The results are in!

My official finishing time for the 2009 Seattle Marathon is 4:13:10. Slightly above my goal time, but taking the extremely hilly course into consideration, this is a time that I am definitely proud of! Actually, I'm mostly just proud that I am able of crossing the finish line of a 26.2 mile race. Something I'd thought I would never be capable of doing.


Let's back up to the day before the race. Mid-day Saturday afternoon, I started to feel a stomach ache coming on. I was assuming that it was just nerves and I'll get over it. However, as the day went on, the stomach ache kept getting worse and worse. I was following pre-race protocol and not eating or drinking anything out of the ordinary, so I had no clue what was causing it. When the stomach pains didn't subside by the evening, I decided that I had to try to do something about it or the race wasn't going to happen. So, I took a few doses of Pepto-Bismal, started to feel a little better, and went to sleep. Then, at 1:00am, the stomach pains had made their return in full force! I opted not to take any more Pepto because it clearly wasn't helping, so I just waited a few hours and went back to sleep again.
Thankfully, the next morning (race day), I woke up feeling great. No more tummy ache! Must have just been a freak thing, probably caused by nervousness. I ate my traditional pre-race meal - oatmeal with raisins, walnuts and a Powerbar. I also made sure to drink plenty of water. After breakfast, I immediately checked the forecast, and to my great relief, it was going to be a perfect day for a race. No rain and not too cold. This is amazing for the end of November in Seattle. Actually, miraculous if you ask me.

I arrived at the race a little early and watched the walkers and half-marathoners take off to the sound of hundred of cowbells, some techno beats, and the Star Spangled Banner. Quite the combo. Once they all had started their races, it was time for the marathon runners to line-up (more cowbell, more techno, more Star Spangled Banner). I chose to run with the 8:35 pace group (3:45 finish time) because that is about the pace that I comfortably train at.
The bull-horn sounded and off we went on our 26.2 journey to the finish line in Memorial Stadium. The pacer was great; he kept us right at 8:35, which felt great and attainable for 26.2 miles.
The beginning of the course was fairly flat, with only a few slow inclines. I had no problem keeping up with my pacing group. In fact, at one point, I felt like I was going too slow, but I knew that it was only adrenaline that would soon where off, so I kept my steady pace.
We made our way across the I-90 bridge and through Seward Park where we got to the half-way point. I was still feeling good and keeping up with the pacers. The scenery was fantastic, so I did my best to just put myself on cruise-control and enjoy my surroundings.
Everything was going fabulous...until we hit the 20 mile marker. My body suddenly decided that it was time to stop. It was actually a little scary; I didn't stop voluntarily, my body just stopped itself. This has never happened before. I got extremely nervous. I made it all the way to mile 20 and I did not want to be carried across the finish line by the medics.
Before I went into a complete panic, I did some rational thinking. My muscles actually weren't too sore or locking up - in fact, my legs could've probably kept going and left my body behind. Instead, I was feeling the symptoms of either hyponatremia or dehydration. I was starting to feel a little dizzy and nauseous. Not good. I ruled out hyponatremia because I wasn't over doing it on the water. It must have been dehydration, even though I'd stopped at just about every water station on the course.
I am a very determined person and I do not quit unless I feel like I am in serious medical danger. I didn't feel like I was blacking out or passing out, so I just walked for a bit, regained composure, and started running again at about a 9:30 pace - much slower, but it'll still get me there and that's all that matters. I also made sure to continue to re-hydrate and eat GU gels for energy wherever available.
The last six(ish) miles were all up hill - big Seattle hills - and were pretty rough, but I trudged right along, slow and steady. I was listening to body, slowing down when I needed to, and got myself to the finish line where I was greeted with hundreds of cheering fans. I did it!

The whole experience was quite surreal. You don't realize how far 26.2 miles is until you're on foot in a race. My best advice to first time marathoners (that I should have taken myself) is too not have any time goal in mind. You're goal should only be to get across the finish line safely. I can't stress the enough. Once you've proved to yourself that your mind and body are capable of running such an incredible distance, then, maybe you can start setting modest time goals. Running 26.2 is an amazing feat! Ask the person next to you if they can do it and they'll probably say, "yeah right, that's crazy." And it is crazy! No doubt about it. Remember, finishing is a victory. I read a spectator's sign as I was running the course and it said, "you are your own champion." A little cheesy, but a great message. I am happy with my time....forget the stupid time goal...I finished the Seattle Marathon!!

Later that day, I was naturally feeling sore and still a bit nauseous. (Warning: too much information about to come). I went to bathroom and noticed that my urine was dark orange. A classic sign of dehydration. I'm assuming that this is what happened to me at mile 20. My body simply didn't have enough fluids to continue at the pace that I was going. Like I said, I made sure to drink plenty of water before the race and stopped at nearly every water station throughout the race, so at first, I didn't understand how I got so dehydrated. Then, I found the culprit! Pepto-Bismal. Right on the front of the bottle: "May cause dehydration." I was so focused on getting rid of the stomach ache, that I didn't even bother to read the side effects of the medicine. Big mistake, but at least I know for next time! I drank plenty of water throughout the rest of the day, and what-do-you-know, the nausea was gone. Lesson learned - if you absolutely have to take some type of medication before a big race, READ THE LABEL!

Anyhow, my next marathon will be Eugene Oregon on May 2nd. A few of you have mentioned that you will also be doing this race. Let me know if you'll be there! Maybe we can train together.

This concludes my blog for my Seattle Marathon journey. Thanks all for reading and sending my encouraging comments.

Week Twenty-Five: Wish me luck!

Only 3 more days until the Seattle Marathon!!

I can't believe it's here already!

I can't believe I'm about to run 26.2 miles!

My main focus this week is relaxing. Relaxing my muscles and relaxing my mind. Staying focused and staying positive. No matter what my finishing time is, I have to keep reminding myself, I'm running 26.2 miles! That's an accomplish in itself.

This will probably be my last post before the race, so wish me luck. Of course, I'll be sure to post the results as soon as I get them. Stay tuned.

Here is a "good luck" card that my co-workers made for me:

Week Twenty-Five

11/22 - Rest

11/23 - Run 5 easy miles

11/24 - Run 4 easy miles

11/25 - Rest

11/26 - Run 5 easy miles

11/27 - Run 3 very easy miles
11/28 - REST!!!

11/29 - Seattle Marathon - 26.2 miles

Week Twenty-Four: Reflections

During my 24 weeks of training:

-Total miles ran: approx. 740 (probably more miles than I drove my car)

-Most miles ran in one week: 52

-Miles I was able to run before I started training: 5 - maybe

-Most challenging run: 13 miles through Discovery Park, Seattle - monster hills & stairs!!

-Number of races: 9 (soon to be 10!)
Beat The Bridge 8k
Komen For The Cure 5k
Fremont 5k
Fred Hutchinson Shore Run 5k
Run of the Mill 5k
SeaFair Torchlight Run 8k
Lake Union 10k
Paws in the Park 5k
Leavenworth Half-Marathon

-Number of running shoes used: 3
1 pair of Asics GT-2150s
2 pairs of Nike Zoom Vomero's +4

-Money spent on running gear: approx. $850

-Average amount of calories eaten per week during peak training: approx. 17500

-Average amount of calories expended (through running) per week during peak training: approx. 6000

-Weight lost: 7.5lbs (total weight loss this year: 14lbs)

-Greatest training moment: Finishing my first 20 mile run in 3 hours

-Greatest accomplishment: Placing 11th in my age group at the Leavenworth Half-Marathon. AND I beat my PR by 20 minutes!

-Greatest discovery: NutriMirror.com & Seattle running meet-up groups

-Biggest setback: Getting sick during my most crucial week of training

-Biggest relief: Getting sick turned out not to be setback at all

-Goal: Finish the marathon in under 4 hours

-Miracle: Qualify for Boston

-Next marathon (yes, I'm already planning a second): Eugene Oregon Marathon

-Lesson learned: If you want something bad enough, you can have it - all you need is motivation, passion, and a true belief in yourself and your abilities. Never, never, doubt yourself.

-Quotes to live by:

"Do what you have always done, get what you have always gotten." - Kel Beaudoin

"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean

Only one more week until the marathon!!

Week Twenty-Four (tapering my miles so that my muscles are fully recovered for the marathon)
11/16 - Rest day
11/17 - Run 5 miles
11/18 - Run 4 miles
11/19 - Rest day
11/20 - Run 6 miles
11/21 - Run 5 miles
11/22 - Long run - 12 miles

Total miles for the week: 32

Week Twenty-Three: Back in action!

