Now what?

I feel like over the last year and a half, my posts have mostly centered around my upcoming 40th birthday. The excitement of that milestone has died down, and now I'm left wondering...what's my next big thing?

Thank You Notes & Other Post-Race Thoughts

In Dr. Guerra's office, behind the receptionist's desk, there is a wall of framed photos. These photos all feature grinning athletes in race gear and uniforms. One 8"x10" photo has a note scrawled across one corner: Thank you, Dr. Guerra! That wall helped give me confidence in Dr. G's surgical skills before I had even had my first consultation. By the end of my first appointment, I decided that if Dr. G could fix me, I'd send him a photo of me after my first race back.

Well, my first race back was A1A, but my first race really, truly back was this past weekend. And luckily I got a good photo out of it.

Dr. G told me it would be 3-6 months before I was back in my previous running shape. I'm about four months post-op, so I'd say I'm right on track. 

I am planning to send this photo to three doctors' offices.

1. To Dr. Guerra, of course, who believed me when I described symptoms, performed my surgeries, and gave me back my legs.

2. To my PT's office, where a variety of people helped me heal up, get strong, and return to running as quickly as possible.

3. To the vascular surgeon's office, where they dismissed my desire for real answers and treatment because "young women regret surgery scars".

Obviously I mean to thank the first two. I hope it's not premature. I'm still in recovery, and there is still time for things to go wrong...but I feel like I've definitely turned a corner.

I'm debating writing the third letter at all. I'm not sure it will change the doctor's behavior or bring me any peace - to be honest, I'm over it, so I don't need closure or anything. At the same time, maybe hearing that being a misogynistic jerk isn't the best bedside manner would do him good. I may write the letter and not even send it.

When I look at that picture, I see strength, power, determination, and joy. I see me in my element. I can't see the scars, even when I look for them.

On an unrelated note, the Fast and the Furriest was an eye-opener for me, and I can't stop thinking about what my performance this past Saturday means. For one thing, I've realized I don't need to hold back as much as I have been. Track is over, so now I can run more frequently during the week, and I am planning to build in longer runs. I'm not necessarily interested in speedwork yet; right now I'm really enjoying just running. But I have a couple more 5ks coming up in May that I'd like to crush, so we'll see.

School lets out on May 30, and I think I'd like to start working in "long runs" on the weekends at that time. I'm talking 6 or 7 miles tops.

And I am tentatively looking for a winter half marathon.

I originally wanted to run the A1A half in 2019 but won't be able to. This weekend when I caught up with Sean he brought up Space Coast, and I think that would be perfect. It was my first marathon, so running it as my first half as a comeback would be really special and would make up for missing A1A. When I floated this idea by Matt, he was all for it.

I have time to decide, of course.

All of this is very flexible right now; the main thing is that I'm enjoying running and I don't want to pile too many goals on and take away the fun of it too soon. I'm excited to train but also don't want to feel like running is a chore. Everything feels new again but also so familiar and comfortable. A huge weight has been lifted mentally - I had been feeling like my body betrayed me, and now I'm learning to trust it again.

So, for now, these tentative plans are here, floating around in my head, and I'll solidify them when I'm ready. There's no rush. Now that I know I'm coming back, I have all the patience in the world.

ABK

A Good Balance: Solo vs. Buddy Workouts

I few months ago, when I was still laid up and hadn't been cleared to run, I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted my fitness journey to look once I came back. I knew I wanted to focus more on my own fitness goals and also have the freedom to do whatever workout or run struck my fancy whenever the whim hit. I wanted the freedom to make my own schedule again.

But, I'm a coward and was scared to give voice to this because a major part of having more independence in fitness meant letting Elizabeth down. She has been such an amazing support through this entire process, and she's my bff. I felt terrible telling her that I wanted to be able to focus on what I want and what my body wants. I felt bad telling her that I didn't want to run every run with her.

Of course, Elizabeth is amazing and knows me way too well. Back in January, before my first run back, she texted me this:

Apparently I am incredibly transparent and she reads me like a book.

