Mid-Week 8-miler

Manito Duck Pond - 5:30 AM Anyone?

We met up again this week for our mid-week 8-miler. I was not able to meet the mamas for a 5:30pm run as I didn't have a babysitter for the girls. However, Mirna suggested we meet up at 5:30AM and get our 8 miles in before she headed off to work. We met at the Manito Duck Pond and it was a beautiful morning! Our 8+ mile run ended around 7am and it was a great way to start the day. Nothing like starting things off in a fabulous mood - really sets the tone for the rest of the day to get an early start like this one. I think we'll do it again next week. :)

~ posted by Andrea

Week 13 Complete - 38 miles!!!

Wrapping up our 13th week with a final double digit run!

Mirna and Andrea

We wrapped up our training this week with a 20 miler - the final of our double digit training runs. I can't tell you what relief I felt after completing this run! And for many reasons, this run was hard for both Mirna and I, so we were truly thankful to finish it.

First of all, Mirna was kind enough to run with me on Thursday afternoon instead of our normal Saturday morning time slot. I was leaving out of town with my girls to visit my mom for the Easter holiday weekend and knew I wouldn't get 20 miles in alone in Pendleton, Oregon. It was wonderful of Mirna to join me a couple of days early. However, we didn't know how challenging this run was going to be. We had completed the River Run on Sunday, which had been a grueling trail run for us (see previous post!) The weather was completely awful - wind, snow, rain, hail, sun at times...you name it, we pretty much had it. And just mentally running on a different day and completely different time probably messed up our heads a bit.

We started out on the Centennial Trail across the river from Spokane Community College. We ran a little over 6 miles to the Fish Lake Trail head. We were going to run out 4 miles and back and then head back to where we started but instead changed our minds and decided to just run out 7 miles and back and drive back to our starting location. We struggled to make it back to the trail head...we were just done! Thankfully, we were able to finish the run on our own two feet (and not crawling or on a stretcher!) I really felt like we accomplished something - however, it does play with your mind. With a couple more days of rest and better weather, might we have felt truly amazing after completing 20 miles, like our other mamas did on Saturday? Maybe so, but I guess we can chalk this one up as a learning experience and a good mental and physical test (that we passed!) for our upcoming "M" day!

Or...maybe we were so traumatized by it that neither of us even wanted to post about it! :) Notice, it's been awhile since we posted! :)

We heard that Sarah (who ran 20 miles with her husband at sub-10 minute miles), Bethany, and Ashley had great runs for their final double digit training - hope they post on here about it! We want to know all the details on why they felt so great after they completed theirs!

Finally, it seems like a long ways from the 20 miler to the marathon...I think we are on a 3 week taper plan. The two weekend runs between this one and the marathon are only 9 and 8 miles so the doubt starts to creep in...is this too long to go without a really long run? Can we really run 26.2 miles in a few weeks? And after feeling not so great about our 20 miler, we are really trying to build up our inspiration in the next few weeks. Thankfully, we still know that anything is possible!

~ posted by Andrea

Week 12 Complete: Total Weekly Miles=34

SATURDAY LONG RUN: 16 Miles

Great run today! We (Sarah, Ashley, and I) chose the Fish Lake trail and it was such a wonderful change in scenery. There was even a part at the very end of the trail(7.5 miles out) in which we continued running on that was a dirt road/trail. it reminded me how much I missed hiking and running on the trails. It was a nice day, so nice that I had my jacket off and just a short sleeve shirt for some of the run. And the best thing, although the weather report was bleak and promised rain all day long, IT DID NOT RAIN ON US!!!

Ashley and I were estatic(since both of us always seem to get the bad weather!). I think it sort of misted and sprayed, but this was nothing compared to the pouring rain, snow, and hail, that we had already encountered. Although my knees ached a bit, and Ashley's foot still hurt, everything seemed better with decent weather and the glimpse of spring on the horizon. And even though still challenging, 16 miles seemed so much shorter than 22!

-posted by Bethany

Spokane River Run 25K

Instead of running our 16 mile long run along the Fish Lake Trail, Andrea and I decided to sign up for the Spokane River Run. Sarah, Bethany, and Ashley ran their 16 miler the today before along the trail. Anway, the River Run is a 25K trail run throughout Riverside State Park. Unfortunately, we both opted not to run with our cell phones, so we were unable to take pictures of some breath taking views. However thanks to Google, I was able to find some images of the park we ran through today. It was perfect running weather (in the 50's), full of sunshine and a gentle breeze.



However nothing could have mentally prepared us for what the route really was like! We both agreed that running this 15.5 trail route was waaaaayyyy more difficult than last week's 22 miler! It was both physically and mentally exhausting. There were some killer hills, uneven terrains, giant mud puddles to avoid, and large rocks we had to hurdle over as we made our way through the challenging course.

Here is the course profile and as you can tell we were constantly going up and down hills throughout the course. We thought maybe we could recover with the down hills, but because of the steep grade and slippery rocks, we had to physically and mentally think about foot placement, stride length, and pace speed.

