Wife Mother Runner @Marine_Marathon Archives

I Have a Decision To Make

September 13, 2016

I have come to a point in my running life where I need to make a difficult decision. This decision is based around the Marine Corps Marathon. I entered the lottery for the marathon this year as a way of tossing my fate out to the universe, and I was chosen. So I accepted the fact that I was chosen and I have been training for it. I am coming to the point in the training where longer runs are required and these runs are intertwining with my family’s busy schedule of Fall softball season and back to school events, along with Fall activities.

If you read my blog you will remember that last year I had a very difficult race for the Marine Corps Marathon. This year, during my training I have been analyzing my stats from last year’s race and mapping out training runs against the elevation map of the existing course map. So I am preparing myself. Also, major changes have been made to the race course this year because of the changes going on with the Metro construction. If there ever is a year to do this race with a lot of leeway, this is the year. BUT, I am just not feeling it in my heart. If I am not feeling it in my heart now, what is going to happen on race day? I already feel like I am setting myself up for failure.

Last year Dimity McDowell, from Another Mother Runner’s spoke at a seminar for Girl’s Night Out during Hartford Marathon weekend. She mentioned that there are sometimes things that happen in our life that get in the way of our training, or can cause a shift in our focus. Changes in work, changes in family, health, etc. I did just start a new job this past summer and my husband has been struggling with pain lately. So there is a lot on my mind.

I finally vocalized my fear of this race to my husband today and told him I am considering deferring my registration this year. He supports my decision either way; but did tell me that sometimes we get burnt out with things we do. And that maybe I would benefit from the time off, or less pressure of getting in the marathon before my third Dopey challenge in January. I believe I will feel a big weight off of my shoulders if I defer this race; but then I will also feel some guilt because of all years to get a “redo” of last year’s race, this is the year to do it.

I have shifted a lot of my efforts and focus this past summer on getting healthier. I am eating better, working out differently and running casually. I wanted to enjoy running and not have it become a chore, which it has now become. When I trained for my first marathon, I enjoyed the training because it was leading me towards something I never did before. As much as I would love to do this race this year; I want to do it when I am strong and looking forward to it. Not as another, get it done for the sake of doing it. Yes, it is a race for redemption to make up for my horrible experience last year; but I want to cross that line having the feeling that I was prepared. Just like I felt after I finished my first marathon.

So I guess I made my decision. Now I have to work on the paperwork. Having said this out loud and writing about it; I can now also focus on getting some better half marathons under my belt as training runs. I have been struggling with those races. They used to be my favorite distance and I would like to also enjoy that distance again.

Marine Corps Marathon 10 Mile Training Run

July 30, 2016

With the Marine Corps Marine marathon just 3 months away, I fell a little bit behind in my training. But I am picking it back up and am getting back on track. After my very difficult Marine Corps Marathon last year, I vowed that if I were to do it again I would be stronger, trimmer and more successful for the next time I run that race. So far I have been successful in getting stronger and fitter. I have been doing the 21 day fix program for 2 months and have lost pounds and inches. I notice especially, the strength in my legs. This has been helpful in tackling hills during my training runs.

I had been nervous about getting back into a double digit run routine again. I haven’t done more than 13.1 miles since the runDisney Star Wars Half Marathon. I wanted to enjoy this training run and take it slow and easy. I am still continuing to use heart rate training as part of my training plan. Ideally I would have liked to be out on the road early to avoid the heat and to get the run done early in the day; but I have also been valuing my seep much more lately. We are enjoying our summer with the kids which means late nights so on the weekends I want to get my extra sleep when I can.

I was out on the road around 11:30 which didn’t bother me. As I set out on my run I planned on going slow with walking in the beginning and end if necessary. I used my 30/30 intervals and they aligned nicely with my heart rate. The temperature outside was the high 80’s with humidity. So I was careful to make sure I chose a route that had a good amount of shade. I took my usual route which included the large hill in it so I could continue to work on my efforts to make it up that hill faster. I also remembered to make sure to fuel appropriately with food during this training run. I was listening to a special from Another Mother Runner about nutrition during and after running. I packed some pretzel fish and a Lara bar to use for my fuel for this run. I took in some pretzels around mile 4 after my large hill. Prior to my running I had oatmeal for breakfast. I was feeling good throughout those first 5 miles and my family met me at mile 5 to replenish my water and cooling towels. I love having their support.

