26.2 MILES...I DID IT!

Yesterday, I completed my first marathon!! My main worry about running the marathon was the weather. I trained all winter so I was used to running in cold weather and not heat. I just knew it was going to be 90 degrees on the day of the race and I was going to have a heat stroke......boy was I wrong! I prayed and prayed for beautiful weather and we got exactly the opposite. Probably some of the nastiest weather you could run a marathon in. It was below 50 degrees and it down poured the whole time. At first I didn't think it was going to be that bad. The rain was refreshing and once I got started I warmed up and felt fine. I wore a long trash bag over my clothes so I stayed fairly dry. Around mile 11 the sun started to peak out and the rain ceased for a bit so I threw off my trash bag and took off my jacket....that was a big mistake! The rain picked up again and the weather got much colder. By mile 14 I could no longer feel my hands. I could hardly even open up my Ziploc package of energy chews because I could not control my hands because they were so numb. Thankfully at mile 17, I ran by my cousin Brad and he insisted that I take the leather gloves he was wearing. Thanks so much Brad, that was a huge relief!!! They warmed up and felt so much better. Not only was it freezing cold and raining, but as if that wasn't enough, I got hailed on twice. Once at mile 19 and once at mile 24. I'm not going to sugar coat it at all.............it was the most miserable thing I'd ever experienced. WARNING: If you don't like to hear whining, don't finish reading this post haha.

I was extremely bummed before the marathon started because I realized that I would be running the whole thing by myself. Yes, my mom still ran the half marathon with her friend Karen, but I didn't run the same pace as them so I knew I probably wouldn't see them after we crossed the starting line. Around mile 9 an older man asked me if I was running the full and I said yes so he asked if it would be okay if we ran together. It was his first marathon too and he knew that if he didn't stay at my pace then he would probably try to run too fast and end up crawling through the finish line. We didn't stay together the whole time, but we always ended up running into each other and running together for a little while. He was extremely nice and it helped me stay motivated.

Around mile 17, I started feeling a lot of pain in my left knee. At the beginning, it wasn't anything that I couldn't handle, but it gradually got worse and worse. By mile 19, I had to stop running and almost fell to my knees because it hurt so bad. It was so tight that I could barely bend it to walk. I limped on it for a while and then pushed myself to a fast power walk to warm it back up. After walking for a while, I convinced myself to start running again. I realized that it hurt less to run on it than it did to walk. I tried to tell myself, just keep running.....only 7 more miles to go. At mile 21, I was in so much pain that I stopped at the medical tent to see if they could help. At this point, I was bawling pretty hard due to the excruciating pain. The lady at the tent said there was nothing that she could do other than call the people to come pick me up and take me to the finish line where someone could examine it. I looked at her, told her I was at mile 21 and there was NO WAY that I wasn't going to finish. She suggested I put some Biofreeze on it and maybe it would go numb for the rest of the race. It helped for a little bit, but not long. A mile later I ran by my family/fan section. They were hooping and hollering and cheering me on. As I got closer to them, they realized that I was crying. I could tell they were all concerned and wanted me to stop and explain what was wrong. I pointed to my knee and told them that if I stopped I wouldn't be able to start back up again. From mile 22 to the finish line I did a combination of walking and running. I ran as long as I possibly could and then walked for a bit. Over the course of the marathon I stopped 3 times to go pee. I really only had to wait in line for the Port-a-Potty once. After the race, I was extremely cold. I could not stop shaking and chattering my teeth until I got home and took a hot, hot bath. I iced my knee and took some Ibuprofen. That helped quite a bit, but I'm still walking around with a limp and it hurts really really bad. I woke up this morning moaning and groaning because it hurts to bend it at all. Thankfully I have today off work and I'm planning on getting a massage!

My final time was 5 hours, 31 minutes, and 46 seconds. That equals a 12 minute and 40 second mile pace. I wasn't shooting for a particular time. I figured it'd be somewhere around a 12 minute pace. I'm just thankful that I was able to run across the finish line! It completely amazes me how fast some people ran it yesterday. The female winner completed the marathon in 3 hrs, 5 mins, and 14 secs. She was 24 years old from Stillwater, OK. I believe it was her 1st or 2nd marathon....AMAZING!

