The marathon is so close! I'm very excited, kinda worried. Jim gave me the last part of my training instructions yesterday. Today I was supposed to run for an hour. It was a practice that had me running for 9 minutes, walking while hydrating/gel pack for 1 minute. So I hit my stopwatch at the starting point and started off very slow.
I went out 30 minutes, turned and came back. When I got to the place I'd begun I hit my stopwatch. 45:52. Doesn't make any sense. I ran faster on the last half?? The only thing I can think of, is that I've been training for this marathon since the first time my feet hit the pavement back in October, and Jim has trained me to conserve energy in the beginning. That way I have something left for the last leg of every run. So I'm used to speeding up when I know I'm almost done. I really thought I was keeping a steady pace. I went out and drove the loop I ran and it was exactly 4 miles.
I'll mention it to Jim tomorrow.
The run felt great, I was very hot (88 degrees out today) but overall I felt terrific. No achilles pain and the gatorade/gel pack combo didn't bother my stomach. I didn't drink the whole pack though. A little more than half. I did notice I seemed to sweat more today, I don't know if it was because I was properly hydrated this time or because it was so hot out. I don't usually drink during a short run like that. But anyway I feel great.
Tomorrow I have yoga and elliptical training. Not sure the extent of that yet, Jim will let me know after yoga. Thursday I have core exercise class, not sure what else. Friday I'll run with the YMCA Runner's Club. It's supposed to be a light easy run, but I'd LOVE to see how fast I can do it. Depends on who runs with me. If it's Jim, he'll reign me in...if it's Mike, he'll make me fly.....lol.
Saturday is rest day. Rest from training anyway. My son Robby has his Pinewood Derby race in the morning, then we'll take him to lunch. We have a hotel for the night before the marathon, so we'll head out for that once everyone is settled in.
I am very excited!!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Boca Grande 5K
I woke up at about 5am this morning for the race. Had my usual bagel with peanut butter, juice and this time a Slim Fast. My stomach can't handle the energy drinks right before the races and I noticed the Slim Fast has just about the same stuff in it. I tried those instead before a few of my long runs and I did fine with them. They taste 100% better too.
This was my 4th race, and last race before the marathon. As you know, I pulled my achilles and just got over the flu so I had 2 things I was watching for during this race. Most important was how that achilles would feel and secondly, if I could beat Mike Moses. JUST KIDDING!! HA!! Ok, not really kidding. I did want to beat him, but I knew I couldn't. And I was right, he left me in the dust. Whatever, his day to lose to ME is approaching.
Anyway, I was also watching (and feeling) how my endurance would be. Jim told me to run the 5K either before or after the actual race in addition to, but I decided to just enjoy today. I'm finally getting to know some people who I don't get to talk to anywhere but at the races so I wanted to visit a little. I'm glad I did, I saw many people....Chuck Johnson is one of my faves, he did awesome, coming in at 1st place for his age division. (YAY CHUCK) I saw Jackie and Sherry, who both did phenomenally well (GO GIRLS....we need to run together soon) Josephine (blue sneakers) was there (I love her!!) I got to talk with a lot of Zoomers too. Great group of people. The support I got from so many people today gives me the confidence to run that marathon. It's a wonderful feeling having people come and give words of support. I drove home today thinking about how well everyone did, and I'm happy to be a part of it all. I wish I could name them all here, but I know you all know who you are. xxxooo
SO...I took off at the starting line, a little quick but in much better control than I've had in the past. I kept up with Mike for about 2 minutes (LOL) then fell in behind him. I concentrated on finding my pace and realized I felt very comfortable as I passed marker 1 mile 9:30 minutes in. I kept that pace and walked the water table. Got right back into it and really felt fine. Of course now, sitting here, I can't help thinking I should have gone faster but I know I did the right thing keeping that pace.
I want to go much slower for the marathon, about 11-12 minute pace for that. Anyway, I saw Bethany around mile marker 3, as she was running the 5k AGAIN (no wonder she has such a killer bod) She yelled out good job, gave me a boost, and I picked up my speed a fraction. I saw my neighbor PJ (we call him the hunky fireman here in the neighborhood....lol) He's a Boca firefighter. He knows CPR. HAHA!! He's gonna kill me for this....heehee....When I saw the finish line I sprang into action! I passed 'em on the left, I passed 'em on the right....I flewwww....ok, I'm exaggerating a tad. I only passed 2 people and that was by mere seconds but it still felt great. I looked at my watch and saw I probably wouldn't beat my 30:52 PR from the last 5K. I was hoping to beat that. Oh well. But wait....guess what? I did beat it. By 2 seconds!!! I got a kick out of that.
