I think I can, I think I can!!!

On September 28, my sister in law Hannah and I became part of the 1% of American people who will have run a marathon in their lifetime. It was quite an amazing experience! I’m so thankful, Hannah was crazy enough to do it with me! 

This post will discuss about my training and what got me to the start line! 

First, why would I do such a crazy thing? 

Well, I am crazy in love with the most wonderful man in the world! And he believes I can do crazy things like running a marathon! He is my inspiration for running. I had originally signed up to run the Akron Half Marathon, but James thought I was doing so well with all my miles and running that I should challenge myself and sign up for the full marathon instead. My heart began to beat fast as I thought about actually running  a full marathon! I asked him if he really thought I could do it, and his answer over and over again was yes! So I swallowed a dose of crazy and called the Akron Marathon and switched to running the full! Yikes!!!

My Training:

I followed the Hal Higdon Novice 2 marathon training plan, ( http://www.halhigdon.com/training/51138/Marathon-Novice-2-Training-Program) but I added my own variations. Heres my basic training plan during the last 3 months: 

Sunday-off

Monday-Speed Training 6 miles of Yasso 800’s (sprint for half a mile (pause timer & slow jog or walk .25 mile- I would just catch my breath and keep going). Do ten reps of this then take an easy mile for cool off or no cool off. Your average time during your sprints should give you an estimate marathon time. 

My time would be around 3:55-4:12. 

Tuesday-Off (Monday and Tuesday would alternate for my off days and speed training days)

Wednesday- Mid long distance 8-12 miles 

Thursday- Strength Training ( I would run 6 miles with ankle weights) 

Friday-off 

Saturday- Long Distance 16-20 miles

On the plan, I was suppose to run 20 miles only once and it was three weeks before the race. Instead I ran 20 miles about 8 weeks before. I ran 20 miles three times, 18 miles twice and the full 26.2 once. I wanted to build up my endurance for race day. Your body doesn’t know “miles” but it knows time. My thinking, I could build up my time to perform well and really push myself on race day. Akron was a very hilly course, so when I could, I hill trained, but with traveling it was a little challenging. 

It was a huge confidence booster to had already run the distance. I finished in 4:12:34 (without stopping) and my hopes was to finish in 4:00 on race day. 

To fuel along the way, I eat bagels (they also help settle my stomach) and oatmeal cream pies (simply for the sugar boost-it gets a little tiring running for four hours! :) I put the bagels in ziploc baggies, and oatmeal cream pies. ( I would cut the bagel in half and put each half in a baggie and tuck the baggie around my hydration belt. I would run with two whole bagels and three oatmeal cream pies. Two pies fit in a pouch on my belt, I carried a 24oz sports bottle of water plus the two 6oz bottles on my waist. (I can’t eat the sport gels because those really bother my stomach and nobody wants the runs while running!)  I would do exactly the same thing for race day.

I had run 950 miles and was getting very excited about the marathon! I had confidence in all my training and hard work; but I was nervous about going a faster pace and conserving my energy the whole time to finish strong. My plan was to join a pace group and break off around mile 23 and sprint to the end.  

Three weeks out from the race starts the taper. You cut back on your miles and allow your muscles in your body to heal so you can really push them on race day. 

Sounds easy, right?

Wrong!

Those three weeks were brutal. Why? Because your suppose to take it easy. Easy?? I’ve been training hard for months and now I’m suppose to take it easy. I would get antsy not being able to run as much as I wanted. And with all that free time, one can go crazy. 

Well I did a lot of reading on how to properly taper. I found out if you rested too much, it would have an adverse effect and I didn’t want that. To properly taper you’re suppose to cut back on your mileage about 20%, then 30% then 40%. My average week would be about 35-40 miles. Week three, I ran 40 miles (with 20 miles being my long distance day.) Week two, I ran 30 miles (12 miles on my long distance). And race week, I ran a total of 16 miles before race day but I did easy runs nothing exhausting. Which worked perfect for me! 

Friday, September 27: 

It was here the day before the marathon! My stomach was doing lots of flips and flops! 

I had my chicken pesto pasta made with lots of veggies and home made rolls all set in the fridge. Ready to carb load! 

Hannah and I were so excited! Our families were sharing a two room hotel room, and we headed to the expo to pick up our race packets! 

Who’s Hannah? 

Glad you asked! 

Allow me to introduce you to Hannah. Hannah is James’ beautiful oldest sister who is one of my best friends. She turned 30 this year and has three adorable kids and one awesome and crazy fun husband, Bobby. Along with loving the Lord completely, she is super talented in all things music and enjoys the freedom running gives her! 