And I legit almost started crying because why is she so good to me?!

Later that month, we went to the gym and I told her that I had done a lot of thinking and wanted to be able to work out together two or three times a week, but that I also needed to have days when I could workout alone. She was really receptive to this (of course!) and we kind of discussed what that might look like. That's why my runs lately have been a nice mixture of alone/with Matt/with Elizabeth. It's been perfect.

Solo runs give me a chance to focus on my body and how things are going, get some alone-time, listen to music, and do whatever I want. They are incredibly important to me, and I appreciate them more than ever now.

Running with Matt offers a lot of the same, because we rarely talk during runs or even run side-by-side, but it also gives me a nice support system when I'm feeling uncertain or self-conscious. Plus, we're both so busy lately that running together gives us some good couple-time.

Matt's photography skills (and his willingness to be my own personal paparazzi) are an added bonus to running with him.

Running with Elizabeth gives us both some much-needed socialization during the week as well as motivation and accountability. I don't ever want to give that up completely; I just needed to cut back.

I started coaching track and field in February, but once my schedule clears up a bit, this is what workouts will probably look like:

I hope to be back to running 3-4 times a week by mid-April.

I know this schedule will remain flexible - none of these plans are set in stone - and I told Elizabeth I'd help her get out the door to run on her own on days I don't go with her to help her stay motivated.

This whole thing had been a big source of stress for me because I overthink everything and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but now that I know I'll have plenty of alone time mixed in with buddy-time, I feel so much better. Already I've seen that my workouts have really benefited from having the freedom to do my own thing, and now I feel much more comfortable telling Elizabeth or Matt that I want to run alone.

I am looking forward to every workout these days; everything feels new and exciting again. I hope this excitement lasts, and when it inevitably begins to fade, I hope the memory of a year of nothing and how awful that felt helps give me a kick in the pants!

ABK

My Progression Plan

Last Tuesday evening, Elizabeth and I went for a run. I decided we'd do our neighborhood loop twice, which is usually 4 miles. Because we walked the first part of it to warm up, it came to 3.8.

Matching for our belated birthday run!

Things went really well. We did 2::30 intervals the first half of the run and 2:1 intervals for the rest of it. We ran the last half mile or so uninterrupted.

Then I was thinking, how do I progress from here? How do I build mileage or time and eventually cut out walking? In the shower, I had a mini-epiphany. (Hooray, shower-thoughts.) I suddenly remembered how I'd built endurance last time I took an extended break from running.

This is an unrelated shower-thought but one I have frequently. Matt has actually had to tell me to stop referring to my teeth as my "outside skeleton".

My plan is to start tracking time, not distance. I am going to build up to 60 minutes of running (with walks). Once 60 minutes feels pretty good/normal, I am going start lengthening my run intervals, and then shortening the walks.

Of course, the next run I did after making this plan didn't go according to at all. I ran for 3-4 minutes at a time and took 30-60 second walk breaks when I felt like it. My paces were safely in the 9s and I ran my first sub-10 minute mile in ages. (But really, this is kind of cheating to count because I paused once in awhile to take pictures, too.)

My walk breaks were more sporadic but my running intervals didn't seem to suffer. This was also a shorter run than the one with Elizabeth, of course. I was racing the sunset.

Anyway, my original plan stands and I think it's a good one, but the truth is I'm already so bored with scheduled walk breaks and part of me wants to just go for a run and just...see what happens. I'm months into recovery now; surely it's safe to stop...playing it safe, right?

ABK

When Your Mind and Body Don't Line Up

I want to run more 5ks in 2017.

I really have missed so many things about racing: the motivation, the training, the chance to just put the hammer down and give it everything I've got...

I miss the days of knowing I'd have the chance to run one fast, intense, short race a month, and I think when I have a bunch of 5ks on my schedule, I stay in better shape.

My mind is all made up about it. I am searching for races and ready to register.

Just a few races to think about from my local running club.