The difference between the last 2 races was huge though. I was not as exhausted this time and my muscles are not bothering me at all, even right now. I see that my overall endurance and physical feeling is much better now. Which tells me this: I COULD have gone faster, but I was in control this time. I stayed on pace for once. This means more to me than beating my PR. My chances of finishing the marathon and actually doing well is coming into focus. I learned to pace myself above trying to win today and for me, that's a pretty big deal. I feel like I hit a new level of running this morning. I feel in control, healthy, ready, willing and able to run my first marathon in a week. I'd love to finish in 5 hours, but you know what? I'm going to that marathon in a new frame of mind: To finish happy. To have a good time. To talk with people along the way and relish the experience.
Jim told me I was an athlete last week. To hear those words from the person who has helped me all this way, who trained me and taught me this specific method to running a marathon was thrilling. It meant more to me than any medal I've won. As I stood there cheering on my fellow Zoomers and runners as they got their trophies this morning, I wasn't called. I placed 8th in my age division. I leaned over to Chuck and said..."I didn't win this one", But I felt more proud of myself in today's race than in any other race I've run, because today's race, I was in control. I ran this race as an athlete. So I did win.
This was my 4th race, and last race before the marathon. As you know, I pulled my achilles and just got over the flu so I had 2 things I was watching for during this race. Most important was how that achilles would feel and secondly, if I could beat Mike Moses. JUST KIDDING!! HA!! Ok, not really kidding. I did want to beat him, but I knew I couldn't. And I was right, he left me in the dust. Whatever, his day to lose to ME is approaching.
Anyway, I was also watching (and feeling) how my endurance would be. Jim told me to run the 5K either before or after the actual race in addition to, but I decided to just enjoy today. I'm finally getting to know some people who I don't get to talk to anywhere but at the races so I wanted to visit a little. I'm glad I did, I saw many people....Chuck Johnson is one of my faves, he did awesome, coming in at 1st place for his age division. (YAY CHUCK) I saw Jackie and Sherry, who both did phenomenally well (GO GIRLS....we need to run together soon) Josephine (blue sneakers) was there (I love her!!) I got to talk with a lot of Zoomers too. Great group of people. The support I got from so many people today gives me the confidence to run that marathon. It's a wonderful feeling having people come and give words of support. I drove home today thinking about how well everyone did, and I'm happy to be a part of it all. I wish I could name them all here, but I know you all know who you are. xxxooo
SO...I took off at the starting line, a little quick but in much better control than I've had in the past. I kept up with Mike for about 2 minutes (LOL) then fell in behind him. I concentrated on finding my pace and realized I felt very comfortable as I passed marker 1 mile 9:30 minutes in. I kept that pace and walked the water table. Got right back into it and really felt fine. Of course now, sitting here, I can't help thinking I should have gone faster but I know I did the right thing keeping that pace.
I want to go much slower for the marathon, about 11-12 minute pace for that. Anyway, I saw Bethany around mile marker 3, as she was running the 5k AGAIN (no wonder she has such a killer bod) She yelled out good job, gave me a boost, and I picked up my speed a fraction. I saw my neighbor PJ (we call him the hunky fireman here in the neighborhood....lol) He's a Boca firefighter. He knows CPR. HAHA!! He's gonna kill me for this....heehee....When I saw the finish line I sprang into action! I passed 'em on the left, I passed 'em on the right....I flewwww....ok, I'm exaggerating a tad. I only passed 2 people and that was by mere seconds but it still felt great. I looked at my watch and saw I probably wouldn't beat my 30:52 PR from the last 5K. I was hoping to beat that. Oh well. But wait....guess what? I did beat it. By 2 seconds!!! I got a kick out of that.
The difference between the last 2 races was huge though. I was not as exhausted this time and my muscles are not bothering me at all, even right now. I see that my overall endurance and physical feeling is much better now. Which tells me this: I COULD have gone faster, but I was in control this time. I stayed on pace for once. This means more to me than beating my PR. My chances of finishing the marathon and actually doing well is coming into focus. I learned to pace myself above trying to win today and for me, that's a pretty big deal. I feel like I hit a new level of running this morning. I feel in control, healthy, ready, willing and able to run my first marathon in a week. I'd love to finish in 5 hours, but you know what? I'm going to that marathon in a new frame of mind: To finish happy. To have a good time. To talk with people along the way and relish the experience.
Jim told me I was an athlete last week. To hear those words from the person who has helped me all this way, who trained me and taught me this specific method to running a marathon was thrilling. It meant more to me than any medal I've won. As I stood there cheering on my fellow Zoomers and runners as they got their trophies this morning, I wasn't called. I placed 8th in my age division. I leaned over to Chuck and said..."I didn't win this one", But I felt more proud of myself in today's race than in any other race I've run, because today's race, I was in control. I ran this race as an athlete. So I did win.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Da Do Run Run Run, Da Do Run Run!!!
