Day 1, Boston here I come!

Hello friends!
So THE day has arrived. Today marks the day that I start my 18 week marathon training plan! I am so excited to have this goal in front of me right now! I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!
So my goal for this training cycle is to be consistant with my training, strength train, get the proper nutrition (i.e. skip the candy), and take recovery seriously.
I am excited to run Boston. My goal is to not only run the marathon, but run it well. I want a PR. I realize this course is tougher than my previous marathon courses, but I feel up for the challenge!

I hope you guys follow along on this journey. I plan to give weekly updates of my training and hope to show you what it takes to train for the marathon I have dreamed of running!

A bit late, but....

Just wanted to give a quick update that I am officially signed up for The Boston Marathon in April 2015! I am beyond thrilled and I am looking forward to this journey! More updates to come next week! Including several race recaps!

No Frills Marathon Recap!

I write this post with a HUGE smile on my face. This was one of those races in which I still cannot stop smiling. I fell in love with the marathon all over again.

On August 31st, I ran the No Frills Marathon in Minoqua, Wisconsin. The course is a mostly flat course on the Bear Skin trail that goes from Nokomis, WI. to Minoqua. The race entry fee is $35 and you really get more than your money's worth with this race. First, the course itself was BEAUTIFUL! The first 6 miles are on some back roads near Nokomis. Once you get on the trail the scenery is true northern Wisconsin beauty. It is a tree lined trail with wooden bridges sporadically along the coarse. The bridges were one of my favorite parts, I loved hearing my feet pound the wooden planks, There are water stops along the coarse where you will find spectators cheering. Otherwise, you are running along the trail in quiet solitude. The final stretch to the finish line is an old wooden bridge and then you are in Minoqua. This is definitely a race I want to do every year.

My race went really well! I have to admit I went into this race really unsure of my training. I had pieced together my own training plan loosely based off the Grandma's marathon training plan(you can find it online on the website). It had higher mileage on it and very few rest days. The higher mileage seems to work for me, but I did add in a few rest days to give me recovery time. Looking back I realized I actually had a really good base built up due to the last one being cancelled.

The morning of the race Dan and I got up around 5am. I made my staple of an English muffin with PB&J. The start line was only about 20 minutes from the cabin, so we got there with plenty of time to spare. It was about 50 degrees and foggy, perfect weather in my opinion. I got my race bib and made a stop at the restroom, then headed to the start.

Pre-race selfie

Me and about 120 other runners took off when then gun went off. I took it easy the first few miles so I could get into a rhythm. I chatted with a few runners as I past them, pacing with them for a short while. I have read that being sure to fuel early is key to keep your energy up, so I took half a banana at mile 5 and Hammer Gel at mile 7 along with a big cup of water. After the mile 7 water stop there was not going to be another until almost mile 13, here I did wish I had carried some water with me. The rest of the miles clicked along, I was averaging about a 7:45 min/mile pace. I did question if I could hold the pace between mile 9 and 13. I took a Root beer GU gel at mile 13, and felt a HUGE boost. I felt strong the rest of the race. Took a Cherry Lime GU Gel around mile 20. Here I started to wonder when I would hit the wall? What was awesome, is that I never felt like I did! (Okay, at mile 25, I just wanted to be done, but told myself just a few more minutes). Finish time was 3:26:12, a new PR!

The Finish Line!

There were so many great things about this race! I will definitely be back for this one. One of the best things was seeing this guy at pretty much every water stop.

My parents brought the kids out. Seeing there smiling faces around mile 20 helped push me to the finish.It was so great having my parents there cheering as well. Reminded me of all those years of cross country.

Post race ice bath in the lake!

Next up: Recovery, a half marathon in October, and preparing for Boston!

A long overdue update

So, I realize it has been 2 months since my last post. There have been so many times I thought to myself that I need to write a post. These thoughts tend to occur after a really good run, a race, a bad run, or just a fun day. So here are a few updates.
1. Enjoying the summer with the kiddos:

 2. Spending time with the hubs

 3. Ran a 5k race that lead to a PR of 20:31. I was first female, 3rd overall, and I won a pie!

 4. Ran a 10k with my cousin and her husband over July 4th. Not my best time, but was 5th female and 1st in my age group.

5. Training for No Frills Marathon!
6. Really, really enjoying morning summer runs. My treadmill is getting seriously neglected!

 7. Spending a lot of time at the cabin visiting with cousins, my parents, and relatives.

8. Taking a chemistry course in preparation for going back to school (more on this in another post).
 9. Being thankful. I feel truly blessed to be leading the life I am leading, but I am still striving to do new things and chase dreams

 10. Enjoying time with my sister when she came to visit.
I truly love summer! I can wear flip flops and soak in the sun. More posts will be coming as I prepare for this next marathon of mine. I also have decided that I am going to show more of what it takes to train for a marathon in general. Also, little things I am finding that you may enjoy as well.

