I AM A KENYAN!!

WEEK 18

What a great day. I'm sitting here basking in the sun, feet propped up on an outside patio deck attached to Weinacker's Restaurant. The only thing moving other than me is the occasional twitch of a nearby tan and white momma cat that is also enjoying the evening sunset. She is at peace, perched perfectly on the deck railing, cat napping and soaking up as much sun into her coat as possible before nighttime will inevitably capture the last glorious rays of the day. I too am at peace, knowing that I have done everything in my power to prepare for the big event which is in 5 days. But, who is counting anyway? I have watched as the Albany, Ga. weather forecast has creeped its way into the weekly forecast. I've anticipated the weather, knowing that rain or shine, I'll be at that start line. It's my time. It's go time.

I've done a lot of reading the last 3 weeks about tapering. How a taper can drive any athlete insane as you balance resting with not going crazy or driving everyone else insane by not working out as part of your daily regimen. I'm actually starting to get a sacral pressure area from being so highly proficient at this :O. Tapers work, pure and simple. Rest now, race hard later. I'm stocking up my glycogen stores and making sure to hydrate. But, most importantly, I'm staying confident. Running a marathon is much more a mental challenge than a physical one. I'm confident I have done my best, and my best is what I will leave in Albany on March 5th, 2011.

2/27 Warm sunshine greeted me at the track along with two of my dear friends, Todd and Danette. Today, was to be the last long run of 8-10 miles at marathon pace. I took great comfort in running in my usual circles around my usual track with my familiar running friends. I will have new friends to run with in Albany. I have stalked my pacer for the 3:40 pace team on the race website. His name is simply John, not marathoner John, or Dear John, but just John. We have the same birthday, imagine that. That surely bodes well for me. He has done 78 marathons, including ultra's. I have done.... a total of none. His favorite food is 'everything'. Well, me too, Pacer John! I'm not picky, let's just run 26.2 miles and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to boot. John has undoubtedly helped many a novice marathoner to complete their goal. I don't think he can truly realize how much of a service he provides as he sets a consistent, steadfast pace for 26.2 miles. Thank you in advance!

I am feeling tapered and today's marathon pace seemed slow, which is always a confidence booster. I constantly had to monitor my Garmin to settle myself back into marathon pace. You don't win medals for training a friend once told me. How true.

DISTANCE: 9 miles

Avg. pace: 8:12

Avg. HR 152bpm

I am ready ,

and as steady as ever,

like a cat perched perfectly on a deck rail,

I am forever thankful for Jesus and the sacred Holy Grail.

Fully humbled for this journey, to live, to be!

It's been so much more than just running a marathon to me.

3/1 It is officially the first day of March. Danette and I venture to our sacred ground, our track. Our track mates and now good friends are there too, working out. Rob and Larry have encouraged and offered opinions and much needed advice as we have trained round and round. They are dedicated athletes. Rob holds the world record in his age group for decathlon. That is 10 events. I'm just trying to successfully balance one event! Larry is older and wiser and very fast, especially in the sprints. He gives Danette and I a spike off his shoe for good luck in the marathon. Maybe it fell out, maybe he pulled it out, or maybe he found it on the ground. It doesn't matter, it is the thought that bears the weight of his gift to us. We comleted 4 x 400 meter repeats at a quick, but not all out pace. These repeats are my favorite distance, and today, I owned them, dancing lightly on the inside lane like a butterfly flapping in the summer wind. Not to toot my own horn, but I am really a pro at this tapering business :)

DISTANCE 3.5 miles

Max. HR 171

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!

WEEK 17

It is the final countdown. A mere 10 days to go before I lay everything on the line and run in my very first marathon. 26 miles at 26 years old. I've learned a lot about myself on this journey. I think I am most humbled by all of the help from others that I have received. It seems like it has taken a village to raise this future marathoner from running 3 miles in the grass to her first 20 mile run around Clemson earlier in the training plan. I've got a friend who will drive almost 5 hours to watch ME run! Wow. First off, how many people enjoy watching someone run? Not many because long distance running is not really a specatator friendly sport. I've also learned to pay it forward. I invite one person to the track to run, they invite their friend, who invited their neighbor and the momentum continues. At one time, 10 friends were at the track, going in circles, running or walking, at their own pace. What an awesome sight.

