Being sick! + Race Report: Pinnacle Bank 5k

I signed up for the Pinnacle Bank 5k in Osceola because one of my old training buddies needed an extra person for their team.  Initially, I was hoping for it to be a fast effort, but between triathlon training, recovery issues, and the fact that it was just plan old July (i.e. HOT and HUMID), this was not to be the case.  In addition, I woke up Friday night with (what I thought) were some annoying GI issues.  They were bad enough that if it weren't a team event, I might have sat it out.  But given that it was, I drug myself out of bed and began my typical pre-race routine: coffee, cereal, water, etc.  Upon arriving in Osceola and finding my friends, I of course had to tell Matt about my recent toils.  He swiftly reminded me that it wasn't much different from the last time we raced together in Ashland at Mud, Sweat, and Beers. (Oh yes...how could that slip my mind?)  Anyway, I was assured that there would be cornfields on both sides of the country road with which we would traverse.  The race was small, yet well supported by the local communities.  I ran into a few people I knew and had a nice time catching up with them.  A few minutes before 8am, the Columbus Cheetahs headed to the start line.  (On Facebook the night before, Matt had made reference to the fact that he had coined the team name, but I pointed out that I was pretty sure, pretty sure, that I had been the original creator of such a catchy name back in 2008.  Matt said that maybe that was so, it wasn't that cool of a name anyway.  Sigh.)

The course was an out-and-back with one right hand turn at the very beginning of the race, maybe 400 meters in.  As we neared the turn, everyone around me started hollering, "Turn around!, turn around!". I quickly shifted my focus straight ahead and noticed that the lead guy had missed the turn.  Oblivious to everyone shouting, onward he went, so sure of his commanding lead.  I burst out laughing.  It was funny.  (Reminder--always know the course.  Especially if you hope to lead the race.)  Because of this mistake, the initial leader would not find a place in the top 5, though I'm not sure he would have anyway.  The final top three runners are pretty solid.

But back to the race.  It felt terrible.  Every step I took was labored.  And what the heck? Are those SOYBEANS I see?!  To make matters worse, at the halfway turn, we found ourselves running straight into the wind. Ugh.  Luckily, the race didn't last forever as it was only a 5k.  I ended winning the women's division and placing 5th overall finisher.  Not a PR, but not a personal worst.  Given everything, I'll take it.  I felt so sick afterwards that I had to ask the race director for my award early. (I am unable to post the race results because I cannot find them.  Strange given my talents for finding race results.)

Initially, I wasn't too concerned with the GI developments from the night before.  Those type of things tend to pass quickly.  However, here it is Monday afternoon and I'm still sick as a dog.  I'm exhausted, have been sleeping 24/7, and can barely keep any food in my system.  I keep trying to decide if I need immodium, pepto, or advil.  And this couldn't have come at a worse time as I have my Ironman this weekend.  I can barely walk up the stairs, let alone compete a race of 140.6 miles. This better pass ASAP.  There is so much time and money invested in this weekend's activities.

I'll end on this: As I was willing myself better today by taking a nap, I had a dream about Ironman Boulder.  Instead of the biking 112 miles, the race participants would be performing a group dance instead.  See how well my mind knows me?!  Terrible biker, fabulous dancer. HA!

IRONMAN training/Race Report: Seward Optimist 10k

Top 3 finishers at the Seward Optimist 10k

What better way to start the 4th than with a race?! Philip and I have done this event the last few years as it is just so convenient...however, Philip has been struggling with an injury these last few months that hasn't allowed him to do much.  I woke up, drank some coffee and ate some toast, then headed out to the fairgrounds where the race was slated to begin and finish.  Arriving around 6 for a 7am start, I was practically the only one there.  I've started bringing my Kindle to races if I have an downtime.  This way, I can focus on my book instead of my impending event.  I got my packet and got my gear organized.  We were lucky enough to wake up to a cool and calm day, virtually unheard of in July!

I wasn't planning on racing that day.  Actually, I haven't really planned to "race" any of my summer events.  As I will most likely only do one Ironman, I have to put most of my energy and focus into that. That being said, I had planned a 100 mile bike ride for the following day.  I wanted to make sure that my legs were fresh and strong to accomplish this.

I ran sans watch and felt great during the race.  I pushed a pace that was quick, but that wouldn't destroy my quads.  I wasn't sure exactly where I was, but I was hoping to still be under 43.  As I came to the last 400 meters or so, I was able to see the time in the distance.  I would make my goal! Final time: 42:35, good for 3rd female overall.

Complete results can be found here.

So.  Ironman training.  How's that going?

The swim: I'm guessing this will take me somewhere in the neighborhood of an hour and 20 minutes to complete the 2.4 mile swim.  Unfortunately, I don't have access to a good lake to grind out my training, so I've been swimming in the pool at the Fallbrook Y. Back and forth, back and forth.  My longest swim to date has been an hour and 10 minutes, and am planning to do my longest swim this morning.  Physically, I am not worried about doing this...however, with a couple thousand people gunning into the water at about the same time, flailing, punching, kicking, it can be nerve wracking.  I'm planning on starting off to the side a bit in an attempt to avoid a little of this.  Hopefully not too many people are employing the same plan!

The bike: It is still hard to conceive biking 112 miles.  Biking is probably my least favorite of the three disciplines, which is unfortunate as I'll be on the bike for the longest part of the day.  My biking has been going okay.  I have completed long rides of 50, 80, and 100 miles.  Pretty fast increase of distance.  Going into my 100 miler last weekend, I knew that I was just going to have to grind it out and get it done.  I bike 40 miles total to and from Lincoln from my house, then biked 50 more to and from York.  Two years ago, I almost crashed my bike when a blue heeler came at me unexpectedly on this route.  I have been very nervous to traverse these roads again but finally got brave enough to try it.  When I was almost home, that same ridiculous dog came at me again!!!! I screamed and prepared for a crash, wobbling left and right.  It was around this point that I realized that I couldn't unclip my shoe from my pedal.  I ended up heading home, clocking 90 miles.  Ugh.  I went downstairs and finished up my long ride with 40 minutes on the spin bike.  I finished up with 3 miles on the treadmill.  All felt good!

The run:  After taking some time off to deal with my weird quad issues from last spring, I started a quick buildup for the half marathon in Norfolk.  After that, I bumped up to 15 miles, and completed a 19.5 miler a week and a half later.  Although I had some annoying GI issues, I finished this feeling okay.  I'm guessing that the marathon portion of the Ironman will be more about survival than fast times anyway.  We'll see.

