Not gonna lie, I'm a bit scared

Today was the 40th running of the New York Marathon, one of the world's largest races. We caught the last bit of television coverage as the winners crossed the finish line. I sat in awe as they finished the last 6 miles, running somewhere in the ballpark of a 4:30-5 minute mile. That's INSANE! I can't even run a half mile in that time. The winner for the men was Geoffrey Mutai from Kenya with a time of 2:05:05 (destroying the course record of 2:07:30) and Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:23:15. I'm pretty sure my legs won't move that fast. As they showed some of the other 47,107 participants I got my first real glimpse of what's in store for me. My race is capped at 1,000 so it will be no where near as packed, but I'm definitely intimidated by it.

My solution to my intimidation was to get out and run. The last two weeks haven't been that great as far as my training goes due to being sick and cold/snowy weather. I was supposed to do a 4 mile long run yesterday, but decided running in the cold wasn't a good idea until I stop being sick. Today the sun was out and it got into the 40s, so I decided it would be ok to run. I grabbed the dogs and off we went. I've learned that running with both dogs helps me to run faster and farther than I when I'm alone. I wasn't planning on having a good run, simply because my last couple weren't that great, but I went anyway.

I'm really glad I did! I don't know if it was the motivation from the NY race, the dogs, or what but I did my 4 miles in 58 minutes. That breaks down to about a 14 minute mile, which isn't stellar, but I was consistent. I only took a couple brief walk breaks. Right now I'm not as concerned with time as I am being able to run the distance, so every time I run a bit more and walk a bit less its a win.

I still don't consider myself a runner, but I did miss it last week when I was sick. I don't like getting out there and doing it...but I do love the fact that I see myself improving each week that I get out there. I guess I am starting to understand why runners run, something I never thought would happen.


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Tools for Success

People are running marathons much more than they were 15-20 years ago. I think a lot of it is with how easy its become. I don't mean that running 26.2 miles has actually become easier, but there are more tools available to help you train properly. Gadgets to track your progress, music to inspire you, and programs to follow all for free online. These are the two that I've found most helpful in my training so far:

• MapMyFitness.com I've got the app on my ipod as well as on my andriod phone, so it gets used quite a bit. It uses GPS signals to track your route so you can determine how far you've gone. It's a little off when I use my ipod, but you can save your workout then go back online and edit it to reflect the correct distances. Since it keeps a record of your workouts you can quickly see how you're improving. You can also track calories, but I haven't done that much yet.
• rockmyrun.com This is a great site to download FREE music mixes.They display track listings, lengths and beats per minute. Its a great way to add a variety of music at a continuous beat with minimal effort. I just discovered this a few days ago, but I"m excited to explore more of their options. 

Training is going good so far. I know I've got a long way to go, but I'm feeling stronger every day (well most days anyway) so I really think this is one goal I can accomplish. 

Days until marathon: 204

Let the training begin...officially!

Tomorrow marks the offical start date for my marathon training plan. It's the Super Novice plan from Hal Higdon's website. That means that at this time in 30 weeks, I will be able to say that I've successfully run a marathon. I'm excited to have a clear plan of action- never having to determine on my own how far I should run. It's already on the calendar. Its just up to me to get out the door and do it.

I'm amazed at how much has already changed since I had the idea to do this. Starting out 3 weeks ago I couldn't run a mile without taking a break (or two) and now I'm fairly consistently running 1.5-2 miles without stopping at all. Granted, I'm not going to be breaking any world records for my speed, but I don't care. I'm beating my records, and thats all I really care about. The feeling of accomplishment you get is enough to keep me coming back for more. Last week I forced myself out of bed at 5:30am on a Friday to get my run in for the day because I knew I wouldn't have time later in the day. I laid in bed trying to come up with every excuse I could think of. The conversation in my head went something like this:

             "I really don't want to get up and run today"
                                    "You have to, you didn't run yesterday, and you won't have time tonight"
              "I don't feel good."
                                    "You feel fine. Now get up!"
              "My knee hurts"
                                    "No it doesn't. Just take it slow and only do 1 mile"
                "Ok. Fine"

So out I went. It was still dark out, so as I started my run I could still see the stars. It was very peaceful. As I continued to run, I reached the point in the route that I usually stp and walk, but I was feeling good, so I kept running. Then I reached the one mile point, and was still feeling ok, so I kept running....and running...and running. I finally got to a point where I was ready to stop, but realized I didn't have much farther to go, so I decided to push on. The motivation to say I'd done it was enough to keep me going and sure enough I finished. 2 miles- non stop. I'm holding on to that feeling of accomplishment to keep me going - out the door- until I surpass that accomplishment with 3 miles. Then 4. and eventually 26.2!  I know its going to take time, but for now I'm going to celebrate each small victory or just the simple fact that I got outside and did it.

I've learned I have a lot to learn!

