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.