3rd Half Marathon Completed!

I finished my third half marathon today! My first was in February of this year so I was anxious to see what a difference 8 months would make.

My first half marathon was at Folly Beach in February. I trained for it but not as consistently as I should have, and had no clue what I was getting myself into! My longest run was 10 miles one time 2 weeks prior to the race. It was a flat course so I thought it wouldn't be too bad....I thought wrong. It was humid, rainy, and windy (I don't "do" humidity...at all). That plus my inexperience made it a difficult race to complete. But, I finished in about 2:33. My husband reminded me today that after I finished my first half, I was glad I had done it but didn't intend to EVER do it again...but I couldn't resist.

Me and Katie about to run our first half marathon!

My second half marathon was in Greer in April. Training was going pretty well but it was tougher this time around since I was doing it myself. A month before the race I ended up in the ER with gallstones, and I had surgery a week later. Needless to say I missed some crucial training and my longest run was 9 miles...but, I still intended to give it my all! My goal went from "PR" to "finish." But, I did PR and finished in 2:25:43. I was so excited and this time, I knew I'd do it again...though I swore I'd NEVER run a marathon.

Justin, Len and I after the Greer Earth Day half marathon.

So, that brings me to my third half marathon today. I was pretty sure I'd have a PR since I have stepped up my training and speed these last few months, but I wasn't sure what to expect. I hoped for 2:15. I really was not feeling it this morning. The race didn't start until 8:40 (we are typically finishing our long run at 8:40), I knew I had drank too much coffee that morning (couldn't resist when they upgraded my coffee size...I did throw it away before I finished, but I still drank too much!), and I haven't been sleeping well lately (so tired!!). But I was excited to get out there and do it. 8:40 finally came and Len and I lined up at the start line (note our 3rd teammate decided not to run in the race; I'm pretty sure he was afraid of losing to me...BUT Len did see him out there so at least he ran this morning!). Len was shooting for sub 2 hours. Even though I did a lot of trash talking to him yesterday (he started it, as usual) I knew that would be nearly impossible for me.

We started out at a really fast pace (for us) and I began to get worried around miles 3 & 4...could I really keep this up for 13.1 miles?? There was no way... I stayed with Len until around mile 6 and unfortunately I had to stop for a walk break.

Miles 6-9 were absolutely brutal for me. I had to stop and walk 2 more times. I got water or Gatorade as often as I could but still felt dehydrated. The sun was hot and I wasexhausted.

I hit mile 9 and saw the clock and was shocked...I could still easily hit my goal! I had a new found determination...I was not stopping anymore (even though I knew there were still more hills to go). I wanted to stop so badly several times but pushed through. I saw the 12 mile marker and got really excited - 1 more mile!! No problem! I looked at my watch and knew I was doing well...I finished in 2:05:30!! Woo hoo! I couldn't believe it.

I also have to say how proud I am of my teammate who finished in 1:59:30! He got sub 2 hours! Awesome.

Now I try to forget the "what ifs"...what if I wouldn't have walked? What if I would have drank more water? What if I started out a little slower and then picked up my pace (we typically have negative splits)? BUT I am going to forget all that and just be happy for a great run!

Next Saturday we try for our first 20 mile run...yikes!!! For now, I'm planning to rest for the afternoon before having some fun w/ my BFF tonight!

Me before the race

My pack mule (with a bad attitude) carrying all my stuff! :)

There, that's better. :)

Done...YAY!

Not Quite 8...

We had a horrible run today. It's days like today that I'm like, "have I seriously run 15, 16, 18 miles in the past few weeks??" Oh well, I know these runs happen...it just stinks when they do. We got through 5.6 and I had to stop. I felt bad holding Len back until he told me he'd been wanting to stop too. It's also mornings like this that I'm glad I wasn't running by myself! I probably wouldn't have made it to mile 2...but at least I did 5.6! Neither of us wanted to be the one to stop...I took one for the team today. You can thank me later, Len.

So many things went wrong, and I know what they are...

1 - I slept horribly. Phil got home form work at almost 10:00 so I didn't get in bed as early as I should have for getting up at 4:30. I woke up a couple of times in the night, too, because it was raining really hard.
2 - I ate really bad Monday. Not what I ate necessarily but when. I didn't have lunch until 4:00...I never do that! Plus I had caffeine at lunch. I typically only drink it in the morning. It really messes up my sleep.
3 - I didn't drink enough water at all.
4 - I need to REST on rest days - didn't do that either. I at least need to try not to be up walking around so much and rest these very weary legs!
5 - Oh yeah, I ran 18 miles Saturday and then was on my feet most of the day.

