Giving Thanks

It has been awhile since I have been on here to write. It is the same with my runs so far. I took about a week off and since then I have been inconsistent with my runs. I have truly found myself to be a goal oriented person, in that I need to have a running schedule that I feel I have to be accountable for. I have talked with my friend about this and if there is no training schedule or race to gear up for then I don't feel like I have to do the runs.

This past two weeks have truly been a blur as well. I got engaged on this past Sunday and then I was in a wedding this week so to say the least I have been kept busy with other things. I have been thinking about how it is nice to share some good news with people. I feel as if I have had just bad news recently and it is a nice change to share in some happiness.

So I feel like I need to give my thanks to some people. I want to thank my parents for driving all the way to Lake Placid and supporting me along the way. I know that all the walking wasn't exactly what my Dad wanted to be doing right before a knee replacement but he did it without complaining and really being a trooper. It meant a lot for my parents to see my successfully complete my first marathon. I can remember that my Mom said if you run a marathon we'll be there. We'll they did just that and I am thankful for parents who support whatever it is I want to do.

Next on the list is Jason. Just saying thank you doesn't cut it. He is my rock and always helped to calm me down and conquer whatever task that lies ahead of me. I can not think of a better person to help support me through this journey. He did everything from ride a bike with me as I'm training to telling me I can do this on a daily basis. I know this is something that I will remember for a lifetime and the moments that stick out to me have Jason involved in either helping me or cheering me on. He really was my partner in crime on this one. I hope he understands and knows just how much it meant to me in having him by my side through this whole process.

The rest of my family and friends also need to be recognized. I got so many calls/texts before and after the race that really helped me to understand just how many people where thinking of me as I ran or cared about how I did. I loved the support and it really made me feel as if I had something to run for. From my sister to Jason's family, or even my co-workers really helped to make me feel as if I accomplished something big. So a huge thanks for all the love, support, notes, messages, and thoughts throughout the whole process.

I'll keep you updated on the next race. There has to be another one it is just a matter of it is this year or next and if I will be running a 1/2 or a full. Many thanks!!!

Play by play

My trip out to Lake Placid was great. Jason and I left on Friday after he was done with work and drove to Erie, PA. We got in at night no problem. We woke up on Saturday and got on the road. While on the road we discovered a crack in the windshield. It definitely wasn't there the night before so I now have the task of replacing my windshield. We were making good time and then we started in on the last road. It was up and down the whole way. Very picture-ess. We got checked in to our hotel which had absolutely no parking in it. It was a zoo. People were sitting in their truck beds drinking beer, or just guarding their spots. It was kinda weird. We did find out that there was a fireman parade that night on Main St. Jason did find a place across the road. So we walked down this giant hill and made our way to Main St. I got checked in for the marathon

and Mom and Dad met us there while we walked the town a little bit to get a feel for the area. We had dinner at this cute little Italian place on the main strip. Everyone but me got to have some yummy wine :( It looked really good but I had hydrated the whole trip so I wasn't going to give that up right before the race.

I went back to my hotel and started to get ready. I didn't know what I wanted to run in because it was chilly that night and there was no humidity (thank god!) and it was suppose to be cloudy to chances of rain. I kept going back and forth between wearing a tank top and being "purple Paula" or go with LiveSTRONG. I ended up with my LiveSTRONG. I actually got a decent night's sleep and work up and decided to take a pre run soak in some warm water with a huge jet tub. Only the jets didn't work, but it still felt great. I went down to the lobby to get some breakfast and some runner's were down there. They started to talk about the race and I asked are the hills as bad as they say they are? The lady's response was they really aren't that bad but the one hill is a killer. She also made the comment that this is my favorite race but I wouldn't do the full because doing the same thing twice is boring. I pretended not to hear that. In meeting mom and Dad we talked about how there were so many 1/2 marathoners and not that many full racers. We just kept passing one after another 1/2 runners. I was starting to think I would be all alone out there.

The time to run finally came and I went to the start line. As I got my place in the starting area I was wishing that race was a little bit bigger and I knew someone running. There were no pace runners out and the start was so small compared to Columbus' 1/2. I felt like crying I was so nervous for the start. We counted down and I was off. The course was set to go around Mirror Lake then make the way towards the Olympic ski jumps and I would run that road twice down and back. Here is the start to my splits.

Mile 1/2 18:09 -I can never find the first mile marker. This was no different.

Mile 3 - 8:30 - Way to fast

Mile 4 - 9:08
Mile 5 - 9:15
Mile 6 - 8:23

Mile 7 - 9:16
Mile 8 - 9:26
Mile 9 - 9:22
Mile 10 - 9:18
Mile 11 - 9:53

Mile 12 - 10:04 - Here is the where the hill is
Mile 13 - 8:02 - Here is where I saw Jason, Mom and Dad. Can you tell how excited I was to see them! Can you tell what I am doing to them?
Mile 14 - 9:46

Mile 15 - 9:11
Mile 16 - 9:20
Mile 17 - 8:41
Mile 18 - 9:51
Mile 19 - 9:42
Mile 20 - 8:43 - What happened here?
Mile 21 - 11:04 - This is where they changed
the mile markers from plain 20 miles to 21.1 so this is about a 10 min/mile pace
Mile 22 - 10:08
Mile 23 - 10:08
Mile 24 - 10:38 - Here is where the big hill is
Mile 25 - 11:43 - I hit my watch late so really this
mile is less and mile 26 is a longer time.
Mile 26 - 10:21 - There is at least 1/2 a mile of on going hill

The three pictures above are of the last like 2 hills to the finish line around the Olympic speed ski skating oval that was outside. This picture is after I had finally reached the top. Jason, Mom, and Dad were really motivators as soon as I saw them. I almost teared up for numerous reasons. I made it though. As I rounded the oval people who had already finished were on the inside cheering me on to the finish. This was such an incredible feeling. The nice thing about going to such a small marathon they called out over the loud speaker they had from Hilliard, Ohio Paula Martens... you are a marathon finisher!

