How to Train For a Marathon:

Finally a month later i am finding time to post a blog about my La Marathon experience. I have gotten so many e-mails and messages from people asking how i trained,how i motivated myself, how i ate during training and also asking how hard it was. I promised i would post all you need to know about training, along with my own experience so here it goes....

My Dad got me a gym pass to LA Fitness in 11th grade. I went to the gym almost every night after i got my pass. I would run 3 miles, lift weights, squats, sit in the sauna and do sit-ups. I would normally spend about an 1 1/2 at the gym either with my boyfriend at the time, my best friend, my dad or alone when i needed time away from everyone. The gym was my get away and i loved going. Eventually the relationship i was in became really unhealthy and i stopped doing a lot of things for myself, including going to the gym. I got rid of my gym pass and asked my dad for a treadmill for x-mas instead of renewing my gym pass as he did every year. Sure enough i got my treadmill and running was my new focus! I put the treadmill in my room (my room at Dad's house was huge, hence the reason i lived at home for so long ). At first the treadmill did not get much use. Mainly because i had so much going on. I was working at the law firm 8-5, working at abercrombie certain nights from 6-10/weekends and going to LBCC 2 nights a week. I was busy and i was busy trying to make my relationship work too. I gained about 10 lbs in between that time : P ten gross pounds! Yuck, i would look at pictures and think to myself "how did i let myself go, i was sooooooooo into working out". I felt gross! I quit abercrombie eventually and had my nights back. I started running on my treadmill after dinner every night (3 miles)! After about two weeks i became so frustrated, i was not losing any weight! 117 every time i would get on the damn scale and it made me so angry!! I had to do something different. So, i cut sodas out of my diet and stopped eating fast food. My life was so on the go at that time, all i had time for was fast food and sodas! About 2 weeks later, the numbers on the scale started changing..115 woohoo!!! From that point on i became obsessed. 6 miles burned enough calories to where i could still afford to some of the "bad" things i craved so i ran 6 miles everyday no matter what (on the treadmill and outside). My weight dropped to 105 and had pretty much stayed there ever since. I gave up sodas almost 7years ago and still never even crave one...i became a health nut and now it's a lifestyle i have created for both Josh and I. I created a lifestyle for myself and i am very dedicated to every part of it.

So now that you know how i started running, you must know that i NEVER EVER thought of doing a marathon. It just never crossed my mind that i was an athlete and that i could accomplish such a thing as 26.2 miles. Like really, who in their right mind does that for fun? You know from a previous blog i posted that my boss ran it too and he talked me into signing up along with helping train me. Being the competitive person i am i decided to take on this challenge and give it my all. I was determined to finish and finish strong. They say most girls either do not finish a marathon or they do finish but in 5 hours or longer. I was not going to be one of those average girls and anyone who knows me, knows this about me: I will not settle for anything less then what i want! I am a strong headed girl and i have ALWAYS been a strong headed girl i will go for what i want and i wont stop till i get it.

I started training in November 2009 and marathon day was March 21, 2010. Basically 4 months of training. For anyone that wants to train for a marathon/half marathon here is an idea of how i trained:

TRAINING:
I Started running on a Sunday. Saturday or Sunday should always be the day you do a LONG RUN. Your long runs are EVERYTHING when training, short runs just prepare you for those long runs. Your first long run should start at 10 miles. Here is an idea of what your running schedule should look like while training for a marathon:

Week #1
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week#2
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-12 mile run

Week #3
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #4
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-14 mile run

Week #5
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #6
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-16 mile run

Week #7
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #8
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-18 mile run

Week #9
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #10
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-20 mile run

Week #11
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #12
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-22 mile run

Week #13
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-10 mile run

Week #14
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-15 mile run

Week #15
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-12 mile run

Week #16
Mon-Day off
Tues-6 mile run
Wed-6 mile run
Thur-6 mile run
Fri-5 mile run
Sat-Day off
Sun-MARATHON DAY


Keep in mind that I ran 5/6 miles Tues-Fri because it's routine for me. My boss (who is a faster runner then I) ran 4 mile runs throughout the week during training and that totally worked for him. Like I said, you're most important runs are your long runs so NEVER EVER skip a long run because all your doing is setting yourself back a whole lot. I did all my short runs and ten mile runs on my treadmill and my long runs down by the beach or the riverbed. I bought this awesome expensive GPS watch to track my running when i run outside. I definitely recommend this watch to anyone who runs outside. It tracks everything from your pace, calories, speed, laps, etc...it stores nearly 200 of your runs so you can always look back and see which run you did the best on. It's also fun to have marathon day because you can pace yourself perfectly to your goal time.

