Here is what is going on....

Well, I finished the marathon. I am quite confident that EVERYONE knows this by now. I am still a little sore on the right leg but I am not worried about it any longer. It is just annoying. I think I just need to be good to it and it will heal. It must be another muscle issue.

I set a second goal and have already completed it. I want to read a book and finish it. I had started Angela's Ashes and DaVinci Code but never got around to finish either. And to be honest, I am not pulled into it to really want to start those again and finish. So, I heard from a couple of my close on line friends that the book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer was really good. I like the thought of vampires so this intrigued me. I had never read any of Anne Rice's books and have no recollection of ever reading a book on vampires before. So, since this was a well received book by many I decided to head to the library and check it out. Well, the waiting list for this book would have me waiting for it until January! So, I bought it online from Amazon and received it in two days. I read it in 2.5 days. I started it Friday night and finished it Sunday afternoon. I was not a book worm and was able to live my life and was able to give my family attention on Saturday. But this book kept my attention and was such an easy and enjoyable read I breezed through it.

I find myself thinking about the characters as if they were real and wonder what they were doing now. It is so silly. But I really enjoyed this book and would suggest it to others. I have even bought the other three that are after this one. I just have to wait for Amazon to mail them to me. I will never ship anything with them under the "Super Saver Free Shipping" again. I purchased the books on October 19th Sunday and was given a shipping date of October 24. Because I was so darn excited to get the books I though the shipping date was the delivery date. Boy was I ticked off when I realized the opposite. In fact, the delivery date was scheduled for November 3rd!!!! I couldn't wait that long. However, I just received a confirmation that they were mailed out today and I should be getting them next Monday. That is much better. And I can't stress to you all enough that I loved this book so much I am going through Edward and Bella withdrawal! So the sooner the better.

I have been pretty down in the dumps lately. I think it has to do with the euphoria of the race and training and now there is nothing. So I really need to pick another goal to contend with. I think I function better knowing that I "must" do stuff for my own good. So, besides reading the next three books in the Twilight series, I need to come up with something good. Nothing too far out there, as if running a marathon wasn't "out there". I am thinking of learning German. I would love to be able to learn another language but I need to be able to utilize it after I learn it. I need to be able to test it successfully to be sure that I have indeed achieved my goal. So, I am not sure if that is something I can really put in as a goal. So, I am on the fence right now.

And finally, I am going to start working out again. I know that my mood has slipped and this has happened before when I stop exercising. I feel so much better about myself when I work out. So, who knows.... I may just run another marathon in my life time. I am sure my Uncle Clark would be laughing right now. He told me from the beginning that once you run ONE marathon, you are hooked and will run another one. I told him he was nuts. I told all of you that running a marathon is nuts....Sooooo..... why on Earth would I consider it again? Because I KNOW I can do it and I want to do better. I want to run it without an injury. I want to run it with the heat factor. I want to run more of it and walk less of it. :) So, as of today, I WILL run a half marathon somewhere and maybe next year I will run the Chicago Marathon again. We have to keep an eye on what is going on in 8 months from now and decide if it is feasible. Well, technically we will have to decide in 3 months since that is when they open up registration. YIKES! I better get to the gym!

I did it!

Greg and I woke up at 5:50 and were on the train at 6:15AM to the race. It was still dark out and it was great that we got to watch the sun rise together on the train. My leg was still sore but I figured that if I could give birth twice, I can at least try to run. The pain in my right leg starts around the inside ball joint in my ankle and runs half way up my calf and a little bit across the top of my foot. We actually got there on time and were so excited with all of the action happening around us. We checked in our bags and headed to the port-o-potty's. We stood in a long line to finally get into a disgusting toilet. I guess 40,000 runners using 100 port-o-potty's with a nervous stomach can make for a disgusting toilet experience.

We then ran down the fence line together and jumped the fence to get closer to the starting line. While we were there we were packed like cattle waiting to be released. We couldn't stretch because we were so packed. A girl fainted and was rushed out by her friend past me. It was so nerve wrecking. Besides the fact I was running a marathon this was the first race I ever participated in. LOL! AND, I am claustrophobic. I am so nuts. I never ran in a race EVER before. And then I was standing there looking at Greg with a bum leg and thought, WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?! Greg said don't look at her. She will be OK. We started moving forward, arm to arm with everyone toward the start line. Greg then asked me if I wanted him to run with me. I thought that was absolutely sweet since he wanted to run it in 3:55 (3hours 55minutes). I told him to run ahead and have fun that I didn't want to hold him back if I had to drop out because of my leg. He was worried about me but I told him I would either be right behind him at the finish line or I would be welcoming him at the finish line by getting a ride with the med crew at any of the water stations. We kissed and we were off.

It was amazing the amount of people that are cheering you on. It was a blur but I remember seeing people all around me. It was awesome. For the first five miles I was very concerned about my leg but the crowd helped me relax a little and keep going. I wore my name on my shirt so the crowd could cheer me on. It was a godsend. It felt good for people to yell my name out and tell me to "keep going", "looking great", "you can do it" and so on and so forth. I finally got to my old neighborhood which is the most Northern part of the race. I remember watching the first Chicago Marathon with Julian two weeks home from the hospital at the corner where we lived. Just thinking about those memories got me through mile 6 up to 8. And then mile 8 was boys town. Yes, the largest gay neighborhood had cheerleaders on bleachers doing a gun twirling routine to Raul Paul's "Work it Girl". It was awesome. I was so entertained and loved it. It pushed me into the next two miles when I was looking for Greg's supervisor who was having a party outside his house where we run past. I never did see them but I guess they were there.

So now, I was getting overly hot. My time was awesome. I was running a little faster then 5 miles an hour. If I could continue that pace I would have finished in 5 hours but it was getting hot. The race alerted the runners that they changed the alert from yellow to red. It was advised to slow down, drink lots of fluids and be safe. If they raised the warning again, they would close the race down. I decided to take a quick potty break around mile 13 (half way) and felt a burst of energy afterward. However, people were starting to walk more. A man in a wheel chair flipped his chair next to me and almost took out two people to my right and me. It was so scary. People ran to his aide and helped him and I stood there like, what do I do. When I saw a lot of men helping him up I kept running. I really hope he is OK.

The city opened up fire hydrants on the race course and neighborhoods set up sprinklers to run through. They were awesome. It started to get dangerous to run around people who were walking. I ran through the middle of the course to bypass many walkers and felt great until I hit a terrible long stretch. There were no trees, no shade, no breeze and no spectators to cheer you on, just hot sun which seemed to last forever. Then, a bank clock registered the time and the temperature. It read 92 degrees out. The pavement was hot and I was so wet, I could ring my shorts out. My shoes were so wet that I could feel water squishing between my toes. But I pushed on alternating between walking and running. I felt bad for not running more at that point but when I hit the next water station that was supposed to have the first nutrition for us (banana's) they were out. No banana's and I was pissed. I was hungry, tired, sore and hot and now I had to run over banana peals.

More people were walking and I decided to walk a little. I speed walked as much as possible but I started to feel nauseous. I wasn't sure if it was all the Gatorade in my stomach or the heat. So, I took another bathroom break and wrestled with my running shorts that were stuck to my legs due to the many water baths from sprinklers, hydrants or bottles of water poured over my head. I finally got out and felt a little better but think I just needed something other then GU and Blocks to eat.