So, even though I hate stopping on a run, I'm going to cut myself a break and just get back to it tomorrow!

Happy Tuesday!

18 Miles...

We did it! We ran 18 miles!! "Just" 8.2 more to complete the 26.2. Wow. I'm still kind of in shock that I can run 18 miles. Of course on mile 1 I could barely breath and thought there was no way I'd ever make it...and negative Nelly was already complaining about the hills we were about to run and blaming me even though we mutually agreed on the route we were going to run that morning. Okay, so I can't really blame him since I was thinking the same thing..."what were we thinking??" I started feeling better during miles 2 and 3 and felt really good by mile 4, thank goodness, because I was told no whining allowed on this 18 mile run! (Note, I'm not typically a whiner on our runs...not sure why he always feels like he has to tell me not to whine...) We took breaks at miles 5 and 13.5. We felt surprisingly good at 13.5 with just 4.5 to go. Mile 17 was tough as there's a rough hill we were going up for the second time that morning. After the hill I was very ready for Len to tell me we were done...right before we were about to go back up a hill we got to stop...yay!

Next Saturday is the Spinx half marathon. This is the first time that I've run the route before a race, so I'm curious to see if it will help or not. I'm thinking it will...but then there's also the problem that I know what hills I have coming, and that's not always fun either. But, I like the route and I'm looking forward to it. Me and my teammates are slightly competitive so of course there will be some friendly competition between us...I'm anxious to see how it all turns out!

After 18 long miles, I went home and got ready as quickly as possible and went to our church to help serve at a lunch. Then as soon as I got home and changed we left to take Jake to the park. Leaving Phil and Jake home alone most of the day = a mess! So I spent the next hour or so after we got home from the park cleaning up. I was very ready to sit down at 7:00! It was a good day, but I was exhausted!

Jake didn't want to take his mittens off to get in the bath (Mema had just given them to him). He's crazy...just like his Daddy, of course.

Jake LOVES trains, so this was pretty exciting...a train just his size!

I just thought this picture was so cute...he looks so little compared to the big steps.

There goes my big boy.

Back to Back Runs

We ran back to back runs yesterday and today (8 and then 7 miles). Justin couldn't join us on Tuesday so we decided to go with him today. Yesterday was great. We had a really good pace and were feeling good. Though it was fun to have the whole team together today, it was a little harder. We still finished and had a decent time. I love running! Saturday we are shooting for 18 long miles...

I read several posts this week about marathon recaps. It's making me so excited (and nervous) for ours!! This one is one of my favorites. I think Becky has only been running for a year. WOW! That is very impressive! Then there's SkinnyRunner. I think she runs a marathon every weekend or something. Okay, not quite...but she's really amazing. Plus her blog is so funny!

No fun pictures of Jake today, but I have some crazy ones coming...diaper only with sunglasses and mittens on. That's my kid! :)

Check out Rae's Road ID giveaway here. I have been told on several occasions that I need one of these so I'm crossing my fingers that I win! :)

Happy Hump Day!

16 Miles and Skyptop Orchard

We did it...we finished 16 miles! It really feels great to even say that. As usual, I struggled through miles 1 and 2 but started feeling pretty good after that. We did the Spinx half marathon route until we got to the horrible hill on McDaniel (my nemesis). Len got my attention and pointed that we were going to turn and skip that hill...I was so excited! That definitely gave me my second wind. I knew we had less than 7 miles to go then and since we were not doing that hill, I was pretty sure I could finish this. It's amazing how mentally weak it makes me thinking of a hill I dread...or how much better I feel knowing we aren't going to do that hill. So thank you, Len (even though I'm pretty sure that turn was for both of us). We stopped briefly at miles 5 and 9 for a quick drink and snack but that was it. I felt better on the last mile than I did on our 15 mile run a couple of weeks ago. I hope training keeps going this well because the thought of doing 10 more miles after we finished this morning was a little overwhelming...but we'll get there.

I just have one minor problem right now...throbbing toes. My Brooks have been letting me down on my last few long runs. I have one toe that is black and blue, and I'm pretty sure the toenail is going to fall off (ouch!). I got new shoes this week but unfortunatetly got blisters the second time I ran in them. I just need to get this figured out before Dec. 11th!

We took Jake to the apple orchard this afternoon. He just loved all the animals and had a great time being outside! I am loving this weather so much. It doesn't get better than 60 degrees and sunny!