I learned from the Another Mother Runner podcast special episode how to fuel appropriately for the runs. I continued on for my next 5 miles throughout my neighborhood and was feeling pretty strong. I had my Lara bar at the top of a hill under a shady tree with a nice breeze around mile 6 so that I would have enough gas in my tank to help me finish this run.

I continued down a steep downhill and ventured towards a new neighborhood where I could get in a good mile loop there. However, that loop was in full sun. At this part of my run I was feeling the heat. It was about 1:00 p.m. and the sun was strong. I was good about drinking my water and walking when I needed to. After completing one loop I determined that I would need to do another in order to finish with 10 miles under my belt. At the last part of the loop I was feeling really overheated so I took a break in a shady area and poured the last of my water on my head to help cool me down for the last half mile home.

I was very pleased with my run and am a little less nervous for increasing my mileage going forward to prepare for the Marine Corp marathon. Despite having many other races on my calendar like the Dumbo Double Dare, the Hartford Half Marathon and the Dopey Challenge, the race I am most concerned about is the Marine Corps Marathon. After my run I had some watermelon to replenish my fluids and also weighed myself. I lost 1.5 pounds of water during that run despite having had 32 oz. of water during my run. I also made an egg and avocado sandwich for my post run recovery meal and then enjoyed some time resting on our hammock and in the pool with the kids!

40th Marine Corps Marathon

November 12, 2015

Like I said in my previous post about the Marine Corps Expo, this race was special to me. It was special because it is a major marathon and I registered to be a part of the lottery and I was chosen the last week of March in 2015. I was so excited to wake up that morning at 4:00 a.m. and saw the email. I was awake that early because I had to travel to Boston for work. But it was a good way to start the day with this news. All throughout the summer I knew that I had to step up my training to prepare for this race because it falls earlier into the Fall season than the usual races I run during that time of year. Last year I ran the Philadelphia Marathon the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

The Marine Corps Marathon took place on Sunday, October 25. So that meant the long runs needed to take place earlier in the heat of the summer months. And I have to be honest, I wasn’t up to my game with my training this year for MOST of my races. In the Spring I ran the Cheshire Half marathon with intention. I wanted to get a PR or be close to my last PR for that races so I could use it as a proof of time race for the Disney races corral placements. I also ran the Middletown Half Marathon and had a decent time with that race, considering that it was such a hilly and warm race. But after those two races, the wheels sort of fell off the wagon for me.

Well, enough whining about the training or lack thereof, or insufficient training, let’s talk about the race. The night prior to the race the Mickey Milers had a meetup for dinner at Portofino for a pasta dinner which was fun. After that I walked back to the hotel with some friends and we made our plans for when and where to meet up on Sunday morning. I set my alarm for 4 am on Sunday morning so that I could be ready to meet Chris and Caryn downstairs by 5:10. I met up with Chris, Caryn and Meghan and then we walked to the shuttle pick up area, met up with Ian and took a bus to the Start Line area.

When we arrived we had to go through metal detectors. It didn’t take us long to get through because we arrived early . After that, we wandered around the runners village a little, some dropped off their bags at the bag check and then we used the potties (with no lines at all). Then to try to find a warmer place, we went to sit in a tent to get shelter from the wind. It was chilly out. Good running weather; but chilly for standing around. While in the tent it started to rain a little. I was able to flag down my friend Anne and she sat with us in the tent for a little bit. Several of our friends like Brittany and Kimberlee were stuck on the metro. It was very crowded and they were coming from an area much farther away than we did.

The Team Shenanigans Members

Around 7:15 we left the tent to walk to the finish area (porta potty stops again) to gather for our photo with the Mickey Milers. Anne was visiting with some of her friends and Kimberlee and Brittany were stuck in the line for the metal detectors. After the photo I went back to the runners village to reunite with Anne and wait for Kim. We were starting to get nervous for her.

