Forgive me Hal Higdon

As I predicted, today's long run was cut, well, shorter. In keeping with the theme of this week, I ended up cutting the miles of this run. Instead of the prescribed 12 miles, I only did 8. The arch of my right foot was still bothering me, there was ice patches scattered along my route and I was just plain "not feelin' it".

As it is the day after Christmas, I was at my parents' house. So I set off from their house with a belly full of Christmas lasagna and the desire to just lie on the couch and watch a movie. It took a little while to get moving but I made it the 4 miles to the park where mom the sherpa was waiting with sports drink and, in lieu of my normal Shot Blocks, some mini Snickers. After a quick stop, I was off for 3 loops around the park - bringing my distance to 8 miles. My foot was bothering me and I was tired so that's where it ended. The bright note was that my dad, who had been suffering from a cold, came out to do my last 2 miles with me.


So I again finished short of the mark. It was the first time EVER I had cut the distance of a long run. I'm feeling quite a bit of guilt but I'm guessing I ran more today than most people did the week of Christmas. I'm sure that in his lovely suburban Chicago home Hal Higdon, inventor or my training schedule, can feel that I've cut my run short. Forgive me Coach Higdon!

Tapering a little too much

As I mentioned previously, I am now in the glorious taper stage of marathon training. Never was there such a lovely time. Tapering means reducing mileage following your longest run and gradually working down to only a few miles the week of the marathon. Here's the thing though: in the past week, I've taken tapering to an art form and went a little overboard. Here's the breakdown of my runs since the tapering began:

Day 1
Miles I was supposed to do: 4
Miles I did: 0
Reason/Excuse: The arch of my right foot was sore and I figured at this point rest was more important than a measly 4 miles.

Day 2
Miles I was supposed to do: 8
Miles I did: 6.6
Reason/Excuse: Runner Wendy wasn't feeling well, I was crabby at 6:45 am for waiting for a tardy Runner Wendy to meet me and it had snowed again and left more snow on the trail requiring a lot more of our lower legs (Hey in those conditions, 6.6 miles=8 miles in normal conditions, right?).

Day 3
Miles I was supposed to do: 5
Miles I did: 3
Reason/Excuse: It was raining. Again. I ran on a treadmill in my brother's basement and despite his efforts to make me comfortable by putting on a DVD and bringing out a fan, running on a treadmill is just miserable for me. Plus my 3-year old niece kept throwing balls at me in her attempt to play catch.

So my next run is my "long" one for the week. It happens to fall on the day after Christmas and just my luck, the temperature is supposed to be 20 degrees colder than it is now. And, it's supposed to snow. So that 12 might turn into 8 real quick.

It's all downhill from here...and other lies we tell ourselves

If I ever have kids, I'm going to make them listen to my story about the time I ran 20 miles. In the snow. On purpose. I didn't do it barefoot but maybe I will tell them I did just for good measure.

Actually, though, Saturday's run went pretty well for me. The first 10 miles were actually, dare I say it, fun. I packed my small camera in my pouch for a "test run" (hehe) to see if I would be comfortable carrying a camera during the marathon. It was fine. While I had the camera, I decided to document our snowy trek. We had a "before" picture where we were all smiles. We took some photos at water stops at mile 5 and 10. I even took a picture of the 20-mile marker. We had to brush aside the snow first but we found it thanks to Runner Wendy's memorization of every inch of the trail.

With a strong wind coming out of the north, we altered our planned route a bit so that we didn't have to spend as much time heading north. Instead we headed to the college where Runner Wendy and I work. It was open that Saturday for special registration hours and we were lured by the promise of indoor plumbing, functional water fountains and heat. Now lots of folks know of my recent fondness for doughnuts after a long run, but I can honestly say I've never eaten a doughnut during a long run. After this rest stop, Runner Wendy can no longer say that.

The last 6 miles of the run brought some fatigue but by and large I felt pretty good. We kept encountering other crazy people running on the trail. It's funny - the running community is small, tight-knit group. Almost everyone asked us if we were training for Disney. And even more amazing, they knew how many miles we were running that day. Seems like the Hal Higdon training plan is quite popular around these parts.

All in the all, the day was good and now I can bask in my taperness. You see, the taper is this magical time of year when after the longest training run has been completed, good little runners everywhere can finally cut back on their miles and regain use of their toes. So here's to the taper - so good to see you again.

I guess it all evens out...

Bad news: I have to run 20 miles on Saturday. All at once.
Good news: My wishes of hot tea with brandy following my run were granted.

Ten on the Tundra

Runner Wendy turned to me to today and said, "I have an ice cream headache." The problem, I noted to Runner Wendy, was that we were not eating ice cream at the time. We were running. Outdoors. In 7 degree weather. "Yeah," says Runner Wendy, "I know. None of the pleasure and all of the pain."

That little exchange pretty much described the conditions of our 10 mile run. It was cold. The sun wasn't quite up when we set out and for the first 1/2 mile my cheeks - both sets - were frozen. When Runner Wendy got out of her car, it was the first time I'd seen a runner wearing a scarf. About a mile in, we passed someone walking on the trail (Lord knows why). She had on a an ankle-length quilted coat, hood, hat and scarf. The only reason I know there was a person under there was that the words "good morning" emanated from the vicinity of where a mouth would be.

Oddly enough, we actually had a good run. We were so consumed with thinking about how cold it was that we didn't even consider how tired we might be running 10 miles before work. So I guess that's a bonus. And according to my fancy new Nike+ Sportband, we burned 1368 calories. I promptly worked towards replacing those calories as I eschewed my normal Wednesday morning doughnut breakfast today in favor of a 4 cheese souffle at Panera. Amidst the butter and fat, I'm pretty sure there's some protein in there. A runner needs her protein.

So despite the fact that we were running on what appeared to be the Arctic Tundra relocated to Central Illinois, the run this morning wasn't all that bad. Now I just need to find someone to make me some hot tea with a splash of brandy.

Hell Week

I have to run 40 miles this week!
40.
Miles.
In the span of 7 days.

20 of those miles have to be run at once. People buy tickets for a Greyhound bus to take them that far. As an added character-builder, the temperature tomorrow when Runner Wendy and I head out for a brisk 10 miles will be a balmy 8 degrees. Fahrenheit. We will be running more miles than there are degrees registering on the thermometer.

