Marathon Training Week 13 & 14 in Review

I have really slacked logging my runs. I had a great week 13. I did an easy 5 miles on Monday, an 8 mile interal workout on Tuesday, a 10 mile tempo run on Wednesday. On Friday, I ran 20 miles in 3 hours and 7 minutes. It was very hard and my legs were very weak. I was sore through Sunday. I ran 4 miles on Monday, and did the Turkey Trot, a 5 mile race, on Thursday. I finished in 31:28 and placed 3rd in my age group. I was very pleased. I took off Friday and ran 16 miles today. I have eaten really bad for the past 2 days and expected it to hurt me worse than it did. I was rested, and fully hydrated, that may have balanced out the damage I did to my body with all the sugar and processed food I ate on Thanksgiving and the day after. I averaged 8:56, which is about my goal for the race. I felt pretty good, but I was bored as I ran the same loop around my house 3 times.

Marathon Training, Week 12 Day 6

My day was busy yesterday so I did not get a chance to write about my run until now. I took my girls up to my mom's and ran 18 miles while she watched them for me. This being the second to last long run I will have before the marathon, I went out to test my limits. Qualifing for Boston has been in the back of my mind since I started this, so I decided to see if I have what it takes. I started out with a 8:15-8:30 pace and felt fantastic for the first 7 miles. I started out at a 1/2 mile track and warmed up there, then got a drink and did a 4 mile loop that brought me back to my car at mile 6 so I could hydrate and fuel. I did not want to keep running in circles, so I carried my quart size water bottle and energy bar with me. I think that slowed me down, because I dropped to an 8:40 miles 8-11 or so. I put it down and picked back up til mile 15. It was hard and I had to pray that God would help me. As soon as I had forgotten my prayer, I got chased by a dog. When it was over, I laughed at God's sense of humor. The adrenaline rush caused me to run mile 13 in 8:12. I pushed thru mile 15 and then I was out of steam. Dropped to a 9-10 on mile 16-18. That gave me an average of 8:43 for the run. I was pleased with my performance, but if I am going to qualify for Boston, I need something I don't have yet.
I felt really bad for a couple of hours after the run. I had to to ibuprofen for my tension headache. That is the first time I have taken any medicine in 2 weeks. I felt a little queasy and weak.
On the bright side, I feel fantastic again today. I am not even sore, which is remarkable .

My Dream about Papaw James

Last night, I dreamt about my papaw James. I do not remember where we were, but I was with Mike. Papaw just walked out of a door and I said, with much excitement, "My papaw is alive!" and ran to him. I hugged him and my face was just above his waist, where it would reach when I was a child, though I was not a child in my dream. His arms fell behind my head, arms resting on my back. I smashed my face into his belly. It was a dream, but I smelt him. Sitting here now, I can remember how he smelled, how he always smelled. He was a hard working man, always out in his field, tending his animals and gardens. And that is how he smelled, like a man who worked hard. But I never found his smell offensive, he just smelled like papaw. He said something to me, but I do not remember what it was. Now, as I remember the dream, I hugged him, more so than he hugged me and I looked up at him and he seemed preoccupied, though dreams are not like reality, and the adult child in the dream did not notice his distraction at the time. I notice it now. And if dreams mean anything, I interpret it as knowing that he is about greater things right now. I cling to an earthly memory of him, a fleeting moment in a life that the Bible describes as a blink of an eye. He was exactly how I remembered him, in a cotton plaid short sleeved shirt tucked in gray tousers with a belt. Though I did not think of it in my dream, he was probably wearing a white v-neck t-shirt underneath. As I sit here now and write this, that is how I picture him sitting at the small table that sat in my grandparent's kitchen, eating breakfast, one of his feet resting on his opposite knee. I see him with a smile on his face, he was so full of joy, and he spread that to all who knew him. I will never forget how meticulously he opened his Christmas presents. He would sit with his pocket knife and carefully cut the tape, never tearing the paper. We all watched him, amused by his patience, but urging him to rip them open. If he ever tore his wrapping paper, I do not remember. Oh, as I write, I am flooded with my childhood memories of him and it causes me to long to embrace him again. I shared this dream with my brother and he assured me, "one day it will be real." As I proclaimed in my dream, "my papaw is alive!", he is alive, more so that we are as my brother told me. I hate to admit that I rarely long for heaven as I should. Today, I do.

