Marathon Pictures

Ok, So my Marathon Pics didn't turn out as bad as I thought.

Here are the Brightroom pics.

 Nice and dry in my poncho at the start.

 There is the penny in my left hand that I picked up at the last mile. I carried it to the finish.

Is that dude in the blue race shirt checking out my butt? Or Sparkle Skirt? Or shoes?

 The photographer that took this pic called me his Shimmer Princess.

Look! It is wet outside! And I am walking.

Treat Yo Self!

Today, I am being nice to myself and celebrating my marathon cherry popping.

I had a Living Social and Groupon deals that I needed to use. Perfect! As I have a couple of days off from work to recover from Sunday. I am actually feeling pretty good today. Less muscle aches then yesterday. No blisters on my feet and still got all my toe nails.

One of my previously purchased treats was laser hair removal at The Skin Spa. I am choosing to get my pits done. Session one, so far, so good. 4 more sessions to go.

My 2nd deal today was a Groupon to Lilly Jane's Cupcakes. I love this place and everything is so tasty here.

My BF, who now regrets calling me overweight because I punched him in the arm, TWICE, pretty hard, is going to love watching me eat one of these. I am going for the "Milk's Favorite Cupcake" one.

My 3rd treat to myself today was a stop off at Rembrandt's. I've never cared for their coffee very much, but the atmosphere always makes up for the crappy coffee. And I filled up my punch card today. Yay! Next one is free!

I will get in a soak in the hot tub tonight after dinner. Dinner plans are roasted chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy. I will fit in some light stretching and lots of water drinking. I have an hour massage booked for tomorrow AND one next week.

What are some of the things that you do to treat yourself after a race or hard workout?

Seattle Marathon Race Report

The view of the race course via my airplane flight.

I thought I did as good as expected.Chip Time 6:34:51 - Official Time 6:35:00

I don't know what my Garmin says yet on my mile times. I have not uploaded t yet. I couldn't get it to get a satellite signal for about the first mile. There were some spotty spots where there was no connection, like the freeway tunnels, and I forgot to turn it off about an hour after finishing.

 I will not wear my  Nike running jacket in the rain next time like this because it held moisture the whole time and it was pretty heavy and soggy by mile 7. I wore it only because it had pockets for my stuff- cell phone, ipod, gloves (which I didn't need), chapstick and kleenex) I wore a throwaway rain poncho thingie and I tossed it at mile 23, when the rain let up for a few minutes. It helped block the rain from my cell phone and ipod. I wore the Newtons and felt ok in them. They were completely wet and miserably soggy by the 1st half and even though I don't have blisters (YAY!) I think the way my sock was rubbing on one of my toe nails was either pulling off my toe nail or I was starting to get a small blister under the nail. My foot was not happy after the run. It is so much better now on Monday.

I thought a few times how much fun the rain would be if I didn't have to worry about my ipod getting wet or ruining a cell phone. But then I would have had more time to worry about wet feet and the damage it would be causing.

There were less then 200 people who started walking. I am glad I did because if I would have started with the runners, I would not have had soup and bagels and such at the end. They put things away a little after I finished. After my post-race massage, which was about a half hour after I finished, there was nothing left except some bananas, bagels, water, and fruit cups of pineapple - leftovers on a table. I feel sad for those who finished later then I did. There would have been nothing for them.

Before the race, I made friends with a photographer, who got my pic at the end of the race. He called me his "shimmer princess" because I was wearing a blue Sparkle Skirt. Hopefully I will get to see how those soggy pics turned out very soon. He made me very happy because he was so friendly- and he liked the skirt.

I started the morning out with a tummy ache. Heaving and all. Not sure why. Couldn't even really eat anything for breakfast. I did have some Hammer Endurolytes and a Hammer Bar. I was only on 4 hours of sleep-couldn't get back to sleep after 2am! So that may have been why I didn't feel good. No sleep and all. I started the marathon queasy. I walked until mile 6. I found 2 pennies on the ground in the 1st mile. I figured that it was good luck, and like the city of seattle just sponsored me to run -I'm cheap to sponsor, ya'll! - lol, so I made sure those pennies were in my pocket.The full marathon runners caught up to the walkers at mile 6 so I started jogging so I didn't get ran over. I jogged for at least 6 more miles and that is where my feet were uncomfortably wet and my toe was distracting me. I felt the squish of all the water in my shoe. I was worried that I was going to get foot rot from 6 hours of wet feet and I was hoping the rain would stop sometime soon. I felt like I had the energy to keep going, not out of breath, and even able to zone out a few times. I was able to stay at a steady pace. There was a girl who, I think, started out as a walker with me, and she would run/walk. She passed me, I passed her. I felt like she was my running buddy for a couple of miles here. I did eventually stay in front of her about mile 14 and I never noticed her pass me again. My legs felt good until about mile 16. My quads were getting sore and my right knee was achy. My feet were sliding around in my shoes. I was worried that all that nice cushion my shoes had, was now ruined. I lift up my arms to drink water and I could feel all the water slosh around in my sleeve. Running up and down my arm when I moved it like I had a plastic water filled baggy on my arm. Around this time the hills were getting a little more constant. Around mile 17 there was a restaurant with their doors open cooking BACON! Not even able to eat any of it. It was torture! That smell. Ugh. Bacon has electrolytes too. I would rather have bacon at the water stations then gatorade. MMmmm. Bacon. Anyways, I alternated walking and my slogging until mile 23. I didn't care about the time on the clock. It was already 4-5hours so killing myself the last few miles was only going the help a few seconds- or even a few minutes, so I did what was comfortable. The hills were steep and wet. I didn't look around at the pretty land around me. I kept my head down to keep the water running off the bill of my hat. I threw away my poncho and I put my ipod on after mile 23, which I should have done sooner, and my Seattle playlist I made was the perfect boost to give me energy. Kid Sister's Right Hand Hi was the first song on shuffle and I was able to pass people as I slogged a little faster. I had to walk on the downhills that were leading to the Space Needle and into Seattle Center. I found another penny on the start of the last mile. It hurt really bad to stop and pick it up, but I ran (ha, slogged, I mean) with that penny in my hand to the finish line.



I drank water at all of the water stops. I walked through all the water stops because I can't drink and run. I had water and lemon-lime gatorade and one stop. I had 1 hammer vanilla gel at like, mile 5 or where ever the Mercer Island turnaround water stop was. (I brought 6 hammer gels with me and a 6 tab pack of caffe latte perpetuims, which I didn't take) I had like 5 vanilla GU's that were available at the water stops with my last GU at mile 23 or so. I grabbed the GU because they were easier to grab then fishing my Hammer Gels out of my Race-Lite Go. With the poncho and the rain, seriously it was a hassle this day, when it never has been before. The GU's didn't bother my stomach as much as they have before in training runs, but maybe because I was preoccupied with thinking about how wet I was.

I thought all of the course volunteers were great. Including the Seattle police making sure we were safe. I thought at one water stop, one volunteer was overwhelmed with handing out water so I had to find a water cup of my own. I think it was rain water because it tasted like the plywood it was sitting under.


Today, I feel good. A little bit of muscle soreness. A knot (which hurts the most out of everywhere on me - it's bad) in my shoulder that is making my left shoulder higher then my right, sore glutes, my knees feel a little swollen, my calves feel used, my abs and biceps even hurt, crap- everything feels like it has been worked. But I feel pretty good. Maybe a bit dehydrated. Hyper but tired. Wanting to lay down but not able to stop moving around.

Worse self-taken pic ever. But I am happy!

I am a little upset at my insensitive BF who asked today after he picked me up at the airport if there were other overweight people like me in the race. He did ask me yesterday after I finished if I lost a pound. I think my BF if a jerk that hates my weight. Sigh. He is just jealous that I have accomplished something other then sitting at home all the time.

I COMPLETED THE SEATTLE MARATHON!

Woot! Woot! I finished the Seattle Marathon yesterday afternoon. There were 11,007 participants and IT RAINED THE WHOLE TIME!

 There were plenty of potties near the start.

 I started at 7:15am with the walkers because I am SO slow.

 The half marathon runners were on the left. Walkers stayed in the Express Lane (funny-huh)

 The temps were perfect but it was WET AND WINDY!

 I wanted to cry here because all the military were remembering who was lost in Iraq, and all the flags was very moving. Like, emotionally moving. Not because of the wind.They were saying motivations things, like, "We may slow down, but we never give up." I was really trying hard not to cry. I was touched.

 Devil hills on the last half. I had to HIKE up one. It sucked. If you look at the results page, everyone has Positive Splits. The hills sucked. I feel like a total badass with this hard course being my FIRST!

 The finish line after I crossed.

 My splits.

MY METAL!

A race report is here.

Last Friday Night

Well, I made it to Seattle via airplane thanks to a little help from Atavan.

I picked up my race packet at the Westin, which is about 3/4mile from the start of the race tomorrow. The expo had the normal expo things, but Nuun was right in front with samples of their goodies. Lara Bar was there along with some organic granola company. This shirt is Saucony and long sleeved and I love it.

Thankfully the Westin was close enough for the Westlake xmas tree lighting and fireworks. There were a ton of people there and it was actually very festive and fun.

 I made it to Whole Foods and celebrated my vaycay alone with a Caesar Salad and a bottle of bubbly.

 I even got a Murad Vitamin C facial but it irritated the hell out of my skin. It was like it was a orange scented chemical peel. My face is SO red. I am really embarrassed to be walking around with an irritated, red face.

But despite the bad skin today, I have plans to meet up with 2 of my local friends. And I even have my race day gear all layed out for tomorrow morning! Seattle Marathon, I am so ready to rock you!

Ready To Go!

I am all packed and ready for Seattle. I have all my running gear and umbrella and gloves and 4 pairs of shoes (!!!!) for a 3 day trip. I know what my priorities are.

The Marathon is just in like 2 days!

My last day of work this week, a coworker gave me 2 candy bars - a King Sized KitKat (YUM!) and some Dove Dark Chocolate. He said I need calories for my marathon. Thank god he doesn't notice my tummy and all the calories stored there. 

I can't believe I am going to do this. I got a game plan. I am planning on starting with the walkers and I am going to walk at least the first 10 miles. That way, I can finish strong slogging at the end. Sunday is going to be taking me at least 6 hours.

I spent at least 3 hours last night getting my ipod playlist specifically for Seattle set up. I got common Seattle bands like Pearl Jam and Bikini Kill. But I also have uncommon bands like Deerhoof, and the now defunct These Arms Are Snakes. I also put in a bunch of other random things that I found on my itunes that I have not listened to in a while. Like, The Go! Team. God, I love them.

I didn't sleep very well last night as I do not like to fly. I am taking Ativan for the first time today, because, I really, really, really hate to fly. I know everything will be ok, and I will be a successful marathon finisher, but, I have to get to that Pacific Time Zone first. Ugh.

Have you ever taking anything to take the edge off when you fly?

It Will Never Be... Nerd Fitness

There is a fitness site / blog that I go on to every now and then to get a little extra motivation.

It is called Nerd Fitness. 

There is a post from the 7th of November that really spoke to me.

It will never be:

• easy
• perfect
• the right time

Nobody is going to:

• tell you exactly what to do
• drag you out of bed in the morning
• yell at you to eat healthy
• lift weights for you
• run a race for you

There will always be:

• holidays
• sick days
• sleepless nights
• early mornings
• vacations
• bad weather
• long days at the office

It will always be easier to:

• say no
• hit SNOOZE
• do nothing
• settle
• blame others
• make excuses
• give up
• say “I tried my best” when you really didn’t

Life is freaking tough - health, wealth, and happiness certainly don’t come easy.
For those reasons, you don’t need:

• The best equipment
• The best business plan
• The PERFECT workout program (it doesn’t exist)
• A super specific meal plan

And it’s okay to:

• not have all of the answers yet – NOBODY does
• not have your life completely figured out yet – NOBODY does
• get started and figure things out as you go

As Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are.”
Take action.  Make changes.
You will make mistakes.   You will fail.  Embrace it.
You know what’s NOT okay?

• to expect instant success and gratification
• to give up immediately when life doesn’t go your way
• to keep doing the same thing while expecting different results
• to coast through life while complaining about it
• to constantly wonder “what if” without ever finding out

Tomorrow never comes. 
Eventually never happens.
Today.
Now.
Shut up and start.

You can totally apply this Nerd Fitness post for anything. Running, having kids, getting that new job. And I agree with what is posted. I can say that I tried my best, when I know that I have not. I just do bare minimum at pretty much everything to just get by and running and working out is no exception. I'll be finishing that marathon in 6 days, but I could have done it lighter and faster. Life is tough and things don't come easy. I don't expect instant success and gratification and I do need to work on a plan to get different results if I continue this marathon thing next year.

Is there a site or someone that you go to to get some much needed tough love?  

Manic Monday

Yea, it's not really a manic Monday, but it is a Monday. Busy day of grocery store, pulled over by a motorcycle cop (no biggie, my tags are not on my plates but still on my registration), 1 mile slog, got my hair did at Fete (Amy is my homegirl) and now getting ready for work.

Did a quickie 1 mile treadmill slog at Ghetto Renew.

The lady on the machine next to me is a farter. I wanted a pic of her but didn't get one. Think of a mix of Kim Gordon and Iggy Pop. That's what she looks like. She's a regular at Ghetto Renew and I KNOW she has farted when I have worked out next to her before but she had to let one go today. One of those silent but deadly ones. I was disgusted. I gave her a dirty look and I know she knows that I know that she is gross. I had stanky pits and I made sure to raise my arms up a couple of times during my mile so she could smell my grossness. Yea, I am immature but does she HAVE to fart that much? Maybe she needs some Gas-X before she works out.

6 More days til Seattle!!!!

What do you do if you have a person in the gym that grosses you out? Do you be gross too or do you switch machines and try to get away?

What I Do On Saturday

Today's slog at Ghetto Renew was 5 miles in 65 minutes. 

  

It was unbearabley hot inside the building. I know that it is like 30-something outside but I don't need to pretend that it is summer inside. I would have done more miles if it wasn't like 80 degrees inside the building. It was WAY to hot. I was dripping sweat by my 1st half mile. And I was only doing a 13min/mile. It's not like I was working it enough to dump sweat.

I don't watch much TV, but there was a movie on Comedy Central that I was watching that made my slog so much more enjoyable. Will Arnett was in prison. What I watched of it, made me LOL out loud on the treadmill. The machines that were full of people were all of a sudden empty.

I even used the Foam Roller Ghetto Renew has laying around after my slog. My right glute needed attention after my last slog and figured that it wouldn't hurt to use it today. My IT band liked it and my glute isn't bothering my like last time, but I feel like going back over there and using it again.

It seems that blogging runner girls love froyo. Well, I forced my BF to take me and his 2 kids to get froyo. The 4 of us filled up my punch card so my next one is free. Yay!

Shizit is tasty. I really enjoyed the heck out of the Egg Nog and the Pumpkin. The egg nog more then the pumpkin. Cake batter will always be my number one fave. But egg nog was a winner for sure.

Now, on to my Redbox'ed movie - Horrible Bosses. 

And My Canadian Mist and Diet Dr. Pepper.

How do you spend your Saturday nights? Did you get your workout in today?

Against the Wind

Today I was running against the wind. That song is one of my favorite all time songs. I am not sure why. I was 2 when the song came out.

I started out pretty fast. My 1st mile was 10:29!!! But I realized why when I turned around and headed home.

WIND!

That, and I was amped up on 4 cups of coffee. 

I had quite a bit of wind resistance on that 2nd mile. I knew that it makes a difference (uh, that Boston fiasco) But I didn't realize that a few MPH of wind would have such an effect on MY times. I mean, come on. I only have 2 speeds. Slow speed and walking speed. Which is pretty much the same thing.
Going into the wind can be quite a bit of a struggle. I mean, I knew I was torching calories but I was slow and using more energy then I needed to.

I just hope that Seattle (10 DAYS!!!) won't have a lot of heavy wind and rain.

Coffee pot still has a half pot left. I better go take care of that now. Prepping for Seattle and such. Plus this dreary weather has me drinking more coffee then normal. 2 cups a day isn't enough for me.

Do you have a song that brings back good memories every time you hear it? I think my mom might of had that Bob Seger album and I think I heard it on the radio a lot when I was really young.

Slog of the Day

Today was just a quick 2 mile slog on the greenbelt. Both miles right around 12 minutes each.

SLOW is how I roll. yo.

silly finger got in the shot.

While on my 2nd mile, I realized that running does not come as easy to me as reading about running, or watching movies about running. Reading books and blogs and magazines about how people can run a 5K in 17 minutes or multiple marathons one weekend and then the next is not yet natural for me. The running part I mean. The reading part is cake. I don't sweat or get my heart rate up while I am sitting in bed or on the couch reading. It is a challenge, and most of the times a struggle to just get out the door. That struggle makes me doubt myself and gives me a chance to to think about how difficult this running thing is. I am not ready to give up. I have seen improvement of myself and fitness, but it has taken quite a bit of time. It has been very challenging for me this whole year. I never felt like bailing on the whole Seattle Marathon, but I am ready to tackle the Marathon NOW and ready to set new running goals for myself in 2012.

What are your 2012 running goals?
Do you use whatever pics you take or do you take a bazillion and use the best? I only took those 2 pics today.

Start the Taper

This weekend was unofficially the start of my taper. 13 more days until my Seattle Marathon. And to counteract the lack of major calorie burning from the long runs on the weekend, I feel that I need to watch what I eat a bit more. Plus, I feel like I need to keep my weight loss going down on the right track.

For some reason this pic wants to be sideways. 

Today's fooding is vegetarian. It wasn't really planned that way, but that is how it turned out. Broccoli and carrots dipped in sun dried tomato hummus. Along with a banana slathered in Maranatha chocolate almond spread. I prefer it over Nutella. It has more flavor. More nutty. More salty. Oh, I also need to work on my hydration after dehydrating myself with vodka drinks all weekend. One vegetarian meal does not counteract the ribs I ate last night while watching Dexter on DVD. But it does have the things I need to push the ribs out of my system.

I don't feel like I have the urge to run like some running addicts do when they start the taper. Maybe because I am lazy. And I am distracted by catching up on season 5 and 6 of Dexter. But mostly because I think I am lazy. And I actually like not having to sweat. And I can actually get things done in my day when it is not spent slogging on the greenbelt.

Even though I am not freaking out by this time spend lounging around, I am freaking about other things. Like, am I prepared to take a trip alone without the BF and friends and family? I have kept running a solitary activity for myself, but am I ready to be at an event (an event with 20,000 people!) without anyone I know cheering for me?

How do you react to your tapers? Love it or hate it?
Have you ever been to a race without knowing anyone or having anyone there for you?

Discoveries

 Today's slog - 2.5mi on the Ghetto Renew TM.

I have only been running/slogging/training for this marathon thing for about a year. I feel that I am at a point that I feel like I have made progress. Some of the good and bad things that I think I have discovered about myself in this past year.

1. I am finally losing weight. Yea, it took nearly a year to see the scale move without changing my diet a whole lot. 6 pounds as of today. I guess 6+ hours of slogging a week is my magic metabolism number.

2. My legs are more muscular. 3 semesters of weight training 4 days a week, 4 summers of  bike commuting, and 2 years of using an elliptical did not help my legs as much as running has. Plus I can power up hills on my bike way better with these bigger quad/hammie muscles.

3. I have more spider and varicose veins. Not a good thing in a vanity aspect. I only had, like, 2 ugly veins before. I have a lot more now. I should be wearing compression socks more, like when I go to work and raise my feet after slogs for a few minutes. This is a good excuse to lose weight so running is easier on my legs, and a healthier weight won't be pounding.

4. I can recover faster. After my half-marathon, my legs were pretty stiff and sore the evening of and the day after. Now, after slogs of 13+miles, my legs are not so sore. Maybe my knees feel a little stiff and swollen, but I am able to walk around and get up and down the steps to my house.

5. I am proving people wrong. Whether it is from their own jealousy or insecurity, or they really truly believe that I can not do it, I am proving them wrong. I am even proving myself wrong when I don't think I can finish, I get it done.

6. Shoulders and blades. I have bonier shoulders. I can feel more bone then padding then what was there before. Arm swinging repetition are getting some parts smaller. I can even get my shoulder blades to stick out a bit. The muscles around and under my shoulder blades were so tight, I could not get the muscles to relax. Ever. Now my back tension does not bother me like it used to.

7. My body is connected. When my posture is off, I feel it affecting somewhere else. If there is a pain in my IT Band, it affects my knee, which affects my gait, which affects my posture ect. Things compensate for something else. And I get how the body works so much easier then looking at a Kinesiology textbook!

8. I have lost flexibility. I have not been stretching as much as I should. Which can potentially be a problem. I used to be able to keep my knee straight when touching my toes. Not anymore. I used to easily be able to touch my foot to my butt to stretch my quads. Now, it is a little further away then it used to. I have to stretch more.

9. I am faster. Today on the Ghetto Renew TM, my speed was more comfortable faster then around the start of summer. From struggling at a 4.3 to a 5.5. I think this is a big deal.

Boise State lost today. I am spending the rest of Saturday grieving.

The Best Part of Going Uphill

Today's slog was 3.47 miles in 41:43. Which included walking during a cell phone call around the 2 mile mark.

my pics always seem unflattering. or maybe cuz i just woke up.

Started at the Firefighters Memorial on the greenbelt. Was going just by feel with a more then 2, less then 5 mile goal. I wore the Newtons and didn't want to hurt myself. I may take them to Seattle to wear. The greenbelt is closed up by Joes Crab Shack and you are detoured behind the old Red Lion Riverside and into ghettoville.

I mean Garden City. I didn't feel too comfortable running on the streets with nothing but trucks and trailer houses, so I headed back. Plus I didn't know how long the detour was and where it went exactly.

ugh. BSU's biggest rival ever is in town.

I made myself go up the railroad bridge by the connector because it is sorta like a hill. Uphill until you hit Orchard. I've always liked this hidden part of the greenbelt. I felt like I did more in elevation then the 57' that Mr. Garmin said I did. Oh well. It was an incline and the decline was the best part. I felt comfortable and my 11min/mi pace felt effortless.

And I burned nearly 500 calories. That means I have pretty much taken care of my pre-slog breakfast and after-slog snack.

I am not a big fan of Nutella but it was there. And I took care of the Apple Pie LaraBar. Yum.

What do you put Nutella on? I think it is weird, like cake frosting and not enough nut flavor. I usually slather a spoon of it on bananas, which I don't like eating all that much either.

Do you incorporate hills into your training?

5 Pounds Down

I have been on a quest to lose weight for years. Weight never has just magically disappeared on me. Never. Fat loves me. Loves me too much.

I also want to be a bit lighter for Seattle. You know, help my marathon time and all. Plus if I walk into Channel or Prada downtown, I can maybe fit something on my arm.

I have said before I have had success with daily elliptical use - an hour a day, like, everyday. But I have been slacking on that.

I have been eating a lot of salads this past month. Everyday for lunch is pretty much a salad. Spinach, chickpeas or kidney beans, carrots and broccoli. Sometimes a chicken breast, walnuts or apple slices are involved. I am getting really tired of spinach and broccoli. But it is so healthy and always available at Costco.

Sometimes when I don't have time or salad fixin's at home, I will go to Wendy's (preferred) or McDonald's (not preferred) for a $6.00 salad for lunch at work.

Rabbit food must be good for me because when I have weighed myself a couple times this week, the scale has said that I am down 5 pounds. Lots of veggies and protein, and the only carbs are pretty much in my breakfast and coffee drinks or hot chocolate in the evening. Oh, and excluding all the Halloween candy I had to sneak at random times in the day the last couple weeks. I am also eating my dinner at work earlier. I think that may be a help. Instead of 9pm, I have been trying to eat most of it at 7pm during my break time.

Do you have any stubborn weight loss secrets? What do you like to eat on your salads? I am a fan of chickpeas and cottage cheese every now and then.

Afternoon Quickie

Today, I got my butt out the door for a quickie. A quick 2 mile slog in the Newtons.

 That is about as fast as I can go in those shoes. I was trying to go slower, but those Newtons make me want to go faster. They feel good. A little tight in the toe box then what I am used to. They don't hurt my feet unlike my Brooks, but I have only used them for short runs no longer then 3 miles.

Today's pre-slog fuel consisted of piece of leftover pizza from Saturday as breakfast today (pizza has to be one of the best things in the world) and 3 cups of coffee.

My warm-up consisted of walking down the street to the Redbox to use my free DVD code for the month. I picked Attack The Block. I will watch it after I finish posting this. I am also ripping The Human Resources Manager to my Ipod now. So that will get watched also this week. Oh and I went to see Cowboys Vs. Aliens with Daniel Craig last night. What a treat. Daniel Craig is my imaginary movie star BF since Layer Cake.

What was the last movie you watched?
Any movie star you would leave you significant other for?
What sort of work out did you do today?

Seattle Game Plan Thoughts

After Saturday's run, I was discussing my Seattle game plan with the BF. Perfect person to throw running ideas around to, given the fact that he doesn't run because he is so fearful of a knee injury. He needs a down filled bubble to put his delicate self into for protection. But, cripes, I AM worried and the Seattle Marathon is in 20-some days. I think I just poo'ed a little thinking about how close it really is.

I can't slog the whole thing at a constant pace. The last couple weekends, I have failed on my attempts. I know I can stay upright and moving by walking part and slogging part, but I can't slog it all. I feel I need more time to prepare. Like another 30 years. But, hey. The Provo Marathon is in 6 months. Maybe that will be enough time to prepare?  It will be my birthday weekend...

