Before I take my first step

Let's just pretend that I'm not the world's worst blogger for a second and go back to that whole training for a marathon part. Yep, training is now trained! I am running my first marathon in less than 48 fours! I have been so crazy mad busy with non stop 12 hour days with school, work and committee meetings. Taper was actually really easy and so very much enjoyed. I had no problems with running lower mileage. At. All. I actually didn't run this past week. I think my shoes are shot and I started developing a pain oddly familiar to a shin splint. In order to save my leg and save the last bit of miles in my shoes, I opted to skip the few short runs on my plan. I'm better off with a pain free leg not nagging me the whole, long, arduous 26.2 miles right? Just say "yes".

I wish I could explain my emotions right now but I can't seem to put them into words. All the blogs and twitter messages about the marathon have me so pumped. I know there will be pain, there has to be pain, but I know I can do this. I know I can get through it. How do I know? Because in the past two months I have all ready fought for this marathon over and over again. Now, all I have to do is get there and put one foot in front of the other until I get to the finish.

All you non runners, why is this so powerful for me you ask? Because even just a year ago I never wanted to run a marathon. I was just where so many of you are now. Oh I could never do that, can you imagine? 13.1 miles is long enough, I can't imagine doing 13.1 more! Why run 26.2 when you can drive that distance in 30 min? I'm good, thanks.

Oh, but sometimes when you dare to do what you think you will never do, you learn so so so much more about yourself than you could ever imagine. I'll admit, you might not like some of the things that you learn along the way. But you learn how to make your strong points stronger and your weaknesses less weak.

I have watched myself grow over these past few months. I have made decisions and stood by them. The same way I signed up for this marathon, so full of doubt and yet, ready to see what I could do. I have realized that I am fiercely independent and would rather do things on my own schedule than rely on someone else's schedule. Hence the reason I signed up and even paid a small fee to join a training group and only went to one run when their schedule just didn't work for mine. Ha. Oops.

I'm a fighter, I don't give up, even when I hit the wall at mile 12 of an 18 miler after being on campus for 12 hours and a brutal exam. I felt a little insane at that point but I also am a rule follower and I had to get in that long run. I just had to.

So many times I kept thinking I can't do this, I don't know how I'll finish. But somewhere deep down I knew that even if I had to crawl across the finish line, I would be doing it. And I will. On Sunday. With 30,000 other crazy people just like me, these are my people. The dreamers. The people who set goals and make them happen. The doers. The movers. The shakers. The runners!!!

The next time we meet again, you know, I'll be a marathoner. No big deal. *brushes off shoulder*

Ok. Kinddddd of a big deal. To me!

Go dream, y'all!!!

I'm still training for my first marathon

About that training update...hmmm. More than halfway done! Wow, that happened fast right? Wrong. :-)

I'm baaaaack in Charleston, SC and oh how sweet the south is, especially the people. After being in Charleston for a little over 7 years now, a 3.5 month break from Charleston was just what I needed to bring back some perspective on this area called the Lowcountry. Look it up, it's a real word.

Being back in Charleston can only mean one other thing and that is the beginning of pharmacy school, year 2. All ready in full swing, I have two exams on tap for next week. Aaaaand if that's not enough, I'm involved in a countless number of groups and committees and NOW, I have a jobby job. Yeah, I'm just a little bit insane. I also may have over-committed. Oh well, must make it through October (without going insane and without ruining too many of my relationships).

Last weekend was my longest run to date, 16 miles. Eek, it was tough. But I felt really really bad ass afterwards. I mean, 16 miles? That's just crazy. I can only imagine what 26.2 is going to feel like afterwards (cause lets face it, during it's just going to feel a-wwwful). This week set me back, I haven't run since Monday mainly because things have just been super hectic and I'm still trying to settle into a schedule that makes running a priority.

Marathon goals? I had some high hopes back in June when I had so much "time" on my hands to ponder these things. However, as I see my time quickly slipping away and my days planned out until November, I know that just getting through my long runs will be quite the struggle. With that said, my marathon goal is strictly just to finish. Which, baring something major happening during the race, I absolutely know I can finish. So, with that said, I'll be happy with anything under 5 and 1/2 hours, and I'll be so pleasantly, pleasantly surprised with anything under 5 hours! I know this sounds even more crazier but I'm all ready thinking about post marathon plans...I don't have time to train for another, but when? And what to do in the meantime? I'm thinking swim lessons, folks. Lofty goal planner, I am.

