+21 = 70 miles = ♥ and :)

Today I had a SUPER 21 mile run to finish my 70 mile week.  I'm amazed how different my long runs have become this fall.  Is it the high mileage, is it the Supreme 90 day, is it the weight loss?  I would say it is most definitely the combination, the total package, having it's effect on my running.   If I had to rank the 3, I would put the high mileage at the top of the list.    I have concluded, for ME,  "more is more."   Several years ago, I tried the "less is more" plan, 2 separate times.  I believe it is a great plan, and I will likely go back to it eventually, but for ME, the higher mileage pays off.  I don't have children, have extra time to run, and so far, I've been able to handle the mileage fairly easily.  (handle it with rest, ice, nutrition, etc.)

I had my flu shot this week, so I'm hoping to go to Baton Rouge stronger than ever before.

Pics from my run today in MS

Had to take a pic of the greenery today.  When I started running today,  it was 40 degrees, so the green grass will  soon fade to brown.

I love these country roads that I run!

 6.5 miles on the Longleaf trail

Clyde Depot @ The Longleaf Rails to Trails

My week:

Monday - 9 miles (7 miles with Terri - fun!) with 10 X 30 second sprints at the end & Supreme 90 day (S90D) 

Tues. - 15 miles @ 9:28 avg & S90D

Wed. - yoga @ The Yoga Room & 7 miles @ 10:20 avg.,  recovery run

Thurs. - 12 miles on rolling hills, first 5 with Kelly, and then 7 miles of tempo @ 8:10 avg.  I had planned to run the tempo by heart rate today - goal 160 - but my legs said otherwise.  Couldn't get the heart rate up - AHR - 152 & S90D  (ice bath)

Fri. - 6.5 miles with Jen on the Longleaf trail, 10:35 avg

Sat. - 21 at 9:15 avg.  I averaged 9:22 pace up until 18, the last 3 miles I picked up the pace - 8:54, 8:21, 8:16.  (ice bath)  

Will have a little test of my current fitness next Sat. in Mobile, AL at my MOST favorite of all 10k, the Senior Bowl 10k.  I'm hoping the cold weather is around next weekend at 8:00 am.  I'm ready to RACE! 

I'm still plan to share some of the Nova Scotia pictures, soon.  In the meantime, the one at the top of the blog is Cape Breton, NS - beautiful, even when cloudy. 

Mt. Desert Island 26.2 Beauty and Ease

Bar Harbor, ME

Mom, Linde, and I arrived in Bar Harbor Friday night.  The drive from Portland to BH was dreary and sometimes raining, but we were excited to begin the week to see the beauty of the fall in the northeast, and I was on a mission to eat as many lobster rolls as possible in 1 week.  Success!

2nd Crow Athletic race (Lobster 10K a few years ago in Southwest Harbor, ME)

Caw! Caw! Caw!  Excellent Job!

My intention for this race was to run it as a training run.  My plan was to train through this race, so when I arrived at the starting line on Sunday, I had 44 miles for the week.  If you look at the elevation chart, you obviously notice that miles 20-25 are uphill on the chart, but you also see the chart shows bumps over the entire course, so I went into this one expecting hills, hills, and more hills.   As we drove the course on Sat., it was really close to what I had suspected, but I had no idea how my body would respond on Sun.  I had run Tupelo 26.2 in Sept. but the hills for MDI would be more challenging.  The only other hilly race that I have run is Boston. My first attempt at "racing" on hills, Boston 2010 - 4:08.

Sunday am, race start at 8:00, I'm in my room at 7:45 because the race is right outside my door.   We stayed at the Villager Motel.  It's NOT fancy, but adequate, and super convenient.  The weather was nice.  The day before, the winds almost blew us off the top of Cadillac Mountain, so I was a little concerned about the wind for the race.  It ended up being wasted worry because the weather was perfect.  We had a little wind, but nothing bad at all.  Whew!

