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