End of Week 19 Half Marathon training

It's kinda scary to see that title when my training schedule is only 21 weeks long!  That means next week my training officially ends and it's go time.  This end point is what I have been working towards, all the weeks of training, cross training, recovery, nutrition adjustment.  Yet I'm just as scared as I am excited.  I go from giddy, child-like excitement, to straight up terror that I'll get swept and not be able to finish the race.  I know that is crazy as I'm running a 12 minute mile, so I should be just fine, but still it is a concern of mine.

 

So as the race creeps ever so quickly into view, I just have to trust my training and my body to do what it needs and wants to do on race day, and leave the "what if's" in the dust.

 

So my training for this week was...just like every week before.  It was:

 

Tuesday: 30 min run/walk
Thursday: 30 min run/walk
Saturday: 13 mile long run  <----GASP!

 

My week went to crap.  Yeah, it wasn't good to say the least.  I was working late every night and even had to skip out on a spinning class last minute.  I felt horrible about it because I really wanted to go and I was meeting up with some great local blogging ladies.  Next time ladies, I'll make it happen!

 

So since my week had gone to the wayside as far as running, to say I was happy and nervous to get out on Saturday morning would be an understatement.  I was happy because I was finally able to get a run in, but nervous because I hadn't run in a while and I didn't know how my body would handle me trying to bust out 13 miles.  Well here goes nothing!

 

 

I decided to run around Lake Union since my running friends were going to do one lap a bit later that morning.  So one lap on my own (with some extra mileage) and a lap with them.  Perfect!  Except one thing.  I felt like I was running through molasses.  UGH!  My legs felt so slow and each step was so arduous, I really didn't know how I was going to get through all of these miles.

 



 

At least I had pretty scenery to look at while I was running.  Good Morning Seattle!!

 

I was able to get around the lake once and meet up with my other two running ladies.  We headed out and took the same route I had just been on.  They kept me motivated and distracted (THANK YOU!) for those miles.  Until I looked down and saw this.

 

 

 

D'OH!!!  I had forgotten to charge my Garmin the day before and I got a blank screen about 1.52 miles left in my run.  So I have no information to go by on how long it had taken me to run the miles, or my mileage to share. :(  Luckily the other two ladies had Garmins on and were able to help calculate how many more miles I needed to run.

 

Then these ladies did something great for me.  I was hurting...and slow towards the end of the run.  So much that they had left me in the dust, I saw them about 200ft ahead of me.  As we got to the end point, the ladies had calculated how much more mileage I needed to get to my 13 miles.  So when I found out, I mustered up the strength and headed out for the last .36 miles I had left.

 

Then to my pleasant surprise, I saw that ladies running alongside with me.  I began to tear up.  They didn't have to run, they were done with their mileage and didn't need to continue running.  But they ran with me to help encourage me and cheer me on as I made it through my first 13.  It still gets me misty-eyed when I think about it.

 

 

 

I was so done with the run, it wasn't even funny!  But...I DID IT!!!  I had run my first ever 13 miles.  It was a mix of elation and pain.  The pain kinda won out at the end.  But I was so excited and felt so proud of what I had accomplished.  The ladies and myself all agreed I was ready for the race.  I've now run the distance and now I can race the distance.  So crazy to look at that number and know that I did it.  I ran it and now I own that.  13 miles.  I did it.

 

This next week is more running but light amounts, it really is my taper week and all I want to do is run!!!!  People told me tapering would be tough, but I thought they were crazy.  Now I'm beginning to understand.  Short easy runs are on the horizon for me and getting me ready for my big run next weekend.  This weekend is a nice and slow 6 miles, just to shake the legs out.

 

9 days until I am in Disney World for the race weekend and 12 days until the race.  I'm so nervous and excited, I can barely stand it.