The Mickey Milers Pre-Race picture

Just before the race starts, paratroopers dropped from the sky with American flags. That was really awesome. There was also a flyover with 2 marine Osprey helicopters. That was VERY cool. I wasn’t worried that we weren’t in our corral yet, we still had a little bit of time. The wheelchair athletes were going to take off at 7:55 and then the rest would begin at 8:00, with plans that the final person would cross the start line around 8:30. BUT, the bridge cut off time was 1:15 solid. Despite where you started, you had to be at the bridge by 1:15 or else you could not finish the race. More on that later.

We sent Kim a message to meet us at the corral. Anne and I went to the corral and stood in a place where Kim wouldn’t miss us. She found us and we were relieved that all of us were finally together! It was perfect timing because the 5:30 pace group was right about where we were standing so we continued moving forward with the crowd to the Start. Meanwhile, during all of this, it was raining. We had on our rain ponchos. That was a little bit of a bummer.

The starting line was cool. There were marines there cheering us on and the color guard was in the median. I went and gave all of them a high five. I needed all of the positive encouragement I could get. Off we went into the course. During the first mile there was a little bit of incline. We were heading to the towns on the outskirts of the city. So the race course was not going towards the monuments right away. It was heading to the town of Rosslyn. Much of the first 4 miles were up hill. And one of the hills was similar to heartbreak hill, in my opinion. All during that time it was raining, but we ditched our ponchos in the first mile because they made us warm. So during mile 4 we started to do the math in our head to determine how long we had to make it to the bridge. We did a lot of fuzzy math along the miles to determine what pace we needed to maintain to make it to the bridge.

After that area we approached a section of the race where there was an out and back. I was upset about that. There were a LOT of fast looking people going past us and the crowd coming from the other direction seemed very long. I was whining to the girls that it was bothering me to see all of those people and it seemed like we were never going to reach the turn around point. We had been playing leap frog with “Santa” on the race course. I couldn’t let Santa beat me at the race. I believe this was around mile 5 or 6 on the course. We finally approached the turn around and made our way back towards the water. When we approached the water stop that we had been to earlier, they were tearing down the table and the porta potties were being hauled away. There were also about 6 or more busses driving towards the turn around. I was afraid they were sweeper busses that were going to start following the field all the way to the bridge. Anne and Kim pointed out to me that the busses were filled with marines so they were taking them from their stations back to wherever they needed to be. That made me feel a little better.

After that we ran towards Georgetown. It was a beautiful little town. The main street was lined with quaint stores and eateries. It reminded me of Main Street in Middletown. There were bands playing on the street there for us as well. After running down a good size hill we stopped for a picture together along the river. Then we continued on. I think we were near mile 9. At this point we were supposed to be receiving orange slices but there were NONE left! All you could see were orange peels everwhere and you could smell the sweek smell of oranges. I was really looking forward to having some fresh orange on my tongue. I was again disappointed that I couldn’t have some. Was this now because we were so far back in the pack? Did we start that late??? I didn’t want to look back to see.

After that section we came across a Marine Corps Band playing in front of the Jefferson Memorial. At the time I didn’t know it was the Jefferson Memorial. THe marines were all lined up along the stairs so it was hard to see what was at the top of the stairs. We were running alongside the river. Then we came up to an area that had some commotion going on. I asked Anne what it was and she said it was the part where we will run through the park. But before that we had to run through the Blue mile. That is at mile 12 and it was just ahead.

