freak out mode

so I ran 12.5 miles on saturday....and felt ok. i coughed the entire first mile, but then it subsided thankfully. however....i don't think i felt as good as I should feel the week before running 26.2. like, it shouldve felt more effortless, ya know? and i was tight and sore yesterday. i keep telling myself, thats because i took 2 weeks off from any long runs, but I'm still pretty worried. i just want sunday to get here, so i can get it over with! this week is going to be one long panic attack, haha. i'm excited because it seems like alot of friends and family will be there to cheer me along, and i'm REALLY going to need it. i'm pretty much planning on the distractions and music and kat and diane to get me through this race. (note, no reference to any actual skill or muscles or running ability)

eek! is it sunday yet???? i just want this to be over with!!

The Final Countdown....

8 days to go.....

I have been at the gym all week, using the elliptical and treadmill for about 40 minutes each time.......and I gotta say, i'm pretty nervous. I've been coughing a TON, especially when working out, and my lungs feel like theyre shrunken in half. I'm getting a little nervous about my lung capacity getting me through this race. My muscles feel totally fine, I'm not too worried about them....but...breathing is SLIGHTLY important for running 4.5 hours.

I finally ran with Back On My Feet this morning for the first time in weeks, and, overall it felt great. The first two blocks, I had to stop and have a coughing attack, almost to the point where I was going to puke, and I thought, "well I am f*cked.....".....but I pushed through and focused on my breathing and ran 3 miles total! (a small drop in the bucket compared to 26.2, but still a big step for me not having run in 2 weeks).

I'm going to keep up with my inhaler, focus on deep breathing all week....maybe call my doctor....and see how my 10 mile run goes tomorrow. Ive come too far NOT to do this!!

stay tuned for more marathon race-day info!

the fun stuff

so, i've decided that instead of freaking out about how i'm supposed to run 26.2 miles after having the flu........i'm going to think about the fun things momentarily! what do i mean by this?

a) my outfit for race day. kat, diane, and i are going to have a tshirt decorating party this weekend, i'm excited to try out the ideas i have. of course, it will have my name in giant letters so that strangers will cheer for me. i'll post photos later so that people can look for me. still debating hat vs. no hat, and if i should go for the silver pants or not. TBD.

b) post-race partying. starting to plan where I would like to feast after the race, with family and friends......which is exciting to think about- life AFTER the marathon!

c) tattoo!! started sketching out some designs, and i think i want it on my ankle, maybe the inside. or maybe on my left food, not sure yet. I don't have much money for it, so i've got to keep it small, but after the madness of this journey, i definitely want to commemorate it.

d) thank-yous for my sponsors. since I decided to fundraise for Back On My Feet, I'd like to make postcards to send to those who have sponsored me, as a thank you, hopefully with some photos from before/after the race. i always love a fun photoshop project (as most of you know).

e) hair!! i promised myself i'd get a hair cut and maybe change the color after the race, since i won't be brutally assaulting my hair by running for hours in the rain every weekend. i cant WAIT, and oh man, i really need it. bad.


yay!

note, none of things have anything to do with actually RUNNING. i'm trying to forget about that part :)

life after swine....

so i'm finally feeling better, what an awful awful week. i don't wish swine flu on anyone, i could barely move for days and was in the worst pain ever. and when i wasn't sleeping (which, was most of the time), I had this violent cough....i felt like i was possessed with demons. everytime i'd cough while lying down, it was so strong that i'd actually sit up- i seriously must've looked possessed! and after a few days of those belly coughs, my ab muscles were so sore I had to hold my stomach before coughing and brace myself because it hurt so bad.

so anyways, i surived swine flu!

missed an entire week of work, and of running, and a 22-miler last weekend. NOT happy about that.

i've got 13 days until the Marathon!!! now its time to pray i've built up enough strength over the past few months that I can take it "easy" the next 2 weeks and still make it to race day.

i'm headed to the gym tonight to see how I hold up, and am hoping to run 3-4 tomorrow and see how the lungs feel.

wish me luck, i'm gonna need it now more than ever!!

Stupid swine flu

So I'm an emotional mess today....I just got diagnosed with freaking SWINE FLU! How does this happen three weeks before the marathon?? I'm crying as I write this, I'm in so much pain and I've come so far, too far not to be able to run it because of this. To top it off, the world series concludes in a few days, and I've had so much fun watching the games with my friends and now I'm quaranteeed for what could be a crazy exciting few days. I definitely won't be able to go to broad street like this.