Other preparations:  I've been studying the course, blogs that others have written, and nutrition plans.  I feel like thoughts of the Ironman are on my mind constantly throughout the day, so it will be nice to check this off the list and go back to "regular" life.

Cheers!

Day 50

Philip at the State Farm 10 miler

For the past 50 days, I have been doing another running streak.  Each day since the middle of February, I have run at least one mile.  As I have had some weird issues to deal with during this time, there may or may not be many 1 mile days peppered in.  That being said, this is officially the longest I have ever went without taking a total rest day.

 But here we are in the middle of April and I'm feeling--good.  Yes, GOOD.  I'm not sure exactly how good...between being scared to race again and life just being crazy busy, I have not laced up my flats since my disaster run at the Leprechaun Chase.  I am also happy to report that I have made it through my longest run in my half marathon training...15 miles.  I didn't time it at all, so not sure on my pace, but felt decent the entire time.  This weekend is any easy down week (7 miles) followed by 13 the next and then it's race week! 

This time of the year seems to always fly by, and this year is no exception.  Six weeks left to the school year and six weeks left of Monroe-Meyer.  It goes without saying that, while I plan on enjoying my time with my students, co-workers, and family, I will be excited for things to slow down (at least a little!) at the end of May.

So what is after that? Well, I'll be starting to slowly train for my Ironman in Florida.  Although Philip and I completed a half iron last year, the thought of actually finishing a full is still mind boggling to me (2.5 mile swim, 112 bike, 26.2 run...all on the same day).  I'm hoping to possibly get a half iron in late summer and maybe a full marathon as well.

Best of luck to those of you finishing up training cycles.  Let's go!

Patience and Persistence

Were we really able to run in shorts just a few months ago?!

patience: an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay

persistence: continued existence or occurrence

As I enter my third full week of training, I am in a fight to remain patient and persistent.  On one hand, I have dropped five minutes from my 3 mile time in about a week and a half.  On the other, I am light years away from where I began 2014.  Glancing back at last year's calendar, my first run of the year was 3 miles in 19:01.  This year--26:51.  I would be lying if I didn't say I was nervous about how this year would go.  As important as running is to me, it was forced to take the back seat since October as I have had many family and health issues going on.  In the past 15 years, I have maaaaybe taken a week off here and there, but nothing to the extent of the end of 2014.  I would also be lying if I said I wasn't surprised at the amount of fitness that I so quickly lost...and how fast my body adapted to being sedentary.

For now, I have a heck of a plan to get back into racing shape.  I have long runs planned from now until the Lincoln half, and am almost done getting my speed work sessions in place.  I am also very comfortable with my cross-training efforts, which was initially hard to adapt to.  (C'MON--I am a RUNNER--why do anything but THAT?!) But between triathlon and watching my 10k times steadily drop as a result of my time on the bike, I am convinced...strengthen those quads, run a little faster.

As I had planned to use January mainly as a base/build-up month, I am not sure how my February races will go.  My goal is to be race ready by the beginning of March for Leprechaun Chase, then train through April for a strong half and a run at our third title at Market to Market Iowa.  Would it be nice to be in tip-top shape with no worries about performances this spring? Yes, but all these highs and lows are what make you a solid athlete...and more importantly, a stronger person.

I am sure that many of you have signed up for the Lincoln half or full and have started your training (or strongly thinking about it...ha).  Although it might be hard to visualize our goals becoming reality, remember that running and life often run side by side.  Take it one day and one workout at time...maybe even one minute (those minutes sure do seem to last forever on the treadmill). Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and remain patient and persistent. Recipe for success? I think so.

Happy running, treadmilling, biking, swimming, walking, ellipticalling, and smiling. That helps too. :):):)

Overcoming Struggles

After dealing with health issues (and yet another very difficult hurdle that this life seems to think I'm strong enough to deal with), I am back to running after doing little to nothing since October.  I knew that I wasn't going to be in the best shape, but wow...just WOW.  As I struggled through a 3-miler that took me nearly 30 minutes to complete, I was once again reminded that running is HARD work.  (Namely the main reason why most folk probably don't do it.)  I woke up the next morning with legs that hurt worse than post-marathon this fall.  (And how was it possible that I ran 26.2 miles a few months ago?!)  I wasn't quite sure what to do...ibuprofen? give myself yet another rest day?  I ended up going with the former rather than the latter.  And for the fourth day in a row, I've taken myself downstairs to my treadmill for what is sure to be a pain-filled 30 minutes.  While it's true that running isn't so bad when you're in good shape, maybe it takes a return to the beginning like this to remind me why running matters so much in my life.  As luck would have it, I came along this blog written by one of my favorites, Lauren Fleshman (found here).  This quote stood out as memorable:

"Time fixes nothing.  Time is a facilitator but you still have to do the fixing; Dig into the difficult conversations; Look hard at yourself in the mirror and ask if you're doing everything you can to get healthy.  If you aren't currently living the life that you want, there is no other way to get there.  Time won't make it happen.  So you can either adjust the goal, or give yourself a swift kick in the @#$.  Those are your only two options unless you enjoy the feeling of eternal tug of war."

And there it is again.  This link between running and life.  Am I going to get in shape by the passage of time? No way.  I'm going to have to return to my treadmill day in and day out.  But I'm ready for that.  Is my heart going to heal from the events of this past month simply by the passage of time?  Again, I don't think so.  My ability to persevere has never been an individual effort; but rather through the help of my family and close friends.  Is everything perfect?  No.  But I see how close it is when I wake up each morning to the smiling faces of Philip, Quinn, and Anders. 

As I stand on the cusp of 2015, and the new opportunities that are in front of me, I am striving to be THANKFUL.  Thankful for my friends.  Thankful for my family.  Thankful for the ability to do what I love each and every day.

Cheers.  And of course, happy running!

2014 Year of Running

Nearly everywhere you look, you're seeing wrap-ups of the year.  And why not? It's kind of fun to look back on what has transpired over the past 365 odd days.  Was it a good year? A bad year?  My husband and I talked about this very topic last weekend and, like many of you, decided that it was a mixture of both.  Maybe it's just my personality, but my year contained some low low's and high high's.  As to not beat a dead horse, I'm just gonna focus on what was awesome this year.

Best Race Experience- This was a tough one because a lot of things went well this year.  But I would have to say the Lincoln Half this past May was the best.  After working really hard last spring amidst lots of other issues, I shattered my expectations of what I thought I could do at that distance.  Plus, my husband and sister also ran personal records which was really cool.


