Skip to main content

That time when I signed up for a marathon that's only 6 weeks away...

Yea, that happened this week. It's actually now only 5.5 weeks away. Yikes!

Sure, why not?

I haven't been in a running routine since I was training for Boston last spring. Through May & June, I kind of lost my running mojo and it was really hard to get motivated. I told myself I was 'recovering' from Boston. (Which is totally legit.)

Somehow I squeaked out a 5k PR on July 4, without doing much speed work at all. I've been running most of the summer, but no real training plan or focus. At the end of August, I found myself telling someone that I was still 'recovering' from Boston... 4 months later. Lol, don't think I can use that as an excuse any more. :-P

So, one of my running buds here in the Bean Town runs the Columbus Marathon every year, and I have run the half-marathon the past couple years. I've done a few of her long runs with her, and last weekend we did 14. I felt pretty good, so I decided to go ahead and sign up for the half-marathon. But... the half was already filled up, so I did the next logical thing - signed up for the full! Haha... it is on October 20, so just 38 days away.

I have a strange sense of peace about this race... I know it's very unlikely that I will PR so I am going in with a 'just have fun' attitude. Usually I plan out a whole 16-week marathon training cycle, with tempos and hill workouts and three 20+ mile runs. This time, I think I will try for a 16, 18, 20, and then taper. It has actually been a lot of fun to approach the marathon in a pressure-free way. (I know, I am the one who usually puts the pressure on myself to perform well. It's so hard not to when you are putting in a lot of hard training!)

So we'll see how it goes. In other news, I finally broke down and got one of these...



I have been using a Wal-mart watch for the last 5 years or so. Its only function was to keep time, so I would either just run for time or map the route when I got home. Well, my Business Man had some extra points in the prize-catalog at work and gave me free rein. (Which was like the best day ever. Think back to fundraisers when you were a kid... the more junk beautiful knick knacks you sold, the better prize you got to pick from that rockin' prize catalog. This was just like that, but without the door-to-door selling and disappointment of never earning enough points!)

This pretty green watch was in the catalog so I decided to go for it. Now, I don't really use it much besides start & stop like my old watch. (I have no idea how to set it up for intervals and whatnot.) But it is so fun to see my splits & elevation broken down after the run! I have noticed that my first mile is always a lot slower than the rest. I'm pretty sure that's because I am sleep-running that first mile. 

On a more pathetic note, I did a depressing 'hill' workout on Tuesday. First of all, I went out around 10:30am on a day where it was already 88*F with something like 85% humidity. Not the wisest choice. So I ran my 400m 'hills' that I have done in the past, where I run hard (but steady) up the hill and then jog back down. I came home, so excited to see the elevation climbs on the watch. I pretty much climbed mountains! (Or so I thought.) And... it was a total elevation change of about 50ft. Haha, so hardcore. Not. Oh well, at least it was something.

So, I might be back to blog about marathon training. (Or 'marathon training'.) But more than likely I won't, since my track record of blogging hasn't been so great lately. At least I have an excuse to eat more carbs now...
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Arrival of Something New...

Woo hoo for the last Friday of the school year! And only one more day of school next week. (And then a couple teacher workshops...) Another reason to be excited? Our fridge came today!! Isn't she a beauty? It is so nice to have a fridge again. You don't realize how much you miss a full-size refrigerator until you go a couple weeks without it. A bit bare... but that can be solved easily. Bottom-drawer freezer, containing the essentials: moose tracks & Diet Dew trying to get cold asap. Anyways, I'm just popping in to share my beautiful new appliance. The baking monster has taken over, and I'm in the midst of making 150 cupcakes for a graduation party tomorrow.  First big baking project in the new kitchen! I'm loving all the counter space. Mmm... chocolate buttercream! Making good use of the baking nook! :) Adios!
65 comments
Read more

Red Velvet Cake... Donuts

So this whole Valentine's Day coming up soon is definitely just an excuse for me to bake ridiculous things. Case in point: Red Velvet Cake Donuts . A few weekends ago, my Business Man and I visited the new Tim Horton's here in the Bean Town for the first time. I'd never set foot in a Tim Horton's before, and was pretty much enamored with all the flavors of donut holes, or "Tim Bits". Instead of just having to settle on one  or  two  donut flavors, I got to pick 10 different flavors for each of the Tim Bits in my 10-pack. (Well, I don't think they had 10 flavors... maybe only 6 but you get the idea.) They came in such a cute little package too! (Yes, I am a marketer's dream...) While I went the Tim Bit route, my Business Man went the traditional route - with an old fashioned sour cream donut. And then he went the not-so-traditional route... with a Red Velvet Donut!  And he said it was absolutely amazing. (I had a bite, and thought it w...
16 comments
Read more

The Essential Summer Dessert

Last weekend, my Business Man and I hosted a fiesta for some of our friends in the Bean Town. While everyone enjoyed the food, I think dessert was the biggest hit. (Surprise, surprise.) We had brownies (from a box, the horror!) topped with chocolate ganache, and fruit pizza . Fruit pizza is most definitely my "go-to" summer dessert. Since it's the official 1st day of summer, I thought I'd share the recipe! It's delicious without being too heavy or rich. And it's most definitely healthy, because you are eating fruit, right? The recipe I use is my mom's... she's been using it for years. It starts with a basic sugar cookie base, topped with a cream cheese-whipped topping, and then all the fruit your little heart desires! I usually go with strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, pineapple, and mandarin oranges. But raspberries are really good, too. Even better when you pick the fruit yourself! (Picking berries on our honeymoon last July.) ...
13 comments
Read more