OMG Jenny! Congratulations....what an inspiring story. It's neat that you shared and chatted with us all through your training...I feel so proud for you!!!

CONGRATS Jenny So happy for you!

Go Jenny Go Jenny Go Jenny Go Jenny... and yes I'm singing this in the beat that you all know You did GREAT.... I especially like you did it for charity, thats really cool!

Got in 6 miles this morning, nice early run, its lighter in the morning now so thats nice. Keep my team in your thoughts, we've got a big game tonight, my girls need to play well!

HAPPY RUNNING!

~Leash

Jenny - 4:34? AWESOME woot! I knew you were gonna rock it!

Did my tempo run today, found a really awesome place to do them now too (would probably work for speedwork too.. yay for not having to run on tracks or treadmills!) Its a one mile course marked out at my local marina, its marked in 1/10ths of miles and even has painted on "START" and "FINISH", every mile felt like a mini race against myself lol. So I warmed up by running to the marina, about 1.5 miles, then I ran 4 tempo miles at 9 minutes a piece (well, give or take, one mile was faster, one was slower and two were pretty much right on target). But boy oh boy I think runnersworld may be a little ambitious to think I can run a whole half marathon at that pace, I was pretty tired by the end, so I walked for a few minutes before running the 1.5 miles home. I guess we will see!

To all you morning runners out there: I am going to start running in the morning now for time management purposes (and I mean first thing when I wake up). Do you guys usually eat anything before a long or challenging run, or just wait until you get done?

Also, I was wondering if anyone took anything (sports drinks or gels or bars or anything like that) along with them during long runs? I haven't even been taking water, but I wonder if maybe I should. Its hard for me to want to drink sports drinks since I can get electrolytes from actual food, I am trying to lose weight here and I can't stand the thought of drinking my precious calories. I know that people take sports gels at marathons, but when exactly do they help? How long should you be running before you actually need something like that for more fuel? Yeah I know I am clueless haha

Hi All,

New to this group.....joined several months ago but took a "leave of absence" .......am pretty interested in Myrtle Beach....really over Valentines Day weekend? Are a group of you going to hook up before the race? After.....I think that would be a great place to be rather than the wet, gray, Pacific Northwest. And the ticker idea is great. I wish I'd been doing that before completing the Portland Marathon in October!

Happy Running,

kat -- to answer your question from the last page: several years back i ran the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. I went through the Team In Training program for the Luekemia & Lymphoma Society, and it was an incredible experience. I know "marathon" is a goal that's still a ways off for many folks on here, and also fundraising isn't "fun" for everybody, but if you need any additional motivation besides just trying to tame the beast that is the 26.2, i highly recommend this program.

as for fuel on long runs -- you'll get just as many answers on this one as there are runners out there. it's really a trial-and-error, depends-on-you kind of thing, but my two cents: you probably don't NEED to take anything until you get out into the double digits, like 10 miles or maybe even longer. again, some i'm sure take water, Gatorade, etc. out on runs shorter than that. as for gels and such, they're a quick shot of concentrated "energy" so to speak, and usually wouldn't come into play on training runs until you get into the 15 to 20 mile range (in my opinion).

you can also experiment with throwing in a quick "snack" or drink somewhere along your route (i.e. come back to home base, grab something, then head out again to complete the workout). as you increase your distances, obviously it will take some getting used to. so even if the first few times you feel like you're dying and you have to have something to keep you going, remember that after completing a workout of XX miles three or four or five times, you'll probably notice that it starts to get easier and you don't need as much "help" to finish it as you originally thought. make sense? hope that helps.

Great job!!! WTG!!!!!!!! That is awesome!

hey guys...
got in a little over 3 miles in between classes today...and i was much faster today than usual!!
but it was annoying because i was having problems with my heart rate monitor...does anyone else wearone such as a polar F11???

OK, Jenny is our Hero! Way to go in NYC

Seems like MONDAY is our unoffiical, yet official enough check in day to post weekly results. So, I'd recommend everyone that wants to participate to post late Sunday or Monday with a quick:

GOING THE DISTANCE check-in
__ Actual
__ Goal
__ Next week

Should be FUN!
Raymond

Jenny is completely my hero!!! Just awesome!

Ran 7 today with running buddy. This weather does me so good while running. I could just keep going.

Jenny you are my hero too! I'm sending you a cape! Awesome story, what a great experience!

Jenny, at some point when you come back down to earth, would you mind sharing your story with us (maybe again, if you already have and I missed it) from a training/running perspective? I just don't know how I would ever be able to follow in your footsteps, and would love to hear your story of how you made this all happen

I'm heading out for my longest run yet tomorrow- hoping I feel great. Have had to switch to gluten-free eating in the last week or so, and I haven't quite figured out if it's affecting (either positively or negatively) my running... either way, wish me luck! I'll report back tomorrow!

Good morning!
Got in 3.5 miles this morning. Tomorrow is a rest day then pace run Saturday and long run on Sunday.

Kelynn -- good luck on the longest run! hope you feel great!

Enjoy your day!
Julie

I wouldn't say I felt great, but I did it- 4.16 miles My legs are feeling it, that's for sure, but I'm thrilled!

