Jen's Marathon Training

Training Update

2010-02-11T12:30:00.002-06:00

I can not believe I am in week 5 of training already! I can't believe it is the middle of February already!!! If anyone has found the secret to slowing the hands of time please tell...

Training is going well for the most part. I complete all of my runs - though sometimes I find that I have to squeeze in the last three on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I continue to feel stronger and more confident in my running abilities. I have been focusing on finishing all of my runs with a fast half mile which I hope will translate into a burst of energy when the finish line is in sight.

I have also been focusing on injury free training and it is working out amazingly well. Instead of going into a run thinking "okay - 8 miles - get out there and get 'er done" I think "8 miles - focus on form and pay attention to any discomfort." If I feel something isn't right I focus on it and either change my pace or my gait and it seems to correct the problem.

Well, this week starts my double digit long runs. How exciting:)

First Swim

2010-01-06T09:30:00.004-06:00

Alarm rang at 4:30 am today. Do I turn off the alarm and go back to bed - or do I get up, head out into single digit temps and make my way to the gym? I am happy to say that I got up. I was at the gym at 5:20 ready for my 5:30 swim class. I used that 10 minutes to ease myself into the cold water. Oh how I despise the cold water!

The class was great. I feel it will really help me get ready for the swim portion of the triathlon. There is a legitimate triathlon coach who helped me understand what I was doing wrong and explained correct technique. I was amazed how changing a couple of little things could make such a huge difference. I think I swam like 40 laps and am ready for nap right now. I feel like I worked just about every muscle in my body. Awesome workout!

There were two ironman finishers taking the same class. It was so cool watching how well they swam - they made it look so easy. I'd like to swim like them someday. I'd also like to be able to call myself an ironwoman someday too:)

That's all for day 1 of tri training.

The beginning of my next endurance journey

2010-01-04T10:25:00.001-06:00

We are now 16 weeks and 5 days away from the Illinois marathon. Time to put down the fork and the wine glass and get serious. Last time the goal was to finish. This time my goal is to finish 30 minutes under my last marathon time. I am sure if I get through training injury free that will be easy peasy. I will be very happy with a time of 3:59:59 or less.

Also, I joined the gym, AGAIN. I want to give the triathlons a shot this year so I need to practice swimming. I am very excited about this - and hopefully will have a lot of posts about my visits to the gym and swimming progress. Looking for the cost of the gym to be less than $70 per visit;)

Looking forward to this next journey...

I DID IT!!!

2009-10-05T10:42:00.001-05:00

Yep - 26.2 miles - I ran it - I survived - I am a marathoner! I can't wait for the next one:) I think I will do the marathon in Chamapign at UofI which ends on the 50 yard line of memorial stadium on May 1, 2010. So excited!

The marathon was in Milwaukee. It was a much smaller race than Chicago and I couldn't be happier that I ended up there. I was able to see all of my supporters a number of time along the course. In Chicago I never would have found them. Thank you Jeff, Jack, Michael, Eli, Val, Josh, Peyton, Mom, Bob, and Justin for coming out to support me. It was awesome having you there. And thank you to everyone who sent me emails, called me, followed my blog, and thought of me during this awesome adventure. Your support was very energizing! And thank you coach Julie - you were in my head the entire time! "If you had to - could you make it to that tree up there?" OF COURSE I CAN! "If you start hurting - adjust your stride." I actually gave that advice to someone along that way and she was very thankful. And thank you to the 9:45 - 10:30 running group - it was great spending the last 16 Saturdays getting to know you. Hopefully we will cross paths again.

The race was point to point - meaning we started 26.2 miles from the finish line. There were pace groups so I decided to run with the 4:30 group. I was hoping to finish in 4:20 - so I was going to stick with them until mile 20 and then pick it up. Well, at mile 19 I really really really had to pee so I made a quick stop and was going to run fast and catch up with them. Big mistake! I could not catch them - I really tried but couldn't do it. Next time I will either hold it - or pee my pants:)

The pace leader - Pacer Jim - was terrific! He talked the entire time (well at least until mile 19 as far as I know) He seriously had 19 miles worth of jokes and stories. The miles just flew by! As a pacer there is a pace sign that you normally carry - he had the group take turns each mile carrying the sign - the sign had the power he would say. As the holder of the sign pacer Jim would give you 5 minutes of his time talking to you about why you are doing the marathon, your family, etc...all of his questions really made you remember why you were there. Then - he would break out into his stand up routine. I am sorry I didn't get to run the last 6 miles with the group. But, I finished the last 6 miles. I FINISHED!!!

Today I am sore - my back, my knees, my legs...but it is a good sore. I took the day off of work and am going to just enjoy the day - wearing my Marathon Finisher sweatshirt.