I can honestly say that right now I have no intention of ever running another marathon. I just don't think my knees are cut out for that. I'm pretty sure they were ruined years ago in volleyball. I will however probably run a few half marathons. I do not regret running the marathon at all! Had my knee not hurt, I would have felt so good about it. I could have toughened out the weather. It is the biggest accomplishment I've ever made and now I can say I've done it. Mark one thing off my bucket list!! I'm also glad I was able to run in honor of the 168 victims who died in the Murrah Building bombing. While we were waiting for the race to start, I turned on my IPod and the first song that came on was "Light a Candle" by Point of Grace. I truly believe that it was a sign from God to remind me that I wasn't only doing this for myself, but for everyone affected by the OKC bombing. It was really cool!

I wish I had some great pictures of me crossing the finish line smiling and holding my hands up, but truth be told, I don't. All I have are really embarrassing pictures of me crying and in pain. Although they are embarrassing, I still want to share them. Like I said earlier, there's no sugar coating to this post.

Here I come. Mile 22

Taking deep breaths

And here comes the tears.....

Pointing to my knee and boo-hooing to my family, haha. At least I can laugh at them now.

Trying to give my family a smile and a wave before passing them.

Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank my friends and family that were there supporting me. I'd also like to thank those that couldn't make it, but still encouraged me along the way. Thanks to my mom, dad, brother, Aaron, Allison & Ryan, Allison E, Brad, Steph, Colby, Terri, Parker, and Zach. You guys did a fantastic job cheering me on and you were huge troopers for standing out in the awful weather. I'm sure you were 3X as cold as I was. Every time I passed by each of you it gave me a boost of energy and confidence to finish the race! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Check out this link to see a fun video of a couple who got married while running the race! So sweet!

Training Progress #13 & #14

14 weeks down, 4 more to go!! The marathon is exactly 27 days away....HOORAH!!! This is what I ran for week 13: Tuesday: ran 4 miles Wednesday: ran 9 miles Thursday: ran 5 miles Monday: ran 18 miles I ran my long run by myself this week. It wasn't as bad as I expected, but I had to carry a water bottle in my hand the whole way which was annoying and made my arms sore. The weather was perfect...no wind and chilly. Every time I have a long run a cold front comes through and it makes for the perfect running weather. I don't know what I'm going to do when I actually have to run a full marathon in 90 degree weather. I might just end up fainting or passing out, hopefully not though. Week 14= FAILURE! I was supposed to run 5 miles Tuesday, 10 miles Wednesday, 5 miles Thursday, and 14 miles today. However, I only ran the 5 miles on Tuesday and have not run since....OOPS! I attribute it to my extremely busy schedule this past week. I was planning a baby shower and I went out of town twice, once to stay with Aaron and once for my cousin's baby shower. I was planning on running 14 miles on my day off today, but I think I'm going to clean house and work on some more onesies instead. That way tomorrow I can start fresh on week 15 and I won't be sore or anything. Week 15 is the furthest mileage of any week in the training schedule. I will run 5 miles Tuesday, 10 miles Wednesday, 5 miles Thursday, and 20 miles Monday. Twenty miles is the longest run I will do before actually running the 26.2 mile race. After week 15 the running slowly decreases in preparation for the big day! I hope I didn't kill myself by skipping out on a whole week. It's definitely hard to get the mind set back, but I'm ready!!!!

Training Progress #12!

12 weeks down, 6 more to go!!!! There is exactly 40 days until the race.....YEAAAAHHHHH!!!!

I'm getting really excited that the race is so close! However, the hardest part of my training is yet to come. This past week was a smaller load in preparation for the coming few weeks. Here's what I ran this past week:

Thursday- ran 4 miles
Friday- ran 8 miles
Saturday- ran 5 miles

For my long run on Monday I was supposed to run 12 miles, but I skipped it....SHAME ON ME! Monday is my day off from work and I had a ton of stuff to get done. I was planning on running, but I didn't get everything done that I needed to so I decided to skip the running. I felt like missing a 12 mile run probably wouldn't kill me and I need all the rest I can get before this week. This week I will be running 4 miles on Tuesday, 9 miles Wednesday, 5 miles Thursday and 18 miles Monday......YEE-HAW!! I'm thinking about t-shirt designs for the race. My friend's and I are going to get bright neon colored shirts and put something fun on them so our friends and family can hopefully spot us easier. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment and let me know.