The Blue Mile is a powerful mile. Photos of fallen soldiers line the street for the entire mile. They are the same photos on both sides. I was looking for my friend Linda’s husband’s photo and found it about half way into the Blue Mile and touched it. I haven’t been affected by the death of a soldier in my own family; but I met Linda at the 2014 marathon and know of her story and know about the extreme heart ache she endures every single day because of the loss of her precious Phil. This is a somber mile of reflection. So many, too many, all of those soldiers are someone’s loved one, a son, daughter, wife, mother, father, son, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend. They died so that we can have the freedom that we experience every day. Do we really appreciate their sacrifice? If you didn’t think you did, you will think about it during that mile. At the end of the mile the family member of those lost loved ones are holoding up American flags and cheering us runners on. I gave them high fives and used their love and encouragement to help power my run. The next time I run this race I want to be a run for blue runner and wear a blue shirt to identify that I am running for them. It’s so sad to imagine that they are out there cheering for us runner while their loved one is no longer with them. I just can’t fathom it.

So off we went past the blue mile and towards the miles at the mall, working our way to the bridge. We passed the half marathon point and I couldn’t believe it was taking me 3 hours to do the half marathon. At this point I was doing the math again, I still had to go 7 miles and it was 11:30 and we had until 1:15 to get those 7 miles done, when our average was 14 minute miles. I didn’t want to admit it but it was looking unlikely. At this point I was walking a lot more. Then my knee did something funky. So the girls told me there was a medical tent not too far up ahead. I planned to stop in there, take 2 Tylenol and have them give me a piece of foam that I would wrap tight around my IT band and thigh to hold it in place to keep it from doing anything funky. That stop couldn’t take long or else I was really in trouble. I was in and out of there in about a minute. We pushed on.

As we entered the Mall area there was a white car that came up along side us. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I had a feeling it was the pace car for the bridge. After a little while of it slowly creeping along side us I finally said to the girls that I think it is the sweeper car that is going to tell us if we don’t make it to the bridge. They didn’t think so because they figured someone would have said something. Well a little futher up, a marine started to yell out to everyone to NOT let that white car pass you or else you will not make it to the bridge. SHIT! It was a pace car. I had to pick things up and push to get through. The car was starting to get ahead a little at a time. There was a grass median between both sides of the Mall are but I didn’t have the good conscience in me to cut through the grass, plus I hadn’t discussed it with the girls. At the water stop the car was behind us. I took my Tylenol at that water stop and then we rounded the corner and made our way up the mall towards the Capitol.

I believe this was around miles 17 and 18.

Sadly, the car was creeping ahead of us. I tried to pick up some running; but we were on mile 18 of the marathon and running wasn’t coming easy for me. I had just taken that Tyelenol and I almost threw up with the water and Tylenol in my stomach. Just in front of the Capitol I told Kimberlee I was going to be sick; but keep going and I, too was going to keep pushing ahead. I walked as fast as I could, I tried to jog a little, I held down my vomit from actually coming out. Then I was at mile 18. Kim and Anne had gone ahead. They knew they had to, we didn’t want to not make it to the bridge. We all had a goal.

When I got to mile 19 the people yelled out you have 12 minutes to make it to the bridge. Keep up that pace you have and you will make it. Well about 6 steps later I almost lost my cookies. I had to stop. The car lights were fading away ahead of me. But I kept a laser focus on them and I did not look behind me. I was NOT going to stop. Even though earlier in the race I was whining that I couldn’t do it; I wanted to finish, I didn’t want to be swept at the bridge. Especially when I was this close! I rounded a corner and people were all yelling to keep pushing and the stop lights that you have to go under to make it to the bridge were just ahead. I was about 2 minutes from the bridge and the car was already parked there near the mile 20 sign. I DID NOT WANT to lose my girls! I could see them about 50 yards ahead of me. I approached the place on the bridge and thought that I made it but wasn’t quite sure. I was waiting for a bus or something to block the entrance and people to be told they were sorry. I didn’t hear that. I just heard people asking, “we are safe if we are on the bridge right?” I still kept my eyes on Anne and Kim but they didn’t turn around. I yelled out a few times but it was too noisy, the couldn’t hear me. I shuffled a little to catch up and yelled out again and they were happy to see I made it! We reunited at the end of the bridge and pushed on for the last 10K of the race.

