Marsala, Mileage, Motivation and the Mystery Blister

As of last night, I have decided that not only is Chicken Marsala with pasta or potatoes my favorite Italian meal, it is also my favorite carbo-load meal. It settles just right in my tummy so I can wake the next morning ready to rock-n-roll without any tummy rumbles. Best of all, I usually have left overs so I can enjoy it after my long runs as well. :)

My long run mileage is getting up there now. 17 miles today and 19 planned for next weekend. I start to get pretty excited about upcoming marathons when I get to this part of training. Every long run feels like a great accomplishment. Better yet, I have been maintaining stamina to the end of the runs and I have been recovering more quickly. I am assuming this means I am in better shape now than I was last year. This is definitely motivating.

On a different note, I have this mystery blister. It's a mystery because I can't feel it, it doesn't bother me when I run, and it never goes away. I get it every time I train long distances. I guess I shouldn't complain, because it could be much worse. It could be very painful and annoying...but it's not so I will welcome it's presence for now.

Suddenly Superhuman

Yes, I now have superhuman capabilities...and I have my data on Garmin Connect to prove it!

Okay, not really, but I did have a lovely and refreshing morning run with some run club folks. I stopped my garmin timer at the end of the run, but then a couple of minutes later, I pushed the start/stop button again, thinking that I had forgotten to press stop....so, I actually started it up again. Within minutes I doubled my mileage, tripled my elevation, and miraculously at mile 8, I increased my pace to 45 miles per hour! Wooooooot! Needless to say, according to my technology, I have surpassed my weekly training goal.

Sheesh, I feel like a dork!

The halfway point

13 miles completed this morning. That's 1/10 of a mile short of a half-marathon. I'm not feeling too sore yet, so that's good. My motivation this weekend is much better than last weekend. I even convinced Mike to roll out of bed at 5:30 am on a Sunday morning to keep me company on a bicycle while I scurried through 7 1/2 miles of darkness and dense fog. By the way, I don't like running through fog when the temperature is in the mid 30's. It sticks to your clothes and your hair, making your body soaking wet before you've even started sweating. This in turn makes you very, very cold. Curse you, Fog!!

Anyway, after the sun came up I changed into a dry running shirt, hopped into my car and met some running buddies at Chambers Bay golf course. This is a pretty place to run, but not exactly ideal for higher mileage days....well, unless your are trying to shred your quads on the downhills and completely solidify your lungs and calves on the uphills. Regardless, I enjoyed the quiet morning with good friends and conversation. I finished my goal distance and all is good!

One official entry submitted, two to go.

Okay, it's official. I sent in my registration for the Yakima River Canyon Marathon on April 4th. There's no turning back and I can make no excuses. Woot!

Noggin Games

Today was a 12-miler day. I'm starting to get up into the kind of mileage where my long runs actually feel like long runs. In other words, when I finish I crave food, a nap and a massage. The most fascinating thing about it is that no matter how much I have trained leading up to my long days, they still feel long. I have learned that my ability to endure the mileage on any given day has more to do with my mindset than my physical condition. Many running buddies will respond to that with a "no duh," but I think it's more complex than that.

Why is it that when I ran my 10 mile race last weekend, I took off at a 9:20 pace with out any concern that I was going out too fast? Today, however, I started around 10:10 and wondered if I would be able to pull through the entire 12 miles. I KNOW that I am capable of doing it, but what is it about my brain during a race that is so much more "gung ho" than when I am just training? Today wasn't a bad run at all. It was a bit cold and boring, but not bad. I stopped 1.25 miles short of my goal to go get warm and get some Starbucks goodness, but I kept it honest and made up the mileage as soon as I got home. A big part of me just wanted to get up to the full twelve so I would not have to worry about it once I went to coffee. A more stubborn part of me couldn't help but focus on how cold and uncomfortable I felt, how good a bagel and chai tea sounded and how freakin' bored I was just looping around town. Why is it that some stranger with a timer at a finish line is so much more motivating than delicious food and a soy chai latte? Why is it that I can be so paitient during the most trying of times, but I can't convince myself to finish the last 8 percent of a long run? Most importantly, how can I find the "gung ho" during training when it matters the most?

Counting Women

Yes, women. That was my game during the resolution 10 miler today. I've had a stressful couple of weeks. While some people find a good long run as relief from stress, I tend to let all of the things that cause me stress to take over my thoughts if I'm not careful. This results in less motivation during long runs. So, as soon as my "stressers" started to haunt me this morning, I began to play my little game called "counting women." The course is a very familiar out-and-back which makes scenic distractions hard to come by. I knew that there were many runners ahead of me, so when the women in first place flew past me at 4 (mile 6 for her) I counted her. From then on I counted everybody with a race number that looked female. I may have missed some or accidentally counted others, but oh well. This game worked out great for a while. I figured out my overall place by mile 5 and I figured that I was ahead of 5 women already. Woot! Unfortunately, by mile 5-1/2 I ran out of women. Sooo, I needed a new mental distraction. I decided to go all out and try to improve my place in line. With my nifty garmin to guide me, I elongated my stride and picked up the pace. By mile 6 I caught up with a pair of lovely ladies, one of whom I just happened to know from my running club. What a pleasant surprise! By mile eight I was able to take on one more lady before I started feeling like I hit the wall. Good thing I was almost done! Satisfied about my quicker pace and moving from 33rd place to 31st, I maintained back to the finish line. I almost, and I mean almost by about 1 second, almost passed one more lady, but she saw me coming and picked it up.

Needless to say, I was pretty satisfied with my performance today. No shiny ribbons or anything, but I did the best that I could do. Yay!

Oh, and here's a bonus pic: Figaro, the perfect post-race meal! LOL!

Endurance

Endurance...That's my resolution for the year. There are lots of things going on this year that will require me to endure.

Physical Endurance: I'm getting back into the marathon scene. My hope is to finally go for that maniac status that I have been dreaming about for two years now. I know what I need to do to keep my body going: listen, listen, pamper, pamper, and be consistent (translation - if it hurts, hold back: if it's too hard, slow down: wear good shoes and clothes; get massages and take ice baths; and get my a** out there, even if I don't feel like it).

Academic/Mental Endurance: I'm trying to finish my master's degree. I picked a project that requires some very focused thinking skills. This is a challenge for me, considering that I am trying to do it while working full time and training for marathons. I don't think well if I am tired or hungry. I don't think well if I am stressed out. If I don't finish this year then I will have to pay thousands more to apply for an extension and another year at an out-of-state school. I would much rather be done. In the teaching world, I am in the midst of re-establishing/rebuilding a level of professional respect from my colleagues, which was quickly lost due to new state mandates and a shift in administration. As far as music education for my school district, I can only forsee challenges in the coming years. *grumble, grumble*

Emotional Endurance: When I am tired or stressed, I have a hard time keeping a handle on my emotional state. I shut down and can't think well. In addition to the running goals, crappy work politics and trying to finish my master's, my husband is likely to deploy this year. If he doesn't deploy, that probably means he's getting his foot amputated. Either way, I get to look forward to some big emotional event. I know what to expect, but that doesn't make it any easier. I am hoping that keeping busy with life and running will help me out. I also need to consider my panic/anxiety disorder issues. I am a little concerned about how that's going to take shape while Mike is gone. I know that I just need to let nature and fate take their courses, but that is so much easier said than done.

So there, my endurance is my overall focus. Wish me luck.