I'll keep running....
Because it gives me perspective.
Now I realize my problems aren't so big.
My life is pretty great afterall.
And a mile is a lot longer than it seems in the car.
22.25 miles in a huge loop around Cambridge in 3:35:00 [9:39 av. pace]
Today's run was soooooo much better than the 20 miles last weekend! The weather was pretty warm in the mid to upper 40's It was raining a bit when we first started out but stopped in the first few miles which was nice. We still ran though a bunch of big deep puddles of ice cold water but the smartwool socks were amazing at drying! Felt pretty good all the way to the end, but was ready to be done when it was over. The arches of my feet are the only thing that bother me and they hurt pretty stinkin' bad! I have been rolling them on tennis balls and am wearing my Birkenstock sandals around because they have nice big arch supports. Overall great run and I can't wait for the marathon now!!!!!
Ah Monday....I'm not sure why I thought I would spend the evening resting from my long run yesterday when it is Boston Volleyball league night that always needs subs! Ended up playing 10 games in five 30 minute matches. Tomorrow for real needs to be a rest/clean the house day!
5.0 miles on the treadmill at 8:12 pace... felt good, got all nice and drippy sweaty! Working out the cold... determined to feel 100% for the marathon!!!
Seems the running is stirring up the boogers that are bouncing around my skull and forcing them down in my lungs.... coughing up icky stuff like it's my job! This cold will not stop me!
Still sick and even stayed home from work but went to volleyball to do something after being home bored out of my mind all day. Played five 30 minute matches
Ahhhh! Can't run today because we just got 2 feet of snow! Work was canceled, just spent an hour and a half shoveling out my car and the sidewalks and the gym is closed today too!
On a happy note I have a new niece Eve Seraphine born on 1/11/11 and she is a beautiful 7lb13oz (that's how much I weighed too!!!) and 20.5 inches long!!!! Congrats to Scott and Rose!!!
Ahhh!!! Finally getting some miles in this week! Ran 7 miles on the treadmill at the gym in just over an hour [8:34 pace mostly but the first few mins at 8:41] then I jumped off the treadmill, stretched quick, changed and flew over to play volleyball. I subbed for Diana on her 4's team, four 30 minute games. It was some intense play tonight! Same size court as 6's but 2 less people to cover it and we played some really good teams... and beat the first place team both games!!!!
7 miles on the treadmill at 8:34 pace but took it down to 8:00 pace for the last 3 minutes because I was feeling good!
Got the most amazing new 3/4 tights to wear for the marathon yesterday and a whole bunch of strawberry GU Chomps with my super duper money saving Groupon for the Greater Boston Running Co. what a deal!!
stupid treadmill twice said "user not detected" and paused while i was running! sooooo annoying! how does it not detect me? i weigh enough to be detected by weight, i changed the speed so i should be detected by activity, i was sweating all over the thing so i should be detected by perspiration/stink.....what the heck????
also as a side note, people who take baths in cologne before coming to the gym should be quarantined in a special room so I can breathe while running....that is all.
4.0 on the treadmill at 8:19 pace.... felt like I could have run 4 miles in 10 minutes tonight but I kept it slow to keep myself in one piece for next weekend! Oh my god....next weekend!!!!
I love how dead the gym is at 7 on a Saturday night!
Jenny and I met Jenny's friends who are coming down to Miami to cheer us on (well really they are probably going to sit on the beach because this whole week Boston is supposed to get below 0!) for a good luck brunch in Union Square. Yummy!!!
4 miles on the treadmill at the gym at work at 8:34 pace
Got 1 mile in before the facilities guy came into the gym and told me that the men's locker room was flooding with icky gross toilet water and the women's was starting to do the same and that I should get my stuff out of the locker to be safe. I went in and icky toilet water was coming up through the floor and shower drains so I grabbed my bag and went out and finished my run before I realized I couldn't shower and I would have to go back to work stinky.... ick!
