Wakeup

I quickly and easily awoke for the 4:30 am alarm. I was excited! Race day was here. After a weeks of anxiety, fear, and doubts, I woke up confident and feeling good. I went about my preparations. There was NO DOUBT in my mind that I would beat 2 hours.

The startline

I felt good. We ALL felt good. The race director led a short, but powerful, time of silence in honor of the recent events in Boston. Knowing my tendency to start out running too fast, I started with the 2:20 pace group. I would rather run too slow mile 1 than too fast. My first mile was about 9:30. The second, 8:45. I had to pull in the reigns. I found my pace at about 9:45 and I felt good. I knew I could maintain this for several miles, if not to the finish. I had trained for this!

Along mile 4, I passed a woman with medics – she was convulsing on the ground. As I was beginning to feel strange and off, something inside me said, slow down. That was a frightening sight. It was not long after this that I had no energy, no drive, and I just wanted to be done.

By mile 6, I had made the decision to walk/run. I considered quitting. I was not going to win, I was not going to achieve my goal time, there was no reason to push it and risk injury or illness. Knowing that my Chix were running twice as far as I was pushed me to at least finish.

At mile 9, I sent a text to the Chix waiting for me at the end – I was 30 minutes behind my goal and they should go find our Chix doing the full before it was too late. Jane replied, “No Chix left behind!”

The finishline

I finished! I just wanted it done! I did not know what my time was and I did not care. I was more concerned with how my eight Chix were doing – four of them en route to Boston qualification. I grabbed my water, chocolate milk, and fruit and connected with my Chix. We hopped on the road bikes and were off to find the runners. This is when I learned that I was not the only one who had struggled.

Team support  

Two of our Chix had pulled out – saving their physical bodies for another race and a Boston qualification. One pulled back significantly. One Chix pushed through – dug deep. She gave it her all. We biked the route backwards. We found her along mile 23. Hot. Exhausted. Struggling. It was a hard sight (also knowing in our hearts that we wanted to see 4 strong runners at this point). Two Chix stayed with her, and we continued to go and find the others – we had 5 other chicks out there. We passed a lot of runners – some looked strong. Others shuffled, determined to finish despite the circumstances. A part of me was worried that the others had pulled off – we went quite a distance without seeing any of our Chix. We wanted to find the girls we knew were alone!

Did she need water? A sane mind to tell her it would be okay to stop?

Kami was running strong – we checked in, she was fine. Next, slow and steady Captain Carol looked good. It felt like forever before we saw our next Chix. I was worried. We were about to get to the path along the river – NO bikes on the path. We would have to wait for them to come to us at this point.

We waited.

JILL!! I was elated. She looked good. we were SO relieved that our Chix were running smart! Each had been listening to her body – walking when needed – and getting one step at a time closer to the finishline. We knew the others were at least in company on their journey – so we made the decision to ride back. I needed more water and fuel myself. And I had peace of mind knowing my Chix were safe and running smart.

Not all was bad

We did have a Chix PR!!!!! Cheri killed the half marathon. She felted good. She did it! And I am so proud to be able to call her friend!

AND, we finished. We did something that most individuals do not even consider doing. And we overcame obstacles! We conquered our own minds and spirits.

The aftermath

My heart hurt. Was I disappointed in my run? Yes, but that was not my concern. I had finished. Some of my Chix had made the INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT decision to pull out of the race. I am indescribably proud of their smarts and their courage. My heart ached, knowing how hard this must have been.

Following the race I had a 5-hour drive from Green Bay to Minnesota. I drove in silence. I was recapping the day’s events. I was praying for my Chix. Everyone’s hearts and physical recovery. Stacy’s health and well-being. V and Em’s hearts, souls, and physical bodies. The spirits of the Chix I had yet to hear from. I cried. It was a hard day. Hard decisions were made by all.

And I contemplated whether I will be trying that again. (No decision was made!)

The bottomline

I am truly proud of every one of my Chix who participated in yesterday’s marathon events. Each made THE BEST decision for her. She made tough decisions. We each had big goals for the day – and most of them were left to the wayside.

If you are reading this, my Fit Chix with Quick Stix – know that I am indescribably PROUD of each and every one of you. You were ALL body smart – in situations when it would be ‘easy’ to push through the pain. You were wise. And inspiring. I love you ladies.

I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize… Philippians 3:13

26.2 Bible verses for running & racing

I am thankful that none of my closest friends were running this year – but they are shaken. I am shaken. As we prep for the upcoming Green Bay Cellcom Marathon, I have more than half a dozen friends with their eyes set on qualifying for the 2014 Boston Marathon. It will happen for all of them – but now a part of me does not want them to go! There is a part of me that is thankful that Green Bay is such a small city – it makes me feel like it would be less of a target!

I will keep this short and sweet. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been directly affected by this tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are also with those who have been indirectly affected – it has us shaking in our running shoes. Literally. But you know what positivity I take from this? I am more determined to run – and will run with all my heart!!

Yours in health,

Becca Rose

To start, my mom, dad, and Tawnie came to St. Paul to cheer me on!  I was so excited to have them here!  And the course looped the same area twice, so they came up to the start and subsequently saw me again as I passed that same point at mile 6, 13, and 19.  Knowing they were there gave me renewed energy, it was so great!  I loved having them there .  I can’t describe the feeling that I had when I saw them, it was just so uplifting to see their faces, hear their voices, high-five Tawnie’s hand, and read their signs of encouragement.

Ok, on to the marathon.  It was 60 degrees when it started- perfect!  There were 5 of us running the marathon and my friend Adrienne was running her first 10k.  Adrienne and I stayed together this weekend and walked down to the lobby to meet Molly at 5:45 am and walk down to the race area, where the 10k race would start and the shuttles would be waiting to take Molly and I to the starting line.  This was the first Women Rock Marathon, and it was clear, they weren’t expecting runners to show up that early.  Nothing was set up.  We found the area where the bag drop would be set up, and camped out for about 10 minutes while the volunteers got things rolling.  Finally, we were able to give them our bags and walk down to the shuttles.  By this time, Lauren, who was running her first marathon had caught up with us.  I hugged Adrienne good-bye and good luck and we boarded the shuttle.  I didn’t pay attention to where we were driving on the way to the start. I should have because it turns out, it was the course.  And it would have red flagged in my mind that it was hilly.  But we were chatty, excited, and anxious for the run that lay before us.  Once we got to the start, we headed to the 10 minute pace sign- our designated meeting spot for Kate and Hillary.  It was also Hillary’s first marathon and Kate’s second.  I was feeling my nerves.  I felt like I hadn’t trained as hard as I had for other races and I really didn’t have a time goal in mind, although, if I could finish within 4 hours, that’d be cool.  I just didn’t know exactly what I had trained for.  Kate, Hillary, and I ventured off to find the porta potties one more time and by the time we walked back, we were 5 minutes till the start so I hugged Kate and got in line with the 3:40 pace group.  I figured that was a good goal and really my training should have put me near that pace… and it would be a PR .  Win-win, especially with a downhill course, right?

The first mile went fast- I quickly struck up conversation with the pacer, who also happened to be a pacer at the Green Bay marathon, so we spent the mile complaining about the race and how the directors handled the heat, calling off the race, etc… we kept up great conversation, getting to know the 3 other runners who were running in the pace group for the next 6 miles.  About mile 7, my legs started feeling wobbly.  Uh-Oh.  The down fall for me when I run with a pace group is water stops.  Since they don’t stop, but run through them, and I have yet to master drinking from the cardboard cups while running, I did not take in a substantial amount of water from the get go.  I would take a sip, wet my palate, and toss in order to stay with the pacer.  And I was feeling it.  I needed water.  And unfortunately, this was a stretch where there wasn’t a water stop for another few miles…

By mile 8, all 4 of  us who were running with the pacer had dropped back. We were still running as a group, the pacer was just ahead of us and getting further ahead.  Slowly, we separated from each other as well, I was fading, still not having come to a water stop and saw one coming up at mile 10.  This time, I stopped and took in an electrolyte tablet I was carrying and two cups of water .  Kate and Hillary were coming down the course on the other side of the street and waved  and called to me as I got going again.

And then it hit.  As I started going on a slight uphill, I felt a side stitch settling in.  I just told myself to breathe and run through it.  I knew it was my fault- I didn’t take in water from the beginning and I was dehydrated.  I felt it and now my body felt it.  It got worse, I could barely stand straight, but walking is NOT an option and I trudged along.  Slowing my pace, I started saying a prayer asking God to PLEASE take this pain away, please please please!!!  It lasted for 2 and a half miles.  By mile 12, I told myself I needed to stand tall and pick up the pace, there was another water stop coming up… I stopped again and this time took water and powerade.  As I got going again, I could feel the pain lessen and after another half mile, I was feeling GREAT!  And, my parents were going to be at mile 13, also the half way mark!  Yay!  I passed my family feeling great, all smiles and high-fiving Tawnie on the way.

