I thought it would be a good workout to go work with the local training group. It was. A grueling workout. Over trails. Lots of hills. Lots of branches. Lots of sand. Up hills. Lots of hills. Did I mention there were hills? According to Motionbased, some of these hills were a 30% grade. I made it..I ran up all the hills I could. I walked very little. I made it through at least 2.6 of the 3.4 miles straight running. And I felt it. Garmin said I was running anywhere from an 11 to a 14 minute mile. I felt like I was running 9 minute miles the whole time..I was WINDED! But wow, that's a great workout and one I want to do with them every Thursday.
There was a nice woman who I ran into at the start, and she hung out with me for her first loop of the trail. I kept telling her it would be okay if she wanted to take off and go faster, but bless her heart, she stuck with me and it really helped me to push myself a little harder than I might have otherwise. We got back to the starting point and she said her goodbyes and took off for a second loop. We had fun talking and I'll be running with her again on Sunday during the informal long run.
I was wearing my awesome John Bingham Racing shirt that I got in San Diego. The one that says..."I'm slow. I know. Get over it.". Three women were coming up behind us (presumably doing their second lap..sheesh) and started saying "Oh no you're not. No you're not." I had no idea what they were talking about and then when they passed me one of them turned around and said "You're doing fine! You're not slow!" I laughed and said thank you...and that I only bought the shirt because it was pink. ;) I like this group.
So my legs hurt now. I stretched but my lower legs hurt differently..probably because of all the uneven terrain. But it was fun and I'm totally pumped up for a short 2 miler in the morning. Then it's rest on Saturday for clinicals and off to a 7 mile long run on Sunday morning. Woohoo! It feels SO good to be back in training!
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Finally a week to run!
So now that my race schedule for the year is set, I need to start training for my first half (and the one 3 weeks later). This week will have more running than I've done in the past couple weeks and I can't wait. I'm feeling good, my legs are strong, my foot isn't hurting much, and the tenderness that appeared in my ankle after the marathon usually lessens after stretching, so I'll watch it but I'm not worried about it.
Clinical rotation yesterday was exciting. We didn't have a chance to do much patient care but we got to meet a few patients. And being that it's pediatrics they're mostly babies and toddlers on our floor. :) At one point when our instructor was showing us how to do an assessment on a child, the one in the crib next to him was keeping an eye on me, and we were having a lot of fun playing peek-a-boo through the crib slats. Finally we got done with the assessment and the nurse asked us if we wanted to assess the other kid too. I jumped at the chance. The baby was such a cutie with big cheekers! ;) We played with him and assessed him and when we left the room he was quite upset about it. Luckily there was another group of students coming in to pay attention to him. :) I want to go into pediatrics or the neonatal ICU, so this experience is a lot of fun for me. Our floor deals with congenital heart defects. It's one of the only hospitals in the region that does work with these kids, so this experience is going to be absolutely great.
I do hate giving up my Saturday long runs, but I will get a small workout in climbing the stairs from the parking area to the hospital. It's 130 stairs up a steep hill. Only get it once a week but still..it's fun. :) I've decided that I'm going to put some effort into hill training, which means once clinicals are over and I can go to the Saturday group runs, I can run the cemetery route which is VERY hilly. If I do loops of that once a week I'll be in pretty good shape by the time the first half-mary rolls around.
I'm officially out of the post-marathon blues. I'm in a much better state of mind and able to concentrate a little better. My appetite still isn't 100% but I'm still considering that a blessing at this point. I've lost 4 pounds since the marathon, which was now 2 weeks ago, so I'm not doing too bad. Don't want to lose any faster than that..and I'm sure with training now I'll slow it down to a 1-lb per week loss. I'm excited about this week because we're having our TNT victory party grillout at my coach's house and it'll be fun to see my local TNT teammates and hear how their marathons went. Most of them did a race 2 weeks before we did, there were only 2 of us from the Lansing group that did San Diego.
Here's to a good week!
Clinical rotation yesterday was exciting. We didn't have a chance to do much patient care but we got to meet a few patients. And being that it's pediatrics they're mostly babies and toddlers on our floor. :) At one point when our instructor was showing us how to do an assessment on a child, the one in the crib next to him was keeping an eye on me, and we were having a lot of fun playing peek-a-boo through the crib slats. Finally we got done with the assessment and the nurse asked us if we wanted to assess the other kid too. I jumped at the chance. The baby was such a cutie with big cheekers! ;) We played with him and assessed him and when we left the room he was quite upset about it. Luckily there was another group of students coming in to pay attention to him. :) I want to go into pediatrics or the neonatal ICU, so this experience is a lot of fun for me. Our floor deals with congenital heart defects. It's one of the only hospitals in the region that does work with these kids, so this experience is going to be absolutely great.
