June 2016 in Review

Forgive this post for being a bit bare bones, but I had it all drafted (but not yet proofread or saved) and stepped away from the screen for a few moments when my laptop randomly decided to restart. I lost the entire post. I've been having problems with my computer for awhile so July will bring an appointment to the Genius Bar among other things. I really hope I don't have to shell out the money for a new computer as that is not really in my budget right now. Aside from these annoying technological difficulties, June was a good month for me. I raced; I traveled with my awesome spouse; I hiked; I wrote; I spent time on my yoga mat and with friends; I accomplished one of my goals for the year and made progress on the others.

1. Run my third marathon and PR while doing it. I get to check this one off and put it in the Win column! I PR'ed at the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon and am still pretty happy about it. Ideally, I'd like to run an even faster marathon in Chicago, in October but I'll have to see how training while traveling goes over the next couple of months. In June I ran 63.25 miles and that brings me to 335.56 miles for the year. I've got some ground to cover in the second half of the year if I want to bring my running total to 800 miles for 2016. I'm hoping my body feels more capable of speeding some of those miles back up soon as right now I'm still feeling like each run is a bit like trying to move my legs through a vat of molasses.

2. Make significant progress on other research projects. I transcribed a number of documents in June and created a sort of database to help me keep track of a number of them as I progress through reading, transcribing, and starting to puzzle things together for this project. I'll know more once I've wrapped up my archival recon mission in Madrid and Toledo in a few weeks. I also have a paper to write for an upcoming conference and, although it's not specifically related to my research, I still need to finish that book review and send it off to the journal before I leave for Europe. The review, archival work, and the conference paper are my top priorities for the next few weeks in terms of my academic research and writing.

Corral del Coliseo in Seville, where I stayed on my last research trip two summers ago

3. Establish a mindful practice of gratitude and optimism. I used my Gratitude app 19 days in June. While I freely admit I have a lot of room to improve with regards to consistency, I've been doing better about journaling and being mindful over the past few weeks after a decline in this from about the middle of the spring semester until about a month ago. My decision a few weeks back to try to limit my use of social media and email has fed into this goal. My marathon was also in many ways an exercise in gratitude and optimism.

4. Write some non-academic things. I'm not sure whether or not I'll have a full draft of the short story I'm working on done by July 14th as I underestimated how much was going on (friends visiting, fundraising, academic responsibilities, travel planning, etc.), but I have been working on this and some other things (more about this eventually). Some of it is atrocious and will never see the light of day, but some of it might have potential. We'll see. I hope to have more news to report related to this goal in the coming months.

Midway through 2016, how are you feeling about your year so far? Is there something that you want to focus your energies on for the rest of the summer?

Race Report: Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon

On Saturday I ran my third marathon. Some of you might remember that my goals were A) run a sub 5-hour marathon B) PR -- meaning finish in less than 5:28:30 and C) finish and have fun. It was not an A-goal day. I knew early on that probably wasn't in the works for me that morning. However, it was a B-goal and C-goal kind of day. I set a PR of more than 10 minutes and, without discounting moments of physical, mental, and emotional discomfort, I had a wonderful experience with many moments that brought me joy, smiles, gratitude, and even a bit of laughter.

As a prologue let me tell you that I did not sleep well during the week leading into the race. I am fortunate to have rarely suffered from insomnia or bouts of sleeplessness, which is great. But that also means I am a giant baby when I have to function on less than 6-7 hours of sleep. I was working at a deficit. The day before the race I couldn't resist doing at least a little bit of sight-seeing in Seattle with my spouse, so in addition to walking to the Expo there was quite a bit of walking around to go to the Space Needle and to pick up a few odds and ends that I needed for race day before we went to the TNT Inspiration Dinner.

After another night of fitful sleep -- I woke up multiple times to either use the restroom or in a panic that I'd overslept -- I got up at 4:50, got ready, and met up with members of the TNT Flex Team at 5:45 to walk the 20 minutes or so over to the Race Start at the Space Needle. When I got to my designated corral (at an ungodly hour even for a morning person) I was sleepy and my calves and hamstrings were already feeling tired. Yet, I felt a sort of mental peace about it. My mantras for the day were simple: "I am running toward my better self" and "Go Team!" It was humid but pretty cool. It sprinkled here and there while we waited, but the rain mercifully mostly held off until the race was underway. I had my hat to keep the rain out of my eyes, my fuel and water to take it with on my own schedule plus a bit extra in case some of the aid stations ran out, my phone so that I could take plenty of photos and text with Team members before and after, and my TNT honored teammates cards and dedicated miles list. My friend who was doing the half-marathonfound me, and we chatted for a bit before she left to make her way to her corral. I introduced myself to the 4:55 pacers, chatted with some people in the corral, and waited and waited for corral 25 to get to the start line. The race started 15 minutes late and by the time my group got to the starting line it was already almost 8:00. Needless to say I already had thoughts of relieving my bladder.

Within a couple of minutes, it became apparent that I was not going to be able to stick with the pace group without feeling like I was going out too fast. My new strategy became to keep them in sight and keep my pace at 11:15-11:30 minute/miles for the first third of the race and then reevaluate. The first challenge to keeping to this plan was when we went into the Viaduct. I lost satellite reception on my Garmin and I was still feeling the adrenaline of the start so it was really hard to pace myself. Things evened out a bit after that as the course headed into Pioneer Square and then the International District and down Ranier Avenue.

Mile 1: 11:05
Mile 2: 8:15
Mile 3: 10:53
Mile 4: 11:02
Mile 5: 11:07
Mile 6: 11:05
Mile 7: 11:14
Mile 8: 11:06

The course then took us south toward Seward Park for a long loop that basically covered miles 9-15. I was running pretty steadily but starting to slow down a little bit. I eventually lost sight of the 4:55 pacers between miles 9 and 10. Although I felt physically tired (and had from the start), each mile I thought a bit about the person to whom that mile was dedicated and that gave me a distraction and a mental and emotional boost. I walked for a few seconds through water stops and every 40 minutes or so for a minute to take in calories. I had needed to use the restroom for a while and things were starting to become more urgent for other reasons. Around mile 12 I finally spotted a row of portajohns without a long line. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a reason that there was no line so after a minute of waiting with no change I decided to press on. I had better luck at the next stop, and spent a few moments taking care of business.

Mile 9: 11:31
Mile 10: 11:31
Mile 11: 11:15
Mile 12: 12:14
Mile 13: 14:41
Mile 14: 11:22
Mile 15: 12:15

We then ran north again. I picked up a TNT coach again for a few minutes. Then suddenly I heard, "Lady in purple! Lady in purple!" I turned back to see another runner flagging me down. My list of dedicated miles had fallen off the safety pin to my shirt and she had picked them up. I chatted with her for a few minutes and thanked her again before we went our separate ways.

There were some really powerful moments as we ran. I found the tribute to fallen servicemen and women, which included a long row of photos and then many American flags, particularly moving. I was running just behind a couple of people from the Greater Bay Area chapter of Team in Training, and the three of us were getting many personal cheers of encouragement and were offering many thanks to the men and women along the course. I caught up to the two TNTers and we chatted for a bit before I slowed to take more fuel again.

Miles 17- 23 had us going over the I-90 Bridge and then back into a tunnel for a long stretch before we exited and ran a little ways only to turn around and run back. This part of the course was pretty brutal. The bridge was windy and noisy, and there were long stretches of gradual declines and gradual inclines. My legs felt pretty trashed. During the stretches in the tunnels I again lost satellite reception, which made it hard to pace and to keep my walking stretches from creeping up a bit. However, for the most part I'm pretty satisfied with how I handled hitting the wall this time. The wall was most definitely there, but instead of falling apart when I hit it, I was able to slowly climb over it. I tried to stick to my strategy of running for at least 3 minutes before I would allow myself to walk. I picked out markers on the course to pass before I could look at my watch. When things got tough, I repeated my mantras to myself until I believed them. As each mile passed, I continued to spend at least a few minutes thinking about the wonderful people who sponsored me. Things were going pretty well. My only real complaint was that I had started to feel blisters developing on my feet around mile 16 or so. By mile 21 I was really starting to feel them. (Thanks, humidity and rain.) I called Mark between miles 21 and 22 to ask him to buy me a pair of flip-flops on his way to meet me at the finish. He said that he would and told me to keep going.

Mile 16: 12:02
Mile 17: 12:07
Mile 18: 12:29
Mile 19: 11:57
Mile 20: 13:21
Mile 21: 12:41
Mile 22: 12:53
Mile 23: 12:08

After mile 23, finally I was done with bridges and tunnels. The rest of the course had a few hills but seemed more flat and downhill. I ran for a few minutes between miles 25 and 26 with one of the TNT coaches. Talking with him gave me a nice distraction from the pain in my legs and feet. I admit that I walked up the penultimate hill, but that gave me the energy to run (albeit slowly) up the last hill and then finish strong.

Mile 24: 13:27
Mile 25: 12:10
Mile 26: 12:32:
Mile 26.2 (26.5 -- I managed to pick up an extra .3 in the early miles): 10:37

Official marathon time 5:15:18.

I found Mark at the finish, and he walked with me over to the TNT tent to check out. I picked up my finisher's jacket and stopped by the medical tent for Neosporin and bandaids for the worst of my blisters. Even though I hurt -- my legs were trashed, my feet were covered with angry spots, and I had some unfortunate chafing, I was incredibly happy. I finished a marathon! I PR'ed by over 13 minutes! I had persevered on a day when I didn't start out feeling great.

Thanks to all of you who have followed me, sponsored me, and cheered for me over the previous few months! I hope you'll stick around (and maybe consider donating to my fundraising efforts) for my training for the Chicago Marathon as part of Team Deere.

Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon Goals

It's been five years since I've run a full marathon. My last was Minneapolis Team Ortho in 2011. (Be warned: the race report may contain TMI, but runners will talk about such things.) For those who don't want to read the full report, in short, it was hot and hilly and full of cotton wood spores. That race was hard, and I was not really in the zone that day. In the moment, I was satisfied with my decision to stop worrying about the clock, but afterward my ego kicked in. I wanted redemption. Later that summer while training for the Chicago Marathon I got injured, putting my ego in check. Life intervened and it was a while before I was in a place to devote the physical, mental, and emotional energy to marathon training again.

In two weeks I will toe the line at the Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon. I've put in the time and logged most of the miles on my training schedule. I'm excited for race day! I'm running for the joy of running and for the opportunity to run a race in a new state and a new city. But mostly I'm running for reasons that are bigger than running itself. They are bigger than I am; bigger than ego; bigger than the wall. Thank you to Team in Training for giving me so many reasons to run in the dark, on the ice, in the wind, in the rain, under the sunny skies, around the meese for the past few months of training. Thank you, coaches and teammates, for picking me up after I got flattened by dogs on bungees and for sticking with me and convincing me I could finish whenever I thought I could not. Thank you for reminding me of the bigger picture when I lost sight of it.

Some members of Anchorage Summer Team - photo courtesy of one of our intrepid members

With my two Summer Team Coaches - photo courtesy of our Team Captain Ruth

Some of you, dear readers, are part of this bigger picture. I cannot express how appreciative I am to all of you who sponsored me! I will run (and wog, walk, and limp if necessary) 26.2 miles for some amazing people (who gave donations of $50 or more to my fundraising efforts):

Mile 1: Mark, my husband and partner in crime
Mile 2: Wally, my awesome father-in-law
Mile 3: Gitta, my fabulous mother-in-law, who is a cancer survivor
Mile 4: Songho, my kind and generous colleague
Mile 5: Chris, who is witty and edgy even when being vague
Mile 6: Paul, my fearless department chair
Mile 7: Cristina, a brilliant art historian and a newer conference frolleague
Mile 8: Zeynep, a dear friend and pillar of support
Mile 9: Jen, House Ravenclaw and instigator of hair envy
Mile 10: Noam and Jen, cool cousins-in-law
Mile 11: Caroline, whose friendship got me to yoga and through dark times
Mile 12: Nan, my kind and cooky and wonderful mama
Mile 13: Ian and Eliza, kindred spirits and good friends
Mile 14: Dennis, a former student who has asked me to run in memory of his son
Mile 15: Jim, the genius sometimes known as Señor Queso
Mile 16: John B., who believed I could be a historian
Mile 17: Lisa, who will run again, but first has to recover
Mile 18: Geoffrey, my role model in so many things
Mile 19: John H., whose gazelle-like abilities and tirelessness I'll try to channel
Mile 20: Jodi, the best of sisters-in-law
Mile 21: David K., my big-hearted brother-in-law
Mile 22: David, my best friend
Mile 23: Bryan, my first true running partner
Mile 24: Suzie, my running bestie
Mile 25: Heather, my coach and running friend extraordinaire
Mile 26: in memory of Kris, who could make me laugh until my sides hurt
Mile 26.2: in memory of Bryant, who is the reason I'm doing Chicago*

My goals are to A) run a sub-5-hour race. I think that will depend a lot on how I physically feel on race day, the weather, etc. If I feel like it's potentially in my wheelhouse on race day, I will line up with the 4:55 pace group. B) Run a marathon PR, which means I need to finish in under 5:28:30 and C) to finish and to have fun! I want to enjoy the course, chat with other runners, listen to the bands play, and appreciate the day. I want to cherish the experience of running another marathon even when it gets hard and to feel gratitude for the people in my life to whom I've dedicated a whole lot of miles.