We were so glad that we all made it and the rest was just going to happen and we were going to enjoy the medal at the end of the race. The last 6.2 miles were pretty uneventful. There were about 200 people left behind us, and a small smattering of spectators on the course. The place on the course where you receive Dunkin Donuts munchkins was being cleaned up by the marines and all you saw were the sad squished munchkins that were on the ground. I think I would have really enjoyed a piece of real food at that moment. I was tired of my pretzels and gummy bears. Even water was unappealing to me. I really wanted a chocolate milk or a Coke! We were im Crystal City and running right past my hotel for miles 23 and boy did I want to just walk off the course and take a shower and have my chocolate milk! With just 3 miles left I could get through this; but it also meant that we would be finishing around 3:00 p.m. My flight home was 6:30 and my hotel said I could keep my room until 4:30 so I could shower before my flight. It was a race against time.

We got to mile 25 and I saw the soldier that was on the Metro with me the day before with his adorable dog! Anne also saw him too and took pictures of his “dog”. I guess she didn’t believe me yesterday when I told her how good looking the marines are! We rounded the corner at the mile 26 mark and had to run up a very steep hill for the last .2 miles. Well there was no gas in this tank to run up any hill so we walked our way all the way to the finish line. It was a precious moment. The marines were there cheering for us and after we crossed the finish there were many marines lined up to hand out the medals. After you receive your medal you can take your picture at the statue of Iow Jima. That was great. I couldn’t be happier.

Soldiers at the Finish Line

Marines handing out the medals

I saw a fellow Mickey Miler Kristie Green at the statue and she said she had a tough race and she trained really hard for it. We all had a lot to say about the race but couldn’t identify where our issues were to cause our training to fail us. I know that I failed in my training. My longest run was a 19 miler a month before and even that long training run had too much walking in it, despite what Jeff Galloway says that it is still the miles under our feet. Yes, that is true; but it also means the quality of our run will only mimic the type of training we did.

I said goodbye to everyone and had to rush to get on the bus back to my hotel. The bus got lost going back so when I arrived it was 4:30 and I had to tell the front desk that I needed just a half hour to shower and get out so they were gracious to grant that for me. I took a stinging shower thanks to the chaffing I encountered from running in the rain at the beginning of the race. I rushed to get ready and was on the metro and at the airport in time to get through security.

While there I saw my friend Danielle Nardi. She actually is the person responsible for getting me into runDisney races, which lead to the Disney marathon, which now leads to non Disney marathons as well! She has run the Marine Corps before and we were trying to hook up at the Hartford Marathon and even prior to this race, with no luck. But thankfully we had the chance to visit for a little bit after security. Then I learned that I had to take a shuttle from where I was to the gates in the next terminal. I had to walk down stairs with my bags to get on that shuttle. That was scary. I just dragged my bag down the stairs real lady like! LOL. After the one minute ride across the tar mac I had to walk UP the stairs with my bags. I let everyone else go in front of me and a wonderful airport employee offered to carry my bag up the stairs. I told him I could have kissed him! I gave him a tip and went on my way to find a seat while I waited for the plane. It was a quick flight home and I couldn’t wait to see my family.

For several days after the race I relived many moments and talked to Anne and Kim about the race. During the race I swore I didn’t want to do it again. I was hating it, I expected to see more tourist attractions and be “in” D.C. more. Kind of like when I went there with my parents when I was 16. But then last week I was reading the brochure they gave us at the race and saw a few races that interested me and also said that if you did one of them, you are guaranteed entry to the MCM marathon the following year.

As I rethink the whole experience I felt like I had to have this race as a reality check for me. To break me down and show myself that I could push myself and build myself back up by actually getting to the bridge by giving it everything I had, and then from that point getting to the finish line. I didn’t want to NOT make it. I didn’t want to be swept or else I would have felt like a failure. But I also felt that I need to respect the marathon distance. It’s no joke. Sure you can half-ass the training; but you will also have a half-ass race experience as well. I didn’t finish strong, I just finished. I don’t want to have that kind of experience with my races. I want to be stronger, more prepared and happy (or less miserable) during the race. The race is supposed to be the celebration from all of the training. That wasn’t what happened for me with this race. Changes will be made for my future.

