My bad.

"Hey Katie-- way to create a blog, promise daily updates and then disappear for two weeks!"

I know, I know... I KNOW.  Honestly, you don't want me to blog about what's been going on in my blog absence.  I've self-diagnosed myself with a bad case of all-over flu, so I've been sidelined from running for awhile.  

Today is my first day back.  I'm a little scared.

Okay, terrified.

Part of this all-over flu was a nasty chest cold that seems to have settled and made itself quite comfy.  I have a doctor's appointment today to hopefully nip it in the bud because y'all?  Training OFFICIALLY starts on Monday.  Just to get back into the swing of it, I'm planning to put in 3-4 miles today through Saturday, rest Sunday, and jump in Monday with rested legs.

So that I have some sort of sanity (on the blog... with myself... for Brian's sake), my plan is to post the week's training runs here each Sunday evening, then blog about the runs as I chug chug chug along.  Get excited for this material to include treasures including but not limited to discussions of the following:

• race fuel-- basically, i gotta figure out what to eat/when to eat it/how much to eat.  i've read that on race day, lots of people eat tiny pretzels for the sodium.  out of all of the fuel options out there, my family (and brian) would not be surprised in the least to see me reaching for a salty carb versus a powerbar
• shoes-- what better excuse to buy kicky new sneaks than when you're running 26.2 miles?  i've only ever worn the brooks brand but am open to new options.

these are kinda fun, no?

• pain-- i'm not even about to lie to my people.  there's going to be pain.  probably a lot of it.  i've been doing lots of reading and research to try and prevent anything negative from happening (figuring out the best diet balance for tons of running, lots of stretching, taking the right vitamins to keep the immune system up... because mine is often weak and to help sore knees and joints... because i have those, etc.) but i'm also prepared for inevitable wear and tear on the body that comes along with training for something like this-- eek!
• music-- i'm relying on my ipod to get me through this race.  this necessity comes with its own set of panics including what if the power runs out? what if i miss the race experience because beyonce is telling me to put a ring on it and billy is declaring that only the good die young (on second thought, songs with death/dead/dying in the lyrics might be omitted from the soundtrack to this adventure)? what if the power runs out? do i practice running to a playlist so i know what to expect?  do i know four hours with of music?  WHAT IF THE POWER RUNS OUT?!?
• runners things-- body glide? gu? negative splits? energy beans?  there are words i've learned in the runners world that i never thought i would say.  "i need to try the vanilla energy beans" are just a few of them.  we'll work through it together, my friends.

Welp, I'm off to that doctor's appointment in which I'm hoping a resident will prescribe me another bottle of codeine cough syrup so that I (and other parties involved) can get a good night's sleep for the first time in who knows how long.

Fundraising Update: So many of you beautiful, generous people have made donations to my fundraising efforts-- I'm at $310 and training hasn't even officially started yet!  Y'all are amazing, no big deal.  

If you would like to donate to the Miles for Miracles team and to my personal fundraising goal of $3000, stop by and check out my fundraising page!

http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/newyork/page/Katherine-Fox.htm

a little lunch run.

Lots of running takes up lots of time.  Even though I'm currently still in the "pre-training" phase of marathon prep, I'm trying to schedule as many longer (yet non-intense) runs during the week that I can, just to get used to putting at least an hour or so aside every day that is focused solely on pounding the pavement.


The time commitment... I struggle with this.  If you know me, you're likely aware of the fact that I am very much a morning person.  I'll take a 5am flight over a 5pm flight any day.  On Saturdays, I'm up by 6 to run, showered and ready for the day by 7:30, errands and grocery shopping have been done by 10, and I'm home with breakfast for me and Brian (who is assuredly still dead to the world) by 11.  It's how I work.  


When it comes to working out during the week, I am the exact same way-- I would so much rather have a run tucked away all complete and happy by 6am than be dreading it all day for me to work in around 6pm when I finally make the commute home.  One negative about living outside of Boston and working in the city is the commute-- we leave by 7 in the morning and I walk in my office door at 8:30.  If I make it out for the day between 4:45 and 5, I'm on the train until around 6:30.  Basically, even if I feel really pumped and ready for a run when I leave... by the time I get home I kind of just want to nap.  Cram in a workout plus a shower, then making and eating dinner (and an episode or two of Mad Men if possible) and I'm falling asleep on the couch by 9:30.  


It's okay.  I know that I'm old.


Knowing how much of a time commitment training for the marathon would be, I knew that I had to find a solution.  Enter my lunch time runs.  In an effort to make my evenings as stress-free and enjoyable as possible (for all parties involved), I've started running on my lunch break, and then just working while eating when I get back to my desk.  The first time I tried I was nervous because although I was running in a super safe area in the middle of the day in a really busy part of town, I had no idea where I was REALLY going.  Yes, it was a big loop but still-- if someone can get confused running a loop, it would be me.  From start to finish, my route is a little over two miles, so running it twice has been perfect so far.  The trail is a really popular spot to run in Boston (but I'm totally not sharing where because hello, creepsters out there) and quite scenic-- basically the run flies by.  Since I'm still getting used to long runs, this is ideal for me.


