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. 

Today I...

These are always fun for me to look back at after a while. It's been a busy one and its not over yet. I'm sitting in the parking lot with 10 minutes to spare so I thought I'd stay busy...

6:30AM - Hit snooze. We were up way too late last night! Our neighbors came over to join us for some spaghetti carbonara for dinner...at 10:15 PM. :) I'm glad someone else eats as late as we do!

7:00 - Finally drag myself out of bed to shower and get the kids ready.

7:55 - Leave the house.

8:05 - Hit Starbucks for a large iced tea for the day! Great choice.

8:15 - Arrive at church for our second day of VBS. I'm working with a group of kindergardeners-to-be which is fun but a little tiring too!

12:15 - Leave church after a fun-filled morning for me and the kids.

12:20 - Drop kids at sitter.

12:30 - Meet Tom for a quick lunch.

1:00 - Customer appointment! We finalized her selections for her house. Always love those appointments!

2:15 - Power-worked. Cleared my desk, answered emails, wrote checks. In general, kicked a few have-to's off of my long list.

4:00 - Left the office to go home to pick up leotards. Chatted with Tom's mom about the upcoming family weekend. Cannot wait!!!!

4:15 - Pick kids up at sitter.

4:30 - Drop girls at gymnastics. Hang out with Jack in the sweltering gym. It is SO hot!!!!!

5:00 - Trade the kids off with Tom. Hit the post office to drop letters for an upcoming HOA meeting - our last!

5:15 - Fireside Chat to welcome our newest member-to-be to our Rotary club.

6:00 - Back to church for a potluck with the small groups that meet on Tuesday nights. I'm early - hence the parking lot blog post! :)

I really need to keep up the productivity after this potluck, but I have a feeling I'm going to crash!!!

Summer Summary - So Far

It's been a while since I've posted. Summer's gotten the best of me. :) School's out and I'm busy trying to make the most out of our 8 short weeks together!

1. I haven't unloaded the girls backpacks or sorted papers. We showed the house the day after school was out so I hurriedly shoved the papers back in after looking at them on the last day. I have a TON of sorting to do.

2. I let the girls quit. Well, kind of - I'm not sure they know it yet. It was hard but we needed to do it to maintain a low-key summer. So, 4H will wait another year. The judging began this week and I just didn't want to rush and stress for the first two weeks of our shortened summer. The Mini-Projects are so easy and not time consuming so I feel like a bit of a flake, especially since it was me and not them. We didn't make it to any of the meetings because they started after their bedtime, so I'm trying not to feel too bad! :) They'll thank me later - or not.

3. The girls and I are doing a lot of reading. I make them take books to the sitter's to read during the little ones' nap time. I've clocked two and a half books so far - not bad for me for two weeks' time. Josie's at 23 and Tessa's at around 25. Josie's favorites are Boxcar Children and Magic Tree House, but she'll throw in some Junie B. Jones sometimes too. Tessa is doing a great job on her easy readers and can pretty easily get through Junie B. Jones. The easy readers are great for her confidence but she's pretty proud when she can read a chapter book too.

4. They're still watching too much TV. I've made a big effort to make them turn it off when we're home after a show or two in the morning, but everyone is so quiet when it's on! I made an "I'm Bored" list and an "I'm Bored" bag to pre-empt that battle. So far, it's worked pretty well. This morning, Jack played Plah-Doh, Josie worked on Spiral Art and Tessa did sticker paper dolls. I love that they finally have time for all of those great Christmas and Birthday Gifts! I'm also glad I stuck some of them away for a "rainy" day.

5. I feel like a slug. I've run once since the last race. I just can't get up the gumption to get out and do it. I feel like I need a new challenge but I'm too lazy to seek one out. So, I'm giving myself a bit of a pass for a little while. Waiting for inspiration to strike!

6. I think this summer will feel too short. I can already feel it. I always used to wonder why these crazy parents actually enjoyed having their kids home and looked forward to summer. Of course, that's when my kids were in full parental needy mode and I had to spend day in and day out catering to their every need. Now that they're a little more fun and self-sufficient, it's actually fun having them around. I love the laid back bedtimes and wake ups and trips to the library. I don't enjoy the "taking three kids to Walmart" part of things, but it's all about sacrifice I guess. :)

That's it for now. Time for me to turn off the TV for them once again - just when I was beginning to enjoy the peace and quiet. :)

Steamboat Half Marathon - Sunday

This post is continued - start here on Thursday/Friday.

I did not sleep well on Saturday night, but didn't seem to be too tired to get up and at 'em at 5:15AM. It seems like I need so much less sleep on vacation and this was no exception. After a quick bagel with peanut butter, two cups of coffee, and warming my shoes by the fire, we were ready to go! (I left the window open and my shoes were freezing!!!!) The temperature was bit chilly to say the least and we were heading up the mountain to the start line.

We left the condo around 5:50 or so and went into town. We didn't have to wait long to get on the bus that would take us to the top. If I had it to do again, I probably would wait for a later bus, closer to 6:30 so that we could have stayed a bit warmer. The bus ride was probably 20 minutes and good to see what we would be running. 

Up we go!