I had been saying that I didn’t want to do another fall marathon. I wanted to register for NYC to see if I would be chosen for the lottery and the same for Chicago; but was really beginning to feel strongly that maybe next year I should just work towards Dopey. So I have some soul searching to do. Of course after watching the NYC marathon on TV recently doesn’t help! I will definitely be putting my name in the lottery for that race.

So for now, I have to review my training schedule for the Dopey challenge, get my head back in the game and put in some work. Stay tuned!

It’s Not How Fast You Are, It’s How Far You Can Go

September 23, 2015

Now that Autumn is here, race season is getting into full swing and the miles are piling up. Long runs are on the calendar for the next four months. I have a 20 miler on my schedule in preparation for the Marine Corp Marathon. I’d like to get that done prior to the weekend so I can enjoy the Durham Fair and my daughter’s softball game without having it on my mind.

Since the Disney Dumbo Dare Challenge, my IT band has been slightly irritated. I have been taking care of it with hard massage and I have still be able to run. I just wonder how much it will be affected by a very long run. I am going to be careful to not push too fast on this long run. It’s not how fast you run, but getting the miles under your feet. This fact from Jeff Galloway, who also wants you to run slower than your race pace by almost 2 minutes while training for the long distance races. I just hate being out on the road for 5 hours!

I plan on loading up the iPod with all of my favorite podcasts and loading up on some sunscreen and fuel to get the miles done. I was listening the Another Mother Runner podcast and Rod Dixen mentioned, running the races is the easy part. That is so very true. The race is the reward for all of the training that has happened. Fitting training runs into the schedule and putting in the time and enduring the injuries is all the training that has to get done so you can enjoy the races and relish the medal you earn.

The reality is setting in that I am going to the Marine Corp Marathon in a little over a month. I did finally book a room and I am going to purchase a ticket to attend the Pasta Party, where we can listen to speakers like our pal Jeff Gallowaoy! I’m going to go to this event with my friend Kimberlee. It’s best to do something with friends when you can with any race. This race isn’t going to be about getting my best finish time. It’s the ability to actually run in this event and to “Beat The Bridge” and get my Marine Corp Finisher medal. My friends Kimberlee and Anne are also feeling the same about not being prepared for this race so we are going to try to stick together and survive the distance together.

Time for me to do my mental training and prepare myself for my task coming up on Friday and to know that I can do this; it’s just a matter of, once again, wrapping my head around the feat.

Marine Corp Marathon 16 mile Training Run

August 24, 2015

I was supposed to go out for a 17 mile training run today but due to the heat and the humidity I did cut it short by 1 mile. I was hoping to go on this run when I was on vacation; but I was enjoying too much of my vacation time and it was still very hot and humid in New Hampshire with now break in the weather forecast. So I decided that I would save the run for Sunday when I am back at home and am familiar with my roads.

I set my alarm for 7:00 a.m. At first I was thinking 6:30 but decided I wanted a little more sleep. By the time I had my tea and oatmeal, mapped out my route on my Garmin Connect, loaded up my iPod with all of my favorite podcasts, and got all of my gear together it was 8:30 when I was on the road. My intent was to walk at first to adapt to the heat. I did that for the first half mile and then started my 30/30 intervals. I was feeling good, the air temp was comfortable and there was a little breeze with overcast skies.

I stayed on a shady road for the first 2 miles and they went by quickly. Then instead of what I was considering for my route changed while on the road. I decided to go a different way because I didn’t want to hit many of the very high hills that are on the return trip home. I wanted to survive this run with confidence under my belt. It’s just much harder running in the summer.

I did see several nice sights out on my run today. The silly cow standing in the swampy pond, turkeys in my neighbor’s yard, the beautiful vineyard, horses, a woodchuck, and a unique coke bottle with the word “Explorer” on it.

