2nd Marathon Complete

This past Sunday, Andy and I completed the Tacoma City Marathon, our 2nd marathon each, and we had an amazing day of running. For Andy, he had followed an aggressive new plan, with the hope of running a sub-4 (under 4 hour) marathon, and he made it! My plan was to run just under 5, but the very warm sun that decided to come on out to play giving us record temperatures, held me back and brought me in around the same time as my first marathon (5:37 or so...). I was and still am disappointed by that time - my training was such that I should've finished in 4:55 or so - but, a lot of people were tapped out by the sun and came in with later times than they were used to, so I'll be satisfied with what I did, and happy, happy, happy that I was able to run it, complete it and have family and friends cheering me on! Wahoo!! God is so faithful, and I'm continually amazed that He has given me the ability to run these races, even when they are hard, long and arduous! So thankful for His gifts!

The course was absolutely beautiful (a new, less hilly course this year), and I thoroughly enjoyed running over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge at the start of the course. Apparently, my legs did as well, since I was clocking 9:47 and 10:05 miles for the first 3 or 4 miles (MUCH, MUCH faster than my intended pace - oh well!).

Click the Tacoma News Tribune link HERE for some cool pictures of our race!

32 days until #2 marathon

It is officially 32 days until my second marathon! I'm excited, terrified and nervous. My training has been up and down and all around due to a number of issues. I had foot surgery in late December and was unable to fully run until late January. When I started running, I was doing great until I got knocked off my feet in early March with the nasty flu/cold bug going around. It took me down for over a week and getting back on my running feet took nearly 2.5 weeks. I ran 14 miles this last weekend and somehow before that run, I'd injured my left foot/ankle causing it not to hurt when I ran, but to swell up massively after my run and for several days after. Five x-rays later and the foot/ankle looks okay even though I'm still experiencing some swelling and minor pain.

I'm due to run 17 miles this weekend and 20 the following weekend. The last two weeks will be a nice taper down leading up to the race. Four weeks seems like a short amount of time, but it is really the hardest part of my training schedule. I'm praying that I can make it because the Tacoma City Marathon people changed the course this year and last year's uphill course is history. The new course is a net downhill course that includes running over the Narrows Bridge.

If my body can hold up, hopefully my mental game will hang tough as well. Hopefully in four weeks time, I'll be posting new marathon pictures! Wahoo!

Sweet Onion Tartlets

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! I hope you all had a fun-filled, relaxing day! We are so very blessed in so many ways, and it's wonderful to have a day to acknowledge all those blessings and thank God for them! Our day was lovely. It began with a turkey trot in the morning where I PR'd (personal record) and Andy got third in his age division! We decided that the boys would be coming with us next year. Then we came home, cleaned up, I wrapped up the cooking I'd begun the day before, and we packed up and headed over to our friends' house. The afternoon/evening was spent in laughter, games, food and fun.

I brought an appetizer to share, and these were yummy to the tummy! I can thank The Farm Chicks for that, since this recipe came from my The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen cookbook.

Sweet Onion Tartlets
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter (1 & 1/2 sticks), softened
1 3-oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup AP flour
4 cups quartered and thinly sliced sweet onions
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 large egg

1. Make the crust: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter and the cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the flour and mix until well combined. Scoop the mixture into 24 heaping teaspoonfuls and roll each into a ball. Press each ball into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased mini-tart (muffin) pan; set aside.

2. Cook the onions: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the remaining 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, stirring until melted; then add the onions, stir in the sugar and salt, and saute over medium-low heat until golden brown and caramelized - about 20-30 minutes. Divide the onion mixture evenly between the 24 tartlet shells.

3. Bake the tartlets: Combine the cream and egg in a glass measuring cup and whisk until smooth. Pour into the tartlets, dividing evenly. Bake until the filling and crust are golden brown - 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer the tartlets from the baking pan to a serving plate and serve warm.

Sound to Narrows 12k

Saturday, Andy and I ran the Sound to Narrows 12k. For those of you who don't speak kilometers (and I didn't until I started running), that's 7.45 miles. This course was interesting because it actually was part of my marathon course...one of the more difficult parts. Translation: it was hilly! But beautiful. I wasn't running for a time goal - I'd never run a 12k in a race before, so I didn't have any benchmarks to go against, but I wanted to go out, run well, have a good time and maintain a respectable (for me) pace. I finished in 1:22:29, which is just over an 11-minute a mile pace, which I'm pretty happy with considering the hills. Best of all, I was out getting exercise, which is greatly needed (see my previous post about peanut butter cookies), and hanging out with my husband who ran extremely well, especially considering he's coming off an injury. Our cheering section was our friend Dave who snapped the above pictures!

