Friday, September 30, 2011

Tomorrow...

Applefest is TOMORROW and I'm kind of freaking out!! I get pre-race jitters like you wouldn't believe, especially when I've set an ambitious goal for myself and let people know about it. I get all worked up and feel like if I don't hit my goal everyone will be so dissapointed. I know that's not true so I just gotta reign myself in and stop freaking out! No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm proud of myself for sticking with my training and working hard to get to the point where I can actually run 13.1 miles, sub 2 hours or not!

So here are some things that have been making me nervous:

1)The course is super duper hilly. I've run it twice now and the hills are KILLER!

2) The weather calls for 60% chance of rain. Hoping soggy feet don't give me blisters ; (

3) Not to be TMI but during the last few runs I've had some bowel issues that have slowed me down.

4) I can't run with music (applefest has a very strict no music policy) I've tried to wean myself but I still run a lot faster with my tunes.

On the positive side, here are some things that boost my confidence:

1) I've run the course twice so I'm familiar with it and know what I'm up against.

2) I've trained on hills for the last 6 weeks since my treadmill broke and now my legs are getting better at taking them.

And the best most awesome confidence booster of all...Taber told me this morning that he is going to run with me the whole time!! I was seriously jumping up and down with excitement! With Taber there to pace me I KNOW I can hit my goal if I just stay focused and trust my training.



Also I will have the cutest cheerleaders on the planet waiting for me at the finish line. 


Do you love his, "My mommy runs wicked fast" onsie? 
My friend Kendall made it for him. 
We both had babies a week apart in January and Applefest is our come back race : )

And can't forget the girls, they wanted in on the pictures too. 
They were still in their jammies and rockin' the bed head but you can't deny the cuteness. 
Pretty awesome motivation ; )



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Dear neglected running blog...

Dear running blog,


I wish I had time for you but the whole 3 kids thing is still kind of kicking my butt.  I love those precious little nuggets more than anything in this world but let me tell you, 3 feels like a lot more than 2!


 Cam turned 8 months old today and keeping that kid fed, diapered, and safe from small choking hazards takes a pretty monumental chunk of time out of my day. I know those don't sound like hard things but you should see the circus act I have to put on just to get a few bites food in this guy's mouth. It's intense.


Also Teya just started kindergarten and don't even get me started on the horrendous schedule of getting all 3 kids loaded into the car to drop her off, then getting the two little ones unloaded, then re-loading and unloading 2 and 1/2 hours later to go pick her up. What is the point of 2 1/2 hour kindergarten? Plus keeping track of all her papers and back to school night and PTO meetings and fundraisers and all that stuff is pretty much maxing out my brain capacity.

 So now you know, it's not you, it's me. I want to keep you updated with workout summaries and race reports and ww recipes and all the ups and downs on my road back fitness but unless I give up sleep entirely it just isn't going to happen. Someday maybe I'll figure out how to fit it all in but until then you'll just have to make do with my sporadic posts that happen every 2 weeks (if I'm lucky ; ) Here's the latest:

Applefest is less than 3 weeks away! 
Running has been going really well despite two major bumps in the road. 

Bump 1: Our treadmill broke 2 weeks ago and no one could come fix it until this coming Thursday. I didn't realize how much I rely on that thing until I couldn't use it anymore. It's been really tricky trying to squeeze my runs in before Taber goes to work or after he gets home because he's trying to run too! His marathon is in 5 weeks so he's at the peak of his training. Anyway, with some major juggling and also some good friends who have watched the kids I've managed to get at least 3 runs in a week. It's not optimal but better than nothing!

Bump 2: The day after our treadmill broke Cam got really sick and ended up having to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. (If you want to know more details you can read about it here.) He was in the hospital for 2 1/2 days and it was a very stressful and scary time. I usually deal with stress through eating and I'm not gonna lie, a friend brought some cookies to the hospital and I might've eaten a straight dozen without even realizing it till they were gone. That being said, after two days of stress eating I finally pulled it back together and instead of spiraling downhill I forced myself out for an 11 mile run. It was very therapeutic and got me back in gear.

So despite those bumps I feel like I've done a pretty good job staying on track for the Applefest. In fact, Taber and I ran a warm up half marathon down in Plymouth, MA last Saturday and it was a huge success. It was the Run to the Rock half marathon and we wanted to do it because it's really hilly like the Applefast and we thought it would be good practice.

It was kind of nice doing a race with no pressure and I actually think the fact that I didn't care made me go faster! From the way my long runs have been going I figured I would come in around 2 hrs 10 min or 2:05 if I was really feeling good. When I got out there the temp was nice and cool, my legs felt fresh and my lungs were strong. I started pushing through the hills and made up my mind I would run every one of them without walking. I never thought about the full 13.1 miles, I just focused on one mile at a time, one hill at a time and focused on completing each mini segment. Before I knew it I was heading down the home stretch towards the finish line. I was shocked behind shocked when I crossed the finish line in 2:00:53. I was less than a minute away from breaking 2 hours which is my goal for Applefest! My legs were feeling it big time afterwards but man what a high! If the weather will cooperate 2 1/2 weeks from now I think I may just log me a sub two hour half marathon ; )

Me and Speedy boy Taber who finished in 1:46:30 (an 8:08 pace!) He rocks!

So that's the update. Hopefully you'll get another one before Applefest but if you don't, at least now you know why ; )