Do you ever have one of those days? You don't feel like working out but you know you have to. Yesterday my marathon training plan called for a short 2 miles. Normally, I would look at 2 miles on the schedule and run 4 to make it worth my while. Not yesterday. It snowed a lot and I didn't feel like going out to the gym, so I decided I was just going to run on my old treadmill. It was only 2 miles, how bad could it be?
After dinner I made a comment that I was debating whether I was going to go downstairs and run or go up to bed and watch Biggest Loser. I then said that I knew if I went upstairs I would just blow off running for the night so I could not choose that option. A couple minutes later Haley told me to "just blow it off Mom." Great, even she knew it was going to be one of those days.
Finally I made it to the basement for the worst 2 miles I could imagine. Right away my knee was hurting, then I felt like I couldn't get enough air, I was sweating like a pig before .25, and I just could not focus on running. It was painful and hard and it was ONLY 2 miles. What the heck had gotten into me? I worried the entire time that if this 2 miles was so horrible, how was I going to do 18 this weekend. When the treadmil said 2 miles. I turned it immediately off and said goodnight to the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad workout. I did follow-up the run with shoveling, which felt surprisingly good.
I am going to chalk it up to one of those days...and hope and pray that the next workout will be much much better.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Maui 1/2 Marathon = Personal BEST!
It has now been 1 week and a day since I finished the Maui Oceanfront 1/2 Marathon. For the past week, I was just too busy relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Maui weather and terrain to update my blog.
This was right before the race started!
I am THRILLED to report that I set a personal record in the 1/2 marathon. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in October, and finished in 2:09:59, which was under my goal of 2:10. This time my goal was simply to beat that time and set a personal record. I started out feeling really good, and set a pace of just over 9 minutes a mile. I wanted to keep the pace at 9:30, and did a pretty good job. Thanks to a great physical therapist, my IT Band did not bother me at all!
Running hard (near the 9 mile marker)! Look at the beautiful ocean I ran next too. I even saw a whale breech during the first 2 miles. Thanks to my friend, Sara, for the great picture. Every time that I saw Sara and Chad cheering me on, I smiled and pushed a little harder!
This was right before the race started!
I am THRILLED to report that I set a personal record in the 1/2 marathon. I ran my first 1/2 marathon in October, and finished in 2:09:59, which was under my goal of 2:10. This time my goal was simply to beat that time and set a personal record. I started out feeling really good, and set a pace of just over 9 minutes a mile. I wanted to keep the pace at 9:30, and did a pretty good job. Thanks to a great physical therapist, my IT Band did not bother me at all!
Running hard (near the 9 mile marker)! Look at the beautiful ocean I ran next too. I even saw a whale breech during the first 2 miles. Thanks to my friend, Sara, for the great picture. Every time that I saw Sara and Chad cheering me on, I smiled and pushed a little harder!Somewhere around mile 10.5 I started to get a little distracted and tired. I could not push myself to get below 10 minutes/mile no matter how hard I tried. The mind games started and I tried to focus on finishing strong, and then it happened.....
I often talk about how "true" marathon runners will just urinate on themselves to avoid having to stop. First off, I do NOT consider myself a "true" runner. But I almost had no choice, the more I tried to concentrate and tell myself that I did not have to pee, the more I felt like I was going to pee down my leg! Luckily, with 1.5 miles left there was a water station and a port-a-potty. If you know me, you know I am not a huge fan of port-a-potties anyway, and on this day, it was absolutely disgusting!! I will not go into details here, but suffice it to say I nearly threw up as well. So I wasted 30 seconds in the NASTY port-a-potty and was on my way to a strong finish. My final time (including the port-a-potty stop) 2:03:12. Early on in the race, I thought I might make it in under 2:00, but I did not, and nevertheless, I was so HAPPY with my finish. My friend, Beth, often talks about finishing strong with your arms in the air in victory, and I did just that!
