Rained Out

Unbelievable how the weather can change and I think, Im all Hard Core and all.  Im not. What a wimp I am!  2 days ago I was running in shorts and short sleeves. Today it's cold rain and snow.  Together with a pounding headache, the combination is keeping me inside at the moment.  No worries, I have Hockey this afternoon :)

Hills Workout

I am still doing some running with the Cross Country team and I am so hoping they can keep me going!  LOL yesterday I had them run some hill repeats and then I ran them as well. I never would have done that without their presence; still in "rest" mode and doing some easy running.  7 Repeats in the park of a hill that IMO is not quite long enough ;) but makes up for it in steep.  4.25 km 37 minutes or so (includes rests) on an unseasonably warm 21 C day with like 99% humidity!  LOL Nice :)

Celebrate the Full

Ive been checking things out to quietly celebrate my little full marathon accomplishment. I mean, besides getting a Tattoo. What can I wear?  LOL
There are a few sites out there that make some custom Jewelry that celebrates these little accomplishments and one of my favorite blogs to read is doing a giveaway for these Anne Franklin Designs charms LOL which I would like to win since so few of the giveaways are availabe in this foreign country of ours (yeah, Canada. Might as well be botswana)
Go read Shut Up and Run and check out the giveaway while you are there! But don't go winning my charm. That's mine ;)

Cross Country Season

The season has officially ended.  I cannot believe it's over.  I was so scared when it started; I didn't feel worthy of coaching these kids and I was concerned I would not do them justice in our running.

Turned out the training was the easy part. The paper work was rediculous. Im going to miss the training like mad!  But I will not miss all that paperwork! Hahaha it's not done now, I have a few loose ends to tie up, but mostly it's done. 

Im going to MISS those kids!  What a close bunch of friends they are!  And they are SO sweet to me!

Yesterday was Provincials.  3 of our teams qualified to go; Intermediate and Senior Girls, Senior Boys. Our one Intermediate Boy qualified as an Independent runner at Regionals.  We took 28 kids and went off to Provincials.

The team was awfully nervous but they did the hard work and the hard training days and the long training runs in the cold rain and they deserved to be at Provincials, running with the best in the province :)

There were a lot of runners there; almost 700 for 6 divisions.  We had no junior runners so we watched and cheered for our local school.  Then the Intermediate girls ran :)

And they all did really well!  Scores were pretty close in team places 3-8.  We have some fast runners and many good runners :) and finished with a 6ths place finish and a team 8th :)  It was a decent start.

Intermediate boys; our boy was in 8th place (out of over 100) through half way but had an injury and finished (yes finished!) 22nd.  AMAZING. :) He limped out of the finish chute and iced right away and is better today :)

Senior Girls did really well!  Our top runner was 2nd with an amazing time and we had 2 more runners on her heels putting us in a good position; then there was a gap between our 3rd and our 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th runners....our tough point.  However our score was good enough to get the girls a 3rd place team finish and Bronze medals!  A total success! :):):) And only 2 points out of silver medals; margins are so close with that sort of competition but considering the large point values, 2 points is nothing!  Pass 2 more people....ugh but I was not sure what to expect and was THRILLED for the girls and their placings!  Everyone was so excited :)

Senior boys were up with a good chance of a win from our top boy :) He did not let us down, coming in with a strong first place.  He was quickly followed by 3 more of his teammates with the others close behind and amazingly (and somewhat unexpectedly) those boys took home silver medals!  :):):)

An amazing placing for our teams and a great end to a successful season.  I am so glad I did not hurt their chances of success LOL  And I already cannot wait until next year! I bet some of these runners will run through the winter with me.

I didn't expect to enjoy this so much!  Beyond the stress it was just FUN and exciting to be with runners and give advice that often challenged my knowledge as they had aches and pains I could not explain LOL  Cannot imagine how much Im going to miss seeing these kids all week LOL

Really Fast Run

Tonight I had about 40 minutes to run and wanted to fit in 4 miles so I had to be pretty quick for me; not much of a warm up ;) just a lot of bouncing around while the Garmin was thinking about finding a signal LOL then off I went up the road for a really fast 4 miles in 37:30 minutes. :):) a little yoga to cool off and that was taken care of :):):)

Busy just being Active :)

It can be so hard to make sure we get Active into our busy lifestyles. I would like to say it is a priority, but some days it just is not.  It's been a super busy week with work and Cross Country and kids hockey and swimming and just stuff!  Ugh.  We get in what we can but again, without that urgent goal, it sure is easy to let some things go, like the runs and other activities. 

