Undertrained and Over Confident: Smuttynose Half Marathon Recap

If you've been following my running story lately then you know that over the summer I developed a nasty case of Plantar Fasciitis. It first started in February but didn't hit its peak level of pain until July after I took a break from running and started up my Half Marathon training again.

As my runs got longer and harder the pain grew more intense until I was completely disabled by it. I forced myself to go to the podiatrist where I was quickly diagnosed with PF.

Long story short, I was barely able to train. The podiatrist assured me that rest would help my feet. He gave me 2 cortisone shots in each foot over a period of 2 weeks. They did nothing to touch the pain.

My training consisted of strengthen my arms and using our rowing machine to keep up my cardio. My nutrition suffered as hard as I tried to get it back on track. Depression set in and my emotions decided my food choices.

In the days leading up to the race I hoped that it would be cancelled due to rain as thunderstorms had been foretasted. No such luck.

I was up at 4:30 in the morning to get my family to the beach where the race was before the 8 am start time. I woke up to rain and although the weather report said otherwise it never stopped.

I had no delusions of grandeur going into this race. I just wanted to get it done giving it my all in the process. My two mantras that I wrote on my hands to remind myself of when the course got tough were "No Regrets" and "Leave it all on the course."

Did I look at those mantras often?  Oh yeah I did.

The traffic getting to the race wasn't too nuts, we got to the beach by 6:30am, but there was a long line of cars behind us. For anyone thinking of running this race in the future then I suggest getting there early because they closed the roads at 7 am.

About 10 minutes before the race started I got in my corral with my family by my side and they stuck around until the last minute. They sent us out in waves so I didn't start until a few minutes after 8 and I was getting anxious to start. Of course, it was just a few hundred feet after the start line that I stepped in a puddle and had soggy feet for the rest of the race. That's alright by the end of it I was soaked to the bone.

The first 3 miles were like something out of a Spartan Race because we were jumping puddles left and right. I felt really good those first few miles although I secretly wished I had dropped down to the 5K they were holding simultaneously so I could just be done. I knew the pain was just going to get worse.

The way the race is set up spectators have 4 chances to see runners:  the start and finish and two times in between during the first loops. I was able to see my husband and daughter two times, both times when I rounded the beach. The last time I saw them before the finish I shouted, "See you in 9 miles!"

I did great the first 5 miles up until I had to slow down to take my fuel. After that it was hard to keep up my momentum.  

By mile 7 my feet hurt. My quads hurt too. I stopped to stretch a few times and I'm glad I did but I actually felt pretty good for miles 8-10. 

So much rain!

It wasn't until mile 10 that the rain really started to get to me. It didn't help that the cold air from the ocean started to hit me so my arms and fingers went numb. It was so cold I could see my breath. 

By mile 11 I was picking out markers to run to. I'd tell myself to just run until the guardrail ends and then walk to the person wearing the red coat. Doing this kept me going. 

It was all mental by the end. 

By mile 12 I was literally seeing stars. I knew the pain from my feet was increasing my blood pressure. At this point it was all mental. I told myself that if I kept running I would be done with this race a whole lot sooner than if I walked it. 

I was desperate to be done.

The pain in my feet was intense and I was a soggy mess. 

When I finally entered the finish chute and saw my husband holding my daughter I was overjoyed. I quickly snatched her from his arms and told her to run. I started screaming, "Go, Scarlett! "  She just giggled beside me. 

After we crossed the finish line and I looked up from grabbing my medal and turning off my watch, I noticed she had a medal too and the biggest grin on her face to go along with it.

It was a great moment to share with her. 

After hugs from my husband and daughter we snatched up our free lobster roll, clam chowder and beer and then we ran back to the car to dry off. 

I've never been so happy to be done with a race in my life!  Looking back, I am glad I did it, but considering my injury, it might not have been the brightest idea I've had. 

Now it's time to heal my feet and get back to basics. I can't wait to run a 3K this weekend!

There is no shame in starting over. 

Silencing the Bully in My Head

You've gained weight.

You're faking it - you're not injured.

Stop eating your emotions.

You can't do this anymore.

You weren't meant to run. 

You were never an athlete and you aren't one now. 

