I Have No Idea What I Just Got Myself Into....

Well we left things off here back in May a little melodramatic, didn't we?  Rest assured that I did in fact complete my marathon, albeit with more crazy stories than I could have ever imagined.  Entertaining race report to come, but for now here is proof that I am officially a marathoner:

Let's talk about the real reason why I'm back.  For those that know me, I tend to be very impulsive and also very stubborn. If I want to do something I will do it, and I will do it now.  I don't always have a plan for things.  If someone challenges me to something, or doubts my ability in something, I'm just stubborn (stupid?) enough to have to prove myself. 

That's what got me signed up for my first 5k, and although running has turned into much more than that since then, let's just say that old habits die hard. 

I haven't run more than five miles at a time since my marathon in May.  I can count on two hands the number of times my bike has seen the open road this year.  And I only recently learned how to not drown in a pool.  So what's the next (il)logical step for me? 

How about a half-ironman triathlon?  Because that makes total sense right?  Well, it's something that's been in the back of my head for a while, and sometimes you just gotta pull the trigger ya know?  

I don't have a training plan yet.  I'm not in marathon shape anymore.  I really have no idea what the hell I'm doing or what I've even gotten myself in to.  But, like the stubborn and impulsive person that I am, I'll find a way to that start line on July 13th.  

So there you have it, the reason for my return to Molly's Miles.  The more public I make this goal of 70.3 and the journey to get there, the less likely I am to totally suck, right?  Here's to 8 months of... Excitement? Entertainment? Torture?  I guess we'll find out! 

Marathon Thoughts

Well well well.... the day has finally come.  Marathon eve.  In 18 hours, I will be toeing the start line, ready to run 26.2 miles through the streets of Buffalo.  You must be wondering where I have been the past two months - where are all the pictures of my Garmin showing off training runs?  Where are the pictures of the food I've been stuffing my face with after a run?  AM I STILL EVEN RUNNING A MARATHON?!

Truth is, training has been anything but smooth the past couple of months.  This thing called life got in the way, I've been dealing with some health issues, and honestly.... I lost my spark to run.  I managed to knock out some 15+ mile runs and even a 20 miler, but beyond that my training calendar is pretty sad looking.

Looking back, I'm not even sure I was ready and excited to commit to a marathon this year.  After a year of running half marathons, I just figured that a marathon, NOW, was the next logical step.  Some friends had committed, so I thought sure, let's do this.  Don't get me wrong... running a marathon is definitely something I was excited to do... but I feel like I decided to do it by default.

I went back and calculated my planned miles vs. actual miles and realized that I've only ran 60% of my planned miles.  I knew I had skipped some runs, and was sidelined for a while with my health issues, but at the end of the day... you either ran or you didn't.  You either suck it up and go, or you let the excuses take over.  The fact that I let everything going on dictate my training... well there's your answer to how committed I was.

Am I excited for tomorrow?  Yes.  Do I feel prepared?  Absolutely not.  Would I change anything about the past 5 months?  Ehh, probably not.  Yes, life was a roller coaster, and no, my training did not go as planned... but I've definitely learned a lot of things along the way.  About myself, about others, and about life.

So, ready or not, come 7:00am tomorrow morning, I will be putting myself to the ultimate physical and mental test yet.  And I will give it all I've got.  This race is not only for myself, but for everyone who has helped and supported me along the way (you know who you are!).  Crossing the finish line tomorrow... I cannot wait for that feeling.

Here goes nothin'!

Week 9 Recap!

What a week this has been!  After my awesome run last Sunday, I went into this week super amped up for training.  Here's how this week panned out...

Monday - 60 minute bootcamp at the Y

Tuesday - 7 miles with Steph

Wednesday - Spin class + Personal Training at the RAC

Thursday - 4.5 miles with Steph

Friday - Rest

Saturday - Rest

Sunday - 15.18 miles - Syracuse Half Marathon + 2 mile warmup

Total Miles - 26.68

A couple picture highlights from the week...

Some off road running, which apparently got my legs nice and strong for the Syracuse Half Marathon where I not only PR'd in the race, but thanks to some warmup miles, I PR'd with my distance as well!

