1/2 Marathon Monday, Part 9: Two Weeks to Go!

I ran 11 miles on Saturday!

I know for those of you who read this and have run a full or even half marathon before that probably doesn't seem like a great big deal anymore, but it was my first time and it's a pretty cool thing to be able say. Even my husband was impressed!

It really wasn't that bad either. Really.

I've come to enjoy my Saturday morning long runs immensely. They are actually my favorite of the week for several reasons. I think, partially, that I enjoy doing them because there is no pressure to get back to the girls. Scott is taking care of them and that stress is completely off my shoulders. I also enjoy the drive to where ever it is we are running. I usually eat a Luna bar on the way over and I listen to some music...sometimes I pray. It seems like a less painful start then running right out of my house and starting from my driveway...it's like swimming in a warm water pool instead of jumping into cold water and then needing to get used to it!

Also, and I never thought I'd say this, but I LOVE the commrodery. I've always been a solo runner... other people's paces distracted me, I like my music, I liked to be in charge...that has changed with these long runs. I ran 11 miles without my i-pod! I enjoy meeting other women and chatting while we run. It has been fun to discover all of that!

So, aside from being surprised that I can actually run 11 miles and can run with people and without music here are a few other things that have surprised me along the way:

1. Gear Matters! This morning I went for a 4.5 mile run and it stunk! Want to know why? I had a bad sports bra on, I forgot to grab a baseball cap (which I like to run with) and I grabbed my old sneakers because my new ones were momentarily missing!

Truly, it is evident by my wearing of my old sneakers how much I needed new ones. It felt like I was pounding barefoot on the ground!

I HATE spending oodles of money on good bras...good sports bras are like $40...but after this morning...I may need to lay down the money. Sorry to be crass, but I don't want to be thinking about my boobs bouncing up and down while I'm trying to get a good run in!

I love hats. They block wind and sun. I don't like the sun shining in my face making me feel like I have to squint.

For all of these reasons, and probably others, I had a crappy run this morning. ONe thing is for sure...if you can at least get some of those things out of the way by using the right gear you are starting on surer ground for a better run.

2. Just because you can run 11 miles doesn't mean anything less will always be easy. My long runs, as I said, have been some of my best. Perhaps it is the mental preparation I do before hand. I know I need to stretch, drink a lot of water, not eat too much and prepare myself to be dedicated to the distance. The shorter runs I can tend to not treat as importantly and they end up being harder sometimes- like this morning. It is just like life- you have good days and bad days...

3. You don't lose oodles of weight just because you are running 20+ miles a week. This has been by far my most disappointing discovery! I was hoping my remaining 15 lbs. of remaining baby weight would just melt away! Not so much. I have dropped a few lbs. and am slowly seeing changed in my body shape, but it has not been dramatic. I find myself being frustrated when I try my smaller jeans on and saying, "Lisa, you're running your butt off, why is it still there?"

Oh well.

I think I need to address my diet more specifically. I LOVE to eat and was hoping that all this running would mean I didn't need to watch my portions and late night eating, but that is NOT the case.

So, that's it for today. Those are the things I have found to be most surprising on this new endeavor.

Oh yeah, and that those sports beans I talked about last time are really great! I pop a few before my run, eat a few during and then sometimes a few afterwards. They really seem to help keep my energy up. They sell them at most sporting good stores...they are made by Jelly Belly. We were joking on Saturday that they're probably just normal jelly beans with fancy packaging...but I do think they're a little better than that!

Training for this week will be as follows:

Monday: 4.5 miles
Tuesday:  weights + 3 mile run or elliptical
Wednesday: 4 mile run
Thursday: 6 mile run
Friday: rest
Saturday: 9 miles
Sunday: stretch and weights