I Can't Wait to Run!

It's rest day and I can't wait to run in the morning! I never imagined how much I would love to run. I'm already thinking about what I'm going to do after the marathon! I'm also thinking about these last few weeks...I can't believe it's less than two months until the marathon...yikes!! I still can't believe I'm doing this...

I'm always reading about running, marathon training, exercising, etc...it helps me to learn and keeps me motivated! I read in this article that less than 1% of people run a marathon, but most people can if they just decide to do it and get motivated to train. I am also starting to read about tapering, which is not too far down the road for us!! This is so fun....what will I do in January??

We had our amazing 7 mile run so are hoping to follow up with a great 16 mile run in the morning! We are very excited that our 4th teammate will be joining us tomorrow for the first time! She is training for the half marathon so will be running our last 5-6 miles with us.

So today I "rest"...though hanging with Jake all day isn't always so restful. :) Happy Friday!!

Epic 7 mile run

We were so excited to have the team together for a mid-week run today! It was dark but thankfully Justin had some great reflective gear on as we ran through the dark woods...okay, so maybe it wasn't so helpful, but at least he tried! We started at a pretty good pace but really picked it up after mile 4. We had negative splits for the last 3 miles and ended up with a really great run!

I just love a great run! It really gets my day off to a great start! Now I'm pumped and ready for our 16 mile run Saturday!

Jake loves his new hat that Mema bought him!

13 miles, Falls Park and Great Friends!

I never thought I'd think of 13 miles as a "step back," but that's what we did today after our 15 miles last week. I hadn't finished the Spinx half marathon course yet. The last time I ran it I had a really bad run, so I was incredibly determined this time around!! Not only did I finish, but I beat my last half marathon time by 10 minutes, and I really felt pretty good. Probably not good enough to run that 13 miles again, but hopefully I will by December...baby steps. After the run I was ready to head downtown with my boys. I love our downtown. It's so beautiful!







We walked around Fall for Greenville and then went to the park to give Jake a little freedom from his stroller. He really loved the ducks, birdies, and dogs. We had some great (and much needed!) family time.

He almost jumped out of Phil's arms to get the ducks!

We brought lunch and dinner to different friends who recently had babies. Now it's home to relax a little bit after a fun, busy day!

Marathon training continues...

I followed up our 15 mile run Saturday with a great workout on Sunday afternoon and then rested on Monday. A couple of weeks ago I decided to add an extra rest day (thank you, Hal, for the suggestion) during the week. It was such a great idea! I always rested on Fridays but decided to rest on Monday as well. I definitely think that it's a great idea while I'm increasing mileage. I guess Hal knows what he's talking about! :)

I ran 7 miles with Len Tuesday. Neither of us were wanting to get up and run in the cold and dark but afterwards (as always) we were very glad we did! It just reminded me why I love to run so very much! It just makes the day so much better. Plus it's great to know your workout is done for the day and then you can enjoy a big cup of coffee! (This time from Starbucks instead of my favorite Dunkin Donuts...I was so close to Katie so I had to stop in and say hey and get some coffee!)

Today was a strength training workout and then 4 miles tomorrow before resting on Friday. Saturday I think we plan to run the Spinx Half Marathon course that we'll be running the end of the month. I have finished just over 11 miles of this course but haven't done the last two miles. I hear they are tough, but I'm determined to get through it!

Happy Wednesday!

Longest Run EVER!

I am so excited that we finally finished our goal today. I haven't been able to do what was planned the last couple of weeks so I was very determined today. It was nice and cool out, so that started things off right. We ran the Swamp Rabbit Trail from Travelers Rest to Greenville. I had been on parts of it but hadn't run the whole thing before. It was really great, though just a tad dark. I suggested one of the guys needs to wear a blinking light but didn't have any takers. Anyway, we finished 15 miles...and in good time too! It was amazing. I haven't ever run that far before so I was very happy to finish! We stopped just once at mile 9 for a quick break and some energy.

The weekend is off to a great start! Tonight I have Girl's Night Out with an amazing and incredibly fun group of gals, so I am really looking forward to that. We aren't heading out until late (11ish - what??) so I plan to try to take a nap while Jake does (since I was also up at 4:45 a.m.). That and some caffeine should have me well prepared for our fun times tonight! Speaking of those girls, here we are over 10 years ago...scary, I know. 10 years and many kids later and we still like hanging out! :) Unfortunately we all can't be there, but most of us will be.