Oh NOOO

I am in a quandry. I've gained 8 of my marathon pounds back in less than 2 months. I am not looking for sympathy, I am just looking for a place to just put it out there so I can get back on track. I have not run since November, and that's part of it. As my friend pointed out, my lifestyle is active, but not in the form of aerobic activity. Sooo I am committing to doing something, and I need this blog to help me do so.

Also, I am Hemming and Hawing about the HM in April. I need it for the fitness but I am looking at school and other things that we have going on. Training for 13 miles should not be that bad if my goal is simply to finish. My original goal is to improve and that is what I want to do. Ok, if you are reading this and shaking your heads now, I don't blame you. I'll keep you posted on whether or not I register. The price goes up after 1 January.

The Lights are On!!

Just so you know, we have electricity again!!! Thanks so much for the warm thoughts. This storm did leave an aftermath. Several were hospitialized for carbon monoxide poisoning. :(

Also two died from carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to keep warm by using charcoal in a wok. This is so sad.

So tonight I'll have my own internet again. No guarantee on running though.

Hugs!
Boatgirl

Be Thankful

If you are sitting in your home and have heat be thankful. Our family survived one of the worst ice storms in the midwest history, and we are without power. It has been 4 days now, but without complaints. I am just in awe of the people that God has place in my life and the life of my family. He really does take care of us and I do not take it for granted. Our friends have taken us in and let us feel the warmth of their hearts and their homes. For that I am blessed.

So no running for me. I haven't ran in almost a month, and I am gaining my weight back, particularly in the middle. That seems to be my spot. So I need to get on the WannaBe5Ker plan. She is rockin' it. :)

Hugs and Stay Warm...

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch

Today was DH's day to take the boys to preschool. I admit that I've done nothing related to running since the marathon. So after almost 3 weeks of rest, I laced up and headed for the park. My goal was to run 30 minutes straight through. I was not concerned about distance.

I arrived at the part at 6:50 am. The weather was perfect. The crunch of the leaves under my feet were so refreshing. And I ran. But I felt tired. My body was saying, "Are we doing this again?" But I was determined to not give in.

After the 2nd mile, I had about 4:30 minutes to go, and I decided to stop. That was because I was running late for work and needed to head back home. But when I finished I didn't feel too labored. I was relaxed. I talked to a neighbor along the course. I was feeling strong.

I'm convinced that my goal of running the 13.1 straight through is not unrealistic.

So I did 2 miles with an estimated pace of 13:15 minutes/mile.

Feeling good too.

Back To Reality

Happy November! Let the festivities begin. Thanksgiving, Christmas,Chanukah, Boxing Day... I think you get my point.

Even though the holiday season is in full swing, which means rich foods and sinful desserts, I am committed to train for the St. Louis Half Marathon in April 2007. My Dear Friend R is also pumped up. She was my cheerleader who got me out of the house in February and now we are cheering each other on to doing the 13.1.

You may say that since I finished Chicago, the Half is going to be a piece of cake. Well that's not true at all. I still have to maintain and my goal this time is to run 13.1 straight through. So I have to learn how to run, which I didn't do for Chicago.

The run/walk was great. I'm in the best shape that I've been in years. My clothes fit great. I lost some weight. But I still don't know how to run. I've been lurking at this particular blog by Jeanne (Not Born to Run) and her journey is amazing. Check it out. She did a run/walk back in 2005 and then a full run last week. She shaved almost one hour off her previous finishing time.

So my goal for now is to shave off at least 15 minutes from my Half split for Chicago. That, by the way, was 3:02. I will be very happy with 2:45, but overjoyed with 2:30.

I still haven't posted my reflections. There are so many until I need to just take a few moments to really capture how I feel. I can tell you this though.

Life does not change in the ATM glow. (After the Marathon) I still had a pile of laundry to do. Kids were still being themselves. No one gave me a day off at work. To everyone else, life was normal. No special treatment. But for me, I will never trade this experience. And now, it has provoked me to reach for goals that I thought I could never obtain. Now nothing seems too hard without faith, hard work and the Grace of God.

So today I hit the treadmill after work and take one step at a time. Stay tuned...

Can You Say Twenty -Six Point Two?!?!

It's in the books. I am officially a marathon finisher!!! I was not first (Male 2:07/Female 2:22 and that alone is unreal) Nor was I last (total 33, 633 finishers). But I was keeping up the rear strong. :)

First off, the whole day was incredible. The city of Chicago knows how to put on a marathon. With less than conducive conditions (High low 40s, 40% chance rain) and Chicago living up to it's name of being the Windy City, it was brutal. We prayed that it wouldn't rain, and God honored our prayers big time. Our team fared well. Several finished in under 6 hours. Not bad for people who never ran before March. Lesson learned, follow the instructions given and you can do it.

