26 miles at 26!

WEEK 5:

I had an epiphany this week, albeit a very dumb one. I will be running 26 miles and will be 26 years old during the Albany marathon. 26 is quickly turning into my lucky number. I may actually be 26.2 years old on race day, but that math is too complicated for me to comprehend after running my long run. I could run each mile of my race for each year that I've lived! haha! Nah, I'll just run. So, it is week 5, a crazy mixed-up week. This week is the Clemson Down's Forget Me Not 5k on Saturday. This will be my sprint day. So, I've got a tempo and long day to get in.......to make a long story very short and not to bore everyone that much more......I may have to skip completing the EXACT workout! Yes, I did just say that I would diverge and take the road less traveled........or maybe more traveled,? when you are training for a marathon and trying to live life and get your workouts in.... BUT, i'm actually okay with this. I refuse to run 2 days in a row. AND, I refuse to run 20 miles, then take one day off, then run 18. And, with work, I don't think I will have the time this week to get the complete 18 miler in. BUT, here is another epiphany! THIS IS OKAY! I like to think that as I mature I get smarter with my training :) If you miss a workout, you don't get to make it up! Why kill myself by running 18 miles and dig a hole? If I can get a quick 12/13 in at the given pace, this is perfectly fine. I am hopeful that on week 6 I will be back to my normal schedule. No digging holes unless I'm planting a garden.

11/30: LONG RUN SHORT- Beautiful day! POURING RAIN, chilly morning, with fog, AWESOME! It may be like this on marathon day! I am still sore from the 20 miler on Sunday, a good sore, particular at the hamstrings. Instead of tempo, I opted to do a run on how I felt, staring at my Garmin in the pouring rain trying to hit 7:35 splits with a non water proof watch wasn't going to happen today :O. So, off I went, i-phone 4 double zip-locked bagged jammin' to some One Republic and Lady Gaga for 8 miles. I felt significantly looser then when I started and did a good deal of stretching post run. I'm actually considering running the tempo tomorrow! I KNOW, 2 days of running in a row? Maybe so.....after all, i'm a girl and allowed to change my mind at any time! I can always justify my reasons, but will spare you my tangled thoughts that are in my head.

DISTANCE: 8 miles

Avg. pace: 8:49

Avg. HR 153

12/1 TEMPO: Goal 2 miles easy, 3 @ 7:35, 1 mile easy. I remember when I would run a 5k RACE at this pace, now it has become my tempo pace. This is still quite odd for me to fathom. Today was cold with strong, blustery winds. D and I had a nice tailwind for the first tempo mile, but on the turn back, we were faced with a wall of wind that adamantly wanted to see my hat fly like a kite in the sky. Luckily, my visor did not set sail and I managed to hit my paces even in the wind. 2 rest days now before the Clemson Downs Forget Me Not 5k.

DISTANCE: 6.5 miles

Avg. Tempo: 7:27

Avg. HR: 163

12/4 SPRINT DAY, CLEMSON DOWNS 5k! Fun day for an even better cause: ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH! 0645 departure from restaurant with my neighbors and momma! This is my mom's first 5k in 30 years!! Her goal is 45min! This is a very hilly course right on campus where I work at Clemson Downs. It is my 2nd home so I easily navigate thru my warm-up and potty breaks, etc. Home course advantage does help. The course is 2 miles of flat/down and a punishing last uphill mile with "GOT HILLS?" painted on the road. My run plan dictates 1 mile repeats today at a 7:02 with 1 min. rest in between......well, i didn't get to rest during the race OR enjoy the hot chocolate aide stations, but I did have an awesome run!

Distance: 3 miles (it was a little short of a true 5k)

Avg. pace: 6:51

Avg. HR: 169

AND, bigger news! My mom went 34:58 and won her age group with ease! GO MOMMA!

AND, a 95 year old woman completed the entire 5k, hills included!! :)

I am not a Shovel! I will not dig to China

Yes, if you read the fine print, the turkey man has "all natural breasts" :)

Week 4: Alright, stupid title I know, but bear with me. This week takes control and lots of it. As usual, I have 3 runs to absolutely dominate, the sprint, tempo, and long run. I am signed up for the CU-ICAR Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving morning, which is an 8k. Question is, do I substitute this out for the sprint or the tempo day? I do not want to be a slave to my Garmin on this day attempting to hit certain paces, I want to run free, like the turkey who crossed the road in several lame jokes we all have heard, o.k., it was a chicken, but who cares anyway. I would normally run this 8k "all out" in an attempt to PR or win my age group. But, not this year. This year is different, my goal is not to win the Turkey trot, my goal is to start the Albany marathon on March 5th. All too often I've gotten excited about local events and hammered forgetting that I'm actually digging a hole, one that encompasses overtraining and an overzealousness to have immediate gratification, to receive immediate results. No Danielson, I must be patient. I must slow for I will be running 20 miles on Sunday. I am committed to run this Turkey Trot as a training run, pacing wisely, giving 80% or so. I am not a shovel, I will not dig holes. I will rest and be well watered and planted so that the fruits of my labor will blossom on March 5th and not a single day before.

11/22 TEMPO- Goal 1 mile easy, 4 miles at 7:50, 1 mile easy. I had a little bit of a tough time getting motivated after working a swing shift at work, but out the healthcare center I went to run in overcast conditions with my good friend Danette. After the quick warm-up I settled in, hitting an exact 7:50 split for mile one. Good, I thought, right on it. As I ran the rollers out to Central and back I kept a constant eye on my Garmin. I was running too fast, but warming up nicely. I made a determined and very disciplined move to slow down. Why you say? Why do you slow down? No, my race is not today, I don't want to dig holes. Stick to the plan! And, taking much effort, I did slow, although I wanted to be the horse to the barn. My last tempo mile being 7:49. Working with Alzheimer's patients everyday teaches me patience, and to a certain degree, tempo running has that same effect. Run the plan now so you can run the race on race day.

Tempo avg: 7:43
Avg. HR 160


11/25 Trees for Greenville Turkey Trot (sprint day). BE SMART!! OK, I DID 'IT' AND 'IT' TOOK A CONCERTED EFFORT!! I RAN SMART AND DID NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE HUBBUB, OR THE THRILL OF THE RACE. I RAN MY RACE!! I'M VERY EMPHATICALLY TYPING THIS IN ALL CAPPS BECAUSE THIS WAS GOOD DISCIPLINE! Here is the scoop:

The day that was dreary and damper, did not put a hamper, on our Turkey Day scamper. Danette and I used this as a training run, a way to have fun, and a means to eat a ton.
I ran a solid sprint pace, because this is not my race, Albany marathon is the place!!!
I was smoked at the end, by guys sprinting with big ego heads,
Huffing and Puffing
but, did I even care or dare to stare?
NO! because today is not my race.

Last year I ran this at a 7:04 pace with an avg. HR of 172! This year, 7:24 pace with avg. HR 162, 10 solid beats less. I did not dig a hole today and feel confident that I can accomplish my first 20 mile run this Sunday at the given pace.

Special Congratulations to Danette who placed 2nd in her age group on our training run. Her prize was a very green coffee mug, but her true prize was the confidence she gained that will spill over to her long run later this week.


11/28 Goal: 20 mile run at 9:23 pace. My longest run EVER was completed today! I started out at 0730 with Amber and a random girl she knew named Shelly, who was running 11 at a faster clip. Amber was going to just run for fun not knowing that she herself would end up with about 18.5 miles. An hour into the run we looped back and picked up two more runners who would split and do 10 and 15 miles each. It was nice having at one point 5 runners in a pack! The miles were ticking by and the sun was warming us up. The stinky waste treatment plant and the smell of old beer from last night's Clemson game could not keep our spirits down. I felt good today, building confidence, practicing trying to open those little hammer gel packs with my very cold hands. My dexterity sucked and I generally would pass the gel over to someone else who would easily open it for me. I'm thankful for great friends! At mile 12 my feet began to hurt, but whoa is me and you just got to keep going. I practiced gel-ing responsibly today and never felt my energy drop. My cardio is good, it is my body that aches. With .2 miles to go I saw an old crusty sign and pretended it was the banner I would run under at Albany. I threw my hands up victoriously as I crossed under the rusty metal piping. And, then I ran straight into the woods for a quick potty break. Sweet relief. It is hard for me to fathom that I just ran for 3 HOURS! And, that I would run for another 6 miles in the marathon. Today, I practiced running very upright at the end, with good steady form. I know I will be ready to run 26 on marathon day.

Distance: 20 miles

Avg. Pace: 9:14

Avg. HR: 146

BALANCING ACT

WEEK 3

So here I type with my feet propped up offering prospective for week 3. I had a very busy week 2 with a total of almost 12 hours of training compared to a more moderate week 2 at 5 hours of total training. I had a lot of time in the saddle with with 55 fast miles on Saturday and riding for Mark Knight's out of Greenville today. What a blessing to ride for a super guy as a he battles cancer. I'm balancing trying to stay in bike shape and train for a marathon, and he is juggling with life and death. Puts everything into a little bit more perspective. So, yes, i'm tired, long week of training, but i have absolutely NOTHING to complain about. I'm giving myself a pep up talk for a hard day of sprints tomorrow knowing that on Tuesday, by golly, it is going to be a much needed rest day.

Sprint Day: 11/15 Clemson track is still being revamped, so Benn, D, and I completed sprints on the road. I am very much looking forward to having OUR track completed, it will be much easier to pace on sprint day. I was having to work backwards and hit lap buttons and trying to do complex math in my head during the sprinting portion today. O.k., it was not that complex, but when your HR is 175bpm, simple math can throw you for a loop. We completed a sprint ladder. 1200m @ 5:10, 1000m @ 4:16, 800m @ 3:23, 600m @ 2:30, and finally, 400m @ 1:39. When we got to the bottom rung, the ladder broke and we were done :). In reviewing my laps on training peaks, we were right on or below pace. AWESOME. Sprint day is always a hard day, but with the promise of a rest day tomorrow the workout was much more palatable. I am working weekly on changing my mindset that SPRINT DAY = FUN DAY. This may take a few more weeks :)

Tempo Day: 11/17 Todd, D, and I hit the pavement for a great tempo run down Hwy. 93 in Central. The goal, 1 mile easy, 5 miles @ 8:05, 1 mile easy. I'm still working on feeling the paces instead of having to be a slave to my Garmin pacer feature. Tempo was.......tempo today. Not too hard, not too easy, just right according to the 3 bears. Bears being me, Todd, and D and the bad wolf being? No, can't think of a bad wolf. It was a great day. I'm thankful for positive friends to run with.

Distance: 7 miles
Tempo avg: 7:55
Tempo HR avg: 160

Long Run: 11/19 Goal 17 miles @ 9:08. I gave myself a good pep up talk going into this long run. I've had a solid week so far and this would just be icing on the cake to complete this distance. I got her done with the help of Amber and hubby Eugene, and my friend Danette. We ran loops thru Central on a flat to slightly rolling course. I felt great UNTIL about mile 13 or so and then I really started to feel all my weaknesses, namely the core group of muscles. My low back and hip flexors are weak! But, good to know so i can increase my ab workout from doing 5 sit-ups a day to a solid 10 a day....this should help, right? My fatigue was not cardio related, although I still do not have a running base, but more so muscle fatigue. And, dang, my feet hurt at the end. I attempted to run on every sprig of grass I could find, even if my big toe landed on the edge of what looked like grass or something soft, I was in thankfulness of heart. I would have been glad to run thru dog doody at that point, as long as it was soft. Enough whining, Happy Cow chocolate milk and recoverite cure everything along with a good nap. SO LONG for now, my bed is calling :)


Distance: 17 miles
Avg. pace: 8:45
Avg. HR 153
Ok., had to include this pic which was taken by a very nice, random woman in a parking lot. I asked is she could do an "up and down" pic and this is what we got. Either I'm loopy from running 17 miles or she took the pic at an angle. Geez, who knew my request was so difficult? Maybe my chaotic hair distracted her and she lost focus and took the crooked shot. Next time I think I will leave my hat on!

I'M DOING IT!!!

WEEK 2

WOW. I AM SO THANKFUL! I MADE IT TO WEEK 2 OF TRAINING!!!....Seriously, i never thought i would make it this far. It is with heartfelt sincerity that I must express how truly blessed I feel. My body is holding up thus far. I have 117 days, 19 hours, and 36 minutes as of right now as I sit typing this for the world to see. With every day, I become that much closer to completing my goal. I put another nickel in my piggy bank. And, not to be too cliche, it is not about the destination, but the journey as I already know. I'm taking baby steps each day as I progress in my training and mindset. Soon, I hope to progress in physical capabilities where the thoughts of not completing the marathon and thoughts of not physically holding up for the event become a distant drop in the future.

