long(ish) run ...

In case you failed to notice, I'm running the San Francisco Half Marathon in 41 days. It's a race I have been looking forward to for almost a year, ever since G and I decided it would be our "Girls' Weekend" for 2011 (In 2010, we ran the Bermuda Half Marathon). Anyway, the goal for this race was always "to have fun", but when I was training for National, G and I realized that I should be able to pace her to a sub-2.

But then, I crashed. And my base basically went back to zero.

Oops.

Now with just about 6 weeks left before the race, I am starting to feel like we can get G that sub-2. I'm feeling stronger. I'm running more. And I am ignoring the fact that the last time I ran a double digit run was a 10 miler on April 21. Who cares? That's such a minor detail.

As of Saturday, my longest run since my surgery was 6 miles and about 58 minutes. And every time I had run that distance, it kicked my butt. So, you can probably understand why I was apprehensive about my Sunday long run this week.

8 miles - I was going to have to run for over an hour.

Thankfully, I was with about 300 other MTT runners and had S (who always keeps me entertained) by my side, every step of the way.

Was it the best run?

Well, no.
It was brutally hot.
Miles 4-5.25 was straight uphill.
Auto-pause on my Garmin was a total fail.

BUT ...

We finished the 8 miles, my longest run in two months, in 1:15.
We looked wicked cute while doing it.
I wasn't totally wiped afterward. In fact, I am confident that I could have held that pace for a few more miles.
I finished the week with 28.1 miles - almost twice as many miles as I ran in May.

All in all, I'm calling it a success ...

last long run ...

Yesterday morning, I ran my last long run of this training cycle. G, IronJ, KC, 3L, SpeeDee, A, R and I met up at West Creek for two six mile loops. When I arrived, I heard G talking about how she felt that it was a cheetah kind of day. And I knew, before I even saw her, that our ESP was in full force. We had somehow managed to show up in essentially the same outfit.

I look seriously ginormous next to G. I'm like a foot taller than her. It's insane.

Enough digression. Back to the run. We set out with an easy pace.

G is still recovering from an ankle injury and her pace is supposed to be "controlled." Yeah, about that. The four miles that she joined us for clocked in at 9:47, 9:11, 9:03, and 9:14 - not exactly controlled. But, I swear, I tried to slow us down.

At mile six, we picked up G (now on her bike), 3L and KC (who came directly from an overnight shift). Again, we said we were going to "take it easy." But, it seems that whenever you get us together and talking, we switch into autopilot and the miles tick away. Our last six miles were 9:11, 8:59, 8:56, 8:57, 8:48, and 8:48. It was effortless and the perfect way to end an awesome training cycle.

Now, just 9 miles and 5 days stand between me and the start line of the National Marathon. I don't think I could be any more excited ...

the key to the perfect marathon ...

As we all know, a lot of things are important on marathon day.

Your weekly mileage. The quality and length of your long runs. A quality taper. Fresh legs. The weather. Hydration. Nutrition. Course support. A positive outlook.

But do you know the real key to the perfect marathon? Of course. The outfit. And mine has been selected and tested.

Quite appropriate for Indianapolis in the fall, don't you think?

p.s. - I killed yesterday's 22 miler wearing that combo. The run couldn't have gone better.

Three Things Thursday ...

1. So, preschool started for Doodle on Monday. Here's a few obligatory first day photos ...

Things are going rather smoothly. And I'm not really shocked. I don't exactly have "clinging" children. In fact, I am pretty sure that they prefer it when I am not around. Whatever. Who really cares? It's not like I sacrificed my body and mind for them or anything. Wait, wait, wait. That wasn't my point. What I was going to say is that the start of preschool has shown me that Doodle may be as OCD as I am. When I asked her what she thought she was going to do at school yesterday this is what she said ...

"First, I am going to wash my hands. Then I am going to play at the rice table. Then it is circle time. Then I am going to have snack. Then it will be time to play outside. And then we will have lunch. And then I will go potty."

