"I got under 30!!!"

Days until Half:  30

Miles Ran:  11.12

Longest Run:  5 Miles

Last week was one of those weeks that started off poorly, but then ended fabulously! 

After the 13 mile run, I had the gnarliest blister on the side of my big toe.  It was so bad, I was unsure how I was going to wear shoes to work!  I did everything I could for the silly thing, but it was just not willing to work with me.  I got up early on Tuesday morning thinking I would at least be able to get a 3 mile run in.  Sadly, the minute I put my shoes on, I knew it wasn't going to happen.  I was so annoyed.  Which only made Tim smile and say, "Did you ever think you would be mad because you WANTED to run, but couldn't?"  He makes a valid point.  I can't lie, I'm pretty impressed with myself that I actually enjoy running more so than hating it.  Don't get me wrong, I still have my moments where I think "Why am I doing this?!?" (I think this a lot when do the 3 miles fast runs!), but for the most part, I do like running.  See, just typing that is tripping me out!

I decided that I was going to at least run 3 miles on Wednesday.  All of us had signed up for the Apple Festival 5k and I just felt like I had to get some running in before it!  By this point, the blister had been drained (gross) and I was no longer feeling a constant pain when walking on it.  Leah needed to get a run in, so we met up at her house in the morning.  Let me tell ya, Leah was fired up and ready to run!  I managed to stay with her for maybe the first mile, but then I was just chasing after her!  Three quarters the way in, my toe was throbbing and I was regretting my decision.  I finished the 3 miles in 31:05, which was the fastest time I've gotten for that distance, so I was pretty pleased despite the toe hurting a bit.  I think the combo of having Tim set a pace for me and "chasing" after Leah helped me push a bit more than I do normally in the mornings.  After all, it is 5am! 

Tim and I were both pretty lazy for the rest of the week.  Tim was suffering from training fatigue and well, my toe was just really messing me up.  I started to get a bit nervous about the 5k.  I don't really know why I do them.  I usually worry about them the night before and honestly, I hate running 3.1 miles as fast as I can!  I'm slow!  I like those nice even paced runs that I can comfortably breathe during.  I continue to do them though because I set a goal of getting my time under 30 minutes by the end of the year.  I mean, people twice my age manage to run 5k well under 30 minutes!  So can I!  Right?

My previous 5k times in 2011:

34:59  SpringOut 5k
34:02  St. Patty's 5k
33:41  Undy 5k
33:20  Nutrition 5k
32:14  Dawg Jog
31:59  Miner's 5k
34:22  Grace Race 5k

As you can see, I shaved a bit off each time.  Well, not at the Grace Race one, but that was so hot that I am just glad I finished without passing out!  Anyway, I have always set the goal in my head to always try to beat my previous best time.  It's easier to just compete with myself than trying to "race" everyone else.  The goal for the Apple Fest 5k was to beat 31:59 even if just by a few seconds, although I was really hoping to see 30:XX instead of a 31:XX. 

On race day, I told myself to just try to stick with Jaime and Leah for the first mile.  I figured if I could do that, it would help my time.  I can't lie, those girls ran so fast that first mile!  I clocked a 9:04 mile running with them-- and that is with Jaime running into a human roadblock just seconds after the race began!  They are rockstars!  I was able to stay with them for the first mile and half, after that I tailed them until the hill on 20th Street.  At that point, I stepped/stumbled on a rock and landed awkwardly on my darn toe.  Ugh.  I don't know if it was because it was hurting or if it was just mentally messing with me, but I had to slow down.  I willed myself not to walk because I knew if I walked, I wouldn't start running again.  I looked up and saw that they weren't too terribly far ahead and decided to just keep them in my sight.  As long as I could see their ponytails, I was fine. 

