19 Mile Run-Photos & Marathon Reflections!

So...I was supposed to do my 20 mile run on Friday but b/c of my ankle...I put it off as long as I can to give myself time to heal. Honestly, I didn't HAVE to do it but I felt like I would feel a lot more confident if I did.

So...I had 2 miles easy and then 16-18 miles at goal marathon pace...depending on how I felt and how my ankle, feet were. We decided beforehand that I would ABORT the run if I felt pain that I was concerned about.

We went to a new trail in Vancouver WA called the Heritage Trail on Lake Lacamas! I HIGHLY recommend it!! it is 3.5 miles in and 3. 5miles out...but it's rolling hills and it's gorgeous! it didn't feel redundant b/c you are going in and out of the forest and the terrain is up and down..nothing hard but enough to switch it up!;)

it is very fine gravel and dirt so soft surface...great for LONG RUNS!!

I did my first 2 miles at 8:15ish pace and then dropped down to 7:30 pace...which is (WAS) goal pace! lol...

Okay...so here are my REFLECTIONS!:

This run was harder than I expected....I felt good holding that pace for the first 12-13 miles but then it got hard. I did 17 miles at this pace and honestly...it was tough today! I came to the realization that I don't want to set a HARD GOAL for my FIRST marathon!

Seriously...who am I kidding? I have NEVER run a marathon....time goals are for 2nd marathons;). The last thing I want is to feel disappointed......that was another realization...I don't think I COULD feel disappointed b/c I think I am going to be SO HAPPY and RELIEVED to just FINISH that I will be happy no matter what.

I don't know what my body will do or feel after 22 miles since I've never run further than that...I dont' know how the ELEVATION will effect me, or what the weather will be..... My goal is just to do my VERY best and I guess we'll see what that is for that day on May 14th:)

I am realizing that those last 6-7 mile are going to be 99% mental. I know I can do it...but I also know when I get tired and i'm HURTING that my mind tends to start talking me out of things. I lose sight of my goals and just want to curl up on the side of the road and sleep:)

I need to have a MANTRA to get me through those last few miles...Any Suggestions??

I am getting SCARED. I am excited, don't get me wrong but this is going to be one of the hardest and most rewarding things I have ever done....and that is also very exciting. I LOVE challenges that make me DIG DEEP and overcome HARD THINGS! isn't that what Life is about?

so many people never get to see what they are capable of.

In the end I ran 19 miles...at 7:32 average pace

17 miles was at Goal pace: 7:29

Joel took some pictures of the run today

Joel getting on his bike! thanks Joel!

Me, BEFORE, I got hot, sweaty, salty and TIRED!

Mile 14:)...the weather was 55! MY perfect temp for long runs! and NO rain!!

Mile 15

trying to flash a smile and not run off the trail into a tree!

Me and the Moosh going to pick up Meg from school!

I wanted to throw in some pics! the light was pretty and I LOVE my daughters green eyes!!

you think she could smile for me though, huh? little stinker!

Close up..I LOVE the brown freckle in Erika's eye !(right side from this view)

My beautiful Meg! ....my sweet sweet girl. I always tell her she looks like her dad...then she took the pic below...oops...I think she's startin' to look like MAMA!

(TIRED and SALTY! lol..still hadn't showered)

now you can see how crooked my nose is:) I had it fixed when I was 17, b/c I broke it as a kid..but it's still so crooked! I've learned to embrace it...it's just part of qwirky old ME!:)

Robin Eggs outside my door!!!

AS I am getting ready to head out on my 15-20mile run this morning....My neighbors show me this nest!! and it's in the bush outside our door only 4 feet off the ground! incredible!!! I can't wait to show my girls!! they will be so excited! isn't this BEAUTIFUL?!! I love nature. It makes me think of God and how he is aware of everyone of us and knows us by name....I hope He will protect these sweet little eggs and they can hatch into sweet baby birds!:)....apparently my neighbor said the stupid blue jays were trying to get to them....

and just for fun here is a silly picture of Stevie and I the other night trying out our new G12 camera....I love how my head looks twice the size of his! LOL

My marathon is at a higher elevation...what does this mean?