I'm back in action folks!! Last week, when I had that awful head cold, all I did for six days straight, was lay on the couch. The workout DVD and light running that I had planned in my schedule, didn't happen. I just couldn't take the risk of getting sicker. Therefore, the only times that I got up was to take Peppercorn on walks. While walking her, I would almost always see runners cruise on by. I felt like they were taunting me - "haha I'm running and you're not!" (kidding - I didn't actually think that.) In all honesty, every time that I saw somebody run by, it almost brought me to tears. I knew that's what I should have been doing if it weren't for that blasted cold. I wanted to run so bad, but I knew that I had to rest (thank you all for reminding me of that). I am definitely not a person who cries over everything little thing, so this really made me realized that I have a true passion for running. Anything that causes that intense of an emotional response must be something that I really love.
By Monday, the cold had completely passed through my system and I woke up feeling great. That night, I did a 7 mile run on a monster hilly course in the Magnuson area of Seattle (many thanks to Mike & Jen for making that happen). It felt so good to be back on my feet! In fact, the first few strides that I took, I had to hold the tears back; that's how happy I was to be running again. This run was the true deciding factor that I had officially made a full recovery. If I would have run that course when I was even remotely sick, I would have felt completely miserable the next day. Instead, I got up on Tuesday morning, felt as energized as ever, and proceeded to go on a 4 mile easy run that night. Then, on Wednesday, I did intervals with the meet-up group. This time we did 5 x 1 mile at about a 7:40 pace. I was able to keep up with my group just fine, which means I'm finally beginning to build more strength and speed. Speed is where I'm seriously lacking, but I am starting to improve each week thanks to these meet-ups.
Here's my predicament (I always seem to have a predicament): I'm still having trouble deciding how far I should go for my long run this Saturday. Last week, I was supposed to run 22 miles, but that obviously didn't happen. Even though many other experienced runners have said that I'll be fine without that run, I'm still nervous that I've lost a week of crucial mileage. So, how far should I go on Saturday without over-doing it? I have a major problem with over-doing it. I'm the over-doing it queen! Luckily, I have enough sense to I know that I definitely can't do 22 miles two weeks before the marathon. I would wear myself out and possibly become injured. So maybe I'll shoot for 15ish and hope hope hope that I've put in enough mileage to finish the marathon in under 4 hours. That's my goal.

Well, that's enough babbling for one day.

Only 2 more week until the marathon!!

Week Twenty-Three
11/9 - 7 mile hill run
11/10 - 4 easy miles
11/11 - Intervals - 7 miles
Warm-up: 2 easy miles
Intervals: 5 x 1 mile @ 7:40 pace
11/12 - Run 5 miles
11/13 - Rest
11/14 - Mystery distance ??? (update: I ran 18 miles)
11/15 - Rest

Total miles for the week: 37

Week Twenty-Two: No marathon for you: You have swine flu!

For twenty-one weeks, I'd managed to dodge the bullet with every illness that's come through my household and office. Runners tend to have a higher immune system than most sedentary folks, so I think that running may have played a big part in me avoiding any sicknesses lingering the halls.
However, on Monday, after an eight mile run, I started to feel a little scratch in the back of my throat. This was the same exact scratch that I felt last year when I caught a severe cold that turned into bronchitis. I hoped that I could just drink some water, take some extra vitamin C, and it would be gone the next day, but that's not exactly how things panned out.
By Tuesday, I had flow-blown sore throat, headache, and stuffy nose. No denying it, I was sick. As the day went on, my symptoms became worse. My headache had turned to a migraine and my sore throat was drastically limiting my speaking, breathing, and swallowing abilities. Usually I'm not one to go to the doctor, I'll just let an illness run it's course, but with H1N1 going around like wildfire, I thought it would probably be a good idea to pay the ol' doc a visit - just to be safe!
So, I show up at the doctor's office, give them an overview of my symptoms, and they immediately make me wear a face mask. Great, now I really can't breathe and everyone in the waiting room is staring at me. I could easily tell what they all were thinking: "she has the swine flu, must stay as far away as possible." Luckily, I only had to sit there for a few minutes before the doctor called me back. I sat down on the papered doctor's table and proceeded to explain my symptoms. Before I could even get into too much detail, the doctor interrupted me and asked, "have you gotten your swine flu shot?" I responded with, "no, it hasn't been available to me yet." She quickly reached for a face mask, put it on, and said, "it is highly likely that you have H1N1 - you have all of the beginning signs." In my head, I was thinking, "so far, I've only told her that I have a sore throat and headache. Is that really enough to determine that I have swine flu??*" However, she seemed very confident in her decision and even got a second opinion from another doctor. Then, even worse news came. She told me that it would not be a good idea to run the Seattle Marathon because H1N1 usually takes three weeks to fully clear your system. Any rigorous exercise might make the virus worse. Then she said ever-so cheerfully, "well you can try for the half." The half?! THE HALF?! I have not been training for 21 weeks to run the half-marathon; I AM running the full, swine flu or no swine flu. I am going to run this marathon or die trying. How could I possibly put all of this hype and training down the drain?? This cannot be happening.
I went home in complete disbelief; I refused to except that I might have the swine flu, especially with such a short doctor's visit in which they gave me no real tests for the flu. The only thing that I could do at this point was to wait it out and see if my symptoms got worse or better. Swine flu is a progressive virus; each day you have it, you begin to feel worse. It commonly starts with a sore throat and headache, and soon turns into body aches, chills, and fever.
When I woke up on Wednesday morning, my sore throat and headache had almost completely gone away, but I still had a bit of a running nose. This was a good sign. I did not wake up feeling any worse, I was actually starting to feel better. Then, by Thursday, the sore throat and headache were completely gone, I was just down to a tolerable runny nose. This clearly wasn't getting progressively worse, so I am going to play doctor and say that this isn't H1N1, just a bad head cold.
On Thursday, I felt almost good enough to go for a light run, but I refrained because I knew that I still needed more rest. I didn't want to have another bronchitis incident. That would be a marathon show-stopper for sure. So, I forced myself to lay down all day for another day.
I must say, all of this resting is making me kind of anxious because I am missing what was supposed to be my last hard week of training before the race. I can't help it, but feel like I'm losing ground! However, I need to keep reminding myself that I have been diligently training for 21 weeks straight. One week lost will not affect my performance. In fact, the rest will probably do me good. Hopefully, by next week, I'll be back on track!

*I strongly believe that doctors are over-diagnosing people with the swine flu without properly testing them. If your doctor tells you that you may have swine flu without giving you a flu test, I highly recommend getting a second opinion.

Only 3 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Twenty-Two (non)Training
11/2 - Run 8 miles
11/3 - Thought I had swine flu - rest
11/4 - Turned out to be a cold - more rest
11/5 - Didn't want it to turn into bronchitis - even more rest
11/6 - Light workout DVD just to get the muscle moving again
11/7 - Very light run - maybe
11/8 - 6 mile run, if I feel completely rid of my symptoms

Week Twenty-One: Run Forest, Run!

I now have two 20-milers under my belt. I finished both runs in 3 hours 10 minutes, which is exactly the pace that I expected to be at. Since the Seattle Marathon course is a "rolling course," meaning that their are several inclines and hills throughout the course, I ran both 20-milers on the hilliest courses that I could handle. Actually, it's hard to find a non-hilly course in Seattle, so I kind of had no choice. I'm hoping that the marathon course will be less the hilly than the courses that I am running now, but if it's not, at least I'll be prepared.

I have been told by a few people too not push myself so hard, but honestly, I do not feel like I am exceeding my limits. I am a naturally competitive person and I do have a tendency to test my limits, but I know when enough is enough. I take the fact of becoming injured very seriously. This is my first marathon and I'd hate to blow it before I even make it to the starting line.
My final long-run before the race will be 22 miles. A few friends/seasoned runners have told me that 22 is too much. They say that most first time marathoners peak at 18-20 miles during training. I don't doubt this, but 22 miles doesn't seems like too much to me. I know that I can handle it. Running both 20-milers almost felt natural to me. I reminded myself of Forest Gump; I just kept running! I maintained a steady/comfortable pace throughout the runs, drank water and ate energy gels when necessary, and re-fueled with the proper recovery foods and drinks afterwards. The following days, I wasn't even that sore. I actually felt really good; really in-shape and powerful. At no point did I ever feel any unnatural discomfort. So what's an extra two miles? I can do it!

Last night, I did intervals with the running group. Another amazing work-out! This was my third interval run with the group and I can honestly say that I am already starting to feel stronger. I ran a mile in 7:04!! That's a major PR (personal record) for me. Woohoo! I didn't know that my legs were capable for moving that fast. It wasn't over yet. After the mile, we did intervals of 5 x 200s; this is essentially sprinting for 200 meters, followed by slow jogging of 200 meters and repeat 5 times. I was running the 200s in about 44 seconds, another record-breaking pace for me. I never thought that I could be a fast runner. I always tell people that I can run for miles on end, but I am not fast. This was because I wasn't training myself to be fast and I had nobody pushing me to be fast. The combination of interval training and running with other people has really helped build my speed and stamina. Everybody in this group is so encouraging and they really help to push you to the point where you need to be. There's no way I would have gone out and ran a 7:04 mile by myself and then proceed to run sprints after that. If you want to improve your running, this is the way to do.

