Crazy high mileage

I knew I had been running a lot of mileage but I hadn't totalled it up. Then when I was out running on Saturday, I figured out just how how my mileage was. After my run today, I have run 140 miles in 2 weeks. What I have found to be the most amazing is my body's ability to adapt to the demand I am putting on it. I blogged earlier about how my brother and I decided on a training run for
Red Mountain that we were going to run 50 miles in May. So 2 weeks ago I ran a marathon (Boston), five days later (not yet fully recovered) I ran the Red Mountain 50K. Then five days later I decided to run the St. George Ironman 70.3 run course. Two days later I ran 18.5 with my husband and brother (to train for the 50 miler) and today we put in nearly 17. I didn't mention the mileage I put in doing hill repeats or interval training but I did count them. When we did the 50K, I felt good but the hills were hard. By the time I ran the Ironman course, my body had adapted and I ran it well. By the way, I love the run course for the Ironman. It's killer but I love a challenge! The 18.5 we did on Saturday went well but near the end of the run today, we could feel the mileage and the heat. We went after our kids went to school so we didn't get started until after 9:00 and we had a daytime high of like 93 today so it was a warm run. We figured it would be good training because some of our 50 miler is going to be in full sun.

We decided that our training for the 50 miler would be back to back runs. Our plan was to run a 20 followed a 15. We got off late on Saturday and had a full day so we had to cut our run short and added onto the second run. Our next set will be two back to back 20s. Our last one will be 25/20 or 25/25, depending on how we feel. We're both solid runners and well able to run. With our heads so we should be able to knock this 50 miler out! It's probably crazy but I'm excited. I love a challenge and pushing my limits. It's only in pushing the boundaries and limits that I find out just how strong I really am.

Thanks for checking in and come back soon.

How did I miss making this announcement?!

Back in February I tested through AAFA to be a group fitness instructor. I only had about 2 1/2 weeks to read through all the material and to prepare so I was initially really nervous. I even considered not going to the test because I just wasn't sure if I could do it. By the time the workshop started, I found my confidence. I knew this stuff and I knew I could do it. But the time the testing rolled around, I was so ready for it. I left the workshop knowing that I had passed the test and I was ready to move forward. AFAA says it takes 4-6 weeks to receive test results. It took 7 1/2 weeks for me to get mine back. By then I had lost some motivation but was thrilled that I am now legal to teach group fitness classes. I really want to teach indoor cycling and maybe yoga. I wouldn't mind a bootcamp class either.

I'm not really sure what I want to do. My passion is running. I know I can get anyone to a finish line. I would love to be a running coach. I think I'm going to try my hand at being a pacer for marathons and half marathons. Helping people accomplish their goals is somehting that would make me really happy.

Anyway, thanks for checking back in with me. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I will try to answer to the best of my ability. Have a great one and come back soon.

I'm getting better and Red Mountain 50K

I had a really bad day. Crazy as it seems, after the really bad day, I started to do better. Everything seemed so surreal until about Wednesday morning. At that point everything became too real. I dealt with my emtions and allowed myself to feel all of them. By Thursday I was feeling better. I still have moments when thngs are not okay but the good out-weighs the bad.

Friday morning my husband and I went to my brother's house to get to watch the marathon. He had recorded it on his DV-R. That was one thing that frustrated me. I missed all the highlights from the day because of the attacks. We swtiched back and forth between the marathon and the developments going on in Boston. We had our race the next day so I spent the time making ribbons for the runners of the race to wear as a tribute to Boston, the runners, and the victims.

Saturday began cool though not as cold as I was afraid it would be. We started the race and only about 2 or 3 miles in it became apparent that we weren't as recovered as I hoped. The flats and downhills were fine but the hills hurt. The first 13 miles of the 50K are over a mountain. I was so glad to be done with the mountain. "We" was my husband, my brother, and me. My husband and I just didn't have the power that we usually have and my brother was sick. What a group we made. We walked the hills and several other times but we made it. What's crazy is that I was feeling better at miles 25-30 than I was at 6-13. We finished the 50K in about 5:45ish. It was a slower finish than I hoped for but with Boston being only five days before, I'll take it.

I'm looking forward to 2013 being a great running year. Thanks for checking in and keep running because it's still important.

So I'm not okay

This was not my intention when I started this blog. It was never meant to be a place to vent but since this applies to so many people, I feel that it's appropriate. I'm not okay. People keep asking me that. Initially, I told them that I was, but I'm not. I feel like processing the events of the Boston Marathon is like peeling an onion. I deal with one thing only to find another layer. This morning I went to the gym and turned the TV on while I was on the treadmill. The morning news was showing footage of the finishline. I nearly lost it right there. I pride myself on being a strong person and dealing with the things life throws at me but I am not handling this. I feel violated. Running is my sanctity, my outlet, what makes me a better person and someone I don't know for whatever reason tainted it. I deal with my problems, write papers, receive inspiration while I run and now my safety net has a hole. Every time I toe the line for a race for the rest of my life, Boston 2013 will be in the back of my mind. Why a marathon? Why runners and their supporters? Monday was supposed to be a celebration, the culmination of months of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, discpline. This was a senseless, shameful, cowardly event. I cannot make sense of it and I am struggling. I have found myself in tears off and on all day.

