Monday, November 3, 2008

The Aftermath

The night of my race I was so sore. After our Victory Party I went back to the hotel and tried to sleep. I say tried, because I was very sore. Every time I moved I woke up. It was one of the worst nights of sleep ever! The next morning, it was really painful to do anything. However, I was in San Francisco and couldn't waste a day. I got up and going. I walked a lot, probably miles and miles. We flew to SLC that night and I drove home.

For the next 2 days I barely left my house. Mostly because going down my front steps was unbearable. Going down steps was the hardest thing for me for about a week.

About a week and half after my run I went swimming. I don't really swim. I did 10 laps (5 down and back) at the gym. It probably only equaled a half a lap on a track! I did half of it on my back. Like I said I don't swim.

The reason I bring this up is because the next day my knee hurt, a lot like it does when I go running. I guess I really should stick to my month off. I really just want my knee to stop hurting. 2 weeks after my race, besides my knee, everything seems to be great. I think some muscles & tendons are still sore since getting up and down sometimes pulls something.

All in all, I'm so glad I had this grand adventure and Yes, I would probably run another marathon, if for the right reason!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

John "the Penguin" Bingham

John writes a column for Runner World Magazine. He was one of the speakers at our Pasta Party.

I just thought I'd share some of his insights on runners:

*During a marathon you should never make any life changing decisions!
*During a marathon you WILL experience "Brain Melt."
*During a marathon you will come to the "Bite Me Zone." (This happened to me when I wanted to kick that guy for eating his hamburger and fries in front of me!)
*All long distance runners lie about their time. They tell you what the time would of been if everything had gone right!
*Warning to family and friends - marathoners wake up, on the morning of the race, with the emotional security of a 2 year old.

John's guidelines for telling your race time:

Under 3 hours just tell the actual time.
3-4 hours - round to the nearest 10 minutes.
4-5 hours - round to the nearest 15 minutes.
5+ hours - round to the nearest hour. This is where all the fun people are!

Recovery

I'm told that you will need 1 day per mile you race to recover from all the pain, stretching, tearing, etc. that you've done to your body.

I will definitely take 26.2 days off, in fact, I think I'll just round it up to a nice even month off!

{4:58:58}

This was an amazing race. It was crazy and it was hard as can be! I am happy to report that I made my goal!

I really thought I'd be able to do it in 4:48, but I was only 10 minutes off so that was ok.

Here's a Message from Nike:
… Even with a new course for 2008 and a few additional hills, you rocked it out there! … In total, over 20,000 runners toed the start line and included participants from all 50 states, 25 countries, 5,000 Team in Training runners, 1,089 brave (and brilliant) men and 400 5-time or “legacy” runners. … You and thousands of others ran not only conquered the Nike Women’s Marathon, but also helped raise over $18 million to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!


This course is one that they say you will not get a PR time. It's hard. It's hilly. But I did it!

Start time was 7:a.m. We were there when it was still dark out. We were 2 blocks away from the start line. It took us 13 minutes to finally get to the start. It was starting to get lighter by the time we started, but it was still a little foggy.

We had chips on our shoes so that we could have an accurate time for us. So the clock time said it was 13 minutes by the time we got to the start.

The weather was a bit chilly. 2 days before it was really warm low 80's. The day before we went for a quick 20 minute run and it was windy and cold, but then warmed up to high 70's. Race day it was overcast and cool. This was actually good for me. I over heat if it's too warm out.

For 2 miles we were sardines. It was hard getting around people. You had to be careful not to trip over dropped clothing. One lady fell right in front of us. It was a little nerve racking. We were averaging almost a 13 minute mile for the first 2 miles.

We had a few hills around mile 4 and then we just kept going up and down! There was a really long hill in the Presidio area that was lined with all the different team posters. They were so great to see. They had inspiring messages and portraits of those they were honoring. I ran by our team poster and smiled!

All along the coarse there were choirs, bands, djs, cheerleaders, bagpipes, etc. It was great. Even though I had my ipod, it was nice to run by those spots, and there were many.

I had my name on my shirt. I can't even tell you how happy I was that I did that. It was so uplifting, encouraging, and motivating to have someone look you in the eye, call you by name, and talk to you.

We ran 5 miles in Golden Gate Park. I think our course map said it was suppose to be less, but by that point I couldn't really remember what that map had said! My son, Keyan, ran all 5 miles with me. I had my one bathroom stop in the park. Thankfully there was no wait at all. They were well prepared! There were so many porta-potties!

Once I left the park I had a few miles down the Great Highway and then we went downhill to Lake Merced. We went around Lake Merced (which seemed to be a really long slow incline). Next, it was back uphill to the highway, then back to the park for the finish.

