Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Day 64
Today was another day I wasn't expecting to feel so hot going into my run. And once again, I was pleasantly surprised with the exact opposite. With every 1/2 mile, my pace was getting faster and faster. I ended up doing 6 miles at an overall pace of like 9:38, which is unheard of for me. It was a night run and there was a gorgeous lighting storm and a very nice breeze going on the whole time. Aunt Jean got the feeding tube out today and I think the relief of that part of the misery being over added to the intensity of my run. It was probably one of the most spiritual runs I've ever had. I think a lot of it was the crazy weather going on - it was like the titantic energy of the lightning storm was almost radiating from me, through me, something. A very intimate moment with nature. I felt the unleashing of a titan. Weird. Emotional.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Day 63
Today was supposed to be 15 miles, but since I did 15 miles two Sunday's ago, I really wanted to one-up it, so I mapped out a 16 mile route. Going into this run, my belly had been bloaty and cramping since the night before, and I was expecting a miserable 3 hour run. I also did not get as early a start as I wanted, as it was 10am by the time I got all my goodies hidden on the trail, so I was also expecting to be murdered by the heat too. But then I was reminded of the miracle of running. Not even 1/2 a mile into things, my tummy ache was completely gone & the heat was just not phasing me today. You just can't ever know what the run has in store for you.
Somewhere around the 12th mile or so, I was starting to drag because I was getting thirsty & there was no shade. A really tall guy on a skate board was coming towards me and I was a little concerned because he was not staying on his side of the trail & was pretty much headed straight for me. But then, when he got right up on me, he stuck out his hand for a high-five. This was just the encouragement I needed!! Thank-you skater dude!!
Somewhere around the 12th mile or so, I was starting to drag because I was getting thirsty & there was no shade. A really tall guy on a skate board was coming towards me and I was a little concerned because he was not staying on his side of the trail & was pretty much headed straight for me. But then, when he got right up on me, he stuck out his hand for a high-five. This was just the encouragement I needed!! Thank-you skater dude!!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Days 22-31
Hello, hello!!! I was afraid that last week of finishing up that house was going to mess with the running schedule, and it did. So, last week was pretty much a wash. But I was finally able to ease back in on Saturday w/ 4 miles. My long run on Monday was in the POURING rain! My shoes were completely soaked, which made for some nice little blisters. But aside from that aspect, I loved the run in the rain - so refreshing.
I did reach a major milestone in training, broke 100 miles! In 4 weeks time, I have run over 100 miles, that is uber cool. I hope to be back on the blogging bandwagon this week.
I need to catch up with Katy too! http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Saturday's Miles: 4
Sunday's Miles: 6
Monday's Miles: 9
Tuesday's Miles: 3
Total Traning Miles: 107.75
I did reach a major milestone in training, broke 100 miles! In 4 weeks time, I have run over 100 miles, that is uber cool. I hope to be back on the blogging bandwagon this week.
I need to catch up with Katy too! http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Saturday's Miles: 4
Sunday's Miles: 6
Monday's Miles: 9
Tuesday's Miles: 3
Total Traning Miles: 107.75
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Days 20 & 21
This weekend I decided to just do the low end of the required 4-6 miles on saturday because I wanted to go for the high end of 5-10 miles on sunday - so Saturday was 4 miles; Sunday was 10. I can't really remember what Saturday's run was like - most likely because I am still kind of inebriated from my 10-miler this evening. Long runs do that to me quite frequently, especially today since I'm pretty sure I was low on blood sugar before even starting out. So it's a crazy combo of a runner's high and tanked glycogen levels. I should have eaten more today in prep for such a long run, but oh well.
Believe it or not, it's actually good practice for the marathon because it's forcing my body to function on energy derived from fat, as opposed to energy derived from glucose. Quick biochemistry lesson... The average human body can only store about 380 grams of glycogen, which equates to approx 18-20 miles of running. Herein lies the rub - a marathon is 26 miles, so where the heck you 'spose to pull those last 6-8 miles out of? The answer: fat stores. The other rub: The body naturally prefers glycogen as fuel (because it requires only like 10 metabolic processes, as opposed to the 20 or so required to turn fat into energy). As with anything, the more practice you have at something, the better you are at it.
Anyway, back to the 10 miler, breathing was at an all-time worst, the entire freaking run! Big fun!! I'm sure I've had instances where my asthma was acting more obnoxious that it did today, but I certainly cannot recall one at the moment. It hurts and it's sort of miserable, but at the same time, it is a part of me and the added struggle makes the battle, the journey and the victory all the more meaningful. I could; however, have done without the insanely painful stitch in my side the last 1.5 miles. But on a good note, I'm so glad my Aunt Jean had a good day yesterday. Unfortunately, the good day was just a teaser and was followed by another very weak day today. Let's hope for another good day tomorrow! :)
Katy did 10 today too - this is the longest she has ever run in her entire life - muy congrats!!!: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Saturday's Miles: 4
Today's Miles: 10
Miles This Week: 30.5
Total Training Miles: 85.75
Believe it or not, it's actually good practice for the marathon because it's forcing my body to function on energy derived from fat, as opposed to energy derived from glucose. Quick biochemistry lesson... The average human body can only store about 380 grams of glycogen, which equates to approx 18-20 miles of running. Herein lies the rub - a marathon is 26 miles, so where the heck you 'spose to pull those last 6-8 miles out of? The answer: fat stores. The other rub: The body naturally prefers glycogen as fuel (because it requires only like 10 metabolic processes, as opposed to the 20 or so required to turn fat into energy). As with anything, the more practice you have at something, the better you are at it.
