I’ve decided that Thanksgiving break and peak marathon training week make an excellent combination. I didn’t plan it this way but it really was the best week of the year for getting in a lot of miles not to mention the abundance of delicious food! I only worked one day (and even then it was part-time) so I had the time flexibility for running and cooking. My kids had no complaints! How could I turn down my son’s request for…
I can honestly say that I’ve considered myself a runner for about as long as I can remember. As a young girl I would cheer for my dad on the sidelines whenever he raced and I ran my very first 5K around age 6 or 7. Somehow I always felt like I was “part of the the club.” In eighth grade I started consistently running but I had no time goals. I did not race or run for any team. …
Sometimes marathon training is a bit like a roller coaster. There are definite high’s and lows. I’ll admit, I’ve been on a bit of a high with my training the past few weeks but my long run on Friday once again reminded me that 20+ miles is a long way and I cannot take my training legs for granted. I’ve never considered myself a high mileage runner but after doing a lot of reading on how to improve as a…
It’s been a while. Where to begin?! I guess I’ll start with the one person who hasn’t been sick in the past few weeks- thank you Anna! Why can’t we all be more like you! It is hard nearly impossible trying to keep everyone healthy at this time of the year. I do my best to keep things clean and sanitized but for some reason this nasty cough/ cold thing that is going around will not leave us alone! I’ve…
It’s been a great first week of a brand new year. 2013- I think I’m really going to like you! my BIGGEST blessings! I am still figuring out some new goals for 2013. I am keeping a lot of my old ones but I have a few new things in mind for the new year. Here are a few non-running goals in no particular order: 1. Memorize 1 Corinthians 13 with my kids. 2. Learn how to french braid. 3….
I have never been what I consider a high mileage distance runner. I realize that everyone probably has a different definition of what they consider “higher mileage” but to me this involves consistently logging in over 60 miles a week. In college I raced the 1500, 3000 or 5K distance. I never ran more then 60 miles a week. I think it was actually closer to 40 mpw. I never had the desire to run any more than what my…
What a week! This past week is what we affectionately refer to as “Birthday Week” around our house. My oldest son’s birthday is April 19th and my youngest daughter’s birthday is the 21st. The 21st is also my mother-in-law’s birthday so it is one busy week! My son requested a coconut cream cake for his special day. Yes, he has some unusual tastes for a 6 year-old! I have never made one before but I found a great recipe on…
As I may have mentioned a few times since the Little Rock Marathon my right knee has been bothering me. It’s not a sharp stop-running-this-instant-pain but I do not usually have knee pain of any kind and this is not normal. I blamed the crazy elevation changes in the LRM. I took off a few days and mixed in a little cross training between some easy recovery runs. For some reason the only run that hasn’t bothered my knee was…
Last year at this time I was training for the Boston Marathon. I also had a one month old baby. Basically from the time my son was born via c-section I had 13 weeks until the marathon. Subtract 4 weeks for recovery and that left 9 weeks to train for a marathon. If you are wondering if you can safely train under those conditions I will fill you in… NO!!! It is a complete recipe for DISASTER. Smart runners would…
Merry Christmas Everyone!! What a great day! We had a big breakfast, opened presents, church, lunch and time at home with our family. I feel very blessed! This past week everyone was home so we had lots of family time together. I also had some “extra” time to run since John was home which worked out well since it was the hardest week in this marathon training cycle. I actually hit 65 miles this week which is an all-time high…