Pre-race ramblings...

Ready or not, my first marathon is tomorrow...I am beyond excited...and a little bit nervous. My ipod is charging, my outfit is in my bag, and all of my shotbloks, beans, and bars are packed. This is it! I can't believe it!

Tomorrow, I am going to be laboring for around 5 hours
to give birth to a 26.2 mile finish.
I know it's going to be tough.
Probably the hardest thing I have ever done.
There will be a lot of sweat.
I am sure there will be some tears.
Maybe a few times that I wish I could just stop.
But I will not quit
Because there will also be
laughter
a few moments along the way where I will see my husband,
my daughter,
my friends
cheering me on.
Then, there will be victory
when I cross the finish line
with my running buddy through this entire 16 weeks
our arms in the air
tears in our eyes
and I will probably say something like,
"We did it!"

Goals: Since I am a marathon virgin I have no idea what to expect or how my body will react or feel. Although my goal is just to finish...it would be nice to finish between 5 hours and 5.5 hours...anything below that would be a shocker. My only other goal is to have fun and soak it all in.

My Little Cheerleader

Playlist - No Plan B

Whatcha Eating: Red peppers, tuna, and sweet potatoes

If I had a garden, hands down, I would grow sweet potatoes...lots and lots of them. I am quite fond of them...so much, I think I am on the verge of turning a nice shade of orange.

I haven't done a whatcha eating edition in quite a while because in all honesty, I have been eating too much to blog about...I can't wait to not be so hungry all the time! And, some of the stuff I have been cramming in my mouth has been not so good. I often joke that I only run so that I can eat like a pig.

So, now that I am tapering, I haven't been as hungry. I have been trying to be good with what I put in my mouth.

Tonight for dinner I had half a red pepper stuffed with tuna and baked in the oven. Right beside of my yummy combo sat a delightful sweet potato with a dash of salt and a tablespoon of sour cream. I might just have to have this same meal tomorrow for lunch. So good.

The Taper

Taper time. Am I seriously in the home stretch?! With the way my body feels, I should be here. My confidence that I can do this has been replaced with doubts on whether or not I did enough of the work to finish. I just have A reoccurring day dream about sitting in front of a big beautiful house up in Kenosha 21 miles in to my marathon, tears streaming down my face, in intense pain, saying, "I quit, I quit."

I have always told myself that I am not a quitter...no way. You finish what you start, no questions asked. This fourteen weeks of training has shown me that deep down, if I know I can't win or at least perform well, I am a big quitter...and I hate that.

There have been several times in these past few weeks that I have felt anything but victorious. I think I have felt defeat more times that victory. And I know, there is going to come a point on May 1st that I will no longer be able to rely on the people around me, the music in my ears, or even the strength in my lungs or legs...I am going to have to rely on the fight within me...which leaves me wondering how strong that fight is now...

Dear Wisconsin Marathon,

I have never done this before and quite frankly, you're beginning to scare me. I am asking you to be kind to me...to provide enough hydration, enough porta-potties, and not so much wind ( I know weather is not your area of control, but I thought I would throw that in there just in case you can pull some strings somewhere). Or, on the other hand, just slip a note in my mailbox and tell me that I can't. Yeah, that's a better idea...tell me that I can't make it to your finish line...and then look for me there.

It may not be pretty - BB

Worn out...

My shoes, that is. A little too soon, if you ask me. It seems quite ridiculous how quickly one wears out a pair of shoes while training for a marathon. But, my shoes that I got back in January are starting to give me problems and it's time. It helps that I received the pair that I will be running my marathon in as a gift. You know the drill...same make, same model...different color (I had the purple and silver model and decided to go with the pink ones this time). Here they are...in all their glorious pinkness:



I went for my first run in them and it was truly as if I was running on a cloud...the nimbus kind. Much better. It was love after first run.

So, I say farewell to the Purple People Passers (I name everything).
You've been good to me.
You have taken me 400 plus miles
and softened the road during the longest run I have yet to run.
Although I would have liked to keep you longer
You're killin my feet man.
such is training
It was meant to be.
You will enjoy retirement
where all the others go to live out the remainder of their life
It's an easy life
slower paced
hospital living
Taking me where I need to go at work.

To my running buddies:

Do not underestimate the intimacy of running, and the people with whom you share your miles.

Kristin Armstrong, Mile Markers blog, Runner's World.com

Thanks for all the miles you have shared with me...how you've pushed me...and suffered right along side of me. Love you girls!!

Playlist: Whyyawannabringmedown

It was only until recently that I became comfortable saying that I am a runner. When coworkers would ask, "So, you're a runner, huh?" I would just tell them that I didn't really consider myself a runner but I did like to run. For some reason, I had the idea that I had to run a certain number of races, be incredibly fast, or know more of the ropes than I do to be considered a part of this family. Yes, not only do I love to run but now consider myself a runner.

Here's a few on my list of "You know you're a runner when..." :

You know you're a runner when instead of having your meals planned out for the week, you have your distances all written down and planned out for the week.

You know you're a runner when random people stop in around town and say, "Hey, aren't you the girl I see running all over town?"

You know you're a runner when you have a tan line around your arm where your ipod usually goes.

You know you're a runner when you put on a pair of socks and before you have a chance to put your shoes on your kids automatically think you are going out for a run.

You know you're a runner when you get excited when you drive by a Dicks.

You know you're a runner when you'd take an issue of Runner's World over an issue of People or Redbook any day.

You know you're a runner when you aren't worried about running out of gas because you know you could always run home.

You know you're a runner when your only thought after being asked, "Is there anything you would rather be doing?" is that you'd rather be running.

You know you're a runner when running ranks right up there with being intimate with your spouse.

And finally...

You know you're a runner when you lace up your shoes and go out for a run even when you don't feel like it...because you know that you've never regretted a run after you've gotten home but always regret skipping one.

No Matter the Speed...

We run because it makes us feel like winners, no matter how slow or how fast we go.

~Florence Griffith Joyner and John Hanc, Running for Dummies

Pumping Iron...

I found out at a recent appointment (my annual that has become not so annual since having my youngest little man) that I am anemic. I was beginning to wonder what was going on with me but chalked it up to a side affect of living my vida loca. I should have known...I was anemic when pregnant with Kaitlyn and there have been several times where I was just on the verge of not being able to give blood because of my low hemoglobin.

So, I started my high potency iron Easter Sunday and I am determined to faithfully take them up until my marathon along with all of my other vitamins. I am looking forward to feeling energized and not so dizzy. Could this be why my heart murmur is a lot more prevalent than it has been?

Along with my vitamins, I am getting back on track with my diet. The past month, it's been filled with sugar, processed junk, and a little too much sodium...especially over spring break. It was fun while it lasted (well, maybe for the first two or three days) but it left me feeling sick and with a few extra pounds around my mid section...why are they so easy to put on but so very hard to take off??!!

Wisconsin Marathon - 25 Days and Counting!!!