*Please consider sponsoring me as I train for and run the Chicago Marathon as part of Team Deere for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Longest Run of the Training Cycle

This past week my training schedule called for the longest run of this season's cycle. We planned to run about 3 hours and 45 minutes, but I ended up clocking about 4 hours and 5 minutes all told. Partly this was because I didn't stop my watch at any of our water and fueling stops (the clock doesn't stop during races so I don't pause my Garmin during breaks) and part of this was because I had a bit of a meltdown in the final couple of miles.

Earlier in the week my TNT team changed up our normal Tuesday night practice to do the Urban Challenge, a scavenger hunt style run being put on by one of the local running stores. We definitely pushed our pace more than usual in our efforts to get as many raffle tickets from the venues on the map as possible. Most of the places just handed us our tickets but a few places made us work for them -- one place made us dance, and one place required either 5 burpees or 5 jumping jacks followed by 5 push ups. After the race, they had a beer garden set up for some refreshing beverages for purchase while they called out the raffle winners. None of us had any of the winning tickets, but it was still a lot of fun.

That being said, I definitely felt sore the next couple of days. Since I'm on a relatively conservative training plan, I haven't been doing regular speedwork during this cycle. The good news is that I am feeling pretty healthy body wise (knock on wood) and while I've had a few aches and pains here and there I haven't been dealing with IT band issues or shin splints or groin pain or an aching piriformis. The quicker paces of many parts of Tuesday night's run did mean that my quads had been sore and my hip flexors were still feeling a little janky by the time Saturday rolled around.

Even so, I was determined to get through this Saturday's long run. My friend Christy and I had been texting all week (about being sore and about other running things, including camelbaks, fueling strategies, and anxiety about the time and distance of this longest training run). It was her longest run to date, and she tackled it like a rock star. I ended up being the one who hit the wall and fell apart.

The first two thirds of the run were pretty good. It was hot (for Alaska) and there was absolutely no shade where we were running for miles at a time. The sun was beating down on us the whole time and since we are so close to the solstice it was already up high by 8am. I was sticking to my fueling strategy of taking calories every 40-50 minutes, even though that meant some of them were consumed when we turned around at the Anchorage landfill (delightful!), and I was mostly just enjoying the day. I was hot and not exactly comfortable, but things were going okay. And I had good company. We were chatting and singing Prince songs to each other.

Things went okay until they did not.

I could feel myself starting to bonk a little bit and decided to take a GU a bit ahead of schedule. This one did not go down well. I couldn't even finish it. The rest of the run my stomach was alternating from feeling wobbly to roiling. Around mile 16, I also felt like I was starting to broil, and it took all my willpower that wasn't being used to keep putting one foot in front of the other to not suck down the entire remaining contents of my camelbak. But I got through it. My friend Heather, who is one of our coaches, stuck with me when I opted to switch to a 3:1 run walk interval, and she only let me take an extra minute of walking once. Her positivity (she cheered me, serenaded me, and distracted me) kept me from totally losing it. I only cried for a minute instead of for two solid miles. She got me to the end of the run. All told I logged 19.5 miles.

And at the end of the run, we had bubbly.  I could only have a few sips because my stomach was still off. But by brunch I was feeling less disastrous and was able to have coffee and a bit of food. No more fruit smoothie GUs for me.

I can do this. I will do this. But I'm ready for some tapering.

Training Updates: Adventures from the Trails

Since returning from Costa Rica in mid-March, things have been busy with work and with training. Because I was planning or involved in a number of events in the second half of this semester on top of my normal teaching, research, and committee duties, most of my rather limited free time over the past few weeks was spent running. I've dedicated runs to those who have sponsored me (more on that soon). I've also had a few adventures out on the trails.

I got pretty banged up two weeks ago about 2/3 of the way through a 2 hour long when I was in a collision with a cyclist and his dogs. The cyclist had his two dogs on bungee cords and they were zipping down the trail. They came right at me with incredible speed, and, before I could move left or right, the two bungees bisected me and cut my legs right out from under me. I went straight down and landed flatter than a pancake. My running buddy Christy just managed to jump over my legs as I went down. If she hadn't, she would have fallen on top of me. I had bruises where the cords impacted my shins, as well as some on my left elbow, my knees, and on my right breast where I first absorbed impact with the ground; I had some scrapes on my elbow, and road rash on my hands from catching myself. It sucked, but I felt really lucky that I didn't sustain worse injury. My nose came about an inch from being ground into the pavement, so I thanked my lucky stars that I didn't have a fracture or any broken bones. The cyclist popped back up and his dogs were fine. Although it was a pretty scary incident,  I managed to finish out my miles that day. I even held it together emotionally and didn't start crying until driving home from the run. I did have some pain in my shins from impact on bruised legs for the rest of that day and the next week or so but managed to make runs two days during the week that followed and to do my long run the next week.

Well, mostly.... Due to a moose resting on the trail, we turned around a bit earlier than planned that day so instead of running 2 hours 40 minutes I only ended up logging about 2 hours and 10 minutes that day. That time did at least include a massive hill that has crushed my soul while doing the Zombie Half Marathon in 2012 and in 2015, and I was not sure what to expect about tackling it during this training run. However, I was running with one of our team coaches and his gazelle-like gait and cheerful demeanor propelled me up that hill. I might have been doing it incredibly slowly but I was running the whole time. In fact, the only time I walked during that day's run was when I was fueling and when we had to wait to see what yet another moose would do -- it was being indecisive about whether or not it wanted to cross the trail and graze on the other side. Once it did, we were able to pick up the pace again. I wasn't able to get a photo because I had my phone in my carrier, and I needed all my alertness in case the moose got interested in us instead of grazing.

In general, I have to say that although I've missed some mid-week miles and a couple of longer training runs over the past couple of months, I'm pretty pleased with the overall level of consistency in my training for Seattle up to this point. The only thing that's making me nervous is that due to missing a long run for a conference in Boston one week and the moose blockade a couple of weeks ago, my longest run so far in this cycle has only been 13 miles. However, with the end of the semester in sight, I'm looking forward to fewer long work days and more time for resting and relaxing as well as running. And there will be a lot of that in the next few weeks. We have a couple of 3(+) hour long runs coming up on the training schedule before tapering. It's hard to believe it, but my spring marathon is now only eight weeks away.

I wouldn't mind if my next few weeks of running were a bit less adventurous. I really hope they are bear free! Have you ever had a wildlife encounter while running? Have you ever been in a collision on the trails?

Scenes from Dedicated Runs

In an effort to encourage people to sponsor me for my TNT race, back in January I offered to dedicate a training run to anyone who donated more than $10 to my fundraising efforts prior to February 15th. I have also pledged to dedicate one of my marathon mile to those who donate/have donated more than $50 before then.  

On Monday evening I dedicated my 3.5 mile recovery run to my friend Zeynep who is an alumna of TNT herself. This year she's in Turkey on a Fulbright working on an amazing documentary and book project related to foodways and cultural identity in Turkey. I miss her a lot as she is one of my Alaska besties. We have spent quite a bit of time over the past few years writing together, drinking coffee and cocktails together, and occasionally working out together. I wish I could afford to go visit her in Turkey. Wouldn't it be amazing to do a run in Istanbul and cover two continents?

