Another Post Without Pictures

This week my runs were on Monday, Wednesday, and today (Friday). I brought my running clothes to work and did each run right after school ended. I'm really starting to like this routine, I get my runs in when it is still light out, I spend some more time with the family since I'm not sneaking away, and it seems easier to get it done then instead of waiting until 7:30 or 8:00pm when I have no desire to run.

I completed 5 miles on Monday on part of the marathon route. It was quite windy and cold because I forgot gloves and some sort of head covering. I didn't notice it after the first 1.5, but boy was it tough until then. I'm starting to know this part of the course quite well, which I am not sure if it will be to my benefit or not. There are a few houses I look forward to passing--one including the Wrigleyville sign on the porch. Those are hard to come by in Central Illinois, it seems as if everybody is a Cardinals fan.

Wednesday called for 9 miles. This is a pretty big mid-week run for me and this is the kind of week that has been one of the reasons it's taken me 29 years to even attempt a marathon. 9 miles had been my long runs on the weekends. Putting them midweek not only frightens me, but it also stresses me out trying to figure out when to get the run in. It is no surprise that I am not speedy, so an hour and a half run is a bit trickier now that we have 2 kids. I hit the road by 2:53, which put me back to my car at 4:23 with plenty of time to pick up the kids and not feel too guilty about it. The run took me to different parts of Champaign than one's I'm familiar with, so it made for some great scenery. I also felt fairly good after the first 4 miles even though I was a little hungry and probably less hydrated than what I should have been.

Today I did my 5 miles around school as well. This time I ran 3 miles and then met a colleague back at school who was wanting to run 2 miles. Despite the wind, I somehow was putting in closer to 9 minute miles, which is flying for me. It was nice to meet up with my friend for the last 2, even though we "ran" into a bunch of students on our loop around the school area. I'm sure it was quite the scene for them to see their teachers running. Quite shocking considering most of them think we live in the school.

Sunday will be a big one for me. I plan to hydrate as best as I can tomorrow so that I will be fresh for the 18 miles. I'll be carpooling with 3 others from the running group to run in Mahomet. Once again, I'm both anxious and excited. I hope this is a good one for me!