Cellcom Green Bay Marathon

Six months ago I said I would never run another marathon again. Well, I signed up for the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon on May 17, 2009. I am currently working on my base mileage and hoping to get up to 20 miles a week before the training begins in February. Goal is to lose 15 lbs before the marathon so back to the diet I come!

2008 Year in Review

Looking back on 2008 brings fond memories. I accomplished several life goals such as buying a house and getting married in October. I ran my first run longer than 13.1 miles. In fact, I ran 26.2 miles at Grandma's Marathon. I completed several half marathons, a 30k race, and several 10 mile races. Running was not all good during the year however. I learned the ins and outs of IT band syndrome that kept my mileage below my 800 mileage goal. Overall it was a great year and I look forward to what 2009 may bring!

Bear Water 10 mile and Twin Cities Marathon 10 mile

Its been awhile since posting. Fixing up our new foreclosed house, getting married in a week, and a low desire to run over the past months have kept me away from the board lately! First race was the Bear Water 10 mile a few weeks back. The race went pretty well considering it was my first race since the marathon. My goal was 1:25:00 but due to a tight field the first 2 miles it was hard to get into my pace.

Twin Cities 10 mile was yesterday and it went very well. I ran with my brother for the 6 miles until pulling forward. The final mile I dipped into the 7 minute mile range for the first time ever and took full advantage of the hill in the last half mile and posted a sub-7 minute mile! By no means that will be the norm but it was awesome to see my watch at that level. I am looking for more races so stay tuned!

Post Marathon Thoughts!

Well it was exactly a month since the marathon yesterday. I had to take about 10 days off and I have run mostly 3 mile runs since returning. I have snuck in a 5 miler that felt pretty good. The IT band is still a little sore and I will probably do some more therapy work with it.

The good news is that my brothers and I were accepted into the Twin Cities 10 mile race on October 5! It will be a day after my birthday so there will be little partying. This is actually the first race I am setting a goal on for my time. I am shooting for a 1:25:00 which works out to about an 8:30 mile. I started training this week for it. The difference between this training and the marathon training is that I am aiming for 4 days a week this round and throwing in my cross training and gym work. I had my first gym workout today and it absolutely killed me. Lets just say I am regretting lunges at this point!

Thanks for all the congrats after the marathon! It was much appreciated!

Grandma's Marathon Weekend!

Well with all the work and anticipation Grandma's Marathon has come and gone! We stayed in a cabin about an hour north of Duluth and took in many of the state parks and sights on the day before. I would have loved to do more hiking but I wanted to stay fresh for the morning.

On Saturday I was up around 4:45 to get ready for the drive into Two Harbors, MN to make it to the bus in time. The buses transported everyone to a scenic stretch of highway on the coast of Lake Superior. Festivities started around 7:15 when the held a moment of silence for Wesley Ngetich who was a two-time Grandma's Marathon winner that was killed several months ago in his home country. After the moment of silence there was the national anthem and a flyover by 2 F-16 fighter jets.

I lined up near the 4:15 pace team and wanted to stick with them until the finish. The first 10k flew by at a 1:00:06 which was on pace with the group. Despite the race course being on the coast in an isolated area there were people up and down the highway. I even saw comedian and senate hopeful Al Frankin along the way cheering on the crowd! I hit the 13.1 mark with a time of 2:07:43 and was able to stick with the group. Around mile 19 the scenic highway opened up to packed Duluth streets with people cheering on both sides. Its also the time that I hit the wall.

I hit the 20 mile mark at 3:17:41 and at this point I was hurting. I started cramping in my quads about every half mile and I would be reduced to a walk/ slow hobble for about 1/10 of a mile before the cramps subsided. I pushed through the last 6.2 miles with cramps through the legs. I lost the pace group at this point but I was more concerned with just pushing and getting through. As I hit the 25 mile mark at 4:14:08 I knew I could finish. I kept pushing and as I turned the corner and saw the finish line a quarter mile away all pain disappeared and I ran. I don't know how fast I ran but I moved and pushed. I finally crossed at 4:27:22! It was a little slower then I hoped but I knew I gave it my all and left all I had on the race course!

Fulfilling a lifetime dream was an amazing experience and I am grateful that I had so many family members there to celebrate it! As of now I will be taking a week off and letting the legs heal. I have to walk down the stairs backwards until the quads improve! Time to figure out what race is next on the calender!

Coming down the final stretch in the last 100 yards! (White shirt, Dark Blue Shorts)

Post Race Celebration!

It's just me and 26.2...

Well it is finally here. I have put in 433 miles, ran the Irish for a Day 10 mile, Earth Day Half Marathon and the Northern Lakes 30k all in preperation for this weekend's marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. I am hoping to finish between 4:00-4:15 if all goes well. I am excited, scared, nervous, and anxious all in one. Running a marathon has always been one of my three lifetime goals and now I am on it's doorstep. I am thinking I might shoot for one more after this (maybe Chicago or New York) but I am pretty sure I will be sticking with the half marathons from here on out. I will log with pictures next week upon my return from Duluth!

Northern Lakes 30k and 3 Weeks to Go!

It was quite the exciting week in my little world of running. I hit my first 100 mile month and ended up with 120 miles during May! Its exciting that I have been running this much and do not have any major injuries. The IT band is slightly more sore than it has been but I am not too worried since the taper began after the race today. I have a 12 mile, 8 mile and then the marathon.

