My workouts continue to taper before the race.  I tried to push myself on Monday, but as always, the first mile is a warm up for my legs and they never seem to want to go all out in the beginning.  I picked up the pace at the end and finished with a sub-10 pace, which isn't terrible.  I'm aiming for a 10:00 pace for the first half...I know I can't keep that up for 26 miles.  I'm shooting for 11:00 pace for the whole thing.  We will see.

I continued my Tuesday ritual - gym circuit - and am happy with my results.  I'm doing more of every exercise in each 30 second bout than the previous week.  I'm up to 13 pushups in 30 seconds.  I had a tempo run on Wednesday on the treadmill.  I ran two 10 minute runs at 8 mph or 7:30 pace.  Lots of sweat, but definitely gives me some ideas for summer workouts.

I had to dive again this week, so I considered 3+ hours of cleaning windows and the bottom of the hippo pool as enough to cover the prescribed workout.  And to round out the week, a nice, relaxing 6 mile jaunt past a pond with a six(?) foot alligator in it.

I'm happy he didn't come out of the water...and amazed that I noticed him only on my second lap.  :)

I'm feeling excited and anxious for the race.  I've prepared well, but it's been a long 4+ months of training and a lot has happened in my life.  I can't wait for London!

This week ended with the "Big One" - 20 miles.  But, before that...

The week started with an "easy" 60 minute run.  I ran at 9:55 pace.  Honestly, the beginning of this week feels so long ago that I don't remember much of it.  I think I ran the loop behind my apartment, at night?  In any case, the Garmin says I did it, so I did it.  :)  After work on Tuesday, I did my normal gym circuit.  Despite skipping it last week, I'm almost to where I was pre-surgery with the push-up number.  I'm at 12 in 30 seconds for the first go round.  I started dog/house-sitting for a friend on Tuesday night, so on Wednesday, I ran around the local golf course.  I tried to push it because I know it helps for the longer runs.  I ran at a 9:27 pace.  I lifted weights on Friday and then did not prepare well enough for me 20 mile run (in my opinion and in retrospect). 11:48

I woke up at 6 am on Saturday and fed the doggies, then headed to the Upper Tampa Bay Trail for the run.  Fortunately, a handyman left his headlamp at my apartment last week, so I had something for the first few miles - it was still dark out (and 64 degrees - red flag #1).  I wasn't the only crazy - there was one other group of runners, and I did see the ranger on his Toro putting the water out and clearing the trail.  I did have a bit of bad luck early on - at mile 3, my low battery indicator for my Garmin came on (red flag #2) - I squeaked another 6 miles out of it though and was able to find mile markers and time everything just right so I could figure out (and keep track of) the distance I was running.  The first 10 miles were pleasant - I watched the sun rise at mile 6.5.  And despite the sun disappearing behind clouds at mile 13 and remaining "cool," it went a little downhill from there - the run, not the terrain.  I needed to re-fill my water bottles at mile 14 (they lasted me 18 miles two weeks prior) - red flag #3.  I also stopped to use the bathroom at mile 15.5 (I kind of needed to go and I was advised to try it since I'm probably going to have to go during the actual marathon).  Side note: I've run three half marathons and never used the bathroom once each run started.  After each time I stopped, however, it was harder to get back into the running.  I pushed myself mentally until mile 18 since I knew I had run that distance before and even though I tried really hard to keep going, it felt like once I hit 18 I lost all steam.  I started walking at about 18.2 (I'm guessing since no Garmin) and walked until the end.  Even with the walking, I calculated with the time I had on my iPod that it was an 11:48 pace.

I have several thoughts about this run.

One, I suppose it is good that I experienced all of these red flags now and not for the first time on race day, but it was still a little disheartening.  Two, I realize I should have concentrated more on fluids in the days leading up to the run.  I did feel I ate well the day before, the morning of, and during the run (energy gels).  I just think more water would have helped...because...  Three, it was 20 degrees warmer than my 18 mile run and that didn't help at all!  I didn't even consider this because 18 came easier than I thought it would.  Four, London will help a lot - the crowds, the sites and the fact that it's an actual race, with other people running with me, and it's for the rhinos.  Considering all that, I'm happy, but I would have liked to done unbelievably well to give me more confidence.  But, then again, like I said, maybe I got all of this out of the way now to help me on April 13th.

This was a really good week - filled with a lot of running.  On Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, I stayed under 10:00 per mile.  I did the cross training as well - more of my circuit and weightlifting - I increased some of the weights on the machines and free weight exercises.