I did not keep track of my mile splits. I just wanted to kinda be a part of the moment. They had mile markers with clocks throughout, so I could kinda guage where I was. I did a 4/1 (run/walk) up to the first 13.1 miles. Then I went to a 3/1 on the second half, and I am glad that I did. I may have been able to hold the 4/1, but I would have been doing more walking anyway. I was surrounded by run/walkers along the course and that was soooo encouraging. I always said, I may be towards the bottom of my training group, but I knew that on marathon day, there were going to be people around me. So when DH said that he was going to leave me due to his knees, I was a little nervous, but at the same time I knew I would not be alone.

I met people from Toronto, Jackson, MS, Seattle, Indiana, and Chicago just to name a few. Everyone was go nice. And the spectators were unreal. They have inspired me to be a cheerleader for any race out there.

But what was the most encouraging for me was me trying to beat the pace van. I was literally running in front of the Official End Vehicle. That's the van that picks up all of the signs as the route is closing and opens traffic back. I saw this at Mile 24 and I was determined to not let this van beat me. But when I asked one of the coaches from a Team in Training group about the van, she and I both agreed that if the van was in view, then we should be ok. The offical course is closed after 6:30. And to be listed in the official books your time has to be 6:30. I was bound and determined to get to that line. And by God's grace, here is the number.
6:28:01 (14:47 min/mile pace)

I barely made the cut off by 1 minute 59 seconds. And to top it off, DH was just 7 minutes in front of me. I thought he was long gone and waiting in the meeting spot, but he had trouble at mile 18 with his knees. He did amazingly well under the circumstances, and I am so proud of him. We are just thankful to have gone through this journey and thanks for following along.

I'll post more later. I'm really inspired. We are strongly considering the STL 0.5 marathon in April 2007 to maintain. I don't think anymore full marathons are in our future with DHs knees and all. I'm fine with this one. The goal was that I finish by 6:30. So wannaB5Ker, you can do it girl, if you really want to. A 1/2 is a great goal to have.

6 More days to go...

Hey everyone. Thanks for stopping by. Only 6 more days for the last long run. We did 6 miles this Saturday, and I was surprised to run about 4 of them straight through. We were just talking so that I kind forgot to walk. That made me feel good. So now just need to carb up, the right way. Coach says this week 65% of our intake should be from carbs. But you have to be careful.

You can't cram for a marathon, so all that is there has to be there on that day. We all are just ready to get it done.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and prayers.

20 More days to go...

Well first off, thanks to everyone who has given me words of encouragement and exhortations to keep going. The key is to endure to the end.

We finished the 20 miler on Saturday. Two seconds were shaved off from the 18 miler two weeks ago. Two seconds means a lot to me. I'll take what I can get.

We finished in just under 5 hours. Doing the marathon tortoise style. My DH said that it hurts his knees when we do the run/walk. It's better for him to just keep going and stop at the end. He can do it too. So I'll keep him in my view. Don't want to hold him back.

I'm sorry I don't have more, but I'm just in awe that I typed that I ran/walked 20 miles. I won't lie. It was not fun. But in 20 more days, we'll do our last big long run.

Now we start the taper. Stay tuned...

Stepback week

First off, thanks to javamom and wb5ker for the words of concern. I haven't even met you all and you are sending me such kind words. Thanks so much.

I'm going through "I don't want to run anymore" syndrome, and it showed. We were suppose to do 11 miles this week. Saturday was cloudy, cold, misty. I didn't not want my feet to touch the ground, and they didn't until it was time to go grocery shopping and to an absolutely fabulous bridal shower that evening.

So Sunday, I was determined to do as much as I could after church before it got dark. So I did 6 miles, but was feeling kinda nauseous. You shouldn't eat leftover Mongolian Beef and then go out for a run/walk. That is not good.

So that's all. This week is the 20 miler. Keep you posted.

The 18 Miler...

Before I got out of bed this morning, I asked God to please help me to finish these 3 laps. Without Him, I can do nothing in my own strength.

When I left the house, the weather was beautiful. Hit the streets at 5:55 and arrived at the Park around 6:15. I saw two familiar cars, so went the opposite direction in hopes to occassionaly see a familiar face. DH stayed at home so I could go out. He is so kind. The goal was to complete 3 laps today (18 miles). And the goal was accomplished. Did it in less time than last week too. A couple of things I did differently. I carbed up really well for lunch yesterday. And I invested in the PowerGel.

We were using ClifBars, but since this will be served at the race, I figured I had better try it. It was great! Not the best tasting stuff, but was good. Didn't have to chew a huge Cliff bar. With the gel, you just take a couple of gulps, drink some water, and you're done until the next time.

The first lap was fine. Second lap, I felt good. First 3 miles of the third lap were good, but then around the bend I began to slow down. Anyway, it is done.

