Results?

2 days.

2 days until my marathon. 

Thankfully my head has calmed down a bit.  Or it just may be exhaustion from my body refusing to get enough sleep.  At first it was not being able to fall asleep at a decent time, and it has evolved to waking up at 4am and not being able to fall back asleep.  The circles under my eyes are horrible.  I will say that writing my last post did help calm all the lists going through my head, however, now I'm worried that since I'm not constantly list making I'm going to forget something.

At this time, I am packed, and at work, not going back home, so if I forgot something, it's forgotten.  But I'm pretty sure that I have my running gear, and that is all that is really important. 

I rode the bus this morning, so on top of my nerves about running 26.2 miles in 2 days, I was nervous about riding the bus for the first time in 7 years.  Thankfully it went smooth and I got to work, where I'm stuck until 4:30pm (ironically 12 hours after I woke up this morning). 

Yesterday Chris woke up and told me he had a sore throat, so I went immediately and bought some Airborne and was drinking it like water.  I went to have some this morning when I got to work, and I had packed it, so it is nice and safe in my car . . . at home.  =( 

They finally posted the results from the Everyday Superheroes 5k I did a couple weeks ago. 

I'm thinking there's something wrong there . . .  They did say that they were having difficulties and that there were some "serious issues."  So I won't know my official time, which I'm really, really bummed about.  I know I wasn't last, nor did it take me an hour and 12 min to finish, but I also didn't think I was under 23 min.  My mapmyrun app had me at 26.12 min, but I was looking at it today and my 0.1 (at the end of the 5k) was 1 min and 21 sec, which I also know isn't correct.  So if you take away 1 min, that still puts me at 25.12 min, but I also know I was very close to the beginning, I just don't know how close.  According to this, I was 2nd overall female, and first in my age group (which I expected).  If I finished at 25.12 min, then I'm 4th overall female, and second in my age group (30-39). 

There were some decent pictures of me though . . . even with the face that I make while I run.  I did not see anyone with cameras, at all.  I did see one lady taking pictures with her phone, when I passed her she said it was for the costume contest.  She was the only one I smiled for . . . because she was the only one I saw . . . and her pictures aren't on the website.  =)

The girl in front of me with the nurses scrubs, cape, and mask tried to prevent me from passing her.  I followed her for most of the first mile, passed her once and she sped up, but then she slowed down and I slowed with her, but thought that was silly, so sped up and passed her.  She was a good 5-10 min after me crossing the finish line.  The guy behind me with the green sunshine looking tshirt also wanted to pass me.  I don't remember exactly when I passed him, but when he crossed the finish line he came to me and shook my hand and said good job.  =)  My favorite one of me is the one in the middle with my ponytail flying.  =)  And look at my foot in the top picture, it is totally sideways.  That is exactly how I run, except I've never actually seen a picture of it, but the outside edges of my shoes are always worn more than anywhere else. 

This will be my last post before my marathon . . . let the nerves go crazy!

Obsessive and crazy

5 days. 

5 days.

Five days.

That's all that is left before my marathon.  5 days. 

I am a wreck. 

I am not sleeping well. 

I need to figure this out because it's only Tuesday and I am soooo tired.  Sunday night I went to bed at 9pm (normal time for me) and was still awake an hour and half later in my room. 

I have a lists constantly going through my head.

Things I can't forget to take to my parents' house

• Honey Stingers.
• Waterbottle
• Nuun
• Running clothes, which ones am I going to wear? Should I take long pants, or just stick with my capri's?  Which shirt do I want to wear?  Do I want to wear the "Will Run for Wine" shirt or just stick with my favorite race shirt?  Don't forget the right undies!  Oh and a sports bra!  Oh and don't forget the right socks!! 
• Socks! Don't forget shoes!
• Headband, don't forget the headband
• Armband!  Have to have the armband!
• Magnets!  I got my magnets, have to remember those!  I want to put them on my car
  
  immediately afterwards!
• Hat, just in case it rains. 
• I'm forgetting something, what am I forgetting??!!

The list of things I have to take to the actual marathon

• all of the above
• Food, what do I want my parents to bring food wise.
• Don't forget the extra Nuun for my parents to refill my waterbottle.
• Extra shoes and socks, oh and undies, and a bra. 
• Should I bring a washcloth to do a spongebath in a restaurant bathroom?  Soap?
• Ice bottle to ice my feet? It'll probably melt, so probably not.
• Clothes to change into

The list of things my family needs to have when they meet me while I'm running

• Food, what do I want them to bring?
• Nuun, should they have 2 bottles?
• Food??  Should I have them bring a banana?  Peanut butter?  banana and peanut butter?  how about a candy bar?  Should they bring more Honey stingers? 
• hard boiled eggs?
• Water?
• Signs!  I want them to be creative with the signs, should I help them come up with things to say?  It'd be nice if they surprised me, but they won't be creative.

