A Year in Review - 2009

A this time of year, I like to look back over my year of running and start to look at the next year and set a few running goals.  In looking back over this year, I have had another GREAT year of running.

2009 Running

Ending the year with 1436 miles of running

18 races - 5 PR's

Will end with 388 miles easy walking

Bike 202 casual biking

Yoga classes

Finally started some home yoga

weights/core work

11 lbs lost - then found a few again in Dec. 2009, but plan on getting back to goal weight very soon.

Qualified for Boston

5 PR  (personal record) races this year.

Steam Whistle 12k Jan - 57:29  (around 2:30 pr)

Houston Marathon - 3:59:04 - (16 second pr)

Pensacola Half Marathon - (2:25 pr)

St. George Marathon - goal race of the year - 3:49:17 (10 min pr & BQ'ed)

Stennis Half Marathon - 1:48:15 (1:44 pr)

2010 Goals

On Nov. 15th I fell down, thought I was fine, but now I think that is what started my current hip issues.  I say this because with my current hip issue, I am not sure what my goals will be.   If it is healing and I get an internal green light to train, my goals will be as follows:

Race at Boston and run as fast as I can on a tough course.

Take some time off after Boston and then make some Fall race decisions.

I would also like to focus on the 5k again at some point in 2010 or early 2011.  I have basically neglected my 5k training in 2009 for distance races, and I would like to work on my 5k time at some point, but I am always drawn to the distance races so we will see if I can focus on shorter races.  Hmmmmm!

I will continue with a mix of yoga classes, weights, core work, home yoga, drink my water, as always - focus on my weight, and try to keep it in check. 

If I continue to have the mild hip issues, I will hope that I can go to Boston and jog the race which will be fine with me.  I had always thought if I ever BQ'ed that I would just go and enjoy the race, but late this fall decided I wanted to race it.   So I am ok either way, just hope I can make it to the starting line and finish the race.  Either way, if I am at the Boston Marathon, and can run it or jog it, it will be a great day.

If the hip continues to give me problems, and I can not train at all, I will go to the doctor to get a "happy pill" because I will go insane.  Ha! Ha! 

Happy New Year!

What are your goals for 2010?

I need my run!

What?  No running during the holidays!

It's been a few days since i have checked in so here goes:  I thought the hip was healed, ran a 9.5 mile run with Jennifer last Wed. and was fine on the run, but later that day, while driving around, I could feel some mild pain in my hip.  I ran again on Fri. with no pain while running.  Sporadically, I continued to feel something going on in my hip.  So although I want to continue running, especially at this time of year, I have decided to attempt a 2 week break from running.  I hope this will allow the hip to continue to fully recover.  I am getting nervous about it.  Although the pain is very mild and is not present while running,  I need to try to let it heal,  before my official start of Boston training begins.  Ideally, training would have already started, or at least I would continue working on my base training, but at this point, it will be much smarter to delay the training.

So currently, my next scheduled run will be Jan. 1st, or Jan. 4th.   As stated previously, this is NOT good timing.  The holidays with all the goodies - I need my run.  The cold - my favorite time to run.(I can find no good use for the cold, except to run).   The holidays - let me just say,  I need my run.  Yes, I am walking, but it's not the same - I need my run.  My yearly business "crunch time"(2 more days) - I need my run.   Basically - I just need my run.

For several years I have run a Jan. marathon. ( Disney 2 times, and Houston this year.)  I really like that because it puts my high mileage around the holidays.  Most people hate that, and schedule around this time of year, but for me,  I like to have high mileage during this time of year, for a lot of reasons.

O'well - 2 weeks will be over soon.  I just hope that is enough.

In the mean time, I would like to wish all of my blogger friends a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!
Looking forward to good things in 2010.

Christmas party, new gadget, back on track!

 Yesterday, Chad & I went to AL for our annual family Christmas party.  Mom and Linde are so awesome with all of the Christmas cheer.  The house is always decorated from front to back and it's always beautiful.  It's always great to see the family - something we do not do enough of - we all have good intentions, but seem to get lost in our daily routines.  The food - to die for!  In fact, as I had my 2nd piece of chocolate torte today, I said to Chad "I think I died and went to heaven."  Thanks to the girls for another great party.

So, I have blogged a few times about my headphones and how I still use them because I like the radio.  WELL, no one told me that the nano now comes with FM.  I was recently shopping on a site to use some of my "points" which were about to expire.  I came across the Nano and started reading about it.  I have the small shuffle which I prefer for running, but have never purchased any of the larger Ipods.  In fact, for years, I would not purchase the shuffle because I was waiting for Apple to add the FM.  I finally caved-in a couple of years ago and purchase the shuffle and have enjoyed it, but still use my headphones when wanting to hear the FM stations.  Sometimes on training runs I even wear both, headphone and shuffle.  So as I was reading about the Nano 5th generation, I came across the FM radio feature - screaming with excitement - but thought to myself , the FM probably doesn't work that well, but decided to give the new Nano a try.  It came in this week and after my Sat morning run with some friends was canceled due to rain, I had time to upload my tunes and get ready to use the Nano.  I opted for the treadmill.  With the new gadget the 7 mile run went by quickly.  The FM stations worked well inside the house and on the treadmill.  Awesome!  Now I have to go and purchase all the accessories that i will need.  Arm band, Apple Care, a car charger would be nice.  FM and my tunes all on one gadget.  Woo hoo!  2010 is going to be fabulous!

So this week, I did stick with my plan to run easy 6 milers, well almost.  I did run 7 on Wed. and Sat., but both days were easy running.  This week - Monday - 6 , Wed. - 7 with The Running Artist (follow her as she prepares for the Mardi Gras marathon, her 1st marathon) , Sat.- 7 on the treadmill with Nano5, and this morning a 4 miler in my home town, Wilmer, AL.  On the Sat. and Sun runs, I had the urge to pick up the pace. On Sat., almost had my hand on the button to go faster, and talked myself into taking it easy, finishing the week easy, and sticking with this week's plan.  All runs this week were run with NO pain in the hip.  I am looking forward to adding some intensity back to my running this week.  Two weeks with no quality runs - yikes - feeling like I am losing fitness fast.  Feeling like a slacker, but know it was important to let the hip heal.  Miss the "rush" of the hard runs, but very thankful  I have been able to continue running and did not need to do total rest.  Last week 14.5 miles running, this week 24 miles and feeling fine. 
Currently working out the details to meet the way to boston to walk a few miles this evening.  Need to burn some extra calories this evening after all of the holiday goodies.  So Yummy!  So caloric!

15 marathons and my first "no show"

Tonight I canceled my room in Huntsville.  Very SAD!  Yes, I am bummed.  We had many local runners, bloggers, and tweeters,  running races this past weekend.  After hearing all about the races, it gave me marathon fever.

Ok - enough of the pity party and on to the good news.

I have been taking it easy with my running. 
Last Wed., as already mentioned, I ran 4 miles and felt the hip at 2 miles.
Fri. - 5 miles and felt the hip at 3 miles.
Sat. - 5.5 miles with Audrey, enjoying the snow on the ground.  felt the hip at 4.2 miles
Each time I run, I am getting an extra mile before I feel the hip.
I still wouldn't call it a pain in the hip, just a dull warning sign.
So last week I ended with 15 miles walking and 14.5 miles running

Tonight I ran 6 miles and did not feel the hip pain at all.  Yay!  I also did 20 min of yoga, squats, lunges, and arm work with an 8 lb ball. 

