Stalking

So, the Eugene Marathon has this thing set up so you can check a runner's status as they go through the race. It will give you updates at 10k, half marathon, 20 miles, and finish. I currently have it automatically linking to my facebook page so that there will be automatic updates as I get to those points.

If you are not my friend on facebook, you can go to the Eugene Marathon website and they will have a "tracking tool". All you need is my bib number - 1300. Mike is 1302. John is 1398.

Happy stalking! :)

"In the Footsteps of LEGENDS"

As part of the Eugene Marathon, they will be dedicating each mile to a legendary runner. While I don't know a whole lot about legendary runners, these names don't mean a whole lot to me. Instead, I decided to come up with my own list of "supportive" legends:

1. Hal Higdon - He gave me my training plan and walked me through every last bit of my training with his online resources. Running the first mile of a marathon is absolutely dedicated to Hal. Thanks bud!
2. Rusty Weise - Rusty is a guy that I work with. He is having knee surgery today. Throughout my training, he would refer to me as the number of miles that I had run that weekend i.e., "Hey 18!" making me feel like a running stud. He shared stories about wanting to be able to run without knee pain, so mile two, the one that seems to do Rusty in, is for him.
3. Amanda and Joel - They have been inspired to run a 5k at the end of May and are great friends and amazing supporters. This third mile, the last one of a 5k, is for them.
4. Kathy Carlisle - Kathy is in my head every run telling me to stay positive. Mile four will be a positive one :)
5. Ryan and Amy - The best neighbors that two obsessive runners could ask for. They will be watching our dog for the marathon (as they have for countless nights throughout our training). They've fed us and Amy gave me her foam roller. Great friends to boot. Clearly amazing supporters. Mile 5 (50 minutes of dog sitting) is for them.
6. Monica and Eric - Monica is my yoga partner. Eric is Mike's kayak-building partner. They are in our lives daily and constantly supportive. They offered to bring dinner to our house Sunday night. We are so lucky to have these awesome friends. The 6th mile, last one of a 10k, is for them.
7. Deb - Deb was the first friend we made with the running group. She made us feel at home with the group and comfortable with the idea of running my first marathon. She always has a smile on especially during a race. She is my lucky number 7.
8. Mom - Number 8. The run that we went on with my mom was 8 miles. She will be riding a bike taking pictures behind us for this mile (in my imagination) - pushing us along. Also, she my mom, my quintessential cheerleader for this race as she has been for my entire life :)
9. Meg - My second mom! Following me throughout this training and supporting me like a second mom does!
10. Laura Nelson - Our running buddy and Nike insider. Laura shared her running stories with me making me feel human. Though these stories, she made me believe that I could run a marathon. I will never forget our 10 mile run up Terwilliger when we first "bonded". Mile 10 is for Laura (who will be well ahead of me at this point) :)
11. Jen St.Clair - My dearest bff. When she ran her half marathon a couple of years ago, 11 miles was her goal. After that, things got challenging (well, until the ridiculous sprint at the end). Mile 11 will remind me of Jen, my awesome shoes, and that I can finish this marathon no matter how challenging it is.
12. Carolyn Scherler - Another running buddy that is somewhere ahead with Laura :) Carolyn has a 1 year old and a 4 year old and is running a marathon - quickly. She is just plain inspirational and supportive as well. During mile 12, I will hear Carolyn's voice telling me that I look strong.
13. Patrice and Robyn - They got me an awesome gift certificate to Athleta to get a sports bra. To my well-endowed aunts that understand my pain, mile 13 is for you!
