LOVE.

Half marathon #1 is done and in the books...and let me just say, I. LOVED. IT.

It was the perfect length...just long enough that I felt super challenged, but not too long that I doubted I would finish.

For this particular 13.1 I had two goals: 1) Run the entire race (meaning no walking EVER), and 2) break two hours.
Goal #1 I completed with ease, the longest run of my life thus far and I could do it. I never even wanted to walk. (That's a lie...about mile 11 I was kinda hating life, but I knew I could finish).
As for goal #2...I ran 2:00.59...can you freaking believe that? I was 59 seconds over my goal time! GRRRRR...avoiding the numerous snot rockets I launched during that race would've let me go under two hours...ha! Oh well, Next time will be well under 2 hours, you can count on that.

And I definitely see many more half marathons in my future...but after running 13.1 and realizing I'll have to do twice that IN A ROW this summer...well...this just might be the only marathon I ever do. 26.2 is a long freakin way...just sayin'.

About two and a half months until my first 26.2...lots of work to do...but still totally looking forward to it. :-)

M.

Half #1

3 days until my 1st 1/2 marathon...

13.1 miles...

the farthest I've ever run is 12...

Who's bright idea was this?!


Oh yeah...mine. Oh boy. 

I am totally looking forward to it and completely dreading it all at the same time. 

My goal is to break two hours.

But two hours or not...I am going to DQ afterwards...and I won't be having the mini.

:-)

You be the judge.

So the boyfriend and I have the most extreme bet going on.

A super ab contest.

We each one month to totally transform our abs, the one who makes the most progress by June 1st not only gets to eat a delicious sushi dinner paid for by the other, but gets indefinite bragging rights! Not to mention killer abs just in time for summer. 


We decided to judge by before and after pictures. We were going to look at who's belly just looked plain better by June, but then Ty would totally have anatomy on his side. WE ALL KNOW it's way easier for guys to look in shape than it is for girls...plain and simple. Ty can eat a bag of chips and a pint of Ben & Jerry's and his abs will look better than when he started! Mine...not so much. It makes me wanna beat him up.

So you be the judge...here are our before pictures:

The next set will be posted June 1st. He is going down.

P.S. I need a tan.

Long time no see.

Hi, I'm Megan, and I am a slacker. 

Was my last post really a month ago???

Though I am one slackish (is that even a word?) blogger...I have not been a slackish marathon wannabe! Training has been going great! I have been religiously running and keeping up with my mileage (I even hit a 40+ week last week!). And I have been doing strengthening circuits. I really feel great, and my legs are starting to look and feel like they did when I was running track in college. It feels good to be back :-)

In fact...on a whim two weeks ago I upped and signed up for my 1st half...and it's next Saturday!

I'll be running the great Idaho Potato Marathon...my very first 13.1. 

I am SUPER excited, and altogether scared outta my mind. 

I'm crossing my fingers for sunshine...and a tailwind during my last 5 miles...I'm gonna need all the help I can get :-)

Peace. 

Saddest run of my life.

I might as well get right to it...today on my run a dog ran out of its driveway to come say hi to me. He was so cute and white and scruffy. I loved him at first sight. Then...I saw this dog get run over by a car. :-(

Oh. My. Gosh...

I couldn't believe it. 

A car just so happened to be coming down the street when the dog was running out of its yard, and slammed on its breaks a split second too late. The poor pups leg was stuck under the front tire of the car...

I frantically banged on the lady's car window and was yelling at her to back up her car. 

When she did we saw that the doggy's fur had been all skinned off it's lower leg, there was blood everywhere, and he definitely couldn't use it. He limped back to his owner and laid down right at his feet. 

I ran over to the owner to ask if there was anything I could do to help...maybe go grab his phone or something, I wasn't sure what I could do but I felt soooo sad for the dog and the owner. The owner said the dog seemed fine (like in no danger of dying or anything, phew!) but he thought it had a broken leg. He was going to take it to the vet. He kept saying "I should've closed the gate". 

