The Domestic Princess

{34th Birthday Half Marathon}

2015-01-09T12:01:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the year I decided that for my 34th Birthday I wanted to run a Half Marathon. I could think of nothing I wanted more for my birthday than a long run with my husband and running friends. My 34th birthday is February 21. Let me tell you how I searched the internet within a 60 mile radius of my house and there are no Half Marathon races on that day. Huge sad face! BUT MIT is doing a Winter Full Marathon Training group and they ARE running 14 Miles that day. Ding! Light bulb went off. I can just train with MIT again and follow the full schedule until my birthday. That seemed like a Win/Win to me.

I came up with a modified schedule for the next two months. Due to Ohio weather I know running more than 3 days a week is not going to happen, so I'm adding more Cross Training days into my week. I will be using PiYo and 21 Day Fix workouts for my Cross Training days. I thought some of you might want to see what my schedule looks like so I have linked my schedule below in case you want to follow along.

What do you think? Want to run a Half Marathon on February 21st with me?

{Accountability}

2015-01-04T20:17:00.001-05:00

After the Columbus Marathon, I needed a break. A break from the strict running schedule. I loved very minute of training but sticking to a very strict schedule was part of it. Eat.Sleep.Run.

Here we are a few months later and my miles dropped, my eating got off track and I put on weight.

My goal is to start blogging (for some accountability) about some weightloss and my training for my next Half Marathon. Today I woke up at 5:30 am and got in a short PiYo Strength Training DVD.

I also started keeping track of my calories again. I had a hard time eating all the calories it gave me today.

I'm going to work on that a little more tomorrow but for now my belly is full.

What's Next?

2014-11-18T10:39:00.002-05:00

Running a marathon is one of those huge lifetime milestones. It left me asking What's Next? What's my next fitness goal?

I decided that first I wanted to get stronger and second I wanted to help others reach their fitness goals. I decided that becoming a Beachbody Coach would help me do that.

If you've been following me on Instagram I've been posted recently about the awesome results I've seen in just 22 days. I lost 4 pounds and started to see some definition in my abs. If you aren't following, click the link above to follow.

I have absolutely fallen in love with the Beachbody products. Vanilla Shakeology and PiYo specifically being my favorites right now.

Beachbody offers a Free Membership account just by clicking join on my site. Starting the first of the year I'm going to be doing a free accountability group on Facebook for few people to help them reach their goals. If you would like to be added let me know but I'll be posting here before I get that together.

I'm really excited about this new opportunity and please let me know how I can help you reach your goals.

{Marathon Finisher}

2014-10-23T11:55:00.001-04:00

I am a Marathoner! Gosh that feels so good to say.

Sunday October 19th, 2014 started very early in the morning. The alarm went off at 4:30 am. We needed to get up and get going. I like to get to races early so we don't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic. MIT was meeting at the Hyatt hotel downtown in the Arena District before the race. We got there around 5:30 am and ate our breakfast. Alli and I were VERY nervous. We both used the bathroom, sat and talked for a few and then it was time to start walking to the starting line. We snapped a few pictures before.

Christopher gave me a great pep talk and made me cry (again). We walked to the starting line and he gave me lots of reassuring hugs.

As soon as we got the Athlete Area we headed straight for the restroom line. Of course I had to use the bathroom.

Alli and I had mapped out a plan for the boys and they were to meet us in three spots: Mile 2, Mile 8 and Mile 17. Mile 2 and Mile 8 were pretty much the same mile, so after 8 they just needed to hustle over to "The Shoe" at Mile 17 to get us the last of our fuel they had on them.

All the plans were in place and we started the race.

Miles 1-3: Were great. We talked, we set our pace (a nice steady 10:08) and enjoyed the scenery. We saw the boys at Mile 2 and handed off our sweatshirts to them. They were all smiles since they found coffee.

Miles 4-8: We still were feeling great. Chatting away about nothing and everything. Concentrating on the finish line and talking about how great it's going to be 'Marathoners' We saw the boys at Mile 8 and I handed off my arm warmers since I was heating up. I ate my first stinger waffle at Mile 8 and that made me feel so much better. I was starting to feel run down and hungry already but eating the waffle definitely helped me pick back up my mood. They are so delicious.

Miles 8-12: Were a total blur. I remember at Mile 12 saying to Ally "I'm ready to start the second half of this race" and then all the sudden everyone started turning off to head down the hill for the finish. Us Marathoners just kept on going.

