Oh the Hills
Okay so I'm a little behind again on the blog. Last week I ran 5 miles with Melissa on Tuesday. Then I ran with Hayley and Brett on Thursday. It felt good to get out and run a different trail with them. The only not fun part was the hills. There were a lot of them. Most of them were hard but not too bad. Then at Glebe road there are 2 massive hills back to back. I thought I was going to die getting to the top of them. Then it was a matter of getting my breathing under control to continue the run. I was so impressed with myself that I kept going. I also realized that a burger and fries before a 5 mile run is not the best idea. I probably didn't give myself enough time to digest before we ran because I was trying my best not to throw up! However, I made it to the end with no problem and was glad to have it behind me! It was a challenge but so worth it!
A True Runner
If I ever doubted whether or not I was a real runner, Saturday's run proved I am. I mean who would run 14 miles on a snowy morning if they didn't have to. A handful of us got up early Saturday morning and headed out to the Mt. Vernon trail. We started at mile 0 and those of us training for the marathon ran out to mile 7 and back. At first it was just a couple of flurries but then it started coming down pretty good. By the time we got back to our cars there was probably 2 inches on the ground. During that run I had 2 servings of shotblocks and one serving of Chomps (I think they are called). I drank most of my water and Gatorade (the purple kind) and what was left froze in the bottom. This was my first real experience with things freezing. That includes my eyelashes and eyebrows. I had to wipe my face to keep the snow from sticking but my hands were wet so it didn't help very much. The windbreaker I was wearing collected a lot of snow and froze to me so I was wiping that off too. I was glad I had an extra hood on the windbreaker that morning because I needed all the help I could get to block the snow. I ran probably 11 or 12 miles with Sarah and a few other people. It was so good to have someone to run with and motivate me along. I tend to find the strength to go so much further. Towards the end we all ended up at different paces so I ran the last few miles on my own…praying my way up the hills! The night before I had a few pieces of pizza and for breakfast I had toast and a banana. I think that I had a good amount of food because I felt energized and good about the run. That is until the last mile when most of it was up hill and the last section felt like it was straight up. I did end up walking some of the up hill. I think overall I ran 13.5 miles and walked the other .5 off and on. I was so pumped by the end. That is a personal record in distance for me. I finished in about 2 hrs and 50 mins. which I was happy with considering the snow and hills! At the end Maggie had made cupcakes for my birthday so I shared them with some teammates. They were so amazing! I have such amazing teammates!
The picture is just one I found online of the Potomac River frozen over. It wasn't this visible on Saturday…a lot more gray and heavy snow but you get the idea. I wasn't able to get pictures that day but it really was beautiful. At one point I saw a bunch of geese or ducks huddled together in the river. Everyone was feeling the winter weather that morning. It is amazing how God shows us his beauty. Running as really allowed me to see more of that and also given me time to just talk to him. It has been a growing experience for me physically, mentally, and spiritually. I never thought of it before but it feels like running has given me the opportunity to put Luke 2:52 into practice, "Jesus grew in wisdom, and stature, and in favor with God and man."
Down Week
This week is what I'm calling a down week. I have not been able or really motivated to get all of my runs in. I am glad that I got a couple short runs in so that I can maintain. However, I am looking forward to a really good/challenging run. They are calling for 16 to 24 inches of snow for us this weekend and we got some snow Tuesday night so that has interfered with our running schedule. The coaches changed our Saturday long run to Sunday, which I can't do, but I will be surprised if they actually get to run with all of the snow. Now it's just a matter of figuring out when to run 16 miles this week! This winter has really been a challenge for us to train in but we are hoping it will prepare us for a great run during the race! Bring on the good spring weather…I am over the snow!
"Life is a journey, a marathon. It begins. It ends. We all finish the line. There will be no losers. Each of us benefiting from the richness of the journey. Sometimes, benefiting from the journey of others."
Excerpt from Janice Stahl in the booklet titled What Team In Training Means to Me
I'm excited to say I am running my first endurance event with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Please help me reach my personal goal of $2,000 by making a tax deductible donation at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/shamrock10/ashaff
Thanks for helping find a cure for blood cancers!