Marathoner

At the finish line, happy to be done and to be among family and friends!

Happy Monday! Yesterday, I officially completed my first marathon! 26.2 miles run on a beautiful day, with family and friends cheering me on, posted at various points along the route, and at the end to cheer me through the finish line. My friend Tori popped in at about 21.5 miles and ran the last 4.5 miles with me, and it was amazing how those last 4.5 miles FLEW by. She talked my ear off (which I asked her to do, so as to take my mind off the pain and mental fatigue), and besides learning more wonderful things about her, I was actually engaged in the conversation. We just happened to be running, and I just happened to be finishing the longest run of my entire life. I'm not fast, folks, by any stretch of the imagination. I follow Kara Goucher on Facebook - she's an amazing elite runner who, along with Shalane Flanagan and Desi Davila, qualified for the Olympics - and she posted a while back that she went out for the longest run of her life...just over three hours. No doubt she ran at least 30 miles or so, seeing as she can run a marathon in around 2.5 hours. Well, my marathon time was 5:37:41. That's a LONG time to run! I'm not fast, but I finished, and I couldn't be happier. My body on the other hand is a little cranky today, but I hope to be less sore by the end of the week.

My best friend, Brita, who ran the Rock-n-Roll 1/2 marathon with me last year, came all the way down from Kent to be at the finish line and cheer me on! I'm so grateful for all my friends and family who gave me endless encouragement from start to finish during this time. I COULD NOT have done this without them!

My boys and Uncle Dave (close family friend) held wonderful motivational signs (You're feet are hurting because you're kicking butt, Go MOM!, Motivational Sign (not kidding - that is what the sign said), and others) along the course, cracking me up and giving me tons of 2nd winds! More than anything, I felt God's hands during this run, holding me up, keeping me steady, and breathing new life into some seriously tired feet and legs. Isaiah 40:29-31 ran through my head through much of the race:

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I'm proud to walk in my sister's footsteps (my oldest sister Kirsta ran the original Greek marathon as a tribute to my father), to run where my father would have if he was still alive, and to honor my God with praises and thanksgiving during that run yesterday.

This morning, I added my 26.2 sticker to the back of my car! WAHOO!!

Marathon Update

It is officially one week until the marathon! Next Sunday, I will be stepping out at 7:30 a.m. and running the Tacoma City Marathon! I'm so many things right now: excited, nervous, scared, thrilled, ready, grateful...the list goes on and on. I've been training for so long, and now the race has finally come near!

I will be posting all about it next week!

24 miles...well, kinda

This weekend was my last big run before the marathon on May 6. I begin my slow 3-week taper (in running language, that's when you back off the long runs in anticipation of THE long run...aka, the race) now with small 6 and 7-mile runs on the weekends leading up to May 6. The day was GORGEOUS! God blessed us with a day in the mid-60s and plenty of warm sunshine, but not too warm. Andy, thankfully, was well enough on his foot to be able to ride his bike with me for the planned 24 miles on the trail. We headed out early and got going.

I was trying out these new compression calf sleeves that basically look like socks but don't go over your feet (see picture above). I've worn compression tights before, but not these new sleeves. The run was good until about mile 17 or so. My calves all of sudden felt completely separated from the rest of my body. They didn't hurt, but they didn't feel normal. Of course, this is really all in my head. That's my challenge - the mind games. From 17-22, I was hurting pretty badly. I whined, mostly to myself, a little to Andy, and a lot just at running in general. At 22, I was done running. I walked for 1.5 miles at that point while Andy rode to the car, loaded up his bike and picked me up (I'm so very blessed with a husband who was willing to do this - he's never ridden a bike more than a mile or two). So, I did 22 running, 1.5 walking, but that still leaves 2.7 miles that I will need to do on race day. Hmmmmm...I'm hoping adrenaline and the inability of someone driving the car to pick me up on the course will push me through to the end. And I won't be wearing the compression calf sleeves. :)

I did walk away with a lovely farmer's tan, which I will gladly accept. And my recovery was better than after my windy 20-mile run I did several weeks back. On Easter Sunday (HE IS RISEN!), my knees were still hurting a bit, but by Monday, they were in much better shape, and I was able to do a normal workout. Today, I ran 3 miles and felt great! So, I'm looking forward to May 6 with trepidation and excitement. I do believe this will be the only marathon I will ever run. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I don't think it's going to happen. I think 1/2 marathons and 10-milers might be more my style. I can get a great running workout, enjoy myself and not feel like I want to die by the end with those shorter distances. But who knows? I'm sure happy this thing is coming to a close. I am running the Sound to Narrows on behalf of my work in June, so that gives me something smaller to keep working toward.