It's been fun discussing running with others who are training for the full and half marathon in OKC. I've had a couple of clients recently come in who are in training. It's fun to compare progress and talk about our challenges and struggles with training. One of the new clients I did today is training for the half marathon. She was super sweet. We got to talking about how much we enjoy running now and how we feel really gross, out of whack when we don't run. She said she loves that running is her quiet/relaxing time when she can be alone and spend time with God. It's kind of crazy because I totally know what she means. At first I dreaded going on runs by myself, and don't get me wrong I still dread the majority of my long runs and I don't like going alone, but it is a great time to get away from the rest of the world and really think about things. When you're running that often and that long it's amazing what will run through your mind. I used to only listen to rap and pump up music when I ran, but now I just set my IPod on shuffle and listen to all kinds of music. I've found that it's more relaxing to listen to worship music or country and just kind of let your mind wander. Sorry to babble on about that, but it was neat to hear my client say exactly what I was thinking. Running really is a great time to relax and spend time with God.

Training Progress #9!

9 WEEKS DOWN, 9 WEEKS TO GO = HALF WAY THERE!!!

This past week was a shorter week. Nothing too exciting. Here's the run down....no pun intended hah.

Wednesday- ran 3 miles (duration of run: 28 mins 35 secs)
Friday- ran 7 miles (1 hr 14 mins 15 sec)
Saturday- ran 4 miles (39:01)

My long run for the week was 10 miles, however I was out of town visiting Aaron on the day I was supposed to run it and I didn't do it....EEEEKKK!! I was planning on running it at his house while he rode a bike beside me, but his bike at his parents house had flat tires so we decided to enjoy our day together instead of going for a long run. I figured resting for one long run wouldn't hurt and it'd probably help my body prepare for the next week. This week's running includes 3 miles Wednesday, 7 miles Thursday, 4 miles Friday, and 15 miles Monday...YUCK!

Training Progress #8!

8 weeks down, 10 more to go!!!

Today I ran my first half marathon!!!!! I didn't technically run a half marathon race, but I ran 13 miles today for my training.....and I ran it alone. I didn't have my usual friend, mother, boyfriend there to ride their bike beside me. I was pretty nervous about how that would go because I feel like it's so much easier when someone is there with you. It ended up being just fine. I took 3 Ibuprofen before I ran because I was afraid my right foot was going to really bother me and I think it did the trick. I didn't have much pain in my foot at all and I still don't. I'm sure it will be sore in the morning. Thankfully the weather was a bit cooler today. I think that made the run SO much easier. Here's how far I ran this week:

Tuesday: ran 3 miles (duration of run: 31 mins, 8 secs)
Wednesday: ran 6 miles (58:04...thanks to my best friend Alli for running with me.)
Thursday: ran 3 miles (27:14)
Monday: ran 13 miles (2 hour, 10 mins, 1 sec, burned 1,222 calories)

This week I will run 3 miles Wednesday, 7 miles Thursday, 4 miles Friday, and 10 miles Monday. I'm thankful for a shorter long run this week because after that it only keeps going up :(

Training Progress #7!

7 weeks down, 11 weeks to go!

I'm so thankful that all the snow has melted and that I'm finally able to run outside again. I was able to get all my runs in this week, although I put my long run off until today. Aaron came into town this weekend and we had things planned and running 12 miles didn't really fit into that plan. I decided to run today on my day off. Aaron rode his bike beside me the whole way. He started getting sick last night and was very congested and had a really bad sore throat. He thinks it might be allergies/sinus infection....no fun. I could tell he didn't feel good AT ALL, but he still rode 12 miles with me.....he's such a trooper. Here's a recap of my running this week:

Tuesday: ran 3 miles (duration of run: 28 min 46 sec)
Wednesday: ran 6 miles (59:57, thanks to my friend's Sabrina and Rachel for coming to the gym with me and being great running buddies, they did an awesome job!)
Thursday: ran 3 miles (27:57)
Monday: ran 12 miles (2 hours, 4 mins, and 45 secs, 10:57 mile pace, 1,155 calories burned)

12 miles was absolutely brutal....toughest run I've done to date. It was extremely windy today and running against the wind killed me. I guess it was good practice though. The thing that bothered me most today during my long run was my right foot falling asleep. It fell asleep around mile 7 and continued to stay numb throughout the last 5 miles....NOT COOL! I get extremely cold after my long runs and I don't ever warm up until I get a hot bath in. When I say hot, I mean H-O-T.....I barely turn on any cold water. I knew I was really exhausted after my run today because I fell asleep in the bathtub afterwards and I've never done that before. Thankfully my long run is over and now I can start worrying about this upcoming week. I will be running 3 miles Tuesday, 6 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday, and 13 miles (that's a half marathon, YAHOO) Saturday. Wish me luck because I'll for sure need it.

Having a sick boyfriend on Valentine's Day= no fun. We've had a change of plans for tonight and we'll be staying in and ordering pizza and watching a movie. Fine by me, I just feel really bad for him because he's pretty upset about it. Hope everyone is enjoying their Valentine's Day!

Training Progress #6!

6 weeks down, 12 more to go, which = 1/3 of the way done!! HOORAY!

It's kind of crazy to say that I'm 1/3 of the way done because I feel like I just started training. I hope the next 12 weeks fly by as fast as the 6 weeks did, but something tells me they won't. It's kind of crazy to think that May really is just around the corner. The snow put a huge damper on my running schedule this week. Unfortunately, I'm sad to say I had to skip another 3 mile run due to the blizzard-like weather that hit. I had to do all of my running in the gym which makes it 2x harder. Just so you get a little taste, when I ran my 5 miles I had to run 55 times around the track. Talk about boredom and dizziness. Luckily when I ran the 7 miles I was able to use a different gym that has a bigger track so I ran 42 laps instead of 77 laps.....that would have been BRUTAL otherwise. We're supposed to get 7-12 more inches of snow within the next few days so I'm hoping I will be able to get out of the house and get my workouts in. Here's the rundown on this past week:

Wednesday- ran 3 miles (duration of run: 29:33)
Thursday- ran 5 miles (48:29)
Friday- supposed to run 3, but skipped due to weather...OOPS!
Sunday- ran 7 miles (1 hr and 20 mins)

This next week's schedule is going to be pumped up a few notches....GREEEEAAATTT! Can't you tell I'm really excited? I will be running 3 miles on Tuesday, 6 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday, and 12 miles Saturday! Hope I survive :/

Training Progress #5!

5 weeks down, 13 weeks to go!!!



This week seemed like it was getting easier...hooray! Maybe it's because I skipped my 3 mile run on Tuesday....shame on me. I was sick with a cold and I drove home early that morning from Aaron's house and the last thing I wanted to do was run 3 miles, so I didn't. Here's what I did run:



Wednesday: ran 5 miles (duration of run: 49 min 10 sec)

Thursday: ran 3 miles (29:51)

Saturday: ran 10 miles (1 hour 43 mins, 10:22 mile pace)



I ran Saturday morning with my best friend Alli at http://runningromanceroutine.blogspot.com/. Both of our moms rode their bikes beside us. Alli is a running freak and she took off way in front of me, but it was still fun to go together. The weather was absolutely perfect! I actually ran 10 miles in the exact same time that I ran 9 miles the week before. I don't know if it was because the weather was so much nicer or what, but the 10 mile run felt easier than the 9 miles. I'm happy to say this upcoming week is a lighter one. I will run 3 miles Tuesday, 5 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday and 7 miles Saturday!

Training Progress #4!

4 weeks down, 14 weeks to go!!


This past week I ran a total of 19 miles and it's still only the beginning. Here's a recap of my week.


Tuesday: ran 3 miles (duration of run: 28:11)
Wednesday: ran 4 miles (42:09)
Thursday: ran 3 miles (33:04)
Saturday: ran 9 miles (1 hour and 43 minutes, 11:10 mile pace)


As you can see, I calibrated my sport band on Wednesday and it shows that my pace is a bit slower than what I previously thought. It's hard to know exactly which times are accurate, but on Saturday I ran with my mom's GPS watch on and it's VERY accurate since it uses satellite. My mom rode her bike beside me on my long run. It made it so much easier. I felt pretty good afterwards. During mile 8 my right foot and ankle was causing me some pain, but after a while it went away and I haven't had any trouble with it since.
In my stocking at Christmas I got a lot of GU Energy and energy Jelly Belly's to use for training. Saturday was my first time to use the GU. You are supposed to take it 15 minutes before you workout and continue using it every 45 minutes, or as needed. Obviously, it is to be used during long, strenuous workouts. I decided that I would definitely need all the help I could get while running 9 miles. I tried the orange flavored GU and I'm not going to lie, I almost threw up. It's very thick and gooey and it tastes AWFUL, but it really worked! After I ran I ate a plate full of fruit and got a Jamba Juice with an energy boost for breakfast. I crave fruit a lot after running and I have to take a lot of hot baths to keep my muscles from getting sore. This week I will run 3 miles Tuesday, 5 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday, and 10 miles Saturday!

