Don’t follow the plan….. Have the Race You excpect

Apr21

I had a plan. I had a very good plan. I never followed it. Ok, I did follow it in the beginning. More to the point the closer I got to the Moore/Fitness Half Marathon, the plan fell to the wayside. I would like to say that it was due to lack of time. I can’t even say it was lack of dedication. Ok partly. I think mostly it was because the plan changed even if I didn’t fully admit to it. That being said, I DO NOT RECOMMEND not running AT ALL two weeks prior to a Half Marathon. Really. Just don’t do it. Really. I am paying the price for it today and I paid the price for it yesterday.

Here is the crux of the situation though. I’ve been dealing, ok not dealing but avoiding dealing with my feet, since Philly. With my upcoming schedule, I realized that it was time to get my head out of the sand and deal with it. If you were here yesterday, you read that I finally went to the Podiatrist and what the problems were. So maybe it was good that I took a little bit of a break.. All will be good as the Cortisone shot is already helping, I will do the stretches, and follow the plan. The doctor knows the plan does not including my stopping my running anytime soon. Back to the Race.

Besides not doing any type of training 2 weeks prior to the race, I made some other mistakes. First, I didn’t hydrate enough the days leading up to it. I normally will just drink extra water leading up to an event to avoid feeling dehydrated. I’m not sure if there is actually any physical benefit, but I know there is a mental one from me. Then there is the fact that I didn’t bank my sleep during the week either. I try to go to bed earlier leading up to the race too. This way if I don’t get a good night sleep the night before at least I’m not as bad. I went to bed 12:20 the night before and had my alarm set for 4:45. Not smart. I was tired.

When I came up with my goals for the year, I thought it would be cool to run a sub 2 half on my 46th Birthday. The closer I got though, the more I knew it was not happening for this race. I then embraced that this would be my fun Birthday Run. I have to say as far as day went, it was fun. I think I spent more time worrying about my outfit than the actual run. Ok, I know I did, but look how cute my outfit came out…..

You know it’s all about the outfit and the accessories. Don’t you like my crown?

Ok, probably not, but I will say that this outfit did help me during the race. Really!

The Clown Car as we like to refer to it was leaving town for NYC at 5:45. As early as it is, we are all still smiling. Due to caffeine, I didn’t realize how much my lack of sleep would effect me. It did. Still we had a good ride into the city and were all smiles at the starting line.

We met the cutest elderly woman at the starting line while she was walking to her corral. She was adorable. I just wish we had thought to take a picture with her. Although, I did find one of her crossing the finish line and getting her medal! Go Granny Go!! I hope that I have her spunk when I’m her age. She was talking about the bus ride and people thinking she must be crazy. I thought she was awesome!

Right, amazing! Did I forget to mention her crutches?

And, yes, she is wearing rocking legging, long sleeved shirt, and some type of purple skirt dare I say tutu.

I hope that I’m still moving like this with this type of attitude at her age!

We line up in our Corrals. The excitement of waitig for the race to start never gets old for me either. Off we go. Two of the ladies were planning to run together. My cohort was going to push it and I was just going to take it easy. I end up staying for the first lap of Central Park with the two. I will admit though that I did think they were planning to take it easier than they did, but it was good. We chatted when we could. Did double takes when we saw someone running with what appeared to be nothing under her tutu. (We ran past her). We just had a good time. After we hit mile 6 or so though, I told them to go without me. I knew that I probably could push it to stay with them and part of me wanted to. Luckily my brain won out this time.

Lap two was not as good as lap one. I realized that I dropped my Salted Carmel Caffeine Gu. I walked when I felt I needed to. I ran when I thought it was time to push a little. I will say that my Princess Birthday sash and tutu helped me run a better race. Really. No lies. It helped because there were times that I was going to start walking and someone would run by, tap me and say something like,

“Happy Birthday Princess”

“You’ve got this Princess”

“You can do this Princess.”

