The things you can't plan

Okay, so last weekend was the Ogden Marathon and Half Marathon. And, the weather was rough! I didn't do it put I'm friends with enough people who did to know how they felt about it. It rained. A lot. I have a little experience with this.

My very first marathon was St. George. I had previously done the Red Mountain 50K so I had gone the distance but my first organized marathon was St. George. I think it was the 33rd running of the race. In those 33 years, it had rained three times. Well, my first year it rained. It wasn't a drenching rain, just constant. They handed out garbage bags at the starting line to keep the runners warm. I happily took one. I don't think it was really even raining. Sprinkling maybe. Anyway, once the race started, I tossed my garbage bag just like everyone else. I didn't know any better. I was just doing what everyone else was. That was my first mistake. I remember being cold. I remember trying to open my nutrition and struggling with it so much I slowly stopped eating. I came through an aid station and slowed to a walk so I dropped my arms. Once I started running again, my arms started tingling. It took five miles for it to stop tingling. So, I stopped drinking. When I crossed the finish line, I swore I would never again do the St. George Marathon. It was too hard to train for and I was miserable. Within a few weeks I started thinking about the things I could change that would make things better and here I am, nine year later.

Here's my concern: the weather along the Wasatch Front in June can be finicky. It could be beautiful, it could be hot, it could snow. I really didn't consider this when I signed up. Now that we've had a cool spring and the weather north of here has been unsettled, I'm a little concerned. Whether or not the weather cooperates with my expectations, I'm still running this marathon and I'm still planning to run my best. I don't think I'll have the problems with rain like I had during my first marathon. I know a few more things this time. Basically, I'm just complaining. Or maybe just worrying out loud.

I may wear some form of plastic to stay dry. I will eat and I will drink. And, I will run faster. That was part of my problem last time. I need to stay working hard so my core temperature stays warm. I will also stay positive. I won't ruin this race in my mind. I've done that before too.

Thanks for letting bounce my thoughts off of you. I hope you are moving toward your goals. Thanks for checking in with me and come back again soon!  

Peak week

Every time I train for a marathon, that last run, sometimes last two runs, I get a little grumpy about. I think it's the weight of the distance. Maybe the fact that I've been training for months. I don't know. This time was a little different. I struggled with those first few building runs. I just couldn't seem to find my rhythm. When I finally did, even 23 miles was fine. Once again, I was pushed for time. This time I had to be home in enough time to get ready for an overnighter with my high school choir kids to the state large choir festival. Oh, did I mention I was in charge?

We headed out and just kept climbing hill after hill after hill. Who planned this run?! Mile after mile, I just kept going. We hit mile 15-ish just as we finished the Parkway and really, the end of the hilly portion. By this point, I was really feeling pretty good. My husband was feeling depleted. We kept moving but our pace really started to slow. We spent miles with him running just behind me. He told me to run ahead and get home several times but I know him too well. I know he needs me, at least to a certain point. With just shy of two miles left, I ran ahead and told him I'd meet him at home. I really kicked it into gear. My average pace on those last almost two miles was 7:32-7:46 and I didn't break down either. I was surprised at the end of the day when I really couldn't tell I'd run 23 miles that day.

I got home and quickly showered and got ready then headed to the high school to load a school bus with 120 kids and 15 adult for 300 miles. It really isn't the best idea but it was a fun weekend.

All in all, training for the Utah Valley Marathon has been a success! I'm excited to run it in a few weeks and anxious to see how I do. I really do have the best support system in the world. My husband is my greatest fan. When he starts to struggle to stay with me, he tells me to run my own race. My kids put up with endless long weekend runs. And my extended family is always great too.

Thanks for checking in. I hope you are moving toward your goals. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Good luck!

Surprise...

I've learned so much about myself since becoming a runner. I know I've talked about this before. I started running because my brother told me I should try a half marathon. I'd been doing sprint distance triathlons so moving into half marathons was a new challenge. I was hooked, right from that first half. It was hard and I had to dig deeper than I'd had to to finish any triathlon, but the finish line felt amazing. Tris were my entrance into being active but with the swim distance only about 400 meters, the bike ride about 10 miles and the run a 5K, it wasn't my limit. Now, I don't want to down-play anyone finishing any race, no matter the distance. I had my experience with my first race. It was short and I was slow. But, if I was being honest, sprint distance tris were not my greatest challenge and I was starting to want to push myself. The year of my first half, I watched the finish line at the St. George Marathon. I remember thinking, "I could do this." And, the next year I did.