Um, OK, Doodle. I didn't realize that you had your day quite so planned. Or that bathroom breaks are now scheduled ...

2. I totally forgot what running with a stroller is like. Yesterday, G, D and 3L headed out for our first 10 mile stroller run of the year. And it was ROUGH.

Of course, I was stupid and let G (who is notorious for hilly routes) plan our run. I was feeling good for the first 5.5 miles (running a 9:35 pace), but just before mile 6, G offered to push the stroller. I let her and I just about died. Apparently, running with the stroller and then passing the stroller off is worse than just running with the stroller the whole time. It went downhill from that point on. Shockingly, we still finished the 10 miles with an average pace of 10:01. I guess it could have been worse ...

3. Although I have run 21 miles in the last three days, I still have 32 more to run this week. Tomorrow will be another attempt at 10 miles with the stroller (I won't be passing it off this time) and Saturday is my longest run of marathon training - 22 miles. I'm freaked out and totally confident at the same time. Wish me luck!

best 20 miles ever ...

So, as you know, my attempt to run 20 miles on Saturday went awry for a multitude of reasons. But, by the time Sunday rolled around, I was ready to run.

The plan was simple. I was going to head out at 6 a.m. for the first 4.5 miles. At 6:45ish, I was going to stop back at J's parents to pick him up for the next 11. Then, at mile 15.5-16, we would run past the house again. J would stop and I would finish the rest of my 20. Easy peasy.

I woke up around 5:45 (waking up Dizzle and Doodle in the process) and got dressed, ate a Clif Bar and gathered my gear. Promptly at 6, I headed out. AND.IT.WAS.WONDERFUL.

The temperature was 54 degrees when I walked out the door. And in case you haven't been paying attention, that's about 20 degrees cooler than anything I have run in since early May. Anyway, feeling energized by the weather and the rest day on Saturday, I decided that I would run a little faster than my usual long run pace. Nothing super fast or challenging. Just whatever my legs were up for. When I got back to the house to pick up J, I realized that I was averaging just above "Super Dream Goal" Marathon Pace. Sweet.

Then J and I headed out. (Aren't we cute?)

I let J set the pace. I was hoping for about an 11:30 average, which is about 30 seconds slower than my 15+ mile long run pace and about 30 seconds faster than J's long run pace. We started together, but for most of the run, we ran near each other, not with each other. I was about 30 feet in front of him. I was hoping that running just ahead of him would push him to catch me. (I know, I'm a mean wife). He didn't, but he held his pace quite well, finishing with an average of 11:50 for the 11 miles (over a minute faster than his current half marathon PR pace).

When we got back, I left J (he had to get ready for the Red Sox game) and finished the last 4.2 miles of the run. Again, I decided to push the pace a little. I felt good and averaged 9:30 from miles 16-20. And the icing on the cake ... mile 20 was my fastest of the day at 9:13. Basically, it was the best 20 miler I have ever run.

And see that smile? It's more than just a "thank God I'm done" smile. It's also a "thank God for perfect runs" smile.

mile crunch ...

Once upon a time, there was a girl who ran 20 miles a week. And she usually struggled to do so. There was never enough time to get everything in. The kids were demanding. The miles were long. The weather was too hot. Or too cold. But, then she decided to up her game. To take her obsession to a new level.

She is still faced with the same challenges. Maybe even a few more. The kids became even more demanding. The miles weren't just long. They were really long. The weather was still too hot and on a rare occasion, too cold. But, she didn't care. She wanted to push herself. She wanted to improve.

So, she juggled when she had to. She scheduled all the time. And sometimes, even though she was tired, she had to do the "mile crunch." You know the "crunch" - when miles are run on back-to-back-to back days because that's the only way to make them happen.

Today is the end of my most recent "mile crunch." Three days. 38 miles. Two really tired legs.