“You got this hill Princess”

Some of them I even trailed for a bit as Dawn will tell you that is what I like to do sometimes. I’m like a shadow. These women motivated me. These women may not realize it, but they really did help me get to the finish line in a better time than I would have if I was alone on the course. Standing out in a crowd of more than 7,000 other runners isn’t a bad thing.

My Official Finish Time is 2:20:23.

I’ll take it.

I know that this is a great time. I will admit that it is my worst time and I was slightly disappointing. Off by almost 15 minutes. When I said this to Dawn, she told me to shut hell up. She as often is right. This may not have been the race that I envisioned when I set my 2015 goals, but it was still a great race. There will be other races where I can chase the elusive 2:00:00, but there will only be one Birthday Run!

So cheers!

Just as I suspected…..

Apr20

Lots to talk about this week with running of the Moore/Fitness Half Marathon yesterday. I’m going to shelve that till tomorrow though, because I need to blog (process) my first visit to the Podiatrist today. You can only ignore things for so long and I was finally at that point.

If you recall, way back in the way back of August 2014, I self diagnoses myself in I wish I had Happy Feet. Now I am not abdicating self diagnosis via the web because more often than not your symptoms will have you thinking the worse. This one though was a pretty cut and dry case making for easy diagnosis.

Obviously since this has been an ongoing issue, it really was time to seek someone who actually has a degree hanging on their wall. I had made an appointment with a doctor that was not near me, but came highly recommended. I wans’t sure if I wanted to go that far, but when they called to reschedule because they realized the doctor wouldn’t be in the day of my appointment I took that as my cue that I wasn’t meant to go there. That same day, I came across a card for a local and I mean 5 minutes from my house local podiatrist. I took that as my cue that I should go there. No, I’m not really that flakey (ok, maybe I am), but it seemed like the thing to do.

I made this appointment for the day after yesterdays half. I figured that way if any issues came up, I could deal with them while they were fresh. That’s exactly what we did. Luckily, I had also prepared for this appointment by getting a pedicure last week. Highly recommend that option always. Anyway, back to today.

I go into fill out all the insurance forms only to realize that I have every kids card, the prescription card, the dental card, but not mine. Luckily, the woman was nice and just took the information off of one of my kids cards. I promised, promised, promised that I would bring it in with my next visit. Then back to the room I go to wait.

Nurse comes in to take all the pertinent information. The only question that I stumbled on is on a scale of 1 to 10, how much pain. The reason I stumbled is because pain is subjective and to me I just pushed through it. Sometimes, not well but still I usually push. We gave pain a 4. Although there were days I would have given it much higher. All set for doctor now.

At the beginning of the conversation, I made it clear that I’ve got a lot going on running wise. I through out there that I am doing the 9 plus 1 and then have the Marine Corps Marathon in the fall. I just wanted him to be clear that sitting on the sidelines really wasn’t an option. He got the message and I got the diagnosis that I expected and one that I suspected but would not dare say out loud. Morton’s Toe which I already knew and Plantar Fasciitis which I dared not think of. When he said the words, he knew that I wasn’t happy, but he had some recommendations on how to deal with it.

1. Stretches. Not once a day, but throughout the day. This will help stretch (obviously) the muscle to lesson the pain.

2. Orthotics – He did not push the custom one, but being I have 2 different issues and will be running and running and running, I went with this option. I am getting the ones especially for sneakers. I hope this is the magic pill.

3. Cortisone Shot – Hopefully this will bring me temporary relief until the orthitics come in 3 weeks.

4. New running shoes – Wouldn’t want to ignore the doctors orders! So shopping I must go.

So I wonder if this now makes me a 100% of a runner now that I have “feet problem.” I always said that my body was not designed for running and I guess this is one more thing to prove that point. Too bad that i never follow the beaten or easy path;)

Have you ever and an injury from running?

Friday Five – Five Brands I LOVE!

Apr17

Here we are again for another Friday Five hosted by Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What? for hosting the Friday Five link-up!

Today’s theme

Five Brands I love

1. Athleta – I think this should be a given being as I love their running pants, winter jacket, running vest, and basically anything that I buy from them. Yes, they do cost more but they are worth it. Sometimes you really do get what you pay for and with Athleta you are getting top quality. Plus they have the best return policy I know.

2. Savory Spices – Yes, I know this is a running blog. That being said it is important to fuel your body with tastey and healthy food to keep it going. Love, love, love their spices. It is a great way to flavor your food without added fat. Although, I admit that I may have a Spice problem, but I think there are worse problems to have;)

3. Trek – I felt so much of a difference when I switched to my Trek bike for my Tri’s. NO, I do not have the top of the line Trek. I don’t even have the middle of the line, but I know that it has made a huge difference in my biking. Maybe one day I will upgrade, but for now I’m good.

4. Gu – you either love them or you hate them. To me, I’m in the love them category and I like them to refuel. They are easy to take, tastey too. I don’t care how good something is to fuel me on a long workout, if I can’t eat it. Personal favorites are Caramel and Strawberry/banana. Yummy!

5. North Face – They have some really great products and by far my favorite running bra. Fits comfy. Small storage pocket. Double layered. No chaffing. What more could a girl ask for?

What are your top Five?

Can’t wait to see….

Anyone Can Run…..

Apr15

Anyone can run. Really. Unless there is a medical reason, anyone can run. Not everyone likes to run. I know that too being someone who used to say she hated running. Although in retrospect it isn’t that I hated running. It was more that I had never given running a chance. So I unequivocally state again that anyone can run. That being said, there is a difference between just running and running well. This is the crossroads that I am at now. I’ve been running for a while now and I’ve gotten to the point that I might just want to run well.

Now I am not saying that I want to move to the top of the Pack or become a leading Master runner. I am saying that I think it might be time to take my running up a notch. Take it the the next level. Right now, I’ve been following generic training plans for specific events. I will say these have been amazingly helpful and I’ve learned from them. I know that without my Runner’s World Hat Trick Specific Training Plan that I would not have been able to run those events as well as I did. Online training plans are wonderful and will get you where you need to go. My problem that I am encountering and is starting to freak me out a bit is that I need to form my plan to start training for the Marine Corps Marathon while being prepared for other events. I seem to be going a few different directions at once.

Case in Point….

Running many events of different distances for the 9 plus 1 plan
Training for the Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon
Training for the Marine Corps Marathon and the final hill at the end of it.

Now I would have no problem following a plan on my own to train for one of these events, but I’m really having a problem wrapping my head around training for all of them at once. Probably because I don’t know what I’m doing and have no background in this field. Yes, I read my Runner’s World, Running Times and such but I’ve really been only running since I finished my first Tri in September of 2013. I’m in a bit of a quandary. I know I need to train. I know that both the Tri and the marathon will require serious training with the marathon only being a month after the Tri, I will need to train for them at the same time. That being said, I need to figure out how to train without over training, without causing injury, and without causing burnout. That is where a running coach might just be what I need.

I used to think that a Running Coach would be reserved for the “serious athlete.” The top of the Pack athlete. The career athlete. I used to think that a Stay-at-Home Mom wouldn’t need a Running Coach. What would the point be? Then I realized what the point would be? The point would be that they know what they are doing. The point would be that they can help me reach my goals. The point would be that they can help generate a plan just for me. Just like I’ve hired a Personal Trainer at the gym in the past, a Running Coach can help put me on the right path for running smartly. To help me run well. A Running Coach can help me reach my potential while at the same time giving me the skills that I will need to get to the end of the road all in one piece.

This is where I am now. I’ve started process. I have not hired a coach yet, but have contacted one to see her thoughts. Surprisingly, the cost is not as high as I thought it would be. To be honest, the monthly cost is cheaper than hiring a Personal Trainer for two sessions. Plus the coach that I am looking at has different packages depending upon my need. I don’t pay a gym membership right now and can justify the cost too. Although the biggest justification of the cost will be the peace of mind it will bring me.

Even though I have not hired a coach yet and am still investigating, just the thought of it is easing the stress. I am days away from turning 46. I am a Stay-at-Home Mom. I am a middle of the Pack runner. I have much to learn about the art of running and training. Bottom line is that I was wrong. A Running Coach is for an athlete at any level and I am worth it.

Do you have a Running Coach??

Have you ever had one?

Practice Makes Perfect

Apr14

They say practice makes it perfect. I don’t think that expression applies to Yoga or at least the Yoga that I do. My sister is an accomplished Yogi. Seriously, I’m not talking someone who takes a lot of yoga classes. I’m talking about someone who literally traveled across the world for a summer Yoga training program as discussed in her book The Virgin Asanas: How Yoga, Sex, and Mother Mary changed everything. I didn’t even know what an Asanas was and had to look it up. Apparently to the Yoga world it is a physical Yoga position that helps master the body and enhance the body’s function. Still not sure that I understand it. I do understand it enough to know that I will never be one especially if today’s Yoga class is any indication.

Going into a Yoga studio for the first time is very intimidating as a non Yogi. Yes, there were people of all levels of practice but I just happened to end up behind someone who could not only do all the moves, but all the “fancy” ones too. But Yoga isn’t about competing with your neighbor. It’s about taking your practice as far as you can take it for yourself. It still doesn’t make it any less intimidating but it does help. I also know that those other people practicing are too busy with their own poses to worry if I am able to do any of mine.

In the past, I have taken Bikram Yoga and really enjoyed it. Still not flexible, but really enjoyed the class and always felt that the heat added to it. The Yoga Studio that I had been taking classes at shut down unexpectedly as their new location was not ready in time for them to move. So I’ve been going without. Then I found a handy dandy Groupon for another studio. The only catch is that they have limited Brikram and today I signed up for a Vinyasa class.

Going in I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I’ve done one or two classes of Vinyasa but that was over a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did I like it, but also as a runner I felt would be good for me. Most people think that Yoga is a wishy washy form of exercise. Maybe that was just me who thought that before I took any Yoga. It really is amazing how it can make your arms or legs shake while holding a pose. What I think that I liked regarding Vinyasa that Bikram didn’t offer were the many poses that stretched my leg muscles. I could see how this would be a good rest day activity because not only is it low impact but it could help to loosen up any tight muscles. Hmmmm, going to have to give this more of a test.

Are you a Yogi?

What is your favorite type of Yoga?

Word of the Week – Social

Apr8

social

adjective so·cial \ˈsō-shəl\

: relating to or involving activities in which people spend time talking to each other or doing enjoyable things with each other

: liking to be with and talk to people : happy to be with people

: of or relating to people or society in general

I admit it, before I became a runner this is a word that I never would have equated to running. I mean, seriously, how can you be social when your trying to figure out how to breath? Then I became a runner and realized that although an individual sport, it is also a very social one too. Runners love to talk about races they have run, what they are training for, how their training is going, what is the best running gear, and a whole host of other things too. Running can be very social if one chooses for it be. For me, I like the social aspect of it as much as the actual running. Some days I may even like that part a little more:)

I do believe that Social Media is playing a big part in making running more of a social sport than it used to be. I’m sure in the 70’s running was a solitary thing. Yes, I’m sure there were regular running clubs, groups, and events; but just not on the same level we have today. If you wanted to be part of a group, you had to actively seek one out. Not so much now. Google or go on Facebook and look up local running groups and I’m sure that you will get a whole array of groups. Go to your local running store and they have fliers and information right next to their register. I think this is another reason the sport of running is growing and I think a solitary runner is only alone by choice:)

Statistics don’t lie (usually:)

In this case they don’t.

I also know that in my case the social aspect of it is what turned this non runner into a runner. (still feel strange calling myself that even now, but that’s a different story). Most of you know that when I was training for my first Tri, a friend added me to the local chapter of MRTT (Mom’s Run This Town). That was the beginning of it all. I got to see this local group of committed running Mama’s, learn from them, run with them and be inspired by them. Before I knew it, I was part of a Running Group. I, honestly, know that if not for my local MRTT group; I would not be the runner that I am today. There were many days that I probably wouldn’t have gone running but because I was meeting someone or joining in on a group run, I went. You run with someone long enough, you get to know them pretty well. Your run not only becomes your run but a social event. On rare occasions it may even end up followed by drinks.

Then there is the social aspect of being part of online communities where you may never actually meet the person, but it is still a community. These are places where you can brag about your PR, ask a question regarding your training, and anything else that you need to get off your chest. There is no less support in these communities that the local one as most of them understand where you are coming from regarding your running. These groups are equally inspiring in a different way. Some people even choose to be part of these groups in a “stalker” way but it still lets them know they are not in it alone.

When I was at the Scottish 10K this past weekend, I went over to High Five a total stranger only because he was wearing the t-shirt of one of my online running groups – Runners United NYC. I’ve never run with any of them because I don’t live in the city. I’ve never attended any of their many functions, but I still enjoy being part of their group. They are fun and committed runners whose group I do also enjoy being part of. Now the man I went to High Five had no clue who I was, but greeted me with a smile and a high five because that’s what runners do.

Social:)

Both the online and local groups make running more fun. They make running more social. They understand when someone complains about not being able to run due to injury where our non running friends just don’t get it. These are the people who understand why we push ourselves to run, who understand why running a marathon or any other race isn’t crazy, and who will be there to offer words of encouragement or a pat on the back when needed.

Running is Social even on a solitary run. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

We are all on the same team.

It’s an elite team too no matter what the distance or pace.

How many running groups do you belong to or follow online?

Prepare for Everything, Still have Nothing.

Apr7

Sometimes the best laid plans still fall short. You think you’ve got it all together only to realize that you haven’t got a clue. That was kind of how this weekends run started out. As I said to Dawn on the way there, ” Things always work out the way they are supposed to. Even if that’s not how you planned it.”

This past weekend was another 9 plus 1 run in the city. In the past, there have been a group of us who would drive in together. Usually, the driver is someone who is familiar with getting in and out of the city. Someone who knows the lay of the land if you will. But this weekend the clown car was unavailable which meant that my cohort in crime and I had to get there and back on our own. Now I am not afraid to drive anywhere solo. I’ve even driven my kids to Florida and back. I’m also contemplating taking them to Texas this summer. Doesn’t bother me at all. The difference is that this is usually on my schedule and usually there isn’t an event starting at a specific time such as was happening on Saturday. Still we were confident in our ability to get there and meet up with another Mama runner.

We knew that since it was an 8:00 AM start time that once again we would need to leave before the sun. All was set. Clothes laid out. Bag with Bib all packed. Garmin loaded with street near the entrance of the Park. We were good to go! Then I realize that the Garmin wants to take me a totally foreign way. When going into the City, I would normally take the tunnel, but for some reason my Garmin wanted to take me over one of the bridges. She kept leading me astray. I was getting annoyed with her and myself for not waiting till we got to the City to listen to her. Time was ticking. It was closer than we would have liked, but we did get there with a little bit of time to spare.

Besides the Garmin issue though, we realized that we did not have pins for our Bibs. I didn’t think to check the bag for them as they are usually there. I also thought that I had my handy dandy safety pin bracelet in my running bag. Nope, not this time as I needed it. Luckily I had a belt in my bag to use and Dawn did have one pin. Still it put a crinkle in things and added some unneeded stress.

Once we get to the streets close to the park entrance, it is time to find the perfect parking spot. Of course, it is a Saturday morning in NYC and there are no spots. We are running out of time to look for one, so we end up just pulling into a parking garage. Things to remember when parking your car in a garage for a race:

1. You do not have the luxury of going through your running bag to calmly get your sh*t together.

2. You do not have time to put your compression socks on.

3. You will forget your arm sleeves that you end up not needing but still.

4. You will also forget your hair band, but end up liking your hair down in your pictures anyway.

5. You will feel a little panicked and out of sorts literally jumping out of your car and not taking a moment

6. It all works out in the end.

7. You arrive at your corral with literally only a few minutes to spare. Giving you time to think about removing your throw away shirt.

