Holy crap...what have I gotten myself into?

Gulp!

13.1... DONE

We did it!  We were, at various times, tired, cold, hot, sore, thirsty, hungry...but we crossed the finish line!

Here is a summary of our day in pictures!

Waiting for the bus to Epcot at 3:30am

On the bus

The first of many GUs.  Yum then...yuck later

Gettin' ready!

Getting set!

One last pre-race picture in the corral

GO!

Running up to the castle in Magic Kingdom

We are Half Marathon Pricesses!

Last long run until race day - 10.76 miles - woo!

Nature smiled on me - and the City of Chicago - this weekend as I set out for my last long run before race day.  It was 45 degrees and sunny!  For the first time in a really long time, I wasn't dodging sheets of ice or snow drifts, I was dodging puddles.  Even splashing smack in the middle of one less than half a mile into the run, and having a soaking wet left foot for the remaining 10+ miles couldn't dampen my spirits.  I had energy, I had a laugh-out-loud funny This American Life podcast on my ipod and I was loving it. 

 
It always takes me a couple miles to actually get into it, to warm up enough and get into enough of a groove to let my mind go.  But once it goes, it goes. Mile 3-7 I was totally in the zone, and really enjoying myself, laughing out loud at mulitple points in my TAL and The Moth podcasts and looking at all of the gorgeous old victorian houses emerging from under the blankets of snow.

By mile 8, I was getting tired and I could feel a blister forming on my wet left foot.  I ran out of Gu last week so I didn't have anything with me to take.  But I pushed though.  And told myself that if the blister got bad enough I'd stop when I ran past the house at mile 9.  Luckily it didn't get too bad and I finished my route -- 10.76 miles!  And eventhough my foot hurt, I felt like I could have easily kept going with a bit of Gu and some gatorade...which is good because two weeks from now I WILL have to keep going for another 2.94 miles :)

Regular training = no more knee pain

...well, not much knee pain anyway.  I learned...er, have been learning...a valuable lesson in training.  If you fall off the wagon for a good length of time (like the month of December) you should NOT pick up right where you left off.  I made it through NYE, went for a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan, and decided the next day to get back on the running wagon with a 9 mile run...after 3 weeks of sporadic (at best) training.  NOT a good idea.  I paid for that decision for the first 2/3 of January with a really sore left knee.

Only now, after my first long run in a month with relatively little pain, do I feel like I'm finally back on track.  I finally slowed down and let myself take the time to heal instead of stubbornly trying to "push through it".  I got back in the gym and started cross training and lifting weights again.  And I went back to running in the streets instead of on the snow covered sidewalks where my gait was getting messed up.

So...now fingers crossed for a healthy month of February and a strong finish to my training!

Theresa - 9.2...what?!?!!

That's right...I ran 9.2 miles straight on Wed. afternoon. It is by far one of the biggest accomplishments in my life to date. My dear friend Ryan is a fitness buff and loves helping other people achieve their goals as well. I was realizing that my long runs were not happening, or at least not happening well and knew I needed so help. I asked Ryan if he would run 8 miles with me. He said yes. I also shared with him that in a perfect world I could run without knowing how far or for how long I had been running and that the route would be a surprise. This way I couldn't fake myself out or convince myself I couldn't do it.

Well, that is exactly what he did for me. He picked a route, he wore the watch and all he told me I needed to think/worry about was my breathing, my steps and to keep my head up. It was a miraculous day!! I couldn't believe how it felt. I couldn't believe that I didn't stop and once we finished and he said, that was 9.2 miles...I almost passed out! Not out of exhaustion, cause I actually didn't want to die, but out of pure excitement, accomplishment and achievement.

I feel like this day was a game changer for the rest of my life. I realized I don't push myself as hard as I can. I don't test the limits or take a lot of risks and I learned that there are some days that I just need to ask for help and be ok with that.

I will never be able to thank Ryan enough for showing me such grace, patience and belief in me that I can do this. I know feel like I have broken through a huge barrier, a point of no return and a knew confidence in myself that so many more things are possible.

I felt so proud that day and still do. I now 100% know that I can finish this half marathon and maybe even enjoy the process along the way :0)

Spirit of the Marathon

Watch this movie.  Amazing inspiration.  This is what made me want to run in the first place...

http://www.hulu.com/watch/85354/spirit-of-the-marathon

Theresa - 5K time...new personal record!

I ran the Season's 52 race this Saturday morning. It was a 5.2K in spirit of the theme. I finished it in 37.82 minutes, which made for about a 11:58 mile pace. SO excited!!!

I will be running 8 miles on Wednesday with my good friend Ryan. He is a fitness rock star, so I know that I will be challenged and pushed!

Tutu is still in the works and am having so much fun making it. It makes me feel like a little girl again :0)