I remember when I signed up for my marathon 5 months ago reading something about elevation/oxygen levels effecting my marathon....
I am at sea level and my marathon is at 2200 feet:( I thought I had read I would be fine but there is a local coach who knows quite a bit about this who told my friend this could add 5min onto my time... sigh. that's a BUMMER!
but it makes sense....if there isn't as much oxygen in their air...and I haven't trained at that elevation it really could affect my performance.

Has anyone else trained at sea level then ran at an elevation of 1500 feet or more difference?

Watch out Marathon, I'm coming for you!

I literally have about 2 min b/c I am working my tail off to get caught up on work while Steve took Erika on a daddy-daughter Date and Megans' at school:):)
but my brain feels like it is going to pop from staring at the computer screen and scheduling what feels like 500 different brides wedding day schedules! aaaaahhhhh...
ANYWAY!....
I came on here to say:..........

1 mile yesterday and 2 miles this morning with NO PAIN!! woohoo!!
actually..partially true. NO ankle pain whatsoever but I am having calf pain, and pains in the muscle down the front of my shin so me and the foam roller are going to hang out tonight:):)

but I am SO taking on this marathon!!! praise GOD for his Mercy:)

some good news...

Here's the email I got from a doctor friend who works strictly with ATHLETES:

Glad to hear that you got some treatment started! I hope things are feeling better. Ultrasound is something you can do 2-3 times per day if you have it available. Keep icing as well and run to your comfort level. As long as the tendon isn't too painful, and as long as you're not limping, you can do some easy runs, but I wouldn't recommend any hard or long efforts till the pain is at least 70-80% better.

Sounds like this may have been prevented, and it sounds like you should have definitely stopped during your long run. But I think you'll still be fine to run the marathon. But, I would take it pretty easy this week. What's the date of your marathon again?

This type of injury is usually from repetitive use/overuse. It was probably, "in the works," and the long run on the rocky surface of Leif was the final straw. It's a kind of injury that can easily happen with the intense, high volume of training that marathon training calls for. It can be prevented though.

So, keep icing and have Steve do more US for you!

SOOOOOOOO...tomorrow or Friday I am going to try to run just 1 mile and see how it feels...plus do the Eliptical....then I am going to try to do just easy runs and see what happens!!!

so many emotions...

I loved watching Boston this morning...didn't you?

but my heart was heavy. I woke this morning around 6am (just shifting in my sleep) and as usual the first thought in my mind was "marathon":):) meaning...MY marathon. Lately I wake up every morning thinking about it..visualizing it...but this morning I woke up, had that thought, felt happy for one brief moment and then my heart sunk.

It might not happen I thought.

all of this is new to me and my biggest fear has been injury.

Maybe it was too much running...my body is still new to this..perhaps I DID over train?

my legs were tired on friday from the get -go and unable to run that rough terrain. I ran 15miles on wed. I think I just over did it.

I feel angry.

I feel sad.

I know that isn't going to help but that is how I feel.

in the midst of it all, I keep thinking maybe it won't be that bad. I've done some research and it says that if you stay off it til ALL pain goes away then you can try to resume running as long as you back off your mileage. so my question is If I do start running again in a week, will I be able to maintain enough miles/fitness to race and do WELL in My marathon???????????

only time will tell I guess.

I am just not ready to give up on this journey or dream. Not yet.

not without a fight.

My ankle feels Al ot better and I honestly think it will be pain free by friday which will be one whole week off running.

problem is...friday was supposed to be my big and last 20 miler so I will have to skip that......

I just want to heal and be able to run long term. That is my number 1 goal, I just hope it doesn't mean giving up Windermere:(

thanks for listening.....I have NO experience going through any of this....the training OR the disappointment and it SUCKS. thanks for listening blogging friends:)

have a GREAT Monday!!!

N.

DEVASTATED

Looks like I have Tibialis Anterior Tendonitis:(:(

and the outcome is not good.

http://www.physioadvisor.com.au/8183750/tibialis-anterior-tendonitis-tibialis-anterior-t.htm

pretty much it says I need to rest for a few WEEKS and then resume activity SLOWLY. also that I need to do physio, ultrasound, exercise, stay off my feet etc.

