15 Thing Friday

1. I'm still sick. One minute I feel like I'm about over it, the next minute I feel like death. BLEAH.

2. I've run 3 times this week (Monday, Thursday, Friday) and averaged sub 9:00's for each run. Woah. Who am I?!?! The Hubs says I need to start accepting this as the new norm, instead of still thinking of myself as a 10:00 miler. Hmm... interesting. We'll see. Jury's still out.

3. I haven't talked much about this because.... well, I just don't really want to, but I have managed to drop a few pounds this marathon training cycle. This morning a pair of pants that haven't fit in over a year suddenly fit!

4. Someone walked in on me taking the above photo at the bathroom at work. Awesome.

5. We had an event at work that had boxed lunches. Ew. Why? The students got PIZZA. I got a bland turkey sandwich and potato salad? Pass. I did manage to eat about 3 cookies, though. Chocolate chip AND peanut butter in the same cookie?? Sold.

6. I just realized I won't be able to do this race this year.

It's a super small race in Grand Rapids that some friends and I ran last year. It's at night and you run through Christmas lights and it's just fun. I can't make it this year and I'm bummed.

7. My to-do list at work seems to growing exponentially. Danger. I LOVE being busy, so I'm not complaining... but, damn!

8. Eating: I'm dying to try this soup.

(source)

9. Wearing: I wish I had an occasion (and the money) to wear these shoes to. In pink, please!

10. Wearing (part 2): I'd also settle for these. You know, for a more casual occasion.

11. Listening to: I'm loving the Christina Perri Pandora station these days. It's mellow, but not sleep inducing. Lately, I can't get enough Sara Bareilles. Love her voice.

11. Reading: When I have a few down minutes at work, lately the first site I've been going to is http://www.dayoldnews.com/. You know I love me some celebrity gossip and this site focusing it all around fashion. Love. Done.

12. I'm sorry.... what?!? Why? Why is this necessary??

13. The Hubs and I have a date night planned tonight to cash in a Groupon for a local Thai place. I reallllly hope this cold starts to enter one of it's manic stages so I feel up for it. LOVE Pad Thai... and the company won't suck either.

14. I just realized I have 4 different types/sizes/colors of post-it pads on my desk. What is wrong with me? Why would anyone need this kinda variety? I wish I could say this is an odd thing, but if I had to guess, I'd say this is fewer than were there a week ago.

15. 10 days til the marathon. You know what that means. Let the weather forecast stalking begin! Not looking TOO bad right now... I'd take 60* and cloudy any day. The rain, yeaaaaah-- you can go ahead and keep that.

Still Sick

I'm still sick.

I could not be more over this nonsense.

I haven't worked out since MONDAY. Today is WEDNESDAY. That might not seem that long to some people, but to ME-- it's a LONG time.

Wah, wah-- I know. I'm such a whiney baby. I know. But, I HATE being sick. And, I know I'm mid-taper and maybe this is my bodies way of MAKING ME taper... but, I also know completely to a COMPLETE SWEATING STOP is not good either. I need a happy medium. I need to not be sick.

Just how sick am I? Am I exagerating? I'll let you be the judge.

Exhibit A:

I've gone through an entire bottle of Ziacam since Monday.

 

Exhibit B: I was asleep last night by 7:30pm. Yeaaaaah. As in, BEFORE 8 o'clock. That's just crazy talk.

Exhibit C: (Maybe the most telling...)

The Hubs was out running errands last night and got back after I went to bed (cough, cough-- at 7:30pm-- cough, cough). He kinda woke me up to tell me he brought me home fro yo as a suprise. I didn't even move. It's in the freezer as we speak. Yup-- I PASSED on fro yo. Me. That's crazy talk. The thought of moving even an inch last night was just too much to consider. CLEARLY-- me=sick.

 

 

So, to try to cheer myself up from said sick-ness and lack of sweatiness, I did what any rational sweat-lovin' girl would do.

 

Signed up for my first post-marathon race! I mean... duh. It's a local half-marathon that's a full 3 weeks after the marathon. I figure that'll be enough time to recover, but not too much time to lose all levels of fitness or too much time to make me fall into a lazy slump. It'll give me something to look forward to. I'm totally just running it for fun... some co-workers are running the 5K with it and it's in the fall and has a halloween theme and it's the day before the Hubs and I leave for a week long cruise, so I figure it'll be one last good run before a week of amazing FOOD, FOOD, and more FOOD! 

