Coolest Half Marathon EVER!

During our trip to Hawaii Catherine and I decided to run a half marathon there! It was definitely the coolest half marathon that I have ever done! There a few too many hills, but overall we felt great and I am so proud! It was a great way to continue our training for Chicago! This picture is approximately 5:45am just before the the start!

This picture was about mile three after my potty stop :)

Watching the sun rise on our way!
This is a picture of Catherine LOVING the tunnel of trees... right around mile 5... on the longest low incline hill we have ever run in a half!

Turning Point

This past Sunday Catherine and I set out for our longest run yet! It took a little planning and commitment on both of our parts to get out there at 7 am on a Sunday! We couldn't have asked for better weather to get started! It was overcast and low 60s for most of our run!

After a few longs hours we finished a 17 mile run! It felt so great to work so hard towards our longest distance... especially when we finished our last mile strong! Thanks for chatting me through the "rough" times of the morning!

It was only after this run that I feel like we can finally finish the marathon! I am excited and motivated for our runs to come...

I've had better days...

So my long run this week didn't go exactly as planned. I went out for a 16 mile run with my running group at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. I was excited to get out there, log some miles and have a good run, which is exactly what I had...until about mile 9.

All of a sudden I felt terrible, I started to get sick to my stomach, light-headed and hurt all over. I decided to walk for a bit, and told the rest of the group to go on ahead. They decided to wait for me about 2 miles up the road, while I alternated between walking and running. On our way back over to Louisville from Indiana, we were crossing the bridge and it hit me again...the sick feeling. I tried to ignore it, and push through it, but my body just wasn't having it. I ended up puking into the Ohio River! How ebarrassing!!! Other runners, bikers and cars were going past, probably wondering what this fool was doing, hanging her head over the bridge! Luckily for me, one of my running buddies knew I wasn't doing so well and came back to check on me. She walked with me the rest of the way over the bridge, where I made it to a hotel to call my boyfriend to come pick me up.

Overall I completed 13 miles of the 16 I was planning on doing. Which is OK, I just wish it had finished differently.

So, what I have learned from my run this weekend is this:
1) It's ok to stop if your body is telling you to, don't risk injury just to finish out your run.
2) TAKE A CELL PHONE!!! Especially if you are by yourself. I wish I'd had mine this time.
3) Know your route, and where you are, just in case you do have to end your run early or call to have someone pick you up.
4) Even if the miles don't feel great, at least you got them in. That counts for something.

I'm hoping to learn from this little set-back, and while it's frustrating and discouraging, I am trying to focus on the final goal. A FULL marathon!

Until next time; Peace, Love, Run.

~elizabeth

Back on the horse/ wet duck

Well, after many weeks of excuses...and hot weather...I finally did a long run (havent done more than 5 miles in a month), and it felt great! I was able to get in 14 miles with a few obstacles, like the thunderstorm that crept up at mile 8. I ended up running the final 5 miles in the pouring rain, but it felt like heaven compared to the heat! Im pretty sure most people who drove past me in the pouring rain probably thought I was a little crazy and thats when I realized that I had officially at that point crossed over into the "Runners World".

A few lessons learned from this run....
1. My hand held water bottle is now my security blanket on long runs in the heat; you don't feel as thirsty when water is readily available
2. Gu gel is pretty much like squeezing a tube of toothpaste in your mouth and then trying to swallow it; always use water to wash it down
3. Lawn sprinklers double as water fountains (people seem to love to water their lawn early in the morning)
4. If the clouds above you arent as dark as the ones in the distance, then most likely you won't be struck by lightning (this was my reasoning anyway)
5. Running in the pouring rain is a nice little treat after running in 90 degrees plus humidity :-)

Till next week......

Catherine