What Can I Say . . .

If nothing else, I am consistant, writing one blog post a month.  Truth is I get busy and forget to post and then feel guilty I haven't posted, until I finally get the motivation to post.   So now I've share insight into my posting thought process, what's been going all the last month?

Warm Weather please! Can't wait until this is reality again.

After the marathon, I took some time off to recover and reclaim so time.  Other runners know the commitment of time and energy training for a marathon.  Not just the time running, but the time preparing and recovering from the run.  I also needed the break mentally, as the grind of the training started to exceed the pleasure of the activity during the weeks before the race.  After the recovery, time came to start training again with a new tweak.

A coach.  I decided in early January that I wanted to hire a coach to give me some personal guidance and another voice besides the one in my head.  After interviewing a number of great coaches, I hired a fella in Georgia who I believe can help me stay healthy, get stronger, and achieve my goals.  After filling out background information and setting up all of the administrative stuff we were off an running at the beginning of February.

So far, so good! The weather in Omaha has posed some difficulties with cold and snow during, after, and around training runs.  The plan laid out by coach has already asked me to do some new things, like drills in the middle of the run and strength exercises afterwards.  I am looking forward to what is next!

Until we meet again, happy running my friends . . .

Time Stops for No One

This blogging thing takes time, something I have had in short supply over the past several weeks.  So, once again a break of nearly a month with no updates.  During the last 3 weeks my mileage increased and then I took a mini hiatus of a week to finish a big work project.  Now with that project behind me and the marathon date closing in, time to finish out this training.

Good Thing to Do on a Snow Day

Which, of course, is easier said than done.  This week's schedule calls for the final 20 mile training run.  I did the first 20 mile two weeks ago, right before the week long work trip to San Antonio to finish the project.  The run was an out-and-back down the Wabash Trace and went very well.  I acheived my time goals and finished no worse-for-wear.  I even showered and worked half a day afterwards!

I am still planning to run the trail again tomorrow, but those plans might change due to the weather.  We received our first significant snowfall in 295 days yesterday which calls the question: run down the snow trail (if even possible) or pick an alternate arrangement?  The alternate arrangements would be treadmill (ugh) or plowed streets.  This fall has been so nice, I can't really complain.  The warm, dry weather has made for easy training which makes this snow storm more bearable.  I think I will take today to relax and not worry about the run--it will figure itself out tomorrow.

Once this run is complete I am on to taper time!  I really do want to get one more 20 miler for my fitness and confidence.  I have trained well this fall and feel comfortable saying I am as prepared as I am going to be going into this race.

Run on my friends. . .

To Trail (Run) or Not Part 2

Who, me?

So where did I leave off?  Oh, right . . . I started 2011 out strong, with the mantra of running smart, taking days off as necessary, and with the goal of "runnin' till the wheels fall off or I finish, whichever comes first".  Even with cold and snow of the early months in the northern Midwest, I was putting the miles in regularly.  Call me crazy, and I don't have any idea how many outdoor, cold weather, runners there are, but count me among the Team Outdoor when it comes to running.  I am one of those people who enjoy the solitude of running outside in the cold, winter months.

The training schedule to the spring race progressed nicely through January, February, and March and as winter turned to spring, I prepared for, and completed, my second ever trail run. I really enjoyed the April AZACK trail run,  even if the hilly course was incredibly difficult and force me to walk on a number of occasions up hills that never seemed to end.  At the finish I thought "maybe I should do this trail running thing more often for training and to get back to nature".  As usually, these fleeting thoughts came and went as I returned to my normal, oh-so-familiar,  running routine.  The Lincoln 1/2 marathon and summer came and went and yet, no trail running.

Summer turned to fall and after a great M2M Relay, I was running my highest mile weeks for the year (40+ mi a week), loving running more than ever, and preparing for another winter of running. I was nearly to my goal of making it though the year relatively injury free.

That all changed at the beginning of November. To be continued...