I invited her to run a 5K Color Run with me back in May and she hasn’t stopped running since! She had only been running for 5 months before the marathon. She trained super hard and was hoping to finish in 5:30. She had had an injury a few weeks prior and decided to try and finish in 6 hours (the max) so she wouldn’t injure her leg. She also planned to run ahead of her pace group at the end to finish in just under 6 hours. I don’t know too many people who would sign up for a marathon only weeks into running! She is one committed woman!!   

Okay, so it was the eve before the race...  

Check back tomorrow to read how our marathon went! 

Was I able to sprint the last three miles like I planned? Did I run without stopping? Will I ever run a marathon again? Did Hannah make it to the finish? Find out tomorrow! 

Training was much more enjoyable knowing I had a friend training just as hard along side of me. Even though we weren't able to train together, I knew she was out there on those hot brutal days working hard too. We were running the course no matter how difficult to prepare for race day! Some days, I wondered if all my training was even worth it. Was it really helping me? Some weeks I ran even slower than before and I thought how could I get slower?? But it was all preparing me for race day. My body would be tired and sore but it would soon heal and be stronger than ever. I thought of these verses in I Corinthians 3: 

⁶ I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

⁷ So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

⁸ Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹ For we are labourers together with God...

Hannah and I labored together, just as God labors along side of His children. We may not have always seen the fruit of our hard work right away but it was there like a seed planted in the ground taking time to grow before it sprouted. So may I encourage you, Christian, keep on laboring for Christ in whatever area He has called you to. Your labor is never in vain in the Lord! It is God that gives the increase! 

This blue line would take us from the start to across the finish line! 

The Elevation Chart- Sure it looks harmless! But hilly the whole way! 

Our Awesome Signs! Gabriel was our sweet nephew who passed away this year- only a year old. We love you, Gabe, and can't wait to see you soon! 

Dinner! And our jackets we got! 

This car had all 13,000 runners names on it. 

Ready or Not?

As most of you know, I'm training for my first marathon on September 28 in Akron, Ohio. I have been following a 16 week marathon training schedule and let me tell you some days are tough! This week is my last week of hard training then my runs get lighter leading up to the race. 

During my training, I was really excited to start the plan. Then as weeks progressed a few months into it, it became less exciting and more work. Then summer hit and the heat was brutal, disgusting, painful,exhausting-well you get the idea.

 There were days , I wanted to quit early and not finish my miles. And some days I did due to sickness. I felt like a failure on those days. But I got up the next day and kept working on my running. 

I thought, if I could endure the summer heat, just maybe it would pay off when fall came around. 

I learned to endure a 20 mile run without stopping and to press on when I was exhausted. I knew these workouts although they were not my personal best, would hopefully produce a stronger runner in the end. 

Today, I finally saw great results with my speed. (And the weather was 59 degrees!) My hard work during the summer has paid off. 

6.25 miles with an average pace of 8:30. My last mile was my fastest at 8:09. And let me tell you, it's hard to run the last mile as your fastest. But come race day, I want to finish strong. (Something James has taught me to do since I started running.)

So it got me thinking...

In life we run a spiritual race.

When a person first accepts Christ into their life, they are so excited about living the life of a Chrisitan. They are ready for a life change! No longer to live the way they did before but to live for something much Greater than themselves. No longer to walk on the broad path but the path less traveled- the straight and narrow. 

But then something happens along the way. Maybe a trial or tribulation and life gets tough. They start to look at their situation and not to God. They slowly lose the joy of their salvation and begin to cut miles out from their daily run, and spend less time in prayer and Bible study. 

But as children of God, we are called to endure the race. Finish strong. The tough days are preparing us to run even stronger in the days to come. God will be our strength when our energy left us at mile 14 on that huge hill. 

Sure there are hot and humid days that will be tough but thankfully those days don't last forever! 

(Well unless you live in Florida...) 

Fall is just around the corner and race day for me is only 25 days away. I'm ready for race day and to cross that finish line! 

How about you? Are you ready to cross the finish line? If God called you home today, would your race be a strong finish or barely crossing the finish line? 

Stay strong and finish strong in God's strength. You never know who you'll influence to join the race! 

Romans 5:3-6

"...but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. "

Hebrews 12:1-2

"... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Running my first race!

My journey into running began when I was in the second trimester of being pregnant. Yes, I know you're not suppose to start anything new while pregnant but my doctor and midwife were okay with it. I was only running a mile at first then worked my way up to 1.5-2 miles. It felt great!! It really took all the aches and pains out of being pregnant. I had tried to run before but would always give up after a week or two of running. I tried doing too much too soon and it wore me out. As I began running while pregnant, I gradually worked my way up. I think that was the key for me. Starting small and building on that. Four weeks after giving birth, I began running again. By the end of the first week I was running four miles without stopping! I decided a race would be a fun thing to do! So I signed up for my first race- a 10K (6.2 miles) on St. Pete Beach. The week leading up to the race I was so anxious about making my time. My goal was to do it in under an hour. I had run the distance about four times, so I knew I could do it, but didn't know if I would make my time. So here is how my race went...