The next 4 miles flew by.  I couldn’t believe how great I was feeling, especially coming off that awful side stitch.  I felt like I could definitely pick up the pace and make up time.  As we looped, I passed by the pacer who called out encouragement and then another girl who was running with the group a little ways behind the pacer who called out as well.  Then, mile 17.  A huge hill.  We had run up it during the first loop, around mile 3 or so and it didn’t phase me then, but this time- man!  I felt like I was barely moving.  Like one of those gerbils running in a spinner, putting forward all your might, only to be staying in one place.  I knew I was moving, I was just not moving fast.  That hill kicked my butt.  Once on top, I took in some breaths, smiled at the course marshalls who were encouraging us and kept in mind that my family would be cheering me on at mile 19- I just had to get there.  By mile 18, I felt better, the hill behind me.  I ran towards my family and greeted them with a smile as I threw my spibelt at my mom so I didn’t have to carry it for the last leg of the race and called out to my dad, who was video taping me, that I’d see them at the finish line.  I couldn’t believe how much energy I had at mile 19- this was going to be downhill now (according to the race website), I’d be able to make up time, and finish strong!  I was so excited!  I was doing this! AND I was still on track to finish in sub 4 hours!

At mile 20, it started to get rather desolate.  There were no spectators and there were only 2-3 other gals running on the course around me.  I will say this about the race- and I don’t know if it is because it was all women, but everyone was so encouraging.  As you passed another runner or a runner passed you- everyone would tell you what a great job you were doing and to keep going, you were looking great!  However, this was the same stretch I mentioned earlier by mile 7 where there were no water stops for a few miles and it was getting hot.  REAL hot.  We were also leaving the shaded part of the course.  And the sun was beating down, unforgiving.  I started to get crabby. I admit it.  I started to have some very nasty thoughts about the race directors.  Who lied about the downhill course.  Who lied that there would be water every 2 miles and near the end every mile.  Finally, around mile 22 and a half, came a water stop.  I was thirsty.  As I drank my powerade, I asked a volunteer how long before another water stop. She told me 1 mile.  Ok, I could do that.  I knew at this point, with the heat and previous dehydration, I would need water every mile.

As I passed mile 23, I knew another half mile and there’d be water.  Only, instead of a water stop, I was greeted with a huge, massive looking hill.  No water, and a hill?  I started to lose it.  I felt the sighs welling up in my chest.  I wanted to cry.  I actually let out a few whimpers and was reminded about how Tawnie had broken down and whimpered during the last 5k we had run together.  This must be how she felt.  This sucks.  I decided to push up the hill, suck it up, there was nothing I could do now but keep running.  I did not cry, but pushed forward.  At mile 24, at the top of the hill, there was water.  I told myself 2.2 more miles- I’ve got this! The volunteers said it was all downhill now too!  I’ve definitely got this!  And I took off a rather happy gal .

Only to encounter another hill just a half mile out from the water stop.  SERIOUSLY?  And there were no spectators, no support.  The course was along an industrial highway.  A rackety train was pulling along beside the road, which was lined with manufacturing plants.  At this point, I told myself I did not care about my time (although, I did, dammit!).  The only thing I did know at this point was that I just needed to get to the top.  I was NOT a walker.  My mantra was “just one foot in front in the other” and my crabby thoughts towards the race directors ensued once again, who lied about the downhill course and the wealth of  water stops.

At mile 25, again, top of the hill, there was a water stop.  I took my time at this stop and gathered my breath and my wits.  My legs were tight- lactic acid setting in.  As I walked through the water station, I knew I looked like I had just dismounted a horse and a volunteer couldn’t help but smirk when he made eye contact with me.  Which, made me smile too.  I couldn’t imagine what I looked like at that point.  But only 1.2 miles to go- again, I’ve got this!  I’m finishing!  And the finish is really soon!

That last mile was brutal.  Still on the industrial highway, there were no people.  No shade. And the sun was now blaring, resulting in unbearable heat.  There’s really nothing more to say except that last mile really sucked.

At mile 26, I could see the pink banner at the finish line.  I could see people lining the “shoot.”  And soon, I saw Tawnie, who I motioned to jump in and run with me.  Then my mom was there yelling at me to “kick it in!”  I had to chuckle to myself- this WAS kicking it in dammit!  I could not go any faster.  I had truly left all that I had on that course.  A first for me, as I usually sprint in the last half mile with energy I’d reserved for the finish.  Not today.  I was finished- running on empty.

I had never been so happy to finish a race.  As I crossed the finish line, a volunteer asked if I was ok, I responded yes, I was just tired!  (man, I must have looked really awful at that point to have been asked that!) I grabbed water, it was not going down.  I grabbed food for later and met Adrienne and my family.  We walked over to the bag check where I grabbed my ID so Adrienne and I could get our Champagne reward!  It did not sound good, but dammit, I deserved it!!!  And actually, the carbonation helped settle my stomach- it wasn’t so bad!  I could only drink half a glass before I was done and ready to drink some water.  My parents headed back to the hotel to eat lunch, while Adrienne and I stayed behind to watch for the other girls to cross the finish line.  Kate and Hillary came in first.  Kate was dehydrated and went immediately to the shade.  Hillary looked pretty good!  Although, I feel bad this was her first marathon experience!  If this had been mine, I doubt I would have ever run a second.  As Adrienne and I waited for Molly, I started to feel sick.  The sun really got to me and I needed to be indoors. NOW!  As we were saying good-bye to Kate and Hillary, Molly finished!  She looked a little woozy, so the 3 of us walked up a long hill to our hotel together.  Recapping our experience.

Now that it’s behind me and I’ve had a chance to cool off- literally!  I realize, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.  It was tough!  And, that means I am tough!  I am actually kind of happy with how I persevered through it  It makes me a little proud.  And I am very proud of my friends who persevered through it too .

We came, we ran, we conquered .

For me, this run was all mental.  Since I strained my Achilles tendon a month ago, I had to forego my planned 18-20 mile run and opt for a nearly 50 mile bike ride.  So, I was a little nervous about the 20 miles since the furthest I’ve run since May 19th has been 16 miles.  And, I was excited because in my crazy crazy life, I actually LOVE long runs!  I love how I feel leading up to them, putting in the weekly mileage I feel healthy, strong, and albeit extremely tired, generally good about myself!  And post long run, I feel like I just conquered the world.  I am on that high right now as I write this.

Two running buddies started out with Bisou and I at 5:45 this morning.  We set out on a 5.5 mile loop.  Molly was recovering from a sinus infection and battling the effects of cold medication- dry mouth, coughing, and difficulty breathing.  I am inspired by her- I’m not sure I would have been such a trooper feeling like poo for 20 miles.

We finished the first loop and dropped Bisou off at my house, stocked up on our gels and gummies for the next 14.5 miles and Brian joined us for the second leg.  We set off towards Raccoon River Park, I thought hopping on the trail around the lake would help break up the run and give us a nice change of scenery.  I felt good going in, legs felt strong and the company I was with was great- which helps!  We finished the loop and started back down Grand Avenue to E P True Parkway and I was amazed at how this run was just flying by!  We were already at mile 12 and it felt like we’d only been running for an hour!  Molly wanted to grab some tunes, so we looped 1 mile back to my house to refuel and grab more water.  Brian finished his run with us and we decided with only 7 miles left and the sun starting to beat down, we would hop on the Jordan Creek Trail for an out and back in hopes of finding reprieve in the shade.

I felt annoyingly good at this point.  I knew the heat was getting to my running buddies so I tried not to be annoying, but this run was just feeling so great!  About a mile down the trail, we decided to break up.  Kate was heading back towards my house, Molly was going to take it a little slower, and I needed to keep going so I didn’t cramp up this late in the game.  The trail, ended up being not so shady, but I managed the 3 and a half miles until my turn around point to head back home.  I’m not going to lie.  I was feeling great up till this point, but knowing that I was turning around to go home, well, it was an indescribable feeling.  I started thanking God for the endurance and the energy he had blessed me with to get me this far.  My garmin started ticking down the miles.  2 miles left.  1 mile left.  By this point, my legs were sluggish and I was going pretty slow, but dang it, I was conquering this run!

By the time I got home, my hands or maybe my entire arms were shaking as I tried to pour myself some coconut water for a post-run drink.  I chugged it and went outside to greet Molly as she was finishing her run.  Not long after, Kate finished hers.  Completing 20 miles as the temperature slowly crept up from mid 70′s to the 80′s with, once again you guessed it, high humidity, is something I think all 3 of us can be very proud of.

As for my post long run reward- I plan to grill chicken wings tonight and then toss them in the most amazing buffalo wing sauce that I found the recipe for online, with a side of homemade sweet potato fries.  MMMMM MMM Delish .  And, maybe a glass of Shiraz… I think I deserve it.

Cheers!

Actually, I could have used a getaway car to help speed me up last night as I ran a 5k with a friend in Indianola for the Balloon Festival.  I passed my car TWICE on the 3.1 mile route… the second time was at mile 2.82 and it was tempting to stop!  When the gun went off at the start of the race at 7pm, I didn’t know if I wanted to be lazy or push it.  Well, I got caught up in the crowd and decided to push it.  So, by the time I passed my car the 2nd time, I was feeling a little like I might puke.  Stopping was tempting.  My mantra for the race was “how bad to you want this?”  and “dig deep!” Which is what Scott Jurek wrote on my race bib for Chicago 2011… it helps.  Dig deep when it hurts.  Dig deep when you want to give up. Dig deep when you want to puke.  I finished in 24:11, which is an average pace of 7:47 min/mile.  I actually had realy bad time splits- lost 10 seconds in 2nd mile and another 20 in the 3rd.  I seem to be stuck at that pace and given my speed work, I should be a lot better than that.  I know I shouldn’t be complaining, but I’ve pateaued and I need to find a way to crest again.  Anyhoo, my friend Kate and I had a great evening run followed by healthy snacks of white bean hummus, guacamole, sunflower pate, and homemade low cal margaritas .  Oh yeah, all that was pool side.  Here we are post- race:

Kate and I post- race!