I had started the race with my hydration belt. At mile 16 I left it with my family. Nearly every aid station past that point I stopped and took 1 glass of Gatorade and 1 glass of water. I also did what they told us not to do and that was eat something while racing that you haven't eaten before while running, but I was so HUNGRY! Some lady gave me some licorice. I had a Ghirardelli chocolate, and a Luna bar. I was lucky. I seemed to fair OK eating those. I think there was no thinking straight at that point!!!

My coach was there at 1.5 miles left to go. I looked at my watch and asked, "can I make it to the finish in 10 minutes?" He kind of cringed. I said, "can I do it in 12 minutes?" He said, "12 minutes, yes, you can do it in 12 minutes."

He ran me in until I had .2 left to go. I wanted to pick it up a little, because I wasn't sure the exact seconds that I needed to be in by to make it before 5 hours. But I was spent. I wasn't able to pick it up at all, so I just kept going one foot in front of the other until I hit that red (pink) carpet!

Friday, October 17, 2008

My Goal

All along my goal is to run a marathon in under 5 hours (sorry, no Boston Marathon for me). 11 minute miles comes out to be about 4 hours and 48 minutes. I'm sure I can do that. You also have to take into account at least 2 bathroom breaks, and from what I've read about last years race, the bathroom wait time was 10 minutes. So I figure that 4 hours 48 minutes is a good time to go for and anything faster is just icing on the cake! :)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Countdown to Race Day!

I fly out to San Francisco in a few hours.

The only workout I will have between now and the race is a 20 minute team run in San Fran.

I'm worried about the bathroom breaks. Some people have said that last year they had to wait 10 minutes in line. I'm worried if I stop for 10 minutes I won't be able to get moving again.

I'm also worried about the last 10k, since I haven't run that yet. At this point I guess there is nothing I can do about it and I know I can walk a 10k. I'll crawl in if I have too!!!

26.2 miles is a very long way!

Amidst all my worry, I really am excited and know that this is probably the biggest thing I've accomplished since my kids were born.

Taper down for race day!

Since my 20 mile run I've been a slacker at posting what I've been running! 20 miles was momentous for me!

In the last 2 weeks for Saturdays we ran 10 miles and then 7 miles.
I did just over 2 miles on an crossramp machine at the gym. I also had a 4 mile run in their somewhere. That's pretty much it. Take it really easy they say, and so I did!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Day 110

20 miles in 3 hours 45 minutes

Yahoo! Before I started this adventure I never would of thought I could run 20 miles. It wasn't easy, but I felt better after this run than I have some of the previous shorter runs.

I had 2 bathroom breaks, stops at the aid stations and a brief walk (on my way to the bathroom). I probably would have walked a bit at the end, but my coach found me with about 2 miles to go and ran with me the rest of the way in.

I had one good fall coming down a concrete incline. I fell and rolled. I blooded my knee, scraped up my leg and arm, and bruised both palms and my shoulder. That was exciting!!! I'm not really sure what happened. It was around mile 12. I guess I was just getting worn out and dragged my feet.

The other thing I've had a problem with in the past is getting too warm. I thought I was going to have heat exhaustion. I was burning up and wanting to puke. However, I went into the restroom and doused myself with lots of cold water and that seemed to help for a moment, although I never really got over the nausea. Apparently we are having some uncommonly warm weather at this point.

My coach said that they have these really lightweight hats (Sweat Heads, I think was the name of them) that are suppose to wick sweat away from your head, that in turn keeps you cool. I might have to look into those.

Days 105 - 109

Track workout:
warm up
6 sets of 800m with a 90 second rest in between
cool down

Like all track workouts I just wanted to be done. The times were all pretty consistent so that's good. I wished I like the track workouts more. Oh well!

2 days before the 20 miler I was suppose to run 4 miles at an easy pace. Chris and I raced through 2 miles and said that's enough. Seriously, I think I ran my fastest 1 mile since I was in high school.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Days 97 - 104

Day 99 - Track Workout

I do not like mile repeats. For some reason running 4-5 miles on the road seems relatively easy at this point, but running 16-20 laps around the track seems like a pain. Every mile we switched off to run the opposite way around the track. My miles were all around 9 minutes.

This week I got sick. I think I probably stressed myself out over youth conference and there was also the huge weather change. I always get sick when the weather does that. Oh well! On the bright side my shins are recovering really well, which wouldn't of happened otherwise and my knee is also starting to feel a little better. I haven't figured out where to stretch to help those tendons around my knee to feel better. I guess this is where that "learning to run through the pain" part comes in!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Days 91-96

This week I tried to take it easy. Sometimes I feel like I'm being a wimp, but unless you've had major shin splints, you would not think I was being so wimpy! I'm happy to report that the rest has paid off.

