Indianapolis Marathon - Week 6

Figured I'd better post about last week before this next week is over! It was a good week and I got all of my runs in again. And all of my mileage. Plus, my Sunday run averaged under 9:45 miles with most of it negative splits. I started slowing down around mile 10 and struggled a bit to finish. 

Proudest moment of the week was finishing the 12 miles. First, it meant that I ran the longest training run ever. Second, it meant that I ran every run and ran every mile for four straight weeks. That is an accomplishment in itself. 

Monday - rest

Tuesday - 0 miles (plan = 4) 

Wednesday - 4 miles (plan = 0)

Thursday - 0 miles (plan = 3)

Friday - 3 miles with the jogging stroller (plan = 0)

Saturday - 5 miles (plan = 5)

Sunday - 12 miles (plan = 12) 

Total = 24 miles (plan = 24 miles)

The greatest part of this plan is that it is on four days a week so I have some flexibility on my runs. Unfortunately, I didn't plan great for this week and ended up with 20 miles in three days which is a lot for me. Although, for this coming week, I'll end up with 20 in two days. So, it's good practice. 

All in all... It's been good. I think my metabolism has finally caught up. I'm hungry all the time and I'm eating a lot. Yet, I'm still maintaining my weight and maybe even down a few pounds. 

15 miles for my long run this week and I'm stressing a bit. Last week, I had the run in before church and hoping to do the same this week. Means starting at 6:15. Marathon training means sacrifice and I'm definitely sacrificing weekend sleeping in time. But, I make up for it with Sunday naps and before I know it, I'll be able to nap to the sound of football in the background. :)

Early morning shot of the Pennsy Trail from Sunday. It turned out to be pretty hot!

Memory Lane and Two Confessions

After reading an article in Runner's World about the new one-mile races that are popping up, I got an urge to finally do something I've thought about often. I've been racking my long term memory to come up with my mile time in high school, so I decided to dig through my basement boxes to find some records. No luck. My best recollection is that I struggled to break 7 minutes and only did that once or twice. Which, I might add, would not have been enough to keep me on the team if there were any competition for the "distance" running events. In fact, all slow runners were delegated to the distance group.

Why do I care? Well, it's really pretty simple. I'm in the best shape of my life. I think the almost 34 year old version of myself would put up a good fight with the 15 year version of myself, even if I have gained a pound a year. :)

After the marathon, I'm thinking that may be a good goal to tackle. Beat the 15 year old me at the mile. I have a message into the daughter of one of my coaches in hopes that I can find that time.

I may not have found my mile time, but I sure did find some other good stuff. My favorite find is the travel journal from the trip Tom and I took to Europe right after we graduated. More blog posts on that one to come!

This is the oldest photo I found. This is my brother, Matt, who looks so much like Jack its crazy. This was at Grandpa Paul and Ellie's as I remember the step stool that was used as a high chair for all of us. Brings back so many good memories.

Fast forward to high school. Here is a post card I received from Tom when he was on vacation to Myrtle Beach. This kids, is what we did before texting and Photoshop. 

Apparently, cutting out faces and putting them on bodies was a common event in the Joyner Household. I remember getting this from Tom's mom when we were dating. I fit right in...no?

Confession #1: In high school, my parents were generous enough to send me with the French Exchange group from the high school. We all attended one party while there and I had enough forethought to save the bottle cap from the first beer I ever drank. My French is still good enough to know that this was a twist off and probably the French equivalent of a Pabst Blue Ribbon. Sorry to disappoint you mom and dad and Madame Waite. I really only had one beer. Ou, en Francais? Un Biere.

Moving on to prouder moments of high school... There was a time when I ran for every office that came up for an election. If there was a vote, I was a candidate (except for homecoming and prom court - never got to endure that one). This was a sign my dad made for the campaign of Junior Class President. I'm not sure it made the cut amongst the ones hung in the halls of NHS. I lost this race and every one before and every one after until... read on...

She wins! She wins! After something like 11 elections, I finally won one. At this point, it was a running family joke. I was a big fat loser but felt nothing like one. :) Turns out, Senior Class President meant little more than organizing the first reunion. It didn't matter - Mom and dad put together this poem to celebrate! 

You did it! You did it! You did it!

Ms. President of the Class.