Sprint Day Sunday: Tough day, 4 1/2 mile repeats at 3:23. I was ready and determined. Running a sprint day by myself makes me more than ever appreciate having friends to train with. There is immense pleasure taken in suffering

as a group :). However, my good friend Todd completed his first ever IRONMAN yesterday in Florida with a time of 14 hours, give or take. I thought of Todd today when the intervals got long and my legs were on fire. I thought of his determination that last .2 of a mile as he completed the last leg of his tri, dialed his wife by cell, and told her that he "loved her". How awesome and inspiring. Thanks Todd, you were with me!

Avg. 800 meter repeat pace: 3:22

Avg. HR 168bpm

Tempo Day: SUNSHINE, OH MY!!! Goal: 1 mile easy, 5 miles tempo at 8:23 (which is marathon pace), and 1 mile easy. Ran at the Shaver complex with D. The track was a 1.1 mile loop that was promised to be "flat" and "rubberized"....neither of which it was. I ended up running off the "track" thru downtown megalopolis of Seneca. It was simply just a beautiful day.....and I felt good :)

Distance: 7 miles

Avg. for 5 miles of tempo: 8:09

Hr. avg. for tempo: 153

Long Day: Goal: 15 miles at 9:08 pace. I had a new crew of crazy friends to run this 15 miler with. Meet Amber, Shelby, Tracey, and Karen, 4 of which are training for a marathon in December. These girls are not "girly" by any means and can burp and fart with the best of them, especially Shelby and Tracey :). I was in for one crazy, fun run! We ran from Shelby's house in downtown Clemson out towards Central and Southern Wesleyan. At mile 8 we dropped Amber off at her house. Shelby needed to potty so I ran around the front in circles waiting. I eventually became dizzy and ran into the house to see what the hold up was. To keep this blog clean for the kiddies out there, there was much talk of needing a plunger and having to flush multiple times. Poor Amber's bathroom, we hardly know this girl! With Shelby 10lbs lighter, we proceeded on our very hilly course the rest of the run.

This is the longest run I have ever done and I was so thankful to have such great entertainment along the way. The miles just seemed to tick by. The post run leftover Halloween treats, coffee, and chatter made this one very special day.

Distance: 15 miles

Avg. pace 8:47

Avg. HR 149

Getting to the Start........of Training!

Official marathon training began today, November 1st. This is a big day for me. I made it to the start of training and all of my previous running ailments are under control as of today. I will start my marathon on March 5th, like starting training today, with solid legs and mindset. I am ready to begin. I've waited patiently for this day. The game plan is to run 3 times a week consisting of a track workout, a tempo run, and a long run. The goal is to complete these workouts with quality. No junk miles. Days in between will be cross training days or rest days. So, what pace do I run? That is the question. My utmost goal is to start the marathon! Goal 2 is to finish the marathon. Goal 3 is to qualify for Boston.....there I said it, I shared it with the internet world of billions of people all who read my blog daily. Actually, no one may read this last goal, but it is there whether read or not. Whether spoken out loud or not. It dances and twirls in my head constantly. I am waking to this goal, dreaming about this goal. No additional pressure. I am thankful just to get to the start healthy. Everything else is icing on the cake. Thank you Lara Shaw for your encouragement with these goals. I will be calling on my friends religiously as I go on this journey.

From now on, I will give weekly updates. I have approx. 16wks of training ahead of me. I will be disciplined, smart, and progressive in training. I will.

WEEK 1:

Monday: It was sprint day. Danette and I did a quick warm-up then headed to a field for sprints x 6.....nothing crazy, just day 1. I am anxiously waiting for the Clemson track to be refurbished so I can run quarters! I did not expect the athletic department to redo the track for Danette and I to prepare for my future marathon! Although, they are a little behind schedule because my training started on Nov. 1st. I can't wait until the new track is laid down.......i will run the tar out of it! ;)

Wednesday: Goal: 2 miles easy, 2 miles tempo at 7:35, 2 miles cool down.

Completed: 2 miles easy warm-up, 2 miles tempo at 7:29, 7:21, then 2 miles cool down. Good day. Danette and I went into the run know that it was going to rain. But, it may rain on marathon day so it is good practice. We were "lucky", not really any rain!

Distance: 6 miles

Avg. pace 8:33

HR. during tempo: 164bpm

Friday: Goal: Long run to Ingles from Clemson Track. Just for time, not for speed.....

Distance: 11 miles

Avg. pace 8:30

Awesome long run with D! Thanks!