Miles 12-17: These were really hard miles mentally for me. At around 12 miles I ate another Stinger Waffle but I was just having a hard time mentally getting over that we still had 10+ miles left. It seems very daunting. Right around Mile 15 we saw my friend Jackie and her fiancé Nate. Let me tell you how awesome it is to see familiar faces at these higher miles. I feel like it snaps you back into perspective for a minute. Less than a half a mile down the street, we saw the boys. They decided to surprise us at Mile 15. It's was so great to see them. Alli and I focused on seeing them again at Mile 17. It got us through.

Alli and I talked later about how we were both confused and not focusing much during this time frame. By this time we had started listening to music and trying to concentrate on the finish line. Right as we were coming up to stadium we ran into two of my MIT friends Lisa and Nelson. I love the look on Alli's face here. It describes these miles perfectly. LOL!

Miles 17-20: Right before Mile 17 we saw the boys and we stopped so they could get us our fuel. Chris filled back up my water bottle with Frost Gatorade for me and gave me a pack of GU Chomps with caffeine. I started eating and drinking both right away. I was definitely feeling drained. Right around Mile 18 I realized I forgot to get my last Stinger Waffle from Christopher at Mile 17. I looked at Alli and she goes "Don't freak out, it's going to be ok" I called Christopher to see if he could meet me again. I could hear it in his voice that he wasn't coming but he told me "You are doing awesome. I'll try babe"

Miles 20-25: Somewhere around Mile 20 I lost Alli :( And everyone else. Alli was having problems with cramps and I found out later her stomach was upset. I kept turning around looking for her but she was no where to be found. Right about the same time, my IT Band started stiffing up. I haven't had issues with it all season but these were all new miles for me also. It got to the point, that I walk through one of the water stops around mile 20, filled up my water bottle knowing that was going to be my last stop. I just needed to push through to the end. Miles 20-25 were very lonely. I focused a lot on the reasons I was doing this. I'm pretty sure at one point I couldn't remember why I was doing it but luckily it returned to me :)

Mile 25: Oh Mile 25, you are a killer. I was so thankful for all my friends that were lined up at Mile 25. First I saw my friend Jackie and her fiancé Nate again. Jackie ran with me for a few seconds because all I was saying was "My leg hurts" She was so encouraging telling me "You can do it, one more mile" I started crying AGAIN. It's so nice to have so many encouraging friends. As I rounded the corner and started to compose myself again, I saw my friends Ashley and Amy with Ashley's daughter, Ava. How sweet is she? I started crying all over again.

Ashley took these pictures of me running into Mile 26

Tears, lots of tears. My heart was warmed and my leg was hurting. It took everything I had to compose myself for the finish.

Mile 26: I finally turned down to the finish which felt like it was never going to come. I twisted and turned and then there it was. THE FINISH! The only thing going through my head was "Holy Sh*t I just did it" I heard my brother's girlfriend, Judy, yell 'Christy' at me. Then I heard Christopher screaming 'You got this babe' I was crying the whole way in. My IT Band hurt so bad but I was done. I was done. I was a "Marathoner"

I crossed the finish and was so happy that my knee didn't give out on me. I limped my way to the medals and the volunteer put it around my neck. Again I thought "Holy sh*t I did it"
A sweet, sweet volunteer must have noticed I was a little confused. He kept yelling "Christy, Christy" then he said "Make sure to get your blanket and a water" Thank you volunteer, that is exactly what I needed. The first thing I did was call Christopher. I broke down on the phone with him. My knee hurt so bad I just wanted to see him. I started looking for a medical tent because I wasn't sure I could make it to the car but after I walked through the Athlete Area a little more I wasn't as stiff. I got all my goodies, some chocolate milk and I headed out to meet Christopher.

It was so great to see him. Chris and Robbie did so awesome meeting us all over downtown and keeping our spirits up.

Alli finished about 10 minutes after I did. The minute I saw her I told I was sorry that I didn't see her again. She did so awesome! This is one of my favorite pictures from after. We both laid down due to our backs hurting so bad. It was nice to lay on the cool grass and chill for a few minutes.

My brother took this picture of the finish. I just love it because look, that's me and my pony tail is flying. It's just perfect!

