post marathon...

it's been a few days since the awesome ATL marathon... and yes, there is such a thing as post marathon blues!

was hoping to run one in 6 weeks but since i waited until the day after the marathon, it filled and is now closed. :(   found a few on marathonguide.com within a couple months. so we'll see...

after the race, i actually felt queasy for the first 30 min when i finished (pictured above). guess that was from exhaustion. food did not appeal to me whatsoever but i was so psyched when handed trader joe's chocolate milk boxes. i told the guy if i wasn't so stinky i'd hug him! and with that, he gave me a second one! when we left, my man and oldest son took me by the arms and just about made me float up a few flight of stairs. it was awesome!

it was about a little over an hour by the time we got to Panera Bread and sat down for lunch. i still wasn't that hungry, but ordered a half roast beef sandwich and soup. i also had a REAL COKE! i haven't been much of a coke drinker the past year... for no specific reason other than i lost the taste for it and drink so much water now. but wow, did that classic coke taste so good. i finished half of it as well as half of the sandwich, a few chips and all of the soup. i've never been able to eat much after a long run so it's nothing new to me. just the way i operate.

monday -  was, well, sore. the upper quads are what hurt the most. the pain after the MCM was by far worse so it's good to know i've come a long way in some regards! i went to bed sunday night with my zensah calf sleeves and that made a huge difference. i carried on with normal life - schooling the kids, laundry, vacumming (because i really wanted to!), cooking, up and down the stairs more than i wanted.

tuesday was typical for post 2 days after any hard work - harder. i got a massage which was not fun. i wanted to cry. i swelled around my knees even though they did not hurt. guess that was from the sore quads/tight itb. i layed on the bed and put my feet up against the wall to let the blood flow down and that helped.

wednesday was much better. still a little sore in the upper quad but not that bad at all. i was getting hungry to run again. and eat a lot.

thursday, i felt back to normal for the most part. if my legs could talk, they would have said they wanted to go back to bed. so i decided not to run.

friday - first run since the marathon!!! i ran 4 miles with my parents dog. he's a fast one. and at times i would look at my watch and make myself walk to slow down. it felt GREAT!!

aleve has been my buddy. sleep has been good-something my dad drilled into my head in high school was that 8 hours of sleep each night will be my warrior for life. he is so right! my appetite has been through the roof. we decided last minute to trick or treat with some friends (who like to walk their whole n'hood). way too much halloween candy in this house. it's going, going, gone this weekend...

Atlanta Marathon Memories

So here's the rundown on marathon #2 ...

The Atlanta Marthon - started at 7am.

35 chilly degrees at start.

First time I wore a hat for 16 miles. I used my gloves as a tissue.

The outfit I wore was the first time I wore it - no test runs!

The shoes I wore had 13 miles on them...

The socks were new.

No chaffing ANYWHERE!


I drank about 4-6oz of Powerade at almost each water station - red, yellow, blue - all so mmmmm!

I drank water when I swallowed down my Strawberry Banana Power Bar gels or when I felt thirsty.



I started listening to music at mile 3.

I was pretty much cold the first 12 miles.

I warmed up by mile 16.


I never hit the wall!!!!! 

I wore a 4:45 pace tat and followed it like the absolute law.

I rarely walked, except at water stops for 15 sec. at most; 1 min or so up 2 long hills, and 2 minutes up Heart Attack Hill at mile 24. I just had to then.


I prayed. A lot. I sang. I looked at charming, beautiful southern Victorian homes through Atlanta and wondered how they must look inside. I took in the beautiful fall colored trees. I soaked up the sun when it was on my face. I thanked all the supporters. I high fived little kids. I talked to myself a lot. I felt strong. My foot hurt. My calves hurt. Then they didn't. My legs were burning up the hills. I felt happy. I felt His presence the entire time.

I heard my name .3 of a mile from the finish line. It was a sweet friend who lived down there, hoped she'd see me, and happened to right before she left!

I saw the finish line (pictured below!). I saw 4:50. I felt true bliss of hard work truly paying off.

I crossed the finish line. I received a medal from a sweet lady. I saw my camera man. I walked backward just a little and tried to re-enact just receiving my medal! (It was funny!)

I saw my family and my parents and was enveloped by so much love.

I answered questions about the race, about the awesome ministry I ran for, and was just overwhelmed when I heard I meet my goal of helping 200 children and then some.  

205 precious children. I prayed for each of them. I will continue to pray for each of them.

I loved every single second of how hard and hilly this run was.