I continued on and it was cool to run through the arches of the Chinatown and see the dragons dancing to the drums. After that I knew I was on the last stretch to the end. I struggled up to mile 25 and decided I HAD to run. I was looking for my parents with the kids and finally saw them .2 miles to the end. They didn't see me, so I yelled HEY at them. My mom jumped up to take my picture but I just wanted to finish. I waved for the picture and head up the hill of hell.





There is a small bridge that we had to run up to get to the finish line. I sprinted to the end. I couldn't believe some of the people sprinting looked like wooden puppets with their tired legs trying to run. Then there were other people who were walking or stopping as they got through the finish line. I had to break through two people to make it through the line as they walked. Oh well. I was so happy to finish.

I wanted to break down and cry. I wanted to see Greg and hug him and cry but it was chaos. I got a foil wrap put on me. I then received a medal around my neck. Then I received, water, banana, bagel and apple. I went to the bag check and didn't' see Greg there. Then I walked toward the family reunite area that was way in the hell at the opposite end of the finish line and found him. By that time, it was at least 30 minutes after I finished, so the tears were gone. LOL! Greg was so worried about me. He forgot to confirm the text message to receive my progress so he thought I never made it through the race. He contacted my parents on my cell phone and my mom told him that they just saw me and I looked great. So, we called my parents and we had to walk all the way back to the finish line to see them. So many people were passing out and I still couldn't believe how many people were STILL finishing the race. We finally found my family and were so happy. The kids were bored but happy to see us again.





I am a little disappointed that I walked as much as I did at the end but honestly, it was not safe to run with that heat for that long. I am happy that I did make my two goals. One was to finish and the second was to finish before 5hours and 30 minutes. My final time was 5:24:31 (5 hours 24 minutes and 31 seconds). I am proud of myself, and am in disbelief that I accomplished this.

I have a few more war wounds that I am dealing with right now. I am so SORE! I can barely walk straight and made sure to walk with the kids this afternoon to loosen up my muscles. I have chaffing injuries on my chest. A two inch rub on my chest from where the elastic on my sports bra rubbed against the water and my chest. Also two separate marks from where the safety pins holding my number rubbed. Of course while I was running I didn't feel it until after the race. I have a blister on the top of my right second toe that is almost the size of my pinky toe (from all the water in my shoes). And last but not least, sunburn. Holy cow, I took about 15 bathes while running so any sunblock that was on was gone. My leg injury never got worse during the race but it still is nagging. If it doesn't clear up by next week, I will see my doctor.

So in the end, it was a success. I had fun, I got to do it, I fulfilled my goal and I finished. But there is no reason anyone should ever run 26.2 miles. That is just ridiculous. Each time I look at the running course I think, did I really do that. That is insane. Would I ever do this again? I don't think so. It is almost like having a baby. You remember the pain at the time and think that you will never do this again. And then, you do it and think, "Hey I survived, I could do that again." So, I won't completely rule it out but I am not planning on doing it again for a long time. I would however, do a half marathon.

And finally, I never knew you could feel so much pain the day after the race. I have been trying to move and do stuff. I took the kids the park about a mile away and to the library and back home. I an so stiff and sore I can't even begin to tell you each spot that aches. I have a feeling tomorrow will be worse.

Here are my stats from the race:

5K:	0:32:40
10K:	1:07:35
15K:	1:43:49
20K:	2:20:30
HALF:	2:28:31
25K:	3:00:57
30K:	3:39:27
35K:	4:21:04
40K:	5:06:43
FINISH:	5:24:31
Pace / mile:	12:22

The count down begins

Well, it is basically Marathon time. My last "long" run was Sunday, a whole whopping 8 miles. It was a good run and the weather couldn't have been nicer. I would LOVE for the marathon to be that temperature through the whole race. It was mid 60's and partly sunny, as opposed to partly cloudy. I am not nervous. I am anxious. I can't believe I have logged in over 400 miles since June 9th. You would think I would be thinner but I am not. I am trimmer in some areas but not in the one area I would LOVE to be trimmer in. Oh well. I worked hard and the journey has been very eventful. I have rode this roller coaster throughout the whole training and I will not give up yet. You see, I am injured. My right leg (soleus area) has been aching off and on for the past few weeks. Usually, when I run it eases and doesn't hamper my run. However, since yesterday and all day today it is throbbing. I am on the fence whether or not I will put in my 3 miles tomorrow. I am actually thinking of biking or elliptical this whole week instead to be sure my leg is strong enough to make it to race day. I will be honest, I will crawl if I have to. I will race and there is nothing stopping me. I am not giving in. I worked TOO hard to make it this far to have my leg opt out. No way! I must be severely insane to be thinking this way. Wouldn't I rather have two legs to use beyond this race? At this point, no, I would rather have one and hobble around for 4 months like before. You can't expect me to give up on over 18 weeks of training because my leg is in pain. So, I am attempting to keep off of it as much as possible these next five days. I have too or I won't be running and NO ONE will want to be near me or speak to me for the next year. I will have this chip on my shoulder and sadness in my heart if I don't complete this task. I must be insane since I am in tears worried that I won't make it to the big day. Ugh.

The longest training run is OVER!

I am so relieved and proud of myself. I finished my 20 mile run on Saturday. It took me just under 4 hours to do and I didn't push myself too hard during it. I had been dreading, loathing and beside myself with fear and stress just thinking about that long run. Most of my issues with it was because my 18 mile run was so horrible. I figured that since my 18 mile was so hard that this would be near impossible. But it really wasn't. I found myself reading blogs and running articles that all said the same thing. The said, go slow, don't be afraid to walk through water stations and be proud of yourself and the training you have done so far. I took their wisdom to heart and I think it made a lot of difference. I also made sure not to run faster then I normally would run since that is what caused a lot of my grief during the 18 miler. I was even able to use the extra energy that I had at the end of my run to sprint home about half a mile. During the 18 mile run, I don't think I could have given any more at the end. As soon as I walked through the door I stretched and jumped into an icy cold tub. My legs and ankles loved me for this. My feet had not hurt during the run which I still think is amazing in itself since that is the one thing that has been constant for the past two months. I made sure to eat my Cliff Bloks and GU during my run. I also appreciate that a few local running organizations offered cups of Gatorade Endurance around my 6 mile mark, 9 mile mark, 11 mile mark and 14 mile mark. I stopped at two of them to rehydrate but I carry my own of G2 which isn't as heavy on the syrup and sugar. I really do not like Gatorade and found that I really run well and stay hydrated with G2. It isn't made to be used during high activity but I figured that it seems to work well with me and I will stick with it. Especially on race day. I will bring my G2 but I will use the Gatorade that they offer along the route during race day. I am looking forward to the race and that is a big difference from a week ago.

I am sure that many of my family and friends think I am utterly insane for even doing this. I think I am. But heck, how frustrating is it to set a goal (especially at New Years Eve) and never achieve it. I wanted to prove to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to. Achieving a goal isn't easy and this was by far no where near easy. I am very appreciative of my husband for helping me keep my eyes on my goal. He would watch the kids for me on Saturdays so I could do my long runs. Sure, the majority of the time they were all sleeping but I couldn't leave my kids alone to run sleeping or not. He almost always asked me "how was your run" and seemed to encourage me, even when I uttered, "it sucked". Having two kids, working evenings and a husband that works during the day was difficult to train but I did it. I could NOT have done it without help and a strong will to achieve this dream. Many people have told me that they would never be able to this, but I by no means am a runner. I never loved running. There were many things telling me that I should stop and that I was too busy or that this was too hard to do. But, I have learned to respect the run and the journey. I have learned a lot about myself and what I enjoy about running at this point. I love being able to free my mind and think about life. I think about all the good things in life and reflect on my past. I have found a happy medium between what I have always wanted to be and who I am. I am not sure if many people are able to see where they have been and who they are now. The journey is where you learn about yourself. You learn about your shortcomings and your achievements and how they relate to the bigger picture. So far, this training has shown me that I am still able to set my mind to something and do it. "Blah, Blah..." people may think but really this wasn't about anyone but myself and I am happy with my journey and myself, no matter how difficult it has been.

