Seriously - one of my best days EVER! Completing my 1st Marathon!

And, I got to see SPACE DEBRIS, too!! Check it out:

I actually did see this while I was running. I think I was around mile 20 or so.
I thought..."what the hell was that?!". And, one spectator alongside the road had the same look on his face. We then looked at each other & shrugged our shoulders in bewilderment.
Many people have run a marathon before, but not many can claim they've run a marathon under a flurry of flashing space debris!
So...my 2009 Austin Marathon Race Report!!!
Simply put, I had an incredible day!
It started out early, 4:30am wake up. A bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar & coffee immediately & a little downtime on Facebook.
I felt calm & somewhat prepared (Trev assured me I'd be fine, that I had enough "base miles" under me) - and, I just had a peace around me. I really felt like I could go out & give it my best, despite having only had run 18.7 miles as my longest run ever.
I got dressed in my super-cute Beef Running Team jersey & Laura & Karen met me here at my house at 5:30am.
We arrived downtown without problems & parked with ease. I worried a little about traffic & parking ahead of time, but all turned out good.
Trev called to check in with me & tell me where the bag check in was.
Walking to the start, I still felt calm & got another call from Trev. I was actually amazed at how good I felt! I did have a twinge of nervousness & I told Trev that, but it wasn't bothering me at all.
I made my way up to the bag check & hung out with Trev until the start. Talking with him kept me distracted and still totally calm.
Eventually, the start was upon me & I was slowly inching my way up to the start with the hundreds of others doing the marathon & 1/2 marathon.
We made it up to the line around 7:30am, I believe. I started my watch & off I went!
Very, very slow start - on purpose. Made my first mile an 11 minute mile, "respected the early hills" as my new friend Noelle told me to & got to the 3mile mark around 31 minutes.
I wanted to gradually pick up the pace & my goal all along had been to have a negative split - where my 2nd half (13.1 miles) was faster than my first 1/2.
I eventually got to mile 10 in 1 hour 39 minutes - right around where I wanted to be at that point - around a 10 minute/mile average.
I felt GREAT & nothing was hurting - not my legs, not my hips, NOT MY STOMACH -- thank God!
My nutrition plan was to take in sips of watered-down gels consistently, take 1 electrolyte pill every hour & sip on my very concentrated drink mix (Cytomax) and grab water as needed at the aid stations. Based on how good I felt the whole way through, I'd say my nutrition plan was a full-blown success.
At mile 13, the half-way mark, I called Trev because I had my phone & I felt great & wanted to let him know that! I got to this point at 2 hours, 9 minutes & was psyched because I was on pace for finishing under 4.5 hours, which was my goal all along.
When Trev answered he said "uh, oh - what happened?" I said "nothing - I'm just at mile 13 in 2:09 and feeling great!". He asked my why I was carrying my phone & I told him it was because I was on-call and have a mom who is due to go into labor at any minute! He thought that I had left my phone in my bag, DNF'd the race & was calling to tell him that! NOT SO! I was rocking it!
At this point, I felt so good that I really felt that my goal was doable.
I kept my pace - slow & steady - made every effort to be in each moment and really love it for what it was.
My music was awesome & really kept me entertained, too & I had so many people along the way cheering me on & cheering for "Team Beef". I felt like I was almost floating along at so many points.
Around mile 20, or so, I think - I saw my new friends, Noelle & Brian, & saw them cheering. They are so awesome! I am so glad I have gotten to know them & I was totally not expecting to see anyone I knew along the course...so, to see them out there cheering was really cool!
By mile 22-23, I did feel the fatigue setting in. I could sense that my hip went out and it was a tad funky, but it didn't really bother me. I just felt the exhaustion of being on my feet for 3.5 hours! I would say that this was where I hit the proverbial wall and the mental game ensued. But, honestly, the exhaustion & mental game were not even as bad as I had imagined in my mind ahead of time. I had a few quick thoughts about how I wanted to be done and how I was tired, but I knew I had it in me. I really knew it. I looked at my bracelet (which reads: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13) and I felt renewed and pushed on.
By mile 24, I knew I had it in the bag! I had gotten myself just under the 10 minute/mile mark around mile 17 & I knew that if I just kept going, I would be able to hit 4 hours & 15 minutes. Despite some rough final hills in those last 2 miles, I kept pace. I crested the final hill and then turned the corner onto Congress Ave - to see a downhill & the FINISH LINE!!! My heart leaped & I looked at my watch - 4 hours 13 and some minutes & then the sprint was on! I took off down the hill & knew I could make it under 4 hours, 15 minutes. AND, I DID!!
I sprinted & crossed the line in 4 hours, 14 minutes, & 45 seconds!
The feeling at the finish line was incredible! I found Trev, got a big hug & showed him my watch & my finish time.
I was so psyched! The goal had been to stay & average under 10 minute/miles the whole way & I did what I set out to do.
This race & my outcome was seriously one of the best days of my life! This understandably sounds cheezy and quite possibly the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever heard, but it was really that intense and special for me.

