows that I did as I promised....not that I think there are doubters out there....but you never know!

T.L. #13

2007-06-05T20:22:00.000-04:00

Stuck close to home today & increased my intervals! ran 6 minutes/ walked 55 seconds (don't laugh....that 5 seconds makes a big difference!) for 3.13 miles. Finished in 34 min 11 secs....my fastest time yet!! Was tough but felt great! As much as I hate to admit it the cooler weather makes a big difference.

I feel like I'm getting sick now with a cold...hopefully it won't interfere with my training schedule this week! I'm certainly no martyr...when I'm sick...I'm down for the count! Most women complain about men being babies when they're sick....well I'M that big baby!....I don't like to be sick and I won't pretend I do! If I'm sick you can usually find me groaning on the couch curled up with a blanky feeling sorry for myself...and I'm ok with that! What does that have to do with my training blog you might ask?.....absolutely nothing!....that's the beauty of having a blog!...I can go off on any tangent I want!....LOL!

Training Log #12

2007-06-03T20:27:00.000-04:00

Much better day. Went back to Stoney for 4 miles in the rain. It was still painful but I was able to complete all my 5 1/2 minute running spurts without cheating. Did the 4 miles in 47 minutes. Which cracks me up considering I did 5 yesterday in an hour. So with all my cheating yesterday I still only slowed my time down by about 2 minutes...(meaning - if I had run the full 5 today I would have been only 2 minutes faster than yesterday!). Was hoping to be able to increase my running time by 30 seconds each week but I'm not so sure now...I'll have to see how I feel. I keep hoping it'll get easier but now I'm thinking that I'll just learn how to cope with the pain for longer periods of time. I'm finding it VERY difficult to increase the amount of time of my running intervals AND increase the distance each week. The soreness in my legs has been a constant for 2 weeks now...and because I have to keep increasing the miles each week I don't think this soreness will ever get better! The soreness doesn't bother me though...I have a pretty high pain tolerance for that type of thing. It's a good soreness. It's the breathing that I struggle with. If I could just get the breathing thing down I might be able to pick up a little speed.

Today was rough!

2007-06-02T12:16:00.001-04:00

I need to clarify a statement made in a previous post! When I said I liked running in the heat....I should have said I like the heat with out the HUMIDITY! Today's humidity killed me...it's stifling! Stoney is SO much harder to run...there's so many hills! I did the 5 miles and only fully completed 3 of the 5.5 minute runs. I was stopping and cheating all the rest of them....it took me 59 minutes to go 5 miles! I just couldn't continue. I think I need to start doing more of my "during the week" runs out at Stoney to help me improve my endurance because it's never this hard when I run in the neighborhood...or even Dodge Park for that matter. The good news is I've found a running partner. She's very nice and is struggling ALMOST as much as me...her endurance is better than mine but she decided to stay back in the slums with me so she could run with someone. I told her that if at any time she feels I'm holding her back that to PLEASE go on ahead. It made the time go by faster because we were talking...actually I guess I should clarify that by saying ....SHE did most of the talking....I just can't run and talk yet and I of course explained that to her from the very beginning so she didn't think I was just ignoring her. I think that's another reason I struggled today...I kept trying to talk. Note to self......I'm ALWAYS better off just keeping my mouth shut!....a lesson I have yet to master!

training log #10

2007-05-30T21:10:00.001-04:00

Man I'm on fire!!! There's just no stopping me...I'm an addict! Diane tells me she and her running friends have a theory about night time running being easier. So since yesterday was my first night time run and it was easier I decided I had to test her theory and go again tonight...RAN 3.2 MILES IN 34 MINUTES 26 SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I feel AWESOME!!!!!!

Training Log #9

2007-05-29T21:53:00.000-04:00

Today was suppose to be a rest day but when I saw tomorrow's weather report I decided to go today instead. I have to say that I'm quite proud of myself for going = ) considering my feet were throbbing from being on them for 9 hours at work!

I think I hit a major break through today! I decided that since my feet & legs were tired from standing at work and since today was suppose to be a rest day...to take it easy and do a slow short 3 mile run with the 5.5/1 intervals. My breathing felt so incredibly good through the last half that I completely skipped my last walk break and ran for 8 1/2 minutes straight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I decided to keep running as James Brown was screaming "I FEEL GOOD" in my ear (yes.....I down loaded it....I'm a dork....I know....)....I've decided that this song will officially be my war whoop...battle cry...mantra....whatever you want to call it! I don't know why but that song makes me want to start skipping down the street with my arms swinging wildly instead of jogging....I swear that's what I'll do if it starts playing during the marathon...now wouldn't that be a sight!

