My Game Plan for Sunday

I had originally planned to go out Sunday with the hopes of a PR. 5 hours 50 minutes was my goal. 13:20 pace. It would be a push to attempt for 26.2 miles, but felt doable. I at least wanted to try.

Then I checked the weather forecast and it showed a high of 91* for Sunday.. 

It has since gone down to 86*, but the weather advisory is still in place:

Record breaking heat.. Not ideal running weather. 

Thankfully the marathon committee is making some changes- including an earlier start time, cooling buses along the course and additional supplies along the course- to name a few. There will be medics at every even mile starting at mile 6 and ice will be provided along the course to help cool off. 

Their email suggests not going out fast, but instead to enjoy the course and take your time. Not what I had originally planned, but a much better idea considering the heat. 

New goal? Finish. 

Game plan? Attempt the 45:1 intervals at a slow and steady pace. Use this race as a training run for my marathon in May. Walk every single water station, no matter what. Stay fueled and hydrated. Do not be stubborn if I feel overheated or dizzy, there is no shame in a DNF. Be proud of myself for showing up to the start line.

I had wanted to PR at this race so that I didn't feel obligated to run the next two marathons if I wasn't feeling up to it. But clearly I am meant to run at least one of them. 

PR or not, I'm proud of myself.

One Week

And with that, I am officially in self doubt/freak out mode.. 

I do this before every race. I psyche myself out and think of all the things I should have done during training. I think of all the strength training workouts I skipped, I think of all the cross training I should have done, I think of all the miles I didn't walk or run. 

But that's not a productive use of my time. So, although I am in the mind set that race day will be here before I know it and freaking out seems like the best solution I am instead going to focus all of that energy on something else.. 

I am in taper mode, so going out and doing all the workouts won't help anything even though that's all I want to do right now (go figure). I took Monday-Thursday off from all workouts completely. Not smart and not something I'm proud of. 

But that changed Friday when I decided to drop Isabel off at school and then run home. 7.06 miles. Then Isabel had a hike yesterday from 10-3 and after running some errands I got back early and went for a walk. 5.22 miles. And finally today. I started with a 4.44 mile walk with my sister and plan on going on both the treadmill and the stationary bike later today. Nothing crazy or too intense, but a way to work on getting those jitters out. 

The countdown has begun and there's nothing I can change or do to slow it down in order to feel more prepared. No matter what happens on race day, it's going to be amazing. I know that much..

Even if the weather report is not helping with the mental side of it all.

Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.

That's all I can do at this point. 

Help!

Stepping Out of my Comfort Zone

I went to Target yesterday to pick something up for my mom. While I was there I saw a girl who was probably around my age, maybe a little younger. 

She was wearing workout clothing- bright shoes, a tank top and running shorts. She looked fantastic and I immediately wished that I could have the confidence to wear running shorts.

First of all, I would like to point out how much my thoughts have changed. In the past, my first thought would have been how much I wish I had her body.. Now, my thoughts are less body related and more confidence based. You see, I love when someone has the confidence to do what they want without answering to anyone else. I may not always agree, but it's not up to me, so you do you!

I've never had that confidence. I've always been too afraid of what people would think or say. Never realizing that their comments were probably not as bad as the ones I was saying to myself. I was always so critical of myself and every single decision I made. 

Back to the shorts.. 

I went to get what I was sent to get and then took the long way back to the registers, the way that brought me by the workout section. Wouldn't you know it? The running shorts were right up front, taunting me, begging me to buy them.

I had a pair of running shorts once upon a time. A pair that I wore once, were too tight in the large size and I came home and cried after my awkward and very uncomfortable run. I swore off shorts, embarrassed by the size of my thighs and butt and filled my drawer with running capris and haven't thought of shorts since. 

Until yesterday. 

I thought to myself, what would be the worst thing? I take them home, they don't fit and I return them? That doesn't seem so bad.. 

It's been a secret dream of mine to have runners legs. Those tight, toned looking legs that you can just tell by looking at them that that person is a runner. I don't, and it's going to take a lot of work to get there, but I will one day. And now I have the shorts to wear when that day comes..

I decided to by the XL shorts with no shame. I'm blessed in that area and I embrace it at this point in my life. 

After having no motivation to workout or run the past four days I made a decision to test out my new shorts after dropping Isabel off at school. I would run the 7 miles from her school back home, wearing the shorts. A small test run to see if I would be able to wear the shorts on race day since it's supposed to be warm out. 