The list of things to eat this week

• Should I eat carb heavy all week?
• Should I quit eating carb heavy on Saturday?
• Leigh (from Poonapalooza) doesn't eat carbs at all, would I be okay with my protein heavy diet?
• Oatmeal for breakfast all week (goodbye eggs, I'll miss you)
• eggs on Sunday!
• Can I talk my mom into making an extra steak on Saturday night so I can eat that as well Sunday morning?
• No, Mom, I don't want French toast Sunday morning, thank you though!
• Spaghetti?  I don't like spaghetti, Chris is going to make spaghetti, it's probably a good idea to have it.  =/
• Oooohhh!  I do like my mom's fake goulash!  That would be good Thursday or Friday!
• Are potatoes a good carb?  I like mashed potatoes . . .
• No wine Saturday!! =(

Not to mention the stuff my sister has brought up, like a GPS tracking app on my phone so they can find me.  She also mentioned she was thinking of meeting me in multiple spots. My Mom had originally just planned to meet at the halfway point, but Nancy is thinking of following me . . . or rather jumping ahead of me to meet me at different places. 

My head is full!  And that's just the lists of things I want to have/bring/eat.  I haven't even touched on the things I obsess about, like

• will I finish in 5 hours?   
• Should I request an early start time?
• Can I actually finish a full 26.2 miles?
• How will I be able to walk afterwards, we are supposed to go out to eat at Chris's and my old favorite restaurant (from when we lived there 13 years ago).
• Am I ever going to get sleep again?
• I'm tired.
• Food!  What should I eat?

My family has been extremely supportive.  They are putting up with my crazy emails and phone calls, and obsessions.  My Mom offered to take their 5th wheel to the Tri-Cities to let me sleep in that so that I can get a little extra sleep.  But I don't think it's a good idea. I won't have the ability to eat what I want and drink coffee and lots of water

• Oh! don't forget to drink lot of water on Saturday!!

Do you see how crazy my head is right now?  Lots and lots of thoughts.  I did not get this crazy for my first half marathon.  I don't know why I'm so crazy this time.  Maybe because 26 miles is a big deal, and even though 13 miles (at the time) was a big deal then, 26 miles seems so much worse.

So right now my plan is to leave from work on Friday.  I'm going to take the bus to Everett (where I work) and a coworker will pick me up from the transit center. That way Chris, Damian and Maddox will have the car in Mt. Vernon so they can come get me without me having to go all the way back to M.V. just to turn around and go back through Everett on the way to my parents house. 

Saturday my Mom is having a yard sale at my aunt's house (she died in May and they are cleaning out her house) and we are expected to help (which annoys me).  In the afternoon I'm going into the Tri-Cities to pick up the race packet and my sister talked about going with me to check out the course and to find good spots to meet me while I run.  Then a good dinner, and early bed . . . where I won't sleep at all.

Sunday I'm waking up at 5, maybe 430, to eat, drink coffee and water.  And get really, really nervous and use the bathroom a million times.  I was planning on going to the starting line alone, but my Dad said he wanted to go with me to be there when I started, so that's cool.  I will have to leave my parents' house by 6:30am.  The run starts at 8am and I'll be running for around 5 hours.  Afterwards I'll either collapse and they'll drag me to the car and back to my parents' house, or we'll go out to eat. 

Oh, and one last detail, that I'm excited about, but am also obsessing about.  When I was looking at the course map, I saw that there is a park that is about 4 miles from the finish line.  My longest run was 22 miles, and I thought I was going to die.  So I asked Damian if he would meet me at that park and run the last 4 miles with me.  He said he would.  I think he will be a GREAT support at that point.  But now I'm obsessing over whether or not he can run 4 miles.  I don't think he's ever done it, but I will be moving pretty slow by then, and he's a very fit kid. 

Everyday Superheroes

Last week was my birthday.  I turned 39.  I did nothing special for my birthday and actually was a little depressed (for no real reason).  I had to work because I had court, I don't normally work on my birthday, so I was pretty bummed. 

I was going to run on my birthday, it was a regularly scheduled run, but when I got home no one was there, so no one to watch Maddox.  So I didn't.  Chris didn't get home that evening till almost 8pm, I took a bath and went to bed.

Next year I'm turning 40.  I've been thinking about if I should do some sort of running type goal, but haven't been sure what to do.  I thought about doing a 40K race, but that is only a mile and change less than a marathon (24.85 miles), so I was thinking 40 races, but that's close to a race every week, and I don't want to do that.  So I don't think I'll work "40" into my goal, but I think I'm going to do one race (or more) a month for my 40th year.  That will start in November.  I already have one for Nov. and Dec planned.  I'm going to do a "Big Climb" in March, the Tulip Run is in April, Bloomsday is in May, and so is The Insane Inflatable we are planning on doing again.  I'll just have to find races for the rest of the year, which should be pretty easy.  =)  I'm thinking I'll try to do all the races I've ever done, that includes the Nookachamps in Jan, Have a Heart (which I've now done 2 times, here and here, and is my first official race that I ran) is in May as well, the Berry Dairy Days run is in June (which was my first half), and the Skagit Flats is in Sept.  Those races equal to over half the year. 

I was getting ready for work the day after my birthday and was still feeling really down.  I didn't want to "adult" that day, so I didn't.  I called in sick and stayed home.  In fact, for most of the day I put my phone on silent and in another room and ignored it all day.  I turned off my computer and read a book.  It rained that dreary, western WA rain that I normally hate, but really enjoyed that day.  I took my book, got another cup of coffee and went outside to sit under the eaves of the roof so I could listen to the rain and the birds.  They were very active in the drizzle we were having.  It really was heavenly and exactly what I needed. 

