This is a long post...the culmination of months and months of training! Read if you will, skim if you wish, and picture browse if you must.

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Activity: THE MARATHON!
Distance: 26.2 miles
Weather: 45-60F I guess that it was pretty gusty, but I had other things on my mind... I did notice a huge gust right when I was making a U-turn by the Capitol Bldg to run back on the other side of the National Mall
Time: 4:50:09 officially (I estimate ~4:33 w/ no bathroom breaks based on my iPod playlist)
Average: 11:03 wow, that's really slow.. (~ 10:25 w/ no BR breaks)
Splits (from the MCM website):
5 Mile - 0:48:49 (9:45 split 1BR break)
10 Mile - 1:37:19 (48:30/5 = 9:40 split 1BR --> 9:44 total 1BR)
1/2 M. - 2:15:28 (38:09/3.1 = 12:18 split 1BR --> 10:20 total 2BR) I waited for the bathroom for a while.
15 Mile - 2:35:40 (20:12/1.9 = 10:38 split 0BR --> 10:23 total 2BR)
20 Mile - 3:38:48 (1:03:08/5 = 12:38 split 1BR --> 10:56 total 3BR) ouch. I did take a bathroom break, but that was a rough 5 miles! keep on choppin'!
23 Mile - 4:14:32 (35:44/3 = 11:55 split 0BR --> 11:04 total 3BR) see, I did speed up a little bit!
FINISH - 4:50:09 (31:37/3.2 = 9:53 split 0BR --> 11:03 total 3BR) woooahh sub-10 minute mile pace?! I'm like Speedy Gonzales!!

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FRIDAY: I drove down to Brandy's grandfather's house on Friday night after Synoptic. I'm so glad that I missed the worst of the traffic because it still took 1.75 hours to drive 30 miles. It's amazing that people actually commute into DC daily! Once I got there, Brandy and I had our little reunion YAYAYAY! Then, I was served some of her grandpa's yummy Pasta Fagioli. We chatted for a bit and headed to bed early (the most important sleep is 2 days before the race).

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SATURDAY: We went to the DC Armory to pick-up our race packets and to enjoy all of the freebies at the expo! There was free beer, but it was Michelob Ultra - if it had been something good, I may have been tempted for a little taster. Then we got some lunch. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts (lots of places downtown are not open on weekends...), we got some food at the little sports bar attached to the Holiday Inn, and I got to see the end of the Penn State game! We also drove some of the course. I mostly wanted to get a gander at the 200ft hill at the beginning.







Brandy strikes a pose on our red carpet entrance to the DC Armory to pick up pre-race packets.








I got pretty nervous for the race around mid-day. My left foot was hurting right behind my big toe. It wasn't entirely psychosomatic, but I was def focusing on it and freakin' out a bit.

On Saturday night, Sylvia and Brandy's grandpa made an absolutely delicious chicken dinner. mmmmm it was like Thanksgiving (minus turkey + chicken). I ate a whole bunch of broccoli, some mashed potatoes, stuffing, chicken, and salad. It was a pretty well-rounded pre-race meal! I also ate some yummy blueberry cheesecake. I really need the recipe for that!

In addition, I forgot that I tend to lose my appetite when I am nervous. Before gymnastics meets, I didn't eat very much. This is not a smart tactic when you are going to be using some 3000 calories of energy the next day. I only had an apple and a salad for lunch. I was able to eat more for dinner. I didn't eat as much as I probably should have, but energy didn't turn out to be a problem during the marathon.

We went to bed around 10pm to get a good night's rest. While I was falling asleep, I started to feel better about the race and to get excited again. The primary goal was to finish, and I could do that!!!

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RACE DAY: woooooaaahhhh!

We woke up hella early (5am), but, thankfully, DST ended that weekend - we got an extra hour! I was nervous/excited on the drive to the race shuttle in Crystal City and kept taking everything out of my bookbag and repacking it. Sadly, I left my watch at Brandy's grandpa's house. oh well. At least I had my iPod! We got to the race queueing area at about 7:15, and Brandy and I were quite chilly for the next hour-ish! There was some aerobics group that ran a pre-race warm-up that reminded me of Chrystal's 80s aerobic workouts (we work hard for the money!). I attempted to go to the bathroom, but I was nervous and couldn't go.







This is before the race. It's too bad that there's a shadow cuz it's a cute pic.






