Ignoring and motivating.

Yeah, so, when you decide -- 10 days out -- to talk about how great the weather forecast for race day is, well, you tend to jinx yourself. Or at least I do.

Because it seems that's what has happened here, folks. I've been jinxed.

Not so much for race day, because the forecast is still decent for that (high of 50 and cloudy). But tomorrow? My travel day? Yeah, doesn't look so good. In fact, the forecast is for, oh, just 6-12 inches of snow. Or more. And maybe some freezing rain. Why not?

Right now, I'm ignoring the weather. Hoping it is all a big joke. April Fools!


I'm also still ignoring my knee pain and pretending that the extra stretching, rolling and tennis ball massaging that I am doing is just part of my race day build-up.

In more productive fashion, I'm getting revved up! And I thought I would share some motivation with all of you, whether you are running in the Happy Runner Half Marathon Challenge or just running on your own this weekend. So, here you go:

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."

- Doug Larson

"Dream barriers look very high until someone climbs them. They are not barriers anymore."

- Lasse Viren

"Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport as about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. 

Sport, like all life, is about taking risks."

- Sir Roger Bannister

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. 

You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. 

It is the will to succeed."

- - Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ

Run on!

~ Felice

Half Marathon Challenge: It's race week!

It's the FINAL COUNTDOWN to the half marathon, which means it's the FINAL COUNTDOWN to the Happy Runner Half Marathon Challenge!

And, yes, I do have this song playing in my head now that I've typed "final countdown."



The rules for the challenge are listed HERE. Everyone who signed up is listed HERE. If you are signed up and you no longer plan to participate, or I have you in the wrong category, or you aren't listed and you should be, PLEASE LET ME KNOW with a comment here. Thanks!

As much as I can't wait to run the race, I can't wait to read your race reports. When I'm running on Saturday, I'll be thinking of everyone else who is either running 13.1 that day or over the course of three days.

My training for the half is done. I have two more runs on the schedule but they are just maintenance runs; the hard work is over. I ran an easy 7-miler on Saturday and was happy that my comfortable pace for the distance was 8:45. I hope I can hold that -- or faster -- for 13.1 on Saturday! I'll be posting my goals later this week.

How has your training gone? Are you excited to run this weekend? Do you have nice weather in your forecast for Saturday? Send some to Queens, if you do -- I don't want any snow or ran for the race!

The race is in five days. Five days! Exciting . . .

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by :-)

~ Felice

Ten days!

The 13.1 NYC half marathon is in 10 days!

This means that I will pretty much have weather.com up on my computer all the time. And, yes, I will obsessively refresh the forecast. Right now, we're looking at partly sunny with a high of 56. I'll take it. Just don't rain on me and I'll be happy!

Ten days also means that after my peak mileage week last week, I am now right smack into my taper and all the madness that goes with it. Every twinge and soreness looms large but I'm forcing my mind to win out over the wimpy whining of my knees, hamstring, calves and whatever other body part decides it wants a little attention.

Speaking of which, I did have to give my knee a little break this week with two days off. It was feeling sore -- not injured, just sore. The days off did the trick because it's fine now, even after some short but solid speedwork last night. Phew!


Now don't think I haven't put two and two together and blamed my sore knee on the fact that my running shoes have 400+ miles on them. I have. Multiple times. It's just that there's nothing I can do at this point. I have checked, re-checked and then checked again and my Somnios are still not in stock. I've facebooked Somnio. I've emailed with a company rep. There's some sort of back up with the manufacturing or something. I don't know. All I know for sure is that I will not have new shoes for the race. Instead, I will be running in the same shoes that have carried me so many miles since giving birth in October to running the half marathon in a mere 10 days.

There's bound to be some good karma in those shoes.

So I take back the blame. It's not the shoes. The shoes have been incredibly good to me. I love them. Probably a little too much. I just wish that maybe they didn't have quite so many miles on them. But they do. And in 10 days they'll have about 40 more, including the 13.1 from my first half marathon.

Before I sign off and go obsess about the weather, my race day outfit, the pros and cons of carrying my gatorade, etc., etc., let me ask you this:

How do you get through the last 10 days before a big race? 

What's your secret to managing taper madness?

~ Felice

I get you, Kara Goucher.

I read this today:

I just really mentally decided I'm not trying to run the Boston Marathon and be the best woman with a six-month-old baby, I'm trying to be the best woman period, so I have to stop giving myself that out. Just do it.

It's Kara Goucher in RW, talking about her training for next month's Boston Marathon (she ran an awesome 1:09:03 at the NYC half on Sunday). 


I totally get what she's saying. 


My half marathon is in less than two weeks and while a) it isn't the Boston Marathon and b) I am not gunning "to be the best woman period" in the race, what Kara expressed applies to me. When I first returned to running two weeks after having my son, I gave myself a lot of outs. When I ran my first race, I kinda had the attitude of being the best woman with a two-month-old baby. I don't think I ever verbalized it but that's where I was.


A month after that race I started training for the half. I brought that attitude with me into training. I'm doing great for having a three-month-old baby. I'm kicking butt on no sleep! I should probably run a little slower, considering I just had a baby. Shouldn't I take it easy since I have a four-month-old baby?


Having a baby gives you tons of built-in excuses. 


Fortunately, like Kara, I determined that I don't need them. Yeah, my son will be just under six-months-old when I race the half marathon on April 2nd. Yes, I trained during a period when he was (and still is) nursing around the clock and only occasionally lets me have a decent night's sleep.


So what?


So, does that mean I can't train hard? Does that mean I can't strive to run a fast race?


No, no it doesn't.


For the past month or so my training has reflected my change of attitude. I am not going into the half marathon thinking I want to run a strong race for a woman with a six-month-old baby. I want to run a strong race period. 


This will be my first half marathon so I'm guaranteed a PR. And that's nice. But what I really want is a kick-butt time. I really want to finish in the low 1:50s. That's my Plan A and I'm all about living your Plan A. 


There are a million excuses out there, if you want them. I don't. I'm with Kara: Just do it. Isn't that some kind of slogan?


~ Felice