Today's run: 4 miles in a little under 40 minutes
Negatives: a cramp in the arch of my left foot that won't stop
Positives: i don't have to run when i get home!  and enjoying the gorgeous afternoon outside-- texas friends, it was in the 70s here today.  SEVENTIES!

$250 down, $2750 to go!!  swing by my fundraising page!

http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/newyork/page/Katherine-Fox.htm

I must be crazy.

That, my friends, is my signed waiver for the marathon. After being selected to run on the team, the next step was to sign all of the paperwork and make my individual deposit. Truthfully, it took me close to two weeks to take those final steps, and I might have felt faint as I walked out of the building (and maybe contemplated "What in the hell did I just sign myself up to do?") but now that the reality has set in, I am so excited and ready.

Guarantee that that will come and go as the training kicks into high gear, but oh well-- I'll revel in the feeling while it lasts.

For those of you who know me well, I have not always been a runner, hence the title of this blog: "I wouldn't run if you chased me." That used to be my tagline. I legitimately would not run across the street if a car was speeding towards me.


When I was in elementary school, I would fake being sick from the tire swing so I wouldn't have to run races or laps. Dear God, the laps around the Cater track...


When I was in middle school, I played the cello and clarinet, and took tennis as an elective-- basically, the least physically active activities that anyone could attempt. (Sidenote: I sat the tennis bench because I refused to run for the ball.)


When I was in high school, I was on the dance team. Considering that I'm from Texas, "dance team" consisted of parading around on the football field at halftime in white cowboy boots and sequins. While the experience did perhaps make me a bit more athletic (and brought me to some of my very best friends), it did not make me an athlete... nor did I find my rhythm (go figure).


The first year of college came and went, and then I moved to Boston. Boston is what one might call a runners town. Even in the dead of winter, it is a given to see the hardcore devotees navigating the icy sidewalks in their spandex (that is cray-cray; I cannot even shuffle steadily on the ice). As I began to notice how common of an activity it is here, I let myself entertain the thought of giving it a shot. It also gave me a good answer when people asked what I was doing in my free time as a new Bostonite because "Oh, just touring the city" is only valid for so long.


The summer of 2010, I ran my first 5k. Several others followed and the summer of 2011 brought my first 5-miler, the winter of 2012 brought my first 4-miler and 10k (in rapid succession), and now the fall of 2012 will bring my first marathon. Notice how I skipped over a half? Yes, I'm still on the lookout for a good half marathon to run mid-August-- it's written into my training schedule as a good checkpoint to determine how I'm feeling with the distance, the longer runs, etc.

This is huge for me, taking on this goal. My free time has been occupied with reading marathon books on my Kindle and fine-tuning my running playlists to push me through the tough days ("Eye of the Tiger" is a given, as is any and all Britney). As a person, I'm a lot of things, and until the last few years, I never ever would have admitted that "a runner" would be a part of that list, better yet "a long distance runner" and EVEN BETTER YET "a marathoner." I'm not there yet... but I will be.


There have been lots of questions about the distance... I think that the distance is something that is in the back of my mind but hasn't fully registered. I know that in 143 days, I'll be close to finished with running 26.2 miles, and that is unbelievable. Truly-- I can't wrap my head around it. Since the training hasn't "officially" started yet (I'm sticking to easy runs and lots of cross training and stretching in the meantime), the idea of tackling that many miles doesn't really seem real yet. I'm looking at my schedule and in 9 weeks, I have a 14 mile Saturday long run. That, my friends, is what I call intense. The longest training run that I'll have is 22 miles, and they say that adrenaline and conditioning is what pushes you through the final 4.2 of the race. In 20 weeks, that will likely make a lot more sense.


More than anything, I want to thank each and everyone one of you who wandered over to this little blog. Whether you're my family or a friend, a blogger or a fellow runner, thank you. It is 152% true that without such a fabulous support system, I wouldn't be able to do this, and I don't mean the fundraising part. The people that I'm talking about are those who are cheering me on and encouraging me without anything really having started yet. Support is what makes this happen-- it is so appreciated.


Since this blog will serve as my own little journal throughout this experience, I intend to update daily as my training goes along. There will be good days, amazing days, and I guarantee that there will be awful days, and I will be honest every step of the way. Few things irritate me more than reading about a runner who's training for a race and never has a negative remark. Seriously? Even the world's most elite runners have off days; everything is not roses all of the time. So... be prepared for the thorns.


Here we go!

Katie's Fundraising Page

http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/newyork/page/Katherine-Fox.htm