I've decided that running in the wind is not a lot of fun. The wind out here has picked up a lot the last couple of days. I should look at the bright side, at least the weather is warmer than what it has been. Running against the wind has been helping my training. I can feel how tired my legs get but in a good way. Kind of like when you lift weights. My last two runs haven't been so bad. My run on Monday which was 3 miles was harder than I thought. My legs were tired from Saturdays run. My legs were also sore but that run and yesterdays run took the soreness away.
I had a very good run last night. About 5 miles and I ran the whole way and didn't stop. I ran against the wind for about 3.25 of the 5 miles. It was a great workout. I told myself that once I got to a certain point, I could walk. Once I got to that point and realized I wasn't running against the wind anymore, it was easy to finish out the rest of the miles. I've been working on my speed as well during my runs. I run about a ten minute mile which is absolutely horrible and I'm hoping I can at least contain a 8 minute mile for the marathon. During my running, about the last mile I usually try to keep that mile under 9 minutes. With time, I think I will get there.
Tonights run will be 6 miles. I can feel my legs getting tired already but the good thing about this is I know I am building up my endurance and my body will eventually get use to it. Thursday is a well needed rest day. My goal today is to finish out strong with these 6 miles knowing that I can rest tomorrow. I want to wear myself out on the run today and rest tomorrow because Friday's run is 3 miles and if I work hard on all these miles this week, those 3 miles won't seem so bad. Saturday's run will be 12 miles. I'm thankful for the time that my coaches put in to lay out the training schedule for us. The workouts are hard but you can tell how they are working. Every day gets a little easier.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Saturday's run...
Like I said in my previous post, it's been a while since I've updated my blog. My running was some what at a stand still due to my ITBS and then I got a cold that caused a lot of congestion in my chest. That and I got distracted by doing other things and I feel horrible that I have let them get in my way but it has woken me up and has put me back where I need to be.
I did a few runs towards the end of February. Nothing big. I did about 2 miles and the next day I did 4 miles. The funny thing, my IT bands were a little tight but I could tell that they were getting better and that really excited me. I'm guessing those things that distracted me, happened for a reason and I received some well needed rest.
I was receiving emails from my coaches about Saturday's run and I about dropped my phone when they said it was scheduled to go 18 miles. My first thought was, "There is no way 18 miles is going to happen." I then started to worry because the marathon is a little over a month away. Thoughts of, "If you can't even do 18 miles now, how are you going to do 26.2 in a month?" I can't explain how stressed out I got about it. The only thing I could do was try my best and see what happened. I was literally praying the night before that my IT bands would not cause me problems.
I wake up Saturday morning feeling pretty good. I meet my team at Sugarhouse park, get in some good stretches, start my watch and I'm off. I was getting pretty tired and looked down at my watch and it reads, 0.90 miles. "This thing must be broke." I thought. The harsh reality is that it wasn't broke. About mile 2 I started to feel good. Mile 4 felt good as well. I got to my aid station at about mile 4. Loaded up on a energy gel pack and some gatorade and water and kept going. The IT bands the whole time did not bother me. I was expecting them to but they never did. About mile 8 I felt myself hit what we call, "our wall". Basically you feel like you are completely out of energy and your body is telling you to stop. This is when mind over matter comes in to play. My coach, his name is Te Koi, really helped me out during that time. I was running by myself and if he wasn't there, there's no way I would have been able to finish. He encouraged me along the way and gave me nothing but positive feedback. We also talked a bit and laughed.
After mile 10 and 11, the miles just started to roll. My watch beeped at me every mile. The miles were going so fast that I thought my watch had to have been broken but it wasn't. Next thing I knew, I was at mile 15. I felt tired but I was more excited about not having pain in my IT bands and I couldn't help but think about Dillon and others fighting this disease. I really focused on why I was running and that was for others and not for myself. I enjoyed every single second of my run, even had a smile on my face believe it or not.
Little did I know that mile 16 would not be my best friend. Like I said above, I was the only one running that day and Te Koi was meeting me at every aid station. Some how I ended up getting confused and lost my way. I had no idea where I was going or where I was at. I asked for directions and of course, 3 out of the 4 people I asked gave me wrong directions. After much back tracking, I asked a lady that was running and she got me back on course, should have asked a runner to begin with but with that many miles already, I couldn't catch any of them.
To say the least, I made my way back to Sugarhouse park where the run began. My coaches were worried and it made me feel good to know that they take this seriously. I was certain they were going to be mad at me but they were not. When I got back to Sugarhouse, I looked at my watch and it said 19 miles. I couldn't believe my eyes. It still does not feel like I ran that long and to me it hasn't hit me how long that is and I don't think it ever will because I had such a great time running.
This training has really given me a new perspective on life. Sure there are plenty of things to complain about in life but I am learning what is worth complaining and what is not worth complaining about. During my run when I would start to feel tired and the miles started to get to me, I would look up at the mountains and enjoy the scenery around me. I would think about why I was running to begin with. I've learned to look past some of the discomforts in life and focus on the bigger picture which is being happy no matter what you are doing. I'm not perfect with that but I am growing.
