Jedi Jen's Quest to 26.2 - Week three recap

1/16/2012:

Day fifteen marked the start of week three. Usually I run on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, but I needed to switch up my schedule a bit for this week. I woke up on Monday morning and got in my four miles before the professional development at school all day. It felt like my body knew it was off schedule because I had an especially difficult time waking up, but I woke up eventually. ;)

1/17/2012:

Today was the start of week two of the Newbie Training at Red Coyote. It was awesome to have another great turnout with the cold temps & wind. My sister is doing this program & I did the intervals with her. I gave her a goal to keep our walking/running pace under 15 min/mile and she definitely met that goal! She really pushed herself too as she had boot camp earlier that day - so proud of her! 

1/18/2012:

The seventeenth day of training turned out great! I ate a little better before the run and people were actually out running! I love exchanging a friendly "morning" to those crazy enough to be out with you! I wanted to finish my four miles under 45 minutes...and I did! 

1/21/2012: 

Long run day! All week I find myself being excited for my weekend long run. My middle of the week runs give me a burst of energy, but the long runs make me feel so accomplished and I usually get to share them with friends rather than run alone. Thursday through Saturday I was in Tulsa for a music educators conference so I had to miss my time with the OKC Landrunners, but I got to run in Tulsa! My friend, Rachel, is also a band director who is training for the full marathon so we got up crazy early (4:30am) to get in our 11 miles before our band business meeting. My plan called for 10 miles, but hers called for 11 so I went the extra mile with her. It's only a mile, right? ;)

The weather the previous two days, at day and night, had been incredible. Well, Saturday morning it was...different. Before our run the temp was:

Yeah, it was a bit chilly. But, we didn't let that get us down. We went after those 11 miles!! We ran along the river in Tulsa. This was also our first double digit run since the Route 66 Half Marathon we ran in Tulsa in November. Around 5:45am or so we started seeing other runners out - it was just fantastic. I love running in Tulsa. They make it available & easy and the community is runner aware! The last mile we ran into the wind and I found it a bit tough, but we didn't give up. Felt great to accomplish those 11 cold & windy miles...and get to talk about girl stuff and band the whole time! 

And btw, it got colder as we went. Our water bottle actually froze! Post run temp & wind chill:

Right after finishing our long run down by the river! :)

Thumbs up to great friends & great training runs!

Bring on week four!!

Gen's Day

2007 was a big year! I graduated with my bachelor's degree. I had the opportunity to go to Europe for the second time. I had an opportunity to go the graduate school for close to no cost, but I ended up not going because of the next thing that happened...I got my first "real" teaching job! I realized without a doubt during my student teaching semester that I was meant to teach. I am still with the school district where I started my teaching career. I work at a truly special place - the students, the admins, the parents, my co-workers, etc...great place to work!

Within my first month to work in Purcell, I met friends that I know I will have for a lifetime. First, I want to tell you about Genevieve, or Gen. (Although her undergrad friends call her Genna, she's Gen to me!) :) In 2007 she was dating a guy named David, who she later married! David worked for us as a brass technician and Gen came down to help also. Gen & I quickly became great friends - an instant connection. David and Gen are a true match. Part of their connection is they both know the pain of losing a parent. David's father passed away when he was in high school and Gen's mother passed away when she was 11 I believe. (Younger than David was, but I can't remember if it was 11 years old or not.)

January 15th is Gen's Day. Her mom passed away on this day several years ago. Although I never had the opportunity to meet her mother, I know that her mom is alive in Gen. Genevieve wouldn't be who she is today without the impact of her mother's life. Recently Gen visited her brother in the Denver area and got to see more pictures, letters, and other items from her mother's life, specifically with her mother's battle with cancer. Since Gen was so young when all of this happened, I am sure her view wasn't quite what it would be if she were older. I know every year, every holiday, every day has to be a challenge having the absence of your mother but I think this year might be a little more difficult but also a little more comforting for her.

One thing that Genevieve has carried on through her mother is her mother's view of the buffalo. Buffalo? Yes, buffalo! Her mother called her supporters, helpers, family her buffalo. The buffalos made her strong. Around OKC, there are some buffalos. Here is an example of some that around the interstate near downtown. There are also statues around the city that are buffalo. I know this has been a sign of strength to Gen (especially during her first half marathon!) but it is also to me now that I know her mom's story.

If your mom is still alive, give her a call or hug today to say I love you. Even if you don't have the ideal relationship, I can almost guarantee you that your mom is your buffalo. Moms are always there.  And if your mom isn't here on this earth any more, I pray that your can feel the comfort of your buffalo even if you can't feel it physically. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures with Genevieve!

Genevieve's wedding day! December 31, 2008! 

After Gen's performance in the pit orchestra for "Tommy" in OKC!