I'll do it again once I can. :)

ATL Marathon = AWESOME!

 i'll update this post soon, i just don't want to sit in front of the computer just yet!!

finished the ATL Marathon yesterday with a new personal best - 4:50!!! it was so hilly and some were brutal and long. but everything went so awesome, i felt great the whole time even though it was hard, and most importantly i raised $2000 for Prison Fellowship Ministries. 200 children will get to hear their incarcerated fathers read them a book anytime day and night - strengthening the bond and hearing the gospel! i am over the moon about that!

taper week 2 & 3

yummy cake my daughter wanted for her bday!

so after last monday's last 20 miler run...
tuesday - rest
wed - 4 mile tempo/fartlek run
thurs & fri - rest
sat - 8 miles (half of it i ran with my man!!)

this week - taper week 3...
monday - 3 tempo miles (didn't mean for it to be tempo but i couldn't slow down!)
tuesday - 4 easy miles - I reached 1,000 miles for this year!!! FUN!!!
wed & thurs i'll rest (from running!)


i may update after i get my race # friday!

taper week 1 - not really a taper

i know it's gross! but as a friend said, it's a rite of passage!

monday -6 miles - easy pace and no pain!

tuesday - 6 miles - hilly route with no pain, and in THE RAIN! yes, it rained and i was soaked! i believe this is the second training run over many months where i ran in the rain. been that dry here!

thursday - 8 miles - hilly route, tempo pace against the wind, no pain, great finish time :) i've had pain in the second toe on the right foot - it's about to turn purple for the third time. but the second toenail on my left foot just slid right off today. it was sooo weird since it didn't hurt!

today (monday) - didn't get a chance to run this weekend - just too busy with the family! so i saved the last long run for today. it was supposed to be 12 miles, but i felt so good and it was just so nice out so i stopped by the house for more water and told them i was going a few more. when i came back, i was at 17 miles. so i told my man that i wanted to go three more miles, and he said go for it! since i could take it easy for the next 13 days. so i ran 20 miles. i felt great - NO pain! i have confidence now that i can get through this marathon in under 5 hours. it will be hilly, but i know i can do it and just want to have fun. my goal of doing 3 20 mile runs this training time around was to get my feet used to being pounded that long! at the marine corps marathon, my feet hurt so incredibly bad from miles 21-26.2. it was the worst feeling ever - like lead. and my calves too. i hope i've acclimated a little better this time around and it won't be so awful once i go past 20 miles at the marathon.

in a catch 22

i heard whistling the other morning - can u see what it was?

so... i should update the last two weeks...

two weeks ago... my total miles went way down (27)
tues - 5 tempo miles on a hilly route - just a tinge of pain in my right knee

thurs - 10 miles that seemd to take forever. i felt rusty, heavy legs, and some pain in my right knee.

sat - 12 miles since it was a step down week. it went ok until the last few miles. the pain in my right knee was letting me know it was there.

in fact, the next day it hurt really bad. so i decided to rest as much as i could the following week. i saw a massage therapist on mon. it hurt so good!

this past week... (my total miles are down even more (21)

thurs - 5 miles; i decided to go for a run since i was pain free tues and wed. i felt springy and fresh, and overall i never felt the pain and had to slow myself down. occasionaly, i could feel a tiny twinge but didn't know if that was all in my head or actually in my knee!

saturday - couldn't run in the morning so had to do the long run in mid afternoon. it was warm, 80 and windy. i had hoped to do the last 20 miler on the schedule but cut it short at 16 miles due the pain. everything went well the first 10 miles and then when i came by my mailbox to fill up my water bottle, the right knee got tight and started to hurt. it would come and go. at mile 13 i pulled my calf sleeve up over my kneed, took my other one off my left leg and doubled it on as well. great support and reduced the pain, but i knew i need to run walk to make it home.

i've been reading posts from other runners on the atlanta track clubs FB page that the last 7 miles of the marathon are "beastly hills". last week, i knew my attitude would be everything. at this moment, honestly, i'm moping. trying to figure out what i'm going to do in the next 3 weeks to make this happen. right now more than anything, i need to let go of my time goal. the first 20 miler i did, i was ready to go 6 more. i finished 20 in 3 and a half hours and knew i could break a 4:40 goal if i kept going. i know there are other marathons, but i also know how much work i put in to shaving off time from my first marathon. so i guess if it's meant to be, it will be. if not, i'll try again later...

another 20 miler!

they visit the hill on our backyard now and then :)

tuesday - 10 miles and 8 were with a friend! i always enjoy a time when i can run with a friend. rare but special! it was cooler outside which was sweet relief but humid to the max!

wednesday - 6 tempo hilly miles. kicked it up a notch and was wiped out when done!

friday - i had limited time this week to get some good quality runs done. i rested thursday knowing i'd run something long friday (no time to today - saturday). so i was thinking 15 or 16, but time and my legs allowed me to go 20. it was hotter than last saturday's 20 miler - by 14 degrees with higher humidity, too. my time was slower than last weeks but that could also have been because i was getting tired. who knows... but i got it done and felt great the rest of the evening and today. it's been quite an experience to see how my body has adapted to the gradual increase in miles and consistency of quality runs. i'm encouraged! next week, and i am quite thankful for it, is a step down week.