I felt good through the first 8 miles, then I was starting to do the marathon math and was getting confused. When I hit 10 miles I was happy that I had just 7 left; but I was also close to home and decided that I would get some pretzels and fill my water bottles with ice. I was starting to feel the effects of the heat. I needed to get ahead of any heat exhaustion so that I could get the rest of my 6 miles done. I went back out and did my usual 4 mile route and saw my neighbor up the street whom I had seen 3 hours earlier. He was surprised I was still at it.

While on the last 5 miles I was starting to feel light headed. The ice in my water bottles melted already and the roads had less and less shade on them. The sun was starting to burn off the cloud cover so I didn’t have much respite from the heat. I poured some of the water over my head to help cool me down; but I was feeling pretty sure that I wasn’t going to be able to get the full 17 miles done. I would do the best I could to get 15 for sure. I was able to pick up some running again around mile 14 and did my 30/30 intervals closer to home and once I got to my driveway I walked the remaining distance to get me up to 16 miles.

While this wasn’t a fast training run, it was a successful training run. I didn’t get a heat headache and my legs don’t feel too bad. I did have to end up to walk some more than I had wanted; but the goal is to get the mileage under my belt and not worry about the speed.

Marine Corp Marathon Training – 14 miles

August 1, 2015

After my whining and complaining the other day on my blog, I followed through on my promise to myself and woke up when my alarm went off (6:30 on a weekend morning), made my oatmeal and tea, mapped out a route, and loaded up my ipod. I was on the road by 7:30. I hadn’t checked the temperature; but it wasn’t as humid as it was during the week. It was still warm though. I’d take a guess that it was still around 70 degrees at 7:30 this morning.

To help make this easier for me I reached out to my Mickey Miler friends and learned that I was not alone. My friend Kristie Green was heading out to do 18 miles at 1:30 in the morning in Texas! If she was doing that, then my little 14 miler was nothing. Others were also having a hard time with putting in some more miles lately and we are thinking the heat may be to blame.

To help me mentally prepare I began gathering up my running gear during the day and laying it out so I would see it and start to embrace the fact that I WAS going on this run and I AM picking up my training mileage. Summer is here, and yes it’s harder to get in the longer miles during the summer months, but I knew the worst that could happen would be that I may need to walk more of it. I also made sure to make my water bottles and freeze them as well as mix up some Nuun to make sure I am properly hydrating with electrolytes during the warm warming run.

I set my alarm for 6:30 and was very good about getting up as soon as it went off. I didn’t want to wake up my husband and I knew that I had to get up at that moment or else I could possibly back out or delay it even longer. I am very good at sticking to my plan; but with the way I have been thinking lately I didn’t want to leave any opportunity to fail.

It took me a few miles to get into the game. I walked the first 1/2 mile to warm up my mind and body (or stay cool) and then once I was in the shade I began my 30/30 intervals. After around mile 3 I was starting to get into a little groove; I was also on a shady road so it was helping me feel more comfortable and not overheated. The first 2 miles had a lot of sun on it and it was starting to concern me.

Miles 1-2

As I approached mile 4.5 I had to walk up some beastly hills. It was tough. Then I was in a lot of sun again. So as I finished around mile 6 I decided that I would stop at my house to get some ice and refresh my water bottles with ice and water. It was too hot and I didn’t want to take any chances of getting sick from the heat. My stomach was also growling so I grabbed a few pretzels. I think my pit stop was for about 15 minutes and then I was back out on the road to finish the last 6 miles. I decided to take a different route than originally planned and ran again on one of the shadier roads.

Mile 3

Mile 4.5

Picture never make hills look as bad as they are!

Mile 5

For the last 2 miles I did a lot more walking than running. But I wasn’t too hard on myself. I knew I was getting back into it again both mentally and physically and the fact that I was out there still in the heat and being smart about it made me feel ok about my pace. When increasing my mileage the last 3 newer miles I tack on since my previous long run are always the hardest. So since my last long run was Chicago 2 weeks ago I knew I’d be ok.

Mile 13

Now to keep up the positive momentum and continue onward toward the Marine Corp Marathon and the 2016 Dopey Challenge!