Today was my longest race yet. It was the Northern Lakes 30k (18.6 miles) in White Bear Lake. The weather was absolutely beautiful and was around 65 degrees and sunny. The race was mostly on the roads without trees so needless to say it got quite warm. I was shooting for around 3 hours which would have been under a 10 minute/mile. The flew during the first 15 miles and hung just under a 9 minute pace and then the heat and direct sun took its toll and I slowed down the last 3 miles. I finished at 2:53:16 well under the 3 hour mark! Right now I am contemplating running a half marathon next week as part of the taper but that is yet to be seen. So far so good and I hit the 400 mile mark on the year which is half way to the goal! Stay tuned pictures to come!

I was never happier to be done with a run then I was in this picture!

4 Weeks to Go!

The marathon is officially 4 weeks out! Just knocked out my last 20 miler the other day and I am happy to say that I made it the whole way this time! There was no collapse or sputtering out at the end! It was a good confidence boost. I am not sure how I will ever do another six miles beyond that but ignorance and adrenaline will have to carry me the rest of the way!

I am also looking at my first every 100 mile month this month! I have hit 80 mile months several times but nothing above that so far. I have the Northern Lakes 30k next Saturday which will be a great tune up for the marathon! Its right around the corner!

Five Weeks to Go!

I love recovery weeks, I love recovery weeks, I love recovery weeks. Oh yes, It was a recovery week this week. Total miles on the week were only 16. It was a welcomed week after the last several in the upper 20's! The long run on the week was 8 miles and I felt pretty good through it. Some IT band soreness afterward like usual but nothing a little ice and Aleve can't help. The other runs were an easy 3 miles on Tuesday around the neighborhoods. Wednesday was supposed to be 7 around Calhoun but I cut it to 5 miles after swallowing 1.75 million bugs around the leg. It was nuts and there were swarms of gnats everywhere. Next race will be the Northern Lakes 30k two weeks from today. There is starting to be a light at the end of the tunnel! :)

Six Weeks to Go!

Well Grandma's Marathon is now officially six weeks out! I had my first every 20 miler today and I hate to report that I crashed and burned. I am not quite sure why but I suspect that I did not eat enough in the day before. I started hitting the wall at mile 15 and at mile 17.5 I had to throw in the towel. I am going to start using gatorade on runs and up my gel packs too. I am not too worried about it. I have another 20 miler in several weeks. I have a 7, 16, Northern Lake 30k (18.5 mi) and 20 mile long runs before the taper starts. Overall I am still feeling pretty decent. I have had a hint of an IT band pain throughout the past few weeks but I am keeping an eye on it!

Training Updates and 18 miles wicked miles!

Figured I would give everyone a quick update of what training has been like lately. I am still running 3 days a week and don't plan on upping it to 4 days a week anytime soon. I tend to get hurt when running more than 4 days a week. Last week I put in 27 miles culminating in one nasty long run of 18 miles...

It was quite chilly in the morning so I waited until late afternoon to start off on my 18 mile trek. From the onset I was feeling a little rough especially after eating junk at a confirmation a few hours earlier. The air temp was around 54 degrees but wind gusts were up to 30 mph which I did not take into account. Also, I ran from home down Theo Wirth into the Lakes area which was ridiculously hilly. The first 13 miles were absolutely fine but then I hit a wall around mile 14. I was forced to do a .4 mile run followed by a .1 mile walk the rest of the way. It was a slower and HARD 5 miles but I made the run in just under 3 hrs. The reality of the marathon is starting to come into focus. I am on my way but I am never running on a full stomach, into heavy winds, and on a hilly course again. Ouch.

Weight Loss Milestone!

This week I finally made it under 200 lbs! Only 8 lbs more to go!

Earth Day Half Marathon

Well, I had the first half marathon of the year! It was my firs time running the Earth Day Half Marathon in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The weather was supposed to be around 60 degrees and sunny. Instead it was cloudy and in the high 40's. Once again, I ran with Mike on route to the Grandma's Marathon. The field was around 2000 people and I ended up in the middle of the mix. Made it through the race injury-free and pulled in at just under 2 hours. I was somewhat disappointed with the time but I did finish in 1:58:19.

I am still experimenting with Chi Running. The principles make sense and the exercises feel pretty good but I am still having trouble putting it all together. There is no rush but the sooner the better!

As of now, next race will be at the end of May! Stay tuned!

Irish for a Day 10 Mile & Training updates!

I figured it was time for an update! I am two months into marathon training for Grandma's in Duluth, MN on June 21! I started off following the Marathoning for Mortals program and switched a few weeks ago to the Runner's World program. Right now the long run is 12 miles and I have been relatively pain free. I feel the IT band acting up at times but I have spent more time stretching and running safe. I have started following Chi Running principles to address poor technique which I think was causing pain. So far, it seems to be helping!

With the nice weather, race season has officially started! On March 15, 2008, with the Irish for a Day 10 mile. Mike and I ran the race as a training race to break up the monotony of weekly long runs. The temperature was cold and the road around Lake Harriet and Lake Calhoun were glazed over with ice. The race went well but it was much slower than expected because of the road. The next race is the Earth Day Half Marathon on April 19 in St. Cloud.

Celebrating after the race!

It looks just a little cold in that picture!

Let the training begin....

To those of you who don't know, I registered for Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on June 21, 2008. My brother will also be joining me on this awesome journey! The race is 26.2 miles from Two Harbors to Duluth. If anyone is interested in details check out the website at www.grandmasmarathon.com. The plan is to follow a training plan from Marathoning for Mortals by John Bingham. The plan seems adequete but not was demanding on some of the other plans I have used for the half marathons. The goal is not time but to finish the first one without injury along the way. I have learned alot about my body over the last year and realize what I can or cannot handle. Tenatively I am planning a on a 10 mile race in March and another 13.1 mile race in April. More details to come! Check back often because I am pumped and can't wait to start training next week!