I'm officially registered for the marathon and have begun my training. One thing that I've learned is that I have a LOT to learn. Running a marathon isn't as simple as running - as long as you can, as far as you can, as often as you can. Just doing that will quickly lead to injury and burnout. I've become a bit of a sponge, trying to learn as much as I can so that I can succeed. Here's what I've realized that I know little to nothing about when it comes to long distance running:

Running- This seems simple enough, but its not. At least if you want to prepare yourself in a way to actually succeed. How far do you run? How long? What shoes do I need? Luckily these answers are easy to find online. I'm using Hal Higdon's "Super Novice" running plan, which is a 30 week program and breaks it down day by day of what you should do. As for shoes, local running stores can analyze your running and determine what shoes would be best for you. 

Eating- After spending a couple days this week feeling sick or starving all the time, I realized that it was because I didn't know how to eat, or rather, WHAT to eat. Eating a healthy, low cal diet isn't going to cut it, but I've yet to figure out what the balance is so that I can lose weight AND have enough to sustain me on runs. 

Stretching, weight training, balancing runs with the rest of life...these are all other components that I've yet to figure out. Luckily I've still got some time.

Days until marathon: 224

Total Miles Run this week: 13

Starting my run to 30

On May 7, I will turn the dreaded 3-0. My life will be over....ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but still. I decided that I needed to do something drastic to jump start my "eat better, lose weight, exercise more" plan that I have yet to succeed at. Last week I found myself looking on active.com, which lists practically all of the races (running, biking, etc) in the country. I'm not entirely sure how i got there, but I had fun looking at all the things I could do- provided I was a runner/biker/triathlete. As of now, I can't run a mile without walking for a little bit. But, one particular run caught my eye. It's the Colorado Marathon and it's being held on May 6 in Fort Collins, which is where I live. It got me thinking- what a better way to end my 20s than my successfully completing a marathon. The more I thought about it, okay, I think I thought about it for about an hour, the more I realized that I didn't really have a good reason not to. If I start training now and doing a little bit at a time, there's really no reason I can't do it. I won't win, in terms of coming in first place anyway, but crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles in any position will count as a win for me.

Some people think I'm crazy for doing it. Shouldn't I start with a 5k...a 10k...or even a half marathon before just jumping in and doing the full thing? The way I see it, I'll cover all those as part of my training for the full, so why not just start there. Plus, 26.2 miles is terrifying, which is exactly what I need to actually do it. I know that if I don't train properly, and eat better then there's no possible way I can finish. It's the size of this challenge that will keep me going.

I realize that not everyone is quite as daring (or crazy) as I am, but I'd love for you to join me in whatever capacity you'd like- running the race with me (or the half, 10k or 5k), being there to cheer me on (I will certainly need that), just praying for me throughout my training process, or taking on a challenge of your own.

Countdown to the race: 227 Days

MLK Resolutions (Part 1)

Since I missed the chance to declare my 2011 resolutions at the beginning of the month, I'm going to be different. I'm going to make Martin Luther King, Jr. resolutions instead. Resolutions are designed to challenge you to make positive changes in your life. So what better day to make new resolutions than on a day dedicated to honoring a man committed to making positive changes. My MLK resolution can be summed up by something Mr. King once said,

"It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it."

So what exactly does that mean? It means that this year, I am committed to living well, enjoying life, to helping others, bettering my relationships and actively making sure that my life matters. The way I see it, it can be broken down o a few things:
1. Be healthy-  I'm not talking about the standard "lose weight, eat better, exercise more" mantra that is so common in early January but long forgotten come March. True, those are all part of it, but I'm looking at it from a different perspective this time. I want to exercise more and eat better because it makes me feel better. When I'm working out regularly I notice a difference in my energy level  - I have more of it. Which means I don't fall asleep on the couch every night (something that drives Hubby crazy). I'm going to try to eat better - but if I want ice cream... I'm eating ice cream, although maybe a smaller bowl, because that falls into the enjoying life part.
2. Be happy - In other words, do more of the things that make me happy and less of the things that don't. This covers a variety of things, but my approach to this is inspired in part by The Happiness Project  by Gretchin Rubin and by my friend Justin's Operation: Consolidation. In Justin's blog, he talks about getting rid of useless clutter. Something that I have a lot of in my life, so I'm going to try to eliminate it.
        I started today with my closet with a "cut throat cleaning session," which basically involved going through all my clothes (in the closet and dresser) and get rid of the stuff I don't wear. My rules were simple- whatever my gut reaction was to an item I went with- keep or toss, no second guessing. It took me just over an hour, but I ended up with two trash bags full of clothes that didn't make the cut and a pile of empty hangers. Seeing my closet organized and with a bit of room made me instantly happy...mission accomplished!
 
       Another part of this is that I hate cleaning, mainly because most of my days off are spent cleaning. So, I'm going to try to dedicate the last 15 minutes of every day to cleaning something, so that hopefully come my next day off, I won't have to do anything, with the exception of my 15 minutes. That being said, I need to go start on my cleaning for today....so the rest of this will have to wait until tomorrow....