Remember Shawn Cassidy???? LOL When I was in 3rd grade I had a light blue satin jacket with Shawn Cassidy on the back. My best friend was so jealous. This song popped into my head this morning and I thought I'd share the chuckle with you!
Well...for the first time in 3 weeks, I really feel like I'm back on track. I kind of took it easy this week at the gym, I didn't want to stress out the achilles and I still have a little cough. I did upper body workouts, elliptical twice, yoga, and an exercise class to gently work up to a nice little run for this morning. Mike Moses is fast becoming my new running partner. He's a trainer at the gym too. He tends to push me for speed, which in the beginning was hard for me, but now I relish the competition. Someday I am going to beat that man in a 5K. Yeah, there I said it! Haha!! I'm going to beat Jim too. I'm not going to mention this again. I'm hoping they forget and while I train mercilessly, maybe they'll slack off and I'll beat 'em. I think that may be the only way I will actually beat either of them. It's a fun new goal anyway.....
This Saturday (tomorrow) my husband and I are taking the kids to a fun walk on Venice island. It's to support my local YMCA! I love those guys over there. I need to walk it because Sunday morning I'm doing a 5K on Boca. That'll be a great race, very scenic. After that I won't be running more than 2-3 miles until after the marathon. I want to keep my muscles from getting strained. I want to be in top shape and well rested for the big one!
I ran 2 miles with Mike this morning after my core exercise class. I forgot to set my stop watch (GRRRR) but the 2nd mile was about 9 minutes, which means the first one was a little faster. I did not have even one twinge of pain. My achilles is all healed. My endurance was better than I expected for not having run for 3 weeks, but the elliptical probably helped that.
I am SO looking forward to this marathon. I can't even find the words to explain it.
Well...for the first time in 3 weeks, I really feel like I'm back on track. I kind of took it easy this week at the gym, I didn't want to stress out the achilles and I still have a little cough. I did upper body workouts, elliptical twice, yoga, and an exercise class to gently work up to a nice little run for this morning. Mike Moses is fast becoming my new running partner. He's a trainer at the gym too. He tends to push me for speed, which in the beginning was hard for me, but now I relish the competition. Someday I am going to beat that man in a 5K. Yeah, there I said it! Haha!! I'm going to beat Jim too. I'm not going to mention this again. I'm hoping they forget and while I train mercilessly, maybe they'll slack off and I'll beat 'em. I think that may be the only way I will actually beat either of them. It's a fun new goal anyway.....
This Saturday (tomorrow) my husband and I are taking the kids to a fun walk on Venice island. It's to support my local YMCA! I love those guys over there. I need to walk it because Sunday morning I'm doing a 5K on Boca. That'll be a great race, very scenic. After that I won't be running more than 2-3 miles until after the marathon. I want to keep my muscles from getting strained. I want to be in top shape and well rested for the big one!
I ran 2 miles with Mike this morning after my core exercise class. I forgot to set my stop watch (GRRRR) but the 2nd mile was about 9 minutes, which means the first one was a little faster. I did not have even one twinge of pain. My achilles is all healed. My endurance was better than I expected for not having run for 3 weeks, but the elliptical probably helped that.
I am SO looking forward to this marathon. I can't even find the words to explain it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Getting Back On Track.....
Ok, I went back to the gym yesterday for the first time in over a week. (I had the flu) I did some upper body weights, rowing and some crunches. It felt great to get back in there. Jim basically said one word to me Monday....ELLIPTICAL. I tried that in November and just did not like it. I could only do about 20 minutes on it and then I'd need a 3 hour nap. So I used to walk past it and pretend it wasn't there.
Today I was determined to spend some time with that elliptical machine. I went in around 12:15, lunchtime, knowing the place would be pretty much abandoned. I figured that way no one would be there to see me moan and complain to myself.
This time I was prepared. I had a big gatorade, the fan blowing on me and my iPod. I even took the time to program in my age/weight and started off slowly. For some reason I had no trouble. Except that I had programmed it for 30 minutes figuring I'd be done by then, so I was shocked when I glanced down and it had stopped keeping stats. I set it for another 30 minutes, picked up my speed and it happened again! This time I set it for a WHOLE HOUR. I went a little faster too. I finished 2 hours on that elliptical. I can't believe it. I also drank the whole gatorade, keeping hydrated. I averaged 164 heart rate, which is aerobic, so I'm happy with that. I have no idea how many miles because it kept resetting, but I was going for endurance anyway.
Honestly I could have kept going but I started thinking about the laundry! Can you believe it??? Perfect excuse for skipping the housework and I get obsessive. Nice. Not that I'm doing the laundry right now anyway. Kerri and Kirstin were here when I came in so I visited with my daughters for awhile. Then I ate 4 potato skins, one cupcake, a handful of chips and some more gatorade. And I'm thinking of going back for another cupcake. WHY do I crave this stuff after a great workout????????????