Our final LONG run will be 20 miles in two weeks.

Schedule Adjustments

Well, my DBIL is going back home today. So that's been an adjustment to my schedule for the short runs. I am now doing my short runs during lunch time or immediately after work before I pick up the boys from preschool.

So I did the treadmill yesterday. I don't like the treadmill at all. At 45 minutes, I only got 2.7 miles done. The treadmill is harder than outside, so anyone who can go fast on the treadmill is doing good.

I'll hit the treadmill today before I go and pick them up.

To all who have responded to my sponsor letter so far, thank you so much!

Things I've discovered...

First, if you are reading this and found me by way of my letter, thanks so much for stopping by. I really appreciate you taking the time out to see how things are going.

Well, I did 17 miles today. 15 run/walk, 2 straight walk. I was alone. No hubby, just me. And this is what I've discovered. Training for a marathon is hard. Not on the body, per say, but on the MIND. That is what truly needs to be in training.

The first lap was as expected. Lap 2 was harder. By the third lap, I just don't know what happened but the balloon deflated. I got to the 2.5 mile turnaround and did just that. I won't even post my time.

I'm not whining, because these long runs are suppose to serve as our 'practice' for the final long run in October. I am just humbled once again by those who can run the whole thing in 2 hours. The hours of dedication to diet, training, lifestyle that is committed is humbling.

So, I have another long run next Saturday. It's with the group and hopefully my DDH will be by my side, or at least within eye view.

When I got home, I told him, "I needed you today." He didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

We're really counting down now...

We only have around 6 more weeks to go before hitting the pavement in Chicago. This weekend was pretty hectic for us due to other activities outside of the training. The long run was scheduled for 17 miles, but due to prior commitments, I was only able to get 12 miles on my legs. That is a lot. But I got an email from a fellow teammate explaining the necessity of these long runs and they are crucial. From all of the reading, you can not afford to cheat on the long runs. So I am really counting on some grace on this last one.

I didn't even track my time on this run. All I know is that I completed 12 miles, or two laps, around the park.

We had our group meeting on Sunday to tie down the logistics. I must admit, the stomach was beginning to churn a little bit. But I have to just trust that what I am doing will provide the outcome that is expected at the end.

Happy September

The weather is beautiful in the Midwest. Got out there yesterday evening for about 2 miles. Had to go to the grocery store so the run was cut short. We have our 17 miler on Saturday. We won't make the group run, but have to make it up. So I'm putting it out here to be accountable and not cheat. We can't afford any shortcuts at this point. All long runs are extremely important and we march down to the 20 miler. That is the longest distance we will do before the marathon. No arguments, just following the schedule.

So two miles in 26:39 (13:19 min/mile pace).

I'm going slow, but at least I'm a lot faster than when I started.Wanna-Be-5Ker is jamming on her pace. Keep up the good work!

Have a great weekend.

Well heading into September

We are 7 weeks 4 days away from the Chicago Marathon. I can't believe it. The long runs are getting longer. DH and I are training and are determined to finish in the time allotted by our coach.

I did 2.3 miles today straight through. I couldn't do the entire 3 due to time, but I am happy that I was able to run 29:52 without stopping. Well, I stopped for a second, just to see how far I'd gone. I was going for 30 minutes, so I'll take this time.

My pace was 12:59 min/mile. The weather was great. Nice and cool.

Some things are out of our control...

Well Saturday was DH's birthday. And we had another 15 miler scheduled. My dear friend came over again and babysat our kiddos for us in the wee hours. (When we got back, she said she was able to sleep pretty much the whole time. For that I'm glad). We got to the park right around 6 am. It was already raining pretty hard. We did see a teammate's car, so we were encouraged. We went the opposite way of the course so we could meet them along the way. By the time we got to the 1 mile mark of where we started, we say them. Apparently both B. and R. had gotten there around 5 am since they were finishing their first lap. They're fast... :) It was R's birthday too, so we greeted one another with Happy Birthday wishes in the rain.

It continued to rain and thunder for about 11 of the 15 miles. Yes, we were running in the rain for close to 3 hours. We did see another set of teammates working it out. I guess, we all figured that we just have to suck it up and keep going. There were more people in the park than I expected. A huge group from the Team in Training.

By the time it was over, we were both drenched, but we finished. And shaved off 3 minutes from out last outing.

So 15 miles. 3:27:25 (13:49 min/mile pace).

Next week is either 16 or 17. Eithe way it's long. Prayerfully, no rain. Or at least not a downpour. A nice intermittent drizzle is ok. :)

Right in my own back yard

Well, I have not done anything since last Thursday. Yesterday, I slept in and had intentions of going out in the evening. I'm kinda getting a little burned out, but keep remembering that the marathon is only 9 weeks away. This has to be normal...

