Run for your Life!!!

Best Run EVER

2009-09-06T22:22:00.003-04:00

After my upset stomach issues a few weeks ago, a run up the side of a mountain, and a 2 10 mile runs in 3 days, I was due for another long, long 6am run. This week was a good one, I ran 18 miles during the week (a few short of my 22 mile goal, but 18 is still good). I have been using the GU during my 10 mile runs to see which kind I like best, and which kind my stomach is most tolerant of. I seem to like the Strawberry Banana best during long runs so far, but the Chocolate Outrage tastes just like chocolate frosting. It's kind of amazing.

But that's not the point. The point is, I wanted to do 16 miles this Saturday, so 7 Team in Training members set out with hopes of running 16 or 18 miles. The longer we ran, the smaller our group got due to injuries and aches. Four Marine Corps Marathon women runners finished out the longest run ever. We all decided to go for it, and I ended up doing right at 18 miles, up from my 13.5 longest run from weeks prior.

The hardest parts were after the water breaks, trying to make my legs run again. They were like, "NO!!! Can we PLEASE stop now???" but we couldn't. From the waist up I felt ok; sweaty, but functional. From the waist down...barely functional, but it's a lot easier to run through a muscle pain than a stomach pain. I feel really good the closer we get! I'm learning a lot about my body, what I put into it, and how that affects my running ability. Pretty excited. Next up, the hills of Lexington, The Mud Run, then...the dreaded 20 miler. Bring it on.

A race, and a lonely run

2009-08-29T16:19:00.000-04:00

Last weekend my family traveled to the Springmaid Mountain to run a 10k/5k race. I love the face that my family just up and runs races together...it makes me happy. My dad has been running for about 30 years at this point and was the one who inspired me to start running 2 years ago. He has run the Myrtle Beach marathon and many smaller races, so we like to see if we can keep up. He and I set off for the 10k, while Laura and Josh stuck with the 5k. Jessica couldn't run b/c of the baby and mama's neck surgery kept her out of commission, but we were happy to have a few cheerleaders at the finish line.

The race took us straight up a mountain. Although I was missing a 14 mile run, I believe the intensity of this race more than made up for the lack of miles. It was terribly muddy and slippery, and absolutely up the mountain for about the first 4 miles. I had chest pains from my panting, but was able to finish my miles in just over 13 minutes...slow, yes, but necessary for the conditions.

This week called for a 10 mile Saturday morning run, and I set off alone for this one. I usually run about 5-6 miles on my solitare runs, and the one 8 mile run I did alone was not very successful. But I am happy to say I made it running all 10 miles today. It was warm, but the summer dwindling to a close is making warm a lot more pleasant that hot as hell Columbia we've been experiencing for the last 2 months. Next week is 16 miles, and hopefully my practicing the shorter runs with different Gu will prove useful and help me not feel sick of any more runs!

Sept. 24th I will have my fundraising shindig at Blue featuring the AMAZING musical talents of Mighty Mcfly! Can't wait!

Thanks!

2009-08-20T09:14:00.003-04:00

We've reached the $1,000 mark for fundraising! Special thank you to Absolute Glass for donating in honor of their neice, and to Joe and Elfrieda Clark from Lancaster for sending me the donation that puts me up to $1,000! (That donation will be posted to the website early next week.)

But...that means we still have just over one month to raise $2,500. I know this is possible; plenty of organizations raise that much in a day, so I am hopeful and sure that I'll get it all in.

Especially now that Mighty Mcfly has agreed to play a charity event in September to raise the rest of the money!!! Mighty Mcfly!!!! Not only are they my most favorite 80's cover band, they are playing for a great cause! I'm very excited and will update with all the details soon. Washington, DC, here we come!

I am also pleased to report that another Team in Training member has motivated me to the max with this week's short runs. Today I felt better than I have in a long time about the 5 mile run. We ran it faster than we have all week, and we're feeling good about this weekend! Unfortunately I will miss this week's long run. I'm not taking a break from running, I'll be participating in the Springmaid Mountain 10k with my family. The distance won't be quite as far as my training requires, but I'm hoping to be competitive and push myself harder during the 6-ish miles.