I'll leave you with some pics from my first 15 miler a few weeks ago. I ran from downtown Charleston over the cooper river bridge to Old Village in Mt Pleasant, SC. Then ran back over the bridge to run the last 4 (SLOW) miles with my friend Jen. Dear Charleston humidity, you are NO joke and I have NOT missed you. Love, Holly. :-)

At the old bridge in Old Village, Mt. Pleasant, SC. The old bridge is long gone and has been made into a scenic park with lots of palm trees and benches. 

If you look realllll close you can see the cooper river bridge in the mid right of this pic...yeah, I ran  from there, to here. Puts it in perspective, right?!

Happy September!!! (Maybe cooler temps soon?!)

Up to date

Let's face it, I am probably the world's worst blogger. I'm OK with that, life is pretty busy and sometimes (as a natural introvert), I just don't think to share it with the world. But I'm baaaack with an update!

I'll give you the shortened version. Crushed my finals, celebrated completing my first year of pharmacy school, and then high-tailed it up to Washington, DC for the summer to start on my internships.

I moved in with a friend of mine that I've known since middle school. Her and her husband have graciously taken me in for the summer and only sometimes refer to me as the "sister wife" (we have an odd sense of humor).

My running has slowed down ALOT since I've been in D.C. And by slowed down, I mean the warmer weather combined with the hills have dropped my times to above 10 minutes miles. I haven't seen these times in a while but I know that come fall (and hopefully by the end of the summer) those times will improve. I've done two 10Ks while I've been here and although they haven't been my best times, the added challenges of the hilly terrain has been quite fulfilling. Oh and the Lawyers Have Heart 10K was my first medal for completing a 10K (kind of cool!).

On the cross-training front, I completed a 25 mile bike ride during my first weekend in D.C. thanks to Bike DC! I've been regularly attending Bikram Yoga in Alexandria, VA (check them out if you're in the area, my favorite instructor is Brett! Bikram Yoga of Alexandria ). 90 minutes of pure sweat is definitely a great way to stretch your muscles and get accustomed to the heat of summer! After a 105 degree room, 99 degree weather will seem like a treat! Last but not least, I've been lucky enough to get to work on my swimming skills. My stroke still isn't pretty by any means but I'm hoping to get my freestyle tightened up so that I can regularly integrate some swimming into my schedule when I get back to Charleston in August.

Bike DC (Don't I look legit? Not!)

MARINE CORP MARATHON training has somewhat officially begun for me! I'm on my second week of the Hal Higdon novice 1 program, but I'm adding more cross training so that I don't get completely sick of running after 18 weeks. I started my training a bit early so that if something gets crazy during the fall semester, I can either repeat a week or take the intensity down a notch. Also, if I stay on schedule it will give me just a few extra weeks of training! Which I'm sure I might need for my first marathon. I'm kind of nervous, not going to lie, I've all ready been having nightmares of not finishing (eek!).

OK, that's all for now. I'll leave you with some pictures of what I've been up to lately. Hopefully I'll get in another post before I return to Charleston! Enjoy the summer folks!

Lawyers Have Heart 10K medal

Seriously the best day of my middle school heart's life. Getting to see the dinosaur's skeletons at Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Washington Nationals baseball stadium - I literally interned a block away from the stadium

Pershing Park - cute little park tucked away in the city. The ducks here are hilarious!

Pho on the go! Phojunkies.com food truck to service all your pho needs in the district area.

Washington Monument at night

Obligatory picture of the White House, also at night :-)

One ending leads to another beginning...

Oh hey blog, still there? That's good, because I've obviously not been here for a while! However, the good news is that usually the first thing to go when I'm super busy is working out and that has NOT been the case this semester! Unfortunately, blogging has taken a back seat. Note to self: need to work on this.

In running news, I finished my second half marathon!! Remember the New Orleans one I signed up for a while back?! Well I did it AND I didn't really follow my training plan like last semester. Actually I only did one long run before this half. I have been participating in a hard core boot camp three times a week so I'm guessing that did a lot for strength. I didn't PR in this one but I wasn't far off from my first time and I felt really good afterwards. I'm talking like I didn't feel max exertion and little to no soreness the next day. Good signs right?!

That being said... I finally did it! I signed up for my very first marathon!!!!!!

Drum roll please.......

I will be running the marine corp marathon in October 2012. That is, of course, if all things go well. I'm working on my goals and establishing a solid training plan that I can work around with school next semester. I am super nervous but really excited at the same time. I don't even know how to explain it.

I hope you'll all join me along this crazy ride of marathon training! (Eeeek, I just typed marathon training!!! Wow. Ok, this has been happening a lot. Gotta go now.) I'll leave you with this happy pic!

Bye!