20 Miles. OMG.

That's 10 miles plus 10 more. That's 80 times around the track. That's more than the distance between Sacramento and Davis. That's 6 hours worth of walking. I cant' believe I did it!

Woohoo! I was so worried about this workout because I hadn't done a distance more than 13 miles in almost 2 months because of my injury. I actually felt good afterwards. Well, my muscles and my hip felt good at least. The heat (99 degrees!) was almost unbearable but with the help of my teammates and a LOT of water and gatorade I got through it. I soaked my tired legs in an ice bath after the workout and after a couple of hours of rest, headed out to the State Capitol to volunteer for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night charity walk. By the end of the day last night I was exhausted, stiff, and sore. Luckily, our training is going to taper off in the next 3 weeks to help our bodies recover from this last workout and be ready to go for the marathon on the 18th.
San Francisco, here I come!

Training Update

Unfortunately, my training has taken a bad turn. About a month ago I began experiencing pain in my hip that hasn't gone away, even with a few weeks of rest. The recommendation of my coaches is to stop running but to walk the entire marathon. I plan to see my doctor next week for some xrays to make sure I don't have a stress fracture. My coaches seem to think I have a strained hip flexor.

I'm still going for it though! It will just take me a loooong time to finish...about 6.5 to 7 hours. Wish me luck and pray that I don't injure my hip further before the big race on Oct. 18!!!

I love hills! NOT!!!

Today's run was a doozy. The distance was ok...five miles...but hooooobooy, it was a ROUGH five miles. We ran a nature trail that was all dirt, rocks, sticks, and undulating hills. Oh. My. Golly, Miss Jolly. I was a-huffing and a-puffing, my thighs were on fire, I had some slight cramping in my side and I vaguely remember crying out "Help me mommy!" while running up one of the hills.

What made it worse was that I had to pee so badly after just 1 mile. I guess the jarring of my body while going up and down the hills really did a number on my bladder. I seriously was ready to just pull over and squat behind a bush except for we got a warning about poison oak in the vicinity. GREAT. I considered turning back and heading for the restroom or cutting my run short but I held it and kept going. I started thinking about the chaffing potential of Depends undergarments. Surprise, surprise, by the end of 5 miles I didn't have to 'go' at all..I guess I sweated it all out!

I think this was the hardest workout I've had so far. It was the first time that I called upon my inspiration...those people that I signed up to run for, my honored teammates. I pushed myself to keep going and reminded myself that this physical discomfort does not compare at all to what my Dad, my cousin Lilly, and the rest of my honored teammates experienced. They helped me get through my workout and I pumped my arms just a little bit harder to push me over those hills.

Please, let our next workout be somewhere flat!!!

5 miles? Easy Peasy!

I can't believe what I'm about to say: I ran/walked 5 miles...and I coulda kept going!!

I'm serious! Last Saturday I went 5 miles doing intervals of 1/1 (1 minute running and 1 minute walking) and I felt so good towards the end I felt like I could go another mile or two. I originally started training doing 3/1 intervals until our coach mentioned that Jeff Galloway used to run whole marathons doing 1/1 intervals with respectable times! I thought I'd give it a try and for now I think this is the way to go for me until I can build up a little more endurance. I'm going to try to reach an interval of 7/1 by marathon time in 4 months.

Last week I had a bad case of shin splints but have since learned how to prepare and avoid them. The trick is to warm up the shins well and to do strengthening exercises between runs. One trick our running coach gave was to spell the alphabet with your toes when you're just sitting around. I haven't had any problems on my last two 5 milers so the exercises are working!

We are having a 3 mile time assessment on Wednesday...I hope I've improved my pace in the last month. Wish me luck!

2 Miles down, 23.7 to go!

We had our first group training run last Wednesday where we learned to walk. Yes, apparently I've been walking incorrectly all my life. We learned how to warm up to prevent injuries and how to maximize our walking motion by propelling ourselves forward with smooth, rolling steps while pumping our arms.

Our walking coach showed us how to hold our arms bent at a 90 degree angle and pump them vertically, not across our bodies, for the most efficient motion. When our elbows started jutting out in the wrong position she came up behind us and tapped our upper arms and warned us "Arms! Arms! Up and Down!"

We ran around the track 4 times (1 mile) for our first timed assessment. I made it in a respectable 15 minutes and 15 seconds running intervals of 2/1 (running 2 minutes, walking 1 minute). Not bad for my first time...but there's plenty of room for improvement. I was a little worried at first because everybody seemed to have a running buddy... either coworkers or family that signed up together. I was fine running alone around the track, but I admit I was a little lonely during the warmup when everybody was buzzing around and chatting excitedly before our first run. On the way back I struck up a conversation with Tasha, a kindergarten teacher from Woodland. She was friendly and in about the same level of fitness so we were able to keep up with each other with no difficulties. We were so absorbed in conversation that the second mile seemed to go by in no time and made the stretching session afterwards less lonely.

We went a total of 2.5 miles and I felt really good afterwards. My arms were sore the next day from all that pumping but my legs felt good. It was a nice easy start to this long and exciting journey.

So...about this marathon thing...

I've done it. I've gone and lost my mind. I don't know what possessed me to think I can do it.

I am training for a marathon.

There, I've said it and I can see those raise eyebrows and here you say, "Watchootalkinboutwillis?"

There is an organization called Team In Training (TNT) that raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The way they do it is to provide regular people like me the training, motivation, and support to run marathons (or triathlons, or half-marathons). In exchange, the participants raise money that goes to the LLS for research, patient support, and services. The research that LLS does benefits not just those with Leukemia or Lymphoma but all cancers or blood disorders. I have signed up for the Nike Womens Marathon in October and I'm still quaking in my boots, or should I say running shoes, just thinking about it.

Now, now...before you think I've completely lost my mind...I'm not going to run all the way. My plan is to run/walk the 26.2 miles in intervals, following the Galloway method of interval running. Some members of my team are going to walk the entire way, so I don't plan on being last.

Training is going to be hard and time intensive. We run as a team 2 times a week and do cross-training or light running on our own 3 times a week. I have 5 months to prepare for this thing and I'm getting my strength and inspiration for loved ones who have suffered from cancer, leukemia, or other blood disorders. Officially, I am running in memory of my father who died of pancreatic cancer, the tough women in my life who've battled or are currently fighting cancers (my mom (lung), my mother-in-law (breast), , my aunt (recently diagnosed with breast cancer) my cousins Grace, Yoly, and JoAnn (breast)), and also for my 2 year old cousin Lilly who has HLH, a rare blood disease.

Peter has been super supportive of my decision and couldn't be prouder. Not only will I be raising money for a good cause but I'll be getting in shape and losing weight at the same time. Yay! I'll be updating this blog with my progress as my training goes along. Feel free to shower me with gratuitous praise and inspiration...I'm gonna need it!!!