Thanks again everyone who has already donated!!!! That's a lot of money that is going to help fight cancer!

Halfway there

2009-08-17T08:58:00.003-04:00

This week was not a great one in the running life of Sarah. I was a little sluggish and unmotivated to put in the required miles during the week, which left me excited and a little weary about the 6am Saturday run.

OUr running coach sent us an email about the psychological toll those long runs can take on runners, and I experienced that with this run.

I got off to a late start and had to rush out the door with a bagel and bottle of water in hand. I don't like to eat right before running, but i knew i would need some kind of fuel to make it. My stomach doesn't like eating and immediately running either, but i thought I could make it work.

Well, about halfway through I realized I had made a mistake...maybe too much information, but I was aching. But, knowing I still had at least 7 miles to run, i decided to refuel with my power gel. This is only the second time I've used this in my training, but I had no trouble with it the week before. I took my little shot of carbs and electrolytes and a little caffeine to get me through the rest of the run. I had been warned by more seasoned runners that sometimes this stuff can effect you negatively in the stomach region...horror stories about the need for a porta-potty along the run, if you catch my drift.

I was already feeling bad, and that made it worse. I made it 13.5 miles, but I literally thought I might not make it, and at one point was tempted to knock on someone's door to use their facilities.

Plus, when I got home and removed my clothes that were completely soaked with sweat (I mean, not a dry spot on my entire body) and jumped in the shower, I then felt the sting of the water on my chaffed chest. Chaffed from the gel that I had not so smartly placed in my sports bra. I didn't realize it was rubbing until the post-run painful shower.

Needless to say, I spent the remainder of my day in bed and close to home. The stomachache did not subside until the afternoon and my achy legs and tired mind needed a day of rest.

Regardless, I learned a lot from this Saturday's run.
1. I can make it halfway through the marathon. 13.5 miles is a long way, and I did it, painfully and slowly, but I finished.
2. I should not carry anything in my sports bra except my boobs. Nothing else belongs in there.
3. I need to allow myself a few extra minutes in the morning to slowly wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, and chill before heading out the door.
4. I need powergel without caffeine (which for some people acts as a natural diuretic...i think i am some people.)
5. I would have given up on this marathon 2 months ago if it weren't for my Team in Training group and their support. I don't know how I thought originally that I could do this alone. NO WAY. They are such a blessing.

Still Running

2009-08-03T15:04:00.003-04:00

12 miles! That was our total for Saturday morning's 6am run. It was the perfect day to go the distance since the sun didn't show itself at all. There was a little misty rain the whole time, but I'm pretty sure I was giving off as much moisture as I was getting! It was fun, and I'm feeling confident as we keep adding miles!

Now its time to get serious about my fundraising. After recieving a good response from the letters, I am almost up to $900, but that still means I am only 1/3 finished. If i can run 12 miles, surely i can raise that by October!

Like Eminem

2009-07-06T13:26:00.003-04:00

Because I finally did that 8 miles! It was a great day yesterday in Columbia...overcast, breezy, but no rain to be seen, so I took off after I let my breakfast settle to conquer the 8 miles! It felt good to get that one out of the way after missing it last week. The cold has gone away hopefully for good, so I'm back on track!

Back to Running!

2009-07-02T13:09:00.003-04:00

The cold is slowly subsiding, so I am back to running more miles! I feel lazy about the past 2 weeks since I missed my scheduled 8 mile run last Saturday. I am trying not to get discouraged since I still have about 17 weeks of training left. Plenty of time to make up for my 8 mile run.

Since I still can't breathe very well, I've been doing shorter runs more frequently over the past few weeks. I have a tally of the last 3 months progress of running, and if you break it down by day it doesn't look like a whole lot, but there is definitely a progression since April!