Only 4 more weeks until the marathon!!

Week Twenty-One
10/26 - Rest day
10/27 - Run 7 miles
10/28 - Intervals - about 5.75 miles
-Warm-up easy 3 miles
-1 mile run @ 7:04 pace
-5 x 200s
-Cooldown - .5 mile
10/29 - Rest day
10/30 - Run 7 miles
10/31 - Long run - 15 miles
11/1 - Rest day

Total miles for the week: 34.75

Week Twenty: Week Twenty

Week twenty, wow, two zero, 20. I can't believe that I've been training for that long. Whew! Unfortunately, I had absolutely no time to blog this week. Between working and running, my week has been jam-packed. Too bad I am unable to write in my sleep - I'm sure you'd get some pretty interesting stuff. Anyway, stress has really started to take a toll on me, so I have to concentrate on getting it under control. Stressed out runners are more likely to become injured. I think I need to hit up the spa this weekend....after I run 20 miles.

If some kind of time-slowing miracle happens, I will come back and write more. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I always have more to say, especially about running.

Only five more weeks until the marathon!!

Week Twenty
10/19 - Rest day
10/20 - Run 4 miles
10/21 - Intervals - about 6 miles
Warm-up 2 miles
8 x 600 @ 7:00 minute mile pace
Cool down - .75 mile
10/22 - Easy 2.5 miles
10/23 -Tempo run - 10 miles
Warmup 1 mile
Run 8 miles @ marathon pace
Cooldown 1 mile
10/24 - Easy 4 miles
10/25 - Long Run - 20 miles

Total miles for the week: 46.5

Week Nineteen: Why the rush??

I almost got hit by a car. I mean, this was a serious close call. I was standing, well actually running in place, at a red light waiting for my walk signal. As soon as the flashing red hand turned into the white walking man, I proceeded to run across the street. As I was about half-way through the crosswalk, a car decides that it's going to try to turn real quick right in front of me. Now, it wasn't like I was still on the sidewalk and he tried to turn before me; I was IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CROSSWALK! Who in their right mind tries to turn when their is a person running just a few feet toward their moving car?? Not to mention, it was a very bright day out and I was wearing reflective gear, so there was no possible way that he could have not seen me there. Apparently, saving a millisecond of this person's commute was worth putting a pedestrian (me) in potentially serious danger. Luckily, I have fast reflexes, so I slammed on the brakes (being my feet), threw my arms up, and proceeded to yell obscenities as I kept running. The sad thing about this is, I doubt that the driver ever thought twice about this after it happened. In fact, he was probably irritated at me for interrupting his turn...his illegal turn that could've taken me out!
Now, I am very careful runner when it comes to crossing the street because of drivers like this. I always wait for the walk signal, look both ways more than once, and try to assess whether or not a car is going to try to beat me across the street, even when I have the rightaway (actually pedestrians always have the rightaway). I don't get why people are in such a rush these days. Do they not realize that if they hit a person, it would make their commute SOOO much longer (and more miserable) than if they wait the 3 seconds for them to cross the street? This clearly is a very frustrating thing for me, but I just have to be careful and deal with it.
The irony of this event is, before going out for my run, I had just read an article in Runner's World Magazine about Jenny Crain. Jenny Crain was an elite runner who, at 27 years old, qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trials even though she'd never ran 26.2 miles or had a running coach. She was an amazing runner who was naturally gifted at the sport. In 2004, she was the top American to race in the New York City Marathon timing in at 2:41:06. Then, on August 22, 2007, at age 39, Jenny Crain was hit by a car while finishing a run just a few blocks from her home. She suffered critical, irreparable, brain damage and now lives in a care facility full time. Jenny once was a person who would do hill repeats during a 20 mile run and now she complains about having to walk 50 feet. Her life will never be the same because of a driver who was in a hurry.
This tragic story reminds me of how important it is to be aware of my surroundings, especially since I road run. I recently ditched my headphones because they essentially take away my hearing, which is imperative to safe running. I want to be able to hear if a person or a car or if anything is coming up on me that I"ll need to quickly avoid. I also never jay-walk and I always wear reflective gear, even if it's bright out. Like I said in my last post, you can never be too cautious!

On a completely different note, I did my first run with the meet-up group on Wednesday. I didn't know quite what to expect going into it, but let me tell ya, it was an incredible workout! Probably one of the toughest runs I've done so far. I started with a warm-up of easy running about 2 miles around the track. After that, the intervals started. That's when it got intense. My group ran 6 x 1200s at about a 7 minute mile pace and rested for 1 min. 45 sec. in between intervals. I've never ran this fast in my life, but I just pushed myself through it because I knew the benefits would out-weigh the pain. This workout killed me, but it was great!! This is exactly what need this to build my strength and speed. It's also very motivating to run with other people, especially people who are better runners than me. I hope to eventually work up to their level. I am definitely going to continue to run with the group every Wednesday for intervals and any other time I get the chance. I'm so glad I found them!

Only 6 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Nineteen
10/12 - Rest day
10/13 - Run 4 miles
10/14 - Intervals - 7 miles
-Warmup 2 miles
-6 x 1200s @ 7 min. mile pace
-Cooldown 1/2 mile
10/15 - Rest day
10/16 - Tempo run - 10 miles
-Warmup 1 mile
-8 miles @ marathon pace
-Cooldown 1 mile
10/17 - Rest day
10/18 - Long run - 20 miles

Total miles for the week: 41

Week Eighteen: Run Safe

As it's starting to get darker out earlier, I am beginning to become more concerned about how safe it is for me to run during the evening hours. My neighborhood is fairly safe, but I should never assume that it's entirely safe. Afterall, it is a suburb of Seattle right off of Aurora Ave (a highway that's widely known for it's shady activity), so I use the word "safe" mildly. I've also noticed that the atmosphere outside during the fall is much different than it is in the summer. In the summer, there are considerably more runners, bikers, dog-walkers, and families out on the trails, but the instant that the fall weather started to hit, these people have clearly taken refuge into their warm, safe homes. They aren't training for a marathon though (unless they're running in place in their living rooms all night!). I still need to get myself out there to keep my endurance levels up. But how do I do it safely? Many of you would probably suggest going to the nice safe gym and running the treadmill, but like I've said many times before, the treadmill doesn't even come close to giving you the same endurance workout as road running does. Afterall, the marathon is a road race, not a treadmill race. I only use the treadmill in worse-case-scenarios (thunderstorm, monsoon, extreme snow, a shooting outside my house...you get the picture). Anyway, I've never had any overly strange incidences, but I have definitely ran into some questionable people.
It just so happens that my next door neighbor is a Seattle police officer who has worked in the force for over 16 years. He is also a runner. I met with him last night to inquire about the safeness of our neighborhood. Of course, he advised that I should never go out without pepper spray (which I always carry with me when I run & walk the dog) and he also taught me some great self-defense techniques. Even though the information he gave me was extremely useful, I think it made me even more paranoid to go out and run. Also, to make matters worse, being a police office, he just had to throw in those horror stories of women like me being attacked. However, as his duty as an officer, I think that he was just really trying to enforce that I need to take serious precaution when running in the evening hours. I definitely took him very seriously. It's better to be a overly caution than overly confident. I know that I am not invincible.
Ever since my chat with Mr. Officer, I haven't been able to stop thinking about running safe...or actually running not-so-safe. I am absolutely determined to keep on my training schedule until the marathon though. I do not want to regress. (I want to qualify for Boston, but that's just my own little pipe dream.) There are hundreds of women who compete in the Seattle Marathon every year...they must train safely somewhere! And I know it's not on the treadmill. So, I did a little research and I found two Seattle running groups that are perfect for my level of training. They meet several times a week and help you find runners with your same goals. This is great! Running in a co-ed group would make me feel so much more comfortable than running on the dark trails alone. I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. My first meet-up will be next Wednesday for an interval run. I've excited to see how it goes.
Although, there will still be times when I have to train alone, I'm going to try to stick with the groups as much as I can. When it comes to running safe, this is probably my safest option.

If you are interested in finding a meet-up group in your area, check out http://www.meetup.com/find/. You can find a group for anything on this site. It's really cool.

Newest race time: Leavenworth Half-Marathon: 1 hr. 47 min.
Placed 16 out of 175 in my age group

Only 7 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Eighteen
10/5 - Run 4 miles
10/6 - Run 3 miles
10/7 - Speedwork - 8 miles
-Warmup 2 miles
-3 x 1 mile intervals @ 10k pace w/ 400 meter recoveries
-Cooldown 2 miles
10/8 - Rest day
10/9 Tempo run - 9 miles
-Warmup 1 mile
-Run 7 miles @ marathon pace
-Cooldown 1 mile
10/10 - Run 3 miles
10/11 - Long run - 18 miles

Total miles for the week: 45

Week Seventeen: Status update

Furthest (and most challenging) distance ran so far: 16 miles

Note: what got me through this run was a water bottle filled with half water, half sports drink (Powerade). This is the first time that I've ever carried a water bottle with me; usually I bring GU gels or Chomps that comfortably fit in my pocket and then I just stop at water fountains, but I decided to try something new. The gels and chomps are good, but they don't give you the same amount of rehydration and electrolytes as a sports drink/water combo does. It was a little annoying carrying the bottle the whole way, but absolutely worth it. I tried wearing one of those runner's water bottle holsters, but that was even more annoying.

