It's Not a Sprint...

As soon as I hit "publish" on my Marathon Journey Training post I quickly realized  I left SO MUCH out. I went back and changed journey to training because I feel like that word fits better. I gave you a snapshot of what I did in training to run a marathon. Yes, training is a very very very important part of a marathon journey, but it's not the only part. So, I've been brainstorming and here are SOME of the many moments, that added to the love of my marathon training during my running journey. Thing is...I know I'm going to hit publish and think of more, but here is what I've got...

*Craig, Lisa, and Lilly gave me a bracelet right when I started training that had a charm with the quote, "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon." It was a gentle reminder that this was going to take time, that this was going to be a process that required patience. 

*Ruth placed water bottles in a tree on Frankfort Avenue for one of our long runs. Thankful for that! 

*Kelly's husband was our very own aid station and met us with water and oranges not once, but twice. Thankful for that!

*I was ecstatic when someone asked, "How far are you running tomorrow?" and I could say, "Only 10" or "just 12." It sounded so rude, but it was so true in the big picture. I never imagined that 10 and 12 miles would feel so manageable.

*Leigh, Ruth, and Kelly were ALL out of town for our Saturday 20 miler. I was nervous to be alone, but Lorri and Jim adopted me for the day and openly welcomed me to run with them. Thankful for them! They were awesome mentors for our training group!

*If it wasn't for Leigh asking me to join her and Ruth on a cold Wednesday evening, I would have been left alone. I remember we ran 4 miles that night and I instantly felt comfortable and an "official" part of a running community. Thankful for that!

*I never thought I would literally run giant circles around the city or Louisville. Did that!

*I appreciate our training coordinator Solomon for being the most genuinely nice, positive and encouraging person. I couldn't have asked for a better person to lead us. He helped me view myself differently as a runner. He helped me see myself as an ACTUAL runner. When he would say, "You guys are awesome" or "You guys crushed it," he made me feel like I was important and more that just a person in the back-of-the-pack. He helped me break down the feeling of being in the back as a negative feeling. In reality-I now know (and truly believe) it's okay to be in the back. That doesn't make me any less of a runner.  

*I never thought I would run the length of Eastern Parkway or Frankfort Avenue. Did that!

*This is going to sound super silly, but I always wanted to be a person comfortable running on Bardstown Road. I wanted to fit into that culture, but never felt comfortable. Now one of my favorite route goes right down it. 

*I never thought I would run outside with temps so cold that my water bottle would literally freeze.

*I learned that training requires certain things to feel safe. I am now an owner of a head lamp and blinking lights.

*I am thankful for the time Leigh surprised us with chocolate milk. I didn't even like chocolate milk, but I learned to.

*I learned to never miss a Monday.

*I learned that Vaseline works wonders.

*I trusted my training. I followed what I was told. 

*I learned that champions are made on Wednesdays. Wednesdays were tough. They consisted of hills, tempos, intervals, and the worst weather always seemed to be on Wednesday. 

A dark and cold hill-repeat Wednesday. 

*I never thought I would run warm-up miles before a race much less run more miles after a race. Did that!

*I learned that fueling is important and what works for others may not work for you.

*I learned the value of stretching.

*Cross-training played a huge role in my confidence level. Thanks Heath! 

*I looked forward to our weekly emails that had a quote that gave inspiration and motivation to keep going. 

*I learned that not all runs are going to be great runs.

*I learned to embrace the rain.

Seeking out puddles. 

*The thought of running miles 3 miles in the middle of a marathon in Iroquois Park was intimidating. Practice is important-not just for the body, but the mind too. We went ahead of time and ran the loop multiple times.

*I missed 2 maybe 3 Thursday runs and I almost panicked, but sometimes a break is needed.

*There are some hills that really get me. Dog Hill (on the golf course side) is a tough hill. Every time I made it to the top I would say that a little piece of me died, but after a while I decided that every time I made it to the top a little piece of the hill died! Perspective can change a lot. 

