The Uphill Battle

One thing that you need to know about running the Martinsville Half Marathon, Relay & 5K is that it has hills. Not seriously intimidating hills but gentle rolling ones that will sneak up on you. The best way to prepare for this race is to train by running on hills. Our YMCA training team coach, Richard told us that "running hills is speed training in disguise". Get faster on the hills and you'll improve performance on the flat stretches.

Over the past two months I've been tackling more and more elevation. My running buddy Sharon introduced me to Root Trail, training coach Becky showed me the ropes on Ford Street and Richard took us to the one of the ultimate uphill battles in Martinsville, Mulberry.

33 Days to Go - Because of the recent snow fall that week, sidewalks were out of the question again so Richard decided it was time to introduce us to a new street route. I prepared for the run with Peanut Butter GU that was very tasty! From the YMCA, we turned left on Starling, and another left on Mulberry. We would turn around at the 2.5 mile mark to complete our 5 mile run. Because we were running on the street during the 5:30 p.m. afternoon rush, I was very thankful for wearing my brightest colored reflective running top.

Time to Celebrate

This week I reached a significant milestone...

Since December I have run more than 100 miles! No, not all at one time but over the course of my training I have steadily built up mileage. From someone who had not run for nearly two years, that's pretty exciting!

It's wild to look back at how far I've come since Brad Kinkema of the YMCA challenged me to run the half-marathon. (If you're new to the blog, you can read about that here.)

I remember the first day I ran 2.5 miles and Sharon Kirby cheered me on telling me how good I was doing. She said "before long you'll be running six miles like there's nothing to it." I have to admit that in between gasps of air I thought that idea was rather far fetched - but she was right! 

Looking back, I started small and set attainable goals that I could easily reach each week. I ran one mile a day as often as possible to build up my endurance and then gradually lengthened my long runs. By increasing distance by just 0.5-1 mile each run, I've inched my way towards my goal of running a 13.1 mile half-marathon on March 22nd. I surrounded myself with supportive runners that had 'been there, done that" and remembered what it was like just starting out. As a result of that support...I LOVE running! 

While along the journey there will always be doubts but I have proved to myself that I can do it - and you can too! 

If you're interested in running at all this is the time to take action. There's less than one month to go before the Martinsville Half-Marathon, 5K & Relay. Do your best and even if that means walking part of the race- it's ok. Challenge yourself to believe and achieve...you'll be thankful that you did!

#KeepRunning #WeCanDoThis

Lifetime Record

I am 31 years old and yesterday I ran the longest distance that I have ever run in my life. EVER. It was the most amazing feeling, but before we delve into that I want to tell about the week.

If you want to test your dedication for running (or any hobby for that matter) see how well you fare in a polar vortex. Yes, we've now had two of them this winter. Days and days of freezing cold, ice, snow, repeat. There were days that I longed to run, days that I was willing to run if I had to and then days when asked if I was going to run my response was "No Way!"

After three weeks of continuously increasing my distance with each run I had been feeling great but the past week was just rough in more ways than one.

54 Days to Go - The weather was so nice. Temperatures were in the mid-50's and after publishing my friend Juan's guest post that morning, I was really pumped to run. In fact, I thought about it all day long and could not wait to get home for an afternoon run. An impromptu afternoon meeting kept me at work a little longer than I had planned to be there but it was OK, I'd still have time to do something.

When I arrived home I set out on my run, dressed for 50 degrees, and realized that the temperature was dropping rapidly as the polar vortex set in. My fingers, nose and ears all burned. I decided to pick up the pace and make the most of this one-mile route. I finished one lap at a pace of 9:21 per mile. This was a new personal record for that distance.

5 Mile Milestone!

59 Days to Go - I felt bad not going to the YMCA's training session the night before. I heard that they had a great time running in the snow but where I live, out in a rural community, it's important to get home before the snow sets in. There's a half mile incline between my home and the main road that does not get salted or scraped by VDOT. #CountryLife

58 Days to Go - Our training coaches sent out an email to the group reminding everyone of our training assignments for the week -  I needed to get in a five miler before the next session. They also sent a wonderful story to share from a fellow runner.

“A few years ago I was running in insanely high winds.  The type of wind that pushes you back a foot for every two feet you go. I may have had a little of a runners high or maybe I was just being my insane self but every time the wind would smack me in the face and push me back I would pound my chest and yell (yes literally yell out loud) “That’s all you got”. Last week I ran again in strong winds and this time I thanked the wind.  I literally said out loud “thank you wind for making me stronger”. I welcome opportunities like high winds, rain, snow extreme heat or cold, for I know it makes me stronger, better and tougher. When I finally get to the starting line I know I am ready for anything that day holds.  I also know I will crush my competitors that decided during training that it was too windy, too rainy, too cold or too hot to run. Embrace adversity for it will give you the edge to victory!”

This was definitely something I needed to hear. Reality check - it might be cold or raining on race day and there's no turning back at that point. Training in the elements is important so that you are ready for race day, no matter what mother nature brings. After work I headed to the YMCA to run on the treadmill since it was quickly getting dark outside. I ran two miles before getting bored. Treadmills are nice to have but pale in comparison to actually running outdoors.

"Just Keep Running..."

65 Days to Go - During the week I was contacted by a friend who's been reading the blog and was interested in running; we'll call her "Joy." I invited Joy to come running with me. She is an avid walker but had not run in quite a while. Joy had the same wishes as me to get in better shape so that she could keep up with a growing child. She admitted that she was concerned about being able to run a half-mile so I challenged her to do just that and try her best at half a mile.

I began running on my own, to get in my miles, and had arranged to pass by Joy's office when she got off work. I reached the three mile mark right as she came outside and then we began running together. When Joy felt like she needed to slow down we did and at one point when she felt like stopping, we power walked. We picked the pace back up and when she was at a point of desperation I informed her that she had already run four-tenths of a mile and needed to go just one more. The look on Joy's face was priceless - instead of worry it was suddenly "hey, I can do this!" She ended up running 0.66 mile and didn't give up. My total mileage was 3.66 at a pace of 11:03 per mile. Joy agreed to run a half-mile again in the following days to get stronger at it. I'm so proud of "Joy" and am sharing this story to remind all my readers that you've got to start somewhere to move forward!

64 Days to Go - I really wanted to reach the four mile mark and knew that I'd need a little motivation so I called on Sharon to run with me. Not only did she agree to help me get in four miles but she also brought along three other inspiring ladies to run with us. One of the ladies was this week's guest blogger, Tiffany.

Words of Wisdom

We're 67 days away from the Martinsville Half-Marathon, 5K & Relay and my personal goal for today was to run 1.5 miles during my lunch break. In the past two weeks I've picked up lots of great tips but the absolute best piece of advice that I can give anyone interested in running is to find a veteran runner that you can connect with. Training for a race is intimidating but hearing from others that they once had the same concerns and challenges as you is very motivating.

Today, all of the advice that I've been hearing from veteran runners really helped me out. I seemed to have a million excuses not to run. I knew I needed to run and I wanted to run but doubt can creep in telling you that your stomach doesn't feel good, you have a headache, there's more work left to be done, I might get cold, etc. 

Pushing Forward

This afternoon I went running with Sharon. She took me to one of her regular routes and provided lots of great encouragement along the way. Thanks to her motivation, I was able to meet my next goal of running 2.5 miles and also set a new pace record of 10:04 per mile! While I lagged behind twice, I did run the entire distance (#ProudMoment). Sharon never gave up on me and kept cheering me on.

One moment that sticks out in my head about today's run is towards the end of when we topped a blind hill and I could suddenly see my car (a.k.a. the finish line). I experienced a quick boost of energy and even though I was spent I just started running faster going towards the car. That moment reminded me that even when you think you are tired there's always a little more to give. Push yourself to the next goal.

Making The Moment Count

71 Days to Go - I ran 1.25 miles during my lunch break on the YMCA treadmill at a pace of 11:22 per mile.

70 Days to Go - This morning H woke up exceptionally early. My plea for him to snuggle in the bed with me was futile; he wanted me to get up and play. So we had fun playing trains and cars, ate breakfast and watched cartoons together. All during this time a heavy rain and thunderstorm was going on outside. It appeared that I would not have an opportunity to run today. I already had plans made for the rest of the day and the morning was my only chance.