Anyway, since I transitioned from triathlete to runner, I have learned so much about me. I didn't know I was physically strong. I think I had an idea that I was mentally strong. Up until that point, I had had some experiences with mental toughness, just not on the level I have since I've been a runner. I remember first running and my only goal was to finish my run, whatever the distance, or the race. Remember, I didn't start as a 5 or 10K runner. I jumped right into distance running. As I started to get better and stronger, I started to push myself more and more. It became about finishing better than last time, being a stronger me. With that drive came new challenges. I have been to the brink of exhaustion, to the point where I honestly didn't know if I could go one step further, let alone finish those last miles. Every time I've been to that point, to the place I'm sure was "the end," I have discovered I can dig deeper.

You'd think that after running for as long as I have been, that I have found my limits. Still no. And I discovered that I still haven't last Saturday. We were running 21 miles on a tough course. Lots of hills, some short and steep, some long and grueling. I really should have been dying, my husband was. I had subbed TRX the day before and it was a great class. We had both worked really hard but it's been weeks since my husband has been to a TRX class on Friday and then done a long run on Saturday. He just wasn't used to it. I just kept pushing along. Time after time I found myself slowing pulling ahead of him, putting more and more distance between us. When I'd realize it, I'd slow down and run with him again. I really did keep thinking I was going to finally feel the distance, that the work was going to catch up to me. It just never did. I felt great when we were done and I had a lot left in the tank when we got home. That depth just amazes me. Not because I'm amazing but because the human body is. Just wow!

Now, I'm not sharing this with you to "toot my own horn". I'm sharing this so that you can see that if someone who has been running for years can continue to find depth not limitations, you can too. Dig a little deeper. Strive a little farther. Push a little harder. There is power in you yet that you haven't uncovered. Stay the course. Carry on!

I'm really looking forward to the marathon that is only four and a half weeks away! From what I hear, it tends to be faster than the St. George Marathon so I'm really hoping for a PR. What I really want is a Boston Qualifying finish. Utah Valley is kind of cool. If you have a Boston Qualifier when you register, you get a discount. If you get a Boston Qualifier at Utah Valley, they have a shirt for you. All of that is cool but I really want one for me. I know I have one in me and I'm really hoping this is it.

Thanks for checking back in with me. I hope you are moving toward your goals. If you have questions or comments, let me know. Come back soon!

Climbing toward peak week

So our last run was a 19-miler. Can I tell you? It always stays just a little bit daunting running high miles like this. My husband was supposed to work on Friday and our daughters had a dance competition on Saturday so it meant I was going to have to run on Friday by myself or get up really early on Saturday and try to get our run done together before I had to leave the house having myself and two daughters completely ready. Initially, I was going to go on Friday but then 19 miles is a really long way to go by myself so I started leaning toward early Saturday. Then I saw an accurate weather forecast and realized I had to go on Friday. Thursday afternoon my husband got a phone call from his boss with unexpected news: they no longer needed him to work on Friday, so he was off. And just like that, we got to run on Friday together.

We got up the same time as last week but opted not to sleep in running clothes this week. We got out the door a little later but this time our daughter was on stand-by to drive the carpool. We added mileage to our route from last week on the front end. We ended up going up a long hill that lasts just over a mile. By the time we got to the top, I REALLY wanted to stop and catch my breath but my husband didn't say anything so neither did it. I told him later that I really wanted to stop but since he didn't ask to stop, I kept going. He told me he also really wanted to stop and was hoping I would say something. I guess now we both know we're stronger and can do it without the stop. Anyway, we just kept plugging along with nothing really notable happening. When we got to "the beast hill," I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and then we were at the top. I remember thinking, "There's nothing like a bigger, longer hill to put a hill into perspective." This week it really wasn't too bad.