This is the week that I've been dreading since September 5th. Most of whatever energy I had left at the end of a run went into freaking out about this week. Now it's here. I've devoted the time. I've put in the training and I've got the scars to prove it. (Literally. Want to see?) So now I just need to come with my mental game. I realize, however, that most people think my mental game was lost the moment I decided to run a winter marathon but I gotta work with what I have.

So now I need to go mentally prepare for my 40 mile week. I gotta be out runnin' the streets early. Unless I can catch one of those Greyhounds...

30 days and counting...

One month from today is the big race! I feel like I've made lots of progress and should actually be ready to go. The training has gone well so far (knock on wood) and if the weather doesn't mess us up, we should be in good shape (pun intended). The flights, rooms and dinner reservations are booked. T-shirts for Team Raegan have been designed and will be ordered in the next few days. I printed out my race waiver today, which will need to be signed and brought to the Race Expo to retrieve my packet.

Four months of preparation has led to this. I think we're in the final stretch now!! :)

I didn't really need those body parts anyway...

Have you ever looked at a marathoner's feet? It ain't pretty. Sure, there are the blisters and bruises that one might find with other athletes, but as far as I know there is one malady that seems to be uniquely marathonish: toenail lossage. Yep - that's right, I made up a word because "loss" just doesn't seem appropriate enough of a term for this reality.

It has happened to me before. And as it stands now, I will surely lose at least one, but more likely two, nails this time around. It isn't painful and they grow back - realllllyyyy slowly - but they do grow back. After the race, I'm considering treating myself to a pedicure and I'll just tell 'em to paint the skin where the nail used to be. Nobody will know. Except of course, those of you reading this blog, but you won't tell, will you?

This is a fairly common occurrence for those of us that log approximately 500 miles on our feet over 4 months. I've grown accustomed to this inevitability, but what I find amusing is that, yes, you can buy a product to help guard against this tragic fate. And with that thought, I leave you with the following picture...

Mother Nature - you will not defeat me!

Winter has arrived. Yeah, I'm not thrilled either. I do realize that I've been incredibly lucky so far, weatherwise. Running this many miles in winter, the odds are not good that one will be comfortable but so far, so good. Then this week came. A huge storm swept through the Midwest this week. With multiple inches of snow forecast for the area, Runner Wendy and I decided it was best to get our mid-week 9-mile run out of the way Tuesday morning instead of Wednesday morning in order to get out ahead of the storm. Unfortunately I had run almost 5 miles Monday night.

Tuesday morning was still and snow-covered. This was our first run through the snow. With my previous run only 12 hours earlier, I was pretty tired when we started. The 9 miles seemed to go pretty slowly. Probably because we were running slowly. In any event we needed to find a way to pass the time. Luckily, the snow on the trail gave us a welcome distraction. Seeing the footprints and paw prints in the snow, we noticed lots of little details. We noticed a man with some kind of traction device in the heel of his shoe had gone for a walk. A dog was slightly dragging its left paw as he walked. A child cut across the trail to walk to school. And a lone biker was crazy enough to go for a ride that morning before dawn.

Another thing that helped pass the time - a quick calculation. In the last 72 hours, I've run 32 miles. Guess that means it's time for bed now.

Running is the antidote for cockiness

I ran 18 miles this weekend. All at once. Seriously. And I felt pretty darn good too. Regular water stops kept me hydrated. Preventative ibuprofen at mile 11 kept my back from acting up. And multiple layers of clothing kept me from freezing to death on a 4 hour run in 14 degree weather. To add to my sense of grandeur, Runner Wendy and I finished our 18 miles in the same amount of time as we completed our 16 miles two weeks earlier. But anyone who has trained for a marathon will tell you that the sport has a way of smacking you down when you get too full of yourself - as I soon found out.

Let's start with the wardrobe. Now anyone that knows me can tell you that when I have a goal, I will work towards it with reckless abandon until I achieve it. This has caused me to run in conditions that have been less than ideal. However, I would normally not be so keen on running in below-freezing temperatures or pre-dawn rains. Because of this fact, I do not own many cold weather running clothes and I don't own any holy-crap-it's-freezing outside running clothes. So for Saturday's frigid run, it was necessary to layer multiple items that I do own. I didn't realize how ridiculous I looked until mile 5. Note the black capris/blue tights combo. Classy.

Unfortunately, the the indignities did not end with the unfortunate wardrobe. At the mile 11 water stop, I looked down to grab some GU chomps out of my pouch and discovered a lovely surprise that a bird dropped on me. As you can imagine, the options to clean oneself up along Constitution Trail are somewhat limited. Luckily (and I use that term loosely here) another running group had an event that morning and I was able to "borrow" a paper cup from their stash and scrape off as much of the bird essence as possible. I couldn't help but think that for the last 7 miles I was running with a bird crap brooch.

Despite the efforts of the running gods to keep my ego in check, I finished my run feeling great. I wasn't sore and I wasn't terribly tired. I had burned, according to Wendy's GPS computer watch thingy, approximately 2,491 calories and my next stop was to get a doughnut. So take that running gods, you can't ruin my sugar high!

Marathoning Can Save the American Economy, Part 2

Add headphones to the list of things that did not last through my marathon training. They bit the dust on Monday. And right in the middle of a challenging run that should have been a piece of cake, or pie. Mmmm... pie. Pumpkin pie sounds good right now. What was I saying? Oh yeah - headphones.

Anyway, in the last 2 weeks I've had to replace my running shoes, buy new headphones and discard two pairs of socks that I wore a hole through with my big toe on a longish run. That led me to think again about all the "stuff" I've had to purchase in the last 12 weeks and I've once again come to the conclusion that if just a quarter of the American population trained for a marathon, our recession would be SO over. Following is the continuation of the partial list of things I've had to buy in preparation for this marathon:

1) Road ID - this is an ID bracelet that is printed with your name, an emergency contact number and any medical issues that first responders need to be aware of. Somebody out there is making a lot of money due to runner moms' paranoia.

2) Reflective vest - when you run in the dark multiple times a week for over any serious distance, one tends to run out of streetlights and sidewalks pretty fast. Not to mention, I look sooo cool wearing one.