Thanks again for all of your support!

Love you all!!!

How about another 20?

2009-09-15T17:34:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was supposed to be an 18 - but crazy Julie got me to do 20. I am training with a group who are all running the Chicago marathon - one week after I run Milwaukee. Therefore I have to adjust my schedule during these later weeks. The group only had to do 8 this week - those luck dogs! Anyhow...

Julie met me at the Prairie Path at 5:30 am to get in 5 miles before the group got there at 6:30.

At 6:30 we went out 4 miles (total 9) with the group...at which point they got to turn around and head back. Oh, and that last 4 miles she had us running at an 8:50 minute mile pace - which is a minute faster than we normally run. I thought I was going to die!

Julie and I kept going another 1.5 miles (total 10.5) when she said that she had a surprise for me. Oh no what could it be???

We head back 1.5 miles (total 12) to mile marker zero where there is an event going on. Guess what it is ... a 5k and 10k race ... Julie then asks if I am ready to run a 5k race just to mix things up a bit? Mix things up a bit? Are you crazy? I have already run 12 miles lady!

But seriously - it was pretty cool! I love races - I love to run with lots of people - it was an absolute blast. And, instead of sucking down another gross Gu - we got to eat bananas and bagels at the end of the race to fuel our next 5 miles. Race - 3.1 miles (total 15.1).

Home stretch...5 miles to go. My knees are killing me! Julie says we can run 3 miles and then walk the last two. Yeah right! I knew I shouldn't have believed that. We are approaching the 3 mile mark and I can just feel the excitement - I get to walk soon:) HOORAY! Then she asks me..."hey, do you see that crazy tree way up there? if you had to, could you make it to the tree?" What am I supposed to say, no? Of course, if I HAD TO, I could do anything. "yes, I can make it to the tree." Long story short, we played that game for 2 miles and ended with a total of 20.1 miles under my belt for the day. Hey, that's my longest run ever! :)

Now for real I am tapering. I have to do a couple of 10 milers this week - but that should be a piece of cake.

Looking forward to the finish line! ...then onto my next adventure.

Longest Training Run - CHECK!!!

2009-09-10T13:10:00.000-05:00

20 miler done - no prob! Click here to see the awesomeness that is 20 miles > TWENTY

Okay - I was sore and felt like throwing up the rest of the day. But after that I felt great! During the run it felt great! I feel like I am going to be able to do this. I am getting in very few weekday runs - only like 2 - but my IT band acts up and I think this is the best way to go in with the least amount of pain and injury as possible. So this weekend is an 18 miler and then I am on a very steep decline until race day. YEAH!

SUPER DEPRESSING...the fact that I have run over 400 miles training for this event and haven't dropped a single pound! I will have to start the diet on October 5th. Missing 4 weeks of training due to injury

SUPER EXCITING...the marathon is only 25 days away! And after this Saturday my longest run will only be 12 miles.

LOOKING FORWARD TO...seeing my boys at the finish line, a beer at the finish line, a day of eating whatever I want, and being able to proudly say that I am a marathoner.

Where have I been?

2009-08-27T14:39:00.000-05:00

It has been quite some time since my last post. There hasn't been much to report as I have been taking it easy due to some injuries. No big mileage - no near death experiences - just short runs followed by days of pain and recovery. I am going to start physical therapy next week so I can figure out how to properly stretch and recover the injured iliotibial band and ligaments in my foot. Fun Fun! So far this week I have logged 8 miles:( Just working my way back in...

There are only 37 days remaining until the big event! This means less than 4 weeks of hard core training time if I begin the taper at the recommended two weeks prior. Sooooo....injured or not....I'm going full speed for the next 26 days. The training schedule through next Friday is very doable with the longest run at 10 miles. Next Saturday is the longest run of training at 20 miles. I know I can do it - it is just getting it done without causing serious injury. Sadly I have missed the last two long runs - a 10 and 18 miler. After the 16 was when the iliotibial band issue started. It was very strange because I had been struggling with the ligaments in my foot and my ankle was hurting with every step - but I could run through it. The ITB started hurting about the last two miles of the 16 - and at the end I could barely lift my foot off the ground. The knee hurt and it seemed I was no longer in control of the movement of my right leg. Hopefully with the time off - and starting PT next week - the remainder of the training wont be so bad - and 38 days from now I will be in a hot tub somewhere with my finishers medal around my neck.

That is all of my random thoughts for the day. Hopefully my post on Monday will be raving about the awesome 10 miler from Saturday:)

Near death experience!

