Another weekend, another 20 miles

I switched my long run to Sunday this week to accommodate a social life. What? Social activities? What are those? That's how I've been feeling lately as I say no to anything that doesn't fit into my 10pm Friday night curfew or Saturdays being consumed by pre-running activities, running forever, and then post-running ice baths, naps, meals, etc. So in an effort to restore some balance, the 20 miler was moved to Sunday. I ran home from the train station friday instead of carpooling, quickly scurried off to the bbq, only a little late and had a blast. And didn't make it to bed until 1am, and didn't care. Oh glorious friday night!

Saturday morning we had breakfast with friends and then went for a slow leisurely bike ride around a small agricultural island nearby. It was gorgeous out and so necessary to make room for such fun at the end of summer in Portland. We saw tons of baby animals and rode slowly and took in all the flowers and even stopped for blackberry snacking along the way.

Fiance and I stayed in Saturday night and ate a huge pasta meal, and according to plan I was in bed by 10. It was going to be hot today so I wanted to get out early, but woke up a little later than usual and didn't make it out the door until 7:45.

Today's run was pretty uneventful. Miles 1-5 I was cruising, at mile 5 I jumped on the train and rode it 3 stops to avoid my least favorite part of the run. Miles 5-10 were through NW Portland and involved my only pit stop, at, of course, Starbucks. I had a Clif Shot at mile 6 and the Espresso one at mile 10 and then planned to meet Fiance at mile 15 for a cinnamon roll break. After last weeks success I decided to test drive that fuel source one more time and then if all went well have him bring one when he meets me at mile 18. I got to the meeting point half an hour ahead of schedule (wow!) and knew I couldn't stop running, so I didn't end up meeting him until mile 18. I quickly ate a cinnamon roll and guzzled a ton of water and took off for my last 2 miles. Just that 7-8 minutes stopped left my legs very heavy, but the sugar did me well. I had a slight cramp for a little while, which I think was water related. I made it home in 3.5 hours exactly and headed straight for the ice bath.

Now it's time for some lunch! The long runs are officially over which has me feeling quite a few things:
Can I really do this? Shouldn't I run 20 miles next weekend too? Won't I go crazy during the taper? (yes, probably) What if I spend all my free time eating instead of running? What if my new shoes aren't broken in by then? (sidenote: had planned to run in my current shoes, but my knees have been bothering me in the way they only do when my shoes are worn out, so I bought new ones (exactly the same as the current ones I love) and plan to break them in on my taper runs over the next 3 weeks.)

Doubt creeps in even after a completely successful 20 mile run. Amazing. It's all in your head though, and I will spend the next 3 weeks reminding myself of that!

20 miles!!!! is a long way to run

It took me so long to map out a route on google pedometer last night that I was feeling rather discouraged at the true reality of how long 20 miles is when I went to sleep last night. I woke up ready to go though, earlier than I needed to get up really, but I hopped out of bed and started my hour of prep before heading out the door. I had loaded up hours of podcasts in an effort to stave off the boredom that hit me during my mid-week 10 miler. (I resorted to calling my best friend and then my sister and looking like a moron I am sure as I ran down the road talking on my speakerphone...the things boredom will lead us to.) The first 5 miles flew by, and really now that I think about it, so did the rest of them. I was trying to refine my water and fuel intake and did manage to drink a lot more fluids this time around, but also had to stop a few times to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness for the frequent appearance of Starbucks and their nice clean bathrooms!

I cruised along at a pretty good pace, trying to remind myself to slow it down every once in a while. At mile 12 I realized I was more than 8 miles from home and would have to alter my original plan to run back home, so I ran to 16 miles and then decided to take the train to the stop that is 4 miles from home. While I waited for the train in front of a bakery that was just oozing delicious smells I decided to use my emergency money to purchase an emergency cinnamon roll, which I then devoured swiftly. It fueled me through my last FAST four miles, at the point I was feeling great and wasn't going to slow down for anything.