20 awesome miles

birthday cake choice was - chocolate chip pie!

last week - a crazy mon and tues with a birthday, my son's broken wrist and many dr. appts and places to be! managed to get a few runs in though...

wednesday - ran 6 miles - heat index was 86 so yes, it was a good hot run!

thursday - ran  9 miles and it was pretty hot but not as bad as yesterday.

saturday - 20 miler -best one ever!! ok, so i only ran 20 miles once (last training run) and then the marathon. but this one was so so much better than any other long run. i ran a hilly route to imitate race day, the temp was perfect - gray, and a cool 65 degrees (heat index), and i just pushed myself the entire time. kept a great race pace and finished in 3:31 - that was including a few minute break when i ran in the house to change my shirt - needed long sleeve! makes me think, hope, pray i can finish a full in under 4:45. we'll see...

8 weeks to go!

truck was in front of us on way 2 my son's f'ball game fri- scary!

week 11 done!! and i feel great!

monday - 5 miles - took my younger two to the greenway and ran while they biked next to me. it was a little after lunch time, hot, i had an empty stomach, and tried to run a tempo on low blood sugar and a very hungry tummy. my legs felt heavy but i got it done.

tuesday - 9 miles - so hot and so humid and slightly hilly, so i hit the trail the last few miles to be in the partial shade. it helped. a little.

thursday - 5 miles - ran a hilly route and just took it easy. i'm quite tired this week. a lot going on. so i'm trying to save what i can for saturday.

saturday - 19 miles. i couldn't leave before 9. got in again from a late away football game. went to bed at almost 1am. woke up at 7am. finally got out the door to run by 9. finished at 12:45. it was hot hot HOT. but weirdly, i felt great the entire time. i drank 80+ oz of Nuun (10oz were water). had 3 gels - one at mile 7, 12 and 15. i've been experimenting the past two weeks with running on low sugar levels or an empty stomach. haven't crashed yet. i did keep my ear buds in the whole run so i could distract myself from the heat. and it worked. i took a 10 min. ice bath after and then rested. felt great the rest of the day. i like how things are getting "easier"...

goodbye easy...

saw this dog today - looks like a lion!

monday - 4 miles; first two miles felt rusty, then it just turned on for a nice tempo run the next two miles.

tuesday - 9 hilly miles. it was warm but there was a nice breeze to keep it bearable.

thursday - 4 miles, with 1 mile as sprint hill repeats.

saturday - 13 miles today. i meet a friend at the greenway at 6:45. what a difference it made running early on a shaded trail. the only downer was that i went to bed at 1am and did not sleep well the next 5 hours. my body was just dead tired towards the end of the run. we got back late from my son's football game once again. being on a homeschool team, we sometimes have to travel far. so from now on, long runs are definitely on thurs or fri.

the mile are stacking up the next 8 weeks... gotta stay on top of my rest so i have the energy to get through them!

overheated 17

so bad but so good! nice treat to split!

monday - 4 miles at noon - humidity was lower than it has been so i didn't feel like i was dying considering it was high noon and only 80 degrees.

wednesday - 8 miles at 11am. it was hotter but i survived. i filled up my nathan hand held water bottle twice at the library. thankfully, the water fountain was in the lobby out of anyone in sight. i was drenched!

thursday - 5 miles - a mostly tempo run w/ my man. he was venting about work stuff and i look down and our pace is 8 something for half of the run!

friday-3 easy miles. somehow, when i know it's a short run, i can never make it "easy"!

saturday -17 miles. i was not able to start until 9:15. i didn't finish until 12:25. it was awfully hot and humid when i was done. the last 4 miles i had to take more frequent 30second to 1 minute walk breaks. i had 40oz of water and 40oz of GU Brew. I was hot for most of the run, but managed my heart rate and pace nicely. when i got home, i literally had 15 minutes to rinse off, change and get my son to his job. on the way home from dropping him off, i started to feel really sick. i rushed home, layed on the couch, sipped on ice water, ate salty pretzels, and rested for an hour. i would get cold and then hot. never had a headache, but i think it was from being overheated. within an hour, i was ok and able to carry on. not fun though... with our schedules in high gear again, i'm going to have to switch my long runs to either thurs or fri somehow so i can get out earlier while it's still so hot here.