Anyway, back to the 10 miler, breathing was at an all-time worst, the entire freaking run! Big fun!! I'm sure I've had instances where my asthma was acting more obnoxious that it did today, but I certainly cannot recall one at the moment. It hurts and it's sort of miserable, but at the same time, it is a part of me and the added struggle makes the battle, the journey and the victory all the more meaningful. I could; however, have done without the insanely painful stitch in my side the last 1.5 miles. But on a good note, I'm so glad my Aunt Jean had a good day yesterday. Unfortunately, the good day was just a teaser and was followed by another very weak day today. Let's hope for another good day tomorrow! :)
Katy did 10 today too - this is the longest she has ever run in her entire life - muy congrats!!!: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Saturday's Miles: 4
Today's Miles: 10
Miles This Week: 30.5
Total Training Miles: 85.75
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day 19 - Gawd I hate that friggin hill!
Why oh why am I already experiencing chaffing?! My first encounter with chaffing last year wasn't until I hit like a 16-18 mile run. But oh no, yesterday and today, thighs rubbing together and now I have little strawberries between my legs, go ahead, laugh. A 112lb person should NOT be having this problem, wth.
This run was just doomed I guess. Less than a mile into things, Jasper took off after a fox, despite my yelling at her to stop. I called and called and she never came; I didn't see her for several mintues. I was sure the fox had eaten her, and quite frankly, I didn't care. Then, she just shows back up out of nowhere. Considering her bad behavior yesterday, this is strike 2 for her.
I've noticed my asthma usually lets up a little bit after the first mile or so (the doctor says that this is because the adrenaline and endorphins released during exercise are natural bronchodilators, hmm interesting). I decided to try to use this to my advantage and get a mile on flat land before going after Darth Vader. This didn't work at all. I still wanted to die on that mile long hill. So far we have chaffing, Jasper acting up and the hill cramping my style.
About the 3rd mile (schedule called for 4-7 miles, I wanted to go for 7 today), Jasper once again misbehaves. The rule is that she can wonder all over the place while I run, but that when I see/hear a car coming and call for her, she is to stay at my side until they pass. She did not come this time and just dilly-dallied in the middle of the road. The people had to come to a complete stop & when I went to pick her up, she just ran away from me. I don't know if the people in the car were amused or what, but they just kept sitting there. Angry & embarassed, I waved them on and kept trying to chase down the stupid dog. Meanwhile, ANOTHER car is coming and we go thru the same drill with them too. Jasper finally crowches down on the side of the road, as if I beat her senseless on a regular basis - which I have never done, but it certainly took everything I had not to do it at this moment. Strikes 3 & 4 for Jasper - she is on indefinite running probation. Stupid bitch.
As if I couldn't have gotten any more angry and frustrated on this run, as the sun is setting, the bugs are swarming. I am so effen sick of effen bugs!! I cannot wait to get back to the city where we have far, far fewer bugs, and there is concrete instead of dirt and mud everywhere. And I am never more than 5 minutes away from a Wal-Mart. I am SOOOOO friggin sick of the country and nature right now. Bahhhhhhhh!!! Oh, and even though I'm wearing neon yellow shorts & a bright white top, the next several cars that go by must have been texting while driving or something because 3-4 times I was nearly run off the road. I threw my arms in the air at one car and the next one I flipped them off. I am an angry, angry girl today.
Go Katy Go!!: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Today's Miles: 7
Miles This Week: 16.5
Total Training Miles: 71.75
This run was just doomed I guess. Less than a mile into things, Jasper took off after a fox, despite my yelling at her to stop. I called and called and she never came; I didn't see her for several mintues. I was sure the fox had eaten her, and quite frankly, I didn't care. Then, she just shows back up out of nowhere. Considering her bad behavior yesterday, this is strike 2 for her.
I've noticed my asthma usually lets up a little bit after the first mile or so (the doctor says that this is because the adrenaline and endorphins released during exercise are natural bronchodilators, hmm interesting). I decided to try to use this to my advantage and get a mile on flat land before going after Darth Vader. This didn't work at all. I still wanted to die on that mile long hill. So far we have chaffing, Jasper acting up and the hill cramping my style.
About the 3rd mile (schedule called for 4-7 miles, I wanted to go for 7 today), Jasper once again misbehaves. The rule is that she can wonder all over the place while I run, but that when I see/hear a car coming and call for her, she is to stay at my side until they pass. She did not come this time and just dilly-dallied in the middle of the road. The people had to come to a complete stop & when I went to pick her up, she just ran away from me. I don't know if the people in the car were amused or what, but they just kept sitting there. Angry & embarassed, I waved them on and kept trying to chase down the stupid dog. Meanwhile, ANOTHER car is coming and we go thru the same drill with them too. Jasper finally crowches down on the side of the road, as if I beat her senseless on a regular basis - which I have never done, but it certainly took everything I had not to do it at this moment. Strikes 3 & 4 for Jasper - she is on indefinite running probation. Stupid bitch.
As if I couldn't have gotten any more angry and frustrated on this run, as the sun is setting, the bugs are swarming. I am so effen sick of effen bugs!! I cannot wait to get back to the city where we have far, far fewer bugs, and there is concrete instead of dirt and mud everywhere. And I am never more than 5 minutes away from a Wal-Mart. I am SOOOOO friggin sick of the country and nature right now. Bahhhhhhhh!!! Oh, and even though I'm wearing neon yellow shorts & a bright white top, the next several cars that go by must have been texting while driving or something because 3-4 times I was nearly run off the road. I threw my arms in the air at one car and the next one I flipped them off. I am an angry, angry girl today.
Go Katy Go!!: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Today's Miles: 7
Miles This Week: 16.5
Total Training Miles: 71.75
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Days 17 & 18 - That darn hill is back
Wednesday was my day off - well, from running anyway, not from anything else. Aunt Jean is still feeling very crummy. It's been exactly one week since her last radiation and the pain hasn't let up any yet :( We really hoped it would have by now, maybe just a little bit anyway. I did officially register for the race today, though. How crazy is it that I'm paying $65 so I can run 26.2 miles? I'm sure most people wouldn't run a marathon even if you offered to pay them ten times that, ha! I love being insane.