My left knee bugged me consistently throughout the run, and I'm icing it now. Other than that things went great! and I am considering altering my training plan to do another 20 next week to build up my confidence a little more. But we'll see, I am wary of overdoing it when things are going well.

Now I am off to eat and take a nap and rest up for date night with Fiance.

That Plus 10 Miles

Another 16 mile run. This time I had to drag myself out of bed and felt like the run was doomed for the first few miles. And rationalized all the reasons why I should cut the run short.

But I didn't. I got far enough away that I had to complete the run to make it back home. I felt better the second half of the run too. I have a new fuel belt which made hydration much easier. But the daunting fact that I have to do today's run PLUS 10 miles is nagging at me at the moment.

My wonderful fiance is planning to run the last 8 miles of the marathon with me so I think that will help-- I originally asked him to run the last 6, but the course comes by our house at mile 18 so it makes sense for him to jump in there. His training consists of running my Tuesday run with me each week-- 4 miles or so and playing ultimate frisbee a few times a week, but he has entertained the idea of running the entire thing with me a few times.

Ice bath-ed again and will ice this complaining IT band a bunch today. And now it's off to relax at a friend's cabin for the holiday weekend.

Longest Run Ever (Again)

I am enjoying this phase of my training-- every week is a new "longest run ever!". This week was a 16 miler. I kept right around the 10 minute mile pace, and felt really good throughout. 16 miles is a LONG way though! I covered some serious ground in and around Portland. But it's a fabulous way to get to know a new city!

I bought a "real" fuel belt on Sunday and will start working on the hydration element of my running. The fueling I think I have figured out, but generally I don't drink any water at all while I run (including on my long runs for 1/2 marathon training). But that approach is just not going to work now that I am above 10 mile runs every weekend.

This week my challenge is to not slack on the mid-week runs either... we'll see how that goes.

In other news, I have a new job, and need to figure out how to work my runs around my new schedule.

Where I've Been

With big plans to keep on track with my running schedule while traveling, backpacking, moving and visiting friends and family we left LA at the end of June. We landed in Portland, our new home, last week. The running plans were adhered to on occasion, but largely proved to be impossible due to a) grizzly bears (more on this later) b) being in a new place every night c) other priorities.

I think the other priorities is something a lot of athletes, and runners/triathletes especially, run up against time and again. There is a time and place to organize your life around running and while on a vacation planned for three years with one's significant other, it's to everyones advantage that running be a "only if it fits in" activity, rather than what the day is planned around.

We were quickly at elevation in the Grand Tetons at the beginning of July, and able to squeeze in a run on the main road in Tetons. We were staying at the Jenny Lake campground, a highly coveted tent-only site, with a lake at its edge. Boyfriend wanted to run around the lake on the hiking trail, but having spent a summer in Alaska, I realized that running in grizzly country is a quick way to incite a bear's hunting instincts. So we ran on the highly traveled road and saw zero wildlife while we were out there. Two weeks later a fellow backpacker in Glacier National Park relayed a close-to-home scary story about a runner being mauled on the Jenny Lake trail. Very glad we ran on the main road!

We got to our premiere destination, Glacier, July 21st and spend an amazing 18 days there. We hiked over 100 miles during the course of two trips, and I ran exactly zero times. I managed not to feel guilty about that for 17 out of the 18 days though! On July 25th, at the top of the highest pass we climbed Boyfriend proposed to me- making his moniker slightly outdated at this point, since I said yes!

The leg strengthening effects of that much hiking and many days of big elevation gain were indisputable! I was happy to be coming back down to sea level and reaping the effects of being at elevation for a month too. I started back into my running plan the first morning we were in Portland and have been generally on track ever since.

Yesterday was a 14 mile long run, which ended at 13.7 thanks to record-breaking heat and the realization that I HAD TO HAVE WATER right at THAT moment, and was in front of a Starbucks. (Have I mentioned how much I LOVE Starbucks while I am running- bathrooms & water at reliable intervals!) I hopped into the ice bath and spent the rest of the day re-fueling, as my body was definitely in "how do we recover from that again?" mode.