I should mention, we both placed 3rd in our age groups .  Gotta love entering smaller races.  It’s such a boost to your ego!

This morning I woke up early and ran 10 miles with the See- Us Run Des Moines group.  I ran with a senior named Jordan and a recent grad, Max.  I learned all about who’s dating who and who recently broke up… it was interesting for sure even though I have no idea who these kids are.  Jordan and Max kept a consistent pace of 10 minutes/mile and finished strong, kicking up the pace the last half mile.  It was a good easy run!

Tomorrow, Kate and I have our 20 miler on tap as we are now 5 weeks out from the Women Rock Marathon in St. Paul. I’m ready mentally!  I haven’t run more than 16 miles though since the attempt to finish the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon end of May.  So, hopefully my legs are as ready as my mind.  More on that tomorrow- it’s nap time for this girl!

Today, was long run Saturday.  I had 14 miles on the schedule.  I planned to do 6 on my own with Bisou and then meet up with See- Us Run Des Moines for the remaining 8 miles.  I have to tell you, when the alarm went off at 4:45am, it took a LOT of effort to pull myself out of bed, especially knowing that I was going it alone for the first trek.  I seriously considered sleeping in, meeting the See-Us Run group for 8 and putting the 14 miler off until tomorrow.  Only, that just delayed the inevitable and tomorrow there’s a very great chance I’d have to do the entire 14 alone.  So, I got up, ate a rice cake and almond butter, and stretched.  Surprisingly, by the time I left the house at 5:30, I felt wide awake and like it was perfectly normal to be hitting the streets at this hour on a Saturday.    Bisou and I headed towards Valley Junction- 1 because I like running down the street and peering into the windows of the shops and 2 because I know they have ample KYBOSs on that block.  I was a little worried about my tummy starting out… It was a really humid morning and by mile 3, I was drenched.  I took the long loop, passing Valley Junction and then circling back to go down the street.  I was a little more than half way down the street when I felt my tummy churn.  Knowing I wouldn’t make it home, I turned around and headed to the KYBOs and said a silent prayer thanking God that they were available just when needed  I finished my 6 miles, dropped Bisou off, took some new electrolyte tablets- endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition- that I picked up yesterday to see if they would help training in the heat and humidity.  I was a little scared to take any gels since I needed a potty stop during the first half of the long run and leading some teens wouldn’t be a good time for more tummy troubles.  Instead, I grabbed a handful of Snyders Gluten Free pretzels- which, I don’t know if it was the mix of the endurolytes and pretzels, but it worked great!  I did not feel fatigued nor was I plagued with tummy troubles during the second part of the run!

I met up with the See- Us Run group at Roosevelt High School, met the 2 girls I was to run with and we set off.  I told them to set the pace and I’d keep up.  The pace ended up being about an 11 min/mile pace,which felt painfully slow at first and I had trouble keeping back, my instinct was to try to pass the other mentors and their kids.  It very quickly turned into a comfortable pace once I got used to it and I started asking the girls questions to learn more about them.  Both are juniors at Roosevelt- 1 is a cheerleader and doing the program for the first time to “stay in shape” during the summer and the other runs track in the spring and this is her 3rd year participating in the program.  For the cheerleader, 8 miles was the farthest she’d ever run!  What an inspiration!  I was so excited for her!  I remember how it was training and every weekend being in awe that I had just completed a run that I never ever thought I would be tackling .  Around mile 6, she even commented that 8 miles felt so much easier than the 6 miles they had run the weekend before.  Shortly after that, we caught up with some other mentors and their kids- one who happened to be her sister and we finished with her.  Even though the pace was slow, the run flew by- it was FUN!  I am so glad I joined them this morning and am looking forward to more runs!

I’ll leave you with a quote from another running mentor this morning that really resonated with me “what a wonderful blessing to be outside running in this weather!”  So true, a blessing indeed to just be able to run, to be free, and enjoying the company of other runners, encouraging them along the way, and taking in Des Moines .

I am about to lose 3 toenails:

Right Foot

Left Foot

My callous is no longer blistered and is actually HEALING!!  Although, still not pretty and I am very doubtful a pedicure would cure it…

Nasty Callous

And, with the heat and humidity, a huge blister formed on the bottom of my toes on my left foot- that was more painful at the end of the run on Sunday than my muscles!

BIG Blister!

I popped this blister after taking the picture and did it ever POP!  I thought I’d save you the picture of that…

I think my pedicure season is over before it really began sadly. I don’t think any stranger would want to touch these feet and I don’t blame them! So, what else could I do but paint the rest of the toes purple and go with it !

Black and Purple toenails for the summer!

Cheers!

Lambeau was where I was supposed to have crossed the finish line yesterday.  I feel robbed of that.  Even though they shut the course down, we should have been able to cross a finish line when handed our medal.  Instead, a “bouncer” put his hand in front of me and told me I could not enter the finisher’s area and a volunteer handed me a medal I still, today, feel as though I did not earn.

I got into the car this morning to hear my 9-year-old niece declare “Nikki. You do not look good.  Your nose is all red.”  Well, thank you.  Yes, it is red because 1- I have a huge zit at the end of my nose, which now, isn’t even fruitful of the labor of running a full marathon, and 2- I cannot seem to stop crying.

So, we set out. My dad, my niece, Tawnie, and I.  Driving the 7 hours home was a welcomed distraction.   Every time we stopped, I resumed crying.  Which, in turn led to ranting.  God bless my dad, who knows how to sympathize and amazingly say what I what to hear:  The race organizers were obviously idiots.  It wasn’t that bad to close the race.  They’re really going to have to answer to some higher beings for those of us who could have finished and were forced to quit.

That’s awesome!  Unfortunately, it didn’t bring the reprieve I’d hoped for.  I know more than 2 dozen runners were taken to the ER and race directors were concerned there would be more.  Thankfully, I was not one of them.  I had done the smart thing and tested my memory at mile 15.  I recalled every mile marker since the beginning to ensure that I was sharp and hydrated.  Unfortunately, there are hundreds of runners out there who did not and would not have done that and were not in tuned with their bodies.  They essentially shut the course down for the rest of us.  As one person said in the Green Bay Press Gazzette, she trained without medical teams on her training routes, so not having medical on the last leg of her race was not a problem.

This… is why… I am kicking myself for not completing 26.2 miles.  I was at mile 20.  Why in the hell, didn’t I continue just over 6 more miles????  Why???  At the time, I was thinking: there won’t be any more water stops, they’re tearing down the fluid stations.  The race signs wouldn’t point me in the right direction, they’re tearing down the course signs.  All legit at the time, I’m sure… but in reality, I bet they would’ve still be up.  I would’ve made it.  DAMN IT!!!

And today… the tears just won’t stop.  It seems silly.  I’m not injured.  I was not taken to the hospital.  But I am disappointed.  I am pissed.  I am sad.  I am a lot things that I don’t think I can describe words to.  Tears just came intermittently throughout the day and the drive home along with more reasons why the damn race marshals were wrong in calling the race  I know, I’m a brat and wrong in thinking this.  I was fine, but dozens others were sick.  Right?? !! ??

As we were driving, Shake it Out by Florence and the Machine came across my iPod.  I was taking in the lyrics when Tawnie asked if we could put it on repeat because she liked that song.  There could not have been a more perfect song for her to pick.  I know I need a day to “mourn” or in essence, give myself a pity party.  But, tomorrow, I need to shake it out…

“Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It’s always darkest before the dawn

And I’ve been a fool and I’ve been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I’m always dragging that horse around

Our love is questioned, such a mournful sound
Tonight I’m gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it’s always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I’m gonna cut it out and then restart
‘Cause I like to keep my issues strong
It’s always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it’s hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa”

This is perfect for me.  Tonight… I’m gonna bury that horse in the ground.  I’m done with my graceless heart.  It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.

This brings me back to what my Aunt Lila has taught me: “Today is the first day of your life”  and today, it all starts over again.

My hotel wake up call got me out of bed at 4:00 this morning.  Usually, I greet my wake ups groggily and enjoy the liberty of hitting snooze a couple of times.  Not this morning, I bounced out of bed when the phone rang and turned on all the lights in the room to get me fully awake.  I ate right away so it would be digested by the time the race started in 3 hours.  Then, I took my anti-diahrea prescription that my doctor called in for me last week, and took my time getting ready and stretching.  Shawn called me a little after 5:30 to let me know he and my dad had pulled up to the hotel to meet me.  My hotel is just across the street from Lambeau Field, which is where the race started and finished, so the plan was to walk over together.  We posed for some pictures and chatted with my dad for a few minutes and then headed over to the stadium.  This was a brand new experience for me.  I have NEVER been early to a race… with the exception of the Tucson Marathon where we were bussed to the start- you had to be on the bus on time to get to the race.  It was actually pretty nice not to be racing to the start line and jumping into the coral .  We had enough time to use the Porta Potties twice and check our gear bags before meeting up with my pace team.  One thing I noticed though was that it was warm.  At 7:00am.  It was already 70 degrees and this would have perfect weather for the finish… and I knew it was only going to get warmer as we ran.

It wasn’t long before we headed to the start line with the pace team.  There was a pregnant woman, about my age, full of energy and bubbliness (yes, I just made up that word!).  I thought, if SHE is going to run the marathon at this pace, I CERTAINLY can!  She ended up being the wife of one of our pacers and was just starting with us to run the half marathon.  Still impressive, but it did take the worry away of being outdone by a preggo .  Another guy in our pace group looked at Shawn and I and asked if I was running with my dad- soooo funny!  Sorry Shawn, but the humor needs to be added to this post too .

