what's your song.

Although I don't listen to music much anymore when I run (only because i do about one run per week all alone), I plan on putting together a KILLER race playlist for the marathon. Someone suggested in my comments on my post wondering how to get through the middle miles of a marathon that I should put some of my favorite tunes in the middle of the playlist to get me through. Being a huge music lover, I have to agree. That, along with seeing friends/family on the course are the best solutions to help keep me going in the 'dead zone' of miles 14 - 20. Thanks for the suggestions interwebbers!

So, while I have no problems finding fantastic new music to listen to while not running (i'm posting my top five faves here every few weeks actually), I need some inspiration for running tunes here people. Please offer any/all of your favorite running songs, por favor. Especially since I haven't updated my running playlist since May. Sad. Poutsies.

I promise not to threaten you in all caps to get you to help me out here, I'll just send out the pity vibe... you offered your suggestions on how to help me get through the middle miles, now one-up yourself and offer me a song.

That is all. I look forward to your suggestions. HINT... HINTHINTHINTHINTHINTHINT. Okay, fine, I yelled a little there. But I'm a shamelessly desperate runner here, hoping to run the best race of her life in a few months.... I also love to guilt trip. I hope that worked.

Shameless. Guilt tripper.

ohhhh that's shiny.

You know what I love? Hmmmm??? Yes. Shiny things. I'm distracted by them on a nearly hourly basis.

Okay, that said. Do you know what my favorite shiniest object EVER is? A marathon space blanket.

And do you know what? This weekend marked a monumental event for my cousin the running Rachel (who i'm visiting in next month in chicago and have blogged about here and here, and from now on when i mention her, i will make the parenthesis about her progressively longer pointing out all the times i have mentioned her on my blog)... she got her first marathon space blanket.

*rachel hanging onto shiny object for dear, dear life, you can't see her hands... because IT'S A DEATH GRIP*

Even though it was her third marathon, and a marathon she ran on a whim, on a total of about eight training runs leading up to it this summer. Longest being 15 miles. Yeah, she was supposed to run the half, but got to the expo, was CLEARLY distracted by the thought of getting said shiny blanket and went for the full. Nuts? Perhaps.Rockstar? Definitely. Oh and she did this whim marathon 40 minutes faster than I ran my first one... on a whim. Choice words I have!!

*rachel with her dad, they both ran the full, that was his 19th, wow.*

Congrats on No. 3 (on a whim) and on getting that oh so coveted first shiny marathon object! And for for running an amazing marathon on little training. Someday I'm going to grow up and be like her, even though I'm three years older... And currently can't run. Meh.

*and this picture was just plain ridiculously fun. happppiieeee! who get's this good of a mid-marathon picture? seriously?! awesome*

She reads my blog, so feel free to leave her some mad props!

two weeks to 'm' day and proper race reports (with pictures)...

Dear Interwebs. In less than two weeks I will be on my way to OKC for a fabulous weekend with friends and family. The weekend will be a blast thanks to all the other excitement going on, to be explained at later date! Although I get butterflies lately every time I think of running the marathon, I'm ready to get it over with and look to the next challenge, which I'll tell you about after said race. All in all my calf is doing just okay, hopefully some more massage and PT will help with that. I plan to play my training by ear the next two weeks depending on the whole calf thing. That said, I'm still scared enough to poo my pants that I have only gotten in one 20 miler and it was weeks ago.

*Liz and I before the race, and yes that is a gigantic old school Garmin*

On to the proper race report. It was the Easter Sun Run 10K and it was a beautiful day here in Wichita, FINALLY, after a horrid spring so far we couldn't have asked for a better day. Sunny, low wind, I think it put everyone out there in a good mood. This race was at the Sedgwick County Zoo park, the park I often run at, so it was comfy territory for us. So I met up with Liz and Kristen the running lawyer and we did our thing!

*Liz and I around the 5k mark, I clearly need to work on my arm positioning... and I notice my stride looks really long, is that good or bad? FYI I am the one in the blue shirt ;)*

Overall it was a good race. I intended to go out and just have a good time, and I have to say I had a blast. I forgot my iPod but I didn't care, and actually I found running without it wasn't too bad. I even talked to a few people, got to enjoy the live band and the Derby High School marching band (that was a HUGE pick me up, a lot of fun), it was killer! Like I mentioned no predatory rabbits for me, but I did get a much faster time than I thought, considering I was planning to run it around 9:15 minute miles.