But my body is fighting me. My calves are still causing me problems. I can't get through a run without some kind of walk break and some kind of discomfort. I want to see a sports medicine doctor or something, but I'm uncertain of where to start or what could really be done. The hypochondriac in me thinks I have compartment syndrome, but obviously I'm never going to find out what's actually wrong and how to fix it if I don't go ahead and see someone about it.

We've all been here.

I hate seeing doctors for things like this. In my experience, it takes a long time and multiple visits to truly find a cause and cure; it takes time and money. Still, I've gone ahead and set up a consultation with a sports medicine doctor for April, when I'll be on spring break.

In the meantime, I think I could still power through 5ks, and maybe even try some longer races using the run/walk method, which worked really well at Gasparilla and which I've been curious to test out since. That may not be a smart decision, but I don't want to have to put my running on hold.

It's frustrating that my mind and body aren't on the same page right now, but I'm tired of harping on my calves. They seem to be the subject of every run!

Obviously, before I do something drastic - like give up running completely - I definitely need to seek a professional opinion first. Fingers crossed that we get to the bottom of my issues!

Have you had good experiences with seeing a sports medicine doctor?

ABK

A Surprise Race

Did I tell you guys I'm running at Gasparilla this year?

Signing up for the 15k was definitely an impulsive choice at the time. I wasn't going to run it because I had seen that it was only a week after A1A. But then some time passed, and I forgot the specific date of the race, and I saw so many of my Sub-30 friends signing up, and I remembered how much I loved the 15k when I ran it in 2015...

The next thing I knew, I was signing up. This is the perfect example of a FOMO race registration!

The race is on a Saturday morning (so, today...if you're reading this when the post goes live). I was originally planning to actually race it, but my body hurt way more than I expected it to after A1A, so I'm adjusting my plan.

There's another reason to adjust, too. I'm staying with my little, Jenn, Friday night and want a chance to spend time with her and enjoy my visit, which means I'll be missing the Friday night Sub-30 dinner. Then, I have to leave pretty much immediately after the race so I can make it to Scott and Robby's engagement party Saturday afternoon. That means the only time I can really spend with my Sub-30 friends is during the race.
The Sub-30 Club is a running group focused around the goal of breaking 30 minutes in a 5k; many of our members are slower runners and proud of it. The plan for most of us during the 15k, especially considering that many of the runners are doing various Gasparilla Challenges and racing two or three times this weekend, is to run/walk the race at a comfortable pace and enjoy each other's company on the course.

I won't make it to the Friday dinner and I can't stay for Saturday's afternoon hijinks, so it looks like the best way to spend time with these inspiring, hilarious people is to run the 15k with them!

I just can't miss out on seeing these folks, and meeting some of my virtual friends IRL for the first time!

I think this is a solid decision. After all, I'm still recovering from the half six days before, and this race is more about socializing, camaraderie, and enjoying myself than anything else. I can't wait!

Do you ever get race FOMO?
Do you ever get JOMO? Constantly!
Do your friends or family think it's weird that you're friends with people you met online?

ABK

The Best Laid Plans...

When I look back on the training plan I had set up for A1A, I can't help but be disappointed. It was going to be so perfect. All that bridge work! All those double-digit runs! A 15-miler before race day!

Oh boy. To paraphrase Robert Burns, the best laid plans of mice and men (and runners) often go awry. We were doing so well until November, and it's really been nearly two full months of stiff calves and pure struggle.

I feel guilty about this. If I were training for just myself, I'd adjust and it would be fine. But I feel so responsible for Elizabeth! I want to get her to the finish line and I want us to make it under 2:20. She is a competitive person; as a gymnast, she is used to practicing-as-you-perform hundreds of times before "game day."

Simone Biles didn't achieve perfection by practicing 2/3 of her routine and calling it a day.

That's not how most runners train - we rarely go the full distance of a long race until race day, and usually not at race pace, either.