3) Head lamp - because my dorkiness factor just wasn't high enough with the reflective vest alone.

4) iTunes songs - it doesn't take long to tire of the music you have when your runs consistently take 2 hours or more.

5) Advil - for a marathon runner this is probably most economically purchased by the case. During the course of training, I had to switch to generic ibuprofen so I could afford my mortgage. This wonder product is worth its weight in gold though. It has served me well as emergency pain reliever, preventative pain stopper, breakfast and dessert.

6) Sports Drink - I've actually considered joining Sam's Club in order to purchase this item in the quantity necessary. My preferred beverage is the electric green liquid known as Sour Melon Powerade. It almost glows in the dark.

7) Boy short style underware - let's just say when you chafe in certain areas after a long run, the last thing you want sitting there is the elastic on your underware. Guys have it so easy...

8) Doughnuts and cheeseburgers - ok, so this might not be a necessity but you would have been hard pressed to find me eating either of these items 3 months ago. Now they seem to have become a staple.

So President Obama, if you're reading this (and really, why wouldn't you be?) just dump that presidential fitness test everyone has to do in elementary school PE class in favor of marathon training. I can't think of a better economic recovery plan.

All in the family

Last week was Thanksgiving and since Thanksgiving is all about family (well, technically it's about a group of Europeans coming over to this country, taking land from the indigenous people that already lived there, letting said people take pity on them when they were starving to death, thanking them with a shared meal and then murdering them - but the Hallmark version of the holiday is much more pleasing), it's only fitting that several of my runs last week were a family affair.

My dad was my first running partner. When I ran my first race at age 4, he was the starter. When I entered my first road run, he ran with me until I shooed him away saying I wanted to do it by myself. We've shared a run together many times and entered many races together. Not once have I ever beaten him, nor do I expect to. We even ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon Relay together. He still complains that it was dark when he started. In any event, it was kind of nice when he offered to do my training runs with me over the holiday weekend.

Thanksgiving morning it was cold, misty and miserable. We hit the road at 8:oo a.m. and did 4 soggy miles. I heard all about his trip to Hawaii and he heard about my training up until that point. Saturday, I had 12 to do. Dad ran the 4 miles to the local park with me and then left me to do my additional 4 in the park before I headed back. As with other long runs, my mom came along to bring me beverages. It was family bonding over sweat and it was actually kind of fun.

All you other families can have your multi-coursed Thanksgiving meal with 63 relatives and 76 different desserts. I'll take a sunny day in the park with my family anyday. Fewer miles wouldn't hurt though...

Does this top 10 list make my butt look big?

Even though it seems like I have endless weeks of training to go before it's marathon day, in actuality there are only about 6 weeks left. Three of those weeks include holidays. So my friends figured that we'd better plan what we're all wearing soon so it could be purchased in time for our trip.

This all started because months ago, I had floated the idea of having my spectating entourage wear some sort of "Team Raegan" shirt so I could easily pick them out on the sidelines even during what will surely be a delirious state around mile 21. Jennie and Bridget jumped on this idea and before I knew it, they had come up with the idea to have a top ten list of reasons why they were NOT running the marathon. They further brainstormed and decided to keep with the Disney theme and tweak actual quotes from Disney movies to make up their reasons. Not surprisingly, they came up with a hell of a lot more than 10 reasons. Edits were made and following is the top ten list that will appear on the back of their shirts:

10. Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s back to bed we go. (Snow White)

9. I don’t have “Hercules” strength to run 26.2 miles. (Hercules)

8. It’s a long race after all. It’s a long race after all. (It’s a Small World)

7. We are simply fans if you please. (Lady & The Tramp)

6. I prefer “Ratatouille” over Gu. (Ratatouille)

5. I would tell you, but there are preschool toys present. (Toy Story)

4. I don’t do anything stupid. Like that. (Pirates of the Caribbean)

3. Cruella de Ville, Cruella de Ville, if she doesn’t kill you the marathon will. (101 Dalmations)

2. It’s all fun and games until someone loses a toenail. (Tarzan)

1. 26.2 miles can give you such a crick in the neck. (Aladdin)

So as you can see, give a girl some free time and access to Google and you'll be amazed what you get.

The rubber met the road a little too often

I've been training for this marathon now for approximately 62 years. Well, actually it's more like 11 weeks but it feels the same to me. In that time, I've spent what must equal the gross national product of a small country. In addition to running shoes and enough sports drink to fill a bathtub, I've purchased things reflective and illuminated, things warm and moisture wicking, things nutrient replacing and pain relieving. This is not to mention the small fortune I'm currently paying off to actually travel to the marathon and a place to sleep while I'm there. So imagine my shock and disgust when I discovered that I was going to have to buy a 2nd pair of running shoes too.

It turns out my body has outlasted my Nikes. After just 6 months, my shoes have gone from nicely broken in to embarassingly broken down. The soles have worn away, the cushiong has worn out and it appears that half the heel has mysteriously disappeared. After exhausting the shoe stores in town (Seriously, a town this size needs more shoe stores. We are pediatorially deprived here!), I finally found my perfect pair at a Nike outlet store an hour and half away. The photo shows my worn out shoes and what shoes should look like.

So now I have my new kicks. Maybe these will be kinder to my toenails...

I Spy...

When you go on a 16 mile run, you tend to have time to look around. You notice things that might be missed if you were driving. On Saturday's run, Runner Wendy and I happened to notice a few things (I am not making this up) that bear mentioning:

1) a man riding a unicycle
2) a partial marching band, in uniform
3) the entrails of a small animal - including possibly an intestine of some sort

Mind you, these are not the sorts of things that one might find on a postcard, but it does make one sit up and take notice. And it gives you something to talk about, besides chafing, during a 4-hour running expedition.

Becoming a morning person?

Anyone who knows me is pretty much aware that me and morning do not normally co-exist in a peaceful state. So it is with much surprise and awe that I'm writing this: I think I'm liking running in the morning. That's not a typo. I mean morning, as in the a.m., i.e. before noon. I've come upon this decision reluctantly. I think this has happened for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm so sleep deprived that I'm not quite sure what I think anymore, and 2) this damn running in the dark really sucks. A lot.