As we got closer to the finish line, I could hear Tim's mom cheering Leah and Jaime on.  I had jolt of energy.  I knew I was running faster than before because I could hear the cheers for them!  When I was close enough to see the clock, someone was standing in front of it so all I could see was that I was at 29 something.   Twenty-nine what?  29:00?  29:55?  What!?!  Then as I crossed the finish line, I saw it:  29:47!  Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!  I was so happy I even managed to shout, "I came in under 30!"  I was so darn proud of myself.  I looked over at Tim who had water and a banana for me.  He was beaming.  He said, "You are awesome!  I knew you could do it!"

So, yeah, I felt pretty great for the rest of the day.  I just feel like for the first time in my life, I am actually seeing hard work pay off.  I know that I would not have gotten this far without some awesome folks to train with.  Leah and Jaime have helped me stay focused and I do think they are big reason I enjoy running a lot more.  And Tim.  Well, Tim puts up with me when I have those bad runs and reminds me that it's all worth it. 

One goal accomplished and one to go!  Bring on those 13.1 miles!  I have no fear of quitting now because I've worked too hard to let fear beat me! 

I ran 13 miles and survived- barely.

Total Miles:  24

Long Run:  13 Miles!

I ran 13 freakin’ miles on Sunday! I ran for two and half hours straight!

But, I totally have mixed feelings about it.

First off, running the 13 miles was completely my idea.  Tim and I were running early on Wednesday morning and I was just thinking about how good it felt to be up running with the stars shining.  I felt peaceful, happy.  I was thinking about how awesome I felt after running 11 miles and how according to the training plan, I should be ready for a half.  I wanted to see if I could run 13 miles.  I wanted to see where I would stand if I had to race it that weekend.  I suggested it to Leah and Jaime, they weren’t as crazed about it as I was, but agreed to give it a go.  So, the plan was set. 

Saturday evening, I started to regret the decision that Miss Positive BJ had earlier in the week.  I had a small blister on my toe (not from running, but from a cute pair of shoes I’ll never wear again!) and I was just feeling kind of sluggish.  For the first time ever, on Sunday when my alarm went off, I considered bailing.  Seriously.  Despite my angst, I forced myself out of bed.  I wasn’t feeling like eating anything, so I forced down some sport beans and a bottle of water.  This was probably Mistake #1. 

Heading over to Leah’s I was trying to tell myself that all would be fine.  I would try to shake off the negative and just run.   It really wasn’t that hard once we got going.  It was 9/11, so we talked about where were 10 years ago when we heard about the Towers, how Jaime’s sons are now learning about it, etc.  Although the content was heavy, it was a good conversation that helped a few miles pass by.  Tim mapped out a route for us that included some hills.  We know there will be hills in St. Louis, so it seemed like a good idea to try to incorporate some in our long runs.  Ugh.  I will forever hate hills.  I will tell you this, running up hills must be a Johnson trait.  Leah rocked those bad boys!  She looked so at ease—just like Tim! 

So, Mistake #2 came along about 6 or 7 miles in.  I have been trying to do gels when running, but I have had stomach issues with them, so I wait as long as I can to take them.   I think this time, I waited too long. I was pretty tired when I took it out and it took me a bit to get it down.  It helped for a bit, but at about mile 11, all went to hell.  First, I got a side stitch.  Arg.  Then, my legs started hurting.  Boo.  Then, the self-doubt crept in.  Dang.  The self-doubt is my number one running killer.  I just wanted to stop at mile 11.  What was the point of running if I was going to feel so miserable while doing it? 

So, Jaime starts to push it, Leah is a bit behind her and I’m a few steps back considering just stopping altogether.  But I didn’t.  I just kept my head forward, looking at Jaime’s swinging pony tail and told myself that I would not stop until she said were at 13 miles.  I got control of my side stitch, but my legs were on fire.  I felt like I hand cinder blocks tied to my feet.  When she said she had reached 13, I ran to where she was and then felt like I hit a wall.  Walking was hard and I felt a bit dizzy.  Even after all those darn runs in the heat, this was by far the worse shape I had physically been in after running.  At one point, I stopped to stretch my legs and I felt so dizzy, I had to sit down on the sidewalk.  Leah gave me some sport beans and I drank some water.  I wasn't down long before I was feeling better, but I was disappointed with myself.  I know better.  I should have prepared myself for that run and I didn’t.  Annoying. 

