Total Mileage

I went back over my posts for the past 16 weeks and reminisced a little about how far I've come. At the beginning 4 miles with only 4 minutes of hills was kicking my butt, now 10 miles seems comfortable to me. From Day 1 of my training program I have run 384 miles in preparation for this race. Now there's a number to think about!

Early to bed, early to rise

We were in bed at 9 last night after having to get up at 5:30 for the Bolder Boulder, but I still didn't manage to sleep past 6:15. Oh well, I was able to get up and have some breakfast, then go out for 3 miles with 3 x 2 minute aerobic intervals. I finished in 22:30, so my speed seems to have come up a bit. All that's left now is a 3 mile jog on Thursday, and a 2 mile jog in San Diego on Saturday. I feel good, I feel strong and I'm looking forward to the challenge that awaits on Sunday. If anything the Bolder Boulder yesterday revealed to me just how much I enjoy the camaraderie that goes along with a big race. I was wishing it was me running out there!

Spectators

I did my 5 miles this morning, it was beautiful outside, with a fair breeze blowing. It's nice to have the rest of the day to relax and enjoy a day off. Tomorrow we will be spectators at the Bolder Boulder, cheering on our friends. I really would love to be running in it, but with the marathon a week away it's just not in the cards. I think I'll train for it next year. It should be fun to be there as race support, even though I can't run.

One week

One week to the big day!

Alumni Affairs

I had to go to work this morning for a couple of hours to give tours of the NMR facility to groups of alumni. It kind of sucked to have to go in on Saturday, but it's worth it as some of the alumni are pretty big donors to the university. I did manage to get my 3 mile run in before breakfast though, which is good as it is really hot today. It would feel a lot worse, but there is quite a wind out there and that makes it feel cooler than it is. It sucks the moisture right out of your skin though. Tomorrow morning I will do my five miles in the morning before church, and then we have our couples group over after that. I'm probably going to make pancakes for everyone. Mmmm, pancakes. It is technically a holiday on Monday for us, but I have to do a nitrogen fill, so I'll have to go in for a few hours to get that done. We may go to Boulder in the morning to cheer on some friends who are running in the Bolder Boulder. It will be a busy weekend, but it's all worth it knowing that next weekend we'll be on holiday!

No Pain!

Man it's nice to have a week where my legs aren't aching for half of it. Two short runs this weekend, tomorrow 3 miles with 3 x 2 minute aerobic intervals and 5 miles on Sunday. I'm definitely feeling rested up.

5 Miles before breakfast

I got up today at 6 again to do my 5 mile run. It was beautiful weather for a run, nice and cool, and sunny and clear. It's supposed to get up to 86 today, so it was probably the only part of the day that will be that nice. I went a little faster than I should have probably and it ended up being a really good workout, especially with all the hills. It only took me 43 minutes to finish. When I got home though I was feeling the effects of not having breakfast before I went and I made sure to eat right away. Sunday I will have to make sure to eat something before I go out. I definitely miss running on the days that I don't go out, I'm pretty sure that whatever my training consists of after the marathon I will be running more days of the week.

3 miles!

This morning I got up early and did a quick 3 miles before breakfast. I had to do 3 x 3 minute aerobic intervals, so it was over really quickly (23 minutes), but it was a really good workout. I can't remember the last time I ran such a short distance. A quick shower and I was still able to get out the door in time for work. The early mornings are not so bad because I'm usually awake anyway, but lately it seems like I'm ready for bed at 9. It's a good start to the day though.

Worth it

Well it was an early start today, but it was definitely worth it for the run I had. I went down to the Cherry Creek reservoir and did my 10 miles there at 7:00 this morning. It was cool, and while there were a lot of mosquitoes, it was perfect for running. I was happy to be feeling pretty strong, and I was able to push my pace up a little. Even with that I still ran my split even. Over the next two weeks I do a lot of speed work at short distances to get my legs a little better at running fast while giving them a break from the long runs. I'm going to keep running in the morning to stay cool, and to get myself used to the early start (the marathon starts at 6:30). This afternoon I'm relaxing a little, trying not to do too much and stay cool.

6:00 on a Sunday...

Everyone sleeping, so early...

I'm melting!

Man I thought this week was going to be easier. But with my miles this week being the same as last week I guess my taper doesn't officially start until tomorrow. Thursday was the worst though. I had a dentist appointment in the morning, so I couldn't go early and I had work obligations, so I couldn't get out until 3. I was hoping it would have cooled off a little by then, but no luck. I ended up having to turn back early because it was so hot, then as I was heading back the sun went behind a cloud for a little while and I got a second wind. I was all set to keep going when the sun came out again and almost instantly my energy was drained. So was my water bottle. I took my big bottle which normally lasts me well over 10 miles and it was gone in 6. At any rate it ended up being pretty disappointing, so this weekend I'm making sure to do my runs in the morning when it is still cool. This morning I did my 4 miles and was back home before 7:30. I forgot how much I liked running at dawn. Looks like we'll be shopping for some new jeans for me today. In the last few weeks they have gone from little fluffies on the knees to full on holes. Oh well if it means I have to go to Peet's I'll just have to make that sacrifice.