I think i will crawl into a hole.

I know there are other marathons but I sacrificed so much work and MONEY to train during this 10wks, My dad was coming to see me and I haven't seen him in so long and now I wont' see him at all.... and there is so much more. it's not just that I can't run.

I want to punch a wall. do you like that visualization? lol i mean really. I am just so angry and frustrated right now.

I thought I would be better in a few days but by reading the information in that link, I coudl possibly do long term damage if I try to run again.

knowing me and my stupid determination, I will probably try to run anyway....sigh.

I just don't know what to do:(

injury....

I woke up EVERY time I moved last night due to pain in my ankle:(:(

I am bandaged up and will be icing and resting and repeating til better. also...going for ultrasound treatment on Monday at my husbands clinic. Hopefully it will help.

I am PRAYING for a miracle.

sigh.

p.s for any of you Portlanders out there. DON'T run on Leif Erikson! so rocky right now.

22 Miler and drug free child birth = injury

You might be wondering about the title of my blog post?

well...let me tell you. I saw some major similarities between the two today.

3.5yrs ago I endured 12hrs of hard labour to birth this beauty....

she was 10lbs 4 oz and 22" long and gave me the surprise of my life! Pretty much I birthed a 2mo old LOL. no joke. I was the talk of the hospital for a week, apparently. I wanted to experience natural child birth so badly and it was the most amazing experience of my life but I had no idea I was about to birth a 10lb baby either!!

well, my run today was similar in difficulty. As with my labour when I hit about 8cm I knew there was no going back, somehow this baby was coming out and I was doing it by myself!. and I didn't know I had 4 more hours to go:(:(

I hit about mile 18 today and realized I was experiencing A LOT of pain and still had 6 miles to go.

I imagined my 22 miler as hard but a delightful experience......it was an easy pace long run.

I did not imagine running it in POURING rain for over 3hrs, being drenched to the bone and running it on Hilly, rocky terrain:(:(

I have expressed my dislike about Leif Erikson before b/c it is REALLY rocky lately and I have had pain in my feet after running long distances on there before but today just did me in.

I ran 10.5 miles (5.25 up and 5.25 down) and then met Joel and had to run another 10 with him and finish the last 1.5 on my own.

by mile 18 I was starting to feel alot of quad pain but worse this pain in my tibialis anterior tendon:( it is that tendon/connected to muscle that flexis when you pull your foot up like you're going to stretch your calf.

I told Joel but he said I was fine...I should have listened to my gut instinct...not that there was anything I could do at that point...it was too late...there was no way off this stinkin trail but to run 6 miles back:(:(

the last 2 miles were the most excruciating pains I have ever felt running. I had such a deep back ache in my lower back that felt EXACTLY like back labor and I KNOW what back labor feels like! by this point I wasn't enjoying running anymore:(

I think part of it is that my race through things off this week.

-I ran a hard half marathon on Sunday

-did a HARD hill workout on the treadmill less than 48hrs ago. infact I ran 15 mile on Wednesday:(

-and then this.

I should have ideally ran my 22 tomorrow but i have to work so I was left with no choice but to do it today.

By the time I drove home I could hardly walk:(:( I took a hot bath which helped a bit and now i'm limping around. Steve has wrapped my foot up for compression and immobilization but I am not allowed to run til it's better. each week I am missing my mileage marks by A LOT. this week should have been 55-60 and now will only be 48:( sigh. oh well. what can I do.

Next friday is my BIGGEST run. It's my 20 miler with 2 miles easy and 18 miles at Marathon pace...so I REALLY hope I heal quickly. only 27 days left to train and be ready to go.

I am a bit frustrated I won't lie but I also KNOW that my mind is powerful and I believe with all my heart I will be back to running by monday or Tuesday:):)

So...I DID IT! I ran 22 miles in 3hrs and 9min, through pain and anguish and CRAPPY weather. it is done. YAY!

YAY for sporty swim suits!

Okay...so I decided to screw the idea of trying to fit my athletic straight figure into cute sexy swimsuits. It's just not happening Nicole, face it.

