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I completed my last long run this past Friday. It wasn’t as bad as the week before. I ran about 3 hours and ten minutes, but I felt that if I had to, I could have continued on. The week before left me in doubt, but Friday boosted my spirits. After my run, my roommate and I made pancakes. I was absolutely starving, so I put peanut butter and syrup on mine .  I had to work later that night, so after work I went to the Pita Pit and got a hummus pita…it was De-licious!

Here is a the vegetarian menu for the Pita Pit! I highly recommend the Hummus or Falafel!

http://www.pitapitusa.com/main.php?page=46

Tomorrow is my last long run. I am so excited that my training has finally come to an end. Yesterday, I ran for an hour and ten minutes and I felt weightless. I guess the long runs have paid off, because I feel a lot stronger. I am feeling less anxious about tomorrow, because I know it  is the last time I have to do it until my race, and I have done it twice before. Like every other Thursday (except last Thursday) up until this point, I will be drinking crazy amounts of water and eating lots of carbohydrates.

Last week before my long run, I decided to have a few too many beers and one too many Diet Cokes at work. Ultimately, I suffered the whole entire way. It was one of the most painful experiences of my 21 years of existence. I found this GREAT article on hydration and nutrition:

http://www.thedietchannel.com/Marathon-Training-and-Nutrition-Fueling-for-Long-Runs.htm

I am going to be so glad when I can finally sleep in on Friday mornings and go out on Thursday nights! But who knows…Knowing myself I will probably just sign up for another race!

This year I am having to fore-go the Panama Beach scene and retreat to the mountains. I’m afraid to say that the only thing on my mind this Spring Break will be the one thing I have been working on since Thanksgiving 2009….my race! The last Sunday of Spring Break all my hard work will have paid off and I can’t wait to finally throw in the towel. I am starting to get antsy because it literally is like two and a half weeks away. I have been looking at some video’s on how to prepare for the race and this has been my favorite one so far:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXZVoUIz2AI

So, it looks like I will be retreating to the mountains for my Spring Break fun! I think my friends and I are going to get a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennesee…or maybe head down to Hilton Head for a weekend of golf (I doubt it will be warm enough to swim!)

This week I have only worked out once! I guess that’s what happens when you work two jobs and have a full workload of classes with two tests today! Tomorrow I still have to do yet another 20 mile run. Since I haven’t worked out all week, this could be either really good or really painful. I have been trying to guzzle all the water I can possibly stand today. I found these awesome hydration tips at boston.com (home of the Boston Marathon).

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/gallery/marathonnutrition/

Last Wednesday was the start of Lent, so I had to think long and hard about what I was going to give up. Usually I give up sweets and sodas, but this year I had to really really think about what I was going to cut out, because I’m afraid of cutting out any food groups because of my marathon. Ultimately, I decided that giving up chocolate wouldn’t hurt too bad, but that means NO MORE POST-RUN SNICKERS   That carmely, nutty, chocolaty candy bar is the reason I get up early in the morning to exhaust myself for three hours…..*SIGH*

This weekend, my boyfriend, Dex, and two of our friends, Natalie and Brandon, are coming down from Auburn to spend the weekend with me.  We are going to be celebrating Natalie’s 21st birthday in Savannah. However, I have to wake up a little earlier to get my long run out of the way…and so I can drink more beer!

Natalie and Brandon:

Me and Dex:

On Friday night, Dex and I are going to dinner and to get some drinks at Millhouse….I think I am going to get the Norwegien Salmon Salad, my favorite! Then on Saturday morning, I am cooking breakfast for the whole crew, consisting of eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, grits, and pancakes! They will need lots of energy for our trip to Savannah that night, where we are staying in a hotel about a mile from River Street and going to dinner and  bar hopping all night! Cant wait!

After six months of running, it was finally time to replace my running shoes. I find that Asics work the best for my running style. I can always tell when I need new shoes, because my knees and ankles start hurting. My last pair  were the hot pink Asics Gel-1150…They were okay, but they gave me severe blisters and made my feet go numb after long runs. I think the only reason I bought those ones was for the color.

