Wife Mother Runner Blog - Wife Mother Runner

My first run at Disney

May 9, 2012

Today I went for an easy run while on vacation. We are staying at Bay Lake Tower. So i ran from the hotel towards magic kingdom and then around the contemporary. It was hot out but it was great to be on vacation and still get in some time to run alone. the monorail went by overhead and the steam train puffed by as I was running back towards the contemporary.

I had a beautiful view around the garden rooms at the contemporary. This was around 8:30 in the morning. I would love to get out earlier some time and run longer. I ran for 30 minutes and got in 3 miles.

2:29:07

May 1, 2012

That is my official finish time of my first half marathon. I couldn’t ask for a more perfect day. I was very relaxed the night before and actaully slept very well. I was surprised at how calm I was. Even for just my long runs at home, I feel anxious the night before. I guess mentally I knew this was just another long run for me and I was prepared.

I woke up before my alarm (which I set but accidently didn’t turn on). I was awake at 5, I really had to use the bathroom. Not to get into much detail, but that was a concern of mine. I wanted to be sure my system was ready before I went to the race. Well my system was a little ahead of schedule. I laid in bed for a little bit after and thought about the clothes I already had laid out. I was going to wear my long sleeve shirt and a fleece vest, but decided to wear a short sleeve shirt and my throw away sweatshirt instead because the sun was out. I got out of bed just before 6. I quietly went to the kitchen, made my tea and went to take my shower. The house was quiet, everyone was sleeping and I was feeling very calm. I took my shower and got ready. My son woke up and found me in the kitchen and we had a few minutes together before my husband and Adrienne came out. I put on my clothes, pinned on my number and went out the door. I was on the road by 7:15 which was my goal. I arrived at the Cheshire High School 20 minutes later, way ahead of schedule. I parked my car and took a walk over to the race location. On the way there I followed two girls on a hunt for a bathroom. After finally finding one I started towards the finish line. I stood for the national anthem right under the flag and then walked to the starting line to see what the timing method was going to be. When I just saw a painted line on the road, I stayed off to the side on a grassy hill to wait for the crowd. While I was up there I spotted Dr. Pat so I met up with him and chatted for a few minutes and told him I wanted to run along the side so I wouldn’t get trampled. After a few minutes the race was on. He ran with me for about 20 yards and took off.

The first part of the race went through a neighborhood and up a bit of a hill, then around mile 3 we entered the canal. That was a wonderful section to run through. It was very flat and shaded. Miles 3 – 7 were on the trail and then we headed to the back roads of Hamden. They were a little hilly, but not too bad. But enough where on the second half of the half marathon they were harder. I had a gu pack around mile 6 and then needed another between miles 10 and 11. My ipod wasn’t properly calibrated so I was starting to struggle because the countdown was saying i had 3 miles left and I hadn’t seen the 10 mile marker yet. I was texting Kevin status updates at every mile to give him an estimate of when I would get there. In the beginning of the race I was pacing the mile markers approximately every 10 minutes. Then I was going through the calculations in my head to guess what my finishing time would be. I was miscalculating however cause I was thinking I would have a 2:15 finish time.

I felt good along through miles 3-7. The crowd was thinned out along the canal. So I was running alone. I felt like I was on a normal training run, but in a different neighborhood. I would pass a certain group of people, then my run/walk/run timer would go off and I would rest for a minute. Then I would start running again and pass them. This went on for most of the canal portion of the race. When I first started the race I felt silly for stopping to run only 4 minutes into it, but I had to stick to my guns and stick with that plan because that is how I trained. If I was foolish and kept running for the first few miles, then I would pay for it at the end of the race.

The day before the race Kevin asked me if I ever thought I’d do a half marathon when I started running. At first I said no. Then a few hours later I had a thought. When I started to casually run on the treadmill all the time I watched the NYC marathon and knew someone who ran it. I always thought that was admirable and always had a little piece of me that wanted to do something huge like that. So in a way, yes I think it is something that I thought I would do; but like many things in life, I think about them, but don’t always do them. When I finished my half marathon, I still had thoughts in my head like it wasn’t enough. Yea, many people don’t do half marathons, but it feels like I need something bigger. Like I won’t feel accomplished until I get that 26.2. So I think it is something I am going to strive for in the next few years. It is a HUGE commitment of time. I have been very fortunate that I had the time to train this past winter and had a fantastic winter to train during.

So now I think what next. There is a 10K in Cheshire on 9/22 that I’d like to run. Cheshire is a nice area to run in so I will do more events there. I may want to do the Hartford Half Marathon, but it does fall on Adrienne’s birthday. I am considering the New Haven Road Race 20K, and would REALLY love to do the Disney Half Marathon next January. I have some things that need to fall into place before I can make that decision, but it is a goal.

This is a video of me crossing the finish line.

4 days to go!

April 25, 2012

I have been tapering this week and it’s been nice but weird. I feel a little lost. I feel anxious about the upcoming race. I watch the weather every morning and night. They were talking about rain on Sunday for at least 3 days and today the forecast changed to a sunny day with temps in the 50s. That is a relief. I sort of had the feeling that it would change to a more sunny forecast; because I just couldn’t believe or accept that my first half marathon would be in a complete downpour. So now I need to set aside some time to THINK. I read an interesting blog today http://drrachelruns.com/2012/04/25/thinking-about-running/. I know that I like to run so I can have time alone and regroup, but I don’t necessarily use that time to think. You may think that people have time to think when they are out running, but in fact it is just the opposite for me. It does give me the time to clear my head, regroup myself and feel better. Then when I am done with the run, the fuzziness is gone and I can think. I like to listen to my podcasts when I run and sometimes I notice lately that a few minutes will go by and I didn’t listen to a word they were talking about because I was getting list in my own running.

