There are no words

If you've read my story about how I became a runner, you know that there was a time I would have never considered running a marathon - let alone putting the Boston Marathon on my bucket list.  Over the last year, it has been at the back of my mind as something that could be a part of my running future. It started when my coworker Megan came in to Big Peach with her Boston shirt on last year.  And a thought crept into my head, "I could do that." It would take a lot of training and dedication - and at the time I hadn't run over 13.1 miles - but I could do it.

Fast forward to this morning.  My twitter feed these days is mostly running-related people or businesses.  I had a link to watch the live feed, and as soon as I got to my desk - even though it was after the elite start, I put my headphones in and put it on.  I listened as the elite women battled out over the last 10 miles - in less than an hour BTW! - and watched Jeptoo cruise to her second Boston win.  I was overwhelmed hearing of her 2006 win and then taking time off for "maternity leave" before coming back to win this year.  In her interview she talked about considering running for a win last year and knowing she wasn't ready.  She was so excited to have won the day!  And the USA's own Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher crossing the line and their concern for each other showed the spirit of the running community.  I watched the men finish and the battle between the top three men to cross the line.  I was energized watching these elite runners effortlessly cruise at a "slow" pace of 5:00-6:00 mm through the course and finish looking like they could run another 10 miles!  I got choked up at the finish for their accomplishment.  And then I made myself turn it off because I knew I needed to focus on work.

At 3:00pm I was on a conference call.  My caller ID beeped in and it was my BRF Jason.  I ignored his call, but sent him a quick text about being on the call.  What he said in his reply baffled me: Boston marathon bomb.  At first I thought it was using the term figuratively - like a "twitterbomb" or "photobomb".  But then he sent me a screen shot of the front page of CNN.  And a colleague I was on the phone with sent me a text - "WTF?! News is coming in of bombs going off at the Boston marathon finish line." I immediately lost interest in my conference call and started scanning Facebook and twitter and checking CNN.  I had friends in Boston - one of our own #CorralG members was close to the finish watching the race.  I had twitter friends that I had never met, but was cheering for, including someone from Richmond, that we running Boston.  I knew the sacrifices they had made for their training and the excitement they had to conquer the day.  My heart broke.  I finished my call and began sobbing in my car.  To hear stories of lives lost, runners and spectators who had lost limbs, and people who had trained so hard to finish this storied race, only to be stopped at 21 miles because of terrorism.  Yes, I'm using that word.  This was an attack on our community.  I am not a Boston athlete this year, and might never actually BQ, but these are my people.  I've spent the last almost 6 hours watching the news, reading my twitter feed and Facebook, trying to make sense of what happened.  There is no sense in this.  The story has been release that one of the people who died today was an 8-year-old child.  Unacceptable.  I cannot even imagine what people are experiencing in the wake of this tragedy!


Now that I live in Richmond, my family is far away.  I was grateful to hear from my brother today.  He checked in with a text: you're not running the Boston marathon right?  I love that he's not quite in tune with the running community to think I could have been there without him knowing - trust me, if and when I do BQ, EVERYONE will know!  But I also love that he knew enough to check in with me, because I am a runner.  And when I told him I wasn't there, his response made me feel his love from across the miles: thank God!  I love my family - even the ones who didn't text or call today.  But today I want to express my love for my running family.  Those of you I know and have run with.  But especially those of you that I don't actually know.  The great thing about this thing called twitter is that I feel like I'm part of an enormous running community full of people of all ages, abilities, speeds, and achievements and that we are family.  I spent an hour today with a knot in my stomach not knowing anything about a runner I follow on twitter who is also from Richmond who was running today - I felt such a sense of relief to hear she was ok.  And though I've never met her, even though we live in the same city, I felt so connected to her in this crisis.

It appears that those that I "know" are safe.  But we know from the news that there are those that are not safe.  Those that experienced tragedy we will hopefully never know personally.  My heart breaks for those that lost loved ones, for those who experienced their final race at Boston because of injury, and for the friends and family of those that were effected.  This community is strong and resilient - that's what makes us runners to begin with.  We will always be runners.  Tomorrow I will wear my favorite running shirt to remember - but the next day I will run.  And I will keep running - for Boston.

