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 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!

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!

humid good running

cicada on my son's shoe! they're back!!!

5 miles monday in the hot sun... * frustrated sigh*... why do i run close to noon some days?!

5 miles tuesday in the early morning - much better! *sigh of relief * then later in the evening, did leg weights at the gym with my man - will feel the pain later!

3 miles early wednesday on a mostly flat route - yay! 

10 miles thursday before 9am but the heat and humidity were turned way up. ran a new n'hood chocked full of hills. i just can't escape these hills! a man was kind of enough to fill my water bottle for me and i found a water fountain at the pool to refill. i felt fine afterward so i guess i'm hydrating good so far...

Hot Hilly Half!

ran 13 miles yesterday. 5 in the sun and 8 on a partially shaded hilly trail. considering i have a light head cold, i felt great in the heat.

wore my nathan fuel belt - first time in a long time. went through 60 oz of water and when i came back i only weighed a pound less. drank 16 oz of choc milk post run and all was well!

been reading this book. LOVE it! i feel like i should get a medical degree in running after i'm done. it's that detailed!

week recap

busy time of year...

monday was a nice crisp breezy 5 mile run - 52 degrees- almost cold! needed long sleeve!

tuesday was a hilly 4 mile cool and cloudy run in the upper 50's!

wednesday was a perfect 4 mile run in the sun at noon, and the temps were 62 - lovely!

thursday was warmed up for a run/walk 4 mile easy pace.


saturday, i made it to the greenway by 10am for an 11 mile run. the first few miles were shaded and felt warm but not bad. from miles 4 to 11 the air was just HOT! two of my bikers came along; i love having them there! :) we saw ducks, cows in the water, and a 4 foot long black snack on the path. i went through 20oz of water and 20oz of GU electrolyte (lemon lime - nice light flavor).

so, i've been having a hard time getting the GU gels down. guessing it's just a phase... i was at trader joes last week and noticed these fruit jellies. after reading the ingredients, carb, sugars and calorie content, i found that 4 squares equal just about the same amount of calories and carbs as a GU packet.

so began my experiment saturday. i packed 8 total  and consumed 4 squares at mile 4 and 4 at mile 8. they worked perfectly.

as you can see i packed them in my hand held water bottle. all 8 fit in that little pocket just fine!

 they were easy to grab and pop in my mouth.

quite tasty! not tart at all and not too sweet - just right. 

when compared to GU chomps, they were even easier to chew and swallow - kind of soft. which i liked. a lot!

the price for the container was almost 4.00. there are about 13 four square servings. so a lot cheaper than buying 13 gels at dollar each. i am going to use these for a few weeks on long runs and see how it goes. no issues yesterday! yay for something new, tasty, and cheap!

heat, hills & humidity

the truth!! sold at a local running store here.

and so it is here - the heat and humidity - and only getting started! always a challenge adjusting to the normal spring and summer conditions here.

yesterday i ran 4 miles with my 10 yo. we ran a new route and into a n'hood packed with steep hills. i just about died! it made this hill feel easy! 

this morning, we ran 4 miles on a much more flat route. i look down at our pace and see 8:38! she doesn't realize this, but she is pushing me. (that pace was for a good half mile - felt great!)  :)

lead legs

i was a very bad girl last night... 6 eggs.

4 miles monday - low 80's, sunny, and breezy - the run was challenging as my legs felt dead.
5 miles tuesday - much cooler, 60's, windy - my legs still felt tired
4 miles today - mid 60's, sunny, a light breeze. ahhh! ran 1.2 miles, hill repeats for 1.2 miles (6x up hill) and 1.6 easy paced miles home.

my legs have been so heavy, swollen and tired since sunday morning. today they are much better. during my run today, i realized that i was so used to doing ice baths after any long run over 10 miles last year. i have no doubt that i should have done that this past saturday after a long hard 12 miles in the heat. so, i'm going to go buy a few bags and stock them in my freezer. :)

tired

yesterday i ran a nice easy paced 4 miles. it was a beautiful early evening for running.

today i ran 3 miles. 1 mile warm up run, 1.2 mile hill repeats (which this time i ran the hill 6 times) and 1 mile back home. i brought my 12yo with me and she ran the hills with me and did so awesome! my plan was to run her home and go out for 2 or 3 more miles but i felt very flat. so i called it a run. feeling a little tired still. need to pay attention to why my legs are saying and take a break tomorrow. was hoping to run a half saturday but it's about 2 hours away and not sure i want to go by myself. so i may just do a 12 miler close to home. we'll see...

got a copy of born to run at the beach. half way through it now. it's interesting! making me wonder a little more about minimalist/barefoot running. has anyone out there tried it yet?

lovely lies

yesterday's run was a nice comfortable pace of 5 miles at dusk. it was cold so i had to wear tights again. spring is just not quite ready to break through just yet...

tights again today for 4 miles. the last mile was hill repeats. this time, i felt the burn in the booty and quads. made myself want to barf at the end of one sprint (but i didn't). i looked down at my garmin during the second one tenth of a mile sprint uphill and it said 5:35. liar. the other uphill sprints were in the 7:00's. total liar. and get this: after warming up the first half mile, the next 2.5 miles, garmin said i was in the 8:30 something range. liar liar watch on fire.. what's up with my watch? i'm not that fast. unless today was a good day. and if it was, believe me, i am loving it! this is my fourth straight week doing hill repeats. maybe, just maybe, i'm starting to reap the reward from doing it!

it's business time

drank my coffee and headed out for 5 miles this beautiful sunny morning. ran the first 3 on a semi hilly route, the next mile consisted of 5 hill repeats that were .1 of a mile each and the last mile was an easy pace jog. i was dead! with no fuel in my tummy, and pushing myself harder on the hills, i was t-i-r-e-d by the time i got home. but the best part is the feeling afterward. i feel like i'm getting in that zone - of let's get down to business. i have a pair of capris that put me in that zone two days ago. a pair i wore two days before the Marine Corps Marathon. the pair that was so loose in the waist and booty. and now they are feeling a tad on the snug side. yea. that will do it to me. :) so i'm writing down calories, cutting out sugar as much as this sugar craving mama can, and eating the right carbs. hard work. but i can't do it half way anymore. it's business time.
today, i took the kiddos up to our local borders. the store is sadly going out of business and closeing. books are now 40-50% off. i got the book i've been wanting - racing weight - for 40% off. about $1.50 less than amazon's price. i felt a little disloyal going there (i ♥ amazon). but now i didn't have to wait for it! going to dive into the book now... it's business time.

hills, again...

she looks scared, but just closing her mouth after a big yawn

today i ran 4 miles and then did 1 mile of hill repeats. my legs were not as tired as my lungs were. i'm just glad to get it done. : )

interesting reads:
i don't think i could try this. i love my veggies soo much and would miss them terribly!

but i do want to read Racing Weight. especially after reading this.


i need a race. a goal. a challenge. i need my fire lit. most marathons in my area are not happening until the fall. so i'm looking at this trail marathon. never ran trail before. but it looks like fun! that gives me 30 l-o-n-g weeks to fully train for something i am unfamiliar with. that should be plenty of time! i can follow the 12 week spring training schedule again which will lead right into the 18 week marathon schedule. having that on paper in front of me will light my fire. i may just go find a match right now... ; )