So the big question everyone wants to know..."Will you do it again" and my answer is "In a heartbeat"! But never without MIT. There is so much support with MIT I cannot thank them enough for the programs they offer.

Thank you so much to all my friends and family for the support you showed me over the last four months. This girls Marathon Dreams came true!

And if you want here is the video of my finish:

http://www.mtecresults.com/runner/videoResults?rid=4856&email=1&race=2701

{Week 18 Marathon Training}

2014-10-13T12:30:00.002-04:00

I don't think I have any word for this week other than Defeat!

Last week on Sunday, I woke up to some mild backaches that continued to get worse. I did no running this week. It was very disheartening to me. I felt like until this week, my training was going so great. I was determined to run Saturdays long run with MIT. It was to be our last run and I didn't want to miss it.

Saturday Long Run (8 Miles): I woke up stiff Saturday morning but I didn't care if I had to run in pain, I was going to do (at least some of the miles) with my running group. Luckily, once we started running and chatting all the stiffness went away and I had a great run. I guess this means that was my last training run!?!? How is that even possible? Where did the summer go?

When I think of the marathon now I have mini panic attacks inside. I go from being excited, to nervous to wanting to puke. I don't think I could pinpoint one emotion that sums up how I feel about it right now.

{Week 17 Marathon Training}

2014-10-04T12:05:00.001-04:00

One more week closer to the marathon. I kinda took a break this week. I ate crappy food, drank and stayed up late with only putting in 8 miles before Saturday. I think that's the first time in 4 months I've allowed myself a good break. But next week I will be back to it. Promise!

Week 17 Marathon Training called for 34 miles and I ran 20.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: 12 miles

Saturday Long Run (12 miles): Last week I had some stomach issues, so I decided to try out a Honey Stinger Waffle instead of GU Chomps. It worked out pretty well. It tastes super delicious. I think my plan is to bring one of these and two GU Chomps or two of these and one GU Chomp?!? I don't know!

After our run today some of the pace group went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast. It was super delicious. I ate a huge Ham & Cheese Omelette and two cups of coffee. So yummy!

{Week 16 Marathon Training}

2014-09-27T14:01:00.001-04:00

|September 21- September 27|

This week is the last of the high miles. I'm soooo happy about that. Definitely ready to taper.

I seem to be handling these long mile weeks a lot better than I did in the beginning. I was tired but not exhausted this week.

Week 16 Marathon training called for 46 miles and I ran 35 miles.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 3 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 8 miles

Thursday: 4 miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 20 miles

Chris and I took off Wednedsay to get my last weekday long run in. We went to Hilliards Rails to Trails and did 8 miles.

Saturday Long Run (20 miles): I'm really sad to report this was the suckiest run I've had through training. First, I woke up at 5:30 am and realized we had no bananas. So I tried a Larabar and toast. Bad idea. Second, all my running buddies in my group were gone today. Third, I was cramping the whole run. It just sucked. BUT I sucked it up and finished 20 miles. Came home took an ice bath. Everyone has a bad run. Today was just mine. 3 more weeks until Columbus Marathon.

{Week 15 Marathon Training}

2014-09-22T08:34:00.001-04:00

|September 14- September 20|

Gosh we are so close! I cannot even believe that we are this close. I'm getting really excited for the miles to start lowering and more sleep to start entering my life.

Week 15 of Marathon Training called for 32 miles and I ran 20.8 miles.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 5.80 miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 12 miles

My running buddy that is my neighbor moved this week. I'm so sad to see her go. We are planning on still running a few days a week through the marathon and will hopefully continue one day a week at least after.

My feet are starting to show signs of marathon training. Turn away if your are squeamish. I have a black and blue toenail, blisters, calluses and more blisters. My shoes are sized up 1 whole size but that doesn't seem to be enough for me.

Long Run Saturday (12 miles): This Saturday we started at Thomas Worthington High School and did 12 miles. The whole group was tired, quiet and crabby. It's about that time in training where that hits us all. I remember Christopher going through it last year. One more week of heavy miles and we start to taper. Luckily, I was able to focus on my wonderful Organic Fuel waiting in my car for me for the last few miles. My most favorite recovery drink ever!

{Week 14 Marathon Training}

2014-09-14T19:41:00.001-04:00

|September 7 - September 13|

Looking back, a marathon was never anything I ever said I wanted to do. It was never anything I dreamed I'd do. When I heard of a person I knew training for a marathon I always admired that person, HOPED I could be that awesome in my later life but again never anything I thought I would be doing.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, running as taught me that I'm so much stronger than I give myself credit for. And I think this week just showed me that.