 

Anyway... I'm trying the whole "mind over matter" thing over here today and trying to tell myself over and over "I AM NOT SICK! I AM NOT SICK!" I realllllly wanna get to the gym tomorrow to get a few miles in. I can use all the mental strength I can get. So, repeat after me: "MEAGAN IS NOT SICK!"

Sick Day: WIAW

So, you'd like being SICK and all would make me maybe less hungry? Yeah, not so much. Ok, not at all. That raging hunger-- still there. So, in between sneezes and coughs , here's WIAW:

 

Breakfast: 8:30am

Chobani Greek Yogurt (Blueberry) with a handful (or 3) of Honey Nut Cheerios mixed in. I also had a Diet Pepsi. I usually have coffee at breakfast, but didn't go to the gym so couldn't get it there and didnt' want to go through Starbucks.

Snack #1: 9:30am

Several handfuls of Honey Nut Cheerios. Buying this box was clearly dangerous. Also had some water.

 

 

Lunch: 12pm

I met a friend at Panera for lunch. I got the You Pick Two-- 1/2 vegetarian black bean soup and 1/2 greek salad w/ only cheese and dressing (on the side) and the french baguette as the side. I LOVE this soup. Like, LOVE. I could eat it everyday. SO good. I also had a Diet Pepsi. 

 

 

Snack #2: 2:30pm

I had to drive to an off-campus site today for work, so I grabbed this bag of Smartfood Popcorn while filling up my gas tank. It was an impulse buy, but so good. Not TOO bad of stats... the whole bag for 240 calories, 3g fiber and 5g protein isn't terrible. Hey, it's better than the four KitKats I had my eye on. I also had a bottle of water.

 

Dinner: 6:30pm

Nothing sounded good. Nothing. But, I was hungry. I hate when that happens. I finally settled on noodles with marinara sauce right outta the jar. SO FANCY.

Dessert: 6:50pm

 A few spoonfulls. Felt SO good on my sore throat.

 





Right Foot, Left Foot

(source)

 

 

Well, if I don't remember anything else come marathon day, I hope to remember this. And maybe even chuckle a little.

 

12 days and counting...

S'mores and Sick

Today is an unplanned, but very needed, rest day. I had to drop the Hubs off at the car dealership so his car could get some work done on it before work, so my morning workout was out. At lunch, I'm meeting a friend for lunch, so the afternoon workout is out. Normally, I'd be pretty upset about this and figure out a way to get the workout in post-work... but, today I am 100% OK with it. Today, I feel like I got run over by a truck. Yup, I am sick. Sicky, sick, sick. Throbbing head, sore throat, sneezing, running nose-- the works. Aweeeesome. Last night I crawled into sweats right after walking in the door and didn't move from the couch all night. I passed out by 8pm and slept solid til 6:20am this morning. This morning I made an emergency run to Wal-Greens for some much needed meds.

Here's hoping it does wonders. And quick.

UGH. I hate being sick. And, now is NOT a good time (not that there's ever a "good time" to be sick). Work is CRAZY... I legit cannot call in a day right now. Luckily, training is in the taper phase so I can get away with an unplanned rest day, but I need to get over this thing pronto. The race is in 12 days. No time to be sick. None.

BLAH.

Let's back up to the weekend. Super speed style.

Friday night: Random raid-the-freezer dinner (TJ's turkey corn dogs, frozen veggies, and some noodles w/ cheese), then headed over to my in-laws for the night. Half slept-through/half-watched a movie and then passed out.

Saturday: Up early to do my "long run". 12 miles. Woah. That felt so weird! It really is ONLY 12 now. I felt like I should have been doing more. I felt weird. Hard to explain. I did the first couple with my father in law and some of his running buddies. My FIL split off to head home, but his friends and I finished out my 12 in a 9:10 pace with several sub 9:00 miles in the middle. Oh, AND it was raining. AND there were hills. Lots of hills. I don't really do hills. Ever. So, this was a pretty exciting success for me. Post run, I headed back to my in-laws and we did lots of yard work outside for a few hours. Still in the rain. A hot shower never felt so good. It cleared up later in the day-- juuuust in time for my absolute favorite fall activity.

 

 Bonfire and S'MORES. Absolute bliss. 

Post-s'mores I ate lots more food. Napped on and off. Some football. Slept through a movie. Done.

