Still Smiling At The End! My headband has the names of the people who I was running in memory/tribute to. 

Another smiling Fan! 

My Fans! 

Comin' Down the final stretch (me in purple) 

3 Miles To Go! 

What a great race I had! I can't believe it's over! My goal was 2 hours, 30 minutes and I ran it in under that...my stopwatch was acting funny, so I don't know my exact time. Teddy's picture of me at the finish shows 2 hours, 32 minutes and that was with stopping to pee (probably 2 minutes), walking through 2 water stations at one hour and two hour to wash down my gels (probably 1 minute total) and stopping to stretch (probably another 2 minutes). So, I am saying 2 hours 27 minutes. I felt SO great throughout the race (despite a leg cramp that wasn't too terribly bad but went away with stretching) until mile 11...Consequently, 11 miles is the most I'd ever run until today, so I personally think that had something to do with it. The last 2 miles felt like the longest 2 miles of my life. It didn't help that the gel I took at mile 10 stayed in my throat and wouldn't wash down. Also the emotion of finishing made me weepy which in turn made me start to hypervenilate a bit! One of my coaches caught me at mile 13 and ran in with me, which helped so much. So did the sweet 3 little (and one big) faces waiting for me at the finish.
All I kept thinking about during the race was what I wanted to eat afterwards. The Original Pancake House totally hit the spot! YUM! :)
So post-race thoughts....I am really proud of myself. I'm really happy that I'm not doing a full marathon. I am tired. I want pizza, beer & ice cream.

A special thanks to Lisa Martinelli who kept me motivated throughout the race (and gave me a ride there this a.m.!)

Thank you again to everyone who supported me through this, both emotionally and financially and both.

I'm going to stick to 1/2s for now. Some day I will complete a full, but I am just fine with another 1/2 or so before that happens! Ikea 1/2 Marathon, here I come! :)

Okay, the nerves are kicking in. You'd think that I actually had a chance at winning this thing as nervous as I am and it's only Monday.
My run on Saturday was okay. I ran at North Park, where the race is and I made a point to check out "the hill" that is part of the race, at mile 2. Well, needless to say, the hill kicked my ass. I didn't stop, and I didn't really slow down either, but I could tell that it took a toll on my stamina. Bummer. But, I'm also not so sure that I ate enough that morning, so I'm not too bummed.
I am happy that the hill is early in the race though, so it's just 2 laps around the lake after the hill. No sweat.
I'm not even concerned about being able to finish, I'm just nervous thinking about actually racing the race which seemed so very far away and is now only 5 days away!

What a great run I had last night. I feel great about it since Sunday was such a bummer workout. I felt like crap most of the day yesterday and had a 2 hour nap which didn't help me feel any better. But, during and after my run I felt great. I ran a true 11 minute mile, running 7 miles in 77 minutes. Thank God for porta potties...I don't know what's up with my bowels and running lately.
Only 10 days until the race. I'm really not all that nervous except that the route around North Park is somewhat deceiving in that when you are only 1/2 way around, it seems like you are closer because you can see the boathouse. I'm going to run there this weekend and mark it out so that I'll at least be mentally prepared for how much further I'll have to go at certain points. For me, it's all about how much further I have to go...Huh, I'm going to have to chew on that more philosophically I think...

Ran 4 in the snow on Friday at the HS track. I was apparently flying because I averaged a 10.8 mile.
Today I ran 10 miles, actually a little over 10 at a 10.6 minute mile. An inconvinent attack of the lower intestine precluded me from running continuously however. That was a major bummer. Anyway, today's run had me running a rather steep hill 3 times and it is really taking it's toll on my BUM! I am SO SORE! Really tired too. I guess today was one of those days that it just didn't feel good-before, during and not so much after.
Still psyched for the race...13 days and counting!

Ran last night-6 miles at the HS track. Track season has started, so the track and steps down to it were nice and clear. I still haven't decided if I prefer to run around the school or on the track. Four times around on the track just seems to take forever, when only twice around the school is the same. In any case, I figured my knees could use a break and I ran on the track. 68 minutes for an 11.30min average mile. I felt great after 5 miles. I can't believe it takes me that long now to feel in a groove and like I'm not dying.
I'm really bummed that I missed a day this week due to weather. I don't mind the cold, but the wind (especially when it's 27miles an hour) is just miserable. Last night wasn't bad at all at a balmy 27 degrees. Tonight looks like it will be about the same.
I've issued a challenge to my Type A personality running partner of 12 miles on Sunday instead of the 10 that I'm scheduled to run. I must be insane.
I'm so excited to learn that some of you are actually reading this! :) Thank you for your warm thoughts when I'm out there in the sub zero weather. Next time I'm training in the summer for Pete's Sake!
Happy Friday!

Long time, no post. No, I haven't been slacking...in fact, just the opposite.
Last Tuesday's run was a bust with the weather. I went to go running, but the roads were really bad, as was the HS parking lot, so I came home on the even worse roads and was happy that I did.
Thursday night I ran 5 miles which felt great (I'm still really loving my shoes) and was uneventful except for a pair of geese that almost gave me a heart attack (I didn't see them, and they apparently didn't see me either!)
Friday was an uneventful, and may I say an easy 4 miles.
I was supposed to run 9 miles yesterday, Sunday. I say that I was supposed to run 9 because I did run nine. Not only did I run 9 miles (the most I've ever run in my life), I went out and ran an additional TWO miles!!! :) One of the ladies on my team had run 12 the weekend before and was feeling like a slacker for only having run 9. So, she asked me to run 2 more with her. I said that I was not in touch with her feeling like a slacker at all, as I had just run more than I had ever run before. She admitted to being a Type A personality, and I admitted to being someone who has trouble saying no, and we agreed that we were good running partners in that regard, so off we went! My total time for 11 miles was one hour, 58 minutes. An 11.12 average mile!
I felt terrible after 2.5miles. I felt bad after 5 miles. I felt GREAT after 9 total miles and I felt good after 11 total miles.
I was so psyched. I AM so psyched! Another 2 on that and that's a 1/2 marathon! So, maybe I'm feeling cocky, or maybe I'm still high from my run, but I now totally know that I could do a full marathon.
The one thing that I did differently on Sunday, that I had not previously done, was stop for water. I stopped at 5 miles and at 9 miles. At 5, I had a Gu and some Gatorade. At 9 miles I had some gatorade. Now, I maybe stopped for 2 minutes, if even that. It made SUCH a difference. The coaches were telling me about this run/walk philosophy of marathon training. Where, they have found that marathoners who walk one minute for every 8 minutes they run, have actually improved their finishing times, even with walking. I told my mentor that it seemed like cheating to me. But, she pointed out that during the race, I will be handed a water and since that can not be simulated during training, that I really do need to stop and rehydrate, especially on the long runs. It made such a difference for me, it was incredible. So, on my long runs I plan to implement this new technique. It really made a big impact on my endurance.
13.1 seems easy to me now! How crazy is that!? :)

Holy Crap what a difference the right (as in correct) shoes make! Wow...Not only did I run pain free today and I ran the longest I've ran in my life today but I did it in the best time I've ever run today...A 10.38 minute mile average!!!!!!! Unbelievable!!!! It made such a difference running with my new shoes and such a difference running with someone else (thanks Eric and Lee Anne!). Wow. The new shoes are just amazing and I'm so happy. I was totally intimidated by the 8 miles and I did bonk pretty hard at 7 miles, but I could see the finish and that's all I needed. It took me until 3.5 miles to feel warmed up (the fact that it was 8 degrees this morning, didn't help). So, yeah for me. I'm so excited. I feel like I could do anything now...including 13.1!:)