We have to be selfish if we want anything of our own.  Some times that is ok; we are all better if we do something for ourselves and our health.  There are some with inactive lifestyles that disagree and they give more grief than anyone else, of course.  Im not sure if it matters if I am spending some times running, biking, or reading a book; why do people mock the activities or ask if I feel bad taking soooo much time away from my kids?  Why would I even bother justifying?  Im not, that's why.

Anyway Saturday was Incredibly busy starting with hockey at 7 am for Holly and I in different rinks ;) I then showered and went off with Taylor on a favor and then some shopping, trying to find her clothes for a wedding....did not succeed; then off to Annika's hockey X 2, wedding, reception, 4H Banquet, reception, bed.  UGH.

But Sunday was better; 8.4 km run, hockey in the afternoon, a walk later to take photos of the kids.  It was good and somewhat relaxing :)

Times are only getting busier but that makes me appreciate the time I get out running even more. It's a good thing.

Im Back!

But without a program and a goal Im kind of uncommitted.  Feeling better especially after the massage; I do not believe in miracles but that massage did wonders!  LOLI felt great Tuesday night and by Wednesday was back to normal.  IF I had not had such a long long day at work I would have run on Wednesday.

So we get to Thursday (When I started this post).  I went to work pretty early and saw a coworker, passed stuff out to a class, and then went for a run :) It was sunny and not too cold and perfect weather (yeah still windy; its been a few weeks SIGH) :)  Had an easy 6.4 km in about 41 minutes so I did not waste too much time before getting back to work.  Showered and put in a day at work and CC practice :) 

i figure but for a bit of sleep the recovery from marathon is going well :):):)

Prince Edward Island Marathon

My First Marathon.  Ever. The only first marathon I will ever have.  SIGH. 

They say you only get a First Time once.  After that it's just AGAIN so you have to make that first time count. I doubt they meant Marathons, but it's the same sentiment. 

I trained, I tapered, I ran, I rested.  I did what the program said and what friends who know said.  And I doubted.  I didn't trust.  And I was proven somewhat wrong. 

Because the marathon was just fine. 

We made it to PEI Saturday afternoon, after a nice rainy drive and no sleep LOL.  we went to the Expo which was not very big.  Picked up my race kit, looked at the few booths and very little Loot left, and bought an 'IRUNLIKEAGIRL" hooded long sleeve shirt.

Hopped over to the mall where we got some dollar store rain capes. That was the extent of my shopping ;)

 Then we went to the hotel to check in.  My stomach may have been a bit sensitive but I thought there were an awful lot of weird smells on the way to our room.  i mean really, the hotel shows the new section across the street but our room? In the old section. it smelled funny. The room appeared mostly clean, so suck it up.

checked in, and then met friends Dawn, Lori, Catherine, and Drea.  Drea was the driver for the 3 ladies running the half marathon; 2 of them for the first time. Dawn was aiming to break 2 hours.

We did not have any reservations (ooops) so we were kind of searching for food.  There were waits at a lot of places, and we ended up at the Claddagh Oyster House which has actually been featured on Regis and Kelly (this past summer they were in PEI?). 

I had a little trouble finding something on the menu that appealed to my squeamy stomach. Terribly nervous and jumpy.  And everyone says you should not try something new before a race.  Everything on that menu included something new.  What I ended up picking was Haddock (I like haddock) that came with some sort of cornmeal concoction (I like Cornmeal) but corn can play havoc on my digestive tract; anyway I had it (and little pieces of bread yum with cranberry something butter.....) and it was tastey and then we had Bailey's Cheesecake and Warm Brownies with ice cream for dessert and went to the hotel. The hot tub was not working SIGH but Sleep came easily.  I didnt get any of my clothes or anything ready; I was waiting to see what the weather would be like in the morning. 

The weather tried it's best to ruin my day.  I actually stopped checking the weather Friday (ok not completely) because it just got worse and worse.  Or at least no better.  Ugh rain, wind, chill, beachfront run, early.  It was a forecast for disaster. I actually do not mind runnin

g in the rain so much, although Im not fond of being cold. But I hate the wind. It is exhausting. And I despise running in rain that is blown sideways by wind.  Which is just what we got. 