Even though I didn't really want to, when Maddox went to preschool I went for a run.  I was feeling lazy and very quiet (that's the best way to describe it, peaceful) I didn't feel like running.  But I did anyway.  Then Thursday, my normal run day, I was going to run but a series of events happened and I didn't.  I decided it would be fine to just run on Friday. 

Then on Friday I had forgotten I was doing happy hour with an old coworker . . . but we never drink very much when we are together, so when I got home around 7 I went for a 4 mile run (instead of 5 as planned). 

Saturday was the first of a series of runs I'm going to do, the Super Skagit Jingle Challenge 5K Series.  The run on Saturday was Everyday Superheroes.  It was to benefit caregivers.  I had asked my mom, who was an RN until about 2 years ago, if she still had any of her scrubs, and she did, so she sent me some to choose from.  Everyone else pretty much dressed in superheroes like Superman or something similar, I thought the title "Everyday Superheroes" would make it much more appropriate to dress as an actual everyday superhero.  =) 

I did pretty good with my time, actually.  My mapmyrun app said I finished in 26.12 min, which is not a PR, but is pretty fast for me right now.  I thought that I was first (or at least 2nd or 3rd) in my age group so I stuck around to see if I won anything.  Sadly, they only gave out prizes to the top female, top male, top teen, top kid over 8 and top kid under 8. I hung out for awhile longer because they said they were raffling prizes.  I was there for a good hour, at least, after I finished, then I realized the raffle was something you had to buy tickets for, which I hadn't, so I left.  The results are still not up on the webpage, but I'll let you know when they are.  =)

Overall, the race was fun.  I can totally see taking Maddox to it next year, or maybe in 2 years.  There were lots of kids and it was at a great park that he would have loved to play at.  I think I'm going to keep it in mind for future years.  =)

My long run Sunday was actually "only" 12 miles.  I'm tapering now, so I'm done with the crazy long runs, at least until my marathon.  I hear that most people hate tapering, but I am actually rather relieved.  I have not been as committed to this training as I should have been, and I'm sure it will show on Oct. 25th.

I got a medium tshirt for the race on Saturday and it is huge.  I feel like I'm swimming in it.  I am pretty bummed it's so big, I don't like baggy shirts while I run.  I wore it on my 12 mile run and the sleeves were so long I kept thinking that the shirt was hanging off my shoulders.  Seriously, the sleeves go all the way to my elbows, which is kinda weird for a short sleeved shirt.   

My feet have been hurting.  Not plantar facitiis hurt, but arch hurt, and it has me a little worried.  I hope that the weeks of tapering will let my feet heal a little before I have to run 26.2 miles.

My last longest run ever until the marathon

Run on cruise control. Do a mental check during the early miles and midway through the race. “You should feel relatively comfortable up until mile 18,” he says. “You should be able to get to that point comfortably, then you have to go to work and see how tough you are. At that point, it’s all about what you have left.”  Found here. 

 

Every marathon has moments when the effort starts to feel uncomfortable. Backing off from physical discomfort for self-preservation is a natural human tendency, but one of the characteristics that makes runners unique is their penchant for seeking out discomfort. Hitting a rough patch in the race is when you learn about yourself and what you’re willing to do to meet your goal.  Found here

So before my long run last week I decided to do a search on what I should eat (and not eat) the day before a marathon.  I found some very helpful articles with those two quotes in them.  I was feeling better after reading those two things.  A lot better, a lot more confident.  I thought that knowing that it's hard for everyone, I could push myself to get it done.  I was wrong.

The above excerpts were some things that I read that I thought would be helpful mentally for me on my 24 miles I had planned.  I was thinking that I was mentally prepared to push myself farther than I ever had before, especially after reading those quotes.  I am a runner, I have pushed myself before, but apparently not as much as I needed to get 24 miles done.  How in the world will I be able to run 26.2 miles??
 

I have been passing "Donald" the elephant and his Peanut wagon on my long runs for a couple weeks.  As I was passing him on my "24" mile run, I thought that this may be the last time I run past Donald, and I wanted a picture. =)

If you can see my split times, you can see where I started to fall apart.  Right around mile 19, which is actually what the quote above says. (Oh, and the battery on my phone died about a half mile from where I actually ended, so it was actually 22.5ish miles)  My moving time is pretty close to where I wanted to be, however, I stopped to use the bathroom and Chris refilled my water bottle at mile 13, so I was actually out there for about 4 hours.  Plus, I stopped to walk many times in the second half of my run. 

I started getting a cramp in my side about mile 16, so I'd stop and walk. I think it was around mile 19 that I was feeling really sorry for myself and every time I started walking I'd start crying.  And then I'd pick myself up and start running again.  It was horrible. 
 

This was my long run treat, but I honestly didn't feel like I deserved it.  Sure I ran 22.5 miles and burned 2.800+ calories, but I didn't finish 24 miles and I felt like a failure. 

However, even though my "24" miles was a "failure" I still officially registered for the marathon on Friday.  I am terrified, and don't know if I'll be able to finish, but it's official.  I've told every single person I know, and some I don't, that I am running this thing, so I kinda have to. 

This particular marathon has a cutoff of 5 hours and I'm rather worried about that.  Can I finish another 4 miles in an hour? Normally 4 miles is easy, but the last 4 miles of a marathon??  I don't know if I can do it.   