Reasons sports drinks work for athletes:

-Sports drinks hydrate better then water:

1. The fluids in sports drinks are absorbed into your bloodstream faster than plain water because the sports drink contains dissolved minerals and carbohydrates that water doesn't.
2. Sports drinks contain sodium and other nutrients that help regulate and balance fluids in the body. Therefore, a sports drink does a better job of allowing your body to maintain optimal fluid balance, which is extremely important when it comes to staying hydrated.
3. Athletes tend to drink more fluids when drinking a sports drink because it contains sodium which can make you thirsty. Drinking more fluids will ultimately help you stay hydrated throughout your entire run.
4. Sports drinks contain calories, which increase energy and endurance. Water contains zero calories (i.e. energy).
5. Sports drinks can reduce muscle damage and promote faster recovery.

-A quality sports drink should contain 15mg of sodium per ounce and 10g of carbohydrates per 100ml, plus a small amount of protein

*These facts are from elite runner, Matt Fitzgerald (http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Which_fluid_hydrates_best__Water_or_a_sports_drink_.htm)

Next race: Leavenworth Oktoberfest 1/2 Marathon, October 3rd
(I'm hoping that the 1/2 marathon will cancel out all of the brews and bratwursts I plan on consuming at the Oktoberfest after the race. It's supposed to be one of the biggest Oktoberfests in the U.S.!)

Me after 17 weeks of training.

Height: 5' 4 1/2"
Weight: 116
Body fat percentage: 18%
BMI: 19.8

Only 8 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Seventeen (slightly adjusted from the original plan due to the 1/2 marathon)
9/28 - Rest day
9/29 - Run 5 miles
9/30 - Run 8 miles on a hilly course
10/1 - Run 4 miles
10/2 - Rest Day
10/3 - Leavenworth Half Marathon, 13.1 miles
10/4 - Rest day

Total miles for the week: 30.1

Week Sixteen: You CAN run!

Since I started training for the Seattle Marathon, people have been constantly telling me, "I wish that I could run like you, but I can't run." I'm thinking, well why can't you?? Unless you have some kind of medical condition that will not allow you to run, you CAN run. The key is to start slow, I can't stress that enough, you have to start slow. Before I started the slow progression of training for the marathon, I honestly couldn't slowly jog more than two miles at a time. Now I plan to run 16 miles on Sunday and I am confident that I can comfortably make it through the entire run. However, it took me 16 weeks to get to this point; I didn't build this high level of endurance overnight. So you have to be patient, your body will appreciate it.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when deciding to go from couch potato to road running is trying to take on too much too fast. If you've never seriously ran before, it's not a good idea to go out and run six miles on a whim, even if you feel like you can. Your muscles, joints, and body in general are not going to be ready for it; therefore you will probably experience an uncomfortable amount of fatigue, soreness, and you may never feel like running again. Plus, you'll be back to couch potato because you won't be able to move the next day! You are also putting yourself at risk for injury because, like I said, your body simply isn't in condition to just start pounding the pavement. Running is hard on your body, so you have to adapt slowly and progressively.

Below is a 12-week plan for a beginning runner. This plan was created by Matt Fitzgerald (an elite runner) and is featured in his book, "Performance Nutrition For Runners." I am not, be any means, taking credit for developing this plan. This plan will help you build endurance, strength, and was designed to aid in weight loss. To maximize this plan, I would also recommend reading the book, which gives extremely beneficial nutritional advice to runners at all levels. You absolutely have to maintain a healthy diet to reap the benefits of running.

Week One
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs, Wed: Strength train 20 min., Thur: Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 10 x 1-min. jogs

Week Two
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 35 min. w/ 12 x 1-min. jogs, Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Walk 35 min. w/ 12 x 1-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 8 x 2-min. jogs

Week Three
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 40 mins. w/ 8 x 2 1/2-min. jogs, Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Walk 40 min. w/ 8 x 3-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 35 min, Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 4 x 5-min. jogs

Week Four
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 40 min. w/ 10-min. jog, Wed: Strength 20 min. Thur: Walk 40 min. w/ 12-min. jog, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 20 minutes

Week Five
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 20 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 20 min., Fri: Cross-train 40 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 24 min.

Week Six
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 24 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 24 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 28 min.

Week Seven
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 26 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 26 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 32 min.

Week Eight
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 24 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 24 min., Fri: Cross-train 40 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 24 min.

Week Nine
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 30 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 30 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 36 min.

Week Ten
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 32 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 32 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 40 min.

Week Eleven
Mon: Off, Tue: Run 35 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 35 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 45 min.

Week Twelve
Mon: Off, Tue: Run 30 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 30 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 40 min.

*It's extremely important to take Mondays off. Your body needs an adequate time to recover. Not allowing yourself to properly recover can cause fatigue and injury.

*Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs means that you incorporate 1-minute long jogs 8 times during the 30 minutes.

*Cross-training is non-impact exercises such as cycling, elliptical, swimming, etc.

*When you strength train, you should focus on working your core, thighs, hips, glutes, calfs, and lower & upper back. These are the main muscle groups that you work when you run and building these muscles will help prevent injury.

*Again, I highly recommend buying the book if you are going to try this plan. It is extremely important to practice good nutrition while training. Proper nutrition is key!

Only 9 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Sixteen (not to be confused with part of the beginners plan)
9/21 - Rest day
9/22 - Run 4 miles
9/23 - Run 7 miles on a hilly course
9/24 - Rest day
9/25- Run 5 miles
9/26 - Run 5 miles
9/27 - Long run - 16 miles

Total miles for the week: 37

Week Fifteen: Happy movin' feet!

What a crazy/busy week!! I went from having only a few things to do, to having a million things to do all at once. Work has really started to pick up as we're working on building a new website. Unfortunately, I don't have the smarts to do the "cool" stuff when it comes to building the site, so basically, I've been copying and pasting content for three days straight. I think I'm actually starting to feel ill from staring at the monitor for hours on end. However, I'm the type of person where, if I start a project, I like to keep going until it's finished. If I stop, I lose motivation. I have the same mindset when I run. Most runners, when doing long runs, take periodic walk/water/snack breaks. I think it's actually recommended by elite runners to do so. BUT, I'm stubborn and like to do things my own way. When I do for my long runs (13 miles has been the longest so far), I do not stop. Stopping is failure to me; I will push myself to the limit. If I am not blacking out, bleeding or need serious medical attention (none of which have ever happen, ::knock on wood::), I see no reason to stop. However, I do take water and gels with me so that I stay fueled. (I'm not totally insane!) I just drink/eat them while I'm still running. I'm that person who you see running in place at red lights looking totally ridiculous. I feel silly doing it sometimes, I know that people are staring, but I got to keep those feets a-movin'!
So far, this non-stop technique is working for me. I don't feel burned out at all. Every week, I'm adding miles and my runs are starting to feel more natural, especially my hill runs, which I used to dread. I'm still having trouble running in warmer weather and, of course, this is the one year that Seattle's hot weather is never-ending. This is first time I've ever truly wished for summer to hurry up and be over. But please, no rain, just cooler days.
My next race is the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Half-Marathon in the first week of October. In lieu of the Oktoberfest festivities, they hand you a pint of beer at the finish line. Gotta replenish your carbs after a run, right?

Only 10 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Fifteen
9/14 - Rest day
9/15 - Run 7 miles
9/16 - Run 8 miles on a hilly course
9/17 - Rest day
9/18 - Run 6 miles
9/19 - Run 6 miles
9/20 - Tempo Run
-2 warmup miles
-3 miles at 5k pace
-1 cooldown mile

Total miles of the week: 33 miles

Week Fourteen: Reaping the benefits

As I'm making my way through this massive running journey, I've learned some incredible facts about how running can benefit your health. There really are more benefits to running than just improving the shape of butt and thighs! So, I thought I'd share.

Here are a list of things that running can do to improve your health and overall wellness:

-Improve cardiovascular health: lowers blood pressure and helps your arteries maintain elasticity. This means that running will significantly lower your chance of ever having a heart attack or stroke.

-Slows down the aging process: runners are less likely to experience bone and muscle degeneration as they age than people who are more sedentary. When we run, our bones and muscles become stronger in response to the physical demand; therefore consistent running means that you will maintain bone and muscle strength even as you age.

-Psychological benefits: believe it or not, running makes you happy. It does this by releasing endorphins, which are hormones that give your body a sense of euphoria (i.e. "runners high"). Running has also been proven help alleviate stress.

(Have I convinced you to start running yet? No?? Keep reading.)