Our pace stayed really consistent and really never slowed. I told my husband last week while we were running, about 13 miles in, that I wish I had taken some ibuprofen. By about mile 15 though I was feeling better. This week we decided to stay ahead of that, especially since we were trying to make it home to take carpool. We took ibuprofen about mile seven so that it was working about the time we needed it. That worked and is probably the real reason we stayed consistent. We made it home with about five minutes to spare before we had to take carpool.

It's funny. When I run a long run and give in to the "I'm beat. I ran a long run." mentality, I am beat. When I don't and just move forward with my day, I do much better. My body moves better, I just feel better. I've been running for years now and I finally figured that one out. We did opt for a morning nap, mostly because we were up so early, but other than that, we really felt good.

This weekend is Ironman St. George 70.3 which means lots of athletes in town and that course is my training course. I'm hoping to be off the course before we see runners, and we should be, but I'm not going to worry about it too much. They won't kick us off if we overlap a bit. Anyway, we need to run 21 miles which means only one more week until peak week. I can't believe we nearly done. Wow!

Thanks for checking in with me. I hope you are enjoying success in your goals. Let me know if you have any questions. Good luck, take care, and come back soon. And remember, strong bodies follow strong minds.

Gettin' my groove on

I've been waiting for this week for MONTHS! Not necessarily the week we were to run 17 miles or the fourth weekend in April. Just the week where it finally felt good to run a long run. I was hoping our oldest daughter could take our carpool this week so we could head out a little later but no such luck. She couldn't swing it so we went with our only other option: wake up SUPER early and get it done before carpool. We have to be in the car by about 7:20 so we got up at 3:45 so we could be out the door by 4:00. It's funny. When I plan training runs, even though I run faster now than I did when I first started running, I still calculate the same pace when I plan a run.

3:45 my alarm goes off. Are you KIDDING me?! I can sense my husband is having the same relationship with his alarm. Really? It's already 3:45. We'd slept in our running clothes so we could sleep a few minutes longer and get out the door faster.  Roll out of bed, hit the bathroom, shoes, contacts, pull hair back, fill hydration vest, eat banana. Watch out 17, here we come. This spring has been interesting. It's late April and I still haven't run a long run in short sleeves. When does that happen? This week. And it was dark too. Short sleeves, capris, no jacket, no sunglasses. Anyway, we headed out and soon hit our stride. I really do love the peace of running early in the morning but I kind of dread knowing I have hours to run in the dark. The run was pretty uneventful. Mile after mile passed. We fueled at miles 6 and 12. That long hill, the one that has kind of been kicking my butt every week, it was okay this week. About six-ish miles into our run, my body decided it was time to think about hitting a bathroom. This particular course has them periodically but we'd just passed one about a mile and a half before. I figured I'd be okay for awhile. I'd have to be. When we started down the last hill on the Parkway, my body let me know that it had made it's decision. The time was NOW! I knew we had about two miles to an open restroom. The only thing I could do was run so we did. I will admit there were moments I almost didn't breathe for fear my body was going to protest. I'm happy to report, because I know this is why you read this blog, that I made it! I want to say this was around mile 12. The sky was starting to lighten but our pace was really quite good and we were both much happier now that we'd had a pit stop.

As our miles continued to climb, our bodies started to grump a bit. About a mile and a half from home, I asked my husband what our pace was. He said, "Not good." I kicked it up and so did he. We finished the last mile strong and with about a half an hour to spare before we had to be taking carpool.

Spring training has been strange this year. Many times I've trained in the spring but it's never been quite so cool or unpredictable. It's a good thing I have plenty of things to layer up. I've learned to run with toilet paper. Just in case.

Thanks for checking in with me again. I hope you are doing well and progressing toward your goals. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.  Happy running!

Building again

So Saturday we ran 15 miles.  It's that time again.  It's time to build to peak week.  I don't know what it is about spring training but I am struggling to want to do long runs.  I think it may be the weather.  During the summer months, the weather is so predictable: hot.  We never have to decide when we're going to run: early. You have to or you die.

Anyway, we got out the door about 7:00.  I knew we would be dealing with the wind a little bit and it was kind of cold.  We added two miles to the front end of our previous week's route.  That kind of played with my head a little bit because we were two miles farther into our run than we usually are.  For some reason I seem to be struggling to just find a rhythm.  We decided to add the surges that we did last fall to try to build some speed into these long runs.  I really can't say that at any point early on in our run it felt good.