How cool is that.

After finishing I felt like I was going to cramp up, but with oranges, bananas, Gatorade, and rest I didn't. After the race I was telling Jason, Mom and Dad how the hills were bigger than I thought they were going to be. There was also talk about how I ran by the Olympic ski jumps and how incredibly tall they were. I thought those people had to be crazy to do that. They were at lease as tall as a 5 story building. I also told them how I had full intentions of getting to the longest last big hill (at least I thought) and then walking up it. I started up thinking that I was just going to go very slow. Then I got further and further along and I was still running so I kept going. There were a couple of girls that I passed who made the comment who's idea was this of funny having this hill here? All I know is that I made it up the hill and only had a mile to go. I thought no problem, that was until I started up the last hill that kept going and going, then you round the corner and the hill just keeps going. That is the hill in the picture with all the cones in it. Then you make turn one more corner and go up the ramp. Finally I was done. I know that the hills weren't fun but I honestly didn't feel a lot of the last two hills because I had my people in front of me and I was just so excited to see them and be done. I had made it without walking. I accomplished that goal and I was close to my secret goal of breaking 4 hours.

After thinking about the marathon the whole ride home and talking with Jason I think I could have broken the 4 hour mark had the course been flat. Like say Columbus. I originally told my friend Annie that I thought I would do one and be done, but being so close to the 4 hour mark I think I might want to do another one. One thing I did learn is I want to have a running partner for the race. Anyone up for a marathon?

For now though I just want to recover and enjoy the rest of the summer. It was also decided that this was a perfect race for me. The timing of the race (being that I had school right up until the Thursday before kept me pre-occupied so I wasn't thinking about the race all the time), the location was awesome(so beautiful), the weather was perfect running weather (cloudy with no humidity in the 60's and then sun as soon as I finished) and with school being out this first weekend I didn't have to worry about going back to school on Monday or getting back home super quick. What a way to start the summer.

Marathon Update

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support that you have shown me throughout this whole adventure. It really was overwhelming the amount of people who sent email, texts, and comments. I haven't talked to some of you just yet so I am doing a quick update on the race. I will leave you in suspense of all the other details till I have time to really sit down and think about it.

My time though was 4 hours and 8 min. It was very hilly. I knew it would be but I wasn't prepared for the big hills and the amount of them at the end. But here is a picture for you to see until I get the next post up.

Again....THANKS!!! :)

Well wishing

I have been looking at the countdown on my blog and it is making me nervous looking at that. It seems much better to just say I am running this weekend in stead of saying it is in 4 days. Truth be told I have no idea what to expect or what I should be doing as well. I have been drinking water and having some carbs but just mentally trying to prepare myself.

SO... I thought my last blog before my big run would be asking for advice and well wishes. Some of you have been able to post on here others have not. If you would like to send me some well wishes you can leave them as a comment or send them to my email: martens15@gmail.com. I'll blog how it went with pictures (from my new camera) when I finish up.

Guest Writer: Today Was A Good Day

Howdy. Paula handed me the computer and asked me to write "something." Thankfully, today I was not short of LiveStrong moments, keeping the theme of Paula's chronicle. Just a few hours ago I got off the phone with my kid sister Jordan. This was not the usual, "how was your day...." conversation. Jordan called after her annual checkup to give me the good news, almost 6 years cancer free. Today was a good day.

Today is also Paula's birthday, we celebrated at one of her favorite restaurants with her parents and enjoyed almost perfect weather, great food and even better company. On the drive home we discussed the final preparations for her upcoming race and I couldn't help but to think back on the beginning of her training, when after a 3 mile run she looked at me and wondered how she was going to run 23+ more. As you know this past Saturday she completed her 20 mile workout, my how far she's come. I've been lucky enough to watch the drive and dedication of this strong young woman as she trains for her marathon. Her journey has been truly inspirational and a joy to share with her. If you're lucky, over the course of the day you might be exposed to 1 truly great person with a powerful story that inspires you. Today I was lucky and between my sister and Paula I was exposed to 2. Today was a good day.

Congratulations Jordan and Happy Birthday Paula, love you both.

-Jason

Memorail's May Total

Happy Memorial Day!

Our day started off very rumbly in Columbus. We had a strong storm move through right around 7:30. Just in time for the 5 mile race I was about to run. I signed up last min. for the 5 mile run through UA. I have wanted to run this race for awhile but the fact that it was 5 miles always kinda scared me away. Not any more. 5 miles was a cake walk compared to the 20 miles I did on Saturday.

I'm proud to report I survived both races. First with the 20 mile report. I had one of my friends run with me the first 8 miles. She was a perfect pace for me and made me run more consistently. I was running about a 9:30 mile which is much more obtainable for the marathon. I started early and by the time Jason caught up with me it started to get humid. I finished with a less dramatic fashion than last week but still very humid and I am starting to worrying a little. I only walked about 2-3 min. for the whole thing and was much better off hydrated wise than last weeks.

Today's race I was super happy with. I finished in 43:11 which was much better than my goal of 45 min. It was raining and I had just gotten off of my 20 mile run so I was proud to have less than a 9 min/mile for the entire race. Jason did point out though that all of my races thus far have had rain. I am crossing my fingers and toes that it means I have used up all my raining for races cards.

