Tuesday, May 31, 2011

When it rains it pours-then the sun comes out!

5:30 AM Sunday, May 15th - marathon day its pouring down rain, and it didn't let up the entire 4:36 hours of my race.  It was an amazing experience, I'm so happy to say that I trained for and completed the 26.2 miles that is the Capital City Marathon in Olympia, Washington.  Aside from achilleas pain the race was great, I ran the first 6 miles at a 9 min/mile pace until I realized that I either slow down and make my goal-to finish- or I keep going and hurt myself and not meet my goal which I had been working at for 18 weeks.  So I slowed down to about a 10 min/mile pace.  This was perfect!

So many members of my family and tons of friends or their parents were out on the course cheering me on and one of my best friend's Mom even ran the last three miles with me!  I am so lucky to have so many people around me who believe in and support me in everything that I do in life!   Thank you!

Aside from a break in running I have officially moved out of my house in Pullman, even handed over the keys today.  That was an experience, what did I learn?  NEVER, ever, EVER move with a dog.  Sammie was going crazy and to top it off she ate a bag of chocolate chips while I was cleaning out the pantry. So I had a barfing, barking dog following me while I cleaned the white carpet of my hobbit hole basement bedroom.  Awesome.  I temporarily moved into a camper trailer in an old boss' backyard in Moscow, Idaho - Sammie too!  However, I can't leaver her alone all day because she will freak out.  So I am bringing her to school with me everyday where she hangs out in the car (windows open, toys, and water of course!).  She loves the car, I think because its about the only consistent place in her life right now and she knows I will always come back to her if she's in there.  Today I let her come play with the kids at large motor time.  She absolutely loved it, and so did the 15 kids!  

It's so weird to be moving onto a new part of my life.  Scary even, especially because for the first time I'm doing it alone.  And what it is that I'm doing, I don't know.  I am staying positive and hoping that things work out!  I'm young, single, happy and lovin' life! Now bring on the sunny weather!

 Hugs SK : )

 Me crossing the finish line!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

It's All Downhill From Here

Its been a crazy month, April has flown by!  An update on my training- since the last post I have run a total of about 175-190 miles!
  A 12 mile weekend I was in Colorado to visit my sister- I only ran 7 because she lives at 6,200 feet (much higher than Pullman.) I was so out of breath and sore, more than I have been in almost all of my training.
I had an 18 mile run where I thought I might die.  I didn't bring water and a friend couldn't bike and meet me half way to give me some, I was counting on the water fountains by the trail being turned on-they weren't.  I didn't drink anything until mile 15 when I stopped at my old work, the poop plant, to grab a drink.  The last 3 miles were terrible I had to stop and walk, my back and legs hurt, & mile 18 seemed never ending.  However, I finished alive and took an ice bath in my bathtub.
The next weekend I was supposed to run 14 miles. However I was running down the (painted wooden) stairs into my hobbit hole (the basement/my room)  and slipped flying through the air and landing on the stairs.  I came out rather uninjured- only a goose egg on the back of my head, a bruised tailbone, and 3 other bump/bruises on my back.  So that 14 mile run didn't happen.  I learned that running down my stairs in week 14 of marathon training is probably not the best thing to do.
Last weekend was my longest run of all my training, 20 miles.  It was Easter weekend, I had to coach two soccer games, and teach cooking at a 3rd graders birthday party!   I managed to fit it all in, running my 20 miles before 9:00AM.  I watched the sun come up and it was a beautiful and warm morning, one of the best days I've had running yet.  The 20 miles felt really great, I had some major achilles tightness & pain that has caused me to really take it easy this week.  I am hoping its just because of the total number of miles I ran last week.
 I went to REI before my 20 miler and bought a Nathan fuel belt.  It has two 10 oz. water bottles and a pouch to hold things like a cell phone and shot blocks.  I ran with one water bottle of water and the other gatorade. This really helped me & I can't believe I waited to so long to buy one.
 I have about 2.5 weeks left of easy training before my marathon.  I am so excited!  I will make an effort to post more often!

Happy running!

Hugs - SK



Monday, March 21, 2011

Bring on the Miles!

Well, I did it! I completed a 15 mile run – the longest so far in all of my training. I’m now on week 11 of the 18-week training program!  This week I run four miles Tuesday, eight miles Wednesday, four miles again Thursday, and 16 miles on the weekend.  I have decided to add at least two days of high intensity body weight interval training (www.bodyrock.tv) into my training schedule.  I made this decision for two reasons.  The first is that I’ve noticed a lot of muscle loss after stopping four days a week of this high intensity body weight interval training (I stopped because of the increase in my running.)  This muscle loss often leads to injury in distance runners.  Second, my friend Kelly and I made an agreement that we will each do at least two of these workouts each week.  They are quick, hard, effective and great for men and women!  I did my first one tonight, it was a 12 minute full body workout.  A friend joined me tonight and hopefully more will join when we do our next one on Thursday night. 

On another note, I sent out a few e-mails for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk.  I received 3 donations from family!  I am so lucky and grateful to have such fantastic family and friends that encourage and support me in everything I do!  My 3-Day Profile


SK

P.S. If you go to bodyrock.tv you'll need this site too http://www.speedbagforum.com/timer.html

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Will Run For Food

Somehow I deleted the first post that I made oops!  So here is a quick overview of what I had posted:
My friend Kelly convinced me to make this blog and I am undecided about what it will be about, so I'm thinking mostly my running.
I am currently training for three things; the Capital City Marathon on May 15th, the Warrior Dash on July 16th, and The Susan G. Komen 3 day 60 mile breast cancer walk.


"Will Run For Food" well, Sammie will.  She is the world's best running partner.  Always willing to run whether it is 6:00 AM or 8:00 PM she is always ready to go, never complaining about how far we are running, or how slow I'm going.  Some days she is the only reason that I run (she has such a high energy level that if she doesn't get at least one hour of exercise a day she is a psycho dog). It has taken months of walking/running everyday for her to be calm and submissive during exercise, but man has it paid off!  After Sammie and I return from our runs I feed her, as her reward.  Just like a dog in a pack runs to find food and is rewarded by eating it once the hunt is over.  So I like to joke like she's a homeless man with a sign on the side of the road that reads "Will Run For Food."

Never did I think that I would be a "distance runner." I grew up running, however, ALWAYS sprints. In middle school my track coach asked me to run the mile in a track meet and all I did was laugh.  Soccer tryouts were a full week of two a day practices - workouts in the morning and soccer in the afternoon.  I remember the "Safeway Loop"(maybe 3 miles?)  being one of the hardest parts of the entire week.  Apparently I have overcome the anxiety of distance running, and have started to embrace the quiet time away from the never ending overstimulation that is preschool.  It's amazing to think that just nine weeks ago my long run on the weekend was six miles.  Now, I'm running more than that on a Wednesday night.  My long run this weekend is 15 miles, which I like to tell myself is "only 15 miles!" I am starting to realize that almost no one else agrees with me on that statement.  Ooh well!