another sweet and sweaty 16

my niece dipping her lil' piggies in the creek :)

tuesday - 8 miles today from 9:30am-10:30am felt like 3pm. because the bonehead i was wore a dark shirt! it was awful hot. thank you starbucks for letting sweaty, stinky me come into your oh so busy packed store to fill my water bottle from your nice cold water fountain. i shall return the gratitude soon enough! :)

wednesday - 3 miles with 1 of the miles as hill repeats. my son stood at the top of the hill and timed me. the hill is .1 of a mile and my times were 37, 35, 33, 31, 29 seconds. i make note of this only because this is a PR for me! maybe having someone at the top motivates me that much more! to top it off, it was almost noon, the temp was 85 but humidity lower (SO THANKFUL it was below 70+% for once!). my legs were not as tired at the end like last week, so i'm thinking it may be time for more repeats. why do i do this to myself?!
ran another 3 quick miles tonight with my man. my legs said they were tired of the hills! ;)

friday - 4 easy miles (even though it was HOT!). i wanted to go yesterday, but priorities came first and, well, that's just the way it goes sometimes!

saturday - 16 miles. headed out around 9 and the humidity slapped me across the face for not rising at 6am! it was hot, humid, hilly and HARD! i went through 80 oz. of water. filled up at starbucks again (got permission too!). they were so kind. i felt great when i was done. the only sore part is burn i got under my biceps from rubbing against my shirt when i shoved my sleeves up on my shoulder. ugh!

and the heat goes on and on...

a dog tag memorial in Boston - God bless our troops

monday - 4 miles in 80% humidity- UGH - 1 mile was hill repeats. pushed myself so hard uphill to hans zimmer "i don't think now is the right time" (from pirates of the carribean soundtrack). let me tell you, i made myself weak and wobbly in the legs!!! awesome stuff.

tuesday - 7 miles - 4 of the miles were tempo. finished and it was 82 degrees and 82% humidity. in a way, i'm so over the heat, and in another way, i'm pathetically used to it and it's becoming part of the norm. go figure! my hip flexors deep in my maximus is quite sore today (from the hills i presume)!!!


wednesday - 3 miles in the sweltering heat. i left at 9:30 and got back at 10 and the temp was 86 with 72% humidity. awful. just too hot for the likes of me.

thursday - 5 hilly miles; the humidity really got on my nerves!

saturday - 13 miles at the greenway; dragged my oldest along with me to be my "sherpa"! when i started, the temp was 78 with a real feel of 91. luckily, the first 4 miles were mostly shaded. the next 5 were in the sun but thankfully some clouds came to save me at mile 9.5 or so; and the rest were mostly in the shade again. when i ended the temp was 84 with a real feel of 100. the good part of the run... i busted out the last two miles as hard as i could (8:30 pace) despite how uncomfortable it was. i was just in the zone the whole time. negative splits by 1:27. it was all worth it! today was just one of those good runs in not great conditions! i was a little tired this afternnon (haven't been after long runs) so i need to catch up on rest!

sweet 16

a crab we saw on the pier at Liberty State Park :)

monday - 4 tempo miles - never easy!
tuesday - 6 hilly hard miles (4 with my man) - it was so hot since we went at noon - crAAAzy!
wed & thurs - cross train and rest
friday - 16 miles. had to get up early to avoid "heat beat" as i call it! there were a few highlights during this run: seeing two deer; running through a sprinkler with cold water and a cool breeze to immediately following; an asian man sitting with his wife on a bench singing/chanting/yelling so loudly that it almost scared me; my man joining me for the last 5 miles. good run - felt great after!
saturday - 4 mile tempo run- was supposed to be an  easy one... but something came over me!
done with week 5 of the intermediate 2 plan. i am ahead a little of the schedule, but next week is a step down week so that should be nice. i am really looking forward to running in some rain - if it ever comes!

drippin' 15

a nice COLD creek we swam in this summer!

yesterday i got up at 6 and started running by 6:30. just have to run early when it's this hot! ran 15 miles and  i missed negative splits by -4 minutes. it's just hot and pushing it these days, is, well, hard! i am glad to just finish!! i did choose a hilly route to imitate marathon day.

i finally also found a training plan to follow. i've been consistently keeping up with a long run for three months so i didn't want to just start over with the novice plan. so it looks like Hal's intermediate 2 training schedule will work good. i must admit i am a bit unsure about doing 3 20 mile runs before race day. i'll just pay attention to my body and how it feels and go from there. he also has a new plan called marathon 3. it's for runners who can only run 3 days a week. neat stuff!