Sunday: Lazy day. Went on a walk with the Hubs (4.66 miles). Out for mexican for lunch. Spent afternoon grading papers for the class I'm teaching and watching re-runs.

 

Monday morning I got up and went to the gym ready to spin. And, of course, spinning was cancelled. BOO. I hit the TM instead. 7.5 miles at sub 9:00 pace while watching Felicity on my teeeeny tiny iPhone screen. First world problems to the extreme. I didn't start feeling crummy til post run when I noticed a tickle in my throat while showering. The tickle never went away, instead got worse. Boo. My 3pm I officially called it as SICK. Sicky, sick, sick.  

Weekly Workout Recap (9/17-9/23)- Marathon Training Week 17

"To finish will leave you feeling like a champion and positively change your life."

-Jeff Galloway, U.S. Olympian
 

Weekly Workout Recap (9/17-9/23)- Marathon Training Week 17:
(Reminder: My actual workouts in RED, what my plan called for in BLUE)
Monday, 9.17- 6.3 mile walk, 8-min Abs and 8-min Arms {Spinning & 4 miles}
Tuesday, 9.18- 8.5 miles & 5.5 miles, 8-min Abs and 8-min Arms  {Signature Strength}
Wednesday, 9.19- Spinning {4 miles}
Thursday, 9.20- 8 miles &  5.1 miles {8 miles}
Friday, 9.21- 60 minute elliptical {Rest}
Saturday, 9.22- 12 mile LR (& 2+ hour yard work! Does that count as a workout!?!? It felt like it!) {12 mile LR}
Sunday, 9.23- 4.66 mile walk {90 minutes cross training}


Totals for Week 17:
39 Miles Run {28 Miles}
1 Spinning Classes {2 Spinning Classes}
0 Signature Strength Classes {1 Signature Strength Class}
60 Minutes on Elliptical {90 Minutes Cross Training}
10.96 Miles Walked {None on Plan}
?? Rest Days (I don't know! Does the walking negate the rest? I have no idea. Whatever.) {1 Rest Day}


Week 17 of 19. We're getting SO close. I'm ready for it to just BE HERE ALREADY!

How I Felt:

Body: Sore. Pretty sore all week. Right when it started feeling un-sore I'd do a hard(er) run and it's tighten back up. Definitely a good thing taper is here. At least... for a few days. I'm sure come Tuesday I'll be over this whole taper thing. But, for now-- my body needs it. It's feeling rough.

Mental: MUCH better! I'm SOOOO excited for this thing. I just want it to be here now!!! I can't wait. CANNOT WAIT.

Energy Level: WOAH. I feel like I ran into a train or something. I'm exhausted all the time. It's taking more and more to pry me out of bed when the alarm goes off. Need. More. Sleep. Like, I feel like I could sleep as much as I feel like I could eat.

Hunger: Same ol, same ol. Still hungry. all. the. time. It's out of control and not going anywhere. I've made peace with it (mostly because I've given in and am just eating ALL THE TIME... danger!).

GOALS (new section!): Epic fail on both fronts. Sleep = bad. I've gotten to bed at a good hour, but tossed and turned all week. Boo. Not good. Water = bad... but, not TERRIBLE. Really gonna try to pick both up this week. And, not the same way I said that last week. I REALLY AM gonna try this time. Really.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Baby Sister!

Today is a very special day.
 
Today is my baby sister's birthday. Happy Birthday, baby sister!

Why yes, one year for her birthday I did in fact give her several boxes of her favorite cereal as a birthday gift. Pictured are just two of the many more boxes. That's totally normal, right?

I call her my "baby" sister... girl graduated college AND nursing school. She's not so baby anymore. I couldn't be more proud of her. Oh, and of COURSE she followed in my footsteps and went to my alma mater. Clearly, girl has brains.  

 

 

Yeah, I got nothing for this one. I'd try to explain... but, it happens way too often, so I got nothing. NORMAL.

 

 

So, baby sister-- celebrate! Enjoy your day! I love you and am SO proud of you! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

 

 

Oh, and don't be mad at me for the whole pre-7am wake up call on your bday thing. Nothing screams sisterly love like a 6:40am HAPPY BIRTHDAY serenade wake up call. NOTHING.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you!!

VERY exciting mail and a VERY sweaty run

Last night I got some VERY exciting mail.

