I changed the blog in honor of my last week! This is it folks!! I was thinking, on my run yesterday, how after I signed up for Nashville I had some down thoughts. A few weeks after choosing to go to Nashville over Jersey, I saw Maggie run the Philly Marathon. Standing with her family and other friends, I secretly wished that I had signed up for something closer to home. I wanted to feel what she was feeling, and at the time did not think I would. So as my training continued I just thought about how much support I had been getting with everything and the real final race, I'd have all of the ones I cared about in my mind and heart. Which really was my fancy dance around the self pity that my family and friends wouldn't get to see me, Waaaah :*(
Then Maggie signed up to run Nashville too... Then My brothers booked a flight...Then my parents showed up 12 hrs before the race to surprise me... then the weather came..
I was so angry that I had planned out April 24, since November 16 and now it was all ruined! How can this happen? So yesterday on my run, I realized...I had secretly wished to run somewhere close to home and now I AM!!!
I got my new itinerary today from Amanda and I got the same chills I did two weeks ago when I got my first marathon stuff. You see I get a do over. An immediate, do over. I know my brothers will not be able to make it this weekend, but they were there last weekend and I will be talking to them up to the start and right from the finish. My parents who I was convinced would not be able to see me finish (until they surprised me) will be there when I cross the finish line. And whether or not many of my other friends or family make it. I'm running in JERSEY ya'll! (I kinda like Ya'll and may be implementing it from time to time *WARNING*) I am a born and raised Jersey girl and it really only seems fit to run this marathon on home turf. I got to see the sights of Nashville and Tallahassee with my half marathons, but I am starting to think this all worked out in my favor.
I wish that I could just instantly produce a video montage of the past 5 months. The beginning when I was pumped but unsure. The middle when I went farther and farther each week then I ever have before. The last few weeks when I was filled with fear and doubt. Last weekend when I ran with a smile on my face for 11 miles. To right now when I am still nervous and a little worried but so grateful I will be able to finish! I know that I can, and I am going to have fun doing it.
What I learned from my test run last week: Bring my own GU, possibly my own water (still debating), wear a watch (that way I know), Leave it all on the course, HAVE FUN and enjoy that extra LONG victory lap of the past 5 months of training!!!
Here is the link to the pics from Nashville. And I must say they came out pretty well ;)
http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports%2FRRUS%2F2010%2FCountry+Music+Nashville+Marathon+and+Half&new_search=1&match=19329
(Not sure if that will come up as a link, so just copy and paste it in the Address bar if not)
Long Branch New Jersey ~ THE NEW JERSEY MARATHON
Will be starting at 9am on Sunday May 2, 2010
Team in Training has hooked it up so I am rooming with someone ( I have yet to meet) on Saturday night and get to relive the morning of with the team.
All of the spectator details are on the marathons website
http://www.njmarathon.org/index.html
Ok I hope to see you out there kids.. and if not say a prayer the tornadoes steer clear of the Jersey Shore on Sunday :) GO TEAM!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Just a Little Bit Longer
Looks like my journey is going to be just a little bit longer. With severe weather warnings rolling in this morning the race officials changed the finish time from 7hrs to 4.5.. If you were not on the pace to finish in 4.5hts by mile 11, you were told to finish the Half.. We got word of the new rule yesterday afternoon and I wanted to cry when I heard this. I told my brothers what I had just heard on the radio about tge time restrictions and they told me it would be okay. Last night at our team meeting, our leader offered us a chance to run a full marathon next weekend if we were not allowed to finish today. The race is on Longbranch, NJ on Sunday. So it looks like my journey will be for eigth more days. I'm Comfortable with the 2:30 it took for me to run my half.. My goal is five hours for the full so I am right on pace.. I found out later that a lot of the runners were not allowed to finish so it actually worked out I only ran 13 and not like 20, because I think I would be more hesitant to run 26.2 next weekend.
On to this amazing weekend!!! I spent all day with my brothers walking around Nashville. We had our matching TNT shirts on for the inspirational dinner. When I walked in I burst into tears, because my mom and my dad were sitting there waiting for me!! They had planned the trip over a month ago and it was a surprise! I was sooo shocked and happy, words can't express the warmth I felt throw through me when I saw my whole family sitting at a table in Nashville, together. I was so surprised, one obviously because they were really there and I thought they didn't have enough money to come..but two, they are so bad at secrets!! Seriously all of them are like tge worst secret keepers, just like me, guess it's in the genes.