One more exciting thing about May 6 being right around the corner? I get my 26.2 sticker to add to my car!

1/2 Marathon #2

This last weekend, I ran my 2nd 1/2 marathon (actual race - I don't count my training runs). It was a small race and the proceeds all went to Rally Until a Cure, which supports research to fight childhood cancer. It was cold and rainy, but not windy, so I was pretty happy. The race began at 8 a.m., and my goal was to shave around 30 minutes off my previous race time. When I ran the Rock'n'Roll in June 2011, I finished in 2:59:55, so I was shooting to finish in 2:30:00 or less, which meant I needed to run around 11-minute miles. I typically run 12-minute miles on longer runs, and 9 to 10-minute miles on shorter runs (3-5 milers). Andy loaned me his Garmin which tracked my miles, and allowed me to stay on track.

The final result? 2:33:11 - just short of my 30 minutes, but pretty darn close! I gotta say, it was my cheering squad that did it. Andy and the boys drove around in the rain all morning and every time they could pause on the trail to see me pass, they did so and cheered like crazy! Other racers and race officials thought it was great, and encouraged my cheering squad to keep it up. It was awesome! When I was finished, I was soaked through...I must have gained 5 lbs. easily with the amount of water in my hair and clothing. I promptly ordered a lightweight, rain-resistant running jacket from REI today so I don't have to wear a sweatshirt next time. I'm hoping it's not raining during the marathon in May, but just in case, I will be prepared!

20 miles

This weekend did not allow the typical amount of cooking that I usually get to do because I was running 20 miles on Saturday. T-W-E-N-T-Y miles. Yes, it's as long as it sounds. The day was COLD and super windy, with winds up to 20mph that blew the entire run. It took me a bit longer than I wanted (I was shooting for 4 hours and landed at 4:22), but I chalk that up to the wind and my sudden desire at mile 18 to QUIT!!! Oh my goodness - if it wasn't for little Nathan cheering me on and reminding me that I could do it, and the knowledge that I would HATE myself if I stopped at 18, I would've been done right then and there. But I soldiered on and finished! Whew!

I run a 1/2 marathon (13.1) in two weeks, and then on March 24, I will run 23. A couple weeks after that, I will run 26, and will then let my body rest with short 7 milers for three weeks, and then MARATHON day will be here! I can't believe it's so close. It's freaking me out a bit. But in a good way. I'm looking forward to getting it over with, and yet, not.

My body is taking a bit longer to recover from this run than the previous long runs, so I'm trying to take it easy on my workouts until I have recovered properly. My early morning workout today was a bit of a wake-up call for my legs, but they managed to pull it out. Tomorrow, I will tackle 2-3 small miles and see how I do.

I hope to be cooking some new stuff this week, and tomorrow, my menu planning begins in EARNEST for my favorite upcoming holiday, St. Patrick's Day! More to come on that.

Superbowl Party

Our annual Superbowl party kicks off in a little over an hour! What am I making for this shindig? A couple of good old reliable standbys! DIPS!!! (and dessert)!

I'm making my black bean salsa and guacamole...who needs anything else?

We're also having hot fudge sundaes with all the fixings! Yum!!

I ran 17 miles yesterday (my most to date) and burned 3,500 calories just during the run (my whole day amounted to well over 5,000 calories burned), so I might indulge (within reason) a bit today, however, running that 17 miles helped me remember that getting these last 35-40 lbs off my body will only help me on these long runs and will make my recovery a bit better.

Hope you enjoy the day! It's in the 50s, sunny and gorgeous here!

Marathon training update

Well, we're heading into the larger mileage portion of the marathon training. Yesterday I ran the most I've ever run - 14 miles, and due to our large snow/ice storm, I had to do it indoors! I'm NOT a treadmill girl...in fact, mentally, I can't get past running on a treadmill for more than a mile or two. I'm not sure if it's the consistent pace, the idea of going nowhere, or what, but it pains me. Fortunately, the YMCA has an indoor track, and while it's not the most scenic of views, there are windows, and I can look out them while I run. Six laps on the indoor track at the Y equals one mile, so I slogged through 84 laps to get to my 14 miles yesterday.

