Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Run Forest, Run!

Normally, I like to keep the blog very "James-focused" but the Ragnar Relay is less than two weeks away and my excitement for this run-eat-sleep-run-eat-sleep adventure is bubbling over! You see, to finally motivate me to drop the last 10 or so pounds of baby weight, I signed up to run this Relay. It starts in Clearwater Beach and ends in Daytona Beach. For those of you not familiar with Florida landscape, that's a distance of about 200 miles stretching clear across the state of Florida. There are 12 of us on my team (6 women, 6 men) and we each will run three different legs within 26 hours to reach the finish line. We will travel in two vans and run throughout the day and throughout the night. I am one of the co-captains and one of the slowest on the team, but I bring lots of team spirit! I've been training for a couple of months now, running about 25 miles each week with my longest runs on Saturday morning. My training has included hills and multiple workouts within a 24-hour period. On Saturdays, I run with a group but otherwise, it's me and my ipod. My dear hubby has no desire to run anymore, since retiring from the AF, but he supports my crazy butt 100%.
I got the "running bug" about 4 years ago when I walked my first 5K (3.2 miles) with my good friend, Veronica. We started out just power walking and one race led to another. Soon, we were walking 1/2 marathons (13.1 miles) and by the next year, I was running the full marathon (26.2). Actually, when I say "running" I mean a run/walk. You see, I use the Galloway Method to prevent injury and it has actually increased my speed. You see, I used to think that run was a 4-letter word. Now, I'm addicted. Yes, I am addicted to my early morning long runs and feeling the surge of endorphins when I get that second wind.
My mom is worried sick about my running and feels that there is "no need" (typical southern woman) but my dad is very proud (albeit a little worried about this cross-state trek I'm about to embark on!) I just like the feeling of accomplishment after a strong run, learning how to push my body and when to hold back. And, I like the example I'm setting for James. He's already been in two 5k's and will be in a couple more before the end of the year. I just need to work on my speed while pushing a jogging stroller!
Anyway, sorry for this long post all-about-me, but I just wanted you guys out there in bloggy-land to know what I've been up to and what's coming up. After the Ragnar Relay, I'll take about a week off from running and then resume my training for the upcoming Gasparilla Marathon here in Tampa.
All of you runners out there (Stacy) please feel free to share your training experiences, recovery tips, etc with the rest of us!

3 comments:

  1. Your comments about your mom made me smile. My mom keeps telling me that I am too old to run. I am 31!

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  2. Hey, Kalani! It's Amber Vaughn Thompson. I love following you and James. Congratulations on your running! I will be thinking about you and your upcoming race. I have a blog now, too. Mema's wish about us "blogging" back and forth can come true!

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  3. Hey Amber!
    So nice to hear from you! Your ears must have been ringing, because just yesterday, I asked mom how you and your little girl were doing. Mom says that "Kit" is doing super and growing up so healthy! Very glad to hear that!
    Send me your blog address so I can keep up with you guys!

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