So today I decided to have a little change of scenery. I am fortunate to work next to one of the greatest monuments in the US. So I ran around the perimeter of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. We call it The Arch. What a thrill. I see the Arch just about everyday. But the only time I get up close is when we have visitors. Today, I wanted to get a glimpse myself and what a view. The park is well shaded with trees so not too much sun until you get right along side the Arch itself. I only did one lap. That's a little over a mile. And I ran about 0.5 miles from the parking garage to the Arch. So I think I did about 2 miles today. I don't have a pace or anything. I just know that I needed to be at my desk by a certain time. We have showers in our building's gym so that's where I freshened up. The whole process took me an hour. So whenever I am in need of a change of pace, that is definitely an option.

A turning point

Well today, I was able to get out at 6:00 am. I set my watch to run 15 minutes straight. As the beep sounded, I had already completed a mile and just kept going. I ran TWO MILES STRAIGHT THROUGH TODAY. At a slow pace, but straight through. I just couldn't believe it, but then again, I kept hearing my DH's voice saying, "You've been doing this for four months now."

The first two miles were done in 26 minutes. I only took two walk breaks to complete the third mile and finished at 40:21.

Two miles straight through: (26:51) 13:25 min/mile pace

Overall 3 miles (40:21) 13:27 min/mile pace

I'm a 0.5 Marathoner...

Well, by grace, we completed the 15 miler. That was my first time going past the 12 mile mark, since I dropped out on our 14 miler a few weeks back. We are both sore and were walking like Frakenstein yesterday as we climbed steps, but with rest and some cold compresses we will be fine.

First off, I am just thankful to have dear friends. My friend came over to babysit the kids while we went out. She rang our doorbell at 5:30 AM. Yes, AM. She slept at our place until the boys woke up. So for that I am grateful to the max.

We did a few things different this time. We drank gatorade and water ALOT. The goal was to finish 20 oz. of fluids every 6 miles. We also had Clif Bars and Sports Beans on us to eat. We ate even when we didn't feel like it. With the goal of something every 45 minutes. That helped me out a whole lot. I didn't feel weak and primarily ran and walked as my intervals prescribed.

By the first two laps we were on pace, and I was really excited about that.

But what was also cool, were the other people at the park who were some high mileage like us. Everyone was so encouraging. If that is a glimpse of Chicago, then we are in for a pleasant surprise.

For the first 12 miles our time was 2:41 13.25 min/mile pace.

But then the last 3 miles came, and those were not pretty. We slowed down a lot. I guess we were knocking on the wall.

But we finished in 3:30:18. That's a long time to be running/walking.
The overall pace was 14:01 min/mile.

The weather was perfect and overall the mission was accomplished.

Status Before the 15 Miler

Well got in 2 miles before I picked up the boys on yesterday. I tried to run 20 minutes straight through, and got to 13:37 and had to stop. Next week I need to just concentrate on 15 minutes and work my way up.

So overall my time was 26:23.

13:11 min/mile.

The 15 Miler is tomorrow. 6:00 am. So I am going to start my carb loading for lunch. Yummy pasta..

Something from Heaven to cool me off...

Well, this is what is going on. My BIL is out of town fullfilling best man duties for a dear friend. He won't be back until next week. So morning and evening runs are squashed due to babysitting. The only way I can run is before I pick the boys up after work. I didn't get out there on Tuesday. But yesterday, I was determined to at least get in one mile before I picked up the boys.

I first stopped off at the college campus to run around the track, but the entrance was closed.

I finally went back to my park. I felt the drizzle as I got out of the car. I've got to at least get one mile in or else, it's not good. Something was pulling me out of the car to get moving.

With each trot, the rain came down harder and harder. Dripping in my eyes. Covering my glasses. Drenching me as I breathed in and out. But I ran. And as I heard the thunder, I was reminded of what I tell the boys. "Thunder is God clapping his hands." Maybe God was saying, "Way to go girl. I know you can do it. Keep going." So I ran. I stopped for a brief second, just so I could see. Then I got to my car to go home and quickly dry off before picking up the boys.

It was a good day.

1 mile 11:15

Sunday Night Live...

Well, before last night, my shoes were in the closet since last Tuesday. DH wanted to go out early Sunday morning before church, but I didn't think we would be done in time so we waited until 8:30 pm. While riding in the car, the temperature was announced to be 95 degrees downtown. Great. Another hot one. But it's summer time so what do you expect. We needed to do 10 miles and did not necesarily want to come to our car until we were done. With that in mind, DH recommended that we do a couple of mini-loops within the park to make up the additional 4 miles and still just to one lap. Not a bad idea. At least we thought. :)

I really don't know how many miles we did. I do know that it was more than six and less than 11. We also had a lot of stops and walking. It's to the point now where I can not make any excuses. I just need to walk when it's time to walk and run when it's time to run. Period.