I ran 4 miles on day 94. The weather was cold. I'm not used to running in the cold air. It was a nice run, nothing major.

Day 96
workout: 18 miles
For one, this is insane!!! I can't believe I am able to do this. I've been a couch potato for so long that I wasn't sure this was really going to be possible. I knew I could walk it, but running is a whole different story. I am pleased to report that I ran nearly the whole thing, have to stop at aid stations (water & food set up along our route) and red street lights.

how I felt: This is where the shin splint recover has come into play. They didn't hurt that bad at all. I paid more attention to how my foot hits the ground and it has made a big difference. Don't let your heel hit first. I did get a couple of blisters on my toes and my knee is still giving me some trouble, but overall this has been the best long run since I ran 8 miles for the first time. I was even able to walk up my front steps without dying. OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but my kids would tell you that was what was happening.

I only have 1 more long run that climbs in mileage. In 2 weeks I will run 20 miles. After that we start tapering back. I guess they think if you can run 20 miles, then you can also run 26.2.

Monday, September 8, 2008

The Stick

Having shin splints will make you want to try just about anything to make them feel better. Last week I got one of these - The Stick. I was told that there are only 3 gimmicky type things that help with shin splints and this is one of them. They said that the local University's athletic departments get them also. I really like it. You rub it on your muscles (not on your bones, like your shin). It helps to get circulation going and to rub out some of those rock hard muscles. I would highly recommend one to any athletic person.

Day 89 & 90

Day 89

Workout - 10 miles
Chris and I went really late after meetings and work. From our house to the MTC is 5 miles. So we went there and back. I twisted my ankle once and nearly face planted it. I tried to work on my running form. By the end I was completely running on empty.

Day 90 - rest day
For once, in many weeks, I woke up and I wasn't in a ton of pain. I felt better than I have in a long time. I don't know what it is. For a couple of weeks now I've hit a mental slump. It's been hard to even want to run, granted I think that had something to do with the pain that I've been in. But I think that I'm coming out of it. I don't think I've ever worked so hard for anything. It's been physically and emotionally difficult. But it's getting closer and I'm hanging in there. It's getting more exciting the closer it gets. Now if I could just raise the rest of the money then I might be doing a bit better also!

Days 86, 87, 88

Day 86 - rest day

Day 87 -
Workout was suppose to be 4 miles, but my workout ended up being 10 minutes straight up a hill. Chris & I had a nice chat with Hawk and he gave me some excellent advise about how to change my running form to prevent shin splints in the future and told me to run straight up hills to get rid of the shin splints that I have. He said that running up to the Y wasn't steep enough. It needs to be the steepest hill I could find. I run up a hill in North Orem. I was foolish and went at the hottest part of the day. Oh well! It was a great workout, even if it was only 10 minutes.

Day 88 - rest day

Day 85

Day 85
Track Workout:
4 laps warm up
7x800's at 10k pace
90 second rest between each 800m
2 lap cool down

My legs were still really sore from Saturdays run. So by the 3rd 800 I was dying. I wanted to quit. Then I thought I need to at least do 4 800's so that I'll of done half of them. At the end of the 4th I thought, ok I can do one more. By the time I finished the 7th I could hardly believe it. My legs (shins and right knee) really hurt, but I did it!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Days 83 & 84

After running 16 miles, I jumped right into the car and tried to make it to Keyan's race. BIG MISTAKE. I missed his race. He called, as I was about to get off I-15 to head over to AF High School, to say he had finished. If only I had run a little faster - GRRR... I did, however, run the 16 miles in under 3 hours, which made me happy. The worse part about all of this is getting into my car right afterwards and driving from SLC to Provo (since I didn't stop for Keyan's race). I am still paying for it 3 days later. My shins hurt bad. Going down stairs is the worst! Also after running my lower back hurt. I know, I need to be doing sit-ups. I don't like doing sit-ups. I wished I had one of those machines that's supposed to make doing them easier. They probably don't work though.

Day 83 - rest day

Day 84 - rest day

Day 85 - I ran around the park cheering Keyan on at his race. My kids would not say that I ran, more like tried walking fast, but moved like a person who'd been beat up! I think I may have warmed up my legs enough to get through tonight's track workout, but it's a killer so I'll have to wait and see if I make it.

Day 83

16 MILES

That's all I have to say about that!!!

Days 77- 82

Day 77 - rest day

Day 78 - rest day

Day 79 - track day

Workout:
4 lap warm up
3 sets of:
1200 meter (10k pace)
1 minute rest400 meter (5k pace)
3 minute rest
2 lap cool down

Chris had me run this at a faster than I normally would pace. I didn't like it very much at first, but after it was all over I didn't feel any worse off than when I run it slower and I get done a little faster!