Often the "trail" was full of rocks

Although it was a difficult course, the time did fly by! We were grateful the course was clearly marked, and there was many water and nutrition stations, almost every 2-3 miles. Thank goodness for all those wonderful volunteers. Sadly, though, we did witness many people lose their footing, trip, and even one young lady fall down onto her knees. We checked on her and luckily she was okay. She ended up finishing the course without further injury but did confess to us that her knees were pretty sore towards the end.
 
Despite the varied terrain, I felt Andrea and I ran a good, hard race. We managed to maintain about an 11 minute/mile pace, depite the fact that we had to walk a few of the hills. It definitely was not conversation pace and often we had to run behind one another since the trail was not wide enough to run side by side. My overall time was 2:50:54 and Andrea's overall time was 2:53:58. We were exhausted when we finally reached the finish line, but proud to have completed the course. It was also a wonderful suprise to see Bethany and her cute son, Bryson, waiting for us at the end. Thanks for the encouragement B!!!

Anyway, I'm sure we'll be pretty sore tomorrow; trail running is definitely different than road running! However, this race made me even more confident that we will do great at our upcoming marathon! Thanks for a great run today Andrea! Marathon or Bust!

Mirna and Andrea

-posted by Mirna

Mid-Week Run with the Mamas!

Mirna, Andrea, and Bethany

As mentioned in recent posts, we have been trying to meet mid-week for our "long" 8-mile run. These runs are achievable when alone, but much more fun to do with others! This week I was able to meet up with Bethany and Mirna on Wednesday to knock this one out.

We met in Browne's Addition and linked in to the Bloomsday course. We decided that we would do the course tonight not only for our training run, but also as a reminder for this running event that we are doing in just a few weeks! Bloomsday is one of the highlights of Spring for me - I think this year is my 21st one - so it was fun to be with friends and run the course for practice. The rain stopped right after we started and it was a great training run! We figured we completed just under 8 miles total, which is fine given the hills we did. We did wonder where all the cheering, supportive people were though...it's completely different than running it on race day! :)

We are all looking forward to our 16 mile runs this weekend - yes, looking forward to them and grateful to take a step back from the 20's! Bethany, Ashley, and Sarah are going to hit the Fish Lake Trail while Mirna and I will participate in the River Run - a 25k trail run. Wishing us all good weather and pain-free stepping this weekend. Only one more big training to go after this one girls!!!!!!!!!

~ posted by Andrea

leap!

leap!
Into the unknown.
To conclusions
Leapfrog over doubt
Leap at the chance
Leap ahead.
Leap of faith
Leap in the dark.
But DON'T look before you leap.
Just leap.

by Missy Park, founder Title Nine (from Title Nine Summer 2011 catalog)http://www.titlenine.com/

~ posted by Andrea

22 Miler-Longest run yet!

Today Ashley and I ran our 22 miles.  We chose to run Sunday instead of Saturday due to a fundraising event for Autism that Ashley attended on Friday that went late into the evening.  We decided to meet later in the am, mostly because I thought it would give me more time with my family that am.  I quickly realized that this may have not been the best plan for me.  I waited all morning in anticipation and kept getting more nervous as the run drew nearer.  To me, this run would determine if I was truly ready and able to complete 26.2 miles.

The morning was gray and threatened rain; not encouraging. We ran the first leg and felt good. After a pit stop at Mirabeau, we met up with Ashley's husband and sister and were very entertained by them; Jonathan on roller blades being goofy and almost falling several times, and Carmen almost riding over the edge of the trail (wasn't hurt and was laughing afterwards, luckily). After we turned around it felt good to know that were halfway done, but then it hit me: WE STILL HAD 11 MILES LEFT!

I was beat from a rough work week and struggled with this run mentally. I was also getting very sick of the rain and bad weather ("bad" is not the first word I chose to write). I seem to always catch the bad weather; snow, rain, sleet, wind, hail, you name it, I have run in it! With this training I have run miles and miles soaking wet with cold and stiff muscles, and am so ready for spring and nice weather. Ashley and I tried to reflect postively; "This is going to make us stronger and tougher for race day!" and "We are going to have perfect weather on race day!"

So when Mirna showed up at the end to run the last three miles with us, it really saved us mentally-we would still be out there crawling home if she hadn't shown up! Seriously though, it was such an encouragement to us. While my knees and hips ached, I sucked it up and finished. And what an accomplishment! We did it! I now know that I will finish this marathon, that it IS really possible.

-posted by Bethany

Week 11 Complete=40 frickin' Miles!

IF WE CAN GET THROUGH 22 MILES, THEN WE CAN DO A MARATHON!

What a beautiful day in Spokane for our longest run in our training program-22 miles! We started at the "butt crack of dawn" 6 am in time to witness a beautiful sunset. It took us about 3:48 to complete the whole run so were pretty proud of ourselves, although tired and sore at the end. Today's run included Sarah, Andrea, and Mirna. Our other mamas, Bethany and Ashley, will be tackling their 22 miler tomorrow...Woo Hoo Week 11 is in the books!

