Running is Meditation.

Okay, So It's Been Awhile...

I've still been preparing for the longest run and race of my life. I have not been tracking my training through the typed word because of other typing obligations. Those obligations pertain to the research papers and article reviews of graduate school. I'm done with my second semester at Georgia State and ready to hit the road with padded socks and fairly new running shoes for Michigan!

Training has been a waxing and waning endeavor. In the beginning I hit every single training run and every single mile. I did get exhausted, mostly physically from the effort. About half-way through I worried a little too much about injury and held back. About four weeks ago, I got back with the program and hit several big runs, 12, 16 and 18. I was supposed to do two of each of those runs according to the training program. Getting past the mental hurdle of an 18 mile run was huge. If you can run 18 miles, you can run a marathon- at least that's what runners say. Learning to pace myself, drink enough water and eat enough jelly beans (and sharkies!) through the long runs will be clutch during the marathon. I am proud of the effort I have put in even if I did not hit all the training runs. I feel completely prepared and confident in running 26.2 miles. Endurance is one of my strong points and will get me through the tough spots and hills.
Worst run of the last 16 weeks: 90 degree heat, directly into the sun in the middle of the day, I ran one mile and felt like I hit the proverbial runner's wall. So, I walked the next six. Pushing myself to get the miles in was a great experience in endurance. I kept going even though I felt terrible and wanted to stop. It was also a little embarrassing that I was walking my usual run.
Best run of the last 16 weeks: (okay, I have two) First, the 18 miles. It felt so good to accomplish that! Second, early in the training I was supposed to run four miles. It was really windy and cold. After a mile I told myself that I could turn around at 1.5 miles and just get three in for the day. At 1.5 miles, I thought, you're crazy, go the distance, get it in, I ended up finishing the four and it felt like I had climbed a mountain. It was amazing to work through physical discomfort by way of mental force.

I could not have done all this work without the support and help of all the awesome people in my life. THANK YOU!!! Everyone that encouraged me via facebook, email, 'liking' my annoying daily running posts, reading this blog, you are great and encouraged me:) Everyone that watched Lucky so I could run...THANK YOU a million times over...! My wonderful friends and family who asked and cared so much about my progress, thank you thank you thank you. Of course, Stanley ♥. Ah, and most importantly, running. Thank you running for the therapy, the healing, the focus. Running a marathon can change your life if you let it.

I'll be 30 and a marathon finisher in just about 9 days!!! I can't wait.

Training: Week 8, OMG, where have I been?

omg. Running, DUH! That's where I've been. School picked up, family came into town, we went out of town, with that and kids, our house, food, friends, love, a dog and this and that...I've been busy. Less time to write but still running strong.
I've shortened a few of the scheduled training runs- totally okay. It's a vigorous schedule and I'm doing well. It got tough around week 5. My cumulative total after 5 weeks was almost 80 miles (EIGHTY MILES). I was physically exhausted and my body needed to get used to all the steps it was taking! I'm back on track and feeling great. This week's schedule:
Day 1: 4 miles (Tuesday)
Day 2: 6 miles (Friday)
Day 3: 4 miles (Thursday)
Day 4: 14 miles (Sunday)
Again, OMG. That's 28 miles in a week for a total of 154 miles of training. Commitment.

Why am I running all these miles? Why am I training for a marathon?
The level of physical and emotional commitment it requires is huge. Each week I push myself past what I thought was possible. It's an extraordinary accomplishment that can only be done through perseverance. When it gets tough, I keep going. When I don't want to run, I keep going. When I'm tired, I keep going. And all the while I love it. Each time I push through a difficult time I feel proud of the accomplishment. Talk about a boost to the self esteem! To be able to get through 16 weeks of training, almost 400 miles and to run 26.2 miles straight is kind of special. It's a peak experience that doesn't happen very often in life. Like climbing Mt. Kinabalu or having a baby, it's special. To work so hard for something and finish it gives a sense of pride rarely felt on such a scale. I'm running a marathon because it's difficult and I'm up for the challenge.

Training Week 4: It's All MENTAL

"It seems like motivation (attitude) must come first, but it doesn't. The most motivating thing to most of us is to do well (achieve). It feels so good that we want to make it happen again...Every week you run farther than you ever have before in your life! What an achievement! And you have come to believe that you can do it again next week." (Whitsett, Dolegener, Kole, p.72)

The relationship between behavior and attitude is brought up in Chapter 4 of the book. Our attitudes justify our behavior rather than cause our behavior. This is such an interesting concept. We do not behave in certain ways because of our attitudes. It means that we develop our attitudes to explain the way we behave. What does all this psychological jargon mean? It means we must DO! Behavior/Actions change motivation (or lack of motivation) and bad attitudes. I need to keep running, follow the schedule, clock the miles and my attitude will follow. Endurance running is a mental sport and that is what I love about it.

Training Schedule:
Day 1: 3 miles (Monday AM) ✓
Day 2: 5 miles (Tuesday AM) ✓
Day 3: 3 miles (Thursday PM)
Day 4: 8 miles (Saturday AM)
This week two miles are added, one to the medium run on day 2 and one to the long run on day 4. A cumulative total of 19 miles. After this week, I will have run 67 miles in 4 weeks and we will be 25% through the training program.
I'm a little bit tired and a little bit sore but it doesn't matter...I am proud of myself and I'm motivated. Mentally, I feel strong and I look forward to every single run over the next 13 weeks.

Additional Running Notes:
-Thick, padded, expensive running socks are worth every penny. Get a pair and you'll notice the difference!
-I've been trying to stretch 10-20 minutes after each run and my knees haven't been hurting as much. I try to hold each stretch to a count of 30. It seems like a long time but it's worth it.
-Changing up running routes and terrain help the long runs go by faster. So does running with other people.

