Perspective + Garmin + Cupcakes = Awesome Saturday

Weekly Mileage: 21


Top three things about this running week...

3. Cupcakes: We had a bake sale today that I organized as my group fundraiser, one of my TNT mentoring duties.  5 sellers, 2 hours, 1 grocery store.  We sold out in record time and had a blast.  Bake sales are much more fun with other people when it's not 90 degrees out. 

2. My Garmin: I recently purchased (well, my parents' generous Christmas giving purchased) a Garmin 205 GPS Watch + Heart Rate Monitor.  I've had it a little over a week and it has completely changed the way I run.  I keep a more continuous pace because it says it right on the watch!  I push myself the right amount to keep my heart rate in the fat burning zone.  And I know exactly how far I've run, taking the guess work out of meeting my training schedule.  And And AND it saves your location and then transfers all your data to the internet and you have a PERFECT MAP OF YOUR COURSE AND ALL YOUR SPLITS AND YOUR PACE AND EVERYTHING RIGHT THERE!!!  See you later, map my run and your glitchy clicking and advertisements that chase me around the screen!

1. Perspective: I was re-reading last year's post-race blog, and amazed that I felt so accomplished after only 13 miles.  I talked about my legs creaking and my knees hurting at miles 7, 8, and 9, yet today I took a 12-mile jaunt through the woods.  Now, it wasn't super fast and I wasn't completely ache free, but my perception of what a LONG run is has completely changed.  One year ago I thought Julie was CRAZY to train for a full marathon.  I thought 13.1 miles was the longest I would ever run.  I thought I had reached my peak.  But that's the thing about endurance training.  You can't ever reach your peak!  You can always run just a little bit farther, a little bit faster, or up a little bit bigger hill.  It's all a mental game and if you push yourself, you can get there.  Last year my first 12-mile run was the second longest training run of the season.  This year, it's not even half way to my goal.  What a difference a year makes...

Disappointment

I don't run for time.  I run because it feels good (except when it doesn't).  I run because I want to set and reach goals that seem ridiculous at first.  I'm training for a marathon because I want to run 26.2 miles, however long it takes me.

So I signed up for the Rock and Roll Marathon because it was being held on my 30th birthday.  I convinced several of my friends to sign up for the race.  Courtney's family is coming to watch her run the half marathon.  It was to be an excellent event weekend.

And then one day I got an e-mail that made me cry.  There was a time limit on the race that was previously unannounced.  The race course closes at exactly 5 hours and 30 minutes.  For those keeping track at home, that's a 12:30 min/mile pace.  And you know what, these days I can run about 6 miles at that pace or faster.  But when I put my recent 5K PR into a race calculator, it had me finishing the marathon at best in 5:45, at worst in 6:15.  Like I said.  Crying.

I have over two months to train.  Maybe I could get my times down and my speed up.  But remember...I don't run for time.  I'm not in this program to get faster, to pressure myself with time goals, or to worry about speed.  Everyone says your first marathon goal should be to finish, and that's my goal.  So sadly, I am bowing out of the Rock and Roll Marathon to avoid unnecessary anxiety.  But don't fear...I am bowing (?) IN to the Yuengling Shamrock Marathon, to take place the day AFTER my 30th birthday. 

The bright side:
- I'll get to actually cheer for Courtney and my friends, instead of thinking about how they are already done with their race and I still have 13 miles to go!
- I'll get to return to my original half marathon course and kick it's butt x2!
- I'll get to finish my race along the beach, and my mom loves the beach so she'll come watch!
- The finish line festival is filled with delicious Irish stew and beer!

Good ol' silver linings...