You're fat and old and you should just give up.

These are just a few examples of what the Bully who lives in my head says to me on a daily basis.

My obesity struggle has been a life long one which feeds into my lack of self confidence. Honestly, I think the lack of self confidence is harder to overcome than the  weight issue. I've been fat all of my life so I know how to lose it. I just don't know how to have the confidence to keep it off or to believe in myself.

Turning off the bully that lives in my head was challenging this summer. It hit its peak when I realized that my foot pain wasn't just some soreness that would go away with a little rest. It was in fact an injury, plantar fasciitis to be exact. I was repeatedly told to stay off my feet and stop running by doctors. "Rest!  You're body needs rest!" They'd tell me. So I did. I was given clearance to use our rowing machine but even that hurt to use at times - little did I know it was more my shoes than the physical activity at the time.

I was lazy per doctor's orders.

Without the ability to run I started to question myself, "Am I even a runner anymore?"  I felt awful. I was in pain. The only way to feel better was to do what I've been taught - eat. Eat all of the food that brings me comfort in an effort to ease the pain.

Seriously,  plantar fasciitis is no joke. I feel like I am wakling on hot daggers with every step. No medications were helping me. Ibuprofen wouldn't touch it. I had 2 cortisone shots in each foot and felt worse afterwards. The intense pain level took its toll on me not just physically but mentally too.

I fought to keep from falling down the dark hole of depression.

All the while the bully in my head, that nasty little voice that is always there judging and critiquing me l, kept right on telling me how fat I was getting that I should just stop running altogether because I'm not worth it.

So when my half marathon came around and I had barely trained for it I willed the weather gods to do their thing so it woks be cancelled due to a thunder storm. Anything to keep me from having to run in agony or even worse to not complete it.

But that didn't happen. It rained for the race alright. The whole time as if the weather gods were laughing at my silent request.

It wasn't pretty but I finished that damn race, all 13.1 miles of pounding pain and dare I say I came out the other side stronger for it? 

If I can run a half marathon feeling like I was running on hot, sharp goals with each step then, I began to wonder, what else am I capable of?

Now, that bully hasn't completely gone away she's just quieter now.  Running helps combat her.  

With that race conquered, I now have the freedom to start over to bring my training back to the basics.

Time to work on getting stronger both physically and mentally.

I am worth it and I need to believe that.

My First Half Marathon Recap: Gate City Took Me for an Emotional Ride

 Anyone close to me, my parents, my husband, my friends that are my family, know that I'm notorious for holding myself back in life. Whether it's in my career, my schooling or just getting ahead I do things to sabotage myself. My weight is a prime example of this. I know how to eat healthy and exercise, but I can go long periods of time where I consciously abuse myself with food.

My running is not safe from my self-sabotaging.

And this is exactly what I did to myself during my very first half marathon, the inaugural Gate City Half on Sunday, May 15. The race I'd been training 4 months for. 

All that training, all the time away from my family, all of my hard work and effort that I put in and I fell back into old habits and held myself back. I kept myself from running the race I knew I could. I let myself down. 

Let me just say that before we go any further I don't want you to think I'm going to be all emo about my race results. These past few weeks I've gone back and forth between feeling extremely proud of myself for completing a half marathon when less than a year ago I couldn't stand running and extremely disappointed in how I ran that race, that I held myself back and didn't run the race I was capable of. 

At the start of it I was nervous, scared even. The enormity of what I was about to do got to me. I tried to tell myself it was just another long run but my brain knew better. I was nervous but excited too. After the gun went off I spent a good 5 minutes slowing my pace down. I couldn't run a 9mm half marathon. I wouldn't make it past 5 miles. I managed to get myself down to an 11 minute mile where I knew I would be comfortable for the first 5 miles or so of the race. Then I needed to pee. 

I tried not to think about it but as I was completing the first loop (it consisted of 3) back to the start I remembered where the porta-potties were and made a break for it. I didn't care that it would add 2 minutes to my finishing time. I wanted to be comfortable for the next 7 miles.

