Last 9 miler for this training

I took advantage of my day off and ran in the morning without worrying about rushing to work. I met Mary for a 9 miler around 6:30. We did a small portion of the marathon route, but it did include the gentle incline that appears around mile 24. It felt a lot better this time than when we did it for our 20 miler. The flowers are now fully in bloom, so the scenery is also even better than last time.

We JUST beat the ran, as it started pouring the instant I stepped in the house. Our timing has been phenomenal the last few runs, so I'm hoping we are good luck for missing the rain on marathon day. The current 10 day forecast has it in the picture, but I'm not fretting yet since it is still a bit out.

The run was great, although I noticed my hamstring bothering me the rest of the day. This happened after Tuesday's run too. I'm hoping it isn't anything too serious.

Early Morning Run

I set-up a running date with Mary for an early run on Tuesday. I know that I need to start running more in the morning since the weather will be getting hot in the summer. I am likely to make excuses if it is just me running in the morning, but if I arrange to meet someone, I can't back out.

We planned to get out by 5:25 so I could be back in time to shower and leave for work. I didn't sleep that well because it stormed the entire night. I kept wondering when it was going to stop and thinking, oh man, I don't know if I can run in that!

I texted Mary in the morning to see if we were still on and her witty response was, "I still plan to go, but I won't judge you if you want to take a RAIN check." I replied and said I was in, but I was a bit reluctant. It POURED until 5:20 and then miraculously stopped at 5:25.

We cranked out 5 miles in 46:13, which is fast for me. I think we were both motivated by the chilly temps as well as the pending return of the rain. I enjoyed the morning run and hope to do it again.

Last Long Run with the Group

I met the Second Wind Running Group Sunday morning at the start site for the race. As I drove there, I was freaking out. I had butterflies in my stomach and felt like hurling. It occurred to me that the marathon was only two weeks away and that it is practically go time. The next time I would be driving that way would be the morning of the race...YIKES!

It was a bit colder than we've been getting used to lately. So, I bundled up and made the group pose for a shot before heading out.

L to R--Matt, Donna, Mike, Sue Ellen, Del, me

We ran the half marathon route. I felt decent throughout the run, although my stomach, once again, started to give me trouble around mile 8. This was on my mind the rest of the run, but I tried to pretend everything was okay. I was a little caught off guard by the two gentle inclines that I noticed between mile 8 and 9.5. I really thought the whole course was fairly flat except for around mile 25 when there is a nice, long gentle incline. I guess I'm glad I know, so I will be prepared on race day. Conversation was great, as always. I enjoyed the time with the group and really appreciate all the support.

We came back in finishing at 2:23 including a restroom stop and one or two water breaks. I beelined for the port-o-potty as soon as it was in sight.

The group visited afterwards and headed over to Houlihan's for a celebratory breakfast. The service was less than desirable, but we still had a good time. I had brought snacks to share with the group as a thank you and they came in handy while we waited FOREVER for our food to come. I don't think I'll be visiting Houlihan's again any time soon.

I also made some cards using Wordle for each of my running mates. I've really had a blast throughout this process and hope I can get my mind straight by April 30th.

My Run with Dean Karnazes

A few months back, I started reading a book, Ultra Man, and learned a lot about a crazy runner named Dean Karnazes. I recalled seeing a clip about him and was amazed by his athletic ability and pure dedication. On a whim, the man ran 30 miles on his 30th birthday after an entire day's celebration. He hadn't run in 15 years and decided to head out in gardening shoes and his boxers. After finishing this book, I read another of his and began following him online. Shortly thereafter, he launched his latest endeavor, Running Across America with Regis and Kelly.

It didn't take me long to figure out that he would be passing through my "area" and I would potentially have an opportunity to run with him. I kept the idea in the back of my mind for a few months, but as April approached and I had read more about his journey, I realized that this was something else I just had to do.

Dean was scheduled to go through Altamont, IL (about 1.5 hours southwest of Champaign) today and will be in Indianapolis (about 1.5 hours east of Champaign) on Saturday. Since Tony works Saturdays, logistically it was actually easier for me to take a day off of work to meet him today. I also knew I would have a better chance of being closer to him if I went to a small town, as opposed to trying in a larger city. I had mentioned this opportunity to my friend, Mary, when we were running on Sunday and she jumped at the chance to go.

Here we are shortly after arriving to Altamont. We are a bit giddy and were a little star struck (even though most people have no idea who Dean Karnazes is).

Dean has been running across the US since mid February and today marks his 49th consecutive day of running at least 40 miles. He has a few scheduled events, like the one today, where he runs with the community. Prior to the run, he addresses the crowd each time and today was no different.

There were a lot of students from the Altamont schools, but only a few of them actually ran the whole 5k. This gave us plenty of time to run near Dean and he was nice enough to entertain our questions.

Mary initiated conversation first and asked him what advice he would give to first time marathoners. He noted that it was going to hurt and to not pay attention to the mile markers. Mary was nice enough to introduce me to Dean and he even called me by name then. I told him I was a big fan and asked him what was next for him. He joked and remarked that he would be trying 50 marathons in 50 states with 50 pizzas. Then he provided his real answer of running a marathon in every country. We gave other fans some face time and tried to avoid running into small children who don't know race etiquette, but snuck in a few more questions later on. Mary asked who he looked up to. He stated that he really admires Ann Treson (sp?) and told us a little bit about her success as a phenomenal ultra runner who beats out everyone, including males.

