Marine Corps Marathon...26.2 miles

After months of training, the day finally came. The day before the MCM was cold, raining with mix of snow. I was concerned because I had trained for rain, heat and cooler temperatures. I had only gear for that....not snow. Although, I am no stranger to running in the snow but not for 26.2 miles.  I did not sleep well the night before. I woke up every hour and looked at the clock. It is true what they say about making sure that you get enough rest leading up to the race. It did not affect my run. Luckily, I had set two alarms because the main alarm did not go off. I had set it but forgot to turn it on!
There are two things at this point I would do differently. #1 I would have not taken the Immodium. I was so worried about GI issues. I know myself and usually about mile 8, I have to find a bathroom. However, the Immodium caused another GI issue during the race. #2 I would have brought a longer garbage bag. I never understood why people wore garbage bags. BUT I love them now. They work as great windbreakers and keep you warmer.
Mom, Beth and I left for the metro. WOW! It was so cool to see runners and their support fill the train. We were the last station possible so with each stop more and more runners would pile in. I met one of the MCMFT members at our station and we rode up together.MCMFT is a facebook page that has first time marathoners on it. I had been chatting with them for months. They really were a great source of information and encouragement. I dont know if I would have gotten this far with out their help. I consider them my "running buddies" 
We arrived at our 5:00 hour corral. I have NEVER seen this many people getting ready to run in my life. The engery from the runners and spectators was unbelieveable. It took me 15 minutes to run over the start line. #3 to do differently, I would have gone to the bathroom one more time.   I started with Tanya and Sandy Hand. I was running with Tanya until mile 3 when we decided to remove our sweatshirts. Tanya told me to go ahead and she would catch up. That was the last time I saw her. It was fine that I was running by myself. I trained that way. Granted I was not truely by myself because there was always a large group of runners around me. Plus, I would run into our little MCMFT group members, we all wore red felt squares on our backs. I started to get a stomach ache around mile 8 because I had to go to the bathroom since the race started.  I found a real bathroom with a not so long line around mile 11. Prior to this, I was doing great with my pace. Actually, I was a head of pace and feeling strong. I was standing in line for the womens bathroom...lets just say, that I ended up in the mens side. Long story. Yes, I asked the guys if I could come in and they all said it was okay. I was not the only female in there. There was a group of us that were in there.
I did so good until mile 16.5. I had gotten a rock in my shoe. I was so worried about that dang bridge that I did not stop to get it out. #4 Get rock out of your shoe! I started to have a stabbing pain in the ball of my foot everytime I pushed off of it to run. It got so bad that I started to walk. I could speed walk with just a little bit of pain. So I continued to speed walk. I kept my pace between 12:30 and 12:45. I maintained that pace until mile 20. My muscles really started to cramp at this point. I slowed down to 13:30 pace and walked the rest of the way. I tried to run and did a few times but only lasted a couple of minutes. I understand now when someone wrote that the real race begins at mile 20. What a mental battle. When I got to mile 24, I was crying. I was so tired physically and mentally. All I wanted was to hear my husbands voice. I would have given anything for a cell phone at this point. I did the only thing I could do. I closed my eyes and listened to his voice in my head. He told me to continue. Not to give up and that I could do this. At mile 25, I looked over to my left and saw Arlington where  our nations heros lay in rest. This pushed me along. At mile 26, I could see my friend Beth in a distance. She was jumping up and down with her sign. Screaming for me to run. I started to run, she was yelling at my mom who was there with her camera. It took all the engery I had to wave at them and continue. I tried to run up the hill. Made it half way...once up the hill, I began to run. I made it across the finish line up right and smiling. I did it! 5:54. I am so glad that I chose this marathon as m first one. I learned more about myself the past 18 weeks. The big question...is this my first and only. NO! However, it will have to wait until after Taylor graduates. I dont want to be training during her senior year. So, watch out Chicago Marathon fall of 2013. I will be there. I am already signed up for the Flying Pig Half marathon in May and will also do the Air Force half in September.

"Youve come a long way baby" reflecting the Eve of the Marathon

As I sit in a quiet house in Washington DC, I decided to read all the blogs I have posted during my journey. I have truely come a long way and it is amazing to me.  I am still stunned that I CAN run 21 miles even pushing myself through some tough spots. I feel that I could have not prepare myself any better. I am so thankful for everyone that has supported me on this adventure. I know at times, I was not an easy person to get along with.
Dan has been my rock. He has never doubted my ability and continues to provide support to me. He has talked me down from several doubts and smashed them. Even though he is not here with me physically, he is here emotionally. He even rode a bike for 10 miles with me during one of my long runs. I can hear his voice in my head telling me I can do and just go for it. Both of my kids have cheered me on the whole time. Both have taken time out of their schedules and have riden with me during my long runs. They have endured pasta everyother week for dinner without complaint. I have heard nothing but positive comments come out of their mouths.  My friends Brenda and Heidi who rode along with me during my 20 and 21 miler are priceless. Your support and friendship means a lot to me. My running friends Marissa, Laura, DeAnn have sent me words of encouragement and have answered many questions (even the stupid ones) I appreicate their help during this. My new found running friends on the MCMFT page, I have no idea how I would have even gotten this far. I felt like I had a large group of running buddies instead of being all by myself. I am so happy to discover that we will remain in contact after the race. Tricia, you have no idea what it meant to me when you sent me that email. It will forever have a special place in my heart. All my coworkers and friends have been wonderful. My mom, who I adore, is going to be at the my race along with my friend Beth. They are wearing cowhats and making signs to help push me along. I have no words to say....I have been so blessed. Lastly, I thank God for giving me the strenght, courage and determination to put one foot in front of the other these last 5 months. I have learned more about myself then I had in the last 40 years. 
As I line up tomorrow in my corral, I carry everyone with me. When or if things start to get rough I will remember everyones kind words and encouragement.

A very mentally demanding 21miles

All I can say is that I am thankful that I had such a great 20 mile run two weeks ago. If I had two runs at this length in a row like today...my confidence would have been shaken. I am pretty sure I know many of the things that led up to my long run not being as "successful"as I wanted. Lack of sleep, poor hydration the day before, stress from worrying about my daughter and the heat where all the things that happened before I tied up my laces. I could tell that my time was not going to be what I wanted after the first 5 miles. I had to fill up my camelpack 3 times because I was sweating so bad. I am so lucky to have friends ride with me to help push me along. I cut my original 22 miles to 21 miles. I think I hit the wall...my mind wanted to finish the running but my body was screaming no. Live and learn. I will chalk this one up as a learned experience and change a few things before the big race.

20 miler

I decided to see if some of my friends would be willing to ride along with me as I hit this milestone of 20 miles. My goal was 4:15 minutes based on my time of the 18 miler. Three of my friends rode along with me taking turns. I did 4- 5 mile loops. However, one of my friends, Brenda, who had not been on a bicycle for 10 years decided to stay with me for the last 5 miles. She rode 10 miles. WooHoo Brenda!! I talked most of the time and it was a great distraction. The only difficulty I discovered was I had a hard time keeping my 5:1 intervals. Many times I missed my walk breaks. I did maintain my fuel and raspberry fig newtons worked great for me. It was such a wonderful cool autumn morning which I also did not drink as much as I had in the past. I had trouble with toe cramps on my right foot. Not sure why this happened and it cramped for 5 miles. I tried numerous things to try and stop them from doing this. It finally just worked itself out. I had enough energy in me that I pushed myself at 19.90 miles and sprinted to reach 20 miles. I finished a head of my goal 4:03!
 Overall, this was a great 20 miles and I feel confident that I will beat the bridge and finish this marathon upright and smiling!!

Why I run.

Someone posted a question on the MCM first timers board and asked why do you run.  It is funny but the reason I started to run 3 years ago is not necessarily what keeps me putting one foot in front of the other. Initally, I started to run because I was at a 6 month weight loss plateau and was going no where. I was so flustrated so I began a walk/run program on the treadmill. Slowly, the weight began to come off and I noticed that I felt better about life in general. Instead of eating through stressful moments, I went for a run. Since I am a goal oriented person, I decided that I have to have something to strive for so I signed up for my first 5K that spring.  But the more I train for this marathon, the more I am reflecting. As I am pounding away on the asphalt, I am learning more about myself. Funny to say that I did not really know myself after all I am 40. But I think that life gets in the way, other peoples preceptions and labels that are placed on you seem to mask your true self. Again the reason why I am running a marathon has changed since I signed up to now. I first thought I would run on the "embrace being 40" I am not running away from aging but running head on into it. I feel better now then I did 10 years ago. I chose the MCM because I have always loved the military and what they have done for this country. Being a retired military spouse, I thought what better way to run my first marathon. But I still wanted this marathon to mean ever more to me so I signed up for a charity that reflected what I really care about. The Fisher House foundation gives support, hope and compassion to military families and its members.
BUT...the really reason I am running and pushing myself. I am running for the little curly headed girl that was called "putsky" in gym classes. Who was the one of the last ones chosen for any team event in gym classes. I am running for  that same girl in middle school who felt like she would throw up the morning of the 1 1/2 mile run that was required each year. This same girl walked most of the run and was in the last few to make it across. As an adult, I am running for everyone who looks at me because I dont look like "a runner" because I am not toothpick thin. I am running for our military and their families. I am running for those who cant because of their injuries both mental and physical. I am running for my husband who was a runner (a darn good one) but after 21 years of service has both knee and back issues plus asthma from service his country in Iraq.
My running really is representing my life. When things got tough (deployments, multiple moves etc), I had reach down inside and push through it. I am dependent on myself both mentally and physically to get through this.  My family and friends have been supportive. They are my biggest cheerleaders. Without the understanding of my family and my crazy training schedule this would have not possible. They are helping me live out a dream. A dream to prove to myself that once I set my mind to something there is nothing that can stop me. AND that is why I run.