How's your summer?

What's your favorite thing to do in the summer?

So about that marathon....

Sunday, June 1st. I got up at 4 am. I had my race attire ready to go. I had my pre race breakfast and left for the Minneapolis Marathon.

 It was raining in the morning with some thunder. We got word that the race was going to be delayed an hour. At 7:45 AM the race officials canceled the Marathon because of the weather. I have not idea what it takes to plan an event like this and all the safety measures that must take place to make sure every runner is safe. I am sure that they would rather err on the side of safety versus taking the risk that a runner would be injured due to weather. But, it is a real bummer.

I wish that this post was a post telling you how I rocked the marathon and how I nailed my goals. It's not that kind of post. It is not going to be a post where I complain about how I got up at 4AM many mornings to get my workout in or how I did 16 miles on a treadmill to get my miles in, or how I ran in a blizzard, etc. I could sit here and complain, but I will not let something that was out of my control get me down! Like I said in my first post," it just make you stronger."

instead of wondering what could have been, I am going to focus on what will be. I am going to find some new races to do this summer. I am going to do some 10ks, 5ks, and half marathons. I am going to do the Whistle Stop Marathon and the No Frills Marathon. I am going to focus on getting stronger by doing strength workouts, core work, and cross training. Plus, I am going to fall in love with running again and have fun with it. I am excited about training this summer and enjoying time with my family. I hope you continue to follow along.

Uff Da Half Marathon Recap

Greetings friends! Just thought I would pop in to give you a recap of the Uff Da Half Marathon. The Uff Da Half Marathon happens yearly around this time. It is part of Syttende Mai Days in Woodville, WI. It is a small race that has both a 5K and Half Marathon. Around 80-90  people in the half marathon It is an out and back course on scenic abandoned railroad bed. Flat and Fast! (If you remember from my first post, where I talked about my 10 mile run turning into a 15 mile run, this is that same trail.)

I chose to do this race as part of my long run for the week. My training plan had 16 miles on it, so I figure add a 1 mile warm up and 2 mile cool down, BOOM- 16 miles. I was nervous going into this race because I hadn't raced a half marathon in a while, plus it was the first race of the season for me. I also wanted to see if I could get a PR for my half marathon.

My friend Jess and her co-worker picked me up around 6:30AM and we were on our way. We got there with plenty of time to spare before the race. SO we got in a mile warm up, made a port-a-potty stop, and got close parking. The weather was great! Sunny and 45 degrees at the start= perfect! I kept going back and forth over whether or not to wear a long sleeve shirt or not, but opted for short sleeves. Glad I went for the t-shirt because I got warm quickly.

The gun went of at 8 AM and we were off. I made my self go slow the first few miles until I could get in a good rhythm. It usually takes me the first few miles before I start to feel strong in my races. Even with my slower start I was still in the lead packs of runners. I worked my way into a 7:20ish pace. I started to catch runners in front of me and would pace myself with people running a similar pace. I find this helps keep me on target pace. At the turn around spot  I could see hoe far the lead female runner was ahead of me. She became my focus! I chose to focus on trying to catch her for the rest of the race. I will tell you I was close to catching her. If I had about 200 more yards I would have caught her at the finish.

My time was 1:36:36, which is a PR by 12 seconds. I was 2nd female, 1st in my age group, and 7th overall. I was happy with this race. It was definitely a confidence booster. What made the race even better  was Dan and the kids cheering at multiple spots along the trail. It was so great to see their smiling faces and hear them ringing the cowbells.
Next up: tapering for the Minneapolis Marathon!
Just wanted to leave you with something that made me giggle. I think mostly runners or anyone who has run a race will get this joke.

Time flys when your in marathon training

Wow! Where does the time go? Time sure does fly when you are in marathon training. I feel like the last update there was snow on the ground. The snow is gone and I have been enjoying many long runs outside. I had a few 70 degree 20+ milers and some 50 degree 20+ mile runs. I think I like the 50 degree weather best for those. Also, I had forgotten about the whole waring sunscreen thing on my first sunny 22 miler. Let's just say I won't be forgetting that again. Ouch!

Even though it will be June 1st at the time of my marathon, I would be 100% okay with a 50-60 degree day. Also, if it happens to be cloudy as well, even better.

This training plan I have been following has definitely had higher mileage than I did the previous marathon. I do enjoy doing the higher mileage. I have been averaging about 45-60 miles per week. I am excited to see how I preform on race day after doing a full 16 week training cycle. I know it has been interesting juggling training, family and work, but I feel for the most part I was able to get my training in. I am proud of the fact that when we took a vacation to Disney last week, I got the majority of my runs in.

One of my early morning runs

Clear Water Beach, FL sunset

I am very thankful to my family for their support and patience during this training cycle. I definitely couldn't have done it without them.
Next up: Uff Da Half Marathon this weekend and tapering for the Minneapolis Marathon!