Happy 1 Year!

Yesterday was our 1 year wedding anniversary!


At the church...

The Mellwood Art Center...(such a neat place)

Our cake was a little frozen, but still pretty good!

Hubs spoiled me with a new tote for law school and lunch out. We also got one of those single serving coffee makers from my parents, which is pretty awesome.

It was a great day!

New Toy

I went a little crazy with the Running Times Calculator...

Potential marathon times based on previous races:

Race / Time = Equivalent Marathon Time / Pace
5k (28:18) = 4:36:41, 10:33/mile
10k (58:38) = 4:35:11, 10:30/mile
10 miler (January- 1:51:36) = 5:16:04, 12:03/mile
10 miler (April-1:40:18) = 4:44:05, 10:50/mile
Half marathon (2:28:07) = 5:10:07, 11:50/mile
20 miler (training run- 3:30:00**) = 4:42:48, 10:47/mile

**I added some extra time to account for the water stops on race day**

Another way to predict your time is to take your 10k and multiply it by 4.65:

58:38 x 4.65 = 4:54:38 marathon (272.6 minutes)

I like what I'm seeing...got some sub 5:00:00's in there! To set goals or not set goals, that is the question?

And now I have a way to keep track of my pace...

AHHHHHHHH!

My parent's gave me a brand, spankin' new Garmin Forerunner 305 as an early birthday present...they wanted me to have it for my marathon!

Thanks, Mom and Dad!

I'm going to give it a whirl this afternoon.

The Hills

My half marathon experience still lingers in the back of my mind...I did so many things wrong at that race...no iPod, no gels or blox, cotton shirt (last minute wardrobe emergency).

Oh, and not to mention the intense and unexpected HEAT.

Since then I've been training in the heat and been smart about my race fueling.

I've also worked the hills like crazy!

Here's the elevation map for my 15 miler:



All of my "long" runs (8+) are based on this route. FLAT is not a term in my training repertoire.

Which is good, when you consider THIS:

Hatfield/McCoy Elevation

Kentucky Derby Festival Elevation

Behold, dear bloggies! The Hatfield/McCoy Marathon elevation map on top, KDF Marathon with the park hills on bottom for a little compare and contrast.

I didn't have the privilege of running the second set of park hills at the KDF (I was a left-turner)...and I'm glad I didn't have to do that.

But hey, let's focus on the race at hand...check out Blackberry Mountain at mile 4-7!

This is one of the staples of this race and I will treat it with the utmost respect. Not gonna mess around with that monster...it's like a seismic blip!

(But word on the street is the little roller at mile 23 is the real killer)

Goody, goody!

Thursday mish-mash

I woke up this morning with about 5 different things I wanted to blog about swirling around in my noggin, so you'll get a little bit of everything this morning!

***

I hit the gym and ran 3.5 miles in honor of National Running Day. I still think I'm tapering "too much" but I don't want to take a chances with my wonky calf.

Has anyone ever gotten a sports massage after a race or hard run? Was there a lot of screaming involved?

***

I was in Target when I heard a mother and her two sons blabbering in the aisle next to me. The oldest son (about 10) held up a shirt and asked "THIS is an extra-small? It's huge!"

To which to mother replied, "Well, America's FAT."

I was absolutely incensed. For two reasons...

1) This woman is no brilliant social-scientist, making an original or groundbreaking assertion in the racks of target. No, no...she probably just watched a Dateline episode entitled "America is FAT." I half expected her to turn to me and shout "GO GREEN! ECONOMIC DOWNTURN! BRANGELINA!"

2) Now her son is going to go to school, find the chubby kid and execute the use of this phrase in the ugliest way possible.

That's all I've got...just a case for sterilization by the clearance rack.

***

Speaking of Brangelina, they didn't break up. The world can keep a'spinning!

***

I think I need this for law school:

***

Happy Thursday! (it's almost Friday)

National Running Day

Whadda ya know, it's National Running Day!

So, get out and RUN!

Just a trip around the block, whatever works...you never know, it may be the start of a blog-inducing addiction to running :)

***

Unrelated: I joined Twitter...I don't Tweet, I just look at Tweets? Listen to Tweets?! Whatever...anyway, I'm now following Levar Burton and the entire cast of the Hills.

And I'm dumber for it.

Still talking about gels...

I went to the Trail Store for the first time to pick up some Endurolytes and Recoverite for the big day...loved that place!

I'm still trying to get a handle on how many gels/blox I should put away during the marathon.

Here's a sampling of opinions on the matter:
- 1 per hour
- 1 at mile 6, 12, 18 and 24 (or 5, 10, 15, 20, 24)
- 1 every 12 minutes (the Lance Armstrong method)

I've got an iron stomach when it comes to gels, but I think that 1 every 12 minutes would make me throw up fo' sho'.

No matter what schedule I settle on, there's no way I can carry all of this stuff with me. My SPI belt is handy, but if you load it down too much it bounces (and looks like a fanny pack).

I guess I'll just have to rely on my pit crew (Hubs, Mom and Dad) to hook me up during the race.

Speaking of which, I'm still looking for an Official Hair Braider to join my crew. Must have experience with unruly hair. Let me know.

Tapering

I ran 8 miles on Saturday and then 4 miles on Sunday.

I'm really starting to like this taper thing!

Now the nerves are starting to kick in...5+ hours is a long time to do anything, let alone run through the West Virginia mountains.

I'm planning on walking through each (and EVERY) water stop to give my legs a break. There will be 25 water stations (approx. 1 every mile) so when things get crazy I can tell myself: "Only 10-12 minutes of running and then a little break."

I have a feeling that will become my race mantra.

***

I'm still undecided on race fuel...I like Shot Blox (tasty, easy to carry) but I get a bigger "boost" from PowerBar Gels.

I also get disgusting jam hands after I eat one, which drives me crazy.

And what should I do about my salt intake/anti-cramping measures? Grab some packets from Wendy's for mile 20, or spring for the Endurolytes?

Here are some Endurolyte facts from the Hammer Nutrition website:

Application:
Use prior to, during, and after workouts to satisfy the body's electrolyte requirements with maximum precision.

Mixing / Usage:
Instructions: Use as needed but primarily when:

1. Exercise lasts for more than 2 hours, regardless of temperature or humidity.

2. Exercise lasts less than 2 hours and:
- Temperature is above 80 degrees and/or 70% humidityor
- Temperature and humidity is 10 degrees or more above what you are accustomed to

1-3 capsules 30-60 minutes prior to exercise

1-6 capsules each hour during exercise

1-3 capsules after exercise

Ugh. Running and math.

But considering I took the time to blog about it, I'm probably going to invest in some Endurolytes.