T-7 Days to the Half Marathon

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Anyone who knows me knows I am an anxious mess, pretty much 24/7, over everything that occurs in my normal life. So, I bet you can imagine my growing freak-out as January 8th comes closer and closer. I have been checking accuweather.com and weather.com twice a day to figure out what my race weather will be like, and what my flying out weather will be like. I've made a deal with God/The Universe/Mother Nature that as long as the flying weather is safe and good, I will run in any weather without complaint. *fingers crossed*

I have started packing a few items I won't need between now and the race, like my watch and Clif Blocks and a sports bra, etc. I have a two-page list of what I need to bring, and I am freaking out that I will get to Florida and realize I forgot some crucial item. Contacts, my running shoes, my Wellbutrin, LOL... not that it' working.

I am trying to do the reverse-thinking that sometimes helps me. Instead of worrying bout everything, I am trying to hold onto the thought of how lucky I am to be able to do this race: financially, physically, time-wise, etc. It helps some, but not long-term.

One of the dictionary.com definition of anxious is "earnestly desirous, eager", so I am going to focus on that way of looking at this. WAHOO!

T-12 Days to the Half Marathon

HOLY. SHIT. This is getting really really real. I am starting to have a bit of a panic attack.

My 8 mile run on Christmas Eve suuuuuuuucked. I had no energy and I just felt blah. I am hoping it was a just a treadmill thing, but I'm nervous about how I'll feel on the road since I haven't run outside in several weeks.

HOLD ME

T-20 Days to the Half Marathon: Part II

I DID IT!! I did it, I did it, I did it!!

10 miles hammered out on the treadmill. It took me 2 hours and 15 minutes, so it's not like I'll be tearing up the road at Disney, but I know I can struggle through 3 more on the big day. The biggest thing today's run did for me was give me the confidence that I can finish the half.

I got up at 5:30am today and ate a dry untoasted bagel, unsweetened applesauce, and water. Then at 7:00am I ate half a banana, with more water. I started running at 8am and took in 3 Clif Blocks every 45 minutes, and drank about 20oz of water. I know that wasn't enough water, but I didn't want to get off the treadmill to refill my water bottle because I was afraid I'd lose it.

I did a 5 minute warm-up and cool-down that are included in my time, and I did a few breaks of 5 minutes of walking within the 10 miles. For the majority of the run, though, I stuck to the 5/2 ration of running/walking. It seemed to work really well for me. My legs stayed mostly fresh.

I had this crazy burst of optimism and energy at mile 7, and ran the full mile at my 12 min/mile pace, singing along to Ricky Martin (She Bangs) on my iPod and feeling super. Then from mile 9 to 10, I thought I was going to go shooting off the back of the treadmill. This shows me that keeping to my racing strategy and pace is very important. I think that will be hard at Disney will all the distractions.

What a relief. I have been so keyed up about this. Running is so, so mental. I mean, clearly it's physical too, because my feet and ankles are killing me, and my lungs feel all nice and big and clear, but my brain totally controls the mind over matter.

I realized that I need thicker socks to help protect my feet from my hard inserts, and a new (slightly smaller?) sports bra. I also will need to wear a super-lame wrist sweatband thing, because I really hate wiping my face with my hands and then my hands on my pants.

I cannot believe that 9 months ago I was gagging and struggling to walk for half an hour with small stretches of running thrown in. That makes me really proud, because running isn't something you can fake. I've put in the work. Overall, I will leave you with this gem that sums up my feelings: “Winners compare their achievements with their goals, while losers compare their achievements with those of other people.”

T-20 Days to the Half Marathon

Holy crap, this thing is getting really really real. 20 days until I line up at 5:40am to run 13.1 miles with 30,000 of my closest friends. *butterflies*

This morning is the peak of my training. I am headed to the gym to do 10 miles on the "dread"mill. It's quite gross outside as far as road conditions, and I'm still afraid that my back might crap out, so I'm going to keep it inside today. I am hoping for the best but expecting the worst, because that's how I roll.

I will update you all in cyberspace about how it goes. I bought two new songs (the "This or That" song from the KIA commercial, and "Bottles Up" by whomever... I hear it on 95XXX) for this occasion. That will make 8 minutes of running less painful.

T-28 Days to the Half Marathon

To add insult to injury, my back went out on Monday night. Oh, the pain! I have not done a thing since my long "run" last Saturday. My heels and ankles feel pretty good (BECAUSE I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO USE THEM), but my back is tight and painful and I don't know if/how I'll do my 6 miles scheduled for this weekend. I am so scared that after 9 months of work and focus, I am going to fail at the end of this running journey. It's horrifying.

T-32 Days to the Half Marathon

The shit is hitting the fan. My ankles and heels are worse then ever, and then today I threw my back out. I am so very, very discouraged that the closer I've gotten to the event, the worse I've felt. Maybe this is the way my body is forcing me to take rest this week? I literally can't do anything else.

I did 8 miles on Saturday, in 28*F weather and snow. I fell once on black ice, and got a couple hives on my thighs from the cold. Overall, I felt good, and clocked a 15 minute mile pace. Why so slow, you ask? Because I walked almost all of it. Between the slippery conditions and the pain in my legs, it just seemed like the smart thing to do. I still logged the "foot time", so I'm counting it.

I asked a few runner friends, and they said it's normal to get frustrated/bored/antsy at this stage of the training game, with the event so close. Still, I think I would be happy as a clam if my body would just cooperate. I love running; I had being in pain because of it.

To end on a positive note, I still try to hold the mantra "run with joy" in my head as I do my training. The shittiest day out on the roads is better than the best day in a sick bed. I am trying to be always thankful.

T-47 Days to the Half Marathon

I did a 7 mile long "run" today. I say "run" because I walked long chunks of it today. My knees were both hurting me- that's new. And I am recovering from a sinus infection/cold/something-or-other, and don't want to either make myself worse or lengthen my recovery.

Still, my average pace was a 13.5 minute mile, which means my running pace was probably quicker than a 12 minute mile when I was actually running. I feel good about that! I cannot believe that I really have just a little over a month until I head off for this half; it feels like I've been training forever!

Today I had two dogs charge me (a Chocolate Lab would was retrieved by his owner, and a cattle dog who responded to my command to "go home!"), and I had a runner pass me twice: once as he ran in the opposite direction I was, and once upon his return. He was a smooth, lithe, fast runner with great form, and a perfect footstrike. I am so grateful that I have never seen myself run; I'm sure I'd have quit if I had.

I went to two jewelry shows yesterday and today. I have to start thinking about what jewelry I will wear for the half. Should be the least of my worries, yes, but nonetheless. I want the earrings to be light enough to not bug me, but cute for pictures. Necklace? I've never run with one on, but all the Olympic sprinters do, so it must be possible. I'll wear my wedding and engagement rings only, because my fingers swell as I run and that can get uncomfortable. Decisions, decisions.