Hangin' tough, stayin' hungry...

Well, at this point, I think it's safe to say I've probably trained well enough for a half marathon, but probably nothing much more than that. It's a little disappointing, to say the least, but...maybe I'm just not masochistic enough to truly train for a marathon. Or maybe I'll actually finish the full marathon just fine (hahahahahahaha, probs not). 

Either way, it'll be over, and then I can go back to enjoying all the things I used to do before having to devote entire hours of the day to running. Don't get me wrong, I still love running. I have to say, I'm amazed how easy and enjoyable running can actually feel these days (on my good days, anyway). In my training, I've definitely now run distances I'd have never imagined possible for me just a few years, or even months ago. I mean, that fact that I feel prepared to even run a half-marathon at this point is pretty mind-blowing in itself. 

I will definitely enjoy having some more time on my hands, though. Not that I've actually spent as much time as I should have on training, but...Frankly, I think I had better things to do. We'll see what I have to say for myself on marathon-day. 

The Running Total:

• October: 4.5
• 2014:  285.78

Diamonds on the soles of her shoes...

Don't get me wrong - I definitely thought training for a marathon would be difficult. But I also thought that, if I put in the hours and ran the miles, eventually, I'd be able to do it.

I had no idea just how much my body would fight back. These past couple weeks, it gave me some VERY CLEAR signs that it was NOT OK with my current training regimen.

So, I gave it the long weekend off and I significantly scaled back my mileage. As in, I should have been running 16 miles yesterday instead of 8.15....

I have to say, though, those 8 miles may have been the best, most comfortable 8 miles anyone has ever run, ever. I think there's a LOT to be said for being well-rested. I also think at this point, I should at least take some consolation in that, hey, I can run 8 miles, now!

I'm having some trouble accepting that I ever thought this was a good idea, but it's really way too late to turn back. Baring some wicked as yet unforeseen injury, I'm going to Chicago, and I'm going to try to run as far as I can. I probably won't run the entire way, and that's going to have to be OK.

And if anyone would like to make a donation to my Water.org fundraiser to help make this feel like more of a worthwhile endeavor, that'd be really awesome!

The Running Total:

• September: 12.7
• 2014:  239.91

"Oh, fourteen! Oh, fourteen..."

As the title might suggest, I attempted 14 miles last Sunday, and wow, it sure was brutal. The first half was miraculously comfortable, actually. So, maybe I'll just stay positive, and focus on the fact that running 7 miles is apparently now an activity that I can occasionally refer to as "comfortable." I mean, that's kind of awesome, right?

Not awesome was my attempt at running 4 measly miles on a treadmill last night. I thought running inside might be easier than running out in the extreme heat of yesterday evening, but I'm not sure it was any better. To be honest, it was just down right demoralizing. Between the second half of my 14 mile run and last night, I've been having a lot of moments of "What did I get myself in to," "WHY did I EVER think this was a good idea?!" and a whole big bunch of "WHAT is the POINT?!".

The point originally was to just prove to myself that I could do it; to set a goal and to work towards achieving it. (And maybe to enjoy a trip to Chicago in the process.) It also just sounded like a fun challenge that I could share in with my brother who first came up with the idea.

Unfortunately, lately, those things just aren't feeling like enough.

In fact, not only my training, but just the state of the world lately has got me really, really bummed out right now.

So here's my solution:

The Merethon Fundraiser - Water.Org

I really liked the idea of running the marathon for charity, but signing up for an official charity spot seemed like a surprising amount of pressure!! I'm really pleased to have found a way to still support a great organization while running the marathon. I may even snag one of their official Team.Water.org running shirts for marathon day.

So, yeah. Feel free to donate on my page if you feel so inclined! Or to any other worthy cause/organization of your choosing. Whatever helps!

The Running Total:

• August:  62.84
• 2014:  220.21

Let that raga drop...

So, I thought listening to Ravi Shankar while running might be the best idea I've had yet.

And it was, until about halfway through the second raga, when while dreamily staring up in to the giant clouds rolling in, my left foot caught the uneven ledge of a Kentucky St. sidewalk and I was unceremoniously splayed out on to the cement. I was left with a single scratch, but no blood spilled. However, my shoulders were sore for days, most likely from catching myself on the way to the ground.  Very luckily, it was no worse than that.

I attempted a 10-mile run last weekend, but having failed to review my planned route before leaving the house, I left out a couple turns here and there and ended up with only a 9.3 mile run. It was still my longest run ever up till that point, and near enough to 10 that I don't feel all that badly about it.

This past Saturday saw my first attempt at a 12 mile run. Luckily, I did not listen to the weather forecast, or I might still be at home waiting for all those thunderstorms... The first half of the run was cool and overcast. The second was just steeeeeeamy, and kinda awful. But I did it!