She has completely put her trust in me and it's been a very difficult mental battle for her to let go of the idea of running the full race distance before race day. I promised her that things would be okay even with an adjusted training plan and only getting to 10 and 11 miles. After all, most half marathon training plans only go that far, anyway!

Still, I feel the burden.

Now, I know we'll make it all 13.1 miles. I honestly don't think I'll need to drop out or anything drastic like that. Mentally, I'm a little worried myself because although I got through that 10-miler two weeks out from race day, that was my last long run before the race, and I've only done eight more miles since then! But I'm trying to ooze confidence so that Elizabeth isn't worried.

I get my best advice from cats in ties.

I know that for A1A in particular, I usually "taper" drastically, so part of me is feeling totally okay about all this. Part of me really wants to run this week, although I know it's for the best that I don't. Another part of me is just annoyed that my perfect plans had to change pretty much immediately out of the gate.

The fact is, we may miss our time goal. I know no matter what, Elizabeth would rather have me avoid real injury than push through for the sake of an arbitrary goal and we'll have a blast together either way. She's still running this week so mentally, she's feeling ready to go and excited.

Oh yes, she is kind of sure it will be fun!

I'm trying to get my brain where hers is.

Anyway, we'll leave Saturday morning for Fort Lauderdale; the race is Sunday! Please send us all your good mojo because I could really use it!

Let me leave you with something fun. Help me pick what skirt to wear! I'll likely wear a Sub-30 tank top and I was going to wear my Lioness in Free Love, but then my new Amethyst/Sidewinder Lioness came in the mail Thursday!

I rarely wear purple but I love this skirt and the Sidewinder print detail. I'm also wearing the new Wonder Girl tank top in these pictures.

Which one should I wear?!

Any advice?
Wish us luck!

ABK

Restructuring

There's nothing quite like the panic, stress, and overdrive of a new school year to remind you that you're only human.

New office, new job, familiar faces. These first weeks back were BUSY.

I was so consistent with my speed work and workout schedule from March until July, but over the last two weeks, I've struggled. And once you give in to the struggle, it's hard to get back at it.

Monday, on the drive home from Orlando after a rousing back-to-school conference, Elizabeth and I sketched out what this fall's workout schedule will look like. We have a 10k in October to train for, and I'm playing with the idea of running a half in December or January - I can't believe my "year of short distance" is almost over already! - so it's time to get serious again.

This week's workouts included two morning runs and one treadmill run (because we were traveling). I was impressed that we got up early to run before work this week! It's been storming so badly in the evenings that we really had to.

We got up at 6am Sunday to run before we drove to Orlando; we were dressed and ready to go when we realized it was storming and there was tons of lightning. So we settled for treadmills later that day.

We also did an ab workout Monday.

Starting this week, our plan is to add a fourth day of running to our schedule. We needed to move around cross-training days to accommodate this. Our usual plan as looked like this:

Consistent, but fairly easy.

Now, it will look more like this:

Friday's easy run will be moderate distance, hence the +.

Although summer is only going to get hotter and more humid in the next few weeks, we both know we have to get back into consistent training. I'm disappointed in myself for allowing myself to slack off a bit over the last couple weeks, and I'm worried that some of the major progress I've made with speed will have regressed a bit, but I really needed the time to adjust to being back at work.

I'm also going to try to get back into my blog-reading schedule. I've missed catching up with all of you!

How was your week?

Are you preparing for race season?

How do you balance running and cross-training?

ABK

Summer Plans

Today I'm thinking out loud about what I hope to accomplish this summer. My break isn't normal this year because of my career transition, so I have less time off. Summer is short anyway because we got out June 13 but start August 1 (next year we'll get out in May); on top of that, I have CRT training in mid-July and then I got back to work for new teacher training July 25.

Saying goodbye to my classroom of seven years.

So in my few short weeks of free time, here's what I plan to do!

1. Housework. I hate to admit it, but from May onward I really dropped the ball on house-related things. I need to get back on track with daily stuff like laundry and dishes, but I also need to pick a backsplash for our kitchen and get that installed. I also need to finally unpack the last couple boxes from our move two summers ago!

