A Week Ago

Geesh, hard to believe that a week ago today I was running through Philly, freezing my butt off. Too bad it's not that cold out today considering we just had to move all the food from our refrigerator to a cooler and put it out on the deck. Grrrr. Stupid apartment refrigerator busted at some point through the night. Thankfully, we didn't buy many groceries this week because we're heading to Michigan on Thursday. But still, makes me even more anxious to get out of here and into our new house. We went to Lowe's yesterday to do the mock kitchen design and it went really well. Well meaning Andy and I didn't bicker at all!! That might have been partially due to me being sick and not having the energy to be bossy. :-) So, yea, I'm still fighting this cold. I managed to go for a run yesterday and did an easy 5 miles. That was my first real run since the marathon and I have to say, it was harder than I expected. My legs are definitely not fully recovered. Had some pains down the sides of my legs that almost forced me to walk a bit. But I survived. Can't believe the long weekend is almost over...ugh.

Oh, and after we put the perishable items into the cooler I could see Andy was deep in thought. Then he said, "If we can fit all our stuff in that cooler, why do we even need a refrigerator in the new house? Why don't we just get some coolers?" This might have something to do with the refrigerator I want being $3500 but still, hands off ladies, he's all mine!

Recovered

I think I'm fully recovered from Sunday. I managed to get out of bed normally today and didn't have to take Frankenstein steps to the bathroom!! I've been doing light cardio all week and am very anxious to get back to running. I'm planning on going tomorrow with the club for our Saturday fun run. I haven't been to one since the marathon training started so I'm really looking forward to it.

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a GREAT night!! Cocktails, appetizers, Wii, cocktails, dinner, cocktails, dessert, cocktails...needless to say, I woke up with a little headache today and refused to go with Andy to the mall at 4:30am!!! Yes, he left at 4:30am to head to Sears. We made our first purchase for the new house...a fancy washer and dryer. It was worth him getting there so early because we got the set for more than half off. I'm sure I can find a good way to spend the money we just saved!

Here's a picture of my delicious dinner last night...if you look really closely, there is a little piece of turkey on the plate. :-)

And here's me and my sisters (Left to right: Mich, Jeanette, Me)

Here are my adorable nephews, Nate and Aidan, with my Nanny.

I Wanna Go Back

I want it to be Sunday again. I am feeling so blah now that it's all over. I knew the training and the race was consuming my life, and all my thoughts, and all my conversations (sorry to all my family and friends!) but I didn't realize how empty I'd feel when it was all said and done. On Sunday after the marathon, I thought one would be enough and that I was done. Well, that feeling is completely gone and I know I will do another...hopefully sooner rather than later.

I have to say, I felt like a super star at work yesterday. Reading everyone's comments on my blog and having everyone come up to me to hear how it went...it was a great feeling. Made me realize that it was an even bigger accomplishment than I thought!

So, now I have to find something else to keep my occupied. That shouldn't be too hard with the new house and studying for the PT certification. I am also really looking forward to having a little more time to focus on lifting. I let that slide a bit due to all the running and have been missing it a lot. Can't wait to get back to my "Squat Sundays."

Well, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We'll be having dinner with my family this year at my Aunts house. It's my first Thanksgiving with my family since 2002 because I didn't travel home for the Holiday when I lived in Michigan. I have never been one to care much for Thanksgiving but I'm actually excited for tomorrow. Gobble, gobble.

KICKED ASPHALT!!

Well, it's over!! I ran my first marathon! First and foremost, my stats:

Chip Time - 3:51:31

Overall place - 2506 / 7231

Overall women - 635 / 2986

Age group - 117 / 486

Now for the details...I woke up at 2:45am excited. To my surprise, I didn't feel nervous at all. I was very calm. Because it was only 20 degrees out when we left, I bundled up and we hit the road. Oh, and right before we walked out the door, I took an Imodium because I didn't want a repeat performance of my worse run ever. I'm SO glad I did and think that will be a common practice for the long runs from here on out.

