The last long one - before the longest one!

On Saturday Jeff, Ginny and I did 19 miles! It is our longest walk before our full marathon in a mere 3 weeks! I was concerned because the 16 miler didn't go well due to foot pain and I didn't get in the full 16 miles. However in the time between that mileage and Saturday I have become smarter.... I pay attention to how the tight calf and foot is feeling and I STOP and take the time to stretch along the way to work out the problems before they become too bad to continue - because failing on race day is not an option!!

We started out our walk at 6AM - yes it was still dark and was for at least 1/2 hour. It was also amazing out there - the wildlife you see just before dawn is amazing! 100's of bunnies, several deer and a really cute trail kitty that talked to us when we went by! In the dark you just have to look over with your light and they are right there next to you - they are not really that spooked by you and they just sit and stare back!

After 4.5 miles we met up with our group that started at 7:30 and two of the ladies in our group had brought food and water for us to refuel and we started out again with our group for their 8 mile walk. When we came back and filled water bottles and ate again we set back out for the remainder of our miles. I really like chopping it up like that, made them go by a little faster (if 5 1/2 hours of walking can seem fast....)

This has been the longest walk that the hubster has ever done and I'm so proud of him!! After a reward of a cupcake we went home and made lunch and spent the rest of the day relaxing! on Sunday I woke up expecting to still be sore, stiff or at least something... nothing - I felt great!!

The next two weeks is our taper - we do 10 miles next week as our long one and then the week after just 5! On November 7th we will be in Morgan Hill and I will be there every step of the way as my husband completes his first full marathon!!

The Running Fairy Races!

I walked the Urban Cow Half Marathon on Sunday (My 7th Half Marathon - can you believe it??). I will in all honesty say that I got up the morning of the race and was half excited and half kinda feeling weird about it. I knew I was walking the race - there were no times to beat and it felt strange. One thing I did look forward to was coaching and pacing MJ to complete her first ever Half-Marathon! She did have a time goal in mind so it was our job to keep her on track and get her to the finish line. Her parents came from Oregon to see her and was at several places along the route with signs cheering her on. One thing they liked was they could always spot her coming - she was with The Running Fairy! Every time I got tired or sore or whatever all I had to do was think about MJ crossing the line with her parents there and how much crossing that line for the first time meant to me and I would get goosebumps and keep on moving!

As we made the turn into the park I was thinking very much about the first time I crossed that finish line. This race was my very first Half Marathon three years ago. I ran 3:1 intervals (meaning 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking) and I still remember crying like a baby before I even got to the finish line! As I looked at my time I realized that I had a good chance of beating that first time at this race - but this time I walked the 13 miles and ran only the last .1 over the finish line. Sure enough I did. My first Half marathon time was 3:23:12 and this years time is 3:23:06!

I was super excited about my time and then MJ was right behind me! I watched her cross the line and she cried - her parents were so proud of her - she was exhausted and emotional - I grabbed her medal and put it around her neck and we took pictures!

Here is our group! Ginny, MJ, The Hubster (Who beat his previous time by 7 minutes!) and The Running Fairy!What an amazing race and an amazing day!!

And the great thing is - In a month I get to do it all again - this time walking my second full marathon with my husband and seeing him cross the finish line of a full marathon for the first time!!

Question - What suffers when life gets a little crazy?

Answer - my blog!

An update of sorts of stuff going on in my life...

My Dad had surgery to remove the upper lobe of his right lung on the 20th - he is recovering well and the great news that we had out of this was they did a biopsy from the lymph nodes and they are cancer free! He is such a strong person and seeing him in pain was very humbling. If he can get through this - I can walk a marathon!

I did manage to weigh in within goal for the month of September (9/24) - it was a struggle as I did let myself get higher than I planned on yet again this month. Something else that suffers when life gets crazy is going to Weight Watchers meetings. I need those to stay on track!

Marathon training has had it's ups and downs as well. I have had some foot pain and after trying to do 16 miles and only getting to 12 I have tried re-lacing my shoes differently so that they don't hit the sore spot on the top of my foot. It has seemed to help for now, but the real test will be on Sunday (Oct 3rd) when I will complete my 7th Half-Marathon. I still plan on trying to pace my friend, but I also have a back up just in case I can't maintain the pace I need to help her meet her time goal. This race will be different for me since it will be the first half marathon that I will pretty much 100% walk and I won't be out there to better my personal best. I plan on going out and having fun and enjoy the ride! I even have fairy wings to go with my purple tutu for this one!!