I am running a 5K on Sunday. Boca Grande 5K. It's supposed to be beautiful. I think a bunch of Zoomers will be there. I missed the festival Of Lights race last weekend because I was still sick, so I'm looking forward to this one. Sherry did FABULOUS on her first race, finishing at 32 minutes!!!! YAY Sherry!!!!! Chuck did his usual superb job, finishing in 20 minutes, but he didn't realize he needed a chip!! His time wasn't recorded. I told him he should have grabbed mine. I'd LOVE a 20 minute finish time in my name....LOL. Maybe I will someday.
Tomorrow I have a yoga class in the morning, then I'm going for a 3 mile run from there. I haven't run on the street yet since the achilles pull and the flu, I'm very curious to see how that'll feel. I think tomorrow will give me a good feel for whether I'm all healed and healthy.
Cross your fingers!!!!!!
Today I was determined to spend some time with that elliptical machine. I went in around 12:15, lunchtime, knowing the place would be pretty much abandoned. I figured that way no one would be there to see me moan and complain to myself.
This time I was prepared. I had a big gatorade, the fan blowing on me and my iPod. I even took the time to program in my age/weight and started off slowly. For some reason I had no trouble. Except that I had programmed it for 30 minutes figuring I'd be done by then, so I was shocked when I glanced down and it had stopped keeping stats. I set it for another 30 minutes, picked up my speed and it happened again! This time I set it for a WHOLE HOUR. I went a little faster too. I finished 2 hours on that elliptical. I can't believe it. I also drank the whole gatorade, keeping hydrated. I averaged 164 heart rate, which is aerobic, so I'm happy with that. I have no idea how many miles because it kept resetting, but I was going for endurance anyway.
Honestly I could have kept going but I started thinking about the laundry! Can you believe it??? Perfect excuse for skipping the housework and I get obsessive. Nice. Not that I'm doing the laundry right now anyway. Kerri and Kirstin were here when I came in so I visited with my daughters for awhile. Then I ate 4 potato skins, one cupcake, a handful of chips and some more gatorade. And I'm thinking of going back for another cupcake. WHY do I crave this stuff after a great workout????????????
I am running a 5K on Sunday. Boca Grande 5K. It's supposed to be beautiful. I think a bunch of Zoomers will be there. I missed the festival Of Lights race last weekend because I was still sick, so I'm looking forward to this one. Sherry did FABULOUS on her first race, finishing at 32 minutes!!!! YAY Sherry!!!!! Chuck did his usual superb job, finishing in 20 minutes, but he didn't realize he needed a chip!! His time wasn't recorded. I told him he should have grabbed mine. I'd LOVE a 20 minute finish time in my name....LOL. Maybe I will someday.
Tomorrow I have a yoga class in the morning, then I'm going for a 3 mile run from there. I haven't run on the street yet since the achilles pull and the flu, I'm very curious to see how that'll feel. I think tomorrow will give me a good feel for whether I'm all healed and healthy.
Cross your fingers!!!!!!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day!! My favorite holiday!! Here's a picture of my husband and I, yeah, I KNOW he's a looker....LOL...back it up ladies! Hahaha!!
Ok, I'll admit right up front the reason for this posting today. It's so I can boast about my wonderful husband (again, I know). Guess what he got me for Valentine's Day???? A gold necklace with a woman running charm!! I can't believe he even found one!! I'll take a picture of it later and post it. I love it!!! I'm going to wear it to the marathon for good luck. He got me a dozen roses too, maybe I'll save a few petals and stick them in my pocket that day for a little extra luck. Can't hurt, right? And after the last 3 weeks between my achilles and this flu, I need all the help I can get.
I can't say what he got since he didn't get it yet. I've been sick so he has to wait until this weekend. Not fair, I know.
I'm feeling much better today, I'm actually going to make it into work tonight. I plan on running Friday with the Runner's Club at the YMCA. If any Zoomers are reading this, there's an open invitation to run with us on Fridays. You don't need a YMCA membership for this, but if you DO have a membership, you might want to come an hour early for the "core" exercise class. Perfect stretches before a run, I LOVE that class. We do yoga on Thursdays too. I'll post something to the group in yahoo today also. This may sound like an advertisement for the YMCA, but I can honestly tell you I LOVE it there. The exercise classes, yoga, runner's club and all the people there are friendly and supportive. Upon sign up you'll get 30 minutes with Jim, the wellness coach who will take you around and help you set up specific workouts for your goals. He's the one who set me on this marathon road. He was the very first person who told me I could do this. Sometimes I walk in there not feeling too positive and I ALWAYS walk out fired up and knowing I can do anything. If you need this type of support, you won't be disappointed.
Geez, that DOES sound like an advertisement....haha!!
Ok, keep running! I'll see some of you Saturday night at the Festival Of Lights race!!!!
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