Let's Make a Bet...

Jenny and I have been counting the miles that we have run during the course of our training. You can see the tally to the right. At this point we have run 460 miles!

I think it would be fun to guess what our total milage will be after we run the marathon! The person who guesses closest without going over will get a prize!!

Keep in mind that we both contribute to this number. We run 3-5 days per week. There are only around 6 weeks left, and we only have one obscenely long run left before the big race!! This number should also include the 26.2 miles of the marathon.

19?

Been there! Done that!

This past Saturday I ran 19 miles! The longest distance I have run in my life!

My plan was to get up at 4:45 am, drive to downtown Panama City, and run from the Panama City Marina through an area called The Cove. The Cove is a nice neighborhood that hugs the coastline of the Panama City Bay. It's shaded by large trees draped in Spanish moss. The houses can be huge with beautiful landscaping. Every now and then I get a view of some pretty large boats and a breeze from the water. It's a perfect place to run!

Before I started my run, I was really nervous. I had gotten blisters on the back of both heels during one of my weekly runs. So much for expensive new shoes! After doctoring up both feet with 2nd Skin and athletic tape, my full belief in the product was reinforced! 2nd Skin is the perfect cure for blisters or sore spots! My feet didn't hurt a bit!

The weather was also a topic of concern. It had been in the upper 80's and raining off and on all week. The week before my run was cut short by a torrential downpour! If I didn't finish this run once I had started, I don't know that I would complete it later! It ended up being in the low 80's and sunny. I can handle that.

Finally, I was worried that I would stop running after the first 15 miles. My route brought me right by the car at mile 15. After running that long, it would be so tempting to just climb in the driver's seat, head home, shower, and sleep the day away. So, my loving and supportive husband met me. He ran that last 4 miles with me, encouraging me all the way. I have done 95% of my runs on my own and all of my long runs have been alone. Though it is nice to get lost in my thoughts, running just 4 miles with Mike makes me realize how nice it is to have a running partner!! I am very grateful to have Jenny to run the real deal with.

Finally, after finishing 19 miles, I climbed into the car, drove home, and collapsed on the floor. Rusty was there to congratulate me! The day was complete with a shower, a few Alieve, and 4 hour nap!!

Now just think, after running 19 miles, what's another 7?! We can totally run a marathon!!

It's JENNY'S Birthday!

Wish her a very happy day today!!

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Well folks, our long runs are getting REALLY long! I was thinking during my 17 mile run last Saturday, that I am running out of things to think about! Topics I have covered in my head include things such as, but not limited to:

- Which houses I would buy?

- What I would change about each house if I did buy it?

- What is the name of that dog that is chasing me down the street?

- What choice words I would use to tell the creepy honking truck driver how I feel about creepy honking truck drivers if I could!!?

- What I will eat first when I'm done running?

- Beer or wine tonight?

- What will I write about on my next blog post?

- Where the hell am I? I think I'm lost.

So, as you can see, I have exhausted many topics to occupy my mind during my long runs. This weekend we have another 18 miles! Please help me out! Give me some new inspiring, funny, inquisitive, or just different thoughts to ponder during the 3 hours on the road this weekend! Thank you for your help!!

Dear Chicago Marathon Planners,

I have thought it through and this is my order for the Chicago Marathon on Oct 11, 2009:

1. Temperature in upper 60's or lower 70's - You can decide the specifics.

2. Slightly overcast - not too sunny, but not too gloomy.

3. Maybe a little spritz of rain around 10 am - we will be pretty sweaty by then and need a cool-down.

4. A slight downward grade for the entire course.

5. Gatorade at every water station.

6. Lots of crazy costumed runners or funny sign bearing cheerleaders on the sidelines to keep us entertained.

7. Oh yeah - and can you please replace the bananas with beer at the finish line?

Thank you for your cooperation and I look forward to seeing you at the finish line.

Sincerly,

Lynn Taylor Glass

runner #15,629

My #1 Fan

From other's perspective, I may seem like an extremely self-motivated and anal marathoner when it comes to my training schedule, following it diligently, and checking each day off as soon as I finish my work-out. I suppose part of that is true, but the secret is, I have a live-in #1 fan who is constantly motivating me, challenging me...and literally pushing me out of bed in the morning to run 8 miles before work or 15 miles on a Saturday. My husband, Matt, would rather die than run even one block with me, but the encouragement and excitement he provides is just as good as a running buddy to me.

Last Friday I did my 11 mile run before the weekend since I was heading to Virginia Beach later that day for my friend Katie Kaschak's wedding (and man was it a beautiful wedding. Congrats to Katie and Tyler!). While I was on my daily visit to mapmyrun.com trying to figure out how to make this 11 miles interesting by myself, Matt volunteered to ride his bike next to me during my entire run the next day! I was so excited and immediately put down my computer when I realized this meant we could go south on the Monon Trail, which I'm "not allowed" (slash it isn't safe) for me to do by myself. So I ran, and he rode his bike (rrr...my Dad's bike), and kept me going the entire way. He sang songs like "Eye of the Tiger", the Rocky Theme song, and whistled the theme song to the Andy Griffith show, and just kept the chatting up so I stayed nice and distracted from running.

The next best part of the run was at about mile 8 when we were headed back north, Matt branched off real quick, went home, and got our dog Ike who joined us for the last 3 miles. Ike was in heaven, I had little things to look forward to throughout the run, and our family or 3 had one helluva fit morning!

This Saturday we're running 17 miles. My good friend Cease from IU/Theta just moved to Indy (YAY, CEASE!) and is training for the NY Marathon, so now I have a permanent training buddy. We did 13 together a couple of weekends ago and it was wonderful having her by my side the whole way.

Matt certainly isn't my only source of encouragement - everyone around me is and it's so helpful to have the support of the others. THANK YOU to each of you who have been cheering us on during our training and preparation! It actually makes us excited to run 26.2 miles in 2 months. :)

Is it really all in my head?

I don't mean to be a Debby Downer, but this weekend was a rough one. For some reason, my schedule just did not correspond with the weather. Every time I tried to run, it was too hot, I was too tired, or it was raining. ARG!! How frustrating!

Finally, I just decided, it's all in my head. Heat, rain, humidity, and fatigue are only obstacles that I get make bigger than they really are. I can overcome them. So, this morning I woke up and decided to run my 15 miles no matter what! I set out around 9 AM after the torrential downpours had cleared. By the end of 7.5 miles, this is what the weather was like: 87 degrees (feeling like 99) with 74% humidity! That's when I decided, it's not in my head! The weather really does affect how I perform. So, from now on I'll have to get up before 6 AM to do my long runs! Roommates like Jenny know that I am not a morning person and LOVE my snooze button!! Early mornings may be the biggest obstacle for me to overcome.

It's been confirmed! Weather does play a huge role! I ran the last 7.5 miles this evening after rehydrating and taking a nap. It was much cooler and though the sun hadn't set yet, it was well behind

the trees. I felt great! It also helped that I saw an F15 bank in an almost full moon, a deer grazing in a small field, and at the end, my hubby was waiting for me to watch the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico. This has been an awesome ending do a not-so great day!

Comments - Keep 'em coming!

Hey friends, family, and blog followers -

I figured out how to change a few settings on our blog so now anyone can post a comment without logging in. At the end of each post you will see something like this: "POSTED BY JENNY AT 5:56 PM 0 COMMENTS " Click on the word "comments" and type your thoughts into the text box. You should now be able to submit without any other trouble!! Please keep your words of encouragement coming!! Thanks!