T Minus 1 Week

Well well well, 10 days and no call? I know, I'm ashamed. And especially so close to the race?! So last we talked I had embarked on my morning run and was feeling good. And I still do, I just need to stay out of my head!

Now you finally know, I'm actually a feline. With DYNAMITE green eyes!

So here are the things I have pledged to start doing with t-minus 2 weeks to go for the race, and then the way I have actually handled them.

• I will start doing all my runs in the morning either before work, or when I get up on the weekend to get used to running early. I happened to get up early once this week before work and thought "what the hell" and went for a run. It was only 3 miles. And that was 3 non-morning runs ago.
• NO MORE DRINKING until after the race. I want pure liquids! I was 4 days strong (saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday) and John and I decided to go to one of my beer-specializing restaurants or dinner on Wednesday. They had Short's Bloody Beer on tap (which is SUPER limited release) that I LOVE so what choice did I have?! And since I had one I might as well have another...right!? And then I had an event to go to the next night at our Wine Bar (mmm Cabernet)...and then Friday called for a mixed 6-pack of "fancy beers" followed by the Red Wings game at my friendly neighborhood watering hole (read: cheap food/drink specials during wings games...$5.50 pitchers...I was defenseless). And my last "long run" today (8 miles) called for a celebratory beer, plus it was sunny and warm. But hey, I have a week to "purify" my system! RIGHT?!
• My diet will be immaculate. I will cook more out of my "Athlete's Palate Cookbook" and eat "superfoods" that will help with endurance, oxygen delivery to cells, protein, iron, and the like. Ehhhhhhh. My diet isn't all that bad, I cook well and make good meals, but when I'm out I eat fried everything with a big ol'slab of aioli (read: flavored mayo). I'm not TOO worried about this aspect, but I still have room for improvement.
• I will mentally prepare myself. Work in progress.

So I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty freaked out about actually doing this. I know I can do it, but I'm not going to be "okay" until I cross that finish line. But enough about my shortcommings (HEY-o, I'm 5'1, everything is a shortcoming!), let's get into the nitty gritty.

Saturday, 3pm, 10.5 miles, sunny/hot
So this was going to be my last REAL long run until the race (tapering). I had conquered 17 miles, and I was ready to get to that unreachable 20 miles. If I could hit 20 miles, I knew I could mentally get to 26.2. So my friend Zach (who I ran into here) agreed to come with me for a portion of my run for his long run as well. I was doing 20, he was doing 15, I'd do 5 before we met up, and then quickly knocked out a 15 together (HA quickly knock out 15...). So I went out, feelin good, but snap it was really hot out that day. And when I stopped to think about it, it was really the hottest day I'd run in since last year (in SF the 2 times I ran it was later in the day, so it was warm, but not overpoweringly sunny or particularly hot). And that made it TOUGH. It was only 45 min of running, but I was a little afraid how the next 15 miles were going to go, but HEY I was going to be running with someone.

When I got back Zach was there waiting for me, so I quickly ran inside, grabbed my running belt, and a swig of Gatorade, and we hit the road. He listened to his headphones while I opted to not use mine (which I've been doing more lately. I'm actually surprised at how much I've been enjoying the sans-music...maybe this will influence how I run the race...we shall see). Well right off the bat my face was RED

I was about 10,000 times less glamorous than this and 100 times more red.

I felt ok though. And what's funny is that by mile 3 (with Zach, so mile 8 overall) I started to get my stride and was feeling in the "groove." Quick swig of water here, pop a Shot Blok of energy there, boom, I was ready to dominate this 20. Then we hit the 5.5 mile mark and the heat was getting to Zach. It's ok, I've run 10.5 miles, it's ok if I take a little walk with him, right?! We walked for a bit and when we tried to start back up again his knee had tightened up in a painful way. We were at the furthest part of our loop (we had 4 miles back to my place) and the truth started setting in: we were going to walk the rest of the way home. He kept apologizing for the interruption in the run and told me I could keep going, but the thing was it didn't really bother me at the time (and plus, I wasn't going to leave him. I'd want someone to stay with me if the roles were reversed). We walked the 4 miles back, with the whole thing taking almost 3 hours. I was going to try to run another 6 miles or so when we got back, but I was so tired of being outside, I just came home and slept. I had even purchased new Shot Bloks and 2 Gu packs for the run. I didn't get to try my new running treats (I actually tried a Gu for the first time today for my 8 mile run...AND I DON'T LIKE THEM! It is gross and unsettling, and I won't have another one...unless it's free, then I'll eat it by the free-truck load!).

Paid for: ehhh. Free: Delicious!

As the day went on, I started getting really worried about this missed mileage. This was my last long run to train myself mentally to go through the pain. I know physically I'll be able to do the run, but it's a question of mental preparation at this point. I'm still worried about it to tell you the truth.

(Sidenote that has nothing to do with running: the day after this my sister and I cooked Easter dinner for my parents and John, and we actually did a great job! Homemade Gnocchi, Marsala chicken, roasted Asparagus, brussel sprout/red onion salad, matzo ball soup, and almond coated matzo for dessert. Yes, our jewish roots were coming out in Eater, but technically the Pope did pardon us from the actual crucifixion of Christ, so hey, we're in the clear).

I've had 4, 3 (the morning run!), 6, and 8 mile runs this week and feel good about those distances, but am still worried about the 26.2! I have 2 short runs this week with a 2 mile walk, and then it's racetime! I can't believe I haven't lost any toenails! Although I did have bloody snot after my run today...I literally have no idea where that came from (and it was a shock! It was shockingly gross).

I know I still have a week, but I've been doing a lot of reflecting as the big day gets closer. I'm so proud of myself that I've gotten this far, I actually trained and stuck with it during those AWFUL months of Michigan winter, ran (albeit only twice) during my vacation, forced myself to hit the mileage I needed (for the mostpart), and actually kept up this blog. Although I'm sure I'm my biggest fan, this outlet has really proved to be a great tracking devise for staying accountable. "I can't skip this run, what will I tell the blog!?" I'll try to stay posted more frequently this week, since I won't be spending my night running long distances or going out drinking.

I have 7 days. I can do this.