As for my monthly totals they are about where I expected them to be. I did more lifting and feel better about my legs and my long runs. I only missed one run due to not feeling well, so that is a plus. I feel ready for the final push as I do the marathon. The only thing I am disappointed in is the lack of hill training this month. I was hoping to make it to the local park to do at least one or two more runs but no such luck. Well I will get them for the marathon. Here are my totals:

Running = 134.50 miles in 15 runs

Lifting = 2 hrs.

Hitting the Wall

Sun is great...Sun is wonderful... the sun was my enemy this weekend. The past week it has rained almost every day, so when the weather man talked that Saturday afternoon the weather should see some sun I thought this will be wonderful. I can sleep in and then run my long run.

Here is where the science lesson comes in for the day. When there is a lot of rain and then the sun comes out it dries up all the rain and.... makes it extremely humid. I started the run thinking I had hydrated well, but when I hadn't even gone 3 miles and I was almost out of one of the 4 bottle that I had I knew I was in trouble. I constantly had sweat dripping from me and I felt more like I was swimming than running. I went through all four bottles of water with about 3 miles left to finish. Jason rode with me all the way and he rode ahead to refill two of my bottles and return them back to me. He was also there when I officially hit the wall on mile 16 1/2. He helped to push me the rest of the way. I did officially finish without walking and finish might I add in 2h 26min. Again way to fast. Somewhere around an 8:30 min/mile.

There was some excitement on the trail this week though. I crossed paths with a big black snake. About 4 1/2 feet long and the width of a baseball bat's handle. I don't like snakes so I stopped in my tracks as it slowly made its way across the path (P.S. snakes don't hurry when a bike is right near the back end of it). A kid also took a tumble off his bike very near us around mile 17. Which while I never want anyone to get hurt provided a brief moment of not thinking about how I wanted to stop running because I was so hot.

One more week of a super long run. Then on to my Birthday, a wedding, the end of school, hopefully some job interviews, and finally making my way to the race. The final days are closing in. Any advice from anyone out there?

It's snowing!

This weekend I had the daunting mileage of 16. Which as I increase to 20 miles just seems to be a little overwhelming. I ran at Antrim park on the north bike trail where the trees are mature and tall. On the trail it was snowing little pieces of cotton. This is about 2 weeks earlier than it has been in the past. It was very weird to be running and it be warm and then seeing something that looks like snow falling.

The only problem with the cottonwood is that it flies up your noes, you swallow it, and it gets stuck to you. I know Jason had two separate times got cottonwood stuck in his eyes. The plan was to do two loops of the north trail and then run two loops around the lake. Which was 7 miles one pass on the North trail and the two loops being 2.4 miles. So I figured that 14 + 2.4 = 16 or what I had to run.... Only the North trail is 7.50 on the north trail for one pass. Which meant that I really ran 15 miles + 2.4 = 17.4 miles.

I met my mom and sister for breakfast right after my run. I was explaining my run and they made the comment that it always seems that I have run more than I was suppose to. I guess this just means that this weeks run of 18 miles will be easy. BUT the amazing part was that I ran that 17.4 miles in 2:24. Which means that I was averaging somewhere around an 8 something mile. INSANE. Not really what I had in mind. My initial goal was to do 10 min/mile but I guess that is not going to happen. I had some GU on the trail and powerbar gels before I started so maybe it was all my energy that helped me. Or maybe the fact that I didn't have any alcohol the night before and hydrated the way I should be? I guess time will tell.

New Plan

About a week ago I was reading on line some tips to running a marathon. Well this intrigued me so I kept reading. The article was on how to peak at the right time. Apparently one common mistake is the tapering phase of the training. This is where you decrease the amount of mileage as you get closer to race day.

Well I am officially 30 days from the marathon so I thought this article could really help. One of the topics that was touched on was the fact that many people run their 20 miler 3 weeks from the race and then dramatically decrease their amount of mileage to fast and to quick. Here in lies the problem (according to the article). You gradually increase the mileage so decreasing the mileage so quickly will result in less than optimal results.

So I have tweaked my running schedule and I am now able to increase my mileage more gradual than before and then not decrease as much as well. So two weeks out from the marathon I will be running my 20 miler. Not sure if this is the best thing to do but I'm going with it. In theory the article is correct. I wouldn't increase my mileage by 25% in one week so I shouldn't decrease at that pace as well. I have a new plan and I'm sticking to it... For now.

Stay tuned for the results. 16 miles this weekend. Glad the weather is suppose to break :)

Hardest run yet

After such a great run last weekend I began this week thinking that my long run this week would be a breeze. That was until Tuesday hit and my allergies kicked in big time. Normally I just sneeze and I have an uncontrollable runny nose, but this year because I had so much going on with my nose a sore throat was added to the list. I was out of commission on Wednesday and missed my first scheduled run of training yet to date and barely made it through my Thursday run of 6 miles.

I started off on Saturday just lounging around and trying to recover. Friday night I felt as if there were knives in my throat so I wasn't to sure I would be able to do my long run as scheduled. I ended up somewhat turning a corner about noon on Saturday so I thought I would try to get in at least 1/2 of my long run (7 miles) then do the other 1/2 on Sunday morning.

I waited until last min. to leave and go get my run in. I had already decided to do my run at the gym today because it was so windy here and it would soon be dark. I had made up my mind that I should be able to do most of my run today because I had started to be able to breath out of both nostrils and my throat was under control. I was going to try 7 and see how I felt and then make the decision as to if I could make it through the whole run or not.