2009-08-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

What a weekend! I completed my longest run ever - 16 miles. It always feels good to hit new milestones. Though I am still struggling with pain in my ankle and trying to balance training and recovery so I don't injure myself too badly. But it really hurts just to walk on it now. I am going to get through this - less than two months to go!

So, the near death experience was absolutely crazy! The run group headed out down Prairie Path Saturday morning. It was raining and windy - but the thunder and lightning had stopped. We were about 2 miles out when we heard a very loud crackling sound - like someone had lit a brick of firecrackers right above our heads. Of course your first instinct is to duck and cover your head. Julie, our fearless leader, took one look back and yelled "RUN!" We all started sprinting as this tree cracked in half and landed right behind us! The last guy in the group was just grazed by one of the branches from the tree. Check out these pics - they were taken on the return trip so someone moved the big tree off of the path. Enlarge if you can - the small pic doesn't do it justice.

Now, when you think it might be "your time" it is amazing how many things can get through your head in a split second. While running away from this falling tree - which was probably only 3 seconds tops - the following thoughts went through my head..."perfect timing on getting the life insurance paperwork signed", "did I tell my family i loved them before bed last night?", "will they be okay without me?". I am delighted to say that everything worked out okay and no one was hurt. One thing that did come out of it...if you read one of my first blogs about the run club I mentioned how Julie said she was going to have us all running without headphones before training was over. Guess what - she made her point! Once the panic ended she made it a point to let us know that if we were wearing headphones and didn't hear that it could have killed us. Do you think she staged that just to make this point??? Hmmmm.....

And I just want to say once again - 16 miles - yep, that is SIXTEEN!!! Hell yeah!

On Sunday Jeff did his first triathlon. He did a fantastic job and we are so proud of him! The race was in Naperville and consisted of a 400 m swim, 13.3 mile bike, and a 5k run. What an awesome way to start the day! His total time was 1:32:14. That breaks down to an 8:47 swim, a 49:39 bike, and a 29:11 run - the difference is in the transitions. Here are some pics.

End of swim...

End of swim 2...

and the bike leg...

Michael cheering for daddy

Jack cheering for daddy

A little inspiration

2009-08-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

I was reading my "Non-Runners Marathon Trainer" book on the train yesterday. I came across something that I just read again and again because I thought it was pretty inspiring. It talks about how we are half way through the training and the next 6 weeks will be the most time-consuming. Our runs are getting longer - our long runs will be a physical commitment of 2.5 - 4 hours from now until we begin the taper two week prior to the marathon. He talks about how it would be a good idea to rededicate to the program at this time.

"With that in mind, now would be a good time to remind yourself just why you decided to do this program.

If you're having trouble remembering, maybe this will help:

Training for and running a marathon is not a single event; rather, it is an experience. It is a discovery of self that will forever change your perceptions, perspectives, priorities, and possibilities. You will meet yourself at what you thought were the boundaries of your potential and endurance and watch in awe as they evaporate to reveal only open expanse. To know that the only boundaries in life are those which we create ourselves is a discovery which can not be taught - it must be experienced. For once you have seen the view from the mountain top, living a life of voluntary blindness is no longer an option."

I thought that was pretty powerful and a nice thing to document and come back to when I need a little pick-me-up.

As for training...LOL...I am totally going to get a run in tonight:) I was doing great getting up in the early morning prior to the injury - but two weeks of getting up at 6 instead of 4:45 quickly becomes a very welcome habit:) I am going to have to ask Jeff to help me with this one...I'm sure he'll be more than happy to kick my ass out of bed at 445 so he can stretch out and enjoy some peaceful rest before his wake up bell rings.

Back in action

2009-08-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well...what a weekend! I rested my injured ankle for two weeks and came back full force. Here was the itinerary.

Saturday: 11:00 - 3:00 The Great Urban Race

Saturday: 5:00 - 10:00 Amanda & Kevin's wedding reception

Sunday: 6:30 am - 10:30 Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon (yes, I had to wake up at 4:30 am!)

Sunday: 12:00 - 5:00 Sean's 1st Birthday Party

I had to come to work on Monday just to get some rest!

The Great Urban Race was awesome! Think Amazing Race Chicago style. You and your partner show up at the Cubbie Bear for check in and some pre-noon beer - socialize a bit - and at noon you are handed a piece of paper with 12 clues and off you go. I had no idea that there would be so much physical exercise involved! Leanne and I jogged about 6 miles, had to do the crab walk, leap frog, and wheelbarrow across 3 tennis courts (think back to 3rd grade - it is much harder 30 years later!), take salsa dance lessons at Kingston Mines. It was a RIOT. See pictures below.

My Urban Race partner Leanne

Challenge: find someone on the streets of Chicago wearing high top Converse All-Star shoes and get a picture taken taken of that person with both teammates.

