Stella got her groove back

Ok, maybe not quite like Stella, but...
Wednesday I woke up excited about running again because we were running Yasso 800's. I think it really helps to do a "tempo", "hill", "speedwork" run instead of just 6,7,8 miles easy because it gets so boring! I never thought I would say that I liked speed work more than an easy long run but right now it distracts my mind.
Yasso 800's are "marathon predictors". Whatever time you run your 800 in, you turn it into hours and minutes to predict your marathon time (of course when the yasso's are used as part of a whole marathon training schedule). I don't know if it is true, but I would like to think that it is going to work for me. My easy marathon goal is 4:00, main goal is 3:40, and ultimate goal is 3:34. I ran all 8 yasso's in the 3:20's (range from 3:22-3:29). And, I really enjoyed it. I almost puked after the last one which made me happy that I ran them hard. Yikes, that sounded a little sick/morbid/weird.
So, thanks for your thoughts and prayers for my inspiration. Please keep them coming because we have a 10K race tomorrow, 22 mile run Sunday, and then of course the marathon.
~Aimee

Eau de New Shoe

New running shoes were just dropped off on our doorstep. It's like Christmas! Even though we ordered seperately and didn't really talk about when we were ordering them, they showed up at the same time (weird!). I am a big fan of the new running shoe smell!
~Aimee

The big week

This is a big week for our marathon training. We are less than one month away from the big day and we have our longest weekend run yet. Tuesday we run 7 miles, Wednesday we have Yasso 800's (8 x 800 meter sprints with 400 meter recovery jog), Thursday is rest, Friday is 8 miles of hills, Saturday is 6 miles (supposed to be "easy" but we may run the Sunshine 10K instead), and Sunday morning 22 miles.
Two weeks ago I was excited and pumped for this week. Today, I'm not so much. I think I'm getting burned out. The spark is starting to die out and it scares me. I REALLY need all the excitment I can get to get me through the marathon. When I hit mile 18 or 22 and I hurt and I just want to stop running, I will need that mental motivation to keep me going (and at the pace that I am able to, and deserve to keep). I hope I get it back. I guess 10 weeks of getting up between 4 and 5 am to run as hard as I can for 1-3 hours at a time just started to wear on me. And the mental stress of making times and getting prepared for the long runs is just as bad as the physical stress. And I'm getting tired of being hungry all the time and gaining weight while I am working so hard (btw, lost a bit of weight recently and now I am back to only gaining 6.5 pounds since training started). Hopefully I will get re-energized tomorrow morning when we get up to run! Man, sounds kinda depressing...I hope I didn't ruin anyone's day :)
~Aimee

Washam 5K FUN!

The 2nd annual Washam 5K was a big success! Besides a few runners getting off course (sorry about that! just think of it as extra accomplishments) the race and post party went off without a hitch. Dustin and I feel so blessed to have such a great group of friends and family that are willing to take on the challenges of a 5K. It was such a great mix of people and we want you to know that we really appreciate you taking part in our 5K and for being a part of our lives. Thanks!

Some highlights:

More than one person commented on "that girl in orange" that was seriously fast. That's Cathy, our bootcamp instructor....she's freakin' awesome. I think I might start calling her Jimmy Johns cause she's freaky fast!

The weather ended up being perfect running weather and Amanda pointed out that it was nice to run as the sun was setting.

My parents commented on the fact that we have "a lot of fun friends"

Thanks to whoever was having the party with the loud live music that resonated all over the park. It provided entertainment and gave the run the feel of a "music marathon".

My dad ended up hanging out at the park with Max (feeding the ducks) and my camera so I was able to get more pictures this year than last year.

The sub sandwiches were a big hit and will be returning next year.

After the first turn of the race I looked back to see April eating a Kit Kat she pulled out of her hoodie and thought it was just hilarious! Only at the Washam 5K do you stock up on candy before heading to the start line. You need to stay nourished through the trip, right?

I loved the sea of blue...I'm glad you all seemed to like the shirts! We were really pleased. They almost seemed like a vintage tee that you pay big bucks for and wear with jeans :) The cool thing is that you actually participated in the event on the shirt.

Mom sure mixes a mean apple cider!

Both our moms ran the race - great job ladies! Way to show us how its done!

We had 24 runners/walkers complete the race this year! Last year we had 20.

Congrats to the 5K 1st timers! The Tylers, Joey, Ashley, Paige, Robyn, et. al. (let me know if the Washam 5k was your first race and I will add you to the list. We love our 1st timers!)

All in all it was a great time! I'm sorry some of you missed it because you were home sick (dang flu!) and we missed you!

See you next year for the 3rd annual Washam 5K!

I did it!

Thursday I decided to give my knee a try and attempt to run our marathon pace run. I ended up completing a 1-7-1 which is 1 mile warm up, 7 miles at race pace, and 1 mile cool down (The actual planned run was a 1-8-1, just one mile short) at an 8:15 pace! I was really excited but the next day I was sore like the first week of training! Then the next day I completed the 6 mile easy run. This morning I woke up really sore but I decided to give the scheduled 20 mile run a try and I DID IT! My pace was 8:18 which is 5 seconds faster than my marathon pace. And, on top of that, I felt great! Of course it hurt and I was sore before I even started but it was the first 20 mile run that I have ever run when I didn't have an injury bothering me (I consider my knee good as new since I didn't really have to "rehab an injury" I just had to let the swelling go down enough so I could bend it back). Now I know what it feels like to go on those long runs and just really enjoy it. I think God may have had a hand in slowing me down. I require more rest and recovery time than Dustin and this was break for me, both mentally and physically, for running. Now I am excited again and feel rejuvenated. One day when I write my book about marathon training (lol, I can dream) I am going to develop a system where you take a week off right in the middle of Monster Month and just cross train. Runners will have a difficult time doing this, but I really see the benefits of the running break, as long as you keep up your cardio. Experts will ponder the reasoning and do extensive research on the benefits....okay, I'm back to earth now.

Anyways, I think I deserve Andy's! They announced the new Boomer the Bear concrete and they are giving it away for free from 4-5 today. Too bad I'm leaving town at 3:00 :( It is vanilla custard, strawberries, almonds, and Heath pieces. mmmmm...you know you want some too.... so "Getja some!"

Eat Road!

Saturday the 12th Dustin and I were on an 18 mile run that took us downtown on commercial, around phelps grove park, and through the neighborhoods off of west Primrose street. Just past our commercial street venture we were picking up speed going downhill on National. The side of the road was filled with rocks and wires and junk but was better than going up and down on the sidewalks in this area. Within one stride my foot caught the edge of a small circular wire, which flipped up and tangled my other foot, hurling my body to the ground with all my weight on my left knee. I rolled and took a chunk out of my elbow (strangely the same exact spot on my elbow where I have a scar from tripping on the same type of wire on the south side of town 4 years ago...I just replaced the scar...weird) and was thankful that I didn't roll one more turn because there were cars speeding down the street. I tried to get up and my knee wasn't having it. We hobbled to a nearby Kum n Go. I was a sight-Dustin assisting me as blood ran down my arm and down my leg, soaking the top of my sock and shoes while trying to wipe the snot away from crying like a baby. None of the cars stopped to help, the customer inside the gas station just stared at me and the attendant looked over and said, "good morning!". Here's the best part- we were the farthest point away from our house on our run, go figure! So I hobbled and ran all the way home. I had a gash in my knee big enough for stiches but we had a cardinals game to get to in STL so I decided to suck it up.
I figured my knee would be sore for a few days- no biggy. I just hit it, right??? I won't have to miss any running, right??? Wrong. Apparently its worse than I thought. I have swelling and inflamation. Friday I was finally able to walk without limping. A week and a half later I still wasn't able to run on it. I've been doing the natural runner at the fitness center, but it's not the same. With only 5 weeks out from the marathon, I wonder if it will be worth my time since I have lost so much training.
Yesterday I tried to run and I was able to do a few laps around the indoor track. I was stoked!!! It wasn't the prettiest thing, and my knee locks up from time to time causing me to resemble forest gump, but I was able to run!!! Today was a rest day but I think I will try to run a few miles tomorrow. If I can get better by this weekend and get a long run in on Saturday (suppose to do 20 miles but I have only completed 17 since I went down on the 18 miler) I am going to stick with the Bass Pro Marathon. If not, I am just going to run the half marathon at Bass Pro as a tune up and run the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December. Even though the Dallas WR was my original choice for this fall marathon, I'm really not looking forward to an extra 6 weeks of training! Maybe it will be good for me. All I know is that I have been working really hard and my times have been really good but I don't want to waste my legs on Bass Pro if I'm not ready.
Hopefully I will be ready for the Washam 5k!
I'll let you know how it goes :)

Washam 5K Registration closed!

Last year we had 20 participants actually run the Washam 5K. We were hoping to increase in size by about 5 runners a year. This year we had 36 participants signed up!!! WOW! I can't wait...its gonna be fun! I think we are going to try and get a poker game going at the post party so if you are interested in playing, bring your poker face. The shirts are REALLY cool...we can't wait to show them to everyone on race day!
I am really excited about the post-party but I really hope that the Washam 5K keeps its original intent: to get friends together interested in running a 5K. I hope that the easy-going, fun spirit of the race will encourage people to run a 5K, whether it be their 1st or 31st. Of course, it's cool to walk it-we are just glad you are there! We simply enjoy sharing our love of running with others :)
See you on October 3rd! Be there by 5:15 and don't forget a lawn chair. Oh, and be ready to work up a thirst during the 5K ;)