Anyway, yadda, yadda...we arrived to our corral with our pace group leader, Dan. Running with the pace group was the BEST decision I could have made. I highly recommend it. Dan kept us right on track, we didn't start out too fast, we took the hills slow and made up time on the down slopes and flat portions. Course was good, and the first 8 miles went so fast! I was feeling good and the feeling that I had lost in my feet due to the cold came back, thank goodness. It was nice wrapping back around the art museum where the half marathon finished and seeing all the spectators. Provided a little push to keep going. We did have some hills along the course but I can honestly say, they were not difficult. Reach the Beach in New Hampshire and running Shawmont Hill make most hills easy at this point. The out to Manayunk was a little long, not many people along the course and we were running into the wind. This is where my hands really went to sh*t. Although I was wearing gloves, I couldn't feel them at all and I needed to ask people to help me open my gels. My hands always make the runs during the cold months miserable. The water stations were icy because it was so cold out and because of this, I lost my pace group around mile 17. I slowed down so I wouldn't slip and when I looked up, the balloons were way ahead of me. Running through Manayunk was nice because it was filled with a lot of people, music, etc. I needed this at this point as I was by myself and getting a little tired. We turned around at mile 19-20 and headed back the way we came...except this time it was slightly down hill!! Now everyone says the marathon starts at mile 20 and the last 6 miles are where the race begins. I was prepared for this mentally but have to say, when we turned around and I only had 6 miles left, I thought to myself, "what the heck, 6 miles is nothing at this point. I just ran 20!" So I counted down and headed to the finish. I did hit a bad patch around mile 22-23 where I just didn't want to run anymore. Thankfully I saw a friend along the way who was spectating and he hopped in and ran with me for a mile or so. This was a big help. Then I saw my aunts and cousins around mile 24 and that really gave me my final push I needed. Heading to the finish line that last mile was the best feeling ever!! The crowd was literally touching you and it was packed!! I saw Andy, my sister Michelle, and Lisa as I was rounding the corner to the finish line and seeing them started the tears! I crossed the finish line strong, and hopefully smiling, and then I started bawling. I couldn't believe I did it. Everything at that second hurt. My back was spasming so bad and my legs were shaking uncontrollably. Oh, and I was numb.

So, I did it!! Last night I wasn't sure I'd run another one. Today, I'm feeling a little different. I think, actually know, I will. BUT, I don't think I'll ever put the pressure on myself to qualify for Boston. I ran my first marathon in under 4 hours. I know that is an incredible achievement. I want to make sure I always enjoy this and have fun, I don't want the added pressure of qualifying. And as long as I'm in this age group, I don't think I'll get the 3:40 for Boston anyway! At least I know I'm in good shape to qualify when I hit 40! Ok, I know I need to stop rambling...here are some pictures. I *LOVE* the ones of Andy hugging me. I was crying so hard and he just kept telling me how proud he was of me.

Here I am around mile 21.

Here's Michelle and Lisa babying me!!

And here is the poster my sister Jeanette and my nephews made for me...too funny!

And one last thing...I'm happy to report I had zero chaffing, blistering, etc. I am really sore and my toenails are killing, but other than that...I feel great!! Having spectators along the course was such a help. Knowing I had them to look forward to really kept me going. Can't wait to read about how everyone else did yesterday!

Just Waiting

I just got home from the Expo but I didn't buy anything. :-( I didn't think the marathon merchandise was anything special and the race shirt they gave us was pretty nice, so I thought that was enough. Since I've been home, I attached my timing chip to my shoe, laid out my clothes, hooked my gels onto my water belt, and pinned my bib on my shirt. Now...I just wait. I woke up at 4am this morning excited. My excitement has turned into nervousness, though. I have a feeling today is going to be the longest day of my life.

Here is a picture of the shirt they gave us. I had to *beg* the woman to switch my shirt size to a small. I originally selected a medium but they were huge. She even asked for my bib # and said she'd come find me if the pile of small shirts (which was huge!) started to get low. Did she think I was going to wear my bib through the Expo?? Anyway, here's the back of the shirt. I love the 26.2 saying..."Asphalt Officially Kicked!"

