I have thoughts of racing another marathon sooner than later, but then I remind myself that I need and really want a break. I’ve decided I’ll race one again in the fall. Sure, you can PR twice in one season, but in all reality, racing a marathon does take a lot out of you and if I want to race it to my full potential I should rest for a bit.

What now, what now. I took last week really easy and am left feeling like I need a plan. I’m not good at just winging it, I like to have some sort of schedule to follow. I think most people do. I’m ready for my sprint triathlon training plan. Ironman husband… get that together for me please?! And, although the long run makes me nervous week after week, and I’ve looked forward to not having to do one, I kind of think I don’t know how to not run long on the weekends.

Ever since I was cleared to run in early August, after having Marshall, I started training. At first it was just training (9 weeks post baby, 3 weeks of training) to build the distance for the Indy Women’s half and then (4 months post baby) the Monumental Marathon. I wanted to run those races to complete them in a time I felt was challenging but not real racing. I bounced right off Monumental to Rehoboth Beach in December, the goal was a negative split to get mentally strong for Shamrock.

The real race was Shamrock and right after Rehoboth was when the hard training began. There’s been no real break from the long run. My long run gets me excited about life and although sometimes leading up to it and while enduring it I want to be done, it fuels me to be a better person.

Beyond that, I want to keep in long run shape. I assume, for now, I’ll cap then around 15 miles, but will keep them closer to 10-12 consistently. Long, but not stressful. It’s much easier to start training for a marathon, when your base is already set. I like to keep a base year round really.

I started adding to this post all of my afterthoughts of Shamrock, but it was getting crazy long and I think it’s better to break it up. Tomorrow I’ll post a bit about my thoughts on the training plan I used and why I think it worked so well.

I’m super excited to virtually cheer for everyone at Boston this year and am hoping it’s great weather!

What course is your PR on?

Also…. Go Hoosiers!

Old School IU Windbreaker. Marshall has swagger.

It dates back to high school. I got roped into running cross country my sophomore year. The day we had our first meet was a trial meet against our own teammates. That morning, I was so nervous, I cried. Not kidding.

Over the next three years, I started getting nervous for Saturday meets on Tuesday. By the time Friday rolled around, I was a wreck. I didn’t have a good race to finish off my last year at the State meet. Looking back, I think I was so nervous about working hard and lacked confidence that I didn’t even try my hardest.

So I ran throughout college to stay in shape, but didn’t sign up for a race again until my junior year  when I signed up for the mini marathon and didn’t even really train for it. I ran 6 miles as my longest training run. I made a goal half way through the race and got a little competitive.

Then I ran that race again year after year and decided I wanted to run a marathon, and then I decided I wanted to start running faster. Because it felt good.

I’ve ran 11 marathons now. Of those 11, I’ve raced 5 and of those 5, I was a nervous wreck for 4 of them. The only one I wasn’t nervous about was my most recent, Rehoboth Beach. I wasn’t nervous because I wasn’t trying to PR. I was trying to run controlled and smart.

Tomorrow, I’m supposed to run 14 miles, with 7 at race pace. Holy shit, is race pace really 7:26 per mile? I know I can do it, but really, for 26.2 miles, to me 7:26 seems fast.

Then I looked at Glenn’s race pace, 6:17. What does that even mean? Is this the same line cook that I met at the Village Deli 8 years ago, who was 30 pounds overweight and liked to get his college on? By “get his college on”, I mean party, eat massive amounts of taco bell and not run. Is this the same Glenn that ran a 3:49 for his first 26.2?

Here’s why he has improved so much. He has confidence like none other. And he most certainly does not RUN SCARED. 

I never really make “New Years Resolutions”, or as a lot of healthy living bloggers say “goals” for the new year- really people, it’s the same thing said in a different way. My life goal, not my 2013 goal is to run confidently. I want to get a little cocky. See that’s how he does it. He works hard and then he believes he can do it. So, why can’t I.

No more running scared. I vow to run with confidence and strength, while believing in myself. 

Now, even as I type this and try to be cocky about it, I’m still nervous about that 7:26. Someone quick, come get myself out of my own head and tell me to just run STRONG.

How do you overcome the doubt? How do you to run with confidence?

OK, so this is a post of the year in pictures, and when I started typing the word January, I  realized I wasn’t even really sure January 2012 existed, because I honestly remember nothing from it and have no pictures. Then, I stumbled upon this gem: My best friends and I ringing in the New Year… see you later 2011.