 

Immediately after registering for the marathon I bought a couple magnets for my car.  My current 13.1 says "13.1 cuz I'm only half crazy" and I can't say that after running 26.2, so of course I had to get a new one. =) 

 

I went to happy hour with an old coworker after work on Friday, and she asked me about my marathon training.  When she was younger (she's in her late 50's now, but when she was in her 20's) she ran 4 marathons, all of them were the same marathon in Hawaii where she was living.  She said she has a new goal to run it next year with her daughter.  Anyway, she said that she ran it 6 months after she gave birth to her first kid and the whole time she thought her insides were going to fall out.  But even during that horrible marathon she ran it under 5 hours.  She made me feel a little better. 

 

Also, the CEO of the agency I work for (a very small agency, so I see her all the time) was doing the Chicago marathon this last weekend (yesterday).  She has struggled with injuries all summer and even though her dr and physical therapist told her not to do it, she was going to walk it.  She's not back to work until Oct. 22, so I can't ask her how it went, but I can't wait to find out.

 

So after hearing about both of those people I have to push myself.  I have to do it.  I HAVE to.

 

(I started this post last week and didn't finish it, so I will write another one about this weekend's runs since this one is so long now.)

Updates

Lately my blogs have only been about my last long run and talking about my upcoming marathon.  I guess that's why I have this blog, it was started to talk about my running, and since long runs and the marathon are all consuming in my head right now, that's all I'm talking about.  I totally missed talking about the trip to Leavenworth with my sister.

There is a chipmunk right next to my leg in that top left picture.

Speaking of, I totally got home that weekend and went for a run on Sunday after having been in the car for several hours.  That was a late day run of 14 miles.

 

I also didn't talk about my son turning 17, and how old I feel now.

 



I was photobombing in the top left, Damian said he didn't want
a picture with me because he always takes them with me.  I got
in it anyway.  ; )

So this last weekend I ran 17 miles on Sunday.  I am getting very freaked out by the thought that I have not followed the training plan exactly.  I have not had a mid-week long run since the beginning of August (I think).  I'm usually pretty happy to have just run 3 times in the middle of the week, but I am skipping 3-4 miles each week.  My September mileage was the most I've ever had, but it was 70 miles short of what it should have been. (Putting it in writing makes me even more scared.)

 I had on the schedule to run 12 miles last Sunday, but I decided that I took that mileage from the training that I am (supposed) to be doing which had the 12 miles as the first tapered long run but I had added a couple weeks so I could include a 24 mile run, so I should do more.  I was actually aiming for 15-16 miles, but when I got to 16 miles and realized I was a little more than a mile away from home, I decided to just continue running until I got to 17.  I felt good after that run, but it wasn't 20 miles. 

Since my 20 mile run felt so hard, I have been extremely worried about 24, much less 26.2.  I mean, I am really worried.  I don't know if I'll be able to do it.  Added to that is the problem of my feet.  I stupidly did not get new shoes when I should have and I ran 20 miles on dead shoes, which has made my feet hurt badly.  I did get new shoes a week ago, and my 17 mile run last weekend was in those, but my feet have still been bothering me. 

I have been rolling them and icing them every day but they are still sore.  At this point, though, there is no option, I am running the marathon on Oct. 25th.  I may have problems with my feet and may have to let them heal again, but I am running it.  And I am running 24 miles this weekend.  I will not feel confident at all if I don't.  Actually, I may feel even less confident than I do now after running 24 miles, but at least I will know what to expect.  Maybe I'll have to walk, oh well, I'm doing this.  And I will know after Sunday if I will need to ask for an early start (I really hope not!).  The marathon I'm doing has a cut off time of 5 hours.  I am estimating that I will be close to 4 and a half hours, but by Sunday afternoon I'll know for sure (I hope). 

I have actually not been icing them this way, it's just too cold.  I tried this last Sunday and couldn't keep my feet in the water for more than a few seconds.  I have been using a waterbottle that is frozen.

20 freaking miles is a long way!

Last Sunday I ran 20 miles.  And it was very hard.  I finished with extremely sore legs and feet and had problems walking anywhere.  I changed my fueling technique as well, so that may have contributed a little.  The reason I changed it was because I was eating 3 Honey Stingers every 2 miles starting at mile 5, and during my 18 mile run I felt great.  However, when I got done, I spent 3 hours in the bathroom on the toilet, and I wondered if it was the amount of Honey Stingers I ate.  Not to mention, having to stop mid-run to poo.  Lots of people have to stop mid-run, but it was a first for me, so it got me thinking about what caused it. 

During my 20 mile run, I ate 1 Honey Stinger every mile starting at mile 7.  A few times I felt really fatigued, so I ate 2 at those times.  And I had no bathroom issues afterwards, but I was tired, really tired.

I also had sore legs for the first time in years.  And on my 5 mile run yesterday, my feet still hurt, not plantar faciitis hurt, but fatigue hurt (thankfully). 

All of this has me questioning again if I can actually run 26.2 miles.  I have not followed the training plan I have been using.  I have consistently skipped 3-8 miles weekly, never my long run, but usually my mid-long run, I only run 5 or less miles instead of 8 or 9.  I just have a hard time wanting to run over an hour after I get home from work in the middle of the week.  I've thought about doing the mid-long run on Saturdays, but then I'm running 8 or 9 miles right before my long run, and I didn't think that would be good for my feet. 