My Splits:
Mile 1 8:46
Mile 2 8:24
Mile 3 8:34
Mile 4 8:37
Mile 5 8:17
Mile 6 8:06

Mile 6.2 2:01
(as you might notice, it takes me awhile to hit my stride, this is the frustrating case in every single run, I don't hit stride until about mile 4 or 5!)

This wasn't a chip timed race so I'm not able to check that and they didn't have stats up on the website yet. But my Garmin said 52:47 and the race clock said 52:59, either way I'm happy with it.

Race Highlights:

• Running the 2-miler with Ed (who I should explain is actually my husband, although I do consider him a friend as well, I think I've confused the interwebs). And running the 10K with Liz and Kristen.
  
• I was mortified by some HORRIBLE woman in front of me who literally yelled and threw her hands up in the air and continued screaming at the poor kid at the 6K mark whose timer watch was messed up so he couldn't offer splits. This woman was an embarrassment to all runners, I wanted to punch her in her saggy gross pantyline showing stupid gray tights... or maybe just give her a straight shot to her ovary, how horrid!Instead I just shot past her, I know this didn't really prove any point to her, but it made me feel better to get away from her.
• Getting my second fastest 10K time, which I know isn't all that fast, but I never really trained for a 10K (that will change this summer).
• Finishing the race with some random kid who didn't want to get chicked (but I edged him out at the last second) I think that was hands down the most fun I've ever had at a race finish. We did the last .2 together and kept each other going faster and faster. Ed said I looked like Phoebe in the episode when she taught Rachel to run in the park, flailing all over the place. He said I looked like a big dork. Newsflash interwebs, I am, point of fact, an enormous dork. It was FUN!

*Last sprint to the finish with the random guy, flailing like Pheobe*

*Me beating the guy! It was really fun having him at the end, he kept yelling, COME ON, COME ON. Hilarious, yet VERY motivational*

*Liz bringing it home*

*Liz, myself and Kristen the Running Lawyer, post race*

*Ed and I after the 10K, but before the 2-mile. He is warm, but he was pissed. I sort of lost track of time between the two races and we didn't have much time to get to the start line. I felt ReaLLY bad about that. But he still took a picture with me!*

Rachel's Marathon Number Two True Rockstar!
Like I said my cousin Rachel did the Illinois Marathon. She raced it with her dad (I should state Rachel actually married my cousin, so we aren't actually related, although she is every bit my cousin as any other cousin I have, but just want to clarify that I don't really know her Dad) who is a veteran 18-time marathoner. And she beat him! AWESOME. Rockstar status right there. Not to mention she moved from Atlanta to Chicago mid-training and had to go on a work trip to the Caribbean (yeah, rough life indeed) last week and got back the day before the marathon. She still managed to beat her dad and beat her last marathon time by 10 minutes.

Here is a photo of her dad and her at the finish. Awesome job to both. I quite enjoyed the race report, including the person who apparently ran the half as a banana (nice) and all the people out cheering them on, and it sounds like an amazing finish down into the stadium. Her Dad's alma mater is Illinois, so I can imagine how great it felt for him to run into that stadium. It sounded like a great race. Hopefully Rachel and I will be doing Chicago together... I am actually more excited about tapping my cousins kegerator during my stint there, than the actual race... what does this say about our family? We rock? You are correct, we do!

Oh and I should mention only 500 women finished the Illinois Marathon and she was 84th. YAY!

This was another long post, but hopefully the fun pictures made it worth it, especially the one of me flailing all about.

Cheers to a great running week my friends!

five weeks to 'M' day...

Just writing the title sort of grounded me. Five weeks, only FIVE WEEKS to my first marathon. All the struggle of training for previous marathons only to get hurt, the heartbreak of all it all, finally I'm going to reach my goal. I hope anyway, as long as my body holds up.

I took it easy last week, I skipped runs like no ones bidness, but I had no choice. I was down with the sinus junk and it wiped me out. I was wiped out period. I was pretty frustrated, beating myself up over missing my runs. But I woke up this morning feeling fabulous, no aches and pains for the first time in three weeks, no exhaustion. I feel really good today, I think the rest was worth it.

So instead of beating myself up, I'm moving on with a positive outlook. The thought of working all week, teaching class in the evening and training in between doesn't seem so daunting this week. In fact, I'm looking forward to pushing ahead and making some stuff happen. Because on top of all that, we are finishing up some home projects thanks to a little appraisal looming over us in two short weeks. More on that later.