I was trying to push the fluids all day but I could tell I was still somewhat dehydrated because 1/2 through my run I had downed 2 - 8oz. bottles then I went through 3 more bottles. Normally I only have about 3 bottles total on my run. I made it through my run making it close to 14 miles but I thought with not feeling up to par that I would take the workout I was able to last through. This run wasn't suppose to be a hard run but considering the circumstances it was one of my hardest run yet. Thank god for NASCAR being on TV and keeping my attention as I ran on the treadmill. Never thought that those words would come out of my mouth, but it was seeing some of the cars crashing that helped to keep my mind off the run.

Have a Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

Cap City 1/2 Marathon

Saturday I ran in the Columbus' version of a spring 1/2 marathon. (I wish they would do a full along with it, but our weather is so unpredictable that it would be difficult.) The forecast called for rain and thunderstorms. There was a chance of it missing us and the weather man even said the night before that it might be alright that we could miss the rain. Boy they were wrong. The race started off and it wasn't raining. About mile 5/6 it started to drizzle and it didn't stop. It started off with me just getting a little wet, then I started to feel my socks become wet, finally by the end I was dripping wet.

Did I mention I hate rain? I also managed to finish 2:01.01. Which I blame on my watch because I hadn't figured out how to get my splits with my overall time on the same screen. The clock that is considered the race clock was off (because I started so far back from the front of the pack) and I wasn't sure by how much I was off from this clock, so I had know idea where I actually was in the overall time. I didn't realize how close to breaking 2 hours I was or I would have pushed it a lot more. So needless to say I have a goal for my next half (one that I train just for the half and not the full marathon!). So here are my split times:

18:24 (I couldn't get my first mile because the 5k and the 1/2 run the first mile at the same time so I missed the mile 1 marker)

9:08 - mile 3

9:13 - mile 4

9:23 - mile 5 (I was having a hard time dodging the people on this mile)

9:18 - mile 6

9:21 - mile 7

9:29 - mile 8 (stopped for water at a station instead of finishing off my hydration belt)

9:19 - mile 9

9:18 - mile 10

9:24 - mile 11 (not sure what happened here. I blame it on the rain!)

9:05 - mile 12

9:37 - mile 13

I finished off with a little hill work which is great training for the full considering there is a huge hill at the end. Over all this was somewhat of my worse case scenario race and I survived so I feel like I can take on anything. I learned a lot from this race. I know that I am going to take my hydration belt for the marathon, I need more songs for my ipod, I hope there isn't rain, and that I can do it.

A huge shout out goes to my wonderful boyfriend for dropping me off early in the morning and then going to find parking (also for getting my glasses which I forgot to take off in the car before hopping out. He helped with a last minute freak out in the car of whether I should take my hydration belt or leave it... take my rain jacket with long sleeves or leave it). Thanks for putting up with my craziness.

Also another shout out goes to my mom for coming up early in the morning and cheering me on. They may not know it but it helped having a familiar face in the crowd. Mom also got some great pictures which I am going to include below. So... Thanks :)

Here is where I pass my glasses off to Jason for safe keeping


















Nice running Photo Mom!

Can you see the shine on my arms....that is the rain :(

April totals

Running = 105.40

Lifting= 1.5 hours

I was so excited to see the 100 mark for April. That is mind boggling for me. I just barely hit it but it still counts. The 3oo mile mark is also looming close by. My mom got me a subscription to runners world for Easter so I received my free gift in the mail yesterday, which was a runners log. I have been keeping track of my runs on the computer with a fancy x-cel sheet but this log lets me put more comments on what kind of run I did and add more writing to it. As I was getting this new log up to date I was looking back on how I began.

I am about 1/2 way now and my January was so sporadic and as I continued along I got more consistent with my runs and really have added miles according to plan. I was surviving a 3 mile run in the beginning and now 5 miles is not that bad and really somewhat easy. I have also decreased my mile/minute mark. I started out with about a 11 min. mile and now I am running in the 9 min./mile range for a consistent pace.

As for April I had such a busy month that I am proud to say with some re-arranging I got them all in. With more running outside I have found it difficult to get some lifts in which I use to get in regularly. This week was the only week I altered number of miles because of the circumstances.

I have the Capcity 1/2 tomorrow and this will be somewhat of a dry run for the marathon. I will be running early in the morning (which I haven't done yet and not so excited about) going to run with my running belt, and hoping to finish about 2 hrs. 10 min. The forecast has some rain in the area and I hate the rain. Cross your fingers that it will hold off until I get done racing.

Another busy weekend

The whole weekend has been somewhat rainy. I should consider myself lucky considering we are closing out April and there hasn't been a weekend that I couldn't run... because of the weather. This weekend was as full as the last one. It was a blast but it was full and busy.

I got to go up to Cleveland area to visit one of the girls from the program. There are four of us that were really close in our masters program. We haven't gotten to see each other all together in a couple of months. I left town on Friday early afternoon and we went out to the Great Lakes Brewery and had dinner and drinks. We had a great time and then got to hang out all day on Saturday. Thus, this means I didn't get to run when I was suppose to.

I had planned on running today only there were thunderstorms all day long so I was forced in side. I split up the running 1/2 on one treadmill and then 1/2 on another treadmill. I hated the thought of this. I am not the type of person who likes to run in the rain, but running 14 miles on a treadmill is not ideal either. In my head I completed 2/3 of the race. With running at the gym I got a short break which I was relating to walking for water, which I plan on doing, and I felt as if I could have done one more 7 mile run. Then there is just the last couple miles to run.

I have the cap city half is this weekend and I am looking forward to the race and seeing how my time ends up for a 1/2 when I am pushing it a little bit. I would like to be right around 2 hours to finish. Hopefully there just won't be any rain.