-Helps fight disease: running has been proven to reduce the risk of some types of cancer, most notably, breast cancer. Running has even become a treatment option recommended by doctors for people at risk for developing osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Running also raises "good" cholesterol levels (HDL), can reduce blood clots, and boost your immune system.

-Improved coordination: running may seem like it would involve much less coordination than other sports, however, there is most definitely coordination involved in running. This is mostly true for road runners and trail runners who are often running on uneven terrain (among other obstacles, i.e. rocks, pot holes, tree roots, people who don't care if they drive on the curb as you're running by...). Runners who are consistently training on these types of surfaces will learn to control their body to avoid tripping, stumbling, and, of course, swiftly jumping out of the way when that crazy driver jumps the curb that you're about to run by on. (I've learned from experience that during rush-hour, people don't care what they run over. I've had some close calls. The mentality: "Felony? Whateva! I gotta get home NOW!" I might-as-well consider myself a possum during these hours.)

-Weight loss: running is one of the top physical activities you can perform to lose body fat. 60% of runners begin running to lose weight and, let me tell ya, it works! It works because running burns more calories per minute than any other cardio exercise with the exception of cross-country skiing. It's simple to understand: the more calories out, the easier it is to lose weight.

Now, to reap the benefits of running, I'm not suggesting that everyone should get off their couches and start training for a marathon tomorrow. Rather, adding just 1 - 3 miles to your daily routine will help improve your overall health and wellness. If you are a beginning runner, it's best to start slow in order to prevent injury. Try doing intervals of 10 minutes of slow jogging followed by 10 minutes of walking for 30 - 40 minutes. By consistently doing this, you will slowly begin to build your strength, stamina, and endurance. Once you feel comfortable with this routine, begin adding more minutes, less walking, or more distance to your routine.

And in case you were wondering, I got the facts above from creditable running websites and the book "The Runner's Body." I'm not just making this up as I go along.

Only 11 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Fourteen
9/7 - Rest day
9/8 - Run 4 miles
9/9 - Run 7 miles on a hilly course
9/10 - Rest day
9/11 - Run 4 miles
9/12 - Run 4 miles
9/13 - Long run - 13 miles (halfway to marathon distance!)

Total miles for the week: 32

Week Thirteen: Melissa - The event planner

I am the leader of the Health/Wellness Team at my work and on Wednesday, we held a company-wide health fair featuring information on ergonomics, fitness, dental care, nutrition, and even hypnotherapy. I was the main organizer of this event, so this week has been a bit stressful for me. This was the first event that I've ever organized, so I was extremely nervous about how it was going to go. The typical fears were running through my head non-stop, such as the vendors canceling, going over-budget, not getting set-up on time, etc. Then, of course, the biggest fear of all- nobody showing up! So I just kept telling myself, "we're providing free food, everybody loves free food, people will come for the food..." (think Costco on free sample day). BUT, much to my relief, the event turned out to be an outstanding success (and not just because of the free food). What a relief! I've been getting constant positive feedback from people that I don't even know. It's such a great feeling to know that I am capable of successfully putting on such a large (large by my standards) event.
On top of organizing the health fair, I've also been been busy doing my normal job (don't exactly know how I'm managing to maintain composure), so I haven't gotten a chance to put to much time into blogging this week. My brain is full to the max! I am so looking forward to this three-day weekend.

Peppercorn's first race time: Paws In The Park 5k: 42 mins (pretty good for a pup only 5 1/2 months old, she had a great time!).
She will also be doing the PAWSwalk on 9/12/09 with Team Terriers. If you want to walk with me and my team, just let me know and I'll give you all of the info. It's free to join.

Only 12 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Thirteen
8/31 - Rest day
9/1 - Run 4 miles
9/2 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
9/3 - Rest day
9/4 - Run 4 miles
9/5 - Run 4 miles
9/6 - Long run - 10 miles

Total miles for the week: 28

Week Twelve: Status update

Furthest distance ran so far: 12 miles

Newest race time: Lake Union 10k - 53:41 (finished 11 out of 163 in my age group)

Note: This was probably one of the most amazing races that I've ran thus far. The course was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and best of all, my training really proved to be paying off. This course had some killer steep hills, but I blazed up them almost effortlessly. I used to constantly complain about hilly race courses, but this time I was taking the hills on with a vengeance! I've been consistently training on hills for about three weeks now and I'm really starting to notice a vast improvement in my lower body and core strength.

Me after 12 weeks of training.
Lake Union 10K

Height: 5' 4 1/2"
Weight: 116 lbs

Note: I'm honestly not trying to lose weight. Like I'd mentioned before, I'm eating an ungodly amount of calories everyday, sometimes up to 3100. Marathon training is one of the only programs that you can follow where you can truly eat (almost) whatever you want and still lose weight. However, even though I do consume a lot of food, I do try to keep it healthy. Eating lots of junk will cause you to feel lethargic and that's the last thing I need when I'm training to run 26.2 miles. I recently decided to completely eliminate artificial sweeteners and any food or drink that contains any type of corn syrup. I'm also trying to eat more organic and natural foods. As a result, I am no longer hypoglycemic and I have way more energy. So, between the positive food choices and running like a maniac, I've never felt healthier in my whole life. I like it.

Body fat percentage: 18%
BMI: 19.8

Only 13 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Twelve Training
8/24 - Rest day
8/25 - Run 3 miles
8/26 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
8/27 - Rest day
8/28 - Run 5 miles
8/29 - Run 5 miles
8/30 - Long run - 12 miles

Total miles for the week: 31

Week Eleven: Extreme conditions & True dedication

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap!! That's what I was thinking on Monday afternoon when I could barely muster up the strength to run four miles, yes four measly miles! Big problem, BIG PROBLEM. How am I ever going to run 26.2 miles when I suddenly can't even run four?! Ok, calm down, breathe, there must be some kind of reason behind this. I'm not injured, so what could it be? Oh...yeah...it was 88 degrees!! Heat exhaustion clearly got the best of me.
Seattle weather can really be tough on a runner because it varies so often. Last week, although it was raining, it was a comfortable running temperature, which I think my body had adapted to. Therefore, when I went from running in 60 degree weather last week to nearly 90 degree weather this week, I think I shocked my body. I felt like a melting candle forcing myself down the trail. After I had finished that run, I literally felt like I had run a marathon even though I just ran down the street and back. Why didn't anyone who saw me call 911?? (Ok, that's an exaggeration, it wasn't that bad.)
Conclusion: the sun is a fabulous thing that I cannot possibly get enough off...except if I'm training for a marathon in it. The irony: last week I was complaining about the rain, this week I'm complaining about the sun. There's no winning! Or is there?
Since Wednesday was predicted to be another record breaking heat day and also happened to be the day where I was to do my six mile hill run, I had to come up with some kind of solution to beat the heat (other than cheating and running on a treadmill in an air conditioned gym). If I couldn't run four miles on a flat trail in the sun than there's no way in hell I could run six miles up hill in the scorching heat. So what was my solution? Run at 5:00am, yep, that's right, 5 o'clock in the morning. And I thought running in the rain was insane. Ha! Luckily, I am a morning person (even though I still consider 5:00am to be a part of the night), it wasn't overly difficult for me to pull myself out of bed and hit the road running. In fact, it was actually quite surreal. The sun hadn't quite risen yet and the sky was glowing delicate shades of turquoise and pink, and the Seattle air actually smelt fresh. There also weren't many cars on the road, I didn't have to wait at any cross-walks, and it was a perfect 58 degrees out. With these ideal conditions, I just got lost in my thoughts, enjoyed the rarely seen early morning illuminations, and ran my six miler with ease. 5:00am is the perfect time to run, except the fact that it's 5:00am. Although the experience was much more pleasurable than I had anticipated, I probably won't be making 5:00am runs a habit mainly because it's important that I get enough sleep so that I won't burn out. I have sleeping problems to begin with, so I'd imagine that cutting my sleep short on a regular basis can't be a good thing to practice while training. However, getting up and running at 5:00am has proven to me that I am truly dedicated to this sport. I have never before woken up at 5:00am for any other exercise routine, unless you count packing my suitcases to go the Las Vegas as exercise.

Only 14 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Eleven Training
8/17 - Rest day
8/18 - Run 4 miles
8/19 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
8/20 - Rest day
8/21- Run 5 miles
8/22 - Run 5 miles
8/23 - Long run - 9 miles

Total miles for the week: 29

Week Ten: Where'd the sun go??