A thanks to the many, many people who have reached out to me and my family. Your thoughts have meant a lot. Please continue to pray for those that have been affected by the tragedy in Boston.

Thanks for checking back with me and come back soon. Hopefully, I'll have a better handle on things next time.

Boston Marathon 2013

I should start my Boston Marathon experience with getting to
Boston. We picked up our rental car and then headed to the Prudential Center where the expo was. We grabbed some luch and then shopped until the expo opened. CRAZY amounts of people all there to get their numbers for the marathon. Boston is so well organized and the volunteers were great. We wondered through the expo and saw Team Hoyt. What an inspiration! We were feeling beat so we decided to check into our hotel since we had red-eyed it in and we were exhausted. We grabbed some dinner and went to bed early. In the morning we did some sight seeing and then went back to the expo. My sister used to live in the Boston area and she told us we needed to get a cannoli from Mike's Bakery so we walked to the north end for a cannoli. After dinner, we went back to our hotel for the night. On Sunday we went to worship services and then to the 300th anniversary celebration of Lexington. After the celebration we went back to our hotel to put things together for the morning. Race day! It started at 6:00, I know, not too early. We had to board the buses at Boston Common between 7:00 and 7:30. It was a cold morng but the sun was shining. We had had cloud cover, rain, and wind since flying into Boston so we were thrilled for the sun. That was the longest bus trip to a starting line I have ever experienced. The starting line was crazy. So many people. We were in the last wave, in the final corral. Our start time was 10:40. We weaved in and out of people for the first 6 miles, fnally pacing about the same as the runners around us. I don't really remember the first 10 miles very well. By mile 15 I was feeling great and ready to let my endurance legs fly. My husband was starting to struggle, though. Several times we had to slow to a walk. I will admit that I did consider running ahead of him and then coming back to finish with him. I decided at wouldn't be fun for either of us so we would stay together. Just after crossing the 40K check point, just passed the 25 mile mark, we ran into a wall of people. The corral gates had been shut. Someone said something about there being an explosion at the finishline. We had 3/4 of a mile to the finish! It became apparent very quickly that we weren't going to get to finish this race. Cell service was spotty, clogged with so many people trying to use the system. I was thinking about our kids watching the race on TV and knowing we were so close. We kept trying and were finally able to reach our daughter to let her know we were okay and to tell her to call her grandmas to let them know we were okay. My husband had better service than most and was able to send many text mesages to famlies at the finishline that people were okay. After about an hour, a volunteer came to tell us they needed us to walk several streets to pick up our drop bags. We probably walked a mile and a half and were able to get our drop bags, a warming blanket, and a goody bag they handed the finishers. We asked a police officer if the train was open and he said yes. We walked back to Boston Common only to find that the train was closed at that stop. We ended up walking about another 2ish miles and were finally able to get on the train. We got stopped on the train but finally made it back to our car and then our hotel. We finally got food at about 8:00 that night. We were able to get our flighht out early this morning and made it safely home early this afternoon.

Something I would really like to emphasize is that during the crisis, humanity showed its best side. People came out and brought the runners drinks and garbage bags and sweatshirts. People forgot that they didn't know each other and just thought about the fact that we are all people.

Thanks for checking in with me and check back soon. Remember the victims of this tragic event.

Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition

This is one of those things that is so much more important than I could probably express. I need to state here that I am not a dietician or sports nutritionist. All the ideas expressed here are my own opinion and not intended to cure or diagnose anything. That being said, let's get to the fun. When I first started running, I was overweight. I wasn't necessarily running to lose weight, mostly just because I enjoyed it and I loved the boost my self-esteem received when I accomplished a goal. I bring up these things because I did not have a healthy relationship with food. It took me a long time to get there. I have been from one extreme, food was my go-to--for the good, the bad, or otherwise, to the other, it scared me to eat. Thankfully, some education and a changed perception has brought me to a healthy relationship with food. Right now I see food as the fuel my body requires to do the things I want to do. Good nutrition is necessary if you want to be active and have your body function at its best. I have eaten horribly and had by body scream at me on a run. I have had the opposite result and had amazing runs because I have taken good care of myself. My relationship with food only changed when my perception of food changed.