HOORAH!! 18 miles

I did it!!! I finished 18 miles of running. My nutrition was spot on. I started carbo-loading on sunday. I tried to keep them more healthy carbs. I had oatmeal with almonds, bananas and honey for breakfast on sunday and monday. I made for sunday lunch Italian Chicken soup with Italian bread. I cant remember what I had on sunday evening but it was at work. Monday for lunch I had light minestony soup, supper was Spaghetti Amaritian with Italian bread. This morning I got up and ate my normal pre run breakfast of english muffin with lots of peanut butter and banana. I ate 1/2 cliff peanut butter crunch ( I am doing this because there will be several hours between breakfast and the race.) I drink plain water for the first 12 miles and took two Blueberry Roctanes. (one at 45 minutes and the other at 1 and 40 minutes) After 12 miles I did munch on a few of the cinnamon gold fish crackers I had in my pocket. I run by the house at 12 miles and grabbed my hand held bottle which had gatorade watered down. I drank that the rest of the mileage. I did take the Roctane at 13.5 miles(washed down with water). I did have a little dip in energy at mile 13 to 15. Then I was okay again. Not sure if it was due to the Roctane not taken until 13.5 miles. The last mile was something else. My legs were tired. My feet were cramping up. But my mind and determination remained very strong. I yelled very loud at 17 miles....however at the very same time I did that, a bicyclist was passing me. I did not see him. That poor guy! He jumped and looked at me. He waved. hehehehe. But that yell, help relieve the tension in my legs and feet and helped me push through it. I will have to apologize to him when I see him next. Over all 3 hours 45 minutes. Not bad. 30 seconds per mile slower than what I would like to run but I will still beat the bridge and finish the marathon. That is all that I want to accomplish!

Lesson Learned!

I am continueing to learn while training for this marathon. Just when I thought I had it figured out, nope.... This week since it was a cut back week, I decided to run 3 days in a row. I did a tempo run, speedwork and strenght training and then an easy run. This was not a good idea. I felt fine while I completed the three different runs but on the fourth day, my legs were screaming. I got out of bed and had a sharp pain shoot down my hip to foot when I put weight on it. I was so dang sore. I decided to listen to my body and instead of cross training to rest. Today, I feel much better. My muscles dont feel tired. Just a little ache on the ball of my foot but that may because I need new work shoes. I plan on going for a nice walk later today but other than that I am resting. Tomorrow is another milestone for me.....18 miles. I have asked my son to please ride his bicycle with me for part of it. I love the short runs and running in my thoughts but after about 8 miles, it gets very long. I am planning on trying something diffferent tomorrow.Instead of running 9 miles out and back. I am going to do 6 mile loops with my house being the start and finish line. I plan on putting a snack on the porch of me so that I can grab it after my second 6 mile loop. I am nervous about this distance. I am reminding myself that it is only 2 more miles from the 16 I ran two weeks ago, which went fine.

A Nice Sunday Evening Run :)

AHHHH!!! Finally....after having a nasty old cold for the past week, I have turned the corner and am beginning to feel like my old self again. I took yesterday off from running and just did some weight lifting and rode my bicycle to the gym and back home. I think that I would have changed my long distance run if I would have known that it was what pushed me over the edge into 4 days of congestion. Anyway, I waited until later this evening and went out for a scheduled 44 minute run. It was perfect out...low humid, cool breeze and I feel GREAT! Today I purchased a pair of compression shorts for my long runs. I am hoping that it helps less my muscle fatique. I also brought a new white baseball hat because my black hat gets nasty looking from sweating. I brought a new pair of shorts that I am hoping will look good with my Fisher House foundation racing shirt. Only 63 days left!!

MCM Inspirational video from 2010.

