Week Two

And only 16 more to go…I’m not sure if it’s the new training schedule or the heat (and humidity) but it sure seems like it should be week 6 or later!  Maybe it’s because we are also doing boot camp and Robert has definitely stepped up the class and made it harder.  We know we’re going to have to quit doing boot camp at some point, but it might be sooner than we think. 

It’s been fun seeing all the runners out and about again. We've split the running groups into morning and evenings since there are some (Alison) that just can’t get out of bed to run at 6:00 a.m. (Alison). 

We added one day of running to our schedule from the previous week so it was a pretty normal running week – nothing out of the ordinary except the humidity.  We ended the week with a great showing at the Head for the Cure race in Wichita on Sunday to support Donna Raschke.  We had several walkers and runners from Wellington proudly wearing our “Team Donna” purple shirts.  There were several of the runners who medaled and/or had a PR.  Congrats to all of you – WAY TO GO!! 

Thank you to everyone who reads the blog and gives us support along this journey – you truly are a blessing to each one of us.  

JB

Quote for the Day: "The thought of later in the day having to explain to myself why I didn't run that morning is enough to get me out the door." 

- Linda Johnson

First Training Week!

Our first week of training is in the books! This first week is actually pretty easy for us as we only ran 3 days. We have been running on our own 3-6 miles periodically, so this first week didn't seem very challenging to most of us. We ran 3 miles on Thursday, Friday off, 3 miles on Saturday and 4 miles on Sunday. The runs this week were pretty uneventful as far as the run themselves go. We are just working on consistently putting miles on our legs. The best part this week was seeing all the new people to join the group runs.

Our first day training we were joined by a big group of about 19 runners. It was awesome! We have some new faces joining us this training go round and it's always great to see new people wanting to get out and move! One thing that might hinder others to start running is the feeling that you aren't at the same level/age/ability as the others. There are many different abilities and ages of runners on our group runs. We have the speed demons aka Tracy, those of us that make up the middle, some joggers and then we have people that are using a run/walk strategy. The point is that if you're reading this and are inspired or thinking about joining a group run - JUST DO IT! We all started by taking that first step and that's the hardest part! Finding it in yourself to just get out that one time and do it. If you have two legs that work, you have the ability to run. Get your mind set, put your shoes on and get out the door.

The one thing that is so great about this group of people is how encouraging and positive everyone is. If you're the first or the last, you will have a feeling of encouragement by everyone! Being mentally positive is so important in running and when others around you help you feel positive, that's even better. If you tell yourself you can't, then more than likely your legs will agree with you. But if you tell your tired legs, "Hey, I think we can do this today" then those tired legs will follow you. Our minds are that powerful! Our ongoing theme for us is the motto "run for those who can't". Think of those people out there who only wish they could do what we are doing: slow, fast, crawling or whatever you choose to do. That is inspiring in itself.

Next week, we will be increasing our total mileage and running 5 days with 4 of those days in a row. This will be new for us and we'll see how our bodies hold up. We will run Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. See you out on the roads!

Alison, JB, Mitzi, Lisa and Stormie

Quote for the Day: (Another picture quote today)

WE'RE BACK!!!!

Well if you're reading this, you've heard the great news!! We are running the Chicago 2013 Marathon! WooHoo!! That being said....HOLY COW WE ARE NERVOUS!

Running 26.2 miles was probably one of the hardest things the five of us have ever done. However, it was also one of the most rewarding things we've ever done. To embark on a journey that involves so much time and dedication and to cross that finish line is something that you only know if you've felt it. So, we've decided to torture ourselves again for that feeling :) 

As with our first marathon, we've decided to raise money for the Run for Our Sons organization. JB, Alison, Lisa, Mitzi and myself will be considered charity runners for the Chicago marathon. We wouldn't have it any other way. We will again be running for Ethan and Team Higgie and this time, we all 5 are required to raise $1,000 for the race. This is something we will be fundraising for in the near future, so get your wallets ready :) It is our hope that maybe next year we won't need to run a marathon to raise money because they will have a cure or treatment. Here is a link to our Team Higgie page: Team Higgie 

Our first dilemma - TRAINING. This is by far the hardest part of running a marathon. It is very difficult to tell yourself that you are going to dedicate 5-6 days of your week for the next 18 weeks to run. That's tough. Anyone who has trained for a long distance race knows how taxing that can be on yourself and especially for your family. But again, it's the torture we put ourselves and our families through.
One thing that we've gone back and forth on is our training schedule. For our first marathon, we followed a strict schedule that included 3 days of running during the week and one long run on the weekends. It worked for us the last time, but we've decided to try something new this time around. We will be following a new training plan called the Hanson Marathon plan. The strategy behind this plan is that you don't have to kill yourself on one long run, you can get the same mileage by spacing it out over the course of the week. One thing that will be different for us is running 6 days in a row. And they throw in a speed workout on the 6th day. The theory is that we must run faster  when our legs are tired on that 6th day and that is simulating the end of a marathon when your legs feel as if they've grown roots. We will be completing our speed/strength runs on the track or in the street with designated distances and specific pace times. On this plan, the furthest distance we will run is 16 miles three different times. Again, we will still run similar weekly mileage as the schedule we followed the first time, it's just more evenly spaced between the days of the week. Mentally, this may be tough for us. It is hard to think that the longest distance we will run is 16 miles during training, but we will still have 10 more miles to go race day. So... we may alter the schedule a bit depending on how we feel?? 

Here is the training schedule if you're interested to see how it works. Just like last time, we would ABSOLUTELY LOVE to have some company on our runs. We are planning on doing most of our runs in the mornings since we are training over the summer, so hopefully some of you will be able to make a few. Remember, the first step is just getting out the door.

So that's the beginning.... we will update the blog each week with our trials and tribulations of running and life. Hope you check back and follow along with us on our second journey.  

Stormie, JB, Alison, Lisa and Mitzi

Quote for the Day: