Amazing~ I think not

I have had many people tell me how amazing (or crazy) I am for running a marathon. The truth of the matter is that I am a determined person, but really the training for me was the hardest part of it all. It is a challenge to figure out fuel, hydration, soreness vs. injury, clothing, weather, shoes, blisters and more. The actual marathon race~ that for me is/was fun and what the training payoff is! I am just like you- ordinary yet unique, but not extraordinary. I don't want to minimize the effort or determination necessary to do it. It is not easy. It is an accomplishment that I am proud of.

Halhigdon.com is what I have used for my training programs. It is a great site and I transferred the mileage training/distance to my calendar for free or you can download the apps for a charge.

Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon October 2012

Each of us have a "bucket list". I have not had many serious thoughts about what I want to do or even accomplish before I die. I am not sure that I want to think about my death. Death comes to all that live, so I am not in denial, but it is not something that I dwell on or am planning for. I am someone that generally tries to live in the here and now but also plans for the near future.

Ever since I was a young child I have loved watching the Olympics. Extremely talented, trained athletes come together from all over the world to compete. I would sit in front of the tv and watch for hours. I did not have the natural talent or the drive within to be able to compete at that level. I was given opportunities to discover my talents as a child. I was a natural at swimming and tested for my life guard certification. I was a gymnast, dancer, basketball player and a golfer. As a younger person, I was the first girl on our golf team. I had natural talent and a "feel" for golf. I gave up the game in an act of defiance. I felt pushed by the adults around me to compete on a higher level and the game became high pressured which I was not interested in. I dabbled in creativity too. I took art, music, acting and writing classes. I had talent in lots of areas but nothing that filled me with passion.  

dreamer

High school ended. College and the decision about what to do with my adult life became a necessity. I liked working with kids. I won't lie. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of others and what better way than to become a  teacher? I taught kindergarten. And then, I got married. The "me" in my life became "we". The happiness of our lives became even richer with the birth of our children. I know that I could never have imagined how much my life would change.

Early professional days

"I do." and I would again!

The train station near Peshtigo, WI.

I became a full time mom and if I am honest, a part time wife. We will be celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary this week and it is a tribute to my husband that we are loving each other today. He supported me in all of my insanity and troubling times. I know that there were times that I felt that I had lost "my self". That might not make any sense to you. I took time off to raise our kids. I left my profession and had friends that were moms. My identity revolved around my kids. This is not a bad or good thing. It is a choice that I made.  I am very proud of my kids. They have personal integrity, compassion for others, intelligence, common sense, great work ethics, sarcastic senses of humor, and a balance in their lives that is mature and healthy. They were raised by us but they are their own selves as any loving parent would want them to be. I take only partial credit for this. In my years of teaching, I have learned that much of who we are is just plain luck. We are lucky!

A few years back...

Fast forward to Katy leaving home for college. The 22 years that children were living within our midst, changed in a flash. I have been teaching full time since 2001 and I had gone back to college and earned my masters degree. I had started to get other interests again as time and money allowed. There was a small part of me (nagging me perhaps)  that needed to do something more. Perhaps I could run and finish a marathon? I had not been a runner and a 5K seemed like a far distance when I first started. I don't know if it was really a bucket list item or not. I do know though that I have discovered the joy of running. Training for and completing marathons is not crazy or amazing. It is something I can say I have done. It is a mental and physical challenge. I am glad that I can do it for me.

Running======== treadmills

It is what it is

This is only my second winter running so I am by no means experienced. Last year we joined the fitness center in October because I was training for a spring marathon, My training required specific mileage to run and it was raining out! The weather was not cooperating so inside I went. I did all of my longer runs outdoors on the weekends and could do so because the weather was relatively mild for Wisconsin. It was also light out when I was ready to run. During the week, my job prevents me from running until dark and running on snow or ice in the dusk or dark is too dangerous. This past November we again joined the very small, but fits our needs, fitness center. I say that it fits our needs because
1. We can join for a month at a time.
2. It is close to our home.
3. It is open 24/7.
4. I can get on a treadmill pretty much any time I want to.

During the week, I get to the fitness center 3 or 4 times and on the weekend, once or twice. I like that I can warm up, set the speed that I want to run at, change things on the controls as I feel strong or tired, know the exact mileage that I have run and then walk for a specific time to cool down.

The actual treadmill I use...

I listen to music. I watch tv. I think. I watch the readout screen. I get in the miles, sweat, relieve stress and feel strong. It won't be long until the time for running outside returns for me. Until then, treadmills are my friend.

Chill

So it has been very cold here this last week in central Wisconsin. We had a snow storm that brought us 10 inches and cancelled school. The snow is beautiful on the trees but it is hard to enjoy doing much of anything outside when the daily high temperature is just in the single digits. I could whine about the weather but it does not do much good. It is interesting and ironic that 20 degrees will seem warm.
On the running front...the month of January, I ran a total of 103 miles. Just days after running my second marathon I was back on the treadmill. I am signed up for two races so far this year and I am close to registering to run the Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon set for October 6th.

There are lots of things to look forward to in the next few months. One of our sons proposed to his long time girlfriend and they are now engaged. We hope to hear soon about their wedding plans.

I am very excited to be going to Minneapolis to watch our daughter and her ballroom dance team in a USA Dance competition.

The running will continue with a half marathon that I am going to run with my husband this May! Hopefully it won't rain!

The last thing that I am very much excited for is a vacation to Costa Rica. I have done the Caravan tours before and the trip will hopefully once again, be marvelous!

Marathon race report

Sunday morning I awoke with temperatures outside in the mid 40's but rising quickly as the sun came up. Knowing what to wear so that you are comfortable for the race is a challenge for me. I decided on shorts, a sleeveless running top and a long sleeve dri-fit shirt that the sleeves could be pushed up. I have worn these clothes on many runs before so there would not be any wardrobe problems.

I first headed down the elevator and enjoyed a protein bagel with chive cream cheese from Einstein bagels. It is located in the hotel and many other runners were doing the same thing. I enjoyed the bagel and drank a glass of coconut water. I have recently had digestive issues on long runs and I am still figuring out the whole fueling and hydrating thing. I head back to the room and finish getting ready. I have decided to use my new Garmin watch to see my time. I have not used it before since I have run indoors on a treadmill since being given this gift. I have usually used my smart phone and an app called endomondo to track my runs. I also think that this is a Rock 'n Roll marathon with lots of bands playing and we are in Phoenix the 5th largest city in the United States so of course there is going to be tons of fan support...so I decide to not bring my headphones and run with my phone in my armband so that I can meet up with DH and DS at the end. I had raisins and sports beans to fuel me and a plan on hydrating at the water/Gatorade stops.

at the race start

It was a 2 minute walk to the start area. It was cool and the sun had not yet come over the mountains. The air was alive with music and announcements and the excitement of the runners set to give it their best. The start of the race is always crowded with the actual runners and the people that are supporting them. There was an announcement over the loud speaker that there were just over 5000 entrants in the full marathon. This was a bit perplexing to me since they had advertised that there were more than 25,000 people participating in it. I imagine that the numbers were based on the half and mini marathons and perhaps the other smaller races that were a part of the weekend. There were 7 corrals and based on your expected finish time you were assigned where to go. I was in corral 6. The race started and within 4-5 minutes we were running through the starting arch and over the timer to begin the marathon.

I knew very quickly that not having my headphones and the distraction of my playlist was not the best decision of the morning. The bands were maybe 3-4 miles a part from each other. You heard them for a minute or so and then you were past the music. There were a few places where I would say you had crowd support but they were few and far between the miles. The water stations were spaced every 2 miles so you did have a chance to hydrate which thankfully I took advantage of.

The first few miles always go by in a blur. You are people watching and getting into the running zone. I had lined up by the 4:40 pacer and was not going out fast or slow. I felt strong and the running was easy. Around mile 6 the sun started beating down and there was no shade to run in. I did not have a hat or sunglasses so this might be the second poor decision of the day. At mile 10 I was feeling good but looking forward to an energy boost from seeing DH, DS and my dad at mile 11. I passed by and did not see them. With little crowd support, seeing your family or friends can be a real boost and you garner strength to keep going. My dad was cheering and shaking bells for all the racers a little after mile 11. It was great to see him!