I dedicated Saturday's slightly longer run of 5.36 miles to my friend Jen, who is a talented writer and artist. I'm proud to have a piece of her art hanging in my home. Jen is one of my former students, and I really enjoyed having her in my classes. After she graduated from university a couple of years ago we became friends since we have a number of mutual interests (history, Dr. Who, Marvel, feminism, art). She likes looking at winter scenes but has repeatedly claimed that she doesn't like to be outside in the winter, so I offer these scenes from my run to her for her viewing pleasure.

I'm really thankful for my friendships with both of these fabulous individuals, and I really appreciate that they sponsored me! There's still time for you to get in on this. If you'd like me to dedicate a training run to you, donate more than $10 to my fundraising efforts for LLS before the end of the day next Monday (2/15).

Have you ever dedicated a run to anyone? Have you ever had a run dedicated to you?

First TNT Meeting

Some of you may have heard there was an earthquake in south-central Alaska early Sunday morning. It was a 7.1 just about 150 miles from our home. At around 1:30am we were jolted awake by the shaking, which went on for a couple of minutes. Mark, Bailey, and I rushed into our kitchen and got under our table. Our furniture was rattling, the house itself was shaking, and our chandeliers were swaying. Fortunately, we seem to have come out unscathed with just a few fallen photos and crooked paintings. I was grateful Sunday morning to see so many friends around here post on Facebook or text to share that they were okay and their homes undamaged.

On Saturday morning (before the big quake's frightening adrenaline rush) my marathon training kicked off with the first Team in Training group run for those of us running summer races for the Alaska and Washington Chapters of the organization in the Anchorage area! After getting up a bit earlier than I might have wanted on a Saturday morning (especially the morning after my wedding anniversary) and fueling and caffeinating, I drove to the designated meeting point. Parking turned out to be more of an issue than I anticipated and I was starting to get worried I would miss the start and have to try to find my teammates out on the trail, but fortunately I eventually found a spot. As it turned out, I wasn't the only one having problems finding a place to park so the meeting started a few minutes late. Also the first session included some introductions and an overview of some protocols before we headed out on the run (or walk or run/walk).

We did a pretty short out and back of 40 minutes on the trails, which were in pretty good condition. According to my Garmin, I did 3.7 miles in 40:26 with splits of 10:47, 11:02, 11:12, and 7:25. I ended up running most of the time with a couple of other ladies on the team and chatting about typical running stuff (races done, dream races, our running histories, work, and school). After our run, we all reconvened over coffee and snacks (huzzah!) and had a more in-depth information session about our training and fundraising season. The coaches distributed our training schedules and went over some other training information with us and the mentors talked a bit about the organization and fundraising and shared some personal connections and stories.

We took a few pictures as a group and some of us (possibly mainly me) goofed around for a bit. Everyone was really nice, and I'm glad that this time around I should be able to take better advantage of the support, coaching, and camaraderie offered by TNT than I was able to when I ran the Columbus Marathon for them in 2009.

When I registered, I pledged to raise $2500 for LLS by marathon day (June 18). If you are interested in sponsoring me, just click here to get to my donation page. I have a widget over on the side of the blog that will take you directly there as well. I am incredibly grateful for all donations! I'm really looking forward to our next team run in a couple of days and to some of the clinics the organization puts on over the coming months. Have you ever run a race for charity? Do you prefer group or solo runs?

Progress Toward Goals: January in Review

January, you have gone by too quickly, and we are not amused by how quickly our last semester of course release is passing. By "we" I mean my pink pants and me, naturally.

Not amused by any of the following: having to go teach a class looking wrinkled after sitting at one's desk for 3 hours to work on an article and lecture notes, not having lecture notes already done at the time of sitting, or barf-worthy prose written by past self

At least in January I made some progress toward the goals that I set at the beginning of the year.

In terms of my fitness and health goals, I've been establishing some good habits. While I missed journaling a couple of days and have had some ice cream and cookies in January, I have been working toward eating more mindfully. So far I've run 57.32 miles this month and have 4 more on the schedule for the day today. My monthly mileage should increase over the next few months thanks to marathon training. Also I've been working to more regularly integrate speed work into my weekly routine. The past couple of weeks I've been getting back into Ashtanga and trying to make at least one class a week at my yoga studio.

My professional goals included writing or revising at least 3 pages  of academic writing each week and learning another language. So far, I've met my minimum writing target each week, and I (at least for the time being) have finished work on the co-edited volume I've been working on for the past couple of years. This past month I also wrote a book review for a journal and made some progress on an article manuscript. I've been trying to spend at least 30 minutes a day most days a week using Rosetta Stone, and I've completed a few lessons.

I did an alright job with my personal goals this past month. I didn't take photos every day this month (I also accidentally deleted some that I did take before I could post them), but I did take some that I liked, like the one above of the first moose I've seen out and about in town. I read three novels in January (Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness, The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, and The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac by Kris D'Agostino -- I didn't love any of them, but of the three I thought The Snow Child was the most original and had the most potential) and made my way about half-way through the last Harry Potter novel in Spanish. I also managed to stick to my budget. In January I spent $94.70 of the $100 I'm allowing myself for monthly clothing, accessory, and shoe purchases. My purchases included mascara, nail polish, a sweater, a shirt, and running socks.

How was your first month of 2013? What have you been reading lately? Do you keep to a budget?

2013 Goals

I have to admit that I was a little bit sad to see 2012 go, as, all told it, it was a pretty fantastic year for me. It brought me a niece, a tenure-track job, adventures with my spouse, time with far-flung friends in Madrid, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Columbus, among many other good things. I spent most of the last week of the year in Louisiana with my family - eating too much, playing with my niblet, enjoying sister time, drinking copious amounts of coffee with my mom, playing Santa, and going to a bowl game with Mark. It was the perfect way to wind down the year.

Playing with new toys on Christmas Day

As a perpetual goal setter, the transition from one year to the next is a time for me to reflect on what has been working well for me and what I can do better. I'll be working toward several major goals over the next twelve months. Here they are.

Running/Fitness Goals
1. Run 800 miles in 2013. I know that I'm starting to sound like a broken record with this goal, but considering my relatively low mileage in 2012 (only 557 miles) it seems reasonable to set this number as a target again. Since I have a marathon on the schedule for late spring and won't have the craziness of job market related travel going on this winter (thank you, God!), it seems likely that I can get the year off to a good start with running.

2. Get faster. I definitely want to set a marathon PR this year. I still haven't completely determined my race schedule for the year - in part because it is prohibitively expensive to travel from Alaska and in part because I plan to be in Europe doing research during a good chunk of the time of year that I can find more local races here - so I'm not sure quite yet what other distances I will be targeting. Hopefully, I can get a 10K PR and a half-marathon PR as well. In general, though, I also plan to integrate more speedwork into my training and set some short term training goals to work on this. For example, I have a goal to shave a minute off my timed mile time (currently a slow 8:53) by my birthday (3/17).