On thing though was that I was kinda feeling weak. So I do need to carry food with me to munch on. It's good that I'm really learning this now instead of 11 weeks from now.

So here's our time with possible paces.

2:06:17

8 miles = 15:40 min/mile
9 miles = 13:55 min/mile
10 miles = 12:32 min/mile

So, only God knows our actual mileage, but I'll take the 9 miles since it's the median. :)

Have a good one.

A little under the weather

Well got on the treadmill at the gym in our office. I ran the first mile straight through at 13.38. I then walked/ran as much as I could. My time was limited as I had to leave to pick up the boys. So only got in 1.5 miles total.

Was going out this morning and I was sick. I had to call into work and I slept until about 3:30 pm. The only thing that tasted right was gatorade. I barely ate dinner and just drinking is all I can really do. So no running today.

It's still hot as it is in the entire country. Hang in there and stay hydrated...

A Moonlight Serenade...

Well this week the schedule said we were suppose to do 12 miles on Saturday. Didn't we just do 14 miles last Saturday? Man, the time is getting closer and now the rubber is really meeting the road. This was not a good week at all for me in regards to getting miles on my legs. Between the excitement of the arrival of Baby Lyric, getting ready for my group's presentation for school, the president of our company coming into town, and other work related tasks, I only got roughly 2.5 miles in so far. I was looking forward to Saturday, but then, we hear the forecast. Heat advisory from Saturday until next Wednesday. Temperatures with heat index up to 110 degrees. Yikes!

But Saturday DH and I were determined to get out there. Only one small snag. My BIL made plans for that morning, so we were without a babysitter. Never want to assume that BIL can babysit. He has a life. It's our responsibility to check in with him first. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be able to even consider a marathon, so no sweat on that one. We said we'd just go out Saturday night and run.

Well, Saturday night was HOT so that notion was scratched. Sunday was going along, and I kept asking if we were going out this evening. DH didn't answer. Then around 8:45 pm he says, "If you want to go out, you'd better hurry up." Wow! A night run. I was a little nervous, but I got dressed and got in the car to conquer the night.

We had the park to ourselves and it was humid with a capital H. We barely spoke as we jogged and walked the course. All I heard was the pounding of the pavement and the chirping of the crickets while the moon followed us around the park. At our pace, we would have been there until midnight if we did the entire 12, so we decided to do just one lap around. I figure six is better than zero. Plus with the heat and humidity we needed to get back. But I'm proud that I was able to keep up with him for the most part. Maybe he was going slow on my behalf, but I couldn't let him out of my site since it was dark out there. :)

So here's how we did.

6 miles 1:27:30 14:35 min/mile pace...

I conquered my first mountain

It was a mountain to me but to others it is a hill. It's a steep hill but a hill none the less.

I did not get out there on yesterday because the night before I was at the hospital with my dear friend, hubby and family. She was in labor with her beautiful daughter, Lyric. I didn't get to witness the event, but I hung out as long as I could. By 2:00 am, I had to leave.

When I arrived home had power. But when I woke up, our power was out and I was too tired to do anything. That evening, I went to the hospital to get my "baby fix" and extend more congrats to the mom and dad. Our power came back on midway yesterday afternoon, so I just got milk, sandwich meat and minimal things to tie us over until I make the true shopping list. We have to pretty much replace everything. But it's still good to have a list just the same.

But today, I was up and at them at 6:15 am. I decided to stay in my neighborhood today instead of going to the park. So I ran the first 10 minutes straight through which included the mountain.

I call it a mountain because back in the early months, this hill was highly avoided by everyone in our house. To even walk it is somewhat of a strain. When I was running for 30 seconds, I only got half way through it and had to walk the rest completely out of breath. It's a HILL.

So when I got to the bottom of the hill, my thoughts were to just see how far I could go. "I ran and I ran and I ran." (You've got to also use the Forest Gump accent too) until I reached the top of the hill. I was like, Wow! I've come a long way. God is good. With doing that hill twice, I ran to the park, which is 1/2 mile from the house. By then, I needed to get back home since the big shots are coming into work today, so only tracked 2.5 miles today.

Here are the stats.

2.5 miles 44:03 More walking recovery after the hill time.
Pace: 17:37 min/mile (WHOA!! I need some help).

The 14 miler...

Well, as I write this, we are still without power. I'm typing this from the St. Louis Bread Company. They have expensive soup and sandwiches, but FREE Wi-Fi and electricity to charge my phone. This power thing is just a minor inconvenience compared to what could have happened. I'm thankful that our house is not damaged from the storm and my family and friends are safe. Also, we do have places to go to get a break from the heat. So, this is just a test of patience as we approach day 4 without electricity.