To top it off, I've been around my friends a ton the past few days, and I'm feeling so guilty about having possibly passed this misery along to any of them. Like I didn't already feel crappy enough.

My doctor said no running this week, and since I skipped last weekend I'm going to be even father behind, and weakened. What am I going to do????

Ugh, I hope I can recover quickly and still do the marathon but right now I'm pretty worried. Also, work isn't going to be happy, I'm too contageous to go in to the office and we're swamped right now. I feel like I'm letting everyone around me down.

Sigh. And I keep coughing from crying, which makes me cry even more, then cough even more. Help!! :-/

WFCs!

how is a girl supposed to train for a marathon when the PHILLIES are in the WORLD SERIES!!!!!

yea, my weekly training is sucking right now......up till 1am for the games doesnt equate to waking up early to run. but i'm still getting my long runs in, so i dont feel TOO far behind, and trying to sneak in some gym workouts when i can at night.

GO PHILS! marathon training can take a back seat just for a week :)

holy crap

4 weeks till the marathon.





25 days.




holy crap.

Suck on that, Nor'easter!

Well it was awful, horrible, miserable, cold, rainy.......but we did it! We ran 20 freakin miles!!!! I actually ran 21, I jogged a mile to meet up with the BOMF family, and the Drexel crew teams, at 6am at city hall. The rain had slowed down, so we set off happily down the parkway. By about mile 3, the rain picked up, and it is colder than it's been since early spring. Ughh. I was running with Kat, Diane, Billy & Fred (2 of the homeless guys training for the marathon too!), Leigh Ann, Sera...and up ahead were more friends and BOMF people.
It was pretty miserable, but there is absolutely no way in this world I couldve done it without them. We turned around at Green Lane in manayunk, I can't believe we ran that far!! I'm going out in manayunk tonite and I'm taking a train there haha I can't believe just this morning we ran there! Not again, thank you very much :)
most of the run it was just me, Kat, and Diane....we had to do 2 more than everyone else too, so we stretched out part of the loop in the city...and watched kats Nike+ to see as we approached 20, then we all started hugging and cheering on broad and lombard! People waiting for the bus were giving us some crazzzy looks!

We did it!! Diane thankfully drove me home, and I ran to 7-11 for a donut and some soda, yummm. Then, the warmest shower of my life, and to ensconce myself in fleece clothing, and curl into bed.
Just woke up from a 4 hour nap, good lord I'm stiff (that's what she said), but I don't feel too horrible yet. And I'm so glad my knee held up! It was definitely hurting most of the way, but it was like the muscle was pushing on the bruising from the inside, so I knew I could push through it.

I am actually excited to get back to running this week, oddly enough. Last week I was burnt out and angry about my knee...now I feel like I can do anything! Including run another 6.2 in 6 weeks ;)

holy crap

we're running 20 miles at 6am tomorrow................in freezing rain and snow. holy crap i am nervous. i went to Cherry St and had 3 beers during the phillies game earlier. probably not an awesome life choice, but hopefully i don't pay for it tomorrow. i followed it up with 2 delicious slices of Lazaros pizza (gotta carb up right?) and now i'm just lounging around being lazy and freaking myself out about tomorrow. i'm about to chop up some oranges, get my water bottles/gatorade set up, and then all my tons of layers and layers since its going to be freezing.

the only good thing is that since we're meeting at 6am...........it should take us around 4 hours, so by the time i shower, i should be able to crawl into bed by 11am and sleep all day, hehe.

i hope my knee holds up, and my toenail, and everything else thats falling apart with me.

wish us luck!!

what a waste of a week

so its been 4 days since I could really exercise, because of how much pain my left knee is still in from my fall last saturday. This SUCKS! I'm supposed to be running 20 miles on Saturday, and should've run a total of around 40 miles this week.........I've run ZERO so far. I cant believe how mangled and bruised and swollen it still is. from stupid tripping. can you tell I'm frustrated??

6 WEEKS till the marathon! thats scary how fast that is going to go.

i'm going to try and run an easy 3 tomorrow with Back on My Feet before the 20 miler on saturday.

blargh........frustrated! want this marathon to be OVER!

in other news, since i havent exercised in 4 days.........i lost 2lbs. i swear to god i have an inverse metabolism.....

wish us luck saturday, running 20 with Kat, Diane, and maybe some of the BOMF crew.......but its supposed to be POURING rain all day. and cold. yipeee!