So anyway, I ran 3 miles in 36 minutes...I'm slow as hell....speaking of slow....I went to my doctors last week for a weird ear thing I have going on...and in our conversation the marathon training came up....well little did I know, my doctor does the relay at the free press event every year...so he says, "hey...we're looking for a 4th person...you should join us..... we had one last year but she was too SLOW"..........HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Boy did I get a chuckle out of that one! "Yeah, sure doc...let me put that one on my calendar....oh, by the way, I can only run 5 minutes at a time...ya think that'll be a problem??!!"

Training log #8

2007-05-28T10:17:00.001-04:00

I spoke too soon yesterday. I experienced my very 1st "I really don't feel like running" day. My calves are very sore and my Chantix pill made me very nauseous this morning. But I decided to get dressed in my running clothes and see if it gave me a boost...it really didn't but the nausea subsided & I thought well I'm already dressed I may as well go. Today was a rough one. I did 3.7 miles in 42 minutes and struggled the entire time. My calves were burning, my breathing was out of control...just couldn't get into a rhythm this morning. My body is longing for tomorrow's rest day!

Training log # 7

2007-05-27T10:35:00.000-04:00

Still going strong! Did 4.25 miles in 47.5 minutes. Increased my intervals to 5.5/1. Struggled the last mile...my calves are my weak link! Breathing was more of a struggle today I think because of the increase in running time...of course, the 3 beers and snickers blizzard that I ate at 10pm could have SOMEthing to do with it!....note to self....no beers or snickers blizzards day before marathon......Thanks Randy and Kelly for twisting my arm = ) ! But I was able to hang in there. I'm truly shocked that I haven't gotten to the point of groaning at the thought of getting in my run for the day. Usually, when I think of working out I can eventually talk myself out of it. But I don't really even stop to think about it any more...I just do it...It's becoming a routine for me. And I have to say that I've been eating like a flipp'n cow these last 3 weeks and haven't gained a pound...MAJOR bonus to this running business...now, if I could just control myself I may even lose a few pounds!

My friend Diane gave me a book called "First Marathons" and I'm loving it! Very motivating and inspirational. Every chapter is a different person's first marathon experience story. Many of them are people like me who never ran before but decided to do it on a whim...many of them started running late in life...thirties, forties AND fifties....and became addicted to running because of the wonderful experiences they had. It's a lot of fun to read but also very educational. I'm learning a lot.

Training log #6

2007-05-26T11:08:00.000-04:00

Had a fantastic run today. Still stuck with the 5/1 intervals. Did 4 miles in 46 minutes. In the ran. Really enjoyed running in the ran! I'm SO glad that the entire group went this morning...I can honestly say that if I hadn't known they were going to be there I probably would have skipped it and made my long run tomorrow because of the rain. But now I know I won't melt...learn something new every day! It was also encouraging that even with my 1 minute walk breaks I always had my friend Kelly in sight...so my walk breaks aren't slowing me down all that much. I figured out that even if I can't improve my pace or running intervals and keep this same pace that I'm at now I'll be able to finish the marathon in under 5 hours....woooohoooo!

The 1st mile always feels the worst. Legs burn, can't control my breathing, always have a stitch in my side under my right ribs...and the entire 1st mile I kept thinking 'how in the hell am I going to do 4 miles if I'm struggling this hard with the 1st mile....but by mile 2 the stitch starts working it's way out and my feet find a rhythm...and by the 3rd mile I have my breathing completely under control. The start of the 4th mile was rough because my calves were on fire but before I new it I saw the parking lot...I forgot about my calves and was actually able to pick up a little speed for the last 10 seconds....and by then I felt like I could've kept going! My calves are going to REALLY hurt tomorrow!

My First Marathon Dream....Not a very encouraging one!

2007-05-25T07:03:00.000-04:00

I have to share a portion of an email I received yesterday (hope this person doesn't mind....I won't say any names) and then I'll share in stark contrast the dream I had last night....

"When I was younger (into my early 20’s) I used to run. Not for distance or for racing or for anything. Just me. I used to “reach for a stride” when I ran and in a short time that stride turned into a glide. An almost effortless glide. When I broke my leg I could never regain that stride and for several years I had this recurring dream. I would be running, reaching for longer and longer strides until I was clearing entire city blocks in a single stride (Without a Cape) and then I was able to gain altitude by keeping my legs churning so I could clear houses (but Not faster than a Speeding Bullet). These dreams were a physical exaggeration, but not much of a mental exaggeration, of the way I felt sometimes when I was running."