I wanted to lose weight, however, my weight has not fluctuated much, but you can see a difference in my build since May. I am disappointed slightly that my "number" weight hasn't dropped, but I FEEL better about myself. I still have areas that I wish would minimize or tighten up but all in good time. If I can run and train for a marathon, I can learn to exercise regularly and eat better. After the marathon, I may still run. In fact, I wouldn't mind running a half marathon but I will not do another marathon. I will probably still run about 5 miles a few times a week but I will not go running 10+ for the pure zest of it.

OK, enough of this meaningless drivel for you all to absorb. I do appreciate you following along so far. I am going to focus some of my attention on what my next goal will be. I have thought learning another language or getting back into art. I do miss and love drawing. Heck, maybe I should start smaller and pick ONE book and finish it to the end. That can't be too difficult, could it?

Training sucks

Well, I truly hit a wall mentally during my 18 mile run. I was so lucky to run along with Greg as my parents were in town to watch the kids. We ran for 3 hours and 33 minutes for 18.25 miles. Around mile 13, I hit a mental wall and it was horrible. I felt overwhelmed, however, my body felt fine running. The only thing that bothered me up to that point was my right foot on the ball of my foot. It hurt but not bad, but mentally I was done running. I started to get upset with myself and found myself gasping for air. My chest was tight as I was fighting back tears and why? I still have no idea. I think I was beating myself up in my head. I don't think the body is designed to run over 3 hours straight. We had stopped long enough to pee in a port-o-potty and ran all the way until I couldn't breathe. We then walked for about .10 of a mile and got some water and I ran the rest of the way, unless I grabbed a drink from a drinking fountain along the rest of the four miles. It was horrible. I hated it. I tried to stay positive but it was so hard and it was too much for me. I have been trying to keep my nutrition up by making dishes recommended by chef's and nutritionists that run marathons. I am really going to need to find someone to help me mentally along the way. I read other blogs where people run with others who help them along the way. I have been training and running by myself for myself. I have been lucky to have Greg run with me three times so far but that is coming to an end as the race nears. A friend of ours that ran the marathon a couple of years ago was shocked to hear that I was running by myself because it is so mentally challenging. She said she could not have ran the marathon if it wasn't for her friends that trained and ran all the way with her. When I asked Greg what his goal was for this race and he uttered out a time to finish in. I told him that what I wanted to do is finish. At this rate, I will be running it, walking it, crawling it, crying it and crossing the line in hopefully 6 hours, as that is the allotted time to finish it.

I am going to run to Fleet Feet soon to pick up some more chews and drink for tomorrows 14 mile long run. Next Saturday will be my 20 miler. God give me strength. I need it....

A week in review

So things have been going well lately. I hit the wall and it sucked. I have since started to watch my protein and carb intake which is starting to help me out mentally and physically. I ran 4 miles on Tuesday and felt great and ran it in 38 minutes. That is much faster then my normal pace. On Wednesday I ran 9 miles in 1 hour and 35 minutes and felt much better the last half of the run then in the beginning. I felt tired and felt a pain in my right leg/foot area. But around 5 miles I felt much better with an occasional twinge but a lot of energy. I have been spending time on a running forum called Runnersworld.com . They have a ton of information and blogs for me to read and relate to. The weather has just changed overnight also. It is now in the 60's and feels great except that today it was storming this morning which meant I didn't get to run my 5 miles. I am going to try to go either tomorrow or just miss it all together. I have stuck to my training schedule and this will be my first real miss out on exercise. But I am also looking at it as reserving my energy for my Saturday run which will be 18 miles. It will be a tough day but I am trying to stay positive about it. Slow and steady wins the race right? Well, I just want slow and steady to finish the race under 5 hours. LOL!

It is also an important next two weeks. Besides the 18 miles on Saturday it is Julian's birthday next Wednesday. I can't believe Julian will be 4 years old. It is crazy how fast the time has flown by. And training for this marathon has been a long task but now it feels like it just flew by. The way things felt to drag out in the beginning and speed up toward the end feels just like both of my pregnancies. You feel pregnant forever and then wham the big day slaps you in the face. I have completed 273 miles since June 10th. That is very amazing for me to see. I am starting to feel very proud of my accomplishment so far. I hope that all continues to go well and I can finish the training and race. The race is in 37 days and counting!!!! WOW!

Week in review

I ran my 16 miles in Hokah at my parents house. It was good. I enjoyed my finish with Uncle Joe running along side me and my other Aunts and Uncles and Grandparents cheering me on. It took me 3 hours to run. That sucks. But I did use the chews which were good and I really didn't care for the liquid powder stuff. It made me think of the colonoscopy drink solution. ICK!

As for today..... I hate running. I just hate this. It is no fun. It is a real drag and I hate it.

15 miles

Today was my 15 mile run. I was not sure if I was going to run or not but I did receive a call from my physical therapist and she said that I should try but listen to my body. Well, the first mile and half I was concerned about the slight twinge in my right shin but it completely disappeared. She told me to be sure to do warm up stretches before I run and to be sure run slower then usual. Well, I ran slower that is for sure. I ran 15 miles in 2 hours and 45 minutes. So 11 minute miles wasn't much slower but it was slower then what I had and have been shooting for. I also spent 20 minutes warming my legs up with warm up exercises and I think that was helpful.

It was not an easy 15 miles today. In fact, I am on the verge of wanting to quit this quest. My feet burned and hurt around the 10 mile marker. I wanted to crawl. I didn't want to feel my feet touch the pavement any longer. It really hurt and my knees were stiff. Running at such a slower pace is only moving my knees a quarter of the "normal" way and it hurt to actually bend them when I stopped for a drink of water and had to bend down to drink. I had to walk through a water break for approximately an eight of a mile because of my knees. And once I started to run again, pure pain in my feet. It felt like my feet were pounding the pavement, barefoot. It was horrible. I seriously considered on cutting back in toward the city and grab a bus home. But I forged on and finished the run. As soon as I got home, I iced my knees and my right shin and still I felt so exhausted and didn't want to do anything but sleep. However, two kids and the open house at the brand new fire station were calling. I had one hour to shower and get ready to get us to the fire station for one hour of fun.

This afternoon, I decided it was time to go to Fleet Feet and get some answers on my horrific pain and to purchase some new shoes and nutritional supplements. Before I ran this morning I had a banana and nutrigrain bar. Last long run of 13.1 miles had me starving at mile marker 7. I was not going to deal with that so I added banana to my morning routine. And drinking Gatorade is just not sitting well. I can't stand the sugary taste in my mouth from the Gatorade. I also didn't like how it would sit in my stomach. I had been reading some of the running forums and people were discussing Gu, NuuN and other energy and electrolyte/energy drinks. I decided that I was going to purchase a few of these and test them out in the next month.