2. Cook! I'm trying to put together a little recipe book over the summer so that during the year I have some easy and delicious recipes to fall back on. I'm getting so bored of the same old stuff.

Please share a favorite/easy/crockpot recipe in the comments! Remember to keep it gluten free :)

3. Read. I am so ready to read for fun! HP round 12 (or something), here I come!

4. Working out. I'm excited to try some new workouts and enjoy my runs without the added pressure of work the next day. I have my sights on the Race for FISH 10k in October; my PR for the 10k distance is on that course, and I'd like to beat it this fall.

It's been nice to have a schedule and an accountability partner over the last couple weeks because I've been pretty tired and just going through the motions. You may have noticed. I'm getting my workouts done, but my heart hasn't been totally in them. But I'm ready for summer rejuvenation and the energy and work ethic that comes with it.

5. Travel? Maybe? Matt and I may make a trip to see friends in July, and he'd like to fit a cruise in, but I'm not sure when that will all happen. We try to travel every summer but this year I'm not sure time is on our side.

6. Nothing. Seriously, I'm looking forward to turning off all my alarms and just letting my body get as much sleep as it wants. I have to confess, I like still being in bed when Matt has to get up for work because during the school year I always have to get up first!

I've been doing lots of research on Sleepopolis.

Speaking of beds, this year for our anniversary I'm buying us a new mattress. I can't wait! We're long overdue and I'm so ready to wake up feeling refreshed instead of super sore. I'm too young to be this achy!

Do you have any good summer recipes to share?
Do you like your mattress? Picking a new one is super stressful!
Do you have any trips planned this summer?

ABK

And Now...This

I don't know if you guys watch John Oliver, but I completely stole this post title from him, so here's a little something completely unrelated for your amusement:

The real purpose of this post is to (hopefully) answer the question rolling around in my head for the last week or so: now what? A1A is over and it's time to settle in for a year of speed work and short distances.

Look at that grin! I was zeroing in on the clock; nothing else mattered.

I gave in and ordered a couple pictures despite Marathonfoto's exorbitant prices because PR...and because I forgot to get a picture with the medal after the race.

I know that to get consistently faster, I need to run faster. I need to relearn getting familiar with discomfort for longer distances.

I'm not necessarily looking to officially break any PRs this year because I may not be racing much, but I want to keep those PRs in mind because they'll help me keep track of my progress.

It's time to dust off some of these PRs and get back to these paces!

I plan to incorporate bridge repeats into my weekly plan, along with either a tempo run or a fartlek or interval-type workout. I'll finish any "easy" runs with a few sprints. I want to continue doing a "long" run on the weekends, but what "long" means is up for interpretation at this point. That will give me four running days a week.

I know that getting faster also means getting stronger. I'll be incorporating some kind of resistance or weight training into my weekly schedule. I plan to start small so that I don't overwhelm myself; that means committing to daily planks and squats again and really building that habit before adding anything more complicated.

If speed work two days a week ends up being too much, I'll adjust as necessary until I'm stronger!

Finally, consistency is key here. If I keep my weekday runs around 5 miles and my weekend long run around 10, I'll average 25 miles a week. That's much higher than my usual "off season" mileage and I think it will help me build a really strong foundation and will get my body tuned up and ready for speed!

I'm nervous about this plan; it's not necessarily that lofty, but it's going to take commitment. This is always a tough time of year for running because second semester is always a little tough on my time-management. But I want this, so committed I will be!

...And I hope you guys will help keep me accountable, too, of course! ;o)

I won't begin this routine right away. I'm down for the count from a post-marathon cold, and I need to give myself some time for recovery runs before I started pushing myself too hard. But in the next few weeks, I'll set the plan in motion.

What does your maintenance running schedule usually look like?
How often do you do dedicated speed work?