Hope everyone has a great day It's almost Friday...

Yeah Kelynn! Happy Day! Your running high should help you have a fabulous day! Congrats!

Good morning

5 mile tempo run for me today. First day running after the race on Sunday. I am surprised that I was running a little slower today. Note to self: don't pick a tempo run for your first run after a half marathon.

Amazing adventure for me yesterday! While I was driving, something in the road punctured my fuel tank. I am so thankful for the kindness of strangers. I drove about 3 blocks with gasoline spraying from my vehicle (lots of cars behind me) before a really nice lady pulled up beside me to let me know.

Make it a great day
-Kechie.

Kechie.. WOW, you almost made the news. You are lucky that someone helped out. That could have been very bad. IF you did feel good with the tempo run, you left a little on the race course. A hard 1/2 should keep you stiff for 3-4 days or more. Think if it as good news.... I always felt bad if I felt too good after a race... make sense?

Kelynn, think of yourself as our next big running inspiration. Everyone's got their story of what they are running for, or from. You've got a great beginning here with what you've been thru. Great Job!

For me, I did a 60 minute run last night which totally sucked but was totally awesome. It's exactly what I needed to start getting back on track.

Raymond

Yikes! Kechie! I'm so glad that you are okay! That could've gotten scary!!

Kelynn ~ way to go on your long run! That's terrific!

Raymond ~ nice to have you back! Does your travel ease up with fall/winter?

Nice run Julie! What is your long run target?

Today is my short run w/ cross training day, so just a quick 2.3 miles this morning followed by cycle, circuit training, pilates with cycle and kettlebell tonight. Planning a mid distance run tomorrow with a long run Sunday. Going to go for the full half marathon distance. Still on the fence about next week's 10 mile race...must decide today to get the cheaper entry fee.

Have a great day everyone!

Becky

My long run this week is 11 miles.

Thanks for the awesome perspective That does make sense!

Getting back on track is tough. You can do it. Be sure to post for support. I love hearing from you.

-Kechie.

Hello everyone!

Sounds like everyone's been getting some good runs in.

Today is a rest day for me, after 7 miles on Monday and then an hour and a half of boot camp yesterday, my legs are FEELING it! I love the burn!

Raymond, you are so sweet. It's comments like that that keep me running and motivated. I don't know what I'd do without this awesome little group we've all developed. In many ways my friends on here do more for me than my friends in "real life" because you guys all 'get it' and I have no runner friends, so they do not.

Maybe it's just me being on a high from a great run today, and from feeling like a whole new person this week without gluten making me feel SO sick, but I'm thinking my next race might be a half As you fine people might recall, I was supposed to do an 8k November 21st but realized that that's not going to happen since I had to take some time away from running while I was sick. I originally was going to look for a 8k or 10k in December/January, but now I'm wondering if I should just go for the gold and plan for a half in the late spring/early summer. Boy, I wouldn't even know where to start. For now, I'll keep on keepin' on and see where it takes me.

I feel like I've made good progress with running considering I started day 1 of couch to 5k on June 24th, and now, just 4 and a half months later I'm up to 4 miles. And, to top it all off, I did that all with hypothyroidism and what is almost for certain Celiac's disease taking it's toll on me, both without me having a clue that anything at all was wrong. I feel a little bit on top of the world, if I do say so myself!

Again, thank you Raymond, and all of you, for you kindess...

Kelynn - Congrats on your longest run yet! I love your determination. Keep up what you're doing and that half that your thinking abou this spring is definitely doable!

Kechie - crazy about your fuel tank. Thank goodness someone was kind enough to bring it to your attention. Scary stuff!

Today I did some speedwork. I admit I've been slacking on my speedwork - so, I figured I better stop procrastinating and just get 'er done. This is what I was supposed to do:

Dist: 8 mi, inc
Warm; 4x1600 in 7:28
w/800 jogs; Cool

This is what I actually did:
Dist: 8 mi
1 mile warmup
4 x 1600 w/800 jogs: 1st @7:26; 2nd@7:24; 3rd@7:39; 4th@7:39
1 mile cool down
Total time: 1:11:26

Ouch. My bod hurts!

Happy running everyone!

Killer workout Heather!

Kelynn and Kechie, glad the comments were helpful. I think you both are big inspirations and the “club” would not be the same w/o you. Not to get all mushy with everyone…..

Becky…. I have another trip to Europe in about a week, then it’s family and holiday travels. BUT, my running shoes are going everywhere with me. We will be like peas and carrots.

I also think it’s cool how everyone in the last few months is putting “stretch” goals out there and working thru “whatever” to get there. It really is an inspiration! It helped me last night thinking…. OK, I am tired but….. Jenny did 18 mile training runs in the rain, Nidtz is hammering thru a hammy, Shuntae is always working on the next race, Julie is training for a marathon, chrissy working on a half, Jess could hurt me, Kelynn’s whole world just changed and still runs….what’s my excuse?… EXACTLY. Keep going forward!

Raymond

Kelynn- about the 10k vs half, why not both! It would be a great stepping stone to do a 10k in Dec/Jan and be planning on a half in the Spring! That's what I'm planning too, wish we could train together!