Challenge: find this hot dog joint and get a picture of you feeding your partner a hot dog

Awesome costume - back to the future

Cute costume: their shirts read "Never trust a big butt and a smile"

Most Awesome Costume: Smurf & Smurfette

Challenge: there was a riddle - answer the Berghoff. Now, find the Berghoff and get a picture of both teammates with 8 others under the Berghoff sign

Challenge: find a store - purchase either markers & coloring book, a matchbox car, or ? and find this location and donate the item. Get teams picture taken with the star dude.

Challenge: Find the Palmer House hotel - count the flags hanging over the entrance. Make your way to the Picasso and get your teams picture taken in front of the statue holding up fingers equal to the number of flags at the Palmer House.

That was Saturday afternoon. We finished around 3:00. I then had to rush home, shower, get the kids ready, pack up and head out the door to Amanda and Kevin's reception, which was lovely. Once I get some pics from that I will post.

10:00 pm - head home from reception - put kids to bed - get things ready for race in the morning - ARG!

11:30 pm - off to bed

4:30 am - alarm goes off and its time to get ready for the big race. I was very excited, and a little bit nervous because I have been off for two weeks due to injury. But all went well. I ran the first 7 miles at a pace much slower than I've been training at - but it was good to ease back in and make sure the ankle was doing alright. At mile 7 Alexis's friend hopped in to run with her for a couple of miles and thats where I picked up the pace. My goal was to catch up with the 2:15 pace group - which I did. My finish time was 2:13. Definitely not a PR - but it was a good, fun training run. I have to keep in mind that getting through the full marathon is my goal this year. Here are some pics from the race...

Alexis before...

Me before...

Me and Alexis after

Click here to view some more pics taken by the pros during the race... Jens RnR Half Pics

So...we get done, it was fun, as always - glad I did it, but time to move on. I hit the road around 10am, go home, shower, get kids ready, head out the door to the birthday party. Once I have pics from the birthday I will post those as well. An awesomely exhausting weekend!

Now that I know my ankle is back in action it is time to start training again. I have a 16 miler this Saturday which will be my longest run yet. I am phyched - hoping the mild temps stick around at least until that run is over.

Jeff is training for his very first triathlon. He will be doing that this coming Sunday in Naperville. I will have lots of pics to post from that event next week.

Happy training:)

News from the doc

2009-07-25T22:50:00.000-05:00

Went to the doc yesterday to have my ankle checked - he recommended that I take some time off. He also sent me to have my bone mass checked. I guess I should have considered the fact that I do not drink milk or eat yogurt over the past 3o + years and taken some calcium supplements to keep my bones strong. It has been almost a week since my last run and the waiting is certainly not good for me. Running relieves most of the stress which comes from trying to balance career, playing super mom, housekeeper, wife, friend, and marathoner. So what am I to do now...

I am hoping that things will start feeling better soon - I am going to try and get out on Thursday and see how it goes. If all goes well I will proceed with my plans to run the Rock n Roll half marathon on Sunday. If not, I will just continue being my bitchy self for a while longer. Hopefully Jeff will be able to tolerate me in that state for a while longer.

That's all for now...

Training this week

2009-07-23T10:03:00.001-05:00

The only thing I have logged so far this week is 3.1 miles on Monday. I seem to have some sort of injury in my left heel / Achilles that doesn't seem to be going away with rest:( I have an appointment tomorrow to have it looked at and I'm hoping for an answer that will allow me to just take some pain meds and get on with my training. It sucks just sitting around waiting, falling behind on the mileage that is so important to this training program.

This Saturday is supposed to be a 14 miler with the run club. I will be majorly PO'd if I can't make this run due to a stupid injury. I am totally looking forward to exceeding my longest run by .9 miles! Heck - I might just do it even if advised not to. The last time I was injured was before the half-marathon on June 7th. I had to take the three weeks leading up to the race off! It was scary standing at the starting line with ZERO miles of training done in the three weeks leading up. I made it through though - and the injury seemed to be fully healed. That experience is what is keeping me sane right now. There is no way I will not do this training and finish the marathon on October 4th. I really just want to be able to do it to the very best of my ability - and fear that will not be the case if I have to miss this very important time in training when mileage is being increased to levels I have not reached yet.

Anyhow...another update to follow after I see the doc tomorrow.

12 mile run

2009-07-20T08:55:00.000-05:00

The group run on Saturday was our longest so far - 12 miles. The weather couldn't have been better. It was in the low 60's with no humidity. Typically I'd say that is way too cold - but when running I really appreciate the milder temps. The run felt fantastic! I made sure I was well hydrated and eating enough on Thursday and Friday and that made a huge difference. We ran the 12 miles in 1 hr 55 min averaging 9:39 per mile. If it wasn't for the speed work during the last mile - I think I could have kept going at that pace for a few more miles at least.