Since I'm currently burritoed in compression gear, watching basketball and 4 minutes away from falling asleep...

I will be back later this week with a full race report!  Hold tight because this is about to be an epic race recap.  Hint: it was an AMAZING day!!!

Hello? Is anyone still out there?

In case you haven't noticed, I've taken a bit of a blog hiatus.  Life has been crazy and has thrown me into a funk.  After taking some time away from Molly's Miles to regain my positive energy, yours truly is back and ready to go!

I know you've been waiting on the edge of your seat for the past month wondering what I've been doing.  Well don't you worry because I am back to get you up to speed on the past four weeks of this exciting life of mine that I know you've been missing so much!

Week 5
19 miles were on the books for week 5 and I ended up logging 19.5, thanks to a few races over the weekend.  First up was the Freezeroo 5k.  My cousin Liz came up for the weekend and is currently training to run the Flower City Half in April!  Girlfriend kicked my butt in the race, but we had a great time!

The following day was time for a half marathon!  The race was in Syracuse and a bunch of the runner gals ended up doing the race.  It was a flat course but extremely boring... not sure I'd pay money to run this race again.

Week 6

After a weekend of races I was slow moving to get my run on during week 6.  24 miles were scheduled and I logged... wait for it... 9.5 miles.  This week was a mental trainwreck and I just couldn't get my head in the game.  I was burned out from running, from work, from life.  Lots of stuff going on and I just couldn't pull it together to get my butt moving this week.  I chalked this week up to "shit happens" and moved on.

Week 7

I went into this week determined to get my training back on track.  Of the 25 miles I had on the books, I ended up logging 22.78.  Considering that's 2.5x more than the previous week, I was happy.  My long run this week was 13 miles.... you know you're in the trenches of marathon training when a half marathon becomes just a regular old training run!  I even made it back to yoga this week and I think it was one of my best weeks yet.

Week 8

If marathon training has taught me one thing, it's that life does not always go according to plan and you need to learn to roll with the punches.  I spent a lot of time getting my sweat on at the gym this week, but struggled to get my running shoes laced up.  I had a real bad run at the beginning of the week and it did a darn good job deterring me from attempting my scheduled runs the rest of the week. 

After watching an entire day's worth of Law and Order SVU marathons today, the sunshine streaming through my living room window was taunting me to get my butt off the couch.  At 6pm I finally laced up my sneaks and headed out.  I purposely chose a 4 mile route that can easily be cut short in case my body revolted.  I decided I'd be content with 3 miles if need be and I was on my way.

The verdict?  Best. Run. Ever.  From the second I started I felt great and it just kept getting better as the miles ticked by.  It was one of the most enjoyable runs that I can remember.  Everything just clicked... my legs kept moving faster and faster, my brain knew when to ponder life and knew when to turn off, and the shuffle on my iTunes knew exactly what to play for me and when.  

THIS is the run I've been waiting for to bring me back.  THIS is why I stick with this whole training thing even when I want to throw in the towel.  THIS is what I needed to be okay with the curveballs that life has been throwing at me.  

THIS is what I needed to bring back the energy to Molly's Miles!

As I close out week 8 and gear up for week 9, I'm bracing myself for even more craziness.  Training, life.... Bring it on!!!  This girl is ready.

Week 4 Recap

So, this whole "follow the training schedule to a T" thing isn't happening quite the way I had envisioned.  Sure enough, my cough from last weekend turned into another full blown cold (although not nearly as debilitating as last time) and kept me out of commission at the beginning of the week.  The rest of the week shaped up to be pretty interesting though!

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Rest, rest & rest.  Monday and Tuesday were spent home from work sleeping.  Wednesday I dragged myself to the gym for my personal training appointment, and once my trainer saw me she sent me right back home to rest.  At this rate I'm thinking about spending the rest of my training in a haz-mat suit.

Thursday
Finally felt decent enough to get my first run of the week in.  Me, Steph and Emily set out for 5ish miles around Brighton and it was pretty uneventful for the first half of the run.  I was still hacking up my lungs but managed to stay upright and moving, which is always a win.