Genevieve's birthday is on Valentine's Day. This is from her birthday in 2010!

Spring Break 2010 was the year of the staycation! We drove to Meers for a famous burger and then went to the top of Mt. Scott after a trip to the Holy City. It was such a fun trip, especially for St. Patrick's Day!

Jen, Jenn, & Gen! This is before the Midnight Streak in 2010 - Jenn & Gen's first 5k!!

After we finished our first half marathon on May 1, 2011!! 

Jedi Jen's Quest to 26.2 - Entry 3, Week Two complete!

And just like that I am already done with my second week of marathon training!

1/10/2012: 

Day nine started off my second week of training with 4 miles. Since I had plans for the evening of the 10th, I knew I had to get my miles in before school. This was the first of my early, early morning runs. I went to Norman and started on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. It has a lot of sidewalks and street lights, plus the added security of emergency phone booths. I didn't eat exactly how I planned, but I still got some food in my system before heading out. I put all of my clothes out the night before, which REALLY helped the getting ready process!! 

I ended up going a little more than the planned 4 miles because I guesstimated wrong, but I figured it was the fastest way back to my car! Overall this was a great run! The city was asleep and I felt like I had total alone time. 

That evening I got to help coach the 5k Newbie Class at Red Coyote Running & Fitness in OKC. (http://www.redcoyoterunning.com/index.php?newbie-training-program) Over 100 people showed up and they all did a fantastic job! We walked to a nearby track and back, which totaled a mile, and then followed an interval schedule. Our intervals were run 30 seconds, walk 90 seconds repeated for a total of 8 reps. I really enjoyed getting to know some of the beginners and sharing with them about Red Coyote, RunKeeper, the OKC Landrunners, & dailymile and how they have all helped me get where I am today. Not only do I care about runners getting started, but my sister is doing this training program. I am so happy for her and hope she sticks with it. I remember how intimidated I was when I started training for my first 5k almost two years ago - but I think this program and 100 other people will really help her push through this!

1/12/2012:

Day eleven called for another 4 miles! Usually I run at the Red Coyote social runs on Thursday evenings, but they are taking a couple weeks off so I decided to get my miles in before school. This time it was easier to wake up and I ate better before heading out. "Arctic air" blew in the afternoon before this run causing the wind chill to be 16F - and there was a wind advisory! It was a REALLY tough run. This was the first run I hadn't enjoyed in a while. But, it happens. And I felt much better just getting the miles in regardless of how bad I thought it was at the time. Also, since it was so cold - my nose was sno. tty. So I got an opportunity to work on my snot rocket technique. 

I took a picture afterwards to remind myself that I pushed through 

and finished my goal even though it was a tough run!

1/14/2012:

Day thirteen of training - long run day! 8 miles were on the schedule for today and I have been looking forward to it all week! Crazy how giddy I get over doing the long runs. I enjoy driving to the city for them, I enjoy the company of other runners even if we never talk, and I was especially looking forward to the time with my friends. I was able to bring up some friends with me for this training run! Today was my last chance to run with Katie before she heads back to Kansas so she came along to get in some miles. My friends, Connor (also training for the full) and Jacob (training for the half) also joined us! We stayed in my car until time for the announcements before the run began. At 7 AM, we took off! I think over 400 people were there today - awesomely crazy!! My friend Clinton (training for the half) ran to the water stop with me and then he headed back. I saw Jacob and Katie (they each ran around 5 miles) after they turned around and then later saw Connor on his way back. (He ran the full 8.) Overall I felt great about this run. I felt like my breathing was good and that I maintained a good pace for myself. In the last mile, I met another woman training for the full. This isn't her first full, but it is her first time to train with the Landrunners. I got to talk to her a bit and invited her to the next Red Coyote run! (And my last mile was the fastest out of all 8 miles!!)

After I returned back to my car and waiting friends, we went to Starbucks! We all talked about our runs and enjoyed each other's company. Jacob has needed new shoes for a while and Katie has had some hip pain lately so we went to Red Coyote to see what they could do to help! Both Katie and Jacob did the video gait analysis and got new shoes. I hope this will help them while training for their big races!! 

I have the best friends!! They did the thumbs up pic with me!! :)

Some of the OKC Zebras post second week of training!!

A few of the OKC Landrunners at Starbucks! 

Jacob getting his video gait analysis! He purchased his first Newtons today! 

Katie getting her video gait analysis! She also got new shoes!

I can't believe I am already done with the second week! I am looking forward to week three! 

My long run will be out of town so should add to the hype of the long run! :)

Jedi Jen's Quest to 26.2 - Entry 2 - First week done!

Done with my first week of marathon training!! I feel great! (Tired, but great!)