*My initial goal was to embrace the marathon training and to simply finish. Now my goal is to be better! I'm gonna do this again. :)

*I am inspired to pass along all of the support I received on race day. Who wants a sign?!?!

*I learned it's important to figure out what your stomach can hold before a long run. 

*I almost always saw someone I knew on a long run Saturday. That was motivating.


*I enjoyed talking about my goals because ultimately I had to hold myself accountable for achieving them. I ran the miles, I put in the time, I did this. Now, I could not have done this without my support system! I included as many people in my journey that cared to be a part of it. That helped me hold myself accountable. If someone asked me about running, I wanted to be able to be honest and proud. 

*I learned that towards the end of training you can mark any type of Saturday plans right off your calendar. Not much is going to get accomplished after a 16 miler or more.

*It was reinforced that you can not worry about what others think of you.

*I learned to be thankful that I am able to run and that when we run it's important to run for those who are unable. 

*Ryann gave me the cutest pre-race gift. She is wise beyond her years.

*You can laugh all you want at my car sticker, but that will just add fuel to my fire. I'm proud of my sticker. 

*I realized that I should have joined a training group sooner. 

*A girl I work with, Lindsay, randomly left me awesome running quotes in my mailbox! I am thankful for those. 

*As more moments pop into my head, I'll add them to the list. 

XOXO-Kim

Marathon Training Snapshot

I'm ready...

September of 2015 I was running the loop at Cherokee Park and stopped at the top of dog hill. I sent my sister-in-law a text that said, "I think I'm ready." I started my running 2.0 journey A YEAR prior and was already in a rut. I ran the Fall 2014 race series and the Triple Crown in Spring 2015. I managed to run 650 miles for the year (which was a huge accomplishment), but something was missing.  I wasn't getting any better despite the number of races I had completed. Heck, I didn't even know what it meant to "race." 

On January 1, 2016 I announced that I set a goal to run the Derby Festival Marathon. I had no clue what I was in store for and I NEVER in a million years would have imagined that I would have enjoyed my journey as much as I did. I chose the KDF Marathon because of obvious reasons.... 1. I could force highly encourage all of my family and friends to line the course (they didn't disappoint). 2. It's my hometown marathon. 3. I've been inspired so much from handing out oranges for a long as I can remember at this race. 4. Did I mention my friends and family could come?

This was on the wall at Fleet Feet when I signed up for the training group. 

To get started I joined a local training group at Fleet Feet Sports. My sister-in-law trained for her first marathon with a group and I thought it would be a positive move for me to push forward in the mountain I was committing to climb. I adopted my SIL as my personal "coach." She answered any question I had and gave me a huge amount of support. I quickly realized that I had been missing out on being a part of the wonderful running community in Louisville.  A community that welcomes all shapes and sizes and all paces. Looking back now, this sounds so silly, but being a back-of-the-packer was something that made me REALLY anxious. This journey has not only transformed the way I view running, but the also the way I view myself as a runner. I remember signing up and Solomon (training coordinator) said, "It'll be good. It'll be fun." At that moment, I didn't believe him. I was terrified. 

My journey "officially" started January 9th with a six mile run. I walked into the store and was a nervous wreck. I knew I could run 6 miles because I had followed the advice of my SIL and built up a little base. Those 6 miles were lonely. I didn't branch out and I fell right where I thought I would-in the back. It's my own fault. The next week we had a time trial and I ran 2 miles in 19:26. I was SHOCKED! It also gave me a push to be better because I saw I was capable of doing better. Before that run, my brother told me, "You are not running hard unless you feel like you are going to puke." (That advice has stuck with me 6 months later and I used it when I ran a mile time trial last week, but that story is for a different day.) I wasn't going to be able to do this alone-I couldn't continue going to the store and running alone. Luckily my SIL (I guess I could call her Kathy) and her friend (well, my friend too) Brittany encouraged me to branch out. I started talking to people and reaching out through the Facebook group. I quickly found a lot of friends that shared in something that I enjoyed and that shared a common goal.