April: 20 miles
May: 38.35 miles
June: 59.5 miles

For a grand total of...117.85 miles! If you average it out, it still only comes to a little more than one mile per day for the last 3 months, but I am so proud to see the progression! In July I will probably double that last number as we start to have double digit mile runs! Plus, I've already run 4.5 marathons in the last three months, so I can totally do this!

Its easy to get discouraged on some days, like yesterday when my 5 mile run nearly did me in. But I am so encouraged when I have a great 7 mile run, and when I check my email or mailbox to see that another friend has contributed to the cause because they believe I can do. Guess what? I can do. I am going to do it!

I don't want to admit it...

2009-06-29T10:41:00.004-04:00

But I missed my long run this weekend. I don't want to make excuses, but I have had a cold for the past few days that just won't let up! I did run yesterday, a short run, just to try to get the heart pumping. It felt good, but I didn't have the energy to go the full 8 miles. I did however, blow my first snot rocket from my nose. I know that's gross, but there was no tissue and I didn't really have any other option.

I hope the cold medicine does its job and that I am able to run snot-free by the end of the week. i still have plenty of time to make the up for the missed long run, so let's hope for no more colds!

Training Update

2009-06-18T14:18:00.002-04:00

Thanks again everyone for continuing to send donations! We're up to the over $600 mark, so we're making progress!

As far as the running goes, I'm feeling really good! We ran 7 miles this Saturday, and this week the plans are to run between 14-17 miles spread over 3-4 days. I'm up to 9 so far, and I'm planning to add 5 to that this afternoon. The temperatures of Columbia summers make the runs challenging, but I'm learning to get used to it. I have been trying to do more morning runs. I wish I were motivated every morning to enjoy the 80 degree AMs, but unfortunately I enjoy sleeping, meaning I am at the mercy of the 95 degree afternoons. I could go to the gym, but I have trouble staying on a treadmill for more than 30 minutes. And this girl can't run 5 miles in 30 minutes...yet.

My newest goal is to arise early to conquer the running before the heat dominates the day. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Shout out

2009-06-04T14:38:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to give a little shout out to Ashley and Heather for making the largest donation I have received so far. I really really really appreciate those two being so generous in their support! Thanks guys!

June 3rd

2009-06-03T09:10:00.003-04:00

Sunday marked my longest run as of yet. I missed my Saturday morning 6 mile group run, so I set out at about 9am on Sunday to complete 6 on my own. I've never run more than 5 miles at one time, and let me just say that 9 am is too late to start an hour long run during a Columbia summer. And yes, I do realize that it is only going to get hotter! I did the run though, and I'm proud to say that I came out of it alive and well!

Yesterday was the most difficult run yet. Although it was only a four mile run, I struggled. I'm pretty sure it may have had a little something to do with the 95 degree temperature. The small breezed offered little comfort. As I was considering stopping to walk or pass out on a park bench, I thought about why I was running. Before we started the run, we were introduced to Ruth Buchanan, a 12 year old girl who at the age of 5 underwent 2 1/2 years of chemo and radiation to treat Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.
Now she's in remission, and is just as happy as she can be. I thought about her smiling face and how impressed she was that we were running miles instead of laps like she runs in gym. She's one of our Honored Heros and one of the reasons I feel inspired to keep on running.

Plus, if I'm giving up on a measly 4 mile run just because it's a little warm outside, what am I going to do when I'm running 10 miles in the middle of July?

May 27th

2009-05-27T09:24:00.001-04:00

At this point the marathon is about 22 weeks away.

Our Team in Training group ran 45 minutes on Saturday, marking the beginning of the longer runs. I realize 45 minutes isn't that long when compared to the 4-5 hours of a marathon, but its early, so there is plenty of time to be well trained. We are continuing 40 minute runs this week, and they are getting easier and easier! I can already feel the progress as my legs ache less and my breathing and heartrate become more steady with each run! Plus I'm getting some pretty awesome leg muscles.