It was very (very) cold at the top. We hit the port-a-jons and tried to find the sun and get warmed up a bit. I only had one or two complaints about this race and the gear check was one. It seemed we had to check our gear a bit sooner than we needed. We had to stand around in our race gear for about 10 minutes and it was COLD!!!! 

The sun started peaking through the mountains. I've never run a race with only 1,000 people. It was fun being in such a small group for the start. 

There was the cutest little cabin at the start. Apparently, it was a lamb farm. 

Finally, the sun came out and it was close to get the party started! I think it was only an "on your mark, get set, go" type of a start. 

Tom kept telling me not to worry. It's all down hill he said. It is not. See all of those little blips? Those are all hills. And, they were hard. I'll revisit that hill leading into mile 23 (or 10 for us half runners).

I didn't have any grand expectations for this race. Initially, I had hoped to come in under 2 hours but I wasn't sure how I would be affected by the altitude and the hills. Once in Steamboat, I revised my expectations to a 2:10 finish. I figured I could do 10 minute miles give or take and not kill myself. Plus, I just didn't have the pre-race jitters, or confidence, like I usually do. So, I figured I didn't have much adrenaline to carry me through. 

The scenery was absolutely stunning! This race was voted one of the top 10 for scenery and it would be hard to convince me that it is not number 1. That little hill on the right seemed to stay with us forever. And, the guy to the far right also stayed with me forever. In fact, I would guess most people that I was near in mile 1-2 were within a minute or two of my finish. I kept seeing the same people!

And, finally, my favorite view of the whole race. A huge grin crept on my face when I came around the bend and I just loved this section of the race. If you look really close, you can see the ski slopes in the far distance. Tons of cows and horses were around too. I really felt like I was out in the middle of God's country. 

I think this picture was taken around mile 8. You can see the slopes in the distance again. They're getting closer! 

Finally, we arrived at mile 9 with a looming, huge (and I mean huge) hill to tackle. It was tough and it was long, but I managed to run the whole thing. I had read to save something back for this hill and I did try to do that but I think I was still at a 10:30, maybe 11:00, mile on this one. I had kept up a 9 minute pace until this point. I'll have to pull my splits, but I think I was very consistent with my 9 pace with only one or two miles slightly less. And, I was feeling pretty good coming into this hill.

This is looking back at the hill after I had conquered it. Love the reverse iPhone camera.

Luckily, what goes up must come down in this race. But, not before an aid station at mile 10 complete with frozen electrolyte pops. I grabbed one and nursed it for the next mile. It was nice treat!

It was at this point that I felt like I was running out of steam. I took my final gu pack (my third!) because I wanted as much energy as I could muster. It was downhill, which was easier on the lungs, but hard on my legs. I did manage to make up a bit of time. I was constantly doing the math to figure out where I would finish and at this point I realized that even 10 minute miles would probably get me in under two hours and that kept one foot going down in front of the other. 

Finally, I started seeing signs of town. The last two miles were rough. And long. The final stretch comes through the main drag of town and I expected throngs of crowds. They were there but probably not until the last 1/4 mile or so. I caught Katie and Claudia off to the side and that gave me enough upmpf to finish the race strong. I managed a sub-2 hour finish by about 29 seconds which was my original goal. Katie pulled out an awesome PR! And, on an incredible course to boot.

I loved this race. The scenery was awesome. The people were friendly. And, I enjoyed running with the same people. If I were the race coordinator, I would only change a few things... (and these are super, duper minor - I really did love the race!)

1. The gear check - let us keep our stuff a little longer, especially when it's cold. Maybe have the van take off after the start?

2. Maybe one or two more aid stations? I'm probably spoiled by the mini with stations every 1-1.5 miles, but one more station on this run would have been really nice. Although, since they were more spread out, I felt like I could walk through them. I grabbed Gatorade and water at each! 

3. Provide some kind of food right at the finish line - even if small. I was woozy and usually like to get something in my belly right away. Not that food was too far away, but again, I was not feeling myself and the girls had to lead me to it. 

After water, a banana and my flip flops (no major blisters - yay!), I was feeling remarkably good. Back to the condo for showers and checkout. I snuck in a final cup of coffee on the deck by the pool before leaving.

Then, Creekside again for our reward - the Nutella waffle! But, not before our main course. :) I chose the Huevos Benedict - so, so good! The waffle was good, but not quite what we expected. We sat outside again and enjoyed the view.

Back in the car and to the airport we went. I fell in love with Colorado all over again on the drive back. On the way into town, it was cloudy. But, this day, it was clear and crisp and beautiful. The snow was melting and the views were breathtaking. We even caught some Bighorn Sheep along the highway. I have visited the mountains a lot in the winter, but never in the summer. I will be back without a doubt. 

I came home today renewed and refreshed. This morning, I was amazingly not sore. Tonight, I can feel it creeping and feel like tomorrow may be a bit rough. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am so thankful for a husband who takes care of the kiddos, a friend who brought me along for the ride on her journey and a sister-in-law who wanted to play along!

Time: 1:59:31

Pace: 9:09

Place: 259/764 - 33%

Division: 27/96  - 28%