16 miles....mind over muscle cramps

I had my doubts about running 16 miles. First of all, I have never ran this distance in my life.  Secondly, I have been trying to come down with a cold for the last 2 days. I tried everything possible to prevent it from stopping me from  running today ie. lots of orange juice, extra sleep, multivitamins etc. So this morning I got up and armed myself with all the tips and advice I have received from my fellow runners. I ate my normal pre run breakfast then eat a cliff bar (I could only get about half of it down. Boy are those bars dense) I had planned my run route several weeks ago with a location that I had not run before with gravel trails and mostly shaded. My favorite places to run are those with beautiful scenery. I used my camelpack that fits around my waist and filled it with water. I decided to carry in my hand as long as I could powerade (fruit punch). I brought 2 Roctane pinneapple (which are great) and one TriBerry (which will not be repeated since it tastes like cough syrup! YUCK!) I also brought a small bag of granola. I ate the Roctane/GU every 45 minutes. I ended up hiding my powerade along the train around the 4.5 mile mark. The weather could not be more perfect this morning. My water lasted me until 12 miles which is when I relocated my powerade. The Roctane is excellent so this is what I plan on bring with me to MCM. I want to try the blueberry one next time. I did have some leg cramps start at 14.5 miles. They were the whole back of both legs. I managed to push through it with some self talk. Good thing no one was around since they probably would think that I had last mind. When I hit my 16 mile mark. I was in awe that I had actually done it. Stretched before I got into my car. Tried a cold bath with some ice and used my foam roller. So hopefully tomorrow I will not be incredibly sore.

Cut back week....8 miles

Ran 8 miles on Wednesday and it felt great. It is funny that it is my cut back mileage when before I thought it was a long distance which seemed scarey!  I decided to run part of the distance on the road and the other half on trail. I really enjoy trail running. I forget that I am running and lose myself in the scenery. The trail I run is the old Erie Canal tow path. I spoke with one of the board members of this path and he told me that it actually continues past where I thought the end was. The trail comes to an abrupt stop in a corn field. He told me to follow the outside of the corn field and the trail picks back up and passes one of the oldest cementaries in NW Ohio. I guess there is an American Revolutionary war soldier buried in there. So, being a history buff, I have to run  that route and see for myself. Next week, I run a 16 miler. I am hoping that I can maintain the pace I was doing during my 8 miler, which I finished in 1 hour and 35 minutes. I would be happy maintaining that pace. I tried a new flavor of GU this week...Jet Blackberry. It has double caffine in it. It give me a surge of energy that lasted well past my 8 miles. I could not have several of these but I am thinking I could incorporate this flavor into my mix. I am going to try a couple different flavors of fruit GU and see how it goes. Another thing I did different is that I ran with my Camelpack Backpack instead of the one that goes around my waist. I used the GLide on my collar bones and shoulders to help protect them from rubbing. I did  not run out of water. I think as long as it is not hot, I will run with it this week.

14 miles and a sigh of relief

I ran the furtherest I had ever ran before...14 miles. I have to admit, I was very nervous running today. I have been fighting lower back pain since Sunday. I am not sure what I did to my back. I  had done my normal 4 mile run then went out on my motorcycle. Dan and I rode to a very beautiful location which was north of Columbus called Indian Lake. I was tense while I was riding since I have not been on my motocycle much this year. I felt the pain starting when we got there and I was stretching trying to relieve the pain. On the way home, we ran into a thunderstorm which did not help me any. I hate rain while riding. By the time we got home, the pain was pretty intense especially when I sat down. It was sending sharp pains down the back of my left leg. I tried stretching, my foam roller, ice, and cryoderm. Monday I went to my Chiropractor after work. Whatever he does made it feel better but I think that my muscles were not happy with me. I iced and stretched. Today, I woke up knowing that I had my long run today.The first couple of steps, I could feel a twinge and then it went away. So far, the pain has not returned. I ran country roads today. I even got lost and it took me a little while to figure out which way I needed to go to head back. I think that I will wait now and not run along the country roads for awhile. The corn is tall and made it hard to see if there was any cars/tractors coming down side roads.I tried chocolate mint GU which is awesome. It is not as sweet as the chocolate. The only draw back it has no caffine in it.So I tried to alternate between chocolate and chocolate mint. It worked well. Looking forward to my 16 mile run in a week...I have a special route that I discovered and I am looking forward to it.

Cut back week

When I started marking my training schedule, I noticed that I build my long distance one week and the next cut  back. At first I was attempted to revamp this and cut out the cut back weeks. But I remember I had that wonderful idea when I trained for my half marathon and I ran into trouble in the middle of my training. I become so tired and felt like it was an effort just to function in every day life so I left them in. I welcome the cutbacks now since I am going to be running 14 miles next week. My 6 miles went well this morning. It is funny how 6 miles seems like nothing. If someone would have told me that I was going to run 6 miles several years ago, I would have laughed at them.  I retried GU with the encouragement of some of my fellow first timers recommendations. They were right, the chocolate GU was good. The consistency which turned me off the first time I tried it, was thicker. It reminded me of cold fudge. I do want to get my hands on some of the chocolate mint however. I think maybe that one wont be so sweet. I am running in a 10 K race next weekend. It is one that I like to do every year since it is for a good organization...the filling home which is living facility for the handicapped. Until next time!

12 miles of learning!