After the race I got a massage. I finished just as my friend, Dani, crossed the finish line for her first 1/2 marathon. So the cheering squad and I got in the car to go cheer on Dani's husband, Justy, as he finished the full marathon. (Justy and I were supposed to run the full marathon together, but after I was injured, I decided to do just the 1/2.) We caught up to him with about 4 miles left in the race. He was walking and looked tired and ready to quit. I decided to put my running shoes back on and finish the last 3 miles with him, a la Biggest Loser. You know, when the friends or family show up during their run to help run a portion of the marathon and encourage them! I tried to encourage Justy, and help him finish strong. He was swollen and beat, but I did manage to get him to run for a little while when the professional photographer was on the road, and to run the last 1/2 mile. He finished a marathon and I am proud of him! Later that day, we walked about 4 miles down the beach. So my total for the day with walking and running was about 20 miles. I am SO ready to train hard for Kenosha!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Super Bowl Pool for the Cure!
Hello Friends and Family!
As you may know, I have registered to walk the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago in August. The total walk will be 60 miles over the course of three days. I walked it in 2009 and it was truly a life changing experience. We are excited to have the opportunity to walk it again in 2010. We have doubled our team this year, and so far have 6 registered members. Each of us is required to raise $2,300 for this great cause. It will not be an easy task but I am sure we will meet our goal. We are planning many exciting fundraisers over the course of this Spring and Summer. Our first major fundraiser is a Super Bowl Pool. We will be splitting the proceeds of the pool 50/50. With 50 percent going to pay the winners, and 50 percent to our fundraising efforts. The rules for the pool are below. If you would like to be included, please send $20.00 per square to Jamie Wombacher, 1006 Dewey Street, Harvard, IL 60033. Please also include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. If you could also send me an e-mail to let me know that you have dropped the money in the mail, I will know to look for your entry fee. In order to make sure that we have all the money collected prior to the Super Bowl, I must have all mailed entries to me no later than Thursday, February 4, 2010. If you do not want to mail the money, you may deliver to me or one of my team mates, listed below. We will accept cash hand-delivered entries (if space is available) up until 12:00 noon on February 6, 2010. We currently have 2 grids available for a total of 200 squares. We plan to payout $1000 per grid.
Susan G. Komen 3-Day Super Bowl Pool Rules
1. The cost to participate is $20 per square.
2. Players can purchase more than one square.
3. Values (0-9) will be assigned randomly to each row and column on February 6, 2010.
4. Emails will be sent before the start of the game on February 7, 2010 (to players who have provided an e-mail address) informing each player of his/her position(s) on the board.
5. Each players' position(s) will also be posted online before the start of the game at www.becca-mycuprunnethover.blogspot.com.
6. Winners will be determined by matching the last digit of each team's score with the grid at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters and for the final score.
7. The proceeds will be split 50/50 with half of the money going toward the Boobalicious Babes 3-day team and half of the money going toward the payouts.
8. If the board sells out, the total of the payouts is expected to be $1000.
9. The expected payouts will be as follows:
a. $150 (or 15%) to first quarter winner
b. $150 (or 15%) to second quarter winner
c. $150 (or 15% to third quarter winner
d. $550 (or 55%) to final score winner
10. In the case of overtime, the overtime score will be counted as the final score for purposes of determining the final score winner. There will be no additional 4th quarter payout.
11. In no event will the payouts total more than 50% of the total proceeds of the pool.
Questions? Call or e-mail me (815) 814-3913.
My fellow team members are:
Rebecca Lee
Dani Parrotte
Shelley Stricker
Lani Fentrow
Tracey Perkins.
Thanks for participating in this fundraiser for a great cause!!
As you may know, I have registered to walk the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk in Chicago in August. The total walk will be 60 miles over the course of three days. I walked it in 2009 and it was truly a life changing experience. We are excited to have the opportunity to walk it again in 2010. We have doubled our team this year, and so far have 6 registered members. Each of us is required to raise $2,300 for this great cause. It will not be an easy task but I am sure we will meet our goal. We are planning many exciting fundraisers over the course of this Spring and Summer. Our first major fundraiser is a Super Bowl Pool. We will be splitting the proceeds of the pool 50/50. With 50 percent going to pay the winners, and 50 percent to our fundraising efforts. The rules for the pool are below. If you would like to be included, please send $20.00 per square to Jamie Wombacher, 1006 Dewey Street, Harvard, IL 60033. Please also include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. If you could also send me an e-mail to let me know that you have dropped the money in the mail, I will know to look for your entry fee. In order to make sure that we have all the money collected prior to the Super Bowl, I must have all mailed entries to me no later than Thursday, February 4, 2010. If you do not want to mail the money, you may deliver to me or one of my team mates, listed below. We will accept cash hand-delivered entries (if space is available) up until 12:00 noon on February 6, 2010. We currently have 2 grids available for a total of 200 squares. We plan to payout $1000 per grid.
