6 months later and finally over the burnout

Last week the weather has been warming up....somewhat....meaning its not below zero anymore....the snow is on its way out....unless we get more....which is a real possibility....considering we had shovelable snow last year in May.....but with the weather warming up.....and the great thaw happening...I have been getting the itch to start running again....almost 6 months to the date that I ran my marathon.....

These past 6 months it has allowed me time to healing physically and mentally....training and running a marathon is not only a huge time commitment....but it drains you.....and towards the end of training I was getting burnt out.....I think that was mostly due to it was August when I was in my high mileage weeks and everyone else was enjoying late night bonfires and drinking....and I really couldn't participate....or if I had run a 18 miler....I was asleep on their couch by 8pm (true story it did happen).....and not only all that....but it was hot as hell out in August....I would rather run in the cold any date over 100 degree heat with high humidity.....

So by the time Oct 6th came around I was ready to get it done and over with....to cross that line....and take a break.....

But now that it has been some time...I can getting the itch again....so I ran 3 miles on the treadmill on saturday morning....and it wasn't awful....but its amazing that even though I have been doing other work outs I am no where near my endurance that I used to have.....but while running on the treadmill I didn't hate it....or dread it....and I am sure once I can get outside I will be back to where I was mentally last year.....I was quiet sore that day and Sunday....but adding in the extra T25 lower focus may have been a mistake.....

I am thinking about running another half this summer....probably the red white and boom again....and really wanting to PR if I do did....I am going to give myself another couple weeks of adding running into the mix and see what happens.....this summer will be hectic enough with all the other life things we have going on....I do not want to over commit myself to much else than that!

26.2 miles complete!!!

The TC Marathon has finally come and gone....26.2 miles complete....its really weird that its all over...as I was sitting on the couch on Sunday afternoon it just hit me that it was over....not the fact that I had just ran 26.2 miles a few hours earlier and was still physically not able to move normally....but just sitting there on the couch it hit me.....after a year of training and it was done!

The race itself had its highs and lows....and man those lows were hard....mostly mentally hard....trying to tell yourself you can do this when your body really just wants to be done....around mile 15/16 it got challenging for me....when you start thinking of the amount you have left it can be overwhelming to know that there is still 10-11 miles left....the way I handled the full marathon was to take it one water stop at a time...instead of thinking about 1 mile of 26 and so on.....also I was burning through my fuel a lot faster than I have planned.....running out of fuel or water is not something to play around with....once you let it go too far...its not something you can just play catch up on....thank god for the cliff shot area at mile 17....when I was at mile 21-23 they were rough too....you just hit "the wall" as its referred to.....you have run farther than you normally run in a training long run....and you just have to keep telling yourself there is only a few miles left and you've come this far....you can finish it now....

The highs were awesome....starting the race....the excitement and nervousness in the air....listening to the Star Spangled Banner right before the start is amazing....once you are start and seeing all the people there cheering anyone and everyone on is great!!!....I ran with a pace group....best thing decision ever....our pace leader was awesome....she instructed us that every water stop was a 30 sec walking break to make sure we got re-hydrated....there was also lots of funny stories that were told the entire time we were out there...she kept encouraging us the whole way....and especially towards the end when it got hard.....when we would come up to a larger cheer zone most everyone would shout...."here comes the 4:45 group...you're doing awesome".....also seeing people I knew out there on the course helped me immensely....not even knowing it they were at places along the course that I really needed it....seeing two neighbors at mile 16....helped me get out of my funk and push through those 5 miles....and then hearing my name at mile 22....seeing my kids, husband and another set of neighbors at mile 23 really turned it around for me....it gave me enough mentally to just run and get it over with....and finally seeing my parents about a half a mile from the finish.....and for all the people who followed me online and all the text and facebook messages that I received too....I can not say thank you enough for that....I am truly grateful for all your support!!!.....the finally high was crossing that finish line....knowing that I accomplished what I set out to do a year ago.....

My ultimate goal was the just finish this one....but I really wanted to be under 5 hrs....my official finish time was 4:42:10....I am so happy with my time....yes do I wish I was faster of course I do....but I was 18 minutes faster than 5 hrs....I finished it with only walking at the water stops.....overall it was a great experience!....I am happy I did it!

Pre-Race the kids saying good-bye

The starting line

The finish line....the Capital never looked so good

My finisher metal

I haven't fully decided if I am one and out....or if I will do another one in the future...I know I will not be doing one next year....I want a summer that I can enjoy a bit more than I did this past year....the husband has also expressed interest in possibly wanting to do the TC Marathon next year and both of us can not train for one at the same time until the kids are older....I know next year I want to do a couple halfs....halfs seem like a cake walk compared to a full.....so I honestly don't know yet if I will run another full....we will just have to see!

This shit is getting real

It's getting real now....I picked up my race packet and all my last minute things that I needed today....which wasn't much and all in the same place.....less than 2 days away.....I will be running my first full marathon....26.2 miles.....I am excited but also very nervous....I know I can do it....but it's still nerve racking.....I have one easy run left tomorrow morning....to get the jitters out....and then I will be planting my ass on the couch for the rest of the day.....