Primarily, it has given me the confidence to tackle the serious Ironman training that is about start. More than that, though, it has really given me the confidence that I can accomplish what I set my heart & mind to when I plan, prepare, train, and give it my all.

The Meaning of Life...at least for me....

Reading through Colossians in the Bible the other day - I came across this passage that I have read before many, many times. But, it struck me in a different way this time.
And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God...
Colossians 1:10
I thought - "you know, this is really the ultimate meaning of life. The true meaning of why we are here on this Earth."
Often I think about and ask myself - "why am I even here?" "Is there a point to our day to day life & the struggles that we endure?"
So, I read this scripture and find some answers to these questions.
First, what really is a life worthy of the Lord, what pleases Him?
Well, we get all the direction we need from the Word as to what kind of things please the Lord. We have Jesus as our ultimate model of a life worthy of the Lord. We have the Holy Spirit living inside us if we are a believer in Jesus & if we humble ourselves and quiet our spirits, we can actually hear the Spirit speaking to us -- giving us living directions at almost every turn in the road. But, the key here is really listening and being obedient when we know the Spirit has given us guidance.
Lately, I have been trying hard to do that -- to quiet myself & listen. And, to commit to being obedient. If we take each decision one at a time, living a life that is pleasing to God seems easier.
Second, what is the fruit that grows when we do good works?
I think good works are a natural outpouring of humbling ourselves before God & living a life that is pleasing to Him. As we strive to do this, good works come naturally!
Another scripture says..."do everything as unto the Lord". When we have our focus on God, I believe He gives us the ability to get our eyes off ourselves and onto others around us. He will give us the desire to love & serve others!
The fruit of the Spirit cannot be contrived or worked up. They grow out of a life and heart that seeks God. Remember the fruit of the Spirit? Love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, kindness, gentleness & self-control. We need to be doing constant self-checks to see what kind of fruit we are bearing. If we are not bearing the good fruit, then we must ask if we are humbling ourselves before Him & if we are living that life that is pleasing to Him.
Third, how do we know God & grow in the knowledge of God?
I think this the easiest of these 3 points that help us to know the meaning of life.
I really believe knowing God is easy. Easy if you are taking the time to do that, that is. Initially, before we become Christians, we don't know Him at all. We may believe there is a God (or not) but, the Bible says we can't really know, know Him until our spiritual eyes of understanding have been opened. Spiritually, we are dead before we come to know Him. And, to truly know Him, we must first accept that He exists and accept that we are sinners. From there, we can then know and understand that in order for us to have a relationship with Him, we must be reconciled back to Him because this sin that we carry does separate us from Him.
And the Bible says that there is only ONE WAY to have that reconciliation. It comes only from our belief in Jesus Christ. Believing that God sent His son to be the sacrifice - the bridge - we needed to get back to Him.
Finally, how do we grow in our knowledge of Him after we come to initially get to know Him? That's simple! We need to pray, to read our Bibles, and to worship Him. Simply put, we need to get our eyes off of ourselves and on to Him.
The answers to & the meaning of life are all found in Him. He really is the way, the truth and the life.
He is my meaning for living!