Now one of the reasons that I wanted to do this run besides needing it for the 9 plus 1 is that it sounded like a fun event and it was. It was the kickoff to Scottish Week. There were bagpipers along the course, lots of people running in kilts, and just a gorgeous day. I, shockingly, was one of those people running in a kilt. Although mine was more of a tutu than an actual kilt. I wanted to be fun. I wanted to have fun. I wasn’t in it for a PR (personal record). I’ve actually only run one other 10K and that was when I was training very heavily for the Hat Trick. This was going to just be a race to get me a check mark and for some fun.

A funny thing happened along the way though.

The race started. It was packed. Packed. Packed. Packed. Dawn had decided that she was going to run with the other MRTT Mama and go for a potential PR. I had decided that I was just going to see how I felt and go with the flow. I’ve still been fighting these pesky foot issues and really haven’t been giving it my all. Race starts and we begin the bob and weave. We end up splitting up as we were in a huge field of other runners. Just keeping running. I just kept telling myself it was only 6 miles. A nice training run. I go out fairly strong. Experience a little foot discomfort, but nothing I haven’t felt before. Then one mile down. Then another. By mile three, I’m realizing that I’m making good time. By mile five, I realize that I could potentially PR which at this point I think would be cool. By mile six, I know I’m going to be close. I actually walked for a bit before someone with a Scottish accent, said something to me about keep going. So I ran some more. I finished.

Official Time 57:08

Previous 10K 57:19

Whew, that was close!

Then again, this wasn’t part of the plan, but it was a very nice bonus!

Moral of the story, sometimes you just have to roll with life. You can plan all you want. You can think you’ve got it all under your control, but the truth of the matter is that the best things in life happen when your not.

Finally,

Always tutu!

Friday Five – Five Good Things

Apr3

Once again, I’m getting in under the wire with my Friday Five Link up. Thanks to Eat, Pray, Run DC, Mar on the Run, and You Signed Up for What? for hosting the Friday Five link-up!

Today’s Theme

Five Five: Five Good Things

There are so many good thing to choice from, but I’ll narrow it down to Five.

Taking my family out of the running because they are a given:)

1. Spring – It has finally arrived!!! No more heavy jackets, hats, and gloves to run in! No more ice to worry about falling on. No more thinking about how many layers are required!!

2. Mama Running Buddies (both online and in real time) – There is something to be said about the inspiration, motivation, and knowledge that you can obtain from your fellow Mama runners. I, honestly, wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without you:)

3. That I’m registered for all my required NYRR races to qualify for the 2016 NYC Half Marathon and Marathon!

Whoop! Whoop!

Now all I have to do is run them.

4. Salted Caramel Gu – Yes, it is a good thing. Love caramel and it gives me the boost I need on long runs.

5. My Puppy!!! Yes, you’ve turned my life upside down, but you really are fitting in very nicely with the family. On top of that your really cute!

You had to know that Finn would make the list!

It’s always important to remember and focus on the good things in our lives. Most of us are blessed more than we realize and it’s important to take time to remember the good things.

Happy Easter!

Word of the Week – Training

Apr1

I haven’t done this in a few weeks and I thought I would come back to it for today.

Today’s Word of the Week is

training

(ˈtreɪnɪŋ) n

1. a. the process of bringing a person, etc, to an agreed standard of proficiency, etc, by practice and instruction: training for the priesthood; physical training.

b. (as modifier): training college.