This week I have been very conscious about how much water I am drinking and making sure I am eating well. Getting some additional carbs in from time to time and I did a 3.1 mile run on Tuesday. I plan on doing another run either Thursday or Friday. I have to “think” about it and come up with a plan. I need to work out my pre race jitters as well. I have to pick up my number on Saturday, that will be when the real jitters kick in!

What will be next?

April 22, 2012

As I sit here a week away from my 1st half marathon, I am thinking about what will happen after the race. I know that I plan on running that week as usual and am also looking forward to packing my running clothes for our vacation and running in the cooler evenings in Florida. Once we get home I need to determine what I am going to do with my summer and running. It is very hot to be doing 12-13 mile runs. So should I shoot for some 5 mile races or 10Ks? Will I plan a half marathon for the fall? I have to do so me soul searching after this event to determine where I want to be. I also know that I need a goal in order to push forward.

The taper begins

April 22, 2012

The long run was just that, long. It was a very hot day. I started off with temps near 60. When I was done it was about 85. I was on the road by 8:30 and ran to Cooke road and then towards Anderson road. I had a gu pack around 50 minutes and headed towards my parents’ house where they had water waiting for me. That was refreshing. I grabbed a small bottle and ran with it down route 17 and left it in a mailbox to pick up on my return loop back.

I headed back towads my house up route 17. At mile 8.5 I was starting to fall apart. I was getting very hot and I needed to get my water belt from home but I also didn’t want to run up my hill. I called my husband and asked him to meet me with it at the bottom of my street so I could continue down route 17 for the last 30 minutes of my run. We didn’t meet up and I ended up runninp up my hill TWICE! Turns out that was good training. I continued up my road and finished up in my neighborhood on Anderso Road to Deepwood with a return trip up my hill. I had to eat a little time in the front yard. While out on this run I had moments where my mind goes away from me and I think to myself, I can’t imagine doing this twice to equal a marathon distance. But I never say I will NEVER run a marathon. I just realize the endurance and mental strength and training that will be required to go the 26.2 miles. I believe I can do it

My final distance for a 2 hour 20 minute run was 12.3 miles so I estimate that I will finish my half marathon around 2:25. Following my run I did my cold bath and then we went out to some parks with the kids. It was still hot out and I think that plus the long run really tapped me. I was trying to rehydrate. I had a headache though for most of the afternoon. I suspect that was due to the heat and loss of fluids. I still want to research into that to plan for it in the future on hot days. My quads were sore for 2 days after this run. I think it is due to 3 trips up my hill, but I also wonder if that is part of the dehydration I might have experienced a little of.

Tapering:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7120,s6-238-244–14073-0,00.html
http://www.chirunning.com/community/blog-entry/and-let-the-taper-begin/
http://www.active.com/running/Articles/How_to_Taper_for_Your_Road_Race.htm

For my taper I ran 3 miles on Thursday and my legs didn’t feel too bricky. Then on Saturday I ran 6 miles. I wasn’t planning on doing 6 miles this weekend, I thought I was just going to do 3 and 4 miles for the next two weeks but my chiropractor said 6-8 won’t hurt. I did 6 miles in 1 hour 7 minutes so again I estimate my finish time to be around 2:25. Anything earlier would be a great bonus.

I plan to run 2 more runs between now and the race; a 3-4 mile on Tuesday and then a 3-4 mile on Thursday. Then I hope to get in a walk on Friday and Saturday to collect my thoughts and settle my nerves.

As I am writing this, I am having a lazy morning. My husband made us pancakes and bacon. I usually don’t eat pancakes, but indulged today since it is the week before my race and carbs are ok. I am taking the time to relax as much as I can this week and give my body a little time off.

I have been conscious to eat more protein this week and starting today I will also make sure to have carbs more this week. I also have to be real good about getting hydrated. The weather forecast looks good so far for next Sunday, 60’s and sunny. But this is New England, that can change in an hour.

It does hit me from time to time that I am going to be doing a half marathon in a week. I have run the distance before, but I never participated in an organized event with even the word “marathon” in it! Dr. Pat told me that by next year I’ll be doing a marathon. I don’t doubt that either. If it’s not a Disney marathon, it may be the Hartford Marathon.

2 weeks left! AHHHHHH!!

April 15, 2012

I did another long run last week of 8 miles and a short run. My mileage last week was very low compared to the previous weeks. I am planning on a 2 hour 20 minute run tomorrow morning. It is going to be a very hot day tomorrow. I hope to get out there before the heat becomes an issue. I am also going to have to dress for it. I have been wearing long tights and a vest for the entire winter and even the past few weeks. I think now I have to wise up to the conditions and be ready to feel the heat. It’s not a winter run for sure. I’ll miss that. I am feeling a little anxious about the run but keep remembering something I read that suggests to just say you are going for a run, don’t get hung up over the distance of the run.

Today was a day that I had to listen to my body. I had been extremely busy the past two weeks. Yesterday was a day where I didn’t eat as well and didn’t drink enough water. I paid for it today with a headache and fatigue. Once I had gatorade I started to feel better. I am continuing to have lots of fluid and will have some protein and carbs for dinner with pasta alfredo to help me prepare for tomorrow. I decided to just stay home today with the kids and stay low key to rest up for tomorrow.

Here’s to a successful long run prior to the race and looking forward to the taper and preparation.