Livin' the Dream in Lima

Yesterday I ran my second marathon. The day started just before 5am when I woke up to pouring rain and thunderstorms outside. Great . I knew that rain was in the forecast, but hoped and prayed that there wouldn't be any. I got my stuff all ready and ate my Clif bar and we got on the road. By the time we left the hotel, it was only sprinkling outside.  I met up with my BFF Talen before the start and we were able to do a nice little 6 minute jog warm-up together. It was so much better to have someone to stand around and be nervous with. Also - the rain had completely  stopped, which was so so awesome! Trying to stay warm before the start. Pretty soon it was time to start, so we bid farewell and I lined up with the 3:15 pace group (7:27 pace) and she lined up with the 3:25 pace group.  And then the gun went off and we started running! The start of a marathon or half-marathon always seems so anti-climactic to me. So much excitement, and then all of a sudden you...

So... the marathon is rapidly approaching. As in 62 hours until I toe the start line.  Am I excited? YES!  Am I nervous? YES! Am I ready to just get the darned thing over with? Absolutely YES! So let's talk goals for the Illinois Marathon.  Love this quote. My training cycle this spring has gone really well. I've PR'd in the 5km, 4-mile, and half-marathon, all while training for this marathon. I've completed several  long runs - two 18's, a 19, two 20's, and a 21. Along with a handful of 15-17 milers. And I have felt strong! (Unlike a lot of my training runs for last year's Flying Pig .) I think the secret to my great long runs has been the fact that I've had running buddies. I've also gotten the hang of mid-run fueling, which has helped a lot. At the finish of the Columbus Half-Marathon last fall. So, based on my training cycle and recent PR's, I've decided to go for a 3:15 , which is a 7:27 average pace.   Wowza, see...

Getting closer! 6 days to go until the marathon. This was my second week of taper and I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting antsy. I just wanna RUN this race already! I wanted to get in around 35 miles, but got in 40. My only 'speed' workout was a 5 mile GMP run on Wednesday, in which I averaged 7:24 pace. It felt pretty easy, which is a good thing.  I gotta say... it's pretty crazy when your 'long run' of 9 miles seems like nothing.  Weekly Rundown 4/16/2012-4/22/2012 Mon - 5.5 miles easy Tues - 7.7 miles easy Wed - 5 miles @ GMP (7:24 avg); 7.3 miles total Thurs - 5.4 miles easy Fri - 5.5 miles easy Sat - 9.1 miles LONG plus 4 striders Total - 40.5 miles This week, it's all about rest. Which is hard. Well, not hard running-wise, just hard mentally. But it will totally be worth it! I'll definitely be popping in with a Goals post, once I have my mind wrapped around it. --- Other notables of the weekend... My Business Man & I...

First week of taper, done. Not much was different about this week - just a cut-back in overall miles for the week (48 for the week) and a shorter long run. I got in a solid 6-mile tempo run on Tuesday, averaged 6:40 pace. I actually almost look forward  to tempo runs now, which is something that's never happened before.  My other big workout of the week was my long run, 14 miles with the last 3-4 miles at GMP. I decided to tackle this run alone, because as much as I love running with my running buddies, they won't be at the marathon! Mentally, I needed to do a tough long run on my own so that I know I can do it come race day. I ran a big 10-mile loop back to our house, so I could do my GMP miles on my usual tempo route where I know the mile markers. I hoped to hit 7:27 pace, as that would put me right at 3:15 for the marathon. (Which I know there is a pace group for.) After my 10-mile warm-up (hehe... 10 miles... as a warm-up? have I gone mad?), I picked up the ...

Lucky #13... fortunately week #13 was good to me! Last week was the biggest week of this training cycle, and to be honest, I'm glad it's over! While I definitely felt BA with my workouts and mileage, I am ready for a cut-back week. I put in 62 miles total, which is a weekly mileage personal record. Never been in the 60s before! (And I'm not sure I'll ever be there again. :-P)  I had a really great track workout - 4x1600m that went super well. (Aside from the whole locking myself in the stadium and having to climb a 6 foot fence to get out. Heh.) I felt strong on my long run , which was supposed to be 20 miles but ended up being 21.4. The last big long run of this training cycle. Funny that my 14-miler on the schedule for this week seems like nothing.  As for next week, since I'm three weeks out, the first week of taper is here. I'll be cutting my mileage a bit, down to just 45-48 miles this week, along with a 13-14 mile long run. I'm also ...