Week 12, Day 6

I went to bed at 10 and got up at 4:20. I did not run today, but I just wanted to comment on how energized I felt teaching spin class this morning. Some of it may have been due to the fact that I am giving the class up next week, so this was my last class. I was so wired, I wished that I had not drank coffee. But, I wasn't shakey, just felt really alert. Though right now, I do feel like I would benefit from a nap, overall, I still have plenty of energy. I am writing this mainly so I will not forget how much better I feel now that my diet is cleaner. When I get used to feeling good, I may not remember how tired I used to be all the time and start longing to go back to Egypt.

I am really surprised that I am not sore today. Maybe the chlorella was worth $26 as it is suppossed to speed recovery. I have been on it 10 days. I replaced whey with hemp protein 3 days ago. I can't believe I'm about to write this, but I cannot wait til my long run on Saturday. I may try to get it in tomorrow instead. Unbelievable. I always heard that marathons were addictive, now I get it.

Week 12, Day 4

Ran 12 miles in 1:44. It felt easy most of the time. I ran the first 6 with a friend and picked up my pace when she left me on miles 7-11 and mile 11 was tough. There were 17-25 mph gusts of wind against me on the way back, which made it more difficult. My knees were throbbing a bit when I got into the into the car, but that only lasted about 10 minutes.

Drank a hemp smoothie when I got home. Made it thinner and smaller this time so I could get it down faster. It is by no means tasty, but it doesn't make me want to vomit or anything. Since I ran a little harder than usual, I put an extra tsp of chlorella in it today because it is supposed to help recovery.

Week 12, Day 3

Well, I tried one last time to get my watch to power up before I sent it off for replacement and it came on! I am so relieved that I do not have to go 10-14 days without it. But, I taught spin class this morning, and I am not running today. I am experimenting with doing a 10-12 mile run every other day and a long run on the weekend. I did not get sore at all from the run on Monday, perhaps because I listened to my body instead of pushing myself to keep a certain pace.

I also got my hemp protein in the mail today. It is supposed to be the best plant protein there is for recovery and performance. Though it does not taste bad, it sure has a rough texture. It's almost like someone put some bamboo in a food processor. And, its brownish green color does make it aesthetically offensive. Sometimes we have to treat our bodies like a child and give it what it needs and not what it wants.

Marathon Training -- Week 12, Day 2

I am going to run my first marathon in less than 5 weeks. I have been in unofficial training for about 20 weeks, but started a training plan 12 weeks ago. I am a bit panicked at this point because my longest run so far has been 17 miles. If I had stuck to my program, I would have ran 2 more 18-20 mile runs by now. With three girls in soccer, I have found it challanging to carve out 3 hours on a Saturday to train. Time has probably been biggest obstacle thus far.
I started on a whole food diet about 10 days ago. I cut out refined sugar and white flour about 1 week ago. It has changed the way I feel dramatically. A dear friend lent me her copy of Brendan Brazier's Thrive diet book because she knew I was vegaterian and was training for a marathon. Given my fitness background, one would think that I had thought about my diet in terms of my training, but I had given it very little thought. Now I am on the cusp of insanity with my mission.

Yesterday when I got up to run, my sophistated GPS enabled stop watch would not come on. I had a 12 mile run planned, so I was disappointed. For a brief moment, (well, actually it was a pretty extended moment as I do sometimes embrace any excuse to skip a run) the thought of running without knowing exactly how far or how fast I am going seemed pointless. I prayed that God would let my watch work. It is brand new and one of my most beloved possesions. Then, I stopped myself and said, "No, God. Please teach me what I am supposed to learn through this." I won the battle with my flesh and took off down the road, watchless.

Now, I always heard that training for and running a marathon is a spiritual journey. So, since I have been training, I almost never wear headphones while I run. I use this time to pray and think. Of course, this day, my watch was the forefront of my mind. Then, it hit me. I almost skipped my run because my watch would not work. Here is a tool that I purchased to help me in my training, and I have become so dependant upon it that I am going to skip a training run because I don't have it. Wow, how silly is that? It is the physical act of running that trains my body, not my watch, my shoes, the countless articles I have read, or my heart rate monitor.

Then, I applied that to my spiritual life. There are many tools (commentaries, meetings, even church) that we have to help us in our walk, but none should be the focus of it. It is the walk that trains our spirit. The time we spend in the Bible, in prayer, in meditation and in community is the training that equips us for his service. Now, I am not saying that any of the spiritual tools are bad for our spirits, as my watch is not bad for my training. It is our actions, not our desires that make us who we are. Knowledge and tools are useless in training your body for a marathon if you aren't going to get out there and pound the pavement in the months leading up to it.