Training Week 3: Food, Sleep & Training Partners

Week three of training has already begun! I didn't have time to organize my training schedule and mentally prepare for the week yesterday because we had such a busy weekend. I was up until 11pm on both Saturday and Sunday night. As you could imagine, I was exhausted! I'm an advocate of sleep and believe that the appropriate amount of sleep can change your life. Anyways, let's get to the mileage:
Day 1: 3 miles (Tuesday PM)
Day 2: 4 miles (Thursday PM)
Day 3: 3 miles (Friday AM)
Day 4: 7 miles (Sunday AM)
Once again, one mile has been added to the long run. Last week I changed my schedule a little bit and ran two miles on Friday and seven miles on Saturday. After I complete this week my total mileage will be 48 miles. Damn! I've been sleeping like a baby and eating like a teenager.
I'm not sure how to calculate how many calories I should be consuming but I'm pretty sure a pastrami Reuben, fries, coleslaw, an XL brownie, coke, a salad with ranch dressing, a plate of spaghetti and a bowl of cereal all after 2pm is too much. I did burn approximately 1,600 calories running last week but that is no excuse. I'm trying to do things better this week and I hope I can contain my eating after the long run on Sunday.

I would like to introduce my amazing training partners for the marathon, Rudi and Kelsey. Okay, I'm still trying to convince Kelsey to commit but I'm almost certain she will. She is a busy, working mom of two young kids and just graduated with her master's degree in social work from Pitt. Yes, she lives in Pittsburgh which is not ideal training ground in January/February. A colossal challenge? Indeed. Doable for this supermom? Absolutely.
My other training partner lives in Chicago and is Stan's best friend since their days of high school baseball at Hickman field. Rudi is diligently using the same training book (The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer) and schedule as I am. Being in Chicago, he has had to brave the snow for most of his runs thus far. He loves the snow! We are in contact daily to discuss our runs, injuries, icing, socks, shoes, routes and dinners. He has been a tremendous support for me over the past few weeks and I look forward to completing the training and crossing the finish line with him on May 8th.

I'm going to drop Lucky off at Stan's office for a daddy/son lunch so I can get that first three miles of the week taken care of...

More Information Less Fluff: Week 2

It must have been post run euphoria affecting my brain that produced the last blog entry. I'll try to stay away from the fluff as I outline week two of training. Following The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer for week 2:
Day 1: 3 miles (Monday AM)
Day 2: 4 miles (Wednesday PM)
Day 3: 3 miles (Friday AM)
Day 4: 6 miles (Saturday PM)
Week 2 is the same as week 1 with the exception of one mile being added to the long run on day 4. Last week I felt mostly good except on Monday after running three days in a row. That was a mistake. It is absolutely true that one's body needs time to recover. I felt that need for recovery after running 5 miles yesterday. I will try to work my schedule out to have one day off before and after the long runs, especially as they get longer.
One thing I am learning is to relax while I run. Tension can start to build up and throw my form off. When this happens the first step is to recognize it! Then I slow down a bit, drop my arms and envision my foot hitting the ground like a rocking horse. Weird, I know. Stan taught me this idea. My foot hits the ground and rolls from heel to toe in a nice fluid motion. A few moments of concentrating on getting the form back and releasing tension really helps my run go better.
This week's chapter in the book focuses on staying positive and introduces the "...but it doesn't matter." technique. It goes a little something like, "It's pouring rain outside but it doesn't matter." "My knee hurts but it doesn't matter." "I'm too tired but it doesn't matter." "I have no time today but it doesn't matter." It's essentially a way of avoiding excuses. This strategy seems handy in events off the trail as well. "My child is in a bad mood but it doesn't matter." "The person in front of me just cut me off but it doesn't matter." I don't know how effective this technique will be but it doesn't matter; I'm still going to try it out.
I also read an article in Runner's World magazine (Feb 2011) about mantras. I thought the article was great and I look forward to using some of the mantras they suggested such as, "Claw the ground," when going up a hill, or, "One mile at time," when going long distances. Eventually I would like to come up with my own personal mantra including the words "awesome","totally","survivor","run" and "fierce".

She Never Interrupts

My relationship with running has blossomed like a sunflower in July over the past few weeks. She is my friend, my partner, my confidant. We are in love. It was difficult at first; me chasing, her playing hard to get. But recently we have fallen into perfect harmony. She let's me listen to my own music, allows me to go on and on without interrupting. I long for her, dream about her and plan my schedule to be with her. Nothing else matters when we're together. These intense feelings grow stronger each time we meet...As of 10:43AM on this day we entered into a marriage. I signed on the dotted line and paid up to run the Kalamazoo marathon. I wish all official partnerships could be this easy!

Training! Week 1

Today starts the 16 week training program leading up to the marathon on May 8. I am using the training schedule/program in The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer by Whitsett, Dolgener and Kole. I will be running four days a week including two short runs, one mid-length run and a long run. This week's schedule is:
Day 1: 3 miles (will do today, AM)
Day 2: 4 miles (tomorrow before class, 2:30)
Day 3: 3 miles (Fri. AM)
Day 4: 5 miles (Sat. afternoon)
I am confident that I will get through this week with ease. Chapter 1 in the book discusses creating an internal locus of control. This is a psychological concept in which people believe that they are in control of the events in their life versus thinking that other people, fate or circumstances dictate the events in their life. Thankfully, I have a strong locus of control. This control will be a necessary element to successfully complete all of the training runs and eventually the marathon. I need to believe that I can effortlessly and joyfully run and run and run...here i go!