Normally, I do my long runs with Andy, so I don't wear headphones because we talk, or listen to nature, or whatever. But when I'm alone and indoors, I like having music. Alas, it was not to be, as my headphones crashed on me a mere six laps into my run, so I ran 13 miles with no music! ACK! But God is faithful, and He has given me a body that has the ability to run, run, run, even if it's not Grete Waitz, Kara Goucher, Shalane Flannigan, Desi Davila, Deena Kastor-fast! The last two miles were difficult, but by my last lap, I just stopped my endless mind chatter, and prayed, and thanked God for those 14 miles, for that last lap, for the ability to be running, for the last two years of working on getting my body into shape enough to be training for a marathon, and He carried me through that last lap like it was nothing.

In two weeks, I'll be up to 17 miles. Going from 14-17 seems a HUGE leap for me. But, I hope to run it outside, with my trusty running partner, Andy, and run, walk or crawl, I'll be thanking God for the chance to do it! I'll keep you posted as we edge toward 20, 23 and finally 26, all before the May 6 deadline for the Tacoma City Marathon.

Love this poster!

Found this poster on Facebook, and it just spoke to me. CRACKED me up actually. This last Saturday, I ran 12 miles. That's the most I've ever run straight through - no walk breaks (not that they are a bad thing - just trying to see how far I can go without one), and amazingly (for me), only one bathroom break. On the 21st, I have 14 miles. Then 17. Then 20. 23. And finally 26. All leading up to the Tacoma City Marathon on May 6. I run a couple days during the week - just short 3-milers. Anyhow, thought I would share this. We could all use a little humor in our lives!

Marathon Training Progress

Thought I'd give a quick update on how the training for the marathon is going. All in all, it's going pretty well. I've decided to train for it as if I'm running the entire thing. I'm not opposed to taking a walk break or two if I need it, but for now, while I'm at the low mileage, I'm running through all my training runs. This weekend, I was due to run 7.5 miles, but I needed a change. Andy and I headed down to a local trail and ran 8.32 miles. I ran the whole thing, which was awesome for me, because it's the most I've ever run straight through at one time (because I ran/walked the 1/2 marathon). I felt pretty good most of the way through. My next long mileage is 9 miles, which should be pretty easy considering I completed the 8.32 this weekend.

We had a nice day for running. It was definitely overcast, but the rain never came out and the sun poked his head out near the end and gave us a nice smile.

Meanwhile, the weight loss continues! This last couple of pounds seems to have made a noticeable difference in my face (I didn't notice) as everyone keeps saying something to me about it - which is great! Still pressing on - hoping to reach that 100 lb mark before the end of the year. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'll keep running!

Wobble to Gobble 5K #7

Today, Andy, my friend, Tori, and I ran the Wobble to Gobble 5K in Auburn. This is the same course Brita and I ran in February in 21 degree weather! Today was a bit warmer - around 35 degrees. Since I began this running journey in January, my goal for a 5K has been to get down to 30 minutes. My January time was 40 minutes. I've progressively moved that time down and down, and today, I set a new PR (personal record) of 32:48! Almost there!!

We had a great time! Now to find a 5K for December...if I can find one, I will have run a race 10 months out of this year...not quite my goal of 12 (one for each month), but pretty close! I gotta say, running with a lot less weight is substantially easier! Who would've thought? :)

Tacoma City Marathon - May 6, 2012

Let the training begin!! Andy and I will be running our first FULL marathon together (well, kinda) on May 6, 2012. (Andy runs the whole time - I will be following a run/walk ratio similar to what I did in the 1/2.) The Tacoma City Marathon runs a beautiful course throughout Tacoma, down into Pt. Defiance and back around. We've been wanting to find a marathon for next year since my big sis decided against Big Sur in 2013. My right foot is giving me signs that it will need surgery soon (prob 2013), so I figured the sooner I get going on this marathon, the better.

Yes, I'm terrified.

Yes, I'm thrilled.

Yes, I'm a little crazy. I personally think anyone who runs 26.2 or more is a little (or a lot) crazy. But I can't pass up the opportunity to do this. After running the 1/2 last June, I've been thinking about a full. They say that less than 1% of Americans run marathons. What a cool statistic to be a part of...plus, I get the 26.2 sticker for my car to go on top of my 13.1.

So, I'm full boar into training already. I follow Jeff Galloway and he has a beautiful 32 week training plan. The last two weeks are post-race, so I have exactly 30 weeks until the race, with last week being week 1 of my training. Galloway has his runners and run/walkers (that's me) run the full 26 before the marathon. Why? It's mental, but it's also physiologically proven to aid muscle memory (among other things) on race day. Sounds a bit crazy, since most marathon training plans stop at 20 miles in training, but that sounds crazy to me. I can't imagine having run only 20 miles during training and then running 6 more during the race. Yikes!