The Halfway Point

After kissing my family and hugging a childhood friend who surprised me by coming out to watch me run, I was off for loop 2. The wind really beat me up here. I knew that I needed to crank up the pace but I just couldn't. I felt like I was running in place for most of it.  I also had lost my pack so I was running solo. I felt incredibly lonely. Usually, I prefer to run by myself but today this really bugged me. I did pass a runner here and there, but I noticed even the water stops didn't have many volunteers. The vibe was different. It was desolate.  

Surprisingly, it took me until mile 8 to believe I could finish the race that no matter what happened I would get it done. This was another proud moment and I think it shows in my time for the following mile. 

By mile 9 Florence and the Machine's "Dark Days are Over" came on over my headphones and I was finally able to crank my pace up. Incredibly,  this was my fastest mile of the half marathon. It still wasn't as fast as I knew I could go this late in the game though. 

Let me say that again:  Mile 9 was my fastest mile. I'm proud of that. 

By mile 10 "AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" came on which was perfect because my left ankle started to go and I felt like I was on my way to hell. Searing pain radiated up from it. I stopped at the next water station to stretch it out but it didn't help. I pushed on. 

By this point I just floated on the realization that I was going to see my family for the second and last time before the finish. 

Mile 11 took me back to the start/finish line. While grabbing Gatorade the volunteer looked at me, looked at my bib and said, "Sabrina!  Look over there!"  My family was screaming and cheering me on to keep moving.  I also saw my friend Ang and called to her.  She had been wanting to run a leg with me and I knew she would catch up with me at the end which is exactly what she did.  She told me to hurry up and we were off for the last 2 miles.

Now miles 12-13.1 were uncharted territory for me.  My training had only taken me as far as 11 miles.  In retrospect, I really wish I had made the effort to get the full 13.1 miles in.  It would have lessened some of my pre-race anxiety.  I really feel like my nerves just zapped me.

I expressed my concern to my friend and told her that my pace was waaaay off.  She quickly replied with what I kept telling myself in my head but my heart didn't believe, "No, it's not.  It's your first half marathon.  Whatever you get is a PR. You don't want to set the bar too high on your first time out because then you can't PR the next time."

I kept moving.

I hit mile 12.5 and it sucked.  In order to complete the last 2 miles of the race I had to re-do part of the first loop I ran.  The volunteers warned us that some of it was going to look familiar and not to worry.

I let out a loud, "Ugh. Not this again." when I saw where we were.  This part of the course wasn't bad, it wasn't scenic either, but I just had no desire to be back where I had started.  I just wanted to be D-O-N-E.

At this point I really wanted to walk.  I was hurting.  I felt like I was just walking fast and barely moving.  But my friend just kept encouraging me and taking pictures of me to document the moment. It kept my mind off the pain in my left ankle.

When I hit the mile 13 marker the volunteers started clapping and other runners that were done racing gave me thumbs up.  I started singing out loud, "My quads are in fire!" as I approached the finish line.

But I did it.  I hobbled to the finish line.  As soon as I was done the race director gave me my medal and told me she loved my Wonder Woman headband because she has the same one.  I told her it was my first half marathon and that earned me an extra congratulations.

I limped back to my family who immediately sat me down.  My best guy friend who had driven down from Maine to cheer me on asked, "Um, you do realize you are limping, right?"  Right.

My 3 year old daughter gave me my Train Like a Mother 13.1 medal that I had earned for completing the half marathon training program through Another Mother Runner.

Friends from my running group, Mom's Run This Town, came over to congratulate me.

Ang handed me a jello shot.  I had earned it.

I spent the rest of the day relaxing and trying to figure out what happened, why my pace was so off.  Why couldn't I ever seem to speed it up?  Why did I hold myself back yet again?  Surely, I did something to sabotage this race for myself.  Why can't I live up to my potential once and for all?

Then I looked at my Garmin, specifically at the elevation chart. One look at it told me all that I needed to know.  This wasn't a flat course.  It was fairly hilly with an elevation gain of over 300 feet.  My poor ankle that sustained a ligament tear in the fall was put to the test with all the of rolling hills.

Realizing this gave me some reassurance that I ran the best I could on a hilly course while being battered by wind gusts of up to 30 MPH.

I'm proud to be a half marathoner.  I didn't run like I knew I could but there were circumstances out of my control.  You can't train for wind for one.