Very early in the race I began chatting with Tim who was running his first marathon.  We ended up running together until somewhere around mile 16.   We chatted about running and training and we quickly realized that we both shared a passion for "the details" of training and data.   I quickly "got lost" in conversation and was amazed how fast the miles were going by.  Let's face it, I'm in Mississippi.  Let's just say.... running is not the number 1 activity in our state.  Yes, I do have running friends, but it's rare to find someone to chat with that enjoys the numbers, details, tough training plans, data, etc.,  like I do.   So Tim, thank you!  I enjoyed the conversation.  Several miles later a couple from Minnesota joined in the conversation.  

Here is a pic of my new friends.  (Tim is on the right - with the red shorts)

This was my first time to take pictures "on the run."  I had purchased a new camera just before this race and was happy with the way the stabilization feature worked. 

coming to the finish.....4:16

Today I felt GREAT the whole way.  I have run other marathons as training runs, but even when running a slower pace, I have always come to a point in the race where I was tired and ready to be DONE.  MDI was different.  I never felt tired.  My goal for the training run was 9:45 pace.  I ran the last 2 miles @ 8:47 and 8:03.  I ended up running 26.38.  I didn't pay much attention to the tangents today because it was a training run.  By the Garmin, for 26.38 miles, my average pace was 9:44.

Stats for MDI

334 / 925

Division - 17 / 69

4:16:36

9:48 avg pace for 26.2 miles

My personal observations after the race:

**This was the hilliest marathon I have run so far out of 21 marathons.

**I did not taper for this run, and in fact, I went into the race with 44 miles to finish the week with 70 miles.

**Even with the 44 miles prior the marathon, this was the easiest marathon I have run, to date.

**This means I'm getting in shape.  

 **MDI is my 2nd favorite out of the 21 marathons that I have completed.  St. George is still number 1 for me.  I'm sure running my PB (personal best) @ SGM has a lot to do with my ranking, but the beauty at St. George, UT is hard to beat.  Had I been racing at MDI, and had I finished with a PR (personal record), I wonder is my ranking would be different.  Possibly????  Both are beautiful courses, and both races are special.  

I was happy to finally meet Bethany & Ryan of Our Love on the Run
 @ MDI.  I have been following their adventures of running for a while.  (Bethany helped me with some of the details of my trip to Boston.)  ......bummed we didn't think to take pictures. 

Today, I'm 6 weeks away from the Baton Rouge marathon, my goal race.  

This week we toured Nova Scotia, and I took a recovery wk.  

I took Mon - Wed. off from running. (walked 30 min - 45 min each day, in various locations of Nova Scotia)

Thurs. - I ran 3 miles easy, in Bangor, ME. 

(we left Nova Scotia Thurs. @  3:30 am CST time, and it was Fri., 2:00 am CST when I climbed into bed at home in MS)

Fri - 5 miles easy and then I did Supreme 90 day - This was the first day,  of round 2,  for S90D.

Sat. - 8 miles easy.  Today, I felt tired.  I think the marathon, the wk of vacation, and the lack of sleep caught up today.  I slowed the pace, and finished the run feeling tired, but ok.  I will take it easy on Sunday.

The upcoming training wk will be back on my regular training program.  I have 70 miles with some quality runs in the mix.  Totally excited about the upcoming training.  

Once again I'm at my HAPPY PLACE.  

Training hard - that's the way I like it!

 

Mt. Desert Island - 1 week away

This week has been a step-back week in mileage in preparing for MDI 26.2.   I finished this week's running mileage this morning with a 10 mile easy run @ 9:21 avg pace.
This wk - 41 miles running,  6 days of Supreme90 day, 1 yoga class, 2 mile walk, and Sunday will be a nice bike ride - 10-12 miles??  

MDI will be another training run, so the week of the marathon I will have high mileage.  The goal is 70 miles, with 26.2 miles being at MDI.  The plan is to run 15 on Monday, 8 on Tues., 11 on Wed. and 10 on Thurs.  Fri and Sat will be easy walking, and then Sunday, 26.2,  running on hills and spectating the fall foliage around Bar Harbor, ME.  I'm very excited to make the trip with my Mom and sister (Linde), and tour Nova Scotia with them.  Fun times ahead! 

2010 pic (Pg Berger's Photos)

This is what I'm excited to see!

