Final Pre-Race Blogpost

It's finally marathon weekend! I've been thinking about this weekend since I signed up for the marathon back in mid-March. I've been training (for better or worse) for nearly 7 months. When I was running the lake shore path over the weekend, I noticed that the 'palm trees' were taken down from Oak Street beach. This really meant that summer was over. Then I realized that I have ran through (almost) all of the seasons that Chicago endures. Allow me to explain...

WINTER

The Shamrock Shuffle is the official kick-off to running season in Chicago. This 8k race is held right around St. Patrick's Day in March. This year was the first time I ran 'The Shuffle' and it was absolutely freezing! I know many people who actually ditched out from running because it was so cold. There was still some snow on the ground and I ran wearing at least 3 layers of clothing, a hat and gloves. Despite all of these layers, I froze my butt off while running. I couldn't feel my toes after the race. Runners over the age of 21 get a free beer after the race, but I was beyond frozen to even take a sip. Does that tell you it was a true winter run? I'm getting chills just thinking about it again.

SPRING

Spring can be a tricky season to run in. Do you wear pants? Do you wear shorts? Spring weather can be super warm one day and then cold the next. The struggle I had was that I like to run in the morning before work, but it was often too dark to run outside alone. As spring progresses, you start to notice flowers being planted, leaves on the trees and more people out and about.

SUMMER

Ah, summer. As much as I love summer weather, it can be problematic for a runner. Runners deal with sweat, exhaustion, dehydration, "August Injuries", higher mileage runs and the damn sun. The sun beats down on you and strips all the energy you have and makes you crave water. At this point of training, a Saturday long run is anywhere from 9-20 miles. Imagine running 18 miles in the August sun. August is also the month where most runners are prone to injuries due to the miles they log. However, summer also gives a runner a lot to look at while hitting the pavement. I've enjoyed watching boats out in Lake Michigan, the beauty that is the Chicago skyline and people watching at North Avenue beach. There's just so much to look at! Summer is also the time when marathoners-in-training complete half-marathons. It's a busy time to be a runner!

AUTUMN

Present day. The leaves are started to turn colors and fall from the trees. Runners are starting to trade their shorts for capri pants. I assume anyone who is still running during this season is preparing for the marathon. I know it's a pretty general assumption, but it's what I believe. I love running through the leaves that are on the ground and smelling the crisp air. It's the most beautiful time of year! Autumn is bittersweet because for more casual runners, it's the end of outdoor running season. I'm not the kind of person to run year-round, so autumn means it's time to hit the gym instead of the pavement.

How am I feeling about the marathon? Excited! Nervous! I can't wait!!!! Thank you for all the support!

Lots of Goodies!

Runner tracking just became available for the marathon! Yay!

If you sign up for runner tracking, you will get several text messages that inform you where we are along the marathon course. If you are coming out to cheer, the text message will help you determine if we are getting closer...which tells you to keep a close eye out for us.

Sign up for runner tracking by clicking here. All you need to do is search for the last name Vandermoon.

Last week I received my confirmation packet in the mail. It's a 40 page document that outlines race day logistics and need to know information... including my bib number! It's all getting real!

I also have another piece of exciting news to share. As of Wednesday, I reached my fundraising goal of $600! My parents made a very generous donation to get me to the ultimate fundraising goal. I am so thankful that I don't have to worry about not meeting my goal. All I have to do now is concentrate on the race. Thank you so much mom and dad - and thank you to everyone who has donated over the past several months! I could not have reached my goal without you.

Feeling the Excitement!!

The theme of this year's marathon is "10 runners, 10 stories, 10 motivations to run". Each runner featured on the official 2010 poster is running for a specific charity. Check out their stories by clicking this awesome link.

