5 Weeks to GO!!!

So remember my pity party last week? How I was ready to slip on ice and break a leg or something to get out of running a marathon? Well, I think talking/typing it all out really refreshed my soul and made me feel a lot better. Seriously, I think everyone should write down their thoughts and feelings, it's a great way to either make something clearer to you or just somewhere to have a pity party (since Matt was totally tired of me whining and complaining) and lay it all out.

Monday

I went to yoga again on my rest day. We did a lot of vinyasas and added some side planks. Holy cow my sides were so sore the next day. I totally gotta work on my core again!

Tuesday

I met up with Amanda for a planned 5 mile run. It was nice out and when we got to 5, Amanda was going to run 1 more and since I was feeling great I decided to run with her. We were running at 9:45 pace and for the last mile it was 8:50!

Wednesday

I had to run an 8 mile paced (9ish min mile). It had snowed and it was cold :( I did really think about running outside but since I had to try to keep a certain pace I stayed inside at the gym.

Thursday

I just have to share this funny dream I had. I tend to get this before any race, mostly oversleeping and missing the start of the race or not being able to find the start to name a few. I dreamt that the marathon had turned into an obstacle course marathon. I knew it was a dream which never happens, but it wasn't the obstacle course that got me though. At the start I looked at the person next to me  and said "I know this is a dream because I haven't had my 20 mile training run yet!"

Amanda had a doctors appointment so it was just me for 5 miles. I brought my headphones (something I have been doing more of) and just went with the pace. It was suppose to be slow but I ended up with average 9:15 pace. Oops, but really I just ran by feel and surprised myself.

I had talked to my friend Megan about running some of my miles (19) with me on Saturday, since Amanda had to work, and had planned out a routine that would let Megan run 11-12 miles with me and I would continue on to make 19. The weather on Friday was so nice and I was getting excited to run with Megan and tackle 19 miles. She messaged me early in the day and told me that her little guy was sick and they had not being sleeping so running Saturday morning was not going to happen. I quickly sent out a post on FB looking for some buddies, everyone was running but not on the roads which I needed. So I spent most of Friday giving myself pep talks about just going solo and seeing what happens. 

Saturday

I woke up at 6:15 completely not feeling it at all. I didn't sleep well and it had been stuffy in our bedroom so I felt hot. I didn't have time for that so I just got dressed ate my bagel and peanut butter and headed off. My friend Cathy gave me a routine that included a big loop going from Sand Run to the Summit mall, down W. Market St to Portage Path back to Sand Run which was 11 miles. On Friday I purchased some new songs from my iPod and it really helped me. I felt good running through Sand Run and I kinda knew the rest of the loop was mostly flat. Matt had old shot blocks and I used those as fuel. However, to eat one of them it took almost a mile. It literally took 5 minutes before I could even start chewing the things and then they got stuck in my teeth. But really it was okay, I think it's time just to either buy new ones or give GU a try again. I ate one around mile 8 and one more at mile 16. After I made it back to Sand Run and the car I refilled my water bottles and took off again on the towpath. Knowing that if I started at "Big Indian" I should travel north since it is kind of uphill the whole way and it would give me 6 miles once I got back to start. I also knew that I might see some people I knew. I ran to Memorial Parkway and headed back and ran into my friend Rick from the Green YMCA. Rick heads up the Green YMCA running club (they were starting at 8 am or I would have joined them) and is just a nice guy. Even though he isn't running a marathon or probably should be running more than 12 miles (he's recovering from an injury) he turned around and ran about 2 miles with me. He told me that there was Gatorade at the first picnic table at Sand Run and told me to help myself and that I was looking great. I left him at 17 miles. I headed the other direction and decided what's one more mile ended up running 20 miles. When I turned around at 18.5 miles I started to cry. Not because anything hurt BUT because I had just realized that I was going to be running 20 miles by myself (okay not quite but pretty much) and that there was never a thought that I wasn't going to. All my pep talks and me repeating (sometimes out loud) "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other!" I also had this goofy grin on my face for the last 2 miles! I may have walked more than I should (or even needed to) but marathon training miles and marathon training miles! It's all about time on your feet!

I finally feel like I am going to be able to run this marathon. 10 years ago when I ran my first and only marathon I don't think I ever got to 15 miles in training. I didn't know any of my running buddies yet and was running all by myself. It was also during the summer and I had trouble staying cool enough for the runs. I feel way more prepared this time and I starting to get that mental toughness and attitude of I can do anything. This coming week is a "break" week and I have to run 5 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a 12 mile run on Saturday. I am ready for a little break, that was also part of my talking to myself on the long run, after this you get a "break" from long distances.

YAY for a confidence boosting week!!