The National Anthem was sung, I gave Shawn a big hug and wished him luck, and we were off!

Immediately, I did not feel well.  I tried to tell myself everything was fine and kept going.  The pace felt good.  The pace team was talkative and I was enjoying the company.  At mile 2, I couldn’t shake that I didn’t feel well.  My mouth was dry.  Like cardboard dry.  I didn’t know why.  I had properly hydrated (I know because my pee was clear TMI, I know… get over it).  I kept on.  Neighbors were out cheering us on and several had their sprinklers and hoses out, which was much appreciated this morning!  Every time I ran through one, it took my breath away slightly with the cold water.

As I was running, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t feel well.  I noticed that I was breathing way too hard.  My legs and everything felt fine, but my breathing was off.  At mile 4, I fell apart.  I had a side stitch and it HURT!  I felt like vomit was making its way up… I actually stopped in someone’s driveway to avoid puking on the course.  As I stood there, I contemplated whether I should wait for Shawn and run the race with him.  But no, I wanted a PR too bad to give up that easily.  After a few seconds, I got back on the course, running again.  Since we had driven the course yesterday, I knew we would be heading to my old neighborhood soon.  I was feeling much better after the brief stop and taking a gel.  I was enjoying the camaraderie along the course that was shared amongst all the strangers running together.  I could see my pace team up ahead of me and I knew I still had a chance to catch them and PR.

Mile 7 had 3 small hills in a row- the kind that you make it up the first and then see you have another… and another… I kept my pace going up the hill and one neighbor even yelled out “nice job runners- you’re at an 8:30 pace!”  I felt good about that and I knew my parents were waiting for me at mile 8, just on top of the hill!  That kept me going.  I quickly spotted them and heard my niece shout out “Nikki!”  She was a ways out from my parents so I called to her to run with me and she joined me on the course for a tenth of a mile .

I turned down another street on the course and grabbed water from the “fluid station.”  It immediately came back up.  And immediately after that I got the worst side stitch I have EVER had!  It took my breath away.  I could not breathe without severe pain.  I felt like I had no choice but to walk it out so that I could actually get a few good breaths.  I started running again and not long after had to walk it out after the jabbing in my side started up again. At this point, it hurt so bad, I did not know if I was going to be able run again… I started asking myself if I should make the turn and run the half marathon instead.  I figured, while I was walking, it was a good time to take in another gel.  That actually did the trick!  The side stitch went away and I started up again, albeit slow.

At mile 12, the 3:50 pace group caught up to me.  I have to say, I was pretty pissed by this.  I knew then, that I was not going to PR.  My focus changed to just finishing the marathon.  I had to run my own race, and this was clearly not my day.  The heat was taking its toll on me.  And to think, I was the one scoffing at the emails going out this week warning us runners of the hot conditions.  I thought they were over-exaggerating and discarded the warnings.  As is always the case with me, I learned the hard way to take those warnings seriously.  I started to think about how much this run sucked.  Then, I reminded myself that just 3 miles ago, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish!  Instead, I gave thanks to God that I was uninjured and I was running!  I had much to be thankful for!  That remained my focus as I kept on.

I skipped the water station at the halfway mark since I had just taken water at the 12 mile mark.  That was a bad decision.  The course said they would have water every 1.1 miles.  Not on this stretch.  There was not another water stop until closer to mile 16.  And this 3 mile stretch was ugly, desolate, and offered absolutely no shade.  It was hot!  And I was thirsty.  I grabbed Gatorade, water, and ice at the next water stop, shoving the ice down my bra and under my hat.  Ahhhh… it felt so nice!  I knew I had 1 more mile until we would get on the trail along the Fox River and I had 4 miles until I would see my family again at mile 20.

The change of scenery at mile 17 was welcomed after that ugly and desolate stretch.  It offered a little bi more shade, but there were still spots where it was under the blazing sun.  I started hearing sirens in the distance and thought “this isn’t good!” I tried to shift my focus off of that noise, but then saw up ahead on the trail a rescue truck with a police car behind it and a runner curled up in a ball off to the side.  As they were giving that runner attention, the medic called out to us “Trail is closed!  A shuttle will take you the finish at the 18 mile mark!”  What???!!!???  I didn’t believe it.  So, me being me, shouted back “What if we want to finish, can we keep going?”  The response “ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Whoa!  I didn’t like that.  In fact, it pissed me off.  Yeah, it was hot, but Boston started last month in 88 degree weather and they didn’t close the course!  Yeah, it’s hot and I’m going slow, but I could finish!

I approached the 18 mile mark.  It was a mess.  There were lots of volunteers, who were actually keeping things running very smoothly.  Runners were now walking and stopping.  I was not ready for that.  I grabbed some water and ice and asked a volunteer if she had a cell phone I could borrow.  She did!  I called my mom, who I knew was just 2 miles down the trail.  When she answered, I told them not to move, I was going to keep running to the 20 mile mark.

I don’t really know why, but I don’t take no lightly.  After hearing that the course was closed, I wanted to finish all the more.  So, I pressed on.  As I ran past runners, they were yelling encouragement “good for you!  keep going!”  ”you’re doing great!”  Spectators were yelling the same, encouraging those bandit runners to keep pressing on!  It was great!  I saw my mom and my niece just before the 20 mile mark.  I stopped and explained I wanted to get 20 miles in, so I was going to keep running for a bit.  My niece was all too anxious to jump next to me and together we ran the nearly half  mile to the 20 mile mark.

I decided to stop there.  Shawn had called and was already at the finish line, he had been shuttled in from his spot on the course.  I climbed in my parents car and demanded (yes, I did get a little snippy and demanding at this point) that the air be turned on full blast.  As soon as I stopped running, I noticed I was dizzy and a little nauseous.  I kept burping.  I just didn’t feel the best.  Yet, I continued to rant and rave over why they wouldn’t let us finish the race!  It was only 84 degrees out.  My mom tried to talk rationale with me that it was also the humidity and the heat index was high.  It was not what I wanted to hear.  I started to regret not pushing on and just finishing the course.  At the same time, I was feeling sicker and sicker.

My dad dropped my mom and I off at Lambeau Field where I picked up my gear bag and found where I could get my medal.  It felt wrong to take that medal.  I did not finish.  And now, I have a t-shirt I bought at the expo yesterday and I didn’t finish the race.  Can I still wear it?  Can I still count this marathon as one I’ve completed?  I have mixed emotions.  I’m disappointed.  At least I didn’t finish because I was injured or just gave up.  I was forced to stop.  So, does this still count?  Running 20 miles is a training run.  It’s not a marathon.  I worked so hard for so many months, for… this??

I am so glad that I have the Women Rock Marathon on Labor Day.  I’m ready to just keep going in my training and set out for a PR at that race.  The course is flat and weather permitting, could be a good one for my goal.

Ughhh!  Margarita time.  Cheers!

1) I will be standing at the start line of a Marathon in about 48 hours.  This is absolutely crazy!

2) If you didn’t catch this yesterday, I did a guest post over on Kimberly’s blog about my plans to switch things up a bit and focus more on Insanity for a while after Sunday.  I also really liked her post from earlier this week about making yourself have an “On Second Thought” moment and find the positives in everything.

3) I thought race medals were no longer that exciting to me after my Disney medals but then I saw the picture of the marathon and I got really excited again!  It’s shaped like a football and is no joke!  So excited for this baby!

4) In normal years, this marathon actually finished in the football stadium for the Packers but since they are doing a big reno this year, the finish line in in the parking lot of the stadium and the finish line is touted to be the Greatest Tailgating Party Ever!  I hope people don’t get too excited because watching runners seems even more boring than watching a football game

5) To all the new followers from yesterday, WELCOME!  Hopefully I don’t scare you away too soon

6) Speaking of marathons (because that’s all I seem to be able to think about this week…) I got an email yesterday that Walt Disney released the 20th anniversary marathon course!  It looks so much better than previous years and now involves running on a speedway and also through the sporting complex at ESPN Sports Center.  Makes me even more excited I just bit the bullet and signed up when registration opened

7) On a TOTALLY unrelated note, I really want to update my bedroom a little bit… I’ve had the same bedding/decor for 5ish years and I’m getting tired of cleaning all the dog hair off of the dark navy blue coloring the comforter is now.  I don’t plan to repaint but want to update the other stuff… And I really want these lamps from Target…

8) I totally thought last weeks Grey’s Anatomy was the season finale… and then I saw comments about the new episode this week.  What the heck?!  I guess I have to watch that on ABC.go.com… This is one of those shows I don’t really love but still want to keep up with for some reason.

9) The forecast for Sunday now involves slightly cooler temps but a larger chance of T-storms.  Progress, right?!?  Either way, it’s gonna be OK.  I’ll just bring plastic baggies to wrap the garmin and ipod to keep them safe!

10) I still need to update my playlist!!!!!  I plan to have a special one for miles 20-26.2 with all the best songs.  Gotta wait until then to hear them for some extra motivation

11) I have skipped all my regular exercise classes this past week and instead did more walking and yoga.  It’s been kind of nice to take things easy for a good reason  Hopefully my legs are still able to run on Sunday… the longer I go between actual exercise sessions, the more I doubt I can do it.  And as much as I hate yoga, it helped loosen my tight legs so much yesterday… maybe I better give it another chance…

12) I guess that is enough for right now!  I’ll be back some this weekend to hopefully update you that I finished a marathon!!!  Yikes!  Marathon Weekend has begun!

