humidity hurts like hell

Okay, so the best part about yesterday was that I actually got my run in. The worst part about yesterday was that it was about 92 degrees and blistering humid...YUCK! I had planned on waking up at 7 to get my run in, but you know how that goes. I'm usually pretty good with following through with plans I make for myself, but with how much I've been working and living my oh so grown up life, I'm exhausted by the time I get to bed. Anyways, because I missed my morning session I told myself "hey, I'll just get it done tonight around 7." Bad idea....not only am I still in the process of getting used to the pleasure of running obnoxiously long distances, but waiting 3 hours after work to run just didn't settle well with me because the more I think about it the closer I get to not following through with what i'm supposed to do. With my anxiousness of getting finished as soon as possible I thought I'd just run in the shade and it wouldn't be too bad considering it was a bit cloudy. I was wrong. Not only was I dripping with sweat (i looked as though i had just jumped in a pool...kinda), but my face was fire engine red and i could feel my pulse beating through every joint of my body. I think i might have even been a bit dehydrated considering my hands were starting to swell. However, I managed to stay optimistic about the run since i will be running not only in the happiest place on earth (cliche tag line haha), but also the most humid.

Tomorrow is my last day of 15/5 and then onto step 8 of prelim training (20/5 x2). I tend to get real bored by the end of the week when i'm doing the same workout for 4 days, so it takes a little more self-motivation than it should. I'm guessing its a good sign though when more distance/time is added to the workout. (i still have this odd feeling of excitement for my first 10 mile run) I'm starting to worry a bit though....my right shin is acting up again, but hopefully this rest day will give it enough time to re-coop. I've been stretching, popping tylenol before every run, and icing, but nothing seems to be doing the trick. Any suggestions?

In other news...I GET NEW RUNNING SHOES/gear this weekend! Exciting!!

light at the end of the tunnel

There it is!!...a tiny speck, but its there. I'm really starting to feel as though i have the self-motivation to push myself to finish this marathon and i'm loving every second of it. I'm actually excited to get out there and get my runs in on the days i've planned, and although i'm still nowhere close to the ultimate goal of 26.2 miles (10 miles is still a long stretch for me), i made it through my first set of step 7 of my preliminary training (15 min run/5 min walk 2x's)...its a MIRACLE!

I don't really have a route that i stick and i like it that way. I just start running until its time to stop (at least until i actually have to start tracking mileage) because to be honest, knowing i have to run to a certain point and back puts a strain on my run and then i get bored. Not to mention i've finally gotten some good music to run to and instead of counting down the minutes until i get to walk i just concentrate on what's blaring through those headphones.

Today's run felt pretty easy, at least the first stretch of 15 min, which really surprised me. I thought i would be dying, but lil ol' me was able to keep up. I didn't even make it to my max RPE until the second stretch of 15 minutes...and then i got those dang cramps in my side. I think one even managed to creep up into my collar-bone area?? Aside from concentrating on breathing, how else can you get rid of cramps? Well anyways, looks like my muscular and skeletal systems are on their way to keepin' up (oh thanks to the informational value of "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer").

sweating bullets

Usually, I seem to have a negative attitude when it comes to all this running, but i really think i'm pulling through and starting to like it more and more. Today was the third day of my preliminary training and it went really well. It took me a bit to actually get out on the road, but i knew if i didn't I'd regret it. I just have to remember the way it feels once i'm finished, and granted i look as if i just spent 10 hours in a sauna (by the time i'm done and people ask if i'm ok since my face is fire engine red), i feel GREAT these days! I'm only on step 6 of the prelim training (jog for 10 min and walk for 5 2x's) and although I know its not much i'm very proud of myself. i'm beginning to know what it takes to motivate myself to keep going....and plus, i'm one step closer to completing the marathon!

Just gotta keep goin'!!

a non-runner's ultimate goal

I guess you could say it all started 2 years ago when i watched the 60+ year olds cross the finish line at the very place the marathon was born... Athens, Greece. As i sat there watching these people accomplish something they had trained so hard for i thought to myself, "man laura, you really need to do one of these things sometime in your life and feel what it feels like to follow through with something as intense as this." From that moment on I knew that I would someday cross the finish line of a 26.2 mile race. However, you know how these things always work out - you make up your mind to do something but before you know it a couple months go by, or in my case 2 years, and you still haven't brought yourself to even start that one thing that meant so much to you. THAT STOPS TODAY! I am going to do this...I'M GOING TO RUN A MARATHON!!

I've always been the type of person to push myself to the limit, but never has it been to something as extreme as putting my body through 5+ hours of complete hell. Heck, pushing myself to the edge had always meant either flinging myself on a 4 inch piece of wood (thanks to my 13 years as a gymnast) or throwing myself off a 10 meter platform, doing a gazillion flips, only to pray that i would go in the water the right way (thank you diving). Some of you might be wondering how it's possible that I was able to put my body through that much pounding and/or throw myself from insane heights, but let me just say that the mentality for that compared to the mentality you need for a race such as a marathon is radically different.

With that said, as that part of my life ends and this one begins, what better way to push myself than to pick up running. At first i thought NO WAY?!? i absolutely hate running. I couldn't even run more than 10 minutes without stopping to rest. How would it even be possible to make it 26.2 without dying? Well, thanks to my partner in crime, Kaitlin, we're in this together and we WILL complete a marathon (...and then eat massive amounts of Chipotle later on). So, to all those who thought we were joking when we said we were going to run this, prepare to be amazed!!