A low key New Years Eve

There’s Glenn finishing his first sub 3 Marathon.

6 months pregnant, still running 3-7 miles regularly

Glenn on the homestretch on Boylston Street at the Boston Marathon

Glenn after his first Boston Marathon

Baby Shower for Marshall.

Everyone plays flippy cup at baby showers right?

36 weeks pregnant

Leaving for the hospital. Marshall arrived 3 hours later.

Day 2 of Marshall’s life.

Ironman training in full swing!

Sleep deprivation also in full swing

Meghan and Josh’s wedding! It’s normal to be in a wedding three weeks after giving birth right?

Celebrating 4 Year Anniversary and Marshall is 7 weeks.

Marshall’s second wedding at 8 weeks

Emily and Andy’s wedding

Glenn with his biggest fans. 5AM heading out on the buses to complete 140.6.

The Ironman. Time: 10:54:46

The 2nd Annual Back on My Feet 42K Relay. I went back to work at the end of September and project number one was the relay.

This pictures are sub par because I stole them from the race picture website. For some reason, we forgot to take even one picture on race morning. Afterwards, I was so cold and felt terrible… pictures were certainly not on my mind.

• Lindsey ran first post baby marathon (4 months post): 3:33:24.
• Glenn PR’ed in his half marathon: 1:18:24.

Rehoboth Beach Marathon. 1st negative split, 2nd fastest marathon.

First time running same marathon as sister.

Marshall’s turns 6 months- first Christmas together.

Reasons for this race-

1. My sister, Ericka, who lives in DC signed up and begged me to come for a visit and run it too.
2. To prove to myself that I CAN negative split.
3. To enjoy the race.

Ericka and I ran the first half mile together. When we parted, I reminded myself with every step that I was to control my pace and hang tight for the first 13 miles.

Around mile 4 I started running with a woman who came up behind me and asked me what my goal for the day was. I told her I wanted to negative split, she told me she was looking to break 3:35. (she is pictured with me below) In my mind, she was the perfect person to run with. We talked and had a good time for the first 14 miles. Her husband jumped in and ran with us miles 6-12, at mile 12 her husband was swapped out for a friend, who planned to finish the race with her.

Feeling fresh around mile 10.

We crossed the half marathon mark somewhere around 1:46. A far cry from the 1:38 half marathon time at the Monumental Marathon five weeks ago.

I felt much better than I did at that point in the Monumental, but my legs surprisingly felt a little heavy. While I wasn’t thrilled about that, I did still feel good otherwise and was determined to stick to the plan. Around mile 14 we entered a park with a few tiny, but noticeable hills. (for someone who runs on the monon in Indianapolis for most of her runs… any hill is noticeable!) At that time, I slowly started parting with my new friend. She was maintaining pace and I needed to start speeding up if I was going to accomplish my goal.

I was tempted to pick it up more than I should at first. The leg heaviness had me worried that if they felt heavy now, so early how bad would they be at mile 20?  I looked down every mile to catch my splits, which were a little under 8 minute miles. I REALLY really, wanted to be able to “race” that last 10K. Through miles 14-20 I was just kind of waiting for it. I was ready for mile 20 to get to me so I could see if I could do it. At mile 14, my journey to start passing people began.

If you read my Monumental Marathon race report, you’ll remember that the name of the game was “pass Lindsey the entire second half”– I was on a mission to reverse that this time. I wasn’t focused on only passing people, I was focused on running strong and it felt really good to run by people at such a steady pace.

I got to mile 20 and hesitated a bit, worried that if I took off too quick, I’d find myself in a world of hurt at 24. I knew 24 was going to hurt regardless, but I wanted it to be a POWERFUL kind of hurt. Like how you feel on your last mile repeat… it hurts, but you  finish strong.

Around miles 21-24 we ran through a trail that was kind of sandy/rocky. It was really nice ground to run on. I was hurting, but I was picking it up. I started focusing on females in front of me. It felt good to pass the males too, but seeing as this was a smaller race, I figured I might as well try to work on picking off the females so I could place better. I knew I wasn’t going to be anywhere close to placing in the top, but one person closer is always a good thing.

I would spot the girls from pretty far away, and it felt daunting at times, because there was so much ground between us. At times I would tell myself to just hang behind them, but it was clear I was running faster than they were and I reminded myself that I’m passing so I probably feel better than them and I do not need to slow down.