There was only one way to make myself feel better about this race.  I signed up for my next one on October 2.  Smuttynose Rockfest here I come!

It's billed as being flat and fast by the way.  

Follow me Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

I Ran a Half Marathon. Now What?

Two days ago I ran the race I'd been training for 4 months to run.  I put in 99,572,390,571 training hours and 200,369 miles.  I even had to buy new running shoes because I wore my 6 month old Brooks Ravenna's down (I'm kinda known for holding onto gym shoes for a good 5 years before tossing them out).

During this time,I learned how to fuel my body by researching pre-workouts and endurance fuel.  I saw a nutritionist who convinced me my body needed more vegetables (blech!).  I took countless tests to check my body for inflammation, food allergies and sensitives.  Turns out I have a lot of those although the level of inflammation in my body went way down from a year ago.  After learning how many foods my body doesn't like, I actually considered becoming a vegan.  Yes, me Sabrina, the red meat loving pro high fat, high protein lifestyle lover considered, at one time, just eating plants and veggies. I'm not sure how smart that would have been considering how many vegetables and fruits I am actually highly sensitive to now.

For awhile I woke up an hour early before work, 4:30 am people, to get 5-6 mile weekly endurance runs in.  That worked out well until I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue and couldn't sleep even when it was before my alarm went off although I could have put my head down on a table and taken a nap around noon every day.

Slowly, my weekly long runs grew from 6 miles to 11.  I once ran 11 miles on my rickety old treadmill because I just couldn't take one more run in the cold.  It was hell.  I watched movies, listened to music and podcasts to pass the time and all of it was mind numbingly awful.

Speaking of running on treadmills, I can't remember how many times I would put in 5 miles prior to a race just to get in my weekly long run that day.  Yes, you read that right.  I once ran 5 miles before a 5K that I ultimately PR'ed in.  Before my first 10 mile race I put in one mile on the treadmill to get my long run of 11-13 miles in.  Who was I?  I couldn't even run a mile in high school!

The point is, I was dedicated, and committed. I had a plan outside of my other daily hum-drum commitments. I had a goal that I spent 4 months working on achieving.

On Sunday, I ran my first 13.1 miles ever in the Gate City Half Marathon.

The longest run I ever got to in my training plan was just 11 miles.  Miles 11-13.1 were uncharted territory for me during this race.

To say that terrified me was an understatement.

But I did it.  I had put in the time and work to train for a half marathon and I did it.

I'm a highly organized, detailed oriented person.  I like plans.  The Train Like a Mother 13.1 challenge that I followed from Another Mother Runner spoke to me.  It kept me on track, it held me accountable, it gave me a clear goal to achieve.

Turns out I really like goals.

On Sunday, I met that goal.  I am very proud of that fact.

Now what?

As much as I cursed that plan when it had me out there running 10 miles on a Sunday when I really just wanted to stay in my cozy pajamas or 6 miles on a Wednesday when snuggling on the couch sounded so much more fun, I needed that plan.

Dare I say I'm kind of lost without it?

I think I am actually feeling a little sad that it is over.

Do we mourn the loss of achieving our goals?  Is that a thing?  Is that what I am feeling?  I'm definitely having a hard time sticking to my nutritional plan and I am a classic emotional eater.  I really just want to stuff my face with pizza and ice cream while pouring myself another glass of wine.

When I'm ready I'll find another goal race to train for.  Until then, pass the bottle of Pinot Noir.


Follow me Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Half Marathon Music Playlist

I have to listen to music when I run. It inspires me. It motivates it. It allows me to escape from my surroundings.

I'll be sure to make some last minute changes before the race and I'm looking for any suggestions for songs that will fit in with my eclectic genre. 

Below is a list of the songs and their artists that will be listening to during my first half marathon on Sunday, May 15. 