I went shoe shopping today. No, this is not your typical girls weekend at the mall spent trying on pumps and walking down imaginary runways and posing as if you had stuck your pinky in an electric outlet. This is an athlete's shoe heaven. Walls of the most gorgeous shoes you have ever seen, some rainbow, some black, some with polka dots, beautiful in the eye of the individual beholder. This is Go Tri Sports, home of shoe guru, Jeff. With the help of Jeff, I was able to narrow down my selection to two pairs. I know, 10 days to go, and you don't know which shoes you will wear yet? Yes, I know, crazy. It is a fine balance with the many shoe choices. I would like a sturdy shoe, but one that is still light and responsive. I will also be taping my foot to help with the extra pronation I have when I run. I tried on lots of shoes, ranging from vibrant blues and reds to Euro whites, but still found that my favorite shoe was a pair that I had brought with me. These electric green racers will hopefully ignite a spark in my step. As a back up for a trial run this Thursday, I have 'borrowed' from the store another good pair of shoes that offer slightly more support. How cool is it when stores let you borrow shoes to try? Think of all the stinky feet :), not mine of course!

2/22/11 As a substitute to the sprint workout to be had at the track, I swam at the Central Rec. pool with my training partner Danette. I would say I swam with Ian, but it is more justly said that he swam circles around me and ahead of me. Ian proved to me today that intervals in the pool can provide quite the anaerobic workout. I can honestly say, I have never swam so hard in my life than I did today. I lost count of the laps as my head becamse swimmy with oxygen deprivation. My chest was on fire and I began to breathe every stroke as opposed to my usual every other as my lungs burned for that precious oxygen. I could have puked, although I didn't. I could have happily passed out, although I didn't. I could have eaten a horse after exiting the pool and cooling down, but I didn't. I did however savor every tortuous moment and am looking forward to doing it again. But, you know what I did do today? Exactly that, I DID! I lived in the moment.

I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready.

2/24 TEMPO DAY! In 21 days I have run three times. Wow, this is mind boggling. I was on a mission today to gain confidence and do a workout from the Boston training plan. David Bright, PT at Excel Rehab hooked me up with some amazing heat molded inserts to give my arches a lift. This lift was literal as much as it was psychological. Today, was the first day in quite some time that I felt good when my left foot striked the ground. I could feel that I was actually not collapsing as much to the inside. My arches were supported! I owe a huge thanks to David who spent a large amount of time looking at all 4 pairs of my running shoes, heat molding inserts for me, and even pulling out kinesio tape to talk about using it for the run. It looked like a shoe graveyard as we muddled thru the shoes. His suggestion, run in the beefy shoes with support, no tape, and use the inserts. I ran in them today, and it worked like a gem. Will I run in the heavy shoes on marathon day, not likely, when the racing shoes are lighter and save time.

I felt great today, very rested and springy, and tapered! A shout out to Todd and Danette for the company!

DISTANCE: 6 miles total

TEMPO: 4 miles at 7:50

It's GO TIME!!!!

WEEK 16

I'm anxious, eager, excited, and nervous. 17 days to go. I have not run in 2 weeks! And, magically, my foot is feeling better. It is so thought provoking that with rest and time, things heal. I consider myself a very patient person when dealing with Alzheimer's patients at work, but when it comes to resting and recovering from an injury, I just plain stink at it. I want to go, go, go!! And, I'm happy to report, that GO TIME will commence this Friday, officially at 8:30 with my friend Danette at the Clemson Track. I have zero expectations! I will just run, free spirited and able bodied! I will be like an animal that has been released back into the wild after years of captivity. I'm sure I will be tentative at first, then am hopeful to feel the ground under my feet like old times and get right back into the groove again. I had roughly 12 hours of training last week with ride and swim workouts combined for my BIG week. Now, I officially start tapering, just volume, not intensity.

2/16 Who is one of the most hardcore determined athletes I know? It has to be Ian Davidson. Ian is a National Mtn Bike Champion and XTERRA WORLD Triathlon Champ! Today, was a spirit booster as Ian joined me for a high cadence spin. This was not your usual spin, we went back and forth from the waste treatment plant to the Clemson Golf course, roughly a .5 mile flat track piece of road for a solid hour at 120rpm's. The foul odor of the treatment plant coupled with the repetitive nature of going back and forth on the same road, did not take away from beautiful lake Hartwell or the companionship during the workout.

Ian was swimming after, so I joined him at the pool, splitting a lane with him. When you swim with a Champion, you just naturally go faster. Even though we split a lane, I would sometimes not notice when he passed me because of such a smooth stroke. This is something that I noticed very quickly because usually when I swim with friends I feel a tidal wave as we pass each other. At one point, I actually thought he had moved to a different lane and picked my head up out of the water to look for him. No, he was still in the same lane, just cruising along.