The beginning of the week was rough. My son was having problems with his asthma, I was feeling very weak and very tired. I gave myself some much needed time away from training early in the week.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 6 miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 3 miles

Saturday: 20 miles

Long Run Saturday (20 miles): I still cannot believe that I did this. I took this picture at mile 18, look at all those smiles. We were happy and enjoying our long run. It was a really great run. I'm so happy that my week finished with such a strong run. It makes me feel so much more ready for this marathon.

We ran Worthington to OSU campus, around OSU stadium and back.

Have I said how much I love my Garmin Forerunner watch? Satellite view of our run around the stadium.

And my selfie at the stadium

Last but not least my running group. I cannot say enough about MIT and Fleet Feet Columbus. They are such a great support for me.

{Week 13 Marathon Training}

2014-09-03T13:57:00.000-04:00

|August 31 - September 6|

How is it week 13 of training already? Do I really only have 6 more weeks of training? This summer has just flown by.

Last weekends recovery from 18 miles was pretty rough. I don't think I thought I would be so sore. I'm not looking forward to the 20 mile recovery.

Monday was Labor Day and we had a fun 4 mile race...Run 4 The Health Of It. I will definitely run this race again. It was a lot of fun and there was lots of swag afterward.

Week 13 Marathon Training called for 33 miles and I ran 23 miles

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 4 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 6 miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 5 miles

Saturday: 8 miles

Saturday Fall Back Week (8 miles): Saturday was a really busy day for us. I knew I wasn't going to be able to meet my MIT group. But also knew 10 miles on my own was doable. So I got up at 5:30 am and set out to do 10 miles but I ran out of time. So I came back thinking I would do another 2 miles later but ofcourse that never happened. It's 2 miles and I'm not going to stress about it. Next week will have plenty of miles.

I did end up spending a lot of time with my family this weekend whic is way more worth it than the extra 2 miles!

{August Total Miles}

2014-09-03T13:39:00.000-04:00

|August 1-August 31|

13 runs=110 miles

{Week 12 Marathon Training}

2014-08-24T11:24:00.001-04:00

|August 24 - August 30|

My training plan called for 39 miles and I ran 45 miles. Yes that's an insane amount of miles. It was weird this week due to my race falling on Sunday.

Sunday: 16 miles

Monday: 4 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 7 miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 18 miles

On Sunday we ran Emerald City Half Marathon. My schedule called for 16 miles. So Chris and I got up at 4:45 am to get to the race in enough time to run 3 miles before.

We met up with a few girls from MIT in our corral. They are so funny.

And Chris is really good at taking running selfies. This was at 10 miles which was 13 for us.

It was a great race! Afterward we met up with a few more friends and feasted on wings and rum.

Saturday Long Run (18 miles): Wow that was one looonnnngggg run. The humidity was 90% when we left at 6:30 am and I was sweating at mile 1. My pace group slowed down considerably today due to the weather. So our average was more 11:30 today instead of 10:30.

I really struggled the last few miles due to the humidity and being tired. So I decided to keep myself busy with pictures. This was at 16.5 miles.

17 miles, the group I run with. We were running so fast you can't see us hahaha!

Ok so about fuel....

For breakfast I ate an English muffin with jelly and a banana before I left the house. Then I took 2 GU Chomps with me (Watermelon no caff & Strawberry w/ caff.). I think I like the caffeine better so I'll just be taking those from here on out. I also tried out a new recovery drink after my run today that I really liked. It's called Organic Fuel by Organic Valley. It was super delish and has 26g of Protein in it. I ofcourse opted for Chocolate. This is definitely my favorite recovery drink by far.

{Week 11 Marathon Training}

2014-08-23T17:23:00.001-04:00

|August 17- August 23|

On Sunday I flew to Canada for a 4 day work conference. I knew going into this week that spare time would be slim but did not expect it to be as slim as it was.

Week 11 Marathon Training called for 21 miles and I ran 8 miles.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 5 miles

Saturday: 3 miles

I hate to call Sunday through Wednesday rest because it was anything but. We did have multiple days of physical activity it just wasn't running. I was really conscious about what I ate while I was gone since I wasn't running.