The marathon is officially under 2 weeks away... 13 days to be exact! The city of Chicago is starting to erupt with excitement! The downtown area has a ton of 10-10-10 banners and I can't help but snap a picture every time I see one. Here are pictures of the banners on LaSalle Street:

Items on my agenda for the next 10 days:

• buy new running shorts and a fresh pair of socks
• test out my charity running shirt
• buy "toss away clothes" for pre-race warm up (look out for a post about this in the near future)
• Create a bad ass playlist
• Find a place to eat/make reservations for a pre-race carbo load dinner
• Map out locations for my family/friends to cheer at
• Create a race day plan
• Ask for more donations to reach my $600 goal for Children's Memorial Hospital (currently at $350)
• ... and much, much more!

Counting Down

I am in love with this picture! I actually have it hanging in my office because it makes me feel like an athlete. I would love to get this in a larger print to frame, because I think it's just so bad-ass. Did you notice that the lady is made up of footprints?

Now that the marathon is less than one month away, I've started an official countdown (27 more days). Today I set out for a 16 mile run and only ran 14. As usual, it took me the first 3-4 miles to really set my pace and get comfortable (both physically and mentally) with the long run. Once I broke through the mental block, I really settled into the run. I never felt dehydrated and for the most part, I never felt physically exhausted.

In all honesty, I've only ran maybe 3 or 4 times in the past month. This is why I was shocked that I felt so good while running today. I expected to be completely exhausted. I have no idea why I felt so good, but I hope it keeps up over the next few weeks.

Around mile 11 I noticed my fingers were feeling swollen. I was a little worried about it, but I tried not to think about it. When I finished up my run, I noticed my entire left hand was swollen! It was uncomfortable to bend my fingers. I have never experienced anything like this, so when I got home I Googled it. Based on my internet search, the swelling is nothing to be concerned about. Swelling can happen for a variety of reasons; I haven't been able to pinpoint why it happened to me. Meh. I went away about 20 minutes after I finished running.

My goal for my long run next week is to hit 18 miles.

Charity Update!

My last post must have really hit home with folks, because I raised an additional $150 in less than 1 week! As of today, I have raised $230 for Children's Memorial Hospital.

I have specific fundraising deadlines that I must meet (as set by Children's Memorial). I must raise at least $300 by October 1. I am only $70 away from that goal and I hope to raise the money within the next two weeks (September 24). Overall, I have to raise $600 for the hospital, but I have until November 3 to do so.

I'm starting to think of some different fundraising ideas. The obvious one is a bake sale (that hopefully I can do at work). Other than that, I'm a bit stumped. It's tough to come up with creative ideas that don't cost a lot up front/out of my pocket. If you have any low cost and easy to plan fundraising ideas, please send them my way!

Here is a picture of one of several shuttle buses that Children's Memorial Hospital operates. The buses run between the main hospital and the outpatient center and are completely free for families. Parking in one of their garages is also fairly inexpensive. Parking for 24 hours (with validation) is only $5. Children's Memorial understands the financial burden most families are in when they have family in the hospital. It is so wonderful that they can offer such affordable parking for families. On average, parking in a garage in the city of Chicago can range from $15-$50. I see these shuttles on almost a daily basis and smile every time I see one.

Have you donated yet? Every penny counts and makes a huge impact in the lives of the unfortunate.

Donate at www.tinyurl.com/tanyaruns4kids

10-10-10... The date to MOTIVATE!!!

I am currently obsessed with finding anything to keep me motivated. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face."

Gatorade Ad

"For me, as for so many runners, there really are no finish lines. Runs end; running doesn't."

Dean Karnazes

If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience another life... run a marathon.

Emil Zatopek

Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training, and some are not.

Dr. George Sheehan

Keep your dream in front of you. Never let it go regardless of how farfetched it might seem.

Hal Higdon

Tough times don't last but tough people do.

A.C. Green

Check out this awesome video that was put out by the Chicago Marathon!!!

Wish me luck on the 18 MILE RUN I have this weekend.

It's All About the Charity

The marathon is only 36 days away.

I have devoted myself to raising money for Children's Memorial Hospital and pledged to raise $600. As of today, I have raised $80 towards my goal. Thank you to my students and co-workers who have donated to Children's Memorial on my behalf.

I still have quite a way to go and I need your help!

Consider what you spend $10 on....

