20 fetching miles!

I mean good crap. It will be nice to say I ran a full marathon, but these training runs are hard! I just barely finished my big 20-miler, which is the farthest I'll go for training. Luckily for me, the weather this morning was amazing! I woke up at the obscene hour of 4 a.m., and I was out the door by 5. It was still pitch black so I stuck to the streets until it started to get light, then I cut over to the greenbelt. It was so stormy, at some points I was kind of scared for my life because the lightning was out of control! And, I got rained on three seperate times! After only 2 miles it started to rain, but it didn't last very long. Then when I was running by Freestone Park the heavens opened up and I got soaked, but it was glorious! I'd rather have cold and rain on a run than hot and sunny. Good thing I had my Camelbak so I could stow away my iPod, because it poured buckets! That one lasted about 15 or 20 minutes, and it cooled things off really good. Around mile 16 or 17, the storm started to get really bad and scary, I almost wanted to burst into tears because although I love lightning and thunder, being out in it with no shelter and miles from home was pretty stressful. Anyway, the last two miles it rained on me again, but I was glad to get home and out of the elements.

Well, now what? I have 4 weeks until St George, which will give me plenty of time to recover from this run and be in tiptop shape at the starting line. Maybe I should focus on working my abs and back for these next four weeks, because I start to slouch after awhile. Now all I need to do is eat healthy and cross-train a lot for these next 4 weeks, and I will be ready to take on the marathon!!

um ouch

Okay, so yesterday was the biggest run I have ever done in my whole life! 18 MILES. Really. I didn't think it was possible, but I did it!

It all started out so wonderful. I left the house at 5:20 am, and the weather was gorgeous! Overcast, cool, with a couple sprinkles here and there. Perfect running weather, except for the 50% humidity. It didn't bother me too much though, because even though I sweated more buckets than normal, I had plenty of water in my trusty camelbak. I started out super slow, because I knew if I started out too fast that would be the end of it, I would never be able to hold out for the whole 18 miles. I took the east-west greenbelt that runs behind my neighborhood, and I ran from Greenfield to Power road, then turned around and ran alllll the way to McQueen road. Then I came back to Greenfield and ran a small loop around my neighborhood for the last two miles.

Needless to say, it was painful. When your feet aren't used to going that far, it starts to kill big time. I must admit that there were tears between miles 14 and 15, but I just complained to myself for a little bit then moved on. Seriously, my feet were screaming at me to stop, but I had no choice but to keep going. The sun came out at around 9, which didn't help me much. It turned hot pretty fast! And I won't even pretend like I ran the whole thing, I did take a couple short walking breaks and ended walking the last mile or so, because my feet just couldn't take anymore pounding.

I would not have finished this run without the Clif Bloks that I bought the day before, they're like these chewy fruit snack things that are pure carbs with some electrolytes thrown in, which gives me the energy to keep going. I ate two packs of them, and it definitely made a world of difference.

So yeah, that was my run! I am extremely sore right now, everytime I stand up after sitting down for a while it hurts a lot! This coming Saturday I have 8 miles to do (easy stuff!), then the week after that is 20 (gulp!), and then it is three easier weeks until the marathon. Oh man. I'm gonna admit, I want this to be over! Training is hard!

And on an unrelated note, I have recently become obsessed with the show Psych. Season 4 just started, and I've seen most of season 3. I just bought seasons 1 and 2 on Ebay for cheap, yay! So if you haven't seen it before, I HIGHLY recommend it!

Aren't Shawn and Gus adorable? Haha! I find Shawn (the one on the left) extremely attractive.

Reunited and it feels so good!

Welp, after missing two long runs in a row and practically no running for the last two weeks because of vacations, I am back into full swing into marathon training. I ran outside just now, on the street, for the first time in a long time and it felt way good. For the last two months I have been doing mostly treadmill running, but I finally couldn't take it anymore and went for my Monday run on the street! Reunited and it feels so good! Although, I could do without the people in cars yelling, honking, and leering at me. Kind of scary when you're running along at 9 at night and all of a sudden a car honks at you. Makes me jump!

There is less than two months left until St George, but I am confident I can at least finish. At the beginning of training I had all these unrealistic expectations about what time I could finish in, etc., but now my main goal is to finish within 5 hours and with a smile on my face. And preferably not puking. Haha. Running in the heat has slowed me down considerably, but I am hoping for cooler weather in St G so that I can maintain a better pace throughout.

This last weekend I went to Havasupai, and it was freakin amazing! I was so excited to see the differences from the massive flood last year, and it sure did not disappoint! There is an entire new canyon that was formed which has two new waterfalls in it, and it also caused the river to completely bypass Navajo Falls, which are now bone-dry. I put up my pictures on Facebook, but they do not give the place justice! Also, I thought I was in pretty good shape for this year's hike, but nothing can really prepare you for strapping on a 35-pound pack and hiking 22 miles round trip. Needless to say, I am extremely sore (made tonight's run interesting!) but I am still looking forward to the next time. Don't know when that will be for sure, because of some maybe plans for the future that may involve 18 months of being away from home [hint, hint ;)] but we'll see. As it is, I absolutely loved the trip, the people I went with were way fun, and I have some great new memories. Nothing can compare to last year though, when we got caught in a flash flood on the way out, totally long story though that I don't feel like typing out.

Anyway, I am excited to immerse myself in the training once again. School starts in two weeks, I am babysitting a couple times a week for auntie Annie, and I am training for a marathon. Don't you just love being busy?