I have major fears setting in about the marathon, I'm worried I will be far slower than my goal time of four hours, after the lax training and a slow 20-miler. I'm worried my body will fail or I'll get hurt in the next five weeks. I'm concerned I haven't done enough speed or hill work. But I can't let that stop me.... pressing on.

I have to run six miles tonight between work and teaching. I have to head to the gym for my run, currently the land of oz is in a tornado watch.The thought of a tornado wouldn't keep me from running outside, the climate over the city doesn't really allow for a tornado touch down anyway, so I feel safe no matter what. It's just the current 40 mph wind gusts that I fear! Cheers to a happy running week!

six weeks to 'M' day...

I ran 20 miles today. It was a battle of the wills, me against the dreaded 20. And thankfully I won. That was the most brutal run I have ever done. The Kansas wind was pure evil, it was like running against a wall, sustained winds at 15 mph, with gusts more than 20 mph. We ran into the wind for probably a good six miles, if you have never done that, it takes it out of you like none other. There were many tears involved in several miles of this slow and painful process. But the 20 miles are over, and I know I'm that much closer. Needless to say, my time on this run was significantly slower than my past two long runs. That makes me nervous.

This past week has just been one of those bad running weeks overall. No matter what I did, no matter the rest I had, what I ate, running was just plain hard the entire week. I finally came to terms with that fact that I have had what all the kids like to call 'burnout' (not just in running, in everything) lately. I knew that was probably an indication the 20 would be difficult, so I was prepared. Not to mention my hip has been tweaky all week, the same hip 'thing' that kept me from doing the marathon I originally wanted to do several years ago.

Kristen the running lawyer and I met up and ran about 14 miles together, I peeled off for my last six and she went in a different direction for her last four. She was only doing 18 (since she ran the Princess Half-Marathon last week, her first half ever, MAD PROPS!) It was wonderful having someone along for the windy ride today, I'm so thankful she was there.

I finished my 20 to find Kristen and Ed (they went to law school together and work together, so they are good buds) in the parking lot waiting for me. I started doing my ugly running cry. I was so thankful to see them both. Ed is a road biker and had done a 40 mile bike ride with a buddy, 16 miles straight into the wind, so he was feeling pretty wiped out as well. I had sent him a few texts saying I was doing okay (he is always concerned about the well being of my foot, rightly so) but the run was brutal. He was close to the park anyway so he decided to stop by to cheer me up after my run. It certainly did the trick.

We headed home and I instantly hit the ice bath, then ate--no--inhaled a pita sandwich, stretched, took a shower and took a nap. Then an hour later had dinner and am now icing my hamstring and hip while drinking a smoothie. I really do feel better than I thought I would. I'm sure tomorrow I'll be really sore, but it's the price I have to pay. The price of stupidly deciding I should run a marathon... sigh. It's worth it. I just hope I'm ready.

seven weeks to 'M' day...

I'm pooped. And I hurt. And I probably cried a teensy bit today, all of one or two tears, they were present around mile 16. I'm not trying to whine, just trying to be honest. And I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous about the 18. I was still sore from my 16 and the hill last week and feeling a bit of burnout on everything this week. I was certain this run would be fugly. BUT.... yes there is a but. Good news, It wasn't fugly.

To my amazement my time was faster than my 16 miles last week, I have a feeling that was thanks to the fact that I just wanted to be done running. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the Kansas wind wasn't too horrid. It did provide some resistance on the six miles we did right into the wind, but other than that it wasn't bad.

Katie and Jenn had to do nine miles and I only ran four before they showed up because I was so tired this morning that my body felt heavy so I took it easy. Those first miles alone weren't easy, miles one - three were rough for me, I was tired and my legs were aching, but after mile three they finally loosened up. After those first four I set out with the girls to do 14 more. They ran about 7.5 miles with me, and I'm so glad they did! They helped me keep my pace up. I peeled off from them with 6.5 miles left.

I was carrying sport beans (I just can't get past the consistency of Gu) and finished off one and a half pakcages total during my run. I also managed to finish off an entire 32oz. bottle of PowerAide through those 18. After I left the girls I just wanted to have those last miles over with so I pushed through sore legs and finished pretty strong, but was spent after I finished. I went home and took an ice bath, stretched and surprisingly feel a little less sore than after my 16 last week, but I'm still pretty sore.

I kept reminding myself this is the price I have to pay, these miles count for something and that kept me going. I ended up running those 18 in 2:44:37... a pretty big victory for me.

mid-training motivation...

Ed found an article during his ritual early morning news scour this morning and emailed me the link. I found it highly motivational and simply wanted to share it.

