Why I Run (Lindsey)

Hmm... well this has been an interesting week. No one talks about recovery from long runs, in my case this week, 20 miles. It's almost like running is the easy part. (I said almost) Last week's long run was surprisingly good. Surprising because I did it, and did it without knee pain. yay! One foot in front of the other, constant reminders to myself to hold my running form, stretching every now and then, and it all worked out. Miracle.
Now for the hard part. We get done with the run, we stretch, inhale any sort of calories available (in my case Gatorade for the drive home). When I get home all I want to do is eat but I have to stretch more, stretch, stretch, and ice. 30 minutes later I'm finally getting to the eating part. Heaven. Then more icing and the feeling of sheer exhaustion taking over. Nap time. Then wake up, more food, ice, and back to sleep. That was just Sunday.
Monday I woke up and I was pretty sure something was wrong with my body. My legs weren't moving right and there was a constant dull throb in my knee (oh no!). @#$#%$#@!@?! did I mess up my knee again? More icing, minor freak out at work and a call to the running clinic to schedule an appointment. More icing and freaking out. Then an e-mail to Adam to make sure I wasn't losing my mind. I'm supposed to feel tired and funky right? Adam suggested a short run (umm seriously?), deep water run (would love to do this sometime), or stationary bike to work out some of the soreness and yes it's normal to feel funky and tired. Minor sigh of relief. None of this happens on Monday due to work/life.
Tuesday. Feeling somewhat better, but only a little. I drag myself into the gym after work because I'm ridiculously tired. I do my workout and attempt to run a  couple laps. That's funny because I can barely move them in any sort of manner that resembles running so I hit the stationary bike. Success. oh yeah more stretching and icing.
Wednesday I attempt a run on the track. According to Hal I should have already run 5 miles on Tuesday and 8 miles Wednesday. Is this guy for real? How does anyone do that? I ran 3 and walked a 4th. stretch and iced. Oh yeah, I'm beyond tired.
Thursday (tonight) - workout at the gym and some running. ahhh... finally some relief. I can actually run again. huzzah. Just in time for another long run this weekend. stretch and ice of course.
So why do I put myself through this?
Gosh, isn't that the question. Yes, this is something that has been on my life goal/bucket list. But why? Am I trying to prove something? Why a marathon? I'm not sure yet. But I think I'm getting closer to the answer. I watched a cute movie tonight called "Saint Ralph" which is about a kid who runs the Boston Marathon in hopes that if he wins, that miracle will get his mother out of a coma (hey it was about a marathon ok). It turned out to be an ok movie but something that rang true to me was when Ralph asked one of the kids on the cross country team why they run and one of them replied, "it's in our blood, we have to." Hmm.. I wouldn't say running is in my blood per say, the Arnold's are not known for our speed and running form, but it's definitely in my heart. hmmm.. closer. But I'm still not sure. Maybe that's why I'm running this marathon? Maybe it's to figure out why?

17 days to go

Food Freedom (Lindsey)

2nd week of training under my belt! I just finished my 7 mile long run with Heather and Austin. Their training schedule had them running a 5 miler today so the last two miles of my run were pretty lonely. I pushed through though and finished with a 1:13 time. Not too shabby. I'm looking forward to completing our half marathons so we can transition into being on the same training plan. Long runs are so much better with running buddies!

Looking back on this week the thing I noticed most was my focus on nutrition. I have somewhat of a sordid past with food. Like most good Southern families, social activities were scheduled or included a large spread or meal. I spent most of my youth agonizing over what to eat and feeling guilty about the food I did eat. My passion for running actually stemmed from me wanting to be healthier. I'd like to think that the intensity of my eating/food obsession has subsided in the past few years yet some guilt and anxiety still remains.

However, this week I experienced "food freedom." Most of my thoughts about food were geared towards fueling my energy instead of obsessing over what I wanted to eat and then feeling guilty later. I've never thought about food this way. It's always been an enemy of mine, not an ally. This week food choices were based upon what was going to make me feel energized and not bogged down. This meant low fats and little to no sweets and trying to eat as much protein as possible. I've also been reading about nutrition and what to eat in Hal Higdon's Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide and he recommends 55% carbs, 30% fats, and 15% protein. That 55% carbs makes me so happy! I hope this mindset sticks after the 18 weeks I'll be training. It has been one of the most liberating feelings that I've felt in a long time.  