I was anxious all week for Saturday - the 18 mile run - what was (and is) the longest distance I have ever run.  The weather could not have been better - at 7:30 am, when I woke up, it was 42 degrees!  Very similar to the temperatures I will be experiencing in London in April.  I made the short drive to Flatwoods and started the run.  I felt shaky for mile 1 - this always happens, just my body getting into a rhythm.  The next few miles felt great - I ran the first half of the loop and sidetracked out to the Bruce B. Downs lot, then turned around to finish the first loop.  At mile 11 (the end of the first loop), I still felt good.  I had been drinking water every mile and had my first energy gel at mile 9 (when they give you the same thing in all the half marathons I've done).  It wasn't until mile 14 that I started to have to push myself mentally.  I had another energy gel at mile 13, but it was not filling me with anything extra.  I had enough in my tank to finish - it was just a mental challenge.  I kept telling myself not to look at my Garmin because I would look at it in disbelief that I was not farther along...i.e. I seemed to run 0.2 miles in like 12 minutes.

Regardless of my troubles, I finished.  I ran 18 miles in 3 hours, 9 minutes and 47 seconds (average of 10:33 per mile pace).  I also ran the half marathon in 2 hours, 15 minutes - a personal record!  Extrapolating from my time for 18 miles, my marathon time would be 4 hours, 35 minutes and 6 seconds.  However, my pace slowed the entire run (with the exception of a "surge" of speed at mile 11 and 12).  I'm aiming for under 5 hours as a tertiary goal.  Primarily, I want to finish.  Secondarily, have a blast.

Slightly less involved workouts next week.  :)

So, after work today I planned on driving home and walking the dogs - Stella (below left) and Sherman (below right), that is.  Well, I had made a large, print-out of my marathon training schedule at work today and figured I would write the dates to correspond with the workouts on it.  Luckily, I did...because I found out that TODAY was the first day of my marathon training!

I had been chugging along since my last race on Labor Day weekend, thinking 'December 1st...December 1st.'  To figure out when I needed to start training for my marathon, I had counted out 19 weeks back from April 13, 2014 - the day of the London Marathon - and got December 1st.  I miscalculated.  December 1st is in Week 1...but it is the last day!  A la Rick Perry...oops.

Like I said, I caught it before I headed out of the house, so a "walk" with the dogs became my latest step in my marathon quest, i.e. a 40 minute run.  I ran one of my usual routes near my friend's house - I am dog-sitting for her.  It is a 2 mile loop that I ran twice and to which I added an extra little doohickey (see above).  Technically, it was 4.09 miles and I ran it in 43 minutes, but that's including a pit stop for Stella to take care of some paperwork, which I dutifully picked up (I do not like dog owners that do not clean up after their dog!).  I did make her carry it back to the house on her collar.  I have my limits.

Hopefully, someone is reading this and if you are, welcome!  This is where I track my training progress for the 2014 London Marathon.  I am 16% of the way to my fundraising goal after only five donations.  Those people rock!  Please keep checking back here for updates and if you are feeling generous, donate to rhino conservation.  I will hopefully have t-shirts available here soon.

If not, it at least gives the illusion of being harder.  There is a small lake near his house and we run laps around it.  This is another refreshing aspect that reminds me of high school track - the laps, that is...not the small lake.  It does not look refreshing.

On Wednesday, I ran with my two friends with whom I ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February.  We ran-walked 8 miles, which involved Victoria keeping the pace - 1 minute running , 4 minutes walking.  It was a different workout for me - I usually just run - and it was pretty challenging in terms of my body not being used to that kind of movement.  Aerobically, I was in great shape.  My other running friend, Morgan,  is running a marathon in about a week, so this method is how she is tackling the second half.  She plans to run the first half.  At our pace, with this method, I would finish a marathon in 6 hours, which isn't bad considering my tertiary goal for London is under 5 hours - the first two goals being finish, and have fun.

Yesterday was my first day of dog-sitting for a friend and co-worker.  When I got to her house, I leashed up Sherman and Stella - her two pitbulls - and headed out.  This was my second run with Stella and Sherman.  She just adopted Stella from a rescue a few months ago, so I had taken her out for a test run by herself that month.  I run with a leash in each hand, with one dog on each side.  I ran past a school where kids were walking around a track and the dogs got lots of catcalls.  Sherman especially always gets the compliments.  Overall, a nice, diverse week of running.