How about a Random Rambling Running post?

So...I mentioned how I started running--well rather why, not how....at the suggestion of the high school cross country coach. Going through some old stuff I found my Presidential Fitness test results...do they even still do those tests? Or are our kids too fat now? Or maybe if makes some of them "feel bad" so we can't do it anymore.... Anyway...my best time was 2:02 for 600 yards in 7th grade. It was then 2:03 in 8th grade. I don't have the inclination to see if that was any good or not...according to the chart it was in the 90 or 95 th percentile, I forget...that was yesterday, I'm old now and don't retain things very long. (doing some crap on Lumosity, a website that I read about in Health magazine...it's free brain training games if you are interested--we'll see if it helps)

Where was I? This is definitely going to be a disorganized mess so settle in and bear with me.

I mentioned I did pretty well (or is it good?--damn grammar Nazi's always making me second guess myself--I gave up on punctuation, damn commas!). I broke the 6 minute mile mark...once. I would love to get in the 6's now. I don't do a lot of speed training and never had access to a track but back in PA, I did get down to 7:30 without an all out effort. Right now it's just too damn hot...I am lucky to run a couple feet at an 8 minute mile....did I lose all of you non-runners yet?

This is boring even me!

Why I stopped running.

I ran in 9th, 10th and 11th grade. I was dating a guy a year ahead of me. After he went off to college I just didn't care about running anymore. Oh and I was starting to suck...and when you have low self esteem you certainly don't need to keep doing something to remind you that you suck! I was getting thighs, which my coach informed me wasn't a good thing for runners...oh to have that scrawny little body I hated in middle school. There was a better runner on the team..(who may be reading this? -- sorry we were good friends but part of me hated that you came in an stole all the attention!) and hey it was my Senior year, aren't we supposed to slack off?? So I just stopped...and that was it. Didn't think about it for years. Didn't exercise at all really...just some water skiing here and there.

Then I heard about Oprah running a marathon and I thought if she could do it maybe I could do it. I put it in my bucket list and would mention it from time to time but never really even thought about what it would mean to run 26.2 miles. I kept saying I'll do it...before I turn 30...before I hit 35 before 40. Then I thought surely I was too old....

Why I started running again.

It's the annual Family Christmas get together in 2009 and my cousin is there...I forget how the topic came up, maybe she had just ran another marathon (she's run a lot!)...we may have mentioned the Biggest Loser's running marathons (after seeing that I really became interested in running a marathon again)...I don't know what happened but I said I had always wanted to run one but now I was too old...I had just turned 41. She laughed and said no I wasn't...I should train and we could run Baltimore together in October. She said it was a "fun" marathon--- never mentioning those hills I learned about later! She told me how it ended with running into Camden yards and how supportive the crowd is...the gummy bear guy, the beer table guy...even the crack addicts on the corners! She was so excited! I got wrapped up in the moment and said OK! Let's do it!

I had no idea what I was in for. I was going to be training alone--she lives in Chicago! I started googling stuff and was thinking I may have gotten in over my head! I hadn't run in forever! Every now and then I had tried to run again...never lasting more than 2 trips out. My usband couldn't even get me to go to the park to WALK with him. What the hell was I thinking?

I had already started telling people at work that I was going to do it. This is what really committed me to it. I didn't want to feel like a quitter! And I hadn't even started running at this point!

I found Hal Higdon's plan. It seemed like I could do it. I started with a program to get me up to 6 miles. But first I had to get up to 3 miles. That seemed so easy.....I mean c'mon I was a Cross Country runner...3 miles is nothing...right?!??!

I started right around the first of March. I had it all mapped out on my computer calendar...how many weeks til I had to start the 6 mile program and then how many til I started the marathon program. I think the marathon one was 18 weeks and the other one 12? His website is different now, but if My memory serves me (and it usually doesn't!!)...

That first run was a JOKE! I ran about 2 minutes! I hate the cold...at this point I haven't purchased any running stuff. I am in nasty sweats, sweatshirt and just miserable! Ok just checked --I started March 2nd and "ran" a mile....with lots of walking. Referring back to the calendar, it looks like most weeks I was "running" 4 days a week and cross training one...mostly walking as my cross training, though I did a recumbent bike a time or two. By April 2nd I was up to 3.5 miles!! I don't know it I was running the whole time yet.  June 11th was my first 6 miler and 18 weeks until the marathon. The real training had begun. There would never be a week that didn't have a 6 miler in it.

I am not sure when I fully committed....purchasing my race entry. I am sure it was before this point, I am a worrier and I was worried it would sell out and that would SUCK! Once I paid the entry fee I knew I would never quit. Running a marathon is not CHEAP! Plus once I got my entry, my cousin got her's. And she needed to book airfare and a hotel....there was no way I would let her down.

It wasn't easy. My OCD helped...if the schedule said to run..well dammit I was going to run! I ran in the heat and I ran in the rain...that summer was one of the hottest on record....I LIKED when it rained! I had so much support from my husband. When the runs started getting too long for one water bottle, he would meet me to bring me a fresh cold one, and a snack and a water bottle to spritz me. I may have ran the miles alone but I didn't train alone. I truly couldn't have done it without his support!

I remember a particularly bad run...schedule called for 8 and for some dumb reason I ran at noon...most of my runs were done late evening. I was only working 3 days a week at the time so I don't really know why I chose that time...(By the way I have no idea how people work full time and have families and train for marathons---much respect to them!) Anyway... I had being doing really well with my runs but this one I got overheated and had to walk...I thought I had got past that point and it really upset me and made me second guess whether I would be able to run a marathon, when i couldn't finish a measly 8. I found support from some running forums and realized that this could just be a one time thing and not to get too worked up over it. The rest of my runs went really well!

I had some concerns about my IT band but googled some exercises and got through it. My one knee wanted to ache anytime I ran more than 16 and that concerned me but there weren't THAT many runs on the schedule longer than that...so I ran on. I did get really good shoes and a GPS watch....those expenses early on also kept me motivated. I didn't want to have spent that money for nothing!

I learned all about fueling on long runs....things I never even considered when I put marathon on my bucket list. I didn't really think about the fact that there would be such specific training plans, let alone fueling concerns. Hal Higdon's site was a lifesaver for this naive newbie!

I never got into gels and GU and what not. I figured a carb is a carb and gummy lifesavers and spice drops where quite handy to bring on my runs! I hate Gatorade so found a recipe online to make my own.

When I ran my 20 miler...the longest training run...I actually teared up realizing I WAS actually going to do THIS! I was so excited for taper time because even after all of this training mentally I still was a couch potato....I still made my husband park in the closet spot at the mall! I also planned on running the marathon and being done! That's it...no more exercising. But my mind and body had other plans.

So I guess this post became about my marathon training.......I could write another whole post on my actual marathon experience but I will try to sum it up here instead.

My cousin was amazing. She knew I wanted to run 4:30 (that's 4 hours 30 minutes for you non runners that are still here...and also the time Oprah ran). She never said don't set a time or that's unrealistic for someone with so little training or even how fast I was running my training runs. (My pace on my 20 miler was over 11 min/mile) You need about a 10 min/mile pace for my goal. One minute per mile may not sound like much but over 26 miles....it adds up! Our first miles were uphill, just slightly but our pace was SLOW-- I just looked they weren't as slow as I thought -- in the 11's. But we had a whole bunch of miles (about 8 of them from mile 5 to 13) around 9:30. We even had a potty break that added precious minutes. Around mile 17 it started to get tough...I broke a cardinal rule..do NOT try new things in a race....I was tempted by the snickers a spectator was offering...chocolate and running don't mix(with me!) plus we were starting up the hill!  Oh and we had just run 16 miles...some pretty fast for me! I know at mile 9 I felt great...saw our hubbies and they got a picture and I remember feeling reallllly good!

Don't remember when but I started walking through the water stations and when they (those helpful spectators!) said it was all downhill , I got excited....except there was the teeniest uphill to cross a bridge and I HAD to walk..I knew we were close and I knew the time was close but I HAD TO WALK...I could feel the blisters on the tips of my toes...Then the crowds really picked up and I started welling up....less than a mile to go....I may not do it in 4:30 but I would do it even if I crawled!!

I saw the timing clock and I am sure I visibly slumped...It was at the 4:30 mark and I still had yards to go....I could I be so close and YES it mattered! My cousin reminded me that that was GUN time not CHIP time.... I could still do it...and I sprinted...well it felt like sprinting! across the finished line....My time ended up being 4:29:26.....YEAH!!

The End

So that was it....but it wasn't.. I wanted to run and tried to run but my knee said NO...then I was mad... I WANTED to run...so I kept active with the bike and walking and finally 6 weeks later I could run without pain! And signing up for more races--including a mud run--which is when I realized I could run but still was NOT "in shape".

I kept reading and learning more about running "right"... I learned core strength would help my running. Maybe if I didn't heel strike my knee wouldn't hurt...so I tried barefoot running...and then I found Jillian.  I decided I wanted to do a pull up and that was my next challenge...and that's how I stay interested...keep finding things I can't do and then doing them...and right now I need a new challenge.

I went 3 months without DVD's so just getting back into that is my challenge for now....but I really need a running challenge...and so the search begins...what's next? A 50K? Or a longer mud run? We will see.