Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming

Yes, you lucky ducks, I am posting twice today. I tried to blog last night but I had a daughter that kept trying to talk to me, then I went on one of my favorite forums and well, the rest it history. So I posted my recap of yesterday's run this morning. When my husband looked at me this morning and asked if I'd like to go swimming, I had to say yes. Why not, conveniently forgetting that I had running clinic with my coach tonight. Anyway, I go and tell him I am distance swimming today to prep for the Naylor's Beach Tri we are doing in two weeks. I need to be able to swim at least for a mile right? So I do 100 lengths of the pool, or 50 laps. It's only a 25yard pool, so it winds up being 1.42 miles. I was stoked. And I get all goofy, I get the best endorphin highs from working out. But then I remember, duh, duh duh duh duuuuuhhhhhhh, I have running clinic tonight. What the heck was I thinking? Now I get to go run on legs trashed from yesterday's run and from my swim today. I swear I think I believe I am some sort of athlete somedays...

Tuesday and 18 miles to go

I was supposed to run 18 miles for my marathon training on Sunday. Well if any of you know what it's like around her during this part of the year, you'll know an almost 100 degree day with humidity that's thick enough to drink when you walk outside, isn't an unusual thing. I knew there was no way I would make it that distance when I walked outside at 7:30 in the morning and melted. So I rearranged my melted molecules, went inside and checked the weather for the rest of the week. Monday promised more of the same, yuck, I knew it wouldn't be an option. But true to the freaky weather we get around here, Tuesday promised to be rainy, cool, around 60 degrees, and just perfect for me to run in. I knew I would have to rearrange my work out schedule a bit for the week, but these long runs are so flipping important to my training, I couldn't miss it. Technically it means two long runs in the same week, but oh well. I can't help the weather right?

I ran with my husband which was nice. I love being able to chatter and pass the time. He has the tendency to bolt out of the blocks and push himself to the point of agony with stuff like this. I am always amazed at his accomplishments. Me, I just want to run the 18 miles and do the whole distance, speed is never a factor for me. So we do it my way this time. We walk for five minutes to warm up, then start a very SLOW jog. 12 minute mile slow. I can see him getting a bit itchy, but it's the only way I can do the whole thing. We went through every subdivision, subdivision being built, subdivisions that were just a thought in someones mind for crying out loud. At one point in our run, when we were on a road trying to get back to a neighborhood and the safety of the trails there and this girl almost clipped my husband. He promised me the next time that happened he would throw his water bottle at the car. I secretly hoped someone would come at us again just to see him do it, he was serious!

Miles up to ten were no big deal. I was good. Mile 13, still pretty good, my husband had to point out that just 13 more and we'd have finished a marathon. That didn't comfort me for some strange reason...Here comes mile 14, I am aerobically okay. I can run forever if my heart rate is at 150. Mile 15 I am taking inventory mentally. My legs are starting to cramp and I have like two sips of Accelerade left in my water bottle. Boooo, this is not good. We decide to run to Oasis sports park and get Gatorade, at this point it feels like knives are twisting in my calves and I am dying. So I grab a couple of salt packets, pour them in my mouth, swallow them down with Gatorade, refill my bottles and I am good to go. By the time we reach Hampton Park we are at 16 miles, two more I tell myself, I can do this. We loop around the neighborhood, take a side road and wind up at 18 miles just maybe a tenth of a mile from our house. We walk the rest, Lance Armstrong tells me I just had my longest workout ever, no duh Lance, I was there, I lived it!

Done, I make a glass of chocolate milk, and sit in an cold bath for my legs. Today, they're not so bad although I sound like I have tourettes when I walk down stairs. I do no like that at all. Lucky me, I get to go to running clinic tonight. She promised to do easy on me. I'll probably just have to do 40 hill repeats and a 20 minute threshold run! Hahahaha, Brenda if you're reading this, don't get any ideas from me!

Freezing open water Friday

Shhhh, no one tell my running coach that I didn't do my running work out and choose to go swim for 30 minutes instead!!! My knee was sort of bothering me, and in light of my Sunday run I convinced myself I need to go easy on my knee and do something non-impact. Hey Brenda, you don't read this do you??