Weather Update:

Saturday Night: Low: 21 °F RealFeel®: 19 °F

Sunday: High: 40 °F RealFeel®: 34 °F, Sunny to partly cloudy

Soooo Close!

I went for my last run this morning. Ran 4 miles and felt great. Throughout the whole run I thought about race day...I'm so excited! I know, I keep saying that!! I'll be heading to the Expo tomorrow morning and I'm not planning on doing much activity other than the walking around that I do there. I have slept SO well this week and have gone to bed really early (and have fallen right asleep around 8-8:15!!). I'm typically not a good sleeper so I think my body knows it needs all it can get before Sunday. I'm hoping to get one more good night in tonight as I'm sure I'll be too anxious to sleep on Saturday night. Anywho, because I know JoyRuN is anxiously awaiting, here is our weather forecast.

Weather Update:
Saturday Night: Low: 27 °F RealFeel®: 23 °F
Sunday: High: 43 °F RealFeel®: 37 °F, Partly sunny

TIaRT - Thank Goodness for Running

This weeks TIaRT theme is Thank Goodness for Running. I'm thankful for running because it gives me time to take a break from all the craziness in life and everything going on. I can clear my head and realize what/who is important in life and what really matters. To show my gratitude I decided, "what better way to pass the 26.2 miles than run each mile for someone in particular." I'll preface by saying that while some things listed aren't people, they still serve a very important purpose and I'm saving the last mile for someone special...so last, but definitely not least.

1 - Me. Ok, not trying to be selfish here, but come on! I was the one who went through all this training!! I think I deserve at least a mile!

2 - Andy. Not only was this a huge commitment and sacrifice for me, but it was for him, too. And if it wasn't for him, I'm not sure I'd even be at this point with running. He's always right there to tell me that I can do it.

3 - Mom. Although she thinks this running isn't good or healthy, if it wasn't for her I would not have this stubborn Polish side to me that never lets me quit. And as much as she doesn't get the running, she was the first one I called after my worst run ever . There's nothing like a mothers sympathy...especially after you poop yourself!

4 - Dad. The hardest working person I know. So anything I can do to make him proud, I will. Having him ask every time I call, "did you run today?" shows that he's not only interested, but proud.

5 - Mich. Has always been my biggest fan, coming out to cheer me on. Whether I made her do it or not, she organized spectators along the course for marathon day. She has NO idea how important that will be to me getting through this. I can only hope that I've provided the same level of love and support to Mich that she has given to me over the years.

6 - Jeanette. Has been there for me through so much over the years. When my life was at it's lowest point, she took care of me and I'll be forever grateful. We've come a long way, and I think she's deserving of some free personal training sessions. Don't worry, Mich, you'll get some, too.

7 - AARC. Best running club around. I'm so thankful for having this great group of people to run with every week.

8 - Newman. Did you really think I'd leave him out? It was hard to wait this long to list him! And you can probably guess who's next...

9 - Lainey. The best two kitties anyone could have. They keep me nice and warm after each long run when I lay down to take my well earned nap!

10 - Pumpkin. One of the few people who truly gets me. Actually, might be the ONLY person who does. Soul mates.

11 - Beans. No matter how busy she is, and the important things she has going on in her life, she always finds time to ask how I'm doing. And even though she doesn't comment, I know she's reading my blog!!

12 - The Woods. Early bird dinners!! I love that we're getting "old" together and a night consisting of an early dinner and cards have come to be some of my favorite nights! "Pick it up Daner."

13 - KT. My partner in crime. We've had some great times and I have memories that will last a lifetime! And if it wasn't for her convincing me to run the Vegas half marathon, none of this would even be going on. Hmm...so we have KT to blame...or thank!

14 - My Followers. The people who regularly follow my blog. It's so nice to connect with people who share the same passion for running that I do. I've enjoyed getting to know each of you and thank you for your comments and support.

