I brought Carlos to school this morning. For this first week of school the half-day preschoolers are only attending from 9 to 11 a.m. I took Carlos up to his classroom and then I headed out to the reservoir for a 6 mile training run. The sun was shining, a light breeze blowing and there was a hint of crispness signaling a change of season just around the corner, but for today I would enjoy these last moments of summer.

I took my normal route around the reservoir. I started out at a comfortable pace letting the music guide me. My legs felt light and my breathing was even. There was a smile on my face. I waved or mouthed good morning to everyone I passed.

I returned to the car for water after finishing four miles. I rested for a few minutes then took off again. It seemed as though everything was in sync on this run. My breathing became rhythmic and effortless. My legs felt like they could run forever. I picked up the pace and the smile on my face grew instantly bigger. I meant it too. I was truly happy to be running.

This was not a stellar week by any means. Work, birthdays, husband’s work schedule and weather are not to blame, but all played a part in the outcome of this week in marathon training. I have maintained from day 1 of marathon training that my goal is not to be perfect, but to be flexible. Life happens. I will cross that finish line on January 8, 2012. I started my training early so that I could allow for interruptions and scheduling conflicts along the way. Here is the week in a nutshell:

I fell 9.5 miles short of my intended mileage. I’m not the least bit worried or upset about this. I truly did the best that I could. I have a plan to make up for my shortcomings. My long run for this upcoming Saturday calls for 9 miles. Well since I did almost 9 miles this week I will trade the long runs for these two weeks. I will do a 12 mile long run this Saturday. Carlos starts school this week so I will use Wednesday and Friday to make up some of the mileage I missed last week. I will also try to incorporate a double workout tomorrow which will consist of a morning run after work and a strength training session in the evening.

I’m happy with my progress so far. I am excited about the week to come. The weather looks great. I am ready to run!

“Let no one think that flexibility and a predisposition to compromise is a sign of weakness or a sell-out.” –Paul Kagame

Week 4 was a challenging week. My grandmother was in the hospital and that took priority over my training. So I did the absolute best that I could and here is how it went.

I calculated that I missed 4.7 miles during Week 4. I’m working hard to include some of those missed miles in my runs this week. I’m not sure if I can do it, but I’m trying. Running simply does not come first in my life. The purpose of a schedule is to hold me accountable and to have a guideline to follow. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, flexibility in my running plan will be the key to my success.

I’m already in good shape this week, even a little ahead of the game. If I continue as planned I will indeed make up some of the mileage I missed last week.

I am off for the next two nights and looking forward to a trip to the Connecticut shore with Carlos, of course, and my oldest and dearest BFF and her four boys! I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for a sunny day.

On Saturday, August 13, 2011 I ran my first repeat race. A year ago I ran the Bridge of Flowers 10K in Shelburne Falls, MA. I knew that I would run it again this year. It’s a great race in a beautiful location with a fabulous after race event. The spectator support is incredible along the way. The event runs like a well oiled machine thanks to the dedicated volunteers and sponsors.

We were up at 6 and the sun was too! I began race day as I always do, with a piece of peanut butter and banana toast. We were out the door by 7:15. I love having my guys with me on race day.

We parked in the free parking area at the elementary school. I walked a block to pick up my race packet while Orlando stayed with Carlos at the school playground. I returned to the parking area to pin my number on and take some pre-race photos.

Really Mom, another race?

Carlos and I on the Bridge of Flowers

View from the Bridge of Flowers

Runners line up on the Iron Bridge for the race start

And just like that it was time to join the other runners on the Iron Bridge. The start of this race is divided into men on the right and women on the left, but no one seems to really enforce it too much. I did join the ladies on the left. Before I knew it the National Anthem was sung and we were off. I always have little butterflies as I start a race, and this one was no exception. I took off at a steady pace, not too fast, not too slow. The spectators were cheering loudly. The first two miles take you through the town and back over the Iron Bridge. Just after mile two is “the hill.” It is a half mile of increasingly steep incline that doesn’t seem to end until all of a sudden you are met with a dirt road that flattens out and then gives way to some much needed declines. If you really must know it is actually a small mountain. I tried to run it but came to a crushing halt up the first ascent. I walked it along with everyone else around me.

The race finishes just over the Iron Bridge where it all started. For the last 3 miles I kept seeing the same woman in gray shorts. We were often neck and neck or one of us was just slightly ahead of the other. After mile 4 I didn’t see her for a bit. I thought she had passed me. She was in fabulous shape. I envied her long lean legs imagining how much swifter I might move if they were on me. Then I realized that I wasn’t doing too bad with my own legs. Around mile 5 she surpassed me. Spurred on by friendly competition and the motivation to beat my last year’s time, I sped up a bit. Again we took turns passing each other. As we entered the bridge for the last time she was coming up on my heels. I began sprinting as the time clock came into view. The lady in the gray shorts and I crossed the finish line at exactly the same time. As soon as I caught my breath I approached her. We shook hands and congratulated each other. I appreciated the push at the end. Thanks Gail!

