Saturday, October 31, 2009

Transition Time

Change is inevitable. Lots of change is happening in my life. First and foremost, my little Isaac is not so little anymore. He had to move up to his big boy car seat this week. [sigh] Next thing I know he'll be asking for the keys to the car!

(L) coming home from the hospital, (R) riding in style!

Last week I talked about feeling like I was on the edge of running burnout. I am now 6 weeks away from my marathon and have been training for 31 weeks. As such, the very understanding Marathon Advisor John gave me a light week. I had so much going on this week in my non-running life that I hardly noticed the downtime.

Secondary Mommy Group Halloween party - lil Elvis was a hit!

Primary Mommy Group Halloween party. Here we are with all our friends!

Hanging at a friend's house with yet more mommies. It was a busy week for babies.

With Daylight Savings Time happening in just a few hours, I have made a huge decision. It is time for me to return to my pre-Isaac ways and become a full-time early morning runner. I just have to do it. With putting it off until Chasen gets home, it just pushes our nighttime routine way back. By the time I get done running, if Chasen has not yet cooked dinner, we don't eat until like 8 PM. By the time that is done, plus cleanup, there's hardly any night left. We're putting Isaac to bed and the night is done. So I have to get my rear in bed early now and get up and get it done since the sun will be up earlier! I just KNOW that my days will be better this way. Plus, my marathon (plus all races) will be in the early morning. And I run better in the morning. So let's make this happen!

Another transition, since the big day is 6 weeks away, is working on my mental readiness. I have been reading "From Last to First" by Charlie Spedding. He is quite humorous! Well, he has a dry humor, which I really like. I am less than halfway through it, but I am now a believer in running "perfect" and carefully choosing my descriptives concerning my running. Must train my mind to perform!!!

Today was a 16-miler for me. I ran from my home to Hernando, Mississippi with my ultimate destination being The Velvet Cream, better known as The Dip. It is the best dairy bar in the history of Mississippi! I was to do the run at 6:6. When I was walking, I was quite speedy, I noticed. The runs were decent, also (at least until the very end). It was a hilly course; I climbed a total of 729 feet. The miles went like this: 13:39, 13:43, 14:06, 13:35, 13:16, 13:55, 13:37, 14:31, 14:15, 14:27, 14:00, 14:00, 14:46, 15:11, 14:27, 14:39. The total was 3:46:14 and the average was 14:09. I need 13:45 to make the 6-hr time limit at Rocket City.

Elvis is ready to trick-or-treat.

So long, October. Even though I had a head cold for about a week, I managed to run 137.2 miles in October. That may be a record for me. WOW!

5 comments:

Petraruns said...

What a busy week you've had! And your mileage - well done girl! I'm impressed with you for sticking with it - it inspires me.

As for little Elvis - he is JUST adorable. Kiss him for me!

Anonymous said...

Busy is an understatement! Lil Elvis is so cute! I can understand the eating dinner late bit (leading to a late bathtime, etc.) It has happened too often to my family the last couple of months, so I am running mornings or lunchtime.
You are doing terrific keeping up with the program. Do what you can to keep any further burnout at bay. You are almost there!

Maddy said...

You're amazing Susan! It was a busy week for you,and your little Elvis is a doll!

Fantastic Miles in October! You are moving right along!

ShirleyPerly said...

Isaac is the CUTEST Elvis!!!

Way to go on all those miles in October. You've been training hard for so long and have come so far. I am so proud of you. Just a few more weeks. Stay healthy and well, my friend!

Irish Blue said...

Love little Elvis...too funny! I've never seen that one before!

Way to go with your training and mileage. Awesome!