15 - Aunt Eileen, Aunt Jean, Aunt Joan. My aunts have always taken such an interest in all of their nieces/nephews lives. I am so lucky to have such a close knit family (all 100 of us!) and could not be happier to be back in PA with everyone.

16 - God. I am truly thankful and grateful for every single thing and person I have in my life. While I've worked hard to get where I am, I know the big guy has been looking out for me.

17 - Nate and Aidan. Giving me something to strive for...to be the best Aunt ever. I have some steep competition, but if all else fails, I'll bribe them with McDonalds and Legos.

18 - Cottonelle. Enough said.

19 - Erica. More than just a running buddy. Who would have thought a long run at Militia Hill could create a new friendship.

20 - Arch Nemesis. For the people out there that without knowing it make me run harder and longer...a little friendly competition never hurt anyone.

21 - Treadmill. My treadmill at Golds Gym. The second one in from the end. We have created quite a bond over the last year and I've put in countless miles on that thing!

22 - Lisa B. More than just another member of the running club, she's been too good to me in preparing for the marathon. I admire her strong will and running, and could not be happier to have her by my side during marathon day.

23 - Lakshmi. I'm not sure I'd have any confidence for race day if it wasn't for Lakshmi's kind words. Another great runner who made getting through the training possible.

24- Dave. Amazing runner and in a way, a coach (whether he knows it or not). Being able to run with him on my last few long runs made me feel like I was capable of so much.

25 - Nanny. The center of our family, my 92 year old Grandmother. Nanny is the most accepting, loving Grandmother anyone could ever have and there's a reason I saved her for last. We are forever telling Nanny to sit down and take it easy, to which she never listens. So on my last 1.2 miles of the race, when everything in my body is telling me to stop and everything hurts, I'm going to think of Nanny and push through. Like she once told me, "when you stop, that's when you don't get back up."

One more thing (I know, I never shut up)...I wrote this post last week after my run and have been waiting to post it. I wanted to add a special thanks to Lisa, Christine and Jennifer who I found out will also be on the course cheering me on Sunday. I feel like a celebrity!

Weather Update
Saturday Night: Low: 23 °F RealFeel®: 15 °F
Sunday:High: 44 °F RealFeel®: 39 °F, Clouds limiting sunshine

3 Days, 20 Hours, 21 Minutes

Until the big day!! I am insanely excited! I am so ready to run and even more ready to go out afterwards and celebrate! I just talked to my sisters and I have spectators along the course (mile 1, 6, possibly 13, 19 (who will also see me at 21) and 23). I feel so loved!! I can't believe it's so close...all the training...yikes...hope it pays off!!

As for everyone else running Philly, GOOD LUCK and bundle up! (Laurel, FLYERS26, Marci, JoyRuN). Hope I didn't miss anyone!

Weather Update:
Saturday Night: Low: 23 °F RealFeel®: 17 °F (YIKES)
Sunday: High: 44 °F RealFeel®: 38 °F, Chilly with increasing cloudiness

And the Lucky Winner Is...

Cliff Shot Chocolate. I tested it this morning and besides cutting the corner of my mouth on the foil packet, all went well. The flavor is MUCH more tolerable than the vanilla and I think it's even better than the double latte I was eating. Now, I only ran an easy 4 today, but my stomach seemed fine and still does. Whew!!

Weather Update:
Saturday Night: Low: 24 °F RealFeel®: 19 °F
Sunday: High: 42 °F RealFeel®: 37 °F Mostly sunny

More Testing Needed

So, I tried the Cliff Shot vanilla (no caffeine) yesterday before my 5 mile run. While my stomach felt ok, I have to say, that thing tasted like death. It was so gross. I don't think there is any way I could stomach more than one of those things while I was running. Just thinking about it makes me gag a little. It brought back memories of some anti-diarrhea medication my mom made me take once when I was younger. UGH! So, I'm off to REI again tonight! I'm going to try another non caffeine gel tomorrow morning before my run and see how it goes. At this point, I guess I'm just hoping to find one that doesn't taste like poo...or make me have to go poo.