Things you can do when not training for a marathon: Eat Cheesesteaks

Mmmmm look at that delicious cheessesteak. Tony Luke's? Dalessandro's? Pat's or Geno's? No, no, no, and no. That is from Wogies in the West Village, a bar serving philly style sandwiches and $3 yuengling drafts, ordered, of course, by asking for "a lager". It's a philly bar through and through, with the owner and the bartenders all hailing from the best city in the U.S. of A.

Last night I ducked out of work a half hour early to get there before the game started so i could grab a good seat. best. move. ever. I got the last seat at the bar, and within 15 minutes you couldn't move. The place was packed to the rafters and every single person was a die hard phils fan stuck in nyc. i made friends with a dude originally from cherry hill, one from delaware, and another guy who just moved up here yesterday. For 4 hours it felt like i was back home, all the high fives and jumping up and down with random strangers reminded me of that beautiful night of October 29, 2008. I probably had 3 heart attacks last night, and at one point i think i blacked out. Playoff baseball is back!

Now its time to take care of those Dodgers for the second year in a row. Maybe matt stairs can recreate some of his magic and top it off afterward with another quote about "getting his ass hammered". We can only hope.

OUCH!

well, it finally happened. i joked with my friend danielle lots of times that no one ever falls or gets hurt while running, that its a crazy thought. and saturday, i bit the sidewalk, big time. i was jogging to meet up with everyone from BOMF, and kat & diane, for our saturday 10 mile run.....and coming up to the corner we meet at, i noticed that the group was really large for a saturday, and was trying to see who was there, wasnt paying attention. boom. went FLYING. i tripped, and flew, and slammed into the sidewalk, on my hands and knees, thankfully not my head. i threw my iphone (thankfully it survived), and i didnt even know if i could stand back up right away, it hurt so badly. i looked up and Austin, and one of the bomf guys were running towards me (i was still a block away, so I wasnt sure the group had spotted me yet), and they were helping me up before i knew it. i pulled up my pant legs, and both knees were pretty banged up, along with the palms of both hands.....and the side of one hand (explain how i hit the palm AND the back of my hand in the same fall, haha). so i hobbled to the rest of the group, poured some water on the wounds to clean off some of the gravel.....cried for a few minutes. (yes, i cried, it hurt like hell!!), and started off on a ten mile run!!

it wasnt a horrible run, the weather was nice, good company as always, and lots of friendly faces along the path, but my left knee was really in alot of pain, and i was ready to be done. and VERY glad it was a smaller distance. so i got home, quickly showered, cleaned up all my cuts, and ran out the door for a camping/hiking trip to delaware water gap! it was an AMAZING time, we hiked up to sunfish pond saturday night, probably a 3 mile hike uphill or so. sunday, we hiked Mt. Tammeny, probably about 4 miles of hiking, and 1500 feet of elevation climbed. all the while though, my knee was still really hurting.

well, i'm paying for it today. my left knee is still really really swollen, purple, full of cuts/scrapes, and hurts when i bend it. basically, i'm re-opening the wounds everytime i bend my knee, haha. and hiking and not icing it all weekend has really set me back. i couldnt run this morning, i biked to work and winced in pain everytime i pedalled. basically, i think im going to have to take it slow for a few days. luckily, i dont REALLY bend my knees that much when i run because of my stride, so i might be able to do some easy runs until these wounds heal up. i'm a little worried about the swelling though, hopefully more icing will help.

sigh.....only 6 weeks till the marathon, a 20 mile run next weekend, and this is NOT what i needed to happen!!

so here's a happy photo from my hiking adventures this weekend to cheer things up a bit :)

quick update!

i'm sorry i havent posted in awhile, yikes! quick update- successfully, but barely, completed the MS 150 mile bike ride last weekend. my butt is still sore, a whole week later. in Toe-watch 2009 news, my toe has turned black, haha, its weird, but i'm just waiting for it to fall off! It still hurts, but not quite as bad. i'm getting up for a ten mile run tomorrow, before heading off to a hiking/camping weekend with a great group of friends. so even though the mileage is lower, we'll be doing a ton of hiking, i didnt want to completely kill my legs. i was pretty bad this week, i took 2 days off after the bike ride, ran 6 miles one day, and went to the gym another, then another rest day. bum. i'll kick it back into gear next week for sure, soooo glad the bike ride is behind me. stay tuned for an update after running/hiking/camping!