Training Tips - and Motivation

When Disney announced the new course for the 20th Anniversary of the Walt Disney World Marathon, as well as the super-amazing bling that finishers would get, I couldn't help myself - I had to register!  This would be my first attempt at 26.2 miles.  I had trained for a half marathon before, using Jeff Galloway's training plans that runDisney provides.  They include two shorter runs during the week, and a longer run on the weekend.  I had tried to be consistent with the plan, but things always got in the way and I'd miss workouts here and there.  That is, until I discovered Gym-Pact!  I knew that conquering 26.2 miles would take hard work and dedication.  I HAD to get in my three runs a week to be prepared.  So in September last year, I made the commitment.  I consistently set my pact for 3 workouts a week, and using the RunKeeper integration, met my pact week after week.  On January 13, 2013, I completed the Walt Disney World Marathon - my FIRST marathon - with my new BRFs (Best Running Friends) in #CorralG with a conga-line finish.  It was amazing!  And I'm considering adding another marathon to my calendar, so I'm keeping up my pact.  Tomorrow I will hit 100 workout with Gym-Pact.  And every penny that I've earned is still in there, because I'm saving it up for something amazing - maybe even that newly-announced #DopeyChallenge @runDisney.

Here are some of my tips for training for ANY distance:

1) Make a plan: whether it's your first 5K or your 80th marathon, you need a plan for how you will meet your goal.  If you don't know where to start, look for workouts online.  There are some good couch to 5K plans (I started back before GymPact with Daily Burn's plan), and I highly recommend Jeff Galloway's training for longer distances. Also, consider cross training opportunities if you're strictly a runner.  For my 5K-10K plan swimming and biking were part of the plan which helped prepare me for a sprint triathlon!  Building stronger muscles and better cardio function make you a better runner!

2) Listen to your body: if you'd asked me three years ago if I would ever run 26.2 miles I would have laughed in your face!  I wasn't even a runner three years ago, let alone a marathoner.  Anyone can do it, but it's important to listen to your body.  Heed the aches and pains, the tweeks and twinges, and take care of yourself.  Even when you've got a plan, recovery and rest are important.  And GymPact is great about letting you take a needed break - just ask!  I've had to use it twice when I got sick.

3) Find some friends: Most of my races before the Walt Disney World Marathon I ran alone.  None of my family or friends were really that into running, and I reveled in the opportunity to spend some time alone with my thoughts on the road - free therapy if you will!  But nothing will ever compare to the experience of completing 26.2 miles with amazing people, helping to push you through tough miles, and building that bond.  Most of these people I had never met before, but we connected online.  There are great running communities out there - find one that fits your running style, and join in!

4) Have fun: the most important part about your training is to have fun!  If you don't love putting in the miles, even GymPact will be hard pressed to motivate you.  But seriously, find music, friends, a trail, whatever you need, to have fun when you're out there.  Some days it's hard to put on my running shoes and get out the door - but I never come home and say, "I wish I hadn't gone for that run."

If I can do it - ANYONE can do it!

I. AM. MARATHONER!

 I have been trying to write this for a month now, but am still waiting on Marathonfoto to finish marking all my photos so I can buy them!  Luckily I ran with a great group of friends who have been sharing their photos, so I can start the blog going again with this brief update.

On January 13, 2013 I checked a super-awesome item off my bucket list - run my first marathon at the 20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon!!  This running thing has been an amazing journey and if you'd asked me even just a year ago if I would run a marathon, I would have said no.  But nothing motivates me more than Disney and my 9 newest BRFs (Best Running Friends).

Over the Christmas break, while I was dealing with sickness and the disappointment of not being able to get in one last loooong run before the event, I spent a lot of time on Twitter.  There is a Facebook group for fans of all things runDisney - the #TeamRunDisney group - and I had connected with some of these folks over on twitter as well.  We began talking about our excitement for the weekend and earning that gorgeous medal - but some of us were a little apprehensive of the 26.2 miles we were about to conquer.  Some of us had NEVER attempted this distance before.  Some were coming off injury.  And some were crazy enough to conquer Goofy that weekend - running the half on Saturday and the full on Sunday.  We began talking about creating a group to run together with in Corral G.  Being twitter, we added a hashtag for our group, #CorralG, and even a group name - the Gladiators.  It started out as a small group, just sort of goofing around - and then became a movement!  We even got @runDisneytv in on the action when we started talking about doing a #CongaLineFinishLine!  And we made the final cut of the weekend recap (check it out here)!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. While this is just a quick post to share my excitement, I plan on putting together a great recap of the event and the awesomeness of #CorralG.  But for now, I just want to say how much I love my BRFs - Captain Linz, Coach Marcia, Joe, Jill, Jen, Jeannie, Cindy, Adam and Kara - and how grateful I was to share the weekend with my original BRF, Jason, who conquered his first half that Saturday and went on a week later to beat me to the 2013 Coast to Coast after completing the Tinkerbell Half in Disneyland.  If you love running, and you love Disney, I highly recommend runDisney and all the awesomeness it has to offer!