Super bad blogger

There has been so much going on lately that I don't even know where to start.  Everytime I even think about blogging, life just seems to take over and I just don't get to it. 

Today I promise will be different.  I figure I'll focus today on updating you on all my/our training.  So as of today, there are only 40 days until race day.  Can you believe that?  I am still in shock.  We signed up for the NYC marathon and Team for Kids on November 25, 2010.  It seemed so far away then and the fact that we agreed to raise $5240 seemed daunting!  But we did it.  To date we have actually passed our goal by over $100.  I still am amazed at everyones generosity!  A little side note is if we raise $280 more we get Grandstand tickets for our kids.  No pressure.  (http://www.runwithtfk.org/Member/PublicPage/4226)  I have already beat a dead horse with the fundraising.  I want to say that I appreciate your patience with all my relentless begging over the past year too!   THANK YOU ALL!!  Okay enough about that! 

So where are we in our training and what have we done up to here?  Our long run is now up 23 miles. I can honestly say I never thought I would be able to complete 23 miles.  I am proud of myself.  I know that may sound bad, but I can honestly say I have gotten here by working very hard. 

So how have we gotten here?  There are a number of things that have gotten us here.  For training, we continue to do our hill workouts as well as speed workouts.  Those are our two short runs every week.  They range from a minimum of 30 minutes up to 1 1/2 hours and range from a minimum of 4 miles up to 7  miles.  They have definately helped me get faster.  We also continue to Cycle, Swim, Weightlifting/Strength Training(to help with muscle stability) and Core (to help with overall stability). 

Then for our long runs we started out with the Galloway.  Galloway you ask???  Why?  Well for starters, it began as a confience thing and a social thing.  We have met so many wonderful and supportive people.  How was I going to possibly make it through 26.2 miles running?  I then decided after learning more about it, that it was more about not getting injured.  That's cheating some people say.  Don't knock what you haven't tried.  There are people I know that mock it and make it seem like I am "not running" my marathon or "not really training".  So let me tell you a little about it.

First, there are people with the Galloway group that have qualified and run Boston.  Not me...who knows maybe someday. For the group we have run with, we average 9 minute miles(945-10min in the really hot weather).  That's not bad in my opinion and for my goals and puts me at an estimate finish of @4:20 for the warm weather runs and even better in the cool weather.  That would be amazing to me for my first marathon. 

So my critics say that you walk then run.  Do the math...if I walk for a minute say every four minutes how fast do I need to run?  So what did you get?  It's an 8 minute mile.  Not bad huh?  So that makes me super slow? (From when I actually started, it's fast.  I started running more than 20 minutes only in December of 2009.  I did my first Half-Marathon in May 2010.)  That is when all water in take takes place too.  Smart huh?  There are people that stop for bathrooms and also stop for drinks standing still for a while.  We don't do that.  We continue.  Forward motion as Joe and I like to call it.   

So with all that said, that does not mean we are walking the NYC Marathon.  We are preparing properly and going to go into our marathon injury free!  We have actually gotten to a point in our training that we don't Galloway at all.  Our 23 mile run was a complete run and had a great pace too.  Sorry, I'm just sharing the mileage :).

(Notice the horrible nails...all my manicure $ went to Team for Kids.)

 

So let me share all about Galloway!  There is an 86 year old woman/legend named Iris that is a very integral part of The Raleigh Galloway group.  She still runs Marathons.  Note the plural part of the word and the fact that I didn't say run, but runs marathons!  She is my idol.  I need to be doing this for a very long time and I am setting myself up for that.  So why walk breaks?  That's not running you say.  Who was born to run 26.2 miles and have their body say okay without any pain or discomfort.  I know I wasn't.  Jeff Galloway says this about walk breaks:

"By using muscles in different ways from the beginning, your legs keep their bounce as they conserve resources. When a muscle group, such as your calf, is used continuously step by step, it fatigues relatively soon. The weak areas get overused and force you to slow down later or scream at you in pain afterward. By shifting back and forth between walking and running muscles, you distribute the workload among a variety of muscles, increasing your overall performance capacity. For veteran marathoners, this is often the difference between achieving a time goal or not.

So where are we going from here.  Well, with 40 days left.  We have another down week this week for miles and then we hit 26.2!  Yes, we will do 26.2 before we hit NYC.  For me, running is mental as well as physical.  I don't want to get to NYC and doubt that I can complete all 26.2 miles unless I have already done it.  Before I did my first half marathon, I ran 14.  I know 13.1 is a half, but I'm and overachiever :).  Seriously though, there are points in a marathon, I have experienced now, that your body and mind try to tell you that you need to stop.  By completeing 26.2 miles before the race, this eliminates the doubt for me because I know I have already done it before. 

Fueling has been so interesting too and is another reason for running the full 26.2 before.  Our actual marathon start time is 10:40 am.  (Yes, the Kenyans will be halfway home by the time I start.)  However, we get our bus at 6am to get to the start point(which is a city in itself with 30,000 runners).  Usually I run around 6am and am done by around 10am, but this will be totally different.  We will have to leave our hotel around 430am to get to the buses that will take us over to the start of the race which is the other side of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.  Then we will not start running until almost 5 hours later.  After running 23 miles, I was ready to eat my own arm, so I now know what I should be doing at all the right times to sustain myself for 26.2 miles. 

With that said, miles 18-20 seem to be a hard point for me.  So who wants to come to NYC and meet me around that point.  Here's the link to the map http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/documents/INGNYCM11_Course_Map_For_Media.pdf

Anywhere along 1st Avenue from 68th Street up(you could even cross there to 5th Avenue and see us again) or by the Willis Avenus Bridge or the Madison Avenue Bridge would be amazing.  We would love any cheerleaders!!  After the race we will hobble back to our hotel and shower, but would love to meet up with anyone crazy enough to venture into the city!  

With all that said, I am so excited.  We are running the NYC MARATHON in 40 days!  It seems like a dream.  I absoluely cannot wait.  I am also looking forward to seeing some friends I had lost touch with.  This journey has been about so many things for me.  I have learned how truly strong I am both physically and mentally.  I have learned that I have surrounded myself with some truly wonderful and supportive people.  I have also reaffirmed that my husband is truly the best partner I could ask for.  I am so excited to finish this part of our journey together!  

I will blog more before the big race.  I am planning on taking tons of picture and video along the race too if my husband doesn't kill me!!

See you all at the finish line!!  Look for us on TV...nbc does the coverage!