About 3 miles in we all got quite the adrenaline rush.  We were stopped at a crosswalk waiting to cross the street when we got the walking man signal to go.  We start on our merry way when I see a car out of the corner of my eye that looks like it's not slowing down at all... and then I see it getting closer and closer and the woman not paying attention.  I yelled to Steph and Emily who were in front of me and the car LITERALLY just stopped in enough time to brush Emily before slamming on their brakes.  I unleashed on this lady and started screaming my head off like a crazy person... may have hit her car with my hand in my fit of rage (I think I hurt my hand more than I hurt her car)... and she just sat there and stared at us.  And for the record, we had the right of way, were in reflective gear and bright clothes, and were following the correct traffic pattern.  I SURE hope this lady learned her lesson and sees me going bat-shit crazy on her if she ever thinks about driving stupid again!

Steph's Facebook status that night - people need to learn how to drive!!!!

We ended up finishing our run with 5.7 miles and let's just say that we had some extra adrenaline to fuel those last couple of miles!!

Friday
After our near-death experience on Thursday, we decided to take our Friday evening run to some much less crowded neighborhood streets.  Earlier in the day at work I had a Shamrock Shake that gave me some sugar to fuel a post-work run.  (Note: Remember this shamrock shake for future reference).  It was gorgeous out and letting Emily pace the run means we had a super speedy 3 miler done in no time!

Saturday

I woke up yesterday morning ready to tackle double digits.  I had some weird stomach issues going on Friday night (sham-shake side effects?) and was relieved when I woke up feeling okay.  It was chilly out, but not too bad and the roads were nice and clear.  Ten glorious miles here I come!

The first two miles felt like the usual get-the-blood-moving, shake-it-out warm up and I was feeling good.  As we trekked through the second mile, I started to feel some stomach/intestinal issues going on and things went downhill real fast from that point forward.

Thankfully, we happened to be running by Laura's house on our route (well we might have made a slight detour to get there) and she kindly let me use the facilities.  I've never had stomach issues on a run before so I was hoping that this one pit stop would get me feeling better and good to go.

Wrong.  (Warning: unfiltered story ahead).  The next 8 miles consisted of the most gnarly intestinal issues I have ever had.  For two hours, I was doing one of two things: either running into a random porta-potty/public bathroom along our route, or trying not to be one of those runners who poops their pants during a run.  It. Was. Brutal.  

THIS is what I blame it on

The only thing I did differently from my usual day-before-a-longrun-routine was my afternoon Shamrock Shake at work.  I'm convinced that this was the culprit for the demons in my intestines on Saturday morning.  No more shamrock shakes....ever.

About two miles from the end of this disastrous run, we ran into this little snow sculpture.  Steph (who was a trooper for hanging out and waiting at each and every emergency bathroom stop I had to make) told me to go pose with it, and it now serves as proof that I smiled at least once on this run.

I don't think I have ever been so happy for a run to be over.  Woof.

Alternate titles for this post included: "Rochester Bathroom Tour 2013" and "That Time I Shit My Way Through 10 Miles."

Sunday

Woke up to a text from Becca asking my thoughts on skipping our morning yoga class.  One look at the snow coming down out my window and I was content just hanging out with these guys for the day:

Mileage Recap

Total miles: 19.17    Scheduled miles: 21

So in four weeks of training, the Marathon Gods have thrown the flu, bronchitis and GI issues my way.    Here's to hoping I'm getting all these issues out of the way now and the rest of training will be smooth(er) sailing!

Week 3 Recap

Week 3 has officially come to a close and although the week didn't shake out quite as planned, we've got another week in the books.

Monday

Rest day.  Attempted to do some yoga on my own but called it quits after I fell into my dresser while trying to master Warrior 3.  I'll stick with the pro's teaching me from now on.

Tuesday

I had 4 miles scheduled for this day.  Ended up staying at work late and decided to lay down for a quick 15 minute "power nap" when I got home.  Well, that "quick nap" turned into an accidental 2.5 hour sleep fest as I slept right through my alarm.  Whoops.  Needless to say, I logged a whopping zero miles this day.  Sometimes your sleepy body just wins I guess.

