Bringing you up to speed.

Here are a few old posts from my running blog... just to catch you up. Coming soon... the report on yesterday's twenty.


WORK-outs | ------------------------------------------

In an effort to conserve space and time... I think I will only post splits for one or two runs this week and overall time for the others. I hate when I get this behind on my blog. I guess I need to face the fact that I do one update a week. Such a blog slacker.

Friday (9.7.07). Rest day... Drove up north.

Saturday (9.8.07). 14 mile run. 45°/81% humidity = damp and cold. 6:45 AM. Ran with my dad (on his bike) around Shagawa Lake... favorite route to run set against a backdrop of rugged rock ridges, thick woods, rushing creeks, and a perfect sparkling lake. During my run I saw two loons, one blue heron and two deer. My dad dropped me off at one end of the road that goes around the lake and I took off into the chilly morning air.
My legs were sore and tight... I ran and stretched on and off for two miles before my dad caught me on his bike (after getting himself a cup of coffee ) I was actually in allot of pain at this point and my legs felt "locked"... they would simply not loosen up or relax. I kept thinking that if I run another half mile, they'd relax and I could run comfortably. I kept running... stretched... I'd walk for twenty feet and run more. After three miles, my legs were still hurting me bad. And then the hills started. I am really comfortable with these hills and I love running them... usually I am warmed up and ready to rock. But this time, each hill hurt and my legs just felt dead.
My dad (who is the one who is always pushing me ... "run a little farther", "come on, tackle this hill", "why are you slowing down? come on!") was asking me if he should go get the car. There was a battle going on in my head as I wondered if I should cut the run short... part of me said that I was going into my peak week of training and I needed to start with fresh legs. I reminded myself that no one run will make or break a marathon.. it's the buildup of miles over time. I recalled all the runs I'd done, and couldn't remember my last skipped run. And yet... another side was telling me this I had to finish this run... I could not... would not quit. So I kept running. By 4 miles, my legs still felt sore and tight, and when my dad asked if he should go get the car... I said "Go get it and I'll run until you get here." I figured if I could make it to 6 miles, I'd take that and be okay with it. So he left and I kept running.
5 miles came and went and I kept running. And then 6 miles came and went and I kept running. Nearing 7 miles, something clicked.
Somewhere inside of me, I started to believe I could. I started. To BELIEVE. I COULD.
My legs relaxed, my pace picked up a notch, and soon I was running comfortably. My dad caught up to me at 7.3 miles and couldn't believe I'd gone that far. I told him to meet me at 8 and I would see how I was doing. He went up ahead and parked at 8 and biked back. And I kept running. At 8, I told him to meet me at 10. And I kept on going... getting more and more into my groove. At 10, he told me, "I'll see you in town." And took off. Miles 10 - 13 are run along the highway and can be really boring and monotonous. But somehow, they weren't. They clicked by as I repeated a few mantras to myself over and over (more on this in a second). My dad caught up to me on his bike at about mile 12 and rode into town with me. As we crested the hill onto the main street, he mentioned that he had parked the car at the other end of the town... great... that meant running up the very busy and very hilly main thoroughfare. The "do you want me to get the car for you?" dad was gone... this time it was... "come on... run up this hill! all the way to the other end of town! pick it up!". Ha. He does know when to push me and when not to. So I ran up that hill and down the main street and I finished stronger and faster and confident that I had absolutely NAILED this run.
Granted, I struggled really bad for 6+ miles... but I kept on pushing and I dug deep and I finally found my comfort zone and clicked into it. And then I just ran... In the car on the way back home, I was talking to my dad about what made me keep running, and I told him it was 5 things.
1) Prayer... I just kept saying "God give my strength. Give me endurance. Make me stronger."
2) At some point, "I started to believe I could." And I did.
3) I told myself over and over again that I am "mentally strong, and physically able". My mind is tough, my body is capable. No reason not to be able to complete this run.
4) Each half mile... each mile... I told myself "It ain't nothin'". And it wasn't...
5) I recounted to myself the original "Quitting is not an option" story... remembering that race, when my dad came into the checkpoint with 6 sore, tired dogs and 60 miles left in the race. And I asked him what he was going to do. And he said "I don't know." And I looked at him and said, "Well, quitting is not an option." He finished that race. And I finished my run.
—14m/2:37:44 (very slow, I know).

Sunday (9.9.07). Went hiking for about an hour up to a big bluff overlooking miles and miles of woods and lakes. It was therapy.

Monday (9.10.07). Rest day.

Tuesday (9.11.07). 5m. 7AM. 54°/65% humidity = perfect running temps. Normal mid-week run. I was slow though... still feeling a bit sluggish after my weekend run. Also, they corn has been cut in the fields... I felt like I was running through a much different landscape. There was a distinct "fall is here" realization that hit me. The canadian geese were feeding in the fields and put up quite a squawk when I can running through. Another thing that happened on this run... There was a woman running with two loose dogs. She was about a quarter mile away when one of the dogs came charging at me. As it neared it started growling and barking, and I noticed that it was a pit-bull. Oh great. I kept running and talking to it and it just kept on barking at me and running around my legs. Stupid dog. I am not afraid of dogs at all... but when a pit bull is loose and growling at you, it's a little nerve racking.
—5m/1:03:31

Wednesday (9.12.07). 10m. 7 AM. 42°/80% humidity = another chilly morning... perfect after I warmed up. This is my last long mid-week run, and I decided to go into work an hour later so that I could start at 7 and have time to run without feeling rushed. It was a really nice morning, if not a bit on the chilly side (was it really last week that I was complaining of 90° temps?). My legs felt okay. They were a touch on the sore side, and it definitely took way too long for them to warm up, but I was confident that they would. After about 5 miles, I was in the groove and making my way around the lake at our local park. I definitely ran a negative split on this run... and finished feeling good.
—10m/1:51:29

Thursday (9.13.07). On Wednesday night I went and bought my race shoes. They are really, really nice... same shoes I am running in now (Nike Air Equalon), but first of all they are not covered in dirt and secondly, they are in a new color! Yup... very nice. White and blue and black. So, I was pretty excited to run in these babies. I didn't want to run in the AM, because I knew that it was going to be a really nice night out. In the middle of the day, I started to feel really iffy... just dizzy and nauseous and headachey. I went home at 3 and slept until almost 6. Then I forced myself to put on my running gear and get out that door.
5m. 58°/49% humidity = perfect... sunny and cool and crisp. I started out this run and just said, "I need a good run today." Within half mile, I knew it was going to be one of those runs. My legs felt great, and my feet felt like they had wings. Must have been the new shoes. It was a perfect night and a near perfect run. After 3 miles, I kicked up the pace, feeling strong and smooth. After 4, I clicked into a gear that I didn't know I even had. Finally. After two weeks of crappy running. This was the boost of confidence I needed going into my 20 this weekend.
—5m/48:45
10:30
10:11
10:11
9:22
8:28 <----Yeah... that's right!

Friday (9.14.07). Rest day! I am planning on going through my routine tonight, including eating exactly what I'll be eating before race day. Then I'll lay out my clothes, double check the route, and go to bed early so that I can hit the road ready for TWENTY MILES in the morning!