Training Progress #3!

3 weeks down, 15 more to go!!!

This week was a short week....hallelujah!

Tuesday: ran 3 miles (duration of run: 28 min 33 sec)
Wednesday: ran 4 miles (38:16)
Thursday: ran 3 miles (27:56)
Saturday: ran 5 miles (49:16)

DISCLAIMER: It is HIGHLY, VERY HIGHLY likely that these times are not accurate. I used my sport band to get them, but I really don't think it's possible that my times have increased so much in a week's time. I don't think I really ran 3 miles in 27:56. I believe it is time to calibrate my sport band again so it will be more accurate. I plan on doing that today, so we'll see what next week's times look like. I figured I'd go ahead and put them on here for my own good!

I'm absolutely 100% dreading the running schedule for next week!! 3 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday......and hold your breath for this one.....9 MILES SATURDAY! Yup, you heard me right, 9 MILES! I'm already about to pass out thinking about it. Oh well, I'm going to enjoy my weekend and try to not think about running at all!

Training Progress- Week 2

2 weeks down, 16 to go!!!

Here is my progress from week two.

Wednesday: ran 3 miles (duration of run: 28 min 9 sec)
Thursday: ran 3 miles (28:03)
Friday: ran 3 miles (28:25)
Sunday: ran 7 miles (1 hour, 12 minutes, and 48 seconds- 10:23 mile pace)

I'm not going to lie, the second week was much tougher than the first week. For some reason it seemed harder to run the 3 miles 3 days in a row. I ran my long run on Sunday. I ran around 8:30am and it was about 34 degrees outside. Half way through the run it began sleeting....what a BLAST right? Luckily, my boyfriend was in town and he rode his bike beside me the whole way. He was such a trooper. It makes a world of difference when you have someone running or riding beside you giving encouragement. This week's training should be easier. I will run 3 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday and 5 miles Saturday! I'll keep you posted!

Week 1 Training Progress!

1 week down, 17 to go!!!! YIKES! I decided I'm going to write a weekly post on my marathon training progress. I'm mainly doing it for my personal use so when I look back at past blog posts I can see how far I've come and will be able to remember how I felt during the training.....and I figured some of you might be interested in it.

Week 1:
Tuesday: ran 3 miles (duration of run= 29:16)
Wednesday: ran 3 miles (29:01)
Thursday: ran 3 miles (29:25)
Sunday: ran 6 miles (1:01:55)

I'm proud to say that I ran 6 miles at a 10:18 mile pace...for some of you that might be a piece of cake, but for me it is a big deal! My goal is to stay at a 10 min. mile pace for as long as I can. I will be running 16 miles this week and I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Running Progress!

I began my "pre-training" for the marathon at the beginning of October. That entails running three miles at a time, three times a week. Therefore, up to this point I've run a total of 51 miles. For me, this is huge! I'm not going to lie, I'm totally dreading the actual marathon training that lies ahead. Every time I run I think to myself, "okay, I'm huffing and puffing now, what is my body going to feel like when I run 40 miles in one week....ohhhhhhhhhhh greeeaaatttt." I have a total of six weeks and four days left before I begin my actual 18 week training plan. I plan on continuing to run three miles a day, three times a week until that point. I would also like to begin lifting and cross training on my days off. I must admit, I feel so great when I get done running. I stepped on the scale today and I've lost about 10 pounds since last Christmas. I know that doesn't seem like much since it's over such a large span of time, but I think I lost the majority of it when I moved back to Norman. I'm not doing any kind of dieting (if you know me, you know that I love food and I eat just about anything I want......lots of chips and fried foods.) I attribute the weight loss solely to running and exercise. When I look at myself, I can't really tell I've lost much weight, but I can definitely tell that I've lost inches. My clothes fit so much better and I don't feel like I have to unbutton my pants to breathe (that is the worst feeling ever!) I am excited about the hard core training that is coming up soon, but I'm dreading it at the same time. It will be a huge test to see if I have the will power and determination to do it. I will definitely have to start watching what I eat and drink. I'm so thankful that the weather has been so nice lately because it makes running 10 times easier.

Happy Veteran's Day to all the soldiers who have and still are fighting for our country!! I cannot thank you enough!