Susan G. Komen 3-Day Super Bowl Pool Rules
1. The cost to participate is $20 per square.
2. Players can purchase more than one square.
3. Values (0-9) will be assigned randomly to each row and column on February 6, 2010.
4. Emails will be sent before the start of the game on February 7, 2010 (to players who have provided an e-mail address) informing each player of his/her position(s) on the board.
5. Each players' position(s) will also be posted online before the start of the game at www.becca-mycuprunnethover.blogspot.com.
6. Winners will be determined by matching the last digit of each team's score with the grid at the end of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters and for the final score.
7. The proceeds will be split 50/50 with half of the money going toward the Boobalicious Babes 3-day team and half of the money going toward the payouts.
8. If the board sells out, the total of the payouts is expected to be $1000.
9. The expected payouts will be as follows:
a. $150 (or 15%) to first quarter winner
b. $150 (or 15%) to second quarter winner
c. $150 (or 15% to third quarter winner
d. $550 (or 55%) to final score winner
10. In the case of overtime, the overtime score will be counted as the final score for purposes of determining the final score winner. There will be no additional 4th quarter payout.
11. In no event will the payouts total more than 50% of the total proceeds of the pool.
Questions? Call or e-mail me (815) 814-3913.
My fellow team members are:
Rebecca Lee
Dani Parrotte
Shelley Stricker
Lani Fentrow
Tracey Perkins.
Thanks for participating in this fundraiser for a great cause!!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Training Update!
Training for the 1/2 marathon in October was enjoyable. I trained outside, and rarely stepped on the treadmill. Unfortunately, training for Maui has not been quite as enjoyable. I get so bored on the treadmill that I start playing mindgames with myself. I have been meeting a friend at the gym which helps, because I can't really quit when we have already decided what we were going to run. That just wouldn't be fair. I also started by 16 week full marathon training plan last week. My long runs are Sundays. I was hoping it would be in the 30s so I could run outside, but it was not. In fact it was so cold that the water froze to the side of my water bottle when I was out for only a minute. So, off to the gym I went. I was prepared though, I looked through the guide to find out when there was something on TV that I could watch for the next 2 hours. If I did 6.0 pace, it would take 1 hour and 40 minutes. Kinda depressing, huh?
I settled on 5:00, because there was a special about a previous Biggest Loser winner, Eric, who had gained back nearly 200 pounds. I was intrigued, and thought that it would be a good motivator. Actually, the better motivator was the guy on the treadmill next to me. He was running pretty fast when I got on. Shortly thereafter his treadmill shut down and he got off. I know that the treadmills shut down after an hour, so he must have been running for an hour. About 3 minutes later, he was back on the same treadmill, still running just as fast, and he did another solid hour! WOW! So, I set the treadmill to 6.4 miles per hour and off I went. Somewhere during the run, I felt that I was a little slow and upped it to 6.5. At the end of the first hour, I had run 6.5 miles. I got off, went to the bathroom, and hopped back on again. I looked at it as only 3.5 more, just a little over a 5K. For the next 2 miles, I settled on 6.8 pace, a little faster, but I just wanted to be done. For the next mile, I upped it again to 7.0. About this time my knee started hurting. I had visions of my horrible knee pain pre-physical therapy. I said a little prayer, and told myself that I would finish all 10 miles. (I also knew at this point, that my marathon buddy, Beth, had already done her 10 probably on this very same treadmill, earlier in the day. My competitive spirit wouldn't let me quit!) So for the last 1/2 mile, I upped the speed again to 7.5, pretty fast for me! I finished all 10 miles, and felt pretty good about it too! My knee is a little sore today, so I think tonight will be an elliptical night!