3. Eat more healthfully and mindfully in 2013. I've been pretty lax in my eating habits here lately, even when maintaining my food journal. I want to eat more whole foods and significantly fewer crackers and cookies in the year to come. To that end, I will be not only keeping a food journal this year, but actually working to specifically keep my intake focused on plant-based foods and within a certain caloric range.

4. Continue to deepen my yoga practice. Since the summer I've been doing yoga pretty consistently and have started attending classes at a local yoga studio. I want to continue with this as well as continue having a regular (if not daily) home practice. I see another month or two of yoga streaking in my 2013 future and working toward finding peace in a couple of poses, as I keep my joints healthy.

Writing/Professional Goals
5. Write or revise a minimum of 3 pages of academic writing each week in 2013. I did really well with this writing goal in 2012, and, while part of me is tempted to take it up to 4 or 5 pages a week, I know that 3 pages is reasonably challenging during the weeks of the year when there are research papers to grade or while on family vacations. Again I hope that I will be more productive most weeks, but this sets a bar, and again I will be keeping track of my progress on a tab here on the blog that I will update regularly. This year I want to focus my energies toward:
A) Submitting two journal articles for publication. One of these will be a revise and resubmit that I need to tackle. The other is a piece that I have about 80% drafted but will require some significant time and polishing once that's done.
B) Send my book proposal out to presses, get a contract, and finish writing the manuscript. Oy vey. I really do not want to be putting this down on my goals next year. It is time to really get cracking with this project.
C) Finish work on the co-edited volume. While I'm not entirely in control of the timeline on a collaborative project, I'd like to do everything in my power to get this off my desk and into print in the next year.

6. Learn another language for my next research project. I'll reveal more about this at a later stage, but I have an idea for another research project, but it's going to require more than the cursory reading knowledge of a language aside from English or Spanish. My plan is to use Rosetta Stone and grammars to teach myself the basics and then read some books and look for a Skype language exchange partner later in the year.

Personal Goals
7. Continue working on my photography skills. To that end, I will finish my 365 project and take a class (either online or in person) at some point in the next year. I'd also like to do a couple of photo challenges on Instagram.

8. Read at least 26 novels in 2013 and at least 6 of them in Spanish. I've been watching more television and Netflix than I should here lately, and I would like to limit my tv watching time to only a few hours a week. So instead of watching shows in the evening, I'd like to spend more of that time curled up with a good book in the next twelve months. I know that some times I'll need to work after dinner to meet my writing goals this year (especially when my course load goes back up in the fall), so I think a book every two weeks will be challenging but doable.

9. Stick to a budget for all clothing and accessory purchases. After going on a shopping diet in 2011, I was pretty bad about keeping track of and limiting my spending in 2012. As it's so expensive to travel from here and I want to see family and run a couple of destination races, I'm going to have to make some changes in my spending habits. For 2013 I will be limiting my clothing, shoes, and accessory purchases to $100.00/month. I'm including nail polish and manicures in this tally, but I won't include things like shampoo and haircuts (I am long overdue for one incidentally). I will allow my unspent budget to roll over each month. If I PR at my marathon in May and have either submitted two articles or have a book contract by then, I will allow myself one special reward outside the budget.

Did you set any goals for 2013? I'd love to hear about them in the comments or have you link up if you wrote a post about them! I hope that 2013 will be a wonderful year filled with productivity, excellent runs, and sweet moments with loved ones for all of us! Happy New Year!

Nostalgia: Two Year Anniversary of My First Marathon

Two years ago I ran my first marathon. It didn't go perfectly. It wasn't fast, and it wasn't always fun, but it changed my life. I became a marathoner. Before that I had run a couple of 5Ks for fun, and I had run a 10K and a half-marathon as part of my training for that 26.2. But nothing could compare to the feeling of elation that I experienced when I crossed the finish line of the Columbus Marathon in 2009. It is still my proudest running moment and I still consider it one of my greatest accomplishments.

My TNT Group

It was a chilly morning, and I cut off the bottoms from a pair of tube socks to wear them as discardable arm warmers with my TNT singlet. I ended up never taking them off. I finished getting ready and headed down to the Hyatt in downtown Columbus to meet up with my group from Team in Training to have a bit of breakfast and some coffee and snap some photos. I used the bathroom a couple of times, but (TMI warning) I was too nervous to poo. Before long it was time to head out to the start line. I lined up with the 5 hour pace group and we were off.  The pacer's name was Larry and most of the people running in the group were women, so someone started referring to our group as Larry's Ladies. It was such a fun group with both first-timers, like me, and veterans. I ran the first 14 miles with them and was feeling pretty good. At around mile 13, a friend who was also running the marathon decided to DNF, which was hard for me to handle emotionally. At mile 14, I stopped to use a biffy, and I lost my group. That was also a momentum killer for me, and I started to struggle a few miles after that. But I continued to put one foot in front of the other, running some, walking some, and I made it to the finish. And when I did, I knew that I wanted to do it again. I knew that I was strong, tough, and would endure. I was a marathoner and had accomplished one of my life goals.

About to cross the finish line

I know that someday here before too long, I will run a third marathon. But for today remembering my first one is enough.

Sports Psychology and Mental Toughness

On Tuesday afternoon I had my first appointment with Dr. Cindra Kamphoff, a sport psychologist who has a practice  called The Runner's Edge.  Dr. Kamphoff helps runners reach their potential by developing their mental toughness.  During our first session, which lasted about 90 minutes, she asked me a number of questions about what was going well in my running, what wasn't going so well, how I saw myself (as related to my running) on both good days and bad days, and about my long-term and short-term running goals.  We also discussed mental roadblocks that I had been experiencing during my runs - both during training and during races - and began to discuss some of the strategies that I could use during my training to overcome them.

I tried to be very honest about some of the barriers I'd been coming up against and how negative thoughts and self-doubt have been impacting my running.  It's not that I slam into a wall in every run, but I do every couple of weeks.  I want to become more optimistic and confident as a runner.  Dr. Kamphoff and I walked through some of the feedback loops I've been experiencing and discussed ways to counter negative thoughts  and to reframe situations so that I have fewer self-doubts and more control over my thoughts and feelings.

For example, we talked about how I have a tendency to compare myself to other runners and get upset that I'm not faster or that I don't look a certain way and how that can sometimes tank a run for me.  She gave me some ideas for trying to reset my focus on positives and affirmatives, concentrating on how many miles I've run since becoming a runner, why I love to run, and telling myself that I am getting faster and that I will continue to get faster.