What really sucked about this weeks long run was my Nike+ didn't work. So, the 211 miles showing to the right should really be 223 miles. My trusted Forerunner did work though - so here is the proof - 12 miler w run club .

During my training I continue to think about - and alter - my goal for the marathon. First it was to sign up, commit to training, and simply finish. Then it was to average 10 minute miles which would bring me in around 4:20. Then it was to qualify for Boston - ROFL:) And lately I have been toying with setting a 4 hour goal but I don't want to set myself up for disappointment. Wouldn't it suck to train for months - go out there and run for 4:10 - cross that finish line and be disappointed that I went over my goal by 10 minutes??? So, I think I have decided that my main goal is to finish averaging 10 minute miles - and anything faster than that will just be a bonus.

Next weeks long run is 14 miles - which is farther than I have ever run! I am very very excited about it. I do need to get more disciplined with my training during the week.

75 days and counting:)

Update

2009-07-15T13:31:00.000-05:00

I feel like it's been a while since my last update - but there have only been two runs:) I will begin with a "lesson learned (or not)".

Every Saturday for the past 5 weeks and the next 11 have been and will be the same. 5:30 alarm - get ready - meet the group for the long run. I feel like I have sabotaged 2 out of the 5 so far with Friday night festivities. I have 11 more tries to get it right - should we place bets on how many more times it will take before I learn the lesson "playing on Friday night makes Saturday run miserable"?

On Friday we went to see the US World League Men's Volleyball tournament play against Italy. It was fun - seats were great - we had access to the "good bar" where we could get non-miller products. Then we went to the Sugar Toad in Naperville to find out what it was all about. The wine was yummy but the food was too fancy for a burger eating gal like me.

Saturday was only 8 miles so I didn't feel there was too much to worry about. OMG was I wrong. I am not sure how many steps you take during an 8 mile run...but that is how many times I said to myself "oh this sucks, I want to quit!" That is the beauty of running with a group. If I was running alone I would have quit before I rounded the corner at the end of the block. But, there's no way I am going to let my group see me quit and fail. Though, I bet if I tried I would be pushed to finish by our fearless leader. And if she knew why I was in so much pain she would have made the run even harder. Maybe that is why she has 25 marathons and and Ironman under her belt. I bet you don't get to brag about stats like that by being a quitter.

Justyna, Jeff and I did some jogging around the lake in Michigan on Monday. It was a beautiful morning - we didn't push it too hard - got to run some hills - a no pressure, easy does it jog. Justyna is going to run her first 5k in a couple of weeks and I'm sure she will do great. If she survived the hills in Michigan she will be a superstar in the flats of Chicago with the added excitement of a race. I'll send a post-race update.

Double Duty

2009-07-10T11:39:00.000-05:00

I will start by saying how much I LOVE rest days. The only drawback is that I can not eat unlimited amounts of food without guilt. I go from eating a cheeseburger for breakfast and quesadillas and beer for dinner without thinking twice, to eating a banana and toast for breakfast.

Yesterday I pulled a double workout and loved every minute of it. I did my very first track workout in the morning. It was much different than just getting outside and running. It was a group so I had people to compete with pushing me beyond what I would have done on my own. First - we started with a 1 mile warm up, four easy laps around the track. Then we got serious...it was 1200 m day. We did 4 sets of 1200 m runs. The most difficult part for me was to figure out how to pace that. Each set is only 3/4 of a mile so I wanted to run pretty fast - but with only a 3 minute break in between how quickly could I recover? By the third set I figured out that I could do about an 8:30 pace and have enough left in me to pick it up a bit during the last half lap. I don't know if that was the right thing to do but it felt right. After the 4 sets we did a 1 mile cool down...so I started to shuffle around the track. I looked at my handy Forerunner to check my pace and I was "shuffling" 10 minute miles. This normally feels like a decent jog - but after running faster felt very slow and easy. Hmmmm...interesting how that worked.

At 6:30 yesterday evening I met with my run club. On Thursday's they break into three groups - 3 mile, 5 mile, or 7 mile. I went with the 5 mile group and we had a nice easy run along the riverwalk and around downtown Naperville. I seriously considered not doing it since I already got a workout in - and as always I was proud that I fought off that urge and completed the planned workout.

Reward time!!! Yep, I headed straight from the run to the Foundry to watch my volleyball team play while relaxing with a nice big Summer Shandy and chicken quesadillas. I love the rewards:)

Oh my aching butt...