- 1 pizza

- 1 martini

- cab fare

- 2 beers

- take out

- 7 songs on iTunes

- 2 lattes at Starbucks

Now consider what $10 could do for Children's Memorial Hospital....

- help build the new hospital downtown

- purchase updated equipment

- provide research money to help cure diseases

- save a life

Please consider making a donation to Children's Memorial Hospital on my behalf. Training has been a long and difficult journey and I am only 36 days away from race day. I've been told that the actual marathon is my victory lap and that all the training is the real challenge.

I am asking that the next time you go to buy a drink or hop in a cab, consider how that money can make a difference to the kids at Children's and how much motivation it would provide me to keep running.

If you would like to donate, please click here. Thank you for your warm heart and kindness.

Week 12

Yesterday I stopped by Fleet Feet to pick up some more energy chompers for both Scott and myself. Over the past few months, I've really been considering buying a running belt to keep my goodies in (i.e chompers, id, cash, etc.). More than anything, I want to be prepared for the actual marathon. I don't want any surprises, meaning I need to test things out now.

Today was my first day back at running since my August hiatus. According to my training schedule, I was supposed to run 16 miles. I tested out the belt on my morning run today and I absolutely hated it. It flops around too much and was just plain annoying. In fact, it got on my nerves so much I turned around on my run so I could drop it back off at home. I didn't want to have to deal with it for the entire run. I knew my run was going to go very well just based on the fact that it started off rocky. That's usually a good indication of a crummy run.

All in all, I ran 6 miles today. I never thought it would be so tough to get back into running after a long break, but it was. I I'm going to run the remaining 10 miles tomorrow morning when Scott goes out for his run. It's so disappointing to know that I've lost a lot of conditioning, but I can't dwell on the past. I just have to keep my head in the game and keep thinking about October 10, 2010.

I take the bus to work in the morning and yesterday I saw this poster:

Perfect motivation!

Absentee August

Many of you have been asking why I haven't been blogging lately. The truth is, I haven't really been running.

For higher education professionals, such as myself, August is the busiest month of the year. Over the past few weeks, I've been working very long days (and nights) helping out with campus events. Lately, I've been spending my time at new student orientation, welcome weekend, Greek recruitment, and serving as a roulette dealer at the student casino night.

I can barely find time to get quality sleep, let alone run in the morning or when I get home from work. All in all, I've been overworked for the month of August.

Now that students have finished their first week of class, my schedule will resume back to normal. Thank GOD!

RACE DAY!!

The day finally came! I registered for the Rock & Roll Half-Marathon late last year and after months and months of waiting, race day was here! I wasn't nervous, but excited. I knew I could run the half-marathon, because I ran one last year. So this year my nerves faded away and I focused on setting a personal record time (which I did, but more on this later).

Scott, my parents and I hopped on the 151 bus and took it south towards Grant Park at 5:15 am...along with about 100 other people. The bus was packed! In hindsight, I wish we would have gotten down to Grant Park earlier because I felt kind of rushed. It took us a while to find the gear check and I wanted to feel comfortable and at ease. I will definitely keep this in mind for the full marathon in October.

Here is a picture of Scott and I just getting down to Grant Park:

Runners are placed in corrals based on their expected finish time. I was in corral 24 of 29. The higher the corral number, the further back you are in the line to start running. They released each corral 2 minutes apart in order to avoid overcrowding. I thought it worked pretty well. The weather was near perfect in my mind. At the 6:30 am starting time, I would guess the temperature was around 68 degrees. Perfection. Here I am waiting in my corral at the starting line:

I am so happy my parents came down to cheer Scott and I on. Not only was it nice to have family there, but it is a huge motivation booster when you're feeling tired. My mom made 5 different signs for Scott and I. Here is a picture of my dad and I as I wait in my corral:

Okay, it's time for the actual report of the race. I was pretty pumped to get running after waiting in my corral for nearly 30 minutes alone. Once I started running, I really wanted to set a pace that I felt I could maintain throughout most of the race. At some point around mile 2, my knee starting giving me pain. I was so nervous I was going to have to drop out of the race. I kept telling myself that it would go away and eventually it did. Throughout all my training, I've always said that I would listen to my body and stop if I needed to. Though the pain was unpleasant, I knew I could make it... so I pushed myself. Around mile 3 the pain went away and then I realized, "I was only at mile 3. Crap." This is a typical reaction I have quite frequently. It takes me several miles before I feel comfortable in a long run. I just kept telling myself that my parents would be waiting for me with a sign at mile 6 - almost the halfway point. Keeping this in my head definitely kept me focused.