Gosh I can't believe there's just four weeks left until the marathon! On one hand, I am SO ready for it to be here, but on the other, it doesn't seem possible that I've been training for twelve weeks already. How time flies! Last week was pretty boring running-wise. Lots of easy miles, a short(er) long run of 15 miles and a 6-mile tempo. The tempo run was freakin' awesome though - my first time ever  in the 6:30s for a tempo run! Granted, it was a 6:39 average, but I'll take it! I am feeling stronger than ever in these workouts, which is great for my psyche as I gear up for the big race on April 28. Weekly Rundown 3.26.2012-4.1.2012 Mon - 6-mile tempo run at 6:39 avg (splits - 6:45, 6:45, 6:40, 6:40, 6:38, 6:38, 6:29); 9.2 miles total with warm-up & cool-down Tues - Rest Wed - 7.8 miles easy Thurs - 8.4 miles easy Fri - 5.4 miles easy Sat - 6.5 miles easy Sun - 15.6 miles LONG (7:44 avg) TOTAL - 52.9 miles What does next week look like? W...

I committed a rookie mistake today... I wore my new shoes on a long run. Even my Business Man told me, "You probably shouldn't do that! Don't you  need to break them in on a short, easy run first?" I scoffed at him, and confessed that my desire to run in the new shoes definitely outweighed my risk of ending up with blisters all over my feet. The new kicks. Fortunately, my feet held up just fine! 17 miles, done and done. I'm pretty sure that after 7 years, the Mizuno Wave Creation can do me no wrong. Came home, planted myself on the couch, and got cozy with some tomato soup and grilled cheese. And a side of salt (in the form of pickles & olives). Guess I lost a lot of sweat on the run. My Business Man and I just finished watching the movie Courageous  - great movie!  A little corny at times, a little intense at times, but a wonderful message. And now I'm off to find a little sweet treat to satisfy my sweet tooth... have a great weekend eve...

Hi friends... we just got back from a 24-hour whirlwind trip to Chicago, which was loads of fun. I'll be back later to recap the details, but for now let's talk running! It was pretty cold and nasty this week... so I only got outside a few days. 8*F and severe wind is not my friend! I also got in some good treadmill runs, including this morning at the hotel in Chicago. Love it when hotels have nice workout equipment! Although I did see several runners out along the lake... and it was so bitterly cold & windy. I guess if I lived there I could get used to it. My speed workout for the week was mile repeats - 4 x 1-mile at 6:25, with a half mile jog in between. I ended up on the treadmill for this workout (not ideal), but ended up hitting 6:22, 6:22, 6:22, and then 6:20 for the last one. My legs were definitely burning by the end!  All in all, I got in 52.5 miles, which is just where I wanted to be.  Weekly Rundown 1.16.2012-1.22.2012 Mon - 16.5 miles LONG (8:03 a...

[If you're not into running, feel free to skip these training recap posts.] Week 1 has come and gone and I am feeling good! I got in 48 miles (well, 47.6 to be exact) and felt pretty good on every run. I have started using DailyMile because the website/company I used to use to track my training closed up shop. If you're on DailyMile, friend me here !  Weekly Rundown 1.9.2012-1.15.2012 Mon - 7 miles easy Tues - 5-mile tempo @ 6:42 avg, 8.3 miles total Wed - Rest Thurs - 6.7 miles easy Fri - 15 miles LONG (last 3 @ 7:41 avg) Sat - 5.9 recovery miles, in the snow Sun - 4.7 miles easy Total - 47.6 miles This coming week I'm looking at some mile repeats as my speed workout, hopefully 4x1600m @ 6:25 with 800m jog recovery. We'll see how that goes! Also hoping to get in 50 miles for the week. I actually already completed my long run for this week this morning, 16.5 miles. I know it's not the greatest thing to run long Friday and then run long again o...