It's Getting Real!

I'm starting to feel it! Nerves/anxiety/excitement! I signed Andy up to receive text messages when I cross checkpoints (I think there will be 6 including the finish)... so cool! If anyone wants to receive emails or texts, click here! :)

Here's the official course:

Thursday

Thursday's run wasn't bad at all. I've noticed that they all start off badly, usually everything from my hips down hurts when I first start running. It's like my legs are protesting this increased movement... but if I can ignore it for 15-20 minutes, I fall into a rhythm and it starts getting more comfortable. Unfortunately, I only had to run 30 minutes on Thursday, so I just got over the uncomfortableness when it was time to stop!

I've been icing my hips, knees, and shins a lot lately... starting to feel like I'm falling apart. I'm trying to take it easy but still keep moving... I CANNOT BELIEVE that I am running a marathon a week from tomorrow! I'm starting to feel less nervous and more just ready to get it overwith. :-p

Nervous!!

Sunday's run was bad, I barely made 5 miles. Everything hurt! I guess that's what happens when you take a week off... even on Tuesday it was a struggle to put in the required 30 minutes. I just feel so tired and my knees and hips hurt. :(

I'm really starting to get nervous again, I can't believe it's just over a week away! What was I thinking??!! I don't know why I feel so much pressure to do well. I guess it's the fact that everyone I know knows that I am doing this, and they will all be asking about it when it's over. And the fact that people have donated money to the LLS while linked to my marathon. Mainly I think it's just pride. I have a hard time with "failure"—whether it is real or imagined.

I just really want to well, which in my mind I guess is finishing at around a 14 min/mi pace and not getting injured along the way. Maybe being injured is what I'm so nervous about... I was really struggling with the blisters those last 4 miles of the 20 mi run. I can't imagine 6 more miles with that pain...

I think I should get a massage tomorrow.

Getting Back in the Run

I haven't run all week—not usually a good thing, but it couldn't be helped. My foot is feeling better, we'll see what happens when I put on my shoes tomorrow morning. Can't decide if I'm going to do my 8 miles here or meet the rest of the group. They're running near the Iwo Jima memorial, which is the finish line of the marathon. I feel like it could be beneficial to see something I recognize as I'm finising the marathon... but then again I could just take the Metro and walk part of the course to see what the end is like. I think it will come down to how tired I am in the morning—I've been pretty tired this week. It's rough getting back into a routine when you've been on vacation. Fortunately, I have Monday off for Columbus Day. God bless the U.S. government. :)

Ouch.

The huge blister on my righ arch is not healing very quickly. I had to do some minor surgery on it last night because it kept filling up with fluid even after I drained it. Now I have Neosporin and a giant gauze bandage on it... trying to keep it somewhat elevated by putting it up onto my old desktop computer, which fortunately was still under my desk from 2.5 years ago when I got the laptop.

The worst thing is that I can't run in this condition. I can't even wear my running shoes, because I can't have anything rubbing on the arch... fortunately my work shoes don't touch that area... don't think I could hobble around here barefoot like I do at home.

I am noticing the effects of not running, though... especially coming back from such a long time off, my eyes aren't used to staring at the computer all day, and I keep getting tension headaches. I need my stress relief back! Amazing that I'm complaining about not being able to excercise, huh? :)

20 MILES!!!!!

I ran 20 miles yesterday! Well, OK, I had to walk the last 4. But still!!! This is the first time that I actually think I will surivive the marathon. I still need to work on my pacing though, because I did the first 10 miles in 2 hrs 5 minutes, and the other 10 miles in 2 hrs 40 minutes. That includes the walking 4 miles. So, if I could reserve some of the energy I had in the beginning, then hopefully I can prolong the running and save more walking for later in the race... Still though, 10 miles in 2 hours! That's the fastest I've done a long run! UNbelieveable. I'm thinking I will still race so that I have a goal to keep me running after the marathon. But 10 miles is probably the farthest I would go... maybe the occasional half marathon.

I also have some physical issues to figure out still... no shin splints (knock on wood!) but I have some INSANE blisters from yesterday... I might have been able to push more running but the blisters were killing me. I even have a huge on on my arch of my right foot... Why? How? What?? I also need to be better about stretching afterward... the stretching I did was apparently not enough, because I have tin man syndrome for the first time in a long time.

Still, 20 miles!!!!!!! Now I get to "take it easy" from here until the race, with the longest run being 8 miles next Saturday and the shortest 3 miles the week before the race. I think I am ready! :)

Douthat

Last week, Andy and I were on vacation at Douthat State Park.

They have great trails there, and they're multi-use so we were able to do some awesome mountain biking. Basically, the state park goes from peak to peak, with a lake and cabins and campgrounds in the valley. The last time we were there (when we got engaged!) we hiked up one side of the mountain. Well, this time we BIKED up the other mountain!

It took us 5.5 hours round trip, because it was a lot of climbing. I usually have a hard time on uphill rides, but this was so much harder because the trails aren't smooth; they are rocky and have roots and it's just harder in general. So we took about a million 2 minute breaks and about 25,000 6 minute breaks, but we made it to the top!

The photos, as you can see, were so worth it... you'd think that coming down would be great, but I actually enjoyed the descent LESS than the climbing! It was pretty scary, and although I only fell once, it really shook me up to be sliding down the side of the mountain. Fortunately, I fell in mud, so it was a soft landing. (How often do you say "fortunately, I fell in mud?!") In any case, we made it down in about 25 minutes, as opposed to the 5 hours of climbing.

All in all, it felt great, and we are really proud of our accomplishment! Of course, we did absolutely nothing the rest of the day. :)