I ended up picking the layers option since I knew I could change when Scott met me along the way if I needed to.  I wore a new tank top (yes new) along with my new CEC running shirt (again, new) covered with my running coat and capris (not new).  Got the new belt loaded with Tylenol, Oatmeal Bar, and Gu Chomps.  Attached my number.  With my name on it LOL  I didnt really get any photos of that.  Unfortunate.

We took some instant oatmeal and a kettle, so had some breakfast in the room and Tim's coffee.  The coffee and those 2 cups of water I had as much as I could before the run sure did come back to visit me later. 
I put on my 2 shirts then put the Ipod armband over that; then put on my coat.  Over the shirts i had my new belt with bars and number attached. It was also under my coat and was very light weight; could barely feel it.

We left the hotel about 45 minutes before the run was due to start at 8.  The garmin was charged and located satellites.  The Ipod was loaded with good music. I was doing all I could to be ready :):)

But the weather was terrible! LOL  All I could think was THIS is my first marathon?  This wind, with rain, was where I was going to have to test my ability to run that distance?  Doubt was overwhelming. 

When we arrived at the race start about 25 minutes before the start, the rain was falling heavy and sideways due to the wind. We sat in the car for a few minutes while the buses landed and the wind battered the car around.  Waiting for the buses = FAIL.  The bathroom lines got very very long very fast. Big mistake on my part to not attempt to beat them but I was thinking of other things like the way the wind was blowing and OMG what was I doing there? Who was I fooling? lol

So I got into the bathroom line and Groused out some old lady who tried to butt in line in front after I had been standing there for 10 minutes I was so pissed!  I was struggling to keep my rain cape from blowing around my face and I was cold and shivering and my feet were already wet and she was like 2 people up, "maybe I will just hop in here to line up?" I said Line starts back there; thumbing some 30 people back.  She was like "well Ive been standing here for a few minutes and I could not tell if you got here before me.  I looked at the line up way behind me and was like....this line has been waiting for a long time. She ended up butting in front of a few people behind me.  I dont want to be rude but I am starting the same race as she was, and why should I wait in a wet line when she just wanders in?

The bathroom cleaned out really fast all of a sudden and I was like....welllll if I miss the start, I will just start by myself ;) I still need to pee!  I like to go 3 times before I get into a long run. It's a habit. and I did have a 2 cups of water and a cup of coffee this morning then a long drive to the start....but what I should have done was get into line instead of sitting in the warm car, for those 5 minutes LOL. 

Finished in the bathrooms and went out to the start which was NOT going without me. I had time to wander down, get into line somewhere behind the 4:30 pace bunny, chat to people, saw someone from Truro I occassionally see at races (I think this was her first as well) and although we could not hear what was going on at the front, we did hear the start and moved towards the line. 

Crossed the start line pretty fast; there were only 270 some people in the run I think I heard?  I think we were about 30 seconds out.

The wind was brutal. But it was mostly from one side and behind.  IT was strong and gusty; my foot kept blowing in front of the other (Im sure that sounds dumb lol) but I am sure it could have been worse. It kept blowing under my coat and I was pretty soaked and chilled from the start. If I so much as slowed down I was cold.  If I kept going I  was warmer.  Soaked right through.I had on 3 layers of shirt; way more than I have had since last March.  I kept hoping to get to shed one but it was way too wet and cold.  Shirt tights were wet.  Not so big a deal until you have to deal with a porta potty.  Then imagine soaking pants and unders and 3 shirts and a coat all tangled together and see if you can do that quickly. SIGH. 

Running along was pretty funny; a fellow stopped within 5 minutes and peed beside the road. JEALOUS me, wishing to be a man for how easy it was.  There were a lot of people running in rain coats and capes; the wind was way too much and I had left mine behind. Im sure most of those people were equally wet, the way the wind was blowing.  This woman had a garbage bag on and she kept having to pull it down out of her face.  It would blow right over her head and she would struggle to pull it down; She had no arm holes so she was running inside of it.  As I passed her I saw her bag blow up again and she was hugging a water bottle to her chest and she was so bundled up; I cannot imagine running for hours that way.

Pace was really good, I kept thinking "good job, going slow, slow down a little more, no rush" and I would check my watch and see I was going 6 minute km and often less. It did not feel as tho it was too fast but I did take it super easy which Im sure paid off later. The road along the beaches was so flat with only a few rises or sometimes bridges over water ways.  It wasnt hard to make an even pace.