Toward the end of the session we prioritized the things that we would focus on in our next sessions, in particular visualization techniques and mentally mapping out races and runs so that I can get better at pushing through pain and fatigue and continue developing my self-confidence as a runner.  We'll be in email contact about once a week and we'll meet again about a week before my next half-marathon and sometime in late September/early October before the Chicago Marathon.

It was a great session, and I left the meeting feeling very excited about my goals, running, and working on being aware of my thoughts and reframing them.  I am feeling more and more confident that by continuing to work on my mental focus and by running with a local group a couple of times a week that I will PR at my half-marathon next month and that I will PR with a sub 5 hour time at the Chicago Marathon in October.

Chicago Marathon Training: Week 1

The first week of marathon training went well. I had 21 miles on the schedule and ended up running 23.6 miles. The extra miles were the result of an 8K race and my first meet-up with a local running group. Everyone I met in the group was really nice! Even though the group heads out super early and none of the runners this past week were really running at my pace, I'm going to try to do almost all of my Saturday long runs with them and one other day a week. Who knows? Maybe they'll spur me to become a faster runner.

Week 1

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual - 5 miles. I ran a local fourth of July 8K. I got some bad information off the unofficial event website and thought the race started at 8am. It started at 7:30. I barely had time to pick up and pin on my bib and line up before the race started. This event wasn't my best of racing experiences, but all in all it wasn't a bad way to kick off a holiday.

Tuesday - scheduled 0 miles. Actual - 0 miles.

Wednesday - scheduled 4 miles - hillwork. Actual - 4 miles with hill repeats.  This was the first time I've ever truly done hill repeats and it was tough.  As I made my way home, I was fantasizing about a glass of water.

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest. Actual - weights and stairclimber.  I did a weights circuit around the gym hitting lower body, upper body, and core, followed by 30 minutes on the stairmaster.

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy. Actual - 4 miles easy.  I started a bit later than I should have considering the heat.  I probably could have taken it even easier and still been producing buckets of sweat.

Saturday - scheduled 9 miles.  Actual 10.6 miles @11:46min/mile average pace.  I met up with a local running group at 5:30am.  Most of them had 11 miles planned so I figured that I would just start out with them and walk the last mile as a cool down.  Although no one was really running my pace, it was nice to start out with people and to see someone from the group always just a little ways up ahead of me.  After the run it was great to stand around chatting for a bit.  It was less great to see a man, who was apparently high and who had apparently broken his leg, pummel a street sign repeatedly and then try to hop and crawl around the block.  Several of the runners in the group approached him from a distance to see if he needed help and he screamed obscenities at them.  One of the runners popped into the gas station to call 911.  It was one of the strangest and most disturbing things I've seen in this burg.

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles. Actual 0 miles.

Up next for Week 2

Monday - scheduled 4 miles easy

Tuesday - Time Trial - 1 mile 

Wednesday - scheduled 3 miles - hill work

Thursday - scheduled 0 miles - active rest

Friday - scheduled 4 miles easy

Saturday - scheduled 7 miles

Sunday - scheduled 0 miles

Also, friends, I'm back on Twitter, so if you tweet, do me a solid and follow me there. 

Let the Marathon Training Begin

After I found out that the marathon class that I had signed up for at the Y had been canceled, I spent a couple of days sulking and pouting.  Then - powered by lemon blueberry cupcakes - I came out of my funk and started poking around the internets to find a marathon training program. I wanted a training schedule that only called for four or five days of running because I want to lift weights at least once a week and do some yoga a couple of times a week, too. I only have so many hours to work out a week, and I don't think it's good for me to spend all of them running. Ultimately I picked a Runner's World program designed for a sub 5 hour marathon. Most weeks it calls for four days of running and at least one day of active rest. Once a month it calls for an additional day of running to do a timed mile.  Like many marathon training plans, it is a 16 week program. Since the Chicago Marathon is only 14 weeks away and since I had ran a marathon last month and a 10K less than two weeks ago, I decided to come in at week three of this program. My only doubt about this plan is that it calls for pretty much all of the easy runs - not just the long runs - to be run at a pace that is slower than marathon race pace. I would love some feedback from more experienced runners because I'm not sure I have the patience to run all of my 3-6 milers at around a 12min/mile pace.

I also decided that I want a more tactile journaling experience for logging the miles during this training cycle. So I bought myself a binder and a notebook and have been creating a marathon journal for Chicago. In it I'm keeping track of what my training schedule calls for and what I actually did, of course. What makes this different from just logging my training on daily mile or another program, though, is that I'm also creating motivational collages, jotting down things that inspire me, etc. I think I'll like having everything all in one place this time.

Next week I have a scheduled session with a sports psychologist who is a marathoner to talk over my goals. She specializes in the mental component of training, and I believe that following my training program and working with her on visualization techniques and so forth will allow me to achieve my goal of not only showing up at the start line of Chicago, but completing the race in under 5:00:00.

Week 1 Training Schedule (for simplicity's sake I'm calling this week 1 instead of week 3):

Monday - 4 miles easy

Tuesday - rest

Wednesday - 4 miles - hillwork

Thursday - active rest (lifting and x-train)

Friday - 4 miles easy

Saturday - 9 miles

Sunday - rest

Are you currently training for a marathon or half-marathon? If so, what kind of training program are you using? What do you see as its pros and cons?

Disheartened

I hadn't planned to post until after the holiday, but I'm having such a horrible day that I needed a space to vent. Some of my frustration has been building for a while and it has culminated today in a heavy heart and a bruised head.

On Tuesday we picked up our car from the airport only to discover that the front driver's side car had been damaged. Probably due to one of the many potholes in the roads that the government of my state has not fixed and now that it has officially shut down might not fix. We had to spend a couple of hours in a tire shop on Tuesday evening and got home several hours later than planned. On Thursday at midnight all non-essential functions of the state government shut down. While I am one of the lucky ones (technically I am a state employee since I work for a public university) and will still be getting my paycheck, since an arrangement for the system to access its funds during the shut down was reached, many other people in this state have been laid off at least for the time being. It sickens me that politics has become so ideological and extreme that compromises can't be reached and that governments can't function properly. I've been fuming over this for the past month.  It angers me to no end that politicians think they should be able to regulate marriage and reproductive rights but can't bother to fix the fucking state highways. But I won't go into that rant.

Yesterday my mood was further blackened by a call I got from my local Y. I had signed up for a marathon class that was supposed to start next week. Not enough people signed up for the evening class, so it has been cancelled. The Y offered to switch me to the morning class, but it won't fit into my schedule once the semester starts next month, so I had to ask for a refund. I was bummed because I was really looking forward to having people to train with and getting to work with a running coach. I had been holding off on picking a training program for Chicago until I could consult with the coach of the class, but now it looks like I'm on my own. I have trained for two marathons more or less on my own, and I know that I can do it again. However, right now, today, the idea of going through a training cycle on my own just feels like a burden. I've written to a local running coach/sports psychologist to inquire about her services. I haven't heard anything back yet, but hopefully we can come to an arrangement that will help me get to my goal without breaking my bank.

