Marathon Day: The Last Long Run

26.2 LONG Miles are done! Thrilled to have set a goal and achieved it. It was a long training program with lots of challenges along the way, but the reward is sweet...oh so very sweet.

I am a marathon finisher...and Baby Hutch is too! Thrilled to share this first with our 11 week miracle.

Quest for 26.2 Miles

For the last two Saturdays I've found myself gathering my things and back in familiar surroundings --- Georgetown Running Company.

After 9 weeks of inconsistent training the idea of going out and running 8 miles and then 10 miles the subsequent week was a bit terrifying.

The good news is that I know I'll be in good hands with the DC Road Runners and it was very nice to see so many familiar faces --- granted most were coaches vs. trainees!

For the last two weeks the coaches
have been checking paces and soon will be posting the "official" pace groups and associated coaches.

Well...I know that there won't be much question as to where I'll be. I'll be in the dead-last group. Interestingly, the last pace group is running their Saturday Long Runs at a 10:45 min pace --- which I find interesting to be SO far back in the pack!

The majority of folks are in the 9 and 10 min mile groups. I'm lucky that there are a couple stragglers like me who are enthusiastically covering the tailend of the training runs. Bonus that there are a number of coaches who are lingering around us and keeping us company.

As much as I know that this isn't a race and that there's no shame being in the back it's still tough and frustrating. Mostly frustrating to see how much fitness (and toning!!!) I've lost since the accident.

The good news is that I'm well on my way to getting back on track and closer to tackling the marathon.

And it begins

Marathon training that is. I know...how can you train for a marathon when you're still going to physical therapy twice a week.

The answer is two fold --- first I can't stay this inactive any longer. I'm going stir crazy and I'm starting to pudge up. Second, I really want to tackle the marathon distance --- at least once and since I missed Marine Corp I figured this time is as good as any other.

With that in mind the first day of the DC Road Runner 20-week spring marathon program started this Saturday. Since I was out of town I had to knock out 6-miles on my own.

Luckily, I was able to hook up with the HipAHAs to tag along for part of their 12-mile Saturday long-run. Yay!

We headed north on Coastal from Fenwick to Bethany. It was a classic brisk, but sunny fall day --- but with 25-30 mile an hour winds out of the north. There were a couple gusts that had some power to them and I was fighting to stay straight. I'm convinced we were leaning forward into the wind for three miles. Now that made for a challenging few miles. Overall I was thrilled with my pace and was able to chug along the whole time.

It's been nine weeks since my bike wreck and though I've vacillated between full-on pissed off and resolved to just dealing I learned an interesting fact while cranking out my 6-miles.

I THINK the reason I was supposed to deal with this shoulder setback was to help me reconnect with why I like training and how much running has been a key component.
I started all this madness with a challenge to myself in 2009 to tackle the Army 10-Miler and it was through running that I discovered a whole new and wonderful world.

What's the old saying, "absence makes the heart grow fonder?"

Breathe Deeply & Don't Look Back

That's exactly what I did when I hit "submit" and received this message a few seconds later:

"Thank you for registering for the 36th Marine Corps Marathon held on October 30, 2011."

Don't get me wrong. This wasn't a mistake and I did intend to register. It's just that the thought of doing this is just a wee bit scary...and exhilarating.

Breathe in...breathe out. 26.2 --- here I come.

Colorful Accessories

I think we've all experienced doubt and fear when deciding to do something new or hard. For me, the half Ironman triathlon distance and separately a marathon are those for me. Just crazy almost ridiculous things to even contemplate, but yet here I am contemplating them. But more on that later.

This week I'm heading west and to entertain myself on my flight to San Francisco I decided to catch up on one of my favorite things --- movies.

First up was The September Issue which documents the months leading up to the launch of Vogue's largest September issue --- the one with Sienna Miller on the cover and the fabulous spread in Rome.

One would be surprised to learn that I was seriously obsessed with fashion and accessories when I was younger. Each month I would eagerly pour over Seventeen magazine and American Vogue to mimic the styles elegantly strewn across the glossy pages --- from preppy to punk to all-American to European.

I remember planning my outfits with as much determination as I would spend studying for a test and kept track of each creation so that I would limit repeating myself. When I couldn't find exactly what I wanted --- either because it was just too expensive or the stores didn't have what I envisioned--- my mom would many times make it for me. Let's be for real. The only reason I worked at the mall was for the store discount and to make a few bucks to blow on concert tickets.

When my creativity was to be dashed once I entered private school and forced to wear a uniform I ended up focused more on accessories --- shoes, jewelry, hats and hair. Boy, did I enjoy changing my hair. Short, long and somewhere in the middle. And the colors --- highlights, low lights, brown, black and even a purple-ish tone. My stylist loved seeing me walk in the door.

Anyway, as I watched the movie I realized something more about Anna Wintour --- more than the person characterized to our delight in The Devil Wears Prada. Yes she's driven and a perfectionist and icy and most likely a genius. I would agree with all of that.

Instead I was taken by her singular focus to do exactly what she knows to be right and having the strength, confidence, determination or whatever one would call it to just execute. It is truly stunning.

You can learn a lot from that kind of strength and confidence --- no matter what you set your mind to.

So the next time someone else's doubts --- even if that person is me --- seeps around the edges, I'm going to remember Miss Wintour and her steely confidence shielded behind those extra large sunglasses and remember that I can do whatever I set my mind to --- as long as it includes a colorful accessory.