I talked to a few people and listened to the waves from the ocean which was REALLY high surf. Hard to tell what was waves and what was wind.  We were beside the ocean a lot; the trees we ran near did not sheild the wind.  Tonnes of people were running their first marathon too.  I ran with one guy from Fall River who was running his first; he is a salesman and travels for work.  We talked running and PEI and other stuff for awhile.  Mostly people were struggling with the wind too much to be chatty.

Passed Scott missed another photo opportunity. Somehow while taking photos of others he missed my start too.  There  I go; The red coat fellow is Fall River Dude. 

Still following the 4:30 pace bunny but within 4 miles I wanted a bathroom. The first one, was way off the road!  It was around a corner and across a parking lot. I should have reconsidered; I maybe could have waited. I didnt trust LOL wasted some time there, struggling with wet clothing.  Felt better.  Lost the pace bunny and Fall River Dude.

Had a combination of water and gatorades at the aid stations. I carry no water along so took advantage of most water stops.  I wonder why I had to pee again before 7 miles had passed LOL.  This time it was a lone portapotty SIGH and there were others waiting but I really had to go. IT was even harder to manage the pants and stuff this time, so cold and wet and my gloved hands were clumsy.  Still, felt better. I figure I lost a good 5 minutes to portapotties SIGH.  But this was the last time I had to stop.  3 times is the charm ;)

I guess about 12 km in I passed Scott again and maybe at this point requested a banana ;) I think I had had half a bar by now (around 10) as well as my tylenol (dry) but it was too hard to mess with the belt and went clothing/jacket so I took my food from Scott.  It got a little funny with people commenting on my husband popping up with arm loads of stuff to figure out what I wanted this time. I almost always requested something different for next time ;)

Things get a little confusing after the monotony sets in.  LOL Pace was still steady aroun 6:10 now, which was about goal at this time.  The 4:30 pace bunny had people dropping off like flies; she went out fast and was not consistent and alot of people felt the fast pace at the start lead to their slower pace later. She did finish in 4:32 but had lost groups by then who could not keep her pace up.  I had a feeling my pace would be slower later.  I counted on it.

after awhile we left the ocean behind and went onto roads with woods and houses on both sides, This change of direction meant the wind was now from the side and occassionally blustered us sideways but settled down a little bit away from the open ocean.  Rain was steady.  This road was a little more rolling hills (small ones) with more ups than downs but they were insignificant and made it interesting.

At about half way (21 km, 2:18 ish) we turned off the main road and onto Trans Canada Trail.  These are old railways that are pulled out and made into walking trails. Very unchallenging. VERY muddy.  It was slightly uphill in places, more than downhill but it's subtle and only really able to tell by pace.  Of course through here pace slowed a little.  But I was passing people as well :) There was one fellow who I would pass, then he would pass me, and walk while I passed him; I called him man in blue but I see he was Wayne from Denver Colorado. Wonder what he was doing in PEI? lol  I actually passed a lot of people on the trail; It was very good for moral.  LOL  People were struggling.  As we crossed roads I saw Scott again; he delivered some stuff for me.  Tylenol, snacks.  I also decided to try some Poweraid Gel (chocolate) as a diversion. It likely took me an hour to eat it all but it was interesting and distracting by times LOL.  It didnt taste bad.

The trail was a different direction; now the wind was hitting head on. LOVE it.

On the trail my hip did start to ache a little but there was not the annoying pain of last week; it was more of a dull ache.  Hip Flexors started to ache shortly after so Im sure it was a lot of just tired and overuse. No noise from the knee, ankles. 

32 km at about 3:30.  this was uncharted territory which in the past did not go all that well :):)  Remembering the St John Celebration of Greenspace run; the last 6 km then were pretty awful.  Different course, different weather, different preparation.

I came across Fall River Dude again late on the trail. He looked good...but slowed down a bit....

Eventually the trail did end and we got back on the road.  That is where the real hills started. The roads were for much of the way closed which was nice; on some of the unclosed roads the cars drove awfully close to us :(

Just before the hills I saw Scott for the last time.  Had a piece of bagel LOL.  Then down Sherwood and up a big ol hill. Once back on the roads, pace picked up again.  Was able to get to under 6 minute kms again :) Guess just needed some rest on the trails?  :):):) 

There were 3 big hills on the way back into downtown.  The first wasn't bad, about 6 km out and there was a downhill first. ran up that, turned onto the road that leads to down town.  Lots of cars in places :) The police did a great job of holding back intersections for us :) Passed a couple of people on the hill; Gotta remember hills are your friend. 