I was told to do a little uphill training. I did not listen and did not do any uphill training at all. I recommend everyone else to train at least some uphill because LA Marathon had a ton of hills i was unprepared for. Somehow, i don't know how..even with no training for uphill at all i made top 3% of all the women and i fin shed before 90% of the men. If i would have trained uphill too, my time would have been even better! O-well, next one for sure

EATING:
All of you already know i eat extremely healthy. It's a lifestyle for me so i did not really have to change my eating habits while training. Eating right is important if your a runner and especially if your training for something this big. Bad foods can effect your run and mess with your stomach or create cramping while running...I eat a ton of berries, bananas, oatmeal, protein such as fish and chicken, spinach and drank a ton of water because it's just as important to stay hydrated. A Typical day of eating is something like this for me:

Breakfast- Oatmeal w/ blueberries and raspberries and half a cup of coffee with soy milk

Snack-Yogurt and a banana

Lunch-Spinach leafs with a cut up apple in it and a little cheese with dressing

Snack-Fiber bar

Dinner-Sushi, chicken salad, or some sort of chicken dish (i eat my biggest meal at night since i run in the mornings)

Desert-Anything i feel like..Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream, Chocolate, Chips, cookies..could be any of those : ) it's my only time to splurge!

The night before any long run (a long run is anything over ten miles)i ALWAYS make a HUGE pasta dinner with wheat pasta of course. This is pretty much the only time i eat pasta. I make pasta with garlic bread and it makes for a wonderful carb load and run the next day! You will notice eating pasta the night before a run will truly help with your run..it gives you a great amount of energy to run off.

Training Necessities:

-GU Packets (Josh bought me a box of these and they lasted my whole time training and marathon day....The box comes with a mixture of GU..some with no caffeine, some with little caffeine, some with 1x the amount of caffeine and some with 2x the amount of caffeine. I will go into the purpose of GU shortly)

-A good Pair of running shoes (I Found that Nike is does not carry a good shoe for long runs so i stopped buying Nike and i now use the Asics Gel 2150...much cheaper shoe, very light weight (which is what you want) and very comfortable)

-GPS Watch (it's hard to find a good one, i have the Garmin Forerunner 305 which is kind of big and bulky but I'm not trying to look cool during my run lol i wanted the best watch to track my performance and this one is GREAT. They run between $200-$300)

-Water (I was lucky enough to have my husband with me on all my long run so he carried my water but i know they sell a water bottle you can sorta attach to your hand which makes it easier to run with) You wont need this marathon day though, there are a million water stations.

-Comfortable running clothes...the lighter the clothing the better..and a good sports bra ( I have a few that sucked and actually cut into my skin during my runs)

GU packets:
These are great for that boost of energy you may need during a long run. I recommend only using them on anything over 6 miles. I only used them on runs over 12 but that's only because i really don't need the energy...someone just recommended i train with them and so i gave them a shot and surprisingly i liked them. Anyway, a GU pack is basically a quick source of carbs the pack contains 100 calories and 25g of carbs..you take one every 45 min or every 6 miles. They are great and if you start getting hungry during your run they curb your appetite as well. If you drink a lot of caffeine shame on you lol j/k if drink a lot of caffeine then the packs with caffeine will work best for you. I found that for someone like me who does not drink much caffeine at all could not use the one's with caffeine because it upset my stomach during my run so i stuck to the ones with no caffeine.

So now that you know the basics of training, stay tuned for another blog on my Marathon experience and tips i have to share if your considering running one yourself.

Marathon Blog

I know i have promised a ton of people I'd blog about my marathon experience and how to train for one yourself. I have gotten so many e-mails and people who want me to help them train. I have started the blog and i prrrrrrromise to try and finish it this week or weekend. It's so hard to find time to just sit and write now. Josh told me yesterday he misses my blogs..sooo I'm gonna try hard to squeeze in a little more time for writing..Anyway, i came across this blog about a girl who is trying to break the record for the youngest girl to ever complete a marathon in all 50 states and i am sooooooooo addicted to her blog! It makes me wanna push myself even harder...She is on her 28th state at this point and I'm eager to continue to follow her blog...here is her link http://50marathonchallenge.blogspot.com/search/label/Leg%20Cramps....check out her page and i promise my blog will be up soon guys!

This world needs more positive people!