Today I was supposed to do 6 miles at my target marathon pace, which I have decided to shoot for 10 min miles. Considering my recent progress, I thought today was going to be easy. But then I realized that it's been a week and a half since I had to tackle that awful hill, which I have decided to name Darth Vader.
My first mile (all uphill, and a pretty steep one) took over 11 minutes, and I knew I still had one more large hill and two smaller ones before the sweet relief of downhills. Just when I was starting to really make up the difference in time, I had to take a detour and chase down my running partner (Jasper, the 10 foot tall and bullet proof chihuahua), grab her up and walk with her in my arms for the next quarter mile or so. Why, you ask? There was a very big dog that she tried to pick a fight with. Well, I'm sure I've shot my goal all to hell by now, but the downhills are just around the corner, so maybe I can at least keep from totally bombing. Should have finished in exactly 60 min, and made it in 60 min & 28 sec. I was happy with that, considering.
Annnnnd, herrrrrre's Johnny, no wait, Katy: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Wednesday Miles: 0 (Day off)
Thursday's Miles: 6
Miles This Week: 9.5
Total Training Miles: 64.75
Today I was supposed to do 6 miles at my target marathon pace, which I have decided to shoot for 10 min miles. Considering my recent progress, I thought today was going to be easy. But then I realized that it's been a week and a half since I had to tackle that awful hill, which I have decided to name Darth Vader.
My first mile (all uphill, and a pretty steep one) took over 11 minutes, and I knew I still had one more large hill and two smaller ones before the sweet relief of downhills. Just when I was starting to really make up the difference in time, I had to take a detour and chase down my running partner (Jasper, the 10 foot tall and bullet proof chihuahua), grab her up and walk with her in my arms for the next quarter mile or so. Why, you ask? There was a very big dog that she tried to pick a fight with. Well, I'm sure I've shot my goal all to hell by now, but the downhills are just around the corner, so maybe I can at least keep from totally bombing. Should have finished in exactly 60 min, and made it in 60 min & 28 sec. I was happy with that, considering.
Annnnnd, herrrrrre's Johnny, no wait, Katy: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Wednesday Miles: 0 (Day off)
Thursday's Miles: 6
Miles This Week: 9.5
Total Training Miles: 64.75
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Days 15 & 16
After some incredible progress last week, this week sure started out with a flop :( Since it was a very sluggish 8 miles on Sunday, I was really hoping to have a good, strong run for Monday. Schedule called for 0-6, and I had in mind about 4 or 5. However, my job had other plans for me. I ended up working over 12 hours (which really isn't that big of a deal for me), but when I didn't stop work til 10pm or so, it was simply too late at night to just be starting a run, and I was too tired. Not to mention, I was nauseous, light-headed, dizzy and high-as-a-kite from working with lacquer for the last several hours. I was very disappointed, but I had to let this run go. Fail.
Today was another 12 hour work day that involved a lot of inhalants, but since most of the spraying was done during the daytime while the bugs are away, we were able to ventilate and spare a few brain cells, as well as not thoroughly piss off my asthma. But of course, a mild nosebleed had to make a cameo appearance, just for spite. I was still tired though, and a little woozy AND it was supposed to be speed workout day...oh boy what a nice mixture this is gonna be, right? I decided I just wanted to get the 3 miles over with, so I opted for 3 intervals of 1-mile each. It's one thing to do a 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile as hard as you can, but to practically "sprint" an entire mile is a whole other story (sprint being a relative term compared to my usual 10-10:30 pace). Well, screw it, here goes...
Mile 1 - 8:44, wth?! Oh my freakin gaaa, really? Did I just do that? Well cut my legs off and call me shorty!!! This is an incredibly impressive pace for me, but I'm sure my next two miles will suffer dearly.
Mile 2 - 8:58, Did I really just maintain that? Boo-ya! Not to mention that my time was actually a little better than that, but the neighbors stopped me for a few seconds to warn me that they saw copperheads out on the road the night before, oh goody.
Mile 3 - last one, the TRUE test. Let's see what I can dig deep for. Drum roll please... duh duh duh duh - - - - 8:17!! Yes, EIGHT MINUTES, SEVENTEEN SECONDS. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, biatch!!!
Wonder if Katy was able to do the full 3 miles this time on her 2nd go-round w/ speed training: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Monday's Miles: 0
Tuesday's Miles: 3.5, Rockstar Style
Miles This Week: 3.5
Total Training Miles: 58.75
Today was another 12 hour work day that involved a lot of inhalants, but since most of the spraying was done during the daytime while the bugs are away, we were able to ventilate and spare a few brain cells, as well as not thoroughly piss off my asthma. But of course, a mild nosebleed had to make a cameo appearance, just for spite. I was still tired though, and a little woozy AND it was supposed to be speed workout day...oh boy what a nice mixture this is gonna be, right? I decided I just wanted to get the 3 miles over with, so I opted for 3 intervals of 1-mile each. It's one thing to do a 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile as hard as you can, but to practically "sprint" an entire mile is a whole other story (sprint being a relative term compared to my usual 10-10:30 pace). Well, screw it, here goes...
Mile 1 - 8:44, wth?! Oh my freakin gaaa, really? Did I just do that? Well cut my legs off and call me shorty!!! This is an incredibly impressive pace for me, but I'm sure my next two miles will suffer dearly.
Mile 2 - 8:58, Did I really just maintain that? Boo-ya! Not to mention that my time was actually a little better than that, but the neighbors stopped me for a few seconds to warn me that they saw copperheads out on the road the night before, oh goody.
Mile 3 - last one, the TRUE test. Let's see what I can dig deep for. Drum roll please... duh duh duh duh - - - - 8:17!! Yes, EIGHT MINUTES, SEVENTEEN SECONDS. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, biatch!!!