I do hate giving up my Saturday long runs, but I will get a small workout in climbing the stairs from the parking area to the hospital. It's 130 stairs up a steep hill. Only get it once a week but still..it's fun. :) I've decided that I'm going to put some effort into hill training, which means once clinicals are over and I can go to the Saturday group runs, I can run the cemetery route which is VERY hilly. If I do loops of that once a week I'll be in pretty good shape by the time the first half-mary rolls around.
I'm officially out of the post-marathon blues. I'm in a much better state of mind and able to concentrate a little better. My appetite still isn't 100% but I'm still considering that a blessing at this point. I've lost 4 pounds since the marathon, which was now 2 weeks ago, so I'm not doing too bad. Don't want to lose any faster than that..and I'm sure with training now I'll slow it down to a 1-lb per week loss. I'm excited about this week because we're having our TNT victory party grillout at my coach's house and it'll be fun to see my local TNT teammates and hear how their marathons went. Most of them did a race 2 weeks before we did, there were only 2 of us from the Lansing group that did San Diego.
Here's to a good week!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Detroit, Here I Come...
So first it was just the local half and the 2 Disney races. Then I decided I wanted another shot at San Diego. Then I decided that during training for SD, the Martian 10k and the Flying Pig half would be good "training" runs. And now I've completely lost my mind and have signed up for the Detroit Free Press half. Which means this is my current schedule:
9/30 - Capital City Half
10/21 - Detroit Free Press Half
10/27 - Disney ToT 13K
1/12 - Disney Half
3/? - Martian 10k
5/4 - Flying Pig Half
6/1 - SD RnR again
To be honest I don't think it's that crazy. I can do 2 half marathons pretty easily 3 weeks apart..I did that many miles in training runs on a weekly basis training with TNT for the RnR. The 13k 6 days after the 2nd half might wear me out a bit but then I have 2 months until the Disney half. And the other races fall during training for San Diego so really they won't be anything out of the ordinary. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
9/30 - Capital City Half
10/21 - Detroit Free Press Half
10/27 - Disney ToT 13K
1/12 - Disney Half
3/? - Martian 10k
5/4 - Flying Pig Half
6/1 - SD RnR again
To be honest I don't think it's that crazy. I can do 2 half marathons pretty easily 3 weeks apart..I did that many miles in training runs on a weekly basis training with TNT for the RnR. The 13k 6 days after the 2nd half might wear me out a bit but then I have 2 months until the Disney half. And the other races fall during training for San Diego so really they won't be anything out of the ordinary. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Enough..
Okay, I've had enough of this funk I've been in. I've thought a lot about it the last couple days and I'm realizing that most of my problem is that I can't quiet my mind. I'm not happy with school, not sure what I want to do in a year when I graduate, not sure what's going on in my relationship, frustrated with my performance at the marathon, etc., etc. I have all this stuff that's driving me nuts and because I can't sort any of it out individually right now it's been bringing me down. So, ENOUGH! I'm going to deal with things one day at a time. I want to be my normal mostly happy self..this person I am right now is irritating me. :)
Today I'm doing a 20 minute easy run per the recovery plan I found on the marathon website. This is the last week I'll follow it. I walked enough of the marathon that I feel comfortable starting training for my half next week. That and if I don't start doing something concrete I'm going to become one really cranky biatch. ;)
Since all my Saturdays until the end of July are taken by clinical rotation, I'm doing long runs on Sundays. That means the informal group with no aid stations. Luckily most of my "long" runs (funny how long back in January and long now are totally different) until then are below 10 miles, so I should be good with my Amphipod bottle pack and a gu or sport beans. I'm going to also make an effort to meet with the informal weekly group on Tues. & Thurs. so that I can get in some good quality runs with other people. I like running by myself too, but sometimes I just want to have that extra push that running with a group gives you.