10 miler and a lot todo

This weekend was crazy. We had a friend come in town, I had a shower and bachelorette party as well as trying to fit in my long run. This week was a recovery week so I had an easy week. I only had to run 10 miles.

With Saturday being so busy I actually switched the long run to Friday. Here in Columbus it was rainy and stormy. I dodged the raindrops and was able to fit in the long run but it was so windy. I felt a little like Piglet from Whinnie the Pooh blowing away in the wind. I did end up finishing in a pretty good time, but I am worried because it seems as if all my weekends coming up are like this weekend where I have too much to fit in and not enough time.

I am worried when I start vamping up my mileage again how I can fit it all in. I like the running and training for the marathon but fitting it all in is 1. time consuming and 2. hard to make it all work and fit in to my day. I haven't yet reached the top mileage so my long runs are only going to get longer. So I will have to cut out something or re-arrange my schedule more.

How do you juggle the things you have to do/want to do with the time you have?

1/2 Marathon

This past Saturday I had 13 miles I had to do. I started running the north trail at Antrim. I haven't been on this trail for a while. In fact since the last time I had run this part they added more trail to it. It was so beautiful and very scenic. It was the bottom part that I was looking onto at Highbanks park which meandered with the river. With all the trees starting to bloom and the flowering trees already in bloom it was very picturesque.

I thought the north trail would have mile markers on it. Which it did not so I ran 30 min and then turned around and headed back to the start. Then I did 3 miles on the south route. In between the two north and south is about a mile. By the time I ended my run I know I ran more than 13 miles. In fact I'm pretty sure I ran closer to 14 miles rather than 13.

I have signed up for the Capital City Half Marathon which is May first. So I have officially ran the mileage for that race, now to keep building for Lake placid. I finished the mileage and thought to myself "Yeah I did 1/2 of my race, then I thought I have only done half of my race and I would have to do another one of those. Uggh"

A daunting thought, but I do feel more prepared than the last couple of training runs. I need to come to the conclusion that the marathon will be overwhelming and I'm sure I will think that I can't keep going but I just have to put one foot in front of the other. Before the run was over I ran out of songs on my Ipod. I am going to need some more songs to run to seeing how I only did half of my race.

What are your favorite songs to work out to or run to? Anyone have some good songs I can use?

Highbanks Take 2

Last week on April fools day I went to Highbanks metro park in Columbus to do a hill workout. I have heard that this park had rolling hills and was challenging. I went there after school on Thursday with the sun shining and it finally starting to feel like spring. I had looked online at the different trails to try and determine the best route.

I had never been there before so without knowing really where I was or what trail I was on I set off. In reading the map they didn't mark the trails with the different symbols that they used on the actual trail they marked it with colors. Only I didn't realize that the symbols were marked in the appropriate colors. So last Thursday I set off down one path thinking I knew where I was going (I consider myself to be pretty good at reading maps) and half way through the run I was getting the feeling that I was not on the path that I thought I was on. I was correct that I had gone completely gone down a different path than I wanted to originally go down. Stupid map.

I needed more time and mileage so I went down another trial that had a flyer of a big giant bird on it and said "Observation deck one mile."

It was the perfect mileage so I set off. I found out once reaching the observation deck that the park had discovered a nest of a bald eagle. They had signs pointing where the eagle was suppose to be so I looked, but I didn't see a bird or nest. So turning around I felt slightly defeated. Not knowing where I was going, no bird sighting, and struggling a little bit with the hills. Although these hills were not as difficult as the other park I went to run hills at, Chestnut Ridge.

Today I went back to Highbanks to tackle the hills again and do better than I did that last time. This time I knew where I was going and about how long I wanted to run. I went the same route as I had taken the previous time. I had it in my head that I would do the same loop with a slightly longer version to reach my time and mileage. I ran again to the observation deck again, now knowing that the eagles nest is on the other side of the river not on the side closest to the deck (the newspaper had quite a lot about this particular park and the eagles nest itself which all would have been helpful to read the first time I guess). This time there was a park guide there with binoculars to look and find the bird. I was able not only to find the nest but I got to see the eagle was stirring. I still couldn't see much but I can now say I have seen a bald eagle.

I finished the loop which I did much quicker this time, partially because I was running better but also because I knew where I was going. This having run the course once before really seems to help me a lot. I still needed about 1o more minutes and so I decided mid run to switch the mileage from 5 miles to 6 miles and turn this run into my longer mid week run. I finished in great time. Overall the second time around was a much better experience. I even felt pretty good through the sun and the warmer weather. Better than my long run on Saturday of 11 miles. Not fun being thrown into hot weather on the longest run of the week.

March Mileage

Miles run = 93.65 in 18 runs

Weight Training = 2:45 min.

This month looking back was a long one for me. I have hit double digits for my long runs, I ran hills at Chestnut ridge and I was able to not miss any workouts all month. I looked at my total miles and I was not expecting it to be that high. I almost hit 100 miles in one month. That is a lot of running. The next two months will be interesting to see the total miles per month.

I officially registered for the Cap City Marathon so I will be running in Columbus on May 1st. Can't wait!

This is the start of a new week as well as a new quarter. I still function somewhat off of Ohio State's schedule. This is due in part to the fact that the gymnastics facility I teach at goes on Ohio Sates Schedule because we have so many OSU students as our instructors. So just like the beginning of every new quarter we had our meeting where we learn our new dance and get our books set up for the coming week.

