Marathon Training: Week 17

this week was 4,6,3,8.
still have a little pain in my left leg, but not too bad.
yesterday my 8 went well, except for the bug i swallowed and the one i got in my eye. they were everywhere!

it's marathon week!! can't believe it! taper madness is here! i've already been stalking the weather. a cold front is coming after 80's last week. it's looking like it will be in the mid 50's for race day, so probably pretty chilly at the start. i thought i'd be wearing a tank and shorts, but now i'm not so sure?!


this week will be 4, 3, 2 with lots of rest and some carbo loading.
i'll be obsessively checking the weather, probably worrying about every little pain, and adding new songs to my ipod (i always try not to turn it on until mile 13 though).

looking forward to spending time with my friend amy!

so thankful for all the encouragement from all of you!
thankful to be able to keep running. thankful for a healthy body.

Marathon Training: Week 16

i can't believe i only have 2 weeks until the marathon!
time is flying by. i feel like this in all areas of my life. sometimes i wish i could hit the pause button, or experience things in slow motion in an attempt to enjoy them a little longer.

this was a good week.
i got all my miles in, which was a miracle since we hosted a student from japan this week on top of all our other activities. somehow we made it all work.
the student we hosted was 15 and had never been to the u.s.
actually, she had never even been on an airplane before! she was wonderful, and we were all teary eyed this morning as she left. she knew very little english, so i relied on google translator a lot. it was fun to show her around, take her shopping, bowling, and out to experience pizza for the first time. so thankful for such an amazing experience!


back to running... my schedule this week was 5, 8, 4, 12.
the weather was perfect and i felt good for every run. i had to remind myself to slow down a few times, so i don't overdo it. easy to do when the miles are shorter.
thursday i ran with my friend katie, which was fun. we hadn't run together in years. we talked the whole time. we were both out of breath from trying to talk and run.
today for my 12, there was another runner ahead of me for 6 miles. she helped keep me motivated. it was 59 degrees and sunny. wonderful!

this week will be: 4, 6, 3, 8. i'm looking forward to the shorter runs. my left leg has been giving me some trouble and i know it could use some rest.

Week 15: 20 miles

ran 18 walked 2.
the weather was perfect for a long run.
did my 10 mile loop twice. felt good overall, but it's just plain hard to run that far by yourself.
a little sore the next day. not bad.
moving on to the taper! woo hoo!

Week 15: 10 miles

yesterday was a tough day. i was feeling so overwhelmed with everything. our life has become so busy lately. the kids are each in one sport, which has us running too much. plus now youth group has started once a week for my son, and the girls are taking piano once a week. i always said i didn't want to be one of those families that is super busy with no time to just be at home together. well, lately that has been us.
even if your child is only involved in one thing, it gets busy when you have multiple children.

we're trying to find the balance in all of it.
i'm still learning that i can't do it all. there are some things, even though they are really good things, that i need to say no to (gasp!). i can't help with every need that arises at church, or every friend that needs a helping hand. this is a hard lesson for me.

i went for a run in the evening and that helped. what would i do without that time with the Lord?!  He reminded me that i can't do anything on my own. i need His help in everything.
i know this, yet i need to be reminded daily.
thankful that His mercies are new each morning.
thankful for the giver of my every breath.

enjoying my rest day today.
20 miles tomorrow.

Week 15: 5 miles

70 degrees, gusty winds, sprinkling.
ran 5 today. felt good to run in cooler weather. the winds were brutal today though.
now just need a 10 and a 20 miler for the rest of the week.

Week 15: 5 miles

planning to blog about each run this week. i need the extra accountability to get through the 40 miles during a busy week.

ran 5 yesterday. i love my 5 mile route. it's the perfect mix of hills and flat. felt great the whole time. saw lots of runners out. enjoyed listening to new music on my ipod (thanks for the suggestions!). i was getting so bored with my old playlist. amazing how a new song can put a spring in your step. ☺

starting to plan out my trip for the marathon. getting excited and nervous.

 

fun weekend seeing old friends. i worked with these ladies 17 years ago and we still keep in touch. i saw them this weekend for the first time in 10 years. so thankful that God has given me so many wonderful friends in my life.

Marathon Training: Week 14

29 more days!

this week was 5, 9, 5, 14.
thankfully, it was much better than last week. it was low 80's all week. this morning when i walked out the door to run my 14, it was 54 degrees. so refreshing after training in the heat and humidity all summer. fall is definitely my favorite season!
i decided i won't be running the marathon in my kinavara's. i wore them on my 14 today, and my feet are killing me and i have a couple blisters. i think they are great for shorter runs and probably a 1/2.

i've also been trying a couple different gels. vanilla gu is still my favorite, so i'm sticking with that.
next week is a 40 mile week - 5, 10, 5, 20. the hardest part is going to be trying to fit in all the miles with such a busy schedule. we have something every night next week. yikes.
i think for my 20, i'm going to run a 10 mile loop twice. kind of boring, but it's hard to find that long of a route.


 i need to add some new songs to my ipod. any suggestions? 

Marathon Training: Week 13

this was week was kind of a blur. i don't remember which days i ended up running. i usually keep track, but i was super busy. somehow i managed to squeeze in 4, 9, 5, and 7 yesterday. my long run was supposed to be 18, but i had to break it up this week - 7 yesterday and 11 today. definitely not ideal, but other things take priority.
this week had some challenges thrown in - hot and humid weather (still in the 90's and it hit a record 100 one day), allergies, and a weirdo on one of my runs. as a result, the joy of running wasn't really there this week.
i'm hoping for a better week next week.
the hard part of training has begun.