I have managed to not have an appetite pretty much since the marathon. Now, normally that would be bad, but I am still eating enough calories. What it has been allowing me to do is be a little more choosy about what I'm eating, and it's paying off. I've been eating lots of fruit and whole grain stuff, and avoiding heavy fatty foods as much as possible. And I feel better for it and am not gaining any weight back. I've been drinking lots of water and tea and I'm really feeling good physically. I'm hoping that once I start training again here next week I can start losing weight again. I'd like to get down another 20 pounds by October, which is a pretty reasonable goal. Then I'd only really need to lose about another 20 before I'd be at a really healthy ideal weight (let's set that goal for next June at San Diego). I haven't really gone by poundage so much lately as I have by clothes and inches. And I know that with cross-training and strength training, etc., that I'll probably end up weighing a little more but looking better. I bought two new running skirts from the place I got the one at the expo, and they arrived yesterday. Normally I'm hugely critical about my legs (okay, my whole body), but these skirts looked CUTE! They hit my thighs in the right spot and make them look really nice and muscular. Nothing to pick you up like looking good in a miniskirt. ;)
So, I'm feeling better today, and I'm hoping to keep it going. Here's to a happy remainder of the day and a bright outlook for tomorrow!
Today I'm doing a 20 minute easy run per the recovery plan I found on the marathon website. This is the last week I'll follow it. I walked enough of the marathon that I feel comfortable starting training for my half next week. That and if I don't start doing something concrete I'm going to become one really cranky biatch. ;)
Since all my Saturdays until the end of July are taken by clinical rotation, I'm doing long runs on Sundays. That means the informal group with no aid stations. Luckily most of my "long" runs (funny how long back in January and long now are totally different) until then are below 10 miles, so I should be good with my Amphipod bottle pack and a gu or sport beans. I'm going to also make an effort to meet with the informal weekly group on Tues. & Thurs. so that I can get in some good quality runs with other people. I like running by myself too, but sometimes I just want to have that extra push that running with a group gives you.
I have managed to not have an appetite pretty much since the marathon. Now, normally that would be bad, but I am still eating enough calories. What it has been allowing me to do is be a little more choosy about what I'm eating, and it's paying off. I've been eating lots of fruit and whole grain stuff, and avoiding heavy fatty foods as much as possible. And I feel better for it and am not gaining any weight back. I've been drinking lots of water and tea and I'm really feeling good physically. I'm hoping that once I start training again here next week I can start losing weight again. I'd like to get down another 20 pounds by October, which is a pretty reasonable goal. Then I'd only really need to lose about another 20 before I'd be at a really healthy ideal weight (let's set that goal for next June at San Diego). I haven't really gone by poundage so much lately as I have by clothes and inches. And I know that with cross-training and strength training, etc., that I'll probably end up weighing a little more but looking better. I bought two new running skirts from the place I got the one at the expo, and they arrived yesterday. Normally I'm hugely critical about my legs (okay, my whole body), but these skirts looked CUTE! They hit my thighs in the right spot and make them look really nice and muscular. Nothing to pick you up like looking good in a miniskirt. ;)
So, I'm feeling better today, and I'm hoping to keep it going. Here's to a happy remainder of the day and a bright outlook for tomorrow!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
So there's a fork in the road...
not literally, of course. How weird would that be?
There's a point we all come to in our lives where we have to decide what we want most and how to get it. I never, EVER thought that I'd finish a marathon. I never thought I'd WANT to run. I never thought I'd find it in me to even try to accomplish a task like that. Before January and my uncle's diagnosis, I was content to sit on my ass and do very little. I was floating through school, floating through work, floating through everything. Then came the bad news from my uncle, and what followed that news, in my life, seems to me to be nothing more than miraculous. I took on the task of raising as much money as I could, of getting out of bed at 5:00 every Saturday morning to get ready for a long run, of freezing my ass off in those early winter months just to make some progress. I pulled energy out of places I never thought I had, and pulled resolve out of places even deeper. I knew if my uncle could go through what he was going to go through then I could get off my butt and do this for him. And I did...and what followed that has brought me to today.
It's time for me to start making decisions. Decisions as to whether I'm going to keep on floating through life or if I'm going to take it by the horns. Decisions as to whether or not I'll do it alone. Decisions as to whether I'm going to let another year pass me by before I really start LIVING life instead of letting it happen TO me. I'm ready to start making those decisions and so I know the next few months for me are going to be a very different time in my life. I know that no matter what happens, though, that I can make it through. If I can find it in myself to complete a marathon from where I was when I started, I can do anything I have to.