SO....I hopped onto www.athleta.com where everything is meant for SPORTY physiques:):) YaY!!

Here is the 3 piece suit I just ordered and if it actually FITS, I will be sporting it on the beaches of Maui in 6wks!!!WOOHOO!! so excited.

and you know WHAT I LOVE???!!!

Is that the model is just as flat chested as me. I think the problem is that I look at the swimsuits on models with boobs and I think OH that is SO cute!! and then It arrives and I try it on and i'm like "woah! whats with the malfunction? This does NOT look like it did in the magazine!".

yeah..I know...not their fault...it's my own dillusional fault but still. always disappointing. I have like 12 new suits in my drawer from last year and I think I only actually like myself in 1 of them.

BUT...this year is going to be DIFFERENT! I am embracing my body for what it is!! I have worked hard and am in better shape at age 32 than I was at age 22 so I hope I look good in this one!

woohoo!!!

aaaahhhh...don't want to run 22 miles alone tomorrow!

Tomorrow is my first 22 miler. ....YOWZERS.

good news: I don't have to run it fast. it's an easy run..just to get in the 22 miles on soft surface.

Bad news: hmm where should I start?

1. it's supposed to be torrential rain tomorrow.

2. I am very likely running it alone:(:( and that FREAKS me out.

I am good at motivating myself for 22 miles if it's a RACE but not on rough hilly terrain in the woods alone.

if anyone out there is reading this who is willing to run 10miles with me, PM me!

feeling ANXIETY.

sigh. hate this.

I NEED to have a plan for these things or I can't sleep. I spoke to my coach earlier and we thought I could run with Becky, but she works, and now I can't get a hold of him. I don't have a plan on what time i'm running etc....and that drives me crazy. I am the kind of person that has to mentally prepare myself for a long run like this and go over it in my head before it happens.

I know. I'm a head case.

On an up note..only 28 days til my RACE!! woohoo!!

SUMMER and choosing swimsuits...blah...

I am completely retarded and indecisive when it comes to stuff like this and I'd like to avoid my buying and returning as much as possible!
I have been dying for the new suits at down east basics online to come out and they are finally here!!
I fell in love with the silver and white one from the catalogue but now I'm not sure!!
which one should I get? I LOVE white b/c it makes me look more tanned (lol) but I also love this turquoise one...sigh... I know this is probably lame to you but I just need some girly opinions!

keep in mind, I am NOT curvy and I have NO boobs:)
every year I HATE buying swim suits. I am completely UN proportioned .....and it makes me want to scream. I wish I knew of some good swim suits for SPORTY physiques. if you know of any, let me know! I sometimes wish I could just wear my sports bra and some boy shorts! LOL

You are my SHUNSHINE and FOOD!

That is how my 3 yr old says it.
Mommy, you sing me Shunshine song? she's so stinkin' cute and every night she wants me to sing it to her while scratching her back. she got the itchy kid syndrome that I had when I was a kid. actually I still have it.

So....
lets talk FOOD, shall we??

Tonight we had our Tuesday night dinner. We take turns with 2 other families rotating each week making dinner for all 3 families. tonight was our turn.
I made soft tacos. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm BUT I am not "allowed" to eat white tortillas.
Have any of you tried the High Fibre, Low Carb tortillas by "La Tortilla factory?"...
they are amazing.
0g sugar
TONNES of FIBER...can't recall how much and i'm too tired to get up and go to my kitchen right now.
I pretty much eat them with everything. they are my staple for lunches and dinners. I eat my sandwiches in them, my turkey burgers etc.

When I first hired Joel to coach me, I was devastated to learn that I couldn't be the carb/sugar holic I always had been if I was going to be successful:(:( He told me flat out I needed to change my eating habits!
blah...
I am still REALLY learning alot about foods and I NEED more ideas of great things to eat as an athlete.
here are few changes I have made:
1. I don't eat yogurt anymore, too much sugar.
2. I read labels to look for sugar content.
3. I watch sugar and carbs and fibre more than calories
4. I actually try to eat 100g of protein each day now
5. my top 3 breakfasts are: oatmeal with raisins, protein enriched special K, protein shake.
Just by making these few changes, I lost 7lbs in 3wks. crazy right? I Never knew food made SUCH a huge difference!


