In 2 weeks, I will watch the Boston Marathon on TV. I will watch as so many awesome runners toe the start line for their big race day! I sure wish I was among the many in the field this year, but I am keeping my sights on 2018! I know I can do it, but I have to take it a day at a time.
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Every 4 weeks of training, I have decided to reward myself with some retail therapy. Basically, it's my incentive to work hard, stay focused, and it enables my strong desire to buy more Oiselle clothes!!
Some people run so they can eat all the foods, some people run so they can drink all the beers, some people run so they can drink all the wines, and some people run for the health benefits. But, I basically want to do ALL of that AND buy myself new gear. So, I'm doing it. I train basically all year long and it takes up SO much time and SO much energy every day, every week, every month. I really think balance is important for everything, so, for running, a little reward system is the perfect tool for me. I love running and I wouldn't trade my ability to enjoy training for anything. But, it can be so time consuming and grueling that sometimes I need a little pick-me-up to keep the wheels turning. For one marathon training cycle, I gave up sweets and my reward AFTER the race was all the sweets. That was not great. First, I craved sweets all.thee.damn.time. I never wanted sweets more than I did when I told myself I couldn't have them. This was a bad choice of a reward system because it just made me frustrated that I had to wait 4 months to eat any god forsaken chocolate. So, I never went with that system again. After learning from a few mistakes, I'm now trying this new reward system. I think it's important to treat yo' self occasionally, and it's probably even better to treat myself to something not loaded with sugar (I actually rarely crave sweets now that I can eat them whenever I want during training). Running apparel was a great choice for me at the moment, because I just joined the Oiselle Volee and I want to continue to support their brand. Oiselle is a responsibly sourced running brand that has wonderful values and I am so eager to keep adding their items to my wardrobe. So, my first reward was last month. I got the following items from Oiselle: Black Mac Roga Shorts, Black Lesley Tights, and Burgen Flyte Tank. I am in love with all three of the items and I can't wait to decide what to treat myself to at the end of the next 4 weeks of training! How do you maintain motivation for yourself (for races, work, fitness, etc.)?? If you find yourself reaching a plateau or stopping your progress completely, consider a self-motivating tool like a reward system! I guess it's a bit like bribery but for yourself. I'm all for it and it works for me! A goal. MY goal. THE goal of determined runners. A BQ.
I'm not sure when the original thought occurred to me, but at some point early in my running "career" (which, let's be honest was only in the last 5 years) I decided I needed to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Not just run it, because there are ways to get into the race without a qualifying time, but actually qualify. For me, at my current age, that means running a USTAF Certified Marathon course in under 3 hours and 35 minutes. I guess the original thought came on like many of my thoughts that surround my running endeavors: "That sounds like a hard challenge but it also seems really possible if I work hard enough." This is how I ended up signing up for my first 5k. It's very much how I signed up for my first Half. And, you can bet it was how I got into becoming a Marathoner. Doing something that is really easy isn't nearly as fun as doing something that sounds challenging! Maybe it's my competitive nature, or maybe there is something wired inside of me that makes me want to push myself to acheive these running goals. I think it's nice to be good and able at something and it's even nicer when you're capable of pushing yourself to improve. Running gives you the opportunity to make many goals: run faster, run farther, run more, etc. And, notice I said pushing yourself to improve. I am a big fan of running and I think a lot of the love I have for running stems from that whole concept. In running, you truly have to push yourself. It isn't a team sport (which is what I typically played my entire life until adulthood). You don't have teammates to motivate you. And, if you're an every day ordinary runner like myself, you don't even have a coach to motivate you. Running truly tests you as an individual. It tests your physical toughness AND your mental toughness. It tests you and helps you prove to yourself what you are capable of all on your own. I like knowing that all on my own, with no help from a team, I can run 26.2 miles without stopping. I like knowing that I am capable of spending 4 months out of my life, working really hard, to dedicate to something I am passionate about, while working a full time job. I like that nobody holds me accountable for getting in my training runs except for myself. I like that only I can let myself down if I slack off. I like that only I can feel the immense joy that comes with finishing a really hard workout that I made myself do and that I pushed myself through. Nobody is ever looking to make sure I complete my whole workout, nor is anyone reprimanding me if I don't. I only keep going because I am capable of