Best Run- 2014 was a good training year as I found a cross-training balance that really worked for me.  A lot of workouts went really well and I was able to push through some barriers mentally and physically.  Historically, one of my biggest issues as a distance runner is the completion of long runs during marathon training.  I am not a fan of running 15+ miles.  In the past, I have signed up for "practice marathons" before my "real" race where I'd suffer through 26.2 in order to avoid training runs.  I know, this makes zero sense.   But this year, with the help of my husband, I actually made it through my 20 miler!! This allowed Philip and I to finish the Twin Cities Marathon exactly on the nose of our goal time.  Will I run another full in 2015? I don't know.  I have run at least one every year since 2003 (missing only 2006), so it's tempting.  But the older I get I'm just not really enjoying the distance.


Best new piece of gear- This is a toughie.  2014 was definitely a minimalist year when it comes to running gadgets and gear.  I didn't really listen to music or use my GPS.  I didn't use any fancy apps to track my workouts.  I would say our treadmill, but we purchased that in 2013.  Soo....maybe my handheld water bottle?? Or my new compression socks.  I LOVE compression socks.


Best piece of running advice-  The smartest thing I did year this was ditch my running watch, along with preconceived notions of what I thought I was capable of.  Appropriate pacing is extremely important during training and workouts, but races? That's when it's time to push it.  And not let a watch tell me what I can or cannot do.



Most inspirational runner- Although he does not consider himself a runner, I definitely have to say my husband.  Last summer, he couldn't even swim for 10 minutes and this year, Philip finished a half-ironman.  He started out the year by winning the Bryan Health Indoor Tri.  He also PR'ed in the half-marathon with a time of 1:41 and finished his first (and self-proclaimed LAST) full marathon comfortably in 4:10.  He is the epitome that hard work pays off in ways that you probably can't even fathom.


2014 has been a good one on the running front.  I'm working on what I hope will be a great 2015.

Thanksgiving-January 1...RUNNING STREAK TIME!

Finishing the 'Staching Through the Snow' 5k Saturday in David City

Three years ago, my sister and I decided to take part in the Runner's World Running Streak.  What is this, exactly? The basic premise of the streak is to run at least one mile every day between Thanksgiving Day and ending on New Year's (check out the FAQ here).  I had every intention of being successful, but got derailed maaaaybe two weeks in when I got pnemonia.  After a day or two of trying to slog out one mile while really sick, I had to back out.  Last year, Philip joined Em and I, and all three of us made it through.

Maybe you are a runner, maybe not.  Either way,  the thought of participating (or observing) in something such as this might bring about some questions.  Is this a dumb idea?  Will they get hurt? What's the point?  I can very easily answer these questions.  Is it dumb?  Could be.  But I doubt the way that we do it is.    Last year, my minimum was three miles per day...which for me isn't a ton.  This year, the streak is taking place during my planned "off season".   As Ironman training will start next summer, I'm taking some time off from racing and serious training.  How does the streak fit in?  By running the minimum of 1 mile. (I'm primarily doing easy cross training right now.)  Will we get hurt?  I doubt it.  Once again, I don't think we are doing enough to constitute an overtraining injury.

Which brings us to our last question...what's the point?  Two things come to mind.  It's pretty competitive (in a fun way) for Emilie, Philip, and I.  Nobody wants to be the one who doesn't finish the streak.  Plus, we get lots of family bonding in as we are constantly contacting each other to see how the streak is going.  Secondly, I celebrated Thanksgiving a record FOUR times this year.  FOUR.  You all know what this means.  Lots of potatoes.  Lots of turkey.  Lots of pie.  Lots.  The streak makes sure we are burning at least one of those delicious, homemade rolls off.

Here's to the 2014 streak.  It's gonna be a good one! :)

Reflections on this past year

As we get ready to start the last month of 2014, I've reflected on all that has transpired this year.  I'm not sure at what point (maybe February sometime?) I decided that this year was going to be a good one for my running.  A REALLy good one.  Things at home with Anders were at the height of its heartbreak and hardness.  Anders and I spent nearly the entire day for months in my grandma's very old rocking chair. (Anders was throwing up so much that ours would have been destroyed.)  I would feed Anders, he would throw it all up, then I'd re-feed him (usually the second feeding was more successful than the first), then had to hold him at a certain angle without moving for about an hour and a half.  (Keep in mind that infants need to eat every 2-3 hours.)  This is how January through May went for Anders, Quinn, and I.  Finally, Anders got so frustrated with throwing up that he finally just stopped eating, leading to dehydration, an ambulance ride to Children's, and was the trigger that allowed us to finally get his fundoplication and g-tube placement.  Case in point: it was a horrible spring.

So, what does a person like me do when life has throw your entire family a bag full of lemons? Run. A lot.  And then run some more.  As spring continued, I completed daily runs, cross training, speed workouts, and long runs.  The biggest shock on my life occured at the Leprechaun Chase--on a difficult, hilly course, I was able to smash my 10k PR and run a 40:36.  As a cautious runner with very realistic goals, I never in a million years thought this was possible.   I was also able to PR in the half (1:31, placing 23rd female overall at Lincoln) and the mile (5:45) and also stacked up several pretty strong 10k's through mid-summer.  This fall, I shifted to longer stuff, including the 70.3 and marathon.  And here we are at the end of 2014.

Am I going to be able to do any of this again?  Things are not perfect yet with Anders, but we are nowhere close to the desperation our family felt earlier in the year.  Was this the only reason why I was able to have these good races?  (It should go without saying that I would have traded a heathy baby to never run a PR again, but our situation is what it is.)  Even if this is the case, it will mean that Anders is better, and this is the most important thing.  Running new PR's  helped ease my pain a little, but it was more like a bandaid on a broken heart...

2015 is going to be much different.  I have every hope in the world that it is going to be a great year and that wonderful things are going to happen.  I am signed up for Ironman Florida next November, so will spend summer-October preparing for that.  Ironman is on my bucket list, and while it's going to be very difficult with small children, I believe that I can do it.  (Plus I have a supportive and fabulous husband.  Have I ever mentioned that?).

We are taking this life one day at a time, and we are doing it together.

It's cold out and days are short.  But if you are heathy and have the ability to run, get out there.  It could change your life.

It's GO time!