In doing this you get to talk to all the people that you don't normally work with and see what they are up to. We have a small staff, totally around 14 or so. I started talking with one girl who has done numerous marathons. I was talking to her about details that she could help me with. In talking to her I discovered that almost half of our staff was running the Capital City 1/2 marathon the first weekend in May. My hope is that I can start running with some of these girls for my long runs so I can spare Jason from having to ride the bike the whole time I am running. Which will only leave me with the really long runs to find someone to run with.

Re-living the good old days

Today I had it in my head that I needed to do some hill work. After all I will be running in the Adirondack mountains. In Columbus there really isn't that many places to run hills. So I thought back to when I ran track and the few days that we would travel to a local park and run, let me rephrase that, sprint up a certain couple of hills. Looking back I remember hating these workouts because you get part way up the hill and it just kept going.

Our sprints would always start at this one bridge and we had to race another person up to the top. There is a place in the hill where it turns slightly but it doesn't stop you just keep going up hill. Once we were done with our set amount of sprints then you had to finish the loop which is 2 miles in all. During track season we would split up into two groups: sprinters and distance. Well the sprinters (which technically I was because of hurdles) had to do more sprints up the hill but not as many loops.

Today I ran what the distance crew would normally do. They still had to do some sprints, but just not as many. They usually did 2 loops totaling 4 miles(I think). So I started out thinking "I will do 5 hill sprints and finish the loops."

Then I finished the first hill and it just kept going and going and the hill felt like it would never stop. I can remember this workout being torturous but I just couldn't remember how long the hills really were at this park. I got to the top of the hill and just thought "if this is what Lake Placid is going to be like then I am screwed!"

I finished my loop and set off to do my second loop where I planned on doing just two sprints up the "mountain" after re-thinking my first goal. 5 would be insane and I wouldn't be able to walk the next day. So I did my two sprints and I kept running on the second sprint and I swear a turtle probably could have passed me. This hill never ended. I just kept putting one foot in front of another and I finally reached the top, huffing and puffing. The last half of the loop is mostly down hill so I got some recovery, but buddy was it tough.

I got the hills in but now I am thinking that I need to do more hill work because man did I suck at these hills today. Later this evening I went on line to check out the difficulty level of the hikes and Metro parks listed Chestnut ridges trails to be moderate to difficult. There weren't too many parks that had this rating so maybe there's hope.

LiveSTRONG moment of the Day

I love the library. Columbus has the #1 ranked public library in the country. It has such great resources and it rocks. I was on the site today and found this:

Pepsi's Refresh Project
Before Stefanie Spielman, wife of NFL great Chris Spielmen, lost her 10 year battle with breast cancer at the age of 40, she authored a children's book. The book chronicles the experience of a mother’s breast cancer through the eyes of her children and is intended to help children who are impacted by cancer.

Please go to this Pepsi link and vote for Stefanie. The top 10 vote getters will receive a $50,000 grant which will be used to finalize, publish and distribute 10,000 copies of Stefanie's first book to 10,000 kids who are impacted by cancer. There is no cost to you!

The Spielman's kids go to the school district that I teach in and they both have been such great advocates for the Columbus area as well as the cancer community as a whole. Help make this happen. All you have to do is simply vote. I will include this info as a side bar on the blog. How cool of a project is this that Pepsi is doing?

9 miler

It was a beautiful sunny day when I went for my long run yesterday. There were many people out running, biking and walking. I did a little trickery to myself. I ran out 3.25 miles then turned around and finished my run with two loops of the lake run at 1.2. I ran a little extra to get in that o.1 but I tricked myself into basically thinking it was an 8 mile run. I ran all miles at close to a 9:30 min/mile pace. Overall I felt great. The run was so nice being in sunny weather.

I was pumped because I thought in terms of burning calories I was doing great and that I would have definitely hit the 1,000 calories burned because of what the treadmill had been telling me. Since being on spring break I bought some magazines to enjoy. I read in Runner's World an article about debunking weight loss myths and diets. The article really hit home that it all comes back to caloric intake verses calories burned. It also gave a formula of how to determine your caloric burn per mile. You have to multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.72. Most treadmills are set for a 140 lb. person. This disappointed me because I only burned 843 calories :( Just have to keep running to hit that 1,00o calorie burned

This coming week starts double digits for the long run. With having spring break I am really going to concentrate on some quality lifts, a tempo run (which I didn't do last week) and then catching up on sleep. I can't believe that March is almost over.

Anything you wanted to do this month that just didn't get done?

New Toy

Somehow I managed to loose my watch between the gym and home. I went online and did some research as to what watch I should buy. My previous watch was a Nike and I had pretty good luck with it so I looked for another Nike watch. I settled on a slight upgrade of a watch with up to 100 lap capability (why I thought this feature would be important is beyond me because I don't plan on doing 100 laps of anything) with all the bells and whistles.

I took my watch on a test run today... a 5 miler. Well, it was suppose to be a 5 miler. I went to Antrim park and started running. The plan was to run out 2.5 miles and then turn around and come back. I passed mile marker one using the watch and I started out way to fast (9 min. mile) and then I got to mile 2 and I thought "just a half a mile more."

Only I couldn't figure out where the 1/2 mile was so I kept running to mile marker 3. Then I thought "OK no problem I will just run 5 miles and then walk one. It's a beautiful day no worries."

Well by the time I got back to mile 5 I had decided that I didn't want to waste all that time walking when I could be running. So I ran one more mile. Totaling to 6 miles today.

My new watch told me that I ran all miles under the 9:40/mile mark. While this is good, I am not sure that I can keep a 9 min./mile pace for the entire race. So I need to pace myself better.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for me until before spring break. Just in time for March Madness and a great time to relax, get a pedicure and a massage. Can't wait!!