Also, I'm worried about taking gels and blocks (I would take the blocks for salt purposes since I don't drink Gatorade) so I picked up some salt packets from the cafeteria at work today. If I decide to stick with just the gels, I'll down a salt packet or two at some point. Not an ideal situation playing around with this at the last minute, but I really think I need to take a chance with something new than to go through what I've gone through on previous runs.

Weather Update:
Saturday night: Low: 28 °F RealFeel®: 21 °F
Sunday: High: 46 °F RealFeel®: 35 °F, Mostly cloudy and breezy

I Can't Belive It

This time next Sunday the gun will be going off!! I'm actually nervous/anxious while I'm writing this. I typically don't get nervous before races, but I have a feeling next weekend will be a whole different story.

I went to REI last night to figure out what I can do about the food issue and I talked to a very helpful sales associate. He has run 14 marathons and had a lot of advice. I had originally switched to the Power Bar gels because they have the most salt in them, and I'm a heavy salt sweater. But it turns out Cliff makes the blocks in a margarita flavor with added sodium. Yum! I can start celebrating during the race! Anyway, I decided to try the cliff shots in vanilla, no caffeine (Lots of people think that might be what was bothering me. And it makes sense, coffee goes right through me, too. Sorry if that was too much information, but you've all read much worse about me). I'm going to eat one on an empty stomach this morning before I go for my run. While it's just an easy 5 today, at least I'll be able to assess the sloshing issue. Ugh. I will also plan on eating the blocks on and off throughout the race, since I'm not planning on drinking Gatorade. So complicated!!!

Weather for the Big Day:
(Saturday night: Low: 31 °F RealFeel®: 28 °F)
Sunday: High: 49 °F RealFeel®: 45 °F
Cloudy with a passing shower in the afternoon

We Have A Problem

I think the power gels are messing up my stomach. Well, at least the double latte 2x caffeine ones are. I was wondering if this was the cause of my worst run ever so I've been paying closer attention since then. Last week on my 14 mile run, I ate one. And while my stomach was ok, I not only felt but I heard all this liquid sloshing around. So yesterday, before my 8 mile run, I ate one. Ugh. I felt like I had just drank a gallon of liquid. It was SO loud in my stomach. Had that been a longer run, I am pretty sure there would have been problems. With the marathon a week away, I'm so worried about changing it up this late in the game. I have used the beans and blocks before, but not during any of my long training runs. This week, even though I'm not running much, I'm going to eat some beans before my runs and see how I feel. I guess it's better to switch it up and take a chance rather than stick with something that I'm pretty sure is making me sick.

Anyone else have this problem with gels? Could it be flavor specific? And why right now...one week before race day?? I have enough anxiety as it is...and to top it off, of course the temperatures are dropping this week! Go figure.

TIaRT - Running Green

This weeks TIaRT theme is running green. While I'm guilty of running on the treadmill a lot and wasting that energy, I do make any attempt I can at being green. For one, I HATE the thought of using a disposable water bottle. I carry a reusable water bottle at work, when I'm on the go, when I run...always. Not only is it ridiculously wasteful, why pay for water that is less regulated than our free tap water? I just don't it. If you agree, check out www.tappening.com

In general, I try to do what I can to be green. I try to purchase only #1 and #2 containers and I separate our recyclables at home. I won't use Styrofoam and carry my own mug for coffee. I use reusable grocery bags, I use all reusable containers for my lunch, and I reuse the same Ziploc bag all week for my snacks. Any trash I generate along a run, I never drop. I will carry my empty gel packets for miles if I have to until I find a trash can. It drives me crazy when I see all the empty packets along the trail!! I opted out of receiving a phone book due to the number of trees that are killed to make them and use rags for cleaning instead of paper towels. Geesh, if I only use a paper towel to dry my hands, I hang it to dry and will reuse it again the next time! While I recognize there are a lot of other ways I could improve, I do know that every little bit helps. Why people don't recycle is beyond me. It really drives me crazy. It takes only a second, yet makes a huge difference.

