Ahh, can there really only be 2 more months of training?? Where has all of the time gone? Saturday we finally started getting into the meat of your training by doing our first event evaluation. What's that you ask. Well, some races have a time deadline that you have to finish by. Usually they set a time for everyone to get half way through the course and if you end up past that magical time then they sweep you up and drive you to the finish. Nike is one of those races. We have 6 hours to complete the race before the course closes, so Saturday we needed to time our 12 mile run (almost 1/2 of the race distance) so our coach would start to get an idea of when we might finish and to make sure we can finish before the course closes. Now Nike is nice in the fact that it offers an early start time for those who think they need longer than 6 hours to finish. Fortunately for me I don't need it. I finished my 12 mile run in about 2 hours! I'm hoping to finish the marathon in close to 4 hours, so I'm really happy about my run. Of course there were many other things that were great about the run besides the time. First off, I didn't have to walk (I waited for the person I was running with that's all really), which is really good considering how gross it was outside. How gross? Well it was about 73 degrees with 90% humidity when we started and it didn't get any better the longer we were out. In fact it got hotter out! Got to love the sun (which I do, especially since it has been raining for days here in Atlanta). Now I have never been a great hot weather runner. I love it when the weather is in the 40s or even 30s because I have a tendency to overheat easily. So, running 12 miles in 2 hours made me feel like I had won a race. Seriously!! It was a tremendous feeling. And since our coach had asked me to stay with the middle of the pack I wasn't running too fast, so I got to the finish with more left in the tank.
After our run I went over to my favorite running store The Big Peach Running Co for some new shoes and help with an orthotic problem. See I've inherited lovely high arches that like to collapse from my parents (got to love genetics), and even though I started using orthotics in my shoes (a fancy word for arch supports) I have never gotten the miles that I should out of my shoes. Never fear!!! The awesome staff at BPRC have stepped it up again. I love how they actually listen to what I'm saying! Now I have another pair of Muzino Wave Nirvanas with new orthotics with a higher arch. I loved them so much I thought about going for another run to try them out (happiness makes you think silly things sometimes). By the time I got home I was getting pretty stiff, and I want to save my new shoes so that they are still pretty fresh for the marathon. I'll probably start breaking them in around the end of the month. I defiantly want to get my 20 mile run in with them, but how can you pass on new shoes during the tax free weekend with a Team in Training discount on top of that? Must use restraint!!!!
It's also the magical time of the training season know as recommitment. A time that Team in Training sets aside for participants to evaluate where they are in their fundraising and training and make a decision of whether to continue or not. For me there is no decision needed. With training going well and almost $1300 raised (they ask for 25% of your goal, I'm at 32%) I'm filling out my race application and travel information and going full throttle towards the finish line!!!! I can't wait. Is it October yet?!!! Oh and just for fun, here's a picture from our GTS (group training run) Saturday. It was our co-captain Carol's birthday (she's a leukemia & brain cancer survivor!!!).
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