I want to finish before the 7 hours when they open the roads to traffic. Like 6-6:30, only because my half marathon time was 3 hours, I can double that, plus some and get my marathon goal time?

I have been hurting at the end of the long runs. But I do start out too fast for me and I am not yet fit enough to really power though the whole 26 miles. I have a hard time slowing my start, staying at a constant speed and feeling strong at the end. Even if I walk/run the last few miles of my long runs, my knees feel so stiff and swollen they don't like the changes in speed and I just stay walking.

I don't want to cramp up or not be able to walk back to my hotel room after the race. I will be doing this completely alone with no BF to support me. All by my sorta-lonesome self. Well, I am visiting a couple Seattle area friends and maybe a co-workers son, but no one I expect at the marathon or after. So I have to not hurt so bad I can't get back to my room.

I was thinking, what if I walk the 1st half and slog the 2nd half. Could I start out with the walkers then? Or should I start out with the runners like I signed up for and then gimp towards the finish? I can walk lots of miles, and I know I can handle 13+ miles slogging. I am comfortable with 13. Even 16. But 26 miles slogging, I am getting worried.

The Seattle Marathon page says that the course "allows for a 25 min/mile pace for walkers and an 18 min/mile pace for runners." Well, according to Mr. Garmin, I walk anywhere from a 17-19min/mile and my runs are no slower then 15 when I walk part of it, with an average of 13 when I slog.

Gawd, I am sssslllooowwww.

My head knows I can do this, but my body- I am not sure yet.

Maybe I should pay attention to Monday's horoscope and relax a bit.

Taurus     There’s no need to work yourself into a state of high anxiety, especially since the conclusions you draw today are likely built upon incorrect assumptions. You cannot trust your senses now because you can’t help projecting your fantasies onto the events you perceive, creating a loss of objectivity. Enjoy the movie your mind is directing, but keep in mind that it's a work of fiction rather than a documentary. Your view of reality will be clear again in a few days.

26 Into 16

Saturday's 26 mile long training run turned in 16. It was cold, like 40 degrees when I headed out and got only colder from there. The wind was blowing fairly hard and I headed out wearing less then what I did Friday for fear of overheating.

Started my slog from my house. My house to Lucky Peak and back is about 26 miles. I went out earlier then my last 2 long runs. I felt confident and prepared. Silly me.

Called the BF to meet me at BSU to bring me more clothes - the ones I wore Friday. I was cold. Like stupid cold. And I should have just turned around and slogged the 2.5 miles home to get more clothes instead of waiting at BSU for the BF. Anyways, he brought me my things and I was protected against the cold, cold wind and I was confident I was going to be successful in my running journey of the day.

I went into this with a plan to fuel less then last week - every 5 miles which worked out until mile 8. My legs were getting pretty tired. The beanie I was wearing was acrylic instead of wool. It was freaking me out that my sweat was not able to evaporate and my hair was soaked, dripping onto my Nike running jacket, making me colder then what I fear I actually was.

There were more deer running around then what was out there last week. All bouncing around in the fields and pretty close to me on the Greenbelt.

There is a deer butt in the center of the pic. He was very close to me and when I tried to take his pic, he kinda acted a little camera shy.

The cold prevented me from really enjoying this run. And the scenery. If last Saturday and this Saturday were combined, it would have been a perfect day. There was no one out on the greenbelt, which I love. But not today.

Behind the dam there is no water. You can actually walk across to the other side. Very cool.

I turned around after the dam. I was too cold. And my right front hip/quad area was starting to hurt. I was walking to help stretch it out but feared that my feet were going to hurt as bad as last week because my feet do not like to walk in my shoes.

Then front hip/quad area actually cramped. I was limping. Tried stretching it but I felt like it made it worse. I called the BF to pick me up. My face was so cold-it was frozen. I couldn't even move my lips to talk on the phone. That was a sign I needed to pack it in. Tried to run so that he didn't have to drive as far to come get me, but I was hurting. And really cold. I've said I was cold a lot this post.

Anyways after a hot shower, changed into sweatpants and fleece, ate pizza and froyo at Blue Cow (who would have guessed that an froyo shop is THE place to be on a Saturday night?!) physically I felt ok. I was discussing a Seattle game plan with the BF. I'll post my thoughts on another post.

I know blogging runners love fro-yo. Are your favorite locations open late - like Midnight on Fri/Sat? Blue Cow is 10pm on Saturday and U-Swirl on Overland is midnight, or is it just Boise?