Another Boston Blog Post–Happy Patriot’s Day!!

Posted by hellyontherun in Marathon, Running and tagged with Boston Marathon, Dreams, Fundraising, Marathon, NYC Marathon, Running April 17, 2016

I’m sure Boston will be the theme in many blogs today ❤

Like many, I too, dream of Boston. I need over an hour marathon PR to qualify but a girl can dream, lol!

I’ve actually come across quite a few Instagrammers who’ve posted their transformation/journeys to Boston and there have been a few who said that for them, getting a 1:45 half marathon time allowed for thoughts of trying to qualify become more of a reality. I’m at 1:48:04 which is not horribly off 1:45 and I still think Boston is still in the dream category for me. I know everyone says to “Dream Big!!” and “If your dreams don’t care you, they’re not big enough!!” but maybe I’m too much of a realist. Or a pessimist. Or something. Lol! Either way, right now, all I want is to run a marathon feeling like I ran it they way I know I can. I know I have a marathon in me better than a 4:44 (my current PR). I think that’s why I’m so antsy to start New York City Marathon training. Let’s get this show on the road!! Lol!!

Speaking of New York, this weekend I had my second fundraiser–the burrito sale I mentioned last week–and it was a huge success!!

It was a burrito party in the parking lot!

So lucky to have an amazing running family

With the money made from burritos, and with additional donations after posting pictures reminding people 😀 , I’m happy to report that I’M HALFWAY THERE!! This is so exciting for me because the charity amount is so daunting and to be halfway, it’s definitely making me feel less anxious about fundraising. (I super stress out about it, ja!)

In running news, last week I was tired. Just flat out tired. I didn’t get in a whole lot–

Tuesday : I got in a double run, first in the early morning with my MRTT co-leader brf. It was a great negative split 4 mile run and the miles flew

My second run was another 4 miler in the evening with my husband and it was our run club’s run for Boston.

I ran this one with a little more consistent pacing–8:35, 8:43, 8:38, 8:47.

Friday : I didn’t run again til two days later and it was a slower trail run with my Moms Run This Town family. It was 4.5 miles of awesomeness.

Saturday : This was burrito day and it was an early wake-up to get them cookin’. I left the running to my daughter and son.

❤

Sunday : I was supposed to hit the trails again for more Grand Canyon R2R2R training but after Friday’s early morning run and Saturday’s early morning burrito sale (and kids’ race immediately after), I couldn’t do another 4 a.m. wake up call. My body just flat out said no.

So instead, I met up with my MRTT crew at 6:30 for a flat 10 miler. I ran the first 2 miles with friends doing shorter runs and then I did the last 8 on my own. This was an amazing run for me as I’ve never run a training run in these paces. I’ve only seen a double digit run at this pace during a race!

I felt good the entire way and it really added to my excitement for marathon training. I only hope I can continue this momentum and stay injury free.

And that was my week!! 22.5 miles of running fun 🙂

–How was your running week? Do you like burritos? What’s your favorite kind? (I sold chorizo burritos) 😀

–Do you have Boston Marathon dreams?

If you’d like to contribute to my NYC Marathon Fundraising (and help me sleep at night), you can do so here. ❤

TCS NYC Marathon Lottery Results

Posted by hellyontherun in Basketball, Marathon, Race, Running and tagged with Charity Runner, Jim Valvano, Jimmy V Foundation, Marathon, Never Give Up, New York, Running For Charity, TCS NYC Marathon, Team V March 9, 2016

I didn’t win, but I’m still going.

What do I mean, you ask?

Well, as luck would have it, my husband got in on his first try–just like in Chicago–and I didn’t. If you remember, I ran Chicago through charity raising money for the Ronald McDonald House. I was nervous, scared, and intimidated by having to raise money (and a lot of it) but I had such an amazing experience that it helped me decide to run for charity again, this time for NYC.

I won’t be running for Team RMHC though as I’ve elected to run for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. Sadly, we do have a connection with cancer, as a close family member is currently fighting; yet, Coach V’s fighting words of “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up!” is a motto that so many of us can relate to, whether we have an affiliation with cancer or not.

Source

If you’re not familiar with who Coach Valvano is, he was a NCAA basketball coach for NC State in the 80’s and led his team to a surprising championship win in 1983. They were the underdogs that season and game after game proved their championship worthiness to the very end. They never gave up.

Then in 1992, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the short time he had left to live, unbeknownst at the time, he did so much to help with cancer research creating the Foundation knowing it probably wouldn’t benefit him, but that didn’t make him lose hope. His hope was that foundation would help others and it has, many, many years after his death. He never gave up.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I saw an ESPN 30 for 30 special on Coach V and his NC State team. It was incredibly moving and my husband and I still watch from time to time. In the documentary is his Arthur Ashe acceptance speech at the first ever ESPY’s. If you have a few extra minutes, please take the time to view it. It really captures Coach V’s spirit.

Running for charity is scary in many ways. First, the New York City Marathon itself is kinda scary–it’s the biggest marathon. It’s huge! I’ve run some big races–Chicago, Marine Corps–but NYC is bigger than both!