MY CONFIRMATION PACK FOR THE MARATHON!!!! Holy crap, this is really happening. I have a bib number. And a (REALLY late!) start corral. Woah. This is REAL. I'm getting more and more excited. I honestly can't wait!

After calming down from my mail-high, I did a lil abs and arms work. 8-minute classic 80's workout DVD style.

Then, the best part of the day-- I met my MIL for dinner! The Hubs and his dad have a father/son dinner once a month when his parents both come up to our area because his mom has a meeting near our house. I decided the boys shouldn't be the only ones who get to have fun dinner dates, so I met my mother in law for dinner last night. Delicious food (I got a salmon pasta in a light EVOO and lemon sauce... yum!), even better company. Perfect night.

Moving along to today. For the record, Thursday's are my least favorite day of the week. I have no rational reason why, but I'm over them. Just make it be Friday already!!! Anyway....

5am wake up call.

8 miles in 1:10:18 (an 8:47 pace!! WOOWOO!!). Me and the TM are still BFF's. I have no idea what's going on with me lately.

I was just a LITTLE sweaty after. NBD.

Work. Work. Work. With far too many sides of coffee.

 

5.1 miles (had to make it that extra .1 to make it to 13.1 overall for the day. I'm a freak, I know.) during lunch on the indoor track.

More Work. Work. Work. With far too many Diet Pepsi's and far too little water. Why can I talk myself into running 13.1 miles on a random Thursday, but walking to the water fountain to fill my cup just seems like WAY TOO FAR?

No big plans for the night... another round of 8-minute Abs and 8-minute Arms. Laundry, Maybe a short walk. I'm SO exciting.



Progress, Success, and Mean People

I’ve always been a play by the rules kinda girl. That straight and narrow line—I’m following it. That to-do list—I’m crossing things off, in order.  I’ve always strove to stay out of trouble and follow the rules. I don’t create waves. I don’t question authority. If my boss told me to jump, I’d start jumping as high and fast and hard as I could and never even question why or how high. I do what I’m told. I hate being in trouble or feeling like I’m not doing something I’m “supposed” to do. I’ve followed life according to a plan and have always managed reach each goal. I work hard. I do what I’m supposed to do. And, usually that pays off. I've always kinda believed it SHOULD pay off. Work hard, you'll reach your goal. I studied hard and got good grades, so I got into a good grad school. I worked my booty off in grad school, so I got a good first job. I save money now, so I’ll have money in my IRA for later. I looked for nice boys and never settled for jerks, and met and married the Hubs. I do the “right” things in the “right order” and assume life will work itself out the way it’s “supposed” to. Ultimately, I know that’s crazy talk and life just doesn’t work that way. There is no “right” way or a “right” order to things in life. Life’s messy. It doesn’t have a to-do list or an agenda or a set of rules. Sometimes bad shit happens to good people. Sometimes you work your ass off for something and do everything you’re supposed to do and you DON’T reach your goal.

Never has this been more apparent for me than with running. See—I can follow a training plan to the T. I can hit each mileage goal each week. I can do every second of cross training. I can even eat semi-good and take my vitamins. I can wear the right shoes and eat the right Gu’s and stretch and foam roll and do everything everyone says to do to become a good runner. And, still… sometimes, to me, it feels like progress isn’t happening. It feels like I’m not getting any better. Like I’m still breathing SO heavy and still just as slow and not losing any weight and not getting any more in shape and just not getting any better. Sometimes it feels like no matter how much I do what I’m told and what I’m “supposed” to do, I’m not seeing any progress.

Or am I???

Where is this coming from? Well, while I do think it's a lot my personal-mental-beat-myself-up-ness, I think a lot of it comes from some recent conversations with people who don't really matter all that much, yet I let what they say effect me like this. In the last few weeks I've had someone ask me "Um, if you run as much as you say you do, why aren't you skinnier?". TO MY FACE! I also had MORE THAN ONE person comment on that if I'm a "marathoner" shouldn't I be able to run faster than I do? I feel like I should definitely mention that the people who said these things have NEVER RUN A MARATHON (or probably even a mile, for that matter). I also had someone tell me I should be much faster already if I put in as many miles as I say I do. And someone tell me they thought I would have lost more weight during training. And someone ask me if you don't run a sub-4:00 marathon, does it even count? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?? These are not MY people. They are people who mean just about nothing to me in the grand scheme of life. Random acquaintances, co-workers, etc. Not friends or family. I KNOW that means it shouldn't mean anything to me... but, it still stings and makes me doubt myself and makes me feel like I've made NO progress.  

