Monday, rest day

I'm so glad this is a day of rest. My legs are still pretty sore from yesterday's long run. Five miles shouldn't be that hard on my body considering I ran fairly regularly before my training started. I thought I was in better shape.

Then there is the eighteen miles I ran previously last week. Thinking about that makes me feel less weak.

No matter what I'm feeling now, my focus has to be on keeping my complaints to a minimum. I've got to stick it out because it's only going to get harder.

I went for a swim today to help stretch out my sore muscles. Twenty minutes at the MATC pool. I lost count of the laps. The knees were a little uncooperative but I think a little time in the water was good. They say it's good to rest, but a little low impact exercise helps to keep you going.

You know, it's funny but I almost feel guilty for not running today. That guilt will go out the window when I start all over again tomorrow.

This week, the distance builds to twenty-two miles. Maybe a little more for good measure, who knows? Also on the agenda this week is core work. The dreaded crunches are at my doorstep. I've got a copy of Ab-RipperX to follow, so hopefully it won't be too boring. The trick will be to find a good routine that doesn't actually seem routine. Trick myself into strength work. I'll be reading and looking for suggestions until I find what's right for me.

Core work attempt #1 starts now. p90x, here I come!

Sunday, long run

Sundays are supposed to be the most intense runs of the week. The runs will continue to get longer as race day draws nearer.
Today the distance was five miles, not too bad. It would have been easier if I had not just run every day for the last six days prior. I've logged 18 miles already this week, and today's run makes it 23.
It has been cold here in the upper midwest. Yesterday it was fifteen degrees outside during my run. The bike path was covered in snow and ice and large flakes drifted past me as I ran. Only two miles, but it was more exhilarating than I expected.
Today it was milder, no snow and the temperature had risen to the mid twenties. It was still cloudy. I bundled up in my long sleeve shirt, fleece vest, long socks and tights. Equipped with my iPod streaming Pureibiza Podcast, five miles went fairly smoothly. My knees hurt for the second half of the run but I kept going. Usually, the pain gets worse if I stop to walk for a while, so I kept going.
Personal goal for the day: run through the pain.
My muscles are still pretty tight but I'm going to stretch before bed and tomorrow's my rest day. Finally.
Tomorrow my goal is to do a little time on the elliptical trainer and/or swim a few laps. We'll see.

My first marathon.

I am thirty as of November last year. I have never been a runner. In fact, I used to swear off running altogether. I was one of those people who never ran unless I was being chased. Two years and 35 pounds ago I made a life change and committed to a healthy lifestyle that included running. I was terrible at it at first. I trained on an elliptical trainer for longer than I would like to admit before graduating to a treadmill. It took a lot of practice in order to run without knee pain. I had dealt with a difficult case of bursitis and had to have fluid drained from my knee. It bothers me quite a bit, but the swelling usually stays down if I take it easy for a while. I could have quit at any time, citing the myriad reasons not to run (you would be surprised at the number of excuses I could come up with).  I stuck it out and a year later I ran my first 5k.
I was empowered.
I started running more and shooting toward longer distances and runs outside. Not too far though, I still have not run much further than a 10k. A few months ago, a friend asked me to train with her as she worked toward her goal of a marathon. I told her I'd think about it and I gave her no promises of running said marathon. Two weeks later I had committed myself (at least in my own mind) to running a marathon within a year. Two weeks after that I was training alone. She got a bad cold and decided not to go ahead with it but I was determined to prove to myself that this is something I could do.
I know it will be hard, and long, but I have set my schedule and made the commitment. I already paid for the hotel room, the registration, and a couple new pairs of shoes. If I bow out now, a few hundred dollars and a slice of my pride go out the window.
I have decided to chronicle my experiences in training for Grandma's marathon in Duluth, MN. My mom, Mrs. marathon extraordinaire, is traveling all the way from her home in New Mexico to run with me.
Thanks mom.
I have until June Saturday, June17th to get in good enough shape to pull this off.
Training started on Valentine's day with 2 miles and has gotten a little more intense since then.