The rest of the month will be intense. I said to Fiance "the only things I am allowed to do in August are run and apply for jobs", and so far I've been relatively true to that. The time and the place for running to be the priority is now until October 5th: The Portland Marathon.

Long Hiatus

Our moving day is rapidly approaching! which means that I will be away from a computer for most of the next month as we take a much needed series of vacations and do some celebrating along the way. I will be squeezing in runs around travels, but am leaving the computer behind! I'm sure I'll find time for a post here and there, but until mid-August it'll be mostly radio silence.

I will do 2 more runs here in LA- 5 miles and 7 miles, as we pack the truck and then head north. I'm so looking forward to Portland and cooler climes! we will miss the amazing restaurants, endless possibilities for entertainment, close proximity to the beautiful So Cal beaches and our cute little apartment here. But it's time for a smaller city! and a running/biking-centric city will be much appreciated too!

Today's 3 miler, small bike ride and ab/arm workout are already behind me, so now it's back to packing!

Santa Cruz Long Run

I did my weekly long run in Santa Cruz yesterday, which meant almost 2 hours of running on the Pacific coast in a place I love! And the people watching was entertaining as well. I had 10 miles planned but decided to run over to the tennis club to meet Boyfriend and his parents and neglected to add in the extra couple miles when I decided what route to run. So I ended up closer to 12 miles but felt great up until the last 1/2 mile or so. At 11.5 miles my IT bands both decided they had had enough of the slanted roads and running altogether but I didn't want to walk because it would take longer so I toughed it out. I feel good today so I guess they got over it.

We move this next weekend so I am trying to schedule this week's runs around packing, cleaning, errands, goodbye dinners, etc. But if that seems hard, I am trying not to think about July where I'll be trying to get my runs in while we travel all over the place and do other fun things that might make me tempted to skip the runs...

5 before the sun

I set the alarm for 6, changed it to 7 when I realized how little sleep I'd get, and then woke up at 6 anyway- took it as a sign and got out there before it was too hot. Me and everyone else! I don't think I've seen that many people biking and running at one time here, oh, maybe ever! It was great actually- and probably it's all the people who like me skipped their afternoon runs because it was too hot, the regular morning people and then the people who were getting in their runs planned for this afternoon too. It is nice to have so many people on the streets that early though.

My legs were a little heavy today- thanks to quite a bit of biking last night, which also included a bike disaster with Boyfriend and I ending up in a fight on the side of the street. He is comfortable with tons of traffic, which is frequent here in LA if you aren't careful to avoid it, I'm not comfortable with it. He took off way faster than me and took me on a route that had me biking past a highway on ramp and off ramp (yes, having to cross them!) which put me into full on I-am-going-to-die-on-this-bike-ride panic. Not good. So instead of bike back to the train station we'd gotten off at, we just bike the whole way home on much mellower streets. Who is glad they are moving away from LA?!

Today I wish...

that I could be at the beach. Or somewhere with a strong breeze. It's very hot and I don't actually feel like running. Let alone running on the treadmill which is really the only way I'll make it any distance at all. Thinking of switching my 5 miler to tomorrow a.m. and getting up ridiculously early to get it in before the sun sets in, and doing 3 on the mill right now. Ugh.

Success on the Bike & Easy Tuesday

I am so into this active recovery from the long run- I try to bike for an hour the day after my long runs and it makes my legs sooo happy. I did the bike-train-bike commute yesterday, and got in about 1.5 hours total on the bike. My legs didn't feel tired at all, which is nice!

Tuesdays are "easy" day on my marathon training plan, so it was 3 at 10 min/miles. I ended up getting every red light possible, so it was a run/wait, run/wait kind of run. I ran to the bank and then back home, to try and get in an errand too since I'm still trying to cut back on gas.

And then I made a strawberry rhubarb pie to celebrate summer! mmmm! (and I said to Boyfriend "when was the last time you made a pie before work? no, me neither!", there's a first time for everything).