I saw this and i Love it! I think the world could use more people who think positively. It really does make a huge difference in your every day. You find happiness in EVERYTHING you do and not only is it a great feeling but it rubs off on everyone around you! I do not like hearing people complain, life is too freakin short to complain...instead be thankful for all you have and know what your worth! Finding positive in all you do makes for a positive person, positive outlook on life and positive thoughts : ) My positive attitude allows me to make the best out of work when all i really wanna do is be home with my wonderful husband...It makes writing bills enjoyable because somehow i find a sense of accomplishment in writing bills...it makes working out fun and enjoyable...it makes cleaning this messy house fun......i can go on and on.....Watch this video, it makes me smile!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBYk8UL_qOg

Wish me Luck!!!

I wish i had time to blog more. Unfortunately i don't have the time anymore and once i do have a moment to sit down i simply log on the computer just to check updates on my e-mail, la marathon, facebook etc..Josh and I have been going out to dinner almost every night (sushi & George's) and it's nice to spend all our extra time enjoying each other over dinner and out of the house (even if we go broke from our expensive eating habits hahaha jk)This year has started out great for us and we deserve to spoil ourselves however we want.

Today i have time to blog because today i get to do something new for a change..... RELAX and not move from the couch : )...if you know me then you know relaxing just is not in the cards for me. I hate relaxing, i find every excuse not to relax...it's true. Yes, i know I'm strange..but i have WAY too much energy to just sit around and i cannot sit there and watch movies or TV because i get bored,there is no show or movie worth sitting on the couch for (well OK maybe, if it's Kendra's show which is only a 30 min show and I'm only interested in her because of how athletic and in shape she was before the baby) Anyway, today I'm going to relax and eat all day. Eat healthy of course and hydrate the crap out of myself but staying off my feet is a must....Reason being....I am finally running the LA MARATHON tomorrow @ 7:25am : ) I have been training since November, the day after Thanksgiving (when i ate too much and decided i needed to run 10 miles to work it all off). I cannot believe how far i have come. Never did i think training for a marathon would take so much time and so much dedication...6am 6 mile runs 4 days a week and EVERY Sunday a long run in which my biggest run was 20 miles. Many Saturday night's of staying in when we were invited out because i had to get up early he next morning for my run, having to eat right the night before so i could accomplish my big run with no problems and through it all i want to thank my wonderful husband for pushing me, sticking by my side, sacrificing late nights out, getting up early with me, eating right with me, going with me on my long runs and making them so entertaining/fun, always complimenting my hard work and dedication and for being the best damn support system EVER!!! I am blessed beyond messures to have such a wonderful selfless husband that i would do anything for!!! There are not many men out there like Josh...i dont ever have to ask anything of Josh, he just does it with a smile and never ever complains because thats just the person he is : ) I love you baby, so so much.

I also have to thank my boss (who is running the marathon as well) for pushing me to sign up and training me. If it weren't for him i would have trained all wrong..i thank him for checking in on me every week to make sure i accomplished the runs i was suppose to accomplish and for putting up with all my questions. My boss is an amazing runner who finishes in the top 800's every time he runs!

So the big day is 24 hours away. I'm gonna run like i have never ran before. I am determined to finish in the hundreds out of 25,000 people and i really want to push myself to qualify for Boston. I believe that after mile 18 running further becomes a mental thing...so my motivation to keep pushing is to occupy my mind with all the fun Josh and I have and how he is waiting for me at the finish line with a big sign he made for me that says my name and i love you, the sushi dinner we are going to have that night to celebrate with some great friends, how close summer is and how in shape training has gotten me and this big run is gonna tone me even more, all the people who have supported and have faith in me to kick some butt, my dad who is going to ride his motorcycle all the way down to Santa Monica to see me finish and our good friend Tom who is coming over at 4:30am tomorrow morning and heading out to dodger stadium with us and who will also be waiting at the finish line for me....

I am ready! Here is to a great run and a fabulous HUGE carb dinner tonight : )
For my supporters...track me on race day or watch the marathon on channel 5...you will get a text every time i hit 10k, 20k, 30k, 40k and when i cross the finish line. http://live.activeresult.com/msg/MSG-signup.tcl?event_id=24

Thank you everyone for all your support!!!!!

Driving home yesterday......