Day 80 - rest day

Day 81 - cross-train
I went swimming for this.

Day 82 - rest day
I seem to have a lot of rest days! I don't think my body is made for running this much!!! However, I am hanging in there and I will finish this marathon. I just wished that it would get here already. I'm not a very patient person!

Day 76

workout: 10 miles

Since we had the yard sale this morning, I had to run around my neighborhood. Of course I had to make Chris come with me!

Yard Sale

We've been doing so much to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We had a yard sale in a parking lot off 7800 S. in West Jordan (I think). We each made a couple of hundred dollars. Every little bit helps!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Days 69-75

Day 69 - rest day

Day 70 - 4 miles
How I felt: Grrrrr....! Apparently I'm not a very smart runner. I had shin splints really bad in the beginning and I did everything I could to make them better and they did get better. But then I stopped doing all those things that made them better and now I have them worse then before. No, not very smart at all :(

Day 71-75 - I've been on a little break. I just needed to strengthen the muscles and tendons around my shin, mostly my left leg. My right knee has also been giving me some trouble. I'm not too worried since tomorrow run is only 10 miles. I can handle that!!!

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Day 68

14 miles
Today I ran farther in one setting than I have ever ran in my entire life - ever! At least I know that I can for sure run a half marathon.
HOORAY!!!

Days 63-67

Day 63 - rest day

Day 64 - 4 miles

Day 65 - track workout
4 lap warm up
3 sets of:
1200 meter (10k pace)
1 minute rest
400 meter (5k pace)
3 minute rest
These track workouts kill me everytime!

Day 66 - cross-train

Day 67 - rest day

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Week 9

Day 56 - rest day

Day 57 - rest day

Day 58 - track workout
3 lap warm up
4 sets of 800 meters at 10k pace, immediately followed by 400 meters at half that pace
2 lap cool down

Day 59 - cross train day

Day 60 - rest day

Day 61 - rest day

Day 62 - 8 miles - I ran the whole thing. I did it around my neighborhood so there weren't any water stations to stop at!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Day 55

Day 55
DOUBLE DIGITS - the workout was 12 miles. I can't believe we are to double digits! We ran around Sugarhouse Park and out past the zoo and through the golf course and down the street and back. We started at 6:a.m.

How I felt: I ran the whole darn thing. Yes, we stopped at the aid stations (4 of them), but it was only to get a drink and keep on going. I was shocked that I was able to run all of it, especially after last weeks long run. I'm ok with having to walk portions if I have to. Apparently if I run with someone who has a heart beat monitor than I can maintain a steady pace. I haven't quite figured out the art of pacing myself. So I wouldn't go so far as to say that I felt great, but I was pretty happy that I did it and didn't feel horrible either.

Things I Learned: Break your marathon into 3 parts. The first 10 miles run at a pace that you are comfortable with. After 10 miles adjust your pace. Once you've hit 20 miles all you have left is a 10k, and that's quite do-able! I like this visual, since I ran a 10k race on the 4th of July I know I can do that!

Day 50, 51, 52, 53, 54

Day 50
I was still beat from my weekend so I took a rest day.

Day 51
Track workout:
3 lap warmup
1600 - 10k pace
3 min rest
1600 - 10k pace
3 min rest
1600 - 10k pace
3 min rest
cool down 1 lap

I hate running this many laps on the track so I ran it around my neighborhood. I ran the 1st mile in 9 minutes, the second in 8 minutes, and the last one in 10 minutes. This was a tiring workout!

Day 52
workout: cross-train
Today I wakeboarded

Day 53
workout: 4 mile easy run
how I felt: I was ready to be done after 2 miles, but Chris was with me and we finished it out. It wasn't too horrible!

Day 54
Rest Day before our long run

Friday, August 1, 2008

{Day 47 & 48}

As most of you know, I am running the Nike's Womens Marathon this October in San Francisco. I am running as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. I have committed to raise $4000 to the research and patient services of those with blood cancer. I knew that raising the money would be hard, but not impossible. Although I have to admit it is harder than I had thought it would be. I'm not even a quarter of the way there. Yikes! Last weekend 2 of my teammates and I had a fundraiser outside the American Fork Walmart. I walked so many miles in 2 days that on Sunday I hurt so bad! We raised over $1000 which was great!

Monday, July 28, 2008

Days 46, 47, 48, 49

Day 46
Workout: 4 easy miles. This was a holiday and I didn't run, but I knew I was going to make up for it in the next few days.

Day 47
Workout: rest day
This however was not a rest day for me. We were doing a fundraiser and we walked on treadmills all day. I walked 15 miles today.