1/3/2012:

Day two (technically day one, but day one is a rest day, hehe) called for 4 miles. Since it was my first day of official training, I was feeling a bit nervous! My friend Katie was nice enough to come along with me. (She is also training for OKCMM!) Let me tell you about Katie since you will most likely read about her some times in my blog. Katie was a junior in HS my first year teaching. During her senior year, she was one of my band aides and we became close. She is now at the University of Kansas studying to be a Music Therapist and we still remain in close contact and try to run together any time she is in town. I am so proud of Katie and her bright future. She really feels more like a little sister to me! 

On Tuesday we met in Norman to run along Robinson Ave. If you live in the area, this is a nice, flat path. There are a couple stoplights, but only around the two mile mark. When I was training for my first half marathon, I did some speed workouts here because of the nice conditions of the area. (And, it's more entertaining than a track!)

The map from our run!

And...first run of training is DONE! 

1/5/2012:

Day four called for 3 miles. This worked out quite nicely because I usually do 3 miles at the Red Coyote Running & Fitness Social Runs on Thursdays! (http://redcoyoterunning.com/) This was the first social run of the new year & I had a couple friends come out for their first social run! I ran this with one of my best friends, Genevieve. Gen was a little nervous since she hadn't been to a run like this before. (Which I totally was too, so I am so happy we were able to run together!) We had a nice time running our three miles in OKC. The weather was gorgeous and we got some quality time together. It looks like her schedule is going to make it possible for her to be able to make it on a usual basis to the Thursday night runs - I am so excited about this! Now we will hopefully get at least an hour a week together...and being active while visiting!! :) 

1/6/2012:

Day five called for a walk. The weather was SO amazing - it was so difficult to not run. (In the 60s when I was out. I think it got up around the 70s today though. Wow!) But, I knew I had my six miles to do the next morning so I just enjoyed the scenery and listened to music. :)

Some cows I saw while on my walk! 

1/7/2012:

Day seven - the first of the long runs! 6 miles were on the schedule! Because of the Red Coyote social runs, I met a bunch of people from the OKC Landrunners and I am now a member! (http://www.okcrunning.org/) To join the Landrunners was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I already felt so welcomed before even joining (I got to eat dinner with several of them in Tulsa the night before the Route 66 Half Marathon in November) and I was blown away this morning! Over 350 people were in attendance for this first training run! The course was set up for six miles today. Typically the people training for the full do the full distance and the people training for the half do half the distance - but you can obviously do whatever you want or need! :) 

During announcements before we started!

I wasn't quite sure what to expect since I haven't done anything like this. People were so encouraging along the way and people of all different paces were there. I ran the first two miles with my friend Clinton who is training for the half. After Clinton turned around, I met up with some fellow OKC Zebras along the way. (The OKC Zebras & Zebros are Landrunners who wear zebra stuff! :) I am #16!) Then around mile 4 something really cool happened. There was a guy who kept running about 50 feet and then walking, repeat etc. We kept going back and forth with each other because I stayed running the whole time. I couldn't figure out if this was part of his strategy or if he wasn't having a good run or what. I kept an eye on him but kept to myself at first. Around mile five a guy passed us and said something about my zebra tights. I laughed and said something back and then the guy I had been running near said, "I really like the encouragement you get from all of the people out here." I agreed and we talked a little about the run and the Landrunners. He went on to tell me that he was happy I came along in the run. The first three miles were fine for him and then he started to really struggle. He said I set the pace and kept him running to the end. He was actually pushing me along and I told him the same. Running is such an awesome activity - especially the people you get to meet along the way. (Literally! Okay, lame joke.)

 I love running in the city!! We passed mile 18 of OKCMM along the way...OMG!

Very pleased with my splits today! Love that my fastest mile was my last!

The weather was incredible this morning! Yesterday it got up around 70F I believe, so I was worried this morning would get too warm. Nope! The wind chill kept around 32F! My favorite running weather!!

After the training runs I have heard that it is tradition to go to the Starbucks that is near. Of course this was not a problem with me! The place was PACKED! And with runners!! I got my oatmeal and coffee and enjoyed visiting and meeting runners from OKC. This was a very good day. I am so excited about the future of my training!!

Even though the cold is nice for runs...it's cold again after! This was a nice, warm treat!

Some of the OKC Zebras!!

Well, that was week one of my quest to 26.2! I am very excited and hopeful for the rest of my training! Happy running!

Jedi Jen's Quest to 26.2 - Entry 1

One year ago I began training for my first half marathon.  I remember starting my training with excitement and nerves.  I was totally excited to begin a bigger training plan than I've ever attempted, but nervous if it would work. This girl who laughed at her 6th grade PE teacher when he tried to get her to run a mile was now going to attempt 13.1? And where thousands of others would be? After four months of training, I finished my first half marathon!  Nothing could bring me down from how accomplished I felt.  

