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Month: September 2011

24 Days to Chicago – I better pray for Ideal Temps!

24 Days to Chicago – I better pray for Ideal Temps!

Today I ran a hard 5 miles. Just because. Just to see what that pace feels like. Whew! I certainly felt it !! Especially since my run was at 12:30pm in the peak afternoon heat of 88F. The humidity wasn’t there, and there was partly shade and a cool breeze and absolutely flat soft terrain, but even that made me hope that Chicago is in 60s at 12noon – 1pm on October 9th!!

25 Days to Chicago – Why am I doing a Marathon?

25 Days to Chicago – Why am I doing a Marathon?

or …. IS THERE?  I had a bit of a conversation with our Speedwork coach after yesterday’s Yassos at the track. At one point, he talked about the mental strength you need to complete 26.2 miles. And remembering why I am running the marathon would help reinforce my goal. In my obsessed enthusiastic state, I took his words literally and tried to think of WHY I am doing this marathon. I am not doing it to fundraise for a greater…

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25 Days to Chicago

25 Days to Chicago

Given that I have improved quite a bit since Spring, I’ve also been obsessing thinking quite a bit about my pace in the race. All sorts of permutations and combinations being worked out. I’m actually planning to attempt a tryout at this weekend’s 21 miles at a better pace than I always thought I would run at. Nerves – not as much. Lack of sleep is not allowing my brain to process the nervousness. I know I can do this.

26 Days to Chicago – Feeling Invincible

26 Days to Chicago – Feeling Invincible

A great track session with 6x800Yassos has left me on a high. At this moment, I am on top of the world and so proud of the distance I’ve travelled since April/May. This is the kind of high I want to be in as I tackle the days leading to the Marathon. The kind of high that makes me grin hugely, the kind of high that makes me want to hug everyone, the kind of high that makes me talk incoherently stumbling…

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27 Days to Chicago – Suck it up, Buttercup

27 Days to Chicago – Suck it up, Buttercup

I stayed up tracking the Get Fit Atlanta athletes at Ironman Wisconsin. The results hit me smack with a shock. The next time I whine or brag about my marathon attempt, I shall think back to these amazing people who swam 2.6 miles, biked 112 miles (a distance I’m not too happy to drive in a CAR), and THEN ran a full 26.2 miles marathon.  I am just doing a small portion of what these people did.  So – suck…

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28 Days to Chicago – An Undercurrent of Excitement

28 Days to Chicago – An Undercurrent of Excitement

This time, next month. It would’ve been all over. Wow! Am I nervous? Strangely, no. Its an undercurrent of excitement. An excitement brought about by a great 19mile run that left me feeling that I could do more (thanks to a super slow first 5 miles)! An excitement brought about by yet another great ascent up Mt. Nickajack!

1 Month to Chicago – D-Day in a Month’s Time

1 Month to Chicago – D-Day in a Month’s Time

Today’s the day, next month. The enormity of my attempt is hitting me. I’ve had a week of eating crap and feeling like crap allowing me to reflect on my body. My body is what I want it to be. Whether it be treating it with love and reverence and taking care of it through food and exercise, or by treating it with casual abandon. It will respond in kind to me. And the soreness, and the tiredness in the…

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