This was a tough one but I finished!

It is kinda hard to believe this was my third marathon.  What a year of injury, recovery, and ramping back up!  I'm not where I'd like to be in terms of marathon performance but this time around was mostly about the experience:  getting myself back out there and putting some miles in.   

I praise God for this experience and keeping me relatively healthy during the process, for all my sweet sweet friends who let me ride their enthusiasm for me and my racing to the start line and beyond, and for my faithful running followers and blog readers who share their experiences and let me learn from them daily!

A couple weeks ago I decided to do my 15 mile run on a one mile loop around my neighborhood.

Why, you ask?

Because...Honestly...

I have been feeling like a crap runner these days.

I know that's not true. I know that running performance is all relative.  I know that I should be happy with how far I've come (I only managed 32 miles last year due to injury!).  Even with all of that "knowledge", I have still feel that something is off in this marathon ramp up.

My runs have been super slow (I mean suuuppper slow) and the process just hasn't felt the same as it has in the past.  I have been distracted by all the details and a little more than intimidated by the distances.  It was starting to worry me that if I couldn't get a solid run in before marathon day,  I would be in for a disaster on the 18th.

I decided to do the loop to strip all the logistics and worries away.

just run.

Surprisingly, it worked out.

My house was the "aid station".  The 4 major streets around my neighborhood connect for a one mile loop.  Of course I switched up directions and I forced myself to only stop according to plan -- running the first 5 miles nonstop then stopping every 2 miles after that.

I think this worked out because:

1.  I was close to home so I knew what to expect.

2.  I had easy access to fuel without having to haul it.  I carried my shot blocks but left water and Gatorade on my porch.

3.  Knowing the route allowed me to zone out and just run. I was able to maintain a steady pace the whole way!

Aside from slight boredom, there were no issues.  It was really good to get my legs moving and get a little confidence back.

Best run I've had all summer. 

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11

I ran 20 miles today.  It was everything but joyful.

As I was out there riding along on the struggle bus I had a lot of time to think.  

20 miles...4+ hours = lots of time to think

The run started out great. Thankfully.   It was a perfect sunny fall day.  I anticipated sweating but not down to my shoes. I was feeling great.  By mile 5 however, things started to get tough and I started to mentally freak out about how much time and how many miles I had left to go. My right arch and ankle was also starting to flare up -- last year's injury rearing its head.

With all of that going on and the miles prematurely getting slower and slower I was hit with the thought of God's graciousness.

Just out of the blue.  Wham.  God is so good.

I was reminded of how much I have to be thankful for.  I think of grace as giving someone something good that they don't deserve. This is seriously how God deals with me day in and day out.  The verse above came to mind and wouldn't go away.  Out on my run today, I was filled with gratitude.  For everything.  Not just running. 

In the end, it was a hard run but I'm thankful for the experience.  After all, that's what training is all about -- to toughen me up for the real thing.  Boom.

I'm also thankful I got a great shot of these two feathery buddies while out on my run today.

City Turkeys!

It's fall folks!

What about you?

How is your fall running going?

The I'm running long again!  So thankful.

These long runs, however, have come with a new challenge.  

Lately, I have been finding myself getting nervous before these longer efforts.  I don't remember this being the case pre-injury when I was running more consistently.  Well, at least not noticeably the case.  I think I'm getting anxious before runs these days partially because of wanting to be cautious about my ramp-up and partially because of intimidation of the mileage.  I thought about it some at the beginning of the summer and decided that there were things I could do to help me not over-think long runs.

Here are a few things that have been helping me with my long run nervousness.

1.  Map out runs ahead of time

I've found that mapping out my long runs a day or two before takes some of the pressure off.  Running 10+ miles in the city is hard.  You can go through many towns at that distance and it sometimes becomes nerve wracking to map out a good route.  I use Gmap-pedometer to map out all of my routes.  Doing it before the day helps clear my mind and is one less thing I have to obsess about. 

2.  Know where to get water

Staying hydrated during runs is always a big concern of mine.  Planning out my stops ahead of time makes things seem smoother in my head.  Especially in the summer [and because I sweat a lot] I like to make sure I have a plan for refilling my water bottle or getting a sports drinks on my run.  The Boston area has very limited free outside fountains but most of the colleges have public spaces that I can just pop into and refil as needed.  I also don't mind stopping at a store or pharmacy to get Vitamin Water or Gatorade.  

3.  Prep gear ahead of time

This is a trick I use for race day.  I lay everything out the night before:  what I'm wearing, what food I will eat.  I pack my fanny pack and I fill my bottles and put them in the fridge.  The only thing Ieft for the morning is getting dressed and storing my phone.  I can definitely get caught up in the details so having everything laid out ahead of time gives me less excuse to procrastinate getting out of the house.

4. Don't think too much!

"Stopping thinking about it and get out there"!  This is what I tell myself before long runs.  Sometimes, I get way too into my own head and I over-think everything.  What's the worst that can happen?  I get tired and have to call it quits?  I almost always feel better about the run once I've actually started.  Thinking about doing an 18 miler is much more intimidating than actually running an 18 miler.  Trust the training! 

My new gps watch is definitely helping as well.  For shorter runs, I can just go out and literally turn around once the gps reads half the distance.  Longer runs definitely take more planning but I like the flexibility.  With the gps, I can adjust the run on the go and still be confident in the mileage.  For example if something went wrong on the run (took a wrong turn, etc.)  I can see exactly how far I went and choose on the spot to turn back or keep going based on the distance.

How about you?

Do you get nervous before long runs?

What pre-run rituals help you prepare?

Dear Faithful Blog Followers,

It has been a while. I have been struggling with the failing hard drive on my computer for months.  It finally went kaput and I immediately realized that I had been avoiding using it and consequently neglecting my blog.

So, here I am trying to get back on track.

Below is a little of what I've been up to the last three months.

I ran a Ragnar Relay.

I signed up for the Bay State Marathon.

I climbed a big mountain!

More updates on each of those things coming real soon.  First, I need to buy a new computer. Blogging on my phone is no fun.

Happy running!