Now the silent car ride to the airport made more sense. My dad came to my apartment and drove me to the airport. What I didn't know was that, then he drove home to pick up my mon just to come right back to the airport.. They were in Nashville for over 24 hrs before I even knew it. I have felt so much love this weekend it is amazing. Even if my parents really weren't going to be able to make it, they have shown me so much support the past few months and I know I truly am grateful. Above and beyond doesn't even begin to explain these 4 <3
unfortunately my brothers will not be able to see me finish my first full marathon, but my parents will :) I'm coming to realize that the whole training, the past 5 months, is just as much a part of my first marathon as the final shebang. They have all been present; whether physically or emotionally my whole journey and so have so many of my friends.
This morning before the race began, they wished us good luck by saying "this is your reward to all of your hard work. Just enjoy, your victory lap" and that is such am awesome way to look at it.
So the story continues.. I'm gonna kick up my heels and do some country line dancin y'all.. Yeehaw
On to this amazing weekend!!! I spent all day with my brothers walking around Nashville. We had our matching TNT shirts on for the inspirational dinner. When I walked in I burst into tears, because my mom and my dad were sitting there waiting for me!! They had planned the trip over a month ago and it was a surprise! I was sooo shocked and happy, words can't express the warmth I felt throw through me when I saw my whole family sitting at a table in Nashville, together. I was so surprised, one obviously because they were really there and I thought they didn't have enough money to come..but two, they are so bad at secrets!! Seriously all of them are like tge worst secret keepers, just like me, guess it's in the genes.
Now the silent car ride to the airport made more sense. My dad came to my apartment and drove me to the airport. What I didn't know was that, then he drove home to pick up my mon just to come right back to the airport.. They were in Nashville for over 24 hrs before I even knew it. I have felt so much love this weekend it is amazing. Even if my parents really weren't going to be able to make it, they have shown me so much support the past few months and I know I truly am grateful. Above and beyond doesn't even begin to explain these 4 <3
unfortunately my brothers will not be able to see me finish my first full marathon, but my parents will :) I'm coming to realize that the whole training, the past 5 months, is just as much a part of my first marathon as the final shebang. They have all been present; whether physically or emotionally my whole journey and so have so many of my friends.
This morning before the race began, they wished us good luck by saying "this is your reward to all of your hard work. Just enjoy, your victory lap" and that is such am awesome way to look at it.
So the story continues.. I'm gonna kick up my heels and do some country line dancin y'all.. Yeehaw
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Leavin on a Jet Plane...
It's Finally Here!!!
I leave tomorrow!!! for Nashville, TN! Holy Crap!!! It's here!!! We leave @ 10:30am tomorrow. My brothers will be flying in tomorrow Night and Jana will be driving from TX. Maggie and her Cousin are driving down from Philly and leaving tonight, but they will be getting there around the same time as us I think. Oh man!!! I am nervous about the run. I am more nervous because the forecast is 76 and Thunderstorms but I know it will be okay. I plan on taking TONS of pictures!!! So keep checking.... This story is far from over :)
I leave tomorrow!!! for Nashville, TN! Holy Crap!!! It's here!!! We leave @ 10:30am tomorrow. My brothers will be flying in tomorrow Night and Jana will be driving from TX. Maggie and her Cousin are driving down from Philly and leaving tonight, but they will be getting there around the same time as us I think. Oh man!!! I am nervous about the run. I am more nervous because the forecast is 76 and Thunderstorms but I know it will be okay. I plan on taking TONS of pictures!!! So keep checking.... This story is far from over :)
Friday, April 9, 2010
Random Pics from Around Town
The trees are blooming :)
Frank
The Lakes at FDR
Kelly Drive at Dusk
Market St
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Got My Groove Back
Well slightly...My past two runs have felt pretty awesome. My mind is like 3 weeks early on the attack… But my attitude shut it down this morning : ) The raffle we held at work raised $215 for me and for the winner. Yesterday the winner came in and she donated $100 of her winnings back to me! So we made $315 from one week of a 50/50 raffle at work! Pretty awesome. Now there is $237.40 standing between me and that finish line, oh yeah and 26.2 miles!
