Moving Mountains

Last Saturday, I hiked 4k feet up to summit Mt. Baldy, which sits at 10,064 feet in the air. It's a six mile climb from the parking lot to summit. It's a 4 mile hike if you go the right way back to your car, according to the loop. If you follow people you THINK know what they're doing, you end up hiking 6 miles back down, lose 6k feet in altitude, and end up five miles lower than your car is parked. And you know what, sometimes the unexpected journey, the one you didn't plan on, the one you didn't anticipate, ends up being the best way to go. Sometimes I feel like I'm so focused on the path in front of me, I don't know what's really ahead.

I love being outdoors. When we started our hike, there were people RUNNING up the trail. Well that's just insane. Until I realized it's probably phenomenal altitude training and my new goal is to run up it once before NYC. At least to the top of the chair lifts. Which I can take back down. But it's something.

NEVER STOP EXPLORING

Critters on the trail

Lobsters. All I can think about is Lobsters. Brooks came out with a limited edition shoe for the Boston Marathon last Friday, so of course I had to get them. Last year I got the NYC Marathon ones and I'm now running the NYC so figure, hey, maybe it's good luck. They're a different style then I usually run in, Launch, but I think they're going to run pretty well. Sometimes that's just the motivation you need to get out and get a good run in.

Training has been going so well, I'm amazed at what a difference being able to have the time and the weather to run makes. I want to get outside and go. Since last Sunday was Easter (yay!!) I did my long run on Saturday. I found myself missing running on Sunday, it was weird! And I'm so happy that I can get out and run this weekend, where normally I'd be working the WSU Baseball games for Mom's Weekend. Maybe someday I'll miss events, but right now I'm soaking up all the free time I can.

I've also noticed in the past few months I don't eat fast food anymore. It was so convenient in Pullman just to stop at McDonalds or Taco Bell or Cougar Country to grab breakfast or lunch/dinner. Maybe because I don't have those options easily accessible to me, or maybe because I really just don't want it. Although I have been craving a Chick-Fil-A shake lately....might have to satisfy that one :)

The food options here are crazy, the fruits and veggies alone are to die for. Things like artichokes are HUGE, I've never seen them so big! Having access to FRESH fruits and veggies, knowing they are grown in the area is such a difference in how I eat. It's been so much more fun to go shopping and prepare my meals, knowing that when I want to make something, I can actually find the food I'm looking for without having to hunt for it, or be sad when I know I live in a tiny town and can't get something. The fact that Trader Joes is right down the street helps too.

Yesterday I was running and noticed something in the grass in someone's lawn, I thought it was a rat for a second until I looked closer. It was a tiny baby possum! Cutest thing I've ever seen, I stood and watched it crawl around in the grass for a while before it made it's way back to the tree and started climbing it. I knew it's family was up there since I could hear momma possum making noise in the leaves. Luckily, Tucker hardly saw it so I got to watch this little life discover new territory for a while. Reminds me that it's ok to stop for a second and take in whats around.

New places to run

I'm excited to have a place to train...OUTSIDE...all year long. Sunday I took Tucker to the beach and we ran along the path there. It was gorgeous and soothing to be able to run near the beach with the waves crashing on the shore. There wasn't a ton of people since it was early on a Sunday, which makes running with the brown dog a little easier. The path down and back is only 6 miles, so after last weekend I'll need to move along to the Huntington path which is 12.8 miles one way. This will probably be the scene to the next 8 months of Sunday runs.

Each step in this process is grueling. Running is never easy (why would we do it if it was easy??), but having an end goal to this year is going to make it so much more rewarding. Getting to run for my baby nephew is going to give me energy in itself. To be able to cross that finish line in Central Park for Deaks, knowing he'll be right there with me gives me the motivation I need to put one foot in front of the other each day. Getting that medal will be something I'll forever treasure, more than any other race medal I've received, or will receive in the future. This is for him. The next 8 months are for him. Training to my highest potential...is for him.