Brandy and I finally realized that we were nearly a mile away from the start of the race and headed toward the mobs of people. Brandy was in the 1st wave (Scarlet), and I was in the 2nd (Gold). We said our goodbyes and good lucks and went our separate ways. Brandy's wave was scheduled to start at 825am, but there was a 10 min delay to ensure that the course was clear. After the 1st wave set-off, I got near the beginning of my wave. Unfortunately, someone had to get carted off in an ambulance in the first few hundred yards of the race (poor guy/girl!). Therefore, my wave was further delayed, but we were on our way at 9:03am. The announcer was amusing. "Put your hands in the air as you cross the start line and say to yourself that you only have 26.2 miles left to run!"

I guess that I started off a little bit too fast. My first split was 9:15, but I didn't get any more splits for awhile because the other clocks were set with the 1st wave's start time. The hill at the beginning was a piece of cake compared to some of my training runs in State College. The run down Spout Run was very pretty. I was thorougly amused: it seemed that if one man saw another man peeing in the woods, he would run over to join him. I took a bathroom break (in a porta-potty, thank you) at mile 4.5 just past the bridge into Georgetown. Despite the bathroom break, I finished my first 5 miles in 48:49. whew! I was feeling good at that point, but I tried make myself slow down.

Then we headed up the Rock Creek Pkwy. The first wave of runners were coming back the other direction, so I tried to look for Brandy in her pink top...no luck :( At mile 8, I took my first GU break. I was doing really well up until that point. In my training runs, I did not have any problems with eating, but my stomach was NOT happy with me after the food break. I started to get the chills and feel sorta sicky and had to slow down quite a bit. I wasn't sure what was wrong and thought that maybe I needed more water... there wasn't another water break until mile 10 tho. I was glad for my iPod playlist and that I got to run along the river.

Next, we ran along the Mall and past all of the downtown monuments. This part of the run was probably my favorite. Even tho I was still feeling sicky, I ran by the crowd and high fived some kids on the side that were cheering. There were so many wonderful spectators there to cheer us on!







How awesome is this picture?! I only have a thumbnail right now, but I'm goin to buy the original from MarathonFoto.






I took another bathroom break at mile 12. ugh. I still wasn't sure why I felt so sick, but I hoped that a bathroom break would help. I also felt light-headed, so I thought that I needed more food. I took a Clif shot at mile 13 and crossed the halfway mark (yay!). There was another water break, but my stomach was very unhappy at this point. It cramped up, and I had to stop and walk for a bit to let it settle down. I was getting a little upset at this point and just wanted my stomach to feel better so that I could run since that's what I freakin' trained for! The cramps abated, and I was able to start running again for the loop around the Tidal basin (yay for more water!).





Where's Steph? I'm like lightning! I look like im taking pictures or something, right?? This photo was taken around mile 15 by my parents.





This next part of the run was def the hardest to push through. My stomach was cramping up quite regularly, forcing me to walk for about a minute for each mile between 15 and 20. I had not anticipated any gastrointestinal issues and had absolutely no idea how to to cope with it. I didn't want to get dehydrated, so I forced myself to drink 2 waters at each water break even tho the water was also hurting my stomach. At mile 19, I tried to take another bathroom break. It was to no avail. I was still getting the chills, so I put my long-sleeve back on.

At this point (~mile 20), I realized that my stomach was not going to start to feel better. I decided to run the best that I could to the finish! We crossed over the Potomac on I-395 (yes, they closed the interstate!), and I think that I might have picked up my pace because I was starting to see the light. My muscles/joints weren't really hurting too bad. They didn't feel GOOD, but I had prepared for that and knew that I could push through it.

On the other side of the river, I continued to take 2 waters as I walked through my water breaks. It wasn't easy to start running again, but it was easier to run than it was to walk (isn't that crazy?!). There was a big party in Crystal City. Actually, I sorta wanted to cheat..there were runners going the other direction and people stretching inbetween. I totally could have stopped, stretched, and jumped in going the other way. What's the fun in that tho?

I really don't remember that much from the infamous last 5K of the race. I had prepared for this part to be the toughest since I had maxed at 20 miles, but my stomach issues had made the middle part (specifically, miles 15-20) harder. All that I knew was that I could keep on running. It becomes purely mental at some point: I completely forgot my stomach and that my muscles were cramping up and continued putting one foot in front of the other (as cliched as that sounds). After I passed the Pentagon, I started to get excited because I had seen that part of the course before the race. I could gauge where the finish was! It was within reach!!!