Last week I took a much needed vacation....or more like just a little break from life; a time to chill out. But of course, it being my usual luck, I picked the only rainy week that we've had all summer to take time off. Summer had completely left Seattle the instant my vacation started (and conveniently started back up as soon as I got back to work). It was rainy and gray almost everyday. This was also the week that I started my more intense marathon training. Instead of upping the miles last week, I upped the intensity of my workouts in order to build muscle while also building endurance....in the rain. Anyone who knows me well knows that I despise the rain, let alone running in it up hill for six miles! It's amazing what I'll do to avoid being rained on so it took an unbelievable amount of will-power to not just go to the gym and hop on the treadmill. (The treadmill doesn't give you the same workout as road running does though). I also had to remind myself that the Seattle Marathon takes place in November when it will most likely be raining...last year it snowed! I've never ran in the rain before, but now would probably be a good time to start getting used to it. As cars were driving by, I was imagining the people looking at me and thinking, "why is that crazy person out there in the rain running up that huge hill?" Well at least that's what I used to wonder when I would see people trudging along in the pouring rain while I was in my nice, warm, DRY car. This was before I was a runner. I now understand the madness. It's all in the name of hardcore fitness and taking any measure to prepare your body to reach the finish line of a 26.2 mile race. Not finishing is not an option with me. However, I must admit, at times when I am at mile 10 and I feel like my knee caps are about to fall off, I wonder why I ever decided that this was a good idea. That thought is merely temporary though. After my runs, I always feel fantastic, tired, but still fantastic no matter how hard the run was. Running releases endorphins; endorphins are what gives off that so-called "runners high." Therefore, exercise is a proven, natural, mood enhancer. No prescription needed. Plus, it makes your body look great, which (to me) is also a natural mood enhancer. :)

Only 15 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Ten Training
8/10 - Rest day
8/11 - Run 4 miles
8/12 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
8/13 - Rest day
8/14 - Run 4 miles
8/15 - Run 4 miles
8/16 - Long run, 7 miles

Total miles for the week: 25

Week Nine: Pictures speak louder than scales

Sometimes you don't realize how much your body is changing until you see a picture of yourself. This is especially true if you are constantly weighing yourself or looking at your body way too closely in the mirror. The truth is, that scales are not always accurate and can vary up to 3lbs from day to day. Also, you should never look at yourself that closely in the mirror. You are only going to be checking out the tiniest of flaws that nobody, but you is ever going to notice. (Remember, nobody is ever going to be looking at you that closely and if they are, you should probably call the police.) This is why I've decided that pictures are my new mirror because they catch you from the perspective of other people's eyes.

As you know, I ran in the Seattle Torchlight 8k race a couple of weekends ago. Like I had mentioned, it was 80+ degrees outside and there were over 6,000 people racing, so when I got to the starting line, I felt like I was in a sauna! This is not a good feeling when you're about to race a five mile hilly course. So I made the very difficult decision to race just in my sports bra (and shorts, of course - this wasn't Fremont). Even though I know that my body has changed significantly for the better since I improved my eating habits and started a vigorous running program, I still feel a slight bit self-conscious about my body. When they blew the whistle to start the race, I swear, I could feel my tummy giggling with every step I took. Maybe just wearing the sports bra wasn't such as a good idea afterall, but oh well, I was already running and wasn't about to ask the sweaty guy next to me if I could borrow his shirt. However, this whole giggling thing must have been all in my head because I just got my race photos back and this is what I saw. For the first time ever, no love-handles and no thunder thighs!! I was astonished on how in-shape and athletic I looked. I have never been overweight, but I have been really out-of-shape, so seeing this reassured me that I am making great progress toward good health. Please all know, that changes will happen if you work hard enough and have the right mindset.

Week Nine Training
8/3 - Rest day
8/4 - Run 5 miles
8/5 - Speedwork, 8 miles
-One warmup mile
-Four miles sprinting with 1/2 miles in between each interval
-One cooldown mile
8/6 - Run 4 miles
8/7 - Run 4 miles
8/9 - Rest day
8/10 - Long run - 11 miles

Total miles for the week: 32

Week Eight: Status update‏

Furthest distance ran so far: 11 miles

Newest race time:
-7/25/09 - SeaFair Torchlight Run 8K: 42:41 (42 out of 270 in my age group)

Note: I was a little disappointed when I saw my time. After seven weeks of training behind me, I thought that I would be able to beat my first 8K time. However, the course was quite challenging; it was uphill almost the entire way and there were no mile markers, so I couldn't really gauge where I was at in the race. This makes it difficult to know when to conserve your energy and when it's time to pick up the pace. The course also took you through the SeaFair Torchlight Parade route where there were, literally, hundreds of kids trying to give you high-fives as you ran by. I felt like I was suddenly in a pinball machine, dodging kids left and right. Not to mention it was 80+ degrees. So there, all my excuses for my mediocre time.

Me after eight weeks of training.

Note: I recently bought a scale that measures body fat and muscle mass percentages. It's great.

Height: 5' 4 1/2"
Weight: 117 lbs
Body fat percentage: 18.5% (Ideal body fat % for a female competitive runner is 17%)
BMI: 20

*No use in adding a new photo this week. I essentially look the same as in the last photo taken in week four. However, I am happy to say that my thunder thighs have become mini-thunders, but I didn't really want to include a photo just of my legs.

Week Eight Training
7/27 - Rest day
7/28 - Run 4 miles
7/29 - Run 4 miles
7/30 - Tempo run, 7 miles
-One warmup mile
-5 miles at a faster pace
-One cooldown mile
7/31 - Run 4 miles
8/1 - Rest day
8/2 - Long run - 11 miles

Total miles for the week: 30

Week Seven: What's up doc?

Newest race time
-7/11 - Run Of The Mill 5k - 25:24 (finished 16 out of 209 in my age group)

Recently, I have been busy. Really really busy. I've somehow managed to take on every project possibly available to me, including building two international websites for work, training my puppy, writing a chapter for a wellness book, going to college, and of course, training for a marathon (among all of the other things that go along with living life). Even though I am a little overwhelmed, everything that I've chosen to take on, is something that I enjoy, so I can't complain. Because of this massive work overload, I don't have that much time to put into my blog this week, but I'll just give an update.

I recently saw a sports medicine doctor to make sure that my body is in good working order to train for a marathon. I feel like I'm in good shape, so normally I wouldn't consult a doctor for any other type of exercise program. However, training for a marathon is much more extreme than any other exercise program that I've ever done before, so I just wanted to make extra sure that I'm not going to get injured in the training process.
Thankfully, he told me that I am in great shape to train for a marathon and he was slightly perplexed as to why I came to see him. (Aren't you suppose to consult a doctor anytime you start a hard exercise regimen??) However, he did find one tiny little clicking noise in my right knee. He said that this shouldn't be a problem as long as I take preventive action to make sure that this doesn't develop into something to be more concerned about later on. He suggested some strengthening exercises, that I now do four days a week. I haven't noticed any difference yet, but I just started doing them. He also suggested that I lose five more pounds because the less I weigh, the less pressure I will be putting on my joints when I run. Well, I don't know if he was not seeing straight or what, but I see myself as a decently lean person (unless I've been looking in funhouse mirrors for the past month) and once I reached 117bs (as of this week), I thought that I wouldn't have to lose anymore weight. An additional 5lbs would put me at 112lbs, which seems a bit low to me; I think skeletons weigh more than that! I've never gotten (or tried to get) that thin. However, I've never been a hardcore runner before either. I guess he is a doctor and I would hope that he knows what he's talking about. For now, I'm going to focus on strengthening and gaining more lean muscle to see if that helps and maybe try to lose a few pounds along the way if the knee clicking persists.
Anyway, that's it for this week. Back to work!

Week Seven Training
Note: since I'm running the SeaFair Torchlight Parade this weekend, I had to modify my training schedule a bit. Originally, there was a 10 mile long run scheduled for Sunday, but I'm afraid that my body would crash if I tried to run 10 miles after an 8k race in 90 degree weather the day before.

7/20 - Cross-training - 1 hour elliptical (6.5 miles)
7/21 - Rest day
7/22 - Tempo Run, 6 miles
-One warm up mile
-Four miles at a faster pace
-One cooldown mile
7/23 - Run 5 miles at race pace
7/24 - Rest Day
7/25 - Seattle SeaFair Torchlight Run - 8K
7/26 - Run 4 miles

Total miles for the week: 26.5 miles

Week Six: Childhood hopes and dreams - shattered & revisited

As a little girl, my ultimate dream was to be Miss America...second to that was dentist, not sure how the two compared. Anyway, my favorite gift that was ever given to me at this time (I was probably about 4 y/o) was a treasure chest full of princess-type dress-up clothes from my Grandma Eileen (RIP). I wore these elaborate outfits anytime I got the chance. Sometimes I would even find a way to put every item of clothing in the treasure chest on all at once. It was quite the fashion statement. One of my favorites things to do while dressed up was to dance wildly in my living room while blaring a Rolling Stones record (yes, an actual record) with my cat as my audience. I was in my own world; I was Miss America! This was my reality.
Being a child is such a surreal time in ones life. It's probably the only time when you are completely blind to the concerns about body image that you will later face, especially as a growing girl.