I did a few runs towards the end of February. Nothing big. I did about 2 miles and the next day I did 4 miles. The funny thing, my IT bands were a little tight but I could tell that they were getting better and that really excited me. I'm guessing those things that distracted me, happened for a reason and I received some well needed rest.
I was receiving emails from my coaches about Saturday's run and I about dropped my phone when they said it was scheduled to go 18 miles. My first thought was, "There is no way 18 miles is going to happen." I then started to worry because the marathon is a little over a month away. Thoughts of, "If you can't even do 18 miles now, how are you going to do 26.2 in a month?" I can't explain how stressed out I got about it. The only thing I could do was try my best and see what happened. I was literally praying the night before that my IT bands would not cause me problems.
I wake up Saturday morning feeling pretty good. I meet my team at Sugarhouse park, get in some good stretches, start my watch and I'm off. I was getting pretty tired and looked down at my watch and it reads, 0.90 miles. "This thing must be broke." I thought. The harsh reality is that it wasn't broke. About mile 2 I started to feel good. Mile 4 felt good as well. I got to my aid station at about mile 4. Loaded up on a energy gel pack and some gatorade and water and kept going. The IT bands the whole time did not bother me. I was expecting them to but they never did. About mile 8 I felt myself hit what we call, "our wall". Basically you feel like you are completely out of energy and your body is telling you to stop. This is when mind over matter comes in to play. My coach, his name is Te Koi, really helped me out during that time. I was running by myself and if he wasn't there, there's no way I would have been able to finish. He encouraged me along the way and gave me nothing but positive feedback. We also talked a bit and laughed.
After mile 10 and 11, the miles just started to roll. My watch beeped at me every mile. The miles were going so fast that I thought my watch had to have been broken but it wasn't. Next thing I knew, I was at mile 15. I felt tired but I was more excited about not having pain in my IT bands and I couldn't help but think about Dillon and others fighting this disease. I really focused on why I was running and that was for others and not for myself. I enjoyed every single second of my run, even had a smile on my face believe it or not.
Little did I know that mile 16 would not be my best friend. Like I said above, I was the only one running that day and Te Koi was meeting me at every aid station. Some how I ended up getting confused and lost my way. I had no idea where I was going or where I was at. I asked for directions and of course, 3 out of the 4 people I asked gave me wrong directions. After much back tracking, I asked a lady that was running and she got me back on course, should have asked a runner to begin with but with that many miles already, I couldn't catch any of them.
To say the least, I made my way back to Sugarhouse park where the run began. My coaches were worried and it made me feel good to know that they take this seriously. I was certain they were going to be mad at me but they were not. When I got back to Sugarhouse, I looked at my watch and it said 19 miles. I couldn't believe my eyes. It still does not feel like I ran that long and to me it hasn't hit me how long that is and I don't think it ever will because I had such a great time running.
This training has really given me a new perspective on life. Sure there are plenty of things to complain about in life but I am learning what is worth complaining and what is not worth complaining about. During my run when I would start to feel tired and the miles started to get to me, I would look up at the mountains and enjoy the scenery around me. I would think about why I was running to begin with. I've learned to look past some of the discomforts in life and focus on the bigger picture which is being happy no matter what you are doing. I'm not perfect with that but I am growing.
Just some thoughts...
Where to begin? It's been some time since I've updated everyone about my training. Maybe no one really reads this and it's just me. haha! If so, that's ok. It's nice to have some memories of this. This training by far has been one of the best things I could have done in my life. I've always wanted to run a marathon and at the time, I thought this cause would give me a good reason. I have now realized that this isn't about me anymore and I love that feeling. Sure it feels good to go out and run and be in shape but my mind only concentrates on one thing when I'm running and that is the strength of my friend Dillon and others who struggle with this disease every single day.
Every time I talk to Dillon, he never brings up his health. I'm always the one that has to ask him. It amazes me every single time I get done talking to him. He has such a great attitude with what he has been dealt. I'm pretty sure if I talked to him and we spoke for 2 hours and I didn't bring up his health, he would never mention it. That's not who Dillon is. He doesn't need the attention and to me, he would rather see people smile than for them to be concerned about him. There are still so many other things I have to learn from him and I cherish every talk or laugh we have ever had.
I feel this training has brought me closer to my friend and has given me a better understanding of exactly what he's going through.
Every time I talk to Dillon, he never brings up his health. I'm always the one that has to ask him. It amazes me every single time I get done talking to him. He has such a great attitude with what he has been dealt. I'm pretty sure if I talked to him and we spoke for 2 hours and I didn't bring up his health, he would never mention it. That's not who Dillon is. He doesn't need the attention and to me, he would rather see people smile than for them to be concerned about him. There are still so many other things I have to learn from him and I cherish every talk or laugh we have ever had.
I feel this training has brought me closer to my friend and has given me a better understanding of exactly what he's going through.
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