Marathon Training: Week 11

This week is going to be good. I can feel it.

Monday- Run 4 (it went very well) :)
Wednesday- 8
Thursday-4
Saturday-17 (OMG)

It's gonna be good. Really. It is.

Marathon Training: Weeks 9 and 10

I will go ahead and say week 9 was cancelled. We were in Boston on vacation and had high hopes to run, but we didn't. We ran 11 miles total for the week and probably walked 45. Needless to say we were tired, and traffic was craziness, so we took a vacation from running. It was fabulous. Though I felt very lazy.

On that note, week 10 sucked. Seriously. Worst running week ever. The schedule was 4,7,4,11. The fours were okay, not easy, but ok. The 7 was hard. I even walked once during which is not like me. But it was the 11 that had me almost in tears when I got home. I stopped every two miles- not because I was hurting, but because I wanted to! I know. I suck.

It took me a long frickin' time to run/ walk those 11 miles, when two weeks ago I ran 15 no problem.
Hopefully I am still recovering from vacation. Good news is it can only go up.

I did know this week would come. The week I hated training and honestly regretted my decision to run the marathon. Hopefully next week I will look like this when I run:

And not like this:



Marathon Training: Week 8

We did 14 miles! Yay! And it actually wasn't bad-at-all. partly because I decided to listen to a book rather than music and it totally made me lose track of time. We were also lucky enough to enjoy a downtown run in Chicago.

This week brings on another "longest run yet" for Chris and I. Fifteen miles!

Monday- Rest
Tuesday- 4 Miles
Wednesday- 7 Miles
Thursday- Rest
Friday- 4 Miles
Saturday- Walk
Sunday- 15 Miles :)

Marathon Training: Week 7

A little late. Whoops.

Last week went great! It was hot and humid which I have decided I do not enjoy. It's amazing how much the heat takes out of you while running. But overall the runs were very good.

This weeks schedule is a little different, but at least this time around I am being more flexible- so that's good.

Monday- 4
Tuesday-7
Wednesday- biking (apparently 25 miles....)
Thursday- rest
Friday- 14 (AHHHHH! This will be my longest distance. I feel like I should get a medal and T-Shirt after I finish)
Saturday- I may do 4. We shall see.
Sunday- either rest or do 4

We are definitely getting up there in miles now. I'm actually quite nervous about 14 but I know I can do it! Bring it on!

The Marathon Kicks

Aren't they gorgeous? -- in a "I have to run 26 miles in these shoes" gorgeous? Yep- we're getting pretty close. There's nothing like the bond between a runner and her shoes. Sad thing is, this is my third pair of the same shoe. I guess I am not a fan of change. :)

Marathon Training: Week 6

Not to brag, but we rocked the 12 miles this week. Even in the Arkansas heat and humidity (impromptu trip). It definitely left me a tad sore, but I will take that over not being able to finish any day. We did miss a three mile run because of the ridiculous amount of things we had going on. I plan (because I am obsessive) to make up for it this week.

Monday: Nothing :)
Tuesday: 3 Miles
Wednesday: 6 Miles
Thursday: 3 Miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 9 Miles
Sunday: 3 Miles

We are rearranging this week due to a camping trip this weekend.

One interesting thing I have noticed while training: I don't do well with carbonation. If I have too many cokes I feel like I have a hangover. It's sad.

Marathon Training: Week 5

Week 4 recap- great week! The short week runs were great as well as the long run. I feel much more encouraged than I did last week at this time. Definitely ready to keep this training up. I have realized my speed has decreased, but I will take that over a miserable run.

Week 5: Monday- Ab workout
              Tuesday- 3 Miles
              Wednesday- 6 Miles
              Thursday- Bike Ride
              Friday- 3 Miles
              Saturday- Rest
              Sunday- 12 Miles

Marathon Training: Week 4

I can't believe we are on week four already. Crazy how time flies.

Monday- Rest. Because I have run three days in a row and my legs need a break.
Tuesday- 3 Miles
Wednesday- Cross Train.
Thursday- 6 Miles
Friday- 3 Miles
Saturday- Rest
Sunday- 11 Miles- Gross.

I am praying the eleven miles goes much better than the 8 and 9 have. This last week was nice because even my short runs felt better, which leaves me hopeful. It's just weird to think that when we trained for our half the longest we ran was 12, and here we are, on week four running 11. It took me 10 weeks to get to that last time.

Marathon Training: Week 3

Recap of week 2: Hard, Horrible, I hated it. My 9 mile run took all I had, and unfortunately I walked for about half a mile somewhere in the middle. I need a serious mental makeover.

Week 3 (better late than never):
              Tuesday- 3 miles
              Friday- 5 miles
              Saturday- 3 miles
              Sunday- 6 miles

These past two weeks have been hard because we are traveling. With traveling comes poor eating habits. I am hoping we can get back on track.

Marathon Training: Week 2

Week one was fairly easy- except for the 8 mile yesterday. I thought I was going to fall over. Not quite sure why because 6 miles was "easy" last week. Maybe I underestimated the extra two.