Next hill leading up to the malls. Figured this could be the last place for a walk so did a little walk there on the hill.  Hip playing up a lot now but still ok. My feet were tired :) About that spot I noticed the rain had kind of slowed to a sprinkle. 4 hours of rain. Nice. SO cold.  And clothing So heavy :)

Only one more up hill now and it was to the college.  I ran the last hill and passed another person :):):) Now all downhill to the finish.  There were about 2-3 km left.  And at no point did I think this was not going to go well.  Really I spent most of the time wondering if I could up the pace or should I just take it easy :)

Those last km were long LOL Im glad I did not have to go further since I really pushed the end a little bit :) But the end was in sight and it didnt matter now what was behind :)  I ran into the chute and heard them announce my name and then I was over the time matt and it was finished.  That was sort of surprising. What, that's it?  LOL  Someone wrapped a space blanket around my shoulders and asked if I was ok which I was.  I walked through the last bit and there were people with medals but no one gave me one ;) I did not stop; there were medals on the table and I saw the guy in front of me take one so I did. I dont even know if I have the right one; it does say Marathon so whatever ;)  The chute emptied right into the area with food and water and I seriously had to nudge around a really fat woman with a cane dressed in normal clothes and her 2 fat children who also did not run, but rather ran from food to food grabbing all they could and were picking up food and tossing it back into the bins. I was almost bowled over by one of them; Seriously? Get out of my way.  Before I fall over.  I grabbed some food and left the area.  And that was it. Marathon over. What an anticlimax.  Scott snapped a photo but did not get many.  And he parked at the hotel so we walked from the end of the race to the hotel.  Still raining.  Got a little cold. LOL

At the hotel room I stripped off the very wet nasty (and somewhat snotty) clothes and had a hot bath to get warm.  Packed up the room and left.  There was no rest LOL.  We had a late check out but didn't stay until the end.  We were out pretty fast and into the car.  Other than coffee and pee stops we went straight back to Truro and to the hockey rink where the girls were playing.  It was great that we got back in time to see it although Im not sure sitting in the cold was the best; I still think it was likely better than being too still and getting more sore. Cannot really say I had stretched by this time; legs were really sore from top to bottom and hips were raging.

Anyway so that's that.  It's over LOL.  Day after was not bad although I did not love stairs and sleeping was hard because rolling over woke me up. Day 2 was not worse; had a massage and Day 3 has been pretty much normal. There are no lasting effects evident; tomorrow I am going to run a short easy run.  For all the build up and worry, it's just...over.   LOL I kind of expected the "after marathon blues" but luckily it's been so busy the last few days, who has time to induldge.  Next up: Triathlon?  And another marathon next year, for sure. LOLOL

It's Over

220/265
1027
Teri-Lynn Masters
Truro NS CA
F 33/40
F3039
4:38:49 Gun Time
4:38:17 Chip Time
6:38  Per Km Pace

Despite hurting a LOT and the challenges of the weather, I have to say the conclusion is: Not as bad as I thought.  I never felt like I wouldnt make it, not at any point.  The problems I had imagined never really happened, including the hip that plays up all the time (it REALLY hurts right now; Tylenol is my buddy).
Report to follow :)

It's the day Before Tomorrow.

The last run has been logged.  It was nice.  A good test of the weather; chilly and damp but I was hot and sweaty :) good :) 
The resting? Not going so well. Hydrating? Not great.  After the run I showered and scooted into town to watch my Cougars running a 5 K.  The senior girls were 1 and 2, Intermediate was 3rd, and our lone fellow...well I am not sure where he placed for his age group but I was VERY proud of them all :)

now I am last minute packing and checking lists to make sure I have everything; its nerve wracking.  There is nothing I can do now, it's time for the run.

Off Program lol

I cannot stay on even during the last week; Im all over the place!  Monday's rest became a run, Tuesday a run, Wednesday was a rest, Thursday's rest is now a 6.4 km.  Tomorrow rest and Saturday a short "stretch" run. Marathon Sunday. SIGH.

Its been very stressful here; Im a little preoccupied with the run and I cannot think of much else.  The Cross Country team did well at Regionals and most made it to Provincials.  Running is really taking up a lot of time and effort right now.  The kids have their sports beginning and getting busy; hockey evaluations this week.  Its a really busy time.  Conflicts over what is important and who has to compromise are making things stressfull, and making me wonder if success in this marathon is even possible. Many a tear has been shed over the stress. 