Happy Friday!

I would run a 3:30 marathon and qualify for Boston, no biggie.  In the real world, I will be beyond ecstatic if I can manage something even remotely close to a 4:305:00 marathon.  This might even be overly optimistic.  I really have no clue as I have never done this before!  And the heat level keeps going up and up and up… Remember when I said the “perfect” weather forecast in the 10 outlook was a bad sign… well, either I jinxed it or I just know how these things work!  But regardless of my finish time, I still have a few goals for this marathon and here they are:

1) SMILE!  All my race pictures from past races ALWAYS make me look like I am the running dead.  My goal is to at least TRY to look happy within the first few miles when I see the race photographer.  Like an honest to goodness smile.  None of this slight grin thing I normally do.  That just makes me look pissy

2) TRY to not stress out the days before.  I know this is going to be a real challenge.  Maybe even harder than the actual running portion but I need to try to not stress out and let my anxiety get the best of me.  I am in control of how my brain responds and I need to remember this.  Breathe…one…two…three…

3) Be proud of my finish time.  No.Matter.What!  No but…no I coulda… no I wanted to.  Just proud.

My new motto

4) Make sure Sister knows how much I appreciate her agreeing to come along with me to Green Bay and support this ridiculous hobby that I have.  Rain or shine I know she will be there, cheering me on, handing me more water and Clifs and there to remind me that I am going to finish.

5) Enjoy every moment of this race.  From the race packet pickup to the end of the finisher’s chute.  No being overly critical of this that or the other thing.  I tend to always pick out the negative aspects of this whole process but this time I am aiming to only see the positives.

6) Remember as much as I can about this race.  Runners only run one first marathon and this is mine.  I want it to be something I never forget.

7) Remember there is always another race on the horizon so learn what I can from this one if things don’t go as well as I hope.

I have a disease and it’s called running.  It’s highly contagious and once you catch it, it’s really hard to shake it.  And it’s really hard to not want to keep signing up for more and more races to relieve those feelings of accomplishment the finish line brings again and again. (and again and again…….)  Only 9672 hours! (apparently I struggled with math this morning…) WHAT?!?

And if you are not totally tired of marathon speak, head on over to Kimberly’s blog to check out a guest post I did over there today!  She’s another Wisconsinite and her blog has tons of great info!  I especially enjoy all her reviews of books related to heath and diet that she discusses!  (PS, she is also a Beach Body coach!) Thanks Kimberly!

In hindsight, I think I had the flu.  In 8 miles, I stopped 5 times.  I first got sick in the middle of a golf course.  Thankfully, there were KYBOs dotting the course so I was able to duck into 2 of those.  Unfortunately, I was running on the Great Western Trail with a friend and the golf course was our halfway point to turn back around.  Which means I had 4 miles to run back with no stops, only the woods around me.

When my tummy acted up the 3rd time, I told Andrea to just go on without me.  It was EMBARRASSING!  And I didn’t know if I could run it back in or if I’d be walking some of it.  You do the math, that means I pulled into the woods 3 times to get sick.  I just hoped and prayed that no runners or worse yet, bikers with a bird’s eye view, would be coming down the trail.  I did get lucky on that one!

I went to a mother-daughter tea with my mom and my niece and some friends from bible study after the disastrous run.  I did manage to get down some coconut water and a homemade protein bar afterwards- heck, I had nothing left in my system by that point.  It stayed down throughout the tea and I went home and collapsed into bed for a blissful 3 hour nap.

I woke up in time to get ready for my dinner plans and to go see a comedy show… although those grandiose ideas were squashed when I got sick again after dinner.  Walking out of the restaurant I was shivering and freezing cold.  Mind you, it was a very nice 70 degrees outside and I was already wearing jeans and a cardigan… so, I headed back home and hopped back in bed.

Sunday didn’t feel all that much better, which is when it dawned on me that more was going on… dang it!!!  Less than a week out from the marathon.  I rested yesterday and then made myself get up and going… taking my mom to a greenhouse to pick out flowers and then doing some yard work.  Gradually, I started feeling better.

Being my taper week, I took Bisou out for a short and slow 3 mile run this morning and by the end of it, well, let’s just say it was good timing to reach home.  I wouldn’t have made it much farther without a stop.

With that, I threw in the towel and promptly called my doctor when her office opened at 8am.  This crap is CRAP!  I talked to her nurse who oh so nicely called me in a prescription for anti-diarhea :).  With the promise that I will be in her office next week post-marathon to “discuss” further… (and mind you, I do have my appointment set up for next Wednesday).

So, here’s putting my faith in drugs… to get me through the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon without any embarrassing moments.  I do fear that this officially puts me over the edge though… seeking a prescription to ensure that there will be no stops during the marathon.  I even called the nurse back to see if it I would evoke any harm to my body if I started taking doses of the anti-diarhea the day before… you know, just for safe measure.  She said that would be fine, worst case I would end up constipated… then she actually laughed and said from the sound of it, I shouldn’t have anything left in my system regardless!  Well, I’m glad could bring some humor to her day today .  Here goes nothing!

This is your body. I’m tired.  For 10 months now you’ve put me through hundreds of miles, two marathons, spin classes, and in 9 days we’ll run another marathon.  I am thankful for the amazing massage you treated me to this afternoon.  It was much-needed and I believe well deserved.

Now, I am going to make some demands:

1. after the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon, let me REST!

2. have some fun.  live life in the moment and ENJOY it!

3. TURN OFF your mind.  seriously, it’s annoying and keeps me from fully enjoying my rest.

4. STOP SHOVING me into your cute high heels.  you have 2 black toenails and plantar fasciitis in your right foot.  enough said.

5. lastly, FEED me properly and give me rest this next week.

I am reaching my limit.  My heart rate is elevated just resting.  I’m exhausted.  Thank you for loosening up and relaxing this week.  Having fun is good for the body and your mind.  And it made me want it more often.  Find a balance between working hard and enjoying your blessings.

Sincerely,

Your Body

I know I coulda hurt myself running this morning or something but I figured that would just be a sign I need to wait to have my first marathon be a different one.  Because really, what difference would a week make if I injured myself on a run?  Probably nothing.  Three weeks to heal versus two weeks to heal does not really seem like a huge thing to me and I know the confidence I have from my run this morning is worth so much more than “playing it safe.” Sometimes you gotta live a little on the edge  So instead I decided to tackle one more 20 miler and just be careful and call it quits if anything got sore or started feeling weird.

This ended up being the best decision I have made in training thus far.  My run this morning went awesome!  When I woke up this morning, it was POURING rain and there were storms in the forecast but I decided to not get all worked up about this until my planned departure time came.  And you know what?  The rain stopped and the wind died down right on time!  I coulda stressed out about this but I did not.  Instead I ended up with the perfect running conditions, 50ish degrees and light winds.  Enough to not be cold but not be hot either.  Also, the sun never fully peaked out so that helped keep things comfortable too!

I left at about 7:45am this morning and went out a 10ish mile loop with plans to stop back at the house to get a water and Gu refill.  I am glad I ended up doing this because it gave me time to ask Sister to pick up a bag of ice for me for recovery and stretch a little and get more fluids and gels.  After the brief break, it was off for another 9.2 mile loop!

To play things a little safe this morning, I decided to run 5 minutes and walk 1 minute.  I am still surprised how much better this routine works for me!  Time goes so much quicker for some reason even though I get a little confused about when to turn around, take a shot, etc.  In theory, using the Galloway method shoulda slowed me down a little.  I mean I spend 30+ minutes walking… but instead, it took me 10 minutes LESS than my last 20 miler!  I woulda put up the splits so you could see them but um… I have a total of 66 laps from my run this morning because each walk/run interval counts as a lap.  I wish I could readjust this at the end though… I might have to see if I can do anything about that!

My total time running this morning was 3:18, that is an average of 9:55!  This shoulda felt like forever but once again I was surprised how time really does weird things when you are running.  3 hours at work would feel like forever but yet when I am running, time just goes by so fast!  I would be lying if I said this did not give me just a little morsel of hope for finishing the marathon in less than 4:30.  I really don’t want to stress about finish time for my first ever full but it’s hard to not do the math on this and see I would have about the perfect amount of time to finish a 10K if I could keep this pace the first 20 miles on the 20th.  I guess only time will tell on this one but I will use it as a little bit of motivation!

I probably shoulda spent the time on this run pondering deep thoughts but instead of that, I spent many miles dreaming of my post run eats!  One house I ran by was cooking breakfast potatoes and once I smelled them, that is all I could think about for a good 3-4 miles  So of course, I spent the next 3-4 miles coming up with a way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and also get my fried potatoes in!

Fried potatoes, ground beef, guacamole, hot sauce and 2% Chobani! I could eat this after every long run!

I probably also shoulda tried to take a nap this afternoon to rest up for babysitting tonight but instead Sister and I went to the grocery store and watched a few episodes of Lost!  Hopefully I can manage to stay awake long enough for the kids to fall asleep first tonight  I feel oddly awake at the moment but that will likely fade…

In hindsight, this run coulda went really poorly and left me more freaked out about Marathon Day but instead I pulled off another awesome 20 mile run and am now slightly more confident in the fact I have trained enough to make it across the finish line on May 20th.  Likely not in my secret goal time but that will just give me something to work for at the next marathon, right?