I want to address nutrition while exercising. If you are going for up to about 60 minutes, nutrition while exercising is probably not necessary. Anything longer than that will probably require nutrition. There are a million things you can take with you. A drink with calories, ie. sports drink, is probably the easiest. You are going to need to hydrate and a drink with calories just kills two birds with one stone. Other things can include gels and blocks, anything really. I have a really hard time with gels. I literally have to give myself a pep talk to get it down and even then I usually gag. The texture is what I struggle with. They are really convenient though and super portable. Blocks really are my favorite nutrition. GU blocks are my favorite brand but Clif and Stingers make a good product too. Blocks are a gummy product similar to fruit snacks. Often, one package is two servings to check the label. Really, anything can be your nutition. I have used candy bars cut up into 100 calorie servings. Chocolate is not a good idea because it melts. PayDay bars or Salted Nut Rolls worked really well though I have eaten so many on training runs that I can no longer eat them so keep that in mind. I discovered pinole after reading "Born to Run," a great read! It's a corn masa dough that can be eaten raw or baked into a cake or cookie. I have run with peanut butter fillled pretzels and trail mix before so the sky really is the limit. Recently, I tried Stingers waffles and I think they are amazing! They are endorsed by Lance Armstrong (say what you want about his etthics, but he is an amazing athlete) so they are great for endurance events.

Nutrition while doing endurance events can be tricky. Staying ahead of the burn is essential if you don't want to tank. You don't want to overeat because your body slows digestion and you'll end up with a lead belly but you have to eat to keep going. Usuallly, you fuel before you go and then re-fuel every 30-60 minutes depending on your fitness level and your size. Usually, the more fit you are and the bigger your size the faster your body burns. Re-fueling too slow makes you sluggish until your body can metabolize your nutrition.

Best of luck as you experiment with nutrition. Thanks for checking in and come back soon!

My first running race

I was preparing for a sprint triathlon. While talking with my brother, he told me I should run a half marathon that was in like two weeks. Like usual, he had me talked into it before I really had time to think it through. By the time I got home I thought things through and decided it was crazy and I hadn't trained and didn't have time to train so I wasn't going to do it. Several days passed and I kept thinking about that half marathon. Somehow I decided to do it. I did my tri that weekend and then went to the gym the next Monday to run the farthest I had ever run at one time, seven miles. That Saturday was the the half. So the longest I had ever run in parparation for this race was seven miles and it was five days before the race. Thankfully I have learned from my mistakes and I usually properly train for races now. That day I will never forget how long that bus ride to the starting line was. I kept thinking that surely we had gone 13 miles and the bus was going to stop, but it didn't. It just kept going. It was cold and windy at the starting line so I was so grateful for the bonfires. It seemed like we were there forever before the race started. My brother was there but he was so much faster than I was so when the race started I told him I would see him at the finishline. I didn't want to hold him up. I ran every step of that race. All 13.1 miles of it. By miles seven, my calves were absolute knots. My knees started to really hurt by about that same time but I was going to did it. The last two miles I thought I really might die. I was really familiar with the course but I had never run it before, only driven it and those are two completey different things. Those were some of the longest miles of my life. I finally hit mile 13 and decided I wanted to sprint it in. I thought the finishline was in a different place so I turned the speed on a little too early. It was sheer dumb luck that allowed me to finish that race. The good thing that came out of that race, besides knowledge, was that emerged a runner. I finally LOVED to run. I got excited about running and that started the crazy runner that I am today.

Many of my races are special to me for diffeerent reasons. My firsts are specials because they're firsts. One of my marathon finishes means so much because we pushed our wheelchair bound mother from start to finish. One is a PR.

There is something good to find in everything, even the negative, or in my case, the crazy. Thanks for checking in with me and check back soon. I'm hoping to blog at least one more time before the Boston marathon, maybe twice. Have a good one!

One crazy week

So last week I'm out shopping and my husband calls me. He had earlier entered a contest to win a free entry to the Boston Marathon on Instagram. He was calling to tell me he had won the entry. Now, at this point I should probably tell you that I want to qualify for Boston. I haven't, as yet, done all that is required to qualify. I know I have a Boston qualifying time in me but I haven't made the commitment to do it yet. I don't know that I even really want to go to Boston. I just want the bragging rights to say that I did it. When my husband told me he won the entry, I was so jealous. He hadn't spent the last six years of his life becoming a runner like me. He has been a runner off and on but not consistently. We immediately went to work looking into the logistics of going to Boston. With four kids, the oldest only being 14, a trip to Boston was going to be hard. We were having a hard time finding flights that would work. I had all but written off me going. Enter my brother and sister-in-law. They wouldn't take no for an answer. They conspired with my husband and found another entry into the marathon. My sister-in-law even said she would take work off to watch my kids. So, one week later, we are going to Boston to run the marathon. Yes, I know the race is 2 weeks from today. Yes, i also know that it's 5 days before the 50K we've been training for. And in answer to your question, yes. We are doing both. Neither race is going to have the finish that I would really like but we will finish and earn both medals.

I guess I'm nothing if not flexible. It will be an adventure and a nice getaway. Thanks for checking in with my crazy life and come back for a good laugh again soon.