Wonder if Katy was able to do the full 3 miles this time on her 2nd go-round w/ speed training: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Monday's Miles: 0
Tuesday's Miles: 3.5, Rockstar Style
Miles This Week: 3.5
Total Training Miles: 58.75
Monday, June 20, 2011
Days 13 & 14 - Peach Festival Race
Day 13 was the Peach Festival 4-Mile Race, which worked out perfectly since the schedule said to run 3-6 miles. Granted 4 miles is on the low side of that, but considering the fact that it was racing 4 miles and not just regular jogging, I think that makes up for the difference. My time came in right at 36 minutes, which comes to an average of 9 min miles!! Holy crap - didn't know I had that in me. Thank you to Ann for showing up to cheer for me and take some pics, and also letting me borrow her nebulizer to do a treatment the night before and morning of, I am certain I couldn't have pulled that off without her help :) I would like to do a few more short road races in place of training runs going forward and see what I can get my times down to.
Day 14 was rough. Running Rx was 4-8 miles, and I really wanted to do the 8. But I was not feeling that great. Legs sore and tired from the race, my tummy was upset, I'd done a lot of travel over the weekend & hadn't slept super great, and I decided to go for my run during the hottest part of the day. All things considered, I had to work in several walking breaks in this run, but I had promised myself I was doing the full 8 miles, even if I had to walk every last step. As miserable as I felt during the whole run, I'm glad I made myself do it. I think it's getting out on days like these and doing what you have to do that makes us into true champions and gives the journey its true meaning.
Let's see how Katy has been doing: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Saturday's Miles: 4
Sunday's Miles: 8
This Week's Miles: 26.25
Total Training Miles: 55.25
Day 14 was rough. Running Rx was 4-8 miles, and I really wanted to do the 8. But I was not feeling that great. Legs sore and tired from the race, my tummy was upset, I'd done a lot of travel over the weekend & hadn't slept super great, and I decided to go for my run during the hottest part of the day. All things considered, I had to work in several walking breaks in this run, but I had promised myself I was doing the full 8 miles, even if I had to walk every last step. As miserable as I felt during the whole run, I'm glad I made myself do it. I think it's getting out on days like these and doing what you have to do that makes us into true champions and gives the journey its true meaning.
Let's see how Katy has been doing: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Saturday's Miles: 4
Sunday's Miles: 8
This Week's Miles: 26.25
Total Training Miles: 55.25
Friday, June 17, 2011
Day 12 - HOTTT
When I rolled into Clarksville last night to pick up some job materials, I noticed it was Peach Festival time. I'd completely forgotten it was that time of year. I remembered how they used to always have a road race every year, the Peach Fesitval 4-Miler. I ran it a few times when I was in school and it was a fun race. I thought, "How fun would it be to do the race as my training run for Saturday?!"
Then, at about 3pm on Friday, I realized, oh crap, I usually run in the evenings and if the race is 1st thing in the morning, then I need to hurry and get my Friday run out of the way NOW - in 103 degree heat index. YeeHaw! As such, I opted for only 3 miles, since the plan called for 3-6. There was very little shade and it felt like the longest 3 miles I've run in awhile. But when it was over, a nice cold shower bounced me right back. Now, I go eat...lots. Race starts @ 7am - hopefully I can hash out something impressive.
See Katy's blog too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Today's Miles: 3
This Week's Miles: 14.25
Total Training Miles: 43.25
Then, at about 3pm on Friday, I realized, oh crap, I usually run in the evenings and if the race is 1st thing in the morning, then I need to hurry and get my Friday run out of the way NOW - in 103 degree heat index. YeeHaw! As such, I opted for only 3 miles, since the plan called for 3-6. There was very little shade and it felt like the longest 3 miles I've run in awhile. But when it was over, a nice cold shower bounced me right back. Now, I go eat...lots. Race starts @ 7am - hopefully I can hash out something impressive.
See Katy's blog too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Today's Miles: 3
This Week's Miles: 14.25
Total Training Miles: 43.25
Days 10 & 11
Day 10 was a day off. I had contemplated going on a short 2-4 miles since my Monday run was cut short at only 1.5 miles when my headphones went out. But, I ultimately decided against it because since it's so early on, I thought it would be good to keep myself wanting more and prevent burnout. And, since Monday's schedule said 0-6 miles, then technically, I still did what I was supposed to.
Day 11 said 3-6 miles. I definitely wanted to go on the high side this time and go for 6. Aunt Jean had her last radiation on Wednesday and will be feeling really crummy for several weeks, so I wanted to push myself this extra hard this week. I didn't really have a time goal going into this run; I just wanted to push myself as hard as I could and see what it came out to. What happened next was something I didn't think was humanly possible for me and my asthma. Normally, keeping just a 10-10:30 minute mile pace is everything I can do. At the end of the 1st mile, I was at a 9:16 and couldn't believe it! However, it had been a very slight/gradual downhill for that first mile, so I just sort of gave that the credit. But then, after the 2nd mile, my pace was 9:06 - and this even included a small uphill. I thought to myself, "How is this even possible?! This has to be wrong."
Granted, my breathing was extrememly labored, but it still just didn't seem like the time could be that good. I finally accepted the sweet reality when my average pace was still in the 9:20s at the third mile, at which point I made it my goal to keep the overall pace at less than 10min/mile for the whole 6 miles - but I knew was going to be VERY hard because I was already hurting pretty badly and only halfway finished, AND the last mile was ALL uphill. So, I was going to need every bit of those lower 9 min times in the beginning to offset the inevitable slowing down that was to come.
By mile 4, I was tired and hit a few small uphills; my average pace had slowed to the 9:40s. Mile 5, my pace had climed to the low 9:50s. And I still had an entire mile all uphill to go! I wasn't sure if I could do it at this point and was scared I had set too lofty of a goal. I just kept telling myself... you have to do this, you have to at least try; Aunt Jean is hurting too!! I hunkered down & decided not to look at my watch again until it was over. Just try to zone out & forget the fact that this was going to hurt & I had to somehow find a way to do this without the help of oxygen - which had long since abandoned me. I closed my eyes, turned the ipod WAAAYY up & prayed for mercy. I finished w/ and average pace of 9:51 & finally regained normal breathing about 4 hours later, ha! It was worth every bit!!!
