I find myself constantly feeling hungry. I thought I might lose that last 10 pounds I wanted to lose while training for the marathon (still hoping it will happen in these last 6 weeks as my miles peak....though the last few weeks will have the taper...), but I'm hungry all the time. I haven't gained weight, but I just keep hovering up and down around the same 2-5 pounds. I try to resist the urge to eat when I can, but I just keep thinking about food until I finally eat something. I know I'm burning a lot of calories when I'm running 35+ miles a week, but it's hard to find the perfect balance. I've tried to eat when I'm hungry and make good choices, but when I feel hungry all the time I know I can't eat all the time!!
When I'm not feeling hungry, I'm either feeling extremely tired or extremely restless. After a rest day, I feel jittery with the urge to go for a run. On consecutive running days (T-W-Th), and after the long weekend run on Saturday, I feel tired. I think the taper weeks will be very difficult, as I will really feel jittery about the upcoming marathon.
I try to focus on my job and my relationships, but it is hard to really be completely there all the time. When I'm busy, I am focused on what I am doing....but whenever I have down time, my mind is on running. When I have free moments, I want to read running tips or check in with the St. Jude website to see how my fundraising is going, or look up a half marathon for the spring....
I wonder how I will feel after I complete the marathon. Will I think, "Never Again!" like many people I know who have run that one marathon to check off their bucket list.....or will I be looking to sign up again as soon as possible ( I also know some crazy people in this category). It's hard to say. At this point, I'm thinking I will pick a half marathon for the spring and maybe a few other smaller runs. I like attending the organized races/runs, and it is harder to find time to participate in as many runs when training for a marathon.
This week I will run 7, 4, and 5 miles during my midweek runs. On Saturday, I will complete my second 20 mile run. I think I'm most fidgetty on Tuesday mornings, because after resting Monday I am reved up for the week of running. I'm also worrying about getting all the runs in, though I haven't missed runs except when I was injured.
Time to get ready for work. Happy Running!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
My First 20 Miler!
I'm so excited that I have completed my first 20 miler!! I woke up super early yesterday (Saturday) morning. I was both nervous and excited about completing my first 20 miler. My sister spent the night Friday night so we could get up and run together. She was planning on running around 13. We aren't exactly the same pace, but it's still nice knowing someone else is out there somewhat nearby. We ran at Creve Couer Park. There is a nice, mostly flat, looped trail around a lake that is a 3.7 mile loop. There is also a bigger loop that is around 5 miles, and some other trails connecting off, too. I did different loops of different directions to get the 20 miles. I kept a mostly steady pace, averaging an 11:05 pace. The McMillan Race Pace calculator recommends that I keep my run between 11:06-12:06 for my long runs, so I was pretty close to the recommended pace. I kept trying to keep myself motivated at the moments I thought about taking a walking break by thinking about the distance I was at, the distance I had left, how pleased I would feel when I finished the run without stopping to walk, counting down until I could have the next stinger chew or the mini-payday. I have been taking a stinger chew (I previously used the GU chomps, but I like that the stingers are softer and smaller, so they are easier to chew while running) at miles 5 and 15. I have been eating a mini payday bar at mile 10. On my last two long runs, I found myself feeling very hungry around mile 16. I have just been drinking water, but I do have a fizz drink with my breakfast in the morning.
After the run, I was signed up to participate in the SHARE walk. The National Share Walk for Remembrance & Hope is an annual event to remember the lives of babies that were lost during pregnancy loss, stillbirth or in the first few months of life. This walk provides an ceremony of hope, giving each baby a chance to be recognized while all of the names of those lost are read. My friend and co-worker, Marissa Steinhoff, lost her baby Paige just a few days after birth in January 2011. I wanted to complete my run in time to walk with their family. I was able to find her, and I did complete the distance of the walk, but I did not get to walk with the Steinhoff/Godefroid families. In my thoughts, I dedicated the 20 mile run, plus the extra mile I walked up to find the family and back to the car, to Paige and all the other heavenly babies.
I continue to work on fundraising for St. Jude as a St. Jude Hero for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. All of my training and runs are also dedicated to the families at St. Jude. I hope the money I raise, and the time commitment of training for the marathon can in some small way help bring comfort and support to the children and families dealing with childhood cancer. If you would like to donate to St. Jude, here is the link:
After the run, I was signed up to participate in the SHARE walk. The National Share Walk for Remembrance & Hope is an annual event to remember the lives of babies that were lost during pregnancy loss, stillbirth or in the first few months of life. This walk provides an ceremony of hope, giving each baby a chance to be recognized while all of the names of those lost are read. My friend and co-worker, Marissa Steinhoff, lost her baby Paige just a few days after birth in January 2011. I wanted to complete my run in time to walk with their family. I was able to find her, and I did complete the distance of the walk, but I did not get to walk with the Steinhoff/Godefroid families. In my thoughts, I dedicated the 20 mile run, plus the extra mile I walked up to find the family and back to the car, to Paige and all the other heavenly babies.
I continue to work on fundraising for St. Jude as a St. Jude Hero for the St. Jude Memphis Marathon. All of my training and runs are also dedicated to the families at St. Jude. I hope the money I raise, and the time commitment of training for the marathon can in some small way help bring comfort and support to the children and families dealing with childhood cancer. If you would like to donate to St. Jude, here is the link:
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Next Long Run
I find myself spending most of my week thinking about the next long run. Each Saturday, I spend some time feeling satisfied that I completed the new distance (18 miles last Saturday!). All day on Saturday, I feel like I have made that next step toward the marathon. I feel my sore muscles and know I have worked hard. I usually enjoy a nice lunch, and then find some time to relax. On Sunday, I'm usually super hungry all day. I also am usually so busy with all the chores that need done (laundry, cleaning, grading papers) that I don't have much time to think about things. I either go for a 3 mile recovery jog or walk, depending how I am feeling, but I spend most of the day getting things accomplished. Monday comes and it's back to work. Along with getting ready for the next work week, I preview my run schedule for the upcoming week and think about where and how I will fit all the runs in. Then I start thinking about where to go for the next long run, how far I will have to run, and what I will need to do to accomplish this new distance. It's an endless cycle week after week, until the day of the big race....
This past Saturday, my friend Amy met up with me when I was just about finished with my 10th mile, then she ran the remaining 8 miles with me. It was a nice pick me up to have someone join in on the second half of the run. I kept my 10 miles going, because I knew she would be there to meet me at the expected time. Then having someone to talk to kept me going for the final 8. We ran on a nice looped approximately 5 mile course around a lake. I though I'd get bored going in circles, but it wasn't bad. Dave is still unable to run more than a short distance without discomfort, so he went on a 41 mile bike ride. Afterwards, we went home and picked up Anna (Erik was at a friend's house) and went out to lunch. Later on, I took Anna shopping. We got home from shopping in time for dinner, and I was ready to crash. I was so exhausted. I didn't even really feel like eating dinner, and I was in bed by 9. I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! Yesterday, Sunday, I was starving all day and couldn't get enough to eat. I thought running a marathon would help me lose the last bit of weight I was hoping to lose, but I'm so hungry all the time. I haven't gained weight, but I also haven't lost anymore. I just keep going up and down the same 2-5 or so pounds from day to day and week to week.
Well, I better get ready for school. Time to think about something else besides running for awhile, though in the back of my mind I'll be preparing for the 20 miles this Saturday......
Happy Running!
This past Saturday, my friend Amy met up with me when I was just about finished with my 10th mile, then she ran the remaining 8 miles with me. It was a nice pick me up to have someone join in on the second half of the run. I kept my 10 miles going, because I knew she would be there to meet me at the expected time. Then having someone to talk to kept me going for the final 8. We ran on a nice looped approximately 5 mile course around a lake. I though I'd get bored going in circles, but it wasn't bad. Dave is still unable to run more than a short distance without discomfort, so he went on a 41 mile bike ride. Afterwards, we went home and picked up Anna (Erik was at a friend's house) and went out to lunch. Later on, I took Anna shopping. We got home from shopping in time for dinner, and I was ready to crash. I was so exhausted. I didn't even really feel like eating dinner, and I was in bed by 9. I think I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! Yesterday, Sunday, I was starving all day and couldn't get enough to eat. I thought running a marathon would help me lose the last bit of weight I was hoping to lose, but I'm so hungry all the time. I haven't gained weight, but I also haven't lost anymore. I just keep going up and down the same 2-5 or so pounds from day to day and week to week.
Well, I better get ready for school. Time to think about something else besides running for awhile, though in the back of my mind I'll be preparing for the 20 miles this Saturday......
Happy Running!
Friday, October 12, 2012
MO Cowbell Half Marathon
On Sunday, I participated in the MO Cowbell Half Marathon in St. Charles. It was a cold morning, so I had to layer up before the race. I met up with a neighborhood friends, and also ran into one of my sister's friends from High School (I also was her son's teacher a few years ago). We started with a nice slow first mile to warm up, then picked up the pace just a bit. We all stayed together until about the 10K mark. Two of us stayed together until about the 15K mark. Then I felt ready to kick it up a bit, so as I was going into the second half of the race (also the section with all the hills), I was able to increase my pace with each mile. I ended up with a 2:11:11 finish time. This was my best half marathon time! (This is half marathon number 5 in one year's time). It average to a 10:01 pace. Now I look back at the miles where I could have taken off 5-15 seconds in the earlier miles, but I did what I set out to do. My goal was to run a negative split race to see if it was a better race, and it definitely got me a better time!
My sister also ran in the half marathon with another friend of ours. She finished strong with a time inbetween her first half and her fastest half (this was her 3rd half marathon in just 5 months).
My mom ran in the 5K and placed 3rd in her age group! She hadn't been able to run since July, due to a surgery, and she had only returned to running about 3 weeks ago. Dave also ended up run/walking the 5K, as he is still recovering from an injury and going through physical therapy. I'm hoping he can get back to running soon, so we will be prepared for our full in December!
Hard to believe we are just 7 weeks away from the marathon! I'm getting excited and nervous when I think about it, but most of the time I'm really just focused on that next long run.
My sister also ran in the half marathon with another friend of ours. She finished strong with a time inbetween her first half and her fastest half (this was her 3rd half marathon in just 5 months).
My mom ran in the 5K and placed 3rd in her age group! She hadn't been able to run since July, due to a surgery, and she had only returned to running about 3 weeks ago. Dave also ended up run/walking the 5K, as he is still recovering from an injury and going through physical therapy. I'm hoping he can get back to running soon, so we will be prepared for our full in December!
Hard to believe we are just 7 weeks away from the marathon! I'm getting excited and nervous when I think about it, but most of the time I'm really just focused on that next long run.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Still Training for the Full Marathon
I am about 2 months away from the full marathon. My longest run to date was a 16 mile run last weekend. It went well. I finally ran on a course with hills again, after several weeks on running on flat or mostly flat courses. My ankle/foot still feel tight quite often, but the doctor said it probably would not be 100% until I was recovering after the full and took some time off or at least cut back on the miles for awhile. Fundraising is going well for St. Jude. I officially have raised $430 toward my goal of $500. I have another $260 at home that I have collected and will be sending in soon, so my actual total is $690. Not bad after a month of fundraising. It is great to have supportive friends and family!
Tomorrow I will be running the MO Cowbell Half Marathon. It is the "trial run" midway through the training to see how things are going toward the full. My sister is running it, as are some other friends. My mom is running the 5K at the same time. Soon my parents will be arriving, and my mom and I will be heading down to the expo to pick up our race numbers, shirts, and cowbells.
Dave is now injured. After I am finally on the road to recovery and running again, though still with some discomfort, Dave now can't run without limping. He is trying ASTYM to see if it can help him, too. He just started the ASTYM this week, so he does not think he'll be able to run tomorrow. So disappointing, especially as he has ended up injured at some point in his training for all the full and half marathon trainings we have completed.
I'm giving Juice Plus a try to see if it helps with my training and health. It's hard to say if it is or not. I really haven't been sick as often as I used to since I have been eating healthier and running. This ankle/foot injury was my first injury throughout my training, but it happened before I started the Juice Plus. I have noticed that I don't seem to have as much muscle soreness after my long runs, but I do feel fatigued at times. I am putting in more miles than I have at any prior point in the last year and a half of running, so it makes since that at times my legs would feel tired. I'm trying to get to bed on time each night and eat right, but sometimes it's hard to do.
I'll try to get an update in on how the run went. Happy running!
Tomorrow I will be running the MO Cowbell Half Marathon. It is the "trial run" midway through the training to see how things are going toward the full. My sister is running it, as are some other friends. My mom is running the 5K at the same time. Soon my parents will be arriving, and my mom and I will be heading down to the expo to pick up our race numbers, shirts, and cowbells.
Dave is now injured. After I am finally on the road to recovery and running again, though still with some discomfort, Dave now can't run without limping. He is trying ASTYM to see if it can help him, too. He just started the ASTYM this week, so he does not think he'll be able to run tomorrow. So disappointing, especially as he has ended up injured at some point in his training for all the full and half marathon trainings we have completed.
I'm giving Juice Plus a try to see if it helps with my training and health. It's hard to say if it is or not. I really haven't been sick as often as I used to since I have been eating healthier and running. This ankle/foot injury was my first injury throughout my training, but it happened before I started the Juice Plus. I have noticed that I don't seem to have as much muscle soreness after my long runs, but I do feel fatigued at times. I am putting in more miles than I have at any prior point in the last year and a half of running, so it makes since that at times my legs would feel tired. I'm trying to get to bed on time each night and eat right, but sometimes it's hard to do.
I'll try to get an update in on how the run went. Happy running!
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