It really was this lonely out there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only a .2 away from the finish

There is a 3 mile out and back loop that the course followed and my DH and DS were waiting and saw me twice - mile 13 and 19. At mile 13, I was still feeling good but at the 19 mile mark, I told them I could finish with just over 7 miles to run but I was slowing down. They ran a short way with me and next found me at the finish line.

I did a few things right and a few things wrong for this race. I learned some things about myself and will continue to get smarter training and actually running a marathon. I know I am a person that thrives on crowd support and distractions. I will run with headphones even if I don't use them.  I fueled ok but perhaps could have been better rested so that the last 13 miles I would be less tired. I don't regret staying up late and having a great conversation with DS. I am going to purchase prescription sunglasses or glasses that have the photogray lenses so that I don't have to squint in the bright sun. I am not a hat person. My clothing selection was perfect for me. I did not get any blisters and my smartwool socks worked well. I listened to my body and heeded the soreness and pain signals from my hamstrings. My training in the week prior to the marathon was modified. I walked my mileage on the treadmill the two days before. It was a very smart decision.  I did not have any troubles during the race with hamstrings, cramping or digestive issues. Running indoors on a treadmill to train for a marathon in winter is maybe not the greatest choice that I could have made but I did it. I have finished my second marathon and I am proud of that. My time was respectable- just under 5 hours, and I am satisfied.

New races await me. I am excited to have my DH begin training with me for a half marathon that we are going to do together in May.

Race weekend~part one

We had a great weekend! There really was only one glitch in the whole thing and that was the plane delay on the way out of Chicago. We ended up on a different plane and arrived 4 hours after our scheduled time.

Prior to leaving, I had made a craigslist connection with a stranger that was trustworthy and willing to hold  4 tickets to see Garrison Keillor ~ Prairie Home Companion at the Gammage in Tempe for us. Tickets had been sold out since early December and I was needing 4 seats together. The gentleman was going to be waiting at the airport for us. He had our flight information and saw we were delayed. He met us just outside security and we bought tickets from him for the show!!!

The rental car shuttle was waiting, the actual car was great and we arrived at the hotel and checked in with no problems at all! DH and I were hungry so we went across the street to a restaurant, sat on the patio, listened to a live musical performance and shared a  chicken almond salad and an appetizer plate. We went back to the airport a few hours later and picked up one of our sons that was coming in to share the weekend with us.

We had been awake since 4:30 a.m. and travel is tiring but I was really happy to stay up till the wee hours (2:20 a.m.) of the night/morning talking with our son. I am an early to rise, early to bed person but there is nothing better than a great conversation with your kids.

Saturday morning dawned and my husband and I walked 7 blocks to Matt's Big Breakfast in downtown Phoenix. It is a little hole in the wall place that I found online that had excellent reviews. People were waiting outside (50 degrees) for a spot. An hour or so later, we were eating at the counter. I had the best waffle, bacon and hash browns and my husband had eggs, toast, home fries and tomatoes. Luscious, simple, real food made with local ingredients...

After walking back to the hotel we picked up our son (he sleeps later and does not do breakfast) and headed across the street to the expo. It was only the second expo for a marathon that I have attended. It was very nice! They had a ton of free samples, lots of giveaways, easy check in and pick up of packet instructions and very helpful volunteers. We walked all the aisles and I think my husband and son enjoyed themselves too.

outside the expo

a ridiculous picture in front of a photo

We walked to a restaurant nearby the expo called 1130. We sat outside once again. With temperatures back at home in the negatives or single digits, we were going to be enjoying the warmth as much as we could. My husband and I shared a salad because I was still so full from breakfast.

We drove to Scottsdale and picked up my dad and headed over to Tempe for the concert. It was fabulous!! I am so happy that we had the chance to do this. DH has been a fan and a faithful listener for over 25 years. He introduced me to folk music, Public Radio and many of the shows that I find enjoyment listening on the radio to. We had unbelievable seats~ center, first row of the balcony...Here is a link to the live radio broadcast

We headed back to Scottsdale, picked up my step mom and went out once again for a magnificent meal. We ate dinner at La Fonda Del Sol in Scottsdale. The Mexican food and my frozen mango, strawberry margarita were delicious! We went back to the hotel and I showered and got my stuff together for the race in the morning. I am most often a good planner for races. This evening I was still debating and unsure of my breakfast/fueling plan for the next day.

To be continued...