Rain, Rain, go away

When I was a little girl I hated the rain. I wouldn't go outside in it because I thought I would melt. Normally when I see someone outside walking or running in the rain I think they are crazy. Today I ran in the rain. Granted it wasn't pouring down rain, but I ran. This is a big feat for me.

My dog doesn't even like the rain. Yesterday morning I let the dog outside and it was raining. He normally goes number 2, does his business and comes back inside. With the rain he took one step outside and kinda looked at me and said "like you are crazy lady, I'm not staying out here. I'm coming back inside where it is dry."

Jason came home yesterday and Woody was pooping on the floor. Apparently he couldn't wait the 2 more seconds to go outside. As a way of getting even with him I took woody on a short run after I did my run today in the rain. He didn't enjoy this so much. He would run then look back at me with a look of "why are you doing this to me?"

Not only was the rain bothering Woody but 1/2 way through my run two helicopters started circling the area. So the noise of these helicopters was disturbing to him. There were kids out racing in the street and a dog barking at him. Not a good run for Woody. Maybe a better run next time?

Do any of you have a crazy rainy day stories?

Breaking 100

So earlier this week I hit my 100 mark. This started me thinking about how many miles I will have traveled by the end of this marathon.... by the end of summer... by the end of the year? I'm thinking maybe I can make it to 500 miles by the end of summer. On Saturday I did my 8 miler. I can't remember how many miles I ran for my long runs while training for my half marathons, but I think that 8 was one of the top mileage that I did (if I did that much). I felt pretty good running.

I ran at a popular running park, Antrim Park. This park has a bike path whit the miles marked so it is easy to track the mileage. So I ran out my 4 miles and then I was going to turn around and come back. At about mile 3 the park leaves the "park" and goes into the streets of Clintonville. Not bad but you have to be careful of cars and then you have to stop for traffic lights. I much prefer just running in the park. Jason so kindly rode the bike while I was running for various reason but he got the joy of it. It was a sunny and warm day for Ohio, high of 45, but we have been below freezing for so long it felt like a heat wave so many people were out and about. Jason told me after running that a older couple commented on my new hydration belt. Apparently they said "look at all the Gatorade on her fanny." What a compliment I think?

While running back I lost track of the mile post and when I got to mild marker 7 I had a small celebration. I thought I had two miles left when really I only had one left. This was the best treat. Here I thought I was way behind on my mile/min time, but I actually was better than the aimed pace. Not to bad.

Is it a full moon?

So the past day or two I have had many teachers at school, as well as at my gymnastics gym that I teach at, say how crazy the kids have been. One teacher made the comment that she felt invisible because she would show the kids what to do and no one would be watching or looking at her. Another teacher commented how "the kids did everything but listen." I believe that a full moon in some way affects how the kids react or act. The kids seem to bounce off the wall, not listen or even act like themselves. I can't explain why, no one really can, but if you are a teacher you know what I am talking about. We have been doing this crazy unit which has been fun but there is so much the kids have to do and so many directions they need to follow. To say the least we had some learning opportunities happening today.

I was so glad to get out of the school and have a run to do. I had a tempo run tonight and while these are still not my favorite workouts I did pretty well. I was able to run for two miles at a 6.5 mph and then sprint out the end of my workout. So far a good week of running. Tomorrow another 4 miles. Won't be hard but Saturday I have the long run, 8 miles. Can't wait to see how it goes.

February Totals

February was my first full month of training for the marathon. I didn't miss a workout which that in itself should be worth a gold star considering we had three snow days an over 27 inches just for February. Our average snow fall for the year is 28". The workouts seem to be going well and I feel pretty strong. I introduced into my workouts some hill work and tempo runs. I enjoy the hill work better than the tempo runs. I ran my longest run so far today, 6 miles, which went well but I can't seem to imagine running 20 more miles!! I will just take it one week at a time. What do you do when you are faced with a challenge that seem surmountable? My totals for this month are included.

Miles run = 53

Weight training = 3 hrs. 15 min.

First full week of training

So my first full week of marathon training went great. I am a little worried about the aches and possible hurdles that I am going to face with a tight IT band and a sore hip. I am keeping an eye on everything and I felt great this week. My hip which has been tight felt awesome on the long run and I made it through my first tempo run. I did ten minutes at a 10 mile pace and then I ramped up the tempo to my 2nd mile and then back to my 10 mile pace for the third mile. I am wondering though how I am going to be able to keep up with the tempo runs when they have to be longer.

Lake Placid

So I finally did it. I registered for the Lake Placid's Marathon. Right before I hit the process button I got really worried. I think this will be a good marathon, lots of hills, but good. So the training has officially started and I am committed. I think... A little nerve wracking for a first time marathon but I'm sure all will be well.

Picking a Marathon

So this past week I went to Front Runner and got new shoes. I love this store because they are all runners and they are full of knowledge. He asked me what mileage I was looking to do and I told him that I was thinking of doing a marathon in early summer. He tried steering me away from this because of possibly not being acclimated. I am in agreement of his point but I fear that any fall marathon I will not have time for training. So that brings me back to which marathon am I going to do?

I have narrowed it down to two I believe. I was aiming for an early June marathon because of the training start dates. SO I need to pick between Deluth, Minnesota for Grandma's Marathon or I can go to Lake Placid's. We have family that lives in Minneapolis so Grandma's marathon would be cheaper but I have a feeling that Lake Placid's might be more scenic? Anyone every run either of these? Let me know if you have or if you have a recommendation.