Anyway, all of the sudden I realized that I needed to start swimming more if I am going to get ready for this Naylor's Beach Oly Tri and I remembered the tri club had a group swim tonight. So off Brad and I went. I haven't been swimming since my disastrous last open water swim where all I could muster was a continuous 10 minutes before I freaked myself out and got a cramp to boot. Boo, it was lousy. But I did have a great hour long run after that swim. Brenda are you reading this still, see I ran for an hour that day. I digress...I heard tale of how brutal the Naylor's swim is and the cut off for the swim is 70 minutes. I know I can do this in less time then that, all I can do is try right?

Let me tell you something. All of the rain and the sudden cool temps at night made for some very "refreshing" water. It was pretty darn cold. It was wetsuit legal and Brad and I cursed the fact that we didn't have our wetsuits with, there were a bunch of people that did. It took forever for me to feel my toes. Anyway, we went up current for 16 minutes, turned around and did 14 minutes back. I kept telling myself it could have been worse, it could be cold with jellyfish too!

But I did it, and it felt good to swim that long. I wish it were longer though, now there's something I never thought I'd hear myself say. More on Sunday after my 18 mile run. Brenda, if you're reading this, you might not want to read that one. I might be cursing you on a public forum, hahahaha! Just kidding, I always marvel that I can do everything you think I can. It's just what this reluctant triathlete and subsequently marathoner needs!!

Sixteen mile sunday

Sort of like a death march, but not too bad. I decided to do my run even though it was Heather's birthday. I actually wrestled with coming home about 3 miles into it so I could be there when she opened her presents, but I knew how important this run was and how I totally needed to do it, so I kept running. Plus, I knew she would be sleeping for the most part of my run, which she did. I got out the door around 8 this morning. The humidity wasn't too bad yet and it was actually quite pleasant. I get my water bottle loaded with Gatorade, stuff a handful of granola in my mouth, swallow down some cold coffee from the day befores pot, and off I go. Good nutritional start to a 16 mile run, I bet it's how the big boys train! I had my husband's big, ole Garmin thing on so I could accurately track my pace and distance.

I had a sort of map planned out and there she goes, the greyhound in reverse speed chasing a rabbit that needed new batteries. I started out S-L-O-W. I was running 12minute miles, wait, did you see that gray blur fly by me, why it was my grandmother lapping me with her walker! Go Mary, go!! But I stayed slow, I knew if I planned on making my total 16 miles today that I was going to have to keep a snails pace. Which I did, with a bit of trouble. I am lousy at pacing myself, I always have been, and I think that's why I don't do as well as I hope at some races. Any time the fatigue started taking over, I would check the Garmin and see I was starting to speed up. I also notice that I do this thing with my tongue, like I stick it out like a dog panting, I must look oh so attractive, but I do it when I am really fatiguing. So if I caught my tongue lolling out, I knew either A) I needed my water bowl or B) I was running at too quick a pace.

Miles up to ten were no big deal, miles 11, 12 and 13 were a bit challenging, but again I have run the distance, so it wasn't anything unmanageable. Mile 14 was getting harder, I wonder if my tongue was dangling out of my mouth for most of it. I started bargaining with myself, make it to here, then you can walk if you want. But I never did. I did start counting down mile 15 with tenths of a mile because I didn't think I was going to make it for that last little bit, but I did. I ran 16.1 miles and cooled down with a walk for 1/2 mile.

There, now I was finished, and I couldn't believe it. I ran, I ran so far away, well not really but there wasn't an 80's song that went I ran, I ran thru Hampton Park, Foxcroft, Foxfire and Woooodlaaake.....

I can't wait until next week when I get to run 18 miles, now that's living.

