SUPPORT!!

I can't rave enough about the support I've gotten from friends! I get checked up on in the middle of long training days via text. Most of the time I don't see it til I finish (tho the week of 12 mile day I happen to see it at mile 11) it was a nice boost to get as I was in the finishing stretch. When I share w/ friends where Im at each week they congratulate me and send me encouraging words to keep trucking along. So again....I really can't rave enough about all the support i've gotten each week. THANK YOU FRIENDS! ! ! It really does mean alot to have a great support system behind me each week ... checking in on me making sure i'm getting it done!

Less than a mile to go....& now I'm just so confused!

So that last mile, the heat was beating down and again i want to just be done already!

That sun was so warm that I kept wandering off the trail onto the grass to avoid the

direct sunlight shockingly enough walking in the shade on on the grass felt way better than staying on the pavement to me! We finally reach the end of the trail and can either walk another small stretch of the trail or walk the parking lot back to our vehicles? I thought for sure there had to be shade in the parking lot so we went that route....boy was I wrong...there was no shade in the parking lot! (Many would wonder why I would be complaining about the heat....which truly I NEVER DO...I love summer therefore, I try NEVER to complain about hot days...well after that workout...I needed my body temp to return to normal so that's why I was freaking out about the sun!)...trust me...i don't make complaining about the hot sun a habit....at all! Ok...so back to walking the parking lot. We decide to walk the lot and just off to the side there is grass that is out of the sun or there is the hot parking lot to walk through. Well....M.O. suggested that I could go walk the lot over in the shade or I could just walk along side her in the sun for the little we had left. Keep in mind I REALLY wanted to be in that shade. Sure enough as we are walking through the HOT LOT...a tree branch comes falling out of the sky. Not a small branch either...this one here in the pic. It was pretty large and could have done some real damage to either and or both of us had we been under it...(like I had wanted to be so that I could be in the shade!) The branch seriously fell like 10 feet away from me when we were walking the lot. It was such a confusing moment for me...here I was trying to avoid being in the sun bc I thought it would kill me to go any further being that hot...and then right where I wanted to be at the same moment...a huge tree branch comes falling out of the sky! I'm always thinking about signs .... as in here's your sign..(Jeff Foxworthy reference) If you're interested in sharing your feedback on how to take that sign...feel free to let me know! :0]

I survived it!

Saturday morning I set out for the 12 mile training day! Saturdays or sometime Sundays are always our long distance training days. The rest of the week we do short miles. Like this upcoming week will be 5 mile days. Yey!

Saturday morning was a morning of multiple feelings!

Even though it was early by the time I got there I felt great, ready to get going. I was talkative, saying good morning to others on the trail as they passed, catching up w/ M.O. and how her birthday the week before was btw...HAPPY BIRTHDAY COACH! :0) and so on. I felt great!

By the time I was finishing mile 3.1 I was definetly feeling hungry, I had a very light breakfast and while burning up calories on the trail I couldn't get done with the 3 miles quick enough so that I could return to the cooler for a banana. I grabbed some food and a zipfizz water. "The healthy alternative to energy & sports drinks" Started back out for the next set of 3.1 miles, turned on the tunes and worked on my 3/2's (run 3 mins, walk 2 mins) ((i'm supposed to be on 4/2's this week but, i still don't feel ready))

Finishing up mile 6.2 was still going good, it was getting warm out there, I was still saying hello to fellow trailers. I got back to the cooler grabbed another water & this time some string cheese. YUM! & started back out for the next 3.1 miles. & boooooy was it getting even warmer out there, I had periods of chills that came in and out that were very uncomfortable, I got sick and lost the banana & cheese I had eaten, my feet were aching badly, needless to say I wasn't doing so well. I finally got back to the car after mile 9.3 & ate another banana, drank a water, wiped my face, hands & neck down with cold water, grabbed another string cheese & zipfizz water to carry along with me & started back out for the final 3.1 miles!

Miles 9.3 thru 12.4 .....wow can we say PAINFUL! DOUBTFUL! etc..etc...i was struggggggling big time! No longer did I want to say Good Morning to fellow trailers...I wanted it to be over with. Which is very scary because come October, I have to do 26.2, so the 12.4 I did wasn't even half of that and I felt miserable, still had the chills periodically, had achey feet, and my oh my it was hotttt out there! I finally met up with M.O. again and she completed the final 1.5 miles along side me. Which was great because I really just wanted to somehow bail and get back to my car anyway easy way I could and call it a day. Luckily where we train there are no cabs near by...otherwise, I woulda hailed one without even further thinking about it!