NYC Marathon and 8 months of training

Last week, I got an amazing email. It said that I have been accepted into the 2015 NYC Marathon as a team member for Team CJ, a charity that raises money for SIDS. My nephew, my best friend's little boy, passed away last month from SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. I get to run for Deacon and help fundraise to find out why this happens and to help support the families.
I can't believe I get to run NYC. I've thought about running the 6 world majors, but I figure NY and Boston would be the last ones since they're hard to get into. What makes it even better is my good friend Elyce is running it too, so we will get to support each other throughout this training process.
I've picked up some half marathons along the way, to keep racing and get ready for New York. These next 8 months will be full of trials and challenges, and many, many rewards. Last weekend I ran a 10k, and finished in under an hour. UNDER AN HOUR! I'm not an elite, so that is WONDERFUL for me. That I know I can at least run over 6 miles at almost a 9:30 pace, maybe I can hit one of my halfs at close to that pace this summer. If I could break 2 hours in a half, that would be amazing.
None of these goals are going to be easy. PR-ing in the half by such a margin, completing a full training cycle, and running and finishing the New York City Marathon. I am so excited to be able to train all year long, and not have to worry about cold weather, snow and ice, or events getting in the way of my training. No more 13 hour Saturdays where I am too tired to do my long runs on Sunday.
So this week marks it. Eight months of training for races, all compiling to November 1st, where I will run through the 5 boroughs and finish in Central Park, the very place I started this whole crazy journey so many years ago. So let's get out and run!

My new plan

Sometimes plans don't work out the way you thought they would. I've noticed life in General is like this. You plan for one thing, and something different happens. I am learning to flow, to just go with life, trust God knows my plan better than me and do the best I can.
I really wanted to do a couple races this fall, but it's not in the cards. Something better came along. Right now, I get the opportunity to utilize what is available to me. We get free classes in the athletes weight room at work. So four times a week, I will be marching my butt down to the gym for strength and cardio. I need strength, I know it will make me a better runner. So that's my plan. To work really hard on what I need to do to become a better runner.
Something else came up, I thought about it, and along side some sorority sisters I will be running the Phoemix Marathon this February. I'm ecstatic. I always knew I'd still do a few more marathons. This one will be a challenge because I will have to train in Pullman during the winter, which will consist of snow, ice and below 0 temps. It will also be a great reward. Two dear friends who recently got married, one is my big sis from the sorority, will be competing in their first long distance race. They are both running the full marathon. I cannot WAIT for training to start and to be able to see their progress. To see the trials and triumphs and agony and finally, when they cross that finish line. The pure joy they will have when they get that medal. Course, it could go the other way and they could take me out for suggesting such foolishness. But I anticipate the former :) I also anticipate they, like so many others, will quickly be hooked.

Training for races 12 & 13

Started training this week for a couple of races for the rest of the year. I am planning on a half near Denver last weekend in September and a full in Tucson, Arizona first weekend in December. Hopefully Elyce will join me on both of these! It's getting extremely hot out, so I've started running in the morning before work. It feels so good! I love starting my day with my shoes and the road before I get into work. There is something to be said about jumping out of bed and getting out there. I know training in the summer heat is hard, but if I can survive summer running in the summer in New York I can survive dry heat in the Palouse!
This week I ran 9.25 miles. I did miss two workouts, but that won't happen again. I'm ready to jump in fully and do even better on these next few races. Every week I'm going to put the amount of miles I ran in a savings account, so if I miss a run I'm only cheating myself! This account will fund my future running adventure s, I have to pay for London 2015 somehow!

Week 7 thoughts

Sitting at week 7 of training for the St. Joe River Half Marathon coming up June 8th. Training has been fairly decent, better than past races, just following the training plan and actually getting out and doing it. A lot easier to train in the spring/summer when football/basketball isn't hovering over my schedule. The biggest thing I've noticed is my pace. As of right now, I'm averaging 9:30 per mile and that's been pretty consistent the past several weeks. I ran an 8-miler a few weekends ago with Irvin and Tucker, and we rocked that pace the entire time, if not a little faster. Since after my first race, I've wanted to finish a half at 2:10 or under. Currently my PR is 2:20....but if I could keep a pace under 10 the entire race, I know I could hit it!

We drove out to the race course on Sunday to check it out, I was nervous of the elevation chart I saw on 'mapmyrun' so I wanted to see what we needed to prepare for. The course itself isn't as hilly as I thought, it's more rolling hills. What did stand out was the quietness of the course. The majority of the race is going to run through farmland and back roads next to the river and in the woods. It's been raining a ton, and after the winter we had, there are a lot of potholes on the course. I'm hoping those get filled in before the race! There will be approximately 1,000 people running this thing, so at least it will be better than the Greater Portland half!

This weekend is Bloomsday in Spokane, and Corinne, Javier, Irvin and I are all running it. Corinne and I will run it, but I know the boys are going to want to race, which is fine. 50,000 people in the event, I'm not sure how much 'racing' I'd get to do anyway! To me, it will be a fun time to enjoy a race, like the St. Pats Dash Irv and I do every year. I think it's important to throw some fun races in there between the big ones, to liven things up a bit! We'll see how this goes!