This is what makes me say,  Oh My!

On Monday, I will officially finish the Supreme 90 day workouts. Woo Hoo!  I did it!  I made it to the finish! It has taken me 118 days to complete the 90 day program.  This week my results were confirmed when I took a follow-up DEXA FAT test.    Let me explain.  In May of this year,  I completed my 10th year of exercising everyday, yes, even when sick.  Thankfully, I haven't been too sick to at least get out and stroll for 30 min.  I should say,  10 years of "30 minutes of movement", every day.  There have been many days, when the "movement" wouldn't actually qualify as exercise, in my opinion, but I did complete the movement, each and every day.  I continue the streak, and will continue it until something forces me to stop.  So how does one celebrate????  This year I decided a treadmill vo2 max test,  with a FAT test would be something fun and interesting to do.  You see, I have entertained the thought of heart rate training, and even half  "knowingly"(meaning -  halfway or less - knowing what I was doing) attempted heart rate training a couple of years ago.  I enjoyed the attempt, but at some point into this endeavor, my Garmin heart rate monitor failed me, and I didn't replace it until last Dec. 2010, when I purchased a new Garmin 305 (my 2nd heart, hubby is my 1st heart, joke).   So, May 31st,  I went to have the VO2 max testing done @ USM, primarily to get the LT (lactate threshold) information for specific heart rate training.  As mentioned, I also had the FAT test done which was TOTALLY, 100% DEPRESSING, but VERY MOTIVATING!  Let me just say, the image from the DEXA scan of "those hips", and the "fat %age",  shocked me into reality.  

2 weeks later,  I started using My Fitness Pal (MFP) to monitor calories.  The following wk, I started the Supreme 90 day (S90D) workouts (similar to p90x).   On Thurs. of this wk, I was tested again for vo2 max and the FAT test.  Chris, the testing coordinator, wanted me to redo the vo2 max test because I'm somewhat claustrophobic, and we decided I stopped the test prematurely because I may, or may not have "almost freaked-out" with the mask obstructing my breathing.   This week worked out to be a great time to redo the test because I took the first test prior to starting the MFP, and S90D, and this week I'm at the end of the S90D program.  

For several wks, the results of my efforts have been physically visible to me, but I was TOTALLY STOKED to get the results on paper, in numbers,  and to have it reinforce my hard efforts this summer.  The final results - I'm down 14 lbs. and I've dropped 7.5% of FAT.  I mentioned on my last blog that I'm at a point where I no longer feel I need to drop any weight.  My current fat %age backed up my "happy weight feeling", EXACTLY.  So by thought and by fat %age (hard core fact), currently I'm at a good place.  

Obviously, both MFP and S90D  get a "thumbs up" from me.  I like and need the structure of the tracking calories.  This is true for my running, and my calories - I like and need a program.  The S90D has a lot to offer a runner's training.  It has some cardio, a lot of dumbbell exercises, some plyometrics, some short interval training,  and even some short, consistent stretching (which most runners hate).  I think it's an excellent compliment to a runner's training plan.  The best part, MFP is totally FREE, and S90D is only $20.00 at Target, WalMart, Bed Bath, & Beyond.  In addition the the cheap price, I like the fact that the S90D workouts are roughly 40 min., which includes 5 minutes w/u and c/d.  

(Note:  I paid for my S90D program, it was not given to me, and I have had NO contact with S90D, other than the occasional "tweet".  I was not asked to do a review of the product.  This is just something that has worked for me this summer/fall, and I wanted to share the results) 

So, by the numbers so far, MFP and S90D are both proven winners, but the real test will be in Dec. @ the Baton Rouge 26.2 mile RACE.  I'm hoping the weight loss, and gain in strength will result in another set of good numbers.  As always, too be continued.....

a couple of pics from  today's beautiful fall run, 

my favorite time of the year

One last note:  I'm NOT ignoring you guys.  Since my return to blog land last week, I have checked in with many blogs.  I have tried multiple times to comment on many blogs.  Some post and some do not.  After repeated tries to post a comment, I give up in frustration.  Not sure what's going on, but it's driving me nuts.  Is it just me?  Just know that I'm thinking of you guys whether my posts go through or not. 