Oh easy long run

Just back from a (hot) 9 miler and feeling terrific. I felt fabulous for miles 0-7 and then still felt good during 7-9 minus the extreme thirst and being drenched in sweat. It was my last long run here in Southern California, because we're moving at the end of the month and will be out of town next weekend so I'll be running there instead.

Boyfriend's graduate school commencement ceremony was yesterday, followed by a party to celebrate 4 years (!) of architectural school coming to a close. I volunteered to be the DD in order to make sure I got out the door early this morning. I think I have quite a few more celebrations and occasions between now and October where I'll be making that move, along with being the impetus for my carload of folks to depart before midnight. It's ok with me, and so far Boyfriend is extremely supportive, but I think he's in for a surprise at the way my weekends will need to revolve around the long run EVERY week. I tried to sneak out of bed early (trying to make it out before it was too hot and knew I'd need an hour to eat/digest etc.), and got the "where are you going?" followed by the "when will you be back? 10 miles?!"....long sleepy pause..."ok...". But, he's currently making me post-run breakfast crepes with peaches and cappucino so that's always fabulous!

One bad run...

The power of one bad run is truly stunning. It has the ability to shake months of confidence and training, and to set you back at "can I do this???" so quickly. My four miler on Wednesday went from bad to worse to terrible. Started off with heavy legs and uncomfortable breathing and then went into the low blood sugar zone at about mile 1.5. I've struggled with blood sugar issues for years now, and generally pay very close attention to when/what I eat. I guess my crazy hectic schedule as of late caught up with me on Wednesday because I couldn't remember exactly when I'd had lunch and just went for my run instead of eating a snack and waiting a while like I normally do. The tunnel vision and lightheadness are complicating factors when you're trying to run... But I decided I was going to push through it, since I needed to get back home anyway. I made it through the run- but not without building up a mountain of doubts on my way, which stayed with me all night and into the next day.

I had company in town which provided a good excuse for postponing my next run. Of course that meant I had 24 hours to mull the impossibility of 26.2 miles when I could barely make it through 4!

The next morning I just put on my running clothes and shoes the minute I got up, to avoid any more excuses, at my one piece of toast and hopped out the door. My run went fine, of course, despite the lingering doubts. And I spent the entire time convincing myself that I will probably always have bad runs every once in a while- I'll just try to be grateful that they are few and far between. I'll also try to focus on drowning out those very loud voices of doubt that infiltrated my confidence this time, but surely won't the next time they come around.

Running toward October

I printed off my training calendar for the marathon today. And posted it on the fridge so it's really official! and when I get my paycheck next week I'll be entering the Portland Marathon! and buying a Garmin!

Off for four miles now with a new podcast- I'll let you know what it is if it's any good!

First Tire Blow Out & Onto the 3s

I had this brilliant idea to bike/train commute to work yesterday. I mapped out a route that would allow me to avoid the seriously busy LA streets- think Sunset, Beverly & Santa Monica Boulevards. I pumped my tires up on the way out the door and made it to the train, from one train to the other, back up to the street and 2 out of 5 miles into my ride. I was just thinking to myself "Biking in LA isn't that bad! this is great! I love biking!" when BOOM! my rear tire exploded. Not just a flat, but the sidewall has a 4 inch gap in it now. So me and my sad little bike got on the bus for the rest of the way and Boyfriend had to come rescue us at the end of the day. Sad. The funny thing is, I had brought my hand pump and patch kit for, yep, the first time EVER. I have been biking since I went to college and not once did I bring those things with me. And not once did I need them. The one day I cart them along...

But I'm not discouraged- I'm off to buy new tires (going to go ahead and replace the front one too, it is time...) and tomorrow we'll try again!

In running news: 3 miles easy on the treadmill this morning. Or I should say the running part was easy-- the treadmill is a serious mental test for me though. I really just can't handle it! Even when I cover up the clock all I can think it "am I almost done? has it been another minute? ohmygod, it's only been 8 minutes?!" and such. Not good, since I am inevitably going to be running on the mill at least occasionally in rainy Portland. I also forgot it was summer pool hours since it's June and missed my chance to swim this a.m. too. So back to the gym this evening for my first swim in forever.

