Myrtle Beach Marathon - Pray For Rain?

Finally, a good run! Twenty miles today in the rain but oh-thank-you-Jesus it was a blistering 51 degrees outside which meant no need for gloves, double shirts, jackets, handwarmers, ear muffs, or an ice-scraper. Sheer bliss. 

I haven't posted a lot about my training for the Myrtle Beach marathon because frankly, between the snow and ice and holidays, it hasn't been going great. My training partner Christie and I tried a tempo run on Thursday last week and made it a half-mile before Christie slipped and fell on ice. We solidered on for another 1/4 mile before we looked at our watches and realized that with all the walking we had to do to avoid ice patches, we were doing a 10-minute pace. Add in book signings and snowstorms and holidays and let's just say I've spent more time with my treadmill this winter than I think is healthy when preparing for a marathon.

Today, however, was glorious. Twenty miles of outdoor running with friends and I still had gas in the tank at the end. I looked like a drowned weasel, but the legs were good. Given that the last decent run I had was also in the rain, I'm starting to think it's in my best interest to pray for rain on February 19th. (Wait, make that rain, 50 degree temps and no wind, thank you very much.)

I can't believe it's only 8 weeks until the race. I need to  be religious with the rest of my training and diet if I'm going to break 3:40. It's do-able, but in kind of a "the planets must align, you must stop all negative thoughts and sacrifice a goat in order for this to come true" sort of way. So we'll see. 

Meanwhile, I'm hoping to carry forward the good mojo of today's run to this week's 10-mile tempo run. Ten mile tempo?! Uh, hello, Furman people? Enough already with the madness.

Cheers,

Dena

A Run In the Rain

Why having friends to run with is crucial: 38 degree weather, rain, and 7 a.m. coming way too early after a night out with friends. 

Even knowing I was meeting my friend Thad (aka "Runnerdude") almost wasn't enough to get me out the door this morning. Why? Dark skies, rain, cold temps and the unwelcome task of 18 miles had me asking Blair, "What do you think? Is it raining too hard? Should I just stay home and try to run later?" 

Blair, smart man that he is, refused to comment. Thad was waiting, so I sighed and out the door I went. I'm glad I did. We ended up having a fantastic 10-mile run. As I set out to do the last eight on my own, the rain picked up. I didn't mind. There is something peaceful and meditative about running solo in the rain. The streets were almost empty of cars, the greenway where I was running was close to deserted, and it was just me and my breath and the steady tread of my shoes on wet pavement. 

Sometimes on inclement weather days it's hard to know if you're stupid or badass for braving the weather. Last Sunday when I forced my friends outside in ice and snow and we only made it a half-mile before the ice sent us scurrying back to our cars? Stupid. Today, with not-so-bad temps and a steady drizzle and the company of a friend followed by the solitude of my thoughts? Total badass run.

Far from being a drudgery, today was probably one of my favorite runs of the year.

Cheers,

Dena

Marathon Training Update

I'm in week two of marathon training for the Myrtle Beach Marathon and am happy (and relieved) to report that it's going well. Great, even. I don't know why, but after I ran Chicago in '09 and qualified for Boston, I lost my confidence. Even though I had a great run at Boston and set a PR, I went into that marathon with a sense of dread. I knew I'd done the training but mentally I felt off. When I crossed the finish line, my main thought was, "Wow, I got lucky."

That feeling of not quite being ready, of not being as strong as I need to be, has plagued me throughout the summer. Even casual Saturday runs I've approached with a mindset of, "Well, I'll just get through it the best I can." My times were still good, but I was full of doubt. 

Maybe I just needed a goal. I really (really, really, really) want to break 3:40 at Myrtle Beach and I'm fired up to do it. I did a tempo run this morning and had the urge to stop around the 5 mile mark. No! 3:39! 3:39! 3:39! I kept going.

The real test of my resolve comes this weekend. I'm in NY for a writers conference and the days are packed. I'm due for a 15-mile long run and the only way I can see to fit it in is to get up at 4 am on Saturday and hop on the hotel treadmill. Fifteen miles is a long way to run on a treadmill. It feels even longer on an unfamiliar treadmill. And longer still at 4 am. But I'm already psyched to do it. I've got a goal. I'll do what needs to be done to reach it. 

How about any of you? What fires you up to reach your goals? Or, alternatively, what fills you with self-doubt and how do you move past that?

Cheers,

Dena