I have been planning for this day now for a year....and training for it since I was able to get back into working out after my surgery....and officially running again since April 2nd....its been a long journey....there were times I didn't know if I would make it to this point....bet after overcoming a injury in July and having some real shitty long runs in the hot humid month of August....I am as ready as I am going to be.....

I want to thank everyone who has supported me in this process....whether it was helping out with the kids, running with me, or coming to watch me on Sunday.....I especially want to thank my husband who has been by my side through this entire process....and has been my biggest supporter....and without his help with the kids every weekend I would have not been able to train for this....and I am truly grateful for his support for the better part of a year now!

Here's to 26.2 miles....because I am that (effing) crazy!

Basically sums it up!

This pretty much sums it up right now where I am mentally right now....with 9 days left....the jitters are starting to get to me when I have *time* to think about it....thankfully and not so thankfully I have not have a lot of time to think about it!

T-minus 3 weeks!

T-minus three weeks from yesterday and I will be running the TC Marathon....2 years ago I never once thought this was something that I wanted or felt the need to do....and trust me there are some days that I still question myself what the hell have I gotten myself into....but 2 years later here and after Saturdays run I am ready!

This past Saturday was my last huge long run....and what I labeled hell week....Saturday I ran 20 miles the longest I have ever gone and will go until October 6th....and I was able to run it with a group of people who are in the same boat as me.....and we were able to run the last 10 miles of the marathon on a out and back course....which was great to get another feel for "climb" on Summit Ave.....

Normally I run alone....for the most part except for the last couple long runs where I had company the last few miles which was greatly appreciated.....but since I normally run alone I am not a chatter....I just listen to my music and try to turn my brain off and not focus on the pain....but Saturday I ran with another lady who this is first marathon as well....and we hit it off and paced really well together....actually having someone to chat with made the 15 miles that we were together go much quicker....and it was rather funny by mile 16 we just stopped talking....it took to much effort to talk and we just ran in silence but we both knew we were in the same amount of misery as the other....

Now don't get me wrong I have no regrets of signing up for marathon.....no do I regret any runs or training....but there is a point after lets say 16-17 miles that it hurts....and you are just plain tired....and every 5 minutes you question yourself why the hell am I doing this.....but once you get to the finish line you forget those thoughts and look back at what you just did....see the accomplishment that you just completed.....so there are no regrets whatsoever

When I first signed up for this....I had lofty ideas that I wanted a certain time.....well since I was injured at the half and haven't really come back fully from that....I am going in with the my goal of just finishing it....yes I would love to be faster.....but I would also like to be able to walk afterwards....and I would rather cross the finish line with whatever time I get versus going to hard and not crossing at all!....I want my medal dammit!!!

So in less than three weeks....I will be running down John Ireland and seeing this site again.....and what a beautiful site it will be.....

Hardest thing I have done so far

Training for the TC Marathon this October is so far the hardest thing I have ever done.....right now its super hot and humid even at the ass crack of dawn its hotter than hell outside making it hard to breath let alone run.....

This past saturday was one of the longest runs yet (and there are two more coming besides the marathon itself).....I ran just over 14 miles and walked the last one home.....those last 3-4 miles were the hardest.....first because I ran it straight.....I did not stop.....and it was starting to get a lot warmer than when I started....I am so thankful for where we are living currently....I have a support system....a small group of runners who are willing to come out and run the last 3-5 miles with me.....and that is the best advice I have ever received.....even though I am not a talker when I run....having them with me helped me over come the extremely tired legs and the voice inside my head telling me to quit!

It's hard to explain to anyone why I am doing this....its is something I want to do....I want to prove to myself that I can do this....no I am not one of the fast runners and I never will be....I have no lofty ambitions of running a 2:30.....its about setting a goal and accomplishing it.....especially when my inner voice is telling I am f%*king crazy......and my legs are about to give out.....or the pain that does come afterwards.....its about overcoming all that and just finishing!

Goal Adjusted.....for now

So not wanting to admit this, but I have to come to reality sometime and the sooner the better.....

Since the half in the beginning of July my left leg has been jacked up....I should have listened to my inner thoughts about replacing my shoes prior to the race, but they honestly did not have enough miles on them to warrant replacing.....just at 225ish....shoes are supposed to last 300-400 miles.....but they had started to tear the shit out of my toes on long runs....really effing nasty.....and since I was trying to not put pressure on my toes I am confident that I was not running normal....I was compensating....which in turn has jacked up my leg....NOT cool at all....

I thought taking a week off would fix things and allow it to heal...along with new shoes of course....nope....so I thought taking a few more days off would help.....nope....so I switched gears....and went back to my old stand by of insanity....which is working just fine to get my exercising in....but I am supposed to be training for a marathon....26.2 damn miles.....so I tried to run again yesterday.....I could not even make it to 3 miles without my leg/knee killing me....how the hell I am suppose to run a marathon.....

I am at the 8 week out mark....everything I have read is if you have to take 3 weeks or more off you may want to reconsider doing the marathon another time.....this is NOT what I wanted....not at all....I may try to run outside on saturday....see how it feels...... I am doubting it will be anything but a shitty run....that does not feel good.....