One of my favorite signs I saw said, "You are all really good at exercise!" Damn right! I saw the guy holding this sign 3 different times and each time I saw it I literally laughed out loud. = )

When I passed mile 6 and started to head south, I saw people running north towards the finish line. Seriously?! People were already finishing and I was only half-way done. Seeing this can play mind games with you. I say this over and over and will always stand by it: distance running is a mental challenge that is far more difficult than a physical challenge. Mark my word.

At this point, the weather was really getting quite hot. The shade was minimal and luckily I had a hat on to keep the sun out of my eyes. I knew if I could make it the the turnaround point where we start to head back north that I would be in better spirits. I literally felt a burst of energy when I made the turn and headed north again. Ah, the gorgeous Chicago skyline! I believe this was mile 8. I always make sure to walk through the water stations. It's best to make sure you actually drink the water, as opposed to spilling it all over.

Mile 11 is where hell broke loose. I got the absolute WORST side stitch of my life. It stopped me in the tracks because the pain was so awful. I applied pressure with my hand to my lower right abdomen just below my rib cage and tried walking it off, but it didn't work. I knew I was getting close to the finish line and I didn't want this ridiculous pain to get in my way of setting my half-marathon personal record. Once I turned the corner to the final stretch, I saw the finish line and sucked it up and started running again.

The crowd at the finish line is always huge, which makes it even more exciting! I maintained my pace for the first half of the final stretch and then decided to sprint for the second half. I wanted to beat my time from last year! I was cruising past people on the second half. As my luck would have it, once I crossed the finish line, I tripped. Yes, I fell at the finish line. I did not fall from exhaustion, but I tripped on the cable protector at the finish line. My first reaction was, "God, I hope my parents didn't see me fall!" Thank goodness they didn't. Two ladies came to my aid, but not before I could get up and say, "It's okay! I set a personal record and that's all that matters!" I was so ecstatic that I beat my time that I didn't even notice that my knee was bleeding a little. I did hear a couple "Ooo's" from the crowd, but I think getting up right away and laughing about it was the best thing I could have down. I was hoping no one would ever have to see my actual fall, but it was captured on video. I am still mortified to this day, but I just have to laugh at it. So, here is the video. You can also see my results. Enjoy!

My mortifying moment caught on video { please don't make fun of me }

I ran the half-marathon in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 18 seconds. I cut off 5 minutes and 15 seconds from my half-marathon time I received last year. I consider this a huge success! Scott ran the half-marathon in 2 hours 11 minutes and 30 seconds... what an athlete! He shed nearly 22 minutes off his time from last year! We rock!

In case you enjoy the celebrity gossip mill, here is a quick list of all the celebrities who ran the race and their times:

• NBC's Maria Menounos, Start Line Emcee, Access Hollywood
• Al Roker, TODAY Show, weather anchor (3:20:58)
• Giuliana Rancic, E! News and the Style Network (2:20:05)
• Kelly Bensimon, Bravo's Real Housewives of NYC (2:21:40)
• Jake Pavelka, Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor (2:23:05)
• Jason and Molly Mesnick, The Bachelor Season 13 (2:42:54)
• Andrea Powell, actress on ABC's "The Gates" (2:44:31)

I would just like to point out the Jason and Molly Mesnick only beat me by 24 seconds! By hey, I beat Al Roker and Andrea Powell!

All in all, I love running half-marathons! They are challenging, yet still achievable. My back and knees were incredibly sore after the race and I'm just now feeling recovered - 2 days later. I couldn't even think about getting up and going running the day after the race, but now I look forward to running again.

Did I mention the Chicago Marathon is only 10 weeks away? Crap.