Not once did I think about my thighs and the jiggle in my wiggle. I was too busy pulling the shorts down after each interval. Not the best thing to think about doing for 26.2 miles, so they may not be race day attire, but they were good enough for a shorter run and will be great for walking or biking at home and even for strength training. 

In the past, I would look at a picture of myself from any angle and be able to point out 146 different problems with my body and my appearance.. You know what I see in that picture? Well, besides the photo bombing cat... I see muscles in my legs. It's a start!! 

My goal for the LA Marathon next weekend is to PR. If it happens, great! If not, there's always the next one in May. In order to PR, I would like to finish in 5 hours 50 minutes, meaning I would need to maintain around a 13:20 pace. 

Today I ran 7.06 miles after doing absolutely nothing for 4 days. Add on top of that a constant head wind and I was hurting for the majority of the time. But my pace was pretty close to where it needs to be come race day, so there is hope. 

M1- 13:19

M2- 13:34

M3- 13:27

M4- 13:32

M5- 13:29

M6- 13:19

M7- 13:25

Total distance- 7.06

Total time- 1:34:53

Avg pace- 13:27

Here's to making the next 10 days the best they can be. Healthy eating, a strength workout or two, lots of walking and a short run or two or three.. I suck at tapering! I'm either one extreme (doing nothing for 4 days) or the other (wanting to do it all). It's probably just the endorphins talking, but I'm ready to do this!!

Month to Month Comparison

I decided to take a look back and compare the last two months to see where I improved and where I still need some additional work. These are the results:

Miles

January: 142.19

February: 145.71

Bike Minutes

January: 435

February: 445

Strength Workouts

January: 4

February: 5

Total Steps

January: 435,563

February: 480,718

Longest Run Streak

January: 4 days

February: 2 days

Longest Workout Streak

January: 12 days

February: 13 days

I improved in every area except a running streak (which I'm not working towards, just tracking) and I'm really excited to see the progress. I love seeing the comparison and I hope to get a head start in March so I'm not working on playing catch up all month like I did in February.

I want to improve on strength training. I feel so much better when I am able to strength train at least two days a week, but running trumps strength right now, so strength workouts are usually the first to stop when I get tired or busy. March is going to be difficult, but I can easily get in more than 5 strength training workouts. I'm not looking for a lot more, just more.

2015 Goals- Update February

2015 Goals: 

1. Run and/or walk 1702 miles- as of 2/28/15 I am at a total of 287.90 miles, which is 16.92% of my goal.

2. Bike 5000 minutes on the stationary bike- as of 2/28/15 I am at a total of 880 miles, which is 17.60% of my goal.

3. Half Marathon PR- I have not completed a half marathon race this year other than Dopey and I did not PR, however I am only using actual races towards this goal. My first half this year will be on the 28th and I am not going out to PR since it will be two weeks after the LA Marathon. 

4. Full Marathon PR- I have not completed a full marathon race this year other than Dopey and I did PR by exactly 2 minutes, however I am only using actual races towards this goal. My first marathon will be the 15th of this month and I will be attempting 45:1 intervals. I printed out a pace bracelet, showing exactly what time I need to hit each mile to hit a finishing time of 5 hours 50 minutes, giving me a PR. I will need to maintain a 13:20 pace for the full 26.2 miles. Here's to attempt #1!

5. Complete Tracy's Dose of Dopey- Done!!!

6. Complete Body Revolution- still scheduled to begin July 6th. I am enjoying my strength training three days a week for now and believe it will help me feel strong when I start the 90 day program.

7. Work on getting out of credit card debt- Patrick and I were very fortunate with our tax return this year thanks to our big purchase of 2014. 

We chose to take a small portion (5%) and we each got a little spending money and the remaining amount went towards debt. I'm really proud of us and our choice. This next month we are both eligible and receiving bonuses at work. We're not 100% sure on the total, so we can't plan too much, but we are going to focus a large amount on our debts. I'm in full debt pay off mode and there is no stopping me!! Now if only I could think of some ways to make some extra money without spending time away from Isabel..

8. Volunteer at a nearby race- my request to volunteer in August has been emailed! I am hoping to volunteer at a water station. 

9. Read at least 24 books- as of  2/28/15 I have completed 4 books and am 16.67% towards my goal. I am also  72% done with book #5. 