We made it into the group shot, which should appear on his running blog at Regis and Kelly's website. It was a great time and I'm glad I did it.

Last mid-week 10 miler

Yesterday I took on my last biggie for the mid-week runs. Tony had off, so I was able to get out for my run soon after arriving home. Ellie joined me for the first 2 miles and then I dropped her back off, grabbed my water and music, and headed to the track. The local community college's track is just about a mile from our house, so I decided to head there and do most of my run on the track. The weather was perfect and the running surface would be a little easier on my body. There was a track practice going on, so I was distracted and reminded of my days running track with my dad as the coach. Those are were fun days. The kids seemed to be having fun out there and that gave me something to smile about. I finished the run feeling better than I did when I started and was glad to get the miles out of the way so I could enjoy some time with the family.

The Reason I Run

I know I have already alluded to the fact that I run so I can shove handfuls of Hershey Kisses into my mouth, but really, I run because I can. This week has been a stressful one with way too many emotional lows. A father of a very good friend passed away earlier in the week and I made arrangements to attend the wake Friday evening and funeral Saturday morning. If we lived in our hometown, and weren't Stuck in Chambana, this would be slightly easier, but I wasn't going to miss this. I know how important it is and I wanted to make sure I paid my respects to such a caring man. ****** On top of this, my father, had his hip replaced on Friday morning. While this was elective and not necessarily a serious surgery, I don't handle these kinds of things very well and, of course, worried about him and dreaded visiting at the hospital--the place that I've experienced way too many fainting spells than I care to keep track of. Fortunately things went well, but this is yet another reminder that I am getting older, people's bodies only work for so long and ultimately we have to make the best of them. This is a lesson I've seriously taken to heart ever since Tony's mom passed away in 2008. *** In all seriousness, the funeral service for my friend's father was not only a great tribute and celebration of his life, but probably one of the best services I have attended before. It's not too often that you get to meet people who really and truly view the glass as half full. No matter what cards this man was dealt, he persevered like a true hero. These are the kinds of stories that make me want to be a better person and to do things I've never done before. Leading into the movie I saw last week, My Run, was a motivational slide that asked what can be done with Two Feet and a Heart. Anything really. If I have two working feet and a healthy heart, there is no reason I shouldn't go out and run a marathon. Life could be much worse. Today I took on my second 20 miler. I had been extremely nervous about this probably starting on Friday. I was especially anxious this morning, for a number of reasons. 1.) Take note of the temperature at 6:40 in the morning...64 degrees.

2.) My middle toe on my right foot is completely dead. I made a last minute switch into my Smart Wool socks, which proved to be a wise choice. I can not rave enough about these socks, in fact, I should be an advertiser for them!

3.) I played around with some of my running routines due to last week's fiasco. This included only eating bread for dinner (don't ask me why I did that, nothing else seemed to sound good since I was so nervous) and the true Godsend...Imodium!

I drove to a meeting spot to catch up with Mary, a gal I occasionally run with. We set out from the car, which was parked by my school, to keep fuel accessible during the route and a bathroom as one of our many options. We took on the marathon route and thanks to a friend's Garmin, I knew exactly how far we were going and at what pace.

We started out a little faster than I probably should have, common running error, but fended well for the first 8 miles or so keeping it under a 1o minute mile pace. I was glad to show Mary around part of the course that she hadn't tested out yet and we had a lot to talk about. This was probably another problem, exerting extra energy talking.

We were mindful of trying to slow down and did just that, especially on the lovely gentle mile incline of the course that appears around mile 24. Despite our few breaks and best attempt to stay hydrated, the 77 degree heat just wore us out. The last 5 miles included a few walking breaks and a couple full out stops for me to control some of my dizziness. Thankfully we took advantage of Panera's ICE and cold water and dumped it on ourselves.

Thanks to Mary's constant encouragement, we came in at 3:43....this includes all stops since I never stop my watch. While it wasn't my best run, it definitely beats out last week's run and I know I can take on the marathon on April 30th.

Shortly after my return home, I tried an ice bath. Let me tell you, an ICE bath is just as cold as it sounds. My legs did feel great afterwards, so I may even consider it in the future.

I've learned a lot about myself over the last few months. One thing's for sure, I could care less what I look like on my run...never thought I'd be tucking in my shirt and wearing BLUE socks with white shoes. At the end of the day, though, there are way more important things to worry about.

Some Inspiration

I have been making it a point to find motivation for this endeavor I am taking on. Last week I had the pleasure of going to a running movie with Donna, one of the pace leaders from my group. Last Thursday, My Run was showing nationwide for a one time viewing. It featured Terry Hitchcok, who ran the equivalent of 75 marathons in 75 days.

The documentary started quite emotionally, as it detailed his wife's fight against breast cancer. This was especially hard for me because it paralleled the loss of Tony's mom in September 2008. The movie did pick up and made for some great inspiration for me at this point in my training. With little support, and essentially no running background, the 56 year old man ran from St. Paul Minneapolis to Atlanta for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in 1996. I did think of him on my run on Sunday when we were out in the middle of nowhere. I pictured him running and wondered what he was thinking throughout all those miles.

I also attended a speaker series through the running group last night. There was a panel of speakers to discuss the nuts and bolts of the Illinois Marathon. I got a few insights, but also walked away with a renewed sense of hope and excitement for April 30th.