Little Changes Go A Long Way for Marathon #2

Hi Healthy, Happier Bear readers!  My name is Melody and I blog at {will run for margaritas} – a journey inside my love for running and fitness, with a side of margaritas. I live in Arlington, VA (right outside of DC) with my husband, 12 pairs of running shoes (I work in the industry – but am slightly obsessed) and 3 bikes. 

I ran my first marathon in May 2011 – it was a small local race – Potomac River Run Marathon.  It was a double out-and-back, and I can honestly say that was one of the most mentally challenging adventures of my life.  I worked hard for that race, and ran a Boston Qualifying time.   In 2 weeks, I’m running my second marathon: the Boston Marathon.  I couldn’t be more excited, nervous, or ready for the race.  I feel stronger, faster, and more prepared – in part, thanks to little changes I made from marathon #1 to marathon #2.

1)      Tell the world 

I use my blog, {will run for margaritas}, Twitter (@run4margaritas) and Facebook as a tool to hold myself accountable.  I write about the good, the bad, and the ugly of running.  I’m honest – with myself and with my readers.  Tracking my progress keeps me motivated and is a real assessment of where I’m at (in terms of fitness and progress).

2)      Hire a coach and/or train with others

For Boston, I decided to use a coach to help me train.  This is something that I didn’t do when I ran my first marathon, and I can already see the benefits & differences.  It helps to run with people that are better and faster than me – it pushes me to limits I didn’t know possible.  Additionally, I love being able to ask (hard) questions, and get an honest response (from my coach).  He lets me know if I need to rest, or if I had a great workout.  It’s a motivation tool that gets me through the early mornings and tough workouts.   

Note: I know it’s not possible for everyone to hire a coach – if that’s the case, try to find a local running group to help you train.  No matter who or what you do to train, running with others will always make you better and faster.    

3)      Owe your family & friends (a lot of drinks on you)

Training for a marathon is a HUGE commitment.  It takes up most of my free time – and with a job that requires a lot of night and weekend work, I’m saying “no” to most social engagements.  During a typical marathon training cycle, I hardly see or talk to my family/friends, let alone my own husband (fortunately we live together).  I’m so thankful for my family and friends for being supportive and understanding my (crazy) love for running.  Post-marathon, I host a huge happy hour and owe my friends drinks from the past 4 months.   

 4)      Listen to your body

I can’t think of better advice.  LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.  It’s not always easy to take a day off or cut the mileage – but if your body hurts, it’s trying to tell you something.   I’m of the thinking that it’s better to take 1-2 unexpected days off during the training cycle, than push through and end up injured (it’s just not worth it!).

5)      Plan (at least) one race during your training cycle

Racing is the best way to gauge your fitness and progress.  It also boosts confidence and race readiness.  I try to race a half-marathon about 1 month before my marathon – but this year I had a scheduling conflict and ran an 8k instead.  Even though it wasn’t the ideal distance, I ran a PR and left feeling confident about my race on April 16.  

6)      Have a goal

It’s smart to have a goal time for a race (and usually an A, B, and C goal).  It’s something that you can work hard to achieve.  It also keeps you accountable to workouts, speed work, long runs, and life.  I have a big goal for Boston and have been training harder to (hopefully) achieve it! 

Good luck to ALL of you!  I can’t wait to read your 2012 Marathon race reports.  I’m officially in taper mode (so I’ll be looking to all of you for long run and race recaps for the next 2 weeks).       

And if there was any question: yes, I will be drinking margaritas at the finish of Boston! Cheers.

 

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Some Semblance of Normalcy

This week has been a whirlwind. I’m sorry that I haven’t been posting more but right now the most important thing is that I’m here for my family as a daughter. Thank you for your feedback thus far on the new blog design. It’s been a long work in progress but I’m so excited to see how far it’s come!

In order to keep some sort of semblance of normalcy in my day, I’ve been running each morning from 8-9am. While my runs have only been 3-4 miles each day due to timing, it’s been a wonderful way for me to just get out and have time to think and process everything taking place this week. Two of my runs were sans music which allowed me to focus on breathing. It has also been a nice practice run before the summer heat as my body is slowly getting adjusted to the Savannah heat and humidity again. Yesterday’s high was 90 degrees with humidity of near 80%!

 

In addition to working out, my mom and I have tried to ensure that we continue to eat healthy. During mourning, Southerners love to bring food. It’s there way of helping the family out. But thus far we’ve received delicious, rich food from more people than you could imagine. We’re balancing this out with healthy breakfast and lunch each day.

 

I forgot how much fun it is to sit around a kitchen table enjoying a meal with others. We’ve been talking, reflecting, and laughing during every meal together! Every family and person deals with death in a different way but for us, we’ve dealt with it by talking and being open about our feelings. Hey, it’s okay if you break down during a pedicure- you have a great excuse!

In addition, we’re enjoying the time with family members who are in town for the funeral. Last night my aunt arrived from North Caroline and provided us with a wonderful excuse to enjoy rooftop happy hour drinks and then a delicious dinner downtown.

If you ever make it down to Savannah, I highly recommend getting drinks at the Bohemian Hotel’s bar, Rocks on the Rooftop. The prices are reasonable and the views are gorgeous.

 

 

 

Best Friends!

For dinner, we walked down the block to Vic’s on the River. Located along historic Savannah’s River Street, their food is always reliable and the service is even better. Their specialties include the freshest crab cakes I’ve ever enjoyed and a filet mignon that leaves my dad and brother raving. Last night especially, I can’t say enough about the service. We were waiting on my brother to arrive and therefore wanted to make dinner last longer. My personal favorites last night were the fried green tomato appetizers we shared and my crab cake entrée. I didn’t touch the risotto as it was just too rich but the crab cakes were made from lump crab and seasoned perfectly!

 

Our waitress coursed our appetizers and kept our wine glasses full so we never realized that it had been an hour by the time Ryan arrived. Two hours later we left satiated by the Southern food and thankful for the amazing family we have.

As you can tell from the breakfast picture above, my parents and I are in the midst of planning our trip to Maui. Are there any places you’d recommend or things we can’t miss while we’re there in April?

 

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