Dough-Not Ignore Fate

This morning as I finished my nine mile run, this little fate-on-wheels was waiting for me just as I exited the trails and headed to my car.

When faced with a doughnut-filled, slice of heaven on wheels, must be fate truck, dough-not ignore it!

Yes.  That is fried chicken.  And yes, it was delicious.

And Just Like That

This weekend I ran eleven miles.  And just like that....the longest run was done!

It feels like I just committed to running this race and now I'm already tapering and preparing for the run.  Finishing my last longest run before the race has me looking back on my training and also looking forward to the race.  I think I'll tell you a little about both.

Training:

I used a Hal Higdon training program this go-round.  I've used several of his programs before, so I figured why fix what isn't broken?  I reviewed several and went with the program that required the least amount of running.  And then I proceeded to spend the first half of my training time actually running less than the recommended amount (don't ask - I apparently have trouble reading and writing).  In looking back, I think that if this were going to be my first race, I would be really nervous right now.  I tend to be the kind of person who really believes in and relies on preparation.  Luckily, this is not my first race and I'm not that concerned about my preparation.  I know I can run 13.1 miles.  I've done it many, many times before.  And that knowledge has me more confident than my not-so-stellar training would normally allow.  It's true.  My training has been anything but inspiring.  I just haven't found "it" this go-round.  I haven't fallen into that easy running habit where running feels natural and your body craves the release of a good run.  Nope, none of that this time.  I feel like every single run has been muscled through by an act of sheer will.  And, I plan on calling on the last reserves of that sheer will to run this race.


The Race:
Like I said, I'm not really worried about the race.  I know I can do it.  I know I will finish.  But, with that said, my goals this time around are so much different than they were in my pre-baby racing days.  For this race my goal is honestly, just to finish.  I just want to run 13.1 miles without stopping.  That's it.  Just finish.  It's a little hard for me admit that my goal is just to finish.  I've been used to having specific and somewhat aggressive goals for each race.  But, things are different now.  I'm a different person and a different racer and that means different goals.  And, I have to be okay with that.  Expecting the same results without the same preparation is just crazy.  This time around I'm focused on simply doing it.  I'm focused on and excited about my first mom-medal!


I'm also excited for a nice, long running rest after the race!

Nine-spiration

Last week my long run was planned for nine miles.  Let me tell you a little something about the weather I faced during the entire nine miles.... IT WAS WINDY!!!  Both coming and going, it was windy!  I'm talking limbs down everywhere, leaves and dirt flying in my face, and a literal wind-wall at times that felt like it was pushing me backwards.  In other words, it was a real sh$tty run.

Running into the wind can be extremely discouraging.  All of your momentum is heading forward, you are working with all of your might to push on, and yet this force you cannot control is holding you back.  The temptation to quit can be so strong. 


When the temptation to quit creeps in, you have to find inspiration to keep going.

And my inspiration came from watching and marching with an amazing group of 50,000 men and women and children all coming together to demand equal rights and equal protection for all (including things like paid family leave; anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans; access to affordable reproductive health care; an end to the use of military-style weapons and tactics by the police in minority communities; a living minimum wage; immigration reform, with a path to citizenship; and protection of the environment and public lands). 

Now, I know not everyone was as inspired by the marches around the world as I was, but I have to tell you, being in a crowd of 50,000 all of whom were kind, and compassionate, and creative, and bright, and bold, and determined, and concerned for the well-being of everyone, not just people who look like and think like them, well it just makes you want to be a better person.  And, frankly, it made me not want to give up the next day.  When that wind-wall would slap into me and stop me in my tracks, I would think of all those amazing women from the day before, some of whom were in their 70's, none of whom complained about the crowds, or the heat, or the hours and hours of standing.  I knew those ladies wouldn't let a little wind stop them, and I knew I couldn't either.

What Lies Ahead

When you're on your long run and these are the footprints you come across, it makes you wonder, what lies ahead?!?!

Seriously, you guys, what makes that print??

It's Official!

I am officially running 13.1 miles in less than one month.  Errr... scratch that...I am officially attempting to run 13.1 miles in less than one month.

If you've been reading my blog lately you've probably noticed that I've been training for this race for a couple months, but I just wasn't ready to make it official until now.  I kept waiting to feel like I was ready.  I'm not sure I actually feel ready yet, but I at least feel really committed.  I mean, after nearly two months of training, I kind of have to go through with it, right?

This Never Happens

You guys... it's freezing in Houston!  This never happens. 

It was literally below freezing (with a feels like temperature of 11!) this morning and I was scheduled for a long run.  I really, really considered pushing it to Sunday when it was supposed to be at least forty degrees, but I had already spent Friday night sober in preparation for today's run, so I had to run.  Nobody's trying to spend the whole weekend without wine.


Running when it feels like eleven degrees can be described, at best,  as shocking.  More accurately, it should be described as....ummm...leaky.  Why don't more people talk about the leakage?!?!  Seriously, a hot body and freezing temperatures do not make for a pretty runner. 

See?  Not a pretty runner.

The run itself was pretty good.  I was happy with my pace and nothing hurt (other than my lungs and fingers - those were frozen).  It's been weird, this training cycle I've found that my weekday short runs have been rather brutal, but my weekend long runs have been really encouraging.  The good news is my next race is a weekend long run.  Hopefully a warmer run too.

Seven and Sayonara '16

This week's run had me up to seven miles.  There's not a lot to report on the run.  I would say it was good in that it was uneventful.  Uneventful, when running, is always good.  I had a decent pace and it didn't hurt (well, it mostly didn't hurt).  It was nice to hit over half of the way on the training program and feel confident and comfortable. 

Don't I look confident and comfortable? 

This is how I choose to celebrate my long runs these days.  A beer and a foot massage.  I would say both were well deserved.

I also celebrated the end of 2016 similarly. 

Normally, this is the time I would take to reflect on my year of running and evaluate what I had and hadn't achieved, to see how far I had come and how far I had left to go.  Normally, this is a time of reflection.  Well, there's not much to look back on.  I've been consistently running only for a number of weeks now.  This year it feels like there is no looking back.  All eyes focused on 2017.