saw this article on making your own sports drink. i'm going to try it just for the fun of it!

l♥ve 2 sweat

would love to feel that mist now- but a shower will do!

tuesday - i ran 6 miles at 8:30. temp was 86 but the sun was almost down. i ran a hilly route and ran it hard and felt just awful when i got home. didn't get sick but felt like i was going to. exhausted.
thursday - a 3 mile early tempo run. so humid!
friday - 5 sweaty miles - temp was 84 but the heat index was 101. i at least found a partially shaded route which mentally helps a lot! the air was so thick you could see it in the trees. or maybe the heat was getting to me!!
i don't mean to complain and whine about the heat, but wow, this really does seem worse than last year. at least i love a good sweat! tomorrow i have a 15 mile run on schedule. going to get myself mentally psyched up for it!

piping HOT running

i would think how Niagara's mist felt as i ran in the heat!

last weeks running was flat out piping HOT!

tuesday was a hilly 8 miler. i drank 50oz just to stay hydrated.
wednesday was another hot hilly 6.5 mile run. found a sprinkler to run through! :)
friday was my long run since we had a busy weekend. i started running at 6:30am in some light rain. it was like that for most of the run - 100% humidity but at least in the upper 70's. i ran 13 miles 7 minutes slower than last weekends 14 miler. oh well...
today i ran a tempo 4 miler and felt like i had not run in 4 months. it was h.a.r.d. but that's what makes it all worth it. this is another busy week so i may try two-a-days. not sure if it's a good idea but i'll give it a shot and see how it goes. i just wish my summer would slow down...

running & rainbows

gettysburg, pa - they have a marathon there...

ooo! blogger is different now! (at least in the editing way...) took off sun and mon from running.
tuesday - 8 hot miles even though it was somewhat early (8am)
wednesday - 4 easy cooler miles (humid but overcast)
thursday - 6 early (7am) miles (humid but not as hot so my timing was great)

it would be very scenic! maybe someday...

today -14 miles - a PR for me (2:27) heat, hills and major humidty. it rained lightly with the sun trying to peek out the first 4 miles. it felt great. as i was praying for wisdom and discernment for some upcoming decisions /changes we face, i turned the corner on the road and there in front of me was the most beautiful rainbow. a perfect reminder of His promises. a few miles later, my prayers turned to protection! some men in a white working van that look like the types you see on america's most wanted (yes, i'm totally profiling!) slowed down and started making kissing noises/gestures. they did this for a few minutes and then drove into a parking lot. when i turned around, they left the parking lot to follow me again but they were always on the opposite side of the road. thankfully two walkers and one runner were near me so the guys just left. annoying. i then ran to a trail loop at a park and ran the other half there. at mile 12 i stopped to eat a gel and all of a sudden my man is next to me! he decided to run the trail in hopes of finding me. just checking in... LOVED it! he finished the last 2 miles with me and then we headed home. i was so sweaty, i could wring the sweat out of my clothes! i forgot to put glide (not thinking clearly at 6:30am!) and so i ended up with some nasty burns. it was worth is since i had a 2:10 negative split time!

marathon 2 on schedule

a very thankful heart on this memorial day...

it's been a hot week. mid 90's and humid all week. *sigh* ...  and it will continue for awhile...at least i am a fan of sweating and can hydrate myself pretty well these days!

did leg weights monday at the gym with my other trainer - my son. :) he's been educated well on weights by my man. i did the same routine as last week. he pushed me and i've been sore the past few days. i ran 5 miles that evening after sunset. it's been so hot. i saw a suspicious looking person walking with a headlamp on and a bag across someones yard that night. at the end of my run, i saw him at his car. he was polite even though i could not see him, and asked how my run was. i asked what he was doing and he told me fixing an air conditioner. i saw freon cans all over the place so i guess when there's an emergency in this heat, people fix it at all hours! it was odd but i know this is their season for business and if you can get it all hours, then why not!

ran 4 miles with my man tuesday. it was close to noon and just hot as could be. i stated to get a headache. so we walked a little. it was a tough short run. by that evening, i was coming down with a head cold. :(
i signed up that evening for my second marathon! i'm really excited about this one since it's home sweet home, yet nervous because ATL is packed with long arduous hills galore. this will be one hilly marathon. but i've got a plan that's in action already. :)

hung out at the lake wednesday with a congested head but made the best of it. "rested" thursday (from running!). and ran 4 miles mid morning today. it was hard in the heat but i felt decent considering i've got this cold. colds in the summer heat are not fun...

speaking of weights... i love how this article explains how your body burns fat continuously after doing weights.