So I want to hear from you:

1. what changes have you made to your diet in the last year?
2. what is your favorites breakfast, lunch, dinner?

what are your "eating" rules you try to follow???

p.s T- 5 wks til my MARATHON!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHH

14min PR, NBD. Corvallis Half Marathon RECAP!

RACE DAY RECAP!

Up at 5:50am. brush teeth, get dressed, out the door by 6:15am.

6:55am meet Coach in Tualatin. start driving to Corvallis.

7:30am - eat 2 gels for breakfast and drink a 5hr energy.

......while we're driving Joel says to me. "You have the PERFECT day. you have rested legs. No rain. 50 degrees. You're in the best shape of your life. NO LIMITS Nicole!". ( I had said I didn't think I could get below 1:34..I was happy with 1:34-1:35)

He just about bit my head off and gave me the lecture of how powerful the mind was and told me how he ran his best half when he wasn't scared to push his limits.

I decided right then that I had no limits. My RACE PLAN was to make sure I did the FIRST MILE SLOW. Goal was 7:50 then drop to 7:15 and hold.........BUT if I found myself running faster ...then don't be AFRAID of it. Trust my body.

I arrived excited and ready to give it my all. My coach is an awesome coach and one of my greatest friends/supporters. Thanks Joel for the pre-race pep talk:) (reason #404 for having a coach).

Me and Becky were racing and Joel and Helen were taking turns pacing us.

I looked at Becky right before we left for the start line and I said "Becky, you go for the win.Promise me you'll hold nothing back! you go for it! you give it EVERYTHING you've got!".

we did a quick warm up but were paranoid about bathroom lines and only had 15min til the race started. we changed out fo warm ups and headed to the porty potty.

Now it's 8min til race start and the line up is HUGE! I am freaking out b/c I HAVE TO change my tampon and go pee or else I'd be peeing all over myself the whole race! lol...not cool.

Becky looks at me and says, I'm sorry, I'm skipping the potty, I have to go !

I was so torn, I knew I HAD to go to the bathroom but didn't want to miss the gun!

I said a Prayer "God please help me know what to do...i'm running out of time"....

Just then a girl runs out of a local building yelling "BATHROOM ON THE 2ND FLOOR! NO LINES!".

You better believe it was a SPRINT across the parking lot!!! lol...I booked it up those stairs, went potty and was in line with 1min to go before the gun went off! ha ha...THANK YOU GOD!

The gun goes off and before I know it my watch says 7:00 pace but I felt like I was running a 9:00 pace...I MADE myself slow down, and watched a bunch of women pass me.

"you'll get them later Nicole, play this race smart, you've got 13 miles to go".

I did my first mile at 7:30 but it felt perfect......I started to pick it up from there:) Mile 2 was a 7:02 but I worried a bit and slowed down. I wanted to execute this perfectly...I wanted to get progressively faster.

by mile 3 I was starting to pass people.... even though I dropped down and ran the 3rd mile to a 7:14.

AT mile 4 we started the first Long 1 mile climb. The crowd had thinned out a bit.....I talk to myself in my head A LOT when I race.

"Nicole, you've run hills MUCH MUCH steeper than this at a 6:40 pace. Now is the time to start working. Pass those women". so....off I went...steady pace..I passed 2 women and a lot of men:)

at the top of the hill (mile 5 I think) I see my coach waiting for me:) off we go...."just you and me now " he says..... "you're 10th female in line right now"

we passed some more men (gotta love that) and I got fed with great encouraging words like "you look great, you look strong, you're born to do this Nicole, lets go!":):) it's so great having a coach or a friend to encourage you while you run.

I have to admit I didn't quite need it yet though. I was feeling amazing! I felt so strong.I felt that RACE DAY MAGIC I had read about and I knew it was going to be a killer race for me!

