Week Ten and Eleven: Announcements, Celebrations and Revelations.

This update covers weeks ten and eleven and includes some announcements, some celebrations, and a major revelation.... as usual, hang on!....  We covered a lot of ground this past few weeks and like normal, marathon training is very up and down.

Announcements....  Let's start here.  Lou and Sara are always an important part of Grandma's weekend - along with our other family run events over the years.  If you read Sara's bio, she is a show up and run kind of runner.  Not much training, and that's ok - that's not her love.  Well this year, she sure found a way NOT to train a single mile........

   We are so excited to welcome another cousin to the family!  COVID has sure been challenging the last year - we didn't even get to fully welcome Sara's baby last summer and here we are with another one on the way!  I am looking forward to the return of family events.  Just think of the jogging stroller Lou will now need!!!  Congratulations Lou and Sara - we support Lou in whatever running he is able to conquer with his growing, busy family - and to Sara, we are so excited you are adding to the cheering section!

Ok how do you follow baby news in announcements?  Well this really isn't an announcement - but does not fall under celebrations or revelations, LOL.  Follow up to my podiatry appointment.... the foot was a little sore after the steroid injection and it was bruised for along time.  I was able to return to running after a handful of days and have fully transitioned to my new shoe - which I love!   

Celebrations:
We have lots to celebrate the past few weeks!

 I shared in the last post that Jenn had run her solo 13.1 but she hadn't posted a picture yet I could use.  She is really crushing this training program!  After this 13.1 run, she has also completed a solo 15 mile run!  GREAT work... she is really going to nail the rest of this training and cross that finish line confidently.  

This might not be a celebration to some, but for me - getting up in the morning has always been a challenge.  Medically - PCOS and thyroid issues have always made it really hard to roll out of bed in the morning.  It never got easier until I backed off the heavy carbs.  I went a stretch about a year ago getting up in the morning and it felt great.  That habit rapidly stopped with COVID and all the home life changes.    Personally - it is hard for me to get up in the morning because we are night owls in my house.  Staying up really late and getting up early to work out does not provide the adequate sleep I need to maintain training (not to mention just maintaining life in general).  My available time also seems to be getting shorter and shorter since I took on part time job as a Family Nurse Practitioner on top of my full time faculty teaching job.  With time limited, I decided to give the morning work out a try.  It felt SO good to get a solid work out knocked out before heading to the clinic to see patients all day.  Liz is a morning person so her coming to my house to work out was a breeze for her.

Michelle and I celebrated a solid seven run midweek run in the beautiful sunshine.  I share some thoughts in the revelations section on why the mid week "long-ish" runs are getting harder and harder.  This was a great night.  Liz was there too but had to duck out a little early and missed the post run selfie (so important, LOL).

  Finding five dollars while running is certainly something to celebrate!

 This double run day felt great.  I took Nathan two miles in the stroller - wow, resistance work out!  He LOVED it and yelled "go, go, go" the whole time.

 13.1 miles, done!  Michelle and I ran a half marathon last weekend and it went pretty well.  It was the most beautiful morning and perfect running day.  No medal, shirt, or post run donuts - just a simple 13.1 miles that felt so rewarding.  What I notice the most is the post run feeling.  Years ago it took me days to recover from a half marathon.  Of course it is still work to run it, but the recovery is just so much easier being in a little better shape.   Liz ran the first 5 mile stretch with us then joined us on her bike for the last stretch - she ended up closer to 20 miles and burned just as many calories as we did!  It was so nice to have her pacing along and checking on us (not to mention providing water and GU).

Revelations:
Marathon training is not for me.

 

Ok first things first.... I am NOT quitting.  I will finish 26.2 miles in June one way or another.  This revelation is my revelation, not the team (and Liz too, I think I know her enough that we are really on the same page here).

First some thoughts on how I got here.  Official races:  I have completed multiple half marathons (I should really figure out how many), several 10K races, one 7K race, dozens of 5K races, a sprint triathlon, an Iron Girl duathlon, and a team duathlon relay.  These are just ones that I have registered for and completed on an official "race day".  To complete these, I have ran thousands of miles over the past 10-12 years.  I have participated in group fitness classes, many hours of cross training, and then the "Un-official" training like hiking, kayaking, and fun walking.  I have seen myself go from out of shape and miserable to someone who LOVES exercise and LOVES running.  I enjoy running Grandma's and Whistestop every year and the added bonus of some fun runs/triathlons thrown in there.

It has always been my goal to run the grand race.  To hit that 26.2 running club.  I have always wanted to cross the finish line in a full marathon.  I have been at the finish line watching full marathoners cross and it is amazing and motivating.  I orginally wanted to run Whisteltop full in Ashland - a hometown finish would be awesome (24 years in Ashland makes it home, right?).  I decided against it because I don't love running on the corridor and I think 20+ miles in the woods wouldn't motivate me.  PLEASE PLEASE if you love running, do come to Ashland and run Whistle - it is beautiful in the fall and I will keep running the half, 10K, or 5K each year - I just knew the full in the woods wasn't for me.  My favorite race course has always been Grandma's.  Growing up in Cloquet south of Duluth, it still feels like home.  I thought 26.2 in Duluth would be the best race to pick.  The course is awesome and the finish line is amazing.

So I embarked on this journey to run 26.2 and convinced my running partner Liz this was the next step for us in our running adventures.  Michelle has always trained and ran the half marathons right along with us - so she jumped in too.  So here we are plugging along and doing well.  Marathon training is no joke.  It is a much different beast than the half training.  Because we have ran for so many years together, I didn't think it would be that different.  We trained hard for the half marathons and always cross trained.  We consistently trained six days a week - three runs, three cross train, and a rest day.  Moving up to the full marathon training plan jumps running from three days to four days.  No big deal I thought, we are working out that much any way.  What I am really struggling with is the level of commitment.  Six days a week working out, no problem.  But as the miles grow, the time gets longer.  The mid-week runs are getting longer.  10 miles mid week is hard with everything else I have going on.  Can I run ten miles, of course.  Will I get better at ten miles, of course.  But do I want to commit to work outs that approach the 2 hour mark mid week?  Not so much.  I miss the lunch hour 40 minute HIIT work outs.  Doable, manageable, still burning calories, still working towards a solid base for the half, and still allows for life balance.    For me, balance is key.  I have a totally supportive family.  Kevin and the kids are always 100% behind me.  I also know self care is important.  Working out makes me better at everything I do - a better nurse, wife, parent, friend, and a better human being.  When I think about balance though, I can accomplish the self care without the full marathon training plan.

Can I run a full marathon?  YES.  Should I run a full marathon?  I am not sure.  Yes, I will run this one.  I am not stopping - but I have learned this is not for me.  I have way too many other loves in my life to devote this much time to one single thing.  I will NEVER walk away from running.  But I will walk away from things not meant for me.  Marathon training is not for me.  I will be one and done (I think, LOL.... see there is that little glimmer that still says maybe someday it will call to me again).  But for now, I will see this through with either running in Duluth in person, or switching to the virtual race with best running team ever.  After June, I will shift back to my love of the half marathon and cross trianing.

 Cheers to many more miles, many more races, a competitive spirit, self-care, and most importantly.... balance.  

See you next week, and hello May running!

Carrie and the Crew :)