Marathon Training: Week 17 *The FINAL WEEK*

I'm sorry this post is a tease, but I couldn't not document the final week of marathon training. I have so many thoughts on the race itself I don't even know where to start with my recap, but I'll be working on it this week, so check back.

For now, I will tell you that tapering makes me lazy. It's sad when you don't want to go out on a 3-mile run because it sounds too long. Ha. I actually skipped a scheduled run on Thursday because I just didn't feel like it. How's that for marathon spirit? In my defense, it was cold and rainy outside.

But I did run on Sunday, and my dad and I both finished with no injures except my knees and my sunburn. (No chaffing, though! Moving Comfort bra, I love you.) I think my dad had chaffing issues, but I won't go into detail about that...

Here's a picture to tide you over until the recap post. (And... I just realized my eyes might be closed.)

Thank you so much for your emails and comments and tweets of encouragement! Sometimes I feel like no one's out there reading this thing, and although I would still write even if no one read it, I do enjoy the community of blogging. You all are wonderful.

Marathon Training: Week 16--ONE WEEK TO GO!

And so the countdown begins.

I had a dream about the marathon last night. I won't be surprised if I have marathon dreams all week long for as much as I've been thinking about it. 

Sixteen weeks ago I made myself a running schedule and put it up on the fridge. At least 3 days/week I've crossed off my training runs, moving farther down the calendar as the weeks passed. Now, my first marathon is exactly one week from today. 

I will save the rest of my thoughts for a pre-race post later on this week, but for now, here's a picture of my dad and I. We ran 8 miles together on Saturday for our last long run. 

Not many people get to say they ran a marathon with their dad. I'm so proud of him. 
We run to be healthy. We run because we can. We run to remember. 

 

Marathon Training: Week 15

It's week 15, which means I only have FIVE more runs before the marathon! Where did the weeks go? Seriously.

This week was the first taper week, so I cut a mile off my usual 5-mile weekday runs. Both of those were inside on a treadmill due to weather. It was boring, but I got it done.

My long run this week (that I just finished about an hour ago as I type this) was fantastic. I finished in 1:47, which paced at 8:48 min/mile! I felt really good throughout most of the run, and I ran my last mile the fastest of them all in 7:54! It's really nice to feel faster at the end of a run than you were at the beginning--major mental boost.

Here's how the miles broke down:
9:29 - 9:15 - 9:01 - 9:02 - 8:55 - 8:35 - 8:36 - 8:29 - 8:53 - 8:57 - 8:42 - 7:54

Two weeks from tomorrow I will be running in the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon and hopefully picking up a sweet medal at my inspiring finish. Speaking of inspiring finishes, for those of you who have Netflix, check out a documentary called "Spirit of the Marathon." It follows 5 runners of different backgrounds and abilities training for the Chicago marathon. Even Jordan sat down and watched some of it with me. It was good.

See you next weekend for another recap!

Marathon Training: Week 14

This recap is a tad bit belated, since I'm actually talking about last week, and it's already Wednesday of this week. But you know what? I do what I want.

I'm so excited about week 14 of training! The reasons are fourfold:

1. The completion of this week means I only have THREE more weeks until my first marathon. And then I will have run a marathon. I will be a marathoner. A person who has run a marathon. What I'm really excited about is putting that obnoxious 26.2 sticker on my car right next to my 13.1 sticker. Yes, I'm that person.

2. I ran two times while on vacation! Despite having the best intentions, I rarely (read: never) run while on vacation. However, I ended up doing my Thursday and Sunday runs while in Illinois, and I'm super proud of myself for actually putting my running shoes to good use. (You know you're a runner when running clothes take up half your suitcase.)

3. My 6-mile run on Thursday paced at 8:20.
My splits looked like this: 9:02 - 8:42 - 8:22 - 8:28 - 7:58 - 7:26. I don't know where that came from, but I love it. Don't get me wrong: as soon as I finished I felt like my head was going to explode and my legs would fall off, but that's neither here nor there. Olympics, here I come!

4. My 15-miler on Sunday went great. I averaged 9:29 pace and finished in 2:22:20.

My long run was just perfect. I woke up early Sunday morning and set off to explore. I ended up finding a long road that wound through some farms, and I watched the sun rise over the cornfields. It was another one of those gorgeous runs that made me so thankful to be healthy and able to run like I do. I am also thankful for my Garmin watch. So worth the money.

