Week 5

First person who can name the 2 men above wins! (If you don't know how to comment, you click below where it says how many comments there are so far [under this post] and then you either sign in with your gmail name or do anonymous and sign it...) Husbands are disqualified!

Well here we are in week 5 already! Danna and I had a great 9 mile run this weekend. I feel so cool saying that I ran 9 miles all in one day. I feel the need to interject it into random conversations.

"What did I do this weekend? Nothing much, just some errands and some church. Oh, and I ran nine miles in one day."
or
"Yes I will have the Fettuccine Alfredo. My body probably needs the carbs. . .cuz I ran 9 miles today! Consecutively."
or
"Oh, good to meet you too. Yeah, I ran 9 miles today. NINE!"

Well, I won't get too cocky about it, since Matt had to drag me around for the rest of the day. After the run I barely made it through my cousin's wedding dinner, and then I CRASHED on the drive home. We even had to pull over on the freeway so he could take over the driving. After sleeping in the car for an hour, Matt dragged me to the couch as shown below. (Note that it was only 5:30 pm.) There I slept until 10 pm, when he again woke me and said I needed to get upstairs to my actual bed, to which I responded "Schmmmmmlllmnnmr." Matt took this for assent, and pulled me upstairs. I slept the rest of the night!!! And then took an additional nap on Sunday. I make me sick.

My cockiness took another blow when I mentioned my nine mile status to Larry Payne (see previous post by Danna). He casually mentioned (as casually as one might mention they had a sandwich for lunch) he had run a 14 miler Saturday. Darn that Larry Payne! He's too good.


Danna and I went to see a running doctor for advice and preparations. He is awesome and highly recommended- Dr. Toronto. Like 2 big nerds we asked if we could take a picture with him for our blog. And yes, I am wearing my little yellow running shorts in the shot. That is what they asked me to wear for the appointment. Danna accompanied me to my appointment so we could get that shot (yes, blog readers, those are the kind of lengths to which we are willing to go for you) and stayed to be my secretary and take notes during my appointment. Turns out I have chondromalacia (see picture below) which is what has been causing my knee grinding sounds all these years (you too, Mom!)
He answered all 33 of my questions, and I got to see x-rays of my knees too. Now I have special stretches and exercises I am supposed to do daily. I also bought the wrong shoes apparently. Good thing I got them pre-owned on ebay!

You oversleep=you have to run fast

So... when you wake up 20 minutes late, you have to seriously increase your pace to make it to work on time. Maybe I have found the fast-running-nirvana secrets, great running partners, and oversleeping, which makes those partners wait, and wish they themselves had stayed in bed. I woke up WAY after the time I was supposed to meet Suzy on the trail this week. I seriously jumped straight into the air and practically into my running clothes. I swear to you I was running with in 45 seconds of waking up- totally disorienting! I didn't put in contacts, or go to the bathroom, or even get any water before I flew out the door. In this pandemonium, I threw on a pair of running shorts that no longer fit. So- yes that was me this week- running with my huge glasses on, trying not to pee my pants, and holding my shorts on with one hand the ENTIRE run. Of course this is the day I also saw almost every person I've known over the last 6 years. "You are training for a marathon? Huh. Interesting" (Insert here a pointed look at my clenched hold on the shorts.) At least Suzy had something funny to laugh at the whole run!

Kristin and I ran 9 miles today. Getting up at 5:40 am on a Saturday may kill me. I have a new fancy, schmancy GPS watch that is about as big as my head, but is uber cool. It beeps at us every time we go slower than a 12 minute mile. We have nicknamed it mom. (No offense moms) Every time we would take a walk break I thought it might have a stroke. It also tells us every 1/2 mile we run. We are loving it! Today we finished our run in 1 hour and 51 minutes- that includes all walk breaks, street crossings, and trash talking when the faster runners pass us. We are supposed to run at a pace that we can carry on a conversation, but being girls, I think the conversation pace is more important than the run. Training for a marathon is like getting free therapy, except at the end you are in physical pain! We have a great time discussing ridiculous topics that I'm not sure you would ever really talk about with someone if you had to see their face while you talked. Sometimes we are laughing so hard, that IS the reason for the walk breaks! There is something about running that is bonding and true. I love it!..... And at the end- "Wow- that was seriously 9 miles? I still have 3 stories to tell you about my week, how about a long cool-down?"