Day 48
Workout: 8 miles
How I felt: For some dumb reason our team didn't start running until 8:a.m. Even though we were in Park City (Jeremy Ranch) it was still rather warm. I did the first 4 miles really strong, but coming back I died! It was too hot for me to be running. My body was overheating and I couldn't cool it down. I'm use to running in the evening or the early morning. I also recently had my thyroid medicine changed and I'm still getting use to all of it. Regardless I still finished with an average of 12 minute miles, so I guess it's OK.

Here's the kicker... we drove straight from Park City to our fundraiser. I walked another 10 miles on that darn treadmill! Needless to say I can barely walk now. My thighs are so very sore. Going up and down stairs is going to hurt for days. I'm glad tomorrow is a rest day. So in 3 days of working out this week I put in about 37 miles.

Day 49
REST DAY!

Weight: One of the things our team leaders joked about is how everyone thinks you will lose weight and you don't. I could hardly believe this, but up until this week I have not lost one single pound. I can tell that my body is changing and I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but come on, not one pound. Well that has finally changed, but I think it had everything to do with our fundraiser and walking 25 miles in 2 days. I finally lost 3 pounds!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Lots & Lots of Days!!!

Yikes! I took an unexpected trip to Hawaii (no I'm not complaining :o) and now I'm way behind, so here it goes...

Day 32
Workout: easy 3 miles. Landon ran this with me so I only went 2 miles, because there were an abnormal amount of people out that night and I was a little too nervous to do anymore by myself.

Day 33
Rest Day!

Day 34
Workout: 8 miles
We started at Hillcrest High (the one just east of Sugarhouse Park). Then we ran through the streets up past the Hogle Zoo and back. It was the farthest I've gone so far and I didn't feel like dying when I was done. Chris laughed at my text, I said that I was home and 8 miles wasn't that bad. Never thought I would ever say that!

Day 35
Rest Day!

Day 36
Workout: easy 4 miles
Yahoo! I ran 4 miles with my sister around Diamond Head on Oahu. It was great!

Day 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43
I wasn't planning on not running when I was gone. In fact, I had looked online for runs around Honolulu, but I ended up not running. We ran ourselves ragged everyday, but by no means do I feel like I didn't get a workout those days. I kayaked, hiked, danced, surfed, and walked a good 10 miles everyday so I'm not feeling too bad about not running.

Day 44
Workout: track
3 lap warm up
1200 at 10k pace
1 minute rest
400 at 5k pace
3 minute rest
1200 at 10k pace
1 minute rest
400 at 5k pace
3 minute rest
1200 at 10k pace
1 minute rest
400 at 5k pace
3 minute rest
2 lap cool down

How I felt: This workout was a killer. I know I ran way faster than a 10k or 5k pace. I haven't figured that all out yet, besides you really just want to get it over with as fast as you can. I know my lungs got a good workout. For the cool down we walked the inside of the track on the grass. It was so hot, I needed to walk just to cool my body down.

Day 45
workout: 45 minutes cross training
So we went out on the boat today and spent 6 hours, but I wasn't feeling good at all so I didn't wakeboard or anything. I think I'm just still adjusting to being back home. I guess I needed another break.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Days 29, 30, 31

Day 29
Workout: easy 4 miles
How I felt: This was my first run since the race and it almost felt like starting over. My legs just didn't want to move! My shins were bugging me and my knees also ached. Oh well! It was a nice easy run.

Day 30
I stretched and stretched, but my legs were hurting so I decided to take the coach's advice and take a rest day.

Day 31
workout: cross-train
Today I wakeboarded for my cross-training. It was such a nice day for it. Wakeboarding uses a lot of upper body muscles which is nice since I don't do any weight training.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Days 26, 27, 28

Day 26
I ran the Freedom Run 10k (6.2 miles). I ran the first mile under 9 minutes, but other than that I have no idea what the mile times were. My finish time was 1:03:56. Since this was my first one in over 10, possibly 15 years, I thought it was a pretty good time. I walked through the drink stations (there were 3) and for some reason I miscalculated where we would turn towards the finish, so when I realized I had another block or so to go I ended up walking a bit. The end was all uphill.

How I felt: I think that my injuries are getting better. The shoelace thing, fixed my foot falling asleep and my shins still bother me, but I've been doing a lot of the foot tapping exercises and running on grass which really seems to be helping. They are actually getting better.

What I learned: Eat something before you run. We were up at 5:15 a.m. We had to pick up my brother and sister, drop Sam off at the Stadium, Ally off with our neighbors at the parade route, and everyone else at the 5k start (well we made them walk a ways). I have to take my thyroid medicine and then wait an hour to eat anything, so I thought it would be better not to eat so close to my race, but next time I'll have to plan on eating a little bit.

Day 27
For me this was a rest day, because I was so sore everywhere. I could hardly walk. I also went wakeboarding after the race, so that is part of the reason I'm so sore.