See Katy's blog too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Wednesday Miles: 0
Thursday Miles: 6
This Week's Miles: 11.25
Total Training Miles: 40.25
Day 11 said 3-6 miles. I definitely wanted to go on the high side this time and go for 6. Aunt Jean had her last radiation on Wednesday and will be feeling really crummy for several weeks, so I wanted to push myself this extra hard this week. I didn't really have a time goal going into this run; I just wanted to push myself as hard as I could and see what it came out to. What happened next was something I didn't think was humanly possible for me and my asthma. Normally, keeping just a 10-10:30 minute mile pace is everything I can do. At the end of the 1st mile, I was at a 9:16 and couldn't believe it! However, it had been a very slight/gradual downhill for that first mile, so I just sort of gave that the credit. But then, after the 2nd mile, my pace was 9:06 - and this even included a small uphill. I thought to myself, "How is this even possible?! This has to be wrong."
Granted, my breathing was extrememly labored, but it still just didn't seem like the time could be that good. I finally accepted the sweet reality when my average pace was still in the 9:20s at the third mile, at which point I made it my goal to keep the overall pace at less than 10min/mile for the whole 6 miles - but I knew was going to be VERY hard because I was already hurting pretty badly and only halfway finished, AND the last mile was ALL uphill. So, I was going to need every bit of those lower 9 min times in the beginning to offset the inevitable slowing down that was to come.
By mile 4, I was tired and hit a few small uphills; my average pace had slowed to the 9:40s. Mile 5, my pace had climed to the low 9:50s. And I still had an entire mile all uphill to go! I wasn't sure if I could do it at this point and was scared I had set too lofty of a goal. I just kept telling myself... you have to do this, you have to at least try; Aunt Jean is hurting too!! I hunkered down & decided not to look at my watch again until it was over. Just try to zone out & forget the fact that this was going to hurt & I had to somehow find a way to do this without the help of oxygen - which had long since abandoned me. I closed my eyes, turned the ipod WAAAYY up & prayed for mercy. I finished w/ and average pace of 9:51 & finally regained normal breathing about 4 hours later, ha! It was worth every bit!!!
See Katy's blog too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Wednesday Miles: 0
Thursday Miles: 6
This Week's Miles: 11.25
Total Training Miles: 40.25
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Days 8 & 9
Yesterday was kind of a bust. About a mile into my run, my headphones quit working. After frantically pressing buttons trying to get it to work, I finally realized it had been awhile since I charged my ipod battery and it was dead. I absolutely cannot run even the slightest distance without my headphones for a couple different reasons. First of all... without them, I count my steps, which is insanely annoying and no matter what I do or what else I try to focus on, I can't make it stop. To make matters worse, it's not just regular counting, it's counting in 8-counts like in cheerleading/dance or aerobics class. 12345678, 2-2345678, 3-2345678, 4-2345678, 5-2345678. Once I get to 8-2345678, it starts all over. Mahhhhhh! Make it stop, make it stop, make the counting gnome in my head shut the eff up!!
Secondly, without the music to distract me, I also notice/focus a lot on my breathing. For most people, being aware of one's breathing would be a good thing, but for me, it just makes me focus on my asthma and the discomfort. When I can hear myself gasping and wheezing, I notice the pain more. I'm sure everyone has experienced something similar to this. Have you ever cut yourself and not realized it, but then the second you saw yourself bleeding, then all of sudden, the cut starts hurting? Same basic principle - I guess that would fall under psychosomatic??
Moving on - today was such a good run that it made up for yesterday. In fact, I think since I more or less took the previous day off that it greatly contributed to my incredible improvement today. Many people don't realize that REST is one of the most important parts of training. Today was my 2nd speed training, and I blew my intervals out of the water by keeping an interval pace that ranged from 8-9 minute miles!! I did a track ladder today, where you start with 1/4 mile sprint, then 1/2 mile sprint, then 3/4 mile sprint, then work your way back down with 3/4, 1/2, 1/4. All with 1/4 mile walk/jog in between.
Aunt Jean is in a lot of pain from the radiation and is extremely weak. She said it felt like her insides were burned :( There's not much of anything that can be done about it either besides pain meds and IV fluids. And tomorrow they are going to knock her down again w/ more radiation, so it will probably get worse before it gets better. However, the good news is... tomorrow is the LAST TREATMENT!!! If we can just get through these next few days of hell, then it should do nothing but get a little bit better with each passing day. As such, I really feel the need to push myself extremely hard this week since I know she's going to be pretty much miserable. I don't know, it just feels like maybe it will somehow allow me to take on some of her struggle if I do.
See Katy's blog too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/2011/06/days-5-6-7.html?spref=fb
Monday Miles: 1.5
Tuesday Miles: 3.75
Miles This Week: 5.25
Total Training Miles: 34.25
Secondly, without the music to distract me, I also notice/focus a lot on my breathing. For most people, being aware of one's breathing would be a good thing, but for me, it just makes me focus on my asthma and the discomfort. When I can hear myself gasping and wheezing, I notice the pain more. I'm sure everyone has experienced something similar to this. Have you ever cut yourself and not realized it, but then the second you saw yourself bleeding, then all of sudden, the cut starts hurting? Same basic principle - I guess that would fall under psychosomatic??
Moving on - today was such a good run that it made up for yesterday. In fact, I think since I more or less took the previous day off that it greatly contributed to my incredible improvement today. Many people don't realize that REST is one of the most important parts of training. Today was my 2nd speed training, and I blew my intervals out of the water by keeping an interval pace that ranged from 8-9 minute miles!! I did a track ladder today, where you start with 1/4 mile sprint, then 1/2 mile sprint, then 3/4 mile sprint, then work your way back down with 3/4, 1/2, 1/4. All with 1/4 mile walk/jog in between.