Mile 5 was a 6:58. So far so good! I know my body and I know the longer I run the faster I get IF I run it right:)

Mile 6.5 - 8 is another long steady climb. This was when I started to notice I was feeling a bit tired and when I was going to have to actually start WORKING to stay under a 7min pace:)

aA we headed to the top of mile 8 there were 2 more women in front of me.

Joel says "okay you're going to surge okay?" (I'm thinking..What? surge? UP a hill? NOW? you're nuts!) but for some reason when you're tired and your coach is telling you to do something, you do it!

So I surged for 10 seconds and passed 2 more women:):) Every time I passed another female, I felt like it made me stronger.

now another break on the down hill......I was tired but for some reason I just kept doing what Joel told me to do. I wanted to do my best, I had the fire in my belly that I was missing at last weeks track meet:)

After this it was a few short hills..much steeper but short and quick. I tried to surge up those as well:)

We passed a few more girls and then t mile 9.5 we came up on the green goblin. I will just call her that b/c I got sick of looking at the back of her bright green shirt ! LOL....

Helen had now joined us and I had Helen AND Joel telling me what to do lol!

it's funny but I never said a single word the entire time Joel or Helen ran with me! lol...I never talk in races. too tired. too focussed. In my head I would respond but never aloud:) i'm such a weirdo! ha ha....

ANYWAY..this was the hardest part of the race....I passed the green goblin (also known as the sweet girl Aubrey, I spoke to AFTER the race) THREE diff times...and it was HARD to pass her....especially since every time I did, about 1-2min later she would sprint passed me again.

My coach would say "it's okay, it's okay". then 2 min later he would tell me to do it again!

I knew if I did it enough times ONE of us would get discouraged or not be able to keep up and I was PRAYING it would be her!

when I hit the mile 12 marker and had only 1 mile to go, I tried one last time! except this time it was inch my inch that I tried to pass her.

I somehow managed to push and by the time I had less than half a mile to go I felt that my legs were done....I was pumping my arms and i'm sure the look on my face was completely ridiculous and painful b/c that is how I felt lol.....I was still afraid the Green Goblin was going to catch me again but to no avail...I finished 20 seconds ahead of her!!!

I turned the corner and headed down the ramp into the Stadium!!! It was such an amazing feeling!!!!! Here I come...can you tell I'm D.O.N.E?? :):)

Joel told me, if you have NOTHING left at the end,then you executed the perfect race and I feel like I ran my PERFECT race. I paced myself those first 5miles perfectly to ensure I had what I needed to fight the last few miles.

It was an amazing race! 1:32:18 was my final time

. ...I never thought I would go from 1:46:21 to 1:32:18 in 7 months of training! Again, thank you JOEL!!!

As for Becky???? she WON. Oh yes...and she won by passing the first place girl...who had BEEN in first place the entire 13 miles, with only 5 meters to go!! The crowd in the stadium was going WILD!!!!

I was so proud of her I cried! she is a rockstar!!

Here she is passing the girl for the WIN in 1:24:19

**You have to click on the photos to see them larger and see her faces in these pics! the emotions are so strong! I start crying just looking at them!

So here are my splits and some pictures of us post race:

mile 1: 7:30

Mile 2: 7:07

Mile 3: 7:14

Mile 4: 7:11

Mile 5: 6:58 (this was up that long steady climb)

Mile 6: 6:55

Mile 7: 6:48

Mile 8: 7:10 (up the long hill)

Mile 9: 6:52

Mile 10:6:53

Mile 11:7:12

Mile 12: 7:11

Mile 13:6:58

Helen, Becky, Joel

Helen, Me, Becky

Me and Becks! love this girl!

me and my coach!! I'm such a poser, I can't help it!

us with Joel:)

had a "moment" on my run today......

Today I slept in. Yep, started my stupid period and that explained why I was so tired.

so about 2:30pm I finally headed out for my run and I am SO glad I waited b/c by this time the frost and ice from this morning had turned into gorgeous sunlight, warmth, blue skies and a few cumulonimbus clouds.

I ran in SHORTS and a T-SHIRT and I was still warm! it was the MOST BEAUFITUFL SUNNY DAY!!!

