Cassie In Bloom

I have GOT to stop falling when I run. It really hurts!

Good thing my bf the hot tub and I already have a date tomorrow :)

I read all the time about how people have to forget their last marathon before they’re ready to try again. That is not me. I’m ready now. I am sad I don’t have a race tomorrow. I’m sad I have to wait until October for my next marathon. 

Will I really make it that long? I’ve already had to slap my hand away from the register button for the Carmel, Indiana marathon in June. 

It’s an love affair obsession! Addiction! 

My first run back.

I swam laps yesterday… so I could get in the hot tub, lol. I wanted to swim laps today, too, but I forgot my darn swimsuit. Honestly, haha. But back to the run.

It was finally sunny! I met some new people to run with and they were super nice and I am looking forward to doing more runs with them in the future. 

I’m actually surprised at how good I feel, mentally and physically after the marathon. It was such a miserable day to run on Sunday, I can’t believe I’m already back looking forward to running. 

I love it!

i want to run a sub 4 hour marathon. i will attempt to reach this goal in the columbus marathon oct 16, 2011.

my plan off attack is to run 3 days a week. a long run @ 10 minute pace, and easy run day and a speedwork day.

to break up my training and for cross training, i will train for an olympic distance triathlon. my dad is into bike riding and i already swim laps 1-2x a week, so this is doable. theres one june 26, and all i need to do is start riding bikes.

i am also going to strength train more. i did somewhat after atlanta, but havent been as good about it lately. however, i noticed a huge difference. look at what i did to my pr’s this month…. blasted! 

smartcoach has me running a 3:50 if i follow their plan… im in!

i never did one of these for atlanta, i guess i was too disappointed in my time and worried about my knees. this race was different, so ill do a little recap for anyone interested :)

i was a little behind schedule in the beginning, i really wanted to go to the bathroom 1 more time before the start but they were too far away. the ground was horribly soggy and gross and there were no corrals, so i felt really anxious about having to weave all over the place to keep my pace. about 7 minutes after the official start, we finally got moving!

i hit my “cruise control” super early. it took no time at all for me to settle down and get in the groove. unfortunately, about a mile in, i managed to find some random piece of wire to get tangled up in and i bit it. full faceplant. i have road rash everywhere, my hands, hip, knees, and thigh.. it burns! i got right up and felt reasonably ok physically, but mentally, i was not good. i was cranky and pissy and i felt boxed in with too many people and i couldnt run the pace i wanted. i had to give myself a reality check. i knew i wouldnt be quitting, and i knew i was going to have to get my attitude right or suffer for 4+ hours. 

i successfully adjusted my attitude and cruised right along. i felt great! miles were just flying by and i was keeping a 9:30 pace without much effort. i was SO happy when the full split ffrom the half. i finally felt like i had enough space! i saw the best cheering section in the world right before mile 13 and it perked me up even more! and miles 13-19 went by like nothing! i have never had such effortless running, it was great! i never hit the wall, but i did start to count down at mile 19. i was ready to be done. it was cold and wet… my feet were wet, my roadrash burned and my legs started to feel tired. i told myself that my legs SHOULD feel tired and reminded myself of what a badass i am and pressed on. this was also the most beautiful area of the course. we were on a bike path in a park right by the lake. it was beautiful. at mile 21, i tried to convince myself that i was just out on my regular 5 mile route around the neighborhood. i wasnt convinced, lol.

at mile 22, i finally put my headphones on. i couldnt feel my fingers and i was horribly cold and the wind was blowingg straight into my face WITH FEELING. but theen came mile 23 where the dj was playing the rocky theme. OMG. best.thing.ever! i pumped my arms and ran with a big, goofy smile on my face and powered up the (small, esp compared to ATL) hill. i tried to energize everyone around my by reminding them that the marathon was only a 5k now, and we eat 5ks for breakfast! they seemed unconvinced. but i pushed on, despite burning quads.

at this point, the bad weather got worse. it went from misty rain to real rain, and it was puddle city. it felt like i was running on bricks, ick. also,  mile 25-26 was the longest mile on the planet, but i gave it everything i had! i sprinted! i actually had a little left in the tank! i saw my family and friends and i was so happy… i saw the clock and i knew i made my goal of 4:20 and i cried a little…. then i got my medal and cried a little more. i guess im going to be a little emotional at every race :)

i am so proud of myself and i had such a great time. i wish i had another race to run this weekend!

tell me why im already maniacly checking rw and active looking for summer marathonss, haha!