Good-bye October & Happy Halloween!

Well, it looks like another month has come and gone.  Meaning, I'm one step closer to graduation, two steps closer to moving home, and about a week and half from my marathon.  Yea, these next few weeks prove to be busy and filled with all kinds of crazy goodness.

October, we had a fabulous run.  Seriously though.  Somehow between traveling and working, I managed to stay on top of my marathon training and log 191.6 miles to be exact.  That's a lot of running for 31 days.  No wonder my body is a little tired at times.  Actually though, I'm really proud of myself for sticking it through this training despite my move to NC, learning the area, and running on faith around downtown (literally).

I've learned a lot about my self this month too.  One of the most amazing things running has taught me is that I can push myself past my limits and accomplish more than I ever thought I could.  I'm grateful for not only the ability to run, but that I've learned to love it.  There's something magnificent about breaking down barriers and proving to yourself and to others that you are capable of more.

While I continue to push through this marathon training and then the marathon itself, I look forward to setting new goals and accomplishing new tasks.  Who knows what's next ---there's been talk of an ultra relay or maybe a second marathon.  Let's get through November 9 first and see where it takes me.

Happy Halloween!!!

The Not-so-glamorous running life

While I'll be the first to admit how absolutely wonderfully amazing running 40+ miles a week can be, it can also have its downfall.  Somewhere between the pages of RACES NEAR YOU and WHAT TO EAT WHEN TRAINING of Runner's World, you might overlook the pages titled THE GROSS PARTS OF RUNNING.  And of course you wouldn't see them because it's not there.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE running.  I just wish someone had told me about ALL the ins and outs included.  Here's a list:

-opposums at 5AM
-hills that never stop
-gas...you know if you ever need to toot you have to be careful no one is ever behind you...
-bathroom breaks...ugh painfully-urgent-better-get-to-the-bathroom-now breaks
-homeless people who look like zombies
-homeless people who try to sell you drugs...this hasn't actually happened to me but they LOOK like they want to sell me drugs or kidnap me
-chaffing in all the wrong places
-blisters and losing toe nails and yes that actually does happen
-dogs (that's what pepper spray is for)
-the 5AM wake up call letting you know it's time to run
-random technology malfunctions (ie. your headphones breaking mid run)
-knee/hip/muscle pain

Okay, so some of the things are generally covered in running magazines but I was always under the impression "oh that won't happen to me".  Until it does.  As you can see, I've had a lot of interesting encounters when running.

This past Saturday (while running 20 miles in Richmond with Kim), I experienced the whole headphones breaking thing.  Luckily there were only 3 miles left and we mostly chatted/complained about the last three miles/homestretch.

Today I ended up running a half marathon (what's 3 extra miles of the already scheduled 10?) and though it wasn't the best race I've ever run, I feel pretty proud of myself.  It was hilly and I had run freaking 20 miles yesterday!  So on 6 hours of sleep, 5 hours of driving, and 33.1 miles of running this weekend, I managed to maintain under a 10 minute mile without walking for a time of 2:07/2:08.

The crazy part?? I get to lace up again tomorrow.  And I'll love every minute of it.

A whole lot of catching up today

I can already tell this post is going to be a little wordy.  But there's just so much that I need to blog about and I can't even remember where I left off.  So let's start with my birthday.  For my 24th birthday I decided I wanted to go to Lynchburg and run the VA 10 miler.  It was a great race that I ran last year.  Kim and I ran it together and honestly was one of the best ways to spend my birthday. This past year, running has been such a huge part of my life.  I figured I shoulder celebrate running and my birthday at the same time.  Not to mention it gave me an excuse to eat and drink all I wanted.



Then I headed back to Durham.  Sunday was extremely depressing.  Jo and I said goodbye to most of our favorite people.  And of course the week started all over again.  Is it safe to say that I live for the weekends?? Because I absolutely do.  This week was actually a lot better than the first week.  Maybe I'm getting a knack for kids or maybe I'm just figuring out what's truly important during the day and cutting out all the extra, but this past week went smoothly.

Today I ran 20 miles for the second time.  It actually went so much better than the first 20 mile run I did.  I got up a little after 6AM, laced up my shoes, and was out the door around 6:30.  I ran all over Durham - I mean it literally would take a page just to tell you all the streets and trails that I ran.  Nonetheless, I ran the whole thing without stopping, without gels, and without gatorade.  I only took my water and the tylenol I had before I left.  I managed great time and am spending the rest of the day lazily wandering around my house.

Heading out to explore Durham in a little bit with Jo.  I'll keep you posted.