 
Then, I saw this today (can't find where I saw it to give its source-- sorry!):

 

And I realized… I am seeing progress. Even if THEY don't think it's progress or even if THEY don't see it. I AM SEEING PROGRESS. Sometimes it’s just slow progress. Maybe I’m just a product of this ADD-generation I’m a part of. Maybe the idea of having to WAIT for change is just too much for me to handle. I don’t know. But, until I saw this—I didn’t really credit the progress I have made… albeit slow and sometimes minimal progress. Slow progress is still progress. I AM a  better runner today than I was 6 months ago. Simples as that. Screw what other people think or say. Have I made as much progress as other people (and even myself sometimes) think I’m “supposed” to have made? Maybe not. But ya know what… who decides how much I’m supposed to have progressed? Who is this magical authority that I keep thinking of as the person who makes the rules and the person who gets to decide if I’m where I’m “supposed” to be? Should I be the only person who decides that?

 
Sometimes we’re just SO hard on ourselves. Sometimes I’m just SO hard on myself. Sometimes I listen more to the haters than to the people who really matter. I forget to give credit where credits due. I HAVE made progress. I’ve covered more distance. I’ve gotten faster. Am I covering ultra-marathon (or even marathon for that matter) distances or running sub-7-minute miles? No. SO WHAT? Slow and even small progress is still PROGRESS. I'm still DOING this. I CAN still do this.

So, I’m reminding myself to get off my back and to say SCREW YOU to the haters. I’m reminding myself to give credit where credit’s due. I’m reminding myself that I kinda do kick ass because I won’t quit, even on the days where progress feels non-existent and even on days when stupid people say stupid and mean things. I’m reminding myself that it’s really pretty dumb to be my own worst enemy and maybe even more dumb to listen to what mean people say.

So, I’m working on it. Again. Still. Whatever. I’m working on it. I’m not giving up. I’m not diminishing my progress.  I’m taking a moment to be proud of the progress I have made. Because I HAVE MADE PROGRESS and because I will continue to make progress... everyday. I'm taking a moment to celebrate the progress I've made instead of focusing on how much more progress I could (and hopefully will someday!) make. Progress is progress. Success can be in the eye of the beholder and dammit, today-- i say I am a success.

WIAW: Long Run Day

This edition of WIAW (thanks to Jen!) is a special Long Run edition of WIAW. Below are all my meals/snacks/etc. from Sunday, when I kicked 20.5 miles in the junk.

 Breakfast:

Unpictured... to be fair, I didn't decided to capture this day's eats for WIAW until I was actually running my long run. Oh well. I feel like you know what 1/2 an English Muffin with a little peanut butter looks like. I know that's not much before a 20 miler... but, I just don't have the stomach for it knowing I have a run. It works for me.

 

 

Mid-Run:

(source)

 

Yup... missed this pic too. Hey! I was RUNNING. Anyway-- I had 1 pack of Strawberry Gu Chomps. I don't really have a favorite go-to fuel source for running. Sometimes Gu's, sometimes Chomps, sometimes ShotBlocks, sometimes SportsBeans. Whatever. I'm easy to please mid-run.

 

 

Post-Run:

Small skinny iced vanilla latte. Delicious. Tasted even better because I had a coupon so it was FREE!

 

 

Lunch:

 

 

The Hubs and I walked to Brothers Bar and Grill for lunch. This salad is DELICIOUS. I'm obsessed with it. Add grilled chicken, leave out the dried cranberries. Dressing on the side. Light on the blue cheese crumbles. Yes, waiters love me. Yes, it was worth the complicated order. I devoured this beast with about 4 glasses of water. SO good.

 

 

Snack:

 

FRO-YO!! The Hubs and I walked there... so, I feel like the calories don't count, right??? :) Oh, like I care. It was AMAZING. Cookies and cream fro yo with M&Ms, Reese PB Cups, hot fudge and whipped cream. YUUUUUM.

 

 

Dinner:

 

A Meagan-staple. Brown rice with red/orange/yellow peppers and onions sauteed in TJ's peanut dressing, soy sauce, and siracha. LOVE it. Could (and do) eat it at least once a week.

 

 

Dessert 1:

 

This stuff is SO good. I only had a few spoonfuls. I swear. Less than a serving. But, I had to force the Hubs to take it away from me or I could have eaten the entire pint without even noticing.