Total Run Time:  2:41

• Misirlou- Dick Dale and His Del-tones 
• Daft Punk is Playing in My House -  LCD Soundsystem
• Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen
• Heads Will Roll - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
• Hooked On a Feeling - Blue Swede
• I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphys 
• Let's Dance - David Bowie
• Let's Go Crazy - Prince
• Lust For Life - Iggy Pop
• Berlin - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• Paper Planes - M.I.A.
• The Dope Show - Marilyn Manson
• Elephant - Tame Impala
• Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
• Got Your Money - Ol' Dirty Bastard 
• Tighten Up - The Black Keys
• Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
• Kashmir - Led Zeppelin 
• Howlin' For You - The Black Keys
• Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
• Flagpole Sita - Harvey Danger
• The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson 
• Long Cool Woman - The Hollies
• Dog Days are Over - Florence + The Machine
• Rock and Roll - Led Zeppelin 
• Highway to Hell - AC/DC
• Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
• Stronger - Kanye West 
• Work Bitch - Britany Spears
• I Want It All -  Queen
• Sabotage - The Beastie Boys 
• Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen 
• Dancing With Myself - Billy Idol
• Turn Down for What - DJ Snake and Lil Jon
• Love You Like a Love Song - Selena Gomez 
• Ring of Fire - Johnny Cash
• Darude - Sandstorm 
• A Little Less Conversation - Elvis
• I Love It - Icona Pop
• The Final Countdown - Europe

10 Tips to Surviving the Week Before Your First Half Marathon

So you're running your first half marathon.  Good for you for being only half crazy!  Ideally, you've put in some serious training over the last 3-4 months and you've followed your training plan to a T or modified it so it fits you to a T whichever the case may be.  Below on some last minute tips to help you survive the final week before the big day.

1.  Hydrate!

Aim for a gallon of water a day.  If you're worried about being up all night to use the bathroom then guzzle most of your water in the morning hours.  Add some Nuun Hydration Tablets so you get the electrolytes without the sugar.

2.  Check your gear. 

Make sure everything is in working order.  Ideally, everything you are using come race day has been broken in so there are no surprises.

3.  Pick Your Mantras.

You will be chanting them in your head, or out loud like a crazy person, when the going gets tough.  

4.  Set Your Playlist

The right music can inspire and motivate you right when you need it most.  Some of my favorite running songs are:

• Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
• Can't Stop Me Now - Queen
• I'm Shipping Up to Boston - Dropkick Murphy's 
• Let's Go Crazy - Prince
• Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
• Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
• Stronger - Kanye West
• Work Bitch - Brittany Spears 

5.  Clip Your Toe Nails

This one should be a no brainer.  No one likes bloody socks during a race.  Clip those talons.  

6.  Protein Up!

The week before your big race your nutrition needs to be on point.  Ideally, you've been doing this all along with your training so there are no surprises on the big day that lands you in the long porta-potty lines doing a crazy dance.  Protein is important because it helps build and repair muscles.  Carbs are great for a quick burst of energy, but red meat will deliver the nutrients your body needs to feed those muscles that are deep down inside.  While your at it, add an egg a day, I prefer hard boiled, to clean out your liver.

7.  Rest

This is probably the most important step.  Don't overdue it.  You don't want to risk an injury or deplete yourself this close to reaching your goal.

8.  Make a Mental Plan

Think about how you are going to pace yourself.  Research and plan which water stops you are going to stop at and which ones you might even want to walk through.  For longer races, water stops often include fuel like Honey Stinger Chews.  It's a good idea to know which ones those are so you aren't making any unplanned stops and in the process add valuable seconds to your finish time.  

9.  Stick to Your Plan

This one goes back to #7.  Run when your plan says run, rest when it says rest and cross-train when it says, well you get the idea.  The last week before your race is not the time to start adding in extra runs.  

10.  Pack Your Bags

Dress rehearsal time!  Make sure you've picked out what you are going to wear from your socks to your headphones and that you have some experience using them.  Again, to avoid surprises on race day everything on your body should have been worn before.  

Put everything you are going to need for race day into your bag.  Pack extras!  For women, I suggest packing a few extra hair ties in case they break because who wants to deal with a sweaty mess of hair while you are trying to focus on your form?  After my 10 miler I had packed flip flops and my feet were so thankful especially since we had an hour car drive home.  

If you have any other tips to add, please share them below!  I've found that the best advice comes from other runner's mishaps because  it's the little things, like hair ties, that can make or break a race for you.