Aunt Jean is in a lot of pain from the radiation and is extremely weak. She said it felt like her insides were burned :( There's not much of anything that can be done about it either besides pain meds and IV fluids. And tomorrow they are going to knock her down again w/ more radiation, so it will probably get worse before it gets better. However, the good news is... tomorrow is the LAST TREATMENT!!! If we can just get through these next few days of hell, then it should do nothing but get a little bit better with each passing day. As such, I really feel the need to push myself extremely hard this week since I know she's going to be pretty much miserable. I don't know, it just feels like maybe it will somehow allow me to take on some of her struggle if I do.
See Katy's blog too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/2011/06/days-5-6-7.html?spref=fb
Monday Miles: 1.5
Tuesday Miles: 3.75
Miles This Week: 5.25
Total Training Miles: 34.25
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Day 7
The schedule said to do 4-8 miles today, and the magic number today ended up being 6. I can tell it's going to be time for new shoes soon - starting to feel like the pavement beats me up a little bit. During my run today, I felt slow and like my inhaler wasn't working. But, the watch doesn't lie and it says I maintained less than a 10:30 average pace, which is good for me. Legs are good and tired, and I can already notice visible changes to my muscles. I'm guessing this must be muscle memory kicking in because it's only been 1 week and I remember last year it took like a month before I started to notice my body changing.
Aunt Jean's last radiation is this Wednesday!!!
Check out Katy's training progress too...
http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 6
Miles This Week: 29
Total Training Miles: 29
Aunt Jean's last radiation is this Wednesday!!!
Check out Katy's training progress too...
http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 6
Miles This Week: 29
Total Training Miles: 29
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Day 6
Today's Rx was 3-6 miles. I went for 4. I was tired all day because I haven't been able to fall asleep until like 3-4a the last few nights and still have been waking up around 8ish. I had a little burst of energy earlier in the day and wanted to run then, but it was raining cats and dogs. I like running in the rain, I really like it, in fact - just not when it's pouring. So I waited it out and had another late run. Bugs were bad, swallowed two. Yum.
I was really contemplating not running this evening, and honestly, if I had skipped today, it would have very little, if any, effect on my training. But then I remembered the reason why I'm doing all this. If Aunt Jean can suffer through chemo and radiation, then I can take my sleep deprived butt and hit the pavement for a few miles. One thing that is kind of neat about all this is the timing. With the race falling on Oct 8 and the training program being 18 weeks, my training began right as all her treatment was starting to wrap up, which means we will both be getting stronger together - me as I train, and her and she heals :)
Sometimes I prefer to run without using any asthma medication, and today was one of those days. I can run comfortably without my inhaler; I just have to slow my pace down so much that a brisk walker could keep up. I call it running "au naturale." Most people would consider that to mean running without headphones, maybe without a stopwatch, and even some idiots run barefoot or w/ minimalist shoes - they need to be slapped. Don't ever ask me to run without any of those 3 things.
Hope Katy had a good day...
http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 4
Miles This Week: 23
Total Training Miles: 23
I was really contemplating not running this evening, and honestly, if I had skipped today, it would have very little, if any, effect on my training. But then I remembered the reason why I'm doing all this. If Aunt Jean can suffer through chemo and radiation, then I can take my sleep deprived butt and hit the pavement for a few miles. One thing that is kind of neat about all this is the timing. With the race falling on Oct 8 and the training program being 18 weeks, my training began right as all her treatment was starting to wrap up, which means we will both be getting stronger together - me as I train, and her and she heals :)
Sometimes I prefer to run without using any asthma medication, and today was one of those days. I can run comfortably without my inhaler; I just have to slow my pace down so much that a brisk walker could keep up. I call it running "au naturale." Most people would consider that to mean running without headphones, maybe without a stopwatch, and even some idiots run barefoot or w/ minimalist shoes - they need to be slapped. Don't ever ask me to run without any of those 3 things.
Hope Katy had a good day...
http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 4
Miles This Week: 23
Total Training Miles: 23
Friday, June 10, 2011
Day 5
Today I had the option of 0-6 miles. I was incredibly restless yesterday, all last night and again all day today, so I opted for the 6 to hopefully wear me out. I don't know what my dealio is. Well, actually, I kinda think I do. I think I'm starting to really need some human contact from being out here where there is next to none. I miss seeing my friends, and just knowing my Mom is halfway across the country eats at me. While I require far more alone time than most people, the fact that the option to socialize face-to-face with my loved ones is not available here is starting to wear on me. Facebook is really the closest thing to socializing that I have out here.
It was a good run though. Legs were a little tired from yesterday, but the good kind of tired where I could really feel the muscles working and flexing during the run. I guess I'm a bit of a masochist in that way; I like to feel the strain and the burn. However, I do NOT derive any pleasure whatsoever from the pain in my chest, which was a little worse than usual today, at least for the first couple miles. I did have a running companion today...Jasper, a little 6 month old chihuahua dog, tagged along and made sure she chased all the deer away as we neared them.
Aunt Jean is done w/ chemo!! :) And only 4 more raditations. She was severely dehydrated and on the verge of having to be admitted to the hospital, but she managed to drink a little bit & avoid that. Keep it up - we are so close to this being over!!
Be sure to keep up with Katy's progress too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 6
Miles This Week: 19
Total Training Miles: 19
It was a good run though. Legs were a little tired from yesterday, but the good kind of tired where I could really feel the muscles working and flexing during the run. I guess I'm a bit of a masochist in that way; I like to feel the strain and the burn. However, I do NOT derive any pleasure whatsoever from the pain in my chest, which was a little worse than usual today, at least for the first couple miles. I did have a running companion today...Jasper, a little 6 month old chihuahua dog, tagged along and made sure she chased all the deer away as we neared them.