 

 

Dessert 2:

{Unpictured b/c I suck} 5 marshmallows with a spoonful of PB and some chocolate chips. Sounds weird, but I promise it's amazingly good. Don't knock it til you go out and try it. Really. Go try it. Right now. You'll thank me.

 

 

 

 

And, that was it. I could have eaten WAY more, but I try to keep it a little under control on LR days because I know I'm the MOST hungry the day after a LR. Let's not go there today. :)

Lame, Pictureless List

Life is just crazy right now. Work is busy, busy, busy. Marathon training is going, going, going. My brain can't handle anything more than a lame, pictureless list right now.

 

- I'm obsessed, OBSESSED, OBSESSED with the song "Arms" by Christina Perri. Maybe it was seeing her open for Jason Mraz. Maybe it's just because the song freaking ROCKS. Whatever the reason, I can't get enough.

 

- The marathon is in 19 days. WOAH.

 

- I ran 8.5 miles on the TM this morning. Not fast. Not slow. 9:19 pace. I kinda loved it. What's with me and the TM lately?!? Then, I ran 5.5 on the indoor track and it was pretty meh. I used to HATE the TM and love the indoor track and lately it's been a compelte role reverse. I don't even know who I am anymore.

 

- The Hubs and I went on a SIX+ mile walk yesterday. Woah. I skipped my morning spinning class because my legs were crazy sore, so I was going to take an extra rest day... now, after that monster walk I'm not sure if I can still classify it as a "rest day". Especially since I also did 8-minute Abs and 8-minute Arms. Tough decision.

 

- On said walk, the Hubs and I were talking about the marathon. Ok, I was talking. The Hubs was trying to pretend he wasn't OMG SO SICK of hearing about it. Poor guy. Anyway, I mentioned that I've LOVED every second of this process. He said that while maybe that's a SLIGHT exaggeration, he said he has been legit shocked at how much I have really liked it. He said he hasn't really heard me bitch about workouts or ever really say "I DON'T WANNA RUN TODAY!" or at least not that often. He said (and I quote): "I think you really are just one of those weird people who actually LIKES to run. Freak." True love, right there, folks.

 

- Mental Game = Still Going Strong (just for the record)

 

- Today is National Cheeseburger Day and I have EVERY intention of celebrating properly.



With that, I'll say g'day. Go eat a cheeseburger. You know you want to. 

The Run That Changed the Game

Where were we? Oh yes, Sunday.

Well, Saturday night, kinda.

So, I got back from the bachelorette party and into bed around 1am Sunday. Way, waaaaay past my bedtime. After checking out the forecast and seeing that it was going to PERFECT, I made the executive decision to sleep in til 8am Sunday, instead of 7am.

 I mean... with temps in the 50s and 60s, I didn't have to rush to beat the heat. Exxxcellent.

So, Sunday morning I rolled out of bed feeling surprisingly fresh, despite the Saturday night antics (cough, cough-- alcohol-- cough, cough). I got outta bed right at 8am, body glided-up, got dressed and grabbed my gear. Fail #1. 

DANGER! I don't run "naked" or "by feel". I am 100% obsessed and co-dependent on my love (aka: my Garmin). Seriously. I panicked. Was this the universe telling me not to run? Was it telling me to get ready for the world's crummiest run? Ugh. I was not happy. BUUUT, I told myself to suck it up and deal. I decided to run a path I know pretty well and happen to know is right around 7 miles and to track it using my iPod. So, I dried my tears and got out the door by 8:20am.

I have no mile split data for this run. My iPod's not that fancy. I can tell you that I felt good for the first half of myrun. I felt FAST. I felt GOOD. I swung back around to my house after mile 7 to grab my Garmin in hopes it charged enough and to make an emergency bathroom visit (ugh). I headed back out 5 minutes later and decided to just make it to mile 10 and then I'd switch from iPod to Garmin. I was thiiiiis close to saying screw the Garmin, stick with the iPod, but then my sanity kicked in. See, my iPod will track distance and even pace, but it won't tell you INSTANT data. There's no "hey, just look down at me every 2 seconds the whole race and I'll tell you exactly how far and how fast you're going". So, I finished 10 miles with no Garmin.

 

Imagine the HUGE SHOCK and look of complete astonishment when I saw this! A 8:44 pace! Over 10 miles?!?! At first, I admit, I doubted this. I told myself my iPod MUST be wrong because there's NO WAY I could run that fast. NO WAY.