Let's Catch UP!

I can't believe summer has turned to fall so quickly. For those who sent notes during my absence, I THANK YOU!   The miles, the cross, my work, my life have left me little time for blogging.  I hope to catch up with each of you very soon.   When I last blogged,  I had just raced a HOT 5k.  It feels like that was a LONG time ago.  To summarize my summer, I would say success is a word that comes to mind.   You may recall, or maybe not, back on June 15th, I started using MyfitnessPal to track my calories.  One week later I started doing the Supreme 90 day workouts.  15 weeks after starting MFP,  and 14 weeks of Supreme 90 day, I'm HAPPY, (super happy :) :) to report I'm down to my HAPPY, HAPPY weight., I lost some inches, and gained a little muscle tone.  Yes, this IS the highlight of my summer.  It's been a really LONG time since I have been at a point that I didn't need to drop some lbs.  This is a super feeling.    In addition to that, the running is going exactly as planned. 

Let's do a quick update on the training since I checked out back in Aug.
Week of:
Aug 22 - Run - 25 miles, Bike 18, Walk 2, 4 days of S90D (Supreme 90 Day), 1 yoga DVD Baron Baptiste

Quick trip to Venice, LA with my hubby.  He was "pre-fishing" for a tournament.  The picture is from one of my runs along the Mississippi River,  near Venice, LA.  I absolutely love running new areas when I travel.  It's so exciting to explore on foot.

Aug. 29th Run - 61 miles, Bike 10, Walk 1, 4 days of S90D (Supreme 90 Day), 1 yoga class @ The Yoga Rm

Terri finishing 26.2 Woo Hoo!

Me - finishing number 20  -  26.2

On Sat. Aug 3rd - Terry , Terri , Dawn and I traveled to Tupelo, MS (about 5 hours North) to run the Tupelo Marathon on Sunday.  The much anticipated return to run the Mississippi summer marathon.  "Trample the Weak, Hurdle the DEAD" is the tag line because it's so freak'n hot.  However, this year wasn't too bad.  We had some rain during the race which helped to cool things just a little.  Terry and Dawn ran the 14.2 mile race, and Terri and I finished the full.  Terri and I both intended to run this as a training run, NOT a race.  I went into the race hoping to run around 9:45 avg pace and I finished 9:46.  I ran this marathon in 2009 as a training run prior to running my PR in Oct @ St. George.  2009 - I finished 4:18.   2011 I finished @ 4:16.  I'm hoping this means good things for the fall/winter.

Sept. 5th Recovery Week -  Run - 20 miles, Bike 10, Walk 5, 4 days of S90D (Supreme 90 Day), 2 yoga classes -1 DVD - Bryan Kest, and 1 @ The Yoga Rm

At this point, I have 12 weeks until the Baton Rouge 26.2 mile race.  This is my goal race.  I will be following the "Advanced Marathoning,  55-70 miles per wk, 12 week program.  

Sept. 12th - Run - 55 miles, Bike 10, Walk 1, 5 days of S90D (Supreme 90 Day), 1 yoga class @ The Yoga Rm

Sept. 19th - Run - 60.3 miles, Bike 0, Walk 2,  3 days of S90D (Supreme 90 Day), 1 yoga class @ The Yoga Rm  I ran a 5k Fri evening.  The temp was around 78-80 degrees.  I was happy to run 23:38 with no speed work.  

Sept. 26th
Monday - 14 @ 9:30 avg pace and S90D - day 68
Tuesday - S90D and 9 miles @ 10:05 avg and 12 X 30 second strides
Wed. - S90D - day 70, yoga class, 5 miles @ 10:40 avg pace (note - the higher the mileage, the slower the recovery days)
Thurs. - 12 miles @ 9:22 avg pace (last 2 miles - 9:02 and 8:22)
Thurs night,  I was excited to join Jen in Jackson, MS,  for the Mississippi Museum of Art,  Art Garden Gala.  Jen is a local artist and runner.  You can find her sculpture blog here
Fri - 5 miles at noon - woo hoo - cool front moved through - cool temps at lunch time.  Low tonight - 48 degrees, just in time for my 17 mile run with 10 @ MRP, which will give me 62 miles for this week.  Hoping for a good run. 