I keep reminding myself one way or another, it's going to be over.  5 days, 4 days, 3 days.  Im not sure how things are going to be afterwards; I hear about the let down, depression, wonder how one keeps on going, how long before jumping into new goals...and some lasting stress over the conflicts. But things are busy, which will certainly make it necessary to just keep on going. 

The weather forecast went back to crappy today :( 90% chance of lots of rain and high winds with a lower temperature. What to pack? What to wear? Change part way?  Will I even have someone to carry dry stuff?

With the crappy weather tomorrow It will be a good thing that it is rest day LOL.

Obsessing about the Weather Forecast

Even tho I am fairly aware that the weather is a changing beast and it will change again before the weekend, I cannot help checking it every couple of hours just to see if it got better.
This morning it got worse.  You would think this would convince me to stop looknig but it wont.

Light Rain
80% chance
14C
Winds 25 km/h
Rain less than 5 mm.

At least it isnt like Monday and Tuesday which now say less than 1 cm of SNOW. Im not sure when that's coming since the temps are like 7-11 C which is not freezing but anyway, so far no snow forecast for Sunday. SIGH there's that positive attitude!

Weather Watch Tuesday

60% chance of rain
11 C
Winds 30 km/h
2-4 mm rain

Im not convinced this is an improvement!

Putting in the miles

Im not sure how much value any of the runs I do this week has...Im not sure how much switching up the days will hurt me; Im not sure how to taper properly.

Did a 6.4 km tempo ish run today and it was nice; pace was good, it was interesting :) 39:10 minutes so a fairly good pace. 
Ive been thinking a lot about the way I compensate for things that hurt, and then something else starts to hurt.  Thinking of the uncomfortable feeling in my knee last couple of runs, I switched up the way I put my foot down, and the pain went away.  I had been getting a sore spot on the ball of my foot so to ease that, Ive been underpronating.  and that's been hurting my knee.  I ignored the sore foot and put my foot down flatter and of course knee felt fine after that.  I might have to get something to ease the blister that I am sure will form where my foot rubs, but that's a small thing if my knee doesnt give out. 

I need to concentrate on keeping my form correct before it causes injury!

Likely not going to get a run in tomorrow; Cross country has regionals and it's going to be a long long day! 

Nice trail run and Taper Freaking

Had a nice run with the cross country team today; keeners came out on a Holiday since we had a holiday and an important meet this week.  It was good weather for running (but not for sitting around) and the trail, although tough, is getting really familiar now!  LOL  HILLS!  Sheesh.  7 km, 43:14.

Been reading too much!  Do I need a strategy?  Should I be packing already? What do I need to buy?  I must need to buy something!  Ive not picked a shirt yet, I dont know what to wear on top of what, where my gloves are, what food I need, what to carry, what to put on my Ipod list, what to take off, when to charge the Garmin, bring the charger, did I mention Ive no shirt yet? Everything chafes....will it be too cold? Warm??

And JEEZ the weather forecast SUCKS.  I cannot imagine running for 5 hours in the freaking RAIN!   But that is the current forecast, solid all day, rain.

90% chance of rain
5-10 mm
40 km/hour winds (ugly)
13 C temps...might be ok but for the 5 hours in the rain SIGH.

This does not thrill me and still leaves me wondering what on earth I should pack and when I should pack it since Im still kind of using a lot of stuff including my bag.

I need a plan!  And I feel like it's too busy and too late to make one.

Freaking is an understatement.  It's likely better not to actually approach me this week, especially if you want something.

No More Long Runs

Fall colours are certainly making themselves evident here these days!  :) The park is lovely and the flowers in my yard are still happy :)

On Saturday I did a scheduled 16 km run and it's the last long run befor the Marathon.  I was thinking I should keep up a 15 to 20 km long run once the marathon is over.  Without motivation, how does one do that? lol
It wasnt bad, but a couple of things concern me.
I was tired. Im still tired.  I think I might be working off a teensy cold, but more annoying, Scott brought me lilies which sounds very very nice, a great big vase full of my fav flowers in my fav colours.

