Well hello there. It has been way too long since my last post, but better late than never right?
It seems like lately "catching up" is all I've been doing. Catching up on my documentation at work, catching up on missed workouts, catching up with my best friend, catching up on time with my daughter because I spent time catching up with my best friend, catching up on packing (not so much), and... well I guess just catching up on life in general.
These past few months have flown by, and I have a feeling these next few months will just take off with lightning speed. We've got the move, a new job, Lucia's first birthday, our anniversary get away in Jamaica 'mon, and then it's off to a wedding in Pennsylvania to finish out the summer. And of course, in between that, there will be running. Lots and lots of running.
So where did we leave off...? Ahhhh, the Buffalo marathon. Not my best, but those of you that follow me already know that. It was a little disappointing, but to be honest, I didn't feel at all defeated like when I ran Disney. In fact, I truly felt it was an accomplishment that I actually finished the race. Yep, my 6th marathon was definitely a doozy, but I'm glad I did. It taught me a lot about my body, about running, and about "smarts." I would really like to dedicate a whole post to the Buffalo marathon, but this isn't it. Right now, I'm just looking forward to lucky number 7!!!
I will be running my 7th marathon on October 16th in Syracuse, New York. I am a little bit worried about it since its an inaugural race, but a marathon is a marathon and it should be cold, and cold weather (no matter how severe) will be welcomed after having sweat through the Memorial Day weekend heat wave in Buffalo this year.
Because of the stress fracture in my foot and my broken toe, I took a fellow physical therapist's advice and tweaked my training regimen to get rid of what she calls the "junk miles." So basically I replace my mid-week run with non-impact cardio. Typically I will do the elliptical, but I have also been adding some swimming and water jogging to the mix. I follow Hal Higdon's "Marathon 3" program, check it out; http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novice3intro.htm. So far it has worked out beautifully and I feel great. Barring a weekend wedding planning trip to Cleveland to visit my best friend Gina (realistically an excuse for Gina and I to relive our college days), I haven't skipped a training run. My feet feel great, my toe is doing better but still swells up from time to time, and I am definitely getting faster. I now consistently do my short runs at a 9 min/mile pace or less, and my long runs consistently have been between a 9:15 and 9:25 min/mile pace. The test will come once we move back to North Carolina and I have to battle the rolling hills of Oak Valley. On the positive side, it will be fantastic training, and maybe enough to get me over my mental issue with hills. We shall see...
Lucia is walking... well she has taken up to five steps (independently, without assistance, loss of balance after fifth step with minimum assistance to recover... in PT talk). Two weekends ago I went for a run with my Dad and we saw a younger man and his daughter running the hills of Oak Valley. His daughter looked to be about 9 or 10 and was in wonderful shape. You could tell she was a little athlete, and most importantly you could tell she was enjoying running with her Dad! I thought it was so wonderful that at that young of an age she was out having fun by hitting the pavement. When I was that young, even though I was always involved in sports, running was more of a punishment. I hope that Lucia will see running as treat, and it looks like it won't be too long until we find out exactly what she will think of it. My hunch is that she will love the way she feels when she some speed.
Anyway, in anticipation of a busy busy busy end of the year I have mapped out all my races until March 2012. What does the running queue look like?
Empire Inaugural Marathon Oct 2011- Syracuse New York
City of Oaks Marathon Nov 2011- Raleigh, NC
Disney 1/2 Marathon January 2012- Orlando, FL
Disney Marathon completing the Goofy Challenge January 2012- Orlando, FL
National Marathon March 2012- Washington, DC
My plan is to complete my 10th marathon where I started my first.. in DC!!! The plan after marathon number 10 is to not have a plan:) I just will keep on running, and see where it takes me.