This morning I got up to run 7-8 miles, and I must have got up on the wrong side of the bed.  Bailey took forever to do her business. When I opened the fridge, a carton of eggs fell out and I had to clean up smashed egg yolks all over the kitchen floor. My run sucked -- probably more due to my mental state than anything else.  It took me forever to run what I don't even consider a long run. Then when I went to get something out of the fridge to make my lunch, I wasn't paying attention and stood upright too soon, whacking the back of my head on the freezer. The good thing I guess is that the tears of pain soon gave way to tears of anger and frustration. Ah. Catharsis.

I'm hoping that spending the afternoon reading Harry Potter and making cupcakes will turn this day or at least my ability to respond and react to it around.

Three Things Thursday: Musings on Zero Week

1. Monday and Tuesday I was oh so sore, so I sat on my ass and did some reading/research for a writing project that I'm working on.  I avoided stairs at all costs and getting from sitting to standing and vice versa hurt like hell.  I think that my quads were in more pain after this marathon than Columbus but that my joints felt a lot better this time around. Yesterday I felt a relatively normal level of sore.  I had some errands to run, including a trip to the university library to pick up some research materials that had come in for me.  I parked in the farthest lot and walked about 30 minutes.  I enjoyed stretching my legs in a low impact kinda way.  Today I wanted to run, but I had promised myself that I would take this whole week off from running.  Instead I went to the gym for some lifting and a couple of easy peasy miles on the elliptical machine.

2. In a semi-successful effort to stave off the post-marathon blues, I signed up for a marathon class that starts at my local Y in July.  It's for a marathon here which is a couple of weeks after the Chicago marathon, so I might have to log an extra couple of miles on my own before or after the group long runs.  I'm looking forward to having other people to train with, though.  I just hope that none of them are my students....

3. I think I might also look into some minimalist running shoes since my mileage over the next couple of weeks is going to be on the low side as I reverse the taper.  Do you use minimalist shoes?  What have your experiences been with them or with barefoot running?  

Race Report: Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon

Yesterday I completed my second marathon.

Pre-Race
On Saturday M. dropped Bailey off to be boarded for the night and then we headed to the Twin Cities for the rest of the weekend.  We got to Minneapolis, ran a quick errand at The Container Store for my mother-in-law and then checked into the Residence Inn near the start/finish.  We went over to the connected Renaissance Hotel, where I picked up my race packet and checked out the expo.  It was a pretty small expo, so it didn't take long to explore.  Then we headed down to pick up a few things at Target and hung out a bookstore for awhile.  Normally, we would have checked out a museum or done more exploring, but I was trying not to do too much walking around.  Before long it was dinner time.  On Lisa's recommendation, we went to Zelo and had a yummy and leisurely dinner there.  I had a salad and ravioli and M. had the fettucini alfredo, and we split a piece of lemon cake for dessert.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel.  M. caught the end of the hockey game, and I had a cup of herbal tea and read my book for a little bit.  I headed to bed and slept relatively well.

My alarm went off at 5:45, which was good, because the wake-up call I requested never happened.  I drank a couple glasses of water, ate some breakfast, put on my clothes, lathered on the sunblock, pulled my hair back into two very unprofessorial pigtails and brushed my teeth.  This is probably more than you wanted to know, but I was unable to have a bm before the race.  I was feeling a little bit uncomfortable, so I took a couple of Tums and hoped for the best.

M. and I headed down to the start.  It was kind of chaotic because of the placement of the p-pots.  They were alongside the starting corral and the lines were really long so it was hard to tell who was in line and who was just milling around.  M. snapped a couple of pre-race pictures of me and then wished me luck.  I found the 4:45 pacer and introduced myself.  I was hoping that I would be able to stick with her the whole way or at least stay ahead of the 5:00 pacer.  Before too much longer we were off.

Miles 1-10

The first few miles of this race are a blur to me.  There were some hills and it was already pretty hot and sunny.  The water stops were pretty congested and I was trying to do the pinch the cup and drink on the run thing to stay with my pace group.  I managed to do so with relative success - about half a cup of powerade ended up on my face and neck, but not bad for a klutz like me.  Around mile 5 I felt a little rumble in my tummy and I was doing some sporadic burping, but I just ignored it and chatted with people in my pace group.  At this point the race was very energetic.  There were spectators on the course and we were sharing the route up to mile 9 with the half-marathoners.  Distracted from my intestinal distress, I was having a good time and running pretty strong.  Around mile 9, I spotted M. up on the Lake Street Bridge.  He snapped some photos.  I waved and blew him a kiss.  

I missed the Hammer Gels at the aid station just before mile 10, but my pacer had grabbed an extra and gave it to me.  When I ripped into it, I didn't tear it all the way across.  I didn't realize it, but about half of the gel ended up on my shirt and only about half in my mouth.  Unfortunately, the gel that I got into my mouth did not settle well in my already rumbly stomach.  My issues were probably exacerbated by the heat.  The temperature was probably already in the high 70s, which I know is not all that hot (I'm from Texas for crying out loud), but it was definitely hotter than any day that I had trained.  The areas without shade were feeling brutal, and my stomach started revolting.  I soon said goodbye to my pace group and stopped to use a biffy.

Miles 10-17
After my rest stop, I felt a bit better.  As long as I kept the pace really slow (11min/mile or slower) I felt physically alright.  Mentally the race was getting much tougher though.  The half-marathoners had turned back as we continued forward, and crowd support was minimal.  I talked with another runner for a little while before she speeded up a bit.  I dug out my ipod and pressed on.  Around mile 12 we headed onto a paved trail and then on to an unpaved one.  I'm not sure if this was because of the change they had to make to the course due to flooding or not, but we were on the unpaved and narrow trail for a couple of miles.  This part of the race was brutal and annoying.  The trail was killing my quads, and those fluffy cottony pieces of pollen were floating in the air everywhere and aggravating my breathing.  I was walking more than I wanted to be, and I was oh so hot.  My stomach started feeling a little queasy again.

Miles 17-26
Around mile 17 there was a very steep hill going up to Fort Snelling.  I walked up it.  At that point the 5:00 pacer overtook me.  I kept him in my sights for the next mile, but then I had to stop to use the p-pots again.  When I emerged from the biffy, I made a decision.  I decided that I would run/walk the rest of the way, and that my time did not matter.  I adjusted my expectations and my goals.  Instead of sulking or having an emotional blow out, I decided to just focus on completing the race.  Some days finishing is a victory, and yesterday was one of those days for me.  Once I was no longer concerned about time, I was able to spend the next several miles focusing on the things in my life that I am grateful for.  I put away my ipod and focused on a litany of gratitudes:  being able to train for a marathon, my mom's back improving after her injection treatment, my mother-in-law responding well to cancer treatments, my sister getting to become a mom, my marriage and my husband who is my biggest supporter, having a job that I love.  I plodded along, smiling at volunteers and thanking them for being out there for us (though I do wish aid station volunteers would hold water cups from the bottom and not stick their fingers in them).  I talked to some other runners for a few minutes here and there until either they or I sped up or slowed down.  I was tired and my quads hurt but my stomach was no longer bothering me.

