Gobbledygook

More running stuff…
I just got finished reading a book about training for your first marathon. My next door neighbor loaned it to me after I asked her a question about her completion of a marathon last year. It was an interesting read, in that it mostly talked about positive attitude, mental imagery and other tricks to get through tough runs. The book is for first-timers, so speed is unimportant – its more about completing and ‘winning’ in your own mind. I found it to be very helpful on my 6 miler yesterday. I had a hard time getting into my run and didn’t hit my true stride until about the fourth mile. I tried some mental imagery which is very hard to keep focused on for long periods and my mind tends to wander. Here's a peek into Amy's ADD mind…

“A is for awesome, b is for brian, no wait, b is for bustin’ it out this morning. whatever happened to busta rhymes? what was his song? okay c is for, wait have I passed the dead mouse yet? oh man I would freak out if I stepped on him. what if I did? would I scream? what if I wake people up? how embarrassing okay what letter was I on? d is for driven. hell yeah I’m driven, baby. its 5 am. I rock. ooooh, there’s my knee. oh look at the moon – come run with me moon, guide me. sh*t, pothole. if I twist my knee in a damn pothole this far in I am going to cry. wait, positive, positive. okay, driven, I am driven and I AM a half marathoner. I am strong. my body is fluid. spit. ooops, sorry old man, you ran by just in time to hear my loogie. thank god I spit to the outside. wow, he’s got great form. are his damn feet touching the ground? he’s got to be 70. I just got passed by a 70 year old. okay amy, follow, drop your arms like him. hey a helicopter, are they following me as I lead of the boston marathon? there she is ladies and gents – amy, 4 miles ahead in the boston marathon. what a sight."

So, that’s about a half mile’s worth of gibberish. You can see that focus is a bit of a problem for me. Still loving it, though. It’s a fight, but I win almost every time.
Here’s my new favorite running quote:
“People can’t understand why a man runs. They don’t see any sport in it. Argue it lacks the sight and the thrill of body contact. Yet, the conflict is there, more raw and challenging than any man versus man competition. For in running it is man against himself, the cruelest of all opponents. His adversary lies within him, in his ability, with brain and heart to master himself, his emotions and his pain.” – Glenn Cunningham
My other favorite?
“Run like you stole something.”

The Countdown is On

Well I am officially signed up for the KC (Half) Marathon. Eek! I am very excited about it – and a little nervous as well. My training is going great, although I think I should be running longer distances than I currently am. Hopefully I can step it up in the next couple of weeks. I have plenty of time left (13 weeks), but the training schedules I’ve looked at say I should be logging about 17-27 miles a week, with one 10miler in there. I’ve only completed a 6 miler as my long run. Hopefully next week I can log an 8 and get more on track. At this point, if I were to run it tomorrow (which I couldn’t!) it would take me at least 2 hours and 20 minutes. So, I am also hoping to improve my time as I get more endurance logged in. Hopefully that just ‘comes’ as I begin training harder. We’ll see. They say rookies shouldn’t be concerned about time, but 2h20m is a long time to run! On Saturday I am running in a SIDS 5K for a friend of mine. I hope to beat my current always-a-10-minute-mile streak and break 30 minutes. My adrenaline and fellow runners should motivate me to speed up some. Am I boring you all? I hope not, because this is my ‘big thing’ right now and will probably continue to talk about it! Wish me luck. And if you see me red faced and panting along the side of the road, give me a shout.

Run Forest, Run

Just wanted to post a quick update and some new pics. One is of Hattie on the 4th in her pigtails. I have been waiting so long for the day when I could do them! She looked so damn cute and they stayed in (almost) all day. We had a great day at the lake and then went for fireworks near our house. HP clapped and cheered for them with her cousin Marley...she had a blast.
Promise to add more soon, but works sucks right now and I am so busy I barely have time to catch my breath. For I job I like, I sure do HATE work right now. Ugh. Anyway, no one wants or needs to hear about that. I did run 5 miles this morning and am feeling pretty good. If I ice my knees when I get home they don't yell at me for very long. I have 5 more days to decide if I am going to attempt the half marathon in October. I am leaning heavily towards 'yes' right now, but that is an awfully long way for a rookie like me. I'll try 6 miles this weekend and then make my final decision. Enjoy the pics.