Jittery with excitement tonight! Tomorrow is the big day!!! I was originally supposed to run this race last summer, so in a way I've honestly been waiting a whole year for race day :)
Got into Brew City this evening just in time to scoot downtown to meet my running buddy, Hanna, and head to the packet pick-up/expo. Goodie bags in hand, we wandered through and soaked up some of the happy buzz of the scene.
I also may have been talked into officially registering for the Madison Mini-Marathon! No turning back now!
After a phenomenal meal and some long over due catching up at Rustica Italian in 3rd Ward, I've got nothing to do now except wait with anticipation until race time!
Starting time is bright and early at 7am, hoping the weather cooperates as it is supposed to :) Keep your fingers crossed and send me some good running vibes - looking forward to a great race and a wonderful experience.
Yep, yet another 1980's song to accompany my blog post today....
Who doesn't love some good rockin' 80's jams to kick off a Thursday morning?? I have to admit I have some of these songs on my running playlist :)
Only 2 more days until race day.... the nerves are starting to kick in a little bit. I've also been a little concerned about my achy body - in particular my knees and hips. Perhaps it would be a good idea if I took my running a little more seriously and did some stretching and strength work to coincide with my pavement pounding runs...
On that note, I thought I'd share some good knee stretches:
Stretches: IT Band (Lean into each stretch for 15 to 20 seconds, then switch sides.) 1. Wall Banger: Stand with your right side about six to 12 inches from a wall. Squat and lean your upper body to the left until your right hip touches the wall. “It stretches the IT band and strengthens the glutes,” says Nancy Cummings, Ed.D., assistant professor at Florida Southern College. 2. Side Stretch: Stand with your left foot crossed in front of your right, and lean your upper body to the left with your hands overhead. Lean as far as you can without bending your knees. 3. Backward T Stretch: Stand, feet together, facing a wall about six to 12 inches away. Hold your arms to your sides like you’re forming a T. Without bending your knees, reach down and back as far as you can with your right hand. Strength Moves: Hips, Glutes, and Quadriceps (Do independent of running so your muscles aren’t fatigued during this program.)
1. Leg Lift: Strong hip abductors help prevent strain of the IT band. “There’s less torque on the band because you’re decreasing the amount of hip abduction,” says sports-medicine specialist Sharon Flynn, M.D. Lie on your side with your elbow on the floor. Lift your upper leg up about a foot and return to the starting position. Do 20 to 30 on each side. 2. Four-Way Kick: Attach your ankle to a cable machine (or use a resistance band). Face the machine. Kick your leg backward 20 times. Rotate 90 degrees and kick to the side. Repeat in all four directions (when you’re facing away from the machine, kick forward). Start with two sets of 20 in each direction on each leg, and work up to three sets of 50 in each direction. 3. Lateral Step Up with Kick: Stand with your left side next to a step that’s eight to 12 inches high. Step up with your left foot, driving the right foot in the air so it’s even with your waist. Step back down and repeat. It strengthens the lateral muscle of the quad to help protect the knee, Cummings says. Do two sets of eight to 12 repetitions on each side. 4. Hip Lift: Balance on your right foot (use a wall for balance). With your left knee bent, drop the left hip and lift it up. “Let the hip drop, and try not to bend the left leg,” says Stephen Pribut, D.P.M., a sports podiatrist in Washington, D.C. “You’ll feel it in the glutes.” Do 15 to 20 times on each side. 5. Step Down: Stand on a step on your right foot. Lower your left leg toward the floor, making sure the knee of your right leg is centered over your foot. “With the step down, you’re putting more focus on the glutes,” says Matt Schneider, athletic trainer and physician assistant at the Boulder (Colorado) Center for Sports Medicine. Do two sets of 10 on each.
AAAAAHHHHHH 3 days to go! It is indeed.... the final countdown....
Okay I couldn't help myself, I've had that song in my head all morning :)
I haven't been very diligent about updating this the last few weeks, although I do think packing up my life and moving is a pretty decent excuse to put the blog on the backburner. The good news is that I have continued running throughout the chaos of life. In fact, I have already had a few beautiful runs in my new neighborhood!
Since moving to uptown, I've quickly become obsessed with the lake trails nearby. Albeit very crowded, they are still a gorgeous, well maintained, and easily accessible trail system.
I had an extremely successful 10 mile run early last week, and a (not quite as successful) 12-miler this Sunday.
10 miles June 3
12 miles June 8
I have no excuse for the tough 12 mile run besides my...
a. lack of hydration and
b. lack of preparation
The original plan was to do my 'long' run 2 weeks before race day, but as that was moving weekend.... the scheduling got a little discombobulated. Regardless.... I was able to finish the run (yippie!).
My original hope of blowing my previous half time out of the water (last spring was a 2hr 10min race) doesn't seem to be quite as realistic as I had originally thought. I am a little disappointed that I didn't push myself a harder these last 2 months, but hindsight is always very rosy. Life intervened, again, and the training had to be flexible as well.
All of that being said, I am definitely on track to at least match my previous run time... and come race day, I know I'll push myself much harder than I have been in training. The goal (fingers crossed) is still a sub-2hr time, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
I am pretty excited to be heading back to my hometown (Milwaukee) for this run, it'll be a great experience to be able to have family there to support me! I'm also stoked that I have a good friend running the same race (that's you Hanna Gichard!) and we have plans to carb load the night before :)