This was the first week Runner Wendy and I tried running our semi-long run in the morning. Our bosses were so cool as to let us tweak our work schedules one day a week and come in later in order to accommodate getting in a run in during daylight hours. (Shout-outs to Janet and Pam. You guys rock!) Though I had to get up at 5:45 for our morning run, it was a morale booster to see it getting lighter as we ran. It's amazing what a positive effect that had on our run!

We had 8 miles to do this week. Side note: it's really cool to be able to say "Yeah, I got an 8 mile run in before work today. How was your morning?" But I digress. We started out at our normal long run pace of about 11:35/mile. We had 2 hydration stops scheduled where we filled up on water, sports drink and Shot Blocks. Runner Wendy's husband Dan joined us for our last 3 miles. Dan is quite a bit faster than Runner Wendy and I, but he wanted to run with us for a while so he switched from tortoise to hare for the end of his run.

Not long after Dan joined us, I started to notice that we were running faster. A quick check of Wendy's GPS-watch-computer-thingy confirmed that we had picked up the pace about 15 seconds for mile 6. We all felt pretty good so we went with it. We picked up steam as we went. It felt like the farther we went, the faster we were going. Somewhere after mile 7, I notice Wendy checking her GPS-watch-computer-thingy again. Before she could say anything about our quickened pace, I said, "I don't want to know. I want to be surprised." We finished strong. When we finished Wendy announced that our last mile was run in 10:07 - a full minute and a half faster than our average pace! On mile 8. Let me emphasize that the 8th mile is not usually easier than the first 7. This was quite an achievement for us.

The turbo-boost run made my whole morning. Later, one of my co-workers asked me how my run went and when I said "Awesome!" he laughed. Not a quick chuckle mind you, but a full-on, let-me-catch-my-breath laugh. Apparently, knowing my aversion to mornings he didn't think my response jived with the question.

Praise for a wet run

I was really dreading my run last night. It was cold and it had been raining all day. The carrot at the end of my stick was that after I finished my run, I was meeting up with friends to go see a movie. That's what got me through the entire soggy day anticipating a miserable run. "Run for the movie" became my motto.

I took 2 hours of vacation time to get the run in with enough time to shower and change before meeting my friends for a pre-show dinner. So I headed to the trail at 3:15 in my running tights, long-sleeved shirt and wind breaker. It was not actually raining when I started my 4 miles but it soon started - first a mist, then a light rain and then windy, sideways rain.

But a funny thing happened. I was actually enjoying my run. The rain pelted my face, my clothes grew soggy and the wind whipped around me with a November fury but it didn't seem to phase me. I lifted my knees higher, pumped my arms faster and enjoyed the rhythm I was in. I knew in that momen,t as water was streaming down my face, that I was doing something important. I was working toward a goal that few people ever reach. I was proving to myself what I could do. There was something special about me. And that's something I don't remember very often.

The next time my legs are sore, my run too long or my desire to run nonexistent, I hope I remember that run and what it represents.

The first 10 miles were great

This weekend was my 15 miler. The weather was perfect - sunny and warm, but not too warm. I have been nervous before every long run so far and this was no exception. Looking back at my first "long" run of 6 miles, that seems laughable. At this point my middle of the week run is now up to 8 miles.

So this week, I loaded my fuel belt with 2 ibuprofen and a package of Shot Blocks (strawberry this week) and headed to meet Runner Wendy. As is our normal routine, we chatted through the miles about our weeks, our plans for Disney World and what we hoped to do with the rest of our weekends. The first 10 miles flew by. Then reality set in. We started to get hot and thirsty after mile 10. And that's where we made our tactical error.

We had increased our distance 2 miles and we knew that the city water fountains were turned off last week. What we didn't consider was that we should have added an additional water stop. We had water stops at miles 3, 5 and 9 but nothing for the last 6 miles. I remembered that the train station had a water fountain but it was almost at the end of our route. By mile 12 we knew that we were in trouble. We were thirsty and there was no water at any time soon. I felt like a wilted plant. Runner Wendy and I were weaving across the trail and occasionally bumping into each other. All we could think about for 2 1/2 miles was water. We kept repeating to each other "Just a little farther until water." The train station never looked so good as when we spotted it in the distance that morning.

We finished our run without losing consciousness. During our post-run stretching, discussion turned to what was next for us. We couldn't decide whether we wanted to eat first, shower first or rest first. I opted for food. I stopped on the way home and got a drink and 2 doughnuts - and yes, I ate them both.

That night I slept for 11 hours. Ah, the glamorous life of the athlete...

TGI...M?

One of my marathon books refers to this point in the training as the "emotional plateau" and boy am I feeling it. I feel like I've come so far but then I look ahead and see I have soooooo far yet to go. I'm tired, various parts of my body hurt at all times, my social life is all but non-existent. I have to take 2 hours of vacation time Monday in order to get a run in before I join friends for a movie. But the thing I think bothers me the most is my loss of love for the weekend.

Now that my mileage is getting pretty high, the long runs are getting, well, long. And that has started to make me dread Saturday mornings. This new Saturday morning dread has happened for a number of reasons.
1) I have to get up early. Saturday mornings used to be for sleeping in and maybe a leisurely breakfast with friends at a cafe. Now it's getting up early and eating Cliff Shot Blocks with Runner Wendy at hydration stops.
2) My run takes up half the day. By the time I meet up with Wendy, run double-digit miles, go home and shower, half the day is over. The requisite nap afterward takes another chunk out of my day.
3) I can't go away for the weekend. I normally am out of town approximately 2 weekends a month but now I have standing running appointments every Saturday with Runner Wendy. At this level of mileage it's hard to run the long runs on your own so having someone your relative pace to run with is extremely valuable and you want to avoid missing out on your shared runs.

So here it is Friday night just after 7:00 and I'm getting ready to enjoy some dinner and head to bed before 10:00 in preparation for my 15 mile run in the morning. I'm too young and too much fun to go on like this much longer!

Oh and to add insult to injury, while I'm running 3 back-to-back 5 milers (as I choose to think of it) my parents will be on their way to Honolulu. Sigh...