I'm going to jump further into to present....way further. When I entered junior high "the big change" hit and boy did it hit me hard. It seemed that overnight I had developed love-handles (that weren't at all lovely) and these cute little red bumps randomly sprinkled over my face. Just what every young girl dreads. I went from thinking that I was the most beautiful child in the world to thinking that I'd become some kind of teenage ogre. Ya'know how the ugly duckling turned into the elegant swan? Well, I went the opposite way. It also didn't help that the other kids made fun of me constantly because I was still extremely shy and I was the perfect target for the bully-types. So how did I cope?? I ate and ate and ate mounds of junk food. Luckily, I still had a fairly fast metabolism, so I didn't gain too much weight, but I gained enough to make my body appear totally out of proportion. This is typical for a junior-high-aged kid, but I didn't realize that at the time, nor did I want it. Plus, the only (half-assed) exercise that I was getting was in gym class, which I still despised due to all of the past bad experiences I had and continued to have during gym.
As expected, my gym class exercising got cut short when, yet another, adversity happened.
One afternoon, we were practicing field football. I was a horrible catcher (and still am to this day) and was never able to catch the ball, even from the softest of throws. Then, a miracle happened, I caught ball!! I couldn't believe it! BUT the miraculous moment quickly ended when I suddenly felt a shooting pain run down my middle finger. Yep, that's right, I broke my finger catching a football. The sports gods were against me once again! Because of this, I was pulled out of gym for the rest of the semester. The teacher didn't allow me to participate in any activities (even the ones not involving fingers) due to some kind of school policy (that they clearly didn't have in middle school). Everyday after that, I would sit in the bleachers, non-intentionally flipping people the bird because my middle finger had to be wrapped straight up. Most kids would've completely took advantage of the situation, but I was completely mortified.
So, between getting hit in the head by kickballs, skinning my knees on a gravel track, and breaking my finger by simply catching a football, I had completely given up on all things fitness related, which meant I got essentially no exercise and maintained my awkward shaped body for quite some time. I wish that I had pictures so that you could see that I am not exaggerating, but I didn't allow many pictures to be taken of me at this time for obvious reasons. I had also completely thrown out my childhood dreams of ever trying to become a model.

It took me awhile (years!) to recognize that fitness was essential for good health and that there were other ways to get in shape that didn't involve catching balls or limping around on sharp gravel tracks. When I hit my twenties, I wanted to do something about this out-of-shape body that I had spent my highschool years developing. I joined a local gym where I participated in aerobics classes and used the elliptical machines. I was still slightly timid about exercising, so I never really got the results that I wanted. When I finally got the courage to take up running (fairly recently), the results were almost instant. The weight literally fell off of my body and I was feeling more energetic (and athletic) each time I went for a run. Now, after every week of training, I notice a new, positive change in my body. This is the first time in my life that I've actually felt in good shape rather than in awkward shape.

I'm not trying to brag (honestly), but since I've stuck to a strict running regimen, my body now comes close to meeting the standards of a Victoria's Secret model (well except that I'm not tall enough, but can't do much about that). Now, I don't ever plan to pursue modeling, I have my mind set on being a runner, I am just proud to say that my childhood modeling dream was not just an obscure thought afterall. I just had work harder at it. I strongly believe that if you want something bad enough, you can achieve it with the right mindset and a hard-working mentality. Now go hit the track people!

Week Six Training
7/13 - Rest day
7/14 - 4 mile run
7/15 - 3 mile run
7/16 - Speedwork, 7 miles
-One warmup mile
-3 miles sprinting with half mile jogs in between each mile
-One cooldown mile
7/17 - 3 mile run
7/18 - Rest day
7/19 - Long run - 10 miles

Total miles for the week: 27

Week Five: Eat eat eat!

In my Week Four post, I had mentioned that since I started running, I could eat more calories - more healthy calories to be exact. So, I thought that many of you might be curious as to what exactly it is I'm eating to stay fueled, stay healthy, and maintain a healthy weight while training for a marathon. Below, I've listed what I usually eat during the week while training. I don't eat the exact same thing every day (that would get old quick), but this gives you a general idea the kinds of foods that I normally consume. Of course, I eat more calories when I am preparing for a race or harder run. Usually, these calories come from protein bars or gels and meals higher in carbohydrates and proteins. On race or long run days, I eat about 2300 calories. Also, like I'd mentioned before, as my training gets more vigorous, I will have to eat more calories to stay fueled. Hooray for more calories!! (think The Decendents song, "I like food, food is good!")
Sorry, this post isn't as interesting as others, but I want to continue to stress how important nutrition is when you're following an exercise program (or even if you're not for that matter). Next time, I promise another amusing life-story anecdote.

Breakfast:
-Cinnamon oatmeal - 320 calories
-Shake (blend 4oz nonfat milk, 4oz orange juice, 4oz nonfat strawberry yogurt) - 150 calories

Lunch:
-Turkey sandwich (3 turkey slices) on whole wheat bread with mustard & spinach - 285 calories
-Apple - 72 calories

Dinner:
-6 oz piece of grilled chicken - 200 calories
-Iced green tea - 0 calories
-2 cups broccoli - 45 calories
-15 baby carrots - 60 calories

Snacks:
-Fiber One bar - 140 calories
-8oz coffee w/ 1 tbsp creamer - 32 calories
-Banana - 110 calories
-1/4 cup almonds - 170 calories
-20 grapes: 70 calories
-4 strawberries: 63 calories
-Skinny Dipper ice cream bar - 80 calories

Supplements:
-Multi-vitamin
-Calcium + D supplement
-Joint supplement (never too young for a joint supplement, early injury prevention is key!)

Water:
-14+ oz throughout the day
Not only does water keep you hydrated, it is also a key tool in weight loss or maintenance. Try ditching the diet sodas (or whatever non-water beverages you consume) and drink at least eight 8oz glasses of water a day. You will lose excess water weight that many people carry (especially women) and believe is fat weight. This is due to dehydration & high sodium intake. You'll also notice an overall thinner appearance, especially in your face. Drinking water also helps clear your skin. Who knew something as simple as water could be so, so....magical!

Total calories: 1797
Fat: 40 grams
Carbs: 250 grams
Protein: 75 grams

Week Five Training
(this is a "set-back week," which all good training programs include. This week will give my muscles a chance to recover and prepare for harder runs next week.)

7/6 - Rest day
7/7 - Run 5 miles
7/8 - Speed work, 5 miles
- 1 warmup mile, easy pace
- 2 miles sprinting w/ half mile jogging in between each mile
-1 cooldown mile, easy pace
7/9 - Run 5 miles
7/10 - Rest day
7/11 - Run Of The Mill 5k race
7/12 - Run 5 miles

Total miles for the week: 23 miles

Week Four: Running status update

Furthest distance ran so far: 9 miles (3 laps around the outside track of Greenlake)

Newest race time:

-6/28/09 - Fred Hutchinson Shore 5K - 26:11 (Finished 9 out of 35 people in my age group)

Note: Monster hill! Again, I didn't expect it, so my time suffered the consequences. Apparently, I keep forgetting that these races take place in Seattle, home of the hills! Hill/strength training starts now.

Me after four weeks of training.

-Height remains 5' 4 1/2"
-Weight: 117.8 lbs (goal weight met!)
-BMI: 20.1

You can see that I've lost just about 4 lbs after four weeks of training and I was not, by any means, starving myself. See, this is the wonderful thing about regular running. You burn so many calories each week, that you can eat much more than you could if you were just dieting to lose or maintain your weight (dieters are usually allowed a measly 1200 cals per day to lose a pound a week). You need the extra calories to fuel your body when you run or you will burn out quickly. However, you still have to make smart food choices. I'm not trying to say that you can start wolfing McDonald's hamburgers and french fries when you begin a running routine. Poor food choices will also cause burn out.

On average, I eat about 1750 calories daily and on days when I do my long/harder runs or races, I eat up to 2300 calories. It's great! So much better than depriving myself of food for weight loss or maintenance. I never feel hungry and I've lost weight and gained lean muscle. The greater thing is, my caloric intake will need to increase as my training gets harder. As a person who loves to eat, I'm looking forward to this!

*Running added bonus: I achieved a flatter stomach just from running alone. No tedious hours spent doing a million crunches.

Week Four Training
6/29 - Rest day
6/30 - Run 4 miles
7/1- Run 4 miles
7/2 - Tempo work, 6 miles
-One warmup mile
-Pick up the pace for 4 miles
-One cooldown mile
7/3 - Run 3 miles @ 5k pace
7/4 - Rest day
7/5 - Long run - 9 miles

Total miles for the week: 26

Week Three: NutriMirror saved my life

http://www.nutrimirror.com/

http://www.nutrimirror.com/weight-loss-statistics.php

Well, not really, but the NutriMirror (NM) site probably saved me from getting diabetes or becoming morbidly obese at some point. This site is similar to the concept of Weight Watchers only better, plus it's free (and not trying to sell you anything). Unlike other weight loss sites, this site is more focused on healthy living throughout your entire life, not just a temporary fix, like Jenny Craig type programs tend to be. I highly HIGHLY recommend this to anybody who wants to lead a healthy lifestyle, which should be all of you reading this, unless of course you're goals are to get as fat and lazy as possible. Not recommended.