I decided not to run the marathon this past  Sat., when I felt the hip at 4.2 miles.  If I can't finish a 5.5 mile run without feeling the dull pain, what will 26.2 miles of pounding do for it?  I know I would just cause a minor injury to become much worse by pushing the issue.  I am trying to "listen to my body."

I will have many opportunities to run the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, but how many times will I have the chance to run in the BOSTON Marathon?

Several people have mentionrd the foam rollers, where can you purchase these?  Do you get them online or at Academy, etc?

In thinking about what caused my hip to become aggravated,  I have several things to consider.
* I first thought it may be my shoes.  I did recently get a new pair of shoes, but it is the same kind that I have been wearing for several years.  Adidas Cushion Response.  It did occur to me that I could have gotten a bad pair of shoes, but I am not sure. Currently, I am rotating 2-3 pairs of shoes.  I haven't run in the new ones since the half marathon.
* I was talking with Linde (my sister) the last week.  She had read my blog and called to asked about my hip.  She asked if it was from my fall.  Hmmmm!  First I had to remember what she was talking about, and now she really has me thinking.  You may remember a few weeks ago (probably not, I even forgot about it) Nov. 15th., I did a perfect "seat drop" in some slippery mud in South Louisiana.  I landed on my bottox and I landed hard.  The next day, I didn't feel anything, but now I am wondering if that may have been the start of my hippy thing.  Then on Nov. 28th, I "ran my butt hip off" at Stennis. 
* I have been running fairly hard all year, but this fall I increased my mileage to a new max.(63 miles) just before St. George.  I did take 2 weeks off of running after St. George, but then started increasing my mileage again.  I had slowly worked back up to 45 miles prior to the Stennis half.

Who knows!  This week my plan is to run a day and then walk a day.  My running days will be 6 miles easy.  The walking days will be whatever I have time for.  I will continue with my 15-20 min of yoga and hope to make it to a yoga class this week.  I am continuing with either ice baths or icing the hip area after my runs.
I do not feel the hip at all while walking, doing yoga, or really anything except the few runs that I mentioned above.  I really think if I can hold it together by not running hard for another week, I will hopefully, "dodge a bullet."  This is my hope.  We will see!  To be continued.....  Thanks for all of the well wishes, ideas, and support.  I will stop pouting as soon as I can run hard again.  (already feel the need for quality running)

The Debate Begins!

So the GREAT news I reported on Monday turned out to be not as GREAT as I thought.   After racing on Sat. I did not run again until Wed.  I went for a 4 mile run.  I did not feel anything in my hip until mile 2.  At that point, I could feel something in my hip.  I wouldn't say it was hurting, but just more like a dull hint of aggravation.  I finished the 4 miles and headed for the ice bath.  Decided to take a break again on Thur.  So Thurs. am I went to yoga, and walked 5 miles with a friend.  No pain at all doing yoga or the walk.  Today, I ran 5 miles.  Today, nothing until around 3 miles and then the dual awareness again. 

So I am 1 week out from the Huntsville marathon and 4+ months away from Boston.  I really want to run Huntsville.  I am sure it would be smart to bow out, and use the extra time to be sure to let the hip recover. 

This is my first injury, or near injury.  I HATE it!  It makes me feel OLD.  It also makes me wonder if this will be the beginning of recurring injuries that so many runners deal with.  I have been so fortunate to run injury free for years.  Bummed in MS, BUT it's snowing in South Mississippi  (a rare occasion).

I will make the final decision around the middle of next week.  I know the smart answer, but we will see if I am smart, or determined to run it.  ????????

GREAT NEWS - I think?????

Thought I would give a little update about my hip.  It has been the weirdest thing.  Sunday I was worried about a stress fracture and today, Monday, no pain at all.  I iced 4 times on Sunday.  I got up this morning and did my 20 min of yoga and no pain.  Later in the morning, it was raining and I jogged across the yard to keep from getting drenched and no pain.  So thankful and so excited.

It was a warning sign that I will heed.  So today Chad(hubs), Scarlett(doggie) and I walked for 30 min.  I iced again today and will ice tonight after the Saints game.  Will test the waters a little on Wed with a 3 mile running attempt. 

We are at the Alumni House watching the Saints game.  I am too ADD to watch 3 hours of football so I brought my laptop to catch up on all the blogs and to give you guys the good news.

Go Saints!

Stennis Half Matathon data and details

First the ugly and bad news.  This morning I woke up with my right hip hurting.  I thought no big deal, I will just take a warm shower and it will loosen up and it will loosen up more when I join my friend M.C. for an easy run.  So after the shower, it felt ok initially, but just a few minutes later it was hurting again.  I took a few jogging steps in the house and immediately knew I had to call MC to cancel the run.  I HATE that!  So today I have been icing off and on, I did go for a SLOW 30 min walk which seemed to help, but certain movements hurt. 

So......  I am so glad that I ran hard yesterday. 

The Running Artist and me at Stennis Half Matathon (see previous blog)

(Jen - I copied your pic because the pic I took was way to close for my comfort)

While driving 2:20 min. to the race, I was plotting out my strategy for the race.  Over the past year or more, I have really worked on starting out slow and picking up the pace later.  I really like this for many reasons.   The most important reason is, I feel so much better throughout the race.   In the past, I always went out too fast, and then just died throughout the race, and it was painful.   The slower start feels SO MUCH BETTER.  The other reason is that I have come to LOVE being very technical about my running.  It's somewhat of a game to really try to hit my paces, and I think it distracts me from some of the pain because I am concentrating so hard on hitting the numbers.  So my plan was plotted and looked like this.
     Plan   Actual
1.   8:35   8:32
2.   8:35   8:34
3.   8:30   8:28
4.   8:30   8:31
5.   8:10   8:08
6.   8:10   8:12
7.   8:10   8:00
8.   8:10   8:13
9.   8:10   8:13
10. 8:10   8:19
11. 8:10   8:08
12. 8:10   8:08
13. 8:20   7:53
.1     :45     :47
During the race, as I hit those numbers, I am a HAPPY CAMPER.  After the race, when I am reviewing the Garmin data, it is just as good as running a PR, if I have hit my numbers.  If I have a plan, and it comes together on race day, that makes me feel good.   I started running by the numbers a little over a year ago on long runs, some would be progression runs, others would be 1 fast mile, 1 slow mile - at predetermined paces etc.  For me it's an entertaining game.  This is when my addition to the Garmin increased, but it's fun.  Without the Garmin, I can not pace at all.  From our previous discussions, I know most of you are thinking if you hadn't predetermined your numbers you could have run faster.  NO, trust me, that was all that I had on SAT.
Yesterday, I mentioned that I had some help during this race.  I am not sure what mile I was at, but I am thinking it was around 6-7.  I was running and I noticed a young man beside me.  He looked very young and I was so impressed that he was running a half marathon.  So I asked him how old he was.  He says 17.  So we began chatting.  He is a high school cross country runner and this was his first half marathon.  A friend was supposed to join him but she bailed on him.  We talked, off and on throughout the rest of the race.  I was trying to hold on and to maintain our pace, from what he said, he was doing the same.  With 2 miles left, I told him that I would try to stay with him, but if he could go ahead, he needed to go.  He looked so comfortable, I thought I was holding him back.  He says, "you are pushing me, this is all I have"  I said good, you are pushing me too so we are helping each other.  I truly believe that I would have fallen off the pace if he hadn't decided to run the race with me.  It was really neat.  Normally, I do not do a lot of chatting during a race.  Today, I was able to chat, stay on pace, and maybe help someone finish their first marathon a little faster than he would have finished alone.  C.C.  if you are reading this.  CONGRATS!  I am proud of you.  He won 3rd in his age group.  He has also lost 60 lbs in the recent past, through running.  So neat, so inspiring.   He also helped me to my PR.  Thanks CC!  