And lastly, because this should be related to running, I came across an article in Shape magazine called "Take it to the streets for a cleaner town." It talks about a runner who was frustrated with all the trash he saw while running and how he started carrying a BioBag with him to collect trash and bottles along the way. Something to think about...

Separation Anxiety

I admit it, I'm a slave to the scale. I weight myself pretty much every day. I think at one point, when trying to break the habit, I went about 5 days without weighing myself but then fell off the wagon. With the taper underway and not running nearly as much, I've been worried about eating my normal amount of food for fear of gaining weight. Knowing this is not the time to cut back as I'm fueling up for the marathon, I decided to have Andy hide the scale. He snuck into the bathroom while I was showering on Sunday and took it. It's only been 2 days and it's driving me crazy. Every time I walk by the bathroom I notice that it's not there, tucked nicely into it's home between the toilet and vanity. I never realized how often I acknowledged it's presence!! This morning when I woke up, I decided to take today as one of my off days this week and not run. My first instinct was to weigh myself (because I don't know, deciding not to run made me gain weight...?? Crazy.) but I couldn't. I'm so tempted to find the scale, but I'm trying my best to suppress the urge to snoop. I could easily find it, sneak in a quick weighing and then put it back where I found it. You see, from a very early age I learned how to snoop from my older sister, Jeanette. She was a pro at finding all the Christmas presents, opening them up to take a look and putting them right back where they came from. I was never allowed to touch the presents myself, but sat by her side while she pulled them out one by one. If it wasn't for confessing this to my mom years ago, I'd probably still not be able to write about it. Anyway, I'm struggling. I miss my scale.

Beaming!

I feel great!! What a difference from last weekend! Just got back from a 14 mile run and it went really well. I've been so down about my worse run ever last weekend and it was really breaking my confidence, but today turned things back around. We ran Shawmont and held a great pace, even up the mile long climb. I averaged a 9:03 pace and after discussing this with Dave (who I told today that he should pimp himself out to be a running coach...he's so motivational to run with!), I'm right on track for the marathon. I never really thought of it before but I run all my runs, with the exception of my long run, at an 8:30 pace. When I do tempo runs, I take it to 7:30 - 7:00. So what does all this mean? I definitely think I can hold a 9:00 minute pace and finish in 4 hours and I'm even starting to believe that the 3:50 pace group (8:45 min pace) will be a good match for me.

But only race day will tell...

Geesh...too much work!

I feel so behind on the world of blogging! I've been working long hours the past week (and next week) and am struggling to keep up on all the blogs I follow. Now that we don't have to house hunt, I'm looking forward to having time this weekend to catch up.

I've been so busy with work that I'm lucky the taper started this week. I'm running 15 miles tomorrow morning and am a little concerned. My back is killing me right now! I'm not sure if it's from sitting in a conference room all week or what, but I caved and took meds to see if that would help. On top of that, my legs are really crampy. If I bend my foot just slightly the wrong way, I start to get a charlie horse. It's really weird, not something that usually happens. And my calves feel really tight too. Hmmm. Not sure what's going on but hopefully a good nights sleep will fix me right up.

Transitions

This weeks TIaRT theme is Transitions, and how we manage change. I feel like I am the Queen of change. In fact, I feel my life has been in a constant state of change for YEARS now. It hasn't been until recently that I feel I'm not only able to handle change, but I also accept it and look forward to it. All the change over the last 10 years of my life, has brought me to a great place...both mentally and physically. From divorce, moving, moving to MI, new job, marriage, moving back to PA (and one more to come!) HOLY CRAP...JUST AS I WROTE THAT LAST STATEMENT AN EMAIL CAME IN FROM OUR REALTOR SAYING OUR OFFER WAS ACCEPTED!! WE GOT OUR HOUSE! Thanks to everyone for their good wishes!!