2. in training

a. undergoing physical training

b. physically fit

3. out of training physically unfit

Sadly it is so easy from going to Training to Out of Training and much harder to go back to Training. Right now I’m in between the two. I am training for My Birthday Half Marathon (that’s what the Moore Half is “officially” called now), but I’m also a little Out of Training. I have my plan, but I am not following it to the letter T. I’ve still got some tenderness in my ankle which I finally made an appointment to see a Podiatrist for and I’ve got some foot discomfort. I think the later is from needing a new pair of shoes. I realized after talking to a friend that I’ve had these shoes since before the Hat Trick. I then trianed and ran the Philly Marathon in them and have been running in them since. It’s time for new shoes. That being said, I am going to wait till I see the Podiatrist to see if she recommends a certain type of shoe.

Love a good reason to buy new shoes!

Back to Training…

When you have what seems like race after race after race, I will admit that training isn’t so much about training in as much about retention. Now there is training involved when it comes to my goals of reaching a certain time, but many of these races are really not to push the boundaries as to reach the end goal of my 9 plus 1. I still hope to meet my goal of a 2;00 hour half marathon, but I will need to train for that and train hard.

A friend who ran the NYCM last year and is doing the 9 plus 1 and I were talking. She was saying how she can’t wait till she is done training, because it’s getting old. It’s getting tiring of doing the same thing and to be honest she is thinking she wants to try new things. Can’t blame her. I sometimes feel the same way. I’ve said more than once that after this year, I will not run as many races next year and only run the NYC Half and the NYCM. Then I will be free to run or do other events that I want. I’m not sure if that will be the case as I always end up pushing some boundary somewhere. Who knows.

All I know is that sometimes, I do have to push myself out the door. Sometimes I don’t. Today was one of them. I was going to run 3 miles after the dog trainer came today. Yes, I need a dog trainer. Finn doesn’t but I do. Anyway after she left, I layed down on the couch thinking I would only rest a few minutes. I was tired after staying up late the last couple nights catching up on things and getting up early or in the night with Finn. So instead of running my 3 miles today, I ended up taking a LONG nap. You know what? That’s ok. Training is good, but pushing you body to the limits without giving it down time is not good.

My baby even napped next to me:)

Know your limits.

Know when to push them.

Know when to back away.

and

Know when to Run:)

Marching Onward…..

Mar30

As many of you read, I got into the Marine Corps Marathon in October. I’ve told the people I need to tell and now am moving onto the planning stage. Yes, I know it’s 7 months away but it is never to early to plan:) Besides, I don’t know ANYTHING about getting around DC. Yes, I’ve got 7 months, but that will go quickly. So much to do and so much to think about.

The first think I’m thinking though is I’m nuts. Then again if you know me or have been reading this blog long enough you might already realize this. I just really don’t know what possessed me to enter the lottery. Probably the thought that I could say that I entered it, but didn’t get in so I’m not running a marathon this year. We all know how well that worked out.

Moving Along…..

My first concern outside of having to run the marathon is where will I stay. I know nothing about DC or the course, but I quickly learned a few things. I then looked at the available lodging and with any luck picked the right hotel. It seems to be in the right area for the start and finish. At least I hope so!!! Either way, I’ve got that reservation booked and the rest I will work out.

I’ve looked at the course and have to say I’m excited. I’ve never been to DC. It’s been on the list. I think to see it all this way will be an amazing experience. It starts between Arlington Cemetary and the Pentagon. Then me and 30,000 other people will wind through the streets of historic Georgetown on our way near the Kennedy Center. Then we follow the course to the “Run To Honor” section where flags commemorate fallen soldiers. Then continue onto views of Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, the National Art Gallery, the Capital Dome and other DC sites. I’m thinking I want to just run with my camera, but I think I’ll be a bit busy to take pictures. Busy trying to muster up the strength to “Beat the Bridge” at mile 20. Yes, this marathon apparently ends on a hill. Oh my!!!! I didn’t have the energy to carry a single rose at the end of Philly, I’m not sure how I will manage this. I think the momentum of the event will have to carry me through it. That and I’m going to train, train, train and then train some more for this:)

Can you tell that I’ve given this some thought this weekend?

Now that the shock has worn off, I’m marching forward with my plan:)

The Accidentally Running Mama

Run, Bike, Swim and Have a Life!