2nd in my age group.

On another note, Jen and I had the opportunity to spend some time together.  We talked a little prior to the race while registering, waiting in the potty line, pre race prep, etc.  After I finished the race, I went back to find Jen to try run the last bit of the race with her.  When I made it to her, she had 1 mile left.  She was smiling and running a great pace.  She had raced a five mile race on Thurs. and PR'ed by 2 minutes over last year's time.  In addition to that, she was very close to her PR in the half on Sat.  She ran a smart race and has many many more PRs in her bright running future.  Great race Jen.  I enjoyed the visit.  I also was able to chat with Robbie and Kent before and after the race.  Robbie won the GrandMasters in the 5k.  Congrats Robbie!  Keep it up!

So a great day at the races!  Fun! 

Today I ran a half "matathon" (not a typo, quote from medal, see pic)

So today was the big day, going for the half marathon PR.  I have so much to blog about, but will do it soon, just wanted to give a little update.  I DID IT!  ...with some help, that i will explain later, keeping you guys in suspense, I know you are just dying for the details.  1:48:15 (8:16 pace) on the Garmin, results not posted yet.  13.10 on the Garmin.  Great course, and I was concentrating hard on running the tangents, for sure.  (previous best 1:49:58.  I like to say "almost 2 min. pr."  It just sounds better than 1:43 pr)

Meg - it was very interesting today.  I spoke with someone that I met last year at this race.  Last year we ran around the same time for the half, I actually finished 2 min. ahead of her at this race, but at a race in Dec. 08 she got me at the very end of the race, but again, we were running around the same times.  Today she ran around 1:41, I think that's what she said.  I congratulated her for moving to another level in her running.  She said "you know, when I stopped trying so hard, I started running faster.  It's been really weird, but most of the time, I don't even look at my watch anymore, unless it's just a look and then to say, hey I'm running pretty good today."  Ok, I am VERY impressed with her, and the new training philosophy, but for me, for now, that's not gonna happen.   I immediately thought of you and thought how interesting it is that 2 people have confirmed these techniques work, but I am unwilling or unable to let go and give it a try.  For racing = Slave to the Garmin!  Live and Die by the Garmin!  "My name is Ginny and I am a Garmin addict!  I need therapy, I know.

From what I am told, the half marathoners were not supposed to get medals, but as it happened, the printing company made a boo boo.   So the "halfers" received these funny collector's medals.

Love it!  But we really ran the HALF matathon. 

More soon!

Chasing my next PR

Happy Thanksgiving!

So I have run my mileage for today (5 miles easy), I have visited, and had a big lunch with dessert.  Now time for a lazy afternoon.

Now my focus is on Sat.  I will be running the Stennis Half Marathon.  I have run this race several times, (full & half).  It's more or less become a thanksgiving weekend tradition.  I like to race 2 days after the Thanksgiving feast.  Makes me feel like I am "working it off."  Last year it was hot and HUMID for this race.  I have said all summer, I would not run this one, this year if it was under the same conditions as last year.  Ahhhh, I'm in luck.  It's going to be chilly.  Just the way I like to run a race.  Very Exciting!

Now comes my problem with "dual training."  On Sat. I will be 2 weeks away from the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL.  So if I race really hard, it can definitely impact my marathon.  But here's the thing...   I AM GOING TO RACE IT!  Why would I do this you say?  We'll... many reasons:

1. I'm kind of addicted to racing.

2. If I decided NOT to race the half this Sat, then 2 weeks from now, the weather may be hot and humid (I do not run well under those conditions). Then I would be upset that I had good weather conditions for the half and didn't go for the PR.

3.  Anything can happen in the next 2 weeks.  Race while you can, I say.

4. I just PR'ed in the full marathon, and I am not ready to go under 3:49, so the half marathon pr is more doable and realistic,  at this time.

Back to the problem with dual training:

training for the marathon - I ran 18 miles this past Sunday

training for the marathon - I have kept my mileage up this week.

If I was focused solely on the half marathon this Sat., I would not have run an 18 miler on the Sunday before a Sat. race.  Also, I would have tapered my mileage to really prep for the half marathon.

But..... did I mention the weather.... it's going to be great, so Ginny is going for it!  I go into it knowing all of these things:

* I did not taper and I have an 18 miler on my legs (but really - Sunday ends my week - so really the 18 miler was last week - working on my mental state here.)

* If I race Stennis really hard, I may mess up my full marathon.  (but really - this will just be a good tempo run, right?  - still working it mentally)

*If I did not "race" it, I would be sad and questioning why I let the possibility of a PR pass me by.

Yes, I'm a PR junkie.  I crave it and soon I will be old.

So again I say..... a flat, fast, a cool half marathon ....I'm Going For It!  "Why put off until later, what you may be able to do on Sat."

(a tiny little part of me will be smart about this race.  As I get into the race, if I see the PR is not going to happen, I will go to plan B, which will be to slow it down a little, and do some true marathon training.)

The possibilities are very exciting!

Oh, what's my half PR?  1:49:58 - 8:23 pace - Pensacola Half 2-15-09

I think I have 8:19 pace in me!

I am appreciating Amanda's Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge.  It has me focusing on my fruits and veggies and making sure I get at least 7 per day.  This is a good thing, especially this time of year. 

Runner's checklist - has it really come to this?

OK, so I am 41, but really, that is not really old is it?  40 is the new 30 right?  What I am confused about is my lack of memory.  Today, I head out for my 18 mile run and somewhere between miles 3 and 4 it just pops into my head (not from pain, luckily) "I forgot the BodyGlide!"  What?  You have to be kidding me?  How can you forget the BodyGlide?  That is like forgetting your Garmin, your Ipod, your Gu's, it just should not happen.  So apparently, I need a Long Run Checklist.  Look over it, I probably forgot something.

Long Run Checklist:  
apply sunblock
apply Body Glide

shoes, shorts, bra & top -  worthy of a long run
my favorite socks - (DryMax for me)

visor and sunglasses
Ipod or Head Phones

for me - Nathan 5k pak  which holds Gu (chocolate for me), Chap stick, gum, sometimes Chomps, a plastic baggy with money (just in case), emergency contact info - name, phone number of hubby, phone of Mom & Sister, allergies(penicillin) - so many texting you never know when you will be run over, and sometimes some tissue -  you never know what will happen. 

cell phone, and spare battery if I'm using my headphones (please don't laugh - I like the radio)

Garmin w/ heart rate monitor but mine died - Bummer!
Go drop waters - for shorter runs a CamelBak fuel belt.