ABK

Paradigm Shift

I've talked a little bit before about The Leader In Me and the Seven Habits at my school. This past Tuesday, we had a teacher workshop that revisited the first three habits and paradigms.

Paradigms are how we see and interpret the world. What we see affects our actions. What we do directly influences what we get.

In life, we should work toward having paradigm shifts, where our point of view is altered and thus, so is our reality. We see the world as it really is; our blinders, preconceived notions, and assumptions fall away.

This classic optical illusion is a good example of a paradigm shift. Whether you see the old woman or young woman first, once you see the other, you can't possibly look at the image the same way again. Your view has been altered.

As we were doing some personal reflection Tuesday, I had a paradigm shift.

I was ruminating on my post about Matt's race, and the insight I had about Matt's reaction to finishing 32 miles compared to my reaction to finishing 26.2.

Matt's look of determination and grit...

...my look of pure disbelief and joy.

I wrote that maybe Matt's apparent lack of awe at his accomplishment was due to his total confidence in himself as an athlete, whereas my total amazement with myself was a result of my constant doubt.

Despite all I've accomplished, I still see myself as a weak runner. This is my paradigm, even though I hadn't really realized I believed it until Tuesday.

I didn't always feel this way. In 2012-2013, I was PR'ing like crazy and I knew I was awesome. When and how did this negative paradigm take over? Why did I let it?

The paradigm shift I experienced Tuesday seems so obvious, and it's probably something I've thought of before but never with such clarity: I can be a great athlete if I really put the effort into it, because despite all I say and do, I haven't actually put my full effort into training in over two years. 

Here's the other part of the paradigm shift: I began allowing myself to slack off and make excuses for the sake of enjoying running again after too much overtraining, but now I'm tired of the lack of drive. My "take it easy" mentality has turned into self-doubt, because I haven't been pushing myself enough. So this paradigm is a cage of my own making.

Anyway, turning these thoughts over in my head has helped me come to a decision about next year. I won't be running a marathon in 2016. I'm going to go back to 5k and 10k races, with the occasional half thrown in. And I'm tired of letting myself coast. I want to focus on making improvements where they really count for the long haul.

Rather than running long, I want to refocus on running fast.

(I'm still really excited about my marathon this year! Don't get me wrong. But I'm definitely ready to step back into shorter distances and focus on fundamentals once BDR is in the bag.)

If I fail, I fail. But I think it will feel good to challenge myself in a new way and to truly work toward creating a new paradigm.

Have you ever experienced a paradigm shift?

ABK

Decisions, Decisions

It's October! In case you missed the memo, that means 2015 is officially winding down and it's time to look ahead to 2016.

Specifically, I'm looking ahead to February! Next year I turn the big 3-0, and I'm actually really excited. I know stereotypically women are supposed to feel like thirty is the beginning of the end, but I'm joyfully anticipating my new age group. I don't see the end of my 20s as a deadline of some sort, so saying goodbye to 29 isn't giving me anxiety or bringing up any regrets.

WRONG.

Here's my dilemma. The Fort Lauderdale A1A Marathon is during my birthday weekend again this year. It's a long weekend thanks to President's Day, and the race itself is on Valentine's Day. Originally, I wanted to spend my birthday at home. Our kitchen should be done by then (hopefully) and I thought having a party or big dinner with friends would be a fun way to celebrate.

A1A's 2016 medal...I want, I want!

Then I saw the medals. And I reread my recap from last year's race. And now I'm totally torn.

At the finish line last year! This really was the perfect birthday.

Obviously this is the best kind of problem to have, because no matter what I choose to do, I'm going to have a fabulous weekend celebrating thirty. But that doesn't mean the decision's easy make!

At least I have some time to think it over, right?!

What are you looking forward to in 2016? Or is it still too early for you to think about?
How do you like to celebrate milestone birthdays?

ABK

Duck Mode

How is it possible that every year, I forget how absolutely chaotic the last week of summer is? We've been back in training all week and things have just been crazy! I'm glad this was the first week of training in an unofficial capacity. I wanted a 16 week plan and tagged this week on, making it 17, while allowed me to ease in.