I listened to Harry Potter the whole time as I trekked along.

Have I mentioned that I started listening to the Harry Potter series? I LOVE THEM!!! I'm SO addicted and it makes getting up at 6:30am to run outside alone so much more enticing:)

Anyway....I am running along today, feeling great and I had this "moment"....it was as if my own voice was speaking to me and it suddenly said "I am a runner. I am finally here".

You see I spent 10 plus years WANTING to be a RUNNER. Knowing I was MEANT to be a runner but not knowing where to start or how to GET THERE.

It was a special feeling. I have finally somehow made the dreams into reality.I have done it. I have worked hard, followed the voice inside and I am here. It feels so good. I feel like I am where I am suppose to be. It is not without it's daily challenges trying to raise a family, run a business and keep a husband happy who thinks my running takes up too much time:(:( and still put in the work and miles to train for a full marathon.....BUT it is worth it to me:)

we all have choices to make.

we all choose what is important to us.

My family is the MOST important to me.

but running is important too. It has become like a warm blanket in my life.

I am good at something...will I ever be the BEST? no. but will I ever be MY BEST? yes. If I keep working hard enough, I will.

I love to run. I love to race. It makes me happy. not much more to say than that I guess.....those are the feelings and thoughts on my mind today.

and thank our God for a day of beautiful sunshine. i think we all needed that:)

Half Marathon this weekend

Meg told me about this blogger and I love this post: http://californiatraining.blogspot.com/2011/04/race-day-magic.html

go check it out!

it got me thinking as she talked about "Race Day Magic" and I am excited for my race this weekend!

I have been nervous about whether or not I can run a 7:15 pace for 13.1 miles or not b/c I have only run 6-7 miles of easy pace all week BUT I'm done with that way of thinking.

I need to believe in the MONTHS of training I have put in. I have worked my butt off and I have been CONSISTENT for months. I have not skipped runs, or slacked. I have done exactly what I was supposed to and I am going to go into this half marathon with peace knowing that if my mind is in the right place, I can pull off that 1:35 and maybe even better;)

My last Half marathon was exactly a year ago and I ran 1:46:21.....so you better BELIEVE I'm gonna have a HUGE PR this weekend and I can't WAIT!

Sad part is I will be running under another name in the Corvallis Half marathon: "Emily Canfield" lol b/c the race was sold out and I had to dig to find someone who was injured to sell me their bib! either way, I get a chip and a bib and I get to run with my team!

Bring it on!

had a bit of a psycho breakdown!

wow. Okay....

so after the track meet, though not BECAUSE of the track meet, I had to talk to my coach. I have been feeling so worn out:( I still couldn't break 11min miles for any of my easy runs, I have been exhausted though I was sleeping. I got REALLY REALLY depressed...I mean a SUPER LOW this monday and Tuesday....sigh....it's been a LONG time since I've felt like that.

I was supposed to do my special block on Monday which was a 15-20 mile day broken into 2 runs at 90% marathon pace and then 5 miles of sprints at the end but he pulled me from it.

I came to a few realizations about where I went wrong and WHY I was feeling burnt out after 3 weeks of running and I hope I can learn from this and get back to my workouts next week without burning out again.

1. Because I was sick and missed my 2 weeks of base miles, I felt behind so I JUMPED into

my training when I could run again when I SHOULD have eased into it. The impatient Nicole got

the best of me.

2.I ran my first 16 miler too hard...then I ran my 20miler WAY too hard.

I read the other night how in training you should never run like you would in race but at the end of my 16 and 20's I was running it as HARD as I could. Like wise with my speed workouts, I was leaving myself dead. unable to do another interval.I read that you should always be able to do one more interval...but you STOP before that:) This isn't my coaches fault...I did this on my own:(. Silly Nicole

3. I stayed up WAY too late every night last week and I think maybe that caught up with me.

SO.....after 2-3 weeks of this, I was DEAD. ....which lead to a physical breakdown and MENTAL breakdown.

when I was reading it said how if you burn yourself out mid training the only way to fix it is to go BACK TO BASE MILES for 3 weeks. Obviously I don't have 3 weeks (only 6wks of training left) so my coach decided to take me off speed work this week and I have been doing EASY runs ALL week:)He said he feels confident that we can still fix this.