So, my visit at Fleet Feet was a huge success. I had been going to Runners Edge but I got hot and cold assistance from the associates. At Fleet Feet, they were great! Greg and I learned so much about our own running patterns and the correct shoes for our feet. I bought a new pair of running shoes that will be my marathon running shoe. My current shoe was a Nike trail running shoe. It was great for the short runs but the long runs were proving to be difficult. I thought Trail Running would be okay since I was running on some gravel paths and trails, but really trail running is grass and dirt. So, that was one reason it hurt so much to run on the pavement for great distances. Also, I had counted at the minimum 250 miles on my trail shoes and since it was on pavement, it was much too stiff and worn out much quicker then I had anticipated. Second problem of my old shoes, size. I was wearing a 7.5 which had maybe a pinkie finger between my big toe and the end of the shoe when I wasn't running. Since running about one hour or more makes your feet expand, my poor toes were pounding into the front of my shoe. Thus giving me my dreaded black toes, runners toes or bruised nails whatever you want to call it. I don't want to lose my toenail and welcome any advice on saving them. So, my new shoes are a size 8.5! I tried on at least six pair of shoes and the best feeling while running and best fit all around were Mizuno Wave Nirvana 4 running shoe. They were not cheap that is for sure but they did feel the best and that is what makes the difference. And I am fortunate to have earned a Visa Gift Card for $75.00 that went toward the purchase of the shoes. I can't wait to try these shoes out on Tuesday. I am hoping that they really feel as good on, on Tuesday as they did today. Because if my feet feel anything like they did today during my 15 mile run, I am out of the marathon. It truly was that horrible of a run, today.

My nutritional purchases were: Luna Sport Electrolyte Splash Drink Mix, CLIF Shot Bloks and GU energy gel. I am truly hoping that these items help my energy level when running over 15 miles. I also purchased a recovery protein enhanced drink, CLIF Shot Recovery.
The Luna Sport Electrolyte Splash Drink Mix is suppose to give Women Athletes the "right amount of carbs and electrolytes to fuel your workout and keep you hydrated, plus the vitamins and minerals you need". The CLIF Shot Bloks are electrolyte chews. It says to consume 3 to 6 Shot Bloks every hour during the activity and to follow it with water. The GU energy gel is just that. It is suppose to give you "Superior energy and maximum recovery while running long distances. I am to eat this gel every 45 minutes. I will try it and see how it "sits" during my run before I even attempt to eat more then one of these gel packs.

Well, I am hopeful for this weeks schedule. I hope that these shoes will be the difference and that I will feel better. I seriously have considered to quit today and I have come to far to do that now. This week will be hectic. I will get my miles in but come Saturday, I will be running in LaCrosse or Minnesota. Not running in Chicago is difficult. I am so allergic to the ragweed and other outdoor allergens. And, I will be taking antihistamines while I am there and they tend to screw up my system. I don't sweat as much as I am supposed to because the medicine dries me up. So, I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed. Wish me luck!

Robyn Rocks

My girlfriend Robyn was sweet enough to use her Non-sticking electrocautery stick to put a small hole into the top of my left big toe nail to help elevate the pressure from my runners black toe. Oh what a difference a small pin hole makes. After running for the first time on Tuesday with it, my sock was thrown out after the excess fluid was finally released. And now there is no pressure or pain. Robyn Rocks! Thanks again!

Half way mark

Sorry I haven't updated in a week. Last week went well. I had to tweak my normal schedule to help me get prepared for my girls weekend in Minneapolis. So, I ran Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday instead of Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday. My medium run was on Tuesday the day after a horrible storm. We had tornado warnings Monday night and had to seek shelter in the stairwell of our condo building for just over a half an hour. We were OK and the lightening show that evening was amazing! However, come Tuesday morning, it was evident that it was a horrible storm. So many trees were uprooted, large branches littered the parks and trails. A couple of light poles were laid out like a truck had run them over. By Friday, many of the trees and branches still lay where mother nature threw them. I ran my 10 miles on Friday morning and then jumped into a car 2 hours later for an 7-8 hour car ride to Minneapolis. My muscles were so tight that evening and Saturday. Then on Sunday, back in the car I go for another 8 hour car ride home. Monday morning, sore again.

I woke up Tuesday morning and ran my last 3 mile run with no troubles until I got home. My right leg from my soleus to my ankle is in a lot of pain. I decided to not run this morning and hope to continue icing and heating it today. I did a lot of that last night. I am really upset and worried about this. I am just over the half way mark of the training regimen and now I am looking at another soleus issue. This is the right leg this time and not the left, so that makes me a little more hopeful that since I have caught this so early I will know all of the exercises and treatment to help rectify this as soon as possible. I am still pushing for my 15 mile run on Saturday. I really need to keep up my training. I think I will get up to the gym today and bike or do the elliptical to help keep up my cardio for Saturdays run. Wish me luck!

Half Marathon Accomplished

Well, it was a long run today. I had my 13 miles and I decided a week ago that I would do 13.1 to say that I ran a half marathon. And, I did it. I left at 7AM and returned 9:30AM. It was a great day to run. The weather was as close to perfect as I would have liked it. A bit breezy but I really needed it during the run. It was in the low 70's and and mostly sunny. The waves on the Lake were very large and the water looked rough. In fact, I believe the life guards had yellow flags out today for the rip tide and rough waters.

I thought if I left at 6AM no one would be out there. By the time I was ready to go 7:00 popped up. I am amazed at how many people are running that early in the morning. It was a busy day on the trail. There were lots of running groups that I passed and that passed me. It feels so weird to have 9 strangers engulf me while I was running. I kept reminding myself that this is nothing compared to the race in October. I even drafted a little bit behind a group. My pace has become pretty slow. 11.5 minute miles today. I consciencely made the effort to slow my pace down since it is about endurance and the training sites recommend going about a minute slower then your normal pace on your long runs. It was harder on my knees to not go as fast but I didn't feel winded at all during my run. I just felt tired and my knees and feet hurt around 11 miles to the end. I need new running socks and shoes, that is for sure. My shoes are trail running shoes and I need something with more shock in the balls of my feet and no more slipping around inside. My poor big toenail(s) look dark and dreary. They are still pretty good with color but I can see the trauma starting to take its toll.

So it has been six hours since I got back and I feel like I am in need of a serious nap. I iced my knees and ankles when I got back but the balls of my feet can use some serious TLC. Next weekend, I am to run a measly 10 miles for my long run. I think I am going to do it on Friday before I leave for my girls weekend in Minneapolis. I would hate to take away from all the girl fun by running 10 miles in the morning by myself. Then on Saturday we are going for pedicures. This will be a way to thank my feet for being so good to me for these past few months. :) And hopefully, the TLC will make them feel and look better.

Gravity

Yikes! I thought it was humid yesterday. It was HORRIBLE today. I was out at 6:00am and it was thick. The dragonflies were just floating in one spot. No breeze and so thick they may have been swimming in the air. My face was just wet with sweat, it was nasty. Oh and today there must have been something wrong with gravity. My running shorts and my running tank both kept going up. I spent more time wiping sweat from my face and pulling down my shirt to cover my stomach, then pulling the athletic spandex part of my running shorts down from my upper thigh. Thank God it wasn't going up my rear! Since running I have lost weight and the spandex of the shorts are a bit loose. It does not make for a good running experience. Mental note: do not wear either item again. Especially not for a long run. I might come home with my shirt wrapped around my neck like a scarf and my shorts looking like a thong.