Although I do have a small weight loss goal, my main purpose for using NM is to learn how to eat healthy and stay healthy. Plus, there's an added bonus of chatting with real people about your goals, setbacks, and some priceless (free!) advice about healthy eating and exercise habits.

Before starting NM about two months ago, I did not eat healthy, even though I thought I was. (Thanks mom and dad for the fast metabolism!) Almost all of my meals were Healthy Choice microwave entrees or low-cal salty snacks. Because of this, my sodium was through the roof and I was consuming very little healthy nutrients. I also rarely came near fresh fruit or veggies, and I NEVER drank any water (just mass amounts of diet sodas). I often felt sluggish, I had blotchy skin, and I never truly felt satisfied after I had eaten. Lesson: just because the package says "healthy" or "low calories" does not necessarily mean that it's good for your body.

Just after two months of using NM, I've seen vast improvements. When I first started logging my foods, which I thought were healthy, I had a rude awakening! My diet was horrific! (and probably contributed to me developing gallstones at age 17). Since then, I vowed to change. Now, everyday I eat at least two fruits and veggies, I've completely eliminated frozen entrees and processed foods, and I've replaced diet soda with about fourteen 8oz glasses of water per day. Let me tell you, I feel great!! I have this new found energy (hence the running), my skin is noticeably clearer (which means less $$ spent on makeup :) and I can exercise longer without feeling fatigued. I'm convinced that this is why I can now run 9 miles with no problem. Before, one mile was a struggle.

This all relates to my marathon training because, without proper nutrition to fuel your body, you will feel lethargic. The instant I started improving my eating habits, I started to feel more energetic- so energetic that I decided to take on 26 miles!

If you're interested in healthy weight loss or just improving your overall eating and exercising habits, do check out this site. It should actually be required for all Americans to join the site since two thirds of Americans are overweight and one third are obese. Scary, huh?

**Note: In case you were wondering, I am not getting royalties from NutriMirror for posting this. Heh :)

Week Three Training
6/22 - Rest day
6/23 - Run 5 miles @ an easy pace
6/24 - Long run - 9 miles
6/25 - Tempo work
-Run one warmup mile
-Pick up the pace for 3 miles
-Run one cooldown mile
6/26 - Run 5 miles @ an easy pace
6/27 - Rest day
6/28 - Fred Hutchinson 5k race
http://getinvolved.fhcrc.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1232721&pg=personal&fr_id=1120&et=kZgo2Bu9_Spp_LU8SnklvQ..&s_tafId=2950

Total miles for the week: 27

My new running partner!

As soon as this little doggy is old enough to run on the leash, she will be training along side me. This is my newest addition to the family. Her name is Peppercorn and she is a 3 1/2 month old purebred Boston Terrier. Bostons are known for their excellent endurance. I often see people running races with their Bostons and passing me! Peppercorn is slightly impartial to the leash right now, but she's a fast learner, as most Bostons are. She is also the most well-mannered puppy I have ever owned. Just wanted to share my new baby!

Week two of training: Looking back at the past

Remember that kid in gym class that was gravely athetically challenged? The kid who always managed to get hit in the head during kickball games? That was me; I was that kid. I once got hit in the head by a kickball when I wasn't even playing. I hated sports, they were trying to kill me!

Then, in middle school, we were required to up our ante and run the dreaded mile once a week. At that time, running a mile to me might as well have been sending me on a death march. Isn't this what they make prisoners do as punishment?!

The first time my gym teacher annonced that we were going to run the mile, I debated claiming that I was sick, I debated doing a rain storm dance, I debated doing anything I could to get out of running it! But as a very shy, awkward, middle-schooler, I said nothing and lined up at the starting line on our gravel track. The teacher blew the whistle for us to begin running. This is no joke, I took about two strides and fell flat on my face. It took me a second to get up and I quickly realized that both of my knees had huge, bleeding, open wounds. So I limped over to the teacher and asked if I could go to the nurse to get cleaned up and get some bandages. But no, not happening; he insisted that I keep running and said that I would fail for the day if I didn't. Being the shy girl that I was, I followed his orders and continued running while blood was running down my shins. I finished the mile in 15+ minutes - a failing time! I might as well have just went to the nurse and had my parents on the gym teacher's ass for making me run with bloody knee caps. I never wanted to run again. In fact, if I told myself at that time that I would later be training for a marathon, I would've probably dropped dead on the spot.

Ironically, I am now a runner and a very happy runner indeed. Running is my escape from life; a time to clear my mind. This is my second week of training and I am already starting to feel stronger. This week I will run 23 miles total. Now I just need to imagine running that far plus three miles in just a few hours. Yeah, I won't start thinking about that yet. One step at a time.

Also, in case anybody has a brief moment of insanity and decides to also train for a marathon, I'll post my training schedule each week, which was created for me by the professional runners at Runner's World. Note: this training regimen is for intermediate runners; I don't recommend this for somebody who just decides, on a whim, to start running. Please get a physical from a sports doctor and make sure your body is ready for miles and miles of pavement pounding.

Week Two Training
6/15 - Rest day (ran 8 miles yesterday)
6/16 - 5 miles @ an easy pace
6/17 - 5 mile speedwork:
- 1 warmup mile, easy pace
- 2 miles sprinting w/ half mile jogging in between each mile
-1 cooldown mile, easy pace
6/18 - Rest day
6/19 - 5 miles @ an easy pace
6/20 - Rest day
6/21 - Long run - 8 miles

Total miles for the week: 23

Running in Honor of Family

Dear Family and Friends,

I recently joined the challenge to raise funds to support the Shore Run/Walk, benefiting Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. I am running this race in memory of my amazing Grandma who was an unfortunate brain tumor victim. I am also running in honor of my brother who is a brain tumor survivor. Please support me by contributing. Your support will help fund cutting-edge immunotherapy research at the Hutchinson Center. For more information about this event, visit www.fhcrc.org/shorerun.

It's faster and easier than ever to support this great cause by making your tax-deductible donation online by visiting my page below.

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.

Sincerely,
Melissa

To make a donation online, visit:
http://getinvolved.fhcrc.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1232721&pg=personal&fr_id=1120&et=bsRvIhMJ3yVRxzXAnmr4PQ..&s_tafId=2950

Running stats so far; status: still alive

Just to give you an idea of where I'm at:


Furthest distance ran so far: 8.4 miles (3 laps around Greenlake) - only 17.8 miles to go! Did I mention that I may not survive??



Race times:

-5/17/09 - Beat The Bridge 8k (5 miles): 39:12 (Finished 58 out 608 people in my age group)
Note: 10 minutes faster than I'd ever ran it before



-6/7/09 - Komen For The Cure 5k (3.12 miles): 27:01 (Not an officially timed race)
Note: didn't expect so many hills!



-6/12/09 - Fremont 5k: 26:35 (Finished 43 out of 84 in my age group)
Note: better than before, but still too slow - a six month pregnant lady beat me!



Me! so far. After first week of training.

-Height: 5'4 1/2" (I don't expect this to change!)

-Weight: 121.6 lbs (goal is to get down to 118lbs)

-BMI: 20.8 (normal BMI for a woman is 18.5 - 25.0)



*Decently thin, but very little lean muscle and those godfodsaken thunder thighs! I'll keep posting pics throughout my training, unless of course, I somehow manage to gain weight. I have very strange luck.

The beginning of many miles

As I've told many of you, I've recently decided to become a competitive runner. This whole idea started when I was chatting with my counselor. No, not a shrink, just a regular ol' life-in-general counselor, I recommend them to you all. ANYWAY, almost everytime I go to him, he asks me about my hobbies. Well let's see here...hobbies...hobbies...hmmm....well I frequently drink a lot of beer, does that count? I think that comment just made him concerned for my well-being, great. So, I'd give him the usual, run-around - I don't make enough money to have a hobby; it's too expensive, blah blah blah. Then, about a month ago, an avid runner at my work sent out an e-mail asking if we wanted to form a team to run an 8k race (this was the Beat The Bridge event that I was begging you all for money for). So, what the hell, I signed up! I ended up finishing the race ten minutes faster than I'd ever ran it while training. Now I was encouraged; maybe I'm destined to be runnner! And shit, all you really need for this "hobby" is a good pair shoes, functioning legs, and you're set. I became instantly addicted and signed up for three more races the next day, seriously, I was that encouraged. I've done two of those races and I had a blast! Little did I know, there's more to Seattle than just a great music scene; we also have an amazing runnning culture.

Within about three months, I've become a running die-hard and even signed up to compete in the famous Seattle Marathon (26.2 miles). Believe or not, I was completely sober when signing up for this insane event and am actually really excited to train my frail little body to run like I've never ran before. Speaking of never done before, I don't usually blog because I never really have anything noteworthy to blog about, but to me, this qualifies as noteworthy, so I'm sharing. I'll continue to blog throughout my marathon training journey.

Peace ~ Melissa