Morning of the Race:

Well Jacob decided he was hungry at 2am and 5am last night. He has been sleeping through the night from 9:30pm-7:30am for a whole week now! But of course the night I could use the sleep the little booger keeps waking up! I still feel pretty well rested! I rolled out of bed at 6:30am and got myself ready. I was feeling pretty anxious and decided I would eat a little oatmeal and half a banana. I thought it was light enough that I would feel fine as I was running. I usually only eat a Kashi fruit and nut bar before I run, but I thought since my race was a good two hours away I would be fine. That was a mistake... (I ended up pretty sick to my stomach after the race but at least it was after the race!) 

We pulled into the Sirata on St. Pete Beach at 8am. We had a good 45 minutes before the race. After killing time by taking photos and stretching, I made my way out onto the street with some of the other runners. Everyone else around me seemed to have a running buddy or someone they knew, so I awkwardly stood there pretending my “date” was in the bathroom. It was awkward since I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was my first race. So I did my best to act like I knew what was going on. A lot of the runners around my had on shirts from previous races- “Women’s Half Marathon; Iron Man; Meatless Runner (I think I saw her eating some grass along the way); ...etc” Some of the runners had on some serious gear for their 10K run, all decked out in name brand gear. My shirt was from Target...but it was a pretty pink color and it matched my shoes- so there! Alright so back to the race...

The weather was perfect, 60 degrees. A little chilly at first but I decided to not wear my jacket which was a good choice. I turned on my music, pulled up my Nike running app, set it for the 10K and waited for the race to begin. I made some small chat with a nice fellow next to me as we waited for the start. That was the last I ever saw him too, he was either super fast or super slow. Before I knew it the people in front of me began to run. I didn’t hear anyone signal to start but I went with the crowd! 

I ran in between some people and made my way to the side of the road. This way others could pass me and I could pass them easily. I paced myself and remembered to not go too fast at the beginning of the run. My throat was really dry as we began and I had to go potty (nerves I think haha). I thought mile one and two would feel like a cake walk and I would push myself to get through miles 3 and 4 then I would be golden for miles 5 and 6. Finally, I hit mile one and my time was 8:21, my fastest mile ever. Oops, so much for pacing myself. So I thought I had slowed down some to pace myself but by mile two my time was 8:45. Okay now to get to mile three, I can do this! And what was before me but a group of angels passing out water! I grabbed a cup and tried to drink it while still running. Bad idea. I was almost choking and decided to slow down a minute to get a sip of water down my throat. One sip successfully down, and off I went. I thanked the Lord for my water and then passed the three mile mark. At the 5K mark my time was 27:37, my fastest 5K to date also. My goal was to get to the 4 mile mark, I knew once I got there the last two miles would be great! Another water stop, so I walked for 20 seconds to drink and then off I went. I felt pretty good, my legs were going in a groove, my breathing was in a rhythm- I was going places! Running to the five mile mark, I started feeling pretty tired. 

To play a mean trick on all of us runners, we had to run past the start line an additional half a mile and turn around and come back through the finish line. (So just when you think you’re done you have another 1.21 miles to go.) It was kinda weird at the five mile mark everyone is there cheering you on like you’ve finished the race. But I tried to soak up the encouragement and use it as motivation. As I was running one way, I kept looking at all the other runners who were running the other way on their way back to the finish line.  Oh how I wanted to be on that side of the road with them! The last mile was a killer. I kept looking and searching for the turn around point but it seemed endless. Would I ever be on my way back to the finish line?!! So I decided to walk for about 30 seconds. My time was good enough that I had a little cushion to walk. I felt better when I saw some macho guy also walking for a few seconds. Okay back to running, and there it was the turn around point!! The hallelujah chorus went off in my head at that moment. Then I kept making little goal marks for myself to get to. I heard the sweetest words from my Nike running app, “You’re almost there, keep it up!” Which means only .21 miles to go! So I pushed myself to pick up the pace. I hit the 10K according to my GPS about .25 of a mile before the actual finish line. My time was 57:44, my fastest 10K to date! A little bit further to go, I can do it! I sprinted towards the finish line to victory! I did it!! A total of 6.44 miles in 59:22!! 

My accomplishments for the day: Ran my fastest mile 8:21, fastest 5K 27:37, fastest 10K 57:44- and barely broke a sweat, thanks to the nice weather! 

Me with my favorite guys! 

I came in 103 out of 272 women runners! And 6th out of 15 in my age division. Not too bad for my first race!

"My mom is fater than your mom" It was suppose to read "My mom is faster than your mom" but Jacob decided to change that. 

My favorite part was seeing my husband all proud of me at the finish line and being able to kiss my little boy! After the race though I was exhausted!! But Oh what a great day!!