Day 28
Another rest day. I feel a lot better today. A nice walk around the neighborhood will be great.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Foot Falling Asleep while Running

I have always had a problem with this. In general I have poor circulation and I thought this might be the problem. When I got my new shoes we asked them about this and they said that new shoes will help and that I will want to keep my shoelaces loose. They laced up my new shoes and tied them how they should be tied. To me it was hard to get use to having my laces so loose, but I like it now. The problem was that my foot was still falling asleep. I read online that some people have a higher bone in their foot that rubs the top of their shoes. I guess this was my problem. I changed the way I laced up my right shoe, to make sure that the laces do not go across that bone on my foot. The last 2 workouts my foot has not fallen asleep. Yeah! I think I got it figured out.
Picture: My left shoe (shoe on the right), is laced the way the girl at the running store laced them. It might be hard to tell but on my right shoe (shoe on the left), I removed the bottom criss-cross of the laces. This removed the pressure on the bone on the top of my foot.

Days 24 & 25

Day 24
I am running the Freedom Run 10k on Friday morning, so the rest of this weeks schedule is a bit messed up. Today was suppose to be a cross-training day, tomorrow a 3 easy mile run, Friday a rest day, and Saturday 7 miles. This is what I'm doing for the next 2 days instead:

Workout: Today I ran 2 easy miles, it was 11:p.m. and Landon wanted to come so I just did his 2 miles, I didn't feel comfortable going another 2 miles by myself that late at night, there were a lot of men and teenagers out and about.

How I felt: It was a nice easy run.

Day 25
Today is a rest day, since my race is in the morning.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Day 23

Track Workout:
3 lap warm-up
1x1600m @ 10k pace
3 minute rest
1x1600m @ 10k pace
3 minute rest
2 lap cool-down

It was about 10:p.m. and still 85 degrees outside. It was good to have the 3 warm up laps, since I was very stiff. Then the first 2 laps were ok and the last 2 were good on the first mile. Then the first 2 laps were a killer on the 2nd mile. I ran the first mile a minute faster than the second. For the cool-down we walked laps in the grass which really gave our calves a workout! My shins really hurt on the ride home. I iced them when I got back. I can tell I'm going to be sore today!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Day 22

Workout: easy 4 miles
Landon came and ran the first 2 miles with me. We ran about 1/2 mile and stopped and talked with our neighbor for a few minutes. It took us about 25 minutes to run those 2 miles (including the talking time). I ran the last 2 miles by myself.

How I felt: I felt pretty good. At about 2.5 miles my right foot started to fall asleep again. My shins are still giving me trouble, but I think they are slowly getting better. I've been stretching them every time I think about it and icing them after I run. I walked up and down the sidewalk on the street north of my house for a cool-down. I got to watch a firework display from somewhere north of here.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Days 20 & 21

Day 20:
workout: 5 miles

how I felt: So now I know my breaking point, not my breaking down, but breaking into. The first 3 miles were painful. My shin splints, now definitely in both legs, were giving me a lot of trouble, but come the 4th and 5th miles I was doing great. So as long as I can get past the first 3 miles I'm good for awhile! I spent the rest of the day not wanting to walk around at all, the funny thing is that my shins didn't hurt as much as my Achilles tendons did. Hopefully it means that I'm finally running with the correct form and that I'm starting to strengthen the right tendons.

course: I ran with my team up by the State Capital building, up City Creek Canyon. It was beautiful. What a great place. I've never been up there before. We ran this funny U shaped course. From the capital building we ran a mile to the canyon gate, then one mile up the canyon, then back to the gate and then headed the other direction up the hill to the top
(11th or 13th East, I can't remember), then back to the gate and back to the capital.

Day 21: Rest Day

Friday, June 27, 2008

Days 17, 18, 19

Day 17: cross-training
I wakeboarded again for my cross-training.
My body was still sore from the workout the night before. My legs didn't want to do anything. This made wakeboarding not the best, but I still love it!

Day 18: easy 3 miles
I'm trying to work on my running form. I don't have a very good form and it's really hard for me to correct it. Hopefully after some time I'll figure it out. My shin splint is still really bothering me and my right foot fell asleep again. Every possible thing I could do wrong to cramp my leg I seem to do. Now I realized that I scrunch up my toes and push off of them, do not do this. For the cool down we walked circles in the grass at the school.