Aunt Jean is done w/ chemo!! :) And only 4 more raditations. She was severely dehydrated and on the verge of having to be admitted to the hospital, but she managed to drink a little bit & avoid that. Keep it up - we are so close to this being over!!
Be sure to keep up with Katy's progress too: http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 6
Miles This Week: 19
Total Training Miles: 19
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Day 3 & 4
Well, Day 3 was a rest day, but I had intended on still doing a short blog and just didn't get around to it. Since my Tuesday speed training sort of went awry, I opted to do the high end of the suggested mileage for Day 4 (which was 3-6 miles) - I mapped it on MapMyRun and it came to 6.2, woohoo!
Was a pretty good and uneventful run. The hill hurt a little more than usual, but I changed my route up and put the hill in the middle of the run instead of the beginning. My Aunt Jean got her last round of chemo today and did pretty well, except she is having trouble taking in fluids since she can't really swallow, and if she gets any more dehydrated, they will have to hospitalize her :( Still 4 more zaps of radiation to go, and then we have to wait about 6 weeks before they'll test to make sure all the cancer is gone. This makes me really start thinking in terms of, "where will I be in 6 weeks?" Not just in the sense of my training, but life in general. What project will I be working on, will I have any new issues in my life, will something good have happened, how about in 6 months, 6 years; will I ever have a battle with cancer of my own to fight and if so, is there anyone out there who'd be willing to run a marathon for me in honor of my battle?
I don't know, it just makes a person think I guess. Life is truly a dichotomy. On one hand, the human body is an incredibly amazing and resilient machine (as I experience first hand through the marathon), and then on the other hand, life is also so very fragile. My philosophical thinking today could possibly also be since tomorrow would have been the wedding anniversary of one of my dearest friends who became a widow at the tender age of 26. I stood there at the altar with her as her maid of honor, tears of joy streaming down my face. Then, just a few years later, I stood by her side again in front of our loved ones, but this time with tears of deepest sorrow. I remember wishing that I could somehow trade her places and take all her pain, but unfortunately, that's just not how it works. And you know, that's really how it should be. If someone else took all the blood, sweat & tears of the marathon training and raceday for me, then it would also take all the joy out of the triumph at the end. Love you Sar! So proud of how far you've come!
And of course, we should check in on Katy too!
http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 6
Miles This Week: 13
Total Training Miles: 13
Was a pretty good and uneventful run. The hill hurt a little more than usual, but I changed my route up and put the hill in the middle of the run instead of the beginning. My Aunt Jean got her last round of chemo today and did pretty well, except she is having trouble taking in fluids since she can't really swallow, and if she gets any more dehydrated, they will have to hospitalize her :( Still 4 more zaps of radiation to go, and then we have to wait about 6 weeks before they'll test to make sure all the cancer is gone. This makes me really start thinking in terms of, "where will I be in 6 weeks?" Not just in the sense of my training, but life in general. What project will I be working on, will I have any new issues in my life, will something good have happened, how about in 6 months, 6 years; will I ever have a battle with cancer of my own to fight and if so, is there anyone out there who'd be willing to run a marathon for me in honor of my battle?
I don't know, it just makes a person think I guess. Life is truly a dichotomy. On one hand, the human body is an incredibly amazing and resilient machine (as I experience first hand through the marathon), and then on the other hand, life is also so very fragile. My philosophical thinking today could possibly also be since tomorrow would have been the wedding anniversary of one of my dearest friends who became a widow at the tender age of 26. I stood there at the altar with her as her maid of honor, tears of joy streaming down my face. Then, just a few years later, I stood by her side again in front of our loved ones, but this time with tears of deepest sorrow. I remember wishing that I could somehow trade her places and take all her pain, but unfortunately, that's just not how it works. And you know, that's really how it should be. If someone else took all the blood, sweat & tears of the marathon training and raceday for me, then it would also take all the joy out of the triumph at the end. Love you Sar! So proud of how far you've come!
And of course, we should check in on Katy too!
http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Miles Today: 6
Miles This Week: 13
Total Training Miles: 13
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Day 2: Speed Work
Well, hmm. Tonight's run was sort of a disaster, but not too bad. There is no track anywhere around this gawd-forsaken fish town, making it incredibly difficult to know how far is exactly 400 meters, nor is there much of anything flat either. This is setting up so nicely already, right?! As such, I found the flattest stretch of road I could and drove around with my GPS & a can of spray paint, making inconspicuous marks every 1/4 mile. Of course, the blasted can of paint clogged up on me about halfway thru, and I had to play MacGyver w/ a paper clip and unclog it, ending up with paint all over my hands and mouth (don't ask).
Moving on... I was supposed to do 3 miles worth of speed intervals with 1/4 mile "rest" jogs in between (yes, that is indeed sarcasm you detect with my quotation marks). You can break the 3 miles into 6 reps of 1/2 mile sprints, 4 reps of 3/4 mile sprints, 3 reps of 1 mile sprints, or what they call a track ladder of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4. Today, I opted for 6 reps of 1/2-milers. My first three reps went very well, and I even maintained a pace that would have come out to just a little over an 8 min mile - even though I did have to walk about half of the 1/4 mile "recovery jogs." It was a little bit of a mind fizzuck not being at a track where I can see exactly how far I have left. But, just one or two more sessions of speed work, and I will be so intimately familiar with every pothole, mailbox and roadkill stain that I will be able to gauge the distance just the same. I coaxed myself with the assurance of this.
Then, Murphy's Law took over. It got dark enough to where I couldn't see my marks anymore. Apparently, I made them a little too inconspicuous. The spray paint and I will be making another round tomorrow. I may even invest in some of that neon, glow-in-the-dark paint. Once I realized I'd long passed my mark, I decided to just run home as fast as I could and that would make it about even. On my way home, I was nearly malled by a deer, choked by the smell of a rotting dumpster, attacked by bugs, chased by a dog, and every shadow in the road became the apparition of a snake. This run could not have ended quickly enough.