12 miles today and it was a very learning experience.
1. I need more than 5 hours of sleep to run this distance.
2. A cupcake is not a good idea for quick sugar for a pre run snack even with peanut butter frosting.
3. Running on a trail and having a near fall is not fun and pulls muscles.
4. Run in dew covered grass for .5 mile not a good idea, it gets your shoes wet.
5. Once your shoes are wet, it is not a comfortable run.
6. If you leave the house feeling good, running will not help this situation.
7. I dont like to run through multiple cobwebs.
I finished it but the last mile I ran with a 4 minute run and 1 minute walk. This is not my normal 8  minute run and 1 minute walk. I am hoping that as I increase my miles, it will get easier. These were tough.

Speed workout revamped

Last week my speed workout kicked my butt and shins! Had to ice my shins for two days afterwards. So, I thought I would try something a little different. According to a wonderful article in Runners World, there are three ways to improve speed: short intervals (the ones that seem not to work well with me), long intervals and farleks. I thought I would give the long intervals a try. I ran .25 miles at a 5K pace (I averaged between 2.15 to 2.30 minute .25 miles) then I walked for a minute and repeated this cycle three times. I walked for 3 minutes and repeated the same cycle of running with one minute walk for a total of 3 cycles. This worked well for me. I was able to keep up my pace, not have any pain and felt strong. I think that the short intervals is just too much stress on these "older" joints. I then went to the gym for an hour and strength trained. I can say that I am looking forward to my day of rest tomorrow and will begin my week on Monday.

I have discovered some wonderful joys of running in different locations. This summer I have been able to run along a trail and see some beautiful mountains. The air was crisp and wonderful. I did have a little difficulty with the elevation change since I am a "flat lander" but so worth the challenge. A month later, I found myself running along the beach watching the Atlantic Ocean. I love the beach early in the morning when there is few people there but those of us who enjoy running/walking. Even here at good old home, I have seen wildlife such as deer and baby raccoons. I would not change anything about my running. It is a wonderful thing!

Hoping for the best!

Yesterday, I asked my teenage daughter to help me with my speed workout. She helped me last summer and it worked. I did improve my time and according to my husband my form improved as well. She ran track so she loves to put me through form and sprint drills. However, when we began yesterday, I felt my calves tighten and a burning sensation in both of my shins. I am so hoping that I did not do anything bad. (shin splints). I am guilty of front loading all my workouts this week due to my vacation starting on saturday so I have run or did my cross training for the last 5 days in a row without a day of rest. Today I am resting but I am suppose to do my  9 mile long  run tomorrow. I am hoping that my legs were just tired but I came home and iced them. I plan on running tomorrow but if the pain returns...I am not sure what I should do. I am afraid to push too hard and cause further damage. Lesson learned...no more front loading my workouts with out an adequate rest day!

Shattering the Cement...

WOOOHOO! After a week of disappointment on my runs, I have completed the Duathlon! I felt great, my legs felt strong. I am not fast but steady and my times proved it. Completed it in 2 hours 9 minutes with a few minutes of transitioning between running and biking. I learned something from a very fast biker who passed me ...she would pedal in cycles. She would pedal about 50  times and then coast. I tried this and it worked well. I also discovered that I CAN run with out my IPOD. I was sick when I found out at the race that IPODs were not allowed. I was unsure how this was going to affect me since I run all the time with it. I still prefer to run with it...it is a great distraction but I CAN without it if I have to.

A week of struggles

This week has really been a struggle for me. My times have really to put it bluntly sucked! I just completed my weekly long run which I normally do at the end of the week today. I am trying to front load this week since I have the dualathon on Saturday. I ran my 8 miles today in a pain staking slow rate on 1 hour 39 minutes. Not my normal pace. I have started to have some pain at the top portion of my foot near my big toe. This has happened before but it generally goes away. I did make an appt for the Chiropractor tomorrow. Hopefully, he can make it feel better like he has with my hip. It is odd because all my "problem" areas are on my left side. I will keep pushing on....

Last Brick Laid

Just because there has been no blog for a while, does not mean that I have to been out running. I went on vacation to the mountains in Idaho. I learned one thing....the elevation really affects you. It really slowed my time down but I loved the change of scenery. I was lucky to run on some beautiful trails with some awesome scenery. If only I could take the temperatures of there and the elevation of where I live and mesh them together. Today I ran my last brick before my duathlon on the 2nd. My goal is not that huge. I dont want to break records, I just dont want to be the last one to cross the line. And I want to be upright and smiling.