 

I mean, OK. I had felt fast. I had felt amazing. BUT, there's just no way. I'm not that fast! I remember even telling myself to slow down around mile 8 because I needed to reserve energy.

 

I tried not to dwell on it. I turned on the good ol' Garmin and knew I could trust her (my watch is a girl, apparently) data 100%.

 

{Spoiler: Maybe the iPod WAS right!}

 

Mile 1 on the Garmin clocked in right around 8:45. What?!?! Fluke.

 

Mile 2: Same.

 

WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!? I told myself to SLOW DOWN because clearly I was crazy.

 

Mile 3: 8:50-something.

 

Mile 4: 8:50-something.

 

Mile 5-10.5: Low 9:something's. No mile higher than 9:20.

 

 

10.5 more miles in a 9:06 average pace. Yes, slower than the iPod... but, I always negative split, so that's totally to be expected.

 

That's 20.5 miles in about a 9:00 average pace.

 

WHAT?!?!? What the heck?? I mean... whaaaat???

 

Maybe my iPod was... {gasp!} RIGHT? Did I really run that fast?? CAN I really run that fast? WHO AM I?!?!?

 

I have no idea how this happened... but, OMG! I RAN 20.5 MILES IN A 9:00 PACE!!!! WOOOOOWOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

I finished my run at a local coffee shop to treat myself to a iced vanilla latte and as I was walking home I walked by this family sitting outside Jamba Juice. The dad was STARING at me and then I realize I had the HUGE RIDICULOUS GRIN on my face and he probably thought I was CRAZY. Here's this weird girl covered in sweat with a coffee in her hand and she's BEAMING. He probably thought I was a complete weirdo.

 

Anyway, I realized I was smiling like crazy and I realized WHY I was smiling like crazy. Not just because I had just run 20.5 miles. Not even just because I ran 20.5 miles FAST.

 

I was smiling because I, for the very first time in the last 16 full weeks of marathon training, realized I CAN DO THIS.

 

Woah. Let that sink in for a minute. I, Meagan, had a positive self-affirming thought about this whole marathon thing. I felt myself breathe and felt myself start to believe in myself. Sounds crazy, but I swear I could feel it. Like I could FINALLY let myself believe that I might actually be able to pull this shit off.

 

I couldn't stop smiling. Granted, walking home after KICKING some 20.5 MILE ASS while sipping (ok, chugging) an iced latte in this weather certainly didn't hurt.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day. I loved every second I was running. I felt like I GOT to run, not I HAD to run. It was AMAZING.

Best of all... I KNOW I can do this now. Will I still have freak outs? Sure. Will I still have many moments of doubt? Of course. But, I'll remember this Sunday's run. This Sunday's perfect, amazing run. And, I'll remember the feeling I had after it. That "OMG! I can really do this thing! OMG!!!!" feeling.

And, ya know what? I really can do this thing.

In 21 days I'll cross the start AND the finish line of the 2012 Chicago Marathon.

Let's do this.

 

Weekly Workout Recap (9/10-9/16)- Marathon Training Week 16

"The beauty of running is its simplicity; the beauty of runners is that we all have a similar drive to improve."

-Deena Kastor, U.S. Olympian

Weekly Workout Recap (9/10-9/16)- Marathon Training Week 16:
(Reminder: My actual workouts in RED, what my plan called for in BLUE)
Monday, 9.10- Spinning & 2.5 miles {Spinning & 5 miles}
Tuesday, 9.11- 8.25 miles & 6.25 miles {Signature Strength}
Wednesday, 9.12- Spinning & 2.5 miles {Spinning & 5 miles}
Thursday, 9.13- 7.5 miles &  4.5 miles {8 miles}
Friday, 9.14- 50 minute elliptical {Rest}
Saturday, 9.15- Rest {22 mile LR}
Sunday, 9.16- 20.5 mile LR & 5.5 miles walked {30 minutes cross training}


Totals for Week 16:
52 Miles Run {40 Miles}
2 Spinning Classes {2 Spinning Classes}
0 Signature Strength Classes {1 Signature Strength Class}
50 Minutes on Elliptical {30 Minutes Cross Training}
5.5 Miles Walked {None on Plan}
1 Rest Days {1 Rest Day}




Week 16 of 19. For the record, I kinda flipped last week (Week 15) and this week (Week 16) on my plans because of timing and traveling over Labor Day weekend and such. So, last week I did a 22 miler. I didn't want to be all crazy and do another one, so I cut it back to a 20.5 miler. SUCH A CUTBACK, I know.