*sigh* back to change...where was I?? Oh you get the point. I've gone through tons of changes and I'm actually thankful for each one of them. I think the best way to deal with change is to learn something about yourself while you're going through the transition. If you take something positive out of every experience, you can get through anything.

To tie this into running...aside from Andy, running has been the most significant change I've made in my life. It keeps me happy and sane (well, that's debatable), gives me time to think, relieves stress, takes me places I've never thought I'd go and has given me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.

Woo hoo...we're new home owners!!

Made An Offer

We made an offer on a house today. While this seems like it is all happening so fast and came up much quicker than we planned, I'm trying to keep it all in perspective. If the offer isn't accepted, then this must not be the house for us. If it is accepted, then we got a great deal and I feel confident we made a good decision. We should know by lunch tomorrow whether or not the seller accepted. Stay tuned...

I ran 5 miles today and my knees actually felt great. The only pain I'm still having is when I go down steps. It felt great to run today and if it wasn't for having to vote, and this taper, I would have run further.

Hope everyone voted and then enjoyed their free coffee from Starbucks!

Everybody Poops

Surprisingly, I'm not that embarrassed or devastated by the "incident" on Saturday. Well, I guess that's sort of obvious since I blogged about it, talked about it over dinner with friends this weekend and I haven't deleted my sisters diarrhea songs she's left in my comments. In a weird way, it's almost like a rite of passage. I've heard stories about marathon runners having bowel issues during their long runs and never thought I'd be one of them. I've mentioned before about how I don't consider myself a runner but having completed 22 miles in those conditions...I must be one after all. And really, what is there to be embarrassed about? I mean, everybody poops.

I was feeling really banged up yesterday, mostly from the fall, and didn't make it to the gym. I went today but because my knees are still hurting I did some cross training instead. I have to say, I don't know how I used to work out on the elliptical. Not only was I ready to poke my own eyes out, but I felt like I wasn't doing anything. Nothing seems to make you sweat like a good run and if I don't sweat, then I didn't work out hard enough!! Needless to say, I'm looking forward to a nice, hard, sweaty run tomorrow.

Worst Run Ever

I've been anxiously awaiting this 22 mile run. Not only was this my first 22 miler ever, I was using this run as my "test" for the marathon. I thought if I could do this and still feel good, that I'd be ok come marathon day. Well, the run didn't go as expected. I ate my standard pre long run dinner last night and got a good nights sleep. I did everything the same I always do. Woke up feeling pretty good this morning except for my back. It's been pretty bad this week, but I was determined to push through it. Starting off the run I think I had myself psyched out for the additional 2 miles I was about to run. For some reason, 22 felt like it was going to be so much harder than 20. Anyway, I ran through a slump and at mile 8 I snapped out of it. The next few miles I was feeling good! I was feeling strong. But then at mile 17 it all went down hill. My stomach started acting up and I didn't feel so good. Feeling like I was going to crap myself (sorry, not sure how else to put that), I stopped dead in my tracks and told Dave to go on without me. I walked for a minute, let the feeling pass, and continued running. At this point I had to go to the bathroom and my back was killing me. Compensating for the pain, I was throwing off my gait and wasn't picking up my feet enough. Then it happened. Around mile 18 I fell. Hard. It sucked. When I got up and brushed myself off, I thought, "my back is f'in killing, I have to go to the bathroom so bad and now my knee, wrist and shoulder are banged up and I have 4 more miles to go." Yup...this is when I started to cry. Only lasted a minute, but I admit it, I cried. But I regrouped, turned my Garmin back on (because of course the first thing I did when I hit the ground was to turn it off!!) and started running again. I had to stop a few more times along the way for fear of something unpleasant falling out of me uncontrollably, but I managed to finish. And despite all of that, my average pace for the run was 9:14, which is faster than I should have been running today in the first place.

So, I'm home and showered, because yes, I needed to after the "issues." And while I'm devastated the run didn't go as I would have liked...at least now I know I can still push myself to finish when things are rough. My runs have all gone so well, it was just a matter of time until one sucked.