Jen was commissioned to create these garden boats for the newly created green space @ the Museum of Art in Jackson.  The pictures do not do justice to her creative works of art.   I was honored to be a part of Jen's night as the new garden was opened to the public.   If you are in Jackson be sure to stop by and see them.  

 

 

For now, I will close this blog.  I have much more to update, but will save it for another day.  I'm hoping to get back into a blogging routine, but keep in mind, I'm still doing the S90D,yoga is a MUST,  the miles are HIGH, work and life continues.  I'm currently 2 weeks away from the Mt Desert Marathon in Bar Harbor, ME.  This will be another training run for me.  It will be hilly and beautiful.  The excitement is building by the minute to go, and run this one.  I've had it on my list for a LONG time.   My Mom and sister will be traveling with me.  After the race we will explore Nova Scotia.  Chad and I went to the Cape Breton area years ago and loved the area.  I'm excited to go back and explore with Mom and Linde. 

The Proof !

Here ya go!  I told you so!   The proof that you requested.  Thanks so much for trusting me! :)  Chad was home long enough to snap the pic.  He had to have "fast fingers" to get the shot.

BIG WEEK for me!
Monday - am - 5 miles - 1 mile running w/u, 3 miles to celebrate Amanda's virtual birthday challenge, 1 mile c/d.  Weeks earlier I had submitted an optimistic 23:15 for 3 miles.  I ended up running 23:38 (solo) - 7:46, 8:03 (uphill for 1/2 of this mile - still no good at hill racing - boo), 7:50.  3 miles pm

Tues. - 3 miles am, 5 miles pm - "Trek the Trace - 2 mile predicted run - 1 mile w/u, no watches or Garmins - you predict your finish time for 2 miles - the runner nearest to the submitted prediction is the winner.  It's a little different, it's not the fastest runner who wins, it's the best "pacer."  I have NO, ZERO, NADA, feel for pace.  I had the 3 mile hard effort on Monday, so I submitted a conservative 16:00 minutes.  Audrey and I ran this one together.  I was pleasantly surprised to run 15:27 - see, I'm not a pacer, but I actually felt very comfortable running the 15:27, after the hard run on Monday, and the AM run.  I'm always happy when I go under my prediction.  Audrey and I ran another 2 miles to cool down.

Wed. - pm - I ran 7 miles in 3 hilly (Tupelo26.2 prep) subdivisions (Bellegrass, Dandridge, and Bent Creek)


Thurs - 10 miles on the bike - mid afternoon ride

Friday - 5 miles easy, on the flat Longleaf Trail (asphalt)

Sat. - Oak Grove 5k - early in the week I decided it was time to get back in the game.  I hadn't raced a 5k since June (a long time for me) because of the glute soreness thingy (becuz I skipped yoga for 4 wks - a no no for me).   In addition to no 5ks, I haven't been doing much speed work, except the recent 3 weeks with Jen, running the 2 X 1 mile repeats.  I have very little natural speed, it's hard to get in shape, and I lose it really quickly.   I run speed work year around, with some little breaks, but I have to do it year around.  With the extended off-time,  I had NO expectations, but wanted to run a 5k as a starting point for the fall.   unofficial time - 24:16 - splits - 7:44, 7:48, 7:59, :43  (flat course). (3rd place age group award).   The best part of the race was visiting and meeting new to me, runners. (& catching up with friends)   The super tough triathlete ladies showed up in full force and represented well.   My friend Judy has been training with the tri group, and she invited me too cool down with them.  I jumped at the chance.  oh yeah, I always want to meet runners. Ginger of  Living The Tri Life has recently moved to the area, and I have been following her blog. She won the master's award??  I had recently met Marissa at The Yoga Room.  Marissa ran her first 5k today, and won the race.  How cool is that?  Not sure how Lesley and Deanna placed in the race, but the whole group went home with awards.   After the 5k I headed over to The Yoga Room for some "seriously shaky legs" yoga.   (it's hard to hold the poses after a 5k)

