The D Word

I tested out part of my race outfit today- it was perfect!!

I will be running the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Half Marathon in 5 days.  Holy cow.  I have spent the last 12 weeks diligently training my butt off in order to show Vegas just how awesome I am (or at least THINK I am!).  And now, in this last week I am finding the D word sneaking into my every thought.  DOUBT.  The "what if's" have started playing into my head and I am starting to doubt my ability to PR in this race.  My initial goal was simply (yeah...simply might not be the best word) to get a sub 2 hour half marathon under my belt.  Well, I somehow managed to do that already at the You Go Girl in September!  So now my goal is to be faster than 1:58:55.  But what if I can't do it?  Here are some of the things my mind is coming up with to fill me with doubt:

1. What if I screwed it all up by running 4 other half marathons in the middle of my training?  I mean really...who does that? 
2.  While in the midst of running those half marathons I skipped a lot of my "key" runs.  At the time I figured that I was getting my track and tempo runs done all at once during the race so it wouldn't matter really.  But now I am not so sure.  What if...what if...what if it DID matter???
3.  I wanted to be about 10 pounds lighter for the race.  That did not happen...it is more like 2. 
4.  I wasn't able to do a lot of the cross training in my program the last several weeks and I missed 2 midweek runs because I was sick. 
5.  During my 8 mile run on Sunday I felt slow and heavy.  Shouldn't I feel light and speedy by this point?  Taper week always messes with my head.

Today I did my last track run and it felt really good.  I wore my socks and sparkle skirt I will be wearing for the race just to test them out- and they were awesome.  No complaints!  I am excited for this weekend and will do my best to kick the D word to the curb in the meantime.  One of my favorite quotes from my board of inspiration: 
"Motivation can't be measured but performance can"

My board of inspiration- to decrease my boredom while I run on the
treadmill!  Much better than a blank wall.

Also- an update on my niece Bailey:  she had her open heart surgery on November 15th and it went really well.  She was able to go HOME last Saturday night!  Such a blessing, babies are so amazing and resilient.  She is definitely a fighter.  Here is a photo from Saturday morning when we were able to go visit her before she left the hospital.  She will need to keep the feeding tube in while she gets used to drinking from a bottle again- can't wait until we can see her cute little face without it! 

Miss Bailey, she just stared straight into my eyes for the longest time
while I held her.  Such a doll.

Feeling Helpless

The Justice League after our game this evening

So I have little to report on my running this week- I ended up with a horrible cold Monday evening that lasted pretty much all week.  So no running for this girl, just a lot of sniffling and sneezing.  Yuck.  I did manage to play soccer this evening and felt pretty good- I think I can handle my 10 miler tomorrow.  Although it might be on the treadmill if this nasty weather continues! 

Bailey looking like a little pumpkin.  Sweet baby.

My little niece Bailey was born on September 19th, 2011.  She was born 6 weeks early and it was discovered after she was born that she has a heart defect called transposition of the great vessels.  You can read about it HERE if you would like.  She was transported to Seattle Children's hospital this week in order to have her surgery but due to some complications it has been canceled.  Her lungs are not strong enough to handle the surgery right now.  I feel so helpless.  My brother and his family are going through something I cannot even begin to imagine and my heart breaks for them.  I find myself dissolving into tears every time I think about that poor sweet baby fighting for her life and there is NOTHING I can do to help her.  All I can do is put my faith in her team of doctors and pray that she is going to get stronger and healthier in order to have this surgery.   

Pretty girl.  She looks a bit like her aunty don't you think???

Proud big sister Emma holding Bailey for the first time

So this has been a tough week for me.  Being sick is not fun.  Worrying about the well being of my brother, his wife, their 2 other children, my mom...not fun.  So if you are healthy- be thankful.   

Checking in from Uranus



So way back on October 15th I applied for and was accepted into the Half Fanatics Asylum as Fanatic #1433.  There are various levels of Fanatic status with the lowest level being Neptune and the highest being the Sun.  I am currently on Uranus (hahaha, yes - that is funny) but plan on changing that as soon as possible!  New Year's resolution #1- move off of Uranus.  If I had run the Race for a Soldier in my own name I would have qualified for Saturn.  Just sayin'.  Here is a link to the criteria levels in case you care to join me in the Asylum or just don't even have a clue what I am talking about and are curious:

http://www.halffanatics.com/criteria.html

Let's see...what else have I been up to.  Oh, my hubby and I are completely booked for our Vegas trip as well as registered for the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon on December 4th!  I cannot wait, it is going to be such a blast.  There are 2 other couples heading down as well- Cynthia and Gene (Will's brother) and Tiana and Bill.  Cynthia, Tiana, Will and myself will be running the half marathon.  There are a few details that still need to be worked out (childcare) but otherwise we are set!

I feel like my training is going great, I have really enjoyed the RLRF program and am constantly seeing improvement in my pace times.  I am also on track to meet my goal of running 1,000 miles this year- I am currently at 879!  That means as long as I run at least 16 miles each week I will definitely hit my goal.  I am finding myself on my treadmill a bit more frequently, although I still make sure all of my long runs are outside.  Sometimes I just don't have time to drive somewhere and run and the treadmill is the best option- especially for the speed work on my track repeats/tempo runs.  Good thing I don't mind treadmill running too much!  I am currently putting together a fun and motivational board to hang in front of the TM so I have something to look at while I sweat my butt off.

Here is a fun speed work drill I did last week on the treadmill:  1 mile warm up, starting off at a 9:40 pace and moving up to about 8:40 or so by the end.  Then I ran 1/4 mile at 7:35.  Then I ran 1/4 mile at 10:00 for recovery.  I repeated that 10 times!  I followed that with a cool down mile around 9:20 or so, ending around 9:40 again.  Try this sometime- let me know how it goes!  I actually enjoy my speed work sessions, they are difficult and satisfying. 

My feet- after running 15 miles!  Do they look as tired as they felt?

Last weekend my long run was 15 miles- the longest distance I had run since the full marathon last June!  I wasn't really nervous about it, but I knew it was going to be LONG (duh)!!  So on Saturday afternoon I headed down to Ruston Way, parked at the Les Davis Pier and set out on my run.  It was really cold and I had changed my mind about a dozen times regarding my outfit.  I started with a tech shirt and arm sleeves, then decided my running jacket would be better.  I put all of my gear in my jacket pockets, including my phone thinking I would take some photos along the way since the leaves are so pretty right now.  Well, by mile 2 I was really warm and I ended up ditching my coat (and phone) in my car and just ran in my tshirt (and skirt, tall socks and hat of course!).  So there are not too many photos, but oh well. 

My amazing view

Fall has got to be the most beautiful time to run!

The run was ok- as I got down to Dock Street I started having thoughts about heading home and finishing my miles on the treadmill though.  My original plan was to run the entire length of the waterfront to Dock Street (10 miles) then do one more 2.5 mile out and back.  But I started getting nervous that I would hop in my car and head home if I got too close to it so I forced myself to run up and down Dock Street THREE times (1 mile each way, 6 miles total) so that by the time I got to my car I was .2 miles from finishing my 15!  Talk about having an argument with yourself for 2 hours!  I seriously had my mind arguing with my body the entire time I was down on Dock Street- there was an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.  I was beyond happy when I finally reached my car that day!  On the bright side I finished the run in 2:25 with a pace of 9:39- my goal pace was 9:42!  Perfect!

After my 15 mile run- I had to take the advice on my hat multiple times!!!