Mid week run

It was hot, humid and great. I ran my 6 miles this morning in this thick, humid and hot heat. Running didn't offer me my own breeze that I had hoped for throughout the run but a couple of times I did get a warm breeze brush past my face. I am actually looking forward to Saturday's run. Looking forward to running 13.1 miles! I must be insane. I have yet to really look forward to running these long runs but I am actually excited to do this. I wonder if it is because it is half a marathon long. I just hope and pray that the weather is nice and not raining and hot and sticky. I know I can do this. I know it will not be easy but I KNOW I will feel accomplished by just completing this long run.

I am going to try to find a new pair of running socks. I am thinking that my prosthetic and the running socks are making a slip and slide in my shoes. I never had any real pounding issues before but when I am wearing those socks vs. the cotton socks I was using before, I find myself moving around in my shoe more. I just don't care to have toe and feet issues while training. So, maybe I can find another pair of running socks that will not jeopardize my training.

This past weekend

I was not in a good mood Saturday morning when I woke up. I didn't get a good night sleep and have no idea why I just couldn't sleep. But I woke up at 6:30 and knew I had a list of things to do before I hit the pavement. I had to throw into a slow cooker, 6lbs of pork and BBQ mix. As I was making the BBQ mix, I decided that I couldn't substitute 3/4 cup of ketchup with BBQ sauce. So, I drove to the Kwik Trip one mile away from my parents house (as we were there to celebrate my daughters 2nd birthday) to buy ketchup at 6:40am. They must have thought I was insane. Anyway, I drove back and finished putting everything together in the crock pot. I then woke up Greg and finished getting dressed to run. I saw that my mother was up and informed her that the kids were still sleeping. As I was ready to get the car keys to go, Greg told me he thought we should just run around Hokah for our 12 mile run. I was annoyed. I was planning on running the trail again. Running on CTY 7, CTY 26 and CTY 16 would be hot. But I gave in with a bunch of grumbling and we walked down the hill to the road.

County Road 7 wasn't bad. Greg wore his GPS Timex watch which told us the mileage and how fast we were running. It was very peaceful and scenic. We had a couple of dogs bark at us and one goat "muahhhh" at us on our run. It was shocking how easy it was to run. I was even running with my new water bottle and had no problems. In fact, I would recommend Ultimate Direction Access Water Bottle for anyone looking for a water bottle and pocket. http://www.runningunlimited.com/asp/product.asp?pid=594 The run was very uneventful and traffic was really light. We saw lots of dead frogs along our way and at one point I thought a blackened banana peal was a frog carcass. It helped keep the run light and entertaining. The whole route from my parents driveway to Cty 26 to Cty 16 to Cty 7 and to their house again was 7.5 miles. So we ran back down toward Cty 26 and over the bridge and back to round out 12 miles. We finished 12 miles in 2 hours 11 minutes and 11 seconds. So we were running between 10 minute to 10..50 minute miles. Not bad for a long run.

We got back to the house to find out the kids had just woke up 30 minutes before we showed up. Why do they not sleep in when we all could sleep in? Anyway, we ran our errands and celebrated Marissa's 2nd birthday the rest of the night. The bad morning turned out to be a great day and fantastic night.

Crossing over

So, I have been true to my training schedule. I haven't missed a day and have been putting in at least the recommended mileage if not a mile more. I just found out yesterday that my 3 mile run is actually .05 miles shorter then a 4 mile route. So that is nice to know that my easy 3 mile is actually an easy 4 mile and my 4 mile is actually 4.65 miles. This weekend, Greg and I will be running our 12 miles together in LaCrosse. I hope my allergies don't kill me. We will also be celebrating Marissa's 2nd birthday that afternoon. So far, the weather looks perfect.

The weather this morning for my 6 mile run was perfect. It was seriously, cool and sunny and clear. There was a small light breeze and the path was super friendly. I really think that running outside is much better then on the treadmill. I remember when people asked me where I would run and I would say on the treadmill and then they would look at me like I was nuts. So, I have officially said it. I prefer running outside then on the treadmill.

My Uncle is preparing for his fifth marathon. He has given me a new website to help plan my routes and mileage: http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/ . I have been using http://www.walkjogrun.net/ which is nice too. He also suggested that I really look into my nutrition, as it is very important. I have been eating well but I know that I can do better. So, today I attempted to look up marathon training nutrition and all I get is generic statements about being sure to drink plenty of water and be sure to drink Gatorade for anything over 60 minutes. It also says to stay away from fried food and greasy foods. These to me are no brainers. I guess I was hoping to find some awesome recipes and a sample meal plan. I guess I will have to do more research on this.

And last but not least. I may have started to have my first toe injury. It is all too common for marathon runners to get black toe. Sounds beautiful doesn't it. It is when the blood in your toes basically gets pushed forward and breaks capillaries under the nail bed. The last few sites I have visited regarding this says if you have black toe, you must be training for the marathon. So I guess I have crossed over. Yikes. This is not the celebration and congratulations I was looking for to join the elite MARATHON TRAINEES. I would have rather enjoyed a toast with the ol' water bottles.

How NOT to recover after a long run

Greg and I went out for dinner Friday night to celebrate our 7 year anniversary which will be Monday. We had hoped for a movie too, but this was the opening day for The Dark Knight which basically sold out all theaters in the whole Chicagoland area for the day. It was a chaotic mess one block around any theater. So, we made the best out of having a great free babysitter and hit a restaurant without kids. By the time we decided on a restaurant, finally seated and ate it was late and we headed back home with our stomachs packed with food and drink. I went to bed around midnight.

I actually fell asleep and didn't worry about my Saturday "Long Run" because it was a measly 7 mile run. That was my shortest long run since I began training. Now all long runs will be over 10 miles except for the week before the race when I will put in 8 miles. It was really not a bad run but I had to do it on the darn treadmill again. I woke up at 5:30 to rain and went back to sleep. I woke up at 7:00 and still rain. I put on the weather and saw that it "may" be letting up in an hour. I fell back to sleep for another hour. Finally at 9:00, I made my way to the 28th floor gym. It was humid and hot up there. I jumped on the treadmill and ran. I finished 7 miles in 1 hour 10 minutes (10 minute mile). It was not a fun run at all. I was bored and found myself fixated on the red LED numbers of miles and time slowly moving on the display panel. Even my music wasn't helping as I would glare at the digital read outs. The windows were so hazed up and rain just ran off each pane that I couldn't even stare into the neighbor building to get my mind off of the sticky heat. When I hit 5 miles I had taken off my shirt and was running in my saturated sports bra. I didn't care who came up to see me at that point. My legs felt a little tight and a few spots of straining or twinging that I knew it would be a good day to ice them.

I got downstairs and immediately stretched and iced my legs elevated while I flipped through the channels. I was still sticky and wet from my run and knew a shower would feel good. However, with Greg home, I thought, a bath would feel even better. So, I set off for my nice peaceful bath. I ran the water to a nice warm temperature and settled in. Between 5-10 minutes, Julian was the first to come in. He laughed at me since I take up the whole darn tub and that is the tub that he bathes in. He asked me if he could pour the water on my hair and wash my hair in the tub like I do to him. I told him that when it was time for that I would let him. He then left and I am guessing he then conspired with Marissa.