Did I mention that I leave for Maui in 11 days, and run the 1/2 in 13 days!
I settled on 5:00, because there was a special about a previous Biggest Loser winner, Eric, who had gained back nearly 200 pounds. I was intrigued, and thought that it would be a good motivator. Actually, the better motivator was the guy on the treadmill next to me. He was running pretty fast when I got on. Shortly thereafter his treadmill shut down and he got off. I know that the treadmills shut down after an hour, so he must have been running for an hour. About 3 minutes later, he was back on the same treadmill, still running just as fast, and he did another solid hour! WOW! So, I set the treadmill to 6.4 miles per hour and off I went. Somewhere during the run, I felt that I was a little slow and upped it to 6.5. At the end of the first hour, I had run 6.5 miles. I got off, went to the bathroom, and hopped back on again. I looked at it as only 3.5 more, just a little over a 5K. For the next 2 miles, I settled on 6.8 pace, a little faster, but I just wanted to be done. For the next mile, I upped it again to 7.0. About this time my knee started hurting. I had visions of my horrible knee pain pre-physical therapy. I said a little prayer, and told myself that I would finish all 10 miles. (I also knew at this point, that my marathon buddy, Beth, had already done her 10 probably on this very same treadmill, earlier in the day. My competitive spirit wouldn't let me quit!) So for the last 1/2 mile, I upped the speed again to 7.5, pretty fast for me! I finished all 10 miles, and felt pretty good about it too! My knee is a little sore today, so I think tonight will be an elliptical night!
Did I mention that I leave for Maui in 11 days, and run the 1/2 in 13 days!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Marathon Update
I finally decided that I will not be doing the full marathon in Maui as originally planned! My leg is really feeling so great, and running has been good (when I have actually been doing it), BUT, I realized how much training I missed out on when I was not running, but going to physical therapy. I have decided to run the half marathon in Maui on January 24th. I have enough time to train hard for it, and still enjoy the race. I loved the 1/2 marathon in Des Moines, so I am sure Maui will be much better! In Des Moines I ran around a couple of very pretty parks and lakes, but I was also wearing gloves and a stocking cap! In Maui, I am planning on sporting my Good 'Ole Hawkeye Black and Gold Running Shorts, and my Black and Gold Sports Bra, absolutely no hat, gloves, or shirt for that matter!!!
I could not let myself abandon a full marathon altogether, afterall it was my goal and dream. So, I have decided to run the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha on May 1st! I am super excited to have 2 of my running buddies and great girls, Hollie and Beth, along side of me for this race. It will be the first full marathon for all three of us, hopefully it will be a great first marathon, with many more to follow.
Countdown to 1/2 in Maui -- 44 days! Oh, and that means I will be on the beach in 42 days:)
Countdown to FULL marathon -- 140 days!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
I remember as a kid in school writing Happy Thanksgiving down the page and then trying to fill in things I was thankful for that began with each letter. I wish I had that paper now to compare, I am sure it would be much different. I have added some commentary where needed:
H - Hubby
A - Affection (from my children and husband)
P - Parents (mine)
P - Priceless moments
Y - You (all the people that have taken time to read this blog, because you are my
friends and family)
T - Ten Ks (or any race for that matter - I just needed a T)
H - Haley and Olivia (there is no O in Thanksgiving, so I have them both listed
here:)
A - Awesome friends!
N - Nieces (all 10 of them)
K - Knowledge (it is power you know)
S - Siblings (My sisters and brothers are the best and I cannot imagine my life
without them)
G - God
I - In-laws (and I have some of the best parents-in-laws, and brother and sister-in-
laws - on both sides)
V - Vacations! MAUI in less than 2 months:)
I - Investments (no I don't mean just $$ here, I mean the time teachers, coaches,
and others invest in my children; the investment I made by spending 3 years in
law school; in friendships; there are so many investments we have made over the
years, for which I am thankful)
N - Nephews
G - Gymnastics (it has been such a great activity for both my girls - they have grown
strong, have met new friends, and have learned discipline)
Happy Thanksgiving All!