self-motivation and I refuse to quit or slack off because I set high expectations for myself. I'm not running for a coach or a team or for anyone. I run for me. It is truly hard to explain in writing as I am trying to now. Mostly, I just rambled that entire paragraph above. But, the concept of running is something that feels so freeing, so rewarding, and it makes me feel like a very powerful and independent person. I can almost associate running to any challenge in life. Running, specifically training for a Marathon, teaches self discipline like nothing else I've ever tried. It teaches you to set an attainable goal, map out your path to success, execute this path, and eventually it teaches you what it feels like to accomplish something you worked really hard for (even if it grants you with just a free banana and a bag of chips). How awesome is it to be able to get this feeling of achievement from something other than a monetary reward?! The BQ would be the ultimate achievement, but honestly just finishing my Tuesday 6am workout gets me pretty pumped! But, to wrap this up, I hope to work hard and bust my ass to get my BQ this year. My Spring race will be the Delaware Marathon on May 14th. Billy and I will toe the line on Mother's Day and my goal will be to get a time of 3 hours and 35 minutes or less (hopefully less, otherwise I won't actually get a spot in the 2018 Boston Marathon). Last year, my best time was 3:36. I literally missed my BQ time by a little over a minute. It was still an incredible PR for me and I still gained a lot from that experience, though. Before that race, my PR was 3:55. So, I've been improving every year and this is my year to reach my goal! Here we go! #BQfocused So, I typed a lovely and witty blog post today. It told the 4 people who may possibly read this thing all about my favorite parts of my streak so far. I published it and then this dumb (and free- so I shouldn't complain) site deleted it. Not redoing! I will just learn that next time I should always save my draft before posting directly. Whoopsies! Off I go into my 3rd week of streaking.
So, who wants to go streaking with me?! I'm planning to streak every day from Thanksgiving to New Years Day! Who's in?
You know you want to. How wonderful would it be to feel that nice, brisk, Fall breeze on your body as you run through the streets!?! Okay, okay, okay. So, those of you who follow me on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook, you may have had the pleasure of seeing my watch face on your newsfeed every day last year for like 45 days straight. I ran all of those days in what the running community calls a Running Streak. Which you should look up- because 45 days is actually very short compared to others. Some people have been on a running streak for years. These people are running Gods. The goal is to run at least 1 mile every day during the streak. Anyways, I will be doing that again this year in order to force my butt out the door on the cold, windy, frigid, awful, miserable, freezing days that take up the months of November through January here in Maryland. These days may involve cold rain, snow, or who knows we may get a Christmas that is like 80 degrees (as we did last year). In Maryland, we never really know, do we!? This year, I'm looking to try something new. I really hope it works because I think it would be really fun and interesting. It would also help push me to be more social and meet new people in the area. I've been in Bethesda for a couple years and I really don't know a lot of people in the area (except for my work clients and their kids....). The idea: I want to run with someone new every day of my running streak. If possible. Or, maybe if that ends up being impossible, I want to at the minimum have 1 of my runs each week be with someone new. This "someone new" could be a stranger I just meet, an acquaintance, or someone I know but that I've never had the joy of running with. What will the workouts be like: I would love to just be a part of each person's workout. If they have a 5 miler planned, I'll run a 5 miler. If they want to jog around a track, cool- let's do it. If they want to do a trail run and see me do something I've always feared- I'm in! Fartleks on the agenda? Yes, please- sign me up! Or, if this person is newer to running or just wants me to make the plan, I can do that, too! I really just want to meet new people, new runners, and experience something different each day/week while staying in shape! (I want to crush my 5k on NYD 2017!!) I have my fingers crossed that I'll be able to find enough strangers/friends/people through social media, the local running stores, and the local paths to reach my goal! I would LOVE any help possible spreading the word to runners (brand new, experienced, pros, anyone!). For anyone who wants to setup a day to run with me during my Running Streak 2016, please email me at [email protected]. I need a runner every day from November 25-December 31 (I will be racing in a 5k on Thanksgiving and NYD so those 2 days I will already be running with hundreds of new people!) Thank you and happy running! I haven't blogged in over a year. I got away from it for whatever reason, but I'm going to try to get back into it. My main goal is to help myself gather my thoughts throughout the year- in regards to running and life in general. I've been in a bit of a work related rut and it's affecting my mood and causing me to ponder what is next for me.