Second, the charity amount I have to raise is twice that of Chicago. But I feel like Coach V’s words ring through in so many ways besides fighting a terrible disease like cancer. In so many aspects of life, we have to overcome obstacles or challenge ourselves and never, ever give up. That’s what I plan to do–in training for New York, in raising money to run New York, and in crossing that finish line in New York.

I hope you consider helping me with this important cause. Your donation, of any amount, will help me run a dream marathon, and most importantly, help keep dreams alive for others.

You can donate here:

Helly Runs For Team V

–Have you ever run a race through charity?

–Do you know who Jimmy V is or heard his speech before?

–Have you been to New York? I went when I was 10 and don’t remember a thing, lol! It will be my husband’s first time though 😀

Mid Week Musings: Combating Fear

Posted by hellyontherun in Running and tagged with Fear, Fear of Failure, Marathon, Mental Strength, Running October 28, 2015

I recently was asked what my favorite distance to race is and you might be surprised, given my most recent disaster, that I actually really like the marathon. Even though I don’t think it likes me, lol!

Despite not having run one where I’ve crossed the finish line satisfied with my performance, I still do them, still train for them. Why? Because I know I have it in me to run one well. And if I think about it (which I do ~~obsessively~~ often), I think a big reason why I haven’t done well is because the marathon scares me.

I’m afraid of the marathon. It’s not that it doesn’t like me, it’s that I don’t allow it to like me.

It’s like that one person you know that is perfect, always has it all together, and you hate that person for absolutely no reason–or for all of those reasons–but really, you actually kinda really like them, maybe even admire them.

And they like you. But they’re afraid to talk to you and socialize because you’ve always had this wall up preventing them from getting near you–you know, because you don’t like them.

But you actually do.

That’s me and the marathon.

I curse the marathon. I tell it how awful it is. How unfair. But really, I like it. Really like it. And I’m finally okay with putting my wall down and letting it like me.

Not long after I was asked what my favorite distance is, a friend posted this really interesting article on the fear of failure and I think that’s at the root of my love/hate relationship with the marathon.

It’s not the marathon, it’s my fear of failing at it.

I think in my first marathon, I was the overzealous new kid who was simply excited to be there. Sometimes, that’s an advantage because you’re so excited about the fact you’re even there, talking to Miss Perfect, that you’re oblivious to anything else.

My first marathon remains my PR.

I think after that, realizing that the marathon was bigger than I had imagined (and prepared for), fear crept in. I knew I wanted to do it again, I knew I wanted to do better, BUT, could I do it?

The article focuses on fear of failure in children and teens but it’s an article that really anyone can easily relate to.

Fear of failure is the single most common cause of performance difficulties …Whether they [the athlete] experience low confidence and extreme negativity, pre-competitive anxiety, a preoccupation with results, or severe self-criticism, in most cases, when we dig deep enough, we discover a profound fear of failure at its root.

Yeah, me in a nutshell.

I trained really hard for Chicago Marathon and I felt confident I could PR and confident I could sub 4:30. But I let fear reside in my head. I don’t think that was the sole cause of why I didn’t do well, I really think flying out the day before didn’t help, but I do think allowing negativity to settle itself in my brain and eat away at my confidence affected my performance.

So what can I do? It’s easy to tell myself to “think positive” but how?

I found another interesting article that talks about the marathon specifically and how to mentally prepare. There were a few things in it that resonated.

An actor rehearses the lines of a play again and again before the big performance; learning the correct sequence and timing of the performance.

So too should a runner spend time in visualization, rehearsing the big race over and over in the mind.

An actor does not intentionally rehearse the wrong lines before a play, which would not make sense; instead an actor focuses on and repeats the performance in the way they would like it to happen. Runners should take the time to visualize their upcoming performance in a positive light.

Totally makes sense, right??

The article suggests breaking the marathon into two halves– unequal halves, lol–the first 20 miles and the final 10k. Their argument is that in training, we do a 20 mile run, sometimes more than one. We know what that feels like and are familiar with it, so we should then approach the final 10k like that is the race.

It is best to fully accept the agony of a marathon’s final 10 Kilometers before you reach it. Don’t just anticipate the pain, accept it, welcome it, and embrace it.

The final 10K of a marathon should hurt, it is only when a runner can accept that concept that they can truly reach full potential in the marathon.

I totally felt like when I read that, something clicked. I’ve often whined, “Whhhhy can’t a marathon be 20 miles miles!!” because I’ve done a bunch of those. Yet, I haven’t reached the 20 mile mark in a race feeling the way I do when I run 20 training miles and I think it’s because I’m so focused on the whole 26.2. If I can run the first 20 miles in a race comfortably, in my mind telling myself this is something I’ve done before no sweat, then I can tell myself I’m only running a 10k race and prepare myself mentally for those 6.2 miles that without doubt will be more difficult than the first 20.

I don’t know, what do you guys think? How do you mentally prepare for a marathon (or race of any distance)? I feel like my training has been strong, that it was strong this last marathon cycle, but maybe what I really need to put more attention on is my mental strength. I saw a glimmer of hope in Chicago when I fought through the cramps. Maybe that means I’m finally working my way to running a great marathon…

Thoughts?

Thanks for listening to me go on and on, lol!! ❤ , helly