Expo and Prep

One thing that's pretty cool about running in big time races is attending the Health & Fitness Expo days prior to the actual race. On Saturday, Scott and I took the CTA down to McCormick Place to pick up our race packets and walk around the expo. Here are some pictures that I took at the expo:

I love this picture above.

There are tons of vendors that are either selling items or showcasing their company. No matter what, there are always free samples and giveaways. I sampled some new energy fruit snacks and yes, MGD 64 beer. Yep. There was free beer.

The race started bright and early at 6:30 am, which means we had to be up at 4:15 am. My parents came in the night before so they wouldn't have to drive in at 3am that day. Here's a picture of my mom making one of FIVE signs. You heard me... FIVE signs! I may have made fun of her for it, but I really did appreciate it on race day!

After prepping our gear check bag with sandals for after the race, recovery bars and other items, I ended up going to bed at around 9:30 pm. So, how did race day turn out? You'll see in the next blog post coming momentarily!

Morning Run via Pictures

Today I decided to upload pictures from one of my morning runs earlier this week. Enjoy!

Scott enjoying a nice 6:30 am run (he hates running in the morning...haha)

The sun rising over Lake Michigan at 6:30 am

{ I promise it wasn't this dark while I was running. The picture just happened to turn out a little dark. }

This is the view I have when I run the lake shore path. Not too bad! You can also see that the path isn't very wide. Can't runners, bikers and walkers coexist on the same path?!

On a side note, the half-marathon is only 2 days away!!! = )

Week 7 Summary

It's a good thing I decided to do my long run on Sunday instead of Saturday this week. I woke up on Saturday to thunder and lighting--a clear sign that running was out of the question. Luckily for me, I decided to wait until Scott got back into town so we could do our long run together. It really stinks when you get into the mindset of doing a run and then mother nature gets in your way. The weather on Saturday eventually cleared up, but it was a HOT one!!

As for my run this morning, I can sum it up in three words: gorgeous, motivating and painful.

Gorgeous

I walked out of my condo at 7:15 am this morning to stretch for the run. I was overjoyed when I realized that the air was a bit crisp. It wasn't hot by any means and in fact, it was a perfect combination of chilly and warm. If I had to guess, the weather was in the upper 60s or lower 70s. It was overcast when I first started running and then mid-way it turned out to be pretty foggy. The waves on Lake Michigan were pretty big and they were slightly crashing on the lower path. The wind picked up a little bit and created a light mist along the lake shore running path. This was heavenly! At no point during my run did I ever feel hot or overheated. I can only hope that the half-marathon next week and the full marathon are similar to today's weather. Ha, if I was only that lucky.

Motivating

Today I ran 12 miles. I was just 1.1 miles short of running an official half-marathon, BUT I am running the Chicago Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon on August 1st! According to my training plan, I am right on target to run 13 miles next week, so it works out quite perfectly. While I was running, I kept telling myself that if I could finish the run today, the race next week shouldn't be a problem. It must have worked because I had enough energy to run (okay, jog) the entire 12 miles. I didn't stop to walk at all. Yay! I attribute my awesome energy level to the delicious and carb-filled dinner I ate the night before, as well as the new energy fruit snacks I ate along the run. I forgot to take a picture of my new energy snack before I ate them, so I'll post a picture and all the details of them later this week (I have to buy more)!!!

I really didn't get tired until the last mile of my run today, but even so, I finished strong. I think I'm just really excited to get into race mode.

Painful

As you can see from my picture, I ended up icing my knees after my run. If there is one thing that is going to hurt my chances of finishing the marathon, it's going to be my knees. They started to kill me around mile 5, which is unusual for me. My knees haven't really been too much of a problem in the past, but today was an exception. They didn't stop hurting, so I iced them as soon as I got home. 12 hours later (as I type this blog), they hurt even more. Perhaps I'm experiencing "August Injuries" a bit early? I have 't ran this many miles in about a year, so I have a feeling my body is just reacting to the increased mileage. I have a doctor's appointment to get a full physical on Tuesday and I'm going to discuss marathon training and my knees with my doctor. I definitely want to be proactive about my body and nip potential injuries in the butt before they become a real problem.