I'm using Hal Higdon's novice marathon training, and it stops long runs at 20, saying that if you can run 20, then you can run 26.2, but I've never been convinced of that.  So I added a couple extra weeks and have a 24 mile run in a week and a half.  Which I'm super worried about now.  But I think if I can run 24 miles, I can run 26.2 miles.  And I'm hoping that since I added the extra long run, it will make up for the lack of mid-long runs.  (I hope.) 

I have been leaving my house for long runs around 10 or 12 and I really don't like leaving that late, I keep thinking while I'm running that if I had started earlier, I'd already be done.  So this run I was going to start at 8am.  I wasn't going to procrastinate, I was going to do it.  I went to bed at my normal weekly bedtime (sometime between 8:30pm and 9) and woke up at my normal weekly wake up time, 5am.  I drank my coffee, ate my eggs, drank water (3 water bottles), used the bathroom, a couple times, and I was ready at 8, just like I planned. 

I really did like doing it so early, not to mention that the marathon starts at 8 anyway, so that means I should try to get used to it anyway. Except for my marathon, I will have to travel an hour before getting there, so I will have to get my coffee, food and water all in very, very early. 

So, 20 miles.  For whatever reason that number is crazy to me.  18 miles was crazy, but 20 just seems crazier.  Maybe because it's 20 miles.  Anyway, I was thinking rather than wing it and end up having to tack on a bunch of miles at the end, I should actually plan out my route this time.  So I mapped a course on Mapmyrun.com.  I knew that if I went to 11.5 miles on the last little out and back at the bottom of that map and then turned around I would have 20 miles when I got to a park where there is water and a bathroom.  I asked Chris if he would pick me up there so I wouldn't have to walk home.  Well, when I got to that out and back, there was a very steep hill in front of me and I decided I wasn't going to climb it, not on legs that had already run 11miles, and had another 9 to go, so I turned around, not thinking it would be that much of a difference.  In my tired brain I thought losing half a mile wasn't that bad, not thinking that I wasn't losing half a mile, but a full mile. 

So I ran to the park where I was going to meet Chris, and when I got there, I still had a mile left.  I was exhausted and just wanted to stop.  I almost did.  But I kept going.  I thought that if I went to where Damian picked me up last week (a 15 mile run) I would be good.  I shot Chris a quick text telling him where I'd be and kept going.  And then I got to that spot and I STILL wasn't done, I still needed a half mile.  I was so tired I wanted to cry.  I wanted to sit down in the car and just stop, but 20 miles was the plan, so 20 miles it was going to be.  Chris had Maddox so he could play in the park he was supposed to pick me up at, so I told him to just go to the park and I'd meet them there. And I turned around and finished my run. 

These two pictures were on a new part of my run, one (top)
was looking at the Skagit Valley. Then I turned around and the
second (bottom) was looking at the hills that create the Valley.

My legs hurt, my feet were killing me.  I was dead.  Completely dead.  I collapsed on the grass and just laid there for a little while so Maddox could play some and then Chris took me home.  I couldn't even take a shower, I had to take a bath, my feet hurt so much. 

The park where I collapsed.

 

I realized right before I went out to run that I was estimating 3 1/2 hours, which is only about an hour and a half less than it take me to drive to my parent's house. That really is crazy.

 

It only took me 6 hours or so before I felt good enough to walk without feeling like my feet were going to fall off.  I need, desperately need, new shoes.  I am happy to say I'm getting them tomorrow or Saturday. =) 

 And then the Seahawks played, and lost spectacularly.  =(

This week is the first of my "made up" weeks and I only have 13 miles, but I may run more.  Last week I ran 15 before my jump to 20, in 2 weeks I said I would run 24, so maybe 13 miles isn't enough.  I haven't decided but I'm thinking at least 15 again. 

That time I broke into a church

This last weekend was crazy.  It was Labor Day and we didn't have plans, except that we canceled our yard sale we were going to have the weekend before and rescheduled it for this last weekend.  And in true procrastinator fashion we put off getting ready for it. 

I went out for drinks after work on Friday evening and when I got home we watched a little tv.  About 11pm Chris decided to go to bed (late for him because he works Saturdays) and I was annoyed.  I'm sure it was the drinks, I had a glass of wine after getting home and that, on top of what I had while I was out made me a little buzzed.  I was annoyed because nothing had been done with our stuff and Chris was working in the morning and I was forced to set it up all alone and do the yard sale alone.  In true buzzed/girl fashion, I blamed Chris in the moment and he went out to the garage and started . . .well, I don't know what he was doing, I thought he was being an idiot (I'm not saying I was right, just what I thought in the moment).  I told him to go to bed, we got in an argument and then I ended up canceling the yard sale again and moving it to Sunday.  Chris's schedule changed the first of Sept and he now has Sunday and Monday off instead of 3 days in the middle of the week. 

So Saturday was a beautiful day.  Sunny, warm, but not too hot.  I felt guilty for not having the yard sale, but thought, that's okay, we'll do it tomorrow and it will be fine.  And then sometime in the middle of the night I woke up to the sound of very heavy rain.  And then woke up at 6am to rain. Great! rain. 

We set up our 1 canopy and tried to clean out half the garage and put stuff in the garage and under the canopy.  It was horrible.  I think maybe 3 people stopped.  It was supposed to clear up in the afternoon, but I wasn't planning on being out there all morning and afternoon. 