The fall semester is extremely busy with marching/football season so I knew I wouldn't be able to devote the amount of attention needed to train the same way for a fall half marathon.  I went ahead and registered for a half marathon in Tulsa to give me something to help encourage me to keep running and get through some rough personal times.  I didn't train like I wanted to, but getting over the mental barrier of knowing that I COULD do a half marathon really helped me!  I was able to finish my second half marathon and 9 seconds faster than my first! (And I could actually walk the next day, whereas after my first half...I walked like a cowboy!)

I set a goal of accomplishing a full marathon before I turned 30 years old.  And my original dream plan was to run the Disney Marathon for my first full.  But, my thought process changed.  The OKC Memorial Marathon is a truly special race.  I also have met several people through the Red Coyote Racing Team and OKC Landrunners.  Between wanting to run a really special race for my first and knowing I had so much support here in OKC - I took the plunge! I registered for my first FULL marathon!

Disney will still be a very special race for me when I hopefully get to do it in 2013.  I hope to get connected with Team in Training or another fundraising organization on my quest to Disney.  More to come on that later this year!

Last week I was so focused on finishing my 2011 goal of 500 miles that the start of my marathon training wasn't really on my mind.  After my final run of 2011 on Saturday, I have been nervous, anxious, excited, etc.  Today was the first run of my training.  I invited Katie to come along with me & I am so glad she did!  Having a partner not only pushed me, but kept my mind off being nervous.  I can do this - even though I know there will be a lot of ups and downs through the next 17 weeks - I can do this!

Here is a copy of my training plan: (Of course there might be some changes, but this is what I have set!)

    

I don't have a "resolution" for 2012.  I just want to do my best to become a better me - physically & emotionally.  I need to do better with my eating habits.  I need to get over how warm and comfortable my bed is when I need to wake up and go run.  I need to do better on keeping in touch with friends and family.  I hope my first quest to 26.2 will help me on my bigger quest to become a better me! 

 Thumbs up pic after my first 4 miles of marathon training earlier today! 

Unpacking

Why is unpacking from a trip always such a drag to me? I have been home from a quick visit to KC for almost a week now. I am finally getting around to unpacking my bag. The dirty clothes from my trip have already been washed & dried but yet somehow that bag still hasn't been fully unpacked. Packing my bags takes forever...and unpacking my bags takes forever and a day.

Thumbs Up in 2011!

In June 2010 I ran my first 5k. I was so nervous, excited, anxious, etc...I knew that I wanted pictures taken when I finished but I hadn't ever taken pictures at a finish line. When my BFF went to take my finisher's pic, I just threw my thumbs up. Ever since then I have made it a tradition to take a thumbs up pic at the finish line. No matter how tough the race, I finished! And to me - that deserves a thumbs up! :) Here is my thumbs year year in review for 2011! :)

New Year's Day 5k - Bone chilling temps, but started off the year the right way! 

Official chip time of 34:27!

Frigid Five, February 12, 2011 - 5 mile race, official chip time of 53:39!

Red Bud Classic 5k , April 10, 2011 - Official chip time of 32:43! (That was a new PR for myself.)

OKC Memorial Half Marathon, May 1, 2011 - My first half marathon!! Official chip time of 2:27:08!

Blaze Through the Adventure District 5k, June 18, 2011 - Official chip time of 34:34!

Blazing Sun Run for Freedom 10k, July 9, 2011 - Official chip time of 1:11:07!

The Dirty 30 (5k + obstacle course) July 30, 2011 - finished in an hour and two minutes!

The Midnight Streak 5k, August 13, 2011 - Official chip time of 34:51! (Beat my previous year's time!)

Brookhaven Run 5k, September 3, 2011 - Official chip time of 33:39!

OCU CC Open Classic 5k (my first CC race), September 24, 2011 - finished in 34:36!

Race for the Cure OKC 5k, October 15, 2011 - Official chip time of 32:49!

OBNEA Run from Addiction 10k, October 29, 2011 - Official chip time of 1:05:52! (10k PR!)

Tulsa Route 66 Half Marathon, November 19, 2011 - Official chip time of 2:26:59 (HM PR!)

Downtown OKC Turkey Trot, Thanksgiving Day 2011 - Official chip time of 31:06! (New 5k PR!)

SandRidge Santa Run 5k, December 10, 2011 - Official chip time of 31:03!! (New 5k PR!)

MWC Nightlight Run 5k, December 10, 2011 - Official chip time of 31:16!

Silent Night Run Through the Lights in Purcell, December 21, 2011 - finished in 32:34!

2011 was my first full year of running & a great one at that!! 12 5ks, 1 5mile, 2 10ks, and 2 half marathons! Combined through training runs, fun runs, and races - I met my goal of 500 miles in 2011! I am so excited about what 2012 holds! Happy Running!