140 days to go
Today's most energizing song on my long run mix: Mc Solaar - La Belle et le Bad Boy

Pollyanna Principle (Lindsey)

Everyone loves to hate Ms. Pollyanna Whittier. Well maybe they don't hate her since she comes from a popular book series but be honest, she is kind of annoying with her uber positive outlook. Well after the week I've had, there isn't any other way I could have moved forward without a Pollyanna positive outlook. My first week of training and I was on the couch for 2 days with a nasty cold so my short runs didn't happen. Then Zach and I hit the road to go on vacation for a few days at Ocracoke Island. The weather was quite depressing, steady rainfall if not torrential 99% of the trip. The 1% that it wasn't raining was spent on my long run (6 miles). It was on the cusp of storming so the winds were brewing and there was humidity (my favorite). It was not a week to get you motivated to run your first marathon... however, this is what I thought of my week (with my rose colored glasses): Yes, I got sick. However, I ran the week before so I don't feel like I totally missed out. Maybe this also means I won't get sick later when the training really counts. My six mile run turned out ok. Zach ran with me and didn't make me feel like the slowest person on earth so that was nice. Plus I'm a big fan of head winds. Yes they blow into you and it makes it harder to run but when it's 100% humidity outside, they are heaven sent. Also, this weekend was a wake up call that said, "hey even though the weather is horrible, you still need to get out there and train lady!" So "hats off" to Pollyanna. I think I'll be relying on that positive mojo to get me through this... that and some good friends. :-)

144 days to go
L

Week 2 (Heather)

When I first started running, I could not run further than a mile on a treadmill in the air-conditioning. In fact, I refused to run outside and could not imagine why other people would choose the hot Georgia sun and lack of bathrooms (not to mention the beating that pavement puts on your joints). I could easily be talked out of running… and very rarely was it to do some other type of physical exercise. Just the mention of chalupas and a margarita was enough for me to leave my running shoes at home. When I started residency at UVA, I expected my treadmill to become dusty from lack of use. During intern year, most of my running consisted of up and down the stairs at the hospital, usually trying hard not to let the various books, papers and my stethoscope fall out of my white coat. Chalupas and margaritas still had their hold over me, but so did enchiladas, red wine and the Bachelor. Not just because I am a reality TV addict (which, I’m ashamed to admit, I am), but also because of the group of women I got to know when we met weekly to watch this show. One of whom includes my friend, Lindsey. The “L” in Halmarathon, the lover of horses, the taker of breathtaking photos, and the keeper of more hobbies than I can count. Linds is one of the most interesting people that I know (she is also a saint for putting up with her husband, one of my co-workers, but we won’t get into that… heart you, Z!). The first time we ran together, I remember hoping that I wouldn’t embarrass myself by trying to run 4 consecutive miles in her presence. Well, many miles later, we ran the Marine Corp 10K together, and we’ve run even further than that since then! I’m lucky to have such a running buddy in Lindsey, one who runs the same pace and who prefers to listen to an iPod while running instead of talking (thank goodness, because I have a hard enough time breathing without chatting).

I also have a new, live-in running buddy: my beautiful sister Austin. Although, to be honest, most of the time it’s me watching Austin run ahead of me. You see, Austin is taller and much, much faster than me. Which is fine, because that means I can keep her in my sight (I am an older sister, after all). Right now we are in Week 2 of Hal Higdon’s Novice I, so we had to run 3 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We have a 1.5 mile loop in our neighborhood and there is one hill that we have to do twice that I HATE. Austin often runs this hill 3 times because she doubles back around to run with me since it’s often dusk when we run. She also runs slower so that we finish together. This means 2 things: (1) I slow her time down significantly and (2) she loves me.

The 3 of us haven’t been able to run together yet. I’m looking forward to Lindsey and I running behind Austin J As of the marathon Austin, I’m terrified. I’ve never run further than 13.1 miles in my entire life. The thought of running double that distance scares me! Here’s to hoping I can make it to the starting line. The next several months loom ahead of me and right now I’m not entirely sure how training will work out in the winter months. I am still a Georgia girl at heart and I can’t imagine actually running in the snow. We’ll see how this goes! In the meantime, I have 7 more miles to run this week… I’m pretty sure I can do that, right?

-Heather

and they're off!!

I've never been a "runner" despite running track in high school. It's always been a hobby of mine but I've never been competitive/serious about it until I met Heather (aka my running partner in crime). A couple of years ago we talked ourselves into running the Marine Corps 10k in Washington D.C. I had never run further than 3 or 4 miles and I believe Heather was in about the same boat. After that first 10k we were hooked. Our next hurdle was the Marine Corps Half Marathon in Fredricksburg and most recently a Half Marathon in Williamsburg this past spring. I remember walking away from the last half thinking, "I'm never going to run further than a half." To be fair that last half marathon was brutal. Even in March, Williamsburg is a humid mess aparently. It wasn't a good showing on my part and I didn't feel good about that race. However, a few months went by and Heather and I were having brunch one morning when she brought up wanting to run a full marathon. A full marathon has been a life goal of mine for quite some time and right then I decided that I wasn't getting any younger, it's about time to check this one off the list. Well it wasn't long after that that the stars aligned over the Austin Marathon. We both had time in our schedules that weekend, my little sister and my sister in law both live there so we have some lodging, Texas in February (glorious weather!)... it all just seemed to add up. A few days of contemplation and some words of encouragement, we were signed up. Heather's sister, Austin, joined in the fun as well. I mean honestly, how could you pass up running a race in a city that shares your name? Thankfully she has already run a full marathon so we have someone to ask for advice, etc.

We wanted to start this blog so family and friends could follow our journey of triumph and tears so please feel free to leave comments and/or send us some words of encouragement. We are going to need them!

Lindsey

154 days to go.