But it's all worth it. We are headed to Rhode Island tonight and my "mile crunch" has allowed me to run less on vacation (less being a subjective word, of course). Two 5 milers and a 20 are all I have left for the week. And then, I will have two days IN A ROW off.

Which is reason enough for me ...

wins and losses over 18 miles ...

Yesterday morning, G and I set out on our first 18 miler of this training cycle. (We are ignoring the fact that I ran a 24.8 mile run two weeks ago. That was a race, albeit virtual.) Anyway, we embarked on our longest training run this summer at the ever-so-lovely hour of 5:40 a.m. Triple L (Long Legs Leslie) joined us for the first 12, then sent G and me on our merry way. And although I failed to take a single picture, the run was quite eventful. Some things were good. And some were less than good. Here are my take aways - Wins vs. Losses:

Win: I look super cute in lime green and yellow. My outfit was stellar (as was G's) and was commented on by random people along the route.

Loss: No matter how BRIGHT my outfit may have been (and it was), people will still attempt to hit you with their cars.

Win: G and I now have three different six mile routes from the same starting point, giving us tons of options for our mid week runs once school starts again.

Loss: Running three different six mile routes from the same starting point to make up an 18 miler is a bad idea. You end up having to pass your car constantly and thus have to fight the urge to cut the run short.

Win: This 18 miler brought be to over 1,100 miles on the year and 48 miles on the week. A new record in both departments.

Loss: 48 miles is a lot. And my legs are tired. And I have 50 on the schedule for this week.

Win: G is notorious for planning hilly routes. This is going to be a huge benefit if I am ever handed a hilly race course.

Loss: G is notorious for planning hilly routes. This makes my legs really tired and sometimes makes me want to punch her for her cruelty.

Win: My long run pace has been consistently faster than my current marathon PR pace. Like significantly faster.

Loss: My long run pace has been consistently faster than what my training calls for. I suck at slowing down.

What did your long run teach you this week?

16 miles on the belt ...

Yesterday, I posted a question on the Racing With Babes Facebook page. I was contemplating doing my long run of 16 miles on the treadmill last night and wanted to know which of the following options my readers would choose:

A. 16 miles on the treadmill with the television as distraction

or

B. 16 solo miles on Sunday out in the heat

25 people responded and there wasn't really a clear winner. 11 people said to hit up the treadmill. 10 people opted for outside. And 4 said that it would depend on whether or not there was a good show on.

I ultimately decided to hit up the treadmill. I had to run either way and I figured that if I felt good after eight, I would keep going. But first, I needed to say something to my treadmill. We've always been tight, but I've been avoiding him all summer. Choosing running with friends over him. So, I drafted this apology ...

Dear Treadmill,

I am sorry. I am so very sorry for abandoning you these past few months. For being pulled away buy the open road and early morning runs. For severing ties without thinking twice. I had forgotten how good you are to me. How you help me escape from the elements. How you give my joints a break. And how you make sure I hit my paces. I love you. Please take me back.

Yours in running,

Tonia

Once that was taken care of, I got on my way. I decided to mix the run up a bit and ran the first 12 miles at long run pace (10:54) and the last 4 miles at half marathon pace (8:57). At times I thought it would never end, but 2:46:46 and three episodes of NCIS later, I was done.

And I was very happy about it ...

What would it have taken for you to stick out 16 on the 'mill?

preschool, I will miss you ...

Yesterday, on the way to the girl's school trip, Doodle said to Dizzle, "I don't want you to graduate from preschool."

I got choked up. It was so cute. Well, at least until Dizzle replied. She turned to Doodle, rolled her eyes and said in her snarky tone, "Oh. I am definitely graduating."

Sisters.

Speaking of preschool, tomorrow is the last day of the year and I am genuinely sad. For no other reason than I get SO.MUCH.DONE during those four hours. I run. I catch up on all my errands. I run. I clean up my house. I run. Wait, did I mention I run?