Unfortunately for me, these Flowers have made me quite miserable. If I am in the house I am stuffy and sneezy and itchy SIGH.  Im just waiting around for them to DIE :)
I've some aches and pains Im not loving :) I have pain in the OUTSIDE of my hip now (not inside where it's always been) and it runs down to my knee.  SIGH.  I only have to get throught this one week and then I can rest.

im counting on the taper to cure everything.  Im not completely confident that will happen.

Ive started the weather watch; I think it is supposed to rain next Sunday.  BRR.  October and Rain is really unpleasant.  But I hate wind more; I hate running in the wind and the wind has been blowing for weeks!  NS is in it's windy season now.  Not that the wind ever stops blowing here.

Anyway off to run now, got a Cross Country practice at the park and I have a little run to get in as well :):)

How much is too much?

I hear over and over that one of the biggest mistakes people make is doing too much during their taper.  it's so hard to set back after months of go go go.  and I can see where that would be so.
When does the taper start?  Because Ive not really done any less yet.  Im following the training plan still, and I ran 57 km this week (counting long run).  So does the taper start this weekend?  Run less next week?

Some of my workouts were pretty strenuous too; still running with the Cross Country team and on their hard workout days I run with them.  Today we did hills in the park on their course for Regionals; VERY hilly.  So a total of about 8 long hills and 9 km of rolling trails.  Next week they are going to be racing on those hills and I hope by that time the hills are so familiar they are nothing.

9 km, 1 hour (counting time I stopped to talk to kids and dragging my own 2 kids around the first 2.5 km.  Maggie joined me on the entire run and she was SO good. we met a couple of other dogs and she barely gave them a glance. It was good of her. 

16 km tomorrow? Or Sunday. It's supposed to be tomorrow.

Lately of course all I can think about is the upcoming Marathon. it's all consuming. I can't do THIS, I have a marathon. I have to do that, because I have a Marathon. Don't ask me to think too much about something else, I have a marathon.  LOL only someone who has done something big can really understand.  And Im sure anything this big is the same; it's just really a big thing ;) And Im pretty sure most people don't understand how big.  Because to most people I know, runners are crazy and marathons happen every day. I dunno, it's big for me.

Another 10 km

I had hoped to go further today but I really should be happy that I got out at all with the rain and the wind. OMG wind LOL.  It was around 60 km and gusty.  Fun.  But the sun came out and I did get out of work in time to get in 10 km before the team showed at the park :)  10 km 1:00:54 good time for that wind. I wore my new One Tooth shirt and it was stretchy and comfortable but way hot and I took it off after a km.  Put it back on at the park - really cold in that wind and I was soaking wet.  Nice :)
easy run for the team today after their race yesterday where they kicked it nicely! :) fun fun!

I have core to do yet tonight since we didnt do it at the park; cold and windy :) Hills tomorrow :) supposed to be a rest day but Im going to do the hills with the team.

Park Running Again

Today was supposed to be a 6 km tempo run but I know Im not going to have time to run tomorrow so I thought run a little longer today and a lot longer on Thursday :) no run on Friday :)  Long run on Saturday :) I went to the park and ran hill after hill...I ran the loops the kids are running for Regionals next week and there are an awful lot of hills! UGH!  its really hard.  I think hills are your friend; I think they are also very hard lol

anyway I did 10 km total in the park on hill after hill....1:06: something...includes wandering a few times lost lol I think I climbed every major hill at least once lol.  6.3 km before the team arrived and 3.7 after meeting with them.

Tomorrow is the meet in St FX...will run again on Thursday.  Unless things work out ok for tomorrow which I do not believe they will. :):):)

Park was beautiful by the way. Fall really does make for awesome running no matter how terrible Winter following along is. Ask me how awesome it is when its 10 C this weeknd and Ive a little long run to do. SIGH long sleeves? LOL

Long Run Accomplished

Marathon in 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS!  OMGOMGOMGOMG

I really did not think the long run would happen; I was sure that I was too "set up" for a total fail yesterday on the long run. So imagine my surprise when it went off without much of a hitch. 

I usually plan these things better but I was so sure I was only going to get through a little bit of the long run, I didnt bother to check any distances. Because of that, I ended up kind of wandering around at the end to get the km in. 

Started out with difficulty in getting the kids to Drama and looked after; it can be so tricky getting these kids dropped off and picked up when one parent is consumed elsewhere.  There was no way I could do it all. Scott managed and I got the couple of hours I needed.  I dropped off the book ends at Drama and Holly at the Pro Show and off I went.