Yesterday I'm driving home from work (on the 710 freeway) It was drizzling outside and all of a sudden the freeway came to a stop. I pressed the breaks as quickly as possible but something about the breaks felt off. Or maybe I'm just a paranoid freak about driving (which surely could be the case) and thought the breaks felt like they did not stop fast enough. Anyhow i immediately called Josh to tell him something did not feel right about the breaks and he said not to worry drive safe and he would look at them when he got home. After i hung up the phone i couldn't help but think about my Dad......
I use to call my Dad about everything when i lived at home with him. If it was a rainy morning my Dad would always make sure to come in my room and tell me "drive the surface streets to work, the freeways are dangerous when it rains" and i would listen to him every time and drive surface streets every time. I would call him whenever i had car troubles, whenever my feelings got hurt, whenever i got a raise, bonus or promotion at work.... i would call him for EVERYTHING! No matter who i was dating or who i was with at the time i trusted NO ONE'S advice or words i only trusted my Dad. When Josh and I first got together and were living with my Dad, i found myself still calling or going to my Dad when i needed advice or help with something. I had never really opened up to a guy before in a way where i trusted him to be able to take care of me. When Josh asked my Dad's permission to Marry me, i knew i was in good hands. I was already head over heels in love and with my Dad's approval i knew this was the man who was gonna take care of me for the rest of my life!! My Dad does not just approve ANYONE (we are a lot a like in that way) and i knew everything i was feeling for Josh was so absolutely right and my dad knew i had finally found the ONE....
To sum up my story, yesterday when driving home i thought about how i call Josh for everything now! I no longer call my dad, i call Josh! It's all apart of growing up, i know. But, I wonder if my Dad misses my calls, or if he is happy i finally found someone who can take care of me just as he always did, i wonder what it feels like to be a dad and watch your oldest daughter get married and live a happy life with someone who is her world when once upon a time YOU were her world....I love my Dad so much and no matter how much i grow up and how much i am on my own now i will always make sure to make time for him and to show him how important he is and has always been to me....And when Josh doesn't answer my calls fast enough, I'll always call my Dad with my stupid little questions : )

I LOVE YOU

Just a quick note while on my lunch at work and listening to the music that reminds me of my love. I know you check my blog daily love and i just wanted to tell you I LOVE YOU, with all my heart! Thank you for all your support and motivation to help me train for this marathon. I'm looking forward to weight training with you tomorrow for the first time : ) I cannot wait to get home to you tonight xoxox MUAH!

Dinner with Dad...

I had a great night out with my dad Wednesday night after work. Josh was working late so i met my Dad for drinks at the Elephant Bar. We had a great conversation about life and where we are both at in life right now. I was happy to hear that Oregon was no longer an option for my Dad and that he's keeping his house in the Country Club ( I love that house and i would hate to see him get rid of it). I gave my Dad some advice on a few other things he had on his mind and all in all im happy for him and where he is at in life right now. He's happy, he's having fun and he's healthy...and that's all that matters : )

Before dinner with my Dad, Josh and i were texting back and forth. He sent me a text saying "i think we should wait another 5 years to have kids, i have too much fun spoiling you and being able to do whatever we want" it said something like that...The funny thing is, i was thinking the same exact thing that morning after i posted a blog about our Valentines Day. Valentines Day was a huge reminder that we can just get up and do ANYTHING we want and spend as much money as we want because we don't have another human being to take care of. Our animals are our babies and we love taking them hiking on the weekends, we love spoiling them and making them feel like they are apart of everything we do! Valentines Day weekend made us both realize how much we enjoy each other and how we have so much more we want to experience together still!!

Over a few drinks with my dad, i told him how Josh and I are not anywhere near ready for kids. I was afraid i would see disappointment in him because i know he would love to have a grandchild sooner then later but instead it was the complete opposite! He said "Society makes everyone think life is all about rushing to get married and then rushing to have kids, people forget how to enjoy life and enjoy each other first" he went on to tell me the story of him and my mom...He gave me some great advice as well. I love my Dad and I love venting to him and hearing what he thinks..My Dad is a smart successful man and i strive to have all he has one day! I look up to him so much and will always listen closely and take any advice i can get from him. Now i know why i fell in love with Josh so fast, I'm a daddy's girl and I found all the great quality's my dad has in Josh. I have two of the greatest men in my life ohhh make that three, i cannot forget my little brother who will ALWAYS be there for me and always be my protector!


So it's official, Josh and I will not be thinking anything about having kids until after we are 30! After 30 we will leave it in God's hands and if we are meant to have children so be it and if not then that's ok too! I love this life we share and i want to experience everything we can together! I want to spoil these animals, give my husband my all, continue to focus on working out and working hard at work. I love my Job, i love coming home and relaxing, i love my glass of champagne every night, i love going out to nice dinners and traveling, i love hiking and spending money on whatever we want, i cant wait to get Josh a new sports car ohhhh i can go on and on...We are at a point in our lives where we have worked extremely hard for everything we have and now we get to enjoy everything we have worked so hard for! I'm so glad Josh and I are on the same page! Our life together really is soooooo much fun and i cannot wait to keep experiencing more and more with the one i love!!!