I think that this pic was taken near the end of the marathon...look at my stride length. I'm goin' pretty slow!






There was a little steep hill right after mile 26. For all of those that think that the marathon is 26 miles, there is still another 0.2 to go! This distance may seem completely insignificant compared to the first 26 miles, but it was the most significant part for me. I def had a grin on my face even tho I had to climb a hill to the finish!!






I'm about to cross the finish line..YAY!





I cannot describe the multitude of emotions as I passed the finish line, but I will try to name a few: ecstasy, pride, relief, and pure and total fatigue.

After I crossed the finish and was standing in line for my medal, I noticed how much my body was hurting. My back and hips were spasming; I had to lean forward to relax them. All that I wanted was to be away from the mass of people, so I headed directly to the left where people were not congregating (therefore, that was the wrong direction!). I finally found an exit, asked the marine (yes, maam?) where the area was to meet up with my group, and headed back into the mass of people.

Brandy's dad found me...yay I could change into my clean, dry clothes! It was very hard to walk because my muscles were still spasming, so I sat down and called Waverly. The finish area was simply too chaotic to hope to find anyone easily. I was sad that I wasn't going to see Wave, but I really wanted to sit down, shower, and relax. Brandy, her parents, and I headed back to her grandfather's car that was parked a couple of blocks away! Her grandpa is awesome!





post-marathon pic of me and Bran! Don't you just love the obnoxiously yellow MCM shirt?!?! oh, and zoom in to see my salt crusties!






Now, you're getting to the goooood part...we pull away...I have 3 new voicemail...I check them...SURPRISE my parents are at the finish line!!!! WHAT?! you're at the finish?! what finish?! you drove down to DC?! There was very little cell phone reception at the finish because everyone and their mom (literally) was on the phone, so my phone never rang. It took a couple of minutes after I got away from the finish area for my voicemail to register that I had voicemails. The end result is that I didn't get to see them :( we were already on the road by the time that I found out that they had come, and it would have been really hard to meet up with all of the chaos at the finish. I was sad.

Mom and Dad, thank you so much for coming to the marathon to see me! It means the world to me! I love you both so much :-D

Aside: My parents and Waverly were both watching along the finish and didn't see me. My chip also didn't register immediately that I finished. I almost thought that it was a dream!

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I feel pretty okay after the marathon...this is a day later. I may have achilles tendonitis in my right foot, but who, as a gymnast, has never experienced that?! I'm planning on taking the requisite min of 2 weeks off from running (tho I'll prob be grumpy), and I'm hoping to run the 1/2 marathon here in State College in December. Don't worry, Brandy, I'll be smart about taking time off!

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A couple of other notes:
1) Evidently, the leading female runner popped a squat on the National Mall...she didn't want her 2 min lead to be compromised.
2) Brandy's body glide was aMAZing! no chub rub. I will have to invest in that!
3) There were a couple of signs that said something like 'If P. Diddy did it, so can you!' They made me smile :)
4) I placed 12190th overall and 3916th among females! Can you believe that I finished before almost 2/3 of the 35,000 people running??
5) Including me, there were 19 runners from State College, PA. I placed 10/19 locally. One of the runners was Kelley Paterno. JoePa relative?
6) The countdown did go negative!

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Thanks to Brandy's grandpa and Sylvia (and Penny Lane) for their hospitality! The food was all so wonderful, and it was so nice to feel at home away from home! Also, thanks to Brandy's parents (and Yuki and Bonnie) for coming to watch and cheering me on as they did for Brandy!

Last but NOT least, thanks to my parents, Brandy, Jon, Shannon, and everyone who has supported me in training. I love you!

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Coming soon!
Aaaaannndddd da da da. I know that you all have been waiting for this: my marathon playlist!
Click here to see it!

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This is the *official* end of my marathon blog. Hope that you enjoyed it - I know that I did!
Heart, Steph

Activity: Running
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 31:37
Average: 7:54
Splits: 8:35, 23:01/3
Weather: 43 a little windy

I sorta sprinted this thing, esp at the end, because I was going to be late for Frame's b-day dinner at Champs.