Wednesday

On Wednesday's I have my weekly session with my trainer at the gym.  Since I renewed my membership, I got 10 thirty minute personal training sessions along with it.  This was my second week and let me tell you, when someone is there making sure you are squatting and lunging and crunching just right -- there is no cheating!  30 minutes may not seem like a long time but it's long enough for my trainer to kick my butt.  After my session I decided to make it a cross training day and headed to an hour spin class which I haven't done in a few weeks.  Felt so good to be back on the bike!

Thursday

First run of the week.  Better late than never, right?  Steph and I went to the track to get in some speed work and ended up doing 800m repeats with 100-200m recovery jogs in between.  My legs had been itching to run all week and I definitely challenged myself on this workout.  I ended with 3.45 miles in 38:47, an 11:15 pace.  Considering that pace included the warm up and cool down, I'm pretty pumped to see that number.

Friday

Rest day.  I thought I went a little too hard into beast mode on Thursday because I was hacking up a lung all day Friday.  Went to the doc and turns out I'm rocking a mild case of bronchitis.  I swear I can't catch a break!  I picked up some ammo to get me through the work day and am working on kicking this smoker's cough to the curb for good.

Saturday

Since the weather was supposed to be awful on Saturday morning, Fleet Feet actually cancelled the morning group run.  Safety first!  It was so nice to sleep in on a Saturday -- I forgot what that felt like!  After having a lazy morning, Steph and I hit the snowy roads for a quick few miles.  Snow packed roads, kinda chilly, but absolutely gorgeous scenery.

Sunday

We thought we were doing ourselves a favor by moving our long run to today, thinking that we'd have a shot at better weather.  Well, the streets were plowed but the temperature?  Oh just a nice NINE DEGREES.  It was bitter.  So chilly in fact, that this happened again:

welcome back, frozen hair.

Although it was frigid, my body felt pretty darn good on the run.  We did a two loop route and stopped back at our cars after the first loop to refill water and to get some more warm and dry gear on.  Since my lungs hate me and the cold temps weren't helping my breathing at all, Steph gave me her sweet head cover to wear so I could breathe in warm air.  I felt like a badass rocking this thing.

bring it on mother nature

As we set off for the second loop it was crazy what a difference this little bank robber mask made in not freezing my lungs.  As cold as it was, it made for another darn pretty run:

Nine miles in nine degree weather and we've got another long run in the books!  The last mile or so was tough but when we were done I felt like I could have kept running if I had too.  Always a good feeling!

Mileage Recap

Total miles: 15.65    Scheduled miles: 19 

Thanks to my Tuesday night snooze my miles are lower than scheduled, but the quality of the runs I did do was awesome, so I'm still calling this week a win.

Week 4, here I come!

Week 2 Recap

Two weeks down and we're truckin' right along...

Monday - rest, glorious rest

Tuesday - 3.63 miles 

Wednesday - 30 minute personal training session at gym; arms & abs focus

Thursday - 3.2 miles

Friday - rest, glorious rest

Saturday - 7.17 miles

Sunday - 2 miles on treadmill & 60 minute yoga class

Total Miles: 16;   Scheduled Miles: 15

Last week was a crazy week and there really wasn't a whole heck of a lot of exciting things that went down.  My weekday runs were tougher than usual but Saturday was a rockstar run so it all evens out in the wash, right?

Tuesday's run, although pretty brutal for me, was memorable because Steph got engaged!  Coach Rob proposed right before our group run at Fleet Feet and I'm pretty sure that I screamed louder than Steph did.  I love me some love.

congrats guys!

I'll leave you with one more thing before training week 3 and corporate america swallows me alive for the next 7 days.

So I occasionally check out my blog hits and see what crazy search phrases land people on Molly's Miles.  I thought I hit the jackpot of weirdness when the term "Best Calves Ever" was one of the Google searches that lead someone to my blog.  That is, until I discovered this new gem yesterday...

I'm sorry, what?  It must have been quite the buzzkill when whoever typed that into Google found themselves on my wholesome little running blog.  Better luck next time dude?

And on that note.... Week 3 here I come.  Fully clothed, don't worry.