Ian had my best interest at hand after hearing that I may try to run later on in the day when I most likely should take a couple of more days off before running again. He had a better idea. So, he said "I'm going to do 30min of pool running." Of course, I wanted to join him. So, back and forth we went in the warm water pool, running upright, pumping our arms. It was an odd feeling for sure. The resistance of the water was wonderful! I hardly noticed my foot as it striked the bottom of the pool. Maybe it was because my feet were so on fire from the rough texture of the bottom of the pool, but it didn't matter. I was running upright, working those ever so important running muscles. During the pool run, Ian shared some stories of past. One being of him running 30 miles with no water, no music, and no running buddy!

Today was definitely a day of learning. I can see why Ian Davidson is a champion. He does things that most athletes would never do. He takes it to the next level with his mental discipline. He's also got heart. Thanks Ian!

2/18 Today was my first test run back at the Clemson Track after 2 solid weeks of not running. I was so excited, like a fat kid about to enter a candy shop. I was anxious as my feet stepped onto the red mondo track surface. It felt good to be back. Today's temperatures were predicted to be record setting, hitting mid 70's. I was ready, Ipod on, training partner D. at my side. I had zero expectations. I did not even bother to wear my Garmin watch. I would look deep inside myself and run how I felt.

I started out fast, running in big circles on the very outside of the track, thru grass, thru long jump and triple jump sand pits, letting my feet lead me. My foot ached, not acute stabbing pain, just a simple ache as my left foot hit the ground with each step. The first mile was painfully hard as my foot plodded along and all doubts of uncertainty danced in my head. I tried to shove the doubts out of my head, focusing on the AC/DC rock music blasting in my ears. Eventually, I remembered, this is the warm-up. You always feel like crap in a warm-up as your muscles and bones awaken with the sunrise.

A few miles in, and Danette and I were rolling. The endorphin release helped to bandaid and swaddle my foot as we continued to run in circles, round and round. I'm sure I ran too fast for a first day back, but I didn't care. I was savoring the moment, the very breath of life, the ability to be present that day and have the freedom to move unencumbered and able-bodied.

After 45min. of tempo, I stopped. I walked daintily around the track, trying not to put too much pressure on my foot. I was not scared that it would hurt, but scared that my dream of running a marathon would be over if it did. I walked back to Danette's car and this is where I did something I have never done in 26 years of living. I took drugs. Danette offered me 2 ibuprofen. And, even though I'm a nurse and hand out hundreds of pills almost every day, the thought of taking a NSAID was shameful. I felt like I was not only taking a shortcut, but also putting an artificial poison into my body. My liver would probably shut down I thought, as I popped in the one rust colored tablet and chewed away. No thanks D, I'll just take one for now. I do not know how to swallow pills and the bitterness of the medication stuck to my teeth for some time after. However, this bitterness did not last long and was tempered by the pure sweetness of the run and that I'm back. I will be ready for Albany.

DISTANCE: I don't know and it doesn't matter, approx. 5.5 miles

2/20 LONG RUN @ MARATHON PACE! Today would be the longest run I've completed in almost three weeks. It is so important that I start building confidence in these longer runs because the marathon is approaching quickly. Time is of the essence!! My training partner Danette was not feeling groovy and had to bail, but I was fortunate to have my friend Scott out on the track. Now, Scott tells me he does not enjoy running in circles, but because this is his second time running with me in circles, either he really enjoys my company or he likes making circles. Since I was anti-social and played my Ipod the entire time, I think the latter is true. It's official, Scott likes running in circles even if he won't admit it!

Scott's presence at the track provides me with security. I am not sure why, maybe because of his male presence, maybe because he is a great athlete, or maybe because he is just Scott, no put-ons or fakeness about him. Scott has helped me tremendously with finding a shoe that will work for my feet for 26.2 miles. He has taken time and given time to watch me plod along the track. I still do not have the perfect shoe quite yet, but am hopeful that next week I will have it dialed in. I know that anyone's feet would hurt during/after a marathon, but If I can avoid injury and be somewhat more "comfortable", I'm all for it!

Round and round I went today. I actually am feeling TAPERED. Sure, I could have run 3 more miles today to do what the training plan dictates, but I think 10 miles was enough and I didn't want to dig a hole and not get to Albany healthy.

Thank you Scott for your presence!