14. Emily Wiley - Emily is a friend from State College that was training for the Seattle Rock-n-Roll marathon until ITBS set her training back. Now, she is planning to do the half instead with the dream of a full still in the future. Mile 14, with any IT band pain it may bring, is all for her.
15. Run Oregon (Kelly, Meg, Coach Jim) - This supportive group with their blogs and running groups absolutely got me through the mental challenge of training. I cannot than them for their support. This 15th mile, one of my hardest training runs, is for them.
16. Steve and Mary Margaret - When I say, "I ran 16 miles", I can hear Mary Margaret gasping in awe. Neighbors down the way, they were always absolutely supportive and impressed with our running. I will hear them cheering for us during this mile.
17. Jamie Linerooth - Jamie ran with our group. She always looked like a super-elite athlete to me. She qualified for and ran Boston this year. She was always willing to chat and had the cutest running skirts. During mile 17, I will be reminded of running with Jamie and feeling like an real athlete.
18. Bill Otto - Bill was our pace leader for our group runs. I think he is 62 and I KNOW that he is in phenominal shape. During our 18 mile run, Bill was the one that approached me and taught me the mantra, "I am strong, I am trained, I am courageous." Thanks Bill.
19. Christina Ethier - Mile 19 is for Christina. Now, I might actually hear Christina screaming during mile 19. She will be there. Screaming for sure. During mile 19, I will recall all of the times throughout the marathon that I have heard her scream for us. That is support. As is the celebratory cocktails that she will have a big hand in on Monday night :)
20. John Ethier - YOU RAN 20 MILES ON A TREADMILL. Mile 20 is for my virtual running partner, John. He did nearly all of his training on a treadmill at high altitude (Denver). John is an inspiration and him joining us to run this marathon is the ultimate support.
21. Mike Rowell - Twenty one miles is further than I have ever run in my life. This mile is 100% for my running parter and the love of my life that helps me to push myself further than I thought I could ever go.
22. Bob Miller - Bob is another guy that I work with. He is a runner and has shared lots of stories of marathon running and training. He tells me that training is the hard part. Also, once he hits mile 22, he knows that he can finish the marathon. It better be true Bob :)
23. Katie Brady - Katie Brady is a high school friend of mine that is currently training to do an Ironman. Mile 23 is for Katie, and for being thankful that I didn't just have to swim 2.4 miles and bike 112 :)
24. Luke St.Clair - Possibly the most elite athlete I know, Luke is a super duper bike-aholic. He was the first one to identify my IT band issue and helped me find good stretches. When 24 seems difficult, I will think of Luke and how hard he works every time he gets on a bike.
25. Dad, Jerry and Claire - Possibly the three most giddy people about my running. I get nagged if I don't post on this blog because they want to know how it is all going. They have all run semi-seriously at one point or another, so they understand the challenge that this is. I will imagine their faces when I hit that 25 miles and be inspired by their support.
26. Dan Gaur - Dan, yet another guy that I work with, is another athlete. He is a runner but has completed an Ironman. And it was not easy. He shares his stories with me and encourages me. This week he has been telling me, in response to every concerned question that I have for him, "you've got this". My 26th mile will be thinking of Dan telling me, "you've got this".
.2. Me - The last .2 are for me. They are for me to completely soak in. They are for me to celebrate 8 months of training. They are for me to prove to myself that I really am an athlete.

I really cannot thank everyone enough for their support through this training. I feel as though they are all training and running with me. You will all be with me on Sunday pushing me along. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

And that's a wrap.

Mike and I ran 2 miles this morning. Mike told me that I ran it too fast. My stomach was in knots. I am so anxious.

He gave me a high five when we got back. And here we are. 500+ miles done. 26.2 left to revel in. And one overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

I am strong. I am trained. I am courageous.

18 weeks and still a moron.

Over the course of 18 weeks, I have learned a lot about running. I have learned that I need to go to the bathroom before any long run. I have learned that I need to hydrate for long runs the day before. I have learned that Gu does work miracles and that chafing is a solvable problem. At times, it seems to be a bit of a science as to how you should manage these runs and I feel like I have gotten pretty good at it.

And then, after 18 weeks of training, I have a brain fart of a run like this one. We decided to run our Wednesday 4 miler on Thursday morning. Morning runs are something we haven't been able to do for quite a while because the runs are too long. Well, now that we are tapering, 40 minutes isn't too bad in the morning. So, this morning, I wake up, brush my teeth, get changed, and take the dog out. Then, I start running.

Let's play a fun game. What did Lisa forget to do? First, I clearly forgot to go to the bathroom. Just plain stupid. Second, I didn't eat. I haven't eaten since last night at 8pm. So, here I am, 2 miles into a run, huffing and puffing, not feeling well, no energy, and I have to go to the bathroom. Just stupid.

I had to walk for a few moments to gain composure over my need to go to the bathroom, but other than that, I was able to finish the run. Legs felt great.

When I finished, as I was rushing to the bathroom, I realized that I have 2 more miles of training left. 2. When I first started back in September, I had 562 miles to run. I am down to 2. Now, if I might toot my own horn, THAT is an accomplishment.

Goosebumps. Let's do this thing.

Arms up!

Tuesday's 3 miler was a piece of cake, obviously. Legs felt great. At the end, I really wanted to keep going. But, alas, I must rest.

The last .2 miles of our runs are pretty easy to calculate. When we turn onto NW Wilkins, our cross street, we know that we have about .2 left. Now, .2 means a lot to me. It is the distance that I will have to run after running 26 miles. And, in my particular case, I will be running 200 meters of that .2 on Hayward Track. Based on requests by my bff Jen and on Prefontaine history, I will most likely have my hands over my head for the majority of those 200 meters. Well, on Tuesday, at the end of our run, I practiced. I threw my arms up and sprinted to the stop sign on NW Wheelock Place.

Goosebumps. Let's freaking do this.

Last long run

Saturday Mike and I ran 8 miles - our last long run. Well, until the ultimate long run next Sunday...

My mom was in town and decided to ride a bike along with us. She rode behind us and took in the scenery of a beautiful Oregon spring morning. It was awesome to get to share a run with my mom. She was able to get a view of my world inside marathon training.

Now, we were able to run our awesome route which goes through an amazing neighborhood, hits minimal stoplights, goes by a lake with swans, a golf course, and soccer fields. It was a perfect running/bike tour of the area. My mom was impressed with the beautiful front yards, tree lined streets, swans, and waterfalls. She captured a lot in pictures. I am so thankful that she got these as they will serve as memories of this training forever.

She was also able to get some pictures of us running which I am really excited about. Any pictures that I currently have of us running are from races. Because I never know where the photographer is, I never smile or anything so the pictures always come out horrible (I always look very intense). And now, everyone gets to see what we look like when we train :)

As for the run, it went pretty great. I started way fast. I felt great. Mike had to tell me to slow down. Around mile 6, I could feel a bit of pain in my leg. Around mile 7.5 I got a nice shot of pain in my knee that slowed me to a walk. The pain subsided and I was able to finish the run. At the end of the run, Mike asked me if I had thought about switching to run the Eugene half marathon instead of the full. I vehemently said "no". On race day, I will eat, take some ibuprofen, and hope for the best. Worst case scenario is I have to run through pain. At this point, it is all worth it.

Positive thoughts

This week is about one thing. Positive thoughts. Well, its also about hydrating, carbo loading, sleeping, and stretching, but positive thoughts are really important. And this is not an easy task for me. Since Saturday, I was trying to figure out how I am going to get past the anxiety and nerves to have positive thoughts. And then I read this from the Run Oregon blog in the Eugene Marathon preview post:

"The final .2:
So, this is it. You've just run 26 miles so what's left to talk about? History. Heritage. Legacy. Oh, and one finish line you're not going to forget anytime soon. You see, you're going to be finishing on hallowed ground. I might sound a little dramatic about it, but trust me, crowds in Eugene at Hayward Field love one thing and one thing only, the finish of a great distance race. When you enter the track and hear the noise coming from THE West Grandstand, run tall, run proud... oh, and don't forget to smile!"

Goosebumps. Let's freaking do this.

Hardcore

When I was high school, I remember seeing kids finishing 5k races and then puking in garbage cans. I thought that was amazing. I couldn't imagine pushing yourself so hard running that you would puke.

Well, Wednesday, after our 6 mile run, I puked. I am one of those people. Sort of. I didn't puke from pushing myself. I took 2 ibuprofen right before I ran. And, I hadn't eaten since lunch. According to my nurse neighbor, I had metabolic acidosis. Basically, I took pills on a empty stomach and then ran, building up lactic acid, and, once my stomach had had enough with all the acid, well, it got rid of it.

So, needless to say, the run felt like crap. My legs felt great, I think. In comparison to the massive stomach pain, I didn't notice my legs at all. I do know that the first 2 miles felt great. I felt really strong. Then things went downhill. I was complaining about my stomach hurting and was taking big gasps of air to help with the nausea. I think Mike was a bit frustrated with my whining - and then felt really bad when we got home and ran into the bathroom.

The worst part of this story is that I didn't feel better. I went to bed early and woke up with a remaining stomach ache. I came home from work early today. I rested on the couch until Mike got home and felt good enough to do our three mile run today. The run went great - my stomach was okay, still getting better. A good night's sleep tonight will do me good.

And tomorrow morning, I get to see my mommy!!!

Adrenaline

So, here it is. Every time I look at it my heart pounds. I get excited and nervous at the same time.

Last night was 4 miles. My leg felt great. I felt strong. Then, I felt really really nervous. I am ready for the emotional roller coaster to be over and just go get this thing. Eleven more days.

I am trained.

My training plan had me running 12 miles today. So, we met Carolyn and Laura at 7:20am so we could run three miles before joining the Portland Marathon Training Clinic to run the renaming 9. The first three felt great. We ran out 1.5 miles and then came right back to see a large mass of people getting ready to take off. This was our first time running with this group. While some of the people ran with our group throughout the winter, there were a lot of new people and it was a lot less intimate. We found our group and took off with them. I felt like Laura, Carolyn, Mike and I were the only ones talking within this group. As the training clinic continues, I get the feeling that the conversations will begin to happen...

Around mile 1.5 (the second time out), I started to feel my IT band. The group was supporting 5, 7, and 9 mile runs. All of them were out-n-back. I knew that I would have to decide when to turn around. While my goal was to do the entire 9 (for a total of 12) I knew from the past week of discussions and reading that if I shorted this run by 4 miles, it would not be detrimental to my marathon. So, at 2.5, when I could really feel my IT band, I told Mike that I wanted to turn around. It turned out to be a good thing because, as we headed back, my knee started to feel worse. It never got excruciating like it has been in the past - and that was a good thing.

On the way back, Mike checked his GPS watch and let me know that we were moving. Moving as in 9:30 minute mile pace. Now, normally, this wouldn't be a big deal. But today, to me, it was. For the 2.5 miles back, we ran at an average pace of 9:37. Now, these were the last 2.5 miles of an 8 mile run. Turns out, after you train for 15 weeks running ridiculous distance, finishing and 8 mile run at a good pace comes naturally. It felt great. It was an amazing boost in confidence.

As for my leg, it feels fine. I am able to walk normally immediately following a long run for the first time in WEEKS. I think that is a good sign and will help with healing. I think I should be able to wrap up the rest of this taper according to Hal's plan :)

I need a lobotomy

Seriously though. If I could be the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz, I can guarantee you that running would be much, much easier. Well, assuming that I had legs made of muscle and not straw. Anyhow...

Last night we went out to run 4 miles. I was still nervous about running even though I hadn't felt any pain all day. As we headed out and my ankles started to hurt. Then, the pain went away. Then, the top of my left foot started to hurt. Then, that went away. Then, my left quad started to hurt. Then, that went away. Near the end, my right knee (ie my IT band) started to hurt. And guess what? That too went away. Point here: my mind is so concerned with any sort of pain in my body that it makes crap up. This is very mentally exhausting. By the time I got home, I felt like I had just run 10 miles because I was focusing on every tiny feeling in my body for the entire 4 miles making those 40 minutes seem like an eternity.

So, my goal for this Saturday's run is to talk as much as possible to Carolyn, Laura, and Mike during the run. It is to be distracted by the cherry blossoms. My goal is to revel in the fact that I am in the best shape of my life and to just enjoy the feeling of running.

How are you feeling?

People have already started to ask me how I feel. Now that I am done with marathon training, people seem to be curious about my health, how confident I am, etc.

This should sum it up for you. I just saw a picture of the starting line at Eugene and almost puked. That's how I feel. I little nervous, somewhat scared, and unbelievably excited.

The 20 mile miracle

After you finish running 20 miles, no matter how much pain you are in or how tired you are, you are happy because you know what? You just ran 20 miles. And this is what that looks like. (I limped into this picture and then limped out of it)

Baby steps

I have been stretching, rolling, taking ibuprofen, and resting to make sure my IT band heals. I told Mike that I was not going to run until I could wake up in the morning without pain. Well, this morning I woke up without pain. But, I could still feel that it was tight. I stretched a lot today day and used the foam roller 4 times. I read about IT band injuries online. I talked to fellow co-workers/runners. Everything I read and heard said that I would be fine taking time off and that I wouldn't lose my fitness before the marathon.

But I want to run! I came home and told Mike that I think that we should try running three miles. As we got ready I was still nervous about the idea of running. We headed out the door and started running. We made it about 50 yards before we stopped. My leg felt weird. It didn't hurt. It just felt odd. Mike gave me a high five and we turned around and started walking towards the house. Then, Mike suggested that we do a loop around the complex (quarter mile) just so I could see how my leg felt. So, we did. My leg felt fine. And then we tried running to the end of the road. So, we did. My leg still felt fine. Once we hit the end of the road, I told Mike that we should just do the three mile run. My leg didn't hurt. Additionally, the weird feeling was going away.

It was 60+ degrees out. I was hot. It felt amazing. We stopped at a crosswalk which is normally when my IT band tightens up. I was so happy to feel that first step without pain. It felt incredible to run without pain. This is the first time I have had a completely pain-free run in over a week.

When we got home, I treated that run like I would a 20 miler. I stretched a lot immediately. I used the foam roller. I took an ice bath. After my ice bath I took a shower, got dressed, and ran down stairs for dinner. No pain.

Tomorrow, maybe we'll try 4 miles :)

Days off

When I first found Hal Higdon's training website I was ecstatic. He is a pro, knows what he is doing, and he had it all clearly presented on a website for me. He offers descriptions of each of the runs and how they should feel. After seeing the marathon training plan, I felt confident that I could do it.

And I did. I followed his plan for 5k training. It went great. I followed his plan for 10k training. It went great. I followed his plan for the first 15 weeks of marathon training and it went great, too. I don't stray from the plan. I think that is part of my engineering/logical personality. If the plan says that I should run 16 miles, then I will run 16 miles. I won't even break up the runs. For example, a lot of people run their long runs in two parts because it works easier for their schedule. So, like last weekend when I had to run 20, someone may have run the half marathon that I ran in the morning and then ran 7 more that night. Not me. The plan says to run 20 miles. I will run 20 miles in one fell swoop.

Well, the time has come to stray from the plan and it is really really really difficult for me. My IT band is still inflamed. I can still feel it. I need to take some time off. I am not going to run today. Ack - there I said it. The plan says I should be running 5 miles. But in the description of this week's runs Hal says, "The serious training is done. You now focus on getting to the starting line well rested." Later he says, "The better your preparation (the 15 weeks just past), the more you can afford to take time off, and the more likely you will achieve success." Given that I have not missed a run for the past 15 weeks, I think I am allowed to take a day or two off.

Right?

Drum roll please...

Race for the Roses half marathon time - 2:10:30

I am very proud of myself.

You're ready

Saturday I ran longer than I have ever run in my life. TWENTY MILES. Okay, so I didn't run the entire thing, so I think that 18 is the furthest that I have run to date, but I moved my butt 20 miles.

Today was the day that I have been nervous about for months. I would have to run 20 miles after running 20 miles during the week. It consisted of a half marathon and 7 miles afterward.

Half marathon: Race for the Roses. Amazing race. So so so amazing. We met Laura and Carolyn before the race as they also needed to do 20 and wanted to run with us. We were all nervous. So silly, but it's the way it is :) We checked our dry clothes, went to the bathroom, and off we went. The race went great. There were a few uphills but the downhills were awesome making it all worth it. I must say, it was hard thinking that "halfway" for the day was the 10 mile marker. There was a killer hill at the end of the race, but we fought through it and finished. I think our time was around 2:12 which I was very happy about. (I will post the official time when it is posted online)

We ran through the finish and didn't stop. They were handing out roses, but we ran right past. Seven more miles. Let's go.