Day 19:
Today is a rest day. Yippie! I have a softball game tonight and maybe 2 if we win, but other than that it will be a do nothing day.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Day 16

Workout:
Track - Speed
2 laps warmup
1 x 1200 m (10k pace)
1 minute rest
1 x 400 m (5k pace)
3 minute rest
1 x 1200 m (10k pace)
1 minute rest
1 x 400 m (5k pace)
3 minute rest
2 laps cool down

How I felt:
This was my best workout so far. I loved running on the track. It was night and dark (no lights on the track), but I felt a lot safer (I wasn't going to fall off the side of the road or twist my ankle and tumble to the ground), and the track was so much softer than what I've been running on. I got a great workout. My foot didn't fall asleep. I know I didn't run at the right pace, I'm sure it was faster. I just wanted to be done. My calves felt so much better. They started to cramp up during the cool down so I only ran about 3/4 of the track and walked the rest.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Days 14 & 15

Day 14: Hooray for rest days!

Day 15: Today I got new running shoes.

The workout: 3 -4 easy miles

Advice (not mine, just some I've been given):
For shoes - running shoes should be 1 1/2 - 2 sizes too big for your feet (you should be able to have a thumb space between your big toe and the end of the shoe). Shoelaces shouldn't be tight or snug. Your shoes should allow you to run as if you were running bare foot.

For shin splints - This is when your muscle pulls away from the shin bone. Things you should do - stretch, tap your foot up and down to strengthen surrounding muscles, while sitting/laying put your leg up and use your foot to write the alphabet, have someone rub out your calf muscle or use a rolling pin. When running be sure your laces are loose and have proper running shoes. Run on uneven surfaces, the best being grass.

For running - Your shoulders should be back, your arms should be bent at about the end of your bra, your hands should be relaxed with your fingers slightly curled with your thumbs lightly resting on the topside of your pointer finger. When you run your arms should move in a straight line, back and forth, they shouldn't cross in front of you at all. Your elbows should be at your side, not far away from your body. You should imagine that you have an elastic band hooked to your elbows. By doing all this your chest should be forward. Your legs will follow what your arms do. Don't try to move your self forward by stretching your stride in front of you. When you run your legs should come down in a straight line as much as possible.

How I felt: Terrible. My right leg has a shin splint and my left leg is starting to get one. I barely made 3 miles. I got a brace for my shin splint and ran with it. I thought it wasn't doing anything, but awhile after the run my muscle wasn't as hard as it was before. I also ran on grass for some of it, but I hated it because it was night and I couldn't really see all that well and it takes twice as long for me to run on the grass. I didn't like running with my shoe laces loose. That will take some getting use to. I was also hoping that my right foot wouldn't fall asleep with my laces loose and new shoes, but with about a half mile to go it did, worse than it has before. After the run we walked a few laps barefoot in the grass at the school by our house.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Days 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

Day 9: Today was a 30 run with a speed element. It's one where you run easy working into a faster pace and then running race pace for 5 minutes then easy running again to finish. My first mile was a killer, but I was able to pick it up after that.

Day 10: Today was a cross-training day. We went wakeboarding. I didn't board for very long, 10 minutes maybe, but that was enough for my first time out this season, and I paid for it for 2 days after. My back, shoulders, etc. were so very sore.

Day 11: Today was an easy 3 miles. I think easy meant really slow for me. It took 33 minutes. I was sore and my right leg is getting a shin splint. Apparently I need to stretch way more than I do. My lower back is still killing me, this was even before wakeboarding. Chris says I need to strenghten my core. I guess I should start doing some sit-ups. We'll see about it.

Day 12: Today is a rest day. However, I did play softball. I sweated for an hour, does that count as resting? It was really hot at 6:p.m.

Day 13: 2 weeks down!!! Today we started at Gardner's Village and ran 2 miles out along the trail and then back again. Everyone I run with has been running. I'm the only one who started from nothing. I'm waiting for the time when I can run and not feel like it's a huge struggle. Chris asked if this was how it was for me when I ran in high school, but I'm sure it wasn't. I wouldn't of ran if it had been! So my calves are really sore and my lungs are still worn out from a few nights ago. I don't know why I can't remember to double knot my shoelaces. Heading out I had to stop and tie one of my laces, but I caught back up to everyone just fine. We stopped at the aid station 2.5 miles into our run. They encourage us to stop and get a drink and get use to doing it, because we will definitely need to do it in our race. Of course I drank too much. I got a mild side ache soon after we started running again. On the way back I had to stop and tie my other shoelace, but instead of bending my knees I just bent down and tied it and stood back up. I was really light headed so I just trotted on in. It will get better, I just know it!!!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Day 8

Today's workout was an easy 30 min. run. After playing on the lake, Chris & I ran for 30 min. Then for a cool down we walked around the school block.

How I felt: When I started my legs felt like lead. It was so hard to get them to even move. Around 20 minutes I felt OK. My calves were hurting, but at least I could move them! Right before we were done I started to get a cramp in the arch of my right foot. Once we started our cool down I was able to smooth it out. However, during the night my legs were so stiff and my arch cramped again. It was a horrible night sleep!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Day 6

Today was our first team practice. We met bright and early at Sugar House Park. We did a 3 mile run. I did the whole thing without walking. I know I'll stop writing that, but it surprises me that I can do it on my first week.