Half Marathon and the Humidity

Well, I finished. Not in the spectacular style I would have liked, and 13 minutes off of the 2 hours I had hoped for. But let me tell you something, I think I hallucinated that last mile, I can't even be sure that I ran it. Part of me thought I floated with lead feet, part of me was concentrating on my breathing, counting breaths in and out, breathing hard when my left foot struck to avoid the stitch that was trying to come. Was I disappointed with my time, you bet! It was like New Delhi today, and if they ever have a marathon in India, I know I would be able to do it. The humidity prevented me from cooling down. I poured water over my head every rest station, chugged Accelerade every chance I could and I still felt like I needed to die by the end.

All I can say is I finished, I don't even want to recount it. I was happy when I finally found Brad. I was happy to hear that I wasn't the only one who had a tough time. The general consensus was it was to frickin humid to run today. I'd have to agree....

Rock N Roll Half Marathon in 2?

Well as previously mentioned, I got a running coach. Great lady, good fit for me, I love her style. So anyway, last running clinic Wednesday of this past week, Brenda officially started her plan with me. Very scary. As she was doling out our running assignments at the clinic, I almost fainted when she decided I was ready to run a 15 minute threshold run, followed by a 400 meter sprint, which I had to do again because my watch didn't start and I couldn't tell her my time for the lap (which by the way was 1 minute, 46 seconds) followed by a ten minute threshold run and another 400 meter sprint. I looked at her like she had been standing in the rain too long that day and her brain had gotten all squishy thinking that I could actually do something like that. She said she could tell from the week before when I was just doing 5 minute threshold runs 4 times, that I was ready for something more challenging. And you know what? I did it and did a pretty good job for me. I was running 2 miunte, 400 meters during my 15 minute threshold and during the 10 minute threshold. I was pretty psyched because even though I was wiped and thought my eyeballs would explode out of my head, I did the whole workout. If I maintained my single 400 meter lap time, 1:46 I would be running like 7.5 minute miles. Geez, if I could only keep that up for more then a lap, for more then a mile....

So that brings us to the eve of the Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I keep telling myself I will be fine, that I can do this even though I only ran the distance once during my training. Brad keeps telling me my fitness base is ten times what it was last year when I ran it in 2 hours 18. I did the Shamrock Half in 2 hours 11 minutes. I would love to run this in 2 hours, wouldn't that be awesome? Can I maintain a 9 minute mile pace for the full 13.1 miles? I want to tell myself of course I can, but of course I am doubting myself. I will post tomorrow how I do. I will be starting in corral 10 with the other 2 hour hopefuls.

It's been awhile

Oh my gosh, it has been awhile. I guess that's my life though. I did have a race since I last wrote. The Waterboy Du. I hated it last year, it was the worst. I ran uphill, both ways in the blistering heat. It took me almost 49 minutes last year too. Well this year, I did it in just over 43 and came in second in my division. Wow, I never get called up for a medal, ribbon whatever, and I did. It was a pretty neat feeling. If I do this race again next year, I want to do it in under 41 minutes. Why 41? Why not???

Anyway, I have been focusing my training on the Rock and Roll Half Marathon at the end of this month. Not much time left to the month is there? My last long run was 11 miles and the last few miles really, really stunk. I can't imagine what doing the full 13 will be like. I did it in 2 hours and 18 minutes last year, I did the Shamrock 1/2 in 2 hours and 11 this March. I'd like to try and finish it around 2 hours and 5 minutes, can I do it?? These are questions inquiring minds want to know, I want to know (do you remember that National Enquirer commercial?)

So I started training on Wednesday nights with a group of runners. What a great group of people. Brad and I do it, then there is another Brad, Fred, Karin (who's a fabulous runner) Brian, my running buddy and Tom another guy I like running with. Like I said, it's a really good group of people. I have been enjoying myself and feel like I have really improved in just three weeks of training. I should mention the coach Brenda too. She is just perfect for me. She is the nicest lady. She does a very individualized job with all of us, even with all of our different levels of abilities. I really look forward to going each week.

Brad is off to Chicago this week for a tri there and my girls, Micayla included, did beautifully this weekend at the Twin Hickory youth tri. Heather is one to watch, she really has talent and ability, plus the drive. Erin has beautiful form, she needs to practice a bit and she could be unstoppable.

Until we meet again...