H - Hubby
A - Affection (from my children and husband)
P - Parents (mine)
P - Priceless moments
Y - You (all the people that have taken time to read this blog, because you are my
friends and family)
T - Ten Ks (or any race for that matter - I just needed a T)
H - Haley and Olivia (there is no O in Thanksgiving, so I have them both listed
here:)
A - Awesome friends!
N - Nieces (all 10 of them)
K - Knowledge (it is power you know)
S - Siblings (My sisters and brothers are the best and I cannot imagine my life
without them)
G - God
I - In-laws (and I have some of the best parents-in-laws, and brother and sister-in-
laws - on both sides)
V - Vacations! MAUI in less than 2 months:)
I - Investments (no I don't mean just $$ here, I mean the time teachers, coaches,
and others invest in my children; the investment I made by spending 3 years in
law school; in friendships; there are so many investments we have made over the
years, for which I am thankful)
N - Nephews
G - Gymnastics (it has been such a great activity for both my girls - they have grown
strong, have met new friends, and have learned discipline)
Happy Thanksgiving All!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Marathon Questionable Depressed:(
For the past month every time I run I had pain in my right knee and right hip area. A week ago I went to a sports massage therapist, who worked out my leg, and it felt pretty good for a day, and then I ran again. The pain was unbearable for a while, but on Sunday it became unbearable, tears in my eyes pain. I was supposed to run 12 according to my training plan, but could barely finish 4.5. After I finished, I was in a lot of pain the rest of the day, and had trouble sleeping Sunday night. On Monday I broke down and called Dr. Dehaan (read orthopedic surgeon), and today was my appointment. I asked Chad to come with me, because I was really afraid to hear the words, "do not run," or "you cannot run."
So here's the news:
Good news: (1) the x-rays looked great; (2) it's not surgical; (3) I can walk, do the elliptical, ride the bike, or swim.
Bad news: I cannot run for a while. He would not say when I could expect to be running again, because he thinks that will be up to the physical therapist to decide when my legs are ready.
I have to go to physical therapy 2-3 times a week for the next month. Hearing that leads me to believe that I will not be back to running for about a month. Given that the marathon is January 24th, and I am in the heart of my training, I doubt I will be able to run the full marathon in Maui. I missed a 12 miler last week, and was scheduled for a 13 this weekend. I just don't think my body will be physically able to run 26.2 after taking a month off. I am just going to work hard at therapy, pray about it, and we'll see what happens! I would be lying if I didn't admit that I am pretty upset about it!
He said there were 3 separate injuries and they are all causing some of the pain. He talked a lot in medical terminology but what I got out of it was (1) bursitis in the hip area (or swelling / irritation in the bursa); (2) patellofemoral problems in both knees, even though the left knee does not hurt at all (basically the knee cap was not tracking where it is supposed to); (3) sacroiliac / pelvic something - causing my gait to be off and my left leg to longer than the right.
So here's the news:
Good news: (1) the x-rays looked great; (2) it's not surgical; (3) I can walk, do the elliptical, ride the bike, or swim.
Bad news: I cannot run for a while. He would not say when I could expect to be running again, because he thinks that will be up to the physical therapist to decide when my legs are ready.
I have to go to physical therapy 2-3 times a week for the next month. Hearing that leads me to believe that I will not be back to running for about a month. Given that the marathon is January 24th, and I am in the heart of my training, I doubt I will be able to run the full marathon in Maui. I missed a 12 miler last week, and was scheduled for a 13 this weekend. I just don't think my body will be physically able to run 26.2 after taking a month off. I am just going to work hard at therapy, pray about it, and we'll see what happens! I would be lying if I didn't admit that I am pretty upset about it!
He said there were 3 separate injuries and they are all causing some of the pain. He talked a lot in medical terminology but what I got out of it was (1) bursitis in the hip area (or swelling / irritation in the bursa); (2) patellofemoral problems in both knees, even though the left knee does not hurt at all (basically the knee cap was not tracking where it is supposed to); (3) sacroiliac / pelvic something - causing my gait to be off and my left leg to longer than the right.
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