My last female pass was with about a half mile to the finish line. I had been approaching for quite a while and was so close to throwing in the towel, thinking I’d just hang on to the finish. But, I knew I had more in me than her though (I’m going to go ahead and thank her for helping me out with that quick split for mile 26). I just put my head down and kicked. Somewhere around mile 20 I had decided I’d try to break 3:30. At that point I figured it was going to happen, but I needed to make sure I didn’t slow down to an 8:30 mile.

During that last 10K, I played the mind games, but I kept telling myself I had a goal and I am strong. If I wanted my last 10K to be my fastest I could do it. I was literally running over a minute (close to two) per mile faster in this last 10K than the last 10K at Monumental. It felt good.

I crossed the finish line in 3:29:21.

This was my second fastest marathon. 5 minutes slower than my PR.

I think I am more proud and excited about this race than I am my PR. I had never ran a negative split. I did that by 3 minutes on Saturday. I needed this confidence to prove it is possible to run faster in the second half.

Now- if I had been racing this marathon for a PR, ideally my splits would have been more even. Clearly I had more leftover at the end of this race and I could have ran a faster total time if I had been more even. That being said, on that particular day, it would have only taken a minute or so off my time. This was all about building confidence. I never had that feeling you get in marathons sometimes where you ask yourself why the heck are you doing this?

Below are my splits…. it’s so fun to look at them and not see that scary mile 22 or 23 where your splits just get ugly. 

Slowest split – Mile 1 – 8:16
Fastest split – Mile 21 – 7:21

As I look back and analyze- it’s like at miles 14 and 20 I was telling myself, wait for it, just one more mile and then go.

Mile 1 – 8:16
Mile 2 – 7:54
Mile 3 – 7:50
Mile 4 – 7:59
Mile 5 – 8:00
Mile 6 – 8:05
Mile 7 – 8:02
Mile 8 – 8:03
Mile 9 – 8:04
Mile 10 – 8:05
Mile 11 – 8:02
Mile 12 – 8:07
Mile 13 – 8:06
Mile 14 – 8:09
Mile 15 – 7:48
Mile 16 – 7:54
Mile 17 – 7:54
Mile 18 – 7:56
Mile 19 – 7:50
Mile 20 – 7:55
Mile 21 – 7:21
Mile 22 – 7:37
Mile 23 – 7:34
Mile 24 – 7:40
Mile 25 – 7:43
Mile 26 – 7:29

Here is the video, my sister Shelby took of the finish. 

We are happy to be done and ready to sit down and chow. This is right after I had to pump in the parking lot at Crabby Dicks. What can I say, I’m a classy mama.

After I finished my workout, I walked down the stairs at the gym, having a wave of anxiety and guilt. My sister and I were heading out to DC to visit our other sister the next day.

My first trip away from Marshall.  No, I’m obviously not worried about his well-being, I’m leaving him with Glenn and Glenn’s parents are also coming down to babysit on Friday while he’s at work. I’ve just never been away from the little guy.

Don’t do anything new while I’m gone buddy.  (You’d think I was leaving for a 4 month trip.)

I’m enjoying the trip, it’s weird to be away from someone you have spent every day and most hours of your life with for the last 5 months.

I told Glenn he’ll need to text me a minimum of 50 pictures and give him 100 kisses from me everyday.

Last night we all went to dinner at Red Rocks for some yummy fire brick pizza and margaritas. I started off with a skinny girl or three before we headed out, we were all giggly and having fun.

Tomorrow, sister Ericka and I will be running the Rehoboth Beach Marathon. We are heading over that way in a few hours. Sister, Shelby will be the professional spectator/picture taker.

My Marathon Pledge:

I will not be an idiot and go out fast. I will run comfortable, 8:00-8:20 miles for the first 13 miles and slowly speed up from there. I will not get overly excited at mile 7 when I feel great (if I do in fact feel great) and speed up. I will hang tight and enjoy the view. (which I’m thinking might be pretty since it’s a beach marathon?) I will enjoy this race and be grateful that I came and that I have the ability to not only run, but make a trip like this. I will come up with something I am thankful for at every mile and think about that. I will finish this race feeling like I could run 5 more miles if I wanted to. I will go find my sister and cheer her in once I”m finished. I will eat amazing food when we are done and enjoy the rest of my trip.

See you at the finish line.

Here are some pics from our weekend so far: