Updates & A New View

Sorry I didn't get to blog last week.  Between my mom being in town (YEAH FOR NANA TIME!!!) and most of us fighting stomach flu (yes, at the same time--YUCK!), it just didn't happen.  So let me fill you in on the last two weeks...

Let's see... last week was fairly uneventful as far as my running went.  I ran 3 miles on Tuesday & 4 miles on Thursday (but I skipped my Wednesday training due to praise team practice & a sick Nathan). My long run went so much better that Saturday!  I had to be done with 11 miles by 10:34 and I was done by 10:21, so I did fine.  The best part was that I wasn't the least bit sore on Sunday!  However, that was when it was my turn to get sick.  Let me just say that stomach flu, singing in front of a congregation, and high heels are a terrible combination.  As a result of dashing down the stairs off the stage in heels that were way too tall to dash in, my right knee decided that it needed to start bugging me.  Not badly, just a little dull ache.  So, I think I may have to stick pretty much to my flats and very low heels until after the marathon.  And now we get the privilege of that fantastic "Icy Hot" smell every so often, which also came in handy this week...

Another result of said tummy bug was major back pain on Monday (from throwing up so much Sunday afternoon & evening).  I never knew you could hurt your back in that process, but now I know.  My poor hubby was a trooper and rubbed some Icy Hot on my back to help me feel better.  Bonus: Icy Hot also helps clear sinuses! :)

So, I was a bit leery to try running just a day after the back pain & two days after the stomach flu, but I just ran on the treadmill to make it easier on myself.  I was able to do my 3 miles, but I did have to walk a little more than usual.  On Wednesday, I did my 30 minutes of cross-training by doing Wii Free Step and some weight training with my little hand weights.  On Thursday, I did 3 miles and this time I even ran for 1/2 at 5 mph, which is the longest I've held that speed.  My legs didn't hurt yesterday, so I may need to push myself a little more when I use the mill.

Today, I only had to run 8 miles.  That sentence alone makes me smile because there was a time not long ago where that felt like an eternity, and now it's an "easy run".  I completed my jalk in 1 hr 50 minutes due to the tummy threatening a slight repeat of last week.  I decided it wasn't worth fighting over, so I walked more on my last mile in order to keep things at bay.  If I hadn't have needed to walk, I would have probably been done 5-10 minutes sooner.  That makes me feel like I'm making progress slowly, but surely.

Oh!  And I discovered this cool thing!  On the Disney Marathon website, they have a Google Map of the race route & 3D views through the parks so I know what areas I'll be running in specifically.  It's so cool!  You can check it out by clicking on the title for this blog.

Until next time...

Double-Digit Dumps

Well, as well as my run went on Tuesday, I'm rather disappointed with how I did today.  On Tuesday, I ran 3 miles in 32 minutes, another personal best, and had lots of neighbors watching me do laps on our streets.  I couldn't figure out why so many people were outside, then I realized, "Duh, it's National Night Out."  I probably ran faster because I felt like everyone was rating my running.  I skipped my training on Wednesday due to a late night at church and other varied excuses.  On Thursday, I was a little sore from the run on Tuesday (probably because I pushed too hard for the onlookers), but I did okay.  Today, however, was a different story.

I got up and out the door before 7, and got to my in-laws' house by 7:30.  I walked to warm up and stretched a little before I took off.  By the time I had completed mile 4 (in about an hour), I felt like I was doing a pretty good pace.  By mile 7, though, I was starting to get hungry.  I used one of my energy gels, but I guess it just wasn't enough.  When I get back to the road that has a church with a clock on it (mile 8 1/2 point), I got discouraged because I didn't think I'd have enough time, so I started kicking myself (in my mind, not with feet) for taking too long and walking too much.  So, my pace slowed down, and then about 1,000 feet from my in-laws' house I realized I was actually okay.  My "drop dead time" (per Disney Marathon standards of a 16-minute mile) was 2 hrs 40 min.  I cut myself off too soon!  I actually had another fifteen minutes to go when I got discouraged, not ten, so I would have been okay.  So, all that to say that I finished in 2 hrs 39 min. :(

Lessons to use for next week's training:
- Don't speed up to impress the neighbors--you just end up more sore at the finish
- Don't skip your interval day, even if you want to
- Eat a big dinner Friday night so you have enough energy to do the long run on Saturday
- Make sure you KNOW your "drop dead time" so you don't quit too early.

This is also the first time I've done my jalk and I'm a little sore.  I guess it's to be expected when you get to the double-digit mileage.  I'm really hoping next week goes better.  At least Mom will be here to help distract the kids while I'm doing my 11 miles next Saturday!

Until next time...