Around mile 12 of the race, I felt as though I wanted to quit as soon as we crossed the finish line. But when we passed the finish line, I knew that I could finish it and I just had to push through. I made it about 2 miles at training pace before I let the pain in my legs get the better of me. We told Laura and Carolyn to take off and run ahead and we would be behind them. I trudged on with Mike's support telling me that it doesn't matter how slow we go as long as I keep one foot in front of the other. We started walking then running then walking then running. I was chanting "I am strong, I am trained, I am courageous". I made my self laugh when, subconsciously, my chant changed to, "I am strong, I am in pain, I am courageous" :) We probably walked the last half mile or so. My legs hurt. But you know what, I ran a half marathon in a respectable time and I moved my butt 20 miles.

Laura and Carolyn were waiting for us at the end. They both knew that my legs hurt. Laura turned to me and said, "take a few days off. At this point, you're ready, you just need to make sure that you can stand at the starting line without pain." Clearly, an awesome running buddy. The thing that caught me off guard was her comment "you're ready". Holy crap. I am essentially done marathon training. At this point, I am just trying to keep fitness until the marathon. Oh, and rest. This is it. I'm ready. Weird.

We headed inside the convention center to grab our clothes and snacks. At that point, the place was pretty empty. They had granola, yogurt, oranges, and coffee. It was amazing. We sat down at a table and ate, chatted, and enjoyed being done. Mike and I went and got our finisher's photo taken - I will post that as soon as we get it. It will be a wonderful memory of the last long training run.

Bring on Eugene. I'm ready.

The unthinkable

Here we are. We've made it through 14 weeks of Hal Higdon's marathon training program. Now we have week 15. The biggest week of them all: 5-10-5-20. I will run 40 miles this week. Honestly, 14 weeks ago, I remember looking at this week and thinking, "there is no way I will be able to do that, ever." Well, we're here and I have every intention of kicking week 15's butt. From Hal's website: "This is the infamous Week 15, the peak week of your training with 40 miles total for the week and a 20-miler on the weekend. Rather than fear this 20-miler, you should greet it with near the same enthusiasm you will greet the marathon one month from now. But, for the time being, take it easy."

I was really looking forward to Tuesday's 5 miler. I love my 5 mile route and I was so excited to run on pavement (not mud/snow/rain) again. Within the first mile my kinks were worked out and I felt great. A while back I mentioned how 3 miles was becoming pretty darn easy, well 5 miles has done that now. I feel like a runner. I like running. In saying that alone I feel as though I have accomplished something.

Today, we have our 10 miler. That is as big as Wednesday runs get. From here on out on Wednesdays we taper down. Today's run is going to be amazing. Sun and all.

Cold feet

Today we ran the Vernonia Half Marathon. I was super excited because it is the first race we have run since January where all we had to run that day is the race. That means I could push a little harder and see how fast and awesome I could run a half marathon. My first "official" half marathon.

I'm going to spoil the story for you here: it was EASILY the worst race of my life and, possibly, the worst run of my life.

We left the house around 8am and headed northwest to Vernonia. Vernonia is a very small town 45 minutes away in the boonies. We had a big storm last night and it was still cold, but we were hoping it would taper off a bit for the race. As we headed towards Vernonia we witnessed some very bad news. Snow. Inches of it on the ground. Then, worse, it started falling. This would be a cold, wet race no doubt. But, I've been training through the winter - I am used to this and I could handle it, right?

We get to the check-in, get our numbers, our shirts, and check our dry clothes bag. The whole setup was outside in a park in a covered picnic area. There were 3 heating lamps that people were huddled around. It was about 34 degrees with no sign of warming up. At 9:30 we started the race. Running felt great. It started snowing within the first mile and then seemed to clear up. The next 9 miles went great. So great, in fact, that I was convinced that I was going to shatter my goal of 2 hours and 10 minutes. Despite having to navigate through a lot of slush on the paved trail, everything was going great.

And then my hopes and dreams of a great race were shattered. The next 4 miles were one disappointment after another. It started with the beginning of the unpaved portion of the trail. I was expecting packed gravel, and that's probably what it was before last night's storm hit. Instead we got mud, puddles/lakes, ice, etc. It was awful. Every step I took seemed to be a half-step because my feet were just slipping all over the place. It was okay, because I knew that there was a downhill coming...

Boy was I right. In fact, it was such a downhill that there was a volunteer standing at the top telling us to be careful because it is a very steep hill and it is very slippery. So, I got my downhill, but in trying not to hurt myself, I had to walk it. All that climbing for nothing. We got to the bottom, crossed a road, and looked at the steep, slippery downhill's evil brother. The uphill version. Now, this hill was so nasty that Mike suggested that we just walk it. Mike. My husband. The one that can push through everything and helps me to push through. Walking. That's how bad it was. Ok. This mud crap has to be over soon, right? Wrong. We had at least 2 more miles of it. Seriously, these puddles were ankle deep and we really had no option but to run right through them. My pants were soaked with mud up to my knees. Every step was a calculated placement making the physical and mental challenge of this race unmatched. I was pretty sure that someone was going to jump out of the woods and tell us that this was all a big joke.

And then it appeared again - the paved trail. With a gradual downhill. Straight from heaven. It felt amazing to RUN again. It was at this point when I started thinking, "okay, all the mud and snow and wet was bad, but this is okay. We are almost done and I feel like I have done a pretty good job. Let's finish this." I spent every moment of that pavement trying to stay positive about that race. And then there it was. The turn that would shatter all of my positive thinking. There was a race volunteer standing at the end of the paved trail, pointing towards a road, saying "just a quarter mile longer". Well, that road that he was pointing at was STRAIGHT uphill. The guy that was running in front of us just gave up and started walking. I sighed a big sigh and just started crying. The good news was that in .25 miles this nightmare would be over. The bad news was that I had to climb Mt. Ridiculous before finishing. Mike started in, "you can totally do this. Come on. You are awesome." I did. I dug in, kept one foot in front of the other, and ran up that hill. We saw the 13 mile marker at the top of the hill, turned into the parking lot and finished the race. 13.1 miles. 2 hours and 18 minutes. Ugh.

I got my medal and a space blanket. It was freezing. We rode a bus back to the start of the race. As we were walking back to the car I was fighting back tears. I was cold, absolutely exhausted, and totally defeated.

Mike spent the drive home trying to cheer me up. He's a pretty awesome running partner. He asked me, "Don't you feel sort of good? You just ran a half marathon!" At that point, I really couldn't answer yes. In fact, as I write this, I am still not sure I can answer yes. I am very happy that I am able to run a half marathon - especially THAT half marathon. But I ran 18 miles last week. 26.2 is my goal. I will feel accomplished when I get there. As for today, I am thankful that my feet are no longer soaked with mud :)

19th mile

Thursday's run was another five miler. Towards the end, I just felt tired. We ran 19 miles this week - 5 on Tuesday, 9 on Wednesday, and 5 on Thursday. It's just a physical beat-down at this point. Finishing my Thursday run always feels like my biggest accomplishment of the week. It is a great way to start a Friday :)

Awesome route

A week ago on Wednesday, Mike and I ran 9 miles for the first time on a Wednesday. That meant that we needed to find a new route. Well, we did, ran on a golf course, and got in trouble. So this Wednesday, I had to find yet another 9 mile route. I mapped it out - Mike thought that it looked pretty good, so we headed out.

The first 5 miles were very familiar - we had run those same 5 miles before. Then we ventured out to uncharted territory. Every time we do this (try a new route) it's always kind of an adventure. Will it be really hilly? Will there be sidewalks? Will there be a clear running path? Will there be lots of traffic?

This route was perfect. It was a gradual downhill with great sidewalks through a quiet neighborhood. It was just a great run.

I love days like that.