In other news, my dad is destroying his training. He ran 20 miles on Saturday! I'm excited to meet up with him in OKC in just a few weeks.

Now, it's officially taper time! Basically this means for the next three weeks my mileage will go way down. (Here's a pretty good article from Runner's World about tapering.) My long runs are 12 this coming weekend and 8 miles the next weekend. It will be really weird to cut back so much after 14 weeks of increasing my distance (and it's also weird that a 12-mile run is "cutting back"), but I'm not going to lie: I'm happy to have 2+ hour-runs behind me at least for now.

By the way, my Moving Comfort bra is holding up just fine. Seriously, best sports bra ever. High five for no chafing!

[ Have any questions about my training so far? Ask me! I'm putting together a post about what I have learned from marathon training, and I'd love to include some answers about things you want to know about! ]

Marathon Training: Week 13 (the final 20 miles)

I am unbelievably proud of that 20 there on the end. It took all my positive thoughts and mental stamina to put one foot in front of the other and finish that monster.

And to think: in just a few short weeks I will be running 20 miles and then another 6.2 after that!

My schedule was originally for 12 miles on Saturday, but after my depressing week 12 of training, where I was sick and forced to skip my 20-mile run, I decided to run 15 miles.

I got up early Saturday morning and met up with a friend of mine to run 8 miles. She's training for the half marathon, so 8 was her long run. After finishing 8, we parted ways, and I set off to finish the last 7 miles for a total of 15.

But somewhere between mile 13 and 14, I got it in my head that I wanted to do 16 miles. Then, after mile 15, I decided to just go to 17. The same thing happened with 18, and all of the sudden I'd talked myself into running a full 20.

The last 3 miles were pretty terrible. I was actually counting by 1/4 miles. I couldn't even think far enough ahead to count in half miles, so I was like, "Just get to 17.25. Good. Okay, now get to 17.5."

I think I was having such a hard time because it was close to 70 degrees by this time and because I hadn't run farther than 12 miles in 3 weeks. Whatever the reason was, I was never so happy to stop running as I was when my Garmin hit 20.

I finished in 3:16, so almost 30 seconds/mile slower than the last 20-mile run I did. But I'm very happy to have run the whole thing, and I'm happy to say that this is the longest I will have to run until my marathon.

As for the rest of the week, here's what my workouts looked like:

Monday: 5 miles @ 10:45 pace.

This was my first "long" run back from being sick, and even though it was a slower pace, I was really happy just to be out and about.

Tuesday: 1 hour of boot camp

Thursday: 6 miles @9:05 pace + 1 hour of boot camp

Saturday: 20 miles @9:49 pace

Total mile count for March: 108
Total mile count for 2013: 264.61

P.S. An update on my new Moving Comfort sports bra: after 20 miles, I am SO happy to report that I had NO CHAFING. None. This is a miracle. I am officially a Moving Comfort convert. If you run/workout/need a good sports bra, buy one immediately. You won't be sorry.

Marathon Training: Week 12

This week was a very sad training week in that I did almost no training. I did run 12 miles on Monday, but it was actually the long run from the previous week that I was supposed to do on Sunday so it doesn't really count for this week.

Tuesday was an hour of boot camp, which was great, and then Wednesday - Saturday I did nothing but lie on the couch and take my temperature.

Today, at long last, I was finally feeling up to activity, so I did 3.5 miles on the treadmill at a terribly slow pace that was a mixture of walking and running. I'm super bummed I had to skip my 20 miles this morning. I thought it wouldn't be the best idea to try to run 3 hours in the wind and cold after being sick for most of the week. But, I guess at least it's good that I'm on the mend.

I'm still not positive I had the flu since I never actually went to the doctor, but I'm going to blame Jordan for my sickness anyway. Let's hope this week I can get back on track. It's just over ONE MONTH until the marathon!

Marathon Training: Week 11

Honestly, this week looks a little like "wah wah." But I had the big 20 miles last Sunday, and my legs were tired. I'm still kind of like, did I really do that? Twenty miles is just a crazy distance. 