Next, Marissa was in the bathroom. She looked extremely concerned and left. Next she came in with a red walrus bath toy that she over hand threw at me. I told her "thank you" and she smiled and left. She then came back with a Discovery Toys Sub, three piece tub accessory that sits across both sides of the tub, Diego, a foam camel and a purple elephant strainer. She then starts to take off her clothes. I actually found it cute and funny. I haven't taken a bath with my kids for months, maybe even a year and now Marissa is excited to take a bath with me. So, I let her join me. She played for about 5 minutes and was enjoying her time playing on her end of the tub, as I was now sitting upright and smashed to the left of the tub. I tried to relax. It wasn't easy as she thought splashing me was fun. I splashed her back and she told me NO. I tried to shave my legs but it was too cramped. So, I attempted to relax. Next thing I hear is a grunt from my sweet daughter. And then, I witness the nuggets. I jumped out of the tub as fast as humanly possible. How could my daughter sabotage my relaxing bath like this. Heck, she had no real idea what was happening either. When she saw how fast I exited the tub she turned around to be horrified by her own creation and tried to leap out of the tub too. I sat her on the potty while I drained the tub, took out the toys and disinfected them in the sink, cleaned out the tub, scrubbed the tub, rinsed the tub, cleaned the sink, all the while Marissa was telling me about Dora and Boots on her potty ring in her limited English of "Doorahhhhh, Booooooots, Mom~ Mah". I then ran the shower and put her in with me to wash her down. She HATES showers. She may hate showers as much as I hate soaking in poop baths. I finally got her washed down and sent out of the tub and I finished washing myself in the shower. I am not positive but I believe I had sweated through my bath and my shower. Could my attempt at a relaxing bath to help soothe my achy muscles be more of a work out then my 7 miles an hour before? Quite possibly...

Mental note, "Don't leave the bathroom door unlocked when trying to take a peaceful relaxing hot bath." Ahhh, the joys of motherhood.

What a sunrise

This morning started out a bit rocky. I had to share my bed with Julian who was up throughout the night asking me for some water. He refused to drink any of the pedialyte and he had last been sick around 6pm on Tuesday. So I am sure I got about 4.5 hours of sleep total and was up at 5:20am. I should be somewhat used to getting 5 hours of sleep or less since getting pregnant with Julian back in February 2004. However, within the last three months, my kids have actually been sleeping and running has really helped me sleep at night. I have been getting about 7+ hours of sleep lately and I am still trying to make up hours from the past 4 years. But, it was nice to wake up and watch the sun rise again this morning.

There is something about watching the sunrise in its blazing red glory that helps pump you up for a run. Or maybe it is the fact that I knew that this sunrise meant that I had to get in gear since the temperature was already in the mid 70's and the heat index was also in the high 70's. With the sun out it would only get more difficult to run my 5 miles. So I set off for my run and enjoyed the last of the cool morning dew.

I am very impressed with the amount of people out at 6am running, walking and biking. I guess I would have thought that since it was so early that many people would still be home in bed. I think I saw more people out this morning then when I run an hour or two later. It is also nice to be able to run the trail with other people who share some sort of goal. I like to think that the majority of people I see and recognize each morning will be joining me at the start of the Chicago Marathon. That we will all try to conquer our minds and body and run 26.2 miles together.

As I run, I am constantly being passed. I started to think, who are these people who pass me when I run. I know that I am not running my absolute hardest, especially on such a hot and humid morning as today, but some of these people are flying past me. There are different types of people passing me by. You have tall and slender men, sometimes in packs of two or more, built rock hard ab women who sport their midriff in a sports bra and short running shorts, and many cyclists with or without helmets. Some of these cyclists are completely decked out in bike race gear. I think many of them are in a race for their life every morning when they fly past people with no regard to the runners who are on the gravel shoulder. I wonder if the handful of them that show no regard to runners ever realize that they are doing exactly the same thing vehicles do to them by braising past them when they have plenty of room to actually go a little wide around the others. I think it gives them their morning rush for speed and danger when they don't share the trail. I am all about bike safety and see many cyclist who enjoy a fast and fun ride and also share the trail with others without putting lives at risk, so it is possible. Anyway, I digress, those are the ones that pass me by when I run. I am not upset that I am passed because when it comes to the marathon, it is all about endurance and not how fast I can accomplish it. Yes, I would like to be done sooner then later but I first and foremost, I want to finish.

As I came up to my condo after my five miles, I looked around and saw that the sun was now high above the horizon and the bus stops were filled with sleepy eyed people who have yet to finish their first cups of coffee. And I thought, "I am so glad that I got to watch the sun rise and wake up to such a magnificent sight of the lake and nature in all its beauty. Unfortunately for many of these people, they will be waking up, face to face with strangers on a packed bus." I am very fortunate and I thank God for it everyday.

Good morning vomit

Nice way to start out a blog huh? I was up early for my run today and was just getting my shoes on when Julian says, "Mommy....Look". He was pasty white and there was vomit all over the place. All over his stuffed monkeys, pillow and blankets. This is not how you want to prepare for your morning run. Especially since the weather today is heading into the 90's quickly. So, I cleaned him up and gathered up previously mentioned items, set him up in our bedroom while Greg got ready for work. I threw everything into the washing machine and continued out the door for my quick morning run. It was a good run because I had to do it at a much quicker speed then I am used to for a short morning run. I wanted to get back home to care for my little man. I put in just under 4 miles, even though my training schedule only suggests 3. I prefer to run a loop instead of running to a marker and back, so it is always closer to 4 miles for my 3 mile run. I even give myself a little longer run on the 4 and 5 miles runs to be sure I am working up my endurance.

Well, I have to make this short since I am sitting next to the sick one with my lap top. At any given moment I may end up grabbing a pail for him.

Mind Games

Ahhhh... I love mind games. Really, I am kidding. But that is what these runs are starting to become. First of all, I wake up to thunderstorms at 5:00am, fall back to sleep only to wake up on my own at 6:15. It was still raining and that means I can't run outside. It was REALLY coming down too. So, I laid in bed for about 30 minutes hoping to fall back to sleep. My mind was just racing on what to do. If I can't run outside, then I will run on the treadmill upstairs for 10 miles. I can't start running in the gym until 8am since the people who live below the gym just moved in and don't like the pounding. The gym has always been there so if you didn't like it, you shouldn't have bought it....sorry, that is a rant for another day. So, I would love to go back to sleep for an hour but I keep thinking about how I just want to get this run out of the way. I checked the TV stations and they said that the weather this morning is, "wait and see". So, there is a possibility that it will clear up and a possibility that it will rain off and on. I got up and checked the windows and it looked like it was easing up. With that on my mind, I couldn't just go back to sleep. I would hate for it to clear up and I missed an opportunity to run outside. I sat in the kitchen eating my banana and keeping my eyes peeled on the sky. It was still raining at 7:15 and I decided that I would do my run upstairs in the gym. I got dressed, rubbed myself down in body glide and put my new running socks on. For a moment, I felt like an experienced runner. :D I kissed the kids good bye and woke Greg up to watch them. They had already snuggled into the bed with him and started to watch cartoons. I was off.

I started to walk the stairs to warm up but I became winded and decided that I needed to conserve my energy at the task on hand. I jumped on the elevator on the fourteenth floor. Yes, I only walked up 6 flights of stairs. My mind decided at that moment that I am not cut out to be an athlete. I tried to focus on what I was about to attempt but the sappy old music system had me humming to "careless whisper" by George Michael. I jumped off the elevator and was in the gym at 8:05. No one was there. This pleased me. I jumped on the east treadmill since that one doesn't automatically shut down after 32 minutes. I hit play on my IPod and I started my long run.

