6

ran 6 with my sweet boy biking next to me tonight. he was a trooper, it was a hot one.
during the last 2 miles he said he really wished we were in a car.
he made it though and enjoyed some cold gatorade when we got home.

rest day tomorrow and 12 miles on saturday.
i am definitely approaching the tough weeks of training.

3

WEEK 7 begins - 3,6,3,12. it's double digits for the long run from here on out until the taper. yikes! this is the tough part - trying to juggle the time needed to run w/my other areas of life. i love love it, but it can be tough to fit it all in.

ran 3 tonight. i was a little nervous how it was going to go. on friday and saturday when we were helping my friend move, i hit my knee and bruised it pretty good on some furniture. thankfully, i felt pretty good tonight.
*amy and i getting ready for our 10k. i'm always obsessing over my shoe laces. are they too tight?..too loose? i stopped at mile 1 to loosen my right shoe during the race. hopefully that won't happen during the marathon.

7

ran 7 while my friend carol biked next to me. the miles flew by since i had her to talk to.
the weather has been unseasonably cool here and really great for running.
day off tomorrow and 3 on sunday, which will end week 6 of training. the miles step up next week - 3,6,3,12.

running tips

i found this on the chicago marathon website and thought it was worth sharing:

DEENA KASTOR'S TOP 10 TIPS FOR THE EVERYDAY RUNNER:

1. Have patience. There is no single workout that holds emphasis in the marathon, but the combination of work over the weeks of training that prepare you.

2. Add an hour of sleep. With the excess work you are adding to your already packed schedule, make sure you balance it with more rest.

3. Practice drinking on the run. Practice drinking Gatorade Endurance Formula during long runs since that is what you’ll be served on race day.

4. Practice your “pre-race” meal before long runs. For dinner the night before a long run and for breakfast the morning of, eat something similar to what you intend to eat marathon weekend to ensure that it agrees with you.

5. Stretch! If you only have time for an hour run, stretch for five minutes (focusing on quads and hip flexors) and run for 55 minutes.

6. Something sore? Give it attention immediately. Address soreness immediately so that it doesn’t grow into a bigger problem.

7. Treat yourself to a massage. You deserve it!

8. Take an ice bath. Taking an ice bath only once or twice may be torture, but if you make it a part of your routine, your body will adapt and you will be amazed at how well your legs recover.

9. Look at your soles. If the bottoms of your shoes look overly worn in a certain area, you may need a new pair. Depending on your weight and biomechanics, you should only put about 250-350 miles on any given pair. Replacing your shoes regularly can help you stay injury free.

10. Cover up. Wear sunscreen on every run. Your skin is your largest organ, so take care of it. I find Fallene Cotz SPF 58 to be the best sunscreen for running. If it's really hot and humid, put Cotz on your face and neck, and a lighter sunscreen, such as Kinesys SPF 30 Spray, on the rest of your body.

5

it was a rough 5 miles today and i am totally blaming this lady:
i recently bought some of her cookbooks and she is amazing! i ♥ everything i've tried. yesterday i made her blueberry coffee cake muffins and ate way too many. i guess it makes sense that i would be sluggish and have lead for legs today. so...it wasn't a great run, but i did get the miles in. i started feeling better after the first 3.

if you don't have any of her cookbooks i would highly recommend them, unless of course, you are training for a marathon.

i'm taking the day off tomorrow and running 7 friday and 3 on sunday. we're helping a friend move on saturday, so i had to switch things around a bit.

3

WEEK 6 begins (training is flying by!). this week is a pretty easy week 3,5,3,7.
almost got hit by a car when i was running my 3 miles tonight. the crazy thing was i had the happy guy on the light, saying it was safe to cross. the car was turning left on the opposite side of the street and actually would have had a RED light! it wasn't like it was an accident either, he purposely revved his engine like he was trying to hit me. needless to say, my heart rate was a little elevated the entire run. came home to my family, thankful to be alive and tried not to think about how close it really was.

10k+4

the 10k last night was so much fun and great weather for july! it was around 80 degrees w/average humidity. i went to the race with my friends sherri and amy. even though we weren't planning on running it together, we had fun hanging out before and after the race. i finished before they did, so when i was done i ran back to some of the lonelier spots on the course to cheer them on. this was sherri's second 10k and amy's first. it was so great to see them achieve their goals last night! they are both on a road to become healthier and stronger this year and they have been doing great.

sherri is training for her first 1/2 marathon in october. she has lost 72 lbs. since december and has been so dedicated to a complete lifestyle change. i love their perspective too - it's about taking care of the body God gave us, not about trying to gain attention for ourselves or elevate who we are. we talked about that a lot last night. it was good. God has blessed me with some wonderful friendships. it was such a great night!

the official results aren't posted yet, but i think my pace was around 9:20. definitely not a pr, but it didn't really matter to me much. i knew i still had to run 4 to get my long run of 10 in for the week.