Santana and I before the Miami Marathon in 2013

These past couple of weeks have definitely shown us that Fall is approaching.  The weather has been milder (how many of you have opened your windows at night?!), days have been shorter, and the trees have been changing...perfect running weather.  Harvest Moon Hustle is a week away.  The marathon is two weeks away.  And Market to Market is only three weeks out.  I keep saying that I need to get going with my speed work again, but go time is NOW. I have been looking forward to racing an all out 5k at Harvest Moon Hustle and am getting super pumped for M2M.  Starting waves were just released and WRN is officially in the championship heat.  I want to do my part for our team, so I really need to optimize what I can put into these next couple weeks.  I can finally say that I have had a great training week.  

Here are the highlights of my week:

Monday I did 5x800 repeats with Darrin after work.  We planned on hitting up the track, but we both apparently forgot about Monday freshman football games.  No dice, so had to switch up the plan.  We  jogged a quick 800 using the GPS to mark off our new course on the trail for our workout.  We made it through five all out 8's...I didn't have my watch so wasn't sure on my time exactly, but Darrin was hitting his in 2:40ish and I was maybe 10 seconds behind him.  We jogged a mile before as a warm-up and a mile after as a cool-down.

My weekly workouts were a little tougher this week as my husband was gone for work.  I was still able to get some work in by getting up early in the morning to run on the treadmill.  Wednesday my alarm went off at 4:40am...blah...needless to say, I was very ready to be at home with the boys on Thursday.  I was able to get in a good LT session Thursday afternoon while the boys napped...3 miles in 19:33.

I was hoping to get one more good effort in before Harvest Moon Hustle on Friday, but as the week is about to start I was toeing the line as to what would be beneficial and what was just going to make me tired for Friday's race.  After getting home yesterday afternoon from my cousin's bday party in Omaha, I thought, "Well, it's now or never."  Mile repeat time.  I jogged the mile from my house to the trail (where the miles are conveniently marked off) and planned to do three repeats.  I ran the first one in 5:50.  I rested for five minutes and then did the next one in 5:53.  After this one, I was so tired I contemplated returning home, but figured that I could get the last one in if I was a bit more controlled this time.  Final repeat was in 6:17.  I finished up the workout by jogging a mile and a half home.

This morning after church, Philip and I loaded the boys up and went for a family run together.  5 nice, easy miles to recover from the week.

I hope you all got some football watching, running, and most importantly, got to spend time with your families.  Happy running! :)

20 miles!

Family time post-run

Okay, so here is the reason I have been struggling with marathon training: I have a hard time mentally when I set out for a long run.   Although our tri workouts this past summer took several hours at a whack, it was easier for me to bike for 40 miles and then go running....it was broken up.  I even broke my 17 miler up last month: 7 miles outside, 6 on the treadmill, then went outside again for the last 4.  Last weekend, I ran 3 before my half-marathon to get 16 in.  So, yes, getting the miles done but I need to be doing them all at together in the same spot (preferably outside).

Yesterday, Philip and I were going to run 18 miles, so decided to complete it at Lake North in Columbus.  One loop around the lake is 6.4 miles...three loops would be 19.2.  Philip thought we should add the .8 on so that our 20 miler would be taken care of and then could have a step-down run next weekend.

First loop: I filled Philip in on the particulars of the course at Twin Cities.  By the way, BEST COURSE EVER.  BEST MARATHON EVER.  Physically I felt good but was finishing up the first loop I was once again regretting my decision of signing up for the marathon.  We stopped back at our car to get a drink of gatorade and eat a Gu.  (I'm getting a bit tired of the Salted Caramel ones...)  One loop down, two loops to go.

Second loop: Tidbits of our conversation: Me: "Ya, know Eminem is just SO talented...but in a RAW way.  And I bet he gets really tired after a concert...he's always yelling SO loud!  And that Justin Timberlake...he's great, too.  He does it all--sing, dance, act.  But he started so young...and I wonder if all of his training helped? He must have an incredibly work ethic.  I like people with good work ethics."  Philip's response: "Yeah, I like people with good work ethics, too."  Poor Philip.  Us girls know how to ramble on and on.

I felt pretty decent as we finished up the second loop.  Suddenly, with about a quarter of a mile to go before we finished up loop #2, I spotted a tiny baby snapping turtle! "STOP!!," I yelled at Philip.  "Ugh, what now?!"  He obviously did not share my enthusiasm for marine life. (I once saw a very large snapper on this trail.  That was not as exciting.)  We made it back to the car and refueled again.

Third loop:  Still felt good.  I kept thinking, "Wow! This is really happening! I am actually doing a 20-miler today!!" I did start feeling it in my hamstrings and we had to stop a couple times to stretch those out.  We added on a bit at the end and finished the 20!! :)

In the end, I felt good most of the run.  Although I'm doubting it will be a fast marathon, I feel confident that Philip and I will feel decent during the marathon.  Those of you who have run them know how miserable they can be when you are hurting.

Here's to 26.2 three weeks from today!! :)


 

not.feeling.motivated

Philip and I pre-race at Steelhead

I'll just say it.  I'm struggling a bit to stay motivated.

Part of this has to do with the half-ironman...the better part of my summer was spent building up to that event, and now it's over.  So I'm feeling a bit sad about that...which, oddly enough, it's pretty common to feel a sense of "sadness" when a big event is over.  Typically I never really feel like this as I usually have another event right around the corner.  Additionally, my body was very tired after Steelhead. I took only the Monday after the event off, and jumped right back into my regular routine Tuesday morning.  I'd planned an 18 miler for that next Saturday morning, but fell flat on my face (metaphorically...though that would be a funny sight!).  I majorly struggled to finish 13 of the 18.  I try not to let bad workouts like that bother me too much, but this left me feeling a little panicky....if I can barely run 13, how will I finish my full marathon in October?? I needed to make some changes to get back into the grove.

I took the ENTIRE next week off (August 17-23) and then revamped this past week.  I moved around some long runs so I could buildup again post half-iron.  That gave me a 10 mile long run last Sunday and 13 this weekend, allowing me to ease back into the REALLY long runs.  Hopefully this works.

Going back to work has also presented some challenges.  As I work in Columbus, my work day ends up being 10 hours with the hour drive there and back.  I have been trying my hardest to get up early so I can get at least 3 miles in before heading to my job.  It is tough to do much more on these days (I work 3 days a week)...and I only have a couple hours with my boys once I get home, so if I miss a morning or was hoping for a two-a-day, I try to do this after they go to bed.  Honestly, it's harder to do workouts at 8:30pm than 5am.