While H was engrossed in a favorite program, I slipped off to check my e-mail. Sharon, my guest blogger this week, had invited me to be a friend on RunKeeper. I accepted the invite and sat there in amazement looking at her stats..."how on earth does she find the time to run like that?"

After the thunder stopped I hopped in the shower to get my morning started. (I have a date with a cute young man at Dino Day later today.) As soon as I was out of the shower and dressed it was no longer raining. For the moment I was torn, I just got all cleaned up but I really want to run. If my new running friend had found the time to get in 5 miles this morning, surely I could do something, right?

It's Not About the Numbers

Since I've started training and blogging, word has spread across the community about my, now very public, plans. So far everyone has been very supportive and excited for my news. My friend Morgan made cute handmade hair ties for my workouts, Katie shared her recipe for delicious peanut butter energy balls and colleagues throughout the community have been sending me words of encouragement. It is exciting and I hope that I am inspiring others to become more active in 2014 and challenge themselves, personally.

One of the most common questions I hear is "Wow, you're running a half-marathon; so how many miles are you up to?" The question is innocent and very valid. The first week, my answer was sheepishly "one." This week, my answer is a confident "one to two miles."

"Baby It's Cold Outside"

75 days until the Martinsville Half-Marathon and "Brrr" is all that I can say! On days like this, it's time to take the running indoors. As I mentioned in previous posts, getting up and out the door is often the biggest obstacle to running (or any fitness program, for that matter).

I snacked on healthy nibbles at my desk throughout the day with the intentions of running during my lunch break. The problem is that I kept finding things that needed to be done (wink, wink). Yes, these could have very easily been accomplished AFTER my lunch break, but it made for a great excuse while it lasted.

Finally, at 2 p.m. I forced myself up from the desk to head out into the cold. As I drove the few blocks over to the Martinsville YMCA, I had doubts about running and whether there would be enough time. As I wrangled my bags to quick-change from office wear to gym wear I had more doubts, but those soon all vanished.

Two Miles!

As I've been working to build up my endurance, breaking the two mile mark was my next "baby-step" goal. The end of last week was bitterly cold. Yesterday I truly did not have time to run and tomorrow is anticipated to be the coldest day of the year. So...better run today!

Despite the fact that it was 32 degrees and misting rain on and off, I was anxious to just go and get it over with this morning. I got dressed to run and played with H while waiting for a break in the mist. About 11 a.m. I saw the opportunity and went for it.

The first half-mile, my fingers and cheeks were cold but everything warmed up as I got going. At mile 1.2, I shed my outer jacket after coming up a steep hill and around mile 1.3 the jacket made an excellent matador cape to swat at the neighbors' grumpy dogs as they approached me.

The last half mile was the hardest but the RunKeeper app (and lure of the cozy couch waiting for me) kept me motivated to push onward to my goal.

I ran 2.02 miles at a pace of 12:01 per mile and covered 140 feet in elevation gain. Now that I have met my goal, I can enjoy the rest of this winter day inside by the fire with a cup of coffee and a feeling of accomplishment!

My next goal is to run the same 2 mile route at a pace of 11:30 per mile.

Let the Journey Begin

Repeat after me..."I can run a half-marathon... I can run 13.1 miles... I can do this."

That was the synopsis of the internal pep-talk I had a few weeks ago after Brad Kinkema, the Executive Director of the Martinsville-Henry County YMCA, asked me to run the Martinsville Half-Marathon. It wasn't the first time he asked... Brad has been asking me to run for two years now!

To give you a little background, as the Director of Tourism for Martinsville-Henry County, Virginia, I've had some involvement with the Martinsville-Half Marathon, 5K & Relay ever since it's inception in 2011. It's a very popular event and many out of town visitors participate in it. Each year I have served on the race advisory committee to assist with marketing of the event and arrange lodging/shuttle packages for visiting runners. On race days my staff and I have manned cheering/music stations throughout the route. There is a small army of staffers, committee members and volunteers behind the scenes that make these races a success. The Martinsville Half-Marathon, 5K & Relay is a fun event and there is such a positive energy in the air but up until now I have been perfectly satisfied with my role on the sidelines.

I'm not a true runner. I've participated in a few 5Ks before and even completed the Harvest Moon Run 10K in 2011 as a personal challenge but I'm not a formally trained runner. Each time Brad asked if I would run the half-marathon in the past I would just laugh.