Thursday, August 26, 2010

Chuck Your Buttons for Alzheimer's

I found this site through the Mid-South Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. Check it out! They make bracelets and headbands, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer's Association.

http://chuckyourbuttons.weebly.com/

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Quote of the Week

"You only ever grow as a human being if you're outside your comfort zone." ~ Percy Cerutty, running coach


I must really be growing as a human being, because these long runs definitely have me outside of my comfort zone!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Schedule for Aug. 23 - Aug. 29

Monday - Strength Training (Ab Work & Push Ups)
Tuesday - 5 miles
Wednesday - 8 miles
Thursday - Strength Training (Upper Body Dumbbells & Ab Work)
Friday - 5 miles
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 18 miles

The forcast for this week looks MUCH better than the past several weeks. Here are the forcasted overnight lows for the mornings that I have scheduled runs. Hopefully, the lows are exactly while I'm running!
Tuesday: 67F
Wednesday: 69F
Friday: 62F
Sunday: 71F

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

75 Degrees with 62% Humidity

Yes, you read that right! When I checked the weather this morning, it said it was 75F with only 62% humidity. When I walked out the door, I was amazed at how easy it was to breathe. There was even a strong breeze. That was the easiest 5 miles I have run in a long time! My clothes weren't drenched when I returned home. It was amazing!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Recap and Things to Come

My training was going really well last week, that is until Sunday rolled around. I went to bed early Saturday night and woke up early Sunday morning in anticipation for my 17 mile run. I ate a light breakfast, got dressed, relaxed a bit so my food could settle, stretched, and away I went. I ran the first 3 mile loop with no problem. Half a mile into my 2nd 3 mile loop it hit me; I had to stop or else I was going to throw up in someone's front yard. I walked the .5 miles back home hoping to settle my stomach. No luck. I went inside and sat around for about a half hour, but my stomach was still upset. I was devastated. I really wanted to test myself and prove that I could run 17 miles. I guess I will wait until this weekend to get there.


Schedule for this week:

Monday: Ab Work and Pushups
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 5 miles
Friday: Upper Body Dumbbells
Saturday: 17-18 miles (My original schedule calls for 18. Since I didn't run 17 yesterday, I will either run 17 or 18 depending on how I feel.)
Sunday: REST


Let me tell you something, it is HOT and HUMID in Memphis. I get up early before work to do my weekday runs. It is already in the 80s with 96% humidity. The only good thing is that the sun is not up yet. On my long weekend runs this poses a big problem. I am not a fast runner by any means, so these long runs span 3+ hours. I am not going to start running at 2:30 or 3am to get home before the sun rises at 6. These long runs are a real struggle, because by 9am the heat index has usually already hit 110. I just have to keep reminding myself that Chicago in October is going to feel WONDERFUL compared to August in Memphis!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Exactly 2 Months to Go!

2 months from today, I will be running the Chicago Marathon. I don't know whether that is exciting or terrifying! My farthest run so far is 15 miles...I can't imagine adding 11.2 miles on to that run. I will sure try...every weekend my long runs will be the longest ever. The thought of that is pretty exhilarating.

2 weeks ago was supposed to be my first ever 30 mile week. I training according to my schedule all week. Then came Sunday. I set out to do 15 miles. By mile 10, I was exhausted. Finally, after 13 miles, my body said "STOP!" I was pretty upset, but I had to stop. Luckily, the next week (last week) was a step back week with a scheduled long run of 11 miles. I turned this into my 15 mile run.

This past Sunday, I did indeed run 15 miles. It was incredibly hard! After mile 14, I felt like death. To make matters worse, I looked up and saw a couple buzzards circling overhead. Apparently, they could also tell that I felt like death.

The challenge for this week is the 17 mile run scheduled for Sunday. I can do it!

Here is the schedule for this week:
Monday - Strength Training (Upper Body Resistance Band & Abs)
Tuesday - Rest (I had a root canal yesterday, so John is making me take a rest day today.)
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 8 miles
Friday - 4 miles
Saturday - Rest or Strength Training
Sunday - 17 miles
Total Mileage: 33 miles

Thank you all so much for all of your support. This training is tough, but I know that it's for an excellent cause and that I have great support from my family and friends.