Busy day

I had a meeting in Boulder this afternoon so I had to squeeze my run in this morning. It was a good five miles, and I felt pretty strong so I was glad that my recovery from Sunday was pretty quick. That's the biggest indication I have that my training has prepared me for the marathon, if I even thought about running 20 miles a few months ago I would have felt like I got run over by a truck. It was pretty warm out today though, so I'm going to have to find a better time to do my runs I guess. It seems like it's getting harder to sleep past 6 so the mornings may be the best time. I'll have to see how things work out after my marathon training is over.

Brutal

That's the only way to describe my run today. I hurt all over, but I seem to be recovering a bit now. The total mileage for the week really took its toll on me, and I had to run/walk the last 4 miles. But now that it's over I can enjoy my taper and get ready for the big day. I suppose it says something about my willpower to have got through this training alone, but I don't really feel like that. It's a battle every time it seems, today I was miserable 6 miles away from the car getting pestered by mosquitoes and no one around for miles. It was very difficult to get through. 3 weeks to go!

Father-son time

Today was only a 4 mile run so I took Elijah with me in the joggy stroller. Unfortunately, I have a lot of hills on that route and with the added weight of the stroller and Elijah it slowed me down a little. But it was nice to get out of the house with him, and he had fun looking at all of the sites whizzing by. I think mommy appreciated it too. I hope that earned us some brownie points because Elijah and I woke up mommy from her nap this afternoon rocking out to Metallica.


I'm getting geared up for my run tomorrow, I've decided to go to the Aurora reservoir again as it will be easier to get the distance in there, two laps around and two miles out and back. Plus I can stash some powerade in the car and pick it up on my way past. I still haven't figured out the best time to go, but I'm thinking later in the afternoon again. I ran at 11 today and it felt really hot. Motivation wise it's pretty easy to get psyched up for this run as it is the last long one before the marathon. After tomorrow 10 miles is as long as they get. It's still really amazing to me that 10 miles is now a reasonable distance to me, I guess that means I'm ready for the big race. Apparently the best way to deal with the marathon is to break it into manageable chunks. So the marathon is a 10-10-10K race: 10 miles, 10 miles and then a 10K (6.2 miles). I'll deal with the 20 miles tomorrow in the same way (8-8-4). That helps you deal with the mental roadblock of the distance of the race. I've also found that now that my pace is pretty well set it helps to just shut down while I'm running. If I'm not thinking about the running, the miles just seem to pass.


It's been a really good Saturday today. We went out to Caribou for coffee, and then got our groceries. When we got back Elijah and I went for our run, and then I mowed the lawn. All of that before lunch! This afternoon I made banana bread, and we are hoping to go out for Mother's day ice cream once Elijah gets up from his nap!

Almost there

Had some great weather today for my 10 mile run. Low 70s and sunny. I really enjoy running that route as it is mostly crushed gravel and so is pretty easy on my legs. That's essential as my long runs are all on cement now which is the hardest surface to run on. As a result I've had sore legs pretty much all week. But it's almost over. Saturday it's only 4 miles and then Sunday the big two-oh! Next week I do the same 5 and 10 on Tuesday/Thursday but Sunday is down to 10 miles.


I got my final confirmation for the marathon the other day and it's been kind of exciting looking at all the information. I have my corral assignment and my race number, I just have to pick up my bib and chip when I get to San Diego. I can't wait, we are going to have a blast!

Pics

I'm taking advantage of a free moment to blog. It's tough to find time to do it when there aren't little fingers trying to "help" me type. We're getting ready to watch House! This weekend up in the mountains was good, although I didn't sleep as much as I would have liked. I got back on Sunday just in time to grab lunch, mow the lawn and go for my 18 mile run. It went better than I was expecting, so that gave me a little boost in confidence. The weekend felt rushed though, and I feel like I didn't get nearly enough family time. Today was 5 miles again, with 9 minutes of hills. I haven't run that route in 4 weeks so it was nice to see my deer friend again.



By the way, pics are up of the Cherry Creek Sneak. I probably won't buy any of me as I am grimacing in all of the shots (I do enjoy running in case it is not obvious from the pictures). But if you want to check them out go to myraceday.com and search for bib number 4201 (mine) and 4202 (Melissa).

Minor Setback

Well it was inevitable I suppose. I got a cold. I've been pretty lucky with no sick days at all over the past 12 weeks of training. The timing was as good as it could get really. It hit Sunday night, and has pretty much cleared up now. So I ended up skipping my Tuesday 5 mile run so I could take it easy and recover. But I was back out today for 9 miles. Unfortunately the weather was not great, with cool temperatures and gusty winds. My nose was running too much which made things difficult, but other than that I was able to keep on pace for the full distance. I was glad as I was worried the cold had taken more out of me. Since Tuesday was my shortest run of the week I'm not too upset about missing it, but I may try to make it up with a short run on Saturday. I'll see what my schedule allows. Sunday I will be doing 18 miles, and it is supposed to be warm again so I bought a water bottle carrier with an extra bottle to get me through.