I will pause to say, I went for a run about 12 on Sunday afternoon, but I will get to my run in a min.

We made no money at our yard sale and even though I said I wasn't going to, I decided to put stuff out again on Monday.  We were already set up with stuff on tables, so I figured it wouldn't be as difficult to get it going.  I was right.  We did have more people come by, but it was pretty slim.  Still didn't make much money and I still have a garage full of stuff.  I'm going to Leavenworth with my sister this weekend but Chris said he was going to put stuff out again on Sunday.  His only day off (he's doing overtime right now).  It made for a busy weekend, and a little disappointing.

For whatever reason, I have not wanted to run. The only run I've been really wanting to do is my long runs, and even those are hard for me to go do because I'm so nervous about the new distances.  My middle of the week runs have been extremely hard for me to go do.  In August there was not one week I ran the entire number of miles I was supposed to.  I was 15 miles short of what I was supposed to be for the entire month.  And the middle of the week mid-long runs, yeah, I still have yet to do one over 7 miles.  Even last week, I skipped the 9 miles I was supposed to do on Thursday and ran 5 on Thursday and 3 on Friday (a normal rest day). 

Like I said, though, I have been diligent in doing my long runs on Sunday.  Even on my scale back week while I was on vacation, I still ran 10 miles (on Monday).  So on Sunday I had 18 miles scheduled.  I don't mind running in the rain, and have actually looked forward to my first rain run, but I did not want to run 18 miles in the misty rain that was happening Sunday morning.  I put it off, and put it off, and put it off.  Finally about 11:30 I decided I just needed to go do it.  So I slowly, very slowly, got ready.  Then I realized that I should probably eat something, I had breakfast, but that was a little while ago, and I was headed out for a 3 hour run at lunch time.  So I ate an egg and got out the door about 12pm.

The beginning of the run was hard for me mentally.  I was worried about 18 miles, what if I couldn't do it?  Then I was bargaining in my head, maybe I'll just do 9, maybe just 10.  Last week 12 miles felt fantastic, maybe I'll do 12.  At some point I told myself that if I was going to do 26.2 in just over a month, then I needed to do 18 miles and I needed to shut up and just run.  (By the way, there is a fantastic blog called Shut Up and Run, you should check her out, she's hilarious.)

I followed my fueling plan of 3 Honey Stingers every 2 miles starting at mile 5, plus the Nuun in my water bottle.  And honestly, I think it worked great.  At about the halfway point I felt great.  Thinking about how much farther I had to go, and it didn't scare me.  This was the third time I'd run that route and I knew I could finish it.  I was feeling great. 

I had about 5 miles left, I was feeling great, I was at 13 miles and I ate 3 Honey Stingers, took a swig of Nuun, noting how much I had left (not much) and suddenly it hit.  I had to use the bathroom.  I had to use the bathroom NOW!  I was just getting back into town, to my right was a couple farmhouses and on my left was a nursery, wait, are those restrooms near the offices of the nursery? Yes!! Saved!

Walked across the street, and guess what, locked!  Ugh!  Then up ahead, there was a church.  Churches are nice places, it's Sunday, there's a few cars in the parking lot, they wouldn't turn away someone who really needed to use their bathroom, would they??  I ran to it, and pulled on the front door.  Yay! it was unlocked.  I went inside and it was dark and quiet, it smelled like food, so I wondered if they were having an after church potluck or something.  I called out "hello" a couple times and was looking for the office.  I didn't see an office, but a men's room! yay, that means a woman's room was close.  Around a corner and there it was!  Saved.  I snuck in, did my business and left.  No one ever saw me. 

I finished out my run "easily."  Mile 18, yeah, it was an average 8.47min/mile.  Yes, after running 17 miles, I pulled out a 8.47 min/mile.  I felt great. =)

 

And then I got home.  And I sat on the toilet for almost 3 hours.  I'm serious.  Everytime I got up, I felt the urge to go sit down again.  It was terrible.  Honestly, terrible.  I didn't get to enjoy my long run treat, an awesome red velvet bundt cake.  Chris got pizza for dinner, which I did eat one piece of, but very carefully.  ; )

 

I don't know if it was the Honey Stingers, or just because I ran 18 miles.  It was awful.  And such a horrible way to end a great long run.  I also wondered if I didn't drink enough water.  I did a lot of research while sitting on the toilet, and dehydration can lead to diarrhea.  But "runner's trots" is common, I read that 30-50% of long distance runners suffer from it and it's most common in females.  Great! 

 

This week I'm headed to Leavenworth and it's "only" 14 miles.  My sister wants to leave early on Sunday, so I should have some time when I get home to run.  However, it's also Seahawks opening day, and I want to watch that as well.  

Not bad

This last weekend my Mom came to town to help me have a yard sale.  My aunt died a few months ago, and my mom has been working on cleaning out her house, that she didn’t live in, that was piled high in stuff, because apparently my aunt was a hoarder, literally.  Anyway, with all the stuff that my Mom has been pulling out of her house, she was going to bring some of it to my house for a yard sale.  We were going to do it on Saturday only.

