Soon to race

It is so encouraging to read the blogs and see that others are both progressing and struggling like myself. I have been running consistantly over the past few weeks with small setbacks and bigger gains. My only concern this week is my right knee is giving me a little problem with long distances. I hate that it is bothering me this close to the race. I ran 9 miles on Sunday. It was a perfectly beautiful morning on a country road. I felt great and was running well until the 7th mile or so. Then my knee starts to ache. I slowed down and babied it back home. There was no swelling, but it was sore the rest of the day. It is not bothering me on short distances. My plan of the moment is to wear a brace, take some ibuprofen before runs and ice it down afterwards. I will take any other suggestions. Other than the knee, I am very excited about the race. Running has become such a normal part of my life. I wish I had been in this good of shape ten years ago! Keep running!

Keep on keepin' on!

Last Saturday was an epic run. I got up at 2:30, left the house at 3, met w/ the Waco running group at 4. In the morning. We ran 18 miles, of course we do the run-walk method which is the only thing that saves me. It poured rain for about an hour, and the Advil, caffeine pill, and gummy bears I had in my pockets were melted. But the rain was welcome, because it was still SO hot that morning! I find it interesting that on many of the longer runs I do, the first half is worse than the last. This is not always true, but sometimes. The first ten miles I felt bad, sluggish, like I was picking up my big heavy legs one at a time to just move them. Somehow, after the rain and just getting settled in, the legs got lighter and my mood got happy. I certainly felt the last 8 miles in my body but emotionally I was high. Having good buddies to run with is wonderful, and mainly, just to do it. It feels freakin' fantastic.

Still Hot....

I wish I had been running at 7am with Mitzi! My dad and I have done the last few of our runs outdoors at the hottest part of the day (scheduling is a problem for us...), and we are struggling to find a good pace so that I can survive the heat. The Galloway run/walk helps, but I can't wait for it to cool down a little bit. News 10 Meteorologist Brady Taylor says the temp should drop a little this Sunday. I can't help but hope that is the start of a steady decline in temperatures towards race day. Here's hoping the 28th is a cool morning!

Keep on Keeping on

I'd forgotten what it was like to run when the weather is a little cooler. I went for a 5 miler on Saturday morning at 7 am and it was way cooler than when I've been running at noon. Did I mention I'm not a morning person... I enjoyed the weather and also enjoyed watching my neighborhood wake up. Every time I went around my one mile block, there were more lights on in the homes and more and more people began coming out to run to walk. By the time I finished, I was rejuvenated, awake and ready to go to the UT game in Austin...but that's another story altogether. Did I mention they LOST!

I recruited a friend to run with me on Sunday for my long run. We ran 10 miles in the heat of the day. It was hot and windy but we managed to stay on course. We should have run 2 more but my blisters were bothering me and I really need to get those things healed before the marathon. Only one more long run for me before the marathon, maybe a 15 miler and that should do it.

Happy training and I'll see ya at the finish line

Texas Weather and any other excuse

It's still HOT outside. I ran (walk,ran) 6 miles on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday. It was so hot, I just didn't have the energy to run much of the 10 miler. Plus, I've got a major blister on my heel that just won't go away. I've never had trouble with blisters before so this is beginning to get on my nerves. With so little time until the marathon, I really need to be running distances, but this blister....

Ahh - I love the excuses. Here are a few of my favorites: it's too hot; it's too cold; it's too windy; it's too early; it's too late; I'm too tired; I ran yesterday; I'm sore; I ate too much; I'm too hungry; my Ipod needs charging; my friends can't run today; and my all time favorite - I can't find my shoes! Believe me when I tell you - after running for 27 years, I have used all of the above.

Happy training and I'll see ya at the finish line

Pre-Race Races

As we are gearing up for the big race day, several people in the Waco Galloway group are enjoying some shorter races around central Texas. A few people did the Kolache run in West a couple weeks ago, tomorrow (Sat 9/15) is the McGregor Founders Day run, and next week (Sat 9/22) is the first annual MS run through Cameron Park. Since I haven't really run in a race before, I am really looking forward to a pre-race race. I think the energy of running with such a big group of people will help give me a little extra boost through the next few weeks of training, plus I am hoping it will give me a better idea of what to expect on the morning of the 28th!

Well it's September and the pollen must be rampant. I went out for my run yesterday and only made it 1 mile before my chest got tight and my eyes started burning and itching. By the time I got back inside, I had to take Benadryl just to breathe. I am still determined to get my miles in so I went out again today and had a much easier time. I am only running 4 miles because I do this on my lunch hour. I will save my long runs for Sundays when I have more time and there is less traffic.

At any rate, I would like to share some of the questions I have gotten over the years as I have trained and run my past marathons : Do you like to run - How do you run that far - Do you get tired - Why would you do that - How far is THIS marathon - and my all time favorite....Did you win? My answer to the last question is always the same - in my mind if I cross the finish line, I won!

Happy Running