Anyway I thought of some random stats while doing my final training run:
1. The 20 mile that I ran 2.5 weeks ago took ~3 hours, which is how long it takes to drive home to Pittsburgh.
2. It will take 4.5 hours to drive to Brandy's grandfather's house in VA, which is about how long it takes to run the marathon at a 10 minute/mile pace (it's a 10:18 pace to be exact).
3. Given that I weigh about 145 (gasp), and if I run at a 10 min pace, I will burn approximately 660 calories per hour of running or a total of 2880 calories. Since I will be eating about 400 calories (3 GUs + maybe something else on the course) during the run, that's a net burnage of 2480 calories! That may sound absolutely insane, but check out how may calories are in some of our favorite fall dishes! An order of ribs for me, please!
4. The sun rises at 6:32am and sets at 5:11pm, or there will be 10 hours and 39 minutes (~10.65 hours) of daylight in DC on October 29. Again, if I run at 10 min mile pace, I will finish in about 4:22, or 4.37 hours, which is 41% of the total daylight hours.

mood: next time i put on my running shoes, it will be for the marathon!
health: hope that i'm physically ready!

Activity: Running (Fartlek)
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 41:37
Average: 8:19
Splits: 8:52, 8:50, 23:54/3=7:58
Weather: 40wc31 sprinkled a little

I haven't run a fartlek in a long time. They were mostly at the beginning of my training regimen. It was sorta fun to sprint! It also improved my avg pace..I prob was running more like 8:30/9 minute pace. I'm really going to have to concentrate on running slow at the beginning of the marathon. I have been getting excited and running fast on these last few taper runs.

I've made some progress on my marathon playlist!

mood: will the marathon countdown go negative in 5 days??
health: pumppped!

Activity: Running
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 1:28:31
Average: 8:51
Splits: 9:29, 9:06, 8:59w, 8:46, 9:00w, 43:08*2w/5=8:38
Weather: 48->46wc43 light rain and wind gusts 10-15

I was pretty comfortable today in just my long-sleeve and my headband. I think that my wet clothes insulated me.

I think of 10 miles as a shorter distance right now, but I sorta didn't want to run it cuz was going to take an hour and a half. I wish that I could have run the 1.5 hours and had the extra time in the morning to run some errands before the Steeler game (boo hiss btw).

mood: marathon: T-1 week
health: good good.

Activity: Running
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 31:17
Average: 7:49
Splits: 8:31, 8:08, 7:16, 7:21
Weather: 48wc41 the windy season is upon us. brrr.

I got my new *free* Asics Landreths today! Asics def gets my thumbs up! They are pink; well, they have pink accents. I actually think they are hotter than my Nimbi. They don't seem to be as cushiony, but I think that I was able to keep better form with them (maybe?). It could just be that I have been concentrating on my form more. I may run in the Nimbi tho: I'm nervous that the balls of my feel will get really sore like they did in my 2110s. Duct tape cures everything!

I ran pretty fast. I do always run faster later in the day since I am warm, but I also was excited about my new shoes! I have this semi-goal to run 4 miles in 30 minutes because that's how long it would take a person who runs 10 minute miles to run 3 miles. The idea of lapping that person appeals to me. I know that I can run 4 miles faster than I did today. I wasn't really breathing hard. After the marathon, I may attempt to do some 'sprints.'

Don't worry, not immediately after. It's going to be weird to not run at all for two weeks after the marathon. I'll prob be grumpy ha.

mood: during all of my recent runs, i get super excited for the marathon!
health: gooood. still icing.

Activity: Running
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 53:48
Average: 8:58
Splits: N/A
Weather: 59 cloudy & breezy

I wasn't planning on going into Walker until later because we have a synoptic exam at 7pm. I wanted to run again even tho I had tentatively planned to swim today. I love having my iPod back.

I sorta tested myself today with keeping a 9 min pace for these 6 miles including water breaks every 2 miles. I didn't keep track of my splits because I wanted to see how I did. I'd say pretty good, huh? go me dance!

mood: def feeling hyped. in one week, i will be packing for DC!
health: legs feel good. gotta keep icing tho!

Activity: Running
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43:34
Average: 8:42
Splits: 9:32, 9:05, 24:56/3=8:19
Weather: 54 rainy

I've been trying to run at my marathon pace...which is hard on shorter runs, but I want to make sure that I can run a 9 min pace or a 10 min pace.

