And we hit 17!

The marathon is 78 days away and I still cannot mentally fathom running 26.2 miles for fun.  But come to think of it, I couldn't fathom running 13 at one point and now 13 is nothing!!

Today was the start to conquering the demons.  On the way to our run this morning it was raining and overcast.  The sky over usually sunny Diamond Head was dark and the rain didn't dissipate as we got closer to our run start.  As we started our ascend of Diamond Head the rain began to fall harder.  I don't run in the rain had been my mantra for many years but today I embraced the rain and said, "the rain will keep me cool and from over heating and dehydrating...just don't step in any puddles!"

So I ran hard up that first hill and kept my mind strong and focused.  A quick glance at my Garmin showed that I was hitting a nice pace of 10 minute miles and I decided to see if I could keep that pace the entire run.

When we got to triangle park I stopped to fix my sock that had fallen off my heel and bunched at my toes and to take a gel.  I wanted to try a new fueling strategy--fuel before I needed it.  I ran the next few miles strong--the ascend up the front of Diamond Head to Kaimuki Middle School and down to Kahala to Kalanianaole Highway.

I was nervous about the highway because the rain was falling hard and the sun was shining.  Sun reflecting off of a wet surface meant crazy visibility for drivers and we were running with our back to traffic for the next 5 miles!!!  I wanted to keep the pace fast so that we could spend the least amount of time running this way.

Jumping over the puddles on the wet sidewalk and road was not fun and neither was the busses, cars, and bikes whizzing by us.  We passed the two beach parks and ran on to Holy Trinity Church which would be our turn around.  On the way we ran past running friends and other friendly runners who seemed happy to be out running.  It amazed me to see so many people out in this horrible weather pushing themselves, talking story, enjoying time with friends.  Amazing!!!  The rainbows that decorated the sky also gave us a lift.

On our run back the rain continued to fall and we were now sprayed face on by the cars whizzing past us.  We ran past our Grey Group and gave them high fives.  We had an uneventful run back to Kahala and as we turned left by the Gas Station and Golf Course we were still running strong.

As we got to Kahala we were surprised to see one of the Japanese Billionaire's parcels of land decorated with new statues (they weren't there before) and even more surprised when we saw him inspecting them.  Mike stopped to take a picture of him because it was almost like a celebrity sighting!  At this point the rain dried up and the harsh sun slowed us down a bit.  This stretch back up to triangle park is one that challenges us more mentally than phyiscally even though the ascend to the park is also tough.

Once at the park I gave Mike some pep talks and mantras and we set out to conquer Diamond Head.  We were doing totally awesome on time--keeping our 1o minute pace and a full 15 minutes ahead of our 16 miler a week ago.

At the base of Diamond Head I felt strong and decided to run up hard. We did so at a 9:15 pace and once at the top we cruised down finishing at the Queen Liliuokalani statue which is the Marathon Finish Line.  16 miles done, time to spare we added a cool down walk/run to make it a strong 17.

I ONLY ran 16 miles today. CARZY?!!!

Today I voluntary ran 16 miles in 3 hours.  At mile 14 I asked the hubby, "How long is the marathon again?"  because in my haze of heat I couldn't for the life of me remember if it were 24 or 26.  24 sounded too short, and 26 too long.  Surely I would not have signed up to run 26 miles for fun.  Make that 26.2.  When he replied, "26."  I stuttered, "You mean after we finish these 16 miles we still have to run 10 more?!!!!

At that point I could not fathom running 10 more miles.  It was hot, I was tired. The blister on my baby toe hurt.  My joints hurt. I just wanted to tank a gallon of gatorade or a whopper, or an extra large acai bowl from Blue Hawaii Lifestyle.  Something, anything other than run 26 miles.

Today was the first time that I understood physically what 26 miles meant and I was still 10 miles away.

Marathon is in less than 90 days.  I am going to work hard, bust my ass, and do this.

Revelation

Tonight's late night run revealed to me just how much I have come to love it. Feeling the strength of my body rebound against the pummeling I gave it on Sunday made me feel so satisfied. I have been searching for this challenge all my life and I am grateful to have found a passion that pushes me to challenge myself every day.

