Post Marathon Update

Well, it’s been a while since I last posted anything. I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I’ll continue this blog, now that I’m not training for the marathon. Originally, I didn’t think so. But after doing this for a while, I kind of like having a place to share what’s going on in my life with friends and family (and the rest of the internet community). So, I may not be able to give weekly updates on my life (it’s not that exciting), but I’ll continue to keep you updated on my running, races, thoughts, plans, ideas and activities.

So, it’s been almost a month since the marathon. I’ve only managed to run 20 something miles in the last three plus weeks – which is less than I have been running on just Saturday mornings. Pathetic, I know. It’s been a nice break, but I really miss running. I think I have a mild case of Post-Marathon Depression. Training for this race has been such a huge part of my life over the last half year; I’m a little lost without it. It was such an amazing feeling to set your mind on a certain goal and do everything possible to achieve it. Now, I’m goal-less. I’m feeling rather lazy and undisciplined as well. I miss the energy and excitement that comes from running.

What I really want to do is run another marathon! I know, right? CRAZY!!! Who would have imagined that I would love it so much? It was just the most amazing experience and I want that feeling back! To my happiness, this is exactly the way I hoped I’d feel after the marathon. I’ve heard so many people say after their first marathon that they’ll never run another marathon again, or just never run again, period. That scared me. I really wanted to train wisely (physically and mentally) and then just enjoy myself during the race (to the extent one can possibly enjoy running for nearly 5 solid hours). If I could do that, I’d have a positive experience and want to keep running and possibly want to run another marathon. Mission accomplished.

But, as you can tell from reading this blog, marathon training is very intense and most of all, time consuming. It really took a toll on my relationship, friendships, social life and career. Not to say that it isn’t worth it, but it’s hard to think that I’m ready and willing to do that again so soon. Ryan would probably hate me and I’d most likely get fired. So, maybe it’s not worth it. I said maybe… :)

That being said, I need to do something to keep myself active, so I’ve decided to set a few new running goals for the remainder of the year. They’re not really new (see New Year Goals post), just awoken (is that a word?) from their winter hibernation. They mainly have to do with improving my times from previous races and getting some company out there on the road. So, here they are:

1. Run a 5k around 28:00
2. Run a 10k under 1:00
3. Run a Half Marathon under 2:00
4. Take Anna to a wheelchair race
5. Get Ryan to run with me more often

Simple enough, right? Ok then. I’ve signed up to run the St. Louis Science Center’s Run For the Stars 10k in Forest Park on June 7. That gives me just over a month to work on my 10k time. I’m also planning on running the Lewis & Clark Half Marathon again this fall, for the third time. This is a flat course, so I should be able to run it fast (fast for me, which is not really that fast). And just for fun, I’m thinking about doing the Columbia Half Marathon in October. I love Columbia (where I went to undergrad) and the course is a little hilly, but beautiful. So, that’ll be fun. And who knows, maybe I’ll reevaluate the goals in the fall and think about another marathon. In the meantime, there’s lots of wedding planning to be done. :

MTA: By the way, Rick and Lorna both kicked butt in their marathons. Rick finished Glass City Marathon, under awful miserable weather conditions (and a hurt leg) in 4:38:00. Way to HTFU!! Lorna gave Paula Radcliffe a run for her money, and finished the London Marathon in 4:42:43 (which means I was the closest to guess her finish time and she owes me dinner). You MUST read their Race Reports! Here is Rick's - Glass City Marathon. Here is Lorna's - London Marathon. Congrats to both of you AGAIN!

Week # 6 and Week # 7

SICK!!! SICK!!! SICK!!!

I’ve been miserably sick for two weeks now. I can’t believe it took so long for me to get over this cold/flu illness. I woke up last Tuesday with horribly swollen lymph nodes, a sore throat and a fever. I was terrified that this illness would ruin my holidays and screw up my marathon training, so I immediately made a doctor’s appointment for Thursday and hoped I could rest up and “cure” myself before then. No such luck. Work (as usual) had horrible timing and things got busier as I got sicker. My blood-work and tests at the doctor’s all came out negative (no strep, no mono), but with an elevated white blood count, they put me on antibiotics and told me NOT to run for at least a week.

And so it went for the next two weeks. The holidays made it pretty hard to get a lot of rest. I still had to finish my Christmas shopping, clean and decorate the house, plan, cook and host the gift exchange, travel back home for Christmas Eve, cook for 3 families on Christmas day, and throw another dinner party a few days after Christmas. Through all of that, I was feeling terrible, tired and just completely worn slick. Even though I wasn’t running, I was wearing myself out. Ryan finally ordered 4 full days of bed rest for me and forbid me to leave the house. We rented about a hundred movies and ate so incredibly unhealthy it was disgusting (and great!). The animals were so happy to have us there every single day. Turned out that was exactly what I needed. I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and healthy for the first time in weeks. That boy should have been a doctor. :)

But despite the illness, my holidays were fantastic!! And busy!! The week before Christmas I hosted a gift exchange with the girls, which was so much fun! I loved having everyone over together. We had lasagna and everyone brought great gifts! And Tracy, it was great seeing you again! A few days later Ryan and I had a great time at dinner with his brother Justin and his girlfriend Christine. We had an amazing Italian meal at Lorusso’s on the Hill. It was an eventful night (to say the least) and I just want to say that I had a great time bonding with you guys! Thanks for everything! I can’t wait to come to Chicago and visit soon.

Christmas Eve dinner at the grandparents’ was great. I loved going home, visiting my grandparents, seeing all the cousins, and bowling, of course. We got home late and exchanged our gifts to each other. Ryan got me diamond earrings!! They are so beautiful. And I got him a survival pack for his upcoming Alaska trip. Ryan and I then hosted our first-ever family Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. We had my entire family and his family over for a late lunch and gifts. I was SO nervous that it would be disastrous. I was terrified that the food would be bad or the company wouldn’t get along or I’d be too sick to enjoy myself. But, I think everything turned out perfectly! The food was great and I think everyone had a good time and liked their gifts. And, of course, New Year’s Eve was a blast! Thank you to the newlyweds John & Brooke for hosting and throwing such a fun and crazy dance party. It was great hanging out with everyone.

So, now that I’m feeling better and made it through the holidays, I have to jump back into my training schedule with full force. I’ve missed a few weeks, but I hope to be back on track soon and pounding out the miles. 2008 is going to be a great running year for me! I can feel it. My running goals for the year are as follows:

• Run my first marathon
• Run a 5k consistently under 30 minutes
• Run 1000 miles this year
• Run a sub 3:00 half marathon

I'd like to wish a big happy 21st birthday tomorrow to my little brother Timmy. Keep up the good work in school – I’m so proud of you!

And I hope you all had fantastic holidays as well. Please keep in touch! I’d love to hear from everyone. Let me know what you’re up to!