I think that I'm going to make a marathon playlist for my iPod. Put slower songs at the beginning (like death cab, neil young, and bts) to encourage myself to run slower. Then, I can progressively add more upbeat songs to keep me going at the end. I'm getting pretty pumped!

mood: running in the rain.
health: my knees are feeling mostly recovered.

Activity: Running
Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1:47:13
Average: 8:56
Splits: 18:44/2, 9:14, 8:40, 9:08, 1:01:25/7
Weather: 37-45 and gusty!

For not training together, Jon and I have a pretty similar pace. It's nice to have a running buddy :-D He climbed the hill on Park Hills Ave faster than I usually do - pushed me a little!

I looked like I was from the 80s in my long underwear and shorts. Plus, I was wearing a scarf. It's too bad that I don't have a pic to post so that you can appreciate my dorkiness...

My left knee was actually hurting me a little bit on this run. I iced afterward. All things considered, I really feel pretty healthy even tho I ran 20 miles on Tuesday.

I got attacked by a dog in Tudek park! It was this biiig doggie that was probably twice as big as the 90lb woman walking him. I don't know if he was trying to play or what. He sorta ran right into my hip bone.

I didn't have any GU left (need to pick some up before the marathon!), but Jon took a food break on Park. We had to have run thos last 7 miles pretty damn fast when you consider that the time includes food and water breaks. We had to stop quickly a few times at the end of the run when we were in the College/Beaver area. Other than that, it was quite pleasant!

mood: my mom's coming up to visit today!
health: some knee pain. i feel great aerobically tho.

Activity: Running
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 34:42
Average: 8:40
Splits: 9:10, 9:00, 8:07, 8:24
Weather: 32wc27 I was all bundled up today. brrrrr.

Well, I have to keep running. It's not over after the 20 mile (even tho it's pretty much over after the marathon...winter, huh??). It was pretty cold this morning as I anticipated, so I wore my black pants, long-sleeved running top, RU hoodie, gloves, and headband. With all of my layers, I was about the right temperature!

I just did an easy run. I concentrated on trying to place my foot more evenly on each step. I almost have to actively try to pronate. It might have worked a little bit...it's not going to be easy to change my running form, but my knees will appreciate it.

mood: I always get excited for the weekend :-D
health: I really recovered better from the 20 mile than I thought I was going to! just my right knee hurts a little.

Activity: Swimming
Distance: 1550 yds ~ 3.5 equiv miles running
Time: ~35 min

When I got to the pool, there was only one other person swimming. I guess that I should have arrived a little bit earlier tho cuz ~5 people showed up 20 min into my swim. One person had to share a lane, and he chose mine...which was fine. We started out circle swimming, but he was swimming a little faster than I wanted to swim. Today is sorta a 'recovery workout' for me after the 20 mile two days ago. He finally stopped, and I suggested that we just stay on one side so that he wouldn't have to pass me. Then, he started swimming some backstroke. He was a fast swimmer, but he wasn't very good at sharing the lane while swimming backstroke. I almost had to duck under the lane divider at one point. That was enough for me, so I cut the swim short.

1. 400 warm-up free/back/breast
2. 500 drills/swim
3. 50 kickboard + 50 free
4. 100 IM
5. 50 kickboard. i was going to do another IM, but the guy jumped in my lane.
6. 200 free, 100 free, 50 back, 50 free then I got out cuz the kid in my lane was a little spastic

mood: oh well. the adventures of swimming at the white building...
health: I'm almost fully recovered. My right knee is just a little bit tight still.

Activity: Running
Distance: 20 miles
Time: 3:06:23
Average: 9:18
Splits: 46:36, 47:06, 45:06, 47:33
Weather: it was 3 hours, so 52/50 @ beg 63/48 @ end. perfect day for the long run!

I must admit that I was a little bit nervous about this run...mainly that these long runs are so important for my mental readiness, and I needed to pressure myself to finish. At the same time, I didn't want to feel like running the 20 miles was going to make the marathon more painful. I am very happy with my performance tho! In fact, I was *hoping* (planning might be a better word choice?) to run it a little slower.

I woke up a little bit before 7am and breakfasted on an egg, toast, and coffee. Then, I putzed around on the computer, went to the bathroom, stretched etc. I was out of the apt a little after 8am. It was just about the perfect day for this long run: the temperature didn't increase too much during my run, and I was comfortable in a tank top and shorts.