Basically, the rest is history. No really, Leigh, Ruth, and Kelly quickly became my close-knit running partners, but there was a collection of many more that I could turn to at any time with any question. I saw them 3 to 4 times a week for large chunks of time. We learned what it was like to "race" and push ourselves to new paces and distances. We learned about each others families, careers, what we wanted to eat after our long Saturday runs, and so much more. I learned that I do enjoy running with others.That idea was totally foreign to me and one that I PUSHED away for SO LONG. It's a regret. Yep, I am 100% owning up to a regret. I regret not making any running friends family sooner.  I learned that I can set goals other than to "just finish." I learned that water is oh so good for you (duh!). I learned that a good nights rest is so very important. I learned that if you eat mac-in-cheese (because it sounds like a good spring break treat) that it will make running 8 miles really tough (Ruth got me through that one.) I learned that waking up early on a Saturday morning is therapy-straight up! I learned that running teaches you so much about yourself. Honestly, it's hard to put into words, but running changed me and for that I am thankful. 

Here is my training in a nutshell, because at the rate I'm going....this could quickly get out of control. 

Per the guidance of  Fleet Feet; training consisted of 2 "normal" running days, 1 long run day, 1 type of running workout day, yoga sprinkled in, and I included 1 day of cross-training. We were given a schedule to follow along with some guidance and motivation in a weekly email. Three of our 4 run days were from the stores with routes already made. I definitely enjoyed branching away from my neighborhood. I tracked all of my activity on a calendar and picked a new bit of quotespiration for each month. 

January: 
89 total miles
Long Runs: 5, 6, 8, 10

"Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most." Fleet Feet wall

Our first long run!

February:
117 total miles
Long Runs: 14, 10, 16, 9
14 and 16 were new longest distances!

16 miler photo op! 

Anthem 5K 29:51 (Holy schnikes, a 5K in under 30 minutes. Who am I?)

Sometimes you are proud of what the watch says. #fact

Craiger completed the Triple Crown!

"Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try!"


March:
130 total miles
Long Runs: 18, 12, 20, 13
18 and 20 were new longest distances!

Seems that all of our long runs in the rain were a prep for the big day!

Rodes City Run 10K 1:03:06 That's definitely a 2.0 journey PR by nearly 5 minutes. Now, I need to chase a 1.0 journey time from 2003 of 58:25. I didn't even know I ran in 2003!
Papa John's 10 Miler 1:44:46 PR of almost 19 minutes from last year, but even better because it even beat my first PJ10M from 2008 of 1:47:01.

"It never gets easier, you just get better!"

10 Miler PR's

Boyce began her 2.0 journey after having a major knee surgery! 

Cutest cheerleader! 

April: 
138 total miles
Long Runs: 22, 18, 12, 10, 26.2!
KDF Marathon 5:34:37 PR!!!! 

Our last taper run took us past the finish line.

We almost blew off the bridge, but this was one of my favorite long runs!

Our 22 miler took us way over to IN.

The Big 4 Bridge became our "friend,"

"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up." Babe Ruth 

The BIG day!

                              
I could not have done this without my sister-in-law putting that little spark (that I wasn't even sure I had) in me. Because of her encouragement I ventured out. Then as I ventured out, I quickly realized I couldn't have done this without SO MANY others from Ruth, Leigh, and Kelly to my students asking me how many miles I have to run, or the weekly text messages from Brittany, or the phone calls from my cousins...I SERIOUSLY cannot name how many of you inspired me to keep working towards my goal. It wasn't easy and it's going to continue to be tough as I set more goals, but it's all about the journey and I am thankful running has become a part of my life journey...again.

                                      

This is what Lacie thought about marathon week. 

xoxo-Kim

Seems that after this reflection, I'm going to need another post of the actual marathon itself. :)