Apparently I need to work on my breathing. For years I have been shallow breathing, because the tumor in my thyroid would clog up my throat if I breathed deep for too long. So it's nice to be able to really breathe again, I just need to learn to do it right. Our coach says, that there is really no right or wrong way, when I asked about breathing through your mouth vs. your nose. Just breathe. If you have a side cramp it means that you have stale air in the bottom of your lungs and you should take several deep breaths to blow it out.

I felt pretty good, until I hit PG/Lindon, then my legs cramped. I knew the drive home was going to kill me!!!

DAY 7 - Tomorrow is a rest day - Yippie!!!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Day 5

Tomorrow is a rest day, so I don't have to do anything, but I do have a softball game that night.

I ended up working at the cannery for 2 1/2 hours, which was a nice arm workout and also the previously mentioned softball game. So much for a rest day!

Day 4

Workout: Today was an easy 2 mile run. I did it just under 20 minutes again. I walked a mile for a cool down.

How I felt: My lungs are doing so much better. I guess it's not really my calves that hurt, but the tendons (or whatever it is) and is below my calves and above my ankles. They are so tight when I run. I'm sure I'll figure it out at some point. My lower back still aches, but it doesn't bother me when I run.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Day 3

Today I was suppose to cross train. I didn't really know what to do. Chris and I went to the gym to swim laps. I only did it for about 15 minutes. Oh well!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Day 2

I knew this would happen - I woke up really sore this morning. Oh well! After I dropped Sammy off at 6:30 a.m. I started today's workout along the river and then going north along the lake.

Workout: easy 30 minutes - I only had to stop because there was a big dog (the dog had a collar, but there was no person to be seen anywhere) on the trail that I scared and thought might bite me if I ran passed it (why can't people follow the leash law?)

How I felt: My lower back was really sore, so were my thighs and my behind! That was before I even started, during my run I was fine, just my calves started to get sore and my right foot arch cramped a little.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Why Team in Training?

I receive emails from active.com all the time. I don't know why, I guess a part of me wishes I was more active. I received one about the Nike Women's Marathon. After I looked into it I thought if I ever wanted to do a marathon this is the one to do. It's at sea level (huge bonus for me) and it's catered towards women (chocolates along the way, a Tiffany necklace for your finishing medal, etc.).

Now, the only way to get into this race is through Team in Training. I went to a couple of meetings and decided this is something I want to do. I'm quite excited to have a team to support me. I don't know that I would be motivated enough to do it on my own. I have a coach that gives me a training schedule tailored to this event. There are clinics to learn more about equipment (yes, you need equipment to run!), sports injury, nutrition, etc. We also have team workouts on Saturdays.

There's nothing like jumping in feet first!

Team in Training

I'm excited to be working with Team in Training. I'm not big on supporting lots of charities, our church does amazing things for causes worldwide that it makes it easy to just contribute to them.
However, here I am trying to raise money for this great cause. Money raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in the past has funded research that produced a drug that is helping people with blood cancer to live a longer life. This is a drug and research that pharmaceutical companies didn't even want to bother with. So I'm happy to help them continue in their quest to find a cure.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training® is the world's largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk marathons and half marathons or participate in triathlons and century (100-mile) bike rides. Since 1988, more than 360,000 volunteer participants have helped raise more than $850 million. This marks 20 years since the beginning of Team In Training (TNT).

If you'd like to join me, please do so, or if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Go Team!!!

Day 1

Today was the first day of training.

Workout: 2 easy miles

Shockingly, I ran 2 whole miles without stopping, not once! It took me nearly 20 minutes, but hey I did it. I walked a mile for a cool down afterwards.

How do I feel: My calves are tight and my lungs aren't happy, but other than that I think I'm good (I'll let you know tomorrow how I really feel!).

Weight: They say that you shouldn't expect to lose much weight when you run because muscle weighs more than fat. We shall see how that goes - no, I'm not going to say how much I weigh, but occasionally I can give you a plus or minus on pounds!

It's Official...

... I've completely lost my mind. I've decided to run a marathon this year. I have joined up with Team in Training. I will be running the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco this October.

I use to run in high school, but haven't done much of anything since then. My only exercise the last few years has been playing coed softball, coaching youth soccer teams, and running around the race course to cheer for Keyan. That doesn't sum up to much of an exercise program, but I can't claim to be a glorified couch potato either!!!

So here I go - embarking on a new adventure! Hoping to have some fun along the way.
Wish me luck!!!