Week 15, Week 14, Week 13 Oh My!!

Well, I must play a little catch up on the blog now that I have my computer back up and running. I have been running during all of the stages of the move --- from the packing, the loading, the driving, the unloading, and finally the unpacking. I am exhausted, but as I have learned from my training "it doesn't matter."


Let's start with the Pack Up
Week 15
(July 13th-July 20th)


My last training run in my neighborhood was fantastic. As I was making my way around my route I approached a couple of neighbors chatting. One of the neighbors stopped me and asked me (as if in amazement) if I was training for the marathon (she obviously read my t-shirt) when I answered in the affirmative the reaction from the various neighbors was all the motivation I needed! "Wow!" "You go girl." "That's incredible!" I took off like the runner that I hope to be one day. It was a great last run in our neighborhood and I was so glad that I got out there and completed it.

I missed one run during week 15, but I did complete two training runs as well as my long run for the week of 6 miles on the treadmill at the hotel. So, all in all a pretty good week of running.

Total Miles for Week 15: 12 miles


The Move
Week 14
(July 20th-July 27th)

Okay, so the achievements this week were not nearly as those of last week. Our household goods were delivered on the 22nd and truthfully the unpacking became my overwhelming focus. I ended up completeing only two runs this week. I did one training run and intended to complete a long run, but it became a training run of 4 miles rather than the 7 mile long run I had on my schedule.


How did this happen? Well, I got lost among the wines. No, it is not what you might be thinking. I charted out my 7 mile route and one of the neighborhoods included on the route was a neighborhood where all the road names are wine related. (Chablis Way, Winery Road, Wine Cellar Circle....you get the idea) Perhaps for most people winding one's way through different neighborhoods would not be a challenge, but I am directionally deficient. So, in order to prevent any "extra running" I carefully wrote down each and every turn and carried my directions with me during the run. In addition, I noted specific landmarks to alert me to each mile completed. (crosswalk--1 mile, stop sign in next development--2 miles, pool--3 miles)


I headed out for the run at 6:30am and was greeted by the humidity. I am still trying to get used to the early morning temperatures here in North Carolina. Everything was going swimmingly when all of a sudden I was in a panic. I was thinking to myself 'I know I passed the landmark indicating mile #2 forever ago where is the 3 mile mark? I could not figure out where I had taken the wrong turn. When I arrived at the end of Chablis Way I decided to turn around and head backwards to see where I had made the error. I eventually did find my route, but not after backtracking quite a bit. At this point I was drenched in sweat and totally off my pacing. All of a sudden, I saw David driving around the corner with an ice cold water bottle in his hand. I gladly took the water and a ride back to the house. I had already been out for an hour even if I wasn't sure how far I had gone. I decided that I would attempt the 7 mile run the next morning.


July 27th-August 3rd
Week 13
I completed the full 7 mile run this morning and I did not get lost this time. I was pleased with my time too considering the 80 degree weather and high hunidity. (even starting at 6am) I was able to finish the 7 miles in 90minutes. I took walk breaks as needed and I drank a lot of water before, during, and after the run. It felt great to complete the long run today. I did it and that DOES matter!!!

Here is the how the rest of week 13 looks:

3 miles Thursday
5miles Friday
3miles Saturday
8miles Sunday

Until the next entry...I'll be running.

Quote for Week 13:
“If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.”