I’ve had a week since my last big training run for the Savannah rock-n-roll marathon, and during a recovery run on Thursday it started to dawn on me just how far I’ve come on the journey. It’s hard to believe that I signed up for this race 13 months ago when it was first announced. I think many people thought I was crazier than usual for signing up so early, but somehow deep down inside I knew this one was going to be special. Since signing up for the race I’ve done 3 marathons, none of which happened the way I had envisioned. Except for Chicago there wasn’t anything really wrong with them, but I just wasn’t getting where I wanted to with my races.
Eight months ago I made a phone call that I had been meaning to place for about six months. I was nervous, and didn’t know what to expect, or how it would go. By the time I got off the phone with Jeff Kline I knew I was going in the right direction. Then I thought, “what the heck took you so long?” I literally bounced from my violin studio all the way out to my car. It hasn’t always been easy, not just because I was doing hard workouts, but there is this thing called Atlanta in the summer. It was brutal! I started looking back over my run logs from when Jeff and I first started working together just to get a sense at all that has happened:
- back in April my long run average pace in zone 2 (low heart rate, easy run) was 11:09. My last 20 mile run in zone 2 had an average pace of 9:46
- I changed my diet to get rid of things that were making me feel sick all of the time. Now I don’t have as many headaches, or feel like my stomach hates me. I have more energy (I don’t need to drink coffee anymore!), feel tons better, and run faster 🙂
- Yasso 800 workouts aren’t so bad. In fact, I actually kind of like them. I started to learn that I could run faster than i thought for longer than I thought. And I started to realize that Jeff’s goal finish time for me was not so crazy after all
- Hammer nutrition products are the bomb! I don’t know what I would have done this summer without them!
- Strength workouts are good not only for running, but also violin playing
- I learned that I could run a 7:36 mile, but that I shouldn’t do it as the first mile of a 5k race
- I PRed a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) by 5 minutes in a zone 2 pace
- I turned around this weekend and ran almost 13 miles 2 minutes faster than that 1/2 marathon just 3 weeks later
- I am mentally in the best place I’ve ever been with running. It’s a pretty awesome feeling!
For the first time going into a marathon I am not questioning my training, or the fact that I will make my goal time. I know I’m going to make my goal time. We have a plan, a plan that makes me very excited about this race! It’s still 2 weeks away, but I feel the need to say a few thank yous. I have had such tremendous support from friends who have cheered me along the away. From folks on the PRSfit team, from dailymile (David Penrhyn, Mike, Michael S, Laura, Elizabeth, Beth, Stacy, Sally, Lori, Geri Lynn, Deloris, Pam, David M., and so many others), twitter, and Facebook. It means a lot to read all of the encouragement and support. I have a pretty awesome team in training mentor for Savannah, who also happens to be a good friend and running buddy. Thank you Ken for all of the encouragement all season, and sticking with me through 8 miles of that step-up run Saturday! The biggest thank you goes to Jeff & Diane, both of whom have been there when I needed them, occasionally holding my hand if needed, and always telling me that I was doing a good job. The excitement I hear in your voices when we talk about Savannah just makes me more excited, and motivated for race day. Thank you for believing in me, coaching me, and helping me become not only a better runner, but also a better person.
I’m pretty excited about November 5th. And thanks to some advice from Patton I have another awesome pair of Newton Motus for the race (they might have contirbuted to Saturday’s awesome run! Yay new shoes!!). They were the very last pair in my size. It was totally meant to be :-). They’re so nice and clean! unlike my other pair…
Thanks to the chiropractor there’s a lot of hope going now!
runningviolinist 