2009-07-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

I don't know if this pain I am feeling is from the hills we ran in Michigan over the weekend or from my run on Monday. I am guessing it must be the hills. It feels like muscles developing which I think is awesome....unless I end up with a big runners bootie! Oh my - the choice between a medium flabby or a big muscular rump - neither of them sound appealing. Oh well, I can't quit the marathon because of this. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what I end up with and learn to love it.

This week is going well so far. I got out on Monday night and ran a 5k at personal record speed - 27:41. I am excited to get out and run a 5k race - it would be awesome to shave another minute off of that time and the competition of a race could push me to do that.

On Tuesday morning I did a 5.5 miler - which is when I began feeling "the pain". It was a good run though - temperatures were cool - I got to watch the sun rise - my average pace was 9:28 minute miles. Conditions were perfect - what a great way to start your day.

Today I am going to rest up for tomorrows double run. I plan to run with the track club in the morning and then do a group run with my run club in the evening. I will totally earn myself a guilt free cheeseburger and beer! I can't wait.

The 4th is for parties - not running - right?

2009-07-06T11:03:00.000-05:00

The original plan was to head to Michigan after the scheduled 10 miler on Saturday. Plans changed - we left on Friday fully intending to get up Saturday and get that 10 miler done - just the hubby and me along the lake. Well...

Friday turned into a bit of a party. Grams pouring drinks upon our arrival - that rolling into long islands at Captain Jacks (if you've never seen a Captain Jack long island - it is served in like a yard glass - YUP - you have to either stand up to drink out of the straw or lower the glass to your lap in order to drink from it:) - which turned into more drinks while playing Wii and even more as we were waiting on the boat for fireworks. Guess what...? We missed the fireworks while playing Wii inside!!! Good thing Friday was just a practice run and there were more fireworks on Saturday.

Needless to say after the party on Friday one of us runners was not feeling very well. I will not point any fingers. We did finally get up and out - drove to the big lake in search of a Chicago style running / bike path. Seems like common sense to have something like that - right? Nope - not in Michigan. Instead they build multi-million dollar homes on the beach front. We made the best of it and ran the streets and surrounding neighborhoods. I only accomplished about 6 of the 10 miles - and I am still trying to make peace with that failure - but I'll make up for it this week.

I was going to make Friday a rest from running day - but Jeff suggested I get a run in and I'm glad he did. I dropped the car off to get two new tires put on - and then jogged home. I do lots of complaining before runs - but I never regret it once I'm done. I feel pretty great 99% of the time afterwards.

After this week I will be done with 25% of the training. I am feeling good and excited about the process.

And we're back!!!

2009-07-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

I did a lot of sniffling about taking 2 1/2 days off and not being able to find the motivation needed to get back on track. Well - I am out of those woods for now! I went for a run last night and it was fantastic! It's as if the time off generated some greater version of the running me.

I went out with a goal of 3 miles in mind - but it felt so good once I got out there that I quickly changed that goal to 5. I don't know if it was the cooler weather - the guilt I felt for taking so much time off - running away from my fussy children - but whatever it was worked. Typically I log 10 minute miles - last night it was 9:16 per mile. Could the little bit of speed work we did on Saturday really improve my time by 44 seconds per mile? If so, sign me up for more of that! I am now extra excited about starting the track workouts on Thursdays. And of course, for a very brief period, I couldn't help but try to figure out what it would take to qualify for Boston. 8:37 minute miles - which totally sounds doable - right? All that's needed is to shave 39 seconds off my mile time and do that consistently for 26.2 miles. Hmmmm. Okay - just a dream - but I will get there someday.

To view my awesome run from last night click here.

I am so excited that we have a long weekend to look forward to. We are going to take the kids to Arlington on the 3rd to watch the pony's race and the firework show. Then on Saturday after my group run we will head to Michigan. Hopefully the weather will warm up so the kids can spend the afternoon playing in the lake - and then we'll catch some more fireworks Saturday night.

Happy 4th of July!!!

How Time Flies

2009-06-30T10:23:00.000-05:00

Well, it is Tuesday already and I do not have a single mile to report yet this week. My alarm goes off bright and early but I am finding that I am just too tired. Michael continues to get up every night and wipes away 1 - 2 hours of my precious sleeping time. I can not wait until we get into a sleep all night routine. Will that every happen?

Today is Jack's 3rd birthday and he came to work with me. He was so excited when he learned he did not have to go to school and would be taking the train with me. He spent the entire train ride on his knees watching out the window giving me a play-by-play of what he was seeing outside. Very cute.