I'll be posting my progress on the blog as I go along, so if you're not into the marathoning, just skip those posts.

Call me crazy. Go ahead. But soon, you'll be able to call me a MARATHONER.

Chugga chugga chugga...I think I can, I think I can

Brita sent me this picture that her husband took at the half marathon...I love it because we both look like we mean BUSINESS (we are the ones in orange!!)! She's got her head down and is focused, and I'm working back there, pumping the arms, trying to push through! This was right near the end...we could see the finish line and after 13 long miles, we were able to sprint (or near-sprint) in! Pretty cool!

Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon COMPLETE!!!

From left to right:
Andy, Karin, Brita, Dave


Well, it has been crazy here, and I knew it would be, but after six months of manic training, yesterday, I completed the Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 marathon from Tukwila to Seattle! 13.1 miles down the hatch!! We had a ball! It was difficult but fun. Brita and I ran together through the whole thing, and we did our 6:1 run/walk ratio (6 minutes of running, 1 minute of walking) through the majority of the race, but during the last two miles, which have been our Achilles' heel during our training, we decided to run it completely. This led us to reach our goal, which was to finish in just under 3 hours! We made it...barely! We crossed the line together at 2:59:55! Wahoo!!

Andy ran it as well and finished in 1:55:07! I know...disgusting and AMAZING!! Our friend Dave ran/walked it as well and finished in 3:25 or so! It was a great day for all four of us!!

9.5 miles and counting...

Yesterday marked my longest running day ever on the calendar - 9.5 miles! Normally, my friend Brita runs with me but she's taking care of her knees so they don't cause her future problems, so I was on my own. Andy started out with me, but he runs the entire time and I run/walk. Typically I will run 6 minutes, walk 1 minute, run 6, walk 1 and so on. This 6:1 ratio seems to be a really good fit for me - thanks to my oldest sister Kirsta who advised this (she ran the Original Greek Marathon in Athens a couple years ago).

The day was pretty clear for WA (meaning, no rain and you could occasionally see the sun) and the temperature just about perfect (around 55). We'd mapped a course around 9.76 miles and took off. A little more than 2 hours later, I arrived back at the starting position - tired, but feeling great! I managed to keep my 6:1 ratio through most of the run, doing one 8:1 when I was feeling great, a 2:1 on a hill, a 3:1 on a mini hill and two 5:1s near the end. All in all, I was very happy with how it went! I'm still overweight by about 80-90 lbs so the fact that I could get out there and run with the best of them was an awesome feeling!! In fact, when I got home, my body bugg that I wear to tell me how many calories I burn, told me that I'd already burned over 3,000 calories that day and it was only 2pm! I ended up burning around 4,700 for the day - the end result being that in one day, I lost a pound! Add that to the three I lost last week, and I've moved back into a weight category that I was over 10 years ago! Wahoo! My jeans come up and down on me without unbuttoning! Time to move down another size. That means I've gone down 4 pants size and 4 shirt sizes! It feels great!!

Today, it's sunny and is supposed to reach 67 degrees!! So, Andy will come out to the courts and play some tennis with me (my FAVORITE!!!)! Can't wait!!!

LOVE it!!!

I saw this on my friend Corina's blog and TOTALLY had to steal it! As one who constantly has to remind myself that I don't care how fast other people are when I'm running races, this poster spoke to me!!!

5K #3

This morning I ran my third 5K and it was great! For the first time ever, I ran the entire way without stopping (3.1 miles!!!), AAAANNNNNNDDDD I beat my time by over 2 minutes!! Woo hoo!! The race was not super organized and we started 30 minutes late...but that did give the sun time to break through the super fog and warm us up a bit. I was concerned when we got there and it was still 32 degrees. My ER doc said not to run when it freezing or below, but it got up to a nice 47 degrees before we got out of the car and walked around. Andy and Brita ran with me - they both broke their previous records as well! It was a beautiful run next to a rushing river, some cute cows and their new calves and the GORGEOUS cherry trees that were in full bloom!

Next month is the Seahawks 5K in Renton with Brita and then the 10K in May in Tacoma (also with Brita), all leading up to the 1/2 marathon in June! Woo hoo! If you'd have asked me at the start of the year, if I would have completed 3 5Ks by the end of March, I would have said, "NO!" But here I am, running, getting faster (and smaller) and feeling GREAT!!