I decided to do 5 mile splits. It's sorta like biking: what's the point in doing a split every mile when you're going for 20?? I was much more consistent with my splits that I anticipated. I guess that my pace is pretty consistent when you average it over a 5 mile distance (with both up and downhills). I took GU breaks at miles 8 and 15 which might explain the slightly longer 2nd and 4th splits.

This was the first run > or = to 15 miles that I didn't have to stop for a #2 break. It would be fabulous if I don't have to stop during the marathon since a bathroom break could add an entire minute to my average pace.

If I train for another marathon while I am living in State College, I will not include the climb up Big Hollow Rd. There is no need to tax my muscles so much at the end of the run, and most training regimens recommend a rolling 20 mile course for this reason. I took a water break and walked up the last of the infamous "4 hills." Even so, my muscles were burning a little bit during miles 16 and 17. The plus side is that after that hill, the golf course area seemed flat in comparison.

It is so true that you get in a rhythm. I felt like I could have almost crawled as fast as I was running for the last 5 miles (and especially mile 19). It was tempting to just head straight home because I was looping around a little bit to get to 20 miles. Even worse, the last few miles cross Atherton, Allen, and Pugh. I was forced to stop there to wait for traffic to clear, and I had to stop suddenly to avoid a car at least two other times. My legs were not happy with me. Stop-and-go running is never easy since it messes up your rhythm, but it's especially difficult after running 15+ miles.

I pushed through it though, and I had a huge grin on my face when I could see the end of the 20 miles :-D Multiply that feeling by ~100 for how great I will feel to see the finish line in DC!

After today, and considering that the course in DC is essentially flat, I think that goal of a 9:00 min average (or a little less than 4 hours) is definitely feasible. I will have to work on not getting too excited at the beginning so that I can get a steady pace from the start. As I have stated before, my primary goal is to finish, but there's nothing wrong with striving for your best performance!

aside: I love that I get a tan on these long runs :)

mood: I'm not going to say that 20 miles was easy...I could have kept running if I had to, but I'm glad that I'm only doing 26.2 on race day!
health: my left calf got sore again around mile 15. as always, knee pain on the outside

Activity: Running
Distance: 3.36 miles
Time: 30:00
Average: 8:56
Splits: N/A
Weather: 75/54 so pretty that all of the bugs came out to enjoy it

I wanted to run today since I didn't do anything yesterday, and I want my body to be all ready for (gasp) 20 miles tomorrow. At the same time, I did't want to hurt my legs. soooo I just did a timed 30 min run at an easy pace.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful for the last couple of days! It has been so nice that state college has grown quite a large population of little black bugs. I was running through swarms of them, and I had to keep wiping them off of my face. I was the tiniest bit grossed out. (sense the sarcasm?) I got back, was putting the run into CoolRunning.com, and got up and went to wash my face. There were little black bugs dotted all over my neck! ew. Shannon appreciates that I showed her ;-)

mood: who's ready for 2,000,000 miles tomorrow?? me, oh me!
health: feelin' pretty good and ready for some sore legs tomorrow!!

Activity: Running
Distance: 3 miles
Time: 26:51
Average: 8:57
Splits: 9:19, 9:01, 8:30
Weather: T40/WC36

Petters and I just did a nice, easy run before heading up to rochester for the wedding. We both have long runs coming up this week and didn't want to kill our bodies. I was afraid that my neck was going to be cold, so I wore my sweatshirt. I ended up being hot and taking it off tho.

mood: road trip!
health: my body's feeling much more rested...ready for 20 miles?!

Activity: Running
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 42:25 better time today!
Average: 8:29
Splits: 9:04, 8:51, 16:55/2=8:28, 7:34
Weather: T44/WC40 i wore a headband and gloves!

I feel better than I did on Wednesday. I got out of bed around 7 and had 1/2 banana and digested a little. Bananas are the perfect pre-short run food, IMO.

The temp was pretty cold, and I painfully remembered freezing during my run a couple of weeks ago when it was 41. Even though today wasn't quite as cold, I broke out my headband and gloves. It's easier to shed clothing than to make them magically appear.