Finally, I'm trying to work through not feeling motivated.  I have been training and racing in a very high gear since January and my brain and body are getting a little tired.  I have four races that are a big deal to me (Harvest Moon Hustle, Twin Cities Marathon, Market to Market, and the Cross Country Classic), so it's really important that I work through this and get back on my A-game.

Monday is September first which means the summer months are behind us.  Bring on Fall! :)

HIM/Looking forward/Switching gears

Market to Market 2010.  Can't believe it's almost time for this event again! 

LOTS of stuff going on.  I am starting work next week after a long year off...this means not only a transition for myself, but for my boys.  And while I know that it is good for our entire family, it will most likely be hard (at least a little) getting used to our new routines.  In addition, we will be heading to Michigan next weekend for our half-ironman.  While I will admit that I am very nervous having never competed in such a long event, it should be an exciting experience.  And though we will not be in Michigan for long, I'm looking at it like a mini "vacation" as we didn't get to go anywhere this summer.  Between now and then, lots of things need to be accomplished.  A plethora of transition gear, nutrition, travel plan, etc.  Philip and I have been talking to people who have done this race, scouring over blogs, and reading the Steelhead 70.3 website so that we have a head's up regarding the course and race itself.

Looking forward, I think it's going to be nice to focus on our fall marathon.  I have done every scheduled long run, BUT my focus has been on our triathlon workouts.  Plus, with five races last month, it was very tough to get workouts scheduled and completed...thus, I have missed all of my speed work and will admit that my daily runs have been rather short (if I'm not doing a long run, I'm probably running 3 or 4 miles).  So after I take a couple days off post-HIM, I am going to re-evaluate my training and what I would like to accomplish this fall.  I have a couple of other races on my schedule, but no direction or plan.  Without this, I feel like I'm "floundering" around.  It's going to be tough to run a quick 5k without speed work or to run a good marathon without quality long runs.

SO FAR, this is what my fall looks like:

Sept. 26- Harvest Moon Hustle

Oct. 5-Twin Cities Marathon

Oct. 11-Market to Market NE

October 26- Cross Country Classic

I would like to add another marathon in, but unsure of where and when.  Why? I hate working hard for months and putting all of my eggs into one basket.  What is the weather is awful? What if I have an "off" day?  Doing two marathons give me an opportunity to allow for things that I cannot control regarding the race.  My options are the NE State Fair Marathon on August 23rd (too soon to be recovered from HIM and ready for a 26.2), Sioux Falls on Sept. 7 (not sure I can commit to traveling that far), Omaha Marathon on Sept. 21 (good location and time, not-so-good course or race management).  Des Moines (Oct. 19th) would probably be my best bet, but once again, it sucks up the majority of another weekend.  I don't know.

Well, best to keep it short and sweet today.  Next up: Ironman 70.3 Steelhead! :)

July Training Update

It is crazy how quickly June flew by and how we've now found ourselves well into July.  Philip and I have been diligently training for our half-ironman (HIM) and our marathon.  Although we have been doing quite a bit of our training during the afternoon, we have really lucked out and gotten some pretty decent weather to train in. Here is a breakdown of what is going on:

HIM-
We have been doing brick workouts every other week since the third week in May.  Our first brick on May 19th was a 21 mile bike ride followed by a 3 mile run.  Last night, we completed our longest workout to date, 50 miles...a 40 mile bike ride followed by a 10 mile run.  Our HIM distance is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 bike, and 13.1 run, so it was a pretty good training distance for us.  We have been trying to figure out our nutrition during training and for the big day, and while I have discovered that eating two lunches the day of a workout works well, Philip and I haven't really perfected getting calories in during the actual workout.  (We made the very rookie mistake of not taking any water/gatorade with us on the run...we ended up having to change our route so we'd run by a grocery store to get some water.)  Other that the fact that we finished the last three miles during a thunderstorm, we made it through the workout in one piece.  We finished up the evening with some steak pizza (Philip's choice...clearly) and each took an ice bath.

Marathon-
This week called for a 10 mile run (step-down week), so instead of doing two separate workouts, we just combined it with our HIM brick.  Our longest run in this training cycle is 13 miles, which was last week.  Philip and I both got up early, with him leaving for a brick and me doing my work on the treadmill as the boys slept. To those of you who can do long runs on the treadmill...you are awesome! I barely made it through my 13 miles on it.  Sheesh, that takes some willpower.  The next three weeks call for 14, 15, and 17 mile long runs, which are going to be a challenge to schedule as we have events for the next three Sundays (Lincoln Mile, Omaha Tri, and CSG Tri).  Philip and I have briefly talked about putting marathon training aside until we have completed the HIM, BUT if it's possible I'd like to stick to schedule.

Things I really need to work on-
To begin, I have not been doing a very good job of getting to the pool for triathlon training.  Why not? With my swimming background, it has been pretty easy in the past to do minimal work in the water and still do okay on the swim.  Two years ago, I think that I went to the pool once before my olympic distance tri.  I am not a very natural biker, so I have chosen to dedicate more of  my time to that.  (Moreover, you spend quite a bit more time on the bike that in the water.)  At the same time, I have never swum the HIM distance, so really need to make sure that I put in some time in the water during the next few weeks.
Next, Both Philip and myself need to really get our nutrition needs dialed in.  We have two "practice" events beforehand, but it's hard to compare calorie requirements when those triathlons are so much shorter.
Finally, I need to get some speed work in on the run.  I haven't done anything substantial in the last few weeks.  Yes, things have been incredibly busy with Anders' surgery and recovery, my sister's wedding, and life in general, BUT I am not going to say that I couldn't have gotten the work in.  Our children usually sleep until at least 6:30am, so could easily get the work in if I got up at 5am...I just haven't been doing this.

That should be it for now...happy running!

Life Happens

Emilie is getting married this weekend! :)

Obviously life happens. And while running is important to me, there are many things that are MORE important.   Life has seemed to be happening a lot lately in our house; some of it planned and some not so much.  It goes without being said that my family is, and always will be, my number one priority.  Always.  So when Anders was hospitalized, it didn't cross my mind that I was missing workouts until we made it home Friday evening.  At that point, Philip and I decided that I would run the Havelock 10k (which I wrote about in the previous entry).  Sometimes our plans work out, and sometimes they are drastically different than we have envisioned.