Ahhhhh Training Mornings . . . .

They sure are beautiful! But....man...why so early! The drive to the South Side at 5:00 a.m.

Training during the week . . . . ALWAYS better with friends/family

Some days easier than others. BUT, ALWAYS easier when ya have someone out there walking with ya! I convinced my aunt to get miles in with me on Monday! She wanted to quit after the first lap...hahaaaa..but this time I wouldn't let her! Normally, I can be easily convinced to stop after one round/lap but not this time! She reported back to me that she made my uncle go out there with her the rest of the week to get those same 2 laps in each night. Nice job aunt mars & uncle T! A couple of the other days during the week I met up with my Bud "G", we met early & very early like 5:45 am EARLY! lol....if ya haven't figured it out yet....i'm not an early bird! perhaps if I ever was to fall asleep at a decent hour...then maybe I could become an EARLY BIRD...but that's just crazy talk right now...so back to talking about getting miles in with friends/family. "G" and I got miles in as well and more importantly got to catch up on life! :0) I'm beyond grateful that I have a support system to get me out the door whether it be at 5 something am or even if it's at 9 something in the evening....IT ALWAYS MAKES THE TIME FLY BY & ALLOWS ME TO CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS/FAMILY! So THANK U! THANK U! THANK U again ladies......for getting out there with me this week! You're the BEST! ..... p.s.....still looking forward to the many more miles we get to do together! :0) PEACE!

Not showing up to train. . .bc ya stayed up/out to late the night B4=bad news!

Oh yea.......forgot to mention that I was referenced as being a SLUG.....(Thanks Coach!)

the title pretty much says it all! REALLY bad move on my part! I got a couple of reprimands on how uncool it was to do it that not only to my training partner but also how crummy it was to do to me! Lesson learned yet again the hard way! I definetly paid for it all the next day....I was severely ill and extremely exhausted. SOOOO moving on ...

Fourth of July Weekend = 12 miles of hot summer fun!

Since Monday was the holiday! I trained Sunday and Monday this weekend.....getting in a total of 12 miles all together....feet were definetly sore. However, the pedicure I treated myself to on Monday night....made all that pain go away! Hip-Hip Hoooooray! Love the Pedi's! Oh...forgot the best part of going for that pedi! I was talking to Col on the phone & she said she was on her way to get one after being at the cottage all weekend. So, since I was passing by there in a few mins I figured I'd stop in too to hear about her weekend up there w/ my pup and such! So, I was sharing with her my idea of having two handfuls of friends/family do the marathon with me for a couple of miles each (if they're up for it of course....no pressure friends/&family that are following the blog) HEHEEEEE! and you know what her reply was....."Good thing were not friends! .... and then she said I already had a family member doing it with me ...... my cousin COLLEEN!...so my sister Colleen said......"JUST KEEP UP WITH HER!" Cousin Colleen probably does 6 minute miles...I'm not exactly sure...but she's fast and would be nearly impossible for me to keep up with....Almost a great idea sister! :0) But it did make me laugh!

falling behind!

Ahhhhhhh........I fell so far behind! I was doing pretty good. Set a plan together........and then dive bombed! "Shocking right?!" I'm blaming it on the BiRtHdAy! heheeee! This past weekend I really got back on track though.....YAAAAAAY! and it felt great....it was hard while being out there! But once it's over I always feel fine. I've discovered that if I can take my focus off of what I am doing while I'm out on the trail then I can barrel through it without as much of a struggle. Once, I pay attention to the fact that I am running/jogging then all I focus on is how soon I should quit. If I distract myself with other thoughts, then I don't get out of breath, I go further, and don't feel miserable. So, some of the things I found myself distracting myself with were how I needed to go straight to my friends house to go swimming as soon as I was done and that it didn't matter if she was home or not because at least there was a pool that I could recover in because it was soooo hoooooooot out already and that would help me cool quickly. Another thing I began to think about was how I was going to convine myself to make it through a 26.2 mile marathon. I've been told by a number of friends already that they would join me out there if I'd like...WHICH I THINK IS A PHENOMINAL IDEA! If I can recruit two handfuls of friends to do 2 miles each with me or 3 miles each if they're up for it....then I can create a heck of a support system while I am out there...so that's an idea that's brewing in my head..and was brewing as I was training both Sun. & Mon. this past weekend.