3M Half Marathon Race Report: The Hi's & Low's

Two words: PERSONAL RECORD!!!!!
That sounds kinda stupid to say, given the fact I've only done (now) 2 half-marathons, but it is a personal record, nontheless. WOOHOO!
Here are my hi's & low's from the race yesterday:
I think I'll start with the low's first - to get them out of the way...
1) It was FREEZING! Literally freezing at the start line. 31* to be exact. I had worn tights under my running shorts becauseI really didn't want my legs to be frozen while running, but after a short warm-up before the race, I realize I could shed the tights & be just fine. My legs were fine waiting at the start & then, of course, once I started running they were warm.
2) I had gastro-intestinal distress almost immediately after starting. It sucked so bad. I kept cramping & feeling the need to go to the bathroom. It wasn't until just after mile 7, that the cramps became overwhelming & I then had to stop to go. Man! Was I pissed about that. But, I went & did feel better momentarily. Just when I thought I would be home-free, though, the cramps came back again & I ended up stopping AGAIN just before mile 10. GRRRRR! I knew I needed to throw the hammer down after that to make up for my lost time with my potty stops. And, I did.
3) My sports bra scraped my chest during the run & caused a lovely little open wound that feels craptastic today. :o( Note to self: do NOT wear that bra on a long run again.

Now - for the HI's!!!
1) I got good rest the night before - which, is sometimes an issue for me before races. I tend to think too much about the race before going to sleep & then wake frequently through the night. Not this time, though. My sleep was great & uninterrupted.
2) I rode to the race with Mary Jo & Laura & we had fun talking in the car on the way.
3) I had a great playlist on my iPod and had exactly 2 hours worth of music to motivate me to finish under 2 hours so that I didn't run out of tunes.
4) I ran with Governor Rick Perry for about a 1/4 mile & got a picture of him with my phone while we were running together. My picture came out blurry, though. He does run with an entourage.
5) My legs & heart felt great while running. My hip got slightly sore after the half way mark, but it didn't hurt bad enough to keep my mind on it.
6) I hit my 4 mile mark in 34 minutes & then the 10 mile mark at 1 hour 26 minutes (which, my 10 mile time at the San Antonio 1/2 marathon was 1 hour 33 minutes). I was so psyched when I say those mile markers!
7) The downhill nature of this race felt great - I felt fast!
8) I got a burst of energy when I saw the 10 mile mark & knew the end was near!!
9) I had energy left to sprint to the finish line & finished the race in 1 hour, 52 minutes and 44 seconds.
10) My overall run pace was 8:36/mile (!!!!!!!!!!) For me, this is AWESOME!!!

And, no, I don't want to even think about what my pace would have been if I didn't have stomach issues & didn't have to stop TWICE to go to the bathroom. >:o(

Anyway, overall, it was a great race for me. I am so glad I did it!

NOW.....BRING ON THE MARATHON!!!

Tomorrow is going to be a BIG day!

After exactly 12 weeks of living in an apartment....we are finally getting to move back into our house!!
YIPPEEEE!!!!!!
So, tomorrow our carpet is going in & our POD is being delivered to our driveway.
I have been cleaning at the house all this week, getting prepped & ready to get the boxes out of the POD so I can put our stuff back in place.
One nice thing about having a flood that destroys the inside of your house, (and wipes out a lot of your personal belongings, and puts you into an apartment for 3 months....) is that once you get your salvaged personal belongings back, you can PURGE what your don't want, can't use, or haven't seen or touched in years!
I think this is really the perfect way to start out 2009. A good cleansing & purging never hurt anyone.
I am thankful that God has seen us through all this. And, I am proud of our family for weathering this storm. It has been rocky at times, but it is these things in life that make us stronger & ultimately bond us more closely to one another.
Next Christmas we can look back & smile & say...."remember when our house flooded & we had to move out for 3 months?"

A Treadmill PR (personal record)...