This is a six-day work week. I have open house Saturday, and school officially opens Monday. Needless to say, I'm pretty exhausted.

This is me, and every other teacher, during teacher training week. (And pretty much all year long.)

I completed my first run of training on Tuesday. I got a new phone Thursday, and the setup and process of wiping, unlocking, and restoring my old phone ended up taking four hours, so I didn't run.

We had a summer assignment to take a photo of ourselves reading in an odd place. I'm enjoying What I Talk About... so far!

But tonight I got in a nice 4-miler with Kristin. We ran up and down a university parking garage, then ran two easy miles out in the rain.

There's something emotionally cleansing about running in the rain. We have our first hurricane of the year looming!

I definitely needed it.

I'm really looking forward to this year, but I kind of dread the first week of school. I'm always afraid I won't learn the kids' names, even though I usually memorize them within the first two days.

A panoramic of my classroom, all ready to go!

Anyway, I'm totally in duck mode right now, and that makes me grateful for running! But I think I'll be even more grateful for sleep!

Do you have any weird work-related fears?
Do you like to run in the rain?

ABK

My Training Plan & Exciting News!

This week, I tinkered with SmartCoach and came up with a plan I'm really happy with. Originally, the plan called for four 20-milers, and two of those were on back-to-back weekends, so that was one change I made. I also built up my mileage more slowly in the early weeks, and added a couple races.

I love working backwards so I can see how my paces will slowly get faster throughout training.

I'll be running the 10k Race for FISH again...this will be my fourth year running it! I couldn't say no.

I also added a half marathon in November. It's the Fort Myers Marathon, which I ran a couple years ago while sick...that was really rough. It was also the race that was supposed to be my first full, but luckily wasn't.

A bunch of my friends saw I had signed up for this and thought I was running the full. Nooo...one full in December is enough for me!

I think it will be nice to have a half marathon a month out from the full; it will really help me get an idea of how my paces are going.

There's also a 15k I ran two years ago, but I can't find any information on it...If they decide to have the race again, I'll definitely sign up.

I love that the paces on my plan look really doable. I know I can meet them if I'm diligent. I just hope when race day comes, I can keep the pace I need for my goal. (I'll share more about my A, B, and C goals when I'm further into training.) This is my second marathon, but it's the first I'm planning to really race. The first one was all about finishing! I'd like to really train with a race-plan in mind this time.

(Even as I'm looking at my plan now, I feel really confident, but I seem to be forgetting that even four miles is awful right now because of the humidity. But I know I'll get on track!)

We were dripping after this, and a little slap-happy. Matt's plan for Chattajack called for 60 minutes in HR zone 1, so we kept it really easy, which was totally fine by me!

I took my new shoes out for a run yesterday. I do like them; I could tell from the get-go that they're lighter than the Kayano. That was the main reason I switched; they're lighter and cost a bit less. The GT 2000s are basically the same shoe as the Kayano except that the heel drop is slightly lower (21mm vs. 24mm). I'm hoping the cushioning proves to be enough for marathon training. If not, I'll use them for shorter runs and switch back to the Kayano for long runs.

Nice and grassy after our first run together.

Finally, my exciting news...Meg messaged me the other day regarding BDR. When she was thinking about what race to run this fall/winter, Kristina suggested BDR because she's running the half and I'm, obviously, running the full. At first it seemed like a pipe dream, but Meg couldn't shake the thought of it! So yes, she's decided to run the half! I'm so excited to have another blogger friend at the race and to enjoy the whole weekend, especially a seasoned marathoner!

The medal design was released this week...I haven't earned a medal in months! I'm looking forward to adding this one to my wall.

It turns out quite a few of my friends will be at BDR, so I'm hoping to see a lot of familiar faces along the course!

I officially start training next week. I can't wait!

What does your fall race schedule look like?
Do you like running tune-up races before your goal race?
 Is there a race you try to run every year?

ABK