Finished 20 miles! 

At the beginning of the week I was at the lake house with my family, and my mom and I went on a 2-mile walk on Monday. Cross training, right? 

Wednesday was an easy 5 miles, and then on Thursday I had an hour of boot camp with the Shape Project. Friday's 4 miles was really tough. I could tell my legs were tired from boot camp, and my pace averaged just over 10-min/mile for the first time in a while. 

I had every intention of going for a run on Sunday to finish off the week, but it's cold and spitting rain outside, and Jordan is sick with the flu, and to be honest I just don't feel like it. Plus, the weather is promising sun tomorrow, so I'm postponing my 12 miles at least for the next 12 hours. 

It's week 11, which means only SIX more weeks until my marathon! Here's what the last few long runs will look like, Lord willing:

March 23: 20 miles

March 30: 12 miles

April 6: 20 miles

April 13: 12

April 20: 8

April 28: 26.2

Marathon Training: Week 10---and the big 20

This week I hit a HUGE marathon training milestone: the dreaded 20-miler. Twenty miles is the farthest I will run until the actual marathon. I have at least one more of these left until race day on April 28. 

After last week's crazy 18 miles, I was not looking forward to tackling 20 miles. We ran most of the OKC marathon route, and it was nice to get a taste of what the race will look like in a little over a month. Starting off at mile 1, I wasn't sure I could do 20. I was feeling nauseous, needed to pee, and my legs were cramping. But I soon found my stride and after a quick hop into a McDonald's around mile 5, I was good to go. 

It's crazy how mental running is. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my cardio, but the 20 miles was all in my head. It's is a freaking long way, and I needed to just keep telling myself to keep running. 

On this run I did something I have never done before: listen to a podcast instead of music. Up until today I have ALWAYS listened to music, but after reading a few running blogs where they swear by podcasts (at least for training runs), I decided to give it a try. I loved it!

Seeing as how it was a Sunday morning and I was skipping church to run (and was feeling bad about it), I decided to listen to one of Matt Chandler's sermons. He's a pastor in the Dallas area at the church my parents go to. You can download his sermons off iTunes for free. 

I ended up listening to 2 sermons, and one of them happened to be about running. Well, running the race for Christ, that is. But it was a perfect literal metaphor (I'm going to pretend there is such a thing) for what I was doing; and it was also the perfect reminder to be thankful for the ability to run and be healthy and alive. 

It's so easy to finish a run and say, "I did this." And I do say that, often. But the truth of it is that I would be able to do nothing without God. 

Remember when I told you running makes me introspective? 

Anyway, I have officially completed 10 weeks of marathon training, and as I look toward the last 7, I am filled with excitement to see this goal complete. I can't even imagine what it will feel like to cross the finish line. 

Yay for marathons! 

P.S. In case you're wondering what the blank spaces are on Tuesday and Friday, that's and hour of boot camp. No miles, obviously, but I logged it as a workout nonetheless. 

Marathon Training: Week 9 and 25k Recap

This week's long run was 18 miles, and I had signed up for a 25k race, which is 15.5 miles. My plan was to run the 25k then add in another 2.5 either before or after the race to get to the full 18. I ended up just running 2 miles before the race and then somehow the .5 got added in during the race. 

I say somehow, but I actually know exactly how. It was when I had to detour to the port-a-potty THREE times during the race. Three. People, this is my worst running fear come to life. Let's just say I am glad I did not have this kind of run last week at the Cowtown. Today was cold--we're talking less than 30 degrees cold. Plus, it was an out-and-back loop around the lake, so we had Oklahoma wind coming off the lake. Now I think my face is wind burnt. 

It was one of those runs I just wanted to be over. And it was, after almost 3 hours. 

Now I have run the farthest and longest ever, and I'm just trying not to even think about next week's 20-miler. I will say one thing: I made 2 major mistakes that probably contributed to this run being rated "blah" on dailymile. 

1: I skipped my Thursday run and went yesterday instead. One thing I've learned during marathon training is that it's important for my legs to get a rest before a long run.

2: Burger and fries for dinner last night. Enough said. 

When I got home, Jordan said, "Woah! You got a medal?"
I said, "Um yeah, it was a real race." I don't know if he thought I was kidding or what. But I got a medal and a dri-fit shirt and a few (handfuls) of Panera bagels, because they were sponsoring the race. 