Shocking me into reality

My friend Bridget sent me an email today letting me know that exactly 2 months from today I run the marathon. That means that, according to our Excel spreadsheet, at this point 2 months from now, I'll be in Florida taking a well-deserved vacation day at the Magic Kingdom. Yes - we have Excel spreadsheets for this kind of thing: one for which parks we hit which days, one for which parks offer Extra Magic Hours on which days, one for which restaurants we are eating at on which days, etc. In case it wasn't obvious, Bridget is an accountant.

Can you see me now?

I've been in the dark for a week now - running that is. (I've been in the dark about other things for a lot longer than that.) It still sucks but I'm adapting. In order to make the best of a dark situation I decided to do what I do best: go shopping. So Friday after work, I headed to the local running store to stock up on "serious runner" accessories. There I picked up a reflective band that goes around your arm or leg (in hot pink!) and a couple packages of Cliff Shot Blocks. Side note: for those unfamiliar with running cuisine, Shot Blocks are dense gelatinous blocks of nutrients that someone somewhere thought would be good for athletes. I sampled Cran Razz on Saturday and it was a much better experience than my Gu-induced vomiting back in '02. But back to all things reflective.

After my stop at the running store, I headed to Dick's Sporting Goods. Upon my inquiry about a running vest, I was directed to the reflective accessories section. Who knew they had a reflective accessories section? It was vast. There were reflective vests, blinking lights, arm bands, and even slap bracelets. It would have taken me long enough to decide what to purchase on my own but the Dick's employee and apparently my new best friend, kept asking me questions about running a marathon. Thankfully another customer had a question for Dick's guy and I was able to quickly select my fashionable vest and disappear to the cashier. Seriously though, check out the selection of reflective items! Monday night I was ready to put my chic new vest to the test. I mapped out a 4 mile route, slipped on the vest and headed out. It must have worked because nobody ran over me. I decided to skip the head lamp as the vest made me feel enough like a big, reflective dork already. However, due to popular demand, I did model the illuminated look for a quick photo.

Marathon Training by the Numbers

After tomorrow's run, I will be halfway through my marathon training. So I figured it was a good time to take stock of where I've been and where I'm going. What better way to put things into perspective than with the black and white language of numbers? Normally, numbers and I don't mix but this seemed harmless enough so here goes!

168...................miles run so far
9.......................weeks of training left
284..................miles left to run
4......................settings on my head lamp
125..................dollars I spent on the marathon registration fee
3.......................ice packs in my freezer
72.....................training runs on my schedule
15,000............runners in the Disney Marathon
7.......................people in the Raegan/Wendy entourage traveling to Florida with us
13....................hours of sleep lost to early morning weekend runs
20....................miles in my longest training run
61....................days until the marathon
1400...............calories burned on my last long run

I'll take a moment to savor the fact that I've reached the halfway mark in my training before my thoughts turn to the realization that this fact means I have halfway yet to go. So I will get up early in the morning and I will pack my sports drink before heading out the door in my spandex. I will do all these things with the knowledge that I have 284 more miles to go but that there are a lot of people cheering me on along the way.

Got a light?

Marathoners suffer a variety of indignities. There's the chafing scars, the losing of the toenails and the sports-bra induced uni-boob. And now I can add another to the list: the head lamp. See my mother is not particularly thrilled with me running alone in the dark so when we were shopping at Eddie Bauer several weeks ago and she saw this lighted contraption she decided that was exactly what I needed. This fashionable device is comprised of an elastic band attached to a 2 inch LED light. The light, I soon discovered, has 4 settings 1) bright white LED lights, 2) brighter white LED lights, 3) red LED lights, and 4) blinking red LED lights. The last setting makes it appear as if I'm trying to land a 747. (Side note: the item was advertised as a "climbing light." I'm not sure who rock climbs in the dark but apparently Eddie Bauer customers can be a thrill-seeking bunch.)

So tonight I wore my head lamp for the first time. Early in my run I passed by a couple on their evening stroll. As it wasn't quite dark-dark yet, I could see the expressions on their faces. The woman's eyes immediately darted to my forehead where a bright beam of light was protruding like the horn of an enchanted unicorn. At this point, my inner monologue went something like this: "Hi. How are you this evening? This? Oh, well this is the latest in cranial illumination technology. You can get one too. All it will cost you is $20 and your dignity."

It turns out that lots of people are concerned with my running in the dark. Friends have suggested affixing reflective tape to my shirt and wearing a reflective vest. Of course, mom contributed the infamous head lamp. A coworker even wished aloud for a big, strong man to run with me. I pointed out that if he was big and strong, he probably wasn't very fast. She conceded my point.

I made it safely home after my innagural lighted run. I don't know how many runs will find me wearing the head lamp but if you happen to see a small light bobbing up and down along the side of the road while you're driving please slow down!

Who turned the lights out?

I did my first dark run tonight due to the time change. And you know what, it sucked! I thought I'd be in good shape because I had a full moon but sometime after I started running and before I finished, the entire enormous moon went behind the clouds all spooky like. I was just hoping that the good people of my city were vigilant about sidewalk safety.

I ran to Bloomington Gail's house tonight. Thankfully she lives just off a street that's lit up like an airport runway. But the cool thing happened as I was running towards her house. It turns out I arrived just as she was chatting with a neighbor on her driveway so the last block or so I had 2 ladies cheering me in. Not a bad way to end a run that started out with me thinking, "Nah, I don't need the blinking light tonight."

Becoming a Carnivore

This week was one of milestones. I reached the half-marathon distance in my training runs, I've run out of weeknight daylight hours and I'm pretty sure it's time to switch from capris to full length running tights. Also, I skipped my first run this week. I'm not proud of missing those 3 miles but it was raining AGAIN and I swear I was starting to look like a raisin.

A challenge arose this week too. I tend to have back problems and Thursday morning was greeted with another one. These "episodes" tend to come out of nowhere and this week was no exception. The good news was I had two consecutive rest days on the schedule but the bad news was I needed to be in decent enough shape to run 13 mile by Saturday morning. The next two days included a fair amount of muscle relaxers, pain pills and anti-inflammatories. My friend Jennie (part of the Team Raegan cheering section at Disney) came over Thursday night in the midst of my self-medicating. I heard from her on Friday about my amusing conversation skills the night before. I vaguely remember her being there.