We didn't have MIT this week due to Sunday being Emerald City Half Marathon. Tomorrow morning Chris and so are getting up really early so we can run three extra miles on top of the half marathon. I'm kind of excited about a new mile PR.

{Week 10 Marathon Training}

2014-08-13T13:16:00.000-04:00

|August 10-August 16|

My motivation for running this week has gone down the tubes. Burn out?!? Maybe? Monday morning I woke up at 4:30 am to the sound of thunder and lightening. My running buddy then text that to say the storm wasn't going to pass anytime soon. By the time Monday evening rolled around I had zero energy left and same for Tuesday. So fall back turned into "way fall back week" eek! I'm sure I'll get my mojo back after my business trip next week. I've just been stressed out and I hate leaving my family.

Week 10 Marathon Training called for 31 miles this week and I ran 20 miles.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 10 miles

Saturday Long Run (10 miles): This week I called a Garmin and they confirmed what I knew. My watch is broke. ::sad face:: So they are replacing mine but I still haven't recieved the replacement. I used my Nike Plus app on my phone for this run. My friend Jackie tagged along to MIT today. It was so nice to have her there this week since we haven't run together in awhile AND tomorrow's her birthday so it was an extra special run.

I forgot everything this morning when I left but luckily did remember chews. So I had Watermelon GU Chomps. Then drank the Gatorade Lemon Lime with water that was out on the trail.

Overall good run and I was really happy we were "just" doing 10 today.

{Week 9 Marathon Training}

2014-08-07T13:35:00.004-04:00

|August 3 - August 9|

Week 9 of Marathon Training and my plan called for 34 miles and I ran 25 miles.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: Walk
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 14 miles

You know those weeks where mediocre is this bar that seems so far high above where you are, that you will never reach it? Yeah that was this week. Both my husband and I are running the same amount of miles. We are both tired. The most simple things seems to be impossible this week.

On top of the fact that I've been having off and on soreness in the outside of my right leg by my ankle. I'm sure this is due to the increase in miles lately. I gave myself an extra rest day on Tuesday and walked a few miles on Thursday night.

I did started using the new Brooks Ghost 7 I bought a few weeks ago with my MIT discount. Aren't they so pretty?

Saturday Long Run (14 miles): Let's start with the good, I just ran my longest run ever. Wow 14 miles!!!! The last 3 were tough but the group helped push each other through to the end. If I haven't said, I love my MIT 10:30 pace group. Some of our conversations just crack me up.

The not so good, I think my Garmin is broken. It cannot find a satellite at all. I messed with it most of my run trying to get it work but nothing. I got home, did a hard restart, sat it outside and still no progress bars at all. I don't know what happened?!? So I guess I see a call to Tech Support in my future. No fun map of the trail today :(

{Week 8 Marathon Training}

2014-07-31T10:17:00.002-04:00

|June27-August 2|

Such a perfect quote for marathon training

Week 8 Marathon Training called for 30 miles and I ran 28 miles.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 5 miles

Tuesday: 5 miles

Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 12 miles

Columbus Marathon sends out newsletters monthly. This months newsletter had a whole section about the new PR (personal record) Gong! Umm how awesome is that? So since it's my first marathon, I automatically PR. I'm totally pounding that gong with any energy I have left.

Long Run Saturday (12 miles): This week we met at Thomas Worthington High School again. I went into this run slightly nervous. 12 seemed so long since it's been almost a whole year since I ran that distance. Breaking it up into sections during my run definitely helped. I went with the mantra today "I'm along for the ride." Today's run we did a lot of doubling back.

I took GU Chomps (Peach tea, 2x caffeinated) at 6ish miles. Then drank fruit punch Gatorade and water (50/50) in my handheld the whole run. That combo, so far, seems to be really working for me. I loved the super caffeinated Peach Tea Chomps. They really helped today.

I did do a low cold water bath right after my run. I'm hoping that helps a little. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sore. The back of my left knee is really sore actually. So now my job is recovery!