Less than 2 months to go before the marathon and halfway through training. Who signed me up for this anyway? Good grief. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go back to eating everything in the house. I WANT ALL THE FOODS. 

Marathon Training: Week 8

I already posted about my fifth half marathon, but I wanted to actually write about week 8 of marathon training. Week 8 looked different from my previous weeks for a few reasons, the main one being that I moved my Tuesday/Thursday runs to Wednesday/Friday. 

I also made the decision to plan what I called a "mini taper," which means that I intentionally lowered my mileage in order to give my legs a rest before the half marathon. I definitely think it was a good choice and gives me confidence for the marathon taper, which will start 2 weeks before the marathon. 

On Saturday I am running a 25k and also another 3 miles to get to 18 for the day, and then after that I will almost be at my longest mileage before the marathon! Recap to come. 

Marathon Training: Week 7

Last week I read a tweet that asked this question: are you a blogger who runs or a runner who blogs? 

It's an interesting thought, because I have been writing about running a lot lately. But ultimately, I am a blogger who runs. 

Over the last three years, my favorite posts have been the ones where I write about my life. Funny stories, mostly, about the things that happen to me. I write them because I don't want to forget and because I like writing stories. When I started this blog, the thought of running a half marathon wasn't even a dot on my radar. It was more like a "that would be so cool but I will never do it" kind of thing. But as I've taken on this running challenge, it's become a large part of my life as well. Even though I do not write primarily about running on this blog, my long runs in particular always leave me feeling introspective. So here goes. 

This morning was my seventh week in a row waking up at 6:00 on a weekend to do a long run. Sixteen miles. Now officially the farthest I have ever run.

I wish I could have had a camera to take a picture of my view, but at the same time I feel certain that no picture would have captured the scene. So I will attempt to recreate it as best I can. 

It had snowed overnight. Not enough to stick to the pavement, but the grass and all the trees were dusted with white. It looked like that fake snow they put on expensive Christmas trees, less like a blanket of snow and more like, I don't know...cumulus clouds, puffy and thick. The temperature was a frosty 30 degrees, and the sun was just rising. 

Our sixteen-mile out-and-back path started off in a neighborhood in the well-to-do part of Oklahoma City. Then we climbed the overpass bridge and crossed the highway before entering the park. My footsteps crunched the snow as I crossed the bridge, and I could see puffs of breath from the runners around me. The path wound through the park and went out by the lake, where the rising sun shone brilliantly on the water. After the lake we ran through a golf course, and this is where it became truly magical for me. 

It was around mile 9. I looked at my watch and realized I'd been running for close to an hour and half. An hour and a half. 

I'm doing it, I thought. I'm doing it. 

Then I lifted my head and looked around. There were hills and bridges, light tracks in the snow from the golf carts, trees that stood proud and white, the sun glinting through the trees. It was beautiful. 

And I didn't feel tired.
Now, I was tired. I am tired now as I write this. But I wasn't dying or cramping or feeling like I was going to throw up. 

I was just running.

So I ran and ran and ran. I passed back through the park and over the bridge and across the highway overpass and down through the neighborhood. By the time the run was over, it had warmed up 10 degrees, and I could no longer see my breath. The snow was starting to melt, and the sun kept rising. And I ran hard until the end, finishing 16 miles in 2 hours and 38 minutes. 

9:46-min/mile pace.

I am doing something I never thought I would do. 
Something that, three years ago, sounded terrifying. 

And I know I'm being a bit overdramatic. It's just running. It's just a thing people do. 

But it's also a reminder that I need to be grateful every single day. Grateful for two strong legs to run and eyes to look at the snow and see the sunrise. And ears to listen to worship music as I run and thank God for the blessing of health and life.

See? I told you running made me introspective. 

Anyway. 
If you've stuck with me this far, I'm not really sure why. Ha. 
No but seriously.

The fact of the matter is, right now I love running. I might not this year. I might not after my marathon in April. I might not tomorrow. 
But today. Today was magical. 

And that's all I have for now. Next week I will be HOPEFULLY telling you all about how I dominated the Fort Worth Cowtown half marathon and ran it in under 2 hours. 

