{"id":2156,"date":"2009-12-19T11:17:31","date_gmt":"2009-12-19T15:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/glutenfreeislife.wordpress.com\/2009\/12\/19\/the-year-of-running\/"},"modified":"2009-12-19T11:17:31","modified_gmt":"2009-12-19T15:17:31","slug":"the-year-of-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glutenfreeislife.com\/?p=2156","title":{"rendered":"The Year of Running"},"content":{"rendered":"

I started out 2009 with a few resolutions<\/a>.\u00a0 Let’s just say that #2 was a fail on all accounts.\u00a0 Moving onto #1 – expanding my exercise horizons to more than just running – well, that didn’t last and now I am training for a marathon.\u00a0 #3 was to keep my house more picked up & organized.\u00a0 While I am making a better effort, I have come to realize that this is an ongoing process.\u00a0 It will never be “done”.\u00a0 I just have to learn to accept it and move on.<\/p>\n

So, let’s focus more on the running now.\u00a0 When I started out 2009 I really had no goals in mind when it came to running.\u00a0 As I went through the first couple of weeks, I set my sights on a 10K in March that didn’t happen.\u00a0 Then one day as I was getting the mail in the spring, I saw a “Team in Training” postcard that was recruiting people to run the Columbus Marathon & Half Marathon to help raise money to fight cancer.\u00a0 While I didn’t end up running with Team in Training, I did set my sights on the Columbus Half Maratho<\/strong>n that was to take place on October 18, 2009.\u00a0 I also decided that I should run another race of some sort before the half to get accustomed to running a race.\u00a0 I chose a 10K in July.\u00a0 Then, the training started.<\/p>\n

I was following all the “rules” I should have been for training, though I wasn’t really following any one specific plan.\u00a0 It was Mother’s Day weekend when my right foot started to hurt.\u00a0 The more I ran & walked, the more it hurt.\u00a0 I couldn’t figure out why, as I had even bought my shoes at a running store after having my run\/gait evaluated.\u00a0 After seeing a couple different Sports Med docs, I was diagnosed with a Morton’s Neuroma<\/a>.\u00a0 The first treatment I was advised to try involved buying new shoes with a wider toe box.\u00a0 If that didn’t work, come back & there were a number of other things to try.\u00a0 Well, it worked!\u00a0 Got some new kicks and within a few weeks I was as good as new.\u00a0 I ran my first ever race on July 18, 2009<\/a> and finished 2nd in my age group<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

It was now time to really get down to business.\u00a0 Time to start running longer runs.\u00a0 I had to learn how to properly fuel myself so that I was able to make it through the runs, too.\u00a0 I quickly learned that any distance of 8+ miles required mid-run fueling for me.\u00a0 I also learned that 6+ mile runs required eating before the run.\u00a0 I typically run at 5 AM, so that was tough to do.\u00a0\u00a0 I started out with bananas.\u00a0 They were too filling for me to eat that close to a run.\u00a0 Then I moved to Sharkies and Gu\/Clif Shots.\u00a0 While I love that these products are gluten-free<\/strong>, I wanted to try to stay away from “processed” foods during my runs.\u00a0 Well, that didn’t work.\u00a0 I had to learn to make it work on the longer runs – I needed quick fuel that I could eat while running.\u00a0 I was practicing for the big day in October.\u00a0 I wanted to mimic the foods I would be eating on that day so that I could make sure that my stomach agreed with my head.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude09\u00a0 I finally figured out a system.\u00a0 I also added watered down Gatorade (also gluten-free<\/strong>) to my 8+ mile runs to help fuel & keep me hydrated.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the training I was running 30+ miles\/week.\u00a0 Those miles sure add up quickly!\u00a0 I knew that I was ready for my big day.\u00a0\u00a0 I learned all about carb loading and how to do that gluten-free.\u00a0 Brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, brown rice, buckwheat & millet all became very good friends of mine.\u00a0 Served up with roasted veggies, beans or lean meat\/fish and I had a great, well balanced meal to fuel me through my run.\u00a0 I also had to keep an eye on my “diet” to make sure that I wasn’t losing weight.\u00a0 Long runs tend to make my appetite disappear, so I began having to watch the clock to eat on those days.\u00a0 Making sure to eat something well balanced every 3 hours or so.<\/p>\n

Half marathon day<\/a> came and I was sick with what I now think was H1N1.\u00a0 I was fever free, but had a nice cough going on.\u00a0 I ran anyway.\u00a0 I managed to finish in 2 hours 1 minute & 22 seconds<\/strong>, just over my goal of coming in under 2 hours.\u00a0 I was beating myself up at first, then I remembered I was sick.\u00a0 Okay, I’ll take it.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 I worked hard for that and am proud to have done as well as I did.<\/p>\n

This brings me to the present.\u00a0 I have continued to run to maintain my fitness.\u00a0 I am currently running about 25 miles a week.\u00a0 I have also been incorporating weights to build strength in my upper & lower body to help me achieve the goals I have set for 2010.\u00a0 I have 3 races that I am planning to run in 2010.\u00a0 The first race will be March 21, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.\u00a0 It is the ING Half Marathon<\/a>.\u00a0 Not only am I running this race, but so is my sister & a group of\u00a0 people that we have recruited to run in memory of my nephews, Wyatt<\/a> & Jack<\/a>.\u00a0 This half marathon will only be a training run for me – I will not be looking for a new PR during this half.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Well, because I am getting ready to start training for my first marathon in Cleveland<\/a> on May 16, 2010!\u00a0 I do have a goal for this marathon – I would love to finish in under 4 hours.\u00a0 Can I do it?\u00a0 Only time will tell.\u00a0 Will I be upset if I don’t?\u00a0 Maybe, but that will only make me train harder for race #3 – the Nationwide Columbus Marathon<\/a> in October 2010.\u00a0 All of those races will have me running lots of miles over the course of 2010.<\/p>\n

So as I look back over 2009 I have come to the realization that I have run over 1000 miles this year<\/strong>.\u00a0 If you would have told me back in January that I would have run 1000 miles this year, I would have laughed.\u00a0 Then I might have cried.\u00a0 Will I hit 2000 next year?\u00a0 I have no idea.\u00a0 I think the race goals that I have set are enough.\u00a0 I don’t want to set any mileage goals and end up hurting myself in the process.<\/p>\n

LiveJournal Tags: running<\/a>,gluten-free<\/a><\/div>\n
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