Half-Marathon, Kara

I had a new outfit all picked out, a grey Nike dri-fit top with matching tiffany blue shorts to wear for the half-marathon on Saturday. Needless to say, they are still on the hanger. Saturday mornings temperature hovered around 45 degrees with wind gusts from 25-30mph. Cold temperatures I don't mind. Wind, I do mind. My hands are still cold!

Despite the weather, almost 300 5K and around 125 half-marathon runners gathered at the start line at 7am Saturday morning to compete. My goal was to run with three other ladies in my Sole Sisters group. MJ, who has been battling hip/knee issues since December; Tammy, who has not run a half since last year; and Lauren, who was a first-timer, only running up to 8 miles in preparation for this race (which she decided to do the night before!) I had my 2:20 pace band wrapped around my SPI belt and was anal about keeping watch over our times at each mile.

The first three miles weren't so bad - The middle 7 miles were flat, yet extremely windy - And the final 3 miles were, well, hilly. But nonetheless, we all four crossed the finish line together, with a time of 2:18:30.
It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done; it wasn't the most miles I've ever done, but I can say that it was one of the windiest runs that I have ever had. Between the cold and the wind, we'll just say I was an interesting sight trying to get out of bed yesterday!

The best part about it was the girls I had by my side. Sometimes, that's more important to me than being able to say that I had a personal record. Being able to run with three others definitely made this race one of my most memorable. And to the injured, the year-offer, and to the rookie, I honestly think that they feel the same way!

Tammy, Me, MJ, and Lauren (far right)



Wind is not my friend - Jennifer

I don’t think you can become an outstanding runner unless you get a certain amount of enjoyment out of the suffering.  You have to enjoy absorbing, controlling it and – ultimately – overcoming it.

Derek Clayton

The marathon is now less than 6 weeks away.  I would say that I almost see the light at the end of the tunnel if it weren’t for some extremely long runs that we have ahead of us.    We have an 18 miler next weekend and two 20 milers looming over our heads.

I weaseled my way out of the ½ marathon Saturday and ran with one of my very dear friends whom I haven’t spent time with in a while.  My thoughts were that 13 miles would go by super fast because we had so much to catch up on.  It would be a breeze. Well, when you have wind gusts of around 25 miles per hours, running is not a “breeze.”  Cold, windy and cloudy would best describe the weather that day.  To add even more difficulty to our run, we chose a very hilly route.  Most of the run was spent fighting the wind and moving uphill.  It was difficult to have a good conversation because I was out of breath most of the time.  It took us longer to complete 13 miles then I care to admit.  I came home exhausted and hurting.   I’m looking outside as I write this, which happens to be the following morning, and it’s bright, sunny with just a slight breeze (enough to cool you off.)  There’s a sad irony to that…

I’m struggling mentally with that run.  I keep thinking “that was only ½ way, there’s no way I could have gone longer.”  The reality is that, had I been mentally prepared for more, I could have.  It would have been a struggle but I would have completed it.  I keep trying to tell myself that.  That run does make me more concerned about the mileage I’m putting in during the week though.  I feel like I need to become more comfortable with the pain and the only way to do that is to wear out my legs.  So I guess I’ll be adding another running day into the mix.

Second Long Run! - Kara

Yesterday, Jennifer and I completed our second long run - if you want to call it that. We cut back to only ten miles because there is a half marathon this upcoming weekend and we didn't want to wear our legs out too much.
We ran at 5am, and it was already 72 degrees. Hard to believe that two weeks ago we were still in pants and sleeves, last week we were in pants and short sleeves, and this week we were already in shorts and tanks. In addition to the heat, we also were under a wind advisory, so gusts of 20-30mph accompanied the heat. As I told Jennifer, it was so hot and humid that the wind gusts were actually a relief. That's Arkansas for you... And by the time our marathon rolls around at the end of May, it's likely to be 90 degrees. You never know around here!
Jennifer had a great run and was a few minutes ahead of me. I took my time and tried to maintain a constant pace... practicing for the half-marathon.

The half-marathon is this Saturday, April 16th here in Jonesboro. It starts and finishes in and around the convocation center. There is a 5K, half-marathon, and a 10, 20, and 50 mile bike ride. I am not going to "race" this event. I pushed myself so hard during the LR Half-Marathon that it took my body weeks to recover. Instead, I am going to try to keep a steady pace and to just have fun!

Less than seven weeks to go!

Going the Distance - Jennifer

“I may have days when I feel like I can’t run a marathon, but I have a lifetime of knowing that I have.”

I saw the above quote the other day when I was searching for just the right 26.2 bumper sticker to go on my car.  If you know me, you know I run these races for the sticker! Haha I guess, for me, that sticker is a daily reminder that I can achieve anything I put my mind to.  I was practically in tears when I was finally able to put that 13.1 sticker on and will be equally as excited when the 26.2 goes on as well.  In the past I would get so frustrated with myself because I would start things and never see them through to completion.  Through all the pain, frustration and many, many instances of wanting to quit; I saw that goal to completion.

So the quote above is what is going to get me through these next couple of months and probably what I will be saying to myself towards the end of the race.  These next couple of months are going to tough.  My left leg has been hurting quite a bit for over a week now.  The positive side is that once it gets warmed up, it doesn’t hurt; it’s the first little bit of the run and all the other time when I’m not running that it gives me trouble.  I can live with that...at least for the next couple of months.

This past Saturday, as Kara mentioned, was a big day for us.  We climbed to 16 miles; the furthest distance I have ever run.  The weather was gorgeous with a wonderful breeze, you could not have asked for better weather to run 3 hours in.  This was also the first time that Kara and I ran together.  We both have the same outlook and goals with this race so, I believe, we will make a great race team.  I wasn’t nearly as tired as I expected to be and that is extremely encouraging.  I’m beginning to get excited and can’t wait to put that new sticker on my car. J

First Long Run! - Kara

Jennifer and I completed our first long run this past Saturday. It was her first time to run over 13.1 miles and my first time to run this distance in over 5 months. It took us just over 3 hours to complete the 16 mile journey and put us one week closer to running our first marathon!

In addition to our 3-4 time per week nightly runs, our long runs will be completed on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Here's the rest of our long run schedule:
April 10th, 10 miles
April 16th, 13.1 (Half-Marathon in Jonesboro)
April 23rd, 18 miles
April 30th, 20 miles

May 7th, 16 miles
May 14th, 20 miles
May 21st, 8 miles
May 28th, 26.2, Marathon Day!!!