Training Update!

I am officially two days away from my first ever half marathon...yikes! 

I told you last week about my progress and goals for myself...so as promised, here is the update of how my training went this week :)

Last Friday was my last day of Boot Camp. I really enjoyed it, but I decided to not sign up for another 4 weeks (at least for now) because I knew I needed to work on my running this week, and next week I am going to be gone for Thanksgiving...not to mention eating WAY too much, and probably NOT working out. haha. 

Saturday - I was a slacker. I just sat around my house and watched football all day. Who can blame me? :)

Sunday - Outdoor season is over, but I did go to my indoor soccer game that night...which involved running :) Well...kinda. We almost mercy-ruled the other team in the first half, so the second half we decided to play keep-away and not shoot the ball at the goal. haha.

Monday - I woke up and did one of the Insanity DVDs - Plyometric Cardio Circuit to be exact. Whew! I've decided that no matter how good of shape I am in, those will always make me feel like I am dying. I survived though...

Tuesday - I was a slacker. I really have no excuse. Just had a really bad day.

Wednesday - I have a confession to make. I did not complete my 9 mile goal this week. I had good intentions though, really. Let me explain:

Wednesday was the annual chili cook-off in the chemical engineering department at school...which means I had lots of chili for lunch. Hello...who wants to run after they just ate chili? Well...I still had really good intentions, because I knew I didn't want to do my 9 mile run at later than Wednesday because I wanted to have time for my body to recover before the actual race this Sunday. So I go home, I piddle around, clean the house some, catch up on some recorded TV...and then I finally convince myself that the chili has settled and it's time to go for a run. This was at about 4:45pm. So I get my gear ready...Garmin watch - check. iPod + armband + search for/locate headphones - check. Running pants (because it's cold out there...) - check. Long-sleeve T-shirt - check. Earwarmers and gloves - check (my hands and ears are always what gets the COLDEST when I run in the cold weather, so these were a necessity). Running shoes - check. So here I am, all set to go, and it's right about 5pm. Great right? So I take off from my house, and just decide to run until I've gone far enough that I could turn around and run home and only have to do one or two smaller circles  around my neighborhood to complete the 9 miles (I like scenic routes...I don't like to run the same route over and over). Genius idea, right? Well I thought so...

So here I am...jogging along, listening to some good Jesus music to keep me motivated along my little trek...and I get a little over 3 miles from my house in about 29 minutes, down this curvy, two-lane, country road. I decide it's probably a good time to turn around...I'll still be able to avoid boredom, and can make it home at a decent time to have something for dinner. I'm still enjoying my run...not feeling like I'm dying yet...and these cute little family of deer run across the street in front of me. At this point, I'm really loving the scenic route, right? 

Until about a quarter of a mile later, I realize it is almost completely dark outside. I'm running in the country, on a two-lane, curvy road...still about two and a half miles away from my neighborhood...and it's going to be pitch black in about 5 minutes. Awesome. 

By the way, in case you were wondering...when it gets really dark suddenly, it also gets really cold suddenly. And then it also gets really windy suddenly. So imagine my panic when I'm freezing, it's dark, I'm running uphill into the wind, and a car flies around a corner of this road I'm running on....

Yeah. I was pretty much terrified. My Jesus music is really just not getting the job done at this point. By this point, I'm pleading with God himself to rescue me and get me home safely. So I basically start "sprinting"...or at least it felt like that. My Garmin still says I was only running at an 8:38 or so per mile pace, but by golly I was going uphill into the wind and I'm on mile #5...so give me a break! Cars are still flying around the curves, causing what I think might have been multiple minor heart attacks...

I manage to make it back to my neighborhood with about six and a quarter miles under my belt, calm down a bit, and tell myself I can keep going. So I start zig-zagging through the streets of my neighborhood, thanking Jesus for his protection, and back to enjoying my Jesus music. I get to about 7.25 miles, and I realize I can no longer feel my legs...and I'm pretty sure that means I'm going to face-plant on the pavement at any given moment. I think I'm going to have to give the credit to the adrenaline rush - and then the sudden crash that usually happens after an adrenaline rush. That, and the fact that I was, in my mind at least, sprinting for the 2.5 miles before I got back to my neighborhood...at a ravishing 8:38 pace. Again, give me a break...I normally run a 9:30-10 minute mile pace...

I was determined to make it to 8 miles just because I would feel like a loser if I didn't...so as soon as the Garmin beeped and told me I had completed lap 8, I stopped that sucker and crawled my way back to my house. 

So...I did not make it to 9 miles, but I did do 8. And I'm fairly certain that I almost lost my life. haha.

Thursday - I got up that morning, a little achy from the night before, but I still managed to do an Insanity DVD. This time I chose Cardio Recovery. It just seemed appropriate after my near heart attack the night before. But can I just say this...just because it gave my heart a rest, did not mean that it did not kick my butt. Literally. My butt hurts today.

Friday - So here we are today, and as promised, I am relaxing and letting my body recuperate. I also had some bowtie pasta for lunch...getting my carbs in :) And tonight I plan on going to my favorite sports bar in town, Louie's, to watch the Pokes play Iowa State and get their yummy Ultimate 3 Cheese Macaroni Bake with Chicken..ahh...I can't wait! :) 

Do I think I am ready for my half marathon? Not really. haha. But I do know I can do at least 8 miles, which means I can probably do at least 10...and then the final 3 I might have to walk...or crawl. haha. We'll see :) But I am looking forward to the challenge and think that whether I run the whole distance or have to take a break and walk a little bit off and on the last 1/4 of the route, I will still feel accomplished and proud of myself for trying! I will let you know how it goes!

On a more somber note, please send your prayers up for the families of the coaches that were lost in last night's plane crash, as well as for the Oklahoma State Cowboy family as a whole. The loss is devastating in and of itself, but it is compounded by the fact that the just recently commemorated the loss of the entire Cowboy Men's Basketball team in another plane crash that happened 10 years ago.

Pistols firing...let's go Pokes!