I think that's it!  Dang, if I unloaded some of this stuff I could run a lot faster.
I ended up lucky today, no real damage for my lack of memory in applying the most important Body Glide.

This week I ended with 45 miles of running, 7 miles walking, a yoga class, and home yoga -10-15 min. most days of the week, some core work and push-ups.
Quality runs this week - hill repeats in the rain, 7 miles with 5 miles @ tempo 8:06 average, and today an 18 mile progression run @ 9:03 average.
The progression run went like this: 
2 miles w/u @ 9:24 avg.
8 miles @ 9:10 avg.
7 miles @ 8:43 avg. (as I started this portion of the run my thought was "dang, 8:45 if fast.")
1 mile c/d @ 9:48
When I made it back from my run, hubby had ice ready for my ice bath, my sweatshirt and warm hat ready, and prepared my hot tea.  How sweet!

Blog time is up - off to Walley World!

Wishy Washy - Sloppy - Can't see the road - hill repeats

But I finished it.....

First - woke up today with no pain at all from my fall yesterday and no soreness.  Very thankful!

So this afternoon I was a little very aggravated with work.  I had wanted to get my workout in around 3:00 or 4:00 but it was not to be.  My plan was to run 200s.  I figured I would warm up and see if I felt any pain in my ankle and then decide from there, but the plan was 200s, if no pain.   As I was driving home today, near my house, I drove down one of my hill repeat hills and started thinking about hill repeats.  By the time I could get out the door it was dark.  So I head out for my warm up and I am thinking, I will warm up and come back to the hill by my house.  Then I make it further down the road and decide maybe I will go on out to the 2 mile mark and do 200s on the flat road, just past 2 miles, I am thinking flat will be easier and safer in the dark.  So I get to the spot and the 5:30 traffic is bad, it's dark, not a good option.  Back to hill repeats!  Decide to head back toward the house to run the hill.  When I get to my first hill heading back, I change my mind again and decide this is a good hill.  So Wishy Washy today!  I felt like Tinalocks a few weeks ago trying to find the perfect hill.  I did not find the perfect hill, the footing was rough in spots, and it was very dark.  So I ran the hills, but it wasn't the workout I planned.  It was dark and the road was rough. I was nervous about running in the dark - scared to twist my ankle after yesterday.  I ran the hills at a much slower pace than I would normally run. I looked at the weather radar before leaving the house and I knew the rain was close, but I was determined and could not stomach the thought of 7 miles on the treadmill today.   In addition to all my complaints listed above, now it's raining too, making the road slippery and sloppy.

So I did it!  Yes, I couldn't make up my mind, it was sloppy, it was dark,I was soaking wet BUT... I got my 7 miles for the day and I ran some hills.  Physically, I am not sure how far it will get me, but mentally a BIG boost.  It wasn't what I planned or what I wanted, but I did what I could do today and I did it pain free.  Hooray for that!
Going for 45 miles this week!

Childhood quote lives again today!

Isn't it funny how some things we say when we are kids seem to live with us forever?

When we were growing up we spent many summers in Gulf Shores, AL.  Near our house in Gulf Shores, there was a pit that was dug out and had a trampoline like tarp over the hole.  The hole was not very deep.  I can't remember the details, but we jumped on the netting, like it was a trampoline.  One day, apparently I was jumping, and did what we would call a "seat drop."  I am sure there is a better, more modern name for it today, but "back in the day" that was what we called it.  As I did the seat drop, apprarently I jumped too hard.  I can't remember if the netting broke or if I just jumped too hard, but I hit my booty on the ground.   Not sure how old I was at the time, but I said

"OH, MY ROOT!"

Through the years, occasionally, someone in the family will bring it up and everyone has a good laugh.  We'll today, the saying would be perfect.   I was walking to my car to get my sunglasses so that I could head out for my run.  I stepped in some mud and my feet went flying out from under me.  I landed on my tail bone.  I immediately stood up.   My father-in-law was near by and he asked if I was ok.  "Yes, luckily, I think I am ok," I said to him. (shamed, of course)  With mud on my hands, buttox, and shirt,  I headed back in to change clothes.  As I walked inside I noticed that I hit the ground pretty hard.  I could feel it in my tail bone, the lower part of my palm has a brush burn where I tried to catch myself, and I even noticed my teeth felt a little funny.  I guess my teeth hit together pretty hard upon impact.  I changed clothes, put them in the wash, and walked around a little just to make sure I was ok.  Back on track, and ready to head out for a run.   Today, I walked 1 mile, ran 6, and walked 1 more mile.  The walk was fine, feeling very lucky about my fall.  As I started running, I did notice a pain in my ankle.  After about a half mile it eased up, but I am thinking something happened in the fall.  I don't think it's anything major, but today I will ice it. (you know I have to ice if I feel anything, right?)  As I was running, the memory of "oh my root" came into my mind and I thought it was the perfect quote for the "seat drop" that I did today on the hard surface.

My other favorite childhood quote is:

"I'll call it "tree" if I want to!"

To get the full picture, I am the baby of the fam.   Most of the time, we would be talking about something and I would say something wrong, the wrong word, the wrong pronunciation, etc.  So the 2 older brothers, and 1 older sister would correct me.  When they corrected me, I would immediately say...

"I'll call it "tree" if I want to!" 

(I would say this no matter what the word or subject was)

Yes, I drove them crazy with this quote.

Made it back home from the run, took a shower, headed to Walley World, and back to blog.  As the day goes on, I can feel  my tail bone area, or very low back is bruised.  I hope it's only a bruise.  

Another great reminder to be happy, and thankful each day you can go out for a walk or a run.   The next run is not guaranteed.  

 Funny thing on the run today.  Today, I was finally able to do the my "bridge loop" again.  For most of the summer and fall, 2 of the bridges, over the bayou have been "closed" for repairs (although in South La it is said that the bridge is "open" when you can't go across.   I say that it is "closed" when you can't go across, because it is closed for vehicle traffic.  Both are correct in a way.  They open the bridges for boat traffic to pass.  So my husband and I agree, both are correct.  He is a native Louisianian and he laughed at me the first time I said the bridge is closed - he says no it's open. It's confusing!)   As I made it across the bridge, and I'm running up the other side of the bayou, I notice a motorcycle is slowing down, to roughly my pace.  As he gets close to me, I look over at him to see what he is doing.  He looks at me, smiles and says "8 mile per hour"  I laugh and wave and he takes off again.  8 mph!  Ha Ha - I soooo wish I could run 8 mph on a recovery run.  That would be sweet!  (I was actually @ 6 mph)  Funny!

