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!