*cross fingers*

Marathon Training: Week 6 and My Running Playlist

Let's just get right to it. Do you see that nice little 14 there on the end? 

That is officially the farthest I have ever run! It was tough. The Oklahoma wind was...windy, and there were a few slight hills in there. But do you know what made it all okay?

My dad drove all the way up from Dallas to run with me! We're holding up a 1 and 4 for....14 miles! 

We rocked a 10-minute/mile pace, which I am very happy with, since that's the pace I want to run my marathon.

Next week I have a 16-mile run scheduled, which I can't say I'm particularly looking forward to. But do it I will. 

I've been trying to figure out my fueling strategy for both before, during, and after my runs. Today was my first time to try GU during a run. I'm still undecided about what I think. I couldn't take a whole packet at once, so I split it into 3 sections and just kept it in my jacket between water stops. I will say that I didn't feel like I hit "the wall," so there might be something to the GU.

As far as pre-run breakfast goes, I was reading an article yesterday about how you're supposed to eat 1,000 calories in the morning before a run, which sounds like a ridiculous amount to me. But considering I usually eat either nothing or, at most, a quarter of a bagel, I suppose I have room to improve. So this morning I ate a small bowl of oatmeal. 

For after my runs, I bought some Cliff protein bars and a package of individual chocolate milks. I think it's helped me not get as hungry (or grouchy).

On a semi-related note, I'm super pumped, because I just bought some sweet compression calf sleeves, which I found on sale for $25. If you don't know anything about the cost of compression sleeves, that is a STEAL. I can't wait to get them and see if they really do make a difference. 

Finally, since I know you can't get enough running talk, I wanted to share my top 12 songs from my running playlist, just in case you needed some inspiration. 

What is your favorite workout activity? Do you have any songs you love listening to while exercising? What's the farthest you've ever run?

Marathon Training: Week 5

I'm officially 5 weeks into marathon training and going strong. Or, I was going strong until a few hours ago, when I am pretty sure I pulled a butt muscle. Not kidding.

I spent an hour hobbling around Walmart getting Super Bowl groceries, and it was very sad. Hopefully I can take it easy the rest of the day and be ready for next week's long run, which will be 14 miles....the longest I've ever run in my life! 

But let's not jump ahead. 

This week was another great week of training. Per usual, I did my Tuesday and Thursday runs inside on the treadmill in the morning. I know some people don't like the treadmill, but I swear it is helping my training, because my long runs outside have been amazing so far!

Today I wanted to take it easy. I decided I wasn't going to push myself; I was just going to do what my legs wanted to do. And then I paced UNDER 9 MINUTES. 

Good land of mercy! 
I kept seeing the 8 in front of my pace number and getting confused.

As crazy as it sounds, I even felt like I could have gone faster if I'd tried. As I tweeted earlier this morning, it is now officially impossible to deny that I am faster than I was a year ago. I used to go running with a girl from work, and running at 9:15 pace nearly killed me. Now I am pacing under that for much longer mileage than we used to run. Consistent running DOES make a difference, and I couldn't be happier with where I am right now as a runner.

Next week, though, I really do need to take it slow. I've been reading a lot of articles about running lately, and the importance of recovery runs and a slower pace cannot be overstated. In the back of my mind sits a nagging fear that I will do something stupid like go out too hard and injure myself, so I need to be careful.

Either tomorrow or Monday I will do some cross-training. I found a great video online that has some cardio workouts, and I've already mentioned the 10-minute arm workout video I pinned on my fitness board. My arms are shaking by the end of it, but it's fantastic. 

I also want to take a minute and give my dad a shout-out. As you may remember, he also signed up for the marathon, and we've been keeping up with each other's training on daily mile. You guys. My dad is a ROCKSTAR. He's 53 years old and training for a marathon. And killing it, by the way. It's so fun to share this experience with him.

Next week is 14 miles! The longest I've run is a half marathon, which is 13.1, so I'm excited to run longer and farther than I ever have before. Wish me luck!

Marathon Training: Week 4

I could not be any happier with my run this morning. As you probably know, in the fall of 2011 I started trying to get under a 2-hour half marathon. I've been slowly getting faster, and I think 2013 might finally be my year. Yahoo! 

