New Year...New Adventures

2015 is only a few hours away.  I can't wait to see what this year holds!  The end of 2014 took a turn for the awesome and here's hoping that the momentum stays with us.

There is a lot going on already for 2015.  I mean, I am running a marathon....a FULL marathon....the day after I run a half marathon.  My baby brother is getting married like a grown up.  These things are happening a week apart....in the first 18 days of 2015.

I have the opportunity to sing at Lincoln Center in New York City.  I am going to a week long workshop for children's choir directors this summer.  

There are a couple of things that in the "maybe" stages right now. Any change to the yes column could change the entire course of 2015....for the better and for the exciting.  It's going to be an exciting month of January around these parts.

As usual, the new year is a chance to start over.  It's a chance to make changes for the better.  I am not going to make resolutions.  I am going to set goals, so here goes nothing.

1.  I am going to run a marathon.  (A gimme, I know!)
2.  My family will eat clean 5 out of 7 days every week.  
3.  I will drink at least 60 ounces of water every day.  (Ideally, I will drink half of my body weight in water.  I am shooting for that, but I will be happy with 60 ounces.)
4.  I will continue to run at least 3 days a week.
5.  I will PR the 5K.  (Hey....a goal should stretch you, right??)
6.  I will budget to pay off the van early.

Don't worry....I'll make plenty of mistakes!!   

Happy 2015!!

Closing Time

What a year!!  There have been some great things this year....and there have been some not so great things.  I took a minute to look back at the goals that I set for myself.  I did some things really well and I missed some things.

Looking back:

1)  I will run at least 1 half marathon every month in 2014.

      - I missed December.  Overall, I ran 16 half marathons in 2014.  I didn't do one in December because I was training....for a full marathon.  I'm counting it.

2)  I will incorporate the 100 Days of Real Food mini challenges.

     - Epic fail on this one.  I did a 6 week clean eating challenge in October and November, which was pretty awesome, but I didn't do this at all.

3)  I will diligently write my monthly budget and use cash to keep our family on track.

     - Sure did!!  Not only did I write the budget, I kept the ledger and checked it against the budget.  Dave Ramsey would have been proud of me!!  We didn't get through any more of the steps, but we kept accountable with our finances every month.

4)  I will go to the gym for weights and cross training at least 2 days every week.

   - Yeah...about that....there's always next year.

5)  I will run 3 days a week.  (2 short runs during the week and 1 long run on the weekends)

     - This one got a slow start (like, 6 months...) but I hit a groove come July!  I was even running 4 days a week!  That makes up for the 6 months that I missed, right?

6)  I will tell my husband and children that I love them EVERY SINGLE DAY.

     - Every day. My family heard that I love them no less than 365 times this year.  Love for the win!

7)  I will start a New Year Jar with my family to remind us that there is a little bit of good in every single day!

     - Nope.  Not even once.  I did the 30 Days of Thankful in November.  That was as good as it got.

Here's a quick Year in Review!

January

Rang in the new year with a trail race in West Virginia.  It was an adventure.  Not my favorite race ever, but it checked WV off the bucket list!

February

Took a mid-winter trip to Myrtle Beach, SC.  Again, not my favorite race, but it checked the box.

March

Two races this month!  The first was to Charlotte, NC to run on the race track and the other was Shamrock, right here at home.  I cheered for my BRF as she finished her first full marathon.  

April

Ran on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ.  LOVED the ocean views....hated Atlantic City.  My baby boy celebrated his third birthday!  Went to the dark side and registered for my first full marathon.

May

Ventured up to Frederick, MD for my first challenge....5K on Friday, half on Saturday.  I was hooked!  This was also the first time that my inlaws came to a race.  Ended the "dream" job that turned out to be a nightmare.

June

Back to Williamsburg for the Run for the Dream.  Helped my high school frenemy (turned great friend!   One of the best reasons to get out of high school!) through her first half marathon.  My big boys turned 7.  Celebrated my 10th wedding anniversary with my amazing husband with a magical cruise to Alaska.

July

Another year at the Virginia PTA conference.  Learned who Trey Songz is.  Celebrated my birthday.  Amazing adventure with the running girls to hilly Pennsylvania.  Got matched with my AMAZING running buddy, Sophie.  Started training with a running coach.

August

My babies went to summer camp for the first time!  Relaxed at the beach.  Ran the Rock and Roll Half Marathon for the first and last time.  Ran a mile on the sand for the first and last time.

September

My big boys went to 2nd grade.  Wondered how that got big enough to do that.  Started my reign as trophy wife.  Ran amazing (but hot and very, very slow) race in Amish Country.  (Can't wait to go back!)  Went back to sing with the Virginia Symphony Chorus.

October

Finally saw faster running times!!  Celebrated my husband's birthday.  Ran a race adventure at Dover Speedway in Delaware.  Sang Carmina Burana with Virginia Symphony and Richmond Ballet.

November

Remembered how much I have to be thankful for.  Ran 4, yep, that says 4, half marathons.  Ran another race in Disney World!  Started actually training for the full marathon. 

December

Ran some big miles.  Big miles.  Sang Messiah with the Virginia Symphony.  Amazing husband screened for command at sea.  Celebrated the miracle of Christmas with my family and my church family.  Enjoyed much needed family time with my husband and kids. 

Can't wait to see what 2015 has in store!!

Getting Put Back Together

I'm not injured.  I do not have an injury.  I just have something that hurts a little bit.  It's an irritation.  It's nothing new.  I fought with it when I was training for my first half.  The doctor told me to put some ice on it.  It wouldn't kill me.  (He was right..it didn't kill me.)  I have been nursing it for about 4 months.  It comes and goes.  As I sit here, 1 long run away from my taper, it's here.  