K...now let me share the dream I had last night...I have to hurry before I forget it!

I was at a marathon and decided after the first several miles that I just couldn't continue...so I decided to stop and take a rest for just a couple hours at a hotel! So now I'm in a hotel sitting indian style on my bed watching the marathoners go by and sitting on the bed next to me is Sidney Poitier (I have NO idea where THAT came from)...also sitting indian style. We were both taking a test...because apparently if you couldn't run the marathon you could just test your way through it. Only, Sidney was plugging away at the test concentrating hard and I was just staring at the test...I had a huge Costco size bucket of animal crackers on my left and a big gulp Diet Coke on my right. My mouth was stuffed so full with animal crackers I couldn't speak to Sidney. ....and that was it!

I'm gonna try REAL hard to not analyze this one.....

Training log #5

2007-05-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

Went to the park for my run this morning. Another beautiful day. Ran 3 miles of 5/1 intervals in just under 34 minutes...felt great! I think I'm going to keep the 5/1 intervals for the long runs on Saturday (we'll see how it goes) but try to slowly increase my running time each week during the weekday training. So starting next Tues. I'll try doing 5 1/2 minutes of running....don't laugh at me!.....I gotta take baby steps...My original goal in wanting to run the full 5 K by June 16th may have been a bit unrealistic for me. But we'll see!

I went to the Hanson's footwear clinic with the TNT group last night. It was very informational! I was impressed by the guys who work there...very knowledgeable. I found out that the 1 guy that helped me with my 1st pair of running shoes actually qualified to be 1 of 5 runners representing the US in some huge international race. The last marathon he ran he finished a full 26.2 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes!! HOLY SH_T!! Anyway, one of the topics that they were discussing is weather...and how some people hate running in the heat of the summer and some hate running in the middle of the winter. I sat there wondering which one I'll be. I can tell you that I'm a summer gal anyway, the hotter the better. Today confirmed it. The sun was shining and it was already 79 degrees out. I just love to sweat...I'm weird I know...but I love that feeling when your done doing anything strenuous and your face feels like it's on fire...you're just burning up....I loved it! I simply do NOT like to be cold! I have to say though that the bugs and flying fuzzy things were a major pain in the ass! If I wasn't sucking one up my nose than they were sticking to my sweaty skin! But I can live with that!

Reclaiming ME!

2007-05-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

I've done a lot of joking around in the recent past to many of my friends about my self proclaimed "mild mid-life crises". I was desperately bored with my life. My entire life and identity revolved around my kids...being a mom...and being a wife. And as my kids gain their independence even THAT identity is slipping. My boys are in school all day and at the gym all night...Jordyn is at school a couple days each week and with her being the only one at home....lets just say one can only read so many Dora and Princess books before going out of her mind! Going back to work a couple days each week helped a lot but I still had nothing in my life that was just for ME! Of Course I love my kids and of course I love being a mom and wife; and I'm very grateful that I have an incredibly supportive husband who has afforded me the opportunity to stay at home all these years and raise my kids; And I'm comfortable with the job we're doing as parents in raising our kids; blah, blah, blah..... but during all this what goes through my head is "there HAS to be more to my life than this"! I'm sure that sounds selfish, and maybe I AM selfish, and I'm ok with that!

With that said, I feel like I've been walking around the last 4 days on a major "high". I'm so damn happy I could cry, and have! I'm a happier mom, a happier wife....just happy! I feel like I've reclaimed a huge piece of myself! And I'm supporting a wonderful cause in the process. It feels so damn good to be working towards this goal...it's all I can think about. I'm obsessed. I don't think there's anything in the world that could be more gratifying. I'm sure this blissfulness will wear off eventually, I mean it's only been 1 week. But I wanted to share the feeling while it lasted!

K...I'm done....no more gushing....go rinse your mouth....all that mouth regurge will leave a nasty odor (and rotten teeth).

Back to my running log. Did 3 miles again. Still doing the 5/1 intervals. Was even easier today than yesterday but I'm sure that's because I was on a treadmill (no hills). I felt fantastic when I was done. It's very gratifying to feel the progress I'm making with each run! Looking forward to Saturday's 4 mile run to see how I do.

There's 7 of us doing this. 3 of us are running it and the other 4 are walking. There are different coaches for the walkers than for the runners so when we train together on Saturdays our group gets split up. The other 2 runner friends of mine are running circles around me and leaving me in their dust. I was a little discouraged that I was the only beginner who couldn't run it. BUT my friends Traci and Kristina (both have never run before) have decided to come over to the dark side and try this interval training with me. YEAY! I may have a running partner after all!