This Sunday will be my last and longest long run, 22 miles. Some training schedules stop at 20 but we, we are going two more! Which I am pretty glad about actually. Hopefully I will feel that way while I am running it. I am glad because I think that if your body has run that far before the initial race it may be a little less likely to get pissed at you.
I want to thank my friends for bearing with me the last week. I have been a bit of a downer, Negative Nancy if you will. But you guys have lifted me back to where I need to be. When I complained and was super negative, you just made it easier for me to grasp the big picture. I have always put a lot of pressure on myself and I don’t want this to be that kind of an experience. I want this to be fun! And for that to happen I have to allow myself to get out of the way and let my body do what it has been waiting to do for 5 months!
I am so lucky to have people in my life who care enough to tell me to cut the crap… as lovingly as possible of course. Half the time when I called them I was hoping for them to tell me it was okay but thankfully they are not a fan of Negative Nancy and I am glad to report she is no longer here : )
I have still not added the pictures I took from my various excursions around town, but I promise I will add them before the marathon. I am kind of sad to leave the blog in a month… Maybe I will change it to something cool and hip… haha
Once I figure that out. Or maybe it can be a sports blog.. But being a girl it would most likely just end up being pictures of the Phillies with captions like “adorable” hahaha I will sleep on it. Not to say women can not be sports bloggers, because they can. They are just as good, if not better than men… (That statement was so Ashley didn’t kill me when she read this lol).
I feel fantastic today.. I have a few things going on the next couple weeks which are going to make the time go by even faster before the marathon. Nashville! Man I have never been there but when the travel guide, lady called with her Southern accent I got excited! I have a feeling I am going to end up just staring at the natives when they talk. Accents are so cool, I kind of wish I had one. So one more long run, a baby shower, and a wedding and I’m in Nashville! Oh yeah and a Phillies ring ceremony game ;) April is going to be fun! Did I mention it’s going to be 90 degrees today? Yeah it is April 7 right? Just checkin.. At least I am getting some practice with the heat before headin down south!!
This Sunday will be my last and longest long run, 22 miles. Some training schedules stop at 20 but we, we are going two more! Which I am pretty glad about actually. Hopefully I will feel that way while I am running it. I am glad because I think that if your body has run that far before the initial race it may be a little less likely to get pissed at you.
I want to thank my friends for bearing with me the last week. I have been a bit of a downer, Negative Nancy if you will. But you guys have lifted me back to where I need to be. When I complained and was super negative, you just made it easier for me to grasp the big picture. I have always put a lot of pressure on myself and I don’t want this to be that kind of an experience. I want this to be fun! And for that to happen I have to allow myself to get out of the way and let my body do what it has been waiting to do for 5 months!
I am so lucky to have people in my life who care enough to tell me to cut the crap… as lovingly as possible of course. Half the time when I called them I was hoping for them to tell me it was okay but thankfully they are not a fan of Negative Nancy and I am glad to report she is no longer here : )
I have still not added the pictures I took from my various excursions around town, but I promise I will add them before the marathon. I am kind of sad to leave the blog in a month… Maybe I will change it to something cool and hip… haha
Once I figure that out. Or maybe it can be a sports blog.. But being a girl it would most likely just end up being pictures of the Phillies with captions like “adorable” hahaha I will sleep on it. Not to say women can not be sports bloggers, because they can. They are just as good, if not better than men… (That statement was so Ashley didn’t kill me when she read this lol).
I feel fantastic today.. I have a few things going on the next couple weeks which are going to make the time go by even faster before the marathon. Nashville! Man I have never been there but when the travel guide, lady called with her Southern accent I got excited! I have a feeling I am going to end up just staring at the natives when they talk. Accents are so cool, I kind of wish I had one. So one more long run, a baby shower, and a wedding and I’m in Nashville! Oh yeah and a Phillies ring ceremony game ;) April is going to be fun! Did I mention it’s going to be 90 degrees today? Yeah it is April 7 right? Just checkin.. At least I am getting some practice with the heat before headin down south!!
Friday, April 2, 2010
3 Weeks!!!!!!!!!!!
I know it has been a long time since I have updated and I apologize. The past few weeks, life has been busy. The enthusiasm and motivation I felt in the past few months began to dwindle and instead of continuing to update and let you know where I am, I just neglected doing this.
3 weeks from tomorrow I will be running 26.2 miles! I am nervous and my thoughts have been all over the place.