Next up...14 miles!

The Running Total:

• August:  44.84
• 2014:  202.21

(I've given up keeping track of cycling mileage - mostly because I've done little to none :( )

Running on...

Man, I am not great at updating this thing. I guess it doesn't really matter, but I think it will be neat to look back on all this, hopefully after completing the marathon...

I think I'm almost starting to figure this hip-thing out. I'm finding some stretches that seem to help. I also think getting some new shoes would help. The ones I bought most recently seem to be way too small. Not sure what I was thinking at the time -- probably that they were cheaper? I don't think they give my feet enough room to properly expand/absorb when they hit the ground. As an experiment, I used my old shoes for my last couple of runs. They are substantially wider underneath the balls of my feet, and I really think this makes a big difference. So, I'm going to spend the money and go back to Asics. Of all the tennis shoes I've worn, I don't think any have seemed as comfortable as Asics. Probably worth the money...

So, that's exciting. I also ran a 5K this past weekend that felt like it was more or less uphill the entire course. I finished with my usual time, though, and was quite pleased to do so, given all the hills. It was very encouraging.

I'm really going to try in the next week or so to get back on schedule with the training. On Monday night, in the gloriously merciful 80-degree weather, I managed 8 miles! Again, very encouraging. Last night, I managed 4 of the 5 I had planned on. This hip thing.... Also, it's hard to rationalize expending that much time on a week night, just to run. It's been good to finally get some miles in, though. Ideally, I'd really like to keep the longer runs to the weekends going forward, and hopefully I can get on track for another, longer run this coming weekend. Shooting for 10...

I've realized on the longer runs that time is such a factor for my mental state; having to remind myself that it's OK to take the time to do the run, or to stop and stretch if needed. With all the miles, I really have to be patient and accept that it's just going to take some time, no matter how fast I run. As much as anything, it really is just a big time commitment.

Whew.

Also, I've been reeeally bad at remembering to update my little mileage thing at the bottom here. I have been keeping track on my handy spreadsheet, though, so I will try to get that updated for the next post, which will hopefully be sooner than later, sometime this weekend.

Bye for now!

Well, this sucks...

Someday, I'll look back on the awfulness of now, and it will only be some very faint memory. A bad dream. Or at best, maybe some sort of testament to my commitment to completing a marathon, however unnecessary or misguided the endeavor was to begin with...

Training is going great. Obviously.

My right leg feels like it's on the wrong body. Like it doesn't fit anymore. Like it's too long. And it's pissing-off my knee, too. It hurts. It's been hurting. It does not appear to be getting better.

It feels like I'm about to get sick again. Maybe it's just allergies? In any case, I can't hear out of my ears. Again. And I can't help but think that maybe there really is something in our house that is slowly killing us. Maybe I too will get to look forward to the joy of sinus surgery.

ONLY TIME WILL TELL.

It's just incredibly frustrating, comparing how well the year started off, versus how things are going right now. Right now, when I actually really need to be training in earnest...

I may go back to a doctor and ask them about this ear thing. Again. Maybe I'll try to chat with a physical therapist, too.

When I imagined the difficulties of training for a marathon, this was NOT what came to mind...

Two steps back...

No sooner than I received my awesome, new tracking spreadsheet, I was plagued by a nasty, nasty summer cold that just won't die. After a demoralizing two-weeks, in which I ran a total of 2 miles (and probably ill-advised miles, at that), I returned to the doctor, and was informed that I likely have a sinus infection. Bad news.

(As a side note, though, I have to say, those 2 miles felt so, so good. I can't even explain. Maybe it was just the  immense joy of being off the couch for a few minutes. Either way, I regret nothing!!)

The good news is that they prescribed me some nifty pills and I think I may finally be on the road to recovery! And not a minute too soon, either. I'm definitely stressing over the time I've lost, as I'm now nowhere near where I thought I'd be or where I'd like to be, training-wise. The only thing I can think is that at least I had those 100+ miles in before all of this went down...

But I guess that's life! And I suppose part of attempting to do anything difficult that requires lengthy planing and training is accepting that things are often, well, difficult, and don't always go according to plan.

Speaking of, just before falling ill, I attempted one of my more ambitious routes to date. The plan was to run from my house all the way over to my parents' on the west end of town. I had anticipated that the "rolling hills" of 15th  Street would make the 5 or so miles "difficult," but wow. Wow. Much respect to those middle-aged ladies out there that morning, running up and down those hills, in to the sun, seemingly unfazed, all along that vast, shade-less awfulness of a street. Hopefully I'll try it again soon with better results.

Here's to feeling better soon!

The Totals:

Running:

• July:  2.0   
• 2014:  126.8

Biking (non-stationary):

• June: 0.0
• 2014: 58.5