Running Update

For those of you who didn't know, Justin and I are training to run a marathon! It is now only 7 weeks away, yikes. We have both ran one before. Justin's was last year for the Salt Lake City Marathon and he had an awesome time, I think just under 4 hours. My marathon was in 2007 ( right Cali and Carrie?) and I did okay. My main goal was to finish and finish I did in 5:27 I think it was.

So we are gearing up for the Utah Valley Marathon.
http://www.utahvalleymarathon.com/charity-marathon.php . We, well I decided to go with this one. It was a little bit later so we could train more outside (yeah right) and give me a little more time to prepare. Also it's a charitable race. All the proceeds go to help kids with cancer to have a Christmas or to provide treatments for children who can't afford them or are in undeveloped countries. So all in all it's a good thing. I get to have bragging rights and help kids at the same time.

So the training has been going pretty good. My goal this time is to make it to as close to 5 hours as I can. My wish is to get it in 4:30. Justin's goal is to just run it with me. Since my training plan is to help you do it in 4 hours and I have been following as faithful as I can I feel confident that I can do it. My only problem is that lately I have been having a hard time getting in my long runs due to the rain or the snow, or the cold, or the general yucky weather we have been having of late. But I have been faithful to get my weekday runs in even sacrificing sleep, time, and my aversion to treadmills.

So I have been faithfully running since February sticking with my schedule but I did some bulid up runs during January. I have to say that now a few months later I am seeing a huge difference in not only my ability to run but also my body shape. I can run about 10-13 miles comfortably. I am not dying for a break or can't finish but I am definitly happy when I am done. I'm also getting faster. I can keep a 9:30-45ish mile pace for longer then just 3 miles. I haven't checked my weight in a while but I can sure see a difference. My jeans are all loose, my waist is getting tiny and my tummy is getting smaller. I feel good and usually look forward to running. The tagline for the marathon is true, "Pain you enjoy." I don't know if I always enjoy it but I sure do enjoy the results of running.

As with every training for a race there are obstacles and good and bad days. But the atmosphere and feeling you get after running a race is something wonderful that keeps you coming back for more and help you forget all the pain that it took to get you there. Kind of like having a baby. So I encourage all of you to get up and get active whether it's walking to school or a job instead of driving or register now for a race! There are so many options, fun runs, 5k, 10k, half-marathon, marathon, relays, the list goes on and on. If you need help let me know. I am not an expert but I have a lot of Runner's World magazines that has a ton of advice, training programs and even eating plans. So get up! Get active! Your body will thank you.