It's Race Week!!!

I've been nursing an "area of concern" on my right foot since Wednesday so last week's "taper week" was more of a rest week. This morning I decided to do 2.62 miles of leisurely walking in honor of Race Week and the 26.2 miles I will be run:walking in 7 days 😊...

During my "leisurely walk" I actually threw in a few short bursts of running and surprised myself with a sub-10 best pace...

(It was probably for only 0.00427365 miles but I'll take it)

I'm definitely not in the best physical shape for this marathon (please remind me never to attempt a running streak again) but I know my body can do the distance and I've spent way too much money on these non-refundable Air Berlin tickets to go over there and not get the job done. Plus I already have my racecation apps organized so I need to put them to good use 😉...

It may not have been an ideal training cycle but regardless, in seven days I'm going to #BeatBerlin42...

My race weekend actually comes at a great time. Not training-wise of course, cause I would love to have more weeks to train; but weather-wise since there is another hurricane that looks like it's coming my way (just as I finished all my hurricane snacks)...

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Apart from potentially dodging another hurricane, one of the things that I'm most looking forward to is taking Kai on her first European trip. I think I was about her age when I went to Europe for the first time (though that was not my first transatlantic trip) and I place great value on learning about and experiencing different cultures. I'm even looking forward to sampling "Jamaican food with a European influence" at RosaCaleta while I'm there (sometimes you need familiar food when you're in an unfamiliar place 😉)...

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In other marathon related news, once I get back from Berlin I will be standing sitting on egg shells eagerly waiting to hear if I get into London 2018...

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What do your marathon plans look like?

Have you ever run Berlin or London before?

What's the farthest you've traveled for a race?

Tapering In Time For Hurricane Irma...

I sit and wait for Hurricane Irma to come (and go!). It's been a busy, and as you can imagine hectic, past few days trying to get ready for this storm. But, I've done all the preparation I can: shutters are up... extra water and food... flashlights (and batteries), candles (and matches) are ready... "go bag" in case I need to leave in a hurry... and now I wait...

I'm two weeks away from the Berlin Marathon so technically I'm supposed to be tapering. I did a 12 mile taper run yesterday with a few members of my running group. We actually did two 6 mile loops so some did 6 miles and others did 12...

And now that we are getting closer to the main event of my Fall running season, I'm getting both nervous and excited as each new email update comes out...

Blogging and running will go into "wait and see" mode until after the Hurricane passes. Until then I hope everyone that has been and will be impacted stays safe!

I'm Only Three Weeks Away...

Three weeks before the marathon typically calls for your last "long run"...

So I set out to complete 20 miles of running (in reality it was mostly walking) very early this morning...

I'm feeling a little more confident about Berlin now. I'm not anywhere near the pace I need to be, but I hope I have the ability to finish the 26.2 miles in the course's 6:15:00 time limit...

Of course I want to be well within the limit (don't we all), especially since Garmin thinks I can do it...

But training has been riddled with injuries so even if there are no marathons PRs on the horizon, I want to finish strong and mark another World Marathon Major off my list (Berlin will be #3)...

Whenever I'm feeling really down about training and pace I remember some of the words of wisdom found on Jeff Galloway's website...

And considering I mostly walked, and it was really humid, I think I will be in good shape for Berlin and the non-humid running weather September will bring over there.

One thing I realized about running, now that I have my braces, is that I'm going to need to figure out a way to get a small burst of sugar energy that does not involve anything chewy. I normally use skittles, but I'm not supposed to "taste the rainbow" with braces on...

Besides my lack of a sugar boost this morning, I was really glad I was able to complete the 20 miles because I've spent the past few months gearing up for a major event at work (which is one of the things that limited my training this season). The work theme this Summer has been...

But now that the "event" is over I'm beyond happy... and apparently so is my administrative leadership team...

(feels good to be appreciated)

What's the nicest thing that has ever been done for you at work?

What are you looking forward to the most in September?

Which World Marathon Majors races have you done?