I am taking it easy (and eating cake and watching The Hills) this week in preparation for my half marathon this weekend. I am expecting a fairly brutal run, mostly because the first two miles are a grueling uphill and the rest is a mix of climbing and downhill. My legs should be a nice jello mixture by the end.
Not that it has anything to do with running, but here's the coconut cake I made for Easter. I wasn't lying when I said I'd been eating cake. This was one of three cakes I made this weekend. Maybe I should open a bakery and give up running.
Back to running - I think this upcoming half is a pretty low key race as I asked to have my race packet sent to my home, fully expecting the usual coupons, shoe chip, maps, samples, etc. Nope. Inside the envelope: race shirt and bib. Keeping it simple. It does end, however, at the New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins, CO. Who said 10:30 a.m. is too early for a beer?
After this race, my "real training" begins. I'll be picking my fall marathon - hopefully the one that will qualify me for Boston 2010. I will also be choosing my training plan, which I'm thinking, based on my friend Macker's recommendation, should be the Hanson's program.
One tip I've read about running long races is that you should have a mantra - something you continue to go back to, something you repeat to yourself to give you strength when things get really tough. Do you have one?
When I ran in Phoenix, I didn't have one up until the morning of the race. I was leaving the hotel early for the race, the kids were still sleeping and in his sleepiness, my 11 year old son said, "Just remember mom, run with your heart." "Run with your heart" became my mantra for the day. I returned to it again and again when my body felt physically so fatigued I wanted to stop. It reminded me to go inside and to dig deep, beyond the confines of my body.
I'd love to hear how you dig deep when you run. Is it spiritual? Do you run with someone in mind? What keeps you going?
BTW, I just got this award from Healthy on the Run. Here's the desciption:
“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers."