Why I Won't Cuddle My Daughter Anymore

For this week, I naively rearranged my half marathon training schedule so I could capitalize on the predicted sunny and warm spring weather. That meant Monday and Tuesday were rest days with a few rounds of strength training.  I enjoyed the downtime and was even able to perform the Food Intolerance Test my nutritionist gave me. Life was good and everything was going smoothly.

Then I had to put my 3 year old daughter to bed.

Over the last several weeks I've grown to dread our once private and pleasant Mommy - daughter cuddle fests in her big girl bed. She would tell me all about who hit and pushed who in her Nursery Class and I would listen with rapt attention. Then something changed. She became wild at bedtime and our cuddles turned into kicks and headbutts. It was painful. I barely endured it. I secretly didn't want to cuddle with her anymore.

Ahoy, mateys!  It's a pirate's life for me.

This particular Tuesday night was no different from the rest. She went bonkers at bedtime.  All of my questions to find out the events of her day were answered with silly noises and nonsense. I finally sang her the bedtime song she's had since she was a baby: "Soft Kitty" from the TV show The Big Bang Theory. At the end I leaned in for one last kiss and it was met with the most horrific pain I've ever felt. It took everything I had to not scream and fling obscenities at her. I managed an, "I'm all done with this!" before I stormed out the door and slammed it behind me.

I ran into the bathroom to quickly wash my face in the hopes of alleviating some pain. It almost helped.

I jumped into the shower and tried to forgot that my 3 year old just punched me in the eye.

Only, she didn't punch me in the eye, but I didn't know that yet. Even when I woke up at 3 am with a swollen eye that dripped tears like a leaky faucet I didn't think anything different, just, "Wow, she got me good!"  At 5:30 am when my alarm went off and I quite literally stumbled out of bed and couldn't open my right eye because of the blinding pain, I started to get concerned.

I told myself and my husband that I just needed some ice and ibuprofen and I'd be fine. Don't worry about me. I've got this. I even straightened my hair with a burning hot flat iron with my eyes closed thinking I'd still be going to work.

I'm in total control. I've got this.

2 hours of icing my eye and 800 MG of ibuprofen later and I was ready to relinquish control and give up. Somewhere around the 1 hour mark I had called work to let them know I'd be a little late, "Oh no big deal, my daughter punched me in the eye and I'm blind now."

 It was now time to wave the white flag and call the doctor's office.

After explaining my situation and admitting that just maybe, maybe my daughter didn't just punch me in the eye but she actually scratched it, the nurse told me that I had better come in to get checked out and not to drive.

1 mile walk from hell, but we met a cat.

Luckily, my father lives only a half hour away so he was able to drive me to my appointment which was a good thing because by that point the only way I felt good was to lay down with my eyes closed. The dangerous part about that was my 3 year old, who was home with me, knows how to open doors. She kept begging me to go out and play. As tempted as I was to kick her out of

the house for beating me up, I silently thanked our landlord for installing a deadbolt and crawled back to the couch.

The doctor confirmed my suspicion - I had a scratched cornea.   When putting Scarlett to bed she hadn't punched me, she scratched the outer protective layer of my eye and left a good sized abrasion.

The remedy was an eye patch, eye drops and a follow-up appointment in 2 days. Oh, and no work or driving for the rest of the day. Sounds great, right?

Needless to say, the rest of my day was spent watching kids' TV shows and "relaxing" while watching my 3 year old with my eyes closed. Because I'm stubborn as hell, we managed to take a 1 mile walk around the neighborhood which I almost instantly regretted.

 And I thought I was going to run 7 miles that day!

"Mommy, I'm a pirate!"  Glad you think it's funny, kid.

A very sweaty 5K 3 days "after."

In the end, (a lot of) wine was consumed, a candy bar was eaten and I resumed normal activities the next day. By Friday, I was running again and that same day I found out the abrasion was completely gone. Who knew the eyes heal so quickly? 

I know you are all wondering if I still snuggle with Scarlett at bedtime anymore and the answer is I do not. She knows she poked mommy in the eye and it made her a pirate for the day, which was not as fun as it may seem.  She's not happy I won't cuddle in her big girl bed anymore but she knows that when she learns to settle down we will try again. Until then I simply sing her our bedtime song, give her a kiss while I hold her hands down to her sides and then quickly flee the room because this Momma is no dummy.