One Week Down!

Week one of training is officially complete!  Let's see how week one went down...

Monday - Rest day, but ended up doing a boot camp class at the Y

Tuesday - 3.14 miles at Cobb's Hill

Wednesday - 1.5 miles on the dreadmill

Thursday - 3.83 miles

Friday - Rest

Saturday - 7.02 miles at FF Ridgeway

Sunday - Yoga class at the Y

Total Miles - 15.49;  Scheduled Miles - 16

Not too shabby for the first week back from the Black Plague.  I still don't really feel like I'm officially in training yet, since my run volume hasn't really increased much.  It is nice to have a schedule to follow though, and I'm sure as the next couple of weeks go by I'll start to really feel like a marathoner-in-training!

Yesterday was my first long run of training... actually, it was my first long run since September.  I hadn't ran more than 10k since the Rochester Marathon Relay at the beginning of September... woof.  Given that, yesterday's run was surprisingly a really good one!

I ran from Fleet Feet with Steph and Laura and after the first couple of miles with the group, we set off on our own route.  It was relatively flat with some rolling hills and thank goodness for Pandora because it was definitely not the most scenic of runs.  Carly Rae Jepson and the Biebs also helped distract from the frigidness around us...

frozen hair!!!

It was overall a really great run and was a good confidence booster to end my miles for week one!

This morning it was off the the Y for my new favorite Sunday morning routine... Yoga!  Never would I have thought that I would be saying that!  

The instructor is amazing (I made BFF's with her after class today) and I just feel like I am in my element.  Which is weird considering I didn't even know I had a yoga element.  But seriously, finding the right class and right instructor makes all the difference -- Eva at the Y, you have my yogi heart until the end of time.

To top my fantastic week off, I made one of my best purchases to date:

hot pink kicks!

It was time for a new pair of gym/cross training shoes and these babies were on super sale at Kohl's.  How could I pass up a new pair of kicks in my favorite color?!  Bargain shopping for the win.

So with week one in the books, that means only 17 more to go!  Week two, I'm ready for ya!

I Can't Put My Arms Down!

Leave it to my luck that the first real week of training, is the week that temperatures plummet to single digits.  It's a good thing I was antsy to run after my sick hiatus, otherwise it would have been realll hard to get out the door this week!

Tuesday was my first run back since being sick.  Since I took the whole time off I was sick, it had been eleven whole days without running.  I was worried that I was going to die from losing fitness, but it actually turned out to be a good run.

It was bitterly cold and the first half of the run was into the wind.  I'm not kidding you guys, my face felt like it was going to fall off.  The wind was just brutal!  We got in 3 miles and, freezing temperature aside, I felt fantastic the whole run.  Definitely on the slow side, but I'll take it considering my 11 day break!

Yesterday I had a personal training appointment at the gym I go to, so I decided to stick around after my appointment to get in my miles on the treadmill.  Now, you all know my feelings about the treadmill.  The ONLY reason I willingly chose to run on it yesterday was purely convenience and time's sake.  And, as predicted, it was just as boring and brutal as I remembered.  I literally had to pep talk myself to get through 20 minutes.  1.5 miles?  Sounds good to me for today!

After reaffirming my hatred for the treadmill yesterday, it was time to embrace the 10 degree weather today and get used to the bitter cold.  It was even colder today than Tuesday so I got extra serious about my layering to stay warm.

this is what 2 pairs of pants, 4 shirts and 2 pairs of gloves looks like.
i'm ready for ya, mother nature.

I was so layered up, this is what I felt like:

Even with a 12 inch thick barrier of clothes, it was still a darn cold.  I ran with Emily and she was chatty the whole time which was fine by me because my lungs were too busy shrinking in the cold to talk.  Because of the roads we ran on, we had to stay on the sidewalk about 80% of the run and naturally, the sidewalk was nicely layered with snow.  We pretended we were just running in the sand along the beach, and the sound of our feet crunching the snow was the waves of the ocean.  That fun lasted for oh about 30 seconds.