All in all, it was a great run and I'm super pumped for the half-marathon next week! Bring it!

This and That

There are quite a few things that I feel the need to blog about. And they are....

Death by Running Group Stampede

It's a miracle I survive a Saturday long run. Why? The running clubs/groups of Chicago travel in packs from 6 to 30 people and take over the lake shore running path. I'm not kidding. I always run on the far right side of the path because I know I'm a slow runner. I try to be courteous to the advanced runners and stay out of their way - as much as I can. One running group (which shall remain nameless) literally ran me off the path into the grass last Saturday. Apparently I was getting in the way of their pacing group. If doesn't stop there. The running groups are everywhere. They come from every direction every 10 minutes. They are literally, everywhere! The more elite running groups CRUISE past me. There's nothing like a group of runners with their Garmin GPS watches and vintage Chicago Marathon shirts cruising by me thinking, "Oh, isn't she cute? She thinks she's going to run the marathon." Well, they may not actually think that, but that's what runs through my head when they fly by me. Meh. The goal is to finish - end of story.

Carl Allegretti - Fundraiser Extraordinaire

Carl is also raising money for Children's Memorial Hospital through the marathon charity program. He is the all-time top fundraiser for Children's. The marathon is just under three months away and he has already raised $60,172.00. Seriously. He spoke at the kick-off party last week about why he is running for Children's and offered some motivation to all the other runners. Did I mention that Carl has already run 62ish marathons in his day? He hasn't ran in quite a few years and said this will be the last one. Regardless, I can't believe he has raised over $60,000. I worry about being able to raise the $600 minimum. I'll stop here because I will be writing an entire blogpost about my fundraising efforts (or lack thereof) very soon.

Rock & Roll Half-Marathon

It's hard to believe, but I'm running the Rock & Roll Chicago Half-Marathon in 12 days. I signed up for this last year and now it's here! What's unique about this particular race is that at every mile marker, there is a different band playing live music. I'm debating about wearing my iPod during the race, but I think I'll ditch it and soak up the live music instead. I really want to embrace the nature of the race. I ran my first half-marathon last year and unfortunately, I didn't have a cheering crowd. One of my students at the time did come out to cheer for me and I really can't explain how much that meant to me. Just the few seconds I was able to see him cheering for me gave me the energy to keep on running.

If you aren't doing anything on Sunday, August 1st, it would really mean a lot to me to have you come out and cheer me on (handmade signs are welcomed)! The race starts at 6:30 am, but my starting corral probably won't start until 6:45 am. I'm guessing that I'll finish at around 2 hours and 45 minutes. My goal is to beat my time from last year (2 hours, 48 minutes and 03 seconds).

Click here to look at the course map

Click here for general info about the race

There is a post party in Grant Park featuring the band Five for Fighting and it's free. If you're interested in coming out to the race, let me know! I would love to see some familiar faces along the route!

You can also sign up for a text messaging system that will send you a text when I cross certain points of the course. This will give you a good indication as to where I am at along the route, so you're not just waiting for me to run past.

To sign up, click this link and select Rock & Roll Chicago - 2010. You will also have to type in my name.

Here are some pictures I "borrowed" from a few Facebook friends...examples of GREAT cheering groups!

Week 6 Summary

Week 6 was a crazy week!

Unfortunately, I had back-to-back student orientation sessions at work which called for early mornings and late evenings. In short, I didn't do any weekday runs because of the chaotic schedule. BUT, I did commit to the Saturday long run of 7 miles. I was expecting for the run to be difficult because I had slacked on my weekday runs. I wasn't tired while running, but the heat was outrageous! I ran with my water bottle and stopped at the Fleet Feet hydration station located at North Avenue Beach to fill up on Gatorade. No matter how much I drank, it wasn't enough. The heat was beating down on me and made it difficult to finish... but I did. I made a promise to myself that I would stay in-tune with my body and when I need to stop to walk, I would. Keeping true to my promise, I walked a portion of my long run, but I'm just glad that I finished the 7 miles. I don't want to be the runner that passes out from the heat and has to have an ambulance come pick them up. Thus, I walk when needed.