So how did I do? I did great. I finished in 1:04:16. Last year’s finish was 1:07:36. It was a great improvement in my opinion. My only goal was to finish a second or more under last year’s time. I did that and more. The hill really slowed me down. Even though I train on hills this one was clearly no match for my training. My husband did manage to take a pretty bad ass photo of me as I neared the finish line.

Now that's determination!

Sunday, July 31, 2011 – Rest Day
Monday, August 1, 2011 – 5 miles
Tuesday, August 2, 2011 – Walked about 4 miles a friend then did 2 miles in under 20 minutes. Swapped out the 5 mile run I was supposed to do today and did the 5 miles yesterday. Today should have been 3 miles but I figured that the walk more than compensated for the mile that I missed with the run.
Wednesday, August 2, 2011 – 5 miles
Thursday, August 3, 2011 – 3 miles
Friday, August, 4, 2011 – Rest Day
Saturday, August 5, 2011 – unintentional Rest Day

When I planned out my training calendar it was important to account for flexibility. This week was a perfect example of how to maintain training momentum amidst unplanned events. I flip flopped runs at the beginning of the week simply because that is what worked best for that particular day. My 5 mile run on Wednesday was horrible. My legs felt really heavy and tired. On Thursday, I took my run inside at the gym so that I could do some strength training as well. My planned long run on Saturday did not happen because I wanted to spend time with my grandmother at the hospital and also needed to sleep before work.

All winter I did strength training 2-3 times a week. I was feeling really strong and fit. It recently dawned on me that I have only done scattered strength training for the past few months. Now that the weather is nicer I prefer to be outdoors. I haven’t thought about going to the gym just to strength train. I am going to try to incorporate at least two days of weights or some other form of strength training activity like yoga, Pilates or Boot Camp.

So far I am really happy with my marathon training. I realize I have started about a month earlier than necessary, but I needed the structure. We will see how this week goes now that Carlos is done with day camp. I will have to get creative in order to sneak in my runs.

Until this summer I had never been any kind of fruit picking. In June I went strawberry picking with Carlos and a bunch of friends. We managed to pick a large box of soft, ripe, sweet strawberries on the verge of going bad. It was hard work especially under the hot summer sun. No need for the gym that day as I got in numerous sets of squats and then some. I left with stained red hands and a new appreciation for farmers. We certainly take for granted what it involves getting fresh fruit and vegetables to the table.

On Thursday we had the opportunity to go blueberry picking. Four adults and six children let loose in the blueberry fields at Birdhaven Blueberry Farm…watch out! It was a gorgeous afternoon. The kids were reeling with energy after a long day of camp at the YMCA. Our guide, John, showed us which bushes were the best and then we were on our own with plastic buckets attached to our waist. The kids had smaller containers that they were supposed to fill and then empty into our larger buckets.

Carlos in the blueberry bushes

The blueberries were delicious. It was difficult not to eat them all, but eventually my bucket accumulated quite a bit of the luscious berries.

Bucket of Blueberries

We picked, we talked, we laughed and we ate. The girls took the blueberry picking quite seriously and managed to fill up their little containers. The boys ran around the bushes hiding on each other and us. They picked a few blueberries in between and ate more than we could count.

Serious blueberry picking

It was a fun afternoon. I made out with about 2.5 pounds of blueberries for only $6. The owners of the farm were so gracious especially considering the number of kids with us.

I resisted the urge to buy one of their homemade blueberry pies because I knew that I would probably be the one to eat most of it. They sure were pretty though.

Blueberry pie

I am planning to wrap up each week of marathon training with a post describing my runs and workouts. Week 1 went as planned. I swapped a shorter run for a longer run because it just worked out better for my schedule. I ran a 5 miler at the gym because of the heat. I have a training calendar that outlines my runs each day until the marathon. However, my goal for marathon training is to keep it flexible. I intend on sticking to my weekly mileage but if I need to move a run to a different day then so be it. I will be throwing in some strength training as the weeks go on. When Carlos goes back to school I am planning to return to yoga once a week.

While it’s great to look at the big picture I know that in order to keep my head in the game I have to take it day to day. This is just the beginning and there is a long way to go. Here is a look at Week 1:

Sunday, July 17, 2011 – Rest Day

Monday, July 18, 2011 – 3 mile run

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 – Walked about 2.5 miles with a friend

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – 5 mile run (had a 3 mile run scheduled but did Thursday’s 5 mile run because it worked out better with my schedule)

Thursday, July 21, 2011 – 3 mile run

Friday, July 22, 2011 – 5 mile run (done on the treadmill at the gym due to heat and humidity)

Saturday, July 23, 2011 – 6 mile run

This week was all about getting back into a routine, following a schedule and simply running. I didn’t focus too much on my time. Down the road I will be adding some speed training and pace runs. The week was extremely hot and even hit 100 degrees by Friday. I ran around 9 a.m. every day. I stay very well hydrated. I tend to run a bit slower when it’s this hot. I felt great and I’m looking forward to Week 2. Stay tuned!!