And then God sent Suzy

Kristin is a fast runner. Those physical therapists at her office are Craaazy. That girl is fast. After her toenail surgery we couldn't run together, and we hadn't done any runs together yet before. I was a walking commercial for anxiety pills. I was so worried that we would not be able to do our Saturday long runs together because our pace would be so different. I seriously started praying about it. I even made Adam pray about it. While she convalesced, I tried to suddenly become 20 pounds lighter and 20 minutes faster. Hmm, not so wise- see the earlier post about a pulled
muscle in my back. During the week we run seperately. I came home from those runs huffing like puff the magic dragon I was trying so hard to speed up. Of course, this was all pre-season. I saw Larry Payne- our local running celebrity fresh from the Boston marathon that he finished in like 5 minutes or something close to that. We ran a little together one Saturday morning and he told me I needed to go faster. I told him he would need to start praying like everyone else. When Kristen had healed (she no longer wore bright hot pink open toed sandals with socks, I think her fashion sense will need some time to heal as well...) we ran our first Saturady run together. We were ok! She slowed down a little, and I tried to push it and we decided we would be ok. Then Suzy called me to sub for her primary class. We talked about running and I invited her to run sometime. Because I was praying for a miracle, she decided to. Now you need to understand that Suzy really will have her own Wheaties box one day. She is FAST! So lucky me- I now have Suzy to run with on week days. She has improved my time by MINUTES per mile. She is now training for her own marathon- of which I believe she will win. I will finish a marathon. Suzy will win a marathon. Kristen and I seem to have closer paces now. Poor Kristen needs her own Suzy- everyone should have a Suzy. In the meantime, I continue to have a testimony of prayer.

the step back week

So... our personal friends Hal and Jeff (see precipice of madness post) have a "step back week" every other Saturday. Kristen and I run 3 days during the week, seperately, and then run our "long runs" on Saturday together. This is because Kristen has a grown-up life, and goes to work at a reasonable hour. I laze in bed until the ridiculously early hour of 6:30. I'm telling you, this marathon thing is seriously painful at 0-dark-thirty ie; 6:30. ANYWAY... After a Saturday long run, the next week is a step-back. The mileage usually goes down 2-3 miles at least. Jef and Hal say this gives our bodies a rest and allows us to rev up for a big push of several miles longer the next Saturday. I personally beleive it's true purpose is to have you thinking one week that you rule the running world, and the next, you are ok with climbing backwards down the steps to get to the shower- everyone does that occaionally just for fun right? Step back week you begin thinking maybe I'll be the Dana Torrez of the running world. I'll peak in my mid-thirties when I qualify for the next olympics. You sail through the rest of the week designing your wheaties box and planning what to say at inspirational womens conferences across the globe. Then, the bump-up week occurs. Bad news. Suddenly you are no longer practicing your standing on the gold-medal-box wave. Instead I am practicing my overweight, asthma huffing, side of the trail puker look. It's not pretty. Not pretty at all. It's bad when little kids with pink Dora bikes with training wheels and handlebar streamers are passing you. It's also not good for the olympic fantasy.
This past week was a step back. Only 5 miles. Adam and I painted Saturday until we weren't speaking (usually the stop painting mark for most couples right?) So I started my run at 10pm. Adam, bless his kind heart, rode his bike next to me so I wouldn't be killed on the trail in the dark. Probably he did it because it's not good to die in a fight- makes you feel guilty. ANYWAY... I am absolutely positive that had you clocked me that night- Michael Phelps would have been asking me speed tips. It was a great run!!! It's runs like that that make me want to run the marathon. When the running planets align, it feels like I could run to California. I feel light, fast, and the endorphins! All drug rehabs should just re-direct the addiction to running. It was a great run, with one of my best times. I blasted my I-pod and had a riot. So, if any of you have ideas for the best colors to spell out "Wheaties" above my famous smiling face- give me a call before Saturday will you- 'cause this Saturday we run 9.

Pre-Season

When we refer to "pre-season" we are referring to the time before the official schedule actually starts. The schedule runs 18 weeks before the marathon, but we started training much earlier than that. In many ways we have no idea what we are doing, and without a schedule we thought we should just try to...well...run a lot. There were many unforgettable events and "land marks" during pre-season that we would like to share with you, our supporters.


First of all, I personally became obsessed with all things marathon. I began asking every person I know who has ever ran a marathon every possible question I could think of. What kind of GU did you like? (GU, pronounced "goo," is a brand of energy gel many marathoners eat/drink/suck on.) What did you wear? How was it? Which marathon? Tell me about your training, your belt, your injuries, where you put your Bodyglide...ha ha ha! But seriously, I needed to know every detail. I didn't want to show up on marathon day and be one of those noobies who ends up in the medical van because she thought it would be okay to wear her new ipod arm band during the race.

Matt (husband) went to the library and checked out a stack of marathon books for me. Books I have been consuming like I consume Fiber One Bars (which is voraciously) and I now consider myself somewhat of an expert on things that one month ago I had never heard of (e.g., Bodyglide, fartlek, GU, overtraining vs overloading, form, and Mizuno shoes). If you are considering joining me in this crazy lifestyle, I highly recommend the following books:

*Running - by Galloway, who in the runner's world needs no first name for identification (A really great comprehensive book that covers just about everthing)
*The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women - by Dawn Dias (Hillarious, sarcastic, and the inspiration for this blog! And, yes, it actually had some insightful advice too.)
*Marathon - by Galloway (My Hero!! :) The local running store experts recommended this one to me. Has a few more specific tidbits his other book doesn't have.)
*How to Run a Marathon - by Tim Rogers (This British author seems to think the London Marathon deserves to be mentioned on EVERY page. Okay, we GET IT! London is the best, blah, blah, blah. But it did give me lots of interesting info from his personal perspective. It also made me scared that I won't be running in England where the fabulous Brits would be cheering me on!)

