Redeemed

As you all know from leading last weeks 15 mile debacle, I was having some serious issues with my training. I was actually really excited about running my planned 11 miles on the treadmill. The reason for having to use the treadmill is because I have these pesky things called kids (totally joking). But I do have 3 children and a husband who works very hard for our family which means that he isn't always home on the days that I have to run long.
This weekend we were able to go with him on one of his business trips to the Swan and Dolphin Hotel. We have stayed here many, many times and it is in my top 5 Disney hotels. The reason that I love staying here is because there is a nice and safe running loop and access to the Hollywood Studios parking lot to run through as well. I also can walk with my kids to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios as well. So on Saturday, I got up and ran my scheduled 5 miles and it felt amazing. I don't really know if it was because of where I was running or the fact that I knew that this next weekend we will be back to Disney for the Tower of Terror 10 mile race.
To say that I am excited for this race would be a massive understatement. It is happening on the day after my 34th birthday and it is my favorite distance and technically the course is very similar to the 13K I did 2 years ago.
I digress... so I put my kids in their beds, gave them kisses and tucked them in and jumped on my trusty treadmill with 3 45 minute shows to watch. This is my not so secret weapon when tackling longer runs on the treadmill. I watched Glee, Last Stand, and Real Housewives of Miami- I do not discriminate on quality TV (ha!) I really enjoyed the new drama Last Stand- it reminded me of the Unit except with submarines :) So once I got through the first 2 shows I was 8.5 miles and I was feeling really good and considering the 15 mile, I really needed the confidence boost. When I got to the 11 mile mark, I just kept going (love when that happens) and when I got to 12, I could have kept going. I have 3 days until we leave and with my confidence boost and adrenaline from being running at Disney again, I expect great things.

One step at a time,

Improvising

After the awful 15 miler I just ran I was feeling very disheartened. I was really questioning wether or not my body was going to be able to handle all of these miles. My biggest issues are never with my legs though - this week my jaw has been sore from chewing gum for almost 3 hours while running. I know it may sound strange but I always seem to get odd illnesses when running. Biggest issue is the dreaded kidney stones so hydration is also a major factor. So after saying all of that - I am going to go for a more moderate training plan. I am NOT an elite athlete (no matter how good my intentions were) and I want to finish this marathon with a great experience and a continued love my running :)
So I am going to do the Hal Higdon Intermediate 2 plan. The mileage looks doable and the funny thing is that it skips 15- which sounds great to me!!

One step at a time,

15 Miles (the bad and the ugly- there really wasn't any good)

So, it has been 2 days since the run that I have been dreading writing about. It was SO HARD!! It was so hard that I have been questioning my decision to train for this distance while mothering 3 children and being a loving considerate wife to a fire chief. It has made me doubt myself in so many ways and really dislike running for a few days (gasp!)
The first 4 miles was good- Dave and I talked, I listened to music, and I just ran like I normally would. We made the turn at Lorainne and University and it started to go downhill- yes my friends the run started getting bad at mile 4 and I had 11 more to go. The initial problem is I had never run this route before, I had never been down this road at all so I couldn't gage the distance (which i need) and then there was the lack of anything- I didn't see another car at all for about an hour and a half. Once again, Dave was wonderful throughout this whole run- he kept encouraging me to keep going and my mind kept screaming at me to stop. When we got to the end of University (who knew that it ended, I have only lived here 7 years!?!?!) I was half way done and it was REALLY hot (89 degrees) and I knew I now knew how far I had to run home. I have always heard people say respect the distance and on this day the distance schooled me. I was a mess and literally shuffled my way home very very slowly. The only positive being that I did finish (there wasn't any way else to get home) and that I learned a few lessons. I learned that I need to fuel and hydrate better, my way just isn't cutting it. I also am very thankful that this race starts early in the morning because from now on long runs are going to be before the sun comes up and not at high noon!
I know that I can do this and that it's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard people would be running marathons every day. I also learned that my goal isn't what is good for someone else, it is only for me. So what if it takes me FOREVER as long as I finish the task. I didn't give up and I am still following my plan- it may need some tweaking but I still keep taking it one step at a time. I also learned that I need to wear sunblock because these crazy running tan lines are the worst!!!

Training

 

I just finished week 1 of my training plan which was a fairly easy week. I have been building my base miles all summer long, running medium mileage (7-10) regularly and keeping my miles high. So every time I went looking for a training plan I was super disappointed because I was lowering my average daily miles A LOT. So, even though I am NOT an elite runner I found the plan above and I will work with it. I love routine and schedules and this one will keep my mileage where I want it and looks easy to follow.
With that being said today was the first day of week 2- i know you can read but it does say 13 miles. UMMMM yeah, I hadn't run 13 miles since the Princess Half last March. I have NEVER ran 13 miles just as a a training distance ever BUT I know that this whole training for a marathon this is going to push me past what I have ever done before. So, I strapped on my Newtons got my iPad and treadmill ready and away I went. Yes, you read that correctly, I ran it on the treadmill. Why?? Well partly because I haven't really figured out my hydration plan yet and I was concerned that I may run out of water and partly because it was pouring rain. Mostly though it was because of the water. I have a tendency to get kidney stones and I really can't afford that AT ALL during this training so the treadmill it was.
I will not lie- running 13 miles on the treadmill is not really a fun activity (even with movies and TV shows at my fingertips). It is boring and part of the reason I love running so much is being outside while I do it. I tried to get into the movie I was watching but my mind kept wandering and I kept looking at the time and distance. I tried to break it up into 3 mile increments in my head so once I got to 7 I kept saying- 3 more to 10- 3 more to 13 and ... I did it. 2:12 for today's time- it isn't the greatest time in the world and it isn't the worst, but it is what I had in me today and the fact that it is done make me very proud of myself (another of the reasons I love running). The funniest part is that I literally jumped off the treadmill and went to pick up Lexi from school. Those poor pre-school parents must have thought I was crazy (i did change my clothes quickly but I was still sweating a lot). My day is not over yet though, still have to pick up my older kids, go to work at the cheer gym, take Ryan to swimming practice and then homework and the rest.
 I am not super mom, I make many mistakes and I just want my kids to learn to care about others and work hard for their  dreams and the only way I know how to teach them that is to lead them by example. This isn't a blog where I always will be upbeat and peppy- I KNOW there are going to be days when I do not want to go out and get the miles done and I will do it anyway. This is my accountability, but it also is not only going to be about marathon training, we have a lot going on around here with all of our kid activities, to the things that God is trying to teach me through my daily walk with him as well.
Welcome along for this crazy ride...15 miles next week..hmmm I'm up for the challenge (although my body may be protesting a little bit).

One step at a time,