My IPod has many songs but over half of them are crap. I need to reformat my song lists. But I do have one saved play list that is better then ok and less then great. My play list features: Uninvited by Alanis Morissette, I'm a Slave 4 U by Britney Spears, The Power of Love, A New Day, It's All coming back to me, That's the way it is by Celine Dion, Fix You by Coldplay, Here with Me by Dido, Escape, Hero and Don't turn off the lights by Enrique Iglesias, Unwell and Back to Good by Matchbox 20, All You Wanted by Michelle Branch, You wanted more by Tonic and All I Want by Toad the Wet Sprocket. I just realized that the last three songs are different forms of WANTING. I guess that is pretty fitting because when I get to these songs I just WANT to be done. I try to find myself listening to the songs and not thinking about the sweat streaming from my pores. But I am not going to sugar coat this, it was hard to run in one spot with my IPod. With each song, I knew where I would be if I were running outside. And looking out the window 20 minutes into my run I could see I should have sucked it up and ran outside. It didn't look so great in the beginning but it was clearing up. I kept thinking in my mind that if I just run 5 miles on the treadmill, I could jump off and run downstairs and run another 5 outside. But then when I got to 5 miles I thought, the elevator will take forever to get here and I will have to ride it down 28 floors, probably with other people all the while I was drenched with sweat. So I pressed on. I then thought, maybe I should just run 7 miles on the treadmill and 3 outside. I run three miles outside during the weekdays and it is easy enough. And then as 7 miles came up I realized that I was making awesome time. It took me 69 minutes to run 7 miles and the treadmill stopped. It went into cool down mode. Whoever heard of a treadmill quiting after 69 minutes or 7 miles? So, my great pace was suddenly stopped and I had to reset the treadmill. I did all this while taking a few drinks from my water bottle. I started up again and felt glad that I didn't try to go outside as my legs started to feel tight in those 30 seconds of resetting the treadmill.

Those last 3 miles were hell! I slowed my pace down to 5.8 and felt as if I was finally waking up. I am not sure if my body clicked on some sort of endorphins that mimic caffeine but I felt like my eyes were wide open. I began to wonder if I was overdoing it and then I started thinking that if 10 miles was this tough how the heck am I going to do 12.2 more in 13 weeks. I also decided that I will not run another marathon in my life after this one. I was glad that I only had 3 miles left but they felt like a lot longer then the previous 7 I had just ran.

I had made great time running on the treadmill. I was running at 6.2 which was almost at my pre injury pace and a bit faster then running outside with the elements. I ran 10 miles in 100 minutes which is 1 hour and 40 minutes. Last weekend, running with Greg I ran 9 miles in 1 hour 35 minutes. So overall, I did really well. I also had no injuries and no pain. I made sure that I iced my legs after my run. The anti chafing stick worked as I had no wounds. The running socks were ok. They took the sweat from my feet and I think pooled it into my shoes. That is how it felt to me half way into the long run. I will still use them and hope that this is a just getting used to them feeling. :)

In conclusion, I did it. It was not fun and it was not terrible all the way through. I feel great NOW knowing I can do it but a few moments I really questioned my sanity. I think there are going to be many more mind games between me and my inner me. I am beginning to think inner me is the most logical one. The stubborn me says stick to this goal and complete it. The inner me says that I am a nut case. So far, nut case is winning.

'Twas the night before

So, tomorrow morning is my 10 mile run. This should be exciting and fun and yet, I am sitting here worrying and dreading the day. What ifs are crossing my mind. What if it is raining. What if my leg hurts. What if I am too tired. What if it is too hot. I can run upstairs on the treadmill if it is not nice out but there is apart of me that still worries. I love getting the run out of my way early in the morning so I have a full day to not dread or worry over it. Why must I make this such a production?

I have been sitting here plotting out my path. I have run this path many times but not there and back. I have taken the kids on this path to the park that was near my previous address. I usually sit there for at least an hour before walking or maybe jogging back in the past. Plotting my path has taken about 30 minutes of my time, or just about 3 miles in a run. I am wondering if my leg is going to hold out for this run. I have been feeling a lot of pain in my ankle of my left leg and I have no idea why. I hope I don't get any new injuries, aka chafing.

I bought some new running items today. I returned my amphipod running belt. I attempted to use this last weekend. I thought that I needed 4 ~ 5oz water bottles attached to my back to slow me down. Yes, to slow me down. LOL! The damn bottles did hula hoops around my waist. I thought for the first two miles that I was going to just throw the darn thing in the bushes and if it was still there, I would count my luck. However, my running partner, aka Greg or my camel carried our four pack water bottles. And they came in handy since there is no water fountains or bubblers to drink from along the trail in LaCrosse. So, I returned it today and exchanged it for a smaller, cheaper one for my next venture on an unfamiliar trail. I also picked up body glide and will be using it tomorrow. I have also stepped over the line from recreational runner to trainer when I bought my very first pair of running socks. No more cotton socks for me. 100% cotton socks can cause blisters to your feet when running long distances. So Running socks are made of two lightweight, moisture wicking material. It helps prevent blistering by absorbing the friction between the layers. Feet stay dry as the inner layer wicks the moisture away from the foot and into the outer layer for evaporation. Interesting right? I had no idea until Greg mentioned this to me a month ago. After my very minor brush with chafing last Saturday, I will really try to be more proactive in my injury preventions. So, tomorrow I will wear my first pair of running socks while lubed up on body glide. I will leave the water bottle at home since Lake Shore Drive has many water fountains (blubblers for all of you Midwesterners). :D

Tune into tomorrow when I let you know how it went. Here is to a blissful evening, and a great sleep. *Fingers crossed* I am home alone this evening watching my two minions running crazy in the living room. Come to think of it... I think they created a running shrine in my honor and are chanting good luck vibes....

The training schedule

Since I was given the go ahead to run it has been a slow go. My leg has yet to feel 100% pain free when I am running. It concerns me. However, it feels better after I run about a mile. When I am at home, I don't have real problems with it. Sometimes, I feel a pull or a twinge in BOTH legs but that is about it. I try to ice it after each run and I do stretches after I run. Before I start my run I have a routine. Wake up at 6:00 AM, eat a nutrigrain bar, drink water, pop a Zyrtec and two ibuprofen. This is the one constant so far in my morning. I have started to walk down the stairs instead of taking the elevator to help my legs and feet warm up. So far, so good but I really don't know how much that is helping. I am afraid of stretching before I run because I really do attribute most of my first injury to my stretching. So, I am at a loss as to what I should do to loosen up my soleus muscle so that first mile isn't so difficult. I also have found that since I started running outside and not on the treadmill, I have slowed in my pace. I used to run 6.5 miles in 1 hour. Now I am down to a 10 minute mile or 5.75 to 6 miles an hour. What that means in the larger picture is that *if* I can run the race with a constant speed pace I could have finished the marathon in approx. 4 hours 10 minutes or so. Now, I can run it at 4 hours 30 minutes or so. And when running that distance every minute matters. I hope that this training schedule that I have fallen upon works wonders for me.