Sunday Cross Training

So every Sunday is a "cross training" day on my plan, which is supposed to be active recovery from the long runs on Saturdays. I think today's activity failed to qualify as recovery... 5 hours of hiking most of it straight up or straight down. My legs feel good, but I'm now willing myself not to get poison oak- it was everywhere on the trails. And I forgot lesson #1 in being myself, which is never ever go hiking in shorts in California, lest you spend 3 weeks debilitated by the OAK. But homeopathic remedies, Tecnu, showering the second I get home and willing it not to happen seems to be working quite well lately, so let's hope!

We have 6 weeks to get ready for 2 solid weeks of serious backpacking, so every weekend will likely include a hike, and with the long runs I think Mondays are going to turn into the rest day where I convince myself it is a good idea to do undertake several physical challenges all at once :-)

6.36 Miles

Today was my first 'long run' as part of my marathon training plan. A nice easy 6 miles. I love that 6 miles can feel that easy! We drove to the Farmer's Market, stocked up on tons of gorgeous fruits and veggies and I ran home from there, while Boyfriend walked over to Ultimate Frisbee at the park.

In other tremendously thrilling news I am done with the GREs and Boyfriend is done with grad school!! so it's serious party time around here now! And time to get into hiking shape as well as train for the marathon since we have two full weeks of backpacking at altitude coming up in July. I am slightly nervous about not running for that long, even if we are working out many hours a day- I'm sure it won't have an impact on me physically but it'll be the longest I have gone without running in who knows how long.

Marathon Training Starts: Yesterday

So I got out the door for a very slow pretty short run yesterday- not the most flashy beginning to the marathon training, but I'll save the fireworks for later! like when I finish?! My IT band is definitely trying to assert some control so I'll have to rein that back in, but somewhere I read you should "take it easy one day after the race for every mile you raced". That puts me at next weekend so I'm giving that approach a try for now.

I am psyched though! I love the regimented accomplishment oriented feel of life with a training plan so that feels good (especially since there are lots of other big out-of-my-control things going on for Boyfriend and I right now- like moving out of state...).

I have enough Clif Shot's in Espresso flavor to live for 3 days in my cupboard, thanks Sports Basement!, so here's to the next 4 months : The Portland Marathon is 4 months from TODAY!

See Jane Run Race Report

So, today I logged on to check my exact time and found out that I had run 2 minutes faster than I thought! My time was 1:55:33. Which is Awesome! And here are the details:

I flew up to the Bay Area for the race and got to see some friends while I was there. Which meant going out on Friday night and trying to choose the lightest bar food possible for my pre-race meal (but I'd had pasta for 3 days straight before that). Got to bed around 10:30 and slept okay until I had to get up at 4:45.

We got to the course, ate a couple of mini bagels on the way, and I joined the longggggg bathroom line (an all women's race=waiting forever to use the bathroom...) and they had some pre-race entertainment in the form of aerobics and stretching, which I thankfully missed out on while in the bathroom.

I joined the 10 min/mile group because it was as far forward as I could get in the crowd, and thought that would slow me down in the beginning, but for once the minute the race started we were Running. No walking to get enough room- straight into the race. Which actually threw me a bit because I didn't have my ipod ready, but I quickly got that taken care of and was off.

I had spotted a woman about my age and thought "she looks about my pace" based on nothing other than looks, which is about the least scientific method ever but I just had a feeling-- we ran that entire race together! at no point was she further than 100 feet away, and she had on a really similar outfit so we looked like we were together I'm sure.

The first 3 miles were a little rough mentally-- my stomach was a little weird, the weather was cold and foggy and 13 miles all of sudden seemed really long. I got past that hurdle and sped things up, once it was "less than 10 miles to go" I was much more comfortable I guess.