This weeks training includes:

Monday- Cross
Tuesday- 3
Wednesday- I will be in a car all day... so no running for me.
Thursday- Hopefully I will have time for 5 (We will be in Tulsa for a wedding, so the wedding festivities will have started :) )
Friday-3
Saturday- Rest
Sunday- Will be driving, so rest again
Monday- 9

Not quite "on schedule" but we will get it done!

Rewind

4 Nalgenes is too much. I only have a few chances to escape my children for bathroom breaks.

I will reset my goal to 2 nalgenes, at least for now.

Marathon Training: Week 1

Monday: Cross Training
Tuesday: 3 Miles
Wednesday: 5 Miles
Thursday: Strength
Friday: 3 Miles
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 8 Miles

Nutrition Goals: 4 Nalgenes of water daily, no more than 1 fun size candy bar a day :)
                        

13.1, 26.2, 13.1

I have gone off the deep end.

In September, I will be running the Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon.

In October, I will be running the Twin Cities MARATHON. Yep, you heard right.

In November, I will be running the Monumental Half Marathon in Indianapolis.


The halfs don't scare me. It's the full that has me freaking out.

More to come later.

IMM

Signed up for the Indianapolis Monumental Half Marathon in Indy in November!

This is the same race we did last November. Can't wait to do it again!

Feets of Hope

On Saturday one of my students, with help from others, put on a 5K to raise money for a camp that helps abused children. I was so proud of her, and we had a great time running it. The course was a cross country course rather than a road race, so that was interesting. I realized I am glad I didn't run cross country in high school. :)

The posse.

Me pretending to be a real runner by stopping my time.

Chris almost winning first place. Long story. He's too nice.

Crossroads of Indiana Half Marathon

Whelp, half marathon #2 is DONE! Yay! Here are some pics:

I was ridiculously excited. It was a bit sad.

Chris was not so excited. In fact, before the race he asked, "How did I let you talk me into this again?"

Not flattering, but I had to show you what this course was like. It was filled with hills. It was miserable.

2:11 Finish Time

:) I am so grateful for a husband who will run with me.

Overall, we had a blast! Chris beat his time from the first half marathon by about 4 minutes. I was well on my way to beating mine, but I was worn out by running against the wind (25MPH wind to be exact) and up hill. I couldn't mentally push myself to keep running that pace, so I slowed down. Maybe next time, right? I have my next half marathon picked out, but I can't tell you until Chris tells me where I am living next year... :) But I guarantee it will have no hills.

Here We Goooo...

"Here we go, one more time, everybody's feeling fine, here we go now..."

I couldn't resist the NSYNC lyrics. They are my all time favorite boy band. :) Okay, maybe favorite band in general. I know. I am pathetic. But proud. If they did a reunion tour, I would so be there. I even wore my "No Strings Attached" concert T-Shirt to school this year.

Now to the real meaning of this post.

This week begins training for half marathon number two! I am so ready. Not sure why, but I can't wait to start. I feel so much better when I run. I have kept up being able to run 6 miles so I am not worried about being able to do this. Which is so nice. Considering last time when I hoped I would be able to finish in 3 1/2 hours. I even planned on walking some. I didn't walk and I finished in 2:10.

So basically, bring it on Crossroads of Indiana Half Marathon!

Not sure what my goal is. I would like to shave a bit off my time, but considering this training is taking place during softball season, I'm not sure how much time I will be able to devote to make sure my speed increases. I just enjoy the run, not really the idea of getting quicker. It's the whole exercising and taking care of my body thing that I run for. I have no plans or ambitions of winning. :) So maybe I will shoot for 2:09ish.

High hopes, right? I think so.

Attica Turkey Trot

I have no doubt that a run on Thanksgiving morning will be a tradition with Chris and I. It was my first 5K, and I can't wait to do the next! This was a small, local race that benefited the Attica Food Pantry. It was fun to be able to give while doing something we enjoy!

Hailey, Chris, me, and Becky before the race
Again...

I love that my ponytail stands straight up when I run.

After the race.

My time was 28:30, and for not running much (two times) since the half marahon, I was pretty happy with it.

Pictures from the Race

Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis, Indiana- November 6, 2010

The Wrights and Chris and Me
Right after the race... whith our foil warmers
Me finishing up



Before the Race

and...done!

I am very pleased to announce that I have completed my first half marathon! Woo hoo! And it was fantastic!


The Friday before the race it started snowing. It was freezing. And it was windy. All great weather conditions to run 13.1 miles in, right? :)

Saturday morning ended up being 31 degrees, which was surprisingly better than the 24 that was predicted. The race was fun. I didn't even have to use my IPOD. They had bands playing, and I was nosey and listened in on other people's conversations to keep myself entertained. By doing this, I found out I was running with Larry Macon- a marathon maniac. He completed over 100 marathons in a year. Crazy!

I finished in 2.10:16- which was 20 minutes under my goal, and one hour under the time I estimated I would finish in on the application. Chris finished in 1.57.56-I think..... which is awesome!

It turned out to be an awesome journey. I am so grateful for a God who gives me the perseverance and determination to finish something I never thought I could. I am also grateful for such encouraging people who pushed me through!

We have signed up for the next one in April! :) And a 5K next week. I think I may be addicted.

Here is a link to the one in April: http://www.nwicrossroads.com/

I will post pics soon!