Marathon Recap.

This is way late, the marathon I ran was Oct. 20th but since I blogged about my 2 training runs I wanted to come full  circle and capture how the rest of my "training" and actual race went.

12 miles- Running buddies and I drove to Riverside Dr to run along that except I did not research enough because the part that we went to was some type of boat dock and the whole trail was probably only 6 miles total so it was slightly annoying having to run back and forth to reach 12. The weather was really nice in the 60s. I had black cherry shot bloks whenever I felt like it and ran with my fuel belt which holds 16 oz. of water. I felt good until the last mile when I was just over the run but played Avril Lavigne's "What the Hell" on repeat to finish it out. Rob and Rachel (the running buddies) went to get me Gatorade across the street after they were done with their runs and I had that immediately after running which I probably should not have done because I usually only drink water. I was too tired to eat much after running and waited like 3 hours to eat a whole meal which could explain why I felt extremely light headed and nauseous and just really weird after the run. Oh, this was also the first run in my new running shoes!! I was a little nervous about them because I wore Nike's with basically no support forever but the change was good, my feet did not have any problems.

20 miles- I ran 14 the week before I ran 20, I didn't make notes on how the run went but I think it went alright. I really wanted to hit 20 before I did the marathon so I would be confident that I wouldn't die. I started it like I did my other long runs, woke up at 4:45, ate 3 eggs and had half a Noss for breakfast. Went running with Rob at 5:30, we went to Beekman Park and ran around that loop a few times. The stars were sooooo pretty and clear! I remember I could totally see the Little (or Big idk!) Dipper! Then we ran to Rachel's and I ran 12 miles with her. We ran down Neil to the Scioto Mile then back to campus down High St. and then down the Olentangy Trail a little bit and then back to Woodruff and High. I met Rob there and ran my final 1.7ish miles with him to get to 20. My knees and above my ankles really hurt at this point but as long as I wasn't stopped I was okay. I felt really good when I was finally done, probably the best I ever have after running because I really did not think I would be able to run 20 miles! I had a mocha Cliff Shot at mile 11 and I had a pack of fruit snacks in my fuel belt that I snacked on. I think I ran 20 miles on Sept 27th  and I didn't really think about training again after it because mentally I thought if I just hit 20 I would be "good to go".

Marathon Day- Tips if I ever do one again (probably not) are
1. Actually follow a training plan.
2. Wear new contacts.
3. Wear really warm "throw aways".
4. Do what works aka wear the same socks I had done my long runs in.

Picture proof that I did it! 

Running buddies, me, fellow blogger Han!

I will include this because I always love new running music. Fun fact, leading up to the marathon I was OCD about only listening to music while running because I was afraid if I listened to it other times it would lose it's affect. 

Favorite Running Songs

-'I am Woman' SATC 2 movie version

-'Let Me Take You Out' Bryan J. featuring Travis Porter

-'Sally Is A...' Shwayze

-'Charmed Life' Leigh Nash

-'Heaven's Before Me' Marian Grace

-'Dog Days Are Over' Florence + The Machine

10 miles.

I was scheduled to run 10 miles on the 8th. I made sure I was well rested the night before, I got 8 hours and 27 minutes, 90% on my sleep app to be exact. I got up at 7 that morning and ate a fried egg. I planned to run from campus to my home home which is 8.2ish miles away so I would just run 2 extra miles around my neighborhood. My left knee started hurting about 5 minutes in about the same time that I started looking for places to get a drink, which is not a good sign! I walked to the sketch Kroger to get a drink of water, when I started running again my knee stopped hurting. I tried to get into a nice running grove but it wasn't working I kept stopping to walk. After about 5.5 miles of run/ walk I called my mom asking if she could pick me up on Broad St. because I couldn't make it back to our house. I could tell right away I wasn't feeling the run and after walking so much I decided it would be better to just stop and have my mom pick me up so I would get home sooner and then I could attempt to run the full 10 later.

I was so upset with myself for not having a good run. Maybe it was because I was running by myself or it being so early in the morning or my legs feeling very heavy and tired. Anyways, at 7:30 I attempted 10 miles part 2 with my friend who is training for the half. This run felt exponentially different from the first run. We did over 6 miles with stopping to walk only a little, and I did not feel like I "needed" to stop at all. By the end of the run I was exhausted, probably because it was my 2nd of the day and the tops of my feet really hurt and I later saw that I had a gross blood blister type thing on one of my toes. I need to figure out how to enjoy running by myself and to get into a good running rhythm, not one where I was to stop every second just because. I was okay with my progress for the day because with my 2 runs combined I ran over 10 miles (I hope that kind of counts).

8 Miles.

Hey everyone! I am running a marathon in 2 months so until then I am going to use this as a place to track my long runs, so sorry it will probably be boring to read until then.
Today was the first day that I ran what I set out to run, so I was pretty proud of myself. It was much cooler outside than it had been lately (60ish) but I still wore Nike shorts and a running tank. I ran with my little running buddy Rob, I'm usually the one that wants to walk but today it was the other way around muahaha. I usually do not really talk at all because it stresses me out but today I chatted Rob up the whole first mile and I for that short time I could see how running could be an enjoyable activity for some people, I really think it was the weather change that had me in a good mood. My favorite part of the run was probably into mile 2 when Set Me as A Seal came on my playlist (listen below)

we were running on a trail so we were surrounded by trees and it was getting dark and it felt like we were in a cool little music video running side by side and singing the boy and girl parts to each other (lol I know I'm weird) thank goodness I didn't get emotional. And at the same time ironically, Rob was listening to some inappropriate rap song cause he would sing some of the lyrics to me (not full out sing I know you aren't supposed to be able to while running). Around mile 5 we passed a Starbucks so I popped in for water and afterwards felt a little dizzy but that was the only time I didn't feel well during the run. I usually detest running down High St but we ran down it for the 2nd half and I had fun because I would point out several places that had significance like, "Blue Danube, hotdogs!" Right now my toes hurt a little when I press them down and my knees feel a little odd but nothing bad. This probably seems weird but I really think it will help calm my nerves to see how I felt/ what I did/ be held accountable etc. until the big race which btw will be the last time I ever exercise!