Sun. - because I wanted to get a decent idea of my speed, or lack of it, this meant delaying my long run until Sunday.  20 miles ended up being 19.3 @ 10:08 average pace.  I have tried this 3 times, running a 20 miler the day after a 5k race - it's definitely NOT the best option for me, if the goal is to have a good long run.  If the main goal is the long run, I would run it earlier in the week, and then race with what I had left, but this week, the 5k was the priority.    3 Xs and each time it's been HARD.  Today, wasn't too bad until the last 3 miles.  At that point, the heat, the 5k, and this week's mileage,  took their toll.  In addition to the 5k / long run combo,  I typically have a week in between an 18 and 20 mile long run.  I usually run 18, 10, and 20.  This time it was 48 miles last wk w/ long of 19, and this wk 53 miles w/ long of 19, back to back.   

So this week - I end with 53.3 miles of running, 2 miles walking, 10 miles biking, 2 yoga classes, and 5 days of Supreme 90 day.  Some super quality and good mileage. The week ahead will be a step back in mileage.  whew - yes, I welcome the step back week, and then it's Tupelo Marathon week.

I am not racing this race, and plan to train through the race, so the wk of the marathon will be another high mileage week. 

It will be a quick overnight trip, but a ton of FUN! 

Dawn, Terri and I will run the 26.2.  

Terry (he's running 14.2 miles - fast)

I'm also excited to see Bridgett, super runner,  who now lives in T. town - (she's running 26.2- fast)

(by the way - Terri, Terry, and Bridgett -  you guys need a blog)

Hello luluemon - please bring back the groovy run shorts.   Jenn of Running Sane  and other lulu shoppers, please tell me .....WHAT NOW?    honestly, it will be a while before I need any, I stocked up.  Maybe by the time I need new running shorts, lulu will bring them back.   I can't afford to experiment.

Yes, lululemon is pricey, but how much would you pay to run chafe free?

August Running Scenes

19 miles of MS beauty

Audrey's babies

Sunset

The summer breeze today, reminded me of fall

IP Biloxi

at the pool @ IP Biloxi

It's been a good week.  Jen and I met on Tues. for our 3rd and final week of mile repeats.  For the past 3 wks we ran the same workout.  2 mile w/u, 2 X 1 mile, and 2 mile c/d .  Jen signed up for a blogger 1 mile challenge.

Week 1 - 7:37 & 7:23,  
Week 2-  7:28 & 7:34 (extreme humidity)
Week 3 - 7:14 & 6:54  this may be my mile PR ?? not sure because I don't have a mile time written down, (that I can find).  Either way, it's a great time for me, for August.  This should mean good things this fall.  Jen had a super day too.  This was her first time running mile repeats.  She met, and exceeded her goal.  I'm sure she will be reporting on it soon. 


I also completed 19 miles @ 9:46 avg.  I had 18 planned.  walked 2 more after the run.
I will end the wk with 46-50 miles of running - finally getting my mileage back up :-)
This week Chad and I went for an overnight to Biloxi.  A quick getaway, but it was so nice to get away together and unplug from work, computers, & cell phones, etc.  

And now, I must close this.  Blogger is acting CRAZY (as you can see with the formatting).  I have been sitting WAY too long after the long run this am.   Time for a little stretching! 

Conversations with ME, MYSELF, and I

Wow, time is flying by and I'm finding it hard to keep up with my blogging.   My last entry documented my triumphant handstand.  Who knew that my loyal blogger "friends" would question this feat by asking me to produce a picture of it.  Uhhh, so now I have to work on a one handed, handstand so that I can take a pic to prove it.   Seriously, I'm working on the proof.  .....to be continued

The recent data and details look like this:

July 18th - 39 miles running, 16 miles biking, 2 miles walking, 2 yoga sessions, 4 days of Supreme 90 day

long was 14 - ended up running a split run - 11 miles am and 3 miles pm

July 25th - 43 miles running, 20 miles biking (not sure but I think this is a record bike wk for me - lol), 4 miles walking, 1 yoga class, 6 days of Supreme 90 day

long run this wk - 16 @ 9:50 avg pace

tempo - 6 miles total - 1 mile w/u, 4 @ 8:27 avg, 1 mile c/d  (slower than my typical tempo)

Aug. 1st - 30 miles running, 10 miles biking, 7.5 mile walk, 1 yoga class, and 6 days of Supreme 90 day

this is a step back week in total mileage for the week, and a step back in my long run for the week which was 10 miles.  I also planned my long to be in South LA to give me a break from the hills this week.

long run - 10 miles @ 9:05 avg.  The plan was a progression run.  

2 mile w/u - 9:50, 9:29, 

4 miles at 9:00 PLANNED - actual - 8:57, 8:51, 8:58, 8:56

4 miles at 8:45 (MRP- marathon race pace) PLANNED or wished for - actual - 8:49, 8:44.  I bailed on the 8:45 plan and ran the last 2 a little slower than planned.  9:00 and 9:12.  At this early point in my training, AND in the August heat, I decided I wouldn't push the issue.  I was struggling.  I haven't started a training plan yet.  I have been running some quality runs, and I'm upping my weekly mileage, but I'm not on a formal training plan yet.  My goal is to get to Tupelo26.2 with enough distance running to "cover the distance." (NO racing for this one)  Then after Tupelo I will have a recovery week and then start my real quality training for the fall.  

As I bailed on the pace for the last 2, these are the thoughts that go through my mind:

Conversations with ME, MYSELF, and I

*it's only 4 miles at MRP (marathon race pace), come on, you can run 4 @ RP (race pace)

*it's really HOT, it's smart to shut it down (heat index was in the 90s)

*some of the "better" runners, better runner/bloggers would NOT bail on these last 2

*yeah but, most of those runners are in the 20 and 30s, although you try hard to forget it, you ARE in your 40s

*yeah but, you are not trying to run their pace, you are running your plan and you gave up on the plan

*your age has nothing to do with not being able to run 2 more miles at 8:45, heat MAY be a factor, but age.... you can't use that one here...

*this is a mental break - you still have work to do on the mental part - seriously, when will you conquer this mental part of your running. 

*you are "listening to your body" and this is always a wise choice

*if you can't run 4 @ MRP, how will you EVER run 26.2 again at MRP?  seriously!

*you haven't been doing any MRP running yet, today is the first day.  It's totally fine to start here, and move forward.

so in some ways I'm totally fine with where I'm at, adjusting my plan to accommodate the day, but in other ways, I feel I cave, and then justify.  Some of the reasons are valid reasons, BUT.....

Some of the type B and C runners will think I'm "too hard" on myself, some will say "she's crazy."  Then there's the type A runners.  They will say, suck it up buttercup, stop justifying bailing on the plan.   In the end, it really doesn't matter what either side says, FOR ME, it's figuring out what is the real true FACT, not feeling.  It seems that:

*the me in me - seems to think I'm smart and altering the plan is a very smart thing to do

*the myself in me - seems to think I have too many mental cave-in's.  I need MORE "fight to the finish"

and 

*the I in me - thinks BOTH sides have very valid points.

One of my biggest joys in running is my hard run, or technical days.  The joy comes from having a plan, implementing the plan, and COMPLETING the plan on or very near the target.  It gives me a HUGE sense of SATISFACTION.  It completes my run, and in many ways, if I'm being honest, it completes me.  Yes, dorky to many of you who have "real lives", but this is MY PASSION.  The technical part of running is what gives me a HIGH.  Many runners run just for the joy of running.  While I do enjoy my easy days, the "hitting my numbers" on hard days is what keeps me in the game these days.
(no - I wasn't always like this)

So all of the sides of ME just leave me confused, but determined to work on the weakness - the MENTAL me.

RECENT RUNNING SCENES in MS and LA

a steamy start  (#RunMS)

  a beautiful sunrise  (#RunMS)

honey, I want one of these (#RunLA)

or one of these (#RunLA)

#FlowerMS