NWM 2011 Group?

No miles this week. I totally suck.

Why? I am having a really hard time coping with work and life stress. I thought that once my Master's work passed committee, I would be free and happy, but the vacuum was immediately filled with other challenges. So is life.

Last year I had to prepare for not having a job in the fall. Part of being a teacher. Well, I find myself potentially in the same position again, and I am not dealing with it with as much grace as I did in the past. Nothing is more frightening than failure. And it seems at the moment failure is confronting me from MANY different angles.

To help myself cope and give myself a distraction, I registered for my first marathon. Training for the Nike Women's Marathon gave me something to focus on when the going got tough and a goal to work towards if I found myself unemployed. Seeing myself in a similar place as last March, it makes sense to register for the race again and hope it helps carry me through a potentially anxious summer. Maybe it will be the good luck charm that helps me keep my job for another year.

So, I am going to make a group for the NWM 2011 and get a group of people together to run the race. I have a guaranteed entry, and I hope that if I use a group ID it will mean my group will have an entry as well. No matter where you are or if we have met before, if you follow my blog I would LOVE it if you would consider getting together to run this race! If this sounds good, leave a comment and we can figure out how to make this happen. I plan on getting the group ID in the next few weeks and I will post more about it when I get it.

This race was a ton of fun. The course was challenging, and I liked that there is a half marathon option than that your team can be a mix of half and full runners. Even in the rain, I had a great time. My goal this year is to not hit the wall and limp around the lake miles 18-22, as well as set a new course record, hopefully sub 5 hours. I am slow, I know.

On a final note, I was reading the McRunner's blog (the guy who ran the LA Marathon after eating a diet of McDonalds for 30 days), and a quote really stuck out to me:

"At 4:16 I ran 3-4 days per week, for a peak of about 35 miles. To run 2:36:54 last year, I put in 10-13 runs per week (ran 7 days per week) and hit 105 miles. While the numbers are just for reference, I have seen everyone around me improve with additional mileage. Arthur Lydiard hit on something when he said, 'Miles make champions.' "

I am a slow runner. But I am a new runner. I have no formal training. Everything I know about running is from reading 2 books, my subscriptions to Runner's World, Google, and the blogs I follow. I am running 2-3 days a week and will peak below 30 miles. I never played sports. I hardly worked out before I started running 2 years ago. He is well on his was to cutting is time in half. If I cut my time in half, I could EARN a BQ. My new Mantra is "Miles Make Champions". It make take me a while to put the words into action (I need to learn some stress management first), but I am determined to make it happen. 

Not only will I break 5 hours for a marathon, but I will someday break 3:30. And I am going to do it one  mile at a time.

Oh Yeah!

Today was a critical milestone in my marathon training. I felt like I was in an epic training story, it was A-MAZ-ING! So, I get up this morning and I am totally pumped for my run, deciding to log 13 miles today with significant hill work, including the small mountain I scouted out last week. The hill starts a little before mile 4, and I am climbing up my merry little way. Now, this is no hill. This is a mountain appropriately named Atlas Peak. 15 minutes into the climb as I run around a turn, I just stop. I sit on the guard rail on the side of the mountain staring up at The Wall. If you are a runner, you know what I mean by The Wall, and it probably made you shudder just thinking about it. If you aren't a runner, The Wall is that thing you hit at the gym after panting on the treadmill for 10 minutes. The Wall knows no mercy and takes many victims.

So, staring up the hill at the wall, I start thinking maybe I set myself up for too much today. Then, the corniest thing happens. A song from Braveheart comes on the iPod and my Coach Stephanie appears out of no where. I look up the road, which climbs FOREVER, and I tell myself that part of training is making really hard choices. No one is going to push me up this hill, and if I quit here, I am going to cement that wall in place and never be able to conquer this peak. People DO NOT complete marathons by building walls. So what did I do? I channeled the Kool Aid man and busted through that wall (oh yeaahh!). One step at a time, watching my tempo, I climbed up the peak, and actually ended up running past my turn around point because I was loving the climb. And because there was this crazy looking goat at the top that I wanted to laugh at.

So, the final recap? I ran farther and longer today than I ever have in my life. 2 hours, 45 minutes. 14.1 miles. 1000 feet of ascent. I have never felt so confident about my ability as a runner. BOOYAH!

The last 24 hours have felt like everything in life was designed specifically for me. I don't feel like I am part of someone else's dream. This is my dream, everything has fallen into place into ways I never dreamed could be true, and I hope this amazing high lasts forever.

Hill Training Commences!

As I am running along, I can see the crest of the hill, and I get excited. Over that crest is the half way point of the run, the four mile turn around where I usually tell myself 
"just stick with it, it's all down hill from here". As I summit this hill, which had a long, gradual incline, I really, REALLY, start to hate marathon training. This is not a hill, but a mountainous peak, and before me a very steep long road enfolds down into a valley where my half way stop sign lies. The run so far, not so bad, the run down, not bad either. But running back up this beast of an incline on my way back? PURE HELL.


Hill training is intense, but rewarding. Come marathon day, I am going to be glad I didn't settle for a hilly route and instead choose the road of extreme vertical inclines. It is good I run with an ipod, as it blocks the hateful dialog going through my mind when the hill is so steep you practically need a ladder or rope to scale it. My long run time was on target for training, but slower than last week: 1:37:00 for 8 miles, averaging 12:07/mi. 37 seconds slower per mile, but 1000% more hills. I think that is a good start. 

So this is what week 13 of training brings. Only 2 days of running due to moving and interviewing, but I only missed one cross training and one day of tempo training. My total mileage is 204 miles (11 miles added this week), reaching another important milestone in training! Thats the distance from Richmond to Reno. And, still no knee pain! Wowza! I am looking forward to starting speedwork this Thursday. I wonder if I will have a new personal best for the mile :) Mileage increases, and so do the hills. Yikes!


Training is about to get intense, but I am so ready for this! This week's mantra: just one step at a time. No more of this "it's all down hill from here" crap. Out here, there is always another hill.

Week Two: Small Victories

Today reminded me that I don't always need my ipod to run. In fact, I actually need to shut it off so I can clear my mind. Sometimes I need to the rhythm of my shoes hitting the pavement to ease my soul.

This day was a whirlwind of emotions that nearly swept me away. So much of running is self-talk: that voice in your head that drives you forward and keeps you in control. Tonight's run was my way of regaining control and restoring balance. Normally on a day like this, I come home, eat a high carb meal, and curl up in bed to sleep my anxieties away. Instead, I ran, and every step reminded me that I am in control because I didn't let the day overtake me. With every step I took, I reminded myself that it was proof that I was in control.

No lies: today's run was awful, but I did my 5 miles and cut off a minute or so. I felt like I was going to throw up and pass out. I have a huge blister and my knee is killing me. It wasn't some race to personal freedom and now I and humming some happy tune. I still feel overwhelmed by the day. But, at least I have this small victory that I didn't let it get in the way of my training. Don't they say it is the small victories that make all the difference? Maybe I really am cut out for this marathon stuff after all...