So, fast forward to this week...which is MUCH better than the previous one.  Anders is now being exclusively tube fed.  Because he was unable to keep any food in his stomach, this tube bypasses it and goes directly into his small intestine.  And although we are now learning the ins and outs of yet another machine, Anders is much happier and healthier.  We are still doing a surgery at the end of June to hopefully repair his stomach, but wanted to have a couple weeks of very solid nutrition so he can go into the surgery as strong as possible.  With these changes, Anders is now able to do tummy time and practice rolling over.  It was really hard to do this before as he was spending most of his day either eating or staying as still as we could keep him so there would be a better chance of him keeping his food down.

In addition to everything that is going on with Anders, my sister is GETTING MARRIED this week, woo hoo!  I'm so excited for my sister and her fiance Josh to tie the knot on Saturday.  Although we've known about this for quite some time, Philip and I are still discussing how all is going to come together with two little boys.  This will be a very fun weekend for us, but it will be exhausting as well...and all of you with littles know how hard missing nap time can be!

We obviously will not be getting any workouts in over the weekend, so are having a rather "top heavy" week.  We completed our long run for marathon training (10 miles) on Sunday, I did three workouts on Monday...a 3 mile run, 30 minutes on the spin bike, and 30 minutes on the elliptical. (I am totally aware of how that might sound a little crazy.  While I might frequently do two-a-days, I very rarely do three-a-days.)  Yesterday, Philip and I did our third brick workout as we prepare for our 70.3 in August.  We biked 40 miles and then ran 5.  I am not sure how many of these half-irons we are going to be able to do because they are SO time consuming!  We started a little after 4:30pm and it wasn't until 9:30 that we were finally able to eat dinner.  I think it took us two hours and 10 minutes to bike, and a little over 40 to run...but factor in transition time between the bike and run, putting our boys to bed when we got home, taking an ice bath and then shower, and finally eating supper.  And with this much volume over such a short time, making sure we are doing everything possible to recover is crucial.  NONE of the workouts we are doing will benefit us if we aren't able to recover.

Although this blog post seems a bit all over the place, here is my point: Life happens.  Some of it you can plan for (my sister's wedding) and some you cannot (Anders' hospital stay).

Happy running!

70.3 in 2014?

Quinn and I  post-CSG Triathlon 2012

Fall marathon training officially started on Monday with a 6 mile run. Well, wait.  Scratch that.  Our training plan begins with a 10 miler in the middle of June, BUT after doing about a month of "easy" running (other than my two races), I am easing back into long runs and workouts.  So Philip and I are doing a short build-up so we are good and ready for that 10 miler.  So far, so good.  I did not do a long run last week (unless you count 5 miles), nor speed work, but did all of my cross training and easy runs.

It looked like our summer was packed solid between marathon training and trying to stay sharp for shorter summer races with speed work.  That is, until I started watching more Ironman Triathlon videos on YouTube.  Then my husband and I watched the documentary "Fab Five" which portrays the journey that five Nebraska athletes went on to achieve the ultimate athletic achievement...2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, followed by 26.2 miles of running.  I'm not crazy enough to try to tackle a full Ironman THIS year, but what about the half?  I have been wanting to do a half iron for the last several years...I even signed up for one in 2011.  After doing the majority of the training, I chickened out the week before.  I'm not going to even pretend that it is convenient to do one this year, but really, when WILL it be?  And with things continuing to be extremely difficult with Anders, I need somewhere to put my mind sometimes so I am not always living in our family's very hard reality.

Philip and I threw around lots of different races, but between work and life commitments, we weren't left with many options.  Basically, we needed to do one in August so we'd have time to get at least a little quality work in.  And we want to be able to drive vs. fly.  This left us with two choices: the Ironman 70.3 Steelhead in Michigan on August 10 or the Pigman Long-Course Tri in Iowa on August 17.

We have the Omaha Triathlon on July 20th (1500m swim, 25 mile bike, 6.2 mile run) and then the Cornhusker State Games Tri on July 27th (750 swim, 12.5 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run) so we will be able to get some practice in before the 70.3.  However, it is still going to be a huge undertaking.  We don't want to slip on our marathon training, so we are planning to do those very early in the mornings (think 4:30am).  This should be do-able as these runs shouldn't get really long until the end of August/beginning of September, and by then, we'll be done with the half-iron.

There are two big, big question marks as we explore this idea...the first is recovery. Are we going to be able to effectively marathon train AND train for the half iron?  I am going to have to be very diligent about taking an extra day off if I need it, ice baths, getting to bed early, making sure I'm getting enough protein and iron, etc.    The second is our kiddos.  We do not want to spend all of our time working out and take anything away from their care.  So, most of this work will take place before they wake up in the morning...at least the running part.  I am only planning on biking three times per week and can probably do two of those in the afternoons on the spin bike while Quinn is napping.  Several months ago, we moved the spin bike upstairs by Anders' area in the living room so I can workout while they are sleeping and still be in the same room.  Lately, Anders has been pretty content to play in his bouncy seat with a couple of toys (while sitting 5 feet away from me).

We're planning on doing a 30 mile ride followed by a 5 mile run this Friday and moving forward with more difficult bricks (a brick workout is when you stack more than one workout on top of another vs. a two-a-day when you do two workouts with several hours in between).  Basically, we're gonna hop off our bike, grab a quick drink, and head out for our run.  If you've never done a tri before, it feels SO weird on your legs to start running after a ride...yikes!

Hopefully your summer is off to a great start! Isn't it awesome that we're finally getting some warm weather?! Happy running!

Spring wrap-up, Summer plans!

Philip and I were reunited with Quinn after the Lincoln Half!

On very first blog post back in February, I basically laid out my plan for this past spring.  I know I have been covering each individual race in the race reports, but here is a summary:

Empyrean Trail 5K (Feb. 1)- 2nd overall out of 108 women

Kicks and Kisses 5k (Feb. 15)- 2nd overall out of 153 women
Bryan Health Indoor Triathlon (Feb. 15)- 2nd overall out of 58 women

Leprechaun Chase NE (March 8)- 12th overall out of 1110 women

Leprechaun Chase IA (March 15)- 5th overall out of 723 women

(possibly) Ni-Bthaska-Ke Trail Run  (April 6)- didn't end up running this

Lincoln Half-Marathon (May 4)- 22nd overall out of 5597

Market to Market Relay IA (May 10)- 1st overall women's team out of 65 teams

Honestly, I couldn't be happier about how this spring went! But after lots of hard training and racing, I decided to take a full week off--no running AT all--to recharge my body and mind.  I spent last week trying to catch up on work at home (is that ever possible?!) and trying to arrange my racing and training schedule for this summer.  