So Saturday morning before I left for my run, I fixed myself a breakfast consisting of a breakfast bar, a glucosomine pill, 2 ibuprofen and a prescription anti-inflammatory - the breakfast of champions. Or at least the breakfast of champions with debilitating back pain. The distance itself wasn't too bad. During the last 4 miles my back gave me problems but I made it. I then went home and spent some quality time with my heating pad.

Another odd thing I noticed this week has been my change in appetite. I generally avoid red meat but since I started logging some serious weekly mileage I found myself craving cheeseburgers (the good kind - McDonald's is still a forbidden zone for me). Before my training, I might have a burger once or twice a month. This week alone I had 2.

The week ahead includes adjusting to daylight savings time and dark runs. It's also the halfway point of my training schedule. At this point I just have to increase my mileage 4 more times - to 15, 16, 18 and 20 miles over the next 9 weeks. Just think how many cheeseburgers are in my future!

Citius, Altius, Fortius

The Olympic motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius. This is Latin for Faster, Higher, Stronger. Apparently the ancient Romans needed pep talks too. I bring this up because that is the phrase that was going through my head as I was running tonight. For the first time in weeks, it actually wasn't raining and the vision of the cheeseburger waiting for me at the Lido Lounge motivated me through what is now considered a short 3-mile run. I was fast. I was strong. I wasn't high, but that's something to consider for my 20-mile run in December.

As I took off over the streets through my neighborhood the only things that slowed me were sidewalk mud puddles (Yes we have those now. I noticed one the other day when I was building my Ark.) and one annoyingly long stoplight. Side note: the stoplight was so long that some woman in a minivan that I'm fairly certain I don't know inadvertently made eye contact with me and felt the need to wave. I waved back in a friendly manner. After all a minivan versus pedestrian situation would not go well for me. But I digress.

I finished my run feeling good and ready to chow. I was runnning late to meet my friend so I just had time to step into the house, wipe my face with a towel and take a few gulps of sports drink before I jumped in my car to go meet my friend. Now I'm not one of those women that can simply throw on a baseball cap after a workout and look cute and work-outy. My friend Jenny is like that. Sometimes I hate Jenny. I, on the other hand, am definitely NOT cute after a workout. This fact, however, did not stop me from heading to the Lounge.

And yes, I enjoyed my cheeseburger in all my spandex lovlieness. Citius, Altius, Cheeseburgerus!

My Mom, My Sherpa

Most people think that my dad is my biggest supporter during my marathon training. After all, he's a runner too and has been a coach for almost 40 years. But actually it's been my mom who's been there more than anyone else. Over the last 8 weeks, whenever I've been visiting my parents, it has been my mom that has been my coach, my ride, my photographer and my sherpa carrying sports drink, towels and discarded layers of running apparel. (Fun fact - sherpas are the local people that escort climbers who attempt crazy things like climb Mt. Everst. They carry the packs, set up tents at base camps and generally help the lunatic climber try not to kill him or herself.)

But back to my personal sherpa. Mom has often woken early with me - sometimes before dawn - and taken me to a drop-off point to watch her first born take off into sweltering humidity, fog or rain hoping that the next time she saw me I'd be a) upright, b) breathing normally and c) preferably smiling, if that wasn't not too much to ask. She's met me at various mile markers with sports drink. She's learned to use my "fancy" camera to document my training. She's sat in her car for hours with a book waiting to pick me up at the finish and then take me to breakfast afterward. This last weekend, she even drove to meet me after miles 4, 5, 6 and 7 because it was raining and offered to pick me up because it was raining.

This week's long run was stepped back to 7 miles but I accidentally did 8 instead. Since it was raining I changed my pre-arranged route which went back on a bike trail after mile 4. I didn't want to get stuck back on the trail that was inaccessible by car should a downpour open up. So I ran to the park and did 3 short loops in the park instead. Turns out, each loop was 1.3 miles and not 1 mile. That .3 adds up fast. Each loop also included this lovely hill.


It all turned out ok though. I felt soggy, but good. And when I got done, my sherpa was there to pick me up and take me for a bagel and some cheesy hashbrowns.

That's Life in the Midwest

My running outfit Saturday morning: capri running tights, long-sleeved moisture wicking t-shirt, jacket, running gloves.

My running outfit Tuesday: shorts and a tank top.

This is why people hate the Midwest.

Another reason to hate early morning runs

For some odd reason I agreed to meet Runner Wendy at the inhuman hour of 7:30 Saturday morning. I think I agreed to this on the precipice that I'd be done that much earlier and free to go about my weekend. While running early is a good idea in say, August, when the average temperature in the Midwestern United States is approximately 112, running early when the high that day is 50 is a less than wise choice.

Needless to say, I was cold. I started out the run with my capri tights, long-sleeved shirt and running gloves. Given that one is supposed to dress for weather approximately 20 degrees warmer than it is, I thought I was good. I ran the first 5 miles and once we circled back to the cars, I put on my jacket and left it on for the remaining 8 miles.

The run itself went fairly well. We breezed through the first 5 miles before stopping for some sports drink. I nibbled on a few bites of PowerBar and Runner Wendy opened her Shot Blocks. We then ran another 3 miles before another drink stop and mapped out the remaining 4 miles, which unfortunately we did incorrectly. Once we circled another loop, we realized that we were a mile short so we had to use Runner Wendy's GPS watch to figure out where to turn around. For the last mile the thoughts that ran through my head were these:
"Only one more mile. Jeeze it's still cold. When can I eat some breakfast? How much further? How can I be sweating when it's stinkin' cold outside? We've only gone 4/10 of a mile. Those runners were smart to start running at 9:45 instead of 7:30. Seriously, how much further?"

The last mile did finally get finished and I did finally treat myself to some breakfast. Oh - and I learned something else on this run. I am not fond of Margarita flavored Shot Blocks. But really - who could be?

7:30 comes pretty early

I'm really nervous for my run tomorrow. I have to do 12 miles. Given that I've had somewhat of a sluggish week and that this run is 2 miles longer than last weekend, I'm experiencing some anxiety about doing well when I meet up with Runner Wendy at 7:30 tomorrow morning. Not to mention, she's a morning person.

There could be blood shed.