Miles 26-26.2
I headed toward the finish line, and I picked up the pace.  Just as I was crossing the finish line, with my arms raised in celebration and a big-ass grin on my face, one of those damn fluffy cotton pollen things flew into my mouth.  After the finish, I got my medal and then I hacked for a couple of minutes until my throat was clear.  Then, I downed some more water.  M. met me at the finish with a smile and a kiss.  

My official time was 5:28:30.

Post-Race
We headed back to the hotel, and I took an ice bath and then a quick shower.  I ate a banana and had a cup of coffee and a lot more water.  Then, M. and I headed out for a late lunch, stopped at Trader Joe's and then headed home.  My quads felt trashed and I had a little bit of a fever, but I was happy.

Racing Reflections
This course was really pretty.  It also had some very challenging hills.  My first marathon (Columbus 2009) was on a much, much flatter course, and, while I am better at running hills than I was when I moved here last August, I still need to do more hill work.  (Seriously, before the move, when I saw a tiny hill, I would curse up a storm.)  Hill repeats will be in my future.  It was bad luck that this past week has really been the first one that has been anything approaching hot.  I didn't have a chance to get acclimated to running in warmer temps.

Team Ortho puts on a good race.  The p-pots had toilet paper and hand sanitizer.  The volunteers were numerous and friendly.  Again, my biggest complaint is that aid station workers should keep their fingers out of the drinking cups and could probably stand to wear gloves.  (Also, why did Team Ortho delete my comment to that effect from their Facebook page wall?)

As in the Mankato Half, I found the lower energy of a smaller racing event to be a challenge.  Before the half-marathon turn around and after the turn around were like two completely different events.  The first was high energy and like a party, the second was much quieter and often quite solitary going.  I'm glad that I did a fair amount of my training on my own, as the lack of spectators and decrease in energy during those middle miles of the marathon were pretty tough.  There were points in the last few miles where I could only see around 2-3 other participants up ahead in the distance.

Am I disappointed for not meeting the time goal that I set the day before the race?  Maybe a little.  But I think on another day and maybe on a different course I would have had that sub-5 marathon.  I realize that's a slow pace for many of you, but someone has to bring in the rear.  To be honest, I was proud of myself for finishing under adverse conditions.  I got a 5 minute PR on a (comparatively) hot day, on a hilly course, with two biffy stops for stomach problems.  More importantly, though, I crossed the finish line of a freaking marathon!  I survived.  I endured.  And you know what?  I actually enjoyed myself during those last few miles!  I'm looking forward to running again soon, but probably not for a few more days.  I will run a faster marathon in Chicago in October.

What do you do when you're not having the race you hoped?  How do you deal with adverse conditions?  Any advice or reading recommendations for hill training?

Minneapolis Marathon: Done!

I'll write a full recap and report in the next day or two, but for now I just wanted to say that I finished the Minneapolis Marathon.  My time wasn't want I had originally hoped for, but I am still so grateful for this race.  I feel lucky and blessed to have arrived at the starting line of my second marathon and to have crossed the finish.

June Goals

It's the start of another month.  I love the feeling of starting a new month, with all the possibilities it brings.  Even when I'm working on projects that I've been dealing with for months, it feels like a reset button has been pressed.  Anne Shirley would say that "tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." I say June is a new month with no mistakes in it yet.

A Lily Pond, June 2009

Fitness/Health Goals
- I don't have a mileage goal for June, but I do have a pretty big running goal:  run marathon #2.   I would love to finish this marathon in under 5 hours or get a PR.  Mainly, though, I just want to finish and enjoy the experience.
- Journal everything I eat, every day for the whole month of June.  I did this in May, and I think it really helped me to make healthier choices, especially when it came to snacking.  So I'm setting this goal again this month.
- Do yoga at least twice a week.  I plan to take it easy on the running front after the marathon this weekend, but I want to make sure that I'm staying active and getting a couple of yoga practices in each week.

Writing/Professional Goals
- Finish revising an article and resubmit it to an academic journal.  I feel like a broken record with this one, but here it is again.  Hopefully, it will be the last time for this particular article.
- Do at least 10 hours of research for a conference paper/article draft.  August and the next academic year will be here before I know it, so I need to at least get a start on this project and put myself in a position to start doing some new writing by beginning of next month.
- Renew some professional memberships and update my personal/professional information.

I'm going a little light on the goals this month, but I'll be running a marathon and I have a couple of trips planned in June.  I hope and believe that June is going to be a great month with a nice mix of productivity, achievement, and relaxation.  What's June bringing your way?  Do you have any goals for June?

T is for Taper and Marathon Goals

After I bonked on my 17 miler a couple of weekends ago, I knew that I would need a good long run this past weekend.  It was my last long long run before heading into Taperville.  Sunday was a beautiful day here, and I ran 19 miles.  I felt great.  It was probably my best long run of this training cycle, and it was the longest training run I've ever done (while I have run a full marathon, my previous longest training run was 17 miles).  I took a few strategic walk breaks and a GU at mile 8 and mile 13.5.  I did a number of visualization exercises during the week before the run and during the run itself.  I also did some positive self-talking and may or may not have been talking to myself out loud out on the paths.  It was the confidence building run that I needed.  I feel sure that I am capable of finishing my marathon on June 5th.

I'm now headed into a sort of unorthodox taper.  I describe it that way because I have two more longish runs planned - an 8-9 miler and a 13.1 miler.  You see, although it's not ideal for tapering purposes, I'm running a half-marathon in Madison with my good friend Suzie the weekend before the full marathon.  It will be her first half-marathon, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing the race with a friend.  Our goal is to finish in 2:20 or under.  S. and I have run or worked out together about once a week since the fall, and it has been so nice to have a training partner here who is also a close friend - what Kristin Armstrong calls a "sweat sister."

Because of the timing of these two races, I'm not aiming for a PR in either (although a PR in either of them would be nice).  While I do have a pace goal for the half, I decided not to attach any expectations about times or paces for the full this go around.  I just want to enjoy the experience, finish the marathon, and have a smile on my face when I cross the finish line.  This marathon training cycle hasn't been perfect: it was shorter than it should have been and I was injured for a couple of weeks of it.  However, I am a much more consistent runner than I was when I ran my first marathon in 2009.  My plan for after the half is to only do one 2 mile run and one 2 mile walk during the week that follows.  I hope that my legs will feel fresh for the marathon and believe that they will get me across the finish line.

I know many runners tend to feel sort of blah while tapering.  I think, though, because this one is not typical and because I'm also looking forward to the half in two weeks, I don't feel restive or anxious.  How do you feel about tapering?