But on yesterday, one could not ask for a more perfect day to run. The weather at 6:00 am was in the mid 60s. Since it was so cool and also since our coach was not going to be there this time, we decided to get a late start. So we go to the training site at 7:30 to start the 14 miler. DH and I made our first lap of Forest Park. All was well and I was on pace. We even ran into another teammate who just finished. He commented on how amazed at the ease of the run. I really believe that pressing through the humidity helped in more ways than we realized. But as we started on the second set of 6 miles, I began to slow down. I was walking a whole lot more that I needed to and at one point I saw DH move farther and farther in front of me. Finally, I could not see him at all, and I knew I was on my own.

I ran through walk breaks and walked mid way through run times. My whole pace time was off. But I finished the second lap. As I approached the end of the second lap, I saw DH and told him that I would wait for him at the car as he finished the final two miles. I'm disappointed in myself for not completing the remaining two miles, but I'm determined to finish our 15 miler even more so now. I'm really learning a lot about myself in this whole process...

With that, here's what happened.

First 6 miles. 1:20.02 13:20 min/mile pace
Second 6 miles. 1:29.00 14:50 min/mile pace

Overall 2:49.02 14:05 min/mile pace...

Latest happenings

Well yesterday it was still hot and I was still drenched. Did the 3 miles in 39:51. That's about a 13:17 min/mile pace.

Today, I needed to get in the office extra early to meet with someone concerning work. And I have to go home to finish studying for my final tonight. So no running for me today. We have our 14 miler on Saturday. Stay tuned...

A nice cool breeze...

Well got out there this morning around 6:30 am. Ran through the first mile in 11:55 and did the 4:1 for the remaining two miles in 27:58. Total for 3 miles was 39:53. I had a nice breeze but it was still muggy. I didn't check the temp, but I did have to stop a couple of times.

So total pace time is 13:17 min/mile. I'm still hovering between the low 13's and high 12's. I can't wait to stay in the 12 minute range.

It's like a heat wave...

Well this weekend was a scorcher. On Saturday, I attempted to do my 8 miles. Walked to the park to start off and got distracted by a garage sale.

I just so happened to have money on me and got a nice camcorder for CHEAP. I was too excited as I left my deposit for the camcorder and proceeded to the park. It was around 7:45 am. Temperature 77 degrees and 99% humidity. I completed my first mile and had to stop, but was doing great on time. By mile 2, I remembered that I needed some milk for the boys' breakfast, so in a walk break I called DH, who was on his way home from running an errand.

Me: "Where are you?"
DH: "On my way home, why?"
Me: "Can you stop by the store and get some milk?"
DH: "Where are you?"
Me: "On mile number 2 and it's hot."
DH: "I thought we were going to go out this evening when it cooled down?"
Me: "We were? I thought I mentioned that I just wanted to get this out of the way. Did I mention that it's hot?"
DH: "Stop, don't you know it's hot out there. Where are you now?"
Me: "I'm stopping and waiting for you to pick me up.."

And so he picked me up and I went home to prepare breakfast for my family, with no milk either. :)

And did we make it out that evening? No, because it was hot... I think I've said that before. On Saturday the temperature got up to 95 with heat index of 99 and 99% humidity. Heat advisory. No one was outside at all.

DH did his 3 miles on yesterday at 9:30 pm. So we didn't do the 8 and we have another group run on Saturday..

Prayerfully, this weather will let up. Our coach said to just stick with the schedule. If we miss one week on the long runs then it's ok. Stay tuned.

A little improvement

Ok, hit the park around 6:10 am. At 6:05, temp was 74 with 99% humidity. Last night I was talking to my friend about how hard the previous day's workout was. She pretty much told me to "Suck it up. It's summer. Deal with it." Of course, she didn't say it that way, but that's how I heard it. And I needed to hear it that way, too.

Ran the first mile non stop. I was drenched. Did my 4:1 intervals for the remaining two miles. By mile 3 I just wanted to get in my car and go home, but then I kept hearing, "Chicago. Flat course. October. No 99% humidity. This humidity is actually to your advantage." So I kept going. I even had to get a drink from the water fountain, but I kept going.

Time. (roughly) 38.28 (12:49 min/mile)
Ran mile 1 11:47.

So it was a good day. :)

The air was so thick...

Well I skipped yesterday. My 7th grade science teacher, Mr. Turk, would always say "Excuses are only made to satisfy yourself." but honestly, these are valid ones, at least I think so.

Excuse #1. It was raining too hard. At 6:30 am, it was a downpour at our house and the bed was not letting me go. So I said, I'll do it in the afternoon.