We got in a little under 4 miles at a 13 minute pace exactly, and let me tell you... I feel like I worked my butt off for those miles and that pace!  Running on snow always makes for a solid workout.  Right as we were near the end, we were both ready to be done and complaining and as we were running by a restaurant, some lady yelled to us "you girls are great!"  It's like she knew we needed some positive energy!  Thanks for keeping us going lady!

Tomorrow is a rest day and it is much needed.  Saturday will be my first long run in... a long time.  Seven miles are on the agenda and the temps are supposed to be in the 20's -- heat wave baby!  See ya after the seven!

That Time I Tried Something New...

...And actually liked it.  Who would have thought?!

For anyone that knows me, I can be... "fussy" about trying new things.  I am all about trying something new and will go at it 100%... but that doesn't mean there won't be some complaining and judging beforehand.

I don't like not being good at things.  I don't like not knowing what I'm doing.  When it comes to exercise, I don't like having to think about what's going on.  That's why I run.  Lace up the sneaks and go.  The most tedious thing I need to figure out on my run is whether I want to snot rocket at this corner or the next one.

Anyways, Becca has been trying to get me into yoga class for a few weeks now.  I've done yoga before and each time has been a disaster.  I don't find it relaxing, I don't find it motivating and my body just isn't meant to move and jive like that.

So, yesterday morning I finally bit the bullet and ventured into yoga class at the Y.  I figured I'd give it another shot.... really just so Becca would stop nagging me about it.  And, shockingly... I enjoyed it!  The instructor was awesome and helped us adapt the poses at our own pace and ability.  It was challenging and definitely not 60 minutes of full "zen" - but it was by far the best yoga experience I've had.  Dare I say I'll be back again?

After yesterday's success, I joined Becca tonight at the Y yet again for a new-to-me class.  The official name of the class was "Power Performance Boot Camp" -- yeah, way out of my comfort zone.  Give me cardio all day long but strength training... not really my jam.

Dr. Dan would have been SO proud of me for doing this class.  I haven't lunged and push-up'd and mountain climbed and crunched and high knee'd so much... ever.  It was hard, I felt like I was in high school gym class, and it kicked my butt.  BUT... I enjoyed it!  It was fast paced and doing it with a friend made it more fun and bearable.

So would you look at that.  Two days, two new experiences, and two positive outcomes.  Who would have thought.

awkwardly taken picture trying to capture the YMCA in the background. we are so cool.

How to Survive the Black Plague

Nine whole days out of commission and I've learned a thing or two about how to (mostly) survive being knocked on my butt by the flu.

Lesson 1:  Don't freak out that you missed an entire week of running and working out.

Week one of training is a wash.  No getting around it.  Embrace the week of the black plague and put a big ol' X thru week one on the calendar.

Lesson 2:  Rely on your friends!

Obviously I didn't learn lesson one on my own.  These three ladies below have been the lifelines keeping me sane.

Freaking out about missing a hill run?  Text Steph, she'll calm me down.  Going stir crazy because I can't leave the house?  Call Emily, she'll take me to get some fresh air for a few hours.  Having a conniption thinking that missing one week of training sabotages my whole marathon plan?  Speed dial my therapist Becca, she'll bring me back to reality.

Lesson 3:  No mater how old you are, you're never too old for mom's sympathy.

Not as good as homemade soup and mama bringing you meds, but daily phone calls letting me cry and complain somehow makes me feel just a little bit better.

Mama! Obviously sporting a Molly's Miles shirt!

Lesson 4:  Don't let your boredom get the best of you.  

You can only watch SVU marathons and read running blogs so long until your new favorite game Bejeweled starts calling your name.

No big deal, right?  Until you play it for nine days straight, and you start to see the jewels when you close your eyes.  And you are SO bored that you even debate paying real money for extra coins.

Do people actually pay for this junk?
I WAS ALMOST ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.

Lesson 5: When you start to feel better, EASE back into the physical activity.

This may sound pretty DUH, but it was really tempting today to lace up and go out for a run.  Today was the first day I woke up without feeling like a mack truck was sitting on my chest, so I knew I wanted to get some physical movement in. 