This weeks recap:  25 miles running 16 miles walking -my walking mileage is up,  thanks to POTM (piling on the miles)

Monday - walk 2 miles

Tues. - 6 miles - 12 X 200 avg 48 seconds

Wed. - walk 4.5 miles

Thurs. - Jog 3 miles am, core work and push-ups, walk 2 miles pm

Fri - walk 5.5 miles

Sat. - was supposed to go to Gulfport to run a 5k, my car had other plans, dead battery.  Not happy, but decided a tempo run would be grand.  Haven't run a tempo run since St. George, other than 5ks.  I wanted to run 5 miles around 8:00 per mile or just over.  I could only make 4 miles @ tempo.  The 5ks are great, but I need those longer tempos for the marathon.  Dual training is fun, but not ideal.  I have been running speed work for 5ks.  I have been running long runs and total weekly mileage for the marathon.  While I am having fun doing both, I do it knowing that both areas will suffer the consequences.  I will not run my 5ks as fast as I might if I was focusing my entire training week on them.  Also, I will not be totally ready to run Huntsville, because I am lacking those longer, true marathon tempo runs.  O'well it's fun!  Ended up averaging 8:51 pace for the 10 miles which includes 2 miles w/u, 4 miles tempo around 8:15 average, and then running whatever I felt like for 3, and 1 mile c/d.  I feel good about getting some type of longer tempo run in.  I need those the most for marathons.

Sun- 6 mile run 2 mile walk, 10 min home yoga

I will get focused when I start training for Boston, until then, dual training it is!

Team of the Year x 2

Chad (hubby) & Jay Orange Beach, AL IFA Tourney 11-09

What a great weekend. Thurs. my Mom, Linde(sister) and I headed to Gulf Shores, AL to meet Chad and Jay and his family at the Captain's Meeting to get ready to "kick off" the tournament on Friday. This was a 2 day, year-end Championship Tournament for the IFA . On Sat. the 2nd day of the tournament, I went to watch the boats pass by at the ICC @ LuLu's in Gulf Shores and then I headed to Mobile to run a 5k. Last week, you may remember that I ran 24:08. This week's goal was to go under 24:00. It is a GREAT course, flat with a slight downhill slant coming back to finish the race. I ran 23:45. After the race I went to A Spot of Tea and had a nice breakfast. The restaurant is on the race course. They also had a 10k which I normally run, but this year, for the first time, decided to run the 5k instead. So I had breakfast while watching the 10k runners finish the race.

Then I started heading back to Gulf Shores. I stopped to use the potty and posted this nice note in the bathroom. This is such a neat thing to do and is part of the POTM Challenge (piling on the miles). When I made it back to Gulf Shores - lunch time - yay! So Mom and I headed to lunch at a cafe that is on the beach. We had lunch and then it was time to head back to the Sat. redfish tournament "weigh-in."

Chad and Jay had a great tournament. They finished the championship tourney in 2nd place. They had already won the Louisiana Division earlier in the year. Sat., they captured the Team of the Year award for the 2nd year in a row (1st team to ever repeat, TOTY award) They won almost $20,000 in awards. Awesome!

Sunday was a day of celebrating. Chad took us on a boat ride up the East and West Fowl River. It was so pretty. Can't believe it - but I didn't take any pics, sorry. Sunday evening we decided to stay an extra night in Gulf Shores and we went out to dinner to celebrate the weekend and the year. I am just a little proud of my hubby, (I know you can barely tell :)

As we near the end of 2009 Chad and I both are so excited about the year. He had a great tournament fishing year, and I have a another great running year. We are so blessed!

Adding up the winnings. That goes to the Susan and Ginny, your loving wives, right?

My Name In Lights!

Well not really, but for me, it's "my BIG thing."  Click HERE  to see "my name in lights."  I received the very exciting news that I have been officially accepted into the 2010 BOSTON MARATHON.  (my friend Terry will be going back again this year,  not sure how many for him, but he is a regular in Boston)

Today I officially start the POTM (Piling on the Miles) challenge that Bobbi (www.nhershoes.blogspot.com) and Caitlin (www.HealthyTippingPoint.com)  have started to help to ramp up the mileage in order to keep the holiday pounds away.  It can be walking or running.  So today I walked for 4 miles.  I have had 2 hard running days, so today, I needed to take it back a notch to get ready for Tues. track (yay, Tues. track)  Gonna run some more 200s again on Tues.  FUN!  This morning I started the day with some yoga while my coffee was brewing and later in the morning I went to yoga class, and this evening, just before dark I went for the walk.

This pic didn't turn out nearly as great as the view was, but it was beautiful.  I am so thankful that I can get out and enjoy the scenery on a run or a walk.  By the time I made it home it was dark, the full moon was bright, and I just had to do some "full moon salutations" to stretch out after my walk.

The weather was great today and is supposed to be nice all week.  The yoga and walk - awesome!

The email from registration@baa.org - PRICELESS!

My New Favorite Quote!

"Quit? Retire? Hell, no.  Next year I'm really gonna train."  --Marty Liquori, 1977

(you know I love this one!)

So when we left off I was deciding which 5k to go to.  Actually, after I published my last post and was reading over it, the new 5k jumped off the page at me.  I was glad to see we all agreed, great minds think a like.  So Sat. am off I went to Petal, MS.  I definitely made the right decision.  One of my newer friends in Petal just ran the Chicago marathon.  She ran it in honor of her daughter, Mary Claire, who has Retts Syndrome.  See link for details about Retts Syndrome  http://www.rettsyndrome.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=621&Itemid=994  

I donated and received a shirt a few weeks ago, but I didn't realize this race was one of the races that many Mary Claire supporters would be at, and wearing the Miles for Mary Claire shirts.   It was so great to see all of the supporters.  Mary Claire has been blessed with strong and loving parents.   So at 8:00 exactly, we were off and running in support of Mary Claire.  There were around 80 runners I am told.  The course was an out and back that had a couple of turns, and a couple of sharp curves in the road.  I enjoyed the course, mostly because it was new (good choice).  I ended up running 24:08.  I WORKED really HARD for that 24:08.  That was all I had today.   The weather was around 54 degrees to start with a real feel of 51 degrees.  The last 5k that I raced before St. George, the weather was 74 degrees with a real feel of 83 degrees and I ran 23:27.  Apparently St. George is still showing it's effects, but that's ok.   I am back at the track, and I hope to get faster over the next few weeks.  I ended up winning the ladies race.  All of the faster ladies decided on the other races.  This weekend as mentioned we had 3 5ks and a breast cancer walk in the area.  It sounds like I am in a huge area, but no, it's actually a small city. 

What a great feeling the afternoon after a 5k.  I just feel so good.  The endorphins are flying around like crazy and send me up in the clouds.  Racing hard is the only way to get the feeling, so yes, I'm addicted to racing.  

Sat. afternoon I headed down to Biloxi, MS to see Riverdance.   For years,I have wanted to see this show,  so today was the day.  Lucky for me the sun came out, and it was a great day for a drive.  Lucky me again because I went to the Coast solo.  When I made it to the ticket office she asked how many tickets, "one", oh she says let me make a call, we may have one for you.  Yippie!  One free ticket just for me.  You may recall on Monday a nice lady gave me a free pumpkin spice coffee, and today a free ticket to Riverdance.  Nice!   The group that donated the ticket was from Pennsylvania and someone in there party canceled at the last minute.  She was so sweet.  The show was great.  It would have been worth the price of admission.

Today, under beautiful sunny cool skies, I headed out for a 10 mile run.  I didn't get started until around 9:30.  It's been many months since I could delay a long run until that time in the morning.  I ended up making it 11.  I felt great for most of the run.  I had no plans for the run other than to be sure to, NOT run too fast.  