10. Reach a healthy weight and BMI, have less body fat- this is changing officially to simply weigh less on 12/31/15 than I did on 12/31/14. Progress, no matter the number, will be celebrated. And to be honest, the focus may change even more to be less weight based and more measurement based. Who knows at this point

I spent a good portion of this past month stressing about whether or not I would reach my goal. Stressing to the point that I regretted setting goals at all. But when I gave myself a chance to breathe and focus on how I could reach my goals it became less of a chore and I started to enjoy it again.. A reminder for March to stay focused.

Last Long Training Run Before Tapering

(Warning: there is a picture of my foot, more specifically my heel after a blister)

The training schedule has me running 20 miles today. 

The thought is nerve-wracking and makes me doubt myself. Doubt my training. Doubt if I'm ready for a marathon in 14 days.. 

That negative doubting is not going to get me anywhere. In fact, the power of thinking is a strong one when it comes to running. Most of the time, you're running with your head, not your legs. Physically, running long distances can be painful. Mentally? It's excruciating. 

So, why do I do it? Why do I keep signing up for races? Why do I dread the training but ignore that and just keep putting one foot in front of the other? 

Because there is nothing else like it. At least nothing else I've found yet.. 

I love my running shoes..

I love the feeling when I'm done... 

I love crossing the finish line...

I love the bibs... 

I love the medals...

I love the pride I feel in myself when I set a goal and reach it...

I love the pride my family feels when I set a goal and reach it...

 

I love the outdoors... 

I love the friends I've made...

I love the places I've been lucky enough to run in...

I love the fact that I have lost toenails and the general appearance of my runners feet... 

I love it all.. 

But, sometimes it can be difficult to motivate myself to go for the run I have scheduled. No matter how much I know I need to train, no matter how much I know it will benefit me, tying those laces, that first step, those first few miles are difficult to forget. 

But finishing a long run.. Heck, even finishing a short run is a fantastic feeling. It's just so much easier to remember the pain than the pride... I need to work on that. 

I decided that this weekend I could spread the 20 miles between the two days rather than do it all at once. Again, it's not ideal, but it will get done and that is the important part. 

I knew that today I had to do a minimum of 12 miles in order to reach my mileage goal for the month. I also knew, as I was walking on the treadmill that the more I did today the less I would have to do tomorrow. I ended the day with over 15 miles and am proud of that. More walking than running, but I'll get back out for a run tomorrow, even if it's raining. 

26.2 miles is going to hurt on March 15th, but I'm hoping the excitement and thousands of other runners will help push me through when my body gives out. And of course the support from my family while I'm out there running. I always know when I've hit my wall and I always know who I can turn to for support. 

I'm actually looking forward to finishing up my training tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to tapering though. I suck at tapering. It makes me angry. And I tend to get miles in anyway.

I'm hoping that this past month and a half of training that did not go as well as I had hoped was for a reason and taught me something.

It taught me that I do love to run and that I need to appreciate it while I can still do it. It taught me that I need to train properly, including more strength training and better eating.

Oh, and no more marathons after this year...

My Weekend Mileage

This weekend I had to complete a total of 18 miles. Ideally, I would have completed those miles consecutively- running the first 8 with my sister and then going out for 10 alone.

That didn't happen, however I had told myself on Friday that it didn't matter how I got the miles in. It didn't matter when or where either. The idea was to put as little pressure on myself as possible. So I allowed myself to spread the mileage out over the weekend. I just needed to have completed 18 miles by Sunday night. 

I happened to complete the 18 miles I needed on Saturday by doing the following:

8.06 mile interval run with my sister

2.44 miles with Camper (1 mile interval run, 1.44 mile walk)

1.45 mile walk with Isabel to dinner

6.25 mile walk on the treadmill

Half of the distance was using intervals, the other half walking. More walking than I would have liked, but at this point I can't be upset about that. I have to be proud of what I did accomplish. 

I did plan on going out for some extra miles on Sunday, but I wasn't feeling 100% and the rain (which I usually love to run in) was a pretty good excuse to keep me inside. Isabel and I did go for a 1 mile walk though, so that was nice to get some fresh air. 

I'm actually really proud of myself for reaching my goal this weekend and for not allowing the number to take control. Next weekend is 20 miles, and although I will probably allow myself to spread the miles over the two days again, I do also need to reach a certain number of miles before Saturday to allow that to happen. 

For now I'm just going to focus on today and the miles I can get in. The rest will fall into place.