My sweet husband left me a little note this morning since I leave before he gets up. So sweet <3

{July Total Miles}

2014-07-31T10:04:00.002-04:00

July Total Miles = 108

I am still in disbelieve that I ran 108 miles this month. Running 100 miles in a month has been a goal of mine for a while. With family, work, etc. it just never seemed to be the right month to make that goal happen. But I set my sights on bigger goals (marathon training) and look what happens! :)

{Week 7 Marathon Training}

2014-07-24T09:49:00.001-04:00

|June 20-June 26|

My new favorite morning snack: Stoneyfield Banilla (banana/vanilla) yogurt w/ Strawberries, Blueberries and Grapes & Green Tea

Week 7 of Marathon Training called for 29 miles and I logged 25 miles. I decided to give myself an extra rest day this week to help prepare myself for the 10 on Saturday. I still did most of the miles for the week.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Rest
Saturday: 10 miles

I think I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm just going to be tired through this whole process. Maybe accepting it will make it less tiring? ::yawns:: But getting up at 5 am does get you some really cool heat lightening pictures.

Long Run Saturday (10 miles): This was not, by far, my strongest 10 mile run but I do so much enjoy the runs with my MIT pace group. They are a fun group of people.

Today I took a combo of Fierce Gatorade and water (1/2 and 1/2) in my handheld water bottle. Then at 4.5 miles I started eating my watermelon GU Chomps (no caffeine) and drinking water with each chomp. We stopped at a little over 5 for a water break and I was done eating all the GU Chomps by that point. I refilled my handheld water bottle with a combo of Lemon Lime Gatorade and water. My stomach was a little upset at mile 7 but it passed pretty quickly.

Overall though it was a good run. I of course forgot to restart my Garmin so it only says 9.56. ::slaps head:: This 10 mile run it puts me at 92.1 miles so far this month. I'm hoping to break 100 miles this month.

{Week 5 Marathon Training}

2014-07-24T09:08:00.004-04:00

|July 6-July 12|

Week 5 Marathon Training called for 29 miles and I logged 24.5 miles.

Sunday: Rest
Monday: 4 Miles
Tuesday: 4 Miles
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 3.5 Miles
Friday: 4 Miles
Saturday: 9 Miles

Overall, I was feeling like I was getting sick and struggled with my miles. I think it was my allergies. Luckily some Claritin made me start to feel better.

I worked really hard on my diet, to keep eating foods that keep me energized. I had Christopher grill up some chicken for me on Sunday again and I packed that in my lunches with Quinoa and Broccoli. The other days I had left over white chili with lots of beans and veggies in it.

I still indulged in a few donuts to make myself feel better for being sick though. No ones perfect. Sometimes a donut (or two) is just want you need.

Long Run Saturday (9 Miles): I felt very strong this run. I can tell all this running is paying off. I ofcourse forgot to restart my Garmin (again). I really need to use the fancy auto stop feature. This week we ran from Whetstone High School to the OSU stadium and back. It was pretty cool since we know we'll be running though the stadium for the Columbus Marathon.

At 5 miles we stopped for water and I ate a package of GU Chomps (strawberry). I'm starting to play with my fuel a little and liked these at about the half way mark.

After my run I had a chocolate protein shake from Whole Foods. I love that these taste so good with just water.

{Week 6 Marathon Training}

2014-07-17T14:44:00.001-04:00

|June 13-June 19|

Week 6 Marathon Training called for 26 miles and I logged 21 miles.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 4 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: 6 miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 6 miles

This week is "fallback" week, this allows for active recovery of my muscles. I'm attempting to run 5 days per week but this week I did 4 days. It seemed to help slightly with me being so tired all the time (slightly).

Long Run Saturday (6 miles): this week we met in Westerville at Ohio Health. That was one very rainy run! But I have to say running in the rain at 7 am definitely makes you feel more badass. ::fist pump:: This was a really good strong run. I only used Grape Gatorade and water since it was a 6 mile run.

I'm going to try to rest up this weekend, next week has A LOT of miles to be logged.

{Week 4 Marathon training}

2014-07-04T08:01:00.001-04:00

|June 29-July 5|

Hot and sweaty Monday run

Week 4 Marathon Training called for 27 miles and I logged 24.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 3 miles

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 5 miles

Thursday: 4 miles

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: 8 miles

I've been feeling very rested this week but I think that has a lot to do with us taking some time off work. We spent some time at Zoombezi Bay and the Columbus Zoo but the whole house took naps everyday. Oh yeah, I love naps!

I bought some fun new gear this week: Nathan handheld water bottle and a Saucony hat.

Long Run Saturday (8 miles): 7 am my pace group meets at Thomas Worthington High School. I don't know why this week but I was feeling nervous about the 8 miles. Maybe because it's been so long since I've run anything over 6?! But minus some minor leg cramping it went really well. I forgot to restart my Garmin after one of the water stops so my Garmin only recorded 7.76 ::sad face::

{Week 3 Marathon Training}

2014-07-01T07:17:00.000-04:00

|June 22-June 28|

Week 3 Marathon Training called for 24 miles and I logged 15.63 miles.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 3.62 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 6.01 miles
Thursday: 3.00 miles
Friday: 3.00 miles

First, lets talk about my fun new ~~toy~~ Garmin watch. This is the Garmin Forerunner 220 in Violet. I've had my eye on it for months and have been saving my pennies for it. I finally splurged and went to Fleet Feet Columbus to used my MIT discount (another bonus of MIT).

This was a rough week for me. The exhaustion has set in and I dropped 4 pounds. I'm pretty sure there are a combination of things happening after some Google searches and asking some seasoned Marathon friends:

Properly Timed Carbs: In the morning when I run my 3-4 miles, I don't eat before hand. Leaving me depleted of carbs right away in the morning. I have started eating half a banana before my runs now.
Amount of Calories: I don't keep track of the amount of calories anymore since I have a good handle on my weight now. I'm going to start this back up. It seems I'm not taking in enough since I'm losing weight. I also started cooking my lunches on Sunday to make sure I'm getting all the vitamins and nutrients I need instead of buying frozen meals.
Not enough rest days: It appears that I may need to work up to the 5 days a week my training plan calls for. I'm going to be doing 4-5. I'm coming to terms with the fact that cutting out a 3 mile run per week isn't going to make me not finish the marathon but will keep me a little less crabby.
The Humidity: I get up at 5 am 3 days a week to get my run in before work. While this saves me from the beating down sun, it tends to be more humid in the morning. It's typically 90%+ humidity. That can take it out of a girl, I tell ya! I'm still going to continue to run at 5 am but I think running with something in my belly will help my energy level through the day.

chicken, couscous, broccoli and guacamole

So after trying to change the 4 things above. I decided that I had one "long run" on Wednesday, so I took Saturday and Sunday off. Caught up on some sleep and got right back to it Monday morning. I'm hoping all these small changes will make a difference for the next week.

{Week 2 Marathon Training}

2014-06-30T12:19:00.000-04:00

|June 15-June 21|

Marathon Training Week 2 called for 19 miles and I did just slightly over at 19.64.

Sunday: Rest

Monday: 3.62 Miles

Tuesday: 3.01 Miles
Wednesday: 5.03 Miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 3.75 Miles
Saturday: 4.23 Miles

Still feeling really good this week. Really excited to start upping my miles and I can tell my runs are getting stronger. I have decided to stop watching my pace and just log the miles. For a few weeks I was getting really caught up in what pace I was running. MIT stresses a lot for 1st timers just to log the miles. Don't worry about your pace for the first one. I'm trying really hard to follow that advice. This week our Saturday run was a "fall back" so we did 4.23. We will do a "fall back" week every 3rd week to allow for active recovery of our muscles. I'm learning so much through this group and just loving it!

{June's Total Miles}

2014-06-30T11:54:00.002-04:00

June Miles Total=77.9

I love looking at my monthly summaries. Maybe because the total seems so impossible some months and yet I do it? Maybe because I never thought I'd be doing this (marathon training)? I don't know?

What are your total miles this month?

{Week 1 Marathon Training}

2014-06-30T09:58:00.000-04:00

|June 8-June 14|

Week one of marathon training called for 20 miles, but my actual total was 23.83.

Sunday: 6.36 Miles
Monday: 3.5 Miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 4 Miles
Thursday: 3.85 Miles
Friday: Rest
Saturday 6 Miles

I ended up having a 10K on Sunday that we had signed up for in January, way before I decided to sign up for the marathon. So that added some extra miles to my week.

Deciding to run a marathon was a huge decision for me. It's a lot of time away from my family. I decided that joining MIT was going to be in my best interest. For lots of different reasons. But the main reason was knowing that on Saturday morning at 7 am, there would be someone waiting on me and expecting me to be there. A whole pace group that would make me accountable for getting up and getting out there. My first group run was awesome. I talked with a lot of different people and a few of my coaches. They allowed me to talk their ear off and ask lots of questions. Week 1 = Feeling Good!