On Sunday we went to the store and he picked out his cake - Thomas of course. We are going to leave work early - pick up his cake - and have a few people over to celebrate his big day tonight. I am going to try to squeeze a run in somewhere between work and party. Hopefully I will have something to report tomorrow.

Prairie Path

2009-06-27T13:28:00.000-05:00

What do you see on the Prairie Path during marathon training season? LOTS AND LOTS of runners. Our run club was out there with about 60 people. I figured we would do our run and see a handful of bikers and a couple of individual runners. As it turns out CARA (Chicago Area Runners Association) does their long run on Saturday's along the same path. It was pretty awesome to see so many people out training - everyone seems so pumped - and there is tons of support. As our groups passed one another you would hear things like - "you're doing great" -"keep up the good work" - "beautiful day out here" - and there was lots of high fiving people as you were running along who you've never even met. We'll see if everyone is as chipper when our mileage hits the high teens:)

We did 8 miles (our last single digit long run) and my pace group was right on target - we came in at exactly 10 minutes per mile. Running on the path was great because of the shade - and it's much more gentle on the knees and ankles than the pavement. This is where the remainder of the long runs will take place so I am pretty pleased with that. One thing I did find out today was that I need to add more weekly mileage. Our pace leader said we should be at about 25 miles per week - I'm at about 18:(

I am going to start adding one track work out per week to work on my speed. I found a group that meets every Thursday at a local high school - I am pretty excited about this. I hope it helps...if not it will at least add some variety and mileage to my log.

Week 2 - Complete!!! 14 weeks to go.

Week 2 Run 2

2009-06-25T09:18:00.000-05:00

For those of you that actually read this blog - today I am just recording a quick note about my run. I have been entering the quick dets into my log book - but figured I will just do it here instead. This way I will have everything in one place. So, no stories about bunnies or old men today - just my notebook entry.

Scheduled Distance: 4 miles
Actual Distance: 4.06 miles
Time: 40 minutes
Woke: 4:40 am
Out the door: 5:00 am

Comments: weather was a little cooler and a bit less humid than Tuesday. Run felt good - was able to keep on 10 minute mile pace. Would like these shorter runs to be more like 9:30 - I'll get there. Need new music!!!!!!!!

4:50 am

2009-06-23T15:04:00.000-05:00

Yep - that is when the alarm rang - 4:50 am. The kids slept all night, I felt rested, didn't even need to hit the snooze. I hopped out of bed, brushed my teeth, put on my running gear and headed out the door.

It is so peaceful outside that early in the morning - during my 3 mile trot I saw 8 bunnies, 1 stray cat with 1/2 of a tail, 2 cars driving, and 5 old dudes running (not together). It was so muggy out there I broke a sweat before I even started running - hopefully that resulted in extra calories burned:) I'm not sure how the old dudes were able to tolerate it. Anyhow, enough about running...

This morning on the train I read an essay in this month's Real Simple magazine by Jancee Dunn titled "You've Got To Read This" and it was just so sweet - (I thought so anyhow). It is about parents whose kids are grown and have moved away. They give advice to their grown children by clipping and mailing them newspaper articles. Maybe it is their way of keeping their kids close - trying to protect them - or just letting them know that they are thinking of them, which as a parent who could see herself doing this very thing thinks is just precious.

Enjoy!

Photos from 13.1 Chicago - June 7, 2009

2009-06-22T11:09:00.001-05:00

brightroom event photography

Shared via AddThis

Week One - Success

2009-06-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

I think I am finally out of the funk I found myself in last week. I did get through all of my training runs successfully and have completed 6.25% of my marathon training:) Hooray for me!

Saturday was the first long run and it was AWESOME! Nike Run Club organizes group runs for folks like me training for the marathon - which is perfect to keep me on track with and true to the long runs. It was neat to see 60'ish people out at 6:30am on a Saturday all chipper and ready to run. They had pace groups to ensure we would all be training with people of similar speed / ability. Karen - the leader of my pace group was very upbeat and motivating. She ran 7 miles right along side us - talking, talking, talking about the weeks to come, about the 25 marathons she has run, about how she is going to convince us all that it is better to run without our iPods - WHAT? Hell no - I need my music to keep me going. How anyone gets through hours of training - or a 4 + hour race without the distraction of music is beyond me. Anyhow...at the end of the 7 miles of running in the hot sun she had barely broken a sweat and was nowhere close to being out of breath. The 12 of us in her group were all red faced and dripping - but we all finished and no one died. And I am very excited about the next long run.

Sunday we were at the lake in Michigan and Jeff and I took advantage of having the grandparents there to hang with the boys at the lake while we went off for a run. OMG - the hills out there can really kick your ass! What a workout! I bet my next run in the flat lands of Naperville will be a piece of cake.