Windward Half Marathon

You know you are nuts when you search the internet for races to run.  That is how I learned about the Windward Half Marathon that is a fundraiser for the Boy's and Girl's Club.  I'd never run in Kailua before, the Boys and Girls Club is a great organization, and at $40 bucks the price was right!  I rallied the troops and we signed up.

Being that this was my third Half Marathon and I have been wracking up the mileage for Marathon training I was hoping that this would be a great race.  I studied the data collected from my Garmin and came up with a racing strategy.  Totally ridiculous, I know.  To make a long story short I needed to 1) Run under a 10:00 per mile pace, 2) Start strong, 3) Account for a long course and Garmin in-accuracy, 4)  Account for a new course.

I was up to the challenge!!!!  So, we went out to dinner Saturday night to have our favorite pre-race meal and prayed for good weather (there had been flash flood warnings all week).  

Being that we all live on the West Side we all had some issues with packet pick up and getting to the site. Small dramas aside we made it to the starting line, lined up at the no mat area and were startled when the horn sounded without warning.  Gun time, CRAP.  Start running!!!

The hubby and I set off on a nice pace.  9:45.  This was a comfortable pace for me but I wasn't sure how he would fare.  He usually trains long mileage at a slower pace but I knew that he would be up to the challenge.  At about mile 1 I realized that I needed to use the bathroom.  I had never had to use the bathroom on a course and I was worried that this little feeling of the need to pee would escalate into a full blown emergency.  I began scanning the route for a public bathroom that would be open at 6 am in the morning.  At about mile 3.5 we saw a bathroom and hubby asked me if I needed to go.  We have known one another since we were 15 and its uncanny how he can read my mind some times.  The bathroom was located at a park down about 20 stairs and I decided I'd better go for it.  I took off down the stairs as fast as I can, ran in, peed, and sprinted back up the stairs.  I checked the Garmin and saw that we had dropped to a 10:45 pace.  We needed to make up the time.  I increased the pace and we were off.

We were able to get back at the 10:00 mark and I eased up a little since we still had 3/4s of the race to go and I knew nothing about the route.  Speaking of the route it was pretty much un-makred, un-manned and open to the public.  There were times we were running against traffic and with traffic with cars whizzing right by us.  There were times I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to press the button to change the light.  It was NUTS and surprising that no one was injured in the race!!!

Anyway, I can't tell you much about the middle miles because I don't have mental visual markers in my mind to re-call what happened.  I can tell you that the lake smelled, there were nice houses, and a few hills.  I can also tell you that it was hot as hell, humid, and there was ZERO shade!  I don't sweat much in my runs but with this one my arms were dripping and I kept having to wipe sweat out of my eyes.  And to think I was worried about RAIN?!!  Rain would have been welcomed on this run!

So I will fast forward to mile 10.  At the start of the race Mike and I saw our arch nemesis (who we don't know) that we have seen at the past 2 long races.  We saw her at the start and she took off and I told Mike don't worry because we'd see her at mile 10.  At about mile 10 I lost Mike who was having shoe issues.  He had to take off his shoe to empty some rocks out.  When he did I saw that he had holes in his socks.  All I could do was shake my head and keep running.  Anyhow, back to the nemesis.  The whole race I was scanning for her and at mile 10 I saw her in in bright pink get up.  Target was acquired and I was ready to take her down.  I gained on her easily as she was beginning to slow down. I passed her and knew that she was toast.  I really hoped that Mike had seen her and would pass her too.  Call me crazy but I almost took my phone outta my pocket to call him and tell her to keep running hard because he was going to pass her!!  Anyway, I didn't because that would be nuts and I had a PR to smash!

With about 3 miles left I began calculating.  If I kept up my pace which was about 9:45 I would be able to PR.  I needed to run the remaining three miles under 10 minutes.  I began using every mantra I could muster and it was a full blown conversation in my head (I run without music).  I kept pushing hard, kept willing myself and mostly kept wondering where the hell the finish line was (I am super bad with directions and have no sense of space or place...unless it is a shopping mall!).  I kept acquiring targets and passed about 15 people on the last stretch (note to self, next race count how many people you pass).  I knew that this is where I am strongest and I told myself to truck it.  I passed one man who was totally suprpised and shouted out, "Good job!" to me.  I laughed to myself because I knew he was probably swearing about getting passed by a girl at mile 12.