At first I was really mad at myself but then as I gained more perspective I realized that this is all just a learning experience. I am a brand new runner. I have A LOT to learn.

I'm sure with each new training cycle, I will learn new things. I've also learned that marathon training is alot more intense than my regular training and a 2nd marathon might have to wait til both my girls are in school b/c it is just very time consuming when I am trying to run a business and be a mother and wife.

I have been feeling a lot better and able to do my easy runs comfortably at a 8-9:15 min pace again. I still feel unusually fatigued when i'm running but at least my watch is showing I can actually run again.

I am feeling optimisitc that by OVER-compensating this week and giving my body time to recover I will be able to jump back on the band wagon next week and hopefully not have messed things up too bad.

I am also supposed to run a half marathon this weekend. I have been SO excited b/c my last half was a year ago and was 1:46:) I know I can slaughter that now but my 1/2 has fallen through and now I am trying to figure out what race I am going to run this weekend. There is the Vernonia half but it is a gradual climb from mile 6-13.....sort of annoying..wouldn't be my best time but might have to bight the bullet and do it. I wanted to do the corvallis half but it's sold out:( blah...if you know anyone doing it who wants to sell me there bib, I'll take it!! My friend Becky is running it so the whole team will be there already.

anyway....

that is why I haven't been around much. I spent Monday and Tuesday hiding in my house and bawling my eyes out miserable. Not b/c of this, just because. Wish I knew WHY?? Have been feeling like an emotional basket case. it is NOT COOL. I better not be PREGNANT! lol...I kid, I kid....gosh...that would be extra NOT COOL:):)

So happy Thursday everyone!!! keep those legs moving!

xx

Adrenal Fatique? what do you know?....

My husband just got en email from a former school mate who is a Natural Path. She said by reading my facebook she thinks I have "Adrenal Fatique". I CAN relate to alot of the symptoms when I looke them up but they could also be symptoms of many things. Before I contact her, I was curious if any of you know anything about this? have had it or known someone who has? thanks for the help!

Willamette University 5K Collegiate Track Meet Recap and PHOTOS!

well....hmm...

Where should i start..I wish I had a tape recorder built into my body somewhere b/c my comentary after this race last night and all I was going to write here was pretty darn funny.

Where to start? well...lets just say when I showed up and looked at all the people in the stands I had 2 inital thoughts:

1. Hmm. I never thought about the fact that there would be a stand full of people WATCHING.

2. I am REALLY old compared to these girls and I DON'T belong here.

I continued to make jokes about how if I couldn't be the fastest, maybe I could be the cutest? lol

I never felt a lot nerves like I normally do and I never Felt ANY adrenaline at the starting line. I felt very complacent. I was excited to have FUN but didn't really feel any drive to COMPETE. I wish I did, but all week I have just not felt motivated.

I was seated 13th (from my best 5K time), out of the 25 of us, but I didn't run like it lol.

though I was told to run my first mile in 94 second laps (6:16), I ran it in 6:10:( and then went down from there.

After that first mile, I was peeing and I mean PEEING my pants lOL...except I was wearing short shorts and it was running down my legs! LMBO. all I could think was "does the girl behind me see this??" lol..THAT kind of slowed me down and I thought...maybe I should stop? I mean I seriously considered walking off the track...but somehow I just kept putting one foot in front of the other. ha.

I was at the end of the pack, 3rd to last, **(update: I WAS the LAST!) lol, by the end of the run...but I didn't feel bad at all! in fact I actually felt PROUD that I was running with these girls! I was the ONLY 32 yr old mom in that race ! :D

Plus I have to remember that I am in atraining schedule for LONG distance....a marathon...not a 5K. I did tell my coach that after my marathon and half marathon races I want to buckle down for a while and work on 5K/10K stuff. I actually LIKE running 5ks:)

anyway...here are the pics from the race!!

me and Becky:)

I am in the black shorts and white sports bra. but you probably figured that out.

Me and Helen. she ran a 38:30 in the 10K.