Over the past few weeks, G and I have built up our mid-week long run to 9 miles. It's a glorious 9 miles that I spend chatting with one of my very best friends without the interruption of our children (Dilly, although there, is surprisingly quiet and well behaved). From 9:30 until 11, we put one foot in front of the other. And unless we can figure out a way to bring along our six children that wouldn't kill us (i.e. pushing a triple stroller) or drive us crazy, our mid-morning runs are OVER until September.

Which means that we will be running SUPER EARLY. And if you didn't know, I'm not a fan of early. But, we have no choice. Knowing this, we tested this new run time this morning. I met G at 5:45 a.m., in a location central to both of our houses, for eight miles. It hurt to get out of bed. With less than six hours of sleep, I wasn't really ready to run. But I did it. And I survived. In fact, it really wasn't that bad once I got moving. And I was quite energized afterwards. Well, at least until 2 p.m., when I hit a wall. I needed a nap hardcore. But, my kids don't nap. Which means, neither do I. I'm thinking I'm going to be tired a lot this summer. So, when does school start again?

eight miles of stroller pushing (and a winner) ...

Usually, I am fortunate enough to get my long run in on the weekend. Although J travels a ton and is often away for part of the weekend, he ALWAYS gets up with the kids when I need to get my run in. He's great like that. OK, enough with the husband flattery.

Anyway, I am not going to be able to get my long run in this weekend. I FINALLY have my Distance Running Coach Certification this weekend. (I.AM.SO.EXCITED). It's a two day course that runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., an hour and a half away from here. And I am not staying over. So, that really means that I am going to be gone from 6 a.m. until about 7 p.m. both days this weekend. This equals NO RUNNING.

But, you know how I hate to miss hitting my mileage for the week, so I shifted some things around and headed out with G on an eight mile long run yesterday. Unfortunately, since we were running during the week, I had no choice but to bring Dilly along for the ride. And in case you hadn't figured it out yet, eight miles pushing a stroller is HARD. I mean, seriously, three miles pushing a stroller is hard.

Lucky for me, G was nice enough to alternate pushing the stroller with me each mile. It made the run better, but it's really not something I would want to have to do on a regular basis. It definitely made me appreciate my kid-free long runs. This is not to say that Dilly wasn't fantastic. Because she was. She barely made a peep for the entire hour and 20 minutes. And she was smiles the whole way. This is her when we finished. (She thought the squirrel across the street was way more interesting than me)

And G and me afterwards (we're not as cute).

But enough about my run, I know the real reason you are here. You want to know who won my Clif Bar and iTunes Giveaway. Well, there were 191 entries and thanks to Random.org the lucky winner is number 32 ...

Laurie @ The (Mis)Adventures of a Jogging Stroller Mom (appropriate considering the content of my post)

Congrats Laurie! Email me with your contact info and I will get your prizes out to you right away.

I could use a nap ...

I woke up this morning and really didn't want to get out of bed. Without stepping onto the floor, I already knew how sore I was. I knew that my abs were tight enough to make sitting up a struggle. I knew that my quads were burning. I knew that today would be one of those days that I was going to move VERY slowly. Because, yesterday, I ran 21.53 miles (a new training run distance PR) AND rocked P90X Legs and Back plus Ab Ripper X. Yup, I'm that hardcore.

Or, just crazy.

I bet you're kind of wondering how this all happened. So, here it goes. As you may recall, J, who is training for his first half, and I don't get to run together often. We don't have any family nearby and I can't bear to pay for a sitter, so that we can run. This means when we do have someone visiting (my mom is in town), we try to take advantage of it. So, on Saturday afternoon, J asked I would do his long run with him in the morning. I immediately said, "Sure!"

But, there was a hitch. I had already planned an 11 miler with G and Denise. And I wasn't about to bail. I just figured I would get a quality workout with them and follow it up (immediately) with a recovery run with J, since his pace is a bit slower than mine. PERFECT.