Then throughout the week the weather was predicted to be rainy.  We haven’t had a lot of rain here for the last 3 months (maybe common for other areas, but I live in western WA, rain is common here, even in the summer).  I decided that even if it rained we were going to go ahead with the yard sale, I’ve been saying I was going to have a yard sale since May and finally scheduled it, my Mom was here, we were having it.

And then Friday night I looked at the weather and it was predicting a major windstorm.  Rain and wind?  Nothing would be dry.  Everything would blow away.  So my Mom and I decided to skip the yard sale.  She left some of her stuff at my house and I decided I would have it this Saturday, which is supposed to be sunny and in the 70’s.  And we had a windstorm.  I guess some places the wind got up to 85 mph, not my house, but not very far away.

We decided to do some grocery shopping instead. So Saturday we went to Walmart, no power, they were turning people away at the door.  Okay, we went to Safeway instead (I like Safeway a lot better anyway).  Then I remembered that I was out of running fuel, so I rushed to the running store to get some, closed, no power.  Ugh!  Then I remembered my Nuun and decided that I would just use that.  I haven’t taken a water bottle on a run “only” 12 miles long, but that was all I had so it would have to do. 

Luckily the wind only lasted Saturday.  I skipped my 5 mile run on Saturday because of it, but didn’t want to skip my 12 mile scale back run on Sunday.

I decided to just run my old long route through town.  I’ve done it so many times it was no big deal.  Although, when I looked at it to make sure it was 12 miles, I apparently looked at the wrong day.  I got to about mile 7 and realized I was only 2 miles from home.  I needed to be 5 miles from home.  Crap! So I had to do some figuring out where I could get another 2 miles in.  I hate adding miles at the end of my run, especially on a route I do regularly.  I like to get the added mileage done early so that I end in the same spot so I trick myself into thinking it wasn’t really longer.  (I don’t think it quite works though.) 

I usually end at a Middle School in the middle of a trail that I’ve run hundreds of times.  It’s a 2 mile trail that I used to run out and back one way and then out and back the other because the road I lived on was in exactly in the middle of the trail.  Well, lately I’ve been ended my runs after only running one mile of that trail, so I knew I could run out and back on the part I haven’t been running much lately and then add a half mile on the end of the out part of the trail to get the extra 3 miles I would need.  I did it and it didn’t suck.

I actually felt good about my run this last weekend.  I wasn't exhausted afterwards like I have been.  I didn't feel the need to crash on my couch for an hour or longer.  And my feet didn't hurt as much.  All good things.  Too bad marathons aren't shorter.  ; )

This week, 18 miles scheduled!  I'm sure my feet will be tired.  I'm sure I will be exhausted.  I'm hoping I have my fuel figured out. 

Another longest run ever

I didn't write anything last week . . . and I had a 16 mile run. The week just got away from me.  So I guess I'll write about last week's 16 miler and have to write about this week's 12 miler later.  ; ) 

16 miles.  Remember my 15 miles the week before?  Well, I decided to do the same route and just add half a mile out before turning around to make 16 miles.  I don't know if you've followed the news, and I don't know how much of it has made news outside of WA, but there have been some major fires here.  Not very close to me, but last weekend (August 23) the wind had carried a lot of the smoke to western WA, and it was especially bad on Sunday when I do my long run.  I worried a little bit about the quality of the air and if it would cause problems, but I needed to do it, so I left.

I should back up, I am going through about 2 packets of those Honey stingers a long run (well, I started with the 15 miles) so I need to go buy more every week, I should look them up on Amazon and see how much a box would be.  Anyway, on Saturday when I went to go get the Honey Stingers from the running store, I asked them about liquid fuel.  I didn't like the Gatorade very much, especially the sugar aftertaste.  They didn't carry anything, but they said that they really liked Nuun.  No sugar and you put it in water to dissolve and has a mild taste.  (Have you heard of Airborne? it looks just like that.)  They said that it was only at one of the grocery stores here, so even though I don't shop there (too expensive) that's where I went. 

I didn't feel that the way I had fueled while I ran was very good during my 15 mile run.  I felt dead towards the end, so I thought maybe I was too inconsistent with it, or not often enough.  I decided that starting at mile 5 I would take 3 honey stingers every 2 miles, and I would take sips of the Nuun whenever I felt like it. 

Nuun nutrition facts

I really think the sodium in these drinks is good for me.  When I don't have them, I want to lick the sweat off my arm after my run and I always crave really salty foods. I didn't have that feeling much last week (or this week).  The Nuun didn't taste great, but it had no sugar after taste like the Gatorade.  I did notice a bit of a chalky taste to it though, but it wasn't horrible.  I do crave water after awhile, I've noticed, but the only water fountains on my long run route is when I am 2 miles and half a mile from home.  But I stop, fill my water bottle and go on.

Anyway, thankfully the smoke didn't affect my run.  At the halfway point of my 15 mile run I stopped and took a picture, it's on my last blog post, but when I got to that same spot on this run I had to take a picture.  Both days there are no clouds, no fog. 


8/16/2015

8/23/2015

 I wish I had taken both pictures exactly the same, but in my defense I was in the middle of a long run, I wasn't thinking completely clearly. ; )  Anyway, they are at the same spot in the road. 