My old shoes:

Here are my new shoes:

My new runners, Asics GT-2140′s, however, are so incredibly comfy. They give me extra ankle support and actually look pretty cool (they are blue, my least favorite color, but they will do!). I also like Asics because they are reasonably priced. My pair was $90.00 before tax and worth every penny. The normal price range for Asics is anywhere from $50.00 to about $150.00.

So last week I didn’t do a long run, and it was GREAT! I decided I would still run for an hour and a half though, which felt amazing. I actually enjoyed running for the first time in a long time, I guess because I knew that I only had to do half of what I have been doing.  It has given me confidence for this coming Friday morning’s long 3:15 run at 7:00 a.m. I’m kind of looking forward to it though, as bizarre as that sounds.  I’ve had a week off, and over the weekend it was my mom’s birthday and I ate ice cream cake for every meal so I have some extra energy to burn!

I was looking at some websites today, and I came across this marathon guide that I thought was very helpful:

http://www.marathonrookie.com

It has a lot of inspirational quotes, nutrition and hydration information, and injury prevention tips. It’s really easy to read and relate to, unlike other websites where the lingo is only for the elite runners!

Last Friday I completed my 3 hour run (about 18 miles).  First, I woke up at 7:00 am and had a cup of coffee. I didn’t have anything to eat, because I had eaten a bowl of cereal at right before bed at 12:00 a.m, and I didnt want food to be sloshing around in my stomach as I was running.  I was headed out the front door by 8:00. I finally returned at 10:03, extremely tired, overwhelmed, and slightly delirious. The first two hours of the run wasn’t too bad, but the last hour was pretty tough.  I had to keep myself from thinking negative thoughts by breaking my time up into 15 minute intervals.  When I finally hit three hours I was completely spent. I felt really overwhelmed and somewhat emotional. In a way, I was very proud of myself, but in another way, I felt disappointed because I felt that I could have done better.

After calming down, I drank a protein shake (consisting of soy milk, protein powder, and a banana) and took a hot bath and just laid there for about 20 minutes.  Then I ran some errands and bought myself my favorite pre-run snack, a Snickers bar . The next day my legs were very sore so I went for a swim to loosen them up. I am starting to feel more physical exhaustion now and all I feel like doing is sleeping!

Tomorrow is the day of my long run. I’m planning to run for three hours (approximately 18-19 miles), and I’m dreading it. Today I am trying to drink as much water as I can handle, and try to avoid diet coke like the plague (until I get to work and lose all self-control…Haha!).

I have learned so far that marathon training is physically tough, but  it is  tougher mentally.  I think anyone could do it if they put their mind to it. You don’t have to be a fast runner, just really determined. It gets pretty lonely out there, especially when you hit the two hour mark. But I must say, the eating part of it is great, especially the day after. For the first time ever, I can eat a king size Snickers  bar with absolutely no guilt and a big smile …and then wonder what I am going to eat next!  However, pre-run I usually stick to complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, cereal, bagels, and my personal favorite, peanut butter toast. Coffee is also an essential part of my pre-race meal.

I don’t know how interesting this blog is to anyone else, but maybe there is someone else out there thinking of tackling a marathon. If so, I say….do it! You get to eat what you want, take naps, and you’ll have sexy legs by the end of it (hopefully!). Ill let you know how Friday goes on my next entry!

Hi, my name is Laura Eve Kelly. I’m a 21 year old senior at Georgia Southern University. This semester I have decided to train for a marathon. The race will be on March 21, 2010 (aka, the last weekend of my Spring Break..boo!). So far, I have ran 16 miles and I am about half way through my training.  It’s been pretty painful, but I guess I’m enjoying it! I have never ran a full marathon before, but I have done some half-marathons and several triathlons. Growing up I wasn’t much of an athlete, but ever since college I have become an exercise fanatic. My parents actually bought my entrance fee into this race as a Christmas present. Im hoping it wont be to trecherous because my dad is doing it with me.  Plus I get to eat extra dessert!

This Friday I am planning to do my 3 hr run…approximately 19 miles. Should be interesting!