Is there such a thing? If so...I achieved one!
So, my best ever 10K run time is just over 54 minutes & today I did it on the treadmill in 53:33!! So, I totally know that is relatively pathetic compared to most people who run (and, run well) -- but, for me it is pretty good. It was 8:37 per mile pace.
My heart rate was in the upper 160's for the beginning & middle of the run & then went into the 170's for about the last 1.5 miles.
I felt strong today - probably because I had taken the last 2 days off from my workouts (hard to get a workout in when the kids are off from school & there is so much to do before Christmas...).
In fact, for today's workout, I actually did a 1.5 mile warm-up run & then did my 10K PR. So, in total, I did 7.7 miles. Just glad I felt good through it all. I totally hate those runs that are so hard & feel so terrible. Although, I do realize that those feelings are all apart of the training - they must come & even though they feel terrible, they ultimately DO make me stronger & more well-conditioned. Not to mention, those terrible "feelings" are usually no more than my mind trying to over-ride my body & tell it what to do. Rarely, do I ever really feel that bad...but, sometimes my body would just LOVE for me to stop running & my mind loves to chime right in and agree that the discomfort is too much to bear & that I should totally STOP.
I think a HUGE part of training (as I have found out over the last couple years) is so much of a mental game. Yes, it has a lot to do with how strong/fit my body is, but it also has a ton to do with how strong my mind is. And, I do find myself actually lying to myself during those hard workouts - where my body & mind are trying to convince me to quit.
When I am lying to myself about the pain of a particular workout, here is how the internal conversation typically goes:
Me: MAN! This hurts so bad! My legs are DYING! Ok, I am only going 1 more mile & then I am totally done!

Me to Myself: Legs - just SHUT UP! This is NOTHING! You are only doing a 6 mile run - think about all those people that run marathons & ultramarathons in training & preparation for Ironman races.
Me: Yeah, but those people are super-human. They have conditioned themselves to train for 3,4,5, or even more hours in a day. And I, am but a mere mortal!
Me to Myself: True...but, whatever I set my mind to do...I CAN do!
Me: Okay...I CAN DO THIS. I am not giving up & I am NOT cutting my workout short. If I want to get stronger, I have to put in the time.

So, you see....lying to myself actually DOES work...most of the time! I really WOULD be lying if I said that I never let my mind get the better of me, though.
But, this is a process. Both for my body & my mind. Everyday that I try my best, I really DO get stronger.

Some life updates

First, our house is finally starting to come back together & we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Colorful paint is up & the tiling of 3 bathrooms and the dining room should begin after Christmas. Once that is done, all that is left is carpet, some paint re-touches and all the final touches. It sure has been a long journey. Our house flooded on October 7th & we have been living in this apartment since the 3rd week of October.
We had hoped to be have the house fixed before Christmas, but it wasn't to be. The contractor says we should be home by January 15th. We will definitely ready to come home.
The kiddos are doing well & are looking forward to Christmas. Also looking forward to having a couple weeks off from school.

Journey to Ironman - Part 2

I'm starting to journal my workouts on paper again. I had done some of that (workout journaling) on the computer - here & there - but, I want to be consistent now on paper so that I have something tangible to look at to chart my progress with workouts over time.
And, speaking of time, where did the entire month of November go?! And, now here we are in December! Which means I am now officially under the 1 year mark to Ironman in November of '09.
So, now I am in "phase 2" of my training. I got my first half-marathon knocked out & now I am into half-marathon #2 and really hoping & praying that I can continue to train hard & strong over the next 8 weeks until the 3M Half Marathon. I want to train smart (Trev is helping me do that) so that I can stay injury-free and beat my time I had at the San Antonio Rock n' Roll 1/2. My goal is to actually break 2 hours & Trev thinks it is definitely possible. Ideally, for the 3M, I would like be at 1:55 total - to go under a 9 minute mile pace - into the range of an 8:50 or 8:55/mile pace.
I guess I should ask Trev if trying to take off 5 minutes overall is a bit too aggressive of a goal. I dunno. Just sounds like a great pace (for me!) and a nice round number!
I have been consistent with track workouts and working on my pacing and I have been putting in a lot of time running. And, THANK GOD, no aches or pains! Now, I just need to keep it that way.
"Phase 3" of my journey (I think....still have to consult Trev on this) will be immediately moving into marathon training....the Austin Marathon in February, to be exact. I just checked out that race website & it looks like I am gonna have to get registered for that relatively soon. Registration is already at 40%.
Well, I don't want to get too ahead of myself, especially since coach has not specified my direction for after the 3M. One step, one phase, one part of the journey at a time. I really don't want to think too much ahead and either psych myself out or burn myself out. Small steps will get me to my goal.
Writing this stuff down will help with those small steps, too.