Dumbo Double Dare and Marine Corp Marathon Training

July 30, 2015

Now that the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon is over, it’s time for me in step up my training towards Dumbo Double Dare; which I am not worried about since I just did the half marathon in Chicago. But the Marine Corp Marathon is what I am concerned about.

The Marine Corp Marathon is October 25 and I need to get my training runs done. I finally sat down with my calendar and planned it all out. So the reality became the truth for me today. I have to put in a long run this weekend. No more sleeping late. Maybe I can get away with a nap, but it is time to teach my body to endure the long miles again.

I feel that I have been lazy with my training. Alright I said it out loud. Now I have to buck up and start to suck it up and get it done! I haven’t been skipping my runs. I just haven’t been putting in longer runs. Chicago last week was the longest run I did since the Mystic Half Marathon on May 29.

So why does it feel like I am starting all over again when I begin my training for my fall marathons? Lately I feel like I can go out and run a half marathon without putting in as many miles. It wouldn’t be my best race and it wouldn’t be a pretty race, but I could finish.

My friends were reminding me that the Disney races are all about fun and picture stops and costumes and socializing so that I think is also why I don’t have the feeling of pressure to be my best. But I was lucky to be chosen to run the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C. so I don’t want to be a lazy runner for this race. I want to finish before 6 hours.

So I made my schedule in my calendar and now I need to view it daily or weekly and let the numbers on it sink into my head and I have to accept that it is time to stop being lazy and start putting in some miles. It’s time to download a lot of good podcasts or continue to listen to my audio books and enjoy my training time in the roads. I think as I write this, another reason is because I have been enjoying a lot of family time this summer which include late nights and a few weekend getaways.

So now it is time to start training for Dumbo, Marine Corp and The Dopey Challenge.

Inaugural Mystic Half Marathon Is Tomorrow

May 30, 2015

The next race in my Triple Half Challenge is the Mystic Half Marathon. Tomorrow is the race and I am afraid my heart isn’t in it the way it should be. I think that is because the race starts at 7:00 a.m. and I have to drive an hour to get to it. Why should that bother me? I run runDisney races that require me to wake up at 3:00 in the morning. Last year I drove to Boston, MA for the Heartbreak Hill Half Marathon, over a 2 hour drive to Boston, so I just have to suck it up and get over that fact.

I am planning on running the race with my friends Diana and Kimberlee. We were at the Middletown Half and the Cheshire Half together the past two months and we decided tomorrow to run this race together. Diana and I don’t have a time goal in mind to get a PR and I had an incident where my back gave me grief this week, so I am being careful. I saw my chiropractor twice this week and I am in good shape with my back’s health. I just have to be sure to see him on Tuesday to make sure nothing gets aggravated. The hard part with this race will be the hour drive home afterwards.

My main concern about this race is that I feel under trained. I ran the Cheshire Half Marathon on April 28th, then went on vacation and had just a few very short runs, and then I got in a 7 mile run last Sunday. So my longest training run for this race has been 7 miles. That’s not how I typically train, so I am hoping the races that I have had already under my belt will be sufficient. But again, our decision tomorrow is to survive and have fun during the race. No time goals and hopefully we will finish before the course is closed!

I will be happy when this race is behind me; but I do have a road ahead of me that I am going to have to start really focusing on. I finally sat down today to review my training schedule for the summer. I have 2 marathons in the fall that I need to begin preparing for – the Marine Corp Marathon and the Philadelphia Marathon. That means I am going to start getting in long runs during the heat of the summer. I am also going to begin training for next year’s Dopey Challenge. I emailed Jeff Galloway today to get his assistance in putting together my training schedule based around my race schedule.

I just found something on Twitter than helped inspire me as I go pick out what to wear for tomorrow’s race. @GeoffSmith1984 said “Go out and enjoy it, if you enjoy something you’ll be good at it, says @GeoffSmith1984 #MysticHalf” He’s right. I do enjoy running. I enjoy the time with my friends and I haven’t had the chance to run with Kimberlee yet. We always see each other but never run together so that will be fun as she, Diana and I continue on our quest to earn our jackets for the Triple Half Challenge!

Tag: @Marine_Marathon