Now Taper Time officially begins!  It’s all downhill from here and soon I will be in Green Bay getting ready to cross a Marathon off my life list.  I really find this hard to believe yet it’s kind of starting to sink in now since this last training run is over.  A few short runs this week, a semi-long (8-10 miler) run next weekend and then really easy runs the week of and I will be totally done with training!  Crazy!  Here goes nothing!

Andrea and I started out at 6am this morning.  I was ready mentally, although I knew my body was tired and it wouldn’t be a speedy run for me.  The plan was to run Bisou 5.3 miles, drop her off at my house, run a little more than 2 miles to meet a girl that recently joined up with our running club, run 10 miles with her, then run back to my house for 20.

It started out great.  Bisou was a speed demon and I had to reign her back consistently.  It was humid- about 85% humidity and I was drenched within the first mile.  I felt good though.  I wasn’t as slow as I expected to be.  Conversation was already good for early hour, which always helps too

Then, about mile 3 my tummy started gurgling.  Crap. I knew there was a Kum and Go at mile 4… however, I couldn’t make it there.  I told Andrea I needed to stop and walk.  A little embarrassing, but thankfully I was with Andrea who is really easy going and understanding  I was worried about slowing her down though!  I walked a bit and was able to start running again.  I quickly had to walk again and told Andrea to just keep going and I’d meet her there.  After a stop at Kum and Go, we were behind to meet the other girl and I felt a little stressed about slowing everyone down.  I picked up the pace to get back to my house and drop off Bisou.  That was a bad idea.  After we dropped off Bisou, we went up a hill and that about killed me  MAN!  My body is tired!  The 2 mile run to our meeting spot felt like we were going at a 7 min/mile pace and we were actually closer to a 9!  Oi.

I’m not sure what happened, but we never connected with the girl we were going to meet up with.  We waited 20 minutes past the meeting time and never saw her, so we decided to keep going.  We changed our route to go up around Jordan Creek Mall and to Valley Junction.  Andrea’s achille’s tendon starting acting up so we took it a little slower until it loosened up.  I felt ok, slow, but ok at this point.

At mile 13, my tummy acted up again.  My parent’s church is doing construction, so I veered off and used a porta potty on site while Andrea stretched her ankle.  At this point, I started to slow way down.  Andrea kept a good pace and I kept her in sight, but I was not pushing myself to keep up.  I was at a 9:20 min/mile pace and knew this close to the marathon, the last thing I wanted to do was push it and get injured.  My body is already tired.  Thankfully, my tummy troubles subsided for the rest of the run.

I’m not going to lie.  The last 6 miles when Andrea was ahead of me was a mental struggle.  I thought many times about cutting it short.  I mean, my body was tired, why push it??  But I know why.  I knew if I did not finish this run on tired runs, I would have cause for the mental monkeys to play in my head during the marathon.  I needed to prove to myself that I had the strength and the mental power to finish this run.  ”Giving up is NOT an option” kept going through my head.  Before I knew it, we were at mile 18.  Only 2 more to go.  Again, “giving up is NOT and option” over and over… especially as I passed the street that would take me right to my front door.  I had something to prove to myself.  After all, in 3 weeks, would I give up if I was tired?  If I gave up this morning, how would I ever push myself to keep pace and finish the marathon?

It was a tough, mental run and I am VERY glad it is behind me!  After I finished, I was so dizzy!  I drank a lot of water and made a protein shake to get into my system quickly.  Then, I stretched and soaked in some epsom salts.  Now, I’m blogging and delaying finishing packing before I head to AZ for a work conference.

On a side note, I noticed through my cracked toenail polish that I am now starting to lose the 2nd toenail on my right foot too.  Dang!  For me, pedicure season is over even before it begins !

Coming off a fantastic weekend and half marathon time, I felt tired, sore and well, obviously weak to temptations.

First, I did not get up at 4:30 to meet my friends Andrea and Marzia for a 5 mile run.  Instead, I text Andrea that I was going to get an extra hour of sleep and run in my neighborhood.  Well, THAT didn’t happen.  An hour turned into an hour and a half… when I FINALLY dragged myself out of bed got ready and took Bisou for a short 3 mile run.  I told myself the shorter run was ok because I was going to the gym later to check out a class I may start teaching post-marathon.

I met some former colleagues for lunch and one was having a particularly rough day.  We decided meeting after work for a drink was a must in these circumstances and my plans to check out the class at the gym quickly faded.  After work, it was about 80 degrees and wonderful and sunny.  Sitting on a patio, soaking up the sun… one glass magically turned into 1 and a half when my friend poured some of her 2nd glass into my empty one.

I got a text from another former colleague wanting to meet and catch up.  The warmer weather had everyone itching to get out and socialize.  I moved on to another patio to soak up more sun and drink more wine.  Again, one glass turned into two.  Did I need the 2nd glass?  No.  Did I know this when I ordered it? Yes.  We split some nachos because my tummy was getting rumbly… and in my good old-fashioned self, my lack will power for wine translated into a lack of will power for diet too.  On the way home, I decided more nachos would be QUITE tasty, but my one of my favorites, bean dip and chips, would be even tastier .  So, weak me pulls into a gas station to buy some processed, chalk full of preservatives and unnecessary additives bean dip.

I got home and dug in until sleepiness took over… just shy of 9:00pm.

The alarm went off at 4:30am this morning to meet Andrea for an 8 mile run at the Great Western Trailhead.  I had been up since 2:30am and seriously the last thing I wanted to do was run.  But, since I cancelled yesterday, there was NO way I was canceling 2 days in a row.  I sucked it up and got up.  Just as I anticipated from my night of over-indulgence, my tummy was not liking me.

Once I met Andrea I fully disclosed how stupid I was the night before and we re-routed to pass some bathrooms for the beginning of our run.  After one stop, I thought I’d be ok so we continued down the trail we intended to run.  I was not feeling good.  We were at 2.75 miles and I wanted to puke.  But I needed this run, especially after I cut my run short yesterday and then de-railed.  I kept going and surprisingly, felt better as I kept running.  Until about mile 5.  We were in the middle of nowhere and my tummy started rumbling again.  Great!  I had no choice but to duck off the trail and squat in the woods.  Gross, I know, but what was I supposed to do?!?  We finished the run and I was pleasantly surprised it was at an 8:48 pace despite how awful I felt.  AND I finished!  Despite how awful I felt.

I have no idea what happened to me yesterday.  I lost it and I’m not proud .  This morning was a great reminder for why I love training so much- I FEEL great and I don’t over-indulge and I follow a good diet.  It keeps me out of trouble!

Today is a new day and I treated it as such.  I ate well.  In fact my dinner was absolutely fantastic!  Seared Salmon, sautéed mushrooms and spinach and steamed asparagus.  YUM!  I’m back on track and focused.

How have you de-railed on your training plan before?  What are your weaknesses?  Favorite thing to over-indulge in?

I read an article from Runner’s World on how to properly carb load for maximum performance- http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-242-301–14076-0,00.html?cm_mmc=NL-Nutrition-_-883656-_-04192012-_-Carbo-Load-Correctly- so, I dutifully followed it and between Thursday and Friday took in the extra 1,000 calories it said I needed.

This morning I woke up early at 5am so that I could eat a little and let my tummy settle before the race.  I took 8 immodium this time and I was still nervous that wouldn’t hold me till the finish… I drank a glass and a half of water to “hydrate” a little from the overnight… and slowly got ready.  I tried out Body Glide for the first time- I had been using Desatin Gel to prevent chafing, etc and wondered what the hype was all about for Body Glide.  I was just hoping the hype would be right.

Michael K. picked me up at 6:45 and we headed to the race. It was FREEZING outside.  We waited inside the Drake stadium for as long as we could until my friends arrived at our meeting place.  We were all convulsing in the frigid temperatures anxiously waiting for the gun to go off.

I peed twice after we got to the race and as they started singing the National Anthem, I felt like I had to pee again.  GREAT!  Andrea assured me it was just the cold weather and it would go away once we started running.  I didn’t have a choice, the crowd started moving.  Andrea and I yelled good-bye to Michael and our friends and… we were off!

The first part of the race felt great.  Adrenaline was pumping, the crowd was moving, and we were actually ahead of our pace.  Andrea was checking her watch and had us slow down twice because we were running at a 7:30 min/mile pace.  The feeling like I had to pee did not subside, I told myself mind over matter… if I had to stop, the extra minutes would be hard to make up and I really wanted this PR.  I had to prove it to myself.

The first half of the race, the miles just flew by.  On Waterbury Circle our colleague had a sign posted in her yard and was waiting to cheer Andrea and I on as we passed.  Then, just around the corner another girl from our running group was in her yard banging a cow bell and cheering us on.  The course was littered with spectators who were cheerful and loud- MUCH appreciated!  This is such a great race!  Minus the hills.  It is a very hilly course.  I would say from mile 4 to mile 11.5 we were going through rolling hills, with some steeper hills added in for a “nice touch.” (note the sarcasm…)

About mile 6, I was still feeling great.  I took a gel and then took in my first water.  I had skipped the water stops until then because I still had the sense that I had to pee.  By mile 6 though, I knew I needed water and the potty urgency was fading…

The hills kept rolling… mile 8 and a half was a bigger one… Andrea and I were trying to remember the course… was this the “killer” hill?  Was this the last hill?  Nope.  More to come.  All I have to say is that Andrea kicks butt running hills.  My mantra quickly became “just keep up!”  ”don’t lose her!”  ”keep your eye on the prize!”  and “you feel great- you’ve got this!”  It worked.  Although I was slower going up the hills, I kept Andrea in sight and was able to catch her once we were on flatter roads again.  Actually, I was surprised how good I felt once we were back on flat ground.