I wanted to use this 12-mile run as a test to see how close I am to that goal. I finished 12 miles in 1:50, which means I'm at just about the right pace to add on another 1.1 miles at about 9-minute pace. Here's how the miles broke down this morning. The best part is that, similar to my amazing 8-mile run in week 2, I get faster the longer I run. 

The 5 you see on Monday was cross-training. I worked on the stationary bike and then weights. On Thursday I did go to the gym, but I felt nauseous and just ended up walking on the treadmill for a half hour. I didn't figure that was worth noting. I guess I should have, though, because my dad called me to "see if something was wrong" because he hadn't seen a running update for 2 days. 

So far marathon training is going well. I do weekday runs on the treadmill in the morning before work, and being able to do my long Saturday runs with a local running group has been a huge help. I highly recommend you find a running group in your area to join if you're training for a race. 

My half marathon is coming up at the end of February, and I am very hopeful that I can finally break the 2-hour mark. Until then, I'll keep focused on adding miles and mentally preparing for my marathon. 

Check back next Saturday for a week 5 update! 

Marathon Training: Week 3

I promise that not every single I post I write from now on will be about running, but I didn't want to miss out on my weekly marathon training recap! I think it will be fun to go back and look at what I did later on. You know, after I'm all cool and tough because I actually ran a marathon.

This week I stuck with a 10-minute/mile pace for every run, which I am happy with. I want to be a little faster overall, but I also realize that I have a looong way to go (like, 14 weeks to go), and I don't want to burn out or injure myself because I went too hard in the beginning.

Saturday's 10-mile run was tough. I ran with the running group for another 6:00am wakeup call, and we ran in a park where there were a good number of hills. I talked in my last post about how I always set my treadmill at an incline, but there is nothing quite like running hills outside. My knees were feeling it. 

I'm glad to be done, and right now I can't imagine running for 26 miles. But I know I will get there, slowly but surely. Here's to week 4! 

Marathon Training: Week 2

When I tell someone I'm training for a marathon, they always ask, "Is it your first?" I answer yes with a sense of pride that yes, finally I'm doing the full, not just the half anymore (although the half marathon is certainly nothing to shrug at). This pride is mixed with fear because I have no idea what's going on. Every training run is new, and every mile is one more than I've ever run before in my life. I keep pinning articles to my fitness board on Pinterest that are helping me learn about pacing, cross-training, stretching, and food. (Pinterest is super handy, I've decided.)

I'm running a half marathon next month in Texas as part of my marathon training, but it's weird that this time the half marathon is not the goal but just another training run. And I can't tell you how strange it is to be faced with an 8-mile training run in week 2. Week 2! 

Normally for my half-marathon training, the 8-miler doesn't come until at least halfway through, and it's one of the longest long runs I do. If I follow the OK Landrunners training schedule, I will be doing THREE 20-mile runs. I can't even imagine what 20 miles feels like.

This week's 8-mile run was one of the best runs I've ever had. I had negative splits on every mile except 6, and I felt amazing. I didn't get any cramps or lose my breath or feel like I needed to stop or even slow down. It's the kind of run that reminds me why I love running. Here's how the miles broke down:

I know there will also be terrible runs in the future where I can barely put one foot in front of the other, so I am going to take joy in this run and try to remember how a great run feels.

One thing did happen on my run this morning that I should mention. The blister monster came back, which is always the sign that I need to invest in some new shoes. I have been wearing a pair of Brooks, which I like a lot, so I will probably just get another pair of those.

Check back next Saturday for an update on week 3!

Marathon Training: Week 1

Week one of marathon training is complete, and so far so good! I did my Saturday run with a training group that meets every Saturday morning and trains specifically for the OKC Memorial Marathon in April. There were a lot of people out at 7:00 am this morning, bright and early, to run 6 miles. 

For my first marathon, I'm using a hybrid of a few different plans, but mostly I'm using this one from the running group. 

My goal is to finish the marathon in under 4:30, which is about 10-minute per mile pace. I also just recently signed up for the Fort Worth half marathon on February 24, which is perfectly timed for the 13-mile training run in week 8.

I hope to post a training update every week, and in 17 weeks I will be updating you on my first marathon!