I loved the trail we ran last week and it wont be this pretty for long so I decided to run it again. Guess what? It's just as hilly the second time as it was the first time. LOL  I ran out; rolling hills tending upwards the whole way out pretty much to the trail part then it flattened slightly. I ran to the power lines past the trail (Think woodsy road) and then turned around and ran back. Rather than turning back to the Chalet's I kept straight after the covered Bridge (Im telling ya, this trail is pretty) and went through some very nice wood road and only met 3 very large trucks (On a Sunday morning? In the woods? REALLY? LOL)  and this had a steeper grade to it so the downhill portion was a little shorter.  No worries. I think this part was a little shorter (not sure how that could be) and I ended up back at the main road with over 9 km left to go. Had half an oatmeal bar and I headed right towards the bay corner which came too soon, so I kept going to the water hole where I could refill my water bottle (thirsty by now) then ran the trail back to the church...STILL SHORT so I ran back and past the inlaws house (where my car was) and back again until I was about nuts...I hate it when Im tired and have to run around to make up a completely random distance like 23 km LOL.  But it's too easy to give in and say 21.5 was close enough; I need to make myself finish those last little km. Which I did in 2:33:27 which isnt bad for the hills and the time I had to stop and fix the Garmin because it had filled it's lap memory and would not stop beeping at me UGH.

Now for the worries...if Im this sore and aching at 21 km (half way) how am I going to do 42?  Shouldnt I be feeling better by now?  When I was doing 29 and 32 with Margie I was feeling great at the ends of these distances. Last 2 long runs, Ive been aching to the point of pain, sore in left knee, right hip; Im think that's a lot of Ibuprofen for the run LOL

How many people take Ibuprofen during their Marathon?  before? Right after?

I feel that considering how bad the days before this long run went, it was likely pretty good. But its those aches that are making me nervous.
With the taper on me, Im starting to wonder if I did enough. It's too late now to fix anything :( What if I should have done another long run? or 3, Ive been told I am not ready for the marathon if I have not done the longest distance 5 times; WHY do people have to make me so nervous?  Don't tell me NOW that Ive done it all wrong? That's opinion anyway.  SIGH.  I followed my plan and that's where Im at.  LOL  Longest of the long runs are behind me and it's rest time now.

Hardest thing from now til then might be fonding a hotel.

Scheduling Difficulties

I now think I am scheduling madness into my schedule!  It cannot take another freaking thing!  Good lord, there just are not enough hours or coffee in this world!  We need a 4 day work week and a 3 day weekend!

Thursday's Intervals with the Cross Country team went really well :) although not to plan; I ran Thursday morning near home (8.4km) and while I was running I had formulated this plan; they should try to hit their race pace (estimated from their race time) and then they would, while learning to recognise that pace, they would take each half km interval a couple of seconds faster than race pace. 

They didnt really know what their race pace felt like.

Their first half km interval was about a minute faster than race pace, on average.  LOL So Im like....slow down on the next one.  And they were....barely slower. So I am like reconsidering the drill and attempt to get to slow down and recognise race pace before they could possiby run intervals at that race pace. LOL 

It did accent the important lesson of running with other people in a crowd; sometimes you can get carried away by the pace, trying to keep up, adrenaline kicks in. A lot of them recognised that in the last race; in the crowd they got carried away and set off way too fast at a pace they could not maintain for long enough and ended up being slower.  :(  Because of that we couldnt get this drill quite right. 

finished 6 half km intervals in plus a half km warm up in about 19:30, finishing the day with 12 km.

Friday I had intended to run hills with the team but forgot my sneakers DUH.  No time other than that really, with work and Pro Show weekend on us; that was that. :(

So Saturday I got out for a 5 km run really quickly (read: stressed!) while trying to get the kids off to Pro Show on time; kinda didnt work out that great LOL

Now it's Sunday morning; Ive not had a real meal in 2 days, Ive been on my feet most of those 2 days and not sleeping well; and Ive a 23 km run on the schedule this morning.  I realise I need to be flexible with my training and maybe this isnt set up for the best run ever :( But if I dont go now, When will I get this run in?  Work tomorrow, Busy week ahead again; It just isnt going to happen if I dont do it today :(  Im set up now for failure.  And mentally freaking myself out too....just thinking things like "set up for failure" kind of seals my fate :(  Im thinking if I just plan a couple of loops , then at the end of any loop I can call it off and go home. Ive not had many DNF training runs SIGH.  I wonder if it's even sensible.