I kept scanning the crowds looking for my mom who was coming out to cheer us on.  It became a game and really helped keep my mind occupied trying to spot her along the route.  Finally around 9 and a half miles, I saw the red coat and neon yellow sign- that had to be her.  And it was!  I don’t know what it is, but seeing  friendly face on the route just gives me renewed energy.  I smiled and waved for her to take a picture and yelled out “thank you!” as she yelled back that she’d see us at the finish!  The finish!  We were close!  We rounded a corner and hit another hill… this one was a teaser, it was 3 little ones right after another… at least we had the reprieve of a flat area in between each one.

Turning another corner, we saw it.  The “killer” hill at mile 10.  There was a water stop at the bottom and volunteers were great about encouraging us and telling us it was just a couple blocks up.  I grabbed some water and again started my mantra as Andrea went a little ahead of me “just keep up!”  ”don’t lose her!”  It helped.  I kept Andrea in sight and at the top, I was able to catch her again.  At this point, I was sucking air.  I’m sure she heard me coming up behind before she saw me.  I felt like I was breathing loud.  And those runners annoy me when they come up behind me, so I was actually annoying myself at this point.  And then… another hill.  Again, Andrea pulled ahead and I did my best to keep up.  That hill at mile 10 really kicked my butt.  I was feeling it.  But we were so close I just kept telling myself “you’ve got this!”  ”keep up!”  ”don’t lose her!”  After the hill, I could still Andrea, but I could not catch her.  I looked at my Garmin and I was running a 7:30 pace so I can’t imagine what she was running!  At this point, I started thinking to myself I’m still going to set a PR even if I don’t catch her… then, I got my head back in the game and told myself that’s not good enough!  I needed to catch up to her to finish in my goal time.  I  started running faster and when I was closer, called out to let her know I was coming up.  A guy running next to me yelled back that she’s been looking for me .  I caught up and told her I needed to back down to an 8 min/mile pace as we had planned.  She said she would follow my pace for a while since she kicked up through the hills.  We were so close to the finish at this point.

I remember passing the 20k mark and thinking “if we were running Dam to Dam, we’d be finished!”  It was shortly after this, I threw up a little bit in my mouth.  Well, I had told myself going into this, if I felt like puking at the end, I’d know I had run it hard!  That actually gave me the motivation to keep going and not to give up.  We past the 12 mile mark and Andrea was yelling that I was going to be ok, we were close.  I cannot believe how strong she was finishing. I knew I would finish in our goal pace by this time, but I was still sucking air…

I felt like I was already sprinting and Andrea was pulling ahead.  I looked at my Garmin again and I was at a 7:47 min/mile pace.  I thought that was a great way to finish.  Andrea is extremely competitive and I did not want to slow her down.  I kept my own pace while keeping her in sight.  She yelled back at me that we only had 3 more blocks until we turned on the street with the finish line.  That was reassuring.  I started counting down the blocks and before I knew it, I turned and saw the finish line.  Sucking air, I decided I could not scan the crowd for my mom or Michael.  Hopefully, if they saw me, they’d yell out.  I did see my friend Lindsey M., who had run the 8k race, along the side of the road and called out hi to her… to my amazement and pure joy, she ran into the street next me and told me she was going to run me in.  I picked up my speed.  I could do this.  Without even thinking, I blurted out “I love you so much right now!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!”  She replied, “oh my god you’re fast!”  I slowed a bit and she just kept reassuring me how close I am.  I could not talk at this point and just nodded affirmation… not like I think she could actually see me nod in response, but it was the best I could do.

Finally, I reached the finish line.  For the first time ever, the announcer called out my name as I came in “and here comes Nicole from West Des Moines!” Lindsey let out a woot woot!  and so did I!  AND… I actually felt great!!!  I clicked stop on my Garmin and high-fived Andrea who had crossed just before me.  I was smiling ear to ear.  I did not feel like puking and surprising it did not take me any time at all to catch my breath.

To my disbelief, I did it!  I actually did it!  I ran this race in my goal time!  Ok… according to my Garmin I ran it in an 8:01 min/mile pace, but hey, that counts in my book  That’s still faster than what I’m hoping to run Green Bay in and I held it through the hills- Green Bay will not have those hills to overcome

I found my mom and Michael and gave my mom a huge hug.  Her response “ewwww!  You’re all yucky!”  haha!  I had forgotten about that!  Michael reached out for a hug next, he had just run the 8k so he was gross and sweaty too so I didn’t worry about getting him all “yucky.”

I have to say, it’s now 3 hours after I crossed the finish line and I am still on the runner’s high.  And I am still in disbelief.  All I can do is thank God for giving me the endurance and the strength to tackle this run and to succeed.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…”

I am feeling a little burned out in my training right now.  What’s getting me through is knowing that next week I will be tapering before running the Drake Half Marathon, then 1 more hard week of training culminating with a 20 mile run, then 2 weeks of tapering before the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon.

Knowing that the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon is coming up so quickly, I’m starting to think ahead about what I want to do next.  I am already signed up to run the Dam to Dam 20k the first weekend in June.  I plan on taking this run easy and enjoying it since it’s only 2 weeks after the marathon.  After that, I’m signed up to run the Zooma Great Lakes Half Marathon at Lake Geneva in October and am planning to sign up for the Mason City Half Marathon the weekend before that.

I would like to run a few small 5k races around Des Moines this summer and try to place.  I think that would be fun and work on my speed training more.  Plus, what a confidence booster to place!  Who cares if I only enter races with 20 people total signed up, right??

Then… there’s the Women Rock Marathon in Minnesota on September 1st.  The schwag is amazing- a running jacket and a running pendant.  Plus, for some reason if I don’t have another marathon in my schedule, I feel like I’m not working hard enough.  Right now, I feel like my body just needs a rest for a while.  I’m tired.  Period.  So, the smart thing would probably be to take the summer off, run my long runs with my friends on Saturdays and take it easy.  Work on speed and run some small 5ks and train for the half marathons in the fall.  Then, the “real” part of me is all for adding the September marathon to my schedule.  I like how I feel when I finish a long run.  I like the adrenaline rush, the exhaustion and… is it bad that I like how in shape I am right now??  I am probably in the best shape of my life and I am loving it!  I don’t want to lose what I’ve worked so hard for!

Ahhh… decisions decisions!  I have time before I need to pull the trigger on the Women Rock marathon… I’ll see how I’m doing after the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon and then… go from there.  If I do decide to run it, I can take the entire month of June off.  I was planning on keeping up my long runs on Saturdays anyways so…. well, we’ll see.  What would you do?  What is on your training schedule for the summer?

I opted for the indoor track to start, planning to jump on the treadmill for the second half.  I had downloaded some new music on my iPod and added it to my running playlist and I was counting on that keeping me pumped up and motivated through this run.  As I started counted laps (11= 1 mile), I decided to just count and take it 1 mile at a time and see where I end up.  It felt good, running on the track at least generated some wind to keep me naturally cooled off and I was watching the rain continue to pound down outdoors.  Before I knew it, I was at mile 6 and still feeling good!  At this point, I told myself to just stick with it and get this done!  At 7 1/2 miles, I was starting to feel it- the tiny laps were starting to get to me.  I just thought that this workout is making me mentally tougher for what I may be up against in the Green Bay Marathon next month.  I just kept going.  By mile 9, I was getting tired.  I plugged on, going round and round the track for 10 miles.  That’s 110 laps!  And I felt like I had enough of the circles.  I hopped on the treadmill, turned on Morning Joe on MSNBC and set my pace.  I was a mess.  I was weaving all over the place on the treadmill!  I bumped into the side rails a couple of times… I could definitely feel the effects of not drinking throughout the run.  At this point, I knew it was too late to start hydrating.  I trudged to 11 miles and stopped.  I was done.  I felt like I had nothing left.  Strangely, it was a great feeling.  I started out thinking I’d quit after 8, I plugged through to 11 miles, completed 110 laps during that time and knew from my exhaustion that I really gave it my all.  :)

This morning was my Saturday long run- 16 miles.  I’m happy to say that it was pretty uneventful.  I met Rob, my personal trainer, to get started at 5:30am.  He is preparing for a run across Iowa next month to raise money for cancer research and had completed 40 mile yesterday and had 35 on his agenda for today.  We started out slow, which was great for my tired legs!  We looped through Water Works park for a little over 8 miles and then met Andrea J. back at Greys Lake for another 8 mile loop.  Unfortunately because of the slower pace, we were behind schedule and I had to teach spin at 9, so we decided to shorten the route to 6 miles and I would try to finish up at the gym after class.  We looped up to Principal Park and back for 4 miles and added a loop around Greys Lake.  This put me at 14.5 miles just about at 8am.  I decided to just pick up the pace and finish the last 1.5 miles on my own there and get it knocked it.  I did a quick out and back around the lake, hitting 16 miles right as I got to my car= perfection .

Spin was tough!  My legs were spent… but once I got warmed up again, I was good to go and rode 9 miles with the class this morning… I finished with stretching and a soak in epsom salts.  Then headed to one of my bestie’s baby shower… so fun to celebrate milestones with friends.  I am so thankful to have such great influences and great friends in my life

Cheers!