the real story about bridget's toe.

this is actually what happened. sorry to out you bridget! but its time you stopped living in filth.

toe update!

i know, i know, you're all on the edge of your seats about the status of my sore toe....

so I mangled my toe this weekend with all my fabulous running.....and I haven't been able to wear shoes since Sunday, haha. I sported flip flops at work yesterday so that I could wear this giant rubber toe protector. Today its finally feeling better, still sore if i touch the top of the nail, but way better. It seems that the nail has separated from the nail bed, and there's a callous underneath it (ew, right?). according to lots of running websites, this is really common, and my nail might eventually fall off, which, apparently will make it feel way better.

i cant believe i'm actually HOPING for my toenail to fall off. running has made me into a weirdo.

in a related story- i tried to find a funny picture of a toe to post, but apparently, googling "cartoon toe" or "funny toe" doesnt come up with anything very good. so, note to self, make some cartoon toes and throw them out on the internet.

ok, now i'm losing it. going to try to run 3 after work and see how it goes!!

Weekend warrior

I had a great weekend of running!

Saturday, Kat, Diane, and I set out on a 14 mile run....along Kelly drive and through fairmount/forbidden drive. The weather was beautiful and crisp, a perfect fall day for sure. And Diane had cut up oranges for us as a snack- training is all about trying out what works and what first right? They were sooo refreshing and delicious when we cracked them open around mile 7ish....way better than those chemical filled goo packs!
So I biked home from our run (ugh it's like triathalon training when you don't have a car!) and then my bff matt called to say he'd be picking me up in 20 minutes for Oktoberfest at Brauhaus on south street. Sigh....no rest for the weary :-/ but there were German beers to be drank!
All I wanted was a nap but instead I found myself eating bratwurst and drinking giant mugs of beer! It was fun, but then I was off to meet my family for dinner! Soo tired! I don't think I've ever NOT taken a nap after a long run haha.

And to top it off, this morning was the Parkway run, a 5k for childrens hospital, with bff, grace, Dana, Lauren, Peter and the rest of the sig team. I had no idea how it'd go, how sore I'd be. But- Lauren and matt pushed me along...and then I got a burst of energy towards the end when I thought I'd finish in less than 30 minutes. I finished in 30:11!! That's one of my best times in....well....as long as I can remember. I've always finished 5ks in like 32-34! I was excited!

Then I had to run to the train to go babysit, play with kids all day, and now I'm completely zombified :)

also- my toe is KILLING me!! I keep hearing that you can lose nails from running, eek! I have a feeling it's comin soon! I hope I can run with the pain :-/

pacetats!

ok, i just want to say, i want one of these.....only because they are badass looking and make you look like a serious runner. not because i actually need to pace myself, haha. clearly not trying to break any records here, but how fun is this?

http://www.pacetat.com/PaceTat-Miles.html

cheerleaders wanted!!

one more thing.......while running the PDR yesterday, I got pretty sad about the fact that I didn't have any friends/family to look for along the sidelines. Everyone I knew there was running the race!

So- Calling all friends/family! All I want for my birthday/christmas is lots of people to come and make silly posters/signs for me at the Philly Marathon, on November 22nd! I'm DEFINITELY going to need it then!

and, of course, I still want Dave to be at mile 23ish with a beer for me. the way I see it, my friends can all tailgate the race in manayunk and cheer for me when i get there? haha. and, the more ridiculous the signs are, the better. but warning, i'll probably cry. I almost did yesterday a few times (not sure why, but I was feeling all sorts of waves of emotions during the race).

thats it, come out and cheer me on, thanks, i love you all :)

-b

Philly Distance Run!!

This weekend was a flurry of excitement. Saturday, 18 of us went white water rafting in the poconos.......it was a BLAST! and exhausting. and i knew I had the Philly Distance Run (half marathon) on sunday, so I was a little nervous!

So I had to be at the RWA shelter at 6am on Sunday, we had 5 guys from Back on my Feet running the PDR. We all walked together through Love Park, and up to the start near the Art Museum. I finally started realizing, "oh shit, am I ready to run a half marathon today? maybe I shouldve taken this more seriously this week?"