On a more upbeat note, I went to the local running store's team kickoff tonight. It was fun getting signed up and finding out the options for training. Essentially I'll have people to run with quite often so I'm really excited about starting training again. Plus I got a cool shirt and free socks and that's half the fun of doing these things, isn't it? ;)
There's a point we all come to in our lives where we have to decide what we want most and how to get it. I never, EVER thought that I'd finish a marathon. I never thought I'd WANT to run. I never thought I'd find it in me to even try to accomplish a task like that. Before January and my uncle's diagnosis, I was content to sit on my ass and do very little. I was floating through school, floating through work, floating through everything. Then came the bad news from my uncle, and what followed that news, in my life, seems to me to be nothing more than miraculous. I took on the task of raising as much money as I could, of getting out of bed at 5:00 every Saturday morning to get ready for a long run, of freezing my ass off in those early winter months just to make some progress. I pulled energy out of places I never thought I had, and pulled resolve out of places even deeper. I knew if my uncle could go through what he was going to go through then I could get off my butt and do this for him. And I did...and what followed that has brought me to today.
It's time for me to start making decisions. Decisions as to whether I'm going to keep on floating through life or if I'm going to take it by the horns. Decisions as to whether or not I'll do it alone. Decisions as to whether I'm going to let another year pass me by before I really start LIVING life instead of letting it happen TO me. I'm ready to start making those decisions and so I know the next few months for me are going to be a very different time in my life. I know that no matter what happens, though, that I can make it through. If I can find it in myself to complete a marathon from where I was when I started, I can do anything I have to.
On a more upbeat note, I went to the local running store's team kickoff tonight. It was fun getting signed up and finding out the options for training. Essentially I'll have people to run with quite often so I'm really excited about starting training again. Plus I got a cool shirt and free socks and that's half the fun of doing these things, isn't it? ;)
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Slogging through recovery
I don't think there's anything worse at this point that being forced to not run. I jogged really slowly today for a couple miles just to go out and clear my head. It felt wonderful but I was fatigued at the end..so I know that I need to keep taking it slow the next week or so. I'm starting training for my half in September on the 18th though..so essentially I am taking one more week of recovery and then slowly getting back into training. Had I run more of the marathon I'd take more time off, but I really feel like I will be fine seeing as how I did more walking than running this year.
My goal is to try and finish the half on September 30th at around a 2:45:00. I'll take a couple weeks off and then start training again for the Disney half in January. Once I've run that I am taking a month to just run for the fun of it before starting training again in February for the RNR next year on June 1st. I've got a couple races planned in there (Martian 10k in April and Flying Pig Half in May), but those will fit in just fine with my training plan for the marathon so I'm not worried about them. The RNR next year will also be a fun one because I'll be DONE WITH SCHOOL! The trick will be not applying for a job while I'm out there. I think part of the funk I'm in is that I want to be back in CA! ;)
My goal is to try and finish the half on September 30th at around a 2:45:00. I'll take a couple weeks off and then start training again for the Disney half in January. Once I've run that I am taking a month to just run for the fun of it before starting training again in February for the RNR next year on June 1st. I've got a couple races planned in there (Martian 10k in April and Flying Pig Half in May), but those will fit in just fine with my training plan for the marathon so I'm not worried about them. The RNR next year will also be a fun one because I'll be DONE WITH SCHOOL! The trick will be not applying for a job while I'm out there. I think part of the funk I'm in is that I want to be back in CA! ;)
Friday, June 8, 2007
Post Marathon Weekend
Okay, I admit it, I've fallen victim to post-marathon depression. I'm not gloomy gus depressed, just a general sense of not caring as much about stuff as I usually do. I've read everything I could about it, written up my new training schedule for my half this September, registered for a few more races here and there, and decided I'll do San Diego again next year for sure. None of it really seems to help and I think the main reason is that I can't run right now. I know that I'm supposed to recover this week so I've just been walking. I'm going to do a longer walk tomorrow with the local group..maybe 5 miles at an easy pace just to get some fitness activity in with other people.
I had issues before the marathon, but the training helped me work through all that stuff and now that I don't have that training going on, those issues are coming to the surface. Mainly things like hating this last year of school, not being sure what I want to do when I graduate as far as where I'll live, etc. Nothing huge or life-threatening..just those things that can get overwhelming when you don't have a clue what the hell you're doing with yourself. ;) It's like the only steady thing I had that I was absolutely sure of was training for this marathon.