Sick...but not with piggy flu

Well, this past week I have been sick, which has made it impossible for me to train! I haven't ran since Saturday, and even then I was starting to get sick which meant that my 6-miler ended up being a measly 4-miler. And I didn't even run the whole time. I tell you what, being sick SUCKS big time. And what sucks even worse is that this Saturday I have a big 14-miler to do. I'm thinking that I am just going to speed walk it, since going the distance walking is better than doing nothing at all, right? It would be suicide to try and run it after not running for a week. What is bad about this flu-like sickness is that it has given me a sore throat and a cough, so I have a strong feeling that even if I tried to run, I would be doubled over coughing before long. Okay, enough with the negative part. Done with the venting.

Come to think of it, there is no positive side to this week. So that is the end of my post. Oh wait...I lost 5 pounds. There is something positive to being sick! Haha!!

Roadblocks

So I haven't given an update on training in awhile, but the most important thing is that I am still goin at it! In fact, this morning I ran my first 10 mile run EVER and it was exhausting! Basically, I feel the same after I hike Havasupai with a 30-pound pack on my back. Same achey feet and everything. But it is so worth it! (speaking of supai, August 6, 7, and 8th! I'm so excited!)

These last couple weeks I've had some issues with energy. In January, I could run 6 miles straight at just over 10 minutes per mile. For some reason, I've slowed down A LOT in the last month or so. It was starting to get really frustrating. A couple weeks ago I set out for a 9-mile run, but I couldn't even go four before I had to admit defeat and walk home. I was so exhausted after just two miles even. Then last saturday I had to do a short 6-mile run, but had to take a walking break in mile ONE! Needless to say, something was going on here. After some discussion earlier this week with Kelsey, she threw out the idea that maybe I was low on iron. It made perfect sense- I wasn't taking vitamins like I should have, and I hadn't had a piece of red meat, literally, in months (you can blame my mom for that one. All we eat is fish and chicken! haha). So I went right to work (knowing I had a 10 mile run that I absolutely had to do) and took a multi-vitamin with iron in it for the last 4 days and ate a ton of spinach. Good thing I like spinach! Well it seems to have worked, because I definitely improved! This morning I was able to run 8 miles before I got too tired and had to walk the last two. But, I did the distance, and I didn't run out of steam at mile 2 like I have been for a month or so. Placebo affect? I don't think so. There was some real energy there this morning, I could feel it.

You know what time I had to wake up this morning so as not to die of heat?

4:30. Woof.

Needless to say, I took a nice 3-hour nap after I got home and showered. Glorious!

Also, Gilbert is beautiful at dawn!

Training so far...

It's been great!

Okay, but I've slacked off. I don't think I've completed a full week of training since I've started, but this week is shaping up to be the best yet! You know why? Because I just bought a 6 month membership to the rec center! I love it! Now I can run on the treadmill or the indoor track instead of in the heat and I can use the weight machines and the bike machines and...it's AWESOME.

Going to the rec center again will be a great thing for my training. Now I can do adequate cross-training, which are activities that do not involve running, on days when I don't run. I can bike outside, now, too! I finally fixed my bike after three months of a flat tire, and this morning I took it for a spin. Still works like a charm!

Something I realized after my first workout at the rec center- I have become extremely slow! I used to be able to do a 10-minute mile way back in January, but now I struggle with even that! How pathetic is this? That is why I am now implementing treadmill running into my routine. Hopefully in a couple weeks I will be back to a 10-minute mile. Also I need to work my abs every day if I am going to be able to run comfortably- all that extra flab around my middle does not help me be faster at all!

So, new training plan:

• Run my weekday runs on the treadmill at the rec center, since they are only 30 to 45 minutes long.
• Continue running my Saturday long runs on the streets. Several hours on a treadmill at a time may be too much for me!
• Work my abs every single weekday, especially after running on the treadmill.
• Stretch after every run. Sometimes I forget.
• Be able to do 15 good push-ups by the end of the month.
• Have at least one strength training day at the rec center, most likely Fridays.
• Don't wear a gray shirt to the rec center when I run (the sweat marks are nasty!)

All in all, even though I am progressing well, I still have a lot of work with regards to speed and simple consistency.

I am still very excited for October 3rd to roll around!!! Only 115 more days!

first 2 weeks

Well, the first two weeks of marathon training are done. Here is what I have learned:

• Even while you're running and obviously busy, the missionaries will still try to ask for references. Sorry Sisters and Elders, I just don't know anybody who needs to hear your message! Keep up the good work, though.
• Arizona weather changes fast. Yesterday I set out in cool, cloudy weather, and came back with a sunburn and near heatstroke. I did have plenty of water though!
• Freestone park is a lifesaver for one reason only- bathrooms.
• I should probably wake up early for my runs from now on. This week of nice weather has spoiled me.
• I am still out of shape. Still. After almost 6 months of running. Oh well. It's getting much better!
• New running shoes make a HUGE difference. Turns out I was wearing a size too small for 5 months. No more injuries for me!
• Training runs throughout the week are just as important as the long run on Saturday, without them I would be dying on the long run!
• If I think that 6 miles is hard now, imagine when I am doing twice that. Or three times that. Or four. What am I getting myself into!?
• Guys like it when I tell them I am training for a marathon. Hahaha!
• Running clears the mind. Really.
• There is so much more, but I don't feel like writing it down...

As I really get into training, I find myself a happier (although tired-er) person. Endorphins are great!