How many times did it take until,

finally good things came to pass? {Actually? 11 times}

We knew you could do it.

We never lost hope.

You're such a great person,

No one thinks you're a dope!

Being strong and yet tender,

you're the perfect mix.

You're the very best leader

for the Class of '96! {Editor's note: I was the Class of '97 but '96 does rhyme better with six}

And now, Ms. President,

What do you think?

You're really left your mark

on NHS, Inc.

Your class must be proud to put you in the lead 

It was you that they wanted,

You would succeed.

We're proud of you too Saz.

No dream could be better.

Than to live each day,

knowing you're our go-getter!

We love you Sara!

Dad, Mom, Matt & Max

September 23, 1996

I'm pretty impressed with this. I remember when I was in junior high and I caught a glimpse of my mom's high school yearbook and thought, there's no way I can live up to mom's high school career! She did everything! Well, right now, I'm looking at that poem and thinking, there's no way I can live up to that kind of support to our kids! But, I sure will try!

Graduation came along and I found the usual award and graduation programs. My favorite is this certificate signed by our Congressman, Bob Ney. Congressman Ney got in some hot water during the Jack Abramoff scandal and did some time about 10 years after I received this certificate. I have another connection to Mr. Ney that you can ask me about in person some time. (See the smudge on his signature? I think I wet my finger and tried to smudge it to see if it was real. Why? No idea.)

One of my favorite extracurriculars I did in high school was Youth in Government. Not only did Tom and I start dating on this infamous trip, but it was a great learning opportunity. We spent the year preparing a bill and then presenting it to a mock committee and legislature. I know it's small print, but if you read the bill, I still think it's a pretty good idea, but likely impossible to enforce. 

Here's the gist... If you're under 21 and decide to drop out of school, you have to pass a basic skills test. If you're over 21, you have to either sign a waiver rejecting any public aid until passing the basic skill test or enter a GED program. If you're under 21, you must enter the program until you can pass the skill test. 

Sometime between high school and college, Tom's parents went away for the weekend. Tom, Eric and I got together to hang out and decided to take pictures with their camera. I think Barb & Vic were surprised to find these when they had the film developed!

Off to college we went. I found some super sweet notes from Tom in which he said he really wanted me to go to Miami with him. I don't really remember that but I'm sure it's something we discussed a lot! 

I couldn't believe how much mail I had saved from my freshman year! Mom and dad wrote a ton and then my cousins and aunts and uncles too. I remember going to the mailbox every day and being so excited to see something in mine! Again, something else I really want to do for my kids - even in this age of texting and Skyping. 

Here's one from my cousin, Nicole, who was in elementary at the time. She's getting married now! Time flies! Good marker work Nicole!

Can't get this one to flip, but it's from her brother, Ryan. Nice work!

And, here's a letter from a little one in our church youth group. We're Facebook friends still and I remembered that she used to be my pen-pal. Although, I'm not totally sure I ever responded. Sorry Katie. :) 

I must have picked up cross-stitching at some point in college. I vaguely remember it. Who does that?!?! I found this one in my bin too. I am kind of impressed but also kind of confused. What the heck is it?!

Finally, I'll leave everyone with this picture, which is Confession #2. On the left is my brother and on the right is Tom's sister, both in high school and probably under 16. They were visiting Miami at some point and we took this picture with our good friend and Tom's roommate. I'm so sure that our parents would have been thrilled to know this was going on. Turns out they both turned out to be pretty cool kids and weren't worse for wear. :)

Indianapolis Marathon - Week 5

Week 5?!?!? Really?!?!?! This is going faster than I thought. And, I think, faster than I'm ready for it to go. And, by faster, I don't mean my times are getting faster because they definitely are not.

This week really did feel like a marathon training week and less like a "get a few miles during the week and then a longer run on the weekend" type of week. I can also tell by the way I feel today. First time in a while I've been sore. (I also feel totally stoved up and unable to relax through my neck and shoulders which I'm attributing to carrying a water bottle on the run. Blech.)

Sidenote - I totally owe lots of cute kid photos, especially the back to school ones. But, honestly, between the back-to-school craziness, the work craziness and the running, I just haven't had time. I'll get around to it. Someday.

Anyway, here were the workouts for the week. I did all of the workouts and all of the miles. Yahoooo!!!!! That is definitely the high point of my week!!!

Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - 4 Miles - Hills (Plan = 4)
Wednesday - Rest Day (Plan = Rest Day)
Thursday - 3 Miles - Negative Splits - 9:29, 8:44, 8:20 (Plan = 3)
Friday - Rest Day
Saturday - 5 Miles (Plan = 5)
Sunday - 10 Miles (Plan =10)

Total - 22 Miles (Plan = 22)

I felt slow this week. I felt slow last week too. My 10 mile run was at a 10:05 pace and felt long and hot. My goal is to finish the marathon somewhere around 4:10 or a 9:30 pace. I guess I'm not really that far off considering I always train slower than I race, but I still feel slow. And, 26.2 feels long. I'm probably mostly concerned that I don't feel remotely good while running the slower pace. It has been slightly hot, but so mild for a typical summer. I'm trying to keep the slower paces from getting to me. My feet hurt a lot on my last run too which wasn't good. Maybe it's time for new shoes?

One thing I added this week was negative splits. The concept is pretty simple. Each mile gets progressively faster. Training this way makes it easier (supposedly) to race this way. Basically, you run the first third of the race slower than pace, the second third on pace and the final third faster than pace on fresher legs. Sounds good although I'm not sure how it will work in practice. I'm going to implement a little of this on one run a week. Also trying to keep hills one day a week. And, I loved having a running partner on Saturday! Thanks Steph! 

22 miles for the week is good. That would be a stretch for me during the height of half training. Next week is 24 with a 12 mile long run. Based on how I feel today, it may go a bit downhill (figuratively, not literally) after this week. I need to drink more water and probably improve my attitude. I still know I can do it... it just may not be pretty! :)

Some views from my run north on 200W yesterday. Lots of corn and beans... Also, lots of beautiful weather!

Indianapolis Marathon - Week 4

Two weeks in a row of hitting mileage! Yay! The only workout I skipped was the one mile time trial, which isn't explained in the training literature anyway, so I'm not exactly sure what it is. I suppose I'm to run a mile as fast as I can and then compare times along the way. I did fit in .9 of the mileage in other spots. I'm calling it a win!

Monday - Rest Day
Tuesday - Rest Day (Plan = 4)
Wednesday - 3.3 Miles (Plan = 1)
Thursday - 4 Miles (Plan = 3)
Friday - Rest Day
Saturday - 4.3 Miles (Plan = 4)
Sunday - 7.3 Miles (Plan = 7)

Total - 18.9 Miles (Plan = 19)

Again, another confidence building week. Sunday marked the last of my "short" long runs, those that are under 10 miles. This week also marked my last week under 20 miles total.

I have to say overall, I feel pretty good. I wouldn't really expect to feel less than good...yet. Although, I can definitely tell that my body is feeling it. Four weeks of consistent running has made certain joints tired. The backs of my ankles, where they meet my calf are tight and so are the sides of my lower leg. I'm spending extra time stretching those areas. They usually loosen up after I get started, but that is the most noticeable.

My paces have been slow (usually a 10:00 pace or slower), but cardio-wise, I feel like I could run forever. I've been stopped on my runs twice in the last two days to talk to people and can easily just pick up a conversation. Now, if I could just control the sweating. :) I've also been adding in extra hills - my 7 mile run went over the over pass (a hill both ways) and I try to take one day a week and add in repeats of the hills in the neighborhood.

I'm also struggling with boredom. I've been listening to Dr. Joy Browne, my favorite radio psychologist, on a podcast and that has kept it a little interesting. I like hearing about other people's problems. Plus, she has some good advice for a lot of things that apply to everyone. But, I know this attributes to my slower running too.

Another great week and off to a good start this week too. I had a full, very full, day with back-to-school prep and didn't get my list done until 8:15. So, Tom put down the kids and I hit the street. Yet another reason I love training. Without an end goal, I would be typing this from my couch with a glass of wine and wearing my sweats. And, I would be filled with regret. Instead, I'm chugging water, drenched in sweat and proud of myself. :)

Indianapolis Marathon - Week 3

I did it! I managed to finish every single workout and every single mile. I'm pretty proud of myself too. :) 

Here are the details...

Monday - Rest - Nailed It! 

Tuesday - 3 miles (morning run) - nothing remarkable here. Nice and easy. 

Wednesday - Rest - Nailed it once again! :)

Thursday - 3 miles (early morning run) - I'm most proud of this workout this week I think. I had to get up before six to squeeze this one in. Busy day so I had to make the decision on Wednesday night to rest up and hit the hay at a reasonable hour. The bugs on the neighborhood trail were AWFUL!!! I think I got 6 horsefly bites! I stayed off the trail and ran "the hill" for the last two miles. 

Friday - Rest Day - you guessed it - perfect 3 out of 3 for rest days. 

Saturday - 4 miles - treadmill run with family time in the basement. I enjoyed the treadmill time and watching the kids dance and play. Also, I was able to jack up the speed a bit since the heat wasn't so bad. 

My view from the treadmill...

Sunday - 9 miles - Done! And under a ten minute pace! My goal is to keep my long, slow runs at about a 9:30 pace in hopes that my race pace will be there or even 9:15. This was about a 9:45 pace which I'll take. Though it was cooler (73), the humidity was sky high! 

Home stretch on the trail! Started at Meridian Road, ran to the end and doubled back to hit the water fountain for an extra mile!

Total - 7/7 days complete = 20 miles! 

I don't hit 20 miles often so I'm very happy although it is a far cry from the 40 in September. This was a confidence building week though. I love the fact that this plan is only four days of running. It does mean that you can't miss a day, but it allows more flexibility in which days to fit a run. 

Case in point...today is Tuesday and I should have run but didn't. I choose instead to stay up until 3am reading Cold Mountain last night. Then, Tessa visited us multiple times during the night thinking she was sick. After a day of school supply and clothes shopping, I was absolutely shot. I'll go tomorrow, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. That means I'll miss a 1 mile time trial on Wednesday. Not exactly sure what that's about anyway, but don't feel too bad about missing it. 

Goals for this week are the same - get in every workout - except for the 1 mile timed (though, I could fit it in on Friday). And, be cognizant of everything I put in my mouth. Lost a pound of the five from vacation last week, but still have a ways to go!

Indianapolis Marathon - Weeks 1 & 2

Well, training week one and two are in the books. I started off this cycle with two weeks worth of misses on mileage. I skipped a run both weeks. They were short runs and in the grand scheme of things, not a big deal. However, it can't continue and I need to step it up a notch. 

Week One called for a 3, 4, 3 and 5 mile run. I skipped the Saturday run but got in an extra half mile through the other two weekly runs. I know. Big deal. This was our vacation week and usually I start strong on vacation and then fizzle out. So, missing a day isn't too awfully bad. 

Week two called for a 3, 3, 4 and 7. I skipped the 4. Somehow, a 13 mile week while training for a marathon seems worthless. I've chosen the positive attitude however and viewed these weeks as my warm up weeks. Really, they've only called for 15 and 17 miles which isn't anything crazy. Especially compared to the 40 mile week in September. 

This week, my goal is to get in all of the runs. I knocked out the first three miles this morning. This goal means I've got to hit the road before work in the morning. With 90 degree temps and super high humidity, afternoon and evening running is just out. Thursday and Saturday are both 4 miles and then Sunday starts the real long runs - 9 miles. I've been trying to spend one day on hills too so I'm thinking Thursday this week. The race in October is fairly hilly so I'm trying to prepare the legs and the lungs. 

I can't say I've felt great about my running these two weeks. I've not had a lot of confidence building moments. My times have been painfully slow and my lungs aren't participating like I think they should. In fact, 26.2 seems pretty undoable most times. But, I know I can finish. It's just how fast. 

My secondary goal is to watch and track what I'm eating this week. Since vacation, I've gained 5 pounds. Yikes. That is exactly the opposite of what I need. I know with weight loss comes time loss. I read somewhere the exact calculation - something like with every x pounds you lose, you'll shave y seconds off per mile. I need all the help I can get on both counts. So, it's time to start eating like a marathoner and not a couch potato. :)

Here's to a great week!

~after my run this morning - 8:30 and 80% humidity!!!!~

Perfect Weekend at Home!

Another fun weekend at home! This really doesn't happen very often and it is even more rare that we actually stay home. (Last one was Memorial Day and it was memorable enough to blog about too!) The thought crossed my mind to hit Conner Prairie today, but was overruled by sticking around home and I am happy we did. Here's a rundown!

Friday was my day out of the office this week. I have worked hard to only work three days a week this summer, but since we just returned from vacation, I worked four this week. On my day off, we hit the library, Walmart and just hung out around the house. The kids did a little bike riding too. Jack is really getting the hang of riding his bike.

I ran Friday night once Tom came home. I decided to run hill repeats to add in some variety. I signed up for the October Indianapolis Marathon (more running posts to come) and it is a hilly one. Maybe if I do hills specifically once a week, I'll be prepared. 

Tom ran out for dinner fixings and I hit the back porch with a glass of wine and Runner's World. This was a perfect way to end quite a stressful and busy week!

Somewhere along the way, Josie lost her second front tooth! She lost the first one a few days ago and then the second one started looking really bad. It was almost totally sideways! It finally came out after days of wiggling. You can tell she's having a really hard time talking with them gone!

Here is the progression of tooth photos!

Saturday morning, the girls had their second gymnastics' camp. They have a fun time going to these but have to be convinced to actually go. Tom, Jack and I hit up the Sweet Shop for donuts and took them north to the Beckenholdt Park. This place is truly a hidden gem and I always forget about it. I need to go up there to run someday. Jack had a great time being an only child and was very cuddly! He also stopped to pose for a few photos. We need to take the "good" camera up there with the close up lens one of these days.

Then, we took Jack to his favorite store, Home Depot. We gathered supplies for our weekend projects and then picked up the girls. The rest of the day consisted of lots of projects, snow cones for the kids and a two hour nap for me! Tom worked on the garage, laundry shelves and the grill. I worked on the craft cupboard and junk drawer. I had to take another trip to Walmart and Home Depot to finish gathering supplies at one point.

We did venture out to the Fortville Bastille Day celebration. It was a really cute little small town festival. I felt like I was in the movies! Unfortunately, the kids weren't in the best mood but it was a nice distraction. Tom finished out the day at the neighbor's fire and I finished it out in bed with a book!

Today, I didn't wake up until 10! I thought for sure I wouldn't sleep well after my long nap yesterday but I was wrong. I seriously had a rough and stressful week and did not sleep well at all. Now, I think I'm all caught up and ready to go. Tessa was the first of the kids to wake up at 9, so I guess I'm not the only one!

Today was spent finishing up projects. Tom fit in a 3 mile run with Josie on her bike and I went out for 7. It was a very long, very slow and very hot 7 miles, but I did it. I planned to run this evening but went out at 12:30 instead to just get it done. We also took the kids to the neighbor's pool and Tom took Josie fishing which included setting a trap for minnows and then a creek walk. They're still gone at 7PM. :) 

Here is a photo synopsis of our projects this weekend. I wish I had taken "before" photos! It was a successful weekend! :)

New shelves and bins in the laundry room!

Which allowed me to clear off the top of the dryer. :) 

And, the top and side of the freezer. One project we didn't finish? Repainting the enamel top table to the right of the freezer. We have the paint and big plans. :) 

One of these days, I really want to paint the laundry room some funky colors, get some cool decor and really finish it up. For now, at least it's organized!

Speaking of laundry, I managed to get it all done and it will be put away before bedtime - 

I will demand it!

Here are some shots of the garage. Again, I wish I had "before" shots.

My happiest spot I was able to organize is the craft cupboard. I unloaded the girls' backpacks (finally!) and pitched all of the broken crayons and eraser-less pencils. I organized and labeled school boxes and sharpened more pencils. Unfortunately, school starts all too soon and I wanted to make sure I was ready for homework and projects. I think I'm good! I also managed to pass along a bunch of coloring books and workbooks that the girls have outgrown. (This is a bad photo, but trust me, it looks awesome!)

Right above this cabinet is the junk drawer. I spent a little money on organizers and I'm pretty happy with the resulting junk drawer. 

One area that I did not make it to this weekend is the girls' school papers. I wanted the girls to work on their summer packets but we couldn't find Tessa's. So, right now, all of their stuff is on the guest room bed. I guess I have this week's project!

All in all? A great weekend. We needed it. As I've said, it was a stressful week after vacation and I'm sure next week will be no different. Or, maybe it will be better. I hope so. I am very happy for the weekend respite from the crazy weekday grind.