It's funny, because I used to think marathoners were a bunch of crazy freaks. I couldn't even fathom the idea of doing ANYTHING for 26.2 miles let alone run. I know I didn't run all of my marathon, but I will next year and I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to training for the half in September, and then the half in January, and then the full in June again..and the main reason is because all that time out on the trail lets me get in touch with who I am and really think about the things I need to think about without any outside influence. I've learned a lot about myself in the past 5 months. Some good, some not so good. But now at least I know the things I'd like to improve or change completely, and I know I am capable of doing that.
And weirdly enough, typing all this out is actually helping too. :)
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Marathon weekend...
The trip was fantastic. I left on the 31st, lived through the flight, got to the hotel that the team would also be staying at, and then headed off to the San Diego Zoo. I took lots of pictures but not all of them came out. I'll upload them soon. I was in bed that night by 7:00..which would translate to 10:00 my time, and try as I might, I couldn't stay up past 7:30. So of course I woke up the next morning around 3:30 and had force myself back to sleep a couple times so I could adjust to the time a little better.
Next day woke up, checked out, checked back in and waited for my team..and waited..and waited. Finally I saw a couple familiar faces and after I realized they hadn't flown in with the team, I checked the airline website and found out the team flight had been delayed almost 3 hours. So the three of us headed off to the expo alone and picked up our packets and stuff. I didn't do much shopping that day...but I did kinda make a list in case I went back the next. :) Hung out with friends that night and met my roommate sometime around 11:00 at night when I woke her up (sorry Janie!). ;)
Saturday was fun, had breakfast and went back to the expo with my roomie and spent lots of money. She was having as much fun as I was I think. :) I bought new shoes, a running skirt, a couple John Bingham penguin items, some Nuun tablets (great for electrolyte replacement and $1.50 cheaper than at the running store!), and a headband to keep my hair from driving me insane during the race. After that we came back, waited for the pasta party and hung out relaxing for the night. Surprisingly we were both asleep by about 9:30. I think it took me longer but I made it. Woke up about 3 times during the night and finally started getting ready at 2:30. No need for the alarm. Everything had been laid out the night before so we just got dressed and headed over to the bus pickup where we met the team and took some pictures and all looked like deer in the headlights. ;) Janie was keeping me pretty calm and laughing, and when we got off the bus we managed to stick together until the potty station. :) Everyone headed for the first available, and noone got out at the same time, so that was the last I saw of anyone on my team until Janie found me at the Accelerade station. I was trying to shove a bagel down my throat but I can't eat that early or when I'm nervous so I ended up just drinking a lot of water and a couple cups of Accelerade. I lost Janie when I went to throw out a Gu packet..never saw her again until the end of the race.
Okay, so now that all the mundane details have been covered... :) I started out at the back of the pack. I was glad to be back there because it did make me start out slower, but it was hard getting around the REALLY slow people. I managed about 13-14 minute miles for the first 8 miles, which was what I wanted..slow to start so I could push it at the end...and then started to feel pain in my foot again. We were on the freeway by this point, and it had a horrible lean to the left..which of course is the bad foot. I was putting so much pressure on the foot running on that angle that I aggravated it and my ankle, and by mile 9 I was really feeling it. My times kept getting slower but I knew that I would still make the first cutoff, so I just took it easy on the freeway until we were back on level ground. I was still managing about 16 minute miles with the walking.
Once I got to the halfway point things really started to go downhill. I was really feeling the foot, it was starting to feel like someone had taken a hot poker and just shoved it in my arch with every step I took. It was nearly impossible to run, but I managed to walk as fast as I could. By mile 18 I had to stop at the med station. At that point the pain had gotten so bad I was crying while I walked. Thank God for sunglasses. :) I had actually stopped because I thought my toes were rubbing on my right foot, but when I sat down I just started this flood of emotion that wouldn't stop, and the doc asked me what was going on and I told her how my foot had been hurting. She whipped out the tape and taped up my arch so well that I was able to pick up the pace a little bit. I tried to run as much as possible but I think at that point I had decided that it was better that I just finished rather than risk pushing too hard. In hindsight, I wish I had pushed myself, but I know that I can do it next time. I made it to the 25 mile point where my team's coach was waiting for me. I hadn't been crying but when I saw her and saw how close I was I just started bawling. :) She walked with me to the 1/2 mile point and I decided to jog the rest of the way in. I finished in 7:28:04, which I was horrified with, but I finished. I FINISHED a marathon! I also got about a 3rd degree sunburn. I can barely wear a shirt right now without wincing in pain. Hopefully it heals soon!