January Totals

Total Miles = 28.1
Weight Training = 4 hours

This was better than I had anticipated. I was setting a goal of 30 hours for the month. I think I have semi picked a marathon. I am going to do the flying pig as a relay. I was looking for a Marathon at the beginning of June but I haven't found the right full marathon just yet, but I'll keep looking. Any suggestions??

LiveSTRONG Tribute

So I hate posting this but I have decided to make a post every time a loved one, friend or family member dies from cancer. So this one it for Rod Christ. You will be missed and are loved.

Restaurant week

I love a good meal as much as the next person. My Mom and Dad took my boyfriend and I to dinner tonight at one of the best restaurants in Columbus, Barcelona. It is restaurant week this week here in Columbus where a local magazine is sponsoring this event where each restaurant has a set three course meal that you can choose from the menu for a a set price. I love lamb, and I had a salad, meatball paella, and then a banana fosters like dessert. All I could think of is how many calories I was eating. I kept thinking back to the Biggest Loser recently where they highlighted how much calories is in just one course. Most of the dishes contained over 2500 calories and how this is contributing to the obesity rat in the U.S. I had three courses tonight!! Granted I didn't eat all of it but I am going out tomorrow night and Saturday as well. I better make it to the gym and do an extra long workout.

Anyone else over indulge recently?

Trey Lives STRONG

So today I have some mixed emotions. It is the one year anniversary since my cousin pictured left died of cancer. I can remember that week so vividly because it was right around the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday and my roommates and I were set to leave for Vegas. It was going to be a great trip with front row seats to LOVE and staying in an awesome hotel. Plus a get away from the cold. Then I got the call that he had passed. His funeral was filled with tears and many questions of "why?" I can remember the sun flowers that were there (his favorite flower), his aunt's eulogies and how many people came out to honor his life. He will forever be missed.

I can't believe that it has been a year already. His death really made me want to be an activist in stopping cancer. This past year I did relay for life and it was such a great event. The school that I worked at did it as a staff. The kids helped to raise money and came to the event. I posed the question to my class last year "how many of you either have a family member or a close friend that has or had cancer?"

I only got one student who didn't raise their hand. That is insane. We have to place a higher emphasis on curing this deadly disease. When the event read all the names that someone had made a donation in honor of was astounding. There were too many people on that list. So in Honor of Trey I am wearing LiveSTRONG tomorrow.

I'm listing a poem that gave me comfort at this time last year. I will forever remember Trey as a card playing, smiling boy who loved to be in the water.

I can shed tears that you are gone, or I can smile because you have lived.

I can close my eyes and pray that you will come back, or I an open my eyes and see all you left.

My heart can be empty because I can't see you, or I can be full of love that you shared with me.

I can remember you only that you are gone, or I can cherish your memory and let it live one.

I can cry and close my eyes, be empty and turn my back...

or I can do what you would want and smile, open my eyes, love and go on.

Circuit training

So traditionally I wouldn't think that a circuit training would be my ideal work out. I have always liked doing cardio for a good chunk of time and then do some lifting after I have finished with my cardio. I would mainly do lifting on machines and then sprinkle in a few free weights here and there. My good friend (my new personal trainer as well as a great athletic trainer) put me through a circuit work out where all the exercises have dual functions. For example one exercise in the circuit has side lunges with triceps free weight pushdowns at the same time. They are all challenging but I have come to love the Bosu and exercise ball. Each time it gets a little easier but it is still very challenging. I highly recommend combining exercises to kick your workout routine.

Snow Day :-)

So today marks the first snow day of the school year. It comes at a great time because now I get a three day weekend and I can catch up on sleep, books, and get a run in that I thought I wasn't going to be able to do. I love snow days. You can relax, watch the snow fall, go out and play in it and just plain enjoy the day. Today's pace is such a fast one that it gives me a chance to slow everything down and take it all in. Like today I plan to make my way out into the snow and go to my gym to get a work out in, come home make some bread (which I never have time to do), possibly finish my book and then do something special for dinner. I will slow down and enjoy the day.

One snow day when I was little my next door neighbor, my best friend, walked to the golf course which was right up the corner from my house and we went sledding down this steep drop off hill. It was so much fun. You went over the edge where the drop off was, felt that funny sensation in your stomach as you plummeted down the hill and laughed hysterically time and time again. It had even snowed so much that day that we were able to tunnel in the side of this hill. It is one day that can't be beaten. What is your favorite memory of snow and snow days?

New Year's Resolution??

So 2010 is off and running and I find myself trying to make resolutions or to plan out some goals to strive for. 2009 was not an easy one for myself or my family. Cancer played a large unfortunate role in this past year. 5 years ago was when I became more familiar with LiveSTRONG via the yellow wrist band. At the time a family member had just been diagnosed with cancer so I felt a connection with the foundation and was hoping to contribute in some way. Thus LiveSTRONG still holds a special place in my heart and something I strive to do every day.

I have been stating that 2010 has to be better because it contains my name in it. It will be my year. With that being said I keep batting around all these thoughts on what should be my New Year's resolution? I have asked many people "did you make any New Year's resolution?" Some of my favorites from my colleagues, friends and families were; to cook 10 new recipes, become more technological savvy, compete in a iron man.

So here's some of my goals for the upcoming year:

1. Get a full time teaching position

2. Run a full marathon

3. Blog about my training, personal triumphs, and LiveSTRONG moments

4. To de-clutter and be more organized (some how this keeps popping up on each New

Year's Resolution)

So many people don't feel that Resolutions are just made to be broken. Personally I feel it is always good to have goals and something to work towards. So I leave you with these questions Do you have any New Year's Resolutions? and How many New Year's Resolution have you broken (no shame in that)?