So, bright and early on Sunday, I woke up and met G and Denise for the first half of my run. Here we are before heading out. And yes, G and I are once again wearing matching clothing. We have ESP or something.

Anyway, we ran part of one of my favorite loops from our last cycle of marathon training. The pace was good. The conversation was hilarious. Basically, it was fantastic. We finished the 11 miles in 1:46:01 (9:36 pace). Then I jumped in the car, drove home and picked up J for his run, which was supposed to be 9 miles.

J planned the route and I was just along for support. We started out chatting, but as the miles passed, we became silent partners on a quest to finish. About 3 miles in J stopped to use the bathroom, while I kept circling the parking lot at the baseball field we were running past.

At that moment, I realized that if I added a little extra mileage during this run, I could set a new single day training record (the most I had ever done before on a training run was 20) AND if I hit 21.53 miles, I would have run 40 miles this week, which is something I have always wanted to do and is something I would eventually like to do consistently.

So, that's what I did. Any time I pulled ahead, I would loop back and catch J. And when we were a mile from home (J actually planned a 10 mile route even though he only had 9 on his schedule), I decided to take the longer loop and met J at home. When I got back, my Garmin read 21.53!! Part of me wanted to go run 4.67 miles more just so I could have said I ran a marathon yesterday. But, I think J would have had me committed. I finished the 10.53 miles with J in 2:02:24 (11:36 pace). My total time for the run was 3:48:25 (10:36 pace). And can I just note that my marathon PR is 5:06 and that I was CRUSHING that pace yesterday?

Here I am all smiles afterward.

And I ended the day with P90X, well, because I wasn't about to skip it. Yup, I'm crazy like that.

So, what did you do this weekend?

it's taper week ...

The Cherry Blossom 10 miler is in six days, which means I am officially in taper mode. I hate taper. I hate looking around and seeing other people running. I hate that I won't be racking up my standard mileage toward my yearly goal. I hate going to bed at night with my treadmill staring at me from across the room. I get runner's guilt. It's like I should be running a ton, but I just can't. And for me, taper is just as hard as injury. With injury you can't run. It's physically painful. With taper, the pain is mental.


But I will do it. Because I want to run with strong legs and a strong mind on race day. I taper because I want to PR. Because I want to give myself the best opportunity to push myself further than I thought.
I head into Sunday's race with a goal time of 1:25 in my head. I've never run a 10 mile race before, so regardless, I will be setting a PR. But I know, if I race like I train (something I have really been working on). I can hit that time. And if everything goes perfectly, I can run even faster. And I have the proof ...


On Friday night, I did a race pace test run. I wanted my legs to feel what 8:30's feel like. And I needed to know I could hold it. So, I jumped on the treadmill for an eight miler. The plan was two miles easy, followed by four miles at race pace, finished with a two mile cool down. But, that's not really what happened. Instead, I did my two mile warm up at a 9:22 pace (kind of my run all day pace). Then I kicked it up to an 8:20 pace (note that this is actually faster than my goal pace). And like I said, I planned on holding that for four. But, after four I felt too good. So, I tried for five. SUCCESS. So, I kicked it up again and finished the last mile in 8:06. It was awesome. My overall pace was 8:34. Just four seconds over my goal pace. Talk about a confidence boost. Yes, I was tired. Yes, I had worked. But, it didn't kill me. And when I woke up the next day, I wanted to lace up and do it all over again (Don't worry. I didn't).


Instead, I took Saturday off and geared up for Sunday's long run. G has finally been released from by the doctor and offered to join me (plus her hubby and kids were out of town, so she had no reason not to). And our buddy, K, joined us at the last minute for what ended up being a series of loops around my neighborhood.


The run was pretty much perfect. We held an easy pace filled with easy conversation. We ended up running just shy of eight miles in 1:16:22 (9:45 overall). Pretty good considering the amount of pictures we took and that we've not yet adjusted to this warmer weather. And speaking of pictures, here are some good ones ...