So for the most part I am coming to the realization that I am 80% sure I will not be competing/completing this years TC marathon.....and its really annoying and frustrating as hell!....especially when just a month ago I was feeling awesome when I ran.....6 miles was a short run to me.....it always felt great....and bam....everything I have spent money on (ugh), time and effort has come up short......I feel awesome for completing a half.....but I really wanted to do a full....I guess it will more than likely have to wait until another time.....unless my leg miraculously decides to feel better...I am not holding my breathe on that one!

So for now....I will go back to my old stand-in.....and continue my love affair with Shaun T!...and have him tell me to dig deeper on most days.....

13.1 complete baby!

I can't believe its actually over....but Thursday morning we completed our first half marathon....the only downside was getting up at 4am....but I am glad the race was early....and later in the day and it would have been too hot!!!

Shockingly I slept well the night before....and was ready to go at 4 am when the alarm went off....even though it was still dark!....Andrew was not as ready....

Here's us pre-race.....notice Andrew is still smiling!

The race was more mentally hard for me....my pace in the beginning was messed up....which is my own fault...I need to remind myself to take the first mile or so slower to get in my rhythm prior to trying to speed up....otherwise I am just playing catch up most of the way.....but once I got past mile 4.....I decided to break up the rest of the miles into 2-3 mile increments....after 4 I told myself just get to 7.....then when I got to 7 just get to 9.....and then once I got to 9 just get to 11.....and after that it was pretty much downhill from there....the only hard thing was the "mountain" as we have named it the hill right after mile 6....I had looked at the elevation map prior to the event....but I guess I did not look how short the hill was....so that was one steep SOB....and I am not going to lie I could not run, nor jog up it....it would have killed me!!!  I am just thankful that was the only real beast of the route.....

I have to say the crowds cheering you on along the way are awesome....they keep you going.....even though I know they are not specifically there for me....just having them say you're doing awesome....or ringing their cow bells is all you need to get your through some of the mentally hard parts when you just want to pull off and be done.....and the best sign I saw was "Beer Misses You...." and something about how you can have a few afterwards!

My overall goal for this event was to be a sub 10 which I was...and I wanted to come in under 2:15 which I did.....I wished I could have been faster than my 10 mile pace....which I could have possibly have done if I would have warmed up properly....but that's okay.....my official time was 2:09:48....which I am happy with.....

I am proud of my husband....who was not prepared for this race....he completed it and he did a great job with it....13.1 miles is hard...and he suffered through it!

Here's us post race....notice the smile in the beginning is gone 

Next up the TC Marathon for me in the beginning of October....this one I will be running alone...as Andrew said his bucket list is more than likely complete with the half marathon....

Less than 24 hrs!...its getting real

It's less than 24 hrs from now Andrew and I will be running our first half marathon.....well Andrew will be surviving it....

I am excited and nervous....more excited than nervous this time around....I feel better prepared for this one than last October's 10 mile.....my last long run went really well and it felt good....I have tapered down as much as I can without effecting my training for the marathon.....and I took yesterday and today off completely.....so I am ready....as ready as I can be!....

I am hoping that I can run it faster than my 10 mile pace....but overall I will be happy with a sub 10 minute mile.....that is my goal for tomorrow....

Now its time to get all my gear ready....fix up my playlist....and not do a whole lot today.....to be ready for tomorrow's 4 am wake up!....and the weather looks to be perfect for tomorrow morning at 6:30 am!

I honestly CAN.NOT wait for tomorrow....call me crazy.....but I am going to enjoy it as much as possible!!!

10 day countdown

I am on the 10 day countdown to my first half marathon....I did the TC 10 mile last year....but adding those 3.1 miles makes a difference...along with the heat and humidity.....I have to say I am not as nervous for this race as I was the 10 mile last October....I know I am more prepared physically and mentally then I was last year....and this race is going to help me prepare me mentally for the full marathon in October!

This past weekend with the weather....power outage....and life kinda got in the way of my overall training plans....my long run was supposed to be 12 miles....well I didn't make it that far on Saturday.....we went running too late in the day....the heat and humidity were killer.....and almost getting hit by a car can put a damper on anyone's run as well....

But the plans this week are to stay consistent with the training plans that my cardio trainer has given me....and retest tomorrow for my heart rate training....basically from what I have been told and read you want to stay in your fat burning zone for long distance running, and for training for a marathon....since fat is a more effective fuel than glycogen.....so my long runs, threshold and speed tempo runs are all geared specifically for me at specific heart rates and speeds from a cardio test I took in the middle of May.....but my body and heart are quickly adapting to the work load....I know my long runs are consistently around a 9:30-9:40 pace when originally it was showing a 11:30 pace.....and my threshold and speed runs I can't even get my heart rate close to where it needs to be......so I am retesting tomorrow.....and kinda nervous for the new speed workouts that I will be getting afterwards!!!

I am excited for my first half marathon.....and hopefully the weather cooperates and doesn't get too hot like it did last year and they had to cut it down to only 5 miles....but I guess we will see next week!