Week 6 Half Marathon Training Recap

This week's long run was 9 miles!  My longest to date.  Scroll down to see if and how I survived!

Monday

I wasn't able to fit in the circuit run today so I I just completed Super Short Strength Circuit 3 instead.  These strength training videos and moves are really working because I am starting to see definition in my arms!  Who knew? Seriously, these moves are tough but totally doable and you don't have to spend hours and hours away from your kids doing them so there are no excuses for not getting them done.

Tuesday

I moved some of the runs around on my plan because we were forecasted to get some spectacular weather that I just couldn't pass up running in.  Tuesday ended up being my rest day with SSSC3 (see video above).

Wednesday

I am so glad that I moved my 6 mile long run to this day!  The weather was gorgeous for early March.  I can't think of many days in the past that it hit 70 degrees in New England in the WINTER.  I planed on running the first 3 miles on my lunch break and then the last 3 when I got home.

After 3 days of basically rest, my legs were ready to run!  In fact, I ran my fastest mile ever - 9mm!  It is still hard to believe that 7 months ago I was only able to "run" 1 mile at a 15 mm pace.  I try to remind myself of that whenever I get discouraged in my training.

I was hoping that I would PR for a 5K on this run, but it just didn't happen.  It was still one of my fastest 5K's that I've run.  I did notice that my quads were on fire because of the pace I was keeping.  Time to do more runner's lunges.  All and all, it was a glorious run just like the weather.

After work, my husband told me to hurry up so I could get my last 3 miles in before the sun went down.  I actually managed to pull it off.  My legs were tired by then and just wanted to recover from earlier, but I got it done and my time was really good (for me) too.

Thursday 

Otherwise known as "Hill Repeats!" day.  It was another gorgeous day weather wise so I knew this was the day to get actual hill repeats done and not just run up and down my stairs.  Again, I quickly did some laundry and packed my running clothes to run on lunch break (or "runching" as it is known in the running world).

No doubt about it, my legs were tired.  Once this run was done I had put in 9 miles in under 24 hours with a not-so-great night of sleep.  I started out by running for a mile to warm-up and then it was time to tackle the local hill by work that I picked out.  My goal was to run up it and then jog back down it for 15 minutes.

It was hotter than I was used to so the heat got to me and I felt dehydrated to boot.  Luckily, the side of the street that I was running on was in the shade.  I definitely didn't charge up it at full speed as I was supposed to, but once I got going I was able to up my pace.

Once the 15 minutes were up, I jogged back to work feeling very sweaty and tired.

Friday

For Friday I had the option to run 3 miles or cross-train and then perform SSSC3.  I decided to give my poor tired legs a break and just did 20 minutes on my husband's rowing machine and the SSSC3.  I was so happy it was Friday because my body and mind were ready for a break.  I really didn't know what to expect for my first 9 mile long run the next day.

Saturday- Long Run Day!  

9 miles.  9 miles that I had never run before.  9 miles that I wasn't sure I was mentally ready for.  9 long miles, on a warm March day in New Hampshire.  

Sometimes you surprise yourself and today was one of those days.  

I took my nutrionist's advice, more on this in another post, and fueled up with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a half a cup of Bolthouse Farm's Mixed Berry.  Prior to that I had fasted for about 16 hours per usual.  

For mental prep, I read this blog post from Sarah at Run Far Girl.  I decided to try to run this 9 miler like she suggested.  I made my first 3 miles my warm-up and took it as slow as I was comfortable with.  Then for my middle 3 I dialed up my pace a little, but not too much since I wanted to leave enough energy to run my last 3 as fast as I could to the finish.  Now my last 3 were not my fastest 5K times ever, but mile 5 was my fastest of all my miles and mile 9, which included a hill, was my fastest mile running up that hill (miles 3 and 6 included the same hill).  Not too shabby.

After that I run, it became clear that I need a hydration pack.  I'm just getting too dehydrated.  I hope to pick one up in the next week or two.

9 miles.  Wow.  How was it that just a few months ago I was chugging through 1 mile?  This is why we train though to make the runs more bearable.  

Week 5 Half Marathon Training Recap

How have 5 weeks come and gone already?!  Just 10 more weeks and I'll be running the Gate City Half Marathon in Nashua, NH.  Eeek!  Sometimes I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that just 8 months ago I jumped on the neighbor's old treadmill for the first time and jogged a mile at a gingerly 15 mile per minute pace.  Now, here I am training for my first half.  All things considered it's a lofty goal indeed.

Monday

Today's run was supposed to be a circuit followed by SSSC 3.  Since these runs really only amount to a half hour or about 2 miles, my plan was to get it done after work.  That plan was quickly foiled when I was created by an aging corgi at the door who was clearly in pain.  Her back was crumpled up, she was whining and just couldn't get comfortable.  I frantically called our veterinarian's office and got no help.  I called 2 other places and they couldn't see her.  I took the hint, dosed her with more baby aspirin, quickly got the circuit part done (arm circles and the such) and the SSSC 3 and called it good.  I spent the rest of the night snuggling with her on the couch.  In case you are wondering, by Wednesday she was just fine!  

Tuesday

The plan called for 5 easy miles.  My legs and mind were a wreck from Sunday's dehydrated long run so I did 3 and called it good.  I spent a lot of time resting and rolling my legs on this day.

Wednesday

REST DAY!  Hallelujah!  My legs and body just needed it.  Usually, I hate rest day, but not on this day.  I was hurting.  Looking back, I now have first hand experience on why nutrition and hydration are so important for athletes.  If you don't do it right your whole body pays for it.  I did complete the SSSC 3 exercises though.  The Russian twists kill me (in a good way, I think).  

Thursday

Check out my new MRTT shirt!  

My Swag Bag from Another Mother Runner arrived!

Easy 3-5 miles you say?  I set my alarm for what I thought was 4:30 am but it turns out that I just set two alarms for my normal wake up time of 5:30 am.  My body knew something was up because I jolted away at 4:41 am and in a panic got ready for my treadmill run.  I find that if I don't shower the night before than I have even more motivation to get up and get these early morning runs done before work because I'm going to have to get up early for a shower so I might as well get sweaty anyway.  I completed 3 glorious miles. My legs felt so much better!  All of the rolling, hydration and wearing compression socks non-stop paid off.  

Friday

I happily woke up at 4:30 am to get 3 miles in before work.  Legs still felt great and I pushed myself on the pace because I felt that good.  I was supposed to get another round of SSSC 3 in, but it just didn't happen.  I forgot to squeeze it in during the day and by the time I got home from work all I wanted was a dance party in the kitchen and a cold beer!  It's the little things in life, you know?

Saturday - Long Run Day!  

Splits from my Garmin Forerunner 620

8 miles were to be completed today with a 5 minute strong finish.  If you think back, you'll remember that I completed my first 8 mile run, my longest ever, just a few weeks ago.  My goal was to run it without stopping which has been hard lately.  I always seem to need to stretch my calves or my arms or run home for water because I am D-Y-I-N-G.  One of my very good friends, really she is more of a sister to me, texted me to see what my plans were.  We decided to meet up that afternoon once it warmed up to bang out 8 miles.  She's one of the best runners I know so I was worried that my 11 mm race pace would be too slow for her, but she said it was exactly what she needed, plus she did 10 miles of intervals before hand on the treadmill so this was more of a recovery run for her.  

Splits from my Nike Plus running app.

The weather was beautiful, not too cold, not too hot and the sun was out.  This was my first run with a friend and without my music.  I was nervous about that at first, but our conversation made the time go by faster which I appreciated.  I did have some pretty bad side stitches but that could just have been from talking more than normal.  Yes, I did eat my raisins at mile 6 so we did stop for that, but nothing else.  We even conquered 2 big hills and 1 small one!  I'm happy that I was well hydrated for this run, that I ran in a new location with a good friend and just generally got out of my comfort zone.  It's amazing what all of that combined does for your mental focus.

When I got home I treated myself to a good beer, Sebago's Bonfire Rye, and a hot bath with Epsom salts.  I even managed to get a few pages read in my book, Tales from Another Mother Runner.  

Now I'm on to week 6 and my first NINE mile run on this coming Saturday!