Posing by the Dam after 22 miles

Wearing gloves and jackets, we began our run following Upriver Drive to Maringo Drive, where it eventually reconnected with the Centennial Trail. Our run continued on the Trail, and we enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we made our way to our first stop at Mirabeau Park around 7 miles, where Andrea had her car parked. We quickly completed "pit stop" #1 with GU, water, and bathroom break. Refueled, we continued another 4 miles along the Trial to the Parker Bridge around Mile 11, where we turned around and ran back to Andrea's car, at which point we had finished 15 miles.

After our turnaround at Barker Bridge (Mile 11)

We stopped at Andrea's car again for "pit stop" #2 and refueled, hydrated, and dropped off some of our extra layers. We were feeling good and excited to be running our final leg. This marathon business seemed more like a reality at this point. We continued along the Trail and noticed how many other people had also taken advantage of this gorgeous sunny day- we saw a plethora of runners, walkers, dog and owners, and bikers. Spokane people are so friendly, smiling, waving, and saying "hello" to us as we ran. Some even asked how far we were running. We even ran into a couple of different people that we knew-Small world! The people, the river, the sunshine, and our various conversations were much needed distractions as we finished the final leg. With less than half a mile left we mustered the last bit of energy and finished strong!

Here we are after we are all done! Looking strong and happy to be D-O-N-E! Thanks again for another lovely run with the Spokane Marathon Mamas!

GOOD LUCK TO OUR OTHER MAMAS TOMORROW (Ashley and Bethany)

-Posted by Mirna

Fish Lake Trail 8-Miler



Bethany and Ashley

Had a great 8 mile training run with Ashley and Bethany on Wednesday this week. It was a little cold out and we hit all kinds of weather - snow, hail, rain, wind, and a little sunshine even, but it was fun to get in a mid-week mama run!
Good luck to all this weekend as we crank out 22 miles!

~ posted by Andrea

My Spring Break Treadmill

GREETINGS FROM ISLAND PARK, IDAHO!

Note how big the snow berms are?!

For Spring Break, we are in Island Park, Idaho which is almost 30 miles southwest of West Yellowstone. Our good friend has a time share and invited us to come along. Eager for a get-away we are enjoying our time at the Island Park Village Resort.

So, where's the Island???!

However, again this week our training program requires three short runs (5 miles, 8 miles, and 5 miles). I thought I was done having to run in the snow this winter, but once again I donned on my winter running gear and hit the pavement...err...snow. I'm sure the locals thought I was insane as I ran alongside the state roads to complete the necessary mileage in 25 degree weather with snow falling. Thank goodness Spokane winters have prepared me for this! I didn't real see much traffic as I ran, the occasional pick up truck and a few snow mobiles.

I took a picture near my turnaround for my 8 miler; it was quiet and peaceful. It made me think of Robert Frost's poem "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference..."

Some days I know that if it weren't for my training program, I probably would have vegged out by the fireplace with a glass of wine and skipped my workout. But then again, if it weren't for my training program, I wouldn't get to truly "experience" Island Park, Idaho and enjoy the solitude of running, nor the beautiful scenery I observed during my runs. So instead I sit by the fireplace AFTER my workout with a hot cup of coffee and a good book. Hoping the other ladies have good runs this week as well!

-Posted by Mirna

Week 10 Complete - 36 Miles!

Centennial Trail heading west - near milepost 17 (I think!)

Week 10 is done and in the books as they say. We all completed our longest run to date, yet again. This week, it was 18 miles.
Mirna and I did this mere jaunt on Friday evening after work, taking us 3:04:34. We finished in total darkness. Mentally, very tough. Physically, also very tough. I was SO sore afterward and just plain tired and cold. We emailed our other mamas and gave them the scoop on the route. They were going to try and mimic what what we had done. To recap: we departed from Mission Park and headed out east on the Centennial Trail. When we had gone 6 miles, we reached Mirna's car at the Argonne Library and grabbed some water and nutrition. We then went another 3 miles east to Plantes Ferry Park and turned around and headed back to Mirna's car for more H2O, nutrition and some long sleeves. The final 6 miles were done heading west back to my car at Mission Park.

The next morning, Ashley, Bethany, and Sarah did the same route, though unfortunately, the dry weather we had Friday night had moved on and they were hit with some precip. From what we heard, not fun to run with sleet hitting you in the face. Drat! They did vary their route slightly from ours - we had ventured a little off the trail and ended up doing our turnaround at Plantes Ferry Park. They stayed right on the trail and missed quite a landmark!



It's a time capsule...so it says...














I don't know how everyone else REALLY felt after, but like I said, I was pretty darn worn out. We upped our long run from 15 last week to 18 and I could feel it. I was glad we were done in the evening so I could just eat and then go to bed. I did wake up at midnight for water and started to have a minor freak out session - wondering why in the heck I was attempting to do something so ludicrous as running a marathon - and giving myself complete doubt that I will be able to finish any runs longer than 18. After a full night of sleep though, I was over it.

Hopefully everyone got a lot of rest over the weekend as we'll have our longest training run coming up Saturday, April 9 - none too fun I am sure. Look out 22 miles, here we come!



Mirna and Andrea after our run

 ~ posted by Andrea