I also tried a new energy gel on Saturday. This time I tried the lemon lime flavor and I hate to say it, but the gels taste AWEFUL!! I have made a decision to not use the gels. Seriously, the gag reflex is too much for me to handle. They taste chalky and the flavor doesn't cut through the nasty taste of the "gel". I'm going to make a pit stop at Fleet Feet this week to pick up some Chompers (fruit snack type power tablets) to use next week. Hopefully these work out well for me. I'm just happy I'm trying out the different power-up options out there before my upcoming races.

What was really exciting about this past week was the Children's Memorial Marathon Team (CMMT) kick-off party! It was held on Thursday at a bar called The Apartment (located on Lincoln Ave. right by the hospital). I picked up my official race shirt that I'm supposed to wear during the marathon. They also gave away an inspirational dvd about CMMT. I plan on watching it this week (look for a review soon).

The event had a great buffet of food and an open bar. Thank you to one of CMMT's official sponsors for making the event happen: Baird Warner. It was a great event and I met other runners and listened to their stories. I sat with 2 ladies who are teachers at a north side school. They are running in honor of one of their 5 year old students who passed away. Each lady has run at least 2 marathons. I also sat by a man who is about to turn 40 and decided to run a marathon to prove he could do it. This will be his first marathon, and like me, figured if he's going to commit to training, he might as well do it for a charity. (more on this later)

I am honored to wear the CMMT shirt during the marathon, but it's a little on the short side. I prefer my running shirts to sit on my hips and to be somewhat loose. Oh well. The big white strip you see above the Marathon Team logo is for me to write my name. Runners are encouraged to write their names on their shirts because crowd members will cheer for you by name. = ) Yay!

Next Saturday is a 12 mile run. Goodness gracious!

Week 5 Summary

I am almost one-third of the way done with training, as the marathon is just under 3 months away.

My short runs last week were a little rough because I was coming off a week of non-training (remember, I was on vacation in Florida). I figured out that I would not be in Chicago on Saturday for my long run because I was going to Washington, D.C. for a wedding (Friday-Sunday). I told my supervisor that I wanted to do my 10 mile long run on Friday morning, before work because I was going to be out of town on Saturday. She let me come in late to work on Friday (at 10 am) so I could run my 10 miles that morning. I'm so happy she understands what kind of time and personal commitment it is to train for a marathon.

Alright, let's get to the main event: the long run. Overall, it was fantastic. I changed things up a bit this time. First, I ran with a strap-on water bottle so I didn't have to stop at water fountains. It was really nice to hydrate without having to wait for the next water fountain along the lakeshore path. I also drank a full glass of water right before I went to bed on Thursday night. Second, I started to carbo-load two days prior to my run. I think this made a HUGE difference in my energy level. Third, I used an energy gel mid-way through my run. I want to learn what flavor my body reacts well to. At just $1.20 each, I purchased three different flavors: orange burst, lemon sublime, and espresso love.

I tried the orange burst flavor last week and it wasn't pretty. The gag reflex against the flavor was enough to make me never want to use orange burst again. End of story. This week I will be trying out lemon sublime. I have a feeling this flavor will be much better! Hopefully it works out because I would like to know what flavor I will using for the Rock & Roll Half-Marathon on August 1st.

I was really impressed with how well I did on my long run. I continued to run along the lake, but this time I actually ran over the Chicago River just along lower Lake Shore Drive. It was the most amazing feeling to cross the river because this is the farthest I've ran during training. I thought I ran 5 miles, so I turned around to head home and finish up the second 5 mile (for a total of 10 miles). Unfortunately, when I got home and mapped out the route I ran on Google Maps, I discovered I only ran 9.2 miles. I was pretty frustrated because I was felt really good and I could have ran another 0.8 miles to complete 10. Oh, well. I rocked out the 9.2 miles. My endurance level felt fairly strong... an obvious good sign of conditioning. I just wish I would have iced my knees once I got home because they were sore later on that day. Now I know for next time.