I found online and a few people recommended it to me, Hal Higdon's novice marathon running training schedule. It is basically a schedule starting 18 weeks out. He basically sets the schedule at resting on Monday and Friday, short runs on Tues, Wed, Thursday and your LONG run on Saturdays, while you cross train on Sundays. This works out PERFECT for me. Since I signed up for the marathon, I took a part time job at night(6pm-10pm) Sunday-Thursdays from home. So, running at night is not an option at all any more. So, I must wake up at 6:00 to prepare and get myself out for my morning runs before Greg goes to work. So far, this has worked well. And since it is summer, I am able to get out there before it is too ungodly hot. For my long runs on weekends, Greg can watch the kids while I commit to an hour or more for my long runs. So here is the schedule:
Week 1 ~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 3 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 6 miles
Week 2 ~ Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 3 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 7miles
Week 3~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 4 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 5 miles
Week 4~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 4 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 9 miles
Week 5~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 5 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 10 miles
Week 6~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 5 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 7 miles
Week 7~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 6 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 12 miles
Week 8~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 6 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 13 miles
Week 9~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 7 miles ~ Thursday 4 miles ~ Saturday 10 miles
Week 10~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 7 miles ~ Thursday 4 miles ~ Saturday 15 miles
Week 11~Tuesday 4 miles ~ Wednesday 8 miles ~ Thursday 4 miles ~ Saturday 16 miles
Week 12~Tuesday 4 miles ~ Wednesday 8 miles ~ Thursday 5 miles ~ Saturday 12 miles
Week 13~Tuesday 4 miles ~ Wednesday 9 miles ~ Thursday 5 miles ~ Saturday 18 miles
Week 14~Tuesday 5 miles ~ Wednesday 9 miles ~ Thursday 5 miles ~ Saturday 14 miles
Week 15~Tuesday 5 miles ~ Wednesday 10 miles ~ Thursday 5 miles ~ Saturday 20 miles
Week 16~Tuesday 5 miles ~ Wednesday 8 miles ~ Thursday 4 miles ~ Saturday 12 miles
Week 17~Tuesday 4 miles ~ Wednesday 6 miles ~ Thursday 3 miles ~ Saturday 8 miles
Week 18~Tuesday 3 miles ~ Wednesday 4 miles ~ Thursday 2 miles ~ Saturday 0 miles SUNDAY RACE!

Last weekend was my 9 mile run and we were in LaCrosse, Wisconsin for that. We ran the Great River Trail and it was awesome, perfect and beautiful. I was concerned about mosquito's and the humidity because they have been dealing with a lot of rain lately. I didn't need to worry because there was minimal gnats and no mosquito's as I ran. OH! And I had a running partner. Greg ran with me. It was nice to run with him. I have been training by myself and he has been doing his own training by running home from work. He was really impressed that I could run the 9 miles without stopping. I was also impressed that I was able to do it. He is 6'4" and I am only 5'7" so his stride is a bit longer then mine and he used to be a runner. We ran the 9 miles in 1 hour and 35 minutes. We had a 12 minute mile in the mix when we ran up a bridge with no shade and the sun beating down on us. I coined it the bridge of death. We survived and I was thrilled that we ran together. The only injury from my first real long run... chafing. Let's just say I will not be wearing those shorts again on a long run. I will have to go out and buy myself some body glide. I guess many runners swear by it. I will NOT go another long run without that, that is for sure.

So, there it is. My training schedule. So far so good and I have not missed one day yet. *knock on wood*

In the beginning....

Here is my first post or blog. I think that it would be helpful to me to see my accomplishments if I were to track them. In order to track them I will have to start at the beginning. So here I go...

I was so sick and tired of how I looked after I had my second child. I was always a slender person and I have genetics to thank for that. But after having two kids within 2 years of each other can really send a body into a funk. I tried to do random things to help me get back my figure but I wasn't seeing the best results. So, I set a goal to start exercising and made it my New Years Resolution. I never keep a New Years Resolution and thought, I better do this. So I started to get to the gym upstairs in my condo at least twice a week. I loved it! I was never a runner prior to this and now, I loved the freedom of going upstairs away from the confines of my home and all the people in it. It really refreshed my mind and reset my mood. That was the first noticeable change in me since starting on the treadmill. I then saw the love handles slowly diminish and the sway under the arms start to firm. After a few weeks, I was in the gym at least 3 to 4 times a week. I would start with 20 minutes on the eliptical to warm up and then run for 30 minutes on the treadmill. The room was usually empty and the view of the Chicago skyline and the Lake were so beautiful that I found myself lost in my music and pace. Many times in my run I felt that it was easy to run and that if I could run 3+ miles and feel this great that I should consider the Chicago Marathon. That would be an awesome goal to accomplish for myself. Running a marathon has always been one of those things people say they wish they could do or would like to do in their lifetime. Many people don't get the opportunity to do it because life happens. So, I mentioned it to my husband. He thought it was an awesome idea, but he also said that it isn't as easy as running 5 miles at a time. I knew that this would be a huge deal and took it to heart. I would really need his support since training would really be difficult with two children, both under 4 years of age. I would have to rely on him to watch the kids at night so I could get upstairs and run when he came home from work. He was on board. So, I was ready and mentally decided I would sign up for the marathon.

On February 1, 2008, my husband sent me a message from his work. It was one of the most frightening messages I had ever read from him. The header read "2008 Marathon", the message, "I signed up. I encourage you to think about it. I will help you find time if that's what is holding you back." And he added the link to the registration. My heart raced as if I was int he midst of my first race. A hot wave of heat seared through my body and my hands shook. Here is the moment *I* had wanted to do. That *I* thought would be an awesome task to accomplish. Carpe Diem! It was the day to sign up for the marathon and yet I was scared. I got up from the table and had a bazillion thoughts race through my head. I loved running but could I do 26 miles and 385 yards? I never finish goals and this is the first one that would have a tangible deadline. I sat back down and clicked the link. I registered at 9:52 AM and received my confirmation. I was signed up to run the longest run of my life in 8 months. I felt relieved and refreshed and inspired. This inspiration sent me to the gym nightly for a good hard run for the next few days.

I was shocked at how fast I started out and kept trying to go further and faster. To me the marathon was 8 months away and I was already doing so well that this training stuff was in the bag. This was my first mistake. As I was running on February 8th, I felt a twinge in my left shin. I thought I was having a shin splint but I was still able to run but not as fast. I slowed down a little and finished the last mile in my exercise. I got off the treadmill and had a hard time walking. I made my way back to my condo and told DH that I needed to get off my legs because they hurt so bad. I had stretched for the first time PRIOR to running that evening. I used to just jump on the eliptical and warm up with that and then hit the treadmill running~ sprinting. But I just felt like I should stretch for a change to get the best work out. That was a mistake in itself. I sat on the couch and iced my leg and complained about the pain but kept referring to it as a shin splint. I went to bed about an hour later because it hurt so bad and felt that if I stayed off of it, it would heal. Saturday morning was HORRIBLE. I could not put any weight on it at all. It was so bad. I was bummed that I hurt myself but assumed it would heal in time.

Time did not help at all. I had not been able to get a good exercise in since the fateful day. On my birthday, March 1st, I still had a hard time with steps and any tip toe action. I finally went into my physician. She sent me for an x-ray and assumed it was a stress fracture. The x-ray came back normal. She suggested that I get a hold of my physical therapist and see what she thought. I called my PT Loren at Athletico. She is great. So down to earth and really sweet. I told her about my pain and how it happened and I was off to see her. She gave me some exercises to do at home and said that an injury such as this usually runs its course 6-8 weeks. I continued to do my stretches for the next 3 weeks with no relief. I called her again and we set up a few appointments. She figured out that I had strained my soleus muscle pretty bad. In fact, it was trying to heal but my fabulous flat feet were making it difficult. I was fitted with prosthetics and I started my twice a week visits to Athletico. For one month we worked to strengthen my soleus and my feet and I could feel some relief, finally. She gave me the go ahead to start to run again, on May 21st. She said to start out slow. I was so thrilled. I was so depressed that my body was falling back into a slump and my mind was so beat up at the fact that my body was failing me but not my will. And so, I was on my way to make it back to the gym.