I hit the gym and forced myself to walk -- not run yet -- on the treadmill.  I even brought my iPad so I could watch my new favorite TV show on NBC.

Please disregard my pile of dirty tissues in the cup holder

I set the incline to 1% and the speed to 3mph and I was on my merry way.  The two girls on either side of me were running all speedy and I tried not to give them jealous dirty looks.  I walked my way through 35 minutes and let me tell you... I was tired at the end of it!  My body hadn't walked more than 100 feet in the last week and a half and here I was walking for a half hour.  Yeah, nap time happened when I got home.

1.68 miles on the week!  Woohoo!

SO moral of the story is I am well on my way back to health.  Definitely not 100%, but making enough progress to move off my couch and stop playing Bejeweled everyday.  I may not have logged any running miles my first week of training, but man was it a lesson in my mental toughness!  I've got 18 weeks ahead of me, and enough lessons learned this week thankyouverymuch that these next 18 weeks should be a breeze, right?!

Training Day One

According to my almighty training plan that I spent hours slaving over (just kidding, my buddy Hal did all the work for me), three glorious miles were supposed to be on tap to kick off marathon training today.

I had dreams last night of waking up this morning feeling miraculously better and galavanting through the streets for three miles this evening.  Sadly, the black plague is still inhabiting my body and I still feel like I got hit by a bus.  After begrudgingly listening to the advice of my older wiser running friends, I sacked my run today and logged a grand total of zero miles.

It hurt my heart a little bit to trade in my gatorade and clif bar for OJ and meds.  

The closest I got to running today was reading Runner's World magazine.  I thought maybe it would be a good second best, but it really just made me more depressed reading about running when I was sick on the couch.

What else does a sidelined wanna-be marathon runner do when they can't run?  Oh, read more about running.  After I read RW cover to cover, I spent the next portion of my afternoon checking up on all my favorite running blogs.

...Because reading about other people who are enjoying their runs today while you're on your deathbed is a sure-fire way to spiral yourself into full on "woe is me" mode.  And you know what happens when your endorphins are just waiting to fire and you're too sick to move?

You register for another race to add to your training calendar.  Because reading about other people running and registering for races is a great way to train for a marathon, right?

That's what I'm telling myself for the time being so that I don't have a full blown anxiety attack.  Training aside, I think I'm realizing how much I take running for granted... Five days without a run and I am going stir crazy - mentally AND physically!  

In the mean time, USA network knows that the second best way to calm me down is with a Law and Order SVU marathon.  Focusing on Elliott Stabler for hours on end makes it a little easier to forget about not running.

It's taking all my might not to gear up and go out and wing it for a run.  But I still have 4 months worth of training that I need to be 100% healthy for so for once in my life my self-control is superseding my impulsiveness.  Mom, look how grown up I am.

So for now, I'm keeping myself in quarantine and letting myself get better.  Hopefully I will back in working order this week so I can get some miles in before week one is officially over.  Time to pull it together, immune system!  This marathon ain't gonna run on it's own!

It's MARATHON Time!!

After a brief blogging hiatus, I am back and ready to jump into marathon training 2013!

2012 was quite the year.... I ran and biked a total of 1,257 miles, participated in 23 races, ran my first half marathon and set a new 5k pr.  Never in a million years would I have imagined I would accomplish any of those things.

...And never in a million years would I have imagined that I would starting off 2013 by training for a marathon!  I've been building my base mileage the past few weeks and am ready as I'll ever be for training to start today.

Now what would a good training cycle be if it didn't already get off to a rocky start?  I can tell you one person who is not on board with my training plans: my immune system.  Yep, I've spent the past 72 hours rotating between my bed and my couch, with this being my scenery:

Good thing training today starts with a rest day.  Best training plan ever.  Hopefully this nice weather stays around for a while, because the snow can seriously cramp my style.

You know you have great running friends when, instead of helping you up when you fall, they stop to take pictures.  Thumbs up.

My goal is to update this at least once a week so I can document my miles, my laughs, and inevitably my tears and frustrations, to 26.2.  I had such a blast documenting and reliving my half marathon training, so why not continue it for marathon training?!  Here's to the next 18 weeks on the road to Buffalo!