7 Miles

I ran 7 miles in 1 hour and 16 minutes, which averages out as 10m57sec miles. If I can can maintain at least this rate for 26 miles, I will be one happy little camper. I ran with my new toy today and I really love it. Since I am a competitive person, I feel that this will push me to go faster. My goal is to maintain a 10 minute mile while I am running. I did accomplish this several times but when I do my 1 minute walk it drops to 13 minutes. I also know that my first mile, which is the mile that I struggle with, is my slowest at 12 minutes per mile. I ran with my camelpack on as well. It bounces alittle at the beginning but I did not notice it about 2 miles into my run. I do know that the necklace I had on which I had forgot about, drove me nuts.

14 miles Biking

Went 14 miles on my bicycle. It took me 69 minutes. I sure wish that I could run as fast as I can bike:) Nothing to report over all it was a good ride. Just continuing to work on my speed. I have only a couple weeks left until the duathlon.

35 minutes of fun :)

Today I decided as I headed out to run my 35 minute scheduled run that I would look for hills and do a little speed play. I really enjoyed the variety. I would run along and search for hills. I did several grass hills which were good for my legs. Found a hilly gravel alleyway and ran that twice. I worked on some speed by sprinting to several different landmarks.  I really liked this better than my "typical" run every other telephone. I dont particularly like this. I feel like  I got the same workout. I went to the gym and lifted weights which I focused on my legs and core. I am finding it harder to get the motivation to go to the gym when it is nice outside. But I know that strengh training is important and this is where I fell short on my half marathons. I did not do any strengh training. I focused only on running.

6 Miles

I got up and left early this morning to beat the heat. I am not a morning person but it feels great to have my run completed before I am normally getting out of bed on a day off. No near misses to report. Happily this run was free of that. However, I did have a bit of GI problems. I am thinking that the fat free Pringles I had last evening was not a good idea. I normally dont have any problems with Olean but I am thinking the combination of that and running are not a good mix. I used my newly purchased water belt today. It is not the one I had orginially sought out to purchase. It is a camelpack but instead of being on your back, it is worn around your waist. I have my water located at the small of my back. It does move a slight bit when I run but I think that this will work. It sure beats holding on to a water bottle for my runs. I tried out my neighbors Garmin Forerunner 110. I so want to get one now! I loved it but it will have to wait for another month or so. I feel that will help me with my speed. I ran 6 miles in 70 minutes. Averaging 11.40 minute/miles. I need to get it going. I want to knock a minute at least off of my time.

Almost a smashed Brick!

Does anyone else have close calls with cars? Today was the closest yet. I was riding my bicycle with traffic when a car decided to turn into my lane from a side street. I was as close to the curb you can get and had no way out. I hit my brakes which caused my back tire to fish tail and not a nice word came out of my mouth. I think the elderly man did not see me until that point. It must have scared him too. I think he thought he hit me (almost I could have swung my knee out with my foot on the pedal and touch his cadillac). He was following behind me...I told him to go around me but instead he pulled up next to me and asked if I was okay. I told him that he scared the crap out of me but I was fine. He apologized. At least he checked to see if I was okay. I dont know what else to do. I am wearing clothes that are visible, my bike is white and my helmet is white. Anyone have suggestions? Anyway, completed another brick 3 mile run/11 mile bike ride/3 mile run. I finished in 2 hours. I have 2 more miles to add to my bike and then I doing the same miles that I am competeing in the duathlon. My bike mileage is improving 11 miles in 53 minutes (4.81 min./mile). It was a beautiful morning!!

13 Biking Miles

It is windy today so 6.5 miles of my biking was directly into the wind. I really struggle with the wind and maintaining a decent speed. On my way back, I was passed by a biker who apparently knows what he is doing. It was almost embarassing because it seemed like I was not moving so he flew past me and then glided a while before pedalling again. He left me in his dust. I know that I am a newbie at this but that was a little dishearting.
Things learned this time:
1. If I shift into the 3 gear and shift into my 7 gear, I can go 19 mph for a while.
2. The higher gear I can shift into, the less pedalling and the faster I can go.
I did 13 miles in 65 minutes which averages about 5 minute miles. I NEED to get faster. I am hoping to average 4 minute miles for my dualthon. I hope I am not kidding myself with this goal since it is less than a month away. I am getting faster from when I started. I do enjoy biking and plan to keep it as my crosstraining once I complete the duathlon.

5 Miles

5 wonderful miles with perfect weather! As I have blogged in the previous couple, I have begun my training schedule. This is my long run this week. It is 3 or 4  miles shorter than what I was running the past couple months but I figure cutting back and following the training schedule will be a good idea. I felt very strong after my first mile. Does anyone else struggle with the first mile? My body fights me. My legs feel like cement but once I have the first mile done, my running picks up and I feel so good. It has always been this way for me. I am paying attention to when I take drinks while I am running my long runs. Since the MCM has water stations are every 2 miles, I am trying to do the same. I have not purchased my water belt yet so I am running with my hand held water bottle. It is ok. I am hoping to get to a running store soon and hope that I can find one that suits me.  If I can find one that works and does not bounce around on me, I may carry it with me during the MCM. I normally just relay on the water stations but I will see.