I was feeling great around mile 8-9 and picked it up about 10 notches and passed a whole bunch of people, all the while thinking they'd pass me back but I didn't ever see any of them again which was nice! I had had the Clif Shot Double Espresso between miles 4.5-8 and that is the way for me to eat those- slowly, but somehow I also got it all over my hand which meant being really sticky for the rest of the race which was a little annoying.

Mile 10-13 were the same as 1-3 but felt wayyyy longer, and were slightly uphill. At mile 12 I was really ready to be done and the slight incline was enough to keep me from just sprinting to the finish so that last mile was a little long.

Food and water wise I just had the one Clif Shot and then ran through all the water stops so I probably didn't get much more than 10 oz. into my mouth... I didn't stop at all actually which wasn't exactly the plan but it got me in under 2 hours!

After the race it was Freezing but the expo was great and the food excellent and there was champagne which was fun. Post-race I got in an pseudo ice-bath- just stood in the cold pool for a while and then stretched a bunch. Went on my day-after bike ride and while my IT bands weren't happy about that at the time it helped overall.

The only soreness at all is the IT band, which is to be expected for me and given the serious grade on the course I am surprised it's not worse actually. And nothing else hurts at all!! so am I ready to do the marathon?! hmm. I think so! it definitely won't be easy, especially mentally. On the race course there was a sign the race organizers had put up that said "You only have to convince your mind you can do it", and that is so true for me. I think that will be my marathon mantra!

I'm psyched with my time and place and moving into marathon training starting with a mini-run today or tomorrow!

race!

The short version: I broke 2 hours for the 1/2 marathon, which is fabulous. It was a very different race than my first and only other 1/2 I have run so far. The main difference was that time I just wanted to finish and this time I had a time goal to keep me aware of my pace.

And I got to see the Garmin up close and personal and will be ordering one this week! I need some serious pacing help.

I will write a race report tomorrow or Tuesday and until then I'll be stretching and eating ice cream :-)

Today I did...nothing.

Exercise wise that is, unless you count a post-pizza walk around the neighborhood. Which, not to be down on walking, it just doesn't count for me. I have a mere two miles tomorrow and then more nothing on Thursday and Friday. If tapering for a 1/2 makes me feel like I am seriously forgetting to do something, what will the marathon taper be like? that is today's question.

But at least I know I have a seriously dedicated support team for the marathon- my boyfriend, and #1 cheerleader at my first 1/2 marathon, isn't going with me for the trip to my race this weekend and in his words is feeling "very guilty and sad" and said he can't wait to do anything and everything at Portland. I had scheduled the trip for this race knowing he couldn't go with me, so it wasn't a surprise and my mom will actually be there which will be fun. It is nice to have him planning to be involved for the marathon though-- I might just have him run that last 6 miles with me because I think that's going to be the mental challenge of my lifetime- those last 6 miles.

Bike Week

So this week is officially Bike Week in our house, because I'm on the limited running schedule and because I've finally reached my gas price breaking point. Most of the places we frequent are easily within biking distance so in an effort to not put any more gas than necessary in the car that gets good gas mileage and makes me seriously glad it's so little when I drive by the gas station and see the numbers reaching higher and higher, we are on a car diet. This is all a moot point in some respects since we have a longgg car trip planned for the summer and will be driving a 6MPG moving truck northward one month from tomorrow. So perhaps we are not saving so much $ or gas as delaying the inevitable. But for now we're going to be spending time on our bikes not just as part of tri training!

Today's a four mile run, which I might just go do in a minute since it's still nice and early and cool. We went backpacking this weekend and my legs felt super strong which bodes well for the race next weekend!

And I should get out the door and go running before all this drooling over the Garmin turns into retrieving my wallet and having one en route to my doorstep :-) the joys of online shopping for those who lack any self control for fun gadgets!

Today's Run Brought To You By The Letters H-J

Another Hornet Juice fueled run today- quick and easy 3 miles, but I feel like I could have done twice at much at that faster-than-usual pace, so that's always a good feeling! No music since it's raining today, which between that and all the freshly rained on plants, it was a very refreshing run.