It's a story in the New York Times about a 44-year-old who runs Pike's Peak in three hours, and runs the mountains almost daily. Incredible motivation, in my opinion, for all of us out there training for those 'fulls' this spring:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/sports/othersports/24runner.html?_r=1&em

a 14 mile heart-fest...

Emily and I ran 14 this morning, how sweet is it that we ran 14 on the fourteenth, and it happened to be valentines day? It was like a heart-fest..... and by heart-fest I really mean it was a let's get this motha' finished because it's still 25 degrees and we've been running for two hours-fest. Overall it was a really good run. It was only 20 degrees when we started, but the wind was barely present (in Kansas terms anyway) and it was sunny and clear.

If it hadn't been sunny that run likely would have been unbearable. The only complaint I had was that my legs started to ache around mile eight. My poor little chicken legs can't handle the cold so well, they just get so tight which is really frustrating. Other than that, it was a great run on a new route which we now heart.

To keep us distracted we played 20 questions, it kept us entertained the first four miles or so. But I lost, I couldn't figure out Norah Jones... seriously NORAH JONES, not a hard one to figure out, clearly my mind wasn't so sharp, how embarrassing! After the run I had a lightning speed round of stretching and using the foam roller then rushed to get coffee with Ed (it's a Saturday morning tradition for us) at a local coffee shop. I had just enough time for a quick shower--which solved my achy leg problem--and headed off to teach for the afternoon. I had sympathy on my students and let them out early today under the stipulation they "shoot their footage," but really it just allowed me to come home and lay on the couch.... so devious, yet so brilliant.

As for more acknowledgement of today's holiday, Ed and I celebrated valentines day Thursday night since we loathe going out on valentines. He is out getting steaks and a bottle of wine now. Really for us, there is no better way to celebrate than filet's and wine at home! For now though, it's time for a nap, I gotta rest up for my BEEF!

marathon training has officially begun...

This week marks the start of my marathon training, 15.5 weeks to 'M' day. I trained for two marathons in the past only to get injured at some point during training, it's been one of the most frustrating aspects of my life. So much so that I became the demon child who's head would spin round and round and round and spew filth and vomit at anything who walked her way. This time around I'm going to take it easy, only up my mileage 10% per week, do some speedwork, and go easy on myself if I'm not as fast as I'd like and of course try to refrain from spewing pure evil.

I'm a little nervous though, training officially started Monday, and just tonight I did Monday's run. On Monday I had to do my long run that I didn't manage to do this past weekend. I don't know that it's the best way to kick off training, but I'm catching up and will still start week two next Monday, right on schedule. Ed and I ran three tonight, it wasn't fast but we ran up as many hills as we could in our neighborhood, of course these "hills" are just baby slopes, but it's better than nothing. Plus my body is so sore from weights and yoga I can't even move without hurting, it was a nice calming easy run. The good news is that I have already reached my yoga goal for the week, and only have one more day of weights to meet my weight training goal for the week, so in that regard I'm doing well.

As a treat to kick off marathon training I ordered my Road ID today (a christmas gift from fellow runner kristen) and am scheduling a massage for sometime in the next week. The massage (a christmas party prize i won at work) is more for my aching muscles, I think I torqued something skiing, I figure it will get my muscles all worked out for the weeks to come. Also, in hopes of making it to marathon day, I have reserved my hotel in Oklahoma City.

So here's to praying my guts out that the third time really is the charm!

oh, the plans i have...

Three miles, the total number of miles I have gone this week (I count Sunday as day one). I'm quite proud of myself. One-point-six of those miles were actually "run," the rest I walked. I am waiting on my orthotics, trying to be patient since I'm supposed to wait until I have them to start running again. So far though, I haven't had any problems.

Now I'm set with the dilemma of making a current running plan, with thoughts of running a half in January I better get to it! I want to build my base until January and then start marathon training then, for an April marathon. I plan on doing either the Oklahoma City or Nashville, they are both at the end of April, I'm thinking these are my best options.

I'm praying my guts out that my legs, hips and stress fracture hold up, and I can run the full in April, we'll see. One day at a time. The fun thing is that no matter what race I do, even though I won't do it before I'm 30, I know I'll have friends along. A few are planning to do the half and maybe, just MAYBE (I'm not naming names) a couple might run the full with me. Either way we will all be in it together! Needless to say I'm thrilled. I, in fact, squealed like a little girl. Multiple times. In public. And clapped. Loudly. I may have even looked slightly "dim," it's hard to say. I have no shame.