I am a goal seeking person by nature. I need a challenge. I need something new and exciting to keep me focused. And, I love to have a plan. I love to plan for the current and for the future. I make lists for the day, the week, the month, the year, and even the next 5 years. Currently, I do not have that plan as far as my career is concerned. And, for a person like me that causes a lot of anxiety. Therefore, my hot ticket item that is on my life to-do list right now is to figure out what I want to do when I grow up. Yeah, some people know the answer to this from the age of like 5. I have never known the answer. I still don't. It drives me nuts (which is probably why I run because it keeps me sane AND gives me a constant goal to work towards that I ENJOY working towards). What I do know is, I've always given 100% in any job I've ever had and I know I'm capable of taking on any job given to me- if I could just figure out what it is that I want that job to be! This is a little later than planned- I was too busy to post last Tuesday because I was happily enjoying a sunny day by the pool! Today was not so sunny, so here I am with plenty of time to write as I soak my legs and feet in a hot Epsom bath. Let’s get right to it with the first week of Marathon training (Goal Race= Marine Corps Marathon 2015 #RunWithTheMarines): The planned schedule: Monday: 3 miles and an arm workout at the gym Tuesday: 5 miles and a leg strengthening workout at the gym Wednesday: 3 miles Thursday: REST Friday: 5 miles Saturday: 8 miles Sunday: Cross Train Total Mileage Planned: 24 Miles What actually happened: Monday: Completed this day as planned. Got 3 miles in before work (it was crazy hot out even at 7am!!), and then after work I got my arm workout in at the gym. Today was my first day running in my new Newton shoes. I like them so far! They are super lightweight but with enough stability and support! More on those as I get more exposure to them! Tuesday: Completed this day as planned, too! Got 5 solid miles in (also another HOT day) and then got in a light leg day at the gym. Wednesday: Took this one a bit easier- my legs were feeling fatigued and I’m very injury prone, so I decided to do the elliptical for 30 minutes instead of a 3 mile road workout. Thursday: REST- oh and rest I did. J Friday: I was planning to do 5 miles, which I did, but I broke it up into 2 runs. I did a 2.5 mile run to work, and then did a 2.5 mile run home from work. It was nice to break it up since my legs are still getting back into the groove. Saturday: Weekends I run with Billy! It was pouring rain in the morning, so we nixed the run and set it back until Sunday. I didn’t do any cross-training because the rain made me sleepy and lazy. Whoops. Sunday: Did our first long run of this training cyle! Got our 8 miles in and they felt great! Ran faster than I had planned and did more like race goal pace. I also tried a salty snack for the first time mid-run- beef jerky. It was tasty and definitely good for replacing the loads of salt my body puts out, but it was hard to transport and I could smell it the whole time. Still looking for good mid-run fuel, especially anything that replaces salt since I think that will help with my hydration and stomach issues. But, it was a good run and I finished strong! Actual Mileage Completed: 21 Miles (road) 3 Miles (elliptical) My feelings for week #1, overall, are positive! I had fun getting back into a training routine and I feel good. I have given up sweets in general for this training period because I tend to have late night cravings for sweets (since I am constantly hungry) and I’d like to kick the habit of eating chocolate cupcakes and poptarts at midnight. This will probably make me an overall healthier person, and it will probably make my early morning runs easier. We shall see. Basically, come October 26th (the day after my race), I’m gonna go all in and eat all the sweets I can get my little hands on. I’ll be in a food coma for all of November if I do it right. Now, I’m onto Week #2 of training, which so far is off to a great start. More details next week! What do you use to fuel your long runs? Excited for some new gear for this training cycle! Especially pumped to try Newton running shoes and the Under Armour Sunglasses! Lettsss do this! I have exactly 1 week until Marathon #2 training begins! Starting on June 22nd, Billy and I will be training for the Marine Corps Marathon. Race day is Sunday October 25th, 2015 in DC/VA. It will be almost exactly 1 year since our 1st Marathon in Baltimore and I’m definitely filled with lots of mixed feelings!