How I Felt:

Body: Started the week off kinda sore, but not too bad. However, now (9/17) I am SOOOO sore from the LR. Ugh. Poor lil' legs.

Mental: Freakout continued. Not gonna lie-- I'm more than a little worried just how epic these freakouts are going to get as the marathon gets closer if they're ALREADY this. It just feels SO BIG in my head. I feel unprepared, even though I KNOW I prepared. I know I need to trust my training. SO MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE!

Energy Level: So-so. Pretty tired all week, but not too bad. Feel like I didn't get as much sleep over the weekend as I would have liked, so that stinks for this upcoming week. But, overall feeling OK.  

Hunger: Food. Where is the food?? Give me the food. Any of the food. ALL OF THE FOOD. ALL THE TIME. Same ol, same ol.

GOALS (new section!): Last week I had the goals of getting lots of sleep and chugging water like it was my job. I did so-so on the sleep thing... could have done better, but not too bad. I kinda sucked on the water front, so I need to keep pushing and work harder on this goal. I'm gonna try to start filling up a water glass I keep at work at least 3 times a day. We'll see how this goes.

Jason Mraz and a Bachelorette Party!

This weekend has been an absolute whirlwind. Wowza. It's not even over yet, but it feels like I've had 3 separate weekends. It was wonderful, but man o' man... I am EXHAUSTED.

So, what did I do all weekend? Well, this may take a while. Let's just start with Friday to Saturday.

Friday morning kicked off with an early morning at the gym.

Definitely not the most exciting workout, but at least I had a Running Times to keep me a little entertained. 50 minutes on the elliptical. It had to be done. 

Friday I had a big event for work, so I was there by 7:30am and moving (in heels... bad choice!) til I left early at 1pm. My feet hurt SO bad and my legs were achey. Boo.

As I said, I left at 1 and headed down to Indianapolis where I met one of my best friends to see Jason Mraz in concert! 

We got to the arena around 6:45pm. We had GREAT seats! We were dead center, though we were pretty far back. Since we got there so early, we saw the entire opening act-- Christina Perri! LOVE her!! She was amazing! After she wrapped up and a set change it was time for the one and only Jason Mraz!!

JASON MRAZ!!! He put on a great show! My bff and I had a great time. We got in some great girl time and got to see my (other) husband sing! Fabulous night.

We stayed in a CRAPPY hotel in Indy, but it was only for 1 night and cheap, so what are ya gonna do?!? 

My friend had to take off WAYYYY too early Saturday, so after saying a sad see-ya-soon to her and getting a bit more shut eye, I finally got up, ready, and checked out around 10am. 

On the way outta town, I made a few pitstops...

My very first trip to HomeGoods and my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season (even though it was an iced version... def not the same... though still delicious!). HomeGoods is awesome. I didn't get much, but definitely a great store. Next time we move, definitely hitting up HomeGoods. After HomeGoods, I made a super quick stop at Trader Joe's. I didn't have a cooler, so couldn't stock up tooooo much... but, got a few pantry items... cereal, canned goods, quinoa. TJs=Love.

Then, it was time to hit the open roooooad.

I hate to drive. HATE. But, I must say... it was a BEAUTIFUL day for a drive. Gorgeous.

2 1/2 hours later, I got home to this surprise from the Hubs! FLOWERS! 

Beautiful, beautiful flowers. Best Hubs ever. Poor guy wasn't even home... he had to go into the office on a Saturday. Boo!! But, I enjoyed the lovely flowers, had left overs for lunch, and took a quick nap.

After my way too short nap, I was up and ready to hit the town for a friends bachelorette party! You know what that means....

SHOTS! Wine! Beer! Waaaaay too much food. I tried not to go TOO crazy, as I knew I had a long run to get in Sunday morning. But, I definitely had fun, too! I left a little early and got home and into bed just before 1am. I won't share anymore pictures... what happens at a bachelorette party stays at a bachelorette party! ;)

I swear, Friday alone felt like 2 full days between work, driving, and the concert. Then Saturday felt like 3 days! It was just a crazy 2 days!

Stay tuned for Sunday's recap... {Spoiler: I kinda rocked my long run!!}