Training:  Deciding what marathon training plan that Philip and I would use for Twin Cities this fall was a hard decision.  There are so many out there! After talking to some friends about what they've done and what's worked for them, we decided on the FIRST training program.  Now, I was very hesitant to choose this one as the speed work looks ridiculous, but I really liked the long run schedule.  I think that we are going to focus on completing our long runs each week and I'll pick/choose/move around the speed work.  (I did a version of FIRST for my half-marathon this spring and really enjoyed it.) I think that I will try to do longer repeats this summer (mile, two-mile, maybe even 3 mile repeat-type stuff.)  We'll see.  So, my plan is to do one speed session, one long run, 3 easy runs of varying distances, and several sessions of cross-training per week (bike, swim, elliptical).  The cross training will be extremely important as we're signed up for two olympic distance triathlons and one sprint.  

Here is a link to our training plan:

http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/less-more-marathon-plan?page=single

Racing:

Havelock 10k (June 7)

CorNfieldCorNfield 10k (June 28)

Seward Optimist 10k (July 4)

Lincoln Mile (July 13)

Omaha Tri (July 20)

CSG Tri (July 27)

NE State Fair Marathon (August 23)--not sure if i'll race the half or do full as training run

Hy-Vee Tri (August 31)

I have several races on the docket after August, but will probably leave it there for now as I have some stuff to hammer out yet regarding our fall schedule.  Definitely Harvest Moon Hustle, Twin Cities Marathon, and Market to Market NE though! :)

Lots of miles to look forward to this summer! :)

What could happen and what WILL happen--Lincoln Half-Marathon

Chicago Marathon 2012

I have made it very public that I've been working my tail off this spring.  Because of (or in spite of) this, two things are very possible Sunday morning at the Lincoln Marathon.  I can either earn a new PR or fall flat on my face.  I have been taking it pretty easy this week, and in the time that I have not spent running or working out, I keep re-playing different scenarios of the race in my mind.  It is arguably true that I have tended to not be as strong of a runner as the distances get greater.  According to McMillan's Running Calculator (which I have previously mentioned that I LOVE), my projected marathon time based on this year's 10k is 3:10.  My actual PR? 3:43.  A full 33 minutes off what I could supposedly run.  Now, hear me out.  I am NOT bashing 3:43.  Or 5:43 (which I ran at the Twin Cites Marathon in 2006).  Or any marathon finishing time.  I am simply pointing out that, for whatever reason, I am not hitting my potential as the distances get longer.  Honestly, a big part of this is that my training has never been wonderful when it comes to full marathons.  Hence, when it came time to sign up this past January, I thought about what my life was going to be like this spring and wondered if I could really put in the time and miles necessary to run a decent marathon.  When I answered this question with a "No", I decided that what I could do was train to run a kick butt half.

And that is exactly what I did. Speed work, long runs, cross-training.  I did all of that.  I have done 150 workouts since January 1.  That is a lot of early mornings, two-a-days, workouts when the boys are sleeping, late nights, etc.  Is this going to pay off? Maybe.  But maybe not.

So.  Here is what I think could happen and what will happen.

Saturday:  Quinn is running his first race! The Mayor's Run.  The race is a full mile and Quinn is not two, but that child is full of energy and LOVES being around other children.  I am so excited for my little boy!  Afterwards, we are going to hit up packet pickup at the Embassy Suites (right? I haven't really read those emails yet...), and then head home to pick up our home for ours guests.  My father, sister Emilie, almost BIL Josh, and friend Jessica are all spending the night.  (Jess and I are planning to consume lots of rice and possibly some chicken per a recommendation from our friend Alyssa.)  I will probably sleep like crap.

Early (early) Sunday morning:  Wake up call will be 4:30am and I'm guessing we'll be out the door around 5am.  I will eat a bagel with peanut butter and honey.  After drinking way too much coffee, I will most likely feel better from my 2-3 hours of sleep.  It looks like it's going to be a decent day for racing, so I'll probably wear my singlet, shorts, and compression gear, BUT I think I'll bring a crappy sweatshirt and pants so I can be warm beforehand.

7am-RACE BEGINS.  Ugh.  Here is where I have NO IDEA what will happen.  I want to believe that I will run a new PR and feel awesome doing so.  I don't want to believe the voice in my head that says I will not do this.  So, I think what I will work on believing is that I'll run a new PR (previous was set in 2009--1:36).  Now THAT should be do-able, right?!  This sub-1:30 talk?! Is that realistic? Maybe not.  But I am in good shape and do not want to sell myself short by convincing myself that I am not good enough or fast enough.  I am going to leave my watch at home and just run by feel.  When I run into that stadium after 13 miles, I will hopefully see an awesome time up on that screen.

Sunday- mid morning:  We are hoping to find everyone at the finish and celebrate new PR's.  While I might be questioning my own race, I have no doubt whatsoever that Emilie and Philip and going to run fabulous races.  As long as Quinn is holding up (he's going to cheer us on with his grandpa and uncle), I'd like to head over to the full marathon course (around mile 22?) to cheer on our teammates and friends.

Good luck to each and every one of you who will be lacing up your shoes for 13.1 or 26.2.  At the end of the day, what matters most is that we are out there doing things that are hard.  What are your goals for this weekend?

I'm exhausted. (Plus some good things)

As I found myself sitting in front of a blank screen, this is the thought that went through my head: "I'm so exhausted".

I'm tired in every sense.  I'm physically tired.  Any one of you with small children understands this one. Anders usually wakes up once a night to eat.  My husband is wonderful and we alternate who does "night duty"...and once I was craving a full night of sleep so badly that I exchanged two 30-minute massages if Philip would take care of the baby.  Quinn is getting his molars, so while he usually sleeps through the night (and has since he was 5 weeks old), it's hard to say what will happen when those dreaded teeth are involved.  Poor kid.  That has to hurt horribly.  Philip and I have still been getting up around 5am to do our morning workouts. As I have previously mentioned, Philip is ridiculously good at this.  Usually, it's enough to drag me out of bed as well.  Sometimes, I'll ask Philip to "kindly encourage" me to get up, and to him, this means ripping the sheets off of me.

