Well, I hit 800 miles today and am now just 7 weeks away from the Baltimore Marathon. So far my training has gone pretty well. I have experienced some bursitis issues with my hip joint (self-diagnosed from the Internet...I'm sure my doctor would be proud!!), but I can run through it without too much discomfort. My longest run up to this point has been 16 miles which seems like a long way to run, until you realize I still have to tack on another 10.2 to reach the marathon distance. Ahhhhh, what fun!!!
In honor of hitting 800 miles this year, I have decided to make a list of the things that I both love and hate about running, marathons, and marathon training. It may be a bit random at times, so consider yourself warned!!...
1. HATE: Chafing
#1 rule of long distance running: Anything that can chafe, will chafe! It can really be a downer to an otherwise perfectly good run.
LOVE: Body Glide
It looks like deodorant and before you run, you rub it over possible chafing areas (in other words, all over your body.) I have had no issues since using this miracle worker. LOVE IT!!!
HATE: Energy Gels
I actually have a love/hate relationship with these things, but since it leans more towards hate most of the time, I included it here. These things are nasty, gross and disgusting, but they do provide a much needed boost during those long runs and it's nice not to have to chew anything. (I hate chewing something even more than I hate gels, so that's why I stick with the much-hated gels.)
LOVE: Hats
I have discovered a new love for wearing hats when I run outside. They keep the sun out (for the most part) without having to worry about sunglasses that always seem to slide all over my sweaty face.
HATE: T-shirt logo "Pain is fear leaving the body"
Whatever...Pain is because you've been running for 20 odd miles and your body is tired. Period.
LOVE: T-shirt logo, "I run like a girl, try to keep up"
Running is so empowering for me as a woman. I'm definitely not the fastest runner around, but I can probably out distance more than most. I'm proud to run like a girl!!
HATE: Saturday morning long runs
Okay, I shouldn't say I hate these...they are critical for preparing to run a marathon. They just seem to consume your life sometimes. I seem to spend most of Thursday and Friday gearing up to run on Saturday (thinking, eating, hydrating, worrying, fretting, prepping, etc.) and then spend most of Saturday and Sunday recovering from them. Ahhh, the joys!!!
LOVE: My hydration pack
It's a fuel belt that holds 4 little bottles all around my waist. It stays snug, I don't have too much liquid bouncing around everywhere and I can fill them up with different kinds of liquid (water, gatorade, etc.)
HATE: Hills
Enough said!
LOVE: Music
I love listening to music while I run. I know, I know, nature sounds are great, but when you run for hours on end, nature just doesn't cut it. Oh, and my running playlist is nothing like what I normally listen to. I love running to upbeat, hip-hop style music (I try to find the edited versions of these kinds of songs...amazing what they cut out on the radio versions!!)
HATE: Doing more than 5 miles on a treadmill
Marathon training with kids is sometimes hard. It's nice that I have a gym that the kids love to go to in order to get in some of my weekly training, but man, running on a treadmill can be so boring sometimes. I will sometimes take the kids out with the jogging stroller too, but that thing is a beast, so I'm not sure it's much better than the treadmill. I do enjoy being able to go out on Saturdays without either contraption (while Jason watches the kids...thank you honey!!)
LOVE: Garmin Forerunner 305 watch
Tracks my speed, mileage, total time (and heart rate if I was so inclined.) I plan out my routes using Gmaps Pedometer so I know roughly where to go and then my watch does everything else. I never leave home without it (well, at least when I run!!)
Well, I'm sure I could come up with like a billion more things but I'm pretty sure I just lost all interest from my blog readers at this point (both of you!!) Wish me luck during these next 7 weeks!! (By the way...doesn't this list of oh-so-fun things just make you all want to start training for a marathon!! C'mon, it's fun, really, really it is, c'mon now...okay, so maybe not.)
8 comments:
Ditto to everything on that list. Yesterday we did an 8 mile run, which is so far our longest. I keep on thinking it would be cool to actually do a full one day, but I just can't wrap my head around how much time you have to devote to training. It really does take over a whole summer of your life.
One nice thing for me though, the runs have not been long enough for me to induce chafing. I'm still crossing my fingers. Good luck, hopefully you can come over before the marathon in 7 weeks!
AMAZING....and good luck!
You're amazing Dadra! Training for a marathon or an iron man or something is a whole 'nother beast than just working out to be fit. It really takes so much more time and determination! You've got one of those iron wills!
Still don't want to run a marathon, but I think you rock for training for one. You've seen the new mormon message about Sis. Dalton running the Boston Marathon, right!?!
Completely agree with you on the gel packs. They make me feel like I'm going to puke...so I just don't use them anymore. Gatorade is enough for me. And sooooo jealous you have a Garmin, it's at the top of my "want" list. Good luck with your training! You go girl!
I really enjoyed reading these. I think it would be a really cool accomplishment to actually run a marathon but I don't like running enough to do that. I love doing something while running like basketball. You are incredible for having such amazing determination. Sorry we didn't get to see each other. Our schedules never met up:(
Dadra,
Ditto to almost all these things. I don't have a Garmin watch. I just use my regular watch because I have a pretty good idea of where all the mileage markers are. I've been doing the same marathon training route for the past five years. It's pretty and some of it is on trails by a park and lake. I hate running in the NC hot, humid days. August is the worst. I also don't have the nice hydration pack like you. On my 18 miler last Saturday, I struggled with a fanny pack full of Gatorade for the first 2 miles. I couldn't get it to stay in one place and it would start bouncing around. Finally I pulled it down really low on my hips and by that time I was sweating enough to keep it in one place. By 15 miles I was running out of steam. I sort of ran/walked the last three miles.
Music is a must on those long runs. I couldn't live without my iPod. Also, I had to stop on the gels. They made me gag. Gatorade is what gets me through. It's nice to know I will have my favorite people with me when I actually run this darn thing!
Great job on 800 miles! That is amazing, especially with two kids! Iy's fun to see what other runners prefer. I agree with what you say, and the Garmin watch would come in handy. Good luck coming up quick here!
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