No running from now until Monday either, which will be weird. When was the last time I didn't run for 2 days?!

Yoga for Runners

I think the sport most likely to change the most people's lives is yoga. And though it's sometimes months between classes for me, I am such a believer! and the Yoga for Runners class has me looking forward to Thursdays now. It's taught by a running/triathlon coach and is JUST the right mix of strength, vinyasa, running-muscle focused stretches! I am so going to miss this class when we move! but for today I've got that on the schedule as well as 1-2 hours of biking, most running errands and commuting, but still enough to keep my bike-ride-the-day-after-a-long-run tradition alive (and my legs happy as a result!). But I feel great today- no soreness at all, so that's fabulous too!

Tour de Jacaranda

I did my last long run before the See Jane Run Half Marathon this morning. I realized part way into my first mile that it was prime time for the purple trees that are in bloom right now and a slight alteration to my route would take me down numerous streets that were just teeming with jacarandas. I felt great the entire run. Tried to have it be as much of a dress rehearsal for the race as possible- similar time, food, etc. So that meant I started to take an espresso flavored Clif Shot at mile 5 and nursed it the rest of the way like I do in therace. I don't know if I stopped paying attention or what, but I managed to get sticky goo all over my hands and ipod...oops.

So I'm feeling really good about the race and the distance, etc. My left IT band was really bugging me today- usually it's my right side so who knows what's up with that. I'll focus on stretching a lot between now and the race and hope that I'm loose enough that they just go with the flow.

Today's entertainment was the Zen and the Art of Triathlon podcast, which coincidentally is singing the praises of chocolate milk today- something that I was just about to do. I try to religiously do an ice bath after a 10+ mile run and I think that helps enormously. My other recovery tool is a high protein, high sugar fuel immediately after the run (as in today I ended my run at the grocery store and walked my sweaty self in to buy my chocolate milk to drink on the walk home). I swear it's a miracle drink- especially if you are prone to any blood sugar issues. I used to spend my long run days starving and then eating nonstop, but now that I am fueling immediately afterwards I avoid the blood sugar disaster that is not consuming anything until after the ice bath, shower, etc. Try it!

10 Miles to go

After taking yet another practice GRE test going on a 10 mile run tomorrow morning sounds GREAT. My last long run before the 1/2 and then it's taper time!

Marathon Planning

I am in the midst of serious GRE studying and went to the air-conditioned library for yet another practice test today. I found myself fully engaged in reading marathon training books for some of my time though. I think I have decided on Hal Higdon's Novice Plan for my First Marathon Training Plan, with some modifications. If nothing else, I have learned a lot about my body over the past year of triathlon & 1/2 marathon training and I know I'll need to make some personalizations to my plan in order for it to work for me.

The first thing I need to do is account for 2 full weeks of no running in July- early August because we'll be on a long backpacking adventure. We'll have some serious workouts in there but I have found that only running prepares you for running... So that means my marathon training has actually already started once I tack those 2 weeks on to the beginning of the plan. So it's already underway- Portland 10/5 Here I Come!

(In addition to getting in 2 posts today, I got in 2 workouts- Biked in the evening with the BF)

Motivate me!

I discovered the entertaining world of podcasts a while ago as a way to catch my favorite radio shows This American Life and Good Food on the weekends that I missed them. And then during my training for my first tri I got hooked on a triathlon podcast. Just this weekend I discovered this new running podcast. It's recorded by someone around my age training for her first marathon too, so the relevancy got me hooked! check it out for some marathon-related entertainment : Confessions of a Runner

Today's workout is in the bag already- got up at 6:15a.m. to try to avoid the heat as much as possible. Got 4.25 miles in in 42 minutes. The first half of the run was perfect, comfortable, cool-ish even. Second half was sweaty and uncomfortable but I didn't slow down to compensate so I was happy with that! I'm going to try to swim this evening too and then tomorrow's an off day in prep for my Last Long Run Before My Next 1/2 Marathon on Wednesday. 9-10 miles planned- and thankfully Miss Jackie the well-endowed weather woman here in L.A. thinks the weather will cooperate and it'll be a little cooler by then. Let's hope because I am hoping to break 2 hours on 5/31 and need another good long run in before then for insurance!