I really must be going (to sleep) now

I'm tired. Really tired. I'm constantly thinking about how long until I can go to sleep. I think about sleep while I'm at work. I think about sleep while I'm running. I think I even dreamed about sleeping one night. I remember from my last marathon the sore legs, the sweat and the massive amounts of sports drinks but I don't remember being so darn tired all the time. Of course, I was 7 years younger but that's only 1 dog year so that can't have much of an effect, can it?

Several people have postulated that the change in weather is partly to blame. I hope that's the case because this sleepiness is having an adverse effect on my social life. I barely made it through cheeseburgers with my friends last night. Last weekend I was invited to what sounded like a really cool party. I couldn't go, but it's probably for the best because I was in bed by 9:30 that night.

Needless to say, my runs have been somewhat sluggish this week. I'm holding out hope that I'll regain my mojo next week and my social life will be restored.

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

Memo to myself: a cheeseburger and fried cheese balls do not make the optimal pre-run meal.

Finishing 10 with a Grin

I've hit double digits! This weekend's run was a 10-miler. Not only did I finish it, but I managed to finish with a smile.

This week included some really weird weather. It started out fairly nice and ending up fairly...freezing. I was in Decatur over the weekend for my some family events so I decided to take advantage of the lake there for some picturesque scenery during my run. It was a good idea. Too bad Mother Nature had other ideas. A cold front had moved in Friday night and when I woke up early Saturday morning, the fog was so thick that I couldn't even see the lake until after mile 5.

A super-huge shout out goes to my mom this week. She woke up with me before the sun came up and drove me to a drop-off point. She then drove to a point several miles away to take my jacket and take photos. AND... she was there at mile 8 with sports drink before she picked me up at the end and took me for breakfast afterward. Another shout-out goes to my friend Gail (Gail #2). Decatur Gail allowed me to stop by early Saturday morning for some water and to warm up in her nice warm house.

After leaving Gail's house, the fog started to evaporate and I had a beautiful 5 miles to run. The view was a lot more attractive than I was at that point but that wasn't much of a surprise. For a couple miles I was wishing I had my jacket on again but I soon enough the sun warmed me.

Now that I had finished my 10 miles, the hard part of my day was about to begin. I was off to a 3-year-old's birthday party. Now THAT I barely got through alive. (Brag point - my Mickey Mouse Clubhouse viewfinder was a favorite gift of said 3-year-old.)

That night I went to bed at 9:30 and slept for the next 11 hours.

Just in time for appetizers

What is it with rain on Thursday nights? This is the 2nd Thursday in a row that it has rained, but it is the 2nd Thursday in a row that I've braved the rain. I give myself dedication points for that.

Tonight I only had 3 miles to do. I had arranged with my friend Gail to run to her house and get a lift back to my car. Around noon she called and asked if I was still planning on running in this weather. Unfortunately I said yes. She mentioned that she was having a few people over for some Wii and dinner but I was still welcome to run over. Literally.

Since the rain had lightened up a bit as I was leaving work, I figured I'd try to get the run done quickly in hopes that I could beat the heavy rain and avoid the need for an Ark. I hammered the first 2 miles (uh, the term hammered is relative) and covered them in 10:00 and 10:20 respectively. Not too shabby for me considering the rolling hills along the way. I let up slightly for the 3rd mile in anticipation of Saturday's 10-miler.

I arrived at my friend's house just as she and her guests were munching on some appetizers. So after I was handed a towel and glass of water, I was offered some yummy goodies too. Gail even sent me home with some cheese, crackers and nuts.

Too bad all my runs don't end with a doggy bag.
31:33

The Stranger Thumbs Up

Days like this I love my run. The weather was perfect - sunny and slightly cool. I felt good - 5 miles seemed more like 2. And everyone around me seemed to be cheering me on.

I often bring my running clothes to work so I can head out straight for my run and not lose momentum by having to go home first. Which means several times I week, I walk from my office to my car in all of my spandex loveliness. But today, instead of the odd looks that I normally get, I heard people say things like "She's going to work out, Have a good run, How far are you going today?" So tonight with the waves, smiles and encouraging comments from my co-workers I was ready to start my 5 miles with a bit of a spring in my step.

Out on the trail, I was running along occasionally smiling at my fellow runners. As I was running through uptown Normal, a stranger I passed fashioned his face into his best "you go girl" expression, gave me a toothy grin and an enthusiastic thumbs up. It put me in such a good mood that I actually found myself grinning as I was running. I don't know if that's ever happened before. I paid it forward a couple miles later when I encountered a group of Team in Training ladies on their run.

On an unrelated note, my training has now officially reached the point where the word "only" precedes the phrase "5 miles to run tonight". That's progress I suppose.
57:04

This is why I have so many pairs of socks & underwear

I ran 9 miles today! It took me the better part of the morning but I finished the miles and I finished them feeling good. Let's take a moment and savor that accomplishment. Ahhh...nice. The run today was 2 miles further than any previous training run and 4 miles longer than last weekend. It's my longest run until...next weekend. I'll deal with that when it gets here. For now, I'm still in accomplishment savoring mode.

Due to some scheduling issues, this 9-miler was run sans Runner Wendy, my training partner. It was just me and my iPod. I was nervous about my solo trek so I arranged for a pit stop house at the home of my friend Gail. Given the anxiety-producing mid-run sickness situation I experienced on Thursday's run, I mapped out a course that stopped by Gail's house twice in case the dire need for a restroom arose again. No emergency this time, but I did discover that the stretch of Hershey Road between Ireland Grove and Washington has a surprising number of rolling hills. The photo shows my pleasure at having finished 9 miles.

After my run I drove home, presumably to rest. Then reality set in that I had chores to do. The grass in front of my house was getting so tall that soon small animals would start getting lost in it. So while I was still sweating and before my legs realized what I'd just done to them, I got out the mower and attacked my lawn. Then as I was preparing for a shower I realized that despite doing laundry just 2 weeks ago, I was in need of emptying my hamper. As you can tell, I'm not so good at doing the laundry. That's why I have so many pairs of socks and underwear. But let me tell you, training for a marathon causing laundry to pile up really fast.

So now the laundry is started, the lawn is mowed and I'm about ready to lie down for a well- earned rest. Anybody want to bring me some dinner??

