This week is the first week of hell... I mean training. Top Of Utah marathon is September 20th and there are 16 weeks of training. Monday I ran 3 miles. Wednesday I didn't run due to excessive rainfall. Thursday I ran 4 miles and Saturday I will run 5 miles. This is really a monumental thing for me for two reasons. #1 Being that I was always the fat kid. #2 Being that I have always loathed running. Not just hated running. But LOATHED it. As in deep, concentrated dedicated loathing of the entire sport. I just considered myself a recreational swimmer and yoga guru. Last summer I started biking when my dad bought Gabrielle (my Trek mountain bike). Last winter I started seriously snowboarding when I bought Kenna (my Burton Ginger- yes, the girl's board). Because I started trying new sports, it's opened me up to the possibility of other new sports.
But when I got home from Telluride my girlfriend Amanda Messenger suggested we started running together. Not only running. But with a goal in mind of marathoning. She knew, of course, to ask me. Why? Because I am the most spontaneous and sometimes naive person she knows. She knew she could lure me with the phrase, "Do you want to try something new?" Unless it's life-threatening, I'm all about trying something new. She also knew I would commit without fully comprehending the consequences. Like 16 weeks of hellish training. My mom always tells me I look before I leap. She's right.
So after running for a month to build of enough stamina to run 30 minutes without stopping, I have started the training schedule. Without Amanda here it's harder to run. She's gone for a month teaching essential oil classes. I'm pretty competitive and having someone next to me always gives me that competitive edge. Now I just try to keep in sync with my r&b hip-hop trash. So far so good.
I'm noticing that my gastroc and soleus muscles are getting chronically shorter. That will be fixed by doing more yoga and stretching consistently pre and post training. I also notice that running is more about mind over matter than anything. My loathing wore off the day I ran through Cedar Hills golf course and realized how much of the world I had missed by never experiencing it on foot. As long as I let my thoughts roam freely and avoid calculating the remaining duration or my latest mistake, I do fairly well.
Considering my fun-run time in junior high was usually over 13 minutes (don't laugh, I'm serious) I'm doing really well. I ran 4 miles yesterday in 40 minutes. Averaging 10 minute miles is huge for me. My goal is to shave off a minute per mile by mid-July. I'll blog in a month about it to find out if I did it.
If anyone has any training/running/moral support advice I would LOVE to hear it. Tomorrow I will go 5 miles. I'll run up 33rd south along wasatch blvd. Hopefully I won't die doing it. Lots of hills mean lots of work. Well, gotta go to work. Maybe I can snag someone into doing a massage trade with me. My lower body needs it!
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Hey Adrienne! This is Kalli Fillmore (now Barker). I got your blog off of Cammie's site and LOVED this entry! I also was a fellow runner-hater, and have since switched over. After Mackay was born, I vowed I would never be fat like that again, so I ran a HALF-marathon. 13.1 miles is still a lot I would have to say. Training sucked. It pretty much ruled my life. It was hard to go out of town to throw off my schedule. The weeks leading up to the race were awful. I was so paralyzed with fear that I couldn't get myself to run! The bus ride to the starting line was even worse. They were dropping us off in the middle of no where, and somehow I was going to have to get back. Luckily I had a friend with me the whole way. The last .1 miles was the hardest thing I have ever done (including child birth). I could barely get one foot in front of the other, I wanted to throw up, collapse, and cry all at the same time--all happening with hundreds of people cheering you on, so you have to run. The rest of the day I seriously thought I was going to have to replace both of my knees because they hurt so incredibly bad.
Today: I can't tell you how wonderful of an experience that was for me. I remember hating every second of it, but it was one of the happiest times of my life. My husband and I ran with our friends, and every time we drive past our course (it was 1.5 hours away), we will usually get off the freeway, take a detour, and follow the course. I think about it ALL the time and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. (Okay, that's not true, but it was a really great experience). So good luck! You can do it! It will be awesome!!
Tips: any type of cross training helps your running: biking, swimming, pilates, yoga, lifting, etc. Rest days are just as important as running days. Your body can only run so many days a week before you feel chronically depleted of energy, and that will definitely not help. I LOVE my Garmin Forerunner watch. It tracks my miles, time, my previous run, etc. All it's missing is built in pepper spray. When you start running more than 10 miles (give or take) I would highly recommend to start training with some sort of goo. You should get your body used to what you are going to do on race day, and they always provide wonderful goo.
Sorry that is so long! I am just so excited for you!! nateandkalli.blogspot.com is my blog--check it out!
thanks kalli! i appreciate all the advice. it's awesome to hear that someone else decided to take up running purely to get in shape and for the self-empowerment. as for the gu, i'm using honey that i've mixed with electrolytes and essential oils. it's definitely more nutritional and less toxic to the body. which garmin forerunner did you buy? i'm thinking i'm going to buy one but i don't know which one to get!
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