Before we got started, I showed the nail technician one of my “running battle wounds” – a callous on my right foot that never quite heals.  I told her I’m a runner and to just not enough touch it.  She told me ok, looked it over, and put my foot in the whirlpool tub to soak.  A few seconds later she grabbed my ankle and pulled my foot back out of the whirlpool tub, looked at the callous, shook her head, and said with wide eyes “WOW!.”

Now, I’m telling myself that my feet can’t possible be the worst she’s ever seen.  Maybe I’m trying to make myself feel better, but her reaction did make me think maybe my “battle wound” isn’t so normal to the rest of the world as it is to runners.

Here’s a picture of my battle wound- see, it’s not so bad!

This is the first pedicure I’ve gotten in about 9 months.  I lost 2 toenails running the Chicago Marathon in October and they’ve just now grown back to the point where it looks, well, what I think “normal.”  Although, the second toenail on my left foot is raised quite a bit, making me wonder if it’s coming off again after the Green Bay Marathon.

A big thanks to my mom for the much-needed pampering- my feet were relishing the soak in warm water, softening of other callous’ (yes, there are MANY more…), and the best part- the calf and foot massage.  AHHH!  Bliss

Pretty feet

As for training.  I’m having a pretty good week!  I nailed my 8x800s on Monday- running them at a 6:58 pace.  I was not feeling well on Tuesday so I took the day as an extra rest day and got a massage following last weekend’s 22 mile run.  And yesterday, I nailed a 6 mile tempo run.  I started out a pace 15 seconds slower than my marathon goal pace for 2 miles, held my marathon goal pace for 1.5 miles, then sped up for 1.5 miles, and finished the last mile at a 7:30 pace. My legs were pretty tired starting out teaching SPIN class this morning, I’ll admit, but once they got going it was good!

Tomorrow is a 12 mile run followed by 16 on Saturday and then it’s my Saturday to teach SPIN…

Till then- cheers!

48 days.  Can you believe it? Time is pretty much flying by and we are now at 48 days until Marathon Sunday.  I can’t believe it’s gone from 100+ days when I first signed up to just 48.  A little over a month and a half!  I know it’s going to be here before I know it and hopefully by the time it gets here, I am ready to run.  After this past week of running, I think I am mentally there, just need to put a few more miles on my legs to get them a little stronger!

Wednesday 3/28: 5 miles.  I didn’t feel like doing anything but running this morning.  No tempo paces, no speedwork.  Hopefully logging miles is equally important because that is all I could face this morning.  I ended up finishing with an average pace of 9:20 though so I didn’t exactly take it “easy.”  I just ran to run!

Saturday 3/31: 20 miles!  My first ever double digit x 2 run!  For some reason this is how I think of it  Not just double digits, but TWICE that far!!  I still cannot believe I ran that far on Saturday and lived to tell about it!  My legs ended up being quite sore for a few days though which was new to training.  My last few long runs have left me totally unscathed so I am not sure what the magic was about 20 miles that all of a sudden turned me into a limping, in pain, runner?  Hopefully this gets better after some more foam rolling this afternoon…

Monday 4/2: 5 miles.  When I woke up this morning, I was still feeling really wobbly so I was not sure how far I would be able to run this morning.  Looking back, I should have just went back to bed and forgot about running this morning… It was just one of those runs where everything and anything goes wrong.  I felt horrible, my legs felt like lead, it was terribly windy, I was over dressed, cars and people were being rude and dumb, etc., etc.  The only good thing about this run was it ended.  Yikes!  Hopefully it was just a fluke…

If it weren’t for my run this morning, I would have called this week a success but we’ll just hope this was a one time thing and move on.  Hopefully it’s just another case of the Mondays and will quickly pass!

Happy first week of APRIL!!

I started out at 6am solo for the start of a 12 mile run.  I left Bisou at home for the first part and planned to pick her up for the last 2 or 3 miles.  It was dark and I have to admit it was a bit freaky to run alone in the dark!  I started out pain-free.  The weather was *perfect* for a run, 50 degrees, cool, clear skies, and no wind.  Around mile 2 I noticed some creakiness settling into my knee.  I decided to keep going and see how it went…

I chose a flat course for this morning to save some stress on my legs and I’m happy to say I made the right decision  The miles flew by.  Although, I did notice that went my mind went blank between thoughts and I focused on my knee, it hurt.  But when I was actively thinking about one topic or another, there was no pain.  I came to the conclusion that it was all mental- another game that I’ll have to come up against in my training!  And it worked!  Every time I felt a “creak” or a pain, I would turn my focus to something else… and it worked!  In fact, the last 5 miles of my run were the best I’ve had in a really long time!  I was going strong by mile 10 when I stopped to pick up Bisou.  I do have to admit, I was nervous to stop and get her seeing that last Saturday when I stopped to drop her off, my knee went out.  I was hoping that stopping wouldn’t hinder me getting going again.  She was so excited her entire body wagged as I put her leash on.  We started down the driveway and I felt great!  We powered through the last 2 miles for a solid 12 mile run… no limping, little soreness, and complete happiness .

I stretched out, fed Bisou, and got ready to switch gears and teach spin class.  I headed to the gym and started class with one solo attendee… after we started our warm up, another woman joined us for a sold 2 attendees in class this morning .  I’m assuming everyone else was taking advantage of the sun after a week of rain showers.  I don’t blame them!  I think that added to the bliss I felt on my run earlier this morning- the birds were singing loudly, and it was just peaceful.

Class flew by and I could tell by the heavy breathing and the looks I was getting that I was working them pretty good.  For the last drill, I asked what their favorite is and what they would like to do.  One shouted out, no tension and no speed!  Well, obviously we can’t do that until the cool down but I did give them  break and let them take off the tension as long as they kept the pace at a good rate to keep their heart rates up.  My knee didn’t bother me during class for the most part, only during a standing climb when I piled the tension on.

I do have to note that I decided to play it safe and went in to see my doctor this week to get my knee checked out.  After Wednesday’s awful run with Bisou, I had some throbbing in the afternoon that went away with a few aleve.  Still, I thought being 2 months out from the Green Bay Cellcom Marathon, I should get it checked just to be safe.  The doctor agreed that it was probably my IT Band after she examined my knee.  The good news is it is not associated with my meniscus from what she can tell and she doesn’t think it’s my knee at all.  I am going to follow-up with a physical training session next week just to make sure that I’m not overcompensating in any way that will lead to a different more severe injury.  I told her my plan to ramp down mileage this week and she suggested another week of low miles for good measure.  Can’t say I’m not happy to oblige  I enjoyed the lower miles this week.  It allowed me to get back to the basics, the real reason I started running distance… I do it because it makes me happy and it’s FUN!  In fact, I subbed my scheduled 8 mile run yesterday morning for an hour of pilates.  It hurt at first, but then felt amazing!  I am going to look into adding yoga and pilates into my training regime, doubling up on some days after my runs.  The strength exercises and the stretching are a great compliment to running!

Now, I enjoying reading my Runners World and my new Running Times magazines that have piled up- soaking in the motivation and inspiration from the pages.

Cheers!

1) I love Friday’s because I can wear my TOMS to work!  And also socks instead of nylons.  I am not really sure why but this always makes me excited to get dressed on Friday’s  Someone I work with saw me walking in them awhile back and was like “What’s on your feet?”  ”Um, shoes?”  What do they look like?  Sister wants some new ones and it might be hard for me to say no if she places the order anytime soon… Good cause, right?

2) Last night at the gym I had stopped to point someone to the room where class is at and started walking away with my head still turned the opposite direction (only talking a step or two) and almost walked right into someone.  My fault or hers?

3) I am very excited to run this weekend.  Still not ready to tackle any double digit runs but getting there…

4) There are 100 days until my first marathon.  Where is time going?  And why does it worry me that I am 100 days away from a 26.2 mile run and only able to hopefully complete 7 tomorrow… room to grow?

5) I have the worst craving for Mexican food from a restaurant.  I’ve tried making Mexican at home but it never turns out quite right… Why is that?   Not enough sauce and oil used probably… this weekend might just have to include a vat of this…

So there it is! Bring on the weekend!!!

What are you most looking forward to this weekend?

Well, I didn’t kick off the new year with a run like I had planned- I gave myself a bout of food poisoning yesterday after eating deli meat that had gone bad on New Years Eve… oops!  Guess I should not make my lunch in the dark anymore… lesson learned for 2012!

I’ve been putting some thought into my 2012 race plan… here’s what’s on the schedule so far:

April- Drake Relays on the Road Half Marathon

May- Green Bay Cellcom Marathon

June- Dam to Dam Des Moines 20k

October- Des Moines Half Marathon

And there may be more to come- my goal is to stay in shape year round.  Always be ready to run a half marathon, and ultimately, keep the miles up and be marathon ready at all times too.

Some new things I will venture into in 2012 include helping a friend organize a local race- more details to come on that once we figure out what we are doing!  It’s going to be a LOT of work, but I am so excited!  It will be such a rewarding experience and benefit kids and families battling cancer.

I am also getting the itch to run further… a 50k is in my future and I am busy lining up running buddies to tackle a race of this distance with me.  So far, I am having success!  The actual race may be run in 2013, but will be on my mind during 2012.

Another goal I am toying with… running a 50 mile race when I turn 40.  Granted, this is YEARS ( ) away, so I have some time to mull it over…

So, tell me, what are your running resolutions for 2012?