Brick

I have officially started my training for the MCM (yesterday) but I have to continue training for the dualthon which is July 2 so I have to add a brick once a week. My timed run went well yesterday. I have to get used to running a timed amount rather than miles for my short runs. I am used to just running for mileage. Brick today went ok. The first two legs were great but the third one kick my butt. HUMIDITY! Ran 3.0 miles then hopped on my bike and rode 10 miles. Took off for the last run and ended up run/walking 2.0 miles. It took me 2 hours to accomplish this brick. I NEED to get faster afterall the awards ceremony is schedule 2 hours after the start of the race! I still have two more bike miles and one more run mile to add. Things I learned:
1. I love my mirror that my husband put on my bike. I can now see anything that comes up behind me.
2. A bike helmet is a LOT cooler than my baseball cap.
3. I am learning to drink water and maintain my bike speed.
4. I have a great husband for not getting mad at me as I continue to buy little gadgets.

Hills northwest Ohio style

I dont blog every run just the ones that I have learned something or tried something new. Since I have the elevation map of the MCM, I have decided that I need to add hills to my run. Unfortunately, I live in northwest Ohio where we have small mounds but hills are few and far between. So, I decided to run the next best thing....the overpass. I did just that today. I ran up it three times and down it four. Yes, the fourth run up....I walked it. But it was a run down and as soon as I got to the base, I turned back around to go back up. Next time, I will not run as far away from the hill on the first run over so that I have more time. I tried one of the runners on the first timers board of counting as you run up the hill to keep your mind occupied. It worked. Someone else thinks of running through the hill. I dont mind running them. Tomorrow is my first "official" training day. I am used to focusing on running by miles and not time. So it is going to be an adjustment to get used to running that way again.

8 miles ....

WHEW!! So much better today than the day I tried to run 4 and just could not! This was my last "long" run that was not a training run. I have been doing one long run a week for a while now. Not particularly training for anything but just to do one. Because I cant imagine training for a marathon with just running up to a 20 mile long run, I will begin training for the MCM on monday. My longest run will be 22 miles. Which freaks me out alittle because that is 4 miles short of my ultimate goal. When I trained for my halfs, I ran up to 12 miles which is so close. No GI problems today to report. The temperature outside was perfect for me. I love it when it is in the 50's. So, I am hoping that DC will be like that in October. The only thing that happened to me, which has never occurred before was my right ankle acted up. It was so weird and hard to describe. It was like it was sleeping or something. I could not feel it which caused me to limp a little. This lasted less than a mile and happened at my turn around point. I dont know if I was running on that side funny or the angle of the road. I just hope that whatever it was, it does not happen again. I brought a bicycle helmet today. The salesman at the bike shop was trying to convince me to stop running and move to biking all the time. He claims that it will ruin my knees, legs and back. Sorry bike salesman....not stopping!

Body Whisper

Bad run day:(. It started off fine but about 1 mile and half into my run but body rejected what I was trying to accomplish. It was a short run day about 4 miles. Everything from my waist down started to hurt and my feet felt like they weighed 100 pounds a piece. Normally, if something starts to hurt, I just continue to run and it goes away. Not this time. I started walking and thought I would give myself a little break and pick back up into running. It did not happen. I tried but still did not feel right. The only thing that I can think of that I did different from my normal routine was my speed workout yesterday. I ran 1 and half miles of sprinting between the telephone poles versus my normal 1 mile.  I have learned that when running does not feel right, dont push it. Your body is trying to tell you something. I will chalk this one up as a learning experience and continue on.

Another brick laid with sweat!

Some days I feel as if I can conquer anything. The run feels easy and my body is strong. But other days my legs just dont want to move. It is a battle...I think it is really the humidity. I know that I have mentioned this in the past but going from cool weather with very little humid to warm and humid takes a toll. Today I decided to do a brick workout. The first 3 miles of my run was hard. I pushed myself. Once I switched to my bike, I began to feel better. I did not push as hard as I did on my biking only day. I got off the bike after 8 miles and ran again. So much better. I did 2 more miles. On my route there is this tree that is flowering. I am not sure if it is a cherry or apple tree but the fragrance from that tree is incredible. There is no artifical product that could come close. This is one of the many things I love about being outside. You get to experience things with all your senses. Even though this brick was laid with much sweat, it was well worth it.