Mile 12 took forever and I was running out of gas.  I should have taken a 2nd gel at mile 10 (I took one at mile 5).  I willed everything that I could and ran as hard as I could.  I crossed the line at 2:07:12.  A new PR by 4 minutes.  Pace of 9:43 per mile.  Victory!!!!

I drank some water and just missed getting a finishing picture of the hubby coming in at 2:08 (damn he's fast!).  I then did what any other obedient student would and ran two more miles for my Marathon Clinic Training LSD.  It was supposed to be 16 miles total but the blister on the bottom of my foot was nagging me so I didn't push it.

After my extra run the girls got together to do our pictures.  It's always a great time running with these friends of mine and I am so thankful to have them with me on this journey.

Mike and I went to Sam Choy's after and I had a great time breaking all my rules at the breakfast buffet.  It was a great day!!!

Never in my wildest dreams....

Those of you who know me know that I am a task-oriented person.  Before I set a goal I really weigh whether the goal is within reach or not.  If it's not realistic then I will not term it a goal.  To some that may seem like a sign of a person who is short-sighted but in my cuckoo world it means that if I set a goal I will do whatever it takes to achieve it.

At the end of last year I had gone through my first year of re-making my life.  I had found much success in my attempt to get healthy and I was in need of a challenge.  Through the I <3 Facebook Page I learned of two challenges.  One was to run 1212 miles in 2012 and the other was to run at least a mile every single day of 2012.  I did the math, evaluated my life and decided I was up to the challenge. I knew it was not going to be easy but I wanted to try.  I signed up for the challenge on Daily Mile and found support from the 1212 Face Book Group, my Stay Fit 2012 Group, the Daily Milers, the Honolulu Marathon Clinic peeps and my other friends and family.  Everyone's positive energy, cheering, positive comments, tips, and advice encouraged me every day.

Today, September 4, 2012 marks the 247th day of the year 2012.  To date I have run at least a mile every single day of this year with my actual run streak dating back to December 27th.  So far this year I have logged a total of 1218 miles as of today.  That puts me at completing my goal at almost 3 months early with an average of 4.93 miles run a day.

Many people have asked me how I got started and how I did it.  The secret?  It was all in my mind.  I made the running a habit similar to brushing my teeth.  No day could be complete without my run.  My running became my sanity, my saving grace, my savior, my best friend.  Every day I wake up excited to know that I will be able to run far away from everything, be able to escape, and for an instant have just me and my thoughts.  On some days it was much more than my craving for silence.  Some days the fury of insanity in my world was beat out by pushing my body to the limit.  Willing myself to go further, faster, to sprint up the hill.  To feel the burn.  To leave it all out there on the road.  Being able to conquer all demons and make my body and mind strong as steel has been empowering beyond anything I could attempt to explain.

Others have noticed the change in my body, and to be honest it's not something that can be ignored.  I have lost 33 pounds on this journey in the last year and a half.  The weight loss has been a definite bonus but honestly not the greatest prize.  While I am undoubtedly much happier with my body today, it's moreso because it has become a source of strength for me.  The feeling I get when I run fast is of pure elation.  It takes me back to the days of my youth when I could run and run forever. Laughing. No cares.  Joy.

This journey has been one that has taught me a lot.  It has brought great change to my life and to my family as well.  I am thankful for my mom and dad who have stepped up to watch my kids so that Mike and I can train.  I am thankful for Mike who has stepped up to the challenge and is on his own way to running bliss.  I am hopeful that I am setting a good example to D and N and inspiring them to embrace and healthy and active lifestyle. I am thankful to my training partners in cyber-land and especially those in real life:  T, S, G&C, K who make running hilarious and fun.  I thank all of you who follow me and send me messages that keep my going every day. I could not have run these miles if it had not been for your encouragement, support and most of all if you had not believed in me and my ability to do this.

And so I will continue to pursue my goals, work hard, train hard and be accountable to myself.  For those of you who are contemplating starting.  Take that leap of faith and just do it.  You never know what you are capable of doing until you try.

Van mommy is out.....taking a rest so that I can run some more tomorrow.