One last thing - my new running gadget - the Garmin Forerunner - LOVE IT! So, after a run I put my forerunner on the docking station and it feeds all of my workout data. I can view my pace, distance, calories burned, heart rate, and the coolest thing of all - it shows me a map of the route I ran. It will even reenact my run - how cool is that? I still have my Nike + system which I will continue to use so I don't feel like I lost the first 140 miles of training - it makes me feel good to watch that number grow! Plus - how else will I know when I hit the 500 mile mark and need a new pair of shoes??? :)

Run 2 - Check

2009-06-17T08:49:00.000-05:00

My plan during training is to do my weekday runs bright and early in the morning. I finally got around to my run yesterday at 8:45 pm. My alarm rang at 4:45 am - but at that point I had only about 31/2 hours of sleep under my belt and couldn't fathom getting out of bed to run. I did consider for a split second getting up but then figured that since the kids being up all night was the cause of my sleeplessness I would allow myself to change the schedule. However, if my lack of sleep was my own doing I would have to get up and run. That said, the run was rescheduled for the evening.

I got home after work - cleaned up the breakfast mess from the morning - made dinner - semi-cleaned the kitchen - gave the boys baths - played with them for a bit - put Michael to bed - and finally went downstairs to get this run in. I logged my 4 miles and was happy when it was over. I learned the following from training day 2...

I hate running inside on the treadmill!!! It takes me 1 1/2 times as long to run the same distance - why would it be so much harder to run and maintain the same speed as I can outdoors? Must be a mental thing. Also, watching the display is really disheartening - it's like waiting for water to boil.

I get very agitated and fussy when plans change. Getting home from work knowing I still had a run to do just put me in a sour mood and I couldn't shake it until well into this afternoon. It's kind of funny how I do that to myself - get myself all worked up and make the experience way worse than it should be. I must apologize to my family for being such a grouch - sorry guys. The plan was to have the run over and done with first thing. I could have been easy going and all "I'll get to it when I get to it - no worries - I love running." But no.

Jeff got me the Non-Runners Marathon Trainer book and chapter one talks about this thing called "Locus of Control". I will give you the first paragraph so you understand what I am talking about.

Psychologists have been studying people's concepts of what is called locus of control for many years. The word locus means "place" and what the psychologists are interested in is what effect it has on people if they believe the place of control in their lives is somewhere inside them as compared to the effect it has on them if they believe their lives are controlled by forces outside themselves.

I have figured out that I tend toward having an external locus of control - meaning I let the outside world influence the events in my life. I am going to work on this during my training hoping to master the internal locus of control. How awesome would it be to feel 100% in control of everything in your life?!?! I'll let you know once I figure it out.

Today is a rest day so no miles to log until tomorrow morning. :)

Training - Day 1

2009-06-15T11:22:00.000-05:00

The 122 day test began today. Will I be able to see something through all the way to the end - start to finish with no excuses in between? YES I will! I am going into this fully understanding the commitment it will take from me. I am totally aware of my personal flaws that can undermine my progress. Procrastination and Excuses. I am going to complete my training without procrastinating and without making excuses so I can successfully run 26.2 miles at the end of all of this. That is the goal.

Today was day 1 of my marathon training. The goal was to run an easy 3 miler - there was nothing easy about it. The alarm went off at 5am and I was out the door at 5:15. The weather was awesome. No wind - cool temps. The kids did not wake during the night so I got a full 6 hours of zzz's. Conditions seemed ideal for day 1 of training. Why was it so hard? I was not prepared - didn't think I needed to prepare for a simple 3. Going forward there will be some lifestyle changes implemented.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I really wish wine counted - but I'm sure it only makes things worse. Water will be my new friend.

A better diet. Jeff and I are doing this one together. We both have weight loss goals and I'm sure we'll be able to keep each other on track and offer support when needed. We will reach our goals by the end of this then vacation somewhere warm to show off our new skinny selves. But, I can't believe how difficult it is to cut out the foods I've become accustomed to eating. If I could have cheeseburgers and fries 3 meals a day every day I would be so happy. Tell me I have to eat fruits and veggies - and I don't hate them - it just makes me sad having to eat them and give up (cut back on) the stuff I love to eat.

Get plenty of rest. With my alarm going off at 5am now - and earlier as we progress through training - I will have to get my butt in bed earlier. I love to unwind on the couch after everything is done and the kids are in bed. I could stay there for hours if there are shows on the tivo and wine to drink. But, for the next 16 weeks my time to unwind will be greatly reduced. Possibly one show - one glass of wine - then off to bed.

That is all for now - I'll let you know how day 2 goes.