Now, don't get me wrong, I am extremely proud that I ran 13 miles.  I am also super proud of Jaime and Leah.  We did it!  We now know we are able to run 13 miles and live to tell about it.  :P  But, I have to look at the mistakes I made and rectify them in the future.  I know that I felt great after running 11 miles a few weeks ago.  Heck, I even felt like I could have kept on running!  I know that I'm not always going to feel fantastic after a run, but I do think in this case I didn't exactly set myself up for a great experience.   


Again, I am reminded that this experience is a learning process.  I do feel a bit more confident about the half now that I know that I can run that many miles.  Really, I think my goal for the race is to enjoy it.  Sure, I know it's gonna hurt some, but I honestly want to have some fun that day, too! 


Quotes & Inspiration:

So much more...

Week ???

Total Miles:  19 miles*

Long Run:  11 miles

This week was odd.  It was a holiday weekend and we went camping at Current River with some friends, so the running schedule was shifted.  Technically, I only ran 8 miles last week.  But if you add the long run I did on Monday to the mix, it was 19 miles.  So... um, yeah.

I usually put a few notes about my run when I sync my watch, but this week I only put one note, and that was on Wednesday's 3 mile run.  It says:  Stupid, darn ouchie side stitch.  That run was awesome until the last half mile.  I was running along at a PR pace when out of nowhere I felt a sharp pain high up on my right side.  I tried to push through, but it eventually got the best of me.  I had to stop running for a minute or so to get the pain to subside.  I eventually finished out the last bit of the run, but I won't lie, I felt pretty defeated.  It's not that I care how fast I was going or anything.  It was just the fact that I stopped.  Although I truly feel I had a valid reason to do so, it still frustrated me that I just couldn't push through.   

So, Wednesday was the last time I ran before going out of town for the camping trip.  I had told Leah and Jaime that Tim and I were going to just run on Monday because the temperature was suppose to drop dramatically by then and we thought that would be better running conditions.  I was thrilled when I heard that they decided to wait, too!  Again, it's not that I don't enjoy running with Tim, but I just find the time flies by when running with them.   Since there are 3 of us, someone can usually be talking, and the talking is a great distraction!  Seriously, I know I have said this before, but I love you guys for letting me run with ya! 

Monday morning Tim and I headed on over to Leah's house bright and early.  Wait, rephrase:  dim and early!  It's so dark in the mornings now!  So dark that Tim has bought a headlamp light to wear when we run during the week!  Anyway, the temperature was great- chilly even!  Good for running, but we were all a little chilled before we got started.  We intended to just run 10 miles, but ended up being so close to 11 at the end, that we just went for it.  No lie, it felt pretty awesome to just say, "Eh, we're close to 11 miles, let's just do it!"  Seriously, this time last year, heck, less than 6 months ago, I would have laughed at you if you told me I would be willing (and able!) to run 11 miles!

Every week just feels like a new accomplishment.  I feel like I just did something impossible.  I know to some folks, running 11 miles is nothing, but to me, it means so much.  It's me running away from the fat girl I once was.  It's shaking off some (not all--yet) of the insecurities I have about my body and self.   It's reminding myself that I am strong and that if I can push through one more mile, I can push through anything.  Sure, some runs are going to hurt.  My legs may ache after the long ones, but I am doing it!  Every time I decide run, I am making the decision to do something good for myself... and that isn't something I have always been able to do.

I've had some folks comment on how much they enjoy reading my blog.  Thanks!  It's awesome to have people supporting me through this journey!  I appreciate the well wishes very much!

Quotes & Inspiration


"Your biggest challenge isn't someone else. It's the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells 'CAN'T", but you don't listen. You just push harder. And then you hear the voice whisper 'can'. And you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are."    Author Unknown