The rest of my run my heart felt super heavy. 

I thought of Zoe and how I would feel if anything ever happened to my lovable, big black pup. uhh I don't even like to think about. 

Well white scruffy dog, I hope you're doing okay tonight, and that you got enough pain killers than you are sleeping peacefully by now!

And Zoe...you should listen very carefully when I tell you to stay on the sidewalk!

Good girl,  Zo :-)

...and folks, please train your pups :-)

Slump no more.

I hit a running slump for the past couple weeks.

And I beat it!

I spent the weekend reading a ton of stuff about marathons...training tips, gear, injury avoidance, how to fuel, blogs of other first timers like me, and did some major reflecting.

I spent a lot of time this weekend talking to my friend Kelly, who ran her first marathon in Hawaii when she was 13...yes I said 13 YEARS OLD! Can you believe it?! That is amzaing.

Anyway, she has  been running marathons ever since and in 4 weeks this 40-something is running Boston...her lifelong goal. Just last Thursday she ran 20 miles to prepare...which was a whopping three hour tour for her (did I mention it's winter...and she does all of her runs outside...and she lives in Cascade where it's freezing!?) She is the bomb.

And my spirit is renewed!

This is something I totally want to do. And I was letting my busy schedule get in the way and not making running a priority. While some days it totally sucks to have to lace up the old shoes and go run, I would definitely rather do that then run through 4 hours of pure torture come race day. So I am a newly-motivated-meg for now...and for good.

Here is my training schedule for the week:

Monday: 30 min. cross train
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 4 miles. Post run: hip strength routine
Thursday: 6 miles. Post run: back strength routine
Friday: 30 min. cross train (I am thinking I'll hit the pool this day)
Saturday: Same as Wednesday
Sunday: 8 miles. Post run: Back strength routine
...and I mix hot yoga in when I can make a class with my crazy schedule. Did I mention I LOVE hot yoga?...it rocks.

:-)

Peace.

Love me...love me not.

Most days I LIKE running. I enjoy getting my workouts in, and especially enjoy the way I feel after the run is done. My mind is clear, my body is the right amount of tired, and I am definitely in a better mood. Ask my roommates...when I don't workout regularly, I am not fun to live with...a certain b-word comes to mind!!

If I am lucky, once a week I LOVE running. I'll turn my IPOD to Train or Cee Lo Green, find my groove, and chug along like I could run for hours. I'll look around and admire pretty lil' Boise and smile at people that pass...and I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing. 

Then there are days like today...ones where I absolutely hate running (did I accentuate that hate enough?). I know if I am having one of these days right when I wake up. I battle with myself all day, really not wanting to go run, and kicking myself and feeling guilty that I am being such a sissy. 

I'd be lying if I said I loved running all the time. Some days I dread it. There are even days where I would rather CLEAN than run (and for those that know me know that I am as messy as they come).  

Today I laid out every excuse in the book not to do my 6-mile run. "I had to coach...I was hungry...it's cold...gotta catch up on homework...I'll just run tomorrow instead." And here I am tonight, with no run under my belt, and...well shucks...now it's too dark to go! ha. 

Though I loved LOVED LOVED running track in college (it's really true, I did), I finally, for the first time I can remember, feel totally free. and it feels good :-) 

For the first time in my WHOLE LIFE I get to pick the days I want to run. And I listen. If I am totally not down to run one day, I just won't. It's important to me that running never becomes a chore. If it's a chore, I'll end up hating it more than I like it, and that's no good for my mood (or my pant size)! 

That way, when I am 85 years old I will still (hopefully) be chugging along to "Hey Soul Sister" on my iPOD doing something I truly like (and somedays love) to do. 


Tomorrow I will run. 

Peace :-)...and adios to Paige, who is in Spain. 

P.S...last Monday...longest run of my life so far! 12.44 miles in 1 hour 41 minutes. Hurt like heck but I did it and kept pace. High five :-)