My first thought: “Can I even do 26.2 miles again?!” You would think after I’ve already done it once, I’d already know I can do it and the confidence thing would be the easy part. But, I gotta say, I still have my doubts. I sometimes wonder what possessed me to enter the lottery for this race back in March. The lottery is basically just luck of the draw, and both Billy and I were lucky enough to get in! Lucky us, we get to pay to run 26.2 miles, right? Don’t forget the “free” T-Shirt. We get that, too. Yay. Jokes aside, while I am nervous and still mustering up the confidence that I can and will be able to do this Marathon thing again, I am also getting very, very excited. The Baltimore Running Festival was an amazing 1st Marathon experience, and I loved everything about that race. I loved the pride I felt for my city, and the overall excitement of participating in and completing my first Marathon (especially since my family was there and Billy and I got to finish our 1st Marathon together). As I start mentally preparing for the Marine Corps Marathon, I realize that this race will be special for a whole different set of reasons. It will be such a unique experience to run with service men and women, to see their friends/families cheering for them, and to honor the fallen heroes of our country. This race will definitely be about more than just me and my finish time. While I start preparing for the 1st week of training, I have set some goals for myself. #1: Focus on recovery (stretching, heat/ice, soaking, etc) #2: Work on strengthening (calves, quads, glutes, hips) #3: Increase speed (at a gradual rate and only during pace runs) My ultimate goal is to one day qualify for Boston. This will be my 1st race that I will attempt to do that. I hesitate to post this, because it may take me several tries before I qualify, as it is very hard to qualify. My age group is one of the most competitive, making it even more challenging. In order to qualify for the 18-34 age group, I’d have to finish in less than 3 hours and 35 minutes AND be one of the fastest in my age group to enter. Basically, my 1st Marathon I completed in 3:55. So, I have quite some time to cut. Not impossible, but not highly practical either. Wish me luck! On the shopping list to get ready for training: · New kicks · New socks · Running sunglasses · Epsom salt · Fuel (going to try some new kinds: beans, chews, and beef jerky- hey, Meb does it) · Foot massage balls · New running tanks for the heat · Wall calendar to track workouts, goals, and progress Tune in next week for my first day back in action! In the meantime, why not let me know what races you're signed up for this year. Or, what fitness goals you have this year! I'd love to hear what you're up to, too! Okay, so, this is over a month late. But, I've been busy, and on vacation, and I basically went into a fitness hibernation after the race (which I am not happy about).
10 days until the Marathon! I registered way back in January, when I set myself the goal of running a Marathon in 2014 and boy did this year fly by! Every week has been so full of training runs and workouts that I feel like I blinked and now it’s almost Race Day! When I registered 9 months ago, I couldn’t even imagine all that goes in to training for a Marathon. It takes a lot of time, dedication, persistence, and both physical and mental toughness.
How much time goes into the training? I would make a rough estimate that during the week I run for a total of about 5-9 hours a week (2-3 of those hours alone are spent on Saturdays for long runs). This is the toughest part, because long runs really cut out a huge chunk of your weekend. I felt like every weekend I had to plan my life around my run! For yoga and other cross training, like lifting and swimming, I spent about 1-3 hours a week. Physical therapy was also an important aspect, which takes about 5-8 hours a week. This time is spent icing, heating, stretching, and soaking various parts of the body. Taking care of any pain is super important, and while I am certainly better at this part of training since my Half Marathon, I can definitely still improve in this area. While this is about 20 hours a week spent on training, it is all quite manageable by simply developing a routine that works around my schedule. This brings us to the dedication. Sometimes if you really want to accomplish something, you have to make choices that aren’t always the easiest options. For example, in order to do my runs during the weekdays and in order to fit in yoga, I wake up around 5:30am to get in my workout before work. Generally, if I didn’t workout, I could sleep in until 7:30am but I made the choice to go to bed earlier so that I could wake up earlier. I didn’t sacrifice sleep, because that is certainly not good for my health/training. So, maybe I give up evening television in order to go to bed by 9:30 or 10:00, but training keeps me active and healthy. To me, this is worth giving up some TV. Without true dedication, I can see how it could be hard to find the time and energy to commit to the task of Marathon Training. You have to really want to be a Marathon Finisher in order to put yourself through the trials of persistence. There are so many runs where I had trouble just getting out the door. There are so many runs that I felt slow, I felt sore, I felt like I was dragging along like a snail. There are so many runs that afterwards I felt exhausted, I felt sick to my stomach, I felt like I could never want to run again. But, I kept going. I kept running and pushing and trying harder. More often than the bad runs, I’ve had good runs! The persistence got me to these good runs and these good runs are what makes it all worth it. It’s the persistence that will get me to the finish line on Race Day, and crossing that finish line will make all the hardships, all the bad runs, and all the body aches worth it. Running has taught me more than how to go further and how to go faster. It has showed me that I am strong. I am strong physically and I am strong mentally. 12 months ago, I would never be able to imagine running even 15 miles. I definitely couldn’t see myself running 18. 20 miles seemed impossible and 26.2 seemed just downright ridiculous. But now, 15 miles is almost easy. 18 miles is doable. 20 is actually possible. And, I guess we will see about the 26.2 in 10 days. I am so proud of myself (and of Billy who also accomplished all of this with me). It is insane to me what the human body is capable of when you put your mind to it. I am nervous about 26.2 but I just have to keep telling myself that like the other long runs, I will be able to get through it. I look forward to crossing this goal off of my 2014 to-do list, and I am so excited to have my family there to cheer me on. My family hasn’t been to one of my longer races before, and I know that with them cheering me on, I’ll be unstoppable! Race Day here I come!! 10.18.2014. |
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