Excuse #2. I got a call from my dear friend who's about to become a mother any day. She asked me to take her to her hospital tour since her hubby had to work late.
Here's the conversation.
"Hey"
"Hey, What's up."
"You doing anything tonight?"
(Thought..Well I was planning on running since it rained on me this morning but..)"No, why?"
"Well, was wondering if you wanted to go on this hospital tour with me.."
and the rest as they say is history. So that's why I skipped.

Now, today, was a different story. Woke up and got to the park at 6:30 am. Ran my first mile straight through at 11:40 then did the 4:1 on the rest. I was thinking that this run was extremely hard. Maybe because I took 2 days off, but it was just tough. Well I finished in 41:53 (13:56 mile/min pace) and then I called time/temp when I got in the car. It was 76 degrees with 99% humidity. Can you believe that. That's part of the reason. So I don't feel too bad about my time. Whew...

long run weekend of 8 july

Well this has been a not so good week for me and the long run. Hubby got out yesterday to complete his 13 miles. I am so proud of him. Since we had relatives in from out of town, it was not right for both of us to be out in the morning. So I stayed behind. I did do 6 miles this evening. Still a long way from 13. I will do 10 miles next weekend to get somewhat caught up. Then the following week will be our 14 miler with the group.

So rest and back at 'em on Tuesday....

How do you chew an elephant?

One bite at a time. Well I skipped yesterday because I was exhausted from the 4th. We had a blast with our friends and neighbors. So got up this morning. The weather was great. I would say high 60s. I hit the course at 6:35 am and wanted to see just how long I could run. Well, I finished my first mile without taking a break. That was in about 11 minutes. Then came miles 2 and 3. Mile 2, I was moving pretty good, then I felt the needle begin to tip, tip, tip. By mile 3 I was almost on fumes, but I ran to the finish point. I'm just happy that I was able to complete that first mile non-stop. One mile at a time...

Anyway, I finished in 41:50. That's 13:56. So looks like the walk breaks really do help in terms of my pace.

Looks like I've been tagged

Wanna-be-5K-er tagged me. I'm tagging anyone who reads this and has a blog. It's pretty fun.

4 Jobs I've Had:
1. Retail Associate at Rainbow store
2. Student stuffer/filer/courier
3. ESL instructor (volunteer, but I count that)
4. Computer Programmer


4 Movies I Watch Over and Over:
1. Sound of Music
2. While You Were Sleeping
3. ????
4. Don't watch a lot of movies!

4 Places I Have Lived:
1. Boynton Beach, FL
2. College
3. Home
4. Where I am now…

4 TV Shows I Watch:
1. American Idol
2. Design on a Dime
3. Design To Sell
4. The Backyardigans (Hey, I have kids)


4 Places I've Been on Vacation:
1. Ghana
2. Seattle
3. Florida
4. New Haven

4 Websites I Visit Everyday:
1. Google
2. Blogger
3. CoolRunning
4. Yahoo Groups

4 Favorite Foods:
1. Pizza
2. Mexican.
3. Chinese
4. Chocolate


4 Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
1. Florida
2. Australia
3. Grand Canyon
4. I'm actually glad I'm here:)

4 Favorite Bands/Singers:
1. Whitney Houston (Before the Bobby Brown Influence)
2. CeCe Winans (with BeBe and also solo)
3. Fred Hammond
4. Harry Connick Jr.

4 Favorite Books
1. Captivating by John & Staci Elderedge
2. Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
3. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
4. Not been able to read like I’d like.

My First 5K

Well I finished my first 5K (3.1 Miles) on yesterday. I can proudly say that I was not last.

The day started with a phone call from my friend who was to run with me. Like we agreed she called at 5:00 am for the wake up call. Both my alarm and the phone rang at the same time. When I answered, I got some bad news. Her grandmother suffered a light stroke the night before. She received the word just one hour after I talked to her on the phone. She was exhausted and naturally would not be able to make the race. I listened to her and we talked some more, but you know what she was doing. Encouraging me to get out there and not be late. What a good friend.

So my BIL and I headed out around 5:45 AM. The race started at 7:00 but BIL needed to register. We got there around 6:15 and he registered without a hitch.

By race time, there was one wheelchair participant. That was very inspiring. He finished the course in 15 minutes. That's right 15 minutes. What strength!

We started at the end of the pack as the gun went off. There were around 330 people there and just to see the people ahead of me was very nice to see. Then I imagined that this had nothing on Chicago with 40,000 people crossing the starting line. Wow.

By the 1/2 mile mark, I felt that I moved too fast. Charles was already ahead of me and making the loop turn. I cheered him on. That was the last time I saw him until I crossed the finish line.

All in all it was a good time. I finished in 41:13. That's a 13:16 min/mile pace. So, now my goal is to run straight through. I believe that will increase my pace time for the overall marathon training.

I plan on getting out tonight and start on my goal of running straight through.

Long Run -- kinda

Well this weekend had it's twists and turns. I was suppose to do 9 miles on Saturday, but instead did work around the house until late afternoon. So in the late afternoon, I went with my BIL and two sons (ages 2 and 4) to the park to "run". Instead, I walked two laps and let my my 4 year old run ahead of me. He was too excited to be "exercising". He even insisted on brining his Gatorade so he wouldn't be thirsty. Meanwhile the 2 year old was in the stroller enjoying himself with legs cross like a king. It was a good time even though my "run" was squashed. I was really enjoying myself with them. "Look Mama, we're on tv." Was the reply when I told my big boy that he was running like an Olympian. I thought that would wear him down, since he has A LOT of energy. But after his bath on Saturday, he was still talking about how he got out there and "exercised." Maybe this will be a good habit for them to start.

So I got up on Sunday to get in my 9 before church. It was a cool start to the morning unlike our 97 degree weather on Saturday. I had a time limit, so I knew I couldn't get the whole 9 in. So I did a run/walk of 6 and walked one mile straight back to my car. I just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet of the Sunday morning. So not a wasted mile at all for me anyway.

Now my BIL and hubby are going to do the 9 as I post this. They are pretty pumped. I'm glad I already did mine. Well kinda... :)

BTW, the 6 was done in 1:24 so that's 14 min/mile exactly. I will be so glad when I get out of this time crunch for these long runs... It will come.

No Progress

I didn't do anything yesterday. Life happens like that. Still taking my rest day today and will go at 'em tommorrow. Getting pumped up for my first 5K on the 4th.

Wednesday June 28

Just so you'd know, I did run today. I did three laps around the park and shaved off about 30 seconds. I tried to run as hard as I could at the last stretch, but ran out of breath -- twice. But I think that helped me to realize that speed will come. Just need to focus on the aerobic activity. So one more day to go and Friday is a rest day.

Tuesday -- June 27

Well, I completed the three miles today and surprisingly my aches went away. The run actually helped me out a lot. I also bumped up my run walk ratio to 4:1 intervals. A friend suggested that I walk from the house to the park where I start as my warm-up, stretch and start my time once I start running. When I did that I clocked it at 0:39:40. My speed is creeping up. Since I am a lover of numbers, I went back to a cool website to calculate my pace for the day. It averaged to be around 13:13 min/mile. So there is a small piece of improvement. We'll take all the small victories that we can. Besides the morning was gorgeous. The temperature had to be around high 60s loow 70s. I think that helped out a lot too. Hanging in there. Thanks for stopping by.

The Twelve Miler...

Our group training this time was pretty special. We completed two laps around Forest Park and no body was carried away in the ambulance. :). However, when I got home, I felt like I was hit by a truck and am sore today too. But it's a good kind of sore, if that makes sense...

I'm up to 3.5 minutes of running and 1.5 minutes of walking, and finished my two laps in 2:41. It's roughly 6 miles per lap so at this pace, I'm roughly around 14 minutes/mile. Still room for improvement. But the Chicago Marathon is not until October 22 and this is training. We'll get there.

Our coach, Pat, is awesome! She wants us to finish the race in 6 hours so both Kwabe and I have a lot of work to do on our speed. This week, I'm going to increase my running by 30 seconds. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but considering 4 months ago, I felt as if I was going to collapse after 30 seconds of running, I feel like an Olympian.

I tell you, it has only been by the grace of God that all of us has made it this far. Our group is so jazzed. Please keep us all in your prayers.

I'll post again soon.

Marathon Training So Far

First, I want to say, I can't believe I am training for a marathon....

Hello Everyone and welcome to my marathon journal. Right now I just wanted to catch everyone up on what is going on with this whole marathon thing.

I started my training in February. My first steps were on Valentine's Day. My dear friend Rhonda pushed me out of the house, in the cold, and we ran (she ran, I walked) around my neighborhood. Our group from church was scheduled to start the group trainings in March, and I wanted to get a head start.

In March we started off with our two mile group run and the commraderie was great. It had to be about 25 people meeting. Everyone was so jazzed. Then, I got shin splints and pretty much sat out training for a while.

By April, I was back and determined. The group was dwindling but the momentum was there. Then in May, my dear husband joins me. By this time our group runs are now at 6 miles and our group was down to about 10. I was surprised that I did six miles in 1.5 hours considering in February I couldn't even run one minute. Now, I was running about one minute and walking one minute.

Yet, that was not working fo me. I was barely catching my breath until it was time to run again. So now I have a different strategy and it seems to be working well. I'm utilizing 5 minute blocks where I am trading 30 seconds of walking each week for running. I am currently at 3 minutes of running (or shall I say jogging) and 2 minutes of walking. All is well.

So that's just a little bit to get you caught up. I'll expand more later.