Mileage Tracker:

Monday - 3 miles

Tuesday - 5 miles

Wednesday - 3 miles

Friday - 9.2 miles

TOTAL: 20.2 miles

Weeks 3 & 4

Clearly, I've been behind on my blogging.

Scott and I went to Florida for 10 days and the trip overlapped with weeks three and four of training. All I have to say is running in Florida during the month of July is not a good idea. I tried to run a quick 3 miles one morning and the heat kicked my butt. I had to stop and walk the last half because the heat stole all of my energy. I carried a water bottle with me, but it didn't seem to help. After this horrendous run, I was scared to run later on in the week. In fact, I didn't run until about 5 days later. This time, I ran right on the beach along the Gulf of Mexico (oil-free). The weather was great! It was warm, but not hot. There was a light breeze off the water and the view wasn't too shabby either. All in all, I would say it was a good run. Scott and I visited a local running store a few miles from where we were staying and I have to say, it was quite disappointing. They did not have a very large selection of running clothes and the entire experience felt very impersonal. I feel so spoiled by all the awesome running stores we have here in Chicago (such as Fleet Feet). Us Chicagoans have it lucky and we should count our blessings.

Though my training took a significant step-back during vacation, I hit the pavement hard this morning. Now that vacation is over, I'm getting back on schedule with life. I can't believe I'm already in week five of training.

Two things I will be blogging about in the very near future: fundraising efforts (or lack thereof) and the half-marathon I'm running in less than a month (that I seemed to have forgotten about...oops!).

Week 2 Summary

I have a confession. I skipped my mid-week runs last week. I feel so guilty about it and I hope I never have to do it again. I had several obligations for work, which made early morning runs nearly impossible and I certainly wasn't up for running at 9 p.m.

On to the main event: the Saturday long run...7 miles. Running early in the morning has several benefits. During the summer, the benefit is to get the run in before the heat really sets in. Unfortunately, I did not start my long run until 9 a.m. By this point, the temperature was already nearing 80 degrees and the humidity was quite high. I usually stop at every water station because I know my body and I know that I need constant hydration. However, my drinks at the water stations lasted a little longer last week and I splashed my face/neck/shoulders with water every single time. I couldn't seem to cool down.

The heat was ferocious and I seriously doubted that I was going to finish the run. Around mile 5, I listened to my body and I stopped running/jogging. I slowed down to what I call a "speedy walk". I only allowed myself one-quarter mile to walk and then I picked up the pace again to finish strong. I really learned the importance of listening to my body and taking breaks when necessary. I try my best to not walk because I don't want to get in the habit of it. However, I didn't want the heat to get the best of me, so I took a little breather.

It wasn't pretty, but I finished 7 miles and was still smiling!

Week 1 Summary

I can't believe my first week of training is over! Here's a breakdown of what I ran this week:

Tuesday: 3 miles

Wednesday: 3 miles

Thursday: 3 miles

Saturday: 6 miles

TOTAL: 15 miles

Today was my first Saturday long run and to sum it up in one word--FANTASTIC! Honestly, it was great! I was out the door by 6:30 am and set out to run a 6-mile course that I plotted using Google Maps the night before. Click here to check out my running route. I ran from point A to point B back to point A.

To my surprise, I felt great after the third mile (Lake Shore Drive & Chicago Ave-right by the Hancock). At this point, I turned around and headed back north running the same route back home. Fleet Feet Chicago (a local running store) started its hydration stations today, too! Volunteers hand out water and gatorade to all patrons using the lakefront path on Saturdays. Drinking gatorade was a nice change of pace from the usual sip of water.

I tried to figure out my why I felt so great with the 6 mile run today. Maybe it's because I ate a delicious dinner filled with carbs last night (whole wheat pasta with fresh basil, garlic, feta cheese tomatoes drizzled with evoo). Perhaps it's because I drank gatorade a few times throughout the run. Another reason could be the pure excitement of doing a long run. Either way, I am very pleased with my performance during the first week of training. = )