OTHER PRE-SEASON EVENTS:

*Danna and I spend hundreds at the Salt Lake Running Company on things you wouldn't even think we would need- like special running socks and underwear, and it ain't ever cheap, baby. Here's a picture of my new stuff:


*Our husbands start a special support group (well, partnership) and start weeping frequently. Condolence cards and/or meals for the hubs' are welcome.
*I have an oh-so-painful in-grown toenail surgery on 6 spots and stop training for two weeks. I did, however really strengthen up my shin muscles by walking on my heels non-stop. No joke.


The next photo is my toenail now. As a result of the surgery it is skinnier, yellower, more jagged, and over-all weirder looking. I am sure to lose toenails in the marathon! (This is common for marathoners.)


*Everyone I know is asked to pray for my joints as we Memmott girls are known for our bad knees (if you are reading this- consider yourself asked!)
*I run during pre-season with a dorky, uncomfortable fanny pack. Enter chafing.
*We enter the lottery for the St. George Marathon as a team, and pray our guts out that we will make it.
*WE MAKE IT!!
*Amazingly, during pre-season we did not actually run a single run together, and we were very nervous that we had different paces.
*My physical therapist co-workers (who are anti-running) tell me I don't have a runner's body and should not do it. As a speech therapist, I tell them they do not have talkers' mouths, and that they can stuff it!
*My toes heal from the surgery very nicely! Yippee!!
*My husband takes great pains to find me the perfect pair of shoes on ebay at a much lower price than the running store.
*I upgrade from a fanny pack to a true runner's belt- no more getting whacked 400 times with my own Gatorade bottle.

As you can see, we had an exciting pre-season. When it came time to start our true schedule we felt we were more that ready for it- the right gear, the right toe-nail widths, and the right running partner(s). The old days of choosing our rest days and run distances are only a pleasant memory. THE SCHEDULE is now our master!

The Decision

It's my first posting! We are running a bit behind in keeping this baby up-to-date- sorry! Danna wrote that last lovely opener as I sat by her side lazily, and it has taken me this long to add to it.

Well, I never thought I would run a marathon. I think somewhere in the back of my mind it was always on my bucket list, but so is having a billion dollars, you know? I even told my sister recently that I would never run a marathon and had no desire because of my bad knees and the general strain it puts on other areas of your body too. And of course the long, grueling, early morning training, and the horror stories you hear ("It was the hardest and most painful experience of my life. Never again!!").

Danna approached me about it one day and told me all about her amazing previous marathon experience- a must-hear story- and I got so excited and jealous I just had to commit! Well, after I got over all my initial fears and doubts, that is. She has made it all possible for me- she is simply amazing! And a fabulous running partner for Saturdays, I might add.

I also have to give props to my other true inspiration- Mikelle (my little sis). Mikelle recently went on a cruise with her friend to the Caribbean. She told me before she went that she would like to lose as much weight as possible before the cruise so she was maximally swimsuit-ready. She asked me to be her personal trainer the 2 weeks prior to the cruise, and she followed my VERY STRICT instructions to a T! I had her go for a 2-3 mile run each day, and a non-running workout as well in the same day. Then she was to eat no fat, sugar or processed food, no cheese, peanut butter, or condiments (except mustard), and no non-fish meat! She did not stray from the plan ONCE! And she kept asking for more. That's just the way Mikelle is. If she puts her mind to something, she does it perfectly. She was losing all these inches (and she's trim already, don't get me wrong), and I was feeling so proud of her! Plus it's super fun to have someone follow your every suggestion, of course. :)

I was so inspired by the things Mikelle was able to put her mind to, and she was getting me all psyched up about fitness and goals and stuff. She was totally in my mind when I made the decision. Thanks Mkl!

What most appeals to me about the prospect of completing a Marathon are the sense of accomplishment I know I will feel, and the disciplined journey along the way. I look forward to the tight abs too! :)

The precipice of madness

Welcome to our blog! We're ALL about the St. George 2009 Marathon around here. We'll see how this blog thing goes- it took us about 45 minutes just to name the blog; not a good sign. Total jerks out to get us took all the good names. We haven't said the word marathon for 2 sentences now, which isn't like us at all. We have been completely ignoring all friends, family, and spouses (we each only have one) to obsess about THE MARATHON! The only people who truly understand us now are our good, close friends- Hal and Jeff. Of course they have no idea who we are. Kristin is well versed in Jeff Galloway-ology. Danna seems to always know just what Hal Higdon would advise for every running ailment. They are two amazing world-famous marathon coaches that we like to pretend to talk to daily because it makes us feel like we have some idea of what we are doing, (we don't).

Our official training is 18 weeks long. We are currently in week 17, counting down. We OWN the streets around here right now because we are, of course, feeling invincible only having to run 3 miles per day. But soon, the streets will own us, and honestly it probably won't take many more miles than 3!

We have created this blog so those who knew us before we became amazing athletes can keep up to date on our, hopefully, forward progress. Just plan on huffy breathing when you call. We'll be spending our summer running!