I'm so tired of dealing with so many doctors.  I'm tired of appointments.  Today we had three appointments, one after the next this morning.  I know that many of you saw on Facebook that we were going to be having a surgery called a fundoplication for Anders...now I'm not exactly sure if that's happening or not.  The lung doctor said we needed to, but then talked to the stomach doctor a few days later who said we didn't need to after looking at a biopsy.  It's so so hard to figure out what to do.

I'm tired of being homebound.  Please know that I DO understand that this is what's best for Anders, and his needs come first EVERY time.  But that fact doesn't make it easy.  We sent Quinn to my parent's house for Easter, and Philip and I stayed home with Anders.  Anders still isn't able to go to church or be in large groups, so I stayed home with him while Philip went to church.  Very strange for both of us...for Philip to attend the service alone and for me to miss Easter morning service entirely.

Being tired makes me feel sad.  So, let's talk about some awesome things.

• Nicole Mercer came to visit us while we were at Children's.  Prior, she had mailed me a devotional entitled "Jesus Calling" which I have been reading every night.  Nicole also has a sick child, so when we saw each other, we both burst into tears.  We both understand how much it hurts to see our child struggle.  Anyway, Nicole is a wonderful example of a person who completely trusts in God even though we don't always understand His plan.

• My sister-in-law Kellen has been training for the Lincoln half marathon.  Last week, we ran 10 miles together and she did awesome.  

• The weather is absolutely gorgeous today.

• Many people I know ran the Boston Marathon and rocked it.  Amazing!

• I am almost done with the third book of the Divergent series. (FYI--The movie was really good!)

• Market to Market Iowa is coming up! :)

• Quinn will turn 2 on May 10.  Anders is over 8 months old.  My husband will turn 32 at the end of the month.

• Shelly Benshoof is an incredible person. So blessed to have her as a friend.

• I'm so proud of our Women Run Nebraska athletes.  We've been around for only a short time, and already y'all are doing impressive things!

• My family is amazing.  Always loving and always willing to help.

• I have the most wonderful husband.  Ever.

• My cousin Megan and friend Denae's babies are due very soon!

I'm sure that I can come up with many other great things, but I think that is enough.  Happy Tuesday and happy running...get outside if you can, it doesn't get any nicer!

It's CRUNCH time!

                                           Make sure you're getting enough to drink!! :)


We have t-minus four weeks until the Lincoln half and full marathon.  As I previously mentioned, I have had to re-figure my training after feeling not-so-hot at State Farm.  Since four weeks out is still plenty of time to add fitness, here are a list of things that I am going to try to do so that I can go into Lincoln as strong as possible:

Adequate Sleep I know that this is a tough one for all of us.  Think about what time you get up...if you like to get up and do your workouts in the mornings, hitting the 'snooze' button in favor of more sleep is going to cause you to miss your workout.  And going to bed earlier might not really be an option either.  If you honestly can't go to bed earlier or sleep in a bit, there are still a few things you CAN do.  Think about your relationship with your phone.  I have mine automatically set to go on silent at 10pm...however, I am going to re-set that to 9pm.   Why? I know that the very last thing that Philip and I do before we go to sleep is check our phones...and we do not need to do this. This only serves to stimulate our brains AND waste time time when we could be sleeping...I would be willing to bet that many of you do the same. 

I have had many issues with insomnia throughout the years.  I would feel tired, but when I'd lay down, my mind would begin to race and I could never seem to get it to stop.  I have found that reading a book before bed really helps.  It gets me thinking about something else until I'm drowsy enough to fall asleep.

And just to throw this out there since I'm on topic, if you usually don't sleep well the night before a race, it's no big deal.  I have had some of my best races on little-to-no sleep.  Two nights before, however, IS key.  One of my friends once told me that it is actually better to not sleep much the night before...this way your body is totally relaxed before the big event.  Not sure if I totally buy that, but whatever.


Speed Work In the past, I have always had intentions of doing speed work but have always found reasons to not do.  Why? Because it hurts.  It's not fun.  You know what's fun? Eating ice cream and watching Game of Thrones (I just HAD to throw that in...who all watched yesterday?!).  BUT this isn't gonna help me meet my goals.  I have been mostly successful adding one day of speed work per week this spring, anything from 400s to 2 mile repeats.  What could this look like? On the treadmill, I like to alternate easy/hard 400s.  My 'easy' 400 is set at 8.0 on the 'mill and my 'fast' is 10.5.  I also did mile repeats on the treadmill set at 9.7 or 9.8.  I would then take about 5 minutes rest in between each one.  This week, I am planning on doing a 3 mile, 2 mile, and 1 mile speed workout where each one will get faster.  Wish me luck.



Long Runs I have finished quite a few full marathons, and several times, I have run a half marathon as part of my buildup or training.  I have found that when I am doing really long runs (15 miles +), my half marathons have not felt that bad.  I also tend to have faster times.  So for the first time ever, Philip and I added a 15 miler into our training schedule.  The hope is that after we have gone over 13.1, we will be able to run it stronger.  Our goal was to run 9 minute miles, which would have had us finishing in 2:15, but we we able to speed up our pace a bit at the end and finished with an 8:49 average pace.  We are planning to do one or two more long runs, but haven't solidified the distances yet.  Maybe a 12 and 10?


Proper Nutrition Nutrition is not my strong suite.  I love carbs and sweets.  Seriously.  A typical day for me would be grape nuts and coffee for breakfast, a bagel with either peanut butter or jelly and yogurt for lunch, and then whatever we have for dinner (steak, casserole, pizza, etc.).  You might notice that I didn't really mention a lot about fruit and veggies. I know, I know, I know.  These are easy things to add...I DO like fruit and vegetables, so what is my problem?  I am going to work on this this month and hopefully it sticks.  In addition, remember to drink adequate water each day.


Positive thinking  I have NEVER run well at the Lincoln Marathon.  Nor am I historically a very strong half or full marathon runner.  Is this turning into a self-fulfilling prophecy?! Maybe so. Or maybe it is just that I have never been fully prepared for these events.  Knowing this going in, I am trying very hard to work on my mental preparation as well as the physical.  I am trying to believe that this time will be different.  I have put in the work this time.  Still, doubt creeps into my mind.  I have been pretty vocal about my goals, and what if I run the same time as when I wasn't (in my mind) as well prepared? Anyway, these are my issues with positive thinking.   What can you do to work on this? Try literally picturing yourself coming to the finish and either feeling a certain way or seeing your goal time as you cross the finish line.

I hope these ideas help.  Also, if YOU have any tips for me, please pass them along.  HAPPY RUNNING!