I ended up running 9:20 pace and felt good doing it, except the last few hills did become challenging.  This afternoon I finally managed to get a couple of chores done in the yard that have been on my 2do list, and bugging me.  What a great weekend!  Sad it's over so soon.  Missing my hubby.  Last tournament coming up this weekend in Orange Beach, AL.  I hope to be heading to Gulf Shores later in the week.  Can't wait!

Now I must quit this blog.  I have to watch Farve beat Green Bay, I hope, and then get ready for my shows, Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters.  (my trashy pleasures)

Another pair down!

Today I ran my last 5 mile run in these, another pair down.  Died at 475 miles.

My Aunt came for a visit last weekend and brought this beautiful mum.  So sweet!

So Tues. I had the short interval track workout.  Wow!  My legs were not ready for that.  Wed. am,  I am feeling those 200's and 400's.  This morning I decided to hold  my coffee hostage to "make" myself start my home yoga routine.  I go to 1-2 yoga classes a week, but have been blabbing on and on for years now about needing to start my home yoga.  If I can ever get it started so that it becomes routine, I think I will continue it, it's just to get it started so that it becomes a habit.  So Wed. with my coffee on the line, yoga was not a problem.  I started off with committing to 10 minutes of yoga and then I could have my coffee.  I did some sun salutations, and warmed-up a little and then worked on some 1/2 handstands and lifting one leg up vertically and bringing it to the floor and then alternating legs.  (hard to explain) but a tough pose for me.  After the short yoga session, I immediately noticed how invigorated I felt.  Also in that short session, my legs loosened up and felt better to be stretched out a little first thing in the morning.    The yoga did more than the coffee does, but I still enjoyed my coffee just after my 10 min. was up.  Later in the day, I  worked on some "man" push-ups" and some core work in between working in the shop.  Wed. evening I met a friend and we walked 5 miles.  She hates to walk, I thought it was great.

This morning I did just a few sun salutations, just to try to continue establishing a routine at home, but I knew I would be going to yoga class @ Spiers Fitness and Yoga, so I didn't do much this am, at home.  This evening I went for a 5 mile run.  I think I am still feeling the track workout a little, but mostly I think my shoes are done.  To the grave yard they go.

So I am in a dilemma about which 5k to go to this weekend.   One option has a nice course, that will have great competition (although I am not super competitive), BUT I know the course is short. (2.99 in 2007)  I hate a short course.  There is another one on the rails to trails that will be flat and fast, but there are too many races on this part of the trail and I am bored with it, but it will be fast and I think is a sorority 5k which may    (or may not) have good door prizes, and age group awards, and hopefully they will use the correct turn around, so it should be accurate.  The 3rd one would be a new 5k for me, but I am not sure if it's an accurate course or not.   It is supposed to be flat too.  Hmmm, what to do????

My warm, humid, but breezy run this evening.  (5 miles - 9:25 pace)

"Love me some 200's!"

Ahhhhh, first quality run since SGM.  Last night I was like a kid on Christmas eve.  "I'm going to the track on Tues."  My plan was to run 4 X 200, 4 X 400, and 4 X 200.  It's been so long since I have run any short speed work, I had to go to the Mcmillan Running Calculator
http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm  to get my paces. (this is a great tool to give you an educated guess on what you might run in other distances and it gives you paces for repeats, intervals, tempos, etc.   I based my input on a 5k that I ran 6 weeks ago.  (23:27)  So it said my 200s should be around :45 and my 400s @ 1:41-1:45.  Really didn't think a lot about, just planned to run around :45 seconds, and around 1:41.  Well, if I would have really thought about it I would have realized that was not totally realistic, but I try.  So I warmed up for 1.5 miles, ran a few strides, and then Vicki, Charles and I start our first 200.  1st thought - Wow!  That went by fast! 2nd thought - Wow!  I am very slow :52, normally I go out too fast on my first interval.  Not to worry, I will get on pace the next one.  It felt like we really picked up the pace, finish the 2nd 200 @ :55  WHAT!  Can't deny it, Charles's watch says the same, 55 seconds.  3rd was :51 and 4th was :49 - yay - under 50 seconds.  The 400s went like this 1:46, 1:47, 1:47, and 1:47 - well consistent anyway.  Last set of 200's - 52, 51, 52, and 51.  No 45 seconds 200's in my picture today.    That's ok - first short speed workout and really, I am only 3.5 weeks out from SGM, what do you expect?  (the funny thing, I really expected to go out and run 45s and 1:43 - ha ha)

The good news.  HOW FUN!  I love the short speed work.  Also, I have a starting point and I have a goal.  Work on the speed, and get the 200s down to 45's.   I LOVE a goal and a plan. 

The week is starting off grand.  5 miles on Monday and finally a little home yoga, Tues. - am, yoga @ Kelly's and pm - track workout above.  6.75 miles. 

Running with Friends/ The New Plan

Had a great week of running this week. I had no purpose for the runs this week except to get some easy mileage in. Also, with my relaxed schedule of training this week, I made a conscious effort to run with friends this week.
This is how the week went:
Monday - 3 miles easy - excited to be running again. I also eased back into a few push-ups, planks, and some additional core work.
Tues - Kelly came out to run one of my 5 mile loops. It was a sunny, beautiful run.

This is Kelly on the left. This pic is from Dec. 2008. We ran the CellularSouth Half Marathon in Madison, MS last Dec. She is one of my yoga teachers and is great at it.

Wed. - today I went to my first yoga class in 3 weeks, and I walked 5 miles with Amber.

Thurs - met Dawn at the Longleaf (rails to trails) for 7 miles. We managed to finish our run before the rain. Yay!This is a pic from a few years ago. (from the left-Charles, Dawn in orange,Kily,Jim, Ginny (note to self - never wear stripes that go around, not to worry shirt has already been discarded), and Amber is on the right, in black. Amber is pregnant and will have the baby in Dec. So exciting!

Fri - today I met Jennifer to run on some hills we ended with 3.7 miles. (Jen - we need to get some pics of us for our blogs)

Sat. - yikes a solo run - I have been getting spoiled with the company. It makes the runs go by so fast when I am chatting with friends. Today, I ran 7.3 miles. I had to "fix" that .7 from the Fri run. (yes, it was bugging me). I also ran today with a new hydration belt to give it a try. It wasn't too bad, but does add some weight for sure. I will need to do a few more runs with it before adjusting 100% to it. I will not use it all of the time, but it will be nice to use it from time to time instead of driving out to drop waters. Also, when I get used to the extra weight, and then go to a race and run without it, I will feel like I am as light as a feather and will feel really FAST. The run today was in South Louisiana. It was cool, but the humidity is definitely alive and kicking (kicking my butt) in S. LA.
So this week, I ended with 27 miles of running and 1 yoga class. Today, I will go for a walk, hopefully around an hour, but definitely a minimum of 30 min. and I will do some yoga, with core work emphasis.

So the plan goes like this. I have 8 weeks until the Rocket City marathon in Huntsville, AL. To mix things up a bit and keep myself entertained, I will be doing some short speed work. Basically, I will be doing speed work for 5ks, but keeping my long runs in so that I can run Huntsville. I will be running 200s, 400s, and maybe some 800s. I will run more 200s than the others because "that's my favorite," and that's what helped me to pr in the 5k (23:06) in 2008. I hope to run a few 5ks and see what happens with those for a few weeks. Around mid Jan. I will start my training for Boston. At that point, I will go back to the longer intervals - 800s, 1600s, etc.