About seven miles into our run we git the good hill, the one that is just steep enough and long enough to be brutal.  Last year when we'd run this hill, our go-to song was "Fight Song" by Rachel Platten.  This year it's "My House" by Flo Rida.  It's nearly perfect in length.  We start it at the bottom and are nearly at the top when it's over.  During this song, I focus on the beat, on just putting one foot in front of the other.  It just gets me to the top.  After we crested the hill, I finally started to feel like I'd hit my stride.  We fueled shortly after this hill.

We have a decently long decent after these rolling hills and that felt good.  I'm not going to lie.  Our last two-ish miles were kind of tough and we ended up being just a little long but we felt like our time was pretty good.  I had some tightness in my hips afterward but I moved around a lot that day and it seemed to subside.

Thanks for checking in with me.  I hope you are moving forward in your goals.  Let me know if you have questions or comments.  Best of luck in whatever you're pursuing.  

So, I might be a little competitive...

I tell my kids all the time life, in general, is not about being better than someone else.  I tell them if they want to beat someone, beat themselves.  Do better this time than they did last time.  I tell them not to compare themselves to others.  And I tell myself this too.  It's not about how many people I pass or who I finished before.  It's about how I did in relation to myself.  Mostly.  Because, I do have a little competitive streak.

Over Easter weekend, our lives were crazy.  We had company in town, my older son had a tennis tournament that lasted two days, our daughters had a dance competition that lasted all day Saturday, and it was Easter.  I needed to have my girls to their dance competition by 8:30 with our older daughter being ready to dance.  That meant that I needed to be home to help her and keep her calm.  Translation: no Saturday morning training run.  The run would need to be done on Friday.  My favorite running partner had to work that Friday so I headed out alone.  Not my favorite thing but I really don't mind when it happens periodically.

I head out about 6:45-ish.  I head out for the usual run.  Ironman St. George 70.3 is the first weekend in May.  My favorite training run just happens to be part of the Ironman bike and running course.  That means that right now there tends to be quite a few people out running on the course.  About 4 1/2 miles into my run there's a guy a head of my that was running toward me then crosses the road and turns around.  Dead giveaway that he's training for Ironman.  For a fleeting moment I contemplated what it would take to catch and pass him but upon watching his cadence and knowing the hills I have to climb still, I opted out of that and set out to run my run.  After all, it's not a competition.  Just passed mile five, there's a hill and it can be brutal.  It lasts about 6/10 of a mile and has a decent grade.  The guy ahead of me ran it and stopped at its crest.  I continued saying "Morning" as I passed.  I figured he'd eventually continue down the trail but really didn't give him another thought.  Until he passed me nearly a mile and a half later.  Again I thought about giving him a run for his money but I still had about half my run to complete and, again, it's not a competition. At mile seven, I crest the last hill for roughly four miles.  I fueled as I ran and as I'm cruising down the hill I decide to use the downhill and kick my speed up.  Again, I considered trying to catch the guy. When I got a little farther ahead I could see him again and he was about two blocks-ish ahead of me.  I decided catching him wasn't my goal but pushing myself a little was.  Slowly, with my 80's playlist pushing me forward, I started closing the gap between us.  It took me awhile to realize that I actually was closing the gap.  And then I knew I would pass him.  I was moving too quickly.  He never saw me coming.  I almost feel badly.  His ego probably took a slight hit when I passed him.  Anyway, it made my solo run interesting and before I knew it, I was home.

Now, I do not advocate doing what I did.  It wasn't very nice.  But, having a goal is a good idea.  I didn't set out trying to beat anyone.  I usually don't make it a point to make other people a part of my goal.  I like to better me, to try to be stronger or faster or more mentally strong.  Every once in awhile, I get a little competitive and something like this happens.  I try not to.  But have a goal in mind when you head out to run. Conquer that hill.  Sprint home.  Whatever your goal is, achieve it.

Thanks for checking in with me.  Let me know how you are doing with your goals and if you have questions or comments.  Good luck on whatever you are working toward.  Come back again soon!