My Marathon Training Journal

If you know me well, you know I LOVE to run. I have run countless 5Ks and 2 half-marathons. I always said I would never race a distance longer than 13.1 miles, but deep down inside, I made it a goal of mine to run a full marathon - 26.2 miles! When my good friend Aaron, USNA Grad & Marine Pilot, passed away in May, I decided I wanted to pursue training for the Marine Corp Marathon (Washington, D.C.) in his honor. I was a little worried because since my last half-marathon (Dec. 2006), I had been through one knee surgery, 2 shoulder surgeries, and a 3-month stint in Africa where I tried to keep up with my running but when you go from healthy American food to beans, rice, and crepes for every meal, it's hard to keep up any endurance. Needless to say, since I had gotten back to Africa and moved to Charlotte I had been trying to get back into running...let's just say, I was doing well if I could run 3 miles. However, once I signed up and paid for the Marine Corp Marathon, I was bound and determined to run and finish it. I started training in June to rebuild my endurance. Then, in July, I started a 16-week training regimen that would lead me to the day of the race on Oct. 25th. I ran 3 days a week, cross-trained the other 3, and took a day off. My runs each week consisted of one sprint workout, one mid-distance tempo workout, and a long run. Below is a brief synopsis of my training (I'm using the MasterCard theme):

*Registration fee for the 2009 Marine Corp Marathon: $85
*Amount of time from day registration opened to when it filled up: 3 weeks
*Amount of runners signed up for 2009 MCM: 30,000 (3rd largest marathon)
*Amount of time put into training: 4.5 months
*Number of miles run in training: 460
*Pairs of shoes purchased throughout training: 2
*Number of runs done with a partner: 2
*Places I ran during training: Cornelius, NC; Davidson, NC; Huntersville, NC; Cary, NC; Huntington Beach, CA; Annapolis, MD; Miami, FL; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; the treadmill
*Number of times I got sick during training: 2
*Number of snakes I saw (dead or alive) during runs: 6-8
*Number of deer I saw during runs: 6
*Number of times I ran in the pouring rain: 5
*Number of IBS flare-ups I had during a run: 4
*Number of times a bee flew in my mouth and stung me on my lip during a run: 1
*Number of times I almost got run over by a car during a run: 3
*Longest run pre-marathon: 20 miles (twice)
*Areas chaffed during running: inner thighs, collar bone, face
*Number of toenails lost during training: 1, and counting.....
*People who supported me during training and during the marathon: God, family, Adam, friends, the parents of the kids I coach
*Amount of time it took me to run 26.2 miles on the most beautiful day in Washington, D.C.: 3 hours, 57 minutes
*Number of friends I made in line for the port-a-potty before the race: 2
*Memories I made during those 3 hrs, 57 min: countless
*Lessons I learned from the marathon: will be included in future blog post

***WHAT I FELT AS I CROSSED THE FINISH LINE AS TEARS STREAMED DOWN MY FACE: PRICELESS





For everyone who supported me through my training and through the race - THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!

WHO WANTS TO RUN THE NEXT ONE WITH ME???? I'M READY FOR ANOTHER ONE!!! BRING IT ON!!