Taper

It is hard to believe that this time next week I will be in San Fransisco getting ready to run 26.2 miles. The last week has been hard for me from my demanding work schedule to trying to taper and get enough sleep each night. I was looking forward to the tapering process, but it is pretty hard to adjust to the reduced mileage. I cant believe I just wrote that! I am having other issues with this whole tapering thing as well such as none of my clothes fit again! They are all too big. I think the last month of runs made me shape up more than I realize and all the toning has created some extra space in my clothes. I need to buy new clothes again but the thought of it scares me. Will I stay this size or will I go back to my old size. I can't get any smaller or I will be shopping in the little girls section. One thing is for sure I have already committed myself to two more marathons after the one next week, so I have a feeling my size will stay the same.

I read an interesting article on tapering. Here are a few of the comments.

You know you are marathon tapering when......

•you're cranky from not running
•your friends/significant other/co-workers run in the opposite direction when you mention the word "marathon"
•you're convinced you've gained 10 pounds since you started tapering ( I feel like I lost 5 pounds)
•you feel sluggish and like you could run forever...all during the same run
•most of your Facebook updates are marathon-related
•you research celebrity marathon times to see what famous people you could beat
•every little twinge makes you think you've got a race-ending injury
•you've tried every race time prediction calculator on the Internet
•you feel tired during a short run and start wondering how you can possibly do 26.2

These ladies are my inspiration when it comes to running. I know that I will never be at their level, but I know anything is possible and they are proof of that!

13 Days and counting....

There are only 13 short days until I am across the country standing in corral 6 waiting to run my very first marathon. I have decided to do a few things to get me in tip top shape before the marathon.

Promises to keep before my first marathon

1. I will get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
2. I will east as many fruits and vegetables as I can.
3. I will not skip any meals.
4. I will not drink any wine or beer over the next 13 days.
5. I will pick out my running outfit for the marathon and begin to pack for the trip.
6. I will relax and realize that yes, I am ready for this.
7. I will enjoy the last 2 weeks of taper leading up to the marathon.
8. I will make a play list of music to pump me up before the marathon.
9. I will reflect on how far I have come over the past 7 months.
10. I will kick butt!

I swear I am going to do better!

I should have know that blogging would have been a good idea for me and my self confidence in my running ability! Case in point-----> My first attempt at a blog if you were to read some of my old rants about running you would never in a million years think that I have ran 4 half marathons and that I am currently signed up to run 3 full marathons before the end of the year.  I am sure looking back over the last 26 weeks of hard training for the current marathon that if I had simply taken the time to jot down a few notes to myself that I would be amazed at what I have accomplished!

With all that being said, I am officially in taper mood. In 2 weeks I will be in San Fransisco and will have finished my first marathon. I am very excited about traveling to California to do the race as well as completing the race on a course that is notorious for hills. It makes me laugh every time someone says, "You know there are hills in San Fransisco?" Or "I hope you have been doing some hill training!" What to people think that I am a complete idiot?

Today was my last real "long" run before the marathon. My hubby and I did 12 miles around the lake near our house. There where a lot of hills and the temperature was around 94 with a lot of humidity. Running in the heat is hard work! I needed just a tad more water and I believe I would not have encountered the cramps that I had on the last mile. The good news is that there will be very little heat when I get the San Fran. I had to buy a jacket to run in yesterday from Walmart so I can throw it away once I get accustomed to the change in temperature.

I can not wait for the next to weeks to fly by. I would prefer that July 27th-August 5th slooooow way down.


Sharen

Better Late than Never

I have been a running off and on since 2008. I can still remember the first time I tried to run a mile. It was with my husband and we were at River Front Park. I saw mile markers along the path and thought that I was close to my quest to finish one mile, unfortunately it was only the half mile mark. I stopped, I cried, and I gave up.
Who would ever think that within 4 short years I would be training for a Full Marathon in a state that I have never visited. I have to say that I am super excited about this journey that I am on. I believe that running has given me a boost of confidence not only in my athletic ability but also in myself. I do not like failure and I often stray far away from anything that I deem to be hard with a chance of failure. As I write this blog today I am on week 9 of my Marathon Training. I have been meaning to write this blog for a while but have kept putting it off. I have been tracking my miles and can happily say that I have not missed one single run since I have started my training! I am excited to experience this journey and continue to learn about myself along the way!