Quick note on the diet, weight, food side. I have maintained my weight loss which I am very excited about, however, the past 4 days have been BAD. My plan is to STOP the backsliding right here, and get back on track. As we go into the holiday season, I do not want to undo my HARD work over the summer. Also, I want to be ready for Huntsville, and really ready for Boston and weight gain is NOT a part of either plan. After eating so well over the summer,(healthier than ever before) I received some disappointing medical test results (cholesterol & blood pressure). It basically depressed me and I gave myself permission to eat horribly for several days, which accomplishes nothing positive. So I said it, I will regroup, put my pity party aside, and get back to my better eating. I MUST!

1st Run - 1st Thought (after St. George marathon)

How did I do it? So it's 2 weeks after SGM, and I headed out for an easy 3 mile run. Within the first quarter mile, the first thought in my mind was - how did I do it? I am truly still in shock. How did I run 26.2 miles in 3:49? Yep, still excited about it. As for the run, thankfully uneventful. I ran easy, it was not hard, it was not totally easy, but I am so glad to be back on the roads. For me, it's like "going home" - a great feeling!

When I turned on my Garmin today, this is what I saw.

Ran the tangents great this time - @ Houston 1-09, I ran 26.5 - zoned out I guess.

Today was a great day to go out for a run. We finally have some cool weather in South MS. As I ran from my house, it was a strange feeling. I haven't run since St. George, and wasn't running much the week prior to leaving, so today when I ran with the cool breeze it was like running in the new season. Last time I ran here, it was summer, and now it seems to be fall (although in South MS we are never far from warm temps). That is what I truly love about this area, we do have at least 2 seasons, and sometimes we have 4 seasons. Yesterday, as I was mowing the grass and freezing, I wondered if we have skipped fall, but today as I was running, it was great. I'm a happy camper!

Do you see that Scarlett is sticking her tongue out at the photographer?

Scarlett and Winkie - Winkie LOVES her Scarlett.

Cloud 9 to My Head is about to Explode!

Sunday night I started sneezing and felt like I was getting sick, but I was hoping it was just one my my "allergy things." No luck this time. Today, I feel AWFUL! Trust me, I am not complaining. It is actually great timing. I am in the second week of my 2 week running hiatus, post marathon, so if I must be sick, I would say, "perfect timing."

Monday after the marathon my sister and I went to Zion NP to the Angels Landing Hike. From the pictures we previewed prior to getting to Utah, I thought it was doubtful that I would make it all the way to the top, but we were determined to give it a good try. The hike is 2.5 miles. At 2 miles you get to Scout's Landing. This is where you make your decision to "climb to the summit" or chicken out. We decided to take a snack break and watch some of the people heading up.
A friend had warned me that it was very intimidating to look at and she assured me that it really wasn't that bad after you started up. So without much hesitation, (ok, I lie) anyway, I was determined to at least give it a good try.

So we start heading up after passing by this handy warning.

This is the view, and my turn around point.

I'm outta here!
Even though we did not make it to the summit, the view from Scout's Landing is well worth the hike.

I am always so thankful for my health, but this week is just another reminder of how blessed I am to be healthy and able to go out for a run most days. So looking forward to Monday.
That's my first day back to running.

Cloud Nine @ The St. George Marathon

Look close and you will see my list of names of people who picked a mile. I pulled it out at mile 16. It really helped! I thought of each of you as I ran the mile that you picked and thought back on any, and all of the ways you have inspired me, or impacted my running or life in general. So a BIG Thank You to anyone who participated.

Oh what a day! Still can't believe it. It was truly a magical moment. My best running day EVER.

My sweet sister volunteered to haul me to the bus at 4:45 am on Sat. morning. So nice, we drove right up to the bus area with no problems. (I love the smaller marathons). While waiting for the bus, I spoke with 2 ladies that were nervously attempting their first marathon. So cute! When I loaded the bus, I was sitting with a lady who was originally from Utah and now living in Oregon and she had run SG previously. She was able to answer some of my last min. questions. (how bad is the Veyo hill?, what about the final miles - steep downhills or gradual? etc.

I found a great tool on the SGM website. It is a pacing chart that allows for the uphills, and steep downhills. So I entered 3:55 and it started me out slow, added some time for the Veyo hill, and of course, the steep downhill miles were faster. If you have been following my training, you know that I LOVE a technical run, so this was "right up my alley." I love the challenge of trying to hit the splits correctly and for me it is a great diversion to the running. First mile listed at 9:17, I kept telling myself to slow down and ended up at 9:15, sweet. 2nd mile - 9:06 and I ran 9:05 - great, 3rd mile - 8:44 and I ran 8:45 - love it and feeling great. Miles 3 and 4 were listed as downhill and steeper downhill. I was secretly laughing as many runners went flying by me, down the hill. I am thinking to myself, you are gonna pay for that later. Luckily, I maintained my composure and made a conscious decision to stick with my plan. At mile 8 we headed up the Veyo hill. It was the worst hill of the day. It was not super steep, but it was long. Thought about Jennifer W. and knew she would "work this hill." and knowing she was thinking about me and sending good thoughts. (sweet!) When we finally made it to the top of the Veyo hill, we had short downhill, and then basically miles 8-12 were on a gradual uphill, not bad, just unending.

At mile 13, I am celebrating because I realize I am already past the worst part of the marathon. I was 1 min and 20 seconds under the recommended pace for a 3:55 marathon. At this point, I am feeling great. I quickly realize this "might" be my day. So I decided to start picking up the pace. I wanted to pick it up, but not drastically so at first I decided to go under the planned pace for each mile by 10-15 seconds per mile. I think it was around mile 16 that I did some quick calculations, what I like to call fuzzy math, and realized that I needed to run around 8:30 pace or under, to have an outside chance to qualify for Boston. So I picked it up again. Mile 16 - I pulled out my list of names and thought about each of you at the selected mile. From mile 16 on, I had several people for each mile. Mile 16 - 8:27 - perfect. At each mile, if I was aware that you are "a person who prays," I said a quick little pray to ask God to hear your prayers.

Mile 19 - last uphill stretch - 8:51. At mile 22, actually still feeling good, especially for this point in the race. I am recalculating at each mile to see if I might "really be able to BQ." Scared that I might "hit the wall." At this point, all I can do is "go for it" if I hit the wall, I hit the wall. Getting really excited. Around mile 24 I realize that I will qualify for Boston, unless something really bad happens. Please don't trip, please don't trip, please don't trip. Miles 24 and 25 ended up being my best miles both at 8:02. These 2 miles were almost flat, but did have a gradual downhill slant to them. So excited to be running this fast at this point in the race.

At mile 24, Rascal Flatts - "My Wish" comes on my I pod. My Mom had picked mile 24. It was so neat. What a great song to come on for my Mom's mile. I thought back on all of the extremely hard times she went through to raise 4 kids as a single parent in the 70's. How strong, how amazing she is. How can I, not do this, when she went through so many hard years. Also, although she doesn't "get" the running thing at all, she does want me to be happy and pursue all of my dreams (BQ). Tim also had mile 24, and asked me to smile this entire mile to celebrate my love of running, my health, etc. I did smile a lot in this mile, but couldn't do it the whole mile. But Tim - I was smiling so big on the inside. I am going to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I am giddy, but need to finish this race.