So, I went to see my new favorite person - Jim.  Jim practices Active Release Therapy.  That means he pushes on the part that hurts, makes it hurt more, and then it stops hurting.  It's magic, really.  

If you haven't heard of it, check it out!!!

It always seems impossible until it's done!

 

I remember when I was training for my first half.  I thought that 10 miles was a ridiculous distance and I had no earthly idea how I was going to go 3.1 miles further.  Then I did my first 10 mile run (just over 2 years ago...it was Thanksgiving weekend of 2012), I felt like a total rock star.  It was amazing.  I knew that I would be able to finish a half marathon.

Then I had the bright idea to run a full marathon and a new impossible was born.

To run 26.2 miles, you have to run farther than 13.1 miles.  In fact, you have to run 20 miles.  20 miles.  I mean, who does that?  Isn't that why the cavemen discovered the wheel?  Isn't that why Henry Ford made the Model T?  Why run when you can drive?  20 miles is a LONG way and I was scared to death of it.

So, I did what any normal person would do and I asked my friends for help.  I didn't care if they could only run 2 miles with me.  If 10 friends come and run 2 miles, that's 20.  It's all about who you ask....so I asked my MRTT friends.

My crazy friends met me at 6am at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on a cold Saturday morning.  One is running Dopey the same weekend I am running Goofy, so she needed the miles.  One is my BRF and has been right beside me for every single mile over 13.1.  Another one only needed 12 miles this morning, so she met us an hour later and joined us for the end.  Two started at the other end of the beach and passed us on the boardwalk to provide enthusiasm and encouragement.  I think is it important to note that every single one of these girls is 3-5 minutes per mile faster than me.  These girls can run SO fast and they spent their entire mornings with ploddy, slow me.

I ran 8 miles yesterday and the wheels started to fall off at about 10k (6.2 miles).  Everything started to hurt.  I went to bed and woke up a little nervous about what 20 would bring.  I got up, made my bagel, and started the trek to the Oceanfront.  I met the girls and we headed south on a big road for 2.5 (which was actually 2.75) miles.  There was not much to look at and it was still dark for most of it.  But we got the boring out of the way and ran past the cars when we still had some energy.  We picked up our 4th musketeer and headed to the Oceanfront.

Of course, we stopped for a little picture.  No run is complete without it.

We stopped for the bathroom too and I hope that I do NOT have to do that on race day.  Once you undo compression, it never goes back the same way.

The run itself was okay.  I really had nothing to worry about.  We took it very, very slow.  I was talking in complete sentences for the whole day.  We did 1/1 run/walk intervals.  I took fuel at 60 minutes and then every 45 after that, alternating between Motts fruit snacks and Salted Caramel Gu.  It worked and I had no tummy issues.  I had some electrolyte tabs to take at 13, but it was a Gu time and I was worried about overdosing on electrolytes, so I didn't do it.  It worked out.

At about mile 10, my knee started to ache.  It ached for about 5 miles and then it gave up because it realized that I wasn't stopping.  The only other part that hurt was the bottoms of my feet from the pounding.

I didn't listen to any music today because we were chatting.  Chatting makes the miles fly by, even at the slow pace.  I love long run conversation and I so appreciate all of the support that I have.  These girls pick me up when I am down and push me when I want to stop.  They celebrate my miles right along with me!  They make me a better person.

I stopped the intervals at mile 19.5 to give myself a 1/2 mile cool down before i got in the car and drive for 40 minutes to get home.  That 1/2 mile cool down ended up being 1 mile because I miscalculated the mileage back to the car.  Either way, I finished in 5 hours and 20 minutes.  That gives me 1 hour and 40 minutes for the last 10k of the marathon.  It's going to be cutting it close to the 7 hour time limit, but it's still under.  I know that I run faster on race day, when I run alone, and when I have my music.  I will probably make some friends at the end of the race to help get me through it, but I am going to need to bank some time on the front side.

I came home and immediately got into the ice bath.  (Nothing like freezing cold water after a freezing cold run...)

Now, I am a little tight, a little sore, a little hungry, and a LOT tired!  But, I know that I can finish a marathon.  It might not be pretty and it will not break any speed records, but I can do it.

Next up:  Mock Goofy weekend on Thursday and Friday and then the taper starts.  OMG....this thing is getting real.  My Magic Bands even came today!!  We are 4 weeks away from being done with this thing.

And then.....

It's About to Get Real

32 days from today, I will embark on a 39.3 mile adventure through Disney World.   Today, bib numbers and corral assignments came out through Run Disney.  This is the moment that Disney runners wait for.   It's like Christmas.  It's also one of the scariest days of the year.

Of course, waivers and bib numbers came out first.  Mine is a really big, scary number.  All of the Goofy runners have really big numbers (like 30000 and higher).  So, I opened my waiver and saw my number.  Then I looked up the corrals from 2014 and I started to hyperventilate.  I was looking at the 3rd to last corral.  I got a pit in my stomach and just wanted to cry.  I worked so hard and I had just lost my time buffer.

But then, the corral assignments were released and the numbers were different.  I wasn't in the last corral anymore.  I could breathe again.  I still have a buffer.  It's not as much as I would have liked.  It's not as much as I had a Princess, but I think it will be enough.  I am going to have to change my race plan.  I don't think I will be able to stop and ride Everest in Animal Kingdom, but there is still more than enough time to get my margarita!

I celebrated my buffer by finding some motivation to do my Fartlek ladder today.

I even did it on the treadmill and it wasn't awful.  :)  60 minute ladder.  Maybe Coach will let me run ladders for the whole marathon!!!  

Rest day tomorrow and then the build up to 20 this weekend.  (I mean, who runs 20 miles...)