DISTANCE: 10 MILES

Avg. HR 156bpm

Avg. PACE 8:06

STUCK BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

WEEK 15

Wow, 26 days to go....and here I sit icing my foot. Now, I truly understand why my first goal is to simply make it to the marathon starting line healthy. I am not deterred, my run fitness is very good, the best it has ever been. I am still swimming and cycling thankfully, and am hopeful that with a couple more days of rest, I will be as good as new. I will run the marathon, hurt or not. I am stubborn, yes, and stupid. I will run, pain or not, because I have worked so hard for this goal for the last 15 weeks. "Pain is weakness leaving the body!"....ok, probably not but I will attempt to turn every negative into a positive. My glass is always overflowing.

At Church tonight, I learned that God is faithful. God gives no bad gifts. The passing of Zach at 32 years old from cancer did not deter him. He said that cancer was a gift. Taught him to be a better husband and father. I am thankful that I have come this far in my training, it is a daily gift. The pain in my foot serves as a reminder that sometimes we need to slow down, smell the roses, to thank God for each day, each step, each breath. So, God, I thank you for today and the pain in my foot.

God gives no bad gifts.

2/7 So, this is the "BIG WEEK". Last hard week of training before I begin to taper. Ahh...sweet music to the ears....taper...:) That means 2 things, quality training and less volume and that the marathon is fast approaching. I was not able to do any type of running today because my foot is still injured. Thankfully, however, I was able to swim. My plan this week is to really hit the training hard, whether running or not and begin the taper as scheduled next week. This is the "peaking" week. It is mind over matter. Maintain the aerobic base which I have built and stay optimistic.

Swim distance: 40 laps in pool

2/8 So, continuing with the plan to keep moving, I swam 40 laps in the morning and did a 2 hour bike ride in the afternoon. But, by far the most insightful thing I did today was go to an open house service provided by Go Tri Sports. Once a month, Steadman Hawkin's docs and Pro Axis PT's see runners who are having problems. I was lucky enough to find out about this and get a time slot. There I met Brad Eggebraaten, PT and saw one of the doctors. Hmmm.....opinion, need an x-ray and possible taping would help. I'm collapsing considerably to the inside when i run or walk for that matter. Taping would provide structurally support. The Go Tri staff also tinkered with my shoes. Even just running 20ft up and down the sidewalk was painful. One time they had to prod me to run a little further. Go figure, i'm the person who usually doesn't want to stop. Brad suggested I come to his Patewood office and he would teach me how to tape my foot the next day.

2/9 Pro Axis Therapy is a huge place with 17 therapists, all PT's! WOW, I felt like I was in an airport terminal being shuttled around with the many elevators, 2 receptionists and large examining table set-up. Brad taught me how to tape my foot for structural support and had me walk around and jog. After taping, he still thought I was pronating, or collapsing inward a good bit and fashioned some tear-drop, quarter sized wedge piece to put in my shoes. Most importantly, we talked about risk vs. reward. I know I cannot run right now because my foot hurts to walk and I would be digging a hole. The risk is, run now and not get to start line but have fitness. Or, cross train now, and be at the start line later, and be hopeful to have maintained running fitness. I am going with the latter. In addition, the swimming will keep my HR up more consistently then the biking with the coasting and stopping at times when riding. So, my main focus will be pool based. I am working daily on staying positive and counting my many blessings. I am thankful for so many friends who have offered to help.

2/10 SWIM TIME! 10 x 100 yard sprints completed with two friends. 1:30avg pace. Awesome workout! And, my friend Todd brought an underwater camera so we got to play and take pics and record our swimming. Got to love gadgets you can take under water. Look for some silly pics soon!

DISTANCE: 42 laps

2/11 BIKE TIME! So, to keep the momentum going I did 2 hours of high cadence spinning. No slogging around in a big gear, just high RPM's to keep from having too much pressure exerted on the top of my foot with each down stroke. Great tempo work and a little bit of sunshine made this a great workout.

2/12 SWIM TIME! I was suppose to run 20 miles today, but am still rehabbing my left foot, so back to the pool I went. I was informed that 4 miles of running is equal to 1 mile of swimming. So, hypothetically, I was suppose to swim 5 miles! WHAT!!!!? I'm an average swimmer, so 5 miles is A LOT!! So, I broke down the long swim into 10 X 10 laps free alternating with 10 board kicks. Not only did I complete 100 laps, but 2 bonus free style laps to equal 3 miles and some very pruned fingers and toes :). I'm thankful my good friend Todd was there to entertain with his salmon like board kicks, looks as if he is having a seizure :). I followed the swim with 10min. of pool running. I felt like a dork, it was awkwardly awesome! My legs felt the fatigue as the swim continuued, especially the board kicks which really work those hip flexors. Great swim.

DISTANCE: 3 miles