8.5 miles

Wow! Was it humid out. Not warm temperature wise but since we have been getting all this rain, we have a lot of standing water so once the sun came out...whew! I really wanted to run the trail today but I decided that it would be way too muddy! I have started my cycle of run 8 minutes and fast walk 1 minute. I used this method to train and run my two half marathons. It worked well so I plan on using this 8:1 cycle for MCM. I had been running with no walking and proved to myself that I can run 10 miles straight. I m doing something a little different, I am running the first mile and then started the cycle. Prior to this, I would jsut start the cycle. I have noticed that I run at a faster pace when I use the interval. I ran an old route today using old country roads which is great because they have very little traffic. The only draw back is no bathrooms but that was not an issue today. Apparently the slices of meat and some cheese I ate the night before settled well. 

12 miles on a bicycle

I am a very goal orientated person. I have discovered this about myself the more I run and try other activities. I am still unsure how fast I should be aiming for on my bicycle. I can tell you one thing, you use different muscles when you bike compared to running. Today I set a time goal of 60 minutes to finish 12 miles. I beat  my goal at 55 minutes and 39 seconds which averages out to 4.6 minute miles. I average about 13 miles per hour. I have to admit, when I got off of my bike, my legs were shaking. I cant imagine running a 5 k after that but I have until July 2nd to get my speed and the transition for running and biking squared away.

Another brick laid down!

The weather is such a fickle thing. Last week was sweating up a storm with shorts on. Today, I am in running pants with an underarmor shirt on! Oh well:) Laid another brick in the path leading to the duathlon. Ran 3 mile then hopped my the bike for 40 minutes (8 miles) then off to run 2 miles. I am really focusing on speeding up my bike portion so instead of mileage, I focused more on time. I gave myself 40 minutes on the bike.Wind is not my friend on the bike. I do not particularly like it running either but it is worse on the bike. I am discovering that I need to crouch down more and try and keep my elbows in. I seem to move faster that way. I am understanding the reason behind why the avid bicyclist have the toe clips on their bikes. My foot slipped off my pedal twice. A good neighbor of mine told me not to give up that bicycling is like running...you only get better with the more miles you put on. Since this is my first attempt to do anything like this, I will keep on pedalling forward.

Long Run learning experiences

I discovered that I need to pay more attention to what I am eating the night before my longer runs. I eat the same thing every morning but I think that what I am eating the night before is affect my run. Note to self, do NOT eat fiesta feta cheese dip and have a glass of wine the night before a long run. Luckily, I know where all the bathrooms are on my route! I have discovered that I like dots instead of gummy bears for my snack as I run. They are a heck of a lot easier to chew. Besides, I love them anyways and that is my excuse for eating them. I eat one dot per mile. I ate 7 dots today:). I am also going to try and get up earlier to run as well. The humidity zapped me. I need to purchase my water belt soon...my hand held water bottle only lasted 6 miles when it is hot. This is not even a fraction of the mileage I will be running when I train for the MCM! Unfortunately, I have to go to Toldeo for this belt. None of the little sporting good stores near me carry them. Lots of new things discovered today!!

Pedalling my buns off....

So here is my question...What is a respectable time (miles/minute) for bicycling? I took off and rode 6.8 miles in 30 minutes. I have no idea what I should be striving for!  I could probably push it faster but this was with no running prior to taking off on my bike. I did put in a 12 hour shift which I spent most of it on my feet.

Speed Play and Strenght Training

Winter was unkind to my pace. I am not a fast runner by any means, I guess you would consider me a mere jogger at my pace of 10:30 minute miles. But coming out of this winter and wet/cold spring, I have dropped into the 11 minute mile catergory! I even ran this winter and spring....mostly outside with many layers of clothes on. So, being a running newbie, I have read many articles on the importance of adding speed training to your workouts. Today I did just that..jogged 2 minutes followed by 1 minute of faster pace. I could not go at an all out sprint because there was no way that I could maintain that for a full minute. Surprisingly, during this speed variation, I knock off 30 seconds from my mile time. After this, I went to the high school stadium and ran up the stairs. I would run up twice then worked on my running form. I repeated this 4 times. The last run up the stairs was not graceful! I think that my legs were protesting :) For strength training, I went to the gym and lift weights. I only did my arms, shoulders, chest and core. 

My brick path to the Napoleon Duathlon

What a glorious day for being outside! Finally!! I completed a brick today. I am now up to 3 mile run, 9.35 mile bike and 2 mile run. I am getting there but I have discovered that I need to get faster on my bicycle portion of the brick. I dont know why when I get on my bike that I feel like I should just glide along at a leisurely pace. At this rate, the duathlon will be over and I will be crossing the line with no one there. I have that strange sensation that my legs belong to someone else after I get off my bike and start running. But this feeling is not lasting as long as it has in the past. I run like that for the first half mile and then it feels normal. I am hoping that as I continue training for this, that will improve. On a side note, I would like to thank my follow running buddies for this idea of creating a blog. Now people on facebook wont have to read my status about running anymore. :)