Mission Accomplished

So I did the 1/2 marathon and it went very well. What I am telling people, though, is that I really did the 3/4 marathon, because I ran 20 miles that day. I have now switched my focus to training for the Houston full marathon, and myself and some people in the running group needed to do a 20 mile training run that weekend. SO I met up with my running buddies at 5 am, ran 7, then did the 13.1. My time was very slow, but I don't care, I was feeling SO good at the end of the race, I think I finally got a runner's high. I am excited about Houston and maybe will do Austin marathon as well.
It was a beautiful day, and an awesome marathon!

I finished!

I am thrilled to report that I finished the 1/2 marathon! It was such a beautiful day...perfect running weather! My only expectations were that I would finish and hope that I had improved in some way. Although the official results are not posted yet, I finished the run feeling great! My knee did give me some grief towards the end of the race, but this is the first 1/2 marathon I have finished that I was not exhausted at the end. I could have run more! Wow! My Garmin watch says my time was improved too. Can't wait to see the posted results! My husband also ran in the 5K race. He runs faster than me. He came in 2nd for his age category. I was so proud of him. He started running for fitness this time last year and now had those sexy runner's legs. It was a good day for the Gilmer's. Hope you had fun! Hope you did well! See you at the start line next year!

This is it!

I ran my last long run on Sunday. I plan to run a short run tommorrow, then I will carb-out. I always do a 20 or 30 walk the day before just to smooth out any soreness and to help clear my mind of doubts. I know I will finish. I know I will do my best. I know that I will have fun. Good luck to all you runners. It is supposed to be a beautiful day on Sunday. See ya'll there!

7 Days until the Big MMM

Okay folks - we have only 7 days left until the Marathon. I ran my last long run yesterday. I ran 12 miles with a friend and it was hot and windy. I will probably do a few 3 milers this week but I won't run at all after Thursday.

Each time I do a long training run, I wonder if I will be able to complete the marathon. Then I remember that I have finished all of my marathons and they are, of course, all the same distance so if history repeats itself.... Yikes I hope I didn't just jinx myself. Two years ago, I got a stress fracture at about 23 miles in Cameron Park but I was still able to complete the marathon. Now that I think about it, that sounds a little insane. But then running marathons is considered by some to be "a little insane". I think it's just downright fun. Not to mention that you learn a whole lot about yourself, your determination and your sense of accomplishment.

I compare marathons to childbirth in a sense. You have several months of training (pregnancy) and then several hours of labor (the actual marathon) and then you deliver (the finish line). So, by that analogy, "the baby is almost here". How exciting is that!

See ya at the Marathon

I ran 12 miles this morning with a friend. What a beautiful day! We started before the sun came up and then greeted the day as the minutes ticked by. The weather was crisp with no wind. We were able to run the first 6 without stopping. Then we ran the last 6 about half running and half walking. We felt good when we finished however my calves were a little sore which was a new experience for me. I didn't get blisters which is a good since I have been plagued with those lately.

Anyway, I will do another long run on Sunday and then taper off before the marathon. Hope the weather is a duplicate of today but if not...the marathon will still be fun. It always is.

Happy training and the countdown begins

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

Scenic Runs for the Race

Well it's been awhile since my last comments but like many of you I just came back from vacation and yes I did run. Like most everyone the change of scenery gave me a boost in my training. Unfortunately where my sister lives in South Carolina is very hilly and the run was painful on the uphill climb and a little scary on the downhill side. You don't realize just how steep the hill is until you start down and then it's too late to change your mind and walk because the momentum has driven you past your normal pace and to try and stop is as dangerous as finishing the downhill run because the bottom of the hill is coming quickly and you need the momentum to get up the next hill. Yes I was sore for a few days but to my surprise the total distance was in excess of 6 miles. What surprised me was I have not run this far yet on flat roads and I was not in that bad shape at the end of the run. Well to all keep up the effort and see you in October

Back from Hawaii

I haven't written in a while...I have been on vacation and getting ready for school. Hawaii was beautiful. I had found a "how to train on vacation" plan that I was going to follow, but I didn't. I did run on the beach twice with my husband (which was really hard work for me, but John was hardly breathing! However, he got really sore legs and I didn't. So there!). I went scuba diving and hiking, which I counted as crosstraining. Back at home I started up with a couple of short easy runs (2 milers), then moved up to 3 miles and tomorrow I will do 4 miles. Saturday I should be back on schedule with a seven mile run. Only eight more weeks to go...time to get to work! As Maya would say from Yourself Fitness Xbox game, "Work hard, work strong!"

Needed Distractions

It can be the smallest or weirdest things that keep us going day to day, and so far it has been Harry Potter keeping me running. I started adding mileage about the time the 7th book came out, so Harry, Hermoine and Ron have been keeping me company via book on tape every step so far. That is, until last Friday. Even more than my disappointment at the end of the series, was my disappointment at loosing my running partners. I barely noticed the miles slip by when I was caught up in finding horcruxes and fighting Voldemort. Now, I am aware of each and every step. Last week, I tried to go back to running with music, but it just wasn't the same. Today, I try again with a new audio book.

NINE WEEKS TO GO!!

I am happy to say my training is going well, and I'm really looking forward to the actual event of the half marathon on October 28th. Like Emily (see her last post) I am also with the Waco group who does the Galloway method (run-walk). I had my reservations about it at first. I thought it would surely make one much slower, but believe me, it doesn't. It saves your legs so you can keep up the pace in the long run. I did 10 miles on Saturday, and felt really good up until about the last mile (at which point I just had to put my head down and just keep moving). The other good thing is the people I run with are total nuts and we end up laughing about the weirdest stuff. That can be bad, though, if you are laughing and out of breathe from running at the same time!

Galloway Way

Well, I made the 8 miles! I ran with the Waco Galloway group for the first time, and I am not sure I would have made it through the distance without them. That group has been on a structured training schedule together for several weeks, but they were very nice to let me join in a little late. The Galloway method of combining walking and jogging made the whole distance much more beareable, plus it was a lot of fun to have a group of people to run with. I alternated looking forward to and dreading the beep of the watch counting our minutes as we switched back and forth from walking and running. Having the group meant I could stop focusing on the details (where are we going, how much further) and really just focus on the running. Very nice.

Change of Scenery... Same Pace

I was in Galveston for a couple of days last weekend, and had a great run on the sea wall! I am really glad I made that trip last week... I think it might not be running weather down there this weekend. It was really nice to be able to run in some new scenery, even though the waves were a little low. I have heard there are benefits to actually running on the sand, but since I am still counting completion as a success, I decided not to push it. I am looking forward to my longest run yet this weekend... 8 miles! It will definitely be a challenge, but I am excited for it.

Picking up speed

I have run 13 miles this week. This is the most I have run in 4 or 5 months. I have a few sore spots but the slow steady increase in my training over the past few weeks have made the difference. And, remarkably, I have run every bit of it. I remember last year struggling to run short distances and feeling tired all the time. This is such an improvement! I encourage all you newbies to hang in there. It is so exciting to see yourself get stronger. I am jazzed! Tonight is the first set of fartleks in my training program. I am looking forward to a good sweat! See you on the road!

Mental Challenge...

I started in on the training a little later than I wish I had, so I have been playing catch-up for the last few weeks. Having never been a strong runner, there has been a lot of catching up to do. One of my biggest obstacles so far has been mentally pushing myself to do the distance (even the shorter starting out distances....) Running is so much of a mental and physical challenge for me, but I am learning to enjoy it for the challenge. When I do make the distance or time I am shooting for, it is such a great feeling! I am training with my dad, Keller, who is also running the half, and having a running partner has really helped me push past my mental obstacles. My dad keeps telling me, the excuse you give yourself to stop running is often the excuse you give yourself to quit in other parts of your life. Thinking about that while running has kept me going. I have been surprised, especially in just the last couple of days, how just a little bit of progress has really encouraged me to work harder.