I certainly hope Katy's 2nd Day went better than mine! http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
I love you, Aunt Jean!! This is all for you! My training battle will never compare to the chemo and radiation you have endured, but having you there at the finish line to celebrate will be a sweet victory for us both!!
Miles Today: 3
Miles This Week: 7
Total Training Miles: 7
Moving on... I was supposed to do 3 miles worth of speed intervals with 1/4 mile "rest" jogs in between (yes, that is indeed sarcasm you detect with my quotation marks). You can break the 3 miles into 6 reps of 1/2 mile sprints, 4 reps of 3/4 mile sprints, 3 reps of 1 mile sprints, or what they call a track ladder of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 3/4, 1/2, 1/4. Today, I opted for 6 reps of 1/2-milers. My first three reps went very well, and I even maintained a pace that would have come out to just a little over an 8 min mile - even though I did have to walk about half of the 1/4 mile "recovery jogs." It was a little bit of a mind fizzuck not being at a track where I can see exactly how far I have left. But, just one or two more sessions of speed work, and I will be so intimately familiar with every pothole, mailbox and roadkill stain that I will be able to gauge the distance just the same. I coaxed myself with the assurance of this.
Then, Murphy's Law took over. It got dark enough to where I couldn't see my marks anymore. Apparently, I made them a little too inconspicuous. The spray paint and I will be making another round tomorrow. I may even invest in some of that neon, glow-in-the-dark paint. Once I realized I'd long passed my mark, I decided to just run home as fast as I could and that would make it about even. On my way home, I was nearly malled by a deer, choked by the smell of a rotting dumpster, attacked by bugs, chased by a dog, and every shadow in the road became the apparition of a snake. This run could not have ended quickly enough.
I certainly hope Katy's 2nd Day went better than mine! http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
I love you, Aunt Jean!! This is all for you! My training battle will never compare to the chemo and radiation you have endured, but having you there at the finish line to celebrate will be a sweet victory for us both!!
Miles Today: 3
Miles This Week: 7
Total Training Miles: 7
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 1
What a long day!! Worked out in the summer heat all day from about 9a to 9p, burning a huge brush pile, no less, making it about 115 deg, so I sweat my butt off. But I love the heat and it felt oh-so-good. Got a nice sunburn too. When I finally knocked off for my run at about 9p, I didn't have much left in me for obvious reasons. Schedule said to do 0-4 miles @ a slow pace, so technically I could have taken the day off, but just didn't want that to be how I started things off - even though I did drop a tree on my foot today, leaving a nice scrape that soaked my sock in blood, which later made every step rub painfully on an open sore. All things considered, I opted for an easy 2 miles. Well, there was nothing easy about it because I was wiped, gimp, and the 1st mile is up a steep hill, but an 11 min pace under any other circumstance would normally be "easy."
Wonder how Katy's 1st day of training was? Will have to check her blog out @ http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Got an update on my Aunt Jean today (who is the whole reason I am running this marathon). After almost dying from some strange respiratory issue around Christmas last year, I made the commitment to run a marathon in her honor if she fought it out and recovered - which she did. But then, on one of her follow-up visits, they found a completely unrelated cancer. A very agressive, fast-moving cancer that required an even more agressive treatment of 35, yes, THIRTY FIVE, raditation zaps and 7 chemotherapy. Her last chemo is this Thursday and she has done really well w/ that part. The raditation, on the other hand, has really kicked her butt and those treatments will continue through the 14 or 15th of this month - and even once it's over, it will take several weeks for it to work its way out of her system so she can start to start to feel better. She has lost a lot of weight and is very weak. All of this obviously makes this marathon even more important that it was before. Please everyone keep her in your thoughts :)
Miles Today: 2
Miles This Week: 4
Total Training Miles: 4
Wonder how Katy's 1st day of training was? Will have to check her blog out @ http://katysfirstmarathon.blogspot.com/
Got an update on my Aunt Jean today (who is the whole reason I am running this marathon). After almost dying from some strange respiratory issue around Christmas last year, I made the commitment to run a marathon in her honor if she fought it out and recovered - which she did. But then, on one of her follow-up visits, they found a completely unrelated cancer. A very agressive, fast-moving cancer that required an even more agressive treatment of 35, yes, THIRTY FIVE, raditation zaps and 7 chemotherapy. Her last chemo is this Thursday and she has done really well w/ that part. The raditation, on the other hand, has really kicked her butt and those treatments will continue through the 14 or 15th of this month - and even once it's over, it will take several weeks for it to work its way out of her system so she can start to start to feel better. She has lost a lot of weight and is very weak. All of this obviously makes this marathon even more important that it was before. Please everyone keep her in your thoughts :)
Miles Today: 2
Miles This Week: 4
Total Training Miles: 4
Sunday, June 5, 2011
The Day Before It All Begins
I am reminded today of how every aspect of my life for the next 18 weeks will, in one way or another, revolve around my marathon training...particularly what, when and how much I eat. Lunch #1 - turkey sandwich, Lunch #2 - turkey sandwich number two, Early dinner - hamburger, potato salad, harvest cheddar sun chips, pound cake & ice cream. All of this equals a very full stomach, and will make for a very unpleasant run - luckily, training doesn't officially start til tomorrow. But I had planned on running all day and I wasn't going to start this whole thing off by re-neg'n. So I gave my full belly an hour or so (which didn't really offer much relief) and then decided to go walking until I felt like I could run. I ended up walking about a mile, which was followed by my best time so far up the treacherous hill and back. Granted, it was only a two mile run, but I swear that beast of a hill makes it feel more like 4-5. Here's hoping today's success is an indicator of what's to come.
Miles Today: 2
Miles This Week: 2
Total Training Miles: 2
Miles Today: 2
Miles This Week: 2
Total Training Miles: 2
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