Huh, don't I look like a giant next to them? Anyway, I love these runs. We catch up on each other's lives. Retell crazy stories. And just enjoy being out. Basically, it was the perfect way to head into a dreaded taper ...

long run with J ...

J and I don't get a lot of alone time. With three kids, babysitters aren't cheap. And our nearest family member lives three and a half hours away. And we never run together. For a multitude of reasons, including but not limited to: our differences in pacing and mileage, the fact that he's too tall to push a stroller (6'7"), the fact that I CANNOT run any significant distance pushing a triple, that whole babysitter thing. BUT, since we had some guest in town this weekend, J and I (along with H and her J) were able to sneak out for his long run. (Remember how I mentioned that J is training for his first half marathon right now?) Here's everyone pre-run. H's hubby is not a huge running fan, so he biked instead.

We set out for six miles. J warned us about the pace. And honestly, I was concerned. I always have a hard time slowing my pace to run with him. But I tried. And if I pulled ahead, I looped back to get him. We had a blast. And took a ton of pictures. These ones are my favorites:

J even felt so good as we approached six miles that he decided that we would go seven instead. (He's getting sucked in!) Anyway, his race is on May 16th. The girls and I were planning on cheering him on. But now, his parents will be in town that weekend for Dizzle's birthday. So, I offered to pace him. I really hope we can convince his parents to watch the girls. He supports my running so much that I feel like this is the least I can do for him in return.

a mental run and giveaway winners ...

Some days you run and everything just flows. You finish feeling light on your feet and invigorated. Today was not that day. Today my legs felt like lead. My lungs were fighting me. And my heart wasn't in it. It was a mental run. A constant struggle between me and that little voice that tells you to quit. Today, that voice won. I cut my run short. Something I RARELY do.

Things started out fine. Fay, Kate, Spencer and I headed out through the streets of Richmond over the James River.

It was nice. I stopped to take these pictures and then I just couldn't get started again. My brain shut off. I even considered asking one of the girls who were meeting us at the midpoint if I could have their keys to drive their cars to the finish. But, my ego is too big for that. Instead, I ran on with G (she joined us at mile five). I felt like she was pulling me the entire way. I just wanted to stop. But, I knew with every step we were getting closer. Near mile seven, we stopped for a few more pictures. Here we (Kate, G and me) are crossing the Nickel Bridge (oh, can I just mention that the entire second half of our run was a never ending hill? You know the kind. The ones that don't seem like much of a hill but just stretch on FOREVER!)

G and I dropped off Kate at her house around mile 7.5. And headed back to the cars. I had planned on 10, but nine was all I could muster. I just wanted to go home. We finished in 1:30:41, a decent pace considering the hills. Here's the post run shot ... I'm smiling so HUGE because I don't have to run anymore!

Once I got home, I jumped on the scale and realized that I was crazy dehydrated. I consumed about 32 ounces of liquid, during and after my run, but was still two pounds less than when I left. I'm thinking that might have played into my mental breakdown. Oh, well. I always have next week to redeem myself ...

And now, for the real reason you came here. The winners of the Training Tag-Alongs giveaway!!

The three winners of a Training Tag-Alongs Tee are:

Teamarcia at Running Off at the Mouth

Dallas B at OBX Running Mama

RunMom at Secrets of a Running Mom

Please email me your shirt and size preference, along with your contact info and I will pass it along to Training Tag-Alongs to get you your prize.

And the 10 winners of a 26.2 sticker are:

Michelle at LetsRollMama

Shelby (didn't link back to a blog)

Darlene at My First 5K Blog

Nicole Joy at NJoy Life

Heather at Run Faster Mommy!

Allie at That Girl is a Running Fool

1NYGirl at KBrunsDisney

Mel at Tall Mom on the Run

Jen at Setting You Free

Momma Twitch at Run Momma, Run!

Please email me your contact info and I will mail you sticker this week!