Splits - 1- 9:15, 2 - 9:05, 3 - 8:44, 4 - 8:30, 5 - 8:44, 6 - 8:54, 7 - 8:58, 8 - 9:49 Veyo Hill, 9 - 9:14, 10 - 9:21, 11 - 9:24, 12 - 8:54, 13 - 8:45, 14 - 8:45, 15 - 8:32, 16 - 8:27, 17 - 8:31, 18 - 8:28, 19 - 8:51, 20 - 8:31, 21 - 8:07, 22 - 8:28, 23 - 8:15, 24 - 8:02, 25 - 8:02, 26 - 8:26, .2 1 :58

26.2 - 3:49:17 Still can't believe it today, 1 week later.

Chip Time 3:49:17

Reasons for a great run!

* Weather - 38 degrees to start and low humidity. This is the first marathon that I have run where I had the perfect weather, for me. (Stennis and Houston both 3:59 - cool weather, but not cold. Austin was cold, but at that point, I was not ready for those hills - first year of the new hilly Austin course)

* Dropped 11 lbs. and healthy eating this summer.

* Higher mileage this time - up to 63 miles (previous high was 50 miles)

*Unlimited yoga for last month leading up to SGM.  3-6 classes per wk. (left this off of the original blog came back to edit.)  You can see it is fairly high on the list.  Prior to unlimited 1-2 classes per wk.

* Ran a 26.2 training run - (I do not recommend this for most people, but for me, it was a great thing)

* Consistent tempo runs

* 9 day rotating schedule

*worked on being mentally tough and was determined prior to this race to "finish" it strong.

* fewer long runs @ race pace (I am a firm believer in race pace runs, but I think for some of my training in the past, I have had too many pace runs and ended up "raced out" by race day) On the other hand, I do feel that the pace running did get me to the 3:59 marathons. ?????? I think a mixture will be my plan from this point forward - some marathon pace runs, some lsd (long slow distance) runs.

*being a germaphobe in the last couple of weeks prior to the marathon. (Purell, Purell, Purell - wiping shopping carts at Walley World, grocery stores, washing hands, avoiding confined places with a lot of people, etc.)

Thanks to anyone and everyone who has logged miles with me this summer. Thanks for anyone who signed up for a mile, I felt your support. Thanks to those who gave me pre marathon "treats." Thanks to my new blogger friends who truly understand this crazy obsession and share in my journey. Thanks to Mom and Linde for traveling with me and using part of their vacations for all of the "marathon stuff" and thanks for supporting me. Linde - thanks for getting my Gu's, getting my pre marathon bread sticks, driving me to the bus,etc. Thanks to Mom and Linde for listening to all of my "giddiness" after the marathon - BQ BABY!

Thanks to Chad for truly supporting me with all of this craziness the past, many years. Walked my first marathon in Dec. 2003 - 5:29, ran my first marathon Feb. 2005 - 4:54, Oct. 2009 - 3:49 - finally BQ. Although Chad truly believed that I did not have the physical ability to every qualify, he has continued to support me 100%, in this crazy, sometimes expensive endeavor. Chad has said several times along the way that he didn't think I could ever qualify. I was never sure if he "truly believed that" or if he was just trying to use reverse psychology on me. The reverse psychology worked. During the marathon, I thought to myself, "if I am ever going to prove Chad wrong, it better be today." "I REALLY WANT to prove him wrong today." Several days after the marathon in a conversation with him about the marathon, I found out that he truly didn't believe I could do it. He knew that I had the endurance, heart, and mental toughness to do it, but he didn't think that God had blessed me with the ability to run that fast. It wasn't reverse psych as I had suspected. I DID PROVE HIM WRONG! He is so happy to be wrong on this one. He has been excited all week too. Love Him!

Songs that "got me through" (in no particular order)
Not the Doctor Alanis Morissette
I tried - Bone Thugs
*I Gotta a Feeling - Black Eyed Peas
I Do Not Hook Up - Kelly Clarkson
I Alone - Throwing Copper
Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
Mr. Brightside - The Killers
Mockingbird - Eminem
Mrs. Independent - Ne-Yo
Love Drunk - Boys Like Girls
Lost Horizons - Gin Blossoms
*Lose Yourself - Eminem
Like Toy Soldiers - Eminem
Like a Child - Jars of Clay
Last Night - Diddy
Kill Myself - Tim McGraw
It's Hard out Here - Djay & Shug
In the Ayer - Flo Rida
If You're Gonna - Natasha Bedingfield
I Worship You - Mercy Me
I want to Be Loved - Bon Jovi
I'm Only Me - Taylor Swift
I'm in Miami B.... -LMFAO
How Far We've Come - MatchBox 20
Hook - Blues Traveler
*Hide & Seek - Imogen Heap
Follow You Down - Gin Blossoms
Fly on the Wall - Miley Cyrus
Fast Car - Tracy Chapman
Everyday America - Sugarland
Flood - Jars of Clay
Drop it Like it's hot - Snoop Dogg
Down - Jay Sean
Day N Nite - Kid
*My Wish - Rascal Flatts

Boston Baby!

No time to blog, but I had to get on to say I'm heading to Boston.  I finally did it.  I qualified for the Boston Marathon.  Will blog about it later, but it was a totally magical and perfect day.  I ran 3:49 previous best time was 3:59.  Thanks so much for all of the support.  If you signed up for a mile, I felt the support and used it on race day.  Thanks so much!

Run with me Sat.

So after a "marathon day" of travels to get to St. George Utah, we arrived around 9:00 pm Thurs night.  We were supposed to get to St. George around 2:00pm,  and had planned to go see Aida at the  Tuacahn Amphitheatre.  The delays were not due to weather, but because of an employee not doing their job of entering data for our flight to take off in Gulfport, the entire plane was held up causing us and many others to miss their connections in Memphis.  So instead of  Memphis to Vegas, we had to Memphis to Minn/St.Paul to Utah.  If you know your geography very well you see that we have covered the entire country trying to get to Las Vegas.  It was so worth it. 

Love the Utah red rock, glad to be back.

Today we went to a nice breakfast at the recommended Bear Paw restaurant in St. George, starting the day off right, then off to the expo, picked up a few cute shirts, and we went to ride the marathon course.

Pic of Mom & me at the start. (Trample the Weak Stomp the Dead shirt from the Tupelo Marathon)

I decided to go ahead and take pics today so I would be worried about not having a camera during the race tomorrow.  A few pics from today of the marathon course.

Ready for the Sat. 4:00 am bonfires.

Looks like a great downhill!

Love the variety in the mountain rock - red, gray, almost white, black, etc and

you know I love the wildflowers.

Nice!

 

Linde (my sister) on the bike path that parallels Hwy 18

 

This pic shows some of the variety of the rocks.

Will let you know how if goes as soon as I can.  I will be running the marathon, will get a quick ice bath, shower, and food and then we will be heading out of town to our next adventure.