Blogs!

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Does reading running blogs count?

The master of wasting time this weekend, I just read other people's running blogs for about 2 hours. Can I log that?

On tap for today: another treadmill run, weights and core. Have I mentioned my intense loathing of core work?

Feeling the heat.

Quite literally, we're all feeling the heat here in SoCal. Which makes running oh so hard to fathom for the heat (overly)sensitive. So I headed to the gym for a 5 miler on the treadmill. Fueled by a new magic potion - Hornet Juice - I cranked it out and felt great. I'm seriously wondering what's in that little packet of powder but boy did I feel good! I think my exact words when I came home were "so either the power of suggestion is Really strong, or there's crack in that powder!" I'll have to do a little more research on what exactly is in there, but for now we're headed out of this hot house and to the gelato stand.

Why now?

The longest run I have ever completed is 13.1 miles. During my first 1/2 marathon. The longest training run that I've finished is 11.5 or so miles, also run last fall. And the number of 10+ mile runs I have behind me probably add up to about....10? So perhaps the jump to the marathon seems premature?

Here's the thing, a very long time ago I bet my sister that I would run a marathon before I turned 30. I can't remember what we bet, and she probably doesn't even remember the bet at all. And it's funny how the things we decide on the spur of the moment (when we're 12 or 13) stick with us. It's been with me since then, always in the back of my mind, but 30 was so far off! I had so much time!

And then I turned 27 last summer, hadn't yet run my first 1/2 and thought "if I am going to do this, I better get on the ball!" So I started running, with a great training plan (thanks google search, saved me again) and finished my first half marathon on December 2. At the time I thought "that was great! when is the next one?!" but I didn't think "time to register for a marathon now!". In fact, I think I thought "30 is so far off! I have so much time!".

Getting into triathlon in the last year has opened my eyes to how much FUN it can be to work out if you mix it up. Running is a lot of things to me, and I feel great when I'm done with a workout, but I don't think I'd say it's fun. I have soaked up other people's Half Ironman reports this spring and thought "hey, maybe I should do one of those before I turn 30 too". So with 26.5 months until I turn 30 here's the challenge for a, at the crux of it, not so athletically inclined girl: a marathon and a HIM by the time I turn 30. 807 days to go. I think I can do it!

Call me crazy. Or not.

It's inaugural post! I am fresh off a 10.81 mile run followed up immediately by a chocolate ice cream cone and 48oz of water. I am 2 weeks away from my second 1/2 marathon and 6 days past my potentially crazy decision to run the Portland Marathon on 10/5/08.

I have 11 years of running (not always very consistently, such are the college days- who does anything consistently in college?) behind me, and not very many races post-high school cross country. So call me crazy, but I think I'm ready for the next BIG challenge :-)

Like many other triathletes and runners I find that I learn something new each time I head out the door. Sometimes it's something small, something maybe I should have learned long ago, like the importance checking the air in my tires. Other times the pendulum swings the other direction and mid-way through a long run I find the answer to something that has been rolling around in my brain for too long- a decision left unmade that suddenly becomes so obvious. For me, triathlon and running are a way to reach that "space between". The space where, even with a list of so many things to do waiting for me at home or at work, all I have to do right now is make sure I put one foot in front of the other, stay alert on the bike and always *or almost always* remember to unclip, try not to run into the other person in my swim lane, and monitor my water/fuel. The glorious simplicity of it is what inspires me. Which is not to say that I am a naturally "zen" person: perhaps this is why I need to exercise- my zen moments are forced upon me by sheer exhaustion?

In any case, it's all worth it for a chocolate ice cream cone and an awesome excuse to take a nap!