I have never participated in an individual focused sport. Meaning I have always been a part of a team. When I was younger, I never understood running because there was no ball or goal. Just finish or if you are real good, beat every one else. But that has never been the case for me. Even though I am on Team in Training, I will be running this race as Katie Chance, 25 yr old female from Philadelphia. Today I realized that running is competing with yourself. My whole life I have always run because I was told to. If I walked at practice a whistle blew and a coach told me to pick it up and jog. Walking was not an option. I haven't been to a team run in a few weeks and when I have been running the long runs, I have been taking more walk breaks. I'm even hesitant to write this next sentence. Going back to the team runs scares me now because I know I will be slower than I was a month ago. I know that I will finish this marathon and that is the goal, but I am already getting worried that I will walk most of it. Finishing a marathon is finishing a marathon no matter which way you look at it, but my mind is telling me I HAVE TO RUN..It's like the whistle is being blown in my mind. The past few runs I have been waiting for them to be over and not able to enjoy the run. But when I did my 20 miles on Sunday last week and I was walking, I enjoyed every step.
Am I saying I am going to give up on running and walk from here on out? No. But I am saying that I noticed I enjoyed the miles I walked significantly more than the miles I jogged. I know my mind is all over the place and I have 3 weeks until I need to really worry, but this is where I'm at. I talked to a friend the other day about the guilt I felt because of my lack of motivation and she put it back into perspective. She told me to focus and remember the real reason I am doing this. TO think about the people that I am raising money for. She said that I have been doing selfless things and in another month I will have plenty of time to spend on myself. She was absolutely right. Essentially it would be selfish for me to get in my own way of what I Have been training for the past 5 months. Am I nervous? Absolutely. But knowing that I have the support of so many people really does help me realize that I can...no I will do this. I have to take my training one run at a time, even one step at a time for the next 21 days...
Fundraising
I am still a little less than $400 short!! If you have been thinking about donating but have not been able to yet, please do it soon. Monday they will be billing my credit card. I will still have time to make the money back but it will be out of my pocket, come Monday. Thank you to everyone who has donated and those who continue to support me everyday :)
3 weeks from tomorrow I will be running 26.2 miles! I am nervous and my thoughts have been all over the place.
I have never participated in an individual focused sport. Meaning I have always been a part of a team. When I was younger, I never understood running because there was no ball or goal. Just finish or if you are real good, beat every one else. But that has never been the case for me. Even though I am on Team in Training, I will be running this race as Katie Chance, 25 yr old female from Philadelphia. Today I realized that running is competing with yourself. My whole life I have always run because I was told to. If I walked at practice a whistle blew and a coach told me to pick it up and jog. Walking was not an option. I haven't been to a team run in a few weeks and when I have been running the long runs, I have been taking more walk breaks. I'm even hesitant to write this next sentence. Going back to the team runs scares me now because I know I will be slower than I was a month ago. I know that I will finish this marathon and that is the goal, but I am already getting worried that I will walk most of it. Finishing a marathon is finishing a marathon no matter which way you look at it, but my mind is telling me I HAVE TO RUN..It's like the whistle is being blown in my mind. The past few runs I have been waiting for them to be over and not able to enjoy the run. But when I did my 20 miles on Sunday last week and I was walking, I enjoyed every step.
Am I saying I am going to give up on running and walk from here on out? No. But I am saying that I noticed I enjoyed the miles I walked significantly more than the miles I jogged. I know my mind is all over the place and I have 3 weeks until I need to really worry, but this is where I'm at. I talked to a friend the other day about the guilt I felt because of my lack of motivation and she put it back into perspective. She told me to focus and remember the real reason I am doing this. TO think about the people that I am raising money for. She said that I have been doing selfless things and in another month I will have plenty of time to spend on myself. She was absolutely right. Essentially it would be selfish for me to get in my own way of what I Have been training for the past 5 months. Am I nervous? Absolutely. But knowing that I have the support of so many people really does help me realize that I can...no I will do this. I have to take my training one run at a time, even one step at a time for the next 21 days...
Fundraising
I am still a little less than $400 short!! If you have been thinking about donating but have not been able to yet, please do it soon. Monday they will be billing my credit card. I will still have time to make the money back but it will be out of my pocket, come Monday. Thank you to everyone who has donated and those who continue to support me everyday :)
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