No Time for Sick Days

The cool weather this week has definitely helped my running performance. A couple of swift runs along Lake Monona in Madison were aided by the cool morning air. This is the good news. The bad news is that I found myself afflicted with a cold to go along with the change in weather. Luckily, Wednesday was a planned day off so I took the opportunity to enjoy a rest day. By Thursday I was ready to hit the pavement again, or so I thought.

I had forgotten about a reception I had to attend after work on Thursday so at the last minute, I had to delay my run for about a hour. When I finally laced up my shoes, it was windy, almost dark and raining. The training schedule said 4 miles so I headed out for a there and back loop. That's when things started to go downhill.

Right as I reached the 2 mile mark, I started to feel sick. At this point all I could do was continue with my run as I was at the turn-around. Sometimes if you just keep going, the feeling will go away and that was what I was hoping for. Unfortunately that's not what happened. I will spare you the details of my sickness, but let's just say it wasn't pleasant. I remembered there was a gas station a block or so off my route so I headed there desperately hoping to make it in time. I did - sort of. After cleaning myself up in the bathroom, I headed out for my remaining 2 miles. Amazingly, I felt great on my way back.

There may be no time for sick days during marathon training but if you're willing to not give up, you can really see what you're made of. And possibly see what you had for lunch.

Running on an Isthmus is Tricky

Week 4 started out with a novel twist. Due to the fact that I was traveling for business, I had the opportunity to enjoy some new scenery during my training. I had heard that Madison was a beautiful place but the reputation of its intolerable winter weather had prevented me from visiting until now. What I discovered was that Madison, Wisconsin is a running wonderland (at least for a couple months of the year). The lakes are encircled by biking AND running lanes. The elevators there even accommodate bikes. How cool is that? But back to running. I loved my cool morning run around Lake Monona so much that I got up at 5:45 to do again the next morning. There's nothing like doing some post race stretching on a dock that is lightly bobbing in the water.

Not that there wasn't a challenge or two to running while I was in Madison. First, there was the un-Godly hour at which I had to run in order to get to the conference in time for the first workshop. It was dark when I started. Yeah - that kinda sucked. Secondly, Madison has a certain unusual geographical feature that caused a small challenge during my time up north.

Geography lesson time. Madison, Wisconsin is an isthmus. According to Merriam-Webster, an isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas. While this makes for beautiful views, it also tends to exaggerate any sort of wind situation. Madison was experiencing a pretty serious wind situation during my trip. Running upright for any distance is an accomplishment in that sort of situation. So yay me.

The pleasant surprises didn't end there. When I got home from my trip, I found a hand-addressed note in my mailbox. It turned out to be a "You Go Girl" note from my friend Erin. She had sent the coolest encouragement note to keep me motivated furing my training. As training weeks go, this one is definitely turning out to be a good one!

Now You're Just Trying to Embarass Me

What a weird running week so far. It started off hot, humid and miserable and ended cool, rainy and...fast? Yeah, I was shocked too.

On Tuesday, after a couple of weeks having scheduling conflicts, my running partner Wendy and I finally got a chance to run together again. I was feeling optimistic that my 3 miles after a rest day would be a fairly simple workout to check off my training schedule. I was coming off a pretty awesome 7 mile run from the weekend before and I was ready. It didn't quite work out that way. Wendy's legs, after a week of vacation and limited running, were fresh. Mine weren't. Actually they felt like I had anvils strapped to my ankles. It was hot. I was tired and grumpy. To add insult to injury, Wendy's husband Dan showed up to run with us that day and so I had 2 witnesses to my butt-dragging, sweat-inducing, complaint-spewing run.

It's no surprise that after Tuesday, I was not looking forward to my next run. But to my utter shock, when I took to the trail the next day I felt great. My legs were pumping and my breathing was good. I didn't even feel like I needed the water stop I had pre-arranged. The next day's run was a repeat performance. I had energy. I had confidence. And could it be that I was enjoying my training? (Side note: shout-out to Kay who supplied me with some ice cold water this week. Thanks Kay-Kay!)

I'm not sure what caused the difference between Tuesday's and Thursday's runs but I have 2 theories. 1) It's my legs' way of getting revenge on me for torturing them - by embarrassing me when I run with others, or 2) all the extra protein I've taken in the last 2 weeks by ingesting swarms of soybean aphids gave me an energy surge. Who needs Gu?

And now for a happy note to end on for the day. A lovely thought entered my head on one of my pleasant runs this week. My last long run was 7 miles. That means I am already capable of running over a 1/4 of the distance of the marathon.

Tomorrow I "step back" to a long run distance of 5 miles. Normally, that would give me an feeling of confidence, but I'll be running with Wendy again. Who knows what my legs will have in store for me?

Memo to My Legs

Dear Legs,

I gave you a day off. What's the deal? Seriously. We have a long way to go together. Work with me here!

-Raegan

Week 2: Tired Legs and Airborne Pests

Week 2 is finished! The story of the week was my tired legs. I made the mistake of running the day after my long run when it should have been a rest day. Three miles never felt so long. That also happened to be the day I discovered the lovely Soybean Aphid. For anyone living in Central Illinois in the under position of a rock, these creatures are the annoying little gnat-like disturbances that seemed to appear overnight and attack anyone who dared venture outside. After Monday's run, my shirt was covered with them. Ewwww!

On my second run of the week, I ventured to the oasis of my friend Pam. She was waiting to offer me cold water. When I arrive at her doorstep stooped over and a good deal later than I should have for a mile and half, I was greeted with the fact that she measured the distance wrong and that I had actually run more like 2 miles. The upside was that she had trailmix and ice water for me and drove me the excess distance back to my car. Pam rocks!

My Friday run was uneventful, though I did have to re-route myself in the middle of the run to avoid excess amounts of aphids.

Sunday's run was great. It was a cool morning. I had planned to run in the Shoreline Classic in Decatur. The distances of the races were 5K (3.1 miles), which was 4 miles too short for my schedule and 15K (9.3 miles) which was 2 miles too long. I think you can guess which race I ran. I had my mom drop me off at the side of the road and ran 2 miles to the park, jumped in and ran the 5K and then ran 2 miles afterwards. The cool part was I ran the 5K portion of my 7 miles at a faster pace than I had run any races this summer.

So week two ended with an awesome run and me icing my left shin. Stupid shin splints! Only 16 more weeks to go.