Early Morning Runs

One of the things I said I need to work on is Sleep and Nutrition.  I think this is going to be a key to my success, amongst many other things. 

I think everyone thinks I am nuts but the only way I'm going to get through this training is if I do early morning runs.  At first I wanted to do early morning runs in order to allow myself the rest of the day or that night to be social. Now I realize I need to do early morning runs to avoid the heat.

There is nothing worse than overheating on a run.  Everything else feels fine but the sun is beating down on you in 80 degree muggy weather and you feel like you are going to pass out if you don't get

some shade.  The most annoying thing about this is that it causes me to take breaks when normally I wouldn't.

I am much more prepared for running long distance than I ever was when I trained for my last three half marathons. New to my running gear:

• Running hat that doesn't hold the heat in (this is important and I learned my lesson my last half marathon....)
• Belt with water bottles and a place to put my keys, bus pass and phone
• New sunscreen that is sweat proof.  This is also key. I realized my sunscreen wasn't working because I was sweating it off
•  Running shorts that don't cause chaffing on my legs.  Sounds weird but this is the worst and really painful if it happens.

Today I woke up at 8 am, didn't make it out of my house until a quarter to 9 and the heat was already on its way to being too much.  The hat was probably helpful and my face wasn't burning from my sunscreen this time but the main problem was that apparently 8 am wasn't early enough. I stopped three times because I was overheating and I needed the shade to cool off.  I even poured water on myself at one point.

I heard training for a marathon was a time commitment but I already see this being an issue for going out on a Friday night. I guess I might need to become one of those people who call it an early night on Fridays.


This week I ran a total of 20 miles.  I was told I was supposed to start at that but I think I am fine.  From here it will just keep increasing.

Only about 3 months left!

Back in Action

While I don't want to jinx myself... I am back in action.

Fundraising sign on my office door.

It officially took me 5 months to move past my knee injury.  If there is anything I've learned from this is that you have to be patient and not always trust your physical therapist to know the answers.  What I would thank my physical therapist for is suggesting that I start swimming.  While he had no idea what was wrong with my knee, at the very beginning of our sessions in March he said swimming would help.  It took me until May to get myself out of bed on the weekend and go swimming.  First, I have to say, I have really missed swimming. Second, I started swimming twice a week and my knee started to feel significantly better.

Was it swimming that help my knee heal? Or was it just time?  Hard to tell but its possible it was a combination of the both.  I got a MRI done in May and they told me there were no tears in my knee and it was just inflamed.  I think it motivated me to continue to be patient and gave me confidence that I'd start running again.

And running is just what I did.  I started training for the Marathon the beginning of June (very slowly).  My week currently has looked like this:

Monday: 3 mile easy + 45 minutes Yoga
Tuesday: Swimming
Wednesday: Run
Thursday: Run
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Long Run
Sunday: Swimming

Honestly, kind of a lot for me and can be exhausting. I've attempted to mold myself into a morning runner so Monday/ Wednesday and Thursday I can still be social after work and when it gets too hot I'll already be used to running at 6 am. But the key things I need to work on is: Sleep & Nutrition. Falling asleep at your desk at 2 pm isn't really looked at highly in a professional setting.

All in all, I need to be more cautious.  I had to stop running again this last weekend due to another injury.  I was really starting to think it was a sign from above that I'm not meant to run this marathon but than I realized that its just another roadblock to get past.  I slipped on rainy stairs downtown last Thursday and luckily caught my fall but not before smashing my foot into the steps.  I badly bruised one of my toes.  Still kind of hurts but thankfully not broken and i'm pretty sure not fractured....

Positive Thinking = Key to Success. Or in this case, key to make it to the starting line.

I went for a beautiful 5 mile run yesterday along the lake path. These runs always make me re-appreciate Chicago for what it is. But beware, the bugs are out and its not fun when they fly into your eyes..or you by mistake eat one!