We get to the start, and Fred (one of the homeless guys) and I were planning to run together. It was an absolutely beautiful morning, minus the fact the race has you running directly into the sun for the first 2 miles, haha. So Fred had me running at like, a 9 minute mile pace........I was barely keeping up, and knew there was absolutely no way I was running 13 miles at that pace. Finally around the 2nd mile I had to slow down, and he just took off (thanks alot Fred, haha....just kidding). But after the next mile, I realized I was running just under 10 minute miles on my own. What? I almost always run 11+ minute miles, especially when I'm not keeping up with anyone else!

So I decided I was doing this for as many miles as I could keep it up. At mile 8 or 9, I decided, thats it, I'm running this pace the whoooole race if I can! I was so excited about completely shattering my time from last year's half marathon! I remembered being somewhere around 2:30 and figured maybe I could pull a 2:15 if I kicked my butt into gear.

I felt great, even at mile 11! So great, in fact, that I took advantage of a "Beer Stop" along the side of Kelly Drive. It was the most delicious beer I had ever tasted (probably a natty light or something gross, haha). I was so pumped about how well it was going that I just wanted to celebrate (a little early). I didn't start feeling sluggish and tired until after mile 12, but thankfully the sidelines were packed with people cheering me along.

I finished in 2:10!!! And when i got home, I looked up my time from last year- 2:40! I shaved 30 MINUTES off my time! It was really amazing to see how far I've come in just a year, and really motivated me to get through this marathon.

Plus, once I made my way through the crowds upon crowds of people, and back to the BOMF tent.....I almost cried at how proud I was of our guys. They not only finished their first race, but a half-marathon nonetheless! I dont think any of them really grasp what a major accomplishment that is yet, but I hope they realize that lots of runners never even get that far, let alone people who have only been running for 2-3 months. Absolutely amazing!

So here's some pictures of all of us, pre and post-race.

Up this week- (2) 5 milers, an 8 miler, and a 14 miler this weekend (mixed in with at LEAST a 30 mile bike ride somewhere). Less than 2 weeks until the MS 150, City to Shore bike ride. Starting to get nervous about that, since I've focused sooo much on running the past few months. YIKES!

yikes....

Last night, I had to get in an 8 mile run....and didnt get to leave work until 6:30. So I knew I had a long run ahead of me....and the rain was looming.

I found a little pouch made of crypton, from a fabric rep, that I was going to use to attempt to protect my iphone, and I set off running.

First of all, a long sleeved tshirt was a HORRIBLE choice, it was a weird combination of mugginess and cool and rainy, and humid. But it was too hot with the long sleeves. And second, my legs felt like lead weights. I couldnt get any sort of "speed" (which, again, is way slower than normal people), and one mile in I didnt see any way i'd make it through 8 miles. Also, my stomach had been bugging me all day (which is why I missed my morning BOMF run).

Anyways, 3 or so miles in, I realize...it is DEFINITELY going to be dark out for the better half of my run. And I'm running along kelly drive, alone.....and there's been so many rapes/attacks lately. So naturally, I spent most of my run scaring myself that someone was going to jump out of every single bush or corner. I was very jumpy, and just imagining the worst.

So much for a relaxing run, right?

And then it got worse....my stomach was KILLING me, and I knew I'd never make it back, 3 more miles to go, without a bathroom break. All I could think of was the picture that Dave posted awhile back, haha. It was dark, I was running a variety of options through my head........and finally, with one mile to go to Lloyd Hall (and bathrooms), a magical port-a-potty appeared. BUT.......it was scary, and dark, and i just saw shadows of giant spiders. It was awful....but it saved me life. And then I sprinted the last mile and a half home, because I was over it. I was over running, and just wanted to be home.

So I went to the grocery store, and made meatballs, and a bunch of healthy stuff....I'm determined to lose weight during this marathon training if it kills me!! And it just might!

So far today I had:
a screwed up smoothie (ice wouldnt crush, so it was like, strawberry soup)
4 mushrooms
1 roma tomato (my obsession)
healthy homemade meatballs, with some marinara, on a wheat bun.

sheesh......i just want to bury my head in a pizza and snickers feast. hehe.

Running 6 tonite, 6 tomorrow, 5k race saturday (plus 3), and biking 30 miles sunday. yikes...