Starting to get really excited/nervous for the marathon Sunday.... ahhhhh!!!! I have an insane amount of stuff packed since I am going to be there for a week and a half and I am a crazy over packer and I just throw way too much stuff in a bag last minute. I'm pretty sure I have all my marathon day stuff, shoes, socks, tights, tank, sports bras, fuel belt (and fuel!), sunscreen, watch, and the love of my life....body glide! We have time to run to the store before Sunday if we need anything else. I can't wait to get to the hotel and lay stuff out and have Jenny there to go over things with.....I'm just hoping this Nor'Easter stops in time for me to get out of Logan in the morning....good thing I picked the flight with the 3 hour Atlanta layover! Man I just need to get down there and relax by the pool!!! Jenne agreed to take home my stinky running gear in her luggage since she heads home 5 days before me so I don't have to take them around with me! <3
ING Miami Marathon (26.2 Miles) 04:04:03, Place overall: 1238, Place in age division: 55
Total Distance
26.20
Ahhhhh!!! I finished the marathon!! All that training worked out awesome for me, I ran so strong and felt so good the entire race and even sprinted my heart out the last 0.2 miles to the finish line!
I finished my first marathon with a time of 4:04:03 which was
1238/ 3558 overall
274/ 1257 females
55/ 236 age division
Jenny and I got to the starting area just after 5am and dropped off our bags and talked to a few other runners while we waited to be lined up. All Jenny kept talking about was how she couldn't wait for it to be over, but I was psyched for the whole experience so I tried not to let her get to me. We started the race and because we started with the 1/2 marathoners and there were supposed to be 20,000 runners, it took us about 10 minutes to get through the start line and our first few miles were 11:29, 10:47, and another one or two miles in the 10 minute pace which I knew was too slow but there was no where to go with all the people so I tried to take in the sights of the cruise ships all lit up as we ran over the causeway before the sun came up.
It seemed like the blink of an eye and we were already at the 6 mile marker (half of a half of the way done!! haha) so I was still feeling really good. We ran through and got water at this stop for the first time since the earlier ones were so crowded. We ran up Miami Beach and then back across the Venetian Causeway (that we did a little run on two days before) and before I knew it we were running through the loud and totally crazy "fan zone" at mile 11.... wow almost halfway and I felt like I was just starting!
I couldn't wait to hit the split where the 1/2 marathoners finished so that it would clear out a bit and we would be able to get water better. I noticed Jenny start to fall back a bit but then she caught back up as we rounded toward the half. I checked my watch when I hit the half and saw that it was 2:01:47 and even with the slow start killing some time, I realized that a sub 4 hour was in reach if I could keep my pace. I planned on trying for something between 4:15:00 and 4:30:00 based on training but once I figured I had 4:00:00 in my sight and I was still feeling really good, I found my perfect pace and lost Jenny by mile 14 and kicked it into cruise control and held that pace all the way through the Coconut Grove stretch and back up to the causeway...
Mile 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 done and still feeling fantastic. Everyone around me seemed to be slowing down and struggling and just not looking good, but I felt great, I was still holding my pace, I wasn't tired at all and I knew I only had a few short miles left. I was going to do it! I was passing people left and right coming over the causeway heading to mile 23 and even had fellow runners telling me how good I looked and to keep going strong....I was cruising! Coming off the causeway I hit mile 24 and looked at my watch to see that I to finish sub 4 I would need to finish in 15 minutes.... at that point I knew I couldn't push for 7:30s so I held on and ran my heart out putting every bit I had into every step. Heading to the 26 mile marker I was flying past people and still running straight up and feeling good. I ran like a clydesdale horse lifting my legs up high going up the hill on the grated bridge so I wouldn't trip and fall like the bloody lady I had seen earlier and then there it was, the mile marker for mile 26!!!
From there I could see the crowd get really thick and could make out the balloon arch by the finish line, it was now or never, I knew I wanted to finish strong and I kicked it into a full sprint just like I was running the 100 meters back in high school for the last 0.2 miles and the crowd was screaming when they saw me coming in like a bat out of hell! I crossed the finish line and instantly got the chills and couldn't get the grin off my face, I JUST FINISHED A MARATHON and I DON'T FEEL LIKE I WANT TO DIE!!! In fact, I felt really freakin' good!! I wanted to do it again!
I found Jenne at the finish line and collected all kinds of food and water and waited for Jenny, who finished about 15 minutes behind me to get done. She did not look happy and the first words out of her mouth were "I am never doing that again".... that sucks because I had such a great experience and feel bad that it wasn't good for her. I got my gigantic medal and wore it proudly as I walked back to the hotel and then decided to go back down to the race and walk around a bit. I am really baffled by how amazing it went from starting line all the way to the finish...I couldn't have asked for a better experience, I am amazed at how well I did both with time and staying so mentally focused and just doing it. I can't wait to do it again!!!!
Thanks so much to everyone (especially my bro-in-law Benn) for keeping me motivated and informed through training and being psyched with and for me!