Congrats to all the winners. And don't forget to check out my Run Like A Mother: The Book Giveaway!

it's taper time ...

Today was my last long run before Disney. Taper starts tomorrow. The plan for this morning was 10, but somehow it ended up being 12. Apparently, I am beginning to think, "What's a few more miles?" when asked if I'll stick around. This is good and bad. I love running. Especially with friends (like this morning). And I REALLY want to hit 1000 miles this year (I'm way ahead by the way). But have you met me before? I'm kind of competitive. With everyone. Including myself. Which generally means I am constantly trying to one up those around me. And if I keep this up, I might just end up spending four hours every weekend on my long runs and I'm pretty sure J is not going to be a fan of that.


Seriously, though. This morning's run was great (and it's finally warmer!). Here's G, D and I before the run. Note how I managed to make myself the focal point of this shot.


G and D ran the first four with me. Then we dropped G off and picked up Em (a.k.a The Kenyan) and Alyssa. The four of us ran together for the first half mile, then D and the Kenyan broke away, never to be seen again. That's when Alyssa coaxed me into two more miles. (I'll forgive her. I love her.) I finished the run in 2:01, which falls right smack in the middle of my long run zone.

Once I got back, I put on my Recovery Socks. And they definitely are super comfy and my legs feel quite good. I'm still not sure they are worth $35 a pair, but I might feel differently tomorrow morning. We'll see.

snow again ...

I know I've mentioned it before, but I really do not like the snow or cold weather or wind. Personally, I would be up for 90 degree days all of the time. That was part of the appeal of Virginia. It was far milder than dreary Erie. But somehow, it has snowed for the third time in 10 months. Like huge snow. Close to a foot and it's still going.

And since I am such a wimp and didn't want to run in the snow alone, I completed my long run, inside, where it was a balmy 72 degrees. 10 miles of watching the snow fall while sporting a tank top. It was heaven.

Speaking of heaven, that's where I'll be for the Disney Princess Half (right? Isn't Disney like heaven on earth?). A bunch of bloggy friends have mentioned that they are going to be running as well (let me know if anyone wants to meet up). One of those friends, Katye is holding a Bondiband fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. If you are interested in finding out more, click HERE.

determination ...

"I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never give up, no matter what else happened," - Wilma Rudolph

After writing about pushing my ginormous triple stroller on my runs, I got a comment that read, "The things you do to get your runs in are amazing." It really got me thinking. I think the things I do to get my runs in are just the things that NEED to be done to get my runs in. Nothing amazing (although, I do LOVE complements). For me, they have become commonplace. Running is not a choice. It is a crucial part of my life. 5 runs a week, sometimes more, NEVER EVER less. Missing a run is not an option.

Now, I know that skipping a workout or cutting a run short isn't the end of the world. It's not going to make a lick of difference on race day, just like finishing every last mile on my training plan isn't going to get me a BQ. But I have made a commitment to myself. A commitment to be the best me every single day. On every single run. So, if that means pushing a 140+ pound stroller, exchanging sleeping in for early morning long runs or logging 22 miles on the treadmill, well then that's what has to get done.

It's just about determination. The determination to always strive to be better than you were yesterday. The determination to show your children that you can get pure joy out of something, even if you NEVER walk away as the champion. The determination to prove everyone who has ever doubted you wrong, even if that means proving yourself wrong as well. And although, it may not be the reason I started running, it is without a doubt this determination that keeps me running.

I may never run a five minute mile. Or log 70 miles a week. I'm not going to win a race or even beat all of my friends. But none of that matters. Running is my passion. A passion I want to share with others. It is more than just a hobby. It is a force that has forever changed my life. Running has allowed me to be the best mom and wife and me that I can possibly be. It's not a chore. Or a job (because I am WAY TOO SLOW for that). Or even a requirement. It is just the simple act of placing one foot in front of the other. A simple act that helps define me ...