So before I left I was already signed up for Disney half in January and a local half in September. And now I'm seriously considering signing up for next year's San Diego Rock 'n Roll just so I can prove to myself that I can do it on that same course in a better time. Well, and because it was freaking beautiful there and I'd love to run that course again with a healthy foot and a healthier body than I had this year. I've lost my mind, I know, but it's fun. :)
Next day woke up, checked out, checked back in and waited for my team..and waited..and waited. Finally I saw a couple familiar faces and after I realized they hadn't flown in with the team, I checked the airline website and found out the team flight had been delayed almost 3 hours. So the three of us headed off to the expo alone and picked up our packets and stuff. I didn't do much shopping that day...but I did kinda make a list in case I went back the next. :) Hung out with friends that night and met my roommate sometime around 11:00 at night when I woke her up (sorry Janie!). ;)
Saturday was fun, had breakfast and went back to the expo with my roomie and spent lots of money. She was having as much fun as I was I think. :) I bought new shoes, a running skirt, a couple John Bingham penguin items, some Nuun tablets (great for electrolyte replacement and $1.50 cheaper than at the running store!), and a headband to keep my hair from driving me insane during the race. After that we came back, waited for the pasta party and hung out relaxing for the night. Surprisingly we were both asleep by about 9:30. I think it took me longer but I made it. Woke up about 3 times during the night and finally started getting ready at 2:30. No need for the alarm. Everything had been laid out the night before so we just got dressed and headed over to the bus pickup where we met the team and took some pictures and all looked like deer in the headlights. ;) Janie was keeping me pretty calm and laughing, and when we got off the bus we managed to stick together until the potty station. :) Everyone headed for the first available, and noone got out at the same time, so that was the last I saw of anyone on my team until Janie found me at the Accelerade station. I was trying to shove a bagel down my throat but I can't eat that early or when I'm nervous so I ended up just drinking a lot of water and a couple cups of Accelerade. I lost Janie when I went to throw out a Gu packet..never saw her again until the end of the race.
Okay, so now that all the mundane details have been covered... :) I started out at the back of the pack. I was glad to be back there because it did make me start out slower, but it was hard getting around the REALLY slow people. I managed about 13-14 minute miles for the first 8 miles, which was what I wanted..slow to start so I could push it at the end...and then started to feel pain in my foot again. We were on the freeway by this point, and it had a horrible lean to the left..which of course is the bad foot. I was putting so much pressure on the foot running on that angle that I aggravated it and my ankle, and by mile 9 I was really feeling it. My times kept getting slower but I knew that I would still make the first cutoff, so I just took it easy on the freeway until we were back on level ground. I was still managing about 16 minute miles with the walking.
Once I got to the halfway point things really started to go downhill. I was really feeling the foot, it was starting to feel like someone had taken a hot poker and just shoved it in my arch with every step I took. It was nearly impossible to run, but I managed to walk as fast as I could. By mile 18 I had to stop at the med station. At that point the pain had gotten so bad I was crying while I walked. Thank God for sunglasses. :) I had actually stopped because I thought my toes were rubbing on my right foot, but when I sat down I just started this flood of emotion that wouldn't stop, and the doc asked me what was going on and I told her how my foot had been hurting. She whipped out the tape and taped up my arch so well that I was able to pick up the pace a little bit. I tried to run as much as possible but I think at that point I had decided that it was better that I just finished rather than risk pushing too hard. In hindsight, I wish I had pushed myself, but I know that I can do it next time. I made it to the 25 mile point where my team's coach was waiting for me. I hadn't been crying but when I saw her and saw how close I was I just started bawling. :) She walked with me to the 1/2 mile point and I decided to jog the rest of the way in. I finished in 7:28:04, which I was horrified with, but I finished. I FINISHED a marathon! I also got about a 3rd degree sunburn. I can barely wear a shirt right now without wincing in pain. Hopefully it heals soon!
So before I left I was already signed up for Disney half in January and a local half in September. And now I'm seriously considering signing up for next year's San Diego Rock 'n Roll just so I can prove to myself that I can do it on that same course in a better time. Well, and because it was freaking beautiful there and I'd love to run that course again with a healthy foot and a healthier body than I had this year. I've lost my mind, I know, but it's fun. :)
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