I was pretty cold at the beginning, and I was glad to have the extra gear. It's hard to get a good running pace when it's colder. 1) your whole body takes longer to warm-up and 2) I feel like there isn't as much oxygen in the air when it's cold?? i know that's stupid. I still did ok - much better than my run on Wednesday. My August 5 mile run was 42:18 in much better running weather (59/59), so I'm pleased.

Petters let me use his nano..YAY! I need to get in touch with apple about my ipod. maybe today after work.

I went back to Geisinger after my run to get a CBC (I just love bloodwork). Michelle called me about 30 minutes later and said that my iron is "on the low side of normal." How crazy is that?? I have been on supplements for 3 months, and I'm just skimming by with enough hemoglobin (12g/dL; I was at 11g/dL in July) and hematocrit (don't remember the #s). Being that I run a whole hell of a lot, this might not even be in the optimal range for me. soooo I'm going back up to 2 iron supps/day. yippee! I really wish that I could get my iron naturally, but, despite my healthy diet, I don't think that it's possible. Even if I ate steak everyday, I'd be iron-deficient bc there is >10x as much iron in one supplement than in a serving of steak.

mood: it's the freakin' weekend baby!
health: feeling better.

Activity: Swimming
Distance: 2900 yds ~ 6.6 miles equiv running
Time: ~1:05 min

I'm glad that I decided to go swimming before candidacy studying. I had my own lane for the entire swim!

I might feel a little bit less tired today. I only had 8 hours of sleep last night, and I wasn't as exhausted when I woke up, I think? Either way, I got bloodwork done yesterday afternoon. At first, I was going to have to schedule an appointment to see Michelle before getting the bloodwork done. Then, I said the word marathon, and I was all set. I should have dropped that word earlier in the conversation!

sooo here's what I did today:

1. 400 warm-up free/back/breast
2. 500 drills/swim
3. 100 kickboard
4. 100 IM...i need to start doing a couple of these at a time, or i'm not gonna improve.
5. 1650 free ladder
6. cool down: 50 kick, 50 free, 50 back

i love, love, love having my own lane!

mood: it's sunny!
health: maybe I feel a little less tired today?

Activity: Running
Distance: 5 miles
Time: 43:51
Average: 8:46
Splits: 9:48ugh, 34:10/4=8:33
Weather: 54/52 cloudy

I'm starting to fear that my iron is still low despite taking one iron supplement a day for the last 3 months. Is that possible? I don't know...if it's not low iron, it might be an infection somewhere or something because I have been pretty tired this last week. I'm averaging about 9 hours of sleep/night. And there was another sleep walking incident.

I managed to pry myself out of bed around 8am..wanted to get started much earlier, but I was too tired to move. I started out the run really, really slow, as evidenced by my first split. I'm usually slow right after I wake up, but not that slow.

I missed the second split, and then I just decided to can the splits. I haven't done 5 miles in a while (since Aug 23--how crazy is that?!), so I couldn't remember where some of the splits were anyway. I think that I sped up after mile 2. That's when I started to feel less tired.

Thanks to Shannon for letting me use her iPod. I only skipped one song. some linkin park one (i did listen to a linkin park song earlier in the run tho). I even listened to Lonestar's remake of walking in memphis. she would be so proud of me.

mood: what's wrong with me?
health: i felt really tired, but my legs aren't sore anymore.

Activity: Swimming
Distance: 2100 yds
Time: ~45 min

1. 400 warm-up
2. 500 drills/swim
3. 100 kickboard
4. 1 x 400, 2 X 200, 2 X 100 w/ 15 sec rests
5. 100 cool down: 50 kick & 50 free


mood: what's with all of the little bugs on campus?
health: my legs are finally feeler better

Activity: Running
Distance: 6.36 miles
Time: 54:04
Average: 8:30
Splits: 9:07, 8:32, 8:55w, 8:45, 8:34w, 10:09 for last 1.36
Weather: 48/46 a little breezy, but i was comfy in my long-sleeve

I didn't do a long run today because my quads and left calf were still pretty sore from thursday's 10 mile. I'm not sure why I was so sore...

When I was planning out the route in my mind for today's run, I thought that it would be right about 6 miles, or maybe even a little less, to end at Walker. I didn't really estimate that correctly, but it was a good distance. My training schedule actually suggests a 10K race for some of these sundays anyway.

I'm posting this 2 days late, and I can't think of anything too eventful at the moment.

mood: pleasant weather
health: sore legs