I thought maybe the run felt better than the 15 mile run because I knew I could run that far.  But after thinking about it, I really think between the Nuun, and eating the Honey Stingers every 2 miles, that was what helped.  Oh, and I purposely started out slow.  I tend to start too fast.  This time I purposely made myself slow down, even when I felt I was already going really slow.  I think it all worked well.  I was not nearly as tired at the end of the run as I have been at the end of all my other long runs.  I still wobbled a bit at the end of my run, but it didn't feel as bad as my 15 miler. 

And, my last mile was my fastest one.

I did come home and crash on my couch for about an hour.  But overall, my longest run ever, went better than all my other longest runs ever.  =)  Yesterday (Sunday) was 12 miles, easy.  And this next Sunday, 18!  Another longest run ever.  I feel very proud of myself, but each new distance makes me super worried.

This marathon won't run itself

On Sunday I ran 15 miles.  Yes, you read that correctly.  15 miles. 

Officially my longest single run ever.

And it will only stay my longest single run ever until this next Sunday, when I run 16 miles. 

You know what the mantra that goes through my head is when I don't want to go for a run (which, lately, has been every scheduled run I have)?  "This marathon won't run itself."  It works, I go for a run.  Sunday I didn't want to run 15 miles, but I knew I had to, so I sucked it up. 

My last long run of 13 miles was terrible.  I felt dead at 10 miles, and wiped out at 11 miles.  I thought afterwards that I probably had started too fast, plus, running in town with all the hills, probably contributed to my struggle.  I didn't want to drive out to the farm land to get to the flat areas, but 15 miles is more than enough to get me out of town.  So I started from home and ran out of town.  It was uphill for the first mile, and then downhill for the next mile, and I was out of town and on a flat road. 

5 miles out of town, 5 miles back to town, and then along the river and up a trail because that way is less of a hill to get home than the way I took to get out of town.  I felt really great for the first 7 or 8 miles, and then I started getting tired.  I even bought some Gatorade and had more than my normal amount of chews (honey stingers, I finally remembered to look).  I was still going pretty strong though at 10 miles, and then stopped to walk close to the 11 mile mark.  From there on I took several walk breaks. 

The red is the elevation, and the blue is my pace.
You can see where I started to slow down, until then I was pretty good at
keeping my pace even.

The mind is a terrible thing.  Once I got it in my head that my legs were tired, I couldn't shake that feeling.  My legs were tired, but looking back, probably not that tired.  I did find it interesting that I really started to get tired at about mile 11, last time it was at 10 miles. 

I have noticed that switching to music at the end of the run helps a lot with slowing down.  If you can see it above, you can see where I switched to music.  Right about mile 13 I got faster.  I listen to audiobooks on long runs, but music picks my pace up a little and the change helps me to forget for a little while.  I like to zone out with an audiobook, plus it keeps my pace down in the beginning, but I tend to run faster when listening to music.  When I get really tired, the music helps boost me a little.  My last mile was slower, but not my slowest (that was mile 11). 
I didn't like the Gatorade as my only thing to drink, and I missed water.  However, I think the Gatorade helped a lot with my tiredness, I definitely didn't feel as dead as my last long run.  When I drink soda (which is very rarely) I drink diet soda, so the sugar in the Gatorade (34g) left a bad taste in my mouth.  But I did feel much less like licking the salt off my arm when I was done, so the sodium (270mg) in it was probably a good thing (I am a very salty sweater).  I didn't think the honey stingers on my 13 mile run was enough, so I decided to try the Gatorade.  I think it helped, but like I said I didn't care for the after taste.  Of course, that might also have been the flavor I picked, lemon-lime, which I like when I'm not running but not so much while running.  I will try a different flavor this next Sunday.  And I think I'm going to get some more ShotBlocks.  I did those for my 10 mile run and liked them a lot.  I don't know if I am getting more tired because of the fuel, or just because of the increased mileage, but I'm willing to switch things up to see what works best for me. 

I just decided to look up the nutritional differences for Shot Blocks and Honey Stingers.

Shot Blocks                                 Honey Stingers

And it looks like the Honey Stingers are actually better.  I may get the Shot blocks anyway, maybe for my next scale back week and see how I do.  I also definitely felt that I didn't have enough Gatorade, but I don't want to buy another waterbottle, I just got the one I have.  I guess we'll see how I do with my 16 miles this week.  I may not have a choice about buying a new one, I may need something bigger. 

Anyway, I finished my run and was tired.  I laid down for about an hour in the afternoon, but again, I am not that sore.  And I haven't really noticed much increased hunger.  I did eat more than normal on Sunday, but according to MyFitnessPal, I did not eat as much as I burned calorie-wise so that is good.  I have heard that marathon training often makes you gain weight, because even though you are running farther, you are eating more and can easily overeat.  I am trying not to do that, I don't want to gain weight. 

Halfway point . . . I love the farmland.

While on my run I saw a hang glider, I wondered if he (or she) saw me as well.  While I was envious of them, I'm sure they weren't envious of me.  =)  I also saw an eagle, and a spray plane (can't think of their name, but you know, one of those planes that sprays weed killer on crops like in the Disney movie Planes).  =)



Finished!

I will not wear that shirt again on a long run.  The seams under my arms started to chafe very badly.  I was in pain, although I did not have any marks when I was done, which surprised me a lot.  I did get new capri pants, which you can't see well here.  I love them.  I will have to get someone to take a picture of me in them because they are cute. 

16 miles on Sunday.  Ouch! That's going to hurt!