The More I Run...

My goal this week was to get over 11 miles done.  If I was able to do that, great.  If I was able to do more, even better!  If I was able to get to 18-20 miles, perfect!

So I might not have gotten to the 18-20 mile mark, but I did run more than 11.  I was able to get in 13.18 miles... just over the half marathon mark.  The best part, it felt better for longer.  Almost to mile 9 I was feeling pretty good with only a few small annoyances.  That's what I've decided most of my aches and pains are... annoyances.

The picture above came to mind during my run.  I was so impressed with how good I felt and how strong I was feeling.  I was so proud of myself, partially because the night before I was so tired and sick of running I wasn't even sure if I was going to get out there and do any of these longer runs.  The night before my run I was at one of my lowest lows about my feelings toward running... kind of like a runner's depression, but I got outside and I was able to run 13 miles!  So, so proud of myself.

I've realized my biggest issue is the lack of true strength training.  It's going to be on my focuses, I think, for next year and my next (shall I really say it?) marathon.  If anyone has any favorite circuits or routines for strength training for runners, I would love to hear them!

In other news, another reason I had to run yesterday... Christmas party!  I hosted my work's cookie exchange and white elephant.  The hard part was that I was on my feet for a majority of the day AFTER my run, but I did get to eat all these yummy cookies.  My red velvet cookies were a big hit and considering how addicting they are, I'm stopping by work today just to get them out of my house!

The Heart of An Athlete

Right before the Wine and Dine half marathon, when I was supposed to be "resting" I discovered some news that at the time I thought was Earth shattering, but has luckily been handled.  I found out that I had been wait listed for vacation time on the Sunday of the marathon.  They adjusted the rest of the week, but not the ONE day I needed.  My parents said I was over reacting, but at the time, all I saw was all my hard work going down the drain...

I knew my friends, family, and coworkers all knew how much this run meant to me.  Of course it's the 20th anniversary so that was a big deal, but it was also my very first full marathon.  That's something I never thought I would even consider doing and here I am actually getting excited about it!  So of course it was a huge disappointment that I wouldn't be able run.  I have literally put blood, sweat, and tears into my training and I could see it just evaporating into thin air. As weird as it was, it was like getting a broken heart and instead of it being over some boy (because men know better), it was over the race.  That's the heart of the athlete... Some call it dedication, others call it obsession, I call it love.

Now that I've calmed down and talked to my managers, I've been assured that one way or another, I will be getting that Sunday off.  Whether I trade the shift or get an authorized day off, I will be running in 2 months from today.  To say my stress level has fallen in the last few days is an understatement.

And yes, the marathon is in 2 months... 61 days... that's it!  I have 2 long runs left, a 23 miler and a 26 miler, but considering I've gotten my 20 miles in, I've relaxed in that sense too.  I do want to get at least 1 to 3 more 20+ miles in before the race, but we'll see how that goes.  I did read that since I did get to 20 miles I should be fine as long as I can keep my base up.

I really can't believe I ran 20 miles last week, but I did it and I'm extremely proud of myself.  It's interesting seeing just what I'm capable of, especially the things that I didn't think I would ever be able to do... like a marathon.

Slowly Catching Up

Considering all the candy I ate last night (thanks to the lack of trick-or-treaters), I really needed to stick to my plan and complete my long run this morning.  Now, I've been fighting my legs and all the different problems they seem to have for a while now, but I think we've finally come to an agreement (or at least a compromise).

Earlier this week I was able to get in a nice 5 mile run... it was one of my best feeling runs in a while.  It gave me hope in all honesty.

So this morning I was able to build on that 5 mile run and get in 9 miles.  I was debating 10 miles, but my legs were already burning, it was cold out, and I didn't want to push myself too far and create anymore issues.  Anyway, next week I have the Wine and Dine Half Marathon so that's when the real pushing will happen.  Next week I'm supposed to run 20 miles, probably won't happen but I've been playing with the idea to run 7 miles the morning of the half and then the half that evening which technically equals 20... right?

The great thing was that I only had 3 miles that were at a 10+ min pace, most were around 9:50 or below which got me really excited.  So maybe while my endurance was having issues, my strength and speed were actually improving, I just didn't see it.  I'm still nervous considering the marathon is just about 2 months away, but I know I'll finish it one way or another. Maybe I'll finish hard, maybe I'll crawl across the finish line, or maybe I'll stop in EPCOT on my last mile and cross the finish line with a few drinks... who knows, either way I'm finishing.

Marathon Dreams

I was driving around the Walt Disney World property today and checking out all of the stuff they've already got up for the Half Marathon and Marathon this weekend.  It made me start thinking about a few things...

First, it started bringing back memories of the Princess Half from last year which made me excited for the half this year.  I was wondering if they would have the same characters out or if some of the same signs will be out again?  My favorite sign they had on the course was about taking naps:

Still, now I'm excited for the Princess and getting anxious for that weekend to finally get here.

Second, I'm thinking about doing the full marathon in 2013.  This Sunday would mark 1 year until the race then so I have a lot of time to train and actually decide if I'm going to do it or not.  I have a friend running the WDW Marathon as his first marathon, and well his first race in general so I might follow in his footsteps (kinda) next year.

Never in my wildest dreams growing up did I think I was going to even consider running a marathon.  When I was competing in triathlons, I refused to even consider the farther distances because of the run... and yet here I am looking at doing 26.2 miles!  As soon as I decide if I'm going to do it or not, this blog will be one of the first to know...